ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

NEW ORLEANS -- I’m getting settled into what is a very quiet Superdome at the moment. But it’s not going to stay that way for long.

There are a few Giants out on the field warming up in shorts and t-shirts, but the gates haven’t opened yet. There was a very festive atmosphere outside as I walked in.

I’ll be back throughout the day with updates and observations from this game and I’ll do my best to keep an eye on the Carolina-Tampa Bay game on television. When I leave here tonight, I’ll head straight for the hotel to watch the Falcons and Bears and will provide some observations on that game.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the final stop in our series of team-by-team mailbags.

JRozz in Tampa writes: Josh Johnson is the real deal if you look at the game and how many drops Clayton and Bryant had he would of had an even better one he stayed in the pocket as long as he could to find open guys and scrambled when he needed to. Please don’t give us the same story about Dungy years and give Morris and Dominick time. They blew by reaching in the first round for Freeman when no one in the NFL had him rated that high. Call them out on their mistakes instead of the oh give them time story. This is the NFL people pay money lots of it to go to the game not to hear reasons why their team can’t make smart football decisions.

Pat Yasinskas: Hey, I also like some of the things I’ve seen out of Josh Johnson. But, seriously, what have you truly seen out of him to make you think he’s the starter for this team for the next decade? I think he’s shown he can be a very nice backup quarterback and he may even develop into a quality starter down the road – somewhere else. How can you judge Josh Freeman before he’s ever taken a snap? And I strongly disagree with you that no one else in the NFL had Freeman rated that highly. I know one general manager told me his team had Freeman rated ahead of Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford. The Bucs have been very upfront about Freeman from the moment they drafted him. They said they didn’t want to play him right away and they’ve held true to that, but I think his debut is coming pretty soon. I’ve criticized the Bucs plenty, but I’m not going to hop on the bandwagon that’s saying Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik should be fired right now. Maybe they’ll end up being a total disaster and maybe they will be fired some day. But I think you’ve totally missed the big picture. This is the NFL and the Glazers are paying Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen a ton of money to not run the team this year because they wanted to get younger and actually have a long-term plan. Anybody that realizes that getting younger was the decision this franchise made, realizes the Bucs had to take a step or two back before they move forward.

---

Diego in Sarasota writes: Pat, Do you think the bucs will ever give Stroughter an opportunity to be a starter ? this season perhaps ? Unlike Bryant and Clayton he hasn’t dropped many passes and he’s made a couple of good catches.

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, Sammie Stroughter could be a starter before too long if Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton continue to struggle. It’s already a good story that he’s contributing this quickly as a seventh-round pick. The Bucs are high on him. He’s been one of the few bright spots so far.

---

Ranjeet in Tampa writes: Hey Pat! First of all, love your stuff, keep it going man.But my question is, what do you think is the bigger need for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? A defensive lineman (tackle or end) or a defensive back?

Pat Yasinskas: If you’re talking about next year’s draft, a lot depends on where they pick. If there’s a top five cornerback, they’d almost have to take him over a defensive tackle. But I think the need is big at defensive tackle as well. Although I just sort of defended Josh Freeman, I thought the Bucs should have drafted defensive tackle Peria Jerry this year.

---

Danny in Tampa writes: Pat, first off, great job with the blog! I follow it religiously! Anyway, the Bucs are playing awful and it looks like we may end up with a top 3 draft pick this year. I know we drafted Freeman but, PLEASE tell me that if we have a shot at McCoy, or Bradford that the Bucs brass will have the sense to draft one of them. Moving Freeman won't be that difficult and this team stinks like garbage, so doesn't it make sense to draft the best player available instead of drafting to fill a need? A big DT won't change this franchise. We already passed on Adrian Peterson for Gaines Adams. PLEASE tell me that won't happen again?!?!?!?

Pat Yasinskas: I’m not convinced Josh Freeman is the answer either. But, slow down. The Bucs invested a first-round pick in him. They’ve got to at least see what they’ve got in him and they’re probably going to give him a few years. They’re not going to trade Freeman before next season and they’re not going to draft a quarterback next year. Let’s say they get a top-five pick, and the odds of that seem, pretty good. Why not trade that to a team that wants a quarterback? The Bucs could get a couple picks for that choice. Wouldn’t it be nice to maybe get a defensive tackle and a cornerback? I think those needs are pretty glaring.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The New Orleans Saints are up in our series of team-by-team mailbags.

