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It appears as if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell might not be done punishing New Orleans.

Goodell said at Tuesday’s league meeting in Atlanta that New Orleans, along with Honolulu, is a candidate to host this season’s Pro Bowl. New Orleans already is the site for this season’s Super Bowl.

In the distant past, I would have said getting the Pro Bowl would be a wonderful thing for New Orleans. But, have you watched the Pro Bowl in recent years, particularly this past season?

If you did, you saw a game in which offensive and defensive linemen barely touched each other and a stadium filled with fans in Hawaii booed an obvious lack of effort. The Pro Bowl has outlived its usefulness and the NFL knows it.

The game used to be played the week after the Super Bowl. In an attempt to make it more relevant, the NFL moved it to the week before the Super Bowl. That didn’t help and it might have made things even worse because Super Bowl participants can’t play in the Pro Bowl.

There even has been some talk about simply doing away with the Pro Bowl. The league still is having discussions about what to do with the Pro Bowl and nothing has been resolved.

“If we can’t improve it and can’t make it more competitive, then we shouldn’t play,” Goodell said.

I vote for scrapping the Pro Bowl. I don’t see how the league can improve it or make it more competitive. Players don’t want to risk injury after their season is over. The product is unwatchable.

But Goodell said, if a Pro Bowl is held this season, it will be held either in New Orleans or Honolulu.

Is that really necessary? I say no. I say Pro Bowl teams still should be elected. Hold some sort of ceremony in New Orleans the week of the Super Bowl to honor the Pro Bowlers. But there’s no sense playing a game players and fans don’t care about.

Surprisingly, Friday’s NFC South stayed pretty much an NFC South chat and didn’t become a Super Bowl chat. That’s a tribute to the die-hard fans in the NFC South and I’m grateful for that.

Let’s take a look at the chat highlights:

Chris (Atlanta): Let’s incorporate the NFC South and Super Bowl in the same question. Since Thomas Dimtroff has been in Atlanta, he seems to be trying to create New England South here in Atlanta. What are the odds that Atlanta gets rid of high priced Michael Turner and becomes a heavy passing team like the New England Patriots?

Pat Yasinskas: Dimitroff is also the guy that brought Turner in in the first place. Smith and Dimitroff believe in having a solid running game. Turner could leave at some point, but they'd bring in someone else. I don't see them just giving up on running game.

Pabo (korea): Hey pat, any chance the bucs take a look at peyton manning, since the franchise hasn't been able to sellout any games. I think peyton will sellout games and get the bucs to the playoffs, they can trade freeman and try to get a quarterback in either this years or next years draft to sit back and learn from the greatest.

Pat Yasinskas: You serious??? That doesn't fit their plan at all. They're building with youth. You bring in Peyton and he plays for a year or two and that's it. Meantime, you'd be showing Freeman the door. He's a guy who could be your QB for the next 10 or 12 years.

Gary (Chicago): The Pro Bowl has to be one of the worst games to watch, ever. With this being said, what are your thoughts on changing the format to a NFL "Futures" game (ie. Senior Bowl) and recognize the all stars during halftime? Viewership would be huge with the draft junkies....

Pat Yasinskas: I'd be all for it. Might have to cut through some red tape with the NCAA, but it sounds like a great idea to me. Pro Bowl always has been a non-event and it got far worse this year.

CP (Brooklyn, NY): Falcons have to bring back Abe don't they? I mean there is no other pass rush on the roster and from the looks of Free Agency, there's nothing out there either, especially without a first rounder...Thoughts Pat?

Pat Yasinskas: Yeah, unless somebody else gets cut somewhere else, I don't think there's much choice. Abe is aging, but he's still their best pass rusher.

Steve A (Ventura CA): Pat! Love your blog, I check it daily. Whats your take on the big name free agents the Saints have next year? What do you anticipate the Saints doing with Will Smith, Robert Meachem, Tracy Porter, and the 2 big guys up front Franklin and Rogers? I think they should all be cut because none of them stepped up and really did anything this year. I agree that Colston, Nicks are must stays, and even Vilma should be given another shot, but everyone else should be left walking. Thoughts?

