This is the seventh post of a two-week series I will be doing, discussing every team by division and how I see their 2008 NFL season playing out. Today, we are discussing the NFC South division, which is populated by the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Let’s get started!

New Orleans Saints
The Saints are undoubtedly and undeniably the favorite to win the division this season. They did so much to increase their offense and defense this off-season. We’ll get to that in a moment.
Drew Brees was the offense’s most consistent and productive player last season. Now, he has all of his targets, and then some, all 100% healthy and ready to go. Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister will both be solid, but I think they will contribute most of their game in different ways.
I expect Bush to line up in the receiver slot, or as a receiver out of the backfield, where he can maneuver around defenders and should get 500+ yards receiving.
I expect McAllister to donate most of his production to the running game, which makes sense considering he’s a running back. I like his every-down rusher ability better than that of Reggie Bush’s. Bush is better off being a 3rd-down back and the afore mentioned slot wideout.
Marques Colston, Robert Meacham and Jeremy Shockey have easily one of the Top 5 QBs in the league throwing to them, and if everyone can keep away from injury, the offense will be one of the most powerful in the league.
The defense also upgraded. LB, Jonathan Vilma came over from the Jets, and I expect him to be a solid contributor. He should get anywhere from 70-90 tackles this season, and I see him playing a big role in the passing defense also. He can be fast when he wants to be, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him running an interception into the endzone.
The Saints play in an increasingly tough division, but I see them pulling it off.

Regular Season Prediction: 11-5, 1st in NFC South, #2 seed in NFC playoffs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers made a good move in drafting Aqib Talib to enhance their already powerful pass defense. I think that’s a problem, though. They got into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, and if they were playing in any other division in football, they wouldn’t have even gotten a wild card last season. They drafted the wrong guy in my opinion.
Jeff Garcia is getting too old to efficiently lead a team on a playoff run. Of course, the same argument could be made for Brett Favre, but Favre is great. Garcia is average at best. Let’s be honest, he won’t take any team to the Super Bowl throwing only 13 TDs a year. He needs to step it up, and get 20-25 touchdowns. At least then, he gives his team a lift in the passing game.
Earnest Graham came in to start for the injured Carnell Williams, who is now injured again, and will not be playing until at least week 6. In one year, he lost his starting spot. Is it safe to call him a bust? Not yet? Mark my words, in two years, we can and will be able to.
The Bucs missed out on picking up Pro Bowl DE, Jared Allen. If they had gotten him via trade from the Chiefs, I would pick the Buccaneers to win the South. But since they didn’t their running defense has reason to worry.
I can still see them making the post-season, but they’ll need to win just one more game than I have them winning.

Regular Season Prediction: 9-7, 2nd in NFC South, no playoffs

Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan is the scheduled Falcons’ opening day starter, and this was the best move they’ve made in a long time. I don’t believe in the whole voodoo thing about waiting for your rookie QB to be in the system for a year before starting him. Ryan has obviously adjusted to the system just fine, and they made the best move for the future of their franchise by starting him immediately. Ben Roethlisberger was a starter by week 3 in his rookie season, and he ended up in the AFC Championship Game. Better things happen if you start your new quarterback stud quickly.
Michael Turner has to be the question mark of the offense right now. It seems to me he is built more to be a punt returner and 3rd-down back. How he’ll do as a starter is yet to be seen, but I can’t go out on any limb and make the call one way or another. Eh, yes I can. I expect him to be decent, and he’ll progress as he gets older. Turner should also be a strong option on screens and passes to the RB.
The release of WR Joe Horn will ultimately hurt the production of the offense, even though he didn’t do a whole lot in 2007. It’s now Roddy White and only Roddy White. He’s the only major target the QB has downfield. Ryan and White should combine for a pretty good duo in 2008, but nothing serious as of yet. They need to get another big-time wideout to compliment White before they can talk about the playoffs.

