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Atlanta Falcons

The team's 2011 No. 1 draft pick, Julio Jones, recently worked out for the first time with quarterback Matt Ryan but took it slow since he's still recovering from foot surgery.

Former Falcons safety Erik Coleman, whom the team cut in February, is glad he signed a contract with a team before the lockout. “Being a free agent and not knowing where you’re going to go once the lockout is done would probably be a very frustrating thing,” Coleman said.

Carolina Panthers

Offensive linemen Jordan Gross and Travelle Wharton organized informal practice sessions for players on Tuesday.

Would the Panthers be interested in any Ohio State players who are reportedly considering entering the NFL's supplemental draft?

New Orleans Saints

Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove says he'll be ready when the time comes to play.

None of the Saints' rushers broke the top 25 in Pat Kirwan's ranking of the NFL's best running backs. Reggie Bush and Mark Ingram both fit in in the 26-30 range.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Was Marvin Lewis' beef with the Bucs a result of regret?

Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com believes former Bucs coach John Gruden would take the Ohio State coaching job if he were offered it.

As expected, the Atlanta Falcons are releasing safety Erik Coleman. They also have signed linebacker Coy Wire to a two-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Coleman became expendable after Thomas DeCoud and William Moore established themselves as solid starters this past season. Coleman was scheduled to count more than $3 million against a potential 2011 salary cap. But the Falcons will clear up about $2.4 million in cap space if a new labor agreement is reached and the rules for cap calculations on released players are done in a similar manner.

Wire has established himself as a valuable backup and special-teams player.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the Atlanta Falcons are soon expected to release veteran safety Erik Coleman.

That’s not much of a surprise because Coleman became a seldom-used backup this season with the emergence of young safeties Thomas DeCoud and William Moore. Those two are now established as the starters for the long term.

Coleman had started all 32 games for the Falcons in 2008 and ’09, but lost his starting job in training camp last summer. The move also might have been prompted in part by financial reasons. The Falcons weren’t going to continue paying him as a starter.

He was scheduled to earn $2.5 million in 2011, the final year of his contract. Instead of Coleman’s scheduled $3.125 million cap figure, the Falcons will be responsible for only $625,000 of pro-rated bonus money against the 2011 cap.

On Monday, we looked at the guys who are the best bargains (salary wise) in the NFC South. We’ll follow that up now with the flip side.

I’m not going to use the word overpaid because that’s one of my pet peeves. In fact, when I hear people categorically say that football players are overpaid, I always argue against that. My reasoning is that you can’t pay these guys enough because of what they’re putting their bodies through and what the long-term implications of that could be.

That said, however, there are some guys around the division whose production this season isn’t quite matching their contracts. Let’s take a look, and the guidelines we’re using are salary-cap numbers, even though there is no cap this year, because they include base salaries and bonuses.

Chris Gamble, cornerback, Panthers, $8.05 million. He’s been a nice player for a long time, but never a true star. This season, he hasn’t even been good. He doesn’t have an interception and, at one point, was benched by coach John Fox.

Jordan Gross, tackle, Panthers, $8.5 million. Another guy whose play this year isn’t close to what it’s been in the past. You can blame most of it on other problems on the offensive line. But Gross hasn’t been as dominant as he once was.

Steve Smith, receiver, Panthers, $8.7 million. Let’s put the blame for this one on the Panthers -- their problems at quarterback and conservative play calling. Smith is a tremendous talent, but the Panthers have just kind of wasted this season for him.

Erik Coleman, safety, Falcons, $2.785 million. With Thomas DeCoud and William Moore stepping up, Coleman has become nothing more than an expensive backup.

Chauncey Davis, defensive end, Falcons, $3.35 million. He’s made one start and hasn’t recorded a sack. He’s an even more expensive backup than Coleman.

Jamaal Anderson, defensive lineman, Falcons, $5.4 million. After a horrible start to his career as a defensive end, the former first-round draft pick finally has showed some value as a situational player. He gets time in the rotation as a defensive tackle and defensive end, and he can play the run. But there are a lot of guys who play the run for a lot less money.

Reggie Bush, running back, Saints, $11.99 million. A lot of people say Bush is overrated and I disagree with that because he can do so many different things. But, mainly because of injuries, his production has been minimal this season.

Jahri Evans, guard, Saints, $9.2 million. The Saints gave him a huge contract because a lot of people say he’s the best guard in the league. He can be that, at times, but he seems to have developed a knack for getting called for holding this year.

