Minicamp Review: NFC South
Atlanta Falcons - The biggest fantasy news out of Falcons minicamp is the coaching staff's stated goal to reduce Michael Turner's carries this season. Turner will remain an elite red zone producer in the Falcons' run-oriented offense, but his carries could drop by 50 or 60 this season. Also a slight injury risk and an afterthought as a receiver, we're not going overboard on his fantasy value this season. If Jerious Norwood adds Turner's lost touches, he should go from bye-week fill-in to a legit weekly flex option. Norwood is also due to see action as the pivot-man in the Falcons' version of the Wildcat offense, where his 6.4 yards per touch are even more of an asset.
The other big story of the offseason was the arrival of future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez to fill the team's most glaring offensive hole at tight end. In a run-first offense where Gonzo will concentrate more heavily on blocking, fantasy owners shouldn't expect another season as the top tight end. Even with a decline, however, he can still finish in the Top-5 at his position.
Gonzalez's addition is sure to benefit last year's Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan, especially in the red zone. Ryan spent the offseason "living in the weight room" and drawing praise from teammates for his second-year improvement … Sophomore slot receiver Harry Douglas was among the most impressive players in spring practices. Despite speculation that he could push Michael Jenkins for the starting job, his fantasy upside is limited as the third or fourth option in the passing attack.
Carolina Panthers - Outside of the Julius Peppers drama, it's been a quiet offseason for a playoff team returning 21 of 22 starters from last year. Despite the six- turnover game that prematurely ended the Panthers' season, Jake Delhomme was re-signed to a five-year, $42.5 million contract extension which saved $2.5 million against the salary cap. The team did nothing to improve its backup situation, but fans will be watching closely to see if Matt Moore can show promise in preseason action.
A sore left Achilles kept Jonathan Stewart out of offseason practices, but he's expected to be back to full capacity by the opening of training camp. We still have him pegged for a slight increase in carries this year. While he and DeAngelo Williams have the advantage of running behind the same road-grading offensive line that produced the highest combined rushing yardage in the league in 24 years, depth along that line is a mild concern.
Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad remain the starting wideouts, but some pundits are predicting 2007 second-rounder Dwayne Jarrett to challenge Muhammad by the end of the season … Rookie fourth-rounder Mike Goodson turned heads at OTAs with his quickness, and the team has talked about utilizing him in the slot … Tight end Dante Rosario underwent lower back surgery in May and is expected to be healthy by training camp. Jeff King is reportedly "entrenched" as the starter.
New Orleans Saints - Pierre Thomas survived the NFL Draft and free agency without the Saints adding a power back. Drew Brees admitted in late May that Thomas was now the team's lead back, and the "NFL's best kept secret" added extra bulk knowing that the offense is counting on him to provide a rushing attack. Reggie Bush will play the role of 1B to Thomas' 1A in the backfield, hauling in more receptions but taking few carries. Bush reportedly looked fully recovered from microfracture knee surgery in June workouts, but he'll remain an in-season injury risk.
Also recovering from microfracture knee surgery, Marques Colston returned to full practices by early June. According to coach Sean Payton, there's "no question" that Colston will be 100 percent by training camp. Lance Moore, on the other hand, is expected to be brought along slowly after undergoing surgery on his left labrum. Moore predicted that he would be fully healthy a few weeks into training camp, and he remains on track to start opposite Colston in Week 1. Robert Meachem starred in OTAs for a second straight year, but the re-signing of Devery Henderson leaves him without a major offensive role. Fifth receiver Adrian Arrington sat out spring practices with a hamstring injury.
After a much-publicized dehydration incident at a pool party in Las Vegas, Jeremy Shockey spent minicamp action running with the third team. It's safe to say he'll have to work his way out of Payton's doghouse this summer. Billy Miller ran with the starters and could produce TE1 numbers if Shockey struggles to stay healthy again … Joey Harrington will compete with soon-to-be 39-year-old Mark Brunell for the right to backup Drew Brees.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - We're a long way from learning who will start behind center in Week 1. Luke McCown appeared to take the lead during OTAs, with several outlets calling the quarterback job his to lose going into training camp. Others, however, opined that Byron Leftwich has "the inside track" while being a better fit for Jeff Jagodzinski's vertical offense. Though quarterbacks coach Greg Olson and head coach Raheem Morris are itching to throw rookie Josh Freeman into the starting mix, GM Mark Dominik insists the first-rounder will "sit back and learn" early in the season. Luke McCown figures to start the first preseason game with Leftwich drawing the honors the following week.
The Bucs backfield is a similar land of confusion. The local papers expect Earnest Graham to open training camp as the nominal starter while national writers predict the more skilled Derrick Ward as an offensive centerpiece. Their respective contracts suggest Ward will have a more significant role with Graham possibly being used as a change-of-pace and short-yardage runner. Either way, Jagodzinski promises a run-heavy offense and a sea-change in philosophy from Jon Gruden, who never ran more than 46 percent of the time.
Antonio Bryant, now resigned to playing out his one-year contract as the team's franchise player, admits that he won't match last year's numbers with the new offense spreading the ball around more … Michael Clayton is armed with a fresh contract and is expected to surpass last year's 38 receptions … Jagodzinski expects to use Kellen Winslow "extensively," and the team's most talented offensive player figures to be featured heavily … Rookie seventh-rounder Sammie Stroughter endeared himself immediately to his head coach as an option in the slot. Receivers coach Richard Mann seems to prefer Brian Clark. The Bucs have kept their eye on veteran street free agents over the past month or two, so it's possible that neither player will handle third receiver duties this season … Free agent import Mike Nugent will enter training camp on equal footing with veteran holdover Matt Bryant for kicking duties.
