Call Us When You're Winning - Fanbases of the NFC South

Well, we're down to just 1 team in the NFC South, so there's really no point to go TOO in depth here.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons - ELIMINATED - In the Dirty Bird and Mike Vick eras (as well as this season), the Falcons fans have shown up and turned the Georgia Dome into a loud, intimidating place to play. When things turn for the worse, the fans seem to have a tougher time getting to the games. This isn't a problem unique to the Falcons, just ask the Atlanta Hawks (and even the Braves to a lesser extent). There's no real loyalty for the Falcons from most of the residents of the ATL and the fans tend to follow the success of the team rather than contribute to it.

2/15

Carolina Panthers - ELIMINATED - While the Jags and Panthers are linked in many ways, the Panthers have undoubtedly established the better fan-base to this point. They sell-out virtually every game and Charlotte has really embraced them as the only pro-team in the Carolinas (unless you count the Bobcats). Still, the fans haven't turned the stadium into anything intimidating and the fans really haven't established any kind of identity to this point. Just a little too "we're just happy to be here" feel to them.

5/15

New Orleans Saints - ELIMINATED - When looking at the Saints fans, you almost have to evaluate them as pre and post-Katrina. Before the Hurricane, attendance was terrible, there were rumors the team would be heading to San Antonio, and the few fans that were in attendance had paper bags on their heads. After the team returned to New Orleans, the Saints became where the city put a lot of their pride and the Superdome turned into possibly the loudest stadium in the NFL. Will the energy be there 10 years from now if the team slips into mediocrity? Tough to say, but right now it's like Mardi Gras every Sunday in the Dome.

12/15

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - As it usually goes, the fans were as few and far between as the wins were in the early years of the franchise, but that started to turn when the Glazer family took over. All it took was a stadium that looks like a pirate ship, a change in colors, and eventually, a Super Bowl winner. The numbers are down again in recent years, as are wins, and the intimidation of the Raymond-James cannons is not what it once was. Still, their success in the early 2000's did help establish somewhat of a committed fan-base, though it's not all that sizable.

7/15