Gonzalez shines as minicamp closes
See if you can find Falcons owner Arthur Blank? Minicamp was open to the public on Saturday. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC)
FLOWERY BRANCH – The one lasting impression of the Falcons minicamp, was seeing Tony Gonzalez whizzing around the field like a youngster.
He appeared to catch everything thrown his way. On Sunday, he drove out to tip a pass that was too far in front of him. While falling to the ground, he caught the ball.
Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey had him run a couple of vertical routes and it doesn’t look like the 33-year-old has lost a step. (Wonder if the Hawks have called the Falcons to see if he can suit up for Game 4 on Monday. Gonzalez also played hoops at California and went to the Sweet 16 with Jason Kidd and the crew back in the day.)
“He’s everything that I’ve seen for the last nine or 10 years,” Falcons head coach Mike Smith
Falcon fan Michael "STATS" Walling (42), of Dawsonville, was excited to see new tight end Tony Gonzalez. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC)
said. “He’s the prototypical tight end. He can block. He can catch. He can run after the catch. He’s just a guy who’s going to make everybody on this team, offense and defense, better.
KICKING IT WITH THE BVG: Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder is still the loudest coach on the field.
He’s got perhaps the toughest job, but has tons of help from his assistants and Smith. Molding at least five new starters into the unit is going something we’ll keep tabs on.
POSITION OUT IN
Strong safety Lawyer Milloy Thomas DeCoud
Cornerback Dominique Foxworth Brent Grimes
Weakside LB KeithBrooking Michael Peterson
Strongside LB Michael Boley Stephen Nicholas
Nose tackle Grady Jackson Trey Lewis
BVG thinks he has enough veterans to blend in some of the young talent.
John Abraham did not practice during mini-camp. The Falcons would not say if he a surgery or medical procedure. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC)
He cited Erik Coleman, Michael Peterson, John Abraham and Chauncey Davis.
“We’ve got enough veteran leadership that can work out to be a great blend with the young players,” VanGorder said. “With young players . . . right now it’s kind of crucial to allow them to get comfortable.”
COMPETITION: Smith said don’t put too much stock into how the unit lined up in mini-camp. There will be plenty of competition for those starting spots. First round pick Peria Jerry could push Lewis. Chris Owens could push Grimes and William Moore could push DeCoud.
“They are competing for playing time,” VanGorder said. “That playing time could come in a lot of different forms. That doesn’t mean, just as a starter. Certainly a lot of guys are battling for starting positions. Some guys are trying to earn spots on the roster. Some guys are trying to get into the two-deep so that they can gain reps. There are a lot of dynamics involved in that.”
NO MATTER HOW IT GOES DOWN, THE DEFENSE WILL BE YOUNG: “We’re going to be young,
Trey Lews (97) had a minor scare on his first day back after two knee surgeries. He spent last season on injured reserve. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC)
but I still think we’ve got a good mixture,” VanGorder said. “We have a number of guys going into their third year. We played with some rookies last year, who gained some valuable experience and should improve this year.
We’ve got a good formula set up.”
MULARKEY ON THE OFFENSE: Mularkey knows that with Gonazlez on board, teams will have trouble keying on one player.
There were games last season, when teams could sellout on stopping Michael Turner or Roddy White and shut the offense down.
“It will be hard to beat down on one guy with Tony in there,” Mularkey said. “It should help the run game with him in there.”
The theme for the offense is “Get Better.”
“We want to get better, everywhere,” Mularkey said.
THE ROOKIES: Made it a point to meet all of the rookie draft choices. Real nice and intelligent group. The Garrett Reynolds kid is huge. He’s the second biggest lineman next to Tyson Clabo. Was worried about the cornerbacks — Chris Owens and William Middleton — being to small. But one Falcon scout told me “as long as they can play.” And warned not to get caught up on their height. William Moore looks like a stud, now it will just be a matter of how fast will he pick up the defense.
Well, now that mini-camp is over, did you get your football fix? Learn anything new about the rookies? Worried about the defense still? Excited about the offense?
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768 comments Add your comment
Unca' Bob
May 13th, 2009
11:25 am
D3
May 12th, 2009
8:57 pm
jason.watson – glad to have you in the Bird-Cage brother. Just let me know what you decide on and I’ll save it on my comp. Also list what games they win and which ones they lose. I posted a schedule on one of my earlier posts. If Redman is let go, look for Shockley to move up to #2 and JPW to move to #3.
