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Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

	Kirby Lee/US Presswire
	The Bucs are hoping rookie Josh Freeman can inject some life into the offense.

Analysis: This isn’t meant to be gallows humor. I’m entirely serious when I say I haven’t seen anything out of the Bucs that leads me to believe they’re not very capable of going 0-16. They truly don’t have anything positive going for them right now, and they’re bad in virtually every area. Maybe rookie quarterback Josh Freeman will provide a spark now that he’s been named the starter. But the Bucs gladly would have turned things over to Freeman much earlier if they thought he was ready, and it’s a stretch to say the light is suddenly going to come on just because he’s getting the bye week to get some first-team reps. Freeman has more physical talent than predecessors Byron Leftwich and Josh Johnson, and there is some individual talent on this roster. Problem is, that individual talent hasn’t been playing anywhere close to its ability.

Best chance for a win: A close look at Tampa Bay’s schedule doesn’t change my thinking that this team has a very real shot at going 0-16. The Bucs have to play the Saints and Falcons twice each and they’re making a cross-continent trip to Seattle, which is just about as long as the London trip they already made. If there’s one game where I think the hope for the Bucs is strongest, it’s the Dec. 6 game in Carolina. The Bucs played the Panthers close in Tampa. With last week’s loss to Buffalo, the Panthers appear headed for a free fall. By December, there’s a chance John Fox could be in his final days with the Panthers and might not be getting a lot of effort from his team. If the Panthers can’t win in Carolina, they better hope that Atlanta comes to town on Jan. 3 with a playoff seed already locked up. If the Falcons are resting their starters, the Bucs might have a chance.

Bucs remaining schedule Nov. 8: Green Bay Nov. 15: @Miami Nov. 22: New Orleans Nov. 29: @Atlanta Dec. 6: @Carolina Dec. 13: NY Jets Dec. 20: @Seattle Dec. 27: @New Orleans Jan. 3: Atlanta

Repercussions: Contrary to popular opinion in the Tampa Bay area, the Bucs did not hire coach Raheem Morris to come in for one year and then replace him with one of the available big-name coaches. They hired Morris to tear down an aging team and rebuild it with youth. He’s done a fine job of tearing down the team. But he needs to show some signs he’s building it back up and he needs Freeman to create some hope for the future. Most important, he needs some wins. No coach is going to survive a 0-16 season.

» Unbeatens: Colts | Saints | Broncos » Winless: Rams | Titans | Bucs

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

	Jonathan Brownfield/US Presswire
	The Saints are more than just Drew Brees.

Analysis: After last week’s remarkable comeback in Miami and a huge home win against the highly regarded Giants, it’s looking like almost anything is possible for the Saints. Now that they have a defense, they can play with any team in the NFL and they’re growing more confident by the day. It’s no longer Drew Brees and best wishes on offense. With Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey now healthy and the newly found running game clicking, the Saints are going to score enough points to stay with anybody. They’ve been relatively lucky with injuries. Losing left tackle Jammal Brown at the start of the season seemed like it would be a huge blow. But Jermon Bushrod has stepped in and the offense hasn’t missed a beat. Look at the remainder of the schedule, which includes five games in the electric Superdome, and there are only three games that look like they could present any trouble. One comes Monday night, when the Falcons come to town. There’s another on Dec. 13 in Atlanta.

Toughest challenge: The biggest test of all could come Nov. 30. That’s a Monday night game with New England. It’s at home and that will help because the dome should be louder than it’s ever been. The Patriots haven’t been dominant so far this season, but things could start clicking at any time for a team that has quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick. If the Saints are still undefeated going into this one, the Patriots will be playing for pride. They’re the last team to go undefeated through a regular season (2007) and they’d like to keep that honor.

Saints remaining schedule Nov. 2: Atlanta Nov. 8: Carolina Nov. 15: @St. Louis Nov. 22: @Tampa Bay Nov. 30: New England Dec. 6: @Washington Dec. 13: @Atlanta Dec. 19: Dallas Dec. 27: Tampa Bay Jan. 3: @Carolina

Playoff carryover: The Saints don’t have a long history of winning playoff games. But this team is different from anything New Orleans ever has had. It’s outstanding on offense and very good on defense and special teams. There also seems to be a special chemistry with this team, something that was badly lacking the last two years and Sean Payton has grown tremendously as a coach. If this team can go undefeated through the regular season, home playoff games are a certainty and the modern Saints don’t lose in the Superdome very often. Winning the Super Bowl will be more of a challenge than anything the Saints will face in the NFC, but you have to like the chances of any team that has Brees.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

This is the spot where we usually run through the most significant injuries across the entire NFC South.

Today’s segment is exceptionally short because we’re in a unique situation. The NFL just sent out the league-wide injury report, but it includes just one NFC South team -- Carolina. The Bucs are on bye this week, so there’s no injury report. The Falcons and Saints play Monday night and don’t have to file an injury report until Thursday and the Saints took Wednesday off.

