Falcons wave goodbye to L.J. Smith

Maybe TD should stop acting like freeagency DIVA (Beyonce) and sign some mid class high talent players like he said he would. Its to many CB and Safty’s floatin around out there that could have a falcon on their head in a few months!!!

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Makes much more sense to me to give the TEs we have a real chance – coach them into blockers and spend draft picks on defense and maybe some more offensive line motor graders.

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Well, Amen to Smith not coming. To me this was always a downside of not filling defensive holes through free agency. Rather than take one of the many talented TEs in the draft, they HAD to take defensive players with their first three picks. Sadly, I’m not sure there are any good defensive FA left. So we’ll get maybe a starting DB, DL and TE out of this draft and try to patch the other holes as best we can with the warm bodies on the team already.

Still, not wasting money and a roster post on LJ Smith is a good non-move.

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RENO 911…ouch. Sorry you had to go through that. One thing you will learn around here is freedom of expression comes at a cost. One the AJC from time to time does not pay.

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Reno911, dude if what you say happened really did happen why are you still on the blog? How do you know that DOL did this? I mean in reality people are coming to read the writers aren’t they?

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Reno 911…Get a life. In regards to not signing Smith, I think it’s probably the right move. He was only worth signing if he came cheap. He previously played in a pass happy scheme and never really lit it up, so he had minimal value to the Falcons anyway.

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The Falcons do have needs on offense too. And if they were to get two defensive starters in one draft I’d be amazed. If you pay attention to how the Patriots (why they get mentioned here so much puzzles me because TD wasn’t calling shots there but is here) do business they sign a number of free agents.

Signing a TE is important because it’s proven to be difficult for Atlanta to score down in the red zone and it makes it more difficult to double Roddy White all of the time. Couple that with Turner’s weakness in the passing game and you’re restricting the QB. One of the worst things about last year may have been acquiring Foxworth so late. A lot of people act as if Fox wanted money from our personal accounts. Question: How often does Ozzie Newsome miss on players like this?

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Matthews is not the choice the Birds should make in the first round. He is a one year wonder, living off the the reputations of his bloodlines and USC. My picks are as follows:

1. SS

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I don’t think they serve pancakes at Waffle House. Just sayin.

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To everyone here that thinks the Falcons are going to pick a TE in the first or second round, don’t get your hopes up. Our offensive scheme does not prioritize the TE position, unlike San Diego or Dallas. You may say that is because we don’t have a pass-catching TE, which is true, but if you look at Mike Mularky’s couching history then you will see that he has never had a TE average more than 40 catches a year. Instead, we should simply pick best player available, regardless of position.

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Nice picture D LED…. Now if we could get one of her in that birthday suit. Im glad we didnt sign LJ, he is often injured and drops the ball way too much for my liking. Also there are better TE’s in the draft right now. Heres my take on our draft

1. I would try to trade down for extra picks -our first for a 2nd /3rd

2nd-DT Hood/ D Scott (who ever is available)
2nd-SS Moore/ Chung/ R. Johnson
3rd-TE J Cook/ James Casey
3rd-LB Z follett/ G Mcrath
4th -CB Butler /A Allen
5th DT….OT
6th LB

If no trade down is available

1st- Delmas/ Mathews
2nd- DT-Z.Hood
3rd- CB- Mickens
4th-TE Coffman/ Cook/ Casey
5th DT J Gillbert/ S Lee hill
6th Ol A Gardner

I sure hope we dont spend a 1st on Pettigrew…….. Lets Go TD GIT R DUN LOL

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Nelson of USM offers the best blocking skills outside of Pettigrew and he is a big target…a fourth WR if you look at it.

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**Just Say No**

LJ Smith isnt the answer. He had a couple good years in Philly with Don McNabb and their spread offense. Falcoons run the ball and need a TE that can do both. Inserting LJ only signals to the defense that a pass is coming their way.

I think TE are overrated anyway. Notice the small market for Tony Gonzalez – here sits an All-pro TE with a $10M per salary that nobody will touch. I think a good one can be had in the draft or free agency, certainly not 1st-3rd, too many other holes to fill.

Increasingly, I think the Falcoons should move down in the draft. Pickings are pretty slim at 24: DT, Peria Jerry, DB, Sean Smith, LB, Brian Cushing. If we dont get those frontrunners, we need to move back from the 1st and up from the 5th.

There’s very good talent in the 2-4 rounds that fill our needs: The two #5s could be combined with the #1, turning 3 picks into 5-6 picks, between rds. 2-4, which could give us the depth and young legs on both sides of the ball.

I not convinced that the talent available at the bottom of the 1st rd. is any better than that in the 2nd-3rd rds. In that case, you might as well move down.

Along with defensive secondary help, we still need a OL, TE and an extraordinary talents available.

Its clear we’re not going to spend money in free agency to address needs, so stockpile the picks.

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….wow DOL, I thought I clicked the College Basketball link and not the Falcon’s link. I know news is slow, but come on. Football is king.