D3,
For better or worse here it is.
Bronco’s 2009 Schedule
1 Sep 13 DEN @ CIN L
2 Sep 20 CLE @ DEN W
3 Sep 27 DEN @ OAK W
4 Oct 04 DAL @ DEN L
5 Oct 11 NE @ DEN L
6 Oct 19 DEN @ SD L
At this time the words tar and feathers are being used in the same sentence
7 Bye
8 Nov 01 DEN @ BAL L
9 Nov 09 PIT @ DEN L
10 Nov 15 DEN @ WAS L
11 Nov 22 SD @ DEN L
12 Nov 26 NYG @ DEN L
13 Dec 06 DEN @ KC W
14 Dec 13 DEN @ IND L
15 Dec 20 OAK @ DEN W
16 Dec 27 DEN @ PHI L
17 Jan 03 KC @ DEN W
Unca' Bob
May 13th, 2009
11:28 am
What in the wild world of sports just happened???
Unca' Bob
May 13th, 2009
11:30 am
D3,
How did your post show up on mine?????
jason
May 13th, 2009
11:31 am
San Deigo, easily the best of a weak division. Why haven’t they got a go to reciever for Rivers? Take some heat off of Gates. I think LT will bounce back strong this year. Just didn’t seem himself last year. They also have Sporles off the bench to spell LT and cath passes. The defense lloks strong again this year. Not spetacular, outside of Merriman. I see them winning the Division. Could give Pitt or NE a tun in the playoffs.
1 Sep 14 SD @ OAK – W, tune up for BLT
2 Sep 20 BAL @ SD -W, Tough close wim Home field
3 Sep 27 MIA @ SD – W, Miam, not as good this year
4 Oct 04 SD @ PIT – L, Another close one, come up short
5 Bye
6 Oct 19 DEN @ SD – W, beginning of a streak
7 Oct 25 SD @ KC – L,Lose one they shouldn’t
8 Nov 01 OAK @ SD – W, Poor Oakland
9 Nov 08 SD @ NYG – L, Road game is brutal
10 Nov 15 PHI @ SD – W, And the streak begins
11 Nov 22 SD @ DEN – W Ditto
12 Nov 29 KC @ SD – W Ditto
13 Dec 06 SD @ CLE – W D coming on strong now
14 Dec 13 SD @ DAL – W Ditto
15 Dec 20 CIN @ SD – W Ditto
16 Dec 25 SD @ TEN – L, run into the toughest D yet
17 Jan 03 WAS @ SD – W, Playing out season for home field
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 13th, 2009
11:33 am
Unca’ Bob, I agree with you most, on your analysis of the NFC South earlier. New Orleans is washed; Tampa Bay is rebuilding; and Carolina still using band-aids to patch surgical wombs. I am particulary interested in all the positive talk, out there in Sports land. All the sports write-ups, as Ken mentioned, are giving the Birds a high grade. Although I haven’t detected an “A” out there, I’ll take a “B+” all day, when you compare it to the failing grades our divisional foes are receiving. What intrigues me most are the new scouting reports on Christopher Owens. There was almost nothing on this kid before the draft. When he was taken in the third round, I think it made scouting fans search his credentials…and boy, Oh! Boy, Oh! Boy! This kid is a beast. Dimitroff’s Matrix prevails again. Owens is one of those guys that slips through the cracks and turns out to be an all-pro in less than four years. Good, silent job, TD!
Welcome, jason!
Sarah B
May 13th, 2009
11:41 am
Weird Unca’ Bob – just weird. This blog monster is getting more creative I guess.
jason
May 13th, 2009
11:50 am
D3/Unca’ Bob, Those 2 posts… that’s just hilarious. Falcon Nation has just burned the blog up. It’s overheating….
