By Ryan Van Bibber

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Oct 14, 2011 – The Atlanta Falcons are reeling right now. Mike Smith’s team has just two wins, and last week stood by helpless watching the Green Bay Packers score 25 unanswered points to erase a 14-0 deficit for the win. Instead of battling with the Saints for the NFC South title, their locked in a fight for survival to stay out of the basement. 

Sitting in that basement and playing with the gusto that says they’ll do anything to get out of it are the Carolina Panthers, who pay a visit to Atlanta this week. Carolina has come close to upsetting some favorites, including the Saints and Packers. This could be the week they finally pull off that upset, leaping over Atlanta in the NFC South standings. 

Peter King predicts the upset in his picks for the week. 

Uh-oh. The fans at the Georgia Dome, lovebirds six weeks ago, turn boo-birds. I’ve been saying this for weeks: The Panthers are a far different team with Cam than without. (Duh.) Average score of 2010 games: Foe 26, Carolina 12. Average score of 2011 games: Foe 26, Carolina 23. Newton should be able to take advantage of a generous Falcons secondary.

The expert panel at ESPN split their picks for the game. Two of five pick the Panthers at CBS. 

For more on the Panthers, head over to Cat Scratch Reader. To get the latest on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic. 

Read More: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons, Oct 16, 2011 1:00 PM EDT

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The Atlanta Falcons’ head coach Mike Smith is familiar with the problems that facing an athletic quarterback can present for your defense. Smith will face one of the bright young stars in the NFL this week in the Carolina Panthers No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Cam Newton. Smith knows that you can’t lead the league in 20+ yard plays, like Carolina currently does, and not have someone doing something right under center.

Smith said as much after the Falcons’ practice on Wednesday. via atlantafalcons.com

“They’re number one in the League so they’ve got a very explosive offense that can cause you problems in a lot of areas and one is the quarterback with his ability to scramble, extend plays and put the pressure on your entire defense.” 

Smith has been coaching his defense on how to handle a player like Cam Newton, or at least how to try and contain him.

“Our guys, that’s a big emphasis point starting today, is that you’re going to have to cover longer. This is a guy that has shown in the first five games that he can extend plays and there’s that fine line of when you come out of coverage; we’ve seen it happen and he’s launched the ball 60 yards down the field. “

Another wrinkle that the Falcons will have to deal with is the option-attack that Newton and Carolina will use from time to time. It’s not something you see very often anymore in the NFL and is definitely something that you have to gameplan for, especially when facing a quarterback with the rushing ability that Newton possesses.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had to defend the option. Again, that’s part of their offense. In terms of what they’re doing, they have multiple packages. We’ve got to make sure that we are sound because the quarterback is a ball carrier. He’s their leading rusher down in the redzone, especially down there in the redzone and that creates a completely different dynamic.”

The Falcons take on the Panthers Sunday at 1pm in Atlanta. For more information and coverage on the Atlanta Falcons visit The Falcoholic.

On Tuesday, I ran this post on why I think the Atlanta Falcons will be the NFC South’s dominant team from 2014 through 2016. That generated a ton of comments and I can’t wait to open the mailbag.
I’m sure there are plenty of Atlanta fans out there who strongly agree with me. I’m also certain there are plenty of New Orleans, Carolina and Tampa Bay fans who totally disagree.

It’s possible any of those teams could be better than Atlanta in that time period. But some things need to happen for that to come true. For New Orleans, Drew Brees and Jonathan Vilma need to avoid the aging process and the Saints need to keep importing young talent.

For Tampa Bay, the Bucs already have a big piece of the puzzle in quarterback Josh Freeman. But they still need to surround him with more players on both sides of the ball. For Carolina, the Panthers need quarterback Cam Newton to show he was worthy of the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.

Now, it’s your turn to vote on the NFC South’s dominant team from 2014-16. Hit our Call It poll to the right with your vote.

