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
jason
May 14th, 2009
8:27 am
JJ, Isaw similar article on CNNSI that talked about Jerry and Babineaux. Lfet Try out also. People are going to be susprised this year if he is back to 100%. Not let up when Trey Lewis enters the game.
Unca' Bob
May 14th, 2009
8:35 am
2009 Kansas City Chiefs Schedule
1 Sep 13 KC @ BAL L
2 Sep 20 OAK @ KC W
3 Sep 27 KC @ PHI L
4 Oct 04 NYG @ KC L
5 Oct 11 DAL @ KC L
6 Oct 18 KC @ WAS L
7 Oct 25 SD @ KC L
8 Bye
9 Nov 08 KC @ JAC W
10 Nov 15 KC @ OAK L
11 Nov 22 PIT @ KC L
12 Nov 29 KC @ SD L
13 Dec 06 DEN @ KC L
14 Dec 13 BUF @ KC W
15 Dec 20 CLE @ KC W
16 Dec 27 KC @ CIN L
17 Jan 03 KC @ DEN L
4-12
D3
May 14th, 2009
9:05 am
Kansas City Projected Starters
Offense
QB – Matt Cassel
RB – Larry Johnson/Kolby Smith
FB – Mike Cox?
WR – Dwayne Bowe
WR – Bobby Engram
TE – Brad Cottam
LT – Branden Albert
LG – Brian Waters
C – Rudy Niswanger
RG – Mike Goff
RT – Damion McIntosh
Defense (3-4)
NT – Glenn Dorsey
DE – Tyson Jackson
DE – Tamba Hali
OLB – Mike Vrabel
ILB – Zach Thomas
ILB – Derrick Johnson ?
OLB – Demorrio Williams?
CB – Brandon Flowers
CB – Brandon Carr
SS – Bernard Pollard
FS – Dajuan Morgan?
K – Connor Barth
P – Dustin Colquitt
WR
May 14th, 2009
9:22 am
D3, I just read your post from last night, and if you want to change it up thats cool but after reading your post I went back over the earlier blogs and except for the actual draft blog, we are above pace postings wise. I think the major difference is that some core members have been missing,Seminole,Nookah,Falcon devil,etc. But if you look at the postings now we have picked up more members and eventually those guys will return. Nookah already is beginning to post whenever he can,Seminole told us he would be gone for a while but i’m pretty sure he will return. Big Ray is back in the house, and just look at Un’ca Bob,Jason,JJ,and Sarah B, they are now fixtures in the cage, we haven’t had anything new from D-Led since sunday yet the cage is up to 400 post.Beyond that the blog has ran off the hate mongers, now each and everytime you log on to the blog you just expect good conversation pieces,topics,or arguments to debate. Just glance at some of the other blogs and you will see how far we have come, the cage has become a forum for intelligent football talk, its almost like family now. Perfect example, when myself and Stirg were going back and forth with the Abe talk, you had some people join in the debate to add their opinion, when things appeared to be getting heated you had members jumping in to crack a joke about the situation, some as yourself, just reminded us to remember we are all family in the cage. Once the smoke cleared you could see that it was still all about the cage and I say that speaks volumes for what its going to be like in here once training camp and eventually the season start.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 14th, 2009
9:31 am
WR, maybe You and I need to pick a fight to get things heated up again. What’d You say?
Let’s see, who can I pick on today. I got it…Roddy White wears a dress in the offseason.
Sarah B
May 14th, 2009
9:38 am
D3 I also went from fan – mostly just Falcons & playoffs to junkie when they started a fantasy league here at work 5 years ago. You hit the nail on the head when you called it Pandora’s Box. It turns you into a complete junkie. We play on Yahoo which has Live Stattracker, which we call CrackTracker it’s that bad and you can not quit. Which is one reason I’m lovin this it’s like practice for FF because we have to watch who went where and the rookies anyway. But I digress. On to KC – Ugg…
2009 Kansas City Chiefs Schedule
1 Sep 13 KC @ BAL – L
2 Sep 20 OAK @ KC – W
3 Sep 27 KC @ PHI – L
4 Oct 04 NYG @ KC – L
5 Oct 11 DAL @ KC – W Only shocking win of the season – gut feeling
6 Oct 18 KC @ WAS – L
7 Oct 25 SD @ KC – L
8 Bye
9 Nov 08 KC @ JAC – L
10 Nov 15 KC @ OAK – L
11 Nov 22 PIT @ KC – L
12 Nov 29 KC @ SD – L
13 Dec 06 DEN @ KC – L
14 Dec 13 BUF @ KC – W
15 Dec 20 CLE @ KC – W
16 Dec 27 KC @ CIN – L
17 Jan 03 KC @ DEN – L
4-12
Although Cassel could shock us, but we took his best receiver…
D3
May 14th, 2009
9:42 am
2009 Kansas City Chiefs
Offense
The poor Chiefs: they fired their coach, gm, lost their best pro-bowl player(to us H— Yeah!), and their next best OFF option wants out (LJ). Well, they sure have a serious rebuilding job to accomplish. Scott Pioli will turn them into a winner, but it’ll probably take awhile. They trade for a franchise QB in Matt Cassel which was a good move, especially only giving up a 2nd rounder, but they have serious issues elsewhere. Larry Johnson approaches 30 and has had lousy back-to-back seasons. Dwayne Bowe has great potential and should blossom with Cassel, but he doesn’t have TG taking away coverage now. Bobby Engram and Darling don’t strike fear in anyone at WR. And there new TE is……Brad Cottam, good potential but really ENORMOUS shoes to fill.
