Falcons to storm Georgia’s Pro Day
Could Georgia fullback Brannan Southerland be the next Bulldog drafted by the Falcons?
In each of the last three NFL drafts, the Falcons have selected a player from the University of Georgia.
In 2006, quarterback D.J. Shockley was selected in the seventh round with the 223rd pick overall.
In 2007, tight end Martrez Milner was selected in the fourth round with the 133rd pick overall.
Last season, running back Thomas Brown was selected in the sixth round with the 172nd overall pick.
Before Shockley was picked, the franchise has stayed away from Georgia players for more than 10 years. They had taken Mitch Davis in the fourth round (118 overall) of the 1994 draft.
The Falcons brain trust will descend on Athens tomorrow for Georgia’s pro day.
Much of the fuss will be over quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno.
NFL Network’s Mike Mayock is set visit. ESPN and Scouts Inc.’s Todd McShay is also set to visit. Our buddy Steve Wyche from NFL.Com is coming too.
With two legitimate first round picks, all 32 teams in the NFL will be represented.
The Falcons will not be in the hunt Stafford or Moreno, who figure to be long gone by the 24th pick.
However, there are some other Bulldogs who might entice general manger Thomas Dimitroff and the rest of the personnel department.
Cornerback Asher Allen, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, defensive tackle Corvey Irvin, wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, fullback Brannan Southerland and defensive end Jarious Wynn all participated in the NFL scouting combine and will get a chance to improve their workouts at the Pro Day.
Which Bulldog do you see the Falcons taking? (I think Southerland might be able to help in short yardage situations). Which Bulldog do they need to take? (Allen is a corner. They need a corner). Or do they need to go back to the old days and say away from the Bulldogs?
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112 comments Add your comment
NAT HOWARD
March 18th, 2009
9:05 pm
IF I WERE AN OFFICAL WITH THE FALCONS, THERE IS ONE TEAM I WOULD NEVER DRAFT A PLAYER FROM AND THAT WOULD BE THE GEORGIA YECH YELLOW COATS. THEY THINK THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH. AND TO THINK THAT AT ONE TIME I WAS A YELLOW JACKET FAN. GOD FORBID.
D3
March 18th, 2009
9:35 pm
Cutter – excellent point. I’ve been going back and forth on Hood myself for worth it at #24, and from what it sounds like from you, he’s definitely worth it. My ideas about drafting an OLB first would set us up @ LB for years and years, but hearing your point if we were to draft a Hood, that would set us on d-line for years and years, so you really can’t go wrong with either in my opinion. I’d be happy with either to be honest with you, but CB or SS, IMHO, is not worth a 1st rounder. Is there that much difference between Delmas and Chung/Smith/R.Johnson? Do we really want to draft another 5′9 CB in the first?
Question: if any were available at #24, who do you take? OLB-Matthews,Maybin or DT-Hood or TE-Pettigrew?
Decisions, Decisions.
VICK SUPPORTER 2
March 18th, 2009
9:47 pm
SAINTS & TAMPA LOOKING GOOD…..MEANWHILE THE FALCONS WAIT FOR THE DRAFT
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK T.D. 
D3
March 18th, 2009
11:09 pm
Blog a litte dead tonight, eh? Must be that mid-week drag. Well, tomorrow’s thursday, aka the beginning of the weekend.
Sharper to Saints? eh. There a little more than a veteran safety away from a serious run. Overall, pretty good addition.
Crowell to Bucs? Nice addition. Also read that Jermaine Phillips is switching to LB. Kind of odd.
Bottom line: year in and year out, the NFC South is a street-fight and thats the way you want it. Good, tough games every week. No dominant team that wins every year like some divisions and thats a good thing.
clthurman
March 18th, 2009
11:34 pm
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.
Rupert
March 19th, 2009
12:41 am
I think Sutherland a good pick, strong in short yardage situations and has bailed out the dogs several times with his clutch receiving.
