Welcome back to our pre-season football series, so far we’ve hit on Phil Steele’s Top 25college football teams, I shared some quick fantasy football picks, and last week I compiled all the off-season additions for the AFC and dropped quick thoughts about each team.
This week we’ll cover the NFC, and just like last week I referenced Foxsports.com for all of the free agent signings (accurate as of July 4),Backseatfan.com for all the trades (accurate as of June 19), and fftoolbox.com for the draft picks. I did my best to keep all the meaningful additions up to date as they happened, please forgive me if I missed some for your team. My team ratings after the jump.
Arizona Cardinals
Signed: FB Charles Ali, G Alan Faneca, K Jay Feely, G Rex Hadnot, LB Paris Lenon, CB Justin Miller, WR Darren Mougey, TE Ben Patrick and LB Joey Porter.
Re-signed: NT Bryan Robinson, DB Matt Ware, S Hamza Abdullah, TE Anthony Becht, LB Monty Beisel, OT Jeremy Bridges, FB Nehemiah Broughton, C Ben Claxton and TE Stephen Spach.
Acquired via trade: S Kerry Rhodes
Drafted: 1.26 Williams, Dan, DT, Tennessee, 2.15 Washington, Daryl, LB, TCU, 3.24 Roberts, Andre, WR, Citadel, 4.32 Schofield, O’Brien, DE, Wisconsin, 5.24 Skelton, John, QB, Fordham, 6.32 Calvin, Jorrick, DB, Troy, 7.26 Dray, Jim, TE, Stanford.
– My Thoughts: The Cardinals have alot of questions to answer: How will Matt Leinart do in place of the retired Kurt Warner? How will the young WRs step up to fill in for the departed Anquan Boldin? How will the defense perform after losing so many veterans. Fortunately, they play in one of the worst divisions in the NFL, so they might get a chance to have a shot at the playoffs as long as they can win some division games. This looks like it might be a down year, Larry Fitzgerald and Beanie Wells can only win so many games on their own.
Atlanta Falcons
Signed: CB Dunta Robinson.
Re-signed: QB Chris Redman and LS Joe Zelenka.
Drafted: 1.19 Weatherspoon, Sean, LB, Missouri, 3.19 Peters, Corey, DT, Kentucky, 3.34 Johnson, Mike, OG, Alabama, 4.19 Hawley, Joe, OG, UNLV, 5.04 Franks, Dominique, CB, Oklahoma, 5.34 Meier, Kerry, WR, Kansas, 6.02 Schillinger, Shann, S, Montana
– My Thoughts: RB Michael Turner was injured for most of last season. Having him healthy might be enough to win an additional game or two. This is a tough division though with the defending Super Bowl champs and the re-tooled Carolina Panthers. I don’t see Atlanta making it to the playoffs this season.
Carolina Panthers
Signed: PK Todd Carter, S Aaron Francisco, DB Marcus Hudsonand WR Wallace Wright.
Re-signed: DE Tyler Brayton and T Rob Pettiti.
Acquired via trade: LB Jamar Williams
Drafted: 2.16 Clausen, Jimmy, QB, Notre Dame, 3.14 LaFell, Brandon, WR, LSU, 3.25 Edwards, Armanti, QB, Appalachian St., 4.26 Norwood, Eric, LB, South Carolina, 6.06 Hardy, Greg, DE, Mississippi, 6.29 Gettis, David, WR, Baylor, 6.33 Pugh, Jordan, DB, Texas A&M, 6.35 Pike, Tony, QB, Cincinnati, 7.16 Stanford, RJ, DB, Utah, 7.42 McClain, Robert, DB, Connecticut
– My Thoughts: This is the beginning of a huge youth movement in Carolina, how quickly all these young players gel will go a long way towards determining how far this team goes. Playoff team? Perhaps, but the ball is really going to have to bounce their way quite a few times this season. Best pair of running backs in the league though.
Chicago Bears
Signed: CB Tim Jennings, TE Brandon Manumaleuna, DE Julius Peppers, RB Chester Taylor and FB Eddie Williams.
