Recapping the NFC South

TAMPA BAY: 2-1 (DIV) 1-0
CAROLINA: 2-1 (DIV) 1-0
NAWLEANS: 0-3 (DIV) 0-1
ATLANTA: 0-3 (DIV) 0-1

Following up on yesterday's game Gruden has declared there is no tail back controversy to worry about. Which is pure foolishness on Gruden's part. It is obvious that Caddy's ribs have been bothering him and giving Cadillac 20 carries a game isn't going to do anything to improve the injury situation. Why not give Earnest Graham some carries to spell Caddy? At the very least Graham should be worked into a few series in the next game to see if he can replicate his performance from Sunday. I've been a Gruden fan but it is this kind of stubborness which makes it so hard to root for the guy.

CAROLINA 27, ATLANTA 20
DeAngelo Hall pulled a Milton Bradley yesterday and single-handedly lost the game for his team. The well written Atlanta blog BnB breaks it down, and Atlanta's dedication to drafting Hokies may not have been such a good idea. Worth noting is how easily the previously maligned Joey Harrington passed against the Panthers defense, ringing up 351 yards. This game was close much of the way until the Hall Breakdown essentially gave the Panthers the lead.

TENNESSEE 31, NEW ORLEANS 14
Just because it has to be mentioned the NFC South looks fairly atrocious this season. It was just Saturday I was telling my dad on our way back from watching UVA somehow beat Georgia Tech how good the division had become. My basic argument was that with four good coaches for the first time in the history of the division this was bound to become the most competitive division in football. The NFL has become a coach's league, just look at the resurgence of the NFC East after the additions of Joe Gibbs, Tom Coughlin and Bill Parcells after Andy Reid had been able to run away with division title after division title. The NFC South looks like one of the more competitive divisions in the NFL but not because the teams are any good.

By the way, New Orleans sucks.