NFC South Preview

Kickoff to the 2011 NFL regular season is a week away, and who better to break down the league division by division than us.........OK, who better to break down the league, division by division, better than us besides ESPN, NFL.com, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News......you get the point.

Look, you're here for a reason so, for the next week leading up to Packers-Saints from Lambeau Field, I'm going to give you my take on how I think each division will shake out by season's end. Today, it's what I think is the most intriguing division in football: The NFC South.

Enjoy!

1. New Orleans Saints

What I like: A team that couldn't run the ball and struggled to get a pass rush went hard in the draft and locked down another Heisman Trophy-winning running back(since we all know how the last one panned out) in Alabama bruiser Mark Ingram and made another solid pick in Cal defensive end Cameron Jordan. With the lockout robbing rookies of precious practice time, it's hard to project how this year's freshman will fare but Ingram is getting a lot of ROTY love and Jordan was considered by some to be the best pass-rushing end in the draft. What I really liked were the sneaky free agent signings N'Awlins made in the abbreviated offseason. Former Chargers scat back Darren Sproles not only offers a nice change of pace to physical backs like Ingram and Pierre Thomas but is a dynamo in the return game, as proven throughout his career in San Diego. He's a healthier, more productive Reggie Bush(who was dealt to Miami). The team also improved its already solid offensive line with Pro Bowl center Olin Kruetz. Sure, it was hard to recognize Kruetz's all-world talent as a member of Chicago's swiss cheese O-line last year but he's the goods when he's healthy. The signing(or signings) I liked the most though came on the defensive line. Former Brown/Lion Shaun Rogers is a monster on the interior and, unlike in past years, he'll get some extra air thanks to the presence of fellow fresh face Aubreyo Franklin(signed away from San Francisco). Franklin and Rogers(which sounds like a way better TV show than "Franklin and Bash") will team with former first rounder Sedrick Ellis as well as Jordan and Pro Bowler Will Smith to give the Saints the best defensive line its had in years.

Still not impressed? Well, their quarterback is still Drew Brees. Perhaps you've heard of him. And he's a mortal lock for 4,000 yards and 30 TDs in this explosive offense. Also, study up on the name "Jimmy Graham". You'll be hearing it a lot this year.

What I don't like: The new and improved D-line is going to have to make up for the lack of talent in the secondary. Cornerback Tracy Porter is best known for his theatrics in the postseason during New Orleans' Super Bowl run two years ago but he's hardly a shutdown corner. The other members in the defensive backfield aren't awe-inspiring either. Former Buckeye Malcolm Jenkins is the heir apparent to Darren Sharper at free safety but he has the tendency to get burnt crispy on deep passes. Strong safety Roman Harper can thump with the best of them but we saw in the Wild Card game against Seattle that he can miss some tackles....and Jabari Greer? Please.

Bottom line: With all the hype thrown at the defending champs in Green Bay and an Eagles team that has signed everyone short of T.O., people have forgotten about the Saints. That will be at their own peril. Tradition tells us that being able to dominate on both sides of the trenches is the key to success. It also helps if you have one of the best offenses in the country, as we saw with the Packers last year. The Saints are the team to beat in the South and, in my opinion, the road to Indy comes through Bourbon Street this year.

2. Atlanta Falcons

What I like: Like New Orleans, Atlanta can sling it with the best of them and they have good balance on offense with the powerful Michael Turner at running back. Making that offense even more deadly is the addition of former Alabama standout wide receiver Julio Jones, whom the team traded everything short of stock in Home Depot to move up and get on Draft Day. Jones and Pro Bowler Roddy White as well as future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is an embarrassment of riches for QB Matt Ryan, who is steadily creeping into Brady-Rodgers-Manning territory as one of the game's elite passers. Offensively, this could be the second coming of "The Greatest Show On Turf".

What I don't like: Defensively, however, we could be seeing a lot of shootouts in the A-T-L. The Falcons signed Ray Edwards away from Minnesota to tag team with John Abraham and give Atlanta the pass rush that they were sorely lacking when Green Bay came into the Georgia Dome and lit them up like the Christmas tree outside Rockefeller Center. Still, Edwards is hardly a proven commodity. His best performances came two years ago during the Vikings' magical postseason run that was stopped dead in its tracks by Brett Favre and his usual gambling act. Beyond those two, the Falcons have a couple stars but no standouts. MLB Curtis Lofton may be the best linebacker you're not talking about, but he's more a tackle machine than a game changer. Dunta Robinson isn't a lockdown-type corner. He's just paid like one. Brent Grimes is a decent young corner but the team is still thin in the secondary, which puts them behind the 8-ball in a conference that has Philly, Green Bay and New Orleans slinging it all over the field.

Bottom line: Experience gives Atlanta the edge over everyone's sexy pick in Tampa Bay but if the Falcons are the Super Bowl contender everyone thought they were last year when they locked down the #1 seed in the NFC, they need to show they can stop teams as well as they score on them. I'm not convinced they can do that and if the Bucs can sure further maturation, this will be a down year for the Dirty Birds. Offensively, they'll be as good as anyone but what happens when defenses figure out Ryan and company and the Falcons have to make a stop? My guess is, they'll be on the short end of the stick. For now though, I'll give them the two spot and a real chance at a Wild Card berth.

