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Soon after news of the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program broke, the NFL asked all 32 teams to sign a pledge that they would never run a bounty program. Part of the agreement also urged teams to promote player health and safety and do it beyond their own buildings.

The Atlanta Falcons appear to be the first team to be stepping forward publicly on this initiative. The Falcons announced they will team up with the NFL to hold a health and safety forum April 19 at 6 p.m. at Wynbrooke Theme School in Stone Mountain, Ga.

Team president and CEO Rich McKay, fullback Ovie Mughelli, kicker Matt Bryant, wide receiver Kevin Cone, offensive lineman Andrew Jackson and former Atlanta linebacker Coy Wire will represent the Falcons. They’ll be joined by NFL medical personnel, several neurosurgeons and a representative from the Centers for Disease Control.

The panel will address safety matters facing youth athletes with more than 100 local parents, 60 youth football commissioners and coaches from around Georgia.

Here’s a link where you can learn more about the NFL’s efforts to promote health and safety at all playing levels.

Time for a look at Wednesday morning’s top headlines from around the NFC South.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have about $60 million in 2012 salary-cap space, in part because they’re carrying over unused cap room from 2011. General manager Mark Dominik pledged the team will be more active in free agency than last year when punter Michael Koenen was pretty much the only player brought in from outside. But I don’t think fans should be expecting a complete frenzy in free agency. Yes, the Bucs are going to be active, but that doesn’t mean a complete overhaul. They’ve started a process of building with young players and they’re not going to completely abandon it. They’re going to look to supplement those young players.

Speaking of free agents, the Saints already have brought in one for a visit. That’s linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who isn’t subject to the March 13 start of free agency because he sat out last season. Tatupu was a star in Seattle before injuries caught up to him. He plays middle linebacker like Jonathan Vilma, who is coming off a season that was interrupted by a knee injury. Vilma is carrying a high cap figure and the Saints could be exploring possible replacements or they could just be looking at Tatupu to add depth. But there’s no indication the Saints offered Tatupu a contract. They may have been gauging his health as they prepare to move forward in free agency.

Atlanta’s Thomas Dimitroff was named to the NFL’s general managers advisory committee. The Falcons have plenty of clout on high-ranking league committees. Team president Rich McKay is the chairman of the competition committee. The NFC South is particularly powerful on the general managers advisory committee, with Carolina’s Marty Hurney and New Orleans’ Mickey Loomis also as members.

Before I hit the road for Atlanta, let’s take a look through the NFC South mailbag.

Josh in Houston asks if Adrian Arrington will get increased playing time for the Saints with Marques Colston out for a few weeks with a broken collarbone.

Pat Yasinskas: I think that’s a safe assumption. Even if Lance Moore, who is questionable for Sunday, is able to play, you might see a fair amount of Arrington. Moore, Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson each fit the profile of speed receivers. Arrington is a bigger receiver, like Colston, and could be used over the middle. The Saints have kept Arrington around and didn’t go shopping for a receiver after Colston’s injury, so they must think he can help them.

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Bryan in Athens, Ga., asks how long Matt Ryan will remain the Falcons “guy’’ if he doesn’t win a playoff game in the next two years.

Pat Yasinskas: The Falcons like Ryan tremendously and I don’t see him going anywhere anytime soon. Yes, he has lost two playoff games, but they weren’t entirely his fault. I know the Falcons had a tough time in their opener, but I think they’ll bounce back. They went out and got receiver Julio Jones and defensive end Ray Edwards to upgrade some weak areas. Give them a little time and we’ll see if they make a difference.

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George in San Francisco says we should slow down on the Cam Newton hype because all he’s done so far is have one nice game.

Pat Yasinskas: Agree that a career isn’t made by one game and Newton has to prove it over the long haul. But let’s give Carolina fans a little something to get excited about. They’ve had a rough couple years and Newton’s debut was pretty impressive.

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Matt in Camden, N.J., said he likes the fact the Bucs are building through the draft. But he wonders if they’ve taken it a little too far and need to mix in a little bit of help from free agents.

