Falcons to lean heavily on NFL draft
Free agency has been a real big yawner here in the ATL.
The Falcons biggest offseason move so far has been to re-sign defensive end Chauncey Davis.
Here’s the breakdown on Davis’ four –year, $14 million contract. He received a $3 million signing bonus and has base salaries of $2 million in 2009, $2.6 million in 2010, $3 million in 2011 and $3.4 in 2012.
The $3 million signing bonus accounts for $750,000 on the cap each year of the contract giving Davis’ salary cap numbers of $2.75 million, $3.35, $3.75 and $4.15.
The Falcons free agent shopping list is short. They want a pass-catching tight end and a reserve offensive lineman.
They still may get the L.J. Smith and Brett Romberg deals done today. Romberg has fired his agent, Drew Rosenhaus and is in the middle of switching representation.
The Falcons approach to free agency reveals that they will address their secondary and linebacker units in the draft, which will be held April 25 and 26.
They still have to replace Lawyer Milloy. Right now, Thomas DeCoud and Jamaal Fudge would be competing for that spot.
They also have to replace cornerback Domonique Foxworth. They are placing a lot of stock in the return of Von Hutchins, who missed last season with a broken foot.
Hutchins is more of a nickel back. His return would free up Chevis Jackson to compete for Foxworth’s spot against Brent Grimes, David Irons and the draft pick(s).
The linebacker unit is in better shape with the re-signing of Coy Wire. He was starting at strongside for Michael Boley at the end of last season. Stephen Nicholas appears ready for his chance to win the weakside spot.
Taking a look around the NFC South, it has been pretty darn busy down in Tampa Bay. They are re-vamping their offense and picked up running Derrick Ward and tight end Kellen Winslow II after losing out in the Albert Haynesworth sweepstakes.
New Orleans re-signed linebacker Jonathan Vilma, which was their main goal.
Carolina has been relatively quiet after re-signing Jordan Gross and slapping the franchise tag on Julius Peppers.
Here’s a look at how the conference is doing in the offseason, player procurement business:
ATLANTA FALCONS
MAJOR PICKUPS:
OT Will Svitek
PLAYERS RETAINED:
P Michael Koenen, franchise tag
DE Chauncey Davis re-signed with the Falcons. He received a four-year, $14 million contract. $3 million signing bonus.
LB Coy Wire
LB Tony Gilbert re-signed with the Falcons.
TE Justin Peelle
RG Harvey Dahl, 2nd round tender
RT Tyson Clabo, 2nd round tender
C-G Ben Wilkerson, 0ne-year, $535,000
RB Jason Snelling re-signed.
CB Brent Grimes re-signed.
DB Antoine Harris re-signed.
DT Jason Jefferson, re-signed
S Jamaal Fudge, re-signed
PLAYES LOST
LB Michael Boley: Giants; $25 million, five years.
LB Keith Brooking: Cowboys; $6 million, $2.5 guaranteed, three-years
CB Domonique Foxworth: Ravens; $27.2 million, four years, $16.5 million guaranteed.
DT Grady Jackson; UFA Lions; $8 million, three years.
LT Todd Weiner (retired).
CAROLINA PANTHERS
MAJOR PICKUPS:
None
PLAYERS RETAINED:
LT Jordan Gross
DE Julius Peppers, franchise tag
PLAYERS LOST
C Geoff Hangartner (Buffalo)
T Frank Omiyale (Chicago)
OL Jeremy Bridges (released)
WR D.J. Hackett (released)
RB Nick Goings (released)
TAMAPA BAY BUCCANEERS
MAJOR PICKUPS:
LB Niko Koutouvides (Denver)
RB Derrick Ward (Giants)
TE Kellen Winslow II (Cleveland)
K Mike Nugent (Jets)
PLAYERS RETAINED:
WR Antonio Bryant
S Jermaine Phillips
S Will Allen
WR Michael Clayton
WR Cortez Hankton
TE Jerramy Stevens
PLAYERS LOST
LB Derrick Brooks (released)
RB Warrick Dunn (released)
CB Phillip Buchanon (Detroit)
DT Jovan Haye (Tennessee)(
LB Cato June (released)
QB Jeff Garcia (released)
WR Joey Galloway (released)
WR Ike Hilliad (released)
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
MAJOR PICKUPS:
CB Jabari Greer ( Buffalo)
PLAYERS RETAINTED
LB Jonathan Vilma
OT Jon Stinchcomb
WR Devery Henderson
LB Troy Evans
PLAYERS LOST:
RB Deuce McAllister (released)
WR David Patten (released)
Who’s winning the offeseason game of roster building in the NFC South?
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142 comments Add your comment
gdg73
March 9th, 2009
9:14 am
It really doesn’t matter who makes the most moves, it all comes down to who made the smarter moves. That won’t be clear for a while. On to the Falcons, while I feel that CB, S, and LB are priorities in the draft, we most definitely better look for some QUALITY players at the DT position. After Babineaux, nobody impresses me at the UT position. At NT, we better draft someone, albeitin the later rounds, to act as insurance just in case Trey is slow in making it back to 100%. I didn’t trust our colletion of DTs going into last year and I don’t trust them now. We never got a consistent push up the middle. As far as putting pressure on the QB, we were a one man show (Abe) with Chauncey and Babs helping out on occassion. I believe Chauncey will win the starting DE job. If Jamal Anderson doesn’t show us anything at DT (if he is switched), his time won’t be long here. He better find Chuck Smith quick, fast and in a hurry. Just look at what he did for Chauncey.
Mitun
March 9th, 2009
9:16 am
hopefully, Atlanta Falcons could try to move up in the draft to get DT B.J. Raji from Boston College.
hawesg
March 9th, 2009
9:18 am
So we are relying on Von Hutchins. Yikes. There aren’t enough good draft picks to fill all the needs on defense. Coy Wire? The guy’s never been a consistent and healthy starter in his career. But I’m sure that will change now that he’s in his 30s. LJ Smith? I hope Matt Ryan is taking out life insurance, because Smith doesn’t block.
Dimitroff has been given a lot of slack because his moves worked out last year. But was it HIS moves or Smith’s coaching that created a decent offensive line and a bend don’t break defense? If Sam Baker turns out to be a physical bust because of his back then his 2008 draft is only good (considering he had the third pick and gave up picks to get Baker).
The Falcon’s defense worked because the veterans knew how to step up at the key moments (see the Minnesota game) and because they just plain got lucky. But I’m sure Wire, Nicholas and Fudge will strike terror in Drew Brees, Derrick Ward and Steve Smith.
Poor McKay
March 9th, 2009
9:48 am
Leigh Bodden and James Smith. Stop drinking your own bath water TD, bring in some young & experienced vets at DB.
cajdawg
March 9th, 2009
10:00 am
I understand the moves to not sign Brooking, Malloy and Grady Jackson. They are (were) aging and costly.
I could understand not signing Foxworth, if they had a coherent followup decision. So far they haven’t signed any “tier one or tier two” free agent corners. I’m not thrilled relying on an injured Von Hutchins and Chevis Jackson and/or Brent Grimes and/or rookie corners. They may pick a corner off of someone’s trash heap, this worked with Foxworth, but doesn’t always work.
I don’t understand the “falling out with Michael Boley”, for whatever reason they didn’t like him. They kept playing him at strong side and he is better suited for weakside anyway. He could be an All Pro next year.
Dimitroff will have to hit a grand slam in the draft, assuming Trey Lewis is healthy and starts, Decoud starts and Nicholas starts, the Falcons still need:
1)Starting Linebacker
2)Two backup linebackers
2)Backup safety for ST
3)Backup DT
4)Corner
I’m sure they will sign a couple of trash pile free agents for some of these spots, but trash pile free agents isn’t the path to building a playoff caliber defense
Khao$
March 9th, 2009
10:04 am
I agree with Poor McKay. Although I firmly believe in building through the draft, you also needs some experienced vets. Most rookies don’t perform like Matt Ryan their first year. They have a steep learning curve.Rookies AND 2nd year players make mistakes. They just do. Name one winning team in the history of the league that won with a bunch of second year/rookie players on defense. They are playing in a man’s league. After going 11-5 last year with a patchwork defense, I will be upset if we have a losing season because we went totally young (save for Abraham). I didn’t mind cutting Brooking or Milloy. However, I figured we’d get some younger vets in.
Rico
March 9th, 2009
10:12 am
As for what Thomas Dimitroff has done this offseason, I personally believe that he is doing the right thing. There is no sense in paying big bucks for the current players who are free agents. Right now because of the lack of big name players on the market, teams are valuing these guys a lot higher than what their stock really should be, and because of the economy and good agents representing these players, a lot of mediocre players are truly cashing in.
As far as our defensive line, I like the rotation. I would actually prefer Biermann in pass rushing situations. Has anyone watched this kid last season. He was a couple of plays away from a five or six sack season himself. He always seemed to come just short of a sack on just about every other play. I like his potential and upside. As for Jamal Anderson, I believe that he is an example of being a very athletic player playing in a college system that doesn’t put emphasis on technique. We must not forget that he has only been playing defensive end for 4-5 years now. He was a tight end before he switched positions.
At the linebacker position Stephen Nicholas is an absolute monster. I don’t believe that Falcon fans truly understand the upside that this kid has. He plays with a lot of energy and passion, and is an extremely hard hitter. If he plays this year, I think a lot of you fans will be singing a different tune about this kid. I don’t necessarily think that Coy Wire is the answer we need to fill the other outside lineback spot. I believe that maybe we could save ourselves money an inexperience at that position by possibly picking up S Roy Williams who was released by the Cowboys, and making him an outside linebacker. Roy has shown that he certainly does not have any deep open field cover skills or make up speed, but I do like his hard nose play against the run, and I certainly would rather have him matched up against a tight end/running back on passing situations more so than anyone of our nickel backs.
