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We don’t know exactly what Tampa Bay’s new offense will look like until September, but there are some clues out there that suggest the Buccaneers could go away from the league-wide trend of throwing more to tight ends.

The Bucs had a major shakeup at the position this week when they traded Kellen Winslow to Seattle and brought in free agent Dallas Clark. The Bucs basically replaced one veteran pass-catcher with another.

Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said he believes Clark can get back to being the same player he was before injuries limited his production with Indianapolis the past two seasons. In 2009, Clark caught 100 passes.

But, even if Clark is healthy, he might have a tough time registering a 100-catch season. The Bucs hired former New York Giants quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan as their offensive coordinator, so it’s safe to assume this offense will at least look a little like what the Giants run.

In a 2011 season in which eight tight ends, including Winslow, were targeted at least 110 times (according to ESPN Stats & Information), the Giants took a completely different approach. New York’s top tight end, Jake Ballard, was targeted 58 times and ranked No. 25 in tight-end targets. Ballard produced 38 catches for 604 yards and four touchdowns. Backups Bear Pascoe and Travis Beckum were targeted 16 and 10 times, respectively.

Maybe Sullivan doesn’t take the exact approach the Giants did. Maybe a healthy Clark convinces Sullivan to throw to the tight ends more often.

Or maybe the Bucs will follow what the Giants did and dare to be different than the rest of the league.

There’s a perception out there that Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman relied too much on tight end Kellen Winslow last season.

Just watching the Buccaneers play last year, I shared that perception. But let’s turn to ESPN Stats & Information for some evidence that Freeman was forcing too many throws to Winslow, who was traded to Seattle on Monday night.

Freeman and Winslow formed a pretty good tandem back in 2010 and that led to some talk from Winslow about how he believed he could double his statistics in 2011. That didn’t happen.

In 2010, Winslow, when playing with Freeman, was targeted 94 times and had 66 receptions (a 70.2 completion percentage) while averaging 7.8 yards per attempt with five touchdowns and one interception. Winslow also had three drops. Freeman turned to Winslow even more frequently in 2011, targeting him 111 times. But the rest of the numbers weren’t as good as the previous season. Winslow and Freeman connected on only 64 percent of their passes last year and averaged just 6.5 yards per attempt. More importantly, Winslow caught only two touchdown passes from Freeman, but the quarterback was intercepted 10 times when targeting his tight end.

Over the past four seasons, the only quarterback-receiver tandem that combined for more interceptions when a specific receiver was targeted was Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer and Terrell Owens in 2010.

In this earlier post, I gave you my take on what the suspensions of linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith mean for the New Orleans Saints on the field.

Let’s follow that up with some numbers from ESPN Stats & Information.

• As I said in the previous post, Vilma tried to play through a knee injury last season before having surgery and missing five games. Before and after the surgery, Vilma didn’t look like the same dominant player he was in previous seasons. That’s supported by the fact that the Saints got better defensively when Vilma was out. In the games Vilma played, the Saints allowed 6.0 yards per play and 5.0 yards on rushing plays. When the Saints were without Vilma, they allowed 5.6 yards per play and 4.8 yards per rush. On pass plays, the Saints allowed 6.9 yards when Vilma played and 6.3 when he didn’t.
• Vilma wasn’t healthy all of last season, and Smith missed the first two games while serving a two-game suspension for using a banned diuretic. But in the games Vilma and Smith did participate in, they played a lot. Smith was in on 87.3 percent of the defensive snaps in the games in which he played -- that’s a very high number for a defensive end because most teams rotate three or four defensive ends. In the games Vilma played, he was on the field for 91 percent of the defensive snaps. The only Saints who had higher percentages in the games in which they played were safety Malcolm Jenkins (96.6), safety Roman Harper (93.9) and cornerback Jabari Greer (92.6).
• Smith had a team-high 10 sacks the past two seasons when the Saints sent at least five pass-rushers. That total was the fourth-best in the league over the past two seasons when using additional pass-rushers.
• Smith led all New Orleans linemen with seven passes defensed/intercepted in the regular season since 2010. He also had nine tackles for loss in that same time period.

