The NFC South has been one of the more all-around successful divisions since the league realigned in 2002. It is the only division since then to have all four teams make at least one Championship game and win three division titles. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the first team to make it to the NFC title game in 2002 and later went on to win the Super Bowl. Atlanta made the league’s semifinal round in 2004 and 2012 while the Panthers played in 2003 (they lost in the Super Bowl) and 2005. The Saints meanwhile had a crushing defeat in the 2006 NFC Championship but won the Vince Lombardi Trophy three years later.
Now we take a look at the face of each storied franchise in the NFL South, that poster boy fans look up to and expect to win games. Usually he is drafted by the team but there are exceptions to the rule.
New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees
Some would say that Brees is an easy pick for the face of New Orleans, not just the Saints but the whole city. He is the face of all New Orleans sports. He brought the city out of despair from the 2005 Hurricane Katrina tragedies when he led them to the aforementioned 2006 NFC Championship game in just his first season with the team. Despite losing that one to the Bears he returned in 2009 to beat Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings en route to a Super Bowl title over the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning.
Some would say Brees doesn’t deserve this title because of the fact he wasn’t drafted by the team but rather signed as a free agent from San Diego in the spring of 2006. He joined Sean Payton to make the Saints one of the more powerful teams in the league. In his eight seasons with the Saints, he has thrown for over 5000 yards during four seasons and tossed 30 or more touchdown passes in the latter six. He currently holds the record for most games with a touchdown pass with 54 straight regular season games between October 18, 2009 to November 25, 2012. When any fan thinks of the New Orleans Saints, they will think of their number 9 pivot, Drew Brees.
Other notable players: Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston.
Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton
Cam Newton, also known as “Superman” has brought the Carolina Panthers back into perennial contention in the NFC South. From 2006 to 2012, the Panthers finished with a .500 record or better only in 2008, with their worst season coming in 2010, a 2-14 record. The 2010 Heisman winner and 2011 BCS Title winner with Auburn was selected by the Panthers first overall after their dismal season. He and coach Ron Rivera both started with the Panthers for the 2011 season and almost reversed their record to 12-4 in 2013.
Newton has all the tangibles you want for a quaterback in 2014, a next-generation QB like Colin Kaepernick, Andrew Luck or dare I say it, Robert Griffin III. He has as strong a pair of legs as he has an arm, and can fool defenses around the league both in the air and on the ground. In 49 career games in the regular season, Newton has thrown for 11580 yards and 65 touchdowns while rushing for 2051 yards and 28 rushing plays that finished in the end zone. Compare those rushing stats to his running back DeAngelo Williams who has rushed for 2488 yards and 15 touchdowns since playing together in 2011. The Panthers hopes and aspirations for the future rest on this young man.
Other notable players: Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen
Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones
Unfortunately this isn’t 2013 and Tony Gonzalez isn’t playing tight end for the Atlanta Falcons. If that were to happen it would make this so much easier because he is one of the greatest Atlanta Falcons to ever play, period (despite playing most of his career for the Kansas City Chiefs). But now that he is retired, Julio Jones can be considered the face of the Atlanta Falcons. Yes, you read that right, Julio Jones. Not Matt Ryan. Jones is considered one of the best receivers in the game while “Matty Ice” is an inconsistent, just average kind of QB. We saw how valuable Jones was to the team last year when he injured his foot in week 5 and the team went 3-8 afterwards to finish the season 4-12.
Jones was selected five picks after Newton in the same draft and has equally the same amount of potential super stardom in him. He went an impressive 959 yards with 8 touchdown catches in his rookie season followed by career bests 1198 yards and 10 trips to the end zone in his sophomore campaign. We saw what he can do with his 161 yards and two impressive touchdown catches last week in Thursday night’s blowout of the Buccaneers. Expect this season to be a breakout for him.
Other notable players: Matt Ryan, Matt Bryant, Desmond Trufant
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy
The only defensive player on this list is Gerald McCoy for the Buccaneers. There really aren’t many options in Tampa at this point. Josh Freeman? Gone. Mike Glennon? Back-up. Doug Martin? A life-sized band-aid. All players that Bucs fans once thought were their stars of the future, are now irrelevant within the organization. But one player that has stuck through this trouble in the team is their defensive end McCoy.
The defensive captain has been with the team since being drafted third overall in 2010 out of Oklahoma. In 51 games for the franchise, McCoy has delivered 119 tackles and 19.0 sacks but has had an astonishing 10 interceptions. Before Darrelle Revis left the state of Florida in 2013, McCoy was just another piece in a decent Tampa defense but is now the juggernaut and the key piece in a weak Tampa unit. McCoy will have to wait it out a few more years before this team starts winning, but the franchise player will be one of their few positives.
Other notable players: Um, the water boy?
Previous Articles in the Series
Being the NFL Face of a Franchise
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