ESPN NFL

The Atlanta Falcons didn’t make the kind of big splash at the start of free agency that many of their fans wanted.

But, little by little, they’ve made moves that should help make their roster stronger. They traded for cornerback Asante Samuel just before the draft and it’s pretty obvious the Falcons are counting on second-round pick Peter Konz to have an immediate impact on their offensive line. But this offseason might be far from over for the Falcons, who were strapped by the salary cap early in free agency.

That’s not really the case these days. Atlanta got a boost when it got a $3 million cap credit as fallout from the Michael Vick situation and some of that helped make room for Samuel. The Falcons cut veteran fullback Ovie Mughelli last week and they’re on the hook for a $733,335 cap hit for that. But the move cleared up $3 million in cap space.

That gives the Falcons some money to work with and you could see another move or two before training camp starts. Although the Falcons say they’re comfortable with Sam Baker at left tackle, I’m not sure that’s a great idea. At very least, they should bring in someone to compete with Baker. Veteran Marcus McNeill is still hanging out there in free agency. McNeill had an injury last season that may require more time to heal. If it does, I could see the Falcons bringing in McNeill. If not, the Falcons have enough room to look at some other alternatives.

The season-long suspension of New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma pretty much is unprecedented in the NFL.

There have been plenty of one-year suspensions (and some longer) for substance-abuse violations. But Vilma’s suspension ranks as one of the longest in history.

With help from the Associated Press, by way of ESPN Stats & Information, here’s a list of the longest non-substance-abuse suspensions in NFL history:

• Art Schlichter, life, suspended one year for gambling in 1983, never reinstated
• Merle Hapes, eight years, suspended for conversing with known gambler in 1946, reinstated in 1954
• Frank Filchock, three years, suspended for conversing with known gambler in 1947, reinstated in 1950
• Michael Vick, two years, two games, suspended indefinitely in 2007 after pleading guilty to role in dogfighting
• Plaxico Burress, two years, suspended for duration of jail term in 2009 after pleading guilty to criminal possession of a weapon
• Donte’ Stallworth, one year, suspended for one year after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter in 2009
• Paul Hornung, one year, suspended one year for gambling in 1963
• Alex Karras, one year, suspended one year for gambling in 1963
• Adam Jones, one year, suspended one year for violating Personal Conduct Policy in 2007

Those suspensions all involved off-field actions. Here is the list of the longest NFL suspensions for on-field incidents:

• 2006: Albert Haynesworth suspended five games after stomping on head of Cowboys center Andre Gurode. Gurode was not wearing a helmet at the time.
• 2011: Ndamukong Suh suspended two games after stomping on right arm of Packers lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith.
• 1986: Charles Martin suspended two games for body slamming Bears QB Jim McMahon to turf.

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

The Atlanta Falcons reportedly got a salary-cap credit of around $3 million for money former quarterback Michael Vick owed the franchise before filing bankruptcy following a conviction on dogfighting charges. After signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, Vick and the Falcons reached a settlement in which he would repay some of the $130 million contract he signed with Atlanta. The Falcons now are about $4 million under the salary cap.

John DeShazier writes that it’s time for the NFL to announce whatever player penalties are coming for the Saints’ bounty program. I couldn’t agree more. This thing has dragged on way too long. Wednesday will be two months since the NFL announced its first report on the bounty program. Penalties for the organization, coaches and general manager Mickey Loomis were announced more than a month ago. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that the investigation was in its final stages and I understand if the league didn’t want to make an announcement that would overshadow all the good publicity that comes with its college draft. But the draft is over. It’s time to let the Saints -- and potentially other teams -- know if they need to prepare to play without suspended players this season.

The Falcons announced Monday that tight end Ryan Winterswyk, who spent part of last season on the practice squad, has been placed on the reserve/retired list. If Winterswyk decides to return to football, the Falcons still hold his rights.

Undrafted free-agent receiver Brenton Bersin might have had a little advantage when he was signed by the Carolina Panthers. Bersin grew up two doors away from Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. Bersin also attended Wofford College. That’s where the Panthers have held training camp since coming into the league in 1995. Wofford also is Richardson’s alma mater and where team president Danny Morrison once worked as athletic director. But don’t accuse the Panthers of showing favoritism for a neighborhood kid. Bersin earned the right for a shot at the NFL. He had a great career at Wofford and also drew interest from several other NFL teams.

The arrival of rookies Mark Barron and Lavonte David could mean possible position switches for cornerback Ronde Barber and middle linebacker Mason Foster aren’t coming. There had been some talk of Barber moving to safety and Foster to outside linebacker. Barron should start immediately at strong safety and the Bucs have Cody Grimm at free safety. That could allow Barber to stay at cornerback. David projects as an instant starter at outside linebacker and the Bucs should be able to keep Foster at middle linebacker.