Anyway, Has there been any word out of ATL (positive or negative) on Ken Lucas. I figure we can sign him to a veteran minimum and let him exact revenge twice a year on Steve Smith. I am not saying start the guy, but let him compete for Nickel-back. Once players start getting injured in pre-season work-outs and games, it may be too late. Just saying.

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D3, Chung is the best safety in the draft and he will not make it through to our pick in the second. SS is a position of critical need for us and we should get him sooner rather than later. After that, the flexibility in the safety position drops off dramatically; either all pass or all run. TD and Smitty like flexibility and taking Chung would allow us to keep DeCoud in place as our primary ST gunner.

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Better play out of linebacker corps would allow take some of the pressure off the CBs.It would also open up the safeties to assist in the pass game as well. Speed and versatility are keys in the LB corps. Nicholas should be ready to show his stuff. Peterson is holding down a side for a year until his replacement is ready. Grimes held his own until his injury. Houston needs to be more disciplined. If Hutchins or Irons can challenge him this off season, it may light the needed fire to improve his game.

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DLed: What seems to be the behind the scene story on LJ? Also any news on us going after anyother FA TE’s?

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I think the people on this blog are highly overestimating the value of a late 1st round pick. Its pretty hard to trade a late 1st rounder for a 2nd round pick plus something else. Many GMs would flat rather have a mid 2nd round pick to a late first round pick anyway and wouldn’t trade one for another, even straight up. You basically have to find a team that really wants a specific guy who is available later than they thought he would be to get a lot of value out of a late first round pick. Remember how much flack Dimitroff took for trading up late in teh first round for Baker?

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I agree Art. Nobody will be willing to pay much for Vick. There are too many questions to invest in him as a starter and there will be a major PR hit to the team that takes him initially. Not to mention Goodell is yet to make his decision on when he can return…

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[...] via Falcons wave goodbye to L.J. Smith | Atlanta Falcons with D. Orlando Ledbetter. [...]

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DLed –

You the man, man. Alot of the bloggers are blogging non-stop on other sites as well and dont understand that during an NFL offseason there are times when next to nothing is happening. Cant expect a new blog every day containing nothing can we? dayum.

So whats with the [Falcons] [....] comments?? Seems redundant and exploitative to me.

A hate it, but i also have to agree with the premise of no team trading for Vicks rights when the immanent release is nearing. Actually, has TD or Blank outright said, ever, that they were intending to release Vick at any time? Just wondering….

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Tripp -

100% agree with your last point….

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Tripp, MV not only commited horrible acts while a Falcon (and initially liead about it) he destroyed our franchise. The idea of keeping Vick on the roster would be the worst decision the front office could ever make. It would be a circus unlike any other. Not only would there be a QB controversy, there would be a racial controversy due to the city this franchise is located. I’m not trying to attack you Tripp, but keeping Vick would be the stupidest move EVER. Good thing our management is smart and will cut ties from the player who burned the Falcons organization to the ground just two long years ago.

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Tripp, there is no fairness in American business especially the NFL. Simply put, we should have never paid such a contract to a QB that was still largely unproven. Granted he was the BEST RB not playing running back in the league but we were absolutely silly in that deal. No one is going to offer anything for Vick because they simply can wait us out. We will have no choice but to eat the nearly $38 million guaranteed in the deal. We thus must work the draft now for our long term future.

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Tripp, I think you’re being a little too wishful in that scenario. Vick is far too talented a QB to just be a “utility” guy, and he’s such a polarizing figure in Atlanta that he’d cause more headache than he’s worth. Can you imagine being Coach Smith, TD or Arthur Blank and having to deal with the media circus that would follow him around, instead of focusing on the team? The Falcons are doing just fine without him, and it’s nice to have a little serenity around here for a change. Let Vick move on to situation where he can rebuild his image and hopefully restart his career. I’m an animal lover and just as disgusted with him as anyone, but I do think the man deserves another chance since he’s served his time and shown considerable remorse for his actions. I just don’t want that chance to be here.

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I dont see why we would trade down. We have a good number of picks as it is. The Falcon “Rookies” will now be thrust to the front lines like they should have been last year – Nicolas, Biermann, Jackson, VHutchins…..etc….So missing out on a 24th overall for the sake of an extra 2nd rounder seems a little much. Why even deal with it?

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SeminoleWarrior –

Great point about the new Stadium. I didnt even consider that.

I cant completely agree that Blank would lose out on all suitors simply because I dont know who those Suitors may be, or their stance on Vick. So, honestly, who’s to say on that aspect? But it is an excellent point, none the less.

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Due to the elite talent on offense this draft class, Falcons should in almost any Mock Draft scenario be able to grab an elite blue-chip OLB, DL, or DB at 24. I think trading down is a extremely unlikely scenario.

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Art-

I agree, i don’t see a team trading for him either. I was just wondering if there was some creative thinking behind the early Press Release of the Proposed Trade Call. Was it simply that, or was it selective timing for something else?

