1. New Orleans Saints
I'm putting the Saints above the Falcons because of their schedule. They only have four games that could be tricky (Atlanta twice, New England and San Francisco). Plus, the return of Sean Peyton makes a huge difference -- this team missed him last year. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has his work cut out for him to improve the unit which held the team back last year. A full year for Jonathan Vilma will bring stablity to the unit as a whole. Look for the Saints to have a bounce back year.
2. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have had 13 wins in two of the last seasons and have finally tasted playoff success. Matt Ryan has silenced some of the critics, but not all of them. Especially now that Flacco, his draft mate, has won a Super Bowl, Ryan needs to at least get to one. He has the weapons; WR Jones and TE Gonzalez. The loss of RB Turner hurts, but picking up RB Jackson was brilliant. The defense has reassured itself after the loss DE Abraham. They brought in Osi Umenyiora from the Giants. They must learn to control not only Drew Brees in their own division, but the high powered quarterbacks they will face in the playoffs.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccs floundered after some improvement in previous year, but seem to be once again on the up with second year head coach Greg Schiano. QB Freeman must prove himself for real this year, showing that he was not merely a one shot wonder. The muscle hamster, RB Martin proved to be an excellent find for the team to bring another level the offense. The defense was terrible, ranking 29th in the league last year. Improvement here is a must, though they only brought in one 'name' and that's Revis who is coming off an injury. One player doesn't make a defense and improvement will take time.
4. Carolina Panthers
I have never been sold on Cam Newton. And am still not. Sophomore slump hit him hard and he showed a few cracks this year in the public eye. The weapons around him are aging and eventually the will run out of time. The defense seemed to be the only redeeming quality of the team last year, ranking 10th in the NFL. LB Luke Kuechky leads the charge and is the heart and the soul of the defense. But there are not many bright spots on the horizon for the Panthers, who will continue to be mediocre until they can find a real quarterback. Coach Ron Rivera isn't on the hot seat yet, but he's very very close.
I'm putting the Saints above the Falcons because of their schedule. They only have four games that could be tricky (Atlanta twice, New England and San Francisco). Plus, the return of Sean Peyton makes a huge difference -- this team missed him last year. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has his work cut out for him to improve the unit which held the team back last year. A full year for Jonathan Vilma will bring stablity to the unit as a whole. Look for the Saints to have a bounce back year.
2. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have had 13 wins in two of the last seasons and have finally tasted playoff success. Matt Ryan has silenced some of the critics, but not all of them. Especially now that Flacco, his draft mate, has won a Super Bowl, Ryan needs to at least get to one. He has the weapons; WR Jones and TE Gonzalez. The loss of RB Turner hurts, but picking up RB Jackson was brilliant. The defense has reassured itself after the loss DE Abraham. They brought in Osi Umenyiora from the Giants. They must learn to control not only Drew Brees in their own division, but the high powered quarterbacks they will face in the playoffs.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccs floundered after some improvement in previous year, but seem to be once again on the up with second year head coach Greg Schiano. QB Freeman must prove himself for real this year, showing that he was not merely a one shot wonder. The muscle hamster, RB Martin proved to be an excellent find for the team to bring another level the offense. The defense was terrible, ranking 29th in the league last year. Improvement here is a must, though they only brought in one 'name' and that's Revis who is coming off an injury. One player doesn't make a defense and improvement will take time.
4. Carolina Panthers
I have never been sold on Cam Newton. And am still not. Sophomore slump hit him hard and he showed a few cracks this year in the public eye. The weapons around him are aging and eventually the will run out of time. The defense seemed to be the only redeeming quality of the team last year, ranking 10th in the NFL. LB Luke Kuechky leads the charge and is the heart and the soul of the defense. But there are not many bright spots on the horizon for the Panthers, who will continue to be mediocre until they can find a real quarterback. Coach Ron Rivera isn't on the hot seat yet, but he's very very close.
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