ATLANTA (AP) —
Michael Turner
and the Falcons didn’t want to settle for just making the playoffs.

They wanted momentum and the best seed possible.

Hoping for a fast start, the Falcons set a team record with 42 first-half points, including two touchdown runs by Turner,
and Atlanta cruised to a 45-24 win over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
on Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed.

Julio Jones
caught two touchdown passes in a span of 26 seconds in the first quarter as the Falcons gave the Buccaneers their 10th straight
loss.

“We didn’t want to come down to the wire, backing into the playoffs,” Turner said.

The Falcons were motivated by two blowout losses – 48-21 to Green Bay in last year’s playoffs and 45-16 at New Orleans last
week.

“Getting embarrassed like that last year, that’s not who we were,” Turner said. “We just wanted another chance.”

The Falcons (10-6) and Detroit (10-6) are the NFC wild cards. Atlanta, which beat Detroit on Oct. 23, won the tiebreaker with
the Lions for the more favorable seeding. The Falcons will play at the winner of Sunday night’s Dallas-
New York Giants
game in the first round of the playoffs.

“We wanted to play our final regular-season game with a lot of intensity and energy, and I think we did that in all three
phases,” Falcons coach
Mike Smith
said.

Josh Freeman
threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the first half as the Buccaneers (4-12) closed their season with their 10th straight
loss, leaving the status of coach Raheem Morris in doubt.

“If I was in the business of working out my future, I wouldn’t be coaching,” Morris said. “I’m going to go to work tomorrow
until they tell me to stop.”

The Falcons led 42-0 when they began resting some starters, including quarterback
Matt Ryan
and Turner, late in the first half.

“We had opportunities the week before and just didn’t make the plays,” Ryan said. “Today, we made the plays and I think that’s
what we needed moving forward.”

Ryan was 6 of 9 for 106 yards, including touchdown passes of 17 and 48 yards to Jones in the first quarter.

Tampa Bay, which finished 10-6 last season and started 4-2 this season, is left with its longest losing streak in one season
in 34 years. The Buccaneers also lost 10 straight in 1977. They lost 11 straight between the 2008 and `09 seasons.

“This is not the season we wanted or expected, but we will need to rededicate ourselves and get ready for this offseason,”
Morris said.

Turnovers were a problem for the Buccaneers all season. Freeman began the day tied for the league lead with 19 interceptions
before completing 31 of 45 passes for 274 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

With Atlanta leading 42-0, Freeman threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to
Dezmon Briscoe
with about 2 minutes remaining in the first half. Freeman threw a 5-yard TD pass to Briscoe in the fourth quarter.

Tampa Bay’s other touchdown came on
Elbert Mack
‘s 40-yard interception return against Falcons’ backup
Chris Redman
in the third quarter.

Turner ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yard scoring run late in the first half. The score capped the
Falcons’ run of six unanswered touchdowns.

The Falcons led 21-0 after the first quarter and then put the game away with three more touchdowns in the second quarter.

The strong showing was important for the Falcons. Last week’s loss at New Orleans was the worst in four seasons with Smith.

“The main thing we wanted to do was flush out of our system last week,” tight end
Tony Gonzalez
said.

The Falcons announced before the game Gonzalez, 35, has signed a one-year contract extension, ending speculation he might
retire after this season.

The Falcons had the No. 1 seed in the playoffs last year before losing to the Packers.

Despite the team’s lower seed, Gonzalez said the Falcons are prepared for a longer postseason run.

“Honestly, I’ve said it all year: I think we’re a better team than we were last year,” Gonzalez said.

Rookie
Jacquizz Rodgers
scored on a 1-yard run for his first career touchdown to start the Falcons’ scoring. Rodgers lost a fumble at the Tampa Bay
2 in the fourth quarter.

After Ryan’s first TD pass to Jones,
Dominique Franks
‘ interception on Tampa Bay’s first down gave the ball back to Atlanta.

On first down from the Buccaneers 48, Ryan again threw to Jones, who fought off safety
Tanard Jackson
for the catch. Jones then jumped up from the turf, hit cornerback E.J. Biggers with a stiff-arm and then dragged Biggers into
the end zone.

