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Although there’s been speculation from the day Greg Schiano became the head coach in Tampa Bay that Butch Davis would be joining his staff, that still hasn’t happened.

But it now appears imminent. Alex Marvez reports that Davis has been hired as a senior defensive assistant. Local reports say the deal hasn’t been completed, but appears likely.

If a deal with Davis is finalized, it likely would silence some of the criticism Schiano has taken because most of his reported hires so far have been his former Rutgers assistants — of whom few have any NFL experience.

But Davis has been a head coach in the NFL and on the college level. He also was defensive coordinator for Dallas during the Jimmy Johnson days. Davis was also the University of Miami head coach when Schiano was Hurricanes defensive coordinator and the two have remained close.

Although initial speculation was that Davis would be the defensive coordinator, it appears that won’t be the case. His role might be more as a liason between Schiano and a new defensive coordinator. The Bucs made a similar move when they hired Jimmy Raye II as a senior offensive assistant.

Neither coordinator is in place and one or both could come from the college ranks. But the presence of Davis and Raye, who has a long history as an NFL assistant, would bring a lot of NFL experience and respect to the staff of Schiano, who never has been an NFL head coach.

So what if Schiano’s bringing in a lot of Rutgers assistants? They’re guys he knows and with whom he has enjoyed success. Throw in the NFL experience of Davis and Raye and this could turn out to be a pretty good staff.

It almost certainly would be better than the staff of former coach Raheem Morris. After firing offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski and defensive coordinator Jim Bates early in his tenure, Morris’ staff was viewed as largely inexperienced and ineffective in league circles.

When Bates was fired, Morris, who had not officially been a defensive coordinator on the NFL level (he was selected to replace Monte Kiffin, but was elevated to head coach before he ever called a play as coordinator), took over as the defensive coordinator. When Jagodzinski was fired, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson was quickly promoted and the trickle-down effect took a toll on the rest of the offensive staff.

If Schiano, who has history as a college defensive coordinator, surrounds himself with Davis and Raye and coordinators, the Bucs suddenly will be a lot stronger at the top of their coaching staff.

Let’s take a look at some of the top Thursday headlines from around the NFC South. Fair warning up front that this is going to be a bit heavy on the Saints. That’s because they’re still playing and the rest of the division is fairly quiet right now.

San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had a great quote when asked about the Saints adding running back Darren Sproles in the offseason -- "I can't believe they got him for the cheap price they got him, for replacing Reggie Bush. I think if it was the NBA, the commissioner might have stepped in and stopped the move."

Injured New Orleans safety Roman Harper and receiver Lance Moore are optimistic they’ll be able to play against the 49ers.

Bradley Handwerger has a nice story on New Orleans receiver Marques Colston and how he’s developed a reputation for being one of the league’s toughest receivers. That’s very true. Colston is a big, strong guy, and isn’t hesitant to go over the middle and catch passes.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said simply getting to the playoffs on a regular basis isn’t good enough. He wants to win a Super Bowl. I admire Blank for coming right out and saying that in front of coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. If it puts some added pressure on them, that’s not a bad thing. Blank has given Smith and Dimitroff a lot of resources, and the owner has every right to expect great returns on his investments.

Greg Olson, who was fired as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator when Raheem Morris’ entire staff was dismissed, will interview for the job as quarterbacks coach with the Chicago Bears.

Let's take a look at some of the day's top headlines from around the NFC South:

With Cam Newton sitting courtside in Charlotte on Wednesday night, Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade hit a game-winning shot against the Bobcats. Wade then did the “Superman’’ celebration we’ve seen Newton do so many times this season. Wade said it was out of respect for the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers.

In his weekly film study, Jeff Duncan makes a very good point. With all the attention on Drew Brees and the New Orleans passing game, we tend to forget how well the Saints are running the ball. In their current seven-game winning streak, the Saints have rushed for 100 yards six times and are averaging 5.3 yards per carry. That running game could come in handy if the Saints end up playing an outdoor game in rough weather in the playoffs.

Here’s a good comparison between the 2009 Saints and this year’s team.

