ESPN NFL

The Atlanta Falcons have had the quietest offseason of any NFC South team. But that doesn't mean they won't have some changes in their starting lineup.

Now that the NFL draft is over, let's take a look at my best guess at what Atlanta's starting lineup will look like in September.

OFFENSE

• QB Matt Ryan

• RB Michael Turner

• FB Ovie Mughelli

• WR Roddy White

• WR Julio Jones

• TE Tony Gonzalez

• LT Sam Baker (or someone not yet on the roster)

• LG Justin Blalock

• C Joe Hawley (I’m guessing he starts ahead of Todd McClure)

• RG Peter Konz (unless he ends up playing center)

• RT Tyson Clabo

DEFENSE

• DE John Abraham

• DT Corey Peters

• DT Jonathan Babineaux

• DE Ray Edwards

• OLB Sean Weatherspoon

• MLB Akeem Dent (Falcons would like him to beat out veteran Lofa Tatupu)

• OLB Stephen Nicholas

• CB Brent Grimes

• CB Dunta Robinson (Asante Samuel will play as much as Grimes and Robinson)

• SS William Moore

• FS Thomas DeCoud

SPECIALISTS

• K Matt Bryant

• P Matt Bosher

• PR Dominique Franks

• KR Jacquizz Rodgers

Let's take a quick look at the early-Tuesday-morning headlines from around the NFC South. As you might expect, many of them include the New Orleans Saints and their various problems.

• Free-agent defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin, who spent last season with New Orleans, visited the Falcons on Monday. I’d say this one is just due diligence and, if anything is going to happen, it will come after the draft. Atlanta needs some depth in the middle of the defensive line, but isn't desperate. The Falcons have Corey Peters, Jonathan Babineaux and Peria Jerry. Peters has had a very nice first two seasons. Babineaux had a quiet 2011; Jerry has never come close to his potential since suffering a knee injury early in his rookie season. Franklin has some history with new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, so he could be an option if the Falcons aren’t satisfied with their situation at defensive tackle after the draft.

• The Saints and general manager Mickey Loomis are denying a report that he had the ability to eavesdrop on opposing coaches from 2002 through 2004. But, John DeShazier writes, the news causes another distraction for a franchise that already has plenty of them as a result of what the NFL says was a three-year bounty program.

• Here’s a statement from Loomis in which he emphatically denies the report.

• Jim Haslett, who coached the Saints during the period in which Loomis allegedly had the ability to listen to opposing coaches, said he had no knowledge of Loomis actually doing so.

• Mike Triplett writes that the news on Loomis probably won’t get the general manager fired. He might be right. Saints owner Tom Benson has stood by Loomis through the Vicodin scandal a couple years ago and through the bounty program that’s dominated the headlines for more than a month. There haven’t been any indications the latest allegations will change Benson’s mind.

• Ron Green Jr. writes that Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly could make an instant impact if the Panthers take him at No. 9 in the NFL draft. No argument here. Kuechly had a highly productive college career and comes with very few questions. It’s rare that you can say that about a prospect near the end of the top 10. Plus, Carolina owner Jerry Richardson and general manager Marty Hurney really like guys that come with no obvious questions.

• Tampa Bay’s coaching change affected more than the Bucs. It also affected the football team at Tampa’s Plant High School, which has been a state and national power in recent years. With former tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts joining the Colts, his son, Austin Roberts, a top college prospect at tight end, is leaving Plant’s program. But the Panthers are getting receiver/defensive back Tristan Cooper. His father, Ron Cooper, is the new defensive defensive backs coach for the Bucs.

The Atlanta Falcons shocked more than a few of their fans when they didn’t go after defensive end Mario Williams in free agency.

As owner Arthur Blank explained in this column from Saturday, coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff chose to stick with continuity instead of making splashy moves. Salary-cap considerations factored into that.

There was speculation that the Falcons would let veteran defensive end John Abraham leave when he revealed before the start of free agency that he wanted a deal worth $12 million per season. Abraham didn’t get that kind of money on the open market and he’s back with the Falcons on a three-year contract that averages $5.5 million.