Pat Yasinskas: Obviously, Brees stays and I think they'll find a way to keep Colston and Nicks. Might be tough to keep Porter and Meachem. They might bring Franklin back for one more year. Will Smith has huge cap figure and they could clear up a ton of room by cutting him. But they don't have another pass rusher. So the answer there might be to restructure Smith. Vilma's a tough call. I know he's almost an icon. But he's making big money and his play slipped last season. The knee obviously was part of the reason for that. But, at his age, you have to worry that the knee could be a chronic thing.

ronde barber (one buccaneer place ( andy )): am i going to come back? retire? go to the redskins and play for raheem?

Pat Yasinskas: You tell us. A lot of it is up to you and if you want to continue playing or not.

Mike (Winston Salem): I sent you a letter about Jerry Richardson this morning. He called my cell phone yesterday after I wrote him a letter. I hope you got to read my letter. It was such a cool experience. The Panthers are so lucky to have him as our owner.

Pat Yasinskas: Will check out your letter. Mr. Richardson is one of the classiest people in the NFL. Heck, he's one of the classiest people I know, period.

Here’s the entire transcript of Friday’s NFC South chat.

Let's take a look at the day's top headlines from around the division.

• New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees says he expects to have a new contract before free agency opens in mid-March. That would be a good idea. If Brees were to somehow hit the free-agent market there would be major unrest throughout the entire population of Louisiana.

• The Saints have hired Ken Flajole as secondary coach, James Varney reports. Flajole was defensive coordinator in St. Louis under former Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, who now is defensive coordinator for the Saints. Flajole also has some background in the NFC South. He spent some time as the linebackers coach in Carolina.

• Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez said 2012 probably will be his last season. I wouldn’t make too much of that. Gonzalez has hinted at retirement in past years, but keeps coming back.

• Carolina quarterback Cam Newton said he “failed’’ at the Pro Bowl as he played the entire second half and threw three interceptions. I think it’s nice that Newton’s critical of himself. But I don’t think anybody should be critiquing or celebrating the Pro Bowl performance. If you watched this year’s game all the way through, which wasn’t easy, it made you wonder why they even have an all-star game in football. Go ahead and name an all-star team, but, if the game is going to be played at half speed, why bother?

• Mark Cook takes a look at some possibilities to fill the job as Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator. The early assumption was Butch Davis would fill that role because he has history with coach Greg Schiano. But there’s been no announcement of Davis’ hiring, which makes you wonder if it’s not going to happen. The name I like on Cook’s list is Green Bay defensive line coach Mike Trgovac. I covered Trgovac in Carolina, where he had a pretty successful run as a defensive coordinator. As a matter of fact, I believe Trgovac might have been a head coach by now if Carolina owner Jerry Richardson hadn’t seen the lockout coming and wasn’t offering any security to former coach John Fox and his assistants. Fox told assistants with families they should take other jobs if they could get them. That’s when Trgovac left for Green Bay. Although Trgovac certainly has a better résumé than a bunch of current coordinators, his family is content in Green Bay, so he might stay content in his current role.

By the end of the day Saturday, Rickey Jackson could have some company.

At the moment, Jackson is the only player to have spent most of his career with the New Orleans Saints that is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That could change very soon because offensive tackle Willie Roaf will be a finalist when the voters gather Saturday.

Roaf also was a finalist last year and reportedly came very close to selection. But Roaf’s chances in this class might be even better than they were last year. There is no slam-dunk first-time candidate and that could open the door for Roaf.

His resume already does a pretty good job of that. Roaf played for the Saints from 1993 through 2001 and finished his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, from 2002 through ’05. During those 13 seasons, Roaf was an All-Pro seven times and a Pro Bowl choice 11 times. He also was a member of the All-Decade Team for the 1990s.

