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

Former Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Polian reportedly will join the Atlanta Falcons in a scouting capacity. The Falcons shuffled their front office a bit when Les Snead left to become the general manager in St. Louis. David Caldwell and DeJuan Polk each took on added duties. Polian should add experience and make the front office deeper.

Here’s a partial and unofficial list of undrafted rookie free agents expected to sign with the Carolina Panthers. One of them is Southern receiver Jared Green, the son of Hall of Famer Darrell Green. The Panthers are expected to announce their full list Monday or Tuesday after they have received signed contracts.

Here’s the list of undrafted rookies expected to sign with the New Orleans Saints.

Undrafted Toledo receiver Eric Page tweeted Saturday that he was signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he apparently had a change of heart and signed with the Denver Broncos. Here’s a list of a few other rookies that are expected to sign with the Bucs.

With the drafting of receiver/return man Joe Adams, Armanti Edwards’ time with the Carolina Panthers is probably up. The Panthers traded a second-round pick in 2011 to take the former Appalachian State quarterback in the third round in 2010 and the plan was to turn Edwards into a receiver and returner. Former coach John Fox was opposed to drafting Edwards and was hesitant to play him. Edwards got a fresh start last year, when Ron Rivera took over, but was never able to make an impact.

As I drove down to Bradenton, Fla., back in February to interview some draft prospects at IMG Football Academy, I thought a lot about Carolina’s 2001 draft class. That’s because I was about to see a member of that class -- Chris Weinke, who now is IMG’s director of football operations.

I also was about to meet Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, who was preparing for the scouting combine under Weinke’s guidance. The Panthers used their first-round pick on Kuechly on Thursday night, but we’ll get back to Kuechly in just a minute. Let’s stick to the 2001 class for now.

As I drove, I thought about how that class might have been the best in franchise history (although the 2007 class that included Jon Beason, Ryan Kalil and Charles Johnson certainly is in the argument). But the 2001 draft is different in one regard. If not for a few twists of fate, it could have gone down as one of the greatest draft classes in NFL history.

Let’s start with the Panthers' third-round choice of Steve Smith, a wide receiver who is still with the Panthers and is still going strong. He at least has a shot at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Weinke was the fourth-round choice. He got thrown into a bad situation as a rookie starter and never was “the guy’’ once John Fox took over the next year.

Safety Jarrod Cooper (a fifth-round choice) and running back Dee Brown (sixth round) also contributed as special-teams players and offensive lineman Louis Williams (seventh round) hung around for a bit, even though his claim to fame was his willingness to pick up a couple hundred bucks from teammates for practicing in shorts and a t-shirt on one of the coldest and snowiest days in Charlotte history.

Then, there was second-round choice Kris Jenkins. For a brief period, he was the best defensive tackle in the game. He was a major reason the Panthers went to the Super Bowl in the 2003 season. Jenkins’ career got sidetracked by two major knee injuries and he grew unhappy in Charlotte. He later went to the New York Jets and, for a short time, looked like the best defensive tackle in the game again. Then, he got hit with more injuries.

Had Jenkins been able to stay healthy and happy, he might be in Hall of Fame discussions with Smith. Then, there’s the star-crossed case of Dan Morgan, the linebacker Carolina took in the first round of that draft.

“The best football player I’ve ever played with,’’ Jenkins told me last summer, soon after he announced his retirement.

People tend to forget how great Morgan was. That’s because his career was overshadowed by injuries, mostly concussions. Morgan spent seven seasons with Carolina, but never was able to play in more than 13 games in a season. In his last two years, he played in only four games.

But, in the few moments he was healthy, Morgan might have been the best player in this class. Remember Super Bowl XXXVIII? Morgan officially was in on 18 tackles in that game, but Carolina coaches put the number at 25. When Morgan was healthy, he was spectacular. Without all the injuries, Morgan might still be playing and he easily could be ahead of Smith and Jenkins in that hypothetical Hall of Fame conversation.

