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Did the Falcons do enough to get tough enough up front?

The Falcons went hard after offensive linemen in the draft. They took Wisconsin guard/center Peter Konz in the second round and Southern Mississippi tackle Lamar Holmes in the third. They also added guard Vince Manuwai in free agency.

The plan seems to be to throw Konz and Manuwai out there with guard Justin Blalock, center Todd McClure, guard Garrett Reynolds and guard/center Joe Hawley. The Falcons will let them all compete in training camp and and then decide which combination gives them the best interior. Konz probably will emerge as a starter, and either he or Hawley could replace McClure, who is aging fast. That should improve the interior of the offensive line, but what about the outside? Left tackle Sam Baker struggled last season, and the fact that Holmes was sitting there in the third round is a pretty good indicator that he’s not ready to step in and be a stud left tackle.

If the Falcons really are serious about throwing downfield more, they have to give quarterback Matt Ryan more time. The Falcons still may have to add a left tackle (Marcus McNeill) to compete with Baker if they really want to solidify their offensive line.

Speaking of solidifying lines, the Falcons haven’t done much on the defensive side, and that also was a problem area last year. They brought back veteran defensive end John Abraham, but they don’t have any other especially strong pass-rushers. I wouldn’t count on an immediate impact from fifth-round pick Jonathan Massaquoi. Guys like Ray Edwards, Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury have to step up, or the Falcons have to go try to find a pass-rusher in what remains of free agency.

In this recent column, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank talked quite a bit about the importance of continuity.

He cited it as a reason why the Falcons didn’t make a big splash in free agency. That pretty much backs up the philosophy that’s been recited by the Falcons since the arrival of general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith in 2008 -- draft well, keep your core players for the long term, and supplement them with free agents when necessary.

You’ve got to give the Falcons credit for practicing what they preach. This offseason marked the first time that a big portion of a Dimitroff/Smith draft class became eligible for free agency, and the Falcons did a good job of keeping the players they wanted. They re-signed receiver Harry Douglas, safety Thomas DeCoud, and defensive end Kroy Biermann. Quarterback Matt Ryan and offensive tackle Sam Baker, the top two Atlanta picks from 2008, remain under contract. The Falcons did lose middle linebacker Curtis Lofton, a player they had interest in keeping.

The Falcons gave Lofton an offer before free agency, but he had a different figure in mind. Lofton ended up signing with New Orleans for a lot less than his original asking price, and the Falcons are prepared to move on with either veteran Lofa Tatupu or second-year pro Akeem Dent in his place. Ryan is likely to get a contract extension at some point, and the Falcons might use the final year of Baker’s contract to make a decision on if he’s a long-term answer.

I just got some numbers that back up what the Falcons have been saying. When it comes to retaining drafted players, the Falcons are among the league leaders in the Smith/Dimitroff era.

Of the 32 players drafted by the Falcons since 2008, 26 are on the roster. That’s 81.3 percent, which puts the Falcons second only to the Minnesota Vikings, who have an 82.1 percent retention rate in that same time frame (the percentages were current as of early Tuesday afternoon). For the sake of comparison, Denver ranks last in the league by retaining only 48.6 percent of the players drafted since 2008. For more context, Tennessee (77.8 percent) and Houston (75 percent) are the only other teams with a retention rate of 75 percent or better.

Most of the rest of the NFC South also has fared well in retaining draft picks since 2008. Tampa Bay, which has been preaching a philosophy similar to Atlanta’s, ranks No. 7 in the NFL at 70 percent. Of the 31 players the Buccaneers have drafted since 2008, 21 remain on the team.

Although the Saints have had the second-fewest number of picks since 2008, their retention percentage is fairly high at 68.2 percent. Of the 22 players New Orleans has picked, 15 remain on the roster.

Carolina is the only NFC South team in the bottom half of the league in retention. The Panthers are No. 21 at 61.8 percent. They’ve had 34 picks, and 21 remain on the roster.

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."

I just got a look at the full details of the contract signed by Atlanta defensive end Kroy Biermann this week.

To sum it up, the Falcons aren’t quite paying Biermann like a starter, which means they’re probably looking for one in free agency. But they paid Biermann the kind of money you’d expect for a defensive end that is likely to get pretty extensive time in the rotation.