Defense
They have some good young talent at several areas and Mike Vrabel immediately upgrades that D, on and off the field. The problem is they change to a 3-4. Tyson Jackson helps that transition, but what to do with Glenn Dorsey and Tamba Hali? Neither fit the 3-4 extremely well. Is Derrick Johnson now an ILB or OLB? Two solid young corners, but who will start at FS? Too many question marks. I’m not completely sold on Todd Haley either. After seeing that embarrassing blow-up with Boldin in the playoffs, the guy is too much of a hothead to be a HC, IMO. Luckily, they live in a weak, weak division.
1 Sep 13 KC @ BAL(Loss)
2 Sep 20 OAK @ KC(Win)
3 Sep 27 KC @ PHI(Loss)
4 Oct 04 NYG @ KC(Loss)
5 Oct 11 DAL @ KC(Win), this starts the DAL slide
6 Oct 18 KC @ WAS(Loss)
7 Oct 25 SD @ KC(Loss)
8 Bye
9 Nov 08 KC @ JAC(Loss)
10 Nov 15 KC @ OAK(Loss)
11 Nov 22 PIT @ KC(Loss)
12 Nov 29 KC @ SD(Loss)
13 Dec 06 DEN @ KC(Win)
14 Dec 13 BUF @ KC(Win)
15 Dec 20 CLE @ KC(Win)
16 Dec 27 KC @ CIN(Loss)
17 Jan 03 KC @ DEN(Loss)
Final: 5-11
Atlanta Falcons vs Miami Dolphins coming soon………
WR
May 14th, 2009
9:46 am
On to the K.C analysis, this team is somewhat a fairytale to me at this point. First off you have Matt Cassel who had never started at QB not even in college but he replaces an injured Tom Brady and all of a sudden he was the second coming of Joe Montana. Next you have the head coach,Todd Haley, never even heard of the guy until Arizona has a dream season, all of a sudden he’s a hot commodity. Both of these individuals may turn out to be great for K.C but I can’t help but wonder if Cassel was a system QB on a team that even got the volatile Randy Moss to buy in, or if Todd Haley is really head coach material considering we’re only talking about one breakout season for Arizona, but on to my picks:
1 KC@BAL-L
2 Oak@KC-W
3 KC@Phi-L
4 Nyg@KC-L
5 DAL@KC-W
6 KC@WAS-L
7 SD@KC–L
8 Bye–Showdown with Oakland for top five draft positioning brewing
9 KC@Jac-L
10KC@Oak-L
11Pitt@KC-L
12KC@SD–L
13Den@KC-W
14Buf@KC-L
15Cle@KC-W
16KC@Cin-L
17KC@Den-L
Chief 4-12
mars
May 14th, 2009
9:48 am
Mr. Ledbetter, thank you for maintaining a civil blog about Falcons football only. If only some of your colleagues were as responsible. After visiting Bradleys blog about Ryans approach to the season, I am shocked and saddened by the hatred and ignorance that persists over things that no longer matter. Now, about football. Still hate the unis. Our Falcons deserve better duds.
WR
May 14th, 2009
9:51 am
Stirg, I know your a heckler now so your going to have to try something different, maybe talk about a players momma, that usually gets a person from the south started.
Unca' Bob
May 14th, 2009
9:56 am
Strig,
Are you saying there is something wrong with wearing dresses??
WR,
Do you feel there will be a run on Falcon Coaches, both sides of the ball, if the Falcon’s have continued sucess?
