NFL Divisional Predictions: NFC South

The latest installment of our 2008 NFL Divisional Predictions brings us to the NFC South.

The NFC South has been up for grabs for about the last 4 seasons now. In that period of time, the team that finished last in the division, went on to win the division the following season. And that was no different in 2007, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers bounced back from a dismal 2006 to capture the NFC South crown and march into the playoffs.

Tampa Bay showed that John Gruden can always bounce back from a bad season and lead his team into the playoffs. He took a team that was definitely in a transition stage in 2006 and turned them into a legitimate 9-7 squad with playoff potential.

The Carolina Panthers, on the other hand, proved that coach John Fox can’t bounce back from an even a mediocre season. This Panthers team severely underperformed in 2007. Granted, they had so many injury problems at the quarterback position that they had to bring in Vinny Testaverde. Nevertheless, that’s no excuse for the defense to look as bad as it did for most of the season last year.

The New Orleans Saints came into the season the favorite to win it in the NFC, and they ended the season with much lower aspirations for 2008. That said, the injuries to both Deuce McCallister and Reggie Bush probably played a role in that.

And then there was the Atlanta Falcons, whose best player was sitting in a maximum security prison for a good part of the season. Needless to say, their season was a bust.

So what’s on tap for the NFC South in 2008?

Here are my NFC South predictions and rankings:

1. New Orleans Saints (10-6) – Okay, so I am projecting the Saints to go 10-6 after saying they left last season with little to aspire to. The only way I can justify that is to say that I think this is a very soft division. Well, this is a very soft division, and frankly, there is no better offensive team in this division, and maybe the entire NFC conference, when this team is playing at its best. Sure, Deuce is coming off an injury, and Bush doesn’t play too well without Deuce at his best, but McAllister should come around by mid-season, and that will make all the difference in the world in 2008. And for those of you who think that my prediction isn’t reliable because of the Saints defense, think again. The Saints picked up Jonathan Vilma from the New York Jets and Sederick Ellis, the defensive tackle out of USC.

2. Carolina Panthers (9-7) – If the Carolina Panthers can get past those first couple of weeks of the season without suspended wide receiver Steve Smith, they might just see the other side of a .500 record. Whether that’s good enough to make the playoffs are not, I’m not sure yet. However, they have always been a team with the talent to make the playoffs. They have one of the best defensive lines in football, anchored by superstar Julius Peppers. But the defensive line drastically underperformed last year by not producing sacks and giving up the 18th most rushing yards in the NFL. Every team that made the playoffs gave up fewer yards on the ground than the Panthers. So they’ll need to address that this year if they want to the make the post-season, and I think they did. They added some depth to their defensive line and Dan Connor should make a difference at linebacker. Offensively, it really all comes down to the quarterback, Jake Delhomme. If he is healthy and plays the position the way he is capable of, the offense can be one of the most efficient ones in the NFL. Because they definitely have the running game with DeAngelo Williams and rookie J. Stewart, and the passing game is there with Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith. So the offense truly rest on whether or not Delhomme can shoulder the load.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) – Everyone talks about the Buccaneers as if they were that good last season, when the truth is they finished with a meager 9-7 record. Sure they made the playoffs, but they were quickly dismissed by the New York Giants. The truth is, they were nothing more than what essentially amounts to a .500 team, and they are pretty much the same squad this year, except they have a much tougher schedule after finishing in first place last season. Not to mention, they are a team that continues to get older on both sides of the ball. Who knows if the aging Jeff Garcia and the 36-year old Joey Galloway can hold up all season long. And that defense is full of aging players like Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks and Kevin Carter. Nevertheless, these aging veterans are good players, and should they be on the field for most of the season, this is a .500 ball club.

4. Atlanta Falcons (3-13) – Maybe I’m crazy for thinking that the Atlanta Falcons will actually win 3 games. With no Michael Vick, the departure of Alge Crumpler, and a very questionable hiring at the head coach position, I can’t foresee this team having any real shot at winning any games this season. Picking up Michael Turner to play running back was a nice addition, and getting S. Baker, the offensive tackle out of USC, was a great draft pick, but neither of those guys can be difference makers with a rookie quarterback in Matt Ryan running the offense. Not to mention the defense, which just got ran through last year, finishing 29th in yards allowed. Yeah, this team will have its struggles, for maybe the next 2 or 3 seasons. I guess I gave them three wins because they tend to play hard at the Georgia Dome, where they knocked off some pretty good teams last season. Maybe lightning can strike twice, no?

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