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Carolina quarterback Cam Newton is the only NFC South player remaining in the "Madden 13" cover vote.

The list has been trimmed to eight players and Newton is matched against Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the latest round. You can cast your vote here.

Newton was a big winner against San Diego tight end Antonio Gates in the previous round. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees was knocked out, losing narrowly to Baltimore running back Ray Rice.

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

The Panthers are confident in Chris Gamble as their No. 1 cornerback. That’s a bit surprising because Gamble was benched late last season by former coach John Fox and appeared to struggle at times this preseason. But the new coaching staff said it’s comfortable letting Gamble cover the opposing No. 1 wide receiver. Gamble did a pretty decent job containing Larry Fitzgerald in the opener against Arizona. Then again, Gamble is taking up more than $9 million in salary-cap space, so he should be contributing.

It wasn’t exactly a prediction, but Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis did say the Panthers “should come away with a victory’’ Sunday against the Packers. Quick refresher, but the Packers won the Super Bowl last season and the Panthers went 2-14. It’s a long shot, but consider Davis’ optimism another sign of the fresh energy coach Ron Rivera has brought to the Panthers. At least this season's Panthers believe they have a chance to win.

New Orleans coach Sean Payton had a little fun with the media. There had been some reports that the Saints were pursuing Randy Moss after Marques Colston suffered a broken collar bone. Payton brought practice-squad receiver Montez Billings, who looks a little like Moss, over to the sideline and said he was available for interviews. The Saints say they’re not interested in Moss or any other receiver. They’re comfortable with their depth at the position.

Speaking of the Saints and receivers, Lance Moore, who has been sidelined with a groin injury, said he’s feeling better and is optimistic about playing Sunday.

Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris continues to try to explain why running back LeGarrette Blount was barely on the field when the team went to its two-minute offense in the season opener. "Right now, it would be tough to throw LeGarrette out there in those situations,’’ Morris said. “LeGarrette is a down hill, two back, dot-the-eye one back, running-the-power-stuff kind of guy. To ask him to go out there in those situations wouldn't be fair to him or our football team.'' Morris isn’t leaving a lot to be read between the lines. He’s flat-out saying Blount isn’t prepared to handle the pass-protection responsibilities the Bucs ask of their running back in the two-minute offense.

Tampa Bay defensive tackle Brian Price, who came back from surgery on his pelvis, drew high praise from Morris. Price played well in the opener and Morris said he will start next to Gerald McCoy on Sunday. Technically, Price also started the opener, but that was because of the defensive package the Bucs used to open the game. But Price’s rise up the depth chart signals his comeback is complete. It also allows the Bucs to line up McCoy and Price, the team’s top two draft picks from last year, together.

Jeff Schultz writes that Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan could get the biggest win of his career Sunday if the Falcons defeat Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles. That might not be too far off, although I think Ryan’s win in New Orleans last season was pretty big. But Vick’s history in Atlanta adds to the hype of this game. Still, I’m not sure any Ryan victory firmly qualifies as a defining moment, unless it comes in the postseason.

In light of John Fox’s decision to start quarterback Brian St. Pierre, a stay-at-home dad until just about a week ago, I decided to do some exhaustive research.

It took hours, but I came up with a “greatest hits’’ summary of St. Pierre’s stellar NFL career. Here it is.

• While with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004, St. Pierre ran for a first down on a naked bootleg against Buffalo. He also attempted one pass. It was incomplete. He took four knees at the end of the game to run out the clock.
• The date was actually Jan. 3, 2010, but it was the final game of the 2009 regular season. Playing for the Arizona Cardinals against the Green Bay Packers, St. Pierre had the game of his life. He completed his first NFL pass and also threw his first career touchdown (to Larry Fitzgerald). For the day, St. Pierre completed two of four passes with an interception.

That’s it.

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees officially has been selected to grace the cover of the "Madden NFL 11" video game.

It’s a nice honor for a player from a small-market team. But history has shown it’s not always a good thing to be on the "Madden" cover. Let’s turn it over to our friends at ESPN Stats & Information for a look at what’s happened to the guys who have been on the "Madden" cover in the past.

