AthlonSports.com - 2009 Previews

2009 Seattle Seahawks Preview

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:03 -0500

Jim Mora has been in this situation before — that is, trying to bring a franchise back from the dead. The first time Mora served as a head coach, his task was to take over a Falcons team that was coming off a 5–11 season. All Mora did in his first year in Atlanta was take the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game. Can this year’s Seahawks make a similar turnaround?

2009 St. Louis Rams Preview

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:02 -0500

Steve Spagnuolo didn’t inherit a world of talent in St. Louis, but he does have several former Pro Bowlers among his core personnel: quarterback Marc Bulger, running back Steven Jackson and defensive end Leonard Little.

2009 Arizona Cardinals Preview

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:01 -0500

For the first time in two decades, the Cardinals have a good idea of what they’re doing on and off the field. Does that mean Arizona is headed back to the Super Bowl? Not necessarily. But the days are long gone when you can pencil the Cardinals in for a 5–11 or 6–10 record.

2009 San Francisco 49ers Preview

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Mike Singletary was able to turn the 49ers into winners toward the end of the season. The 49ers had long been removed from playoff consideration, but the team concluded the season on an uptick with four victories in its final five games. Now, Singletary’s mission is to guide this franchise to a winning season and playoff berth for the first time since 2002.

2009 New Orleans Saints Preview

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:03 -0500

The Saints spent the offseason aggressively addressing needs on defense and special teams. After all, an offense as explosive as New Orleans’ deserves nothing less. Especially when a trip deep into the playoffs could hang in the balance.

2009 Carolina Panthers Preview

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:02 -0500

While Carolina’s offense was at times spectacular last season, the defense was spotty. That’s where the major improvement must come. Carolina also must face one of the most difficult schedules in team history.

2009 Atlanta Falcons Preview

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:01 -0500

After a rookie season that in many respects came out of nowhere — even if he was the third overall pick of the 2008 draft — Matt Ryan knows what’s next on his to-do list: back-to-back winning seasons and consecutive trips to the playoffs. Both would be firsts for the Falcons.

2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

There's a new regime in Tampa and there's wholesale changes throughout the organization. How will it all play out on the field?

2009 Minnesota Vikings Preview

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:04 -0500

The Minnesota Vikings don’t have a quarterback controversy. They have a quarterback competition. And that alone has some wondering whether a team with Adrian Peterson, an elite defense and six Pro Bowl players is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

2009 Green Bay Packers Preview

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:03 -0500

Second-year starter Aaron Rodgers has 16 games of experience and a monster contract extension, making him “The Man” in Titletown. With Rodgers and a new 3-4 defensive scheme, general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have staked their futures to the success of that formula.

2009 Detroit Lions Preview

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:02 -0500

The Lions have a new logo. They have a new general manager, a new coach and a new franchise quarterback, too. But it will take a lot more than that for fans to forget the NFL’s first 0–16 season. And it probably will take more than one season for the new regime to transform this franchise into a winner, if it does at all.

2009 Chicago Bears Preview

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:01 -0500

Jay Cutler’s addition means the Bears won’t have to win in spite of their quarterback. Now they can win because of him. For a team that fell only one game short of the playoffs last season, the Bears now consider themselves poised to make another Super Bowl run.

2009 Washington Redskins Preview

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:03 -0500

Second-year coach Jim Zorn returns to a team that is similar to last year’s, with one major exception - the addition of All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. But the Redskins play in the rough-and-tumble NFC East. If they are to reach the playoffs for the third time in the last five seasons, Jason Campbell will need to show improvement, and an aging offensive line will need to hold up.

2009 New York Giants Preview

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:02 -0500

The Giants went 1–4 down the stretch without Plaxico Burress last season. Are they doomed to such a miserable fate without him again? The Giants think not. They’re convinced that with a powerful running game and a restocked defensive line, they have enough to be a factor in the NFC East.

2009 Dallas Cowboys Preview

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:01 -0500

The Cowboys are hoping that the more things change, the more they win. Although coach Wade Phillips returns, Dallas debuts its new $1.1 billion stadium in Arlington with a different team than the one that ended 2008.