Are you ready for some Mini-Camp football?

A nice way to start the day with Mrs. Gonzalez.

This is how you do it. You draft high character guys who were proven leaders on their college teams and give them the whole playbook. You can find out right away who are the brightest minds in the new class and who needs help memorizing all the hundreds of plays and schemes. Then the real mentoring begins from coaches and players.

I can’t wait to see team. I am going to make it up there this Saturday. Any ideas on contingencies for parking for the increased number of newly excited fans?

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Woot! Mini-Camp time!

Can’t wait to see Gonzo in the Red and Black!

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Good Friday AM Brothers! Mini-camp time is HERE. Ready to get rollin’ and see the new faces, who’s coming out with a bang, and who’s on the hot seat. Looks like I won’t be able to make it to the ‘Branch tomorrow. On to football………

JohnWayne – you got it right on the money about high character. I think teams too often discount the huge effect that can have on a team; not only in the locker room, but also on the field. Take some good notes up there. P—-d I can’t make it.

WR – Wow, now thats a busy weekend right there. Let me know how everyone looks, particularly the rooks and our boys coming back from IR. Will it mainly be individual drills or do they start to work it into spring. I assume its helmets and shorts only at this point.

Keep the ‘Cage rockin! Each blog topic DOL puts up now averages between 150 & 200 posts, and its OFF-SEASON!!!

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Just arrived in the Branch. The Birds are in meetings and sent to hit the field in about an hour.

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Reggie Roberts and his PR staff are getting me the parking info. Will post shortly.

JJB: Rookies are officially “unsigned,” but normally have insurance type waivers in case of mini-camp injury.

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WR,

Happy Birthday to your Mom & Dad. Sounds like Saturday will be the icing between the cakes. When Lil’Dave gets on board perhaps you and JohnWayneworld could hammer out a means to meet. I.E. “I’ll be at the ticket booth at 9:00 sharp wiht a sign saying Lil’Dave over my head”. Ya’ll enjoy!! I’m that ugly shade of green.

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here we go junkies! our first falcon fix in four months

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DOL,

Should we bring full rain gear with umbrellas for standing for hours in the rain or will they have tents set up everywhere, OR will they cut short practice if it start raining hard?

Anyone else been up for mini-camp? What to do, what to avoid, etc.

Thanks

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HERE’S A LITTLE UPDATE. FIRST PRACTICE IS OVER:
By D. Orlando Ledbetter
dledbetter@ajc.com

FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons defensive end John Abraham and kicker Jason Elam were surpise hold outs of mini-camp practice during Friday’s morning session.
Abraham and Elam, joined defensive back Von Hutchins (broken foot), offensive lineman Alex Stepanovich (back) and cornerback David Irons (knee) as players who were held out of practice.
“We felt they weren’t 100 percent ready to go so we made a decision to limit those guys today,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “Abe is leftover from the rigors of the 16 game season. He had a number of ailments.”
Smith would not confirm if Abraham had any offseason surgeries or medical procedures.
“Not going to talk about it,” Smith said.
Abraham, who started all 17 games last season and set a franchise record with 16.5 sacks, has a history hamstring issues. He was a Pro Bowl alternate last season, while playing with a shoulder injury.
“You look at those guys, Jason and John, they are up there in years,” Smith said. “They’ve got a number of mini-camps underneath their belts. We are going to limit them and limit some of the older players. We want to get a look at as many of these young guys as we can.”

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DOL – thanks for the quick update. Can’t wait for more.

Just a quick note from DOL’s update, Hutchins and Irons are out AGAIN! I know its ridiculously too early, but those two better be chompin’ at the bit to get back on the field. Particularly Hutchins. Not knockin’ the dude, but we haven’t seen ANYTHING from him since we signed him as a FA 14 months ago. By my count, there are 7 legit candidates competing for 4-5 CB spots. You have to assume that Houston, C.Jackson, & Chris Ownes are pretty solid. We only carried 4 corners on our active roster last year, but we may carry 5 this year and 3 safeties. Using my math that leaves Hutchins, Grimes, Irons, and Middleton fighting for 2, maybe even 1 spot. Do we take someone who is obviously severly injury prone? Just sayin’……….

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Keep you eyes on my man SIDBURY and let me know how he’s doing. Anybody got a report on him from the recent 3-day camp, and my other pick AARON KELLY?

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Man…I can’t wait to see if Moore and Perry live up to what we think are two excellent picks!

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JohnWaynesworld – Like DOL said the parking is across the street at The Sports Complex you cant really miss it because Flowery Branch High School is also right there. There really isnt tents for the public so diffently bring some rain gear and a chair to sit in. I’m personally leaving my house at 9:10 just to get good parking but practice isnt till 10:30 as we all know. But the place really fills up fast as far as parking is concerned and the longer you wait the fur you have to walk. Plus the better sit you get before the practice the better chance you have a getting good autographs afterwords because you already be in position. And if you want autographs they sell 20$ footballs on-site just for that purpose so you dont have to worry about picking something up before hand.

And if you guys actually wanted to meet up once you got to the facility that’d be cool with me cause I’m already bringing a crew with me from South Carolina.

O ya if you need any extra small details about what you can and cant bring into the training camp just check the Falcons offical web site its all posted there. Keep in touch Bird Cage!

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BIG RUMBLE: Surprise, Surprise!!! Right guard Harvey Dahl got into a little tussle with Jason Jefferson during the morning session.

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Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Read Alert!

I say we cut John Abraham (or trade him, one). Last year, I watched a piece on Abraham (that thing when they “Mic you up”) and I watched John tell another defensive player “I’m done for the day; I got my two sacks and I’m done.” As if to say, I’ve done enough. When your salary is millions per year, you keep doing until you can’t do no more. I was very disturbed by his “giving up” and thought that was a very selfish attitude. When you look at Abraham’s sack numbers, you’ll notice that none of them came in the fourth quarter. Isn’t that crunch time…the fourth quarter?