Pat Yasinskas: I hear you. I also believe in the building-through-the-draft philosophy. I watched it work when I covered the Bucs in the Tony Dungy and Rich McKay days and the Panthers through most of the time John Fox and Marty Hurney were together. Going wild in free agency doesn’t always work -- just ask the Redskins. But I think the Bucs were a little extreme in sticking with their philosophy this year. They really didn’t change much from last year’s team, other than the players they picked up in the draft. Yes, last season’s 10-6 record was encouraging, but I think there was room to upgrade the overall talent level of the roster. I’m not talking about anything huge, but a couple of free agents who still are relatively young might have been a good way to help the youth movement along.

The Atlanta Falcons just gave Rich McKay another job. He’ll remain as team president, but he also has added the duty of chief executive officer.

“Since joining the Falcons in 2003, there is no doubt that Rich has been a valuable leader of our club,” Falcons owner and chairman Arthur M. Blank said. “Beyond his day-to-day duties as president of the Falcons, Rich has led a good number of key initiatives for us. In addition, he is increasingly enlisted by the league as someone who can be counted on to lend his experience, expertise and dedication to solve problems or generate new ideas. This promotion is in recognition of Rich’s many contributions to the Falcons and the NFL, as well as recognition of his professional accomplishments along the way.”

McKay came to the Falcons as general manager in 2003 after serving in the same capacity with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McKay became team president after the 2007 season, when the Falcons restructured their operations and brought in general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith prior to the 2008 season.

Although Dimitroff runs football operations, McKay has remained very involved in contract negotiations and salary-cap management. McKay’s main duty is handling the day-to-day business operations of the Falcons, but he also is in charge of the team’s effort to get a new stadium.

McKay also is the Falcons’ chief connection to the league office. He is the chairman of the league’s competition committee and also played a key role in the recent labor negotiations.

“Of all of the club executives, Rich had the most sustained and substantial involvement,” said Jeff Pash, the NFL’s general counsel, in a recent report published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We had a lot of club people who were involved in many phases of our planning, but Rich had the most direct ongoing involvement in the negotiations.”

Before I begin getting ready to make the quick trek to Raymond James Stadium to watch Thursday night’s game between the Buccaneers and Patriots, let’s run through some items from the NFC South mailbag.

Josh in Ohio wrote to say thanks for the history lesson on the Bucs and said the team has too bright a future to be receiving undue criticism.

Pat Yasinskas: Agreed. I think the Bucs clearly are headed in the right direction. I think what some fans are failing to realize is that the team currently is using a very calculated plan that goes away from what Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen did (spend money on free agents and use them as patchwork) and getting back to something closer to the formula Tony Dungy and Rich McKay used (build through the draft and keep your core players for the long term). Although there's no real meddling in football operations, ownership is more involved in forming philosophies than fans realize. I think the Glazer family realized the Gruden/Allen formula wasn’t one that brought consistent success. I believe the Glazers might have instructed Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik when they were hired that they were to follow this kind of plan.

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Ryan in Tampa asks if the Bucs might take a shot on Terrelle Pryor since backup quarterback Josh Johnson can become a free agent after the season.

Pat Yasinskas: I’m not sure what Tampa Bay’s scouting department thinks of Pryor. I know some other scouting departments around the league have mixed opinions. Some think he can develop into a decent NFL quarterback over time. Others think he might have to move to tight end or receiver to have a chance in the NFL. I’m sure the Bucs, like every other team in the NFL, have done their homework on Pryor. If they see a fit at the right price, he might be worth a shot.

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Dan in Omaha says I’m wrong in calling Cam Newton’s first performance “solid." He says Newton is a project and Jimmy Clausen should be the regular-season starter.

Pat Yasinskas: As always, you’re free to disagree with me. But I thought Newton was solid. I didn’t see him throw any interceptions (and I saw Clausen have one returned for a touchdown) and several of his throws were either dropped or on target, but broken up by good coverage. I thought Clausen had some good moments as well. But, hey, it doesn’t really matter what you and I think. The decision will be made by Ron Rivera and his staff. From everything I’ve heard, they likely will go with Newton as their opening-day starter if he doesn’t make a bunch of major mistakes in Friday’s preseason start at Miami.

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Lloyd in Baton Rouge, La., says he’s worried about the Saints’ tackle situation and became even more worried after the release of Jon Stinchcomb.

