Blank backs longer season, likes DirectTV
Falcons owner Arthur Blank. (By Curtis Compton/AJC)
Dana Point, Calif. – Upon conclusion of the recent NFL owners’ meeting, Falcons owner Arthur Blank addressed the league’s labor situation, the new $4 billion television deal, selling out the Georgia Dome and the league’s plan to grant more access to the media with.
Q: How was the update on the league’s labor situation?
A: Certainly, we are optimistic that the owners and players will do the right thing in terms of being able to come to an agreement. Obviously, we want to do the right thing for the fans. I think we’re working hard on that. We are led by the commissioner, our labor committee and staff. The NFLPA has a new executive director, who apparently is a very competent guy. He’s had an initial very good meeting with the commissioner. So we hope that it’s the first step in the process that will continue with labor peace for all of us.
Q: How will getting a new Collective Bargaining Agreement done help the Falcons?
A: I would just say that the agreement, as we look at an extension, it has to work for all of the partners in the league. Our partners are certainly our fans, players, owners, staff and all of our supplier partners and our media partners. We just need a structure that works for everybody. This has been a healthy industry, a growing industry and one that should have enough resources to accommodate that.
Q: How does the big — $4 billion – DirectTV deal help the owners out?
DirectTV inked a lucrative new deal with the NFL.
A: It’s great. It’s another signal of how healthy our league is and the demand for the product, the demand for our fans to see it. For last year’s Super Bowl we had 150 million people watch the game, the biggest single event in the history of television. We get 125 to 150 million fans every week that watch football. The DirectTV deal was a function of the people wanting to see the product and people wanting to see as many games as they can. Certainly, in our home, when we finish with our game, as a family we are sitting their flipping channels watching as many games as we can as well.
Q: What’s the Falcons position on the possible extension of the schedule to 17 or 18 games?
Arthur Blank and GM Thomas Dimitroff look over a practice. (By Curtis Compton/AJC)
A: We would support that. The broadcast committee is looking at that. Clearly, the preseason games are not the most attractive games to our fans. We have been very public on that. Our fans have been very clear on that as well, in terms of the percentage of fans that don’t show up for those games. So, the league is looking at all of the logistics and dynamics that it would take to extend our season whether if it will be for one more game or two more games. We’ll have to see how that plays out. We are looking at it in a very thoughtful way.
Q: How was the meeting with league coaches?
A: That’s one of my very favorite sessions because you have the opportunity to get all of the coaches in the very same room. We spent the session talking about a number of issues, anything relating to the collective bargaining agreement and giving them the current view on that situation. What direction we are going in from a medical standpoint. We talked about a variety of things from our engagement with our fans to having our coaches being open to the community and ours fans, being more responsive than we’ve been in the past. With these difficult times in the economy, we want to work hard to give the fans more. More exposure, more access. I think our head coaches and our coaching staffs are an important part of that. So we discussed that as well.
Q: How have the rule changes been received?
A: (Rich McKay) co-chairs the competition committee. It’s a compliment to Rich McKay because in most cases, the chairs of these committees will chair for two or three years at the most. Rich has been chairing or co-chairing the competition committee for 15 years now, which is unheard of in the National Football League. He’s been through two commissioners now. It’s a credit to Rich and shows the trust and confidence that he brings to that. Obviously, from an Atlanta perspective it helps because he’s able to give insight to our coaches and general manager on why things are structured the way they are and interpretation of the rules. From that standpoint, it’s nice to have one of the officers in-house.
Sun setting in the Pacific Ocean, from the deck of the St. Regis hotel.
Q: There was a uproar from fans when the season ticket plan was unveiled. How are the ticket sells going?