• 2010, Troy Polamalu/Larry Fitzgerald: Polamalu only played five games due to knee injuries, Steelers missed playoffs; Fitzgerald wasn’t affected much (97 receptions, 1,092 yards, 13 TD, Pro Bowl).
• 2009, Brett Favre: Feuded with Packers, traded to Jets, horrible down the stretch (lost 4 of last 5).
• 2008, Vince Young: Missed 1 game with quad injury; led Titans to first playoff appearance in four years.
• 2007, Shaun Alexander: Fractured foot, missed six games; fewer yards and TDs in '06 AND '07 than in '04 OR '05.
• 2006, Donovan McNabb: Sports hernia in first game, missed seven games; feuded with Terrell Owens all year; had been to five straight Pro Bowls, hasn't been since.
• 2005, Ray Lewis: Broke wrist, missed one game; first season without interception; missed 10 games next year with thigh injury.
• 2004, Michael Vick: Fractured fibula one day after video game was released, missed 11 games; Pro Bowl next 2 seasons; obvious issues since then.
• 2003, Marshall Faulk: Ankle injury, missed two games, never rushed for 1,000 yards again.
• 2002, Daunte Culpepper: 4-7 record before season-ending knee injury.
• 2001, Eddie George: Career season, but fumbled in playoffs as top-seeded Titans lost first game to Ravens.
• 2000, Barry Sanders: Retired one week before training camp.

New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma has shared a couple of scouting reports on the Arizona Cardinals on his PlayMaker Mobile page.

First, Vilma has high praise for Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and the rest of the Arizona offense. Then, he has a short, but glowing scouting report on wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

» NFC: Cardinals | Saints | Vikings | Cowboys » AFC: Jets | Chargers | Ravens | Colts

A look at a player who could be a difference-maker this weekend.

New Orleans cornerback Jabari Greer. He could turn out to be the most important player on the field Saturday, despite having barely played in the second half of the regular season.

Greer missed seven weeks with a groin injury and returned to get a little tune-up in the regular-season finale against Carolina. But you can pretty much trace the overall decline in New Orleans’ defensive play to when Greer went down. Fellow starting cornerback Tracy Porter also was injured for much of the same time Greer was, and a secondary that was excellent for the first half of the season became very ordinary.

The Saints were forced to play rookie Malcolm Jenkins and briefly brought in veterans Mike McKenzie and Chris McAlister. That brought a change in style and attitude to the secondary. Free safety Darren Sharper, who was an interception machine early in the year, suddenly had to play more of a Cover 2 scheme to help the cornerbacks.

But Porter has been back for several weeks now, and all indications are that Greer should be at full health. That will allow Sharper to go back to being a center fielder, and that makes this defense a lot more dangerous.

Greer, a former college track champion, brings great speed, and that’s going to be necessary against an Arizona receiving corps that’s one of the best in the league. Greer may give up some size to Arizona’s top receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, but he has the speed and athleticism to at least stay close to him.

Arizona has plenty of other weapons, but having Greer back means the New Orleans secondary is suddenly much better equipped to deal with that. Jenkins or veteran Randall Gay will be on the field a lot as the nickelback. But Jenkins and Gay are more competent in that role than they were when they were being asked to be No. 1 cornerbacks.

Having Greer back might not correct every problem, but it should put this defense a lot closer to what it was early in the season.

Three things to know about Saturday’s divisional playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints:

1. New Orleans coach Sean Payton has taken some heat for giving his team almost all of last week off. The critics say Payton should have had his team practicing more because the Saints have no momentum after losing their last three games of the regular season. So what? I think the break was a good idea. The Saints were banged up and probably mentally drained after a season in which there was lots of pressure as they were winning their first 13 games. They had some injured guys that needed rest. Their healthy guys needed rest too. The Saints are going to be refreshed for this game, which is more than you can say about the Cardinals after their shootout against the Packers and a short week.

2. Cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter are healthy after missing a lot of the second half of the season with injuries. That’s great news because the defense wasn’t nearly as good once Porter and Greer went down. But just having them back isn’t going to solve all of New Orleans’ defensive problems, especially with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and company coming to town. It’s not easy to shut down Arizona’s passing game even when you have good cover guys. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is going to have to get back to his aggressive approach from early in the season and send a lot of blitzes at Warner. The Arizona quarterback isn’t very mobile and a strong pass rush could help the New Orleans secondary from being stuck too long in coverage.

3. Say all you want about the defensive problems New Orleans had over the last couple months. I’m more concerned about the offense. Forget the season finale against Carolina because the Saints weren’t playing quarterback Drew Brees and most of their starters. But the two games before that were losses to Tampa Bay and Dallas and the Saints were held to 17 points in each of those games. They won’t win in the playoffs unless the offense is a lot more prolific. This game with Arizona is shaping up as an offensive shootout and the Saints have to get back to playing the kind of offense that can outscore anybody.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

What John Fox's team did Sunday -- going into Arizona and dominating the Cardinals -- showed Fox still has something.

