NFC South preview...

Carolina Panthers: The Panthers are coming off winning the NFC South and then Jake Delhomme self imploded in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Arizona Cardinals throwing 5 interceptions in a 33-13 loss. The Panthers will once again go only as far as Delhomme takes them, he is the question mark for this offense. Carolina returns the two-headed monster in DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart who combined for over 2,300 yards and 28 TDs. Steve Smith's production depends on how well Delhomme plays this season but after him the Panthers don't have any depth at the wide receiver position. Mushin Mohammad is a good receiver but he's getting old and Dwayne Jarrett hasn't live up to his hype coming out of college. They have some decent options at the tight end spot but none of them really scare a defense and they haven't done enough for the defense to focus on them instead of the #2 or #3 option. The offensive line returns all of last year's starters so there should be no problem for this team to once again dominate the line of scrimmage. On the defensive side of the ball the Panthers got Julius Peppers to sign their franchise tag so he will be on the field and they hope he will continue the success he had coming off of a career year. The rest of the defensive line returns but in order for Peppers to have last year's success Tyler Brayton and Charles Johnson will need to step up. The linebacking core is lead by Jon Beason and this is probably the best unit for Carolina on the defensive side. Chris Gamble leads the secondary and they usually have an easy job because of the guys up front but offenses will probably try to take advantage of their lack of size by throwing quick out routes. This is a make or break year for John Fox, if he doesn't get this team to the NFC championship the he should be fired. Key Games: Home games versus the Eagles in the season opener, the Bills in Week 7, the Dolphins in Week 11, and the Vikings in Week 15. They have road contests at Dallas in Week 3, Arizona in Week 8, New York to take on the Jets in Week 12, New England in 14, and again in New York to face the Giants in Week 16. 2009 overall record: 12-4, Division winner, #2 seed

New Orleans Saints: The Saints have the best QB and set of wide receivers in the NFC South but they lack any real threat at the running back position. Marques Colston is healthy after an injury plagued 2008 but in his absence Lance Moore stepped up and had a career year. Jeremy Shockey is in his second year with the Saints but he has been ineffective so far but that is mostly due to injuries. The Saints released Duece McAllister but they don't have anyone to replace him. Reggie Bush is not an every down back and Pierre Thomas was used mostly as a short yardage back last year. They have flirted with signing Edgerrin James but they haven't committed to anything yet because they feel that Thomas and Bush can carry the load. The Saints offensive line returns last year's starters who helped Drew Bress almost break the record for most passing yards in a season. The defense is trying to get better they hired Greg Williams and they added Paul Spicer and Darren Sharper to bring some experience and toughness to the team. Johnathan Vilma is manning the linebacking group with Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle. The secondary has improved with the aforementioned pick up of Sharper, Jabari Greer, and also with the drafting of Malcolm Jenkins but if he holds out then he will put himself behind the 8-ball. The offense is obviously there and will keep this team in a lot of games but the question is will the improvements on defense be enough to put them in the playoffs. Key Games: Home games against the Jets(Week 4) and Giants(Week 6) in back-to-back weeks, the Patriots in Week 12, and the Cowboys in Week 15. Road games at Philadelphia in Week 2, Buffalo in Week 3, Miami in Week 7, and Washington in Week 13. 2009 overall record: 11-5, Wild card, #5 seed

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons will be better then they were last year but their tougher schedule will keep them out of the playoffs. Matt Ryan won the rookie of they year award last year and he should get better with the addition of Tony Gonzalez to the offense. Roddy White had a career year last season but his progression could be hampered if Mike Jenkins doesn't step up. The running game is in tact with Michael Turner in his second year as a starter and with the return of FB Ovie Mughelli he should be able to put up number similar to last year especially with Gonzalez sealing the corner for Turner to use his burner speed. The offensive line returns last year's starters, but the key thing for the o-line is whether Sam Baker can take the next step and solidify the left side of the line. The defense is young up front with Jammal Anderson, Jonathan Babineaux, and the addition of the rookie Peria Jerry, but they are anchored by the sack master John Abraham. The linebackers have to take a step forward this year with the addition of Mike Peterson and Curtis Lofton only in his second year in the league. The secondary is the weak link of this defensive unit and they defense will be only as good as these guys can be, which isn't saying much. The rest of the defense will have to step up to cover for the secondaries deficiencies. Key Games: Home contests against the Dolphins in the season opener, the Bears in Week 6, Redskins in Week 9, Eagles in Week 13, and the Bills in Week 16. They travel for road games to New England in Week 3, Dallas in Week7, New York to go against the Giants in Week 11 and the Jets in Week 15. 2009 overall record: 9-7

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers fired their coach and Gm and they brought in two unknowns to take over so the jury is still out on those moves. On the personnel side the Buccaneers don't have QB, they signed Byron Leftwich but they don't think he is good enough to be the starter so they drafted Josh Freeman out of Kansas State who will probably be the starter. They traded for Kellen Winslow but he doesn't have anyone to throw it to him. Antonio Bryant had a career year last season and he should see those numbers increase with Winslow on the field. The other question that this team has is the health of their running backs, Earnest Graham finished the season on the IR and Cadillac Williams came off of the IR and hasn't looked like the rookie that they drafted a few years ago. The Bucs signed Derrick Ward but he has never carried the full load in his career so his durability is in question. The offense also has a lot of questions on the o-line with Jeff Faine, Donald Penn, and Jeremy Trueblood being the only starters to return from last year. On the defensive side of the ball the Bucs released Derrick Brooks so they have a huge veteran and production hole to fill. The defensive line needs to get more production out of Chris Hovan, Gaines Adams, Ryan Sims, and Jimmy Wilkerson for this defense to thrive. Barret Ruud has mature into a solid linebacker but he didn't have that much to worry about with Brooks on the field so the question is whether he can step up and be the leader. The secondary in always dangerous with Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib on the field but will they be able to make up for the lack of experience at the safety position. This team doesn't have enough to make any noise in the crowded NFC South. Key Games: Homes contests versus the Cowboys in Week 1, the Giants in Week 3, the Patriots in Week 7, the Packers in Week 9, and the Jets in Week 14. Road games at Buffalo in Week 2, Washington in Week 4, Philadelphia in Week 5, and in Miami in Week 10. 2009 overall record: 4-12