We're back for another week of "Roundup." I'm going to go back into the basement to see what's making the other fanbases tick right now. Think of this as a good scouting opportunity for 2011. It may help you know what better to expect next season, or at least be more knowledgeable about the division.
This week has some really good reads from the guys from the other sites that I would recommend to people with some free time. So let's take a look and see what's down there, shall we?
Panthers NewsPanthers Rivera Gives Candid Interview on Team Needs - Apparently their coach talked to the media and told them what he honestly thinks are the Panther's needs. Pshh, he's got years to go before he realizes coaches are supposed to treat the media like dogs. Isn't that right, Payton?
Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart: Already Elite? - This is a really good post and it's a great read if you want to see how the other sides think. If you only want to read one post from this list, I'd recommend this one. It's long though.
Getting to brass tacks: What will be the differences in Chudzinski's offense? - I'm going to guess the Panthers are going to try this new offensive thing called "reading a defense." They may also try such revolutionary things as "not fumbling the ball," "scoring a TD," and "taking advantage of turnovers."
Bucs News
Why the Lockout Helps the Bucs: Simplicity - The good news is that the Bucs schemes are so simple, it doesn't matter that the players won't have any time to study it.
Kellen Winslow Suggests The Bucs Will Go With a No-Huddle Offense More Often - Here's the possible good news from the Saints perspective: if a team goes into a no-huddle more often but has practiced less, they will likely be more disorganized than if they go into the huddle. This can lead to bad results for the Bucs, but good results for the Saints.
Sustaining Drives and Running Backs: Why Legarrette Blount Cannot Be A #1 Bac k- This is a very good read that only uses basic stats. So even if you hate stats, this is still a good post for you. If you can only read one post that isn't that long, pick this one.
Falcons News
ESPN: Atlanta Falcons Want Matt Bryant Back - You may remember this guy as the man who saved the Falcons wins in the dwindling seconds of a few games. One of those games include the first Saints-Falcons matchup, which is to never be spoken about again.
Falcons Among Three NFL Teams With Highest Practice Attendance - I feel this headline is misleading. Not Dave Choate's fault, as he took it from his source. But his source can't seem to figure out his own data:
If there was an award for offseason dedication, the Redskins, Falcons and Dolphins would be at the top of the list.
So the Redskins had 41 players attend on one day, the Falcons had about 30 and the Dolphins had 15-20. The Saints, meanwhile, had 30-40 players attending for each camp. I'm a bit confused about this, to be honest.
Akeem Dent To Play Strong Side Linebacker? - In case you didn't know, the Falcons also needed a linebacker. The Saints got Wilson, they got Dent. I liked Wilson more than Dent before the draft, but now I really like Wilson more than Dent.