Breakdown: The Panthers haven’t played a prime-time game since playing Pittsburgh in a dismal 2010 season. But the days of flying under the radar are over. The Panthers will appear in two nationally televised games this season, and they’re both good ones. They’ll host the Super Bowl champion New York Giants in a Thursday night game Sept. 20, and they’ll play a Monday night game at Philadelphia on Nov. 26.

That can be traced to the star power that comes with second-year quarterback Cam Newton. Pitting him against Eli Manning and Michael Vick should attract lots of attention. We already know Newton and the Carolina offense are good. If the Panthers can just play a little defense, that Philadelphia game and the December contests could be very meaningful.

The NFL is giving the Panthers a good opportunity to get off to a fast start. Four of their first six games will be played at Bank of America Stadium.

Complaint department: The Panthers open their season with two NFC South opponents -- on the road at Tampa Bay and at home with New Orleans. They also have a Sept. 30 game at Atlanta, meaning three of their first four games will be against divisional opponents. I don’t mind seeing a divisional game in the first month of the season. But three in the first four weeks? Seems a little excessive. But, hey, at least we’ll find out pretty quickly whether the Panthers have any chance to win the NFC South.

Fox’s return: The Nov. 11 game against Denver has lots of storylines. Peyton Manning will be coming to town, and the matchup between him and Newton is a good one. But there’s one thing that could overshadow even Manning and Newton that week. That’s the return of Denver coach John Fox. He was the best coach in Carolina history, but his tenure didn’t end well. That will give Fox motivation to have the Broncos ready, and the Panthers will have plenty to motivate them because Fox didn’t part on the best of terms with everyone in the building, including some people in very high places.

Panthers Regular-Season Schedule (All times ET)
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 9, at Tampa Bay, 4:15 PM
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 16, New Orleans, 1:00 PM
Week 3: Thursday, Sept. 20, N.Y. Giants, 8:20 PM
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 30, at Atlanta, 1:00 PM
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 7, Seattle, 4:05 PM
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 21, Dallas, 1:00 PM
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 28, at Chicago, 1:00 PM
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 4, at Washington, 1:00 PM
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 11, Denver, 1:00 PM
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 18, Tampa Bay, 1:00 PM
Week 12: Monday, Nov. 26, at Philadelphia, 8:30 PM
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 2, at Kansas City, 1:00 PM
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 9, Atlanta, 1:00 PM
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 16, at San Diego, 4:05 PM
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 23, Oakland, 1:00 PM
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 30, at New Orleans, 1:00 PM

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has taken another step toward being on the cover of "Madden NFL 2013."

Newton has advanced to the final four of the Madden 13 Cover Vote. He’s up against San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis in this round. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson are squaring off in the other semifinal.

I’ll leave it up to you if you want to vote for Newton or not. I know there is a contingent of Carolina fans that are apprehensive about this due to the alleged Madden Curse. It’s understandable because a fair amount of players who have graced the cover have had injuries or down seasons. But there have been exceptions, including one from the NFC South. That was Drew Brees, who was on the 2011 cover. Brees had a very good 2011 season, although the Saints were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Seattle.

I understand the fear Carolina fans have about seeing Newton on the cover. But I’m all for seeing him on there. I think it would be good national exposure for a franchise that has had a few down years. I also think it would be good for the NFC South, a division in which fans sometimes have a bit of complex about other divisions and teams in larger markets getting more attention.

The Panthers never have had a player featured on a Madden cover. Brees and former Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick (2004) are the only NFC South players that have earned the honor.

It’s no real surprise that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held firm on an appeal of his ruling for the New Orleans Saints’ punishments for their bounty programs.

Throughout his tenure, Goodell has been an advocate for player safety and he’s also been harsh when league employees have lied to him. Goodell said the league was lied to as it investigated the three-year bounty program and admitted that’s why the penalties were so harsh.

New Orleans coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the 2012 season. General manager Mickey Loomis can work through the rest of the offseason, but will be suspended for the first eight games of the season. Assistant head coach Joe Vitt will be suspended for the first six games of the 2012 season. All the suspensions are without pay. As an organization, the Saints also were fined $500,000 and had to forfeit their second-round picks in 2012 and 2013.

That’s all harsh, but consistent with the way Goodell has run the NFL. On the flip side, there’s another sign of consistency coming out of Goodell. He’s a big believer in second chances (see Michael Vick). In the release announcing the rulings had been upheld, there was some language that suggested the Saints can lighten their punishments a bit.

“The club and the individuals will be expected to cooperate in any further proceedings and to assist in the development and implementation of programs to instruct players and coaches at all levels on principles of player safety, fair play, and sportsmanship,’’ the release said. “If they embrace the opportunity and participate in a constructive way, commissioner Goodell said he would consider mitigating the financial penalties on the individuals. In the case of the team, the commissioner would consider whether there are factors that would support modifying the forfeiture of the team's 2013 second-round draft choice.’’