The season-long suspension of New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma pretty much is unprecedented in the NFL.

There have been plenty of one-year suspensions (and some longer) for substance-abuse violations. But Vilma’s suspension ranks as one of the longest in history.

With help from the Associated Press, by way of ESPN Stats & Information, here’s a list of the longest non-substance-abuse suspensions in NFL history:

• Art Schlichter, life, suspended one year for gambling in 1983, never reinstated
• Merle Hapes, eight years, suspended for conversing with known gambler in 1946, reinstated in 1954
• Frank Filchock, three years, suspended for conversing with known gambler in 1947, reinstated in 1950
• Michael Vick, two years, two games, suspended indefinitely in 2007 after pleading guilty to role in dogfighting
• Plaxico Burress, two years, suspended for duration of jail term in 2009 after pleading guilty to criminal possession of a weapon
• Donte’ Stallworth, one year, suspended for one year after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter in 2009
• Paul Hornung, one year, suspended one year for gambling in 1963
• Alex Karras, one year, suspended one year for gambling in 1963
• Adam Jones, one year, suspended one year for violating Personal Conduct Policy in 2007

Those suspensions all involved off-field actions. Here is the list of the longest NFL suspensions for on-field incidents:

• 2006: Albert Haynesworth suspended five games after stomping on head of Cowboys center Andre Gurode. Gurode was not wearing a helmet at the time.
• 2011: Ndamukong Suh suspended two games after stomping on right arm of Packers lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith.
• 1986: Charles Martin suspended two games for body slamming Bears QB Jim McMahon to turf.

The New Orleans Saints turned a few heads when they drafted a player from a Canadian university Friday night.

They used a third-round pick No. 89 overall on Regina defensive tackle Akiem Hicks.

ESPN Stats & Information passed along a great trivia nugget. Hicks became the highest-drafted player from Canadian Interuniversity Sports since offensive lineman Mike Schad went No. 23 overall to the Los Angeles Rams in 1986.

Schad, a native of Canada, stayed with the Rams through 1988. He then went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1989 through 1993.

Hicks took a different route. He’s a native of Elk Grove, Calif. He played at Sacramento City College before transferring to LSU. But Hicks didn’t stay in Louisiana for long. He transferred to Regina in 2010 and played two eight-game seasons at Regina where he had eight career sacks and 56 tackles, including 12 for a loss.

This isn’t the first time Hicks has been drafted. He was selected by the Omaha Nighthawks in the United Football League’s 2011 draft, but chose to return to Regina.

As it turns out, the Atlanta Falcons aren’t planning to jump over that playoff hurdle that’s been talked so much about.

They simply plan to plow right through it. The latest evidence came Friday night when the Falcons used their second-round draft pick (No. 55 overall) on Wisconsin center (more on that in a moment) Peter Konz.

It would have been very easy for the Falcons to overreact and do something crazy after an embarrassing January playoff loss to the New York Giants. Yeah, they could have made a leap in free agency for defensive end Mario Williams, which seemed to be the preferred rout by 99 of every 100 Falcons fans.

But the fact is, if the Falcons had landed Williams back in March, they wouldn’t be as good a team as they are today. Seriously.

Yeah, I know it sounds a little ridiculous to say the Falcons are better off without a guy who could have brought them double-digit sacks. But it’s the truth. Had the Falcons signed Williams, they would have had to gut their existing roster.

The salary-cap space Williams would have taken up would have prevented the Falcons from keeping guys like receiver Harry Douglas, safety Thomas DeCoud, defensive end John Abraham, center Todd McClure and running back Jason Snelling. They might not have been able to fit cornerback Brent Grimes under the salary cap with the franchise tag. Even if they did, they would have had to have made some dramatic moves -- like releasing receiver Roddy White, running back Michael Turner or fullback Ovie Mughelli.

Any or all of those moves seemed possible in the immediate aftermath of the loss in New York. But owner Arthur Blank, who earlier in his tenure may have been prone to overreacting, sat down with coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coolly came up with a plan on how the Falcons can take the next step.

Smith and Dimitroff have had four straight winning seasons, but have yet to win a playoff game. When you’ve had four straight winning seasons, you don’t blow a team up. You keep it together and fix the things that are wrong.

