There once was a time that the NFC reigned and the AFC had no hope of contending with them. The good old days when the Dallas Cowboys would beat up on Buffalo every year, and when the 49ers, Packers, and Vikings were always a step ahead of most AFC teams. Well the Denver Broncos ended that streak in the late 90?s, and since then the AFC has slowly shifted into the most dominant conference. What does this mean to the NFC?

Besides the Philadelphia Eagles there might not be another team in the NFC that would get a playoff spot if put in the AFC. That?s right even the Falcons would have a hard time, and most likely would get a fifth or sixth seed. There are way too many teams in the NFC that are in playoff contention that shouldn?t be. Who knows though, any of those teams could gain momentum at any period of time and then make a run in the playoffs. The 95? Colts were able to do it, and it shows what a young team can do.

When have you ever seen a team start off 1-4, and take the division lead four games later? I don?t think it has ever been done, and the scary thing is that they could qualify for a first round bye if they can catch Atlanta. Teams like Arizona, Chicago, Detroit, and the NY Giants are all teams that will be the future of this conference and might get a chance this year just because of the weakness of the NFC.

It shouldn?t be that weak though if it weren?t for the inconsistent teams. St. Louis has kept almost the same group of offensive and defensive player?s from their Super Bowl years, but yet lost to Miami. You just can?t do that if you want to be a serious contender. There are such things as looking over a team, but when you lose that much focus then you?ll never be a threat.

The Seattle Seahawks looked like a team that would challenge the Philadelphia Eagles for control of the conference when they started off strong. But they have let their own division hurt them, with losses to the Cardinals and two to the Rams. With their division close nit that could really hurt them down the road when it comes to a tie breaker. The Seahawks main downfall has been their defensive struggles. They should be okay if they can get back together as a unit, because their offense is one of the best in the league. Anytime you have a Pro Bowl running back, quarterback, and wide receiver then you have a chance at making a successful run at any time.

Jim Haslett and the Saints have to be the most disappointing team in the NFC over the past recent years. Since Aaron Brooks took over for Jeff Blake it has been an up and down carousel ride for this team. Just when they look like they?re going to do something they lose to a pathetic team. Then they play a solid team like Kansas City last week and show up and get the win. This team just doesn?t make sense, and that?s what makes them scary. They have the talent to be the team in the NFC, but at 4-5 it might be another year that goes down the drain.

Minnesota needs Randy Moss back immediately before they lose any ground on the Green Bay Packers. Moss is expected to miss one more game this weekend against Detroit, and that could lead to problems this weekend. Even though Detroit is one game below .500 they?ve stayed in the majority of their games this season, and that could pay off this weekend. Another scary thought is that if things play right, all four teams in the NFC North could be 5-5.

When your team is faltering blame it on the quarterback. That seems to be the route most teams take when things are going wrong. Who can blame them, if their team is losing they need to look ahead into the future for the team?s best interest. A lot of teams gain chemistry at the end of the year, that ends up carrying over to the next season. That way a team doesn?t have to go into the next year without any chemistry and has a knack with their quarterback. This upcoming week there will be three quarterback changes but only one of them was a shock.

Down in Miami it has been a circus all year, and now that Dave Wannstedt is out the Dolphins will give AJ Feeley a look again. Feeley has displayed a solid arm and the ability to move the ball a little better than Fiedler. But he has made too many mistakes, which almost always results in a touchdown for the other team. So if he can settle down in that department and not force throws, than Miami could have a quarterback next year. Basically Miami knows that Jay Fiedler?s time has ran out and Miami, and they need to know if Feeley has what it takes. He?ll get the rest of the year to prove himself, and if he fails then Miami will know not to bank on him next year, and bring in a proven veteran to compete with him in training camp.

With the New York Giants we all knew that sooner or later that Eli Manning would get a chance this year. All that Tom Coughlin was waiting for was a slide, and the Giants have done just that by losing three of their last four games. Still the Giants are 5-4 and in a shaky NFC Conference, so you have to wonder why Coughlin would risk the rest of the year. Maybe he thinks Manning could be a Roeslinberger and get this team going. More than likely that?s wishful thinking, and Manning will struggle to get this team to finish 8-8. But gaining experience is a plus at the end of your rookie season, instead of starting your second year without any. When the off season comes around his quarterbacks coach will be able to improve plenty of little mistakes that will make Manning a more polished quarterback for his second season.

Mark Brunell was brought into Washington because he is a Joe Gibbs type of player. But his hey day as a starting quarterback has shown over the last few weeks, and frankly he?ll probably be a veteran backup the rest of his career. Patrick Ramsey is in the Drew Brees stage of his career. Over the past two years he has shown amazing potential at times, but hasn?t moved anywhere near past the same mistakes he was making as a rookie. Some of the interceptions he has thrown in relief of Brunell this year have been worse than rookie mistakes. He should settle down, and be able to utilize Clinton Portis to make his passing game effective. With the cluster of teams in the NFC with four and five losses, the Redskins aren?t out of the picture with six. In fact, it wouldn?t be shocking to see an 8-8 team make it into the playoffs from the NFC. If it does happen just imagine how Miami will feel, after they didn?t qualify last year after finishing 10-6?

