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Atlanta Falcons

Coach Mike Smith reveals the process of persuading Tony Gonzalez to return to the Falcons for one more season, including a personal visit to Gonzalez' home in California.

Five finalists, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, are in the running to build the new $1 billion stadium for the Falcons.

Which player is the wildcard to boost the Falcons' pass rush? Jay Adams, of the team's website, says look no further than Stansly Maponga.

Central Florida’s Kemal Ishmael "looks to have all the potential in the world on paper, and comes into next week’s start of OTAs with a solid college career," Adams reports.

Carolina Panthers

On Tuesday, the Panthers begin their first of 10 OTAs, and CarolinaPanthers.com writer Max Henson lists five storylines to watch, focusing on Mike Shula running the offense and cornerback depth. Also, the Charlotte Observer's Joseph Person lists his own OTA storylines, including Jon Beason's status, and areas for Cam Newton to work on.

The Salt Lake Tribune profiles Panthers' first-round pick Star Lotulelei, who was "once a 'lazy' student, by his coach’s account, Star is now a husband, father and good example to a brother, Lowell, who will follow him in the University of Utah’s program. Lotulelei also is about to become only the sixth first-round draft choice from a Utah high school."

Defensive tackle Colin Cole, who signed with the Panthers in February, is working hard to return from injury and show he can be a starter again.

New Orleans Saints

A potential bidder for Super Bowl LII in 2018 includes New Orleans. The Times-Picayune's Jeff Duncan writes "New Orleans is expected to go 'all in' for the event, which would highlight the city's yearlong tricentennial celebration."

The Saints began their transition to a 3-4 defense with defensive captain Will Smith working at outside linebacker, rather than the defensive end spot.

New Orleans has waived defensive end Braylon Broughton. His roster spot will be filled by defensive tackle Isaako Aaitui.

How Sean Payton's third defensive coordinator in three seasons handles the defense after last season is one of the major questions on the field as the Saints begin OTAs Tuesday, according to the Times-Picayune's Larry Holder.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

New Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis talks with NFL.com's Andrea Kremer about his attitude toward returning to the field with a new team and in a new city. Revis: "This ain't like New York. Sunny all day, every day."

Following the first practice of OTAs on Monday, Bucs coach Greg Schiano told local reporters that there is no quarterback controversy in Tampa Bay. “We have our starting quarterback. It's Josh Freeman,” Schiano said.

This is the age of the young quarterback, writes NFL.com, which is counting down the top 10 quarterbacks 25 or under during the next two weeks. The series kicks off Tuesday with Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman, who is a talented quarterback, but "can be a different player from quarter-to-quarter, game-to-game."

Atlanta Falcons

General manager Thomas Dimitroff tells D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the Falcons are not in a rush to get a contract together for quarterback Matt Ryan because, "We all know that Matt is going to be here for a long time."

For those who are interested in the Falcons' new stadium, the Atlanta Business Chronicle presents two slideshows that illustrate the proposed designs, as well as an illustration of how the stadium could spur more development.

Carolina Panthers

Can Panthers quarterback Cam Newton continue to evolve into a marketing star? ESPN.com's Kristi Dosh examines where Newton stands and what it will take to cash in on more endorsements.

"Regardless of what type of season (Jon Beason) has, the Panthers should cut him at the end of the season. He won’t help them, so they shouldn’t help him," writes Brett Jensen of CBS Charlotte.

New Orleans Saints

Defensive tackle Tom Johnson tells the Sun Herald he's primed for a new position in the Saints' new defense, and he's ready for his role to expand.

Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt was one of many current and past Saints coaches and players who took part in the Black & Gold Classic on Friday, the Times-Picayune reports. "I came to support the cause and these great players," Vitt said of the event, which benefits the Green Beret and Navy Seal Foundation.

Cameron Jordan is ready to take on new coordinator Rob Ryan’s 3-4 defense, a change from last season’s 4-3 alignment under Steve Spagnuolo that led to historically infamous results.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Is Josh Freeman feeling the pressure to win in 2013? If he's not, the Tampa Tribune's Ira Kaufman writes the veteran quarterback should be.

Rookie quarterback Mike Glennon talks about his goals for his first season with the Buccaneers.

Shelton Quarles, Jon Gruden, Josh Freeman and Doug Martin were just a few of the participants in a Celebrity Waiter Night to benefit Quarles' IMPACT Foundation.