A: We have gotten tremendous response from our fans. Our renewal rate is even higher than we projected. But we still have tickets to sale. We are operating on a very low base coming off the difficulty the franchise had in 2007. We had a wonderful year last year. It was the first time in the history of the National Football League where you had the head coach, general manager and a player — the quarterback who was named the rookie of the year – win awards. That just doesn’t happen. So we are blessed going into 2009 with a lot of hope. I think when the schedule is released you’ll see some national (television) games on it. So we are doing whatever we can to speak to our fans, to service our fans both in terms of season ticket holders, our club seat holders and suite holders. We want to make sure that we meet them where they are. As opposed to asking them to meet us where we are. We want to understand what their constraints are and eliminate any constraints or barriers or issues. We are looking forward this year to selling out like we did this last year, but in this economy that challenge is real. While it’s going to be difficult, I think between the efforts that we are putting forth internally and with the responsiveness of the fans that we’ll be fine. But it’s not going to be easy.
Q: Are you all hoping to never get to the uncapped year?
A: All of our lines are open.
DeMaurice Smith, NFLPA executive director.
Q: When the owner’s opted out of the CBA, it sent an ominous tone that a possible strike was coming. How has that changed?
A: The tone now is that we want to have an extension of this collective bargaining agreement. That’s the commitment of our commissioner. The commitment of our labor committee. It’s a commitment that I believe exist on behalf of DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFLPA and our players.
Do you pay attention to the labor strife? Do you think an uncapped year in 2010 would hurt the Falcons? Are you going to throw out your cable operator and order DirectTV before next season? Renewed your season tickets yet?
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86 comments Add your comment
Lynn
April 8th, 2009
4:17 pm
No, it’s long enough. Too much of a good thing makes you appreciate it less. It’s better to leave us wanting more.
Csquared
April 8th, 2009
5:37 pm
Falcons would HAVE a longer season if they’d win a PLAYOFF game or two.
JJ
April 8th, 2009
5:43 pm
Red Stripe….its beer mon!
Scooter
April 8th, 2009
6:27 pm
I hear Oklahoma’s off. gaurd Duke Robinson is set to visit the Falcons. They say he is projected to go in the 2nd round. 6′5” 230, top ranked gaurd.
Reno 911
April 8th, 2009
6:37 pm
Interesting. Didn’t think they’d go that high for anything on offense except for TE.
falcon21
April 8th, 2009
6:50 pm
Kinda small. 230 at 6 ft. 5
Zup
April 8th, 2009
8:39 pm
Scooter, you must have a typo in your post–an offensive guard at 6′5” 230lb? Please…
Tim Parker
April 8th, 2009
8:43 pm
I don’t understand the man-love movement for Pettigrew. He’s not a 1st round draft pick. If he gets drafted in before the 3rd round I’ll be shocked. He’s a big body that catches the ball reasonably well, but he doesn’t block well and has NO speed. Not only that, but the Falcons already have plenty of slow tight ends with good hands that can block. If we go for a tight end, we should go for one that has some separation speed that knows how to block.
The Falcons have a number of holes, TE not being one of them: DT, DE, OLB, SS, CB
D. Orlando Ledbetter
April 8th, 2009
10:25 pm
FBD: I like Robinson. He SHOULD flourish in STL. Problem is that the Falcons like Jenkins. Gave him a new 5-year deal. Ryan likes him. He’s riding with Roddy, Jenk and HDTV!!! Robinson can definitely be a good two and possibly a one. HE HAS TO STAY HEALTHY.
falcon21
April 8th, 2009
10:26 pm
Tim Parker I agree TE sould not be the pick, we also have a lot of money tied up in DE, if we move JA to DT then I see that happening. OLB or SS should be the pick. I think CB is the question mark. Can we depend on Von H?
falcon21
April 8th, 2009
10:52 pm
DOL, Douglas is the man to watch, If he stays healthy he will be a stud. I also would have traded BF before I would have traded Robinson.
