NFC South: Hilee Taylor
NFC South links: Amini Silatolu's journey
Team owner Arthur Blank offered words of wisdom Sunday while giving the commencement address at Auburn University.
Carolina Panthers
Joseph Person chronicles Carolina Panthers second-round pick Amini Silatolu's round-about journey to the NFL.
Quarterback Cam Newton is putting down even more roots in Charlotte -- buying a $1.6 million luxury condo in the city. Here are some pictures of Newton's new pad.
New Orleans Saints
The Times-Picayune's Mike Triplett argues that both the team and the NFL could be right in the Saints' bounty scandal.
Meanwhile, Peter Finney of the Times-Picayune advises New Orleans fans to move past the scandal.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers have signed former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Speculation and rumors abounded when Jefferson tried out at Tampa Bay's rookie camp.
Jefferson wasn't the only signee out of rookie camp as Tampa Bay signed former Bucs cornerback Derrick Roberson and former Carolina defensive end Hilee Taylor.
Rookie running back Michael Smith hopes to land a spot on the Bucs' roster.
Dexter Jackson highlights other cuts
In addition to Ward, the Bucs also released receiver Terrence Nunn and placed linebacker Jon Alston on injured reserve.
In Carolina, the biggest name to become a casualty was wide receiver Dexter Jackson. He was a second-round draft pick by Tampa Bay in 2008 and was a total flop. After getting released by the Bucs last preseason, Jackson caught on with Carolina’s practice squad. The Panthers thought bringing the Appalachian State product home might give him a chance to revive his career. But he didn’t show much in training camp or the preseason.
The Panthers also placed linebacker Thomas Davis on the physically unable to perform list and waived/injured defensive end Hilee Taylor. Receiver Wallace Wright was placed on injured reserve and receiver Oliver Young was released.
No roster moves have been announced by Atlanta or New Orleans as of the moment.
Also inactive for the Panthers are running back Tyrell Sutton, cornerback C.J. Wilson, linebacker Mortty Ivy, defensive tackle Derek Landri, offensive tackle Rob Petitti and defensive end Hilee Taylor. Hunter Cantwell has been designated as the third quarterback.
The list of inactive players for Carolina includes receiver Kenneth Moore, defensive end Charles Johnson, safety Charles Godfrey, running back Mike Goodson, fullback Brad Hoover, guard Duke Robinson and defensive end Hilee Taylor. A.J. Feeley is the third quarterback.
The Panthers just announced their inactives and Williams, who has some sort of knee injury, is not one of them.
The Panthers made Charles Godfrey, Mike Goodson, Brad Hoover, Garry Williams, Duke Robinson, Hilee Taylor and Nick Hayden inactive. A.J. Feeley is the third quarterback.
Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas
ATLANTA – Just got the inactive lists for the Panthers and Falcons and there are a couple of items that are worthy of noting -- pretty much all on the Carolina side.
Matt Moore is listed as the backup quarterback, and newly signed A.J. Feeley is the inactive third quarterback, presumably because he hasn’t had enough time to learn the playbook. Carolina also is going to be without two injured defensive starters.
Defensive tackle Nick Hayden and safety Chris Harris are inactive. The other inactives for Carolina are: Tyrell Sutton, C.J. Wilson, Garry Williams, Duke Robinson and Hilee Taylor.
Atlanta’s inactives are: Tye Hill, Verron Haynes, Spencer Adkins, Garrett Reynolds, Quinn Ojinnaka and Trey Lewis. John Parker Wilson is the third quarterback.
Around the NFC South: Williams mourns McNair
Posted by ESPN.com staff
Atlanta Falcons
- Defensive end Chauncey Davis is one of a number of current and former NFL players who will host a football camp on Saturday at the James R. Hallford Football Stadium located in Clarkston, Ga.
- By focusing on the negatives of his game this offseason, Panthers defensive end Hilee Taylor hopes to see some positive results.
- The Times-Picayune's Jeff Duncan suggests the team released long-snapper Kevin Houser due to his role in Wayne Read's film tax-credit scheme at Louisiana Film Studios.