The biggest obstacle I see for Roaf’s selection this year is that Dermontti Dawson and Will Shields also are on the ballot. That makes three strong offensive-line candidates from the modern era, but I’d take Roaf ahead of the other two.

It’s hard to quantify offensive linemen because you can’t trace their statistics as easily as you can those of skill-position players. You look at things like longevity, All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections and how their teams fared.

If you go by that, I think it backs up my belief that Roaf is the best candidate. First off, he was a tackle. That’s a more difficult position than center, which Dawson played, and guard, which Shields played.

Dawson and Roaf each played 13 seasons and Shields played 14, so the longevity issue is basically a draw.

Roaf’s seven All-Pro selections might be the strongest argument for his candidacy. Making All-Pro is a much bigger deal than making a Pro Bowl squad because it means you’re among the best in the league, not just in your conference. Dawson was All-Pro six times. Shields got the honor three times.

Roaf also made 11 Pro Bowls, while Shields went to 12 and Dawson six.

Some people may look at the fact that Dawson played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and give him a big edge over Roaf and Shields. The Saints and Chiefs were far from dominant teams when Roaf played for them. He was part of a division champion only twice. Shields, who spent his entire career in Kansas City, is in the same boat. Shields played for four division champions. But the Chiefs never won a Super Bowl or an AFC title while he was there.

But the fact Dawson played for Pittsburgh shouldn’t give him as much of an edge over Roaf and Shields as some people might think. Although the Steelers have been good for most of their history, they weren’t particularly dominant during Dawson’s time. They did win five division championships and one conference title. But Dawson never was on a Super Bowl champion.

So the fact Roaf didn’t play on great teams shouldn’t hurt him. The fact he was one of the best tackles ever should land him in the Hall of Fame.

As the host city for next year’s Super Bowl, New Orleans reportedly is a candidate to host the Pro Bowl in 2013.

This situation remains very much up in the air, but there’s some pretty solid logic — and precedent — to putting the all-star game with the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

It’s been done before. Although the Pro Bowl was held in Honolulu on Sunday and also was there last year, it was held in Miami, the same city that hosted the Super Bowl prior to that. That also was the first time the NFL moved the game to the week before the Super Bowl, a trend that has continued and is expected to remain in place.

Hawaii’s two-year contract for the Pro Bowl is up. A return to Hawaii in 2013 remains a possibility and the game likely will be played in Honolulu in 2014 when New York/New Jersey hosts the Super Bowl. There’s been talk that the plan going forward will be to play the Pro Bowl in Hawaii when the Super Bowl is being held in a cold-weather venue and in the host city when it’s a warm climate.

New Orleans’ climate in January and February might not be as consistently warm as Miami’s, Tampa Bay’s, San Diego’s or in the Phoenix area. But it’s generally significantly warmer than it is in New York or Indianapolis.

A lot of players believe the Pro Bowl should be in Hawaii every year. There is a part of me that agrees with that, especially if all NFL writers get to make the trip. Hawaii has the Pro Bowl tradition and the state and the city of Honolulu really roll out the red carpet for the event.

There also is some talk about putting next year’s Pro Bowl in Los Angeles or Orlando. I’d vote against either venue. Neither is home to an NFL team or has an NFL-quality stadium. If players want to take their families to Disney World or Disney Land, they can do that some other time during the offseason.

The NFL apparently is talking to Hawaii about a return trip. If a deal can be worked out there, great. If not, I say bring the Pro Bowl to New Orleans.

That would at least put the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl in the same city, which makes plenty of logistical sense. I’d also make the argument that New Orleans is equipped to handle both.

New Orleans may not be a huge market, but the city has a long history of successfully being home to big events. The city is set up perfectly for a Super Bowl, with the Mercedes-Benz Superdome only a short walk or ride from most of the downtown hotels. In fact, of all the Super Bowls I’ve been to, I’d say New Orleans has the best logistics of any site.

