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METAIRIE, La. -- Every week, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton likes to come up with a point of emphasis that he drills into his team. It’s not hard to guess what his message will be this week as the 4-0 Saints travel to face the 3-1 Chicago Bears: Protect the ball.

The Bears lead the NFL again this year with 14 takeaways after leading the league with a whopping 44 of them last year. They even led the league with 14 takeaways in the preseason. It’s something the Bears have always done well, even while switching coaches and personnel.

“In the last however many years you want to go back, they’ve taken the ball away better than anyone,” Saints coach Sean Payton said Tuesday. “It’s kind of one of those things that become somewhat tradition or become somewhat expected of a group. And that’s a credit to the players, it’s a credit to (new coach Marc Trestman) and his staff, those guys on defense. They feed off of that. And it’s been a formula for them. They’ve been exceptional.

“And then you’ve got guys like (cornerback Charles) Tillman who have an unusual, or a very high amount of forced fumbles. There’s a skill set involved in that, and then there’s also just a simple effort involved in that and kind of a ‘want to.’ It’s something that doesn’t happen by accident. To have the numbers that they have, it’s obviously emphasized and worked on.”

Tillman’s 39 forced fumbles are the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2003. He also has 35 career interceptions and nine career defensive touchdowns.

Cornerback Tim Jennings had nine interceptions last year and one this year. Safety Major Wright had four picks last year and two this year. Dynamic defensive end Julius Peppers just had a sack-fumble this past Sunday against the Detroit Lions and has eight forced fumbles in his four years with the Bears.

As a team, Chicago has scored three defensive touchdowns this year and leads the NFL with 55 points off turnovers. Last year, the Bears scored nine defensive touchdowns, tied for the second most in NFL history.

Even Trestman, who has carried on the tradition that was started under former Bears coach Lovie Smith, has marveled at what he’s seen.

“We’ve done it by punching it out, we’ve done it by scooping and scoring, we’ve done it by literally just grabbing it out of guys’ hands,” Trestman said last week of the Bears’ stolen fumbles (now a league-high eight of them). “The (six) interceptions are a little more the norm. You get a good pass rush, you get a hand in a guy’s face, you disguise a coverage, you’re going to get a turnover that way. Teams do that. But it’s the other things that are around that; the strips, the punching out. The way they’ve done it in terms of technique-wise, it’s terribly unique.”

The Saints’ players had a part-time schedule on Tuesday, following their 38-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. So they haven’t started in fully yet on studying the Bears. But receiver Marques Colston said Tuesday that he’s well aware of the Bears’ opportunistic ways.

And he’s fully expecting that to be a point of emphasis by Payton this week.

“You hit it on the head,” Colston said when asked if he expects that from Payton. “It’s gonna be protecting the ball. You know, we say it time and time again, it’s the No. 1 stat in football. So going on the road against an opportunistic defense, we’ve definitely gotta protect the ball on offense. ... You can tell just watching the film it’s a point of emphasis for them.”

The Saints have done a good job of protecting the ball this year. They have just five giveaways, tied for fifth best in the NFL.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Once again, Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano has found himself defending his approach to victory formations by other teams at the end of games.

Some members of the Arizona Cardinals griped after the Bucs continued to play hard as the clock was running down Sunday. This tactic has been a hot topic before. Last season, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin was highly critical of the move.

Schiano said he would stop the tactic if his players asked, but said that request has not been made.

“I do leave it up to the players,’’ Schiano said. “I’m not naïve that that’s a controversial thing. But, if our players feel we have a chance to win, they want to win. Last time I checked, that’s what we’re getting paid to do, go win. We’ll play 60 minutes. It’s an organized play. People know it’s coming.’’

A weekly examination of the Panthers’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 23 | Last Week: 21 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera spent his bye weekend, in his words, "flopping around" the Charlotte area going to restaurants and other venues with his wife.

"It was just nice to be out and be carefree for a while," Rivera said.

His 1-2 team didn't flop around in ESPN's Power Rankings after the bye week, remaining at No. 21. You can't ask for much more.

