Ok folks, now that you have digested my AFC Preview column; it is time to bring you the other side of the coin… the mighty NFC.  15 of the last 20 SuperBowl champions have come out of the NFC, so it is undoubtedly the stronger conference. 

Wait; maybe it WAS the stronger conference… 

Of the last 6 SuperBowls, only 2 winners have come from the NFC, showing that the AFC is surging in strength.  Will the NFC regain its form and produce another string of SB champs, just as it did in the 80’s to mid to late 90’s?  Time will tell, but the AFC has its share of strong teams this year.

Here is a look at each NFC team and how they stack up.

Enjoy!

The NFC:

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

The glorious return of Bill Parcells to coaching.  Well, whoop a dee doo dah day!  How exciting!

(Uh oh, is that Sarcasm Alert still sounding?)

 Why anyone would think that this aging coach is the savior of this once proud franchise is beyond me.  Granted, he will bring experience and a winning attitude to Big D, but all that is smoke and mirrors if you don’t have the talent to compete.  Would Quincy Carter even be considered for a starting job on any other team in the NFL?  Probably not, and neither would Chad Hutchinson.  One thing I will say is that I expect Troy Hambrick to have a breakout year, now that he is out from the shadow of Emmitt and will get numerous carries.  I like Dallas’ defensive unit, but I still think they do not have the offense to compete in the NFC East.

New York Giants

I really don’t know what to think about this team.  Honestly, I don’t.  They have good talent everywhere, so they really should compete for the division crown, don’t you think?  For some reason, this Giants squad has underachieved in recent years.  The addition of Dorsey Levens to back up Tiki Barber doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, because there isn’t much difference between he and Ron Dayne as far as running styles go.  Their defense will be good this year, as the Will’s in the defensive backfield will allow Strahan to get some pressure on opposing QBs.  But after saying that, there is not really a whole heck of a lot left to say about this team, they are truly unimpressive at this point.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are the sexy pick as NFC Champs this year for a lot of people, but not for me.  They have talent, we all know that, but I just cannot see them backing up last season’s brilliant rally with another.  McNabb is great, but I am not sold on Todd Pinkston or James Thrash.  To be honest, I don’t know how James Thrash has even mediocre success in this league.  I think he is absolutely terrible.  Of course, having said that, he is now primed for a 110 catch, 1400+ yard 12 TD and ProBowl season just to show how stupid I can be.  I hate to say this, but I think that Philly fans are in for a letdown this season.  Don’t ask why, I just have a hunch.

Washington Redskins

Redskins?  More like Spend-skins.  Holy crap did Little Danny Snyder fork out a ton of cash for a lot of overrated players.  Trung Candidate, Laverneous Coles, John Hall and Chad Morton?  Puh-leeze.  They are all young and talented, but they are hardly worth the price Snyder paid for ‘em.  Well, I guess its better that he spends his cash on young talent than wastes it on aging veterans like he did a few years ago.  This team will not win this year because they simply do not have a QB… yet.  Pat Ramsay is a good young QB, but he is in the wrong system if he is looking to learn.  Coach Visor (a.k.a. Steve Spurrier) plays more QBs than California has Gubernatorial candidates.  The Skins have a loaded defense and I can see them being in the top 5 for sure, but that offense will not be able to hold up their end of the bargain.

NFC North

Chicago “Bank One” Bears

Sorry Bears fans.  Had to do that.  This Bears team is in serious disarray right now, and the season hasn’t even started!  If any Bears fan comes to me pledging their undying faith in Kordell Stewart, I will promptly applaud their support for their team and, at the same time, frankly question their sanity.  If you took a popularity poll in Chicago right now, Kordell would rank just above sewer rats and just below crime.  I feel bad for Kordell, I really do.  The kid tries hard, he always has, but simply cannot get it done, no matter where he plays.  Chicago hasn’t exactly done anything to help poor Kordell either, I mean, they drafted Rex Grossman mere days after signing Kordell, and they haven’t done a thing to that thin offensive line to help protect him.  The entire league knows that once Kordell gets rattled a bit, you can bet your house on the fact that a poor throw (soon to be an INT) is on the way.  I will be surprised if Chicago wins 5 games this season.

