Dimitroff takes us inside the draft room
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff (L) and head coach Mike Smith (R) welcome first round pick Peria Jerry. (KENT D. JOHNSON/AJC)
THE WAR ROOM – Well, today Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff drops by the blog. This is about as close as I can get us to the real war room.
After all of the picks are made, Dimitroff comes down and does a de-briefing of the draft. I like to get his scouting break down on the lesser known second-day picks.
Here’s how the reigning executive of the year broke things down.
TD ON THIRD ROUND PICK CHRIS OWENS, CB, San Jose State: “Chris Owens for us is a combination of a very physical and aggressive corner. He comes to the table with a lot of speed. He’s a sub-4.5 guy. He’s actually a lower 4.4 guy. He’s around a 4.43 player. He’s increasing our speed in the secondary. Increases our physicality and has very good ball skills. He’s gotten his hands on a lot of balls. He definitely brings an element of urgency to our defense as well.”
TD ON FOURTH ROUND PICK LAWRENCE SIDBURY, DE, Richmond: “Lawrence was brought in here as a rush end type. He is a good athlete with what we believe is some serious upside. He as the ability to get off the mark quickly, to get up field. He has the (ability) to turn the corner and rush the passer. He is still a little bit raw and needs to grow in a number of areas. . . we were surprised to get him there in the fourth round. He ended up falling to us.”
Dimitroff and Smith during Jerry's presser.
TD ASIDE on SPEED: “You guys are going to be seeing this theme. Everyone one of these guys except for the offensive lineman has speed. When you go on the field in the training camps and OTAs you are going to see an increased level of speed.”
BACK TO SIDBURY: “He’s a 4.54 in our books. If he can continue to learn to rush the passer and continue to learn you have a legitimate DPR – defensive pass rush guy. He’s still developing.”
TD ON FIFTH ROUND PICK WILLIAM MIDDLETON, CB, Furman: (He’s a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. — 1-07-Mu Pi. — so we know he’s tough!!!) “He’s a low 4.4 guy for us as well. He came here to our local workout. . . He’s another aggressive defensive back. . . He comes in aggressively to support the run. He’s aggressive to the ball and he has nice ball skills. Combine that with his speed and ability to transition, he makes good usage of his footwork. We think he’s got growth potential to add to our depth in the secondary.”
ASIDE ON LEADERSHIP: “These three guys that we just talked about, in their programs, they are deemed as captain types. Just like last year, each guy was at the top of their programs in terms of leading their team mates. We really feel strongly about the type of work ethic and character that these players have.”
Garrett Reynolds in action.
TD ON FIFTH ROUND PICK GARRETT REYNOLDS, OT, North Carolina: “Another player that we were happy to get in the fifth round. For us he has the ability to play right tackle and possibly swing to the left tackle in a pinch. Ideally, he’s a right tackle for us. He’s strong, stout, big offensive lineman who has got a good awareness about him. He is tough. He fits in with our style on the right side right now with (Tyson) Clabo and Harvey Dahl.”
ASIDE on Reynolds: (Falcons thought about adding another cornerback and flooding the position): “We were looking at our board and we brought over a couple of offensive linemen. We’d just taken Middleton and went, back-to-back corners. We didn’t want to take three corners. We wanted a guy who could compete for a roster position here and develop into a solid offensive lineman in the National Football League. We deviated from defense, but it was one of the positions along the offensive line where we felt we need to build depth.”
TD ON SIXTH ROUND PICK LAWRENCE ADKINS, LB, The U: “He was a part-time starter and player there. He’s been in and out of the starting lineup. We like his upside. He’s another fast guy who ran 4.49 for us. He moves well laterally . . . He flies around. He’s tough upon impact. We feel that we have an opportunity to have a player on the field who can help contribute on special teams as well and continue to grow in the linebacker role. He’s an outside guy. He has (weakside) ability.”