Biermann got a three-year deal that averages $3.05 million. He received a $3.1 million signing bonus, and will make $1.1 million in base salary this season. His cap figure for this season is $2.133 million.

Biermann’s base salary will rise to $2.4 million in 2013, and 2.55 million in 2014.

The Atlanta Falcons just announced they have re-signed defensive end Kroy Biermann, which may be more significant than it sounds.

This could be a sign that veteran John Abraham won’t be returning. Although no one is going to confuse Biermann with a guy that can step in and give the Falcons double-digit sacks in most seasons, like Abraham has, this could be a piece of Atlanta’s future pass rush.

Let’s face it, Abraham has made noise about wanting $12 million a season. That’s way too much to pay a player at his age. The Falcons already have a pile of money tied up in defensive end Ray Edwards and they probably just gave Biermann a nice chunk of change (we don’t know his contract details yet).

But keeping Biermann at least gives the Falcons a decent third defensive end for their rotation. Could he move into a starting role? Perhaps, but I suspect the Falcons will go out and bring in another pass-rusher.

It could be a big-time free agent like Mario Williams. Or it could be a rookie, but the Falcons don’t have a first-round pick at the moment.

What they do have at the moment is Biermann, Edwards and even reserve Lawrence Sidbury. They probably won’t have Abraham, but they’ve got a start at defensive end and they’ll probably finish it with something bigger.

Atlanta Falcons

Defensive end Kroy Biermann is poised to sign a contract extension with the Falcons within the next 36 hours, reports D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Should the Falcons make a play for Saints Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks? FoxSports.com's John Manasso makes the case.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers had only one player among Pro Football Weekly's top-100 free agents -- Jeremy Shockey at No. 92.

New Orleans Saints

Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic look ahead to the Saints' offseason -- should New Orleans be concerned about Drew Brees' contract status?

Brees should be the highest-paid player in the NFL, writes Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune.

The Saints restructured Will Smith's contract to create more room under the salary cap -- and they may not stop with Smith. Duncan has the cap figures for the Saints' 53 players under contract for the 2012 season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

For the Bucs, free agency isn't just about adding starters -- the Bucs could use more depth at defensive tackle and running back.

Greg Schiano brought in two more assistants from Rutgers -- special-teams coordinator Phil Galiano and graduate assistant Andrew Janocko, who will become the Buccaneers' offensive quality control coach . Schiano now has taken six Rutgers assistants with him to Tampa Bay.

The Bucs also added Ben McDaniels, the brother of the Patriots' Josh McDaniels, to be an offensive assistant.

The Atlanta Falcons appear to be on the verge of letting their top pass-rusher walk into free agency. That might be their wisest move.

Defensive end John Abraham reportedly wants a deal that will pay him more than $12 million a year. His agent said he plans to meet with the Falcons at the scouting combine this weekend for a final attempt at getting a deal done, but said the two sides remain far apart.

I wouldn’t expect any resolution unless Abraham suddenly drops his price tag. Abraham is a very good player, but his price tag is in the range of Julius Peppers ($14 million per year), Charles Johnson ($12.7 million) and Jared Allen ($12.2 million).

If Abraham was 27, I’d say go ahead and pay him, but Abraham is about to turn 34. Twelve million is too high a figure for a player at this stage of his career. Abraham was used as a situational player last season and led the team with 9.5 sacks, but it should be noted that 3.5 of those sacks were against a hapless Jacksonville team.

Abraham has been dealing with injuries the past few years and it’s not likely his body suddenly will turn young again. I think the smart thing for the Falcons is to let Abraham go ahead and test the market. That strategy could lead him back to Atlanta.

I’m thinking other teams also will have concerns about paying so much for a player near the end of his career. The Falcons should make it clear to Abraham’s agent how high they will go and I’m thinking the number may be somewhere around the $8 million Abraham made last year. Leave that offer on the table and let Abraham go out and see what he can get. He might not get any higher offers and he could return at a more reasonable rate.

If Abraham does get a better offer, let him go. The Falcons aren’t loaded with pass-rushers. Ray Edwards was their big signing last season. He played the run well, but didn’t generate a lot of pressure. Lawrence Sidbury is still around and the Falcons likely will re-sign Kroy Biermann if Abraham leaves. But the Falcons likely would have to go out and get a defensive end in free agency or the draft.

