The standings say the Carolina Panthers are the worst team in the NFC South. I say, they’re not even close.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have worked really hard to clinch that honor, at least for the moment.

Yeah, I know Carolina is 3-8 and Tampa Bay is 4-7. But this isn’t about finite numbers -- at least not until Sunday when the two teams play and the Panthers have a chance to draw mathematically even with the Bucs.

The Panthers have an offense and they have lots of hope for the future. The Bucs are on a losing streak that looks like it could reach infinity.

When they meet Sunday at Raymond James Stadium it won’t hold the star power of a Saints-Falcons game, but it could tell the story of two NFC South teams headed in very different directions. The Bucs also play the Panthers in Charlotte on Christmas Eve. If the Bucs haven’t stopped their free fall by then, things will get really ugly in Tampa Bay.

The Bucs are on a five-game losing streak and not even quarterback Josh Freeman can put his thumb on the reasons why. Hey, let's take it one step further since Freeman and the Bucs have opened that door -- "Fire those cannons,'' Josh!''

It wasn’t supposed to work out this way at all. This was supposed to be the season in which the Bucs joined the Saints and Falcons. But somewhere on the ride to the penthouse, it looks like coach Raheem Morris and his team have taken a very wrong turn.

Even before the losing streak started, the Bucs weren’t playing like they were supposed to. Tampa Bay was supposed to take a huge step forward after going 10-6 last season with the league’s youngest roster.

The Bucs didn’t make a lot of offseason changes and seemed to be going on the logical assumption that everyone would be a year better. There’s nothing wrong with a youth movement (and even an occasional Albert Haynesworth) as long as coaches and players keep it moving in a positive direction, even if the schedule is difficult. But it’s hard to find any positives with the Bucs right now, and punter Michael Koenen doesn't count.

Freeman, who threw 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions last season, hasn’t been able to hit targets. Mike Williams, who looked like a No. 1 receiver as a rookie, has turned into the second coming of Michael Clayton. LeGarrette Blount, who ran for 1,000 yards in half a season in 2010, might need a season and a half to hit that mark again, which might coincide with the moment he finally learns to pass block.

People talked about Freeman, Williams and Blount as "The Triplets" last year. I still think Freeman has a world of potential, but it’s looking like he might end up being an only child. On defense, the Bucs have a lot of draft picks and money invested in their defensive line.

But this defense still appears to have the same track marks on its back as it did in the final days of the Jon Gruden era. Speaking of Gruden, the Bucs fired him after he lost his final four games to finish 9-7 in 2008.

If Morris ends up losing 10 games in a row (or anything close to that), do you seriously think he’s going to get a contract extension? He’s sort of up for one. When the Bucs hired Morris in 2009, they gave him a two-year deal with an option for two more. The Bucs picked up that option. But it’s hard to imagine the Bucs letting Morris coach the final year, unless his team suddenly finishes on an upswing.

In case you haven’t heard, the Bucs have a little problem selling tickets. Heading into 2012 with a marketing slogan of “Come see our lame-duck head coach and a bunch of guys who really underachieved last year’’ probably won’t cause a surge at the box office.

Besides, you don’t head into a season with a lame-duck coach. Just ask the Panthers. They did it in 2010 with John Fox and the only thing they got out of that was Ron Rivera as the head coach and the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

The Panthers used that pick in April to select Cam Newton. As it turned out, those pre-draft scouting reports that were filled with lots of doubt now translate into "Big, strong guy, who can throw, run and even make Steve Smith smile."

Yeah, three wins don’t make a season. But four, five or six victories and visions of a healthy Jon Beason (maybe even a healthy Thomas Davis) sure would fire up a fan base that hasn’t seen many good things since Jan. 10, 2009. That was the night Jake Delhomme celebrated what reportedly was his 34^th birthday (the reality was his right arm turned 68 that day) with five interceptions (and a fumble) in an embarrassing home playoff loss to Arizona.

The Panthers followed that up with a contract extension for Delhomme, whose right arm went on to turn 78 before his 35^th birthday. That set the stage for a 2010 season in which Fox pointed fingers at ownership and the front office, hazed Jimmy Clausen (“Brian St. Pierre is better than you’’ and “I can make Timmy Tebow into a better quarterback than you, Mr. Notre Dame pedigree’’) and completely forgot to coach is team.

The Panthers went 2-14.

They hired Rivera. They drafted Newton, who came out of the gate putting up 400-yard games. With Beason and Davis hurt, the Panthers have been horrible on defense.

Even while losing, the Panthers have made their fans feel like they’re winning. Newton and the offense are flat-out entertaining and that’s brought tons of hope for the future. Rivera’s a defensive guru and a draft and a few free agents could fix that side of the ball.

Funny, but the Panthers appear to be headed for what the Bucs once were supposed to be and the Bucs seem to be headed for where the Panthers just were.

They’ll intersect Sunday and the result will tell us as much about the bottom of the NFC South as a game between the Falcons and Saints does at the top.