Without flash, that’s precisely what the Falcons have done and Friday night was just another step.

“We were really honed in on the offensive line as you can imagine,’’ Dimitroff said, moments after selecting Konz. “We need to get more stout on this offensive line.’’

There’s no doubt about that. Let’s consider this item from ESPN Stats & Information: The Falcons were one of 10 teams to average less than 4.0 yards per rush between the tackles last season. That came despite the fact they have a bruising runner in Turner.

The Falcons also didn’t do a great job of protecting quarterback Matt Ryan. That failure was the major reason why all the downfield passing we heard about after the Falcons traded up to draft Julio Jones didn’t fully materialize last year. The Falcons were soft up front and it cost offensive line coach Paul Boudreau his job.

Other than left tackle Sam Baker, a first-round pick in 2008, the Falcons really haven’t made huge investments in their offensive line. The arrival of Konz changes that.

Although he played center at Wisconsin, Dimitroff said “we’re listing him as a guard/center right now’’.

It’s no big secret McClure is at the end of his career. He’s 35 and it shows. The Falcons brought him back as insurance, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be their starting center on opening day. Guard Joe Hawley also can play center. Hawley also could factor into the situation at guard, where he played last season along with Justin Blalock and Garrett Reynolds. Add Konz to that mix and it’s pretty clear the Falcons are going to throw all their guards and centers onto the field in training camp and the preseason and see which of the three emerge as the best trio.

“Let’s come in here and have some great competition and see who can protect Matt Ryan the best,’’ Dimitroff said. “We want production and we want guys who can finish. In Peter, we have a guy who can do both of those.’’

Look, I’m not saying a guard/center from Wisconsin is going to come in the second round and push right through that hurdle all by himself. Konz is just a part of the puzzle and maybe fans can finally see that picture coming together now.

There’s a reason why Atlanta didn’t have a first-round pick this year. Jones was the first-round pick for last year and this year and he’s better than any receiver in this year’s draft. There was a reason why the Falcons didn’t make to splurge in free agency. They didn’t have the salary-cap room to do it without ripping a good team apart.

Little by little, they’ve made moves that have them gaining speed as they head for that hurdle. Just this week, they traded a late-round draft pick for four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel and quickly signed him to a cap-friendly deal.

In theory, Samuel should team with Grimes and Dunta Robinson to give the Falcons one of the league’s best cornerback tandems. In theory, Konz should team with all those other offensive linemen to make the Falcons tougher up front.

Yeah, there still are a few needs -- the pass rush, depth at tight end and maybe some more help on the outside of the offensive line. The Falcons are well aware of all that. They’ll address those needs in the rest of the draft and after it when the time and the price are right. But, now, you can see their offseason plan taking shape.

If the Falcons had gone out and paid a fortune for Williams, they wouldn’t be making solid, safe picks like Konz because they’d be desperately trying to repair all the other damage they did to their team.

Morris Claiborne is the best cornerback in this year’s draft. Patrick Peterson was the best cornerback in last year’s draft.

Besides that, they’ve got a lot in common. Both played at LSU. Peterson went No. 5 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Claiborne isn’t expected to last past the Buccaneers at No. 5, and could go as early as No. 3. That would make LSU the fifth school to have multiple defensive backs drafted in the top five and the first to have defensive backs drafted in the top five in consecutive years.

Peterson had a great rookie season. How does Claiborne compare to him?

Well, let’s turn to ESPN Stats & Information for some numbers.

Claiborne played in 33 games and Peterson appeared in 39. Claiborne had 11 interceptions and 12 pass breakups. Peterson had seven interceptions and 22 pass breakups. Claiborne had 95 tackles and Peterson had 135.

Oh, one other thing. Ron Cooper coached both Peterson and Claiborne in college. Cooper is now defensive backs coach for Tampa Bay.

As we get ready for the start of the NFL draft Thursday, let’s quickly review which teams have what picks.

After that, we’ll turn to ESPN Stats & Information for a few draft notes on each team.

