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The Giants deal with Hakeem Nicks' foot injury, Falcons coach Mike Smith on his playoff struggles, and Marcellus and Schlereth read between the lines when Mark Sanchez talks at Jets' organized team activities.

The 32 crew understands Drew Brees' frustration with Saints ownership, Benjamin Watson answers questions from Facebook, and Mark Schlereth gives his opinion on Ray Edwards' calendar spread.

The latest team being mentioned as interested in acquiring Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel are the Atlanta Falcons, per Adam Schefter, who also reports that the Denver Broncos have dropped out of the running. It seems fair to say that the Eagles' market for Samuel is not expanding, but they don't really need it to. They just need one team interested enough to offer what they want -- a Day 3 draft pick -- in exchange for Samuel, and they need that team to be interesting enough to Samuel that he's willing to restructure his contract in order to facilitate the trade.

It has been reported in Philadelphia that Samuel would be willing to restructure in order to get a trade done, but to this point that has not happened. The Eagles would obviously like to trade Samuel sometime between now and the end of the draft Saturday (otherwise they obviously won't be able to get a 2012 pick for him), and today being Tuesday, the timetable does start to get a bit compressed.

So, what of Atlanta as a suitor? Surely, this is a team for which a player wouldn't mind playing. They are coming off of two straight playoff appearances and by all appearances should be a contender again this coming season. But with Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson already there, would Samuel be leaving one crowded cornerback situation for another? And if so, would that upset him enough to give them enough of a problem about the contract to scuttle a deal?

It's also worth raising a question here about Atlanta's motivation. The report came out this morning that they were interested in Samuel, and then a few hours later Grimes signed his franchise tender. That could be a coincidence, or it could be that the interest in Samuel was a ploy by the Falcons to get Grimes' situation settled as the offseason program begins?

Much intrigue still swirls around this situation, as it seems to swirl around every situation this time of year. I still think Samuel gets dealt by Saturday night, but I'd only be guessing if I predicted to which team.

Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen look at the New Orleans Saints' best coaching options, Merril Hoge picks the new top team in the NFC South, and Mel Kiper Jr. grades Herm Edwards' on his NFL draft history.

Marcus McNeill said he is planning to visit the Kansas City Chiefs. He was cut by the Chargers earlier in the week.

McNeill broke the news on his visit with the Detroit Lions. He is also scheduled to visit the Falcons and he said he won’t sign until he weighs all of his options. The news of the Kansas City visit begs some questions. The Chiefs are visiting with right tackle Eric Winston on Friday.

If Winston signs, the only way McNeill would join the Chiefs is if they want to replace Branden Albert at left tackle. I wouldn’t think they would want to replace Albert right now. If Winston doesn’t sign in Kansas City and McNeill does, McNeill would play left tackle and Albert could slide to right tackle. An Albert move to the right side has been discussed for a few years.

McNeill maintains he is now healthy following last season, which was cut short due to a neck injury last season. The Chargers cut him because he was owed a huge signing bonus. Interestingly, McNeill’s replacement is Jared Gaither, who was cut by the Chiefs during last season.

In other AFC West news:

NFL Network is reporting Oakland receiver Chaz Schilens is close to signing with the Jets. He was once a promising player for Oakland, but injuries derailed his Oakland career. UPDATE: Schilens is officially a Jet. He signed a one-year deal. He reunites with former Oakland position coach Sanjay Lal, who has the same job with the Jets.

ESPN’s Suzy Kolber reports the Cardinals are exercising a huge option for quarterback Kevin Kolb, so the Cardinals are out of the running for Peyton Manning. However, the 49ers have joined the race. For now, it appears the Manning chase is down to Denver, Tennessee and San Francisco.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports pass-rusher John Abraham is staying in Atlanta. Denver had been interested. Denver is also interested in Baltimore linebacker Jameel McClain, Tampa Bay linebacker Geno Hayes and Seattle cornerback Marcus Trufant.

NFL Network is reporting that the Denver Broncos and the Tennessee Titans are not just competing for Peyton Manning, but also for Atlanta pass-rusher John Abraham.