If both teams are 4-8 by the end of Sunday afternoon, the Panthers will have clearly soared past by the Bucs. Or, depending on how you look at it, the Bucs will have fallen lower than the Panthers.

Atlanta Falcons

The Sporting News' D. Orlando Ledbetter predicts the Falcons will win the NFC South in a team preview for the 2011 season.

The Falcoholic's Dave Choate picks through the team's candidates for defensive breakout player.

Tony Gonzalez is prepared for life after football. He co-founded All-Pro Science, a sports nutritional supplement company, in 2009 and the company's taking off. "We have, I think, a customer base of 20,000 now and it's growing all the time," Gonzalez said.

Carolina Panthers

If the price is right, Donovan McNabb could be a good fit for the Panthers, writes Cat Scratch Reader's James Dator.

USA Today came up with the five most pressing questions facing the Panthers heading into next season, including whether Ron Rivera was the right head coach to hire.

New Orleans Saints

WWLTV.com's Bradley Handwerger identifies seven players the Saints need to re-sign once the lockout ends.

Darren Sharper and Roman Harper plan to host a football camp July 18-19 in Metairie, La.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucs potential free-agent guard Davin Joseph: "If [the Bucs front office] were to say they were committed to signing back guys we played with last year, it would definitely influence me to stay. Guys like [Jeremy] Trueblood, guys like James Lee, guys on defense like Barrett Ruud. If you're bringing guys like that back here, I know it's a sign in the right direction instead of trying to switch up the whole roster to make it different."

Former Bucs receiver Michael Clayton still has close ties to the team.

NEW ORLEANS -- As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers left the Superdome a few hours ago, they remained in the playoff picture.

They did their part by defeating the Saints, 23-13. But the Bucs (10-6) didn’t get the help they needed as the Packers and Giants won their games. The Packers ended up with the No. 6 seed.

There’s no playoff berth for the Bucs even though they reached what Raheem Morris constantly referred to as “the race to 10’’ wins all season. Ten wins usually mean a playoff berth, but it didn’t happen for the Bucs.

Still, you have to look at their season as a big success. Even in the New Orleans locker room, the Bucs were receiving high praise.

“I think Raheem Morris should be the coach of the year,’’ Saints linebacker Scott Shanle said.

That’s pretty high praise from an opponent. Let’s throw out some other superlatives about the Bucs.

• The 10-6 season following last year’s 3-13 record marks the biggest turnaround in franchise history. The previous record came when the Bucs went from 5-11 in 2004 to 11-5 in 2005.
• Quarterback Josh Freeman threw two touchdown passes. He now has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 13 consecutive games, which breaks the 12-game record set by Brian Griese.
• Freeman finished the season with 3,451 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions. The only other quarterback in franchise history to reach 3,000 yards, 20 touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions in a single season was Brad Johnson in 2002. Freeman also finished with a 95.9 passer rating. That’s the second-best mark in franchise history. Griese had a 97.5 rating in 2004.
• Rookie receiver Mike Williams had an 18-yard touchdown catch against the Saints. That gives Williams 11 receiving touchdowns, which is a new franchise record. Joey Galloway had the previous record, 10 touchdown catches in 2005. Williams also finished with 964 receiving yards. The only rookie to have more receiving yards in franchise history was Michael Clayton (1,193) in 2004.
• LeGarrette Blount became only the third rookie in franchise history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Cadillac Williams did it in 2005 and Errict Rhett in 1994. Blount finished with 1,007 yards and he did it on only 201 carries. In Williams’ rookie season, he carried 290 times and finished with 1,178 yards. Rhett carried 284 times for 1,011 yards.
• With the Bucs' victory, the NFC South finished with three teams with 10+ wins this season (Atlanta – 13-3; New Orleans – 11-5; and Tampa Bay – 10-6). It marks just the second time since realignment in 2002 that a division has had three teams with double-digit wins in the same season (also the AFC South in 2007).

It seems like every week in the NFL there are stories about players going against their former teams or coaches facing their former teams. But, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Washington Redskins on Sunday, the game presents more of a behind-the-scenes grudge match.

Bruce Allen is Washington’s general manager. He held that job in Tampa Bay from 2004 until he (and coach Jon Gruden) got fired after the 2008 season. That made me wonder a bit about how much Allen’s drafting has contributed to Tampa Bay’s surprising turnaround.

The answer is easy: Not much at all. Go take a look at Tampa Bay’s roster and I’m talking only the current active roster. There are nine guys Allen drafted and you can’t exactly call them the core of Tampa Bay’s resurgence.

Allen did draft safety Tanard Jackson, who is suspended until at least next September for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. He also drafted cornerback Aqib Talib and Davin Joseph, who currently are on injured reserve.

That leaves Allen’s draft haul as center Jeremy Zuttah, backup quarterback Josh Johnson, linebackers Quincy Black, Geno Hayes and Adam Hayward, tackle Jeremy Trueblood, receiver Maurice Stovall, running back Cadillac Williams and linebacker Barrett Ruud.

