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It’s pretty safe to assume the Atlanta Falcons won’t be making any big free-agent signings or trades early Friday morning.

That’s because general manager Thomas Dimitroff will be getting to the office a bit later than usual and, presumably, he won’t be taking any calls on his cell phone. Dimitroff will be riding his bicycle to work and will be taking a circuitous route, although it’s probably a lot safer than riding a bike on Atlanta’s major freeways.

As part of National Bike to Work Day, Dimitroff will be leaving the Publix at 2900 Peachtree Road NW in Buckhead at 7 a.m. He’s scheduled to arrive at the team’s facility in Flowery Branch sometime between 10 and 11 a.m. Dimitroff will follow Buford Highway for the majority of his 40-mile route.

“Cycling has always been something that I have enjoyed,” Dimitroff said. “On Friday, I get to combine my enjoyment for cycling with my passion for the Atlanta Falcons. I am pleased to work with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition again as we support Bike to Work Day. May is National Bike Month and I hope that everyone gets a chance at least one day this month to get out and spend some time on their bike.”

It seems like the flow of news on the Saints’ bounty program finally has slowed and we’re entering a slow time of year, so let’s have some fun.

I’ve asked our friends at SportsNation to assemble the accompanying poll to let you vote for whichever NFC South backup quarterback you think is the best.

Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Josh Freeman have been pretty healthy. Despite the drama, you have to assume Brees’ contract situation will be resolved before the start of training camp. So I don’t see any NFC South team having to turn to its backup anytime soon, but what if something unexpected happens? Which team would be in the best shape if it had to play its backup quarterback?

I’m not sure there’s a clear-cut choice here. Tampa Bay added Dan Orlovsky as a free agent and he comes with a little momentum after leading the Indianapolis Colts to two victories late last season and he's definitely an upgrade over previous backup Josh Johnson, but Orlovsky didn’t throw a single pass in 2009 or 2010. The rest of the division’s backups are the same as they were last year.

New Orleans backup Chase Daniel has attempted eight passes in three seasons with the Saints. I’ve seen him in practice and preseason games and think he could probably do a decent job of moving a very talented New Orleans offense. But there’s really no regular-season evidence to support that.

Carolina’s Derek Anderson didn’t attempt a pass last season. But he has a fair amount of experience. He has 43 career starts and did throw for almost 3,800 yards with Cleveland in 2007. Anderson’s offensive coordinator that year was Rob Chudzinski, who now runs Carolina’s offense. Anderson has plenty of familiarity with the system, so I don’t think the Panthers would be in dire straits if they had to play him.

Atlanta’s Chris Redman hasn’t had to play much at all since Ryan arrived in 2008. Even before that, Redman pretty much was a career backup. But I’m going to cast my vote for Redman.

I’m taking the cautious approach. I’m picking him mostly because he’s 34 and first came into the league in 2000, although he sat out the 2004, ’05 and ’06 seasons. Redman has sat through hundreds of quarterback meetings and taken thousands of practice snaps.

Throw him into a game with Atlanta’s skill-position talent around him and I think Redman is the NFC South backup quarterback with the best chance of succeeding. But you’re free to disagree. Go ahead and cast your vote.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had an exciting free-agency period and added a promising draft class, but I’m not so sure that means Raymond James Stadium will be packed in the 2012 season.

Most of you know the history. The Bucs have sold out only two home games in the past two seasons and most of you know that home games that aren't sold out aren't broadcast live locally.

You would think the addition of the free agents (Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright), the draft class (highlighted by Mark Barron, Doug Martin and Lavonte David) and coach Greg Schiano would create some excitement in the Tampa Bay area. I live here and I sense there is some excitement, but I’m not sure that’s going to translate into instant sellouts. At the NFL owners meeting in March, Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said the team had seen some growth in season-ticket sales after the free-agent signings. But Glazer wasn’t ready to predict that Tampa Bay would sell out most of its games. Glazer declined to say where Tampa Bay's season-ticket base stands.

Glazer might have been wise to hold back his optimism. There’s a less-than-encouraging report out about Tampa Bay’s economy. According to the quarterly Consumer Distress Index put out by the credit counseling agency CredAbility, no major metropolitan area is as stressed as Tampa Bay in the combined factors of job market, tight credit, household budget constraints, lower net worth and the job market.

Yes, Tampa Bay has moved ahead of Detroit. The Miami area also didn’t fare well in the report and that comes after there’s been talk about the Dolphins having problems selling season tickets. The Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled to sell tickets for several years. As a state, Florida ranks fifth in terms of financial distress for consumers.

