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Let's take a look at the top headlines around the NFC South.

• It’s coming a little later than expected, but New Orleans coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and assistant head coach reportedly will have their appeal hearings on their suspensions heard Thursday. Commissioner Roger Goodell said he plans to rule on the appeals quickly.
• The Saints have agreed to terms with former Seattle linebacker David Hawthorne. Although he has played in the middle, it appears likely Hawthorne will slide to the outside as the Saints continue to overhaul their linebacker corps. They already have added Curtis Lofton and Chris Chamberlain as free agents. Lofton is likely to play in the middle and Chamberlain and Hawthorne both can play outside. The Saints seem to be bracing themselves for change at linebacker. Jonathan Vilma, the starter at middle linebacker last season, is coming off an injury and possibly could face suspension for his role in the Saints' bounty program. With Chamberlain and Hawthorne in the fold, the Saints could be looking to make changes on the outside. They still have veterans Scott Shanle and Will Herring and have high hopes for young players Martez Wilson and Jonathan Casillas.
• Carolina reserve quarterback Jimmy Clausen was brought in to throw passes to Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd in his pre-draft workout for NFL teams. Clausen and Floyd previously played together at Notre Dame. Although there had been some speculation Clausen might be released to avoid payment of a roster bonus, it appears he’ll be staying with the Panthers. The deadline for the roster bonus has passed and Clausen seems likely to compete with Derek Anderson in training camp for the backup spot behind Cam Newton.
• Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount said he wouldn’t be happy if the Buccaneers take Alabama running back Trent Richardson in the first round of the draft. But that’s not Blount’s decision and the Bucs do appear to at least have an interest in Richardson. If they make the move, it will be largely because Blount has had problems with fumbles in the past and hasn’t shown the ability to handle pass-blocking duties.

Let’s tie up some loose odds and ends from around the NFC South.

Interesting move by the Panthers in bringing back reserve quarterback Derek Anderson. The team had given some indications Jimmy Clausen could move from No. 3 to become Cam Newton’s backup this year. But the return of Anderson might prevent that. It’s also worth watching what happens with Clausen, who is scheduled to receive a roster bonus of close to $1 million later this month.

The Saint reportedly have tight end Joel Dressen in for a visit.

Forget about the possibility of former Dallas tight end Martellus Bennett joining his brother, defensive end Michael, in Tampa Bay. Martellus Bennett has signed with the New York Giants.

Former Carolina offensive lineman Mackenzy Bernadeau has agreed to terms with the Dallas Cowboys. I don’t think the Panthers had much interest in bringing him back.

It’s still nothing but silence out of the Falcons, but former Atlanta return man/receiver Eric Weems has signed with the Chicago Bears.

I heard a very interesting and lengthy interview with David Garrard while driving a bit earlier Tuesday on Sirius NFL Radio.

Garrard made it very clear he wants to play again next season after sitting out 2011. Garrard said he had back surgery to repair an injury that was holding him back when the Jaguars released him just before the start of last season. He said he’s almost 100 percent and his agent is making teams aware of his availability.

As you might expect, Garrard said his first preference would be to go to a team where he would at least have a chance to compete for a starting job. I don’t see that scenario as even a remote possibility in the NFC South. But Garrard also said he’d be open to being a backup/mentor.

In those roles, I could see him in the NFC South. Let’s throw out the Saints because they’ve got Drew Brees as their starter (assuming they finally get around to getting a new contract done) and they seem content with Chase Daniel as the backup. If the Saints do anything at quarterback this offseason, it might be using a late-round pick on a project-type quarterback to groom behind Brees.

But I can at least see scenarios where Garrard would make sense for the other three NFC South teams. Let’s start with Tampa Bay. The Bucs have Josh Freeman as their starter and view him as their franchise quarterback.

Backup Josh Johnson can become a free agent and I think he probably will test the market. Johnson’s athletic and the previous coaching staff sometimes used him in the wildcat formation (although not with a great deal of success). But Johnson’s not the kind of guy you want to see playing for an extended period if Freeman is injured. Garrard can be that guy because he’s got plenty of experience as a starter.

