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The 2012 NFL draft won’t be remembered as the flashiest in NFC South history. That honor belongs to the 2011 draft -- probably forever.

It’s tough to top a draft in which quarterback Cam Newton went No. 1 to Carolina, Atlanta traded up for receiver Julio Jones and New Orleans traded back into the first round to get running back Mark Ingram. Aside from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' pretty good splash, this year’s NFC South draft wasn’t filled with drama.

Instead, it was filled with very deliberate picks that addressed big needs all around the division.

BEST MOVE

No pick set the division's tone for this draft better than Carolina's selection of Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly at No. 9 overall.

There’s nothing really flashy about Kuechly, but the Panthers didn’t need flash this time around. They got that with Newton, and he gave them a prolific offense. But that offense was only enough to carry the Panthers to a 6-10 record last season. Carolina couldn’t play defense, and opponents have run all over the Panthers the last few seasons.

A lot of people thought the Panthers should go with a defensive tackle in the first round. But there were two reasons they didn’t. They weren’t enamored of any of the first-round prospects at that position. They also feel pretty good about what they already have at defensive tackle. Ron Edwards, a big free-agent pickup last year, is coming back from an injury that kept him out last season, and the Panthers think he can anchor their defensive line. They also used two third-round picks on defensive tackles Terrell McClain and Sione Fua last year.

The Panthers believe they have the personnel to clog up the middle. Kuechly should be able to come in and do what he does best. He can roam the field and be the kind of tackling machine he was in college. This guy had as few flaws as any player in the draft and is ready to make an instant impact. It remains to be seen whether Keuchly or Jon Beason will play the middle and which one will slide outside. It doesn’t really matter. Either way, the Panthers now have a deep linebacker corps that should be able to stop just about any running game.

RISKIEST MOVE

You could say the Saints made a risky move by using their first draft pick on a player who didn’t even play his college ball in the United States. They drafted Regina (Canada) defensive tackle Akiem Hicks with the No. 89 overall pick in the third round.

The fact Hicks didn’t play against elite completion means there is obvious risk with this pick. But why not take a shot when you’re this late in the third round? Hicks has tremendous upside, and he was good enough to be recruited to LSU before leaving for Canada. The Saints have a great history of discovering gems (Jimmy Graham, Jahri Evans and Marques Colston) later in the draft. They took a risk, but it might pay off.

Hicks should at least have a chance at some playing time early on. The Saints don’t have much behind Brodrick Bunkley and Sedrick Ellis at defensive tackle. Hicks could end up in the rotation very quickly, and the Saints could end up looking very smart for taking this risk.

MOST SURPRISING MOVE

The Bucs haven’t been exciting in any way in quite some time. But they provided virtually all of the excitement within the division in this draft. General manager Mark Dominik shrewdly made some trades that gave the Bucs the ammunition to move up twice and come out of the draft with three instant starters.

Get over the fact that Dominik used the No. 7 overall pick on a safety, Alabama’s Mark Barron. The Bucs weren’t sold on LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne for reasons we don’t know. They were sold on Barron, and safety might have been the weakest position on their roster heading into the draft. Trading down from No. 5 to No. 7 started a process in which Dominik was able to manipulate the draft with trades that gave him two other starters -- running back Doug Martin and outside linebacker Lavonte David.

The Bucs traded back into the first round to get Martin late Thursday night. They were without a second-round pick Friday night. But they saw David sitting there, they had the ammunition, and they pounced. No NFC South team needed more help from this draft than the Buccaneers, and Dominik made sure they got help that will matter right from the start.

FILE IT AWAY

Atlanta’s selection of Wisconsin fullback Bradie Ewing in the fifth round might not seem like a big deal on the surface. For now, Ewing is probably nothing more than a special-teams player. But the Falcons also were looking a year or two down the road when they made this pick. Veteran fullback Ovie Mughelli is coming off a major injury, and he’ll turn 32 in June. It was time to find someone to groom as Mughelli’s eventual successor.

The New Orleans Saints, who were without a pick in the first two rounds, just made their first pick of the draft and it’s a unique one.

They selected a guy who played his college football in Canada. They chose Regina defensive tackle Akiem Hicks with the 89^th overall pick.

This may sound like a stretch, but it really isn’t. Hicks isn’t a totally unknown commodity. He played at Sacramento City Community College and transferred to LSU. But Hicks then left for Regina. The competition in Canada might not be great, but Hicks showed enough to catch the attention of scouts.

He has great size and his athleticism gives him plenty of upside. But Hicks could end up being more than just a long-term project. He might have a chance to earn some time in the rotation pretty quickly because the Saints really don’t have much at defensive tackle besides Brodrick Bunkley and Sedrick Ellis.

The Falcons, Panthers and Buccaneers all had pre-draft sessions with the media. The New Orleans Saints didn’t have any media access, but we don’t want to leave them out.

So let’s turn to two of our in-house draft experts to discuss what the Saints may do in the draft.

Check out this Insider post by Steve Muench that lays out a draft plan for the Saints and throws out five potential picks. Muench starts with Virginia defensive end Cam Johnson in the third round and also has them taking defensive tackle Jaye Howard in the fifth round. Both picks make plenty of sense. The Saints don’t have picks in the first two rounds and they obviously have some needs on defense as new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo takes over. Spagnuolo emphasizes the importance of generating a pass rush almost exclusively from the front four. Aside from defensive end Will Smith, the Saints don’t have a strong pass-rusher. Muench says Johnson has the quickness to develop into a good pass-rusher. Howard also has potential as a pass-rusher in the interior. That could help because defensive tackles Brodrick Bunkley and Sedrick Ellis aren’t known for their pass-rushing skills.

In this Insider post , Matt Williamson writes about the four teams with the worst draft situations. As you would expect for a team short on picks, the Saints made his list. Then again, so did the Falcons.

In his analysis of what the Saints need, Williamson is in full agreement with Muench about the importance of adding some help to the defensive front. I think that’s pretty much the consensus on where the Saints’ biggest needs are.

Let’s bounce back to Muench’s picks for the Saints. His last one might be the most intriguing. He has the Saints taking Western Michigan wide receiver Jordan White in the seventh round. White doesn’t have a lot of upside and he’ll be a 24-year-old rookie. Once upon a time, 2006 to be precise, the Saints used a seventh-round pick on a receiver who wasn’t supposed to have a lot of upside. That wound up working out very nicely. That pick was used on Marques Colston.