D.O.’better’s reporting of Abraham has flat out scared me. Last year was the first full season Abraham has played in a long time. Considering the patience that the coaching staff has extended to John, you would think he’d come to camp ready and prepared. His absence, for whatever reason, is unacceptable to me. My godson makes $14/hr and injured his shoulder at work on Tuesday. Friday, he returned to work, aqainst the doctor’s wishes, because he didn’t want to lose his job to someone in the waiting. I got a secret for you, Mr. Abraham. We just drafted one of the best defensive ends in the draft. We also have millions of dollars invested in a defensive end that is begging to start (Davis). Now get your ass out there on that field.

Right now is an appropriate time to quote Ike Turner…”We got the right songs, in the right place, at the right time; Now, I need for You to get your ass out there on that stage, right now!”

Pull your panties up and play some football!

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Nahsif, I agree with you. I think we should use old Abe for trade bait.

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Welp my work days is done guys! You all have a great weekend and I’ll talk to you on monday! GO FALCONS!

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Stirg- This is the silliest sh@#t you have said thus far. This is the first day of mini-camp and Abraham is going into his 10th season, mini-camp is primarily a time to evaluate rookies and get them exposed to the playbook… Abraham already knows the playbook. Calm down and let players play and coaches coach and you just be a fan.

READ THIS-

Five players were held out due to injury: Center Alex Stepanovich, cornerback Von Hutchins, cornerback David Irons, kicker Jason Elam and defensive end John Abraham.

“We felt they weren’t 100 percent ready to go we made the decision to limit those guys in practice today,” the coach said.

Abraham nursed several injuries through his 16.5-sack season in 2008. Smith would not go into detail about his current ailments other than to say he and other Falcons were taking it slow after the “rigors” or the NFL season.

The coach said more veterans will be held out in coming practices to keep players fresh and give the staff a chance to evaluate younger players.-

So you wanna trade all of the veterans that the coaching staff holds out of mini-camp? C’mon guy. Michael Strahan never came to mini-camp…never, so get rid of him to huh…he’s only the sack leader in the NFL.

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And Stirg I hate to discuss family issues in here but since you brought it up. If your godson did hurt his shoulder on the job and the doctor advised him not to return the next day…depending on the severity of his injury someone should have advised him of his rights as an employee because if his condition worsens the companies liability has significantly diminished because he went against doctors orders.

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One mitigating factor toward the “Abraham question” might be diminished playing time with the incorporation of and better play from Davis, Biermann, and Sidbury (and, dare I dream, Anderson)–just a decrease in total snaps, maybe by 10-20%, which would decreased chances for injury, give more rest, and lead to more consistent effective late-game performance. I’m not saying that guy shouldn’t play hard, every down, all game long. He should. I didn’t hear the soundbite you referenced, either, but I’d hope he’d have a better attitude, or at least sound like it. Actions speak louder than words, though, and the guy did rack up a franchise record sack total last year, without much help from the rest of the D-line and only rare blitz help to draw blockers away. I’m not defending him, but I am saying that, whatever he says on the bench, but he was hands down the best defender on the field last year, in all four quarters. And the factors that draw on the reserves of 10+ year vets like Abe can be mitigated somewhat.

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You got it cutter, the Falcons seem to making moves to get to the big dance sooner than later and Abe is a big part of that. If they was to trade Abe now, then TD would not be as smart as I thought. When a plyer has a mic on him half the stuff they say is bulls#$% anyway.

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I’ll tell you who i would like to see in action at Falcons mini-camp, October Gonzalez.

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jp3stacks! where are you, man? i’m in japan, too. (gumma)
no need to be worried about abraham. mike smith did a great job of managing all the vets’ practice time last year and look how productive and injury-free they were…well most of them. i don’t think we owe it ALL to coach smith but i don’t think it’s a coincidence that j.a.’s only injury-free season (in recent memory) was m.s.’s only year as head coach. besides, what excactly did you think we’d get for abe and his sacks? a draft pick would be a gamble. no one would give up a young sack machine (if we could get a younger guy like osi it’d be a different story) for an old one. a corner? wouldn’t be effective without a pass-rush. trading him wouldn’t make sense in my opinion. besides, sid vicious can hold it down for him if he gets injured during the season. i was happy about getting peria but sid vicious in the 4TH!!! that’s easily my favorite pick.

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To whom this may or not concern,

It was, and I stress still is my opinion, that this particular blog is about Brotherhood, with a Capital B. It is about opionon, always has been and hopefully always will be. The tenor and tone that I have been reading is counter productive to anything I have read in my short tenure. Ya’ll have made me so angry I may or may not have another buur.

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Unca’Bob everything is cool. This is alot better than a few months ago. As true Falcon fans , we will agree and disagree sometimes but nothing major.

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Allow me to get in on the nickname game.
1-Lawrence “SACK” Sidbury
2-Peria “SCARRY” Jerry
3-William “MONSTER” Moore
4-Garrett “BUZZ SAW” Reynolds
5-Vance “BEAST” Walker
6-Christopher “ROCK” Owens
7-Toney “TILT” Tiller
8-Chavis ‘JET” Jackson
9-John “JP” Wilson
10-Robert “HIT MAN” James

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Did I create some raucous in the Bird Cage this evening? Good! We need some activity up in here.

Falcon Devil, again (I cannot express this enough), I’m not trying to attract your respect for my opinions. Just like Thomas Dimitroff does not care what You, Stirg or anyone else thinks about his actions, your respect for my opinions is really irrelevant. You can save the negative comments and attacks for the Bucs, Saints and Panthers during regular season. I am merely blogging just to talk football. If you don’t agree with my comments (or anyone elses), simply enter your suggestions and wait for the next blog. Negative attacks and name calling is simply too juvenile for me.

