Who Is The Best Team In The NFC??

[crisper57]

By biggest concern is we don't have the talent to take advantage of it either. Really frustrating.

Go Cards!!!

Hopefully Okafor is back by then.

 

[chickenhead]

I'm still going to say Green Bay, with Carolina, Arizona, and Seattle close behind. If Green Bay beats Carolina on the road next week, it'll be confirmed. If Carolina beats Green Bay, then I think you have to give it to them for the time being. Seattle gets the benefit of the doubt because they've made it to the last two Super Bowls; won the first in a blowout and lost the second on the last play. We know what they can do.

The Cardinals don't have that benefit, especially given their history. But I wouldn't be surprised if they beat any of the above teams in the playoffs. I wouldn't necessarily bet on them winning at Lambeau, but it's not impossible. They have a lot of talent...

 

[crisper57]

I changed my answer. The Cardinals, when playing with intensity, are the best team.

Any time. Anywhere.

The problem has been these "lulls" that we've seen over and over again against inferior opponents. Well guess what? There aren't many of those left on the schedule. So they won't have an excuse to leave the intensity at home anymore. If you can't get up for division opponents nipping at your heels, Green Bay, Cincy, Minny, and Philly, then you don't deserve to go to the post season.

 

[TJ]

Legit title contenders don't lose to Landry Jones. It's only halfway through the season, but the Cards are still in a different class of team than the NFL's elite — which doesn't currently include Seattle (their OL is a dumpster fire).

But they do beat Drew Brees.

 

[SO91]

Legit title contenders don't lose to Landry Jones. It's only halfway through the season, but the Cards are still in a different class of team than the NFL's elite — which doesn't currently include Seattle (their OL is a dumpster fire).

They don't lose to Austin Davis either, but Seattle still got there last year. I don't think we're where we need to be, but I think they can get there and start peaking at the right time towards the end of the season, instead of week 8.

 

[Vermont Maverick]

I'm not quite sure how anyone could rank Seattle ahead of Carolina at this point. Carolina beat them, at their place. Currently Seattle has 4 losses, Carolina has 0. Agree that the jury is out on us. We haven't beat anybody, though we have slaughtered a lot of poor teams. Green Bay lost 1 game. 1. Against Denver. Right now I'd go:

Carolina
Green Bay
Arizona
Tie: Minnesota/St. Louis: Those 49er and Redskin losses hurt. But they were early.
Seattle: They just snuck a rudderless Cowboy team.
Atlanta
New Orleans
NFC East All Star Team.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I'm not quite sure how anyone could rank Seattle ahead of Carolina at this point. Carolina beat them, at their place. Currently Seattle has 4 losses, Carolina has 0. Agree that the jury is out on us. We haven't beat anybody, though we have slaughtered a lot of poor teams. Green Bay lost 1 game. 1. Against Denver. Right now I'd go:

Carolina
Green Bay
Arizona
Tie: Minnesota/St. Louis: Those 49er and Redskin losses hurt. But they were early.
Seattle: They just snuck a rudderless Cowboy team.
Atlanta
New Orleans
NFC East All Star Team.

This looks right to me at this point in the season. The Panthers are undefeated AND have a more impressive W on their resume with the win at Seattle so those two things put them over us. GB has only one loss and beat the Rams by two touchdowns giving them another decent W to go along with one L, which puts them above us as well in my mind. After that, I'd say we've got a good argument for the third best team. Next two games will be re take of the tape to tell me if we're contenders or pretenders.

 

[kerouac9]

But they do beat Drew Brees.

So do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tell me another.

 

[TJ]

So do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tell me another.

If you're going to use less than one half of Landry Jones as your baseline, it's not strong enough evidence to conclude that the defense is substandard.

Overall, the team is averaging < 20 ppg, and accompanied by the league's second best offense, would legitimize this team as a title co tender.

 

[kerouac9]

If you're going to use less than one half of Landry Jones as your baseline, it's not strong enough evidence to conclude that the defense is substandard.

Overall, the team is averaging < 20 ppg, and accompanied by the league's second best offense, would legitimize this team as a title co tender.

Do you actually watch the games?! This is a team whose defense and offense got slack against St. Louis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and now Cleveland.

