NFC South
NFC South Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL Draft is April 26, 2018. So, it is approaching soon.
This can change the fortune for several franchises. The best division in 2017 was the NFC South because they had three playoff teams. Let’s take a look at the division and their 1st round picks.
No. 7 Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers (5-11) were the only team in the division with a losing record. They took a step back because they were 9-7 in 2016. We expected them to improve and make the playoffs. They also added speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson to pair with Mike Evans but it obviously did not work.
The biggest team needs are defensive back, running back and offensive guard. Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick would be a great pick. He played both safety and corner in college. He can cover and he’s physical and can make tackles. He also has very good size at 6’1, 201 pounds.
No. 24 Carolina: The Panthers (11-5) rebounded last year after regressing in 2016. They addressed a need by drafting running back Christian McCaffrey in the 1st round last year. He was very good as a pass catcher but he did not run the ball well. He only rushed for 435 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per carry.
The biggest team needs are wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line. The Panthers traded their #1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo on Halloween.
Cam Newton needs a good WR so I think they will go in that direction. Courtland Sutton from SMU should still be available. He’s 6’4, 225 lbs. so he’s a big target.
He caught 68 passes for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2017. Newton struggles with accuracy so having a tall receiver with a big catch radius is a good move.
No. 26 Atlanta: The Falcons (10-6) had an up and down year coming off last year’s heartbreaking Super Bowl meltdown. They did win in the first round of the playoffs against the LA Rams. They came very close to beating the eventual world champion Philadelphia Eagles in the second round, losing 15-10. Atlanta should return to being an elite team if they make the right personnel moves.
The biggest needs are defensive line, WR and offensive guard. Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst would be a good fit. Putting him next to Grady Jarrett might give the Falcons one of the best young defensive lines in the league.
No. 27 New Orleans: The Saints (11-5) had a great season. They have the best running back duo in the NFL and an elite veteran quarterback. They lost to Minnesota in the divisional round of the playoffs on the last play of the game. The defense ranked 16th in total D and 17th in run defense.
They need to improve the defensive front seven, WR or slot corner. Boston College defensive end Harold Landry might be selected here. He showed he could rush the passer in 2016 when he recorded 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. Landry is a bit of a one-year wonder though because he did not have a season with more than 5 sacks outside of 2016.
Super Bowl Backups?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One of the main topics of discussion as we exit the football season is the importance of having a capable backup at the quarterback position.
Teams like Green Bay and Miami struggled mightily when they were forced to rely on their 2nd string QB.
I mean, Miami had so much faith in Matt Moore they signed Jeff George’s twin brother from a different mother, Jay Cutler, and started him Week 1.
Teams like Minnesota, and obviously Philadelphia, we’re able to keep their season afloat despite losing their starting quarterbacks.
So, this got me thinking: How much faith should fans of the NFC South have in their respective team’s backup quarterback?
Since things could, and probably will change over the next few months, I’m going with who the backup quarterback was at the end of the season.
Atlanta Falcons: Matt Schaub. All you need to know is that Schaub is currently 54 going on 83 and over the past 2 years has only thrown three more passes in an actual NFL game than I have.
Look, I like Schaub’s game, from 7-8 years ago and if this were being written during his first stint with Atlanta I would be really high on his ability to lead the Falcons for an extended period, if needed.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I can’t imagine a scenario where Dan Quinn doesn’t bring someone else in back up Matt Ryan. Falcons’ fans better hope Ryan is the Cal Ripken of NFL Quarterbacks.
Carolina Panthers: Derek Anderson. See Matt Schaub. The only difference is I can count on Anderson to throw at least one red zone interception for every game he plays.
If Schaub actually played I feel like he would just hand the ball off every play, which is what I would want the Panthers to do with Anderson.
New Orleans Saints: Chase Daniel. This one is interesting, mainly because I have no idea how good Daniel is.
I know a lot of teams think highly of him and he’s made really good money over his 10 year career based on those opinions. I also know he’s never thrown more than 38 passes in a season.
In fact, he’s only thrown 78 passes in his entire career. Seriously, there’s not enough info on him for me to even poke fun at. He’s truly “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ryan Fitzpatrick. I guess out of all the backup quarterbacks the NFC South has to offer, Fitzpatrick is the best.
I’m not really sure that’s saying a whole lot though. I will say this, he did do an admirable job filling for Jameis Winston at various times this past year. And he has proven himself to be a decent quarterback in recent years.
I guess it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility to see him have the type of season Case Keenum had if Fitzpatrick needed to run the show in Tampa. Not saying it’s likely to happen, just that it’s not impossible.
Basically, while the NFC South may have the strongest group of starting of quarterbacks in the league, they also have the male version of the “Golden Girls” as their backups.
And if I’m being completely honest, with the exception of Ryan Fitzpatrick, I’m pretty sure I’d rather have Bea Arthur as my backup as opposed to the other three. You can even include Fitzpatrick if you’re giving me Betty White.
NFC South: Best In Football
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Go ahead and stop me if you’ve heard this before: everything in the NFL is cyclical. I know, it’s been more times than Stephen A. Smith yells about someone having the “unmitigated gall”, but it’s also extremely accurate.
Five years ago the NFC West was a disaster. Two years ago it was the toughest division in football. This year the entire division, outside of Seattle, will be as inept as the Florida Gator offense.
The past few years the NFC South hasn’t had much to brag about. Obviously, the last two NFC representatives in the Super Bowl have come from the division, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at; it’s just that there hasn’t been much else to get excited about.
That should change this year as the South looks to be the toughest division in the NFC, if not the entire NFL. (The AFC West may have something to say about that last part).
Best Case Scenario
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’ve mentioned before how little faith I put into mock drafts and after this year’s first round you can see why. If there was a NFL Draft Bracket, similar to March Madness, predicting the events of Thursday night would’ve been like predicting South Carolina to make it to the Final Four.
Well, I put about as much stock into the post-draft grades as I do the mock drafts. So, rather than give each team a grade that will surely come back to bite me at some point, I’ve listed each team, along with the best and worst outcome they can expect from their drafted players. Some of these may or may not be realistic. I’ll let you decide.
NFC South Draft Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia is on the horizon. We get to see where future stars will land and get to see if teams will address their needs. I’m going to take a look at the NFC South and look at some possible landing spots for the 1st round of the draft.
Crazy NFC South
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL loves its parity. It’s one of the things that has helped it thrive as a league over the years. Just about every fan base (sorry Cleveland, I’m not looking at you on this one) goes into the season with playoff aspirations and a sense that their team has it what it takes to make a run. It really is one of the beautiful things about the NFL.
Over the past decade the NFC South has taken that parity out to dinner, married it, bought it a house with a white picket fence, and introduced it to every actor/actress on its “If I ever meet this person I get to………” list.
So far this year doesn’t seem to be any different. I know it’s dangerous to look too much into any one game, but it’s hard not to walk away from the Falcons/Panthers game this weekend and see anything different than two teams headed in opposite directions.
