Look for a Post-June 1 move before blog-cation starts

Great blog. Enjoy the vaca!! Would like to get Gandy back and Harrison. Plaxico & TB possibly? Would make things interesting.

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We nneed depth not dinosaurs on our O Line- Gandy is a solid veteran but there has to be some yunger talent out there floating around. I would prefer to sign Jansen who was cut by the Redskins a few days ago.

Brent Grimes – is a capeable backup but starter is a stretch-What has changed since last year with this guy……as i remember he got burned a gud bit last year….Hmmmm Wait a minute so did Chris houston…… I would like to see Chevis and owens win the starting jobs…..

AAron kelly all day -you cant teach 6′5 and buttersoft hands

Rodney harrison would be a good pick up if healthy-mentor for our yung safetys

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[...] Falcons | ajc.com – [...]

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I never mind adding o line depth with a veteran…I also wouldn’t mind getting another safety like a Harrison or even Milloy, but in a different role to help mentor Moore, or even step in if the body is refreshed…

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I was never terribly impressed with Ojinaka one way or the other. I’d be surprised if Gandy isn’t re-signed; he’s a good “character” guy. Bergeron will probably get that last spot, though Smitty adding “…in terms of catching the ball” implies he’s not impressed with some other aspect of Troy’s game. He’s been in the Arena league forever for a reason. Kelly has more upside, but the team is already so young at so many spots I doubt he plays much this year. Harrison or Milloy either one would be helpful to Moore.

Grimes may be the most athletic guy on the team, but he’s also only about 5′2, or looks like it anyway. The website lists him at 5′10, but they also listed Gravy Jackson at 335 last year. I’ll admit he showed impressive leaping ability last year, but starting him again would be a gamble I think.

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Is there a such thing as separation anxiety for football fans?

If so, I’ve got it BIG TIME!!! GO BIRDS GO!!!

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Would it kill you to not end your blog with a bunch of questions that restate what we’ve already read? Its a cop-out, and its why your blog is the worst on ajc.

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jason

May 30th, 2009
12:28 pm
Good morning, Noon, Whatever… I haven’t been on much. The inmates have been running my asylum. Got 2 kids for sale… Any takers?
I have been catching up on reading the posts, and I have to say,D3 Some people in here are giving you a run for your money on in depth analysis. So much good info I don’t really have a lot to add.

Unca’ Bob, You are fastly becoming the man with your football intellect. Enjoyed the article about ATL ranked third in NFL rankings. I am not being negative, but I don’t see ATL 3rd. I see somewhere between 7-10. They have the ability to finish up 3rd or even better. The defense has some young players. We gotta see what they can do. Also, I want to see the OL play as they did before. Kind of not being a one year wonder.
The bye week info is important. That will be the most important factor for this team’s success. When you have 2 weeks to get healthy and game plan for an opponent, that can be deadly. ATL has to worry about their mental game. I like the first 3 games before ATL’s bye. 3 good teams to set the pace for the season. ATL can take the bye and focus on the remaining season, not just their next opponent. With the 3 games ATL will have played, they should definitely understand their strength and weakness’s going forward from the bye.

Ken, as always outstanding posts. I too agree that the defense is being set up more for pass defense and man coverage. I feel you always have more options in man. You don’t have to guard a space and keep eyes on the QB. That was a nice breakdown on the PATS offenses and what they are trying to do. It goes right along with Unca’ Bob’s post. The complexity of the PATS offense is that they are so versatile and multidimensional. They look at what your defensive game plan is and adapt. They have different styles not only in their RBs, but also their WRs. Don’t forget their TEs though. They also can be deadly. When you have as much talent on offense, the TEs are usually the after thought. They won’t see as many passes their way.

D3, I am starting to lean your way on this game.I had picked ATL to win 24-21, I think on a last sec. FG. I think this game will be hard fought by whomever the victor is. I can see ATL getting down early. Especially with all the new parts on defense, and it still being only the third game of the year. We will need a MVP effort from Turner and Norwood. I just don’t see the running lanes from NE. I think Gonzo is huge in this game. We will need him and HD underneath. Short passes are good as a 4-5 yard run. We just need to keep the chains moving, get first downs and run the clock. That and we can not miss on scoring opportunities. Make each one we get count, because there want be many. I would sacrifice points in this game to keep Brady and co. off the field. That’s why I had the score low. We talk about how balanced ATL’s O is. I would like to see 65%-35& rush to pass. If that’s not possible, then I would like to see Gonzo around 10 catches but under 10yds. per. See where I am going? I want 10-15 play scoring drives. I want every possession to last 4-5 min. at a minimum. I know that’s a lot to ask, but that’s the only way I see a victory by ATL. I think our pass defense will be exposed if Brady and co. are on the field alot. Getting a good sustained rush on Brady will be difficult. Unlike Cassell, Brady knows where the hot reads are and will not hold the ball.

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ledbetter this not a bad article. i watch for phoney baloney. this is not that. no caps here…sorry. peace “bow tie wearing” dog.

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Falcon21 – how’s it going my NW GA friend? Must be that stuff from Nookahs homeland.
DOL rocks the house. Guess he’s referring to # of posts. All about quality, not necessarily quantity.

TE#1 coming later….

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They will NOT take Gandy back. He had so many DE’s go around him his head is still spinning. Foot speed? Look elsewhere.

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SUPERBOWL TEAM? VEGAS SAYS “NOT GONNA HAPPEN”

LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT:

PRO BOWL RECEIVER

PRO BOWL RUNNING BACK

PRO BOWL TIGHT END (THE BEST EVER)

AND THE BEST THE “EXPERTS” IN VEGAS SAY THIS LEGENDARY NEXT COMING OF PEYTON MANNING CAN DO IS 8-8

YEAH THAT 72-MILLION IS LOOKING PRETTY GOOD

GO FALCONS!