Abraham will turn 34 in May, but he can still be effective. He had 9.5 sacks last season. He is a consistent pass-rusher who has 112 sacks in 12 NFL season. He's reached double-digits in sacks in three of the past five seasons.

Adding Abraham to a pass-rush that includes Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil would give Denver one of the very best pass-rushes in the NFL.

In other AFC West news:

NFL Network is reporting the 49ers will sign Oakland special teams ace Rock Cartwright, pending a physical. Cartwright was a pivotal part of the Raiders’ locker room. The loss would sting some.

In addition to visiting with former St. Louis cornerback Ronald Bartell on Thursday, the Raiders are showing a lot of interest in New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter. That makes total sense. He played for new Oakland head coach Dennis Allen in New Orleans. Porter is visiting Cincinnati. Expect the Raiders to expires interest in several cornerbacks. It’s their biggest need area.

The St. Louis Rams wanted their next general manager to work well with new head coach Jeff Fisher.

They found a candidate whose history suggests that will not be a problem.

Atlanta Falcons director of player personnel Les Snead, who accepted the job Saturday, has worked with four head coaches and two interim coaches during a Falcons tenure dating to 1998. Dan Reeves, Bobby Petrino, Jim Mora and Mike Smith were the head coaches. Wade Phillips and Emmitt Thomas were the interim coaches.

Snead's ability to rise through the ranks with the Falcons across multiple regimes and an ownership change suggests he's adaptable. The Rams hired Fisher to remake the team. They wanted a GM to provide the personnel expertise to facilitate the transformation.

Snead worked under Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff most recently. He replaces former Rams general manager Billy Devaney, who had also come to St. Louis from the Falcons' front office.

Snead, listed by the Falcons as 37 years old entering the 2011 season, is about 15 years younger than Fisher. He was a tight end at Auburn from 1992-93, where he played with NFC West alums Chris Gray and Frank Sanders.

The Rams did not immediately announce the hiring. Snead interviewed over the phone for the San Francisco 49ers' GM job a year ago, but the team hired Trent Baalke instead.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The key to running the ball effectively in the NFL is patience. The ability to fight off frustration. You run and you get very little. You run again and you lose yards. The temptation sets in to just junk the run game and start chucking the ball.

You watched the Saints-Lions game Saturday night and you're thinking that looks like a pretty sweet way to go. But you have to fight it. You have to stay patient, believing it will work. And the book -- albeit an old book, with frayed corners and yellow-edged pages, says you'll be rewarded.

The New York Giants are putting on a clinic in this sort of patience. For most of this season, they were the worst running team in the entire NFL. They finished the season ranked 32nd among 32 teams in rush yards per game at a miserable 89.2 yards per game. On the surface, they seemed to have morphed into a passing offense, with Eli Manning sailing past 4,000 yards again and Victor Cruz joining Hakeem Nicks to form a dangerous downfield wideout combo. But through it all, the Giants insisted they wanted to run the ball, insisted they still could. And at exactly the right time of the year, they are proving their stubborn, patient selves right.

"At this time of year, especially in the playoffs, that's got to be a strength," Giants left tackle David Diehl said in the wake of the Giants' 24-2 playoff victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. "Getting that run game going, keeping that opposing offense off the field and helping keep our great defensive line fresh. That's what we want to do, and today we did it."

Did they ever. The Giants rolled up 172 rushing yards against a Falcons defense that ranked sixth against the run in the regular season. That's the Giants' season high in rushing yards by 50 -- surpassing the 122 they got in a Week 6 victory over Buffalo and doing so on two fewer carries. They went to the run game because an aggressive Falcons pass rush was clobbering Manning early. But more importantly, they stuck with the run game even while it wasn't working. They didn't start breaking through until the final minutes of the first half, when Brandon Jacobs bounced out to the right for a 34-yard second-down scamper that set up the game's first touchdown. But once the Giants got going, they were on their way to their best rushing day of the season.

