[CBFF] ESPN - Big questions for NFC teams

[Jerry Madsen]

Updated: May 3, 2007, 4:09 PM ET
Big questions for NFC teams
Clayton
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
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Now that Peyton Manning has evolved into a Super Bowl quarterback, NFC
franchises face double jeopardy. To win a Super Bowl, they must beat
Manning or Tom Brady.

Until Manning and Brady show their ages or their teams start to get
old, the Colts and Patriots are not only the teams to beat in the AFC,
but they are the worst nightmares for the NFC teams they could face in
the Super Bowl. Between them, Manning and Brady have four Super Bowl
rings and are gearing for more.

While it's said defenses win championships, the biggest question
facing the NFC is whether its teams are good enough at quarterback to
beat these two in a big game.

Here are the other questions facing the NFC teams:

Do the Cardinals have the personnel to eventually switch to a 3-4 defense?
New coach Ken Whisenhunt is pretty well set on offense with Matt
Leinart at quarterback, Edgerrin James in the backfield and a great
three-receiver set. Finding the personality of the defense is now the
key. Former coach Dennis Green assembled an undersized 4-3. As we saw
in San Francisco the past couple of years, it's hard to make a quick
conversion to a 3-4 because those schemes require bigger defenders to
help stop the run. Chike Okeafor and Bertrand Berry have the athletic
ability to be rush linebackers, but the team doesn't have enough big
linemen. Defensive tackle Alan Branch, the team's second-round pick,
will help the Cardinals get bigger. Expect the Cardinals to experiment
with the 3-4 but stay a 4-3 on most of the early downs.


Can new coach Bobby Petrino take Michael Vick's game to the next level?
The Falcons cleared the books on challenges to Vick. They traded
backup Matt Schaub to Houston, eliminating any worry Vick has to look
over his shoulder. He probably didn't anyway. The guy is making $13
million a year, and he's the most physically gifted quarterback in
football. But it's time for Vick to improve his accuracy. He completed
only 52.6 percent of his passes last season, and he's connected on a
subpar 53.8 percent in his career. Maybe he didn't fit into the West
Coast offense, but it's Petrino's job to find the right one for Vick.
Petrino brings in a quarterback-friendly offense from Louisville. It's
a simple scheme, but Vick has to make it work.


What's the deal at safety?
Despite having a great draft, the Panthers didn't fill their safety
needs. Mike Minter is in his last season. Nate Salley and Cam Newton
are the next-best safeties. Other than re-signing Colin Branch, the
Panthers have to look at the depleted safety market for answers. The
organization made a wise choice in trading down in the draft's first
round instead of just taking the next-best safety, Reggie Nelson
(Jacksonville selected the Florida star 21st overall). Carolina had
one of its best drafts in years in doing so. But the scramble for
safety help continues. Coach John Fox will settle the differences with
defensive tackle Kris Jenkins after shopping him in a trade. Jenkins
needs a little motivation, so he will be fine. More will be needed
from the defensive line to make the transition easier at safety.


Is Rex Grossman worth re-signing?
The Lance Briggs saga will roll on until training camp and the start
of the regular season. Expect Briggs, who hates the franchise tag, to
hold out until September. Trade efforts failed and no change is
anticipated soon. Briggs knows he is in his final season with the
Bears. He just has to decide if he wants to show up. Grossman has a
different story. Like Lovie Smith a year ago, Grossman must prove
himself to get a second contract from the Bears. Grossman took unfair
heat last season. Injuries hurt him early in his career. Though
Grossman's numbers weren't flashy, he stayed healthy all season, and
he helped take the team to the Super Bowl. The offense likes him as
its leader. The Bears are in the middle of a four-year run as a Super
Bowl contender. They are the favorites again to win the NFC North. The
division might not improve. Grossman is good enough to win the NFC
North, but is he good enough to beat Peyton Manning or Tom Brady in a
Super Bowl? How well he answers that question will determine whether
he gets a new contract after this season.


Did the Cowboys make a mistake not drafting a top-flight receiver from
a deep pool of talent?
Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens are in their 30s, and Owens is coming
off major finger surgery. Patrick Crayton is a decent third receiver,
but it's hard to project him as a starter. While the Cowboys did the
right thing in the draft swap with Cleveland that netted them a
first-round choice in 2008, they bypassed the chance to get one of the
draft's best receivers. The Browns aren't expected to be good in 2007,
so the Cowboys could be at the top of the draft looking at the best
receiver.