The Atlanta Falcons have six overall picks -- second round (No. 55), third round (84), fifth round (157), sixth round (192) and two seventh-round picks (229 and 249). After trading up to draft Julio Jones last year, the Falcons are without a first-round pick for the first time since 2006. With only two picks in the first four rounds, the Falcons are tied with the Saints and Raiders for the fewest. The Falcons have selected a defensive player with six of eight picks in the first three rounds since 2009. Of the six draft picks in 2011, only Jones started a game last season.

The Carolina Panthers have seven picks -- first round (No. 9), second round (40), fourth round (104), fifth round (143), sixth round (180 and 207) and seventh round (216). The Panthers are the only team in the draft without a third-round pick. They traded that to the Bears last year for tight end Greg Olsen. Of the five draft picks the Panthers have had in the top 10 in their history, they have used four of them on offensive players, with defensive end Julius Peppers being the only exception.

The New Orleans Saints have five picks -- third round (No. 89), fourth round (122), fifth round (162), sixth round (179) and seventh round (234). The Saints traded away their first-round pick last year when they moved back into the first round to take running back Mark Ingram. They had to forfeit their second-round pick, which would have been No. 59, as part of their punishment for the bounty program. This is the first time in franchise history the Saints haven’t had a pick in the first two rounds. The five picks are the fewest the Saints have had since 2009, when they had four. Their 16 total picks from 2009 through 2011 are the second-fewest of any team. The Saints drafted defensive players with five of their six picks in 2011.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have six picks -- first round (No. 5), second round (36), third round (68), fifth round (140), sixth round (174) and seventh round (212). The only time the Bucs have had fewer picks was in 2000, when they had only five. Tampa Bay’s eight draft picks in 2011 combined for 46 starts last season (tied for third in the league). The Bucs have drafted defensive front-seven players with their first three picks in 2011 and their first two picks in 2010. There’s been a lot of speculation the Bucs could use their first-round pick on LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. If they do, it will mark only the third time in franchise history they’ve used a first-round pick on a defensive back. The previous two were Aqib Talib in 2008 and Roderick Jones in 1986.

The New Orleans Saints’ loss of a second-round draft pick this year and again in 2013 is harsh, but isn’t totally unprecedented.

Let’s turn to ESPN Stats & Information for a look at draft picks that have been forfeited for various reasons since 1980:

• 2011 Lions forfeit seventh-round pick for tampering with Chiefs players

• 2008 49ers forfeit fifth-round pick for tampering with Bears linebacker Lance Briggs

• 2008 Patriots forfeit first-round pick for Spygate scandal

• 2002-05 Broncos forfeit 2005 third-round pick, 2002 third-round pick for circumventing salary cap between 1996 and 1998

• 2001-02 49ers forfeit 2002 third-round pick, 2001 fifth-round pick for salary cap violations

• 2001 Steelers forfeit third-round pick for exceeding 1998 salary cap

• 1986 Patriots forfeit third-round pick for illegal use of injured reserve list

• 1981 Broncos forfeit third-round pick for contract violations involving Bill Thompson

• 1981 Raiders forfeit fifth-round pick for illegally sequestering two players in 1978

• 1980 Eagles forfeit third-round pick for holding illegal tryout

• 1980 Raiders forfeit fourth-round pick for evasion of player limit

TAMPA, Fla. -- Former New Orleans guard Carl Nicks said the chance to be in a run-oriented offense was one of the points that sold him on signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

No doubt a five-year, $47.5 million contract played a role. But Nicks said it was time for a change.

“The run game, man,’’ Nicks said, when asked what attracted him to the Bucs. “No disrespect to our team (the Saints), but we’re pass first, pass second, pass third, pass fourth, fifth and sixth team and maybe some runs at the end. The Saints have great running backs. But here it’s a little different. We’ve got a big bruiser (LeGarrette Blount). We’re going to pound the ball, pound the ball and go over the top.’’

Nicks will learn to speak of the Saints in the past tense as he gets settled in Tampa Bay. He said New Orleans made a respectable offer to keep him, but he has no qualms about leaving a pass-happy offense in which he and Jahri Evans were considered the best guard tandem in the NFL. Nicks will start opposite Davin Joseph with Jeremy Zuttah moving from guard to center. Nicks said he got to know Joseph at the Pro Bowl at the end of last season and is looking forward to playing with him.

