Arizona versus Carolina: A conversation about the NFC Championship Game

 The following is a conversation between four strangers about this evening's NFC Championship game (click here for thoughts on the AFC game):

Even in the snow.

JOHN NOLAN: As much as this game on paper should be about the offenses and their respective playmakers, it’s the defenses that will decide who wins.

A conversation about the 2015-16 NFC South

Aisander Duda and I converse lightly and, at times, seriously about football in the NFC South. Divisions previously discussed include: AFC East, NFC East, AFC West, NFC West, AFC South.

In honor of Vick's heyday, this post treats football as an elusive topic.

Atlanta Falcons 

2014 NFL Playoffs: Saturday's Divisional Round

The following is a conversation previewing the 2014 Divisional match-ups (a discussion of Sunday's games can be found here):


Baltimore v New England @ 4:35 on NBC

The New England Patriots haven't been the same since George W. Bush left office.

2014 NFL Playoffs: Saturday's Wild-Card Round

The following is a conversation previewing the 2014 Wild-Card match-ups (a preview of Sunday's games can be found here): 

Arizona Cardinals v Carolina Panthers @ 4:35 on ESPN

Cam is either revealing the 'S' on his chest or doing the chicken dance.

Mike Langston: Five weeks ago the Panthers were 3-8-1. Now, they are hosting a playoff game. Are they hot? Or, are they the benefactors of a perfectly timed resurrection or a perfectly weak finish to the schedule?

Bryan Harvey: Hm, sounds a bit like divine intervention. That eighth loss, which was a 18 point humiliation against the Vikings, was the team's sixth loss in a row. Then, they beat the Saints, only to have Cam Newton's back fractured two days later. So not only were the Panthers 3-8-1 about five weeks ago, but the day after improving to a still dead 4-8-1, their franchise quarterback also seemed in need of a miracle.

I'm not trying to make light of a car accident, but this is what the script would look like if M. Night Shyamalan made a film about football. Maybe he could call it Indestructible and it could be about an invincible Superman.

Moreover, Carson Palmer could play a quarterback named Mr. Fragile. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if we're to believe the team's been resurrected, then we have to believe in M. Night Shyamalan's genius too.

Carolina Defeats Minnesota: Dinner with an EX

My Dad first proposed the idea over the phone--the day Favre signed with the Vikings. He said, "You know the Vikings will be at Carolina in December. We could go. We could use your Uncle Sport's tickets."

I was silent.

"It would be neat to see Favre before he retires." Favre will retire.

I was still silent. Then, "I don't want to see that f*cker." My anger and rage resounded as much from what my Dad suggested--that we actually drive five hours to see the man who treated our entire fanbase like an immature high school girlfriend--as they did from the fact that he seemed so willing to rush back into the man's arms, as if the last two years never happened. He didn't even acknowledge that we would be seeing Favre in the wrong uniform. While my friends sent me mocking texts and left incindiary voicemails, wondering aloud whether I would draft Favre for my fantasy team, my father should have been there commiserating with me, not suggesting we make a pilgrimage to view a purple and gold number four.

The call was made at halftime. My father spoke in a voice that was both tired and sad: "It hit me tonight, seeing him in that uniform. I lost it at the start of the game. I was calling him traitor and other things." The Packers trailed the Vikings by a touchdown. My Dad and I were both coming to terms that Favre was not just gone now, but he was a Viking, raiding our shores and raping our memories. Not long into the season we knew that the Vikings would win the NFC North, and, at the midway point, our own team stood at 4-4. Students, specifically Ricky Darson, wearing a Jets Favre jersey, would come into my classroom and yell through the door, "I bet you wish you had Favre back now!"

Me: "No. Not really."

Ricky: "Why Mr. Harvey? He's awesome. He's the best. Greatest all-time."

Me: "Right now, he's not better than Rodgers. We got the best quarterback out of this."

Ricky: "Who's got the better record though, Mr. Harvey? Who's going to the Hall of Fame? What's Rodgers done?"

Me: "We got the better quarterback."

Ricky would leave, and I would ponder 4-4, 5-4, 6-4, 7-4, 8-4, 9-4. Week by week, Aaron Rodgers, Donald Driver, Charles Woodson, and Clay Matthews played with a poise that put the pain of the Favre fiasco on deep ice. We couldn't feel it; it was out of sight and out of mind, locked away in a freezer, out in the garage. When Minnesota was embarrassed by Arizona on Sunday night a few weeks ago, we started rubbing our hands together over the fireplace, thinking maybe it's time to thaw out that slab of beef, cook it, chew it, and swallow it. I made the call.