Lastly as far as the secondary is concerned, our cornerback situation is in complete question. Chris Houston has shown that he has a knack of getting picked on due his size, but he has shown that he possess great speed. So I would keep him as the starter on the right side unless we pick up somebody else who is better suited for the job. As for Dominique Foxworth’s potential replacement, I believe we may need to address that position in the draft. I’m not too sold on the likes of Brent Grimes, Chevis Jackson, or Von Hutchins. I believe that Chevis Jackson would be our best corner in Nickel situations out of those three guys, but I would address the other cornerback position through the draft. As for the safety position, I like Erik Coleman at the free safety position, but I would address the SS position with the first pick of the draft. Maybe someone like S William Moore from Missouri would be a safe pick at that position.
Nevertheless, “In Dimitroff, I Trust.” With that being said, I think we are already headed in the right direction for 2009 by ridding ourselves of the so called leaders of our defense which made our defense 24th in the league. Let’s start building a dynasty for the future, so that the Falcons will be “hell” for anyone we play for years to come!!!
Joey Porter
March 9th, 2009
10:13 am
Sorry arse falcons are back. This is the big boy league. You folks will be back to being loserville USA again next year. Your team has no leadership whatsoever.
Cameron
March 9th, 2009
10:17 am
The Falcons will be active in FA this week. They will never look to make big splashes in FA. TD came from the Patriots system. They don’t overpay and don’t sign quick fixes. The only time we might will be if we feel we are one guy away from a Super Bowl run. We are not there yet. We will sign some people this week to build depth. Maybe even sign a starter or two on defense. We were waiting for the price tags to come down on FAs. They have now and we will probably sign some people. TD has said all along that we will not be big players in FA. Everyone needs to sit back and relaz and see what gets done.
chc4
March 9th, 2009
10:19 am
The biggest arse-clown in the league besides T.O. giving advice about how to run a team. You might wanna change your name to someone that actually has an ounce of sense.
Khao$
March 9th, 2009
10:23 am
Rico, I agree we don’t have to have big name/big dollar guys. However, I do believe you need guys with experience that aren’t other teams left overs. Again, when have we EVER seen a team win with a bunch of rookies and 2nd year players playing significant roles on defense? We must also consider that us picking up good players in the draft is just as much of a crap shot as going through free agency. Paying a high draft pick a bunch of money (who you’ve never seen play professional football) is just as risking as paying a FA hoping he’ll be motivated after getting the big check. That’s not to say either way is wrong. However, what we’re seeing Dimitroff do (up to this point) is unprecedented: trying to win with rookies and 2nd year players. That is, unless this is really a rebuilding project. For me, and I preface this statement by saying this year, it would be disapppointing. After going 11-5, I want another winning season, not a step back. I’m not convinced we can do that with a bunch of guys trying to learn the Pro game.
mark
March 9th, 2009
10:23 am
just remember the cowboys in the jimmy johnson ers, young at almost every position. talent over experience i,ll take it.in td i trust.
ChicagoFalcon
March 9th, 2009
10:25 am
Please no LJ Smith!!!! He can’t block and their are 3rd round tight ends more athletic than him in the draft.
smokedog
March 9th, 2009
10:26 am
the best moves for use should be to make a trade for shawn rogers and put him on the side of bab and atleast one corner leigh bodden he use to cover chad johnson good.Everything else could come out draft.With mike smith coaching staff we could really make some noise
Big Ray
March 9th, 2009
10:30 am
I have to admit to a bit of nervousness where the defense is concerned, but it’s not like this defensive unit was tops in the league last year. Sure, we need a vet or two, but this is still a rebuilding process. Hell, it’s only year 2 of that process. New GM, new coach. Calm down.
I really am anxious to see what gets done in the draft though. What will come first? A defensive tackle? A cornerback? A tight end like Pettigrew? Or a safety?
Ben
March 9th, 2009
10:34 am
Why would we move that far to pick up Raji? We can stay right where we are at #24 and pick up DT Peria Jerry from Ole Miss. Pick up S Rashad Johnson from Alabama in the 2nd and CB Captain Munnerlyn or OLB Marcus Freeman from Ohio State in the 3rd.
Address needs and I fully expect TD and staff to put together draft picks form big programs that were productive and explified leaders. They may not be the most sexy names but this draft is about filling needs.
Mac
March 9th, 2009
10:41 am
Chevis is going to be a good one, I think. But, I hope they can find someone at least as good as Foxworth for that slot.
By the way, did you know it takes the exact same number of keystrokes to type Atlanta as it does to type the ATL? Learn from this my pop culture friend and go all old school from now on. How about it?
Leon
March 9th, 2009
10:44 am
Cameron hit it on the head. TD helped build the Patriots system, it’s all about the scheme and buying into the program. TD & CMS see eye to eye on what they are trying to accomplish. If you bring in the RIGHT veterans it’ll work. Remeber one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. IN TD WE TRUST!
Steve Brown
March 9th, 2009
10:50 am
Do we have any investigative reporters left or are we left with those that just regurgitate? Take a look at the value of Home Depot’s stock add in employee cuts at the Blank Foundation and a picture begins to form of Mr. Blank deciding it is less expensive to draft than to sign free agents this year. Seems pretty clear to me.
Big Ray
March 9th, 2009
10:53 am
I’d be happy with Jerry.
Rashad Johnson…ahh, not the the game-changer I’d like, but he’s probably better than I give him credit for. A bit on the smallish side, more like a corner. I’d rather have a bigger, stronger safety like William Moore. That’s the problem: most of these safeties in this draft are more cornerback size….but none of them seemed to have great speed.
lawyer dave
March 9th, 2009
10:58 am
The falcons have lost 4 soon to be 5 free agents
(I assume someone will sign Lawyer). What can we expect in the of compensatory draft picks?
Khao$
March 9th, 2009
11:04 am
Thomas Dimitroff helped build the Patriots…with Bill Belechick and Scott Pioli. That doesn’t take away from what he did last year. He pushed all the right buttons. That said, one year doesn’t make him Jerry West. He’s still open to critique until he has a body of work that says otherwise. I wish we still had some of the comments people had about Rich McKay when he first got on board. He got similar ringing endorsements. Let’s wait awhile before we anoint him the best GM who ever walked the face of the earth. I’m not knocking Dimitroff. However, I’m questioning his approach of building a defense without any reputable veteren replacements…for next year.
Big Ray
March 9th, 2009
11:04 am
Have to say that Sean Smith is an intriguing prospect as well. Could play either corner or safety….hmmmm. Wondering if he can be solid at either. If he has that “it” that Dimitroff and other GMs look for.
Big Ray
March 9th, 2009
11:10 am
McKay was a faker. He had a great system around him in Tampa, from top to bottom (well, except for idiot owners). He got here, he screwed the pooch pretty quickly.
On the other hand, I can see the sense in not crowning Dimitroff the savior of Falcon-kind, but I’m impressed with what he’s done all the same. All of his picks have contributed either decently or greatly (when healthy).
His approach is not above question. But free agency ain’t over yet, either.
And consider one more thing: he’s talking with his head coach every step of the way. So it’s not like he’s just throwing this thing together, trying to rewrite the “Hall of Fame GMs” book or anything. He’s getting plenty of input from Mike Smith as well, as far as what they think will work. I think if Mike is worried about veterans, he’ll say something, and Dimitroff will listen.
And like I said, free agency ain’t over yet…
Randy
March 9th, 2009
11:17 am
Steve Brown, Mr Blank no longer owns Home Depot. And I don’t think money is an issue with him. This approach is called building through the draft. It’s how winning teams operate.
Leon
March 9th, 2009
11:19 am
TD is building the same way here….with the head coach and scouting director all on the same page. I’ll admit I thought McKay was a good hire…..in hindsight he was not. TD drafted more impact players in ONE draft than McKay did the whole time he was in charge. Can’t put my finger on it, but having lived in Atlanta my entire life (since before the Falcons even existed) it just FEELS different. I’m just sayin’
Poor McKay
March 9th, 2009
11:19 am
There is a difference between grabbing big name free agents in the first few days and signing NO ONE after about 7-10 days. I, too, agree with not going after the short-term fix. But all of this talk about leaning heavily on the draft is dangerous. TD would need to have 3-5 players at each position of need identified to have any comfort that a player will still be there when our pick comes up in the given round.
There are a few 25-28 year-old FAs out there who may not be ready for the HOF but they at least have game experience and/or unrealized upside. Butler (Tech grad), Bodden, CJ Mosely, Stephen Bowen… all of those guys would be very nice additions to our squad (without breaking the bank). If TD goes into next season assuming Abraham wil play 16 games (because they have discovered a way to keep him fresh) then he is fooling himself. And having one bonafide play-maker on defense (even if he miraculously stays healthy for a second season) is not the way to build an elite defense.
SirReal
March 9th, 2009
11:25 am
Yeah, I agree with getting rid of the aging vets. We did it on offense last year, now its the Ds turn. This lack of free agency says either one of two things to me. 1) The new regime thinks we actually have some good guys in place and therefore we dont need to look externally for help. We have an ALL STAR coaching staff. Even BVG, I think he’s very underrated. (He made it work with smoke and mirrors given the talent we had.lol I know 24th isnt that great but you do what you can with what you have. 11 wins cant be ALL offense.We had some close games.) 2) The Falcons are just being cheap and they are really banking too much on the draft. The draft cant fill ALL these holes we have. Its just not gonna happen. Plus you have to teach these guys about the pro game, etc. I personally think you have to mix in a couple young vets to go with what they are trying to establish. Our secondary does NOT give me confidence beyond Erik Coleman. Why didnt we go after Sheppard? He could have come cheap (a draft pick, probably 3rd rounder) Some of these moves (or lack there of) are questionable but all we can do is wait and see how it turns out…..I don’t think we’ll have the same success as last year with the brutal schedule this year. NE, DAL, NYJ, NYG, WAS, MIA, and not to mention our own division. I hope TD knows what he’s doing. I’m confident in the offense…totally not sold on D….
RedTailHawk
March 9th, 2009
11:27 am
“Mac” ,,,did u know that it takes 1 more keystroke to type LMFAO than it does to type STHU.
