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When Cam Newton wasn't selected to be on the cover of "Madden 13," there seemed to be a huge sigh of relief from fans of the Carolina Panthers.

One potential crisis was avoided, but it seems like Carolina fans now are creating another. A lot of them seem to be worried about Newton following his offensive rookie of the year season with a “sophomore slump."

I have a tough time buying into that one. First off, Newton is incredibly talented. Second, he’ll have a full offseason with his coaches and the playbook, a luxury he didn’t have during last year’s lockout.

But let’s turn to someone who knows Newton a lot better than most. That’s Carolina coach Ron Rivera, who was asked in this interview about the possibility of Newton taking a step backward.

“I will say this about a sophomore slump: If there’s anybody that’s going work through it, he’s going to work through it,’’ Rivera said. “When the season was over, one of the things he said was he wanted to find a way to make sure he didn’t have one. I think the less we talk about it, the less we get caught up in it, the better. It’s like the Madden curse; he really wanted to be the cover. I think that’s the thing. Instead of running from it, saying, 'Oh, I hope it doesn’t happen -- it’s not going to happen.' I’m not going to let it happen. I think that’s his approach to the sophomore slump.’’

I think that’s an excellent approach. But Rivera was quick to point out that Newton can use some help from his teammates.

“I also think the guys around him have to continue to step up,’’ Rivera said. “Our running backs have to continue to go. I think the addition of [Mike] Tolbert gives us something extra because it’s now a fullback that’s a multitalented and versatile guy. Our tight end situation with Greg Olsen is solid. We have [Gary] Barnidge and Ben [Hartsock] sitting there -- guys that give us a different kind of look. And the continued development of our receiving corps. The young guys have got to step up, whether it’s David Gettis getting back to 100 percent, whether it’s Kealoha [Pilares] taking the next step, whether it’s Armanti [Edwards] stepping up, Darvin Adams stepping up, Joe Adams becoming a part of that.’’

Like I said, I only see Newton continuing to progress. But I’m not a big believer in curses, slumps or jinxes. But I could be wrong.

Let’s hear what you think. Cast your ballot in our accompanying SportsNation poll and use the comments section below to share your thoughts on if Newton will have a sophomore slump.

Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez might be the oldest tight end in the NFC South, but he also got way more playing time than anyone else at the position in 2011.

Gonzalez, who will turn 36 in February, played more snaps than all of the younger tight ends in a division that suddenly has become known for its tight ends.

Gonzalez was on the field for 952 of Atlanta’s 1,157 offensive snaps. That’s 84.5 percent and it was good enough to rank Gonzalez No. 10 among all NFL tight ends. Dallas’ Jason Witten took part in a league-high 99.2 percent of his team’s offensive snaps, but New England’s Rob Gronkowski led in total plays on the field (1,092) because the Patriots had more offensive plays than the Cowboys.

Gonzalez finished the season with 80 catches for 875 yards and seven touchdowns. Shortly before the season ended, Gonzalez assured he will play at least one more season by agreeing to a one-year contract extension worth about $7 million.

In Sunday’s Pro Bowl, Gonzalez made a game-high seven catches for 114 yards. His receiving yards were the most for any tight end in the game.

Carolina’s Greg Olsen was the division’s second-most-used tight end during the regular season. Olsen was on the field for 866 of the Panthers’ 1,046 offensive snaps (82.8 percent and No. 12 in the NFL).

Tampa Bay’s Kellen Winslow participated in 822 of the Buccaneers’ 1,021 offensive snaps. That’s 80.5 percent and ranked No. 14 in the NFL.

Of the NFC South’s four regular starting tight ends, New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham took part in the fewest number of plays. Graham led all division tight ends with 99 catches for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns and was selected as the NFC’s starter in the Pro Bowl.

But the Saints use such a variety of offensive personnel that Graham’s time on the field was relatively limited. He took part in 798 of 1,152 offensive plays (69.3 percent and No. 24 in the NFL).

The Panthers used a combination of Olsen and Jeremy Shockey, who ended up taking part in 51.1 percent of Carolina’s plays.

