Mattie T’s 2006 Preview of the NFC South & NFC West

This is it!!

The 4th and final entry of my 2006 NFL Preview.

Let’s start in the NFC South.

1. Carolina Panthers (11-5 in ‘05, lost to SEA in NFC Champ. Game)

Carolina advanced to the NFC Championship Game despite a thin receiving corp & a questionable offensive line.

Their lack of depth finally caught up to them during a 34-14 loss to Seattle during the NFC Championship Game.

The Panthers’ running attack only mustered 36 yards on 12 carries, while star WR Steve Smith only caught 5 passes for 33 yards.
Carolina made some off-season moves that will hopefully address their lack of depth heading into the 2006 season.

The Panthers signed veteran 10 year WR Keyshawn Johnson in March to give Steve Smith some much-needed help at WR.

Johnson is looking forward to attempting to reach the Super Bowl with his new team.

“I thought this was the best place for me to get back to the Super Bowl. The opportunity to play with Steve is a great one and our goal is not in catches but in wins.”

Johnson has caught at least one pass in every game (151) that he’s played throughout his career, which ranks second behind Indianapolis Colts WR Marvin Harrison (155).

The Panthers also got some much-needed insurance at running back just in case RB Deshaun Foster gets injured again.

Carolina selected RB DeAngelo Williams from Memphis with the 27th pick of the ‘06 NFL Draft in April.

Williams got a chance to impress his new team in the ‘06 preseason, which he definitely took advantage of.

He returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown during Carolina’s 19-10 win over Miami on August 24th.

Panthers Head coach John Fox was very impressed with Williams’ performance.

“He’s got good bursts, good acceleration, excellent vision and he’s got a second gear you as you saw when he popped through on that kickoff,” Fox said.

DeShaun Foster broke his ankle during Carolina’s NFC Divisional Playoff win over Chicago in January.
The Panthers also hope that an off-season addition will help anchor their offensive line.

Carolina signed center Justin Hartwig from the Tennessee Titans in March.

Hartwig spent his last 4 seasons in Tennessee, starting 47 of 50 career games. He helped out a Titans offense that ranked 9th in passing for ‘05.

Carolina might boast the best corner unit in the entire NFL.

CB’s Ken Lucas & Chris Gamble combined for 13 interceptions last season to lead a Panthers’ secondary that ranked 4th in the NFL with 23 int’s in ‘05.

Overall, Carolina’s defense ranked 5th in the NFL, allowing an average of 16.2 points per game in ‘05.

Carolina is very strong against the run, as they ranked 4th in the NFL allowing just 91.6 yards on the ground.

They are also strong against the pass, as they ranked 9th in the NFL allowing 191.1 yards per game through the air.

They also finished 7th in the NFL in sacks with 45 for ‘05. Their defensive front four is led by 5th year DE Julius Peppers, who led the team with 10.5 sacks last season.

However, they had no answer for 2005 league rushing champ Shaun Alexander, who rushed for 132 yards on 34 carries & 2 touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game.

How will the Panthers fare this season?

With an improved offense to compliment a strong defense, Carolina should be one of the Super Bowl favorites in ‘06 out of the NFC. Despite a tough schedule, i think Carolina has the upper hand in the NFC South with their recent Super Bowl apperance. I predict the Panthers will go 11-5 and finish 1st in the NFC South.

Key Date: September 10th against Atlanta.

Carolina will look to continue its’ recent dominance over Michael Vick & his Atlanta Falcons. In two games last season, Carolina outscored Atlanta 86-17 in their two wins.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5 in ‘05, lost to Wash in NFC Wild Card Game)

The NFL’s top-ranked defense didn’t lose a key member over the off-season. (allowed a league-low 277.8 yards per game in ‘05 on defense)
Now, the Buccaneers’ offense hopes to lead Tampa Bay to Super Bowl XLI in Miami with a new QB under center.