Atlanta coach Mike Smith has said several times that simply making the playoffs is not the organization’s goal. Jeff Schultz takes a look at different scenarios that could define a successful season. I’m thinking at the very least the Falcons would get some satisfaction from winning in the playoffs for the first time under Smith. But this was a team that went out and got Julio Jones and Ray Edwards in the offseason. Two playoff wins might be viewed as closer to a successful season.

Don Banks runs through the coaching carousel and says he doesn’t see Raheem Morris staying with Tampa Bay. Banks throws out several possible replacements. The one that might be worth keeping an eye on here is Mike Sherman. He has the same agent as Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik.

Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Greg Olson said he hasn’t lost faith in quarterback Josh Freeman. Olson said the lack of an offseason hurt the Bucs. I’d buy that if the Bucs hadn’t started 4-2 before going on a nine-game losing streak.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Thoughts on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 31-15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium:

What it means: Wow, there’s a loaded question. The Bucs lost their eighth consecutive game. They now are 4-10. Their stadium had as many fans dressed in blue and white as it did in red or pewter, which was the only reason this game was the second home sellout of the past two seasons. I’ve tried to think of possible ways the Bucs could keep coach Raheem Morris for 2012, but I no longer can see any way that happens. In fact, as much as the Bucs may not like their options for an interim coach, ownership might have to pull the plug now, just to send a message to the fans.

Interim options: As long as we’re talking about the possibility of finishing the season with an interim coach, let’s examine the very limited possibilities. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson would be one. But the problem with Olson is he has no filter with the media and could say some things that might not come across well. Defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake might be the best choice. In theory, he could take over Morris’ play-calling duties for the defense. Then again, the Bucs could just play out the string with Morris and pull the plug the day after the season ends.

What I liked: Hey, there was a bright spot for the Buccaneers. First-round pick Adrian Clayborn continues to show signs he can play.

What I didn’t like: That could probably fill up a book, so I’ll try to be brief. The offense was horrible and quarterback Josh Freeman never got into any sort of rhythm. The defense couldn’t tackle or cover.

Worst stat: Prior to linebacker Dekoda Watson recovering a fumble and returning it for a touchdown early in the third quarter, the Bucs had been outscored 69-0 since jumping out to a 14-0 lead against Jacksonville two weeks ago.

Worst stat II: At just about the five-minute mark of the third quarter, the Cowboys had 23 first downs and the Bucs had one. Then, Tampa Bay exploded for its second first down of the night.

What’s next: The Buccaneers play the Carolina Panthers on Christmas Eve at Bank of America Stadium.

Time for a look at the top headlines from around the NFC South.

After spending big money to add defensive end Ray Edwards via free agency, the Falcons still haven’t had much of a pass rush. The Falcons are tied for 24^th in the league with 25 sacks.

Good column by Gary Shelton. He says it wouldn’t make much, if any sense, for the Buccaneers to finish the season with an interim head coach and points to the ugly history of interim coaches. I agree totally that the Bucs should not go this route. Even if a decision has been made to fire Raheem Morris, the Bucs should wait until the season ends. An interim coach wouldn’t make things any different. In fact, there isn’t an assistant on Tampa Bay’s staff that would even qualify to serve as interim head coach. There’s no defensive coordinator because Morris handles that role. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson also is on the hot seat and he’s not the guy you want to put in front of the media every day during a crisis situation. Once upon a time, Morris had Jim Bates, who perfectly fit the profile (experienced and calm) of interim head coach, as the defensive coordinator. But Bates was fired midway through the 2009 season.

The Panthers have a chance to have the most penalized season in franchise history. Receiver Steve Smith and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn are leading the way in major penalties.

The 4-9 Panthers are at the top of the league in one category. Pro Football Weekly ranks Carolina as one of the teams that has been impacted most by injuries.

The Buccaneers are optimistic cornerback Aqib Talib, who had been sidelined by a hamstring injury, will be able to play Saturday night against Dallas.