If next year’s Pro Bowl isn’t in Hawaii, put it in New Orleans. It’s a logical fit.

Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez might be the oldest tight end in the NFC South, but he also got way more playing time than anyone else at the position in 2011.

Gonzalez, who will turn 36 in February, played more snaps than all of the younger tight ends in a division that suddenly has become known for its tight ends.

Gonzalez was on the field for 952 of Atlanta’s 1,157 offensive snaps. That’s 84.5 percent and it was good enough to rank Gonzalez No. 10 among all NFL tight ends. Dallas’ Jason Witten took part in a league-high 99.2 percent of his team’s offensive snaps, but New England’s Rob Gronkowski led in total plays on the field (1,092) because the Patriots had more offensive plays than the Cowboys.

Gonzalez finished the season with 80 catches for 875 yards and seven touchdowns. Shortly before the season ended, Gonzalez assured he will play at least one more season by agreeing to a one-year contract extension worth about $7 million.

In Sunday’s Pro Bowl, Gonzalez made a game-high seven catches for 114 yards. His receiving yards were the most for any tight end in the game.

Carolina’s Greg Olsen was the division’s second-most-used tight end during the regular season. Olsen was on the field for 866 of the Panthers’ 1,046 offensive snaps (82.8 percent and No. 12 in the NFL).

Tampa Bay’s Kellen Winslow participated in 822 of the Buccaneers’ 1,021 offensive snaps. That’s 80.5 percent and ranked No. 14 in the NFL.

Of the NFC South’s four regular starting tight ends, New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham took part in the fewest number of plays. Graham led all division tight ends with 99 catches for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns and was selected as the NFC’s starter in the Pro Bowl.

But the Saints use such a variety of offensive personnel that Graham’s time on the field was relatively limited. He took part in 798 of 1,152 offensive plays (69.3 percent and No. 24 in the NFL).

The Panthers used a combination of Olsen and Jeremy Shockey, who ended up taking part in 51.1 percent of Carolina’s plays.

Here’s a list of other NFC South backup tight ends and the percentage of playing time they got in 2011:

• Luke Stocker, Buccaneers, 34.1.
• John Gilmore, Saints, 28.6.
• Michael Palmer, Falcons, 23.6.
• Reggie Kelly, Falcons, 19.7.
• David Thomas, Saints, 12.6.
• Richie Brockel, Panthers, 11.8.
• Ben Hartsock, Panthers, 7.1.
• Zack Pianalto, Buccaneers, 6.3.
• Mike Higgins, Saints, 2.3.
• Collin Franklin, Buccaneers, 1.6.

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

In the aftermath of Tampa Bay’s disastrous 4-12 season, there’s been some media talk that work ethic was a problem for quarterback Josh Freeman, running back LeGarrette Blount and receiver Mike Williams. Charlie Campbell talked with former members of Tampa Bay’s coaching staff. They unequivocally denied there were any issues with Freeman’s work ethic. That’s something anyone who spent any time around the Bucs could have told you. But they didn’t dispute there were problems with Blount and Williams. Those same former coaches complained about an overall lack of talent on the roster in 2011. Funny, but those were the same coaches that were pounding their chests and talking about how they got the Bucs to overachieve when they went 10-6 with a similar roster in 2010.

D. Orlando Ledbetter runs through Atlanta’s list of potential free agents. We all know it includes defensive end John Abraham, linebacker Curtis Lofton and cornerback Brent Grimes. But he also points out wide receiver Harry Douglas, who might be tricky to keep. With Roddy White and Julio Jones clearly the top two receivers in Atlanta, Douglas could end up leaving. He’s stuck as the third receiver in Atlanta, but could have a chance to start elsewhere.

For the first time since coming into the league in 1995, the Carolina Panthers are refining their logo. The colors are staying the same, but there are some minor changes.

Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton was intercepted three times in Sunday night’s Pro Bowl.