So that leaves us with the Panthers. Linebacker Thomas Davis (hamstring) was back at practice on a limited basis. Safety Charles Godfrey (ankle) sat out. Godfrey could be worth keeping an eye on. Receiver Muhsin Muhammad (knee) and running back Jonathan Stewart (Achilles) also missed practice, but I think it was a day of rest for the veteran Muhammad and Stewart’s been held out of practices pretty regularly all season.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

One thing I always admired about Jim Haslett when he coached the New Orleans Saints was his willingness to truly say what was on his mind.

It sometimes got Haslett in trouble, but you have to appreciate his confidence and his honesty. Those qualities surfaced again as Haslett, now coaching the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, took what seemed to be a few shots at the Buccaneers.

Talking about former Bucs kicker Matt Bryant, Haslett said "I don't understand why he's not still playing with the Bucs.''

Haslett continued with a few more shots.

"I think he's an excellent kicker, but there's a lot of things that go on in the NFL,'' Haslett said. "Why did the Rams trade Will Witherspoon? Why do you hire Raheem Morris? It's endless in the NFL right now. I'd like to have our team play a couple of those teams, to be honest with you.''

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

We all pretty much knew this was coming. Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris said that rookie quarterback Josh Freeman will start the Nov. 8 game against Green Bay.

Freeman

That’s the only move that really makes sense at this point. Give Freeman the bye week to get some first-team reps and throw him on the field. The Bucs are in a bad spot. Byron Leftwich didn’t work out, Josh Johnson showed some promise but couldn’t do much with a bad team around him.

I’m not sure Freeman is the answer, either. But he’s the most talented of the bunch and he’s also the guy Morris and general manager Mark Dominik used their very first draft pick on. They wanted to bring him along slowly and they have for almost half a season.

Now, it’s time to play him because the Bucs have to find out what they’ve got in Freeman. It’s also time to play him because Morris’ job security is going to depend largely on Freeman. If the quarterback progresses over the final nine games and the Bucs win a few, Morris will be safe.

If Tampa Bay goes 0-16 or 1-15 and Freeman doesn’t provide any hope for the future, Morris might not have a future in Tampa.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Well, the drama is over in Carolina -- at least for the moment. Coach John Fox just announced he is sticking with Jake Delhomme as his starting quarterback.

Delhomme

Fox said he still believes Delhomme gives the Panthers the best chance to win. As badly as Delhomme has played, that still might be true. Although he’s a fan favorite right now, backup Matt Moore has very little experience and isn’t all that talented. He came out of college without being drafted. Reserve A.J. Feeley joined the Panthers right after the season started and hasn’t had much time in the offense.

But the mere fact Fox was at least considering a change makes me think Sunday’s game in Arizona might be different. I’m thinking Fox is going to keep a very short leash on Delhomme. If he comes out and throws a couple of quick interceptions, Fox might go ahead and bench him in favor of Moore or Feeley.

	Getty Images
	Kurt Warner’s Cardinals and Jake Delhomme’s Panthers have gone in different directions since their playoff meeting last season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando and Pat Yasinskas

The Arizona Cardinals did more than knock the Carolina Panthers from the 2008 postseason.

Their 33-13 victory in Charlotte delivered a knockout blow from which the Panthers' organization has yet to recover. What should be a Week 8 grudge match between playoff contenders is looking more like a mismatch.

Arizona is 4-2 and riding high following a nationally televised victory over the Giants, the Cardinals' fourth consecutive road victory dating to their divisional-round upset of Carolina. The Panthers are 2-4 and contemplating whether to bench veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme, who has more interceptions through six games (13) than he had in 16 starts last season (12).

What happened?

NFC West blogger Mike Sando and NFC South counterpart Pat Yasinskas pick up the discussion.

Pat Yasinskas: That playoff game changed the momentum for both franchises. Going into that game, the thinking was how the Panthers would thump the Cardinals. Arizona had beaten Atlanta in the wild-card round to get its playoff victory, but the Cardinals were ultimately a 9-7 team from a weak division. They would be no match on the road against a 12-4 team. The upset vaulted the Cardinals toward the Super Bowl while absolutely crumbling the Panthers. Carolina hasn't recovered from it, starting with the quarterback and extending to the defense. The game led to changes on the coaching staff. The Panthers still could have a mental block heading into the rematch at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Mike Sando: These teams share quite a few similarities. Both re-signed older quarterbacks during the offseason. Both made significant changes to their coaching staffs. Both faced salary-cap limitations in free agency after naming franchise players. The results have been vastly different.

Fateful QB decisions

	Chris Keane/Icon SMI
	Jake Delhomme and the Panthers haven’t been the same since last season’s playoff loss to Arizona.

