NFC South: Jason Rader
Around the NFC South: Moore pressure
- Here's a look at the players the Falcons drafted and how they can fit in on the team from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter.
- Wide receiver Kerry Meier, selected by the Falcons in the fifth round, is still grieving after his older brother died during a hiking trip five days before the draft.
- Tight end Jason Rader announced he's retiring from football.
- Last week's 10-man draft class continues the youth movement under way in Charlotte.
- After the Panthers drafted three quarterbacks, there's more pressure on Matt Moore than ever.
- The Saints are still rounding up undrafted free agents. Coach Sean Payton said he expects more than a dozen to receive either a contract offer or an invitation to the team's rookie camp.
- Judging by the smiles around One Buc Place, the team's brass feels like it nailed this draft.
- Next up for defensive tackle Gerald McCoy: contract negotiations. Last year's No. 3 overall pick, Tyson Jackson, signed a five-year, $57 million contract with $31 million in guarantees.
Again, it’s really just a formality because the deadline had passed for other teams to make offers to restricted free agents and Norwood and Koenen really had no other choice than to sign.
In other news, the Falcons said that reserve tight end Jason Rader has retired.
Wrapping up Tuesday's transactions
The Saints signed cornerback Marcus McCauley and waived cornerback Chris McAlister. The Saints also placed linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar on injured reserve. The summary on this one is that McAlister, who the Saints signed a couple weeks ago, was really old and it showed when he had to play. McCauley’s nothing special and didn’t live up to his status as a third-round pick in 2007 by Minnesota, but he can at least move.
The Falcons signed running back Verron Haynes and tight end Jason Rader and released receiver Troy Bergeron while placing linebacker Tony Gilbert on injured reserve. Nothing major here, Haynes has bounced on and off the roster this year. Rader was with the Falcons last year and was in training camp this summer.
As expected, the Bucs went ahead and placed return man Clifton Smith on injured reserve after his second concussion of the season. They filled his roster spot by elevating running back Kareem Huggins from the practice squad. Look for rookie receiver Sammie Stroughter to take over the return duties.
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
The Falcons have announced their cuts as they got down 53 players.
The following were released: wide receiver Troy Bergeron, running back Thomas Brown, offensive lineman Michael Butterworth, wide receiver Robert Ferguson, linebacker Robert James, wide receiver Aaron Kelly, defensive end Maurice Lucas, cornerback William Middleton, tight end Jason Rader, quarterback D.J. Shockley, offensive guard Jose Valdez, defensive tackle Vance Walker and linebacker Jamie Winborn.
Falcons release Hartsock, Hutchins
Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas
The Falcons, who had been incredibly quiet throughout the preseason, are making lots of noise Tuesday. They traded for cornerback Tye Hill this morning and they just announced the release of three players, including a couple of names you’ll recognize.
Tight end Ben Hartsock and cornerback Von Hutchins, two guys who were signed as free agents soon after general manager Thomas Dimitroff took over last year, were released along with defensive end Willie Evans.
Hutchins became expendable after the Falcons added Hill. Hutchins was viewed as a possible starter when the Falcons first signed him, but he went down with a season-ending injury in training camp last year.
Hartsock was signed as an all-purpose tight end and started 11 games last season. But the Falcons added Tony Gonzalez as a pass-catching tight end this year and appear ready to go with Justin Peelle and Jason Rader as his backups.
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
SAINTS
New Orleans coach Sean Payton offered his take on the NFC South race in his conference call with the Tampa Bay media Wednesday.
"It's always hard at the start of the season to predict where you think teams are going to fall in our division,'' Payton said. "We're sitting at 6-5, scratching and clawing and we're last in the division. There are other divisions where you might be tied for first with that record. But the fact is we're in this division and we've got our work cut out for us.''
FALCONS
Tight end Ben Hartsock went on the injured reserve list and the team signed Jason Rader to take his place. This might not seem like that big a deal, but Hartsock's blocking has been a big reason why Atlanta has been running the ball so well.
PANTHERS
In a move aimed at stopping the recent slow starts, the Panthers practiced at a faster pace Wednesday. Not sure if that will change anything, but it's worth a shot.
BUCS
Coach Jon Gruden campaigned for punter Josh Bidwell and kicker Matt Bryant to get a trip to Hawaii.
"Bidwell, he'll be in the Pro Bowl, I assume,'' Gruden said after Wednesday's practice. "Bryant will be in the Pro Bowl without a doubt for what he's done. Forget about all the circumstances for just a second. He makes all his kicks. He's an ice man. Those two guys have been superb.''
Around the NFC South: Afternoon version
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
Time for a quick afternoon trip around the NFC South.
PANTHERS
Steve Smith didn't talk during today's media session after returning to practice for the first time. But Ken Lucas, who Smith drew a two-game suspension for punching, did. Once again, Lucas handled the situation with incredible class and continued to say the incident brought the team closer together. Amazingly, he's right.
The Vikings announced Gus Frerotte will start Sunday. Julius Peppers has taken some heat for not recording a sack yet. That's not fair because Peppers has played pretty well. But, if he can't chase down Frerotte, the criticism becomes legitimate.
BUCCANEERS
Defensive end Gaines Adams has a rib injury and missed practice. Coach Jon Gruden wouldn't indicate if the injury could keep Adams out of Sunday's game.
FALCONS
Tight end Jason Rader was signed this morning. Rader had been with Atlanta this preseason, but was released Sept. 1. He's got history with offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and will be used as a blocking specialist.
SAINTS
Mixed news on the injury front. Cornerback Randall Gay and safety Roman Harper were back at practice, although in a limited capacity. But linebacker Scott Fujita didn't practice.
Falcons adjust roster, sign two veterans
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
The Atlanta coaching staff reached into its background today, signing linebacker Tony Gilbert and tight end Justin Peelle.
Falcons coach Mike Smith coached Gilbert when he was the defensive coordinator for Jacksonville. Gilbert spent five seasons with the Jaguars. He's not likely to be much of a factor at linebacker, but could be a regular on special teams.
Peelle was with the Dolphins when Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was Miami's tight ends coach. Peelle set career highs with 29 catches for 228 yards last season. He'll be used as a backup to Ben Hartsock.
To clear room for Peelle and Gilbert, the Falcons released tight end Jason Rader and linebacker Tony Taylor. Atlanta also filled out its practice squad by signing defensive end Sean Conover and running back Kenneth Darby.
Afternoon roundup: Saints, Panthers watching weather
Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
SAINTS
The team has a plan in place in case Hurricane Gustav comes close to the New Orleans area. Coach Sean Payton wouldn't elaborate on specifics, but the Saints will take any weather threat very seriously because they went through a worst-case scenario with Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
PANTHERS
Coach John Fox wasn't happy about it, but he didn't have much choice. Bad weather in Charlotte forced the team to practice indoors.
FALCONS
Some tough decisions will have to be made at tight end as the team gets ready to trim its roster this weekend. The Falcons are carrying five tight ends. Ben Hartsock and Jason Rader look to be the top two. Marcus Pollard, Martez Milner and Keith Zinger probably are fighting for the final roster spot.
BUCCANEERS
The Bucs should be announcing what roster moves they've made to get down to the 75-player limit shortly. In other news, receiver Joey Galloway practiced for the second straight day, but coach Jon Gurden still won't say if Galloway will play in Thursday night's preseason finale in Houston.
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.