A morning run through the headlines around the NFC South.

John Czarnecki has lists of lockout winners and losers. The Atlanta Falcons are No. 1 on the list of winners and the New Orleans Saints are No. 3. No argument here. I think the players for both of those teams have handled the lockout as well as possible and they’ve got veteran coaching staffs. The Carolina Panthers are No. 4 on the list of losers. Again, I don’t see any flaw with that thinking. New coach Ron Rivera hasn’t had any time to work with his players and that’s a big disadvantage.

Here’s a detailed list of all of Atlanta’s free agents and even a speculative list of undrafted free agents the Falcons could sign.

Steve Reed has an overview of what the Panthers might do coming out of the lockout. He says he expects the Panthers to add some mid-level free agents. I agree. This team started a youth movement and it’s not going to reverse course by going out and signing a bunch of big-name 30-year-olds.

Here’s some audio of me talking Panthers with my friends at Cat Crave Radio

The parents of New Orleans running back Reggie Bush, who played public roles in his controversial career at USC, reportedly are divorcing.

Charlie Campbell has a look at five prominent potential free-agent fits for the Buccaneers and five mid-level free agents. Although the Bucs will come out of the lockout with more salary-cap room than any team in the league, I wouldn’t look for them to go after too many of those prominent guys. They need to re-sign some of their own free agents and I think you could see them target some mid-level free agents.

Atlanta Falcons

AtlantaFalcons.com is running a tournament-style bracket to let fans decide who their favorite Falcons legacy player is. Today’s matchup: No. 7 Tommy Nobis vs. No. 10 Warrick Dunn.

Tony Gonzalez makes an appearance in Funny or Die’s “Field of Dream 2″ spoof of the NFL lockout.

Carolina Panthers

Wofford College and Spartanburg businesses have a lot riding on the outcome of pending NFL labor talks. Wofford has been the summer home of the Panthers for the past 16 years, but the lockout threatens to cancel training camp. Not hosting the Panthers would mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars for local businesses.

New Orleans Saints

A group of retired players has filed a complaint against the NFL, the named plaintiffs in the Tom Brady antitrust action and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. The retired players’ complaint takes particular aim at Drew Brees, one of the Brady plaintiffs, claiming Brees “voiced his antipathy for NFL retirees.”

The Saints’ homecoming against the Falcons in the rebuilt Superdome a year after Hurricane Katrina was a significant moment in the city’s recovery, according to an NC State University study.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A new CBA with a higher cap floor could lead a team like the Bucs, which has a low payroll, to spend big on free agents such as Nnamdi Asomugha, according to NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora.

The Bucs reportedly have no interest in signing Ronde Barber’s brother, Tiki, when free agency begins.

The team has promoted former college scouting director Dennis Hickey to director of player personnel.

Atlanta Falcons

Fox-5 in Atlanta has video of some Falcons players — including Stephen Nicholas, Bear Woods and Harry Douglas — working out with area children.

The American Institute for Stuttering will host a benefit gala honoring Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

Carolina Panthers

Seventh-round draft choice Lee Ziemba isn’t too worried about the lockout. “I feel like it’s all going to get worked out in the end. I’m not too stressed right now about it,” Ziemba said.

Coach Ron Rivera was as surprised as anyone when the NFL Coaches Association filed a brief with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals supporting the players in the NFL’s ongoing labor dispute.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints ranked No. 2 in FoxSports.com’s NFL organizational rankings, which grades teams based on six categories — owner, quarterback, head coach, front office, coaching staff and intangibles. The Falcons were No. 8, the Bucs 13th and the Panthers were 31st.

First-round pick Mark Ingram is striving to make an early mark with the Saints.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The attorney for cornerback Aqib Talib will ask for a quick trial in his case of an alleged assault with a deadly weapon. In an interview with PewterReport.com, fellow cornerback Ronde Barber described Talib as “a great teammate … a fun-loving, kind of gregarious guy” and that the team is “somewhat responsible for him.”

