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
Jesse
April 30th, 2009
1:06 pm
“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.”
Well, was Reynolds that guy? Or was it the linebacker from Ohio State (Freeman?) who went a few picks earlier than Reynolds?
D. Orlando Ledbetter
April 30th, 2009
1:07 pm
Had to be Reynolds.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
April 30th, 2009
1:08 pm
I called Freeman’s agent leading up to the draft and there had been no contact with the Falcons.
G State Ben
April 30th, 2009
1:35 pm
Especially helpful considering Tyson Clabo will be an UFA next season. If Reynolds can step in, great. If not, he provides quality depth and that’s what you want from a late round pick.
Reno 911
April 30th, 2009
1:36 pm
Good insights. It’ll be interesting to see all of those corners competing for roster spots. A young secondary, standing out among a very young team overall. Along with the schedule, another reason why I think the Falcons are contenders in 2010 much moreso than 2009. Not that I’m hoping they won’t have a winning season this year; I just think they’re too young to really shut offenses down this fall. Just my opinion, though. Gotta love the fact that the Falcons have excellent coaching, across the board, and will likely maximize what talent and ability all of these players have and turn them into contributors, a la the offensive line last year (a relatively sub-par collection of talent playing together way above their heads.)
Another question to mull: will the addition of Gonzalez and another year of seasoning for Ryan add up to reduced carries for Turner? I can’t see how he has another 350+ carry year and is the dominant runner that the Falcons will need for a SB run in 2010. The numbers don’t lie, and history shows that rbs that rack up that many carries over a year almost never sustain their productivity. (I believe Turner had 370 carries last year). Combined with the ability of the defensive line to produce pressure with the front four and the maturation of the secondary, the reduced carries for Turner (and a distribution of balls to Brown, Norwood, and in the short game to Gonzalez) will be the key to whether the Falcons are in striking range for a conference or league championship.
mountain_jim
April 30th, 2009
1:43 pm
Jesse asked my question and thanks DLed for answering. Great blog!
Whopper Dawg
April 30th, 2009
1:43 pm
I feel better. Logic there. It seems miles and miles from Mr. McKay. Especially like the emphasis on high character guys, I think that will pay a lot of dividends.
Marcus
April 30th, 2009
1:46 pm
Looking the collegiate SR and JR classes for 2009-201-, are there any studly LBs to address that need?
Reading other draft coverage (SI, ESPN, Sporting News), some folks felt this year was deep with DBs, talent across the range but a lot of good-to-decent prospects. In the total scope of the available DBs, how do Middleton and Owens measure up?
JMar
April 30th, 2009
1:47 pm
A bit early for predictions, but who do you think is going to make this team at cornerback? Are Grimes, Hutchins, Houston, Owens, Middleton, and Jackson all going to make the team? Is Irons out? Who starts and who plays nickel? With the return of Hutchins, Grimes, and two new draft picks, we’re going to have some serious talent riding the bench if we can’t work out a trade in the preseason.
gdg73
April 30th, 2009
1:52 pm
Please Ledbetter, stop it with the Cushing lovefest. TD was not talking about drafting Brian Cushing when he mentioned LBs that failed to fall to us. This guy had DT on his mind in the first round. LB was what he wanted in the third, fourth and fifth. When the particular LB he wanted wasn’t there, thats when TD started picking corners.
MiltonDawg
April 30th, 2009
1:53 pm
Great draft overall. I liked Grimes last year but felt like he missed a lot of plays. Should be interesting back in the secondary..so do we have Moore/Coleman as Safeties and a toss up for CBs?? Still think we could’ve drafted another LB instead of add’l corners.
dee
April 30th, 2009
1:55 pm
This is a damn good article! Thanks Orlando! Thomas Dimitroff really knows his football!
Left to Right
April 30th, 2009
1:58 pm
I wish the Falcons had more help at OLB, but next year’s draft seems to be fairly deep with them, so perhaps next year is the better year to draft for that position. Because the Falcons are, of course, still in “the process” of building up the team.
Pen
April 30th, 2009
2:02 pm
Orlando, did you get any insight on the UDFAs we signed? The one I am most excited about is Aaron Kelly, particularly since he is a local Walton boy.
Matt
April 30th, 2009
2:02 pm
My boy in Chicago said that freeman has a bad knee or knees and it could be a problem in a few years thats why he dropped to the 5th.
Terrible Truth
April 30th, 2009
2:04 pm
Glad to see we have people in charge who know that defense wins championships. We could still use some more beef on the O-line but…
Falcons Lost in space then and now
April 30th, 2009
2:08 pm
only time will about the draft the rest is only hope!
leggomyego
April 30th, 2009
2:12 pm
What’s the word on Von Hutchins these days? I know that Grimes/Houston was our best option last year, but won’t Hutchins be in that conversation now as well? I know initially he was acquired as a veteran nickle guy for us, but I just wanted to throw it out there. And what about Chevous Jackson? He played a decent nickle for us, was opportunistic on occasion… Speed for him could be a factor, but watching him I recall he had no problems playing the role of ‘physical corner.’ Both are larger corners in comparison to Grimes, i’m wondering if that fact has any play at all. Like you, i expect the men to beat will indeed by Grimes/Houston, however i do think there might be a little room for speculation here. Just call me the guy who’s stirring up all the CB stink on the boards today…
JFLA
April 30th, 2009
2:13 pm
Great article, Orlando…..it’s great that TD is willing to give you the time to give some insight to what the thought process is and how it played out….Some GMs would rather have their eyes put out than give a candid, insightful answer….Of course, what we would REALLY like to hear are the candid comments about the ‘higher rated” players we passed up and why…..Those judgements are confidential and rightfully so, but I guarantee that TD could give you a direct answer on each seemingly ‘higher rated’ player who was bypassed…..
leggomyego
April 30th, 2009
2:14 pm
I’d also like to state in advance, for the record, that i think Grimes did a heck of a job last year considering his size and more importantly, lack of experience. He’s appears to be a smart kid with some grit, and you know us Southern boys and our grits… gotta love that. I got no prob with Grimes taking that side, especially if we can get a pass rush to help those boys out.
G-HooK
April 30th, 2009
2:25 pm
Great blog D-Led, thanks.
Thought this was interesting: “With Stephen Nicholas stepping up in our mind to be a legitimate contributor in the base defense, we fell like we are sitting quite sound in our linebacker group.”
So the Falcons must like what they see from Nicholas. I guess he’s the favorite to start over Wire?
clthurman
April 30th, 2009
2:27 pm
If these new CB’s cant beat out Grimes/Houston who flat out suck then we got a good 5th on the Tackle from NC and maybe on the Tech lineman. Anybody who was impressed with Grimes, Irons and Houston must have been high when watching the games. And this whole Nichols is ready to make an impact….sure hope he does better in practice than what he has shown on the field..cuz it aint been much.
Olskool
April 30th, 2009
2:27 pm
good article JLed. I take back most of the things I’ve thought and said about you. anyway, i look forward to not only these picks developing but last years picks to continue to develop and step up. My sleeper player is S Nichols at OLB. People keep bringing up how we lost Boley and Brooking but Peterson and Nichols along with an improved Lofton could make it a stronger unit in 09
uga_b
April 30th, 2009
2:27 pm
D-Led, my biggest unanswered question is how they feel about the guys coming back from IR? We hear about Trey some, but we are also getting Robert James (LB), Thomas Brown (RB), and Renardo Foster (T) back. Are they expected to compete? Any plans to cut them?
As far as corner goes, three are pretty much guaranteed spots: Houston, Jackson, and Hutchins. I think Grimes may have to fight but has inside track. Owens should make it unless Middleton or Irons seriously outplays him.
My guess is Irons is gone; I think I remember some issues with the staff. Middleton would have to beat out Grimes, which would be the battle to watch. Owens would have to fall flat on his face as a 3rd rounder.
Poor McKay
April 30th, 2009
2:27 pm
If Hutchins was brought in to be the nickel CB last year, then doesn’t Chevis get first crack at starting opposite of Houston? I won’t pretent that I know jack about the second CBs, but hopefully they will fuel some competition with Houston, Jackson, Grimes, Irons & Hutchins.
uga_b
April 30th, 2009
2:29 pm
G-Hook, Wire is WLB (weakside) and Nicholas is SLB (strongside). Nicholas may be able to slide inside but that’s manned down by Lofton. So they aren’t competing. Everyone is competing with Peterson who can play all 3. Probably going to be relegated to competing for SLB and backing up MLB.
bushwacker
April 30th, 2009
2:33 pm
Did I miss it or did he not speak on our first pick Jerry?
Khao$
April 30th, 2009
2:34 pm
Dled,do you teach at any of the schools at the AUC? Off subject, I attend the ITC and I was going through Robert Woodruff online library. I looked under instructers and low and behold, I saw Orlando Ledbetter. Coincidence?
D Money
April 30th, 2009
2:35 pm
I’m excited about the team and I believe that we did get a couple of steels in this draft. However, I was thinking LB instead of the second corner we took from Furman. But there are always cap casualties that become available.
country boy
April 30th, 2009
2:35 pm
Thanks for the info in the article. Hate to be a bit negative but I seldom hear about a GM or coach talking down the players they drafted. I do agree with the picks as Dimitroff and Smitty earned my respect last year – however I just cann’t get comfortable with our LB’s. We seem thin and I thought we should have looked at more than a part time starter with upside.
Nookah
April 30th, 2009
2:38 pm
Great article D LED. Thanks for the incite from the man himself. There is obviously one theme going through the talent we are assembling….SPEED…. at all positions bar none.
I am actually very excited when I look at the CB and Safety positions. There is so much competition and the aforementioned speed there that I think we will put a much improved product on the field. Apart from that, when you look at the additions on the front line (DT) and the added depth in the LBacking corpe, we are going to be a significantly improved defense.
The record we achieve from this tough schedule that we now face this season, will be defined by how good our defense plays as we will be facing some teams that can put numbers on the board. It is therefore imperative that our defense performs at a high level consistently. I know we will be putting numbers on the board also but we will have to be able to stop the likes of the New England offense with the return of Brady, we face Drew Brees and the pass happy offense twice, Carolina always has good close games against us and we have them twice and the list goes on and on. Furthermore we face some very tough teams on the road, and not to mention those we face after they come off bye weeks. Notwithstanding all of that, I think we will go 10-6 or at worst case 9-7.
Good job TD and the drafting crew. Again I can’t emphasize enough (did it in an earlier blog) the job done by our Scouting Crew. Nuff respect to them!!
Go Falcons!!!!
Nuff respect everytime!!!!
Falcon Devil
April 30th, 2009
2:41 pm
Great article, temporarily quneched my desparate Falcons thirst. Grimes is a scrub and belongs on the practice squad. I have alot of faith in Houston making great imporvements, he has flashes of elite ability but his young age shows in his blown coverages last year. I’m starting to feel our defense could easily be in the 10-20th rankings and our offense being top 3.
