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
JJ
May 10th, 2009
3:10 pm
D-led: good info, who’s lining up in 2nd string offense – qb, rb?
DSS82
May 10th, 2009
3:17 pm
D-Led,
What kind of impression did you get from Sidbury?
Phoneguy
May 10th, 2009
3:23 pm
Yeah me too JJ. Wondering about Shockley as 2nd string, and Thomas Brown. Oh yeah Haynes too.
Phoneguy
May 10th, 2009
3:27 pm
The guys we picked up undrafted are pretty exciting too… Man Im pumped. I heard the Kelly kid from Clemson is thin but he’s a good player.
Paddy
May 10th, 2009
3:27 pm
The one thing that impressed me was the photo in this piece. You can see the enthusiasm not only in the fans but the players alike. To me that speaks volumns of what we are watching from our new Falcon leadership. Makes me proud to be a Falcon fan.
Leland
May 10th, 2009
3:40 pm
Dear Mr. DOL–winners never quit, quitters never win. Your pal, Leland
FranktheFalcon
May 10th, 2009
4:28 pm
I have got Falcon Fever!!! I am so excited to see an organization with the owner, general manager, head coach, and assistant coaches all on the same page! The Offense will be hell on wheels this year! The addition of Tony Gonzales just made us much harder to defend! Coach VanGorder has a big challenge in shaping the Defense and bringing the young guys around fast enough to do the job, but if anyone can, he will do it. Thomas Dimitroff, thank you for all that you have done for us in giving us a team that we can be proud of. You and your staff had to make some tough decisions regarding some of the veterans, including local fan favorites, but you made the tough calls, and in the near future our franchise will be better for it. GOOD JOB! You are building our team with character guys who have speed and that is the proper way to do it! Coach Smith is a great guy and a player’s coach and players in the NFL talk between the themselves and I expect us to get some great Free Agents in the next year or two, because they want to play for Coach Smith and his staff. Finally, Mr. Blank thank you for your leadership and creating a situation where all of your people can flourish!!! THE FUTURE LOOKS EXTREMELY BRIGHT FOR OUR FALCONS!!! Remember this: SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS!!! The Falcons schedule is extremely tough, but the Falcons will go 10-6, or better, and win 2 or more games in the playoffs!!!!!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
May 10th, 2009
4:33 pm
JJ: Redman and Norwood.
DSS82: Sidbury looks like a player. Hardest thing for him will be getting used to using his hands to keep linemen from getting into his chest, according to DL-coach Ray “Sugar Bear” Hamilton.
PHONEGUY: Kelly made some nice catches. Roddy White mentioned him by name. Also, Troy Bergeron was re-signed (yeah, just after getting cut).
PADDY: It was definitely an upbeat camp.
Nookah
May 10th, 2009
4:52 pm
FranktheFalcon, your respect is due. I could not have said it better myself. To Mr. Blank, Smitty, TD and the rest of the Falcon organization, as you have said on our behalf my brother, the process is in full flight!!!!
D Led, thanks for the info bro. We have a good thing going here. Falcon Nation is arising!!!!
D3 and the rest of the posse, where you at? I think we should have a “birthdate” for Falcon Nation and each year we have a special celebration. I know we are scattered far and wide but we can celebrate online, why not? What’s the feeling on this guys? The reason I propose this is that I think we are in the early stages of something quite special. I remember sometime this week or last week, Mike Wilbon on PTI referred to us as the worst sporting town. Currently, I can’t say I disagree totally. We sure have some fair weather fans in the ATL. However, what cures this ailment is consistent winning and the Falcons I think have created a solid foundation to win every year for a long time if we continue to follow the formula….it’s the process.
All the other franchises in ATL should follow the formula. (As I say that, I can’t help but think what Ric Sund will do this offseason). Anyway this is a football blog. Sorry I digressed.
The news on #88 is not surprising. After all we all know he’s the pros pro, future HOFamer. Ocho Sinco needs to send him that jacket he wore last year. He will create major mayhem for our opponents this year. Do I double him? Do I double Roddy? Do I put 8 or 9 in the box to stop Turner? …………..IT’S FEEDING TIME……..THE BIRDS OF PREY ARE OUT………..
And after we score we’ll turn it over to our offense on a Sunday evening and read the 11th COMMANDMENT…………….THOU SHALT NOT RUN!!!
Go Falcons!!!!
Nuff respect everytime!!!!!…………THE PROCESS CONTINUES…………..
I’ll repeat McFadden & Whitehead…………Ain’t no stopping us now, we’re on the move…………
Blake
May 10th, 2009
5:15 pm
Someone asked about Shockley being 2nd string? He’ll be cut before the regular season starts. Asked and answered.
Ed
May 10th, 2009
5:41 pm
I am sorry but you gave far more insight from your Detroit Lions visit. Hearing what coaches have to say doesn’t really tell us who stood out & who didn’t. Really disappointing…
Goldenglove002
May 10th, 2009
5:51 pm
Lawyer Milloy still hasn’t signed anywhere. Is he done or is it just that no one wants him? I would think that it might be a decent idea for the Falcons to pick him up f he’s not going anywhere and could be gotten for cheap.
falcon21
May 10th, 2009
5:52 pm
Shockley may be traded but wiii never be cut. Not a very good answer!
falcon21
May 10th, 2009
5:53 pm
Will never
falcon21
May 10th, 2009
5:55 pm
I’m not sure GG002 but I think he signed with someone.
Ken
May 10th, 2009
6:02 pm
I agree with Ed that we learned about as much about Detroit as we have learned from your reports of the Falcons mini-camp. I have learned virtually nothing about the new players in camp from your reports. Will you give us an overview of who did well, how they stack up and who looks like good additions?
jason
May 10th, 2009
6:08 pm
Blake, and why will he be cut ?
cutter
May 10th, 2009
6:34 pm
I just realized Shockley has been in the league since 2006 and has no stats at all. He’s in the last year of his contract has never touched the field so he might not get cut but if he doesn’t get on the field somehow to show his value it’s tough. Redman and Shockley are in the last year and you want your number 2 guy to have regular season experience. No one is gonna want to trade for a guy on the last year of his contract with no regular season experience who now requires more money because he’s considered a veteran.
cutter
May 10th, 2009
6:48 pm
Milloy has not signed with anyone and there are reports that he was a problem in the locker room for the Falcons so he won’t be back here.
cutter
May 10th, 2009
7:02 pm
FLOWERY BRANCH, GA – The Atlanta Falcons today signed free agent wide receiver Troy Bergeron. Bergeron participated in the Falcons mini-camp as tryout player this weekend.