It appears we’ve hit a little lull after a fast start to free agency through most of the NFC South. But I’m not expecting it to last. I expect another wave of signings in the coming days. They might not be as big as the early ones, but several NFC South teams are hosting free-agent visitors this weekend and deals could be worked out soon. Let’s take a look at the headlines from around the division.

The New Orleans Saints had free-agent defensive tackle Broderick Bunkley in for a visit. Aubrayo Franklin and Shau Rogers are free agents and the Saints need to add a run-stuffing tackle to play next to Sedrick Ellis. The Saints also are looking at several linebackers. They don’t have much salary-cap room to work with, but could release players or restructure contracts to clear some room.

The Panthers hosted a visit with San Diego running back Mike Tolbert. Presumably, he would replace Mike Goodson as Carolina’s third back behind DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but it’s also possible the Panthers could look to trade one of the two if Tolbert is added. Stewart is more likely to be used as trade bait because Williams signed a huge contract last season and other teams aren’t likely to want to take on his deal. Coach Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski also are familiar with Tolbert from their time together in San Diego. There also have been some reports that Tampa Bay might have interest in Tolbert.

The Bucs still have issues in the front seven of their defense, particularly at linebacker. Although the team says it is focusing in on the April draft after an early splash in free agency, I still would be surprised if there is some movement at linebacker. The Bucs are monitoring the situation with Curtis Lofton and could get more involved if his price tag drops. The Bucs also could look for help at outside linebacker.

We’ll continue our look at which NFC South players could be on the hot seat because of salary-cap casualties with the New Orleans Saints.

At the moment, the Saints are under the cap, but that’s only temporary. They’re trying to re-sign quarterback Drew Brees to a new contract and that alone could put them over the cap. In addition to Brees, they also have key players Marques Colston and Carl Nicks that they would like to prevent from departing in free agency. They also have some lesser potential free agents in receiver Robert Meachem and cornerback Tracy Porter that, in a perfect world, they would like to keep.

But this isn’t a perfect world and the Saints are probably going to have to make some painful cap moves.

That means two prominent defensive veterans are candidates for release or restructure. Defensive end Will Smith is scheduled to count $10.15 million against the cap. Although Smith is their top pass rusher, the Saints could free up $6.15 million by releasing him. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma, the leader of the defense in recent years, is scheduled to count $7.6 million against the cap. The Saints could free up $3.6 million by releasing Vilma. The Saints might not be ready to part with Vilma and Smith, so restructuring is a possibility for each. But Vilma is coming off knee surgery and the Saints have all the medical reports. If Vilma's knee looks like it could be a lingering problem, the Saints might have to make the difficult move of releasing one of their team leaders.

Linebacker Will Herring is scheduled to count $1.7 million against the cap. He wasn’t much of a factor last season and seems to be a prime candidate for release because the Saints could free up $1.1 million by cutting him.

Wide receiver Devery Henderson would appear to be an easy release because he’s scheduled to count $3.6 million against the cap and the Saints could free up $2.8 million by releasing him. But that’s not a given. If the Saints lose Colston and Meachem, they’ll need to keep Henderson.

Two other players are long shots to be released, but they’re at least possibilities because of their high cap figures and the fact the Saints could be in crisis mode. Left tackle Jermon Bushrod is scheduled to make $6.9 million and the Saints could free up $5.2 million by releasing him. Bushrod made the Pro Bowl last season and has grown into a solid player. He’s heading into the final year of his contract and one possible solution would be to extend his contract to knock down this year’s cap figure.

Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis is scheduled to count $7.6 million against the cap and the Saints could save over $5 million by releasing him. Ellis never has become the dominant player the Saints hoped for when they used a first-round pick on him. But, when healthy, Ellis has been decent and the solution here might be an extension for Ellis that would spread out his cap hit over a longer period of time.

Defense wasn’t a strength in the NFC South in the 2011 season. In fact, it was a big problem for the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and only an occasional strength for the Atlanta Falcons.

But there were some solid individual performances. With that in mind, let’s roll out the All-NFC South defense.

Defensive end: Charles Johnson, Panthers. He got his huge contract in the summer, but didn’t take the money and disappear. Johnson came through with nine sacks and also played the run fairly well.

Defensive end: Adrian Clayborn, Buccaneers. Yes, I’m taking the rookie over Atlanta veteran John Abraham. I know Abraham ended up with 9.5 sacks, but 3.5 of them came against Jacksonville and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Abraham was ordinary most of the season and was on the field for only 13 percent of Atlanta’s defensive snaps. Clayborn finished with 7.5 sacks. He also was on the field for about 80 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps, showed he can rush the passer and played the run well. Not much went right for the Bucs in the 2011 season. But they hit on their first-round draft pick.

Defensive tackle: Corey Peters, Falcons. He started in 2010, but was only a run-stuffer then. Peters emerged into a complete defensive tackle in his second season and showed signs he can generate a pass rush in the middle.

Defensive tackle: Brian Price, Buccaneers. Off the top of my head, I was preparing to go with Atlanta’s Jonathan Babineaux or New Orleans’ Sedrick Ellis. Then I looked at their statistics and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m going with Price, who quietly put together a nice season. He finished with three sacks and was one of the few Bucs who played the run well. More importantly, Price made a nice comeback from surgery on his pelvis and played through the pain of an ankle injury for most of the second half of the season.

Linebacker: Curtis Lofton, Falcons. In a year in which Carolina’s Jon Beason was hurt and New Orleans’ Jonathan Vilma slowed down, Lofton emerged as the NFC South’s best middle linebacker.

Linebacker: Sean Weatherspoon, Falcons. The second-year pro might now be the division’s best all-around linebacker. Weatherspoon is a playmaker and plays with an attitude that the rest of Atlanta’s defense needs to copy.

Linebacker: James Anderson, Panthers. With Beason and Thomas Davis going down early, Anderson was the bright spot in Carolina’s linebacker corps.

Cornerback: Jabari Greer, Saints. He often gets overlooked, but this guy is the best cover corner in the division.

Cornerback: Chris Gamble, Panthers. Gamble got benched by coach John Fox at the end of the 2010 season and his career appeared to be on the downside. But Gamble got a fresh start with coach Ron Rivera and bounced back with a strong season.

Safety: Malcolm Jenkins, Saints. He didn’t make as many big plays as I think he’s capable of, but Jenkins is an enormous talent. If the Saints can add a pass rush, the big plays will flow for Jenkins.