So Goodell has left the door open for the Saints to get their 2013 second-round pick back. He’s also made it sound like Payton, Loomis and Vitt might be able to recoup some of their lost pay.

But he’s also made it very clear he expects full cooperation (something he didn’t get in the past) from the Saints. He also made it clear he expects them to go out of their way to assist in promoting player safety. The release also provides a reminder that the suspensions aren't automatically over when the clock on them expires. As is the case with all suspensions, Goodell reviews the status of each individual before making a decision on reinstatement.

The Saints got themselves in this predicament by breaking the rules. They’re going to pay the price, but Goodell has made it clear they can lessen the price a bit if they play by his rules going forward.

Since he took over as NFL commissioner in 2006, Roger Goodell has been so consistent that he’s become predictable.

Cross the line on anything that involves player safety or his precious “integrity of the game’’ and you’re going to pay a steep price. Mess with anything that jeopardizes “the NFL shield’’ Goodell loves to talk about and you’re going to feel his wrath.

Oh, and be sure never to lie to the commissioner because that’s only going to make matters worse.

Any or all of the above have brought suspensions or hefty fines in Goodell’s era. Think Michael Vick, Donte' Stallworth and Plaxico Burress, to name a few.

Now, it seems like Goodell’s becoming even more of a moral stickler. The punishments for the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program are severe and unprecedented. Goodell has suspended coach Sean Payton for a year, general manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight games of the 2012 season, assistant head coach Joe Vitt for the first six games and banned former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely. He has also hit the Saints with a $500,000 fine and taken away their second-round draft picks for 2012 and 2013. The league also has said 22 to 27 players were involved and discipline for them will come soon.

No question this is severe, but has Goodell really intentionally destroyed the franchise, like so many New Orleans fans seem to think? No, he hasn’t and anyone that thinks that simply is shooting the messenger -- the guy who had the nerve to tell them that their beloved head coach and team weren’t quite as perfect as they had been made out to be.

If you really think about it, Goodell is just doing what New Orleans owner Tom Benson should have, but didn’t. Shouldn’t Benson have been the one to suspend or fire people once he found out his team was out of control? Or shouldn’t Benson have been the one who stepped in and stopped things before they got totally out of hand? After all, there were lots of warning signs and warnings from the league.

But they went unheeded by the Saints, who turned around and lied to Goodell. Lots of people are saying that the lies are the main reason Goodell is burying the Saints. Yeah, there’s no doubt the lies added to the severity of the punishments. But I disagree with anyone who says Goodell has crushed the Saints.

If he really wanted a franchise that’s been among the league’s most successful since 2006 to fade back into the type of mediocrity and obscurity that came with most of its earlier history, Goodell could have barred the door and sealed it up tight. Instead, he’s left more than enough cracks to help allow the Saints to still be very competitive in 2012.

He has left it possible for them to perhaps get one of the best coaches in NFL history in Bill Parcells. No deal is done yet and it’s even possible the Saints could be talking to another former head coach or two. Stick Parcells or some other currently unemployed coach out there with quarterback Drew Brees and an offensive system that coordinator Pete Carmichael knows as well as Payton and the Saints aren’t going to fall straight to the bottom of the NFC South. Yeah, new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is going to face some major challenges, especially if multiple defensive players have to serve suspensions, but he would have faced some of those even if none of this happened. No matter how things shake out with the head-coaching spot, the Saints are going to be competitive.

Goodell didn’t have to allow that, but he did. If Goodell really wanted to make life impossible for the Saints, he would have made Payton’s suspension take hold immediately and not let Loomis continue to manage all the offseason moves when he announced the penalties last week.

Instead, Goodell made April 1 the date Payton’s suspension starts (it’s possible that date could be pushed back if Payton decides to appeal) and Loomis’ suspension doesn’t start until right before the opening game of the regular season. Loomis can keep on signing free agents, oversee a draft in which the Saints don’t have a lot of picks and sign those rookies.

Loomis also can sign more players if he finds out some of his own will miss time because of suspensions and he can make roster tweaks all through training camp and the preseason as injuries pile up. Most importantly of all, Loomis has time to work out a long-term contract with Brees, who is carrying the franchise tag for now and will have to carry the franchise through the season.

I also find it more than a little curious that Goodell has left enough time and wiggle room for Payton and Loomis, the two men in the center of the controversy (along with Williams), to appear to be the ones making the decision on the coaching situation. Goodell keeps saying that decision is ultimately up to Benson and there might be a few grains of truth in that because the owner is the one who will pay the new coach.