ON SEVENTH ROUND PICK VANCE WALKER, DT, Georgia Tech: “We saw a guy who has some versatility to him. He has some natural leverage ability about him, to be able to hold the point. But also combines that with some upfield ability. He can be a one-gap guy which is very important in Mike Smith’s scheme and his
Vance Walker in action at Georgia Tech.
scheme going forward. . . Vance was another top notch leader in his program.”
TD on THE OVERALL THEME: “We wanted to get more urgent. We wanted to get more faster. We wanted to build with all-in, leadership-type guys that are dedicated to the program. We accomplished all of those things.”
TD ON THE DALLAS TRADE: (After taking Middleton, the Falcons pulled off a trade with the Dallas Cowboys. They sent the 143rd pick to Dallas for the 156th and picked up the 210th pick, the first pick of the seventh round.) “At that time we continued to think that we could move down and get another pick and still get who we were looking for in the fifth round.”
TD GIVE UPDATE ON THE LINEBACKER UNIT: ” We were happy to have (Michael Peterson) come in along with Curtis Lofton inside. We targeted a couple of linebackers in the draft that didn’t fall to us. (Brian Cushing was the only true LB taken before the Falcons picked 24th.) They went off the board a little early. We understood that we were not going to come away with every need early on in the draft. We were pretty calculated in our approach. We felt by getting a defensive lineman, pulling the safety off the board and then corner off the board that we addressed three of the four areas on defense. With Stephen Nicholas stepping up, in our mind, to be a legitimate contributor in the base defense, we feel like we are sitting quite sound in our linebacker group.”
TD ON THE CROWDED CORNERBACK MEETING ROOM: “We want competition going into training camp. Our feelings are that the more competition and the more speed, the better. We feel we have with our present
Omegaman Middleton putting his pads on some poor receiver.
players and the players coming in, a great forum for a very competitive training camp. I feel we are going to come out of that with a good solid group of cornerbacks.”
TD ON THE SAFETY SITUATION: Is it Moore, DeCoud and Fudge competing for the strong safety spot? “It will be up to Mike Smith. William is more of strong safety given his size and ability to come up and light up the ball carry. But he also has the range and he has more versatility than what was presented at the Senior Bowl. We really believe he has the ability to be in the deep part of the football field. There is some versatility there. We are happy to have Erik Coleman here with his veteran leadership and veteran status. He’s going to be a nice mentor for this young safety group. Thomas DeCoud, we are excited about his upside. We think he is going to continue to grow. He’s got nice speed and ability to cover the field. In my mind there are going to be three or four safeties on this team who can be legitimate contributors no matter who is called upon. ”
So there you have it, Dimitroff takes us into the war room and gives us a retrospective inside look on the Falcons draft? Do you have any post draft concerns? Like the second-day guys? Wonder if Reynolds has any insight on why his uncle sawed the car in half? Can Owens win a starting cornerback spot or are you comfortable with the Houston/Grimes tandem?
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181 comments Add your comment
gabuldawg
April 30th, 2009
4:33 pm
I think Jamall gets one more year. If he doesn’t show any improvement, I think TD will look to grab a DE in the draft. Of course, that all depends on how Kroy and Sidbury do.
billy
April 30th, 2009
4:51 pm
Orlando any news if the Falcons might be interested in Leroy Hill the Seattle line backer?
Lil'Dave
April 30th, 2009
4:56 pm
Hill has had legal issues with the hippie lettuce in the past so I doubt it.
uga_b
April 30th, 2009
5:00 pm
Tony Taylor was cut last year. Rumor was he talked too much. Gilbert is a real solid special teamer.
Thor Hiney
April 30th, 2009
5:00 pm
Chelsea…I don’t know if they signed Gilbert, but they did sign Haynes.
