I Think Super Bowl 44 Signals a Pendulum of Power Shift Back to the NFC

[Aikbach]

This game had some of the tones of Super Bowll XXXII where the fan favorite Broncos faced the highly experienced and media darling Packers to snap a decade and a half of sheer NFC domination of the Super Bowl.

The NFC finished a paltry 3-7 in the Oughts BUT two of those wins were against the class of the decade, being New England and Indianapolis, I feel this victory by the Saints in fact will signal an emergence of NFC superiority in the coming decade.

The champion Saints and the peaking Cowboys, rising Packers and Falcons, competitive Vikings and potential filled Cardinals, Niners and Bears make the NFC an overall more fierce conference than the fading AFC.

Brady and Manning remain great but aging and their teams are mostly just aging.

The Steelers are fortuitous punks and bath nightly in a bubble bath called mediocrity, the Chargers are about to take a sizable hit with Tomlinson's departure and their playoff monkey looms large.

Even the rising class of the AFC in the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens (still saddled with an aging defense despite offensive youth) are not in the same tier as New Orleans, Dallas and Green Bay and by de facto the road to next year's Super Bowl game will go through Dallas...the city hosts it and their team is one of the leagues' top five.

So for now congrats not only to the Saints but to the emergence of a revived NFC.

 

[mldardy]

I thought the NFC was better all season. There were 6 very good teams in the NFC playoffs. The AFC had two(SD and Indy) going in and the Jets got hot. I think the Saints having to go through the NFC prepared them very well for the Colts.

 

[the truth of it all]

well im going to agree with you that power has shifted , going to disagree with some of the teams. IMO i see our boys, saints, vikings, niners, packers, falcons with rest of nfc east battling the next few years. Which is awesome sort of throw back. Id flip if i got to see a boys , niners/packers nfc championship

 

[Hoofbite]

I thought the NFC was better all season. There were 6 very good teams in the NFC playoffs. The AFC had two(SD and Indy) going in and the Jets got hot. I think the Saints having to go through the NFC prepared them very well for the Colts.

Patriots were pretty good. Tennessee would have been dangerous if they would have ditched Collins earlier.

Cincy was pretty stout. Baltimore and Pitt were solid.

2 good teams in the AFC is false.

 

[Hyperion]

NFC was definitely the deeper conference in 2009. The league is definitely more balanced now than it was five years ago. Having said that I don't see a drastic long term shift that swings violently toward the NFC.

The AFC figures to be much stronger next year: Titans will be better. Steelers will be better. Baltimore will likely be better. The Texans continue to get stronger. The only competitive AFC team that figures to take a strong step backward is probably the Bengals.

The Vikings and Cardinals could be considerably weaker depending on QB situations. The Packers and Cowboys are headed in the right way.

 

[dadymat]

if not for questionable calls in Pit/Cards SB NFC might wouldve had the last 3 SBs

 

[Hoofbite]

if not for questionable calls in Pit/Cards SB NFC might wouldve had the last 3 SBs

Or if not for a 99 yard INT for a TD.

 

[mldardy]

Patriots were pretty good. Tennessee would have been dangerous if they would have ditched Collins earlier.

Cincy was pretty stout. Baltimore and Pitt were solid.

2 good teams in the AFC is false.

The Pats were pretty good at home and against bad teams. Tennessee will probably be in the mix for awhile. Cincy was vastly overrated. Baltimore and Pitt will be there again. I just think the NFC was a much deeper conference this season.

 

[dadymat]

Or if not for a 99 yard INT for a TD.

that game wasnt decided in the 2nd qtr.....both teams had ints.....both teams were not handed free TDs

 

[Sarge]

Things can and do change quickly. I wouldn't be surprised to see Indy right back in it again next year even as favorites. LOOOOONg season.

 

[dbair1967]

Patriots were pretty good. Tennessee would have been dangerous if they would have ditched Collins earlier.

Cincy was pretty stout. Baltimore and Pitt were solid.

2 good teams in the AFC is false.

I doubt any of those teams would have made the playoffs in the NFC, especially the Titans, Bengals, Ravens and Stealers (who didnt make the playoffs in their mediocre conference either). The Stalers lost to just about every bad team in the league.

 

[CCBoy]

Just a comment on Indianapolis....they aren't an over the hill group. They have some very talented and very young receivers in that group. They have a good running game, with a 'rook' that shouldered some load as well. This game saw only a single sack by Indianapolis, and thus, unlike the Cowboy game against New Orleans, Brees tore up the Colts. I wonder if a forty minute half time and a damaged foot on Freeman might have been a real storyline in the pressure missing by the Colts in the second half.

I'm proud of the Saints, and the NFC as well. Things have evolved from just five years ago...and it all hits the fan after an 'uncapped' season start next year. I'm sticking with our Cowboys and rooting for 'em...

 

[thssanders]

Just a comment on Indianapolis....they aren't an over the hill group. They have some very talented and very young receivers in that group. They have a good running game, with a 'rook' that shouldered some load as well. This game saw only a single sack by Indianapolis, and thus, unlike the Cowboy game against New Orleans, Brees tore up the Colts. I wonder if a forty minute half time and a damaged foot on Freeman might have been a real storyline in the pressure missing by the Colts in the second half.

I'm proud of the Saints, and the NFC as well. Things have evolved from just five years ago...and it all hits the fan after an 'uncapped' season start next year. I'm sticking with our Cowboys and rooting for 'em...

Indy is one of the leagues youngest teams. The only two guys on offense that are old are peyton and saturday, with peyton playing the best of his career. Young receivers and tight ends, and a relatively young o-line. On defense, they are also very young. Freeney and mathis are the only two that have really been around awhile. Heck, in some games this year they started 2 rookie corners.

 

[tyke1doe]

that game wasnt decided in the 2nd qtr.....both teams had ints.....both teams were not handed free TDs

That 99 INT for a TD was huge and changed the nature of the game.

A game is the sume of its plays. If a game comes down to the final seconds, it's because of other plays in the game.

 

[goshan]

Nothing is long-term in the NFL anymore.
There is no 'power base' in any league that sustains itself. Power bases were there before because of 1-2 teams that dominated. The past 9 years we have seen 9 different NFC teams in the SuperBowl.

Things that all NFL fans should stop talking about:

1. Rebuilding
2. Power-bases in conferences
3. Dynasties


Those are old school and not applicable to today's NFL.