NFL Preview '08: South Up For Grabs

NFC South Standings
1. New Orleans Saints 9-7- NFC South Champions
2. Carolina Panthers 8-8- NFC Wildcard Winner
3. Tampa Bay Bucs 7-9
4. Atlanta Falcons 3-13

The NFC South is up for grabs. Three teams look like they could win it. The Saints, Panthers, and Bucs are all even, but New Orleans has the best potential. The Saints have a great offense lead by QB Drew Brees and an offensive genius in head coach Sean Payton. Brees has playmakers in WR Marcus Colstan, TE Jeremy Shockey, and RB's Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister to work with. Their defense is much improved with LB Jonathan Vilma. This team looks ready for another playoff run. The Panthers are a big question mark. Jake Delhomme has proven he can lead a team to a Super Bowl, but has been unable to stay healthy since his appearance against New England in Super Bowl 38. Steve Smith is one of the best wideouts in the game, but faces a two-game suspension for punching a teammate in pr! actice earlier this season. This could affect the Panthers' chances at the playoffs. I still like this team and think they can sneak into the playoffs as the 6th seed at 8-8. Tampa Bay won this division last year, but with Jeff Garcia's injuries and age I question their chances for consistent play. I see them missing out and going around 7-9. Joey Galloway is not getting any younger either. The Atlanta Falcons are obviously rebuilding and 3 wins may be their goal. Rookie QB Matt Ryan is a great leader and will help this team in the future. They just need to build a solid core around him.
Next up the NFC West. Will Seattle continue their dominance? Or will Arizona finally break through. Stay tuned.