WAY Too Early Talk: NFC South Needs

Everyone's hot takes after the Super Bowl:

  • That was the best Super Bowl ever (I don't know about that)
  • The Patriots are finished (Josh McDaniels postponed that idea)
  • The Eagles will dominate 2018 (Philly is 4.8mil over the cap)
  • Justin Timberlake was a bad halftime show (It was... ok)
What's next? March 14th at 4pm... NFL free agency kicks off and there is some serious talent to be had. To name a few QB- Kirk Cousins, Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater. Drew Brees is also going to be a free agent but, he isn't going anywhere. OL- Left tackle Nate Solder and left guard Andrew Norwell (he is going to get PAID SON!) RB- Pretty much the entire Patriots backfield with Dion Lewis, Brandon Bolden and Rex Burkhead. And two power backs in LeGarrette Blount and Le'Veon Bell. It would be insane for the Steelers let him go but, he doesn't want to be franchise tagged (again) and they are 5.3mil over the cap. That's a lot of starting and expensive talent. Lets take a peek at what the NFC South NEED. 

NFC South
Saints (1st NFC South) NEED: Quarterback- I can't believe it. The time has finally come for New Orleans to look for a future QB. Drew Brees will sign his last contact with the Saints at the age of 39 and will need to mentor his replacement. Who? Well, the free agent market is stocked with real QBs but, the Saints like to think long term. Oklahoma Sooners QB, Baker Mayfield has a similar build to Brees, great athletic ability, but way too raw to start right away. So, by 2019 Brees will retire a Saint (remember when he was a Charger?!) and Mayfield will be the heir to the throne in New Orleans.  

Panthers (2nd NFC South) NEED: Running back- Jonathan Steward cannot be trusted to start all 16 games. His age finally caught up with him and he isn't the downhill runner he used to be. Christian McCaffery was a great pick. He is a solid route runner and outside runner but is not a back you hand the ball off to 30 times a game. Do they need receivers? Yes. Do they need help in the secondary? Yes. But Cam Newton needs a back to protect him on passing downs and to pound the ball to on short yardage. LeGarrette Blount would be a great short term answer. However, with no GM in place and no real owner I would be surprised if they made any splashy free agent moves. And for the love of god! Panther fans! You don't need a new QB! 

Falcons (3rd NFC South) NEED: Defensive Tackle- Atlanta, much like the two previously mentioned teams are a few pieces away from making another run at the playoffs. They say you should never draft for need BUT, the Falcons could lose defensive end Adrian Clayborn and defensive tackle Dontari Poe to free agency. Free agent defensive lineman are very pricey! So, what can they get in the draft? Christian Wilkins, defensive tackle out of Clemson. He isn't your traditional big three technique tackle. His strength is getting off blocks and causing disruption in the backfield and Wilkins is nimble enough to line up at defensive end on passing downs. If Arthur Blank opens his wallet up, look for them to take a run at safety Lamarcus Joyner from the Rams. He can cover one on one and can help stop the run. Sounds... expensive. 

Buccaneers (4th NFC South) NEED: Defensive End- For Bucs fans *points to self* last year was very disappointing. But, they are holding on to Dirk Koetter for another year because they trust him and the players like him. It's nice to see an organization not blow up their franchise every two years (Browns, Jets, 49ers, Chargers etc...) and start over. Tampa just fired their defensive line coach and will be looking to cut defensive tackle Chris Baker who SUPER under-preformed last season and is every pricey. AND, they finished last with 22 total team sacks! F*&^ING Chandler Jones from Arizona had 17 sacks alone last year! Yikes. Tampa has the 7th pick in the draft and thankfully four teams ahead of them need a QB. Which means NC State defensive end, Bradley Chubb, should be available. He is a true 4-3 defensive end and should make an impact immediately. In a division with top tier QBs you need to rush the passer or you will get shredded. 




NEXT UP: AFC South teaser- Colts look for a head coach and a quarterback (Indy is a cluser f&*%,) Titans need some defensive help, the Jaguars DON'T NEED A QB, and the Texans need to start looking for someone to replace Mr. Half-Season, J.J. Watt.        

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Even Tom Brady Would Give This Post a Hand *rim shot* Heyyooo

Image
After the regular season ended there was a  head coaching apocalypse, Lions , Titans ,  Bears ,  Giants ,  Cardinals ,  Colts ,  Raiders . (And somehow NOT the Browns or Bengals ) Since then Chicago hired Matt Nagy, an Andy Reid follower, and Oakland hired Jon Gruden. In 2008 this would have been a splash hire but... he has been out of head coaching game for awhile. And, just yesterday the Titans hired the, now former, Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel. Here is the quick DL on Vrabel. He was drafted by the Steelers , played for the Patriots for a long time and tallied up THREE Super Bowl wins, and then ended his career with KC . After his playing days he jumped right into coaching and now he is one of those rare player-coach... coaches. I hope the best for him. NOW, who is left? Well, it's not a head coaching position but, the Browns are looking a new OC and former GMen head coach, Ben McAdoo, is the leading candidate. That is a ROUGH drop on th...
Read more

NFL Playoffs Divisional Style! (BAL v. PIT)

AFC Divisional Round: Baltimore Ravens (12-4) v. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) Saturday 4:30pm, CBS A REAL wild card weekend last week! But, this round should be just as good! The Ravens and Steelers meet up for the THIRD time this NFL season, in which they split the series against each other (BAL W 17-14, PIT W 13-10.) Not at all close right? These two teams mirror each other with top 5 defenses, a solid playoff QB and a great ground game. So, your question is: "What will make the difference this year around?" Layover. Baltimore is coming off a major beat-down on KC while Pittsburgh sat on a BYE week playing only with themselves (tee-hee.)  Key Matchup (BAL TE) Todd Heap v. (PIT S) Troy Polamalu Every season these two well traveled veterans battle through all 16 games getting nicked and bruised but always make a big play when it matters. Todd Heap is 30 and was 'on his way out' a few seasons ago but has made quite a comeback in 2010. Heap snagged 599yds and 5...
Read more

Campus Zeros [Week 9]

Sorry to deprive you of Campus Zeros last week due to a combo of work, Halloween fever, and a laptop from 2005, FUMBLE! But, not this week! No players singled out this week! It was good old fashioned team effort that got them to the dignified Campus Zeros list this week. Who made the cut?  Campus Zeros 5. Miami Hurricanes Four-Passers Combo: QB Jacory Harris out, I mean way out, so out he actually maybe a permanent part of the turf at Scott Stadium. He left he game after tossing a pick. Who is next? Spencer Whipple, 22yds, and 2INT later... next! Freshman Stephen Morris, 2-touchdowns... but 2 picks as well. Even RB Graig Cooper got a chance to toss the rock, luckily no INT. All in all, 18/42 (42.9%), 269yds, 2TD, 5INT AGAINST THE VIRGINIA CAVALIERS! The Canes now unranked, 5-3, 3-2 in the ACC and Randy Shannon isn't looking like the redemption coach anymore.  4. Michigan State Rushing 'attack' : Spartans were trying to run the table to get into the BCS title game... ...
Read more