Regular Season Prediction: 6-10, 3rd in NFC South, no playoffs

Carolina Panthers
Jake Delhomme is always on my DO NOT KNOW list. I simply can’t place what this guy will do each year. Some seasons, he’ll get you to a Super Bowl, and some seasons, he’ll throw 20 interceptions, and of course, some years, he’ll get injured and not do anything.
Jonathan Stewart is a strong ROTY candidate and favorite. I expect him and Williams to be another good NFL RB duo, and he could be the Rookie of the Year. I see Stewart doing good, especially if Delhomme goes down, because the Panthers will then have less to do in the passing game, and would help out the running game big time.
Steve Smith also needs to be sensational, and hope that Delhomme stays healthy. If Delhomme goes down, the entire team, player by player, is affected. Smith’s production will go down, and he’s the most productive player on that offense. This team will be in a world of hurt if Delhomme can’t stay healthy.
Dan Morgan, quite possibly the greatest Panther of all-time, retired in the off-season after being traded to New Orleans. To replace him, the Panthers drafted Dan Connor, a strong linebacker from Penn State. In a few years, he could be the leader of that defense.
But, as of now, the team’s playoff chances all rest on Delhomme’s staying injury-free. Matt Moore has potential, but he won’t be the next QB to lead the Panthers to a Super Bowl. If Delhomme stays healthy, this team can be a force to reckon with in that division, but since I doubt he will stay healthy for 4 long months, I see this team losing double-digit games.

Regular Season Prediction: 5-11, 4th in NFC South, no playoffs

Let me hear what you think. Check back in tomorrow for my NFC West preview!

-Mike Greenspire

The NFC is a question mark as of right now, and as I see it, is completely up for grabs. So, I have decided to take the task of deciding the NFC’s team to beat this year. For the next week, I will be looking at each NFC team in alphabetical order to find out who really is the NFC favorite heading into the 2008 season.

I will rank each team’s chances on a 1-10 scale, 1 being the worst chance of winning the conference, 10 being the best chance of winning the conference. The team with the worst chance will get a 1, while the team with the best chance will get a 10.

Today I will be discussing the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers and St. Louis Rams.

Lions
The Lions have some huge holes to fill both on offense and on defense. Starting with the QB, Jon Kitna. He has thrown for 4,00 yards each of the past two season with Detroit. He had 18 TDs, 20 INTs, and was sacked an NFL-leading 51 times. His only problem is that Kitna tries to make plays where there aren’t any, which cost him interceptions, fumbles, incompletions and possible hurt players.

The OLine is not doing their part, either. They let by way too many defenders on almost every play. The QB can’t do good if his offensive line can’t stop 4 guys.

The running game was horrible last year. In one game, they ended up with -16 yards rushing! That never happens, and it is all the OLine’s fault, because with players like Kevin Jones, that wouldn’t happen.

The new RB appears to be rookie Kevin Smith, and I don’t know how confident I would be with a rookie having to play in that struggling backfield. If Gosder Cherilus, the rookie offensive guard out of Boston College, can handle the kind of pressure coming at him every play, I like the offense’s chances of being able to shred apart a defensive front 7.

The wideout game is incredibly strong on paper, but when they actually play, well, lack-luster would be the best word to describe it. Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams should be catching a hundred yards a game each, but last year, they only totaled 1,592 yards receiving combined. All the offensive issues come back to the OLine. If they give Kitna enough time to throw, then don’t be surprised if both of these receivers end up with 1,200 yards.

The defense needs some work, but there isn’t much you can say about I, because I don’t know much about it. They were hot one game, and cold the next. At the end of the year, if this team doesn’t have at least 9 wins, I think a coaching change is likely.

Scale: 5

Packers
The Packers have moved on from Favre, and are set with Aaron Rodgers as their starting QB. I have not had a chance to see this guy play yet, but I did see highlights from the Thursday Night game in Dallas last year, where he almost beat the Cowboys.

If he can have that kind of production this year, then I wouldn’t doubt they make it to the playoffs. The only problem is I don’t see him having that kind of production this season. In 4 years of being with the Packers, he has only thrown 58 passes.

Ryan Grant is currently holding out which mark my words, if he doesn’t play next year the Packers have no chance of returning to the playoffs. Him and Favre were the only two guys that kept the offense moving, combing for 84% of the offense’s production in 2007. The Packers need to fork over the extra money, which is most certainly worth and extend his contract. They can’t afford to lose 84% of the production in one off-season.

If Grant does not re-sign, the wide receivers will be the ones that make or break the season. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings were freakishly effective last year, and if you ask me, if one of them breaks free, there is absolutely no catching them. I don’t think there’s a single defensive back in the NFL that can effectively cover Greg Kennings for 60 minutes, and if he can, test that guy for steroids. No joke intended, but that’s how fast these guys are. This will make Rodgers’ job that much easier.