…back to football. John Abraham is a good football player and a great defensive end. He does some things that most defensive ends cannot get away with. I agree with cutter…sixteen games against a man that fifty pounds heavier than you, does have its toll. Can we agree, however, that Abraham will not be a Falcon in two years (for whatever reason; retirement, free agency, release, injury)? If that is the case, why not get something for him while he’s still valuable? Do not let my opinion suggest that I don’t like Abraham. On the contrary, I think he’s one of the greatest defensive ends to ever dress in a Falcon uniform. This is a business, though; this is not flag football in your back yard. Davis and Anderson on the ends, backed by Biermann and Sidbury will suffice the philosophy and scheme that the Falcons are trying to achieve.

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Falcon21.

Having not been a guest of this site for months with out an “s” I have had a really good time. Having said that, some times the Devil comes out of me too.

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I heard Trey Lewis went down in camp and they were looking at his knee. Grimes practiced with the first team and TG was impressive as usual.

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OH NO; SAY IT ISNT SO!!! Trey Lewis went down, for real cutter?

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Unca’Bob enjoy this site, it is fun. I have had my hand slapped a few times from some of these bloggers as I well deserved but most of them are good people that can talk some serious Falcon football.

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Good call, I will save the negativity for the fans of the crappy NFC teams. I just feel very strongly on this issue so I can get carried away. A great pass rush end is the most coveted and expensive position in football next to QB. Abraham prob has 1-3 great seasons left in him. I am of the position we are Super Bowl contenders this year and next barring significant injuries. We had absolutley no pass rush last year from anyone but Abraham. While are stocked with young potential at DE no one (Davis excluded) has yet to perform at an elite level and NFL history is full of guys who had tons of potential and never reached it. Abraham’s trade value would not be close to the value in actual production this year and next he can provide. We are no longer “rebuilding” and we should not trade our most productive player for future potential. We drafted Abraham replacement (Sidbury) but he is still raw according to scouts. We have the pass rush of the future to develop, Abraham is the pass rush of now. I say we fufill his contract and in two years say good-bye thanks for being a Falcon.

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Thanks Falcon Devil for the quick info on Lewis. That is a relief.

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Your welcome Unca’Bob, you are one of us. Enjoy the blog!!!

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Okay, I may have to retract my suggestion. If Trey Lewis is unable to perform, then that makes Abraham’s presence more relevant. Two sacks a game and let Sid “bury the QB at wounded knee” come in at the fourth quarter, I can go for that.

Still, my thoughts remain the same. If the Falcons do as well as we are blogging about, that means we’ll pick low in next year’s draft. I’m sure Abraham’s value would command, at least, a first round pick. These are just my thoughts, before the Lewis’ scare. Now, I change my mind. We cannot afford to lose Abraham AND Lewis. Whew! That was a close call, heh birds?

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Grady Jackson’s brother, Javorris, is facing murder charges after allegedly killing his girlfriend last Saturday.

Javorris was invited to Lions camp for a tryout last weekend, but he failed a physical due to a wrist injury. The Savannah State star turned the gun on himself after shooting his girlfriend, and he’s currently hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the chest

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Strig,

Funny how the worm can turn. LOL. Have always thought the world of you.
Nothings changed.

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Don’t be too alarmed if DT TLewis initially has some issues with his knee. After having 2 knee surgeries so close together, he’ll have a lot of scar tissue. The sooner that scar tissue gives way, the sooner he can adjust and get his knee back to normal.

I made a post on the last blog thinking I was posting on this one. I mentioned how I did some additional research on both the backups and new hires that are competing for starting positions. Based on the information I found, I’ve revised my starting DEF lineup.

DE-JAbraham & CDavis(will change if JAnderson dominates during training camp and preseason).

DT-PJerry & TLewis(if his knee holds up and he can go all out)

LB-MPeterson, CLofton & SNicholas(has more versatility and range than
CWire and more experience than other competitors).

CB-CHouston & CJackson(is healthy and had an excellent rookie season as nickel back. BGrimes will be his biggest competitor).

SS-TDecoud(has more experience and fewer holes in his gm than WMoore at this point).

FS-EColeman.

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Nice piece on Gonzalez and the Falcons, on NFL.com. I remember, just a couple months ago, we were going at it about getting a blocking/catching tight end. I don’t know what tipped Dimitroff off about Pettigrew being gone before the 24th but it was a wise move to grab Gonzo before the draft. As Steve Wyche reported, I’ve been saying all alone that two-tight end sets (and sometimes three-tight end sets, as Wyche suggested) is going to to downright confuse defenses. They won’t know to either defend against the run or the pass. What a great acquisition. I guess I do know a little something about football, heh Falcon Devil?

Unca’ Bob, you alrgight with me.

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Ken, your starting lineup mock resembles mine, except for a couple positions. Lets get this debate started.

C. Davis is a good end and is ready to start for some (not most) NFL teams. You were one of the first ones in this cage that acknowledge that piece I did on defensive ends and the time it takes them to mature. I really do believe that Davis has reached that level of maturity and is ready to enter a run for pro-bowl type numbers. I just don’t think we should give up on Anderson this early, however. He’s entering his, what, third year? This is the year, according to my research, that he is supposed to blow up. Let’s give him a chance, at least the first couple of regular season games; and I agree with you, start Davis if he doesn’t show us something in the first quarter of the season.

Thomas Decoud showed up last year and he’s going to be even more impressive this year. You can’t sit William Moore, though. The boy is hungry; the boy is thirsty. I wouldn’t normally suggest on the job training for a normal rookie; but in the case of William “No” Moore, he’s like a Matt Ryan of defense. In due time, I can see this kid quarterbacking the defense. I think the value of drafting him, is equated to the value of drafting Hip-Hip Peria or Matty Ice, if not more.