WR
May 10th, 2009
7:16 pm
Ed and Ken, minicamp is basically like the NFL combine except players now know the teams they are playing for and they begin to learn the playbook. The best any sports writer could do is say such and such ran fast, blah blah is built like a brick sh*t house, so so can really catch, but none of it matters until they strap on the pads. Speed is useless if you don’t know how to play with it in pads, being built like a brick sh*t house doesn’t mean anything except you workout, most people on this blog can catch just running around in drills, but when a 250lb linebacker in full pads is running straight for you lets see how your hands will hold up. Point is, we all wanted to get a look at the new players and for the most part thats what D-Led provided, I’m thinking if it was flag football we would deserve a little more information but its not and I believe the true info will come out once the pads are put on. I guarantee depth charts are not set or even considered based on the results of minicamps.
falcon21
May 10th, 2009
7:17 pm
cutter I thought I had heard he signed with a team. He must have only been talking with a team , guess I was wrong. It’s not the first time! As for DJ, he has the talent to be a good QB, we have seen it before but that was at UGA. The NFL is a different animal. I think he can be a pretty good NFL QB but it is only my opinion. As you said experience means alot and it would not hurt if he had a little more.
JJ
May 10th, 2009
8:03 pm
Thank God we have this blog and the FILTERS in place. The filth of atl are back in force on MB blog. Guess who’s the topic?
Dont go there uncle bob!!!
crabapplejoe
May 10th, 2009
8:22 pm
Goldenglove002 wrote: “Lawyer Milloy still hasn’t signed anywhere. Is he done or is it just that no one wants him?”
You hit the nail on the head twice….he is done and nobody wants him. Did you watch the playoff game against the Cardinals? He won’t be back in Atlanta next year.
dacha
May 10th, 2009
8:47 pm
Excellent info, DOL, as always. What is the next event on our Falcon calendar to plan for? I don’t like to rush time, but I absolutely CANT WAIT for the season to start!
BTW, crabapplejoe: How is Brooking doing over there with the Cowboys? Keep us posted, man.
wxwax
May 10th, 2009
8:49 pm
When’s the last time folks were this excited about a rookie camp in Atlanta?
It’s so much fun to be here when something positive is finally happening to this team.
crabapplejoe
May 10th, 2009
8:56 pm
dacha wrote: “BTW, crabapplejoe: How is Brooking doing over there with the Cowboys? Keep us posted, man.”
Don’t know dude….not a Cowboys fan…you? In fact I hate the Cowboys. Not sure what Brooking has to do with Lawyer Milloy. One got picked up 36 hours into free agency and nobody wants the other…that’s all I know dude. You seem to have a problem with that…and I think I know why.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 10th, 2009
9:08 pm
Suddenly, a surge in blog entries. What happened, fellows; the “House CEO” is finally satisfied with your efforts on Mother’s Day and you’ve put her to bed? I’m not picking. After a well-prepared dinner, my world famous foot massage and multiple glasses of wine, I haven’t heard a peep out of my CEO for four hours. Thought I would sneak out of the bedroom and check-in with my bretheren.
I was deeply concerned about Hip-Hip Peria today. I was so anxious to hear his medical report today, that I have bitten my nails down to the skin, until my finger is bleeding (gee, that hurts). Glad to know he’s going to be alright.
I was able to view the Flickr photos of the camp today. I can’t really tell much by still photos but we really looked good, as a unit, out there this weekend. I was particularly intrigued with Mike Peterson. He looks like he is taking control and I appreciate that (take notes, John Abraham).
Here’s my concern, though. D.O.’better, you continue to list Peterson as the weakside linebacker and Nicholas as the strongside linebacker. I know Smitty suggested that we not “put too much stock into how the unit lined up in mini-camp” but I think the competition at linebacker is for second and third strings. The first unit seems to be set with Peterson, Nicholas and Lofton (WILL). What contributed to the factors of suggesting that Nicholas can play strongside?
Let’s evaluate this. Michael Boley did not fare well at the strongside position, correct? If Nicholas played SAM before, why did Coy Wire replace Boley and not Nicholas? Furthermore, if Nicholas was not good enough to replace Boley for his performance, what has he done to suggest that he is good enough, now, to start?
I watched Nicholas come into the league; and I must admit, he was a monster at the weakside position. His move to strongside made him look like a third string linebacker for Tri-Cities High School, however; he looked absolutely lost. I’m not picking on Nicholas, by all means; again, I think he’s a beast at WILL. I just want to know what is the difference between his performance on the strong side, last year, and what’s expected of his performance on the same side (SAM), this year. My own hypothesis suggests that we cannot afford to not have the talent of Peterson and Nicholas on the field; but Peterson can not play SAM (or his greatest play is at WILL) and Nicholas pulled the shorter straw.
Help me out with this one.
braveshater
May 10th, 2009
9:17 pm
How in the world does Mike Jenkins get a contract extension before Roddy White. He’s a decent receiver, but not a game changer. I would like to know who has the edge at 2nd string QB. IM anxious to see D.J Shockley get some time on the field.
braveshater
May 10th, 2009
9:19 pm
I hope Brooking ets plenty of playing time for America’s team, that means they will suck!
falcon21
May 10th, 2009
9:24 pm
dacha, don’t take the bait man. By the way, what do you think of the Tony G. pick up?
Sarah B
May 10th, 2009
9:25 pm
Hi stirg – braveshater – funny stuff – I can’t believe the Cowboys picked up Brooking either – good luck with that….