Safety: Thomas DeCoud, Falcons. He was benched briefly early in the season, but DeCoud seemed to get the message that he needed to play better. He finished the season with four interceptions and 86 tackles.

For two full seasons now, Drew Brees has been showing up for games with a kid brother in tow.

We’re talking about the New Orleans Saints’ defense. It’s just good enough to go out there and stand on the field while Brees is on the sideline. But it’s not nearly good enough to win games on its own.

Brees and the offense have done the heavy lifting last season and this season, and the Saints have won a lot of games. But, if the Saints are going to get back to being Super Bowl champions like they were in the 2009 season, the little brother is going to have to grow up in a hurry and carry his weight.

Maybe it comes in Saturday’s divisional-round playoff game at San Francisco. Maybe it comes in the NFC Championship Game or maybe it comes in the Super Bowl.

But, at some point this postseason, the New Orleans defense is going to have to stand on its own two feet if this team is going to win a championship. I’m not saying the Saints need to go out and totally shut down an offense. That’s not the style of defense they used in their championship season and it’s not what’s between the lines of their defensive playbook.

I’m simply saying there will come a point in time when the New Orleans defense has a chance to step up and make a play or two. If it happens, the Saints can win a championship. If it doesn’t, they’ll have another premature exit like they did last year when they went out to Seattle and couldn’t tackle Marshawn Lynch.

San Francisco’s Frank Gore can run the ball and quarterback Alex Smith suddenly has figured out how to be efficient. The 49ers are quickly becoming famous for their defense, a unit that ranked fourth in the NFL this season.

If that San Francisco defense can just slow Brees a little bit, this may be one game where New Orleans’ offense isn’t enough. You can go 13-3 in the regular season with no defense, but you’re bound to need some stops or some turnovers in the postseason.

If the Saints don’t realize that, they’re going to get burned. It seems everybody’s talking about the matchup between Brees and the San Francisco defense. Brees re-wrote the passing record books and the 49ers’ defense gets compared to teams like the 1985 Chicago Bears. Once in a while, there’s even a bit of talk about the San Francisco offense, but there really hasn’t been much said about the New Orleans defense.

That’s something the New Orleans defense has noticed.

“We’re very prideful being professional athletes and we want to make sure that we all give the best possible effort and are getting the best possible results we can get,’’ New Orleans cornerback Jabari Greer said. “You want to be seen as the better unit. We realize the challenge that we have against these guys this week. They have a good defense. They have a good offense. They really are a different team than what we saw in the preseason. As a defensive unit, we know that we have a challenge on our hands. As our coach says, the best defense will win the game.”

Greer was referring to defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, not head coach Sean Payton, whose mind clearly is focused on the offensive side of the ball.

There used to be an adage in the NFL that said defense wins championships. It’s been forgotten in recent years as rules have become friendlier for offenses. But I think you still need a little help from a defense to win a championship.

Is the Saints’ defense good enough to do that?

Well, the numbers aren’t pretty. The Saints were No. 24 in total defense during the regular season. They ranked No. 12 against the run and No. 30 against the pass.

But it’s pretty clear what the Saints need to do defensively. They just need to look back to 2009. That’s the year Williams joined the staff and practices suddenly became a lot more interesting. Williams preached the importance of getting turnovers and any time a ball hit the ground or was up for grabs in practice, the Saints’ defense pounced on it, even if it wasn’t loose until long after the whistle.

The Saints rode that attitude almost as much as they rode Brees that season. They produced 39 turnovers and ranked No. 2 in the league.

But the turnovers have disappeared the past two seasons. The Saints tied for 20^th in the NFL with 25 turnovers in 2010. In 2011, they were No. 31 with just 16 turnovers.

The reasons for the defensive decline are something of a mystery. The Saints have put a lot of currency into their defense in recent years. They drafted defensive end Cameron Jordan in the first round this year. Cornerback Patrick Robinson came in the first round in 2010, safety Malcolm Jenkins in 2009 and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis in 2008.

But the sacks, interceptions and fumble recoveries have all dipped since 2009 and that’s puzzling. Besides all the first-round picks, there is other individual talent on this defense. Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma is the unquestioned leader, strong safety Roman Harper is a big-time hitter and defensive end Will Smith has been to the Pro Bowl in the past.

The current San Francisco offense won’t be confused with the high-powered passing attacks teams like the Saints, Packers and Patriots have had such success with. The 49ers rely on Gore and the ground game as the foundation of the offense and Smith and the passing game are asked to make big plays on occasion.

“A team like this is almost a throwback team so to speak,’’ Vilma said. “For them to line up like they do, they are going to punch you in the mouth and do it for 60 minutes. That’s to their credit and they deserve credit for the way they’ve played and the style that they play and it will be a big challenge for us.”

It’s ironic Vilma used the term “throwback.’’ The Saints don’t have to suddenly become a defense that’s going to shut down an offense for an entire game. They just have to get back to something like they were in 2009.

Make a key stop or two. Come up with an interception or recover a fumble.

If the defense can just do a little of that, Brees can take care of the rest.

The New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV.

The Green Bay Packers were crowned champions after Super Bowl XLV.

They'll meet Thursday night to begin the NFL's march to Super Bowl XLVI.

So let's honor a whole bunch of Roman Numerals with XXV thoughts on this game. Why XXV? It's a nice, round Roman Numeral. And I didn't think you wanted XLVI of my thoughts on this game or any other.

1. The Packers have been downright defensive this week about their decision not to conduct players-only workouts during the lockout. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers refused to discuss it, possibly fearing his words would be interpreted as criticism of the New Orleans Saints' highly public workouts. Here's the truth: Many people around the NFL thought the Saints' efforts were more for public show than to get in actual football work. I can't see this issue being a factor in tonight's outcome.

II. Here's one issue that could: Rodgers' pass protection was spotty this preseason, and the Saints' rebuilt defensive line will force some matchup problems.

III. Every year at this time, we're asking whether Packers left tackle Chad Clifton, 35, has hit the wall. Every year, he answers the bell. But we're still asking the same thing.

IV. You think your stomach is twisted into knots? Here's what Packers guard Josh Sitton tweeted this morning: "Gameday. ... nervous as poop." And Sitton just signed a new $33 million contract extension!

V. It was surprising to see Sitton give up a couple of sacks in the preseason. The Saints' defensive tackle rotation of Shaun Rogers, Sedrick Ellis and Aubrayo Franklin no doubt noticed.