Mike
April 8th, 2009
11:21 pm
What do any of you think of Ayers. I saw him a couple of games this year, and in the SR Bowl . He seems rock solid. He should be available at 24. There is the possibility that the guy is a one year wonder, but Mayock says in three years he feels Ayers will be the best defensive player from this draft class.Maybe with Ayers, we look at R Johnson or Chung in the 2nd. Third round either Nelson or Cook at TE….or select a DT like Marks or Moala. Move Bierman to OLB with Nicholaus on the other side. Rotate Peterson and Wire on running downs.Hutchins will be back at CB…he was #1 on the depth chart ;ast year before getting injured. Maybe in the 4th we can grab a young corner Mickens from Cinn or Harris from USC, both around 6 ft and average speed…which seems to be all the corners this year have to offer. They could even bring in McAlister to add some depth..I liked S Rolle, but saw Baltimore resigned him.
D-3..I like Barwin as well. He is all over the boards, from mid second to early 4th. I think if there is a run on linebackers early, and you have guys like Maybin, Orakpo, and possibly even Ayers drafted as LB’s early, then you will see guys like Barwin and Kruger jump up early into the second. I am hoping for an early run on receivers, leaving a lot of depth on the D-lines. I think Pettigrew will be a great addition to our offense, and tight end definitely needs attention. However I do not believe it is our most pressing need. If he is still there at #24 he may be to tempting to pass on. So I hope someone does snag him and remove that temptation.
Boxcarar
April 8th, 2009
11:30 pm
No team would give up 42 spots for an aging, injury prone BF.
D3
April 9th, 2009
12:01 am
Whats up guys? The draft will be here before you know it men. 16 Days, 12 Hours, & COUNTING! Our draft definitely seems to be boiling down to a couple theories (at least in our blog), and each theory has its positives and negatives. The two question we have to ask ourselves are 1)Which of our needs is most immediate and 2)Who is the best play-maker we could draft and which one gives us better value in comparison to others.
Identified needs in no particular order: SS, OLB, DT, TE, CB
TE Theory 1A
We draft Pettigrew first and look to stack the next 4-5 picks with pure Defensive players. If we take Pettigrew first, we obviously will need some great picks in rounds 2-5. We could go safety 2nd with someone like Patrick Chung or William Moore, demanding that we go DT next with someone like a Fili Moala, Chris Baker, or Roy Miller. From there we could take a chance on a ‘project’ OLB like Nic Harris in the fourth and a strong CB in the fifth such as Keenan Lewis or Sherrod Martin.
TE Theory 1B
Draft Pettigrew first and go DT in the second with someone like Ron Brace(hoping he drops to #55, which is doubtful). Then go after SS in the third hoping R.Johnson or Chip Vaughn plummets to us, or go with a more unknown safety such as Michael Hamlin, David Bruton, or Curtis Taylor. Same applies for CB and OLB from 1A.
Also, DT & OLB First Theory.
D3
April 9th, 2009
12:11 am
Mike – excellent point, man. Pettigrew is would be an absolute stud, but you are correct in that it is not our most pressing need and we could stand to to take a chance on Nelson/Cook/Coffman/Casey and develop them with Peele and Hartsock sitting there. The heart says Pettigrew if he’s sitting there, but the brain says go DEF. It would be great if the temptation were removed for us, but the tiny amount of research I did do tells me that Buffalo is really the only serious contender to draft him. And @ #11? Too high, IMHO. Yulee mentioned Philly, but I don’t see it. Too much OL & D-secondary needs. Plus they probably will take a long look at Westbrook’s replacement(i.e. Moreno).
Nookah – don’t know if you’re out there or not man, but I know you’ll appreciate this: your boy Mike Wallace was ranked as the 8th best receiver in the draft by NFL.com. Nice sleeper alert, bro.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d80fac1ea&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
Nookah
April 9th, 2009
12:51 am
D3, I hear you brother. Thanks for the bigups. My only question with him is can he block? You know Mike Mullarkey likes receivers who can block. However if you want to stretch that defense and take some pressure off Roddy, he’s your man. However, based on his rise up the charts he may not be there for us as he is now projected to go in the 2nd round. He seems to have run up the boards pretty fast. Must have been very impressive at the combine. Can you imagine a 4 receiver set with your TE, BP? Roddy on one side, Wallace on another and Jenkins, Douglas and Pettigrew in the zone? Move them chains baby!!! Just imagine the confusion among our opponents secondary!!!!! Pinch me…..am I dreaming? Matty Ice would have so many weapons!!!