Third year QB Chris Simms (father of former N.Y. Giants QB & current CBS broadcaster Phil Simms) gets his first opportunity to start a full 16-game season.

Simms complied a quarterback rating of 81.4 in ‘05 while completing 191 of 313 passes (61%) for 2,035 yards, 10 touchdowns & 7 interceptions.

Tampa Bay is also hoping that a former college standout will help their WR corps for ‘06.

WR David Boston is attempting to make a comeback after appearing in just 5 games over the past 2 seasons.

The former Ohio State star has not played a full 16 game season since ‘01, when he caught 98 receptions for 1,598 yards & 8 touchdowns while playing for the Arizona Cardinals.

The Bucs hope to add Boston along with WR’s Joey Galloway & WR Michael Clayton to help improve a 25th ranked passing unit on offense.

Galloway enjoyed a career ‘05 campaign, as the 11 year wideout caught 83 receptions for 1,287 yards & 10 touchdowns.

Clayton is looking to rebound from a disappointing ‘05 season in which he caught just 32 receptions for 372 yards & no touchdowns, all career lows.

The Bucs also hope that their “Cadillac” won’t be stuck in neutral.

RB Carnell “Cadillac” Williams looks to add to his impressive rookie season in ‘05, which he rushed 290 times for 1,178 yards & 6 touchdowns.

Williams was the only rookie back in the ‘05 NFL Draft to rush for 1,000 yards or more last season. He set a record by rushing for 434 yards in his first 3 NFL games, breaking Alan Ameche’s record with the ‘55 Baltimore Colts. Williams is also the first back to begin his career with 3 straight 100-yard games.

10 year veteran DE & Chicago native Simeon Rice finished 3rd in the NFL in sacks in ‘05, with 14.

9 year veteran LB Shelton Quarles finished 8th in the NFL in tackles with 133. Quarles, along with veteran LB Derrick Brooks helped anchor a Buccaneers defense that ranked 6th in the NFL in run defense, allowing just 94.7 yards per game on the ground.

The Bucs’ secondary is led by CB Ronde Barber (twin brother of N.Y. Giants RB Tiki Barber), who signed a 5 year, $24 millon contract extension last month to keep him in Tampa Bay through the 2011 season. The Bucs’ secondary has the 6th best pass defense in the NFL, allowing just 183.1 yards through the air.
Barber hopes to spend his entire career with the Buccaneers.

“This team has always put me in a position to succeed and I think I’ve done a lot to help this team win,” Barber said. “These days, there aren’t a lot of guys who get to play their whole career for one team, and to do so here would be an honor for me. They made it clear that they appreciate me, and I’m glad we could get a deal done today.”

Barber’s finest moment as a pro may have come during the 2003 NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia, when he intercepted a pass from Eagles QB Donovan McNabb & returned it 92 yards with 3:19 left to give Tampa Bay a 27-10 win & advance to their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

How will the Buccaneers fare this season?

If the Buccaneers can get WR’s Michael Clayton & David Boston to stay healthy & produce, this team will definitely challenge Carolina for the NFC South title & possibly become a Super Bowl contender as well. I predict the Buccaneers will go 10-6 & finish 2nd in the NFC South.

Key Date: December 17th against Chicago.

Two of the best defenses in the NFL will lock horns, which could provide for a low-scoring game & Tampa Bay will see if they can prove themselves as the #1 defense in the league.

3. Atlanta Falcons (8-8 in ‘05, missed playoffs)

The Falcons added a former Pro-Bowl speedster at WR over the off-season to give QB Michael Vick a deep-threat option & help out their 27th ranked pass offense.
Now, the Falcons hope that their newest acquistion will lead them back to the playoffs.

Atlanta acquired WR Ashley Lelie from the Denver Broncos last month to help their WR corps. Lelie is currently listed as the Falcons #3 receiver.

The Broncos also helped engineer a trade over the off-season that brought the Falcons some help to their defensive line.

