Offseason Observations Part III: The NFC

1. Philadelphia team president Joe Banner has stated “I feel this year we have the best roster in the league.” This may be true, but the Eagles have taken some serious hits on defense. Longtime defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, one of the best at his craft, passed away a couple weeks ago. Middle linebacker Stewart Bradley is out for the season. Longtime captain Brian Dawkins was not resigned and found a new home in Denver.

2. The Eagles upgraded their offensive line substantially, bringing in tackles Jason Peters from Buffalo and Stacy Andrews from Cincinnati. Stacy’s brother Shawn (guard) returns from an injury that kept him out for all of 2008. But the Philly line has not played together yet in camp or preseason due to a slew of minor injuries. Cohesion on the offensive line is critical.

3. Philly also added several skill position playmakers to their offense. WR Jeremy Maclin was drafted in the first round. RB LeSean McCoy, who does not impress me, came in the second. TE Cornelius Ingram, who missed his senior season at Florida with a torn ACL, was snagged in the fifth round and looked to be a steal based on a stellar camp. But Ingram tore the same ACL and is lost for another season.

4. Finally came the stunning signing of the NFL’s most polarizing player, fresh out of prison, Michael Vick. Vick’s 2009 impact is hard to predict. He will likely be suspended for at least five games to start the season. He plays behind Donovan McNabb, who has a similar skill set – if more refined and less explosive. With all the playmakers the Eagles have, they may not ask much of Vick.

5. One area the Eagles can be expected to use Vick is third and short, where they struggled mightily last season. Converting a few extra third downs might be all the Eagles need from Vick to be one of the league’s top offenses this season.

6. But I remember how Donovan McNabb struggled so much at the beginning of games last season, how it seemed like he never warmed up. I remember Andy Reid screwing up the clock. I remember Philly handling the Vikings and Giants on the road because of Jim Johnson’s schemes. And I wonder if Philadelphia will actually be any better this season, or if their losses will dwarf their acquisitions.

7. The Giants got 22.5 sacks last year from their defensive line…backups. Their starters are Justin Tuck, Rocky Bernard, Chris Canty, and Osi Umenyiora. This is a terrifying defensive line.

8. I’d be feeling a little better about Kurt Warner making it through the season if the Cardinals had upgraded on Mike Gandy at left tackle

9. Beanie Wells enters a dream situation – a powerful offense with no other serviceable running backs. The most improved fantasy players:

1. Maurice Jones-Drew
First tier for sure now that Fred Taylor has finally left the building – will go #1 in some drafts.
2. Kyle Orton
Gets to throw to Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal instead of Devin Hester and Marty Booker.
3. Anthony Gonzalez
Should get a ton of looks with Harrison gone.
4. Donnie Avery
STL’s only legit WR with Holt out.
5. Dwayne Bowe
Will likely get a ton of action from Matt Cassel with Tony Gonzalez in Atlanta.
6. Devin Hester
Jay Cutler’s #1 option?
7. Trent Edwards
Helming the controls of a loaded offense.
8. Bernard Berrian
Visanthe Shiancoe may be very potent there as well.
8. Roy Williams
9. Jason Witten
10. Patrick Crayton
11. Miles Austin
All should be draftable now that The Cancer has been cut out.

And the biggest losers:

1. Jay Cutler
Falls all the way from Brees/Manning heights to the middle tier (Kyle Orton, Trent Edwards territory).
2. Tyler Thigpen
Obviously undraftable, at least until Bernard Pollard takes out Matt Cassel’s ACL in practice.
3. Ronnie Brown
May not be seeing as much action in the Wildcat with Pat White in town.
4. Tony Scheffler
Wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole. Many more reliable options.
5. Thomas Jones
Tried to play hardball with the Jets and they responded by drafting Shonn Greene.
6. Michael Jenkins
Will have a hard time getting his number called with White, Gonzalez, Turner, Norwood, and Douglas all needing touches.
7. Tony Gonzalez
See Jenkins, Michael.

10. Holdouts kill seasons. Ask Michael Crabtree and the 49ers in a few months. Crabtree’s threat to sit out the season and re-enter the draft in 2010 conjures up memories of Mike Williams.

11. San Francisco has not solved the problem at quarterback. They will not contend with Shaun Hill or Alex Smith.

12. Seattle is getting a lot of hype as a sleeper or rebound team, but injuries (Walter Jones, Marcus Trufant, Lofa Tatupu) and interior issues give me pause. There were times last year I wanted to bet on them but both lines never found the form they had earlier this decade.

13. Rams RB Kenneth Darby, currently listed at #2 on the depth chart behind Steven Jackson, is terrible. Antonio Pittman stinks too. They cannot afford to lose Jackson. This problem should have been addressed in the offseason – watching the games last year it was obvious these guys do not belong in the NFL.

14. Marc Bulger plays scared.

15. The Rams do have some hope on defense – there is some talent there – and Steve Spagnuolo should help.

16. Another team with crappy backup running backs is the Bears. If Matt Forte gets half the action he got last year, he’ll be lucky to stay healthy.

17. I didn’t like the Bears letting go of Mike Brown. He’s aging and oft-injured, but had an uncanny playmaking knack and was a team leader.

18. Although I predict Matt Stafford will be an unmitigated bust, I liked the rest of Detroit’s draft. Everyone seems to love safety Louis Delmas (first pick of round 2). Brandon Pettigrew was one of my favorite college players last year, a beast blocking and catching.

19. The Packers suddenly have a frightening defensive line, with Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly, Justin Harrell, Mike Montgomery, Cullen Jenkins coming back from injury, and first round pick B.J. Raji.

20. Brett Favre is not much better than Sage Rosenfels, but he is a better fit for the Vikings offense. Let's remember Minnesota could have avoided all this drama - and gotten a better player for a much lower price - with one phone call to Chad Pennington's agent a year ago.

21. Not sure how Tony Gonzalez fits into that offense. Atlanta ran a smashmouth attack last year, with lots of runs and plenty of deep balls. The tight end rarely got looks. If they want Tony G to be heavily involved, they will have to change the offense. Their offense was so good last year – with a rookie quarterback – why would they want to change it? This signing reminds me of when the Saints traded for Jeremy Shockey. Gonzalez is a better player and teammate than Shockey of course, but I’m not sure how he fits in there.

22. Everything about Atlanta makes me uncomfortable. Could they be this year’s Cleveland Browns? Or are they evolving into the Dungy/Manning Colts? Nothing from the Falcons would surprise me this year.

23. Carolina, like Indianapolis, will be an interesting case study on the power of coaching. The Panthers return an almost identical lineup, but most of their assistant coaches are somewhere else.

24. Tampa Bay is one of a few teams that has gone through this aesthetic cycle:
December ’08: playoff contender
May ’09: left for dead
August ’09: intriguing sleeper

25. There is no such thing as hopeless. At this time last year, nobody gave the Dolphins or Falcons any chance.