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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.

Check out this Insider post by Gary Horton, which explores how much the Tampa Bay Buccaneers improved in the first week of free agency.

Horton goes as far to suggest the Bucs could be the “Cinderella team" of 2012. I think that’s at least possible. There’s no doubt the Bucs improved themselves with the signing of receiver Vincent Jackson, guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright.

As we’ve discussed before, Jackson should help quarterback Josh Freeman and the rest of the receiving corps with his proven ability to stretch the field. Horton also suggests Jackson might be the best seam-route runner in the NFL.

Horton said Nicks is the most dominant inside player in the NFL and I agree with that. I think Nicks can be even more dominant in Tampa Bay than he was in New Orleans because he’ll get to do a lot more run blocking. That’s what Nicks really likes to do, although he’s just fine as a pass-blocker. With Nicks joining guard Davin Joseph and center Jeremy Zuttah, Horton suggests the Bucs could become the best interior line in the NFL. That’s entirely possible. Nicks is outstanding and Joseph is very good, but I think if the Bucs really are going to be dominant in the middle, they’ll need Zuttah to elevate his game. There are indications he can do that. He’s played mostly guard in the past, but has experience at center. He’s just entering his prime and he’ll be playing for his former college coach, Greg Schiano.

On Wright, Horton said he’s a cornerback who can play man or zone. That’s good because, with the new coaching staff, the Bucs may be playing more of a combination of defensive coverage schemes than they have in the past. I also like the signing of backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky. I’m not saying he’s anything special, but I think he’s the kind of traditional drop-back passer who could go in and give the Bucs a chance to win if he has to play in place of Freeman. Former backup Josh Johnson was a nice player to use in gimmicks, like the Wildcat formation, but he was not the kind of quarterback you wanted to see taking snaps under center for any extended period of time.

You could make a case that the Bucs’ moves have closed the gap between them and the rest of the NFC South. There’s no doubt they’ve improved their personnel, but there’s still more work to be done (mainly at running back and linebacker) in the later waves of free agency and the NFL draft.

I just got the complete breakdown of the two-year contract Dan Orlovsky signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday morning.

Orlovsky will make $900,000 in base salary ($200,000 of that is guaranteed) and he’s also slated to collect a $100,000 roster bonus. That makes Orlovsky’s cap figure $1 million in 2012.

For those keeping score at home, the Bucs now have $15.82 million remaining in cap space. They’ve said they’ll continue to monitor free agency, but their focus is moving toward the NFL draft in late April. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bucs add another free agent or two. Don’t expect anything more like Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright, but you could see the Bucs add some depth at several positions.

In 2013, Orlovsky is scheduled to make $1.5 million in base salary and is not scheduled to receive any bonuses. The Bucs aren’t expected to re-sign previous backup quarterback Josh Johnson, who is an unrestricted free agent.

This one isn’t quite as big as their recent signings, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continued to make noise Thursday morning.

The team announced it has signed veteran quarterback Dan Orlovsky. That’s no surprise because it’s no secret the Bucs were looking for a veteran to serve as the top backup to Josh Freeman.

They inquired about David Carr, but he re-signed with the New York Giants. But the Bucs apparently viewed Orlovsky about the same as Carr and quickly worked to sign him to a two-year deal.

The new coaching staff appears ready to let former backup Josh Johnson walk into free agency. Johnson was sometimes used in Wildcat formations as a runner, but never showed much as a passer in the few times he’s had to play. Orlovsky isn’t a runner, but he at least fits the model of a traditional drop-back passer.

Orlovsky has been in the league since 2005, when he came to Detroit as a fifth-round pick and spent three seasons with the Lions before moving onto the Houston Texans. He was with Indianapolis last year and ended up starting five games as the Colts were without Peyton Manning.

Orlovsky has appeared in 21 career games with 12 starts. He’s completed 272-of-465 passes for 2,880 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

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.