Falcon Devil
April 30th, 2009
2:42 pm
quenched*
Falcon Devil
April 30th, 2009
2:53 pm
Even though our schedule is tough I am not worried. Might be unjustified confidence but I see 9-7 winning the conference this year. Bucs will suck, Carolina will be mediocre and the Saint will be the real competition. I can see them picking up Edge which will really make them dangerous but their defense is still suspect. Take care of business in the division and we will go deep in the playoffs.
**Frederick(Bailey)Douglass**
April 30th, 2009
2:56 pm
DOL,
I like the ENTHUSIASM TEAM!!!
Very good article. This is what the fans want: some insight into what the GM is/was thinking. Clearly, he wants to create some intense battles on the defensive side of the ball this year at CB, S and SS. This is GOOD!! These positions make or break a game/season. I want us to find some CBs that don’t mind mixing it up a little.
This may be the two best consecutive drafts in Falcons history. This stuff makes sense! There are no random TEs or premadonna WRs/CBs…no project lineman or weirdo punters. This draft is filled with competitors..and not all of THEM will make the team.
The Birds are stockpiling talent. Period.
Question Que: Do you think that we will consider signing the linebacker from the Steelers??? He would be a great addition to our group…albeit costly.
FBD
Talented Tenth D
Mac
April 30th, 2009
3:07 pm
Good stuff, Darryl. Keep up the good work.
J-Mo
April 30th, 2009
3:16 pm
Has TD mentioned anything about signing the next wave of free agents to upgrade our LB position? Traditionally, there are a number of players cut around June 1 (of course, we don’t know who that will be yet). What about Derrick Brooks? He’d be a great leader on the Defensive side and a great mentor.
As for our schedule … remember, Carolina, New Orleans, and Tampa (Tampa doesn’t worry me at all next year) also have very tough schedules. We might not finish 1 or 2 in the conference, but we absolutely can win our division. Anything can happen in the playoffs!!! You just gotta make it there first!!
ron moody
April 30th, 2009
3:19 pm
It appears that TD and Coach Smith had a great draft because they don’t look for athletic self-centered headliners. They look for players who earned the respect of their teammates whether in Division 1 or div2, as TD says “The Team Captain Type”, who also possess the tools and desire necessary to bring the high effort and consistent results on every play they are on the field. This may sound to some to be a no brainer, but when you look at who passed on the players we picked, maybe all GM’s and coaches haven’t broken the code yet. We will win again this year because our leadership functions with a sense of unity and our coaches are knowledgeable,experinced, and focused on developing a champion.The program starts with Mr.Blank’s trust and support of his management team and now a coaching staff that has spent a challenging season together, and players that have given their all to one another. Without having to endure a change in coaches,offensive schemes,defensive schemes and etc., and with the addition of more urgency and speedy new players this team will exceed our expectations. GOOOOOOOO FalconSSSSS
D. Orlando Ledbetter
April 30th, 2009
3:24 pm
Was working the Schultz plan today. Get the blog up in a hour, then spend two hours correcting. Sensed y’all needed something to munch on.
Champ
April 30th, 2009
3:26 pm
“Increases our physicality and has very good ball skills. He’s gotten his hands on a lot of balls…” sounds like he is describing Esera Tuaolo. HEY NOW! I’ll be here all week…
Mike
April 30th, 2009
3:28 pm
Good work team, I’m anxious to see how the competition at corner plays out. I also would’ve been interested to know why we passed on Duke Robinson. I didn’t know about Middleton at first, but good to know he’s frat. I hope he can cover. Roo Team- 7-2005-A
gabuldawg
April 30th, 2009
3:42 pm
It is great to see a bloc on AJC that sticks to the point and actually has people who know the sport. I’ve been a fan since the mid 70’s through thick and thin. I’m new to blogging though so help me out! I had to watch this draft out on the ocean while back on another combat deployment. I got up at midnight to watch all of the first day but missed the 2nd day since they decided not to show it out here. I was impressed but also surprised that we addressed as much as we did with quality players and quality men. We need to lock up TD for another 10 years. I’m looking at who we selected as well as well as who we signed as free agents and I’m concerned still about linebackers. We just don’t have many. There will be little competition in camp and we don’t have any cushion for injuries. After Loften, Nicholas, Wire & Peterson, we are really thin. Do ya’ll see anyone that we might go after to sign going into camp.
PMC
April 30th, 2009
3:45 pm
Thanks DOL for the interview. Great stuff.
Unca' Bob
April 30th, 2009
3:58 pm
gabuldawg
According to the Falcon’s current roster there will be at least 12 competing for the LB slots.
AGTFan
April 30th, 2009
4:00 pm
Thanks D-LED. Great Blog today. It was really nice to get inside the mind of one of the best GMs in the game today.
Brian Hunt
April 30th, 2009
4:03 pm
Anybody know what Hutchin’s cap number is this year? I think that he may be the odd man out if the draft picks show they can play. Hutchins is probably as good as he’s going to get, while the others show more potential. If there isn’t a big difference in their level of play his salary will become a factor.
Thor Hiney
April 30th, 2009
4:06 pm
I haven’t see this mentioned….The Reynolds kid is the son of Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds. Reynolds played Mike linebacker for the Rams for 13 years I think.
Also, I believe that the Falcons still have Will backer Tony Taylor and RB Thomas Brown on their injured reserve (both had season ending injuries pre-season last yr) and Smith liked both of them…especially Tayor….and it looked like both were going to make the team. Taylor is a versatile OLB type that made plays against the run and the pass at UGA so he should be able to provide good quality depth for the Falcons.
Chelsea Alpharetta Blues
April 30th, 2009
4:10 pm
Thor – I think they cut Tony Taylor and signed another Dawg Tony Gilbert.
gabuldawg
April 30th, 2009
4:23 pm
Unca Bob, I see what you are saying. I only see 10 on the roster but I may have missed the other 2. Of those 10, the only one I forgot about was Tony Gilbert. The other 5 are the one LB from Miami and 4 undrafted LB’s. Maybe one will surprise us but if the injury bug hits, I’m not sure TD doesn’t start looking around.
froggy
April 30th, 2009
4:27 pm
Good stuff…Sidbury is an intriguing pick, if he delivers on his promise my boy Biermann could be gone, which I’d hate to see. Kroy does need to get bigger and stronger if he is going to stick long term (what John Runyan did to him in the Philly game was just brutal to watch). How many situational pass rushers will you carry — probably just one out of 4 DE’s? KB had the same number of sacks (2) as Jamaal last year, but there seem to be no indications our #1 underachiever is on the bubble or likely to be cut — any thoughts on that ?
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.
falcon21
May 1st, 2009
3:10 pm
Thanks Ken, you covered all the bases. Well written!
RBT
May 1st, 2009
3:18 pm
Enter your comments here
Ken Strickland
May 1st, 2009
3:43 pm
UNCA’ BOB-the Saints are all OFF and little DEF, and a one dimensional passing OFF at that, which is their problem. They can’t pressure the QB and have no rushing OFF, besides RB RBush. They had a total of 28 QB sacks last yr. DE JAbraham had more QB sacks than their entire starting DEF. They couldn’t sweep us last yr and we’re going to be much improved both on OFF and DEF, especially on DEF. Their secondary is a mess and they had only 4 draft picks in the entire draft, one 1st, two 4th and a 6th rd pick. They can’t fix all of their problems with those picks.
The Panthers couldn’t sweep us either, and they’re going to have issues with the JPeppers situation. They’ve relied on their DEF for most of their success. They have OL problems which could affect what has been a stong rushing OFF, and their passing OFF is too dependent on WR SSmith. They went all out on DEF in this yrs draft in an attempt to shore up their aging, declining DEF. There OFF has been inconsistent, which reflects the inconsistency of their QB JDelhomme.
Offensively, Tampa Bay has OL, QB, RB and WR issues. Their entire DEF has gotten old and is starting to crack, and they’re without their legendary DC MKippin, who was the innovative mind behind the success of their DEF. After splitting with these teams last yr, I don’t see either team overcoming its issues and improving enough to defeat this yrs new and improved version of the Atlanta Falcons twice.
THE ATLANTA FALCONS ARE THE NEW MONSTERS OF THE NFC SOUTH.
I MUS.WRITE
May 1st, 2009
3:48 pm
Whass up Ken.S- Good breakdown im jacked Cant wait for the season!!!
SouthernFriedFalcon
May 1st, 2009
4:26 pm
I find Sidbury the most intriguing player. He’s a very smart guy. Wrote his own computer program to try and predict opponents plays in various situations. Tutors H.S. math. Studied computer science. He was the fastest DL at the combine- and faster than all but 3 linebackers. Supposed to be agile also. Had a technique called the Sidbury spin by his coaches. Seems to have similar traits to Abraham- at least as far as being a DE who uses speed and smarts rather than raw strength to get to the passer. He could end up a situational player or even could be a complete bust. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if he made his mark as a top NFL pass rusher. I think he’s worth the gamble where he was taken in the draft.
Nookah
May 1st, 2009
4:50 pm
Great breakdown as usual Ken Strick. I too am very very excited about this team. The problem is simply this, nationally it’s the norm to bash teams like the Falcons who do not have the traditon of winning consistently. We are not a team that has the following and the flair of teams like the Giants, Cowboys, Patriots, Eagles etc. So even though we have started winning, it will take a good while for others nationally and even the naysayers among us, to accept that we have improved and that we are a very good team.
It will be easy for all of those people to say, are the Falcons for real? Mark my words, even if we make it to the Superbowl this year, and that too is not farfetched (I endorse your views Ken), there will be lots of doubters and spin doctors who will find every reason why we can’t win until……………….we win……!!!
Go Falcons!!!
Nuff respect everytime!!!………………THE PROCESS CONTINUES………………
blord
May 1st, 2009
4:54 pm
I love the draft. I guess the only thing I really question is why we kept passing on Zack Follet (I think that is the spelling)?
Seminole Warrior
May 1st, 2009
5:41 pm
Good afternoon Posse. Well stated afternoon points by K-Strik and Nookah. The tide is changing not only in the NFC South but in the NFC as a whole. The world will soon have to recognize that these are not my father’s or my grandfather’s Atlanta Falcons.
This is a new day; a new world order to quote the former president.
And what do we call that NWO….THE FALCON NATION!!!
mars
May 1st, 2009
7:00 pm
Brown and Snelling are excellent backs who can contribute mightily. Verron Haynes is even better. Don’t see him being cut. We’ll see.
Seminole Warrior
May 1st, 2009
7:25 pm
BLord, though Follet is a very aggressive tackler, he does not have the speed the team seems to be looking for in its LB corps. Additionally, I read in multiple reports leading up to the draft that he was a liability in pass coverage.
falcon21
May 1st, 2009
7:25 pm
mars,just curious. I know Haynes was a really good RB with UGA but I have not followed him in the NFL. Was he cut from a team with more talent, contract dispute, injury or what? Just wondering, I don’t even know what team he was with.