D3
May 14th, 2009
9:58 am
WR – what’s up brother? Yeah, you’re exactly right about where the Bird-Cage has come in a very short while. Great to see the loyalists; creating it like a family atmosphere for sure. The posts have exploded out, which is awesome. I’m sure DOL is taking a break since there’s a lull with the Falcons and football in general. I’m such a Football junkie that I’d rather discuss any Football than watch other sports. I just hope I’m not giving the impression of “taking over the blog” or anything. I’m just excited about my new addiction, and what I’ve noticed with our past blogs is that they’ll be a big pop at the beginning of DOL’s new topic, but usually fizzles after so many arguments have been made. Thanks to you we’ve taken this blog to another level, IMO. I find it funny how much the blog’s changed in a matter of a couple months. When I used to peruse here before posting, there were usually very few posts and it was all about that hate-crap. Welcome to the new and improved Bird-Cage! Good work WR.
Sarah B
May 14th, 2009
10:01 am
Wow! You guys are on board with the Dallas upset??? I thought someone would have made fun of me by now but I’m glad. I just really have a gut feeling about Dallas this year…
Sarah B
May 14th, 2009
10:03 am
WR, yes the Yo Mamma thing usually works. Mark Cuban did it sucessfully in the Mavs/Nuggets game the other night.
dawes
May 14th, 2009
10:14 am
i think the falcon will win the super bowl
Unca' Bob
May 14th, 2009
10:20 am
D3,
When I started reading this blog, the haters were already gone. That is exactly why I’m still here. Like mars stated, there is some real, real ugly out there.
dawes
May 14th, 2009
10:25 am
i say 14 2 and top seed
WR
May 14th, 2009
10:31 am
Unca’Bob, I would say the coach I worry about leaving the most is Mike Murlarkey. The guy has done a good job everywhere he has been, but it seems that the new theme around the league is to go after the so call young and energetic coaches. My parents had a saying growing up “there’s nothing new under the sun”, I find that to be one of the truest statements I ever heard. Most of what goes on in today’s society and communities is a recycled version of what went on in the past. The same for football, you have all these new high-powered offenses with gimmicks like the wild cat, you have teams converting to the 3-4 because it supposedly gives you more options and confuses the offense but really nothing has changed, if a team can stop the run and run the ball effectively they have a chance to win in every game. To me thats what makes this coaching staff great, its a bunch of old school coaches that add a little innovation here and there but they basically stick to basic principles of football. I think that in itself keeps our coaching staff safe from teams making a run at our coaches for now. Now if Matt Ryan improves on last year even a little bit watch out for teams with young QB’s going after Bill Musgrave.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 14th, 2009
10:35 am
I’ll be the first to go against the grain. I don’t want to belittle D3’s work because, brother, you’re doing an outstanding job by administering this. Again, its just that I’m such a Falcon loyalist, I just can’t seem to find the interest in any other team. I tried (many seasons), I even tried the teams that belong to the cities I lived in, at the time (Redskins, Ravens, Lions, LA Rams, Chargers, Saints, Jaguars, Panthers, etc…Wow, didn’t realize I traveled that much). That’s just me; and there is nothing wrong with being an NFL fan. I respect that. Still, my body only bleeds red and black.
So, if you don’t mind D3 (and fellow Cagers), I’d like to get started with analyzing our opponents. I’ll start with Miami (incidently, I see KC going 8-8 and just missing the last spot for the wild card).
Miami, I think, is underated. I say this because they looked very similar to Atlanta’s situation last year (new GM, new system, new quarterback, etc.). Still, I don’t think that they got fair recognition like the Falcons did (maybe because we did it with a rookie QB). They ended up atop their division, at 11-5, and that’s not easy to do with the Patriots, Jets and Bills in the same division. What confuses me, however, is that the Dolphins accomplished this feat with mediocre numbers on paper. Their leading rusher only had 916 yards and the leading receiver only caught for 790 yards. So how did they accomplish winning the division. Enter the “Wildcat”. I don’t think that the Wildcat is going to be the core of their offense this year (because opponents have enough tape on their game) but it will still be effective in situational plays (enter Pat White). Look for Atlanta to start William Moore and “Hip-Hip” Peria Jerry for the first game. I would rather defend the Wildcat with players that is most recently familiar with that offense, than with players that are more traditional with their defense. Also, expect Atlanta to show 3-4 defensive formations to defend it.