Through the years, I’ve discussed Morgan many times with Carolina general manager Marty Hurney. Coach George Seifert had the general-manager powers in that draft, but Hurney was part of the Carolina brain trust and moved into his current role the next year. When Hurney talks about Morgan, you hear bittersweet tones. Like everyone else in Carolina’s building that spent time around Morgan, Hurney talks glowingly about Morgan’s talent and how he was a true pro’s pro. Then, the injuries come up and that’s when the tone becomes sad. Hurney saw Morgan as a player that could have been truly special.

That’s why I have to wonder if Hurney was thinking about Morgan (and what he could have been) as he went through the draft process with Kuechly. I sure was. When Carolina’s pick was announced, my first thought was “Hurney just drafted a healthy Dan Morgan."

Kuechly is like Morgan in so many ways – a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who lives for football. Like Morgan, Kuechly had a highly-productive career from a strong college program.

Kuechly is coming in young, fresh and healthy. If he can stay that way, he could end up being the player Morgan never quite was able to become. That would make Hurney and a lot of Carolina fans very happy.

Keep Kuechly on the field for a decade and he could become a Pro Bowl regular. Maybe even, someday, a Hall of Famer.

Last season, Peyton Manning was supposed to make a tour of the NFC South.

That was supposed to include a rare sellout and prime-time game at Raymond James Stadium and Manning’s return to New Orleans, the city where he grew up and where his family is royalty. There also were supposed to be games with Manning going against Carolina and Atlanta. But none of that happened.

Manning missed all of last season with a neck injury and the Indianapolis Colts suddenly became very mediocre without their quarterback.

Manning left the Colts and signed with the Denver Broncos. All reports indicate he’s been working out and throwing the football very well. That’s great news for the Broncos, but not necessarily good news for the NFC South.

That’s because Manning and the Broncos, who made the playoffs last season with Tim Tebow and a great defense, are schedule to play each of the four NFC South teams.

Let’s take a look at Manning’s schedule games against the NFC South:

Sept. 17, Denver at Atlanta: It’s the home opener for the Falcons and this is a Monday night game. The good news is that Manning still might be adjusting to the Denver offense or perhaps, more accurately, the Broncos still might be trying to pick up Manning’s offense. But you know Manning’s going to be ready to make an impact in a nationally televised game. New Atlanta defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is bringing a new scheme and attitude. It better be clicking by Week 2.

Oct. 28, New Orleans at Denver: The Saints face a season of uncertainty, but one thing is for sure. Joe Vitt will be making his debut as interim head coach in this Sunday night game. Vitt will be suspended for the first six games of the season and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer is expected to supervise the team. The biggest unknown hanging out there is if the Saints will have players suspended for their role in the bounty program. If so, it’s possible they could be back by this game and new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will have had time to put his stamp on the defense. Any Manning-led offense is going to be productive. But the good news is, as long as quarterback Drew Brees gets his contract situation resolved, the New Orleans offense should be able to score enough to stay with any team.

Nov. 11, Denver at Carolina: Manning is one of the best quarterbacks ever and this matchup with Cam Newton could put him up against the league’s next great quarterback. Carolina’s defense should be better than it was a year ago and it will need to be if the Panthers are going to have any chance at giving former coach John Fox an unpleasant homecoming.

Dec. 2, Tampa Bay at Denver: By this late in the season, the Bucs will have had a chance to develop an identity. They’ll need to be much better on both sides of the ball to have any shot at staying with Manning and the Broncos.

Breakdown: The Panthers haven’t played a prime-time game since playing Pittsburgh in a dismal 2010 season. But the days of flying under the radar are over. The Panthers will appear in two nationally televised games this season, and they’re both good ones. They’ll host the Super Bowl champion New York Giants in a Thursday night game Sept. 20, and they’ll play a Monday night game at Philadelphia on Nov. 26.

That can be traced to the star power that comes with second-year quarterback Cam Newton. Pitting him against Eli Manning and Michael Vick should attract lots of attention. We already know Newton and the Carolina offense are good. If the Panthers can just play a little defense, that Philadelphia game and the December contests could be very meaningful.