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what happened to my last comment? this blog is eating posts…

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What I sid was it was a cheap shot from a Panther, but then is there any other kind? But it is a great roadtrip me and my bud have made it 4 years in a row until last year when we went to Tampa instead, better because there is a beach.

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Stirg d’Nahsif, I seem to recall the Abraham quote in question. I believe he said it when celebrating a game clinching sack with fellow teammates that gave us the ball and the clock for the win. I remember it as a celebration not as a stupid spoiled brat remark. Beside I have heard interviews with John and interviews about him and I just don’t believe he is that kind of guy. Brittle? Maybe. Lazy and conceited? NO!

Sara B, hey girl!

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Hey JWW – I agree he is definately not lazy but brittle – a good part because of Mora’s dumb azz move in Charlotte I mentioned above.

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I feel you on that, Sarah B. Before even coming to Detroit, I’ve always driven Ford. I wasn’t here for the race riots but I just did a paper for class (I’m a grad student at Wayne St.; that’s why I’m here) and I recall the “blind pig” fiasco. You’re right; it is some very interesting reading. Don’t be alarmed that people, especially from the south, are unaware of that riot. I just learned about it two years ago, since coming here.

Things are turning around, I think. There’s a new mayor, at least until November. The NBA great Dave Bing! City Council is shaking up a little bit…it looks positive.

What confuses me, though, is why draft Matthew Stafford for the number one pick? The city is depressed and you want fans to come to the stadium (Red Wings, Tigers and sometimes Pistons, sell out all the time). If I’m the Lions owner, I won’t attract people by sitting my number one draft pick. Fans want to see some positive action…at least some effort. Detroit Lions made some pretty good picks, however; their defense can be awesome. We’ll see. I plan to tailgate for the pre-season opener, vs. the Falcons. If you’re not there, I’ll tell You about it.

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Stirg I will have just been to MI in Aug. for M&D 50th anniversy in Grand Haven or that would be a great roadtrip too. Is Ford Field as cool as it looks on TV?

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You know, that’s one thing I got to give this city. They love their sports. Yes, Ford Field is awesome; and so is Comerica Park (baseball). There are plans to build a hockey arena, where the old Tiger Stadium was and it could be the best in the NHL.

The few good things thats keeping this city alive is Motown, the Casinos and professional sports (Pistons, Red Wings, Tigers, …)

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Wouldn’t you know it, theres a heated debate and I just happen to sign on at bedtime, well before I catch some Zzzz, how about a little catching up.

Stirg and Cutter, great arguments and remember there just arguments and that makes for some good football talk. Don’t lose respect for someones opinion, just disagree, if we all blog about the same thing with the same ideas I doubt this blog would have lasted this long, kind of like people complaining about D-Led bringing up the Lion’s, GA or GT, its Falcon territory but a football Nation. I actually thought about the same idea Stirg had for different reasons. I can care less about the mic’d up talk, but the age and value issue was something I thought about during the draft. On the one hand you have our most productive defensive player on the other you have a player who is getting long in the teeth. Solution, we just drafted his replacement,yes as his production decreases he will lose value but as of right now his value off the field is as important as it is on the field. If you look at Sidbury he is in the mode of a Abraham type and who better to learn from than Abraham, kind of like that commercial talking about people comparing a car to a camry, why not just buy a camry. Both of you guys make a good point but one of you just mentioned how smart of a move it was to get Gonzo,I agree, but consider although his production hasn’t decreased Gonzo too is on the downside of his career, so why get an offensive player with only a couple of years left in the tank and trade your best defensive player with a couple of years left in the tank. Stirg, the idea of value is a good point but consider the value the falcons get by having a mentor for a player in Sidbury who most if not all of us agree is a steal. If the birds were further away from being a contender I would agree with you stirg, but I feel as many on the blog feel, the birds are now a contender so lets see can Abe help bring a parade to peachtree over the next couple of years, and if not at least help mentor the DE who will.

Unca’Bob, sounded like you were going to break out the wiping stick for a second there,gotta get the fellas back in line right, if I haven’t said it enough once again, glad to have you abroad.

All is well from the cage, goodnight fellas

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WR, we can kill my suggestion, now. That Trey Lewis report of him going down today, scared the hell out of me. We’ll need Abe. I agree with you, Abe would make a wonderful tutor for Sid “bury me a G”. We can stop that debate.

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Greetings my Falcon Brethren!

Damn, I thought it was Harvey Dahl and Jason Jeffers that got tangled up, not Stirg, Cutter, and Falcon Devil! LOL!

Hate to see Trey Lewis starting up with the injury bug again, already. I know the article said he was up and on his feet again, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he was back up and PLAYING again, more specifically pain free. I sure hope he can get healthy and stay that way. We need him. If not, again, look for other options to come into play. Don’t sleep on Vance Walker, either…

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Sarah, The Lions drafted Louis Delmas and he is a MONSTER. He has an added incentive in being drafted in his home state, so he plays like a beast. Also, they drafted Sammie Lee Hill, who alot of us in the bird cage coveted. He’s very raw, though; he’s so raw, he’s getting personal attention. They just got Foote from the Steelers. Defensively, they should improve.

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Stirg – thank God but I still hope we win that 1st game. Report in, like you said.

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Well Guys it’s been great chatting but I have to get up and cut the lawn before it starts raining again here tomorrow, so i think I’ll call it a night. I would love to go out to mini-camp tomorrow but I have a lot of chores to do and if I can make the afternoon training I will or if not I’ll make the next one. I can’t believe I’m the only girl/woman to be in the cage right now but it’s great!!! I love the cage!!! GO Falcons!!! Nite all… I’ll check in tomorrow.