Abraham will turn 34 next month, but the Falcons still believe he can be the key to their pass rush. He had 9.5 sacks last season and 13 in 2010.

“John has been our most productive pass-rusher since we’ve been here,’’ Smith said at the recent NFL owners meeting. Chronologically, his age may say one thing, but his body says another. John will still command how they’re going to block him and that’s going to open other options for (new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan) and what we want to do schematically.’’

The Falcons don’t have a first-round draft pick and may pursue another pass-rusher at some point in the draft. But they still view Abraham as their top threat up front. Defensive end Ray Edwards, Atlanta’s big free-agent signing last year, had just 3.5 sacks last season. The Falcons are expecting more out of Edwards, as well as rotation players Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury. They also want more production out of the middle of their defensive line. Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux had just one sack after producing a combined 10 sacks in 2009 and 2010.

“You don’t want to have just one guy that’s getting all the production,’’ Smith said. “You want other defensive linemen and linebackers being productive pass-rushers. If you look at Coach Nolan’s 14 years as a defensive coordinator, he’s been one of the most productive on third down. You want to have a scheme that puts added pressure on the quarterback on third downs."

They were first-round picks and that alone created enormous expectations for Atlanta offensive tackle Sam Baker and defensive tackle Peria Jerry.

Baker was taken in 2008, the same year the Falcons drafted quarterback Matt Ryan. The theory was, the Falcons would have their franchise quarterback and the protector of their franchise quarterback for the next decade or so. Jerry was taken in 2009 and was expected to be a dominant run stopper as well as provide a little interior pass rush. On paper, both picks looked like smart moves at the time.

In cold, hard reality, Baker and Jerry never have lived up to the expectations of Atlanta fans. They haven’t even come close. Baker was viewed as serviceable at first, but he’s regressed in the eyes of fans. And their perception was pretty close to reality last season, when journeyman Will Svitek ended up starting ahead of him. Jerry’s career simply was cursed almost right from the start. In the second game of his rookie season, Jerry tore up his knee. The Falcons and Jerry have never officially described the injury, but let’s just say Jerry tore just about everything in his knee. He barely has been a factor since.

That’s why there was speculation Baker and Jerry would be cut this offseason. But, guess what? That’s not happening. Our first clue came when free agency started. If the Falcons were going to pull the plug on Baker and Jerry, it would have happened before free agency started in March because that would have given the Falcons some much-needed cap room.

But, now, we’ve got even more concrete proof. I sat down with Atlanta coach Mike Smith during the NFL owners meeting earlier this week. I asked him specifically about the futures of Baker and Jerry.

In each case, Smith, as straight-forward a coach as I’ve ever dealt with, said the Falcons remain “committed’’ to Jerry and Baker.

Let’s start with Baker. This one might be painful to fans, but it’s a little easier to see what Smith is saying. The reality is, you just don’t find a franchise left tackle in the draft when you’re not picking until the second round. There wasn’t anything close to a franchise left tackle in free agency. In that situation, sometimes it’s best to stick with what you’ve got instead of reaching. Apparently, that’s what the Falcons are planning to do.

“We are very committed to Sam Baker,’’ Smith said. “I think Sam has a long future with us.’’

Smith is the kind of coach that likes to say most positions are open to competition in training camp. I think that’s true at left tackle, where Baker will have to compete with Svitek and anyone else the Falcons might bring in between now and then. But I also got the impression the Falcons are hoping Baker steps up and claims the job. I’m not saying Baker will ever be a Pro Bowler, but I think this guy has been banged up a lot more than people realize. I get the impression the Falcons think Baker can be adequate or slightly better than that, if he’s healthy.

“I think that Sam has shown a lot of resiliency,’’ Smith said. “Sam really has worked through a lot of injuries throughout his career. He’s played through a lot of things. Sam, in my mind, was playing very well through the first five or six games last season until he was injured and had to have the procedure done on his back, which put him out for a very significant amount of time.’’

Jerry’s a bit of a different story. I think the Falcons pretty much have accepted the fact, he never will be a superstar. But Smith made it sound like there still is a spot on the roster for Jerry as a role player.

