the Great War and sharp to talk NFC South. Very interesting
handicap for this division. As you have a clear dissection
between the Haves and have-nots in the NFC South,
the current market favorite. In fact, I think
the biggest favorite of any division in all of football is
your Tampa Bay Buccaneers at - 300 to win this division
without having played a single game. This season. The market
is pretty, pretty sure the Tampa Bay
A Buccaneers are going back to the playoffs.
The New Orleans Saints it at, plus 400
Carolina, Panthers,
10 to 1 and the Atlanta Falcons 12:35 that is about as long
a price as you will ever see for a team to win their division.
But I think it's fairly warranted the Falcons really,
you know, look to be embracing the tank,
the whip they have roster this team.
The current win total for them is four and a half. If you want
to bet the over you gotta lay - 125 which means presumably
people are out there. - over
best of luck to them.
The Atlanta Falcons
come into this season with Marcus Mariota. The presumptive
starting quarterback, his health is an enormous question.
Mark, if anything happens to Mariota, this becomes
the Desmond Ritter show in a heartbeat and when it comes to
Desmond, Ritter
his top two Targets are going to be very young players. And
Kyle pits and Drake London.
This offense is not even really the low point of the Falcons
team. The market has them, ranked the 32nd best defense,
maybe not entirely. Early warranted, considering they do
have a couple of Blue Chip players
Warren. Can you give me anything positive about Art Smith
year to Falcons potential for 2022?
He won't disappoint me more than he did last year.
That's a positive.
I had higher hopes for Arthur Smith. I will admit coming in
from the Tennessee Titans because we saw in Tennessee, he
used a lot of play-action used. A lot of pre-snap motion, we
weren't so sure about the Run game but he had Derrick Henry,
so we thought. Okay,
there's no Derrick Henry in Atlanta
nor does the Atlanta offense of line. Hold a candle in there,
run blocking to a Tennessee was doing so he can't possibly Run
the ball, like that, Kenny. And then we saw the season unfold
and we were really disappointed to find out that.
Yes, sure enough. Even without Arthur Smith, the Tennessee,
Titans still were the number one, most run-heavy team on
first down in the first half of games. But the Atlanta Falcons
were number two and they don't have Derrick Henry and they
don't have a good offensive line. And I could not
understand what are their Smith was thinking here because
the reason that the Atlanta Falcons had been a very pass
heavy team in the prior cup, All years with Matt Ryan is
because they could not run the ball whatsoever and you have
Matt Ryan, who is actually a decent quarterback.
Last year, you still had Matt Ryan and you wanted to run
the ball at the second highest rate next to the Tennessee Titans.
Now you don't have, Matt Ryan, what are we going to do with
Marcus Mariota? Are we going to
run the ball more or pass the ball more? I think is probably
going to skew more to even higher, run rate. And so I have
a lot of concerns about
the Atlanta Falcons. Cans offense under Arthur Smith.
I just think that he's trying to implement an offense. If he
think is thinks is going to work that he's had success
with, he wasn't tailoring and enough to the Personnel that he
had in Atlanta. And this year, I also don't know about Marcus
Mariota like,
I mean, it's hard to judge a book by it's cover and what
the guy says in press conferences. But to me at least from what
I've got Vibe. I've got is like this. Dude is super happy. Just
to be here, like he's super happy for the
shot. Like, whatever happens. Let's just go try to do my
best. My best, and that time. And I just don't know how well
that that is going to go. Unless he surprises
everybody and comes out with, like, a
read-option heavy style offense, or something like
that. He's don't have a lot of positive things to say about
the Atlanta Falcons this upcoming season. And I think
for good reason that they should go ahead and try
to get a quarterback that Arthur Smith actually feels
confident in starting and one of the best ones in the draft
next season.
And I for that reason, you know, I bet them at under five
wins It's down to four and a half. I took under five
earlier. This is a team that I think is going to be in some
trouble this upcoming season. Yeah. All that is totally fair
Marcus. Mariota is playing with house money but he is also
short stack.
