Teams poised for a Super Bowl run: Part 2

5. Minnesota Vikings - Now I know this might upset a few, and believe me it was a tough decision, but I honestly believe the Vikings could be the dark horses of the NFC this year. They have no pressure at all and not many are mentioning them. As opposed to the start of last season, their offseason movements have mostly gone under the radar, despite picking up quarterback Donovan McNabb in free agency, and losing wide receiver Sidney Rice. Assuming McNabb doesn’t go down injured like Brett Favre did last year, he could be a step in the right direction for the Vikings. And it may be that he is the difference-maker for Minnesota this season, helping them to sneak into the play-offs via a wildcard spot.

Although they’ve lost Sidney Rice, the Vikings still have a number of big playmakers, including Bernard Berrian, Percy Harvin, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and of course Adrian Peterson. Even while struggling at the quarterback position last season, and missing Rice through injury, they still managed to out rank rivals Chicago Bears in terms of offence, and it seems their defence is still as strong as ever, ranking eighth overall in the league last season.

The Vikings have also been strengthened offensively by the addition of wideout Michael Jenkins, a big-framed receiver who has played under offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave before. Jenkins departed Atlanta after the Falcons traded up to select receiver Julio Jones in the 2011 draft – a move that shocked most back in April.

McNabb may have had a tough season with the Redskins last year, but that was mostly down to a lack of protection from what was a weak offensive line. The Vikings OL, however, was much more impressive – allowing Brett Favre to be sacked just 22 times last season, one of the lowest in the league. With more time to make passes, McNabb could be very dangerous.

Don’t write the Vikings off just yet, they still might pose a threat in their division.

4. Philadelphia Eagles - How could I not include the Eagles after they made big waves in this year’s free agency period. Having already been coined the ‘Dream Team’, the Eagles have a lot of pressure to do well this season, and a Super Bowl appearance is a feat that I see being highly attainable.

They have been the most consistent team in the NFC East in recent years, making the play-offs on eight occasions in the past 10 years. With the few key changes they have made, it is entirely possible to see them finally going the distance.

Having strengthened the roster by bringing in Vince Young as a backup QB, it means that if Vick does get injured, they will have a signal caller who is still capable of getting the job done. Also, with the addition of Cullen Jenkins, Jason Babin and big time cornerbacks Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha, hopefully the Eagles’ red zone defensive woes will be put to bed.

3. Atlanta Falcons - With ‘Matty Ice’ Ryan at the helm, the Falcons have come very close to mounting a serious Super Bowl run in recent years. This season, the team will be much the same as last year, with a few new additions. The Falcons surprised a lot of people when they jumped up the draft ladder to pick up wide receiver Julio Jones. Atlanta’s front office must have seen something they like in the player, and he could have a huge role this season with his speed and athleticism. Early reports from pre-season training camp are that Jones has been lighting it up – prompting talk that the team’s decision to give up a whole host of draft picks may be vindicated immediately. The Falcons now have an offence bursting with talent, and one which looks set to explode again this season.

One problem with the Falcons last year was that they lacked a game-changing pass rusher. This lack of pressure on the quarterback left them vulnerable in the secondary and, as a result, they were torn to pieces by Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs. Hopefully by adding Ray Edwards this will not be as damaging a problem as last season.

2. New England Patriots - With Tom Brady back to his best, look out for the Patriots to dominate the AFC again this season. The possibility of an undefeated season for the Pats might not be as laughable as it sounds either, as Belichick has managed to keep most of their key players during the past offseason.

Bill Belichick is a man who knows what he is doing in free agency, and picking up wide receiver Chad Ochocinco and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth will without doubt enhance the team’s Super Bowl prospects.

The most important signing, however, is likely to be defensive end Shaun Ellis. Ellis spent 11 years at bitter rivals the New York Jets , helping coach Rex Ryan mould the defence into one of the most feared in the NFL. Now that he has crossed the bitter divide, he takes with him all his experience and knowledge of how the Jets defence operates. It looks as if the Patriots might just have the edge over the Jets, exactly what they need if they are to pay a visit to Lucas Oil Stadium in February.