Unca' Bob
May 13th, 2009
11:50 am
1 Sep 14 SD @ OAK – W
2 Sep 20 BAL @ SD – W
3 Sep 27 MIA @ SD – L
4 Oct 04 SD @ PIT – L
5 Bye
6 Oct 19 DEN @ SD – W
7 Oct 25 SD @ KC – W
8 Nov 01 OAK @ SD – W
9 Nov 08 SD @ NYG – L
10 Nov 15 PHI @ SD – L
11 Nov 22 SD @ DEN – W
12 Nov 29 KC @ SD – W
13 Dec 06 SD @ CLE – W
14 Dec 13 SD @ DAL – W
15 Dec 20 CIN @ SD – W
16 Dec 25 SD @ TEN – L
17 Jan 03 WAS @ SD – W
11-5 Conf Champ
jason
May 13th, 2009
12:25 pm
D3, what up man? I just put my won/loss record in. Provided a brief synopsis of what I think their team will look like this year. I see SD going 12-4 with Div Champ. Not ready to claim Conference Champ though. However, I am picking only one team from this div. to make the playoffs.
jason
May 13th, 2009
12:32 pm
I want to change the subject here. We have hashed and rehashed about the QB position, and back ups. I want some infor, opinions on the OL.
Considering going into last season, critics said that ATL had perhaps the worst OL in the NFL. What were the reasons for success? Were they underated individually, as a unit? Was it the scheme inbedded by Coach Smith and crew? How do we see our OL stacking up this year? Starters/ Backups. Is Clabo resignable? What are options if he signs elsewhere?
I know, I want all the info on the fastest rising team in the NFL Our ATLANTA FALCONS.
row3
May 13th, 2009
12:35 pm
The Friday before the draft I was listening to sports talk radio, It was the Colin Cowherd (spell check) show, He said before the draft ever started, the Falcons won the draft, it did’nt matter who choose who where, the Falcons won the draft. He based this on the TG deal being part of this years draft, he bashed KC for giving up the best TE in the game, for what he called at best a 58th pick in next years draft. We made the playoffs last year and drafted 55th, at best a 58th pick shows alot of respect to the birds.
WR
May 13th, 2009
12:37 pm
JohnWaynesWorld, I have to gracefully disagee with you on Phillip Rivers, the guy basically carried the team last with LT’s injury problems and a giant step back for the defense. With Merriman back and the addition of Larry English I aspect a rebound for the defense and if LT truly hasn’t lost a step and it was just injuries look out.
1 SD@OAK-W,Russell to Heyward-Bey not quite ready for primetime
2 BAL@SD-W,close game but Rivers shows why he is in the top tier of QB’s
3 MIA@SD-W,Dolphins start to show signs their not that good
4 SD@PITT-L,Norv Turner cost this game with bad play calling
5 Bye-LT is good, defense is getting in position to win some games because the team has been carried by the offense up until this point
6 DEN@SD-W,no Cutler, no problem, Chargers roll
7 SD@KC-W, no pride, no Gonzo, Chiefs just looking for a ray of hope
8 Oak@SD-W,Raiders actually show sign of life but realize they still are the Raiders
9 SD@NYG-L,Feeling overconfident because of the schedule Giants make Chargers refocus
10 PHI@SD-L,Chargers look to win one against the NFC north after the Giants thrashing, they look in the wrong place.
11 SD@DEN-W,After two heart breaking loseses and internal bickering, Broncos serve as a cure for the Chargers illness
12 KC@SD-W,stretch run and playoff positioning begins,Chargers dismantle the Chiefs.
13 SD@CLE-W,Players wonder is the Browns actually on our schedule too
14 SD@DAL-L,Wade Phillips is on the hot seat and Romo begins to get tired of Jessica
15 CIN@SD-L,the surprise team of the season continues to exceed expectations with a beat down of the Chargers at home.
16 SD@TEN-L, still sulking after the Cincy beatdown,Chargers lose a close one
17 Was@SD-W,Dan Synder challenges Al Davis as owner of the year,not, Skins start to look a lot like the east coast version of Oakland, Dallas has the south version covered,while Detroit covers the north.
WR
May 13th, 2009
12:39 pm
SD goes 10-6
D3
May 13th, 2009
12:47 pm
Great Wednesday Morning Bird-Cage Guys and Gals! So d@— pumped to see you guys went ahead and rolled the Chargers today. Sweet. So much to respond to, it will take a while to catch up today. Looks awesome. The ‘Cage is rockin’, alive, and at an all-time high.