The NFL is giving the Panthers a good opportunity to get off to a fast start. Four of their first six games will be played at Bank of America Stadium.

Complaint department: The Panthers open their season with two NFC South opponents -- on the road at Tampa Bay and at home with New Orleans. They also have a Sept. 30 game at Atlanta, meaning three of their first four games will be against divisional opponents. I don’t mind seeing a divisional game in the first month of the season. But three in the first four weeks? Seems a little excessive. But, hey, at least we’ll find out pretty quickly whether the Panthers have any chance to win the NFC South.

Fox’s return: The Nov. 11 game against Denver has lots of storylines. Peyton Manning will be coming to town, and the matchup between him and Newton is a good one. But there’s one thing that could overshadow even Manning and Newton that week. That’s the return of Denver coach John Fox. He was the best coach in Carolina history, but his tenure didn’t end well. That will give Fox motivation to have the Broncos ready, and the Panthers will have plenty to motivate them because Fox didn’t part on the best of terms with everyone in the building, including some people in very high places.

Panthers Regular-Season Schedule (All times ET)
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 9, at Tampa Bay, 4:15 PM
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 16, New Orleans, 1:00 PM
Week 3: Thursday, Sept. 20, N.Y. Giants, 8:20 PM
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 30, at Atlanta, 1:00 PM
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 7, Seattle, 4:05 PM
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 21, Dallas, 1:00 PM
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 28, at Chicago, 1:00 PM
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 4, at Washington, 1:00 PM
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 11, Denver, 1:00 PM
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 18, Tampa Bay, 1:00 PM
Week 12: Monday, Nov. 26, at Philadelphia, 8:30 PM
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 2, at Kansas City, 1:00 PM
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 9, Atlanta, 1:00 PM
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 16, at San Diego, 4:05 PM
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 23, Oakland, 1:00 PM
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 30, at New Orleans, 1:00 PM

The best thing about living in much of the South is that you can leave the door open in December and January. The flip side is, you never know who’s going to walk in.

That’s been demonstrated repeatedly throughout most of the decade the NFC South has been in existence. Worst to first isn’t just a hokey slogan in this division. It’s been a reality.

Not counting the inaugural season (because there was no defending champion or reigning last-place team in a division that didn’t exist before 2002), there have been six NFC South teams that finished fourth in the division one season and ended up winning it the following year. The trend started with the Carolina Panthers and their miraculous run to the Super Bowl in the 2003 season.

The Atlanta Falcons pulled off worst to first in 2004. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did it twice -- in 2005 and 2007. So did the New Orleans Saints. They did it in 2006 and again in 2009, the season after which they won their only Super Bowl.

But the worst-to-first trend has stopped since then. The Saints and Falcons have stayed consistently good and managed only to flip back and forth between first and second place.

This could be the season in which things get back to normal. Let’s be clear that I’m not ready to write off the Saints, as long as they have Drew Brees at quarterback, or an Atlanta roster that’s loaded with talent and has the potential to click at any moment.

But you look at what has happened in New Orleans and what hasn’t happened in Atlanta this offseason and you have to wonder if it’s at least possible that new Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano is about to pull off a miracle on Dale Mabry Highway or if Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis knew what he was talking about when he said the Panthers are headed for the Super Bowl.

The Saints’ bounty program has left them without coach Sean Payton for the entire season and they have little chance of pulling anything off in the draft because they don’t have a pick until the third round. They lost some free agents, like Carl Nicks and Tracy Porter. Plus, there’s the very real possibility that multiple players could face suspensions for their roles in the bounty program. Maybe adversity becomes a rallying cry for the Saints and they stay atop the division. Or maybe the bottom falls out of what was a great three-year run.

If that happens, the Falcons would seem the logical choice to step up. They did go 10-6 last season, although you could say they underachieved slightly throughout the regular season and tremendously in their playoff loss to the New York Giants. And what have the Falcons done to improve their roster this offseason?