Jeff Faine, center, Buccaneers, $5 million. He just went on injured reserve yesterday and he missed significant time with injuries early in the season. Even when he’s healthy, Faine is only pretty close to ordinary.

ATLANTA – The Falcons are leading, 7-3, at the end of the first quarter, but they’re getting beat up.

Two starters got hurt in the first quarter. Fullback Ovie Mughelli has left the game with a hamstring injury and the team is saying his return is questionable. The Falcons don’t even list a backup fullback on their depth chart, but reserve tailback Jason Snelling has played there some in the past.

Safety Thomas DeCoud also left the game in the first quarter after being shaken up while making a tackle. The Falcons haven’t announced anything on DeCoud’s injury or if he’s expected to return. Erik Coleman went in and finished the last drive in DeCoud’s place.

We’ll see if DeCoud goes back in for the next defensive series. After receiving some medical attention, he now is sitting on the bench with the rest of the defensive backs.

I just arrived back at NFC South Blog headquarters and it’s time to take a quick trip the headlines around the division.

It’s no shock that Carolina coach John Fox would only say that wide receiver Steve Smith is day-to-day with a high ankle sprain. Fox lists just about every injury as day to day. But Smith’s agent admitted it’s likely his client will miss Sunday’s game against Chicago. The Panthers have a bye after the Bears, so it’s possible Smith might miss only one game.

The Bucs aren’t quite ready to hand the starting flanker job to rookie Arrelious Benn, but coach Raheem Morris said Benn has earned time in the rotation. Look for Benn to start getting more snaps and Sammie Stroughter to start transitioning to the slot.

The Saints will audition some free-agent safeties on Tuesday after having several injuries Sunday. Coach Sean Payton said he’s hopeful starting strong safety Roman Harper can return after missing Sunday’s game. Chris Reis got playing time as one of Harper’s replacements, but suffered a shoulder injury. Payton said Harper already has been ruled out for this week. Pierson Prioleau, who started in Harper’s place, suffered a lung injury and the Saints aren’t sure if he’ll be ready to play this week.

It appears as if Atlanta's William Moore is taking over the starting job at strong safety on a permanent basis. He’s played well after Erik Coleman suffered an injury. Coleman is back and healthy, but Moore is still starting. This is the arrangement the Falcons had hoped for all along, but things got delayed a bit in the preseason as Moore was overcoming an injury of his own.

After their 16-14 victory over San Francisco, it’s time to touch on some statistical superlatives for the Falcons.

• Matt Bryant hit the game-winning field goal with two seconds remaining. It’s the second straight week Bryant has hit a game-winning field goal. He’s kicked winners 11 times in his career.
• Receiver Roddy White caught seven passes for 104 yards. White now has 18 career 100-yard games. White also went over the 5,000-yard receiving mark for his career. He has 5,055, which puts him fourth on the team’s all-time list.
• Quarterback Matt Ryan completed 26 of 43 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown. He also improved his career record in the Georgia Dome to 15-1 and he’s 17-4 overall in games played indoors.
• In the preseason, linebacker Curtis Lofton talked about how he wanted to start making more big plays. He did that against the 49ers. He had a sack, nine tackles and the first interception of his career.
• Although Erik Coleman is healthy again, the Falcons are sticking with William Moore as a starting safety. That decision is paying off. Moore had his second interception of the season and returned it 13 yards to help set up an Atlanta field goal.

Teams have issued their Friday injury reports, so it’s time to take a look at the significant injuries across the NFC South.

Falcons. Rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is listed as questionable after sitting out practice for the third straight day. I’d look for Stephen Nicholas, a starter last year, to be back in the lineup. Safety Erik Coleman is listed as questionable with a knee injury, but went through the full practice Friday. I’d still expect to see William Moore start at safety. Wide receiver Michael Jenkins is questionable with a shoulder injury that’s held him out since the preseason. He practiced on a limited basis. I think the Falcons are treating this as Jenkins’ preseason, and the goal is to have him ready next week. Cornerback Brent Grimes also missed practice due to a family situation, but is expected to play Sunday.

Saints. Coach Sean Payton said running back Pierre Thomas (ankle) and safety Roman Harper (hamstring) will be game-time decisions. Payton said he needs to see some improvement from Thomas and Harper before deciding to let them play. If Thomas is out, look for Chris Ivory and Ladell Betts to share the work at tailback.