VI. No one blitzed more than the Saints last season, sending five or more rushers on 49.5 percent of the time in 2010. Sitton, Clifton and company can feel confident knowing that Rodgers has been the NFL's second-best quarterback against the blitz (based on Total Quarterback Rating) over the past three seasons.

VII. Trevor Ebaugh of ESPN Stats & Information has a cool scouting report on a play the Packers could use Thursday night against the Saints' defense.

VIII. If you're in transit to the game today, know that snack options are limited. Follow this link to see what I found Wednesday night.

IX. The Saints will be making some difficult guesses about the Packers' offensive approach.

X. With no regular-season running game to speak of last season, the Packers focused on their passing game. They ran more empty-backfield sets than any other NFL team (91). Will the Packers focus on that formation, allowing them to maximize their talented group of five receivers?

XI. Or will the Packers re-balance their offense now that Ryan Grant is healthy and James Starks is re-established?

XII. Or will the Saints see more of the no-huddle offense that Rodgers directed to near-perfection in the preseason? And will they work to get receiver Donald Driver the 42 yards he needs to be the team's all-time leading receiver by yardage?

XIII. It's hard to be ready for such a varied menu of options. Which is just the way the Packers like it.

XIV. Grant is the Packers' likely starter at running back, but it wouldn't be at all surprising if Starks finishes the game with more carries.

XV. If one relatively unknown player makes a name for himself in this game, I'm betting it will be Packers returner/receiver Randall Cobb.

XVI. If you think Packers fans are excited about Cobb's debut, imagine how they feel about the return of tight end Jermichael Finley. Never in NFL history has a tight end with 82 career catches gotten so much hype. ESPN's Rachel Nichols reports Finley got a pedicure Wednesday. Why wouldn't he?

XVII. Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw at least one interception in each of his final 12 regular season games last season and had an NFL-high 22 over that span. Just saying.

XVIII: Kid Rock is a notorious Detroit Lions fan but will be singing Thursday night in the Lambeau Field parking lot. Hey, business is business.

XIX: Couldn't Rodgers book "The Make" for an opening act Thursday night?

XX: One of the more confusing stories recently to get national attention: Rodgers' claim that New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez's GQ photospread was "embarrassing." And?

XXI: The Saints' running game is in much better hands with Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram than it was with Thomas and Reggie Bush.

XXII: I can't say for sure that Packers defensive end Mike Neal (knee) won't play, but limited practice for three days after two weeks of inactivity caused by a knee injury means he probably won't make a huge contribution even if he does get on the field. The Packers have been counting on him to be a dual run-stopper and playmaker against the pass.

XXIII: This game has been billed as a battle between two elite quarterbacks, but I know which team I like if both backups were forced on the field. And no, it's not the Saints and Chase Daniel.

XXIV: There will be a lot of really good coaches on the field Thursday night, from McCarthy to Sean Peyton to Greg Williams to Dom Capers. But every team in the NFL should hope its quarterbacks will one day be coached by Packers assistant Tom Clements. A one-time Saints quarterbacks coach, Clements deserves a lot of credit for the development of both Rodgers and Matt Flynn.

XXV: Every single ESPN expert, including the AccuScore computer simulation program, picked the Packers to win tonight. So there you go. If I had made this No. I, you wouldn't have had to read all this way!

What had been suspected for a month or so became official when the New Orleans Saints made their roster cuts last week. They now have the deepest roster in franchise history.

Deeper than the 2009 team that won the Super Bowl?

By far. Let’s start with two prime examples -- Chris Reis and Pierson Prioleau -- and work our way back up to the top of the roster. On that 2009 team, they were bottom-of-the-roster guys, but they were still important. Both were backup safeties, but they made their real impact on special teams. Although Jonathan Casillas officially was credited with recovering the famous onside kick in the Super Bowl, Casillas and others involved in the play said Reis actually made the recovery. He and Prioleau made lots of other important plays on special teams that season and also helped last year when the Saints went 11-5.

They’re gone now. Both were released in moves that demonstrated the Saints have upgraded the bottom of their roster.

They’ve also upgraded the middle and the top by adding guys like running back Mark Ingram, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, running back Darren Sproles, center Olin Kreutz, defensive end Cameron Jordan and defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin. Sproles was the franchise player for the Chargers last year, and Franklin held the same tag with the 49ers.

On the Saints, they’re going to be role players. Same with Ingram and Jordan, a pair of first-round picks, at least at first. This roster is jammed with talent that runs from established stars such as quarterback Drew Brees and linebacker Jonathan Vilma, to rising stars such as safety Malcolm Jenkins and tight end Jimmy Graham, and right on down to rookies Martez Wilson and Johnny Patrick.

Wilson and Patrick are third-round picks, and the Saints have high hopes for Wilson as a linebacker and Patrick as a cornerback. But that’s down the road. The Saints are so loaded at those positions -- and everywhere else -- that Wilson and Patrick will probably be nothing more than special-teams players this season.

Think of them for the moment as replacements for Reis and Prioleau. A pair of journeymen have been replaced by third-round picks with the possibility of big futures. That’s called upgrading.

“I’d like to think we’re a little deeper in our roster,’’ coach Sean Payton said. “We were able to, during that brief free agency period, pick up a couple players. Each year is different, but I feel like we’re a little deeper right now.’’

Maybe that’s why observers repeatedly said Payton seemed slightly more relaxed during training camp than any of his five previous seasons. He’s still intense, like just about every head coach in the league, but those who’ve watched him throughout his tenure say he showed signs he knows he has the deepest team he’s had and one of the best rosters in the league.

Does that automatically translate into the Saints getting back to winning the Super Bowl? Of course not. The 2009 Saints were good, but, like most Super Bowl champions, they also were a bit lucky at various times throughout the season.

There’s also the matter of a very well-stocked NFC, with the Atlanta Falcons also loaded with talent in the same division, and the Philadelphia Eagles considered the conference favorite by many. Oh, and there are the Green Bay Packers, the defending Super Bowl champions whom the Saints open their season against Thursday night at Lambeau Field.

The last two Super Bowl champions kicking off the season in an historic venue -- it’s the stuff movie-script writers come up with, not NFL schedule makers. But the Packers might be carrying more of a burden than the Saints. They’ll carry the title of defending Super Bowl champions, a load the Saints toted last season.