Ladies and gentlemen, I present linebacker Lofa Tatupu and guard Vince Manuwai, two guys who didn’t play in the NFL last season.

Yeah, I know how the Falcons like to point to their roster continuity and changes at offensive and defensive coordinator as reasons they’ll be better this season. Those are valid points. But, still, the way last season ended, you have to at least wonder if the Falcons have already started their downhill slide.

Then, you look at the Buccaneers and Panthers and you see two teams that almost have to be on the rise. In the case of the Bucs, that’s mainly because they can’t go any lower.

Tampa Bay ended last season on a 10-game losing streak. Raheem Morris left for London at 4-2 last October, looking like the NFL’s next great coach. That guy hasn’t been seen since. But Schiano is in his office now and he seems to be saying and doing all the right things. He got rid of safety Tanard Jackson and coaxed safety Ronde Barber into coming back for one more year. Plus, Schiano has one luxury Morris didn’t last year -- a free-agent class.

A year after punter Michael Koenen was their big addition in free agency, the Bucs went out and made one of the league’s biggest splashes. They signed receiver Vincent Jackson, Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright.

Mix those guys in with some young talent (Josh Freeman, Gerald McCoy, Adrian Clayborn and some others), let Schiano restore a little order in the locker room and on the practice fields and worst to first at least seems like a possibility.

But, even if the Saints and Falcons slip, the Panthers could be ahead of the Bucs. They only won six games last season, but it might have been the most positive six-win season in NFL history. With Ron Rivera taking over for John Fox, the Panthers suddenly realized the NFL became a passing league a few years ago and started playing catch-up. They used the No. 1 overall draft pick on Cam Newton and suddenly had one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses.

The problem was the Panthers couldn’t do the one thing they always did under Fox -- play defense. That was largely because defensive tackle Ron Edwards was lost to injury in training camp and linebackers Jon Beason and Davis quickly followed. All three are expected back and that instantly should give Carolina a better defense. It only needs to be a little better, because Newton and that offense are going to score enough points for the Panthers to stay in the game with anyone.

Can the Panthers and/or the Bucs pass the Saints and Falcons?

We’ll see. It’s only April and the NFC South door looks to be wide open. Let’s see if it's still ajar -- or maybe even off the hinges -- in December.

We already showed you my assessment of how the NFC South teams have fared so far in free agency.

Now, let’s turn to another view. Check out this Insider post by Matt Williamson, who grades how every team has done in free agency. Overall, Williamson gave out pretty good grades to the NFC South teams.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got an A-. They signed receiver Vincent Jackson, guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright. Williamson slightly questions giving Wright so much money and says he wishes the Bucs had added a veteran leader or two. But those are about the only knocks anyone can come up with on what Tampa Bay has done.

Williamson gives the Saints a B, which I think is about right. They lost Nicks, receiver Robert Meachem and cornerback Tracy Porter. But I think they were expecting to lose all three after putting the franchise tag on quarterback Drew Brees and re-signing Marques Colston. Given the fact that he had almost no salary-cap room to work with, general manager Mickey Loomis did a pretty remarkable job in signing guard Ben Grubbs, linebacker Curtis Lofton and defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley.

The Falcons graded out at a C+. That may seem a little high to fans who are angry that the Falcons really didn’t bring anything from outside. But Williamson is generous with his grade because he recognizes the importance of keeping your own players. The Falcons did a nice job of that. The only thing they really lost was Lofton. That is a loss, but the Falcons only wanted him back at the right price and they stayed behind the line they drew in the sand.

The only team that got a bad grade was the Carolina Panthers. They got a D, which tied them (with Arizona) for the lowest grade in the league. I think this one might be a little harsh. Yeah, I realize the Panthers didn’t do much in free agency. But the bright side is, they really didn’t lose anything. The signing of running back/fullback Mike Tolbert was a bit curious because Carolina already was loaded in the backfield. But I think we could end up seeing Jonathan Stewart or DeAngelo Williams getting traded. Even if the Panthers keep all their running backs, that’s not a bad thing. They don’t run the ball as much as they did back in the John Fox days. But look at how New Orleans, a pass-happy team, was able to work in four quality running backs last season.