The Bucs signed their longtime radio play-by-play man, Gene Deckerhoff, to a two-year contract extension.

Championships aren’t won in February; rather they are won in May, June, July and August. Well, the Falcons are not the only team with players participating in player-organized minicamp and practice this offseason. Already, several other NFL teams have begun holding unofficial team practices in preparation for the coming NFL season.

The practices themselves range from large team-wide practices of over 40 players to small groups of 10 players working out together, oftentimes organized by a team captain or star player. Thus far, the Falcons find themselves in the former group, with over 30 players showing up at informal 7-on-7 practices led by QB Matt Ryan on offense and LB Curtis Lofton on defense.

Let’s take a look and see how the Falcons have stacked up against some of their division opponents.

Saints:  If this were an NFC South competition, the Saints would be winning. Saints players have been participating in an organized conditioning program held at Tulane University since as early as May 2 this offseason. The practices have been set up and led by none other than team captain Drew Brees, who has even covered staffing and insurance expenses, as well as lodging for some of the younger players. Clearly the Saints have shown a commitment to win this this offseason, and so far their level of organization and turnout has been quite impressive.

Buccaneers:  QB Josh Freeman has been organizing small, informal offensive practices at an undisclosed Tampa location, with a group of around 20 players turning out with regularity. There have been no large group defensive practices as of yet, though there has been talk between Freeman and CB Ronde Barber of organizing 7-on-7 drills similar to those held by the Falcons. Freeman has quickly established himself as a true force of leadership for a team that fielded the NFL’s youngest one in 2010.

Panthers:  The Panthers have found themselves arriving to the party a little late. No player-organized practices have been held at this point, although informal, non-contact workouts are scheduled to begin next week in Charlotte. First overall draft pick Cam Newton is expected to attend the workout. For rookies, especially at the quarterback position, learning a new offense is a task that often takes time and lengthy offseason preparation with teammates. The later the Panthers start practicing, you can bet the tougher of a time Newton will have in 2011.

As we move from May to June, the Falcons should probably start looking at moving beyond the 7-on-7 practice and getting the linemen involved as well.

For more on everything Atlanta Falcons, join The Falcoholic.

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The 2011 Atlanta Falcons schedule looks to be a promising one, and not just because of that cold-weather thing. Atlanta doesn’t draw a single team coming off its bye, two years after playing multiple teams with extra time to prepare, a grievance that has driven our Philadelphia Eagles community through the roof. That’s a pretty great setup.

The Falcons’ bye comes in Week 8 before their road trip to play the Indianapolis Colts. That should be one of the four or five toughest games of the season — plus the bye is right in the middle of the year — so it’s about as good a deal as Atlanta could get.

As far as short weeks go, the Falcons only have two. They play the Panthers in Carolina on Dec. 11, then host the Jaguars on Dec. 15. Charlotte’s pretty darn close to Atlanta, so, again, this is about as good a short week as one could ask for. Especially since Atlanta’s next game isn’t until Dec. 26, giving them almost another bye. The other short week is after that Week 16 Monday Night Football game. Nothing to complain about.

The bad part about that Week 17 game against the Bucs? Tampa Bay will have two extra days to prepare, as they’re playing on Saturday in Week 16. Other than that, though, Atlanta’s opponents don’t have any short or long weeks before playing the Falcons.

For more Atlanta Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL schedule talk, visit SB Nation’s NFL hub.

Read More: Atlanta Falcons

The 2011 Atlanta Falcons schedule looks to be a promising one, and not just because of that cold-weather thing. Atlanta doesn’t draw a single team coming off its bye, two years after playing multiple teams with extra time to prepare, a grievance that has driven our Philadelphia Eagles community through the roof. That’s a pretty great setup.

The Falcons’ bye comes in Week 8 before their road trip to play the Indianapolis Colts. That should be one of the four or five toughest games of the season — plus the bye is right in the middle of the year — so it’s about as good a deal as Atlanta could get.