That’s a less-than-stellar cast. We’ll give Allen credit for drafting the starting linebacker corps, even though Ruud is probably on his way out of Tampa Bay. Trueblood was average for a few years, but he’s now playing behind James Lee. Zuttah’s a decent guy to have swinging between center and guard, but he’s nothing special. Williams had a nice rookie year and has made a couple of inspirational comebacks from major knee injuries, but he could be on the way out as the Bucs look for a younger pair of legs to go with LeGarrette Blount next year. It’s a minor miracle Stovall’s still on the roster and the Bucs would be in deep trouble if they ever had to start Johnson at quarterback.

Joseph’s a free agent next year and there’s no guarantee Jackson will be back. Talib’s a great natural talent, but he’s come with trouble.

Oh, and let’s talk about some of Allen’s other greatest hits. We’re going to leave tragic figures Gaines Adams and Arron Sears alone. But how about receiver Michael Clayton? The Bucs could have had St. Louis running back Steven Jackson or Atlanta receiver Michael Jenkins (a Tampa kid) or New Orleans defensive end Will Smith with that pick.

And who can remember Chris Colmer? Yeah, he’s the offensive tackle Allen drafted in the third round, despite a history of shoulder problems. The injury resurfaced as soon as Colmer joined the Bucs and he never played a down in the NFL.

At least with Clayton the Bucs got one productive season. But Allen’s history with other receivers was even worse. There was fifth-round choice Larry Brackens out of that football factory that sometimes is called Pearl River Community college and, then there was Allen’s all-time worst draft pick.

Yep, Allen saved it for his last draft. He and Gruden used a second-round pick on Dexter Jackson and walked into the media room a bit later and claimed he was going to be the second coming of Carolina’s Steve Smith. Turns out the only thing Jackson and Smith had in common was they were both short and since Jackson had gone to school at Appalachian State, he had spent some time in North Carolina.

But, hey, maybe Allen’s drafts did the current Bucs a favor, after all. If Allen hadn’t botched things at wide receiver the way he did, Mark Dominik never would have had to draft Mike Williams, Arrelious Benn and Sammie Stroughter.

With some help from ESPN Stats & Information and the media relations departments of the NFL and the division teams, let's take a look back at some statistical nuggets from Sunday.

• New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees passed for 313 yards in a victory at Cincinnati. Brees has passed for 21,932 yards since joining the Saints in 2006. That’s the most passing yards by any quarterback in a five-season span in NFL history. It also marked the 36th game Brees has thrown for 300 yards since coming to New Orleans.
• For just the third time this season, Atlanta’s defense forced an opposing quarterback out of the pocket six times or more. It was the best game of the season for the Falcons defending outside-the-pocket throws, holding Josh Freeman to zero completions on six attempts.
• The Falcons were missing injured backup running backs Jason Snelling and Antone Smith, leaving Michael Turner to handle the running game. Turner, who entered the game averaging over four yards-per-carry in each direction, couldn’t get it going on runs to the left. Turner averaged just 1.4 yards per attempt on 10 rushes to the left. Turner did pass the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.
• Falcons coach Mike Smith is now the first coach in franchise history to record two seasons with at least 10 wins in his career. Atlanta’s win over Tampa Bay gave Smith his 30th career win as the Falcons improved to 30-14 with in Smith’s tenure.
• Under Smith, the Falcons now are 6-3 in the month of December. Smith also improved to 5-1 against the Bucs.
• Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan led a fourth quarter touchdown drive to put the Falcons ahead. It was the sixth game-winning drive Ryan has led this season in the fourth quarter or overtime and the 13th of his career.
• LeGarrette Blount has a chance to break the Tampa Bay record for rushing touchdowns by a rookie. He scored his fifth run of the season Sunday. The team record is seven, shared by Errict Rhett in 1994 and Lars Tate in 1988.
• Speaking of Tampa Bay rookies and franchise records, Mike Williams is making plenty of noise on the receiving side. He had his seventh touchdown catch Sunday and that ties the team’s rookie record that was set by Michael Clayton in 2004. Williams moved into fourth place on the list of receptions by a rookie. He has 50. The team record is 80, also set by Clayton. Williams also ranks third in receiving yards by a rookie with 760. Clayton set the record (1,193), but Williams should end up no worse than in second place. He’s only 58 yards behind what Lawrence Dawsey did in 1991.
• With Cody Grimm suffering a season-ending injury last week, Corey Lynch started at safety. He became the 39th different Buccaneer to start a game this season.
• The Bucs played 10 rookies Sunday. That’s the eighth straight game they have played at least 10 rookies. Five of them were starters Sunday.

With some help from ESPN Stats & Information, Elias Sports Bureau and the Tampa Bay media relations office, here are some superlatives on the Buccaneers after Sunday’s win against Arizona.