Coon-Dawg
March 19th, 2009
12:59 am
Ellerbe’s the only one that could be a steal (If he can stay healthy). We have a need at linebacker and he would have had an All- American season had he not gotten hurt. Asher made a mistake turning pro. The Falcons don’t need him. I’m a Dawg season tic holder and I think he’s overrated. Sutherland is good. We’ll have to wait and see, I trust TD to make the right call.
marcos
March 19th, 2009
2:04 am
i just cant belive it just draft draft?,how many startes can you have in one draft,all the teams in division are boosting his roster tampa crowell saints sharper what about us we need something at least a cb,ken lucas can come cheap as same as mcallister i don know i relly dont like the aproach of the offseason what are we waiting for
Get serious
March 19th, 2009
7:46 am
Suthernland is a good FB, but he’s not better than Ovie. That guy is a hammer….this isn’t college football recruiting. We don’t have to appease the UGA fanbase by talking ourselves into taking a player from there. Or GT for that matter…
mowreck
March 19th, 2009
8:16 am
Why would they need Asher to run back punts and or kickoff. Don’t forget (and this comes from a GT guy) Thomas who was injured last year. He is one of the best and strongest players for his size I’ve seen on a football field. I would even get him some time at the RB position.
DOGPYLE
March 19th, 2009
8:24 am
We can package Ryan and Turner together and send them to Detroit for their 2 #1 picks. We take Stafford and Moreno, get Southerland and MoMas in the later rounds, plus Allen and finally sell out that Dome. Otherwise, this team got no chance.
marko
March 19th, 2009
8:44 am
As much as you get tired of the incessant whinnying from the how bout dem dogs crowd, they might have a point. Dimmitroff’s former team has two Bulldog starters. Richard Seymour and Ben Watson. Both first round picks. I don’t think the Falcons have ever selected a Bulldog in the first round. This shows poor judgement on their part, and terrible PR. They get a pass this year as both Stafford and Massaquoi will be long gone by the time they pick. The worst blunder ever was not burning a forth round pick to secure the rights to Herschel. Dallas did just that, and wound up trading him to Minnesota for a super bowl roster. Nobody loves football more than the Georgia crowd, and no other group has wasted more money on Falcon’s tickets than they have. Money that could have been better invested in beer, chewing tobacco and obnoxious baseball caps I might add. Getting back to Ben Watson, I’m told that he scored 41 on his wonderlic. Think of that, a Bulldog scoreing 41 on the wonderlic. Who’s says we’ve past the age of miracles
darrell starks
March 19th, 2009
11:59 am
I DONT NO WHAT GAMES PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT BUT ASHER ALLEN IS GOING TO BE A SOLID CORNER BACK IN THE NFL AND WOULD BE A SOLID PICK FOR THE FALCONS IN THE SECOND OR THIRD ROUND. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Poor McKay
March 19th, 2009
1:05 pm
We have the highest paid FB in the NFL… why do we need a potential undrafted player to help us with 4th & 1?
chris 4 prez
March 19th, 2009
1:43 pm
Dogpyle love the sarcasm toward the dawg fans. What has the dawgs done lately anyway? What have they done since 1981??? With all these awsome must draft everyone of them players you think they would have won atleast one championship!
Ken Strickland
March 19th, 2009
1:54 pm
IMUS.WRITE-I noticed your draft list had 2 roadblock type NT’s. Do you think we really need 2 of those type DT’s, considering TLewis will be returning from IR? I’m not criticizing your choices, but I think at least one of your DT’s should have more playmaking ability to backup JBabineaux or replace him if he’s injured.
I did an assessment of certain players already on our roster that will be returning from IR. The return of these players will be like picking up draft picks or FA’s without paying any more money for them. I looked at their scouting reports and compared them to some of the players so many of you/us have been insisting we draft with our 1st or 2nd rd picks.
(1)DT-Returning DT Trey Lewis’ scouting report shows he has fewer shortcomings and more upside than this drafts 2 top rated DT’s, Raji and Jerry.
