Quick Hits: Preseason Week 3

Yay, football! Even if it's preseason, we will take whatever we can get. It's been a long six-month wait. The first week of preseason gave us plenty to talk about. This series will be put out every week covering everything that happened over the weekend and Thursday football. Look for it on Wednesdays from here on out. We will cover anywhere from five to 15 quick points from the week, with my analysis and opinion on each topic. Oh, and heads up, these will all be very opinionated. So I am sorry in advance if I am a "hater" of your team. I am here to give my opinion and that's exactly what I am going to do. Let's get started.

- Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas put on a show against the New England Patriots. For his first game in the NFL, Thomas had a stat line of 4/64/0 (receptions/yards/touchdowns) with a couple acrobatic catches. A second round pick in the 2016 draft, I viewed him as the top receiver available. Thomas will be a steal for the Saints this season and I expect him to become a major part of the offense sooner rather than later.

- Quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch, and Dak Prescott had solid to great starts to their NFL careers. Wentz went 12-24 (three big drops from his wide outs) for 89 yards and an interception. While that may look underwhelming, Wentz played very well for the Eagles all things considered. Lynch, when he wasn't getting sacked, went 6-7 for 74 yards and looked more than capable of running the Broncos' offense well. Prescott had the best day of the bunch, going 10-12 for 139 yards and two touchdown passes. Given the Cowboys situation with backup quarterbacks, Prescott provided a much needed sigh of relief for Dallas fans.

- On the opposite side of the spectrum, Jared Goff has a rough first outing for the Rams. The former call product went 4-9 for 38 yards. Underwhelming? Yes. But it’s the first preseason game that he didn't even start. The offense also features a lot of rookies and young guys. Give him time to gel.

- Break up the Titans running backs! After acquiring DeMarco Murray from the Eagles and drafting Derrick Henry in round two of this year’s draft, the Titans made it obvious they wanted a power run game to run the offense (no pun intended). Well if preseason is any sign of what's to come, it sure looks good. Murray went 6/93/1 including a 71-yard touchdown run. Henry went 10/74/1.

- The Ravens running back stable looks pretty solid, too. Javorius "Buck" Allen, Terrance West, and Kenneth Dixon all displayed their skill sets very well. Allen only went six carries for six yards, but had an impressive 19-yard touchdown reception. West went 9/25/2 with good vision and red-zone play. Dixon carried the ball nine time for 44 yards with some great reads and explosive runs between the tackles.

- The Jaguars duo of Blake Bortles to Allen Robinson looks to be in midseason form. Robinson grabbed three passes for a whopping 80 yards. This young duo is starting to earn its way towards one of the best in the NFL.

- The Texans offense got off to a slow start, and even that statement doesn't do it justice. Brock Osweiler, who signed his 4-year $72 million contract over the summer, went 4/7 for 27 yards. Osweiler was under pressure and was unable to make anything happen deep. His longest completion went for 12 yards. Osweiler is an average quarterback and this offense has a ton of new pieces. They will all need time to mesh before we can see what they are truly capable of.

- One big thing that happened off the field this week was the trade of former Titans wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham to the Eagles. A former 2nd round pick, DGB is only in his second season and showed plenty of promise as a rookie. Reports came out shortly after the trade, claiming is work ethic as well as showing up to camp out of shape prompted the Titans to move on quickly. The Eagles meanwhile, have a weakness at the receiver position. Adding DGB to a receiving corps Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz will hopefully open things up a little more, especially in the red-zone.

- With key names such as Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edleman, and Danny Amendola sitting out for the first preseason gamefor the Patriots, Jimmy Garoppolo looked solid. After looking uncomfortable to start the game, Garoppolo finished nicely to put up an 11/18 for 168 yards stat line.

-And finally, we have our favorite kicker, Roberto Aguayo... Aguayo, who NEVER MISSED a PAT in his entire college career, missed his first ever attempt in the NFL. Now, we really shouldn't be freaking out too much... But when you consider the Buccaneers not only took him in the second round of this year’s draft, but actually traded up for him, I think we have some reason to freak out a little.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Quick Hits: Preseason Week 2

We are half way finished with the preseason. Isn't that an exciting thought? In the meantime, lets continue breaking down the main points of week 2 of the preseason. This previous week gave us a little more insight to certain teams, particularly how good the depth of certain teams will be.

-Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones had a solid week, posting a 4/65/0 stat line. Sure, it doesn't look that great on paper and I didn't think much of it at first, but this is great news for Lions fans wondering how next season will look without Calvin Johnson. If Jones can continue to make excellent sideline catches and be a consistently safe target, Jones and Golden Tate could help alleviate the loss of Megatron.

- RGIII is back! ...maybe. After a rather atrocious week 1 of the preseason (4/8 67 0/2), Griffin took us back to 2012 with a 6/8 96 2/0 stat line. He also grabbed 36 yards on the ground on three carries. The Browns would love to see more of this RGIII and less of week 1 RGIII. In Hue Jackson's offense, RGIII has seemingly no excuses.

- Speaking of RGIII, I noticed the other day on NFL Network a conversation was being had about RGIII's celebrations after his touchdown passes. Bottom line, you are definitely allowed to celebrate in the NFL, to a certain extent. I have no problem with Griffin celebrating his touchdowns. I do have a problem with his interesting off the field history. Griffin has been known to be a locker room cancer and considering how long it's been since he has had success, I would personally like to see a more humble version of himself. At the end of the day, Griffin has no interest in what I think. One thing I want to make clear: this is not a race thing. So can we please not make this a race thing?

- Landry Jones couldn't have looked much worse if he tried. He threw not one, not two, not three, but four interceptions against the Eagles. With Ben Roethlisberger's inconsistent health, the last thing the Steelers needed to worry about was uncertainty for their backup quarterback.

- The Tajae Sharpe hype-train is real, so jump on while you still can. Following the trade of Dorail Green-Beckham to the Eagles, Sharpe looked to become one of the top three receivers on the Titans depth chart. Sharpe has garnered high praise all off season and has caught all eight of his targets for 103 yards.

- Vernon Hargreaves is alive and well, in case you were wondering. The Buccaneers first round pick recorded two interceptions this week against the Jaguars. This is a very nice sign, as the Bucs will lean heavily on Hargreaves to help against the pass after ranking just 16th in the NFL last season.

- Karlos Williams was surprisingly cut this week after reports surfaced that he showed up to camp overweight. This is another hard lesson for players to learn. It isn't hard to keep your body in shape when you are a professional athlete. There's no excuse. So decide if you want to play football or eat that extra dessert and skip your work out. As unfortunate as it is to see talent get wasted, I really hope Williams gets it together after a major wake up call.

- Washington running back Matt Jones will be sidelined for the rest of the preseason at a minimum after suffering a second degree AC sprainsecond degree AC Sprain in his left shoulder. This isn't welcome news in Washington, considering how week the team is at running back. This will add some pressure to Kirk Cousins to pick up the passing game from where it left off last season, should Jones be injured longer than two weeks.

- Antonio Cromartie was claimed off of waivers yesterday, thanks to the Indianapolis Colts. Cromartie spent last season with the Jets before being cut this offseason. Cromartie will be relied on as a veteran presence in the secondary while Pro Bowler Vontae Davis remains out with a medial ankle sprain.

- And unfortunately, we end this article on a very sour note. Giants kicker Josh Brown has been suspended one game for accusations of domestic violence against his wife. According to ESPN.com, Brown's wife claims she was attacked over 20 times by the kicker. This is absolutely disgusting. Nothing is good about the situation. Not Josh Brown. Not the report about how many times his wife was attacked. Not even the NFL poor at best suspension. One game for beating up your wife more than 20 times? And here we "thought" the NFL learned the lesson from the Ray Rice saga. Don't even get me started on the Greg Hardy situation. No. Instead, the NFL appears to have taken steps backwards. Not just one step. The NFL fell down six flights of stairs on this one. Domestic violence is unacceptable in any circumstance, much less in the sports world. But for this to be on public display, with everything we know about the situation, and the NFL believes one game is sufficient? I am sorry. That is terrible. No, it's worse than terrible. I am at a loss of words.