Take your eyes off the stat sheet and watch some games and you'll see a team that's still very good, but not in the same class as the elite teams in the NFL.

If the playoffs started today, the Cards would be a 3rd seed in the NFC, which means one guaranteed home playoff game and no first-round bye. That doesn't foreclose the possibility of a Super Bowl championship (obvs), but elite teams earn a bye week; they don't hope to get some help over the last 8 games to do so.

Maybe you just have an unusually expansive definition of what "title contender" means.

 

[kerouac9]

They don't lose to Austin Davis either, but Seattle still got there last year. I don't think we're where we need to be, but I think they can get there and start peaking at the right time towards the end of the season, instead of week 8.

What part of this team gets better over the next 8 weeks, and gets better enough to (1) offset the probable handful of injuries that are going to come over the next 8 weeks and (2) the improvement of opponents?

Remember, this team is currently 3rd in offensive DVOA, 4th in defensive DVOA, and 21st in special teams DVOA. We're likely to regress toward the mean a little in all categories (due to injuries, wear and tear, more difficult opponents, etc., etc.) than to continue the momentum forward.

 

[82CardsGrad]

What part of this team gets better over the next 8 weeks, and gets better enough to (1) offset the probable handful of injuries that are going to come over the next 8 weeks and (2) the improvement of opponents?

Remember, this team is currently 3rd in offensive DVOA, 4th in defensive DVOA, and 21st in special teams DVOA. We're likely to regress toward the mean a little in all categories (due to injuries, wear and tear, more difficult opponents, etc., etc.) than to continue the momentum forward.

I'll take this a step further. Aside from throwing the ball downfield well, what else are the Cards known for? What else of consequence do we do well? I would say our running game, however, it's essentially a one-man show with CJ who avg'd less than 4 yards a carry yesterday against the worst run defense in the entire NFL...

In terms of real, meaningful qualities, the only other thing I guess you can say is our secondary. But I'm not 100% certain about that.

Clearly, our next 2 games - both of which are now prime time Sunday nighters, will speak volumes about this team...

 

[crisper57]

Where do they improve? Their focus and intensity. And in the second half of the season, they have the opponents to garner their full attention. That's my hope at least.

 

[clif]

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[kerouac9]

I'll take this a step further. Aside from throwing the ball downfield well, what else are the Cards known for? What else of consequence do we do well? I would say our running game, however, it's essentially a one-man show with CJ who avg'd less than 4 yards a carry yesterday against the worst run defense in the entire NFL...

In terms of real, meaningful qualities, the only other thing I guess you can say is our secondary. But I'm not 100% certain about that.

Clearly, our next 2 games - both of which are now prime time Sunday nighters, will speak volumes about this team...

Yeah... I think we cover at an elite level. Having #32 and #21 out there is such a crazy advantage, and I think that something's finally clicked with Rashard Jefferson (I actually think that he's been surrounded by enough talent that it covers up his physical liabilities). I just feel like that's not enough when you don't have the pass rush to back it up.

I fear that we're like those Jets teams under Sanchez.

 

[crisper57]

Yeah... I think we cover at an elite level. Having #32 and #21 out there is such a crazy advantage, and I think that something's finally clicked with Rashard Jefferson (I actually think that he's been surrounded by enough talent that it covers up his physical liabilities). I just feel like that's not enough when you don't have the pass rush to back it up.

I fear that we're like those Jets teams under Sanchez.

Brian Billick? Is that you?

 

[82CardsGrad]

brian billick? Is that you?

lol!!

5/5
:d

 

[crisper57]

Lots of rain in Charlotte today and 60% chance through the game for more. Should benefit the team that can run better.

Panthers should win easily.

 

[TJ]

Do you actually watch the games?! This is a team whose defense and offense got slack against St. Louis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and now Cleveland.

Take your eyes off the stat sheet and watch some games and you'll see a team that's still very good, but not in the same class as the elite teams in the NFL.

If the playoffs started today, the Cards would be a 3rd seed in the NFC, which means one guaranteed home playoff game and no first-round bye. That doesn't foreclose the possibility of a Super Bowl championship (obvs), but elite teams earn a bye week; they don't hope to get some help over the last 8 games to do so.

Maybe you just have an unusually expansive definition of what "title contender" means.