Detroit Lions

Bravo Detroit Lions, you have taken steps in the right direction this off-season.  Don’t get your hopes up or anything, you still will not make the playoffs or contend for the division, but the signing of Steve Mariucci this off-season is a big, big plus.  Also, drafting young Charles Rogers out of Michigan State was a stroke of genius.  Nothing stokes the fires of the fans more than a local talent rising from collegiate to pro ranks in the same town.  The loss of James Stewart will hurt this team immensely, because teams are going to tee off on young Joey Harrington without the threat of the run game.  Also, the Lions need some help on the defensive side of the ball, because Robert Porcher and Luther Ellis are not getting any younger.  If this team surpasses its win total from last year, things will be good in Motown.

Green Bay Packers

Want to know why the Pack will win the NFC North again this year?  Two words.  Brett Fav-ruh.  No one is tougher than this cat, and I think he is going to ride off into the sunset after this season, no matter what the outcome.  Fav-ruh is the last of the free-wheelin’ gunslingers and the Packer faithful must be praying that he can lead them to the SuperBowl one last time before he calls it quits.  Because once Fav-ruh does shut it down, Green Bay is in for a serious hangover.  You can’t just replace a guy like that, especially not with a guy like Doug Pederson.  This division is painfully soft, so GB should waltz into the playoffs, and who knows, maybe Fav-ruh has some magic left in him.

Minnesota Vikings

Remember when I mentioned my “certain disdain” for some teams in the NFL, well; this is the team whom I direct the majority of my indignation towards.  Simply put, I cannot stand the Vikings.  Don’t know why… I can’t explain it.  However, as I said in my AFC column, I must be objective here and put forth an unbiased view of this squad.  Ok, do they have talent?  Without a doubt.  Culpepper is great and will find his groove, and we all know what Randy Moss can do.  The running game will be strong again this year with Bennett and newcomer Onterrio Smith (what a great name).  Their real problem, aside from being adorned in hideous colors, is their defense.  Or at least it has been in the past.  The Vikings have brought in some talent to help out, but I won’t be betting on them to turn all Buc-like on us.  If the Vikings can get their egomania in check, then they may be able to push GB for the division… but I’m not holding my breath.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

Wow.  What an absolutely terrible break (oops, sorry… bad choice of words) for Mike Vick and every single Falcons fan in the world.  Honestly, when I saw that happen, I was truly distraught.  Now, I am not a Falcons fan, and God help me if I ever become one, but I am a fan of pure athletic excellence, and that is what Vick brings to the table.  When Vick comes back, the Falcons are going to be in very tough indeed.  Vick will take at least 2-3 games to get his legs back and by that time, the playoffs could be out of reach.  I mean, they have some tough games to start off, and if they get off to a bad start, it may be too much for Super-Vick to bring them back from.  But who knows, this team does have talent, so they may be able to keep the ship afloat until Vick can return.  Things could go two ways for Atlanta this season, they could either rally around Doug Johnson and win games until Vick can return (much like the Eagles did last year), or they can completely go into the tank and totally write this season off (much like the Bengals do every year).  Time will tell.

Carolina Panthers

The Peacock Blue Pussy-Cats ride again!  You know, its really too bad that the Panthers play in this division, because while they are a decent team, they are up against a whole lot of talent.  I would bet that if the Panthers played in a division like the NFC North, they would be a wild card team, but because they have to face N’Awlins, Atlanta and Tampa twice each, they will probably not make the playoffs for a few more years.  The Panthers seriously upgraded their running game by signing scorned workhorse Stephen Davis, but their real problem lies under center.  Jake Delhomme is not the answer, nor is Rodney Peete.  If the Panthers can get good play out of their QB, they will be in a lot of games, but it will take a lot more magic from Coach Fox to get these guys in contention.  Oh yeah, Julius Peppers is gonna blow up this year.

New Orleans Saints

Anyone think that the 7-2 start that the Saints got off to was luck?  No, me either.  This team has the necessary “Big Three” on offense, but what did them in last year was youth and inexperience.  The Saints had a fearsome defense only 2 years ago, but free agency has depleted that unit in a serious way.  That squad will have to hold up its end of the deal early on during this season, because 3 of the Saints first 4 games are very tough ones.  If the Saints can get off to another 7-2 start, they should get a wildcard berth, mainly because I think Atlanta will not be a factor this year.  Coach Haslett better be preaching defense, defense and more defense to his troops.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

