1. Carolina Panthers- I know it seems bias that I would put Carolina and number one in my NFC South power rankings, but I honestly feel that the Panthers have the best roster out of all their division rivals. Looking back at last season, the reason the the Panthers finished 7-9 was one reason: Jake Delhomme. With Delhomme going down in week three, the Panthers still managed to pull off a moderate season, being able to win two games with a undrafted rookie starting at quarterback. This, more than anything, shows that the Panthers have a good base, and with Delhomme back and Peppers better they should be able to contend. Not only that but the Panthers also had a very good draft, filling almost all their holes. Right now, on paper at least (and that’s the key) the Panthers look like they are both talented and deep, the only exception being at DT. The Panthers look like they should be able to win the division next season.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Even though the Bucs won the division last season, I think that they have some areas that still need to be adressed. Even though the Bucs didn’t go out and purse any big name free agents, they managed to to a great job in deepening their roster through small free agent pickups. What’s most impressive is how far they are under the cap they are, about $25 million. I don’t really agree that is the best way to go, but the Bucs do look solid. Even though Jeff Garcia is 38, he should be able to run Tampa Bay’s offense just fine, though not putting up Peyton Manning numbers. The one glaring weakness that I see with the Buccaneers is that they aren’t very strong at the wide receiver position, lacking a true number one wide out.

3. New Orleans Saints- With Deuce McAllister tearing his ACL last season, the Saints were left without a good pounding runner, something Reggie Bush needs in front of him in order to really be affective. With McAllister gone, Bush had to step in an carry the workload, but never really flourished. This lack of a running game really hurt the Saints even though Drew Brees had over 4,000 passing yards. The poor running game combined with a shaky defense put them at 0-4 at the quarter mark of the season, but the fact that they were able to battle back and reach a 7-9 record does show a lot about the team. I think the drafting of Sedrick Ellis should go a long way to help solidify their defense as well, but there are still some holes.

4. Atlanta Falcons- I’m predicting a break in the NFC South’s tradition of the team that finishes last in the division will win the division the next season. Sure Atlanta made some big signings in Michael Turner and drafting Matt Ryan, but those two guys alone are not going to turn the team around, Troy Aikman went 0-11 in his rookie season with the Cowboys, so I wouldn’t expect Matt Ryan to do much better, the learning curve for rookie quarterbacks is just too high. Outside of Ryan and Turner, the Falcons look dismal, trading away their star defensive back DeAngelo Hall to the Raiders was a questionable move as well. It is going to take a couple of seasons for the Falcons to dig themselves out of the Michael Vick hole.

Tags: buccaneers, carolina panthers, nfc south