I also like a number of the guys you mentioned such as Sherrod Martin (nuff speed – 4.43 40), Chris Baker (I think he’s a diamond in the rough), Roy Miller (these 3 guys I had in my early draft) and Patrick Chung from Oregon. The guy who I really like is Darcel McBath from Texas Tech. He’s not been getting a lot a love from the bloggers but take a look at him. He could be one the Duo go after. I really like him. He’s excellent against the run and pretty good cover skills.
Nice link D3. Enjoyed the read!!!
Go Falcons!!! It will soon be FEEDING TIME!!!!
Nuff respect everytime!!!
Daniel
April 9th, 2009
10:19 am
hey guys, I was wondering if anyone on here new the code for the AC Milan game that will be at the Georgia Dome?
richbrave
April 9th, 2009
11:42 am
Another mined nugget for you. CECIL NEWTON JR. C TENNESSEE STATE 6′2″ 300. Wait out the draft, and take him as a FA. Some of you regulars are no doubt familiar with him as he’s from the ATLANTA area. Good reports, too small for a draft choice, but a player none-the-less.
Ken Strickland
April 9th, 2009
2:22 pm
For those who still can’t grasp the WR LRobinson trade, consider this. LRobinson was simply too talented to sit on the bench as a 5th WR. He had more value to the team as trade bait, and he also appeared to be injury prone. Last yr HDouglas showed just as much promise and potential as a WR as LRobinson, and he was far more valuable on special teams. BFinneran has been a special teams ace for several yrs and is one of the NFL’s best 3rd down receivers, when healthy.
Add starting WR’s MJenkins and RWhite and you have 4 quality WR’s ahead of LRobinson. Drafting a pass receiving TE will all but eliminate the need for a 5th WR, and the return of RB TBrown will free HDouglas of his punt return duties and allow him to concentrate on his WR duties. TBrown’s return will do the same for RB JNorwood.
I can’t see the merits in the Falcons drafting 2 TE’s when we already have 4 TE’s( BHartsock, JPeelle, DRader & KZinger-practice squad) and 4 quality WR’s. In almost every instance, 2 TE formations are used when running the ball, not passing. It’s much more effective to remove our FB and use a 3 WR set with one TE. Three WR’s forces the DEF to replace a LB and the SS, like we had to do with SS LMalloy. There’s no way one safety can cover the field against 3 WR’s and a swift TE. Using a LB to jam the TE and keep him from getting behind them too quickly is standard procedure. That leaves only 5 defenders(4 DLinemen and 1 LB) free to stop the run and/or rush the passer.
RICHBRAVE-on another blog I made a partial list of unknown, unhearlded players from small schools that liberally sprinkle the HOF list, like OT’s RWright & JSlater, OG LLittle and our own assistant coach DB EThomas.
I could be wrong, but I just don’t see us drafting TE Pettigrew. While he’s rated the best TE in this draft, his major weakness is his lack of speed. We’re looking for a TE with good straight line speed, to beat the cover 2 zone, good hands and adequate inline blocking skills, and TE Cameron Morrah fits the bill.
D3
April 9th, 2009
6:10 pm
What up gents? Watchin’ a little Masters action today, eh? Man, its been the unknowns winning at the Masters lately, Chad Campbell @ – 8 winning as of 5:10 and Tiger still Even through 11. I want a Tiger, Singh, Mickelson, & Immelman duel. Anyway, I digress….
Men, the draft is sneaking up on us fast & quick and I CAN’T WAIT!!!! Last night I brought up the point of our 1st pick draft strategies and where we go from there (really nothing new to the Bird-Cage Bloggers).
I proffered the TE first theories and the routes we could take from there. As I mentioned earlier, the heart wants to go with Pettigrew because he would take our OFF to the next level, being the most complete TE in the draft, but as Mike, Ken Strick, & many others have mentioned, it is NOT our most pressing need and TE is extremely deep. Pettigrew’s time didn’t help his stock either, but man would he be an inside and red zone presence.
