It’s OTA time for the Falcons
Second-year man Curtis Lofton calling signals in the defensive huddle at mini-camp. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC).
OTAVILLE – Took a little post-draft, post-mini-camp break.
Back up and ready to roll through the Organized Team Activities, then there will be another break for us before training camp.
The Falcons start their OTAs tomorrow at 10:15 a.m.
They are allowed to have 14 sessions, which are to be non-contact drills and can last no longer than six hours. Only two of those hours can be spent on the field.
While the drills are to be non-contact, seven-on-seven passing drills are allowable. The drills are not mandatory, so it’s always an issue when a veteran or two doesn’t show up.
The Falcons were near 100 percent last season. Which makes sense with a new coaching staff. This year it will be interesting to see if any of the veterans elect to miss a few of the sessions.
The Falcons will practice again on Thursday.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank welcomes rookie safety William Moore. OTAs will be important for Moore in his quest to land a starting spot. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC).
After this week, they will practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday over the next four weeks to get all of their 14 sessions end. After OTAs are completed on June 18, the team will break for the summer and reunite on July 31 for the opening of training camp.
The media will be allowed to attend five of the sessions, with each Wednesday has been designated by Coach Mike Smith as the media days.
With so many young players on the roster, the Falcons OTA sessions will be key.
On defense, seven of the 11 starters could be players with three years or less. The offense could have three starters.
Also, cornerback Von Hutchins, who broke his foot and spent last season on injured reserve, is expected to be available. First round draft pick Peria Jerry, who suffered a mild right knee sprain at mini-camp, is expected back.
Considering the youth of the Falcons team, how key are the OTA session for the Falcons? How much time should be used in the seven-on-seven drills to sharpen the passing attack? Do you expect all of the veterans to take part some or all of this non-mandatory workouts?
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509 comments Add your comment
jason
May 20th, 2009
1:43 am
I don’t want to devel to much into beer, but World Select. That’s my favorite. I can’t find it San Antonio anymore. The Stripe is delicious though.
D3, I am waiting on your analysis on DJ (remember unbiased), I had a hard time remaining unbiased myself. I am going to tell you my 3 faves UGA QBs. Belue, don’t know why. Zeier, and DJ. I also like Bobo (kind of home town fave). DJ is an extordinary person. You are right on the intellegence. Son of a coach. Will probably be a coach himself, one day.
Where is Seminole Warrior? He’s the reason I am on the blog. We just kind of hit off talking HWY 84 High school football. Anyway, I wasn’t questioning participation, I was just looking for someone to talk football. The Boss took the CPU away from me also.
D3
May 20th, 2009
2:33 am
Tomorrow’s Menu (post as you please):
Division Analysis Predictions
Weekly Division: AFC North
Tomorrow’s Team: Baltimore Ravens
Falcons Weekly Opponent Breakdown: Carolina Panthers, 9/20
Roster Spot Analysis: QB #3
QB#2 – Chris Redman (using current)
Stats
Career: 2,190 Pass Yards; Starter Record: 4-6; 17 TD’s, 10 Int’s.
56.2% Career Completion Rate;
Pros
QB Backup has starter experience. Came on strong at the end of 2007 Debacle of a Season. Threw for 10 touchdowns in 5 games. Got a big win over Seahawks to close out the season and played extremely well against New Orleans and Arizona. Extremely accurate passer and good game manager. System oriented QB that gets the ball where to the playmakers. Got his second chance under Dic-trino and made the most of it. Had promising young career before injury derailed career in Baltimore.
Cons
only had one year with constant starting experience early in his career at Baltimore. Went 3-3, but injury derailed career and never was able to regain ability/confidence. Out of football for 3 years. Got no legit offers until former college coach Dic-trino offered him a shot. Has games that reach meltdown status: 2007 against Tampa Bay – 4 for 15 passing with 2 interceptions, Lost 3-37. Signed contract with every intent of possibly winning Starting QB job in 2008. Will make $3.875 million as a true backup, 5th highest paid backup QB in the NFL when average is $1.6 Million. Turns 33 in July.
Overall
Everything seemed to be the status quo with Redman #2 and Shockley #3. Redman was and is a steady backup with solid experience that can offer a good chance of managing game if needed. Signing of JPW has thrown a wrench into the entire argument(at least with us Bird-Cage junkies). Backups are just that, backups for a reason and besides Tom Brady and few more examples there is a HUGE drop-off from a Pro-Bowl talent to backup, and the same production will not be expected. Two trains of thought: gotta finish later……..
Little buddy upset
D3
May 20th, 2009
3:27 am
QB#2 Overall(cont’d)
Meant to say that there are three trains of thought here concerning the backup situation:
1)They simply brought in JPW as another arm to work out in training camp and potentially hold onto for future work knowing there’ not a great chance he’ll make the team, keeping the status quo.
