Key to the franchise: The NFC's most influential figures, team-by-teamJason La Canfora CBS Sports NFL InsiderJune 4, 2015 
It's the dog days of the NFL offseason, more or less, unless you are one of those people misguidedly inclined to read too much into the glorified walkthroughs known as OTAs. In which case, I probably lost you a long time ago.A year ago I gave my take right about this time on the most intriguing player in each NFL franchise as we inched closer to the start of training camp and actual NFL padded practices. This year, I'm expanding the scope of this exercise to include the most intriguing figure in any organization. It could be a coordinator, coach, owner, trainer, and well, in one instance -- in the NFC -- I'd actually go so far as to pick someone not even on the payroll at all.I started with the most intriguing figures, team-by-team, in the AFC, and now I'm tackling the 16 pivotal figures in the NFC.I wanted to go big picture here, with so many franchises undergoing macro-level issues that frankly will trump anything that any one player does for a team on the field this season. We have teams that could end up for sale, and three teams vying for two spots in Los Angeles. It's far too easy to do a list like this, in this quarterback-driven league, and end up with it overloaded with passers. I wanted to limit myself from going overboard with quarterbacks and try to approach things from a different perspective, in some cases more nuanced, perhaps. And in one case, I just had to lump a group of players together.Basically, I'm looking at individuals whose decisions and/or performance on the field or off it could go a long way toward dictating the short-term future of their franchises, if not their entire long-term prospects in the instances where franchise relocations could be involved. So here goes: The most influential figure for each team in the NFC:Dallas CowboysStephen Jones, owner: His dad, Jerry, gets all the pub, but Stephen is calling a lot of the shots now and keeping Jerry from doing some very Jerry-like things (like draft Johnny Football). Dallas is still taking risks, like signing Greg Hardy and drafting Randy Gregory, but they are much more calculated and we'll see what kind of hand the younger Jones has if adversity strikes this season (which could well be the case given the state of the running backs room, etc). If they don't retain their division title, could heads roll? Jones has been very impressive thus far, and could be the Cowboys are ushering into a new era of sorts.Washington RedskinsScot McCloughan, general manager: This franchise finally has a real football man in charge of personnel and one who won't be content to go along with whatever folly owner Dan Snyder might want to pursue. He will try to build a winner from the inside out (offensive and defensive line), incrementally, through the draft, avoiding boom-or-bust splash plays and not playing favorites. It's unlike anything we've seen before in the Snyder era since the one year Marty Schottenheimer and his personnel men had full control, and that was at the infancy of Snyder's tenure as owner. Good things might finally be ahead.Philadelphia EaglesChris Peduzzi, head trainer: It would be easy to go Chip Kelly here, and, let's face it, next to Bill Belichick I'm not sure any coach in the league has greater autonomy right now than Kelly. But he's rolling the dice on a slew of oft-injured players, including his starting quarterback, Sam Bradford. All of those innovative practice and rehab techniques better pay off, with DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, Kiko Alonso among the players who are hurt a lot or coming off major injuries right now. This medical staff is going to have to earn its paychecks.New York GiantsSteve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator: There will be much talk, again, about whether this will be it for head coach Tom Coughlin, but in the meantime Spags might be the guy to get this defense back to where it once was, or close to it. His first stint at the helm was as good as it gets, and the Giants have some pieces in place to make big strides … if they can stay healthy. The offense looks like scoring points won't be a problem, so if Spagnuolo can get them back to pummeling opposing quarterbacks and forcing turnovers, maybe this is the year the Giants get back to the postseason.Chicago BearsAdam Gase, offensive coordinator: Things didn't go as expected in terms of the head coaching possibilities, and few would have guessed back in last September that Gase would be neither a head coach nor still the Broncos offensive coordinator. Now he's united with another former Bronco, quarterback Jay Cutler, and if he can harness Cutler's ability and rid him of his mistake-prone nature (it may be far too late for anyone to accomplish that feat) then Gase might find himself poised for outside interest come January. Gase has Mike Martz, who did good work with Cutler, as a mentor and he has the kind of personality and self-belief that should resonate with Cutler, who has been a prickly figure and gone through a number of coaches.Detroit LionsHaloti Ngata, defensive lineman: The Lions lifeblood was its defensive line, anchored by Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, but both departed as free agents. The Lions swung a huge trade at the start of the league year to land Ngata, who knows key members of this staff well from time together in Baltimore. It will be an adjustment for him, but a contract extension before the season is hardly out of the question and if he can play like he did when healthy last season, Detroit's defense might not suffer much of a drop-off.Green Bay PackersJulius Peppers, outside linebacker: Peppers proved a quick study moving to a 3-4 with Green Bay last season and was huge for their pass rush, especially with linebacker Clay Matthews having to play more inside. Can he do it again, though, another