Pat Yasinskas: After the playoff game, I personally had some doubts about Delhomme, as did a lot of fans. He threw those five picks and I thought there was a chance they would at least bring in someone to compete with him -- not to replace him, but to compete with him. They did not do that. He had one year left on his deal and they signed him to a contract extension. I understand the loyalty coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney felt toward Delhomme because he has obviously done a lot for that franchise and he is a leader in the locker room. But in hindsight, that game against the Cardinals and even a few late-season games last year showed that he was declining and they should have sought out alternatives.

Mike Sando: The Cardinals had little choice but to re-sign Warner. In the back of their minds, though, they would have been entitled to wonder when Warner might hit the wall. Quite a few other quarterbacks have faded at around age 38. Would Warner be next? He made the trip to San Francisco in free agency, but there was still a sense the Cardinals were bidding against themselves. Committing $22 million to him over two seasons was a necessary risk. In the end, Arizona could not walk away from the quarterback who put them ahead in the final stages of Super Bowl XLIII. The Cardinals made the right move.

Coaching turnover

Pat Yasinskas: I think the playoff debacle against Arizona contributed to a rift on the Panthers' coaching staff over the direction of the team. Defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac decided he no longer wanted to be a coordinator. His departure started a near-total disbandment of the defensive staff. Line coach Sal Sunseri left for the University of Alabama. Linebackers coach Ken Flajole bolted to become defensive coordinator for the Rams. Secondary coach Tim Lewis left for the Seahawks. On the offensive side, Delhomme's longtime position coach, Mike McCoy, became offensive coordinator in Denver. Fox had passed over him for the same position on his staff a couple of years earlier. Some on the staff felt McCoy should have gotten that job.

	Jason Bridge/US Presswire
	Kurt Warner has thrown for 1,672 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

Mike Sando: The Cardinals had a good thing going on the offensive staff when coordinator Todd Haley left to coach the Chiefs. I think Arizona is still sorting through the aftermath of that one. Haley and Warner were tight. Haley knew how to push players' buttons. He called the plays and the offense was in a rhythm. The offense is still finding its identity a little bit. On defense, Whisenhunt failed to land Keith Butler from the Steelers after firing coordinator Clancy Pendergast. He promoted linebackers coach Bill Davis instead. Either way, the defense was going to become more straightforward, with an emphasis on reducing big plays allowed. It's still too early to pass judgment on Davis, but the defense has played very well recently. Overall, Whisenhunt is certainly on the rise, whereas there's a perception Fox has possibly run his course in Carolina.

Pat Yasinskas: Absolutely, Mike. There’s a sense of that. Julius Peppers asked out after last season, shocking given that Fox is supposedly a defensive wizard. There was precedent for this. Kris Jenkins asked out for two years before Peppers did. People shrugged and said Jenkins was a flake. But when Peppers, who was born and raised in North Carolina, asked for the same, it raised some eyebrows. Fox used to build his team around the defensive line and suddenly you had the two cornerstones of that line asking to get out of there. That tells you something pretty major right there.

Salary-cap limitations

Pat Yasinskas: Franchising Peppers cost about $18 million total in cap space. The Panthers re-signed tackle Jordan Gross to a long-term deal. With those moves, they tied up their cap to a point where they could not do anything else. They did not sign any free agents. They had to let veteran cornerback Ken Lucas go. They could not even re-sign veteran snapper Jason Kyle, even though the savings for letting him go was only $600,000. That severely affected their depth across the board, which was demonstrated when defensive tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu went down with an injury on the first day of training camp and there were no decent replacements behind him. The Panthers have struggled on the interior of their defensive line ever since. They bragged coming into the season that they had 21 of 22 starters back, but the salary-cap issues meant they had absolutely no depth behind those starters.

Mike Sando: The Cardinals charged $9.678 million against their cap by naming Karlos Dansby their franchise player. They paid more than $10 million per year to Warner. Larry Fitzgerald was already making that kind of money. Re-signing Adrian Wilson ate up another huge chunk of cap room, although some of that seemed by design. Arizona did manage to sign cornerback Bryant McFadden from the Steelers in free agency. When defensive end Antonio Smith left in free agency for $8 million a year, the Cardinals plugged in second-year player Calais Campbell, who has played well. Again, the Cardinals' moves have simply worked out better.

Divergent outlooks

Pat Yasinskas: I think we're seeing the end of the Fox era in Carolina. The Panthers still have talent, but Delhomme appears finished. It’s time to blow up the roster and rebuild.

Mike Sando: The Cardinals are a good team with the potential to get better. The Cardinals were 4-2 at this point last season heading into their 30-24 regular-season defeat at Carolina. They should beat the Panthers this time. The rest of the schedule sets up favorably. Some of the games that once appeared toughest this season -- at Seattle, at the Giants, at Tennessee -- are either in the bank already or looking like they will be.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Colleague Len Pasquarelli has a column that explores what happens to running backs when they get overused. It’s well worth a read because one prominent NFC South running back is a part of this story.

