pakowitz

http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasqu...n/1575863.html



By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com


When they reapportioned the NFL in 2002, parsing the league into eight pie pieces as the key element in realignment, observers perused the quartet of franchises in the NFC South and summarily declared the division the Tampa Bay Bucs' uncontested fiefdom.

It was, the pundits insisted, a division featuring one powerhouse and three paupers, one in which the Bucs would forever be supreme. To the eyes of most beholders, the NFC South was the equivalent of an antebellum mansion relocated into a trailer park. It was alleged to be, at least on paper, one team's treasure trove nestled in the middle of three landfills.

OK, so credit the experts for getting it half-right, with the Bucs winning the NFC South by three games, the second widest margin in any division, and then proceeding to secure the franchise's first Super Bowl championship under the wily stewardship of Jon Gruden. But what was supposed to have been a stroll along the beach for the Bucs, expected to run roughshod over their NFC South brethren, was more a swim through a shark tank.

"If anything, the competition in our division really (steeled) us for everything else, to tell the truth," said Tampa Bay defensive end Greg Spires in the wake of the post-Super Bowl celebration. "Everybody thought we were just going to walk over the other (NFC South) teams. But those are good teams, man, and nothing came easy."

Indeed, a division that was purported to be one of the NFL's weakest links turned in a pretty impressive chain of accomplishments, in retrospect.

No division had more aggregate regular-season wins than the 37 victories for which the Bucs, Falcons, Saints and Panthers combined. The division was one of only two in the league that included two teams that each scored over 400 points. The NFC South was the lone division with three teams that surrendered fewer than 20 points per game. And every one of the four teams improved its record over the 2001 campaign.

The NFC South fashioned an estimable 25-14-1 record, a gaudy .638 winning percentage, in games outside the division. And in non-conference matchups, the division fared well, posting a 10-5-1 mark. Further testimony to the mutually destructive competitiveness: The Bucs beat the Falcons twice, but the Falcons beat the Saints twice, and New Orleans bested Tampa Bay in both of their encounters. Carolina's only victory in the division came in the season finale, a win at New Orleans that knocked the Saints out of the playoffs.

Now the scary part: The NFC South, perceived as a "have-not" just a year ago, might be the league's best division in 2003. Certainly there is little reason to believe the advances made in 2002 won't be built upon. And it will not be surprising if the NFC South churns out three playoff teams this year.

While the Bucs have lost a few starters, one of the residuals of winning a championship it seems, the nucleus of the Tampa Bay lineup remains intact and Gruden in his second year possesses an even better feel for his roster now. The Falcons have generated a new level of excitement in their home precinct and nationally as well. New Orleans has taken steps to avoid the treacherous late-season collapses of the past two seasons. And Carolina, still likely one more year away from playoff contention, has a defense that keeps almost every game close and makes the Panthers a nettlesome opponent.

"There aren't any 'gimmes' in the division, I don't think, and that isn't how the outsiders were looking at the NFC South a year ago," said Panthers second-year head coach John Fox. "I think it's a tremendous division. From a geographical standpoint, you have great potential for rivalries, and there's competitiveness on the field. It's a division, where it seems teams are developing some (enmity) for each other, and that makes it interesting. Even with us having the Super Bowl champion in the division, I don't think it's all that lopsided, really. The gap isn't one that can't be overcome."

In fact, from a talent standpoint, the Falcons and Saints may actually have a few more athletic playmakers than do the Bucs and, of course, Atlanta has the league's emerging icon in quarterback Michael Vick. The third-year veteran, whose publicly-stated goal is to find a way to overcome the Tampa Bay defense in 2003, is the man for whom every other franchise in the division must plan.

And in that regard, the copycat component for which the NFL is so notorious has been evident, as everyone else attempts to fashion a Bucs-type defensive unit. The rationale is that NFC South teams are going to have to face Vick twice annually for the next dozen or so seasons, so they better have an antidote, and the Bucs have presented a formula.

The offseason emphasis in New Orleans, for instance, was all about improving overall defensive speed. The Saints could have as many as eight or nine new defensive starters, and coordinator Rick Venturi acknowledged early on that the makeover in large part was a reaction to the presence of Vick in the division.

"We wanted to add speed without sacrificing strength, and we've done that, and should be that much better for it," Venturi said. "Look, your first priority always has to be being competitive in the division. That's the first step, right, and everything else flows from it. To be competitive in this division, I think, you've got to have quickness and speed."

Scrutinize the defensive units of all four NFC South teams and speed might well be the most obvious common denominator. The Panthers use it to get to the quarterback, with 33 of their sacks coming from a very quick defensive line in 2002, and they should be faster in the "back end" this year as well. While the Falcons play a 3-4 front, coordinator Wade Phillips lacks size upfront, and compensates with quickness and disguise. Tampa Bay bases its entire defensive design on running around people rather than through them. The Saints, especially at the two safety spots, will be markedly quicker in '03.

On the offensive side, the Bucs and Panthers rely more on the running game, but Atlanta and New Orleans figure to be explosive. The additions of wide receiver Peerless Price and MarTay Jenkins in Atlanta, the Falcons insist, provide Vick the kind of playmakers that were lacking in his first year as a starter. So much so that the Falcons now harbor very real Super Bowl aspirations, an expectation already shared by some media members, who see Atlanta as a chic pick.

Before any of the NFC South teams start conjuring up Super Bowl visions, however, they would be wise to first eyeball the test that confronts them during the regular season. And to mentally dispel the notion that the division is a birthright willed to Tampa Bay as part of the 2002 entitlement.

This was, for sure, a division exponentially more competitive in 2002 than anyone dared believe it would be. In 2003, it will be tougher, NFC South coaches and players agree.

"You have to respect the Bucs, because they've got the rings, and they deserve it," said New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks. "But I don't see anyone (in the division) who is going to back down from them. Or, for that matter, back down from anybody."