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Time for a look at the top Wednesday morning headlines from around the NFC South.

• I don’t know if it will change anything, but New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith and former Saints Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove will have appeals of their suspensions for their roles in the bounty program heard by an arbitrator Wednesday. Even if nothing comes of this, this isn’t the end of the line. The NFL Players Association has filed a separate grievance with the league’s system arbitrator. They also have filed an appeal with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who issued the punishments in the first place.

• Although the Saints have a veteran coaching staff and roster, Jeff Duncan writes they already miss suspended coach Sean Payton. I think the Saints potentially can weather this one, but it’s going to be a process and some assistant coaches and some of the leadership among the players will have to step forward to help compensate for some of the intangibles that left the building with Payton.

• Here’s a column that takes issue with the prospect of taxpayer money being used to potentially finance a new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. I totally understand the argument that the people of Georgia have other needs and that Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank already makes plenty of money. But, in today’s NFL, you need state-of-the-art stadiums to stay competitive. It may not be ideal, but the norm is for taxpayers to pick up at least some of the tab for a new stadium.

• Speaking of sports and the economy, let’s go a little outside the box. I don’t do much reading in the world of finance, but a former co-worker passed along this column by a financial planner, who writes that recent events have caused him to lose his life-long passion for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NFL in general. The author concludes that professional sports are a waste of time, money and energy. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but he brings up some points worth pondering.

• Former Carolina Panthers running back Stephen Davis was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. Davis earned the honor exclusively for his spectacular high school career, when he was nicknamed “Little Herschel’’ after Herschel Walker. But I’ll always remember Davis for his role in the Panthers’ 2003 season. That year, Davis arrived in Carolina and instantly became the focus of the offense. Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad each made some big plays along the way, but Davis was the glue to the Carolina offense as the Panthers went to their only Super Bowl.

• Brian Allee-Walsh has a theory that agent Tom Condon isn’t simply looking for a new deal for New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. He speculates that Condon is trying to raise the bar for all quarterback contracts. There’s some logic in there because Condon’s agency represents nearly half of the NFL’s starting quarterbacks.

Reports that former Saint Anthony Hargrove says he was told to lie about the team's bounty program won't have much impact on current players, according to ESPN's Damien Woody.

Atlanta Falcons

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Sean Weatherspoon will be the focal point of Mike Nolan’s defense. Weatherspoon: “I’m not sure exactly what I’ll be doing all of the time. I’m definitely looking forward to the challenge. I think I’m ready for that, to do a little bit more and step out there and do some different things. I look forward to the challenge. I think it’s going to be fun.”

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers added more depth to their special teams by signing veteran punter Nick Harris to a one-year deal.

New Orleans Saints

Interim New Orleans coach Joe Vitt denies the allegations made by Anthony Hargrove about the bounty scandal.

John DeShazier of The Times-Picayune on Hargrove: "[I]t's impossible not to feel sympathy for the former Saints defensive lineman who was suspended for his role in the bounty program, and for lying to the league in 2010 about the program's existence."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Former Rutgers receiver Tiquan Underwood reunites with his former coach Greg Schiano in Tampa Bay, writes Rick Stroud in the Tampa Bay Times.

Seventh-round draft picks Michael Smith and Drake Dunsmore made the roster as the Bucs signed 13 other rookies at the end of rookie camp.

Appeals of player suspensions in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program haven’t been filed yet, but the NFL Players Association has gone ahead and started the legal ball rolling.

The union filed a grievance with the NFL’s vice president of labor arbitration and litigation, Buckley Brooks. The NFLPA also has asked for system arbitration.

The filings claim that the punishments “violated the (league’s) duty of fairness to the players.” The union also claims various procedural requirements of the collective-bargaining agreement were violated, including the limits of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s authority, and a failure to disclose sufficient evidence.

The league has said all along that the ultimate decision on any discipline rested with Goodell.

The union also claims that a big chunk of the three-year bounty program doesn’t even qualify for discipline. The union says that part of the collective-bargaining agreement, signed last summer, stipulated that the league agreed to overlook any conduct matters from prior to the agreement.

