NFL Division Preview - NFC South

The NFC South has had some competitive years, and then some not-so-competitive years.

In the early part of the 2000's, the NFC South boasted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers, with a spunky Atlanta Falcons team. Then there were the Saints.

Now, the Saints are the defending Super Bowl Champions (You're welcome...) and look to not only defend that title, but repeat as division champions, something that they have never done in their franchise history.

1. New Orleans Saints (2009 Record: 14-2 Won Super Bowl; 2010 Prediction: 12-4)
We know what we're going to get from the New Orleans Saints...offense!!!

They have an impact player at every position on the offensive side of the ball, and it's all lead by Drew Brees. I'm not going to go Jon Gruden on this and tell you how Sean Payton is a great preparer or anything like that. I'm just going to say that this team is loaded offensively. Whether it be WR Marques Colston, RB Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush, or just Drew Brees going beast mode on the bit, the offense will be one of the best in the NFL again and will win games for this team.

But it's their defense that concerns me. Last season, the offense scored so much, it masked plenty of flaws in their defense. S Darren Sharper was great as he was finally allowed to freelance around the field after being chained up in Minnesota under Brad Childress. Alas, Sharper will only be freelancing to the water cooler the first six weeks of the season, as he was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

There are some good players on that side of the ball, like LB Jonathan Vilma and CB Tracy Porter, but the Saints will need to rely on their offense once again if they want to repeat as Super Bowl Champions.

2. Atlanta Falcons (2009 Season: 9-7 2nd NFC North; 2010 Prediction: 11-5)
SLEEPER ALERT!!!! The Falcons were able to put together back to back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history last year, but it was a lot tougher than it should have been.

Injuries crippled this team as QB Matt Ryan suffered from turf toe and RB Michael Turner battled a high ankle sprain last season. Well, now they're healthy. Ryan will be in his third year and Turner will be in his third year as a feature back with plenty of tread left on the tires. Mix in the other weapons in TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Roddy White, and the Falcons will be a team to mess with in the South.

There are holes on the defense, but if the Falcons can make up for that, watch out.

3. Carolina Panthers (2009 Season: 6-10 3rd NFC South, 2010 Prediction: 6-10)
If the Panthers are going to win, they're going to run the ball a lot. Outside of WR Steve Smith, there are no receiving options on this team and QB Matt Moore doesn't have my vote of confidence as a starter.

The Panthers are in rebuilding as they need to get some more playmakers in the receiving game and the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers also lost DE Julius Peppers to the Bears, so that will leave a huge hole.

The one thing to watch for is that John Fox is in a contract year. I wonder if that means the same for coaches that it does for players.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2009 Season: 3-13 4th NFC South; 2010 Prediction: 4-12)
The Bucs hired a young coach to replace Jon Gruden, so I think that Raheem Morris did a lot of learning on the job. The one thing he learned the most from was probably that to rebuild, you need to build through the draft. And the Bucs did that this offseason.

The Bucs filled two of their most glaring holes this offseason with their first four picks. First, they picked up DT Gerald McCoy with the 3rd pick in the draft, and then took DT Brian Price in the second round. The two should be a Williams Wall-like duo for years to come.

Then, the Bucs turned their attention to the receiving corps. WR Arrelious Benn would have been a first round pick if he had chosen a college program that could get a solid passing quarterback. He was a steal with the Bucs 3rd choice. WR Mike Williams is the same thing, except he had character issues. From what I see, there are very few receivers in the NFL who aren't headcases. Another steal.

The Bucs won't see much success this season with Josh Freeman injuring his thumb and RB Cadillac Williams' knee being a ticking time bomb, but they have laid down a solid foundation and if the rookies meet their potential sooner than later, the Bucs could get up to 6 wins by the end of the year.