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BwareDWare94
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
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Sunday: New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons
What to Expect:
The Saints roll into Atlanta with an extremely dangerous offense. Drew Brees has most of his usual plethora of weapons, highlighted by explosive rookie Brandin Cooks, who appears to be what the Rams thought (if I were them, I would have prayed) Tavon Austin was. The loss of Darren Sproles should be somewhat eased by the addition of Cooks, and the preseason showed promising signs for Mark Ingram (finally). Needless the say, the Saints offense looks as scary as ever. On the defensive side of the ball, the addition of Jairus Byrd has had Saints fans salivating like Rob Ryan waiting for a ribeye steak. Ryan, an excellent defensive coach whose only real weakness is getting in his own way by being too crazy with his schematics, at times, should find ways disguise Byrd's responsibilities and maximize the ball-hawking safety.
The Falcons come into the season with glaring weaknesses on the offensive line, and question marks in the backfield. Matt Ryan is lucky to have Julio Jones back, and we all know about Roddy White. Tony G had been a nice security blanket for Ryan, so I'm intrigued to see how he does without the legend running routes. Defensively, they have some nice pieces, but the loss of Sean Weatherspoon is bound to take its toll, and I really don't care for their secondary. The Falcons also added Devin Hester, which should make their return plays much more exciting.
Prediction: Saints 37 Falcons 24
The Falcons have suffered too many losses for me to give them this win, even if they're at home. Quite frankly, I don't believe in Matt Ryan. I think hanging on to Mike Smith is starting to turn into a Jeff Fisher situation. The defense has some glaring holes, and there are just too many question marks for Atlanta for me to give them an opening week win against a Saints squad that looks primed to take control of the NFC South.
Sunday: Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What to Expect:
Carolina are the reigning division champs, but this Sunday marks the first day of their inevitable downfall. Cam Newton is hurt, has no recievers, and who knows if the Panthers' running game is going to be all that effective when opposing defenses no longer have to worry about Steve Smith. Kelvin Benjamin has potential, but until he proves it on the field, what defenses need to focus on continues to shrink when it comes to the Panthers. Nevertheless, it's still Cam Newton under center. Defensively, the Panthers have a chance to be every bit as good as last year, but unless the offense finds some sort of consistency, it'll put a ton of pressure on Carolina's defensive unit.
The Buccaneers come into the season with a new quarterback in Josh McCown and a new, GIGANTIC rookie receiver in Mike Evans. Doug Martin looks revitalized. There's a new coaching staff in town. Anything is better than Schiano, for Christ's sake. On the other side of the ball, the Bucs have potential with solid pieces surrounding elite players like Gerald McCoy and LaVonte David. What remains to be seen is if this defense will finally gel into what it's had the potential to be for several years.
Prediction: Bucs 20 Panthers 13
In a defensive battle, a second touchdown is going the be the deciding factor for the Buccaneers. Josh McCown is going to struggle compared to last year, but Bucs fans shouldn't panic--try to keep in perspective just how well he was playing. He's bound to come back down to Earth. Cam Newton is going to try his damndest to consistently move the ball, but he's going to have trouble because he just doesn't have what he needs around him.
What to Expect:
The Saints roll into Atlanta with an extremely dangerous offense. Drew Brees has most of his usual plethora of weapons, highlighted by explosive rookie Brandin Cooks, who appears to be what the Rams thought (if I were them, I would have prayed) Tavon Austin was. The loss of Darren Sproles should be somewhat eased by the addition of Cooks, and the preseason showed promising signs for Mark Ingram (finally). Needless the say, the Saints offense looks as scary as ever. On the defensive side of the ball, the addition of Jairus Byrd has had Saints fans salivating like Rob Ryan waiting for a ribeye steak. Ryan, an excellent defensive coach whose only real weakness is getting in his own way by being too crazy with his schematics, at times, should find ways disguise Byrd's responsibilities and maximize the ball-hawking safety.
The Falcons come into the season with glaring weaknesses on the offensive line, and question marks in the backfield. Matt Ryan is lucky to have Julio Jones back, and we all know about Roddy White. Tony G had been a nice security blanket for Ryan, so I'm intrigued to see how he does without the legend running routes. Defensively, they have some nice pieces, but the loss of Sean Weatherspoon is bound to take its toll, and I really don't care for their secondary. The Falcons also added Devin Hester, which should make their return plays much more exciting.
Prediction: Saints 37 Falcons 24
The Falcons have suffered too many losses for me to give them this win, even if they're at home. Quite frankly, I don't believe in Matt Ryan. I think hanging on to Mike Smith is starting to turn into a Jeff Fisher situation. The defense has some glaring holes, and there are just too many question marks for Atlanta for me to give them an opening week win against a Saints squad that looks primed to take control of the NFC South.
Sunday: Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What to Expect:
Carolina are the reigning division champs, but this Sunday marks the first day of their inevitable downfall. Cam Newton is hurt, has no recievers, and who knows if the Panthers' running game is going to be all that effective when opposing defenses no longer have to worry about Steve Smith. Kelvin Benjamin has potential, but until he proves it on the field, what defenses need to focus on continues to shrink when it comes to the Panthers. Nevertheless, it's still Cam Newton under center. Defensively, the Panthers have a chance to be every bit as good as last year, but unless the offense finds some sort of consistency, it'll put a ton of pressure on Carolina's defensive unit.
The Buccaneers come into the season with a new quarterback in Josh McCown and a new, GIGANTIC rookie receiver in Mike Evans. Doug Martin looks revitalized. There's a new coaching staff in town. Anything is better than Schiano, for Christ's sake. On the other side of the ball, the Bucs have potential with solid pieces surrounding elite players like Gerald McCoy and LaVonte David. What remains to be seen is if this defense will finally gel into what it's had the potential to be for several years.
Prediction: Bucs 20 Panthers 13
In a defensive battle, a second touchdown is going the be the deciding factor for the Buccaneers. Josh McCown is going to struggle compared to last year, but Bucs fans shouldn't panic--try to keep in perspective just how well he was playing. He's bound to come back down to Earth. Cam Newton is going to try his damndest to consistently move the ball, but he's going to have trouble because he just doesn't have what he needs around him.