I dunno man, spice up the thinking a little…

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Thanks to all for your responses. I certainly do not want repurcussions to the organization if Vick was to return, but I just wonder if it is something that could pan out for the better for Vick continuing his career and helping the Falcon bottom line without a massive cap hit. I definately believe in our future with Ryan at the helm.

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Mike, I think Dimitroff made it known that he wanted to trade Vick because he was hoping to start some sort of bidding war, or at least generate a little buzz. That said, I think he’s also smart enough to know that it was never going to happen — but you never know until you try, right? The good news is that the organization seems to be fully capable of winning even with the Vick salary cap hit cutting into our available budget. I have 100% confidence in the people running this team right now, and I think we’re in a great position to finally break that absurd streak of never having back-to-back winning seasons. The future is bright, so it’s unfair to say that Vick “destroyed the franchise,” as an earlier post mentioned. One could actually say that Vick’s arrest was the best thing that ever happened to the Falcons, because it got Petrino The Coward to leave town and brought Dimitroff and Mike Smith in.

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Art-

I share your trust in the FO of our Birds. Great point about this team being able to make it with or without the Vick salary hit, totally agree. I was wondering whos comment you were referring to about Vick “destroying the franchise” – I disagree, i dont think this franchise has been destroyed at all. I think this franchise is going nowhere but up. Cant wait.

Seminole -

Honestly? Never would have paid that much money to ANYONE. But to answer the question – Well, i guess i did. ha.

If Ryan becomes half of what Peyton Manning is, then we are really in for a treat for a long time. Peyton is the most intense QB on the field.

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I said that Vick destoyed the franchise two long years ago… which it did at that time. It destroyed the momentum and winning potential our team had at that time. I wasn’t saying our franchise was doomed forever, I’m extremely excited about last year, this year and the future. I did not mean the Falcon organization was literally destroyed. We have started from scratch (very well) since the MV debacle.

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An awful lot of us have expressed our opinions about what we feel the team needs most. But, does the team really need some of the players and position upgrades as badly as some of us seem to think?

LB-we’ll have 4 veteran LB’s competing for 2 OLB spots, Peterson(OLB/MLB), Nicholas(OLB) and Wire(OLB). Add starting MLB Lofton and his bis backup Gilbert, and we already have a solid veteran LB group. CAN WE REALLY SAY THIS IS A POSITION OF NEED THAT REQUIRES THE USE OF OUR #24 PICK?

TE-JPeelle is the only TE on our roster that can be considered a rec/blocking TE. While some of you feel he can get the job done, it’s obvious the coaching staff isn’t sold on him as a receiver and feels there’s a need for an upgrade here.

SS-last yr we had 6 safeties on our roster and starting SS LMalloy is gone. Since Malloy stayed relatively healthy, none of his backups got much gm experience. JFudge seems to be the frontrunner at the position.

DT-This has been a DEF weakness for the Falcons for sometime and starting NT GJackson is gone. Jackson was released in 07 and replaced by TLewis, who performed very well before suffering a season ending injury. He reinjured himself before training camp last yr and hasn’t played a down since the initial injury in 07. Even if he returns to form, do we have adequate backup for both projected starters TLewis and JBabineaux?

DE-JAbraham is one of the NFL’s best pass rushers and last yr he had his best overall season, especially in sacks. Do we trust RDE JAnderson will improve enough to triple or quadruple his 2 sacks? Or, do we trust that CDavis will improve upon his 4 sacks if given the additional playing time he’d get as the starting RDE? Or, will KBiermann improve enough as a pass rusher to become the pass rushing specialist we’ve lacked opposite JAbraham.

CB-we lost what was considered our best CB in DFoxworth. However, we’ll have 3 CB’s returning from IR in DIrons, BGrimes and VHutchins. Do we use a high pick to draft a CB, or do we believe BGrimes can regain his starting spot? Do we feel CJackson will improve enough on his outstanding rookie season as a nickel back to take over the starting spot, or can last yrs FA signee CB VHutchins win out?

DT and DE are the 2 positions that can impact all of the other DEF positions the most. Adding a solid all around TE could improve our Redzone, short yardage and 3rd down efficiency and increase our scoring opportunities and time of possession. It seems to me that DT/DE, SS and TE are our most pressing areas of need, and not necessarily in that order. What do you guys think?

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D., thanks for the info. Even new news of no news (or no new moves) is good news. Right? (Now say it 10 times fast.)

I agree with Poor McKay way back at the beginning of the comments. My first thought was, why did they even bother with L.J. Smith?

I mean, good luck trying to teach a guy to block. I guess it can happen if the player is young and it’s a technique thing, or if it just wasn’t emphasized in his previous roles.

But if it’s a matter of passion and drive, then it’s not going to work. You don’t have to be Jack Lambert to shake your head at the need to put a “pancake” clause in a contract. You should be happy to have the opportunity to crack some skulls (see Michael Turner, Ovie Mughelli, the entire offensive line, our current TEs, and even our wide receivers).