Sarah B
May 10th, 2009
9:26 pm
He cost us the Arizona game…
crabapplejoe
May 10th, 2009
9:33 pm
Sarah B wrote: “He cost us the Arizona game…”
I assume you’re talking about “LawDawg” and you would be correct.
falcon21
May 10th, 2009
9:36 pm
Hello Sarah B, be careful because you are about to get into something that always turns ulgy!!!
Jimmy
May 10th, 2009
9:40 pm
Stirg,
You forgot to mention the ole “pickle tickle” when talking about satisfying the “House Warden(my term for CEO).” hahahaha
falcon21
May 10th, 2009
9:41 pm
Ugly!sorry
Unca' Bob
May 10th, 2009
9:47 pm
JJ,
Thanx for the warning but,in the words of an old Ray Stevens song where he says, Cover your eyes Mildred, it’s too late, I done already been mooned!! lol.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 10th, 2009
9:52 pm
Hey, Sarah B. What’s going on? Did you enjoy your Day?
You made a statement that I’m going to have to debate about. You said that Keith Brooking “cost us the Arizona game…”. That may be true, my friend; but if Roddy White hadn’t drop a pass in the end zone against Denver, during regular season, we’d be 12-4 instead of 11-5. Which means, we would not have even been playing that day in Arizona.
We put a lot of blame on one person when the game takes a team effort. Fact is, a number of reasons factored into the loss in Arizona that day. Lawyer Milloy, Keith Brooking, Chris Houston, a lack of consistency at tight end, a poor pass rush, etc., etc., etc..
I think we blame Brooking because that was, as we remembered, the last play of the season. Still, I agree with you, though; good riddens.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 10th, 2009
9:54 pm
Funny warning, falcon21…and I had to be the one to bite.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 10th, 2009
9:56 pm
lol…”Pickle Tickle”. Now that’s funny.
Nookah
May 10th, 2009
9:56 pm
WR, you are right man, let’s not get too worked up about mini-camp. Just like the name “mock”, as in mock draft connotes exactly what it is, “mini” camp suggests exactly the same thing. It’s mini nothing major. Nothing too significant, just a way to take a first look at our rookies and get some of our vets loose and to get all team members together and start the chemistry thing.
I guess most of the crew has been paying the respect where it is due today and that’s to the mothers. That may explain the low traffic tonight. Anyway for all the mothers on this blog, nuff respect to you all and to all the fathers who had to “mother” kids, nuff respect to you too. After all the mothers have to “father” kids sometimes so why not the reverse?
Go Falcons!!!
Nuff respect everytime!!!!
Sarah B
May 10th, 2009
9:59 pm
Stirg – I was at that game and it happened right in front of me and it was almost an impossible catch, he was trying so hard to keep his feet in bounds it was riduculas. I had a great weekend. I talked to my Mom for 1/2 hr from Tampa.
I’m glad mini camp went so well.
falcon21
May 10th, 2009
10:01 pm
Stirg, it’s all well and good. That’s a good point about the the Roddy White drop!!!
crabapplejoe
May 10th, 2009
10:03 pm
@stirg: Good post if you had just left off the “good riddens (sic)” at the end. He is a future Falcon Ring of Honor member and five time pro-bowler for the Falcons… how about “good luck”. Here’s what I wrote on a “Talk About the Falcons” thread today regarding Mike Vick. The thread was started by some idiot talking about his dog taking a shit on a MV7 jersey:
“I’m with Gritzblitzer…can’t we just leave the man alone at this point…hope he’s learned from his stupid/criminal behaviour and let him move on with his life. Moderators, please just do away with this juvenile thread.”
And you will note that with KB56 we don’t even have to “hope he’s learned from his stupid/criminal behaviour”. KB56 performed well and with class in this organization for 11 years…don’t diss the dude.
richbrave
May 10th, 2009
10:10 pm
D ORLANDO:
You said SIDBURY “looks like a player.” In what ways?
D3
May 10th, 2009
10:14 pm
Great Sunday Evening Brothers and Sisters! Happy Mother’s Day to all of your mothers, grandmothers, daughters, granddaughters, aunts, sisters, and any other mother. Great to see a new blog posting about our mini-camp, we were struggling for updates for a long while there. To Falcons Football……..
TG – it still is pretty unbelievable that Gonzalez is wearing the Red and Black. I still don’t think it will sink until I see #88 walk out of the huddle. As Matt Ryan refers to him as the “Greatest Tight End of All-Time.” Sure thats up for debate, but he’s a lock as one of the greatest of all-time with no disputes. He will add so much to this team its unfathomable. Helping Matty Ice continue to develop, blocking for the Burner and Norwood, taking double teams off Roddy, helping young tight ends like Justin Peele and Keith Zinger develop, being a 3rd down conversion machine, being a red-zone scoring maching(one area we had a little trouble), allowing HD more room to run, and the list goes on and on. You get the feeling just from the outside that he is genuinely happy to be here. Welcome to the ATL TG!
Position Out-In – Understood on all parts except Brent Grimes. No knock against him, but where in the H—- is Chevis Jackson? Not even a slight, small mention of him competing for the CB job. Even go as far to say that Chris Owens will be competing for the job. Was that an honest mistake or do I need to know something about a guy many of us feel we’ll be counting on. Young doesn’t always mean worse due to experience. Milloy, Brooking, and Jackson were some of the most experienced players on the team, but that didn’t help them on the field when they were getting torched by Fitzgerald, beat on 3rd and long, or double out of the house and made to quit. Not hating on our former ‘Birds, just merely disputing that less experience is ALWAYS a bad thing. Boley pulled one of the best disappearing acts of all-time and Foxworth’s “experience” led him to be traded for a 7th rounder for godsake.
Competition – looks to be one of the best training camps for true competition battles at many positions in a long while. DeCoud will definitely have the edge over Moore simply because of the knowledge, but Moore appears to in good shape and moving well. I’ll be shocked if Peria Jerry doesn’t start from Day 1, and sorry to bring it up again but where is the mention of CHEVIS JACKSON? Chris Owens will be battling for Nickel spot at best and Dime spot at worst, IMHO.
Garret Reynolds – still think he has starter potential down the road and may be thrust in to some rotational duty to relieve Baker and Clabo.