Turner had two touchdown runs and
Curtis Lofton
returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Matt Bryant
kicked a 20-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter after the Buccaneers were stopped on fourth down at their 10.

Notes: Ryan passed Jeff George for the Falcons’ most yards passing in a season. George threw for 4,143 yards in 1995. Ryan
has 4,177. … Turner has 50 rushing touchdowns in four seasons with the Falcons, passing Gerald Riggs’ team record of 48.
… WR
Roddy White
also celebrated a milestone, passing Terance Mathis for the most yards receiving with the Falcons. Mathis had 7,349 yards
from 1994-2001. White finished the game with 7,374 for his career. … By playing in his 225th game with Tampa Bay, CB
Ronde Barber
passed Derrick Brooks for the team record.

© 2011 STATS LLC

The Atlanta Falcons grabbed the lead _ and the No. 5 seed in the
playoffs _ and wouldn’t let go.

Julio Jones caught two touchdown passes in a span of 26 seconds,
Michael Turner ran for two scores and the Falcons used a
team-record 42 first-half points to cruise to a 45-24 win over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed in the NFC
playoffs.

The Falcons (10-6) and Detroit (10-6) are the NFC wild cards.
Atlanta, which beat Detroit on Oct. 23, won the tiebreaker with the
Lions for the more favorable seeding. The Falcons will play at the
winner of Sunday night’s Dallas-New York Giants game in the first
round of the playoffs.

“We wanted to play our final regular-season game with a lot of
intensity and energy, and I think we did that in all three phases,”
Falcons coach Mike Smith said.

Josh Freeman threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the
first half as the Buccaneers (4-12) closed their season with their
10th straight loss, leaving the status of coach Raheem Morris in
doubt.

The Falcons led 42-0 when it began resting some of its starters,
including quarterback Matt Ryan and Turner, late in the first
half.

Tampa Bay, which finished 10-6 last season and started 4-2 this
season, is left with its longest losing streak in one season in 34
years. The Buccaneers also lost 10 straight in 1977. They lost 11
straight between the 2008 and `09 seasons.

Turnovers were a problem for the Buccaneers all season. Freeman
began the day tied for the league lead with 19 interceptions before
adding three to the dismal total, including one with 1:39
remaining.

Freeman completed 31 of 45 passes for 274 yards with two
touchdowns and three interceptions.

With Atlanta leading 42-0, Freeman threw a 2-yard touchdown pass
to Dezmon Briscoe with about 2 minutes remaining in the first half.
Freeman threw a 5-yard TD pass to Briscoe in the fourth
quarter.

Tampa Bay’s other touchdown came on Elbert Mack’s 40-yard
interception return against Falcons’ backup Chris Redman in the
third quarter.

Turner ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including an
81-yard scoring run late in the first half. The score capped the
Falcons’ run of six unanswered touchdowns.

The Falcons led 21-0 after the first quarter and then put the
game away with three more touchdowns in the second quarter.

The strong showing was important for the Falcons, who were
coming off a 45-16 loss at New Orleans that was the worst loss in
four seasons with Smith.

“We had some things we needed to get fixed from the previous
game and I’m really proud of the way the guys bounced back,” Smith
said.

Ryan was 6 of 9 for 106 yards, including touchdown passes of 17
and 48 yards to Jones in the first quarter.

Rookie Jacquizz Rodgers scored on a 1-yard run for his first
career touchdown to start the Falcons’ scoring. Rodgers lost a
fumble at the Tampa Bay 2 in the fourth quarter.

After Ryan’s first TD pass to Jones, Dominique Franks’
interception on Tampa Bay’s first down gave the ball back to
Atlanta.

On first down from the Buccaneers 48, Ryan again threw to Jones,
who fought off safety Tanard Jackson for the catch. Jones then
jumped up from the turf, hit cornerback E.J. Biggers with a
stiff-arm and then dragged Biggers into the end zone.

Turner had two touchdown runs and Curtis Lofton returned an
interception 26 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Matt Bryant kicked a 20-yard field goal late in the fourth
quarter after the Buccaneers were stopped on fourth down at their
10.

Turner’s two touchdowns gave him a team-record 50 rushing scores
with the Falcons, passing Gerald Riggs’ record of 48.