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Stirg – talk to you soon.

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Well said, Big Ray.

With that, I’m about to do something that the devil aint never did before. Rest!

In the morning, gentlemen (and lady).

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nite all…

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Great friday evening ladies and gents! Got some lively debate between our Bird-Cage brethren, eh? Stirg & Falcon Devil having a little disagreement about Abe, and its all good. Let’s just remember we’re brothers here in the ‘Cage and as Barry so eloquently says, “We’re One Heartbeat!”

JPW – I had a sneaking suspiscion that this signing had some bigger implications than just inviting him to camp as a potential scout teamer. The crackpot theory I came up with involved allowing Shockley to move to #2, and JPW to #3. Redman is the 8th highest paid backup in the NFL and he’s turning 33 this year. Shockley’s earned the right to compete for it, IMHO. Definitely goes in line with that “process” and “youth” movement.

Trey Lewis – guys I may be the negative detractor on this one, but with Big Trey “tweakin” his knee yet again, I just don’t see him being healthy enough on a consistent basis to be effective. I wish him the best and hope he turns it around on the injury front, but its not looking good, IMO. Glad we picked up Jerry and Walker, because Trey had two knee injuries in a year in a half and first practice back he tweaks his knee? Don’t like the sound of it. Hope he proves me wrong because I know he has the skills.

Lil’ Dave – represent the ‘Cage well tomorrow and take some good notes. Also got give you MAD, MAD PROPS MY FRIEND. Tried your Tender Sauce and it ABSOLUTELY ROCKED THE HOUSE!!!!! Man, it was the $H—!!! Thanks for the recipe brother.

Stirg – I understand your frustration with Abe not practicing, but Smitty believes in giving the vets time off, especially those who’ve earned it (16.5 sacks). Seemingly, Abe’s always been the consummate pro since he’s been in the ATL. He does have a huge injury history problem so having Biermann, C.Davis, J.Anderson, and El Sidbury competing for the other DE spot and backups is a good problem.

Reno911(aka The Champ) – definitely credit the coaches for helping Abe have his best year in the Falcons uniform.

falcon21 – agreed on Abe finishing out his contract here in the ATL. With the addition of TG, TD & Co. are signaling that we should be ready to compete for a Super Bowl by next year; maximum two years. Abe is a cornerstone in that venture.

falmouth – great to have you in the Bird-Cage as well. This must be an alternative universe whereby we get two bloggers from Japan in the ‘Cage within two days. Glad to have you my friend.

Unca’ Bob – you da’ man on regulating the ‘Cage between us bro’s. Positive, respectful, and ONE HEARTBEAT here in the Bird-Cage.

Ken Strick – love your nicknames brother. Especially Scary Jerry and Monster Moore.

FalconDevil – agree with you on Abe. In two years we should be ready for Super Bowl contention, maximum of three. TG and Abe probably have the same amount of gas left in the tank; maybe TG has a little more fuel.

JoeBrave – right on man. Glad to have you rockin’ here in the ‘Cage. We’re definitely faster, more athletic, and hungrier than last year. Can’t wait.

Waitin’ for more updates like Plaxico waiting on his court case.

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If I was the coach of the Falcons I would not play John Abraham a single down during the preseason nor would I practice him much at all. We all know he is injury prone, he is our best player on defense, and a guy we can’t afford to lose. He has nothing left to prove especially in the off season. Why take any chances on getting him hurt.

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Good Morning All,

The gates to Flowery Branch are swinging open and I’m not there. It sucks to be me.

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STIRG & UNCA BOB-DE CDavis has enough experience playing DE to understand the nuances and techniques of playing the position and has likely reached his max potential. Any increase in his production will likely be the result of increased playing time, not individual improvement. On the other hand, DE JAnderson hasn’t played DE long enough to master instinctly the naunces and techniques of the position. He hasn’t come close to reaching his max potential. With his size, speed, quickness and strength, if he masters instinctively the techniques and nuances of the position, he could be even more disruptive and dominant than DE JAbraham.

He hss to learn he can’t be as effective using patented moves used by shorter, smaller premire pass rushing DE’s like Dwight Freeney or JAbraham. His height and size can make it more difficult for him to spin then flatten out(bending his waist and lowering his shoulder to get under the pads of the DT). He should learn how to use his hands and upper body strength to redirect, or get the OT off balance, then spin and use his size and leg strength to blow by him. Instead of trying to bull rush the OT like he successfully did in college, he should go straight into the OT and use his size and upper body strength to stand the DT straight up. Once he’s stood the OT up, and knocked him back or destroyed his base and/or balance, the OT will be at his mercy with his size, strength and speed.

He simply needs to develop different techniques designed to get the OT off balance, then use his size, strength and quickness to bull rush the QB, instead of trying to bull rush the OT to get to the QB.

BOTTOMLINE, YOU SIMPLY CAN’T GIVE UP ON DE JANDERON BECAUSE HE SIMPLY HAS FAR TOO MUCH PHYSICAL TALENT AND VERSATILITY.

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Given that ATL’s offense has no OOMPH, Can they move the fences in at Turner field? Could turn a few of those warning track shots in to doubles? Just a thought. LOL!!!

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Ken Strickland,

I understand the development it takes for most TE’s is about three years. This will be his third year. Anderson is only 23 years old and I feel that is part of his not coming out. Most kids at his age are still in school and JA now has two years in the NFL. I have not given up on him and really feel when the light comes on in his head he will be a tremendous asset to the Falcons Def.

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K Strick,

That TE should be DE. More proofreading needed.

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if he is, sorry!

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Guys, I believe the steal of the draft was Lawrence Sidbury (L Sid). Unless J Anderson performs the unlikely miracle of turning into a football player, L Sid will be the starter, As will ” Mungo” Jerry and “Hit ‘Em Some” Moore.