D3
March 9th, 2009
11:33 am
Agree with most everyone’s opinion. I’m somewhere in between this is what is needed and feeling that this is a HUGE risk. If we re-sign Foxworth, that really would’ve solidified our secondary with Houston, Jackson, a returning Hutchins, and Foxworth. Now we have holes all throughout the defense.
A lot of dominoes have to fall excactly correctly for the defense to turn out well. TD has gotten a ton of well-deserved space, but it is a huge risk. 1) Trey Lewis must come in healthy, start, and play well 2)Chauncey Davis must compete and win the D.End position or push J.Anderson to win it back or move him inside. 3) Coy Wire and/or Stephen Nicholas must prove their mettle and fill at least one of the starting OLB spots. 4)Thomas DeCoud must compete with a drafted safety and play well with little to no experience. 5) If LJ Smith is signed, he must STAY HEALTHY which is an enormous IF, or have to draft yet another position of need. All that is assuming there are no injuries, which is completely unrealistic.
Starting spots needed (not including potential current starters)
1)SS 2)ROLB 3)LOLB 4)DT 5)CB 6)TE
Including Coy Wire or Stephen Nicholas, Chevis Jackson, Trey Lewis,
1)SS 2)OLB 3)CB 4)TE
Big risk assuming you can find 3 starters in the draft, much less 4 or 5.
Khao$
March 9th, 2009
11:49 am
D3, I think you hit it right on the nail. There are too many varibles at play to build solely on the draft.
cajdawg
March 9th, 2009
11:54 am
D3. Brilliant Analysis.
The front office is trying to act like the Patriots or the Steelers- sit back during free agency and laugh as other teams spend money.
The problem is we are not deep on defense yet, so we can’t afford to play chicken heading towards the draft. Dimitroff will need to hit a World Series game 7, ninth inning walk-off grand slam in the draft to find 2 to 4 serviceable rookies in the draft that are worthy of starting
Khao$
March 9th, 2009
12:03 pm
Exactly, cajdawg. The Patriots, Steelers and Eagles have a succession process/contingency plan in place. They draft young players, they sit behind older players. Then, they cut older high price players (who can still play) and let the young guys come in. We don’t have the depth to do that just yet. Say what you will about Joe Horn. However, having him around help Roddy White. Roddy said that in his own words. Lofton said the same for Brooking. These young kids need guys (the right guys) who’ve been in the trenches to show them the ropes and show them how to practice at the pro level. Coaching is important, but it does pay to have vets who can show you on the practice field what to do. I know FA is still going on. However, I think we could have acquired some guys who have already signed (Jermaine Phillips/Sean Jones) that wouldn’t have broken the bank, would have still be productive, fit in similar systems, and were young.
Brian Hunt
March 9th, 2009
12:12 pm
Football is a game of young fresh legs. I am in full support of filling the needs in the secondary and LB corps with draft picks. It will make the Defense more athletic and capable of making plays while at the same time help manage the salary cap. The elephant in the room that is preventing big moves is the minimum of $7.5 million to the max of $15 million that our former QB will count against the cap.
hawesg
March 9th, 2009
12:14 pm
Listen, I live in New England. They DO go out and get experienced players. They don’t build exclusively through the draft. Randy Moss? Adalius Thomas? Wes Welker? Junior Seau? These guys didn’t come up through New England’s draft. They were added to strong draft classes.
I’m not arguing against building through the draft, but even Dimitroff said you add FAs where you need them. Well, they need some FA help on defense and luckily the best remaining FA defender is probably Leigh Bodden who would fill a huge whole.
Ben
March 9th, 2009
12:17 pm
Money is not the issue. Because of the NFL’s contract with the TV network the owners make essentially the entire salary cap amount on an annual basis. I completely get TD’s approach though. Building through the draft solifies your team for years. Develop your players and develop continuity. No big splashes needed in 2009. Just be solid and keep your head down.
LJ Smith may be headed to the Lions by the way…
Pat Connors
March 9th, 2009
12:18 pm
To you Joey Porter Sir, are a friggin idiot. You write like a South Georgia Pre K student. Let me educate you, so you don’t loose face @ your job with the County Sanitation Department. Football starts with one position.(QB) We have the future who is NOW. Look what he did last year. +8.5 win diferential is the second best turn around in NFL HISTORY. You Smuck, I was watching ESPN the other day, the topic was,
” Who will be the dominate athlete in Professional Sports within 10 years”. This is ALL sports, not just Football. Tiger Woods was one of the 4 players named. Guess who was one of the 4 players named. Matt Ryan. So go choke on your own meat manhood, or should I say Punkhood. Loserville this, you ignite somgun.
welikebaseball2
March 9th, 2009
12:20 pm
All you guys are talking about “let’s go younger, let’s go younger.” However, as some folks on here have pointed out, you can’t go “younger” with no strategically placed veterans. Also, you can still “go younger” without turning half your starting positions over to rookies. How about a few 3rd or 4th year players?
hawesg
March 9th, 2009
12:21 pm
Ben, let’s hope you’re right about LJ Ole Smith going to Detroit. I’d rather spend some FA cash on a defender and draft a Shawn Nelson in the second round than waste FA money on a stiff like Smith.
Ben
March 9th, 2009
12:22 pm
Hey Hawesg,
I’ve got to corect a few things you said.
Welker and Moss were trades not FA signings. Welker was traded for a 2nd and a 7th and Moss for a 4th. Thomas was the only big time deal the Patriots have had in recent memory. Seau retired and then came back to the Patriots.
hawesg
March 9th, 2009
12:26 pm
Sorry to belabor the point about New England, but Vrabel came over as a FA, too.
Ben
March 9th, 2009
12:26 pm
Falcons have established vets on D in Erik Coleman and John Abraham. I’m not sure why folks are thinking that we’ve got nothing there.
Maggie Lumpskin
March 9th, 2009
12:26 pm
“You write like a South Georgia Pre K student. Let me educate you, so you don’t loose face @ your job with the County Sanitation Department.”
If you are going to call someone out, check your spelling of “lose.” Loser.
Ben
March 9th, 2009
12:27 pm
And Vrabel actually considered retiring because he couldn’t crack the lineup but in a back capacity in Pittsburgh.
vtfalcon
March 9th, 2009
12:28 pm
anyone have any idea how many picks the falcons will get this year? seems like they should get some compensatory picks considering the outflux.
hawesg
March 9th, 2009
12:29 pm
FA or trade, my point being that New England didn’t always build through the draft. They supplement their team with veterans. Some cheap like Welker, some expensive like Moss.
Damndawg
March 9th, 2009
12:29 pm
I don’t mind letting veterans go, but who’s going to start, much less backup? For $8M/3yrs, we should have kept Grady J to plug up the line since our DB’s and LB’s have wayyyyy too many holes to plug in the draft. Jones/Phillips were experienced and affordable. I don’t see making 9-7 with the current plan unless we find some FAs. Compensatory picks don’t render the starters we will need to avoid the back to back winning season curse.
Khao$
March 9th, 2009
12:30 pm
Ben, even though Welker and Moss weren’t free agents, they were still vets. And the Patriots gave up picks to get them. So, the Pats deemed what these vets could bring to the table could equate to more than what they’d receive in the 2nd, 4th, and 7th rounds. I agree, we shouldn’t throw out big time deals. However, I find it hard to believe that some of the young good players that have been scooped up for relatively reasonable deals wouldn’t have helped this team and help to create a succession plan to allow our young players to grow behind them and take their spots. That’s the way the Steelers, Philly, and NE does it. Once they feel their young guys are competent enough, they’ll cut a high price vet. We hit lightning in a bottle last year with Ryan, Baker, and Lofton. What is the likelihood of that happening again? Also, we don’t have as many picks, nor are they as high as they were last year. Conversely, yes we know NE finds good players low in the draft. However, these picks walk into situations where they have vets in place to show them the Patriots way. Whose going to show are picks the “Falcons Way?” Coy Wire? Jamaal Anderson?
hawesg
March 9th, 2009
12:31 pm
Compensatory picks are awarded for the 2010 draft.
BULLSEYE
March 9th, 2009
12:33 pm
Wahhh Wahhh. I’m a Falcon blogger and I am scared of what is happening in free agency. We should have signed Haynesworth, T.J. Ray Lewis, T.O. and all of the other fantasy players. Boo hoo. Why did Dimitroff sign 13 of our own players back to a team that went 11-5 last season. We didn’t even know who Foxworth was last season until they signed him on opening day and started playing a month after Brent got hurt. He was gonna be better than Deion. The NFL just eats rookies alive. Just ask Matt Ryan, Harry Douglas, Sam Baker, Curtis Lofton Thomas Decoud and Kory Bierman. Just because our head coach is a defesive guru and we have BVG as a DC, does not mean they know how to select personnel better than bloggers. I mean really. Bloggers are plugged in because they can devote more time to that kind of task.
hawesg
March 9th, 2009
12:35 pm
Coleman and Abraham? That’s two guys. Not exactly leaders like Milloy and Brooking, no matter what the latter two guys’ physical limitations at this point in their career. Belichek always wants veteran linebackers, because they lead the defense (in his scheme, I don’t know enough about Smith’s scheme). We have a career special teams guy, and a couple of youngsters.
Ben
March 9th, 2009
12:37 pm
That’s the coaching staff’s job. This entire team has been to the Playoffs! They know what it takes to win. Guys like Roddy White can now be leaders and Ovie can keep guys in line.
I understand that we are shellshocked that sucess came so easy. The division is not decidely better today than it was at the end of the year. Go 9-7 win the division and make another run at it. Our schedule won’t dictate another 11-5 season in my opinion. Does anyone not think Matt Ryan takes a leadership role? How about Michael Turner?
To answers the picks question:
We’ve got the 24th in the 1st, 23rd in the 2nd, 26th in the 3rd, 25th in the 4th, 7th and 24th in the 5th and 23rd in the 6th (no 7th because it belongs to Denver as a part of the Foxworth trade).