“We’ve committed to Peria Jerry and Peria ended up playing about 30 percent of the snaps (last season),’’ Smith said. “He was a rotational player. He had some production, but it wasn’t consistent production throughout the year.’’

I reminded Smith how he said he thought Jerry would bounce back and have a big impact last season because he was further out from the knee surgery. That obviously didn’t happen and I asked Smith if Jerry’s knee still was holding him back last season.

“I can’t say that it is an issue,’’ Smith said. “It was a significant injury. I don’t know that Peria was the same guy he was before the injury. You see his ability to get up the field at times and we still feel he can be a very productive player for us.’’

I wouldn’t look for Jerry to suddenly jump into the starting lineup. Corey Peters has developed into a very solid defensive tackle. The other starter is Jonathan Babineaux. Although he’s coming off a sub-par season, it wasn’t all that long ago that Babineaux was the best defensive tackle in the NFC South. I’d look for Jerry to continue to rotate in behind those two guys. If he can be a little more consistent and productive than he was last season, I think the Falcons will be content with Jerry as their third defensive tackle.

“We need to be more consistent,’’ Smith said. “Not only Peria, but across the board on the defensive line.’’

» AFC Assessments: East | West | North | South » NFC: East | West | North | South

Atlanta Falcons

Key additions: LB Lofa Tatupu, G Vince Manuwai

Key losses: LB Curtis Lofton, WR/KR Eric Weems

Keeping their own: Much to the chagrin of their fans, the Falcons chose not to pursue defensive end Mario Williams or any other big-name free agent. Instead, they focused hard on keeping their own guys. That started before the season ended with tight end Tony Gonzalez re-signing and continued into free agency as the Falcons made it a point to lock up guys like receiver Harry Douglas, defensive end John Abraham and running back Jason Snelling. They also protected cornerback Brent Grimes with the franchise tag.

The only loss that really hurt was Lofton. The Falcons liked him, but new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan didn’t view him as a three-down player. The Falcons still made an effort to keep Lofton, but weren’t willing to pay big money. They brought in the veteran Tatupu, who could be a short-term answer. But there’s a hope within the organization that second-year pro Akeem Dent can step forward and win the job immediately because he’s the guy that’s going to end up there for the long term.

What’s next: Don’t completely rule out the addition of a minor or mid-level free agent or two, but the Falcons are focusing mainly on the draft. Even with Abraham back, they’re still looking to improve their pass rush and defensive ends could be in play. But the Falcons also could add a defensive tackle because Jonathan Babineaux and Peria Jerry are coming off sub-par seasons. Some depth in the secondary and a kick returner also are possible targets.

Key additions: RB/FB Mike Tolbert, G Mike Pollak

Key losses: G Travelle Wharton

The splash came last year: The Panthers haven’t been very active in free agency. That’s largely because they made their big moves coming out of the lockout last year. They signed defensive end Charles Johnson, running back DeAngelo Williams, linebacker Jon Beason, defensive tackle Ron Edwards and linebacker Thomas Davis to huge deals, and that’s why they had very little salary-cap room to work with this year.

But the Panthers didn’t really reap the rewards of some of those signings because Beason, Davis and Edwards all suffered early injuries. That took a toll on the defense. But all three of those guys are back and healthy and that should improve the defense immediately. Carolina developed an explosive offense last season and a strong defense could turn the Panthers into playoff contenders.

What’s next: The Panthers have very little cap room and don’t figure to make many more moves in free agency. They’re focused in on the draft and there needs have been narrowed. They’re likely to address cornerback and defensive tackle early in the draft. But don’t be surprised if they take a linebacker somewhere in the first three or four rounds, and it’s even possible they could target one in the first or second. Davis is coming off his torn ACL and the Panthers don’t know if he’ll be anything close to what he was before the injuries.

New Orleans Saints

Key additions: LB Curtis Lofton, DT Brodrick Bunkley, G Ben Grubbs

Key losses: G Carl Nicks, CB Tracy Porter

Miracle workers: Faced with an extremely tight salary-cap situation and some bizarre off-field events, it’s somewhat amazing the Saints were able to keep as much as they did. They didn’t want to lose Nicks, who might be the best guard in the league and is in his prime. But that’s the price they had to pay to make sure they kept quarterback Drew Brees and receiver Marques Colston, as well as adding players like Lofton, Grubbs and Bunkley.