Rivera did spend a little bit of time checking out the rest of the league. He would have spent more, but unfortunately he doesn't have the NFL Sunday Ticket as a part of his television package.

Not that he needs it. As Rivera said of his Sundays, "I'm usually busy."

So instead of watching upcoming opponent Arizona (2-2) beat Tampa Bay -- "I couldn't find it," Rivera said. -- he watched portions of the Minnesota-Pittsburgh game from London and the New England-Atlanta game on Sunday night.

"I watched what was on TV and it was interesting," said Rivera, whose team moved up six spots in the rankings a week ago after a 38-0 victory over the New York Giants. "My perspective is a little different. I drive my wife nuts because I talk during the whole game. She said, 'Do you ever just enjoy it?' I said, 'Not really.'

"I look at what teams are doing. I challenge myself and think about things that are going on. As my wife says, 'You don't do anything normal when you watch football.' But it was fun. It really was."

You can't ask for much more there, either.

A weekly examination of the Saints’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 14 | Last Week: 3 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

Technically, the Saints (4-0) stayed put at No. 3. But it feels like they moved into that upper tier with the No. 1 Denver Broncos and No. 2 Seattle Seahawks after a dominant 38-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.

That’s because the Saints’ prolific passing offense truly exploded for the first time this season, with quarterback Drew Brees throwing for 413 yards and four touchdowns (96 or more yards for Darren Sproles, Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston). The Dolphins looked lost trying to cover all of those matchup nightmares. That’s what the Saints’ passing offense looked like in 2011 (a 13-3 season), when Brees shattered Dan Marino’s NFL record with 5,476 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes.

The Saints' run game remained grounded Monday, but they still had offensive balance with short passes to Sproles and Pierre Thomas. And the revamped Saints defense continued to play a huge role with four turnovers and four sacks.

With that combo, the Saints are once again bona fide Super Bowl contenders. But so far, we’ve mostly seen them picking on teams on their home turf. We’ll learn even more about them on the road over the next two weeks at the No. 9 Chicago Bears (3-1) and No. 4 New England Patriots (4-0).

A weekly examination of the Falcons’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 4 | Last Week: 14 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

Dropping another two slots in the rankings shouldn't be a surprise, as the No. 16 Falcons fell to 1-3 with a 30-23 home loss to the Patriots.

Issues remain on both sides of the ball. A 1-for-6 red zone performance against the Patriots showed the Falcons have a serious problem despite having one of the league's top quarterbacks. Even Matt Ryan admitted not helping the cause with some poor throws against a stingy Patriots defense.

Defensively, the Falcons continue to give up big plays at the wrong time. They surrendered a 47-yard touchdown run by LeGarrette Blount right after allowing the Patriots to convert a third-and-19 from their own 12-yard line. For the game, the defense allowed the Patriots to convert 54 percent (7-of-13) on third down.

Injuries haven't helped the Falcons' cause, either. Steven Jackson (hamstring) remains out while left tackle Sam Baker (knee) went down against the Patriots. Roddy White continues to recover from a high ankle sprain, while starting linebackers Akeem Dent (ankle) and Paul Worrilow (knee) are banged up too, as is cornerback Asante Samuel (thigh).

At least the Falcons have a chance to get back on track in their next two games: against the Jets (No. 22) and the Bucs (No. 31). A bye week in between those games should allow the Falcons to get healthier.

A weekly examination of the Buccaneers' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 19 | Last Week: 31 | ESPN.com Power Rankings since 2002

The latest Power Rankings are out and the good news is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't drop even after handing Sunday's game to the Arizona Cardinals.

The bad news is the Bucs really couldn’t go any lower. They’re at No. 31 for the second straight week and the only reason they’re not No. 32 is because the Jacksonville Jaguars have been even more dismal.

But the Buccaneers could have a shot at No. 32 next week. The Bucs have a bye this week, while Jacksonville faces the St. Louis Rams, who have been less than stellar.