Funny that King DVOA is accusing me of stat mongering, and not watching games.....

If you could withhold yourself from strawmanning, you'd see that I never once said AZ was elite. You're the one who is arguing against yourself for that prospect. I also never said AZ was the best team in the conference. The terms "legit contenders" and "elite" are very different. One asserts that they have a realistic chance at winning a Super Bowl, which AZ does; the other indicates that they are the best of the bunch. New England is unarguably elite.

A very realistic outlook of this team is that it is a legit title contender, evidenced by a) having an offense whose only bested by New England b) being 6-2 c) having a 2-time COY running the show and d) staying healthy. The defense has work to be done, but is not as horrible as you advertise it to be.

An expansive outlook of legitimacy for a championship would be saying that the Colts, Saints, etc. are "legit contenders." They are not.

Subjective outlooks are not as black-and-white as you make them out to be.

 

[SO91]

What part of this team gets better over the next 8 weeks, and gets better enough to (1) offset the probable handful of injuries that are going to come over the next 8 weeks and (2) the improvement of opponents?

Remember, this team is currently 3rd in offensive DVOA, 4th in defensive DVOA, and 21st in special teams DVOA. We're likely to regress toward the mean a little in all categories (due to injuries, wear and tear, more difficult opponents, etc., etc.) than to continue the momentum forward.

The injuries are a tossup. They might happen, or the might not, and there's no way for either of us to be certain either way. I hope they can get better in situational football over the next 8 weeks of football. They've been good in the wins, and not so when we've lost. I'm hoping they are consistently good as we get to weeks 16 and 17.

 

[kerouac9]

Funny that King DVOA is accusing me of stat mongering, and not watching games.....

If you could withhold yourself from strawmanning, you'd see that I never once said AZ was elite. You're the one who is arguing against yourself for that prospect. I also never said AZ was the best team in the conference. The terms "legit contenders" and "elite" are very different. One asserts that they have a realistic chance at winning a Super Bowl, which AZ does; the other indicates that they are the best of the bunch. New England is unarguably elite.

A very realistic outlook of this team is that it is a legit title contender, evidenced by a) having an offense whose only bested by New England b) being 6-2 c) having a 2-time COY running the show and d) staying healthy. The defense has work to be done, but is not as horrible as you advertise it to be.

An expansive outlook of legitimacy for a championship would be saying that the Colts, Saints, etc. are "legit contenders." They are not.

Subjective outlooks are not as black-and-white as you make them out to be.

So is there a category difference between the Cards and the Patriots, Packers, and Broncos? How can you be a legitimate title contender if you're not elite? Is every likely playoff team a "legit title contender"?

I'm not sure what having a 2-time Coach of the Year has to do with the price of tea in China.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I haven't gotten to watch the Panthers play a game yet this season. So I will wait to answer this question until after the game tonight. Their schedule has been pretty easy with the exception of Seattle and Philly, and really how good are either of those teams? Hey if people get to throw our schedule in our face, I get to do it to Carolina!

Point is I dont know how good they are, so I look forward to watching MNF tonight.

The difference right now is that a) they went into the toughest place to play in the league and won AND b) they haven't lost to anyone yet. The Cards can't say they have a win as good on the road as Seattle and they've already lost twice.

 

[ajcardfan]

So is there a category difference between the Cards and the Patriots, Packers, and Broncos? How can you be a legitimate title contender if you're not elite? Is every likely playoff team a "legit title contender"?

I'm not sure what having a 2-time Coach of the Year has to do with the price of tea in China.

You make the playoffs, you are a legit title contender. Recent NFL history is rich with #3-6 seeds winning it all. Yes, byes have the best shot, but anyone who gets in legitimately can hope for a title.

 

[kerouac9]

You make the playoffs, you are a legit title contender. Recent NFL history is rich with #3-6 seeds winning it all. Yes, byes have the best shot, but anyone who gets in legitimately can hope for a title.

Were the 2014 Arizona Cardinals a legit title contender come December or January? The 2014 Panthers? Will any team that emerges from the AFC South this year really be a "legit title contender"?

 

[Buckybird]

I ain't scared of the Panthers.

In fact, if the Cards do make the playoffs & get to play them I think we beat them!!! I don't think Scam is anything special & I think our offense can handle them.