I would tell you that
they are positioned well though because there are, you know, it
is a quarterback, Rich draft next year and I love all of
the quarterback teams that are likely chasing that. Number one
overall pick as opposed to wins in 2022. I think Atlanta has
positioned themselves. Well, Well,
at least in terms of really
making an impact right away with a rookie quarterback
considering the young talent that they've added in the last
two drafts at the wide receiver and tight end position. Another
team in the bottom of the NFC South, that is relatively Rich
at the skill, position, pull groups, but is really lacking
in
the quarterback space,
is it Carolina Panthers?
Matt rule on the hot seat. Certainly and now
entering a third straight season with a third straight.
Attempt at solving the quarterback position Warren. Will this be
the final opportunity for them to get it, right?
I think format rule himself. Most likely,
I am just so flabbergasted by what this front office and Matt
rule himself is done. If you realize that Matt rule, has
final say in the Personnel decisions, that's why I'm
throwing him into this matter.
This team has come in
and tried to press that easy button. You use that phrase
once before drew
the easy button for this team and he thought, okay, I got
a decent enough team. Let me just go get a quarterback from
somewhere else. Let me trade for Teddy Bridgewater. Let me
get Sam daughter. Let me sign. Teddy. Bridgewater free agency?
Let me
trade for Sam to Arnold and all of these moves with these
quarterbacks that haven't worked out elsewhere. His ego
felt like we will be able to do better with this guy here.
I will be able to fix this quarterback, whatever
is failings and then there's other guys couldn't do it, but
I can let me bring him in here and find a winner and this team
has picked The top of the draft every single year it's not like
they haven't had the ability
to grab a quarterback or to move up and I realized that
this year's quarterback class wasn't one that you would want
to be doing that it but the prior to class has had good
quarterbacks available to this team and they could have gone
after these guys. They could have made a push to get even
higher up. The draft board with all
the capital that they had. And they said, no,
we're good. Let's trust a defensive tackle. Nope we're
good. Let's drop the cornerback instead and look where that's
gotten. Matt rule is not gotten in far. This team has I think
15 Straight games for three. Straight seasons
is team is a bad bad
team because the quarterback is bad, they have support
elsewhere, but when you don't have a quarterback, you're not
going to win. Ironically, they thought they can figure that
out the easy way and it's just not successful. The best way to
get wins in the NFL
is to draft a quarterback, who is
a stud who is cheap for you for at least four seasons. That's
how you're going to stack wins in modern NFL during You're
opening tenure as a head coach.
It's not by going out there and getting Teddy Bridgewater or
getting sand Arnold or now getting Baker Mayfield. All
that said Baker. Mayfield is an improvement most likely over
same darn old. But Baker, Mayfield has a big problem and
that is that
he's had to have his hand held where he was in Cleveland with
Kevin stefanski to try to massage the offensive
Personnel. Let's use him under Center more so we can do, more
play action to
the defense expects of
Run but use more 12 and 13 Personnel. So the defense
expects a run, all these things pre-snap to get the defense to
play the run to load the Box a little bit more. So then he
Baker can pass the ball and more advantageous situations
for him.
Who is his offensive coordinator this year.
We are not going to see that same level of intelligence out
of his current offensive coordinator. Like we were
seeing under Kevin stefanski in Cleveland and I'm just worried
that they're not going to know how to implement him. He's
playing behind a much
worse. Offensive line. And I just think that the
Carolina Panthers
Baker is better, but this team is still going to struggle in
2022.
Yeah, I think that's right. And what's kind of maddening if
you're a Panthers fan, Baker, Mayfield, probably, raise your
ceiling. Just enough to put you in purgatory where you're
not, you don't eat, you don't have the opportunity to draft.
That guy likes. Like just enough wins that. You're not
going to get your shot at a tast router or
young. So,
You know, it's a tough. It's a tough situation. Surely another
team that I'm kind of curious about the way that they're
choosing to rebuild is the New Orleans Saints, obviously in
the post
Drew Brees ERA. This team was loaded with Talent at every
other position they bring in Jameis Winston who. I've
amazingly put together some very impressive statistical
performances over the balance of his New Orleans Saints
career. He certainly has improved on all of
the shortcomings. That were obvious that his tenure in. Tampa Bay
but Sean Payton moves on and there is a lot of questions
swirling and
really I, you know, this is maybe one of the most
interesting handicaps because there's push-pull it even in
the sharp Community about whether the New Orleans Saints
are by team or a cell team. Some people believing that
the absence of Sean Payton is going to hurt
and that there's going to be massive regression on
the offense. Some people, you know, kind of pointing to some of
the law CEO salary cap losses in terms of talent impacting, this
team ceiling, but the market is, currently, Currently line
them as eight and a half.