Sorry, to end on such a sour note, everyone. But look at the bright side, preseason week three is upon us! The "dress rehearsal week" of the preseason will give us an excellent look of what's to come this season. Enjoy it everyone, and I'll see you all next Wednesday.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Quick Hits: Preseason Week 1

Yay, football! Even if it's preseason, we will take whatever we can get. It's been a long six-month wait. The first week of preseason gave us plenty to talk about. This series will be put out every week covering everything that happened over the weekend and Thursday football. Look for it on Wednesdays from here on out. We will cover anywhere from five to 15 quick points from the week, with my analysis and opinion on each topic. Oh, and heads up, these will all be very opinionated. So I am sorry in advance if I am a "hater" of your team. I am here to give my opinion and that's exactly what I am going to do. Let's get started.

- Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas put on a show against the New England Patriots. For his first game in the NFL, Thomas had a stat line of 4/64/0 (receptions/yards/touchdowns) with a couple acrobatic catches. A second round pick in the 2016 draft, I viewed him as the top receiver available. Thomas will be a steal for the Saints this season and I expect him to become a major part of the offense sooner rather than later.

- Quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch, and Dak Prescott had solid to great starts to their NFL careers. Wentz went 12-24 (three big drops from his wide outs) for 89 yards and an interception. While that may look underwhelming, Wentz played very well for the Eagles all things considered. Lynch, when he wasn't getting sacked, went 6-7 for 74 yards and looked more than capable of running the Broncos' offense well. Prescott had the best day of the bunch, going 10-12 for 139 yards and two touchdown passes. Given the Cowboys situation with backup quarterbacks, Prescott provided a much needed sigh of relief for Dallas fans.

- On the opposite side of the spectrum, Jared Goff has a rough first outing for the Rams. The former call product went 4-9 for 38 yards. Underwhelming? Yes. But it’s the first preseason game that he didn't even start. The offense also features a lot of rookies and young guys. Give him time to gel.

- Break up the Titans running backs! After acquiring DeMarco Murray from the Eagles and drafting Derrick Henry in round two of this year’s draft, the Titans made it obvious they wanted a power run game to run the offense (no pun intended). Well if preseason is any sign of what's to come, it sure looks good. Murray went 6/93/1 including a 71-yard touchdown run. Henry went 10/74/1.

- The Ravens running back stable looks pretty solid, too. Javorius "Buck" Allen, Terrance West, and Kenneth Dixon all displayed their skill sets very well. Allen only went six carries for six yards, but had an impressive 19-yard touchdown reception. West went 9/25/2 with good vision and red-zone play. Dixon carried the ball nine time for 44 yards with some great reads and explosive runs between the tackles.

- The Jaguars duo of Blake Bortles to Allen Robinson looks to be in midseason form. Robinson grabbed three passes for a whopping 80 yards. This young duo is starting to earn its way towards one of the best in the NFL.

- The Texans offense got off to a slow start, and even that statement doesn't do it justice. Brock Osweiler, who signed his 4-year $72 million contract over the summer, went 4/7 for 27 yards. Osweiler was under pressure and was unable to make anything happen deep. His longest completion went for 12 yards. Osweiler is an average quarterback and this offense has a ton of new pieces. They will all need time to mesh before we can see what they are truly capable of.

- One big thing that happened off the field this week was the trade of former Titans wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham to the Eagles. A former 2nd round pick, DGB is only in his second season and showed plenty of promise as a rookie. Reports came out shortly after the trade, claiming is work ethic as well as showing up to camp out of shape prompted the Titans to move on quickly. The Eagles meanwhile, have a weakness at the receiver position. Adding DGB to a receiving corps Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz will hopefully open things up a little more, especially in the red-zone.

- With key names such as Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edleman, and Danny Amendola sitting out for the first preseason gamefor the Patriots, Jimmy Garoppolo looked solid. After looking uncomfortable to start the game, Garoppolo finished nicely to put up an 11/18 for 168 yards stat line.