There’s also a school of thought that the Bucs might want to surround Freeman with an experienced backup that can help act as a mentor. Garrard or David Carr are guys I think could be possibilities if the Bucs go in that direction. New offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan worked as quarterbacks coach with Carr and the New York Giants the last two seasons. Sullivan also worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2002 and ’03. Those were Garrard’s first two seasons in the NFL and Sullivan was a defensive assistant the first year, before switching to offense in 2003. But at least he has some familiarity with Garrard.

Speaking of familiarity with Garrard, that could be more of a factor with the other two NFC South teams.

Carolina quarterbacks coach Mike Shula was quarterbacks coach in Jacksonville from 2007 through 2010. Garrard’s best statistical seasons came in that span and all indications are he and Shula got along well. The Panthers are set with Cam Newton as their starter, but backup Derek Anderson is a free agent and Jimmy Clausen’s future with the team remains unclear. Garrard might be an upgrade over Anderson as a mentor and as a player.

Garrard also has ties to the Atlanta coaching staff. New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator from 2007 through the end of last season. I’m not real sure if Garrard and Koetter parted on friendly terms, but I think the decision to dump Garrard was made mainly by former Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio. If nothing else, Garrard should be pretty familiar with the concepts Koetter will try to add to Atlanta’s offense.

Atlanta veteran backup Chris Redman is scheduled to be a free agent and I don’t think the Falcons are ready to elevate John Parker Wilson to the No. 2 role. I think there will be some interest in bringing back Redman because his price tag won’t be high and he’s a good set of eyes and ears for Matt Ryan. But Redman’s not the kind of guy you want to play if Ryan goes down for an extended period of time.

If the Falcons are going to make a play for Garrard, a lot will depend on what Koetter thinks of the quarterback. Heck, even coach Mike Smith could have a weighty opinion on this one. Smith is familiar with Garrard because he was defensive coordinator in Jacksonville before taking over in Atlanta.

Time for a look at the Sunday morning headlines from around the division.

Carolina coach Ron Rivera said reserve quarterback Jimmy Clausen remains in the mix for next season. Let’s see if that holds true next month when Clausen is due a roster bonus of nearly $1 million. That’s a lot to pay a guy that was inactive for every game last season.

Atlanta coach Mike Smith revealed defensive end Ray Edwards had postseason knee surgery. Smith said the knee was bothering Edwards during the season. That may explain why Edwards, Atlanta’s top free-agent pickup last year, had such a quiet season.

The Falcons reportedly are exploring the possibility of extending quarterback Matt Ryan’s contract. Although Ryan has two years remaining on his original deal, this would make sense because the Falcons could knock down Ryan’s cap figure for this year and create more room to sign free agents. An extension for Ryan also would silence the critics who are saying that the quarterback is not the long-term answer for the Falcons.

The Falcons are considering the possibility of using the franchise tag on cornerback Brent Grimes. That would cost the team $10.6 million.

LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers, who many are projecting as Carolina’s pick at No. 9, has decided not to run the 40-yard dash or do the bench press at the combine. Brockers said he will do both at his pro day.

For the second time this offseason, Smith has publicly declared the Falcons will limit running back Michael Turner’s carries going forward. Makes sense because Turner has handled a lot of carries the past four seasons and he’s not getting any younger. Turner still will be the feature back, but the Falcons plan to give more playing time to Jacquizz Rodgers.

Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik said the team wants to re-sign kicker Connor Barth. If that doesn’t happen, Dominik implied the Bucs would use the franchise tag on Barth.

Jeff Duncan writes that the Saints’ offseason will be considered a success if the team can find a way to keep quarterback Drew Brees, guard Carl Nicks and receiver Marques Colston. He’s right, but that’s going to be a challenge. The Saints have been so tied up with the Brees deal that Nicks and Colston said talks about new deals for them haven’t begun. It’s likely those talks will heat up as soon as a deal gets done with Brees and the Saints could use the franchise tag on Nicks and Colston. Even if the Saints find a way to keep all three, they probably will lose some free agents they’d like to keep. Receiver Robert Meachem and cornerback Tracy Porter are likely to draw some interest from outside and the Saints might not have enough cap room to keep them.