Much of the specific evidence cited in the announcement of the punishments was related to games in the playoffs at the end of the 2009 Super Bowl season.

New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for the entire 2012 season, and linebacker Will Smith will be suspended for the first four games. Former New Orleans defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove, now with Green Bay, drew an eight-game suspension, and linebacker Scott Fujita, now with Cleveland, will be suspended for the first three games.

Seven observations on bounty scandal

The other shoe dropped on the Saints on Wednesday. Having levied discipline on the Saints’ organization, coaches and general manager a month ago, commissioner Roger Goodell handed out the player penalties, suspending four players with amounts ranging from three games to an entire year.

Here are some thoughts:

1. We knew the punishments would be severe, as they were with the Saints’ coaches and administrators. The behavior strikes at two prominent initiatives of Goodell: (1) competitive integrity, and (2) player health and safety. With more than 60 concussion lawsuits -- and more than 1,200 plaintiffs -- lining up against the NFL and head injuries a focus since the 2009 Congressional hearings, the timing of these findings could not have been worse for the NFL.

2. Goodell referred to the four suspended players as having “leadership positions” on the Saints (although Anthony Hargrove's penalty seemed more about being untruthful and evasive), indicating that other players were more followers than leaders. I had wondered whether the players would use the “my coach made me do it” defense: They had been taught since childhood to obey their coach and were doing as told. That defense may have worked for some of the players being investigated but not for the four suspended -- Hargove (now with Green Bay), Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith and Scott Fujita (now with Cleveland).

3. Although the new 10-year collective bargaining agreement was negotiated between the NFL and the NFLPA last July, the relationship is still fractured. The lack of coordination and communication between the two sides here is a microcosm of the mistrust that did not subside with the new CBA and has continued through the HGH testing issue as well. We presumed the delay in announcing player discipline stemmed from the NFL's receiving input from the NFLPA. That input appears to have been either ignored or declined, as the union released a statement condemning the lack of evidence from the league.

4. The NFLPA is in a tough spot here: It has to represent the players being targeted as well as the players who are being suspended for doing the targeting. In theory, that puts them at odds with players such as Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton, whom the NFL report found to be put in harm’s way through the bounty system.

5. Goodell’s power appears to be stronger than ever regarding player conduct. The NFLPA had ample opportunity to address the fact that the commissioner had power to act as both judge and jury about such discipline. The union was unable to change that power in negotiations leading to the CBA last August. Goodell and the NFL made it a priority to hold on to that power, and they were successful.

6. Whether intentionally or fortuitously, Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma did some valuable restructuring of their contracts prior to these penalties. Suspensions affect a player’s salary, not previously paid bonuses. On March 1, Smith converted more than $7 million of his salary into bonus -- leaving a minimum salary of $825,000 -- to lower his cap number. Thus, instead of being docked four games of a salary of $7.1 million, or $1.67 million lost, Smith is being docked four games of a salary of $825,000, or $194,000 lost, saving Smith more than $1.48 million.

Vilma converted $1 million of his previous $2.6 million salary -- as part of a $2.2 million pay reduction -- to a signing bonus, now keeping that $1 million from lost pay due to suspension. Both players are certainly lucky the Saints needed cap room.

7. As to if the suspended players will appeal, their hope is to appeal to someone other than the commissioner, and they are searching for ways to do so. Assuming, however, they end up in front of Goodell, there still is potential value in appealing. Although many felt that the appeals of Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt were futile, Goodell allowed for potential reduction of the financial penalties -- though not suspension time -- if they “embraced change” during their time away. This is a Goodell trademark: to place a carrot in front of the suspended person to incentivize change in behavior and remorse.

Unfortunately for the Saints and the NFL, this matter is not receding quietly into the background. There will be more to come, and, of course, there will be lawyers. Stay tuned.

An attorney from the private sector who advised the NFL during the Saints bounty investigation disputed linebacker Jonathan Vilma's claim that he did not intend to pay bounties for knocking Kurt Warner and Brett Favre out of playoff games in the 2009 season and the he never set out to intentionally hurt another player.