-And finally, we have our favorite kicker, Roberto Aguayo... Aguayo, who NEVER MISSED a PAT in his entire college career, missed his first ever attempt in the NFL. Now, we really shouldn't be freaking out too much... But when you consider the Buccaneers not only took him in the second round of this year’s draft, but actually traded up for him, I think we have some reason to freak out a little.

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on Twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Dissecting the NFL: Power Rankings and Playoff Picture

To top off the Dissecting the NFL series, I found it appropriate to power rank the teams and show a playoff picture based off of my personal rankings. While these are personal opinions, these are also based off of my projected win totals. Throughout the season, every Tuesday I will release an updated power rankings based off of my personal opinion and how each team fared that week. I will do a power ranking to kick off the season the Tuesday before the season begins. Before we do this ranking, let's dive into so quick points:

-Even with Garopolo starting the first four games of the season, the Patriots remain a strong case for best team in the league as well as best overall record. A pissed off Tom Brady is never fun to go up against and this defense has some serious upside. As Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man once said, "We have a Gronk." or something like that...

-The Brown are simply a mess. I could honestly see them as bad as 0-16, but the return of Josh Gordon cannot be understated. After he serves his four game suspension, he joins a young receiving core including top pick Corey Coleman. Those two present a very bright future for Cleveland once the quarterback situation gets figured out. And of course provided Gordon stays clean.

-I don't hate the NFC South. All four teams could easily challenge for a playoff spot. I feel I can't state this enough.

-A healthy Ravens team is deadly. A healthy Cowboys team is deadly. If these teams stay healthy, a big fat if considering both teams are already suffering injuries, they could both be serious Super Bowl contenders.

-I don't believe in the 49ers. The team is a mess starting with the front office and ending with the roster, they are a few years away from being relevant again. At least the bay area gets the Giants.

-The Cardinals brass is genius. The team is bound to be a top free agency landing spot and with smart drafting, the team could be in serious contention for multiple Super Bowl appearances and titles provided they can win when it counts. I am looking at you, Carson Palmer. Arizona has one championship to its name (the Diamondbacks). Give this poor state another title.

-Finally, this upcoming draft could be loaded with talent. Don't view it as the worst thing in the world if your team sucks. Reloading and getting young guys is vital to moving forward and that should help you get through bad seasons.

Full disclosure, I do not expect these teams to all finish with their projected record. Especially with two teams in the NFC (Carolina and Seattle) both boasting 13-3 record plus a head to head match up. Could it happen? Absolutely. But that's why these are projections and guesses based of off my opinion. Feel free to use these later in the year to yell at me and tell me I was wrong. I LOVE being wrong. So to all the fans or players reading these, by all means prove me wrong.

Without further ado, here are your power rankings:

32. Cleveland Browns: 2-14 with a 0-6 division record

31. San Francisco 49ers: 3-13 with a 0-6 division record

30. San Diego Chargers: 3-13 with a 1-5 division record

29. New Orleans Saints: 4-12 with a 1-5 division record

28. Miami Dolphins: 5-11 with 1-5 division record

27. Philadelphia Eagles: 5-11 with a 3-3 division record

26. Tennessee Titans: 6-10  with a 2-4 division record

25. Atlanta Falcons: 6-10 with a 2-4 division record

24. Chicago Bears: 6-10 with a 2-4 division record

23. Los Angeles Rams: 6-10 with a 3-3 division record

22. New York Jets: 6-10 with a 3-3 division record

21. Detroit Lions: 7-9 with a 1-5 division record

20. Buffalo Bills: 7-9 with 2-4 in division

19. Washington: 8-8 with a 2-4 division record

18. Indianapolis Colts: 8-8 with a 2-4 division record

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-8 with a 3-3 division record