Khao$
March 9th, 2009
12:48 pm
True, the coaching staff is supposed to coach players up. But how many times, from teams across the league and in other sports have we heard, FROM THE COACH, that they lean on vets to help the young guys out?
welikebaseball2
March 9th, 2009
12:50 pm
Ben: I hear you, but 2 vets out of our 11 starters on defense isn’t exactly comforting. Besides, while Abraham is a beast on the field, he’s not exactly the vocal leader we lost in Milloy. That’s pretty much leaves the vet leadership on the shoulders of Coleman.
CMass
March 9th, 2009
1:10 pm
how about we make one good pickup and try and get jason taylor
Cameron
March 9th, 2009
1:16 pm
The leadership void defnitely nees to be filled. Abnd, it will. Lofton was able to wathc Brooking and pick his brain for a year. Now, he should know what it takes to be the leader of the defense. The MLB makes all the calls on defense, which is what Lofton did all last year. He is already in a vocal role by doing that and he will assume the leadership role vacated by Brooking. Milloy’s role of leader of the secondary will be filled by Coleman. Just because you need leadership, doesn’t mean you resign guys, and overpay them, when you don’t think they can perform. What do you think happens in college football? When a senior class graduates and the leaders are gone, do you think the program falls apart. No. New ones step up that have been groomed for the role. That is exactly what will happen. I am glad TD and the rest of our staff does not read these blogs and panic like everyone else.
JMar
March 9th, 2009
1:20 pm
Orlando, would you PLEASE fix the “Staff Reports” article on the upcoming draft? It says: “Compensatory picks, awarded for teams that lose free agents, are made following the third round and will be announced at a later date. The Falcons have lost several players to free agency including Keith Brooking, Michael Boley and Domonique Foxworth.” Although it never says the Falcons may get compensatory picks in this year’s draft for losing those players, it is certainly easily inferred, leading to all these incorrect comments and questions about same.
Shut up
March 9th, 2009
1:27 pm
All you idiots that say we should have kept Foxworth need to take a look at the contract he signed with the Ravens. He’s not worth that.
BUILD THROUGH THE DRAFT DIMITROFF, YOU’RE DOING IT RIGHT. THESE IDIOTS WHO HAVEN’T BEEN INSIDE AND NFL EXECUTIVE OFFICE THINK THEY KNOW MORE THAN SOMEONE WHO LEARNED FROM THE BEST IN THE PATRIOTS ORGANIZATION.
D Money
March 9th, 2009
1:40 pm
First, I’m not sure about LJ Smith but if they think he can do it, there will be no argument from me. They made our Offense look much better than how everyone else in the sports world thought it might look.
I think we need to pick up at least 2 veterans on the defense and I’m sure we’ll get what we need.
steve'o
March 9th, 2009
1:47 pm
After reading some of these comments I’m beginning to believe Blank hired the wrong GM. Some of you really need to get a grip and come back to reality. They know what to do and who to put on the field, that’s their JOB! Not yours and not mine. Go FALCONS!!!
Badger3
March 9th, 2009
1:50 pm
DT Mike Newkirk from Wisconsin in for a workout today….You can have him and PJ Hill in a package deal!!!!
TheManMike
March 9th, 2009
1:55 pm
HAHA – BULLSEYE – You hit the BULL right in the EYE with your post. All these quacks think they should be GM……ppsshh..
I love how people get love on here for posting comments that state things about Foxworth….because i agree with you 100% – This time last year, WHO IS FOXWORTH?? I had NEVER heard of him in my life and he wasnt THAT damn good. Also – i forgot who made the comment and got all sorts of props for it…he stated that if we would have resigned Foxworth that we would have been solid on D but since we didnt, SUDDENLY we have “all sorts of holes” – Your a friggin idiot man. Foxworth certainly was not the gum in the dam last year……
Falcons Mangement know what the deal is and how to run a Football team, well, becuase THATS WHAT THEY DO – so sit back, relax, stop fretting about not signing all your big name-nogamers and watch the rebuilding process continue……Some of you people have short term memory i think….
TheManMike
March 9th, 2009
2:00 pm
To Ellaborate: D3 said:
“…If we re-sign Foxworth, that really would’ve solidified our secondary with Houston, Jackson, a returning Hutchins, and Foxworth. Now we have holes all throughout the defense. ”
Your a stooge dude….And all the people who backed your lame comments.
Kids! – The Falcons will be O.K.
Steve Brown
March 9th, 2009
2:19 pm
Randy,
He still owns a major share of the stock. Winning teams do both as we have. Perhaps you haven’t noticed but economic conditions have changed a bit over the past six months. Go back to sleep if you prefer.
Steve Brown
March 9th, 2009
2:20 pm
Anyone want to wager that we will soon hear that Mr. B is looking for minority owners.
Tibo
March 9th, 2009
2:39 pm
What about Leigh Bodden?
We need some experience in DBs
TheManMike
March 9th, 2009
2:41 pm
Steve Brown…………Do us a favor and save it…
TheManMike
March 9th, 2009
2:43 pm
Has anyone heard any news of FA coming to Atlanta for a visit? NFL Network and ESPN et al. dont like to cover our Birds so much…
welikebaseball2
March 9th, 2009
2:43 pm
To some of you without a clue….
The purpose of a blog is for fans to share their opinions. So, for those of you that have a problem with people critiquing the moves (or lack thereof), know this: Just because you choose to drink the Kool Aid doesn’t mean that we have to. If you’ve been a fan for the number of years that some of us have, you would understand why we are a little skeptical. If you’re wondering the source of such skepticism, I remind you that we’ve never had back-to-back winning seasons. Sounds like reason enough to me…
TheManMike
March 9th, 2009
2:49 pm
welikebaseball2 -
“The purpose of a blog is for fans to share their opinions” – ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE! Now follow through bud.
FYI – KoolAid is great. I dont signing every FA available is going to turn around any team – no matter how loud you bitch and moan; thats what we are saying. Just stop crying and give real opinions on who you think should fill the roles vacated. Dont just sit here and whine that our team has not anything and that letting Foxworth loose TOTALLY PUT HOLES IN OUR D….hehe, i still get a good laugh out of D3’s comments earlier….hehe….Foxworth? honestly…….
Hey – I like baseball too – go Bravos and go USA.
I MUS.WRITE
March 9th, 2009
3:03 pm
1st- Ziggy Hood
2nd- William Moore SS/ Patrick Chung/Sean Smith
3rd- James Casey TE
4th- Zach Follet OLB
5th-Sammie Lee hill/ Jarron Gilbert
6th- OL/CB best available
Sign- Peterson -hard nosed veteran,familiar with our system
Sign- Bodden or a good vterean CB
Sign- veteran OT to replace Weiner
LJ Smith drops too many passes and he is always injured -Casey looks like the real deal -he could be our new receiving TE
Poor McKay
March 9th, 2009
3:08 pm
Will Peterson be much better in 2009 than Keith Brooking? Seems like both guys will need to sit down on 3rd down, so how is that a significant upgrade?
Ken Strickland
March 9th, 2009
3:09 pm
This draft is very heavy on quality DEF players. It appears Dimitroff and Smith have done their homework and feel there is more than enough quality talent in this draft to get what we need without overpaying in FA. That move reinforces what I said earlier about them having confidence in the ability of certain players already on the roster to replace lost players.
Based on what I’ve read, I don’t think they feel drafting a starting LB or SS is a major priority. However, a startign CB and DT might be. There are no CB’s on our roster that they are certain can step in a fill Foxworth’s shoes. That’s not the case with OLB or SS. We all know that DT has been a major weakness for several yrs, and there are plenty of the type of big, strong, run stuffing DT’s they’re looking for in this draft.
mudcat
March 9th, 2009
3:11 pm
Why not FA Leigh Bodden at CB? He played extremely well for a bad team(Lions). Adding Bodden and someone like Sean Smith would make our backfield a major plus instead of the liability it is now. I wish Von H. well, but is he really the answer after his injury?
Steve Brown
March 9th, 2009
3:13 pm
Themanmike,
Another one that would rather sleep.
Tron5000
March 9th, 2009
3:16 pm
BULLSEYE, funny that you choose to spend your time whining about other people whining. How far has talking trash about others gotten you in life? If it’s working out for you, keep it up. But I would guess it isn’t.
wr
March 9th, 2009
3:19 pm
Just like everyone else, I too am worried about the state of the falcons especially considering the vet experience or lack thereof on defense. But I paused just as everyone else needs to do, and considered last season. We didn’t expect much from the falcons and what did we get, a fairly decent playoff team. Lets go back over the last 10 plus years and over the history of the franchise and ponder why it is that the falcons haven’t had back to back winning seasons. Atlanta fans are what have you done for me lately fans, we have to face that. We have had GM’s that probably sneak and peak at blogs and decide “hey we better get this such and such player to keep fan support and moral high, and just as the fans we are, we cheer and jeer and seem to be so happy because we got our man. The player becomes a bust and we blame the GM or the falcons as a whole and we are right back at square one. I, just as most people, would hate to go from 11-5 to 6-10, but if the big picture in this process means a consistent winner and contender, I would take it over what has been the state of the atlanta falcons. If you are truly a falcons fan, the one hit wonder has worn thin with you, and that is the history of the falcons. Yes as stated earlier, I want to win right now, the excitement of last year stills boils through my veins, but lets consider we were the 24th ranked defense in the league last year out of 32 teams, if we started a defense full of rookies we couldn’t finish no worse than 32nd. The question was asked what team has won with a defense loaded with rookies, my question is how many teams have won after one side of the ball caught up with the other, see the Colts ( great offense with a defense that eventually caught up) and even pittsburgh great defensefully throughout history, always waiting for the offense to catch up which it has eventually thoughout history. Everyone continues to state that dimitroff comes from the patriots systems, less we forget, one side of the ball is always catching up to the other side, if its nots a high scoring offense, its a strong defense, its always a catch up phase even with the patriots, and when they haven’t caught up they lose because patch work on either offense or defense fails to win championships, just ask the patriots what happened against the giants a year ago.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
March 9th, 2009
3:20 pm
TheManMike: LB Mike Peterson is coming to visit. Don’t have the date pinned down, but he’s coming!
