NFL Preseason Preview: NFC South/AFC South

NFC SOUTH:

Atlanta Falcons: The falcons were able to finish last year at 9-7 and give their franchise their first back-to-back winning seasons. However, unlike in 2008, they failed to make the postseason. QB Matt Ryan continues to grow into a franchise quarterback and HB Michael Turner when healthy gives their offense a killer punch. WR Roddy White had a breakout year in 2009 and should follow it up this year as he will serve as Ryan's main target. And, the always reliable, TE Tony Gonzalez continues to play at a high level providing a security blanket for Ryan. There are some holes on defense at linebacker and at times in their backfield. The team has the right mix of talent now to overtake the Saints in the division and the two meetings between the two could very likely flip the division in favor of one or the other.

Carolina Panthers: The finished 8-8 last year and 2010 looks to be a slight bit of a transition year. DE Julius Peppers is gone and their defense will reflect his absence. QB Jake Delhomme is in Cleveland, but was on a downward progression. Likely, QB Matt Moore will be give the starting role, but draftee QB Jimmy Clausen out of Notre Dame could replace him during the season at any point. Both seem to lack certain intangibles expected at that position. WR Steve Smith might have seen his better days pass him by as he is starting to even act up in training camp. LB Jon Beason is a bright spot on the team as he is developing into one of the top linebackers in the NFL. There is a good chance that John Fox is in his last year and there could be speculations of his future and the team's that hurt them at times this year.

New Orleans Saints: The team started 13-0 before stumping down the stretch to finish 13-3. They quickly regroup in playoffs as they ran a miracle streak to their first Super Bowl with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. QB Drew Brees and Head Coach Sean Payton have paved a bright future for the franchise. HB Pierre Thomas became a hidden gem and will asked to repeat his performance of last year as HB Reggie Bush continues to struggle to be an every down type of back. Brees finds ways to get the ball to multiple targets. The defense also steps up their play from past years and spurred the team during off weeks for the offense. Guys like SS Darren Sharper and LB Jonathan Vilma will continue to set the tone for the squad. Sharper is a bit banged up, but still very good. DE Will Smith has also increased his productivity. It will be very tough to repeat, but repeating as division champions is very likely. Atlanta will test them even more than last year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs struggled last year to a 3-13 record under a new head coach and new quarterback. There were many lessons learned from closing games to not turning the ball over. QB Josh Freeman showed signs of brilliance and can grow from his lumps last year. The young nucleus will come back this year with another year of experience and improve on their record. The old regime is all, but gone with the exception of CB Ronde Barber, who still plays at a high level after more than a decade in the league. DT Gerard McCoy will be expected to the be the type of player Warren Sapp was for them for years. HB Cadillac Williams is also shows signs of improving. Their young nucleus will show up in losses, but will play off in a couple years.

OUTLOOK: Expect the Bucs to struggle again with a chance to double their win total. The Panthers will experience some growing pains and likely finish below .500 as well. That leaves Atlanta and New Orleans to battle for the division. The Falcons under Ryan have been tough to beat at home and Brees and the Saints in the SuperDome have been equally as tough. The team's December meeting likely will establish the likely winner of the division. That meeting happens to be in New Orleans, which gives the Saints the edge. They will lose a couple more games while Atlanta will win a couple more, which is why tiebreakers will be as crucial as anything in this division. Saints ultimately edge out Falcons as Atlanta might be one more year away from passing New Orleans. However, both squads go to postseason.

AFC SOUTH:

Houston Texans: They tend to be the trendy upset pick for a postseason birth in recent years. They had their best season finish at 9-7, but still missed the postseason. Their offense has continued to grow under QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson. The running back position has been experiencing some high turnover and not much is known about HB Arian Foster. If their defense can improve to match their offense, they might be able to effectively challenge the Indianapolis Colts and win the division. DE Mario Williams has proven to be the player they expected with the top pick in 2006 and is a cornerstone of their defense as it looks to improve with LBs Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans behind him. Their secondary might ultimately hurt them in the end.

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts fell short in the Super Bowl to the Saints after a very good 14-2 year. They ultimately took off the last two weeks of the regular season to rest for the postseason and came off rusty at times. QB Peyton Manning still sets the pace for the team. He was able to allow WRs Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie to flourish in the offense by season's end while using his dependable target TE Dallas Clark to both the ball. The health of the team often acts as a secondary pace setter after Manning. A key injured Colt in recent seasons has been FS Bob Sanders. He will likely use his body and that will potentially lead to him not finishing another season. But, the front line led by DE Dwight Freeney continues to put pressure on offenses. They will have to focus more on stopping the run to repeat their 2009 success. One might expect a couple unknown players to emerge again this year as the team as dependable as the sun rising every day.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The team fell off a bit last year going 7-9. They are rather bland, but with guys like HB Maurice Jones-Drew; they normally don't roll over. However, it seemed at times in 2009; they lacked the same passion of previous years under Head Coach Jack Del Rio. WR Mike Sims-Walker is looking to repeat his breakout year of 2009 and allow the team to create a balanced offensive attack. Their defense needs to show signs of improvement and the team missed on a couple opportunities in the draft to improve. Nonetheless, they tend to play the top team in the division, the Colts, very close and that will be important again if they have any chance of winning the division.

Tennessee Titans: After a rough start at 0-6, they finished at 8-8 largely due to the combo of QB Vince Young and HB Chris Johnson, who ran for over 2,000 yards last year. The offensive tandem will need repeat their second halves in order for the team to improve on last year. Big targets like WRs Nate Washington and Kenny Britt can allow Young to grow as a passer as Johnson can act as a dual threat for opposing defenses. Their front line on defense actually looked better without DT Albert Haynesworth, who underachieved in his first year in Washington.

OUTLOOK: This division still looks like the Colts to lose. The Titans, Jaguars, and Texans will all battle for an above .500 record. Jacksonville looks like the most flawed of the three at the moment. Houston's defense and Tennessee's lack of a balanced offense will make it tough for them to pass the Colts. Don't expect a 14-2 record and the health will also shift things a bit. If they can stay healthy or manage the potential injuries that have arisen in recent seasons, they will continue their divisional dominance.