Re-signed: LB Pisa Tinoisamoa.
Acquired via trade: S Chris Harris
Drafted: 3.11 Wright, Major, FS, Florida, 4.11 Wootton, Corey, DE, Northwestern, 5.10 Moore, Joshua, DB, Kansas St., 6.12 LeFevour, Dan, QB, Central Michigan, 7.11 Webb, J’Marcus, OT, West Texas AM
– My Thoughts: Some very interesting additions to this team over the off-season. Julius Peppers and Chris Harris will really bolster the defense, plus they’ll have Brian Urlacher back after a season long injury last year. Cutler has a full year under his belt with these WRs and Devin Aromashodu might be the biggest sleeper pick in fantasy football this season. Still, very tough to make the playoffs having to play the Packers and Vikings a combined 4 times this year.
Dallas Cowboys
Re-signed: G Montrae Holland.
Acquired via trade: LT Alex Barron
Drafted: 1.24 Bryant, Dez, WR, Oklahoma St., 2.23 Lee, Sean, LB, Penn St., 4.28 Owusu-Ansah, Akwasi, CB, Indiana, 6.10 Young, Sam, OT, Notre Dame, 6.27 Wall, Jamar, CB, Texas Tech, 7.27 Lissemore, Sean, DT, William & Mary
– My Thoughts: I’m hearing quite a few people pick the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl this year. Not that it’s out of the question, I just don’t see this team at that level quite yet. Alot of that is going to come down to how healthy Dez Bryant is after his high ankle sprain in training camp. On the bright side, Miles Austin is dating Kim Kardashian, so the Cowboys have the ‘Kardashian magic’ going for them. Reggie Bush was dating Kim last year and won the Super Bowl with the Saints, and Lamar Odom is married to Kourtney, and won the NBA title last year… I guess we’ll see how far that takes them.
Detroit Lions
Signed: DB Dre’ Bly, WR Nate Burleson, LB Vinny Ciurciu, WR Brian Clark, OT Jon Jansen, LB Landon Johnson, TE John Madsen, K Aaron Pettrey, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch and DBs Jonathan Wade and Dante Wesley.
Re-signed: TE Will Heller and S Marquand Manuel.
Acquired via trade: DT Corey Williams, QB Shaun Hill, G Rob Sims, and TE Tony Scheffler.
Drafted: 1.02 Suh, Ndamukong, DT, Nebraska, 1.30 Best, Jahvid, RB, California, 3.02 Spievey, Amari, CB, Iowa, 4.30 Fox, Jason, OT, Miami, 7.06 Young, Willie, DE, North Carolina St., 7.48 Toone, Tim, WR, Weber St.
– My Thoughts: The Lions have come so far in the last few years, ever since they finally got rid of Matt Millen as GM. Plugging in ‘The Man named Suh’ into that defensive line will make a huge difference, Matt Stafford will have a year of experience, and they’ve got one of the 3 best WRs in the league. BUT they still have to play in a very tough division. Jahvid Best is my dark horse pick for rookie of the year if he manages to stay healthy… but that is such a big if.
Green Bay Packers
Signed: P Chris Bryan, WR Charles Dillon and S Charlie Peprah.
Re-signed: LT Chad Clifton, S Nick Collins, NT Ryan Pickett and OT Mark Tauscher.
Drafted: 1.23 Bulaga, Bryan, OT, Iowa, 2.24 Neal, Mike, DT, Purdue, 3.07 Burnett, Morgan, SS, Georgia Tech, 5.23 Quarless, Andrew, TE, Penn St., 5.38 Newhouse, Marshall, OT, TCU, 6.24 Starks, James, RB, Buffalo, 7.23 Wilson, C.J., DE, East Carolina
– My Thoughts: The Green Bay Packers have fielded one of the most potent offenses in the league over the last couple seasons, but that hasn’t quite gotten them over the hump. I’m not sure any other team had to deal with so many key losses due to injury last season, and the Packers were still able to be one of the top teams in the league, so that says a lot. That defensive backfield is another year older though, I’m not sure how long they’ll be able to perform at such a high level. I like the Packers to make the playoffs again this year, possibly wining a game or two.