As far as short weeks go, the Falcons only have two. They play the Panthers in Carolina on Dec. 11, then host the Jaguars on Dec. 15. Charlotte’s pretty darn close to Atlanta, so, again, this is about as good a short week as one could ask for. Especially since Atlanta’s next game isn’t until Dec. 26, giving them almost another bye. The other short week is after that Week 16 Monday Night Football game. Nothing to complain about.

The bad part about that Week 17 game against the Bucs? Tampa Bay will have two extra days to prepare, as they’re playing on Saturday in Week 16. Other than that, though, Atlanta’s opponents don’t have any short or long weeks before playing the Falcons.

For more Atlanta Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL schedule talk, visit SB Nation’s NFL hub.

Read More: Cam Newton (S – CAR), Carolina Panthers

With just over a week left, SB Nation’s weekly 2011 NFL mock draft is getting a bit more detailed. It’s a two-rounder this week, sending Cam Newton No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers.

The Atlanta Falcons get Pittsburgh Panthers DE Jabaal Sheard and Wisconsin Badgers TE Lance Kendricks. Both are tremendous athletes, but neither is without question marks — Sheard was charged with a misdemeanor last year for getting in a fight, while Kendricks isn’t known as the best run blocker despite playing in a thunderous, plodding offense.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers get Missouri Tigers DE Aldon Smith and Georgia Bulldogs OL Clint Boling, while the New Orleans Saints take Iowa Hawkeyes DE Adrian Clayborn and Illinois Fighting Illini LB Martez Wilson. With their second pick, the Panthers grab Alabama Crimson Tide RB Mark Ingram, apparently collecting Heisman Trophy winners from Alabama.

For more NFL Draft, visit Mocking The Draft.

For those just joining us, the Atlanta Falcons and Georgia State football are both scheduled to play football games in the Georgia Dome on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 1. Here’s the Panthers’ schedule, and here’s the Falcons’.

Georgia State football appears to have taken the matter to the Falcons and the NFL. We were told at Thursday night’s Panthers spring game the program has contacted the league and the team about what can be done here, since it would not be prudent to attempt to hold two football games in one stadium at the same time, as Clark Atlanta’s band deserves all the space it needs.

State has had their schedule completed for a longer period of time, as the NFL’s preseason schedule only came out a few days ago. Plus Georgia State has been trying to make Thursday night football a tradition, while the Falcons can play any old game on any old night.

However! The benefit for the Falcons of playing a Thursday game is that it would mean one more day of rest for players and one more day of postgame evaluation for the front office. Though that Friday is also available according to the NFL’s schedule, playing on Thursday would be better for the Falcons.

We have more on Falcons scheduling and general NFL scheduling. Falcons fans should join The Falcoholic, and Georgia State fans should visit SB Nation’s Panthers hub.

In SB Nation’s weekly 2011 NFL mock draft, the Atlanta Falcons get yet another new pass rusher: Pitt’s Jabaal Sheard. While Brian Galliford admits a player with “a checkered past” would be a departure from Thomas Dimitroff’s practiced personnel philosophy, Sheard looks to be too big of a talent to pass up at No. 27.

Sheard was suspended from the Panthers in July 2010 for incurring assault charges after taking part in a fight, though he was reinstated once his charges were reduced to a misdemeanor. However, he once also received an award for helping an elderly woman escape a burning building, so it’s not like we’re talking about an irredeemable menace or something.

On the field, he’s definitely a pass-rushing weapon, though his versatility will limit his every-down effectiveness. He does sound like a possible long-term replacement for John Abraham, but I think this draft is deep enough at the position that the Falcons can find a pass rusher without an arrest record, as is clearly their preference.

Elsewhere around the NFC South, Carolina takes Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert at No. 1, the Buccaneers grab Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan (though they may need to think about going CB now), and New Orleans gets Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn again.

