Part 7 of a 9-part series in which Sharkey and the ManInBlack preview the entire NFL Season, all the way through the Super Bowl.

ManInBlack says:

Is there a more bland division in football?  You have the high-flying Saints and then…nothing.  Yes, the Falcons are a decent to good team, but do you really think they’ll win the Super Bowl?  Me neither.

The Saints are the class of this division.  They’ll score a ton of points again.  As long as Drew Brees is healthy, they’ll be ok.  I don’t expect the defense to be as good (or should I say opportunistic) as last year.  Still, I think they’ll have a solid 11-5 season.

Atlanta will have a winning record.  Matty Ice (love, just love, that nickname) will have them in the hunt come playoff time.  I think they’ll be a little short and a little overwhelmed to end up a little over .500 at 9-7.

Carolina befuddles me.  Matt Moore could be a godsend.  Or, the team could collapse upon itself like a dying star.  I’ll pick the latter because I have buddy who may be the only Panthers fan I’ve ever met.  A disappointing 6-10 record awaits.

I don’t even have anything to say about the Bucs.  They were awful to watch last year.  I watched one of their games last year and it wasn’t until I caught a reflection of light out of the corner of my eye that I realized my left hand was about to drive a fork into my temple.  My subconsious literally tried to get out of a Bucs game by killing me.  Hopefully I won’t have to see any of their games during a 5-11 season.

Sharkey Says:

Don’t confuse this with me calling a division exciting, because that’s not what I’m doing, but… this division isn’t bland, to me.

For starters, you have to take into account that it’s the only division in the NFL to not have a back-to-back champion since the NFL switched to an 8 division format in 2001.  Granted, that’s not a huge timeframe, but fact is fact.  Secondly, I think the Panthers are going to be a lot better than people think, and the Falcons are a legitimate contender, which clearly MIB and myself don’t agree on.

The Buccaneers are the only bland team in this division.  They’re bad, there’s nothing more to it.  I love their interior defensive line.  And after staring at this computer screen for 10 minutes, that’s the only compliment I can come up with.  That’s just bad news for Bucs fans everywhere.  I have them at a respectably awful 3-13, which is just good enough to make me not want to watch a single second of Tampa Bay football this fall.

I’ll agree with your assessment of Carolina.  I like Matt Moore, and I think he can be an adequate NFL starter for a few seasons.  Hell, if you’re replacing Jake Delhomme, you don’t exactly have huge shoes to fill.  I love the running game here, and I think there are a number of young WRs on Carolina who are poised to break out (if Moore is as good as I think he is).  This WR corps reminds me a lot of the NY Giants WR’s last year, young, untested, and led by a Steve Smith.  Those WR’s turned out to be pretty damn good, and I think this group will, too.  All told, Carolina isn’t ready to make the playoffs, this season… but they’ll be competitive through the final weekend, and end up with an 8-8 record.

The Saints are still the class of the NFC.  Best case scenario, obviously, they repeat as Champions.  I don’t think that will happen, but I think they’ll win the division, and earn a first round bye, and have a legitimate shot at making the Super Bowl.  Worst case, they fall apart, mildly, and finish 8-8 or 9-7, and just miss the playoffs.  I like the D, more than MIB does, and there aren’t enough compliments to go around for that offense.  This is still a 13-3 team, and they’ll be exciting to watch deep into January.

And, ahhh yes, the Atlanta Falcons.  This is a very good football team.  Their offense is potentially explosive, and with a healthy Matt Ryan and a healthy Michael Turner (plus, a healthy Harry Douglas, which everyone will overlook, but I think is going to be a huge piece of the NFC South — or even NFC — puzzle), it should once again be among the best in the NFL.  And I believe the defense is improved.  There aren’t a great number of changes, rookie Sean Weatherspoon (who should start immediately) and shut-down corner Dunta Robinson are the only two new names of note.  The scheme is different, too, and I think the pieces are in place for a nice run.

I expect Atlanta to compete with New Orleans for the division crown, and possibly even win it.  When push comes to shove, I don’t know if this team can compete with the likes of Minnesota, Green Bay, or Dallas in the playoffs, but it will certainly find itself playing in January.  Having an 11-5 record will ensure that.