So basically, exactly average over is plus 100 under is - 125
as we previously mentioned, they are for 21 to win this
division. Any optimism for you,
for the Dennis Allen era, Allen era here. African the
in the post, Sean Payton.
You know, turning the page.
You laid it out really? Well,
my biggest concern like I think Dennis Allen
deserve to get this job but he has done a great job. It's not
it's rare the defense coordinators to Enough to like
really earn a job in my opinion with the way the modern
football is played but he is just been phenomenal for
several years
with the Saints and what he's been able to do against Brady.
And so I'm glad that he earned this opportunity. I don't love
his offensive coordinator, though. He Carmichael,
I mean I just don't know the issue that I have when we talk
about the AFC and we'll talk about Justin Herbert and we'll
talk about the Chargers
and their offensive coordinator. But we saw
the exact same thing happened once before. with a former
quarterback coach under Sean Payton and a former offensive
coordinator, who goes to another team
failed miserably is struggling with his play calling
when he is over with the,
with the LA Charters, and I think the same thing might
happen in this case with Pete Carmichael here, I think so
much of this
offense was the game planning the strategizing and
the in-game adjustments of Sean Payton and I'm just worried
about Pete, Carmichael,
and is it Already to be smart enough with the game plan and
smart enough with the in-game adjustments.
All of that said,
I still like this team. It certainly looks like Alvin
Kamara is not going to be
facing any type of suspension or discipline this season. Yet
the case got pushed back several months is probably not
going to be heard during the season. He's probably going to
be able to play
this entire season. So that's a, that's a benefit there. O
line should be a little bit healthier. They're wide,
receiving core should be a little bit better, of course
Chris, a lot of he's been looking.
A really good it camp and everything that you said about
Jameis Winston is absolutely true mean he definitely raises
the ceiling for this offense in general from
the way that he can push the ball and move it around
the football field. He's certainly not as accurate or precise or
understanding of where to go with the ball as quickly as
Drew Brees was. But he brings an arm where Drew Brees didn't
have
that arm to stretch the field.
So
I am neutral on the Saints, I'll be honest like all of that
said, there's some bad things about
There's some good things about them.
I'm interested to see how Dennis Allen's tenure starts.
I'm curious about the offensive coordinator, and what he's
going to call in his adjustments that he's going to
make.
I want to believe that the Saints can be decent because
I don't like these other teams in their development and so that's
the best thing that I think the Saints have going for them.
Yeah and that's where I almost exactly where I'm at.
They seem to believe they're in win now mode based on the way
they deploy their draft Capital. That's virtually you
know that you can't mistake that.
And
I kind of landed on them being live at four to one in
the South by process of elimination because I got to tell you, I am
not here
with the Buccaneers
as this Surefire will ultimately win this division
even despite having Tom Brady who it seems like.
Number one will never age and number two
will never lose. This division
guy has sort of a weird masterful way of making sure
that every other team in is division, you know, turns into,
you know, a pumpkin A couple of years after he arrives
but either way, they are suffering some pretty
substantial injuries in the preseason on their offensive
line
and you know, if you are already a little bit cool on a guy who
walked away from the sport and then decided to come back, who
has a set of receiving weapons. That's not quite as healthy,
not quite as deep as it was last year and you know, has
an offensive line that was going to be dealing with the loss
of a pro bowl, Garden Ali,
you know? Maybe a hall-of-fame garden potentially an alley
Market.
And then now has to, you know, kind of make
adjustments to the loss of a center.
You know, there are surely chinks in the armor here for
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that makes me skeptical of them
being lined in this you know, rarefied air eleven-and-a-half
win. Total right now
you know pretty even juice over and under
you know our is I guess. Are you ready to sell this Tampa
Bay Buccaneers team? Maybe even not for in the Futures Market
or for the season
but certainly out of the gate there's going to be some
You know, this going to be a learning curve some growing
pains, right?