As the year continues to wind down more and more situations at quarterback will continue. You can almost bet that Bill Parcells will let Drew Henson get an early start on next year, because there is no way a 43 year old Vinny Testaverde can be a starter. Maybe Parcells is thinking he should have stayed in retirement, because it?s looking like Parcells might fall into the same situation that Jimmy Johnson did when he went to Miami. Sure it?s only his second year, but the Cowboy?s are for sure going to have at least one more rebuilding year before any success.

By Zack Cimini

Most divisions are close nit right now in terms of who is going to win the division. But for the most part you can vision how the rest of the season is going to unfold. In the AFC East with the Jets faltering and Pennington hurt, it will be another easy division win for the Patriots. Pittsburgh definitely doesn?t have a challenger with the way their star rookie is playing, and you have to feel that the veteran leadership of the Colts will pay off in their favor of the Jaguars. In the AFC West it is a toss up between the Chargers and Broncos, and will likely come down to the last week.

Now switching over the NFC where Philadelphia and Atlanta are almost automatic locks. In the NFC West the Seahawks have been too inconsistent, but the Rams nor the Cardinals have taken advantage of the situation. Within the next two to three weeks we should see if one of those teams is ready to step up.

The division that is the most compelling though is the NFC North. The division is separated by two games among four teams, and will likely be that close the whole season. If you?re a Minnesota fan you have to be hurting yourselves for not taking advantage of spacing yourself ahead of the field. But there is one big reason that the Vikings are 5-3, and not 6-2 or 7-1. That?s because they?ve been without their star receiver Randy Moss, who will also miss this weekend?s game. If you?ve been watching the Vikings offense the past couple of weeks you can really see how important Moss is to this team.

Just think of that, how many teams can say they?ve lost a big part of their team when a receiver goes down? I don?t think there is a team in the history of the NFL that can. Usually you can expect that much of a downfall when a quarterback or a running back goes down, but at wide receiver you?re supposed to just have a clustered talent pool. But Moss is no ordinary receiver and now perhaps should start to get the credit he deserves as one of the best in history. Here is a guy that was having a monster season with already eight touchdowns, and then was hit with a hamstring injury not even halfway through the season. Who knows what kind of stats he would have put up this year if it weren?t for his injury.

Defenses base their schemes around Moss, and now they?re able to pin point other objectives on the Vikings offense. When Moss comes back he surely won?t be at 100 percent, and more than likely will have to deal with a nagging hamstring the rest of the year. So surely defenses will be able to get after Culpepper more and play more aggressive schemes.

Looking at the bigger picture, the NFC Central is basically down to three teams. You could count the Bears if they still had Rex Grossman, but they just don?t have enough talent at quarterback to make any kind of run. They?ll be able to pull off the occasional upset, but they?ll be lucky to go 6-10. Then you have the Packers and Lions who will be in the Vikings throats the rest of the season. Joey Harrington and the Lions have had a solid but inconsistent year, and have shown their youth. They?ll be ready to takeover this division in the next year or two.

But the team that has haunted the Vikings in the past in the Green Bay Packers, has quietly snuck up. The once 1-4 Packers, managed to win three straight and will now be coming off a bye week. Their schedule is tough, but the winner of this division could end up being a 9-7 team. So that means this weekend?s game against Minnesota is even more important. This is also the first time this year that Minnesota and Green Bay will take on each other. Basically if one team sweeps the other than there you?ll have your division winner. That usually isn?t the case with these two though, but you have to figure that Green Bay has the advantage this weekend with Moss out.

By Zack Cimini

For an organization that has had winning ways since the 70?s, it is disgusting to see what is going on in Miami. The downfalls and declines of a franchise are inevitable, but they aren?t supposed to come in full swing like the case has in Miami. It just goes to show there is no such thing as a franchise player in sports. You just can?t put your faith and trust into one player nor an organization. It doesn?t matter how much talent an individual has, because once you?re on the field it is a team game. If you don?t have the right nucleus of players, you?re going to collapse. That?s one of the main reasons New England has been a successful team.

Wannstedt?s step down on Tuesday ended another phase in Miami history. People tend to forget that Wannstedt came in right after the Jimmy Johnson and Dan Marino fall in 2000. It was right after Miami?s last horrible spotlight when they were blown out in the second round against Jacksonville. Jimmy Johnson then decided to retire, and Wannstedt made it well known that he wanted to go in another direction at quarterback. He made the decision even before Dan Marino was ready to retire, and Marino as a result came close to becoming a Viking. Marino did retire though, and the downfall that was expected to happen in Miami didn?t happen right away.