2)They brought in JPW to compete directly with Shockley for the #3 spot, thus leaving Redman untouched @ #2
3)JPW was signed with the potential of moving into the #3 spot, allowing Shockley to compete directly with Redman for the #2 spot. This would reinforce their “process” movement, get much younger at QB, and save at more than $2 million towards the salary cap.
Obviously time will tell what’s in store for the backup QB situation. Redman is the more ready choice for the backup position, but is any backup, QB or otherwise, worth almost $4 million? If the Falcons were to part with Redman he could immediately and, most likely, successfully compete for and win a starting QB job. Several teams need a QB: San Francisco, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, & Washington to name a few.
Final: 50/50 shot of Redman being on the Falcons final roster.
Big plate of Falcons & Football tomorrow………..
JJ
May 20th, 2009
6:43 am
WR GSU ‘89 – the concrete campus! They have the right man to get things started but I don’t they will be anything more than ga. southern.
The environment, when I was there, was: get off marta, class, then quickly get back on marta to get the hexx out of downtown. Crime looks even worse this year! But I’ll support them regardless, GO CONCRETE CAMPUS! trying not to laugh…
WR
May 20th, 2009
8:31 am
JJ, funny you would bring up the concrete campus terminology, I remember when the school consisted of Sparks Hall and the General Classroom building with library north, but now its massive and they even had a little grass area up by Aderhold and over by the Georgia bookstore and Alumni Hall. Hopefully support will come but your right we did just want to dive right back on Marta and leave or now dive right back on the shuttles, thats all for my none football talk, now to today’s topics.
D3
May 20th, 2009
8:43 am
Great A.M. Bird-Cage Brothers and Sisters! Full plate of topics to discuss today as we reach the mid-point of the week and are driving into summer. Even though this is technically the downtime for Falcons and Football, the ‘Cage is rockin’ really well. Looks like its going to be a beautiful weekend, at least here in good ol’ GA. Fire up the grill and let’s have some fun. To Falcons and Football………..
On Tap Today – we got the Record prediction of another good team to analyze (finally) with the Baltimore Ravens, wrap up our QB Depth Chart Analysis on QB#3, and the long-awaited tearing apart of the Falcons-Panthers matchup.
JJ – I may have already told you, but I’m joining the Concrete Campus alumni this June, finishing up my masters this summer. I ride Marta during the summer and am downtown at night quite a bit and have never had any problems(knock on wood). They’ve cleaned it up a good amount and its a fairly safe environment. I still have my head on a swivel at night though. The student body is definitely pumped about the new Football Team. As I was telling WR the other day, I think the sky’s the limit for a Football program, but they need to try and find a lot to build a small stadium. Playing in the Dome forever won’t work, IMO.
Couple of tidbits to brighten your morn’ –
1)Pat Kirwan talks about FA’s leaving and filling holes with current roster
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d810674cf&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true
Out of 12 teams, the Falcons weren’t listed. How about Trey Lewis, Stephen Nicholas, Thomas DeCoud, & Chevis Jackson? C’mom Pat.
2)Bucky Brooks gives his top 5 off-seasons, no love for our Falconi’s
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8104ef18&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
C’mon Bucky; you mean adding a Hall of Fame TE to an Offense that ranked in the top 5 and drafting 5 straight DEF players doesn’t merit a top 5 spot?
75 DAYS AND COUNTING TO 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!!!!!
WR
May 20th, 2009
9:22 am
Sarah, we let you slide on the eye candy and baby daddy themes, so now you want to slide in comments while your laying out by the pool, last I checked we were still mostly men here, I think your taking advantage of the only woman thing you have going on,LOL.
Alright Baltimore is on tap today, finally a good team to analyze. You would think that with all of their defensive success the Ravens would try to strengthen their offense by adding a big play receiver in the draft or through free agency but they continued to focus on the defense. Flacco looked good last year in his rookie season and he’s with the perfect team if he is to have a sophomore slump,I don’t think he will but the Ravens should have gotten better at the receiver position.
1. KC@Bal-W,no comments needed
2. Bal@SD-L,Hard fought week two showdown between AFC title contenders
3. Cle@Bal-W,The old browns continue to batter the new browns
4. Bal@NE-L,Tom’s back and so is the Darth Sidious
5. Cin@Bal-W,Bengals actually perform well in this loss,next game will be different
6. Bal@Min-W,Adrian Peterson finds out the hard way what really happened to Eddie George’s career
7. Bye–Looking good at 4-2, but haven’t seen their archrivals yet
8. Den@Bal-W, 5-2 enough said
9. Bal@Cin-L, Bengals are beginning to jell a bit in this mild upset
10.Bal@Cle-W, We have the browns twice,Detroit,KC,and end the season with Oakland basically giving us six bye weeks
11.Ind@Bal-L, Surprisingly Ravens get caught looking ahead to the Pittsburgh game
12. Pit@Bal-W, World Champs and Ravens=hardnosed good football
13. Bal@GB-W
14. Det@Bal-W, Starters benched in favor of the scout team with the Lion’s in town
15. Chi@Bal-W, Cutler just doesn’t have the weapons in place
16. Bal@Pit-L, Once again this game will decide the division winner
17. Bal@Oak-W, Playoff seeds are set,Ravens rest most of starters and still manage to win.
Ravens finish 11-5, right behind Pittsburgh again
Unca' Bob
May 20th, 2009
9:24 am
cutter,
Thanks for the roster info. I kinda-sorta knew the process, but that is the first time it was spelled out for me. I have seen the “PUP” on this blog before and could not for the life of me figure out what it stood for. It’s that TLA thing. Props to ya’.
