The NFC is loaded

Can you think of a NFC team that actually is real bad? Carolina? St.Louis? Philadelphia? Detroit?  All four of those teams had bad records last but had good wins over a quality team last year.  All four teams have quarterbacks who were number picks overall and all four teams are going to be difficult to beat this year. Let's go division by division to prove my point.
The NFC north is probably the weakest division in the conference. Most people feel that Green Bay is the best team. Aaron Rodgers had a good season last year, but far below his standards. He still needs a running game to give them balance and their defense needs a great year from Clay Matthews. They have holes on the o-line due injury and their secondary will be tested. They score a lot, but give up a lot too. The Bears have a new coach who is an offensive genius. Marc Freshman know offense. Jay Cutler would be wise to learn from him. The Bears have the balance the Packers wish for but don't have Aaron Rodgers leading them. The Bears will play solid defense, seem to always get an injury that disrupts their  season. Stay healthy Chicago and you may have something. The Minnesota Vikings have Adrian Peterson. He can keep them in games. They have a great defensive line. This team will go as far as Christian Ponder will take them. No Percy Harvin  will kill them too. The Detroit Lions have added Reggie Bush and if he stays healthy, the lions could be the most dangerous in all of football. The have an unstoppable force on offense in Johnson. They have front four that will knock you senseless. They have a quarterback who can throw the pigskin. Don't sleep on Detroit.
The NFC south also has four teams that will be difficult to beat. Atlanta Falcons last year were the team with the best record in the conference. They added OSI on defense and Steven Jackson on offense. The have balance on offense and should be an offensive juggernaut. Their secondary killed them last year. If they can get pressure on the quarterback they may have what it takes to win it all. The New Orleans Saints get their coach back and must really improve on defense. They gave up the most points in NFL history. They still have Drew Brees  and a loaded offense. They truly believe that Rob Ryan can change their defense. If he can, Bree's can do Magic. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have my attention. They will better on defense with the addition of Revis. Josh Freeman last year was great in the fourth quarter. They have great balance on offense. This team will drive everyone crazy this year. The Carolina Panthers have serious talent too. Cam  Newton can be a superstar. They have solid receiver in Smith. Two good backs when healthy. A superstud linebacker in Luke. If they figure it out between the ears, they be in every game they play.
NFC West has sick speed, youthful zest and mad talent. The Niners added championship pieces and are mad that they are no longer unbeaten in Super Bowls. The have speed in the receiving corp. They have a bruiser in the running attack. Great tight end. Great talent in the front seven. The secondary may be the only question. They will have home field and have the quarterback of the future. Will they lose a game? We shall see. The Seattle Sea hawks have everything the Niners have and when Percy Harvin returns, they will have more. The Seahawks are invincible at home. Their defense is fierce and fast. They can control the ball with a punishing rushing attack. They must hold on to the ball. This team is for real. The Arizona Cardinals added Carson Palmer and the physical defense they have could cause problems for all of its opponents. If Palmer throws the ball to his players more than to the other team, the Cardinals could be formidable. Patrick Peterson is must see television. So is Larry Fitzgerald.  The St. Louis Rams might Bethe only bad team in the NFC. Last year they beat the Niners.  They have a plan that bothers the Niners. They lost Stephen Jackson. Sam Bradford has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had a franchise quarterback salary. He needs to deliver some wins. They had a good draft over the past three seasons. Put up or get out of the way..
My favorite division, the NFC east, I could talk about for hours. The Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, and Giants all are capable of making a title run. The Redskins won the division last year behind rookie sensations Robert Griffin and Alfred Morris. The 'skins had balance and drove everyone crazy with their diversity in play calling. Griffin is coming off a knee injury and the 'skins vow to keep him safe this year. Can their defense keep up with their offense? If they can maybe this new generation of quarterback is ready to take over league. The Cowboys can score with anyone, but the key to this season is Demarco Murray. When he plays, they usually win. Romo needs a running game to take the pressure off of him. The Cowboys have talent on defense but they have always had talent. They should be better than their 8-8 record. Romo got paid. Jason Garrett is on the hot seat. Playoffs or bust. The Eagles are going to try and wear people down with their tempo and speed. The can run it well. They can stretch the field with Jackson. Mike Vick. Always off to a fast start gets hurt and then the interceptions pile up. The eagles will either be the most exciting team to watch or a train wreck. They have too much talent to be so bad. Defense has to get back to being dominant and opportunistic. Chip Kelly get ready for hell or give em hell.. The Giants... No preview about my team. Its a secret as to where I think they will end up. No one ever talks about the Giants. They talk about Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, the Jets, Ravens, Tebow, concussions. So I will keep them under the radar too....
So the NFC will have the following conclusions... Niners, Packers, Falcons, Giants win the divisions. Seattle and Chicago get wild card. Giants and Packers in the championship game. Who do you think wins.
The Super bowl is in my stadium. I am  not a fan of the new style quarterbacks. I saw Peyton Manning throw seven touchdown passes. All of these young guys are one hit away from being out for the season. The Manning bowl will be exciting.

Commissioner Goodell not popular by demand

The Super Bowl usually has enough stories involving the teams playing the game. This Super Bowl is no exception because of the retirement of Ray Lewis. The Colin Kaeppernick story, Is Joe Flacco elite, The Harbaugh brothers as foes, Frank Gore, Ed Reed sagas and of course the journey that both teams have been on to get here.  That is a lot to cover. Throw in that the game is being played in recovering New Orleans, and you have the full Monty. However there is one major story coming out this week and it is not a pretty one.  The players can't stand the commissioner and they have ample reason to dislike and distrust him.
When Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg at a night club, he was punished as vehemently as one can. He did not brandish the weapon and flaunt it to a crowd of people or anyone for that matter. He was carrying a weapon because the previous week before, his teammate Steve Smith was robbed at gunpoint with his wife by Smith's limousine driver. No one cared that that happened. Burress had the book thrown at him by both the NFL and the New York legal system. In my view, that case was the beginning of the end for Goodell. He has fined players and suspended players at a rate that makes people think he thinks he is executioner too.  The New Orleans Saints blame him for ruining what could have been a super season. James Harrison's paychecks have been garnished for suspension several times.  Ed Reed has made donations as well. He has probably made millions in just collected fine money. He has made his message clear about what he will tolerate or you will pay.  The tackle from the Redskins who was involved with that brawl last week better get ready for a phone call, because you can't be out and get in trouble these days.  Pacman Jones learned the hard way. Mr.Suh too.
Goodell feels he is doing what's best for football and its image with his fines and punishments.  The. Players understand his intentions but do not respect his methods . Brain injuries are killing players.  Concussion are a serious subject. The players feel over legislated and not respected. The league made millions lions for years with those vicious hits videos. Too many rules and constant reprimands have hurt the communication between the players and the league office.  They feel powerless and like slaves in some instances. Had he got his wish to play an eighteen game season anarchy would have run wild in the league. No one is surprised by the disapproval numbers, it should probably be worse. The system could have been a part of the collective bargain agreement, but the players seemed only intent on protecting their money. Now they have to deal with a leader who they did not vote in, but is firmly in charge. No one to blame but themselves....  The commissioner could care less!!