South is stunning the NFL

A weak division? Not so far, as the Panthers and Saints fool critics.

By DARRELL FRY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 27, 2002

TAMPA -- In the offseason, Panthers coach John Fox essentially said the new NFC South was Tampa Bay's to lose, echoing the expectations of most football analysts. It was one of the earliest division crowns ever unofficially clinched.

Yet three games into the regular season, the NFC South is really anybody's.

With surprising starts by the Panthers (3-0) and Saints (3-0), the division appears more open than expected. With a combined record of 9-3, it also has started as one of the strongest.

Only the NFC West, which has three undefeated teams (Denver, San Diego and Oakland), has a better combined record (9-2). "It's not about how it looks on paper. It's about what you do on Sundays," Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice said. "The Saints are doing their thing. And we're starting to prove ourselves. Obviously, (the division) is a lot stronger than people thought."

The NFC South didn't get much respect coming into this season because every team seemed in a state of flux.

The Bucs were learning a new offense under new coach Jon Gruden. The Saints, who slumped badly down the stretch last season, had a sizable personnel overhaul. The Falcons were starting a new quarterback (Michael Vick). And the Panthers were trying to rebound from their 1-15 effort with a new coach and a new offensive coordinator (Dan Henning).

The Bucs figured to be contenders, but the rest of the teams seemed too unstable to make serious runs.

"Last year Carolina was so bad. Atlanta, you didn't know what was going on there with Michael Vick. And, of course, New Orleans was a real disappointment last year (7-9)," former quarterback Boomer Esiason said. "But (Saints quarterback) Aaron Brooks looks better and (running back) Deuce McAllister and Ricky (Williams) are going at each other, motivated to be better than the other guy. I think New Orleans is really a serious team."

Indeed, the Saints have been the most impressive team. They have won twice on the road and all three wins were against quality teams (Tampa Bay, Green Bay and Chicago).

The Panthers, too, have opened a lot of eyes with three consecutive wins -- albeit against winless teams -- after losing a single-season record 15 in a row last season.

They are doing it with a ball-control offense guided by 36-year-old Rodney Peete, who has the fourth-highest quarterback rating in the conference. And with a second-ranked defense, which has limited the opposition on average to 220.3 yards and 9.3 points.

The Bucs (2-1) are coming off a significant win over the Rams on Monday Night Football and are a game out of first place with the 0-3 Bengals up next.

And the Falcons (1-2) appear to be better than their record. They lost close games against Green Bay and Chicago, suggesting that they easily could be 2-1 or even 3-0.

"I know a lot of people were saying it was going to be a cupcake division, but I've been in this league long enough to know that no division is a cupcake," Bucs receiver Keenan McCardell said. "Everybody was saying Pittsburgh was going to win the AFC North.

"But look, you've got teams in there that want to play. You can't just say this team or that team is going to win. You've got to play the whole song out before you can get to the end."

The true strength of the division probably depends on the Panthers.

If they can maintain their success, the division might not have a losing team at season's end. Since 1997, 19 of the 24 teams that started 3-0 made the playoffs. Still, there's great debate about whether Carolina is for real.

"John Fox is doing a great job, and I never want to take anything away from him, but you've got to look at who they've played. Three of the worst teams in football," Esiason said. "But, quite frankly, when you're a good team, you beat those kinds of teams. And they've done that."

The complexion of the division will get much clearer in the next four weeks when there will be several head-to-head games. For instance, after a bye week this week, the Falcons face division teams three of the next four weeks.

And after the Bengals on Sunday, the Bucs face division teams in two of their next four games.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see two (playoff teams) come out of this division," Esiason said. "I thought Tampa Bay (would be one of them), but New Orleans, I wasn't sure of. But that team is certainly playing all-out right now. They look great.

"I think it's going to be a great finish. But it's a long season and it's only Week 3."