Atlanta Falcons

So, what's on your to-do list for this holiday weekend? If you're interested in cooking for friends and...

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When training camp opened the Falcons wanted to improve on all levels of the defense.

The defensive line had to be stouter up the middle and the pass rush has to be rejuvenated.

The linebacker corps played the run well enough, but got scorched at times in pass coverage.

The secondary was the main reason why the defense finished ranked 28th against the pass and underwent major renovations.

The return of Peria Jerry, the re-emergence of Trey Lewis and the drafting of Corey Peters has added more beef at the defensive tackle position. Defensive end Kroy Biermann appears to be on the verge of being a double-digit sack man. He's been a force in the preseason.

The team used the 19th pick in the first round of the draft to select linebacker Sean Weatherspoon.

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A capsule look at reasons for concern among teams in the NFC South: Atlanta Falcons 1. Pass coverage. CB Dunta Robinson, the team's major offseason acquisition, has not played in three exhibition games because of a hamstring injury. He will likely get some action tonight at Jacksonville. If he's not 100 percent, the Falcons' chance of improving the 28th-ranked pass defense diminishes greatly. Robinson is supposed to play on the right side and take away that side of the field.

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As most people expected, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the decision today to reduce the six-game...

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While Ben Roethlisberger is out, the Pittsburgh Steelers need to keep the wheels on. Although they will be down an important man, a strong, physical team effort can keep them from spinning in reverse. Here are four things they must do to stay on track into mid-October, regardless of who replaces Roethlisberger: Pound the ball For the first time since Jerome Bettis and Bill Cowher left, the Steelers have a reliable power back. "Rashard Mendenhall will absolutely be key for them early," Cowher said.

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First, no Ben Roethlisberger. Now, maybe no Byron Leftwich for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dennis Dixon, you're up next. Leftwich, expected to be the fill-in starter for the suspended Roethlisberger at quarterback for the Steelers, sprained his left knee in the second quarter as Pittsburgh (3-1) beat the starter-less Carolina Panthers 19-3 in the preseason finale Thursday night.

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The final night of exhibition games was replete with the NFL's notable rookie quarterbacks: Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams It will be surprising if the Rams don't start the season with the first overall pick as their starting quarterback. Bradford strengthened his case to be the No. 1 in Week 1 with another strong performance at home, going 6-for-6 on a touchdown drive in his only series against the Baltimore Ravens. Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns Perhaps buoyed by assurances he would make the Browns' 53-man roster, McCoy shook off three shaky stints...

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With the controversy swirling ahead of him on the Arizona quarterback depth chart, Max Hall wrapped up his preseason with a big night. The undrafted rookie from BYU completed 7 of 9 passes for 126 yards and scored on a 6-yard run in the Cardinals' 20-10 victory Thursday night over Washington. Hall directed Arizona to two TDs and a field goal in his three possessions.

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With the controversy swirling ahead of him on the Arizona quarterback depth chart, Max Hall wrapped up his preseason with a big night.

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Pittsburgh Steelers fans have seen the last of Ben Roethlisberger for a while. The question of how long -- six games, four games, or three -- will be answered by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, perhaps as soon as today. The spotlight now is on Roethlisberger's replacement. While coach Mike Tomlin was expected to name seventh-year veteran Byron Leftwich as the stand-in during Roethlisberger's suspension, that plan likely will have to be scrapped.

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