ESPN.com: NFL - NFC final report card

In a perfect bell-curve configuration, one in which the "A" and "B" grades precisely matched the number of "D" and "F" grades and the "C" level was most prominent, there proved to be more underachievers than anticipated in the senior conference. Teams that were bad, for the most part, stayed bad. Teams that were good maintained their momentum, and a few even improved.

But teams whose seasons were hanging in the balance entering the final month of the season too often faltered. Those franchises included New Orleans, Atlanta and Washington -- clubs that were poised to make a playoff stretch run. There may have been, in fact, no larger underachiever this year than the Saints.

Buried by their ability to approximate the lofty expectations with which the entered the season, the Saints saw one of the biggest dropoffs in the final grading period. That they finished with a "D" grade was as much a function of the team losing its focus as it was losing games. Quite frankly, the Saints quit in December.

Here's a look at the final grades:

Arizona Cardinals (7-9)
The Valley of the Sun's pro football team no longer operates in a total eclipse, thanks to a terrific (if underappreciated) salvage job by coach Dave McGinnis. The Cardinals won five of their last eight games, developed young talent -- such as wide receiver David Boston, offensive guard Leonard Davis, and offensive tackle L.J. Shelton -- and demonstrated a lot more grit and gumption than Arizona teams of the past. Quarterback Jake Plummer reduced his interception ratio considerably and, under the tutelage of quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst and coordinator Rich Olson, became more than just a freelance artist. Even more remarkable was the mostly-solid play of a defense that sustained injuries to key performers early in the season but which refused to make excuses and played hard almost every time out. The future isn't quite as bright as the desert sun, but at least now there is a future.
Grade: C-minus.

Atlanta Falcons (7-9)
With a three-game winning streak and a 6-4 record at the end of November, the Falcons were poised for a playoff run, facing two straight home games against division rivals. But they were drilled by St. Louis (as always anymore) and New Orleans, those losses commencing a stretch run in which the team lost five of its final six games. The running game was non-existent with Maurice Smith averaging 2.2 yards per carry, and the play-calling was inexplicable at times, no more so than in a 21-14 defeat at Miami that eliminated the Falcons from playoff contention. Now the franchise faces an offseason of change, with new owner Arthur Blank scheduled to assume control on Feb 2, and some front office changes likely. The biggest question: Is it time to turn the quarterback job over to Michael Vick, seemingly the one person in town capable of generating interest in this moribund franchise?
Grade: D-plus.

Carolina Panthers (1-15)
There's no palatable way to evaluate a campaign that included one victory, a league-record 15-game losing streak, offensive and defensive units that finished dead last in the league statistically and the Monday dismissal of a onetime Super Bowl champion head coach. The Panthers are in a dizzying downward spiral, not just as a team but as a franchise, and owner Jerry Richardson has to hit a grand slam with his choice of the next coach. The only upside to this dismal campaign is that Carolina played so many youngsters, including rookie quarterback Chris Weinke, that the kids should benefit from the experience. But Weinke seemed to regress over the final month, and there is no rock-solid assurance that he is the guy who can stabilize the offense. The overall talent level is poor and the next Carolina coach will need the patience of Job for what will be massive rebuilding.
Grade: F.

Chicago Bears (13-3)
After a team finishes with the second-best record in football, one might think most of the team's skeptics would have disappeared by now. There is, however, the lingering suspicion that Da Bears aren't quite as good as their record and that they still are deficient. That said, it is difficult to identify an area where Chicago is glaringly lacking, although the offense still needs to get more vertical. By earning a first-round bye, though, the Bears will benefit from being able to play their brand of football for at least one game at Soldier Field before possibly having to go on the road (likely to St. Louis) for the conference championship game. The Bears validate the notion that, in the NFL, chemistry is an undervalued commodity. This is a well-coached team, one in which the players seem to like each other and where, except for two losses to Green Bay, challenges have consistently been met.
Grade: A-minus.