Atlanta acquired 3 time Pro Bowl DE John Abraham in March in a 3 team deal with Denver & the N.Y. Jets.

Abraham joins a defensive line that includes Pro-Bowlers Patrick Kearney & Rod Coleman.

Abraham has complied career stats of 53.5 sacks & 328 tackles in 73 games with the Jets.

The Falcons’ defense is also led by veteran LB Keith Brooking, who recorded a career-high 4 interceptions in ‘05 to go along with 115 tackles, his fifth straight season of 100 or more tackles.

QB Michael Vick hopes to become less mistake-prone in ‘06. Over the past 2 seasons, Vick has been sacked 79 times & has 27 fumbles in 30 starts.

Vick also ran for 597 yards on 102 attempts (5.9 yards per carry, career-low) & recorded 6 rushing touchdowns during the ‘05 season.

The Falcons also hope that RB Warrick Dunn is ready to take over the load that RB T.J. Duckett (now with Washington) once shared as their goal-line back.

The small-but speedy 9th year veteran posted some career numbers in ‘05, rushing 280 times (career-high) for 1,416 yards (career-high) & 3 touchdowns.

Atlanta boasted the NFL’s top-ranked rushing attack in ‘05, averaging 159.1 yards per game on the ground.

How will the Falcons fare this season?

If Atlanta’s defense improves against the run, this team should contend for an NFC Wild Card spot. I predict the Falcons will go 9-7 & finish 3rd in the NFC South.

Key Date: December 31st against Philadelphia.

Vick & the Falcons will travel to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since losing 27-10 in the 2004 NFC Championship Game. Philadelphia’s defense held Vick to just 11 of 24 pass attempts (45.8%) for 136 yards, 1 fumble & 1 interception. Vick was also sacked 4 times during the loss.

4. New Orleans Saints (3-13 in ‘05, missed playoffs)

Finally, The Saints are returning home.

New Orleans will make their much-anticipated 2006 home debut at the Louisiana Superdome on September 25th during Monday Night Football when they host Michael Vick & the Atlanta Falcons in a NFC South showdown.

The Saints were forced to travel all over the country last season due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which claimed the lives of nearly 1,600 victims.

New Orleans provided an inspirational Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers before losing 13 of their final 15 games to finish the ‘05 season.

The Saints suffered separate losing streaks of 5 and 6 games last season, which finally came to an end during their Week 17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Even though the Saints went through an very emotional season, it was not good enough to keep head coach Jim Haslett around for another year.
Haslett was fired by the Saints in January, ending a 6 year stay with the team.

Haslett is the only coach in the franchise’s 38 year old history to win a playoff game. New Orleans defeated St. Louis 31-28 in a 2000 NFC Wild Card playoff game at the Superdome in Haslett’s first season with the Saints.

The Saints hired Dallas Cowboys’ assistant Sean Payton as their new head coach in January.

Payton, who is the 14th head coach in franchise history, acknowledged the problems caused by Hurricane Katrina for the team & the New Orleans area.

“Obviously 2005 was a traumatic year for this area, it was a tough time for this team. I hope that in some small way the effort of this team in 2006 and beyond will represent this city and this region well,” Payton said.

Payton will become the second straight coach hired by the Saints with no previous head-coaching experience.

It worked magically for Haslett in his first year, as he took the Saints to the franchise’s first playoff victory in his first season.

New Orleans has missed the playoffs in the five seasons since their last playoff apperance.
The Saints hope that some offseason additions will help improve their 31st ranked offense.

New Orleans selected the highly-touted RB Reggie Bush out of USC with the 2nd overall pick of April’s NFL Draft.

Bush signed a $62 million, 6 year deal with the Saints after commenting earlier in the off-season that he didn’t want to play in New Orleans.

Several of his teammates are already impressed with what Bush brings to the table to try & help their 18th ranked rushing offense for the ‘06 season.

“I’m ready for him to start shock-and-awing people. They had to have him in the nicest cleats, because he can move like that,” veteran receiver Joe Horn said. “He’s kind of a fly dude. He’s got some pizzaz to his step.”