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Jason I think Owens may have a shot to start. A lot of scouting time has been put into this guy. Maybe not right away but at some point during the season.

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Falcon21,

I read this morning that TD & Co. have been following Owens for two years. Said he has a neck like Mike Tyson.

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I’m thinking owens will come up hard and fast in run support.

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I looked at this draft and at first was what?, then in TD we trust. Now I look at this draft and see that the first four picks will play alot this year, and the rest will play more the following. It wasn’t just depth TD was drafting. No he was drafting players Coch Smith can develope over the next two years. Where was owens picked again?

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I look for the 1st 4 picks to all start at some point during the season.

Jerry will start for sure, barring an injury and be a part of the DT rotation.

Moore will play, esp. in obvious run down situations.

Owens will play b/c let’s face it…I’m not picking on Grimes, but that’s who he has to beat out. It’s not out of the question that he’s the starter from game 1 if he beats him out in camp.

Sidbury, I look for to start in obvious passing situations, long 3rd downs, etc where he’ll be turned loose on the QB.

In any case, if those 4 players contribute like we are all expecting, it’ll be a heck of a draft for the Falcons 2 years in a row.

Job well done, and word is (at least from Buck and Kincade the other day), that Matt Ryan looking poised to have a big follow up year!

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LONG TIME FALCON-When Abreham first came into the league he was considered undersized and used as a pass rushing specialist only. Can you give any stats on how may tackles or how well he played the run? There’s more to being a DE, or DT, than getting sacks., and out biggest DEF weakness last yr was defending the run. Did you ever wonder why JAnderson wasn’t replaced as a starter like LB MBoley? Even though he had problems rushing the passer, he played the run better than any DE on the roster. SS LMalloy was allowed to remain a starter for the same reason, even though his limited coverage skills cost us big at times.

Former Falcons DE, and 1st rd pick, Patrick Kerney didn’t come close to showing he had the ability of becoming a Probowl DE his 1st 2yrs. I remember some of the same comments and attitudes, that are being expressed about Janderson, were being expressed about PKerney his 1st 2yrs. Do any of you think we would have made it to the Superbowl without DE PKerney’s Probowl calibur play? There’s no way we could have benefited from his growth and maturity as a DEF if our coaches had listened to the uninformed ravings of the doubters among us.

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Thought he was the 5 rounder, but that was CB from Marist Highschool?

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Does anybody have an up dare on Jerry?

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Good Sat. Afternoon Bird-Cage bro’s and sis’s! Man, I wish I was at the ‘Branch today watching all the vets, rooks, and boys comin’ back from IR. Not a great weekend with Mothers Day and all, but I’m sure they don’t arrange it for the fans, which is all good. Where’s the updates? I jonesin’ here guys. To Football…………

longtime – thanks for the update. Definitely gotta go outside to get some good Falcons tidbits, particularly AtlantaFalcons.com. DOL’s pretty dang good about getting everything that’s available. The team website will obviously have more access than the normal press. Good to see the national sports media getting in on us.

Ken Strick – agree right up your alley on J.Anderson. He showed major progress last year from his rookie year, and even though he only got one sack, he did get within inches of getting several more and had several tackles for a loss. He should have a big year this year with Jerry, Lewis, and Walker. Chauncey Davis will give him everything he can handle and we know competition will bring out the best in every player. I depart from you on Chauncey Davis. We don’t know if his skills are maxed out because he hasn’t had the snaps to prove it on a consistent basis. Just going on efficiency, Davis has made the absolute most of every chance he’s gotten. So time will tell this year if Davis is maxed out or not.

jason – Our Bravo’s need to borrow a page from our ‘Birds. Win two, lose 4; win 1, lose two. Frustrating to watch the Braves these days. If I were to bet Chris Owens will probably work his way in the way Chevis Jackson did last year. Work in the nickel, get a feel for the game with less responsibilities on smaller 3rd receivers, get confidence, and shine. Better than throwing him to the wolves, getting torched, and losing confidence, JMHO.

JoeBrave – where is that confirmed that Jerry tweaked his knee? Don’t ruin my saturday bro’, JK.

Stirg – love the ugly duckling reference. We should know a TON about JA this year. No excuses for him.

Supes – where ya been bro’? Glad to have you back. Jerry will definitely start. I agree that Moore will surely play, but I think he’ll have a huge chance to win the starting job. I think Owens may win a starting job, but I’ll be real surprised if Houston and C.Jackson aren’t our starting CB’s against Miami. Agree that Sidbury will start slow, but I think there’s even a chance that he can work in a rotation at DE and OLB. I think he has enough skills to play the SAM, particularly if we move to some 3-4 looks. Imagine Lofton, Peterson as ILB’s in a 3-4, and Sdibury/Biermann and Nicholas/Wire as outside OLB’s in a 3-4? Middleton will have a chance to work in at Dime back and Walker working in a DT rotation.

DOL – where’s the updates my friend?

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Hello Birdcage!
I was actually at the Falcons Mini Camp morning practice today and the weather was awesome! The crowd was huge! Lucky for me, the sun came out when they wrapped up! It was my first mini camp experience, so I truly enjoyed the festivites including watching the practice sessions. The entire team looked good! I was impressed with the first team offense although Tony G. didn’t participate. I was able to get the little Dean and myself several autographs. I was very happy to meet and greet some of the players after practice, Trey Lewis, Chancy Davis, Chris Houston, Chelvis Jackson, Von Hutchins, E. Coleman and William Moore..etc I even got a chance to speak with Arthur Blank and he happily autographed my football!! A big bird clap to see the owner out there signing autographs! It’s going to be a awesome training camp coming up and I truly believe we will have back to back winning seasons!