Roddy White also celebrated a milestone, passing Terance Mathis
for the most yards receiving with the Falcons. Mathis had 7,349
yards from 1994-2001. White began Sunday 44 yards behind Mathis and
set the mark in the third quarter.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Atlanta Falcons centre Todd McClure hopes he doesn’t have to offer another apology to quarterback Matt Ryan.

After Ryan was harassed repeatedly in last week’s 16-13 loss at Tampa Bay, McClure wanted him to know that the offensive line appreciates his toughness in the pocket.

Ryan has been hit 21 times, according to NFL statistics, and sacked 13 times — third-most in the NFL.

McClure told Ryan on the plane ride home from Tampa that the line is working hard to improve.

“I told him that last week on the plane,” McClure said Thursday. “We respect what he does, stepping in there time after time to throw the ball. It’s got to be a tough situation for him to be in, and he’s handled it really well.”

Personnel changes could come shortly. As the Falcons (1-2) prepare to visit Seattle (1-2) on Sunday, coach Mike Smith is promising a full evaluation on each starter and reserve.

McClure, Atlanta’s starting centre since 1999, doesn’t lack job security, and it’s likely the same goes for right tackle Tyson Clabo and left guard Justin Blalock, each of whom signed new contracts in training camp.

Smith won’t say whether left tackle Sam Baker and right guard Garrett Reynolds are in jeopardy of losing their starting jobs, but they clearly have competition.

Neither Baker, who is nursing a sore ankle, nor Reynolds has looked impressive through the first three games.

Baker, a starter since Atlanta drafted him late the first round of 2008, struggled against fierce pressure from Chicago, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay and faces a challenge from Will Svitek, a sixth-year veteran in his third season as a Falcons backup.

Reynolds, a fifth-round pick by the Falcons in 2009, won the right guard job after Harvey Dahl, widely considered one of the league’s nastiest linemen, signed as a free agent with St. Louis.

But despite a key block against Philadelphia that helped Michael Turner break off a 61-yard run that set up the winning touchdown, Reynolds is getting pushed on the depth chart by Joe Hawley, who made his first two career starts last month as McClure recovered from a knee injury.

Smith, line coach Paul Boudreau and co-ordinator Mike Mularkey are considering other scenarios, too.

“It’s different from the off-season because you’ve got more snaps in your practices and you’re in a preparation mode,” Smith said. “Once the season starts, you don’t have as many snaps to make an evaluation, but we’ve told our guys from the very beginning that we’re going to have open competition at all times.”

One of the bigger obstacles facing Ryan is lacking the time necessary to set his feet in the pocket, particularly during the first half.

The Falcons have yet to score on an opening possession and were down 16-3 at halftime at both Chicago and Tampa Bay. Against the Buccaneers, Ryan was sacked inside the Atlanta 20-yard line and lost two fumbles in the first half.

Fortunately for the Falcons, their defence held Tampa Bay to just three points after the turnovers, but McClure and Baker believe Ryan never should have been put in such a predicament to begin with.

“I mean it’s been a rough year so far,” Baker said. “We definitely haven’t been protecting as well, so right now all we can do is focus on fixing it.”

McClure hopes fans will stay patient and understand that, regardless of personnel changes, the linemen are competing hard.

“I just think it’s not time to panic right now,” McClure said. “We’ve played three games, and there’s room for improvement. It’s a long season, you know? You just can’t start throwing everything overboard and abandoning the ship and think it’s going down. We’re going to keep working hard to get it fixed. If we can have some success, this team can have some success.”

Without an early lead, Atlanta struggles to incorporate Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner, who was held to 20 yards on 11 carries at Tampa Bay. Teams that fall behind traditionally must pass the ball to catch up as the game wears on, and the Falcons’ offence isn’t designed to throw 112 times and run 58 as it has this season.

Ryan loves it when the offence starts fast, and it’s no wonder why. In their fourth season under Smith, the Falcons are 28-1 when leading at halftime, 4-15 when trailing.

“We just need to execute a little better, and that’s what it comes down to,” Ryan said. “Our guys are playing hard up front. We just need to execute a little better, myself included. The ball needs to come out. You can’t keep hanging on to it back there, at some point the ball has got to come out. I think I need to be better. I think those guys up front will get better. We’ll do all that, but it’s a joint effort.”