(2)LB-Returning LB Robert James, mentioned earlier by Orlanndo Ledbetter, is said to have just as much, if not more, speed, quickness, range, hitting ability and upside as any of the LB’s everyone seems to be arguing over on these blogs.
(3)CB-While there are some quality CB’s in this yrs draft, there aren’t any that stand out above the crowd. There really aren’t any that can be rated that much better than the 3 we’ll have returning from IR, BGrimes, DIrons and VHutchins. In fact, last yrs rookie CB, Chevis Jackson, who had a very strong rookie season, is rated just as highly, or higher, than any CB in this yrs draft.
(4)SS-I found some interesting info about what we already have at this position. There are several SS’s in this draft that rate higher than backup SS JFudge. In fact, I found out that Antoine Harris, our other backup safety who will be returning from IR, is actually rated higher than JFudge in terms of overall ability and versatility.
After all is said and done, it seems TE and SS are the positions in need of upgrading the most, and the draft seems to offer the best chance of getting what we need at those positions. The players we have returning from IR give Dimitroff and Smith an awful lot of options, both in the draft and FA. In fact, these returning players just might be the reason we didn’t have to be very active in FA, which saved us an awful lot of money and cap space.
D3-the blog is dead only to those of us that aren’t UGA fanatics.
VICKSUPPORTER2-let’s put your last post in perspective. You said, “THE SAINTS AND BUCS ARE LOOKING GOOD…..MEANWHILE THE FALCONS WAIT FOR THE DRAFT”. The Saints looked very good at the beginning of the ‘07 season after winning the NFC South title in 06, and look at how they’ve turned out. Tampa Bay looked very good at the beginning of last season after winning the NFC South title in 07, and look at how they turned out. The 08 Falcons finished the 07 season in total chaos and at the bottom of the NFC South with a 4-12 record. Our new HC and GM, through FA, and judicious use of the very draft you mock them for using, turned everything around and the Falcons made the playoffs, finishing ahead of both the Saints and Bucs. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT IF YOU WERE OF JUST AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE, YOU’D COME UP WITH AT LEAST ONE DIFFERENT WAY OF EXPRESSING YOUR ANTI FALCON IGNORANCE AND STUPIDITY.
ndadome
March 19th, 2009
2:06 pm
Mr. Ledbetter, here’s an idea to make the draft more fun: how about a contest to see who can pick the Falcons’ draft picks in correct order? The winner would get to spend a day with you at Falcons training camp and assist you with your blog, meet players, help conduct interviews, etc. Just a thought, but it might be fun. BTW, I like this blog a lot. .good to get an idea what other folks are thinking. Good job.
Johnny DangerDawg
March 19th, 2009
2:51 pm
Asher will not be a Falcon. There’s teams willing to draft him a lot earlier than the Falcons would.
Johnny DangerDawg
March 19th, 2009
2:54 pm
Southerland might still be available in the late rounds and would be a steal.
Johnny DangerDawg
March 19th, 2009
3:02 pm
Darrell,
Maybe they’re looking at the games where Asher got burned by receivers or maybe the games where Asher interfered on passes that weren’t even catchable.
Spud Webb
March 19th, 2009
3:04 pm
Massaquoi will be a Steeler in like the 4th or 5th round. They love UGA WR’s, Hines, Hastings.
Southerland will be decent, but no need to go higher than the 6th round. Asher should’ve stayed in school.
Wynn will end up on a team, the guy is raw but is workable. Give him a couple of years on the developmental squad.
FreeMikeVick
March 19th, 2009
3:11 pm
CENSORSHIP IS AGAINST THE LAW!
Falcon Devil
March 19th, 2009
3:19 pm
No it’s not moron, have you ever heard of Jerry Springer?
FreeMikeVick
March 19th, 2009
3:21 pm
I merely proffered the fact that the Falcons wish to get red of DJ Shockley because he is black.