3. Tampa Bay Bucs

What I like: Two words. Josh Freeman. In his first real season as a starter, all J-Fresh(as he's known to me and only me) did was complete 62% of his passes, throw for 3,500 yards and 25 TD's and win me a couple fantasy football leagues. Oh, and did I mention he did this with two rookies as his starting wideouts and another rookie(an undrafted rookie by the name of LaGarrette Blount) as his lead back? This year, nobody's sleeping on the Bucs. Freeman, Blount and second-year man Mike Williams form an impressive young trio on offense and TE Kellen Winslow Jr. is a force when healthy, which is almost never but still. Defensively, the team is reaping the benefits of solid drafting. After doubling up on defensive tackles last year in the form of Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, the Bucs went back to the defensive line well in DE's Adrian Clayborn and Da'Quan Bowers. Bowers was projected to be the #1 overall pick in this past year's Draft before questions about his knees surfaced and forced him to drop to Round 2 and my buddy Carlos has raised his blood sugar exponentially by drinking the Kool-Aid on Clayborn. Beyond that front four, rookie MLB Mason Foster looks like a keeper and play-making corner Aqib Talib dodged a bullet(pun intended) by avoiding suspension on a weapons charge beef. On paper, the Bucs are young and scary.

What I don't like: On paper, the Bucs are YOUNG and scary. We've seen young teams crumble when they finally get a taste of the spotlight and can't sneak up on opponents anymore. Beyond Ronde Barber and maybe Winslow, the team has no seasoned veterans. Even head coach Raheem Morris(who I would have bet my life was gonna get canned last year) is a baby compared to his coaching peers. How will they handle pressure? How did the lockout affect them? What can we expect from Freeman in Year 2? Or Blount, for that matter? There's plenty of questions on this youthful Bucs team. Talent-wise, they can win this division, but it's a matter of being proven and that's where I pump the brakes on the bandwagon.

Bottom line: The hype machine has quelled the fire of many young teams who proved to be not quite ready for primetime. We saw this with the Browns during the Derek Anderson/Braylon Edwards years. We've seen it with the Texans. Hell, we even saw it with the Packers teams during the first couple years under Aaron Rodgers. The target is on the backs of these young Bucs and they've looked Muhammad Ali shaky(I know, I know, harsh) in the preseason. Everything fell into place for them last season but that kind of luck doesn't strike twice in consecutive years. The case can be made that Tampa Bay was hurt the worst by the lockout. Freeman will take the next step and prove to be Big Ben 2.0 but I'm not ready to push my chips to the middle of the table on his comrades. Blount needs to learn how to pass block and be an every-down back and Arrellious Benn, the team's 2nd rounder last year, needs to emerge to take pressure off Williams. The Bucs will be fun, but it remains to be seen if they'll be successful.

4. Carolina Panthers

What I like: I love the swagger, personality and promise of #1 overall pick Cam Newton. I just didn't love the idea of giving up on Jimmy Clausen after less than a full season and selecting another project at QB, especially when the more pro-ready Andrew Luck will be available next year. I'm either further against the idea of giving Newton the keys to the offense in Year 1 when he's been inconsistent, at best, in the preseason. Whatever sells tickets, I guess. So what do I like about Carolina? Well, the DeAngelo Williams-Jonathan Stewart speed-power combo is back to tote the rock for the Panthers and take pressure off Cam-Cam. Steve Smith, who was trying his best to leave subtle hints that he wants out of Carolina, is back to be the #1 wideout yet again. The most intriguing weapons for Newton will come at tight end, where the team signed former Pro Bowler Jeremy Shockey and traded for ex-Bear Greg Olsen. Olsen's already proven to be the steadier of the two, which will be great when Shockey breaks his leg in Week 2. Defensively, the team spent the money it wouldn't give Julius Peppers a year ago and overpaid Charles Johnson and his one big season. The team also brought back linebacker Thomas Davis, who missed all of last season due to injury. The defense will be improved under new head coach Ron Rivera, even if they won't be well-known.

What I don't like: As I mentioned before, I'm not crazy about Newton starting from Week 1 but Clausen has done nothing to make believers out of his doubters and may eventually cost Mel Kiper Jr. a large amount of respect for going all-in on the former Irish QB last year. The defense, especially in a division with three very good offenses, is going to get beat a lot, especially since the offense won't keep them off the field very long. It also doesn't help matters that the team's four biggest playmakers(Williams, Stewart, Smith and Shockey) aren't very durable. For all the potential Newton possesses, there's a chance that this team is WORSE than last year's 2-14 campaign. The secondary is ho-hum and, while Jon Beason is a stud at MLB, he's the only guy on this defense you could give that distinction and the lockout kept Rivera from really giving this team the coach-up job it would need to be less of a disaster out there.

Bottom line: Last season was an ugly one for the Panthers and this season will be significantly uglier if the team flops again and it sits at the top of the Draft in April staring at Andrew Luck having already spent two high picks on QBs in two years. Newton will dazzle at times and disappoint elsewhere. He's coming from a flash-card offense at Auburn to having to learn the pro game with almost no offseason to practice. If the aforementioned core four stay healthy, the Panthers can put up some points but that's a big if. More likely, the team will struggle in Year 1 of the Newton/Rivera Era, trade Smith midseason and pray to God that another team plays worse than them so they aren't having to trade out of the top spot and become forever known as "The Team That Passed On Andrew Luck Because It Took Its QB A Year Too Early". If you thought Hurricane Irene devastated the Carolinas this past week, then you better buckle up for the next natural disaster to hit Charlotte: The 2011 Panthers.