Peter King agrees with John Madden: Boy's win Superbowl
by SI: Peter King
September 4, 2006 10:13AM
Season predictions
It's the time of year for me to join the masses in my annual exercise in futility -- predicting the NFL pennant races. Division by division, how I see the league this year, with the Wild Cards asterisked:
NFC East
1. Dallas, 11-5. John Madden's right: The most impressive unit of this preseason was Dallas' defense. Great move making Greg Ellis, who was a bit physically overmatched as an every-down defensive end, a latter-day Willie McGinest as strongside linebacker -- even though Bobby Carpenter's going to be a good one eventually -- and this is a deep front seven. Bill Parcells might have an interesting safety in 6-foot-5, 215-pound Pat Watkins, who'll be the tallest safety in recent history. Re: T.O., he won't destroy the chemistry here. Just a gut feeling.
2. * New York Giants, 10-6. Everything's on Eli Manning's shoulders. Agreed. But the awful way he finished '05, in the playoff embarrassment to Carolina, should not make moot how he started it. One of the most amazing stats of last seasons was that Eli threw for 15 more yards than his brother. Having said that, I trust Tiki Barber will be great again, and I think the defense will improve significantly from the league's 24th-rated D last year because the linebackers and secondary will be better. But I truly have no idea how Manning will play. And the Giants' schedule, as I've pointed out this summer, is absurd. They might be very good -- and still lose their first three (Indy, at Philly, at Seattle).
3. * Philadelphia, 10-6. The Eagles had the best depth in the trenches of any team I saw this summer. Especially on defense, where they're a legitimate four-deep at tackle (Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, Darwin Walker, Sam Rayburn), and in the interior of the offensive line, which I don't think will get pushed into Donovan McNabb's face as much as it did last year before he was lost for the campaign. Remember, the Eagles won 13, 12, 12, 11 and 11 games in the five seasons before last year's injury washout.
4. Washington, 9-7. I am violating a very intelligent mantra about preseason football. "Ignore whatever you see in the preseason,'' Phil Simms says. "It means nothing.'' Maybe. But to me, this means something: With a new play-caller, Al Saunders, taking over the architecture of the offense for the first time in Joe Gibbs' head-coaching career, Washington's first-team offense had the ball for five quarters of the preseason and scored zero points. Five quarters, 14 drives, no touchdowns, no field goals. Simms will probably be laughing at me in November, when Washington's 10-0 and running away with the division. But even with Clinton Portis returning in seven days for the opener, I don't have a lot of confidence in this offense.
NFC Playoffs
Seeds: 1. Seattle. 2. Dallas. 3. Carolina. 4. Detroit. 5. Giants. 6. Philadelphia.
Wild Card: Carolina over Philadelphia. Giants over Detroit.
Divisional round: Seattle over Giants. Dallas over Carolina.
NFC Championship: Dallas over Seattle.
Super Bowl
Dallas over Indianapolis.
September 4, 2006 10:13AM
Season predictions
It's the time of year for me to join the masses in my annual exercise in futility -- predicting the NFL pennant races. Division by division, how I see the league this year, with the Wild Cards asterisked:
NFC East
1. Dallas, 11-5. John Madden's right: The most impressive unit of this preseason was Dallas' defense. Great move making Greg Ellis, who was a bit physically overmatched as an every-down defensive end, a latter-day Willie McGinest as strongside linebacker -- even though Bobby Carpenter's going to be a good one eventually -- and this is a deep front seven. Bill Parcells might have an interesting safety in 6-foot-5, 215-pound Pat Watkins, who'll be the tallest safety in recent history. Re: T.O., he won't destroy the chemistry here. Just a gut feeling.
2. * New York Giants, 10-6. Everything's on Eli Manning's shoulders. Agreed. But the awful way he finished '05, in the playoff embarrassment to Carolina, should not make moot how he started it. One of the most amazing stats of last seasons was that Eli threw for 15 more yards than his brother. Having said that, I trust Tiki Barber will be great again, and I think the defense will improve significantly from the league's 24th-rated D last year because the linebackers and secondary will be better. But I truly have no idea how Manning will play. And the Giants' schedule, as I've pointed out this summer, is absurd. They might be very good -- and still lose their first three (Indy, at Philly, at Seattle).
3. * Philadelphia, 10-6. The Eagles had the best depth in the trenches of any team I saw this summer. Especially on defense, where they're a legitimate four-deep at tackle (Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, Darwin Walker, Sam Rayburn), and in the interior of the offensive line, which I don't think will get pushed into Donovan McNabb's face as much as it did last year before he was lost for the campaign. Remember, the Eagles won 13, 12, 12, 11 and 11 games in the five seasons before last year's injury washout.
4. Washington, 9-7. I am violating a very intelligent mantra about preseason football. "Ignore whatever you see in the preseason,'' Phil Simms says. "It means nothing.'' Maybe. But to me, this means something: With a new play-caller, Al Saunders, taking over the architecture of the offense for the first time in Joe Gibbs' head-coaching career, Washington's first-team offense had the ball for five quarters of the preseason and scored zero points. Five quarters, 14 drives, no touchdowns, no field goals. Simms will probably be laughing at me in November, when Washington's 10-0 and running away with the division. But even with Clinton Portis returning in seven days for the opener, I don't have a lot of confidence in this offense.
NFC Playoffs
Seeds: 1. Seattle. 2. Dallas. 3. Carolina. 4. Detroit. 5. Giants. 6. Philadelphia.
Wild Card: Carolina over Philadelphia. Giants over Detroit.
Divisional round: Seattle over Giants. Dallas over Carolina.
NFC Championship: Dallas over Seattle.
Super Bowl
Dallas over Indianapolis.
posted by The Gryphon at 11:18 AM
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