I’ll be off this week, but please keep an eye on the NFC South blog.

Our editors will post links, videos and anything that’s relevant to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints. We’ll have a pinch hitter for Friday’s Eight in the Box and I left one item that will post Thursday in connection with a project we’ll be running on our main NFL page. There will be no NFC South chat on Friday.

I’ll be back with you next week.

We had all sorts of great questions in Friday's NFC South chat. Here's a team-by-team look at some of the highlights:

ATLANTA FALCONS

eric (arcata, ca) [via mobile]: the last time the falcons dropped 100 mill on a qb it didnt turn out as well. do you think this time is different with matty ice and do you think he deserves it? thanks pat and happy Friday.

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, I think he deserves it. He's produced five straight winning seasons and I don't think there are any off-field concerns with Ryan.

Sean (Vegas): Which rookie in the NFCS is going to have the biggest impact?

PY: I'll say Desmond Trufant. Think he starts right away and opposing offenses will challenge him right away.

Nathan (Mayer): Pat, if Matt Ryan doesn't have an extension does he hold out?

PY: I seriously think something will get done before camp.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Rick (Charlotte,NC): Is it time to start giving David Gettleman a little credit for what he has managed to do with the Panthers given the situation he had going in?

PY: Yes, he's making the most out of it. And I think the DeAngelo restructure was bigger than people realize. They freed up cap room in 2014 and '15, which is hugely important because they already were way over where the '14 cap is going to be.

Hank (Charlotte, NC): What do you see Gettleman doing with the money D-Will's restructure freed up?

PY: I wouldn't get your hopes up too high. Might make a mid-level move or two. But I think he's just setting up as much carry-over money as possible for next year's cap.

Prashanth (San Jose): Pat, I liked your piece on the Panthers OC Shula where you mentioned that he should be better at this role than he has been in the past, due to better talent he has at his disposal. But I am still concerned that conservatism is a deep instinctual behavior and this may well affect the Panthers offensive production this year. What do you think?

PY: Give Shula a chance. Think you might be pleasantly surprised. He had nothing to work with in his Tampa days. Plus, some of the conservative nature (maybe most of it) was due to Dungy. Shula and Rivera are coaching for their jobs. I think they'll play to their strengths.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Scott (CJS): Why do you think Sedrick Ellis is out of a job? From what I remember, he was solid for the Saints.

PY: Wouldn't say he was solid. I'd say he was an underachieving former first-round pick.

Brian( Kenner LA ) [via mobile]: Hey Pat. Just a quick statement. I don't think the Saints D is as bad as the stats say. Everyone, even you, thought it was a middle of the pack D last year and with the additions of Bunkley and Lofton they were better. So when you throw in a new coach and all the bounty stuff. I feel like they were set up for failure. With the additions this year and some normalcy, I see a bounce back. At least to the middle of the pack. Which is all they need. Thoughts??

PY: If they can get to anywhere near the middle of the pack on defense, Saints will be in great shape.

Paul (Knoxville): Any chance the Saints are setting up to release Harper, sign a veteran S (Woodson?) to replace Harper, and start Vaccaro..then upgrade the pass rush?

PY: Half of Harper's base salary is guaranteed. They'd take a cap hit if they cut him.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Nicolas (Parkland, FL): Is there a good chance that Mike Glennon starts at QB over Freeman in the first regular season game?

PY: Let's not get carried away. Freeman's going to camp as the starter and I expect him to open the season in that role. If he starts off poorly ...well, then things could change.

Darin (Louisville, Ky): Hey Pat with a healthy Bowers and Clayborn, and the addition of Gholston and Spence... How u think the pass rush will compare to that of last year?

PY: Remains to be seen. But I think it's pretty clear the Bucs have very big expectations for Bowers. We'll see if he can deliver. The potential is there.

BMand (Sarasota, FL): When is Revis expected to be able to fully participate in practice?

PY: Dominik has said he's confident Revis will be ready for start of training camp.

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

The Atlanta Falcons jumped into the business of signing draft picks Friday.

The team announced it has signed defensive ends Malliciah Goodman and Stansly Maponga, and safeties Kemal Ishmael and Zeke Motta. Goodman was a fourth-round pick and Maponga was chosen in the fifth round. Ishmael and Motta both were seventh-round picks.