Bush is fine with his high expectations.

“I embrace it,” Bush said. “I’m here to win games. I’m not going to be satisfied until I win the Super Bowl. … There’s no guarantee it’s going to happen, but I’m definitely going to work my butt off to try to get to that point.”

Veteran RB Fred McAfee gave his number to Bush after the NFL declined Bush’s request to wear the #5 jersey that he donned at USC. McAfee is also excited about Bush’s arrival to the team.

“I’m definitely focused on what I’m doing, but everybody knows that Reggie’s here. The crowds get a little bit bigger. You hear a few chants. We’re not deaf. We hear, ‘Reggie!’

“Reggie Bush is definitely one of my favorite players. I saw the same highlights everybody else did.”

In the ‘06 preseason, Bush carried the ball 19 times for 102 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and no touchdowns. He also caught 10 passes for 39 yards & no touchdowns.

Bush will have to share carries with former Pro Bowl RB Deuce McAllister in the Saints’ crowded backfield.

McAllister fared a little better during the ‘06 preseason, in which he carried the ball 12 times for 82 yards (6.8 yards per carry) & 1 touchdown.

New Orleans also traded 5th year WR Donte’ Stallworth to the Philadelphia Eagles last month, which makes 2nd yr & hometown WR Devery Henderson their #2 wideout.

The Saints also made a quarterback switch in the off-season.

New Orleans decided to part ways with QB Aaron Brooks on the same day that they signed QB Drew Brees from the San Diego Chargers.

Brooks started 82 consecutive games for the Saints after QB Jeff Blake suffered a season-ending injury in Week 11 of the 2000 season.

Brooks also holds the single-game passing yardage total in Saints history, with a 441 yard performance against the Denver Broncos in December of 2000.

Brooks also took part in one of the most craziest game-ending plays in NFL history to only see it end on a missed extra point.

The play, which has been titled the “River City Relay” took place at the end of regulation during the Saints’ 20-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in December of ‘03.

With six seconds left and the Saints trailing 20-13, QB Aaron Brooks passed to WR Donte’ Stallworth, who flipped the ball to WR Michael Lewis. He pitched back to RB Deuce McAllister, who lateraled to WR Jerome Pathon, who went the final 21 yards and dove in for the score.

“The only thing missing was the band,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said, recalling the ending of the famous 1982 Stanford-Cal game, a play that looked eerily similar to this.

Brees comes over to New Orleans after completing 1125 of 1809 (62.2%) pass attempts for 12,348 yards, 80 touchdowns & 53 interceptions during his 5 years with the San Diego Chargers.

Brees enjoyed a career ‘04 season in which he completed 262 of 400 pass attempts (65.5%) for 3,159 yards, 27 touchdowns & 7 interceptions while posting a quarterback rating of 104.8.

Brees hopes that his #1 WR is ready to bounce back from a disappointing ‘05 season.

WR Joe Horn caught just 49 receptions for 654 yards & 1 touchdown, easily making 2005 Horn’s worst season out of the 6 years he has spent so far in New Orleans.

While the Saints’ defense is ranked 28th in the NFL, allowing 24.9 points per game in ‘05, it is very strong against the pass.

New Orleans sported the 3rd best pass defense in ‘05, allowing just 178.1 yards through the air.

How will the Saints fare this season?

The Saints have definitely upgraded their offense with the additions of Drew Brees & Reggie Bush. However, their defense has too many question marks for them to become a contending team in ‘06. I predict the Saints will go 4-12 & finish 4th in the NFC South.

Key Date: September 25th against Atlanta.

The Saints will return to the Louisiana Superdome for their first home game since Hurricane Katrina. The Superdome continues to undergo renovation, but it will be finished later this month in time for the Saints to host an emotional 2006 home opener on national television in a game that they hope to win for the city of New Orleans.

Let’s move on to the FINAL division preview, the NFC West.