Offensively, our receiving corps is going to have a field day on their inexperienced and lowly regarded cornerbacks. Their defense ranked 25 in the NFL, against the pass. I certainly hope the Dolphins don’t attempt to start the rookies Vontae Davis and Sean Smith. If so, White and Jenkins are going to show why their value descended in the draft. The X-factor is going to be at TE (Gonzo, Hartsock and Peele). While teams plan to defend our rush attack and outside receivers, our tight end sets are going to confuse the hell out of them. I took a look at Miami’s premature depth chart and, man-to-man, I see Atlanta taking this game, because of home field advantage, but its going to take all four quarters to do it. Atlanta wins 13-16, at home.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 14th, 2009
10:40 am
WR, can’t use “mama” jokes. I actually DO have a line that I don’t cross, believe it or not. I have enough love for my Mama and GrandMa that I’d GLADLY go to jail to defend any disrespect towards them. Considering that, I don’t offend anybody by attacking their Mamas.
Now, your drunk, deadbeat Daddy may be a different story. I’ll go through the Falcon roster and see if I can dig up a player that’s sensitive about the absence of a father. Give me a few days.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 14th, 2009
10:56 am
I have to admit, fellows, doing a matchup with our first opponent (Dolphins vs. Falcons) was fun. I researched some data that was very intriguing. I feel like today is the Thursday before game-day and I’m scouting our competition of Sunday. Its fun; you should try it.
jason
May 14th, 2009
11:26 am
2009 Kansas City Chiefs Schedule
1 Sep 13 KC @ BAL L, tough season opener
2 Sep 20 OAK @ KC W, Slightly better team
3 Sep 27 KC @ PHI L, No love
4 Oct 04 NYG @ KC L, NYG beatdown
5 Oct 11 DAL @ KC L, Tough NFC East
6 Oct 18 KC @ WAS L, can’t run the ball
7 Oct 25 SD @ KC W, Susprise win
8 Bye
9 Nov 08 KC @ JAC W,
10 Nov 15 KC @ OAK L, KC looks shaky
11 Nov 22 PIT @ KC L, Super Bowl Champs…
12 Nov 29 KC @ SD L, SD revenge in a big way
13 Dec 06 DEN @ KC L, Wierd, home tean doesn’t have advantage
14 Dec 13 BUF @ KC W, Buffalo good, but not their yet
15 Dec 20 CLE @ KC L, Cle gets one of few wins
16 Dec 27 KC @ CIN L,Cincy Better than most think
17 Jan 03 KC @ DEN L, Read 13 DEC
4-12 Lot of close losses. I just don’t see where KC has any offense. Will Johnson be able to run the ball? Will Cassel Not be a one year wonder. I think he will be. He is on a bad team. No WR threat. There is not one player on this offense to be afraid of.
On the defense side. The front seven look to be solid if not spetacular. That unit will play good against the run. The DBs, I have never heard of them. That leads me to think their pass D. will be horrible at best. I don’t see where the QB pressure is gonna come from. Think they are missing Jared Allen about now? All in all the D has a chance to keep them in games for about a half. However, I don’t see this offense putting up much of a fight. 4-12 I picked. The first half of the seasons i think will be close losses. As the season wears on, I see those close losses becoming blowouts.
Lil'Dave
May 14th, 2009
11:29 am
Stirg – I’m going to get in on this Falcons vs Dolphins match up and like you I think I’m going to just stick to the Falcons opponents. KC maybe 5-11. I have to goto lunch real quick but when I return I’ll get back to the Falcons vs Dolphins.
cutter
May 14th, 2009
11:40 am
Atljbo in parts unknown writes: In your opinion who was the 5 most impressive players at the Falcons mini-camp ?
Pat Yasinskas: You didn’t set any parameters, but I’ll go off the beaten path and try to point out some guys beyond the obvious because I think you and fans want to hear more than “Matt Ryan had a great camp”, which he did. Some lesser names that stood out to me: receiver Harry Douglas (he made some downfield plays out of the slot), linebacker Stephan Nicholas (pencil him as the strong-side starter), defensive end Jamaal Anderson (say what you want about his first two seasons, but the guy is working hard to get better), Jerious Norwood (I think this is the year he actually gets some more carries) and safety Thomas DeCoud (the Falcons draft William Moore to start, but DeCoud’s not going to give up without a fight).
jason
May 14th, 2009
11:48 am
You guys no by now how much of a DAWG Homer I am. It pains me to see some of the derogative comments made on these blogs. Whether is Chip, Tim, Bill King, Terrance Moore, Bradley an d all… Just discusting UGH.
