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Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas



NEW ORLEANS — Not sure exactly what’s been up with Atlanta running back Michael Turner this season. But he’s suddenly back to looking a lot like he did last year and that’s very good news for the Falcons.



There’s one stat that every Atlanta fan knows: Since Turner joined the Falcons last year, Atlanta is undefeated in games in which he has rushed for 100 yards. They won eight games last year and the only one he’s rushed for 100 yards this season.



So far (and I’m writing this with 7:33 left in the first half), Turner already has 85 yards on nine carries.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas



NEW ORLEANS — Wow, all the people who talk about New Orleans’ defense being the one that comes up with big plays, they just got a very strong argument from the much-maligned Atlanta defense.



The Falcons forced a huge mistake by Drew Brees, who doesn’t make many. Atlanta took a 14-7 lead when safety Thomas DeCoud blitzed, sacked Brees for a 10-yard loss and forced the quarterback to fumble near his own goal line. Defensive end Kroy Biermann picked up the ball for the touchdown.



One common theme on that play: DeCoud and Biermann both were members of general manager Thomas Dimitroff’s first draft in 2008. That class already has gotten lots of attention because of Matt Ryan, Sam Baker and Curtis Lofton. But that draft class continues to appear deeper and more impressive.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas



NEW ORLEANS — Tye Hill, the cornerback who has been pretty much invisible since the Falcons traded for him at the start of the season, is suddenly visible.



The Falcons have been playing mostly three-cornerback sets on New Orleans’ first drive and Hill has been out there just about the entire time. I’m still trying to figure out exactly how the Falcons are working this.. I’ve seen one play where Chris Houston went out, leaving Hill and Chevis Jackson as the cornerbacks and another play where Jackson went off and Hill and Houston were on the field.



This is pretty interesting because Atlanta fans have been screaming for Hill to get playing time. They’re finally getting their wish. I haven’t seen Brent Grimes, the prime target for a lot of fan criticism of the secondary, in on defense yet.



By the way, the switch didn’t seem to have much of an impact on New Orleans’ first drive. The Saints just tied the game, 7-7, on an 80-yard drive, in which they were able to run the ball easily and didn’t do a lot of passing.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas



NEW ORLEANS — The Falcons had what was pretty much the perfect opening drive in the Superdome.



They went 77 yards on eight plays to take a 7-0 lead. They controlled the ball and moved it through the air and on the ground. Michael Turner had two very nice runs, including a 13-yarder for the touchdown.



The drive took three minutes and 57 seconds and, at least for the moment, the Superdome has become a lot quieter than it was at kickoff. Then again, I’m not going to read too much into opening drives. I seem to recall the Falcons having a very nice opening drive in Dallas last week and, then, they were pretty much silent the rest of the game.

Ex-Packers, Seahawks coach doesn’t like how Washington has treated Jim Zorn, which means he’s probably not eyeing that job.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley



Eagles running back Brian Westbrook was scheduled to work out Monday as he continues his comeback from a concussion suffered against the Redskins. Coach Andy Reid said that Westbrook woke up with a “slight headache” Saturday morning after working out Friday. Westbrook went through a battery of tests last week and the Eagles decided to err on the side of caution in sitting him against the Giants on Sunday.



“We’re going to make sure he’s OK to perform,” Reid said Monday. “We’ll see how it goes this week.”



Unless there’s a setback — such as more headaches — it looks like Westbrook will play against the Cowboys. He’s not having a great season by his standards, but he’s still a player teams have to account for. And I’m sure he was envious when he saw Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg calling all those running plays against the Giants.



The Cowboys will likely use a spy on Westbrook throughout the game. I don’t think either of the inside linebackers, Keith Brooking and Bradie James, are good candidates for that job. The Cowboys could use safety Gerald Sensabaugh in that role some of the time.



We’ll keep you posted on Westbrook’s progress, but right now the Eagles expect him to participate in practice Wednesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs, apparently fearful of losing in arbitration, agreed Monday to cut Larry Johnson’s suspension in half for making gay slurs.