NEW ORLEANS -- An examination of four hot issues from the New Orleans Saints' 38-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins:

Feeling it: Saints quarterback Drew Brees insisted that the Saints still haven’t played their best game and still have plenty of work to do. At the same time, he was willing to admit that the Saints (4-0) are feeling some similarities to their Super Bowl season of 2009, when they started 13-0. In both cases, the Saints were eager to bounce back after missing the playoffs. And in both cases, they were starting fresh with a fiery new defensive coordinator (this time Rob Ryan).

"I'd say there's some similarities in regards to the type of offseason we’ve had, as competitive as it was," Brees said. "Just that feeling: 'Man, we can’t wait to get on the field and then show ourselves, show people what we're about' and continue to gain confidence and continue to get a little bit better each and every game, too."

ESPN columnist Ashley Fox chronicled how much it has meant to have coach Sean Payton back from his season-long suspension.

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham also referenced that passion Brees described, saying that a lot of players came into this season with chips on their shoulders. "Or bricks, you could say," Graham said.

Tough road ahead: Just as quickly, though, Brees pointed out that it doesn’t get any easier for the Saints over the next two weeks. They have a quick turnaround game at the Chicago Bears (3-1) on Sunday, followed by another road game at the New England Patriots (4-0).

"We've got a tough road ahead," Brees said. "We’re at Chicago here on a short week, and they’re coming off a tough loss [to the Detroit Lions]. They're gonna be ready to play us, no doubt. And we've struggled there, to be honest with you [three straight losses in the 2006 playoffs and ’07 and ’08 regular seasons]."

Defense stays strong: The Saints offense took center stage Monday night, but the revamped defense continued to come up big. Cornerback Jabari Greer's interception and linebacker Curtis Lofton's forced fumble in the first half were two of the biggest plays of the game. Rookie defensive tackle John Jenkins made a big-time run stuff on third-and-1 to force Miami to settle for an early field goal. And in the second half, the Saints' defense decimated the Dolphins while they were trying to play from way behind (four sacks and two more interceptions).

The Saints gave up more yards than usual in the first half in the run game and allowed an underneath throw to turn into a 50-yard gain. But once again, they didn't let deep balls get over their heads.

Run game still weak: Once again, the Saints ran nowhere in the first half, when their running backs had a total of 5 yards on seven carries. Neither Pierre Thomas nor Khiry Robinson was immune when they tried to run up the middle. Thomas lost 2 yards on second-and-10 and lost 3 yards on second-and-1. And Robinson lost 3 yards on first-and-10.

The Saints adapted with draw plays and screen passes, etc. -- always their most effective change-of-pace plays. But they need to find a way to make the traditional power runs work.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers starting cornerback Josh Thomas practically begged doctors to let him play against the New York Giants nine days ago.

He told them he felt fine, that there were no side effects from the concussion he suffered a week earlier against Buffalo.

When Dr. Jerry Petty said no, Thomas was disappointed.

"Very, very surprised," he said Monday.

And thankful.

As down as Thomas was that he couldn't be a part of the 38-0 victory that coach Ron Rivera hopes is a catalyst for more wins, he's glad the league is taking such a hard stance on concussions to protect the long-term health of the players.

He's fortunate there are doctors thinking about him instead of what the coaches might want.

That the league reached a $765 million settlement over concussion-related brain injuries after more than 4,500 former NFL players filed suit has heightened awareness.

Thomas definitely paid attention.

"I mean, everything is for a good cause," Thomas said. "I understand the volume of what having a concussion is like. I don't take it lightly, and the NFL isn't taking it lightly. That's what you like the most, that they're taking the best interest for the players and not just themselves nowadays."

Thomas has been cleared to play this week against the Arizona Cardinals. He got it shortly after the Giants game.

Now he's back working with the first team after relative unknowns such as cornerback Melvin White and safety Robert Lester stepped up while Thomas and others were spectators.

Carolina (1-2) has gone from searching for enough players to fill the secondary to figuring out who might have to sit against the Cardinals (2-2) as safety Quintin Mikell (ankle) and defensive back D.J. Moore (knee) also are expected back.