year older? So much of this Green Bay roster is intact, and the Packers will be a top Super Bowl threat again. If Peppers can avoid a decline, that may go a long way to determining the outcome of the season in Green Bay.Minnesota VikingsTeddy Bridgewater, quarterback: This was all about Adrian Peterson, and his ongoing saga with the Vikings and his absence from OTAs last week and his Twitter campaign to change the nature of NFL contracts... until he showed up for work on Tuesday. His return is another asset for Bridgewater, who had a sterling rookie season and just might take a huge leap in Norv Turner's offense in Year 2, especially if guys like Peterson and tight end Kyle Rudolph can play close to a full season.Atlanta FalconsScott Pioli, assistant general manager: Pioli has clearly grown on owner Arthur Blank and assumed more power in this organization, while his close buddy, general manager Thomas Dimitroff, has faced inquiries about his job security. People will keep a close eye on their relationship and in the meantime, regardless of awkwardly worded press releases and weird press conferences, many believe Pioli could be calling the shots there in the near future. Blank is going to want major progress from a team stuck in a two-year funk, and some wonder if Pioli will be the survivor, especially at a time when team president Rick McKay is serving an NFL suspension for the illegal pumping in of crowd noise.New Orleans SaintsRita Benson, estranged former owner, granddaughter of owner Tom Benson: Benson kicked all of hi heirs, other than his current wife, more or less out of the team facility and stripped them from their role with the Saints and wants them barred for life. There are two court cases ongoing with Rita Benson, once a face of the franchise, hoping to get things reversed to how it was before Benson changed his will. Were she to somehow come out of this with control, her poisoned relationship with many of the current power figures -- Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis among them -- could chart a tremendously different course than how things currently stand. It would be not a game changer, but a franchise changer, and would most certainly lead to massive, sweeping changes though the team's ranks.Carolina PanthersOffensive tackles, collectively: Godspeed, Cam Newton. May the force be with you -- because the guys who are entrusted with protecting you leave much to be desired. Michael Oher washed out miserably with the Titans, the worst team in the NFL, and Jonathan Martin is next up on the depth chart at left tackle. Yikes. Mike Remmers and Daryl Williams are the top two guys at right tackle. This is a scary proposition, especially with Newton battered so much in recent years and now a $20-million man. Can these guys get the job done?Tampa Bay BuccaneersJameis Winston, quarterback: The first overall pick brings all that baggage, and all of that promise, from Florida State. No one will be under a bigger microscope on field and off, and we'll see what kind of infrastructure the Bucs can build around him. It takes a village. If Winston matures as expected, this could be a sign of much better times ahead. No reason to overthink this choice.Arizona CardinalsCarson Palmer, quarterback: The Cards were a legit Super Bowl threat when he was healthy, but can he get back to where he was and can he avoid another big injury? If so, you have to look at this as a young, ascending team, but anyone who watched their horrible quarterback play down the stretch and into the postseason realizes the dramatic turn for the worse that would come from Palmer not getting all the way back from his ACL, and staying there. He was getting totally comfortable in Bruce Arians' system and this may have been the best team in the league at the time of is injury.St. Louis RamsStan Kroenke, owner: If not for the NFL repeatedly holding him back he'd already be in Los Angeles, and he can't wait to have shovels in the ground in his Inglewood project. The thought of staying in St. Louis isn't one he wants to entertain, and it just might take him suing the NFL and going ahead and calling their bluff by moving his team without permission in order to get to LA. His desire cannot be understated and with Dean Spanos leading a competing bid, and Kroenke seen as a far less than sympathetic figure among many key owners, there will be no bigger storyline in all of the NFL in 2015.San Francisco 49ersColin Kaepernick, quarterback; His huge supporter, head coach Jim Harbaugh, is gone. He's in a new offense with a rookie head coach and a largely overhauled staff. And his contract is set up so that for all intents and purposes this is a make-or-break year in terms of job security. The 49ers could move on from him in 2016 without cap or cash penalty and he will enter the season under intense scrutiny from fans and the media after the 49ers offense slumped drastically in 2014 and their playoff run ended. How much he can evolve into a prototypical quarterback, and how much that's even necessary, will continue to be a subject of great debate. Seattle SeahawksMarshawn Lynch, running back: Whether he talks, or doesn't talk, whether he calls it quits after 2015, we'll certainly be talking about him, regardless. Never one to give a damn what anyone else thinks about him, Seattle rewarded him again with another new contract in the offseason aimed at keeping him as the cornerstone of their offense. That move shows a priority on keeping that run game intact, in some ways even over extending star quarterback Russell Wilson, who remains on his bare-bones rookie contract. Getting another big raise at an age in which most running backs get cut will thrust plenty of pressure back on his shoulders, not that anything has ever rattled him before. His hard-nosed approach sets the tone for their team, and if there is a third straight Super Bowl appearance you know he will have to be a big part of it.
