Brees Sets Passing Record vs Whiny Falcons

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New Orleans Saints (12-3) star QB Drew Brees bested Dan Marino's NFL record for passing yards in a single season on Monday Night Football. Brees hit halfback Darren Sproles with a 9 yard strike to set the record with 2:51 remaining in a 45-16 romp over Atlanta.

New Orleans fans showered Brees with a long standing ovation as their quarterback celebrated and received congratulations from Saints teammates. Marino passed for 5,084 yards during a magical 1984 season. Brees needed just 15 games, finishing with 5,087. He'll raise the bar further in the final week of regular season action becoming the only player to surpass 5,100 yards.

Not everyone was celebrating. A beaten down Atlanta Falcons team wasn't happy New Orleans continued throwing late in the game. Get over it Falcons!!! What did you expect? A record within reach - during a home game - on Monday Night Football - why shouldn't New Orleans head coach give the green light. This is the NFL - Not For Lightweights. Stop whining and give Brees the respect he deserves - especially after picking apart Atlanta's defense. This wasn't about running up the score against a beaten team. It was all about letting their team leader achieve record status. If Atlanta didn't want him to break the record then their defense should have stepped up. They didn't. Drew Brees did.

Congratulations Drew! The Saints finish up the regular season against a very porous Carolina defense on New Year's Day. Let's predict a final season ending total of 5,415.

NFL 2011 Preview: NFC South

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2010 - Atlanta dethroned New Orleans. Tampa Bay came out of nowhere to win 10. Carolina was an embarrassment winning only two games. It'll be Atlanta vs New Orleans in 2011 with Tampa not living up to new expectations.


1 - New Orleans Saints
Offense: Big time firepower led by Drew Brees. Running game is always questionable in New Orleans pass first attack. Rookie RB Mark Ingram might change their plan if he's able to run vs NFL defenses. Darren Sproles is a speedy back and kick returner. Plenty of deep threats at WR. 400+ points well within reach.
Defense: Ball hawks get a boost with new NFL kickoff rules. Speedy defense was #4 overall last season but struggled big time vs run oriented attacks. New faces on D line and LB will certainly help correct short comings.
Prediction: 2011 version of Saints could be better than Super Bowl winning squad. 12-14 wins.

2 - Atlanta Falcons

Offense: Efficient and getting better. Threats at all positions creates one of NFL's most balanced attacks. RB Turner has scored 39 TD's in past 3 seasons. Wideouts need to make big possession plays to keep drives moving.
Defense: Young CB's getting better - it's their make or break season. Pass rush is key to helping secondary. If the D line steps up then Atlanta is a Super threat.
Prediction: Fun team to watch. 2011 could be their year. At least 11 wins.

3 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Offense: NFL's surprise unit in 2010. Can they duplicate/improve in 2011? Perhaps. 2nd year QB Freeman's 25-6 TD-INT ratio was superb. RB Blount needs to have a big season & Freeman hopes to keep blossoming.
Defense: Very young unit played well enough in 2010. They future is bright. Inexperience will set them back a step in 2011.
Prediction: Hard to imagine a 10 win repeat performance. Expecting a .500 season.

4 - Carolina Panthers

Offense: Cam Newton (Auburn) is the new man in town. Carolina's offense has been terrible in recent seasons. Newton has all the tools to quickly turn this franchise into a powerhouse. Question - can he perform vs NFL defenses? Time will tell - sooner than later. Decent offensive line, good RB's, talented ball catchers will all contribute if Newton is a quick study.
Defense: Don't get too down on this bunch. They've been plagued by recent inept offenses putting them in near impossible defensive positions - short fields and spending more time defending than offense attacking.
Prediction: Anything more than 5 wins is a positive first step.

NFC South will become one of NFL's most exciting divisions in years to come

NFL 2010 Preseason Predictions - NFC South

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Super Bowl XLIV Champion New Orleans are the obvious odds on favorite to win NFC South. They're better, deeper and maturing quickly. They should have no problem as repeat division winners unless they haven't stopped partying.

1) New Orleans Saints Saints take dead aim at back to back titles. Solid draft netted a future starting CB (Patrick Robinson, FSU), future starting TE (Jimmy Graham, UM) and local DT from LSU Al Woods. None figure to be immediate impact players but they'll fit right in with a very deep and talented squad. Brees' targets are maturing nicely. Running game may need a boost to help give the defense a rest. Defensive players are ball hawks. These guys swarm to the ball and create turnovers (26 int, 15 fumbles). They ran off to a stunning 13-0 record. Saints have the 27th hardest (6th easiest) scheduling heading into 2010. 14 wins is a possibility.

2) Atlanta Falcons After an 11-5 finish in '08 and additions to key positions on offense heading into '09 Falcons fans had high hopes. Atlanta soared early before crash landing mid-season. 4-1 quickly turned into 6-7 before rebounding to finish 9-7. Team needs were met in the draft with the selections of LB Sean Weatherspoon (Mizzou) and DT Corey Peters (Ken). To help protect oft pressured QB Ryan Atlanta tabbed 2 guards, Alabama's Mike Johnson & Joseph Hawley (UNLV). Atlanta has all the tools to return as a playoff challenger. Solid talent at most positions. Falcons middle of the road defense holds the key to success or failure.

3) Carolina Panthers I was a bit off last year in one of various NFC synopsis. I expected Carolina to put the naysayers to rest and make the playoffs. Their 8-8 record is quite deceptive. Offense scored 10 or fewer points five times. Play selection was miserable which was no help to Jake Delhomme who looked weak armed and lost while posting career worst numbers. Panthers really needed to better position themselves before draft day. Their first pick came in round 2, 48th overall. A very questionable pick taking Notre Dame's QB Jimmy Clausen. Many question marks heading into training camp covering all bases from starting qb to health issues with runningbacks. 2010 will be a transition season unless questions are answered early and new role players step it up.

4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa production on both offense and defense ranked near last in all categories. They're a long way from climbing back to championship status. QB situation was a revolving door before Josh Freeman took over. Weak running game produced only 5 td's. Bucs gave the ball away 34 times. Offense scored 10 or less six times. Another long year awaits but there's light at the end of the tunnel if fans can be patiently supportive. They had a great draft. 3rd pick of the NFL draft was Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma. 2nd round pick UCLA's DT Brian Price. Their presence will be felt immediately and should mature into fine players for years to come helping restore Tampa's reputation for no nonsense defense. 4th rounder Mike Williams (WR, SYR) might turn out being the steal of this draft if he can straighten out personal off field issues. 2010 will be filled with ups and downs. No reason this team can't win 5-7 games.