• The Bucs are 3-0 on the road for the first time since 2008.
• Rookie running back LeGarrette Blount ran for a career-high 120 yards. He also scored two touchdowns to become the first Tampa Bay rookie to rush for two touchdowns in a game since Cadillac Williams in 2005.
• Aqib Talib had two interceptions to give him five for the season. That makes him the first player in team history to have at least four interceptions in three straight seasons since Donnie Abraham did it from 1999 through 2001.
• Talib and linebacker Geno Hayes each returned interceptions for touchdowns. That gives the Bucs 35 defensive touchdowns since 2000. Only Green Bay and Tennessee, which each have 36, have scored more defensive touchdowns in that span.
• Rookie receiver Mike Williams had a career-high 105 receiving yards. It marked the first time a Tampa Bay receiver went over 100 yards since Antonio Bryant on Dec. 6, 2009. Williams also had a touchdown catch, giving him four for the season. The only Tampa Bay rookie receivers to have more touchdown catches in a season were Michael Clayton (seven) in 2004 and Kevin House (five) in 1980.
• In only 16 career games, quarterback Josh Freeman now has led six fourth-quarter comebacks. In those victories, Freeman had completed 39 of 57 passes for five touchdowns and no interceptions.

TAMPA, Fla. -- When you’re watching NFC South teams this Sunday, keep an eye on the wide receivers. By choice and by circumstance, you’re going to see something rare.

You’re going to see a whole bunch of rookie wide receivers starting or playing a lot. That’s rare because there’s a school of thought, and most NFC South teams have backed it up through the years, that you shouldn’t ask too much of rookie receivers too soon.

We’re almost certainly going to see at least three rookies start at receiver for NFC South teams on Sunday and a fourth will get considerable playing time. A fifth might even be active for the first time in his career. In Week 5 of the NFL season, it’s kind of amazing that NFC South teams are leaning so heavily on rookie wide receivers, especially when not a single one of them was a first-round draft pick.

Tampa Bay’s been starting Mike Williams, a fourth-round pick, since the start of the season. Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris hinted strongly during the bye week that second-round pick Arrelious Benn will get increased playing time going forward, probably splitting time with second-year pro Sammie Stroughter. The Bucs play at Cincinnati on Sunday.

In Carolina, it appears highly likely the Panthers will start two rookies at receiver on Sunday against Chicago. They likely will go with third-round pick Brandon LaFell and sixth-round pick David Gettis as the starters. Armanti Edwards, who is converting from playing quarterback in college, might be on the game-day active list for the first time this season.

In Carolina, this wasn’t exactly the plan. The Panthers, who traditionally have been very patient in playing young receivers, wanted LaFell starting as a rookie, but they thought Gettis and Edwards would have time to develop. But that’s all changed because the Panthers are likely to be without Steve Smith due to an ankle injury. They cut veteran Dwayne Jarrett after he was charged with driving while impaired Tuesday morning. The rookie receivers will be working with rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

While putting rookie receivers around a young quarterback might sound like a formula for disaster, that’s actually the plan the Buccaneers have had since draft day.

“We made the conscious decision to draft these young guys and let [quarterback] Josh [Freeman] grow with them," Morris said.

Morris then pointed to the New Orleans Saints and how they let a young crew of receivers grow up around Drew Brees. Not a bad example, although Brees had been a starter in San Diego before coming to New Orleans in 2006. Freeman’s only been starting since the second half of last season.

“They, and I’m talking the wide receivers and Josh, always talk about growing up together," Tampa Bay receivers coach Eric Yarber said. “We talk about that as a staff. We’ve got a lot of young guys, but eventually these guys are going to become big-time players in this league."

Williams already has shown promise. In three games, he has 12 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Although Benn was the higher draft pick, he hasn’t been much of a factor so far after missing some preseason time with an injury. But the Bucs are saying that’s about to change.

“Arrelious is coming on very well," Yarber said. “Early on, he had to spend a lot of time in the playbook. But now that he’s got the plays down, he’s playing much faster and we’re seeing the real Arrelious Benn now."

Still, is it wise or even productive to rely on rookie receivers so early? History has shown it’s a position that often takes time to grow into. Atlanta’s Roddy White, now the best receiver in the NFC South, didn’t really produce until his third year and he was a first-round pick. Smith spent a year as a kick returner before even getting a chance at wide receiver. Then, there’s a pretty lengthy list of guys who never really developed.

Carolina drafted Jarrett, Keary Colbert and Drew Carter and got very little from them. Tampa Bay used early picks on Michael Clayton and Dexter Jackson. Clayton had a big rookie year, but did nothing after that. Jackson never even made an impact and couldn’t make Carolina’s roster in the preseason.

Yarber admits there are challenges to playing rookie receivers right away.

“It is difficult because of the physicality on the outside against bump and run," Yarber said. “The guys in college are going against maybe one good DB that’s physical. On this level, every DB they face is physical and good at rerouting you. They’ve got to get used to the physicality on the outside.’’