The Bucs reportedly have paid $500,000 to Rutgers as part of the buyout clause coach Greg Schiano owed the university. A Rutgers spokesperson said a $300,000 balance remains on a home loan that Rutgers gave Schiano.

Time for a look at Wednesday morning's top headlines from around the NFC South.

With the Panthers $9.6 million over the salary cap, Joseph Person writes that linebacker Thomas Davis, quarterback Jimmy Clausen, guard Travelle Wharton and punter Jason Baker are potential cap casualties.

Here’s the scouting report on LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers, who has been mentioned as a possible first-round target for the Panthers.

Atlanta’s Tyson Clabo graded out as one of the league’s top pass-blockers. Speaking of Clabo, here’s one writer’s explanation why he ranked Clabo among the top 20 tackles in the league and left Carolina’s Jordan Gross and Tampa Bay’s Donald Penn off the list.

Stephen Holder writes that the Buccaneers are likely to try to re-sign potential free agents Jeremy Zuttah and kicker Connor Barth. They’re two of Tampa Bay’s younger free agents. Zuttah has value because he can play center and guard and Barth has shown good accuracy. Age could work against running back Earnest Graham and safety Sean Jones as the Bucs look at their own free agents.

It’s likely we’ll know if Jimmy Clausen has any future with the Carolina Panthers before the end of March.

For now, let’s just say the Panthers are facing a $923,000 question on a reserve quarterback that was not active for a single game last season. That amount is the bonus Clausen is scheduled to receive if he remains on the roster 14 days after the league year starts on March 13.

With the Panthers already needing to shed $9.6 million in cap space before the start of the league year, the decision on Clausen could come before the start of the league year. If the Panthers release Clausen, they’ll clear a little over $1 million in cap space.

It’s obvious Cam Newton is Carolina’s franchise quarterback for the long term. The Panthers do need a backup for Newton and Derek Anderson, who held the No. 2 spot last season and can become an unrestricted free agent.

It’s possible the Panthers could let Anderson walk and keep Clausen as the backup. But it’s obvious Clausen didn’t make a great impression on the coaching staff last season as he fell behind Anderson on the depth chart.

The Panthers drafted Clausen in the second round in 2010 and he was ineffective as a part-time starter in the tumultuous final season of John Fox’s tenure. There are some high-ranking team officials that like Clausen, but those same people may feel a bit sorry about the way his career began and then stalled in Carolina. That, along with the roster bonus, might be a reason the Panthers would be willing to let Clausen go and hope that he can get a fresh start somewhere else.

Check out this Insider post by Trent Dilfer. He ranks the NFL’s quarterbacks, starters and even some backups, although Jimmy Clausen didn’t quite make the list.

Dilfer breaks the quarterbacks down into seven categories and I don’t think anyone will be surprised to hear that he’s got Drew Brees in his “Hall of Fame’’ category. There’s little doubt Brees will be in the Hall of Fame someday, and there’s absolutely no doubt he’s one of the league’s top two or three quarterbacks these days.

I think even fans of other teams freely will admit Brees is the NFC South’s best quarterback. That brings us to the quarterbacks of the other NFC South teams and how they fared in Dilfer’s rankings.

Two categories down, Dilfer includes Atlanta’s Matt Ryan in his “A Ring Away’’ category. He has Ryan grouped with guys like Philip Rivers, Joe Flacco, Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford.

The next category down is “Mostly Good’’ and that’s where Dilfer has Carolina’s Cam Newton and Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman. They’re grouped with guys like Michael Vick, Andy Dalton and Carson Palmer.

Overall, I’ve got no issues with Dilfer’s list. I’m often asked in chats to rank the four NFC South quarterbacks. During last season, I tried to stay away from picking between Ryan and Newton as the No. 2 quarterback in the division. That’s mainly because Ryan and Newton are completely different quarterbacks. It also was because we were watching Newton evolve in his rookie season and there were changes in his level of play (usually for the better) just about every week.

But, since the season is over and since we’re on the topic, I’ll go ahead and reveal my rankings of the four NFC South quarterbacks. I’ll go in the same order Dilfer did.