Panthers. Right tackle Jeff Otah will miss his fourth straight game with a knee injury. On the positive side, defensive ends Greg Hardy and Tyler Brayton returned to practice on a limited basis and are listed as questionable.

Buccaneers. They’re off this weekend, so there is no injury report.

Time for the Atlanta Falcons in our tour of team-by-team mailbags.

Eli in Los Angeles writes: What's impressed me most about this Falcon team is the defense. Although I know they allow too much yardage, they have 6 picks, 7 sacks, and are 30% on third downs. Do you see the massive improvement that I am?

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, I do. The Falcons worked on their defense in the offseason, signing cornerback Dunta Robinson and drafting linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and Corey Peters. They also got William Moore and Peria Jerry back after both missed most of their rookie season with injuries. All that has made a big difference. The Falcons are much faster and more aggressive on defense. I think that’s largely because they finally have the personnel in place to play the type of defense Mike Smith wants.

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Jeff in Charleston, S.C. writes: That is certainly disheartening news hearing about the ankle injury to Sean Weatherspoon. After being relieved that the carting off the field was due to cramping, now we hear that there is a legitimate injury. What is your take on this? I know Smith is always vague on injuries, but do you think there is any reason to believe Spoon won’t play this weekend in order to make sure he is healthy down the stretch?

Pat Yasinskas: Like you said, Smith is vague on injuries, but he did say he hopes Weatherspoon can return to practice this week. That was encouraging and we’ll get an update on Atlanta’s injury report later this afternoon. I know the Falcons would like to have Weatherspoon out there. But it’s not a dire situation if he’s not ready. Stephan Nicholas is his backup and Nicholas was a starter last season. Nicholas doesn’t have Weatherspoon’s upside, but he’s still a decent player who could start for some teams. It’s nice when you’ve got depth like that.

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David in Dacula, Ga., writes: I heard Jamie Dukes say that Matt Ryan was not a great QB but the Falcons were a good team -- is that a fair assessment? I think he is much better than he gives him credit [for]. He is a great leader and passer and runs the offense very well. Are these not the things that make a great QB?

Pat Yasinskas: I don’t know exactly what qualifies a quarterback as elite or great. But Ryan went into the Superdome and beat the defending Super Bowl champions. I think that says a lot. Maybe Ryan’s not in the Tom Brady/Drew Brees/Peyton Manning category yet. But I think he’s already a very good quarterback and will at least be that for a very long time. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if Ryan someday definitively joins the list of elite quarterbacks.

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Micky in Leitchfield, Ky., writes: Do you think William Moore will keep the starting job once Erik Coleman is able to return?

Pat Yasinskas: Just a guess here because Smith isn’t going to tip his hand about strategy. But I think Moore continues to start. The Falcons weren’t thrilled with Coleman’s play last season. They believe Moore has lots of upside and I think they’re going to give him the chance to show it.

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Nate in Orlando writes: I'm concerned with the upcoming Falcons game. They are playing the winless 49er's, who may have a chip on their shoulder. They have something to prove especially after the thumping the Birds gave them last year. Any chance at all that Atlanta is overlooking what may be a really tough game?

Pat Yasinskas: Yep, this one has some elements of the old “trap’’ game and I’m sure the Falcons are a little drained after the New Orleans game. But playing at home should help and the Falcons also have the momentum really rolling right now. And I’m pretty sure that Smith, like any coach in his position, has spent a good part of the week reminding his team to focus on San Francisco.

We already checked in on some key injuries for the Saints. Now, let’s check in on the Falcons, who had a bit of significant news on the injury front Wednesday.

Atlanta rookie linebacker Sean Weatherspoon sat out practice with an ankle injury. Weatherspoon was carted off the field in New Orleans on Sunday, but that was because he was experiencing cramps. Coach Mike Smith said the ankle pain surfaced the next day and that he’s hopeful Weatherspoon might return to practice Thursday. The Falcons have some solid depth behind Weatherspoon. Stephan Nicholas started in Weatherspoon's position last year and continues to get a fair amount of work.

On the flip side of the injury spectrum, it looks like a couple injured players are close to being ready to return. Wide receiver Michael Jenkins, who has missed the first three games with a shoulder injury, practiced on a limited basis. I think there’s a decent chance Jenkins might make his season debut Sunday against San Francisco. Safety Erik Coleman, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, returned to practice on a limited basis. But it remains to be seen if the Falcons will put Coleman back in the starting lineup or stay with William Moore.