Seminole Warrior
May 1st, 2009
8:31 pm
Posse…this is a very nice read. Check it out when you can.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d810140cb&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
falcon21
May 1st, 2009
9:03 pm
Good reading SW. Got to run. tornado sirens going off. Be back shortly.
Brad
May 2nd, 2009
12:16 am
Yikes. You get alot of responses. Alot of looooooonnnnngggggresponses. Jerry’s time at the podium was great. I kept watching him look down at TD and MS and was thinking this is what he’ll be like in training camp. Besides it’s a pleasure to see a young man hit his dream and react with such obvious happiness. Gooddraft with a monster DE free agent pool next year. Let your readers know a ton of nfl starters on the rightside of the line are later round draft picks. I’d give the Falcons a multi-grade. B for boring, cc for completely competent and W for who cares if it’s boring when it looks so effective? We’re gonna need to get used to it—the Falcons are gonna be picking low for a long, long time.
Boxcarar
May 2nd, 2009
12:22 am
Great read on the franchise building. The last paragraph about the competition at each position somewhat explains the glut at the defensive backfield positions. Perhaps this will “force” the cream to rise to the top on our second and third year DBs. It is great to see a “process” in the making and executed with mindful thought.
Ed
May 2nd, 2009
2:29 am
It seems to me that the Falcons are doing the same thing Urban Meyer has done at Florida. Build your team throughout based on speed & quickness. Across the board that is the central theme along with character.
clthurman
May 2nd, 2009
3:48 am
I never have anything positive to say.
I find negative in everything Dimitroff does.
Is it because I don’t like the Falcons?
No, it’s because I live under Rich McKay’s desk. And it’s hard to “please him” if you know what I mean, when he is always moving around and complaining about how everybody loves Dimitroff. I still hate that spikey haired boy toy wannabe. Ever since the day he turned me down.
Ken Strickland
May 2nd, 2009
8:24 am
I have one other reason to expect the Falcons DEF to improve, along with DE JAnderson and CDavis. The quickness, speed, agility and stamina advantage DT’s PJerry, TLewis, JBabineaux and KMoorehead have over former starting DT GJackson will allow us to use stunts on both sides of the DL. Instead of moving JAnderson from DE to DT, and having him attack from a 3pt stance, we use him in a DE/DT stunt and use his speed, strength, quickness and size to attack inside at full speed. It’s a move that’s effective against the run and the pass.
I’m jacked up about this team. I can’t wait for training camp to start so I can see how the new pieces will fit into place and solidifies last yrs weak rushing and passing DEF. If all goes well, the only thing we’ll be missing as a Superbowl calibur team is experience.
I have to go out of town, but I’ll be back Monday FALCON NATION.
Unca' Bob
May 2nd, 2009
8:31 am
Ken Strickland,
Thank you for your, as always, insightful reply. You have helped to allay some of my conserns. I have been a Falcon fan from the late 60’s and have walked down the primrose lane numerous times (ala L Bennett)so it’s extremly hard to accept this is the real deal. Having said that, I am a believer. I feel, as does most everyone else, that TD & Smith are the exact fit. I’m really looking forward to this season and I too have great expectations.
MONSTERS OF THE NFC SOUTH AND MORE
BigdogOMEGA
May 2nd, 2009
8:46 am
DID OTHER TEAMS EVEN KNOW ABOUT HIM?
Middleton had 27 NFL teams at his pro day only there to see him. Clemson just right down the street with several pro prospects had 24 NFL teams represented on the same day. Middleton was about to be drafted by another team, which is one reason, the Falcons made a move to get him. He would not have been around in the Draft for long.
All the great NFL programs have make picks that seems less obvious who went on to be outstanding values. Anybody can be a follow the crowed/me too GM. The Falcons are smart enough and confident enough to make their own analysis/evaluation. Leadership is just that often times making the choice that other won’t. Genius is often only recognized after the fact is obvious. Then the band wagon joins in. Ask Bill Gates or the people behind establishing this crazy thing we use called the INTERNET. Most said it would not work. After you perform well in the NFL fans don’t care if you went to Harvard, FSU, ASU or even BS..U. What they know is you can play.
That is why they call it COURAGE, the will to step out and lead. Nice job TD. GO FALCONS! The passion of your fans are with you all!
SeminoleWarrior
May 2nd, 2009
8:59 am
Good morning posse. A good set of points to start the day…
ONE NATION….THE FALCON NATION.
WR
May 2nd, 2009
9:25 am
K.Strickland, the falcons released Moorehead, but you have a good point in that the speed of the defense will be much improved, which will allow the team to stunt, blitz, and improve the overall strategic aspect of having an attacking defense.
D3
May 2nd, 2009
1:12 pm
Glorious Saturday Afternoon My Brothers! Been away from the Bird-Cage for a couple of days due to some serious-o work and a 3 week old little baby boy. I got like 6 total hours of sleep on thursday night. Woke up feeling like a million bucks! But trust me, I’ve been jonesin for some good ol’ Bird-Cage Falcons Football Talk. Read many comments, just hadn’t had a chance to respond. Pardon my numerous responses to follow, gotta make up for lost time. Let’s get to the matter at hand………
CO (Chris Owens) – I can honestly say that this was a huge suprise pick to me in the third round. As all of us discussed in the many months leading up to draft time, we believed that there wouldn’t be hardly any names that we had not at least heard of. Well, this one did it, especially with McKenzie, Freeman, & DJ Moore sitting there. Call me putting a positive spin on it, but the guy fits a good mold of fast, tough, aggressive, and willing to hit in the run game. Something DJ Moore evidently was weak in. One of the big knocks on him was his lack of stats, but after a great junior year, his opponents never threw to his side. Much in the same way that Champ Bailey & Asante Samuel don’t have a ton of INT’s or PBU’s. The more I learn about him, the more I like.
The Sid(Sidbury) – I absolutely LOVE this pick, particularly in the 4th Round. The guy is a freak and probably dropped because of his “lack of competition.” The Sid gives us so much versatility its insane. He will be trained as a PRS(pass rush specialist), but where he goes from there no one knows. We are technically already set at DE with Abe/Biermann on one side and C.Davis/JA on the other. He can compete with Biermann for the backup spot behind Abe, but also can take some other routes as well. If does take over for the backup spot behind Abe, that can allow for Biermann to be trained at the SAM LB position(which many experts thought he would translate to anyway), assuming he can work on his drops into coverage. Although I may be crazy, I think that The Sid can translate to a SAM as well. With his speed and ability, he could learn his drops, pass pick-ups, etc., IMO. This would be particularly true in 3-4 sets, a la Terrel Suggs. He might turn out to be The Pick of our draft.
Much, much more to come……….
Great to be back!
Will
May 2nd, 2009
3:14 pm
I watched a video on Owens right after we picked him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BWYZzCWomw) and I’m really excited to see him compete. I really hope he will win a starting spot because he looks like a good player.
Jack G.
May 2nd, 2009
4:33 pm
Dont want to throw cold water on everyone, but just a word of caution. I am an old man and i have come to believe in the Soph. jinx and I would like to point out that 3 of the main cogs in the Falcon orginazation (TD, MS, and MR) are all going into their 2nd year. Just be careful and dont let last year go to your head.
Nookah
May 2nd, 2009
6:02 pm
Good afternoon posse. It’s good to be back. Read all of the posts and enjoyed them. I too share the excitement that is building as the Falcon Nation awaits the continuation of the PROCESS that started last year.
Ken Strick, I agree with the views you have put forward regarding our defense. We are blessed with speed and a lot of offensive lines are going to be left in our wake as we accelerate off the line as the snap is executed. It will be like Usain Bolt……….NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON’T…..
D3, I too am excited about Lawrence “I’ll let you remember #56″ Sidbury. A few blogs ago I was looking at Larry English and saying he looks a little like Derrick Thomas (KC Chiefs), but Sidbury with his speed, quickness and obvious “head-space” could mature into another very disruptive DE. Perhaps he was given that first name deliberately, who to tell? We may be seeing the embryonic stages of a pretty formidable defensive line with :
* Johnathan “Pocket-Rocket” Babineux
* Peria “Piranha” Jerry
* John “Predator” Abraham
* Chauncie Davis (working on his nickname)
* Lawrence “I’ll let you remember #56″ Sidbury
* Trey “Thou shalt not run” Lewis
Pick your poison!!!!! It’s going to be fun being a Falcon this year!!! Unca’ Bob have no fear, this isn’t your Vanilla Falcons!!!!
Our defensive line wwill have the 11th commandment posted in the Dome each and every Sunday…..THOU SHALT NOT RUN!!!!………….and if you try to beat us through the air, that’s our forte….after all we’re BIRDS OF PREY!!!!!
Go Falcons!!!
Nuff respect evertime!!!!!…..THE PROCESS CONTINUES……..
JJ
May 2nd, 2009
6:09 pm
…the drought begins…..no news….s…l…o…w…; what up?
Jack G.- caution taken – thanks, but as Coach Ken said: I’M JACKED UP ABOUT THIS FALCONS TEAM!!!
Anyone have a good Hot/asian(terriaki) chicken wing recipe?
Going to try the pork loin recipe one brotha submitted few days ago. Will give props after I make it (need to go to last blog to find it).
D3: Glad your back my man. Just got back from krog and forgot your stuffed potatoes recipe – wanted to make for the race tonight. Glad to hear your kids got their accreditation back. Not to get political, but why punish the kids for the brainless school-power-hungry-board-members?
4 months till pre-season
:(:(:(:(:(…come on tiger! or new madden! something!!!!
JJ
May 2nd, 2009
6:14 pm
Nookah: I love it…”THOU SHALT NOT RUN”!!! nice bro, respect!
Nookah
May 2nd, 2009
6:27 pm
JJ, you like it, I think it would be pretty cool and put it in a position that the opposition would see it as they run onto the field!!!
THOU SHALT NOT RUN!!!!
Go Falcons!!!!
Nuff respect everytime!!!!
Nookah
May 2nd, 2009
6:38 pm
Guys, sorry to change the subject, but did you just see the Kentucky Derby? I have never seen a horse with such unbelievable turn-of-foot….MINE THAT BIRD….. watch the race again and look at him when he approaches the 2 furlong marker and watch that turn-of-foot…unbeleivable at 50-1. The Kentucky crowd was stunned.
That’s exactly how our defense will be this year…….bringing the pain!!!!
Go Falcons!!!!
Nuff respect everytime!!!!
TROTTINGHOME
May 2nd, 2009
6:58 pm
looks like i been black balled
falcon21
May 2nd, 2009
9:32 pm
Hello Falcon Nation, I’m still wondering about Verron Haynes and why he was available. Does anyone have any back ground on him?
