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Time for a stroll through the NFC South headlines.

The New Orleans Saints reportedly placed tight end David Thomas on injured reserve and promoted tight end Michael Higgins. They also added tight end Daniel Hardy, a seventh-round draft pick by Tampa Bay this year, to the practice squad. Thomas was a jack of all trades last season. But he wasn’t really a factor this year as he had problems with concussions. The Saints have used John Gilmore in his place at times and let fullback Jed Collins take on some of Thomas’ blocking duties.

Atlanta receiver Julio Jones said he’s not sure if he’ll play Sunday. Jones has missed time with a hamstring injury. It appears he’s close to being able to return, but how much he practices the rest of this week will provide a big clue on Jones’ status.

Carolina rookie Kealoha Pilares has won the NFC special Teams Player of the Week award after returning a kickoff for a touchdown against Detroit. Pilares is the first NFC South player to earn the weekly special teams award this season.

Stephen Holder reports that the Buccaneers fear defensive end Michael Bennett may miss some time with an injury. We’ll learn more on Bennett’s situation later Wednesday when coach Raheem Morris meets with the media. If Bennett is going to miss some games, we could see a lot more of rookie Da’Quan Bowers.

Here in the NFC South, where a lot of fans sometimes feel like their teams don’t get enough respect or attention, things might be changing a bit.

Respect and attention often come with winning and that’s happening for the 10-2 Atlanta Falcons. The latest example came a little bit ago when the NFL announced that Eric Weems has been selected as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Weems set a franchise-record when he returned a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown in a 28-24 victory against Tampa Bay. You can read my column on Weems (and Atlanta cornerback Brent Grimes) from Sunday by clicking here.

But let’s just say it’s good to see Weems getting this kind of attention. He’s second in the NFL with a 28.1-yard average on kickoff returns. He also comes with a great back story. He came out of Bethune-Cookman University as an undrafted free agent and has carved a nice niche as a return man and receiver in four NFL seasons.

It already has been a busy day for awards in the NFC South with Atlanta's Matt Bryant winning the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award and New Orleans' Malcolm Jenkins winning the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.

Now, it gets even bigger. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November. In that time frame, Ryan led the Falcons to a 4-0 record. Atlanta also has a streak going in which it has set a new franchise record by going four consecutive games without a turnover.

In November, Ryan completed 106 of 153 passes (69.3 percent) for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns with a 102.3 passer rating. Ryan also led the Falcons on game-winning drives in the final minute of play in games against Baltimore and Green Bay.

Matt Bryant made a big kick for the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. He also made history Wednesday.

Bryant was named the NFC's special teams player of the week. Bryant also won the award in Week 4 of this season. That's where the history part comes in. Bryant also won the award twice with the New York Giants in 2002 and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (once in 2006 and once in 2008.

That puts Bryant in elite company. He joins Chris Doleman, Brad Johnson and Warren Moon as the only players in history to win player of the week awards with three different teams.

Bryant made a 47-yard field goal with nine seconds left Sunday to give the Falcons a 20-17 victory against Green Bay.

Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant has been selected as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, the NFL just announced.

Bryant made a 43-yard field goal with seven seconds left to give the Falcons a 16-14 win over San Francisco on Sunday. Bryant also hit a game-winning field goal against New Orleans the previous week.

Bryant, who also spent time in Tampa Bay, has won the award five times in his career, but this is the first time with Atlanta. On the season, Bryant has made 90.9 percent of his field-goal attempts.

New Orleans kicker Garrett Hartley has been named the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week, the NFL said Wednesday.

Hartley made all three of his field goal attempts on a windy night in San Francisco. The highlight game with his game-winning field goal as time expired.

This is the first Player of the Week award in Hartley’s career. He becomes the fourth New Orleans kicker in history to win the award. John Carney won it four times and Morten Andersen and Doug Brien each won it twice.

Time for a quick trip through some of the day’s headlines around the NFC South.

Tampa Bay’s Cadillac Williams finished second to New England’s Tom Brady for the Comeback Player of the Year award. In any other year, Williams might have had a chance to win, but this was Brady’s award from the day he stepped onto the field in training camp.

John Clayton has his final regular-season grades out and I think, as always, he’s right on. I might make a case that he’s being a little too tough on the Bucs and a little too nice to the Falcons, but he’s not far off.

Trent Dilfer ranks the playoff quarterbacks and he’s got Drew Brees behind Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. New Orleans fans want to weigh in?

New Orleans running back Pierre Thomas discusses his rib injury.

New Orleans rookie punter Thomas Morstead has been named the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week.

TAMPA, Fla. -- I’m out at One Buccaneer Place, where the Bucs have just announced Micheal Spurlock has been named the NFC’s special teams player of the week.

Spurlock, who was brought in after injuries to Clifton Smith and Sammie Stroughter, had a touchdown return in an upset against New Orleans on Sunday.

I’ll have more from the Bucs later on. Also, anxious to get on this afternoon’s conference call with Atlanta wide receiver Roddy White to hear what he has to say about the Falcons getting totally snubbed from the Pro Bowl.

New Orleans rookie punter Thomas Morstead has been named the NFC’s special teams player of the week.

Morstead had for punts for a 48.8-yard gross average and a 46.0 net in a victory against Tampa Bay. Morstead had one punt downed at the Tampa Bay 1-yard line and another at the 5. He also handled kickoff duties and had three touchbacks.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Several small notes on the Buccaneers on Wednesday morning.

First off, return man Clifton Smith has been named the NFC’s special teams player of the week. Smith had an 83-yard touchdown to spark Tampa Bay’s comeback against Green Bay. He finished with a 53.5-yard average on two kickoff returns and a 13.5-yard average on four punt returns. Smith also made three tackles on special teams.

In other news, the Bucs placed safety Will Allen and linebacker Rod Wilson on injured reserve. To fill their roster spots, the Bucs signed linebacker Matt McCoy and promoted cornerback Derrick Roberson from the practice squad. The Bucs also signed safety Emanuel Cook to the practice squad.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Atlanta rookie Harry Douglas has been named the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week. Douglas, who took over the return job at midseason, took a punt back 61 yards for a touchdown in Sunday's victory against Carolina.

Douglas also scored on a running play and set up a touchdown with a 69-yard catch. Douglas is just the latest member of Atlanta's rookie class to make a big impact.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Smith

Just a few weeks ago, Clifton Smith was on Tampa Bay's practice squad.

Today, he's the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week. Smith earned the honor by returning a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in a victory against Kansas City. He finished that game with 259 total return yards.

The undrafted rookie running back probably won't be going back to the practice squad any time soon. Smith has taken over the return job from second-round pick Dexter Jackson (will we ever see him again?) and has been getting some playing time at running back because of injuries.