On the surface, Carolina’s signing of free-agent running back Mike Tolbert doesn’t seem like that big a deal.

The Panthers already have two good running backs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. It’s easy to look at this one and say, the Panthers simply are upgrading their No. 3 running back spot with Tolbert replacing Mike Goodson.

But I don’t think this is what that move is all about. Tolbert was brought in to be the No. 2 back behind either Williams or Stewart.

John Fox isn’t coaching the Panthers anymore, so the days of them collecting three or four backs and playing them extensively are over. Heck, there weren’t even enough carries to go around for Stewart and Williams last year, when coach Ron Rivera arrived and brought along offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. Rivera and Chudzinski both previously worked in San Diego, where Tolbert spent the past four seasons.

He had the best year of his career in 2010, the last year Chudzinski and Rivera were with the Chargers. Tolbert’s the kind of back that can give you about 150 carries and catch 40 or 50 passes out of the backfield. He also can play special teams and is considered a good locker-room guy.

Williams and Stewart both were first-round picks by the Panthers and are highly regarded by the team. But it’s pretty obvious the Panthers just sent a message that either one could be available and other teams are going to start calling to inquire about trades.

It might be difficult to get a trade partner for Williams. The Panthers signed him to a huge contract last summer, which could scare off some suitors. But I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the Panthers dealing Williams. Fox likes Williams a lot and could want a new toy for Peyton Manning in Denver. Some other team might be willing to take a shot on Williams.

But I think Stewart will be easier to trade (and Fox likes him too). He’s headed into the final year of his rookie contract and a team wouldn’t be taking on a huge deal. I’m thinking that between now and the draft, the Panthers will have added at least one draft pick and will be without either Stewart or Williams.

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.

I don’t think this will come as a surprise to anyone, but Carolina quarterback Cam Newton has been named the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

The real surprise would have been if Newton had not won the award. But that didn’t even come close to happening. Newton received 47 of the 50 votes. Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton received the other three votes.

In many other years, Dalton’s season would have been enough to earn him the honor. But Newton had no ordinary season.

Although the Panthers only won six games, you could make the argument Newton had the best rookie season ever by a quarterback. He set a new rookie record for passing yards and became the first player in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 500 yards in the same season. Newton also set an NFL record for rushing touchdowns (14) by a quarterback.

Despite the losing record, Newton brought hope to a franchise that had been very down. Carolina went 2-14 in 2010 and coach John Fox wasn’t retained. He was replaced by Ron Rivera, who joined with general manager Marty Hurney in making what many viewed as a risky decision to use the first overall draft pick on Newton.

A lot of skeptics wondered if Newton would be able to run an NFL offense after running what those same skeptics said was a very simple offense at Auburn. Although the lockout prevented Newton from working with coaches until the start of training camp, it didn’t take him long to grasp the offense.

He earned the starting job in training camp and opened his career in spectacular fashion, passing for more than 400 yards in each of his first two games.

Although Carolina’s defense was decimated by injuries, Newton and the offense continued to improve as the season went on.

During the season, Newton talked frequently about how the losing bothered him. If Carolina can just improve its defense a bit, Newton’s not going to have to endure many more losing seasons.

Let's take a look at the day's top headlines from around the division.

• New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees says he expects to have a new contract before free agency opens in mid-March. That would be a good idea. If Brees were to somehow hit the free-agent market there would be major unrest throughout the entire population of Louisiana.

• The Saints have hired Ken Flajole as secondary coach, James Varney reports. Flajole was defensive coordinator in St. Louis under former Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, who now is defensive coordinator for the Saints. Flajole also has some background in the NFC South. He spent some time as the linebackers coach in Carolina.

• Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez said 2012 probably will be his last season. I wouldn’t make too much of that. Gonzalez has hinted at retirement in past years, but keeps coming back.