Deangelo Falls
April 30th, 2009
5:14 pm
What’s up with the Verron Haynes signing? 3rd down back? I thought Snelling did a good job with that and plus Thomas Brown looked good before he got hurt.
ernisTbass
April 30th, 2009
5:15 pm
I was dissappointed to see how Jerry pronounces his first name. I thought it was Per iah Jerry not Per Ray as shown in the AJC. It would have been neet to see Periah Jerry lined up beside Miriah Cary and it would have been the Periah and Miriah post game show and stuff. Oh, nevermind, that was J Anderson I was thinking about, I get em mixed up all the time. You know, two highly paid entertainers that can’t play football.
chc4
April 30th, 2009
5:18 pm
We signed Haynes for depth. He’s certainly no lock to make the team… in fact it’s probably less than 50-50. With Turner, Norwood, Snelling and T. Brown, Haynes will have a hard time. His best hope is to be kept as a backup FB/RB/special teamer. For that to happen Snelling would have to bomb in training camp.
D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
April 30th, 2009
5:48 pm
REYNOLDS IS HACKSAW’S NEPHEW.
Kaho: Adjunct Prof at CAU. Have a JD. Teach Communications Law and a Multimedia class.
What’s up with the Drew Bennett visit?
Don’t think there’s any interest in Leroy Hill.
Haynes is a nice guy and strong supporter of the Sandy Springs Saints little league football program. He was in Athens at Georgia’s pro day talking to scouts, trying to get back in the league. Guess it worked out for him.
Gumbo
April 30th, 2009
5:55 pm
Just wanted to jump in and agree with many – damn good article and good insight. We just didn;t get that kind of stuff from the “NFL Network” guy. Thanks D.O.
Glad to hear TO mention Nicholas – saw him play a lot when I lived in Tampa, and he was an absolute monster at USF.
dave
April 30th, 2009
6:05 pm
Comment of the day:
(name deleted)
April 30th, 2009
1:55 pm
This is a damn good article! Thanks Orlando! Thomas Dimitroff really knows his football!
Ya reckon? Glad his knowledge impresses you.
KC
April 30th, 2009
6:08 pm
I think Middleton would have been there in the seventh or even UFA. They could have taken one of the TE’s Casey or Ingram in the fifth & still got Middleton later. I wonder how many teams even knew about this kid since he was local. They must think he is a real stud & didn’t want to take a chance with Bellichec sniffing around. I saw some highlights of him on youtube & he does play physical especially against the run.
ILL-logical
April 30th, 2009
6:14 pm
First timer here: 1) D-backs are all SHORT!2)Next year’s schedule will be much tougher because of NFL policy to upgrade acording to record 3) Falcons probably have best management team in town, no one else is even close. BTW, what does being a member of the “Horseshoe Club” have to do with a players ability? LOL
Mowreck
April 30th, 2009
6:16 pm
What I really liked about the picks are speed, speed, and more speed. Except for the offensive tackle and defensive tackle, the cornerbacks, safeties and LBs all run in the 4s. Sometimes you can make a mistake if you have the speed. I really like our new guys … all of them.
SeminoleWarrior
April 30th, 2009
6:36 pm
What’s happening posse. Another great piece of work D. O-Led. Great insights. I guess the injury bug spooked the team in regards to my man Freeman.
Good point chc4 about the Haynes signing. And an excellent assessment from Ron M. on the leadership and unity facets.
I definately hope that we make a move to secure Clabo long term at the right tackle/guard. He is a beast of a man and a major reason for the effectiveness of the run game. He IS a long-term keeper. Reynolds could move in to the tackle postion possibly. Do not forget about the return of Foster to the active roster this season. He was very effective when he was in the lineup and provides key depth.
Let Leroy Hill keep on moving on. James has the look of a keeper from what I recall from minis last year; I love his aggressive nature. And Nicholson and Christopher will surprise you…keep an eye on them.
Falcon Devil/Nookah: Yes, making history will be sweet this season. I’m with you both; worst case scenario, we will win 9 games this season. i want to feel the division is ours but I’m not going to be premature.
Again, great job D O-Led. ONE NATION….THE FALCON NATION.