But Benson’s not the one who’s really running this show or putting in a plan for the season. With Goodell’s blessing, Benson is catching a huge break. Benson never has fancied himself a football guy or been a hands-on owner. Before hiring Payton in 2006, the last good football move Benson made was putting his team into the hands of coach Jim Mora and general manager Jim Finks back in the 1980s. Oh, and you could state pretty accurately that Benson didn’t really hire Payton. Loomis was the one who ran the coaching search and Benson simply signed off on what Loomis wanted.

Since then, Benson has left the franchise exclusively in the hands of his “football guys’’ -- Payton and Loomis. That brought a Super Bowl championship and a lot of victories. It also brought a lot of shame.

But when reports surfaced that Loomis and Payton were meeting with Parcells earlier this week, it become obvious that this franchise is still being run by the “football guys.’’ All indications are Payton and Loomis will put Parcells or someone else in front of Benson and he’ll sign off on whatever they recommend. Anybody out there think that if Payton and Loomis weren’t allowed to handle this that Benson, a true non-football guy, could go out and get Parcells or any coach close to that level on his own? I don’t.

There’s more than a little irony in all this. In the scorching report that announced the Saints’ punishments and thoroughly detailed their violations, one of the things Goodell criticized Payton for was telling his assistants to “get their ducks in a row’’ as they attempted to cover up the bounty program.

That, no doubt, played a role in how harsh the punishments were. But the funny thing here is that Goodell now has allowed Payton and Loomis time to get their ducks (or their Parcellses) lined up. That’s not part of the punishment.

That’s what I would call showing the Saints some mercy.

We frequently talk here about how the NFC South might be the league’s only division with four franchise quarterbacks.

I’m in agreement with that because New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan are well established as franchise quarterbacks. Cam Newton’s rookie season in Carolina was a pretty strong indication that he also fits the profile. I still believe Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman has the talent to be a franchise quarterback but needs to bounce back from a rough 2011 season and get some help from his supporting cast.

But, even with all that set, there is room for major improvement among NFC South quarterbacks in one area. Freeman and Newton were among the league leaders in one significant category that didn’t reflect very well on them. According to ESPN Stats & Information’s Keith Hawkins, Freeman and Newton ranked way too high when it came to quarterback turnovers (interceptions plus fumbles lost) in 2011. Here’s a look at the league leaders.

• Freeman, 27

• Mark Sanchez, 26

• Ryan Fitzpatrick, 25

• Rex Grossman, 25

• Philip Rivers, 25

• Eli Manning, 20

• Newton, 19

• Ben Roethlisberger, 19

• Tavaris Jackson, 18

• Michael Vick, 18

• Joe Flacco, 18

What’s disturbing here about Freeman and Newton are their interception totals. Freeman was second in the league with 22. That comes after a 2010 season in which he threw only six interceptions. What was the difference? Some of it was simply bad decision making by Freeman. But I think he was also the victim of an offense that was in total chaos. Everything was going wrong for the Bucs offensively. Their play calling wasn’t great, there wasn’t good balance between their running and passing game and their receivers often failed to get open and dropped a lot of passes. With new offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan and what should be a more disciplined and organized team all the way around under new coach Greg Schiano, I think you’ll see big improvement from Freeman.

Newton wasn’t too far off Freeman with 17 interceptions. I don’t think the blame here falls on the supporting cast or the offensive scheme and play calling. I think it falls on Newton. He was a rookie and there naturally will be some mistakes. Newton also played with a great deal of confidence and tried to force some throws that weren’t there. That’s something that can easily be worked on in the offseason.

That’s why I don’t think you’ll see Freeman and Newton as high on this list in 2012.

Check out this Insider post by Trent Dilfer. He ranks the NFL’s quarterbacks, starters and even some backups, although Jimmy Clausen didn’t quite make the list.

Dilfer breaks the quarterbacks down into seven categories and I don’t think anyone will be surprised to hear that he’s got Drew Brees in his “Hall of Fame’’ category. There’s little doubt Brees will be in the Hall of Fame someday, and there’s absolutely no doubt he’s one of the league’s top two or three quarterbacks these days.

I think even fans of other teams freely will admit Brees is the NFC South’s best quarterback. That brings us to the quarterbacks of the other NFC South teams and how they fared in Dilfer’s rankings.

Two categories down, Dilfer includes Atlanta’s Matt Ryan in his “A Ring Away’’ category. He has Ryan grouped with guys like Philip Rivers, Joe Flacco, Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford.

The next category down is “Mostly Good’’ and that’s where Dilfer has Carolina’s Cam Newton and Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman. They’re grouped with guys like Michael Vick, Andy Dalton and Carson Palmer.

Overall, I’ve got no issues with Dilfer’s list. I’m often asked in chats to rank the four NFC South quarterbacks. During last season, I tried to stay away from picking between Ryan and Newton as the No. 2 quarterback in the division. That’s mainly because Ryan and Newton are completely different quarterbacks. It also was because we were watching Newton evolve in his rookie season and there were changes in his level of play (usually for the better) just about every week.