Big Ray
May 2nd, 2009
10:39 pm
Ken Strickland,
Great analysis, my friend. I like the way you broke it all down.
D3,
The Chris Owens pick threw me, too. But that’s why Dimitroff does what he does, and does it better than most. Owens may turn into a guy who makes us say “Dominique who?” And I love the Sidbury pick, too. This guy has only to learn, and get a bit stronger. He’s got speed, speed, speed. Don’t be surprised if you see him playing standing up, as well.
Dimitroff said speed (as well as urgency) was going to be a theme. Sidbury and Owens both fit that theme. I’m looking forward to this. Wait till y’all see William Moore hitting guys. I’m telling you, I think that’s our SS of the future. Hope he proves me right. I don’t want the braggin’ rights. I just want the man to strike fear in the opposition. And I think he will…
SeminoleWarrior,
Thanks for the link. Nice story.
Big Ray
May 2nd, 2009
10:41 pm
Nookah,
Those nicknames are AWESOME! Man, you got me so hyped. That’s not fair, the season is months away!
Brad
May 3rd, 2009
12:23 pm
It’s gonna be interesting. Perry is quick, yes, but what is really special is his burst. He accelerates into the ball and you just can’t time that. It’ll be interesting to see how Davis handles end–I thin Anderson has had his shot and unless he comes in turning heads, he’s done for us. The team speed discussion is spot on–picture JA, Bab, Perry, Sid and Moore in the slot bringing it–the otherteam is gonna need a bigger boat. The folks that are criticizing the cb pick at three need to watch some film of him–and recognize that he held current NFL recievers in college and did it very well.
D3
May 3rd, 2009
4:09 pm
Good Sunday Afternoon Gents! Well, it looks like our post draft buzz is starting to finally wear off, so I got some good things up the sleeve to keep the strong momentum going we established leading up to and during The Draft. Still gotta get my blog legs back after taking a mini-hiatus for some family time over the weekend. Picking up on DOL’s blog:
D3
May 3rd, 2009
5:00 pm
whoops, didn’t mean to submit.
Dub-Mid(William Middleton) – Another pickup that somewhat suprised me a little. Fits the same mold as Chris Owens, in being a little “under-sized,” but aggresive, tough, fast, and willing to hit. As has been mentioned by many of us bloggers, one of the biggest compeitions will be @ CB this spring, summer, and pre-season. Sounds like a potential small school gem that TD has mined out (anyone hear of Kroy Bierrman before the Draft last year?). Love that buzz word of work ethic and leadership. TD continues to draft character guys in the same mold as his first year (Ryan, Baker, Lofton, Douglas, TBrown). TD is showing he’s commited to the mental and emotional aspect of the game, just as much as the physical.
Garrett Reynolds – Love this pick as well. Can honestly say I definitely didn’t hear of him before Draft Sunday, but the more I hear the more I like. Not only does he have the frame to build on some more bulk, but most importantly he posesses that “nasty streak” that Smitty and Boudreau cherish. Can we honestly say that we heard of Dahl before this season? Some say we could let Clabo go if Reynolds develops. I disagree. If anything keep all three: Dahl, Clabo, AND Reynolds, at least for this year and next. Nice to see that the only deviation on our ALL D draft was OL Depth.
Lawrence Adkins – definitely one of the bigger question marks of the draft since he wasn’t even a full-time starter, but TD gets full support due to his masterful job of mining talent deep in the draft. An interesting side note from last years draft: TD’s 6th round pick Wilrey Fontenot didn’t make the team last year and his 7th round pick Keith Zinger was assigned to the practice squad, so it’ll be a challenge for Adkins and Walker to make the active roster. Maybe not as much for Walker since we already released Moorehead.
Vance Walker – really like this pick as well. As many of you all said, we most likely would draft two DT’s. Not necessarily the big run-stuffer we discussed.
More to come, making up for lost time.
JJ
May 3rd, 2009
6:04 pm
D3: Trying to copy some recipes on our earlier blog. I’ve tried everything from highlighting and then copy and then print to no avail. I could write out each one, but there has to be a better way of printing out just one blog-not all of them. Thanks!
JJ
May 3rd, 2009
6:11 pm
Did any of ya’ll (you guyz) see the falcons show on local nbc today. It was really informative with Coach Smith and videotape of all of our new draft falcons. They even showed a glimpse of the golf tournament (jocks/hacks) and I beleive our man D-led was shown with his baby-blue sweater. It matches your bow-tie D-led! It’s all good- GO FALCONS- FIRST BACK TO BACK THIS YEAR!!!
falcon21
May 3rd, 2009
7:30 pm
Enter your comments here
falcon21
May 3rd, 2009
7:36 pm
Sorry about that, just reading what JJ wrote and some how hit submit comment. By the way, I did see that JJ.
Big Ray
May 3rd, 2009
9:24 pm
D3,
I certainly understand the question mark on the pick of Adkins. But I have an idea that formed when I saw the pick. Special teams goes unnoticed a lot of times, even though it’s important.
Adkins has strength and speed. Most notably, the speed. Thinks special teams.
Think Elbert Shelley. Remember him? He’s been retired for a while, but he was a 4-time Pro Bowler for us as a special teamer. Hell, most won’t even remember what position he actually played. It was safety. And while he didn’t play too many snaps in coverage, he was to the special teams, what Jessie Tuggle was to the defense.
That’s where you might see Adkins.
Big Ray
May 3rd, 2009
9:27 pm
Chris Owens may seem undersized at 5′10″ and 170…but get him into an NFL training facility, and watch him get up to 180/185….which is exactly the same size as a certain Pro Bowl corner by the name of Asante Samuel…
Mr Charlie
May 3rd, 2009
11:21 pm
Verron will not compete with Snelling and Brown.
Snelling and Brown are playmakers, if Verron makes the team, it will be as a pass blocker/3rd down safety valve receiver/special team gunner.
webhead
May 4th, 2009
11:11 am
He did a good jod except at linebacker. He shouldn’t have dissed Brooking and he would have a complete defense.It’s going to come back and bite him in the arse. Said something funny about Owens though getting his hands on alot of balls,hah!
D3
May 4th, 2009
11:37 am
Good Monday A.M. boys! So things seemed to officially have grinded to a halt. We knew this was coming and that the post-draft buzz would only carry us so long. This is probably the driest span of the year concerning Falcons & Football, so if you guys are interested let’s start rolling out some topics for the Bird-Cage. Any and all ideas will be welcome and invited. New drought topic drive coming next, but first let’s continue with JJ’s idea of recipes:
JJ – all I do is copy and paste from the blog into a Microsoft Word document and save it. Here’s what I’ve saved so far, with a new one from me as well
JJ
1) Kroger has pork tenderloin for $1.99lb at least once a month – $10 – 5lb
2) Rinse pork, place in crock pot
3) add 2 dry lipton soup mix – garlic onion/savory veg.
4) add 1 bag baby carrots
5) add 1 box chicken or beef broth (i use chicken) doesnt matter
6) cook on low for 8-10 hrs….a classic, fall of the fork tenderloin
7) real mash potatoes (pain-in-the-ass) are worth it with the sauce.
Cooking prep: 2 min. cooking time: 8-10 hrs (invest in big crock!!!)
D3
Grilled BBQ Stuffed Potato Skins.
Tried these for the Draft and they were D@— good! Taste a little strange at first, but are the S—-! Not an original, from “The Neeleys” on FoodNetwork.com:
Ingredients
3 russet potatoes, scrubbed
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup Cheddar
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, warm
1/2 pound pulled pork
Sour cream, for topping
2 tablespoons snipped chives, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake potatoes on middle rack until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Bake 4 strips of bacon on a small sheet pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Crumble bacon when it’s cooled.
Preheat grill to medium heat.
Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the flesh, leaving a half inch shell.
Melt the butter in saucepan and add minced garlic. Brush potatoes with the butter and garlic mixture. Flip over and butter the bottoms.
Place potatoes on grill and cook until crisp, about 4 to 4 1/2 minutes on each side and remove from grill.
Divide the cheese, barbecue sauce and pulled pork among the potatoes. Top potato skins with sour cream, crumbled bacon and chives for garnish.
Unca’ Bob’s Tailgate Chili
One lb. ground beef, browned & drained
Add to beef:
One packet French’s Chili-O
One 28oz. can whole tomatoes, I like to hand squish , em.
One 16oz. can Bush’s Chili beans. Iuse the Hot.
One tspn Cayenne Pepper
One tspn Black Pepper
One tspn Hot Chili Powder
Let simmer as long or short a time as you choose. I prefer about two hours to allow flavors to marry.
Lil’ Dave’s Touchdown Tender Sauce
Here is a sauce to go with that Tenderloin.
6 servings
1½ hours 30 min prep
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup onions, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces chipotle chiles in adobo (or to taste)
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2-3 lbs boneless pork loin
salt
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and add onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
Add chipotle peppers that have been removed from the sauce and finely chopped. BEWARE! Add only amount needed for your taste. Add to onions along with the adobe sauce.
Add coffee through Worcestershire Sauce and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate until chilled. (Can make the sauce ahead of time.).
Place pork loin in a deep bowl or large plastic Ziplock bag. Marinate for at least 12 hours up to 2 days. Turn the pork occasionally.
About 2 hours before grilling, remove pork from marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil (for a minimum of 5 minutes for food safety) until slightly thickened. Season with salt if desired or needed. Use 1/2 cup marinade to baste the pork and use remaining marinade to serve with the pork.
Heat grill to medium-hot and set pork, fat side down on grill. Turn and baste with the sauce until meat reaches an inernal temperature of 150 degrees F. (About 50 to 60 minutes depending on your grill) Careful not to overcook.
Let stand for juices to settle. Reheat sauce to serve with the meat.
D3’s Crispy Potato Wedges (Michael Ciariello)
Ingredients
5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced into long wedges
Olive oil
Store-bought BBQ spice mixture
Salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the potato wedges in a saucepan with 2 quarts of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until a knife pierces through easily. Drain. In a large bowl, toss the wedges with olive oil. Place the BBQ spice and salt in a shallow dish and roll the wedges in it. Place the wedges on a sheet pan in single layer and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.
D3
May 4th, 2009
11:37 am
blog monster sirens
D3
May 4th, 2009
11:38 am
Blog Eating Grendel on the loose!
D3
May 4th, 2009
12:13 pm
Apologize if re-post
Good Monday A.M. boys! So things seemed to officially have grinded to a halt. We knew this was coming and that the post-draft buzz would only carry us so long. This is probably the driest span of the year concerning Falcons & Football, so if you guys are interested let’s start rolling out some topics for the Bird-Cage. Any and all ideas will be welcome and invited. New drought topic drive coming next, but first let’s continue with JJ’s idea of recipes:
JJ – all I do is copy and paste from the blog into a Microsoft Word document and save it. Here’s what I’ve saved so far, with a new one from me as well
JJ
1) Kroger has pork tenderloin for $1.99lb at least once a month – $10 – 5lb
2) Rinse pork, place in crock pot
3) add 2 dry lipton soup mix – garlic onion/savory veg.