• Carolina quarterback Cam Newton said he “failed’’ at the Pro Bowl as he played the entire second half and threw three interceptions. I think it’s nice that Newton’s critical of himself. But I don’t think anybody should be critiquing or celebrating the Pro Bowl performance. If you watched this year’s game all the way through, which wasn’t easy, it made you wonder why they even have an all-star game in football. Go ahead and name an all-star team, but, if the game is going to be played at half speed, why bother?

• Mark Cook takes a look at some possibilities to fill the job as Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator. The early assumption was Butch Davis would fill that role because he has history with coach Greg Schiano. But there’s been no announcement of Davis’ hiring, which makes you wonder if it’s not going to happen. The name I like on Cook’s list is Green Bay defensive line coach Mike Trgovac. I covered Trgovac in Carolina, where he had a pretty successful run as a defensive coordinator. As a matter of fact, I believe Trgovac might have been a head coach by now if Carolina owner Jerry Richardson hadn’t seen the lockout coming and wasn’t offering any security to former coach John Fox and his assistants. Fox told assistants with families they should take other jobs if they could get them. That’s when Trgovac left for Green Bay. Although Trgovac certainly has a better résumé than a bunch of current coordinators, his family is content in Green Bay, so he might stay content in his current role.

The Atlanta Falcons may stay within the organization when they fill their vacancy at quarterbacks coach. Glenn Thomas is a leading candidate for that role, D. Orlando Ledbetter reports.

It makes plenty of sense. Thomas, 34, has been an offensive quality-control coach for the Falcons since the arrival of coach Mike Smith in 2008. He obviously has to know quarterback Matt Ryan pretty well.

The Falcons lost quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski, who became the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville when former Atlanta coordinator Mike Mularkey became the Jaguars' head coach earlier in January.

Bratkowski spent only the 2011 season with the Falcons. He replaced Bill Musgrave, who had been Ryan’s quarterbacks coach in his first three seasons. Musgrave left after last season to become offensive coordinator in Minnesota.

Former Jacksonville coordinator Dirk Koetter has been hired as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator. Koetter obviously will bring some subtle changes to Atlanta’s offense. But promoting Thomas to quarterbacks coach could provide some familiarity and continuity for Ryan.

Smith is a coach who believes in loyalty and promoting Thomas would illustrate that. It’s also not a bad thing to start moving young coaches up the ladder.

The best example I can give you of that is Mike McCoy. I saw him join the Carolina Panthers as a quality-control assistant under George Seifert. McCoy later worked his way up to quarterbacks coach and he had a strong relationship, and a fair amount of success, with Jake Delhomme.

That success put McCoy on the radar for bigger things and he was hired as Denver’s offensive coordinator in 2009. He was reunited there with former Carolina coach John Fox in 2011 and McCoy largely was credited for the success of Denver quarterback Tim Tebow. That led to McCoy getting several interviews for jobs as a head coach this offseason.

Defense wasn’t a strength in the NFC South in the 2011 season. In fact, it was a big problem for the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and only an occasional strength for the Atlanta Falcons.

But there were some solid individual performances. With that in mind, let’s roll out the All-NFC South defense.

Defensive end: Charles Johnson, Panthers. He got his huge contract in the summer, but didn’t take the money and disappear. Johnson came through with nine sacks and also played the run fairly well.

Defensive end: Adrian Clayborn, Buccaneers. Yes, I’m taking the rookie over Atlanta veteran John Abraham. I know Abraham ended up with 9.5 sacks, but 3.5 of them came against Jacksonville and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Abraham was ordinary most of the season and was on the field for only 13 percent of Atlanta’s defensive snaps. Clayborn finished with 7.5 sacks. He also was on the field for about 80 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps, showed he can rush the passer and played the run well. Not much went right for the Bucs in the 2011 season. But they hit on their first-round draft pick.

Defensive tackle: Corey Peters, Falcons. He started in 2010, but was only a run-stuffer then. Peters emerged into a complete defensive tackle in his second season and showed signs he can generate a pass rush in the middle.

