NFC: Saints have fire, but Packers catching up

1) It would be a mistake to write off the Saints.

One of the easiest things to do in this parity-filled league is simply scratch off the previous year’s Super Bowl winner and pencil in another team. Any team. Just not the one that won it the year before. But we get the feeling that — barring a series of significant injuries — the Saints will be in the hunt the entire way this year. There’s still a fire in the belly of coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees. And there’s still plenty of talent on both sides of the ball to withstand the inevitable challenge of playing opponents who are only too anxious to knock off the defending champs. We’re still partial to the Packers, but it’s not ridiculous to think the Saints will be playing in Dallas next February.

2) Aaron Rodgers has already accomplished the impossible.

The Green Bay quarterback has made Packers fans forget about Brett Favre. With a strong statistical year in ’08 and an even better one in ’09, complete with a run to the NFC divisional playoffs, Rodgers has become the new favorite son on the Frozen Tundra. Now the next best thing: ousting the Vikings and Favre from their perch as the de- fending NFC North champs. All the Pack needs is some defensive improvement, and this could be one special year from Mr. Rodgers.

3 Brett Favre can’t possibly play as well as he did last year . . . can he?

When was the last time you heard a quarterback say he had a career year at age 40? How about never. But Favre’s remarkable performance last year, which came after a late arrival in training camp following a melodramatic un-retirement, was about as good as you could expect from anyone, no less a graybeard veteran of 19 seasons. With 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, Favre had by far his best statistical year. Now the question is: After a third straight melodramatic un-retirement, can he do it again? Logic tells you it will be very, very difficult. That and the fact that his go-to receiver last year — Sidney Rice — will miss around half the year with a hip problem. And another star receiver — Percy Harvin — is dealing with a chronic migraine problem. Throw in an off-season ankle surgery, and Favre figures to be merely human this season.

4) No, the Cowboys won’t be playing in the Super Bowl in their home stadium this season.

In the 44-year history of the Super Bowl, no team whose home city hosted the game ever played in it. You’d figure the Cowboys would be a logical choice to end that streak, but we just don’t see it. Not with Tony Romo needing to prove he can take the next step as a quarterback (hasn’t been further than the NFC divisional playoffs) and not with Wade Phillips needing to do the same. Not that there isn’t plenty of talent in Big D. But in a league that’s dominated by coaches and quarterbacks, we just don’t see the Cowboys having enough of either to make it to the Big Show.

5) NFC East . . . or NFC Least?

If the Cowboys aren’t in for a special season, and if the Giants are still a few players short of being a Super Bowl contender, and if the Redskins need some time to adjust to Donovan McNabb, and if Kevin Kolb needs some time to adjust to life after McNabb in Philly . . . where does that leave the NFC East? Widely regarded as one of the toughest divisions, there are warts on all the teams. But there are too many good players and coaches in the division to see such a precipitous drop-off. We see the usual razor’s edge finish. Our call: Dallas wins the division; the Giants are a wild card.

Rookies who will make an impact

It generally takes three years to determine whether or not a draft is successful, but we've got a pretty good feeling about this year's group in general, particularly in the NFC. WR Dez Bryant (first-round pick, Oklahoma State) adds a major element of explosiveness to the Cowboys' offense, although he was slowed by an ankle injury in the preseason. Sam Bradford (No. 1 pick overall, Oklahoma) won't immediately turn around the Rams, but they appear to have their QB of the future. And the Lions can build a defense around DT Ndamukong Suh (No. 2 pick overall, Nebraska). The NFC East pass rush got collectively better in New York with Jason Pierre-Paul (first-round, South Florida) and Brandon Graham (first-round, Michigan).

Players we've seen the best of

The Albert Haynesworth soap opera continues in Washington, where the star DT simply isn't the player the Redskins thought they were getting when they gave him a $100 million contract last year. QB Matt Hasselbeck is still the starter in Seattle, but new coach Pete Carroll may have other ideas down the road. And it looks as if Brandon Jacobs' days as the Giants' No. 1 back are over. In Dallas, WR Roy Williams hasn't been the same star that he was in Detroit. And G Alan Faneca has his work cut out for him with the Cardinals after the Jets set him free.

Players ready for a breakout year

It isn't every day that a seventh-round pick gets a chance to start at tailback for a Super Bowl contender, but that's the opportunity now awaiting Ahmad Bradshaw, who supplanted Brandon Jacobs as the Giants’ No. 1 back. Darren Sharper had a terrific year in 2009 as New Orleans’ free safety, but he'll spend the first six weeks of the season on the sidelines (knee), while second-year man Malcolm Jenkins takes over. After a holdout shortened last season for Michael Crabtree, the supremely gifted 49ers WR now has a full off-season and training camp to launch his 2010 campaign. And after recovering from shoulder injuries last year, QB Matthew Stafford is ready for the Lions. Looking for an under-the-radar pass rusher? Then DE Everette Brown is your man in Carolina. He'll get a shot now that Julius Peppers is gone.

Players who won't let you down

Need a completion on third and 10? Look no further than Drew Brees, the reigning Super Bowl champion QB with the Saints. And Aaron Rodgers isn't far behind; in fact, the Packers' QB now has his sights set on Dallas next February. So does Dallas LB DeMarcus Ware, who is arguably the best pass rusher in the NFC, and perhaps the entire league. Michael Turner hopes this will be a special season in Atlanta, and the burly tailback comes into the year finally recovered from ankle problems that hurt him last year. DT Darnell Dockett is a force on the inside for the Cardinals, who will need all the defensive help they can get now that Kurt Warner has retired.

Best uniforms

It’s tough not to like the famous star on the Cowboys' helmet, so when it comes to the best uniforms in the conference, it's Big D that comes out ahead. Gotta love the bird motif in Atlanta, where the Falcons' red-and-black unis are all the rage. And if it's tradition you're looking for, then the Redskins’ burgundy and gold fit the bill. Same goes with San Francisco, where the 49ers' uniforms bring back memories of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. And what more history can you ask for than the green-and-gold of the Packers?

Underrated players

The Saints have plenty of stars, but it's players like unsung RB Pierre Thomas who also deserve plenty of credit for the team's success. Jon Beason has the misfortune of playing for a struggling team in Carolina, but it doesn't diminish his talents as one of the most active linebackers in the game. And O.J. Atogwe won't be winning the Super Bowl in St. Louis any time soon, but he's one of the top ball-hawking safeties around. Think of Arizona, and you think of receivers like Larry Fitzgerald. But Steve Breaston is also a key. Looking for an unsung offensive weapon? Try FB Leonard Weaver in Philly, who is equally adept at blocking, running and receiving.