Five NFL Teams To Beat In 2010

 The NFL season is right around the corner, and its impossible to know from here how everything is going to turn out, but at this point there are a number of big teams to beat during the upcoming season. lets start the analysis:

1. New Orleans Saints

 Obviously the Super Bowl champs are always the easiest pick for teams to beat in the next season, and surely the saints do not falter from that logic, and should be just as dangerous as they were in 2009. This is a team, with a fantastic offense and opportunistic defense with rare talent for a second trip to the Super Bowl in 2 years. Look for every team on their schedule to want to add them as a trophy victory in 2010.

2. Indianapolis Colts

 The Colts may have lost the Super Bowl last year to a very capable New Orleans team, but the Colts talent has far from diminished going into this new season. Going undefeated through the first fourteen games last season before reverting to their subs in the final games, their talent will only be bolstered by the return of WR Anthony Gonzalez, DB Bob Sanders and Bill Polian's highly respected draft choices.

3. Green Bay Packers

 The Packers fell short of winning the division last year, getting stuck with wild card as Minnesota grabbed the division, but in 2010 the Pack should only improve. Aaron Rodgers continues to improve dramatically all the time, and with a solid WR corp and defense this team will be at the top of the NFC come the end of the season.

4. Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota makes the list primarily if Favre returns for another season with the purple people eaters. Without him, the team is still talented, but lack of any substantial QB depth makes them drop quite a bit. With Favre on the team (and without Peterson fumbles) this is a very Super Bowl capable team. We saw them make the NFC championship last year but fall short to the eventual Champs. If their defense gets the help it needs then the the Vikings will remain one of the NFCs (and NFL's) biggest juggernauts.

5. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens only went a uninspiring 9 - 7 last season, but it was not a good indication of their level of talent. They're lack of a true passing game hurt them immensely, and kept them from greatness even though they ranked third overall in defense and fifth overall in rushing the ball. With the additions of Dante Stallworth and Anquan Boldin, the Ravens passing attack should look a lot better, and if it rivals their other sides of the game, they will be fearsome.

The ComeBack Kid; Why Old Man Favre Could Be Good News For The Vikings

Once again, as the entire football world has heard by now, good old Brett Favre has come out of retirement (how many times now?), and finally made it to the team he desired to play before he was traded to the Jets.

Some of the football community is tired of his charades over his "to retire or not to retire"drama sessions, and some enjoy that the legend is still around playing the game, though the general consensus seems to be certain he will finish the self destruction he started last year.

Vikings fans could have a good reason to be happy about famous number four signing with their purple people eaters, because like it or not he could be the very push that helps them get through the playoffs.

The Minnesota Vikings are a solid football team but just a slight step down from Super Bowl contender. In 2008,they went 10-6 and lost in the playoffs to the Eagles, after having trouble converting 3rd downs in the second half, and having a QB capable of throwing only roughly half the yards Mcnabb threw for.

Last year the Vikings ranked 1st in rushing yards a game allowed with 76.9 yds, and 6th in total yards allowed a game also with 292.4 yds. These stats were very much indicative of a very well disciplined defensive unit.

On the other side of the ball, they had league's best running back in Adrian Peterson (1760 yds), and the 5th best run game (146.1)

The problem resided in their passing game, ranked a measly 25th overall, with their Quarter Back Gus Frerotte ranking 22nd in the league accompanied by his sub par 73.7 QB rating (5th from the worst) that year.

Even with this horrendous passing game to keep the offense creative, the Vikes still managed to rush an avg of 4.5 yds a play, 146.1 yds a game, even when the defensive knew pretty much what to expect.

Now bring in old man Favre, the fallen war hero with a passion for football and himself. He was traded to the Jets last year, led them to playoff possibilities and promptly self destructed. His QB rating was a mediocre 81 he was 11th in yards, 22nd in avg yds per pass, and had the league high in interceptions, and hearing this sounds like no good way to promote Favre into the Vikings savior, and maybe he's not. But Gus Frerotte threw the ball significantly less then Favre did with the Jets, and Favre had the 5th highest completion percentage compared to Frerotte's 24th ranked.

The biggest part of the puzzle regardless of the stats is that Favre does not have to carry the team, the amazing ground game has carried itself when the passing game had no help to give. Favre has the ability to make good throws and be a great QB, we've seen that. And we've also seen him throw to the other team just as often these days.

If Favre can come in, make himself seem like he has a lot of potential to improve the passing game, and seems a viable threat (that Frerotte and Jackson are not), then defenses will have to start actually accounting for the idea that maybe just maybe the vikings will show some promise through the air, instead of on the ground where they normally stay (and stay well).

Remember how well All Day Adrian Peterson runs the ball even when the defenses know he's coming, then imagine what he could do if the defenses had to account for the passing game as well, backing off from the line for fear that the guy getting the ball hiked to him in the purple uniform actually is a threat, then ladies and gentlemen the vikings just might be unstoppable...Providing that Favre can still identify his receivers from the defenders.