But it’s far from just being a physical thing. The Panthers have been historically hesitant to play rookie receivers too much because they believe the mental adjustment takes time. In four seasons, Jarrett never was able to grasp the playbook. They don’t have much choice but to go with rookies now.

In Tampa Bay, the choice was made deliberately. The Buccaneers let veterans Antonio Bryant and Mark Bradley go to clear the way for Williams and Benn. They held onto Clayton through the preseason, but cut him once they were comfortable with the way the rookies were progressing.

Still, the Bucs admit their receiving corps is very much a work in progress and that affects the entire offense.

“You have to scale back a little bit," Yarber said. “You want to get them out there, but you don’t want to give them too much. That’s when you get to paralysis by analysis. They’re thinking so much that they can’t play fast. You need a happy medium that you don’t taper the offense down too much, but you don’t want to put too much in so that they’re thinking too much and they don’t play fast.

“One thing that can be a detriment to young guys early on is if you give them too much, they can lose confidence. You don’t want to give them too much too soon. You want them to have some success that they can build on and develop confidence and play better."

For better or worse, much of the NFC South is turning to rookie wide receivers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the final stop (we went in alphabetical order by city or region) in our tour of team-by-team mailbags.

Carlos in Panama writes: As good as Josh Freeman's numbers look, in my opinion, he at many times looked like a rookie during his game against the Browns. He's doing a better job at taking what the defense gives him but he just seemed to really miss on open throws. I know somewhere it said his thumb was still bothering him; was his inaccuracy just his thumb not allowing him to place the ball where he wanted? Hopefully it is, because he really missed some throws.

Pat Yasinskas: The thumb is still somewhat an issue and Freeman said the medical staff has told him it won’t be 100 percent until after the bye week. Yes, there were times Freeman looked like a rookie. But that’s understandable because he’s not far off from being a rookie. He just began starting the second half of last season. There will be more mistakes along the way, but there also is obvious progress.

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Jonathan in West Palm Beach, Fla., writes: Do Bucs fans really have a reason to be excited about Geno Hayes and Quincy Black? We have seen a lot of young guys with promise, and made the mistake of buying into them way too early (Alex Smith, Michael Clayton), but do you feel like these guys have what it takes to take help field an elite defense?

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, I do. In talking with Tampa Bay’s coaching staff and front office, they are very high on both young players. They think Hayes and Black are high-energy guys who can make big plays. Along with Barrett Ruud in the middle, I’d say Tampa Bay already has a solid group of linebackers.

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Kyle in Tampa writes: Question for this weekend: Will you be headed to the Buccaneers/Panthers game for your duties this weekend? I feel pretty confident that the Bucs can get a win up in Charlotte (maybe "escape" with a win is better) and head home with a good shot at going 3-0 before the bye.

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, I’m scheduled to cover the Bucs and Panthers in Charlotte on Sunday. Although it might not seem like the most glamorous matchup, I’m looking forward to covering this one. Part of that is because Carolina and Tampa Bay have developed a pretty intense rivalry through the years. More importantly, I think this is a very big game for both franchises. The Panthers need a win because an 0-2 start would put them in a hole and, with John Fox in the last year of his contract, things could go into a downhill spiral in a hurry. For the Bucs, they’ve got a shot to be 2-0 heading into a Week Three game with Pittsburgh. That would energize the fan base and also get the players really believing in themselves.

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Michael in Orlando writes: Josh Freeman looked pretty rusty and unsettled in the pocket for the first half of Sundays game... but then he settled down and made plays when we needed them... Do you think this shows that he has what it takes to be a winner in Tampa?

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, I do. As I said above, Freeman’s still going to have some bad moments. But I also think he’s progressing pretty nicely and establishing himself as the leader of this offense. I’ll have much more on this topic in a column I’ll be writing about Freeman for Friday afternoon.

» NFC High Energy: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

When training camp started, it didn’t look like Micheal Spurlock even had a chance to make the roster with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rookies Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn were high draft picks and Sammie Stroughter had carved a spot for himself with a strong rookie season last year. The Bucs also had traded for Reggie Brown and had veterans Michael Clayton and Maurice Stovall. A former college quarterback, Spurlock had bounced around the league as a receiver and return man and hadn’t made a reception since he was a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals in 2006.

But Spurlock kept making play after play in the preseason. When the roster dust settled, Brown and Clayton were gone and Spurlock was ahead of Stovall on the depth chart. Still, the conventional wisdom heading into the season was the Spurlock would not be much of a factor.

So much for conventional wisdom. All Spurlock did Sunday was make the biggest play of the day for the Buccaneers. Actually, he had two big plays. The first was a crucial third-down catch that gave the Bucs a first down.

The bigger one came late in the game when Spurlock caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Josh Freeman to put the Bucs ahead to stay in a 17-14 victory after they had trailed 14-3.

