The NFC has become the power conference of the NFL with four of the last five Super Bowl champions coming from the blue pro bowl team. The conference resurgence has been led by powerful aerial attacking offenses the likes of which have not been seen since Dan Marino's heyday. Guys like Drew Brees, Eli Manning, and Aaron Rodgers are the poster boys for the "new" NFL that protects QB's and favors receivers on every interference flag thrown. Once again the NFC fields a solid core of teams with Super Bowl aspirations, but all of them must survive the 16 game regular season and come out on top of their division to even have a chance (yes there are two wild card spots). Let's take a look at each NFC division.
New Orleans Saints
If anyone knows exactly how the New Orleans Saints will look this year, quit your day job and go work in the stock market or gamble your life savings immediately. The Saints off season woes are well documented and will now carry over to the regular season as the suspensions are truly felt as games that count approach. Drew Brees is already counted in the top QB's group, but this season will bring unprecedented challenges to the super star leader. Brees has statistically been a top 3 QB every year in New Orleans, but with no Sean Payton at his side, Brees will be flying solo trying to make in game adjustments. Brees is good enough, however, to figure these things out leaving the real concern on the defensive side of the ball. Regardless of what you believe with "Bounty Gate", there will have to be a culture change among the defensive players. They are also facing the loss of multiple players both from suspension and free agency. It was already a susceptible defense, and now they must find new pieces to plug in to try and stop teams from putting up 20+ points every game. It is anyone's guess as to how the Saints will perform this season, but look for it to be inconsistent and likely leaving them to battle for the wild card.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are another team that leaves fans wondering about the upcoming season. New head coach Greg Schiano was a great motivator at Rutgers, but will that translate to the NFL? Josh Freeman has showed promise at times and seems to have the physical abilities to be a top 12 QB, but can he take the next step of adjusting to defenses in game and carry the Bucs to a handful of wins on his own? Freeman has talented pieces around him (see Vincent Jackson, LeGarrette Blount, Doug Martin, Mike Williams), but they must all show consistency in order for the Bucs to do any damage this season. Where Tampa really must improve is on the defensive side of the ball. They were last in the NFL giving up over 30 points per game last season. They must find a way to stop opposing offenses or Freeman and company will never stand a chance. Mark Barron, SS from Alabama, is a good building block if he lives up to expectations. But in a division with Brees, Cam Newton, and Matt Ryan, the Bucs need to find a way to get pressure on the the QB and not let the secondary get picked apart every play. It's a new era in Tampa under Schiano, so early going may be bumpy, but with a new defensive attitude this team will compete in the division every week.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina seems to have the most potential to take a giant leap this season. Popular opinion says Cam Newton will build on his rookie season and lead the Panthers to a winning record that will put them in playoff contention. I have little doubt Newton will do just this. He is a phenomenal athlete that is physically big making him more able to withstand physical punishment than similar players (Mike Vick) cannot handle. Newton has also shown an ability to accurate both in the pocket and on the move. With that said, he must still work on his passing and reading of defenses to take the next big step in his career. All players and especially QB's in the NFL can only live on their talent for so long. Assuming Newton puts the time in, he will be unstoppable most Sundays. The Panthers have a few nice offensive pieces including Steve Smith and the RB tandem of Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. These are not enough for the Panthers to win every week. They must find more receivers to free up Smith and get consistent production from their RB's. TE Greg Olsen should help out a lot gathering up catches across the middle and bringing the popular TE offense to the Panthers. Carolina must also shore up their defense. One of the worst in the league last season, they will have little hope of playoff football without the ability to make plays consistently on defense. The Panthers are an all around young team at many important positions. If Ron Rivera can continue to grow their young team and develop talent on both sides of the ball as they already have, Carolina will be a team to reckon with, not just this season, but for many years to come.
Atlanta Falcons
A perennial let down team, the Atlanta Falcons are once again talented and appear ready to make a legitimate playoff push. Matt Ryan has been a reliable QB for the Falcons, but must step up a level to carry the team out of the their let down status. He has an amazingly talented WR duo in Julio Jones and Roddy White along with veteran Tony Gonzalez at TE. The Falcons passing offense should create fits for opposing defenses and did so, at times, last season. They cannot decide to choose when they show up for games. Receivers of that caliber should not be dropping perfect passes on a regular basis, ending drives and wasting possessions. The defensive side of the ball is solid for Atlanta, ranking 12th last season, so they have a great base to build on. They need some big time playmakers that can consistently rush the QB and force other teams to speed up their offense. The Falcons are a complete team on paper; translating this onto the field will make them a serious playoff contender.
Final Standings:
- Atlanta Falcons 11-5
- New Orleans Saints 9-7
- Carolina Panthers 9-7
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-10
No comments:
Post a Comment