| 2002 NFC Predictions by Mike Joerndt Neenah, WI Having boldly degraded NFL experts in my last article, I then stuck out my own neck by making predictions on the division of the AFC. Will I be wrong? Probably. But maybe I'll spark some thought and conversation among the average NFL fan. With any luck, I'll do it again with the following predictions for the NFC. Special thanks go to The Sporting News, SportsTicker and ESPN for giving me a jumping point on these predictions: facts I didn't have and predictions with which I could vehemently disagree. NFC East Dan Snyder, the baby-faced madman who owns the Washington Redskins, will continue to squander talent by getting too involved in day-to-day decisions. That's a shame because Washington has great defensive players and a great defensive coordinator. Coach Steve Spurrier is an offensive mind (and an offensive mouth), and he thinks he can succeed in the NFL with the same QBs that brought him success in Florida. I disagree, and I also think his big mouth will provide too much off-field distraction for a professional team to handle. The Giants look better than average this year, but not much better. Kerry Collins has receivers that compliment his abilities and Tiki Barber will continue to be a one-man highlight reel. The offense will be slowed by a group of young and untested linemen. The Giants feature a powerful defensive line, but not much behind it - Jason Sehorn really is overrated. Philadelphia used to be scary because of one man - Donovan McNabb. But the people around him are stepping up now. The addition of former Packers Dorsey Levens and Antonio Freeman will add depth and dimension to an offense that already had a strong Green Bay influence. The Eagles drafted to upgrade an already solid defensive backfield. Perhaps their performance against the Rams made them panic a bit on draft day. Still, I see big things for Philadelphia this year. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are still in a rebuilding phase. There's a looming question mark at quarterback, Emmit Smith is getting older, and Joey Galloway is the best the Cowboys have in a no-name receiving corps. I see the Dallas defense slowly improving, but they certainly won't dominate. Predicted order of finish: Eagles, Giants, Cowboys, Redskins NFC West Most of my feelings about this division have little to do with talent or strategy. Instead, the West will demonstrate that the NFL can be as mysterious as the Bermuda Triangle or the Twilight Zone Either that or I'm horribly biased against St. Louis. I believe they established a pattern in 2000 when they barely made the playoffs after winning Super Bowl XXXIV. Therefore, the Rams will barely make the playoffs this year. Don't believe me? The Patriots proved the Rams are very human, and their cocky swagger can hurt them in the long run, as can too many turnovers. In addition, the 49ers are again a hungry bunch of skilled players. They can move the chains with running backs or with quarterback Jeff Garcia. The 49ers wide revivers could be a weakness, mainly because Terrell Owens has a big head and a bigger mouth. The defense is somewhat young, but they have enough experience to be terrifying. The Seahawks may well prove one of my other intangible theories of the NFL: replacing ugly, 1970's era uniforms make a team better. Ask the Broncos, Patriots and Buccaneers. Then again, they have only slightly better than average ability on either side of the ball and a crummy placekicker. The Cardinals need Jake Plummer to finally be the quarterback they expected when Arizona drafted him. The running backs have something to prove as well, but only because nobody has ever heard of them. The Cards will probably suffer through another poor season because the defense line won't stop anybody at the line of scrimmage. Predicted order of finish: San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle, Arizona. NFC South The Buccaneers have been hardened by years in the Black and Blue Division. They have talent, an intense and intelligent coach and a desire to finally get over the hump. They are going to eat this division alive. Provided, of course, they can get over having lost much of their defensive power to free agency and injury; say nothing of losing two defensive minded coaches (Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith) in two years. Brad Johnson could be a great quarterback again with Jon Gruden at the helm. Their chief threat is New Orleans, which has potential, but also needs to get over the hump. Aaron Brooks has fine receivers, but he threw too many interceptions last year. The Saints may miss Ricky Williams if they can't get the ground game on track this year. New Orleans will also suffer mightily from the loss of defensive leaders Joe Johnson and La'Roi Glover. The people of Atlanta must be getting tired of the Falcons getting the city's hopes up around mid-season, only to miss the playoffs or lose in the first round. Quarterback Michael Vick isn't ready for the big time yet, and Atlanta will miss wily veteran Chris Chandler. The Falcons are also taking a chance that former Tampa Bay running back Warrick Dunn will improve on last year's dismal numbers. Defensively, Atlanta will depend on stopping running backs and rushing the passer. They'll be in trouble whenever a team successfully throws a ball beyond the line of scrimmage. Carolina has a long way to go before they even get anybody's hopes up. It will be better than last year though. Chris Weinke will have a better season, if only because he was just terrible last year. The defense has too many holes to save the team from the rest of the division. But hey, they do have a really good placekicker in John Kasay. Predicted order: Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina. PAGE TWO |
 |