“You’ve got to answer all the questions about the hangover and you feel like you’re being scrutinized every step of the way,’’ Brees said. “You lose a game and people are like waiting for something bad to happen to your team so they can say 'I told you so.' There’s pressure with that and obviously the expectation level after winning a Super Bowl.’’

The Saints don’t have to worry about that this year. And the fact their roster is so deep and talented could open the door for them to step right back into Super Bowl form. At least on paper, it shouldn’t be that difficult.

The Saints are so much better than they were in 2009 in many ways. Guys like Jenkins, guards Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis were all very young players on that 2009 team. Now, they’re just hitting their primes.

The offensive backfield should be dramatically better. In 2009, the Saints used a combination of runners that included Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell. Thomas was the best of the bunch that year, but he should be just a role player this season.

Ingram might be better than the Saints have let on. He might be the most complete back this franchise has had since Deuce McAllister was young and healthy.

“He’s a really talented back,’’ Brees said. “He’s just got great instincts and he’s a pure runner. You watch him run and you say, 'Man, this guy was born to be a running back.'"

Throw in Sproles, who should be able to do everything Bush did, except get injured often, and the backfield should be much better. So should the run defense.

Rogers and Franklin are proven run-stoppers, and both made it clear they wanted to finally play on a team that has a chance to win big. That’s going to make life easier for Ellis, who was pretty good even when he was playing next to a very ordinary Remi Ayodele the last couple seasons.

That’s also going to make things easier for Vilma and a linebacker corps that should be better than it was in 2009 and last season. The Saints won the Super Bowl with Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle as their starting outside linebackers. They were nice complementary players, but not big playmakers. It looks like the Saints will go with Casillas and Will Herring on the outside this year. They’re younger and fresh legs could lead to more big plays.

The secondary should be better than 2009. Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter are firmly established as the starting corners, and the Saints have high hopes for Patrick Robinson, a first-round pick last season, as the nickel back. I know free safety Darren Sharper was a fan favorite in 2009 and there’s no question he was an important part of that team’s success. But he wore down at the end of that season and is gone now. For those who don’t believe me when I say Jenkins now is better than Sharper was early in 2009, let’s talk at the end of the season.

The receiving corps -- Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem -- is pretty much the same as it was in 2009. But Graham has replaced Jeremy Shockey as the pass-catching tight end. Graham’s younger and more athletic than Shockey.

Consider that another upgrade on a team that has plenty of them. A lot of teams like to intentionally sell themselves short as they enter a season. The Saints aren’t doing that, and that’s probably because they’re looking at their roster and seeing what they have.

“We all know the potential here,’’ Brees said. “But we’re not going to take anything for granted and assume that we can walk out there with the talent that we have and we’re going to scare people away with our talent. That’s not the way it works. You’ve got to go out and make plays and prove it every time out. I like what we have. I think we have the opportunity to be great. But we still have a lot of work to do.’’

We know the New Orleans Saints can play offense and there’s no doubt that will happen when the regular season comes along. But the Saints didn’t even need their offense in a 24-3 victory against the San Francisco 49ers in their preseason opener at the Superdome.

The defense and special teams gave the Saints a fast start as Drew Brees and most of the first-team offense didn’t even stay in long enough to get a first down.

New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams looked like he was prepared for a playoff game, not an exhibition. He blitzed like crazy and the first-team defense was all over San Francisco starting quarterback Alex Smith. Safety Roman Harper spent as much time in the backfield as any of San Francisco’s running backs. Heck, Williams was even calling run blitzes.

The Saints also got a big boost from undrafted rookie Joe Morgan, who returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown. People thought Darren Sproles would make everyone forget Reggie Bush, but Morgan might be making a case to stay on the roster to handle some returns.

Some other observations on the Saints.

• Brees left the game with about five minutes left in the first quarter and only completed one of four passes for six yards. Smart move by Sean Payton to get Brees out of there quickly. When you have a quarterback like that, you don’t need to take any chance of getting him hurt in a preseason game.
• Brees did throw one perfect deep pass, but Robert Meachem dropped it.
• Backup Chase Daniel took a big hit out of bounds soon after replacing Brees. He got up, holding his side. Made me wonder for a second if the Saints have a phone number for Jake Delhomme? He’s a Louisiana guy and, if he’s going to play again, the Saints would be a tempting option. But Daniel seemed to shake off the hit and completed 13 of 21 passes for 129 yards.
• The Saints didn’t even need the blitz all the time. With a bit of help from defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, Will Smith had a nice sack on Smith.
• Nice debut by rookie running back Mark Ingram. He had a 14-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half that brought back memories of Deuce McAllister.
• Linebacker Jonathan Casillas hasn’t been getting much work with the first-team defense. But he had a strong outing and that could earn him some work with the starters as camp goes on.
• Rookie cornerback Johnny Patrick went down near the end of the third quarter with what appeared to be a leg injury. It was unclear how serious the injury is, but the Saints already are thin at cornerback. Tracy Porter and Fabian Washington already have missed camp practices with injuries.

METAIRIE, La. -- Jonathan Vilma grabbed the question and treated it much the same way he would a running back.

He grabbed it forcefully and drove it straight to the proper destination.

“It’s really very, very simple,’’ the middle linebacker for the New Orleans Saints said. “If we want to get back to being the Super Bowl champions, we have to play defense the way we played it in 2009, not the way we did in 2010. We have to go out there and start making turnovers happen again.’’

It's not as though the 2010 season was a complete disaster for the Saints. They went 11-5 and made the playoffs. But they went out to Seattle for the first round of the postseason and got upset by a team that didn’t even have a winning record. That ended New Orleans’ defense of its first Super Bowl championship, and Vilma puts the reason for that squarely on the defense.

“Look, we still had [quarterback] Drew Brees and all sorts of weapons on the other side of the ball,’’ Vilma said. “Last year’s problem wasn’t our offense. It was our defense. We just didn’t make things happen the way we did in 2009. We played well at times, but we also left a lot of big plays on the field because, for whatever reason, we just didn’t make the same plays we did the year before.’’

Vilma points to one statistic to demonstrate his point. In 2009, the Saints were +11 in turnover ratio. In 2010, they were -6.

They have the personnel to reverse that trend, and Vilma said a little more help from the defense could be all it takes to get back to the Super Bowl.