The Jaguars, with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback, aren’t exactly an exciting team right now. Miami fans have griped about the team’s offseason, with the Dolphins coming up short in attempts to land Jeff Fisher as their coach and Peyton Manning as their quarterback.

The Bucs might have the most exciting – and potentially the best – team in Florida. But the lagging economy means the Bucs might not see big results at the box office.

In financial terms, two NFC South teams are swimming in very shallow rookie pools.

I got a look at the league-wide numbers for rookie pools (the amount of salary-cap space that can be used on 2012 draft picks this season. The New Orleans Saints have the NFL’s smallest rookie pool at $2.271 million.

That’s due to the fact the Saints had only five draft picks and none came before the third round. New Orleans traded away its 2012 first-round pick last year and had to forward its second-round pick as part of the punishment for the bounty program. Numbers for the rookie pool are determined by how many picks a team has and where those picks were located in each round.

Under the collective-bargaining agreement that came into existence last summer, each team also has a limit on the total value for the life of all the rookie contracts and the Saints are limited there as well. The maximum total compensation the Saints can pay their rookies over the course of their first contracts is $12.495 million. The Saints are the only NFC South team yet to sign a single draft pick.

The Atlanta Falcons aren’t far behind the Saints. They’re No. 2 in the NFL in terms of the smallest rookie pool at $2.861 million, narrowly edging out Oakland, which is No. 3 with a $2.862 million rookie pool. The Falcons were without a first-round draft pick because they traded it away as part of the deal to get Julio Jones in 2011. The Falcons also are capped at $15.736 million to pay their five draft choices over the course of their contracts. Atlanta has signed all of its picks except for fifth-round defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi.

The Carolina Panthers are somewhere right around the middle of the league with a $5.5 million rookie pool. The Panthers had seven draft picks. All of them have signed and the total value of their contracts is $29.293 million. That’s just about $700,000 less than the cap on what they could have paid all their picks over the course of their contracts.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had two first-round picks, have the division’s largest rookie pool at $6.166 million and the Bucs can pay their seven rookies as much as $33.9 million over the life of their contracts. Tampa Bay has signed all of its rookies except for first-round choices Mark Barron and Doug Martin and second-round choice Lavonte David.

But the Bucs aren’t even close to having the league’s largest rookie pool. That honor belongs to the Cleveland Browns, who had 11 picks and have a rookie pool of $9.7 million.

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

• I don’t know if it will change anything, but New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith and former Saints Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove will have appeals of their suspensions for their roles in the bounty program heard by an arbitrator Wednesday. Even if nothing comes of this, this isn’t the end of the line. The NFL Players Association has filed a separate grievance with the league’s system arbitrator. They also have filed an appeal with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who issued the punishments in the first place.

• Although the Saints have a veteran coaching staff and roster, Jeff Duncan writes they already miss suspended coach Sean Payton. I think the Saints potentially can weather this one, but it’s going to be a process and some assistant coaches and some of the leadership among the players will have to step forward to help compensate for some of the intangibles that left the building with Payton.

• Here’s a column that takes issue with the prospect of taxpayer money being used to potentially finance a new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. I totally understand the argument that the people of Georgia have other needs and that Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank already makes plenty of money. But, in today’s NFL, you need state-of-the-art stadiums to stay competitive. It may not be ideal, but the norm is for taxpayers to pick up at least some of the tab for a new stadium.

• Speaking of sports and the economy, let’s go a little outside the box. I don’t do much reading in the world of finance, but a former co-worker passed along this column by a financial planner, who writes that recent events have caused him to lose his life-long passion for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NFL in general. The author concludes that professional sports are a waste of time, money and energy. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but he brings up some points worth pondering.

• Former Carolina Panthers running back Stephen Davis was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. Davis earned the honor exclusively for his spectacular high school career, when he was nicknamed “Little Herschel’’ after Herschel Walker. But I’ll always remember Davis for his role in the Panthers’ 2003 season. That year, Davis arrived in Carolina and instantly became the focus of the offense. Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad each made some big plays along the way, but Davis was the glue to the Carolina offense as the Panthers went to their only Super Bowl.

• Brian Allee-Walsh has a theory that agent Tom Condon isn’t simply looking for a new deal for New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. He speculates that Condon is trying to raise the bar for all quarterback contracts. There’s some logic in there because Condon’s agency represents nearly half of the NFL’s starting quarterbacks.

NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas talks about the plans for Falcons rookie lineman Peter Konz.

The Atlanta Falcons announced Tuesday evening that they have signed offensive tackle Lamar Holmes, who was drafted by the team in the third round (No. 91 overall).

Holmes, a Southern Mississippi product, now gives the Falcons five draft picks with contracts.

