Cassel doesn’t have to win the game for the Patriots, just not lose it for them. Many quarterbacks in the NFL have a great team around them and they are average at best, case in point the 2007 with Rex Grossman. Grossman was a sub-par QB and the Chicago Bears made it to the Super Bowl in spite of him with a good running game and stellar defense. All Grossman had to do was not make stupid mistakes by taking wild chances and it gave the Bears a chance to win every game. Cassel shouldn’t pretend he is anyone else and work within the offense and not try to be the “hero” so to speak. Being what the AFC is playoffs spots will be at a premium so falling back in the lose column will cause problems for the Patriots if they can’t pick up wins against the Raiders, Rams, and Cardinals.

Matt Cassel is in a very difficult position filling in the shoes of a future Hall of Fame player, but on the bright side nobody expects him to be Tom Brady, so with the expectation lowered some of the pressure will be off Cassel and he will perform better. Football is a very unpredictable game so maybe Cassel will take the opportunity he has been given and succeed, only time will tell. He is on a one season term because Tom Brady will be back next season, Cassel should make the most of his starting job while he can. Great quarterbacks in the NFL are few and far between and Cassel, while he isn’t a great QB yet this might be the chance he can prove that one day he will be.

The only team this decade to make it to the Super Bowl in consecutive years was the New England Patriots in the 2004 & 2005 season. Before them the last team to make it back-to-back years was the Denver Broncos in 1998 & 1999. Only the true great teams usually make it back to the Super Bowl, and while the Giants were a great team at the end of 2007 season it is highly unlikely they can reproduce that magic again. The Giants played the underdog role, us against the world mentality, and now that they are the defending champions they are the hunted. Also the lack of motivation for some players plays a part in not making the Super Bowl in consecutive years. Players work their whole life to win the Super Bowl and once that has been accomplish it takes their edge and motivation away the following year. Once the ultimate prize is obtained it is difficult to regain the fire and desire to be a champion again.

Another reason why the Giants won’t reach the Super Bowl, probably is their NFC East division. The NFC East is the best football division the league has scene in years and every team has improved from last season. Playing in a tough division can have two effects on a team, either the team will get beat up by their division opponents and won’t have anything left to give in the playoffs or it will make the team more prepared for the playoffs, as it did with the Giants last season.

The Giants do have a chance to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, if all the players can stay healthy as of now, most importantly quarterback Eli Manning. This season will show if the Giants Super Bowl win was a fluke or are they one of the truly great teams at this time, only time will tell.

The NFL is the Now Football League which means teams and fans only care what you have done for them recently and tend to forget the pass. With Favre’s gunslinger mentality we forget how great he really is sometimes and when he is one his “A game” he still could be the best quarterback in the NFL. He could either throw for 6 touchdowns or 6 interceptions in a game all in the name of trying to win a football game. Favre takes chances and doesn’t apologize for it and will continue to do so, if he didn’t we wouldn’t put him in the category of the all-time great quarterbacks in NFL history. I think he would just be the average quarterback that had a good career not a great career. Favre is a quarterback that comes along once in a generation and it is remarkable he has been so durable all these years and is still able to produce at nearly 40 years old. The Green Bay Packers made a mistake by not wanting him back, they probably should have appreciated his skills while they had the chance to keep him. Bret Favre’s don’t grow on trees especially now-a-days being that the pool of talented QB’s in the league is about as shallow as a kiddy pool. Favre instantly maximises the the talent around him just as other great players from different sports did such as Michael Jordan in basketball, Jordan brought out the best in his teammates, and so does Favre. With Favre as the quarterback of the New York Jets it is very difficult to say how far he can take them, too many questions and not enough answers. That is the beauty of having a quarterback like him is that he gives you the opportunity to win every single game against any team in the NFL. With Tom Brady out as the quarterback of the New England Patriots the door just blew open for the rest of the AFC and its almost become a free for all to see who can get the upper hand first in the conference. The Jets shot before Tom Brady got hurt were slim they could pull off a upset of the Patriots in the AFC East being the Patriots had the better overall team. Now the chances for the Jets to make a serious impact in the AFC has grown and Favre’s chances to enhance his teams stock and his own legacy will rise, unlike the US economy.

When Bret Favre does retire it will be a end to a legacy, so while he is still playing I say enjoy the show.

Wide receiver Steve Largent was the most productive Seattle Seahawk of all-time being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995, the first Seahawk to do so. Largent was a seven time Pro Bowl selection, a member of the 1980′s All-Decade team and is the all-time leader in receptions, touchdowns, and receiving yards in Seahawks history. At the time of his retirement in 1989, Largent held NFL records in six different receiving categories.

In 2002, the NFL realigned the divisions and the Seattle Seahawks found themselves back in the NFC as they were in their first season. Mike Holmgren, who was the Green Bay Packers coach in the 1990′s and coached their last two Super Bowl appearances became the Seahawks coach in 1999 and changed the team for the better. Since Holmgren took over the head coaching job in 1999 the Seahawks only missed the playoffs three times and won the division five times. The Seahawks best finish came in 2005 with a 13-3 record with an appearance in Super Bowl XL which they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-10. That season running back and Seahawks one Shaun Alexander was named the leagues Most Valuable Player with 1,880 rushing yards and twenty-eight touchdowns.