Dallas Cowboys (5-11)
Can a team win only five games, lose in the season finale to a dismal Detroit bunch and still be viewed as an overachiever? In the case of the Cowboys, who weren't supposed to win more than three or four games, according to the pundits, the answer is a resounding yes. In the midst of a dramatic refurbishing effort that will continue for some time, some Dallas youngsters played even better than Jerry Jones might have anticipated. And a handful of veterans (tailback Emmitt Smith, strong safety Darren Woodson, offensive guard Larry Allen) demonstrated there is still enough residual pride left over to make a difference. The key to how quickly the Cowboys take the next step forward is at quarterback, where Dallas started four different signal-callers in '01, but where second-round draft choice Quincy Carter displayed much physical potential in the final month. Give the 'boys credit for not plummeting to rock bottom this year.
Grade: C-minus.

Detroit Lions (2-14)
When about the only good news is that a team avoided finishing with the NFL's worst record, using a victory in the finale to reach that dubious distinction, there isn't much positive that can be wrought from the campaign. There were times it appeared that the new management team of general manager Matt Millen and head coach Marty Mornhinweg was in over its head and, more often than not, the players were barely treading water this season. Can the Lions look back on an epidemic of injuries, especially in the secondary and at linebacker, as a partial explanation for their woes? Certainly that element was a factor. But the fact Detroit lost nine games by eight points or less, including seven by five points or fewer, is as much an indictment as a rallying point for the future. Like a lot of teams in the same predicament, the Lions have to solidify the quarterback position in the offseason.
Grade: F.

Green Bay Packers (12-4)
In 13 of the previous 15 years, a dozen victories would be enough to claim the NFC Central crown, but the Packers' 12 wins in 2001 earned the club only a wild-card spot. Green Bay remains an excellent team, one capable of wreaking havoc in the playoffs and perhaps advancing to the conference title game, but there remains a troublesome component here. Both times the Packers defeated eventual division champion Chicago, they followed up with inexplicable losses to Atlanta and Tennessee. For whatever reason, the same Packers team that can rise to the occasion is also capable of playing down to the level of the competition. The defense is dented by injuries going into the playoffs, and the offense goes somnambulant on too many occasions. Green Bay certainly has the talent to go deep into the playoffs, and just enough inconsistency to get bounced from the postseason too early.
Grade: B-plus.

Minnesota Vikings (5-11)
The longtime inequities of the Minnesota salary cap structure, the continuing bent toward ignoring the defense and trying to use duct tape and bailing wire on that unit, and the obvious lack of discipline on and off the field finally caught up to the Vikings and ultimately cost head coach Dennis Green his job. Certainly this team had some built-in and legitimate excuses for its dismal performance, notably the training-camp death of offensive tackle Korey Stringer and the unexpected retirement of tailback Robert Smith last spring. But a team known primarily for its explosive offense imploded in 2001, brought down by its own inherent selfishness and Green's inability to control prima donnas. Whoever succeeds Green as coach faces the difficult task of rebuilding a shoddy defense and the even more daunting responsibility of dealing with brilliant but flawed wide receiver Randy Moss.
Grade: D.

New Orleans Saints (7-9)
The season began with high expectations for a team coming off only the second NFC West title of its existence, a victory over the despised St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2000 playoffs. But it ended with the Saints lower than the sea-level markers along the mighty Mississippi River. That the Saints surrendered an average of 40 points in the final four games and lost all four by an average of 27 points is a glaring indictment of both the players and the coaches. In short, this club quit down the stretch, and that doesn't bode well for the future of the tag-team tandem of general manager Randy Mueller and head coach Jim Haslett. The lack of offensive consistency all year probably means that last season's whiz kid, coordinator Mike McCarthy, won't be getting as many phone calls from teams seeking to make a head coaching change. Owner Tom Benson isn't a happy man these days.
Grade: D.

New York Giants (7-9)
The brief mid-December rally, in which quarterback Kerry Collins led the Giants to a pair of comeback victories and catapulted the club back into the playoff chase, served to camouflage some of New York's shortcomings. It was followed, of course, by losses in the last two games, which left the defending NFC champions out of luck and out of the playoffs. There simply aren't enough playmakers, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and tailback Tiki Barber, for all his versatility, can't do everything. Collins answered some of the criticisms late in the season, but New York's brass really needs to add a big-play deep threat at wide receiver. In general, this is a team in need of speed, offensively and defensively. Cornerback Jason Sehorn might have to switch to safety to extend his career, and linebacker Jessie Armstead could be gone if he doesn't agree to a significant salary reduction.
Grade: C.

Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
That the Eagles actually played to win in Sunday night's meaningless game at Tampa Bay, and that veterans were legitimately excited by the comeback victory, indicates the new and burgeoning state of maturity Philadelphia is demonstrating heading into the playoffs. The key, as always for the Eagles, is quarterback Donovan McNabb, whose coming of age might have occurred in the Dec. 30 victory over the Giants. That said, the Eagles will advance deep into the playoffs only if they resurrect their comatose rushing attack. There are some people in the Philadelphia locker room who insist that rookie Correll Buckhalter should get the start in the playoffs over Duce Staley, who has been more productive as a receiver than a feature back. It seems like the Eagles, who have almost every starter under contract for beyond 2002, are a year away from galvanizing into a legitimate Super Bowl threat.
Grade: B-minus.

St. Louis Rams (14-2)
What makes them the overwhelming favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and probably to win a second title in three seasons, isn't their explosive offense but rather the NFL's most improved defensive unit. First-year coordinator Lovie Smith orchestrated a truly superb rebuilding job in only one year. And while the Rams seemed to erode physically down the stretch, a bye week and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs should help re-energize a tired, battered defense. As has been the case all year, the only team likely to beat the Rams is the Rams themselves, and the odds of that occurring have been reduced as coach Mike Martz has started to emphasize the importance of fewer turnovers. St. Louis isn't the perfect team, but it is about as close as it gets in the NFL, and the Rams have the game's premier performer. Tailback Marshall Faulk is a man nearly impossible to stop right now.
Grade: A.

San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
A team probably one full year ahead of the learning curve in terms of total development, and the 2001 season laid a solid foundation for the 49ers' return to glory, with an offense that moves the ball every week and a fast-emerging defense. Coach Steve Mariucci and his staff did one of the best overall jobs in the league this season and, save for the flare-ups by immature wide receiver Terrell Owens, there was virtually clear sailing. If the 49ers have any problems, they are off-field issues of control and credit, but those elements should not carry over to the playing field. San Francisco blew home-field advantage with a Dec. 30 loss to Dallas and now must play at Green Bay on Sunday, a hardly inviting task. A loss would be disappointing, for sure, but it wouldn't overshadow the fact San Francisco has worked its way back to a perch among the NFL's elite teams.
Grade: B-plus.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
Even more so than the old Soviet Union during the Cold War era, this team is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma ... well, you know the reference, history buffs. The team that is supposed to have Super Bowl talent, a club defensive tackle Warren Sapp allowed should be dismantled if it didn't advance to the Super Bowl this season, probably will fall short again of the title game. That could mean the dismissal of coach Tony Dungy, even if many of the players suggested Sunday night that they want him back. The overriding problem for the Bucs is that they were once again an unproductive offensive team, one that moved the ball between the 20-yard lines but didn't cash in on enough drives. But this year there were problems with the defense as well, principally an inconsistent pass rush and down years by some top-notch players who didn't perform up to reputation.
Grade: C.

Washington Redskins (8-8)
The five-game losing streak that kicked off the season, even though it was nullified by a five-game winning skein, set the unfortunate tone for the campaign. And it was sort of symbolic of a Washington team with decent talent but too many holes in key spots, notably at the quarterback position. In truth, the Redskins were neither as bad as that 0-5 start nor as good as the incredible reversal that followed it, and the fact Washington finished 8-8 defines a team that is relatively mediocre. The failure to qualify for the playoffs probably signals front office changes and the re-emergence of owner Dan Snyder, who wants at least his partial fingerprints on the team again after sitting quietly on the sideline this year. It could also mean the departure after just one season of coach Marty Schottenheimer, who might balk at Snyder's plans to hire a general manager.
Grade: C-minus.