Only a fifth-round pick, defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi, remains unsigned.

Let’s take a run through the evening headlines from around the NFC South.

— According to this unique formula, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the least home-field advantage in the NFL from 2009 through 2011. On the flip side, the New Orleans Saints ranked behind only the New England Patriots when playing at home during that same span. The Falcons were No. 5 in the Georgia Dome and the Panthers No. 20 at Bank of America Stadium.

— Former Atlanta quarterback Steve Bartkowski was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday. He’s not the only player in the Class of 2012 with NFC South ties. Linebacker Mark Simoneau, who started his NFL career with the Falcons and had a later stint with the Saints, also was elected.

— It’s been a turbulent offseason for the Saints, but Wednesday night should provide a respite. The third annual Heath Evans Softball Classic will be held at Zephyr Field, which is adjacent to the Saints’ practice facility. More than 30 members of the Saints are expected to take part in the charity event.

— Mike Triplett writes that the Saints seem convinced their offense is in good hands with coordinator Pete Carmichael running the show while coach Sean Payton is suspended for the 2012 season. There’s good reason for that. Carmichael took over the play-calling duties last season when Payton suffered knee and leg injuries in a sideline collision and the offense didn’t miss a beat.

— Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said he was pleased with his team’s effort, but not its execution, in Tuesday’s organized team activity. Take this as another sign that Schiano is a stickler for detail. I was out there for the practice and the Bucs didn’t look all that bad, considering they have a new coaching staff and are just getting started with their on-field work.

— Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount is saying all the right things after the Bucs used a first-round pick on running back Doug Martin. Blount said he views the starting job as his “until they take it away." Martin’s got the edge because he’s the kind of all-purpose back Schiano wanted. But Blount is talented and the competition could inspire him to become a more well-rounded running back.

While I was off last week, Matt Williamson did some pinch-hitting and ranked the NFC South backfield situations. He put the Carolina Panthers at No. 1.

No argument here at all. In fact, Williamson’s case just got a little bit stronger.

The Panthers claimed running back Armond Smith off waivers from Cleveland on Tuesday and waived defensive back Reggie Sullivan.

This might not seem like a big deal because Smith has all of three career carries. But think about Carolina’s coaching staff and think how the NFL is a copy-cat league. At least on paper, Smith, 5-foot-9 and 194 pounds, is only a slightly larger version of Darren Sproles. Refresher course time: Carolina offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski used to be an assistant in San Diego. Sproles used to be a pretty good running back in San Diego, before he went to New Orleans and became great last season.

Yeah, comparing Smith to Sproles is a big stretch at this point. But Chudzinski could be picturing Smith in some packages in which he would play a similar role to Sproles. Carolina already has a loaded backfield with Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams sharing the feature-back role and the Panthers added running back/fullback Mike Tolbert (another former San Diego player) this offseason.

That backfield could be even better if the Panthers sprinkled in a few carries and a few catches per game for a speed back like Smith.

I just got a look at contract numbers for most of the deals that have been signed so far by NFC South draft picks. Let’s take a run through them.

Linebacker Luke Kuechly, who was taken ninth in the first round, got a four-year deal worth $12.6 million with a $7.6 million signing bonus.

From the second round, Carolina offensive lineman Amini Silatolu got a four-year deal worth $4.9 million that includes a $2 million signing bonus. Atlanta offensive lineman Peter Konz got a four-year deal worth $3.6 million, including a $1.1 million signing bonus.

From the fourth round, Carolina defensive tackle Frank Alexander got a four-year deal worth $2.6 million, including a $470,252 signing bonus, and Carolina receiver Joe Adams got a four-year deal worth $2.6 million with a $467,552 signing bonus.

Defensive back Josh Norman, a fifth-round pick by Carolina, got a four-year deal worth $2.3 million, including a $199,000 signing bonus. Carolina punter Brad Nortman, a sixth-round pick, got a four-year deal worth $2.2 million, including a $78,680 signing bonus.

From the seventh round, Tampa Bay running back Michael Smith’s deal is worth $2.2 million with a $65,148 signing bonus. Also, Carolina defensive back D.J. Campbell got a deal worth $2.2 million with a $62,248 signing bonus, Tampa Bay tight end Drake Dunsmore’s deal is worth $2.1 million and includes a $49,000 signing bonus and Atlanta defensive tackle Travian Robertson’s contract is worth $2.1 million with a $45,896 signing bonus.

TAMPA, Fla. -- We previously told you about Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman’s weight loss. Now, let’s run through some other news and notes from the Buccaneers’ workout that was open to the media Tuesday.