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Judging from that picture, looks like Smitty has lost some weight…

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We need to add another receiver and push for 6 spots on the active roster. If Jenks or White was to get hurt we would be done. I think Ashley Lelie, Sam Hurd, or Brandon Lloyd would be great additions considering we are $20 some million under the new cap. Other than that the roster is pretty much set unless we can find a way to add a quality outside backer or kick returner.

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Got this off of FoxSports

Falcons Team Report
Updated: May 29, 2009, 3:20 AM EDT
Inside Slant
Defensive end John Abraham, who set a franchise record with 16.5 sacks last season, is not participating in the non-mandatory organized team activities.

That’s just fine with the Falcons coach Mike Smith. Abraham has found an offseason routine that’s allowed him to make all 17 starts last season. He’s doing his offseason core maintenance program.
With Abraham missing OTAs, the Falcons can give more snaps to Jamaal Anderson, Kroy Biermann, Chauncey Davis and fourth-round draft pick Lawrence Sidbury.

“John is one of the smartest guys in the league,” defensive line coach Ray Hamilton said. “We are just going to hold John (out). We drafted a guy in the fourth round. We just want to look at some of these young guys.”

Hamilton is pleased with the offseason work of defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, who along with Abraham is expected to anchor the defensive line.

“We have to be sudden with all of our moves and Babineaux is one of the quickest guys in the league,” Hamilton said. “He has very quick feet and hands. He’s started to get more violent also. I hate to say violent and good in the same tense, but he has a pretty good violent side. That’s a big part of being a defensive lineman.”

Hamilton is stressing versatility in his unit.

“We coach guys on every position,” Hamilton said. “They have to know all of the positions. We do drills were they have to know what the end does, what the tackle does, As a defensive lineman, besides being violent, quick, nasty and all of that stuff, how smart you are the better off you are going to be.”

Also, first-round pick Peria Jerry, a defensive tackle, returned to OTAS after not practicing with the team last week.

“We saw an aggressive player,” Hamilton said. “A quick and disruptive player. In our scheme, that’s how we play. That’s what we need … We saw a good combination of run (stopper) and a good pass rusher. We saw all of that in him. We were very happy that he was there when we got our chance to pick.”

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Nice pick-up, Ed.

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Some O-line stuff

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — As if on cue, the NFL’s meanest player, and some might say the league’s dirtiest, livened up a ho-hum May practice a few weeks back by doing something he does a lot, which is to brawl.

Atlanta Falcons guard Harvey Dahl is a nasty player who pushes the whistle on almost every play, so it wasn’t surprising to see him in the middle of a violent practice fight that ended with Dahl getting eight stitches across his nose, courtesy of a helmet to the face.

Dahl has a knack for getting under the skin of opposing players. (US Presswire)
The helmet to the face came when defensive end Kroy Bierman, Dahl’s combatant, lunged at Dahl after his helmet came off. It was an accident, not a head-butt you would see in some fake wrestling ring, but it didn’t stop Dahl.

Face cut, helmet off, blood rushing down his nose, Dahl kept swinging. And swinging. And swinging.

“You roll with the punches,” Dahl said the next day, a bandage covering his stitches, his forehead purple with bruises. “No big deal. Just a practice fight.”

Dahl has his share of them, so many that when the fight started, those on the sidelines without a clear view of the number of the offensive player pretty much knew who it was right away.

The chorus was easy to hear: “Harvey.”

Dahl is the modern-day Conrad Dobler. Back in the 1970s, Dobler was a mean offensive guard who was considered dirty by many of those who played against him.

Dahl has the same characteristics. Players don’t like playing against him. In discussing him with some league personnel, all mentioned that he pushes the limits — sometimes too far.

Dahl sheepishly admitted it, and thanked me for the comparison to Dobler.

“I push the whistle,” he said. “Yeah, definitely. It frustrates guys. But I’m going to go hard all the time. It gets under guy’s skin. But I just try and stay focused.”

It’s how Dahl earned his job in the league. He’s not going to change now. He’s the classic self-made player. He played at the University of Nevada, but he wasn’t drafted. The Dallas Cowboys signed him as a free agent, but he got cut on June 3, 2005 — several weeks before training camp.

The San Francisco 49ers signed him and he spent most of the next three seasons on their practice squad, although he was activated for a few games. It was there that his brutish style got him noticed.

“I remember I fought [49ers linebacker] Derek Smith in practice one day,” Dahl said. “He had just signed a new contract and I was a practice-squad guy, so that was kind of a big deal.”

The Falcons signed him to their active roster off the 49ers practice squad in October 2007 and he won a starting job last season. His play last season helped put running back Michael Turner into the Pro Bowl.

Who’s the meanest NFL player? Cast your votes now!

“That’s my man,” Turner said. “He’s one of the nasty boys. He’s tough, hard-nosed and plays hard. He came from the bottom, so he plays hard all the time. Don’t make him mad. That elevates his game even more.”

Dahl’s teammates say you can see the rage in his face in the huddle when he gets set off. It makes him play better, they say.

“I wouldn’t want to line up against him,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “He’s nasty. He’s relentless. He plays through the whistle. That’s what you want from those guys. He keeps making blocks late in the play.”

Is he dirty? The Falcons players all backed their teammate and said no. Opponents might differ.

It was Dahl’s tactics in a preseason game last summer against the Tennessee Titans that led to some nasty, chippy stuff that had Titans coach Jeff Fisher screaming across the field at Atlanta coach Mike Smith. Several players from another team agreed that Dahl pushes the limits, and might cross the line. The league office thought he did so three times last season and fined him all three times for it.

“Most of the time I don’t go over the line,” Dahl said. “Those times, I guess I did.”

