16.  San Francisco 49ers.  When you are looking at a 2nd year quarterback who looked simply awful in the previous year, there's just not much hope.  When you're talking about a team who had to purge nearly every single talented asset out because of salary cap hell, hopeless doesn't begin to describe the situation.  And yet, Mike Nolan's crew fought valiantly at times last year.  He's imported some talent - RBs Kevan Barlow and Frank Gore, WRs Arnez Battle and Antonio Bryant not to mention first round draft pick TE Vernon Davis.  Now, QB Alex Smith has some weapons and some options.  

Unfortunately for the Niners, things just aren't up to speed on the defense.  The Niners offense will show signs of life.  The defense won't.  Because of that - regardless of how hard & tough-nosed they are - the Niners are doomed to a losing season and another high draft pick.

However, for Niner fans, remember this: Once upon a time, Dallas went 1-15 and stockpiled high draft picks.  A few years later, they won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years.  It can happen.

15.  Green Bay Packers.  So, Brett Favre contends the 2006 Packer squad is the "most talented" he's been around.  He qualified his statement, saying his Super Bowl-winning team wasn't the most talented, but it was highly experienced and knew how to win when it mattered most.  Now, Favre takes the field with an impression assortment of *young* * talent*.  Two dreaded words.  What if the youngsters can't figure it out quickly?  What if the young offensive line can't gell quickly?  What if Favre never reaches a comfort zone with his young WRs?  These are all huge questions, and none can be answered until the regular season starts.

On defense, the Packers weren't as bad as their record indicated, and this year is more of the same.  It'll be hard for the Pack to win more than they lose, but if that same group of young talent - on both sides of the ball - actually plays up to expectations?  The Pack *could* be the surprise of the NFC in 2006.

14.  Minnesota Vikings.  What?  They had a winning record last year!  True.  But they also have an old quarterback who plays well in a flat, short-passing game system.  Without many true gamebreakers, the Vikings are unable to stretch the field and will suffer offensively because of it.  They are going to face a nasty uphill battle in their own division, as Chicago should again keep control of the division.  Putting them behind the Lions may seem odd as well, but Detroit's new coaching scheme - including offensive genius Mike Martz - may well get the Lions out of their funk.  The Vikings, on the other hand, don't have that much to offer and should be worn down over the long season.  And if Brad Johnson goes down to injury...

13.  Detroit Lions.  A befuddling team for the past several years with a roster rampant with underachievers is getting a much-needed turnover.  New coach Marinelli has brought with him both discipline and a sense of responsibility to the team.  With Mike Martz calling the shots on offense, the weapons they have will suddenly be utilized in a way that will drive defenses nuts.  Plus, Martz gets to ply his trade on carpet, something he's exceptionally good at.  As a result, I think the Lions will be scary in Detroit, and could win 6 or 7 games there.  Too bad they can't play all 16 at home.

If the Lions defense can weather the expected storm of pass-heavy attacks - assuming of course the offense ends up being as good as thought - then the Lions will finally make some noise in the NFL after years of losing.  

12.  New Orleans Saints.  What has been written about this team over the past few years is that on paper they are about the most talented in their division.  Now that a new offensive-minded coach is in, with an able (if healthy) QB Drew Brees, and the excitement of Reggie Bush on offense, the Saints could potentially break loose of that "paper" talent and translate it onto on-field success.  However, to the Saints dismay they play in the best top-to-bottom division in the NFC (and maybe all of football).  There are no weak links - not against Carolina, Tampa and Atlanta - and therefore something has to give.  The Saints will improve this year, but there are far too many insurmountable hurdles in front of them for anyone to realistically expect great and wonderful things from the Saints...

 11.  Philadelphia Eagles.  Donovan McNabb shook loose the TO nightmare.  And now its time to see whether TO's accusations end up ringing more true that Philly faithful would have you believe.  Can McNabb take an unremarkable receiving corps, a three-headed monster backfield and somehow lead it to success?  In a division that has all the hallmarks of the 1990s NFC East, the Eagles find themselves looking up at their foes and wondering whether or not they have the tools and talent to overcome.  If nothing else, McNabb has got to be keeping half an eye on the Dallas/TO situation - for perhaps Dallas will implode and Philly can regain some needed footing in the NFC East.

