Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Where They Stand in the NFC South

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended the 2010 season with a 10-6 record which looks pretty solid on paper, but it is a little deceiving.

Besides their Week 17 victory over the Saints, their nine other wins were accumulated against less than average squads. Their toughest games were against the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and their division rivals the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. They lost all of these match ups besides the aforementioned Week 17 win against the Saints.

The point I am trying to make is not that the Buccaneers are a bad team, but they just weren't challenged much last season. The NFC South is arguably the toughest division in the NFL, and the Buccaneers have advantages and disadvantages concerning the teams in their division: the Saints, the Falcons and the Carolina Panthers.

It's probably safe to say that as of now the Bucs are the third best team in the division, but this division can be shaken up very easily. Let's take a look at some of the variables concerning each team in the NFC South.

New Orleans Saints

Last season the Buccaneers and the Saints split the two game series, going 1-1 against each other. Of course, the success of the Saints depends on the success of their superstar quarterback, Drew Brees.

That was definitely the case last season, given that the Saints' win was a result of a 263 yard passing game with three touchdowns, while their loss against the Bucs came off a disappointing 196 yard performance with only one touchdown.

The Saints started the season healthy which is a challenge for them, but Marques Colston has already missed a game because of injury and is expected to at least miss a couple more. When the Saints are healthy and Drew Brees is playing well, the 2009 Super Bowl champs are the best team in this division and still a Super Bowl contender.

Luckily for the Buccaneers, these teams actually match up pretty well given the two teams' strengths and weaknesses. The Saints are weak against the run, and this is the Bucs' specialty. Head coach Raheem Morris and quarterback Josh Freeman are great at controlling the tempo of the game, and they have a rising star in LeGarrette Blount at running back. Also, while the Buccaneer defense is still a work in progress their strength is guarding against the pass.

With a combination of sufficient success in the ground game and a somewhat successful attempt to slow down the Saints' pass attack, the Buccaneers have a chance to be successful against this squad.

Atlanta Falcons

There is usually much debate on whether the Atlanta Falcons or the New Orleans Saints are the best team in the NFC South. The Falcons are a very talented team, and they deserve the credit...for now at least.

What I mean is that the Falcons are a team that's getting older and older. Surprisingly, Tony Gonzales, one of their biggest offensive threats is back for another season after some expected the 35-year-old to retire. Michael Turner will also hit the 30-year-old mark in February and will slowly but surely become less and less effective.

Age is a factor that the Buccaneers have on their side when discussing the development of the division over the next few years. The Bucs are the youngest crew in the league, and several of the youngsters are developing quickly into rising stars of the league. Skill players Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount are both only in their second season, but their play sometimes suggests that they are polished veterans.

This season the Falcons have a better all around squad than the Bucs, and the Bucs don't have history on their side after losing both match ups between the teams last season. However, don't count them out against the Falcons this year. The Bucs' success in this game lays squarely in the hands of Josh Freeman and his receiving core. The Falcons have a pretty stout run defense which will limit the success of Blount, but their secondary is very average. If Freeman does a good job exploiting this weakness, the Buccaneers could come out with a victory in at least one of their meetings this season.

Carolina Panthers

We all saw the Panthers' season opener when Cam Newton threw for an astounding 422 yards during his first performance in the NFL. However, praise was strained given that he did it against a weak Arizona Cardinal secondary. Then, the praise quickly rekindled after throwing for over 400 yards the very next game against the defending champions, the Green Bay Packers.

Most were writing the Panthers off and expecting them to have another miserable season while Newton develops into an NFL quarterback, but it seems that Newton will have none of that. He is playing to win. After DeAngelo Williams massive payday, many were expecting the Panthers to attack their opponents on the ground; so defensive preparation could play a role in why Newton has been so successful to open the season. Either way, Newton is out to prove he has what it takes to succeed in the NFL.

If D-Will could get things going on the ground and Steve Smith keeps up the effort he put forth in the first two games of the season, then the Panthers will end up with a very explosive offense.

Unfortunately, Newton can't play defense for the Panthers too. Who would expect that your quarterback throws for 400-plus yards in back to back games but you lose both of them? The Panthers are halfway decent against the pass but horrible against the run. They have a slim to zero chance of stopping LeGarrette Blount and the Buccaneers' rushing attack.

We can still expect the Bucs to win both match ups against the Panthers this season, but don't expect them to be anywhere close to as awful as they were last season. Newton has inspired hope in the fans and the team, and the Panthers are a team on the rise.