2009 Bird-Cage Division/Team Analysis & Final Standings Competition
Weekly Division: AFC West
Today’s Team: Sand Diego Chargers
2009 Schedule
1 Sep 14 SD @ OAK
2 Sep 20 BAL @ SD
3 Sep 27 MIA @ SD
4 Oct 04 SD @ PIT
5 Bye
6 Oct 19 DEN @ SD
7 Oct 25 SD @ KC
8 Nov 01 OAK @ SD
9 Nov 08 SD @ NYG
10 Nov 15 PHI @ SD
11 Nov 22 SD @ DEN
12 Nov 29 KC @ SD
13 Dec 06 SD @ CLE
14 Dec 13 SD @ DAL
15 Dec 20 CIN @ SD
16 Dec 25 SD @ TEN
17 Jan 03 WAS @ SD
Projected Starters
Offense
QB – Phillip Rivers
RB – Ladanian Tomlinson/Darren Sproles
TE – Antonio Gates
TE – Brandon Manumuela
LT – Marcus McNeill
LG – Kris Dielman
C – Nick Hardwick
RG – Brandon Dombromski?
RT – Jeromey Clary
Defense (3-4)
NT – Jamaal Williams
DE – Luis Castillo
DE – Shaun Phillips?
OLB – Shawn Merriman
OLB – Larry English
ILB – Stephen Cooper
ILB – Tim Dobbins
CB – Quentin Jammer
CB – Antonio Cromartie
SS – Clinton Hart
FS – Eric Weddle
K – Nate Kaeding
P – Mike Scifres
So there you have it. Let’s hear it about the Chargers described with the following:
-analyze schedule, starters, possible wins/losses, draft picks, etc
-analyze a team each day mon-thurs, & friday-saturday can be our final standings prediction, which I will save
-predict where wins & losses will come, final standings, & division rank
jason, johnwaynesworld, Unca’ Bob, & Sarah B. already got ya’lls saved. Great d@— work guys! A little slower today. Lil’ WR kept us seriously awake last night.
More to come later………
D3
May 13th, 2009
12:49 pm
obviously, its San Diego, sand diego……..jeez, tried to type too fast to keep pace with you guys.
jason
May 13th, 2009
12:54 pm
D3, had afeeling… My youngest is 2, and she’s a handful some nights.
Unca' Bob
May 13th, 2009
1:13 pm
row3,
I saw an artical about TD doing so well with the ‘08 draft. They were saying about the same thing concerning the TG pick-up. There was some bashing KC but nothing too strong. I feel they understood that the trade was made to help TG have an opportunity to go out a winner. The GM in KC groomed our own T Dimitroff. KC made a very hard choice and IMO made the right one for TG.
Unca' Bob
May 13th, 2009
1:21 pm
D3,
Do me a favor, if you would please. I didn’t realize I had put Conf Champ. Would you strike Conf and replace with Div Champ. Thank you.
Unca' Bob
May 13th, 2009
1:26 pm
WR,
I feel Rivers did a fine job last year also. With the return of Merriman alone is a huge upside. With the addition of Larry they will have everyone in San Diego speaking English…
Lil'Dave
May 13th, 2009
2:01 pm
Hey in the picture on the first page at the top with Auther Blank. If you draw a stright line from the tip of his nose from left to right the first Falcons hat you hit THAT’S MY HEAD! You guys almost got a view of Lil’Dave. I actually think he was signing my football when the photo was taken. Just thought it was kinda cool and thought i would share the useless info.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 13th, 2009
2:03 pm
Oh No! Say it isn’t so. Jason Taylor is a Dolphin again.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 13th, 2009
2:04 pm
Jason Taylor, opposite Joey Porter. I’ll take that duo, no matter how old they are.
Sarah B
May 13th, 2009
2:26 pm
Sweet! I get to ogle Jason Taylor and Gonzo in our 1st home game!!! My very own version of Cheerleaders.
JohnWayneworld
May 13th, 2009
2:34 pm
Your absolutely right Unca’ Bob about the soft gloves given to KC for giving TG a chance to go out a winner. It just wasn’t gonna happen there and Tony had his allegiance to his team. Character.
Maybe some of you IT folks out there can answer this: It seems that the bigger this blog gets, the worse it reacts sometimes to data input. You know the blog monster D3 has talked about. It has happened to me, especially at the end of a page. Does this happen alot at the end of a page? Or is it just another server issue.
I have been copying everything I type before I submit it just in case. Then if it fails (and it has!), all I have to do is paste it back in the box.
WR, I will defer to you about Rivers. I don’t see him every week so maybe I am missing something about him but he sometimes looks lost against big time teams, e.g. PITT, IND , NE. After 6 seasons I figured he would have really blossomed into a super elite QB or at least won a ring once.
