Good morning all. Let's take a look around the conference with the major news story for each on this lovely Saturday.

Buccaneers

Tampa Bay and new head coach Greg Schiano found themselves a defensive coordinator, finally.

Bill Sheridan, a Super Bowl winner on the New York Giants staff, joins the team as DC.

Here is the official release fom the Bucs' official website.

Falcons

Things are a bit slow around Atlanta, not too much going on, but the general manager Thomas Dimitroff has a bit of a new role.

Here is the official release from the Bucs' official website.

Panthers

Everyone knows the type of rookie season that Cam Newton had. As a result, the awards keep coming in. The talented former Auburn quarterback already won the Pepsi Rookie of the Year award, but there is more. 

Here is the official release from the Panthers' official website.

Saints

Sean Payton and company recently made some BIG hires on the staff, including bringing in an elite defensive coordinator with the hope of taking home another Super Bowl title, with a guy who has experience doing so.

Here is the official release from the Panthers' official website.

The Carolina Panthers should try to resign Cam Newton to a longer contract right now. Yes Cam Newton has three years left on his rookie contract but the Panthers need to start now in talks with him.

Cam Newton didn’t get the huge money that Sam Bradford and other rookie quarterbacks did. Due to the new rookie salary cap Newton didn’t get the big payday. But since Cam Newton has such a successful rookie season, Panthers fans already are scared that Cam Newton will leave the Panthers when his contract runs out.

I think Cam Newton will end his career as a Carolina Panther and here are the reasons why.Charlotte is very media friendly to Cam Newton and he will have his bad days. Quarterbacks get a lot of grief from the media in some markets.

Cam Newton can get all the commercial deals he wants right there in Charlotte. He does not have to be in New Yorkor some other huge city to get endorsements. With all the banking in Charlotte there will be numerous business deals in the area for Cam Newton.

The fact that Cam Newton leaving Charlotte is a major topic after just one season shows how much the Panthers fans love him. I just listened to an interview of Cam Newton on WFNZ and he was asked if he would stay in town. Of course he said he would stay but then again he wouldn’t say otherwise either.

The Carolina Panthers need to show Cam Newton that they are dedicated to winning. If Cam Newton wins with the Panthers then he will stay.Newton wants to go down as the best quarterback ever and you need to win to do that.

So the Carolina Panthers need to show Cam they want to win and they need to try to resign him now. Even if Cam Newton decides to leave Carolina, he will still be franchised two times. So it’s in Cam Newton’s best interest to sign a long term deal with the Panthers anyway.

I do not expect the Panthers to negotiate with Cam Newton about and extension yet. However if Cam Newton follows up his rookie season with another great year, then the Panthers will have to start negotiating with him.

Cam Newton by far is already the most popular Carolina Panther ever and the fans are very concerned about him leaving Charlotte. I don’t recall any rookie ever striking fear into his fans that he would leave when his contract runs out. Let’s just hope that Cam Newton finishes his career as a Carolina Panther.

Here are my news and notes about the Carolina Panthers for the first week of January 2012. I will mention any team news I have found about the Panthers and offer my opinion on it.

The Carolina Panthers have signed four players to “Future” contracts. That means they become part of the roster in March of 2012. The new Carolina Panthers are guard Roger Allen, linebacker Phillip Dillard, tight end Greg Smith and cornerback Reggie Sullivan. All of these players spent at least some time on the Carolina Panthers practice squad in 2011.

I enjoyed finding out that former Carolina Panther running back Tyrell Sutton has signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Sutton was a Carolina Panther during 2009 and 2010 before being released right before the 2011 season. Sutton is a class act and very friendly on Twitter. I feel strongly that Sutton should have been kept in Carolina as the third back on the roster.

I have to say I am surprised at the success of former Carolina Panther coach John Fox this early. I am pleased by it as well since I also cover the Denver Broncos for Sportsblog.com. Former Carolina Panther and current Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy is being considered for some NFL head coaching jobs. As much as John Fox dislikes media attention he must have really loved all the Tim Tebow talk this year.

Jeremy Shockey has been on my mind this week. I really hope the Carolina Panthers bring him back next season but I think it’s doubtful. Shockey was productive but has been injury plagued. Gary Barnidge has potential to be a really good tight end in this offense and Shockey may not be resigned to make room for Barnidge. Gary Barnidge was on injured reserve this season for the Carolina Panthers.

So far so good on Coach “Chud” remaining with the Carolina Panthers for 2012. I believe the coaches jobs will begin to be filled after the playoffs and or after Jeff Fisher picks between the Rams and Dolphins. I expect Fisher to become the coach of the Rams because they have Sam Bradford AND a high draft pick in 2012.

Speaking of the 2012 NFL draft, I am working on a Carolina Panthers mock draft. My Panthers mock draft should be posted here this week so please check back for that. I also expect to post an interview with one of the guys from WFNZ in Charlotte, very soon.

This is a list of what I consider the Carolina Panthers biggest offseason needs. Yes the Panthers played well at the end of the year but heading into 2012 there is a lot of work to do. With a few key additions the Carolina Panthers can be a playoff contender in 2012.

Carolina Panthers Offseason Needs

1 Keep coach Rob Chudzinski

Young quarterbacks need continuity to have success and Rob Chudzinski was a big part of Cam Newton’s great rookie season. The Jacksonville Jaguars are interested in Chudzinski and my big fear is that he will get a head coaching job somewhere. The Panthers should promote him to assistant head coach and give him a raise in order to try to retain him.