DT Theory (Realistic)
We get luck and have Peria Jerry fall to us @ #24, most likely a pipe dream, but you never know. I haven’t seen any mock having him fall past Tampa Bay. Let’s assume for argument’s sake that Jerry’s gone (and many of our bloggers even feel that Jerry wouldnt be a great pick, either). The conscensus pick would be Ziggy Hood @ #24. It would fill a need and he did have a good combine and Senior Bowl, but the fact is he had a pretty sub-par senior season @ Missouri and is too much in the mold, frame as Babineaux, not a run-stuffer, per se, JMHO. One thing that most of our bloggers seem to gelling to is taking a SS in the second. Our pick of Patrick Chung, William Moore, R.Johnson, Chip Vaughn, and maybe even Louis Delmas(hey, never know) would be there. Most definitely go TE next, having a choice between Shawn Nelson, Jared Cook, Chase Coffman, or James Casey. Fourth, we could go CB like Sherrod Martin, Mike Mickens, Keenan Lewis, or Brandon Underwood and go for a ‘project’ 5th, that wouldn’t have much value, IMO.
DT Theory (Dream)
Draft a Jerry or Hood with our first pick (haven’t seen Ron Brace go in the first round in one single mock draft). Take SS with our second. And get d@mn lucky and OLB Barwin falls to us in the 3rd and then take a chance on Coffman, Casey, or Morrah in the 4th.
15 DAYS & 18 HOURS MY FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
scottbravesfan
April 9th, 2009
7:12 pm
I love how people always rip on MLB and say that want the salary cap so it doesn’t turn out to be like the MLB. Baseball has more parity right now than the NFL. In the NFL it’s the Pats, Giants, Steelers every year competing at least so far this decade. Last decade the Cowboys and Broncos dominated it. Look at baseball every year this decade a new team has won the World Series except in 2004 and 2007 when the Red Sox won. But even in 2005 the Red Sox didn’t even make the playoffs. You can spend money like crazy in sports but doesn’t mean you are going to win. If so the Yankees and Mets would be in the world series every year and the Redskins and Cowboys would win the Super Bowl every year. And the salary cap sure hasn’t help the NBA be more competitive. It’s always the same four teams basically battling for the championship.
D3
April 9th, 2009
7:23 pm
Question: What if all the following players we’ve talked about are gone by #24: Cushing, Maybin, Jerry, Matthews, Jenkins. If the choice is between Ziggy Hood, Larry English, or Brandon Pettigrew, who do you take?
Reno 911
April 9th, 2009
7:25 pm
Good breakdown, D3. I don’t know what to think about the Falcons’ approach to D in the first three-four rounds. I agree that the “inside-out” strategy on D is most important to TD and Smitty, but I’m not sure that the 1st round-level DTs are really what the Falcons would want or need. Both Jerry and Hood have their issues, and raise questions in my mind at least about the merit of spending a #24 pick on them. Even though DT, in my opinion, should be the top priority, it’s conceivable that, should the Falcons wait to pick up their interior bulk from Ron Brace or Fili Moala in the 2nd or, failing that, a big body like Texas’ Roy Miller or small school blog-favorite Sammie Lee Hill in the 4th round or so. While big Grady was often tired and sometimes did little more than just occupy space inside, if the Falcons don’t pick up a big stuffer to take his place, I think his presence will be missed. Jerry and Hood, one of whom is likely to be available at #24, may not be the size body who would work best in the Falcons’ lineup. If it were up to me, I’d pencil in one of the above DT’s in the second or, more ideally, the fourth round, and address Safety, OLB, and TE in the first three rounds, not necessarily in that order. It may not sound like it makes much sense: to rank DT as a top priority, but advocate waiting until the 4th round to fill the need, but I don’t think the Falcons relaly NEED a top-caliber pick in that spot, they just need a big body who can play. (And some of those later-available big boys aren’t slouches, either. Roy Miller can move his 310+ pounds pretty well, for example.)
