By Scott Garbarini, Associate NFL Editor -- (Sports Network) - It's all systems go for both the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who will open their respective 2008 seasons with a key NFC South clash Sunday at the Superdome.

This showdown between division rivals had been in jeopardy of being moved to another location due to Hurricane Gustav's arrival on the Gulf Coast earlier this week. However, the Superdome was able to withstand the storm without any structural damage, unlike the devastation Hurricane Katrina heaped upon both the facility and the city of New Orleans three years previously.

Gustav did manage to alter the Saints' preparation plans for Sunday's tilt, however, as the team was forced to spend the past week practicing in Indianapolis after evacuating its home base as a precautionary measure.

This Week 1 matchup will pit the winners of the last three NFC South titles, with the Buccaneers capturing the division crown in 2005 and again last season after producing a 9-7 record. New Orleans took home top honors with a rags-to- riches 2006 campaign in which the franchise quickly rebounded from a 3-13 nightmare to win 13 regular-season games and reach the NFC Championship Game.

The Saints' unforeseen success that year raised the bar to the highest of heights in 2007, and the team wound up crumbling under the weight of lofty expectations. New Orleans lost its first four games and never could dig itself from its early-season hole, eventually missing out on the postseason parade with a disappointing 7-9 record.

New Orleans enters 2008 with high hopes as well after seemingly upgrading a porous defense that was one of the NFL's most submissive units a year ago. The Saints acquired former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jonathan Vilma from the New York Jets via trade in April, right around the time the organization traded up in the first round to grab USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. Former New England cornerback Randall Gay and ex-Jaguars defensive end Bobby McCray were also brought in through free agency in an effort to help a pass defense that ranked 30th out of the league's 32 teams last season.

The Saints also traded for problem-child tight end Jeremy Shockey over the summer, with the one-time Giant expected to add another weapon to a dangerous aerial attack that also includes marksman quarterback Drew Brees and prolific wide receiver Marques Colston.

Tampa Bay delivered a worst-to-first turnaround of its own in 2007, putting a disastrous 4-12 season from the previous year in the rear-view mirror by reaching the playoffs. The Bucs' unexpected improvement was sparked by a resurgent defense that ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed (278.4 ypg) and third in points surrendered (16.9 ppg), along with a remarkably efficient season from veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia.

Duplicating last year's feat may be hard, if recent history is any indication. Since the NFC South was established in 2002, no team that finished first in the division repeated as champion the following season.

SERIES HISTORY

New Orleans has a 19-13 lead in its all-time series with Tampa Bay, but was swept in last year's home-and-home with its division rival. The Saints were 31-14 losers when they visited Raymond James Stadium in Week 2, and surrendered a 27-23 decision at the Superdome in Week 13. The Saints swept the home-and-home in 2006.

Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden has a 7-6 career record against the Saints, including 6-6 since taking over in Tampa prior to the 2002 season. New Orleans' Sean Payton is 2-2 against both Gruden and the Bucs as a head coach.

WHEN THE BUCCANEERS HAVE THE BALL

The Buccaneers were hardly a juggernaut on offense last season, but Gruden's bunch compensated for a lack of big-play capability by minimizing mistakes and capitalizing on those of the opposition. Tampa Bay had an NFC-low 20 giveaways in 2007, with Garcia (2240 passing yards, 13 TD, in '07) tossing a mere four interceptions in 327 pass attempts. The savvy 38-year-old returns as the triggerman for a passing attack that finished a respectable 16th in the NFL (209.8 ypg) last year. The Bucs are also aging at the wide receiver spots, although the 36-year-old Joey Galloway (57 receptions, 1014 yards, 6 TD) remains a feared deep threat who is coming off a third straight 1,000-yard campaign. Fellow vet Ike Hilliard (62 receptions, 1 TD) and perennial underachiever Michael Clayton (22 receptions) are also back at Garcia's disposal.

Garcia will be taking aim at a New Orleans secondary that allowed a whopping 32 touchdowns through the air last season, tied for the most in the league. The backfield does possess a quality cover man in cornerback Mike McKenzie (52 tackles, 3 INT, 17 PD), but he's coming off a torn ACL and may not yet be 100 percent for the opener. Therefore, the Saints are counting on an immediate impact from Gay (38 tackles, 3 INT) as well as a bounce-back season out of Jason David (51 tackles, 3 INT, 11 PD), the former Colt who was routinely toasted in his first year in New Orleans. A more potent pass rush would also help things out, which is why the team targeted McCray (18 tackles, 3 sacks), who had 10 sacks with Jacksonville in 2006, in free agency. He is expected to team with standout end Will Smith (66 tackles, 7 sacks) to hopefully provide a pressure presence along the edges. The Saints mustered a mediocre 32 sacks as a team last year.

New Orleans was more adept at containing the run in 2007, yielding a solid 102.9 yards per game on the ground (13th overall). There appears to be an opportunity to lower that figure this year, especially if the talented Vilma (43 tackles), who missed half of last season with a knee injury, can stay healthy at middle linebacker. Ellis, a disruptive force as a collegian, has already worked his way into a starting role and should help make the Saints more stout up front as well. The defense also sports a pair of accomplished run-stoppers in strongside linebacker Scott Fujita (96 tackles, 3 sacks) and rugged end Charles Grant (48 tackles, 2.5 sacks).