“You think of McDonald’s and you think of Burger King, you know what you’re going to get across the world,’’ Vilma said. “So we want people to think of Saints defense, you know what you’re going to get. You’re going to get takeaways, hitting, relentlessness, running to the ball. I think we’re starting to build that brand, we are still working toward it, and one thing we won’t do is take a step back.”

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Can the defense really get back to 2009 form? Yes, it’s very possible. Gregg Williams is one of the league’s best and most aggressive defensive coordinators. When I visited camp recently, the defensive players were picking up every loose ball, even well after plays were done. That’s something Williams brought when he arrived in 2009. It didn’t really stop in 2010. But you can tell the Saints are approaching loose balls with much more gusto in this camp.

That’s great, but just taking that mental approach won’t be enough. The Saints have made some personnel moves that should make the overall defense better and that should help produce turnovers. The Saints added defensive tackles Shaun Rogers and Aubrayo Franklin and suddenly are much bigger on the defensive line. Rotate Rogers and Franklin with a healthy Sedrick Ellis, and the Saints suddenly could be much stronger than they’ve been in the middle of the line in recent years.

That should help the pass rush, particularly Will Smith, Alex Brown and rookie Cameron Jordan. Smith and Brown didn’t get as much pressure on opposing quarterbacks as the coaches would have liked last season. Pressure is the key to a Williams defense. If the Saints can get pressure, the turnovers will come naturally.

2. Is the defense really to blame for last year? Not quite as much as Vilma claims. He’s right that the defense wasn’t the turnover machine it was in 2009. But the offense wasn’t exactly the perfectly tuned machine it was in the Super Bowl season. The Saints scored 64 touchdowns in 2009 (and five of those came on interception returns by the defense), but that number dropped to 44 last season. Maybe the defense could have helped a bit more with field position, but this offense had some flaws.

It’s tough to criticize Brees, who has carried the Saints since his arrival in 2006. But numbers don’t lie, and they’ll tell you Brees had an off year last season. His passing yardage and touchdowns were similar to 2009, but the huge difference was interceptions.

Brees threw only 11 interceptions in 2009 but had a career-high 22 last season. He never missed any playing time or complained about it, but Brees never seemed to be quite the same after injuring his knee in a Week 3 game with Atlanta. That might have had more to do with his "slump'' than we'll ever know.

But Brees has had a whole offseason to recover, and I expect him to bounce back. His cast of receivers remains largely the same, and replacing center Jonathan Goodwin with Olin Kreutz should not hurt an offensive line that already is very good.

3. How will the Saints use their running backs? Whether you loved him or not, Reggie Bush is gone and that’s going to have an impact. Although he never put up huge numbers, Bush was the kind of player who made defenses account for him every time he was on the field.

It’s easy to say the Saints will try to replace Bush by committee and, to some degree, that’s true. They brought in Darren Sproles to do a lot of what Bush did -- run outside, catch passes out of the backfield and work as a return man. They also have Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory, who are pretty solid all-around backs.

But the biggest offensive move the Saints made this offseason was drafting Mark Ingram. He’s a running back who can do everything well, and he'll probably be used the way Deuce McAllister was in the early years of coach Sean Payton’s tenure. Sproles will inherit the packages Bush was in on, but Ingram’s going to get most of the playing time -- and carries.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Nobody got very excited when the Saints added Will Herring. That’s understandable, because he spent four seasons in Seattle as a backup linebacker and special-teams player. Herring has only seven career starts, but a coaching staff and front office that’s been known to find some steals might have another one. Herring has been getting most of the first-team work on the strong side in training camp, and the coaches have been raving about him. He’s quick and he’s smart, and the change of scenery apparently has him playing better than ever.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

When he’s healthy and on the field, Tracy Porter is a solid cornerback. But Porter hasn’t been on the field this training camp. He’s been walking around the sidelines with his left knee wrapped as he recovers from offseason surgery. There’s hope that Porter will be ready for the regular season, and there is even higher hope that he’ll be motivated to have a huge year because he can become a free agent after the season.

But there’s also some skepticism, because this isn’t the first injury for Porter. He missed four games last year and four the year before. Fellow starter Jabari Greer also has a history of injury problems. If Porter and Greer have more problems, the Saints could be thin at cornerback. They signed veteran Fabian Washington, but he’s missed some camp time with an injury.

The upside is that the absence of Porter and Washington has given second-year pro Patrick Robinson and rookie Johnny Patrick more work. Williams has been praising both of them. If either or both continue to impress and Porter’s recovery lingers, we could see a change in the lineup. That also wouldn't help Porter's chances of earning a big contract and staying with the Saints next season.

OBSERVATION DECK

• Wide receiver Robert Meachem was a close runner-up for the biggest-surprise category above. Meachem is coming off ankle surgery for an injury that slowed him last year, and he's having an excellent camp. He’s caught just about every pass thrown his way and seems to be moving much better than a year ago. Meachem was a force as a deep threat in 2009, and it looks like he might be returning to that form.
• Herring has been working on the strong side and Scott Shanle on the weak side. But nothing’s settled yet. Herring appears headed for a starting job, but Shanle is aging. The Saints have liked what they’ve seen from Clint Ingram and Jonathan Casillas, and they know what they have in Jo-Lonn Dunbar. They’ll probably go through several preseason games before deciding firmly on their starting linebackers. Even then, they could still rotate linebackers because the coaches view all of them as pretty close to equal.
• One linebacker who is struggling a bit is third-round pick Martez Wilson. You can see he has good athleticism, but he looks lost at times during team drills. The Saints aren’t anywhere close to being ready to give up on him because he has lots of upside. But a lot of fans thought he’d be an instant starter. That’s not going to happen.
• The Saints never have been afraid to take a shot on a reclamation project, and that’s what they did with Rogers at defensive tackle. He came into the league with a lot of hype back in 2001 but had spent his career stuck with some pretty bad teams in Detroit and Cleveland. Rogers even lost his starting job with the Browns last year, and there have been questions about his conditioning and attitude throughout his career. But this might be a perfect fit. Rogers is on a good team for perhaps the first time in his career, and Williams is a master motivator. Even if Rogers doesn’t work out, I like how the Saints hedged their bet by bringing in Franklin.
• The Saints also took a shot on another former first-round pick. That’s offensive tackle Alex Barron. But he’s not off to a great start. He’s been sidelined by injury, and unless he comes back soon and makes a big impression, he probably won’t make the roster.
• Since entering the league in 2009, punter Thomas Morstead has been known as a guy with a big leg. That hasn’t changed. But Morstead put in a lot of work on his directional punting in the offseason, and you can see the results in practice. That should help the defense with field position.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- I've spent the day watching the Carolina Panthers practice and doing interviews. Now, it's time to catch up on the headlines from around the entire NFC South.