JFLA
April 30th, 2009
6:41 pm
Like KC, I was a little disappointed that they didn’t grab a TE in the middle rounds to develop behind Gonzalez….seemed like a lot of interesting TE prospects this year. Perhaps they might look at Ryan Purvis, who was Matt Ryan’s go-to receiver in his senior year …..I’ve got to think we can find backup TEs more versatile than Hartsock or Rader…..
The Dean 21
April 30th, 2009
6:43 pm
Thor – I think the Reynolds kid is the nephew of Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds
Ken Strickland
April 30th, 2009
6:47 pm
Now that I understand TD’s approach to drafting talent, I see why I like him so much. In the lower rds you draft players based on talent, regardless of their skill level, then develop their skills over time. While you’re helping them develop those skills, you’re upgrading your special teams by loading it with speed, quickness, aggressiveness and physical talent. It’s simular to redshirting players in college that aren’t quite ready to contribute.
When I looked at the players we drafted, I expected to see some of the FA’s on our roster let go, but not this soon. It looks like our DEF will be based on speed, quickness, man coverage(hence the emphasis on speed with our CB’s)and getting to the QB. Our overall DEF philosophy seems to be based primarily on defending the pass. It makes sense because our dominate OFF will control the clock, put points on the scoreboard and definitely put teams in catchup mode on a regular basis. I’M FEELING BETTER EVERYDAY ABOUT THIS TEAM AND THE FUTURE OF THIS FRANCHISE. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Dean 21
April 30th, 2009
6:48 pm
Guys! Relax on the linebacker talk! TD & Coach Smitty knows what we have and what we need, please let them do their jobs. I’m sure they will know if we need additional free agent LB’s during the 2nd phase of free agent pick-ups and will not hesitate to pull the trigger. We surely can’t be as bad as we were last year in the line backer dept. I think we have to wait and see how the upcomings camps pan out. I am excited about our picks and ready to see the comp. play out at every position.
The Dean 21
April 30th, 2009
7:01 pm
Ken, I agree. I think the Offense will be much improved from last year and with TG, this will allow them to improve in the red zone area. I also think we are loading up at positions to account for injuries, etc. TD comes from that NE way of thinking. When TBrady went down last year; NE continued their success and had a winning season and should have made the playoffs. When you build your team to account for injuries to key players at key positions and still compete, then my friends, you will have a winning franchise. Although I still worry a little about the QB, DE, WR & RB positions as for as injury replacements. (work in progress)
Prisco grades: 2006 | Betting Football Coaching Club
April 30th, 2009
7:06 pm
[...] Sizing Up the Falcons Draft Well, today Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff drops by the blog. This is about as close as I can get us to the real war room. [...]
SeminoleWarrior
April 30th, 2009
7:39 pm
Great points K Strick and D21. I too want some experienced depth at the QB position especially.
The Dean 21
April 30th, 2009
7:43 pm
As I was saying, they will know when it’s time to add additional linebackers…Falcons just signed Veteran Linebacker Miles…Vet. receiver Drew Bennett was also worked out.
yeah Seminole….It would be in their best interest to get someone ready because the opposing teams will be coming after Matt this year, they surely don’t want him to sit back their and pick their defense apart, plus there is much tape on him now….We have to be ready for much improved defenses on the opponents side
falcon21
April 30th, 2009
7:55 pm
KS,SW and D21 if White was to get hurt, would we be in much trouble or do you guys think we have enough depth to handle the situation for say 2 or 3 weeks? I mean without picking anyone up.
Birdfan
April 30th, 2009
8:25 pm
DOL
Good football post. Enjoy reading comments by real Falcon’s fans.
SeminoleWarrior
April 30th, 2009
8:44 pm
Falcon21, two points as I answer your question:
RW needs to locked up NOW to a long term deal. The cost should still be reasonable since he is a late-bloomer on his current deal. I definately think we need depth behind RW. Jenkins and Douglas are not #1 options; they are complementary receivers. Cool Hand Luke aka Matt Ryan and RW have established a nice rthymn to what they do. I would equate a potential RW loss to what happen to Eli when he lost Burress. Depth is crucial.