Scale: 6

Panthers
Jake Delhomme will be the key factor for the Panthers on whether or not they have a winning season. All of his injuries and loss of stamina will be put into question because this year could be his last as the Panthers QB.

Rookie RB, Jonathan Stewart should have a really good season. The division they play in can essentially be won by any of the teams in it, so overtaking the Falcons, Bucs and Saints will have to start in week 1. It is necessary that Stewart starts out great, because otherwise, this team doesn’t have momentum, and even if they did, it’s hard for them to carry it over week after week.

The Panthers technically re-signed WR Muhsin Muhammad. He ended his stint with the Bears this past- off-season, and signed with his former team. Him and Steve Smith will make for a fearsome duo against defensive backs.

Former Penn State LB, Dan Connor, is expected to replace Dan Morgan, the LB who was sent to the Saints and shortly afterwards, retired. Connor is a physical beast, and should have gone a lot earlier than he did, but he will fit right in with the Panthers and their defense.

This is the year that decides the future of head coach John Fox. If he gets anything less than a 9 win season, I expect him to be shooed out the door.

Scale: 4

Rams
Marc Bulger got a huge contract last off-season, and I expected the Ram to finish with 7 or 8 wins. The offense struggled, and the OLine could not block to save their lives. The only Rams game I saw last season was the one where they were at home against Seattle, and that game was a disappointment. Sure, they played strong al game and kept themselves in it, but at the end, the imploded on themselves. If Marc Bulger had not left the game injured, and Gus Frerrote stayed on the bench, the Rams would have won.

I am expecting a huge season from Steven Jackson, and I think he will be the one who wins the games for St. Louis this year. Look for him to explode all over opposing defenses and average 110+ yards a game.

Torry Holt is the only real wideout left, but knowing Bulger, I think they can figure something out with the new guys they have.

The defense is sure to be stronger and more focused, now that they have someone who can lead them instead of blundering around and giving up 300+ yards passing a game. Their run defense will be more emphasized with Chris Long, and I wouldn’t doubt that the Rams red-zone defense turns in a spectacular season.

They may be a team to watch out for, but until they prove something to me, I have to grade them low.

Scale: 2

Let me hear your thoughts, and please keep your swearing at me to a minimum.

-Mike Greenspire

I know it's still only the beginning of May, but I am too anxious, and the torture of having to wait so long for football season to start up again is killin' me. But, I thought of something to do while we wait!

Pick pre-season bandwagons!

There's always the surprise team that comes outta nowhere:

In 2004 it was the Steelers
In 2005 it was the Panthers
In 2006 it was the Saints
In 2007 it was the Packers

So, who's gonna be the pre-season surprise team? Here are a couple of bandwagons to pick from!

Minnesota Vikings
With the additions of Jared Allen, arguably the best DLineman in the game at this time, and John David Booty, one of the best QBs in the Draft, I see this team going 10-6, no worse than 9-7 and being a real contender come playoff time, perhaps even stealing the division from the Packers, which is what I see happening.

Baltimore Ravens
In my opinion, moving back up after moving down to get Joe Flacco was the right move for the Ravens and new head coach, John Harbaugh. This guy will be sure to lead a team for years. Also, the addition of Ray Rice from Rutgers is bound to help them. McGahee and Rice will make it an interesting dual-RB situation in 2008 for the Ravens. All those pieces minus McNair are still there from that 2006 13-win team, so I see the Ravens going 10-6, and making it intot he playoffs via wild card.

Kansas City Chiefs
A really good draft, probably the best will higher the pressure on Herm Edwards to get this team back to the post-season. If he does not, with all this talent, I think he should be fired. Perhaps surprisingly I only see this team going 5-11. It techniacally is an improvment... Way to go, Herm.

Carolina Panthers
A good draft, picking up Jonathan Stewart, Jeff Otah, and Dan Connor will take some pressure off Delhomme, and hopefully he won't get hurt this year. If he stays healthy with the seoncd-best blocker and running-back in this year's draft, watch out for the Panthers. I forsee a 9-7 year with a possible wild card berth.

But, the bandwagon I'm jumping on is...

New Orleans Saints
Some great off-season moves, and by far the best off-season so far. With so many good players, there is no way the Saints will be bale to screw this up. I see an 11-5 season with a division title. The Bucs will have to settle for at best a wild card berth now.

Thanks for reading! Who do you guys think will be 2008's surprise team?

-Mike Greenspire