We’ll conclude our division-wide look at potential free agents with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

All are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, unless otherwise noted:

Cornerback Ronde Barber, kicker Connor Barth, running back Earnest Graham, defensive tackle Jovan Haye, linebacker Geno Hayes, quarterback Josh Johnson, safety Sean Jones, offensive lineman James Lee, safety Corey Lynch, cornerback Elbert Mack, receiver Micheal Spurlock, offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah, running back LeGarrette Blount (exclusive rights), receiver Preston Parker (exclusive rights), defensive end Michael Bennett (restricted) and offensive lineman Demar Dotson.

As soon as new coach Greg Schiano gets his staff hired, he and general manager Mark Dominik have to sit down, take a look at the list above and make what could be some difficult decisions. Let’s start with Barber’s future because that’s going to be a hot topic.

Barber played at a reasonably high level in 2011 and the Bucs could look to bring him back with another one-year contract. Of course, it’s also possible that Barber will decide to retire. It’s also possible Barber might want to continue playing, but a new coaching staff could decide to start fresh and give him the same treatment Derrick Brooks got in 2009 and let him walk. If that happens, don’t be surprised if Barber ends up in Washington, where former Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris is now coaching the secondary.

Barber’s status as a Tampa Bay icon makes him the most interesting person on the list of potential free agents. But the list contains plenty of others that will be interesting decisions. Barth and Zuttah seem the most likely to stay. But Schiano, his coaching staff and Dominik are going to have to take a long look at players like Hayes, Lynch and Lee to see if they fit the new system. Jones was a starter last season, but the Bucs may elect to go younger at safety. Graham also is an interesting situation. He can play running back and tailback and has been a dependable player for years. But he’s aging and coming off an injury that put an early end to his 2011 season.

On a side note, defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth currently remains under contract for 2012. But Haynesworth, who was brought in after injuries wiped out the middle of the defensive line in the middle of last season, is scheduled to count $7.2 million toward the salary cap. The Bucs can release him without any cap implications. Haynesworth doesn't have a lot left in the tank and my early impression is that Schiano doesn't seem like the kind of coach that would want the baggage that comes with Haynesworth. Throw in the cap situation and it seems pretty obvious how this one will play out.

Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton was on the field for a higher percentage of his team’s offensive plays than all but three NFL quarterbacks in the 2011 season.

Newton was on the field for 98.95 percent of Carolina’s 1,046 offensive snaps. He was out for only 11 plays. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning led the league in this category, playing in all 1,075 of his team’s offensive plays.

New Orleans’ Drew Brees ranked No. 10 in the league, taking part in 96.35 percent of the Saints’ snaps. Brees was pulled from a few games when the Saints were blowing teams out, although his departure might have come a bit later than the Atlanta Falcons would have liked in the game where Brees broke Dan Marino’s record for passing yardage in a season.

Atlanta’s Matt Ryan participated in 94.23 percent of the Falcons’ 1,127 offensive plays. Ryan’s percentage was No. 12 in the league.

Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman was No. 14 at 92.26. Freeman was on the field for 942 of Tampa Bay’s 1,021 offensive plays. Freeman missed one game with an injury and also was yanked at times when the Bucs inserted Josh Johnson in their Wildcat package, which, hopefully is something new coach Greg Schiano does away with.

I’ve got playing time details for every player in the league in 2011. I’m breaking them down with Saint Leo University student Chris Walker, who is acting as the unofficial (and unpaid) NFC South Blog intern. Over the coming days, we’ll take individual looks at playing time for NFC South players at all the different position groups.

A lot can change between now and the start of free agency and I sure don’t see any way the New Orleans Saints let quarterback/King Drew Brees walk away. I also think there’s a pretty good chance tight end Tony Gonzalez can return to the Atlanta Falcons if he chooses. Same for cornerback Ronde Barber with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and maybe even Jeremy Shockey with the Carolina Panthers.

But all we know about those guys at the moment is they’re not under contract for 2012. We’ll do much more on free agency as it gets closer but I’ve got the complete list of every NFC South player presently not under contract for 2012.