What is with Tampa and their habit of signing other team’s cast-offs?  I swear Tampa is like the “Island of Misfit Toys” from that Christmas time classic “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”.  The signing of Dwayne Rudd might have made people shake their heads, but Rudd is an outstanding athlete and he will help that defense out even more (like they need it).  And as for his moronic antics?  Well, Coach Gruden will undoubtedly whip him into shape.  They also brought in another Arizona high-draft pick who never lived up to the hype, in Thomas Jones (anyone recall Simeon Rice’s story?  Eerily similar).  That could be a huge pick up for them again.  Wow, the rich get richer.  They will win this division and contend for the NFC crown again, but I don’t think they’ll win it.  Repeating as SuperBowl champs is as difficult as it gets.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

Oh those woebegone Cards.  Their fans won’t come watch their games, no one wants to sign there, their talent leaves without hesitation… man they are in some dire straights right now.  Why Emmitt Smith signed I will never know, but padding the all time stats on a poor team who will give him a bunch of carries behind a mammoth offensive line was probably a factor.  There is reason to hope though, the Cards have an easy schedule this year, and they did go undefeated in the preseason, but let’s not be silly here.  The Cards are in tougher than the Panthers when it comes to division strength.  They have to face the Niners, Seahawks and Rams twice each this year, so they are pretty much guaranteed 5 losses.  It’s tough to get a wildcard berth with those odds, just ask the Panthers.  Good luck Cards, you will need it.

St. Louis Rams

Is Kurt Warner healthy?  Is Marshall Faulk healthy?  Is Mike Martz going to listen to reason?  Those are questions that have been swirling around Rams camp all preseason, and I think when things get going, we will see them answered.  Marc Bulger is still waiting in the wings if Warner gets hurt or struggles, but Marshall has nobody to back him up, as Trung Candidate was lured away by Danny Snyder’s wallet.  The addition of Kyle Turley will help protect Warner, and I think he will return in fine form.  The Rams have all the speed in the world, but for some reason they couldn’t get things going last year.  Has the league figured them out?  Maybe.  It will be interesting to see what happens when the Rams finally trot out a healthy line up.  These guys are still a very dangerous team with a very good defense, so another run to the SB is not out of the question.

Seattle Seahawks

Ok, am I the only person left on planet earth who is not sold on Matt Hasselbeck?  Everyone I know has been fawning over Hassy’s skills like he’s the second coming of Joe Montana or something.  Okay, the guy had a good second half of the season last season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.  I don’t know…  maybe I am just jaded by all of the terrible play I have seen from him in his young career.  I am willing to give him a chance, but I am going to wait until he puts together a full, productive season before I get on the “Lovin’ Hassy” train.  The Seahawks have been picked by a lot of those experts to make a push for the NFCW crown, but I don’t think that is going to happen.  The loss of Shawn Springs is going to cripple that secondary, and I don’t think they quite have the firepower to win shootouts every game.  If they do manage to string some wins together and contend for the NFCW crown and a playoff spot, I will gladly stand corrected. 

San Francisco 49ers

Ahh… my beloved Niners.  How will they fare this season?  Well, Jeff Garcia’s back is a definite concern, and although it is supposed to be healed and good to go, it is still in the back of every Niner faithful’s mind.  I look for Kevan Barlow to have a breakout season, and Terrell Owens will continue to dominate.  The thing that concerns me with the Niners is that they still do not have a bona fide second receiver to take the pressure off of Owens.  If Tai Streets or Cedrick Wilson doesn’t step up this year, the Niners offense will struggle.  The Niners defense is still young and athletic and has the veteran anchor every defense needs in Bryant Young, but the loss of line mate Dana Stubblefield will hurt their run stopping capabilities a little.  I look for the Niners to duke it out with the Rams for the division crown and hopefully make another playoff push.  This team definitely has the talent, now it’s whether or not new Coach Dennis Erickson can get the most out of it.

And that concludes this broadcast…

There you have it folks, my team by team preview of the NFL season to come, and let me tell you, no one is looking forward to the NFL season getting underway more than I am.  I don’t care if it is two teams I don’t cheer for that are on TV tonight, just having NFL to watch is like a breath of fresh air.

I can’t wait.

Oh yeah, Britney will be kicking off the NFL tonight with a musical show of some sort… the only question I have is… Will Madonna be there?

Speaking of Britney, let me officially state that ever since her… umm…  “open-minded” performance on the 2003 MTV VMA’s, she has become the official mascot of “Zim’s Top Ten”.  Now, hopefully I can get the editors to include a photo of Britney from time to time…  everyone needs a mascot right?

Until Next Time…

Look for Zim’s Top Ten to get underway on Tuesday September 9, 2003.  Same bat-time.  Same bat-channel.  Zim can be reached for comments/questions/insults at superzim@49ersparadise.cjb.net