We already addressed Brees and we’ll finish with Freeman. But why am I taking Ryan over Newton? First off, I’m only taking Ryan slightly over Newton. He’s been in the league for four years and has won each of those seasons. He hasn’t won big yet, but he may. Newton has way more upside than Ryan, but he’s not a finished product yet. A year from now, I might be sitting here writing that Newton is way better than Ryan. Heck, I might even be writing Newton is better than Brees.

He’s got that kind of upside. But he’s only played one season and only won six games. Let’s see a little more of Newton.

That brings us to Freeman. At the start of this past season, I thought Freeman had a chance to jump over Ryan into the No. 2 spot. That obviously didn’t happen and Freeman tumbled to No. 4 in the division. But Dilfer wrote that he still thinks Freeman can become elite. I agree totally.

Yes, Freeman had a bad 2011 season and some of the blame falls on him for that. But I put more blame on his coaching and supporting cast. I think the talent is there and Freeman can bounce back in 2012.

Anyway, those are my rankings at the moment. I know they’re open to debate. That’s what the comments section below is for.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina’s Steve Smith became the 35^th player in NFL history to reach the 10,000-yard receiving mark.

Smith got very reflective after Sunday’s loss to Atlanta as he talked about the milestone.

“It’s a lot of people, a lot of men and a lot of boys’ dream,’’ Smith said. “But there are few men who get the opportunity to live out their dream, so I’m fortunate enough. I’ve had the opportunity for about a decade to do it and it’s been enjoyable. I’ve had fun. I’ve also had some bonehead situations, but that’s the opportunity to live and so it’s pretty cool.’’

Smith then went on to thank just about every quarterback he ever has played with. He mentioned Chris Weinke, Rodney Peete, Jake Delhomme, Vinny Testaverde, Cam Newton, David Carr, Brian St. Pierre, Jimmy Clausen and Matt Moore.

Smith went on to mention a bunch of receivers he played with through the years.

“Isaac Byrd, Karl Hankton, Ricky Proehl, Muhsin Muhammad and Donald Hayes because when I first came here, they were the guys who took me under their wing and showed me how to play,’’ Smith said. “There were times I was annoying to them and I followed them and watched them.’’

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carolina Panthers left tackle Jordan Gross will not play Sunday against Atlanta.

Gross is sidelined with an ankle injury. Travelle Wharton will start in Gross’ place. MacKenzy Bernadeau will start at left guard, where Wharton usually plays.

Also inactive for the Panthers are quarterback Jimmy Clausen, cornerback Brandon Hogan, linebacker Jason Phillips, receiver Darvin Adams, linebacker Kion Wilson and defensive end Eric Norwood.

The standings say the Carolina Panthers are the worst team in the NFC South. I say, they’re not even close.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have worked really hard to clinch that honor, at least for the moment.

Yeah, I know Carolina is 3-8 and Tampa Bay is 4-7. But this isn’t about finite numbers -- at least not until Sunday when the two teams play and the Panthers have a chance to draw mathematically even with the Bucs.

The Panthers have an offense and they have lots of hope for the future. The Bucs are on a losing streak that looks like it could reach infinity.

When they meet Sunday at Raymond James Stadium it won’t hold the star power of a Saints-Falcons game, but it could tell the story of two NFC South teams headed in very different directions. The Bucs also play the Panthers in Charlotte on Christmas Eve. If the Bucs haven’t stopped their free fall by then, things will get really ugly in Tampa Bay.

The Bucs are on a five-game losing streak and not even quarterback Josh Freeman can put his thumb on the reasons why. Hey, let's take it one step further since Freeman and the Bucs have opened that door -- "Fire those cannons,'' Josh!''

It wasn’t supposed to work out this way at all. This was supposed to be the season in which the Bucs joined the Saints and Falcons. But somewhere on the ride to the penthouse, it looks like coach Raheem Morris and his team have taken a very wrong turn.

Even before the losing streak started, the Bucs weren’t playing like they were supposed to. Tampa Bay was supposed to take a huge step forward after going 10-6 last season with the league’s youngest roster.

The Bucs didn’t make a lot of offseason changes and seemed to be going on the logical assumption that everyone would be a year better. There’s nothing wrong with a youth movement (and even an occasional Albert Haynesworth) as long as coaches and players keep it moving in a positive direction, even if the schedule is difficult. But it’s hard to find any positives with the Bucs right now, and punter Michael Koenen doesn't count.