Eric in Jackson, Miss., writes: Pat I love your blog. What are the chances the Saints trade a WR for a LB with the injury to Jonathan Casillas?

Pat Yasinskas: I think you almost certainly will see the Saints make some sort of move to get a linebacker. They might fill the need by signing someone who’s been released by another team. But, if they really want someone off another roster, they’ve got enough depth at wide receiver that they could spare one. Not sure who it would be, but they’ve got a bunch of receivers that other teams would like to have.

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Andy in Wilmington, N.C., writes: I realize I'm asking you to be a bit of a mind reader about one of the most guarded organizations in the NFL, but give it a shot: Do John Fox, Marty Hurney, and Jerry Richardson view this as a rebuilding year in Carolina? I ask because of the possibility of signing a receiver like T.J. Houshmanzadeh. Watching the Panthers in the preseason, their defense has easily outperformed expectations, and I'm hoping the run game comes back to life in the regular season (I see no reason it shouldn't). It seems the only big question mark, outside special teams, is the second receiver position. I feel like an improved passing game easily makes Carolina a postseason contender. I know they like to build from the ground up and don't sign flashy free agents, but if they thought Houshmandzadeh would help them win this year, would they sign him?

Pat Yasinskas: Tons of Carolina fans are asking about Houshmandzadeh, and I’ve got no indication right now that the Panthers are interested. Your points all make sense, and a proven No. 2 receiver like this could be just what the Panthers need. But the Panthers seem pretty committed to their youth movement. My best guess is, if they pursue Houshmandzadeh, they will only do it if the price is very low.

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Rob in Houston writes: If not Houshmanzadeh for the Panthers, what do you think are the chances of them signing Michael Clayton now that the Bucs have let him go?

Pat Yasinskas: The price tag might be cheaper for Clayton. Now, he hasn’t been as productive as Houshmandzadeh, but he could be a nice fit in Carolina’s offense. I’m not saying Clayton’s as good as Muhsin Muhammad was in his prime, but he reminds me of Muhammad in terms of size and blocking ability. But, again, I just don’t know if the Panthers will bend their rules on sticking with youth. We’ll see.

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Yasha in parts unknown writes: Just for the sake of completeness, the Saints also have K.C. Asiodu on the roster at LB. Most likely will play primarily special teams, but he is a LB. Thanks for all the great posts & articles.

Pat Yasinskas: Yep, you are correct. Asiodu is a linebacker, but I left him off the list because I don’t think he’s a real candidate to start. I think he’s a special-teams player.

Click here for a full list of Tampa Bay’s roster moves.

Biggest surprise: The Buccaneers kept seven wide receivers, one or two more than the norm around the league. The two guys that many thought were on the bubble -- simply because of numbers -- that made the team are Preston Parker and Micheal Spurlock. Parker’s an undrafted rookie out of North Alabama and Spurlock’s a converted college quarterback. Both have return skills.

No-brainer: Cutting wide receiver Michael Clayton was costly because the Buccaneers still have to pay him $3 million in money that was guaranteed to him when he signed what now looks like a foolish contract last season. But, seriously, it would have taken a rash of injuries at receiver for Clayton to have had a real shot at a roster spot. After drafting Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn and trading for Reggie Brown to go with Sammie Stroughter, the Bucs had four young receivers they liked. They kept Clayton through camp just in case there were injuries or one of the young receivers wasn’t as good as advertised. Williams has been better than expected and Benn, Brown and Stroughter are what the Bucs thought they were. Clayton still could have been kept around as insurance. But when you’ve got a young team and are trying to build good chemistry, it doesn’t make much sense to keep around a veteran who once was a No. 1 receiver to be the No. 5 guy.

What’s next: Tampa Bay’s roster is far from set in stone. General manager Mark Dominik showed last year that he always is looking to upgrade the talent on his roster and the Bucs have room for improvement. In particular, the Bucs could be looking to add depth to a thin offensive line and for a defensive end with some pass-rush skills.

We still are waiting for the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints to announce their full list of roster cuts. We’ll have a full analysis on each team as soon as they make the full announcements.

But there are some moves trickling out and a couple of them are of some significance, although not really surprising.

First, Tampa Bay receiver Michael Clayton reportedly has been cut. It was obvious Clayton, who has been a disappointment since his rookie season, was on the bubble, especially with the Bucs making it pretty obvious that Mike Williams, Reggie Brown, Arrelious Benn and Sammie Stroughter are going to be the first four receivers. The interesting thing here is that the Bucs still have to pay Clayton $3 million that was guaranteed when he signed a new contract last year.

Next, the Panthers reportedly have told quarterback Hunter Cantwell that he’s been released. Again, not a huge surprise. With Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen in the first two spots, it came down to a decision between rookie Tony Pike and Cantwell. Pike was a draft pick and that might have been the difference. Cantwell remains eligible for the practice squad if he’s not signed by another team.

Time for another edition of the NFC South mailbag. Kind of interesting that the first three questions all come from Texas. Could we be taking over the territory of “The Beast’’?