1. Green Bay Packers - Everyone is now fully aware of just how dangerous Aaron Rodgers can be. On the back of last season’s success, only a fool would fail to predict them making a return to the big one.
History is also in the Packers’ favour; every other time they have featured in a Super Bowl, they have repeated the achievement the following year.

Last season the Packers did it the hard way, winning the Super Bowl after finishing the year in one of two NFC wildcard berths, and they did it missing key players such as TE Jermichael Finley and RB Ryan Grant. This year, after adding reinforcements in the draft and free agency, the Pack have increased the strength and depth of their roster still further.

They are a legitimate threat to any team in the NFL, and I expect to see them at the summit of their division come January.

Free Agency Frenzy

With the lockout finally over it has already been a busy week in the NFL. Deals are still going off left, right and centre as the race to be ready for the upcoming season reaches fever pitch.

One of the hottest topics at the moment is which quarterback will end up where. At the start of the week we had at least 10 quarterbacks with an uncertain future, now with the latest deal it looks like only Vince Young, Marc Bulger and Kyle Orton are still missing a new home.

The week started with a bang when Seattle Seahawks snapped up Tarvaris Jackson, and that marked the end of Matt Hasselbeck’s long career with the Seahawks, as he moved to pastures new in Tennessee. Palmer looks like he is set to retire, and that has prompted the Bengals to bring in long time Oakland Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. Despite this move it still looks like the Bengals have a very long and unrewarding season ahead of them. This was amplified with the departure of top receiver Chad Ochocinco.

Donovan McNabb was the next to hit the headlines when he sealed a move to the Minnesota Vikings. The long-time Eagles QB had made it abundantly clear he was unhappy in Washington and now looks set to play a pivotal role in the mentoring of Christian Ponder.

Amongst all this mayhem, Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart joined the Houston Texans in what will surely be a back-up role to Matt Schaub. Look out for Schaub this season as it looks like the Texans might just make a significant push to knock the colts off their high horse.

Lastly, one of the most speculated moves during the lockout was finalised when the Eagles dealt Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals, in exchange for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round pick. Personally I can’t help but think that the Philadelphia Eagles got a great deal out of the Kolb trade, the only issue is that it leaves them thin in the quarterback department. That brings me to my next topic.

The Titans have recently released Vince Young, making him the hottest quarterback available at the moment, with Kyle Orton looking like he will join Reggie Bush in Miami.

So who would be most suited to Young? Well, he has recently been linked as the ideal candidate to back-up Michael Vick in Philly. Both players have a similar playing style – with a strong arm, and the ability to scramble when needed. Alternatively, I could see Young being added to the Washington Redskins’ roster to beef up the competition under center.

It seems obvious at the moment that the Redskins are in a state of emergency. They’ve just lost DT Albert Haynesworth to the Patriots and since McNabb’s departure they have been left with two far from proven quarterbacks on their roster. Looking at their stats from previous seasons makes worrying reading. Both John Beck and Rex Grossman have thrown far too many interceptions during their limited playing time – a massive cause for concern that needs addressing ahead of pre-season.

That leaves Marc Bulger. Bulger has had a far from illustrious past three seasons and currently looks most likely to drop out of the league after 10 seasons. He could, however, still find himself a back-up role, but it seems unlikely having missed most of the quarterback rush so far.

It will be interesting to see which of these quarterback moves contributes to the most success come the regular season on September 8.

Titans begin hunt for Locker’s tutor

With the eighth overall pick, the Tennessee Titans select: Jake Locker. Inspired decision or a sign of desperation?

As Sam Bradford showed in 2010, a quarterback is the focal point of a rebuilding franchise and therefore a team is fully justified in selecting one in the first round.

Get the pick right and, like Bradford did, you can turn a franchise from a 1-15 disaster into a respectable 7-9 team. Get it wrong and the consequences can be catastrophic, not only on the football field, but also financially.

When Titans owner Bud Adams made it clear that Vince Young, selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft, would not be returning to LP Field, it was obvious the team needed a new face to lead the franchise.