“The evidence overwhelmingly supported the charges,’’ Mary Jo White, a former U.S. attorney, said in a conference call with the media Thursday. “I haven’t seen the statement that Mr. Vilma may have issued. He plainly, as were the other players, was invited to participate with counsel in an interview to provide his side of the story if there was a different side of the story. He declined to do that.

“If you look at the press release issued yesterday, plainly the conduct there is quite specific as to bounties being pledged by Mr. Vilma. On two occasions, you know the identities of whom the bounties were placed on, the amount of the bounties and when they were placed. There is very, very strong evidence from multiple independent sources reporting those charges.’’

White also said that defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers) said he was told to lie about the bounty program when asked about it in 2010. Hargrove since has signed a declaration admitting the bounty program existed and he took part in it. White was asked if Hargrove disclosed who initially told him to lie to investigators.

“He did, but I don’t think it is appropriate to reveal that,’’ White said.

White went on to repeatedly emphasize how strong the NFL's evidence was. You can read more of what she had to say here.

There have been so many subplots to the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program that some significant ones have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Thanks to Jeff Schultz for bringing attention to one of them. In this column, Schultz writes about the role and stance the NFL Players Association has taken and suggests the union change its name to “the Union of People We Feel Like Representing."

He’s got an excellent point. In its statement after the suspensions of Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove were announced, the union said it had “not received any detailed or specific evidence from the league of these specific players’ involvement in an alleged pay-to-injure program."

That’s a pretty standard line from the NFLPA. Think back to last year’s lockout. How many times did we hear the union say that the NFL would not share information how much each team was making, even though the league repeatedly said the union had been supplied with as much information as possible.

It’s a similar story this time. Former New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has admitted the bounty program took place and there is that damning audiotape of Williams talking to his players the night before last season’s playoff game at San Francisco. The NFL also has said that multiple sources said Vilma offered $10,000 of his own money for bounties on Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. The NFL said Smith assisted Williams in establishing and funding the bounty program. The league also said Hargrove submitted a “signed declaration to the league that established not only the existence of the program at the Saints, but also that he knew about and participated in it’’. The league also said Fujita pledged a significant amount of money to the bounty program.

What more evidence does the union want?

Obviously, the union is prepared to stand by Vilma, Smith, Hargrove and Fujita, who just happens to be a member of the NFLPA’s executive committee, as they make their expected appeals. Any union should stand by its members because they pay dues that should bring them support from their union.

But this is where things head to an area that looks to be painted in multiple shades of gray. The NFLPA will try to protect the four suspended members.

That screams out one huge question -- what about the union’s hundreds of other members? They pay dues too and, presumably, that buys them protection as well. Shouldn’t the union be standing by Favre and Warner, who paid dues for years? And shouldn’t the union be protecting Carolina quarterback Cam Newton and Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who the league said were also targets of the bounty program?

By standing so firmly with the suspended players, the union seems to be giving the appearance it doesn’t care about its other members or their safety and welfare. I’m sure the union would dispute that and say it cares about all its members and there’s probably truth in that.

But perception is everything. And the way the union has handled this thing so far sure make it look like it has a serious conflict of interest on its hands.

Maybe the union should step aside on this one. I don't see how you fully can stand up for the rights of your players when one group is trying to hurt another group. The union can pick a side, if it wants. But maybe choosing to not pick a side and staying out of this one is the only way the union can avoid the perception of a conflict of interest.

As severe as the New Orleans Saints’ player suspensions were for their three-year bounty program, they’re not entirely devastating.

Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the entire 2012 season, and defensive end Will Smith will be suspended for the first four games. That’s all, as far as current Saints go. Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, now with Green Bay, drew an eight-game suspension, and linebacker Scott Fujita, now with Cleveland, will be suspended for the first three games of the season.

But let’s stick to the current Saints and how this latest news impacts them. There’s no doubt Vilma’s suspension is severe. But the overall news wasn’t as bad as it could have been. The NFL initially said 22 to 27 players were involved in the bounty program, and there was fear many more current Saints could end up with suspensions.

But only Vilma and Smith ended up drawing suspensions. Those two have been defensive leaders for the Saints in recent years, but their suspensions aren’t going to gut the New Orleans defense.