Just got back in from Georgia Tech’s Pro Day. DE Michael Johnson was awesome and ran a 4.59 (Lions had him at 4.49). Jahi Word- Daniels looked good, too. He had a vertical over 38 inches.
Thomas Dimitroff, Coach Smith and Carolina head coach John Fox were in the crowd of more than 40 folks scouting. Our good buddy, Mike Zimmer, the Bengals defensive coordinator, was on hand.
Also, Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson ran some routes to help out quarterbacks Taylor Bennett and Calvin Booker in their passing drills.
JMAR: Staff report should be fixed regarding the compensatory picks.
Peter
March 9th, 2009
3:29 pm
New England does love those draft picks but let’s face a couple of facts. N.E. always brings in Vets. Seau, Moss, Taylor, lots of guys who are thought of as “through” Dimitroff, though I like him didn’t have the really big voice in Foxboro. And there’s one fact always forgotten about the Pats. They got lucky with Tom Brady the same way the Colts got lucky with Johnny Unitas. If they knew Brady was that good they would not have waited to draft him.
Also I’m no big fan of K.Brooking but if Nichols is so good and Brooking so bad why wasn’t he able to beat Brooking out? I mean they’re really going to put a rookie or Grimes back there with even T.B. looking as if they’ll be able to pass the ball better this season? Teams just don’t normally have two back to back great drafts. Not even the Steelers, Pats or Eagles.
I think that Foxworth just wanted to play in his hometown (or close to it) but lets be honest Foxworth was the only guy we had back there. And how many defensive plays was DeCoud in on?
Finally if some of you guys want to criticize the writers here so much go to another place to get your Atlanta sports news. Most of us come to the site to read what the writers have to say, not drippings from you illiterate scum. Don’t like it – LEAVE!
steve'o
March 9th, 2009
3:29 pm
Sharing an opinion is one thing. Acting like you know better than the GM and coach, well that’s another. TheManMike, pass the KOOL-AID!!! This negative CRAP was around this time last year and look where it bite alot of you.
VICK SUPPORTER 2
March 9th, 2009
3:33 pm
7 PICKS IS NOT WORTH THE GAMBLE OF PROVEN VETERANS NOT PICKED UP IN FREE AGENCY. IF NONE OF THE PICKS WORKOUT & THE 4TH TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN 2009……WELCOME BACK 2007
ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SAINTS & BUCS LOOK PRETTY PLAYOFF READY AND CAROLINA IS STILL INTACT…….
ENJOY 2009
BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS……MV7 WON’T BE ON THE ROSTER TO BLAME
chc4
March 9th, 2009
3:40 pm
The Bucs looks playoff ready? LOL… they’ve had a horrible offseason.
I love how how we finally draft a competent QB and finish 11-5. Then someone name “MV7″ claims Vick won’t be here to blame. Now THAT’S irony!!
This Gets Old
March 9th, 2009
3:41 pm
Foxworth’s contract wasn’t for $28M guaranteed. That’s an agent talking. It’s for just over $16M guaranteed and for us – he started. That’s the bottom rate for starters and Baltimore seems to have a better sense right now on building a defense. No matter, what’s done is done. The Falcons are down FIVE starters on defense. I don’t see that coming from the draft.
Besides the offense does need some work too. Let’s not forget about the pivotal play in the AZ game and I’m not talking about Brooking allowing the TE get behind him. I’m talking about the play that gave the Cards the lead and about the Falcons having problems running the ball and not just against AZ. A (here I go again) TE that can catch and block is a must. What can L.J. Smith do that Peele doesn’t do? There are a LOT of good defensive players in this draft. Good, not great. However they’ll be rookies and I just don’t think you’ll make a playoff run with that many rookies.
Tron5000
March 9th, 2009
3:42 pm
WR, what Falcons GMs do you think have signed a player because they thought the fans on the blogs wanted him? Did Rich McKay do this? Did Dan Reeves sign players because he was up late on the AJC site reading the fans’ opinions? Seriously, dude? Seriously?
Tron5000
March 9th, 2009
3:45 pm
JOCK SUPPORTER, what again was your prediction for the Falcons’ record in 2008? Did you not warn us all that the team would crumble into dust without He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named? And now you’re warning us to watch out for 2009?
Sorry, Charlie, but your predictions have been way off in the past, so excuse me if I’m not very inclined to now listen to your nonsense.
steve'o
March 9th, 2009
3:50 pm
vick supporter 2………………..YOU CRACK ME UP!!!! HA! HA! HA! HA!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
March 9th, 2009
3:54 pm
VS2, where have you been???
Joey563
March 9th, 2009
4:02 pm
Romberg just signed.
clthurman
March 9th, 2009
4:03 pm
Biggest mistake Dimitroff has made is the loss of Foxworth…his loss alone leaves the secondary with 2 big gaping holes…..we are not gonna make that up in the draft…there is not alot there. We have guaranteed ourselves another average defense and will be lucky to hit 8 and 8 with our harder schedule. I mean that loss just defies description along with absolutely no writer or Falcon spokesman definitively answering the question of what their freakin plans are….cuz there is none in this draft at the positions on defense we are now leaking like a pregnant tit of pus.
This Gets Old
March 9th, 2009
4:11 pm
Last year I almost drowned out in S.Diego. I found it hard to breath and I heard a voice that said “Don’t fight it. Everything will be O.K.” I don’t know why but I immediately felt a relaxing, peaceful feeling come over me. All worries and cares seemed to float away. I was enjoying this until I felt myself heading down a dark tunnel towards a bright light. I realized that I was being carried by a huge angel with wings of gold and a sword made of a materiel that could only be pearl or carved from the horn of a unicorn.
We passed through all of the stars, many earths were visible. As we got to the end of the tunnel I saw a person that I recognized as my grandfather who’d passed away before I was born but somehow I knew who he was. He was in tears. I asked what was wrong. He said “It’s not your time yet” Being in this peaceful place I of course didn’t want to leave but he explained that I had much more work to do here on Earth. I asked why he cried. He said “Because you’re always going to be a Falcon fan”
“THE 4TH TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN 2009″
I’m getting tired of hearing this because it’s a lie. When fans of other teams looked at their schedules this time last season do you think they thought “Damn, we’ve got to play THE FALCONS?!” Or do you think they thought “Yes! We’ve got the Falcons!”
NOBODY knows who’s going to be a tough team next year at this time of year! Hands down the Falcons were considered the worst team in football. If somebody on this blog had said that the Falcons would pick in the draft AFTER the Patriots, Bucs, (Panthers and Cowboys if they still had 1st round choices) everybody would have thought the person was crazy.
GO WITH THE FLOW YOU CAN’T CHANGE IT!
Dawgbyte
March 9th, 2009
4:16 pm
I’ll just write one line. Then, when you average me in with those “tomes” it will look better.
hawesg
March 9th, 2009
4:43 pm
Look, I’m not saying go out and sign every FA on the market. I like the philosophy Dimitroff expressed about FA: You use them to fill a few holes that you can’t fill through the draft. Good. But we have a few holes that we can’t fill through the draft. I think just ONE signing, say Leigh Bodden, would put us in a good position to fill other needs through the draft.
This is a team whose defense in 2008 was ranked 21st vs the pass, 25th vs the run and 24th overall in yards allowed. Yet somehow that left them 11th in points allowed. That’s luck and veteran grit, neither of which can be counted on in 2009 unless a few moves are made.
Again, most of the impact FAs on defense are gone. But there’s a pretty good CB left. Get a few patches for some holes and we have a chance at adding young talent in the draft. Just like Dimitroff himself said you do.
hawesg
March 9th, 2009
4:46 pm
Mike Peterson? Would he move to SLB? All we DO have at LB is a MLB.
mars
March 9th, 2009
4:52 pm
Okay. Lofton beat out Gilbert (just barely) for Mike position last year. Gilbert was subsequently released (headscratcher decision). Gilbert was recently re-signed, giving us 2 starters at MLB. Now we are flirting with signing Mike Peterson, stating that he would be an upgrade at…(drumroll)…MLB. ?????! Now, are we planning on spreading this talent around the field or concentrating all this talent on one position, thereby preserving the notion to fret over LB needs? Is Marion Campbell secretly a defensive advisor? Shouldn’t we use this strategy on tight ends, as Dan Reeves might suggest?
SirReal
March 9th, 2009
5:39 pm
I have been a Birds fan my whole life…..I appreciate whats been going on in Flowery Branch but I understand what someone earlier was saying. We’re used to doing good one year and just completely imploding the next….We’re just a bit weary of it as fans. We all are just hoping THIS regime can actually get us 2 back to back winning seasons and beyond. If you’ve been a Falcons fan for a while, you already know that we hold our breath every offseason….I hope TD doesn’t whiff…McKay looked good for a while too and we saw what happened next….not pessimistic, just realistic. Go Birds!
Big Ray
March 9th, 2009
6:22 pm
I see Mike Peterson is due for a visit. He’s familiar with Coach Smith, and would be a decent veteran addition. Yes, yes, I know he played MLB, but he also has played outside at one point in time. And he’s a veteran, so there ya go. That alone should make some people deliriously happy if he signs.
Guys, free agency isn’t over. Some of you act like the season starts tomorrow or something. Wring your panties out and calm down.
Ya know, the more I look at Brandon Pettigrew, the better he looks…
What would it take to move up in the draft and get Raji or Perry?
Reading the mock drafts is interestin. Some have us taking cornerback D.J. Moore as our first pick. Several have us grabbing Pettigrew.
Big Ray
March 9th, 2009
6:32 pm
From NFL.com, titled “Even in the offseason, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Atlanta Falcons
No team was a bigger surprise in 2008 than the Falcons. They defied the odds, going 11-5 with a rookie head coach, GM and quarterback. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the improved defense, but the Falcons have lost players from that unit and have done little to replace them so far in free agency. Gone are LBs Keith Brooking and Michael Boley, CB Domonique Foxworth and DT Grady Jackson — all of whom signed with new teams. Veteran safety Lawyer Milloy was released.