• There was one pretty unusual scene out on the field. Kicker Connor Barth showed up, prompting some speculation that he had reached a long-term deal or signed his franchise tender. It turned out neither was the case. Barth wore his jersey, but stood on the sidelines and watched his teammates practice.

“It was his decision to come in and be with his teammates,’’ general manager Mark Dominik said. “That’s who Connor is. He hasn’t signed anything.’’

Dominik said talks continue with Barth’s agent about a long-term deal.

• The Bucs held rookie running back Doug Martin out of the workout due to a slight hamstring strain. Martin worked with the team’s training staff on an adjacent field.

• Dominik said the team has some hope that defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, who tore his Achilles tendon last week, might be able to play at some point in the 2012 season.

“We’re hopeful,’’ Dominik said. “We’ll see how his rehab goes in the next few months before deciding what list to put him on.’’

• At Tampa Bay’s first minicamp, coach Greg Schiano described moving veteran cornerback Ronde Barber to safety as an “experiment." But it’s looking more like that experiment could turn into Tampa Bay’s real plan for the regular season. Barber still was working at safety Tuesday.

“I like the way he’s performed so far,’’ Schiano said. “The final piece will be live play. Our whole deal with each personnel group is to get the best 11 on the field.’’

• Running back LeGarrette Blount said he’s using the fact the Bucs used a first-round pick on Martin as motivation to hold onto his job as the No. 1 running back.

"Them drafting a running back might be what I needed to become an every-down back,’’ Blount said.

• 
  Defensive tackle Brian Price was held out of practice because of dehydration and a high fever, but is expected to be back at work Wednesday, his agent said.

TAMPA, Fla. -- It appears there’s a growing trend among NFC South quarterbacks. At least some of them are changing body types this offseason.

Atlanta’s Matt Ryan is bulking up, saying he wants to stay fresh late in the season and into the postseason. Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman wants similar results, but he’s taking a different approach.

A slimmed-down Freeman spoke to the media after Tuesday’s organized team activity and said the decision to shed weight this offseason was entirely his.

“I feel good,’’ Freeman said. “I like this new stuff we’re doing.’’

Freeman said he now weighs between 240 and 245 pounds, after playing at about 258 to 260 pounds last season. But Freeman was clear in saying he doesn’t think his weight was the problem as he and the Bucs slumped last season. Freeman was quick to point out he played at 262 pounds in 2010, when he threw for 25 touchdowns and six interceptions and the Bucs went 10-6. But he said the weight loss should help with his conditioning.

“His desire to be great,’’ general manager Mark Dominik said when asked what prompted Freeman to lose weight. “He really, really wants to be great. The calmness you see can overshadow the desire inside.’’

Freeman said he took a two-pronged approach to dropping weight since the end of last season.

“I stopped going to Taco Bell late at night,’’ Freeman said.

He also worked with trainer Grant Gregory, who played quarterback at the University of South Florida and Kansas State, after Freeman departed.

But the sleek look isn’t the only thing new for Freeman. He’s adjusting to a new offense that’s being implemented by coordinator Mike Sullivan. Freeman said about 80 percent of the offense has been installed. He wouldn’t go into much detail about the offense, other than to reiterate coach Greg Schiano’s philosophy of running the ball consistently and taking shots down the field. But Freeman did say the new offensive scheme and the addition of wide receiver Vincent Jackson should lead to fun.

“We try to wreak havoc in the secondary,’’ Freeman said.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are out on the practice field for an organized team activity -- in other words, they’re practicing.

I’m here at One Buccaneer Place. I’m heading out to the practice field now. We’ll see what’s going on and the media will have access to coach Greg Schiano and some players after things finish.

I’ll be back with notes and observations after the practice and interviews are over.

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

• The NFL Players Association's grievance against the NFL in the Saints’ bounty situation will be heard Wednesday by an arbitrator. If that doesn’t work, the Louisiana Legislature has passed a resolution to ask the NFL to lighten the penalties against the Saints.
• The Saints’ staff came away from rookie camp particularly impressed with the performances of receiver Nick Toon, a fourth-round pick, and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, a third-round pick.
• At least one person believes the Carolina Panthers found a huge steal in undrafted BYU offensive tackle Matt Reynolds.
• The Falcons continue to shuffle their personnel department after Les Snead left to become general manager in St. Louis and took along a couple members of the scouting department. The Falcons have promoted Lionel Vital to associate director of player personnel. The Falcons also promoted scouts Bob Kronenberg and Anthony Robinson.
• We all know the Panthers were horrible on special teams last season. Joseph Person has an overview of all the things the Panthers have done to try to improve in that area.
• The Buccaneers are ready to begin the most intense phase of their offseason workouts. They’ll be on the field a bit later Tuesday morning and I’ll be heading out to One Buccaneer Place to provide some observations.
• Tampa Bay kicker Connor Barth, who has been carrying the franchise tag, tweeted Monday night that he was on his way to Tampa and planned to join his teammates Tuesday. That’s a pretty strong sign Barth may have agreed to a long-term deal or, at very least, plans to sign his franchise tag.