I used to go to other blogs, got aggravated. So, I would go back and read the story, and skim through the post to get to the writer’s retorts. I can’t even do that. You know the AJC shoild be able yo do something about all the crap that is being said. That’s why i am here in the CAGE. Even when there is an arguement like the JA situation… both poibts of view were expressed. Other opinions were posted, but there was a respect being exchanged between WR and Strig. That’s what I like about being here. The respect taht is handed out to anyone who wants to take part in the conversation. Keep doing the same guys. Continue the momentum. Maybe the BirdCage and the DOL can hit as big as Dave O’Brien’s Braves beat blog. The CEO is now calling so I will be out for a couple of hours. I’ll check back in for some more analysis on the Chiefs.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 14th, 2009
12:03 pm
cutter, you have come through again. Good post, my man! It warms my heart that a professional writer states “pencil (Nicholas) as the strongside starter.” Don’t know what he did to increase his stock but the position has been a concern of mine. Peterson and Nicholas are going to make a perfect compliment to each other. Good work, cutter!
cutter
May 14th, 2009
12:18 pm
DJ Shockey vs Chris Redman vs John Parker Wilson
Chris Redman is currently the clear No. 2 guy behind Ryan. He’s a veteran who has been around for some time and can still help Ryan out when the time comes. I don’t think Redman will budge honestly. I think he’ll remain second in line behind Ryan because of his experience. However, his contract is almost up. The Falcons will have to soon decide who is more efficient- Chris Redman, or DJ Shockley.
Shockley brings something to the table that most QB’s typically don’t have. He offers mobility. When the pocket collapses, this is the guy you want behind your center. He has shown the ability to be at times elusive and get out of sticky situations using is feet.
However, he is somewhat of a streaky passer. He has a strong arm that can haul the ball down the field with the flick of the wrist. But, that means nothing when the ball ends up miles away from your receiver. If Shockey could become more accurate, and remain healthy he could find himself as a good quality backup behind a potential Hall of Fame QB in Ryan.
John Parker Wilson is the new kid on the block. If he can show that he can minimize his mistakes and learn from them he could end up competing for the No. 3 spot. It would also be good for him to display leadership skills, and respect his teammates. This may seem like something trivial but it really matters.
Another position battle of interest will be the safety position.
Thomas DeCoud vs William Moore
William Moore had an outstanding junior campaign in college and was looked at as a top ten draft pick. However, with an average senior year his stock plummeted and landed him in the second round to the Falcons.
But, if Moore can get back to his former ways, and display that ball-hawking ability he may end up being a steal. He has drawn comparisons to Brian Dawkins because of his tackling style and passion for the game. If Moore can show that he is indeed the real deal, the Falcons may have a legit replacement for Milloy in place for the next decade.
Thomas DeCoud was drafted in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Coming out of college he was compared to Reggie Nelson, how he fearlessly sacrificed his body into opponents. He did a tremendous job on special teams and if he can have the same effect at the strong safety position, DeCoud may be a force to be reckoned with. He had a year to sit behind Lawyer Milloy and learn the etiquette’s of being a safety. If he learned anything last year, he needs to make it known.
Chris Owens vs Chevis Jackson vs Chris Houston
Chris Owens had a college career similar to Nnamdi Asomugha’s NFL career. For a while, QB’s refused to throw the ball on Owen’s side of the field. He was that good. However, on a professional level, Chris Owens lacks a few things. One being his height. He’s only 5′9 and will have trouble defending some of the taller receivers in the league.
He also didn’t play against top notch competition in college. However, outside of that he has great anticipation for the ball, and excellent recovery speed. He can pretty much read the receivers eyes and determine the play, putting himself in position for a pass deflection or interception.
If Owens can prove that he can do this on the Pro level, he will be a gem. There is a reason he was taken in the third round…someone had this guy high on their list. I believe his name might be Thomas Dimitroff who has a knack for finding good corners. If he can handle the NFL, he may emerge as a starter sooner than many expect.
Chevis Jackson had a good rookie season to be selected in the third round. He ran his first interception back for a touchdown against the Saints last year and he had interception in the playoff game against the Cardinals. He seems to have a nose for the ball and is always around it.
The only thing holding him up would be his speed. Speed can make or break a NFL corner, because once you have been beaten on a route, there is no turning back for some. It appears Jackson may end up settling for the nickel slot for the Falcons, which isn’t so bad when you think about what fits his skill level.