Freeman, who threw 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions last season, hasn’t been able to hit targets. Mike Williams, who looked like a No. 1 receiver as a rookie, has turned into the second coming of Michael Clayton. LeGarrette Blount, who ran for 1,000 yards in half a season in 2010, might need a season and a half to hit that mark again, which might coincide with the moment he finally learns to pass block.

People talked about Freeman, Williams and Blount as "The Triplets" last year. I still think Freeman has a world of potential, but it’s looking like he might end up being an only child. On defense, the Bucs have a lot of draft picks and money invested in their defensive line.

But this defense still appears to have the same track marks on its back as it did in the final days of the Jon Gruden era. Speaking of Gruden, the Bucs fired him after he lost his final four games to finish 9-7 in 2008.

If Morris ends up losing 10 games in a row (or anything close to that), do you seriously think he’s going to get a contract extension? He’s sort of up for one. When the Bucs hired Morris in 2009, they gave him a two-year deal with an option for two more. The Bucs picked up that option. But it’s hard to imagine the Bucs letting Morris coach the final year, unless his team suddenly finishes on an upswing.

In case you haven’t heard, the Bucs have a little problem selling tickets. Heading into 2012 with a marketing slogan of “Come see our lame-duck head coach and a bunch of guys who really underachieved last year’’ probably won’t cause a surge at the box office.

Besides, you don’t head into a season with a lame-duck coach. Just ask the Panthers. They did it in 2010 with John Fox and the only thing they got out of that was Ron Rivera as the head coach and the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

The Panthers used that pick in April to select Cam Newton. As it turned out, those pre-draft scouting reports that were filled with lots of doubt now translate into "Big, strong guy, who can throw, run and even make Steve Smith smile."

Yeah, three wins don’t make a season. But four, five or six victories and visions of a healthy Jon Beason (maybe even a healthy Thomas Davis) sure would fire up a fan base that hasn’t seen many good things since Jan. 10, 2009. That was the night Jake Delhomme celebrated what reportedly was his 34^th birthday (the reality was his right arm turned 68 that day) with five interceptions (and a fumble) in an embarrassing home playoff loss to Arizona.

The Panthers followed that up with a contract extension for Delhomme, whose right arm went on to turn 78 before his 35^th birthday. That set the stage for a 2010 season in which Fox pointed fingers at ownership and the front office, hazed Jimmy Clausen (“Brian St. Pierre is better than you’’ and “I can make Timmy Tebow into a better quarterback than you, Mr. Notre Dame pedigree’’) and completely forgot to coach is team.

The Panthers went 2-14.

They hired Rivera. They drafted Newton, who came out of the gate putting up 400-yard games. With Beason and Davis hurt, the Panthers have been horrible on defense.

Even while losing, the Panthers have made their fans feel like they’re winning. Newton and the offense are flat-out entertaining and that’s brought tons of hope for the future. Rivera’s a defensive guru and a draft and a few free agents could fix that side of the ball.

Funny, but the Panthers appear to be headed for what the Bucs once were supposed to be and the Bucs seem to be headed for where the Panthers just were.

They’ll intersect Sunday and the result will tell us as much about the bottom of the NFC South as a game between the Falcons and Saints does at the top.

If both teams are 4-8 by the end of Sunday afternoon, the Panthers will have clearly soared past by the Bucs. Or, depending on how you look at it, the Bucs will have fallen lower than the Panthers.

Earlier Wednesday, I ran my weekly league-wide QB Watch column. This week, I focused on how the Bears and Texans still can make the playoffs even though they’ve lost their starting quarterbacks to injury.

My point on this was the Bears and Texans are good teams. They’re both 7-3. Even with Caleb Hanie and Matt Leinart now moving into starting roles, it’s not a given that the Bears and Texans suddenly will fall apart. If Hanie and Leinart simply can be adequate, the players around them are good enough to get those teams to the playoffs.

But let’s take the time to get NFC South specific now. Let’s take a look at the backup quarterback situation for each team and think about what would happen right now if Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Josh Freeman or Cam Newton went down with an injury.