Atlanta Falcons - The biggest fantasy news out of Falcons minicamp is the coaching staff's stated goal to reduce Michael Turner's carries this season. Turner will remain an elite red zone producer in the Falcons' run-oriented offense, but his carries could drop by 50 or 60 this season. Also a slight injury risk and an afterthought as a receiver, we're not going overboard on his fantasy value this season. If Jerious Norwood adds Turner's lost touches, he should go from bye-week fill-in to a legit weekly flex option. Norwood is also due to see action as the pivot-man in the Falcons' version of the Wildcat offense, where his 6.4 yards per touch are even more of an asset.
The other big story of the offseason was the arrival of future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez to fill the team's most glaring offensive hole at tight end. In a run-first offense where Gonzo will concentrate more heavily on blocking, fantasy owners shouldn't expect another season as the top tight end. Even with a decline, however, he can still finish in the Top-5 at his position.
Gonzalez's addition is sure to benefit last year's Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan, especially in the red zone. Ryan spent the offseason "living in the weight room" and drawing praise from teammates for his second-year improvement … Sophomore slot receiver Harry Douglas was among the most impressive players in spring practices. Despite speculation that he could push Michael Jenkins for the starting job, his fantasy upside is limited as the third or fourth option in the passing attack.
Carolina Panthers - Outside of the Julius Peppers drama, it's been a quiet offseason for a playoff team returning 21 of 22 starters from last year. Despite the six- turnover game that prematurely ended the Panthers' season, Jake Delhomme was re-signed to a five-year, $42.5 million contract extension which saved $2.5 million against the salary cap. The team did nothing to improve its backup situation, but fans will be watching closely to see if Matt Moore can show promise in preseason action.
A sore left Achilles kept Jonathan Stewart out of offseason practices, but he's expected to be back to full capacity by the opening of training camp. We still have him pegged for a slight increase in carries this year. While he and DeAngelo Williams have the advantage of running behind the same road-grading offensive line that produced the highest combined rushing yardage in the league in 24 years, depth along that line is a mild concern.
Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad remain the starting wideouts, but some pundits are predicting 2007 second-rounder Dwayne Jarrett to challenge Muhammad by the end of the season … Rookie fourth-rounder Mike Goodson turned heads at OTAs with his quickness, and the team has talked about utilizing him in the slot … Tight end Dante Rosario underwent lower back surgery in May and is expected to be healthy by training camp. Jeff King is reportedly "entrenched" as the starter.
New Orleans Saints - Pierre Thomas survived the NFL Draft and free agency without the Saints adding a power back. Drew Brees admitted in late May that Thomas was now the team's lead back, and the "NFL's best kept secret" added extra bulk knowing that the offense is counting on him to provide a rushing attack. Reggie Bush will play the role of 1B to Thomas' 1A in the backfield, hauling in more receptions but taking few carries. Bush reportedly looked fully recovered from microfracture knee surgery in June workouts, but he'll remain an in-season injury risk.
Also recovering from microfracture knee surgery, Marques Colston returned to full practices by early June. According to coach Sean Payton, there's "no question" that Colston will be 100 percent by training camp. Lance Moore, on the other hand, is expected to be brought along slowly after undergoing surgery on his left labrum. Moore predicted that he would be fully healthy a few weeks into training camp, and he remains on track to start opposite Colston in Week 1. Robert Meachem starred in OTAs for a second straight year, but the re-signing of Devery Henderson leaves him without a major offensive role. Fifth receiver Adrian Arrington sat out spring practices with a hamstring injury.
After a much-publicized dehydration incident at a pool party in Las Vegas, Jeremy Shockey spent minicamp action running with the third team. It's safe to say he'll have to work his way out of Payton's doghouse this summer. Billy Miller ran with the starters and could produce TE1 numbers if Shockey struggles to stay healthy again … Joey Harrington will compete with soon-to-be 39-year-old Mark Brunell for the right to backup Drew Brees.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - We're a long way from learning who will start behind center in Week 1. Luke McCown appeared to take the lead during OTAs, with several outlets calling the quarterback job his to lose going into training camp. Others, however, opined that Byron Leftwich has "the inside track" while being a better fit for Jeff Jagodzinski's vertical offense. Though quarterbacks coach Greg Olson and head coach Raheem Morris are itching to throw rookie Josh Freeman into the starting mix, GM Mark Dominik insists the first-rounder will "sit back and learn" early in the season. Luke McCown figures to start the first preseason game with Leftwich drawing the honors the following week.
The Bucs backfield is a similar land of confusion. The local papers expect Earnest Graham to open training camp as the nominal starter while national writers predict the more skilled Derrick Ward as an offensive centerpiece. Their respective contracts suggest Ward will have a more significant role with Graham possibly being used as a change-of-pace and short-yardage runner. Either way, Jagodzinski promises a run-heavy offense and a sea-change in philosophy from Jon Gruden, who never ran more than 46 percent of the time.
Antonio Bryant, now resigned to playing out his one-year contract as the team's franchise player, admits that he won't match last year's numbers with the new offense spreading the ball around more … Michael Clayton is armed with a fresh contract and is expected to surpass last year's 38 receptions … Jagodzinski expects to use Kellen Winslow "extensively," and the team's most talented offensive player figures to be featured heavily … Rookie seventh-rounder Sammie Stroughter endeared himself immediately to his head coach as an option in the slot. Receivers coach Richard Mann seems to prefer Brian Clark. The Bucs have kept their eye on veteran street free agents over the past month or two, so it's possible that neither player will handle third receiver duties this season … Free agent import Mike Nugent will enter training camp on equal footing with veteran holdover Matt Bryant for kicking duties.