Falcon Devil
March 19th, 2009
3:31 pm
Please refer back to my statement yesterday at 2:24pm.
chris 4 prez
March 19th, 2009
3:58 pm
FreeMikeVick, you my friend are a morron!
Falcon Devil
March 19th, 2009
4:18 pm
Anyway back to Falcon football… I’m really interested to see how DeCoud progresses during training camp. Will he be competing for FS against Erik Coleman? Having taken him in the 3rd round TD must have thought highly of him. I was very satisfied from what I saw of Coleman last year and I think our young group of CB’s has a bright future. Chevis Jackson and Chris Houston are my projected starters and if we can pick up Patrick Chung or Sean Smith I’d be happy with that young secondary. As a former Sun-Devil I have been anixously awaiting Robert James’s debut and in my highley biased opinion he will be starting next to Lofton and Peterson by the end of the year. You can never be too deep at D-Line so I would like us to take the best DT availible with our 1st pick unless Maybin or Cushing is still availible (can’t pass up that level of talent). A SS in the 2nd round and a TE in the 3rd. Jarod Cook’s athlethism is very attractive but I know they want a blocker/pass catcher not just the latter. Travis Beckum seems like a strong choice to me. I’d like to name drop Troy Nolan as a good developmental SS pickup in the late rounds…
TheManMike
March 19th, 2009
4:52 pm
I was just looking on AF.com and watched some of the new Falcon TV Spots that are coming out. Man, i must say they are pretty excellent. I love how they put the “National Geographic” feel to it. The one called “Feeding Time” is excellent stuff. Good work on that one Marketing Department.
If you have not seen them here is the link….
http://life.atlantafalcons.com/index.php?autocom=blog&blogid=4&
Enjoy.
VICK SUPPORTER 2
March 19th, 2009
6:13 pm
DOGPYLE…….I AGREE WITH YOUR COMMENT. STAFFORD CAN AT LEAST THROW PAST 40 YARDS IN THE AIR.
Mark E Scherer
March 19th, 2009
6:15 pm
alot of bark here but no bite
VICK SUPPORTER 2
March 19th, 2009
6:23 pm
INTELLIGENCE IS NOT MEASURED BY LONG WINDED POSTS. IF YOU CAN’T MAKE YOUR POINT IN ONE PARAGRAPH OR LESS, IT DOESN’T MAKE YOU ANY MORE SMARTER THAN ANYONE ELSE. SO UN MENTIONED IDIOT, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE A.K.A. “I’M SMARTER BECAUSE I SAY SO” YOUR LONG RAMBLINGS ARE AS IGNORANT AS YOU ARE. DO ME A FAVOR AND “STAY IN THE HOUSE” AND BE A GOOD YOU KNOW WHAT.
Falcon 8211
March 19th, 2009
6:38 pm
I hope we sign S. ROLLE. Would anyone else like to see that. He still has some left the tank.
Falcon Devil
March 19th, 2009
6:39 pm
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE YOUR POINT IN ONE PARAGRAPH OR LESS, IT DOESN’T MAKE YOU ANY MORE SMARTER THAN ANYONE ELSE.
Hahahah that statement speaks for itself.
kc
March 19th, 2009
6:41 pm
Ken Strickland – It’s your old pal KC. I agree with everything you said about (James, Lewis etc…) I think TD knows we have players that folks are forgetting about. I think the corners, DL, and backers are secretly in good shape. TE and SS would be wise draft choices. You wrote a good blog. As for the Dawgs … Ellerbe could possibly be the “diamond in the rough”. He probably would have had an all-american year had he not been injured. He could be a steal late. (If he can stay healthy… That’s a big if)
Falcon Devil
March 19th, 2009
6:44 pm
Falcon 8211, I’d like to have a vet CB in there for the next season or two if we can get him at a bargain. It seems to me that TD isn’t concerned with next season though, he cares about the next 6 seasons. I’m on board with signing Rolle though if it makes sense finacially.