Saints. There's no question Brees is the most important player on the Saints. He’s on pace for record numbers and he’s well on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Backup Chase Daniel has been in the NFL for three seasons and has attempted precisely three passes. But I don’t think the Saints would simply crumble if Daniel suddenly had to play. Just like the Bears and Texans, the Saints are 7-3. They might not have a defense as good as the Saints or the Bears. But I think you could plug Daniel into New Orleans’ system and the Saints still could win enough to get into the playoffs. Sean Payton’s offense is mapped out so well that Daniel wouldn’t have much of a problem getting the ball into the hands of someone who can make a big play at any time.

Falcons. Chris Redman is – by far – the division’s most seasoned backup. He’s 34 and first arrived in the league in 2000. Redman is not Ryan. But the Falcons are 6-4 and the rest of their schedule isn’t that difficult. If Redman had to play, he could hand the ball to Michael Turner and occasionally find Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez enough to keep the offense moving. I could see the Falcons getting to 10 wins if Redman had to step in.

Buccaneers. Let’s be clear that Tampa Bay isn’t in the same situation as the Texans, Bears, Saints and Falcons. At 4-6, the Bucs probably aren’t going to make the playoffs even if Freeman stays healthy. They’d suddenly have to instantly fix a lot of flaws that have held them back all season and run the table. During Tampa Bay’s current four-game losing streak, I’ve had readers suggest the Bucs should turn to backup Josh Johnson. Really? Trust me, that’s not the answer. Johnson’s very athletic. He throws the ball better than Tim Tebow and can run pretty well. But the Bucs have so many other issues that they probably wouldn’t win again this season if Johnson had to play the rest of the way. That’s saying a lot because Carolina’s on the schedule twice.

Panthers. Like the Bucs, the Panthers aren’t in a situation where a backup could step in, play reasonably well, get some significant help from his team and still make the playoffs. But let’s say the Panthers were 7-3 right now and Cam Newton couldn’t play. In that scenario, the Panthers wouldn’t necessarily be headed for disaster. They’ve got Derek Anderson, a relatively experienced backup, and he might be able to get them a few wins in a pinch. But, at this point in the season, I doubt the Panthers would turn to Anderson if Newton couldn’t play. In their current situation, it would make more sense to take one last look at Jimmy Clausen, just to see if there’s even a remote chance he can figure into the team’s future plans. I’m thinking the team already feels Clausen won’t be around long and it’s significant to note that he can collect a roster bonus of nearly $1 million if he’s still with Carolina in March. But, right now, it would make more sense to play Clausen than Anderson.

After I finish our NFC South chat each Friday, I go back and pick some highlights from all around the division to post with the complete transcript of the chat. You can check out the transcript because we touch on all four teams.

But I’m going a different route with the highlights this week and sticking with one subject, because it seemed to generate tons of conversation. Once the initial comment about Cam Newton being a “turnover machine’’ was posted, there was a flood of responses. Some of them included words too strong to post, and some of them didn’t get posted simply because there were too many responses to post.

Let’s go back to the tape and see how this all came about:

CC (Atlanta): Cam is a turnover machine yet you only single out Ryan and Freeman for shoddy play. I get that Cam is a rookie but he is SO careless with the ball.

Pat Yasinskas: True, but Cam's putting up some other big numbers.

CC (Atlanta): And Carolina is 2-6 thanks in part to alot of Cam's TOs. Come on Pat!

Pat Yasinskas: And their lack of anything close to a defense. I'm not saying Cam's perfect, but he's far better than anyone has expected. He's made them competitive and interesting to watch. So far, I'd give him a slight edge over Jimmy Clausen's electrifying rookie season.

Greg (North Carolina): C'mon Pat, you know it isn't fair at all to compare Clausen under John Fox in a lame duck position to Cam Newton with a new coach and Chud's awesome tailored playbook. Just sayin'.

Pat Yasinskas: That was intended with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

Mike (Charlotte): To the guy who said Cam is a turnover machine, HE IS A ROOKIE, those other two guys have been in the NFL 2+ years, Cam has an excuse.

Pat Yasinskas: And Drew Brees is tied for second in the league in INTs.

I’m sure there are a lot more strong opinions out there. That’s what the comments section below is for. Fire away.

Let’s weigh in on some stories of note around the NFC South.

Carolina’s Jimmy Clausen sounds like he’s accepting his role as the No. 3 quarterback as well as anyone could hope. That’s great and it’s really the only way Clausen can handle things in the short term. But, with Cam Newton in place as the starter, Clausen really has no future in Carolina. The best thing that can happen for him is for the Panthers to let him go after the season. If Clausen is going to ever have a chance to be a starter, he needs a fresh start. But I think it’s safe to cross Denver off the list of possible landing spots. I don’t see Clausen or Denver coach John Fox wanting a reunion.

Newton is averaging a league-high 10.3 air yards per pass. You have to respect the way the Panthers are letting the rookie quarterback use his strong arm. It helps that Newton has a downfield threat like Steve Smith.

Mike Triplett reports that the Saints could touch base with Tom Condon, the agent for Drew Brees, this weekend. The Saints are playing in St. Louis and Condon is based in Missouri. Brees’ contract is up after this season and the sides have been talking off and on and no deal appears to be close. It might be time to get down to business. Everyone wants the same thing – Brees back in New Orleans – and it doesn’t make a lot of sense to let this situation drag on all season.

New Orleans coach Sean Payton won’t reveal whether he or offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael will call the plays Sunday. Like it matters? The Saints are playing the winless Rams.

Stephen Holder writes that any thoughts of a rift between Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman and tight end Kellen Winslow are off base. He’s right. The two spent the offseason working out together and built a very strong bond. Winslow got a reputation for being a selfish player early in his career. But he’s pretty much been a model teammate since coming to Tampa Bay.

CHARLOTTE -- The Panthers and Redskins just announced their inactives for Sunday’s game.

For Carolina, quarterback Jimmy Clausen, safety Jordan Pugh, running back Mike Goodson, tight end Richie Brockel, linebacker Omar Gaither, tackle Lee Ziemba and defensive tackle Frank Kearse are inactive.

For Washington, receiver Donte Stallworth, safety Oshiomogo Atogwe, cornerback Byron Westbrook, tight end Chris Cooley, linebacker Markus White, tackle Trent Williams and defensive lineman Darrion Scott.

With some help from ESPN Stats & Information, let’s take a look at some numbers and notes about Sunday’s matchups.

The Saints will face a starting rookie quarterback for the second straight week when they take on Cam Newton. They faced Jacksonville’s Blaine Gabbert last week. The only other time that’s happened in Saints’ history was last year, when the Saints faced Carolina’s Jimmy Clausen and Arizona’s Max Hall (the Cardinals beat the Saints) in back-to-back weeks. Since the start of the 2008 season, New Orleans has a league-high 17 interceptions against rookie quarterbacks.

New Orleans running back/return man Darren Sproles leads the NFL with 716 all-purpose yards. Since the 1970 season, Sproles is one of only two players to have 350 yards from scrimmage and 350 return yards in the first four games. The other was Terry Metcalf in 1975.

Newton has thrown for 1,386 yards through four games, the most ever by a rookie. Newton needs only 111 passing yards to break Marc Bulger’s record for passing yards in the first five starts by a rookie.

Last season, Carolina’s Steve Smith led the NFL in dropped passes with five on throws of 15 or more yards downfield. This year, Smith has yet to drop one of that distance and he’s been targeted 19 times in those situations.

The Buccaneers have a chance to put together their first four-game winning streak since 2008. A victory against San Francisco would give Tampa Bay its best five-game start since 2005, when the team went 4-1.

After rushing for just 15 yards in the opener, Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount has come on strong. Over the last three games, he ranks third in the NFL with 279 rushing yards.

The Falcons are 21-4 in the regular season in the Georgia Dome since Mike Smith took over in 2008. The only team with a better home record in that span is the Patriots, who are 22-3.

When Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan square off Sunday night it will be a meeting of quarterbacks who have had vastly different success rates when throwing downfield. On throws of at least 15 yards this season, Rodgers has completed 57.1 percent of his passes this season. That ranks third in the NFL. Ryan has completed just 30.3 percent, third-worst in the NFL.