7. New Orleans Saints
Players to Watch: Drew Brees, Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram, Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, Jonathan Vilma, This last spot was quite a contentious one. I desperately wanted to allocate the spot to the Bears or the Vikings, but the Saints, with the return of their head coach and defensive captain, are out for revenge. Drew Brees is the kind of contender who simply will not stand for missing the playoffs two years in a row. Every faithful NFL fan knows the Saints' kryptonite, however: instability on defense. We can expect Drew Brees to light up the field, along with fantasy scoreboards because of his incomparable accuracy, but can Mark Ingram finally live up to his Heisman hype? The more pressing issue for the Saints, however, is their passing defense. Can they stop the dangerous lineup of QBs in the NFC? If they can't, the Bears will occupy this spot. But, with the new addition of rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro out of Texas, their passing defense should immediately improve in the mid-to-long range passing game. He was one of the best shutdown safeties in the country in college, and with a higher than average speed for a safety, should be able to assist in covering some of the more lethal deep threats in the NFC. Look for the Saints to finish 10-6 and sixth in the NFC.
Note: After breaking down the NFC, expect to see the 49ers represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this year.