In his weekly film study on the Saints, Jeff Duncan points out New Orleans hasn’t turned the ball over in the last four games. If you can do that, you’re going to win a lot of games. He also points out rookie linebacker Martez Wilson, a talented but raw prospect, got perhaps his most extensive playing time of the season.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

1. Greg Olson, Buccaneers offensive coordinator. Coming into the season, Olson was getting some mention as one of the “hot’’ coordinators and could have ended up with a shot at a job as a head coach with another good season. That hasn’t come anywhere close to happening. Like everything else with the Bucs, Olson’s offense has taken a step back. Heck, even if the Bucs wanted to fire coach Raheem Morris right now, they probably would be very hesitant to do it because Olson would be the likely candidate to take over on an interim basis and his season has been just as bad as Morris’.

2. Olindo Mare, Panthers kicker. Carolina made a controversial move in the offseason, letting go of kicker John Kasay, the last remaining member of the 1995 expansion team. They brought in Mare with a contract worth $12 million over four years. The thinking was the team could save a roster spot because Kasay hadn’t kicked off in years and the team had carried a kickoff specialist. Mare has been as good as any kicker in the league in recent years and the team believed he could be at least as accurate as Kasay on field goals and might be able to make some longer kicks. Well, Mare missed a 36-yard attempt in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta. He also missed a 31-yard attempt that would have sent an earlier game against Minnesota to overtime. Coach Ron Rivera said Monday the Panthers may take a look at some other kickers.

3. Donald Penn, Buccaneers left tackle. For most of the season, Penn has been the least of Tampa Bay’s troubles. But that changed in Jacksonville. Penn allowed a sack that led to a Josh Freeman fumble and didn’t have a good game all the way around. That comes at a bad time because Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware, who has 15 sacks, is coming to town Saturday night.

RISING

1. Mike Smith, Falcons coach. He was back at practice Monday night after having to check into a Charlotte hospital following Sunday’s victory against the Panthers. Smith declined to go into any specifics about his health, but said a series of tests showed no major problems. Smith said it will be business as usual as the Falcons prepare for Thursday night’s game against Jacksonville. But maybe somewhere in all of this, there is a lesson for Smith and every other coach in the NFL. They’re in a very competitive business and work ridiculous hours with almost no time off once training camp starts. But even in those circumstances, coaches need a little balance. An extra hour of rest or exercise here and there might do just as much overall good as an extra hour in the film room.

2. Gregg Williams, Saints defensive coordinator. His defense came up with two big stops late in the victory against Tennessee and has looked better overall in recent weeks. Williams needs to keep building on this positive momentum. Although Drew Brees and the offense generally have carried the Saints, they’re going to need some good outings from the defense if they want to get by San Francisco and Green Bay in the NFC playoffs.

3. Julio Jones, Falcons receiver. It sure looks like Jones is maturing right in front of our eyes. He came off a bad game against Houston and got off to a rough start Sunday against Carolina. But the coaching staff and quarterback Matt Ryan kept faith in Jones. That was rewarded in the second half as Jones had two touchdown catches to help the Falcons rally to a victory.

A look at the top Saturday morning headlines from around the NFC South:

Former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora reportedly will be the next coach at UCLA.

The New Orleans run defense, which has played well of late, faces a huge two-game challenge. The Saints will face Tennessee’s Chris Johnson on Sunday and Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson next week.

Atlanta’s Matt Ryan has been hit 65 times. Only five teams have allowed their quarterbacks to be hit more.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who plays the Falcons on Sunday, had his lowest NFL passer rating in the Week 6 contest against Atlanta.

Scott Fowler points out that one thing the Panthers haven’t done this season is beat a big-time quarterback. Their wins have come against Curtis Painter, Josh Johnson, John Beck and Blaine Gabbert. They’ll have their shot against Ryan on Sunday.

Tampa Bay coach and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris already has said the Bucs will simplify what they do on defense. Now, offensive coordinator Greg Olson said the Bucs will scale things back offensively. I guess the only question left is if the Bucs will scale back what they do on special teams?

Tampa Bay safety Sean Jones was fined $20,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Carolina’s Legedu Naanee last week.

There is one man on the planet who could solve everything that is wrong with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

One man who, with the simple nod of his head, would sell out Raymond James Stadium instantly, stop the losing, put an end to just about all the trouble off the field and give the Bucs credibility and respectability with their fans and across the league.

