Why Even Play the Games? Buccs Win South!

In 2002 the NFL world was turned upside down...or some would say right side up. With the expansion of the 32nd NFL franchise Houston Texans came balance. Re-alignment would follow, and our beloved Buccs would find them selves out of the old Black and Blue division and into what was now being dubbed the NASCAR division. Personally, I'm not a NASCAR fan so I hate that nickname, but born was the NFC South division.

Not one game had even been played yet, and the newly formed NFC South was already labeled as the weakest division in the NFL. With the inhabitants of this new division an argument could hardly be made. Long time losers New Orleans Saints who's fans hid their faces in paper bags would grace this group along with the hapless Atlanta Falcons another team on the fast track to nowhere. Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought some respectability to the division with both teams participating in the NFC Championship Game the previous decade. Still though, Carolina was a recent expansion team themselves, and the Buccaneers who will always have the reputation for being one of the worst teams ever in the NFL. Fair or not, that is the case.

Soon though the NFC South would stake their claim as one of the best divisions in the NFL. Wasting no time at all, the South put forth the first SuperBowl Champion in the new re-alignment era, our very own Buccaneers. The following year in 2003 the South would once again be represented in the SuperBowl by the Carolina Panthers. Although not victorious, they represented the Division honorably. The 2004 NFC Championship Game would find the South's Atlanta Falcons battling the Philadelphia Eagles for the right to represent the NFC in the SuperBowl. Although the Falcons came up short, the success of the NFC South had to be noticed. Rarely now did you hear the South being referred to as the NASCAR division anymore. The following two years boasted more of the same NFC South dominance. 2005 the Panthers found their way into the NFC Championship game, followed by the New Orleans Saints in 2006. Five years post re-alignment, five NFC South representatives in the NFC Championship game.

Can anyone laugh anymore? Can anyone make fun of the NFC South anymore? Sure they could, but they'd just make themselves look stupid. The NFC South is a force to be reckoned with, and other team's better take notice, respect it, and come prepared on game day.

While all this success is taking place for the South, something else very interesting is also happening at the same time. Some may know, and others may not even have realized what was going on. In 2002 the Buccaneers were the first place team, and the Panthers were the last place team. The following year, the Panthers were the first place team and the Falcons were the last place team. Again 2004 would serve more of the same. The previous year's last place Falcons would take first place in the South and drop Tampa all the way to the basement. Sure enough, 2005 comes along and the Buccs climb out from the basement and over the backs of the Saints, Panthers and Falcons to stake their claim atop the South, and the Saints would find themselves in the dungeon. Finally it's the Saints turn. Previously in last place, the Saints shock the world with their number one ranked offense and find themselves at the top of the South. What an unusual pattern. Since the inception of the NFC South, every season's last place team finds themselves winning the division the next year. It's astounding to me how these crazy things happen sometime.

Well it's 2007 and the South's last place team last year was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Will this pattern stop? Can this unusual pattern stop? Surely it can't go on forever. Is it destiny's way of giving a little taste of success to each team in the division, the division that was called losers before they even got a chance to play a game as members of their new division? I'm a very superstitious person, and I believe in the quirky situations life brings us every once in a while. For that reason, I expect the Buccs to win the NFC South in 2007. It's their turn. The Saints, Panthers and Falcons don't stand a chance against fate. Fate always wins, and judging by fate's history, so will the Buccs. Why even bother playing the games.
...JJC/ABuccsFan