1. Seattle Seahawks (13-3 in ‘05, lost Super Bowl XL to Pit)

The Seattle Seahawks are looking to put an end to a list of NFC teams who recorded losing seasons & failed to make the playoffs a year after reaching the Super Bowl.

As a matter of fact, not one of the 11 past Super Bowl losers has made it back to the conference championship game the following season.
Those 5 NFC teams include:

2005 Philadelphia Eagles (finished 6-10 & missed playoffs after losing Super Bowl XXXIX to New England.

2004 Carolina Panthers (finished 7-9 & missed playoffs after losing Super Bowl XXXVIII to New England.)

2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (finished 7-9 & missed playoffs after winning Super Bowl XXXVII over Oakland.)

2002 St. Louis Rams (finished 7-9 & missed playoffs after losing Super Bowl XXXVI to New England.)

2001 N.Y. Giants (finished 7-9 & missed playoffs after losing Super Bowl XXXV to Baltimore.)

The last NFC team that successfully made the playoffs after reaching a Super Bowl was the 2000 St. Louis Rams, who lost a NFC Wild Card Game to New Orleans after winning Super Bowl XXXIV over Tennessee in the previous season.

Seattle also hopes that their League MVP will not suffer the infamous “Madden Curse.”

Here are some of the current/former Pro-Bowlers who have suffered injury-plagued or less-than-stellar seasons after being placed on the cover of Madden football.

Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb was the ‘06 coverboy of Madden.

After he was selected for the 2006 Madden NFL cover, McNabb flouted the curse by saying that the injuries associated with it “might be a trend, but I don’t believe in the curse at all.”

True to form, McNabb suffered a sports hernia in the first game of the 2005 season. He played on for another eight games despite the painful injury, but after being re-injured in a contest against the Dallas Cowboys, he finally opted for surgery and missed the final seven games of the season as the Eagles finished last in the NFC East.

Baltimore Ravens LB Ray Lewis was the ‘05 coverboy of Madden.

In 2004, Lewis failed (for the only time in his NFL career) to record even a single interception and sat out the final game of the season with an injury as the Ravens just missed qualifying for the playoffs at 9-7, and in 2005 he suffered a torn right hamstring in Baltimore’s sixth game and missed the rest of the season as the Ravens dropped to 6-10.

Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick was the ‘04 coverboy of Madden.

Vick suffered a fractured right fibula in a pre-season game one day after Madden NFL 2004 hit store shelves; he played in only five games that year as the Falcons sank to a lowly 5-11 record.

St. Louis Rams RB Marshaull Faulk was the ‘03 coverboy of Madden.

Faulk was plagued by an injured ankle during the 2002 season, his yards gained rushing total dropped under the 1,000 mark (after four straight seasons of 1300+ yards), and the Rams missed the playoffs with a disappointing 7-9 record.

Minnesota Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper was the ‘02 coverboy of Madden.

The Vikings struggled to a disappointing 4-7 record in ‘01 before Culpepper suffered a knee injury and missed the last five games of the year (while Minnesota finished the season a dismal 5-11).

Tennessee Titans RB Eddie George was the ‘01 coverboy of Madden.

George bobbled a pass (that was subsequently intercepted and returned for a touchdown) in the Titans’ season-ending Divisional Playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens in 2000, & the following season, hampered by injuries, he saw his rushing average sink to an all-time low.

RB Shaun Alexander finished a season for the ages in 2005.

Alexander led the NFL in rushing attempts (370), rushing yards (1,880), rushing yards per game (117.5) & rushing touchdowns (27).

Alexander also made some NFL History in Week 17 against Green Bay.

Not only did he set the new NFL single-season record for touchdowns in a season, but Alexander also beat out N.Y. Giants RB Tiki Barber for the league’s rushing crown.

Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren allowed Alexander to stay in the game long enough to get his record, a year after Alexander blasted Holmgren for costing him the NFL rushing title.