Atlanta re-signed DE Chauncey Davis and LB Coy Wire with little fanfare, but fans are wondering where the defense is headed. Coach Mike Smith received great production from his players last season, and he will coach up that defense again next season. GM Thomas Dimitroff has the team in a good salary-cap situation and is starting to visit middle-of-the-road veterans, much like he learned to do in New England.
Draft picks 24, 54 and 90 are Dimitroff’s best assets this offseason, but I still think we could see the Falcons consider tight end, safety, cornerback and linebacker in free agency over the next few weeks.
I had an interesting conversation with Tennessee Titans DE Kyle Vanden Bosch the other day about DT Albert Haynesworth signing with the Washington Redskins. Vanden Bosch recognized that his team lost a great player, but he also recognized two other things. One, young players such as Jason Jones are waiting to take that spot on the field. Two, everyone must step up his game now. Titans players accept the challenge to move on without Haynesworth, and they don’t expect to fall back next season.
I also reminded Vanden Bosch that he once was a veteran who was looking for work and signed a minimum-wage deal just to get a job, and he turned out to be a Pro Bowler. As I said earlier, at least 150 more veterans are left to be signed, and there will be another Vanden Bosch in that group. It’s not time to panic if your team has been quiet so far in free agency.
…and there ya have it…
JJ
March 9th, 2009
6:37 pm
VS2 — welcome back! I’ve missed your incredible knowledge of the NFL / FALCONS. Since you were so accurate with your predictions a year ago, what about this year? “Bigeasy830-u know-fresh 4 u sucker lard” – predicted sub-500 or HE WOULD LEAVE THIS BOARD! WHAT SAY U? Personally, I love your comic relief with flacco/ryan. If we drafted flacco, you’re spiel (spew) would be interchangeable…lol…keep it up!
darrell starks
March 9th, 2009
6:55 pm
DEFENSE WIN CHAMPIONSHIP AND I DONT NO WHY WE DID NOT EVEN ATEMP TO SIGN SEAN JONES ON DEFENSE THAT MAKE NO SENSE TO ME, AND WHY SIGN PETERSON WITH HIS CAREAR IS ON A DOWN SLOPE I GUEST THATS WHY TD THE GM AND I DONT NO FOOTBALL.GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ken Strickland
March 9th, 2009
6:55 pm
It’s truely interesting, and entertaining, to read the fears and assumptions of some of our fans. Some of you act like CB Foxworth was the 2nd coming of Dion Sanders. We finished near the bottom of the NFL in passing and rushing DEF with the contributions of CB DFoxworth, SS LMalloy, LB’s Brooking and Boley, as well as all of their veteran leadership. We sure as heck weren’t going to improve maintaining the status quo. Adding more speed, quickness, intensity and athleticism certainly won’t make us a worse DEF. If we use those attributes to get more production out of our LDE, OLB’s, SS and DT’s, I don’t see how CB Foxworth’s absence will be missed.
If we get improved play from our DT’s and DE’s, especially against the run, our OLB’s and safeties won’t be leading the team in total tackles. If our DT’s and DE’s put more pressure on the QB, we won’t need CB’s with Probowl calibur coverage skills. Unlike some of you know noting fans, our coaching staff, especially HC Smith, a former DC, understands it all starts up front with the DL. That’s where they will add more speed, quickness, athleticism, aggressiveness and youth.
I can see a starting DL of LDE-CDavis, or an improved JAnderson, LDT-TLewis, RDT-Draft pick, RDE-JAbraham. In an earlier post, someone tried to discount the possibility of using SS McCloud as a starting SS by asking how many DEF snaps has he had. Well, how many snaps had QB MRyan, OLT SBaker, WR HDouglas, DE KBiermann, CB CJackson or MLB CLofton had before last season? Did their lack of snaps prevent them from becoming starters and/or making major contributions to last yrs success? Stop trying to justify your unjustifiable beliefs.
Our coaching staff obviously aaw enough in the performance and abilities of certain backup personnel to think them capable of replacing the starters they backed up last yr. None of us has viewed film of their performances on special teams, in practice or in gm situations. So how can any of us really believe we are better qualified than our coaching staff to judge what these players are capable of doing? OUR OVERALL DEF WILL BE BETTER THAN IT WAS LAST YR, AND SO WILL OUR OFF, PERIOD.
roman88
March 9th, 2009
6:59 pm
there’s a site I read earlier about the compensatory picks and how they’re calculated, with some interesting things about new englands philosophy when TD was there, yeah I’d like to have seen big names picked up, but I’ll trust in TD until proven otherwise, and they’re not finished yet, that site was drafthistory.com, shows different routes some teams took and didn’t take, remember daniel snyder first bought the skins a few yrs back and loaded up with big free agents and bombed, he’ll try again now, the secondary with safety is my biggest concern, along with some help for abe on the other side.
D3
March 9th, 2009
8:09 pm
TheManMike, you really should actually READ the entire post you helmet. If you would have READ the whole post you would have found that I agree with the rebuilding process, but that it is a risk. I don’t think anywhere in my post did I mention Foxworth being the glue in the dam (nice metaphor, by the way). I simply said that Foxworth would have foritified our secondary. Simple. Reading comprehension can be a very enlightening process that can lead many fun experiences.
Again, if you would have READ, as mentioned before, you would have seen that I agree with this process. But it is a risk, we do have 4 open spots on defense (if you assume Wire takes over at OLB), 5 if you don’t. I also went through scenarios that would need to occur to have a good performance, which was much more analytical than your “everything will be fine,” “you guys are idiots,” non-sensical rant. It actually is a FACT that we did lose 5 starters. Facts are also fun, you should check into them. Milloy, Brooking, Foxworth, G.Jackson, & Boley all started at some point. I was simply saying that anytime you have younger players with less experience, you are taking a risk. No more, no less. Do me a favor and put a self-edit button on your dumb@ss comments before you post.
By the way, what the Hell does bigname-nogamers mean? Ever hear of a space, hyphen, or better yet a comma? Thanks!
TheManMike
March 9th, 2009
9:00 pm
D3-
You called me a helmet – hahaha, nice.
Besides repeating yourself, i like your retort. I found it rather amusing and enlightening, as you say. You are correct, we lost 5 “at one time” starters, but all this talk of there being this lack of veteran leadership is just getting irritating and i guess your posts stood out to me. But, its OK – no worries.
Oh yea, ‘bigname-nogamers’ (Big names with No game….come on, like you didn’t get that…) is simply a made up word, so there you go, your the winner of the blog ranting decathlon. (That’s a joke)
Also – love the name calling. Good touch.
By the way, i stand by my comments. I think the quote i pointed out pretty much states my point, so, word it however you like.
Ken Strickland-
Nice last post. This “end of the world” mentality is simply dumbfounding. Cheers!
TheManMike
March 9th, 2009
9:02 pm
Thanks DLed for your earlier post answering my question. Good looking out.
Phrase of the week should be….”All in due time my friends, all in due time.”
falcon21
March 9th, 2009
9:33 pm
Heck, all you guys make good points, some of it is kinda off the wall but it is only opinions. Hell everything I write is off the wall, so I’ve been told but Im gonna keep doing it until I get ran off. This is good reading guys and gals, keep it up. GO TD and FALCONS!!!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
March 9th, 2009
10:00 pm
TheManMike: Like the quote of the week.
Hey y’all, “What’s a helmet?” Don’t get that one.
Mike Peterson was in to visit the Falcons today. Found out late in the day. All is quiet on the L.J. Smith front. He’s not ruling out the Lions (translation: I really want to come to Atlanta, but I need somebody to drive my price up).
panic
March 9th, 2009
10:05 pm
Something that has not been STATED is the fact our gm looks beyond just this yr, has been SAID our gm is looking at next 2 yrs to fill needed holes as has been proclaimed . what is next yrs draft class look like if we sign ok player this yr we can have true stud next yr,
or hope that god shines down his glory on these new reborn birds
I think that these fine folks at the branch have a very good plan just not tipping our hand ,we will all be in shocked thought once this
voted best NEW GM and NEW COACH take there turn at the player table!!
D3
March 9th, 2009
10:06 pm
TheManMike, its all good. I actually agree with your point of view and I’m not saying the sky is falling, just that there is a little risk with all younger guys. As far as name calling, you did call me a stooge and rip into my post several times.
All good bro. I agree with you that Foxworth was over-paid, just that if we were going to keep any of the FA’s we should have kept him. Just hoping we don’t take a huge step back. That’s all.
Good Banter.
D3
March 9th, 2009
10:09 pm
DLed, a helmet’s another deragatory term for tool. I got a little carried away. In your opinion, do you think LJ Smith would be a good pick-up? And if we do, do we still draft a TE in the draft?
Good reporting, thanks for the updates.
falcon21
March 9th, 2009
10:21 pm
I don’t think LJ is the best option. I think we have a couple of good TE’s. We should draft Defense,Defense,TE and more Defense.
roman88
March 9th, 2009
10:39 pm
amen
a feared pass rush and a beast in the middle would really help that secondary,
FalconNVA
March 9th, 2009
11:15 pm
Adam Schefter of NFL.com has reported that the Falcons have signed ex-Jags LB Mike Peterson to a three year contract. Peterson played for Head Coach Mike Smith in Jacksonville for 4 years before losing favor with Del Rio’s staff.
Gunner
March 9th, 2009
11:20 pm
I understand that this year has a great crop of linebackers. Remember Mr D. was head of college scouting at New England. I suspect he knows what he’s doing.
Ken Strickland
March 10th, 2009
12:14 am
Think about this.
(1)DT TLewis(6′3″ 323lbs) should return healthy and at full strength. We draft another big, strong run stuffing DT like maybe Ron Brace(6′3″ 330lbs) of Boston college, or Sen’Derrick Marks(6′2″ 305lbs)of Auburn, or Evender Hood(6′3″ 300lbs) of Missouri, and maybe, just maybe, a stud like Peria Jerry(6′2″ 300lbs) of Ole Miss drops into our laps. Add DT’s JBabineaux and KMorehead to the rotation and we have a solid interior DL.