DOGPYLE
March 19th, 2009
6:48 pm
I believe the Falcons suffered some injuries very early in training camp last year and those players will be good-to-go begining training camp. James, Lewis and Hutchins come to mind. Falcons will finally be able to implement DBBDA strategy. DRAFT BEST BULLDOG AVAILABLE. Then we can all yell sic’em on the kick offs.
Scott
March 19th, 2009
7:41 pm
I think Asher Allen actually has the best upside. He ran a 4.33 in the forty today at pro day. His problem has never been tackling or coverage but the inability to anticipate the ball and turn around and find the ball in the air and either knock it down or intercept it.
Ellerbe is solid but he has had fatique issues which can be worked out and I still wonder if he is a hundred percent after that slight injury he had this past season. He didn’t seem to return 100%.
Southerland is solid as well as a blocker and receiving in certain combinations. However I wouldn’t waste a draft pic when you’ll probably be able to pick him up as a free agent.
Ken Strickland
March 19th, 2009
8:35 pm
KC-what’s up my friend. Dimitroff has a lot of us Falcon fans thinking outside the box. I don’t remember very meny of us fans being in favor of drafting QB MRyan with our 1st pick last yr. With what Smith and his staff did with that and other picks last yr, I had to start thinking differently. Since we now have such excellent coaching and a solid OFF/DEF scheme in place, what we fans might think the team needs is relative.
VICKSUPPORTER2-your comments are obviously intended to justify your recognition that limited minds, and/or mentalities, have corresponding limits of expression. Therefore, it doesn’t take as long, or as many words or sentences, when you routinely have little or nothing to offer. I think that sums you up perfectly. Constantly using bold letters won’t compensate for the narrowness of your comments.
D3
March 19th, 2009
8:44 pm
As anyone having trouble posting? I’ve sent, like, 3 posts through and…….squat.
D3
March 19th, 2009
8:56 pm
Of course that one went through. Ok, let’s try this one more time…..
Falcon Devil – like your ideas and knowledge of Robert James. He’s kind of become the forgotten draft pick after he got hurt, but he was after all nicknamed “The Beast.” I agree with you on OLB at #24. I know we may possibly be “ok” at LB, but adding someone like Cushing, Maybin, or Matthews would set us at LB for years and years. Lofton, Peterson(short-term), Nicholas, Wire, James, and Cushing/Maybin/Matthews would set us at LB for a long, long time. There seems to be so much top-end depth at OLB to pass if one of them were to fall to us.
Ken – just curious where you got your evaluative info on our IR/Returning players from. Agree that TE and SS are the biggest needs, and TE is definitely deep, but SS is deep with second round picks, IMHO. Is Delmas better thatn Kenny Phillips or Brandon Meriweather when they came out? Don’t even dignify the detractors comments with a response. Negative attention is still attention.
kc – have to disagree with you on Ellerbe. I wish him the best, but being a UGA grad and tix holder, he really only had one year of great play and was not the heart and soul of the D. That would be Rennie Curran. He might be a diamond in the rough as you say, but I think we’re set at MLB.
ndadome – Nice idea on the draft competition. I floated the idea of someone else on here taking over the “Falcons Fan Blog,” but he evidently didn’t take it serious. Not tryin’ to hate on the Babe, but she rarely posts and when she does its usually only 4 sentences max.
BTW, Pat Kirwan has the Falcons taking Clay Matthews and our old pal Steve Wyche has us taking Aaron Maybin. Would be dang happy with either.
Good stuff.
DUANE FERELL
March 19th, 2009
9:14 pm
IS THERE ANY WAY KEEP VICK? MAYBE WILD CAT QB/BACKUP QB. DAMN I MISS 7
Falcon 8211
March 19th, 2009
9:19 pm
Scott, Asher is fast but to small. he can not match up with the big receivers. the last fast corner we had (Meangelo) had great ball skills. look how many times he got burned. i like asher just don’t think he fits our system.
kc
March 19th, 2009
9:24 pm
D3 – I’m a longtime Dawg season tic holder as well. I agree with you …R Curran is the man on our D.
