ESPN NFC South Blog

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

METAIRIE, La. -- I just arrived in the greater New Orleans area. Thanks for the updates, but I’m well aware of the fact Penn State lost today. Next, only one bit of news out of the NFC South while I was in the air.

As expected the Saints elevated defensive tackle DeMario Pressley from the practice squad. Of more significance, they placed veteran defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy on the injured reserve list. That’s a mild surprise because I didn’t think Clancy’s knee injury was that serious. But it must be pretty bad for the Saints, who are poised to go a long way in the postseason, to put Clancy down for the rest of the year.

Pressley probably will jump straight into the regular rotation because the only two healthy defensive tackles on the roster right now are Anthony Hargrove and Remi Ayodele. Starter Sedrick Ellis is out right now, but should be back in a few weeks.

I also think you might see a fair amount of 3-4 defensive alignments out of the Saints on Sunday.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

TAMPA, Fla. -- For a moment, I thought the jet lag had caught up to me and I had somehow ended up in the Milwaukee airport. Turns out I really am in Tampa International Airport (waiting to start a trip to New Orleans with a connection through another NFC South city) and it was the green that was getting to me.

Yes, the Cheeseheads are invading Tampa Bay. Just about everywhere I look I see someone wearing a Packers jersey, hat or jacket (they won’t need the jackets once they step outside). This all confirms my theory that you’re going to see a ton of green when the Packers play the Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

Kind of ironic that the Bucs will be wearing their throwback uniforms because this game is going to be a throwback to another time. Back before Tony Dungy came to town and the Bucs made pewter a common color, it was the norm for fans of the visiting team to outnumber Tampa Bay fans.

In the decade or so when the Bucs were consistently good, that stopped. The team even went out of its way to make it difficult for out-of-town travel agencies to buy large blocks of tickets.

But times have changed. The Bucs are losing and it’s a very tough time to sell tickets -- except to Green Bay fans who want to have a nice autumn weekend in Florida.

One other observation from the airport: Next time I see Thomas Dimitroff, I’m going to give the Atlanta general manager a suggestion on where to find cornerbacks for next year. I know Dimitroff already is studying the cornerbacks in the next draft class.

But I think college is the wrong place to look. I’m watching some of those people who peddle credit cards for a certain airline and they’d be perfect cornerbacks. They’re relentless. You can’t go five yards without getting bumped by one of them and I’m seeing great catch-up speed as they chase down the people who try to go around them.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Another weekend, another trip across the Gulf of Mexico.

Yes, I’m getting ready to leave for New Orleans again to cover Sunday’s NFC Stout (that’s right, I said “Stout’’ because we can give our division a nickname if NFC East blogger Matt Mosley does) game between the Panthers and Saints. Memo to self: In the future, don’t book your flight for the same time Penn State is playing Ohio State. I’ll have to find out the result when I get into New Orleans.

Other than that, it should be a fairly slow day across the division. If anything of note pops up while I’m traveling, I’ll weigh in on it when I get to New Orleans. I'll be reporting on the Saints and Panthers from the Superdome throughout the day Sunday, but also will be keeping an eye on the Falcons and Buccaneers.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

A quick trip through Friday’s final reports on the status of the injuries that matter most in the NFC South.

The Saints have said defensive tackles Sedrick Ellis and Kendrick Clancy will not play Sunday. With only two healthy defensive tackles on the roster right now, look for the Saints to make a roster move. If I had to guess, I’d say they’ll bring DeMario Pressley up from the practice squad. Receiver Lance Moore also will be out. That just means more passes for the rest of the New Orleans army of receivers.

Tampa Bay receivers Michael Clayton and Antonio Bryant both are listed as questionable. Fill in your own punch line. I say go ahead and start rookie Sammie Stroughter – now and for the rest of the season. At least we know he’ll be around next year.

Carolina kicker John Kasay is listed as questionable. The Panthers can turn to kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd for field goals and extra points. But you might be shocked by the drop off in accuracy between these two.

The Falcons are listing 10 players as questionable. But the good news is coach Mike Smith indicated receiver Roddy White and tackle Sam Baker should be able to play.

