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by John Czarnecki
John Czarnecki has been the editorial consultant for FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. This season marks Czarnecki's 30th year covering the NFL. He is one of 44 selectors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Updated: May 14, 2008, 1:00 PM EST 18 comments add this RSS blog email print
Well, the first mandatory mini-camps are history and, hopefully, the Spygate furor will soon become a historical footnote so we can concentrate on football matters. There is no question that in 2008, the bull's-eye remains on the champion Giants and once-beaten Patriots, but May is a month for dreaming and there are five teams, only one that has won a playoff game recently, that have made personnel decisions putting them in serious contention to emerge in conference championship games this season.
Two of these five teams — Carolina, Cleveland, Dallas, Jacksonville and Minnesota — will be in the Super Bowl semifinals next January.
Panthers
There is tremendous motivation in Carolina because fans expect that Coach John Fox and GM Marty Hurney are fighting for their respective jobs this season. I'm not totally convinced of that, but the NFC South remains a weak sister and all Fox really needs is a healthy Jake Delhomme. By early indications, Delhomme's arm has recovered from Tommy John surgery stronger than ever; he threw for three consecutive days last weekend after missing 13 games last season. Carolina's passing offense ranked fourth from the bottom last season.
By trading a future first-round pick in order to draft Pitt right tackle Jeff Otah, the Panthers are gearing up to win now. Old reliable Moose Muhammad returns to the receiving corps to provide some guidance for youngster Dwayne Jarrett while ex-Seahawk D.J. Hackett is a solid reserve to go with the untouchable Steve Smith. The Panthers should have a much improved offensive line and teaming rookie runner Jonathan Stewart with DeAngelo Williams should be an improvement over last season. But the most important experiment this training camp will be whether or not former all-world player Julius Peppers responds (he had a mere 2.5 sacks last season) after being switched from left end to the right defensive end spot previously manned by the now-retired Mike Rucker. The offense looks set if Jake is fine. With Jeff Garcia pouting in Tampa Bay, Carolina is ready to take the South. The Panthers' only tough games are the opener against San Diego and at the Giants late in the season.
Browns
The Cleveland Browns, the best 10-win team not to make the playoffs a year ago, wisely spent their money and attention on defense in the off-season. If Romeo Crennel can motivate Shaun Rogers, the ex-Lion defensive tackle, to become a force for 16 games instead of eight, Cleveland can win the AFC North. Ex-Packer Corey Williams provides pass-rush muscle at defensive tackle, too. There is too much upheaval in Baltimore and Cincinnati for those teams to be factors in 2008, plus Cleveland has the best quarterback situation in the division because Brady Quinn is ready to play if Derek Anderson struggles.
Anderson was horrible in the late-season loss to the Bengals, but so was offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski's play-calling. With a season of experience, both should improve this year. Receivers Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow are Pro Bowl stars and left tackle Joe Thomas is already one of the game's best pass blockers. Jamal Lewis was a pleasant surprise and if his legs keep churning, the Browns should score over 400 points once again. We should know early with the season-opening game against the Cowboys how far Cleveland will go.
Cowboys
Dallas simply ran out of gas and defensive backs last season when the Giants upset them in the playoffs. That shouldn't happen this year because the Cowboys are loaded at cornerback if Pacman Jones is reinstated (and continues to behave himself), plus if rookies Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick continue to improve. Scandrick, a fifth-round pick from Boise State, out-played Jenkins in a recent mini-camp. Starters Anthony Henry and Terence Newman return. Granted, the Cowboys have to figure out how to handle safety Roy Williams, who remains a major liability in pass coverage. If Wade Phillips can figure out how to use Williams properly, the defense should be prepared for all those three and four receiver sets that worked so successfully against it last season.
The Cowboys remain solid on offense as long as Tony Romo keeps improving. Jason Garrett knows how to keep Terrell Owens motivated and tight end Jason Witten is a rising star. And don't worry about the loss of Julius Jones in free agency because rookies Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, who rushed for over 2,800 yards at Georgia Tech, give Garrett two options next to bruiser Marion Barber. Granted, the NFC East could be football's toughest division this season, but the Cowboys caught a schedule break by catching the NFC West and the AFC North this season.