• Former Atlanta running back Jerious Norwood agreed to terms with the Rams and he’s not the only former NFC South runner who could end up in St. Louis. Jim Thomas reports, Tampa Bay free agent Cadillac Williams remains on the Rams’ radar. The Bucs have said they would like to bring Williams back. But, presumably, that’s only at the right price and only if they can’t find someone better. According to league sources, the Bucs made overtures toward Darren Sproles before he agreed to terms with New Orleans.

• The Saints agreed to terms on a contract that will keep tight end David Thomas with the team. This one’s significant. Although second-year pro Jimmy Graham figures to be the main pass-catching tight end, Thomas is an all-around tight end, who can contribute as a blocker and receiver.

• The Saints also agreed to terms with veteran defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin. That gives them some solid depth behind Sedrick Ellis and Shaun Rogers.

• New Orleans right tackle Jon Stinchcomb said he’s feeling healthy again after playing through much of last season with a torn quad muscle.

• D. Orlando Ledbetter lays out the scenario on Atlanta restricted free-agent cornerback Brent Grimes, who has yet to sign his first-round tender. Basically, the Falcons have the right to match any offer Grimes receives and would receive a first-round pick as compensation if he leaves. The Falcons also could sign Grimes to a long-term contract.

• Stephen Holder supplies a refresher course on the rules of safety Tanard Jackson’s suspension. He’s not eligible for reinstatement until Sept. 22 and cannot practice with the Bucs during training camp. Jackson was in the final year of his contract when he was suspended last year for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. As a result of that, the remainder of his contract rolled over to this year and the Bucs still have his rights. In the meantime, Tampa Bay appears content to open the season with Sean Jones and Cody Grimm as the starting safeties.

• Former Atlanta defensive lineman Jamaal Anderson has agreed to terms with the Colts.

There was a time in the early years of the NFC South when top-notch defensive tackles roamed and controlled the division.

Tampa Bay’s Warren Sapp and Carolina’s Kris Jenkins were making Pro Bowl rosters and All-Pro teams and publicly arguing that each was the best defensive tackle in the game. They were rare talents, but there were other members of the species in the division in those days. Guys like Brentson Buckner and Anthony McFarland weren’t bad, and Carolina’s defensive line once refused to pose for a four-person picture unless the frame was expanded to five to include super-sub Shane Burton.

But then, sometime in recent years, the last of the space-eating dinosaurs disappeared. Defensive tackles became a non-factor, even an embarrassment around the NFC South.

Take the game in Charlotte near the end of the 2008 season when Tampa Bay, featuring journeymen Chris Hovan and Ryan Sims in the middle, looked like it was giving Carolina’s running backs a 7-yard head start. Or think back to 2007 and 2008 when New Orleans was scoring all those points and Drew Brees was throwing for all those yards. At the same time, the Saints were turning in mediocre records. That was because of the defense’s poor play all around, particularly in the middle of the defensive line.

Things have started to change in recent years with NFC South teams realizing they need to get back to their roots. They’ve been investing early-round draft picks and big money in defensive linemen and it's about to pay off.

Let’s go ahead and make a prediction now. If there is a 2011 season, it will be the year of the defensive tackle in the NFC South. Everywhere you look there’s a defensive tackle -- in some places, two defensive tackles -- poised to emerge as a force. It could be the year when the NFC South gets back to having Pro Bowlers or All-Pros at defensive tackle.

Let’s survey the landscape of who’s on the verge of emerging.

Buccaneers. After Hovan and Sims contributed to Jon Gruden losing his job, the Bucs weren’t able to do much right away at defensive tackle because they were too busy landing franchise quarterback Josh Freeman. But in 2010, they used their first two draft picks on Gerald McCoy and Brian Price and they also discovered Roy Miller, a valuable role player.

This is still a project because McCoy and Price suffered season-ending injuries in their rookie years. But these are two extremely talented players and the Tampa Bay coaching staff is convinced they’ll emerge.

Price, a second-round pick, looked like he was going to be an instant star when he showed up for his first minicamp and training camp. There was a buzz that he might be better than McCoy, a first-round pick. But Price got banged up in camp, never got completely healthy and appeared in only five games before the Bucs sat him down and he had surgery that included the insertion of four screws into his pelvis.

When the lockout ended very briefly in late April, Price showed up at One Buccaneer Place and indications were that he’s well on the way to being ready for this season. Same for McCoy, who had arm surgery. After a slow start, McCoy had come on with several strong games in a row right before the injury.

McCoy is completely healthy and has spent much of the offseason in San Diego working to add upper-body strength. Throw a healthy McCoy and Price out there with newly drafted defensive ends Adrian Clayborn and Da'Quan Bowers and the Bucs suddenly could have a star -- or two -- in the middle.

Saints. Sedrick Ellis was drafted in the first round in 2008 and his first two seasons were interrupted by injuries. He played a full season in 2010 and responded with a career-high six sacks while playing the run well.

At the end of last season, the only thing between Ellis and greatness was having another strong defensive tackle next to him. That’s why the Saints signed Shaun Rogers just before the lockout started. Rogers is coming off three mediocre seasons in Cleveland, but he had some big years before that in Detroit.

New Orleans is a place where there’s a track record of veterans getting their careers going again. If Rogers can bring anything to the table, Ellis has a chance to emerge as the division’s best defensive tackle.

Falcons. For the past two years, Jonathan Babineaux has been the division’s best defensive tackle. But that’s sort of like putting a kid on a Little League baseball all-star team even though he came from the league’s worst team because every team has to be represented. Babineaux is solid, but he has been the best by default.

Babineaux probably is going to stay solid for the next few years, but the player the Falcons think really has a chance to become a force this year is Peria Jerry. He was their top draft pick in 2009 and his career has been kind of a sad story. He got hurt early as a rookie, suffering a major knee injury that the Falcons have never fully described.

Jerry returned last season, but ended up playing behind rookie Corey Peters, a third-round draft pick. Just when it looked like you could go ahead and declare Jerry a bust, coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff stepped up and shed a little more light on his situation.

They still wouldn’t go into exactly what his surgery entailed, but at the NFL owners meeting in March, Smith and Dimitroff independently admitted last year was something of a “recovery’’ season for Jerry. They said their plan was to play him sparingly because his knee was not 100 percent.