Scott – Gotta disagree with you about Asher. Ellerbe may not be the guy for the falcons, but Asher’s not either. Asher and Prince failed us last year. Asher makes solid tackles for a small guy, but he doesn’t cover good enough for these Falcons to improve by taking him.
Ken my friend … I swear I’m not just saying this in hindsight …. I’m one of the people that wanted Matt Ryan pre-draft. I still cut-up with my buddy that wanted Dorsey.
D3
March 19th, 2009
9:35 pm
kc – nice to have a fellow dawg and falcons fan. Hate to diverge on dawgs, but I’m more excited about this year than I was last year. I said before the season that it might turn out to be very bad. I loved Stafford, but he just never stuck out to me as “the guy – leader” we’ve had in the past at QB. As long as King, Samuel, Thomas, Jackson, or Ealey can step up & our D gets back to form I think we’ll have a shot. We’ll see. I do think Massaquoi would be a solid #4 if we didn’t have Laurent Robinson, but the time’s just not right for us at WR.
Stirg d'Nahsif
March 19th, 2009
10:21 pm
What’s really going on, y’all?
D3, I’m with You buddy. Lastnight, I typed an award-winning blog in reference to Yahoo Sport’s Mock Draft VI. They, apparently, suggested that Atlanta draft Michael Johnson (GT) with the 24th pick. I expressed my opinion, agreeing with the idea, in a very long blog (sorry VICK SUPPORTER 2) and it never appeared. I was so mad.
So, in short, I’ll just say I concur with drafting Johnson and leave it up to the bird cage to debate it. The idea of drafting Johnson supports my theory that I presented about defensive ends (refer to my blog entry on “Falcons Wave Goodbye to L.J.” (March 16, 2009, 10:15pm). I’m sure that the novelty of the idea will invite a great debate. Just keep an open mind and swallow the “blue pill”.
D3, Ken, D.O.L, thanks for the compliments on the blog. When I type, I’m just speaking my heart; and my heart is Falcon football.
In reference to today’s combine, I caught a name that was not mentioned often during regular season or in scouting reports; however, he put up some eye-catching numbers. Who is this kid C.J. BYRD? I researched his name; and the very little info I was able to obtain, was real impressive. The most intriguing thing about this kid is that he is listed as a strong safety/DB (go figure). Can anyone (especially with all the Dawgs in this bird cage) give Me some info on this kid; because if he is as good as what I’m seeing, he may be a steal and that would leave our options wide open.
Lastly, is it just me or is CBS having technical difficulties with the NCAA tournament.
kc
March 19th, 2009
10:30 pm
D3- Thanks ! I’m excited as well. Most fans don’t realize it , but we’re gonna be better next year. Cox will be a steady hand at the wheel (i.e.- John Parker Wilson). He doesn’t know how to loose. He’s never lost. Having a TE weapon, 2 star receivers, 3 or 4 running backs of quality, an aged o-line with Trinton returning, and the D has to be better. Only one way for the D to go and that is up. Anyone know what coach Richt is doin about getting those kickoffs into the endzone as he previously stated was a priority ?!? I dont see where we’ve signed a long kicker. This is a significant addition if we are to improve upon last year.
kc
March 19th, 2009
10:32 pm
BTW … Laurent is a keeper ! He has fantastic hands !
D3
March 19th, 2009
11:03 pm
What’s up Stirg, my man? – Yeah, I don’t know what the H happens sometimes with the posts. I’ve started to copy my post before I submit, because I hate to try and post and nothing come up after typing for like 5 minutes. Anyway,..
1st, CJ Byrd. As a UGA grad and dogs ticket holder, Byrd is solid. He pretty much had just a very solid career, nothing completely outstanding, but nothing completely terrible either. He came on strong and played as a true freshmen mainly in special teams I believe and was known as a hard hitter. He became a full-time starte last year and had a solid year. He was good, but not great. The whole secondary had a bad year(partly because we had ZERO pass rush), but still a bad year nonetheless. I wish him the best, but I wouldn’t say he would be worth more than say a sixth round project. I would love for him to prove me wrong.
