While the Falcons made it all the way to the 2004 Championship Game, many people felt that they over-achieved that season, and Atlanta justified that belief by slipping to third place last season. We look for an identical finish this year.

While Michael Vick just may be the most exciting quarterback in football, he is much better at scrambling and improvising that he is throwing from the pocket. Thus he is a poor fit for a West Coast offense that relies on quick throws. It speaks volumes that the Falcons turned down quite a few trade offers for backup QB Matt Shaub this off-season, as there are rumblings that Atlanta would like to turn the offense over to Shaub possibly as early as next season! One thing Atlanta did do well in 2005 was run the football, in fact leading the NFL in rushing. Even that statistic must be taken with a grain of salt however as QB Vick was their leading rusher by a wide margin. Granted running back Warrick Dunn did average a very impressive 5.9 yards per carry, but he lacks durability and is not an every-down back. Atlanta drafted another speedball in the third round of the draft in Jerius Norwood out of of Mississippi State, but he seems to be a carbon copy of Dunn, albeit slightly faster. The biggest missing link in the offense early in the year may be tight end Alge Crumpler, has been slow to recover from shoulder surgery. Vick often looked for Crumpler in the red zone, so his return is critical for this offense to have any kind of success.

The Falcons had one of the best defenses in the league two years ago, but this unit slipped all the way down to 24th in the NFL last season. Atlanta addressed this concern by strengthening the secondary, adding veteran safety Lawyer Malloy and drafting cornerback Jimmy Williams in the first round. However Williams did not get his pro career off on the right foot, as some off-the-field problems delayed his reporting to training camp. If the defense does not tighten up in 2006 and if Vick does not handle the offense better, both major question marks, we look for the Atlanta Falcons to repeat their third place finish in the NFC South this season.

Prediction for 2006: 3rd Place NFC South

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(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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NFC South
Written by LT Profits of BetBet

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
The Buccaneers overcame a poor offense that ranked just 23rd in the NFL last season to win the division with an 11-5 mark in 2005, thanks to statistically the best defense in football. However we think this team played over its head last year as you can only go so far with a pedestrian offense.

Now we are usually fans of continuity, and this team does return 21 of its 22 starters from a year ago. However in this case, we are not so sure that is a good thing, especially offensively. The Bucs struggled to score points last season, and of the returnees we feel that only running back Cadillac Williams has a definite upside. We think that the rest of the starters will just match their 2005 performance at best, with some even regressing. Now Williams is capable of stepping up and gaining over 1500 yards if healthy, but that in and of itself may not enough for the offense to improve over last year. We have never been that high on quarterback Chris Simms, and we think that the receiving corps is mediocre at best. Finally the offensive line needed an upgrade, and we are not convinced that Tampa Bay picked the right man for the job as tackle Jeremy Trueblood seemed like a huge reach in the second round of the draft.

Any success that the Bucs have this year will again be keyed by a defense that allowed the fewest yards in the NFL last season. Now do not get us wrong, this unit will be very good once again. However we do not expect it to improve over last year as many of the returning starters are veterans that may have already reached their peak. Given the deficiencies of the offense, the defense will have to be GREAT for Tampa Bay to make a return trip to the playoffs, and we do not see that happening. We look for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to finish second in the NFC South this season, this time missing out on post-season play.

Prediction for 2006: 2nd Place NFC South

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(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Chase conteders just about set with Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth co-favorites.

Two races remain in the Nextel cup season before the 10 drivers will be determined for the chase to the championship. In 1994, the first year of the chase, Kurt Busch was 9th heading into the chase but went on to win the championship. It is therefore quite clear that anyone who makes the chase truly has a chance to win. Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth have already clinched a spot in the chase and have been instilled by BetBet.com as the co 3/1 favorites. Kenseth has won the last 2 races and is favored for the Sony HD 500 in California, a track he won on earlier this year. Jimmie Johnson has led the standings all year long and the final 10 races are tracks he tends to do well on. The top 10 drivers as they currently stand only consist of 4 teams. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch race for Hendrick Motorsports. Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin race for Roush Racing. Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin race for Joe Gibbs Racing. Only Dale Earnhardt Jr from Dale Earnhardt Inc. is a lone member in the chase currently.

Two Rousch Racing drivers, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards are still mathematically alive but will need a near miracle to make the chase. As such the 2 drivers who were among the favorites at the beginning of the year to win the championship are now 100/1 each.

The most interesting race seems to be for the 9th and 10th spot. Mark Martin seemed almost a sure thing to make the chase just 3 weeks ago but a series of terrible finishes see the veteran in 10th spot just 90 points ahead of Kasey Kahne. Dale Earnhardt Jr was out of the chase just 3 weeks ago but consecutive good finishes have moved him into 9th spot just ahead of Martin. Kasey Kahne has his work cut out for him to overcome Martin and Earnhardt but he does tend to do well on the bigger tracks like California. The shorter track of Richmond could be his downfall.

Among the chase contenders the most intriguing has to be Denny Hamlin. The rookie has been nothing short of sensational and has been in contention almost every race. In fact he has been more consistent and is ahead in points of his Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart who of course won the nascar championship last year.

The complete set of odds as posted by Sportbet.com are as follows:

Jimmie Johnson 3/1
Matt Kenseth 3/1
Jeff Gordon 6/1
Tony Stewart 6/1
Kevin Harvick 6/1
Denny Hamlin 7/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 9/1
Kyle Busch 9/1
Jeff Burton 12/1
Mark Martin 18/1
Kasey Kahne 30/1
Greg Biffle 100/1
Carl Edwards 100/1

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(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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