The same situation exists when it comes to Michael Turner. That is why I am so for keeping Jason Snelling. At 220 pounds, he is a big one. His speed is above average, he excels at receiving out of the backfield, and he is a above average blocker. I don’t know a lot about Thomas Brown or this guy they just signed so I will give the benefit of doubt right now. I’m not impressed at Norwood blocking and he definately is not a three down back in our scheme.
Greg
April 30th, 2009
8:58 pm
First, back to the Dallas trade for a moment; I’ve now heard TD talk about this twice, and both times he chose his words very carefully and did NOT say that he had IN FACT gotten the player he wanted in the 5th. No big deal; naturally he was rolling the dice, and you win some and lose some. If TD doesn’t say it explicitly, you can assume he doesn’t mean it. I very much doubt it was the plan to take Garrett Reynolds.
Second, I saw Verron Haynes play in a couple games, and this is some tough runner. Very strong, quick, and his short stature gives him some elusiveness. Not unlike Jones-Drew. I actually think Snelling and Brown will have their work cut out to beat him in camp.
SeminoleWarrior
April 30th, 2009
9:00 pm
The Miles selection appears at best to be an addition to our special teams. Nice size there at 6′0′ 240 though..
I really do not see a reason to sign Bennett. He bring nothing to the table that we do not already have or have not assessed in our current WR corp. Again, let’s get the deal done with RW.
Nique
April 30th, 2009
9:07 pm
Agreed, this is a really good article!!! I would have liked to see us pull the trigger on Duke Robinson with the 156th pick though, or Freeman, unless his knees are really that bad! But overall it was a good draft & i am happy. I really hope that Drew Bennett is healthy & that we pursue him! He’ll add experience & proven hands to our offensive arsenal! But as far as starters on Defense I see Ab, & Anderson, Jerry & Bab. Peterson, Lofton, & Nicholas. Houston & Jackson, with Coleman & Moore. One passing downs &/or third downs with more than 3 yards to go, look for Sid to sub in at DE, & on rare occasions, even 4 him to play OLB & Beierman to sub in at DE with AB on the other side, Peterson kicking inside to MLB & Von Hutchings to play nickel. That could give us a crazy front & on obvious passing downs DE AB & Sid/Bier & then DT Jerry, Bab, or J.A. & OLB Nic/ Peterson & Sid/ James.
JJ
April 30th, 2009
9:14 pm
Snelling is a future pro-bowler. Do you guys inhaleing on V>HAYNES actually watch any Snelling last yr? The man runs with power and purpose and has paid his dues.
D3: my man(am.gang.), you savin’ these awesome recipes right?
Hope sacs reinstates you guys tomm., gotta go, 5:30am comes early, peace my D-led falcon brothas–keep them recipes coming…..glad I got my Houston fix out of the way..!
falcon21
April 30th, 2009
9:17 pm
SeminoleWarrior, I agree RW needs to be locked up now and I will be surprised if it does not happen soon. We have signed possible potential at WR, maybe someone will step up. As for runningbacks Haynes and Brown were pretty good at UGA. Norwood can break one at anytime but as you said he is not a every down back. I hope Snelling will get the ball more so we don’t ware down Turner. Thanks for your response man.
Lash La Rue
April 30th, 2009
9:36 pm
Great job, Big D. I love the thinking of TD and Smith. Looking forward to great year. TD is still signing players as we speak…great.
SeminoleWarrior
April 30th, 2009
9:36 pm
Greg, I’m with you on the careful nature of TD’s fifth round analysis. I’m looking at the selections trying to see who it was we may have been after and I really can not come up with a target. I’m assuming that it was all about a “safe pick” so OL depth was addressed at little to no cost overall.