Dahl isn’t just a nasty player — he’s also a good one. His ability to drive block in the run game makes him one of the best guards in the league. His pass protection needs improvement in part because he is so aggressive. The Atlanta coaching staff is trying to get him to improve his footwork in pass protection and keep him from merely attacking on every play. If he does that, this self-made player just might be on his way to the Pro Bowl.

For now, he seems to accept being one of the league’s nastiest players as a badge of honor, even if it brings up questions about going too far.

“That’s OK by me,” he said.

As he said that, Falcons line coach Paul Boudreau walked by to ask what was going on.

Ravens enforcer Ray Lewis remains a lock for nasty lists. (Getty Images)
“Just doing on a column on the league’s nastiest player,” I said.

“Glad we got something,” Boudreau said. “We’ll take it.”

Memo to anybody lining up against the Falcons this year: Keep an eye out for No. 73, even if the play is over.

You might hate him, but the Falcons love their brutish guard.

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D3-you must keep in mind that at the beginning of last season, and all of the way up to our bye week, our complete passing OFF hadn’t been installed. Up to that point we won or lost based on the dominance of our rushing OFF. Going for that many gms with a limited passing OFF will naturally cause a reduction in overall passing stats.

We’ll start training camp with every OFF player from last season, except new addition TE TGonzalez. Our OFF players will start the season being totally familiar with the OFF, its terminology and each other. Each player knows who the starters will be this yr and they’ll be working and concentrating on getting better rather than making the team or the starting lineup, or learning the basics.

Familiarity, chemistry, confidence, and an expanded OFF, with the addition of TE TGonzelez, are attributes that were absent from last yrs OFF at the start of training camp and the regular season. Last yr, WR RWhite and MJenkins were the only receiving threats in our base OFF, since we operated without a pass receiving TE. That meant both WR’s faced constant double teams, especially RWhite, and they were still very productive. With TE TGonzalez in the mix, we’ll have 3 receiving threats that can go the distance anytime and from anywhere on the field.

DEF’s will have to pick their poison and commit more of their defenders to double teaming and/or pass defense. That’s going to leave fewer defenders to stop last yrs #2 rushing OFF. I’m not worried about our OFF because we simply have too many proven weapons not to be dominant. We know from last yrs results, we have a solid if unspectacular OL, a Probowl RB, a probowl calibur FB and a Probowl WR and TE. It’s our DEF that has me so excited about the upcoming season. Will our coaching staff be able to intergrate our new talent into our DEF and duplicate the meteoric rise of last yrs OFF?

We could have 5 new starters on this yrs DEF(SS, CB, DT, 2 OLB’s), but only 3 rookies will likely have a shot at starting(CB COwens, SS WMoore & DT PJerry). In each case, they’ll bave to beat out a veteran to win the starting job, so they won’t be depended upon to carry the load, since they’ll be backed up by the same experienced and talented vets they beat out. This season, we’ll know what to expect from established teams like the Patriots, Cowboys, Giants, Eagles etc. However, they won’t know exactly what to expect from us other than they’ll be facing the NFL’s 2nd most powerful rushing OFF and 10th best passing OFF, with the addition of the NFL’s greatest TE, that will be directed by one of the NFL’s best young QB’s in NFL history.

BELIEVE ME FALCON NATION, THE OPPOSITION WILL BE FAR MORE CONCERNED ABOUT US THAN WE’LL BE ABOUT THEM.

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Roster spot anaylsis: TE #1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5BD7tPRmhY

“that i’ll do pig, that i’ll do!!!

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Quick question, A lot of people are debating the last spots for WR. The battle between Bergeron, Weems, and Kelly. What is the chances of Khalil Jones making an impact there? Is he good enough with Kelly to force some hard decisions?

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we need to quite wasting time and add a vetern back in the seconday. While the choses mentioned seem to be Rodney Harrison Or Lawyer Milloy, I think the fans would breathe a sigh of relief if either is signed, but just do it. Lawyer knows the system and would like to repent for geeting beat in the playoffs against the Cardinals, I think it would be extremely nice to bring Rodney Harrison in with that championship attitue to the Atl.

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Unca’ Bob, True a lot of ?s on defense. There is a lot of talent and upside, but a lot of questions. TD can’t hit on every personnel move, can he?

The Dahl situation is a fine line, But his nastiness leads to great run blocking. I like the part where they are talking about how he needs to channel the aggression in passing situations. I think that’s all that is keeping him from Pro Bowl status. Well, that and possibly getting labeled a “Dirty Player”

Walt, I don’t think we need a Milloy or a Harrison in our defensive backfield. We have Coleman there for veteran leadership. Now a Rodney Harrison in his prime, yeah, ATL would have to make room. But as it is now they both are to old and have a step, and in Milloy’s case a few steps and a lot of range. I like where we are with the safeyies. Now a veteran CB wouldn’t be bad, but which CB would you cut loose to get a veteran CB?

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Not as aplayer, but yes as a coach. Unca’ Bob, I like your thinking there.

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JJ,

I went to both of your links. Very good stuff! There is enough side bars to keep even me busy. A tip o’ the Falcon cap to ya’.

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Coleman is a vet – but he never had the impact on the field that Harrison offered..he’s been mediocore at best.

Harrison would be a great addition – it could really help our new safety out of MIZZOU – WILLIAM MOORE!

I would say we pick up Harrison. I don’t see how it could hurt..

Also, considering how many Falcon fans I heard crying after we let a few vets go (Brooking, Milloy, etc.), I don’t understand why anybody would protest bringing in another veteran safety.

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What’s up fellas? House CEO’s got the comp. Check in later.

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why did we trade laurant robinson? he was so good.

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Slow goes Bird-Cage Fam. But we still got a core group of guys who like getting on here and talking some Falcon Football. Check out the schedule and see what you think…….