4) add 1 bag baby carrots
5) add 1 box chicken or beef broth (i use chicken) doesnt matter
6) cook on low for 8-10 hrs….a classic, fall of the fork tenderloin
7) real mash potatoes (pain-in-the-ass) are worth it with the sauce.
Cooking prep: 2 min. cooking time: 8-10 hrs (invest in big crock!!!)
D3
Grilled BBQ Stuffed Potato Skins.
Tried these for the Draft and they were D@— good! Taste a little strange at first, but are the S—-! Not an original, from “The Neeleys” on FoodNetwork.com:
Ingredients
3 russet potatoes, scrubbed
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup Cheddar
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, warm
1/2 pound pulled pork
Sour cream, for topping
2 tablespoons snipped chives, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake potatoes on middle rack until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Bake 4 strips of bacon on a small sheet pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Crumble bacon when it’s cooled.
Preheat grill to medium heat.
Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the flesh, leaving a half inch shell.
Melt the butter in saucepan and add minced garlic. Brush potatoes with the butter and garlic mixture. Flip over and butter the bottoms.
Place potatoes on grill and cook until crisp, about 4 to 4 1/2 minutes on each side and remove from grill.
Divide the cheese, barbecue sauce and pulled pork among the potatoes. Top potato skins with sour cream, crumbled bacon and chives for garnish.
Unca’ Bob’s Tailgate Chili
One lb. ground beef, browned & drained
Add to beef:
One packet French’s Chili-O
One 28oz. can whole tomatoes, I like to hand squish , em.
One 16oz. can Bush’s Chili beans. Iuse the Hot.
One tspn Cayenne Pepper
One tspn Black Pepper
One tspn Hot Chili Powder
Let simmer as long or short a time as you choose. I prefer about two hours to allow flavors to marry.
Lil’ Dave’s Touchdown Tender Sauce
Here is a sauce to go with that Tenderloin.
6 servings
1½ hours 30 min prep
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup onions, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces chipotle chiles in adobo (or to taste)
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2-3 lbs boneless pork loin
salt
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and add onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
Add chipotle peppers that have been removed from the sauce and finely chopped. BEWARE! Add only amount needed for your taste. Add to onions along with the adobe sauce.
Add coffee through Worcestershire Sauce and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate until chilled. (Can make the sauce ahead of time.).
Place pork loin in a deep bowl or large plastic Ziplock bag. Marinate for at least 12 hours up to 2 days. Turn the pork occasionally.
About 2 hours before grilling, remove pork from marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil (for a minimum of 5 minutes for food safety) until slightly thickened. Season with salt if desired or needed. Use 1/2 cup marinade to baste the pork and use remaining marinade to serve with the pork.
Heat grill to medium-hot and set pork, fat side down on grill. Turn and baste with the sauce until meat reaches an inernal temperature of 150 degrees F. (About 50 to 60 minutes depending on your grill) Careful not to overcook.
Let stand for juices to settle. Reheat sauce to serve with the meat.
D3’s Crispy Potato Wedges (Michael Ciariello)
Ingredients
5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced into long wedges
Olive oil
Store-bought BBQ spice mixture
Salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the potato wedges in a saucepan with 2 quarts of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until a knife pierces through easily. Drain. In a large bowl, toss the wedges with olive oil. Place the BBQ spice and salt in a shallow dish and roll the wedges in it. Place the wedges on a sheet pan in single layer and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.
D3
May 4th, 2009
12:14 pm
Good Monday A.M. boys! So things seemed to officially have grinded to a halt. We knew this was coming and that the post-draft buzz would only carry us so long. This is probably the driest span of the year concerning Falcons & Football, so if you guys are interested let’s start rolling out some topics for the Bird-Cage. Any and all ideas will be welcome and invited. New drought topic drive coming next, but first let’s continue with JJ’s idea of recipes:
JJ – all I do is copy and paste from the blog into a Microsoft Word document and save it. Here’s what I’ve saved so far, with a new one from me as well
D3
May 4th, 2009
12:14 pm
Bird-Cage Recipes to date:
JJ
1) Kroger has pork tenderloin for $1.99lb at least once a month – $10 – 5lb
2) Rinse pork, place in crock pot
3) add 2 dry lipton soup mix – garlic onion/savory veg.
4) add 1 bag baby carrots
5) add 1 box chicken or beef broth (i use chicken) doesnt matter
6) cook on low for 8-10 hrs….a classic, fall of the fork tenderloin
7) real mash potatoes (pain-in-the-ass) are worth it with the sauce.
Cooking prep: 2 min. cooking time: 8-10 hrs (invest in big crock!!!)
D3
Grilled BBQ Stuffed Potato Skins.
Tried these for the Draft and they were D@— good! Taste a little strange at first, but are the S—-! Not an original, from “The Neeleys” on FoodNetwork.com:
Ingredients
3 russet potatoes, scrubbed
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup Cheddar
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, warm
1/2 pound pulled pork
Sour cream, for topping
2 tablespoons snipped chives, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake potatoes on middle rack until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Bake 4 strips of bacon on a small sheet pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Crumble bacon when it’s cooled.
Preheat grill to medium heat.
Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the flesh, leaving a half inch shell.
Melt the butter in saucepan and add minced garlic. Brush potatoes with the butter and garlic mixture. Flip over and butter the bottoms.
Place potatoes on grill and cook until crisp, about 4 to 4 1/2 minutes on each side and remove from grill.
Divide the cheese, barbecue sauce and pulled pork among the potatoes. Top potato skins with sour cream, crumbled bacon and chives for garnish.
Unca’ Bob’s Tailgate Chili
One lb. ground beef, browned & drained
Add to beef:
One packet French’s Chili-O
One 28oz. can whole tomatoes, I like to hand squish , em.
One 16oz. can Bush’s Chili beans. Iuse the Hot.
One tspn Cayenne Pepper
One tspn Black Pepper
One tspn Hot Chili Powder
Let simmer as long or short a time as you choose. I prefer about two hours to allow flavors to marry.
Lil’ Dave’s Touchdown Tender Sauce
Here is a sauce to go with that Tenderloin.
6 servings
1½ hours 30 min prep
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup onions, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces chipotle chiles in adobo (or to taste)
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2-3 lbs boneless pork loin
salt
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and add onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
Add chipotle peppers that have been removed from the sauce and finely chopped. BEWARE! Add only amount needed for your taste. Add to onions along with the adobe sauce.
Add coffee through Worcestershire Sauce and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate until chilled. (Can make the sauce ahead of time.).
Place pork loin in a deep bowl or large plastic Ziplock bag. Marinate for at least 12 hours up to 2 days. Turn the pork occasionally.
About 2 hours before grilling, remove pork from marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil (for a minimum of 5 minutes for food safety) until slightly thickened. Season with salt if desired or needed. Use 1/2 cup marinade to baste the pork and use remaining marinade to serve with the pork.
Heat grill to medium-hot and set pork, fat side down on grill. Turn and baste with the sauce until meat reaches an inernal temperature of 150 degrees F. (About 50 to 60 minutes depending on your grill) Careful not to overcook.
Let stand for juices to settle. Reheat sauce to serve with the meat.
D3’s Crispy Potato Wedges (Michael Ciariello)
Ingredients
5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced into long wedges
Olive oil
Store-bought BBQ spice mixture
Salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the potato wedges in a saucepan with 2 quarts of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until a knife pierces through easily. Drain. In a large bowl, toss the wedges with olive oil. Place the BBQ spice and salt in a shallow dish and roll the wedges in it. Place the wedges on a sheet pan in single layer and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.
D3
May 4th, 2009
12:15 pm
JJ
1) Kroger has pork tenderloin for $1.99lb at least once a month – $10 – 5lb
2) Rinse pork, place in crock pot
3) add 2 dry lipton soup mix – garlic onion/savory veg.
4) add 1 bag baby carrots
5) add 1 box chicken or beef broth (i use chicken) doesnt matter
6) cook on low for 8-10 hrs….a classic, fall of the fork tenderloin
7) real mash potatoes (pain-in-the-ass) are worth it with the sauce.
Cooking prep: 2 min. cooking time: 8-10 hrs (invest in big crock!!!)
D3
May 4th, 2009
12:16 pm
D3
Grilled BBQ Stuffed Potato Skins.
Tried these for the Draft and they were D@— good! Taste a little strange at first, but are the S—-! Not an original, from “The Neeleys” on FoodNetwork.com:
Ingredients
3 russet potatoes, scrubbed
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup Cheddar
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, warm
1/2 pound pulled pork
Sour cream, for topping
2 tablespoons snipped chives, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake potatoes on middle rack until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Bake 4 strips of bacon on a small sheet pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Crumble bacon when it’s cooled.
Preheat grill to medium heat.
Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the flesh, leaving a half inch shell.
Melt the butter in saucepan and add minced garlic. Brush potatoes with the butter and garlic mixture. Flip over and butter the bottoms.
Place potatoes on grill and cook until crisp, about 4 to 4 1/2 minutes on each side and remove from grill.
Divide the cheese, barbecue sauce and pulled pork among the potatoes. Top potato skins with sour cream, crumbled bacon and chives for garnish.
Unca’ Bob’s Tailgate Chili
One lb. ground beef, browned & drained
Add to beef:
One packet French’s Chili-O
One 28oz. can whole tomatoes, I like to hand squish , em.
One 16oz. can Bush’s Chili beans. Iuse the Hot.
One tspn Cayenne Pepper
One tspn Black Pepper
One tspn Hot Chili Powder
Let simmer as long or short a time as you choose. I prefer about two hours to allow flavors to marry.
Lil’ Dave’s Touchdown Tender Sauce
Here is a sauce to go with that Tenderloin.
6 servings
1½ hours 30 min prep
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup onions, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces chipotle chiles in adobo (or to taste)
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2-3 lbs boneless pork loin
salt
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and add onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
Add chipotle peppers that have been removed from the sauce and finely chopped. BEWARE! Add only amount needed for your taste. Add to onions along with the adobe sauce.
Add coffee through Worcestershire Sauce and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate until chilled. (Can make the sauce ahead of time.).
Place pork loin in a deep bowl or large plastic Ziplock bag. Marinate for at least 12 hours up to 2 days. Turn the pork occasionally.
About 2 hours before grilling, remove pork from marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil (for a minimum of 5 minutes for food safety) until slightly thickened. Season with salt if desired or needed. Use 1/2 cup marinade to baste the pork and use remaining marinade to serve with the pork.
Heat grill to medium-hot and set pork, fat side down on grill. Turn and baste with the sauce until meat reaches an inernal temperature of 150 degrees F. (About 50 to 60 minutes depending on your grill) Careful not to overcook.