Minnesota Vikings
Signed: K Rhys Lloyd, RB Ryan Moats, DE Mike Montgomery and CB Lito Sheppard.
Re-signed: DT Jimmy Kennedy, WR Greg Lewis and CB Benny Sapp.
Drafted: 2.02 Cook, Chris, CB, Virginia, 2.19 Gerhart, Toby, RB, Stanford, 4.02 Griffen, Everson, DE, Southern Cal, 5.30 Degeare, Chris, OT, Wake Forest, 5.36 Triplett, Nathan, LB, Minnesota, 6.30 Webb, Joe, QB, UAB, 7.07 Shuler, Mickey, TE, Penn St., 7.30 D’Imperio, Ryan, LB, Rutgers
– My Thoughts: The Purple People Eaters were 1 pass away from the Super Bowl last year. That’s the bright side. The bad news is, it was Brett Favre that threw it, and he’s going to be your QB again. His last 2 shots at the Super Bowl were both ended by ill-advised throws that were intercepted. How well he can protect the ball is the determining factor of whether this team puts it together again and wins the Super Bowl or if Favre again shoots his team in the foot. Oh, and also whether or not his ankle stays intact throughout the season.
New Orleans Saints
Signed: DE Alex Brown, G Terrence Metcalf and DE Jimmy Wilkerson.
Re-signed: OL Nick Leckey, S Pierson Prioleau, S Darren Sharper and DBLeigh Torrence.
Drafted: 1.32 Robinson, Patrick, CB, Florida St., 2.32 Brown, Charles, OT, Southern Cal, 3.31 Graham, Jimmy, TE, Miami, 4.25 Woods, Al, DT, LSU, 5.27 Tennant, Matt, C, Boston College, 7.32 Canfield, Sean, QB, Oregon St.
– My Thoughts: The Saints had all the answers to the adversity last year, but can they pull it off again? They’ll basically be able to field the same team, but their division is notorious for teams coming out of nowhere… and also completely falling apart from year to year. If they don’t make it deep in to the playoffs, it will be the biggest shock of the year, but it’s going to be tough for them to repeat as champs.
New York Giants
Signed: LB Keith Bulluck, P Jy Bond, S Deon Grant, S Antrel Rolle and QB Jim Sorgi.
Re-signed: P Jeff Feagles.
Drafted: 1.15 Pierre-Paul, Jason, DE, South Florida, 2.14 Joseph, Linval, DT, East Carolina, 3.12 Jones, Chad, FS, LSU, 4.17 Dillard, Phillip, LB, Nebraska, 5.16 Petrus, Mitch, OG, Arkansas, 6.15 Tracy, Adrian, DE, William & Mary, 7.14 Dodge, Matt, P, East Carolina
– My Thoughts: The New York Giants are sorta like a boat that’s sprung a leak. They were trucking along not too long ago, on top of the world, but they just keep finding holes and try to keep bringing in players to fill the needs and hope everything works out. The new plug-ins are Keith Bulluck, Deon Grant, and Antrel Rolle, and I’m really interested in how Jason Pierre-Paul turns out, that man is a freak athlete. I think the Giants are going to struggle quite a bit this year, and frankly, I’d be surprised if they find themselves in the playoffs at season’s end.
Philadelphia Eagles
Signed: WR Hank Baskett, WR Chad Hall and DB Marlin Jackson.
Acquired via trade: DE Darryl Tapp and LB Ernie Sims.
Drafted: 1.13 Graham, Brandon, DE, Michigan, 2.05 Allen, Nate, FS, South Florida, 3.22 Te’o-Nesheim, Daniel, DE, Washington, 4.07 Lindley, Trevard, CB, Kentucky, 4.23 Clayton, Keenan, LB, Oklahoma, 4.24 Kafka, Mike, QB, Northwestern, 4.27 Harbor, Clay, TE, Missouri St., 5.03 Sapp, Ricky, DE, Clemson, 5.28 Cooper, Riley, WR, Florida, 6.31 Scott, Charles, RB, LSU, 7.13 Chaney, Jamar, LB, Mississippi St., 7.36 Owens, Jeff, DT, Georgia, 7.37 Coleman, Kurt, SS, Ohio St.