D3,
I know there is no sound on this blog, but when I scrolled onto your 8:10 post, I swear I heard it. It made my cat jump!! The frustration just oozed out. It took me thirty minutes to get the ooze off my Desk top and the cat still won’t come any where around me!! LOLOL
Eleven on eleven: You nailed it once again. Our young Defense could not be in a better position. Competing on a daily basis with one of the very best O’s in the NFL. Simply awesome.
JJ,
Ramen/stripe/Prozac…breakfast of Champions.
WR,
Samuel Adams sounded familiar. Found out he was a former “Patriot”, pre-Belichick.
Sarah B
May 20th, 2009
9:33 am
D3 – take a road trip to the Falcons game in Charlotte and the hating of NO & TB will be diminished. Those folk are hateful to us when we show up. Plus every time they even get a 1st down there is this obnoxious sound like a toilet flushing that is supposed to be a “Panther” roaring. They do have a great stadium though. Went to TB last year and not sure if it’s the fact the out shrits blended in or they are just really laid back beach peeps but no hate there. Maybe it’s the NASCAR mentality??
D3
May 20th, 2009
9:42 am
2009 Baltimore Ravens
General – the Ravens were one win away from the Super Bowl with a rookie QB and rookie HC at the helm. The tried and true philosophy of run the ball, play action, and play great defense continues to be the Ravens M.O. and its worked well for them. How will some key losses affect their ‘09 run?
Offense – Joe Flacco played masterfully in his rookie year and particularly down the stretch and in the playoffs. He wasn’t asked to do that much since the running game was so good and the DEF was dominant as always. Their running game looks solid to great after finding a thunder in Leron McClain to McGahee’s lightning. They have a 3rd punch in Ray Rice as well. Adding big stud Michael Oher and All-Pro Matt Birk to their line only increases their trench warfare and running the ball. The Ravens add LJ Smith along with oft-injuried Todd Heap, which should be a very formidable combo. Flacco only looks to improve. They still do not have any legitimate WR’s. Other than Derrick Mason, the Ravens are never known to have any WR’s worth much. They are still vunerable to good run-stuffing D’s with solid corners, b/c they can’t win one-on-one WR/CB match-ups.
Defense
Perenially one of the best D’s in the league, period. Added CB Dominique Foxworth and DE Paul Kruger through the draft. Several losses including long-time D-coordinator Rex Ryan, ILB Bart Scott, and S Jim Leonard all traveled up to the Jets. Looks to continue its dominance on DEF with Ray Lewis having a little gas left in the tank, at tough D-Line, and franchising Terrell Suggs.
Overall – Ravens take a little bit of drop defensively and will be hurt some on OFF with no WR’s, but he running game only gets stronger and stronger. Contends with Steelers for AFC North Title and second year in playoffs. How deep? Depends on Flacco and many no-name WR’s.
1 Sep 13 KC @ BAL (win)
2 Sep 20 BAL @ SD (loss)
3 Sep 27 CLE @ BAL (win)
4 Oct 04 BAL @ NE (loss)
5 Oct 11 CIN @ BAL (win)
6 Oct 18 BAL @ MIN (win)
7 Bye
8 Nov 01 DEN @ BAL (win)
9 Nov 08 BAL @ CIN (win)
10 Nov 16 BAL @ CLE (win)
11 Nov 22 IND @ BAL (loss)
12 Nov 29 PIT @ BAL (win)
13 Dec 07 BAL @ GB (win)
14 Dec 13 DET @ BAL (win)
15 Dec 20 CHI @ BAL (win)
16 Dec 27 BAL @ PIT (loss)
17 Jan 03 BAL @ OAK (win)
12 – 4
Sarah B
May 20th, 2009
9:48 am
The Baltimore Ravens
1. KC@Bal – W no words necessary here
2. Bal@SD – L SD won’t drop so many home games this year
3. Cle@Bal – W see note from KC
4. Bal@NE – L
5. Cin@Bal – W Brady Quinn meet Ravens DEF
6. Bal@Min – W Lot’s of sacks but of who?
7. Bye
8. Den@Bal – W
9. Bal@Cin – W Can we get a real game?
10. Bal@Cle – W Nope
11. Ind@Bal – W No 15-10 game this time
12. Pit@Bal-W One of my favorite games of the year
13. Bal@GB – W
14. Det@Bal – W Run Stafford Run
15. Chi@Bal – W ???
16. Bal@Pit – L Another of my favorite games of the year should be a bloodbath on both sides
17. Bal@Oak – W Does this game even need to be played
13-3
WR
May 20th, 2009
10:23 am
Its funny how the more we analyze teams the closer we get to thinking the same thing. Sarah B has Baltimore lossing two less games then I do but the losses she has are identical to mine,same goes for you D3, you have them lossing one less game then I do but all of our preceived loses are the same. Can’t wait to see how the rest of the picks will look on Baltimore.