Brendan in Dallas writes: How do you feel about Darren Sharper coming off this knee surgery? Do you think that he'll be able to have the great season like he did last year or should we expect more of Malcolm Jenkins this season? I myself like how Jenkins' been doing this preseason so I wouldn't mind having a younger guy like Jenkins out there.

Pat Yasinskas: I am extremely interested to see what the Saints do about Sharper in the next few days. All indications are he’s not ready to contribute right now and the Saints will have to make a difficult decision. I think the likely scenario is they’ll place him on the physically-unable-to-perform list, hope he can heal up and bring him back as insurance for the second half of the season. But I also wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the Saints cutting Sharper or him deciding to retire. It’s been very clear for some time now that Jenkins will open the season as the starter at free safety. Jenkins is young and very talented. I don’t think it’s out of the question that he can put up numbers similar to what Sharper did last season.

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Victor in El Paso, Texas writes: Now that the Bucs have cut Derrick Ward do you think the Bucs will get another running back?

Pat Yasinskas: I would not totally rule out the Bucs picking up a running back when other teams make their cuts. The Bucs constantly monitor the waiver wire and are always looking to upgrade a roster that clearly still needs some upgrading. But I don’t think it’s an absolute necessity that the Bucs get a running back. They appear content to head into the season with Cadillac Williams and Kareem Huggins as their top two running backs. Clifton Smith might factor in as a situational player. Plus, fullback Earnest Graham has some history at tailback and can always move back over there.

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Robert in Dallas Texas writes: Keep up the great work! Two quick questions for you: Do you think the Bucs should make a move on a trade for Matt Leinart? Would he be an upgrade compared to Josh Johnson?

Pat Yasinskas: I’m not completely sold on Josh Johnson as a No. 2 quarterback yet. I think he’s a legitimate No. 3 with upside. I would like to see the Bucs add a backup with some legitimate NFL experience. But I’m not sure Leinart is the guy they should be looking at. First off, if Arizona’s trying to trade the guy they went through the offseason planning to start, that should raise some serious red flags. He’s a guy that was a high draft pick and has never done much in the NFL. We might be looking at another Heather Shuler or Ryan Leaf. I’d rather see the Bucs pick up some veteran with a little bit of starting experience that can come in, accept his role as No. 2 to Josh Freeman and fit well in the locker room. If the Saints, who may carry only two quarterbacks, decide to cut Patrick Ramsey, that's a guy I think the Bucs should be all over.

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Harris in Weaverville, N.C. writes: I am a hard-core Panthers fan. However, I can't say that I keep up with every team in the NFL enough to know the answer to this question: Are there any teams in the NFL that are so loaded with wide receivers that there will be some decent pickings when the final cuts are due on Saturday? What are the chances that the Panthers will make a WR move from the waivers?

Pat Yasinskas: You can bet that Marty Hurney and his staff will be watching to see what wide receivers get cut by other teams by Saturday afternoon’s deadline. Given the fact the Panthers don’t have a lot of depth at receiver, I think a move is entirely possible. Just to throw a couple of names out there from other NFC South teams that might be available -- Tampa Bay’s Michael Clayton and New Orleans’ Adrian Arrington. Yes, Clayton largely has been a bust in Tampa Bay, but he could fit better in Carolina’s system. He is a good run blocker and might be a scaled-down version of Muhsin Muhammad. Arrington’s a guy who’s been held back by injuries and a very deep receiving corps in New Orleans, but he’s got plenty of upside.

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Greg in Tampa writes: Can you explain to us Bucs fans why the NFL waited a whole YEAR to suspend Aqib Talib? One would think the league would act when the courts do.

Pat Yasinskas: A good question and something I’ve also wondered about. More than anything, I think this one got caught up in red tape. It took some time for the legal system to play out and that’s why the NFL didn’t take action last year. But couldn’t this suspension have been determined much earlier this year? You would think so. But I’m guessing Talib’s file was a little lower on Roger Goodell’s desk than Ben Roethlisberger’s. Goodell has the ultimate say on all suspensions and it sometimes takes some time for that to happen. But it’s not like the Bucs didn’t see this one coming. They pretty much knew from the end of last season that they’d be opening the season without Talib.

Perhaps the most interesting thing out of Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris in his media session after Saturday night’s preseason game against Jacksonville came when he was asked about receiver Michael Clayton.

Morris confirmed that Clayton dressed for the game but did not play, and provided an explanation that didn’t include any sort of injury to the veteran receiver who might be on the roster bubble.

“We got a chance to evaluate some of Reggie (Brown) and we were able to evaluate some of Arrelious Benn,’’ Morris said. “Really, we got a chance to look at those guys. We’ve already seen a lot of Michael Clayton, and we’re going to get a chance to see a little bit of Michael Clayton next week as well. All those guys, we’re going to find out who’s going to play Z for us, who’s going to be our starter.’’