NEW ORLEANS -- Just got the inactive list for the Falcons and a couple of changes to the starting lineup.

Harry Douglas will start at wide receiver in place of the injured Michael Jenkins, and William Moore will start at safety in place of the injured Erik Coleman.

Jenkins and Coleman are on the inactive list. Also inactive for the Falcons will be running back Gartrell Johnson, linebacker Spencer Adkins, tackle Garrett Reynolds, guard Mike Johnson and defensive tackle Trey Lewis.

The Thursday injury reports are out. We won’t run through every single player and detail. But let’s take a look at the important injuries.

Saints. Running back Chris Ivory suddenly appears to be on the fast track to recovery from his knee injury. He practiced full Thursday after going on a limited basis Wednesday. Looks like there’s a chance Ivory could be ready for Sunday, which would be nice because the Saints need all the running back help they can get with Reggie Bush out with a broken leg. On the downside, cornerback Randall Gay missed his second straight day of practice with a concussion. That’s not a real good sign and the Saints may have to go with Leigh Torrence or rookie Patrick Robinson as their nickelback against Atlanta.

Falcons. The Falcons only have three players on the injury report and we’ll touch on them all because they’re all significant. Running back Michael Turner (groin) participated fully, so that’s a strong sign he should be ready for Sunday. The jury’s still out on wide receiver Michael Jenkins, who just began practicing this week after missing the first two games and most of the preseason with a shoulder injury. Jenkins practiced on a limited basis for the second straight day, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Falcons wait another week to play him. Safety Erik Coleman (knee) sat out another practice. Looks like William Moore will get another start at safety.

Buccaneers. Center Jeff Faine missed his second straight day of practice with a calf injury. The Bucs may slide reserve guard Jeremy Zuttah into Faine’s role if he’s not ready to play against the Steelers. Running back Cadillac Williams (hamstring) went through the full practice after being limited Wednesday.

Panthers. Right tackle Jeff Otah doesn’t sound like he’s anywhere close to being ready to play. Meantime, Thomas Davis, who tore his ACL for the second time in June, said he hopes to be playing by mid-November. That’s a nice ambition, but I’m not sure it’s a real smart move to rush it like that.

The Atlanta Falcons are up in our series of team-by-team mailbags.


Patrick in Greenville, S.C., writes: Hey Pat, I appreciate all the info you provide. I read that Michael Jenkins has returned to practice . Does this mean he will start against the Saints? Do you think he will improve the Falcon's offense?

Pat Yasinskas: Jenkins practiced on a limited basis for the first time Wednesday. We’ll see if he does more this afternoon. It’s obvious he’s on the road to coming back from his shoulder injury. But he still might be a week or so away from actually starting. I know a lot of Atlanta fans don’t think Jenkins is all that good as a No. 2 receiver, but I disagree. I think he’s a role player, who can be a decent possession receiver, which is what the Falcons want from him because they’ve got him surrounded with Roddy White, Harry Douglas and Tony Gonzalez. They also think Jenkins is very important to the offense as a run blocker.

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Randy in Hampton, Va., writes: I am Falcons fan and I was wondering your opinion on this question. Do you think the Falcons are a physical enough team to compete with the rest of the AFC North teams on the schedule?

Pat Yasinskas: I think the Falcons are a more physical team than a lot of people give them credit for. Their offensive line has been very tough and aggressive the past few years. It took some time to get the right personnel, but the defense is now much more physical than it’s been in the first two years of the Mike Smith era.

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Rick in Atlanta writes: Do you have any insights on how William Moore graded out vs. Arizona? On a related note, any idea on the status of Erik Coleman's knee injury?

Pat Yasinskas: Coleman was held out of practice again Wednesday, so it’s looking like Moore will get another start. He’s a player the Falcons are very high on. They weren’t all that happy with Coleman last season and they were hoping Moore would win the job in the preseason. That didn’t happen because Moore was dealing with some injury issues. But he’s getting a chance now and the Falcons hope he shows them enough to convince them to keep him in the starting lineup for the long term.

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Jeremy in Cedartown, Ga., writes: Why does the Falcons-Saints rivalry get overshadowed? All week, all I've heard is Packer-Bears. Geez the Bears haven’t been good in 10 years. Falcons-Saints has a college rivalry touch to it. I mean hundreds of the opposing teams fans invade the home team’s city year after year. I know these two teams stunk it up for years, but the essence of this rivalry is strong even in the down years.When will it get the respect this rivalry deserves?