– My Thoughts: I’ve always had a soft spot for the Eagles. I always enjoyed watching McNabb run around making plays, and then Westbrook did his best as Robin to McNabb’s Batman. They always field an extremely aggressive defense and showcase an innovative offense, Andy Reid’s offense has always been one of my favorites in the league. But the old guard is gone now and it’s time to see how the young guns pick up the slack. All Kevin Kolb did last year, filling in for an injured McNabb, was throw for over 1000 in 3 games. I can see McCoy blowing up this year, and the receiving corps looks very promising with youngsters DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Brent Celek leading the way. A lot of new faces on defense this year too. I think Philly is the team to beat in the next 4-7 years, but they might not quite be there this season. Expect to see them in the playoffs.
St. Louis Rams
Signed: LB Na’il Diggs, QB A.J. Feeley, C Hank Fraley, DT Chris Hovanand DT Fred Robbins.
Re-signed: DE Victor Adeyanju, S Craig Dahl, RB Kenneth Darby, DE James Hall and LS Chris Massey.
Acquired via trade: S Kevin Payne, LB Bobby Carpenter and WR Isaac Bruce.
Drafted: 1.01 Bradford, Sam, QB, Oklahoma, 2.01 Saffold, Rodger, OT, Indiana, 3.01 Murphy, Jerome, CB, South Florida, 4.01 Gilyard, Mardy, WR, Cincinnati, 5.01 Hoomanawanui, Michael, TE, Illinois, 5.18 Davis, Hall, DE, Louisiana-Lafayette
6.01 Onobun, Fendi, TE, Arizona, 6.20 Sims, Eugene, DE, West Texas AM, 7.04 Johnson, Marquis, DB, Alabama, 7.19 Selvie, George, DE, South Florida, 7.47 Hull, Josh, LB, Penn St.
– My Thoughts: Oh those St. Louis Rams. They seem to keep finding new ways to make their situation worse. They’ve been unable to find any help for Steven Jackson, and they really didn’t do anything this year either. Afraid to take the bold route and find a stud DT to build their defense around, they instead wimped out and… well Trey Wingo said it best on twitter: “gave a $78 million contract, $50 million guaranteed, for a QB coming off 2 shoulder injuries last season? Welcome to the Owners best case for rookie cap.” I don’t expect to see Sam Bradford make it through this season without a substantial stay on the injured list at some point. Good luck with that one Rams.
San Francisco 49ers
Signed: K Shane Andrus, QB David Carr, DB William James, DETravis LaBoy and CB Karl Paymah.
Re-signed: OL Barry Sims.
Acquired via trade: WR Ted Ginn Jr.
Drafted: .11 Davis, Anthony, OT, Rutgers, 1.17 Iupati, Mike, OG, Idaho, 2.17 Mays, Taylor, FS, Southern Cal, 3.27 Bowman, Navorro, LB, Penn St., 6.04 Dixon, Anthony, RB, Mississippi St., 6.13 Byham, Nate, TE, Pittsburgh, 6.37 Williams, Kyle, WR, Arizona St., 7.17 Adams, Phillip, DB, South Carolina St.
– My Thoughts: I really like the team that Mike Singletary is putting together in San Francisco. He’s building a total smashmouth team on both sides of the ball, unfortunately he just doesn’t have any consistent production from his QBs. A few more years getting solid talent like this in the draft and the 49ers will officially be back, but I don’t think they’ll make that step this season. Only 1 team is making the playoffs from this division this year, and I expect it to be Arizona, but if the 49ers can win that head to head series, they will likely sneak by and take the division.
Seattle Seahawks
Signed: TE Chris Baker, CB Kennard Cox, G Mitch Erickson, RB Quinton Ganther, OL Ben Hamilton, QB J.P. Losman, LB Matt McCoy and WR Sean Morey.
Re-signed: S Lawyer Milloy.
Acquired via trade: DE Chris Clemons, QB Charlie Whitehurst, RB Leon Washington and DT Kevin Vickerson.