The Saints had spent the offseason bracing for a possible lengthy suspension for Vilma, although I suspect the full season is about a half-season longer than what the Saints suspected. But they were proactive at linebacker. They went out and got free agent Curtis Lofton from Atlanta. They also added David Hawthorne from Seattle and Chris Chamberlain from St. Louis.

Let’s be real honest here. As great as Vilma was in the Saints' 2009 Super Bowl season, and maybe even in 2010, he had a down year in 2011. He tried to play through a knee injury before finally having knee surgery that kept him out for five games. Even after his return, Vilma wasn’t the same player he was in earlier seasons.

Plug in Lofton, who is younger and healthier, as the starting middle linebacker and the Saints may have an upgraded linebacker corps. Hawthorne and Chamberlain also can play outside and they’ll compete with Scott Shanle, Jonathan Casillas, Martez Wilson and Will Herring for playing time. The Saints are pretty well set at linebacker.

Defensive end is another story, and the Saints will have to get through contests against the Redskins, Panthers, Chiefs and Packers without Smith, who led the team with 6.5 sacks last season. That will be a challenge, especially in a system in which new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo likes to get the bulk of his pass rush from the front four.

Smith is the only member of the front four with a proven track record of getting pressure on quarterbacks. Cameron Jordan, who had one sack as a rookie, was projected as a starter even before Smith’s suspension. The Saints could go with Turk McBride or Junior Galette (or a combination of the two) at the other end spot.

But it also is entirely possible the Saints will try to find another defensive end (or two) in free agency.

ESPN NFL Insider Chris Mortensen talks about how players around the league are reacting to the suspensions of Jonathan Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith and Scott Fujita.

Say this much about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- he’s consistent.

Goodell was harsh when he issued punishment for the New Orleans Saints organization, coaching staff and front office for roles in a three-year bounty program. Saints coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season, former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely, assistant head coach Joe Vitt will be suspended for the first six games of the season and general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for the first eight games of the season. The Saints also were fined $500,000 and had to forfeit a second-round draft pick in 2012 and 2013.

When the NFL announced player discipline Wednesday, Goodell was just as harsh. He suspended New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the entire season and Vilma no longer can take part in offseason workouts. New Orleans defensive end Will Smith will be suspended for the first four games. Former New Orleans defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, now with Green Bay, will be suspended for the first eight games and former New Orleans linebacker Scott Fujita, now with Cleveland, will be suspended for the first three games.

Smith, Fujita and Hargrove can continue taking part in offseason programs and will start their suspensions just before the regular season.

As it did with the announcement of discipline for the coaches, Loomis and the Saints, the NFL sent out a detailed release about why the players were suspended.

Here is the explanation from the league on what each of the four players did to earn the punishment:

Vilma: “The investigation concluded that while a captain of the defensive unit Vilma assisted Coach Williams in establishing and funding the program. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Vilma offered a specific bounty -- $10,000 in cash – to any player who knocked Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of the 2009 Divisional playoff game and later pledged the same amount to anyone who knocked Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game the following week (played on Jan. 24, 2010). Vilma is eligible to be reinstated after the Super Bowl in 2013.’’

Smith: “Smith, a defensive end, assisted Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in establishing and funding the program during a period in which he was a captain and leader of the defensive unit. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Smith pledged significant sums to the program pool for 'cart-offs' and 'knockouts' of opposing players.”

Hargrove: “Actively participated in the program while a member of the Saints. Hargrove submitted a signed declaration to the league that established not only the existence of the program at the Saints, but also that he knew about and participated in it. The evidence showed that Hargrove told at least one player on another team that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was a target of a large bounty during the NFC Championship Game in January of 2010. Hargrove also actively obstructed the league’s 2010 investigation into the program by being untruthful to investigators.’’

Fujita: “The record established that Fujita, a linebacker, pledged a significant amount of money to the prohibited pay-for-performance/bounty pool during the 2009 NFL playoffs when he played for the Saints. The pool to which he pledged paid large cash rewards for 'cart-offs' and 'knockouts,' plays during which an opposing player was injured.’’

The league went on to say that all the players are suspended without pay for “detrimental conduct."