Roster Spot Analysis
Monday – TE#2
Tuesday – TE#3
Wednesday – LT
Thursday – LG
Friday – C

Weekly Opponent Matchup – Game #4
Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers
Monday – Coach/Franchise/Previous Season/Off-Season Changes
Tuesday – 49ers Offense vs Falcons Defense
Wednesday – Falcons Offense vs 49ers Defense
Thursday – Final Game Analysis and Predictions
Friday – Special Teams/Game-Breakers

What you guys think?

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Wade, Harrison is an aold man. It’s that simple. ATL wab=nts atheletes that can run. Harrison is not one of them. Yes, he brings expierence, but expirence will only take you so far. He doesn’t have the range to do what ATL wants to do. He will not be signed, nor will Milloy.
Unca Bob, I see kelly making the team. With his hight, My GOD the possibilities. Jones, I think will be close. Bergeron and Weems has been in Smitty’s system. I think jones brings the speed factoror. If Jones proves he can v=catch the ball he will be right there ’til the end.

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Falcons Offense vs Patriots Defense

Likely Match-ups

TE-Tony Gonzalez vs ROLB-Adalius Thomas
LT-Sam Baker vs RDE-Richard Seymour
LG-Justin Blaylock vs RILB-Tedy Bruschi
C-Todd McClure vs NT-Vince Wilfork
RG-Harvey Dahl vs LILB-Jerod Mayo
RT-Tyson Clabo vs LDE-Ty Warren
FB-Ovie Mughelli vs LOLB-Tyrone McKenzie?
WR-Roddy White vs CB-Shawn Springs?
WR-Michael Jenkins vs CB-Leigh Bodden?/Darius Butler
RB-Michael Turner vs SS-Brandon Meriweather/Patrick Chung
QB-Matt Ryan vs FS-James Sanders

Running
As dour as my breakdown for our DEF vs their OFF was, this is where we make up a lot of ground and stay in (and possibly win) the game. As vaunted as their OFF is, their DEF is not one of the best in the league, as they have tons of inexperience/fairly unproductive players on their DEF. Jerod Mayo is the real deal; Warren, Wilfork, & Seymour are all studs and they had one H— of a draft class. So its safe to say that they have some of the same issues as we do. All about being able to run the ball effectively will dictate the outcome of this one. Their relative strength lies in their front seven. Our left side draws a tough assignment with Baker matching up against Future HOF’er Seymour and Blaylock and McClure will have their hands full with Wilfork in the Middle, but once again Baker and Blaylock get some mad help from our own Future HOF’er Tony Gonzalez. TG will be able to help out on Seymour and will be able to handle Thomas at Strongside LB. McClure and Mughelli look to be strong against Bruschi or Mayo. Overall, I like our matchups with their front seven. But we know all about their crazy schemes and Turner and Norwood have to get going. Norwood might be a better fit with his quickness, because we know they like to blitz and if they get to Turner early in the backfield it doesn’t bode well for us. Look for a really tough first half running the ball, but it all comes down to ball control. We can’t go tit for tat on a scoring manifesto, so we have to take a page out of the NY Giants playbook and RUN THE FOOTBALL! Turner goes for a modest 75 yds, 1 TD; Norwood for 80 yds and 1 TD.

Passing
This is where we have our best match-ups, but if we get into a passing contest with the Pats then we’re likely to lose the game. In a dream scenario our defense will mature quick and hold their own against their OFF and allow us to run the ball and keep control, but don’t count on it. We’ll be in a passing/scoring contest really quick in this one. And the match-up looks good. Remember also that the heart and soul of the Championships DEF’s, Rodney Harrison, is long gone. SS Meriweather hasn’t shown much, hadn’t heard of FS James Sanders, Adalius Thomas on downside, Tedy Bruschi is way down, and their starting CB’s are either both FA signings or rookie Darius Butler. Roddy White will have no problem drawing Bodden or Springs and Jenks will do just fine with the other corner getting several key catches throughout the game. The big match-ups come down to Tony Gonzalez vs. Adalius Thomas/Brandon Meriweather/Patrick Chung and HD vs Darius Butler in the nickel. Gonzo will have another big day against any of their LB’s and/or Safeties and HD looks to have a solid day in the slot against a rookie. Matt Ryan may struggle early with bugs of going back to BC area/Foxboro fans, but gets on track in the second and blows up the 3rd and 4th.

Final – this looks to be one of the big bell-weathers of the year for us: Dynasty(Former TD Team) vs Up & Comer’s(TD’s Team). The TD connection almost gives a feel of playing a big brother since TD has basically taken the Pioli/Belichick script down South. This should be a scoring fest on both sides of the ball, with young defenses on both teams. Falcons DEF digs too deep of a hole early before gaining form in the second half. OFF matches the Pats OFF step for step, but the Pats get a late TD score and their DEF gets a big stop with less than 1 minute remaining. Hard fought contest, great growing up experience for our young D, and confidence of almost stealing one from the Evil Dynasty in Foxboro, but come up a bit short.

Patriots 38 – Falcons 31 (Hey can’t win all can we?)

Falcons: 2-1 heading into an early bye week @ SF the week after.

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D3, I concur, but the score won’t be that high. I am going 24-21 ATL. I feel both offenses will move the ball, but points are at a premium. I think Ryan uses Montana magic and drives for the winning score with less than 2 min. on the clock. ATL has the speed on defense to offset the schemes that the Pats will run. N.E. will not run the ball effectively enough to win this game.our front seven is better than theirs. They are the more experienced team, but we have the active play makers. This is Houston’s going off PARTY. Simple, run the ball; run the clock. By that I mean, if Turner and Norwood don’t get going, hit douglas intermediate or Gozo in the flat. The same as a 4-5 yrd. run. We win with the ability to control the clock. Don’t look for any big fantasy numbers in this game. N.E. will out gain us, but ATL wil win by dominating the time of possession.

