2011 NFL Team Needs: NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: DE, WR, DT, RB, CB depth, OLB depth

It’s been several years, but I have to applaud the job the Falcons have done rebuilding the organization since the Michael Vick days. They still have some carryover, but by finding the right coach and quarterback, the rest has fallen in place. Now it should be the easy part, right? It’s just fine-tuning the roster and covering a couple needs to erase a few of the minor flaws that exist on the roster. It’s not that easy and looking at the Falcons needs for the last two years, it’s more or less the same now as it was then. They still need a defensive end opposite John Abraham. Jonathan Babineaux has the productivity of a great under tackle, but there’s still no one in the middle to plug the run, which is a big reason why the Falcons have allowed 4.6 YPC this year. If the roster remains the same heading into next season, it looks like the Falcons were comfortable with their young duo of Corey Peters and Peria Jerry, though both weigh less than 300 pounds. At outside linebacker, Mike Peterson is aging and if he leaves, depth will be thin. In the secondary, Brent Grimes emerged from nowhere and had a Pro Bowl caliber season at cornerback. He’s a ground up player and will continue to play at a high level. Behind the starters, depth is somewhat weak. Offensively, Matt Ryan has garnered high praise, but was it all deserved? He finished the year ahead of only Hill, Anderson, Bradford, and Clausen in Yards per Attempt. A big reason for it is the lack of explosive playmakers opposite Roddy White. Adding a legitimate #2 receiver with plenty of viable options should help boost that number next year. A young pass-catching tight end could be another route to take. At running back, the Falcons will probably allow Jerious Norwood to walk due to injuries, leaving a vacancy and an opportunity to add more explosiveness to the offense.

Carolina Panthers: QB, DT, WR/TE, OG, CB, DE

Just a week or two ago, the Panthers were optimistic that maybe they could land Stanford’s Harbaugh and Luck and translate their collegiate success to the pros. Now, I could probably write a book on different routes they could take this offseason in an attempt to improve this team and none would sound as attractive. Still, I think this Panthers team may easily be just one good starting quarterback away from being a playoff contender once again. They have talent on both offense and defense and if they could just find a veteran quarterback to lead them through a season and develop another one for the future, maybe even Clausen, the franchise will be back on track. Until they find that signal-caller of the future, they ought to continue improving the rest of the offense, which isn’t doing the quarterback any favors. Geoff Schwartz underperformed and if they can improve their situation at right guard, the offensive line could start clicking again and the run game could pick back up, as it did late in the year. Adding explosive weapons aside from Steve Smith will be important to aid the process. The Panthers have had false faith in their tight ends over the past two years and adding an athletic pass-catcher at the position would really help move the chains. On defense, re-signing Charles Johnson will be huge. Without him, the Panthers pass rush would drop off dramatically. While end isn’t a big need, especially if either of their two talents in Everette Brown or Greg Hardy develop, it would be nice to have some consistency from both sides. Even more important will be plugging up the enormous hole at defensive tackle. After his performance in the National Championship game, Nick Fairley has emerged as a potential candidate. He would bring a strong presence, productivity, and nastiness to that front four. Depending on whether the Panthers decide to bring back Richard Marshall, cornerback could leapfrog a few other needs.

New Orleans Saints: RB, DE, OLB, OL depth, DT, S depth

From Super Bowl champions to one and done. The New Orleans Saints clearly still had the talent to hang with the best teams in the league, but just struggled to stay healthy. Offensively, the Saints dropped 8 points per game attributed mostly to the decline in rushing yards from 6th in the league to 28th on a half-yard less per carry. This forced Drew Brees to take more chances which resulted in a worse turnover differential, the other big reason for the Saints’ 2009 success. Replenishing the run game will come from two primary factors. The first will be re-signing left guard Carl Nicks and the other will be finding an every down running back to pair with Chris Ivory. Because the Saints don’t really have many pressing needs, they may have the luxury of spending a high draft pick on that runner. Furthermore, if the Saints can’t afford to retain Carl Nicks after making Jahri Evans the richest guard in the league last year, offensive line depth will become an even bigger issue. Other acquisitions on the line may include a tackle to insure Bushrod or to replace Stinchcomb on the right side. The commitment of Gregg Williams to return as defensive coordinator will be as important as any acquisition they make this offseason. He does a nice job of dialing up blitzes to compensate for lack of pass rush from the defensive line. Will Smith was terrific last year, but amassed only 5.5 sacks in 2010. An elite pass rusher at defensive end could make a world of difference on how the Saints gameplan and open up more one-on-one opportunities for Smith. This would also allow the Saints to drop more into coverage, which would help mask Harper’s deficiencies back there, which were exposed in the team’s Wildcard loss to Seattle. He’s strong around the line of scrimmage, but they can’t afford to be abused through an aerial attack as they were in that game, which may have told the Saints to look for depth to push Harper. After returning from injury and coming from the Jets, Jonathan Vilma has once again reached the top of his game. Aside from him, the Saints don’t have any real playmakers at linebacker and an improvement here could help the run defense. At nose tackle, Remi Ayodele is adequate, but probably better suited for a back-up, rotational position.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DE, RT, CB, LB, OL depth, RB depth, S

I’m not sure how many people predicted the Buccaneers would have the season they did, but I bet it was a very small minority. It started with the improvement of Josh Freeman and the additions of LeGarrette Blount and Mike Williams which sparked an offensive turnaround. Ironically, this improvement came after a heavily focused defensive draft and the promotion of a defensive coordinator to Head Coach. Don’t be surprised if 2010’s draft includes a similar focus on the defense because that’s where most of the team’s needs lie. After drafting Gerald McCoy, the Buccaneers may go on the defensive line with their first round pick yet again, this time turning to the best defensive end available. Given their 2nd to last finish in sacks, don’t be surprised if they apply a draft strategy used last year and draft multiple defensive ends this year. At cornerback, Raheem Morris and the Buccaneers will lobby for Ronde Barber to return to start opposite Aqib Talib. If that falls through, the defense will be left with a big weakness at cornerback. The other big potential need will come at middle linebacker if the Buccaneers part ways with Barrett Ruud as is expected. He was disappointed with not receiving a contract extension last year and the Buccaneers were not completely satisfied with his performance on the field this year. Tanard Jackson’s boneheaded lifestyle has created a hole at safety, but Cody Grimm has been an impressive rookie. On offense, the organization will head into the offseason with the mindset of improving the line. Jeremy Trueblood was kept on the bench after suffering an injury and his replacement James Lee wasn’t that much better. Finding a right tackle will be important as will adding depth to the middle of the line. If there are upgrades to be made elsewhere, adding a veteran free agent could potentially help, but adding an explosive running back to pair with Blount could also change the complexion of the offense. A good speed back could replace the potential loss of Cadillac Williams, who will test free agency, and add another dimension to the passing game.

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