"Dad, we should go to the game."

The Saturday before we were to travel from Virginia to Charlotte, the east coast was buried in a foot and a half of snow, and my Dad and I wondered if the weather would allow us to travel south for the game. The freezer in the garage where all the hurt from betrayal and foolish hero worship had been stored exploded in a blizzard, scattering snow and ice like ash out of a volcanic crater. People stocked up on canned goods, bread, and milk, barracading themselves in their homes to battle with Jack Frost and the elements. My father and I were left with a choice, to stay put exactly where we were and had been for two years, having never taken an active role in watching our Savior abandon us, or we could travel South, moving forward, saying good bye, carrying a torch.

The dire weather and the journey of a father and son south made the trip to see number four feel like the plot of a Cormac McCarthy book. While the fact that a forty yeard old quarterback made us feel the urgency of the apocalypse, made us as shallow as a Nick Hornby protagonist. This journey was both world changing and easily dismissed. When we got south of Richmond, the snow grew more and more sparse. The apocalypse was melting.

With Julius Peppers constantly in his face and the temperatures hovering below or around freezing, the Vikings looked like warriors from a bygone era, while Steve Smith and Jonathan Stewart looked like weapons of modern warfare. Even the fallout from the supposed Favre-Childress fiasco makes it appear that the bezerker broke loose from his chains and sacked his own king. With Panthers fans taunting the Minnesota supporters with questions like, "Ain't you from Minnesota? Why's it too cold for you in Carolina? Oh, that's right, you play in a dome. GO HOME TO YOUR DOME!!!" it became clear that Brett Favre was not Superman. No one was in awe. Peope talked of Favre in the past tense, turning to their sons and describing plays he'd made a decade ago.

After the game, after the Vikings had been humiliated by a team whose fans taunted the defeated with self-deprecation disguised as cockiness, "Ya'll must not be that good cause we ain't sh!t," my Dad and I walked down the winding gyre that is the ramp from the nosebleed section to the ground at Bank of America Stadium. Before us, two Viking fans wore jerseys: a Brett Favre one and a Fran Tarkleton one. And with the two side by side, it was difficult to state which one was the throwback. Favre is as much a part of yesterday as he is today, and my Dad and I can live with that. Afterall, we have the quarterback of tomorrow, in Aaron Rodgers, and, as of Sunday, it makes much more sense to invest our Packer hate in Ben Roethlisberger and onside kicks that leave too much time on the clock than a legend whose grip on us is as fleeting as a snowstorm.

2009 NFC South Division Preview

In the past, we broke down every team in detail before the start of the season, but this year we decided to view each division as a dysfunctional American family and base our predictions off their family trees.

Family Portrait:

Place of Residence:

This family traditionally resides on the set of My Name is Earl, except it's not a television studio lot--it's real life. Only one member of the family has ever made it out of the trailer park, and that was Uncle Jon Gruden, who purchased the winning MegaBucks Lotto ticket with money he stole out of the church offering plate. Uncle Jon's reign as a Florida millionaire didn't last long; he blew all of his money on jet skis and popcorn machines.

The rest of the family has tried just about everything to get out of their double-wide, but nothing has worked. Several family members, from Billy White Shoes Johnson to Deion Sanders to Jamal Anderson, have tried to strip their way to success, but money earned on the pole tends to get spent quickly. Jerry Richardson thought he'd found the solution to all his problems, but his first husband wound up with an abusive drinking problem, which is why Jerry now settles for anything. While cousin Tommy Benson has tried everything from voodoo to deals with the devil in an effort to crawl out of the bayou swamps and marry the former Homecoming Queen, who would still have Benson involved with black magic, crossroads, and reading the innards of dead farm animals. The trailer stinks of raw animal innards.

Vacation Spot:

The family goes to Myrtle Beach for Memorial Day and the Gulf Coast for Labor Day, just like life was a John Mellencamp song. Celebrating Cinco de Mayo on every 5th of the month, not just in May, isn't that bad either.

Favorite Pastime:

What does this family not do? They lift up their shirts even when it's not Mardi Gras, they rev their engines at the Taco Bell drag strip, and they even run dog fighting rings.