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Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Five nuggets of information about Week 9.

	Tim Steadman/Icon SMI
	Giving Steve Smith any extra motivation isn't a good idea for defensive coordinators.

Don't fire up the little man. I know New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was only joking when he said the only way to stop Carolina receiver Steve Smith was to make sure he didn’t get up. But you don’t joke around about Smith, who will take any perceived slight or just make up his own perceived slight and use it as fuel for the rage that makes him what he is.

Trap game? New Orleans fans are talking about the Saints going undefeated. I think that’s at least a possibility, especially when I look at their schedule. I see Atlanta, New England and Dallas as the only teams that, theoretically, could give them trouble. However, that’s just theoretically. The reality is the Saints are coming off a game against the Falcons on Monday night that was physically and emotionally draining. If there’s ever a time for a letdown, this could be it. But the Panthers are going to have to play like they did last week in Arizona and not like they did at the start of the season to have any chance.

Rebound time. The Falcons have lost back-to-back games for the first time since coach Mike Smith has been in Atlanta. We don’t predict games here, but I will say the streak won’t reach three. Two reasons for that: The Falcons found out they’re pretty good, despite losing to the Saints on Monday night. More importantly, they’re hosting the Redskins.

All rookies, all the time. We all know rookie Josh Freeman is starting at quarterback for Tampa Bay against Green Bay. That’s obviously a big story and it’s going to have huge implications on the future of this franchise. But I’m just as curious to see if Tampa Bay goes full force with the rest of its youth movement. I mean, why not start wide receiver Sammie Stroughter and defensive tackle Roy Miller? Yes, they both are rookies. But I’ll make a case that Stroughter can contribute at least as much as Michael Clayton and Antonio Bryant. I’ll go further and make a case that Miller is better than Chris Hovan and Ryan Sims, who have been the starters this year. Those guys shouldn’t have even been on the team this year. If you disagree, go back and look at the film of last December’s game in Carolina.

Time for Brooks to make it official. Tampa Bay is going to induct Lee Roy Selmon as the first member of the team’s Ring of Honor on Sunday. No argument here. Selmon is the only Hall of Famer in franchise history. But all this makes me wonder about Derrick Brooks. He still hasn’t officially retired, even though he’s signing up for every broadcasting gig that comes along. Little advice to Brooks: Let Selmon get his due. Then, in a week or two, call a press conference and make your retirement official. You’re the best player in franchise history and in NFC South history. The sooner you truly retire, the sooner you’ll get into the Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Heck, why not just grab the microphone when Selmon's done and get it over with?

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Thanks to all those who participated in Friday's NFC South chat. For those who missed it, here's the transcript.

	J. Meric/Getty Images
	Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Josh Freeman gets his first start Sunday, against the Packers.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

TAMPA, Fla. -- In April, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Josh Freeman and said he eventually would be the franchise quarterback. These days, the Bucs need Freeman to be nothing short of their savior.

That’s what it has come to. Seriously. Let’s not waste time dancing around what’s going on in Tampa Bay. Freeman’s going to get his first NFL start Sunday and a lot of jobs depend on what he does in the next nine games.

From coach Raheem Morris to general manager Mark Dominik to just about every other player on the roster, their futures all depend on what Freeman does in the next nine games. He doesn’t have to instantly be Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, but the kid from Kansas State must show something.

Anything -- and I mean anything -- slightly positive could save a lot of people. Let’s face it, the Bucs didn’t hire Morris and Dominik with the intention of bringing them in for one season and then turning around and replacing them with someone like Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan.

They hired them to do what Jon Gruden could not -- build a team for the long term. When the Glazer family hired Morris and Dominik, they told them to make the roster younger, and there’s no doubt a certain amount of implied patience came with that.

But what Morris and Dominik have done so far doesn’t quite look like they’re building from the ground up. They look like they’ve knocked everything down and kept digging until they have enough room to build about 10 subway lines.

