NFC South

This division seems to always underachieve. A few years back, each of these teams could have been considered playoff contenders. Now, were not sure if any of them deserve playoff spots. Well, at least thats what most people think. The Saints and the Bucs both have playoff hopes this season, I think, and the Saints are going to return to New Orleans with the consolation prize of the NFC Champions title after losing in the Super Bowl to the Browns. But, lets see why, and also look at the other teams:
New Orleans Saints-This team was only bad last year because of devastating injuries. This year, they should be back and ready to go in a big way. Two notable additions-Jonothan Vilma. He immediately makes a slightly below average linebacking unit into a very good unit, and he should be among the team leaders in tackles. The overall defense improves because of him. Im not saying that it will be an elite unit, maybe not even a good unit, but it will be an improved unit, improved enough to help what should be a dominant offense. Part of that offense is the other newcomer-Jeremy Shockey. Yes, hes a mouth, but hes a very talented mouth, and he can be the second option that Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and Marques Colston has been looking for. Pressure goes off of all of them because defenses have to account for Shockey. Oh, and dont forget Deuce McAllister. He is always injury prone, but when hes in the game, he is still a better rusher than Reggie Bush, and defenses know that. Drew Brees has the tools in place to put up MVP numbers this season. This season is going to come down to a square off with the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game. Just you watch.
Tampa Bay Buccanneers-This team is still all about defense. I like the Aqib Talib pick. He wont start, but hell contribute. Gaines Adams continued development should be fun to watch. The rest of the defense just works together as a strong unit, and it will be enough to give them a chance at a playoff spot in the weak NFC. The offense leaves much to be desired. There are about a trillion quarterbacks on this team, but not one of them is Pro Bowl level. I know thats a lot to ask, but thats almost whats necessary to win in this league. There isnt anybody to pass to, anyway, I suppose. Earnest Graham was another one of those weird backs who game out of nowhere last year to do freaksihly well (a la Ryan Grant, Ahmad Bradshaw). He should continue to do well this year, as well. But, if this teams really wants to be in the playoffs and not just a contender, the passing game will need to improve rapidly.
Carolina Panthers-Other than a strong draft, which brought in Jonothan Davis and Jeff Otah, who both will see significant playing time with Otah starting, this team doesnt have much going for them. I never know what to expect from Delhomme. He can look like an MVP at times, and worse than Rex Grossman and Kyle Boller put together at others. The O-line is good, but Im not sure what to expect from the running game at this point. DeAngelo Williams has never really gotten starters minutes, and while I like Jonothan Stewart, hes not going to be Adrian Peterson. Steve Smith is great, but he seems injury prone to me, and also kind of streaky. If he has an "on" season-lookout. But if not, he can look quite average. D.J. Hacket can be a nice speed guy, and Muhsin Muhammad is a nice possesion guy, so I suppose as a group they are nice, but Im not buying it with Delhomme at QB. I dont know what to expect from the defense, either. On paper, they should be pretty good, but this is basically the same roster as last season, defensively, and they werent too great. So I dont know. What I do know is that when this many things are uncertain, you certainly are not going to the playoffs.
Atlanta Falcons-A clear rebuilding year as this team tries to recover from the Mike Vick incident and the coaching debacle all at once. The future looks ok, though, with Matt Ryan at the helm, but even he knows that its not meant for this year. Weve been waiting around a long time for Roddy White and Mike Jenkins to develop, so Im not sure that that is going to happen. Maybe they could look into that next year. Another new face is Michael Turner, who could be the feature RB in Atlanta for a long time, and do a good job at it, might I add. Defensively, a lot is left to be desired. The unit shouldnt be the worst in the league with Jonothan Abraham and Keith Brooking on it, but its not a playoff caliber defense.
Tomorrow we will look at the last division in the league, the NFC West. Can you feel the excitement? We get to look at the up-tempo Cardinals, and then the always boring Seahawks. We also get to talk about some Quarterbacks who might end up living the life of Joey Harrington (Alex Smith, Matt Leinart).

Blessings:
Extra credit opportunities. Even in the real world, sometimes you just get some opportunities to get yourself ahead, and thats always nice.