You rarely see the drop kick used in the NFL. But the Pro Bowl isn’t a very serious game, so it’s open to experimentation. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees attempted a drop kick Sunday and didn’t come close to making it.

Ira Kaufman has a to-do-list for new Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano. It starts with assembling a coaching staff. That’s a good starting point. Schiano has to act quickly here. Most NFL teams have filled their staffs, and there might not be a lot of experienced NFL coaches out there. Schiano has said he probably will bring some assistants from Rutgers. But he also needs to look long and hard and get some quality NFL assistants.

Time for a Sunday look at the headlines from around the NFC South.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting some of the same treatment they used to give others when Bruce Allen was their general manager. The Arizona Cardinals refused to give the Bucs permission to talk to wide receivers coach John McNulty, who remains under contract. Presumably, the Bucs were interested in McNulty as the offensive coordinator for new coach Greg Schiano. The two worked together at Rutgers.

D. Orlando Ledbetter reports Miami assistant Joe Danna is the leading candidate to become Atlanta’s defensive backs coach. Alvin Reynolds was fired from that spot last week.

Although he’s having fun in Hawaii, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton said he doesn’t want to be at the Pro Bowl every year. He wants to be playing in Super Bowls.

Speaking of the Pro Bowl, it will air at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday. In addition to Newton, the other NFC South representatives are all offensive players -- New Orleans’ Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Carl Nicks, Jahri Evans and Jermon Bushrod, Carolina’s Steve Smith and Ryan Kalil, Atlanta’s Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez and Tampa Bay’s Davin Joseph. By the way, you might want to keep an eye on White’s verified Twitter account during the game. For the first time ever, the NFL will allow players to tweet during a game. If you’ve followed White on Twitter, you know he’s more than a Pro Bowler in that area. He’s a first-team All-Pro.

Keep an eye on our main NFL page for Pro Bowl coverage. If an NFC South player does anything out of the ordinary or there are injuries, I’ll weigh in on the blog.

Time for a look at some Friday headlines from around the NFC South.

D. Orlando Ledbetter writes that there has been a lot of focus on the tight ends during Super Bowl practices. That may have a lot to do with the success of tight ends like San Francisco’s Vernon Davis and New England’s Rob Gronkowski and the play of almost all the NFC South tight ends during the regular season. It’s possible we could see some NFC South teams draft tight ends this year because the position has become more important than ever. The Saints could look for depth behind Jimmy Graham. Same for the Panthers, who could one someone to team with Greg Olsen if Jeremy Shockey isn’t re-signed. Although Tony Gonzalez hasn’t showed many signs that he’s slowing down, the Falcons may want to find an heir apparent. Tampa Bay’s Kellen Winslow has a history of knee problems and the Buccaneers could look for insurance.

Although he’s about to play in his first Pro Bowl, Graham said the wounds from the playoff loss to San Francisco remain very fresh.

Rick Stroud throws out a couple of names as possible assistants for new Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano. The Bucs have reportedly requested permission to interview Arizona receivers coach John McNulty, who spent some time as offensive coordinator and receivers coach at Rutgers under Schiano. McNulty also had a stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars and is the most famous person ever to come out of Abington Heights High School in Clarks Summit, Pa. Former NFL and college head coach Butch Davis also is mentioned as a possible candidate to be an assistant.

There’s a report that Brad Childress could be headed to Cleveland as the offensive coordinator. Childress interviewed for the head coaching job in Tampa Bay. There were also some rumblings that Childress could have ended up as the Bucs’ offensive coordinator if Mike Sherman got the job. Although it sounds like Childress probably will join the Browns, I still wouldn’t rule out completely the possibility of the Bucs making a late run at Childress as their coordinator. Schiano probably wants someone with NFL experience as offensive coordinator because his own background is on defense.