Defensive tackle: Brian Price, Buccaneers. Off the top of my head, I was preparing to go with Atlanta’s Jonathan Babineaux or New Orleans’ Sedrick Ellis. Then I looked at their statistics and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m going with Price, who quietly put together a nice season. He finished with three sacks and was one of the few Bucs who played the run well. More importantly, Price made a nice comeback from surgery on his pelvis and played through the pain of an ankle injury for most of the second half of the season.

Linebacker: Curtis Lofton, Falcons. In a year in which Carolina’s Jon Beason was hurt and New Orleans’ Jonathan Vilma slowed down, Lofton emerged as the NFC South’s best middle linebacker.

Linebacker: Sean Weatherspoon, Falcons. The second-year pro might now be the division’s best all-around linebacker. Weatherspoon is a playmaker and plays with an attitude that the rest of Atlanta’s defense needs to copy.

Linebacker: James Anderson, Panthers. With Beason and Thomas Davis going down early, Anderson was the bright spot in Carolina’s linebacker corps.

Cornerback: Jabari Greer, Saints. He often gets overlooked, but this guy is the best cover corner in the division.

Cornerback: Chris Gamble, Panthers. Gamble got benched by coach John Fox at the end of the 2010 season and his career appeared to be on the downside. But Gamble got a fresh start with coach Ron Rivera and bounced back with a strong season.

Safety: Malcolm Jenkins, Saints. He didn’t make as many big plays as I think he’s capable of, but Jenkins is an enormous talent. If the Saints can add a pass rush, the big plays will flow for Jenkins.

Safety: Thomas DeCoud, Falcons. He was benched briefly early in the season, but DeCoud seemed to get the message that he needed to play better. He finished the season with four interceptions and 86 tackles.

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

It already had been reported that New Orleans offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael had been given permission to interview for the Raiders’ job as head coach. But reports also are surfacing that the Colts have interest in interviewing Carmichael after they fired Jim Caldwell. The Saints also have to find a defensive coordinator to replace Gregg Williams. The front-runner is Steve Spagnuolo, who either interviewed Wednesday or will interview Thursday (reports on his schedule have varied). They also need to find a receivers coach to replace Curtis Johnson, who has left to become head coach at Tulane.

New Orleans receiver Lance Moore missed the final three games, including the playoff loss to San Francisco, with a hamstring injury. Moore discusses his disappointment about the San Francisco result and on not being able to play in that game.

We told you Wednesday that new Atlanta defensive coordinator Mike Nolan plans to stick with the 4-3 scheme. But Knox Bardeen adds a little more to Nolan’s future plans. Nolan said the Falcons might use the nickel package more often, because offenses are passing more frequently.

The proposed budget by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal includes $15 million for a land purchase, and a local official says that money could be used to buy the land where a new outdoor stadium for the Falcons could be built.

The Bucs don’t have a new coaching staff yet, so they have only their scouting staff working the practices for the East-West Shrine Game. A general manager for another NFC South team said that’s not unusual, that these practices are generally watched by scouting staffs and a few general managers. But most coaching staffs attend next week’s Senior Bowl in their entirety. There’s no guarantee the Bucs will have a new coach before the Senior Bowl. Even if they do, it’s almost certain he won’t have his entire staff in place in time for the Senior Bowl. Stephen Holder points out the situation puts the Tampa Bay scouts in a bit of a unique position, because they don’t know what schemes the team will be using.

Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is a name that has been tied to the Panthers with the No. 8 or 9 (depending on a coin flip) in the upcoming NFL draft. But Kirkpatrick reportedly was charged recently with marijuana possession. Could that change his stock with the Panthers? For years, Carolina went out of its way to avoid players who had off-field problems. That changed a bit last season after the departure of coach John Fox. The Panthers took a chance on cornerback Brandon Hogan, who had some off-field issues, in the fourth-round last year. But there’s a big difference when you’re talking about first-round picks and fourth-round picks. As long as owner Jerry Richardson and general manager Marty Hurney are running the show, I doubt you’ll see the Panthers taking chances on guys who have been in trouble, unless they fully investigate the issue and decide it’s unfounded.