Jay Fiedler came in and took the reigns without a problem, and who can forget the year Lamar Smith had? When Miami ran wild on the Colts in the first round and Lamar Smith broke a single game playoff record, it looked like Miami would build on that success. But one thing that never changed in Miami, was their late season collapses. One year they were 9-5, and just had to win one game to get in the playoffs and lost their final two. Last year they finished 10-6 but still didn?t make the playoffs because of a couple of bad losses. So the lone playoff victory Wannstedt had will be his last in Miami.

It?s amazing the ups and downs a coach goes through, but this time around it is impossible to place the blame all on the coach. Sure Miami could easily still be a .500 team if they would have handled a few games better this year. But when you have too many what if scenario?s something is wrong.

Wannstedt?s was more than likely fed up with this year, and will have early offers from other teams as the season winds down. It?s a career move that was smart on his part, because being a coach in Miami will become the oh no as a coach now. The tag that use to go to the Arizona Cardinals, Bengals, etc. will finally be a Dolphin as sad as that is. There really is know upside in Miami for awhile. The defensive player?s aren?t going to want to rebuild. Especially player?s like Jason Taylor, Sam Madison, and Zach Thomas who have been with Miami since the Marino years. They are going to want to move on and have a chance to win somewhere else. Offensively, there isn?t an area that they don?t need to work on. You can?t have an offense without an offensive line, so that should be there first focus. Jay Fiedler has been banged up all year long, and the running game has been pathetic. So they need a running back, quarterback, and an offensive line. Whew, the sun and hopes in Miami have finally been dissected and squashed to a yearly trip with a top draft selection.

By Zack Cimini

If you?re anyone in the Chargers organization you?d have to be thinking why this didn?t happen one year ago. Drew Brees is not only having a solid year, but he is arguably playing the best of any quarterbacks in the league right now. He has thrown for 18 touchdowns, and only has three interceptions. At 6-3, the Chargers are in prime position to take on the Broncos and win the division title. The sad thing is a year from now the Chargers could be right back to the basement of the division if they lose Brees.

The Chargers must have thought to themselves that two years is enough to see if a quarterback has what it takes. Well they thought wrong, and that is a big problem this day and age in football. Every organization is about how can we win now, and they are in too much of a hurry to do that. Why draft somebody and not give him a chance to fully develop, and then go through the same process again with another player? It?s a tale spin that is going on with every team, and is one of the reasons why we are seeing young talented player?s finally shining with other teams. Just take a look at Thomas Jones, who is now finally coming into his own on his third team. Here is a player that was drafted only four years ago in the 2000 draft, and the Cardinals didn?t even give him a chance. Emmitt Smith has been a great back in all, but imagine how well the Cardinals could be set if they still had Jones?

The Chargers organization can say all they want about Brees, but they more than likely came into this season expecting him to show no development. In fact they probably expected to be 2-6 by now, and prepared to let Philip Rivers show what he can do. Now the Chargers will be in a bind, especially if they make the playoffs and shock people. Brees will be a free agent and able to go anywhere he wants, and will be looking out for his best financial interests. So if the Chargers want him, they are going to have to take on a top five quarterback contract, and the rookie contract of Philip Rivers. There is no possible way they can do that with Ladainian Tomlinson, and a tight end they are going to have to pay in Antonio Gates.

So a solution they could have solved a year or two ago, is going to end up being a wasted second round draft pick in Drew Brees. If I were Brees, I would do nothing except laugh at anyone in the Chargers organization. They could have extended his contract and shown faith in him even though he was struggling, but now that he is proving himself they want him. It?s a double standard that goes on in this league that is wrong. Because if he wouldn?t have had a great year this season, the Chargers would have left him out to dry.

There is a pattern though that has come out of this situation. Competition does bring out the best of a quarterback. Before there was no one behind Brees?s shoulder, so he didn?t have too worry. Some respond to pressure in the opposite way as well and fold, but then you know as an organization if your prospect is a true talent.

By Zack Cimini

It took the Cardinals the same amount of games to win a game, as it took the Patriots to lose a game at 19. It?s an amazing stat but it?s now all in the past because the Cardinals road woes should never get past four or five games as long as they are under Dennis Green. The Cardinals got their first road victory thanks to a last minute touchdown catch by Larry Fitzgerald to make the score 24-23.

Miami did all they could do, and even had a great day offensively. They had over 400 yards total offense, but killed themselves with twenty one penalties. The biggest was a Jason Taylor penalty after he kicked the football in rage, after a questionable late hit call on Patrick Surtain. The two penalties moved the ball down to the Miami sixteen, and two plays later Emmitt Smith ran in for a five yard touchdown.

How many times this year is Miami?s offense going to give up a touchdown? No wonder why the Dolphins defense is more and more susceptible every week. AJ Feeley was forced to come in after Jay Fiedler got hurt, and of course he threw another touchdown to the other team. It?s happened at least five times this season, and has killed Miami in close games.The Cardinals still aren?t mathematically out of the hunt in their division, as they are only two games back from the St. Louis Rams. One thing is for sure the only team that is going to the playoffs in this division, is going to be the division winner.