We’re finally reaching the point where there’s some football news out of the New Orleans Saints.

The team had its rookie minicamp over the weekend and assistant head coach Joe Vitt, who is stepping in for suspended coach Sean Payton, and the coordinators met with the New Orleans media Monday afternoon. There was no major news, but I’m looking at the transcripts and seeing several items that are worth discussing.

The veteran Saints have yet to hit the field in their offseason workouts, but that will come next week. With the contract situation of quarterback Drew Brees still very much up in the air, the Saints have to prepare to take the field without their leader. The Brees situation could change with a phone call, but the Saints are preparing to begin their on-field workouts with Chase Daniel and Sean Canfield as their quarterbacks.

“We’re going to throw the volume of offense at them that we would in a normal week,’’ offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. said. “It won’t be any different in that aspect.”

The Saints aren’t ruling out the possibility of adding another quarterback before they hit the field. They had Brian Brohm in for a tryout during the camp and could possibly sign him or someone else in the coming days. But, for the moment, they’re looking at proceeding with the quarterbacks they have under contract.

“This is going to be an opportunity for Chase and Sean to get more reps and get a good look at those guys,’’ Carmichael said.

There have been reports the Saints and Brees have made no progress toward a long-term contract. Vitt said the negotiations are between general manager Mickey Loomis and Brees’ agent, but still remained optimistic that the quarterback will have a contract before training camp.

“I’ve never been a math major and I’m not an accounting major so there’s nothing I could advise Mickey to do that what he already knows how to do,’’ Vitt said. “Those guys are both on the same page and have the same aspirations and same goals. This is going to get done. I don’t (believe) anybody ever thought it was going to be easy. I think they’re both working to the same goal.”

Vitt and the coordinators also addressed several other topics of significance.

The Saints have re-signed veteran kicker John Kasay, who stepped in last year when Garrett Hartley was injured. Special teams coordinator Greg McMahon said neither kicker is guaranteed a roster spot.

“We’re going to make it competitive, absolutely,’’ McMahon said. “All phases of our team are. We re-signed John for a reason. Garrett knows that and it will certainly be good competition. It’s healthy. It’s good for us.”

Uncertainty remains about the status of linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith. The NFL has suspended Vilma for the entire 2012 season and Smith is scheduled to be suspended for the first four games of the season for their roles in the bounty program. But those suspensions are on hold because both players have appealed.

“Both of those players were in the building today and we’re moving forward,’’ Vitt said. “We had a great film session with these guys. I think I have to go back to what we said a couple weeks ago. We’re trying to win today. Today, we got a little bit better than yesterday. This weekend we got a little bit better than the previous weekend. We’re going to adjust those challenges when we have to face them.”

Vitt also said the Saints will open training camp at their facility in Metairie, but suggested they will spend some time practicing against one of their preseason opponents. The Saints open the preseason by playing in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio against the Arizona Cardinals. They follow that with a road game in New England, home games with Jacksonville and Houston and close out the preseason with a game at Tennessee.

“We’ll open up (camp) a little early because we have the Hall of Fame game and then we’ll probably go and practice against one of our upcoming opponents in training camp,’’ Vitt said. “I think Mickey’s ready to talk about it in a week when it gets settled, but we’ll go away, kind of like we did in California (last preseason) for a week. We did it two years before that in Houston. We’ll go away and practice with an opponent that we have in our preseason schedule.”

Vitt also addressed the status of running back Mark Ingram, who recently had arthroscopic knee surgery.

“I think anytime you see a player limping around with a late-season offseason surgery like he had, you’re concerned,’’ Vitt said. “What I’m not concerned about is his dedication to getting better and his accountability to his teammates. He’s shows up to treatment on time every day. He’s not late. He’s taken a good business approach to this thing. The surgery is probably something that he didn’t have to get done, but as an organization we all agreed that he should get it done to make him a stronger player. Mark a dependable guy now. He’s not going to miss his treatment. He gets his work done. You’re concerned obviously with this, but not much with him.”

Vitt said the Saints may proceed cautiously with Ingram at the start of training camp, but have no doubt he’ll be ready for the beginning of the regular season.