I think there will be a look, you mentioned it perfectly,
they've lost their both our guards,
this offseason one retired, one is gone and then they lost
their Center due to injury. Just a few days ago in Camp
when you combine that where does Tom Brady hate pressure?
The mode. It's your up, the middle, he he is
he every team has been able to have sustained success against
him has been able to get the pressure with just rushing
forward. Get the pressure up the middle on.
And now you're down these guys and you're playing a team like
the New Orleans Saints, who are it's going to be able to bring
that pressure up the middle against the depleted line. And
then
earlier we just saw, I think it's left tackle, just went
down. I don't know how severe that injury was. It happened?
Just a few hours ago but we are seeing
problems. And the point is that
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were very healthy
and just a great well-built team
and they won the Super Bowl in 2020 and what they tried to do
their General. Manager tried to bring
everybody back and they succeeded, they worked here.
They tinkered here, they whittled this down here and
they found a way to fit it all together so that they can bring
all 32 players back for the 2021 season
and they weren't able to get it done all the way they weren't
able to repeat. And then guess what? All this contracts that
they were able to
figure a way to make them fit for 2021.
Now those all started to balloon and explode a little
bit for 2022 and so they couldn't bring back a lot of
the guys that were with that team for two straight years.
Like you said, a lot of new pieces that
doesn't even account for some of the injuries that these guys
are dealing with as well. I don't think they have a great
depth. Now they're facing some injuries situations and they're
one of the most past heavy teams in the NFL which is great
because you got Tom Brady.
But when he's getting pressured a lot up the middle,
if that does end up happening,
that's not going to be ideal either. So
I expect this team,
you know, I wasn't shocked that they were one of the more
aggressive teams in free agency and went inside and Julio. Owns
but not think about who they've got.
I'm not trying to downplay
Julio whatsoever but he's a little bit older.
He has been injured
and his Target depth and lack of
yards after the catch is very similar to Mike Evans. Both of
these guys are more like down the field. Try to get the ball.
Brady does it have these quick guys that he's going to Target
underneath for usage? On these short passes like he's had at
other
points in his career. Particularly if he's getting
a lot of pressure,
he does have these guys that can make stuff happen.
After the catch underneath in my opinion like he's had in
the past and us, I think there's going to be problems for this
passing attack, and thus the overall philosophy of this
offense in general and I think overall they're a little bit
weaker. So I am
selling the box. I haven't gone out there and just faded them
left and right on the Futures Market bed, all their unders,
those types of things. But I'm still trying to find ways to
work on other teams that I think could take a
step while The Bucks. Don't get there all the way in the NFC,
to win the NFC championship this season. And
you just mentioned, you know, one of the ways potentially is
the New Orleans Saints. Yes. So we didn't even mention it, but
the Bucks, go to
schedule Purgatory, right out of the gate Cowboys Saints.
Packers Chiefs are their first four games where they're also
incorporating new offensive linemen and trying to get their
wide receiver room
healthy.
That's most Smells like it smells like trouble and
frankly, if the Saints get off to a good start really if
the Saints can just win that home game in week two, you're
talking about capturing a ton of equity with them as your NFC
South winners at 421. So I think that's the right way
to attack this Division
and you know it's going to be nice to see Tom Brady squirm
a little bit it's going to be nice to kind of wonder if he
wishes. He had stayed retired. If
you know, the Bucks, get out to a one-in-three or a known for
kind of a start, which is entirely possible with
the schedule. So,
Going to be fascinated to see it play out but there's going
to be a big Market. Correction on the Buccaneers at some
point. And I think middle of the Season guys like you and me
we're going to have to, we're going to be asking ourselves is
now the right
time to buy on the Buccaneers is now you are, you are there
be getting healthier Godwin's? Look in the little lot, you
know, that they'll be that opportunity at some point but,
you know, investing any money on them doing anything solid
for the season. At this point, seems like a foolish wager to
me. So let's pass on the Bucks and
yeah, let's see if the same It's can make some noise and,
you know, even though if it is, by process of elimination, so
be it. So with that, that is the NFC south. Of course.
Check out our YouTube page for the rest of our
NFL divisional previews and we will wrap up the NFC here with
the NFC West. Next,