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Great posts D3, Unca’ Bob and Strickland…. Is DOL reading them?

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“WAKE UP DREAMERS”! VEGAS SAYS 8-8……..

SORRY BOYS

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angry banker, Totally agree, especially when you take in the fact that ATL doesn’t run 5 WR sets. TD will not show his true hand. Robinson was a good WR, but at the time ATL had needs at other positions. ATL has 4 good WR. They could go into the season with those 4, and 2 decent WRs, ala Kelly, and Jones. I take it as worth the risk to continue to improve the defensive side of the ball.
Also to answer your special teams question, Spencer Adkins, the LB from Miami. James wiull have his hands full fighting off for the 6th LB spot.

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Ken, our offense matches up with N.E.’s, as far as being able to run multiple offenses. The huge question is, how will our defenses match up with their offense. ATL will go toe to toe with the Pats. as far as offenses goes. I’ll take our OL and Turner any day over Maroney and whom ever.

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YOU “ARM CHAIR” ANALYST BETTER NOT QUIT YOUR DAY JOBS THE PATRIOTS ARE FORCAST TO BE EVEN MORE EXPLOSIVE THAN THE 2007 TEAM WHEN BRADY PASSED FOR 50 TOUCH DOWNS……..

YOU GUYS ARE COMICAL TO SAY THE LEAST ACCORDING TO VEGAS PREDICTIONS, AND I THINK THEY KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT MONEY, ARE SAYING THE BEST THE FALCONS WILL DO IS 8-8, AND IF THEY HAVE ANY INJURIES ARE LET UPS, THAT PUTS THEM ON PACE TO EQUAL 2007.

WHATEVER YOU GUYS ARE SMOKING, YOU NEED TO JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS

GO FALCONS!

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Four significant reasons the Falcons may not make the playoffs:

•Week 5 – BYE
•Week 6 – Bears @ Falcons

•Week 6 – BYE
•Week 7 – Cowboys vs. Falcons

•Week 8 – BYE
•Week 9 – Redskins @ Falcons

•Week 10 – BYE
•Week 11 – Giants vs. Falcons

The Falcons will face these four stellar NFL franchises coming off their BYE week while the Falcons have a game before each. This is unprecedented in the NFL as no team has ever had to play more than two teams coming off a BYE while they themselves have a game. Whether the Falcons win any or all of them is beside the point. The point is that it is a definite advantage to have two weeks to prepare when your opponent has only one. Falcon fans should be outraged as this is an outrage.

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blord, Alot of your posr makes sense. ATL signed to many OL this offseason to keep a player like Ojinnaka around. A telling sign that he will be cut… Gandy was signed just before the story broke. I don’t see Gandy making the roster either. I said earlier that his veteran pressanve would be valued, However ATL signed alot of OL. Gandy is being brought in just for a competition stand point.

Your opinion on Bergeron is fairly accurate. There is some talent there that TD and Smitty like. He keeps getting resigned. Also, he keeps getting cut also. The thing with ATL is that they are non longer in the position to have to sign players to fill out the roster. They can now go with a plan. Nice luxry to have. The jury is still out on Bergeron. If he keeps improving, I say he makes the team. On your opinion, With ATL carrying 6 WRs, who makes the cut? White, Jenkins, HD, Finn, and who? Bergeron, Weems, Kelly, or Jones? spots, 4 WRs.

I also agree with you on Grimes. I say he starts game one. I think by the end of the bye Owens will be starting oppisite Houston. The only monkey wrench I see being tossed is if Jackson ups his play. I perfer Jackson in the nickel covering the slot, because he is so physical. So, coming out of the bye I see Houston, Owens, and Jackson playing nickel. Grimes, Hutchins, and Middleton will be fighting it out. The player to go I believe is Hutchins. He hasn’t played a down with ATL because of injury. Top 5 DBs are Houston, Jackson, Owens, Grimes, and Middleton and Hutchins fighting for that last spot.

I am going to sound like I am preaching here, but I will say once again… I think every player drafted this year makes the roster. TD seems really impressed by every pick made.

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I also see Jerry’s point on the bye weeks. You give any NFL team 2 weeks to prepare for you and that puts you at an extreme disadvantage. Our one saving grace may be our division though. N.O. should be solid on offense but their defense has yet to scare me. T.B. should be horrible and Caroline is a team we should on paper at least split with. Of coarse all this is based upon the past so teams may be better or worse than anticipated. Boy did we get screwed on the bye weeks

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jason,

In the 2007 season, Brady was sacked 21 times with 8 of those coming in the playoffs. Last year NE QB’s were sacked 48 times. Matt Cassel ran the ball 73 times and I don’t feel all those carries were by design. Brady has a much faster delivery so those sacks should drop, but not very far. More in the 30 to 35 range. Their defence in seasons 06 & 07 were getting mid 40’s sacks. That dropped to 31 in 08. It could be the writing is on the wall…

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quality, not quanlity — whatever the H— that is. I’m always too anxious to use spell-checker.

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8-8….. SO MUCH FOR BACK-TO-BACK WINNING SEASONS

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D3- I see Atlanta scoring 27+ on SF and maybe SF scoring 20 at best. SF is still a year away from respectability. I think 8 and 8 or 9 and 7 at best. Mike Singletary demands respect, it all depends on the vets. buying into it. If they are 9 and 7, and I don’t see that happening but they will have earned the NFL’s respect. Who knows? Look at last season with our Birds.

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Ken Strickland, AMEN!!! Falcon Brother.

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8-8…..TAKE THAT TO THE BANK

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Sorry guys and gal, I guess material sounds kind of stupid. TD, MS, talent and team work will take us a long way. Oh yeah don’t forget about Blank and all of the fans in the cage.