As for Vick, I think he’s going to come back and play well for someone. Definitely not us, and I definitely don’t care. I’m still thinking someone is going to be desperate enough and stupid enough to trade something for him. There are enough owners out there with more money than sense. Someone is going to take a sure thing (even with the money) rather than risk letting someone else get him in free agency.

Not sure I really believe that myself, but I do believe in the vanity of many NFL owners (love our man AB, though). We’ll see.

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Good points, Ken. You know I’m big on our current talent, so I agree with your assessment.

That’s why I still think we’ll find some talent early in the draft that may or may not start right away (even at No. 24), but give them a year or two and they’ll wind up being 10-year starters. They will at the least provide instant depth, though, in 2009. Upgrade the franchise for the long haul.

And if we draft someone who’s better than what we have right away, then great. I’m just saying they’ll have to earn it as a rookie, like Ryan, Lofton, Baker, and C.Jackson (at starting nickel) did. The cupboard is not quite as bare as last year when it comes to good young talent.

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DOL, see if there are anymore FA going to vist. get the phone lines going.

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I am absolutely repulsed by the sight of Michael Vick, BUT, I still realize he’s one of the greatest athletes in NFL history.

You people honestly believe Jerry Jones and Al Davis aren’t fantasizing at this very moment? You seem to think teamS are going to wait around for his release. ONLY ONE TEAM can sign a player off waivers; they can’t ALL have him. As training camp draws near, either Al or Jerry will show interest. When the other finds out, it’s on! You think either of these guys give a rat’s azz about public relations? They wouldn’t care if he’d raped his granny if he can make plays. There will be a bidding war before it’s over. The Falcons will take the mother load, and after what they’ve been through with this man/child, they damn well deserve it!

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At some point the Falcons need to pick up a running back that can gain one yard+ when it’s third and one. I like Turner but he just doesn’t have any Bettis(BUS) type grind in his game. He will dance at the line until a hole opens up and get dropped for a loss while he is waiting. He is a big guy but a big dissappointment when you need a little Rambo action. Yeah he is hard to bring down after he gets rolling but he can’t force the rolling to get started.Big yards against Detroit and Kansas City pad the stats but against strong teams 40-60 yards from your power back don’t get it done and that happens way too much. Did he get 100 total against Tampa in two games? The display against Arizona was pathetic.He has been a good addition to the team but I think way overrated, if he doesn’t quit dancing with the stars and start plowing over them I won’t be alone in that opinion for long. The birds will face a lot less Detroit and K City types this year. I hope he can get 1500+ this year but it will take a lot more effort that I don’t know exists. At any rate a late round bowling ball hasn’t been mentioned by anyone but needs to be considered.Be honest, on third and one in a big spot is Turner on the top of your list in the NFL to carry the ball? Can he be counted on to run out the clock in the fourth quarter? Could Drew Brees have racked up all that fourth quarter yardage if he could? Why do the birds kick so many field goals? Bottom line TD, keep your eyes out for a late round RB.

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I was curious. I wanted to know if Jamaal Anderson is a complete bust, like everyone suggests, or is his production at the DE position on schedule and we, the fans, need to exercise patience in his prosperity. This can be determined by comparing Anderson to his draft class and earlier. What I discovered was astonishing.

I researched all defensive ends taken in the draft from 2004 to 2007, when Jamaal Anderson was drafted. I found that not one defensive end drafted after 2004, with the exception of Mario Williams (and even he had a rocky start), is a pro-bowler. Even this year’s starters at defensive end in the 2009 Pro Bowl were drafted 2002 and earlier. What does this conclude? It says that not only is Jamaal Anderson maturing on schedule but he may have that break out year pretty soon. Observe what I researched and make your own conclusion:

2008 Draft
Round 1
2. Rams – Chris Long, Virginia
8. Jaguars – Derrick Harvey – Florida
28 Seahawks – Lawrence Jackson – USC
Round 2
32. Dolphins – Phillip Merling – Clemson
50. Cardinals – Calais Campbell – Miami (FL)
52. Jaguars – Quentin Groves – Auburn
Round 3
66. Dolphins – Kendall Langford – Hampton
72. Bills – Chris Ellis – Virginia Tch
80. Eagles – Bryan Smith – McNeese State
Note
161.(Round 5) Colts – Marcus Howard – UGA

2007 Draft
Round 1
4. Bucs – Gaines Adams – Clemson
8. Falcons – Jamaal Anderson – Arkansas
13. Rams – Adam Carriker – Nebraska
17. Broncos – Jarvis Moss – Florida
26. Cowboys – Anthony Spencer – Purdue
Round 2
46. Steelers – Lamarr Woodley – Michigan
54. Chiefs – Turk McBride – Tennessee
56. Broncos – Tim Crowder – Texas
57. Eagles – Victor Abiamiri – Notre Dame
58. Lions – Ikaika Alama-Francis – Hawaii
62. Bears – Dan Bazuin – Central Michigan
Round 3
65. Raiders – Quentin Moses – UGA
83. Panthers – Charles Johnson – UGA
97. 49ers – Ray McDonald – Florida