Pat Yasinskas: Hey, you’re talking to the NFC South blogger, so I’m with you on this. Right now, Atlanta and New Orleans is the best rivalry in the NFC South. Maybe it doesn’t receive the attention it deserves because the Falcons and Saints don’t have the long tradition like the Bears and Packers and because New Orleans is a small market. But this is a very good rivalry and it’s going to get plenty of attention here in the next few days. I’ll be writing my Friday column on the Saints and Falcons and am scheduled to cover the game in New Orleans on Sunday.

Time to analyze Atlanta's 41-7 victory against Arizona.

What it means: The Falcons are quite alive and doing well, a week after a horrible season-opening loss to Pittsburgh.

What’s next: We’ll find out if the Falcons are closer to the dominant team they were against the Cardinals or the disaster they were against the Steelers next week. They travel to New Orleans and challenges don’t come any bigger than going against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Hindsight: A lot of Atlanta fans sent items to my mailbag last week saying I was too harsh on the Falcons for their loss in Pittsburgh. I understood the gripes, but this is the world of professional sports and the Falcons fell flat against the Steelers and there wasn’t any other way to spin it. Besides, I can assure you Mike Smith and his staff spent the week pointing out many of the same flaws I did. The Falcons truly rose up against the Cardinals and I’m singing their praises now. As I’ve said before, I can only work with what teams do on the field and the Falcons gave nothing but positives today.

Big revelation: At least for a day, the Falcons had a monster in running back Jason Snelling. After Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood were injured, Snelling ran for rushed for 129 yards and scored three touchdowns. Snelling did some good things last year when the Falcons had injuries in the backfield. In another positive development, Turner looked very sharp, averaging more than eight yards a carry before his injury and looked tremendously better than he did against Pittsburgh. The Falcons also said Turner’s injury was minor and he could have come back, but there was no need because the team had a big lead. Norwood’s injury could be more serious and his durability has always been a question. If there’s a lesson to be learned going forward, it’s that Atlanta’s running game might be at its best with Snelling getting a healthy dose of carries behind Turner.

Unsung Heroes: Safety William Moore and cornerback Christopher Owens, who each had interceptions. Moore was making his first career start in place of an injured Erik Coleman and could end up hanging onto the job. Owens is in his first full season as a starter.

What I liked: The way quarterback Matt Ryan bounced back after the Pittsburgh fiasco. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Ryan is always going to be extremely scrutinized due to his draft status and remarkable rookie year. Against the Cardinals, there wasn’t much to scrutinize and Ryan had the Atlanta offense operating the way the coaches expect.

It's a pretty busy Thursday afternoon in the NFC South. So let's take a quick trip through what's going on in the division.

Tampa Bay cornerback Aqib Talib reportedly violated the terms of his suspension by watching Sunday’s game from inside Raymond James Stadium. Suspended players are not allowed on team property while they are suspended. Team officials said they had no idea Talib was at the game. He said Wednesday he watched the game on television from his off-season home in Dallas. But the St. Petersburg Times reports Talib was seen signing autographs inside the stadium. I’ve had numerous fans tell me the same thing in my mailbag or that they were sitting in suites near Talib and saw him.

Former Carolina offensive lineman Greg Skrepenak went into a career in politics after his football career. Now, he’s going to jail.

According to the injury report sent out by the Falcons, wide receiver Michael Jenkins did not participate in Thursday’s practice. Jenkins missed the season opener with a shoulder injury and the fact he’s not practicing might mean he’s about to miss his second game. Safety Erik Coleman (knee) also sat out practice.

According to the injury report sent out by the Bucs, tight end Kellen Winslow didn’t practice Thursday. This is not unusual. Winslow’s knee frequently keeps him out of practice as the Bucs rest him for Sundays.

With an extra day off because they don’t play until Monday night, the Saints appear to be getting healthy. Although linebackers Jonathan Vilma and Stanley Arnoux are listed on the injury report, they fully participated in Thursday’s practice. Arnoux had been out since suffering an ankle injury early in camp.

Sunday’s game between Tampa Bay and Carolina sold out before Thursday’s deadline for local television blackouts. The Panthers have a streak of 76 consecutive sellouts.

Here’s a very interesting story on game-day traffic in cities around the NFL. Atlanta and Carolina ranked in the 10 worst.