10.  Arizona Cardinals.  Young, aggressive defense.  Check.  Best WR duo in the game: check.  High-impact, proven RB: check.  Accurate, winning QB: check.  Offensive line...

In the Valley of the Sun, the only question that matters is how well the offensive line will fare.  If they are weak, QB Kurt Warner is going to end up with his 7th concussion, and will sit on the sidelines watching rookie QB Matt Leinart run the team for more games than he's behind center.  If the offensive line doesn't work out, no amount of Edgerrin James is going to correct the problem.  And we might get a glimpse as to why Indy thought James was expendable: if he has a sub-par line, can he lift the team on his shoulders himself?  The Colts were suspect of this.  The Cardinal fans get to watch, and learn.

Of course, the flip side of this is that the offensive line *does* jell and is capable of turning in average or better performances.  If that does happen, look out: the combination of the game's all-time most accurate QB, two of the best young WRs in the game (perhaps the best combo in the game) and a well-regarded running back will suddenly give the Cardinals major firepower on offense.  And their defense - while not highly regarded league-wide - is pretty good.  They fly to the ball and make solid plays.  Arizona *does* have the ability to make it into the post-season this year.  But, the only way it does is IF the o-line plays well.

9.  St. Louis Rams.  This is a hard team to handicap.  They have a plethora of weapons on offense.  They still can put on a tremendous show, and the "greatest show on turf" weapons are all still capable.  But with Linehan calling the shots, the offense is going to return to the NFL norm - a balanced attack with an emphasis on the running game.  But the scary thing is that if the Rams are successful in doing that, the offense might actually be better.  Facing a balanced offense, with the weapons the Rams have and their legacy of success, is going to make the entire NFC again quake with fear when facing the Rams.  Oh, and its safe to say that the Rams won't be giving too many games away with over-coaching decisions that have plagued the team in recent years...

With almost too-aggressive Jim Haslett calling the defensive calls, expect the Rams to play a high-risk/high-reward attacking defense.  Sure, the Rams D is going to give up big plays.  After all, when Haslett was the Steelers D-coordinator, the Steelers gave up big plays.  The difference is that the Rams offense still have weapons to allow big plays to occur from time to time.  That is a luxury for Haslett, and the "most aggressive defensive coordinator" title in the NFC could end up in Haslett's hands, wrestling it from Philly's Jim Johnson...

8.  Dallas Cowboys.  Dallas is flat out impossible to get a handle on, and there's two initials that are causing all of that: T.O.  On offense, a strong offensive line and smart quarterback - with good talent at skill positions - makes the offense at least average.  Adding an invigorated TO to the mix could make that offense lethal.  But, the news from Big D is not good these days - TO's playing games, and irking coach Bill Parcells has never been a good career booster.  Plus, Drew Bledsoe is already on record saying he's not afraid to give his receivers the "what for" if he believes it necessary.  Think last year's Bledsoe/Johnson explosion was big?  Wait till the (inevitable) Bledsoe/Owens explosion.

On defense, the 'Boys have some pretty solid players, and their defense should again be aggressive.  But TO has the ability to ruin entire teams, and if the offense completely falls apart, then so too might the defense - just from sheer exhaustion.

7.  Atlanta Falcons.  The league's number one rushing attack features the game's most dangerous QB...at least with his feet.  His arm is another matter entirely.  This is not to say that Michael Vick is *ever* going to be a pure drop-back passer - he won't.  He can't.  It's just not in his mental makeup.  So the Falcons have to devise ways of improving Vick's accuracy while not reducing his overall effectiveness.  it's safe to say that in year 3 of his offense, Vick will probably begin merging his running talent with some passing effectivness.  If that happens...

On defense, Atlanta has a good core, but their problem last year was stopping the run.  If that happens again, no matter how good Atlanta's offense is, the defense won't be up to the task.  If they can stop the run and force some outs, they put incredible pressure on the opponent's defense in the "contain Vick" strategy.

 Now for the expected playoff teams.

