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ATLANTA -- I'm in the Georgia Dome, where things are quiet for the moment. The gates aren't open to fans yet and the only players I see on the field loosening up are Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant and punter Matt Bosher. But the atmosphere is going...

Three NFC South players won the fan vote for the Pro Bowl. Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez led all NFC tight ends, Tampa Bay's Ronde Barber won at free safety and New Orleans' Thomas Morstead was the top vote getter at punter. Fan voting counts for one...

If Pro Bowl voting ended right now, the NFC South would have only four starters in the all-star game. Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez, Tampa Bay free safety Ronde Barber and New Orleans punter Thomas Morstead each are the NFC leaders at their posi...

Time for a quick run through some odds and ends from all around the division: TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS In this Insider post , Vince Verhei takes a look at how the Bucs have put themselves in the playoff picture. Along with some positives, he points...

As I watched Atlanta's Matt Bosher on Sunday, I couldn't help but think how patience paid off for the Falcons. Early last season, a lot of fans were screaming for the Falcons to dump their rookie punter. His punts were short and so were his kickof...

Olindo Mare, who received a huge contract from the Carolina Panthers last year, won't be handling the kickoff duties for the team this year. The Panthers announced Monday that Mare has been released. Presumably, that means former Canadian League p...

Let's take a quick look at the day's headlines from around the NFC South: TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Tampa Bay punter Michael Koenen said he would not have minded if the Atlanta Falcons had given permission to use their trademarks in the "Rebirth" s...

I just got a look at the full details of the contract extension New Orleans punter Thomas Morstead received from the Saints last week. Morstead got a six-year extension that keeps him under contract through 2018 and the total deal is worth $23.16 ...

Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe isn't the only member of the Vikings to say that New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma should be permanently banned by the NFL for his role in the Saints' bounty program. NFC North colleague Kevin Seifert reports Minne...

Forget the feud between Warren Sapp and Jeremy Shockey. That's old news. It's time for a new chapter in the sad saga that is the fallout from the New Orleans Saints bounty program. Now, it's Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe telling a Minnesota radio s...

The Carolina Panthers just announced the release of punter Jason Baker. This one is not a huge surprise. "We talked to Jason and his agent and told them that it came down to a salary-cap decision," general manager Marty Hurney said. "We appreci...

Time for a look at Wednesday morning's top headlines from around the NFC South. With the Panthers $9.6 million over the salary cap, Joseph Person writes that linebacker Thomas Davis, quarterback Jimmy Clausen, guard Travelle Wharton and punter Jas...

Tampa Bay general Mark Dominik, Carolina punter Jason Baker and Atlanta director of event marketing Roddy White (not to be confused with the Atlanta receiver by the same name) all were nominees for the inaugural Salute to Service Award. The award ...

Most of the talk about Saturday's playoff game between the Saints and 49ers has centered on New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees going against a San Francisco defense that ranked No. 4 in the NFL during the regular season. But there's another matchu...

Every Sunday, ESPN Stats & Information selects a punter of the day. For Sunday, it was Atlanta's Matt Bosher. This is significant because early in the season the rookie struggled. Critics called for the Falcons to release Bosher as he hit a se...

We told you on Monday that Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe complained about a hit Atlanta special-teams player Kerry Meier put on long-snapper Cullen Loeffler. Well, it looks like the NFL office agrees that Meier's hit was out of line. Meier has b...