I’ll list them by team here and we’ll only go with the guys who have at least four years of service and can become unrestricted free agents. We’ll deal with restricted and exclusive-rights free agents at another time.

Atlanta Falcons: Tony Gonzalez, tight end; Reggie Kelly, tight end; Todd McClure, center; Mike Peterson, linebacker; John Abraham, defensive end; Joe Zelenka, long-snapper; Chris Redman, quarterback; Kirk Chambers, offensive line; Kelvin Hayden, cornerback; Brett Romberg, offensive line; James Sanders, safety; Jason Snelling, running back; Kroy Biermann, defensive end; Thomas DeCoud, safety; Harry Douglas, receiver; Brent Grimes, cornerback; Curtis Lofton, linebacker; Eric Weems, receiver.

Carolina Panthers: Jeremy Shockey, tight end; Reggie Wells, offensive line; Derek Anderson, quarterback; Geoff Hangartner, center/guard; Omar Gaither, linebacker; Cletis Gordon, cornerback; Legedu Naanee, receiver; Antwan Applewhite, linebacker; Mackenzy Beranadeau, offensive line; Dan Connor, linebacker; J.J. Jansen, long-snapper; Jerome Felton, fullback; Jordan Senn, linebacker.

New Orleans Saints: John Kasay, kicker; Drew Brees, quarterback; Shaun Rogers, defensive tackle; John Gilmore, tight end; Aubrayo Franklin, defensive tackle; Marques Colston, receiver; Pat McQuistan, offensive line; Courtney Roby, receiver; Leigh Torrence, cornerback; Jeff Charleston, defensive end; Turk McBride, defensive end; Robert Meachem, receiver; Jo-Lonn Dunbar, linebacker; Carl Nicks, guard; Tracy Porter, cornerback.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ronde Barber, cornerback; Earnest Graham, running back; Sean Jones, safety; Connor Barth, kicker; Geno Hayes, linebacker; Josh Johnson, quarterback; James Lee, offensive line; Corey Lynch, safety; Elbert Mack, cornerback; Frank Okam, defensive tackle; Micheal Spurlock, receiver; Jeremy Zuttah, offensive line.

A look at the top Saturday morning headlines from around the NFC South:

Former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora reportedly will be the next coach at UCLA.

The New Orleans run defense, which has played well of late, faces a huge two-game challenge. The Saints will face Tennessee’s Chris Johnson on Sunday and Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson next week.

Atlanta’s Matt Ryan has been hit 65 times. Only five teams have allowed their quarterbacks to be hit more.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who plays the Falcons on Sunday, had his lowest NFL passer rating in the Week 6 contest against Atlanta.

Scott Fowler points out that one thing the Panthers haven’t done this season is beat a big-time quarterback. Their wins have come against Curtis Painter, Josh Johnson, John Beck and Blaine Gabbert. They’ll have their shot against Ryan on Sunday.

Tampa Bay coach and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris already has said the Bucs will simplify what they do on defense. Now, offensive coordinator Greg Olson said the Bucs will scale things back offensively. I guess the only question left is if the Bucs will scale back what they do on special teams?

Tampa Bay safety Sean Jones was fined $20,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Carolina’s Legedu Naanee last week.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hoping starting quarterback Josh Freeman will be able to return to practice Wednesday and play against Jacksonville on Sunday.

That’s how coach Raheem Morris laid out the team’s expectations for Freeman as he met with the media on Monday.

Freeman missed Sunday’s loss to Carolina after suffering a shoulder injury the previous week. That was the first game Freeman has missed since taking over as the starter midway through his rookie year in 2009.

Backup Josh Johnson started against the Panthers.

Let’s start this out by qualifying that it came against a dismal Tampa Bay defense. But Carolina rookie Cam Newton was the NFC South’s best quarterback by at least one measure Sunday.