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Apologize if re-post, the blog eating monster decided to rear its ugly head………..

Since no updates on here, some tidbits from AtlantaFalcons.com:

“William Moore moves really well for as stout as he is. He and Thomas DeCoud are going to be fun to watch as the starting strong safety battle progresses in Training Camp.
DT Trey Lewis worked individually with Assistant Coach Ray Hamilton prior to the start of practice, and he fully participated in drills once the session got underway.
WR Harry Douglas put a devastating move on an unsuspecting cornerback, selling a curl pattern and releasing on a go route. Chris Redman’s 45-yard pass was right on the money, prompting “Oooohs and Ahhhhs” from the fans watching from the hill.
Speaking of long passes, John Parker Wilson demonstrated some of his arm strength on two very well-thrown balls of 40+ yards. One of the knocks on Wilson coming out of ‘Bama was his arm strength, but the undrafted free agent was able to get the ball down field during one-on-one receiver/corner drills.
An official count of just over 1,600 fans watched the morning practice, and several hundred fans were already lined up at the gates 30 minutes before the gates opened for the afternoon session.”

Good to see Moore and hear Jerry walked off on his own power.

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Ken Strickland,

No point in arguing with some fans, I agree that Jamaal Andersen will have a great year and though some may disagree he had a good year last year when not considering sacks. Funny how everyone remembers his lack of sacks but fell to recognize his key role in the Falcons limited run defense. By the way for naysayers, pretty much everyone talks about the improved play of Babs, and it was well deserved, but what side of the line did he play on, as I remember he played next to Abe, where as JA played next to a DT in Grady Jackson, who’s sole purpose was to eat up space, yes at times he was able to get good penetration but he was a stop gap space eater who funneled plays to the help, one part of that help was JA. People talk about Sidbury unseating JA, it won’t happen, Sidbury will be a pass rush specialist that will have good numbers in his first year, yeah fans will say why not start him over Jamaal, and thats because most fans only see sacks, but a true fan of football realizes that sacks don’t win many games, stopping the run and limiting the pass does. Show me a team that can’t run the ball effectively and I’ll show you a team that hasn’t won a Superbowl, try New England if you would like but the truth is they have only won Superbowls when their running game was effective even if it was a running back by committee approach. Point is, sacks get all the glamour, but I’ll take an all around defensive end over a sack specialist anyday.

Stirg,
Whats up my man, I knew you had the intelligent football talk down, but I had no idea you could go back in the day like you did with Casillas, I still can’t believe we let the Cowboys get him, talk about diamond in the rough, well we did give up Brett Favre and we let Deion get out of here, oh the memories, okay enough with depressive talk, in Smitty and TD we trust, back to back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history will happen in 09.

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Is anyone familiar with Pisa Tinoisamoa, linebacker with St. Louis Rams? He played strongside linebacker and he was their leading tackler last season. He was released by the Rams today. Is he worth the lobby?

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Falcons just finished the second of two Saturday minicamp practices and got some good news on first-round pick Peria Jerry.

He has a mild sprain of his right knee, the team said Saturday evening.

The defensive tackle bumped knees during the morning practice. He spent the afternoon having tests before the team gave the update.

My guess is Jerry probably won’t be practicing Sunday. It would be wise to be cautious with this valuable property. The Falcons should rather have Jerry practicing at full strength in July and August rather than risking anything in May.

In other news, guard Harvey Dahl, who has been known for getting into tussles on the practice field and in the regular season, has started this year early. Dahl got into a mix with defensive lineman Jamaal Anderson in the afternoon practice. The two went at it for a few seconds before teammates broke up the fight.

I’m leaving Flowery Branch in a few minutes and won’t be at the minicamps final practice Sunday morning. But I’ve got a tape recorder full of Falcons’ stuff that will be coming at you in the near future. Matter of fact, keep an eye here Monday for a story on Anderson, about how the former first-round draft pick is hoping to have a breakout season in his third year.

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Got this off twitter guys

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I think JA is reading your blogs.

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Enter your comments here

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Stirg,

Abe is still getting healthy no need to over do it in a three day minicamp, but hard to argue with a man who knows about Ramen Noodles, I know we could hang out at the game with a couple of brews, you may have some arguments that I disagree with but you keep it real. The days of Ramen noodles,life was actually simple then even though I didn’t realize it.

Cutter,

I hope JA, as in Jamaal Andersen, is reading this blog, hopefully he will get the chance to see that we believe. Trust me when I say that I not only argue on his behalf on this blog, but I do the same with my Pop and my brother and for some reason I just get the feeling that this man is going to turn out to be a beast.

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FYI the players definitely read the AJC blogs as well as TD. He has actually commented on reading AJC blogs in interviews.

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Good Evening Gents! 2 days down for our first look at our new 2009 Atlanta Falcons. Anyone head up to the ‘Branch today and get a glimpse in person? Does anyone have any specifics other than the few tidbits we’ve gotten from various sites? Let’s dive in……….

DOL – c’mon brother, what goes on today? We know you’re busy as all get out, but you know we’re a bunch of junkies here in the ‘Cage and need our fix. Please allow us to keep our dignity and not have to resort to going to Twitter or Facebook to get our updates.

cutter & Ed – thanks for the update men. As mentioned earlier, its pretty dry around here, and we appreciate all the info we can get from the mini-camp today.

Stirg – what’s up my brother in D-Town? Peterson is definitely a short term fix at SAM, maybe two years, three at most. Hopefully, Nicholas will be a long-term answer at WILL, we’ll find out the answer this year. Don’t totally discount The Sid taking some shots at SAM with his amazing skills, a la Terrell Suggs. As Ken Strick pointed out, it’s impossible to replace every need we had on defense, OLB being that exception this year. Maybe we have an answer with Robert James, and the two UDFA’s, Nicholson in particular. Remeber, we have probably two years for someone to learn under Peterson. If TD, Smitty, & Co. don’t feel comfortable with Nicholas/Wire, then I could see us looking at the released/cut players around training camp time.