They’re 0-7 and, to this point, the Bucs haven’t shown a single positive, except for maybe rookie receiver Sammie Stroughter. Jobs aren’t saved and franchises aren’t made by seventh-round receivers making a few nice catches.

It’s all going to come down to Freeman and if he can win a couple of games and show some improvement. That’s really going to be the only way the people who were hired to start the rebuilding job will have a chance to finish it.

Coaches who go 0-16 or 1-15 just don’t survive. And, really, is there any reason to keep Morris if things keep going the way they are? No, but we’re not quite to that point yet. There’s still time to create some hope, still time for Morris to find something to hang his hat on.

But that has to be Freeman because there’s nothing else. The Bucs are at their lowest point since the Sam Wyche days and, coincidentally, Freeman will make his starting debut in orange because the Bucs are digging out those old Creamsicle uniforms against the Packers.

They also will be playing in a stadium at least half full of Green Bay colors because the Bucs aren’t the most popular ticket in town and Packers fans travel and a lot of them are transplanted in Florida.

Not a great situation to start a kid who came out of college early and was not viewed as being ready to start in the NFL from Day One by everyone, including the Bucs.

“I take it as a challenge,’’ Freeman said. “I can’t really control what the defense does, but I can control what the offense does. I’m the quarterback. It gets to the matter of just getting something going.’’

I was of the school of thought that the Bucs should have just gone ahead and thrown Freeman in as the starter from the very start. If you’re going to rebuild, why not start doing it with the guy you’re supposedly building around in the lineup?

The Bucs didn’t see it that way. Basically, they didn’t want to throw him out there too soon, shatter his confidence, and turn him into the second coming of David Carr. That thinking has some merit because Tampa Bay’s offensive line has been terrible, the running game non-existent and the receivers (aside from Stroughter and tight end Kellen Winslow) can’t catch anything.

That offense made NFL veteran Byron Leftwich, who was supposed to be a bridge to Freeman, look so bad that he had to be benched. The Bucs were so determined to get through their game in London against the Patriots without starting Freeman that they turned things over to Josh Johnson, who had no business starting in the NFL.

But the Patriots and London are in the past. It’s time for Freeman. Ready or not, the entire franchise is on his shoulders.

“That’s not heavy on my mind because I’m just looking at it from a personal standpoint of what I want to do and my career goals I set up even before the draft happened,’’ Freeman said. “My goal is to wherever I got drafted, I want to be there my whole career and win a lot of football games. I think the pressure I put on myself outweighs that in my mind. They both kind of run together.”

Maybe it’s best that Freeman views it like that and maybe that approach will help him make the kind of incremental progress that will give the Bucs hope and save some jobs. If he truly realized what’s at stake for everyone and went out and tried to turn it all around at once, it might be too much for one person.

Freeman can be the franchise quarterback down the line. For now, he just needs to show something that says the Bucs might be on the right path and that will be enough. For Morris and Dominik and this rebuilding project, a little bit of progress from Freeman will make him the savior.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Just a quick reminder that the weekly NFC South chat will be held Friday at 1 p.m. ET. If you can make it, bring your questions and join us. Here's the link to get there.

Pat Yasinskas breaks down the latest in the NFC South and discusses how the Saints could lose to the Panthers on Sunday.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Former Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he does not trust Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff. Hall went so far as to say that Dimitroff lied to him before shipping him to Oakland.

Obviously, I wasn’t there for whatever conversations took place between Hall and Dimitroff. But I know Dimitroff and have found him to be one of the more honorable people in the NFL. I also saw Hall try to trash-talk with Carolina receiver Steve Smith, which probably qualifies as the dumbest move a cornerback can make.

Besides, the bottom line here is that Dimitroff made the right call in unloading Hall as quickly as possible. It’s not like Hall has done anything to prove the general manager wrong since he left for Oakland and went on to Washington.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

With defensive tackles Sedrick Ellis and Kendrick Clancy both banged up and missing practice Thursday, it’s looking like the Saints will have to make significant adjustments for Sunday’s game with Carolina.