Ken Strickland
April 9th, 2009
7:33 pm
D3-I see you’re almost as uncertain as I am. Whether we draft a DT at #24 depends on the status of DT TLewis and the braintrust’s opinion of his ability. If they feel TLewis is the real deal, and JBabineaux is set at the other DT, why use your #24 pick on a DT that’s only going to be a backup when we can get that in later rds.
That same thing holds true for SS and DE. Pettigrew is the only TE expected to go in the 1st rd, and his blocking ability is the only area in which he excels over all other TE’s in the draft. He’s one of the slowest overall and probably the slowest of the top 5 or 6. Unless your team is really loaded with talent, you want to get at least one starter out of top 2 picks. I’m now leaning towards either a SS or CB with our 1st pick, with an emphasis on CB.. Remember, 3 of our top 4 CB’s, BGrimes, DIrons & VHutchins, are returning from IR after suffering season ending injuries.
After saying all of this, it still depends on the scouting reports compiled by TD and Smitty. They could very easily have a CB, SS, DT, TE or LB/DE targeted from the 2nd rd down that better suites their needs and DEF scheme than any CB, SS, DT or DE/LB rated as 1st rd picks. There are simply too many variables for me to pinpoint a choice at #24 with any degree of certainty.
D3
April 9th, 2009
7:44 pm
Wow, to all the boys who argue we shouldn’t take Pettigrew first (JJ, Ken Strick, & Big Ray to name a few) here is your golden reference from Vic Carucci from NFL.com:
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d80fabea2&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
He has Jared Cook possibly going in the first round, definitely haven’t heard that one.
Top TE’s of note:
Chris Cooley & Jason Witten – 3rd Round
Antonio Gates – Undrafted
Owen Daniels – Fourth
Bo Scaife – Sixth
Zach Miller & John Carlson – Second
Kevin Boss(6 TD’s)- Fifth
Anthony Fasano(7 TD’s)-Second
Donald Lee(5 TD’s) – Fifth
Visanthe Schiancoe(7 TD’s) – Third
So there you have it, a pretty good case to NOT draft Pettigrew first, especially since this TE class is so deep.
Cushing, Matthews, Maybin, English, Jerry, or Hood, IMVHO.
D3
April 9th, 2009
8:49 pm
Reno – whats up brother-man? It’s amazing, but that is EXACTLY my final draft strategy as well. I’ll admit that I’ve been as scattered as anyone on this blog on what we should do. I’ve gone like a yo-yo back in forth between DT, OLB, or Pettigrew first. But, my final opinion has solidified on going OLB first. I wouldn’t be absolutely upset with Jerry or Hood, but I wouldn’t be totally jacked either. Great point on needing a big body. Jerry and Hood are too much the same type as Babineaux, IMO. Like TE, DT is pretty deep in my opinion as well, maybe just not top-end deep. If Maybin, Cushing, Matthews, or even English are there, I say grab’em.
Ken Strick – You definitely got it, I’m pretty much up in the air on who to take as well. My final opinion is to go OLB, just because I don’t see there being a CB or SS worth a first round draft pick. Both are definitely higher needs than OLB, but to me the value just isn’t there. But I’m definitely hearing great things about Darius Butler, so we’ll see. I’m with you, I would be pretty shocked if we take Pettigrew first.
D3
April 9th, 2009
9:41 pm
Another WOW, local sports writers pick who they think their team will draft in consequential order. #’s 1 – 16 and Mark Sanchez and Aaron Maybin are still on their board.