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Great Late Monday Evening Fellow ‘Cagers! Hey we know its the down-time of Falcons Football, but there’s some great intelligent convo’s going on here in the Bird-Cage. For those of you junkies like me, you can never get enough Football talk. Hey, its already June now and we’re officially under the 60 Day mark until Training Camp. Men this pres-season camp looks to be the most fierce and hotly contested, maybe ever, in Falcons history. Plenty to discuss here in the Bird-Cage, so lets get to it……….

On Vaca’ w/ Drink Umbrellas – if any of you fellas are out there, hope you’re having a good vacation and we look forward to your return to the ‘Cage. WR, dacha, Falcon Devil, Reno911, Seminole, Stirg, irvin, Jimbo, Marko, & anyone I may have left out: Have a frozen daquiri, margarita, or Scripe and hopefully we’ll see you back in the ‘Cage.

angry – good pick on Kelly. We probably would rush him a little being that skinny out there on the field, but he does have some serious speed and HD proved that if you’re tough and fast you can have success early on as a rookie. I agree with you that Weems helps us more right now; Bergeron doesn’t blow me away with his possibility.

falcon21 – you’re right on. SF may be one of the big sleepers of the year playing in a really weak conference helps and playing the 3rd easiest schedule also helps as well. Until they figure out a long-term answer at QB, they won’t sustain any long term success, IMO. Crabtree helps to add a nice weapon to Frank Gore, but who else strikes fear in opposing DEF’s: Alex Smith? Vernon “Bust” Davis? Issac “36 year old” Bruce? Not to me it doesn’t. Personally, I think Crabtree gets a little bit of humble pie after playing in a conference full of the weakest, swiss cheese defenses in the country. I say 7-9 or 8-8 myself.

Ken Strick – hey, maybe the next thing is that we’ll only 7-8 games as Las Vegas predicts. Such a bunch of BS.

Sarah B – you’re sitting pool-side with a Sol in Vegas posting your blog right? I have to admit that I was a HUGE 49ers fan back in the day, along with the Falcons of course, but Montana, Rice, Craig, Taylor, Lott, and Rathman were too hard to not like a youngster. Even though they’ll be improved, I don’t see anyway the game is close. Hope I’m not wrong?

j-man – Messiah Flay is da’ MAN, huh? I’m going on a strict Flay Grillin’ Summer trying as many grill recipes as possible. Just tried his Rum Glazed Tenderloin with Pineapple/Cilantro Relish. Little complex, but totally worth it. I’ll be honest with you on Mauroney, I’ve had him on my Fantasy teams the last two years and the guys has been a COMPLETE BUST(at least in Fantasy Terms). He should be absolutely tearing it up with all those weapons (Moss, Welker, Watson) softening up coverage for him, but NADA! Maybe his running style doesn’t fit their scheme but he hasn’t done that much at all, IMO. I definitely agree that the Pats window is closing, but I think they got another year or two left at some serious runs.

TE#2 & San Francisco State of the Franchise to come……….

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Roster Spot Analysis – TE#2

Ben Hartsock
12 Games Played, 3 Receptions, 26 Yards

Pros
Great blocking TE that adds another offensive lineman next to Baker or Clabo. Big reason that Turner had success on 1st and 2nd downs. Great size at 6′4, 264 that can road-grade OLBs and pay huge dividends doubling an opposing star DE. Most likely helped contribute to Sam Baker’s solid first year starting at Left Tackle. Has enough determination and grit to move on to the next level of blocking. Considered one of the better pure Blocking TE’s in the NFL. Good short-yardage and red-zone blocker.

Cons
Poses absolutely ZERO threat in the passing game. Has never caught a single Touchdown in his entire career. Obviously doesn’t fool any DEF’s when he lines up and signals exact intent on Falcons play selection. Replaced by Peele as combo option at TE and was unable to present any mismatches in the red-zone and was no help on 3rd down conversions. Inability in red-zone put undue pressure on Turner & Roddy to make plays, often times falling short when DEF’s zeroed in. Coming back from injury. Even though he a pure blocking TE, he must be able to produce SOME threat of receiving.

Final: Obvious great run-blocker, but with signing of TG, how much do we need a TE that can only block with no RECV threat. Is seemingly replaced by Justin Peele on two TE sets and has role seriously minimized to short yardage and goal-line situations. Depending on development of Peele and 2008 draft pick Keith Zinger, may start to feel his seat getting a touch warm. Makes the team this year, but next year? Anybody’s guess………

Last one of the night ‘Gents and ‘Gals. See you on the flip-side. And on that note…………

60 DAYS AND COUNTING TO 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!!!!!!!!!!!

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D3 – I’m leaving Wed evening on Airtran. Can’t wait!!

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angry banker,

Spencer Adkins was not invited to this years Combine. He was tested at the Miami Pro Day. He ran a 4.43 forty, a 4.2 short shuttle, has a vert. leap of 36.5″. He can also bench press 225 lb’s 30 times. At Miami he had a tendency to over persue, and would get caught out of position. He was described as “looking like Tarzan and playing like Jane”. On special teams he would pop…

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angry banker,

PS He is 5′-11″ and 230+ lb’s.

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Unca’ Bob – I had his 40 time at 4.62 – impressive for a guy at 230, but not the ‘head hunter’ speed we want on punts and kick offs. Still, 230 coming at you that fast will knock your head off.

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angry banker,

I had him at 4.43 which would put him where TD and Coach Smith want him to be. I also saw his weight at 245 lb’s.

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LB Spencer Adkins (Sixth round): Cited from an interveiw by D-Led from TD as posted in AJC.

“He’s a fast run-and-hit guy. I’ve seen him a couple of times where, if you know that if we were in pads, he would have blown up the ball carrier. He’s got a really impressive pop and explosion upon contact. He’s got impressive range.

