By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The NFL gets a lot of credit for its parity from year to year and there are multiple examples over the years proving that to be true.

When it comes to the Super Bowl, because of the Patriots stranglehold on the AFC, most of the parity has come from the NFC.

There has been a different team representing the conference in each of the past six seasons, many of which were not considered to be Super Bowl contenders to begin the season.

As we look towards next season, could one of the NFC South teams be that team to surprise everyone with a Super Bowl run?

The obvious answer would be the New Orleans Saints, which takes them out of this particular conversation since they wouldn’t be a surprise.

Out of the three remaining divisional teams, I don’t think there’s much doubt the Panthers are the longest of long shots next year.

They have a new coach with a new philosophy, they lost their best defensive player (Luke Kuechly) to retirement and decided not to bring back their most reliable offensive player (Greg Olsen).

And then there’s the question of whether Cam will ready, if he’ll be back in Charlotte at all. Trust me, Kenny Maybe had a better chance of making it to the second round of “Dancing With the Stars” than the Panthers do of making it to the Super Bowl.

Next up, to me at least, are the Falcons. I realize most people probably believe in the Falcons more than the Buccaneers, but I’m just not there.

Atlanta has been on the decline for the last three seasons; they haven’t been able to quite put things together on either side of the ball since their Super Bowl run, and frankly, I don’t trust Dan Quinn.

I stated earlier this season, the worst thing that could happen to Atlanta was to finish the season strong, giving management a reason to keep Quinn around, and I’m sticking to it.

On the flip side, the talent is there to make a run, especially on the offensive side of the ball, which is why I give them a better chance than Carolina. On paper they look like best team out of the three to give New Orleans a run for the division title, but I’m not quite sold on it happening.

So, yes, between the Panthers, Falcons, and Buccaneers, I would pick Tampa to be the surprise team next year. I don’t know if it’s the viral infection I’ve been battling combined with the Police Academy marathon I binged today (thanks Netflix), but for some reason I’m going with the Buccaneers.

Truth be told, I’m not really sure why I should even feel this way, except that after five years I’m still foolish enough to think James Winston can surely get his stuff together for at least one full season.

I mean, the 5,100 yard and 33 touchdowns is so appealing, as long as you completely ignore the 30 interceptions that went along with it. Surely Bruce Arians can do something with that, right?

Of course, these things were being said about the 49ers last year, and the Rams the year before that, and the Eagles before that, which is why every team begins each season with a renewed sense of hope.

Maybe we’ll be able to add an NFC South team to that list; except for the Panthers. Seriously, it’s going to be a long year.