Pat Yasinskas: It’s a legitimate worry, but sometimes you have to get younger to get better. Stinchcomb’s play dropped off last year and the Saints must feel as if Zach Strief or Charles Brown can be an improvement over him in the long haul. I know people also criticize left tackle Jermon Bushrod and say he’s nothing special. There’s some truth to that, but he must be doing something right. The Saints have done pretty well in the two seasons Bushrod has started. Plus, Sean Payton has a pretty strong offensive mind and his system is built more toward having the strength of the offensive line on the interior.

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Chugs in Memphis asks why it seems like the Saints are bringing along rookie defensive end Cameron Jordan so slowly.

Pat Yasinskas: The Saints seem to be bringing all their rookies along slowly, except for running back Mark Ingram. If you look at recent history, that’s not all that unusual for New Orleans, which is in a different situation than a team like Tampa Bay that relies on immediate help from the draft. The Saints didn’t play Malcolm Jenkins all that much as a rookie and he became a star last season. Last year’s top pick, Patrick Robinson, didn’t play a great deal as a rookie, but there’s hope he can blossom this year. That said, I still think you might start seeing more of Jordan, especially if Will Smith is suspended for the first four games of the season.

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Matthew in Atlanta asks for my early impressions on Julio Jones.

Pat Yasinskas: Nothing but positives. A lot of times, colleges and NFL teams inflate a players’ size on the roster. Jones is listed at 6-foot-3. I was introduced to him in the cafeteria at Flowery Branch and stood face to face with him. I’m almost 6-3 and definitely felt like I was looking up at Jones. Out on the practice field, he was more impressive. I saw him making plays in the deep game and in some shorter routes. I also didn’t see any of the drops he supposedly had a problem with at Alabama. In the preseason opener, he was electric, gaining first downs the first three times he touched the ball. You can’t ask for a better start than that.

To all those Tampa Bay fans screaming about how the Bucs haven’t spent any money in free agency, it might be time for a history lesson.

Let’s go back to 2003. That’s the season the Bucs were defending their only Super Bowl title. Expectations were high and the team was loaded with star power – Keyshawn Johnson, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Mike Alstott, Simeon Rice, Ronde Barber and John Lynch.

The only thing higher than the expectations was the spending. I just went back and looked at 2003 salary-cap figures on the Bucs and there’s a very clear story here. In addition to the guys mentioned above, this team had high-priced contracts with veterans like Rickey Dudley, Keenan McCardell, Ken Dilger and we can’t leave out Tom Tupa.

Records from that season show the Bucs actually spent over the salary cap. Their adjusted cap for that year was $75.443 million. They exceeded it by $1,104.58 -- a figure that would be shaved from their 2004 cap.

So what did all that spending get the Bucs? An incredibly-disappointing 7-9 record that was good for third place in the NFC South. It also marked the first time since 1998 that Tampa Bay didn’t make the playoffs. And the season was filled with all sorts of controversy.

You might remember some lowlights from that season.

• Johnson, with a cap figure more than $5 million, was deactivated for 10 games as he feuded with coach Jon Gruden.
• A rift between Gruden and general manager Rich McKay that was so bad that McKay fled to the Atlanta Falcons before the season ended.
• A 38-35 overtime loss to Indianapolis that wouldn’t have been nearly as painful if it wasn’t Tony Dungy’s first game back in Tampa. And it would have been even less painful if the Bucs hadn’t squandered a 35-14 lead with just over five minutes left in regulation.
• And don’t forget that Week 13 loss to Jacksonville. The mighty Jaguars entered that game with a 2-9 record.

So what if the current Bucs have $108.5 million (or 88 percent) committed toward this year’s cap if you count all their contracts? If you only count the top 51 figures, which is the rule in the preseason, they’re at $93 million, which is just about 76 percent of their cap.

The moral of the story is spending big money doesn’t guarantee success. The 2003 Bucs showed us you can spend to the cap -- and even a little above it -- and still lose. Ever think ownership and the front office might look back at that kind of thing and maybe that's at least part of the reason the Bucs are taking their current approach?

TAMPA, Fla. -- For all those Tampa Bay Buccanneers fans who keep wondering when the Bucs are going to start that free-agent spending frenzy, here’s a news flash. It’s probably not happening.

Although the Bucs admit they’re still looking at some free agents, don’t expect a bunch of huge signings. Maybe one or two big ones or maybe not. Or maybe several mid-level ones.

But a major influx of players is not part of the plan, general manager Mark Dominik said after Friday night’s practice.