But, since the season is over and since we’re on the topic, I’ll go ahead and reveal my rankings of the four NFC South quarterbacks. I’ll go in the same order Dilfer did.

We already addressed Brees and we’ll finish with Freeman. But why am I taking Ryan over Newton? First off, I’m only taking Ryan slightly over Newton. He’s been in the league for four years and has won each of those seasons. He hasn’t won big yet, but he may. Newton has way more upside than Ryan, but he’s not a finished product yet. A year from now, I might be sitting here writing that Newton is way better than Ryan. Heck, I might even be writing Newton is better than Brees.

He’s got that kind of upside. But he’s only played one season and only won six games. Let’s see a little more of Newton.

That brings us to Freeman. At the start of this past season, I thought Freeman had a chance to jump over Ryan into the No. 2 spot. That obviously didn’t happen and Freeman tumbled to No. 4 in the division. But Dilfer wrote that he still thinks Freeman can become elite. I agree totally.

Yes, Freeman had a bad 2011 season and some of the blame falls on him for that. But I put more blame on his coaching and supporting cast. I think the talent is there and Freeman can bounce back in 2012.

Anyway, those are my rankings at the moment. I know they’re open to debate. That’s what the comments section below is for.

With the season over for the Saints, the hot topic in New Orleans suddenly has become the contract situation of quarterback Drew Brees.

His contract expired the moment the Saints lost to San Francisco on Saturday. Technically, he can become a free agent in March. But it’s pretty much a certainty the Saints will re-sign him. If Brees somehow was to leave the Saints, it would be one of the biggest crimes in sports history.

Besides, I don’t think Brees wants to leave New Orleans and the Saints don’t want to lose him. So why wasn’t a deal worked out long ago? Well, there were ongoing talks throughout much of the season, but Brees tabled them later in the year because he didn’t want distractions.

On one level, a new deal for Brees will be very complicated because it’s going to involve a lot of money and have major implications on the team’s salary-cap status for the duration of the contract. On another level, it’s not all that complicated.

Let’s be real honest, Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and deserves to be paid like it. There’s an easy way to get a general feel for what his new deal should be like. That’s to take a look at the contracts of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks.

I’ll share contract details of the three highest-paid quarterbacks with you for the sake of comparison. Let’s run down the contracts of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Michael Vick. When it comes to average money per year, they are the three best-paid quarterbacks in the league.

You can argue Brees is better than Brady or Manning. At very least, he’s in their ballpark. I don’t think you can quite say the same about Vick, but his contract might mark a good line of demarcation after the truly elite quarterbacks.

Going by average money per year, Brady is tied for the NFL lead. He averages $18 million per season on a contract extension that was signed in 2010. When Brady signed that deal, he got a $16 million signing bonus. His salary-cap figure for 2012 is $15.2 million. His cap figure escalates to $18.2 million for 2013 and 2014.

Manning signed a new deal in July, before anyone realized he’d miss the entire 2011 season with a neck injury. Manning’s deal also averages $18 million per year. He received a $20 million signing bonus in July. The popular report is that Manning has a $28 million option bonus in March, which is only partly true, when it comes to structure. If the Colts, elect not to pick up the option, Manning gets the full $28 million right away. If the Colts keep Manning, the option bonus is deferred over several points through 2015. Manning’s slated cap figure for 2012 is $17 million. It jumps to $18 million in 2013, $18 million in 2014, $19 million in 2015 and $20 million in 2016.

Vick renegotiated his contract in August and it averages $16.667 million per year. Vick’s bonus money wasn’t as big as Brady’s or Manning’s. He got a $7 million signing bonus, plus a $3 million roster bonus for 2011. But Vick also has an additional $5 million in roster bonuses for later in the contract. His cap figures are scheduled to be $13.9 million in 2012, $16.9 million in 2013 and 2014, $17.9 million in 2015 and $20 million in 2016.

Bottom line: Brees should get more than Vick and something similar to what Brady and Manning got. The structure is open to creativity. But I think it’s safe to say Brees can expect to average somewhere around $18 million per season and the Saints can count on his yearly cap figure starting off somewhere around $15 million.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Their season ended sooner than expected, so the Atlanta Falcons haven’t had time to come up with a title for their highlight film.

I’ll throw them a few suggestions:

• "Fourth-and-inches: Next year, we’ll just kick it."

• "Explosive or implosion?’"

• "How I lost that Jacksonville job," narrated by Mike Mularkey.

• “That Allstate commercial is not going to happen, but maybe I can fill in for that Mayhem guy," hosted by Roddy White.

Hey, wait, we just got a submission from Atlanta coach Mike Smith.