Here’s a list of other NFC South backup tight ends and the percentage of playing time they got in 2011:

• Luke Stocker, Buccaneers, 34.1.
• John Gilmore, Saints, 28.6.
• Michael Palmer, Falcons, 23.6.
• Reggie Kelly, Falcons, 19.7.
• David Thomas, Saints, 12.6.
• Richie Brockel, Panthers, 11.8.
• Ben Hartsock, Panthers, 7.1.
• Zack Pianalto, Buccaneers, 6.3.
• Mike Higgins, Saints, 2.3.
• Collin Franklin, Buccaneers, 1.6.

Time for a quick run through some headlines from around the NFC South.

Former New England safety James Sanders is visiting the Falcons on Tuesday. This would be a logical fit. Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff used to work for the Patriots and knows Sanders well. The Falcons like their young starting safeties, Thomas DeCoud and William Moore, but don’t have much depth behind them. A guy like Sanders could provide some quality insurance and can play both safety positions.

Carolina tight end Jeremy Shockey might have saved the life of reserve tight end Ben Hartsock. After getting a piece of meat caught in his throat, Hartsock was having trouble breathing. Shockey saw what was happening and applied the Heimlich Maneuver. That dislodged the piece of meat and Hartsock was fine.

It sounds like New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has made linebacker Martez Wilson his main project among this year’s rookies. Williams can ride rookies hard and Wilson appears to be getting the brunt of that. But Wilson said he’s been told by veterans to take that as a sign that Williams likes him and sees potential.

Ira Kaufman has some fascinating statistics on the Bucs. You may think they’re a good offensive team, mostly because they are. But they don’t start fast. Last season, the Bucs scored only 43 first-quarter points. This is nothing new. Go back as far as the Jon Gruden days and you’ll see the Bucs have a streak of 54 consecutive games in which they haven’t scored more than seven points in the first quarter. The last time they did score more than seven points in the first quarter came on Nov. 25, 2007.

Much of the NFC South returned to work today. The Bucs, Panthers and Falcons all practiced. The Saints, who played Saturday night, are traveling to Oxnard, Calif. Where they will practice much of this week. Let’s take a look at the headlines from around the division.

Atlanta coach Mike Smith said the competition for the job at nickel back between Dominique Franks and Christopher Owens remains open.

Defensive tackles Roy Miller and Brian Price, who have been out with injuries, could return to practice for Tampa Bay this week, coach Raheem Morris said.

Carolina defensive end Greg Hardy returned to practice after suffering injuries in a motorcycle accident just before training camp. Coach Ron Rivera said Hardy will be a starter once he works his way back into playing shape.

Carolina tight end Gary Barnidge suffered a broken ankle and could be lost for the season. The Panthers are set with Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey as their top two tight ends. But Barnidge was competing with veteran Ben Hartsock for the third spot. It now looks like Hartsock will be Carolina’s blocking specialist.

Undrafted receiver Joseph Morgan has been listening to the New Orleans coaches when they tell him he’s got to show up on film to make the roster. Morgan caught a long touchdown pass Saturday night and returned a punt for a touchdown in the preseason opener.

Now we know for sure that John Fox no longer is coaching the Carolina Panthers.

If you saw their preseason opener (a 20-10 victory against the New York Giants) on Saturday night, there was plenty of evidence.

There was offensive creativity. There were passes to the tight end. Young quarterbacks were allowed to take shots down the field and not forced to play like each mistake would be their last. Oh, and we also saw quite a bit of Armanti Edwards.

All of the above were either illegal or heavily frowned up on in the Fox regime. Under Ron Rivera, they all are encouraged.

We still don’t know for sure if Cam Newton or Jimmy Clausen will open the season as the starting quarterback, but we do know whoever wins that competition might actually have a chance. Clausen and Carolina’s offense had no chance last season as Fox took conservative offense to a whole new level.

In new coordinator Rob Chudzinski’s system, it’s pretty obvious the Panthers are going to use their tight ends a lot and, once Steve Smith gets back from an injury, they could have a deep passing game.