By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff Writer

Posted: Sep 28, 2011 04:03 PM

Atlanta Falcons safety William Moore said today he was fined $7,500 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman.

In the closing moments of Sunday’s victory over Atlanta, Freeman escaped the pocket and ran for 13 yards to the Tampa Bay 33. That’s where he was met by the oncoming Moore, who plowed into Freeman with a head-first hit to Freeman’s helmet.

No flag was thrown on the play, but Freeman got up and protested the hit while teammates rushed to his defense. The Raymond James Stadium crowd roared with its disapproval, too.

Moore, in comments to Atlanta reporters, seemed surprised.

“I didn’t get a flag on the play, so I thought it was a legal hit,” he said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I was just playing football. I’m a physical player and I like to play between the rules. That play right there, I don’t agree with it, but I’ve got to suffer the consequences as far as following the rules.

“I was just playing full speed like I usually do.”

[Last modified: Sep 28, 2011 04:03 PM]

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TAMPA - 

Some Monday morning musings on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons Sunday evening:

• The stat that boggled the mind was that Josh Freeman’s successful quarterback sneak inside the one-yard line in the second quarter that proved the Bucs lone touchdown of the day was the first rushing TD of Freeman’s three-year career.

The thing is at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Freeman is a giant, looking more like a tight end than a quarterback. He’s like a big old oak tree back there and does not hesitate to take off and run out of the pocket when the opportunity presents itself.

It’s just hard to believe that when the Bucs have been down close to the goal line, Freeman hasn’t called his own number prior to Sunday.

With his size, he looks like he could barrel in about any time he wants.

• This has nothing to do with Sunday’s game but I have to get it off my chest. Every time I see a shot of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan with his helmet off I immediately think of a young Jim Carrey. Check out a mug shot of Ryan and then put it up against Ace Ventura, Pet Detective and you have twins, separated at birth. The last time I hooked up another sports figure with a look-a-like twin was a few years back when I thought Jays lefty Gustavo Chacin was the second coming of Benito Mussolini.

• Putting double coverage on big tight ends seems to be the rage these days. A week ago in Foxborough, the Patriots put the squeeze on Chargers tight end Antonio Gates which took away one of Philip Rivers primary targets. On Sunday, the Buccaneers did the same thing with the Falcons Tony Gonzalez, a favourite target of Ryan. In the game, Ryan threw Gonzo’s way eight times but just two of the passes were complete, albeit one of them a big one as Ryan found Gonzalez in the end of the end zone for a TD strike.

• The major defensive game plan of the Bucs was to put the clamps on Atlanta’s running game, particularly Michael Turner and force the Falcons to beat them through the air. That plan worked like a charm. Turner gained just 20 yards on 11 carries while the Falcons running game totalled an embarrassing 30 yards on 15 carries.

With Gonzalez blanketed, that forced Ryan to focus on White and rookie speedster Julio Jones who caught six passes for 115 yards.

The Falcons put veteran corner Aqib Talib on Jones, which left E.J. Biggers to cover White as the nickel back. White got his catches and yards but Biggers came up big on two tosses into the end zone to White, breaking both up and forcing the Falcons to kick a field goal.

“We put a lot of pressure on him,” Bucs veteran corner Ronde Barber said of Biggers. “E.J. is still a young corner. To put him in man situation against their best wideout, I think he stood up. He did what he had to do.”

• Before they get all giddy over their win, their first over Atlanta in the last six meetings, the 2-1 Bucs need to improve in certain areas.

Before they move into the upper tier of teams — their goal after coming off a 10-6 season and missing the playoffs is to make it into the post-season — they will have to jazz up their offence. It’s not like they can count on holding teams to 13 points every week.

In Sunday’s game, Freeman never took a shot downfield, not once. All his passes were dumps to running backs or tosses in the 10-to-15-yard range. The problem is they don’t have a real burner to run deep routes with Mike Williams their biggest threat at wide receiver.

The Bucs also are saddled with just an average running back in LeGarrette Blount. For most of the game Blount was three yards and a cloud of dust but in the final quarter he showed a little more life and second effort and wound up with 81 yards on 24 carries.