"It's going to be an interesting week for us," Rivera said.

But it's a nice problem to have. And having players as selfless as Thomas has to make it a nicer problem.

"Because it's not about me," Thomas said. "It's about that 'W' we got in the last game."

The game may not have been about Thomas, but the decision to hold him out was all about Thomas. It wasn't that long ago that he would have been put back on the field without regard to his health.

"This game is built on entertainment and also safety," Thomas said. "You want to play the game the most safe way possible."

NEW ORLEANS -- For the first 21 minutes of Monday night’s game, the Miami Dolphins did something that no other defense had been able to do against the New Orleans Saints all season. They contained tight end Jimmy Graham, holding him without a single catch.

The only problem? The Dolphins allowed Saints running back Darren Sproles to rack up more than 100 receiving yards during that span.

Then when Miami finally started focusing on Sproles, Graham wound up with 100 receiving yards of his own as the Saints’ offense exploded in a 38-17 victory inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Quarterback Drew Brees threw for 413 yards and four touchdowns, while the Saints moved to 4-0 on the season -- a far cry from their 0-4 start in 2012.

“Well, 0-4 to 4-0, this feels a lot better,” Brees deadpanned afterward. “But still we haven’t played our best football, and it feels good to say that. We left some opportunities out there tonight. We scored 38, but it should’ve been more.”

Believe it or not, Brees is probably right. The Saints’ passing offense is starting to show signs of finding the same rhythm it had in 2011, when Brees shattered Dan Marino’s passing mark with 5,476 yards and 46 touchdown passes.

The Saints still need to find a running game; that has been practically nonexistent this year. But clearly they’ve rediscovered the nearly-indefensible combination of Graham and Sproles (not to mention receiver Marques Colston and several other weapons in their versatile attack).

“We tried a variety of different coverages. We tried zone. We tried man. We tried some pressures,” Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said of the unique matchup problems the Saints present.

Sure, the Saints had those same weapons last year. But Graham and Sproles both battled injuries. And their symphony was missing its conductor.

When asked what’s different now, Sproles didn’t hesitate.

“Coach [Sean] Payton’s back,” he said.

And what specifically has Payton brought?

“He’s a genius,” Sproles said.

Sproles then expanded his answer to say that Payton is great at being able to move his pieces around and figure out where a defense is most vulnerable.

“He knows how to call the plays,” Sproles said. “He knows what he’s seeing.”

Payton has been seeing even more opportunities to exploit defenses over his past two seasons as New Orleans coach.

The Saints' offense has been outstanding ever since Payton and Brees first arrived in 2006. But they became a whole different monster in 2011, when Graham and Sproles emerged as their two most dynamic weapons (Graham as a second-year player at the time, and Sproles as a free-agent acquisition from the San Diego Chargers).

Graham and Sproles create two of the most unique matchup challenges in the NFL. And they’re downright deadly under the direction of Payton’s scheming and Brees’ on-field decision-making.

Graham said it’s also made a big difference that Brees was around during the offseason. He was gone last summer while working out his new contract. Graham pointed out this is actually the first time in his career that he and Brees have been together for an entire offseason.

“And I feel like the first four games, it’s showing,” said Graham, who now has 458 receiving yards and six touchdowns through just four games.

“It feels great,” Graham said after catching four passes for 100 yards and two scores on Monday night. “This offense is so dynamic, and in the first half [the Dolphins] were doing some things differently, especially when I was split out, with safeties and corners. And that leaves Sproles one-on-one. And he’s terrifying from the backfield. He’s just a dynamic player.

“And this team is so dynamic. We have so many weapons. And Drew knows exactly where to go with the ball. There’s no hesitation in his game at all.”

Case in point (A): On Brees’ first touchdown pass to Graham in the second quarter, he fired the ball up high for Graham to go up and get it between three defenders for a 27-yard score. And when asked later if he was “surprised” Graham came down with it, Brees said, “No. We have pretty high expectations for ourselves. ... And there’s certain places where I know I can put the ball where it’s Jimmy or nobody.”

