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{mosimage}While the New Orleans Saints remain the team to beat in the NFC South, the rest of the division will need to play some serious catch-up.


Before the 2006 season began, there weren’t too many people that expected the Saints to be any good. By the end of January, New Orleans was in the NFC Championship. Head Coach Sean Payton heads into his second season with an elite NFL quarterback and a dangerous running back duo. The Saints are hoping that they can get beyond the championship and head out to Arizona, the home of Super Bowl XLII.

The rest of the NFC South is way behind and must be much more competitive than they were in 2006 if they want to reach the NFC Playoffs. Michael Vick’s alleged involvement in the dog fighting scandal has left the Atlanta Falcons in a bad situation (recently, Commissioner Roger Goodell banned Vick from the Falcons training camp). Without their star QB and perhaps the best player on the team, it’s hard to believe that Atlanta will be any good this season, especially with Joey Harrington as the possible starter. The Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have issues at the QB position. While the Cardiac Cats have a rapid declining Delhomme at the helm, the Bucs are gearing up for a major quarterback controversy.

Will the New Orleans Saints remain the team to beat in the south and will any of the other three teams make a serious run for the playoffs?

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Atlanta Falcons

Michael Vick’s absence from training camp is huge news around the NFL and very bad news for the Falcons. Joey Harrington will most likely take the bulk of the snaps with the first-team offense. He’ll have the opportunity to get acquainted with receiver Joe Horn, who comes from New Orleans. Horn is not the receiver he used to be, but considering the lack of production Atlanta had last season from their receivers, Horn is a huge upgrade.

Bobby Petrino, the new head coach of the Falcons, has brought some order to a club that seemed to lack discipline last year. It will be interesting to see how he handles the Vick situation during training camp. It will also be a huge task for Petrino to uplift the defense that underachieved in 2006, especially in the passing game.

 Prediction: The Falcons went 7-9 in 2006 with Vick under the center. What do you think will happen to Atlanta if Joey Harrington is the starting QB for the entire season? Yes, Joe Horn is an upgrade at receiver and Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood make a formidable duo in the backfield. I just don’t think they will be too competitive with Harrington as the QB. 2007 maybe another 7-9 season for the Falcons.  

New Orleans Saints

The Saints had the number one ranked offense in 2006. Drew Brees will be looking to duplicate the 4,000+ passing yards and 26 touchdowns he produced last year. He has the weapons to do so with Marques Colston and rookie receiver Robert Meacham. Running back Reggie Bush is also a major option in the passing game, catching 88 passes last season. Bush will also split time with Deuce McAllister who was dominant last season.

The Saints defense is stout against the pass, but will need to step up against the rush in this year. Will Smith was the sack leader of the defense with 10.5. Linebackers Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle are tackling machines. The secondary will be slightly revamped this season with the additions of safety Kevin Kaesviharn and cornerback Jason David. The Saints are hoping that the new additions can step in and keep this unit solid in 2007.

 Prediction: The Saints are the team to be in the NFC South this season. They are the most talented team among the four on both defense and offense. New Orleans won 10 games in 2006, and should have similar results this season.

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Carolina Panthers

The Panthers believe they can rebound from a disappointing 8-8 year in 2006. Only two starters from last season will not be on the squad in 2007, which is pretty positive and shows continuity. Steve Smith is one of the leagues dangerous receivers and the Panthers will do all they can to keep feeding him the rock. The risk taking Jake Delhomme is the starting QB when the season starts, but head coach John Fox brought in David Carr (formerly of Houston) as insurance. Julius Peppers and the defensive line remains the strength of the defense, but Carolina hopes that Mike Rucker and Kris Jenkins can make more of an impact to free up Peppers. The Secondary is also pretty solid. Chris Gamble, Richard Marshall, and Ken Lucas are a strong cornerback trio that should remain pretty solid this year.

 Prediction: Carolina may be strong enough to compete against the Saints this year if they are able to bounce back from a disappointing 2006 season. The Panthers win 9-10 games in 2007 and possibly sneak into the playoffs.  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Head Coach Jon Gruden is on the hot seat after having losing seasons in three of the last four seasons. Gruden is so desperate that he will make the Bucs training camp a QB tryout session. Jeff Garcia, Chris Simms, Jake Plummer (if he doesn’t decide to retire), and Bruce Gradkowski will all be competing for the starting job. As of right now, Garcia will be the starter when the season starts.

The rest of the team is filled with some old and savvy veterans who may have seen their best days on the field already. The defense will continue to be led by Derrick Brooks until he retires. Simeon Rice hopes to return this season after a shoulder injury ended his 2006 season. If healthy, Rice will boost the play of the line that struggled a lot last year.

 Prediction: The Buccaneers should see some improvement on offense with Garcia as the starter, but this team still has too many holes to be a serious contender. Jon Gruden may be out of Tampa by the end of the season.