My Steve Smith NFL Blog

New Orleans Saints
Projected Record: 11 - 5

If there has ever been a city or team that deserved to win the Superbowl it would be New Orleans. With the things that the city has had to endure since hurricane Katrina and now the oil spill, a Superbowl Champion is the least that the city deserves. I think what I like best about the Saints organization is the how the players and coaches have embraced the challenge to rebuild New Orleans both on and off the field.

With Drew Brees completing over 70% of his passes the Saints didn't need a whole lot of help offensively. But, the Saints were able to add rookie tight end Jimmy Graham from Miami who has the size and potential to be a big time play-maker in this league. Jeremy Shockey is near the end of his career but can still be productive when healthy. Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and Robert Meachem are a nightmare match up for secondaries around the league and will continue to produce big plays this season. Reggie Bush may have kicked it with the Kardashians last season, but Pierre Thomas kicked it into high gear rushing for over 5.4 yards a carry last season.

Defensively, the Saints thrived on turnovers. Their secondary routinely jumped routes and baited quarterbacks into making poor decisions. Veteran safety Darren Sharper and cornerback Tracy Porter return to lead a Saints secondary that made several game changing plays in the postseason. Linebacker Johnathan Vilma will continue to make plays and protect the middle of the field for the Saints defense. Will Smith led the team with 13 sacks last year and will continue to get pressure on the quarterback.

As far as the NFC South is concerned I don't think the other teams (Falcons, Panthers, Bucs) have caught up to the Saints just yet. Look for them to repeat as division champs. However, the big question is: Can The Saints Repeat As Superbowl Champs? I think they have the talent offensively, but I think their defense will give up more big plays and force fewer turnovers and that will cause them to fall short of repeating.

Atlanta Falcons
Projected Record: 9 -7

Last season the Falcons finished 9-7 which marked the first time in their franchise history that the team had back to back winning seasons. Unfortunately, for the Falcons their 9-7 record was not good enough to qualify for the postseason in the NFC. Quarterback Matt Ryan returns for his third season as the Falcons starter and is looking to make the leap to the upper echelon of quarterbacks. He was up and down last season and will need to improve his consistency, particularly on the road if the Falcons want to make the postseason.

The Falcons running game struggled last season due to injuries to starter Michael Turner and backup Jerious Norwoord. They should both be healthy to start the season so look for the Falcons to try to reestablish the ground game that brought them so much success in the 2008 season. Receivers Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, and Tony Gonzalez give Matt Ryan a solid trio of targets at the wide receiver position.

The Falcons struggled a bit in the secondary last year and they are hoping free agent pick up Dunta Robinson will help with their secondary woes. The Falcons drafted linebacker Sean Witherspoon and defensive tackle Corey Peters with their first two draft picks in the hope of adding talent and depth to a defense that was plagued by injuries and inconsistency last season. Defensive end John Abraham can still rush the passer when healthy but his snaps have to monitored so he doesn't wear down over the course of the season.

The Falcons have enough talent to snag a wild card spot in the NFC. Their success will largely depend upon the continued maturation of Matt Ryan into an elite level quarterback and the improvement of a defense that gave up far too many big plays.

Carolina Panthers
Projected Record: 7-9

I've always liked John Fox. But I think last season his loyalty to Jake Delhomme cost him a season where the Panthers could have been a playoff team. A year later Delhomme and the current quarterback, Matt Moore, and quarterback of the future, Jimmy Clausen, are ready to lead the Panthers into the 2010 season.

Matt Moore showed some flashes in his limited starts last season, so the Panthers are confident he can get the ball to their play makers. It should be relatively easy for him to hand off to DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart who are one of the best running back duos in the league. Steve Smith still remains a threat at wide receiver and can still take the short pass for big yards when his team needs it most. Carolina drafted, former Appalachian State star quarterback, Armanti Edwards. He will likely play receiver and potentially add more explosiveness to the position.

Defensively, Carolina lost defensive Julius Peppers via free agency. The Panthers drafted defensive end Greg Hardy, not to replace Peppers, but, to be part of a rotation that can collectively make up for the loss of such a dynamic player as Peppers. Linebacker John Beason still wreaks havoc against offenses and makes those around him better. The secondary still has talent with cornerbacks Richard Marshall and Chris Gamble roaming the defensive backfield.

It's tough to get a good read on the Panthers. They don't have a proven quarterback and their best player on defense left in the off season. Add that to the fact they don't have a solid receiving option behind Steve Smith lead me to believe the Panthers are not a playoff caliber team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projected Record: 4-12

In his rookie season, head coach Raheem Morris did everything you weren't supposed to do. He fired his offensive coordinator right before the start of the season and he fired his defensive coordinator before the season ended. Morris may have saved his job with a late season win at New Orleans, as well the development of Josh Freeman, but he will need to hold on to his coordinators this season so that the Bucs can build some continuity for the future.