I do not know a lot about Haynes or Brown given my FSU roots. I will defer to my UGA posse members for analysis and thoughts. But I do have a question about signing a 8 year veteran (Haynes). Football’s future makes mention of the fact that he can pick up the blitz; big deal. If the Falcons some how lose Snelling, I assure you he will be picked up in no time. Dallas was after him last season when he was on the PS. We moved him to the active roster and a special teams position to protect him and prevent the request. Wise move there for sure.
There must have been something horribly wrong with the Duke Robinson visit/workout. He was rated as a possible second rounder by NFLdraftscout.com but fell like a Georgia pine being hit with a Poulan.
SeminoleWarrior
April 30th, 2009
9:38 pm
The only two signings I want to see immediately are long term deals for Roddy White and Tyson Clabo. We need them both!! All this other stuff can wait until after mini-camp and perhaps even into the late spring.
Cameron
April 30th, 2009
9:54 pm
I am concerned that we did not draft a LB. But, obviously our staff likes our LB unit more than the fans do. The corners were a bit puzzling, but I trust TD. I just don’t know anything about them. That could be a good thing though. The Patriots have made a killing on little known DBs and OLs. I am surprised we didn’t take Freeman in the fourth, but I like Sidbury. I want to say that everything I was reading about him touted him as a late 2nd, definitely 3rd round guy. I would of liked us to trade up and take Asher Allen, who was taken two spots earlier in the third, if we were targeting a CB. I think he has Pro Bowl potential.
It is hard to truly judge this draft until we see them play. If you asked me after last year’s draft about Kroy Biermann, I would have said, “who?” I trust TD and am excited to see these guys play. Well, everyone except John David Booty Parker Wilson (or Sarah Jessica Parker, if you will).
falcon21
April 30th, 2009
10:04 pm
You are right on John David Booty Parker Wilson but it will help save our real QB’s arms.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
April 30th, 2009
11:16 pm
THANKS FOR ALL OF THE KIND WORDS. After the draft, Thomas came down and spoke to my self and Charles Odum from AP. He gave us some great stuff and I wanted to share with the group since so many of you here believe in the work he’s doing.
For the folks new to the blog trying to talk journalism, you’re in the wrong place for that. This is the FALCONS FOOTBALL BLOG!!! So yeah, you’ll get bounced.
So, if you have something to say about football, you’re welcome.
ILL: Never heard of a “Horseshoe Club.” Know about the passion of Omega Men though.
Boxcarar
April 30th, 2009
11:36 pm
In a minor note concerning an earlier post, I played for the Sandy Springs Saints out at the old Morgan Falls park back in the early 1970’s. Showing my age. On another note, as fast as he is for his size, can Sidbury play SS?
Boo Boo
May 1st, 2009
12:06 am
Did I read right … Christopher Owens (San Jose St.) is 5′9″? I read that height with a report that said he was aggressive and a good leaper, although one specific tall reciever in the WAC burned him regularly. Both corners drafted have bios stating they are both 5′10″, but it makes me think of Rick Byas. He was 5′9″, and also aggressive and a hard hitter. If only he could have leaped when covering Drew Pearson in 1980 against the Cowboys. How tall are the Falcon corners without these new kids?
Adkins is Free Agent Material
May 1st, 2009
1:25 am
I just didn’t like the Adkins pick in the 6th round. I have NO doubt that you could have gotten him
as a free agent. You could have gotten a better pick there and still had a shot at a
free agent signing with Adkins.
Ed
May 1st, 2009
2:41 am
On this draft I have to give the benefit of the doubt to TD. Picks 1, 2, & 4 I have no qualms with even if I would have done differently. But the other picks (beginning with number 3 where I like DJ Moore from Vandy much better) are somewhat puzzling. But since it’s TD and he has shown he knows what he’s doing I am looking forward to see what these new guys can do.
Unca' Bob
May 1st, 2009
8:16 am
Boo Boo
CB’s Sharpe & Tiller are 6′ even. They are the tallest.