16. Jacksonville Jaguars: 8-8 with a 3-3 division record

15. Denver Broncos: 8-8 with a 4-2 division record

14. Oakland Raiders: 9-7 with a 3-3 division record

13. Dallas Cowboys: 9-7 with a 3-3 division record

12. New York Giants: 9-7 with a 4-2 division record

11. Baltimore Ravens: 10-6 with 4-2 in division

10. Kansas City Chiefs: 10-6 with a 4-2 division record 

9. Houston Texans: 10-6 with a 5-1 division record

8. Minnesota Vikings: 11-5 with a 5-1 division record

7. Cincinnati Bengals: 12-4 with a 4-2 division record

6. Green Bay Packers: 12-4 with a 4-2 division record

5. Arizona Cardinals: 12-4 with a 5-1 division record

4. New England Patriots: 12-4 with 6-0 division record

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 13-3 with a 4-2 division record

2. Seattle Seahawks: 13-3 with a 4-2 division record

1. Carolina Panthers: 13-3 with a 6-0 division record

*If a team tied for record + in division, I simply picked who I thought would win in a head-to-head matchup and ranked them ahead of the other*

Playoff Picture:

AFC:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers: 13-3 with a 4-2 division record

2. New England Patriots: 12-4 with a 6-0 division record

3. Houston Texans: 10-6 with a 5-1 division record

4. Kansas City Chiefs: 10-6 with a 4-2 division record

5. Cincinnati Bengals: 12-4 with a 4-2 division record

6. Baltimore Ravens: 10-6 with a 4-2 division record

NFC:

1. Carolina Panthers: 13-3 with a 6-0 division record

2. Seattle Seahawks: 13-3 with a 4-2 division record

3. Green Bay Packers: 12-4 with a 4-2 division record

4. New York Giants: 9-7 with a 4-2 division record

5. Arizona Cardinals: 12-4 with a 5-1 division record

6. Minnesota Vikings: 11-5 with a 5-1 division record

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.

Dissecting the NFL: NFC South

Each week, we dive into analysis and record projections for every team in the NFL, division-by-division. This week covers the NFC South.

And then there was one. As we wrap up our Dissecting the NFL series, we take a look at a division with plenty of talent, just not enough to truly threaten the NFC – short of Carolina. The Panthers have asserted themselves as the best of the best in the NFL following their impressive 15-1 regular season record in 2015. They were a Super Bowl championship away from being one of the most dominant teams in NFL history. The rest of the division looks like great offenses with average at best defenses. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a lot of people’s sleeper team for the playoffs this year due to the continued progression of quarterback Jameis Winston. The Atlanta Falcons look to rebound from a down-year from quarterback Matt Ryan. And the New Orleans Saints will attempt to get future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees to the big game one last time as he enters the twilight of his career. As for the Panthers, reigning MVP quarterback Cam Newton will lead the charge once again for what should be one of the best offenses in the NFL. Newton will be matched with what should be one of the best defenses in the NFL. Now for one last time this year, let’s dive into analysis with my opinions that I am sure you all hate.

Atlanta Falcons:

The Falcons weren’t expected to do very much last season, and then they jumped out to a surprising 5-0 start to the season. Right as everyone was starting to respect the Falcons (and also seriously question how they did it), they wound up dropping eight of their last 11 games. How on earth did they do that? The Falcons talent should be able to be a top 12 offense in total yards with previously mention Matt Ryan at the helm. However, last season was not what we were used to seeing out of Ryan. Ryan only tossed 21 touchdowns last season with a whopping 16 interceptions and eight fumbles. Ryan needs to right the ship and cut down on the turnovers in 2016 if the Falcons want any shot at the post season. As for the rest of the team, running back Devonta Freeman enjoyed a career year in 2015. Freeman rushed for 1,056 yards with 11 touchdowns plus 73 receptions for 578 receiving yards and three more touchdowns. That looks fantastic on paper, but look closer and you notice his numbers are extremely deceiving. According to Matt Camp’s article (via Bleacher Report), Freeman rushed for 100 yards in four of the first eight weeks, and then had only two games of 70+ yards the rest of the season. He also scored nine of his 11 touchdowns over the first nine games. Freeman needs to be way more consistent, more so than Ryan, for this team to succeed.