“We’re sticking with our plan of how we want to put this thing together and be a long-term contender,’’ Dominik said. “The important thing for me, the important thing for coach [Raheem] Morris and for the ownership is to keep the continuity together.’’

The Bucs have been doing that. They re-signed guard Davin Joseph. They also have kept tackle Jeremy Trueblood and linebacker Quincy Black. Some other free agents, such as Cadillac Williams, still could return.

“There’s been some great big deals out there and Davin’s a part of that, but at the same time point, we look at our football team and make sure that we are budgeting correctly to make sure the guys that are on our football team don’t become free agents one day,’’ Dominik said.

That’s a philosophy that differs sharply from the previous regime of coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen, who often brought in veteran free agents and had little success in the draft. But Dominik’s statements should make fans think back to the 1990s, when general manager Rich McKay and coach Tony Dungy followed a philosophy of drafting players, developing a core and keeping the key players for the long term. That seems to be the plan Dominik and Morris are following.

“We all fell in love back in the 90s with that group of guys and we’d like to keep doing that,’’ Dominik said. “We see the contracts that are going around the National Football League right now, you’ve got to budget accordingly today to make sure you can take care of your team tomorrow and that’s what we’re doing.’’

Call it another sign that football could be on the horizon. Or just call it the Atlanta Falcons trying to get ready to sell some tickets.

Either way, the team announced Tuesday that it has started a new virtual seat viewing system that gives fans a three-dimensional look inside the Georgia Dome. Fans can pick a seat anywhere in the stadium and see what the view is like from there.

The Falcons are using this system, which is called Seats 3D, to sell season tickets, half-season packages and single game tickets. The system also includes an interactive parking map where fans can plot their course from the parking lot to their seats.

You can check it all out here.

But there’s another significant feature that will be added to the program in the spring of 2012. That’s when the Falcons will add an online relocation tool with which renewed season-ticket holders, based on seniority, can look at what other seats are available and switch locations.

“Many of our season ticket holders have asked for the capability to manage their seats online, and we are pleased to respond to their needs,” team president Rich McKay said.

Examining the most crucial event in the history of every team in the division.

The most important moment in the history of the New Orleans Saints, maybe even in the history of the entire NFC South, might have come when a coach and a quarterback went for a ride and got totally lost.

It came on a spring day in 2006 when Sean Payton, recently hired as the coach, took free-agent Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany, for a ride that seemed misdirected at the time, but turned out to be a drive to destiny. While touring the area, Payton got off Interstate 10 at the wrong exit and started driving on streets he’d never seen before.

“I finally admitted to Drew, 'I have no idea where we are right now,'’’ Payton wrote in his book, “Home Team.’’

It’s worth a laugh now. But at the time, Payton, Brees, the Saints and the entire New Orleans region really had no idea where anything was. This was a few months after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the Saints didn’t even know if they’d be able to stay in New Orleans for the long term.

Brees’ future was just as cloudy. He wasn’t being brought back by San Diego because he was coming off a major shoulder injury and the Chargers were handing things over to Philip Rivers. There was interest from Miami, but the Dolphins weren’t sure about Brees’ shoulder. Neither were the Saints.

But Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis decided to take a gamble. They offered Brees a big contract and a couple of days after being hopelessly lost, he accepted. The Brees signing was the big winner for the Saints in our Flash Points polls about the make-or-break moment in the history of each NFC South franchise.

Forty-six percent of more than 50,000 voters (the highest of all the NFC South precincts) chose the signing of Brees as the biggest moment in team history. Winning Super Bowl XLIV finished second at 36 percent and the hiring of Payton was third at 17 percent.

No argument here. Hiring Payton was significant, but signing Brees is the biggest reason why the Saints went on to win a Super Bowl and make themselves more a part of the New Orleans fabric than ever before.

Let’s turn to a couple of loyal readers for affirmation.

Richard in Ann Arbor, Mich., wrote: “Signing Drew Brees has to trump all. When you take into account everything that Drew has done off the field since his arrival, winning the Super Bowl may be the least important thing that he has done for the city of New Orleans.’’

Fred in New Orleans wrote: “As much as I would like to say our turning point was hiring Jim Finks or Jim Mora or maybe even Sean Payton, I think the Saints' turning point was actually made by another team -- when the Dolphins refused to make an offer to Drew Brees. If they make a hard push for him who knows what happens next?’’