JohnWayneworld
May 13th, 2009
2:39 pm
Sara you go girl. haha Checking out the uniforms! Reminds me of an old girlfriend who use to borrow my binoculars at the home games and all she wanted to do, during the game, is check out our kicker on the sideline, Mick Luckhurst. And all he was doing was warming up! lol
JohnWayneworld
May 13th, 2009
2:41 pm
Sarah you go girl. Reminds me back in the day of my old girlfriend who always wanted my binoculars at Falcon home games just so she could scope out our kicker, Mick Luckhurst, warming up on the sidelines. lol
Sarah B
May 13th, 2009
2:42 pm
Yes JonWW it does happen more towards the end of the page. At least to me too. And the games I’ve seen with Rivers playing, especially last year, he did carry the team. Think of the playoff game last year when they beat the Colts and knocked them out.
JohnWayneworld
May 13th, 2009
2:43 pm
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Ok im out. I didn’t do what I said and I got hosed.
Sarah B
May 13th, 2009
2:44 pm
I used to love to watch Kerney warm up. He always slapped the backs of his legs… Oops getting distracted.
Ken Strickland
May 13th, 2009
2:48 pm
JASON-far too often the success of a lot of NFL players depends on the system they’re asked to function in. For example: MVick would have been lost, as would most NFL QB’s, in the Colts OFF system. On the other hand, Colts QB PManning or Patriots QB TBrady would have been absolute busts trying to make that system MVick played in under JMora work.
The cut blocking system used by JMora and the power drive blocking system used by RPetrino are require completely opposite skills, techniques and even body build. Mora’s system required OLinemen to be quick, fast, agile and lighter. Pertrio’s power drive blocking system requires shere size and streng. The problem both had with the OL was they tried to force players to fit into their systems. Smith and Murlarky designed a blocking system that took advantage of both the size, strength, quickness and speed of the OLinemen they inherited. The truth is, Mora had a parttime OL coach and Petrino didn’t have one at all.
Bottomline, good coaching allows a team to do more with less, and we saw that last yr. Imagine what our coaches will be able to do with more.
LOOK, I’M GOING TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST WILL EVERYONE. THIS YRS TEAM SCARES ME, BECAUSE IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE ANOTHER BLITZ GRITS OR DIRTY BIRD TYPE SEASON.
Our OFF became good last yr, and with the addition of TE TGonzalez, it has the potential to be scary good this yr. Our DEF, although it will be very young, has now acquired the talent and potential to become very good as well. The addition of DT’s PJerry, TLewis, VWalker, LB’s MPeterson, RJames, DNickolson, CB’s VHutchins, DIrons, BGrimes, COwens, safeties WMoore and AHarris would be tremendous additions and an upgrade for almost any DEF. Do I have to mention the positive effects the addition of Probowl TE TGonzalez will have on the #14 passing attack and the #2 rushing attack. I DON’T WANT TO GO OUT ON A LIMB, BUT I’M JUST SAYING.
row3
May 13th, 2009
2:49 pm
1 SD @ OAK – W
2 BAL @ SD – L
3 MIA @ SD – W
4 SD @ PIT – L
5 BYE – TIE
6 DEN @ SD – W
7 SD @ KC – W
8 OAK @ SD – W
9 SD @ NYG – L
10 PHI @ SD – L
11 SD @ DEN – L
12 KC @ SD – W
13 SD @ CLE – W
14 SD @ DAL – W
15 CIN @ SD – W
16 SD @ TEN – L
17 WAS @ SD – W
SD will stuggle a little early and into mid-season, but will close season strong and carry momentum into playoffs. Division Winners, Conference losers.
row3
May 13th, 2009
2:51 pm
I left off, 10-6
jason
May 13th, 2009
2:53 pm
consenus so far seems 12-4 to 10-6. Not to bad for SD. Picked to win division by all post i have read. AFC West is weak this year. Maybe only team above .500.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 13th, 2009
3:23 pm
Focus, Sarah; bring it back. Just think of Kerney wearing pink grandma panties on his head and that’ll chase those thoughts away.
I mentioned earlier that I was excited about all the positive talk out there about the Falcons. The Yahoo’s, ESPN’s, CBS Sports’ reports are all positive, for the most part. One writer even gave Atlanta the best grade in the draft, before the draft even started. He gave the grade, as a result of the Falcons acquiring Tony Gonzalez.
