NFC

New Orleans

BIG EASY DOES IT: Team officials have returned to their usual conservative approach to free agency after an initial flurry of activity. C Jerry Fontenot, RB Aaron Craver and LB Vinson Smith have been re-signed, though.... CBs Donnell Woolford and Corey Raymond are free agents who recently visited the club. The Saints are trying to upgrade the competition for Alex Molden and Tyroone Drekeford, but neither Woolford nor Raymond played in the NFL last season.... Restricted free-agent C Tom Ackerman visited the Eagles, who are looking for help at guard. If he signs an offer sheet, team officials can match it or take a No. 5 draft pick as compensation.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE ANALYSIS: There is not much depth behind starters Willie Real at left tackle and Kyle Turley on the right side. Keno Hills, who has been used primarily as a guard the past two seasons, is the only other player on the roster that has played a down at tackle. The situation is compounded by uncertainty over whether Clarence Jones will return as the third tackle, though he likely will not. The coaching staff has derided to move Turley into the position formerly manned by Jones. In Roaf and Turley, the club has two solid performers with ability to fire off the line as run blockers and drop back as shields for QB Billy Joe Hobert. Hills excelled as a tackle in college, played there as a rookie and may be forced back outside if another tackle doesn't surface. Like Turley, Hills must improve as a pass blocker, particularly in his reaction to an opponent's first move --Mike Strom

New York

NOT-SO-STRONGSIDE: The focus in free agency and the draft is offense, which is appropriate for a team that has relied on its defense for decades. But the defense won't be ignored, and one position the team would like to improve is strongside linebacker. Marcus Buckley struggled at times against the run in 1998 and is not a long-term solution. Buckley's backup, Ryan Phillips, showed flashes of ability in '98 as a second-year pro, but was not ready to supplant Buddey. It is more likely any significant addition on the strongside will be a lower-priced veteran, perhaps the Lions' Rob Fredrickson.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE ANALYSIS: This position is one of the key focuses of the offseason. The signing of Kerry Collins means the team will not take a quarterback in the first round of the draft, and probably means it will take a tackle in one of the first two rounds. If so, the idea will be to give that player every opportunity to become a starter, moving incumbent RT Scott Gragg to left guard. Even if the team does not take a tackle early, it will take a close look at second-year man Toby Myles and Nate Miller, a late-season acquisition in 1998. Myles has very quick feet and has the traditional tools of a left tackle, but Roman Oben is entrenched there. If the team opts to bring in a guard rather than a tackle, Gragg could retain his right tackle job. Oben, entering his fourth season, is one of the league's most promising left tackles. He often controls top right defensive ends with ease. The only problem: Oben is a restricted free agent and the team is petrified someone will come after him. --Neil Best