Let stand for juices to settle. Reheat sauce to serve with the meat.
D3’s Crispy Potato Wedges (Michael Ciariello)
Ingredients
5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced into long wedges
Olive oil
Store-bought BBQ spice mixture
Salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place the potato wedges in a saucepan with 2 quarts of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until a knife pierces through easily. Drain. In a large bowl, toss the wedges with olive oil. Place the BBQ spice and salt in a shallow dish and roll the wedges in it. Place the wedges on a sheet pan in single layer and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.
D3
May 4th, 2009
12:17 pm
Unca’ Bob’s Tailgate Chili
One lb. ground beef, browned & drained
Add to beef:
One packet French’s Chili-O
One 28oz. can whole tomatoes, I like to hand squish , em.
One 16oz. can Bush’s Chili beans. Iuse the Hot.
One tspn Cayenne Pepper
One tspn Black Pepper
One tspn Hot Chili Powder
Let simmer as long or short a time as you choose. I prefer about two hours to allow flavors to marry.
Lil’ Dave’s Touchdown Tender Sauce
Here is a sauce to go with that Tenderloin.
6 servings
1½ hours 30 min prep
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup onions, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces chipotle chiles in adobo (or to taste)
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2-3 lbs boneless pork loin
salt
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and add onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
Add chipotle peppers that have been removed from the sauce and finely chopped. BEWARE! Add only amount needed for your taste. Add to onions along with the adobe sauce.
Add coffee through Worcestershire Sauce and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate until chilled. (Can make the sauce ahead of time.).
Place pork loin in a deep bowl or large plastic Ziplock bag. Marinate for at least 12 hours up to 2 days. Turn the pork occasionally.
About 2 hours before grilling, remove pork from marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil (for a minimum of 5 minutes for food safety) until slightly thickened. Season with salt if desired or needed. Use 1/2 cup marinade to baste the pork and use remaining marinade to serve with the pork.
Heat grill to medium-hot and set pork, fat side down on grill. Turn and baste with the sauce until meat reaches an inernal temperature of 150 degrees F. (About 50 to 60 minutes depending on your grill) Careful not to overcook.
Let stand for juices to settle. Reheat sauce to serve with the meat.
D3
May 4th, 2009
12:18 pm
Why the technical issues with this site?
Unca’ Bob’s Tailgate Chili
One lb. ground beef, browned & drained
Add to beef:
One packet French’s Chili-O
One 28oz. can whole tomatoes, I like to hand squish , em.
One 16oz. can Bush’s Chili beans. Iuse the Hot.
One tspn Cayenne Pepper
One tspn Black Pepper
One tspn Hot Chili Powder
Let simmer as long or short a time as you choose. I prefer about two hours to allow flavors to marry.
Lil’ Dave’s Touchdown Tender Sauce
Here is a sauce to go with that Tenderloin.
6 servings
1½ hours 30 min prep
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup onions, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces chipotle chiles in adobo (or to taste)
1 cup black coffee
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2-3 lbs boneless pork loin
salt
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and add onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
Add chipotle peppers that have been removed from the sauce and finely chopped. BEWARE! Add only amount needed for your taste. Add to onions along with the adobe sauce.
Add coffee through Worcestershire Sauce and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate until chilled. (Can make the sauce ahead of time.).
Place pork loin in a deep bowl or large plastic Ziplock bag. Marinate for at least 12 hours up to 2 days. Turn the pork occasionally.
About 2 hours before grilling, remove pork from marinade. Bring the marinade to a boil (for a minimum of 5 minutes for food safety) until slightly thickened. Season with salt if desired or needed. Use 1/2 cup marinade to baste the pork and use remaining marinade to serve with the pork.
Heat grill to medium-hot and set pork, fat side down on grill. Turn and baste with the sauce until meat reaches an inernal temperature of 150 degrees F. (About 50 to 60 minutes depending on your grill) Careful not to overcook.
Let stand for juices to settle. Reheat sauce to serve with the meat.
D3
May 4th, 2009
12:34 pm
Sorry for the re-posts gentlemen. You know how this BS site works sometimes.
Alright guys, here we go with our dry spell Bird-Cage blog topics. Here’s our first competition of the Regular Season here in the Bird-Cage: Since we’re not too far removed from the draft, its time to put your prediction hats back on predict the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year.
2009 Bird-Cage Offensive & Defensive Rookies of the Year Competition
-list each offensive & defensive rookie of the year and why
-can list up to 3 honorable mentions for each side of the ball
-list in order of projected finish
-5 points for each top spot
-3 points for each correct player and order of finish
-2 points for each correct player, incorrect order
Obviously this will be a long-range competition, but, hey, its May in the Bird-Cage. Gotta keep our momentum going.
Thoughts?
5 DAYS AND COUNTING TO 2009 FALCONS MINI-CAMP!!!!
Unca' Bob
May 4th, 2009
1:27 pm
D3,
Sounds good to me. I’ve been mulling it over since it was mentioned in the other DOL blog. Let me fine tune it and get back to you. The House CEO (your phrase) has some honey-dos lined up. Need to consentrate on them first, when Mama’s not happy, no ones happy.
D3
May 4th, 2009
1:40 pm
Offensive Rookie of the Year
1)Beanie Wells, RB, Arizona
I know this might sound like a bit of a stretch, but the past winners in the recent two decades have been filled with QB’s or RB’s, with the occasional WR thrown in the mix. Out of the three RB’s drafted in the first round, Wells went to the most “ready to succeed” franchise in Arizona.
As much as I love my UGA boy Moreno, he’s going to a franchise that is in a state of complete disarrayed, haphazard mess. Add to the fact that McDaniels is an ego-maniac without a stud QB and he signed 3 RB’s in the off-season as free agents and you definitley don’t have grounds for success as rookie. As a UGA grad and fan, Moreno definitely believed his own BS this year, as opposed to his breakout year. Donald Brown will be a sleeper candidate, but will be serving as a true backup to Addai. Concerning the QB’s, Stafford won’t play that much this year, Freeman is going to a franchise in complete upheveal, and Sanchez will learn really quick that he’s not playing Washington, UCLA, & Oregon anymore. And he won’t have superior talent. I think he’ll be good this year, but not great. Definitely not on the level of Matty Ice or Flacco.
Back to Wells; He is an enormous upgrade over Edgerrin “attitude” James. Faster, stronger, and younger. He can easily succeed in that high powered offense. They may be tempted to throw it around the field like last year, but they only gained success in the playoffs when they re-discovered their running game. With Fitzgerald, Boldin(maybe), Breaston, & Doucet, Wells will have plenty of room to run.
2nd place: Jeremy Maclin, WR, Eagles
3rd place: Mark Sanchez, QB, Jets
Defensive Rookie of the Year
1)Brain Orakpo, DE, OLB: the obvious pick here is Aaron Curry, and I may be wrong, but I think that Curry comes up just short. Curry will be a stud, no doubt, but who does he have in front of him protecting him from getting blocked on every play? I can’t name you their D-Tackles and Patrick Kerney’s getting a little long in the tooth. Let us also remember that ‘you know who’ is the head coach. Tyson Jackson might be an option here, but also in complete upheveal. Robert Ayers possibly, but the dude only had one stud year at Tennessee. Raji or Matthews maybe as well, but the change over to the 3-4 is too great this year. Cushing’s too big of a risk as well.
Orakpo can flourish with big Albert Haynesworth dominating the middle allowing huge pass rushing lanes for Orakpo. He can almost purely be a PRS at first, and develop into a full-time OLB/DE later in the year. Using his athletic ability to get his start at OLB, rushing the passer, and having the benefit of a fairly formidable secondary.
2nd place: Aaron Curry, LB, Seahawks
3rd place: Larry English, OLB/DE, Chargers
Thoughts Bird-Cage Bro’s? Just because we’re not in-season doesn’t mean we can’t talk some serious football.
Reno 911
May 4th, 2009
2:05 pm
D3- nice picks. Shooting from the hip, I’m going to guess Mark Sanchez as the offensive rookie of 2009. He will start the season as the #1, with a strong running game, a good offensive line, and a good defensive coach whose defense will net him decent field position. Though he may start slow, he’ll finish strong. In the media capital of the world, if the guy throws more TDs than picks in the last 10 games of the year, he’ll win ROY. I like the Wells pick, though. He’ll get carries on a team that’s already formidable offensively, and should have a decent yds per carry. Agree on your opinion of Moreno’s situation. The Broncos are not going to be good, and around November I think everyone there will be pining for Mike Shanahan. My dark horse for offensive rookie is Pat White. I know, I know, he won’t get a lot of snaps at QB, but I’d bet he is productive when they put him in their single wing and he can throw over single coverage on the outside. especially in the red zone.
For defensive ROY, I’ll say Curry. He’s just too solid, and I don’t think any of the other guys will get huge sack numbers which could eclipse that. Watch out for BJ Raji, though. Even though he’s playing NT, if he gets 6-8 sacks from that position and the GB defense has a good year, then I think he’ll get some votes. My dark horse defensive ROY is the Falcons’ own William Moore. Just call it a feeling (albeit a very biased one). I also still love Connor Barwin, with the Texans, but don’t think he will be good for another year or two.
Reno 911
May 4th, 2009
2:06 pm
Love the Maclin pick, as well, by the way. The Eagles will be good.
Reno 911
May 4th, 2009
2:08 pm
Though he may get 40-50 catches, Maclin’s strength might be as a returner, and if he takes three or four punts/kicks to the house, he’s going to be a strong contender.
WR
May 4th, 2009
2:53 pm
Gentleman its been a while, I figured it would be slow after the draft so I took a little time away during the down period, missed the conversations and arguments though.
D3, I like the rookie of the year theme but as you said its going to be a while before we can really assess our picks. I thought of a nice topic that can give us a push for the next couple of weeks. Before I got hooked on the birdcage blog, I used to read the various sporting magazines in different stores,probably the reason the house CEO wondered why I was gone so long just to get bread, but I figured the articles in those magazines were from the so-called experts and I’m betting that with the knowledge I have observed within this blog there are numerous conversation pieces and arguments to be made in our own backyard, one in which we created here in the birdcage. So here’s my proposal:
Break down the teams, division by division, where you think they will finish & why, give your take on what they need to do for things to go right in order to succeed, give your thoughts on what they are missing in order to get to the big game, predict their record, position in the division and playoff finish if you believe they will make it.
What this accomplishes is weeks of analysis,arguments,and conversations leading up to the beginning of the season. It also helps everyone gauge where they think our birds will finish and what the birds face in the season ahead. The best way for this to be successful is for everyone to take an non-bias approach, this is everyones opportunity to be an analyst on NFL network without the actual network. At the end of the preseason we can all give a week by week forecast of results, come up with a point system and decide a playoff in conjunction with the actual NFL playoffs. Basically you build your team based on your own analysis and the analysis of the crew in the bird cage. So we choose a division talk about the teams considering our feelings,beliefs, analyst and so-called experts opinions,grade the division out, move on to the next division and so on.