6.  Washington Redskins.  The injury to Clinton Portis is a major problem, and if he cannot be adequately replaced, the Skins could quickly drop out of the playoff picture.  The thing about the NFC is that there are 2, maybe 3 teams that really have a big talent edge over everyone else.  But that everyone else group is growing larger this year, and the Skins get the nod only because of their coaching, their experience and the fact they did it last year. 

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Not many people predicted a 2005 season like they had, and rookie RB Cadillac Williams, and the emergence of QB Chris Simms was a big reason they surprised people.  Not this year.  Still, the talent level in Tampa is back to near what it was in its Super Bowl season, and Jon Gruden has proven his coaching abilities.  The biggest concern for the Bucs has nothing to do with their team - it has everything to do with their division.  If the Saints or Falcons played, say in the NFC North, they'd be contending for the title.  But the Bucs have got to play excellent football within their division.  The good news is that they are capable of it.  The bad news is that their division-winning schedule includes Chicago, New York and Seattle, and having to play the equally stocked AFC North isn't any picnic, either.

Predicted division winners

4.  New York Giants.  The G-Men should start to see a marked increase in their QB play.  Eli Manning has all of the tools and talent to be a big-time star in the NFL.  Assuming that his accuracy increases (his current bugaboo), then the G-Men will feature an offense that presents many difficulties for opposing defenses.  Their weapons - Burress, Shockey and Barber - all have enough skills to put a hurting on you.  But if Eli doesn't develop, the Giants are going to have to scale things back, and a predictable offense in football doesn't always win you the big games. 

3.  Chicago Bears.  After last year's playoff debacle, it's still hard to imagine Chicago not going out and getting major improvements on offense.  But they seem to be satisfied with Rex Grossman.  Can he play out an entire season without injury?  History suggests that's doubtful, but importing Brian Griese at least means they have a solid backup QB.  Their running game should be very strong, and their defense will again be menacing. 

The Bears are probably the bridge between the NFC's two best, and the rest.  They have fewer questions than even the Giants, but their talent level just doens't match against Carolina or Seattle. 

2.  Seattle Seahawks.  I'll say this: the Seahawks have more motivation than anyone in the NFC to win big this year.  They want to avenge what they still believe is a Super Bowl conspiracy, where the Steelers got all the calls, and the 'Hawks got none.  On offense, superstar RB Shaun Alexander and QB Matt Hasselbeck will again lead a prolific, dangerous offense.  Losing G Hutchinson might hurt this squad, but the chances are that the offensive line will overcome the loss.  They might not be as good, but being above average would be good enough with the talents of Alexander behind them.

Their defense was young last year.  Now they are young but proven.  They will again be aggressive and their playmakers will get the job done.  It will be a luxury that the Seahawks will generally be playing with a lead, allowing the defense to pin its ears back...

1.  Carolina Panthers.  The hallmarks of Panther teams over the past 4 years have been brutally efficient running game, and a flat-out brutal defense.  Not much has changed, except the Panthers went out and brought in a complimentary WR to Steve Smith with Keyshawn Johnson.  Keyshawn may not like it all that much, but his role as possession receiver is going to be one he fills aboslutely perfectly.  He's never been the game-breaker he thought he would be, but having to cover two excellent receivers makes opposing defenses sweat.  Then facing a strong running game makes them sweat more.  And at the top of it all, QB Jake Delhomme is as cool as he needs to be, and when he's cool he's effective.  The Panthers will move the ball with efficiency this year, and it's hard to believe that the Panthers won't be the NFC's rep to Super Bowl XLI.

But, as mentioned with all over NFC South teams, the Panthers have to play in the NFC's best division, and have to face what might be the strongest division in the AFC on top of that.  No one would be surprised to see the NFC South feature 3 teams in the playoffs this year if either Atlanta or New Orleans really puts it together, and not many people would be surprised if the AFC North put 3 teams into the playoffs.  With 6 divisional games against playoff-capable foes, and 3 interconference games against playoff-capable foes, the Panthers have a tough, tough road ahead of them.

All in all, the NFC is still comparatively weaker than the AFC, but in my opinion the difference is in the mid-level teams.  The AFC has probably 5 teams that have legit chances of contending for a Super Bowl, while the NFC probably has 2.  But the conversations about the AFC/NFC balance of power is not as evident this year.  And if the NFC's would-be contenders get exceptionally stronger this year, then who knows?