"I think numbers-wise, it will be," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "But it was a difficult time getting started. That first half was tough."

He could be talking about the game or the season. The Giants averaged 82.3 yards per game and 3.18 yards per carry in their first 11 games of this season. But over the last six games, starting with the Dec. 4 loss to next week's playoff opponent, the Green Bay Packers, they have averaged 115.7 yards per game and 4.42 yards per carry.

What changed?

"If I could tell you that, we would have done it 10 weeks ago," right tackle Kareem McKenzie said. "But obviously, it gets you in a better rhythm and also opens up a little bit what the offensive coordinator can do in terms of calling plays."

All true, but what's more important for the Giants is that their improved run game allows them to play the kind of physically dominating style of football that traditionally wins this time of year. With their defensive line fully healthy for the first time all season, they've been the dominant physical team on defense in each of their last three games. And now that the offensive line is opening holes in the run game so much more effectively than it was earlier in the season, they're able to do that more on the other side of the ball as well.

"Confidence, man," said running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who had 63 yards on his 14 carries while Jacobs carried 14 times for 92 yards. "We feel good about our running game, and we stick to it."

They felt confident all year, and stuck to it all year, even when it wasn't working. But things turned around when injuries forced the Giants to make changes on the offensive line. Starting left tackle Will Beatty had surgery on his eye in advance of the Week 12 game in New Orleans, forcing Diehl from left guard back to his old position of left tackle. They rushed for just 73 yards on 22 carries that night while the Saints were blowing them out, but they seemed to do better opening holes for Jacobs.

Over the next few games, the Giants got Bradshaw back from his foot injury but were forced to play without center David Baas. But Kevin Boothe and Mitch Petrus filled in well, and Boothe has remained in the lineup as Diehl's replacement at left guard. Whether Beatty was overmatched, whether Diehl has been energized by moving back to tackle (as he admitted to me last week he was), or whether Boothe is just a really good run-blocker, the combinations they've been using since the Beatty injury have been more effective than those that were in force for the majority of the season.

If we can get that run game going like we did in that second half, that opens up a lot of windows," Manning said. "For the passing game, it makes the safeties come down and get in the mix and we feel, with our receivers, we will be able to hit some big plays."

The big play Sunday was the 72-yard touchdown throw to Nicks, and had the Giants not been running the ball as well as they were, it may not have happened. When it was over, Coughlin spoke of "balance" in the offense and the importance of sticking with the run even when it's not working.

It's possible there's never been a better macro example of that than this year's Giants, whose running game could not have picked a better time to show up.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A few thoughts on the New York Giants' wild-card round playoff victory over the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium.

What it means: The Giants' formula worked. They believed they came into the playoffs playing defense and running the ball as well as they have been at any time this year, and they went out and played their best defensive game and best rushing game of the year. They knew that the key would be to pressure Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan with their front four and they did that. And when they were having trouble in pass protection, they were able to switch to the run game to keep the Atlanta front four off of Eli Manning.

Nicks' turn: The Giants' big-play receiver the past few weeks has been Victor Cruz, who had a 99-yard touchdown catch on Christmas Eve against the Jets and a 74-yard touchdown catch last week in the division-clincher against the Cowboys. This time, it was Hakeem Nicks who delivered the backbreaker against the Falcons, catching a short Manning pass with less than three minutes left in the third quarter and taking it 72 yards to the end zone for the score that put the Giants up 17-2.

Smothering: New York's defense pitched a shutout, as the Falcons' only points came on a safety and their offense never got near the end zone. The Giants got pressure up the middle with defensive tackles Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard. They stuffed the Falcons on two key fourth-and-short situations (the second of which almost immediately preceded the big Nicks play). And while they lost two key secondary pieces in Deon Grant and Aaron Ross to injuries, the defensive front made sure Ryan didn't have a chance to take advantage of it.

Ground game surfaces: The Giants ranked 32nd in the 32-team NFL in rushing yards this year, but this looked like a different team. They'd been better running the ball over the final five games of the season, but this was a dominating rushing performance. Brandon Jacobs ripped off a key 34-yard gain and converted a fourth-and-1 on the Giants' first scoring drive. He and Ahmad Bradshaw split carries and both ran with power and determination behind an offensive line that's blocking for the run better and better each week.