(2)With a solid DL, our LB’s would have more time to read and react rather than dodging OLinemen coming at them, or chasing RB’s in the open field.
(3)If your DL is solid against the run, the OFF will usually be put in a lot of 3nd and long situations. This situation allows us to bring in our pass DEF personnel.
Look at the teams that make it to the Superbowl and tell me how many of them have what is classified as shutdown CB’s. If you have a strong rushing DEF, and a strong pass rush, you don’t need shutdown or Probowl calibur CB’s. A young, strong, energetic, athletic, solid DL will make all of you apprehensive fans forget all about the loss of SS LMalloy, OLB’s KBrooking and MBoley, DT GJackson and CB DFoxworth. By the way, the offer we made to CB DFoxworth was more than the one he accepted with the Ravens.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
March 10th, 2009
12:48 am
Mike Peterson has not “signed” with the Falcons. They have agreed to terms on a three-year contract.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
March 10th, 2009
12:52 am
D3: Thanks for help on the “helmet” deal. I get it now. If L.J. Smith can revert to his 2005 and 2006 form, then he could be helpful. If he’s slipping real fast and doesn’t want to block, then get one of the young guys in the draft and teach them how to block.
darrell starks
March 10th, 2009
2:00 am
This will be a big draft this year 1stpick have to be LB LAURINAITIS OF OHIO STATE OR CUSHING OF USC either or there both are playmaker and we need that bad AT THE LB POSITION, 2nd pick do what ever it take to move up in the draft to get SEAN SMITH OF UTAH who can play CB OR SAFETY i would play him at safety with COLEMAN THIS WOULD be a still for us if we can get him in the 2nd round,3RD PICK DT DORRELL SCOTT OF CLEMSON a big run stopper who if you play him with TREY LEWIS THAT WOULD BE A BIG PLUS ON DEFENSE i would love ASHER ALLEN BUT HE WILL BE GONE BY THE FOURTH PICK. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Las Vegas
March 10th, 2009
2:13 am
If the Falcons sign anybody, they should sign some refs for the playoffs the way Arizona did.
VICK SUPPORTER 2
March 10th, 2009
2:55 am
D-LED…….
WHAT’S GOING ON BUDDY? WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO? YOU KNOW DOING MY RESEARCH AND SUPPORTING THE “GREATEST” ATHLETE TO EVER SUIT UP IN THE NFL.
I RECALL WHEN HATING FANS WERE SAYING MV7 WOULD NEVER SUIT UP IN THE NFL AGAIN, AND I WAS LIKE “DREAM ON”. LITTLE DID I KNOW, THEY WERE RIGHT!!!
AS IT TURNS OUT, THE BELOW LINK REPORTS THAT THE “UFL” HAS BEEN STATED ON THE “PRO FOOTBALL SITE” THAT BY 2011, THE UFL MAY BE THE ONLY FOOTBALL LEAGUE SOUTH OF CANADA THAT WILL BE COVERED BY THE MEDIA AND GUESS WHAT? THAT’S RIGHT, THE UFL HAS BEEN QUOTED STATING THEY ARE HOT AND HEAVENLY PURSUING THE ONE AND ONLY MV7.
http://www.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/
BELOW IS A SPECIFIC COLUMN IN THE ARTICLE:
HASLETT TO COACH IN UFL, TOO
Posted by Mike Florio on March 9, 2009, 2:57 p.m.
Our effort to identify, in haphazard, speculative fashion, the other three folks who’ll be among the first four head coaches in the UFL failed to include a name that should have been obvious, and that gives the UFL an added boost of initial credibility.
Per an NFL source (we need to be clear on that because the “league” in this case is the UFL), former Saints head coach and Rams interim coach Jim Haslett will spend the 2009 season coaching a UFL team.
Haslett was a finalist for the Rams’ head-coaching position after leading the team through the final 12 games of the 2008 season. He then was linked to a couple of vacant defensive coordinator jobs, but ultimately was not hired at the NFL level.
Finally, to the folks who might be wondering why we’re covering the UFL more closely than we ever covered the Arena League, consider these realities: (1) no former NFL head coaches ever became head coaches of AFL teams; (2) the no-defense AFL is more like basketball in pads than football; (3) come 2011, the UFL might be the only pro football league south of Canada that any of us will be covering.
THEREFORE……MV7 MAY HAVE IN FACT SUITED UP IN THE NFL FOR THE LAST TIME, BUT COMES 2011 ALL THE NFL FANS WILL BE WATCHING THE UFL ANYWAY
MV7 HAS PUT THE NFL ON THE MAP, NOW IT’S TIME TO DO THE SAME FOR THE UFL.
DON’T WORRY GUYS, I WILL BE MAKING MY MARQEE APPEARANCES DURING THE 2009 SEASON TO ENSURE I SUPPORT THE OUTCOME OF THE 4TH TOUGHEST SCHEDULE
ENJOY GUYS — MV7 SENDS HIS REGARDS
It Doesn't Matter
March 10th, 2009
7:02 am
WTH, we let KB go supposely because his has lost a few steps, then turn around and sign another aging LB, but one with an attitude problem. TD, did you fall off and hit your head on a snow board. I can’t believe this crap. TD, what are you going to do next, trade Ryan and put Vick back behind center. You need to send me a refund for my season tickets you SOB!!!
TheManMike
March 10th, 2009
7:58 am
VS2 – hahahahaha – you actually think this UFL will over-take the NFL??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA DAMNIT you make me smile…
D3 -
Yea – its weird when people get in violent agreement, but yes, good banter. Also – still love that Helmet reference…will definately have to use that one soon.
DLed – Did you laugh as hard as i did when you read the article about UFL?
VICK SUPPORTER 2 lost in space
March 10th, 2009
8:22 am
UFL?? LOL
NOW THAT’S HILARIOUS!!
MY OH MY HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED
hawesg
March 10th, 2009
8:38 am
My guess is that Peterson will play SLB? He doesn’t have the wheels to play WLB does he? OK, not exactly a great move, but it does allow you to take one hole off the depth chart. (I think Coy Wire is a great special teams/back-up, not a starter.) It also allows you to perhaps draft a developmental player late in the draft or perhaps wait until 2010 to do so.
I think we can count on the Falcons now drafting a DB with the 24th pick. Maybe they go with Jeria to solidify the front, but I bet they pick a S like Louis Delmas.
Wire and Peterson sharing SLB is more comforting than relying on Wire alone. Again, I think the CB situation is dodgy, but that’s one less hole to fill in the draft.
hawesg
March 10th, 2009
8:44 am
Strickland: It’s not that Foxworth was the equivalent of Deion Sanders, but he was the best CB on the team last year (or maybe Chris Houston just made him look that way). When you lose a player, it would be nice to replace that player with something equivalent.
Also, you left Babineaux off your DL depth chart. As for DeCoud, how do you compare a mid-round pick with the #3 pick in the draft? Or even the 37th (or whatever pick Lofton was)? DeCoud couldn’t even beat out the unfortunately named Jamaal Fudge.
Big Ray
March 10th, 2009
8:49 am
Funny…so funny….
So it looks as though Peterson has agreed to terms with the Birds. Well, there’s a veteran signed. And what is the first thing we hear? Waaaaaaahhhhh! Isn’t he too old? Isn’t he too slow? Isn’t he this, isn’t he that?
Gee, I thought that was what was wrong with all the veterans we let go…so what gives? Some people, I swear…
hawesg
March 10th, 2009
8:53 am
Super Bowl teams with shutdown CBs? First of all, how would you define shutdown CBs? Since I might limit that class to about four in all the NFL, that’s a false measure. But Asante Samuel was a big part of New England’s defense when they were going to the SB. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was a huge part of Arizona’s run.
But you’re right that most Super Bowl teams have impressive front sevens that ease the load on the DBs. Right now we have three above average starters there: Abraham, Lofton and Babineaux. And only Abraham is an All-Pro, and he’s usually hurt for some of the season. But I’m sure the return of Trey Lewis will even everything out.
doodoobailey
March 10th, 2009
9:20 am
UFL???????? hahahahahahahah!!!!!! MV7 is a thug and should be shot just like you who support him; ever heard of the USFL dumba$$? oh yeah you can’t read just like dumb vick and his brother.
cutter
March 10th, 2009
9:33 am
hawesg- thomas decoud did not beat jamaal fudge out because first of all they play two different positions fudge-ss decoud-fs. secondly, “couldn’t even beat him out” for what?… the starters last season were milloy-ss and coleman-fs. coleman will move to ss and decoud will get a chance at fs. fudge will likely remain back-up and special teams.
clthurman
March 10th, 2009
9:35 am
Anybody who knocks Foxworth did not watch the man play last year. Despite our crappy linebackers and lack of pass rush by line outside of Abraham he was the only secondary player who offenses tried to avoid. Now that we have signed Peterson which makes no sense in the need category we have the same crappy rushers with no outside linebackers except for Coy Wire(a special teams player)and Stephen Nicholas(another special team beast) and 2 middle linebackers. THERE IS NO ONE IN THE DRAFT WHO WILL PLAY TO FOXWORTH’S LEVEL THIS YEAR and those players on the roster….cmon Grimes, Jackson and Von Hurt..with Chris “toast” Houston, please get realistic our defense will be worse this year and the onus will have to fall on the offense to be bigger than last year against a tougher schedule. And for those who think Foxworth was asking for too much…how much is a good young corner with paying? He wasn’t the second coming of Deion Sanders but he wipes the floor off the retreads and rookies we are gonna see. We got him for a 7th rounder he did his job…pay the man. Oh wait the plan is to better the team through the draft and no exceptions unless some retread from Smith’s old team shows up on the market. Alright final question….is any draftee gonna be better than what we paid to get Foxworth for…7th rounder.NO!!!! The defense had to upgrade to allow the team to progress and we have not, thus no playoffs and the Atlanta tradition of not having 2 playoff years in a row continues. Thanks guys!!!!
