Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
Just looked at the SportsNation poll that accompanies my NFC South preview. Can't say I'm surprised by the fact you guys have the Saints as the runaway favorite to win the division.
They'd be my pick right now, largely because Drew Brees is the best quarterback in the division. The Saints also are loaded at the offensive skill positions and linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis are going to make a big difference in the defense.
Carolina's my No. 2 pick right now, but the Panthers could win the division if Jake Delhomme's elbow holds up and Julius Peppers shows up. But those are two big questions.
Tampa Bay's going to be a boom-or-bust team. The Bucs have enough talent to win the division, but they also have enough questions to end up with a losing record. By the way, I'm more than a little shocked that the SportsNation poll has Cadillac Williams as the favorite to be the feature back at the start of the season. That would be great news for the Bucs, but it's just not going to happen. Williams still has a long way to go in recovering from a knee injury and it's extremely doubtful he'll be ready for the start of the season. You might see him around the middle of the season, but there's also a very real possibility he won't play until 2009. Face it, Warrick Dunn's going to open the season as the feature back.
Finally, the Falcons? They're going to be better than they were last year because new coach Mike Smith knows what he's doing. But they're a year away from being a serious contender. Smith reminds me a lot of John Fox when he took over the Panthers in 2002. That team showed progress in Fox's first season and was in the Super Bowl the next season.