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For all of you who insist on being apprehensive or even downright negative about the Falcons chances next season, let me give you a comparison of the Falcons OFF with the Patriots OFF, which most of you seem to revere so highly.

(1) ANGRY BANKER-RMoss isn’t better than WR RWhite. In fact, he’s not the best WR on his own team. Throughout his career, RMoss has used his speed, quickness, height and jumping ability to function primarily as a longball threat. He’s never been much of a possession receiver, or one willing to accept contact and go over the middle. WWelker had 111 receptions, 1165 total yds, 10.5 avg and 3TD’s. RMoss had 69 receptions, 1008 total yds, 14.6 avg yds and 11TD’s. Falcon WR RWhite had 88 receptions, 1382 total yds, 15.7 avg yds and 7 TD’s. Even MJenkins had 50 receptions for 777 total yds, a 15.5 avg yds and 3TDS. If our complete passing OFF had been in place at the beginning of last season, what are the chances of Jenkins maybe coming close to matching RMoss’ overall stats or RWhite exceeding those of Welken.

(2) The Patriots total passing OFF consisted of:
534 ATTS
3790 TOTAL YDS
7.10 YDS PER CATCH
11 INT’S AND 48 SACKS

(3) Their total rushing OFF consisted of:
513 ATTS
21 TDS
2278 TOTAL YDS AND 4.4YDS PER CARRY

(4) The Falcons total passing stats are:
434 ATTS
3440 YDS
16 TDS
11 INT’S AND 17 SACKS

(5) The Falcons rushing OFF consists of:
560 ATTS
23TDS
2443 YDS AND 4.4 YDS PER CARRY

Our OL did a much better job of protecting it’s QB and blocking for it’s RB’s. Our passing OFF was actually more effecient, and that’s without TE TGonzalez. Now, consider how close the stats between these 2 teams are, then consider how we started the season with a bunch of complete unknowns and a limited OFF, especially our passing OFF. We’ve added TE TGonzalez, which means we now have 2 receivers that were more productive than the overhyped RMoss was last yr.

BOTTOMLINE, THE OFF OF THE ATLANTA FALCONS CAN, SHOULD OR WILL BE BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER, MORE VERSATILE AND OVERALL BETTER THAN ANYTHING THE PATRIOTS CAN PUT ON THE FIELD. Last yr, our DEF, especially our pass rush and run DEF, were our major problems, with SS, OLB and DL being the major causes. To address those weakness TD and Smitty stockpiled our roster with quick, fast CB’s that have documented man cover skills. We’ve also stockpiled DT’s and now have a rotation that’s made up of young DT’s that are quick, strong, fast, agile and mobile. We’ve added more speed, agressiveness and physicality to our OLB’s. The biggest upgrade to our DEF just might be at SS. These overall upgrades of speed, quickness, agility, mobility, stamina, youth and depth, will make this yrs DEFa far superior to last yrs DEF.

People can use the schedule, the number of teams coming off bye weeks, or any manufactured excuses they want. but none of it will stop last yrs #2 rated rushing OFF or 10th rated passing OFF, especially with the addition of TE TGonzalez. Neither can they stop the vast upgrades and improvement to last yrs bottom level DEF, which has amazingly added tremendous talent and depth to former positions of weakness. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1-

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Bleed_Red & Black – Jacksonville is a weird sports town – I don’t know of a specific Falcon’s bar in JAX, but you can try Mandarin Ale House – it seems to be the hotbed of sports watching on the southside. Wear you gear and you migh meet some other Falcon fans. There will be more and more of them as we keep winning.

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Why am I totally unfazed by the rumor of bringing back Wayne Gandy? I guess I would rather have the confidence that Sam Baker is going to be 100% healthy and effective. If I were looking at positions to ’shore up’ before August, I would be looking for free safety, a sam linebacker, and a center. I haven’t read whether or not Todd McClure is definitely coming back, which could leave us only with Brett Romberg.

As far as receivers go – I don’t see the need for anything more than what is there already. Let’s look at offensive sets. To put three WRs on the field, you drop the fullback or the tight end. With 4 WRs on the field, you drop the fullback (or second back) AND the tight end. I don’t know if you’ve looked at our roster, but these are strength positions. What I’m saying is the more receivers on the field, the less talent we have on the field.

There’s nothing wrong with multiple receiver sets every once in a while, but I feel the Falcon’s strength will clearly be in more traditional sets with Mughelli, Turner, Gonzalez, White and Jenkins as the skill position players. I also doubt Gonzalez is going to be left in to block much.

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Reno911,

While we have some quiet time , I need to give you an update. I am still looking for your Carolina B-B-Q sauce recipe. I have not forgotten. Trust me, as soon as I can get one together I will post it. Most folks in these parts are hard pressed to give one up. They will give you some, but will not divulge their secrets. Anyway, I’ll get it to you as soon I get.

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UNCA BOB-The Falcon OFF has no weaknesses. With RB’s OMughelli, MTurner, JNorwood, JSnelling and maybe TBrown, our rushing OFF has both speed and power. With WR’s RWhite, MJenkins, HDouglas, BFinneran and one of those big rookie or FA WR’s, along with TE TGonzalez, we’ll have the speed and size to successfully pass anytime, anywhere and on anybody. Our OL will definitely be better than it was last yr, when they proved they could protect QB MRyan and created the NFL’s #2 rushing OFF.

Our OL ranked 5th best in sacks allowed with 17, after allowing 47 the yr before. As bad as our OL and our passing OFF was last yr, we still had 1 fewer sacks than the Patriots had this yr. Even with the outstanding season the Patriots had in 07, when they were undefeated before losing in the Superbowl, they gave up 21 sacks. So that puts into perspective how good the Falcons OL really is.

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8-8 OR WORSE……….PLEASE CHECK OUT THE VEGAS BETTING LINE…….

