NFC.(analysis of football teams)

Arizona

STAYING PUT: WR Frank Sanders is coming off a disappointing season and has a big contract, so there has been speculation he'll be cut after June 1. That's unlikely. Sanders has been a reliable player. With coach Dave McGinnis counting on the offense to carry the team, it doesn't make sense to cut one of its main weapons.... FB Paul Shields, who signed a one-year deal with the team recently, will be more than just another body at training camp. The dub wants to make an upgrade at fullback and has just two, starter Joel Makovicka and Dennis McKinley, on the roster. Shields will have to beat out McKinley for a job.

DEFENSIVE ENDS ANALYSIS: RE Andre Wadsworth (knee) could miss the season. LE Simeon Rice departed for Tampa Bay in free agency. What's left is a collection of rookies and journeymen who haven't proved they can pressure an NFL quarterback. Rookie Kyle Vanden Bosch looked good in minicamp, but he didn't stand out as a pass rusher in college. On draft day, there was division among team scouts about his abilities, but he'll be the starter on the right side. Russell Davis moved from tackle to end, and he'll contend for a starting job with Brad Ottis, a solid but unspectacular veteran. Thomas Burke has been injured for most of his first two years in the league. If he doesn't show something in training camp, he'll be gone. --Kent Somers

ATLANTA

ENLIGHTENED: New assistant coach Pete Mangurian has a message for his offensive linemen: Bigger is not necessarily better. He believes a lineman will perform better at his natural weight than at some inflated figure. Two who might benefit from this philosophy are LG Anthony Redmon and RT Ephraim Salaam. Though technically sound, Redmon struggled at his listed weight of 308 pounds, and after starting the first four games he was banished to the inactive list. Salaam had a strong '98 season but then was less effective after his focus on gaining weight and strength robbed him of some of his quickness.

DEFENSIVE ENDS ANALYSIS: The man in the spotlight is Patrick Kerney, who had a disappointing 2000. He had 2 1/2 sacks as a starter, matching his 1999 total as a backup. Kerney's great promise as a pass rasher was the reason Chuck Smith and Lester Archambeau were allowed to leave. In his first season as a starter, Kerney fared well as a run stopper But he must improve his big-play totals. The other starter, Brady Smith, started slowly and began to lose playing time to Chuck Wiley. Smith finished nicely, but Wiley, who was a bargain pickup at the end of the preseason, will push for a starting job. Rookies Randy Garner and Ronald Flemons, both late-round picks, are the only new players to watch.--Charles Odum

Carolina