His name is Tony Dungy.

Let me be clear: I’m not saying it will happen. Raheem Morris is still coaching the Bucs, and the team already has picked up his contract option for 2012. But the Bucs are on a six-game losing streak and seem to be in total chaos. Dungy seems happy away from coaching and may not ever want to get back into the business.

I’m not saying the Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers, has decided to fire Morris. And if that decision does come, I’m not saying the Glazers would pursue Dungy.

I’m simply saying I believe the Glazers should make a run at Dungy, who coached the team from 1996 to 2001.

Go after Dungy with an open checkbook and promise that never again will he be ordered to fire Mike Shula (in Hawaii) or any other assistant.

Maybe Dungy simply shrugs off any overture and stays with his broadcasting career and ministry work. But maybe, just maybe, Dungy would be tempted.

I ran the scenario by three people who worked closely with Dungy at one time or another. None of them knows whether Dungy wants to coach again. But all three agree that if there is one coaching job that might tempt him, it would be Tampa Bay. Dungy lives in the Tampa area.

I used to think that there was no way Dungy would even want to work for the Bucs again. The Glazers fired him and Dungy is a fierce competitor. He can be stubborn and, although he comes across as very humble, Dungy has a deep streak of pride.

Would his principles allow him to go back to work for people who fired him?

They just might. If the Glazers came begging, Dungy might feel he has the upper hand, and that’s important to a man with his pride. But Dungy’s not an egomaniac who would want to handle every personnel matter. General manager Mark Dominik appears to be in the good graces of ownership, and he’s got three years remaining on his contract. Dominik is following a plan of building through the draft, which is pretty similar to the route Dungy took the first time he was with the Bucs.

Take some of the money that’s being saved by not signing free agents and wave it in front of Dungy. It could pay huge dividends immediately and down the road.

Hire Dungy and, bad economy or not, there will once again be a waiting list for season tickets. Dungy is a beloved figure in Tampa Bay, and fans who never warmed up to Morris and his young team (and grew tired of Jon Gruden and his failure to put together a consistent winner after winning a Super Bowl with Dungy’s team) would be ecstatic if the best coach in franchise history came back.

Dungy would clean up a locker room that has a lot of guys who have had off-field troubles. Dungy’s not going to walk into One Buccaneer Place and tell Aqib Talib and Tanard Jackson to hit the road. He believes in second chances (see his extensive work with Michael Vick). He would lay down the law with Talib, Jackson and everyone else in the locker room. He’d tell them they have to toe his line, which is located in a completely different place than Morris’ line, and instantly would cut them if they ever got in trouble again. Any player who has played for Dungy will tell you the last thing they ever wanted was to let him down.

That would translate into discipline on the field -- something the Bucs have lacked during the Morris years or even in Gruden’s tenure.

Dungy is a defensive guru. He could fix Tampa Bay’s defense, which already has lots of draft picks and money invested in the front four.

In his previous stint with the Bucs, the only two knocks on Dungy were that he couldn’t win “the big one’’ and he never found a franchise quarterback.

But Dungy dispelled all that when he went to Indianapolis. He won a Super Bowl there. Dungy also inherited Peyton Manning, who was a bit more gifted than Trent Dilfer and Shaun King. Dungy didn’t bring his boring offense to Indianapolis. He adjusted and let Manning do what he does best.

That’s another thing that could make a return to the Bucs attractive to Dungy. The Bucs have all sorts of flaws, but the one positive thing they have going for them is they have a franchise quarterback in Josh Freeman. Yeah, I know Freeman’s not having a good season, but he is a big-time talent.

Give Freeman a good supporting cast and some stable coaching, and the Bucs are winners. If Dungy were to take the job, he might be wise to keep offensive coordinator Greg Olson or quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt or both. Freeman likes them both, and some continuity would help his development.

But Dungy wouldn’t have much trouble putting together a strong staff. In all likelihood, Indianapolis is going to have a coaching change. That means a bunch of coaches who once worked for Dungy would be available. Heck, Dungy might even be able to pry Monte Kiffin away from his son, Lane, and the University of Southern California. Kiffin decided to leave the Bucs near the end of Gruden’s time. Kiffin and Gruden got along fine, but I don’t think they ever had the strong bond Dungy shared with Kiffin.