As you all have come to expect from me, more to come later. Gotta go put my little wide receiver down for the night and put that Atlanta Falcons banner up in his nursery.
***AFTER OUR MINI-CAMP BUZZ HAS WORN OFF IN A COUPLE OF DAYS, WE’RE GOING TO DRIVE THE FOOTBALL MOJO IN THE BIRD-CAGE WITH WR’s SUGGESTION OF DOING A DIVISION-BY-DIVISION/TEAM BREAK DOWN. TAKE A DIFFERENT DIVISION EACH WEEK AND ANALYZE TEAMS THROUGH THE WEEK AND COME UP WITH A FINAL RECORD COMPETITION. MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW. MAD PROPS TO WR for A MASTERFUL IDEA!!!!!
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 10th, 2009
10:16 pm
Ugh! Sarah, I would have thrown-up if I had witnessed that drop live. The moment I seen that, on T.V., I immediately said “that drop may have cost a trip to the Super Bowl.” Funny, how things work out.
Nookah, thanks for the Mother/Father’s Day greeting. I proudly accept. I’ve been a mother/father for a year and thirteen days now. Raising a baby from birth certainly changes my perspective about motherhood. Its a hell of a job; but just looking at him makes me smile. Get prepared, Falcon Fans; I’m raising the best defensive lineman in the Falcon’s draft class of 2033.
Sarah B
May 10th, 2009
10:22 pm
“pickle tickle” – stolen from A League of Their Own” Tom Hanks line – busted Jimmy – I guess as in Jimmy Dugan.
falcon21
May 10th, 2009
10:25 pm
D3, great post as always. Got to run, 5 o’clock comes early.
crabapplejoe
May 10th, 2009
10:29 pm
braveshater wrote: “I hope Brooking ets plenty of playing time for America’s team, that means they will suck!”
Dude, the Cowboys haven’t made the playoffs since before the millenium…I don’t think Brooking will be the difference either way…but, I know you’re hoping the Dallas fans will blame everything on him so he will feel at home. LOL
Sarah B
May 10th, 2009
10:30 pm
D3 – how’s it going with your WR HOF to come? Stirg – I was there and it happened right in front of me and it wasn’t all that painful as you would think – Roddy was trying as hard as he could to make sure his feet were in bounds and I was close enough to see the disappointment on his face when he dropped it. O f course I was still high from the Chicago game. What the hell was that great or what??
Sarah B
May 10th, 2009
10:48 pm
Stirg – where did you go?
willie
May 10th, 2009
10:49 pm
Holding my breath on this P. Jerry injury. I did not like hearing that it was the same knee that was operated on recently. Durability issues were the knock on him, much like last year with Sam Baker, and we saw how that went. We have to have P. Jerry healthy.
Old school fan
May 10th, 2009
10:55 pm
Sara B, will you marry me…lol
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 10th, 2009
10:58 pm
Uh-Oh! The CEO just woke up. Walked past me like I got another hour and two minutes before this Day is officially over. Got to go, fellows. If the pickle tickle thing works, I’ll be back in about thirty minutes. If not, hold it down in the cage.
In a minute…
Sarah B
May 10th, 2009
10:59 pm
Old school – I’m not in the marrying mood right as of right now as I’m recently divorced… But I’m game to hanging out. Nothing to do but yard work until August & training camp.
Old school fan
May 10th, 2009
11:04 pm
You go girl. I don’t always agree with you but, I love the love you have for my/our birds. I am the definition of long suffering. At last, I believe that is over. BRING ON THE SEASON. 11-5, Division champs, NFCCG.
Sarah B
May 10th, 2009
11:12 pm
Old school, I’ve been following the Falcons since I moved here in ‘87 from DET. I used to love games outside at AFCS. Back then I was a poor 20somthing and we snuck beer in in the sleeves of our coats tied in knots. What geart memories…
Sarah B
May 10th, 2009
11:13 pm
I also think 11-5 and playoffs and division WINNERS!!!
Unca' Bob
May 10th, 2009
11:27 pm
Strig,
In the year 2033 I will be sittin’ at a table with some buds, the Comish approaches the diaz and says, “In the first round, the Atlanta Falcons select Lil’ Strig”. I’ll nudge the bud next to me and say “I knew his Daddy”. Then, I’ll smile.
tyler
May 10th, 2009
11:47 pm
Thank you for the Falcon info D. Led. I am cheering for lewis. I think he has great potential. I am looking forward to Coach Smith and staff coaching this defense up. We have playmakers on defense; J. Abraham, C. Lofton, and C. Jackson,. Two from last years draft. Let’s hope we got two more.
WR
May 10th, 2009
11:49 pm
D3, just read your post and I wondered the same thing, where is Chevis. Nookah glad to have you back meant to say that the other day.
Note of the day, gentlemen I hope your doing a little more than pickle-tickling if not don’t hire a gardener. Had to say it though, Stirg is a cool cat and someone advises him to preform the pickle-tickle,Stirg you are old school so remember the old school, bump and grind will never fail you,but pickle-tickles may get you extra visits from the UPS man.
D3, with the insanely busy weekend I just had I lost track of what division we’re working on right now, I tried to go back over the posts but it seems like most people got caught up with the minicamp so its hard to tell where we left off.
WR
May 11th, 2009
12:04 am
As a lifelong Falcon fan, a fan through the good and bad, mostly bad, I was just wondering does anyone else feel a sense of,” it sounds to good to be true”. I’m not usually a pessimist but after so many years of ups and downs with the birds I feel nervous, I don’t believe in curses but if your a lifetime Falcon fan you can’t help but wonder is this really happening, is this team really this good. Do the Falcons actually have sensible leaders for their personnel department. People claim Atlanta is one of the worst sports towns in the Nation but I think those same people fail to realize that we get teased so much it kind of somewhat makes us numb, for a while you expected the Braves to make it to the playoffs and thats about it, back in the 80s you expected the hawks to make it to the playoffs and thats about it, now with the Hawks you’ll take what you can get, with the Falcons you just expected to be on a rollercoaster ride, you can never completely count them out but you can never put any real trust in them either. I hope last year begin an end to all that madness but I just can’t help but wonder if other fans feel the same way.