Heck, Edwards could even be a part of the deep passing game. The wide receiver, who Fox refused to play as a rookie, caught a 36-yard pass from Newton to help set up a field goal late in the first half. More importantly, Edwards had two very impressive punt returns.

Some other observations on the Panthers.

• Without Smith and David Gettis, who will miss the season with a knee injury, the wide receivers had trouble getting separation from defensive backs. Smith’s return will help and we all know what he can do, but the Panthers need someone else to step up on the outside.
• Newly-acquired tight end Greg Olsen got off to a very nice start. He had three catches for 58 yards and caught a touchdown from Clausen. Olsen’s performance brought back memories of Wesley Walls and Jeremy Shockey's going to get his share of passes.
• Speaking of tight ends, Gary Barnidge, who currently is No. 4 on the depth chart, is helping his cause. He had a nice game and could challenge Ben Hartsock for the third tight end job.
• Running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart only made cameo appearances, but both ran well. As much as we talk about the new offensive scheme, Williams and Stewart are too good for the Panthers to go too far away from the running game.
• Speaking of running back, Mike Goodson has plenty of talent and he showed it last season when Williams and Stewart were banged up. But Goodson had trouble holding onto the ball Saturday night. He’s not going to earn playing time if that continues.
• There’s strong competition for the backup spots in the defensive secondary. A couple of young guys who helped themselves with good performances were R.J. Stanford and Jordan Pugh.
• Derek Anderson, who was brought in to provide a veteran presence for Newton and Clausen, connected with rookie Kealoha Pilares on a fourth-quarter touchdown pass. It was a short throw and Pilares took off down the sideline. Pilares also had a nice tackle on the punt coverage unit early in the game.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- For years, there has been a strong consensus that receiver Steve Smith had the best pass-catching hands on the Carolina Panthers.

But that’s changed in the eyes of at least one key player. While going out of his way to heap praise on Smith, linebacker Jon Beason said newly acquired tight end Greg Olsen has better hands than Smith and may catch the ball as well as anyone in the league.

“I mean, Steve’s got great hands,’’ Beason said. “But I’ve known Olsen for a long time and I’ve seen him go a whole spring or a whole summer camp without dropping a single ball. He’s incredibly consistent.’’

Beason has plenty of history with Olsen. The two entered the University of Miami together and have worked out there together in the offseason since joining the NFL. Beason said the trade the Panthers made with the Bears to get Olsen might be Carolina’s best move of the offseason.

With new offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, the Panthers are planning to make the tight ends a bigger part of their passing game than they’ve been since former coach John Fox arrived and tight end Wesley Walls left early last decade.

The Panthers signed Jeremy Shockey prior to the lockout. He figures to be a situational player, with Olsen getting most of the targets among the tight ends. The Panthers also signed veteran Ben Hartsock, who figures to be used mostly as a blocker.

Beason said the addition of Olsen will give Carolina’s offense a new dimension and cause problems for opposing defenses.

“I covered him in practice in college and I’ve played against him a couple of times in the league,’’ Beason said. “He’s a guy who can really stretch the field. It’s a really hassle to cover Olsen as a linebacker or even as a safety.’’

The Carolina Panthers apparently are very serious about making their tight ends a bigger part of the passing game.

They’ve just traded for Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs. That comes after the Panthers signed Jeremy Shockey before the lockout started. They also recently agreed to terms with veteran Ben Hartsock, but he’s viewed as a run-blocking specialist.

Olsen and Shockey are pass catchers and offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski has said he wants a passing game where the tight ends are heavily involved.

The compensation for Olsen is not yet clear, but Biggs reports it involves a draft pick and a player.

While adding Olsen after signing Shockey might seem a little excessive, consider it insurance. Shockey has plenty of wear and tear and may be nearing the end of his career. The Panthers may be planning to use Shockey as a situational player. Olsen is still in his prime. He caught 41 passes and five touchdowns last season, but had bigger numbers before coordinator Mike Martz arrived and reduced the role of the tight ends in Chicago’s passing game.