As the Bucs have struggled to sell tickets and try to get their fans to understand why they’re building almost exclusively through the draft, team officials have said they want to give fans a team they can love again.

They haven’t made any progress in that area this season. There’s one easy way to get fans to love the Bucs again: Go out and hire the coach who made them lovable in the first place -- if he'll take the job.

AFC South colleague and friend Paul Kuharsky has a very interesting column that impacts our world.

It’s about potential head coaches for the Jaguars, if they decide to part with Jack Del Rio, and the list includes three NFC South names. Kuharsky and I talked about those names at some length as he worked on this project.

I threw Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, New Orleans offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, Carolina offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Greg Olson at him when we first began the conversation. Funny thing is, Paul said the first three names came up on just about every list of potential candidates as he talked to some high-ranking officials around the league.

Paul didn’t hear Olson’s name from those people, so Paul left him off the list. But the other three are on the list and I could see any or all of them being a legitimate candidate. Let’s take a look at each of them.

Mularkey might not be the most popular guy with Falcons fans at the moment. But he’s got a pretty good track record in Atlanta. Quarterback Matt Ryan came right in and thrived as a rookie starter and the Falcons have had a winning record the past three seasons. That might be the kind of resume the Jaguars look for because it’s likely they’ll want a guy who can help quarterback Blaine Gabbert develop. Mularkey has experience as a head coach in Buffalo. Plus, Kuharsky points out that Mularkey already has a strong tie to the Jaguars because his son works in the team’s personnel department.

Chudzinski is only in his first season as a coordinator. But, like Mularkey, he’s shown that he can work well with a young quarterback. Cam Newton came out of the gate putting up 400-yard passing games. Plus, Chudzinski is universally respected around the league.

Then, there is Carmichael. He’s in his third season as Sean Payton’s offensive coordinator. Payton had always called the plays until he suffered leg injuries in a sideline crash earlier this season and temporarily handed the duties over to Carmichael. But the fact Carmichael hasn’t been the traditional play caller shouldn’t work against him. That’s because he’s well-schooled in one of the league’s best offenses and that pedigree will be looked upon favorably. But Carmichael might be a bit of a long shot on this one. The Jaguars are in a unique situation. They struggle to sell tickets and they may want a gregarious coach to help energize their fans. Carmichael comes across as quiet and shy when dealing with the media and that could work against him. But, hey, they used to say Tony Dungy was too quiet and shy and he wound up being the guy who brought life to a Tampa Bay franchise that had been dismal for most of the time before his arrival.

Thoughts on the New Orleans Saints’ 27-16 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

What it means: The Saints bounced back strongly from an embarrassing loss to St. Louis last week and also avenged an October loss to Tampa Bay. At 6-3, the Saints remain in sole possession of first place in the NFC South as they head into a big showdown with the Falcons next week. The Buccaneers continued their season-long struggle to be consistent. They never really got into an offensive rhythm, and a defense that played well in the previous meeting with the Saints was dominated. At 4-4, the Bucs have fallen into third place in the NFC South.

What I liked: I used to think it was simply a case of Drew Brees making everyone around him look better than they really are. But I’m now thinking that, as great as Brees is, he’s got a pretty amazing collection of talent at the skill positions around him. The Saints are loaded with running backs, tight ends and receivers, and they can hurt you in just about every way.

What I didn’t like: Tampa Bay inserting Josh Johnson to run a play out of the Wildcat formation on a third down near the end of the first half. It went nowhere and the Bucs had to settle for a field goal. Coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Greg Olson need to yank that play out of the playbook permanently. You don’t need gimmicks when you have a real quarterback. Although he’s been inconsistent this season, Josh Freeman can make a big play at any time, and he had the Bucs driving at the time they elected to run Johnson. Besides, the Saints were not at all surprised. The Bucs had put that play on film previously, and everyone in the building knew Johnson was going to run.

