Early preseason observations: NFC South Edition:

Atlanta Falcons:  The Good:  The young defense has shown some promise. Rookie LB Sean Witherspoon adds some much needed speed to a defense that at times last year looked slow. DE Kroy Biermann looks like he will have a breakout year. In both preseason games he has had a sack and a force fumble. Look for Biermann to have double digit sacks this upcoming season.  He is definitely an upgrade over former first round DE Jamaal Anderson.

The Bad: The offense needs to be at full strength soon. The Falcons have been banged up on offense majority of this off-season. Running backs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood need to stay healthy for the full upcoming 2010 season if the Falcons want to make a deep playoff run.

Carolina Panthers:  The Good:  DE’s Everette Brown and rookie DE/OLB Greg Hardy have shown that maybe they can be the guys to replace Julius Peppers. Both players have shown that they could be explosive edge rushers. The problem with Hardy is that he has durability issues. Brown has been inconsistent. The Panthers need both players to be productive and consistent this year if this team wants to be a respectable defense.

The Bad:  WR All-Pro Steve Smith needs some help. The Panthers drafted former Appalachian State QB Armanti Edwards in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft. The team has decided to move the former QB to WR. Why? Edwards has a small frame (5′11 185 pounds, I believe is a lie) and isn’t polished at the WR position. Steve Smith needs help ASAP. Dwayne Jarrett has been a bust. The team also drafted LSU WR Brandon LaFell in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft. LaFell has superb talent, the knock on him has always been consistency.

New Orleans Saints:  The Good: The entire Super Bowl team returns most of its players. Drew Brees and the Saints explosive offense remains intact. The secondary added more talent with the drafting of CB Patrick Robinson who is a play-maker. The defensive line added DE Alex Brown this off-season who has some good pass rushing skills.

The Bad: They are the Super Bowl champions and will be the hunted. How will the handle being the hunted?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  The Good: The Bucs had a great 2010 NFL Draft. The defensive line looks to be the strength if the young rookies (DT Gerald McCoy and Brian Price) can step up and make an immediate impact. Rookie WR Mike Williams looks like the real deal this preseason. He runs good routes and knows how to get open.

The Bad: RB Derrick Ward looks like a FA bust. He is on the bubble to make the roster. He hasn’t shown the explosiveness the Bucs were hoping to see when they signed him last off-season as a free agent. It sad because Ward had a good couple of seasons in NY a couple of years. Maybe it was the Giants offensive line that helped him put up the kind of stats he produced. The main question now with the Bucs running game is if Ward is cut can RB Cadillac Williams stay healthy for a full season? Williams has shown some heart for keep coming back after having two major knee operations.