2006 Draft
Round 1
1. Texans – Mario Williams (Pro Bowler) – N.C. State
13. Browns – Kamerion Wimbley – F.S.U.
20. Chiefs – Tamba Hali – Penn State.
32. Giants – Mathias Kiwanuka – Boston College
Round 2
63. Seattle – Darryl Tapp – Virginia Tech.
Round 3
91. Bengals – Frostee Rucker – Southern Cal.
92. Cowboys – Jason Hatcher – Grambling State

2005 Draft
Round 1
18. Vikings – Erasmus James – Wisconsin
20. Cowboys – Marcus Spears – L.S.U.
Round 2
46. Dolphins – Matt Roth – Iowa
53. Ravens – Dan cody – Oklahoma
Round 3
74. Giants – Justin Tuck (Pro Bowler, Linebacker) – Notre Dame
92. Colts – Vincent Burns – Kentucky
Round 4
128. Falcons – Chauncey Davis – F.S.U.
132. Cowboys – Chris Canty – Virginia
Round 5
139. Browns – David McMillan – Kansas
146. Eagles – Trent Cole – Cincinnati
148. Colts – Jonathan Welsh – Wisconsin
159. Seahawks – Jeb Huckeba – Arkansas

2004 Draft
Round 1
18. Saints – Will Smith (Pro Bowler) – Ohio State
20. Vikings – Kenechi Udeze – Southern Cal.
27. Texans – Jason Babin – Western Michigan
Round 2
42. Titans – Travis Laboy – Hawaii
57. Titans – Antwan Odom – Alabama
63. Patriots – Marquise Hill – L.S.U.
Round 4
126. Jared Allen (Pro Bowler) – Idaho State

Observe this list and give me one name, after 2004, that you’d be willing to sign onto your Fantasy Football team. If we draft an end this year, history shows that his value won’t be determined for another four or five years. Let’s be patient with what we already have. If my hypothesis has any legitimacy, a 2010 Pro Bowler will come from the draft class of 2005 or earlier. That is a good sign because Chauncey Davis was drafted in 2005 and re-signed with the Falcons. With Anderson and Davis locking down one side of the line and Abraham and Biermann locking down the other, I think we can afford to wait until later rounds to find a backup for the interior of our defensive line. I agree with D3; I think Sammie Hill or Ron Brace will still be available for Atlanta’s third pick. So, contrary to Ken’s theory (which is a very good analysis, I might add), I think the Falcons should consider a strong safety/linebacker/corner hybrid type player for the first pick. Pass-catching tight ends and linebackers are deep in this draft and good, quality starters should be available for Atlanta’s pickings in later rounds. Hell, we can even stick Vick back there. I’m sure he’d make a good tackler; “ain’t nothing but the dog in him” (sorry, I couldn’t resist)…I’m actually fond of Vick and wish him the best. We all made mistakes.

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[...] a tight end to improve what was a pretty awful group of tight ends last year. But apparently the Falcons got tired of Smith’s unwillingness to agree to their [...]

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Funny you should mention Chase Cauffman, Supes. TD was excited when they met at the combine, DOL reported. I think you’re on to something.

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Stirg-

Very interesting insights. I actually think you may be on to something there. I guess we will see this year is CDavis can make that happen – you never know. He did show flashes last year and if his role were to increase i can see that production increasing expentionally. I really like what i saw in KBiermann last year – I think it will take less than the 4-5 yrs to make him a stud – i see a Pro-bowler in him.

I think we take TE with one of our second round pick.

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Any blog that begins with a picture of Beyonce is a good blog

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[...] a tight end to improve what was a pretty awful group of tight ends last year. But apparently the Falcons got tired of Smith’s unwillingness to agree to their [...]

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Marko – Awesome point about Abe and Kerney. I wish we could have seen an entire year of work together – would have been nice.

Can we drop this LJ Smith stuff now Mr. Linked name person? Redundancies are piling up!

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I agree with the opinion of taking Brandon Pettigrew in the first round even though the falcons seemingly have more needs to fill on defense. Matt Ryan is just entering his 2nd year and one of the best friends of any young quarterback is a good reliable blocking and catching tight-end. White, Jenkins, Douglas and a big target like Pettigrew, and alot of people may have forgotten that when healthy Laurent Robinson was progressing and preforming at a level comparable to White if not better, he just needs to stay healthy. I know championships are built on defense, but a high scoring prolific offense can keep you in most games while winning enough games to allow your young defense to learn and develop, remember the Broncos of the late 90’s,Rams of the early 2000’s, the Colts of just a few years ago. As much as I hate the Saints, I love the fact that they have trouble figuring out how to build defensively, if they did can you imagine where they would be. The Falcons on the other hand have a defensive minded head coach who has showed what they can do with smoke and mirrors, with the picks they have the Falcons will be able to select and groom young players to build a strong defense with the patience and assurance of knowing that they have a prolific and ball controlling office to keep the pressure on teams until the defense gets up to par. Also, I don’t think we are as bad off on defense as looks may appear. Someone made the comment earlier about Jamaal Andersen in comparison to comparable members of his draft class in beyond, I agree with the assessment and I will take it a step further looking closer to home. When the falcons first selected Patrick Kerney, after his first couple of years he was considered a bust, yes he made hustle plays but he wasn’t a real play-making DE which was coveted. As he gained experience and continued to develop playing along the side of Chuck Smith he eventually became a beast and a Pro Bowler but just like with Andersen it took a couple of years. I believe or am at least hoping that this is the year for Jamaal to break out, when watching him play he’s gotten to the point where he is just one step away from being a true playmaker, and that my friends is a far cry from when he first got here and was never even a few yards away from making plays.