Newton’s Total QBR was 91.7. That was even higher than Drew Brees, who usually tops the division’s quarterbacks. Brees’ Total QBR was 84.7, good for fourth in the league. But Newton ranked third behind only Tom Brady (93.6) and Aaron Rodgers (92.4). The scores also included the Thursday night game.

So Newton’s in the same conversation as Brady, Rodgers and Brees now? Well, there still are likely to be some ups and downs in his maturation process. But Sunday showed Newton can play with the best of them at times. His three rushing touchdowns helped his score greatly, and the 91.7 Total QBR was the highest of Newton’s career.

Tampa Bay’s Josh Johnson, who made his first start since 2009, was No. 8 at 67.7. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan was No. 25 at 31.2.

On the season, Brees is No. 2 in average Total QBR at 79.5. Ryan is No. 8 at 63.1. Newton is No. 15 at 56.8. Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman, who sat out Sunday with a shoulder injury, is No. 22 at 47.0.

Thoughts on the Carolina Panthers' 38-19 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

What it means: Both teams are 4-8, but that’s about the only thing the teams have in common these days. This was a big step for the Panthers. It marked the first time they’ve put together back-to-back wins since the arrival of coach Ron Rivera. The Panthers seem to be building some positive momentum that might carry over into next season. This was a low point for the Bucs, as they lost their sixth straight game. The previous five came against good teams. The Panthers don’t quite fit that profile. But the Panthers clearly have moved ahead of the Bucs at the bottom of the NFC South.

What I liked: Carolina’s defense. This unit has been having major problems all season. But the Panthers stepped up and played perhaps their best defensive game of the season. The Bucs were forced to settle for four first-half field goals. Carolina’s run defense has struggled all season. But the Panthers did a very nice job keeping LeGarrette Blount under control.

What I didn’t like: Tampa Bay’s offense. Let’s not give all the credit to Carolina’s defense. Tampa Bay’s offense was playing without starting quarterback Josh Freeman and Josh Johnson started in his place. Blount is the kind of physical runner who has given the Panthers fits all season, but he never got on track and wasn’t much of a factor after the Panthers built a big lead.

What’s next: The Panthers host the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday. The Buccaneers travel to Jacksonville next Sunday.

A few quick observations on the first half of the game between the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans and the first half of the contest between the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If you though the Falcons were going to have an easy time against the Texans, who had to start rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, you would be wrong. The Texans have a 10-3 lead at halftime. Yates is playing fairly well and he’s getting lots of help from his defense. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan has thrown two interceptions and the Falcons haven’t been able to get their running game going. The Falcons have to get something going offensively in the second half or else their path to the playoffs will get a lot more difficult.

The Panthers have a 24-12 lead on the Buccaneers. Carolina took control by scoring on its first two drives. The Panthers are running well against a Tampa Bay defense that has had problems stopping the run most of the season. The biggest surprise might be the play of Carolina’s defense. The Panthers had been having all sorts of problems against the running game. But, so far, they’ve kept LeGarrette Blount in check. Josh Johnson, who is playing for the injured Josh Freeman, has hit a few deep passes, but the Bucs have had to settle for four field goals. The bright spot for Tampa Bay has been rookie defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, who has 1.5 sacks and had another one negated by a penalty.

I’ll be back with wrap-ups on both games soon after they end. After that I’ll head over to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to cover Sunday night’s game between the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman will not play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers due to a shoulder injury, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Josh Johnson will start in Freeman's place.

Coach Raheem Morris said this week that Freeman was hurt on a quarterback sneak that was stopped for no gain, sealing a 23-17 loss to the Titans last Sunday.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just sent out an announcement that could make Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers much more interesting.

The Bucs said they have promoted quarterback Rudy Carpenter to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. That could be a sign the Bucs might rest starter Josh Freeman, who has been limited by a shoulder injury all week.

Freeman was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report. Freeman has not missed a start since taking over the job midway through his rookie season. Backup QB Josh Johnson has not started a game since 2009.

The Bucs have said Freeman’s status will be a game-day decision. Linebacker Zac Diles was released in a move to create the roster spot for Carpenter.