A few highlights/lowlights (depending on how you look at it)
BJ Raji going to Green Bay
SF 49ers taking Michael Oher over Mark Sanchez
Houston Texans taking Clay Matthews at 15
Brian Cushing going to the Bills
Denver taking Everette Brown over Mark Sanchez
Definitely different than your standard mocks I’ve seen around. If this were to hold true, than most of our DEF targets would be gone.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d80facae7&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
darrell starks
April 9th, 2009
10:43 pm
Why are the falcons so big on PETTIGREW i dont no the guy run a 4.8 fourty and he also didnt catch a td the hole season in a open spread offense that pass the ball 80percent of the time we need defense bad with no defensive free agent pick up in the offseason its not looking good and its also putting a lot of preasure on the iceman. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
richbrave
April 9th, 2009
11:00 pm
You guys will love this. The rumors on the REDSKINS blogs have JASON CAMPBELL and draft picks both this year and next going to KC for the right to move up to #3 and draft MARK SANCHEZ. Contrarian that I am, I said pick AARON CURRY instead, sign BYRON LEFTWICH, then take MICHAEL OHER with the #13 original pick. Crazy stuff.
falcon21
April 9th, 2009
11:13 pm
Mr.Starks , I don’t think the Falcons are so big on Pettigrew. As you said we need D and I think the Falcons will draft D. We have to many needs and I think TE will not help us win more games.We can score, we need to stop the scoring.
Stirg d'Nahsif
April 9th, 2009
11:52 pm
D3, you are really getting good at this. I remember when I used to skim your entries and end up so indecisive; but now, your arguments actually make sense. For a minute there, you actually made me rethink my opinions in the campaign for Pettigrew at “24″; and yes, I actually considered concessions. Your presentation of the outstanding tight ends that were taken in late rounds, reminded me that a quality tight end can be stolen in this years draft (I forgot Gates was undrafted).
Nevertheless, I must remain steadfast with my argument. To show you how a good sport I am, I’ll compromise and quit lobbying for Pettigrew. Instead, I’ll just simply suggest that we draft the best tight end at “24″. I overstand that this draft is flooded with good tight ends. I (I use “I” with emphasis) selfishly regarded Pettigrew as the sole receiving/blocking combo tight end in this years draft. I considered him the “Deion Sanders” of tight ends; and for that reason, I rode him like a horse-driven chariot. After researching more scouting reports, however, I discovered other tight ends with equal catching abilities but a greater vertical threat. Shawn Nelson comes to mind because he can create plays down the seam and block just as good. On the flip side, I remember when TD coveted Chase Coffman at the combine; but I’ve learned that Coffman’s stock has been slipping because of his inability to work out. With all that said, I’m confident TD and staff does their evaluations well and, if they so choose TE at “24″, I’m sure they’ll get the right man.
To settle this argument, I’d like to offer my strongest opinion on how “our” draft will unfold. Number one, we all know that I suggest the best tight end at “24″; that goes without question. With our offense solidified, I want to concentrate on the defensive side of the ball but I want to approach this with D3’s method of elimination. He identified needs (at) SS, OLB, DT, TE, CB.
Lets start with cornerback, where I don’t really feel we have an urgent need. Both Chris Houston and Chevis Jackson are maturing into their craft and are an attractive tandem on the outside. Veteran players are vying for nickel and fourth or the fifth backs. Although Sean Smith is a very attractive (I would even consider a first round) draft pick, I’m not certain of his fit into our cover scheme. Unless staff is considering more man-to-man coverage or converting Smith to safety, I don’t think we should be overly concerned about cornerback in the first couple of rounds.
Tight End, draft the best-biggest-blocking-catching-fastest one.
Defensive tackle is represented deeper in this draft more than what others have suggested; however, after B.J. Raji, the next top five looks a whole lot like Babs.
Stirg d'Nahsif
April 10th, 2009
12:01 am
I think Ron Brace will last until the second round and would be a great compliment to Trey Lewis.
OLB is also deep but none is worthy of the first round, that would fit our need, except Clay Matthews. If Atlanta won’t select Junior in the first round for pick “24″ (he may not be available) then I’d wait until third round, or later, for Clint Sintim or Tyrone McKenzie.
Now strong safety, I’ve considered a great deal because of the number of options available. We could stay with DeCoud and trust that he will master the position or we could draft the best strong safety remaining after the third round. None is more attractive to our scheme than Chip Vaughn. Great size, instincts and coverage make him the perfect fit for our defensive scheme.