Case in point (B): Sproles was actually Brees’ third option on a 13-yard touchdown pass before halftime. But as Brees described it, “We had Jimmy and Marques running up on that side as well. So I think there was a lot of attention put on those guys, and Sproles just kind of snuck out to the sideline.”

Obviously, it’s not just a two-man show in New Orleans. As ESPN analyst KC Joyner said Monday night, Colston is an awfully dangerous “third” option in a passing attack. Colston also had zero catches in the first half before the Dolphins picked a different poison. And he wound up with seven catches for 96 yards in the second half.

Even more impressively, the Saints did this without injured receiver Lance Moore, who had a 1,000-yard season last year. Rookie receiver Kenny Stills caught four passes for 38 yards. Second-year pro Nick Toon caught his first NFL pass for 18 yards on a still-critical third-and-12 play in the first half. And veteran tight end Benjamin Watson caught his first touchdown pass as a Saint in the third quarter.

“You know, we move ‘em around so much and we do so many different things with ‘em that I think it’s hard for defenses to get a key on exactly where they’re gonna be,” Brees said. “We’ve had a lot of time to practice it, so we’ll continue to find ways to do that and keep defenses off balance.”

The Saints offense just getting warmed up? A scary thought.

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NEW ORLEANS -- Observed in the locker room after the New Orleans Saints' 38-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins:

Don’t eat the cheese: One of Sean Payton’s favorite mantras was heard often from players this week: “Don’t eat the cheese.” In other words, don’t fall into the trap of overconfidence. Clearly, it still applies -- at least with Drew Brees, who wasn’t satisfied with his performance. Brees said the Saints' offense still missed too many opportunities and hasn’t played its best game yet.

Jersey swap: A cool moment postgame when Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis and Dolphins receiver Mike Wallace swapped their game jerseys on the field as souvenirs. It was the first time these two lifelong friends from New Orleans played against each other as opponents.

Injury watch: Lewis was in and out of the game with a leg strain but insisted it’s nothing major. Meanwhile, receiver Lance Moore admitted it was tough to miss out on the offensive fireworks with a hand injury. He didn’t specify how long he’ll be out but said it just needs time to heal and hopes it’s sooner rather than later.

Galette unimpressed: The Saints torched Miami’s offensive line with four second-half sacks. Then the onslaught continued postgame, with Saints linebacker Junior Galette's harsh words. “I wish we could play them again so I could tee off on them again,” said the always-animated Galette, who said he was fired up because the Dolphins’ linemen were talking trash even while they were down big. “I didn’t think that team was as good as everybody was saying. ... I think we know who the real 3-0 team was.”

NEW ORLEANS -- A few thoughts on the New Orleans Saints' 38-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins, which moved the Saints to 4-0.

What it means: The Saints were off to a great start even before their potent passing offense really got going. Then they exploded Monday night against the previously-unbeaten Dolphins. The Saints still need to find their run game, but it sure looks like quarterback Drew Brees and dynamic playmakers Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles and Marques Colston are in peak form, which makes the Saints bona fide Super Bowl contenders again. The Dolphins have a solid defense, but they couldn’t figure out how to contain all of those guys.

Brees adds to legacy: Brees completed 30 of 39 passes for 413 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. In the process, he passed Fran Tarkenton for sixth place on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage list (now with 47,353). Brees also tied his own NFL record with nine consecutive 300-yard passing games. And he continued a ridiculous run of “Monday Night Football” dominance. He and the Saints now have a nine-game MNF win streak in which he’s thrown 28 touchdown passes and just five interceptions.

Stock watch: Sproles was a monster Monday, with seven catches for 114 yards, four runs for 28 yards and two touchdowns (though he ended on a low note with a late fourth-quarter fumble). Sproles was contained a bit in 2012 by injuries and constant bracket coverage from opposing defenses. But he offered the Dolphins a painful reminder that they can’t leave him in single coverage. While Miami was focused on containing Graham at tight end, Sproles got all 114 receiving yards and both of his TDs before halftime.

