For years football fans and journalists would talk about the NFC South as being an average division. People would say "The Saints are the best team... The Panthers are the best team... Michael Vick and the Falcons are the best team... The Bucs are the best team". What they wouldn't say is that each team is very evenly matched and a tough opponent for any team. Well, those people are finally beginning to say that now, where the Buccaneers are leading the toughest division in football with the Panthers and Falcons right there. If the playoffs started today, those three teams would each be in there, the Bucs would have a first round bye and a home playoff game. By the way, the division as a whole, has a combined two losses at home.
In the past, the NFC East was considered by many to be the best division in the NFL, but not now. No, now everyone sees that the Eagles are not feared, the Redskins are a fluke, and the Cowboys are beatable when the calls don't go their way. The only really good team in that division is the Giants who lost to the browns. What does all of that mean? It means that the NFC East is the average division that everybody seemed to mistake for the NFC South.
Now the Buccaneers have back to back games at divsion rivals starting on Monday Night Football at the Carolina Panthers who, as the Buccaneers, are undefeated at home. Carolina is also the place where Carnell Williams suffered his career threatening knee injury some 14 months ago. Williams will be returning to Carolina for the first time to face the field that gave him so much pain and suffering. This game will go a long way towards deciding who wins the toughest division in football. If the Bucs get the all important first round bye week, they would have only two teams standing in their way of reaching Super Bowl Sunday. So Tampa Bay has a very realistic shot at becoming the first team in NFL history to play the Super Bowl at their stadium. Talk about home field advantage for a team that currently is unbeaten at home in the best division in football.
I agree, the NFC South is the toughest division in football. ESPN lucked out BIG TIME with that Panthers-Bucs matchup. This is the most important MNF game in EONS. I think it's for all the marbles, and the Panthers win, only because they're at home.
The average division is 32-15-1 and the new best division is 32-16. It looks like the average division is just as good as the new best division.
P.S. Why does everyone say "if the playoffs started today"? It's a crock, since there are 4 more games left to be played. The playoffs start in January, it's now December 1st.
QCisco and all NFC East honks: your division has one Super team (NY Giants), a solid team (Dallas) and two fading teams (Philly and Washington). Meanwhile, the NFC South has THREE teams with at least 8 wins, and TWO with NINE wins (Carolina and Tampa Bay with 9, Atlanta with 8 wins). When it's all said and done, the NFC South will have three teams in the playoffs, with Atlanta edging out Dallas for the final playoff spot.
I said "If the playoffs started today" because it is the best way of explaining what the current playoff picture looks like. Of course there are four more games to go but to explain the current state of the division I put it all into perspective. And tell me, who has the NFC East played that is worth a darn? The Giants get to play the Redskins and Eagles twice a year. New York has played St. Louis, Cincinnati, Seattle, Cleveland, San Francisco, Pttsburgh, Baltimore, and Arizona so far, not exactly the cream of the crop in the NFL,especially for the defending Super Bowl Champs, although Pittsburgh is pretty good. Those non-division teams have a combined 37 wins. The Buccaneers have played Chicago, Green Bay, Denver, Seattle, Dallas (who they lost to thanks to the refs), Kansas City, Minnesota, and Detroit, who gets creamed by everybody. Those non-division teams have a combined 37 wins as well. The NFC East is very overrated and lopsided. New York has 11 of it's division's 32 wins which means that the other three teams have a combined 21 wins, averaging seven wins apiece. The Buccaneers have nine of their division's 32 wins giving 23 to the other NFC South teams, an average of eight wins apiece if rounded up. The NFC South is clearly more balanced with it's last place team the New Orleans Saints at 6-6 and likely ending up at .500 or better. Can the Saints beat any team in the NFL? Yes. The NFC East's last place team is the Eagles at 6-5-1 but are they a team to fear? No. Their wins came against the Rams, Steelers (a good team), 49ers, Falcons (Rookie QB), Sea
Sunday will be the day of reckoning when we tear Tampa Bay apart.
On the lighter side of the news.... All of the NFL ref's died last night in a plane crash. The league quickly moved to fill the void and hired 100 trained chimpanzee's. Players and fans applaud the move with some experts saying it will improve the quality of the calls and the game.
Since the realignment in 2002 the NFC east has the most wins in the NFL, has sent the most teams to the playoffs in the NFL, and has been regarded the best division in the NFL, year in, year out. The NFC east is not a one year wonder.
The NFC east is 3-0 vs the NFC south this year. Should NY beat Carolina in NY, the east will be 4-0.
There are still 4 weeks left in the season. After these 4 weeks are played out, you will see that the NFC east will still be the best division in the NFL.
Well, ESPN (Eastern Seaboard Preference Network) has been on the jock of the NFC East for years because they all play in high market areas. The media likes big name players even if they are over rated (Tony Romo, Eli Manning, ETC...). As a whole this year, not since 2002, but this year, the NFC South is the best division in football.
