ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Great line by Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden in his Monday morning press conference.

Gruden was asked about the strength of the NFC South.

"Maybe we can get a player in the Pro Bowl this year,'' Gruden said.

There was more than a hint of sarcasm in that statement. The NFC South got shut out when last year's Pro Bowl selections came out. But that won't happen again. There are lots of Pro Bowl candidates in the division this year. Here's a look at some guys who deserve consideration at this point.

ATLANTA: John Abraham, Michael Turner, Roddy White and Matt Ryan. Turner and Abraham will be locks if they continue on their current pace. White is a rising star and Ryan has been better than any rookie quarterback in a generation.

CAROLINA: Jon Beason, Jake Delhomme, Chris Harris and Steve Smith. Delhomme came back from a major elbow injury and has been better than ever. Smith served a two-game suspension at the start of the season and that hurt his numbers a bit. But Smith will make up for that in time. Harris seems to force a fumble just about every week.

NEW ORLEANS: Drew Brees and Reggie Bush. I'm not saying Bush should make the Pro Bowl as a running back because he shouldn't. But his skills as a return man make him worth consideration. Brees simply has been the best quarterback in the league.

TAMPA BAY: Derrick Brooks, Gaines Adams, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Trueblood. Brooks deserves consideration just on lifetime achievement. Adams has emerged as a star. Faine and Trueblood are part of a very good offensive line.