Strong division.

Atlanta - I think they're going to have one of their best offensive statistical seasons in a long time. They're going to open up the offense and start flinging the rock around. Lots of talented skill positions on offense and should actually be a fun team to watch for non-Saints fans.

Defensively, their DL is rock solid and has the name players to dominate. As of now they have no MLB and Witherspoon is the only player of note. Secondary looks stout. One thing to make note of is that Nolan's defenses has always had good rush linebackers... which no one on that roster fits the bill. Regardless, should be the Saints main obstacle in the division.

10-6 looks about right but I wouldn't put 11-5 past them.

Carolina - If Cam Newton doesn't have a sophomore slump, they can make a lot of noise. No matter how much one dislikes Steve Smith, he's very difficult to stop. They have one of the best 1-2 punches in the league at running back and added a versatile touchdown machine at fullback. Greg Olson was a great addition as Cam(got to give the man his props), for a young quarterback, does a good job utilizing his TE's. The question marks they have on offense is the right side of their offensive line and lack of proven talent behind Steve Smith on the outside.

Defensively they have a stud in Charles Johnson on the front line and a very good LB core... although frequently injured. If those two tackles can plug the middle effectively, you're going to see their linebackers flying all over the field making big plays. The secondary is average and Gamble has been slowly regressing throughout the past few years. I would say Godfrey is their best player back there. If their front 7 can't get consistent pressure, they're going to have trouble stopping people from throwing the ball all over them.

I can see a 9-7 season if Cam Newton can come close to mirroring last season's production.

Tampa Bay - Their season hinders largely on Josh Freeman. Who are we going to see? Is he going to be that young quarterback whom everyone thought was going to eventually evolve into an elite quarterback or the mis-firing jitterbug from last year? Jim Harbaugh had a lot of success transitioning from the college ranks but he also had a great pedigree. Schiano has a couple of head cases on his team and pretty much brought a college staff to surround him. He has a lot of work cut out for him. Talent wise, they're doing pretty well for themselves. Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams are two talented wide outs and their backups have some upside as well. While a big headcase, Blount is talented and they brought in Martin with their first round pick. The addition of Nicks solidifies a solid interior line with some question marks on the outside. Old man Dallas Clark should still be an upgrade over Winslow.

Defensively going across the board, they have a lot of young talented players on the team. With that said, I'd like to emphasis young. Young equals inexperience and as I mentioned earlier, a coaching staff from the collegiate ranks. How are they going to mold these young players? It may take a few years before these players start making their marks. And as if Blount wasn't enough on the offensive side of the ball, they have Pac Man Jr. roaming the secondary. Getting this unit to gel is the main key... and they're not ready yet.

6-10... just to many question marks.

As far as the refs are concerned, it'll all get worked out. I'm not concerned.

New Orleans - There's only one real question mark on offense and that is Sean Payton. While he has been suspended the entire year, he left behind a well oiled machine in the hands of his two most trusted sidekicks... Pete Carmichael and Drew Brees. In the handful of games which Carmichael called the plays for last season, the Saints average over 30 points per game. Drew Brees has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league for over the past decade. With a 6th ranked rushing offense in the league, arguably the top TE, an underrated receiving core... this unit is virtually unstoppable. The loss of Carl Nicks was nullified with the addition of an All Pro himself in Ben Grubbs. The Saints should still boast on of the top offensive lines in the league and any deficiencies should be masked by Brees' outstanding quarterback play.

Defensively I don't think I can break it down. I'm such a Spags homer and Harper supporter(which goes against the mainstream perception of him) that it will color me bias when grading our unit. I will just say one thing... 7

I THINK WE'LL WRECK HAVOC ON THE MOFOS!!!! BEWARE... WE'RE COMING TO GET YOU!!!

11-5 sounds about right. And if Atlanta manages the same record, we'll have the tiebreaker and the division will be ours.

only thing that worried me about the Falcons is their schedule is favorable, most of the tough opponents at home.

Big shock, I dunno who runs the scheduling operation in the NFL, but it seems some teams never have to go on the road vs a good opponent. Falcons have been one of those teams last couple of years as well as the 49ers.

And once again, the Saints have back-to-back road games twice this season.
The Falcons have ZERO back-to-back road games.

They get NY, Denver, Dallas at home.

NY and Denver are not teams to sleep on even playing in Atl; as for tough games on the road you did fail to mention Detroit...