By: Kai Jones
If you’re reading this article, I’m sure you’re smelling something: that smell…is the NFC South. If you have been following the NFC South you know that the Panthers are in first place…with a 3-4-1 record. This conference has always been inconsistent since the realignment in 2002; no team has repeated as division champs since the division was formed. While no team has been able to repeat as champs, this division has normally been pretty solid against the rest of the league, as 7 of the 12 years a team from the division has been in the NFC Championship game. Coming into this season some highly esteemed football people had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. So what is wrong with these teams?
First off, let’s start with the defending champs and 1st place team. The Carolina Panthers opened up the season against the Buccaneers and looked strong, even without their starting QB Cam Newton. They even played an impressive game against the Detroit Lions the next week. Then came the nosedive, since their win against the Lions, the Panthers have gone 1-4-1 (you know it’s bad when you can’t even outright win). The offense has been about on pace with their pace from last season, but what has taken a step back is their defense. The defense last year was 2nd in the league, but this year they are only 21st. The defense is missing Quinton Mikell, Michael Mitchell, and Captain Munnerlyn; all left in free agency. The secondary was looked at last year as the Achilles’ heel of the defense and with the lost of 3 starters they got even worse, not to mention that star defensive end Greg Hardy is inactive due to his ongoing domestic violence case. While the Panthers have been bad, their biggest threat has been just as bad.
The New Orleans Saints were thought to be a much-improved team coming into this year. The Saints brought in high-profile safety Jarius Byrd and timeworn legendary cornerback Champ Bailey. While these additions seemed great, the Saints still lost multiple players including: Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma, Jabari Greer, Darren Sproles, and Lance Moore among other important players from last year’s playoff team. So maybe inevitably they have struggled, especially their defense. The team looked better in the last game the played, routing the Packers 44-23, so maybe they’re on the upswing.
The team on the lowest downturn in the division is the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons sit 3rd in the division, so why are they on the worst downturn? Considering they were just in the NFC Championship game two seasons ago, their downturn is much worse than the Buccaneers who have not been good since 2010. The Falcons are on a 5 game losing streak, and have not won since the bludgeoning of the Buccaneers. The Falcons seem to lack depth, outside of the wide receiver position, and Matt Ryan has no time to get the receivers the ball behind his porous offensive line. Without the offense playing well, this defense cannot be masked. The defense hasn’t played terribly, but with a bad offense as well, the team is not going to win very many football games.
Speaking of not winning very many football games, let’s discuss the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers since their 2010 10-win-season, have won just 16 games since. There aren’t many bright spots on this team, despite Herm Edwards picking them to go to the Super Bowl; this team has just been bad. The defense many thought would be great, has been the worst in the league. The offense has been as bad as many thought it would be, as it ranks 28th in the league. The solution? Keep rebuilding. The Buccaneers have been rebuilding since they fired the prominent head coach, Jon Gruden. Although, their biggest problem has been firing two coaches since Gruden. In the NFL, it’s hard to rebuild and change coaches simultaneously, so hopefully the Buccaneers will keep Lovie Smith and let him rebuild their once winning culture.
The NFC South has been very bad these first 8 weeks, but hopefully one or two of the teams can get it together and make this proud division formidable before the postseason begins. While in 2010 the 7-9 Seahawks defeated the defending Champion New Orleans Saints in the playoffs, no one wants to see a below .500 team in the playoffs. The Panthers and Saints face offon Thursday Night Football tonight, so maybe we can gauge how the division will look going forward.
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