“In assessing player discipline,” Goodell said, “I focused on players who were in leadership positions at the Saints; contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program; specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player; demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that potentially injured opposing players; sought rewards for doing so; and/or obstructed the 2010 investigation.”

The players can appeal the suspensions, but Goodell already is indicating that a defense saying they were just following the orders of coaches will not fly.

“No bounty program can exist without active player participation,” Goodell said. “The evidence clearly showed that the players being held accountable today willingly and enthusiastically embraced the bounty program. Players put the vast majority of the money into this program and they share responsibility for playing by the rules and protecting each other within those rules.”

Two months to the day after announcing an investigation into a three-year bounty program by the New Orleans Saints, the NFL has announced player discipline.

Only two current Saints have been suspended. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for the entire 2012 season and defensive end Will Smith for the first four games.

Former New Orleans defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove was suspended for eight games and linebacker Scott Fujita, now with Cleveland, was suspended for three games.

I’ll be back in a bit with more on what the NFL says the players did to deserve the suspensions and an analysis of how the absence of Vilma and Smith will impact the Saints.

We’ve got a new development in the story about the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program.

Former New Orleans defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, who spent last season with Seattle, has issued a lengthy statement, courtesy of NFC North colleague Kevin Seifert. Hargrove was a central figure in early reports on this story. A Sports Illustrated story even said Hargrove was vocally celebrating after Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre was injured in the NFC Championship Game between the Saints and Vikings in the 2009 season.

We’ll run Hargrove’s written statement in its entirety and editorialize on it a bit at the bottom. Here’s what Hargrove had to say:

First of all, the purpose of this statement is simply to address the comments that have been made about me in the media. I will not address anything to do with anyone else but myself.

In regards to the hit I made on Brett Favre that has been talked about: it was one of about five times I got to him and the only one that was late. I agree it was a late hit, but in the heat of the moment I was simply trying to make a play. I can assure you that when I got up, I was thinking two things, one, that I cost my team, and two, that I might have just cost myself some money if the NFL fined me.

To put things in perspective, I received a game ball for my play that day and yet got fined while receiving nothing and expecting to receive nothing for the play some keep referencing. Kudos to Brett, he even asked me if that was all I had! Gotta love him.

And in regards to my comments that have been talked about where I say that Favre is done, I readily agree that it sounds bad in retrospect. A lot of things look bad when we look back and realize how they sound. Trust me, I've said much, much worse. Heck, I probably say worse every day.

But did I personally want Favre INJURED? Absolutely and categorically NO! Did I feel like we, the Saints, had a better chance of being in the Super Bowl with Favre on the sideline? Of course. Would the Patriots and their fans have probably been excited to see Eli [Manning] on the bench with his foot up whispering that he was done [in Super Bowl XLVI]? Would players on the sideline have made comments to that effect? Right or wrong, I'm guessing yes.

Probably every Saints fan, player and coach got an adrenaline rush when thinking Minnesota might be in trouble. I said what many people were probably thinking, though maybe I said it in a way that sounded a bit too excited. Those who know me best know that I lean toward the animated side a bit. Okay, a lot! It's who God made me. I do regret saying it, though.

I have made many mistakes in my life and have paid dearly for some of them, and the late hit and the comments were both mistakes, in my opinion. But players all over the league do the same thing every Sunday, make late hits and say stupid things. But I can say with absolute certainty that neither the late hit nor the comment have anything whatsoever to do with the issue being so hotly discussed in the media.

All right, that was pretty interesting. First off, I’ll agree with Hargrove that he is an animated sort. I’ve interviewed him several times and he’s always been very talkative and emotional. If he says his comments were made in the heat of the moment, I believe him.

But the thing that really stands out here is that there is never a mention of the bounty program. Hargrove talks about getting fined by the NFL for his hit on Favre. But he never makes any mention of financial reward.

Does that mean Hargrove was saying there was no bounty program? We don’t know. Hargrove didn't deny its existence. He simply addressed the two plays connected to him and said there was no bounty involved in those plays.