Jaguars
It's impossible not to like the decisions that Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio has made in the last year. He pulled the plug on Byron Leftwich and opted for quarterback David Garrard to lead the Jaguars. Garrard delivered a playoff win over Pittsburgh even if the NFL said in March a pivotal holding penalty wasn't called on Garrard's game-winning scramble. Regardless, the Jaguars now have a leader in Garrard who makes plays and is very smart with the football (only three interceptions in 12 starts).
The Jaguars are definitely getting closer to both Indianapolis and New England in the AFC and their pass rush might actually rattle Peyton Manning and Tom Brady this season. Yes, they lost two talented veterans in Marcus Stroud and receiver Ernest Wilford, but maybe Oakland receiver Jerry Porter and Minnesota bust Troy Williamson will prove to be solid acquisitions for Garrard. Believe me, the Jaguars have the potential to be scary at defensive end, especially if Reggie Hayward recaptures his 2005 form when he had 8.5 sacks. This is a very well-coached team with two quality running backs and a happy quarterback with a new contract.
Vikings
By spending more than $70 million on new talent, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf is telling Coach Brad Childress that his third season better include a playoff berth. Unless Tavaris Jackson doesn't improve a lick, the Vikings have the team to beat in the NFC North. If Jackson continues to make strides along with runner Adrian Peterson, Minnesota will be better equipped to control every game's tempo because their defensive pass rush should be the NFL's best. Yes, ex-Chief Jared Allen is that good, plus he's being teamed with Kevin and Pat Williams, already the game's best duo at defensive tackle.
The quarterback position has been upgraded with the arrival of veteran Gus Frerotte, who can win in a reserve role, and with USC rookie John David Booty who played on college's biggest stage with the Trojans. Ex-Bear Bernard Berrian gives Childress a bonafide deep threat opposite Sidney Rice. The defense is a lot more than Allen, too, because E.J. Henderson and Chad Greenway are above-average linebackers and ex-Bengal safety Madieu Williams is a lot better player and more reliable than the departed Dwight Smith. With the retirement of Brett Favre, the Packers won't be favored to repeat as division champions. The Vikings have two big tests this season — home to Peyton Manning and the Colts and at Jacksonville in late November. If they win one of those, watch out!
LINK
John Czarnecki has been the editorial consultant for FOX NFL Sunday since its 1994 inception. This season marks Czarnecki's 30th year covering the NFL. He is one of 44 selectors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Updated: May 14, 2008, 1:00 PM EST 18 comments add this RSS blog email print
Well, the first mandatory mini-camps are history and, hopefully, the Spygate furor will soon become a historical footnote so we can concentrate on football matters. There is no question that in 2008, the bull's-eye remains on the champion Giants and once-beaten Patriots, but May is a month for dreaming and there are five teams, only one that has won a playoff game recently, that have made personnel decisions putting them in serious contention to emerge in conference championship games this season.
Two of these five teams — Carolina, Cleveland, Dallas, Jacksonville and Minnesota — will be in the Super Bowl semifinals next January.
Panthers
There is tremendous motivation in Carolina because fans expect that Coach John Fox and GM Marty Hurney are fighting for their respective jobs this season. I'm not totally convinced of that, but the NFC South remains a weak sister and all Fox really needs is a healthy Jake Delhomme. By early indications, Delhomme's arm has recovered from Tommy John surgery stronger than ever; he threw for three consecutive days last weekend after missing 13 games last season. Carolina's passing offense ranked fourth from the bottom last season.
By trading a future first-round pick in order to draft Pitt right tackle Jeff Otah, the Panthers are gearing up to win now. Old reliable Moose Muhammad returns to the receiving corps to provide some guidance for youngster Dwayne Jarrett while ex-Seahawk D.J. Hackett is a solid reserve to go with the untouchable Steve Smith. The Panthers should have a much improved offensive line and teaming rookie runner Jonathan Stewart with DeAngelo Williams should be an improvement over last season. But the most important experiment this training camp will be whether or not former all-world player Julius Peppers responds (he had a mere 2.5 sacks last season) after being switched from left end to the right defensive end spot previously manned by the now-retired Mike Rucker. The offense looks set if Jake is fine. With Jeff Garcia pouting in Tampa Bay, Carolina is ready to take the South. The Panthers' only tough games are the opener against San Diego and at the Giants late in the season.