D3
May 20th, 2009
10:41 am
2009 Atlanta Falcons Schedule Analysis
This Week: Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers (Game 2)
Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers; September 20th @ The Georgia Dome
2008 Atlanta Falcons
W/L: 11-5; Playoffs: Wild-Card Round
Scored 391 points (24.4/g), 10th of 32 in the NFL.
Allowed 325 points (20.3/g), 11th.
Differential of 66 points (4.1/g), 11th.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -3 (-0.2/g), 21st
Coach: Mike Smith
Key Losses
Dominique Foxworth, Grady Jackson, Keith Brooking, Lawyer Milloy, Michael Boley, Laurent Robinson
Key Addition
Mike Peterson, Tony Gonzalez
Draft: Peria Jerry, William Moore, Chris Owens, Lawrence Sidbury
2008 Carolina Panthers
W/L: 12 – 4, Division Champ; Playoffs: Divisonal Round
Scored 414 points (25.9/g), 7th of 32 in the NFL.
Allowed 329 points (20.6/g), 12th.
Differential of 85 points (5.3/g), 8th.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +6 (0.4/g), 7th.
Coach: John Fox
Key Losses: Ken Lucas, DJ Hackett, Julius Peppers(Franchised)
Key Additions: Jake Delhomme signed to extension
Draft: Everette Brown, Sherrod Martin
Individual match-ups coming soon………
jason
May 20th, 2009
10:42 am
1 Sep 13 KC @ BAL W
2 Sep 20 BAL @ SD L
3 Sep 27 CLE @ BAL W
4 Oct 04 BAL @ NE L
5 Oct 11 CIN @ BAL W
6 Oct 18 BAL @ MIN W
7 Bye
8 Nov 01 DEN @ BAL L
9 Nov 08 BAL @ CIN L
10 Nov 16 BAL @ CLE W
11 Nov 22 IND @ BAL W
12 Nov 29 PIT @ BAL W
13 Dec 07 BAL @ GB L
14 Dec 13 DET @ BAL W
15 Dec 20 CHI @ BAL W
16 Dec 27 BAL @ PIT L
17 Jan 03 BAL @ OAK W
When will this team find an offense? If Blt. had an
offense, They would have already won multiple Super
Bowls. Unlike those of you who predicted so far, I
aee the Ranens slipping a little this year. The defense
while still very good is really starting to age. The
offense is about as vanilla as they come. Run the left
right, and up the gut. Mix in some play action, and look
for my TEs. Flaccoreally impressed last year. All he
really had to do was manage the game. I see more
responsibility coming his way this year. He has to TEs
and has Mason at WR. He has McGahee, and Rice lining’
up behind him. Rice is a goo outlet out of the back
field. What the Ravens really need is a vertical WR.
Someone who can stretch the field. Until then, they
continue to see 8 man fronts.
And that may be ok, considering the Defense seems to
score as often as the offense. Yes, they are aging, but
as long as you Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, you will be in the
mix.The Ranes Defense is lead by an AllPro at each level.
Terrell Suggs anchor a dominating front in their 3-4.
You have Lewis solidfying the midddle at LB. then theres
Reed making sure they don’t get beat deep. They have all
ingridents there to make another SuperBowl run, as long
as their 3 super stars on D can keep fighting the aging
process. I have the Baltimore Ravens going 10-6.
Sarah B
May 20th, 2009
10:49 am
WR there will always be a suprising upset in the season but at this point it’s to hard to tell where. But so far both San Diego and Blatimore have cake schedules.
WR
May 20th, 2009
10:56 am
Sarah, I know, at the same time how is it that the Superbowl Champions may have the easiest schedule of them all. I guess when things are going good there really going good.
WR
May 20th, 2009
11:04 am
I don’t know if there is a such thing as a cake schedule. Teams that had Miami and Atlanta on there schedule last year were considered to have more of a cake walk schedule than teams with Detroit or Cleveland on their schedule. Theres only a select number of teams in the NFL who you can count on as being good or close to it and the funny thing is that most of them are on the Falcons schedule, give or take a Pittsburgh,Tennesee or Baltimore.
jason
May 20th, 2009
11:07 am
Here’s my opinion on the #2 QB.