Sarah B
May 11th, 2009
12:04 am
I kinda like being the only girl in the cage… it’s great in here… love the updates from the mini camps… keep em’ coming
Boxcarar
May 11th, 2009
12:45 am
Sarah B.
I’m a little older, but remember going to AFC stadium with a few friends, sneaking in home made Tia Maria and coffee in a thermos watching the Birds vs. Saints in the rain. Upper level tickets became 40 yard line lower level seats.
D3
May 11th, 2009
12:46 am
DOL – hey brother, thanks for the updates. Good job as usual, especially know how busy you are. Did hope to get some information on any of the following: Chevis Jackson, Robert James, Lawrence Sidbury, Vance Walker, Aaron Kelly, Thomas Brown, Verron Haynes, J.Anderson, Coy Wire, and the backup QB position (2nd and 3rd). Sorry, being a little bit of a junkie, but the big one is Chevis Jackson; many of us assumed he would compete for the starting QB job.
Phoneguy – welcome to the Bird-Cage my friend. Definitely would’ve liked info. on a few more players. Roddy White mentioned Kelly by name, so he must have a good impression for that to occur.
Paddy – definitely agree with you that a picture says a thousand words. The enthusiasm and excitement is apparent from the players, not just the fans.
Frank – great point that is often overlooked, which is Blank finally got it right by stepping back, hiring the right guy, and giving them everything they need to succeed. Love those photos of Blank going around shaking all the players hands. Its a genuine sign of appreciation to everyone involved in the organization.
Nookah – I’m all for a “Falcons Celebration Date”. Wish there was a way for all of us to get together and have a ’scripe. Maybe we could pick a game or date.
To bed peeps, mucho more tomorrow. Have a good night!……..
Ken Strickland
May 11th, 2009
12:50 am
QB DJ Shockey has value because of his arm, mobility, running ability and the NFL’s facination with the new Wildcat OFF, which he’s perfect for. Prior to this weekend, none of the QB’s drafted this yr had set foot on an NFL football field for a single practice, minicamp, preseason or regular season gm. Shockey’s practice, minicamp and preseason experience gives him more experience and value than a lot of the QB’s drafted in the 2nd rd on.
Last yr there were 4 players that ended up as DEF starters by default, DT GJackson, SS LMalloy, OLB CWire and CB BGrimes. This yr there will be 3 incumbents and one new addition that won’t have to battle to retain their starting positions. The incombents are DE JAbraham, MLB CLofton and FS EColeman, and the new addition is OLB MPeterson.
jason
May 11th, 2009
7:48 am
D3, Ken, Anyone out there, I have a comment and qusetion on Norwood. I know we have Turner the Burnerat RB, and he can carry the rock for eternity. What can we expect from Norwood this year. In your opinions. I really like Norwood alot. Great talent, Tremendos speed. But whether, fragile (injry prone) or inconsistent; he seems to disapear alot at times. Every HC or OC that has come through ATL during his time says we have to get Norwood on the field, Have to get him touches. SO, what do you gys think? Am I being to harsh, to critical? He could provide alot to the offense. Use different formations, put him in the slot. Go 2 back in the shotgun with him and Turner in there, etc. JUst some thoughts and ramblings on a monday A.M. at work.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 11th, 2009
8:32 am
jason, in this era of NFL football, it is essential for teams to carry a two-headed monster in the backfield. We have long past the days of William Andrews, Gerald Riggs, Tony Dorsett (hate to mention the enemy), Earl Campbell and “Sweetness” (you’re not a football fan, if you don’t know “Sweetness”). Those days where a running back can single-handedly play a whole game, are lone gone; football gods don’t make them anymore.
As you mentioned before, Norwood is a great talent and has tremendous speed; but, you also mentioned, he is injury proned. I’m afraid that if he touches the ball more than twenty times a game, he will stay in the infirmary.
Remember, “scheme”. There are some plays, according to defensive set-ups, that will require a swift, slashy speedster like Norwood, to hit the corners, to take backs out of play, to run the seams or to simply give our feature back a rest. Then, there are plays that would require a bone-crushing bruiser, like “The Burner”, that can light up a defense and keep them honest.
I, too, wanted Norwood to get more touches than he did during his early tenure with the club. Scheme will disallow that, however; and Turner’s ability to withstand the attack of 250lbs.+ men, all game, will limit Norwood’s minutes.
I’m now satisfied with Norwood’s touches, partly because of the arrival of “The Burner”. He didn’t have the luxury of his coworker taking the load of work, when he was backing up Warrick “Done”. Trust me, if you put Norwood on any other team and make him THE feature back, he won’t last two quarters. The staff in Falcon football are very keen and know how to limit his touches, to keep him healthy.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 11th, 2009
8:34 am
Thanks, jason. I was sitting here in class trying to figure out how to wake up my day. Answering your concern was like a B-12 vitamin for me. I can put that ‘nac back!
jason
May 11th, 2009
8:37 am
Stirg d’Nahsif, I’m not saying thay he should be a feature back. Turner is the man. Just that I expected he would have provided more to the offense. Seems that when he is healthy enough, he can take to the house in a hurry. I’m selfish, I would like to see Snelling with more carries also. I am a run first type of guy. Run the the ball and stop the run. That simple.
jason
May 11th, 2009
8:39 am
I am going to get in trouble here, but my 3 all-time favorite RBs are as follows. William Andrews, Walter Payton, and Tony Doreset. I remember “Sweetness” when he broke the rushing record at old Soldier Field.