There are no guarantees out there, but the Falcons could come out ahead in the long term. At his age, Abraham doesn’t come with any guarantees, either.

It appears veteran defensive end John Abraham will not be returning to the Atlanta Falcons.

Steve Wyche reports Abraham’s agent said he has been given indications by the team that Abraham will be allowed to test free agency. If an agent says that it probably means he’s been told there’s no chance of his client re-signing. The Falcons are usually pretty straight shooters when it comes to these matters, so it’s likely Abraham’s been told he won’t be back.

That’s not a real big surprise. Abraham was Atlanta’s top pass-rusher with 9.5 sacks last season. But Abraham is 33 and played only on a part-time basis last season while dealing with lingering injuries.

The Falcons have Ray Edwards, a high-priced free agent from last year. Edwards played the run well, but didn’t have a big impact on the pass rush. The Falcons also have Lawrence Sidbury. The indication that Abraham won’t return probably means the Falcons will try to re-sign Kroy Biermann, who can become a free agent.

But it’s not likely the Falcons will be content with Edwards, Sidbury and Biermann. They probably will add a pass-rusher in the draft or free agency.

Carolina’s Greg Hardy and Tampa Bay rookie Adrian Clayborn weren’t among the NFL’s sack leaders in 2011, but you can make the argument they’re among the best all-around defensive ends in the game.

Hardy and Clayborn showed some pass-rush skills, but they also played the run very well. That combination of skills was why they were on the field more than the rest of the NFC South defensive ends last season.

Hardy led division ends by participating in 891 of Carolina’s 1,023 defensive plays. That 87.1 percentage ranked Hardy No. 6 among defensive ends. Minnesota’s Jared Allen led the league at 94.3 percent.

Clayborn wasn’t far behind Hardy. Clayborn came in at 80.9 percent, which put him No. 15 in the NFL. Carolina’s Charles Johnson and New Orleans’ Will Smith also ranked in the top 20.

Johnson was on the field for 77.5 percent (No. 16 in the NFL) of Carolina’s defensive plays and Smith took part in 75.8 of New Orleans’ defensive plays (19th in the league).

Ray Edwards led Atlanta’s defensive ends by taking part in 69 percent of the plays. Although he was on a play count and used mostly in pass-rushing situations, veteran John Abraham took part in 61.8 percent of Atlanta’s defensive plays.

Here’s a look at playing-time percentages for most of the rest of the NFC South defensive ends:

• Michael Bennett, Buccaneers, 58.2

• Cameron Jordan, Saints, 54.3

• Kroy Biermann, Falcons, 52.3

• Da’Quan Bowers, Buccaneers, 47.4

• Junior Galette, Saints, 33.7

• Lawrence Sidbury, Falcons, 21

• Jeff Charleston, Saints, 20.2

• Turk McBride, Saints, 19.3

• Tim Crowder, Buccaneers, 17.5

Since the NFC South doesn’t have a team in the Super Bowl, let’s start looking ahead to the 2012 offseason.

We’ll start by taking a look at each team and its potential free agents. We’ll start with the Atlanta Falcons. We’ll list all of their potential free agents. Each one listed is a potential unrestricted free agent, unless he’s noted as a restricted or exclusive-rights free agent. After I list the free agents, I’ll summarize what could be the most important moves as teams re-sign players between now and the start of free agency in mid-March.

Here are Atlanta’s potential free agents: Defensive end John Abraham, defensive end Kroy Biermann, offensive lineman Kirk Chambers, safety Thomas DeCoud, receiver Harry Douglas, cornerback Brent Grimes, cornerback Kelvin Hayden, tight end Reggie Kelly, linebacker Curtis Lofton, center Todd McClure, linebacker Mike Peterson, offensive lineman Brett Romberg, safety James Sanders, running back Jason Snelling, receiver Eric Weems, long-snapper Joe Zelenka, tight end Michael Palmer (exclusive rights), running back Antone Smith (exclusive rights) and defensive tackle Vance Walker (restricted).

Lofton and Grimes are the most significant names on that list. They’re key defensive starters, and they’re in their prime. Keeping Lofton, the quarterback of the defense, might be the top priority. There’s little doubt the Falcons want Grimes back. He’s developed into a very good cornerback, despite the fact that he’s undersized. But Grimes could get big money elsewhere. The Falcons already have a lot invested in cornerback Dunta Robinson, and might not be able to pay huge contracts to two cornerbacks.

