The NFL hits a lull around this time of year. They have a pretty good hold on the entertainment industry for 90% of the year. Chronologically they have training camp, pre-season, the regular season, playoffs, pro bowl, super bowl, free agency, combine, and then NFL draft. This will bring you from late July into late April without having much down time waiting for some sort of action. With that, I'm doing a pre-view for every division as things stand now.
The NFC South is another smash mouth division that has held true to three teams consistently taking the crown over the last 15 years. The Saints, Panthers, and Falcons have rotated the crown over the years, but the Saints have been the more consistent team with Kid (baby goat 🐐), Drew Brees leading the team. Almost forgot about the buccaneers, who haven’t been relevant since they won the Super Bowl in 2002. *Check out my top 6 trios of all time post, might be a buccaneers mention in there*
4th place: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-15)(0-6 Division)
The #Bucs are a team that doesn't have much to offer. They hired new head coach Bruce Arians this offseason, who used to coach the Cardinals. Sometimes coaches need a new place in order to excel, but I don't think Tampa Bay is the place to resurge a career.
The Bucs have a depleted roster and honestly got worse from last year. They lost Fitzmagic, who should have lead their offense all of last year, but the team had to give their failed #1 overall 2015 draft pick, Jameis Winston, a chance to 'prove himself'. He's failed to provide anything but mediocrity and continues to waste the prime of WR Mike Evans. They lost Kwon Alexander, Adam Humphries, Fitzmagic, and Gerald McCoy. I do expect more out of second year pro Ronald Jones and they could have a semi decent offense if Winston could produce. I don't believe that'll happen, so I'm predicting a 1-15 season, finishing last in the division and last in the league. Maybe they'll get a second shot at a QB 1.01?
3rd place: Carolina Panthers (11-5)(4-2 Division)
The #Panthers seemed to be one of those teams that plays really well one year and bad the next. Fortunately for Panther fans, this year they're on track to play well. They didn't have the greatest offseason in my opinion, but I do think their team got better. They added C Matt Paradis from Denver, Gerald McCoy from the Bucs, and aging DE Bruce Irvin.
What really intrigues me is how well Cam is going to bounce back from his shoulder surgery. So far this offseason he is looking like things are progressing well, and if we get 2015 Cam, watch out. Pair that with arguably the best RB in the league, CMC, and things are looking up. McCaffrey put up great numbers last year and was a top 3 RB. He's a work horse and just continues to get better every year. *Check out our article on the McCredible Hulk*.
Their schedule isn't the easiest in the world, but this team has some fight to them and I expect them to essentially split the division games and win enough to get in as the 6th seed in the NFC. This division is going to be fun to watch, with 3 teams making it in the playoffs.
2nd place: Atlanta Falcons (11-5)(4-2 Division)
The #Falcons are another hot and cold team. There are so make 28-3 jokes going around from their devastating super bowl loss, that we forget they were a super star team. Matt Ryan is one of the most underrated QB's in the league. He lands in the top 5 almost every year, but never gets any love. When he's on, especially at home, he's absolutely lights out.
I'm not impressed by their offseason either. They didn't add much but they did help solidify the line by adding two G's during FA. Outside of that, nothing much that impresses me. Fortunately they didn't need to add much to stay in contention. They still have Julio Jones (2nd best in the league), Calvin Ridley, Austin Hooper, and Devonta Freeman. Defense they have Keanu Neal, Dion Jones, and Grady Jarrett to help hold down the fort.
I think they're going to finish 11-5, just like the Panthers, but their schedule helps edge them out to finish 2nd in the division and 5th in the NFC. They'll make it as a wild card team. Whether Matt Ryan and the Falcons can get over the 28-3 super bowl failure is TBD.
1st place: New Orleans Saints (12-4)(4-2 Division)
Let me start this out with the fact that I am not a #Saints fan. I respect Drew Brees and wish he wasn't involved in the cheating scandal of 09 that lead to an *super bowl*. Well what comes around, goes around and the Bradley Robey Coleman hit last year was a small glimpse of what they did to Favre in 09.
Nonetheless, they are still a team that finds a way to win. Brees has been able to take a step back in the past few years and rely more on the run game, keeping him fresh when needed. They've been extremely dangerous with Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and utility player Taysum Hill. They did the ole' yankee swap in moving on from Mark Ingram and getting Latavius Murray.
It's hard to bet against them. They got cheated last year and are going to come back with a vengeance. They were one blow call away from making the super bowl and that's a lot of anger they're bringing this year. I see them taking first place in the south, finishing just ahead of the Panthers and Falcons at 12-4. Its enough to not only win the division, but in a tough NFC conference, they will be the #1 seed going into playoffs.
We're halfway through the NFC division breakdowns, check us out on Instagram and Twitter to check out the rest!
-Brandon
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