Chris Houston and Chevis Jackson may be opposites when you consider what both bring to the table. Chris Houston is a fast guy. Before he came into the league, at the combine he was considered one of, if not the fastest corner in the draft. He is relatively small, but he is very strong.
Houston’s problem lies with his defensive awareness. He doesn’t seem to have any. He can’t get his head turned around when playing a receiver. If he is left on an island with a top receiver then look out! I like Houston has a corner, and I believe he’s solid, but not quite a No. 1 guy. Obviously the Falcons aren’t too sure either. They have drafted three corners since Houston has taken over the starting corner position.
Fact is, I could go on and on about the position battles for the Falcons this year. The defensive end position appears to have a considerable amount of depth. The offensive line also may have some new battles taking place. But there is one thing we can be sure of, the Falcons will have their best men on the field.
Everyone will have an opportunity to showcase their skills and prove what they can do.
WR
May 14th, 2009
12:37 pm
Quite a few post ago someone brought up Nicholas at the strongside positon and the question was why couldn’t he beat out Coy Wire last year if he was going to play the strong side. I think he has the talent but it seems somewhat strange that Wire played the position for most of the season after the benching of Boley, now Nicholas is penciled in but we also resigned Wire. It could just be me, but Wire looked pretty good at the SLB position last year,if the Falcons have already penciled Nicholas in as the starter he must be starting to show some mad skills. The William Moore pickup is looking better now also,with Decoud having Moore looking over his shoulder he will excel and I think eventually the safeties will be Moore and Decoud,nothing against Coleman he looked good last year and I expect good things this year but I believe the future will be Decoud and Moore. Seems also that their talking up my boy Andersen, I’m telling ya’ll, yes I said ya’ll haven’t lost all of my southern roots, Jamaal is going to break out this year like a dog in heat. Thats another reason why I feel so good about this team, the offense is getting all the hype and its well deserved but I think we will see a faster vastly improved Falcon defense this year.
WR
May 14th, 2009
12:53 pm
Jason, my sentiments exactly,look at Stirg’s recent post, he’s not into the other teams,which is fine, but he doesn’t bash the blog for talking about other teams. This is truly a blog where the primary subject is the Falcons but if you want to discuss other topics people either respond or they don’t and we continue on respectfully, we even had a tailgate recipe breakout in this blog, I actually hope that heats back up as the season begins.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 14th, 2009
1:04 pm
WR, I got a debate for you that should heat things up a little bit (and before I get into it, I do admire your last post). Interesting point about the future of our defensive backfield belonging to Moore and DeCoud. I think DeCoud’s strongest play is at free safety. Then again, aren’t the safety positions supposed to be interchangeable like the outside linebacker positions? Still, we cannot belittle Coleman’s performance and he’s a great asset for the next year or two. Do you think, for cap reasons, he’ll make it to regular season as a Falcon?
On to my debate. Is it just me or has anyone else notices how Roddy White pushes off? You know what I’m talking ’bout? When he goes deep for a pass, he takes an arm and holds his defender at bay. Once he ball gets closer to being caught, he pushes off. I know corners have studied this in the film room, if I can see it on ESPN. I’m afraid its going to get called, as offensive interference, a lot this season. What you
WR
May 14th, 2009
1:07 pm
Blog monster’s back and its going to be trouble
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 14th, 2009
1:08 pm
Oh, WR. It was me that introduced the point about Nicholas vs. Wire. I tried to find logic in it. I think Wire started behind Boley because Nicholas was supposed to start at WILL (not Wire’s strongest position). Brooking spoiled that.
Unca' Bob
May 14th, 2009
1:10 pm
WR,
What about Special Teams Coordinator, Keith Armstrong? Didn’t the Falcons set a record fewest put return yards? I know some of that was because of great punting but a lot was do to coverage and tackleing.
I’m still big on Anderson too. Need the Beast to surface.
cutter,
“Excellent recovery speed” raises some concern. To me it means someone is beatin’ ya’.
WR
May 14th, 2009
1:19 pm
Don’t get me wrong, Coleman has done a good job and will continue to do so, I think he will be around for a couple of more years here,but I also think that the futute will be Decoud and Moore.
Stirg, as a former corner yes I agree that Roddy does do alot of pushing off,some of which is highly noticiable and he probably will eventually start to see a few more flags, but as a budding star receiver he will get his share of no-calls. Now from a corner point of view, theres alot of pulling and tugging on White it may not be as noticiable because there are so many things you can do without being seen to slow down a receiver. Now if you want to see alot of pushing off go back and look at some old Jerry Rice tapes, the man was a professional at getting away with pushing off or giving a corner a little nudge.
