New Orleans Saints: The Saints might be a better team this year on paper then last. Now, I am not saying they are going to repeat as champions, but they are very solid. Coach Sean Payton has that one unique quality that makes
Dallas Cowboys jersey repeating slightly easier -- he is not afraid of confrontation. He is not afraid to call the players out, he is not afraid to ruffle feathers and make things slightly uncomfortable, yet conducive to winning. Consider my favorite scene from the Super Bowl in February. When running back Mike Bell comes walking off the field after he failed to score, Payton walks over to him to inspect his
Denver Broncos jersey shoes. "Figures," Payton says. He had told Bell and the entire team to wear a certain-length spike in their shoes, and Bell failed to comply. (It's not a surprise the Saints chose not to match the Eagles' free-agent offer to Bell this offseason, allowing him to leave). Payton's not going to ease up; he learned his lesson after his Saints lost the 2006 NFC Championship Game to the Bears and started the following season 0-4, failing to make
Houston Texans jersey the playoffs. He will be tough and demanding, and have Drew Brees' back, which makes them a Super Bowl contender again.
Red-chip teams
Atlanta Falcons: In their 2008 playoff season, the Falcons had a certain style they needed to play in order to win games: make big plays passing, run Michael Turner right, run him left, gain the lead at the half, then let pass rusher John Abraham take over the game. In 2008, the Falcons led the league in first-half point
Jacksonville Jaguars jersey differential (a critical statistic I monitor each week during the season) at plus-95. Last season, they ranked 15th with just a plus-16 advantage for the half, which means opponents did not allow them to play their style and Abraham was not a one-man wrecking crew. The Falcons have to get back to their style. They need Turner to prove he wasn't a one-hit wonder, they need to be able to pressure the passer, and they need Matt Ryan to be better. This is especially true on first down where, last season, the Falcons finished 29th, averaging 4.70 yards per play.
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Dallas Cowboys: Jerry Jones has to be feeling good right now. Besides owning a great team that is a perennial playoff contender, he owns a new state-of-the-art stadium that will host the next Super Bowl (not to mention, he also got to meet Ari Gold from Entourage). Now, that's living a good life. But for Jones to make it a complete life, he needs his football team to be in the game he's hosting next February -- the 2011 Super Bowl. And for that to happen, he must be crossing his fingers and toes that his old and
Miami Dolphins jersey aging offensive line stays healthy and that Doug Free can be the answer at left tackle. The problems in his line are not just at left tackle, though. His right guard, Leonard Davis, is too big and, at times, too slow. He can't block on the second level finding roaming linebackers and has trouble with his pass protection, which then forces the Cowboys to always want to send the center his way.