Cornerback Desmond Trufant (first round), cornerback Robert Alford (second round), tight end Levine Toilolo (fourth round), and quarterback Sean Renfree (seventh round) remain unsigned.

Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs) will be a part of the cost of the Atlanta Falcons’ proposed stadium, but the cost to fans won’t be as high as it was at some other recently opened stadiums.

That was the message from team president Rich McKay on Thursday night as he addressed fans during the team’s State of the Franchise event.

“We’ve said from the very beginning that we do believe PSLs will be part of this program,’’ McKay said. “You all know (team owner) Arthur (Blank) and what he stands for, his values and how he wants to deliver this stadium. We will not be at the levels that were done in Dallas, done in New York and done in other places. Ours will be a much more modest program.’’

McKay had a lot more to say about stadium matters, and you can check it all out in this video.

With the release of right tackle Tyson Clabo and the retirement of center Todd McClure, the Atlanta Falcons have a lot of uncertainty on their offensive line.

Coach Mike Smith didn’t set forth any concrete plan Thursday night at the team’s State of the Franchise event.

“There’s going to be an open, big competition with our offensive line,’’ Smith said. “We’ve got some young guys that we’ve drafted and they’re ready to step in and do it. I can’t say to you right now who’s going to line up (where), but it’s going to be very, very competitive.’’

Smith did reveal that the departures of Clabo and McClure mean there likely will be three new starters on the offensive line. Smith said Peter Konz, who spent most of his rookie season at right guard, will move inside and compete with Joe Hawley for the starting spot at center.

I think it’s fair to say that Konz is the favorite to win that job. But the right guard and right tackle positions appear to be wide open.

Smith said Garrett Reynolds and Mike Johnson will compete for the starting job at right guard and Johnson will compete with Lamar Holmes for the starting spot at right tackle. Holmes and Johnson are recent draft choices who haven’t received a lot of playing time. But that appears likely to change.

“The one thing I think everyone needs to understand about our movement is that we have drafted young guys to learn and be schooled and learn along the way,’’ general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “This is the time where they need to step up. This is their time. We needed to do this. It’s time for our young guys to develop and we have faith in them.’’

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A look at key players for each NFC South team who are coming back from injuries:

Atlanta Falcons: Bradie Ewing was ticketed for the starting fullback job as a rookie last season. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, and the Falcons were forced to juggle fullbacks. That’s one reason why the running game never really got on track last season. The Falcons want a more consistent running game this season, so they brought in running back Steven Jackson to replace Michael Turner. But Ewing is a key component to the running game. If he’s back at full strength, he’s going to get a lot of work as Jackson’s lead blocker.

Carolina Panthers: Linebacker Jon Beason has had three surgeries in the past 17 months, and has played in only five games over the past two seasons. But Beason is only 28, so it’s possible he can get back to being an impact player and a leader of the defense. However, Beason is going to have to do that while switching positions. Luke Kuechly is firmly established at Beason’s old middle linebacker position. Beason will move to the outside. If Beason is healthy, he, Kuechly and Thomas Davis have a chance to become one of the league’s best linebacking corps.

New Orleans Saints: Linebacker Jonathan Vilma was slowed by knee problems the past two seasons. But Vilma has said the knee issues are a thing of the past, and he feels better than he has in several years. If that turns out to be true, that could be a huge boost for a defense that ranked No. 32 in the league last season. But Vilma, 31, is going to have to make some adjustments to his game as the Saints switch to a 3-4 defense. It’s a scheme Vilma did not thrive in when he was with the New York Jets early in his career.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa Bay’s vision of having the league’s best guard tandem went out the window when guard Davin Joseph suffered a season-ending knee injury last preseason. But the vision is back with Joseph set to make his return. If Joseph and Carl Nicks, who missed the final nine games of last season with a toe injury, can get back to full strength, Tampa Bay should be dominant in the middle of the offensive line. It’s scary to think what running back Doug Martin can do with a pair of Pro Bowl guards in front of him.

Without locking into any time frame, Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said he’s confident a contract extension will be worked out with quarterback Matt Ryan.

Dimitroff was asked by a fan for a status update during Thursday night’s State of the Franchise event.

“Obviously, Matt’s going to be with us here for a long time,’’ Dimitroff said. “We’re hoping to win many, many more games and many bigger games in the future. There’s no time frame on this right now. I can’t be specific. What I will say is we will be working very diligently over the next few months to make sure we secure someone who we believe is one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League.’’