The Brees situation remains complicated. He's still carrying the franchise tag. The Saints need to get him signed to a long-term deal quickly. Even more than ever, the Saints need Brees’ leadership abilities. They need him signed and happy before their offseason program starts April 16.

What’s next: With the possibility of multiple defensive players facing possible suspensions as a result of the bounty program, the Saints still could be looking to make significant moves. It will be hard to draft players that will make an instant impact because the Saints are without picks in the first two rounds. That means they might have to pull some more help out of free agency, even with limited cap space. They could use another pass-rusher to complement Will Smith. Even after adding Lofton and Bunkley, the Saints still could use depth at linebacker and defensive tackle.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Key additions: WR Vincent Jackson, G Carl Nicks, CB Eric Wright

Key losses: C Jeff Faine

Locking them up: Part of the reason the Bucs didn’t lose much of anything in free agency is because they’ve done a nice job of locking up some core players in recent years. They made it a point to make sure offensive linemen Donald Penn, Davin Joseph and Jeremy Zuttah never got close to leaving. Add Nicks to that group and the Bucs have a chance to have one of the league’s better offensive lines. As the season gets going, some other young players will be rewarded with contract extensions as they show they fit in coach Greg Schiano’s system.

What’s next: After making the initial splash, the Bucs said they’re done with free agency and are focused on the draft. That’s largely true, although the team is keeping a close eye on what remains on the market. This is a team that still is building and will still have needs after the draft. The Bucs have a big need at running back, where they have to find at least one player to complement LeGarrette Blount. The cornerback position could be an early target in the draft even after Ronde Barber decided to return for a 16th season. There also is some uncertainty about Aqib Talib's future. Even if he remains with the team, the Bucs need depth at the position. There also is uncertainty at linebacker and a need for depth at safety and tight end.

Not all of this morning’s headlines around the NFC South are about the Saints and their bounty program, but most of them are. Let’s take a look.

Jeff Duncan writes that it’s time for Saints owner Tom Benson to step out of the background and start making some important decisions, starting with making sure quarterback Drew Brees signs a long-term contract very soon. I agree totally and wrote something pretty similar the other day. Benson also needs to decide who will replace coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis during their suspensions. Benson’s been a hands-off owner, at least when it comes to football operations. It’s time for that to change. Someone has to seize control of this situation and start the healing process. That’s got to be Benson.

Brian Billick wonders if Payton, who will be suspended for one year, might be gone from the Saints for good. It’s a legitimate question. Billick says Benson could dismiss Payton “for cause."

Josh Johnson, who had been the backup quarterback for Tampa Bay, has signed with the San Francisco 49ers. No big surprise there. The Bucs didn’t want Johnson back and had already signed Dan Orlovsky to take over as Josh Freeman’s backup. Johnson played for San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh when the two were together at the University of San Diego. Johnson will go in as the backup to Alex Smith, who is coming off a solid season, so it’s not like Johnson has a chance to compete for a starting job.

Former New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter has agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos. Porter had a key interception in the Saints’ Super Bowl victory, but gradually became expendable as the Saints drafted Patrick Robinson and Johnny Patrick in back-to-back years.

Steve Spagnuolo, Pete Carmichael and Aaron Kromer are reportedly the three in-house candidates to fill in for Payton during his one-year suspension. Those are the same three names I speculated on the other day and it didn’t take a great deal of time to come up with that list. It’s pretty obvious those are the three best-qualified candidates on the current staff. Defensive coordinator Spagnuolo has been a head coach before in St. Louis. Offensive coordinator Carmichael is very close to Brees, who carries plenty of clout in the organization. Offensive line coach Kromer is a rising star and his name was tied to several head-coaching openings this offseason.

John Manasso writes that the Falcons stand to benefit from the Saints’ punishments. That’s very true. But, to varying degrees, I think you can say the same of the Panthers and Buccaneers.

Clemson defensive tackle Brandon Thompson said he has a pre-draft interview scheduled with the Falcons. Makes a lot of sense because Jonathan Babineaux is coming off an unproductive season and Peria Jerry has never been able to fully bounce back from the major knee injury he suffered as a rookie.

LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, who has been tied to the Buccaneers as a possibility at the No. 5 pick, revealed at his pro day that he will have surgery to repair ligament damage in his wrist on Friday. I don’t think that’s going to hurt Claiborne’s draft stock. I also think he helped his stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds.

The Atlanta Falcons currently aren’t under a lot of salary-cap pressure. They have over $20 million to work with, but that could change in a hurry.

The Falcons are likely to re-sign cornerback Brent Grimes or use the franchise tag on him. The Falcons also have said they want to re-sign middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. Although defensive end John Abraham and his agent have made it sound like he won’t return to Atlanta, it remains possible the Falcons could bring him back if Abraham’s price tag drops from the $12 million he’s seeking. The Falcons also have several other free agents, including receiver Harry Douglas, that they’re likely to have some interest in keeping.

If most or all of those free agents are signed, the Falcons could have some salary-cap decisions to make on players currently under contract. The Falcons aren’t the type of team that likes to sit still and it’s likely they’ll be spending some significant money in free agency.

With that in mind, let’s finish our series on NFC South players that could be on the hot seat with the Falcons.

Although Mike Smith said at the combine he looks forward to left tackle Sam Baker returning, I think that might have been a case of a coach just being nice. Releasing Baker, who lost his starting job last year, would free up $2.6 million in cap space.

Fullback Ovie Mughelli has been an outstanding blocker throughout his time with the Falcons. But he’s about to turn 32 and is coming off a leg injury that cut last season short. The Falcons could save $3 million by releasing him and there are other guys out there that can block.

Defensive tackle is another position where the Falcons might have to make some big decisions. Jonathan Babineaux is coming off a very quiet year and he’ll turn 31 early next season. He’s scheduled to count $4.6 million against the cap and the Falcons could clear $3.6 million in cap space by releasing him. There might be temptation by fans to say the Falcons should release Peria Jerry instead. Understandable because Jerry hasn’t done much since getting hurt early in his rookie season (2009). But the Falcons still think Jerry has some upside. More importantly, cutting Jerry wouldn’t help the Falcons against the cap. In fact, it would hurt them. Jerry is scheduled to count $1.95 million against the cap. If the Falcons cut Jerry, they’d take a $2.2 million cap hit.

The NFC South is a division without a dominant defensive tackle.

But I think it’s fair to say Atlanta’s Corey Peters and Jonathan Babineaux, New Orleans’ Sedrick Ellis and Tampa Bay’s Brian Price were the best the NFC South had to offer in 2011. Apparently, their coaches agreed.

According to playing-time numbers obtained by ESPN.com, Ellis led all NFC South tackles by taking part in 66.3 percent of New Orleans’ 1,061 defensive plays. That percentage ranked Ellis No. 16 in the NFL and he was the only NFC South player in the top 20.

Peters was next at 60.4 percent, which ranked No. 23 in the league. Babineaux was No. 30 at 54.1 percent. Price, who was somewhat limited by injuries and was sent home early from one game by former coach Raheem Morris, took part in 47.1 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive plays. That tied him at No. 37 in the league with teammate Roy Miller.

Carolina rookie Terrell McClain was one spot behind them, taking part in 46 percent of his team’s defensive plays. After that, there was a big drop off among the rest of the division’s tackles and we should note that Tampa Bay’s Gerald McCoy probably would have finished in the top four or five in the NFC South if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury.

Let’s take a look at the percentage of playing time for the rest of the NFC South defensive tackles:

• Sione Fua, Panthers, 39.7
• Vance Walker, Falcons, 36.85
• Andre Neblett, Panthers, 36.2
• Albert Haynesworth, Buccaneers, 35.8 (included time with Patriots)
• Peria Jerry, Falcons, 35.6
• Tom Johnson, Saints, 30.1
• Shaun Rogers, Saints, 29.7
• Frank Okam, Buccaneers, 28.2
• Aubrayo Franklin, Saints, 27.3
• Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers, 20.8
• Frank Kearse, Panthers, 16.5
• Ogemdi Nwagbuo, Panthers, 15.6
• Ronald Fields, Panthers, 13.9
• Mitch King, Saints, 4.8
• Carlton Powell, Falcons, 3.8
• DeMario Pressley, Panthers, 3.8
• Jovan Haye, Buccaneers, 2.8

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.