Blount, though, is no tank running between the tackles and is not the best at finding the hole at the line of scrimmage. He also has just average speed so he’s no breakaway threat.

• Finally, if the Falcons have designs as repeating as division champs, they will have to tighten up defensively. They’ve given up too many yards and not made enough plays on the defensive side of the ball.

They, like the Bucs and also the no-defence Saints, are still a work in progress.

No team is pulling away in the NFC South.

The Atlanta Falcons have promoted Rich
McKay to president & CEO of the club.

McKay has been the president of the Falcons since 2003.

“Since joining the Falcons in 2003, there is no doubt that Rich has been a
valuable leader of our club,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. “Beyond his
day-to-day duties as president of the Falcons, Rich has led a good number of
key initiatives for us. In addition, he is increasingly enlisted by the league
as someone who can be counted on to lend his experience, expertise and
dedication to solve problems or generate new ideas.

“This promotion is in recognition of Rich’s many contributions to the Falcons
and the NFL, as well as recognition of his professional accomplishments along
the way.”

Prior to joining the Falcons, McKay spent nine years with the Buccaneers. He
was the general manager of the Tampa Bay team that won Super Bowl XXXVII over
Oakland in January 2003.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP)—The Atlanta Falcons have given Rich McKay a new
title: president and CEO.

McKay previously served as team president. Owner Arthur Blank said Thursday
the expanded role is a reward for McKay’s accomplishments and contributions on
many key business initiatives, such as the team’s efforts to build a new
stadium.

McKay joined the Falcons in 2003 after serving as general manager of the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers for nearly nine years. He worked in the same role in
Atlanta until moving up to president in 2008, clearing the way for Thomas
Dimitroff to take over as GM.

In addition to his team duties, McKay serves as chairman of the NFL
competition committee, which recommends rule changes and looks for ways to
improve player safety.

Read More: Jerious Norwood (RB – STL), Roddy White (WR – ATL), Harvey Dahl (G – STL), Ray Edwards (DE – ATL), Ken Parrish (P – ATL), Atlanta Falcons

Just about every team’s Madden 12 roster ratings have been released now, with EA Sports definitely saving the best (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers!) for last. Here you can see the Atlanta Falcons complete player ratings, from Roddy White’s speed to Ken Parrish’s toughness, but all that is pre-free agency and so forth, so Ray Edwards is still on the Minnesota Vikings and Jerious Norwood, Harvey Dahl and others are still on Atlanta’s list.

(I’d like to point out Norwood’s agility rating is lower than every offensive lineman’s, quarterback’s and punter’s. All right. I don’t know.)

For your reference, I’ve updated the Falcons roster right quick to include the various moves made so far. There’s no real good reason why I did this, but we’re on vacation and everybody’s taking a nap and there’s not a whole lot else to do at the moment other than go back outside but we’ve been outside all morning.

On that note:

For more Falcons, head to The Falcoholic.

By SportsDirect

Read More: Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears

The hypothetical 2011 NFL schedule will be released Tuesday night at 7 pm ET via NFL Network and NFL.com. We already know which teams the Atlanta Falcons will play in their 16 games and where those games will be played, so the only unknowns are order, bye week placement, and kickoff times.

Of course, keep your ears peeled between now and announce time, as Jim Irsay’s almost certain to let a game or two slip on his unhinged Twitter feed. Elsewhere around the NFC South: many are calling for the Saints to play the Packers in the season opener, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get the Chicago Bears in Wembley Stadium, and the Carolina Panthers try hard.

Teams the Falcons will play in the Georgia Dome:

Carolina Panthers
Green Bay Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans

And teams they’ll play on the road:

Carolina
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay

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

Let’s start with the Buccaneers because they had the most lopsided vote.

Defensive end was the overwhelming choice with 72 percent of the voters saying that’s Tampa Bay’s biggest need. No argument here, but the big question will be if there’s actually a true pass-rushing tight end available when the Bucs choose at No. 20. Guys like Purdue’s Ryan Kerrigan, Clemson’s Da’Quan Bowers and Georgia’s Justin Houston may or may not be on the board.