"It was a lot like our season, very inconsistent," Smith said after his Falcons lost 24-2 to the New York Giants in the wild-card round Sunday at MetLife Stadium. "We played some that were good. We played some that were not so good. I think that’s really the story of our 2011 season."

Take any of those suggestions or add your own. There are seemingly endless ways to summarize how a team with Super Bowl expectations came up dramatically short.

Since the arrival of Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan in 2008, the Falcons had been to the playoffs twice before. They lost both those games, including a home game against Green Bay last season when the Falcons were the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

But this loss was far worse because the Falcons weren’t even competitive. That was mostly their own fault, because the Giants were as inconsistent as the Falcons during the regular season. On Sunday, the Falcons made the Giants look like champions.

The offense White referred to as “The Greatest Show on Turf’’ in the preseason didn’t score. Atlanta’s points came on a safety. How does an offense that has Ryan, White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner get blanked?

“I have no idea,’’ said White, who finished with five catches for 52 yards and dropped at least two passes, after leading the NFL in drops during the regular season.

Since White has no idea, I’ll throw out a few quickies: The Falcons couldn’t run the ball (Turner finished with 41 yards on 15 carries), Ryan was held to 199 passing yards and Smith (and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey) got outcoached by Tom Coughlin and his staff. All that calls out for more detail.

Let’s start with the coaching, because this has been a huge issue before. On two different occasions, Smith elected to go for it on fourth-and-inches. On two different occasions, that decision failed miserably. Smith decided on the same thing, with the same result, in overtime during a regular-season loss to New Orleans.

The first decision to go for it on fourth down came on the first play of the second quarter. The second came with 4:21 left in the third quarter, when the Falcons were trailing only 10-2. Both times, the Falcons had Ryan, who will never be confused with Michael Vick as a runner, try a quarterback sneak. Both times Ryan came up short. The second one was far more damaging, and even more insulting to anyone with common sense. It came with Ryan lining up with an empty backfield, a clear signal of what was coming.

“It was about half a yard, maybe even less than that,’’ Smith said. “That was the play. We go through the sequence all through the week, and we felt like that was the play that we had up and we just didn’t execute it. We felt like at any point in time that we ought to be able to move the football less than half a yard with a quarterback sneak.’’

Forget the fact the Falcons could have handed the ball to Turner, who has gained more than a half yard plenty of times in his career. The Falcons tried that approach in the New Orleans loss and that didn’t work, either.

What’s more disturbing is that, unlike the Turner play against the Saints, both of these opportunities came when the Falcons were in position to attempt a field goal. Both opportunities came at points in the game when a field goal would have meant a lot.

“You could have gone ahead and attempted the field goal,’’ Smith said. “I felt and we felt as a staff, with our offense, that we could move the ball and we wanted to get seven points.’’

Instead, the Falcons ended up with two points for the day. That’s not the sum total of just a couple of coaching decisions and play calls. That’s a sign of much larger problems for a team that clearly was shooting for the Super Bowl when it dealt draft picks to trade up to get Jones in April and paid a ton for free-agent defensive end Ray Edwards as soon as the lockout ended.

Both decisions were based almost entirely on what Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff decided was lacking after last season’s playoff loss to Green Bay. They talked repeatedly about how Jones and Edwards would add “explosiveness."

Instead, the Falcons ended up with a dud of a season. People are going to start to question if Smith and Ryan ever can win a playoff game. They’re also going to start to question if the trade for Jones was wise, especially as the 2012 draft approaches and the Falcons are looking to rebuild an offensive line that was built for run blocking and showed it can't pass block no matter how many receiving weapons the Falcons have.

“Well, I think that’s a mistake,’’ Falcons owner Arthur Blank said after he was reminded the Jones trade is officially open to criticism. “Julio stepped up and did everything we wanted him to do this year. He’s going to be an outstanding receiver and player in the league. He has certainly proved his worth this year. He clearly showed his explosive capability throughout the year. You saw that in a number of games. You didn’t see it today.’’

You didn’t see much of anything offensively against the Giants and that took a toll on Atlanta’s defense as the game went on, which just compounded Atlanta’s problems.

“Our expectations for our football team and our organization are much higher than just making an appearance in the playoffs,’’ Smith said.

Blank didn’t sound like a man who was ready to do anything rash. But he sounded frustrated and made it clear he expects Smith and Dimitroff to do some serious introspective thinking as they look back at the season.

“I think the answer is you’ve got to do a thorough diagnostic on the team, the players, the coaches and personnel area on why we didn’t perform the way that we’re capable of,’’ Blank said. “The beauty of Smitty and Thomas is that they will do that. They’re not, by nature, defensive individuals. They’re thoughtful, they’re bright and they care obviously about the franchise and winning. They will do what I would want them to do which is to be objective and go through a detailed analysis and not be emotional about it. Do it from a thoughtful standpoint. Where that takes us, I can’t tell you. That’s not up to me to tell you. That’s up to them to figure it out and we’ll work on it organizationally.’’