So, there you go. Thanks for the enlightenment, D3.
D3
April 10th, 2009
12:13 am
Stirg – thanks, I guess bro’. ‘Preciate the props, but I suppose my entries didn’t make sense in the past? I’ve found my new hobby for sure. Forming and expressing arguments are much, much easier when you do a little research. I have you to thank for that, my friend. I definitely have been kind of all over the place for sure; I think most of that comes from having such a late pick and really not having any idea who will be available. Like Reno said, DT & CB are probably our biggest needs, but not the deepest in top-flight talent, JMHO.
Your Pettigrew argument filled my head with doubts, but I’ve come full circle back to OLB or OLB/DE. Cushing, Maybin, Matthews, English in that order.
D3
April 10th, 2009
12:21 am
You’re right on with Chip Vaughn and Ron Brace. Just think if a dream scenario happened:
1)Matthews Jr.
2)Ron Brace
3)Chip Vaughn
4)Shawn Nelson (getting a little greedy, so I’ll say Coffman or Casey)
Just on a silly side note, I was playing Madden09 the other night and Curtis Lofton won D-Rookie of the year and Thomas DeCoud finished 5th on the game. You know its bad when I’m bringin up video games. D@mn, its late.
15 DAYS & 11 HOURS!!!!
Stirg d'Nahsif
April 10th, 2009
12:34 am
I beg to differ with you and Reno, in regards to one of our biggest needs being cornerback (I do agree with DT). We already have two starters and two veterans. They may not be shutdown corners but we don’t play alot of man; instead, we play cover schemes.
In reference to your perplexed thoughts at outside linebacker, I would suggest Clay Matthews. As a reference, I use the National Football Post. They suggested the top five outside linebacker in this year’s draft; and these are the results:
Outside Linebackers
1. Aaron Curry, Wake Forest (6-2, 254)
2. Connor Barwin, Cincinnati (6-4, 256)
3. Clay Matthews, USC (6-3, 240)
4. Brian Cushing, USC (6-3, 243)
5. Larry English, Northern Illinois (6-2, 255)
Curry remains the consensus No. 1 overall outside linebacker and appears headed toward a top-five pick. He displays impressive size, closing speed and power for the position and has the versatility to line up at any linebacker spot in either a 3-4 or 4-3 – although I feel his best fit is outside in a 4-3 scheme. Barwin, who’s been flying up draft boards ever since he made the switch to defense in his senior season, possesses impressive athletic tools. His combination of instincts and motor makes him an intriguing 3-4 outside linebacker. He still has a bit of developing to do from a technique standpoint, but he offers more upside than any of the linebackers listed below him.
A pair of USC players come in at Nos. 3 and 4 and look to be the most polished of the group. Matthews is a natural football player who exhibits good fluidity and change-of-direction skills. He has the makings of a successful three-down backer in the NFL. Cushing plays with the same type of instincts and motor as Matthews, although I don’t see the same fluidity to his game that would warrant him playing on third down. I think the best fit for Cushing would be inside in a 3-4 scheme. English, who will likely be asked to make the transition to OLB in a 3-4 at the next level, was a productive pass rusher in college, but I don’t see the flexibility in his stance or the burst to consistently reach the edge in the NFL. However, he should be a good fit standing up in a 3-4 scheme and using his closing speed to get after the QB.
Again, if we don’t grab Junior at “24″ (he may not last that long), Sintim or McKenzie would be a perfect fit for our scheme.
Stirg d'Nahsif
April 10th, 2009
12:40 am
I like your mock, though; I don’t think Shawn Nelson will last to the fourth round. Some have rated him higher than Pettigrew, with speed. I got this scouting report from the National Football Post:
“Nelson leads the way in the tight end rankings because of his ability to not only create plays down the seam, but also his upside as a blocker. He possesses long arms and a much stronger frame for which he’s given credit. He should develop into a productive all-around tight end at the next level. Pettigrew ranks second because he’s also an ideal receiving/blocking combo tight end, although he isn’t the same kind of vertical threat Nelson is down the field.”