If they’re not, linebacker seems to be a possibility. The Bucs have had several linebackers, including UCLA’s Akeem Ayers, in for visits and 12 percent of voters said this was the top need for the Bucs. Offensive line drew nine percent of the vote and running back got seven percent.

Defensive end also was the big winner in the Atlanta precincts with 54 percent of the voters saying that’s the biggest position of need for the Falcons. I have no argument with that vote because John Abraham isn’t getting any younger and the Falcons don’t have another true pass rusher.

But there’s no guarantee the Falcons are going to see a defensive end they like at No. 27. The second choice among voters was wide receiver with that position drawing 27 percent of the vote. I could see the Falcons going with a receiver like Jerrel Jernigan in the first round. Fans also can see the possibility of Atlanta going with an offensive lineman or outside linebacker. Offensive line drew 11 percent of the vote and outside linebacker got eight percent.

The Saints had, by far, the closest race in this contest. With over 2,100 votes cast, defensive end (41 percent) nudged outside linebacker (39 percent). I can see the Saints going either way. But this is a team that doesn’t always draft its biggest need. That’s why running back (18 percent) also remains a decent possibility. The Saints are a veteran team without a lot of different needs and I put wide receiver as the fourth – and final – choice on the ballot. Doesn’t sound like New Orleans fans think Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem and company need much help. Wide receiver only earned two percent of the vote.

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/David GoldmanMike Smith led the Falcons to 13 victories this season.

Coach of the Year: Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons. There was strong temptation to go with Tampa Bay’s Raheem Morris here. He did a fantastic job, but I’m also trying to spread things out. I’ll go with Smith. Forget the debacle in the playoff loss to Green Bay. The Falcons won 13 games, and they did that by playing disciplined, smart football.

General Manager of the Year: Mark Dominik, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the league’s lowest payroll and a slew of injuries, the Bucs managed to win 10 games. Dominik pulled some rabbits out of a hat by finding some impact players late in the draft, off the waiver wire and off the practice squads of other teams.

Rookie of the Year: Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Exhibit A of Dominik’s success. Williams was a fourth-round draft pick, but he immediately was Tampa Bay’s No. 1 receiver.

Coordinator of the Year: Greg Olson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams are bigger names. But I’ll take Olson just on this season. With Josh Freeman in his first full season as a starting quarterback, a bunch of young guys playing at receiver and running back, and an offensive line that was hit hard by injuries, Olson still made this the most entertaining offense in franchise history.

Defensive Player of the Year: John Abraham, Atlanta Falcons. This was probably the hardest choice on this list. It was not a banner year for defense in the NFC South. I narrowed the list to Abraham and New Orleans’ Jonathan Vilma and Malcolm Jenkins. Vilma might be the most consistent and best overall defensive player in the division, and Jenkins probably has the most upside. But Vilma didn’t make a lot of big plays, and I’m hesitant to give Jenkins this honor in his first full season as a starter. Abraham had 13 sacks and made more big plays than any defensive player in the division.

Offensive Player of the Year: Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons. Yes, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Freeman got consideration here. So did Atlanta running back Michael Turner. All those guys are good. But when you look at their production this season only, can you really make a case that they were the best in the league at their position? I think you can do that with White, and that’s why I’m going with him.

Special Teams Player of the Year: Eric Weems, Atlanta Falcons. He did it all for the Falcons, returning kickoffs and punts and also helping out on the coverage units. He became a big-play guy as a return man, and that’s why he’s going to the Pro Bowl.

Breakout Player of the Year: Malcolm Jenkins, New Orleans Saints. He moved from cornerback to free safety, and even made a brief return to cornerback when injuries piled up. He made some huge plays and showed signs he could become a force for the long term.

Equipment Manager of the Year: Jackie Miles, Carolina Panthers. Hey, I had to get the Panthers involved somehow, and there really wasn’t a legitimate case for any of their players, coaches or executives. But the one guy with the Panthers who is the absolute best in the league at what he does is Miles. He might not be an owner, player, coach or general manager, but there are times you watch Miles do his thing and you feel like you are watching Ted Williams (the baseball player, not the guy with the big voice) taking batting practice.

Most Valuable Player: You’ll have to wait a bit. That’s going to be announced in a column that is to appear Friday afternoon.