Let me know what everyone thinks
D3
May 4th, 2009
5:55 pm
GREAT D@— IDEA WR! Right in line with what I was thinking.
Football drought schedule topics:
14 total weeks from now until 1st Pre-season game vs. Detroit
5/4 – 5/10 = Team draft grades & analysis/Rookie of Year Predictions
5/11 – 5/17 = AFC West
5/18 – 5/24 = AFC North
5/25 – 5/31 = AFC East
6/1 – 6/7 = AFC South
6/8 – 6/14 = NFC West
6/15 – 6/21 = NFC East
6/22 – 6/28 = NFC North
6/29 – 7/5 = NFC South
7/6 – 7/12 = Miami, Carolina, New England
7/13 – 7/19 = SF, Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans,
7/20 – 7/26 = Washington, Carolina, NY Giants,
7/27 – 8/2 = Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, New Orleans
8/3 – 8/9 = NY Jets, Buffalo, Tampa Bay
WR’s analysis of each division/teams:
Break down the teams, division by division, where you think they will finish & why, give your take on what they need to do for things to go right in order to succeed, give your thoughts on what they are missing in order to get to the big game, predict their record, position in the division and playoff finish if you believe they will make it.
Between the division topics suggested by WR, the recipes idea from JJ, each Falcon’s game analysis, and the updates from mini-camps, OTA’s, player’s stock rising/falling, and roster moves we should be able to have Falcons & Football all year ‘round.
Watcha’ think guys? Interested in keeping the Bird-Cage momentum going through the summer drought? Any ideas, comments, opinions, changes are always welcome of course.
D3
May 4th, 2009
6:45 pm
Good ‘props from Bucky Brooks over at NFL.com,
B+
“The first season of the Thomas Dimitroff/Mike Smith era was an overwhelming success as the Falcons made an unexpected run to the postseason behind a sensational draft class that may have included the best rookie quarterback in league history. With so much of their success attributed to their shrewd draft moves, many were curious to see what the tandem would do for an encore. Based on the early results, the Falcons have hit another one out of the park.”
Rest of article is good.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d8100baf9&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
mars
May 4th, 2009
7:54 pm
A little something from Wikipedia for falcon21 and Mr. Charlie…In five seasons with the Steelers from 2002 to 2006, Haynes gained 660 yards on 159 carries (4.2 average per carry) and three touchdowns. He also recorded 39 receptions for 322 yards (8.3 average per reception) and two touchdowns, including one from former Steelers wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. Haynes missed most of the 2006 season due to a knee injury.
On March 1, 2007, he was cut by the Steelers in order to save cap room. However, he resigned with the team on June 4, 2007. On September 1, 2007 he was released again. He was re-signed on December 24 when starting running back Willie Parker was placed on injured reserve.
Mr. Charlie, I know with these incredibly shabby stats while backing up “the Bus” there is no way he can compete. It was just a fluke that he happened to be the subject of Larry Munson’s famous ‘Hob Nailed Boot’ call. Oh well…..
mars
May 4th, 2009
8:05 pm
ernestTbass, thought you should know that if Periah Jerry was pronounced like Mariah Carey, then it would be “Pariah” Jerry. Let’s all hope he doesn’t become one!
mars
May 4th, 2009
8:10 pm
Name one thing that Verron Haynes brings to the Falcons team.
mars
May 4th, 2009
8:11 pm
Ok, I’ll do it. A Super Bowl Ring!
rich brave
May 4th, 2009
10:19 pm
“Skins got ORAKPO at #13 in the first. Would trade SIDBURY for him straight up right now. SIDBURY’s faster and you can’t teach speed. You guys are gonna’ be glad my man LAWRENCE is on your side.
rich brave
May 4th, 2009
10:20 pm
I was recommending the ‘SKINS pick up AARON KELLY in the seventh. Another good pick by Di.
D3
May 4th, 2009
11:23 pm
Alright my Bird-Cage Brethren, lets keep our solid Falcons Football Mojo going strong. We got plenty to discuss as we embark on our drought through the summer season. As WR mentioned, if we roll out different topics each week, then we start a slow build to the bursting crescendo of Falcons Football 2009!
We already have our Rookie of the Year discussions out there, got myself, Reno911, & Unca’Bob in the mix. Let’s hear it from the rest of our boys. JJ, Big Ray, Stirg, Nookah, Ken Strick, Marko, Seminole, I.MUS, Lil’ Dave, Falcon Devil, dacha, irvin, Dean21, BigMike, falcon21, & any other of the boys I may have left out. We got a little dry spell now, but we just gotta get creative to keep the Falcons Mojo going, NFL on the brain, and rid of sports boredom thats about to take hold.
Along with the Rookie of the Year Competition, lets throw another blog topic on the proverbial fire. How ’bout some draft grading throughout the rest of this week and start on some Division analysis next week?
Lets start nowhere else but in our own backyard: NFC South(try to be as objective as possible)
Tampa Bay Bucs
1 17 Josh Freeman QB Kansas State
3 81 Roy Miller DT Texas
4 117 Kyle Moore DE USC
5 155 Xavier Fulton OT Illinois
7 217 E.J. Biggers CB Western Michigan
7 233 Sammie Stroughter WR Oregon State
Gotta give Coach Morris credit for attempting to finally answer the question at QB with a long term solution. As Gruden readily admits now, his biggest failure in TB was always putting a patchwork together at QB. That being said, giving up picks for Winslow and Freeman will turn out to be boom or bust. Winslow is a head case and they just made him one of the highest paid TE’s in football. Freeman’s a pretty big risk, but may hold a high reward in the long term. Love their pick of Roy Miller. Many o’ us Bird-Cagers got excited talking about seeing the athletic, big run-stuffer in red & black. My bias is coming through here, but taking Kyle Moore over Sidbury or even Zach Potter was a poor selection. Xavier Fulton was a solid pick for their O-line, as many of us were eyeing him for the Falcons. CB’s in the 7th add depth. Overall pretty good draft for the Bucs considering not having a 2nd or 5th round pick. Not considering the Moore pick I’d go with a B-, but since Feeman is such a big gamble, and they gave up picks for him and two for headcase Winslow, gotta go with C+
Saints and Panthers to come……….Oh, and our ‘Birds!
D3
May 5th, 2009
12:12 am
Carolina Panthers
2 43 Everette Brown DE Florida State
2 59 Sherrod Martin S Troy
3 93 Corvey Irvin DL Georgia
4 111 Mike Goodson RB Texas A&M
4 128 Tony Fiammetta FB Syracuse
5 163 Duke Robinson OT Oklahoma
7 216 Captain Munnerlyn CB South Carolina
They were a little handicapped this year with no first round draft pick, but not too many can argue with what they got for what they gave up in getting Jonathan Stewart and Jeff Otah last year. Some people may argue that they gave up too much in giving up a future first rounder for Everette Brown, but the dude was projected in the top 15 in every single mock draft I saw. Still have no idea how he dropped that far, and of course he goes to one of our enemies. Thought they followed up their first pick with a d@— good pick with Sherrod Martin. Many of us had been eyeing him the whole time: fast, strong, athletic. After knocking the first two out of the park and headed for an A, they totally derailed from there. There next three picks I still can’t understand. Love my UGA boy Corey Irvin, but he is NOT worth a 3rd rounder. I am hard pressed to tell you one play the dude made, other than the Kentucky interception, through all 13 games I watched. Drafting another RB in Goodson is somewhat baffling as well, when they have two young studs in Williams & Stewart. Taking a FB that high puzzles me as well. They definitely redeemed themselves with “The Duke” Robinson steal in the late round. Probably one of the steals of the draft from any team. Captain Munnerlyn’s a good pick in the seventh as well. Overall, some really good picks couple with some really puzzling picks. Final: B
New Orlean Saints
1 14 Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio State
4 116 Chip Vaughn S Wake Forest
4 118 Stanley Arnoux LB Wake Forest
5 164 Thomas Morstead P SMU
Where did all their draft picks go? Good lord. They drafted four players. Gotta give them props for taking Jenkins, while probably being tempted on Beanie Wells as a perfect complement to Reggie “Kardashian” Bush. Jenkins the best overall packaged CB that may turn into a S. I like their pick of Chip Vaughn in the fourth. Great value, IMO. This pretty much precludes Jenkins playing safety, otherwise this is a wasted pick. The next two picks were insane. Never heard of Arnoux and reaching for the punter page……THE PUNTER PAGE? Wow. Not saying punters are a dime a dozen, especially since we franchise tagged ours, but spending a 5th round pick on one? Good god. Overall, good pick in Jenkins and good value in Vaughn, but the next 2 picks are a joke. Taking a P in the fifth. Jenkins saves them from an F. Final: D
Finally, our Beloved ‘Birds
Atlanta Falcons
1 24 Peria Jerry DT Mississippi
2 55 William Moore S Missouri
3 90 Christopher Owens CB San Jose State
4 125 Lawrence Sidbury Jr. DE Richmond
5 138 William Middleton CB Furman
5 165 Garrett Reynolds OT North Carolina
6 176 Spencer Adkins LB Miami
7 210 Vance Walker DT Georgia Tech
Trying to be as objective as possible here. Absolutley love the Jerry pick. Not only does it address a glaring need, but also subscribes to best player available. William Moore may very well turn out to be one of the great steals of the draft. Has Pro Bowl potential. Sidbury was one of the great snags of the entire draft, period. Love the Garrett Reynolds pick for depth, nasty streak, and starting potential. Vance Walker pick adds great depth and amazing value in the 7th. To the “cons.” Personally, I really like the drafting of CB’s CO & Dub-Mid. They are a little under-sized and relatively unheard of, particularly with more well-known guys like DJ Moore and bigger CB’s like Keenan Lewis out there. Give the critics their due. Even though I give TD full support and benefit of the doubt on Adkins, I’m not real sold on a guy that couldn’t start for an overall pretty weak team. They must see something they can mine out. Emotionally, I’d love to give our ‘boys an A, b/c of the CB picks, gotta be objective. Final: B+
There you have it gents. Let’s get it cranked up again. Don’t make me resort to writing and posting to myself.
Unca' Bob
May 5th, 2009
7:19 am
D3,
I got up this morning and put my list together for Rookies of the year. I logged on here and started reading your picks. I like ‘em. Then I read Reno 911 comments and got the feeling ya’ll had access to my notepad. I’m going with Mark Sanchez from the other USC. I feel Reno is dead on the money about the market he plays in. He is a plug-in player on a team that is clearly established. I like Wells too. He is going to put up some solid numbers but he will split time at RB and the Cards will air it out. Another player I really like is WR Hakeem Nicks. Toomer retired and Plax with his self-inflicted gun shot wound/prison time will no longer be in play. Nicks is a football magnet. He could catch 70 balls, gain 1100 yards and throw his name into the mix. Maclin could certainly come into play depending on how many touches he gets. These are my picks in that order.