Paul in Boulder, Colo. writes: Hey Pat, Great recent article about Drew Brees and the upcoming NFC showdown in the Superdome. But, what I really want to hear from you, is your honest opinion: not CAN the Saints this take one, as I'm sure even some G-men fans believe that the Saints are good enough to win, but do you think they WILL win? Additionally, what proves the tipping point? Is it being in the 'Dome? Is it coming off the bye? Or shall we pin it on poor play from the Giants? Or, do you simply expect a great battle between two NFC front-runners, and the game could go either way? (I realize I'm giving you a way out with the last one, but know that I'm only looking for your honest, educated answer!)

Pat Yasinskas: Paul, appreciate your effort to get me to make a prediction, but I don’t make predictions on games. We’ve got enough other people on this site and on our television side that do that and they’re probably better at it than me. However, I will honestly tell you I like the Saints’ chances against the Giants. First, the Saints are a very good and very complete team, which I don’t think everyone realizes just yet. Second, they’re coming off the bye. I know their recent history coming off the bye isn’t impressive, but I think that’s a fluke. The bye should be an advantage. The Saints are healthier now than they’ve been all season and it didn’t hurt that Sean Payton and Gregg Williams had an extra week to game plan for the Giants. Finally, I think playing in the Superdome can be a huge boost for the Saints. When things are going well for the Saints, and they sure are right now, the Superdome can be as loud as any stadium in the league.

---

Ross in Boston writes: Pat, from your blog it is obvious the Saints have had trouble winning after the bye week. Any insight into whether or not they have stepped up intensity this week?

Pat Yasinskas: As I said in the answer to Paul, I think the losing streak off the bye is just a fluke. Can’t see any common pattern to it and it’s not just during Payton’s era. The Saints lost some week-after-the-bye games during Jim Haslett’s days. I think playing the Giants coming off a bye is nothing but a positive thing for the Saints. They’re healthy and they’re rested. Payton gave them a little extra time off last week and I’m sure this week’s practices were intense. Just having an undefeated team like the Giants coming to town should be enough to fire up any team.

---

Curtis in New Orleans writes: The NFC South is quickly turning into a two horse race. The Saints and Falcons aren't infallible so it stands to reason that they will lose a game or two down the line, affording Carolina and Tampa Bay an opportunity to right the ship and get back into the division race. What do you think the Bucs, and Panthers have to do to get back into the division race if the opportunity arises?

Pat Yasinskas: I think we can scratch the Bucs. They’ve got too far to go and they’re too far behind to get back in it this year. Carolina can’t be written off yet. Yes, the Panthers are 1-3, but they’ve got Tampa Bay on Sunday and Buffalo the following week. That could get them to 3-3 and give them some momentum. The Panthers have plenty of talent and could make a run if they can get back to .500, especially if they can win their two games against the Saints and the one remaining with Atlanta. But, realistically, I think this is a two-team race between the Saints and Falcons and a lot is going to depend on what happens in their two head-to-head meetings.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Time for the Carolina Panthers in our series of team-by-team mailbags.

Alex in New Brunswick, N.J. writes: Here's an interesting stat for you: Panthers opponents' average yards per scoring drive this season is 34.3 (counting a return as a 0 yard scoring drive). Ironically, this makes me somewhat optimistic. I think the defense is good enough to give this team a chance if the offense can just stop turning it over so much. What do you think?

Pat Yasinskas: Sure, the Panthers theoretically could turn things around if the defense plays up to its capabilities. But I think the defense has been an even bigger disappointment than the offense this year. I mean, we knew the offense had limitations. With players like Jon Beason, Julius Peppers and Chris Gamble, a lot of people expected the defense to be great. So far, it hasn’t even been close. The defense needs to improve for this team to have any chance.

---

Malcolm in Blacksburg, S.C. writes: I was at the Carolina/Redskins game and looking down on the formation really brought something to my attention. I didn't realize how much the defense leaned to Steve Smith's side. I heard about the double teams and could see them when I watched on television. But seeing it live was appalling. Does Moose have nothing left? Can we get Smitty some help?!?

Pat Yasinskas: Good observation. It’s been that way for several years with teams loading up on Smith. Muhsin Muhammad doesn’t have the speed to really scare a defense and that allows opponents to load up on Smith. Amazingly, he still can put up big numbers. But it sure would be nice if he had someone to take some of the attention away. The Panthers have tried with the likes of Dwayne Jarrett and Keary Colbert, but they haven’t been able to find a receiver who can beat out the aging Muhammad.