P.S…I was in AFCS for that game. Frooze to death. Late 3rd quarter, we failed to pick up a 1st down and I could feel the Mo’ swing. Cried all the way back, via bus, to Timothy-Johns in Roswell.
Darren
May 1st, 2009
8:49 am
Isn’t the caption at the top backwards?
Ken Strickland
May 1st, 2009
10:49 am
FALCON21-anytime you lose your leading Probowl receiver, who had 88 receptions and 7 TD’s, you’re going to feel the effects. However, when you add a Probowler TE that had 96 receptions and 10 TD’s, you can absorb the loss. Add BFinneran, a quality veteran clutch WR and former starter, and HDouglas, a quick, fast and talented young WR, and we’ll still have the ability to throw it anytime, anyplace and against anybody we want. It was the emergence of HDouglas and and acquisition of TGonzalez that led to the trade of promising but often injured WR LRobinson.
After looking over the talent we acquired in the draft and the FA signings, I went back and reviewed this yrs schedule. I see only 5 teams, the Patriots, Giants, Dolphins, Eagles and Cowboys, that should be talented enough to give us any trouble. We play the Eagles and Dolphins at home and the Cowboys have lost key talent and have been inconsistent due to a lot of internal issues.
Our current OFF will be much better than last yrs, especially the shakey one dimensional OFF that started last season. We’ll start this season with our complete OFF package installed, especially our no huddle OFF which wasn’t unveiled last yr until after our bye week. Unlike all of last yr, QB MRyan will have 3 quality pass receivers on the field at all times, 2 of them Probowlers in WR RWhite & TE TGonzalez. Unlike last yrs start, there will be no questions about whether the OL can protect MRyan or block for Probowl RB MTurner.
When you add 2 young, big, strong, agile, quick, aggressive and talented DT’s with stamina, you have a formula for stopping the run and providing an inside psss rush. Add a quick, speedy, hard hitting veteran OLB like MPeterson, and you have an upgrade. Bring in a big, strong, fast and versatile SS like WMoore, and add a compliment of other candidates like TDeCoud, EColeman, JFudge, EBrock and AHarris, and you are assured of having 2 safeties that can cover the entire field and provide support for our CB’s. That wasn’t the case last yr.
Look at what we accomplished last yr with an OFF that was one dimensional for almost half the yr and a DEF that was unable to stop the run or provide a pass rush the entire yr. We’ll start this season with an OFF that’s much more improved than the one that finished 2nd in the NFL in rushing and 14th in passing last yr. IF WE GET THE SAME DRASTIC IMPROVEMENT FROM OUR DEF THAT WE GOT FROM LAST YRS OFF, WE’LL BE A SUPERBOWL CONTENDER, NOT JUST A PLAYOFF CONTENDER.
FALCON FANS, WE ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS THE BIRTH OF A NATION, THE FALCONS NATION.
Unca' Bob
May 1st, 2009
11:04 am
Ken Strickland,
What are your thoughts on Carolina and New Orleans with our home and away games?
JohnWaynesworld
May 1st, 2009
11:10 am
It must have been a very good draft! Not nearly as much head scratching on the top picks and a few doubters on this page concerning…Our 5th and 6th round picks!! lol
That means TD is the man. No smoke and mirrors, no defensive answers (remember?)…Just the facts.
Great stuff Orlando. Keep it coming, we’re thirsty!
rich brave
May 1st, 2009
11:26 am
Watch my man SIDBURY. If he doesn’t impress I’ll be very surprised.
D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
May 1st, 2009
11:50 am
DARREN: NICE CATCH!!!
SeminoleWarrior
May 1st, 2009
1:01 pm
Good afternoon Posse. K-Strick, great breakdown my brother. You covered it all in depth and on point. You are the man!!
clthurman
May 1st, 2009
1:43 pm
Pray Abraham does not get hurt or this improved pass rush goes out the window.