PANTHERS: Jake Delhomme's arrival game

Appearing in Super Bowl XXXVIII was the winner of the popular vote as the Flash Point for the Carolina Panthers. That loss to New England drew 42 percent of the vote, and advancing all the way to the NFC Championship Game in only the second season of an expansion franchise finished second at 28 percent.

But I’m going with a moment that wasn’t even on the ballot as my Flash Point for the Panthers -- the insertion of Jake Delhomme at quarterback at the start of the second half of the 2003 season opener against Jacksonville. An unknown career backup with the Saints, Delhomme replaced Rodney Peete and the Panthers just kept winning all the way to the Super Bowl. I was covering the Panthers on a daily basis as a beat writer at that time and as I think back, Delhomme’s emergence in that game was one of the most magical moments I’ve seen in sports.

Let me add that a vocal group of readers made a strong case that Delhomme’s debut should have been on the ballot because that was actually the moment that sparked the whole Super Bowl run. I thought about that for a couple of minutes and decided they were right. So let’s hear from a few convincing readers.

Brian in Charlotte wrote: “Jake Delhomme’s halftime entrance into the game versus Jacksonville seems to represent the best of Panthers history. The team marched to an appearance in the Super Bowl that year and, while we may not have had back-to-back winning seasons, provided the Panthers with both stability and leadership at the quarterback position for the next few years.’’

Evan in Charlotte wrote: “Carolina rode on that momentum to eventually go to the Super Bowl. That whole season was Carolina's defining moment, but it all began at that game. Everything about the Carolina Panthers changed at that moment.’’

Brian and Evan, you’re absolutely right.

BUCCANEERS: Dungy turned the tide

In the closest contest of all our polls, readers voted Tampa Bay’s victory against Oakland in Super Bowl XXXVII as the defining moment in Buccaneers’ history. That got 39 percent of more than 31,000 votes. The hiring of coach Tony Dungy in 1996 finished a close second at 37 percent and the trade for Jon Gruden, the coach who actually won Tampa Bay’s lone Super Bowl, was third at 21 percent.

But I’m not going with the simple majority here. I’m going with the hiring of Dungy because I think this is a chicken-and-egg kind of thing. Much like the signing of Brees and the insertion of Delhomme led the Saints and Panthers to Super Bowls, I view the hiring of Dungy as the move that started Tampa Bay on a path to the Super Bowl.

Tampa Bay is a land of transplants and history sometimes gets lost. But I happened to be a beat writer covering the Buccaneers when Dungy was hired (heck, I was part of a media stakeout outside Bern’s Steakhouse as Dungy and ownership were inside sealing the deal).

You have to understand what the Bucs were like before Dungy arrived. They were the joke of the NFL for more than a decade. Former owner Hugh Culverhouse was despised by fans, players and the people who worked for him. The Bucs had gone for more than a decade without a winning season and good coaches such as Ray Perkins and Sam Wyche came to Tampa Bay and became horrible coaches.

Dungy (supported by new owner Malcolm Glazer) quietly changed the entire culture of the Bucs. They began winning and changed uniform colors and logos. Everything changed. Raymond James Stadium was built and filled up every week. The Bucs became consistent winners.

It’s true Dungy couldn't get Tampa Bay over the final hump. He was stubborn and conservative on offense and that got him fired. But he had the Bucs built into such a great defensive team that Gruden was able to come in, tweak the offense and win the Super Bowl in his first season. None of that would have been possible without Dungy’s contributions. He made the Bucs consistently relevant for the first time in their history.

Let’s turn to a couple comments from readers.

Darryl in Springfield, N.J., wrote: “The hiring of Dungy was huge as he helped to instill a culture of winning. However, I think another important step was drafting Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks in 1995 (the moves were made by Wyche and former general manager Rich McKay). Beyond their contributions on the field, Brooks was the heart of the Bucs, and Sapp brought a public swagger to a downtrodden franchise. The history of Sapp and Brooks in Tampa might be different without Dungy, but I think you could also argue that the history of Dungy might be very different without Sapp and Brooks."

Tim in Clearwater, Fla., wrote: “Sam Wyche drafted two first-ballot Hall of Fame players in Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. Without these players, Dungy’s tenure in Tampa Bay would likely not have been as long or as successful.’’