---

Jeremy in Wilmington, N.C. writes: Hey Pat, first I would like to say you do a great job on the articles/updates on the NFC South teams. Now to business, I am a Panthers fan (Yes, tough times right now) and would like to know what do you think the organization is going to do in terms of getting a QB of the future? This talk of Quinn possibly leaving Cleveland sounds interesting, but I doubt the Panthers would do anything until post-season, after signing Feeley and all. We all know that Jake is not our future (I thought that was proven last year) so any thoughts?P.S. I still have faith in Jake for this season, he has been throwing much better lately...

Pat Yasinskas: The Panthers aren’t going to trade for Brady Quinn. They’re in the middle of their season and John Fox is fighting for his job. He’s going to ride Jake Delhomme because that’s his best shot at winning. Bringing in a quarterback from outside at this point makes no sense because the quarterback wouldn’t be ready. If Delhomme gets hurt or gets yanked from the lineup, A.J. Feeley would be the replacement. Now, after this season, I’m sure the Panthers will either draft or go out and sign a quarterback – no matter if Fox or someone else is coaching the team.

---

Rob in Charlotte writes: DeAngelo Williams may not be off to the start many of us expected, but in actuality, his numbers through four games this year are slightly better than his numbers through for games in 2008. While his newly developed "Deshaun Fosteritus" is a concern as far as ball security goes, I don't think it's a sign of his falling stock. Against the Eagles, we were never in a position to run the ball due to being behind early, and Jake's miscues, and against the Cowboys he never really got a chance to get going with only 11 carries. I fully expect this week against the Bucs will be a coming out party for our entire offense, especially for Williams and our embarrassed offensive line. Keep up the good work.

Pat Yasinskas: Rob, yes, it’s true that Williams’ numbers for the first four games this year aren’t off from the first four last year. But my comment was meant to reflect what Williams has done so far this year hasn’t even been close to what we came to expect from him as he ran wild late in the season last year. I expected him to pick up where he left off last year and so did the Panthers. He hasn’t done that, but there still is plenty of time for him to get on track.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

We’ll start off our series of team-by-team mailbags with the Atlanta Falcons. I’m going in alphabetical order (by city) this time around.

Sharell in Raleigh writes: HI PY...I believe it was last year and you did an unsung hero section. You need to give kudos to WR Michael Jenkins. That play that he outran the SF defenders on Roddy White's 90 yard TD. He quietly goes about his business and produces on the field. I think defenders would be crazy to just only think about, White, Gonzalez and Turner.

Pat Yasinskas: I know you’re a very loyal Atlanta fan and you’re also a very perceptive one. You make an excellent point. Michael Jenkins is an unsung, and valuable, player. With Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez around him, Jenkins doesn’t always get the chance to put up big numbers. But he does all the little things and is one of the best blocking receivers in the league. He also can make some catches when needed. With him and Roddy White locked up for the long term, the Falcons are in good shape at receiver for years to come.

---

Mitch in Boulder, Colo. writes: Pat, what do you think Arthur Blank's chances of success are in getting a new stadium? And when?

Pat Yasinskas: When the Falcons first started making noise about a new stadium, I thought they weren’t picking a very good time because of the economy. But I thought about it a little more and it makes sense. Blank is trying to be proactive. The Georgia Dome is getting older and he’s not exaggerating when he says the Falcons eventually will need a new stadium to be competitive. These days, a lot of it is about club suites and luxury boxes. Blank’s moving methodically on this and he’s been quoted as saying he’d like a stadium in seven years. Given the way the Falcons have been playing since last season and the fact they’ve got a young and likeable team, I think they will end up with a new stadium.

---

Patrick in Atlanta writes: Saw a lot of Jamaal Anderson at DT, and Biermann at DE vs SF. JA appeared to play well, your thoughts? What do we do with his contract if he does move to DT permanently. We can't pay him 8th overall DE money as a DT. Lower the offer and let him walk if he doesn't like it?

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, I thought Anderson did a pretty nice job at defensive tackle last week and I think you’ll see more of that going forward. Kroy Biermann has shown he can make plays at end and Anderson fills a big need at tackle. We’ll see how Anderson does the rest of the season before speculating on a potential pay cut and the Falcons will have Peria Jerry back at tackle next season. But I think, for the moment, playing Anderson inside is a good move for him and the Falcons.

