NFL Preview: NFC South

New Orleans Saints: The Saints were America's team last year, surpassing all expectations and making it all the way to the NFC Championship game. Led by newcomers Drew Brees and Reggie Bush, the Saints had one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. Brees made a smooth transition to Sean Payton's system, aided by receivers Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and Joe Horn (when he was healthy). Deuce McAllister's power and Bush's speed gave the Saints one of the best rushing attacks in the league. Perhaps most important was the emotional boost the team received from the New Orleans fans, who had the team returned to them after it spent a season in exile due to Hurricane Katrina.

The biggest loss the Saints suffered was that of Horn, who had been the face of the team before last season. However, Horn did not play much last year due to injury and other young receivers have emerged. Colston, Henderson, and rookie Robert Meacham should be able to offset Horn's departure. The offense should continue its improvement as Brees gets more comfortable and Bush takes a bigger role in the offense.

The potential downfall could be the defense. The only remotely significant upgrade came at cornerback, where the team added former Colt Jason David. This drops Fred Thomas to third in the depth chart, which could make a difference (as anyone who watched Thomas get burned in the playoffs would agree). The high-powered offense might be enough to get to Saints to a conference title in the wide-open NFC, but it's hard to imagine them overcoming a more complete team like the Chargers, Patriots, or Ravens.

Carolina Panthers: The Panthers continued their year-to-year inconsistency, posting a 8-8 record. Jake Delhomme had a mediocre season and the running backs, once again, struggled to stay healthy. DeAngelo Williams emerged as an effective running option, but missed four games due to injury. The defense was also sub-par, allowing almost 50 more points than they did last season.

Despite the defense's relatively poor performance, the two biggest acquisitions were on offense. David Carr was added after patience in Houston wore thin, and Dwayne Jarrett was drafted to replace Keyshawn Johnson. Jarrett plays a similar game to Johnson and should fit in nicely opposite Steve Smith, as his size will make him a prime red-zone target.

Carr won't see the field as quickly as Jarrett, but he could potentially have a bigger impact. Should the Panthers get frustrated with with Delhomme's erratic play, they can turn to Carr. While he was ineffective in Houston, he did show some flashes and his poor play was likely due to the inability of his offensive line to keep him on his feet. Given the opportunity and an effective offensive line, Carr could lead the Panthers to a very strong season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: An aging defense and numerous quarterback injuries caused the Bucs to fall to 4-12 a year after making the playoffs with an 11-5 record. As the Bucs turned to Chris Simms to lead them, he suffered a spleen injury and missed much of the season. Too much Bruce Gradkowski combined with the decline of veterans such as Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks, and Ronde Barber left Tampa Bay a shell of its former self.

In the off-season, the Bucs addressed their quarterback needs (for now) by signing Jeff Garcia. Garcia should be a good fit in Jon Gruden's West Coast offense after excelling in that role with the Eagles last season. While this does not address Tampa Bay's long-term quarterback needs and may soon spell the end for Simms in Tampa, it should significantly improve the offense in the short term.

The changing of the guard seems to be beginning, as Rice was released and was effectively replaced by fourth overall pick Gaines Adams. The Bucs still have a lot of work to do if they intend to fix up the aging defense, but Adams should be a good start. The team also recently added Jeremiah Trotter, who, while no longer a Pro Bowl-caliber player, should be a good influence in the locker room. The Bucs still have a lot of work to do, but they should be significantly better this season.

Atlanta Falcons: Coming off the 7-9 season, the Falcons looked to improve under new head coach Bobby Petrino. They hoped that he could figure out Michael Vick and that perhaps the addition of Joe Horn would give Vick the sure-handed receiver he's been longing for. Well, we all know how that worked out. Vick will spend at least a year in prison and the Falcons have cut ties with him to the best of their ability. (I'll keep the Vick jokes to a minimum, I promise. It's just too easy.)

Atlanta clearly picked the wrong year to let Matt Schaub go, as he would've had a chance to start, and now they are left with Joey Harrington as the starting quarterback. Harrington has looked good in training camp and was decent for Miami last year, but he's a far cry from Vick or even what would've been expected from Schaub. Because Vick's legal troubles occurred so late in the off-season, Atlanta was unable to acquire a suitable backup quarterback (well, technically Harrington was that backup) and are left with only Chris Redman and D.J. Shockley as alternative options.

Much of the offensive load will be carried by Warrick Dunn, who is now 32 and may see the decline that most running backs experience around his age. Horn will improve the receiving corps, but he is past his prime and with Harrington at the helm, it's debatable whether Horn could have made a major difference when he was still an elite receiver. For the Falcons to be a decent team, they will rely on their defense, Dunn, and Harrington to performance well beyond expectations.