OK, QB2 analysis. This is hard. Redman vs. Shockley. Redman is a good compliment to the starter. I will disagree that he could start for another team. Yes he started some games 2 years ago under Prictrino, but that was Prictrino’s collage offense that he played while in collage. The question is can he run Mularkey’s Offense? Ryan didn’t even come off the field last year. I believe Ryan took every snap the offense ran. To me Redman does not have great arm strength. Redman knows how to play in the NFL. Good stopgap player. Chris Redman is an Accurate passer. Not very mobile. Redman’s career stas:
CAREER STATS: PASSING
SEASON TEAM G GS COMP/ATT % YDS. AVG TD/INT SACK SCKYDG RATE
2008 Atlanta 0 0 -/- – – – -/- – – -
2007 Atlanta 7 4 89/149 59.7 1079 7.2 10/5 9 51 90.4
2003 Baltimore 2 0 7/13 53.8 58 4.5 0/2 6 45 26.0
2002 Baltimore 6 6 97/182 53.3 1034 5.7 7/3 11 68 76.1
2001 Baltimore 0 0 -/- – – -/- – – -
2000 Baltimore 2 0 2/3 66.7 19 6.3 0/0 0 0 84.0
TOTAL 195/347 56.2 2190 6.3 17/10 26 164 79.5
Here, I posted Redman’s career numbers. If you look at 2008, he had 0 stats. So, the #2 QB will not play much. DJ shockley has never had an opportunity to play. He must have talent, otherwise he would not keep making the roster through 3 different HCs, and 3 different systems. DJ’s best chance to make an impact was his rookie season until a serious knee injury cost him the entire season. He would have backed up MV and given DJ’s similar dynamics from the QB position. Blessed with great arm strength, and mobility, even after knee surgery. He needs to show durability. We all know about his patience and perseverance. The way he sat behind Greene at UGA for 4 ears. To now overcoming a knee injury. DJ has no NFL stats to speak of. He has all the talent. He just needs to be given the oppurtunity to play and gain some expirence at the NFL level.I think this will be a battle all the way throughout preseason.Do you go with what you know, or do you gamble with what could be? I think DJ wins this battle. DJ has all the tools. He also has the mental makeup to handle adverse situations. I think DJ’s
mental makeup coupled with his physical talents will give him the edge.
jason
May 20th, 2009
11:12 am
The difference between good teams and bad are not that large of a gap. Unless of course you are the Raiders, Lions, or Browns. The biggest difference is QB play, an Teams consistently playing great ball week in and week out. Usually there is a significant inury along the way to derail a good. The goal every team should strive for is to be overall consistent. Like the Steelers, Chargers, Colts, Patriots, Eagles, and now the Giants. To be good every year; not a one and done.
Unca' Bob
May 20th, 2009
11:22 am
1 Sep 13 KC @ BAL (win)
2 Sep 20 BAL @ SD (loss)
3 Sep 27 CLE @ BAL (win)
4 Oct 04 BAL @ NE (loss)
5 Oct 11 CIN @ BAL (win)
6 Oct 18 BAL @ MIN (win)
7 Bye
8 Nov 01 DEN @ BAL (win)
9 Nov 08 BAL @ CIN (win)
10 Nov 16 BAL @ CLE (win)
11 Nov 22 IND @ BAL (loss)
12 Nov 29 PIT @ BAL (win)
13 Dec 07 BAL @ GB (loss)
14 Dec 13 DET @ BAL (win)
15 Dec 20 CHI @ BAL (win)
16 Dec 27 BAL @ PIT (loss)
17 Jan 03 BAL @ OAK (win)
@ GB, big-time upset. 11-5
JohnWaynesworld
May 20th, 2009
11:22 am
Baltimore’s next:
1 Sep 13 KC @ BAL (win)
2 Sep 20 BAL @ SD (loss)
3 Sep 27 CLE @ BAL (win)
4 Oct 04 BAL @ NE (loss)
5 Oct 11 CIN @ BAL (win)
6 Oct 18 BAL @ MIN (loss)
7 Bye
8 Nov 01 DEN @ BAL (win)
9 Nov 08 BAL @ CIN (win)
10 Nov 16 BAL @ CLE (win)
11 Nov 22 IND @ BAL (loss)
12 Nov 29 PIT @ BAL (loss)
13 Dec 07 BAL @ GB (loss)
14 Dec 13 DET @ BAL (win)
15 Dec 20 CHI @ BAL (win)
16 Dec 27 BAL @ PIT (loss)
17 Jan 03 BAL @ OAK (win)
There it is. 9-7 is what happens when a teams defense doesn’t completely cover up glaring weaknesses of a really raw but talented QB. I also think Baltimore’s defense struggles at times this year and Ray Lewis may in fact show serious signs of age and dwindling productivity.
The first matchup of Atlanta vs Carolina will not be close. Atlanta, coming off a close win against a speedy Miami team will explode against the Panther’s secondary early in the game and cruise to a 31-17 victory in the Dome.