Unca' Bob
May 11th, 2009
8:57 am
Jason,
J Norwood came to be a Falcon in ‘06. His carries have been about, on average, 100 per game. His YPC dropped to 5.2 last year, witch by anyones standard is very good. I feel Coach Smith & Co. will cut back on Turners carries. Tony G will help a lot to take pressure off Turner. Norwood will get not only more carries but more receptions this season.
jason
May 11th, 2009
9:03 am
I can only imagine the possibilities for this offense. ATL has playmakers, and are building some unbelievable depth also.
spectator
May 11th, 2009
9:49 am
Here we go again…another year of uga fans talking about Shockley and wondering if he will be 2nd string for the birds. You people need to get over it. Shockley has never shown anything to indicate that he can play in the NFL and has been nothing more than the “token”dog on the Falcons roster. Did the Falcons bring in J.P. Wilson just to play in pre-season games? My guess is he will be this years #3, backing up Redmon, the become the Falcons # 2 the following year. Shockley will be released (there is no trade value)and won’t be picked up by anyone else. The Falcons can keep somebody like T. Brown as the dog “token”; he might at least be able to do something like run back a kick-off.
BigTimeFalconFan
May 11th, 2009
10:19 am
Oh boy, The NFC South is going to be wild this year.
Key will be D-Line getting pressure in QB’s, If we can give Abe’s some help Falcon’s will roll. If not we may be talking wildcard team again. I’m thinking Jenkins will bust out big time this year, Team’s keying on White and TG will open up some holes for Jenkins.
I still think a good backup QB should have been signed, Birds in trouble if Ryan gets hurt.
Dennis
May 11th, 2009
10:23 am
Brent Grimes plays with as much heart as I’ve ever seen, but I can hardly bear to watch it when they go after him. ’nuff said for now.
SPS
May 11th, 2009
10:27 am
Stirg & Sarah: The Broncos game meant nothing for playoff seedings. If we won that game and finished 12-4, Carolina still would have won the tie breaker based on their better division record. They were 4-2, Falcons were 3-3. In fact, winning that game would have only hurt our draft position. Still, the win would have been nice…
RedandBlack
May 11th, 2009
10:32 am
Redman and Shockley will shine and play very well in pre-season. Wilson, however, will have the light shown on him, and he will not make it after the second cut. The Falcons will cary three QBs. Wilson just will not stack up to Redman and Shockley come descision time. If anything, the gap between Redman and Shockley may get closer. That competition will only help the Falcons in the long run. Go Falcons!!
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 11th, 2009
10:39 am
SPS, my point was this. We cannot solely blame one person for the end result of our season last year. Whether it was the Eagles, Broncos, Saints or Panthers, we cannot say that ONE person was to blame for season’s end.
WR
May 11th, 2009
10:52 am
Dennis I agree, you want to see a guy with Grimes heart and passion for the game make it but he is so small teams just pick on him all day. I saw him in person and I can tell you the guy is not even 5′8 if he is its barely. I hope they can find a way to work him into the slot, maybe he would be better suited to cover the small Wes Walker types.
BigtimeFalconfan, you have a good point, but thats pretty much the problem for every NFL team. Occasionally you get a Matt Cassel but for the most part you get no better than what the Falcons already have. I watched Redman a couple of years back and I’m not a Redman fan but the guy actually looked pretty good which is what you want in a backup, a QB who can step in steady the ship in time of turbulence. Name one free agent QB who was out there that you believe could step in and do any better than what Redman offers, Jeff Garcia, he wants to be a Starter and would be disruptive,Byron Leftwich, been there done that, who else.
Not to bring up a sore subject but that was the problem when Vick was our starting QB. The offense was built around Vick and Vick’s ability to make plays, when he couldn’t or when he was hurt the offense went to hell. This coaching staff is building a team around the QB, in this case Matt Ryan, it works best with Ryan, but it will work with an adequate QB, not a one man show. Does the team appear as unstoppable with out Ryan, no, does the team totally go into the tank without Ryan, no. When you build an offense like the one the Falcons are trying to build or maybe have already built it makes circumstances like Matt Cassel possible. The principles won’t change no matter who the QB is, the Falcons want to run the ball and stop the run.
Sarah B
May 11th, 2009
10:55 am
Aahhhh, Stirg… so right you are about that, no I in team, however, you are wrong on one very large account: The EAGLE’S Game! That was lost soley by the cause of one person – The Ref calling a muffed kick return – largest pile of crap I saw on the football field last year, well 2nd behind the San Diego-Denver pile of crap.
Dawg95
May 11th, 2009
11:09 am
I can’t wait to play the Cowboys and watch Keith Brooking try to defend against Gonzalez. Gonzalez will have a field day on Brooking!
Hamad Meander
May 11th, 2009
11:15 am
A couple of comments – I wish I had been able to go to mini-camp, but I’ll just have to read about it. First off, no jobs are won or lost in mini-camp, so get that out of your minds. Secondly, Lawyer Milloy isn’t going to be resigned my the Falcons because they drafted William Moore in the 2nd round. He will start Game 1. Milloy isn’t coming back to be a back-up.
Thirdly, as much as I want JP Wilson to succeed, I hear the ball just doesn’t come out of this hand with the velocity the other QBs have – which is surprising given that Shockley and Redman aren’t known for their big arms.
Fourth and final comment – the guys I want to hear more about are Lawrence Sidbury (this guy is going to eat up the NFC South in a year or two), the two new CBs (are they going to be able to step up and play NFL ball?), and what’s up with John Abraham? How can be be injured after having the off season off?
jason
May 11th, 2009
11:17 am
Don’t care for the comments regarding former UGA players. I am curious about Shockey because each preseason reports are usaually good about him regarding not only physical tools, but make up, and understanding the level of play in the NFL. You don’t have to trash UGA’s players. They are now Falcons.
TheManMike
May 11th, 2009
11:23 am
Shockley has trade value i hope….I think all the teams saw that play when he tore that ACL or whatever it was…..I remember very clearly how he was handling that ball – NOT GOOD. He was wabbly and waving the ball like a wild man….Plus, he’s short. He will never be above 3rd string on this team, i dont think this staff wants him to be the backup….TRADE TRADE TRADE!
I cannot say that i have really seen anything worthy of him remaining on this team. He will never be the starter, so let him go somewhere he can play. I could be wrong about him, i just never saw anything to show that he was worthy – His sense of urgency he leaves on the sidelines when he hits the field is strange. I dont think he was ready to make a move to the bigs – and that injury really shell-shocked him….He may be damaged goods….Too bad…he was fast and does have a real rocket for an arm….But we have MattR – And thats all we need right now….
go Birds of Prey!
