by Ray GlierFiled under: Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Panthers, Saints, NFC South
I watched every NFC South. I am qualified for this.Here is the All-NFC South offense. Defense comes Friday.
Here goes:
Quarterback: Matt Ryan, Falcons. This was closer in my mind than you might think between Ryan and Drew Brees. Ryan threw nine interceptions; Brees threw 22. I still almost went with Brees. He didn't have a running game. Ryan did. He didn't have Reggie Bush for a good portion of the season, or Pierre Thomas. The Saints defense was beat up and Brees and the offense had to make plays. But the interceptions cannot be ignored. Ryan's comeback wins also can't be ignored. He beat Baltimore, Green Bay and Tampa Bay with late drives.
Running back: Michael Turner. He was back as the threat that opened up the field for the pass game. He also caught passes out of the backfield. Turner had seven 100-yard games and if he didn't always produce yards it was because the defense leaned on him with an extra defender. Solid locker room guy, too.
Wide receiver: Roddy White, Falcons. He set the franchise record for receptions in a season with 115, but more important he was a third down receiver Ryan could trust. White made plays, and not all of them were catching the ball. He is an above average blocker and the strip of Nate Clements prevented an embarrassing loss at home to the 49ers.
Wide receiver: Mike Williams, Tampa Bay. Just a rookie, he gave the Bucs a downfield passing game that had to be respected. He caught 65 passes for 964 yards and was a substantial threat. No rookie receiver had a better season in the NFL. You might be tempted to put Lance Moore here instead, but Williams did more for his team than Moore did for the Saints.
Wide receiver: Marques Colston, Saints. Just watch him. How many guys go over top of two defenders down the middle of the field and make the catch? Colston had 84 receptions and ripped the top off the defense with plays downfield. He averaged 12.2 yards per catch.
Tight end: Kellen Winslow, Bucs. He had 66 catches and Tony Gonzalez, the future Hall of Famer for the Falcons, had 70. Winslow caught five for touchdowns; Gonzalez caught six. Winslow averaged 11.1 yards per grab; Gonzalez averaged 7. Gonzalez is a better locker room guy and leader, but Winslow might just be the best football player on the Bucs. He could disappear in some games, but I think this is his time. He's younger than Gonzalez and a first-rate talent.
Left tackle: Donald Penn, Bucs. No less an authority than John Abraham of the Falcons told me Penn had a terrific season. The Pro Bowl folks didn't think so, but I can remember just two sacks Penn gave up where he was cleanly beaten off the edge.
Left guard: Carl Nicks, Saints. He is 343 pounds and tough. He plays like he has a chip on his shoulder, as if his selection in the fifth round of the draft three years ago was the ultimate slight. Jahri Evans gets more acclaim as the other New Orleans guard, but when I watched Nicks I saw a guy who did not let pressure come through him to Drew Brees. There were also games where rookie running back Chris Ivory walked into the end zone because of holes up the middle.
Center: Ryan Kalil/Panthers. He is a consistent player. He run blocks, he pass blocks. It is the best thing you can say about Kalil; he's consistent. He also didn't jump on and add to the pile of criticism that swarmed rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
Or....Todd McClure, Falcons. Here's why. Matt Ryan had a handle on a lot of blitzes because of McClure. Opponents got after it with Ryan and pressured and pressured. It was McClure calling out the blitzes. The veteran center (12 years) was calling protections pre-snap and it made a difference all season.
Right guard: Harvey Dahl, Falcons. He developed this reputation as a brawler, which is fine, but he also looked like a technician to me this season. My impression is that it is not a nice experience playing against him. He and center Todd McClure stood in against the mammoth nose tackles from all the 3-4 defenses the Falcons saw this season. Just look at the results. Michael Turner rushed for 1,371 yards in the regular season.
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