WR
May 20th, 2009
11:38 am
I’m with JohnWaynesWorld on the Falcons/Carolina game. Their secondary is just not that strong,everytime they played the Falcons last year they concentrated on stopping Turner and this year they will have to play honest against both the run and pass. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Jake Delhomme is a good QB, why on earth they invested so much money in him bewilders me. The Panthers do have a strong running game and Steve Smith but you can focus on the running game while giving safety help over the top for Smith and the Panthers are shut down. John Fox is a great defensive minded coach but this year the loses mount and Fox is shown the door. On a good note for Fox,he could become the DC for the Falcons if Vangorder struggles, I like Vangorder as a college DC not sure I like him as a pro DC but we will see.
Falcons 27 Panthers-10
jason
May 20th, 2009
11:43 am
WR, Wht don’t you like Van Gorder as a pro DC? Last year he kind of had to match a defenses with the personel he had. He is very aggressive, attacking. He didn’t have the horses run that D last year. I seem to remember him in ATL a couple of years ago, and I thought he did a good job.In a perfect world though, Fox would come to ATL as DC, and Van Gorder would go back to UGA and destroy the SEC with his defense.
I will be back in a few with my Carolina match up.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
May 20th, 2009
11:55 am
SORRY: Been wrapped up doing Vick stories. The firs OTA is going well. I have taken attendance and will update you all after Coach Mike Smith officially addresses a few absences. Hate to leave you hanging, but have to talk with Smitty first.
WR
May 20th, 2009
11:58 am
Jason, its not that I don’t like him as a Pro DC the jury is still out on that, if he proves to be a good pro DC I’m all for it. As far as last year Vangorder was the coordinator but it was Smitty’s defense. Vangorder and Smitty share a relationship from their days in Jacksonville together. Now if Vangorder can turn the Falcons into the NFL version of the terror squad defense he had at UGA he should definitely stick around. Now if he’s shaky and a John Fox is available how can you turn that down.
WR
May 20th, 2009
12:12 pm
D-Led we understand, Stirg probably is waiting to hear if Abe was present though,had to throw that out there, Stirg knows what I’m talking about.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 20th, 2009
12:18 pm
“A ‘FEW’ absences”, D.O.? Wow! Let me guess…Mrs. Abraham is absent from OTA.
WR
May 20th, 2009
12:22 pm
Like a moth to a flame, D-Led if Abe is not present just lie and say he was if you don’t we won’t hear the end of it.
jason
May 20th, 2009
12:25 pm
Atlanta vs. Carolina
Offenses:
Atlanta has about the best combination offense in the league. Thae abilityto run smashmouth with Turner, or speed to get outside with Norwood. Defenses walk 8 in the box, and you have Ryan working the middle seem with Gonzo, and working underneath to Douglas. You also have White on the outside, and Jenkins a complimentery deep threat.The only weakness I see is the OL, and that is not near the weakness it was a year ago. ATL has made strides in signing FAs in the offseason to shore up that area. You also have to look at QB Ryan falling into the Sophomore slump. It’s unlikely, because Ryan is a student of the game.
He is always in the film room watching tape strenthen his weaknesses.
Carolina is a run oriented offense with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. That doesn’t mean they can’t throw the ball. Steven Smith is about as clutch as you can get at WR. He can catch the ball anywhere; I mean anywhere and takeit to the house. He always seems to have his best games against ATL’s secondary.The Panther OL is going through a transition of sorts. That may be ATL’s best chance at disrupting he Panther offense. Jake Delhomme, their QB seems to be onthe downside of his career. He has played good football; even led the panthers to a SuperBowl. But those days seem long past. He still has that strong arm
(poor man’s Brett Farve), but he is prone to costly ints. He has no mobility to speak; so getting pressure and getting in his face is almost a sure sack.
EDGE: Atlanta.
DEFENSES:
Atlanta is going with a virtual overhaul on the defensive side by replacing 5 starters. With this defense there will be alot of rotations meaning alot of young players will play. I feel confident in the front 7 and their ability to the run. The ATL DL may be one of the best in football, if Jamaal Anderson turns the corner this year. With a healthy Trey Lewis rotating with Babineaux, the 2 rookies Jerry and Walker; they will boast a quartet of DTs with both size and quickness. The LB corps are very active and instinctive. Lofton was the true surprise as a rookie last year. He excelled against the run. Peterson the vet
is there to stabilize a young unit. The question mark is on Nicolas, and if he is ready to play everyday. They do have Coy Wire to come off the bench in obvious passing downs. The DBs are the huger question on the D. They will have contend with Steve Smith. He can make young and eager CBs look foolish. Imperitive that the CB on Smith has help over the top. The safeties have to be on their game. Moore is going to have to show up and play solid against the run. Carolina will run the ball. They will get some rushing yards. Williams has to be contained. Like Smith, he always saves his best for ATL.