Of course, that means Ryan will expect to be paid like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. That means a salary of somewhere around $20 million a year.

The salary range is pretty well set, but there is a lot more to consider. The structure of the deal will be key because the Falcons want to balance Ryan’s contract under the salary cap throughout the course of the deal.

That’s going to take some work, but I’m guessing something will get worked out before training camp. Knowing Dimitroff and Ryan, I don’t think they want this lingering and being a distraction during the season.

When he meets with the media, Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith almost always comes across as polite and not very emotional.

But he’s a football coach and you get the sense there’s a lot more inside of him. A glimpse of what a Smith pep talk to his team must look like emerged Thursday night as the Falcons held their annual State of the Franchise event. You can see the video here (skip ahead to about the 59-minute mark to see Smith get really animated).

“I’ve talked to the team about it and I’m going to share it with you as well," Smith told a crowd of several thousand fans. “I’ve heard it a lot. After I came out of a week and a half of not sleeping and not watching the Super Bowl, I heard a lot of people talking about, 'We were 10 yards away.'"

It’s well known that the Falcons were 10 yards away from the Super Bowl as a last-minute drive came up just short as Atlanta lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. But Smith put that close call into perspective as it pertains to the 2013 season.

"Listen folks, that was 2012," Smith said. "Our only focus right now is on 2013. We’re not 10 yards from the Super Bowl. We’re like every other team in this league fighting to get to the same place. We’re 261 days from going to New York and getting a chance to go play in that. So we’re done talking about that 10 yards. We’re moving on and looking forward, folks. It can’t get here quick enough."

Smith’s right. Although the Falcons appear loaded on paper, they have a long road ahead and they’re not starting off 10 yards from the Super Bowl.

Let's take or morning run (or bike ride) through some news and notes from around the NFC South:

ATLANTA FALCONS

General manager Thomas Dimitroff is taking part in National Bike To Work Day. I don’t think we’ll see any roster moves out of the Falcons this morning.

Quarterback Matt Ryan turns 28 today. That’s a prime age to become one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks. The Falcons have stayed quiet about where negotiations are for an extension, but I suspect a deal will get done before training camp.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Linebacker Chase Blackburn figures to be a backup and special-teams player. But he’d be a starter if the Panthers were fielding a baseball team. Blackburn hit three home runs as members of the Panthers, including coach Ron Rivera, took batting practice before a Charlotte Knights game.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

The Saints have signed defensive tackle Isaako Aaitui. He’s spent time with the Dolphins and Jets, and will compete for a roster spot behind Brodrick Bunkley and John Jenkins.

Quarterback Luke McCown, who was cut by the Saints in the preseason last year, said he’s more optimistic about his chances of making the roster this year. He should be. Chase Daniel had a firm grip on the backup job last year. With Daniel leaving via free agency this year, the backup job is wide open. McCown and Seneca Wallace will compete for that spot, and McCown might have the early advantage because he knows the offense.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

With David Garrard reportedly retiring, Tampa Bay’s opener against the New York Jets could become even more of an intriguing game, Stephen Holder points out. The game already was matching up Tampa Bay cornerback Darrelle Revis against his former team. With Garrard gone, it means the Bucs could be going against rookie quarterback Geno Smith.

A quick reminder that our weekly NFC South chat will be held Friday at 1 p.m. ET.

We’ll talk about all things Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. Bring your questions and join us.

Here’s your free ticket into the NFC South chat.

I had to look long and hard, but I found a positive statistic about a member of the New Orleans Saints’ defense.

Cornerback Keenan Lewis led the NFL with 17 pass breakups (passes that were batted, tipped or defensed) in the 2012 season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Sixteen of those breakups came on passes defended and that also was a league high.

Of course, that came while Lewis was playing for Pittsburgh. But his ability to be around the ball should provide a nice boost for a New Orleans defense that ranked No. 32 last season.

There is one downside with Lewis. He has a tendency to draw big penalties. Lewis was called for seven penalties for 143 yards last season. Cleveland cornerback Buster Skrine (eight penalties for 150 yards) was the only player in the NFL to accumulate more penalty yards.

We haven’t heard much about Cam Newton lately.

Since early last season, it seems Newton has been overshadowed by a bunch of young quarterbacks. Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III started winning and took a lot of attention off Newton, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011.

