NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS
OFF: 10 RUSH: 7 PASS: 15
DEF: 25 RUND: 21 PASD: 25
Cap Room: $38,580,000
1st Need: Start CB
2nd Need: Start G
3rd Need: Start OLB
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Warrick Dunn* RB 8 B-Up RB 289 yd, 1 td, 23 rec, 146 rec yd
Brian Finneran* WR 6 B-Up WR 21 rec, 220 yd
Travis Claridge* G 5 Start G 21 krb, 25.9 krb%, 6 ska, 1.1 sk%
Brady Smith* DE 9 Start DE 32 tkl, 8 sk, 15 hurr
Travis Hall* DE 9 B-Up DE 18 tkl, 6 sk, 9 hurr
Chris Draft* ILB 6 Start LB 48 tkl
Sam Rogers* OLB 11 Start LB 41 tkl
Kevin Mathis* CB 8 Start CB 64 tkl, 2 int
Ray Buchanan* CB 12 Start CB 49 tkl, 6 int, 9 defn
Keion Carpenter FS 6 Start S 75 tkl, 5 int, 10 defn
Corey Hall* SS 4 Start S 51 tkl
Gerald McBurrows SS 10 PT St S 26 tkl (inj/degen hip)
*- team released player just prior to free agency
(inj)- has major injury which may affect his skills in future
Comments: The Falcons are much like the real life Falcons would have been this year had Vick not gotten hurt. Good on offense, bad on defense. That could also be a description of the outlook of both units this offseason. Except for the loss of Claridge on the line, the Falcons don't lose any key offensive players. Vick, Price, Duckett and the other four line starters all remain under contract for the 10th-best offense int he league. The losses on defense are brutal, though, with seven starters, a key secondary reserve and a pass rush specialist taking a hike. Brooking was about the only key player who is currently line to return to the Falcons. Atlanta does have some nice cap room to use, but they may need it all to fill these holes. Their defense couldn't afford losses like this in the first place.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
OFF: 28 RUSH: 29 PASS: 21
DEF: 24 RUND: 28 PASD: 17
Cap Room: $38,150,000
1st Need: Start QB
2nd Need: Start CB
3rd Need: Start OLB
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Rodney Peete* QB 15 Start QB 3088 yd, 60%, 7 td, 25 int, 61.4 QBR
Chris Weinke* QB 4 B-Up QB 431 yd, 51%, 1 td, 4 int, 50.0 QBR
Brad Hoover* FB 5 Start FB 49 rec, 262 yd, 2 td, 5 krb
Kris Mangum TE 7 Start TE 60 rec, 567 yd, 3 td, 4 krb
Kevin Dyson WR 6 Start WR 54 rec, 695 yd, 1 td
Kevin Donalley G 14 Start G 22 krb, 24.7 krb%, 9 ska, 1.5 sk%
Todd Steussie* T 11 Start T 14 krb, 25.0 krb%, 12 ska, 2.5 sk%
John Kasay #8 K 13 Kicker 39-45 FG, 20-20 PAT
Lester Towns ILB 5 PT St LB 40 tkl
Will Witherspoon* OLB 3 PT St LB 17 tkl
Terry Cousin* CB 8 Start CB 68 tkl, 3 int, 13 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: The team that should be one of the division's best might be the complete opposite now. The offense was as bad as prognosticators feared for the real life Panthers, while the defense was nowhere near as solid as it was thought to be. The result was one of the worst teams in the league on both sides of the ball. The Panthers have a lot of room to operate under the cap, but they may need it all to make an impact here. That lauded defense is largely untocuhed, with only a hole or two to fill, but if it plays like last year, and not like it was expected to, it may not be a good thing to bring these guys back. On offense, the Panthers lose two of their quarterbacks, which is a good thing--it will force them to get an actual quarterback to run their team. They will also have to replace three of their top four receivers, including tight end Mangum, and their two best linemen.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
OFF: 27 RUSH: 25 PASS: 24
DEF: 7 RUND: 23 PASD: 4
Cap Room: $48,010,000
1st Need: Start DE
2nd Need: Resrv T
3rd Need: Resrv DT
