Coming into the 2012 NFL season, there is one team that has endured more than the rest. That would be the New Orleans Saints, and the bounty scandal that rocked the league. The end result is that the Saints will be without their head coach for the entire season, a suspension that was unprecedented.
But the good news for Saints fans is that quarterback Drew Brees is locked in with the richest contract in NFL history. And it’s well deserved. Brees comes off of a historic season, eclipsing a record that stood for over 25 years. Step aside Dan Marino, there is a new single-season mark to aim for.
Still though, one has to think that it won’t be easy for New Orleans not to miss a beat without Sean Payton on the sideline. And to add on, the NFC South division looks to be really competitive with the emergence of Carolina.
Cam Newton, who had a sensational rookie season, will try to follow that up with an even better sophomore campaign. Newton certainly proved worthy of the No.1 pick in 2012, but it’s not just about one season. It’s about getting better and pushing towards the playoffs. Carolina won six games a year ago, which was several more than anyone expected. In fact, the Panthers are getting some attention as the possible division winners in the NFC South.
As it stands, the Saints are still the favorites, with the Atlanta Falcons behind. But the gap has definitely closed, and the NFC South might just be one of the most exciting division races in all of the NFL in 2012.
For Atlanta, they reached a second-straight postseason for the first time in history, but were once again unable to do anything with it. Two playoff appearances in a row, and an 0-2 record isn’t what Falcon fans were hoping for. Quarterback Matt Ryan will have plenty of weapons on offense this season, highlighted by Roddy white and Julio Jones. Really on paper, there is no reason why Atlanta shouldn’t be in the playoffs. But it’s still a mystery why Atlanta couldn’t muster any more than two points in the loss to the Giants in January.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are probably going to be the overlooked team in the NFC South this season when compared to the other three. Breaking in a new head coach will often times do that. The Bucs had a disappointing 2011 season following a 10-win 2010. Quarterback Josh Freeman still appears to be solid though. But there are improvements on both sides of the ball that need to be made.
On the surface, the NFC South looks to be quite compelling this season, with the potential for two or perhaps three playoff teams.