What else I didn’t like: Running back LeGarrette Blount continues to hold Tampa Bay back because the coaches don’t trust him in pass protection. Although Blount hinted he might be an every-down back this week, he wasn’t. Tampa Bay played Kregg Lumpkin, who is not going to scare any defense, in passing situations. Even when Blount was on the field, he hurt the Bucs. When the Bucs were driving in the third quarter, he was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that forced the Bucs to settle for a field goal. Replays showed Blount was slapping at the facemask of New Orleans defensive end Will Smith. When you’ve got Blount’s history, you shouldn’t even think about slapping someone.

What’s next: The Saints travel to Atlanta next Sunday to play the Falcons. The Buccaneers are home against the Houston Texans next Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have given their players the rest of the week off because they’re on a bye. Let’s hope coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Greg Olson ordered running back LeGarrette Blount to study his pass protections really hard while he’s off.

Blount’s been out with a knee injury the past two games, but all indications are that he’ll be ready to play after the bye. That’s very good news because backup Earnest Graham suffered a season-ending injury Sunday.

Even before Blount’s injury, the Bucs were using him in a limited way. On most passing situations, they took Blount out. That’s because the Bucs have been hesitant to trust Blount as a pass-blocker. They generally used Graham in those situations.

Kregg Lumpkin could end up simply picking up Graham’s role. But it might help the Tampa Bay passing game tremendously if the Bucs feel comfortable in keeping Blount on the field.

The Bucs have been horrible on play-action passes. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Josh Freeman ranks No. 33 in the league with a 49 percent completion rate on play-action throws. Only Jacksonville rookie Blaine Gabbert (29 percent) ranks below Freeman.

On play-action passes, Freeman has completed 24 of 49 attempts for 347 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions.

There’s no doubt some of the blame rests on Freeman, who hasn’t been as sharp as he was last season. But I’m thinking there’s another issue involved when it comes to the play-action game.

If a defense saw Graham on the field, the reaction probably was that the Bucs weren’t going to run. It will be the same with Lumpkin.

If the Bucs actually could put Blount on the field all the time, opposing defenses might not have such a strong clue what’s coming at them.

A look at the top headlines from around the NFC South.

D. Orlando Ledbetter writes that the Falcons are on pace for 108 penalties. Last season they had just 58 penalties.

The Times-Picayune has its weekly graphic breaking down Drew Brees’ passing. He’s throwing short and to the left more often than any other area. He had a lot of success with that against Jacksonville, but his two interceptions came in that area.

Mike Triplett writes about how it’s starting to look like Darren Sproles was underutilized in San Diego. With the Saints, he’s getting to do everything and is leading the league in all-purpose yardage.

Although he’s coming off a concussion, Carolina tight end Jeremy Shockey expects to play against the Saints, who released him after last season. New Orleans coach Sean Payton said Shockey is one of his favorite players. Shockey took exception to that and said if that was the case, he’d still be with the Saints.

The field at Bank of America Stadium is back in good shape after absorbing a massive rain storm the last time the Panthers played at home.

Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Greg Olson had praise for backup running back Kregg Lumpkin. Olson hinted Lumpkin could see increased playing time. He could end up sharing the role as third-down back with Earnest Graham.

Ira Kaufman writes that Tampa Bay receiver Mike Williams is drawing more coverage in his second season. The Bucs are countering that by throwing to their other receivers and running backs.

Very interesting Insider piece by Trent Dilfer. He puts Tampa Bay’s Greg Olson at the top of his list of underrated play callers in the NFL.

I’m glad Dilfer points this out because I don’t think Olson has gotten the recognition he deserves. Last year, he got plenty of production out of an offense that featured quarterback Josh Freeman, receiver Mike Williams and running back LeGarrette Blount, who each were in their first season as a starter.

I wasn’t crazy about Olson’s play calling in the season opener against Detroit, but head coach Raheem Morris is at least partly responsible for the decision to go to the two-minute offense early and abandon the running game. Against Minnesota last week, Olson stuck with Blount and the running game in the second half and it paid off.

Olson is a very good play caller and will only get better as the Bucs develop some of their young receivers to complement Williams. Is Olson the best play caller in the NFC South?