BUFORD, Ga. -- I’ll be out at Flowery Branch on Thursday morning to watch the Falcons and my Camp Confidential profile on the Panthers will go up early Thursday afternoon.

In the meantime, let’s take a quick run through the NFC South headlines.

Free-agent defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove has left the Saints to join the Eagles. Not a huge surprise. The Saints got a couple of productive years from Hargrove, but it’s obvious they were looking to move on. They brought in veterans Shaun Rogers and Aubrayo Franklin and they’ll rotate with Sedrick Ellis.

Cadillac Williams reportedly has agreed to terms with the Rams. That ends any chance of him returning to the Buccaneers as a third-down back. But I don’t think the Bucs view this as a catastrophic loss. They made a run at Darren Sproles to fill that role before he decided to sign with New Orleans. The Bucs will go out and get someone else to handle that role. By the way, I have the utmost respect for Williams, who has overcome a couple of devastating knee injuries. But who thinks it's a good idea for a running back with a history of knee problems to go to a team that plays its games in a dome with an artificial surface?

The Saints lost free-agent center Jonathan Goodwin to San Francisco. It wasn’t an accident. Goodwin has been a very good player for the Saints, but he’s 32. The team began preparing for this moment last year when it drafted Matt Tennant.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took questions from Carolina fans in Spartanburg, S.C. on Wednesday evening. One of them was about the possibility of Charlotte hosting a Super Bowl. Goodell sort of danced around that one, but you can read into his statement that it’s probably a long shot because Charlotte isn’t loaded with hotel rooms.

In recent years, the New Orleans Saints have become a haven for players who have had their careers stall elsewhere. Bringing in guys like Jonathan Vilma and Anthony Hargrove worked quite nicely.

Maybe that’s why the Saints went out and added a couple of offensive tackles, who, once upon a time, were first-round draft picks. The Saints have brought in Alex Barron and George Foster.

Barron was the 19th overall pick by St. Louis in 2005. With the Rams, Barron became notorious for false-start and holding penalties. He was traded to Dallas last year, but that didn’t do much to revive his career.

Foster was the 20th overall pick by Denver in 2003. He went to the Detroit Lions in 2007 and lasted their through 2008. In 2009, he went through training camp with Cleveland, but didn’t make the regular-season roster. Most recently, he was with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.

“We want to take a peek at these guys and see how they do while they are here,’’ coach Sean Payton told the media. “Both of these guys are veteran players that we think can compete and compete for a job and that’s why they are here.’’

The Saints aren’t in horrible shape at either tackle position, but they also aren’t loaded. Jermon Bushrod has been the starting left tackle the past two seasons, but has been far from dominant. The Saints drafted Charles Brown last season, but he might not be ready for significant playing time.

Right tackle Jon Stinchcomb made the Pro Bowl in the 2009 season, but played with an injured quad muscle last season and struggled at times. There are no guarantees Foster or Barron will make the roster. But one or both could stick around and provide depth.

Then, there’s the long-shot scenario that one, or both, ends up starting. It’s a very long shot. But, like I said at the top, the Saints have had some luck in the past with reclamation projects.

Atlanta Falcons

Coming out of the lockout, the Falcons should be favorites to win the NFC title and go to the Super Bowl, writes macon.com's Daniel Shirley.

AtlantaFalcons.com continues its tournament-style bracket to decide fans' favorite Falcons legacy player is. Today's matchup: No. 3 Deion Sanders vs. No. 14 Scott Case.

D. Orlando Ledbetter weighs whether the Falcons should re-sign Jerious Norwood.

Carolina Panthers

Kerry Collins, the first player drafted in franchise history, announced his retirement Thursday after 16 seasons in the NFL.

New Orleans Saints

Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove is still mourning the death of his brother, who died from stab wounds two weeks ago.

The Saints are highly motivated this season following their first-round playoff loss to a Seahawks team that finished the regular season with a losing record.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarterback Josh Johnson, who grew up a 49ers fan, would like to re-connect with his former coach, Jim Harbaugh, in San Francisco. "I'd get to come home, be with my family, play for a coach that changed my life and play for a team that I grew up loving," Johnson said.

Bucs Nation takes a close look at where the team stands at the center position.