True, but Sapp and Brooks didn’t do much in their one season with Wyche. When Dungy and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin arrived, they put Sapp and Brooks into a defense that became dominant. In my eyes, it all started with Dungy.

FALCONS: Matt Ryan brought consistent winning

When it came time for Atlanta fans to weigh in on the Falcons' Flash Point, they went with the drafting of quarterback Michael Vick. That move won the vote at 39 percent, while the drafting of Ryan in 2008 came in second at 31 percent.

I’m going to dispute that one. Yes, Vick had a big impact and led the Falcons to some success. But they could never string good seasons together and Vick’s time in Atlanta came to a terrible end when he went to prison. That coupled with the disastrous tenure of coach Bobby Petrino put the Falcons as low as any NFC South team has ever been.

That was at the end of the 2007. A few months later, the Falcons drafted Ryan. Guess what? Since that moment, the Falcons have had three straight winning seasons. Before Ryan’s arrival, the franchise never even had back-to-back winning seasons. Atlanta went 13-3 last season before a disappointing playoff loss to Green Bay.

But the Falcons are built around Ryan and he’s not going anywhere for a long time. In fact, I think the Falcons are right on the cusp of huge success. Let’s turn to a reader for perspective.

Reid in Atlanta wrote: “The true 'defining moment' for the Falcons is not on your list of choices. It was when Arthur Blank purchased the team from the Smith family, who oversaw a comedy of errors and bad personnel choices for decades. Blank may be responsible for the Petrino fiasco, but otherwise his moves have been solid, and a welcome contrast to what preceded him.’’

No argument that Blank has done some great things and made the Falcons more competitive than they ever have been. But I think the best move Blank made was drafting Ryan. That’s when things really turned for the Falcons.

Time for a quick run through the headlines around the NFC South.

Here’s another list of players who could be unrestricted free agents if the lockout is lifted before a new labor deal is worked out.

As people continue to debate if the Falcons gave up too much to get Julio Jones, Jeff Schultz points to some statistical evidence on why the Falcons needed a receiver. When it came to big plays (ones that gained 20 yards or more) last season, the Falcons were No. 31 in the league.

Here’s a piece that suggests the move for Jones won’t work out in the long run and points the blame straight at Rich McKay. Umm, McKay’s the team president these days. His job is to oversee the business side of things (mainly attempting to get a new stadium) and act as the Falcons’ liaison to the league. While his opinion on football matters is valued, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith are the ones calling the shots on that side of the building.

Jeff Duncan writes that Drew Brees is the glue holding the New Orleans Saints together this offseason. No surprise there. Brees has held the Saints together since his arrival in 2006. One other important item in Duncan’s column – Brees is footing almost the entire cost as the Saints work out at Tulane University. And this is a guy who has drawn some criticism for being “selfish’’ during the labor dispute?

You can listen to me discussing Carolina’s draft in this clip on Cat Crave Radio.

Our friends at Pewter Report have a projection on what Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster will look like.

» NFC Draft Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Each Thursday leading up to the NFL draft (April 28-30), the ESPN.com NFL blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today's topic: decision-makers.

Atlanta Falcons

Make no mistake, general manager Thomas Dimitroff is the man running the draft room in Atlanta. He comes with a heavy personnel background from his days as a scout with the New England Patriots and this is the time of year he enjoys most. Dimitroff has a good working relationship with coach Mike Smith and the two often watch film together. That gives Dimitroff a strong feel for what his coach wants in players. So far, this arrangement has worked very well, with the Falcons producing winning records in each of the three seasons Dimitroff and Smith have been together. One last thing on Dimitroff -- he’s not a dictator. He values the opinions of those around him and that includes more people than you’d expect. Even though the Falcons were almost certain they were going to take quarterback Matt Ryan in 2008, Dimitroff was asking an Atlanta staffer who was at some of the pre-draft media events in New York for updates on the quarterback’s demeanor.

Carolina Panthers

In the early years of the regime of coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney, there was a lot of talk about them running an equal partnership, and that was very true. But Fox is gone and Ron Rivera is in his place. Even before Fox left, the partnership stopped being equal. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment, but Hurney has been calling the draft shots for at least a couple of years. That was extremely evident last year when the Panthers used a second-round pick on Jimmy Clausen, a quarterback Fox wanted no part of. Rivera and his coaching staff will have input and college scouting director Don Gregory is an important cog. But more than ever, Hurney is the person running the draft in Carolina.