Defensive assist: For the first time this season, the Saints’ revamped defense took a back seat to the offense -- but only barely. Two huge first-half turnovers helped New Orleans break the game open (a forced fumble by linebacker Curtis Lofton and an interception by cornerback Jabari Greer). Both led to touchdowns. A first-quarter third-and-1 run stuff by defensive tackle John Jenkins was also big. And in the second half, the Saints started piling on the sacks.

What’s next: The Saints leave the comfort of home the next two weeks with treacherous road games at the Chicago Bears (3-1) and the New England Patriots (4-0). The Saints struggled in their only other road game this year, at Tampa Bay in Week 2. These next two games will tell a lot about their makeup -- and could help determine if they get to play at home during the playoffs.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Although Matt Ryan put the blame on himself, his teammates had his back.

There was no need to doubt Ryan when he led the Atlanta Falcons to a 13-3 record and playoff win last season. And the 1-3 Falcons see no reason to doubt their quarterback now despite a few errant passes in Sunday's 30-23 loss to the New England Patriots.

"Matt Ryan has a lot of pride in this game and he works really hard to do well," running back Jason Snelling said. "He makes those throws in practice; some of the ones that he felt like he missed.

"As a teammate, you see it and you want to rally around him and tell him we have to make more plays to help him. We have to put him in situations where, if he doesn't make the perfect throw, that we help him by making great catches or we do more things to help him so we're not in those [desperate] situations."

Ryan threw for a career-high 421 yards Sunday, but one would have thought he threw five interceptions based on his self-critique. He took full ownerships for poor throws to Roddy White on a couple of fourth-down plays in the red zone.

On the Falcons' final drive, Ryan completed 1 of 4 passes for three yards in the red zone. He threw a ball too high to Harry Douglas and maybe too far to the left of Tony Gonzalez. Then on the fourth down, his pass to White was tipped away by Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib.

"Roddy has made a ton of plays for us -- and for me, specifically -- since I've been here," Ryan said after the game. " … I've got to try and give him a better opportunity to make a play on that ball."

Ryan, of course, didn't mention the poorly run routes or the eight dropped passed, as graded by Pro Football Focus. He didn't point the finger at right tackle Lamar Holmes, who surrendered a third-down sack in the red zone that forced the Falcons to settle for a field goal. Center Peter Konz also appeared to give up a sack in a game head coach Mike Smith said was by far the best for the offensive line in terms of protection.

"So we need to get rid of those [sacks] because it's our job to keep Matt clean," Konz said, "and also to keep the defense from having those hurries because anytime he feels pressure, we're not going to get the best throw off. So we need to protect a little bit better."

Ryan talked about what he needed to do better in order to correct the team's red zone issues before next Monday night's date with the Jets.

Smith was asked how he would approach Ryan coming off such a difficult and possibly critical loss.

"I think you have to be brutally honest with one another," Smith said. "And I believe this: When you win, the quarterback and the head coach probably get too much credit. When you lose, they get the lion's share of the blame.

"I know that Matt and I are very aware of that. And we have to do what we've always done, and that's put the previous game behind us and move on."

Join our ESPN.com NFL experts for the "Monday Night Football" match up of the undefeateds, the Miami Dolphins at New Orleans Saints.

Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET. See you there.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Greg Schiano isn’t a good dancer, so someone please stop the music.

The coach of the 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent a good chunk of his Monday doing his best not to directly answer questions about the status of former starting quarterback Josh Freeman.

"I’m not going to be naïve," Schiano said. "There are a lot of factors involved. This is not high school football. It’s professional football. There are salaries and there are contracts and there are those things involved. What I do is I focus on the things that are going to help us win games."

What’s going on around One Buccaneer Place is a soap opera, and it has more of a high school than professional feel. Schiano and Freeman are involved in a standoff that needs to end now because it’s not doing the rest of the team any good.

The Bucs have plenty of other problems to work on as they go through a bye week. They need the couple that already has divorced internally to go ahead and officially separate.

No matter which side you came down on in the original benching of Freeman, it’s pretty clear he can’t be around this team anymore. Intentionally or not, he has become a distraction and the situation has become a circus.

