NOTE: "The Splits" is a debate/discussion style article, in which two FIO writers square-off against each other on a hot topic in the world of sports.
Matt Hinzpeter: So, the season is only a few days away... I'm pretty pumped. New Orleans at Indianapolis should be a great match-up to kick start the '07 season. Last year's "Feel Good Story" versus the reigning Super Bowl champs - can't get much better. I can't lie though - I'm really looking forward to the doubleheader on Monday night with Baltimore at Cincinnati and Arizona at San Francisco. Arguably one of the best defenses in the NFL going up against a high-octane offense in Game 1, and two up and coming NFC West clubs in Game 2. Speaking of which, I really like the direction San Fran is headed in. They have a good nucleus of young talent to build around, and with some great offseason acquisitions like CB Nate Clements and WR Darrell Jackson, I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the playoffs come January. If not this season, definitely in 2008. It just may be hard for them to compete with all the weapons that St. Louis has at their disposal in the West.
Tim Hays: I agree that the 49ers have given themselves a definite chance at the postseason with their offseason moves, both in free agency and the draft. They have a young, fast LB corps, and now QB Alex Smith has a battle tested, go-to receiver in Jackson. The only concern I see is in their aged defensive line. DE Bryant Young cannot put the pressure on the passer like he used to, but it shouldn't hurt them much with LB Manny Lawson flying by opposing offensive tackles. The Rams definitely do have a ridiculous amount of offensive weapons, but their secondary, especially at the CB position, is very inexperienced, and may be susceptible to some big plays. All in all, I don't think The Rams will be defeated in the division, but the 49ers can contend with the Cardinals for the Wild Card spot, and I definitely think the Wild Card team will be coming from this division.
MH: I want to say that the Wild Card will be coming from this division, but I think that may be a year or two away. All of the teams out West, with the exception of Seattle - who I feel has fallen off the face of the earth, are headed in the right direction. The reason why I don't know whether that will happen this season is because of the NFC East - namely the Eagles and the Cowboys. The Redskins I think are another one of those teams that is headed in the right direction, with handing the offense over to QB Jason Campbell and drafting S LaRon Landry, but they're not quite there yet. The Giants are an absolute disaster in my mind, and they'll be lucky to see 5 wins this season. However, Philly and Dallas, when totally healthy, are fairly dominant. I really like how Dallas is stacking up on defense this year, and if McNabb stays healthy for the Eagles, I think you can pretty much lock them into that Wild Card spot for the NFC.
TH: I agree that Dallas defense is looking pretty superb all the way around, but I can't say the same for the Eagles. Though the signing of LB Takeo Spikes is big, the rest of the Eagles backers are pretty weak. Also, S Brian Dawkins is still an elite safety, but he is no spring chicken, and S Sean Considine isn't going to be able to come up with any huge plays that Dawkins can't make. Philly still lacks the depth at WR to be considered one of the elite teams, even in the NFC. Another NFC division that could have a Wild Card contender is the ever-deep NFC South. The Falcons are out this year with all of the drama that doesn’t need to be mentioned… but the Saints, Panthers, and Bucs are all capable of having big seasons. Tampa Bay has had an enormous offseason, reforming their defense into a force. Newly acquired LB Jeremiah Trotter will join Derrick Brooks and Cato June to make a fearsome group of backers that can clean up any missed assignments by rookie pass rushing phenom DE Gaines Adams. Who do you think takes this division?
MH: Well, the NFC South is very interesting. I think the Panthers offense is very rough around the edges... sure, they have up and comer RB DeAngelo Williams and the always scary WR Steve Smith, but they lack the signal caller to truly contend in the division. I wouldn't be surprised to see QB David Carr step in for Jake Delhomme at some point during the season. The Bucs did have a nice offseason - revamping their defense a little and bringing in veteran QB Jeff Garcia. I think they will better their 4-12 mark last season, but I don't think they will be able to compete with what New Orleans puts out on the field on a weekly basis. The Saints just have so much firepower on offense that even though their defense can be suspect at times, they can gun it out with the best of them. As long as the Saints defense keeps games close, I don't see any other team touching them in the NFC South. And as for a Wild Card out of this division, I believe that the East and the West are just too strong to let a team from the NFC South slip in and steal that Wild Card.
TH: One division that should not be very close is the NFC North. Green Bay has problems at RB, so count them out. The Vikings have QB problems, so count them out. And the Lions.... are the Lions, no matter how good their WR's are.... again. The Bears should be able to run through this division without so much as a hiccup. I don't think the Bears have a great offense, though the Greg Olsen pick will help QB Rex Grossman a bunch when he gets into jams. RB Cedric Benson will also need to prove himself to everyone this year with Thomas Jones gone, but they still have enough to punish everyone in their division. The defense really hasn't gotten too much worse at all - most of the same returning superstars - so I will be surprised if they give up more than two touchdowns against a divisional foe all season. Hopefully, someone else can step up and make this division a little interesting, but it's hard to think either Detroit, Green Bay, or Minnesota will win more than 6 games this season.
MH: Hey, you never know… didn’t Lions QB Jon Kitna predict 10 to 12 wins? I highly doubt it, but the funny thing about the NFL is that any team can click at any moment and dominate a division out of nowhere. |