Alexander finished 1 yard behind N.Y. Jets’ RB Curtis Martin (1,697) for the league’s rushing title in ‘04.
The Seahawks also hope a key addition at WR will help improve their top-ranked offense.

Seattle acquired WR Nate Burleson in April from the Minnesota Vikings, giving them a #2 wideout to start alongside former Pro-Bowl WR Darrell Jackson.

Burleson is coming off an injury-plagued ‘05 season in Minnesota, which he only caught 30 receptions for 328 yards & 1 touchdown.

Burleson had a career ‘04 campaign in which he caught 68 receptions for 1,006 yards & 9 touchdowns.

QB Matt Hasselbeck enjoyed one of his best seasons ever in ‘05.

Hasselbeck completed 294 of 449 passes (65.5%, career-high) for 3,459 yards, 24 touchdowns & 9 interceptions. (lowest total since ‘01.) Hasselbeck also earned a quarterback rating of 98.2, a career high for him.

The Seahawks compliment their top-ranked offense with their 7th ranked defense, which only allowed 16.9 points per game last season.

Seattle led the NFL in sacks in ‘05 with 50.

Their defensive line is led by Bryce Fisher, Rocky Bernard, & LeRoy Hill, who combined to total 25 sacks between the threesome in ‘05.

Their linebacking corps is led by Lofa Tatupu, who made the Pro-Bowl as a rookie last season. Tatupu led the Seahawks with 105 tackles.

The Seahawks added LB Julian Peterson from the San Francisco 49ers over the off-season.

Peterson completed a successful comeback in ‘05 after recovering from a Achilles tendon injury that sidelined him for the final 11 games of the ‘04 season.

The 2 time Pro Bowler has compiled 394 tackles, 21.5 sacks & 5 interceptions during his 6 year tenure in San Francisco.

How will the Seahawks fare this season?

Seattle is obviously one of the best teams in the NFC who will have a realistic shot of playing in Super Bowl XLI next February in Miami. Their only weakness is their pass defense, which ranked 25th in the NFL for ‘05. I predict the Seahawks will go 13-3 & finish 1st in the NFC West.

Key Date: December 24th against San Diego.

‘05 rushing champ & league MVP Shaun Alexander will go up against the NFL’s top-ranked run defense. We know Shaun is really the man if he can run for 100 yards or more on the Chargers’ D!

2. Arizona Cardinals (5-11 in ‘05, missed playoffs)

Arizona made an major off-season move to help boost their 32nd ranked rushing offense.

The Cardinals signed 4 time Pro-Bowl RB Edgerrin James in March, giving them one of the NFL’s most productive backs in the league.

Arizona has not had a 100 yard rusher on offense since RB Emmitt Smith rushed for 106 yards on 26 carries in a October ‘04 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

James gained at least 100 yards in 49 of his 95 games with Indianapolis during his 7 year stay. In those 49 games, the Colts were 43-6.

Arizona finished ‘05 as the NFL’s top-ranked passing offense, thanks to a pair of stellar wideouts who hope to form a dominating 1-2 tandem in the NFC for many years to come.

WR’s Anquan Boldin & Larry Fitzgerald combined to catch 205 receptions in ‘05 for 2,811 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Their combined total is very similiar to the numbers that St. Louis Rams WR’s Torry Holt & Issac Bruce put up during the Rams 2000 season, which resulted in a thrilling Super Bowl XXXIV win over the Tennessee Titans.

Holt & Bruce combined to catch 169 receptions for 3,106 yards & 15 touchdowns.

I’ll even go back to the ‘98 Minnesota Vikings, who featured Pro-Bowl WR’s Randy Moss & Cris Carter.

Moss & Carter combined to catch 147 receptions for 2,324 yards & 29 touchdowns.

The AFC’s current top WR tandem lies in Indianapolis, where WR’s Marvin Harrison & Reggie Wayne combined to catch 165 receptions in ‘05 for 2,201 yards & 17 touchdowns.