That’s Atlanta’s Michael Turner. He says he feels fine physically, after carrying 376 times last year – his first season as a starter. But it’s clear that Turner’s not producing anything close to what he did last year.

I think there’s definitely something to the theory that you can wear a running back out when you give him too many carries.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

In the next half hour or so, coach John Fox will talk to the Carolina media and we’ll find out if he’s ready to announce if Jake Delhomme is still the starting quarterback.

Don’t be surprised if Fox drags this announcement out a bit and maybe even takes it down to game time Sunday in Arizona. Fox has said he’s considering alternatives (Matt Moore and A.J. Feeley) to Delhomme, but in a Sirius NFL Radio interview Tuesday, Fox sounded like he’s leaning toward sticking with Delhomme.

“We can’t put our head in the sand,’’ Fox said. “We’ll work this week. We’ll see what Matt and A.J. have got a little bit but, deep down inside, our options aren’t real proven. Like I said, I think we’ll see how the practice goes this week and how guys around him, and I know I say this and fans might get tired of hearing it but everybody else has got to pick up their game, too. It’s just not one guy in the passing game. I mean, you’ve got to protect. You’ve got to run good routes. You’ve got to win if it’s one-on-one. And you’ve got to make plays on the other end. You look at the good quarterbacks playing in the league, they do have help. It’s not a one-man show.”

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Our friends over at SportsNation explore the idea of New Orleans safety Darren Sharper as a most valuable player candidate.

Take a look at what they have to say. My feelings are that Sharper’s at least a candidate at this moment. But I think it would be hard for him to win MVP over teammate Drew Brees, who’s putting up huge numbers and plays the glamour position of quarterback.

But, at the very least, I think Sharper’s the leading candidate, at the moment, for defensive player of the year.

Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section below or hit my mailbag.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The Buccaneers return to practice later today and coach Raheem Morris will meet with the media for the first time since the team returned from London.

Freeman

It should be real interesting to see what Morris has to say about his quarterback situation. It seems like this would be the logical time to go ahead and put rookie Josh Freeman into the starting role.

The Bucs have a bye this week and that would allow plenty of practice time for Freeman to get ready to start the Nov. 8 game against Green Bay. I see that as the most likely scenario because it’s time for the Bucs to start finding out what they have in their first-round pick.

I’m sure Morris already has made a decision. We’ll find out this afternoon if he’s ready to share that or if he’s going to try to keep it a mystery for a while.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The Falcons just made it official and announced the signing of running back Aaron Stecker, which we reported earlier Tuesday. The team also announced a few other moves.

To create a roster spot for Stecker, the Falcons placed rookie safety William Moore on the injured reserve list. Initially thought to be a candidate to start right away, Moore began having injury problems in training camp and hasn’t been a factor.

The Falcons also added cornerback Glenn Sharpe and safety Eric Brock to the practice squad.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

New Orleans coach Sean Payton is playing it straight by the rules when it comes to injuries this week.

Since the Saints don’t play until Monday night, they don’t have to issue an injury report until Thursday. And Payton’s not giving away any information before he has to.

Meeting with the New Orleans media Tuesday, Payton wouldn’t reveal any details about the knee injuries suffered by defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis or fullback Heath Evans in Sunday’s victory against Miami.

“What I’m going to do is Thursday really fill you guys in on where we’re at with not only Sedrick and Heath, but also Scott Fujita, kind of give you an outline as to how we see the week unfolding and right now we’ll just leave it at that,’’ Payton said.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The Buccaneers continue to be the most active team in the NFC South when it comes to roster moves. They made several more Tuesday.

They promoted offensive tackle James Lee from the practice squad, while releasing guard Marcus Johnson and center Sean Mahan. Those moves came only hours after Johnson was charged with driving under the influence.

The Bucs also signed linebacker Lee Robinson to the practice squad and released linebacker Eric Bakhtiari from the practice squad.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The ESPN.com Power Rankings are out and we’ve got good news and bad news on the New Orleans Saints.

The good news is our four-man panel voted and the result was the Saints tied the Indianapolis Colts for No. 1. The bad news, our panel breaks ties and the fact that the Colts were No. 1 last week means they stay as No. 1 and the Saints officially are No. 2.

But, hey, the tie is at least progress. As for the rest of the NFC South, it’s not pretty. The Falcons tumbled from No. 7 to No. 11 after their loss to Dallas.

The Panthers fell two spots to No. 24 after their loss to Buffalo. Give the Bucs points for consistency. They’re not winning, but they’re holding tight at No. 31. That’s only because the St. Louis Rams have such a tight grip on No. 32.