Looking ahead: Those injuries to Ross and Grant -- which are a concussion and a groin injury, respectively, could be a problem if they linger into next week. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is far more mobile than Ryan is, and he should be able to buy more time to find his receivers deep in the secondary even if the Giants can pressure him the way they hassled Ryan. But that's a worry for next week. Right now, the Giants are flying high and into the second round.

What's next: The Giants travel to Green Bay, Wis., where they will play the 15-1 defending Super Bowl champion Packers at 4:30 p.m. ET next Sunday. A victory would put the Giants in the NFC Championship Game against either the Saints or 49ers.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Well, Saints-Lions this one ain't. The New York Giants lead the Atlanta Falcons 7-2 at halftime of their wild-card round playoff game here at MetLife Stadium, and they do so because they were able to crack the Falcons' defense once and the Falcons haven't been able to crack theirs at all.

It's been a defensive struggle both ways, as the Giants' defensive front has dominated the Falcons' offensive line the way it knows it needs to and the Falcons' defensive front has returned the favor against a shaky-looking Giants pass protection unit. The first points of the game were a Falcons safety when Giants quarterback Eli Manning was called for intentional grounding in the end zone while under pressure, and neither offense was able to score until Manning found Hakeem Nicks in the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 2:47 left before halftime.

The reason the Giants were able to get those points is that they found something in the run game. Manning escaped trouble and ran for 14 yards earlier in the drive (remarkable, considering he only ran for 15, total, in the regular season). And running back Brandon Jacobs' 34-yard run was the biggest play of the first half. Jacobs also converted a big fourth down just before the touchdown pass with a spin move after being stuffed behind the line.

The Giants ranked 32nd in the NFL this year with 89.2 rush yards per game. But they have 75 already in this game, and if they can keep having success on the ground, they have to like their chances.

The Falcons will get the ball back to start the second half, but as of now there's little proof that that will help them. Quarterback Matt Ryan has been pressured from the sides and especially up the middle, with Giants defensive tackles Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard having delivered big hits already. He hasn't had time to look downfield and find his big-time receivers for big plays, which means the Giants are executing their defensive game plan exactly the way they want to. The Giants have more work to do, but to this point things have gone about as well as they could have wanted them to go. They have weathered the early assault from the Atlanta front and found a way to overcome it.

Two injury situations to watch: Atlanta safety William Moore and Giants safety Deon Grant both have left the game. James Sanders has stepped in for Moore, and there seems to be little drop-off there. But if rookie Tyler Sash has to play the rest of the game in Grant's place, the Giants' secondary could be very vulnerable. If, that is, Ryan gets enough time to take advantage of it.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- They have announced the inactive players for this afternoon's NFC playoff game between the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons, and the lists are encouraging for the Giants' passing game.

Not only is Giants tight end Jake Ballard, who missed the final two games of the regular season with a knee injury, active for the game, but Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes, who had been listed as questionable and hoped to play, is inactive, depriving the Atlanta secondary of a starter. Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas is also injured and inactive, as expected.

The Giants' inactive list offered no surprises. Defensive ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are both healthy and will dress and play. Cornerback Corey Webster, who was hampered by a hamstring injury during this past week, will play. And the return of Ballard, the Giants' best receiving tight end, will help Giants quarterback Eli Manning pick and choose opportunities if given enough time against the Atlanta defense.

I'll be here all day, along with NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, to keep you updated. We'll be live-chatting, so click this link here and come join in starting at 1 p.m. ET.

The full list of inactives:

GIANTS

• WR Ramses Barden
• RB Da'Rel Scott
• LB Mark Herzlich
• OL Jim Cordle
• DE Justin Trattou
• DT Jimmy Kennedy
• OL James Brewer

FALCONS

• QB John Parker Wilson
• LB Stephen Nicholas
• C Brett Romberg
• OT Kirk Chambers
• DE Cliff Matthews
• CB Brent Grimes
• WR Kerry Meier

NEW ORLEANS -- Just a quick note here before heading back to NFC North blog headquarters.