The latest example came Monday afternoon when the locker room was open to the media. Mike Glennon and Dan Orlovsky, the team’s other two quarterbacks, appeared to come out of a meeting. Each of them went to their locker, grabbed some things and left.

A few minutes later, a team employee was seen gathering up a few items at Freeman’s locker. The employee walked into a hallway by the equipment room and handed the stuff to Freeman, who never entered the locker room.

If there’s any logic in the building, Freeman should never enter the locker room again. In an exclusive interview with ESPN last week, Freeman said he would like to be traded.

So trade the guy -- if you can. Minnesota and Tennessee look desperate for quarterback help, but are they desperate enough to take a shot on Freeman after watching what has happened the past few weeks? Is anybody going to get more desperate in the days before the Oct. 29 trade deadline?

Maybe and maybe not. If the Bucs want to wait to see if someone pushes the panic button and gives them a draft pick for Freeman, they should do what former coach Jon Gruden did to former receiver Keyshawn Johnson back in the day. They should send Freeman home, pay him to stay away and keep his rights.

Or there’s another option. The Bucs could go ahead and just release Freeman now. It would mean giving up on a former first-round draft pick and that never looks good.

But the Bucs already have given up on Freeman and the whole thing has been ugly. There’s no sense dragging this out any longer.

The Bucs need to stop the music.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- More than a few people noticed when Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart ran at close to full speed down the sideline during Monday's practice.

It was the first time the former first-round pick out of Oregon tested his ankles like that since undergoing offseason surgery.

"And that was exciting,'' coach Ron Rivera said.

Said Stewart, who has struggled in particular with rehabbing the right ankle, "As good as it's felt in a while.''

So could Stewart be ready to come off the physically unable to perform list in two weeks and be ready for the Oct. 20 home game against the St. Louis Rams? Neither Stewart nor Rivera wanted to get too far ahead of themselves, but Monday's workout was encouraging.

"I'm on the coaching side,'' Rivera said. "We get excited about things. [Head trainer] Ryan Vermillion and his people, they've got to be realistic about it.

"But it was really nice to see him go full ... I shouldn't say full speed, but really open up.''

A healthy Stewart would open up a Carolina offense that already ranks third in the NFL in rushing with DeAngelo Williams carrying the bulk of the load (291 yards).

A healthy Stewart could mean a return to the days when Williams and Stewart were nicknamed "Double Trouble.''

Rivera said there have been times already this season where Williams could have used a break on long drives. He also reminded that "everything is eyeing to the postseason,'' so the Panthers (1-2) don't necessarily have to rush Stewart back. A more realistic chance of seeing Stewart might be in Week 8 or 9.

On target to return this week against Arizona is another former Oregon running back, Kenjon Barner, who has been out since suffering an ankle injury in the preseason finale.

Barner definitely will be used to spell Williams and give Carolina a different look with his breakaway speed.

"He's a very diverse football player,'' Rivera said of this year's sixth-round pick. "He has the ability to run the football and catch it, and he's learned how to pass protect. A lot of [how he's used] has to do with play calling and the flow.''

Not good enough: Much of the attention before a 38-0 victory over the New York Giants was on how well Carolina practiced after an 0-2 start.

Monday's first workout after the bye weekend wasn't that good.

"Practice was good, but it wasn't good enough, and I let them know that at the end,'' Rivera said. "They did some really good things, but as we talked about, to win football games we've got to practice the whole way.''

That may be especially true coming into a game against a 2-2 Arizona team that had to rally to beat winless Tampa Bay on Sunday.

"We've just got to make sure everybody is on the same page, everybody is pushing, because we have a chance to build momentum coming off a win,'' Rivera said.

Injury updates: Starting left cornerback Josh Thomas (concussion) has been cleared to play this week after being held out against New York. Defensive tackle Dwan Edwards (thigh) and safety Quintin Mikell (ankle), who also missed the Giants game, were not in pads on Monday and did not practice in full. They will be evaluated again on Wednesday.