“Me and him together is going to be just as good, if not even better than me and Jahri were,’’ Nicks said. “We’re both physical. We both like to maul people, finish the blocks.’’

Oh, here’s a little nugget from ESPN Stats & Information that supports that Nicks came to the right place if he wants to help create a running game. Last season, the Saints averaged 6.6 yards per carry when running to the left (or behind Nicks). That was the second-best average in the NFL. When running to the left last season, the Bucs averaged 3.0 yards per carry, the worst figure in the league by over a yard.

Nicks said the expected disciplinary actions by the NFL against the Saints for their bounty program were not at all a factor in his decision to leave New Orleans.

It’s pretty obvious one of the reasons the Buccaneers signed Vincent Jackson was to improve their deep passing game.

The numbers say Jackson should provide an instant upgrade. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Jackson, alone, almost was more productive in the downfield game than the entire Tampa Bay receiving corps last season.

On throws of 21 or more yards last season, Jackson had 12 catches for 451 yards, and his five touchdowns tied for third in the NFL in that category.

Tampa Bay’s entire receiving corps combined for 14 catches for 459 yards and four touchdowns on throws of 21 or more yards last season.

Over the past four years, including the 2010 season in which he missed 11 games, Jackson is fourth in the NFL with 37 receptions on throws of 21 or more yards. DeSean Jackson leads with 42. Calvin Johnson is second with 39 and Carolina’s Steve Smith is third with 38.

I shared my thoughts Monday on why I think San Diego wide receiver Vincent Jackson could be a perfect fit for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In short, he’d give them a legitimate No. 1 receiver and a deep threat.

But let’s turn to ESPN Stats & Information to elaborate a little more on what Jackson brings to the table. Of all the receivers with a minimum of 100 receptions since 2008, Jackson ranks third with an average of 18 yards per catch. Only Mike Wallace (18.8) and Malcolm Floyd (18.5) had higher averages.

Since 2008, Jackson has 37 catches on passes thrown more than 20 yards downfield. That ranks No. 4 in the NFL. Jackson’s 11 touchdowns on throws of 20 yards or more in that same span tie him for No. 6 in the NFL.

Last season, 54 of Jackson’s 60 receptions resulted in a first down. That’s a 90 percent conversion rate. Floyd, his teammate, was the only receiver with at least 40 catches to post a better conversion rate (95.3 percent).

As we get ready for the start of free agency, let’s have some fun with numbers. Let’s turn to ESPN Stats & Information for some interesting nuggets on players that could be joining or leaving the NFC South.

• Houston defensive end Mario Williams is a player many are speculating could be a target of the Atlanta Falcons. Over the past five seasons, Williams has averaged 0.73 sacks per game. Only Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware (1.0) and Minnesota’s Jared Allen (0.99) have had better averages. Williams, who missed 11 games with an injury last season, has 13.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Ten of those have come when the Texans used four or fewer pass rushers.

• Williams’ ability to make things happen when a defense isn’t blitzing could fill a big hole in Atlanta. The Falcons likely will let veteran defensive end John Abraham depart as a free agent. Abraham’s been Atlanta’s only consistent pass rusher in recent years. Over the last two seasons, all 22.5 of Abraham’s sacks have come when the Falcons have sent four or fewer pass rushers. Only Allen (26 sacks) and Jason Babin (23.5) are ahead of Abraham in that category.

• New Orleans receiver Marques Colston can become a free agent. The Saints would like him back, but might not be able to afford him because they have limited salary-cap room. If Colston leaves, the Saints will be losing a lot. Last season, Colston came up with receptions on a league-high 76.9 percent of his targets. Since entering the NFL in 2006, Colston ranks ninth in receptions (449), eighth in receiving yards (6,240) and seventh in touchdowns (48). Colston has had five 1,000 yard seasons in his six years. Only Randy Moss has had 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons.

• Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who has been mentioned as a possible target for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, played all 1,142 defensive snaps the Titans had last year. Finnegan has started 42 consecutive games, the fourth-longest active streak by a cornerback. His 13 interceptions since 2008 tie him for No. 15 in the league.

