As we approach the start of official training camp, it’s a great time to take an early look at how the 2010 schedule might play out. Here’s a peek at how things might play out in the NFC.

NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
In the most wide open division in football, the 49ers appear to have the edge, mainly because it’s difficult to anticipate what’s going to happen in Arizona after the Cardinals lost three of their best players; linebacker Karlos Dansby, wideout Anquan Boldin and quarterback Kurt Warner all left the Cardinals this offseason. The Seahawks and Rams are building in the right direction but are not contenders this season, as both have either holes or tremendous inexperience at the quarterback position. This leaves the door open for the 49ers, who made some strides last season and finished 8-8. It seems that quarterback Alex Smith finally has Viagra Professional a grasp of an NFL offense and has weapons to throw to in Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree and Ted Ginn Jr., which should help them to improve to 10-6 or 11-5. Realistically, 9-7 could even win the division.

NFC South: New Orleans Saints
This one is kind of a no-brainer. After winning the Super Bowl, the Saints have all the momentum in the world to go with plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Drew Brees has so many weapons that even offensive guru Sean Payton doesn’t know what to do with all of them and there really isn’t another team that seems ready to compete. The Falcons are potentially the team to step up, but a lot rides on Matt Ryan having a bounce-back season following his sophomore slump. This could be the easiest division in the league to call, with the Saints coasting to another division title and probably a first-round bye.

NFC North: Green Bay Packers
Despite severe problems on the offensive line, quarterback Aaron Rodgers still made the Packers one of the best offenses in the league last season and helped them win 11 games. The Packers do have a legitimate contender in Minnesota, however, and the victor probably will have to win 12 or even 13 games to take down the division. Vikings quarterback Brett Favre’s health is still somewhat of an issue and Rodgers gives them an edge in this category going into the season. The other teams in the division also don’t have the talent to compete, as both the Lions and Bears seem to be a year away at best from competing for a playoff spot. This one should go down to the wire, but it seems that the Packers have the edge.

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys
This is another difficult division to anticipate, though the Cowboys seem to clearly have the most overall talent. The Cowboys won the division and even a playoff game last season and seem to have only gotten stronger with the addition of first-rounder Dez Bryant to an already good corps of wideouts. With all things considered, quarterback Tony Romo appears poised for a career season, which would sell plenty of NFL tickets. The Redskins should be better with Donovan McNabb but their franchise is in a precarious position after the trouble with defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth this offseason. With the Eagles turning over the franchise to unproven quarterback Kevin Kolb, it’s unclear whether or not they can compete and the New York Giants don’t seem to have done enough in the offseason to compete for the division with the Cowboys.

Wild Card: Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings
The Falcons have a nice nucleus of offensive talent with quarterback Matt Ryan, wideout Roddy White and running back Michael Turner, which will be difficult to overcome in the NFC. Having the Rams on their schedule twice also doesn’t hurt and a season in the 10 to 11 range seems very doable in 2010. Like the Falcons, the Vikings also have one of the weaker teams in the division to play twice this season in the Detroit Lions. Between the Vikings and Packers, it seems that whichever team loses the division should still have enough wins to slide comfortably into a Wild Card slot. The Giants and Eagles will also likely be in the playoff hunt but play in strong overall divisions, which will make it tough for either team to get in.

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