The Cowboys also have to look at replacing left tackle Flozell Adams,
who is in the final year of his contract. If Tony Romo takes a step
back, they might have to look at a quarterback, too. Maybe the delay
in getting a receiver will work. The Cowboys got a nice pass-rusher in
Anthony Spencer in the first round. The offense needed some help at
the skill positions. A receiver injury could be a major problem for
the Cowboys.


Are the Lions good enough at quarterback?
Although Calvin Johnson is the fourth receiver the Lions have drafted
in the first round in five years, president Matt Millen received
applause for taking him. Johnson was the best player in the draft.
Fantasy fans love the idea of following a three-receiver corps of
Johnson, Roy Williams and Mike Furrey. But everything -- and I mean
everything -- falls on the right arm of quarterback Jon Kitna. The
Lions traded Josh McCown, Kitna's backup. If Kitna gets hurt, the
Lions could be in for a world of hurt if Dan Orlovsky isn't ready to
take over. Kitna loves playing quarterback for offensive coordinator
Mike Martz. Martz has a magic way of getting the most out of
quarterbacks, but he must have something to work with as the backup.
Is Orlovsky good enough? The Eagles' season came crashing down two
years ago when they didn't have the right backup. The Bucs' season
blew up when Chris Simms was hurt.


Can Brett Favre be happy with the Packers' offseason?
Favre had a great time last season. The Packers went 8-8. Favre liked
his young offensive line and his young receiver, Greg Jennings.
Optimistic about the chances of going to the playoffs, Favre returned
for another season. So far, he's been greeted with an offseason in
which cornerback Frank Walker was the only acquisition in free agency.
He lost his backfield mate, Ahman Green. The running game enters the
unknown with rookie Brandon Jackson and Vernand Morency. Nothing was
done at tight end. Everyone remembers how Favre struggled mentally and
emotionally in the 4-12 season in 2005. He wondered why he came back.
Favre hates to lose. He wants one more chance at a Super Bowl, but at
the very least, he wants another shot at the playoffs. Football is fun
for Favre, but he needs to have more winning to make it fun enough to
stay motivated.


Did the Vikings make a mistake passing on Brady Quinn?
Last Saturday, the draft played out so well for the Vikings that they
had the option of getting a franchise quarterback or a franchise
running back. Quinn tempted them, but they went with Adrian Peterson.
No one can argue about Peterson's talent. He's an angry runner and a
great talent. Within a year, he should be among the elite backs in
football. Watch how well he runs to his left behind Bryant McKinnie
and Steve Hutchinson. Watch how well he runs in a division of light
Cover 2 defenses. Once that excitement fades, though, the reality is
Tarvaris Jackson is the starting quarterback and Quinn is no longer an
option. Brad Childress is betting his Vikings' future on Jackson. He
loves his arm, mobility and leadership. Jackson showed some flashes
last season, but now he has the job for 16 games. If he fails,
everyone is in trouble in Minnesota.


Can the Saints repeat the magic?
Perception is everything. A year ago, the Saints appeared to be among
the least talented teams in football. But Drew Brees carried the
offense and Reggie Bush added some spark to the running game. Bold
decisions solidified the offensive line. With many picking the Saints
to be early favorites in the NFC South, coach Sean Peyton knows this
season won't be easy. The schedule is tougher. The Saints can no
longer take teams by surprise. Teams will study the Saints' offense
and figure ways to stop it. But the key is the Saints were good enough
to go into the draft and take the best athletes available. They got a
break in getting wide receiver Robert Meachem, who not only adds size
but speed to the offense.


Did the Giants make a mistake in not getting a left tackle?
The Giants needed help at linebacker, cornerback and left tackle. They
had only one first-round pick, so three problems couldn't be solved at
once. The value on the board pointed to cornerback Aaron Ross from
Texas. Left tackle Joe Staley of Central Michigan was another option.
By letting a first-round left tackle pass, the Giants have to go ahead
with their plan to move guard David Diehl to left tackle and hope that
works. The concern is the psyche of QB Eli Manning. Manning is under a
lot of heat because of his November and December struggles over the
past two seasons. His accuracy dips as the thermometer falls. One
reason for last year's drop-off was the poor play at left tackle. If
the Diehl experiment doesn't work, Manning could be in trouble early
in the season.