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Thanks, D.O.. I kind of figure that. I believe we are unfairly evaluating Anderson’s worth, based on his sack numbers. If we just give him some time to mature, I’m sure we’d be please with his work. Let’s evaluate how he sheds blockers, how he stacks up against a run, how he takes on a blocker to free up a pass rusher. A lot to consider. Thanks for the acknowledgement.

I was watching ESPN’s top ten first round upsets in the tournament. Cleveland State was very impressive. I think they were number 4? You got me watching them very closely in the tournament. Never would imagine.

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OLEDBETTER-thanks for the compliment. The truth is, you’ve made it possible for a lot of us to concentrate on the Falcons and be analytical. Until this off season, Falcon blogs had become the haven for a lot of negative and derogatory comments and attitudes. That seems to be a thing of the past, and for that I want to thank you. I also agree with you concerning the need to bring in another young LB. Peterson, and the rest of our veteran LB group, allows us to draft a equally talented, but less polished LB prospect in a lower rd.

SHAMUS THACKER-while I understand your motivation, it doesn’t justify your feelings. IF YOU MUST HATE SOMETHING, HATE WHAT MVICK DID, BUT DON’T WASTE YOUR ENERGY HATING HIM. HE’S PROBABLY AS MUCH A VICTIM IN ALL OF THIS AS THE DOGS HE AND HIS FRIENDS ABUSED, AND I’M SAYING THIS AS A DOG LOVER THAT’S OWNED AND CHERISHED 11 DOBERMAN PINSCHERS OVER THE YRS.

MARKO-DE Patrick Kerney exercised the option in his contract that allowed him to void the contract and become a FA. He wouldn’t have done that if he had any intention of staying with the Falcons. We also have to wonder how much of a factor his off season legal troubles(the rape that occurred in his apartment) had with his decision to bolt the team. At any rate, you can’t hold the Falcons solely responsible of Kerney’s departure. Also, why pay a premium to sign a hard hitting no cover SS like Roy Williams just to replace LMalloy, another hard hitting no cover SS. The cowboys have had a strong pass rush, unlike the Falcons, and they still couldn’t overcome SS RWilliams’ almost complete lack of cover ability and/or instincts. At least Malloy’s lack of cover ability, and loss of speed and quickness, was due to the effects of age, not absence of instinct.

One thing we have to understand. Dimitroff, Smith and the coaching staff have to reach their conclusions about DT TLewis, LB’s SNicholas and CWire, CB’s DIrons, BGrimes and VHutchins, DE’s JAnderson, CDavis and KBiermann and SS-JFudge before the draft. They won’t have the luxury of another training camp to see what they have before deciding who to select and where in the draft to select them.

I didn’t understand the interest in TE Smith in the first place, unless they intended to use a platoon system. And even if we decided to use the platoon system, sending Smith in would automatically tip the DEF off of our intent. It’s obvious our coaches and GM felt TE Smith didn’t have the aptitude to become an adequate blocking TE. The draft has far more of what we’re looking for in a TE than anything available through FA.

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Good points, Ken. I think the LJ Smith consideration would have allowed the Falcons to do on offense, the same thing they are attempting to do on defense. In the first paragraph of your blog, you stated that “Peterson, and the rest of our veteran LB group, allows us to draft a equally talented, but less polished LB prospect in a lower rd.” Wouldn’t that apply to the offense if Smith had signed? I remember during the combine that D.O. reported TD’s glee when he mentiond Chase Caufmann. Not only did the GM seemed interested in the prospect but he seriously believes that the kid may be available for picking in the later rounds.

I’m one of those fans that believe Pettigrew would really change the dynamics of our football team, offensively and defensively (with control of the clock). draftcountdown.com ranks the prospects and Coffman is only listed as the number five TE, right behind Pettigrew, S. Nelson, J. Cook and Cornelius Ingram out of Florida. I noted that the top five TE’s numbers were parallel. The exception was the blocking that Pettigrew apparently excels at, coupled with his size and speed. That, alone, should be enough incentive to take him at number 24.

Defense, as I explained before, is not as bad as is on paper. Grab a hybrid DB and a Sammie Hill in the third and I think we can compete for the top spot in the south.