But there were serious question marks hanging over Locker after he endured a lacklustre senior season at the University of Washington, finishing with a career completion percentage of 53.9.

Plagued by inaccuracy, his decision-making prowess was suddenly a red flag and, despite being projected as the number one overall pick ahead of Sam Bradford in 2010 by some – prior to his decision to stay in school for his final year – most experts predicted him to go in the middle of the second round at best.

What was not taken into account was the number of other teams in desperate need of a new franchise quarterback. Carolina, Seattle, the Vikings, Redskins, Arizona, Bengals, 49ers and arguably the Dolphins – despite looking like they are happy to give second round pick Chad Henne another season to show what he can do – are all in the hunt for a star signal caller.

Carolina nabbed Newton with the first overall pick and the Titans jumped at the chance to select Locker – obviously believing there were too many other teams sniffing around for there to have been any hope of him dropping to them in the second. This was somewhat justified as the Jaguars traded up for Blaine Gabbert, the Vikings chose Christian Ponder at 12 and early in the second Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick went to the Bengals and 49ers respectively.

Chances are, Locker won’t start right away. Although Sam Bradford did last year, that was only after a full pre-season and training camp. And it was clear from the start that the Rams QB was an exceptional talent.

There’s no question Locker has potential, but asking him to lead a team with a struggling offense, with little or no time to get to know the playbook – thanks to the ongoing lockout which has been in place since March – could do more harm than good for the young signal caller.

With veteran QB Kerry Collins, who led the Titans to a 13-3 season three years ago, announcing his retirement this month, the only other quarterback on the roster is Rusty Smith. And Titans fans will know from last year that he is not the answer.

What the team needs is a veteran QB who can take the reins and mentor Locker until he’s ready to take over. There are no shortage of options when Free Agency opens on Friday, but there are still a number of rival teams in the market for them.

Rumour has it that Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck is done in Seattle and that his most likely landing spot is with the Titans – General Manager Mike Reinfeldt knows the Pro Bowler well from the seven years he spent in the Seahawks front office.

Besides Hasselbeck, other options include former Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb, Ravens back-up Marc Bulger, the Eagles’ Kevin Kolb, Matt Moore from Carolina and former Heisman winner Matt Leinart.

McNabb looked very poor last season. He struggled mightily at the Redskins, but then how much of that was down to McNabb himself, and how much to a woeful franchise, is up for debate. In any case, it seems most likely that the long-time Eagles Pro Bowler will be snapped up by the Vikings as a tutor for their first-round pick Christian Ponder.

With Tarvaris Jackson being released in Minnesota, he may even be a potential target for the Titans. But it is more realistic for a team such as the Eagles, Ravens or even Dolphins to pick him up as a back-up QB, rather than throw him in as a starter right away. At the Dolphins he would be able to compete with Henne, although former Titan Vince Young has long been linked as the answer to that dilemma this past off-season.

The Eagles’ Kevin Kolb appears certain to join the Cardinals or the Seahawks, and both Moore and Leinart are probably too great a risk considering their poor performances in 2010.

That means the best option is likely to be Marc Bulger or Hasselbeck – who despite having a poor regular season disrupted by injuries, produced a superlative performance in the wild card game to dump the reigning champion Saints out of Super Bowl contention.

Bulger is well thought of in league circles, despite enduring a painful time at the Rams in his nine seasons – though not many QB’s could have done anything with that team, and in particular, that lack of protection from the offensive line.

The only other way to go would be to take a punt at Chicago’s Todd Collins, Tyler Thigpen of the Dolphins, the Raiders’ Gradkowski or another Heisman trophy winner in Troy Smith at the 49ers – who did show glimpses of potential last season, albeit fleetingly.

But it is unlikely any of those will offer as much benefit as Hasselbeck. The long-time Seattle QB has taken his franchise to the play-offs on six separate occasions, including four-straight division titles and a Super Bowl appearance in 2005.

That would seem the perfect CV for a man tasked with tutoring what the Titans hope will be their own future Pro Bowler.

The Quarterback Conundrum

Many American football fans are trying to answer the biggest question of all at the moment - which quarterback will go where.