• Oakland running back Michael Bush, who also has brought speculation he could be pursued by the Buccaneers, had career highs in rushes (256) and rushing yards (977) last season. But Bush’s 3.82 yard-per-carry average was the lowest in the NFL among running backs with at least 200 carries. Bush, however, was effective in short-yardage situations. When needing three or fewer yards for a first down, Bush rushed for 34 first downs. Only LeSean McCoy (47) had more.

Carl Nicks repeatedly has said he’d like to stay with the New Orleans Saints.

But, as we count down the hours until Tuesday’s start of free agency, Nicks said he still hasn’t received an offer from the only team he has ever played for. He also said he believes the Saints can’t afford him and don’t want to “disrespect’’ him by making him an offer that won’t make him the league’s highest-paid guard (more than $8.5 million per season).

Barring a last-minute surge in salary-cap room, the Saints probably will let Nicks hit the open market. As I’ve written before, NFC South rivals Atlanta and Tampa Bay could be in the market for Nicks. So could a lot of other teams around the league. That’s because Nicks is the league’s best guard and he’s only 26.

If the Saints lose Nicks, they’re losing a lot. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Nicks and teammate Jermon Bushrod led all offensive players in snaps played in 2011 with 1,177. In other words, Nicks and Bushrod played in every one of New Orleans’ offensive snaps. New England quarterback Tom Brady (1,149 snaps) and Atlanta Justin Blalock (1,147) and tackle Tyson Clabo (1,147) rounded out the top five.

In addition to being a dominant pass blocker, Nicks also has been stellar in the running game. The Saints averaged 6.6 yards when running to the left last season. That average ranked No. 2 in the NFL.

Nicks and Jahri Evans have formed the best guard tandem in the league in recent years. Their play probably has helped center Brian De La Puente, Bushrod and right tackle Zach Strief.

If Nicks leaves, the Saints still have an elite guard in Evans. But they’ll no longer have an elite player on both sides of the offensive line.

We frequently talk here about how the NFC South might be the league’s only division with four franchise quarterbacks.

I’m in agreement with that because New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan are well established as franchise quarterbacks. Cam Newton’s rookie season in Carolina was a pretty strong indication that he also fits the profile. I still believe Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman has the talent to be a franchise quarterback but needs to bounce back from a rough 2011 season and get some help from his supporting cast.

But, even with all that set, there is room for major improvement among NFC South quarterbacks in one area. Freeman and Newton were among the league leaders in one significant category that didn’t reflect very well on them. According to ESPN Stats & Information’s Keith Hawkins, Freeman and Newton ranked way too high when it came to quarterback turnovers (interceptions plus fumbles lost) in 2011. Here’s a look at the league leaders.

• Freeman, 27

• Mark Sanchez, 26

• Ryan Fitzpatrick, 25

• Rex Grossman, 25

• Philip Rivers, 25

• Eli Manning, 20

• Newton, 19

• Ben Roethlisberger, 19

• Tavaris Jackson, 18

• Michael Vick, 18

• Joe Flacco, 18

What’s disturbing here about Freeman and Newton are their interception totals. Freeman was second in the league with 22. That comes after a 2010 season in which he threw only six interceptions. What was the difference? Some of it was simply bad decision making by Freeman. But I think he was also the victim of an offense that was in total chaos. Everything was going wrong for the Bucs offensively. Their play calling wasn’t great, there wasn’t good balance between their running and passing game and their receivers often failed to get open and dropped a lot of passes. With new offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan and what should be a more disciplined and organized team all the way around under new coach Greg Schiano, I think you’ll see big improvement from Freeman.

Newton wasn’t too far off Freeman with 17 interceptions. I don’t think the blame here falls on the supporting cast or the offensive scheme and play calling. I think it falls on Newton. He was a rookie and there naturally will be some mistakes. Newton also played with a great deal of confidence and tried to force some throws that weren’t there. That’s something that can easily be worked on in the offseason.

That’s why I don’t think you’ll see Freeman and Newton as high on this list in 2012.