One hint to Smith and Dimitroff: As you found out with fourth-and-inches, doing the same thing repeatedly isn’t going to work. Don’t do what you did last year and just fix two glaring holes. Fix every little hole on your team or you’ll never win a playoff game.

Take a look at Atlanta’s Mike Smith and Matt Ryan. On the surface, they look like the perfect coach-quarterback combination.

On the heels of the fiascos involving Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino, Smith and Ryan arrived in Atlanta back in 2008. Instantly, they brought stability and credibility to a franchise that had fallen into disarray.

They’ve been winning, comfortably and calmly, ever since. They’ve had four straight winning seasons together, and that’s been joyful for a franchise that hadn’t had back-to-back winning seasons before Smith and Ryan arrived. Three of those seasons have included 10 or more wins. The Falcons are also about to make their third playoff appearance in four seasons, and Ryan established career bests for passing yards and touchdowns during the regular season.

Everything looks just fantastic for the Falcons.

But let’s push a little beyond the surface, and you’ll see this is a franchise at a critical juncture.

When the Falcons play the New York Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, anything less than a victory will be a major disappointment for the Falcons. The franchise has fallen on good times, but there’s a problem with that.

It’s not enough simply to be good every year. Smith has talked several times about how the organization’s goal is not just to make the playoffs.

Smith and Ryan have never won a playoff game. They lost one they were expected to lose to Arizona in the 2008 season. They lost another to Green Bay last season when they were the No. 1 seed and the Packers were the No. 6 seed.

“There was a common theme in terms of that you can’t turn the football over,’’ Smith said. “That was the most pressing thing and both of them happened right, if you remember correctly, they both happened, one right before halftime last season and Arizona I think was the first or second play of the second half. We came out and turned the ball over and it was returned for a touchdown as well. It’s no different than regular-season football, but we’ve got to make sure that we have ball security. We cannot turn the football over in the postseason. It’s imperative.’’

Yeah, the turnovers were a common theme in the previous two playoff losses, and there’s no shame in losing to teams that went on to the Super Bowl. But here’s where that tension beneath the surface starts to ooze out.

The Falcons can’t continue to lose playoff games. A loss to the Giants will start the rumblings that Smith might be the second coming of Norv Turner -- a really nice guy who can’t win when it matters. Right after that, you’ll start hearing how Ryan’s not an elite quarterback because he can’t win big games.

When you talk to him, Ryan is as smooth a conversationalist as you’ll find. He calls reporters by name and he’ll chitchat about their hometowns or the hat of the college football team they’re wearing. He’s nicknamed Matty Ice, and he’ll tell you he doesn’t feel pressure to get the playoff monkey off his back.

“Not that much,’’ Ryan said. “I think the past doesn’t really make a difference. We had opportunities; we didn’t take advantage of those. What matters is we put ourselves in this position again and we have an opportunity to move forward. So I don’t worry about it too much. I kind of just focus on trying to prepare and play well this week and doing everything we can to take advantage of the opportunity that we have.”

One thing has become clear so far in Ryan’s career: He’s always going to say the right thing. But there is pressure percolating just under the surface for Ryan, Smith and the rest of the Falcons and, despite their denials and calm demeanor, they have to be starting to feel it.

Forget that playoff loss to Arizona in the 2008 season. That was Ryan’s rookie year, the Falcons were on the road and Arizona was a team of destiny. But that loss to the Packers in the Georgia Dome in last season’s playoffs?

Point to that as the source of all the pressure that’s growing around the Falcons now. Atlanta went 13-3 last season and had a first-round bye. The Falcons were rested and healthy, but the Packers came to town and blew them out, 48-21.

After the game, Smith and Ryan looked as flustered as they’ve ever been. General manager Thomas Dimitroff and owner Arthur Blank are two other guys who look pretty calm most of the time, but you could almost see the smoke coming out of their ears that day, because they had seen a team that they thought was going to the Super Bowl get thoroughly embarrassed.

After things settled down a bit, Smith, Dimitroff and Blank sat down and decided they weren’t too far away. What they learned from the Green Bay loss was that they needed more explosiveness on both sides of the ball.

That’s why the Falcons made the daring trade that allowed them to draft wide receiver Julio Jones, and that’s why they signed defensive end Ray Edwards to a big contract in free agency. A lot of people said the Falcons were shooting for the Super Bowl or bust.

The expectations were raised but not met during the regular season. The Falcons struggled with inconsistency and finished 10-6. At times they were very good; at other times they were ordinary. But the playoffs bring a chance for Atlanta to finally meet those expectations.