CAROLINA:
Their defense is interesting in that you don’t know what you are going to get. Will Peppers show? If so, That;s a major plus for the Panthers. Carolina has a good DL, made even better with Peppers. Thaey play solid run defense. ATL will have to be patient in getting Turner involed in the game. This game will be won on the back 7 of the panther defense. Their only notable LB is UGA alum Thomas Davis. Very active in defending the run, but also adept indropping back into coverage. Their
DBs have alot to be desired. I look for White, Jenkins, Douglas and Gonzo to have a field day. There will be a size mismatch, and more importantly, a speed mismatch.
SPecial teams:
They are pretty much a wash. The only exception is Koennen’s punting ability, whinch will come in handy forcing the Panther offense to drive the length of the field to score.
In all, I have to say that Atlanta should be favored going into this game. They will be the most talented on the field. Atlanta should impose their will on a struggling Defense that appears to be in transition. The key will be preventing Steve Smith from making the big play. I have Atlanta winning 27-13.
WR
May 20th, 2009
12:26 pm
Quick side note, I keep getting this advertisment for the pro beach volley ball tournament at Atlantic Station and I was wondering does anyone go there and actually pay the game any attention.
jason
May 20th, 2009
12:28 pm
WR, just curious. Van is still young in his craft, but has shown the knack for the job. It’s going to be crazy on the defensive side. Alot more blitzing with man coverage. The DBs will have to step their game up.
jason
May 20th, 2009
12:30 pm
WR, it depends on if its a woman’s tournament or not. If it is, I wouldn’t be pating attention at all if I was there. I would be focusing on something else all together. LOL!!!
WR
May 20th, 2009
12:39 pm
Jason, my sentaments exactly on both Vangorder and the Tournament. I like what he did at UGA but he destroyed Georgia Southern as a head coach, so hopefully he has refocused his efforts on being a DC, if he can translate UGA’s aggressive style into the NFL watchout.
jason
May 20th, 2009
1:03 pm
WR, His problem at GSU was he was to ambitious. He jumped on that job because he wanted to make a name for himself. He should either stayed at UGA another year, or went straight to the pros as a LB coach. I think he realized that after the fact. That’s why he only stayed at GSU for 1 year. Unfortunately that’s all it took to destry a program. I thought he was about to go the Pricktrino route and try to job hop every year for the better job and more money.
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 20th, 2009
1:17 pm
Before I get on the Mrs. Abraham-subject and ruin the rest of this gorgeous and sunny day (finally, 80 degrees here), I’ll try and take my mind off of it and focus on this Carolina versus Atlanta matchup.
Carolina (meet the Buffalo Bills of the 2000’s) resembles the Bills when Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly would march, all year, straight into a championship game…and lose. I remember when Buffalo would, damn near, go undefeated; and when the game counted most, they played like turkeys near Thanksgiving day (running scared and confused). Carolina falls in that class. They play very well all year (2008-09 season is exhibit “A”) and end up playing like stooges in the game that counts. For this reason, I’m going to call this game in Carolina’s favor (27-24 Carolina in overtime).
Before anyone decides to debate my claim, allow yourself to impute my argument. Like Atlanta, Carolina is returning the nucleus of their offense and, somewhat, upgraded their defense. Offensively, they still have the explosion on the outside that has been giving Atlanta’s defensive backs hell for years. Considering our losses in the backfield and the replacements with youths, I expect the Panthers to continue the havoc on the outside. Now, they have a running game! Need I say more?
Defensively, Carolina will be Carolina (up and down). I really do feel that Julius Peppers’ situation will be disruptive, both on the field and in the locker-room. Not certain if that’ll affect the defensive team as a whole but I certainly don’t expect a replacement for him (Everette Brown won’t be ready for another two years). Still, the Panthers’ front seven is competitive. Mike Ruker and Peppers on the end, sandwiching Kris Jenkins in the middle, got to be one the highest ranking defensive lines in the NFL. They also drafted Corvey Irvin from UGA. They’re corners are veterans and they also drafte the Captain from South Carolina.
By comparison, I think Carolina prevails, scoring on a couple of turnovers and a few busted plays by our young defense. It’ll be a tight game because of the potency of Atlanta’s offense. It’ll go to the wire and Carolina wins on a lucky coin toss. Sorry fans. No one ever suggested we’d go undefeated. Got to lose sometimes. I think our chanses of losing would be greater in early season, when everyone is trying to gel, than after the bye. By the end-of-season, when we’re playing Carolina again, Falcons ought to be more comfortable with each other and the playbook.
Carolina wins in overtime 27-24.
Unca' Bob
May 20th, 2009
1:37 pm
WR-jason,
At the professional level I’m not sure what the duties of a a Def. Coor. are. I do feel Coach Smith has a finger on the pulse of the defense. How Atlanta does this year will be dependent upon Def. Line Coach Hamilton. All good teams start with line play on both sides of the ball. If he can coach up our D-line, Anderson, Babs, Lewis, and Jerry in particular, we will be a very good football team. The difference between our very good team and great teams is depth across the board. When players we cut make other teams rosters as starters, we will have arrived.