But it would be a huge mistake for anyone to overlook Newton. Call it bouncing back, breaking through or whatever you want, but I’m predicting a big 2013 season from the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers. Yeah, I’ll even step out on a limb and say he has a better 2013 season than Wilson, Kaepernick, Luck and RG III.

Why?

Several reasons pop to mind, but let’s start with this -- Newton has more all-around talent than any of those guys.

Luck can pass nicely, but opposing defenses don’t have to game plan for his running ability. Wilson, RG III and Kaepernick each have some throwing ability, but they aren’t pure pocket passers, and their big 2012 seasons came largely because of their mobility.

Newton is capable of more than any of those guys, because he’s as mobile as RG III, Kaepernick and Wilson. At the same time, he’s as good a pocket passer as Luck.

A lot of people think Newton slumped in 2012. But that’s not necessarily true. His numbers were comparable to his rookie season, but his visibility lessened because the Panthers didn’t take the leap many expected.

They went 7-9 and were largely overlooked.

But you can’t overlook Newton and the Panthers headed into the 2013 season, and that takes us back to Newton’s rare ability. He is so talented, I don’t think Carolina’s coaching staff really knew how to maximize his ability in his first two seasons.

For reasons that never have been explained and I sure as heck can’t figure out, the Carolina coaching staff didn’t take advantage fully of what Newton brings or what else was on the roster at the start of last season.

Although the Panthers had a talented (and very pricey) backfield with DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert, they barely used that trio at the start of last season. Instead, they featured Newton heavily in the read-option early last season.

In other words, they turned their quarterback into a running back.

Opposing defenses didn’t have to worry much about Newton’s passing, and that was one of the major reasons the Panthers got off to a 2-8 start.

That changed down the stretch. The Panthers got back to using a power running game, and they let Newton be a pocket passer. They won enough games to save coach Ron Rivera’s job.

Rivera and his staff took notice of what happened late in the season, and that is another reason I think Newton is in for a big season. Rivera has said he wants to rely more heavily on the power running game in 2013.

In other words, it sounds like the Panthers are going to let their running backs be running backs, and they’re going to let Newton be a quarterback. That sounds to me like a formula for success.

Carolina is going through a change. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski left to become the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and former quarterbacks coach Mike Shula is taking over the play-calling duties.

Shula had a reputation for being too conservative when he was the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, and the head coach at the University of Alabama. But, like Newton, I think Shula is ready for a breakout season.

Part of the reason Shula was so conservative in previous stops was because he didn’t have big-time talent at the skill positions. He has that talent now with Newton, the running backs, receiver Steve Smith and tight end Greg Olsen.

I still expect Shula to be a bit more of a traditionalist than Chudzinski, but I think that’s a good thing. He’s going to rely on that running game more, and that’s going to open up the passing game for Newton.

Newton threw for more than 7,900 yards in his first two seasons. He also rushed for more than 700 yards in each of his first two seasons.

Newton’s legs are a valuable asset, and the Panthers can’t ignore that. The Panthers can use the threat of Newton’s running skills to keep defenses off balance, but they also need to keep their offense balanced.

I think they need to adjust things a bit and take an approach similar to what they were using at the end of last season. Scrap the read-option, or at least cut way back on it. Let Newton use his legs to scramble and keep plays alive.

But, first and foremost, let Newton be a passer.

There aren’t many quarterbacks in the league with Newton’s arm strength. The Panthers need to play to that strength.

If they do, Newton won’t be overlooked anymore, and this team could be in the playoffs.

The numbers are in on the four draft picks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed.

Cornerback Johnthan Banks, a second-round choice, and quarterback Mike Glennon, a third-round pick still remain unsigned. But here’s a look at the deals that have been given to Tampa Bay’s rookies so far:

• Defensive tackle Akeem Spence, a fourth-round pick, received a four-year deal that’s worth $2,644,424. Spence collected a $484,424 signing bonus.
• Defensive end William Gholston, a fourth-round pick got a four-year deal worth $2,560,544. Gholston’s deal included a $400,544 signing bonus.
• Defensive end/linebacker Steve Means, a fifth-round pick, got a $191,752 signing bonus on a four-year deal that’s worth $2,351,752.
• Running back Mike James, a sixth-round pick, got a $103,152 signing bonus and his four-year deal is worth $2,263,152.