He just needs to remember what that something is. It’s as simple as just playing Fox football. That’s what the Panthers did against the Cardinals. They ran the ball extremely well and played excellent defense. Most important of all, they didn’t ask quarterback Jake Delhomme to go out and win the game for them.

There’s a lesson in all that and it makes you wonder why the heck Fox didn’t go that route on a rainy night in Charlotte back in January when the Panthers hosted Arizona in a playoff game and got destroyed.

That loss hung over Delhomme and the Panthers for the first six games of the season. It didn’t have to be that way. But, for reasons I can’t even begin to fathom, Fox got away from his basic philosophy. In that playoff game, he had Delhomme throwing all the time on a rainy night and basically abandoned what had been a very good running game all last season. In that game, Fox, who is supposed to be a defensive genius, pretty much forgot to cover Larry Fitzgerald.

Most of that stuff continued in a 2-4 start this season. But it all came back for the Panthers against the Cardinals this time and maybe that’s some sort of poetic justice. Delhomme was efficient, defensive end Julius Peppers was dominant and the Panthers ran the ball extremely well.

Maybe this continues and it at least shows the Panthers can be very good when things go right. Or maybe some of the early-season problems come back and keep the Panthers out of the playoffs.

For one day anyway, all appears right with the Panthers, who play the undefeated Saints in New Orleans next week. Maybe this shows Fox he needs to stay true to his basic philosophies and this team can be a true playoff contender.

	Getty Images
	Kurt Warner’s Cardinals and Jake Delhomme’s Panthers have gone in different directions since their playoff meeting last season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando and Pat Yasinskas

The Arizona Cardinals did more than knock the Carolina Panthers from the 2008 postseason.

Their 33-13 victory in Charlotte delivered a knockout blow from which the Panthers' organization has yet to recover. What should be a Week 8 grudge match between playoff contenders is looking more like a mismatch.

Arizona is 4-2 and riding high following a nationally televised victory over the Giants, the Cardinals' fourth consecutive road victory dating to their divisional-round upset of Carolina. The Panthers are 2-4 and contemplating whether to bench veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme, who has more interceptions through six games (13) than he had in 16 starts last season (12).

What happened?

NFC West blogger Mike Sando and NFC South counterpart Pat Yasinskas pick up the discussion.

Pat Yasinskas: That playoff game changed the momentum for both franchises. Going into that game, the thinking was how the Panthers would thump the Cardinals. Arizona had beaten Atlanta in the wild-card round to get its playoff victory, but the Cardinals were ultimately a 9-7 team from a weak division. They would be no match on the road against a 12-4 team. The upset vaulted the Cardinals toward the Super Bowl while absolutely crumbling the Panthers. Carolina hasn't recovered from it, starting with the quarterback and extending to the defense. The game led to changes on the coaching staff. The Panthers still could have a mental block heading into the rematch at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Mike Sando: These teams share quite a few similarities. Both re-signed older quarterbacks during the offseason. Both made significant changes to their coaching staffs. Both faced salary-cap limitations in free agency after naming franchise players. The results have been vastly different.

Fateful QB decisions

	Chris Keane/Icon SMI
	Jake Delhomme and the Panthers haven’t been the same since last season’s playoff loss to Arizona.

Pat Yasinskas: After the playoff game, I personally had some doubts about Delhomme, as did a lot of fans. He threw those five picks and I thought there was a chance they would at least bring in someone to compete with him -- not to replace him, but to compete with him. They did not do that. He had one year left on his deal and they signed him to a contract extension. I understand the loyalty coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney felt toward Delhomme because he has obviously done a lot for that franchise and he is a leader in the locker room. But in hindsight, that game against the Cardinals and even a few late-season games last year showed that he was declining and they should have sought out alternatives.

Mike Sando: The Cardinals had little choice but to re-sign Warner. In the back of their minds, though, they would have been entitled to wonder when Warner might hit the wall. Quite a few other quarterbacks have faded at around age 38. Would Warner be next? He made the trip to San Francisco in free agency, but there was still a sense the Cardinals were bidding against themselves. Committing $22 million to him over two seasons was a necessary risk. In the end, Arizona could not walk away from the quarterback who put them ahead in the final stages of Super Bowl XLIII. The Cardinals made the right move.