Teach's Prediction:

The Atlanta Falcons will win the NFC South. They have the most balanced offense, featuring Matt Ryan, Rowdy Roddy White, and Michael Turner, along with newcomer Tony Gonzalez. Also, the defense is respectable, holding opponents to 18 points a game last year.

If the Panthers feed DeAngelo Williams the ball with any regularity, then I see them finishing second. In two of their four losses last year, Williams twice only carried the ball about 10 times for 27 yards, which is also what happened against the Cardinals in the playoffs. The Saints could up end either Atlanta or Carolina, if their defense does anything at all. Tampa has four quarterbacks no one else seems to want. How is Leftwich still not an NFL starter?

Langston's Prediction:
The Buccaneers have lost all remnants of their 2003 Super Bowl winning team, and that includes winning consistently. On the bright side, one of their players has the best name in the league, so they got that going for them.

The Panthers have talent at almost every position on the field. That includes one of the best running back combos in the league. If they want to win, both backs should be touching the ball early and often. If not, expect more videos like this from their fans. The Saints have the best passing attack in the league, led by fantasy football portent Drew Brees. His talent is enough to make this team a division contender, year-in and year-out. However, they neglected to substantially upgrade their defensive backs. The same problem that plagued the team last year will come back to haunt them this year.

Like Teach, I like the Falcons to win the division. Matty Ice and the offense will be good, but they will take the division because they did what the Saints did not. They improved their 24th ranked defense. With the additions of Peria Jerry, Lawrence Sidbury, Chris Owens, and William Middleton, the Falcons should have enough defensive depth to rise above the rest of the division.

2008 NFL Season Preview: #15 Carolina Panthers

Division: NFC South
Last Year's Record: 7-9
Head Coach: John Fox
Offensive Coordinator: Jeff Davidson
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Trgovac

Key Additions:
WR Muhsin Muhammad
DE/DT Tyler Brayton
G Milford Brown
G Toniu Fonoti
S Terrence Holt
DT Darwin Walker
RB Johnathan Stewart
G Keydrick Vincent

Key Losses:
DE Mike Rucker
WR Drew Carter
RB DeShaun Foster
C Justin Hartwig
DT Kris Jenkins
LB Dan Morgan

Just Because:
I have been waiting to write this post solely to share this clip of Jon Reep talking about the Carolina Panthers sound effects. Enjoy.

Breakdown of the Offense:
The Carolina Panthers are coming off of a down year, where they were expected to contend for the NFC Championship and instead missed the playoffs. Mainly due to a string of key injuries, but they weren't a team that deserved to be in the playoffs. They were blown out on several occasions. At one point losing five straight games and seven out of ten. The Panthers made their key point of interest this off season, the offensive line and the running backs. Adding huge guards Toniu Fonoti and Milford Brown in free agency, while drafting running back Johnathan Stewart out of Oregon with the 18th pick. Fonoti and Milford Brown fit in well with Fox's conservative run first offense, and Johnathan Stewart adds the power that should mix well with DeAngelo Williams speed. This offense will only go as far as the o-line and the running backs carry them.

Jake Delhomme, is a huge question mark coming into this season, he is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Delhomme is an upper echelon quarterback in the league, and the Panthers missed him greatly last year, inside the locker room and the huddle. Delhomme is a fiery quarterback and with him returning the Panthers automatically are two to three wins better then last years team. If Delhomme fails to regain his form or recover from injury, Matt Moore is waiting in the wings. An undrafted rookie free agent in 2007, he started the last three games of the season and led the Panthers to a 2-1 record in those games. He is somewhat mobile and has confidence in the pocket, he just needs to work on his consistency. Brett Basanez has the clipboard covered as the third stringer.

The Panthers finally got rid of their all-time leading rusher DeShaun Foster(he never reached 900 rushing yards in a season). The team will continue to use a two back system this season, featuring DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart. Williams looks to become a 1000-yard rusher, getting a huge bulk of the carries this season. Stewart is most likely going to be used as a third down specialist, basically Stephen Davis 2.0.

Steve Smith is the best offensive player on this team, he may knock out teammates but he is the only home run threat they have. He has caught at least 80 balls for 1,000 yards in each of the past three seasons. Without Delhomme in the lineup to deliver him the football, his numbers tailed off some. Expect him to dominate secondaries again this season with Dwayne Jarrett getting used to the NFL defenses,Mushin Muhammad returning home, and DJ Hackett coming to town; this will help draw the defense away from Smith leaving him open to torch the defense.