Although he has no problem with the hiring of Schiano, who once worked as defensive coordinator at the University of Miami, Winslow said he would have preferred Carolina’s Rob Chudzinski, who was a finalist for the job. That’s because Chudzinski was Winslow’s tight ends coach at the University of Miami. Chudzinski will apparently remain as Carolina’s offensive coordinator. But, if the Carolina offense has another big season, Chudzinski’s going to be a hot candidate for a job as a head coach next year.

Eli Manning is going to the Super Bowl, but Cam Newton is going to the Pro Bowl.

With the New York Giants going to Indianapolis, Manning won’t be able to make the trip to Hawaii. Manning originally had been selected to join New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers as the NFC quarterbacks.

Without Manning, Newton was the next man up. He was the NFC’s first alternate at quarterback. Newton had a spectacular rookie season as he set a new first-year record for passing yards.

He’ll join receiver Steve Smith and center Ryan Kalil, who were voted in previously, as Carolina’s representatives at the Pro Bowl.

Atlanta receiver Roddy White is going to the Pro Bowl.

Although he wasn’t initially selected to the NFC squad, White was an alternate. The NFL announced Wednesday that White will step in for Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, who will not participate due to an injury.

This will be White’s fourth straight Pro Bowl. Tight end Tony Gonzalez is the only other Atlanta player currently on the roster.

White finished the season with 100 catches for 1,296 yards and eight touchdowns.

» NFC Wrap-ups: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Arrow indicates direction team is trending.

Final Power Ranking: 29
Preseason Power Ranking: 12

Biggest surprise: In a season in which almost nothing went right, it at least looked like the Buccaneers got it right with their first-round draft pick. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn was a starter from the beginning and was solid all around. He played the run well and finished with 7.5 sacks. That sack total is more impressive than it sounds when you consider that the Bucs spent most of the season trailing and other teams didn’t have to throw a lot against them. Clayborn and second-round pick Da'Quan Bowers both showed plenty of potential and that bodes well for whoever ends up coaching this team. Clayborn also was able to put together an impressive rookie year despite the fact that defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Brian Price both were injured much of the season and there wasn’t a lot of help in the middle. If Clayborn and Bowers continue to develop and McCoy and Price can stay healthy, the Buccaneers have the ingredients for a good defensive line.

Biggest disappointment: The total collapse of this once-promising team was one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen. In October, the Bucs beat the Saints. That wasn’t a fluke. The Bucs flat-out were better than the Saints that day. They left the next morning for a game with Chicago in London and they never won again. As the losing streak grew, eventually to 10 games, the games became less competitive even against mediocre teams. Tampa Bay’s youth, a point of pride in 2010, was apparent in 2011. Former coach Raheem Morris was never known as a great disciplinarian or organizer, and the Bucs weren’t even operating like a legitimate NFL team by the end of the season. Quarterback Josh Freeman, running back LeGarrette Blount and receiver Mike Williams all had great years in 2010, but each of them regressed in 2011.

Biggest need: There are many needs for a team that finished 4-12. But if I had to go with just one, I’d say the Bucs need to solidify their backfield situation. Although he’s a good power runner, Blount never could convince the coaching staff that he could catch passes out of the backfield or provide protection for Freeman in the passing game. That made it obvious to defenses that the Bucs were running if Blount was in the game or passing when he wasn’t. Blount also had problems with fumbles, so it’s possible the Bucs could be looking for an all-around feature back to replace him. Even if the new coach wants to keep Blount as the primary runner, the Bucs will have to go out and get a third-down back more dynamic than Earnest Graham or Kregg Lumpkin. It also would help Freeman a lot if the Bucs add a speed receiver because the current crop of receivers struggled to get separation.

Team MVP: There’s not a lot to choose from here, so we’ll go with guard Davin Joseph. Cornerback Ronde Barber and left tackle Donald Penn also got consideration. But I’m going with Joseph because, even in a year when the rest of the league was laughing at the Bucs and fans weren’t voting for them to go to the Pro Bowl, coaches and players from other teams had enough respect for Joseph to put him on the NFC all-star squad. The guy is a pro and one of the few veteran leaders in the locker room.

