Where O' Where Have All The Good NFC Teams Gone?
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by user Christof
At the ripe old age of 28 currently, I can honestly say that I was old enough to see and remember the great NFC teams of the 1980’s and 1990’s. You know the ones that I am talking about, the Niners, the Giants, the Redskins, the Bears, and it pains me to say it, also the Cowboys. But that era of NFC dominance ended about 10 years ago with the Packers. Thereafter, the NFC has been in decline, serious decline. And sadly, this decline has no end in sight.
With the NFL playoffs only two weeks away, lets look at the NFC for the 2006 season.
The Chicago Bears
The Bears have clinched the number 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. This means they will have a bye week before playing their first playoff game. Normally, a bye is crucial to victory in the playoffs, however, a bye may not mean anything this year.
The Bears began the season with an outstanding defense, one that may have ranked among the greatest in the history of the game. However, injuries, arrests and suspensions have hit this unit, and now, they are giving up 30 points to the likes of Tampa Bay. And the Bears offense? One word sums their play up – hideous. Quarterback Rex Grossman is just awful. Do not be surprised to see the Bears go one and done in the playoffs this year.
The Saints are the feel-good story of the NFL season, especially after what their town went through because of Hurricane Katrina. The Saints have clinched their division already, and thus return to the playoffs for the first time since 2000. The Saints do have a very explosive offense, led by quarterback Drew Brees. The defense, however, is rather weak and has been playing way over their heads. Sure, the game of football is based a lot on emotional intensity of the players who suit up every Sunday, and the Saints have had a lot of emotion to play with this year. But how long can emotion alone carry the Saints on defense?
The Saints face the Giants this week in a critical game for both teams. The Saints, by winning, will nearly assure the second seed in the NFC and the bye. However, it is quite possible that the Saints will lose this weekend, and with back-to-back losses this late in the season, one must wonder whether the clock is about to strike midnight in Big Easy.
The Dallas Cowboys
This is another team with a good offense and a defense that is getting worse by the week. The Cowboys offense is being led these days by quarterback Tony Romo, who has now started a total of eight games in his entire career. Sure, Romo’s has led the club to a record of 6-2 since he became a starter, however, many of those wins have come against pretty poor teams. It seems from his recent games that Romo has issues with zone coverage and, if pressure is applied, seems to get rattled. This is not good to see with the playoff only days away from starting.
It must be noted also that the Cowboys have the human nuclear device, in the name of Terrell Owens. Whether it is hanging out on the stationary bike, overdosing on pain killers, complaining of not being loved by Bill Parcells or spitting at opposing cornerbacks, T.O. has been a constant distraction for this team. And this is only going to get worse, especially if the Cowboys lose to the Eagles on Christmas.
As far as the defense, the injury to Greg Ellis has hurt them badly. They simply cannot stop the opposing offense from scoring. Then again, who can in the NFC?
The Seattle Seahawks
The reigning NFC champions are in danger of missing the playoffs this year. Yes, they are currently first in the NFC West, but only hold an 8-6 record. They are being closely followed by the San Francisco 49ers, whose record is 6-8, but have won both games against the Seahawks. Therefore, if both teams finish 8-8, it will be the Niners who take the division, and not the Seahawks. With the Seahawks facing the Chargers this weekend, and the Niners facing the Cardinals, this division is going to come down to the last weekend of the season. Just think, an 8-8 mark may win you the division these days in the NFC. How depression is the NFC these days, eh?
The Eagles lost quarterback Donovan McNabb for the season with a torn ACL, has lost three games on the final play of the game, and has a defense that thinks tackling and rush defense are four letter words that should never be used. Yet they are one win away from clinching a spot in the NFC playoffs, and two wins away from winning the NFC East.
This team has much less talent, especially on the defense, than the 2004 club that went to the Super Bowl. I also question their mental toughness, for the three last play losses were all caused by stupid, unacceptable mental mistakes. But with all that said, the team is on a three game win streak, and that may make them the most dangerous team right now in the NFC.
The New York Giants
The Giants currently hold the last Wild Card spot, in front of the Atlanta Falcons. The Giants have beaten the Falcons, and badly need a victory against the Saints this weekend at home. Thereafter, the Giants play the Redskins in the final week, a team that remembers getting blown out by the Giants earlier this season, and has recently been playing respectably.
Anyway, the Giants have issues throughout its roster. The Giants offense is being led, or at least trying to be led, by quarterback Eli Manning. Now, Eli has a last name that is first round quality, however, his quarterbacking ability is only mid-round level. It is getting bad when your own coach is beginning to cut you down in his weekly press conferences, and this is the situation we are now seeing in the Big Apple.
The Giants have a retiring Hall of Fame running back in Tiki Barber, however, the club have pretty much quit on running the football. On the defensive side, that unit was never really good, and injuries to the defensive line, including to Michael Strahan has taken its toll. The Giants should make it into the NFC playoffs, not because of its play but because of how bad the rest of the NFC is.
The Rest of the NFC.
As stated above, the Niners may finish at 8-8. Their offense is getting better by the week. Alex Smith, Frank Gore, and Vernon Davis are an explosive trio. The Niners defense, however, is a horror show.
The Falcons are in complete disarray. Michael Vick most memorable pass this year was him walking off the field at the Georgia Dome while flipping off the fans. Head coach Jim Mora Jr. seems ready to jump ship, and if he is not, the owner is surely ready to fire him. This is just a colossal mess, and it is getting uglier as the weeks go by.
The remaining clubs in the NFC are even worse than the ones discussed above, which is really sad to say. But it just goes back to what this article title states: where o’ where have all of the good NFC team gone?
If you find any, please let me and all other football fans know as soon as possible.