The Atlanta Falcons have hired Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator, the team just announced.

This is a very strong hire by Atlanta coach Mike Smith. Nolan’s a former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He spent the last two seasons as Miami’s defensive coordinator. He also previously worked as defensive coordinator for the Redskins, Jets, Ravens, Giants and Broncos.

I think it’s fair to say Nolan is an upgrade over former defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, who left to become defensive coordinator at Auburn. Through most of Smith’s tenure, VanGorder’s defenses weren’t great, although the Falcons improved somewhat on that side of the ball in 2011.

Nolan has some good talent to work with in linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, cornerback Dunta Robinson and defensive tackles Corey Peters and Jonathan Babineaux. The Falcons also have to make decisions on if they want to re-sign defensive end John Abraham, middle linebacker Curtis Lofton and cornerback Brent Grimes.

This also is a victory in the NFC South for the Falcons. New Orleans reportedly had some interest in Nolan and at least one of the candidates who has interviewed for the Tampa Bay job had indicated he thought he could make Nolan part of the package.

» NFC Wrap-ups: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Arrow indicates direction team is trending.

Final Power Ranking: 7
Preseason Power Ranking: 6

Biggest surprise: When the Atlanta Falcons drafted defensive tackle Corey Peters in the third round in 2010, they didn’t envision him being much more than a role player early in his career. But Peters wound up starting as a rookie and showed he could play the run pretty well. Even then, the Falcons thought Peters would just be a run-stuffer. But he became much more than that this season. Peters showed he can also rush the passer. He recorded three sacks and he and fellow defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux were able to create consistent pressure in the middle of the defensive line. Peters has locked up a starting job for the foreseeable future.

Biggest disappointment: This is the flip side to Peters. Defensive tackle Peria Jerry was the team’s first-round draft pick in 2009. But Jerry had a major knee injury in the second game of his rookie year. He came back last season and the team wanted to bring him along slowly, so they used Peters as the starter and Jerry as a situational player. After the 2010 season, coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff said they took that approach because Jerry’s knee wasn’t 100 percent healthy. Smith and Dimitroff also said they thought a healthy Jerry would emerge as a force in 2011. It didn’t happen. Peters remained in the starting role all season and Jerry played in a rotation, but produced only 10 tackles and zero sacks.

Biggest need: Left tackle has been a problem spot for this team for most of the time quarterback Matt Ryan has been with the team. The Falcons drafted left tackle Sam Baker the same year they drafted Ryan. Baker never made it to the elite level and really struggled at the start of this season. He eventually went out with a back injury and was replaced by Will Svitek, who has done an adequate job. But Svitek isn't the long-term answer at left tackle and it’s likely the team will give up on Baker. The Falcons traded away their first-round pick in 2012 to draft Julio Jones in 2011, so it might be difficult to find a top-notch left tackle in the draft. The Falcons may have to find a left tackle in free agency. But at the moment, the crop of free-agent left tackles isn’t loaded with talent.

Team MVP: At first blush, Ryan didn’t quite take the step to becoming an “elite quarterback’’ that so many people expected. The Falcons were supposed to have one of the league’s most prolific offenses and they were coming off a 13-3 season. As it turned out they had a good, but not great, offense and went 10-6. But when you look at Ryan’s numbers, you realize that he quietly had the best season of his career. His 4,177 passing yards and 29 touchdowns both were career highs and his numbers would have been better if Roddy White and Jones hadn't dropped a bunch of passes. Ryan still took a step in the right direction during the regular season. If he can get his first career playoff victory, he might cement his status as elite.

Fountain of youth: There were times last season when it looked like veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez had hit the end of the road. His average yards per catch dipped to a career low 9.4 yards. He rarely got open downfield or made anything happen after the catch. But Gonzalez, 35, bounced back this season. He averaged 10.9 yards per catch. He had 80 catches for 875 yards and seven touchdowns and was the most consistent player on the offense. Gonzalez played so well that he was signed to a one-year contract extension just before the regular season ended. Retirement -- and a spot in the Hall of Fame -- can wait at least another season.