2 Address the Defensive Line

The Carolina Panthers are decent at defensive end but could use some depth there. But defensive tackle must be addressed via free agency and probably the draft again. Terrell McClain and Sione Fua were drafted at defensive tackle in 2011 but the team needs more young ones. A veteran defensive tackle who can still play would be a nice free agency pickup as he could help the young guys learn.

3 Defensive Back

The Carolina Panthers need at least one starting caliber cornerback to be added to the defense. Captain Munnerlyn would be a good nickel back but I don’t love him as a starter. It’s possible that Brandon Hogan can help out here now that he is healthy and will have some offseason work. The Carolina Panthers could also use some help at the safety positions but not nearly as much as at corner.

4 Wide Receiver

 It would be hard to expect Steve Smith to repeat his spectacular season he had in 2011. I do like the young Carolina Panthers wide receivers but the free agent list of receivers is quite impressive. Adding a good mid level veteran to the unit will help Cam Newton progress as a quarterback.  I also think it is time to get rid of Armanti Edwards and use his roster spot for a more productive player.

5 Offensive Line

The Panthers offensive line is better than most but I would love to see some additions there for depth if nothing else. The Panthers gave up too many sacks of a mobile quarterback for this line to be considered great.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think the Carolina Panthers offseason priorities should be heading into 2012. And don’t forget to check back here often for Carolina Panthers news and notes.

This is a preview of the Atlanta Falcons at the Carolina Panthers game to be played on Sunday December 11^th 2011. The Panthers will have a rematch against a Falcons team that slapped them around in a 31 to 17 loss earlier in the season. To read my review of the first Panthers and Falcons game click here.

Cam Newton is playing well although against Tampa and Indianapolis which are not exactly defensive powerhouses. The Falcons defense isn’t elite either at least not against the pass where they rank 21^st in the NFL. The Falcons run defense is good as they are ranked 3^rd but that is in part because teams throw so much on Atlanta.

For the Carolina Panthers to beat the Atlanta Falcons they have to hold Michael Turner in check. Turner burned the Panthers for 139 yards in the first game and was the big reason for the Falcons victory. The Falcons rank only 16^th in rushing but the Panthers defense ranks 27^th in the league currently.

The Panthers offense must not abandon the run against Atlanta. Their balanced offense is playing well and Williams and Stewart need their carries. Cam Newton also needs to get his tight ends involved in the offense more even though Shockey is banged up a little. LaFell and Naanee have stepped up because Steve Smith and the tight ends are being covered so well, but that needs to change.

The fact that Cam Newton is so mobile will give Steve Smith a chance to get open despite the expected double coverage on him by Atlanta. Cam Newton can buy some time and Smith will exploit that against the Falcons and could have a big day.

Atlanta will be fired up coming into Carolina as they fight to remain in the NFL wildcard picture. However the Carolina Panthers would like nothing better than to play spoiler to the Falcons. The NFC South has a history of home teams winning most of the games and I think Carolina can upset the Falcons on Sunday.

For the Panthers to upset the Falcons they need to keep the turnovers and penalties down thus winning the field position and time of possession battle. Keeping Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and company off the field is a key to a Panthers victory over the Falcons.

Look for James Anderson to step up as he gets a little healthier and Dan Conner has to be active in stopping Michael Turner. I don’t fear Matt Ryan as much as Turner but the Falcons do have great weapons in the passing game.

My prediction for the Atlanta Falcons at the Carolina Panthers game is that Carolina will win 28 to 24. The Panthers have some momentum building and could play the spoiler role often for the rest of the 2011 NFL season.  

Thanks for checking out my preview of the Carolina Panthers at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on Sunday December 4^th 2011. This preview of the Panthers at the Buc's will have a Carolina slant since I blog about them.

Josh Freeman has been playing hurt this year and has little help thus isn’t having the best of seasons for the Bucs. Still the Tampa offense is better than their dreadful defense which struggles against the run AND the pass.

The Panthers and Bucs are division rivals and in the NFC South home teams tend to win division games. But I feel that the struggling Bucs are ripe for the picking by Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

If Cam Newton and the Panthers offense can jump off to a quick lead, the running game can keep Freeman off the field. I think if the Panthers can get that quick lead they may break the will of the Bucs and end the game in a route of their division foe.

I hope Carolina does give the Bucs defense a healthy dose of “Double Trouble” AKA DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. This will keep the Buc’s own running backs on the bench and as we know run defense is the bane of the Carolina Panthers in 2011.

 LeGarrette Blount and Ernest Graham are both having a good season when healthy and I don’t want the Bucs grinding the ball out with them. Freeman when hot is a beast but I would rather the Panthers make him pass than see that Tampa run offense getting first down after first down. My biggest fear in the passing game for the Bucs is Kellen Winslow the tight end who is having a solid season.

The problem the Panthers defense is that almost all the linebackers are injured in some fashion. For the last two seasons it’s like a jinx against any linebackers playing for the Panthers.

I do like the Carolina Panthers chances against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Putting away a bad Colts team has shown the Panthers that they can win a game and that confidence boost is much needed. I am also impressed with the improved special teams play from the last couple of games for the Carolina Panthers.

My prediction for the Carolina Panthers at the Tampa Bay Bucs is a 28 to 23 win by the Panthers. Please leave a comment and tell me if you agree with my assessment of the game. Also you can check me out on Twitter here.