“It’s more intense,’’ Smith said. “I think it’s more intense in your preparation as a football team. It starts early in the week and I think it becomes a very intense, energetic time when you’re playing in the playoffs because it’s a situation where you’re not going to have another game if you don’t win. Everybody’s playing to play through the end of January and into February.”

But the Falcons haven’t made it to the end of January or anywhere close to February in their previous tries. They’re on very stable ground, but you can’t stand still forever.

Blank has learned from and grown from past mistakes. He’s thrilled with the stability Smith and Ryan have brought to his franchise. But Blank’s also a competitive guy and he’s not going to be patient forever.

The same is true of the Atlanta fans. The consistent winning for four seasons has been nice.

But if Smith, Ryan and the rest of the Falcons are going to ease the pressure that’s simmering just below the surface, they need to win a playoff game. If they don’t, the peace and calm that’s surrounded the Falcons the past four years will start to disappear.

We all know that Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton is having an outstanding rookie season.

But what does it mean going forward? In this Insider post, our friends at Football Outsiders use “similarity scores’’ to find historical matches for contemporary players. They compared Newton to some pretty outstanding quarterbacks during some pretty outstanding seasons (and we’re not just talking rookie years for the other guys).

Their conclusion? We’ve never seen anything like Newton before. They say that it’s fair to compare Newton to a young Peyton Manning as a quarterback and a young Herschel Walker as a running back. That’s pretty high praise.

I’ve been saying for a couple months now that Newton is different than anything we’ve seen. You can say he throws like a Manning, Dan Marino or John Elway. You can also say he runs like Michael Vick or Tim Tebow.

There have been quarterbacks before that you could say one of those two things about. But I think Newton is the first guy you can say both things about.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 16:

Ryan's on fire: The Falcons appear to be getting hot at the right time. In the past six quarters, against the Panthers and Jaguars, Atlanta has outscored opponents 65-14. Quarterback Matt Ryan has thrown seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions in those two games. Ryan also is playing for a spot in the record book. He is 42-18 in his career. Joe Flacco, who also entered the league in the 2008 draft, is 42-20. Each already has won more starts in his first four seasons than any quarterback since the Super Bowl era started in1966.

Monday Night Fever: The New Orleans Saints have all sorts of streaks going. They’ve clinched a playoff berth for the third straight season. They’ve won at least 11 games in each of the past three seasons. They’re on a six-game winning streak. That ties them with the Patriots for the longest active winning streak in the NFL. Finally, the Saints have the NFL’s longest active winning streak in “Monday Night Football’’ games. They’ve won six straight and haven’t lost since a 2008 game against Minnesota.

The “other’’ record: Understandably, most of the talk surrounding the Saints has to do with Drew Brees’ pursuit of Dan Marino’s record for passing yards in a season. But another member of the Saints is chasing history. That’s second-year tight end Jimmy Graham. He’s on pace for 99 catches and 1,338 receiving yards. The NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end is 1,290, set by San Diego’s Kellen Winslow in 1980. Graham also has had at least five catches in six straight games.

Making history: Even in a season that hasn’t been filled with wins, the Carolina Panthers have a chance to make some very positive history. Running back Jonathan Stewart needs to gain just 6 rushing yards to reach 600 for the season. Fellow running back DeAngelo Williams already has 717 yards and quarterback Cam Newton has 609 yards. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last two teams to have three 600-yard rushers in a season were the 2006 Falcons (Michael Vick, Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood) and the 1978 Patriots (Sam Cunningham, Horace Ivory and Andy Johnson).

Losing at historic rate: Some unflattering notes on Tampa Bay’s eight-game losing streak: It’s the longest active streak in the NFL and the first time the Bucs have lost eight straight in a season since 1987. If the Bucs lose to the Panthers and make it nine straight, it will set off some more statistical bells. The Bucs haven’t lost nine straight in a season since starting 0-9 in 1985.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- There was a very interesting moment in a media room at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday after the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Carolina Panthers.

As the media waited for coach Mike Smith, the door swung open and former Atlanta coach Jim Mora stuck his head in very briefly.

“Oops, wrong room,’’ said Mora, who has been working as a television analyst in recent years.

Mora was hired as the head coach at UCLA on Saturday, but fulfilled his Sunday obligation as a broadcaster.

A few minutes after Mora ducked out of the media room, he came back in. Smith still hadn’t arrived, but Falcons owner Arthur Blank was in the room.

Blank quickly strode over in Mora’s direction and the two hugged and exchanged words. I couldn’t hear the conversation, but it was pretty obvious it was warm and I feel safe in guessing Blank was congratulating Mora on his new job.

Blank has shown he’s capable of having good relationships with people who left his organization under bad terms. He has done it with Michael Vick and now with Mora.

However, I’d have a tough time imagining Blank hugging Bobby Petrino.