For more NFL Draft, visit Mocking The Draft. For more Atlanta Falcons, visit The Falcoholic.

I just opened the mailbag for the first time since before the Atlanta Falcons’ disappointing playoff loss to Green Bay. Lots of frustration and venom from Atlanta fans and it looks like New Orleans fans still are feeling some of that more than a week after the Saints’ disappointing loss to the Seahawks. On the flip side, it seems like Tampa Bay and Carolina fans have closed the book on the 2010 season and are looking ahead.

Sean in White Plains, N.Y., asks if the Falcons are giving any thought to getting rid of defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder after Saturday night’s disastrous defensive performance.

Pat Yasinskas: I understand why you’re asking this question (Atlanta’s defense was horrible Saturday) and many others are asking the same thing. But, in his season-ending news conference Monday, Mike Smith said he was planning on keeping his staff together. You can debate whether that’s the right or wrong move. But one thing I’ve learned about Smith is he’s a very straight shooter. He’s not the type to say one thing and turn around and do another. Keep one other thing in mind: Smith comes from a defensive background and is heavily involved in what the Falcons do on defense.

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Ken in New York asks if the Panthers might re-sign quarterback Matt Moore.

Pat Yasinskas: In past years, I’d say that could happen. But I think the page has turned in Carolina — or at least I hope the page has turned in Carolina. The Panthers fully realize they didn’t have good quarterback play last season. They’re keeping Jimmy Clausen because he’s under contract and because some people in the organization still have hope he can develop into a decent quarterback. But Moore is coming off an injury and I think the Panthers will let him go into free agency. I’m pretty sure they will go out and try to find someone they see as a significant upgrade over Moore and someone who is a very viable alternative if Clausen doesn’t step up.

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Ned in Canada asks if there is any chance the Falcons might pursue Nnamdi Asomugha in free agency.

Pat Yasinskas: My guess is it’s a long shot because there is going to be a lot of competition for Asomugha and the price tag is likely to be very high. The Falcons already spent a pile of money on Dunta Robinson last year and I don’t see them paying huge money to two cornerbacks. Obviously, the injury to Brian Williams showed a need for more depth at cornerback on Saturday. But I think the Falcons will address that through the draft or with a mid-level free agent. General manager Thomas Dimitroff has established a track record of targeting one big free agent each offseason. Yes, cornerback is a position where the Falcons have some need. But I don’t think it’s their biggest area of need. If the Falcons are going to sign one big free agent, my guess is it will be a pass-rusher or a left offensive tackle.

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J Ross in Cheyenne, Wyo., asks why John Clayton considers Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco as “elite’’ quarterbacks, but doesn’t put Josh Freeman in that same category.

Pat Yasinskas: I can’t speak for John Clayton, although I have tremendous respect for his opinion on everything related to football. Also, I don’t know how you truly define “elite.” But I will say I think Freeman already is in the same general category as Ryan and Flacco and he just finished his first full season as a starter. There obviously are a lot of variables, but I think Freeman has the upside to eventually be better than Ryan or Flacco.

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Nick in London, Ontario, Canada, asks if the Buccaneers will bring back Ronde Barber for one more season.

Pat Yasinskas: Barber’s contract is up and the potential lockout could make for a strange and messy preseason. But I think the bottom line here is the choice will be up to Barber. He still was playing at a high level. If he wants to continue playing, I suspect the Bucs will give him that opportunity. At the same time, I think they also need to use free agency or the draft to prepare for the day that Barber is no longer playing.

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Tony in New York asks if Sean Payton made a huge mistake by playing his starters in the regular-season finale against Tampa Bay.