That’s probably all true, the Bucs haven’t settled on a starting Z receiver, although rookie Mike Williams has locked up the starting spot on the other side and Sammie Stroughter is going to get significant time as the slot receiver.

But was there a little more to why Clayton never got on the field Saturday night? Perhaps. Anytime a veteran, who is on the bubble and not injured, doesn’t play this time of year, you have to wonder if his team is trying to trade him and making sure he doesn’t get hurt before a deal goes down.

Does Clayton, with the massive contract the Bucs gave him last season, really have much, or any, trade value? Actually, he might.

The Bucs pretty much stunned the NFL world last offseason when they handed Clayton a new five-year contract that could be worth as much as $26 million. They gave him a $2 million signing bonus, a $1.5 million roster bonus and $3 million in 2009 base salary. That money already is in Clayton’s pocket, and there’s nothing the Bucs can do about that.

They also guaranteed him $3 million in base salary for this season, and a lot of people think that -- along with base salaries that amount to about $13 million combined for 2012, 2013 and 2014 -- will be enough to scare off any potential trade partner. There also some escalators and incentives in those years that could earn Clayton even more money.

But is his contract really such an obstacle to a potential trade? Maybe not as much as many think. There’s no doubt Clayton’s been a disappointment. But there are some teams out there that are desperate for help at wide receiver, and the guy does have some talent. Really, all a trade partner would be taking on for sure this season would be Clayton’s $3 million guaranteed base salary. That might be a little high for a guy that’s a fourth or fifth receiver. But, in an uncapped year, it might not be all that much for a team that thinks Clayton could be a No. 3 receiver, or maybe even a little more than that.

Yeah, the rest of the contract isn’t too appealing. But nothing else is guaranteed, and another team could cut Clayton after this season and be responsible for absolutely nothing going forward, even if a salary cap returns.

If the cap returns in 2011, the Bucs would be responsible for $1.8 million in pro-rated bonus money for Clayton, but that would be it. If they can’t get someone to trade for Clayton and decide not to keep him, they still have to pay him $3 million for this season and would be responsible for the pro-rated bonus money next year.

In a best-case scenario, if the Bucs truly have given up on Clayton, they can get some sort of late-round pick for him in a trade and pass that $3 million guarantee off to another team.

We’ve talked many times over the past few months about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the possibility of having games blacked out from local television.

The possibility became reality when the Bucs hosted Kansas City last week in a preseason game, and Saturday night’s exhibition against Jacksonville will mark the second time in history that Raymond James Stadium will not be sold out.

We’re not even to the regular season yet, but the fact that Jacksonville and Tampa Bay are facing each other makes the topics of ticket sales and blackouts quite relevant.

Veteran writer Vito Stellino takes an extensive look at the situation the Jaguars, owned by Wayne Weaver, and Buccaneers are facing when it comes to selling tickets. The Bucs avoided blackouts on several occasions by buying up the unsold tickets. One high-ranking NFL official from another team estimated to me that the Bucs were writing a check for somewhere around $500,000 to keep their games on local television most times last season.

Bucs spokesman Jonathan Grella told Stellino the team has decided that’s not a “sustainable practice’’ and that’s pretty obvious, especially because the number likely would go up because season-ticket sales don’t appear to be as high as they were last year.

It’s a tough spot to be in, and the Buccaneers and Jaguars face many of the same obstacles. We’ve talked about many of them before – the Florida economy has been hit especially hard, and there are a lot of other activities in Florida. Throw in the fact Florida has a transient population, with many residents remaining fans of the teams from their former hometowns, and that helps explain the situation.

Although the Jaguars had seven games blacked out last season and there have been rumblings for several years that the franchise could be moved, the Bucs might actually be the team with the bigger problem.

Jacksonville is the 47-largest television market. Even though the Jaguars are theoretically the only show in town, that never really has been true. To many people in the Jacksonville region, University of Florida football is a much bigger deal than the Jaguars, even in the years when the Jaguars win.

That situation’s going to work itself out – either the Jaguars will continue to do what they do in a small market or they’ll move to a bigger one.

Despite its flaws, Tampa Bay is just too good a market to abandon. When you put Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota together, the region has the No. 14 television market. Although there are other pro sports around and a certain amount of fans that are pretty loyal to Florida, Florida State and the University of South Florida, Tampa is a pro football market first and foremost.

Even with the Rays in the pennant race, you’re more likely to hear people talking about what the Bucs might do with Michael Clayton or Derrick Ward than baseball. Fans still are interested in the Bucs, they’re just not willing to pay big money to go watch them.

But this is far from a lost cause. The market is there, the interest is there and even with the economy, there’s still enough money out there to fill up Raymond James Stadium again. The Bucs are doing their part with marketing and being fan friendly. But there’s one simple solution for all this, although it could take several years to play out.

The Bucs, 3-13 a year ago, need to go out and win some games. All people in the Tampa Bay area are waiting for is a legitimate reason to go buy tickets.