- Former Bucs quarterback Doug Williams said that Steve McNair's death hit him hard.
Atlanta, Carolina dominating NFL's rookie program
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
The NFC South is dominating the NFL's new Brand University program, which works with rookie players to help them make good choices on and off the field.
Carolina's rookie class will receive an award today the NFL said. The only previous award was given to Atlanta's rookies about a month ago.
Rookie classes were asked to set goals in four areas: On the field, in community partnerships, player development and citizenship and award winners were decided on how many goals were met.
Carolina's goals included having at least two rookie starters in the games in Weeks 9 through 12. Gary Barnidge, Charles Godfrey and Jeff Otah got starts in those games and the Panthers also got significant contributions from Jonathan Stewart and Hilee Taylor. As part of their community involvement, the Carolina rookies dressed up in Halloween costumes and visited Levine Children's Hospital. They also served 200 steak dinners at a homeless shelter in Charlotte and purchased holiday food and toys for a family of five.
Atlanta's rookies earned the award in Weeks 5 through 8. Their on-field goals were to have at least one starter per game (they averaged 2.75 in that stretch) and have rookies play at least 5-percent of the plays (they participated in 20-percent). The Falcons rookie also made eight community appearances through Week 8.
Evening roundup: Baker's back and more
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
Here's a quick roundup of the events of the day in the NFC South.
PANTHERS
Cornerback Ken Lucas was listed on the injury report with a head injury, but he fully participated in Wednesday's practice. Linebacker Adam Seward (ankle) and defensive end Hilee Taylor did not practice.
Guard Travelle Wharton gets some international pub for his big fumble recovery Sunday and his strong season overall.
BUCCANEERS
Tampa Bay didn't practice Wednesday, but they did put out an injury report, as required by the NFL. The Bucs specified that the report is only an estimate, but they estimated that defensive tackle Jovan Haye (knee) wouldn't have practiced and quarterback Brian Griese (elbow), receiver Ike Hilliard (shoulder), tight end Alex Smith (ankle) and defensive end Gaines Adams (hip) would have participated on a limited basis. The Bucs return to practice Thursday.
SAINTS
Fullback Mike Karney practiced for the first time since suffering a knee injury Nov. 9. Running back Reggie Bush also participated fully. Safety Kevin Kaesviharn (shoulder) did not practice and is doubtful for Sunday's game with Atlanta.
The Saints signed defensive end Rob Ninkovich and safety Terrence Holt to fill the roster spots for the suspended Deuce McAllister and Will Smith.
FALCONS
Rookie left tackle Sam Baker took a big step in his return from back surgery. He's been out since Week Six, but returned to the practice field on a limited basis Wednesday. But my best guess is we're at least another week away from seeing Baker in a game.
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
Biggest surprise: Can't really say there was any shock at Carolina's moves. But I think it's fair to say the release of defensive end Stanley McClover was a big disappointment to the team. McClover had plenty of chances last year and in training camp. McClover had potential but never was able to get anything out of that and the Panthers decided to keep rookie Hilee Taylor. They could still look to add another defensive end.
No-brainer: A day ago, cornerback and return man Ricardo Colclough probably would have been on the roster. But Colclough was charged with driving while impaired early this morning and that probably prompted his release. The Panthers might put up with some issues from important players, but not from Colclough.
What's next: With Steve Smith suspended for the first two games, the Panthers still let veteran receivers Samie Parker and Travis Taylor go. They did keep undrafted rookie Dominique Thompson but it's likely they'll scour the list of newly-available receivers.
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
The Panthers made progress with their draft picks Thursday, signing third-round choice Dan Connor and seventh-round pick Hilee Taylor. Third-round pick Charles Godfrey and seventh-round choice Geoff Schwartz are closing in on deals that could be signed in the next few days.
General manager Marty Hurney, who has avoided holdouts through most of his Carolina tenure, said he's optimistic he can get first-round picks Jonathan Stewart and Jeff Otah signed before the start of training camp on July 26.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Pat Yasinskas
Yasinskas joined ESPN.com in January 2008 after covering the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer for nine seasons. He began his journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990.
