Part 3 of NFL Division Rankings: NFC South

NFL Division Rankings: Part 3

NFC South

What if I told you Atlanta is not the #1 team in the NFC South. Or at least not in my eyes. In part 3 I will tell you why I believe it's not Atlanta at the top. Oh, and it isn't the Saints either.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Boom goes the dynamite. Why are they #1? For starters, Atlanta wasn't last year, isn't this year, and won't be as good next year as people are thinking. Matt Ryan, an above average quarterback. Julio Jones, #1 target, not the greatest, but pretty darn good. Above average defense. What's Atlanta's problem? Too much hype. Honestly, if they had had to play each of the other top 16 teams last season, I truly believe they would've lost around 8 of those games. Now, the Buccaneers aren't the greatest team either, are they? Wait..... are they? Too be honest, going into last season not many people expected the Seahawks to come in with a rookie quarterback, whom they didn't draft till the 3rd round, and make as big of a statement as they did. Now some people have them at #1 in their rankings, and most have them in the top 5. Well, this year's sleeper team, obviously you've figured out by now, is Tampa Bay. The addition of Darrelle Revis bolsters the defense greatly and he's only 1 player. 2nd year running back Doug Martin "Muscle Hamster," or "Dougernaut," which he prefers, is an offensive weapon waiting to be let free. And the Bucs won't waste a moment before doing it. Josh Freeman is also not that bad of a quarterback. Trust me, they are not to be underestimated, watch this team this season. 

Final Record: 10-6, NFC Divisional Playoff Round loss to Chicago, Doug Martin pro bowler, Darrelle Revis pro bowler

2. Atlanta Falcons

I think I pretty much summed up the reason the Atlanta Falcons aren't going to do well this year up above. I just apparently don't see it in them. Don't tell me, "oh but they almost went undefeated," so? What's your point? The Bears went about 8-8 or 9-7 the year after they went to the Super Bowl. The Falcons didn't even make it there. 

Final Record: 9-7, NFC Wild Card loss to Green Bay, Julio Jones pro bowler

3. New Orleans Saints

Most of you are probably wondering about this too. Sean Payton is back, they'll do great. Wrong. Sean Payton is going to have no effect. Drew Brees, still Drew Brees, except slightly worse. New Orleans' problem? The loss of Aaron Kromer and the defense. Kromer was recruited to Chicago this past offseason to be the offensive coordinator under Marc Trestman. He was the previous Running Backs Coach, Offensive Line Coach, and interim head coach for the Saints. Yes, they will miss him that much. As for the defense, it's just going to collapse. No bounty program though, otherwise it would be one of the best in the league, because they'd all be trying to make some extra cash. 

Final Record: 9-7, no playoffs, Brees pro bowler

4. Carolina Panthers

They're coming. But definitely not yet. Their time will be here, maybe not coming quickly, but soon. Cam Newton, is, the solution. Entering his 3rd season after going into what some may call a "sophomore slump" for the 1st half of last season, I believe Newton is primed to improve every season starting now. He has every right to do his Superman chest reveal after a touchdown. Because he is the future of the NFL. Just not at the moment. Notice how I said future.

Final Record: 8-8, no playoffs

Part 3, done and done. 3 down, 5 to go. Most of you probably don't like my rankings at this point. I'm a sports critic/ want to be a sports critic. It's my job. Point out the bad about the good, and the good about the bad.

NFC North Rankings

NFC East Rankings

Brandon Marshall Interview: He Sounds Optimistic, Is He Ready?

Brandon Marshall Returns From 4-Day Excused Absence

After reports saying Marshall was not happy with the Bears while he recovered from his 3rd hip surgery and taking 4 days off, he has returned to the team. In an interview (link below), Marshall talks about caring for his body, as well as how his hip structure is just fine. Marshall, who sounds optimistic, is expected to play in Week 1, and wants to. There is little doubt that he won't be playing on Sunday in Chicago when the Bears take on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Video: Brandon Marshall Interview

Tell us in the comments what you think. Did the Bears and Marshall really plan the 4 days off? Should he be as optimistic as he sounds? Will he be playing on September 8th?

Part 2 of NFL Division Rankings: NFC North

NFL Rankings by Division: Part 2

NFC North

The 2nd part of installment 1 on my new blog are the rankings of the NFC North. Disclaimer: Be prepared to think "What? That's crazy? How? This guy is stupid....."

1. Chicago Bears

Go ahead, start thinking what I told you to be prepared for earlier. Before you ask why it isn't the Packers, let me tell you, Green Bay has no bench. At all. Bringing in Marc Trestman this offseason from Canada is one of the best moves the NFL has seen in a while. They found a gem in the rough. A few reasons why the Bears are listed at #1-

• Jay Cutler will start strong, then fade, then be better than he was at the beginning.

• Based on the blocking schemes we've have seen from the preseason, and the speed/flashy moves he's showing, Matt Forte is primed for a big season. Big.

• The offensive line is a 7.5 on an efficiency scale of 1 to 10...... Its been lower than 4.5 each of the past few seasons.

• Different coach, same defense. Domination. 

• I believe Aaron Rodgers will get injured..... Against the Bears.