New Orleans Saints

General manager Mickey Loomis isn’t a real public person and that probably prevents him from getting the full recognition he deserves. He and coach Sean Payton are very much in this together and their track record has been very impressive. Loomis is at his best as an administrator. He knows what Payton and his staff are looking for and he matches up that knowledge with what his scouts give him. Anybody can hit on first-round picks, but the Saints have had some big success in the middle (Jahri Evans and Jimmy Graham) and later (Marques Colston) rounds. That’s the mark of a machine that’s working well.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mark Dominik is the general manager and he prides himself on being a person who carries (the best) parts of people like Rich McKay, Jerry Angelo, Tim Ruskell, Bruce Allen, Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden in his thinking. So far, it has worked out pretty well. In his first draft, Dominik landed Josh Freeman, who has turned out to be the first true franchise quarterback this team has ever had. Amid a lot of distractions, Dominik never has taken his eye off the fact that the Bucs are building everything around Freeman. Coach Raheem Morris and scouting director Dennis Hickey play big roles in the process, but you started to see Dominik’s blueprint take hold last season when the Bucs went 10-6.

Just finished a media conference call with Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, the chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, and Ray Anderson, the NFL’s vice president of football operations.

The good news was there was no talk about labor news -- the focus was on football matters as the NFL prepares for its annual spring meeting. I’ll be heading to New Orleans on Sunday to cover that and the meeting officially starts Monday.

Before McKay and Anderson got into some possible rules changes, the NFL cleared up a situation that had been very uncertain in recent days. All 32 coaches are expected to attend and they’ll meet with the media Tuesday morning. In other words, I’ll have time to get with Sean Payton, Mike Smith, Raheem Morris and Ron Rivera and bring you what they have to say.

In another matter, an NFL spokesman said the league continues to work on its 2011 regular-season schedule and that’s expected to be announced, as usual, in mid-April. The spokesman didn’t give any hints if some of the opening-week prime-time games will be announced at the league meeting, but that’s been known to happen in the past.

New Orleans fans won’t be happy to hear there is no plan to propose a new seeding process for the playoffs. That comes after the Saints went 11-5, but drew the No. 6 seed and a trip to No. 4 Seattle, which went 7-9 and won the NFC West. McKay said the competition committee discussed a look at changing the seeding, but there didn’t appear to be enough momentum from teams to even make a proposal.

Our John Clayton will be posting much more on the rule changes that are proposed over on our main NFL page in just a bit. But the most significant proposal, at least in my eyes, is one to make some major modifications on kickoffs. Due to a high rate of injuries on kickoffs, McKay said the committee will propose moving the spot of the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35 and players on the kicking team would have to line up within five yards of the ball.

The proposal also includes moving the spot of touchbacks to the receiving team’s 25-yard line from the 20. Penalties for kicks going out of bounds still would result in the ball being placed at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. The proposal also would eliminate all wedge blocks, including the two-man wedge.

Looks like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t the only NFC South team making their players disappear. At least temporarily Tuesday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers took their roster off the team’s official website.

It’s back up now and a team spokesman said it was taken down due to the “uncertainty’’ surrounding the league’s labor situation. I just checked all four NFC South team websites and each of them is showing a roster -- at the moment.

Speaking of “uncertainty,’’ there’s a lot of it going around. This is the time of year when the NFL world generally gets ready for the annual spring meeting. It’s generally the biggest business meeting of the year and lots of people from all areas of the league generally attend.

Well, this year’s going to be different, but we have no idea how different just yet. I’ll be leaving Sunday for New Orleans where the league meeting, or some semblance of it, is scheduled to start Monday. At this point, all we know for sure is that Wednesday there will be a conference call featuring Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, who chairs the competition committee, and NFL vice president of football operations Ray Anderson.

They’re supposed to give the media a preview of some rules and issues the competition committee will be working on at the meeting. I’m pretty sure McKay and Anderson aren’t going to be fielding any labor questions.