Abraham, McClure and Peterson are nearing the end of their careers. Any of them could decide to retire. The Falcons also could decide to bring back any of them as a role player. Abraham still was the team’s best pass-rusher in 2011.

It’s likely the Falcons will have some interest in keeping Biermann, DeCoud, Douglas and Snelling. They’re still young, but they could get better offers elsewhere. Hayden and Sanders each are veterans that could test the market, but eventually return to give the Falcons depth.

We’ve got some very significant injury news out of New Orleans and updates on other injuries of note all around the NFC South.

New Orleans running back Mark Ingram, who has missed the past three games with a toe injury, suffered what coach Sean Payton called a setback in his recovery. Ingram aggravated the injury when he returned to practice Wednesday and did not practice Thursday. Receiver Lance Moore (hamstring) missed his second straight day of practice. On the bright side, safety Malcolm Jenkins (neck) and linebacker Jonathan Vilma returned to practice on a limited basis after sitting out Wednesday.

The Buccaneers are pretty banged up. Receiver Arrelious Benn (neck), defensive end Michael Bennett (toe), defensive tackle Brian Price (ankle) and right tackle Jeremy Trueblood (concussion) each missed their second straight day of practice. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn (hamstring) also was held out of Thursday’s practice.

Atlanta’s also got some significant injuries. Defensive end Ray Edwards (knee) and linebacker Stephen Nicholas (toe) each missed their second straight day of practice. If Edwards can’t play, Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury likely would get increased playing time. With Nicholas injured and Mike Peterson on injured reserve, the Falcons are getting Spencer Adkins ready to start at outside linebacker.

Carolina’s defensive line has some big injury problems. Defensive end Charles Johnson (back) and defensive tackle Andre Neblett (head) each missed practice for the second straight day.

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.

ATLANTA -- Fourteen games into the season, the Atlanta Falcons finally played how they were supposed to play.

They looked like the trendy Super Bowl pick they were back in the preseason. They played with the “explosiveness’’ coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff talked about so much in the offseason. They were explosive on both sides of the ball -- and even on special teams -- and played the closest thing they have all season to a perfect game.

That resulted in a 41-14 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night at the Georgia Dome.

Granted, Jacksonville is not a good team, but we saw the first real signs that Atlanta can be a truly good one.

“That’s what we need,’’ said quarterback Matt Ryan, who completed 19 of 26 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. He also posted a 137.3 NFL passer rating, the second highest of his career. “But I still think we can be a lot better.’’

Maybe so. However, the Falcons were a lot closer to being a strong all-around team than they have been all season, and that's encouraging. At 9-5, the season had been marked by inconsistency and it never really seemed like the Falcons were meeting expectations.

Expectations ticked upward when Roddy White said the Falcons’ offense would be “The Greatest Show on Turf’’ and free-agent defensive end Ray Edwards referred to himself as the “missing link.’’

But White, Edwards and others were missing at times earlier in the season. Recently, though, there had been signs that things were coming together.

What we saw Thursday night went beyond just a few flashes. What we saw was the team Smith and Dimitroff envisioned when they traded up in the draft to get receiver Julio Jones, and went out and signed Edwards to a big contract.

The downfield passing game, which had come on a bit in recent weeks, really clicked. White and Jones each made deep catches. White finished with 10 receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and Jones had five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.

“When you take shots downfield, you’ve got to just keep taking them,’’ Ryan said. “It’s like a shooter in basketball. Even if you’re not making the shots, you keep taking them because they’re going to come.’’

The offensive numbers could have been even more inflated, but Smith began pulling some of his starters late in the third quarter. Heck, the defensive statistics could have been even better, but they were pretty darn good.

Veteran defensive end John Abraham, the guy the Falcons wanted to help when they signed Edwards, had one of the best games of what has been a very impressive career. Abraham pretty much dominated the game.

He sacked rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert 3.5 times and forced two fumbles. Abraham’s first forced fumble came when he sacked Gabbert with 46 seconds left in the first half. Middle linebacker Curtis Lofton recovered, and the Falcons kicked a field goal to take a 27-0 halftime lead.