Pat Yasinskas: It’s been a long time since anyone’s had any reason to question any of Sean Payton’s move. Virtually everything he did in the 2009 Super Bowl season was perfect. But, yeah, I think it’s valid to at least do some second guessing on him playing the starters in the regular-season finale when it was pretty obvious Atlanta was going to have an easy time beating Carolina and securing the home-field advantage. The injuries to safety Malcolm Jenkins and running back Chris Ivory certainly left the Saints short-handed in their playoff loss to Seattle.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Matt Ryan and the Falcons expect better offensive production in Atlanta’s important final regular-season game against Carolina.

The Falcons can win the NFC South division title and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs by beating the Panthers on Sunday. A loss wouldn’t be the end to the season, but it definitely would take away much of the luster.

Ryan has thrived in clutch situations this season, but, when his last two passes fell incomplete in Atlanta’s loss Monday night to New Orleans, it put new importance on Sunday’s contest against the Panthers.

Ryan’s nickname gained popularity as he led Atlanta to six wins this season with go-ahead scores in the fourth quarter or overtime. “Matty Ice” needs another strong showing Sunday.

Ryan said the 17-14 loss to the Saints showed that late-game victories can’t be taken for granted.

“There’s nothing given,” Ryan said Thursday. “There’s nothing automatic in this league. But with that said, we have the same expectation that in a tight game, late in the game, we’re going to make the plays that we need to win. We just didn’t do that at the end of the last game. We had some chances and just didn’t make the plays that we needed to.

“It’s a learning experience. It keeps us motivated and hopefully we do a better job of it this week.”

Ryan’s clutch performances helped lead to his first Pro Bowl selection this week. Late-game heroics from Ryan have become so common Atlanta players say they were shocked to see the Falcons stopped late in the loss to the Saints.

“There was never a doubt in our mind we were going to win,” said fullback Ovie Mughelli. “It just didn’t happen in this game. It hurt so much because we’re so used to winning after eight wins in a row. We fully expected to drive down there and somehow to at least get in field goal range. When it didn’t happen, I think a lot of us were stunned.”

The Falcons were held to 215 total yards and Ryan completed 15 of 29 passes for only 148 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

The Saints contained Roddy White, who leads the NFL with 109 catches. He was shadowed by an extra defensive back and had only three catches for 43 yards and one touchdown.

The Falcons say they must do a better job with their running game and passing to tight end Tony Gonzalez and receivers Michael Jenkins and Douglas when defenses focus on White.

The Falcons have five Pro Bowl players on their offense: Ryan, Mughelli, Turner, White and Gonzalez. Ryan said an offense with so many weapons shouldn’t be held to 14 points.

“I think we just need to play better,” he said. “We had opportunities to take advantage of some of the things they were doing against us, and we just didn’t play well enough. I think it comes down to us. … We need to execute better and if we do that we’ll give ourselves a chance.”

Falcons coach Mike Smith said the Panthers may try defensive strategies that worked for the Saints, including extra attention on White.

“That’s been going on for quite some time and over the last couple of weeks probably more snaps of it,” Smith said. “Again, when you’re a Pro Bowl player and you have the production Roddy has, you’re going to get that attention.

“We have to be prepared to make sure we have a plan to offset that. … I think when they take something away they’re going to leave something open, and we’ve got to make sure we can find it and go ahead and execute because they can’t take everything away.”

The Falcons won 31-10 at Carolina on Dec. 12.

If Carolina beats Atlanta and New Orleans beats Tampa Bay, the Falcons would lose home-field advantage and the first-round bye.

Ryan said there’s no danger of taking the Panthers lightly with so much on the line.

“I think everybody in here knows what’s at stake,” Ryan said. “We don’t need to talk about it. I don’t think anybody is looking further than this week.”

Notes: White and LB Curtis Lofton were given routine days off from practice. DT Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder) and center Todd McClure (ankle) also did not practice. DE John Abraham (groin) and DE Kroy Biermann (calf) were limited. … Smith said he was proud to have seven players on the Pro Bowl team. He mentioned Babineaux, PK Matt Bryant and OT Tyson Clabo as also deserving.