The Bucs were able to pile up 172 rushing yards in last December's win over the Saints at the Superdome, with top back Earnest Graham (898 rushing yards, 10 TD, 49 receptions) accounting for 106 yards on 22 carries. He won't have one of his best blockers available on Sunday, however, as sturdy right guard Davin Joseph is out indefinitely with a broken foot. Rookie Jeremy Zuttah, a third-round pick in April's draft, will get the first chance at filling in. Graham is a capable receiver as well who gives Garcia an option out of the backfield along with 12th-year pro Warrick Dunn (720 rushing yards, 4 TD, 37 receptions with Atlanta), who returned to his original team in the offseason to fill the third-down role.

WHEN THE SAINTS HAVE THE BALL

New Orleans has been among the league leaders in passing offense in each of Payton's two seasons, largely due to the talents of Brees (28 TD, 67.5 comp pct.). The heady quarterback threw for a club-record 4,418 yards in 2006, then upped that total to 4,423 last year while setting a NFL season mark with 440 completions. Brees did throw 18 interceptions, however, seven more than he had during his superb debut as a Saint. Colston (98 receptions, 1202 yards, 11 TD) has racked up 168 catches over his first two seasons, the most of any sophomore player in league history, and can present a matchup problem for any secondary with his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame. So can the fiery Shockey (57 receptions, 3 TD), although he sat out the entire preseason recovering from last December's broken leg and has yet to develop a rapport with Brees. New Orleans' third-rated aerial attack (269.6 ypg) also possesses reliable veteran wideout David Patten (54 receptions, 3 TD) and one of the game's best receiving running backs in the multi-talented Reggie Bush (73 receptions, 2 TD). A strong line anchored by left tackle Jammal Brown allowed an impressively-stingy 16 sacks last year.

Tampa Bay can counter the Saints' passing prowess with a top-notch secondary that yielded a league-low 170.5 yards per contest through the air in 2007. The grouping will be again headlined by veteran corner Ronde Barber (58 tackles, 2 INT, 14 PD), a four-time Pro Bowler, while 2007 rookie Tanard Jackson (56 tackles, 2 INT, 13 PD) stepped in immediately to solidify the free safety position. Up front, the Bucs boast a pair of good young rushers in second-year ends Greg White (26 tackles, 8 sacks) and Gaines Adams (38 tackles, 6 sacks), while Jovan Haye (68 tackles) had six sacks from the under tackle position last year. White, a former Arena League Player, forced an eye-opening seven fumbles despite playing strictly on passing downs.

The Saints often struggled to produce an effective ground game a year ago, with a season-ending knee injury to two-time Pro Bowl running back Deuce McAllister (92 rushing yards) in Week 3 contributing greatly to the team's lack of success in that area. McAllister will be ready to go for Sunday's game but will likely be used mainly to spell Bush (581 rushing yards, 4 TD), who averaged a disappointing 3.7 yards per rush last season. Further depth is lent by Pierre Thomas (252 rushing yards, 17 receptions, 2 total TD), a second-year pro who tallied over 100 rushing and receiving yards in the 2007 season finale against Chicago. For the year the Saints averaged a meager 91.6 rushing yards per game (28th overall).

Tampa's undersized Cover-2 defense can be vulnerable to power ground attacks, but the Bucs usually get by just fine with a speed-based linebacking trio headed by future Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks (109 tackles). Youngster Barrett Ruud (114 tackles, 2 sacks) came through with an outstanding season in the middle, while strongside starter Cato June (69 tackles, 1 sack) earned All-Pro recognition with the Colts in 2005 and is an ideal fit in longtime defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin's scheme. Hard-hitting strong safety Jermaine Phillips (83 tackles, 4 INT, 1 sack) provides an additional thumper to a stop unit that ranked 17th in the NFL against the run (107.9 ypg) last year.

FANTASY FOCUS

There were probably plenty of Saints that went off the board early in the majority of drafts, and even a quality defense such as Tampa Bay's shouldn't deter owners from immediately trying to cash in on their heavy investments. Brees and Colston may not put up their usual lofty point totals on Sunday, but they're still every-week plays regardless of the opponent. Shockey's early production may also be curtailed somewhat by the potential of rust, but the boisterous tight end is too talented to bench unless you've got a better option. Bush should be a solid play as a No. 2 running back, especially in point-per-reception leagues. McAllister's injury history makes him a riskier proposition, although the possibility exists he'll get the bulk of the goal- line work. On the Tampa side, Garcia is more of a bye-week fill-in at quarterback, although a case could be made to use him against a problematic pass defense. Two of Galloway's three 100-yard receiving games last year came against the Saints, which makes the speedy old pro an excellent starting selection. Graham turned out to be a fantasy find in 2007, but the jury's still out as to whether he's a one-year wonder. Stay away from either defense.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

With last season's failure still fresh in their minds, expect the Saints to be a focused and fired-up bunch in front of what should be a raucous home crowd on Sunday. That doesn't guarantee an easy victory, however. Tampa Bay will prove to be no pushover and should come in with plenty of motivation as well, since very few observers are expecting the Buccaneers to repeat last year's accomplishments in the topsy-turvy NFC South. If the Bucs can win the turnover battle, an area in which the team excelled in 2007, there's no reason to believe they can't leave the Superdome a game up on their division rival. Still, the Saints' offseason improvements on the defensive side and obvious firepower on offense may prove to be a little too much for the visitors to overcome.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Saints 27, Buccaneers 24