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Who is in, who is out, and who is looking for a job. Pro Player Insiders has all of your news covered in our Black Monday NFC Breakdown Edition.
- NFC East-
* Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins finished the season at 9-7 after beating the beating the Dallas Cowboys in week 17. The Redskins are the only NFC East team to finish with a winning record and will now host the Green Bay Packers this Sunday’s NFC Wildcard game.
After winning 6 of their last 8 games Washington appears to be on a roll right now. Kirk Cousins definitely likes that. The Redskins quarterback has done well with his opportunities and has done a great job managing games by limiting turnovers and learning how to win in the fourth quarter. Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers may have a very tough game on their hands when they travel to FedEx Field.
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* Philadelphia Eagles
Times are tough in Philadelphia right now. The Eagles have parted ways with Chip Kelly after going 7-9, and the team may also be looking for another quarterback depending on who’s running the ship in 2016.
Mike Shanahan and Kansas City’s Doug Pederson have been linked as possibles for the head coaching gig, but the Eagles may be looking for a General Manager before they even consider who coaches the team. Philadelphia does still have a talented roster, and let’s face it, the NFC East has to be appealing considering the division went 26-38 as a whole in 2015.
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* New York Giants
Tom Coughlin is still the man in New York as I type this, but things can happen quickly in the NFL (latest reports has Coughlin scheduled for a 1:00 pm meeting in NY). The Giants fan base seems to be hoping for a change but Coughlin has pretty much lived on the hot seat in the big apple.
And again, the NFC East has to be desired location for new coaches looking to make their mark. The G-men still have a Manning, and an Odell, but they are also ranked dead last in total overall defense this year. Will Tom Coughlin be around in 2016? The magic 8 ball says “Try again later.”
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-Edit- Tom Coughlin has now stepped down as the New York Giants head coach-
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* Dallas Cowboys
How about them Cowboys. Dallas finished the season at 4-12, and could only watch as Tony Romo suffered two different collarbone injuries. Did the Cowboys bring Romo back too soon? Did the Cowboys bring back Dez Bryant too soon? Who knows.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, but it might seem like Jerry Jones does not know when to throw in the towel. The current word on Jason Garrett is that he will return. I’m not sure how Dallas fans feel about that but the Cowboys did have an injury riddled season to place the blame on.
-NFC North-
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* Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings made one of the smartest decisions in football during the off-season by refusing to trade Adrian Peterson. The relationship seemed to be at an end, but Minnesota stayed the course and in return, Adrian Peterson brought the Vikings the 2015 rushing title.
Minnesota capped off their season by beating the Green Bay Packers… in Green Bay. The Vikings are now the kings of the NFC North after their 11-5 season. Teddy Bridgewater had an up and down season but for the most part he has done well in his sophomore year. The Vikings will now host the Seattle Seahawks and a stingy defense in this Sunday’s Wildcard game.
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* Green Bay Packers
Green Bay finished off the season 10-6 and secured a Wildcard game of their own after fighting through injuries in 2015. While Aaron Rodgers did not have an MVP type of year, he did manage to win the actor of the year award with the phantom face mask call against Detroit.
Without that penalty, the Packers may have been on the outside looking in. Instead they will take their chances in Washington this week, and when ever you have the discount double check, you do have a chance. Green Bay may have barely limped in, but once you’re in, anything can happen.
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* Detroit Lions
The Lions had a brutal year in 2015 as far as officiating goes. The record says 7-9, but one might say they should have been 9-7. I bet Seattle and Green Bay fans are just fine with the 7-9 though. As for now, the latest opinion is that Head Coach Jim Caldwell is safe.
Mathew Stafford had a pretty good year, completing over 72% of his passes and throwing for 4,262 yards with 32 TDs. The Detroit Lions are a team that is on their way up in the NFL. With a strong draft and perhaps a few free agent acquisitions, the Lions could find themselves in the playoff race come 2016.
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* Chicago Bears
Da Bears. This is a hard team to figure out. Chicago lost (a franchise record) 7 games at home, finished the season 6-10, and took claim to last place in the NFC North. The Bears head coach John Fox will reportedly be back in 2016, and of course, so will the enigma known as Jay Cutler.
Overall the Bears are strengths are still on their defense which ranks a pedestrian 16th in the League. The latest news around Chi-town is the free agency of Matt Forte, who is now 30 years of age. While 30 may be the new 25 in the NFL as far as RBs, Chicago and Forte will both have a huge decisions to make in the off-season.