Abraham repeated the feat on Jacksonville’s third play of the third quarter -- only that Gabbert fumble was picked up by defensive tackle Corey Peters, who rumbled 13 yards for a touchdown.

“John Abraham had a monster night,’’ said Smith, who clinched his fourth consecutive winning season for a franchise that never had back-to-back winning seasons before his arrival.

Abraham had plenty of help. He shared a sack with Edwards, who also was credited with a quarterback hurry; reserve defensive end Kroy Biermann added a sack.

The Falcons were able to generate so much pressure on Gabbert with their front four that they seldom bothered to send blitzers. Having extra players in coverage was a big reason Gabbert had only 24 passing yards in the first half, and finished with 141 yards and an interception.

“[Gabbert] holds the ball a lot,’’ Abraham said.

Abraham took the ball out of Gabbert’s grasp, and the defense came awfully close to pitching a shutout. Jacksonville’s first touchdown came on a blocked punt in the third quarter, and its only offensive touchdown came with 59 seconds left, long after many of Atlanta’s defensive starters were out of the game.

“We played well on all cylinders,’’ Abraham said. “But I wouldn’t consider it a complete game. I’d consider it a good confidence-builder.’’

That confidence and the consistent play across the board could come in very handy. The Falcons don’t have to play again until the night after Christmas. That game is at New Orleans, and the Falcons have to win it to have any chance at becoming the first team in history to win NFC South titles in back-to-back seasons.

Smith set off a minor celebration after the game when he told the players they don’t have to practice again until Tuesday.

“Four or five days off couldn’t come at a better time,’’ Ryan said.

The break might also allow the Falcons to get injured cornerbacks Brent Grimes (knee) and Kelvin Hayden (toe) back on the field. Having a fully healthy secondary could be crucial against the pass-happy Saints, who defeated the Falcons in overtime in their Nov. 13 meeting in Atlanta.

That loss hit the Falcons hard, coming as it did against a Saints team with which they have kindled one of the league’s top rivalries in recent years.

But the Falcons will get another shot at the Saints. This time it comes when the Falcons seem to be playing up to their potential, and they should be rested and healthy.

“That’s the advantage of a short week,’’ Smith said. “You get a long week after it. That will give us time to prepare for a team that’s playing as well as any team in the league.’’

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

Atlanta defensive end Lawrence Sidbury has moved into a tie for the team lead in sacks with four, even though he is being used in a limited role in a rotation. But Sidbury’s production could lead to more playing time down the stretch. With John Abraham and Kroy Biermann approaching the end of their contracts, Sidbury also could be putting himself in a position for a bigger role next season.

New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter drew a $7,500 fine for hitting an opponent out of bounds in Monday night’s victory against the New York Giants.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are singing the praises of defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. He’s been criticized and questioned elsewhere. But Haynesworth has been the model citizen since joining the Bucs three weeks ago. If Haynesworth continues to behave and play well, the Bucs will have an interesting decision to make on his future. Haynesworth didn’t cost them much this season, but his salary-cap figure jumps to over $7 million in 2012. The Bucs could release Haynesworth after this season and there would not be any cap implications for 2012.

If Carolina rookie Kealoha Pilares, who is doubtful with a quadriceps injury, can’t play Sunday the Panthers are likely to use Armanti Edwards on kickoff returns. Edwards has been handling punt returns this season.

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

The Falcons know they have to put pressure on Drew Brees if they’re going to have any chance at stopping the New Orleans offense.

Jim Skipper, who was one of the most popular members of John Fox’s coaching staff in Carolina, returns to Charlotte on Sunday. Skipper is now running backs coach for the Tennessee Titans, but he has deep ties to Carolina running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

Atlanta defensive end Kroy Biermann is a newlywed.

Ira Kaufman writes about how the Buccaneers are still searching for their identity. He points out a couple of key differences from last season. They’re not running the ball as much or as well as they did a year ago. On defense, they’re giving up too much in the passing game.

D. Orlando Ledbetter lists his five keys for the Falcons to win Sunday. He’s right on all of them, but I think the part about continuing to run the ball is the biggest one. During their three-game winning streak, the Falcons have averaged 152 yards rushing per game. The Saints aren’t great at stopping the run and they’ll be without middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma.