ESPN NFL

The NFC South is a division without a dominant defensive tackle.

But I think it’s fair to say Atlanta’s Corey Peters and Jonathan Babineaux, New Orleans’ Sedrick Ellis and Tampa Bay’s Brian Price were the best the NFC South had to offer in 2011. Apparently, their coaches agreed.

According to playing-time numbers obtained by ESPN.com, Ellis led all NFC South tackles by taking part in 66.3 percent of New Orleans’ 1,061 defensive plays. That percentage ranked Ellis No. 16 in the NFL and he was the only NFC South player in the top 20.

Peters was next at 60.4 percent, which ranked No. 23 in the league. Babineaux was No. 30 at 54.1 percent. Price, who was somewhat limited by injuries and was sent home early from one game by former coach Raheem Morris, took part in 47.1 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive plays. That tied him at No. 37 in the league with teammate Roy Miller.

Carolina rookie Terrell McClain was one spot behind them, taking part in 46 percent of his team’s defensive plays. After that, there was a big drop off among the rest of the division’s tackles and we should note that Tampa Bay’s Gerald McCoy probably would have finished in the top four or five in the NFC South if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury.

Let’s take a look at the percentage of playing time for the rest of the NFC South defensive tackles:

• Sione Fua, Panthers, 39.7
• Vance Walker, Falcons, 36.85
• Andre Neblett, Panthers, 36.2
• Albert Haynesworth, Buccaneers, 35.8 (included time with Patriots)
• Peria Jerry, Falcons, 35.6
• Tom Johnson, Saints, 30.1
• Shaun Rogers, Saints, 29.7
• Frank Okam, Buccaneers, 28.2
• Aubrayo Franklin, Saints, 27.3
• Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers, 20.8
• Frank Kearse, Panthers, 16.5
• Ogemdi Nwagbuo, Panthers, 15.6
• Ronald Fields, Panthers, 13.9
• Mitch King, Saints, 4.8
• Carlton Powell, Falcons, 3.8
• DeMario Pressley, Panthers, 3.8
• Jovan Haye, Buccaneers, 2.8

Just when it didn’t seem like things could get any worse for the Carolina Panthers’ defense, they have.

Rookie starting defensive tackles Terrell McClain and Sione Fua reportedly will be placed on injured reserve. That would leave Andre Neblett and Frank Kearse as the only defensive tackles on the roster. Update: The Panthers just officially announced McClain and Fua have been placed on injured reserve.

To replace them on the roster, the Panthers have signed Ogemdi Nwagbuo as a free agent and promoted Jason Shirley from the practice squad. The Panthers also added defensive tackle Demario Pressley to the practice squad.

Defensive tackle was a problem spot for the Panthers even in the last years of coach John Fox’s regime. When Ron Rivera took over, the Panthers tried to solidify things in the middle of their defensive line.

Besides drafting McClain and Fua, the Panthers made one of their biggest free-agency moves by signing Ron Edwards. The former Kansas City player was supposed to instantly become the anchor of the interior line and the plan was to let McClain and Fua grow up alongside Edwards.

But that plan went awry in training camp, when Edwards suffered a season-ending injury. The Panthers have gone through a bunch of defensive tackles in the meantime.

The only bright side to all this is Fua and McClain got experience this year. Bring them back healthy next year and put them next to a healthy Edwards and the Panthers might be all right at defensive tackle for the first time in a long time.

Repeating as Super Bowl champions has become one of the hardest things to do in the modern NFL. Of the 15 Super Bowl champions before the New Orleans Saints, only two were repeat customers.

In fact, it's not uncommon for Super Bowl champions to stumble the next season and not even make the playoffs. Are the Saints, who had one of the greatest feel-good stories in Super Bowl history, the next team to take a fall?

Or can the Saints break the trend and repeat?

In the final installment of our Great Debate series, ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton and NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas take two very different stances on whether the Saints can repeat.

Pat Yasinskas: John, you and I have talked about this many times throughout the offseason and I totally respect your reasons for saying the Saints aren't going to repeat. You very well may end up being right. But I've already gone out and predicted the Saints will win back-to-back Super Bowls and I'm not backing off that one.

The main reason I believe this can happen is because the Saints aren't like a lot of recent Super Bowl champions. I think the uncertainty over the labor situation helped them greatly. Super Bowl teams traditionally get ripped apart in free agency. A few marginal or role players usually end up getting big contracts elsewhere just because other teams overrate them and want someone with a Super Bowl ring on their roster. A lot of times, Super Bowl coaching staffs get raided with coordinators moving to head coaching jobs elsewhere.

None of that really happened with the Saints. All they really lost was linebacker Scott Fujita, who got a big contract from Cleveland. Even though the Saints have had some recent injuries at linebacker, Fujita is replaceable. The Saints also cut defensive end Charles Grant and I think that was addition by subtraction.

They replaced Grant with veterans Alex Brown and Jimmy Wilkerson. Neither is going to put up 15 sacks, but both play the run solidly and are consistent, which is something Grant never was. The Saints basically have kept their team and coaching staff intact. Throw in the draft class and a few other minor additions and I'll say the Saints, on paper, are better than they were a year ago. I know you disagree, so go ahead and start shredding that paper.

John Clayton: The Saints' story in 2009 was a great one, but for the Saints to repeat, now you are talking the beginning of a dynasty. I don't see that. Sure, the Saints will make the playoffs. They have Drew Brees, who now ranks with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as one of the league's three best quarterbacks. You're probably going to call me hypocritical when I say the Colts are my team to repeat as the AFC champion. The reason I did that is I couldn't get behind any other team in the AFC that has a great chance of getting to the Super Bowl.

That's not the case in the NFC. I think the Cowboys have the most talent. I also believe -- and we've talked about this many times -- the Falcons are ready to jump to the top of the division. Matt Ryan is ready. The offense is ready to explode. Mike Smith is getting his defense where he would like it to be. Plus, the schedule is more favorable to the Falcons this year than the Saints. You know from your travels last year you were always going to New Orleans because usually the best games in your division were there. This year, the best home games involving your division teams are in Atlanta. The Falcons play their toughest opponents at home. The Saints play their toughest teams on the road. That's why I don't think the Saints will repeat.

PY: All good points, and I agree the Falcons are a very real threat to New Orleans. Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff have assembled a very good roster and I think Ryan is on the verge of taking the next step. The Saints aren't going to coast through their division as they did last year and basically have it wrapped up by November. And they probably aren't going to start 13-0 as they did last season. I think you also have to at least include Carolina in the talk about the NFC South, because it's always a physical football team and the Saints will have to be at their best just to get through the division.

However, there's one big difference between Brees, Payton and the Saints compared to Smith, Ryan and the Falcons. The Saints have won a Super Bowl. They know what it takes.

There's been talk about a Super Bowl hangover, and there's no doubt the Saints spent a big chunk of their offseason celebrating. It might have taken some sort of a toll, but I think that's all gone now. When the Saints came out very sluggish in their preseason opener at New England, Payton ripped into his team and the message was basically, "Last year showed you what hard work and focus can get you." It was only a preseason game, but I think that was a wake-up call the Saints needed to get back into the same frame of mind they had last year.

JC: The Super Bowl hangover theme is giving me a headache because I've heard it so much. It also concerns me when a coach as good as Sean Payton has to rip into his team this year. Ripping into a team is like a chip at a poker game. There are only so many chips you can use during a season. When you bring that up, now you're making me wonder if they are going to make the playoffs. I stay with them making it as a wild card. But don't you see the holes on this team?

So much of their success last season was Darren Sharper intercepting passes off inexperienced quarterbacks. They don't face inexperienced quarterbacks this year, and Sharper is out for at least six games and who knows how much longer because of microfracture surgery. I hate to tell you this, but I intercepted a call in which they were going to ask you to play one of the outside linebacker spots. Scott Fujita is gone. Jonathan Casillas is out for the season. What happens if the team loses one or two defensive tackles to injury? DeMario Pressley and Al Woods -- two draft choices in the past couple of years -- already have been cut.

Are you 100 percent sure Malcolm Jenkins can be as good as Sharper at free safety? Mickey Loomis, the general manager, said it best last week. The Saints will have to play better just to come close to the regular season they had last season. I figure they will get off to a good start, but can they finish as well? The odds are against them.

PY: John, good thing you intercepted that call. As you know, my body type might help the Saints against the pass, but I'd be a liability against the run and I'd also be the tallest linebacker the Saints have had since Fujita. But, yeah, I'll give you the fact that the Casillas injury really hurts the linebacker corps.

As for Jenkins taking over for Sharper, nothing's a given. But Sharper got off to a great start early last year, but was pretty much shot by the end of the season. Jenkins is a great physical talent, and having Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter at cornerback will help make him look good. I'm projecting here, but I think Jenkins is going to be better than Sharper was at the end of last season.

Other than that, I'll fall back on my contention that the Saints are largely intact. Yes, they were lucky at times last season, but they were also very good. I think they're better in a lot of ways this year, and if they can just catch a little bit of luck, I think they can repeat. If I'm wrong, then maybe this time I'll be taking up residence in Atlanta instead of New Orleans in December and January. Better yet, from a selfish standpoint, maybe the Bucs will do the old worst-to-first trick that's been so common in the NFC South and I might actually get to spend a few weekends at home this year.

JC: If the Bucs can pull off a worst-to-first in the NFC South, the Saints, Falcons and Panthers would have to pull a USC and go on probation and be ruled bowl ineligible. Let's look at reality here. The Saints and Falcons are going to be building up a great rivalry over the next few years.

The league needs it. So much of the NFC is settled into the NFC East with those four teams pounding on each other. The AFC East is bubbling over with the Jets and Rex Ryan taking on the Patriots and Dolphins. I don't mention the Bills because I know you would earn a roster spot on that team.

There is a lot that could be good about a Saints-Falcons rivalry over the next few years. Payton has the go-for-broke mentality with his play calling, and Gregg Williams, the defensive coordinator, has a lot of Rex Ryan in him. He'll not only want to tell his players to hit opponents hard, but he'll talk a good game too. The Falcons are the quiet monsters. Mike Smith is a gentlemen on the sideline, but he can gear up his team for good hits, and you know how that offensive line, starting with guard Harvey Dahl, irritates opponents with the way they block. But for a rivalry to happen, you have to have drama. The Saints dominating and repeating would be a great story, but it would take away from the rivalry factor.

By the way, Pat, if you are going to sign with the Bills, hold out for good money.

Lots of little things going on around the NFC South on the last Sunday before Sunday’s get real. So let’s turn to the links to bring you up to speed.

Roy Cummings reports the Bucs have claimed center Ted Larsen and running back Kregg Lumpkin off waivers. Not a surprise, because this roster needs some work and general manager Mark Dominik is a big believer in using the waiver wire to find help. There could be more additions coming, and we don’t know yet how the Bucs will create roster spots for the new guys.

Rick Stroud reports that Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman has passed a big test as he returns from a fractured right thumb. Freeman has been able to take snaps from center Jeff Faine without any problems.

Although the Saints haven’t officially announced their practice squad, James Varney has seven names. The most familiar are quarterback Sean Canfield and defensive lineman DeMario Pressley.

As is the custom in New Orleans, the Saints aren’t saying much about injuries until they have to issue an official injury report. But running back Chris Ivory said his knee injury involves the medial collateral ligament and said he’s improving every day. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma didn’t have much to say about his groin injury.

Darin Gantt points out that, at the moment, 35 of the 53 players on Carolina’s roster were drafted by the Panthers.

Things are pretty quiet in Atlanta today, but D. Orlando Ledbetter reports that tight end Tony Gonzalez has set up an interesting contest for fans to help celebrate his 1,000th catch, which will be his first catch of this season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Just got the changes that the Saints will be making to their starting lineup after declaring so many regulars inactive.

As expected, Mark Brunell will start in place of Drew Brees at quarterback. Chris Reis will start at free safety in place of Darren Sharper. Troy Evans will start in Scott Shanle’s place at weakside linebacker. DeMario Pressley will start in place of Sedrick Ellis at defensive tackle.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints have declared starting cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer inactive for tonight's game. Running back Reggie Bush also is inactive.

All three had been listed as questionable because of injuries. Also inactive for the Saints are Garrett Hartley, Jonathan Casillas, DeMario Pressley, receiver Lance Moore and fullback Kyle Eckel.

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

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.

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

The New Orleans Saints began filling out their practice squad Sunday and it includes some familiar names.

Receiver Adrian Arrington and defensive tackle DeMario Pressley, who were released by the Saints on Saturday, highlight a list of seven players who were signed to the practice squad Sunday. Also signed were guard Tim Duckworth, cornerback Danny Gorrer, running back P.J. Hill, tackle Jermey Parnell and receiver Matt Simon.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The Saints just announced they are down to 53 players. They took several different routes to get there.

Tight end Billy Miller, fullback Olaniyi Sobomehin and safety Chip Vaughn were placed on the injured-reserve list. Receiver Adrian Arrington, guard Nate Bennett, tackle Michael Brown, center Digger Bujnoch, running back Herb Donaldson, guard Tim Duckworth, cornerback Danny Gorrer, receiver Skyler Green, defensive tackle Earl Heyman, running back P.J. Hill, tight end Martrez Milner, tackle Jeremy Parnell, defensive tackle DeMario Pressley, receiver Courtney Roby, receiver Matt Simon and linebacker Anthony Waters.

The following veterans had their contracts terminated: offensive lineman Anthony Davis, quarterback Joey Harrington and defensive end Paul Spicer.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Rather quietly, the Saints have parted ways with veteran defensive tackle Brian Young. The team hasn't announced the move, but it passed through the league office Monday afternoon.

Young's release saves the Saints a little more than $3 million in salary-cap room. Young, who like the rest of the team's defensive tackles had injury problems last year, was expendable because the team previously signed veteran Rod Coleman and has a bunch of young defensive tackles.

Second-year pro Sedrick Ellis is the guy the Saints want to build their defensive line around and the other starting spot will be determined in camp. Coleman is likely to be a situational player and the Saints will let Kendrick Clancy, Hollis Thomas and DeMario Pressley compete for the other starting job.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Wednesday was Mickey Loomis' day to do one of the things coaches and general managers around the league least like to do.

Loomis was the front man for the Saints' pre-draft press conference. If you've ever been to one of these things or seen or heard one of these interviews, you've pretty much seen and heard them all. The media tries to do its job, trying to get any information that might shed light on draft plans. And coaches and general managers try to do their job by giving out as little information as possible.

Loomis is a veteran general manager now and he's gotten pretty good at handling this situation. He smiled, made a few jokes (telling the media Drew Brees is not available for trade), but really didn't reveal much that's worth even trying to read into.

He acknowledged the Saints will at least consider trades and admitted trading down is more likely than trading up because New Orleans doesn't have many draft picks to offer. He steered clear of specific talk about specific draft prospects.

But I did find one thing pretty interesting as Loomis talked about the fact the Saints have only four draft picks as of this moment. He put the reason for that into pretty good perspective.

"It is what it is," Loomis said. "Our second-round pick and our fifth-round pick and our third-round pick are Jeremy Shockey and Jonathan Vilma and we're happy to have those guys here. I'm pleased that we were able to use those picks and acquire those players."

All too often, I think teams get too hung up on keeping their picks, which may or may not work out. I like the baseball school of thought of trading for established players and Loomis followed that route last year when he traded for Vilma and Shockey. Vilma has worked out well and I still think a healthy Shockey could have a big impact this season.

Due to those moves and the fact the Saints are getting Adrian Arrington and DeMario Pressley back from injuries makes the shortage of draft picks look like a tolerable situation. Loomis even implied Arrington and Pressley essentially will be members of this year's rookie class and I think that's a valid point.

"I think both of those guys are exactly in that category," Loomis said. "They're almost like draft picks this year. We'll spend a lot of time evaluating those guys in the offseason and the preseason. The good news is that we've had some looks at them and we've liked what we've seen so far."