The Buccaneers really stocked up on defense in this years draft. They drafted defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with their first round pick. Many scouts have compared McCoy to a young Warren Sapp. They also drafted defensive tackle Brian Price with their second round pick. The Bucs are hoping McCoy and Price can anchor the interior of their defense for years to come. Ronde Barber is the elder statesmen in the Bucs secondary, but Aquib Talib is the younger more athletic corner who is starting to make a name for himself. Linebacker Barrett Rudd still makes plays all over the field and is one of the leaders on a Buccaneers defense looking to become dominant again.

Josh Freeman showed some positive signs last year as a rookie. He made the typical rookie mistakes, but he showed good leadership and decision making towards the end of the season. The Bucs drafted Arrelious Benn to provide Freeman with more weapons through the air. Michael Clayton and Kellen Winslow are veteran receivers who Freeman can rely to get open and make plays. Running backs Carnell Williams and Derrick Ward need to stay healthy so that the running game can keep all the pressure from falling on Freeman.

Last year the Bucs went 3-13. This year I could see them winning 1 or 2 more games. The Bucs are improving and if they can develop Josh Freeman into a playmaker at quarterback, and reestablish the identity of their defense, you could be looking at a legit title contender in a couple of seasons.

Frank Turner is a primary contributor for Frank Football. For more season previews, fantasy football news, and game picks visit Frank Football.

As training camp has emerged creating a vast set of emotions of both hope for rookies and redundant routines for veterans, it is never to early to began the rampant speculations surrounding the issue of how the teams will look in the standings come season end. Through my knowledge of the sport and teams, as well as careful analysis of recent off-season acquisitions and losses, I have come up with a forecast of how I expect each team to finish in its respective division. Continuing with the presence of challenging divisions as seen by the NFC East, the NFC South also provides a dilemma in terms of deciding the rankings.

When looking at the Carolina Panthers, the first idea that springs to me is the incredible year Jake Delhomme is going to have. I have always been a firm supporter of him and look for an incredible season stats wise which will put Delhomme in contention for the MVP title. With the addition of Keyshawn Johnson, who I deem as underrated, and possibly the best receiver in the game in Steve Smith, Delhomme is going to have all the necessary weapons to have a breakout season and surprise many doubters. However, while Delhomme will prove his elite status in terms of quarterbacks, I do have some doubts about the rest of the team. With a hard schedule facing the Panthers in the midst of the NFC South as well as no real running back, there are some questions whether the Panthers can continue to have another playoff season. Due to the lack of a serious running back, a lot of Delhomme's success will come through such an attribute but will also seriously wear him down during the duration of the season causing the Panthers to lose a few games. Nevertheless, I still expect a strong season from this team making a serious run at a wildcard spot.

Like I predicted the Washington Redskins to fall in my NFC East predictions article, I expect a similar type of season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While his father may tend to disagree with me, I am not a strong supporter of Chris Simms regardless of the few aberrations he may of have last season. I do like Carnell Williams but also expect him to go through a sophomore slump during the duration of the season unable to perform any miracles. Tampa's wide receivers are also mediocre as I believe Joey Galloway, who is injury prone to begin with, had a breakout season and will not match his production of last year. While the team has a decent defense, I cannot see it carrying the Buccaneers to a succession of victories with such a sub par offense. With a hard schedule also in hand, John Gruden may be facing unemployment at season's end when Tampa Bay is far out of the playoffs.

The team that may surprise football fans the most this season is the New Orleans Saints. Decimated last year due to Hurricane Katrina, the Saints, like the Eagles, will ride this season on the basis of emotions. While the team may not have the necessary tools to make it to the playoffs, the Saints will definitely be in the hunt all the way up to seasons end. With the addition of Reggie Bush and Drew Brees, two powerhouses, an already potent offense will get even stronger added to the likes of Mcallister, Horn, and Stallworth. I also like the change in coaching as it was time for Jim Haslet to leave beginning a new era for this club. While the defense is still mediocre at best, again this season is going to rely on the chemistry and emotions shared between players and fans; this will be a season that all of New Orleans will be proud about.

Like the Eagles, Rams, or Packers of last season, the Atlanta Falcons seemed to have faded by missing the playoffs with a team similar to the one that went to the NFC Championship game a year prior. While it can be argued that the team had a tough schedule, it seemed that there were a lot of intangibles that yielded such a disappointing season. With Michael Vick having problems with his offensive nature and even to have claimed to be not playing to the best of his abilities one game, such a situation can be argued to be grim news for Falcons. However, as Vick has come out and said he is going to improve this team next season, I firmly believe such a sentiment with increase the moral of his team and will look for a great season for the Falcons. I am a believer in Jim Mora, and with key additions such as John Abraham to an already bolstered defense, the Falcons should recoup like the Eagles, Packers, and Rams and make the playoffs.

Final NFC South Season Standings (*demonstrates making the playoffs):

1.*Atlanta: 11-5

2. Carolina: 10-6

3. New Orleans: 8-8

4. Tampa Bay: 4-12

Dennis Biray presents advice on all kinds of topics ranging from finance and investing to fitness to sports. For more information email him at dbiray@gmail.com, or to view other articles written by him visit http://www.biraynetworks.co.nr/.