They went on to say people with Jerry’s type of injury usually take two full years to recover and said they have high hopes for him. If Jerry can somehow get back to being the kind of player the Falcons thought he was when they drafted him, they could plug him in next to Babineaux and Atlanta suddenly could have a new face as its best defensive tackle.

Panthers. You can make a case that this position has been the weakest unit for any NFC South team since the moment Jenkins finally was granted his two-year request for a trade after the 2008 season. Yeah, Maake Kemoeatu could fill as much space as Jenkins, but he couldn’t move.

With Kemoeatu gone last year, the Panthers used a collection of journeymen, got pushed all over the field and went 2-14. Carolina has a major rebuilding program and they started it by using the first pick in this year’s draft on quarterback Cam Newton. But right after that, it instantly became obvious where new coach Ron Rivera was turning his attention.

The Panthers didn’t have a second-round pick, but had two in the third round. They used them to take defensive tackles Sione Fua and Terrell McClain. Both could start right away. After they were drafted, Rivera kept talking about how Fua and McClain would allow the linebackers to play "downhill." That’s a start.

It’s hard to say right now that a third-round draft pick is going to be a star. But if either or both of those players can allow linebacker Jon Beason to run free or make plays, Carolina’s defense instantly will be better than it has been in several seasons.

There’s a reason why the New Orleans Saints have been one of the NFL’s best teams the past couple of years.

Sure it helps that they have Drew Brees as their quarterback. But there’s more to it than that. What sets the Saints apart is their willingness to be aggressive -- on and off the field. The latest example came Tuesday night.

As much of the rest of the league sat around waiting for a possible labor lockout, the Saints were making some aggressive moves. They signed defensive tackle Shaun Rogers to a one-year contract worth around $4 million and they reached agreement on a five-year contract to keep kicker Garrett Hartley.

Think of the Rogers’ deal as being similar to the Saints acquiring linebacker Jonathan Vilma or tight end Jeremy Shockey in trades or signing cornerback Jabari Greer and safety Darren Sharper as free agents in the past. Those moves helped the Saints win a Super Bowl in the 2009 season.

With Vilma, Shockey, Sharper and Greer, the Saints identified players they felt they really needed. There was competition for each of those three and the cost wasn’t cheap. But none of that stopped the Saints. General manager Mickey Loomis approaches his job the same way coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams approach their jobs. Loomis goes out and makes sure he gets want he wants.

That’s what he did with Rogers, a guy who had some very good years in Detroit and Cleveland before being reduced to a role player with the Browns last season. The Saints have a definite need at defensive tackle. They have a good young player in Sedrick Ellis and not much else. They had been getting by with Remi Ayodele as the starter next to Ellis. But Ayodele was nothing more than a large body. He could help stop the run, but wasn’t capable of making big plays.

Rogers should bring that ability to the Saints. Plug him in next to Ellis and the defensive line suddenly could be very good. Even if it’s only for a year, this move could really help the Saints. Shockey and Sharper helped the Saints in the short term. Now, Shockey has been released and Sharper may retire or leave through free agency.

Rogers could be a one-year patch. Or he could be more. If he goes out and has a good season, the Saints will treat him the same way they have Vilma and Greer, who are part of their core. No matter how it works out, you can’t accuse the Saints of standing still.

The Hartley signing is slightly different because the Saints are simply retaining one of their own players. But a five-year deal for a kicker is an aggressive move. I’d expect nothing less from the Saints. They’ve had some kicking issues in recent years. But they feel Hartley has solidified that position, so they’re going ahead and locking him up for the long term.

We’ve had a couple of big-name releases in the NFL on Monday. Washington cut ties with running back Clinton Portis and Chicago released defensive tackle Tommie Harris.

I haven’t had a chance to check the mailbag yet, but I’m sure there already are some questions about if either player might be a fit in the NFC South. Let’s start with the usual labor clarifications. Portis and Harris would be available to sign as free agents immediately since they were released and didn’t become free agents by playing out their contracts. But the window of opportunity could be very limited. If a labor lockout starts Saturday, as many expect, Portis and Harris would join the other 500 or so potential free agents in a situation where all signings would be frozen until there is a new labor agreement.

Could Portis or Harris be candidates to get anything with an NFC South team by the end of the day Friday?

Let’s take a look at each and we’ll start with Portis. He once was one of the league’s top running backs, but he’s 29 now and has a lot of mileage. His days as a feature back probably are over, but Portis could fit in as a role player. I think Carolina’s set at running back. Tampa Bay’s got LeGarrette Blount as a feature back and would like to keep Cadillac Williams as a third-down back. The Bucs could use a quality backup for Blount, but I’m thinking they want a younger set of legs. Same for Atlanta, as the Falcons search for a speed back to go with Michael Turner and Jason Snelling.

That leaves New Orleans and I see Saints as the one team in the division that could have an interest in Portis. Chris Ivory will be back and Reggie Bush probably will be back. Pierre Thomas is likely to leave as a free agent and that means the Saints need someone to go in their rotation with Ivory and Bush. My gut is the Saints would like to get a younger running back, but they’re the team in the division that has shown the most willingness to bring in veterans in recent years. Might be a long shot and the Saints may wait until everything is sorted out with the draft and the labor situation, but New Orleans is the one team I could at least see looking into Portis.

Now, let’s move to Harris. He was a three-time Pro Bowler, who fell out of favor and into a limited role last season. But he is a guy who could produce some with a fresh start. I’ll scratch Tampa Bay and Atlanta off the list immediately because they seem set at defensive tackle and have lots of youth. Carolina has a need and Ron Rivera was in Chicago for part of Harris’ time there. Even though the Panthers might use the first overall draft pick on Auburn’s Nick Fairley, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of bringing in Harris.

New Orleans at least make sense in the case of Harris. The Saints have Sedrick Ellis, but not much else at defensive tackle. The Saints had very good luck bringing in linebacker Jonathan Vilma and decent luck with tight end Jeremy Shockey, a pair of guys who had flamed out in their previous homes. Although Shockey was released last week, the Saints got some production from him. I view Harris as a guy like Vilma and Shockey. He still has some ability, but wasn’t a fit in Chicago. I’m not saying Harris will come in and suddenly be a Pro Bowler again, but I think he’d be an upgrade for the Saints and that makes him worth at least considering.