Coaching turnover

Pat Yasinskas: I think the playoff debacle against Arizona contributed to a rift on the Panthers' coaching staff over the direction of the team. Defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac decided he no longer wanted to be a coordinator. His departure started a near-total disbandment of the defensive staff. Line coach Sal Sunseri left for the University of Alabama. Linebackers coach Ken Flajole bolted to become defensive coordinator for the Rams. Secondary coach Tim Lewis left for the Seahawks. On the offensive side, Delhomme's longtime position coach, Mike McCoy, became offensive coordinator in Denver. Fox had passed over him for the same position on his staff a couple of years earlier. Some on the staff felt McCoy should have gotten that job.

	Jason Bridge/US Presswire
	Kurt Warner has thrown for 1,672 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

Mike Sando: The Cardinals had a good thing going on the offensive staff when coordinator Todd Haley left to coach the Chiefs. I think Arizona is still sorting through the aftermath of that one. Haley and Warner were tight. Haley knew how to push players' buttons. He called the plays and the offense was in a rhythm. The offense is still finding its identity a little bit. On defense, Whisenhunt failed to land Keith Butler from the Steelers after firing coordinator Clancy Pendergast. He promoted linebackers coach Bill Davis instead. Either way, the defense was going to become more straightforward, with an emphasis on reducing big plays allowed. It's still too early to pass judgment on Davis, but the defense has played very well recently. Overall, Whisenhunt is certainly on the rise, whereas there's a perception Fox has possibly run his course in Carolina.

Pat Yasinskas: Absolutely, Mike. There’s a sense of that. Julius Peppers asked out after last season, shocking given that Fox is supposedly a defensive wizard. There was precedent for this. Kris Jenkins asked out for two years before Peppers did. People shrugged and said Jenkins was a flake. But when Peppers, who was born and raised in North Carolina, asked for the same, it raised some eyebrows. Fox used to build his team around the defensive line and suddenly you had the two cornerstones of that line asking to get out of there. That tells you something pretty major right there.

Salary-cap limitations

Pat Yasinskas: Franchising Peppers cost about $18 million total in cap space. The Panthers re-signed tackle Jordan Gross to a long-term deal. With those moves, they tied up their cap to a point where they could not do anything else. They did not sign any free agents. They had to let veteran cornerback Ken Lucas go. They could not even re-sign veteran snapper Jason Kyle, even though the savings for letting him go was only $600,000. That severely affected their depth across the board, which was demonstrated when defensive tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu went down with an injury on the first day of training camp and there were no decent replacements behind him. The Panthers have struggled on the interior of their defensive line ever since. They bragged coming into the season that they had 21 of 22 starters back, but the salary-cap issues meant they had absolutely no depth behind those starters.

Mike Sando: The Cardinals charged $9.678 million against their cap by naming Karlos Dansby their franchise player. They paid more than $10 million per year to Warner. Larry Fitzgerald was already making that kind of money. Re-signing Adrian Wilson ate up another huge chunk of cap room, although some of that seemed by design. Arizona did manage to sign cornerback Bryant McFadden from the Steelers in free agency. When defensive end Antonio Smith left in free agency for $8 million a year, the Cardinals plugged in second-year player Calais Campbell, who has played well. Again, the Cardinals' moves have simply worked out better.

Divergent outlooks

Pat Yasinskas: I think we're seeing the end of the Fox era in Carolina. The Panthers still have talent, but Delhomme appears finished. It’s time to blow up the roster and rebuild.

Mike Sando: The Cardinals are a good team with the potential to get better. The Cardinals were 4-2 at this point last season heading into their 30-24 regular-season defeat at Carolina. They should beat the Panthers this time. The rest of the schedule sets up favorably. Some of the games that once appeared toughest this season -- at Seattle, at the Giants, at Tennessee -- are either in the bank already or looking like they will be.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Just got some more specific numbers on Roddy White's contract extension. It's a six-year deal worth $50 million, including $18 million in guaranteed money.

Again, that leaves White No. 3 on the list of the NFL's best-paid receivers. Carolina's Steve Smith and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald each average at least $10 million a year.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

All right, I've got a few more details since our initial post on Roddy White signing a new contract with the Falcons.