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

Jeff Schultz writes that the Falcons got it right when they hired Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator. I agree totally. Steve Spagnuolo was the other big-name coordinator candidate out there and he’ll end up doing a fine job somewhere else (maybe even New Orleans). But I think Nolan is a better fit for the Falcons.

Spagnuolo reportedly will interview with New Orleans today. Just like I think Nolan is the better fit for the Falcons, I think Spagnuolo would be an excellent fit in New Orleans. The Falcons and Saints are two very different organizations. I think Nolan’s personality will allow him to fit in perfectly with the Falcons. Spagnuolo has a different style that could fit nicely with the Saints.

The Carolina Panthers don’t know who they’ll play in the 2012 opener yet, but they know it will be on the road. Team owner Jerry Richardson said the team will open on the road because the Democratic National Convention will be taking place and some of the events will be held at Bank of America Stadium.

Roy Cummings writes that Tampa Bay’s lengthy search for a new head coach isn’t out of the ordinary. He’s right and he points to how it took the Bucs a good bit of time to hire Tony Dungy and trade for Jon Gruden in the past. I can think of a few others that dragged out but seemed to work out fine. Carolina’s hiring of John Fox in 2002 went late into January. Same for last year when the Panthers went through a methodical process before hiring Ron Rivera.

As we told you Thursday night, Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has pulled out of Tampa Bay Buccaneers' search for a head coach.

But that doesn’t mean Tampa Bay’s choice will come straight from a list of Mike Sherman, Marty Schottenheimer, Brad Childress and Jerry Gray. Those four have interviewed for the job and any of them could end up as the next coach. But a league source said Tampa Bay’s list of candidates goes deeper than that.

The source wouldn’t specify if other candidates have interviewed or if the team is waiting to talk to candidates that are still involved in postseason play. It’s possible the Bucs could want to talk to some coaches still involved in the playoffs.

Let’s take a look at some coaches still in the postseason that could be candidates:

Tom Clements, Green Bay Packers, quarterbacks coach. His name has been tied to a lot of jobs in recent weeks. Clements hasn’t been an NFL head coach, but he’s looked very good as Aaron Rodgers' position coach. He’s very experienced and respected around the league.

Winston Moss, Packers, assistant head coach/inside linebackers coach. His name is getting tied to the Raiders’ opening. But Moss also could make some sense for Tampa Bay. He played linebacker for the Buccaneers.

Darren Perry, Packers, secondary-safeties coach. Another hot name on Green Bay’s staff. He is considered a rising star. Even if he doesn’t get a job as a head coach this year, he could be in line for a job as a coordinator.

Gregg Williams, New Orleans Saints, defensive coordinator. He’s been a head coach before. He’s a strict disciplinarian, which appears to be a quality the Bucs look very favorably upon these days. If the Bucs are going to compete in the NFC South in the immediate future, they have to go through the Saints. Williams knows New Orleans’ offense as well as anyone because he has to practice against it every day.

Pete Carmichael, Saints, offensive coordinator. This is probably a long shot because Carmichael has been in the shadow of head coach Sean Payton. But Carmichael started calling the plays when Payton broke his leg and has done a nice job. Carmichael has a very low-key personality and the Bucs might be looking for someone more dynamic.

Perry Fewell, New York Giants, defensive coordinator. He has experience as an interim head coach. He has been a candidate for other jobs in the past and some teams that have met with him say Fewell interviews extremely well.

Mike McCoy, Denver Broncos, offensive coordinator. More than head coach John Fox, McCoy is the one who has adjusted Denver’s offense to suit quarterback Tim Tebow. McCoy is viewed as a rising young star and has an outgoing personality. He also shares the same agent as Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik.

Cam Cameron, Ravens, offensive coordinator. His previous stint as a head coach in Miami did not go well, but Cameron probably learned some things from that experience. He’s had lots of success as a coordinator and could get another look as a head coach.