At the end of the 2010-2011 season it was obvious to see that many teams needed to iron our creases they had in the quarterback department.

The Cardinals struggled to find a quarterback they could depend on since the departure of Kurt Warner. They had previously pinned hope in Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart but he is still trying to find his feet in the big time.

It was a similar scenario with the Minnesota Vikings. Brett Favre is now retired leaving a gaping hole in a once formidable offence. The Vikings took the opportunity in the draft to select Chris Ponder from Florida State, a huge risk in many critics eyes judging by past accuracy and poor decision making. Will the gamble pay off though, only time will tell.

Despite being selected as in the second round of the 2010 draft, the Panthers feel that Jimmy Clausen is not the leader they were originally looking for. Many believe that Clausen wasn't given a fair chance but others believe a poor 2-14 record suggests an inability at the top level. They expressed great interest in quarterback Cam Newton from Auburn with there No.1 pick of the 2011 draft and got their man. I expect to see a intense 

battle for the No.1 spot at Panthers for the coming seasons.

The Titans will also be looking for a reliable leader after a bad attitude and disputes among players and coaches led to the departure of Vince Young. Vince, who led the Titans to the ever so memorable victory below in 'that drive' will feature in the free agency.

In the draft the Titans did select Jake Locker out of Washington as the new face of their franchise but even he has a history of injuries due to the way he plays the game and his consistency is arguable.

Lastly the Redskins have joined the market after last years controversial headline hitting QB Donovan McNabb was benched because of a string of poor performances. Donovan was let go by the Eagles after 10 seasons and the decision came back to bite them hard after a deflating defeat of the 2010 season in week 4 of 17-12.

It was the Eagles that had the last laugh however when Michael Vick returned to find form and emphatically thump the Redskins 59-28 recording four passing touchdowns, and running in two himself.

For those who missed out in the draft the opportunity comes in the form of the free agency which is scheduled as soon as lockout issues have been resolved.

Kolb, McNabb, Bulger?

Ranked the most sort after quarterbacks in the free agency at the moment, we wonder where all the big names are going to go. Reports from NFL.com suggest that the Redskins Donovan McNabb has trained with both the Vikings and Cardinals, like wise with the Eagles second string Kevin Kolb.

Kolb started as the No.1 quarterback for the Eagles in 2010 after McNabb departed to bitter rivals the Washington Redskin. His shot at stardom was short lived however when Clay Matthews knocked him out in the season opener to Green Bay. Concussed, Michael Vick stepped up to the plate and the rest is history.

There is constant speculation as to where Kolb will end up, other teams showing interest are the 49ers, Seahawks and he could also stay in Philly.

Personally I believe the best suiter for Kolb would be at the Cardinals. they have an already well structured offence built with esteemed wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and this could pose a huge threat to an already weak NFC West.

It doesn't mean I necessarily want this scenario because the Eagles have to play the Cardinals at the Linc in week 10 and I would seriously fear another McNabb scenario similar to last season with the Redskins winning 17-12.

Ex-Rams and current Ravens reserve quarterback Marc Bulger is also currently on the market. An experience QB with over 11 years under his belt in the NFL, Bulger's most prolific season with in 2004 when he threw for 3,964 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions - a passer rating of 93.7 for the season. Since then it does seem he has seen better days after a somewhat dismal season in 2008 where he maintained a passer rating of just 71.4.

Despite this record the Cardinals are showing interest in Bulger and introducing another veteran quarterback at the reins of their franchise.

Latest reports have suggested the Vikings have given Vince Young the opportunity to work out with their offence, questioning whether draft gamble Christian Ponder will be starter or not. The Vikings offensive line has been weak the last couple of seasons and placing a rookie quarterback in that situation could be a big mistake.  If they do intend on brining Young to their offence they could have to fight with the Raiders unless they decide to give Jason Campbell another chance.

Lets not forget about Kyle Orton as well. With Tim Tebow set to establish himself as the starter at the Denver Broncos it looks likely that they will and trade Orton and cash in with draft picks for next season. The Broncos are a side in redevelopment at the moment so despite Orton's record last season, I think this would be a wise move for them.