Arizona also drafted QB Matt Leinart out of USC to become their quarterback of the future once QB Kurt Warner decides to call it quits.

Warner took the NFL by storm in 1999 after replacing injured St. Louis Rams QB Trent Green in a exhibition game against San Diego.

He finished his ‘99 season by completing 325 of 499 passes (65.1%) for 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns & 13 interceptions. Warner won League MVP in 1999 & 2001.

Since the ‘01 season however, Warner has thrown for just 21 touchdowns & 24 interceptions.

Leinart improved his completion percentage in each of his 3 seasons at USC. He finished his collegiate career by completing 807 of 1,245 pass attempts (64.8%) for 10,693 yards, 99 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

Arizona’s defense is solid against the run, as they finished 10th in the NFL allowing an average of 102 yards per game on the ground.

However, they did rank 26th in the NFL by allowing 24.2 points per game on defense.

How will the Cardinals fare this season?

A much improved offense and a questionable defense might have Arizona in a lot of shootouts for the ‘06 season. If the defense can improve and if the O-line can protect both Warner & James, this team has a possible shot at the playoffs. I predict the Cardinals will go 9-7 & finish 2nd in the NFC West.

Key Date: September 10th against San Francisco.

The Cardinals will make their regular season debut in the $465 million dollar Cardinal Stadium, which has already been named one of the top 10 sports facilities in the world by Business Week Magazine & will be the site of the 2008 Super Bowl.

3. St. Louis Rams (6-10 in ‘05, missed playoffs)

With pass-happy head coach Mike Martz out of St. Louis, the Rams now hope to create a more balanced attack on offense.

Martz was fired in January after missing the final 11 games of the ‘05 season with a bacterial infection of a heart valve.

He never returned for the Rams’ season-ending 20-10 over Dallas in Week 17 despite being medically cleared to return to the sidelines.

Martz compiled a 53-32 record in his 6 years with the Rams. He led the Rams to a conference title in just his second year before losing to New England in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Martz was the offensive coordinator for the ‘99 Rams, who finished with the third-highest point total in NFL history with 526.

The Rams hired Scott Linehan as their new head coach in January.

Linehan served as Miami’s offensive coordinator last season & helped them to a 6 game win streak to finish out 2005.

Linehan has also served 3 years as offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings had the NFL’s top-ranked offense under Linehan in ‘03.

The Rams hope to have a healthy Marc Bulger at QB for the ‘06 season.

Bulger only appeared in 8 games last season while battling shoulder injuries.

Even though Bulger missed half of last season, he did produce career-highs in completion percentage (66.9%) and yards per game (287.1) The Rams boasted the 4th best passing attack in the NFL for ‘05, averaging 252.3 yards through the air.

The Rams signed veteran RB Stephen Davis last month to provide insurance just in case RB Steven Jackson gets injured.

Jackson had a career ‘05 season, rushing 254 times for 1,046 yards & 8 touchdowns.

WR Torry Holt hopes to keep an impressive streak going for the ‘06 season.

Holt has recorded six straight seasons with at least 1,300 yards receiving & 80 catches, making him one of the best receivers in football.

The Rams also have a promising 3rd year wideout who could be on the verge of his first career 1,000 yard season.

WR Kevin Curtis caught 60 receptions for 801 yards & 6 touchdowns, all career-highs in ‘05.

The Rams defense hopes to improve its 30th ranked defense (31st in points allowed & 28th against the run) with a couple offseason pickups.

LB Raonall Smith comes to St. Louis after spending 3 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

Smith played in a career-high 16 games for the Vikings last season and recorded 35 tackles, a career-best for him.

The Rams also signed LB Will Witherspoon from the Carolina Panthers.

Witherspoon recorded 81 tackles last season for Carolina.

The Rams also added DT La’Roi Glover.

The 10 year veteran comes over to St. Louis after spending the last 4 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

Glover recorded just 3 sacks last season, his lowest total since his rookie season in 1996 with the Oakland Raiders.

