2007 Superbowl Predictions

Plenty of stars, maybe not enough true contenders in the NFC in 2007.

By Adrian Brijbassi
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

Certainties in the NFC: Michael Vick will swerve around the field like Mel Gibson in a Lexus; Terrell Owens will put up and never shut up; Brett Favre will be adored by just about everyone until he hangs up his No. 4 for good. The large uncertainty for the conference, though, remains its capacity to deliver a Super Bowl winner.

The NFC nabbed every Super Bowl from 1985-1997, but only two since. Whether the Seahawks or Panthers - the teams considered the best non-AFC squads in football - can rise from contender to champion is at issue as training camps open. Here's a primer on the preseason in the Conference of Runnerups:

NFC East - 2007 Superbowl Predictions - Training camp is merely an annual warmup for the T.O. Show. What kind of ratings it gets in the Bill Parcells index is the key to the Dallas Cowboys' preseason and regular season. Sure, Owens burned Aaron Glenn on the opening day of camp and yeah, everyone in Big D is saying all the right things. But it's July. The fact remains T.O. isn't a good teammate and, in his own words, he's no hero, so why the Cowboys are 10/1 to win it all is a head scratcher - especially considering the strength of the division.

Last year, the Panthers were the team that was going to emerge after a playoff-less season and go to the Super Bowl. Entering the 2006 training camp, the Washington Redskins have been pegged by some prognosticators as the team to beat in the NFC. There's lots to like, yet there's also one glaring feature to Joe Gibbs's squad that bettors and observers aren't paying enough attention to: Mark Brunell is old. Like bad-knees-and-shoulder old. After Brunell, it gets dicey with former first-round pick Jason Campbell. If Brunell, 35, goes down, then the additions of receivers Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd won't mean much. Teams will stack the box against Clinton Portis, likely shoving the Redskins down the ranks of this highly competitive division.

Keep an eye on Eli Manning in camp - and the media will give you plenty of looks. Peyton's kid brother enters his third season in the NFL with a chance to lift his game and his team to another level. He needs to be more patient in the pocket, limit his mistakes, and think of Tiki Barber less as a safety valve and more as his best option. The Giants will score and with the addition of safety Will Demps in the offseason, they'll be tougher on defense.

The Philadelphia Eagles will enjoy life without T.O. off the field; on it, he's kind of a good weapon to have. Donovan McNabb is going to struggle to deliver the ball and to keep this team from sinking into rebuilding mode.

 

NFC North - 2007 Superbowl Predictions - Brett Favre's career will be an ugly finish. Try not to watch. The Green Bay Packers should've been honest with him two years ago, when they decided they weren't going to reload for another championship run with Favre. They should've dealt him to a place where a Super Bowl was possible.

On the flip side of the Favre situation is Jon Kitna. Here's a good guy who took a backseat to a golden boy in Carson Palmer and handled the demotion like, well, a man. Kitna mentored Palmer, kept his mouth shut (something not all players in Cincinnati have done) and waited for a chance. The Lions have searched a long time for a quarterback with some moxy and character. They've got one now. Expect Kitna to beat out Josh McCown easily in camp, then watch for some of the baseball Tigers' mojo to slide over from Comerica Park to Ford Field.

In Chicago, Lovie Smith and the Bears aim to keep the feel-good story of the NFL going. They also want to get Cedric Benson started this training camp. Don't count on it. Something about the way he's approached his career has to make you wonder if Benson the pro running back is going to have a shorter run than Benson the TV show.

In Minnesota, Brad Johnson showed he can handle an offense better than Daunte Culpepper. Adding Chester Taylor helps, too. The Vikes, though, have lots of holes to work on this preseason.

NFC South - 2007 Superbowl Predictions - Cadillac Williams tailed off during his rookie season, which could be attributed to stamina. In the offseason, he's been a workout machine, diligently practicing pass-catching and blocking. He won't be taking third downs off this training camp. What the Bucs will implement is a Jon Gruden game plan: control the ball, keep the game low scoring, let your defense secure victory in the fourth quarter.
Cadillac Williams is ready to elevate the Bucs.Cadillac Williams is ready to elevate the Bucs. (AI Wire photo).

Tampa Bay's top competition for the division will, of course, come from Carolina, where the Keyshawn Johnson-Steve Smith tandem is supposed to go great guns. Smith may be the best receiver in the game; Keyshawn, though, is on a fast fade. He's a possession receiver, but can't get down the field like Muhsin Muhammad (who had a career year two seasons ago when Jake Delhomme needed an option after Smith was hurt).

Smith was carted off the field on Day 1 of camp and everyone knows hamstring injuries are like Deion Sanders - they keep coming back worse than before. If Johnson becomes Delhomme's No. 1 option, it's bad news in Carolina. Their running attack threatens to be below average unless rookie DeAngelo Williams blows up in camp (DeShaun Foster has been injured too often to be relied upon).

One year, Michael Vick's going to put it all together and the Falcons will get to the Super Bowl. When that year will be is the question and why the Dirty Birds are a clean 28/1 long shot to win it all this year, despite the addition of defensive end John Abraham.

Under Sean Payton, New Orleans wants to be the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints are going to find out soon that Drew Brees isn't Peyton Manning and Reggie Bush isn't as sure-handed as Edgerrin James (yet).

NFC West - 2007 Superbowl Predictions - Shaun Alexander has a $62-million deal and Matt Hasselbeck has another neat weapon in Nate Burleson. The Seahawks, who also added Julian Peterson on defense, are 9/1 in the Bodog Sportsbook to win the Super Bowl. During training camp, the conference favorites figure to fine tune and work on staying healthy (and out of Pioneer Square, Ken Hamlin).

The biggest name to enter the division is the Edge, who gives Dennis Green's Arizona Cardinals a legitimate superstar in the backfield to go along with two potential superstars on the outside (Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin). Finding a scheme to protect the quarterback, either Kurt Warner or rookie Matt Leinart, is the issue for camp.

Alex Smith goes through some more tough lessons in San Francisco while St. Louis fans and fantasy football geeks will keep a keen eye on the Rams and the tactics of incumbent coach Scott Linehan.

TOP PHOTO: Michael Vick enters training camp with expectations high, as usual. (AI Wire photo)

Note: All NFL lines subject to change.

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