How will Donovan McNabb accept having Kevin Kolb as a potential threat
behind him?
Heading into the draft, the Eagles really didn't have many needs. They
fixed the linebacking problems by trading for Takeo Spikes. They've
drafted well on the offensive and defensive lines for years. Kevin
Curtis was signed to help the receiving corps. Other than taking
safety Brandon Meriweather, who wasn't available when the Eagles
selected, Andy Reid's best option was to trade down. Kolb wasn't in
the plans for the Eagles. He just fell to them, and Reid made the
pick. If you're McNabb, though, you have to question the rationale
behind the pick. The Eagles didn't draft Kolb to be the inactive
quarterback from week to week. Although Kolb probably will be the No.
3 in 2007, the Eagles will try to groom him into being a potential
starter. McNabb just got over the bad emotions of the Terrell Owens
signing. He had just reasserted himself as the leader of the offense.
Now, he might have to be looking over his shoulder.


Have the Rams done enough on defense to challenge for the NFC West?
Head coach Scott Linehan has brought in about seven potential new
starters on defense since coming to St. Louis. He also has extended
the contracts of defensive end Leonard Little and linebacker Pisa
Tinoisamoa. Tye Hill should develop into a much better cornerback
after starting as a rookie. Adam Carriker will help the defensive
line. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett feels much better about the
team's speed at linebacker, particularly with Will Witherspoon
developing into a star in the middle. The problem remains stopping the
run. The Rams gave up 4.9 yards a carry last season. Defensive tackle
Jimmy Kennedy is in a contract year. Coaches had trouble getting him
to work the schemes last year, but Kennedy's play at tackle is vital
to the team's success.


Did the Seahawks successfully upgrade at guard and tight end?
Jerramy Stevens is gone as the starting tight end and backup Itula
Mili retired. After failing to get Daniel Graham in free agency, the
Seahawks ended up with 35-year-old Marcus Pollard for the NFL minimum.
They re-signed backup Will Heller. Pollard's body is young at 35
because he was a basketball player in college, but can it still hold
up through the regular season and the playoffs? The guard situation
remains a little jumbled since the 2006 departure of Steve Hutchinson.
They had to re-sign Chris Gray, who turns 37 this fall. Floyd (Pork
Chop) Womack can't shake injuries. The hope is Rob Sims, a promising
fourth-round choice. But the team hasn't totally settled the interior
of its offensive line.


Is one of the league's best offseasons good enough to make the 49ers a
playoff team?
The 49ers' ultimate goal was finding seven new starters on defense.
That might have been a little ambitious, but it was a great offseason
for the defense. The additions of cornerback Nate Clements and safety
Michael Lewis complete the secondary. Patrick Willis and Tully
Banta-Cain, along with Manny Lawson and Derek Smith, form a good
linebacking corps. Aubrayo Franklin will help at nose tackle. The key
is for Alex Smith to develop at quarterback. That process took a hit
with the departure of offensive coordinator Norv Turner to San Diego.
Head coach Mike Nolan believes he has that covered with his staff. He
helped Smith by adding WR Ashley Lelie and Darrell Jackson to the
receiving corps.


Do the Bucs have the three-technique tackle to make their defense work?
Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin must be in heaven. After years of
neglecting the defense in drafts and free agency, Jon Gruden and Bruce
Allen gave him defensive end Gaines Adams, safety Sabby Piscitelli and
linebacker Quincy Black. The day after the draft, the Bucs traded for
Ryan Sims of the Chiefs. Sims could be the most important acquisition.
Kiffin has been missing a big piece of his defense since Warren Sapp
left for the Raiders. The three-technique tackle creates havoc along
the line of scrimmage. Kiffin did a nice job in resurrecting the
career of Chris Hovan, a former Vikings No. 1 pick who came to the
Bucs at the minimum salary. Hovan played his way into a nice contract.
Sims will try to do the same under Kiffin.


Can another safety help the pass rush?
Joe Gibbs thought LaRon Landry was the best defensive player in the
draft, so he made him the sixth pick after repeated efforts to trade
down. Now the Redskins have two of the most talented safeties in the
league -- Landry and Sean Taylor, who was the fifth pick in the 2004
draft. The problem is the Redskins passed over a pass-rusher, Jamaal
Anderson, to take Landry. The Redskins are calling all around to see
if a veteran pass-rusher is available. The Redskins had only 19 sacks
last season. Without any pressure on the quarterback, opponents had a
97.8 quarterback rating against them. Unless the Redskins can find a
way to get a pass rush, Landy and Taylor might get a lot of
opportunities to get tackles downfield.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

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