Drafted: 1.06 Okung, Russell, OT, Oklahoma St., 1.14 Thomas, Earl, SS, Texas, 2.28 Tate, Golden, WR, Notre Dame, 4.13 Thurmond, Walter, CB, Oregon, 4.29 Wilson, E.J., DE, North Carolina, 5.02 Chancellor, Kam, FS, Virginia Tech, 6.16 McCoy, Anthony, TE, Southern Cal, 7.29 Davis, Dexter, DE, Arizona St., 7.38 Konz, Jameson, WR, Kent St.
– My Thoughts: Pete Carroll got out of USC just before the hammer fell, and proceeded to completely revamp the Seahawks roster. Many of the changes appear, at least on paper, to be big improvements. But, as I said about the 49ers, this is a really bad division, made up of teams with glaring holes and big questions from top to bottom. This team is better than St. Louis, but they aren’t the same caliber as San Francisco or Arizona. I see this as a better team from top to bottom, but probably with a similar outcome as last year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Signed: LB Jon Alston and S Sean Jones.
Re-signed: LBAngelo Crowell.
Acquired via trade: WR Reggie Brown
Drafted: 1.03 McCoy, Gerald, DT, Oklahoma, 2.03 Price, Brian, DT, UCLA, 2.07 Benn, Arrelious, WR, Illinois, 3.03 Lewis, Myron, CB, Vanderbilt, 4.03 Williams, Mike, WR, Syracuse, 6.03 Bowden, Brent, P, Virginia Tech, 7.03 Grimm, Cody, LB, Virginia Tech, 7.10 Watson, Dekoda, LB, Florida St., 7.46 Lorig, Erik, DE, Stanford
– My Thoughts: I question how effective Josh Freeman will be as an NFL QB. I didn’t think he was all that great in college, and was surprised when they took him so high last year in the draft. I also don’t see anybody being afraid of Raheem Morris as a Head Coach. Piling up questionable decisions has lead this team to where they are now, and it will take some time to build it back into a contender. I expect to see another top 5 draft pick next season from the Bucs.
Washington Redskins
Signed: P Josh Bidwell, CB Phillip Buchanon, LB Chris Draft, WR Mike Furrey, WR Joey Galloway, DL Howard Green, QB Rex Grossman, WR Marques Hagans, OL Artis Hicks, DE Vonnie Holliday, RB Larry Johnson, DT Maake Kemoeatu, RB Willie Parker, DL Greg Peterson, C Casey Rabach, TE Sean Ryan, RB Ryan Torain, WR Bobby Wade and WR Roydell Williams.
Re-signed: LB Lorenzo Alexander, DL Phillip Daniels, OL Will Montgomery and OL Mike Williams.
Acquired via trade: QB Donovan McNabb, DT Adam Carriker and LT Jammal Brown.
Drafted: 1.04 Williams, Trent, OT, Oklahoma, 4.05 Riley, Perry, LB, LSU, 6.05 Morris, Dennis, TE, Louisiana Tech, 7.12 Austin, Terrence, WR, UCLA, 7.22 Cook, Erik, C, New Mexico, 7.24 Capers, Selvish, OT, West Virginia
– My Thoughts: How can you spend more money than anybody else on high priced players and still put together an inconsistent team? Dan Snyder, the Redskins owner, has done a great job of answering that question year in and year out. It looks like some changes are being made to that formula however as he’s brought in Mike Shanahan to coach this team, and he’s not pulling any punches. He’s forced the highest paid DT in the league to prove he’s in good enough shape to practice after holding out, and he’s brought in players and coaches that will really change the dynamics of this team. It’s going to be weird to see McNabb in a Redskins jersey, but I think he’ll be a big part of moving this team in the right direction. They’ve also put together a fantasy football type backfield with Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker on the depth chart, and they still want to bring in Brian Westbrook. This is a team I have a hard time pegging, but in this division, wins will be hard to come by. The playoffs will be tough for them to reach.
Next week will bring us back to college football and I’ll make some picks for the upcoming football season.
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