Granted, New Orleans<\/st1:place><\/st1:City>
\nisn\u2019t going to surprise anyone this year but with a solid cast, a new winning
\nattitude, and only Carolina<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> as
\nserious division opposition, the Saints should march to another NFC South
\ntitle. The Panthers look good enough to battle for an NFC wild card. (2006
\nregular season records in parentheses): <\/p>\n

NEW
\nORLEANS<\/span><\/strong><\/st1:place><\/st1:City> SAINTS (10-6 SU, 10-6 ATS)<\/span><\/strong>: Sean Payton
\ndid the impossible in New Orleans<\/st1:place><\/st1:City>
\nlast season, turning a moribund 3-13 team into a Super Bowl contender. With the
\nreturn of QB Drew Brees<\/span>, twin RB<\/span>
\nthreats Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, and emerging WR<\/span>
\nstar Marques Colston<\/span>, the offense is lethal. The
\ndefense also showed improvement under first year coordinator Gary Gibbs but
\nlacked aggression, finishing 31^{st<\/sup> in the NFL in takeaways in 2006.
\nThe line, led by Charles Grant and Will Smith, is solid but the Saints need
\nmore big-play potential at linebacker and in the secondary. Still, an offense
\nas potent as New Orleans<\/st1:place><\/st1:City>\u2019 will win
\na lot of games.
\nBy the Numbers (Regular
\nSeason, 1998-2006)<\/span><\/span><\/strong>
\nSU: 64-80
\nATS: 69-72-3
\nHF<\/span>: 14-24-1
\nHD: 10-16-2<\/st1:date>
\nAF: 9-6
\nAD: 32-25
\nSportsbook Buster<\/span><\/strong>:
\nThe Saints are 8-2 ATS their last 10 games versus the 49ers, who they play in San
\nFrancisco<\/st1:place><\/st1:City>, Oct. 28.
\nNFL Betting Angle<\/span><\/strong>:
\nNew Orleans<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> has been a miserable bet
\nat home, compiling just a 24-40-3 record ATS the last nine seasons. <\/p>\n}

CAROLINA PANTHERS (8-8
\nSU, 5-9-2 ATS)<\/span><\/strong>: Injuries ravaged the Panthers and the team that
\nmade it to the Super Bowl a year earlier couldn\u2019t even make to a winning record
\nin 2006. The offense struggled last year with inconsistent play from QB Jake
\nDelhomme and a ground game that finished 24^{th<\/sup> in the NFL, prompting
\nHead Coach John Fox to fire offensive coordinator Dan Henning and replace him
\nwith Jeff Davidson. The Carolina<\/st1:place><\/st1:City>
\ndefense was as good as the offense was bad last year with DE Julius Peppers
\nleading the way. The Panthers also have a quality secondary and hope that No. 1
\ndraft choice Jon Beason<\/span> (Miami<\/st1:place><\/st1:City>)
\nwill be the playmaker they need at linebacker.
\nBy the Numbers (Regular
\nSeason, 1998-2006)<\/span><\/span><\/strong>
\nSU: 64-80
\nATS: 71-66-7
\nHF<\/span>: 20-27-1
\nHD: 13-9-2<\/st1:date>
\nAF: 8-12-1<\/st1:date>
\nAD: 27-19-3
\nSportsbook Buster<\/span><\/strong>:
\nThe Panthers are 6-0 ATS versus the Saints, their last half-dozen meetings.
\nNFL Betting Angle<\/span><\/strong>:
\nCarolina<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> is 3-12 ATS as a favorite
\nof between four and seven points. <\/p>\n}

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
\n(4-12 SU, 6-9-1 ATS)<\/span><\/strong>: While the Saints were going from worst to
\nfirst, the Buccaneers were heading in the opposite direction, from first to
\nworst last year. Head Coach Jon Gruden<\/span> hopes that
\nsavvy QB Jeff Garcia, who the Buccaneers acquired through free agency, will be
\nable to run his complex West Coast offense with more precision than Chris Simms
\nor Bruce Gradkowski did in 2006. Tampa Bay has gotten old on defense, falling
\nfrom the top 10 in the league for the first time in a decade last season while
\nranking 31^{st<\/sup> in sacks with just 25.
\nBy the Numbers (Regular
\nSeason, 1998-2006)<\/span><\/span><\/strong>
\nSU: 77-67
\nATS: 69-69-6
\nHF<\/span>: 30-26-2
\nHD: 9-2-1<\/st1:date>
\nAF: 15-18
\nAD: 15-21-2
\nSportsbook Buster<\/span><\/strong>:
\nThe Buccaneers are 5-1 ATS versus the Rams, who they play at home, Sept. 23.
\nNFL Betting Angle<\/span><\/strong>:
\nTampa<\/st1:PlaceName> Bay<\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place>
\nwas 3-1 ATS last year and is 9-2-1<\/st1:date>
\nATS the last nine seasons in the role of a home underdog. <\/p>\n}

ATLANTA<\/span><\/strong><\/st1:place><\/st1:City> FALCONS (7-9 SU, 8-8 ATS)<\/span><\/strong>:
\nThe Falcons didn\u2019t figure to be a playoff contender with QB Mike Vick so their
\nfortunes are even dimmer now that Vick is likely to miss the season defending himself<\/span> against a federal indictment for dog-fighting sand
\ngambling. New Head Coach Bobby Petrino<\/span> will have to
\noverhaul an offense that has been dependent on Vick since his arrival in Atlanta<\/st1:place><\/st1:City>
\nseven years ago. The defense, which played well<\/span> last
\nyear, gets a new coordinator in Mike Zimmer, from Dallas<\/st1:place><\/st1:City>.
\n
\nBy the Numbers (Regular
\nSeason, 2002-2006)<\/span><\/span><\/strong>
\nSU: 70-73-1
\nATS: 68-70-6
\nHF<\/span>: 22-21-2
\nHD: 10-17
\nAF: 9-6-1<\/st1:date>
\nAD: 27-26-3
\nSportsbook Buster<\/span><\/strong>:
\nThe Falcons are 4-0 ATS versus the Lions at home their last four meetings. The
\nteams meet in Tampa<\/st1:PlaceName> Bay<\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place>,
\nNov. 11.
\nNFL Betting Angle<\/span><\/strong>:
\nAtlanta<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> is 9-2 as an underdog after
\na bye week. This year, Atlanta<\/st1:place><\/st1:City>
\ntravels to Tampa<\/st1:PlaceName> Bay<\/st1:PlaceType><\/st1:place>,
\nNov. 4, after its open week. <\/p>\n

Legend:
\nSU = Straight Up
\nATS = Against the Spread
\nHF<\/span> = Home Favorite
\nHD = Home Underdog
\nAF = Away Favorite
\nAD = Away Underdog<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Article is courtesy of the Greek Sportsbook<\/a>
\none of the few sportsbooks good enough to get the highest endorsement from the
\nwagering experts at OffshoreInsiders.com<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/o:p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/body>
\n<\/html><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"