Question: What’s wrong with Fudge? I read his bio and cannot find one excuse to not consider him for a starting strong safety. Yesterday, D.O. reminded us of a Robert James. I researched his bio and, WOW, I’d love to see him, healthy, in training camp.

Our pieces are there; We just need to put the puzzle together.

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Coach Smith will have our defence in the top 15 by mid-season!

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Just watched ESPN’s take on Vontae Davis and I can officially change my mind. Although the highlight film was impressive, he still has a lot of work to do (translation: he’s not NFL-starter ready). In comparison and contrast, the commentator considered Davis the top DB in the draft; however, he questioned his work ethic (which has been reported as “poor”) and his footwork, which is an invaluable asset at the next level.

Pettigrew or Cushing, for pick 24. What y’all think?

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We def don’t need Laurinaitis, MLB is one of the few positions we have on lock.

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Ken Strickland, while I miss Kerney, he was one of my all time favorite Falcons, He’s been injured two out of the last three years. The Falcon’s made the right call; does’nt stop me from missing him though. We will also have to agree to disagree about Roy Williams. While I’m not crazy enough to suggest that he’s a super stud on coverage, he’s not as old or slow as Milloy. Teamed with his fellow Oakie Lofton, runs up middle would not be a pleasant experience for opposing ball carriers. Stop the run and your half way home. Anyway, I’d love to have Williams, his short comings in pass coverage are exagerated. Had he been on the field in Phoenix, Boldin does’nt dance in the end zone. By the way I’ll miss Milloy and Brooking. they were great guys. It’s just that they’re not as fast as they used to be. Football’s a tough business.

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All of these meetings and L.J. Smith signs a 1 yr 1.5 mill contract with the Ravens??? Why meet with the guy if you don’t want him? The deal obviously did not go bad over money that’s for sure nor was it the length of contract, what is going on here? Sounds like the guy just wanted to play football so why meet with the guy then say oh you know what you don’t block never mind. I was not crazy about the L.J. Smith idea but if I can get the guy for 1 yr. 1.5 mill what the hell is the problem?

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STIRG NAHSIF-loved your post. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Fudge. In fact, for all we know, he just might be the reason there were no serious attempts to resign Malloy, and Malloy may have known that. Like I said in an earlier post, there’s no way any of us fans can possibly know how well any of these backups to our departed starters performed in practice and during gms. And no matter what the combine results show, we can’t determine if anyone we might draft will out perform any of the young backups we currently have on our roster. While Fudge might have been a better all around SS than Malloy, Malloy may have been a better run stuffer, and with our weak interior DL, his run stuffing ability was more valuable to us. Since it’s a certainty we’re going to upgrade our DL, there will be less need for a one dimensional run stuffing SS and more need for a more complete SS like Fudge.

MARKO-Kerney became a Probowl DE through hard work, and I loved the about him as well. Like JAnderson, our current DE, Kerney wasn’t an instant success amd didn’t show his ability until his 3rd yr. After making the Probowl, he spent most of his remaining Falcon career on IR. I think that factored into the Falcons not making much of an effort to resign him. SS Roy Williams’ speed and quickness advantage over LMalloy isn’t the issue. The issue is whether he uses that speed and quickness to benefit himself and his team as a pass defender? Roy Williams may play SS, but he has a LB’s mentality and attitude and plays that way. The Cowboys switched to a 3-4 DEF, and it seems apparent they want a real SS, not a 5th LB pretending to be a SS. As far as effectively stopping the run, it starts with the DL(at line of scrimmage), not behind the line of scrimmage(LB’s) or in the secondary(safeties). I know you think RWilliams has some cover skills, but the Cowboys didn’t seem to think so. They obviously didn’t let him go because they didn’t like his hitting or run stuffing ability. Dallas has repeatedly gotten beaten on big pass plays, especially in the playoffs, and they seem to think SS Roy Williams is the culprit, just like the Falcons with LMalloy.

Dimitroff and Smith have stated they are looking for playmaking SS’s like EReed or TPolamalu. We are improving our overall rushing DEF, especially our DL, so there’s no longer a need for one dimensional hard hitting SS’s like RWilliams or LMalloy.

THEMANLIKE-you bring up an interesting question. We have some interesting and talented players coming off IR that will be competing for spots. The return of CB’s-DIrons, VHutchins & BGrimes, LB-Robert James, S-Antoine Harris, WR-Laurent Robinson, RB/KR/PR-Thomas Brown, OL-Renaldo Foster & Pat McCoy and DT-Trey Lewis will be like acquiring FA’s or draft picks at no additional cost. CB’s-BGrimes, DIrons & VHutchins, S-AHarris, DT-TLewis and LB-RJames will be competing for starting positions. The return to form of some of these players may have an impact on who we draft and where we draft them.

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Great points about Robert James. He was nicknamed “The Beast” after all and immediately got hurt. So there’s one more OLB to add to the mix, so assuming he’s in the hunt we probably might not be looking at OLB. Might be a shame to pass on this year’s depth at OLB, but I’d understand it. Grabbing Cushing, Matthews, or Maybin would set us at LB for years and years.

