July 26th, 2006 by Phil Frangos
NFL preview – NFC South
All is well in the State of Louisiana these days. New Orleans favourite Saint, 2nd pick overall, Reggie Bush has arrived and is poised to make a positive impression, unlike a previously hyped running back who was taken by the team 5th overall…
Yes, you all remember Ricky Williams once graced the black and gold from 1999 to 2001.
It’s still hard to believe that the Houston Texans gave up on the opportunity to draft Reggie, however only time will tell if they made the right decision in electing to go with defensive lineman Mario Williams.
Reggie Bush joins a crowded backfield that includes a healthy Deuce McAllister, who is returning from a torn ACL injury that forced him to miss 13 games last season. As if that wasn’t enough, the Saints went out and added (RB) Michael Bennett from the Minnesota Vikings to bolster the running game and complement the new man under centre, quarterback Drew Brees who signed a 60 million dollar contract that will keep him in New Orleans for the next six years. You gotta believe that this revamped offense will score a tonne of points and keep the Saints competitive in a division that is almost impossible to pick a winner this year.
The one player I feel the Saints will miss this season is (C) LeCharles Bentley. Bentley was scooped up by the Cleveland Browns for 36 million over 6 years and that will leave a huge hole to fill in the offensive line. Also departing from the team this year is quarterback Aaron Brooks who struggled in ‘05.
Among some other additions to the team this year are veteran (DT) Hollis Thomas, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, and 2nd round pick (S) Roman Harper. The low down on Harper is that although he isn’t rated among the elite at his position, he’s a big hitter that relies on quickness and his ability to play his angles to get an edge on his opponents. Even with all these moves, I only see the Saints as an 8-8 team this year.
On to the team I picked to win the Super Bowl last year, the Carolina Panthers. Yes that’s right, I picked Panthers last July to go all the way, and they nearly pulled if off. The one problem that stood in their way was the Seattle Seahawks who were able to shut Steve Smith down in their playoff game. So to be sure to solve that problem this year, the Panthers went out and brought in Keyshawn Johnson to help take the load off the shoulders of Smith. The re-signing of (RB) DeShaun Foster to 3 years was key, but you have to like the additions on defense. (LB) Na’il Diggs from Green Bay, (DT) Maake Kemoeatu from Baltimore, (DT) Damione Lewis from St. Louis and (S) Shaun Williams from the Giants will all fit in nicely.
But the big dude, (DT) Kris Jenkins returns for a full season after tearing his ACL in the season opener last year. I see an 11-5 record ahead for the cats.
Word on the street is that Michael Vick and his 2 main targets, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins, are developing quite the chemistry which will only help Michael’s passing game and open up more offense for the Falcons.
I like the trade that brought (DE) John Abraham in from the Jets. It only cost a 1st round pick, which was 15th overall so not a big deal. The 6′4″, 258 LB Abraham adds a veteran presence to the right side of the line. What will be interesting to watch is the development of another Williams on the team, 2nd RD pick (S) Jimmy Williams. Atlanta really wanted this guy, so much infact, they moved up 8 spots to get him in the draft. A versatile athlete out of Virginia Tech, Williams also played some quarterback, Wide receiver, and outside linebacker during his prep career.
I like the Falcons improving from 8-8 a year ago to 10-6 this year.
And that leaves us with the Bucs. Tampa Bay is set to ride the Cadillac for a second season although we’ll see if Carnell Williams can survive that dreaded 2nd season. Tampa Bay convinced Mike Alstott to come back for another year. He had been contemplating retiring after last season but instead inked a one year, 1.5 million dollar contract to give it one more shot at another Super Bowl. 
Along with bringing back Alstott, the Bucs re-sign (DT) Chris Hovan to 5 years and (WR) Ike Hilliard to 4 years, and super sub (QB) Jay Fiedler to replace the departed Brian Griese as Chris Simms backup.
The Bucs helped out the offensive line in the draft by selecting 6′2″, 311LB guard Davin Joseph from Oklahoma with the 23rd overall pick. They followed that selection with 6′8″, 316LB tackle Jeremy Trueblood from Boston College. Some big beef added to the line thats for sure.
Other than the releasing of (S) Dexter Jackson, the defense remains intact and should continue to play well in ‘06. With all that being said, I don’t see a repeat of 11 wins out of this years Bucs. More like a 9-7 season due to the improvement of everyone else in the division.
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