Once we get to the actual meeting, it’s going to be interesting to see who shows. In normal years, the league has a breakfast where media can talk with AFC coaches one day and NFC coaches another. Almost always, all the coaches are there. But league officials so far have said there might be some sort of scaled-down version of the media sessions with coaches.

In talking to officials from several NFC South teams today, there seems to be uncertainty about whether their coaches will be attending the meeting.

For those of you who have sort of forgotten about Rich McKay since he left his role as the Atlanta Falcons general manager after the 2007 season, here’s a reminder that he still remains a powerful force in the NFC South and the NFL. Heck, aside from Jerry Richardson who's heading the owners in the labor talks, I think you could make an argument that McKay is the most important figure in the NFC South.

The league announced Tuesday that McKay will serve as chairman of the NFL’s competition committee. McKay’s been on the committee since 1994, when he was the general manager for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and started serving as co-chairman in 1998. But this latest move is a step up for McKay, who had been co-chairman with Jeff Fisher since 2001. With Fisher leaving the Tennessee Titans and no longer coaching, McKay is now a one-man show at the top of this committee.

McKay became Atlanta’s team president in 2008 when the Falcons hired general manager Thomas Dimitroff. A lot of people think McKay’s role was narrowed strictly to running the team’s business operations. But that’s never really been the true story.

While Dimitroff handles the traditional roles of a general manager, McKay has continued to help with salary-cap management and is sometimes turned to for advice on football matters. He also is the point man for the new open-air stadium owner Arthur Blank wants built in downtown Atlanta.

McKay also has been Atlanta’s main liaison to the league, and that now has been underscored with his role as chairman. He should help give the Falcons some clout when it comes to proposed rule changes and similar matters.

For the record, McKay is the only NFC South representative on the competition committee. The other members are Stephen Jones (Dallas Cowboys), Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati Bengals), John Mara (New York Giants), Ozzie Newsome (Baltimore Ravens), Bill Polian (Indianapolis Colts) and Rick Smith (Houston Texans).

There also is a coaches’ subcommittee to the competition committee and there is one NFC South figure there. That’s New Orleans Saints' Sean Payton. The other members of the subcommittee are John Madden, John Harbaugh (Ravens), Mike Holmgren (Cleveland Browns), Andy Reid (Philadelphia Eagles), Steve Spagnuolo (St. Louis Rams), Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), Norv Turner (San Diego Chargers) and Ken Whisenhunt (Arizona Cardinals).

Marty Hurney and Rich McKay, a couple of general managers I covered back in my newspaper days, used to always say "You don’t judge a draft for at least a couple of years."

I agree with that, even if it means those grades we in the media all do on draft day or the day after are meaningless. You don’t really know what you’ve got for a couple of years. In that spirit, let’s take a look at the 2009 NFC draft classes, rank them and grade them.

Tampa Bay. If you draft a franchise quarterback, you’ve hit it out of the park. A lot of people didn’t think Josh Freeman was a franchise quarterback when the Bucs drafted him. Coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik believed in Freeman and it turns out they were right. That’s why they turned their franchise around. By the way, defensive tackle Roy Miller (third round) and Sammie Stroughter (seventh round) also have turned out to be solid picks. Grade: A+

New Orleans. The Saints only had four picks in this draft and two of them, linebacker Stanley Arnoux (fourth round) and safety Chip Vaughn (fourth round) haven’t been factors due to injuries. But the Saints got it right on their other top picks. First-rounder Malcolm Jenkins showed big-time skills in his first season as a starting safety. Thomas Morstead (fifth round) quickly has become one of the league’s best punters. Grade: B+

Carolina. Second-round pick Everette Brown, who was drafted to be the next Julius Peppers, has produced 6.5 sacks in two years and hasn’t had a big impact. But defensive backs Sherrod Martin (second round) and Captain Munnerlyn (seventh round) have made impacts. Running back Mike Goodson (fourth round) played better than anyone thought he could after injuries to Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams last season and fullback Tony Fiammetta (fourth round) is a starter. Grade: C+

Atlanta. William Moore, who has become a solid starter at safety, saves this class from getting a really bad grade. First-round pick Peria Jerry had a knee injury as a rookie and didn’t have much impact last season. There’s still hope Jerry will come on next year, but he hasn’t done much yet. Neither have cornerback Christopher Owens (third round) or defensive end Lawrence Sidbury (fourth round). Grade: C-