2nd, Michael Johnson. First of all let me say that he will be a stud at the next level and there is no bias because he’s a Tech player. I don’t get into that college crap of hating on other team’s players. A good player is a good player(if I can say Tim Tebow is great, than I can say anyone is). The pick just doesn’t fit to me. I personally think we’ll be set at DE. As you mentioned before, Jamaal Anderson is really on target with his progression and should have a good year. He also was solid against the run, which people forget. And even if he doesn’t translate, Chauncey Davis is there to pick it up. I think Chauncey might actually win the spot; the guy just makes plays. I see Michael Johnson as a project, not a ready-made starter. Think Jamaal Anderson when he was coming out. Don’t ask what Mike Mayock thinks about Michael Johnson; he absolutely destroys the kid.
kc – agreed on Robinson. He was a lone bright spot of the debauchery of season known as 2007. Assuming we re-sign Roddy(which we dm better), we should be set at WR for a long, long time.
Ken Strickland
March 19th, 2009
11:05 pm
D3-I got the info from the ESPN web site, but you have to be an INSIDER member to get it.
KC-I know there were some fans supporting the pick because I was all over them for wanting Ryan over DT’s Dorsey or Ellis. I have no reason to believe we would have accomplished what we did last yr if we had drafted a DT instead of QB MRyan. That mistake on my part, the return of DT TLewis and the performance of DT JBabineaux, allows me to understand why Dimitroff and Smith might decide to draft a TE with our #24 pick instead of a DT. After all, the best DEF any team can have is the one sitting on the sidelines watching the OFF moving the ball and scoring.
Chemistry, familiarity with the OFF and each other, and the addition of a complete TE, will automatically make our OFF much better than last yrs OFF. Upgrading the SS, OLB, DE and DT positions will automatically make our DEF better than last yrs. If UGA RB MBrown makes the team again, he’ll take over special team responsibilities, which would keep RB JNorwood and WR HDouglas fresher and reduce their chance of injury.
Stirg d'Nahsif
March 20th, 2009
12:29 am
D3, thanks for the update on C.J. Byrd. Now, I don’t have to waste my time and research on lobbying him for a top pick.
As for Johnson, I’m with You on THAT side of the line. Anderson and Davis got it locked down. I’m actually on the other end where Abraham is posted. I know he’s a beast but let’s not forget how injury proned he is. You, at least, recognized that he will become a great defensive end, someday, at the next level. You also acknowledged my theory about the time it takes for a DE to mature, at the next level. Wouldn’t it be fitting for him to be groomed, now, to take over for Abraham, who is at the dawn of his career? In addition, it seems that once defensive ends reach that “break-out” year, they become either too expensive to keep or they want to test the FA market (e.g., Jared Allen, Patrick Kerney, Julius Peppers). Come to think of it, that’s how we got Abraham in the first place. When Anderson or Davis want to bolt in another two or three years, I would love to see an NFL-three-year-old Johnson showcase the tutelage he would receive from Abraham, Anderson, Davis and company.
I know a number of us want to see the Falcons win it all, this year; but wouldn’t it be dandy to keep winning for years to come? Do we put a band-aid on the open wounds we have, so we can win right now; or do we fix our problems with good talent and win for years and years? I, personally, prefer the later. I don’t want to be a won-and-done team like Tampa Bucaqueers or Carolina Panties (or even the ‘98 Falcons). Instead, I’d rather do what’s necessary, now, and resemble the dynasty of New England Patriots or Pittsburgh Steelers.
Don’t be shocked if TD pulls another Ryan-over-Dorsey move and select a Johnson or a Pettigrew for the 24th pick. Quite frankly, I’d be satisfied with either of those choices.
I better quit now before I lose this entry, again. The copy before submit idea was a good suggestion. Good looking.