NFC West:

Predicted Winner:  San Francisco 49ers

A
9-7 record will likely be good enough to win a division that has been
about as exciting as yogurt the past couple of seasons.

The
Seattle Seahawks should improve on last year's 4-12 performance with a healthy Matt
Hasselbeck and the addition of Pro Bowl wide receiver T.J.
Houshmandzadeh. Arizona will be a popular choice to repeat as division
champions after adding even more offensive firepower this offseason by
drafting Chris "Beanie" Wells. But both Arizona and Seattle are pinning
high hopes on two fragile, aging quarterbacks.

As for St. Louis...Well, at least they drafted an offensive lineman to help keep Marc Bulger upright from time to time.

But
I like the 49ers to return to the playoffs for the first time since
2002. Mike Singletary went 5-4 after taking over for an ineffectual
Mike Nolan last season. If he can slightly improve on that .556 winning
percentage, the 'Niners should be in prime position for what will
probably be a quick playoff exit.

Singletary has the team motivated and should manage to keep his pants on
this season. With a new "ground and pound" run-first philosophy, the
49ers will do what they do best on offense: give the ball to Frank
Gore. On the other side of the ball, Patrick Willis leads a potential
top 10 defense into the season. 

Most
importantly, the 'Niners are taking the keys to the car out of Alex
Smith's tiny hands, and giving them to Shaun Hill: a capable game
manager, who makes up for his lack of awe-inspiring talent with grit
and leadership.

NFC East:

Predicted Winner: Philadelphia Eagles 

All four teams in this division will compete for the playoffs.

Dallas tried to add by subtraction this offseason, unloading troubled receiver Terrell Owens.
On defense, pass rusher Igor Olshansky is a capable replacement for
free-agent casualty Chris Canty, and Keith Brooking should produce
similar statistics to the recently departed Zach Thomas at linebacker.

A
healthy Osi Umenyiora will give the New York Giants an imposing pass
rush. However, the loss of Derrick Ward to free agency and Plaxico
Burress to the judicial system will leave the offense a shell of its
former self.

Meanwhile,
the Washington Redskins completed one of the biggest off-season
acquisitions, inking Albert Haynesworth to a monstrous deal. If
quarterback Jason Campbell takes the next step, look for them to
surprise this year.

With
that said, the Philadelphia Eagles are the most balanced team in the
division. Donovan McNabb proved that he could stay healthy for 16 games
last season and has a new weapon in rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin.

Brian
Westbrook is an often-injured high-mileage running back, but still produces when
healthy. Do not sleep on Westbrook's backup, LeSean McCoy, either. He
is poised to become more popular than Geno's Steaks in Philly when his time comes.

The
offseason acquisitions of offensive linemen Jason Peters and Stacy
Andrews were also huge in solidifying the protection for McNabb.

Michael Vick will be a nice decoy as long as he does not pass.

The
defensive secondary has to be a major concern in Philadelphia after
losing Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard to free agency. Dawkins will be
hard to replace as an emotional leader. The signing of Ellis Hobbs,
however, gives the Eagles a capable replacement at cornerback behind
Sheldon Brown and Asante Samuel.

Not
to be ignored in this equation is the loss of legendary defensive
coordinator, Jim Johnson, who died of cancer this July. If the Eagles
can overcome these setbacks on defense, they will soar into the
playoffs.

NFC North:

Predicted Winner:  Green Bay Packers

Even with the lowly Detroit Lions,
this division contains some of the most highly regarded talent in the
NFC with names like Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson, and Aaron Rodgers.

Everybody
in Minnesota will point to the Brett Favre signing as reason to believe
that the Lombardi Trophy will be wearing Viking horns come February. It
could also end up being an unnecessary distraction for a team that
already had several pieces in place for a strong playoff push.

Chicago
dramatically upgraded its offense with the additions of Jay Cutler and
Orlando Pace. Running back Matt Forte won't know what to do with himself
when he sees the space those two create for him.

The
Detroit Lions should manage to improve on their doughnut from last
season, but not by much. Free agent additions Julian Peterson and Larry
Foote will bring some much needed help to a defense that ranked dead last in almost every major defensive category last season.

Anybody
who has tuned-in to the fireworks show that is the Green Bay Packers
offense this preseason has to be impressed. Aaron Rodgers is poised to
become an elite quarterback in the NFL; with Greg Jennings being the
Boo Boo to his Yogi.

Meanwhile,
running back Ryan Grant looks healthy and ready to rebound from a
disappointing campaign last season. Second-year tight end Jermichael
Finley, at 6-foot-5-inches, is also developing into a nice target for Rodgers.

The addition of rookie defensive tackle B.J. Raji will help improve the run defense in Green Bay (assuming he can lay off the Wisconsin cheddar). Fellow first-rounder Clay Matthews also gives the Packers some nice depth at linebacker.

Still,
it will be the offense that wins games for Green Bay. They will be able
to run-up the score with anybody in the NFC. The defense only needs to
perform adequately in order for the Packers to compete in any contest.

NFC South:

Predicted Winner:  Atlanta Falcons

If you like offense, the NFC South is your division. With three of the four teams finishing in the NFL's top 10 for points scored last season, there will be no shortage of end zone shenanigans this year.