To make sure everyone's clear, Saturday night's result at the Superdome means the Green Bay Packers will host the winner of Sunday afternoon's game between the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants in their Jan. 15 divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field. When that game is over, I'll post a Quick Take of my initial thoughts on the Packers' opponent.

I'll also have a Free Head Exam on the Detroit Lions coming in a few hours. Back with you Sunday afternoon.

The New Orleans Saints' victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night ensures that the New York Giants, if they win their NFC wild-card round game against the Falcons on Sunday, will travel to Green Bay to play the defending Super Bowl champion Packers at 4:30 p.m. ET next Sunday.

I feel compelled to mention this because people have asked, and to give Giants fans a post on which to talk about this week's game and dream about what may lie beyond it. You know, just in case any of my Giants fans are up late tonight or can't sleep because they're too wound up about Sunday's playoff game.

The Packers are the NFC's top seed and therefore play the lowest remaining seed in the next round. The Saints are the No. 3 seed, the Giants No. 4 and the Falcons No. 5, so that means that whichever team wins the Falcons-Giants game will be the lowest remaining seed and will have to travel to Green Bay to play the 15-1 Packers, who were off this week. The Saints will travel to San Francisco to face the second-seeded 49ers.

The Packers beat the Giants 38-35 last month at MetLife Stadium. That was the Packers' smallest margin of victory this year in any of their 15 wins, which means you could make the case that the Giants played them tougher than did any team except the Chiefs, who beat them two weeks later. The Packers beat the Falcons 25-14 in Atlanta in early October.

Suzy and Mort discuss their matchup to watch, Marcellus wonders if anyone can pull off a big upset, and in Did You Hear That?, The Caveman talks about which quarterbacks could struggle during wild-card weekend.

» Wild-Card Final Word: Bengals-Texans | Lions-Saints | Falcons-Giants | Steelers-Broncos

Three nuggets of knowledge about Sunday's Falcons-Giants wild-card round game:

There's no place like home ... or is there? From 1990 to 2003, the first 14 years after the NFL expanded the playoffs to include 12 teams, home teams were a combined 41-15 in this wild-card round. But over the past seven seasons, home teams have a record of just 13-15 in this round. Will the New York Giants have a home-field advantage over the Atlanta Falcons come Sunday? Well, it'll be cold, but not horribly so. Weather.com is currently showing a forecast high of 45 degrees and a 0 percent chance of precipitation for Sunday, so about the best for which a dome team like Atlanta could hope traveling north this time of year. The Giants were just 4-4 at home this year (though they did win a "road" game in their home stadium on Christmas Eve against the Jets), and the Falcons were 4-4 on the road. So that doesn't really tell us much, does it?

Ryan versus the rush: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan isn't likely to see a lot of blitzes Sunday, since the Giants' defense relies on its four down linemen to pressure the quarterback. That's likely fine with Ryan. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ryan has thrown 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions when the opponent rushes four or fewer over the past seven games. In his first nine games of this season, Ryan had nine touchdowns and eight interceptions in such situations. That likely means the line is blocking better for him and he's not making as many bad decisions under pressure as a result. We shall see if Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul can buck the trend.

Big-play dudes: In Julio Jones and Victor Cruz, the Falcons and the Giants have two of the best receivers in the league at making things happen after they catch the ball. Jones, the Falcons' rookie from Alabama, ranked first in the NFL this year among qualified receivers with 7.6 yards per catch after the reception. Cruz, the Giants' second-year breakout star, was second in the league in yards after the catch with 601 and third in the league with 7.3 yards per catch after the reception. Cruz was second in the league with nine catches of 40 or more yards, second only to Detroit's Calvin Johnson. Jones was tied for fourth in that category with seven such catches. That all comes courtesy of the "Next Level" stats we get every week from ESPN Stats & Information.