The offensive line has undergone a major face lift after a disappointing 2007. Rookie Jeff Otah will immediately be put into the right tackle spot. Jordan Gross, Carolina's best lineman, will play left tackle to protect Delhomme's blind side. Travelle Wharton leaves left tackle to play left guard. Ryan Kalil is the center and is an undersized but nimble lineman. Keydrick Vincent and Jeremy Bridges will battle it out for the right tackle spot. The addition of Otah and moving a couple players around should drastically improve the line.

Breakdown of the Defense:
Julius Peppers had his worst season as pro last year, amassing a paltry 2.5 sacks, and as the star of the defense there is no excuse for such small output. The Panthers must have more productivity out of him. The worst part for Peppers, he will have even less help this year as the Panthers will likely be a little thin up front having lost starters Mike Rucker to retirement and Kris Jenkins in a trade. Tyler Brayton comes in from Oakland to help out Peppers, but he is still Tyler Brayton. Maake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis will join Peppers as starters on the line, with Ian Scott and Darwin Walker coming into the rotation at tackle.

As Peppers output declined last year, Jon Beason came through in a huge way. As a rookie, Beason broke a franchise record with 160 tackles. Thomas Davis will join him on the strong side and three talented backers; including rookie Dan Connor from Penn State, incumbent Na'il Diggs, and Landon Johnson will duke it out for the starting gig on the weak side. This is the best unit on the defense and possibly even the team.

The Panthers' hope third round pick Charles Godfrey comes into his own and if he does, they'll likely start him at free safety. Carolina has three solid corners in Chris Gamble, Ken Lucas, and Richard Marshall. Ken Lucas is still recovering from a broken nose suffered from a punch by Steve Smurf Smith, this will likely hurt his chances at a starting gig and slot him as the third corner. Strong safety Chris Harris is a powerful hitter who forced eight fumbles last season but lacks skills in coverage, so the Panthers will be depending on Godfrey. Godfreys is the key to this units level of success.

Special Teams Breakdown:
Kicker John Kasay will return for his 18th NFL season and he is as reliable as they come(not to mention pretty clutch). Punter Jason Baker is very steady and gets great hang time on his kicks. Ryne Robinson was not great as a returner last season, but he started to improve late in the year which provides the Panthers with some promise.

Season Outlook:
The Panthers success will depend mostly on one thing, how will Delhomme recover from his injury. He will fire up the team and they will play better as a unit. The defense is okay, but if they want to win Peppers needs to be more productive.

They play in a division that has three possible division champions with the Saints, Bucs, and themselves. If they hope to make the playoffs, they will have to do it via a division championship. As the wild card surely will go to teams from the NFC East and North. They may have the toughest three weeks to start the season in the NFL, with games at San Diego, home against the Bears, followed up by a game at Minnesota. They could come out looking very strong, or more likely with an 1-2 record. But thankfully for them they have two games against Atlanta, so we know they will have at least two wins. I see them splitting games with the Bucs and Saints putting them at 4-2 in the division. The rest of the games could go either way, but I see them finishing with a 9-7 record. Missing the playoffs, because you don't find much success with as much turnaround as they have had. Next year they will be a good team, but that's next year.

Schedule:
Week 1: Sep 07 @ San Diego 4:15 PM FOX
Week 2: Sep 14 Chicago 1:00 PM FOX
Week 3: Sep 21 @ Vikings 1:00 PM FOX
Week 4: Sep 28 Falcons 1:00 PM FOX
Week 5: Oct 05 Chiefs 1:00 PM CBS
Week 6: Oct 12 @ Tampa Bay 1:00 PM FOX
Week 7: Oct 19 Saints 1:00 PM FOX
Week 8: Oct 26 Arizona 1:00 PM FOX
Week 9: Bye Week
Week 10: Nov 09 @ Oakland 4:05 PM FOX
Week 11: Nov 16 Detroit 1:00 PM FOX
Week 12: Nov 23 @ Atlanta 1:00 PM FOX
Week 13: Nov 30 @ Green Bay 1:00 PM FOX
Week 14: Dec 08 Buccaneers 8:30 PM ESPN
Week 15: Dec 14 Denver 1:00 PM CBS
Week 16: Dec 21 @ Giants 1:00 PM FOX
Week 17: Dec 28 @ Saints 1:00 PM FOX