Knuckle Sandwich
May 20th, 2009
2:01 pm
I think Smitty should get a waiver from the NFL that allows him to wear the pit helmet during games. That is a great look.
JohnWaynesworld
May 20th, 2009
2:03 pm
If John Abraham can save one freaking tendon from being irritated by not practicing AND it’s ok with Coach Smitty…Wonderful!
Abraham’s job is not to practice alongside the other members of the defense. He doesn’t rely on special plays or alignments. He doesn’t rely on the linebacker or the safety, or even the D lineman next to him. He is a…PASS RUSHER. He is a…QUARTERBACK SMASHER. He is a…MAYHEM MAKER! Abraham pins his ears back and goes, period. While he needs game preparative exercise, he does not need to practice and increase the possibility of a new injury or aggravating an old one. He has the years and the stats (both good and bad) to prove it.
The man is 31 years old and he had 16.5 sacks last year. If by his not practicing he gets ONE more sack in week 1, then I want to hear Smitty say “Come over here, John, and stand next to me and help me evaluate the new defensive ends.”
Just my opinion.
WR
May 20th, 2009
2:04 pm
Stirg, are we talking about the same Carolina, Mike Rucker and Kris Jenkins are no longer on the team, they weren’t on the team last year either. There DL which had been a strength faltered last year but Peppers had a good comeback season after a lackluster 07, which made it appear that the DL was still consistent but it wasn’t. Thats part of the reason he wants out, the DL is no longer consistent and he doesn’t see himself as a vocal type leader which the DL needs, sounds crazy but I actually heard that from the horse’s mouth at his house.
jason
May 20th, 2009
2:04 pm
Unca’ Bob, That is a true statement. CVG may ne the DC, but it all goes through Smitty. And yes as long as the DL is keeping OL off our LBs, we will be good if not great.
cutter
May 20th, 2009
2:04 pm
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons today signed wide receiver Khalil Jones as an undrafted free agent.
Jones, 6-2, 223 pounds, caught 13 passes for 135 yards (10.4) in four seasons with the Miami Hurricanes. In 2006, he caught five passes for 51 yards and was the recipient of the team’s Humanitarian Award at the MPC Computers Bowl. Jones also ran track for the Hurricanes over his collegiate career.
JohnWaynesworld
May 20th, 2009
2:07 pm
Just to be clear, if he was younger with much less sacks and not an all pro I would say make him practice. I am sticking up for the older guys here!
WR
May 20th, 2009
2:08 pm
JohnWaynesWorld, your exactly right, but when considering the comments of Stirg, you have to take it with a grain of salt, I found that out quite a few post ago,and trust me we have been there and done that, Stirg is a thoroughbred heckler and its no changing him.
Unca' Bob
May 20th, 2009
2:11 pm
Strig,
I read your post several times and I agree with evrything you stated. However, what I did not see mentioned was the improved play of our D-line. I feel they are going to be extremly disruptive this year. I live in South Carolina so I see a lot of Panther football. If you pressure Shaky Jake, his performance drops off dramatically. If given time to throw he can be a very good QB. I do not see him getting a lot of time, ergo, Falcons win…27-13. PS. Captain is the players first name, not his rank.
Seriously...
May 20th, 2009
2:38 pm
There are way too many dorks on these falcons blogs now. When are you guys gonna start talking about star trek and world of warcraft….
WR
May 20th, 2009
2:39 pm
Jenkins plays for the Jets and Rucker is out of the league which leaves the Panthers with an old Jon Beason at one LB, Thomas Davis at another LB,Chris Gamble as there best DB, and Julius Peppers, unless you want to throw in the rookie Everette Brown.
Seriously...
May 20th, 2009
2:43 pm
WR you are probably the biggest dork of em all…
Stirg d'Nahsif
May 20th, 2009
3:41 pm
Thanks for that free agent update; didn’t know they were gone. Shows you how interested in other teams.
Unca’ Bob, you’re right. I failed to mention our defensive line because, I thought, that was a gimme. We all know the impact we expect our defense to have on this football team. Our interior defense, I expect, will be very disruptive. But don’t you think Carolina’s defense is in just as much of a rebuilding mode as we are? I gave that plenty of consideration when I determined the outcome of the game (overtime; win by a field goal). You say that you agree with my words in that post. Did you agree with the outcome too? (crossing my fingers).
Sarah B
May 20th, 2009
3:41 pm
Seriously… then take yourself over to the Vick blog. We don’t do hate here.
Unca' Bob
May 20th, 2009
4:05 pm
Strig,
Sorry. No. Falcons 27-13. Your discription was very thought out, and I saw no mention of our D-line so I went from that point of veiw backwards, so to speak. I feel we will split the home and home like last year. Sweep the ain’ts and Bucs. NE at NE will go a long way to determine where we are as a team.