-NFC South-
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* Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers took the world by storm in 2015. Cam Newton and a 6th overall ranked defense wreaked havoc on the NFL to the tune of 14-1 while securing the number 1 seed. The Panthers also ranked 2nd in overall rushing this year, I’d say it’s safe to say that all cylinders are firing in “Camolina.”
The Panthers will most likely face their toughest competition of the season in the playoffs, but this team knows how to win games. The home court advantage through out the dance has Carolina as a big favorite to make the super bowl. The Panthers are indeed a complete and balanced team.
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* Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons started off the season winning 6 of their first 7 games. After that the dirty birds lost 7 of their last 9 games. According to some the seat is hot in Atlanta, and both the GM Thomas Dimitroff and Head Coach Dan Quinn are on said seat.
The Falcons are still loaded on offense, ranking 6th in passing but the Falcons did struggle at running the ball. The defense has to be the biggest concern going into 2016. Side Note: Every single 2012 draft pick made by the GM Dimitroff is currently not playing in the NFL.
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* New Orleans Saints
The latest word around the campfire has the New Orleans Saints shopping their Head Coach Sean Payton. The offensive guru has a 2nd round draft pick price tag on his neck, but if you watched the Saints this year you would know the problems were mainly on defense.
The Saints finished the year at 7-9. There are so many questions being asked in “The Big Easy” right now. The good news is they still have Drew Brees. At age 36 Brees lead the NFL in passing yards for the 6th time in his career (4,870). The problem isn’t Drew Brees or Sean Payton in my opinion, the defense ranking 2nd to last and a horrible running game are the problems.
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* Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were top 5 in total offense and overall rushing but ended the season at 6-10. Things are looking up for the Bucs, and there appears to be at least one more year in Tampa Bay for head coach Lovie Smith.
The Buccaneer defense finished off ranking 10th overall. This is a very young team that won some close ball games in 2015, but not enough to be considered contenders in the NFC South, technically speaking. Tampa Bay is in a very tough division, it will be tough sledding once again in 2016.
-NFC West-
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* Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals had a record setting year in 2015. Most wins in franchise history has to be the biggest one, but the Cardinals did a lot of things better in 2015 than they ever have. Carson Palmer is still in talks for the MVP award, but I see him settling the “Come Back Player of the Year Award” thanks to Cam Newton.
Bruce Arians is proud of his club for going 13-3, and for winning the NFC West, but grander goals are on the horizon in Arizona. The Cardinals are the number 2 seed in the NFC, and will host at least one game in the playoffs. Some say Arizona is the most balanced team in the NFL. GM Steve Keim has done wonders in the draft and has made Arizona a prime destination as a rejuvination station for aging yet effective free agents around the League.
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* Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks started off the year slowly, much like they did the year before. The Seahawks dropped 4 of their first 6 games in 2015 but once again turned their season around finishing at 10-6. Russell Wilson has been nothing but spectacular as of late. The Seahawks are also hoping to have Marshawn Lynch back on the filed this Sunday.
Seattle’s playoffs will begin with a trip to Minnesota, if they can handle the Vikings the Panthers will be next. Seattle will be on the road through out the playoffs as the NFC’s 6th seed, but they are a dangerous team and they are playing their best football right now.
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* St Louis Rams
Jeff Fisher is reportedly not on the hot seat as of Monday morning. The Rams had an up and down year sweeping the Seahawks and winning in Arizona but ultimately ended the season at 7-9. The good news in St Louis is that Todd Gurley is for real and the Rams defense still has some top notch talents.
The bad news is the quarterback carousel is still spinning in St Louis. Plus you have the chance of the team being moved to Los Angeles. Many things are uncertain right now in St Louis, but all and all this is a young team that is still trying to get over that mediocre hill.
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* San Francisco 49ers
Tomsula is no longer in the building. The San Francisco 49ers fired the first year head coach after going 5-11 this season. Colin Kaepernick lost his job to Blaine Gabbert midway through the year and then chose to have surgery on his left shoulder.
San Francisco will have to pay Kaepernick over 11.9 million should he return in 2016, and some feel the 49ers may have diminished his trade value by sending him to the pine. The 49ers are in serious trouble all over right now with no coach, an offense ranked 31st, and a defense ranked 29th in the NFL.