Speaking of which, I remember when it was rumored that the Falcons would grab Gonzo. None of us believed it because, after it was reported, the move just died away; but after a couple of weeks, voila! The National Football Post was the first to report this, two weeks prior to the deal was made. I’m not using this to substantiate the NFP’s credibility. I’m just merely saying someone, there, may know something, or somebody, that we don’t. So, I find myself interested in what they have to say. Recently, they did Round-by-Round breakdown of the draft (they don’t believe in giving out grades before mini-camp). Here’s what they said about the Falcons, in round one:
DT Peria Jerry, Atlanta Falcons
The ability to team Jerry with current starting DT Jonathan Babineaux has to give the Falcons one of the most explosive pairs of interior lineman in the NFL. Jerry is a bit older than most prospects in this year’s draft (he turns 25 in August), but his maturity and passion are both strong suites of his game. The kid loves football, and you can see it through his motor and work ethic on the field. He’s an explosive, penetrating lineman who knows how to shoot gaps and create havoc in an opponent’s backfield. He does a nice job making plays away from his body and also possesses the lower body strength to hold up against the run. The Falcons had some interest last year in LSU DT Glenn Dorsey, believing he might be interior lineman they needed, but it looks like they got their man a year later.
Just a tidbit to pass on to y’all.
cutter
May 13th, 2009
3:25 pm
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Atlanta Falcons today signed free agent linebacker Rashad Bobino. Bobino participated as a tryout player for the Falcons mini-camp this past weekend.
Bobino, 5-11, 230 pounds, was a four-year letterman who started 45 of 52 career games at the University of Texas while earning All-Big 12 honors on three occasions. He posted 235 tackles (148 solo), 25 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in his collegiate career. In 2008, Bobino helped the Texas defense rank first in the conference in scoring defense (18.8 ppg.), total defense (342.9 ypg.), rushing defense (83.5 ypg.) and second in pass efficiency defense (124.2 rating). That season, he started 13 contests and tallied 39 tackles, one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery.
O.k. This makes 11 linebackers on the roster, 10 corners, 7 DE, 7 total FS/SS and 9 WR. Wow! Lotta competing going on at the Branch people.
cutter
May 13th, 2009
3:28 pm
Some 2nd and 3rd string fan favorites might be getting their walking papers.
jason
May 13th, 2009
3:31 pm
Competition, Competition, Competition. Breeds success…How many LBs, DBs, WRs can you take on a roster ? Game day, and full roster?
Unca' Bob
May 13th, 2009
3:34 pm
Strig & cutter,
All tidbits are good at this point. Lets quit talkin’ and Tee it up!!
Sarah B
May 13th, 2009
4:06 pm
Strig – that didn’t help my brain simply took the word “Grandma” and flipped it in to the word “Sarah’s”. Great info above on Jerry
cutter
May 13th, 2009
4:15 pm
87 total on roster now, preseason limit is 80 and regular season roster is limited to 53. 34 to cut or put on practice squad.
cutter
May 13th, 2009
4:16 pm
No limit by position just total.
cutter
May 13th, 2009
4:22 pm
8 limit for practice squad.
Lil'Dave
May 13th, 2009
4:28 pm
Here’s a little question I’ve been thinking about since last Saturdays mini camp. Who is going to return kicks and punts for us next season? HD was doing a fine job last year for returning punts; but is that wise for us to use our slot receiver in that role? Then I thought well Thomas Brown is our guy. Well just have to see how he recovers for that injury. But then it hit me like a ton of bricks..Middleton I think could take that role with Brown. Correct me if I’m wrong but did he run one of the fast times at the combine? Him and Owens I think posted really fast times. And I think Norwood has do a great job in this role but I hate seeing Special Team players unload on our second string RB. So, who do you guys want to see returning kicks this year? Norwood, Brown, Middleton, Owens, Harry? My vote is Brown and Middleton so far.
row3
May 13th, 2009
4:47 pm
Lil’Dave,
My vote is for a healthy Thomas Brown to serve as both punt and KO returner, A good way for him to make the roster, and protect key offensive players, HD and Wood.
cutter
May 13th, 2009
4:54 pm
At the combine Middleton 4.46 Owens 4.51. Kickoffs Norwood punts Douglas. They have proven they can get it done. I have no faith in Brown or Middleton as of yet.