That good news is the Falcons offense should be able to be more consistent than in 2015. For starters, second-year pro running back Tevin Coleman appears pretty healthy (aside from a recently reported “minor” foot injury (via AJC.com). Coleman, when healthy in 2015, appeared to be just as productive as Freeman. Should Freeman start off cold or continue his late season struggles, Coleman should be able to step in seamlessly for the Falcons. The Falcons also added center Alex Mack and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu in free agency. Mack will shore up what should be a slightly above average offensive line, and Sanu presents a very interesting situation for offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. Sanu has some extremely valuable versatility; he can run the ball, catch the ball, and throw the ball. In Shanahan’s versatile offense, this is a major beneficiary. Sanu could immediately contribute for the offense next to star wide receiver Julio Jones. Oh crap, I haven’t even mentioned Julio, have I? Jones is coming off a season in which he tied the league lead for receptions (138) and led the league in receiving yards (1,871 which is second most all-time) and grabbed eight touchdowns. Spoon feed this man the ball. I don’t believe there is too much else to be said.

The defense hopes to make strides in year two under head coach Dan Quinn. Quinn comes from the Seattle Seahawks, who as we all know have had dominant defenses. Quinn’s year one in Atlanta was disappointing to say the least. 2014 first round pick Vic Beasley only grabbed 4 sacks, but that is largely due to the fact that he was the only viable pass rusher on the team. The recent addition of pass rusher Dwight Freeney as well as pass rusher Derrick Shelby should be able to help him get more opportunities. The Falcons also added linebacker Courtney Upshaw to help in run support. The former Baltimore Raven stands atop a thin linebacking corps as the best of the bunch, and that isn’t a very good thing considering how one-dimensional he is (as a Ravens fan, I would know best). Rookie linebacker Deion Jones has the speed to be a sideline-to-sideline player, but will his small stature hold up? The secondary could be pretty solid in 2016, featuring underrated stud cornerback Desmond Trufant and first round pick safety/linebacker Keanu Neal. Neal will play the “money backer” role similar to Arizona’s Deone Bucannon. Overall, this team looks pretty mediocre. Short of an offense renaissance and a defense shift to above average, I can’t see any better than .500. Sorry, Atlanta. I don’t hate your team, but I don’t see a very exciting 2016 season ahead of you.

Record Projection: 6-10

Carolina Panthers:

So close, no matter how far… Sorry, Metallica stuck in my head. It does somewhat apply to the 2015 Carolina Panther’s season. Almost 16-0 in the regular season. “Almost” a Super Bowl title (they got dominated, quite frankly). But here’s the good news: this team remains largely intact to its 2015 form. The loss of All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman will hurt more than the media is making it out to be, but it is more than survivable. Let’s not forget this is the best front seven in football captained by All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly. The defensive line has names such as defensive tackles Kawaan Short and Star Lotulelei as well as future Pro Bowler (write it down) pass rusher Kony Ealy. Ealy put on a show in Super Bowl 50, racking up three sacks, an interception, and forcing a fumble. Had the Panthers won the Super Bowl, he would have run away with the MVP honors. Quite frankly, he was the best player on the field that game. That was just his coming-out party, 2016 will be his for the taking. Then the linebacking corps features Kuechly and fellow linebacker Thomas Davis. Davis is one of the best linebackers in the game who doesn’t get truly recognized for how good he is at 33 years old. Second-year pro Shaq Thompson will look to make a bigger impact and undrafted free agent Jeremy Cash (how did he go undrafted again?!) will also join in a part time role. Let’s dive further.

Beyond the set in stone starters, the Panthers have depth. First round pick defensive tackle Vernon Butler, a personal favorite of mine during the process, is the third defensive tackle. His skill set is tremendous; he could be a starter on numerous other teams. Yet, he will simply be a backup who comes in to give guys like Short a break in the action. Linebacker A.J. Klein is also a backup who could start on other NFL teams. Same situation for him as Butler. Other names such as pass rushers Mario Addison, Paul Soliai, and Kyle Love are simply backups. That’s just ridiculous. The secondary is the biggest weak link of the team, and yet because of how good the front seven is we may see them succeed. Young guys like safety Tre Boston and cornerback Bene Benwikere will be relied on to be starters. The Panthers did spend three draft picks on cornerbacks James Bradberry, Daryl Worley, and Zach Sanchez to help out as well. Overall, it could/will be a bad secondary masked entirely by the league’s best front seven.