What about Freeman? In 2010, his first full season as a starter, Freeman looked like the first true franchise quarterback in team history. He kept mistakes to a minimum and seemed to have a knack for pulling off fourth-quarter comebacks. All of that suddenly disappeared this season and Freeman didn’t look like the same quarterback. There’s no doubt he deserves some of the blame. But I think the bigger factor in his regression was his supporting cast. Blount’s deficiencies made the offense predictable, Williams showed he’s not a No. 1 wide receiver and tight end Kellen Winslow had a disappointing year. It also didn’t help that the defense was giving up a ton of points and Freeman almost always was playing from behind. I still believe Freeman is a big-time talent. But it’s going to be up to the new coach and his staff to get Freeman’s career back on a positive track.

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

New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins (neck) and receiver Lance Moore (hamstring) didn’t practice Wednesday. Although coach Sean Payton said his starters will play Sunday, look for him to be very cautious about using Jenkins and Moore.

Atlanta running back Michael Turner hasn’t put up big numbers lately. That’s led to speculation that he’s being slowed by a groin injury that’s caused him to miss some practice time. But Turner said Wednesday the injury has not been a factor. He said a decline in his numbers simply is because of the way recent games have unfolded.

Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton said he’s not upset he wasn’t selected to the Pro Bowl roster. Newton still has a shot to play in the game. He’s the first alternate behind Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Eli Manning.

Carolina linebacker Dan Connor can become an unrestricted free agent after the season and said he plans to test the market. With Jon Beason expected back from injury, Connor could have to return to a backup role if he stays with Carolina.

Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber implied he might retire if coach Raheem Morris is fired. There’s no doubt Barber carries some clout. But I don’t know if the wishes of Barber and some other players will be enough to save Morris’ job.

Of the nine NFC South players selected to the Pro Bowl, only one will earn a bonus for the honor.

That’s New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod. According to contract numbers obtained by ESPN.com, Bushrod will receive a $150,000 bonus for his selection.

When the Saints signed Bushrod to a two-year contract in July, they didn’t pay him like an elite left tackle at the front end of the deal, but they were creative and gave him opportunities to get paid more like an elite left tackle.

The Pro Bowl bonus is one of those opportunities and Bushrod also can earn the same bonus if he makes the Pro Bowl next season.

When Bushrod signed his contract he got a $3.5 million signing bonus. But his base salary for this season is $1 million, which is very low for a starting left tackle. But the Pro Bowl bonus is just the tip of a potential financial bonanza for Bushrod.

The Saints clearly gave him a contract that said they wanted to see him play at a high level before giving him big money. It looks like that’s coming. As long as Bushrod remains on the roster in March, he’ll collect a $1.65 million roster bonus. His base salary will jump to $3.25 million and he can also make $100,000 by taking part in an unspecified number of offseason workouts.

Tampa Bay tight end Kellen Winslow is making $8.259 million in base salary this season, but he’s going to miss out on a $4.45 million bonus.

According to contract numbers obtained by ESPN.com, Winslow’s contract contained a huge incentive clause that will not be met. The contract was signed after Winslow was traded to the Bucs in 2009 and it stipulated that Winslow would be paid the hefty bonus at the end of this season if certain criteria were met.

Winslow needed to record 80 receptions in each season from 2009 through 2011 and be selected to the Pro Bowl each year. Winslow has done neither. He had 77 receptions in 2009 and 66 in 2010. He has 58 through 13 games this season. Winslow was not selected to the Pro Bowl in 2009 or 2010 and isn’t likely to get there this season.

Winslow has made some extra money off another incentive clause for making an unspecified number of receptions (obviously fewer than 80 and probably in the range of 60 to 70) in 2009 and 2010. Winslow collected a $450,000 bonus in 2009 and a $300,000 bonus in 2010. He also has a clause for another $300,000 bonus if he has an unspecified number of receptions this season.