JohnWayneworld
May 14th, 2009
1:36 pm
Kansas City:
1 KC@BAL-L
2 Oak@KC-W
3 KC@Phi-L
4 Nyg@KC-L
5 DAL@KC-W
6 KC@WAS-L
7 SD@KC–L
8 Bye
9 KC@Jac-L
10KC@Oak-W
11Pitt@KC-L
12KC@SD–L
13Den@KC-L
14Buf@KC-L
15Cle@KC-L
16KC@Cin-W
17KC@Den-L
Geez, I don’t feel good about 4-12 but this means that Oakland is going to suck tomatoes thru a slap chop this year.
This is a little tough because of the upside of a new QB with a proven record, albeit one year, and how the team rallies around him. They could easily win four more games on this list, or Cassell could get creamed in September and KC could go 1-15. Or I could pick them as the ‘09 darlings and they could end up 8-8. This is real tough. 4-12. Final answer. lol
jason
May 14th, 2009
2:16 pm
JohnWayneworld, I felt the same as you regarding KC anywhere from4-12 to 8-8.
Couple of things. I get more posting done at work than being at home with “BOSS”. Wire and Nicholas. What I observe, is that you will see Wire in on D when you want LBs in coverage. I think that is how he initially moved in on Boley. Remember former Safety. I think they want Nicholas stopping the run first. In downs where the O has an option you will see Nicholas in for run stopping and ability to rush the passer.
Regarding Owens recovery speed. I don’t think it’s beacuse he gets burnt. I don’t know WR’s take being a former CB, but I see recovery speed as an asset for a CB. A CB doesn’t know the route a WR is going to run. Alot of pass plays now days seem to be made on the ‘fly’. There may be a route called in the huddle. There may be an audible called at the line of scrimmage. There are also route adjustments while the play is in progress. That is alot of reading for a CB. You had better have outstanding recovery speed to make the proper adjustments. There are alot of very good corners who make a good living using recovey speed to break up passes.
cutter, speed is what concerns me about Jackson also. He has everything you want in a CB. play maker, ball magnet, outstanding talent with exceptional instincts. But, you can’t coach/ teach speed.
The thing with White pushing off on corners. If it’s not getting called it is because RW has earned respect from his profession. All the great WRs get away with it. Like watching MJ push off a defender to get an open look for a jumper. The most notorious WR was Michael Irvin. He would literally shove a DB down to get the separation. I could not stand him when he was playing. How many times have you seen a WR iniate contact and push off to have a pass interference called against a defeated DB?
Well, it looks like the CAGE is a rockin again today. By the way, how we get any work done? Love reading the posts. took a minute to read and catch up before I could post. I think this evening I will hopefully get up a summary on my take on the Dolphins/ Falcons matchup. Concerning the Dolphin wildcat, I’m just glad we get to play them early rather than later in the season. Could you imagine what the wildcat will be like by end of season with Pat White QBing?
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 14th, 2009
2:56 pm
Good; some activity! I knew this debate about White “pushing off” would heat up, WR.
I’m not about to rag on Roddy White because I’ve liked him every since we drafted him. At first, I questioned the move but I knew Vick needed a go to guy. Anyway, I’m not going to hate on “pushing off” because Roddy is on our team. From the oppositions point of view, however, I just don’t see how we didn’t get that call against us last season. I’m not complaining, I just don’t want that call to affect us this year.
Good looking! Thanks for the reminder on Rice and Irvin. Makes sense to me. Roddy White is certainly an All-Pro.
Sarah B
May 14th, 2009
3:06 pm
Well however they end we definately have enough DEF players to pick from now. Should be a nice competition.
Sarah B
May 14th, 2009
3:06 pm
Well however they end we definately have enough DEF players to pick from now. Should be a nice competition.
Sarah B
May 14th, 2009
3:09 pm
Well however it ends up we definately hew enough DEF players to pick from now. Nice healthy competition going on at The Branch.
JohnWayneworld
May 14th, 2009
3:18 pm
Jason, I agree with you about this “recovery speed” thing. The first thing I think about is a rookie DB in his first NFL practice against a veteran NFL wideout. Guess what, he slips up on a play or two and then recovers fast enough to get back on coverage. There is already a huge advantage for the wideout and the kid’s heart is pumping out of his chest. The fact that he caught back up with the wideout is impressive in itself. Is this a sign of weakness??? No, it is a sign of learning. No big deal. Now, after several practices and the same thing is happening, that is a whole different story. If that is the case, he tries out for special teams. I think he will be fine.