Final Record: 10-6, NFC championship loss to Seahawks...... Forte 3rd string pro bowler, Marshall 1st string pro bowler, Alshon Jeffery bench/reserve pro bowler

2. Green Bay Packers

Where to start... To put it simply, the Packers have had a winning formula for about the past 5 years. Their window of opportunity is closing. What do I mean? Aaron Rodgers is still young, loyal fanbase, no problem getting players to come to Green Bay... What is it then? You see, even though they've beaten the Bears 12 straight times (that's 6 years if it doesn't include the NFC Championship a few years ago), Chicago has been right behind them the whole time. Some may say "They got a new coach from Canada you expect them to even win a game?", yes I do, in fact I expect them to handily beat the Packers at least once this season, maybe twice with some luck. You see, their starting core is magnificent, if those guys could play the whole game barring injuries they'd go 13-3 or 12-4....... But when you look at their bench... is it even a bench?

Final Record: 9-7, NFC Wild Card round loss to Vikings, Aaron Rodgers 3rd string pro bowler

3. Minnesota Vikings

They're almost there. Almost. So close. But not yet. Despite not having a very notable roster, the Vikings will surprisingly seem to put together a substantial season like last one's. The problem is, they have a weak receiving core and Ponder is not a great QB. Adrian Peterson could rush for 3,000 yards and they'd still finish 3rd. But finishing 3rd in this version of the NFC North? Not bad. Not bad by any means.

Final Record: 9-6, Loss to San Francisco in Divisional Playoff round, AP 1st string pro bowler

4. Detroit Lions

Well, here we are again. Look familiar, Detroit? I told my friends before last season that the previous season (2 years ago) was a fluke. When the Lions went from bad to good, and Megatron came from nowhere. They didn't believe me until week 6. Same thing. Same results as last season. Matthew Stafford, maybe an above average QB. Megatron, great! Ndamukong Suh, one of the dirtiest players we've seen in a while. This team is full of over-confident jailbirds. 

Final Prediction: 6-10, no playoffs, Megatron 2nd string pro bowler

There you have it. Part 2. 2 down, 6 to go. Most of you won't like this division's rankings. Keep in mind 2 things: I'm a Bears fan. I'm also a bold predictor and like to put my mind out there.

Don't forget to check out my post before this: NFL Rankings by Division: Part 1

Part 1 of NFL Division Rankings: NFC East

NFL Rankings by Division: Part 1

For the first installment on my new blog I will be ranking each team in the NFL by listing their ranking in the division, giving a small reasoning and then give my overall top 15 at the end. Although some of you won't agree with these, I encourage you to post your thoughts and/or rankings, and maybe you could spark a conversation. 

NFC East

1. Washington Redskins 

#1 in my NFC East rankings are the Washington Redskins. It's all about their offense and the competition here. Honestly, who thinks the Giants are really THAT good? I sure don't and if you do you clearly don't pay attention to the details. The other 2 teams, well, the Eagles are rebuilding and the Cowboys don't seem to understand they don't have a good team, because they don't put much effort into fixing it. RG3 and Alfred Morris are on the verge of becoming an elite force in the NFL. The question asked by some is, can they do it again? Yes. Despite RG3's injury, I think he is on track to be right back where he was last year, and Alfred Morris is still the most underrated RB in the league. Look out NFC East, the Redskins are on top again.

Final record: 10-6, RG3 3rd string Pro Bowler, loss to Bears in NFC Divisional Round of playoffs

2. New York Giants

They've won 2 super bowls in the past 6 years (4 years apart), how are they 2nd? Look, we all know (except for their fans) that as good as they may seem, in reality, they're just above mediocre. Eli Manning, not as good as the critics say and not as good as he seems overall. They lost Ahmad Bradshaw to the Colts, and Victor Cruz, in all seriousness, is due for an off season. I mean off season as in non productive . Is their defensive line still that good? Only time will tell, this may be a team I'm wrong about. Go ahead, prove me wrong, but for now, they're not on top in my eyes

Final Record: 9-6, loss to Tampa Bay in NFC Wild Card Round of playoffs, Victor Cruz non-starter pro bowler

3. Dallas Cowboys

Once again the Cowboys have yet to make even close to any necessary moves to improve either the offense or the defense. Same old, same old. Tony Romo will still be the Romo of the past 4-5 years. In case you don't know what that is, it means sucky and injury prone. DeMarco Murray, sure, he'll get around 900 yards. Not near good enough to lead the whole team. If you haven't gotten my point yet, they're still the same team they've been in the past years. A team that has too much confidence, one that expects to go 11-5, when in reality......

Final Record: 7-9, no playoffs, no notable pro bowlers

 4. Philadelphia Eagles

Well, last, and close to least, the Eagles. Philadelphia hasn't been able to quite hit their stride the past 2 seasons. Entering their 4th with QB Michael Vick, who is sure to be released next offseason if he once again does not pan out this season. Philly has been in a bit of turmoil lately, the firing of Andy Reid, their coach since 1999, the hiring of Oregon's Chip Kelly, who runs a hurry-up no huddle offense, and of course, the QB battle. It seems all but the first year he was there, Vick has had to compete for the starting job. Sean McCoy is sure to have another good season, but there's no telling how the Eagles will be able to execute Kelly's system. Probably not very well... For now.

Final Record: 5-11, Vick loses the starting job around Week 6-7.... and Desean Jackson gets injured badly

That concludes the 1st post of many to come here on Sports Fan Nation. Let me know what you think and what your rankings are.

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Next up: NFC North

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