The Seahawk fans who attend the games have the reputation of being the “12^th Man” because of how loud Qwest Field can become and how much it disrupts opposing teams.

The Seattle Seahawks are perennial favorites in the NFC West nearly every year. With quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and a stellar defense, the Seattle Seahawks should be factors in the NFC for many years.

The Rams would return to more successful season in the early 1970′s with what was called the “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line which included Deacon Jones, Merlin Olson, Lamar Lundy, and Rosey Grier. The Fearsome Foursome were all inducted into the Football Hall of Fame being among the greatest defensive lines in football history. The Rams would win five more Western Division titles from 1973-1977 and would appear in Super Bowl XIV in 1979 losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty 31-19.

The Rams would call St. Louis home in 1995 after being in L.A. for nearly 50 years. It wasn’t long before St. Louis would win their own NFL Championship. In 1999, the Rams essentially came from no where with unknown quarterback leading the way and becoming the leagues Most Valuable Player and all-time great running back Marshall Faulk. The Rams beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV 23-16. Warner had one of the best seasons for a NFL quarterback in history throwing over 4,000 yards and 41 touchdown passes. The Rams were called the “Greatest show on turf” being they had a hogh powered offense which included wide receiver Isaac Bruce and wide receiver Torry Holt. The Rams would repeat as NFC Champions two seasons meeting the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Rams were heavily favored with all their offensive weapons but lost 20-17 in one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets ever.

Since their last Super Bowl appearance, the Rams have only made the playoffs twice with only one playoff win coming in 2004. The St. Louis Rams are in the rebuilding mode being they are at the bottom of league in many major offensive categories, it is a far cry from the “Greatest show on turf” earlier in the decade. The St. Rams play in the NFC South which included the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints who all have had changes within the last few seasons. Being its one of the weakest divisions in football the Ram have a the opportunity in the future to improve on their dismal present.

The Bucs prided themselves on great defense play since their beginnings. With the likes of great defensive players such as defensive end Lee Roy Selmon who was the Bucs very first draft choice in 1976. Despite the Bucs early history woes Selmon had great individual success being named to the Pro Bowl team six times, Defensive Player of the Year in 1979, and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Bucs would win the NFC Central again in 1982 with a 9-7 record which enabled them to make the playoffs three times out of the last four seasons.

After a very long drought of unsuccessful seasons in the 1980′s and early 1990′s the Buc regain there old form from the late 1970′s acquiring future Hall of Fame player defensive tackle Warren Sapp. Sapp was drafted in 1995 and had his most productive seasons with the Bucs making seven Pro Bowls and being a very important player on their 2002 Super Bowl XXXVII winning team. Coach John Gruden helped the Bucs get over the hump with their Super Bowl victory which the previous coach Tony Dungy couldn’t do. The Bucs with their stellar defense finished with a 12-4 regular season record and a blow out of the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Key players of their Super Bowl run were linebacker Derrick Brooks, who became a ten time Pro Bowl selection, defensive end Simeon Rice, who lead the entire NFL in sacks with a 121 among active players upon retirement in 2007, safety John Lynch, and running back Michael Pittman.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play in the NFC South with the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons. The division has been one by each team in the last five season. Since their Super Bowl victory in 2002 the Bucs have been poor to average to good but never making an significant impact within the NFC. With a NFC that had been improving with the overall quality of teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to develop and acquire talent before they revert back to an insignificant team once again.

The 1970′s were dominated by the Steelers making eight playoff appearances and winning four Super Bowls: IX, X, XIII, XIV. The Steelers were the first team to win four Super Bowls and also the first team to win back to back Super Bowls twice. Key players in the Steelers success of the 1970′s was quarterback Terry Bradshaw, wide receiver Lynn Swann, running back Franco Harris, linebacker Mean Joe Green, wide receiver John Stallworth, linebacker Jack ham, linebacker Jack Lambert and coach Chuck Noll, all members of the Hall of Fame. In total the Steelers have seventeen members in the Hall of Fame and nine of those members were on the 1970′s championship teams.

After a long drought of not making the Super Bowl, the Steelers once again returned to their past success making it to Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers lost 27-17 which was the third Super Bowl victory for the Cowboys in the previous four years. A more successful Super Bowl appearance came only nine seasons later with a Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 under coach Bill Cowher who is now retired and a NFL analyst on The NFL Today. The Steelers are tied with Dallas Cowboys, and the San Francisco 49ers with five Super Bowls each.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the working mans team, grind -out low scoring games by playing hard defense and running the ball first. Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback of the Super Bowl winning team and is one of the more productive quarterbacks in the NFL. He is the youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl and was named Rookie of Year in 2004.

The Steelers future is a bright one and hopefully for them and their fans another Super Bowl victory is not too far in the future. With the AFC being the stronger conference, the road to the Super Bowl is that much more difficult.