marko
March 10th, 2009
9:47 am
I trust the D-Man’s judgement, and will be happy with who ever he drafts this April. However, James Laurinaitis is my pick, and I’m sticking to it. I understand his forty time was a bit slow at the combine, but I’m not paying him to run forty’s. He’s paid to knock the snot out of people and take away their footballs. In these areas it’s hard to find fault with the kid. If he still runs 4.8’s on his pro day I’ll reconsider, but for now I see him as this years Emmitt Smith. Sixteen teams passed on the NFL’s all time leading rusher. They felt he was a great college player, but he was too slow for the big time. The Falcons did’nt pass on him, they drafted after Dallas. Still, had Emmitt fallen to them, I beleive they would have selected Steve Broussard anyway. After all Steve had a faster time in the forty.
steve'o
March 10th, 2009
9:59 am
MAN!! Some of ya’ll are so depressed it’s kind of sad. Let the people in charge worry about next year. Let them put the players in place. Let the rest of use cheer on our team and if it don’t work out then rip the GM, coach and owner apart.
cutter
March 10th, 2009
10:01 am
Foxworth will be missed he was our best corner but he is from maryland and i heard he wanted to play for the hometown team. to all of you who feel his contract was too large… it is not about the about of money a player asks for it is about the market and when you have a young corner who is a almost 6 ft and runs a 4.34 forty and a vertical of 41 in and great shuttle and cone times at the combine the market is pretty high for that type of POTENTIAL, if you dont pay to keep them someone else will gladly take them off your hands.
wr
March 10th, 2009
10:51 am
Tron5000, I didn’t say that GM’s specifically sign players because we as fans want the player signed. I did say that some GM’s peak into what fans are saying and at times they let fan speak overshadow the actual business process of making a team better. You asked for an example, here’s one, “Peerless Price”, fan support for his signing was off the charts, he had a couple of good years in Buffalo and graduated from tennesee, we needed a good receiver and fans were basically screaming heres a natural fit. As you recall we signed Peerless and when he turned out to be a bust, Dan Reeves said his self that Authur Blank got caught up with the expectations and desires of the fans more so than what was best for the team. Of course, Authur claimed that it was Dan who wanted Peerless and so on. I could give you more examples if this blog was about pleasing you, its not, and so as I stated earlier and to which is the general purpose of my blog, I as well as many people who have responded am concerned about the state of the falcons, but I also know this is only the 2nd year of this regime and if the falcons take a step back to move 5 steps forward, meaning the end of the lack of back to back winning seasons and a consistent contender I am all for it. Once again, no I don’t believe GM’s solely make decisions on what fans want or believe, but I am realistic and knowledgable enough to know that it does happen and when it does happen teams tend to get themselves in trouble more often than not. Any fan that has been a life time fan of the falcons recognize that this has been a problem in the falcons past, not only with taking players, but also selecting coaches (Jerry Glanville). I am just glad that we are making moves that we as fans have a hard time understanding, but we all will be happy with if it all works out, if not, same old falcons and we will have to continue to hope.
clthurman
March 10th, 2009
11:31 am
Cutter I could not have said it better and Ledbetter your assumption that Foxworth took less in a hometown discount has yet to be proven. Kinda doubt that and the fact you were biased against his ability shows where your facts are derived from.
VICK SUPPORTER 2
March 10th, 2009
11:35 am
“UFL” I HAVE 3 WORDS WHY THE UFL WILL RAIN ON THE “NFL” PARADE — “MARK CUBAN & GOOGLE” BETWEEN THE 2 OF THEM ALONE THEY HAVE ENOUGH CASH TO CHOKE THE NFL AND THEY HAVE SOUND BACKERS AND A HOST OF FORMER NFL EXECUTIVES. BESIDES, I’M SURE THE OLD “AFL” WAS SAYING THE SAME THING WHEN THE “NFL” LAUNCHED IT’S FIRST SEASON – OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW. CHANGE IS HAPPENING PEOPLE….THE TRADITIONAL “1 DIMENSIONAL” QUARTERBACK IS A THING OF THE PAST AND THE “UFL” IS RECRUITING THE FUTURE OF SPORTS
IT’S AMAZING THAT “ONE” SINGLE PLAYER COMMANDS SO MUCH ATTENTION AND HASN’T SUITED UP IN 2-YEARS
I AM GOING TO LAUGH MY “YOU KNOW WHAT” OFF WHEN 75 % OF ATLANTA JERSEY SALES SWING OVER TO THE UFL
ENJOY 2009 & 2010 – IT PROBABLY WILL BE THE LAST SEASON IN ATLANTA
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE 2009 SEASON FOR BOTH LEAGUES, BUT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. SURE HOPE YOU GUYS GO 16-0 & SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS, BECAUSE OTHERWISE, YOU CAN COUNT ON MY APPEARANCE ON EACH AND EVERY AFTER GAME BLOG.
HAVE A NICE 2009 AND 4TH TOUGHEST SCHEDULE. LOVE YOU GUYS
GeorgiaBoy
March 10th, 2009
11:35 am
Stop panicking, Falcons fans. Dimitroff and Smith know what they were doing. The defense wasn’t good last year, so the fact 5 defensive starters are gone doesn’t upset me. They will sign a few key players and build through the draft, just like New England did. So what we didn’t sign Haynesworth. We freed up a lot of money not doing it, and the Falcons will be better for it. Just relax, Falcons fans!!!
steve'o
March 10th, 2009
1:58 pm
VS2, I read your post and I didn’t see your buddy vick mentioned anywhere. Remember this, Vick will never play pro football again. Public backlash would be to great for a team to handle. The NFL,UFL or any other football league owes vick nothing at all! He was given every chance to be an NFL superstar he messed that up himself!
VICK SUPPORTER 2 lost in space
March 10th, 2009
5:26 pm
UFL?? LOL
DON’T GO AWAY ANYTIME SOON VS2. I’VE RATHER ENJOYED OUR BATTLES OVER THIS PAST SEASON AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT. YOU MADE LAST YEAR SUCH A BLAST!! WHILE SOME PEOPLE GOT BEYOND ANGRY AT YOUR COMMENTS, I LAUGHED ALL THE TIME. NEXT YEAR WON’T BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU SO IF FOR NO ONE ELSE WOULD YOU AT LEAST STAY FOR ME? THE ONE AND ONLY VICK SUPPORTER 2 FAN. IF NOT, I UNDERSTAND. IT IS AFTER ALL THE UFL, LOL, AND MV7 WILL SHOW THAT HE CAN BE A ONE MAN TEAM AFTER ALL. IT WILL BE LIKE WATCHING A MADDEN GAME. UNFORTUNATELY NO 130 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT IS, AFTER ALL, THE FREAKIN UFL!! LOL
Kenny
March 11th, 2009
1:06 pm
Bullseye,
I really cannot see how you think Brent is going to or better than Deion. Man I don’t know what Deion you are speaking of ! lol The wat you sound is like, you must have been a huge D.Hall FAN !
Brent need a lot of time and games in the NFL, to compare to Deion.
Speaking of T.O., you are speaking of Cancer with NO cure ! I will take this offline.
Go Falcons!!!!!!!!!!!
Ken Strickland
March 11th, 2009
6:57 pm
HAWSG-First, go back and read the last sentence in the 1st paragraph and you’ll see I did include Babineaux. Secondly, Foxworth wasn’t really tested because teams chose to go after the younger, less experienced Houston. Thirdly, contrary to what you seem to believe, you can compare a midlevel draft pick with any other pick in the draft. CAN YOU SAY QB TOM BRADY. Tell me, can you name a single player drafted ahead of him that’s out performed him so far? In every single draft you will have players drafted in the lower rds that out perform players drafted in higher rds.
As far as our DL ie concerned, letting DT GJackson go was a positive step. Everytime we’ve signed big Grady, it was to improve our poor rushing DEF. I’ve got news for everyone, our rushing DEF was poor with him, and it can only improve without him. Also, his presence severely weakened our pass rushing ability, especially on 1st and 2nd downs.
As far as replacing Foxworth, I think we’ll draft a CB with our #24 pick.
Peterson was signed to provide the vocal leadership and versatility that KBrookings once provided(playing all 3 LB positions). However, he provides something Brookings never provided, and that’s a physical style of play, which Smith seems to prefer.
Smith and Dimitroff are making moves and decisions that will improve the team, not satisfy the likes and dislikes of fans. Last yr, I fell into that trap and thought I knew better than they did, and like some of you, I expressed my dislike with THEIR selection of QB MRyan instead of either DT Dorsey or Ellis. Well, I’ve learned my lesson, but I guess some Falcon fans are just hard headed learners. INSTEAD OF COMPLAING ABOUT, AND OVERANALYZING, THE MOVES THEY’RE MAKING, I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HOW THOSE DECISIONS AND ADDITIONS IMPROVE OUR TEAM NEXT YR. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
drmondo
March 11th, 2009
8:55 pm
I get nervous about their using the draft exclusively to fill the holes in the defense. Yes, last year the front office did a spectacular job building an 11-5 team out of what was projected to be a 2-14 team. Because of that, I’m not panicking just yet. This is Atlanta, though. The franchise which hasn’t had back-to-back winning seasons EVER. As a fan since 1980, I’ve been burned too many times for me not to wince like a battered woman whose husband just raised his hand to fix her hair. I’d feel a lot better if they’d get a quality S or CB in free agency. They obviously aren’t going out and getting a pass rusher (which we need desperately)in free agency. Does that mean they have faith in Davis/Anderson/Biermann? Will Biermann play DE on passing downs? Instead of picking up TE L Smith, what about converting Finneran? He might have to bulk up a bit but we know he can catch and he’s never shied away from throwing a block. I’m sure I speak for most Falcons fans when I say I don’t care if they sign a donkey that can kick or a dog that returns punts as long as they win. Bottom line: back-to-back winning seasons is the goal. Playoffs would be nice, but make sure you’re at least 9-7 by the end of the season. Good luck Falcs!
diesel47
March 15th, 2009
9:11 pm
i think maybe the birds ought to look at brooks out of tampa. he may be getting up in age, but, he could add some veteran pressence in the defensehe seemed to have real good games against the birds, maybe we oughta get him on our side and let him take his anger off at tampa .