Then we have the offense. Cam Newton went college on the NFL last season, and put up video game numbers. 3,837 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, 636 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns. It’s simply ridiculous. He did this without stud wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (ACL tear), too. Newton gets back Benjamin this year and matches him with second-year wide receiver Devin Funchess as well as Tedd Ginn and Corey “Philly” Brown. Add in tight end Greg Olsen and this offense will be just as dominant through the air. I question their run game outside of Newton (as I do every year) with running back Jonathan Stewart another year older. Now 29 years old, remains injury prone with no worthy backup. I do like running back Cameron Artis-Payne, but I want to see more out of him in 2016. All around, this team looks good. Damn good. I expect big things out of them. Behind head coach Ron Rivera, this team could wind up right back in the Super Bowl. Watch out, NFL.

Record Projection: 13-3

New Orleans Saints:

You won’t find a bigger “hater” of the Saints this season than right here on 4^th Down and One. I am sorry Saints fans, I don’t hate your team… Well, I kind of do. But that doesn’t mean I am not a fan of them or that I hope you lose. In fact, the only reason I would want them to lose is so they can get a better draft pick for 2017 and get better for the future. Now that that’s out of the way, this roster is depleted, old, and headed nowhere any time soon. Let’s start by looking at a 37 Drew Brees who has been out of his mind amazing throughout his 15 year career. However, by the end of last season we saw Brees start to look his age. Similar to how quarterback Peyton Manning looked at the end of 2014, Manning fell off a cliff in 2015. I don’t expect Brees’s numbers to dip as much as Manning’s did in 2015, but I could see him start to slip…

Deeper into the New Orleans offense shows me a solid cast of wide receivers, running back Mark Ingram, and a solid offensive line. Starting with Ingram, when healthy he is one of the most versatile and dynamic running back in the NFL. The only problem is Ingram has never played a full season since 2012 and that’s the only time he accomplished that feat in his five-year career. I love Ingram to pieces, I really hope this is the year he stays healthy. Looking at the wide receiving corps, you see Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead, rookie Michael Thomas, and Brandon Coleman. Cooks is the established WR1 with a great skill set and big time speed. Thomas has major upside and was my top ranked wide receiver entering the 2016 draft. Snead and Coleman are both former undrafted free agents who have proven their worth in this offense. Free agent signee tight end Coby Fleener presents some interesting upside (regardless of my disbelief in him) for the Saints offense. Many pundits, and this is beyond silly, believe he can become Jimmy Graham esc. But this is an argument for another time. The offensive line, captained by center Max Unger, features offensive tackle Terron Armstead and offensive guard Andrus Peat. Those three should be enough to provide solid protection for Brees, so long as the right side of the line holds up…

And then we have the defense. BLEH. This unit looks to be the worst in the NFL. There are some studs littered throughout, like safety Kenny Vaccaro and defensive lineman Cam Jordan, but the rest of it looks rough. The Saints added linebacker James Lauraintis and defensive tackle Nick Fairley via free agency and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and safety Vonn Bell via the 2016 draft to help stop the bleeding. Second-year pro linebacker Stephone Anthony looks to continue his success and become one of the better linebackers in the league. Surprise cornerback Delvin Breaux had a great season in 2015 and can hopefully continue his success; especially because the rest of the starting corners look sketch. Second-year pro cornerback P.J. Williams will see the field for the first time in his career and veteran Keenan Lewis struggles to see the field at all due to injuries. Safety Jairus Byrd has been more than underwhelming since signing his big money contract back in 2014 due to injuries and lackluster play. All in all, this team will lose a lot of games simply because this defense won’t stop a nose bleed. If Ingram continues to not stay healthy and Brees begins regressing, this team won’t be much fun to watch. At least you have the 2017 draft to look forward to, “Who Dat” Nation.