The Carolina Panthers continue to make lots of noise. This one’s not as big as DeAngelo Williams or Charles Johnson, but ESPN.com's John Clayton reports veteran tight end Ben Hartsock has agreed to a two-year deal.

This move comes just after the Panthers let Jeff King walk to Arizona through free agency. Think of Hartsock as a similar version of King. He’s not going to catch a lot of passes, but he’s a solid run-blocker. He’s played for the Jets, Falcons, Titans and Colts.

The Panthers already added Jeremy Shockey to be their pass-catching tight end, but Hartsock should get plenty of playing time as a blocker.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The Falcons, who had been incredibly quiet throughout the preseason, are making lots of noise Tuesday. They traded for cornerback Tye Hill this morning and they just announced the release of three players, including a couple of names you’ll recognize.

Tight end Ben Hartsock and cornerback Von Hutchins, two guys who were signed as free agents soon after general manager Thomas Dimitroff took over last year, were released along with defensive end Willie Evans.

Hutchins became expendable after the Falcons added Hill. Hutchins was viewed as a possible starter when the Falcons first signed him, but he went down with a season-ending injury in training camp last year.

Hartsock was signed as an all-purpose tight end and started 11 games last season. But the Falcons added Tony Gonzalez as a pass-catching tight end this year and appear ready to go with Justin Peelle and Jason Rader as his backups.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

SAINTS

New Orleans coach Sean Payton offered his take on the NFC South race in his conference call with the Tampa Bay media Wednesday.

"It's always hard at the start of the season to predict where you think teams are going to fall in our division,'' Payton said. "We're sitting at 6-5, scratching and clawing and we're last in the division. There are other divisions where you might be tied for first with that record. But the fact is we're in this division and we've got our work cut out for us.''

FALCONS

Tight end Ben Hartsock went on the injured reserve list and the team signed Jason Rader to take his place. This might not seem like that big a deal, but Hartsock's blocking has been a big reason why Atlanta has been running the ball so well.

PANTHERS

In a move aimed at stopping the recent slow starts, the Panthers practiced at a faster pace Wednesday. Not sure if that will change anything, but it's worth a shot.

BUCS

Coach Jon Gruden campaigned for punter Josh Bidwell and kicker Matt Bryant to get a trip to Hawaii.

"Bidwell, he'll be in the Pro Bowl, I assume,'' Gruden said after Wednesday's practice. "Bryant will be in the Pro Bowl without a doubt for what he's done. Forget about all the circumstances for just a second. He makes all his kicks. He's an ice man. Those two guys have been superb.''

	Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
	Michael Turner is leading an Atlanta rushing attack that is averaging 180.6 yards per game so far this season.

Posted by Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson

Quick: Who led the league in rushing in three of the last four seasons? Atlanta. Surprised? Don't be. Though much of the production came from a quarterback with elite running ability, the Falcons have had a strong ground attack for years now. Last season was the one year it slipped, but now, despite some big changes, Atlanta is back among the NFL leaders in rushing.

Gone, obviously, is the quarterback who made the big runs, as is the zone blocking scheme. Instead, Atlanta now calls inside zone, outside zone and power O runs that emphasize strength and size more than agility. In a typical zone blocking scheme (like Denver's), the linemen block an area and the back reads the line to find the hole. Here, the linemen go out and initiate movement into defenders.

It's a scheme that fits this much-improved line. Many criticized the Falcons for reaching on Sam Baker on draft day, but he has been a fantastic fit at left tackle, a position that was a turnstile last season. Right guard Harvey Dahl is the other new starter up front, and though he doesn't have Baker's pedigree, he has fit in very well. These two have strengthened what were the weakest spots on last year's line.

Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey loves to build his running attack around a big, powerful back. He did it in Pittsburgh with Jerome Bettis, and he's doing it in Atlanta with Michael Turner. Turner has great size (5-foot-10, 244 pounds), and though he doesn't have the overpowering strength and pure bulk of Bettis, he's a very strong runner and has more speed than Bettis. For such a big runner, Turner's long speed is amazing, and he has translated that into numerous long runs this season. He is an excellent fit within the design of Mularkey's offense.