---

Jarek in Atlanta writes: Pat i love you blog and your chat, thanks for doing a great job. I read the transcript from the October 15 chat and i want to ask you about your comments regarding the Falcons O=line. I am growing a little tired of the overachieving phrase that people keep throwing out about the Falcons. I understand that you don’t feel the falcons have alot of blue chip talent, but what team does have a O-Line full of 1st rounders expect the Jets, and that can be expensive. Last year we overachieved but to have consistent success means that there is talent and the coach is bringing out that talent. It is not the Falcons fault that previous O-Line coaches didn’t bring out the best in Dahl. That is the function of a GM to find potential talent and the job of the Coaches to bring out that talent= a nice recipe for success not overachieving. Thanks for listening/reading.

Pat Yasinskas: Your points are taken. I meant it as a compliment when I said Atlanta’s offensive line has overachieved. Left tackle Sam Baker’s the only high draft pick among the bunch, but they’ve played very well and Harvey Dahl is a prime example of that. Maybe using the phrase overachieving doesn’t really apply anymore and maybe they’re just plain good. Whatever, I give a lot of credit to offensive line coach Paul Boudreau for making this unit work. I got to know Boudreau when he worked in Carolina and I think he’s one of the best offensive line coaches in the league.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

All right, I’m back after writing the story for our news side on the Bucs trading defensive end Gaines Adams to Chicago for a second-round pick in 2010.

Time to analyze the deal: Can’t say I’m surprised, because Adams hasn’t been all that productive. He has just one sack and 10 tackles this season, but I thought Tampa Bay’s new regime would give a little more time to a player who was the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft.

New coach Raheem Morris and defensive coordinator Jim Bates spent a lot of the offseason talking about how they thought this would be the year Adams would start playing up to his potential. Bates spent much of the offseason working on pass-rush moves with Adams because he had relied solely on speed in his first two seasons.

But the Bucs apparently decided that Adams hadn’t progressed from all that work and wasn’t going to develop any more. They’ll likely fall back on Stylez G. White, who has been a starter before, to take Adams’ place in the lineup. Tim Crowder also is likely to be in the rotation.

The Bucs also have rookie Kyle Moore, but he’s been sidelined by a knee injury. Moore returned to practice this week. The original plan was to have him make his debut next week, but this deal could move his timetable up.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have traded Gaines Adams to the Chicago Bears. I’ve got to write the story for our news side. Be back with more details in a few minutes.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Told you I’d be back once the Falcons sent out their injury report. They just did and there’s nothing definitive on fullback Ovie Mughelli, who hasn’t practiced all week due to a calf injury.

The Falcons are listing Mughelli as questionable. Since he hasn’t practiced, I’m thinking there’s a good chance Mughelli won’t play against the Bears. If he doesn’t, the Falcons are likely to split his duties between Verron Haynes and Jason Snelling, who is a tailback, but can play some fullback.

The Falcons have declared safety Antoine Harris out for Sunday. Cornerback Brian Williams didn’t practice Friday and is listed as questionable, but Mike Smith said he didn’t expect this injury to be an issue. Kicker Jason Elam and receiver Marty Booker are both listed as probable.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 6:

	Derick Hingle/Icon SMI
	Jermon Bushrod has filled in admirably for Pro Bowler Jammal Brown, who's out for the season.

The dome will be Super. I don’t do game predictions, but I will admit I like the Saints’ chances against the Giants. That’s not just because I think the Saints have a great offense and a very good defense. It’s largely because I think the home field is going to be a big advantage. It hasn’t always been the case, but, when the Saints are playing well, the Superdome can be an incredible place. The Saints are playing very well and New Orleans is very excited. When the atmosphere and circumstances are like this, the Superdome is easily the toughest venue in the NFC South.

A problem spot? The one subtle thing that’s amazed me about the Saints is how well they’ve been able to move on without injured left tackle Jammal Brown. The guy’s a Pro Bowler and you’re supposed to miss a couple beats when you’re without a Pro Bowl left tackle. The Saints haven’t and that’s a tribute to Jermon Bushrod, Zach Strief, the coaching staff and Drew Brees. But I worry a bit that the Giants have the kind of pass rush that might be able to exploit Bushrod or Strief.