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 11th, 2009
11:25 am
Hey, Sarah. Top of the day to ya’!
I can’t comment on that Eagles game, I didn’t watch it; I just knew it was a lost. Thats one of the Cons of being away from home. Atlanta is not America’s team, YET! So they receive little national coverage. Think I’ll get directtv this season.
Sorry to hear ’bout your man Chuck Daly.
TheManMike
May 11th, 2009
11:25 am
For the record: Im not a college football fan…..So i like neither UGA or GT……
jason
May 11th, 2009
11:28 am
TheManMike , Just saying I don’t care where they come from. They are Falcons now. They will be supported. ATL is looking thin in the back up QB. I would like to think JPW could grab the 3 with DJ moving up to 2.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 11th, 2009
11:39 am
Now, Hamad Meander, that is EXACTLY what I was suggesting when I said John Abraham needs to pull up his panties. How do you enter mini-camp, injured? What happened, Mr. Abraham? Did you step on a Weever fish while snorkling in the caribbean? I apologize Bird fans but I have no sympathy for a man making millions on something we do at leisure. Don’t give me any crap about “he’s a veteran” and “he’s earned this time off.” Bull! Matty Ice, The Burner and Rowdy Roddy White all earned time off; but they were there. White, as a matter of fact, had every legitimate excuse to hold-out of mini-camp because of contract negotiations; But the veteran showed up and showed out. He gets it.
Thank you for your input, Hamad Meander.
D3
May 11th, 2009
11:39 am
Great Monday Morning Bird-Cage Bro’s and Sis’s! So camp is offically over and now on to the extremely down and dry period for us Football junkies. Since our mini-camp buzz is rockin’ strong, we’ll wait for our Division-by-Division/Team Analysis and Final Record Competition as suggested by WR’s excellent idea. Don’t know about you guys(and gals), but I’d rather talk and discuss Football, even if its not Falcons every minute, than any other sport. Other sports are just stop-gaps to All Things Football. The Bird-Cage is rockin’ strong, averaging about 200 posts per blog topic every 3 days or so; pretty awesome, especially for off-season. To the posts……..
falcon21 – thank you for “answering” that ridiculous post about Shockley being cut.
Goldenglove – pretty good question, but I think Milloy days of wearing red and black are over. We’ve moved on as I’m sure he has as well. He’ll sign on somewhere more towards August if I were to bet. The market wasn’t quite what he thought it was for him.
cutter – on Redman and Shockley I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I am biased from the start because Shockley is one of my all-time favorite UGA players, so I’m not being truly objective. However that being said, my train of thought predictably sides with Shockley, but heres why:
1)Cap Room – Chris Redman is the 7th highest paid backup in the NFL, making almost 4 million a year to sit on the bench ($3.875 Mill) when the average is around $1.6 Million. Allowing Shockley to win the #2 and JPW #3 would save serious cash. Shockley currently makes $450,000.
2)Upside – Shockley is young, athletic, and has tons more upside than Redman. No knock no Redman personally, but he’ll be 33 this year and let’s be frank, was selling insurance before Petrino gave him a shot. He did earn it once he got a shot, so I’ll give credit where its due. Shockley has earned his spot as well with two different head coaches, and obviously he proved it at Georgia. The argument on no experience is valid, but how many backups do have experience until they get a shot? Matt Cassell didn’t play live football since his high school days, and look where he is now.
3)Younger/Process – keeping Shockley and JPW would allow for us to get younger at that position as well, along with learning and being indoctrinated in “their” system. Cassell is a great example at NE. They never planned on him playing, but after learning at a young age in the NFL behind Brady and in their system, he didn’t miss much of a beat after spending “years” in the system. How many years does Redman have left?
4)Wildcat/Scout – his athletic talent can be used as an occasional mismatch if we ever decide to use the Wildcat ourselves. I know that we used Norwood last year, but there was never a legitimate threat of him throwing the ball. He also will be a perfect scout player to help the first team defense prepare for said Wildcat because guess who’s first on our schedule: Miami with Ronnie Brown AND Pat White possibly running the Wildcat formation.
As I’ve said I’m not the best person to argue for Shockley because of my bias, but I’ve laid out several reasons why keeping Shockley over Redman might be in our best interest.
Mucho, mucho more to come later……
D3
May 11th, 2009
11:40 am
Raise the gates, Blog Monster on the loose!
D3
May 11th, 2009
11:44 am
Great Monday Morning Bird-Cage Bro’s and Sis’s! So camp is offically over and now on to the extremely down and dry period for us Football junkies. Since our mini-camp buzz is rockin’ strong, we’ll wait for our Division-by-Division/Team Analysis and Final Record Competition as suggested by WR’s excellent idea. Don’t know about you guys(and gals), but I’d rather talk and discuss Football, even if its not Falcons every minute, than any other sport. Other sports are just stop-gaps to All Things Football. The Bird-Cage is rockin’ strong, averaging about 200 posts per blog topic every 3 days or so; pretty awesome, especially for off-season. To the posts……..
falcon21 – thank you for “answering” that ridiculous post about Shockley being cut.
Goldenglove – pretty good question, but I think Milloy days of wearing red and black are over. We’ve moved on as I’m sure he has as well. He’ll sign on somewhere more towards August if I were to bet. The market wasn’t quite what he thought it was for him.
Advice to all our Bird-Cage Brethren: before you hit the submit button, copy your posts so that way you can always split them up or re-post easily when the Blog Grendel comes out of the cave.
Zoomie
May 11th, 2009
11:48 am
Man, this is a great blog! Very little foolishness, and even then, in a joking/prodding manner. I read it just about every day, but don’t comment because most of the posters on here are much more knowledgeable than me about football, and especially, the Falcons. This is the preferred site to treat off-season withdrawals. DOL, you’re running a gem, here!
