The longtime rivalry between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons has been heating up in recent years, both because of how good the teams have been and because of some elevated trash-talking. Last year, the Saints ruffled a few Falcon feathers when some of their defensive players celebrated and posed for pictures after their Week 16 victory inside the Georgia Dome.

The Falcons are mostly insisting that they have either forgotten about that incident or that it wasn’t a big deal, though some players insisted last year that they would keep it in the back of their minds.

“There is trash talk every week,” Falcons tailback Michael Turner told the Atlanta media. “We know we don’t like each other. We’ve been fighting each other since 2008 for this division. It’s a rivalry game. …

It’s pretty close. This is one of the most overlooked rivalries in football right now. We’ve been playing some great games. We respect each other, but when it comes down to Sunday, we try to be the better team.”

Receiver Roddy White was asked specifically about the postgame celebration, after which Saints defensive tackle Remi Ayodele was quoted as saying, “I pissed on the Falcons logo.” Saints players insisted afterward that they meant no disrespect to the Falcons, and that they often pose for pictures after big road victories.

“Oh wow, that’s kind of crazy,” White said. “They came down here and got a W. They can kind of do whatever they want to do. That’s kind of what happens. When we won down there, we kind of went on the field. It happens. We kind of did our thing when we went down there and won the game. They won, so congratulations to them.

“This is a whole new year. A whole new team; different players and things like that. We’ll be ready to get a W and keep them out of the middle of our field.”

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — There’s a buzz about a first-round draft pick in Atlanta Falcons training camp and, in this case, we’re not talking about receiver Julio Jones.

We’re talking about Peria Jerry, the defensive tackle the Falcons drafted in the first round in 2009. Listening to his teammates and coaches and even watching Jerry move around in Thursday morning’s walk through gave me flashbacks to when I was here right about this same time of year in 2009.

Jerry was showing all sorts of signs of being a player who would have an immediate impact in his rookie training camp. He instantly claimed the starting job next to Jonathan Babineaux and the Falcons thought they’d be set in the middle of the defensive line for a long time.

But disaster struck in the second game of that season when Jerry went down with a major knee injury. He came back in 2010, but, largely by design, played a limited role as a backup.

“Last year, coming off that knee injury, he wasn’t himself all the way,’’ middle linebacker Curtis Lofton said. “He really worked hard during the lockout and you can see a big difference in him. He’s an explosive player, a really explosive player and he’s really strong. He can play the gap and he can get to the quarterback and that’s what you want out of a defensive tackle.’’

Rookie Corey Peters did a solid job as a starter last season, but it sounds like there’s a chance Jerry might be working his way back into the starting lineup.

“Peria was drafted in the first round for a reason,’’ cornerback Dunta Robinson said. “When you see him on the field now, it just looks he’s playing with a lot more confidence. He’s out there running around and he’s loving football again. He can just focus on football now and I think he’ll be a devastating force for us.’’

Teammates and coaches are quick to point out Jerry is practicing without the knee brace he wore all of last season. When told that Robinson said he saw more confidence from Jerry this camp, coach Mike Smith said that’s accurate.

“I think that’s a great way to put it,’’ Smith said. “He’s very confident. He knows he can stick that leg in the ground, especially against the run and he’s able to bend on it as he’s rushing the passer. Peria, we feel like, is a guy who can get up the field. That’s the thing we liked as far as his skill set, he was a very active guy in terms of creating negative yardage plays.

“Peria did a very good job in the offseason. He came in very fit physically. He’s stronger than he was last year. When you’re talking about that type of injury, the second year is generally better than the first.’’

Read More: Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers

After a rumor that the Atlanta Falcons had signed Boise St. Broncos DL Ryan Winterswyk to play tight end, the Idaho Statesman’s Broncos beat writer confirmed the scuttlebutt. He’s got the physique for the position, and has apparently cross-trained enough that it wasn’t clear to many which position he’d eventually play.

He reportedly worked out as a tight end for the Miami Dolphins and other teams, though most also wanted to see his defensive line talents. The Falcons have room for depth at both positions, so I do hope they’ll try him out all over the place.

At this point, most teams have been attached to more than one undrafted free agent signing. While it’s a fool’s errand to try and keep up with all the UFA news right now, there are plenty of fools out there grinding, God bless them. You’ll have to assume the Falcons are operating in silence compared to teams like the Broncos, Panthers and Jaguars, who are all over the radar.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic. For more Boise State, head to One Bronco Nation Under God. For more NFL football, head to SB Nation NFL.

University of California defensive end Cameron Jordan will visit the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons this week, a source with knowledge of the situation said Monday.

The Saints (No. 24 overall pick) and Falcons (No. 27) are looking for help on the defensive line, and Jordan, the son of ex-Minnesota Vikings tight end Steve Jordan, fits that need. At 6-foot-4 and 287 pounds, he can play left end or shift inside to tackle if needed.

“I like to rely on my versatility because I played in a 3-4 and a 4-3, and I’ve played almost every position within it,” Cameron Jordan told NFL.com last month.

Many people peg Jordan as a first-round pick in the April 28-30 NFL draft, but he admits he needs to improve to play in the pros.

“It’s about refinements of technique,” Jordan said last month. “In the run game, working on my ability to keep my eyes up. When I don’t, I lock out, my head goes down and linemen can pop my arms, my arms fall, my head follows — it’s not a good look. From a pass-rush standpoint, I need to refine some of my techniques to make it more crisp.”

The guy who might be the perfect draft pick for three NFC South teams, might be getting as close to the division as he’s going to come Monday and Tuesday.

That’s when Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan will visit the Atlanta Falcons. It’s easy to picture Kerrigan, who had 33.5 career sacks in college, stepping right into Atlanta’s defensive line rotation. It’s just as easy to picture him someday taking over for veteran John Abraham as the team’s top pass rusher.

But here’s the catch on why Kerrigan probably isn’t going to make it to the NFC South. The Falcons have the No. 27 overall pick. The Saints are No. 24 and the Buccaneers No. 20.

Even if you go on the assumption that Kerrigan ranks slightly behind North Carolina’s Robert Quinn, Missouri’s Aldon Smith and Clemson’s Da’Quan Bowers, who seems to be falling in most mock drafts due to concerns about a knee injury, it’s difficult to imagine Kerrigan still being available when the NFC South really gets on the clock in this draft.

Jacksonville, New England and San Diego pick at Nos. 16, 17 and 18 respectively and all have strong needs for a pass rusher. The other three defensive ends are likely to be gone by then and I saw it almost as an impossibility for Kerrigan to last past the Jaguars, Patriots and Chargers.

I think the defensive ends available when the NFC South (aside from No. 1 Carolina) begins picking will be guys like Georgia’s Justin Houston, Iowa’s Adrian Clayborn and Ohio State’s Cameron Heyward. I can see Heyward perhaps fitting well in New Orleans, but he’s not the real edge rusher that Tampa Bay and Atlanta are probably looking for. Houston and Clayborn could be possibilities for the Bucs and Falcons.

Kerrigan’s visit to Flowery Branch might be the final look the Falcons get at this defensive end. Probably the only way the Falcons can land Kerrigan is to trade up 10 or 12 spots in the draft.