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1. Carolina Panthers: The Panthers have the best one-two punch at running back in the entire league in Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. Although they traded Mike Goodson to the Raiders this offseason, they also signed Mike Tolbert, who could play some fullback as well as running back. The Panthers’ backfield is stacked.

I am extremely high on Stewart and would love to see what he would be able to do if he didn’t have to split time, as evidenced by his whopping 5.4-yard average in 2011. Stewart has power, elusiveness, is very fluid, but also explosive. He can be one of the very best running backs in the NFL. He has come into his own as a receiving option. Stewart’s 47 receptions last season were more than he accumulated over his first three years in the league combined. One knock on Stewart is that he could stand to improve as a pass blocker, but he also just recently turned 25, so his best might be yet to come.

There is also a ton to love about what Williams brings to the table. In 2008, Williams had a monster season, rushing for more than 1,500 yards. He has yet to approach such production again, but like Stewart, Williams averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 2011. Williams has great vision, runs with excellent pad level and I very much believe he has a lot more in the tank even though he recently turned 29. Williams is a solid receiver but seems to have been passed over by Stewart for the bulk of those duties.

Despite his stature, Tolbert also can contribute quite a bit in the passing game. I don’t see him as a fullback, but rather a punishing ball-carrier with an incredibly low center of gravity and excellent power. Tolbert has gotten into the end zone 21 times over the past two seasons and clearly excels near the goal line.

Having quarterback Cam Newton a part of this rushing attack helps a great deal, but the Panthers also will be getting mauling right tackle Jeff Otah back and drafted a similar bruising masher in the run game to play guard in Amini Silatolu. The Panthers should have one of the league’s very best rushing attacks -- and a very dangerous offense overall -- in 2012.

2. New Orleans Saints: The Saints have more backs than they know what to do with, but they distribute the touches from this position extremely effectively. The Saints did not have a first-round pick in this past draft because they traded it to acquire Mark Ingram in the 2011 draft. He appeared in only 10 games during his rookie season due to injury issues. He flashed some of that first-round ability during those games, but overall, it was a rough season for Ingram. However, this former Heisman Trophy winner has true “bell cow” running back traits. Ingram has an excellent combination of leverage, power and vision with a fine burst through the hole. He can make yardage on his own and has the temperament to carry the load. Ingram’s knee now has to be a bit of a concern, though.

The Saints’ most dynamic player at the position -- maybe in the entire league -- is Darren Sproles. He is pure electricity as a runner or receiver. And the Saints use Sproles’ talents to perfection. Drew Brees and the Saints’ coaching staff do a fantastic job of using personnel, formation and motion to get Sproles in advantageous situations -- either as a receiver against an inferior coverage player or as a runner against minimal defenders in the box. And Sproles excels when used in such a manner. As you would expect with his diminutive stature, Sproles can struggle in protection. But despite his size, Sproles hasn’t missed a game in the past four years and has missed only two games in his six-year career.

As third running backs go, Pierre Thomas has no equal in the NFL. Thomas is a potent blend of what both Ingram and Sproles bring to the table. Thomas is somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. Thomas would start for several teams in the league right now. He finished the 2011 season with just under 1,000 combined yards.

Further showing off their embarrassment of riches as this position, the Saints also have Chris Ivory. Ivory isn’t flashy or dynamic, but he runs with great conviction and power. Getting Ivory the touches he deserves could prove difficult, unless Ingram’s knee remains a major problem.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers traded into the late first round to select Doug Martin. Considering Greg Schiano’s history at Rutgers favoring versatile two-way running backs like Ray Rice and Brian Leonard, I expect Martin to quickly grab ahold of the starting job in Tampa Bay over LeGarrette Blount.

Blount is a very powerful runner and is good overall with the ball in his hands, but he has fumbling issues and offers little as a receiver or in protection, which is just too much of an advantage to the opposing defense when he is on the field. But if given carries or if the Bucs are playing with a lead, which was rare last year, Blount can pound the opponent into submission. His career average of 4.6 yards per carry should not be easily dismissed, especially considering the circumstances he was under last year.

But Martin is the better all-around talent compared to Blount. A compact bowling ball with very good vision and a natural skill set for churning out yardage, Martin is also highly adept as a receiver out of the backfield. The Bucs also used a seventh-round pick on Michael Smith, which further shows their lack of trust in Blount.