Add Jerious Norwood to the mix and it's easy to see why this rushing attack has been so productive. Norwood is the ultimate change-of-pace complement to the pounding Turner. He has excellent vision and better speed. He is a quick-twitch athlete who makes preparing for Atlanta's rushing attack far more difficult. Norwood has averaged at least six yards per carry in each of his three NFL seasons and currently is reeling off a ridiculous 6.6 yards per rush.

Though some still have doubts, the Falcons continue to prove they can run. Green Bay routinely sent extra defenders up to the line of scrimmage Sunday, but Atlanta's offensive line, tight ends and FB Ovie Mughelli (a bruising blocker) had their way with the Packers' defensive front, play after play. TE Ben Hartsock is a pile-mover who deserves mention for his ability to seal the edge and manhandle defensive ends and linebackers alike. The counter play is becoming a staple, with the guard and center blocking down and the weakside guard pulling in to clean out anyone left on the line. Mughelli leads, taking out the linebacker and allowing Turner to hit the hole and get downhill. Once he gets going, Turner is tough to bring down one-on-one.

Some concerns linger. Turner is running well, but his three 100-plus yard games came against Detroit, Kansas City and a Green Bay defense that is playing with a shell of the defensive line it had a year ago. In the other two games -- at Carolina and Tampa Bay -- Turner averaged just over three yards per carry. So despite the clear improvement that has been made and plenty of reason for further optimism, let's not get too carried away just yet. Chicago, allowing just 74.2 yards per game, will be a good test.

Still, the early returns on Atlanta's ground attack can't be ignored: 180.6 yards per game, good for second in the NFL. Too early to say whether the Falcons will make it four out of five years leading the league in rushing, but Turner, Mularkey and the Falcons are off to a running start.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

SAINTS

The team has a plan in place in case Hurricane Gustav comes close to the New Orleans area. Coach Sean Payton wouldn't elaborate on specifics, but the Saints will take any weather threat very seriously because they went through a worst-case scenario with Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

PANTHERS

Coach John Fox wasn't happy about it, but he didn't have much choice. Bad weather in Charlotte forced the team to practice indoors.

FALCONS

Some tough decisions will have to be made at tight end as the team gets ready to trim its roster this weekend. The Falcons are carrying five tight ends. Ben Hartsock and Jason Rader look to be the top two. Marcus Pollard, Martez Milner and Keith Zinger probably are fighting for the final roster spot.

BUCCANEERS

The Bucs should be announcing what roster moves they've made to get down to the 75-player limit shortly. In other news, receiver Joey Galloway practiced for the second straight day, but coach Jon Gurden still won't say if Galloway will play in Thursday night's preseason finale in Houston.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

	AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
	Alge Crumpler returns to the Georgia Dome on Friday night.

Once again, it's homecoming time in the NFC South. On Sunday night, Warrick Dunn made his home debut in his second stint with Tampa Bay and safety John Lynch, now with the Patriots, briefly returned to the place where he became famous.

Next up? Alge Crumpler returns to the Georgia Dome on Friday night. This time, Crumpler's with the Tennessee Titans. The best tight end in Atlanta history, Crumpler -- along with Dunn and a bunch of others -- got dumped by the Falcons in an offseason purge of veterans.

Crumpler spent seven seasons with the Falcons, but his heart is a long way from Atlanta. Crumpler made that clear when he talked to my AFC South colleague Paul Kuharsky at Tennessee's training camp. Crumpler told Kuharsky he doesn't really care what happens to the Falcons.

"I'm not too in tune to everything that's going on," Crumpler said. "I do keep in contact with some of their players, like Lawyer Milloy, I talked to a couple days ago, and Martez Milner. But I'm not real in tune to it really. I'll pull for individuals, but as a team, no not really."

Coincidentally, the Falcons are planning to go with former Tennessee tight end Ben Hartsock as their starter.