The NFC is Now The Dominant Conference

The defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants are poised to
repeat led by two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning. The
Giants were left for dead both in 2007 and 2011 before rallying at the
end of the regular to make their playoff runs. In 2008 The Giants
started the season with a record of 11-1, but their chances to repeat
came to a screeching halt once wide receiver Plaxico Burress shot
himself in the leg at a night club that November. This time around The
Giants are a more veteran group that are using the “no respect” card as
many people around the country are not talking about them.

The Green Bay Packers won The Super Bowl in 2010 and they still have
a young team led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers who is also a Super Bowl
MVP. The Packers had the most explosive offense in The National Football
League last season, but they also featured one of the worst defenses in
the league. It finally caught up to them in the postseason as The
Packers became the first team in NFL history to win 15 games in the
regular season and be one-and-done in the postseason.

The Philadelphia Eagles were called “The Dream Team” by former
backup quarterback Vince Young last year during training camp. The
Eagles finished the regular season with a record of 8-8 and failed to
make the playoffs. The Eagles were the ultimate head scratcher as they
found ways to lose last season. Defensive end Jason Babin finished third
in the league for sacks with 18. Running back LeSean McCoy was fourth
in the league in rushing with 1,309 yards. The Eagles still have
quarterback Michael Vick who is becoming known for his passing and his
pocket awareness. Vick has the luxury of throwing to wide receiver
DeSean Jackson who is one of the best deep threat receivers in the game.
With all of this talent Philadelphia couldn’t put it together last
season, but I see them playing with a bigger sense of urgency in 2012.

The San Francisco 49ers were two special teams turnovers by Kyle
Williams from making The Super Bowl last season. Second year head coach
Jim Harbaugh still has a crew on defense led by All-Pro middle
linebacker Patrick Willis. The Niners defense was ranked fourth in The
NFL lat year and will once again be the hallmark of this team. The 49ers
signed future Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss who took last
season off but is still one of the best deep threats in football. San
Francisco signed a pair of ex-Giants in running back Brandon Jacobs and
wide receiver Mario Manningham who made a clutch 38-yard reception on
The Giants game-winning drive in Super Bowl 46. For The 49ers it will
only be a matter of quarterback Alex Smith being able to throw the
football down the field to Moss and Manningham.

The Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers are two teams that are on
the rise. In 2008, The Lions finished the season with a record of 0-16.
The following season Jim Schwartz took over as head coach and little by
little he has built the team into contenders. Last season saw The Lions
make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. One key for The Lions
is to keep quarterback Matthew Stafford healthy. 2011 was the first
season that the former number one overall pick started all 16 games.
Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson aka “Megatron” are one of the
deadliest quarterback/receiver duos in football. At 6’5″ Johnson is a
small forward that makes a living on picking on cornerbacks that size of
point guards as he is a match-up nightmare.The Lions must also must
stay out of central bookings as talented defensive tackle Nick Fairley
is one of several Lions that has been arrested recently. The Panthers
are led by reigning NFL Rookie of The Year Cam Newton. With Newton’s
explosiveness, The Panthers team that will be dangerous in The NFC South
as they look prepared to hang with The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans
Saints for division supremacy.

One The AFC side, the dominant teams have been The Indianapolis
Colts along with The Patriots, Steelers, and San Diego Chargers. The
Colts are in the rebuilding process as they bid farewell to Pro Bowl
quarterback Peyton Manning and are starting a new era with quarterback
Andrew Luck. Heading into this season most people will expect The Colts
to have a sub .500 record as they lack talent. New England is still a
Super Bowl contender, but the defense has not been able to catch up to
the high powered offense led by quarterback Tom Brady. Age appears to
have caught up to The Steelers as wide receiver Hines Ward has retired
and nose tackle Casey Hampton is starting to slow down. The Chargers
have always had the talent to win The Super Bowl, but they have never
been able to put it altogether for a full season. For San Diego you
wonder if the championship window for head coach Phillip Rivers and head
coach Norv Turner is closing? Out of these four AFC teams, The Chargers
are the only one to not make a Super Bowl appearance since 2001. Since
2004 The Chargers are a combined 2-5 in the postseason against The
Colts, Patriots, Steelers and New York Jets as they always appear find a
way to falter in these games.

The Steelers, Colts, and Pats have a combined six Lombardi Trophies
since 2001, but each lost their last appearance in The Super Bowl with
New England losing their last two to The Giants. We are not in the era
of the 70s, 80s, and 90s where we constantly saw blowouts in The Super
Bowl when the game was decided before we got tired of those crappy
commercials. This is an era of close Super Bowls where the last five
games were not decided until late in the fourth quarter. Whether it was
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton’s surprise onside kick to
start the second half of Super Bowl 44 against The Colts or Eli
Manning’s two game-winning fourth quarter drives against The Patriots,
The NFC has found a way to win these close games.