Mossis Madu is also in the mix for Tampa Bay. As shown by their investments at guard, the Buccaneers are a run-first team. That is what Schiano wants and his offseason moves strongly indicate that is the approach Tampa Bay will be taking going forward, along with taking some shots deep downfield to Vincent Jackson. Martin should get the bulk of the running back touches, but there might be enough to keep both lead backs fed.

4. Atlanta Falcons: In a division loaded with high-quality running backs, Atlanta’s backfield is last on my list. Michael Turner is the lead back here. I see Turner as a declining player who needs a high volume of touches to be effective. Although Turner is a decent pass blocker, he offers very little as a receiver, which is a huge detriment in today’s NFL.

After Week 11 last season, Turner had only one game in which he rushed for more than 76 yards. Turner finished the season with 1,340 yards on the ground and six 100-yard days, but his performance was much too up and down on a week-to-week basis for a back of his nature. I am not implying Turner is over-the-hill. He isn’t. Turner still has value and can be very effective if used properly. But he just isn’t what he once was in terms of his elusiveness and burst. Amazingly though, Turner can still break off long runs. He also has missed only five games over the past five seasons, but I think the Falcons would be wise to get some insurance for their 30-year-old back.

Jacquizz Rodgers is ahead of the game with his blitz pickup for a young back, but now the Falcons need to enhance his role catching the football. That seems like the next logical step in this dynamic player’s development. As a runner, Rodgers certainly isn’t built to be a lead guy, but he shows some power for his size and is competitive in all phases of the position. He could break out in 2012.

Antone Smith and Dimitri Nance are also on Atlanta’s roster, but it seems logical that the Falcons will add another veteran running back with size to back up Turner.

At fullback, the Falcons have one of the best lead blockers in recent years in Ovie Mughelli, but the usage of a fifth-round pick on Bradie Ewing, another downhill hammer blocker, could be the beginning of the end for Mughelli in Atlanta. The Falcons also have Mike Cox, a pure battering-ram fullback, in the equation. But it is unlikely they keep three blocking fullbacks on the roster.

The Atlanta Falcons quietly continue to move through the process of getting ready for the start of free agency.

After placing the franchise tag on cornerback Brent Grimes, the Falcons are now dealing with some other players that were not under contract for 2012.

The team announced Tuesday morning that tight end Michael Palmer and running back Antone Smith have signed their exclusive-rights tenders.

Palmer, who joined the Falcons in 2010, isn’t known as a pass-catcher, and that’s not needed because Atlanta has Tony Gonzalez in that role. But Palmer has played an important role in the offense as a blocker.

Smith has spent the past two seasons with the Falcons, playing primarily on special teams. But he also has some ability as a running back, and he could get a chance to show more of that moving forward. The Falcons have made it clear they want to lighten the load of feature back Michael Turner.

They have Jacquizz Rodgers, who is likely to get more use as a speed back in his second season. But Smith could compete with Jason Snelling as part of the rotation.

Since the NFC South doesn’t have a team in the Super Bowl, let’s start looking ahead to the 2012 offseason.

We’ll start by taking a look at each team and its potential free agents. We’ll start with the Atlanta Falcons. We’ll list all of their potential free agents. Each one listed is a potential unrestricted free agent, unless he’s noted as a restricted or exclusive-rights free agent. After I list the free agents, I’ll summarize what could be the most important moves as teams re-sign players between now and the start of free agency in mid-March.

Here are Atlanta’s potential free agents: Defensive end John Abraham, defensive end Kroy Biermann, offensive lineman Kirk Chambers, safety Thomas DeCoud, receiver Harry Douglas, cornerback Brent Grimes, cornerback Kelvin Hayden, tight end Reggie Kelly, linebacker Curtis Lofton, center Todd McClure, linebacker Mike Peterson, offensive lineman Brett Romberg, safety James Sanders, running back Jason Snelling, receiver Eric Weems, long-snapper Joe Zelenka, tight end Michael Palmer (exclusive rights), running back Antone Smith (exclusive rights) and defensive tackle Vance Walker (restricted).

Lofton and Grimes are the most significant names on that list. They’re key defensive starters, and they’re in their prime. Keeping Lofton, the quarterback of the defense, might be the top priority. There’s little doubt the Falcons want Grimes back. He’s developed into a very good cornerback, despite the fact that he’s undersized. But Grimes could get big money elsewhere. The Falcons already have a lot invested in cornerback Dunta Robinson, and might not be able to pay huge contracts to two cornerbacks.

Abraham, McClure and Peterson are nearing the end of their careers. Any of them could decide to retire. The Falcons also could decide to bring back any of them as a role player. Abraham still was the team’s best pass-rusher in 2011.