D3
May 11th, 2009
11:48 am
Apologies if a re-post, the Blog Grendel is angry and hungry today evidently
Great Monday Morning Bird-Cage Bro’s and Sis’s! So camp is officially over and now on to the extremely down and dry period for us Football junkies. Since our mini-camp buzz is rockin’ strong, we’ll wait for our Division-by-Division/Team Analysis and Final Record Competition as suggested by WR’s excellent idea. Don’t know about you guys(and gals), but I’d rather talk and discuss Football, even if its not Falcons every minute, than any other sport. Other sports are just stop-gaps to All Things Football. The Bird-Cage is rockin’ strong, averaging about 200 posts per blog topic every 3 days or so; pretty awesome, especially for off-season. To the posts……..
falcon21 – thank you for “answering” that ridiculous post about Shockley being cut.
Goldenglove – pretty good question, but I think Milloy days of wearing red and black are over. We’ve moved on as I’m sure he has as well. He’ll sign on somewhere more towards August if I were to bet. The market wasn’t quite what he thought it was for him.
cutter – on Redman and Shockley I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I am biased from the start because Shockley is one of my all-time favorite UGA players, so I’m not being truly objective. However that being said, my train of thought predictably sides with Shockley, but heres why:
1)Cap Room – Chris Redman is the 7th highest paid backup in the NFL, making almost 4 million a year to sit on the bench ($3.875 Mill) when the average is around $1.6 Million. Allowing Shockley to win the #2 and JPW #3 would save serious cash. Shockley currently makes $450,000.
2)Upside – Shockley is young, athletic, and has tons more upside than Redman. No knock no Redman personally, but he’ll be 33 this year and let’s be frank, was selling insurance before Petrino gave him a chance. He did earn it once he got a shot, so I’ll give credit where its due. Shockley has earned his spot as well with two different head coaches, and obviously he proved it at Georgia. The argument on no experience is valid, but how many backups do have experience until they get a shot? Matt Cassell didn’t play live football since his high school days, and look where he is now.
3)Younger/Process – keeping Shockley and JPW would allow for us to get younger at that position as well, along with learning and being indoctrinated in “their” system. Cassell is a great example at NE. They never planned on him playing, but after learning at a young age in the NFL behind Brady and in their system, he didn’t miss much of a beat after spending “years” in the system. How many years does Redman have left?
4)Wildcat/Scout – his athletic talent can be used as an occasional mismatch if we ever decide to use the Wildcat ourselves. I know that we used Norwood last year, but there was never a legitimate threat of him throwing the ball. He also will be a perfect scout player to help the first team defense prepare for said Wildcat because guess who’s first on our schedule: Miami with Ronnie Brown AND Pat White possibly running the Wildcat formation.
As I’ve said I’m not the best person to argue for Shockley because of my bias, but I’ve laid out several reasons why keeping Shockley over Redman might be in our best interest.
Mucho, mucho more to come later……
D3
May 11th, 2009
11:48 am
Great Monday Morning Bird-Cage Bro’s and Sis’s! So camp is officially over and now on to the extremely down and dry period for us Football junkies. Since our mini-camp buzz is rockin’ strong, we’ll wait for our Division-by-Division/Team Analysis and Final Record Competition as suggested by WR’s excellent idea. Don’t know about you guys(and gals), but I’d rather talk and discuss Football, even if its not Falcons every minute, than any other sport. Other sports are just stop-gaps to All Things Football. The Bird-Cage is rockin’ strong, averaging about 200 posts per blog topic every 3 days or so; pretty awesome, especially for off-season. To the posts……..
D3
May 11th, 2009
11:49 am
falcon21 – thank you for “answering” that ridiculous post about Shockley being cut.
Goldenglove – pretty good question, but I think Milloy days of wearing red and black are over. We’ve moved on as I’m sure he has as well. He’ll sign on somewhere more towards August if I were to bet. The market wasn’t quite what he thought it was for him.
D3
May 11th, 2009
11:50 am
cutter – on Redman and Shockley I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I am biased from the start because Shockley is one of my all-time favorite UGA players, so I’m not being truly objective. However that being said, my train of thought predictably sides with Shockley, but heres why:
1)Cap Room – Chris Redman is the 7th highest paid backup in the NFL, making almost 4 million a year to sit on the bench ($3.875 Mill) when the average is around $1.6 Million. Allowing Shockley to win the #2 and JPW #3 would save serious cash. Shockley currently makes $450,000.
2)Upside – Shockley is young, athletic, and has tons more upside than Redman. No knock no Redman personally, but he’ll be 33 this year and let’s be frank, was selling insurance before Petrino gave him a chance. He did earn it once he got a shot, so I’ll give credit where its due. Shockley has earned his spot as well with two different head coaches, and obviously he proved it at Georgia. The argument on no experience is valid, but how many backups do have experience until they get a shot? Matt Cassell didn’t play live football since his high school days, and look where he is now.
3)Younger/Process – keeping Shockley and JPW would allow for us to get younger at that position as well, along with learning and being indoctrinated in “their” system. Cassell is a great example at NE. They never planned on him playing, but after learning at a young age in the NFL behind Brady and in their system, he didn’t miss much of a beat after spending “years” in the system. How many years does Redman have left?
4)Wildcat/Scout – his athletic talent can be used as an occasional mismatch if we ever decide to use the Wildcat ourselves. I know that we used Norwood last year, but there was never a legitimate threat of him throwing the ball. He also will be a perfect scout player to help the first team defense prepare for said Wildcat because guess who’s first on our schedule: Miami with Ronnie Brown AND Pat White possibly running the Wildcat formation.
As I’ve said I’m not the best person to argue for Shockley because of my bias, but I’ve laid out several reasons why keeping Shockley over Redman might be in our best interest. If someone wants to make counter-arguments for Redman, you know I’m all ears.
WR
May 11th, 2009
11:50 am
You don’t have to be a UGA fan to want a player to succeed because of the way he carries himself. I’m a Tech fan, Shockley was a heralded player coming out of North Clayton High, he went to UGA rode the bench without complaint and when the opportunity afforded itself he preformed on the field. He may not make it in the NFL but given the commitment,dedication,support and honor he has shown, he’s definitely a feel good story and I see nothing wrong with people rooting for him.