Here's a delicious, nougat-filled roundup of what's happening in the world of the Falcons and the NFL:

• Mike Smith may give Curtis Lofton a start this week, but don't expect greatness right away. According to Smith, Tony Taylor may assume passing down duties while Lofton takes up the MLB spot in clear rushing situations. Because both are young, unproven guys, I think this is a fantastic idea. If more NFL coaches were actually willing to maximize their rosters' talents, there might be fewer crappy teams in the league.
• In the same AJC article, we find out that Todd Weiner is finally clear to return to game action. He probably shouldn't start over Tyson Clabo until he proves he's ready for it, but it's nice to see the health of the line improving. Weiner's still pretty likely to start by the first week of the season.
• D.J. Shockley is on the roster bubble. A horrible pre-season performance has cost him a lot, and now there's only one more game before rosters get trimmed to 75 on Tuesday of next week. With a current roster load of 78, I see him getting slashed unless he performs very well this weekend. I do like Shock, but I like a winning Falcons football team even better. The article also mentions Wilrey Fontenot and Brandon Miller as possible cuts; I agree both could be on the wrong end of the axe, though I'd like to keep Fontenot around.
• Canal Street Chronicles shows his superior graphical skills with his latest Saints Stock Report. It's an interesting read and it's going to force me to join the 21st century, lest I look like a keyboard-banging caveman.
• Buc 'Em examines the possibility of the Bucs trading for Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals. This would be a fantastic move for the Bucs, who have a bizarre stable of running backs and quarterbacks that may or may not be any good. Stabilizing the receiving corps with a guy of Boldin's considerable talent never hurts.
• I dug up a little bit of an older story on Cat Scratch Reader, in which esteemed author Jaxon asks when the Panthers should re-sign monstrous defensive end Julius Peppers. Despite some struggles last season, Jaxon is all in favor of getting that done as soon as possible.

Want to suggest articles for roundups or submit pre-game analysis of your own for this weekend's game? Then shoot an e-mail to davethefalconer@yahoo.com today.