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Terrelle Smith #18 FB 5 PT St FB 30 yd, 15 rec, 85 rec yd, 4 krb
Walter Rasby TE 10 B-Up TE 26 rec, 207 yd, 3 td
Jerome Pathon* WR 7 PT St WR 26 rec, 304 yd, 3 td
Derrick Lewis* WR 3 B-Up WR 20 rec, 304 yd
Jerry Fontenot #10 C 16 Start C 30 krb, 32.6 krb%, 7 ska, 1.2 sk%
Kendyl Jacox* G 7 Start G 13 krb, 30.2 krb%, 3 ska, 0.6 sk%
Spencer Folau T 8 Start T 7 krb, 18.9 krb%, 12 ska, 2.8 sk%
Mitch Berger* P 10 Punter 97 pnt, 42.1 avg, 26 In20
Grady Jackson DT 8 Start DT 43 tkl, 8 sk, 5 hurr
Darren Howard* DE 5 B-Up DE 15 tkl, 7.5 sk, 13 hurr
Derrick Rodgers OLB 8 Start LB 49 tkl
Ashley Ambrose* CB 13 Start CB 66 tkl, 3 int, 14 def
Fred Thomas CB 8 Start CB 52 tkl, 1 int, 11 defn
Dale Carter* CB 13 B-Up CB 39 tkl, 4 int, 6 defn
Victor Green FS 12 B-Up S 39 tkl, 2 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: The Saints might be in a more attractive position to improve than any other team in the NFL. For one thing, they have the most cap room in the league, with room to spare. They also don't lose any players that would be considered irreplaceable, although they do suffer some heavy line losses. This is a team that has some similarities to the Panthers' situation, but as a mirror image. They were an offensive team with little defense, or at least expected to be, but at the end of the year, their defense stepped up and was one of the better units in the league, while Brooks-McAllister-Horn and company fell flat and were horrible. If they can use this cap space to replace their line losses and shore up some defensive holes, and their offensive skill players start playing to their talent, the Saints could be in for a huge step forward.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
OFF: 9 RUSH: 12 PASS: 9
DEF: 9 RUND: 5 PASD: 15
Cap Room: $18,450,000
1st Need: Start ILB
2nd Need: Resrv WR
3rd Need: Resrv G
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Thomas Jones RB 5 Start RB 1027 yd, 5 td
Michael Pittman* RB 7 B-Up RB 312 yd, 2 td, 17 rec, 90 rec yd, 2 rec td
Keyshawn Johnson* WR 9 Start WR 73 rec, 959 yd, 5 td
Joe Jurevicius* WR 7 B-Up WR 26 rec, 291 yd
Karl Williams* WR 5 B-Up WR 23 rec, 376 yd, 3 td
Cosey Coleman #12 G 5 Start G 15 krb, 22.0 krb%, 13 ska, 2.4 sk%
Kerry Jenkins* G 8 Start G 12 krb, 22.6 krb%, 6 ska, 1.1 sk%
Tom Tupa #7 P 16 Punter 91 pnt, 41.8 avg, 25 In20
Warren Sapp #6 DT 10 Start DT 52 tkl, 7.5 sk, 9 hurr
Tim Wansley* CB 3 B-Up CB 42 tkl, 5.5 sk, 3 hurr, 1 int, 3 defn
Jermaine Phillips* FS 3 Start S 53 tkl, 1 sk, 4 int, 5 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: Tampa Bay may have been the best team in the NFC last year, with all respect to the Rams and Seahawks, and their unit rankings back that up, with the both the ninth-ranked offense and defense in the NFL. The worst part of their game--the 15th-ranked pass defense--still ranks in the top half of the league. And in sheer player numbers, the Buccs lose very little. They look likely to be as strong this upcoming season, so long as they can cover up what few holes they will need to replace. And it won't be a cinch with less cap room than all but two teams. The big hole is obvious. Warren Sapp has taken his high-profile game to free agency, and he is one of the best defenders in the league. Otherwise, the Buccs' defense is largely untouched. On offense, the losses are more significant. Both Jones and Pittman need to be replaced at running back, and top receiver Johnson--regardless of his importance to the team in real life--remains a big loss in this universe. Toss on replacing their two starting guards, including top-twenty guard Coleman, and the Buccs are going to have to rely on some key bargains to fill those holes adequately.
CR