Lil'Dave
May 13th, 2009
5:00 pm
I think Middleton has been clock as fast as 4.23 during a pro day i think. But I over heard someone saying that at the mini camp so I dont know how true it is.
jason
May 13th, 2009
5:04 pm
I like Brown with Norwood on kick-offs. Keep Douglas in in punt returns. Looks like that may be a spot of interest during pre season.
jason
May 13th, 2009
5:28 pm
cutter,at the positions i asked about, WR, LB, CB, FS, SS. What would be a good number as far as quality depth purposes. CB- 5-6, FS,SS-2 each +1 combination. WR ? 6? LB? Trying to see where ATL is leaning.
jason
May 13th, 2009
5:42 pm
Also, how does a team decide who to place on the practice squad?
D3
May 13th, 2009
6:10 pm
Great Hump-day Afternoon Bird-Cage Bro’s and Sis’s! Man, I couldn’t be happier seeing the ‘Cage rockin’ as strong as it is now. We’ll most likely hit the 400 post mark this evening, averaging almost 100 posts a day IN THE OFF-SEASON!!! Great to see how well the Bird-Cage is doing. So much to get to, so let’s hit it…….
Shockley vs. Redman vs. JPW – obviously as I have mentioned many, many times, I am very biased in favor of DJ Shockley as he’s one of my fav. players of all-time. I have a #3 Shockley Falcons Jersey in my closet for goodness sake. That being acknowledged, why would TD, Smitty, and Co. create a competition for the #3 QB spot? That just doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever. Shockley has rightly earned his spot at #3 with two different coaching staffs. Any competition will be for the #2 spot. All of our fellow bloggers who say that Shockley won’t win a job because of experience miss the obvious example of Matt Cassel. They guy didn’t play live football since his high school days, sat on the bench in college and the pros, got his chance, and was worthy of a second round draft pick the Chiefs willingly gave up. If were happy with their current situation than they would’ve stayed with the status quo. It is the BACKUP QB positions we are discussing here. I could be dead wrong, but if they plan to change anything, my thinking would be to change the entire order, rather than to create competition for the #3 QB spot. JMHO.
Ken Strick & jason – what’s up fellas? This question may answer some of your question, at least in part: Do we want to pay $4 million to a player to sit on the bench? Redman signed that deal before the 2008 Draft with the intent of competing for the starting QB position. Now that we have solidified that, we can get younger and cheaper in the process. 2 Million in cap space goes along way, especially when we’re getting ready to re-sign White AND Norwood. Redman could definitely go compete for a starting spot at several franchises: SF & Minnesota just to name a few.
JohnWayne – you got it. DJ gives us endless possibilities if we ever decided to mix it up. We ran the Wildcat with Norwood to limited success, because there actually needs to be a threat of true pass coming down the field.
row3 – excellent, excellent point on using Shockley as #2. As we mentioned last night, the #3 QB can only play in the case of emergency. That plays into my crackpot theory of eventually releasing Redman and his $4 million salary. No knock on him, because he is a fine QB, just too high to sit on the bench, IMO.
Unca’ Bob – I have absolutely no idea on what happened with that crazy post mix-up. This blog definitely has a mind of its own most of the time.
jason – what’s up my sports-homer brother? Concerning Clabo, he is a restricted free agent and any offer another team gave him, we would have the chance to match. Yeah, its crazy about the little one; sometimes he can do great, and other nights not so much.
Sarah B. – all the power to you on your boys! Hey, we can’t complain with the 2 sets of cheerleaders, dance squads, and commercials.
cutter – what’s up brother? Thanks for the updates, at least we get them from somewhere. Just curious: do you have a favorite college team?
Lil’ Dave – good question posed. Smitty & Co. should definitely examine all possibilities with kickoff and punt returners. We should definitely remember that we only have 4 legit receivers after trading Robinson. Meaning that HD figures to play a HUGE role in the offense this year, and if he were to get hurt we’re all of a sudden really short at WR. Same with Norwood. HD wasn’t the set returner until Adam “muff-punt” Jennings sealed the deal with that debacle in Philly. HD doesn’t need to do return kicks and punts, IMO. Too much exposure to injury, IMO.
More to come……….
80 DAYS AND COUNTING TO 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!!!!!!