Clay and I are here to bring you another installment of the 2008 NFL football preview!
The NFC West: Does Alex Smith smell like cabbage?
Oz: Arizona - We've been saying for years that Arizona is going to make the leap from year to year, but guess what? It never, ever happens! They have talent on offense at every skill position. The Cardinals even have two pretty solid quarterbacks. What's the deal here? Is Edgerrin James pissed he went to Arizona instead of staying in Indy? Even if they do well this year, Anquan Boldin said he's leaving when his contract is up. Apparently there is great morale in Glendale.
S.D.C.: Yeah, they do say that every year, and I am sure they are saying it this year…I don’t buy it. The offense will do better than last year, because they were very inconsistent last year (injuries to both QB didn’t help). The defense won’t do enough, though. I am not sold on either QB really. If you give Warner time and space, he is one of the best passers in the game, but when the pocket starts to collapse, he looks like John Rocker stumbling into the middle of the gay pride parade in San Francisco.
I do think Edge has a better year this year, regardless of how many wins this team gets.
Oz: St. Louis - The Rams were terrible last year, but they were injured. They're a little bit old, but they've got talent offensively and should be able to rebound. I don't see them winning the division, but they'll win more games than they did last year. Being in the NFC West more or less guarantees you three wins, no?
S.D.C. I hate this division. There is not one legitimately good team. There hasn’t been for a while. Seattle had a couple of good years, but I still think that was just perpetuated by the horrendousness of the division and the NFC as a whole during that period (not that much has changed). St Louis should be decent. There isn’t a whole lot of defense in this division either, but their offense will be consistent and their defense will do just enough to put them ahead of at least two of the pitiful teams in this division. Their receivers are getting old, but hopefully Bulger stays healthy and helps improve the team from last year.
Oz: Seattle - The obvious favorite. I've said this before, but I hate the Seahawks. They run a terribly boring offense, they've never really impressed me. How much of them winning so often in the past five years is because they play in the weaker conference? I mean, if they played in the AFC, would they win more than seven games a year? Seriously, put them in the AFC North. They win three games tops in that league.
S.D.C. I know, I know, we are so bitter about this conference. We joked before writing about the NFC South, but every team in that division (Atlanta doesn’t count as a team) is better then every team in this division. Seattle is probably the best team in this division because they are the only team that has a defense. If they stay healthy, they should win the division because they are well coached and take care of the ball. They will score just enough to win. SF has had their number the last couple of years, and ST Louis should be better, so they are no lock, but I think they do the most with what they have, and we all know defense wins in the NFL.
Oz: San Francisco - Are Alex Smith's days numbered? He's not a good football player. He played at Utah. What a bad year of drafting that was. Do you think the 49ers are still pissed Leinart went back for his senior year? I would be. Do you realize their best player (Frank Gore) is definitely leaving them the first chance he gets? Do you realize their #1 receiver is Isaac Bruce and he's 68 years old?
S.D.C.:
Wow.
Ok, I guess I will write about them. Alex Smith has small hands and smells like cabbage, Gore is studly, their defense has been consistent but they can’t do anything on offense. They have been incredibly weak at receiver over the years and they don’t have good enough pass protection for a shitty QB with small hands. They have also been one of those teams people keep expecting to improve and break through, but they took a step back last year. I don’t think they make the jump until they get a capable QB, but that is just me. If Gore stays healthy and the defense plays well enough, they could do some damage. Many teams have won without a QB doing the work, but I don’t know if this team is capable of that.
I am sorry, I didn’t do research for this league…I just don’t care. On a more interesting note, I can’t wait to watch Manny Ramirez and Jeff Kent play together. The Dodgers are notorious for getting players that don’t fit together in the clubhouse. They always have a lot of talent but under perform because they don’t get along (they are the west coast equivalent of the Mets). Now they just went out and got another one of those guys. Granted, I am pissed the Padres have to play against him 15 times a year, but I look forward to Kent making some Jamaican joke and Manny calling him a stupid cracker.
Oz: Overall? Well, it may sound like I'm going backwards here a bit, but I think Arizona steps it up a bit and challenges Seattle for the division.
Seattle: 11-5
Arizona: 10-6
St. Louis: 7-9
San Francisco: 4-12
S.D.C. I do not agree about the Cardinals. They should actually have a solid offense, but I think this is another division of mediocrity. I don’t know if the O-line does better, or the defense, but they were a pretty popular pick last year to do better and they didn’t. Granted, they had a lot of injuries. It is hard to pick the team that we be less bad than the rest. I also think no team from this division wins more than 10 games.
St Louis 10-6
Seattle 8-8
Arizona 8-8
San Fran 7-9
I don’t know, I am guessing here. I really don’t know much about these teams.
Oz: Good job going out on a limb here. The Rams could make a run if they stay healthy, which they didn't do last season. So we're conflicted here.
As we conclude the NFC, who are you playoffs teams?
My division winners: Dallas, Minnesota, New Orleans, Seattle
My wild card teams: Philadelphia, Green Bay
S.D.C.:
1. Cowboys
2. Green Bay
3. New Orleans
4. St Louis
5. Minnesota
6. Redskins
This isn’t going out on much of a limb here is it, pretty close to last year’s playoffs? I could easily replace GB and Minn. I had trouble keeping TB out of there too for some reason. I think Carolina could make their way in also and it wouldn’t surprise me. Of course Philly and NY could be there too. I think the West is a one team division, the East is a two team division, and I think both GB and Minn make it in. I don’t think three teams will come from the East.
Oz: Isn't it just incredible how awful the entire NFC is? There re 16 teams, none of whom are better than the top three in the AFC. Just saying. Then again, this was said last year before David Tyree made the best catch in the history of the NFL. I'm still very bitter. Thanks, Sports Illustrated, for bringing it up on the cover of this week's issue.
Join us tomorrow for the beginning of the AFC previews!
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