Six Degrees of the NFC South

New Orleans Saints: 14-2; 1st place

The defending champs are clearly the favorite to win this division, and they need to. First the Saints had to rescue the city from Katrina's grasps. Now, New Orleans needs to be saved yet again after BP shat all over it.

SuperBrees to the rescue!

He better put up MVP numbers again, he's my fantasy football QB. He will. Reggie Bush, also on my fantasy team, has to put up a breakout season as the team's starting RB. Will the Super Bowl hangover turn into a headache of a season? Doubtful. Sean Payton is too good of a coach, and Brees, too good a leader. This team will flourish in probably the weakest division in football.

Repeating a Super bowl victory is hard, but the Saints certainly have a good chance. Their key leaders are still around, and the Saints will bring excitement wherever they go, especially in the Superdome.

Atlanta Falcons: 10-6; 2nd place

In another division, the Falcons have a team capable of winning a divisional title. Although in another division, they wouldn't be playing the Panthers and Buccaneers twice a season. A truly good team has to be able to win at least 3 of those 4 games. Great teams go for the sweep. I have the Falcons going for the sweep. Unfortunately, it will not be enough to make the postseason. There are one too many great teams in the NFC and the Falcons will just miss the promised land again, but at least they'll be continuing their streak of winning seasons.

The fact that the Falcons were able to rebuild so quickly following the Michael Vick debacle puts teams like the Browns, and the Lions to shame. The Falcons had a team built around Vick that struggled to succeed, and now, the team flourishes. Drafting Matt Ryan was huge, and having a strong running game allows him to accomplish good numbers. Their defense is solid and the offense has talent, so they should have the goal of postseason and beyond, but such is not in store for Hotlanta this year.

Carolina Panthers: 2-14; 3rd place

The only reason the Panthers are in 3rd place is because John Fox is a good coach. He has proven that with talent, the Panthers can be successful. This team however has no talent. Aside from the running game of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, this team is awful. Unless Matt Moore proves me wrong, the Panthers will have to wait until Jimmy Clausen becomes the QB they hoped for.

While not terrible, their defense is also not threatening to shut many teams down. Their scariest of men, Julius Peppers, is no longer a Panther. This team needs to rebuild and prepare for Clausen to attempt to take the league by storm. Clasuen will need weapons to thrive and the Panthers have time to add key pieces. Hey, at least they're not the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-15; 4th place

Harsh.

If you were to ask me what QB I wanted least to start for my team out of those slated to start this season, my pick would probably be Josh Freeman. If you were to ask me what head coach I least wanted to lead my team, I would probably choose Raheem Morris. Putting them together just seems like the perfect recipe for failure, which is what the Bucs will do for yet another season.

I do like Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. He has the ability to make explosive runs and look like the best running back in football, but he also has the ability to get injured. Unfortunately an injury prone running back with a weak backup will not help Freeman grow. He does not have the receiving weapons and a very, very inexperienced coach will result in a worse season than last year. Ever since beating the Raiders in 2003 for the Super Bowl win, the Bucs seem to be headed in the same dysfunctional direction as the Black and Silver. The Bucs need an infusion of hope led by a strong draft and maybe a key free agent grab. Ronde Barber can no longer lead this team, and he should follow his twin to the broadcast booth.

Next up: NFC North