hagan714

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons worked hard this off-season to upgrade its defense on all fronts. Atlanta made the deal to bring John Abraham to the defensive line. The pressure generated by the pass rush from him and Patrick Kerney will produce turnover opportunites for the Falcons this year. The lone remaining starters from 2005 are cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Jason Webster. The Falcons added depth behind them with the selection of Jimmy Williams in the first round of the draft. Both safeties from a year ago are gone, replaced by Lawyer Milloy and Chris Crocker. Milloy reached 100 tackles for the seventh time in his career last year for Buffalo and Crocker reached a new career mark with 79 of his own in Cleveland. The addition of these safeties will provide a net for young corners Hall and Webster (and Williams) and will allow them to make plays on the ball and gamble more frequently. Coach Jim Mora would love to improve on the 16 interceptions of 2005.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay defense remains one of the most consistent in all of football, both on the field and in fantasy scoresheets. The Buccaneers ranked sixth in pass defense at 183.1 yards per game and allowed just 15 passing touchdowns against 17 interceptions. The unit returns virtually intact, with Dexter Jackson (Cincinnati) as the lone defection. Veteran corners Brian Kelly and Ronde Barber continue to produce at a high level. Jermaine Phillips continues at strong safety after recording a personal best 59 tackles in 2005. The secondary is completed with third-year player Will Allen. Allen intercepted three passes and contributed 39 tackles last year. There are rumors that former Buccaneers standout Dwight Smith is being shopped by New Orleans and that Tampa Bay is a possible suitor.

14. Carolina Panthers:

Carolina ranked ninth in the NFL last season in pass defense at 191.1 yards per game. They generated a great push up front, which accounts for a sizable interception total (23) against 15 touchdown passes. This is the one area of the Carolina defense that appears vulnerable entering training camp. The Panthers lost three members of the secondary from last season and currently have only three cornerbacks with NFL experience on the roster. Marlon McCree signed with San Diego and was replaced by Shaun Williams, Manning signed with the Bears and Idrees Bashir moved to Detroit. The Panthers do return three strong corners in Chris Gamble, Ken Lucas and Thomas Howard and a star in free safety Mike Minter, but they'll need to avoid injuries to remain among the game's elite.

29. New Orleans Saints:

The Saints rank as one of those teams whose stats fail to tell the whole story. New Orleans ranked third against the pass at 178.1 yards per game, but that mainly occurred because of a suspect run defense. The Saints allowed 20 passing touchdowns, but only intercepted only 10 passes. To correct this issue, the Saints currently have a bevy of cornerbacks and safeties on the roster. Veterans Mike McKenzie and Fred Thomas remain entrenched in the starting cornerback slots. Jason Craft, Joey Thomas and Fred Booker will compete for time behind them. The free safety position may see a shakeup before training camp, with Dwight Smith rumored to be on the move. That would open up a competition in camp for the slot between off-season acquisitions Omar Stoutmire and Bryan Scott. Rookie Roman Harper also figures to be in the mix if Smith is indeed dealt.

http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasy/story/5679384