But
whose offense will reign supreme in 2009? The New Orleans Saints, led
by All-World quarterback Drew Brees, can put on a great show in the
Superdome. On the road, however, their 2-6 record in 2008 is cause for concern.

The
2009 Carolina Panthers are pretty much the same team that won the
division last year. They should once again be dangerous as long as Jake
Delhomme stays healthy (a big IF).

Tampa
Bay is presently going through its awkward pubescent phase in which the
team is not quite rebuilding, but still has not reached full playoff
contender maturity. First-year coach Raheem Morris will certainly have
his hands full trying to put that puzzle together.

The
Atlanta Falcons are poised to become the class of this division for
years to come. Adding future Hall-of-Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez to a
core of Matt Ryan, Roddy White, and Michael Turner makes the Falcons
obscenely difficult to defend.

Look
for the team to throw the ball more now that "Matty Ice" will
officially have the training wheels taken off. Ryan has gone through an
intense offseason of conditioning and film study in order to take his game up a notch.

With
so much buzz surrounding Atlanta's offense, little has been said about
the unit on the other side of the ball. Perhaps this has been by
design.

The
team did spend high draft picks on defensive tackle Peria Jerry and
safety William Moore. Also, they signed Mike Peterson to add some
talent at linebacker.

Overall, this defense inspires about as much confidence as the New York Stock Exchange. But they are young and have potential.

There
is little concern over putting points on the board in Atlanta, but the
defense will need to improve on last year if the Falcons want to do the
Dirty Bird to the Super Bowl.

Wild Card: Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears

Wild Card Round:

#5 Carolina Panthers def. #4 San Francisco 49ers

#3 Atlanta Falcons def. #6 Chicago Bears

Divisional Round

#1 Philadelphia Eagles def. #5 Carolina Panthers

#2 Green Bay Packers def. #3 Atlanta Falcons

Conference Championship:

#2 Green Bay Packers def. #1 Philadelphia Eagles

NFC Super Bowl Representative: Green Bay Packers

Cinderella Man (Comeback Player of the Year): Carnell "Cadillac" Williams

Does anybody remember the 2006 offensive rookie of the year? Well, after announcing that Carnell Williams will be their starter on September 7th, Tampa Bay seems to have big plans for their former first-round pick.

After
two significant knee surgeries, the Cadillac is out of the shop and
ready to roll. Expectations are tempered for the wounded Buc, but he
will already accomplish an amazing feet just by taking that first
hand-off opening day.

Honorable
Mentions: Osi Umenyiora, Defensive End, New York Giants; Byron
Leftwich, Quarterback, Tampa Bay; Matt Hasselbeck, Quarterback, Seattle

Offensive Rookie of the Year: LeSean McCoy, Runningback, Philadelphia

He may not end up with the gaudiest stats, but LeSean McCoy
will leave his mark on the NFC this season. With great vision,
shiftiness, and an ability to catch out of the backfield, the Eagles
will not miss a step when McCoy spells Brian Westbrook. And if
Westbrook goes down for an extended period of time, you are looking at
a sure-fire rookie of the year candidate.

Honorable Mentions: Chris Wells, Runningback, Arizona; Glenn Coffee, Runningback, San Francisco; Hakeem Nicks, Wide Receiver, New York Giants

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aaron Curry, Linebacker, Seattle

With Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill already commanding significant attention at linebacker, Aaron Curry
is set to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks all season. Probably the
most polished linebacker to come out of the draft since Patrick Willis,
Curry is a safe bet to lead all rookies in tackles this year.

Honorable
Mentions: B.J. Raji, Defensive Tackle, Green Bay; Malcolm Jenkins,
Cornerback, New Orleans; Brian Orakpo, Linebacker, Washington

Your Next NFC Idol: Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Atlanta

Let's briefly compare some of Matt Ryan's
rookie numbers to that of another pretty good NFL quarterback who
started his first year. Ryan completed 61.1 percent of his passes last
season. Our mystery QB had a 56.7 completion percentage as a rookie.
Matt Ryan threw 11 interceptions in his rookie campaign; his
counterpart tossed 28 picks. Finally, Mr. Ryan was the proud owner of
an 87.7 quarterback rating in 2009. Comparatively, the anonymous signal
caller had a 71.2 rating.

The
other quarterback mentioned in this case study is Peyton Manning. Sit
back and enjoy the show as Matt Ryan ascends to a similar level of
stardom this season.

Honorable
Mentions: Kenny Phillips, Safety, New York Giants; Felix Jones,
Runningback, Dallas; DeSean Jackson, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia

NFC MVP: Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback, Green Bay

Aaron Rodgers
looked like he was playing against Pop Warner defenses this preseason.
In limited play, he threw for 465 yards and 6 touchdowns during the
preseason. Expect this to be a precursor to what he will do over the
course of the regular season.

The
Cal product will ease the pain of seeing Brett Favre wearing a purple
uniform for Packer backers. Look for him to battle Drew Brees for the
conference lead in passing yards and touchdowns. However, unlike Brees,
Aaron Rodgers will still be putting up numbers come playoff time.

Honorable
Mentions: Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans; Donovan McNabb,
Quarterback, Phi; Adrian Peterson, Runningback, Minnesota

Check back tomorrow as Green breaks down the AFC.