2011 NFL Predictions: 7 Bold Predictions for NFC South

The NFC South has been a division on the rise for years now. It has arguably become the best division in the NFL.

In 2010 we saw a lot from this division. The Atlanta Falcons had one of their best seasons in franchise history and took the title of champions of the NFC South.

The New Orleans Saints had ups and downs, but in the end, they were stunned by the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks in a first-round shootout in the playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers failed to make the playoffs after a remarkable turnaround from 2009. They look to be promising again this season.

The Carolina Panthers unfortunately had the worst record in the league, but even they had some bright spots.

What will the NFC South bring to 2011? Here are some predictions that are sure to please some and repulse others at the same time.

The Falcons Will Be Champions

That's right, I'm picking the Atlanta Falcons to win the NFC South for the second straight season. 

The Dirty Birds finished with a record of 13-3 last year, the second best in franchise history. Looking at the Falcons schedule for 2011, I don't see their record falling much lower than last season's.

It won't be an easy task, but the Falcons have the capability of beating out the New Orleans Saints for the title. Why aren't the Tampa Bay Buccaneers included in that statement? They are certainly a team with plenty of potential, but this year will not be the year they take control of the division.

The Saints were solid in 2010, but they lost some games that really confused people. They were defeated by the Cleveland Browns and the Arizona Cardinals, two teams that each won only five games last year.

Drew Brees had seven interceptions in those two games and 22 total interceptions for the year, second worst in the NFL.

The Falcons play conservatively. Mike Smith has been criticized for his lack of big plays, but it seemed to work out last year. Matt Ryan throws a lot of short passes, but he only threw nine picks in 2010, the lowest of his career.

Turnovers will most likely decide the outcome of the Falcons-Saints games, which favors Atlanta. 

Julio Jones ROY

The Offensive Rookie of the Year award normally favors running backs, but Julio Jones is out to take it home this year.

Jones was the No. 2 ranked player by ESPN's recruiting site in 2008. He chose to attend the University of Alabama, where he helped the Tide win a national championship his sophomore year. We know he has experience on a big stage.

We also know he has high expectations coming into the NFL. The Falcons really went out on a limb to acquire Jones in this year's draft, and they expect him to thrive in their No. 2 receiver spot.

Matt Ryan has already targeted Jones often during the preseason, a theme that should carry over to the regular season. Ryan threw 571 passes in 2010 and has increased this number each year he's been in the league.

Jones made plenty of big plays at Alabama, and the Falcons know he has that ability. Like I mentioned previously, they are a conservative, balanced team. But we know they want to add some fireworks to their playbook.

Look for Ryan to go to Jones regularly, making him a great case for Offensive Rookie of the Year. 

Josh Freeman Will Make Pro Bowl

Josh Freeman is another rising star in the NFL. He's been in the league for two seasons, and we saw drastic improvements between those two years.

Freeman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a dismal 2009. He threw 10 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 10 games his rookie year as the team finished 3-13. 

What a difference one year makes. The Bucs went 10-6 in 2010 with Freeman passing for 25 touchdowns and just six picks. He has a great arm along with good mobility, especially for size—6'6'', 248 lbs—making for a dangerous leader of this team. 

Freeman has some good talent around him, and with the emergence of LeGarrette Blount as a feature back, the Bucs young QB will have someone to take pressure off of the passing game. When the Pro Bowl voting is finished you should find Josh Freeman's name on there and not as an alternate this time.

Blount/Turner 1,000 Yard Backs

Seventeen teams in the NFL had 1,000-yard rushers last year. Only two teams from the NFC South will have one this season.

Michael Turner is coming off another great year for the Falcons in 2010, but many are questioning how this year will turn out for him. He just turned 29 in February, and if history tells us anything about running backs, it's that they don't last long after they hit 30.

Atlanta is still going to give Turner plenty of carries. He didn't look great in preseason, but hopefully things will pick up in Week 1. He is still fully capable of hitting the 1,000-yard mark, which he is sure to do this year.

LeGarrette Blount just nearly made it to the 1,000-yard club last year. Of course he didn't play every game though. Blount played in 13 games and finished with 1,007 yards. 2011 will be a different story.

The Bucs really don't have any other viable options at running back. Don't tell me the Earnest Graham or Kregg Lumpkin is a quality back-up. Blount showed what he could do at the University of Oregon—no I don't mean punching people in the face—and seems to be ready to handle the workload of a feature back.

The New Orleans Saints haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Deuce McAllister in 2006. They have as many running backs competing for playing time as they did losses last season. Don't expect anyone on this team to get near the 1,000-yard mark.

The Carolina Panthers definitely have talent in the backfield. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have had 1,000 yard seasons in the same year before. That's impressive, don't get me wrong, but there are there are problems that will hinder these two. 

They both have had injury issues in the past, and let's face it, the Panthers aren't going to be great this year. With another rookie QB you can't expect teams to be afraid of the pass. Opposing defenses are going to stack the box and make it harder for the Panthers ground game to get going.

Williams and Stewart could have decent stats this season, but I'd be surprised if either of them reaches 1,000 yards.

Panthers Will Finish 3-13

Sorry Panther fans, you're not going to enjoy this slide.

The Carolina Panthers finished 2-14 in 2010. I will go on record saying they only finish one game better than that in 2011.

The lockout shortened training camp for NFL teams, which affects rookies the most. Cam Newton certainly looked like he could have used some extra time during the Panthers preseason games. He only completed 42 percent of his passes, but the good news was he didn't throw any interceptions.

Newton is a freak athlete. We all saw what he did last year at Auburn University. But crazy skills aren't going to equal phenomenal statistics in the NFL right away. He's going to need some time to grow in his role as a starter for the Panthers.

Carolina quarterbacks were dreadful to watch last year. They were sacked 50 times and averaged a mere 5.4 yards per pass.

Cam Newton is going to be better than Jimmy Clausen, but when I look at the Panthers schedule there really isn't a single game that I can honestly say they will win.

Hopefully for their fans' sake things will not be as bad as 2010, but there's no assurance they will be. 

Mark Ingram Will Win Starting Job

Another Heisman winner has become a part of the NFC South this year. Mark Ingram was drafted by the New Orleans Saints with their 28th pick in this year's draft. He is sure to make an impact right away.

Ingram is another University of Alabama alum. He won the the Heisman trophy in 2009 but unfortunately missed part of 2010 after undergoing minor knee surgery.

This is one thing the Saints absolutely do not need, more injured running backs. The Saints went through several running backs last season. Ingram has been healthy ever since so there's no need to worry right now.

Sean Payton has never been one to give a running back over 300 carries, but Ingram will get his fair share as he looks like he will be a good fit in the ground game.

Pierre Thomas currently heads the depth chart at running back, but he has never played a full 16 games, so you have to think Ingram will get his chance to shine sooner or later.  

Carolina Will Lead in Attendance, Again

Here's my way to win the Panthers fans back. If there's one thing we know about Carolina's fans, it's the fact that they are loyal no matter what.

The Panthers have led the NFC South in attendance and attendance percentage for years now. They consistently fill more of their stadium than the other three cities in the division.

The Panthers home, Bank of America Stadium, holds a little more than the other three, but they still fill it up better than Atlanta, Tampa Bay and New Orleans.

So here's a challenge for you fans of the rest of the NFC South, get out there and support your team. Tampa Bay only filled 75 percent of Raymond James Stadium last season. I know you guys can do better than that, especially with the exciting young team playing there.