The Rams also picked up S Corey Chavous after losing S Adam Archuleta to the Washington Redskins.

Chavous comes over to the Rams after spending 4 seasons in Minnesota.

How will the Rams fare this season?

The Rams have showed some willingness to go out over the off-season and add some players to help improve their poor defense. They should have no trouble scoring as long as Bulger remains healthy & the Rams might make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. I predict the Rams will go 8-8 & finish 3rd in the NFC West.

Key Date: October 1st against Detroit.

Lions’ offensive coordinator Mike Martz will return to th Edward Jones Dome to face his former team since getting fired by the Rams in January. Martz will definitely put the Rams’ 30th ranked defense to the test with Roy & Mike Williams leading a young-but-talented Lions’ receiving corps.

4. San Francisco 49ers (4-12 in ‘05, missed playoffs)

QB Alex Smith is ready to continue his development process with some mentoring help on the sidelines.

The 49ers traded for 12 year veteran QB Trent Dilfer in May to give Alex Smith some mentoring help for the upcoming season.

Dilfer made the Pro Bowl in ‘97 with Tampa Bay & won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in ‘01, which should be great motivation for Smith to build upon.

The 49ers also dealt RB Kevan Barlow to the Jets last month, which means the starting RB job is Frank Gore’s to lose.

The second year RB from Miami rushed 127 times for 608 yards & 3 touchdowns in ‘05.

The 49ers also get an upgrade in their receiving corps, which finished 32nd in the NFL last season.

Promising speedy rookie TE Vernon Davis from Maryland & WR Antonio Bryant look to be decent options for Smith to make some plays to.

The 49ers selected Davis with the 6th pick in April’s 2006 NFL Draft.

Davis hauled 51 receptions for 871 yards during his senior season at Maryland.

Bryant had a career ‘05 season, hauling in 69 receptions for 1,009 yards & 4 touchdowns.

San Francisco’s defense needs major help in several categories, wihch poses a huge task for defensive coordinator Billy Davis.
The 49ers finished 31st overall defensively in ‘05, allowing 26.8 points per game.

They also finished 32nd in yards per game, allowing 391 yards per game defensively.

The 49ers finished dead-last in pass defense, allowing 276.7 yards per game through the air. They also finished 30th in sacks with 28.
One positive note to San Francisco’s defense is that they did finish 9th in the NFL with 736 tackles in ‘05.

How will the 49ers fare this season?

It’s hard to tell whether QB Alex Smith will follow in the footsteps of past 49er greats at QB such as Joe Montana, Steve Young & Jeff Garcia. He does have improved receiving corps to throw to, so 49ers fans hope that 2006 will be a positive year in Smith’s development. The defense needs major help and will most likely struggle all season long. I predict the 49ers will go 2-14 & finish 4th in the NFC West.

Key Date: September 10th against Arizona.

RB Frank Gore will be matched up against fellow former University of Miami RB Edgerrin James as the 49ers try to spoil Arizona’s home debut in their new stadium.

This concludes the 4th and final entry of my 2006 NFL Preview Blog.

I hope everyone enjoyed reading my predictions for all 32 NFL Teams. I hope the information that i provided will also help all of the fantasy football managers prepare for the upcoming season. It should be an exciting one to watch as we will sit back & watch 32 teams fight for a chance to advance to Super Bowl XLI next February and play for…

The Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Until next time,

I will provide a special Labor Day edition of Mattie T’s thoughts in the week of sports. I recorded a live sports update with DJ Special Blend this past week, which should be online very soon. I’ll also post a blog with my team roster at the conclusion of tomorrow night’s BMS Radio Fantasy Football Draft.

This is the first time i an entering a money league & i hope to become one of the contending teams who will have a shot at a $500 prize should i win the championship game.
I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their Labor Day weekend, and remember:

Please don’t drink and drive!

One Love,

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.bmsradio.com