Browns
The Cleveland Browns, the best 10-win team not to make the playoffs a year ago, wisely spent their money and attention on defense in the off-season. If Romeo Crennel can motivate Shaun Rogers, the ex-Lion defensive tackle, to become a force for 16 games instead of eight, Cleveland can win the AFC North. Ex-Packer Corey Williams provides pass-rush muscle at defensive tackle, too. There is too much upheaval in Baltimore and Cincinnati for those teams to be factors in 2008, plus Cleveland has the best quarterback situation in the division because Brady Quinn is ready to play if Derek Anderson struggles.
Anderson was horrible in the late-season loss to the Bengals, but so was offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski's play-calling. With a season of experience, both should improve this year. Receivers Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow are Pro Bowl stars and left tackle Joe Thomas is already one of the game's best pass blockers. Jamal Lewis was a pleasant surprise and if his legs keep churning, the Browns should score over 400 points once again. We should know early with the season-opening game against the Cowboys how far Cleveland will go.
Cowboys
Dallas simply ran out of gas and defensive backs last season when the Giants upset them in the playoffs. That shouldn't happen this year because the Cowboys are loaded at cornerback if Pacman Jones is reinstated (and continues to behave himself), plus if rookies Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick continue to improve. Scandrick, a fifth-round pick from Boise State, out-played Jenkins in a recent mini-camp. Starters Anthony Henry and Terence Newman return. Granted, the Cowboys have to figure out how to handle safety Roy Williams, who remains a major liability in pass coverage. If Wade Phillips can figure out how to use Williams properly, the defense should be prepared for all those three and four receiver sets that worked so successfully against it last season.
The Cowboys remain solid on offense as long as Tony Romo keeps improving. Jason Garrett knows how to keep Terrell Owens motivated and tight end Jason Witten is a rising star. And don't worry about the loss of Julius Jones in free agency because rookies Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, who rushed for over 2,800 yards at Georgia Tech, give Garrett two options next to bruiser Marion Barber. Granted, the NFC East could be football's toughest division this season, but the Cowboys caught a schedule break by catching the NFC West and the AFC North this season.
Jaguars
It's impossible not to like the decisions that Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio has made in the last year. He pulled the plug on Byron Leftwich and opted for quarterback David Garrard to lead the Jaguars. Garrard delivered a playoff win over Pittsburgh even if the NFL said in March a pivotal holding penalty wasn't called on Garrard's game-winning scramble. Regardless, the Jaguars now have a leader in Garrard who makes plays and is very smart with the football (only three interceptions in 12 starts).
The Jaguars are definitely getting closer to both Indianapolis and New England in the AFC and their pass rush might actually rattle Peyton Manning and Tom Brady this season. Yes, they lost two talented veterans in Marcus Stroud and receiver Ernest Wilford, but maybe Oakland receiver Jerry Porter and Minnesota bust Troy Williamson will prove to be solid acquisitions for Garrard. Believe me, the Jaguars have the potential to be scary at defensive end, especially if Reggie Hayward recaptures his 2005 form when he had 8.5 sacks. This is a very well-coached team with two quality running backs and a happy quarterback with a new contract.
Vikings
By spending more than $70 million on new talent, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf is telling Coach Brad Childress that his third season better include a playoff berth. Unless Tavaris Jackson doesn't improve a lick, the Vikings have the team to beat in the NFC North. If Jackson continues to make strides along with runner Adrian Peterson, Minnesota will be better equipped to control every game's tempo because their defensive pass rush should be the NFL's best. Yes, ex-Chief Jared Allen is that good, plus he's being teamed with Kevin and Pat Williams, already the game's best duo at defensive tackle.
The quarterback position has been upgraded with the arrival of veteran Gus Frerotte, who can win in a reserve role, and with USC rookie John David Booty who played on college's biggest stage with the Trojans. Ex-Bear Bernard Berrian gives Childress a bonafide deep threat opposite Sidney Rice. The defense is a lot more than Allen, too, because E.J. Henderson and Chad Greenway are above-average linebackers and ex-Bengal safety Madieu Williams is a lot better player and more reliable than the departed Dwight Smith. With the retirement of Brett Favre, the Packers won't be favored to repeat as division champions. The Vikings have two big tests this season — home to Peyton Manning and the Colts and at Jacksonville in late November. If they win one of those, watch out!
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