Record Projection: 4-12

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

I swear, I bite on this team every season and they always let me down. Whether it’s free agent spending or a great draft, I pick this team to go 9-7 or 10-6 and get a wildcard every year it seems. I’ve learned my lesson and now after a relatively quiet offseason in Tampa Bay, I don’t know what to think anymore. The Buccaneers are building a young and talented roster, however. Starting with Jameis Winston and wide receiver Mike Evans. Between those two, the future is very bright, as they could emerge as one of the NFL’s best quarterback-wide receiver combos. Winston and Evans will be 22 and 23 years old respectively when the season starts. The two have a lot of room to grow and matching them together is going to be deadly. The defense is no slouch, either. Featuring the likes of linebacker Lavonte David and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, the defense has playmakers with curious upside.

Behind Winston and Evans, the team possesses plenty of young talent and veterans on offense. Wide receiver Vincent Jackson clearly lost a step last season, but still provides plenty of talent and will remain reliable as the teams number two receiver. Running back Doug Martin reemerged and hopes to continue his dominance long than just one season. Meanwhile, back up running back Charles Sims is becoming one of the league’s best change-of-pace running backs. Not to mention, Sims’s pass catching ability is unrivaled. The tight end group presents a weakness, as Cameron Brate is currently slated to be the starter. Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has so much upside, but between injuries and apparently looking underwhelming in training camp, we may never see that talent unfold in the NFL. Behind Evans and Jackson there are no clear locks for the next best wide receiver, which could present itself as a problem. The offensive line will be average, with second-year pros offensive tackle Donovan Smith and offensive guard Ali Marpet leading the charge. Rookie offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch could also contribute in year one, and free agent signee J.R. Sweezy will be relied on as a starting guard for the team. The offense will be fine, the defense could be good or average. No in between.

Previously mention Lavonte David and Gerald McCoy will once again be relied on the most for this defense. Two key rookies will contribute immediately year one and it could make or break this defense. Pass rusher Noah Spence and cornerback Vernon Hargreaves were the team’s top two picks in 2016 and are slated to be starters immediately. Their play will largely determine the fate of the defense. The team also added defensive lineman Robert Ayers in free agency to help provide a more consistent pass rush outside of McCoy. Linebacker Daryl Smith was also added in free agency to shore up a linebacking corps that also features second year pro Kwon Alexander. This secondary scares me. Relying on rookie cornerbacks is never ideal, as cornerback is arguably the toughest position to successfully translate into the NFL. Cornerback Alterraun Verner has been a bag of mixed results since arriving in Tampa in 2014 and free agent signee cornerback Brent Grimes had a down year in Miami and may be showing his age at 33. The safeties strike fear into the hearts of no one, Brad McDougald, Major Wright, and Chris Conte as the main contributors. The Buccaneers will be an average team in 2016 and a .500 record is a step in the right direction. One more year or smart offseason additions and good drafting should have this team truly in the playoff hunt. This is a young team on the rise.

Record Projection: 8-8

Division Overview:

The NFC South will likely be lackluster again in 2016. There will be plenty of bright spots moving forward and the passing of the torch from the Saints to the Buccaneers will be one to monitor. All four of these teams could easily push for 8-8 with likely good offenses, but their defenses will be their downfall (outside of Carolina). The Buccaneers are a sleeper team for a reason; their young talent could just all mesh perfectly and they could become a force. But they are more than likely one or two years away. The Falcons will be average with some upside of a record over .500. And we all know how I feel about the Saints by now. Count the Panthers in as serious Super Bowl contenders and the rest as pretenders.

NFC South Projected Standing:

1. Carolina Panthers: 13-3 (6-0 in division)

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-8 (3-3 in division)

3. Atlanta Falcons: 6-10 (2-4 in division)

4. New Orleans Saints: 4-12 (1-5 in division)

Richard Bradshaw is available to follow on twitter @RichieBradz36. Thank you for the read.