Probably not. That honor belongs to New Orleans head coach Sean Payton, who calls his own plays. But you can’t call Payton underrated because he’s been known as an offensive guru for a long time.

I’m not sure you can call Atlanta’s Mike Mularkey or Carolina’s Rob Chudzinski underrated for different reasons. Mularkey’s had good results with the Atlanta offense the past three seasons, but the deep passing game has yet to click this year, so there still are some questions to be answered. Although Chudzinski is in his first season as Carolina’s coordinator and off to a good start, it’s not like he’s flying under the radar. He came into this job with a lot of respect from around the league and was fairly well known by fans.

That’s not quite the same rise Olson has had. He started off as Tampa Bay’s quarterbacks coach in 2009, but suddenly was thrust into the coordinator’s job when Jeff Jagodzinski was fired in training camp.

Thoughts on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' victory against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome:

What it means: The Bucs were on their way to seeing their season slip away when their offense failed to show up in the first half. The Bucs were down 17-0 at halftime and had only three first downs in the first two quarters. Then, the second half started and Josh Freeman and the offense suddenly started clicking. When’s the last time the Bucs had a quarterback who could fall that far behind and bring them back? They never have.

What I liked: Coach Raheem Morris, who must have given one heck of a halftime speech, and offensive coordinator Greg Olson didn’t give up on the running game after falling behind, like they did in the opener. They kept using LeGarrette Blount and he ended up scoring two second-half touchdowns.

What else I liked: The defensive performance in the second half was pretty remarkable. The defense spent way too much time on the field in the first half. When that happens against Adrian Peterson, it’s usually a formula for disaster. But this young defense stepped up and held the Vikings to a field goal in the second half. Of course, it helped a bit that the offense was doing its job in the second half.

Wide receivers step up: The Bucs have been searching for a No. 2 receiver to complement Mike Williams. It looks like they’re making some progress in this area. Arrelious Benn, who is coming off a serious knee injury, had a touchdown catch and Dezmon Briscoe had four catches for 42 yards.

What’s next: The Bucs host the Falcons next Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from Friday’s NFC South chat.

Tyler (Athens, GA): Pat How important is this game for Atlanta coming up vs PHI? I know its very very early but I think its a big game?
Pat Yasinskas: It's a huge game for Falcons. Can't afford to start 0-2. If you do that, the snow-ball effect starts rolling and season can get out of hand in a hurry.

Shane Maddux (Atlanta, Georgia): The Falcons acquired a starting quality DB in Kelvin Hayden, why didn't they put him in the nickel?
Pat Yasinskas: Think you may see more of him and James Sanders this week. They needed a little time to catch up on the scheme, but I think Falcons might get them more involved this week.

GurS (Edgware, UK): I'm convinced the person at most to blame for the Bucs' loss to the Lions last week is Greg Olson. Agree or disagree?
Pat Yasinskas: I'd have to agree with you there.

Ken (NY): Can we put Steve Smith back in the top 10 recievers in the NFL?
Pat Yasinskas: Yeah, now that he's got a real QB.

G. Lewis (Albany , Georgia): Do you think the Saints will ever take fixing the defense seriously because playing teams like chicago and greenbay they will lose.Also there offensive line is bad.
Pat Yasinskas: They better fix it and fix it quickly. They don't have to be dominant. They just have to make a play from time to time and produce some turnovers.

andy (hickory, nc): the bucs had the lowest ticket sales of any team last week, a home opener can’t sell out, i wish the Glazers would sell the bucs to someone who cares and focus on alienation the manchester united fans
Pat Yasinskas: All right, I'm curious, why are you and so many fans so down on the Glazers? I don't understand that thinking. They're not bad owners. They won you a Super Bowl and got you a great stadium. Not saying they're the best owners in the league, but they're WAY better than what Bucs had in the old days.

Sean (Las Vegas): With Colston out, I think the NFCS will be introduced to a new big time receiver on the Saints. Adrian Arrington has the same skill set as Colston and will be needed against the Bears cover 2.
Pat Yasinskas: You might be right. He's the one WR on that team whose skill set is similar to Colston's.

Here’s the complete transcript of Friday’s NFC South chat.