By the way, the Falcons play this week, too. In any other week, the game between the Falcons and Bears would get top billing. But with the undefeated Saints and Giants playing, this game, understandably, has taken a backseat. But let’s not sell this one short. It’s a matchup of two 3-1 teams and there’s history involved. Last year, Matt Ryan pulled off a miracle to beat the Bears and both teams remember that very well. By the time this game starts, the Giants and Saints will be done. No matter how that turns out, the Falcons are going to have plenty of motivation. They’re either going to be playing for a piece of first place in the NFC South or trying to stay within striking distance of the Saints.

“The Burner’’ is fine. I’ve been asked by every fantasy-football player I know (and some I don’t know) about Atlanta running back Michael Turner this week. He was seen limping at the end of last week’s game in San Francisco and that’s got all the people who worry about Turner’s yards and touchdowns in a frenzy. Relax, Turner hasn’t been on Atlanta’s injury report and has been practicing all week. Start him, if you've got him.

Battle of attrition. You can make a pretty strong case that Tampa Bay and Carolina have had the NFC South’s most heated rivalry since the division came into existence. Well, just about everything can change over time and this game has absolutely no sizzle. You want a storyline for this matchup? How about: We’re going to find out which team has more problems.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Time for a final check on the injuries that matter most around the NFC South.

Good news for the Saints on the injury front. Key players Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, Kendrick Clancy, Jahri Evans and Jermon Bushrod are all listed as probable for Sunday.

Tampa Bay’s Earnest Graham will be back in the starting lineup, but not as a running back. He’ll start at fullback because B.J. Askew has been ruled out for Sunday after being injured in a car wreck earlier this week.

Carolina’s Steve Smith (knee) is listed as probable for Sunday. I’m pretty sure you’ll see plenty of Smith against a struggling Tampa Bay secondary.

Still waiting for the Falcons to release their injury report with an update on fullback Ovie Mughelli. As soon as I get word, I’ll let you know.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

We just finished a very lively NFC South chat. Thanks to all those who participated.

For those who were unable to make it, you can catch up by reading the full transcript.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

All week long, the fine folks at ESPN’s Stats & Information have been sending me a steady stream of numbers about Sunday’s battle of the undefeated –- the Saints and Giants. I’ve shared some of that with you as soon as it came in, but I’ve been stockpiling some other nuggets for a moment like this. Here you go:

Giants vs. Saints, NFL ranks this season Giants Saints PPG 4th 1st PPG diff 2nd 1st Total YPG 2nd 3rd Opp YPG 1st 6th

Best starts in Saints history Year Started Finished 1991 7-0 11-5 1993 5-0 8-8 2009 4-0 ?

5-0 starts in Saints history Year Started Result 1991 7-0 11-5 1993 5-0 8-8 2009 4-0 ?

Saints' first game coming off bye in last 6 seasons

2009: vs Giants -- ?

2008: at Falcons -- Lost

2007: vs Panthers -- Lost

2006: vs Ravens -- Lost

2005: at Patriots -- Lost

2004: at Chargers -- Lost

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

All right, we’ve got the biggest weekend of the season (so far) coming up. The battle of the undefeateds (Saints and Giants). The battle of the almost undefeateds (Falcons and Bears). And, of course, we’ve got the Panthers and Buccaneers in what’s sure to be a game for the ages.

I can’t take the waiting anymore. So I’m going to go ahead and jump into the NFC South chat right now. It was scheduled to start at 1 p.m., but I’m heading over to the chat room momentarily. Hope to see you there. Here’s the link.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

I just found out I’ll be talking about the Saints and Sunday’s huge game with the Giants on ESPNEWS of Friday at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET.

As always, television schedules often have to be a bit flexible. But we should be talking somewhere within a few minutes of 2:30. If there are any drastic changes to the schedule, I’ll let you know here.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

I just took a look at the latest SportsNation NFL Head Coaches Approval Ratings and we’ve got a new leader. He’s from the NFC South.

After narrowly trailing San Francisco’s Mike Singletary for several weeks, New Orleans’ Sean Payton has moved into the top spot. He’s got a 94-percent approval rating, a full point ahead of Indianapolis’ Jim Caldwell, Denver’s Josh McDaniels and Atlanta’s Mike Smith.

Once you scroll past, Payton and Smith, it’s a long time before you hit another NFC South coach. John Fox’s rating is 26 percent, which probably means that 74 percent of Carolina fans approve of Bill Cowher.

Tampa Bay’s Raheem Morris comes in at 15 percent. On the bright side, there are four coaches rated below Morris.