It's a six-year extension and makes him the third highest-paid receiver in the NFL, behind Carolina's Steve Smith and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, who each average at least $10 million a year. Also, White's first practice back with the Falcons will be Monday morning because the team is off Sunday.

Here's a quote from Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff:

"We're always going to be an organization that rewards player who have been productive on the field for us and good citizens off the field. We're glad to get this contract situation resolved and we look forward to a long association with Roddy.''

Dimitroff has backed that up about rewarding players who produce. The Falcons previously locked up receiver Michael Jenkins and Jonathan Babineaux and they'll continue to re-sign core players as they get close to the end of their contracts.

The White deal obviously eases the tension at wide receiver, where White and Jenkins will be the starter. But the season-ending injury to Harry Douglas leaves the Falcons without a clear No. 3 receiver. That role likely will be filled after a competition among veterans Brian Finneran, Robert Ferguson and Marty Booker.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Steve Smith vs. Larry Fitzgerald   Smith Fitzgerald Thrown to 7 13 Complete 2 8 Yards 43 166 TD 1 1 Defended 2 1 INT * 3 1 * Pass intercepted while targeted at WR -- ESPN Stats & Information

When Steve Smith didn't make first-team All-Pro last week, some Carolina fans were upset. There was even some thought that might inspire Smith (a second-team selection) to have a huge game Saturday night because he was going against Arizona and Larry Fitzgerald, one of the first-team All-Pro receivers.

But that didn't happen as Fitzgerald had a huge game and Smith, partly because the Cardinals did a great job defensively and partly because quarterback Jake Delhomme was so bad, had a very quiet game.

ESPN Stats & Information provided a detailed breakdown of the Smith/Fitzgerald matchup and it wasn't even close.

In fact, Fitzgerald was more productive than the entire Carolina passing game through the end of the first three quarters, when Arizona was holding a 30-7 lead.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jake Delhomme is going to be credited with one of the worst performances in postseason history.

It all may be justified because Delhomme threw five interceptions and may even have put his future with the Panthers in jeopardy.

But, before Delhomme takes the blame, let's just throw out a few questions.

Why was the game even in Delhomme's hands in the first place? Long before it got out of control, the Panthers had an opportunity to try to run their vaunted "Double Trouble'' running game. Inexplicably,

	NFL.com Video
	Watch highlights from Arizona's 33-13 win over the Panthers.

they didn't. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined for nine carries in the first half. That falls on coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson.

And what happened to Steve Smith? When you've got a guy who is arguably the best receiver in the NFL shouldn't he get a few catches? That falls on Fox, Davidson and Delhomme, not Smith.

And speaking of the best receiver in the NFL, why didn't Carolina have some defenders in the vicinity of Larry Fitzgerald, especially when Anquan Boldin is not playing? Fox is supposed to be a defensive genius, especially at playoff time, but he didn't look like it against Kurt Warner and the Cardinals.

All right, now forget all that and put the blame on Delhomme.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- No big surprises on Carolina's list of inactives, but the Panthers are catching a break from Arizona.

Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, whose injury status had been uncertain, has been declared inactive tonight. That means Steve Breaston will start in Boldin's place and lighten an Arizona receiving corps that's highlighted by Larry Fitzgerald.

Carolina's inactive list wasn't impacted much by injuries, but Carolina will start Jeremy Bridges at right guard in place of Geoff Hangartner. Carolina's inactives are D.J. Hackett, Quinton Teal, Adam Seward, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Kenneth Moore, Darwin Walker and J'Vonne Parker. Matt Moore is the third quarterback.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

If there's one position that stands out in Saturday's matchup between Carolina and Arizona, it's wide receiver.

Arizona's trio of Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston and Larry Fitzgerald and Carolina's Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad are among the best combinations in the league -- and it doesn't matter if you're talking trios or duos.

Fitzgerald, Breaston and Boldin (whose status is uncertain because of injury) have been targeted a total of 385 times this season. That's the most of any receiver trio in the playoffs:

Arizona's receivers Receiver Thrown To Rec Comp pct Pct of team's att Fitzgerald 152 96 63.2 24.1 Boldin 124 89 71.8 19.7 Breaston 109 77 70.6 17.3

Smith and Muhammad have combined to be the targets on 56 percent of Carolina's pass attempts. That's the most for any two teammates in the playoffs:

Carolina's receivers Receiver Thrown To Rec Comp pct Pct of team's att Smith 125 78 62.4 30.2 Muhammad 106 65 61.3 25.6