It’s likely the Falcons will have some interest in keeping Biermann, DeCoud, Douglas and Snelling. They’re still young, but they could get better offers elsewhere. Hayden and Sanders each are veterans that could test the market, but eventually return to give the Falcons depth.

Only two NFC South running backs were on the field for more than 50 percent of their team’s offensive plays.

Carolina’s Jonathan Stewart led the division at 55.2 percent. Stewart was on the field for 577 of Carolina’s 1,046 offensive plays. Atlanta’s Michael Turner took part in 52.2 percent of his offense’s plays. Turner was on the field for 588 of 1,127 snaps.

Neither player was in the top 10 among the league’s running backs. Philadelphia’s LeSean McCoy led the league as he played on 81.1 percent of his team’s snaps.

There were a few other items of interest when it came to playing time for NFC South running backs. While Stewart led the division, his teammate, DeAngelo Williams, was third in the NFC South at 42.73 percent, just ahead of New Orleans’ Darren Sproles 42.71 percent.

Tampa Bay was the only team without a single running back to play at least 40 percent of his team’s snaps. Starter LeGarrette Blount participated in 38.4 of the Bucs’ snaps, which was a problem. The Bucs were hesitant to use Blount as a pass blocker or receiver, so their offense was predictable because Tampa Bay generally was running when Blount was on the field.

Blount’s backup, Kregg Lumpkin, was on the field for 35.9 percent of Tampa Bay’s snaps. Earnest Graham also split time at fullback and tailback for the Bucs before suffering a season-ending injury. Graham took part in 18.8 percent of Tampa Bay's offensive plays.

Here’s the rundown on the percentage of plays the rest of the NFC South running backs took part in:

Pierre Thomas, Saints, 33.8.

Jacquizz Rodgers, Falcons, 28.

Jason Snelling, Falcons, 27.9.

Mark Ingram, Saints, 18.6.

Chris Ivory, Saints, 10.4.

Mossis Madu, Buccaneers, 5.9.

Josh Vaughn, Panthers, 1.1.

Mike Goodson, Panthers, 0.4.

Antone Smith, Falcons 0.2

ATLANTA – There’s some pretty major pregame news from the Falcons. Defensive end John Abraham will not play in Sunday night’s game with Green Bay.

Abraham has been declared inactive. He was added to the injury report Friday with a hip injury. With Abraham out, the Falcons likely will look to Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury to share time at his spot.

The other inactives for the Falcons are cornerback Darrin Walls, running back Antone Smith, center Todd McClure, offensive lineman Mike Johnson, defensive tackle Carlton Powell and defensive end Cliff Matthews.

Joe Hawley is expected to start in place of McClure, who has a knee injury.

ATLANTA -- We just got the Falcons’ inactives for Sunday night and there are no major surprises.

Two injured starters, defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux and center Todd McClure, are both out, as expected. Joe Hawley will start for McClure and Peria Jerry for Babineaux.

The other inactives for the Falcons are cornerback Darrin Walls, running back Antone Smith, linebacker Spencer Adkins, offensive lineman Mike Johnson and defensive end Cliff Matthews.

CHICAGO -- As expected, the Atlanta Falcons will be without two starters in Sunday’s game with the Bears. Center Todd McClure and defensive tackle Corey Peters, who both are injured, have been declared inactive.

The Falcons said Joe Hawley will start in McClure’s place and Peria Jerry will start for Peters.

The other inactives for the Falcons are cornerback Darrin Walls, running back Antone Smith, linebacker Spencer Adkins, offensive lineman Mike Johnson and defensive end Cliff Matthews.

The Panthers, Buccaneers, Saints and Falcons each completed their preseason Thursday night.

Not a lot of starters played, so let’s sum it all up with some quick observations on each team.

• Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris sat most of his starters in a 29-24 loss at Washington. But he did a smart thing to get his backups ready. Morris showed his team the film of last year’s fourth preseason game and reminded the players that safety Corey Lynch, who had interceptions in the game, wouldn’t have made the roster without that kind of performance. Some of the “bubble’’ guys who appeared to get the message was defensive back D.J. Johnson and receivers Preston Parker and Ed Gant.
• Tampa Bay second-round pick Da'Quan Bowers, who had been quiet much of the preseason, made a splash Thursday night. Bowers picked up a fumbled handoff on Washington’s first possession.


• It wasn’t difficult to figure out that Atlanta coach Mike Smith was sending a message to his defense in the Falcons' 21-7 preseason finale loss to the Ravens. Although most of the offensive starters sat out, most of the defensive starters played. Undoubtedly, to fire up the defense and build some momentum for the start of the regular season. It seemed to work. Brent Grimes came up with an early interception and defensive end Kroy Biermann, starting in place of veteran John Abraham, produced a sack on a play where Ray Edwards also generated some pressure. Speaking of the pass rush, rookie Cliff Matthews also produced some pressure, which might help him secure a roster spot.
• The one Atlanta offensive starter who did play a lot was rookie receiver Julio Jones. He was still playing in the second quarter and had a nice run on a reverse. He also got a nice block from quarterback Chris Redman. I’m sure part of the reason Jones got playing time was because he missed the normal offseason. But I also suspect the Falcons want to give opposing defensive coordinators some headaches as they watch film of Atlanta’s offense. Speaking of the offense, one reserve who stood out was running back Antone Smith, who might have secured a roster spot.


• The Saints rested most of their starters, but two members of their recently-shuffled offensive line got to start in a 32-9 loss to the Titans. Those were tackles Jermon Bushrod and Zach Strief. On defense, it was more of the same, but cornerback Tracy Porter got lots of playing time. Porter missed much of the preseason and camp with an injury and this was a chance for him to catch up to his teammates.
• Although the Saints appeared to be loaded at running back with Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory and Darren Sproles, Joique Bell has had such a strong preseason that it’s going to be difficult to cut him. If Bell does somehow hit the streets, Tampa Bay, which doesn’t have a lot of depth in the backfield, should do anything possible to get him.


• One of the best signs for Carolina was the presence of right tackle Jeff Otah. He had missed some time with a knee injury, but it looks like he’s healthy. Otah could be the difference between Carolina having a mediocre offensive line and a very good one.
• One of the worst signs for Carolina was when right guard Garry Williams went down with a knee injury in the second quarter of the 33-17 loss to Pittsburgh. The Panthers already lost starter Geoff Schwartz to injury and Williams had been the heir apparent. The Panthers don’t have lots of depth on the line and may have to go out and find someone off the waiver wire or in a trade.

ATLANTA -- Although the Atlanta Falcons had listed six players as questionable for Monday night’s game with the Saints, it doesn’t appear that they have any health issues tonight.

The Falcons just put out their list of inactives and it doesn’t look like they did any shuffling due to injuries. It’s their standard list of inactives and includes, cornerback Dominique Franks, running back Antone Smith, linebacker Spencer Adkins, tackle Garrett Reynolds, guard Mike Johnson, defensive end Lawrence Sidbury and defensive tackle Trey Lewis. John Parker Wilson has been designated as the third quarterback.

With some help from ESPN Stats & Information and the media relations departments of the NFL and the division teams, let's take a look back at some statistical nuggets from Sunday.

• New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees passed for 313 yards in a victory at Cincinnati. Brees has passed for 21,932 yards since joining the Saints in 2006. That’s the most passing yards by any quarterback in a five-season span in NFL history. It also marked the 36th game Brees has thrown for 300 yards since coming to New Orleans.
• For just the third time this season, Atlanta’s defense forced an opposing quarterback out of the pocket six times or more. It was the best game of the season for the Falcons defending outside-the-pocket throws, holding Josh Freeman to zero completions on six attempts.
• The Falcons were missing injured backup running backs Jason Snelling and Antone Smith, leaving Michael Turner to handle the running game. Turner, who entered the game averaging over four yards-per-carry in each direction, couldn’t get it going on runs to the left. Turner averaged just 1.4 yards per attempt on 10 rushes to the left. Turner did pass the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.
• Falcons coach Mike Smith is now the first coach in franchise history to record two seasons with at least 10 wins in his career. Atlanta’s win over Tampa Bay gave Smith his 30th career win as the Falcons improved to 30-14 with in Smith’s tenure.
• Under Smith, the Falcons now are 6-3 in the month of December. Smith also improved to 5-1 against the Bucs.
• Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan led a fourth quarter touchdown drive to put the Falcons ahead. It was the sixth game-winning drive Ryan has led this season in the fourth quarter or overtime and the 13th of his career.
• LeGarrette Blount has a chance to break the Tampa Bay record for rushing touchdowns by a rookie. He scored his fifth run of the season Sunday. The team record is seven, shared by Errict Rhett in 1994 and Lars Tate in 1988.
• Speaking of Tampa Bay rookies and franchise records, Mike Williams is making plenty of noise on the receiving side. He had his seventh touchdown catch Sunday and that ties the team’s rookie record that was set by Michael Clayton in 2004. Williams moved into fourth place on the list of receptions by a rookie. He has 50. The team record is 80, also set by Clayton. Williams also ranks third in receiving yards by a rookie with 760. Clayton set the record (1,193), but Williams should end up no worse than in second place. He’s only 58 yards behind what Lawrence Dawsey did in 1991.
• With Cody Grimm suffering a season-ending injury last week, Corey Lynch started at safety. He became the 39th different Buccaneer to start a game this season.
• The Bucs played 10 rookies Sunday. That’s the eighth straight game they have played at least 10 rookies. Five of them were starters Sunday.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Atlanta Falcons will be without injured running backs Jason Snelling and Antone Smith today.

The two backups highlight Atlanta’s list of inactives. That likely means more work for starter Michael Turner. It also is likely to prompt the Falcons to use Gartrell Johnson as Turner’s backup. Johnson’s had very little playing time this year, but the coaching staff likes him. Keep an eye on Johnson. He could surprise you today.

Also inactive for the Falcons are Dominique Franks, Garrett Reynolds, Mike Johnson, Lawrence Sidbury and Trey Lewis. John Parker Wilson has been designated as the third quarterback.

It's Friday afternoon, so that means it's time to check in on the most significant injuries across the NFC South.

Falcons. If you have Michael Turner on your fantasy team, be sure to start him. Reserves Jason Snelling and Antone Smith are questionable with hamstring injuries. That probably means Turner will get even more carries than usual. Another bit of fantasy advice, even if you never have heard of Gartrell Johnson, you might want to pick him up and play him. Johnson probably will get some carries as Turner’s backup. He’s an unknown, but the Falcons like Johnson and he could give them some production this week.

Buccaneers. Here’s another reason to go heavy on Atlanta running backs this week. Tampa Bay linebackers Quincy Black (ankle) and Dekoda Watson (hamstring) are both listed as questionable. Neither practiced Friday.

Saints. Running back Pierre Thomas (ankle) officially is questionable and Sean Payton wouldn’t rule out playing him. But the game is outdoors in Cincinnati and snow is possible. Thomas only practiced on a limited basis this week. I’m thinking we still are at least a week away from seeing Thomas.

Panthers. There’s nothing official yet because the Panthers are practicing at the University of Washington this afternoon as they adjust to the time zone. But indications from a team official are that cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (shoulder) probably will play and start ahead of Chris Gamble (fractured relationship with coach John Fox) for the second straight game. Guard Travelle Wharton (toe) looks likely to miss another game.

ATLANTA -- Just received the official list of inactives for the Falcons and it contains no major surprises. The biggest news is who is active. As expected, defensive end John Abraham, who sat out last week with a groin injury is active and expected to start.

That leaves Lawrence Sidbury, who started in Abraham's place last week, as the biggest name on the list of inactives. Also on that list are defensive tackle Trey Lewis, tight end Michael Palmer, tackle Garrett Reynolds, guard Mike Johnson, running back Antone Smith and cornerback Dominique Franks.

John Parker Wilson has been designated as the third quarterback.

ATLANTA -- As expected, cornerback Dunta Robinson will be inactive for the Falcons today.

Robinson is coming off a concussion last week and the Falcons are looking at the long term. After today’s game with the Bengals, they have a bye week, allowing Robinson more time to recover.

Christopher Owens will start in Robinson’s place and veteran Brian Williams likely will be the nickelback. The Falcons also will be without injured linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Stephen Nicholas will start in Weatherspoon's place.

Also inactive for the Falcons are tight end Justin Peelle, tackle Garrett Reynolds, defensive tackle Trey Lewis, running back Antone Smith, guard Mike Johnson and John Parker Wilson is the third quarterback.

Rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is expected to start and defensive tackle Corey Peters should get lots of playing time, but the rest of Atlanta’s rookie class won’t be a factor today.

Offensive linemen Mike Johnson and Joe Hawley and defensive back Dominique Franks are inactive for today’s game with the Steelers. It’s a bit of a surprise that both Johnson and Hawley aren’t on the active roster. The Falcons elected to go with just seven offensive linemen -- the five starters, along with Will Svitek and Rob Bruggeman.

The other inactives for the Falcons are receiver Michael Jenkins, running back Antone Smith, linebacker Spencer Adkins and offensive tackle Garrett Reynolds.