With very little fanfare, the Atlanta Falcons' defense has emerged as the best in the NFC South.

The Falcons rank No. 9 in overall defense. They’re fourth against the run and No. 17 against the pass. It also appears as if injured cornerbacks Brent Grimes (knee) and Kelvin Hayden (toe) are on the verge of returning to the lineup. They could be back as soon as Monday night’s game with the New Orleans Saints.

ESPN analyst and former NFL coach Jon Gruden said he thinks the Atlanta defense is one of the league’s best-kept secrets.

“If they get healthy in the secondary, I think that's a starting point for the Falcons,’’ Gruden said in a recent conference call with the national media. “But look, I'm really impressed with the tapes I've seen of the Falcon defense. They have a lot of guys that are considered unknowns in football outside of John Abraham, maybe [Curtis] Lofton, but this secondary is for real. If they get healthy, they can make plays. Mike Smith and [Brian] VanGorder do a great job together putting together weekly game plans to take away what you do best.’’

Heck, I'll even throw in a few more names Gruden didn't mention. I think second-year outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon has emerged as a big-play guy and Corey Peters and Jonathan Babineaux form a very nice tandem in the middle of the defensive line.

A quick reminder that the fan portion of voting for the Pro Bowl ends Monday.

Here’s the link to the ballot if you want to hit the polls at the last minute.

I won’t tell you who to vote for, but I’ll throw out some names I think are worthy of consideration. On offense, I’d think about New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, Atlanta running back Michael Turner, Carolina receiver Steve Smith, Atlanta receiver Roddy White, New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham, Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez, Carolina tackle Jordan Gross, New Orleans guards Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans and Carolina center Ryan Kalil.

On defense, I’d consider Carolina defensive end Charles Johnson, Atlanta defensive end John Abraham, Atlanta defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, Atlanta linebackers Sean Weatherspoon and Curtis Lofton, New Orleans cornerback Jabari Greer and New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins.

On special teams, I think New Orleans punter Thomas Morstead, Tampa Bay punter Michael Koenen, Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant and New Orleans return man Darren Sproles are worth considering.

The Atlanta Falcons have put out their final injury report for Thursday night’s game with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It’s very lengthy, so I’ll leave off the 10 guys who are listed as probable because they’ll all play, barring any major setbacks. We’ll deal just with the guys who are listed as doubtful or questionable.

There’s major doubt in the defensive backfield as cornerbacks Brent Grimes (knee) and Kelvin Hayden (toe) are both doubtful. The Falcons have been using Christopher Owens and Dominique Franks as their second and third cornerbacks opposite Dunta Robinson while Grimes and Hayden have been out.

There are more issues in the front seven. Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (ankle) and linebacker Stephen Nicholas (quadriceps) are listed as questionable. If Babineaux can’t go, Peria Jerry likely would move into a starting spot. Veteran Mike Peterson has been starting at outside linebacker while Nicholas has been banged up.

On offense, the only real issue is left tackle Will Svitek. He’s questionable with a groin injury. If Svitek can’t play, Sam Baker likely would get the start.

The Atlanta Falcons are the only NFC South team that put out an injury report Tuesday. That’s because they play a Thursday night game with Jacksonville.

The list is pretty lengthy and some guys are on it because they were either resting or dealing with a flu-like condition that seems to be sweeping through Flowery Branch.

So let’s try to cut to the chase and address the injuries that really could matter Thursday.

Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (ankle) did not practice. Add him to a list of defensive players who have been injured for some time. That includes cornerback Brent Grimes (knee), linebacker Stephen Nicholas (quadriceps) and cornerback Kelvin Hayden (toe) and the Falcons could have to tap even more into their depth on defense.

Three key offensive players also did not practice Tuesday and each of them has a groin injury. Running back Michael Turner, receiver Harry Douglas and offensive lineman Will Svitek all sat out Tuesday.

Receiver Julio Jones (back) practiced on a limited basis.