Defence: This side of the ball is tough(no pun intd). I like Aaron Curry. Hes going to a pretty good team and will have LB’s Lofa Tatupa and Leroy Hill as runnin’ mates. He will replace Julian Peterson who was traded to Detroit in March of this year. Peterson’s numbers last year were good. 86 tackles, 5 sacks, 4ff. Curry will at least match them. I like William Moore here. He will not only start for the Falcons but before the season is over people will use his name along side Reed’s. Brian Orakpo is just killer. Has it all! Last but not least…Jarron “everybody outta’the pool” Gilbert.
That’s it. As always, time will be the teller.
braveshater
May 5th, 2009
9:46 am
Who the hell is Sam Huff and who gives a shit. Tell him to shut his fucin mouth. He doesnt even know the young man and he feels the need to run his old trap. Shut the hell up Huffy.
Unca' Bob
May 5th, 2009
9:51 am
D3,
TB’s Winslow also has some knee issues. Considering the TE we got in trade, TB took the hose.
Panthers Everette Brown was a shocker b/c of the #1 pick trade. I still feel if EBrown pans out for them, they trade Peppers and get their 1st pick back. I do like Duke Robinson. He will help to address the OL and at a bargain basement price. CMunnerly. Good people but I don’t see him lasting very long. Living where I do I watched a lot of THE USC games.
NO SArnoux- I think they like the way his name will look on their roster…It’s a Cajun’ thing.
Falcons Jerry, Williams, Owens, Sidbury will have a huge impact. The pick up of TG and udfa Aaron Kelly is very solid. I like what the Falcons have done.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 5th, 2009
12:24 pm
Morning, Birds! Excuse my absence. Took advantage of the market and bought a new house. I moved in this past weekend and I took yesterday and this morning to catch up with my blogging brothers.
How in the hell did we get into exchanging recipes? Who started that one? Well, just so I don’t get left out, I’m going to stay in sync and submit my GrandMa’s recipe for Oyster Stew. Its simple, delicious and serves well during winter months. The problem is, you got to wait until September to eat them. I don’t know if there are any seafood enthusiasts out there but you can only eat oysters when there’s an “R” in the month (i.e., October, November, December, etc.). Just heat butter, pepper and milk (do NOT let the milk boil). Add fresh, raw oysters. Remove from heat and serve with crackers and a Red Stripe (of course).
On to football (or the lack of)…This rookie of the year thing (good work, D3), is going to take some time for me to evaluate; but just looking at paper, I’m going to toss it up between Donald Brown (RB, Colts), Jeremy Maclin (WR, Eagles) and Jason Smith (OT, Rams), depending how many yards the Rams produce on the ground, to bring home the offensive ROY. I beg to differ with the suggestions that Mark Sanchez will take home the award. I watched him in primetime last season and he could never get past the spotlight jitters. Once he’s comfortable (another two years, at least), however, he’ll turn out to be a great QB; but not right now. Again, I like Brown and Maclin because of their situations and the teams they’ve gone to. They’re respective teams needed only to fill minimal holes and they both, Eagles and Colts, produced winning records last season. Brown is running behind an all-pro line and Maclin is receiving catches from an all-pro passer. Look for both players to produce 1000 all-purpose yards.
I’ll have to research it but I don’t ever recall a defensive ROY that was drafted outside of the first round. If its never been done, expect William Moore to make history. I strongly believe that Moore has a chip on his shoulder (did y’all see his draft day pics?) and he has a lot to prove. With this vengeful attitude, I expect him to be a monster at safety and bring home the defensive ROY award.
Our divisional foes and their respective draft class:
Tampa Bay made some deep veteran cuts but I don’t think that they have Dimitroff’s “Matrix” formula to replace the significant losses. Winslow, Jr., although a very good TE, is not an immediate answer (he is definitely not stuntin’ like his daddy). They made a very good pick in taking Roy Miller. That pick is going to make Gaines Adams blossom. I don’t think Freeman will make an impact this season because of the arrival of Byron Leftout. All in all, Tampa’s draft class receives a C+ from me.
New Orleans Aints are certainly in a rebuilding mode. Jenkins and Vaughn is definitely a good start, in the right direction; but that’s it. Their draft class was short and their free agency pick up is questionable. We coveted Vaughn for a long time (he was in my final mock). We must avoid him in our passing games. I think we can play with Jenkins a little bit, though. He gambles alot and will make rookie mistakes. Expect White and Jenkins to take him to school.
Finally, the Carolina Panthers’ class may turn out to be the stongest in the division (including the Falcons). Everette Brown is going to be silent trouble because of the attention given to Julius Peppers; but expect the rookie to cause havoc. The Panthers followed a great pick with another great pick in Sherrod Martin. The safety was on alot of our mock draft boards and, this season, he will prove why. He’ll only make Carolina’s defense better. Someone must have taken a long lunch break after their second pick because they didn’t pick up another impact player until the fifth round with Duke Robinson. Although the Panthers may have been going for the best player left on the board, they’ve struck gold with the Robinson pick. He’s another player that is playing with a chip on his shoulder and also playing close to home. Both of those factors will contribute to his elite play this season. Those factors will also enable Captain to play well. He’s a hometown favorite that will have a lot to show, when he plays. Its going to take injury and luck to get him onto the field; but, he will get there.
I am purposely avoiding the Atlanta Falcons’ draft class because I’m not going to be fair. I’ll sit here and find all the positives in every single one of our picks and we’ll all know their attributes. Just know that I firmly believe that Jerry will be disruptive and Moore will contend for rookie of the year. Owens will replace Jackson at nickel because of his aggressive play (Jackson and Houston will start at corners). Sidbury will be situational, for right now (at least until Abraham retires). Last season, we drafted three starters; this year, we’ll match that with two. Ownes and Sidbury should contribute, defensively, like Douglass contributed on offense. I look forward to a great season.
Now, I’m ’bout to go and do something the devil aint never did before. Rest!
Ken Strickland
May 5th, 2009
12:53 pm
We’ve had other HC’s(LBennett, DReeves, JMora) to come in and have an outstanding season. And, Falcon fans were just as jacked up then as we are now. However, there’s a difference in the approach and results of current HC MSmith and his predessors.
LBennett was betrayed by team ownership, the SNUFFY SMITH FAMILY, who refused to spend the money to keep the GRITS BLITZ together.
DReeves shot himself in the foot by making boneheaded decisions as GM and HC, and released too many key players that made the DIRTY BIRDS FLY SO HIGH. Losing RB JAnderson to a season ending injury was the final nail in the coffin. He had another strong sesson in 02, QB MVIck’s 1st season as a starter. A season ending injury to Vick caused a team collapse in 03.
JMora had an outstanding introductory season in 04. But injuries and poor coaching caught up to the team the following yr.
MSmith’s Falcons had as many, if not more, injuries as any of his predessors teams. He had no fewer that 11 players go on IR and all but 1, OT SBaker, suffered season ending injuries(OT RFoster, WR LRobinson, RB TBrown, LB RJames, CB’s BGrimes, VHutchins, DIrons, SS AHarris, DT TLewis, TE BHartsock and OT SBaker).
Imagine what this yrs team will do if it avoids serious injuries. Last yr we saw our unbelievably talented coaching staff overcome limited talent, a lot of holes, especially on DEF, a host of injuries and a spirit and franchise crushing scandal. Imagine what they will accomplish with an infusion of talent, those holes filled and no scandal to cotend with.
I think of how DEF’s will have to contend with Probowl QB MRyan handing off to Probowl RB MTurner or throwing to Probowl WR RWhite and Probowl TE TGonzalez, or rapidly improving WR MJenkins. I guarantee you our passing OFF will be expanded to include the addition of TE TGonzalez. I find it hard to believe this yrs OFF will have the same Redzone, short yardage and TD scoring problems as last yr.
THIS YRS TEAM WILL NOT BE DERAILED BY INJURIES, GREEDY/STINGY OWNERSHIP, AN INCOMPETENT GM, HC, ASSISTANT COACHES OR A FRAGILE OFF SYSTEM BASED ON GIMMICKS AND/OR THE ABILITY OF ONE PLAYER.
mars
May 5th, 2009
1:24 pm
How does one upload a picture on this MySpace page?
D3
May 5th, 2009
1:54 pm
Stirg – great to have you back brother. Congrats on your new house. Myself and the House CEO took advantage of the housing market right before the collapse last summer. Make sure you look into the various tax credits out there right now.
Good to see the Bird-Cage gettin’ cranked up again, albeit a little slower.
Rookie of the Year Competitions
D3
OFF – 1)Beanie Wells, 2)Jeremy Maclin, 3)Mark Sanchez
DEF – 1)Brian Orakpo, 2)Aaron Curry, 3)Larry English
Reno911
OFF – 1)Mark Sanchez, 2)Beanie Wells, 3)Pat White
DEF – 1)Aaron Curry, 2)William Moore, 3)BJ Raji
Unca’ Bob
OFF – 1)Mark Sanchez, 2)Beanie Wells, 3)Hakeem Nicks
DEF – 1)Aaron Curry, 2)Brian Orakpo, 3)Jarron Gilbert
Stirg(tentative)
OFF – 1)Donald Brown, 2)Jeremy Maclin, 3)Jason Smith
DEF – more research
NFC South Draft Grades
D3
Tampa Bay – C+, Carolina – B, New Orleans – D, ‘Birds – B+
Stirg
Tampa Bay – C+, Carolina – A-?, New Orleans – C-
Unca’ Bob
Got analysis, need letter grades
Alright Gents, lets get those Rookie of the Year Competition in and NFC South Draft Analysis before we move on to another division. Final ROY predictions and Draft Grades will posted at end of the week before we start in analyzing divisions.
Unca' Bob
May 5th, 2009
2:33 pm
D2,
My Def should read:
1 Curry
2 william Moore
3 Orakpo
TB-C+
CA-B+
NO-D
FA-B+
Sorry for the confusion.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 5th, 2009
5:52 pm
D3, thanks for the info. I’ll definitely dispatch the “House CEO” and research the tax credits. Good lookin’!
My defensive rookie of the year award went solely to William Moore. I’m going out on a limb here but I think the rookie is going to play like a vengeful beast. With that vengence, I expect him to bring home the award. Please adjust my submission to defensive rookie of the year.
Also (its not that important, considering I dislike our divisional foes), I didn’t mean to give Carolina Panthers an “A”. I’m not certain if the tone of my entry dictated that; nonetheless, I grade them with a “B-”. Tampa Bay made a “C+”; and New Orleans made a flat out “D”.
Thanks, in advance, for the corrections.