As Ken and others have mentioned times, do we really want to draft an Alphonso Smith, Darius Butler, or DJ Moore in the first round when we have Von Hutchins, David Irons, and Brent Grimes who all have experience?

That sends us to what DO we pick? Assuming Raji and Jerry are gone, is Ziggy Hood really worth #24? Or is there a S worth #24? I think not, particularly if Fudge or DeCoud have proven something in practices, games, or season. As mentioned before, we just can’t know what the coaches think of all these guys returning from injury/ready to take over a spot.

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No question that this draft is rich in TE prospects, the question is…do the Falcons use that 1st round pick on one, rather than use that pick on a Defensive Player (who we badly need, like a LB, DT, or SS) or do we hold out and draft a TE later on. (Remember, it’s hard to predict exactly which one of the top 4-5 TE in the draft will be the best player down the road).

You can find playmaking TE in round 3-4, a good GM like TD will make sure of that:)

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We def don’t need Laurinaitis, MLB is one of the few positions we have on lock.

Don’t he also play OLB? Because i could of swore i saw a couple of draft “experts” say that he would be either ILB or OLB at the next level…

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Stirg d’Nahsif,

Thanks for the info on Vontae Davis. I wasn’t overly thrilled about the prospect of getting a CB with our first pick as it was, but was okay if it’s the right guy. Davis sounds like he isn’t it. Though I am somewhat concerned about fortifying our defense, I cannot shake the idea of getting Pettigrew if he’s available, and for all the reasons you state. Excellent post, and good points about our existing defensive players.

Ken Strickland and D3,

Y’all are just off the chain with your posts, one right after the other. I’m enjoying this blog in ways I have not in so long. Way better than during this past season. It’s great to be talking Falcon Football. Man, I wish the draft would get here already. I’m half-giddy thinking about it.

As for not signing LJ Smith after meeting with him. I figure Dimitroff, Smith, and Co. sincerely wanted to meet with the guy to see if he was a good fit. Obviously they want to upgrade the position with a guy who can catch, but don’t want to cut the position in half with a guy who won’t block. After meeting with him, they must have come to the conclusion that he is not willing to buy into what they want to do. It could have been mutual, as he may not have felt like this was a good fit for him, either. I mean, they could have said, “hey, we want you to block, and maybe get 35-40 catches for the season.” And he says, “Naw, I want to be featured more in the offense, and I’m not too crazy about blocking for running plays all the time.” Who knows……but I bet I know what ONE of our picks will be in the draft NOW…

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Who the hell is gonna play in our secondary…anybody else mention Brent “the hobbit” Grimes as a possibility is missing their short bus. And for those who say we are set at linebacker are idiots….seriously they have no coverage skills that have shown up in any games yet some morons state we are set there. And Orlando you need to get a clue and mention these shortcomings with some suggestions other than your cheerleading quotes. Our defense is weaker than last year that’s a fact and depending on the draft this year is a joke….a joke. Poor Ryan will have to score 30 a game just to make us competitive. Quit sucking the big optimism nipple from last year and really wonder what the hell is going on in TD’s head…..cuz ifs and maybes for a team that made the playoffs last year is not what I had in mind for progress. Frakkin Brent Grimes!!!!!

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I am so sorry for bringing my know-nothing azz to this blog. Clearly I don’t have a clue and am not a Falcon fan. I just sit here and pull my pud while getting angry at the fact that the Falcons didn’t spend millions of dollars on big name do-nothing free agents. Got to go now and change my grammies depends again. She gets cranky when I make her wait too long.

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CLTHURMAN-the way you’re calling everyone that doesn’t share your OPINION a MORON, it’s obvious you’re not standig near a mirror. LB Peterson has 15 INT’s in 11yrs of NFL experience, and that isn’t bad at all for a LB YOU SAY has no cover skills and has played MLB for almost half of those 11yrs.. This would be LB SNicholas’ 1st yr as a starter, so how would you know what kind of pass coverage skills he has? MLB CLofton was a rookie last yr, so it’s far too early to pass judgement on his pass coverage ability. Besides, all players had to adjust to a new DEF, new terminology and coaching staff, so last yr wasn’t a good yr to pass blanket judgements on most players, especially DEF players.

You made the following statement, “WHO THE HELL IS GONNA PLAY IN OUR SECONDARY”. Now this is classic. You admit you don’t have a clue who’s going to play in our secondary, yet you call anyone that actually has a clue, and mentions BGrimes, a moron. You are a classic example of old addage, WHO’S THE BIGGEST FOOL(MORON), THE FOOL(MORON), OR THE FOOL(MORON) THAT FOLLOWS THE FOOL(MORON)?

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Ledbetter should read Bedwetter. You are the crappiest sports writer in the world. Your articles are juvinile and I dont get it. The AJC has gone to hell.

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Best reviews of the day about Depression, Essay on teen depression, Depression help ways and Major depression symptoms.

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beyonce got a phat ass.

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