You might not consider the Carolina Panthers a sleeper. Trust me, they aren’t sleeping. Cam Newton Enters year number three with the division on his mind. I’m not saying they’ll win the division or make the playoffs. But I bet you they give New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Atlanta some trouble.
Atlanta Falcons- One of the best and least talked about pickups by an NFL team this offseason was Atlanta’s acquisition of Steven Jackson. He has almost 2,400 carries and he’s no spring chicken. You still have to like that he grabs over four yards a carry. Matt Ryan is starting to look a lot like Peyton Manning. If you weren’t wowed by his playoff drive against Seattle with just seconds on the clock, you are not human. Tony Gonzalez has still got it and could play another two years; he just might too. Roddy White and Julio Jones combined for over 2,550 receiving yards. It’s a high powered offense.
You might not recognize the names on defense but this crew allowed only 18.7 points per game a year ago. They’re a middle of the pack team in both pass and rush defense. But the most important thing is protecting the end zone. We’ll see how much they miss John Abraham on that line.
It doesn’t matter how great the defense is because the ball will be soaring through the skies for Atlanta. The Falcons have one of the best quarterbacks in the game. I believe they’re up for another title in the NFC South.
Carolina Panthers- They’re my team to watch. This early in this extremely early edition of the NFL it’s pretty hard to put teams like this in the playoff picture. I’d like to see the Panthers play a game or two before making such a bold prediction. This is Cam Newton’s year.
Newton didn’t regress last year. His numbers are similar to the year prior to last and the only difference was the wins and losses. The problem is he didn’t get better. This year he needs to break through the Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck talks. Although Jay Cutler had some chemistry with Greg Olsen in Chicago, he’s not that special. Steve Smith is great but he’s aging. Ted Ginn Jr. is a bust thus far. I’d like a better crew around Cam. There’s no shortage of running game. DeAngelo WIlliams found his legs again in the last game of the year, rushing for 210 yards. It’s hard to hit those benchmarks of 1,000 in a year or ten touchdowns when you split carries with a guy like Jonathan Stewart. Carolina has two good backs.
It’s a tall order when you face New Orleans and Atlanta a total of four times. That’s why I found it surprising to see them in the top half of pass yards allowed. Hopefully the addition of Drayton Florence helps too. I like the Panthers. Many people are sold on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Id’ rather have Cam than Josh Freeman.
New Orleans Saints- They have Drew Brees. Their coach, Sean Payton, is back. I still think Atlanta is primed for this division. Brees has a few good men running routes. It’s a fantasy football nightmare, though. You never know which guy will have a big week. That is what makes Drew so great. He doesn’t care who you are or where you’re from, he throws to the open man. I’ve always been a fan of Darren Sproles. It’s also likely that Mark Ingram gets a bigger role this season.
The defense was shredded last year. Somehow the Patriots and Packers always overcome defensive struggles. Last year, it was the Achilles’ heel of the Saints. New Orleans allowed about 300 yards a game through the air. It’s not just the corners either. They had only 30 sacks. I just don’t trust the defense to keep the Panthers, Falcons and Bucs off their tail.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- So many people seem to be ready to give the Lombardi Trophy to TB for some reason. Pete Prisco is the only person that seems level headed about it. They’re coach doesn’t even seem too sold on his quarterback. Freeman had a great comeback game against the Rams three year ago. That’s the highlight reel. He has two very good receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams. Perhaps he needs that security blanket-type tight end. Luke Stocker hasn’t really been that option. For those of you worried about Steven Jackson’s past relating to carry loads, Doug Martin’s rookie year led to 319 of them. He’s a good back to have but maybe they can split up some carries with Peyton Hillis, who’s new to the Bucs.
We are supposed to believe that the city of Tampa Bay correlates with the term defense. That was not true last season. They had the best rush defense in the league. That was coupled with the worst pass defense. Now, before you scream at me I am aware the Bucs went out and got Darrelle Revis. That’s great. Their other corner is undrafted Iowa State second-year player, Leonard Johnson. I think Tampa Bay is hoping for a little osmosis here.
NFC South- I like the Falcons to win quite a few games and head to the playoffs as the division champs. One or two of these NFC South teams could be snubbed by tiebreakers at the end of the year. Atlanta seems to be the only playoff team I can see here. But expect good football from New Orleans, as always. And don’t count out those Panthers. They could win eight or nine games.