WR – waht’s up brother? I may be reading your comments about keeping players out of drills wrong, but there’s a fine line in watching out for players fearing for injury. The only reason I say that is you lose your edge; I saw it first hand as UGA went “soft” in practice and it showed on the field.

Still scowering for more details about today’s practice. C’mon DOL, hook us up!

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Oh I’m sorry 8.583 million a year.

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cutter – good point. Obviously, I guess you missed the basic point I was trying to make. I agree with sitting vets like TG and Abe. I was simply relaying the fact that we don’t want to enter into the game of not hitting and being physical in practice, sacrificing our edge and toughness. If you prefer, you can use Lil’ Jimmy Mora’s reign as an example. His practices were known to be soft, fun, playing music, etc.; we see how well that turned out. Obviously, there are HUGE differences between Pro and College and we have financial investments with the ‘Birds, but boiled down to its basic core, football is football.

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It’s a little hot so don’t let your one month old suck on the bones. Oh wait I mean your future HOF WR…

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D3- You know I get caught up in these blogs and sometimes it dawns on me that people are entitled to there opinion no matter how little it has to do with any current issues pertaining to the team. It’s like the media if nothing is going on hey lets create something. Somebody earlier wanted to cut Abraham now were are in jeopardy of being soft and losing our edge while being compared to college programs and Jim Mora practices. Not to long ago we were singing the praises of the GM and the coaching staff now a veteran sits out a minicamp session and theres mutiny afoot. Fans…you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. Much like a women.

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cutter – understood. I want to be clear about what I was referring to, though. I wasn’t saying we’re being soft, or that Smitty and Co. have any plans of becoming that way. I was referencing WR’s statement about us fans being afraid of having an injury, thats all. I am 100% completely behind TD, Smitty, Blank, and Co. and they have my full trust, conviction, and support. I agree with you; vets who have proved themselves over a long career, such as TG & Abe, deserve to get the rest and don’t have anything to prove in mini-camp after coming off record years. I think you may have misunderstood my intent; I was just saying that we as fans can’t get paranoid and a nervous wreck about injuries because they’re a huge part of football. The Falcons and UGA are really nothing at all alike, I was just saying that coaches sometimes can over-react when injuries pile up. As a UGA grad and fan, it was obvious last year that something was missing in practice the way they showed up (or didn’t in the case of last year) and Richt admitted that they had gone soft in practice. It’s all good brother. In TD, Smitty, Blank, & Co. I TRUST!!!!!

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LONG TIME FALCON-maybe he hasn’t lived up to your expectations, but our coaching staff obviously doesn’t appear to have problems with his production. Why do you think he’s been the starting LDE the last 2 yrs and is listed as the starter now, despite his low sack total? He’s demonstrated an ability to effectively defend the run and run DEF has been our #1 problem for the last 3-4yrs.

You stated that we didn’t draft him #8 just to defend the run. Well, we didn’t draft him #8 just to get sacks either. We traded a #1 pick and paid a lot of money for DE JAbraham to get sacks. COME ON MAN, YOU’RE WASTING A LOT OF UNNECESSARY TIME AND EMERGY ON SOMETHING THAT’S OBVIOUSLY NOT A PROBLEM FOR OUR COACHING STAFF, JUST YOU.

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If you want to view a much larger gallery of photos from Saturdays mini camp check out this link

http://www.flickr.com/photos/learnslr/sets/72157617926111128/show/

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D3:

Agree on SIDBURY being slow go to OLB. He never played the position. Only space he defended was in the flat on certain plays. His game will have to ramp up mucho to become an effective OLB for you. I’m sure you’ll see him used this year where his strengths lie – along the line on run defense and rushing the passer.

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Tyson Clabo is listed as a RFA on the team roster, but i saw a picture of him at the mini-camp. anyone know the status of him

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Ken, I like you so I don’t want this to be nothing more than intense debate. However, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Again I want to be crystal clear that I am a true falcon fan and would like nothing more than for Anderson to break out like gangbusters but I just don’t see it. And I’m pretty damn sure the falcons envisioned more than 1 sack in two years when they gave all of that money to anderson. Whether you want to believe it or not defensive ends make the big bucks because of their ability to get to the QB. Jared Allen got the big contract from minnesota because he could sack the QB period. Reggie White and Bruce Smith’s greatness can be atributted to the fact that they are #1 and #2 on the all time sack list. What was Deacon Jones famous for? The QB sack! Pressure from a teams defensive ends takes the heat off of the Corners. It is absolutely vital to a teams defensive success. And I will be willing to bet if he doesn’t improve those paltry sack totals he will be on his way out the door. Sidbury was drafted for a reason.

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LONG TIME FALCON-please don’t get the idea that disagreeing with someone, especially me, is any indication of a lack of loyality, because it’s not. After all of the crap that was a part of these blogs the last few yrs, believe me, it’s a pleasure to have someone disagree in such a civilized manner.

It feels sooooo good to be able to express support and love of the gm and the Falcons without having to verbally fight through so much negativity, which was the rule of thumb during the MVick era and even a while after. The hate and animosity seems to have evaporated, and now we can discuss real football and the positive aspects of the Falcons, and there certainly are a lot of positives to be discussed.

Barring injury, I don’t see WMoore beating out TDeCoud this yr. However, I do see he and DeCoud eventually becoming the teams starting safeties. WE’re going to be in good shape no matter who gets the starting nod at DT. With a pass rush, we’re going to be in good shape at CB as well. This is going to be one of the most exciting, competitive training camps and preseasons in team history.

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