The only healthy defensive tackles on the roster at the moment are Anthony Hargrove and Remi Ayodele. Defensive ends Charles Grant and Bobby McCray also have the ability to slide inside at times. The Saints have set up in a 3-4 scheme at times this year, but defensive coordinator Gregg Williams isn’t prepared to say the Saints will go to that drastic a measure and use the 3-4 on a regular basis.

“We have to have a plan set up; we have to have a method of playing defense set up regardless of who’s healthy or who’s not,’’ Williams said. “That won’t change it at all. We’ll do that based upon what we think is the best plan for a team.’’

One other possibility would be to activate defensive tackle DeMario Pressley from the practice squad and that’s sounding like a real possibility. Williams said Pressley almost made the roster out of the preseason and has continued to improve in practice.

“I saw a lot of growth from him,’’ Williams said. We haven’t made that decision yet because we have so many other people and other packages that we’re looking at. But a really good game to take a look at him -- and I really needed to see this out of him -- was that last preseason game when he played against the Dolphins, he played lights out.

“To tell you the truth, I was holding my breath that he would make it through and we could get him back on the practice squad. I thought we had really messed up because we put him out there and he played really well enough to where if somebody really would’ve been looking, he’s a lot better than what a lot of guys are playing with in this league.’’

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

A quick trip through the most important injuries in the NFC South.

Atlanta’s injury report was just about as lengthy Thursday as it was on Wednesday when the Falcons had to estimate an injury report because they didn’t practice. Eleven players are on Thursday’s report and running back Jerious Norwood, tackle Sam Baker, defensive tackle Thomas Johnson and receiver Roddy White did not participate in practice. Defensive end John Abraham, defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux and linebacker Curtis Lofton were among those who were limited. Stay tuned on Atlanta’s injuries as we get closer to Sunday. Although the Falcons seem to be catching a break with a home game against struggling Washington on Sunday, this team is beat up right now.

Coming off their bye, the Bucs are about as healthy as can be. Receiver Antonio Bryant and cornerback Elbert Mack were the only players who didn’t fully participate in practice. Bryant and Mack took part on a limited basis.

The Saints continued to hold defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and linebacker Scott Fujita out of practice after both missed the Monday night game against Atlanta. However, coach Sean Payton said an ESPN television report that said Ellis will miss four to six weeks was “inaccurate’’ and said he’s optimistic the defensive tackle will return sooner than that. The good news on New Orleans’ injury front was that center Jonathan Goodwin, who suffered an ankle injury late in Monday’s game, fully participated in practice.

Carolina receiver Muhsin Muhammad said he’s not ready to go and appears to be poised to miss another game. Also, the Panthers have problems at fullback where Brad Hoover and Anthony Fiammetta missed practice with injuries. It looks like Carolina will have to use tight ends Jeff King and Gary Barnidge was part-time fullbacks on Sunday against the Saints.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The Falcons had to make a quick change at long-snapper this morning after it was determined that a rib injury would keep Mike Schneck out for the rest of the season. The Falcons placed Schneck on injured reserve and signed Bryan Pittman.

The long-snapper for the Houston Texans from 2003 through ’08, Pittman signed with the Seahawks in May, but was released before training camp and has been out of football. Pittman once put together a string of 598 consecutive successful snaps. He also has 14 career tackles on special teams.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

As we have said repeatedly, this year’s Saints are very different than in previous years.

However, with the Panthers coming to town Sunday, it’s worth a quick look back at this series. Carolina has defeated the Saints seven straight times when playing in Louisiana, including a 2005 game in Baton Rouge, and most of the games have been close and painful for the Saints. In fact, the Panthers haven't lost an away game to the Saints during coach John Fox's tenure.

Here’s a quick look back at those games:

• 2008: Panthers, 33-31 (FG with :01 remaining)
• 2007: Panthers, 16-13 (FG with :00 remaining)
• 2006: Panthers, 31-21
• 2005: Panthers, 27-10 (at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.)
• 2004: Panthers, 32-21
• 2003: Panthers, 23-20 (FG with 10:25 left in OT)
• 2002: Panthers, 10-6 (eliminated Saints from playoffs)