JohnWayneworld
May 14th, 2009
3:19 pm
The monster has Sara!!!
Sarah B
May 14th, 2009
3:20 pm
HELP – I’ve been sucked in to the monster!
SPS
May 14th, 2009
3:22 pm
I’m about to catch a plane to fly back to ATL, but let me toss a little meat in the shark tank first. Rumors say Bill Cowher wants to get back into coaching. Should Arthur give him a call? We all love Smitty. He’s a straight up, no nonsense guy. A good CEO type. But is he really the best gameday coach? We second guessed a lot of his calls last year.
Just asking the question. Coach Mularkey might even stay for Cowher.
JohnWayneworld
May 14th, 2009
3:31 pm
Take some more dramamine SPS, your dreaming. If Cowher is gonna make a move it is gonna be Carolina. This is common knowledge. He lives there and it is just a matter of time before Fox is done considering COACH SMITTY and the Falcons will soon enough begin to DOMINATE the NFC South.
A couple of sub .500 seasons and Cowher will take over the Panthers.
jason
May 14th, 2009
3:45 pm
SPS, you might get into some trouble here. I don’t see that happening in Atlanta. Coach smith is ATL’s coach. Were there some questionable calls he made last season. I am sure there were. But, you have got to understand Smitty was a rookie coach. He learned on the fly. Considering that and the fact how far the Falcons went witha fairly young team… I’d have to take Smitty. How far do you think ATL would have went if there were no questionable calls? The Super Bowl?
D3
May 14th, 2009
4:01 pm
Great Thursday Afternoon Bird-Cage posse! Should be a nice afternoon to have a cold one and throw one of the Bird-Cage recipes on the grill. Maybe grabe some Landshark lager; good warm weather brew and the $$ has come down a little. Man, is the ‘Cage rockin’ lately or what? We’re most likely averaging roughly aabout 100 posts per day during the off-season for goodness sake.
NFL Football Explanation – the reason I proposed examining other divisions and teams around the NFL was to supplement our Falcons Football talk. The ‘Cage is so enjoyable to me that its something I like at least checking in each day, especially during when I have some downtime, which I’ve had a good bit of lately taking some time off to spend with my lil’ five week old future WR.
Unfortunately, our Falcons discussions will only last so long during this downtime. We can only debate Redman/Shockley/JPW, DeCoud/Moore, & Houston/Jackson/Owens for so long. The goal is basically to offer several different avenues for discussion and let bloggers participate as they may. The blog is 100% Falcons Football, but if we want to keep the mojo and momentum going, than we have to get a little creative. How much Football information is available on May 14th?
Here’s yet another idea to throw out there to keep the ‘Cage rockin: Starting say next week, we can take an individual position each weekday, M-F, and analyze every 53 man roster spot, from our starting QB all the way down to our long snapper. If we start that next monday, that will roll us right into Training Camp in August, using a couple of the extra days to discuss bubble candidates. Just trying to throw some ideas out there to keep the great mojo we got going here in the Bird-Cage. I don’t read DOB’s Braves blog a ton, but I ‘d put ours up there considering the wealth of information baseball gives (162 games) and DOB’s extensive work he puts into it, compared to us being in the off-season.
Thoughts, Comments, Ideas, Changes? As Barry says, “We are One Heartbeat” here in the ‘Cage!
The Dean 21
May 14th, 2009
4:08 pm
Hello Bird Cage~
I’ve been out of action since my mini camp visit and I’m happy to note I’m actually featured in the opening photo of this blog by the AJC & DOL! I see I’ve missed a lot!
D3, do I have time to catch up fo the days missed or do I just need to fall in place with the current selection?
Good to know we have fans not only in the Atl but across the canadian border as well..aye
Sarah B
May 14th, 2009
4:10 pm
SPS – put down the crackpipe and walk away slowly…
The Dean 21
May 14th, 2009
4:17 pm
I also want to give a shout out to Jason, JohnWayneWorld,Unca Bob, Lil Dave and other regulars! Welcome to all newcomers and a special wave to the Bird Queen Sarah B., it’s a pleasure to have you and you have no doubt opened the door for future females to join the Bird Cage! I can say that I have been a member for 3 years now and didn’t post as much due to the hate that was being spilled during that time…Ken Strickland can attest to that. This is like a relief picture getting a record number of saves in one season now…Good for the awesome chatter concerning our beloved Falcons! I still have to brag about getting Arthur’s autograph at the mini camp, now that $23 football has a new meaning! LOL