SORRY “ARM CHAIR ANALYST”

LONG DRAWN OUT POSTS, CUT & PASTE DATA FROM OTHER SITES DON’T MAKE YOU SMART, JUST IN DENIAL

GO FALCONS!

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Reno911 I’m headed your way – look out!

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I believe that the two top teams last year in the NFC South, namely The Panthers and The Falcons, will battle for the NFC South and a first round bye in what is arguably one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. The Saints are the ‘Dark Horse’ in the division with their mighty offense but the D could struggle, especially with half of their D line missing the first four games.
The Bucs have some questionable holes but could still be considered an unpredictable threat. They have big questions at QB and are in a transitional rebuilding mode. But stranger things have happened.
Such as last year’s Falcons. Everything (well almost everything), fell into place, the ‘Planets Aligned’, and the 1-15 predictions became an 11-5 miracle, at least in the eyes of most expecting the worst following the MV7/Petrino debacle.
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On Offense, weapons White, Jenkins, Douglas, Turner, and Norwood are a formidable group to say the least. There is great talent everywhere. Matt Ryan is cool under pressure and is stronger and more comfortable with Mularkey’s playbook. Atlanta’s addition of perennial pro bowler Tony Gonzalez at TE gives MR2 a new toy.
The Dirty Birds O-line is solid too with an experienced leader at center, strong-young-high draft talent on the left side and the nasty, over-achieving duo on the right. Collectively they gave up very few sacks last year and adding TG’s excellent blocking skills to the mix, they should be even more complete and polished this year. I wish we still had Weiner for depth. Oh, did I forget to mention Mughelli is one of the best lead blocking FB’s in the game? This should be extremely fun to watch. Unless Matt Ryan gets injured or has a dramatic sophomore slump, the Falcons should have no problem scoring points fast and controlling the clock when needed.

The Defense for the Falcon’s could be very good if everything falls into place but there are question marks and reasons for concern. They are MUCH faster this year and you can’t coach speed. It helps make up for youthful mistakes or hesitation and there will likely be at least some of both. Abraham was the only real sack threat on the team in spite of double and triple teams. This year Atlanta will be much faster and more balanced across the front seven which should make Abe even more dangerous. J. Anderson must emerge in this, his third year, or the bust moniker will certainly get applied. Maybe his off season work with Chuck Smith will help turn on the light bulb and the game will slow up for him. I expect Falcon fans will be shouting ‘Hooray for Peria’ who is a big body built for clogging up the middle who also possesses surprising sack speed and an endless motor. Can he stay healthy? Babineau and Lewis are solid and getting better every year. C. Davis, the raw, freak ‘El Sid’, Biermann and the faster, more athletic linebacker’s Nickolas, Wire, and Peterson along with solid anchor Lofton in the middle, will enable blitz packages that VanGorder and Coach Smith could have only dreamt about last year. Will they employ a more, high risk/high reward D scheme? We shall see. I think with all the team speed they will attack much more this year. Or will they scheme, ‘bend not break’ and try to manage the game so they can simply try to outscore the opposition? That is after all how you win a game.
I’m most concerned with our safety and cornerback positions. Can we cover the tall, elite wide receivers that so many teams seem to possess? The jury is out.
Did the Falcons make the right off season moves? I say, ‘IN DIMITROFF WE TRUST’.

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Honestly, considering the Falcons lost 5 starters on the defensive side of the ball this past offseason, they’ve rebounded quite well through the draft and via free agency.

The addition of Mike Peterson solidifies a linebacking core that was looking questionable after the departures of Brooking and Boley. At this point in time, you have Peterson, Lofton, and Nicholas/Wire plugged in to start at LB’s.

Overall, when talking about defense, I think it’s quite obvious what the Falcons philosophy will be going into the season:

Rush 4, maybe 5 occasionally, and put pressure on the QB.

If the D-Line can apply the pressure without blitzing extra LB’s or DB’s, it will help a questionable secondary cover. It’s all gonna fall on the shoulders of the front 4 or front 7. I wish the Falcons would be a pressure based defense. I think we’ve gotten alot faster on defense, and should utilize that speed with various blitz packages. In years past, we’ve been the type of team that’ll primarily rush 4 the entire game, playing that “bend but don’t break” style of defense. We have to become more aggresive and put some more faith in the guys on the field to get to the QB or make a play.

PRESSURE THE QB..

JA55, Peria Jerry, Babs, and J. Anderson.

YOU KNOW WHAT JA55 BRINGS TO THE FIELD. IN A SENSE, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’LL GET FROM BABS TOO. IF ANDERSON CAN BREAKOUT THIS SEASON AND T.D. HITS BIG ON JERRY – THIS FRONT 4 COULD BE NASTY!

It starts in the trenches.

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Hello Cagers!
D3, I recall you saying you completed the final chapter in securing your season tickets. I’m on chapter 2. I would be interested in how many cagers actually have season tickets and what sections are they located in. I also would be interested in who has the best section!
Okay, back to the field…….

Ken Strickland you are right on point brother! That is what I’m talking about, the facts are there. If the young Falcons continue to believe in this coaching staff while continuing the process, then this year will be a success!

D3,Jason, Unca Bob, Sarah B., Stirg, Ken S….you know I was talking to a friend of mines yesterday, well now he may be an ex-friend (lol)
I put this question to him…I said dude..Do you think my Atlanta Falcons can go up to Foxborough and beat the Patriots…? He looked at me and said H*ll Nah! They even may loose by 46 points…trust me, I almost hit him in his mouth! then I said noooooooo, violence is not the answer! Let’s just let the action on the field prove my theory of why I think we will win this game. I know that most people and some teams fear “Tom Brady” but he and the Patriots can be beat! and since my friend is a Steelers fan and have had success against the Patriots, he felt the need to be disrespectful…(all in fun though)and to conclude, he stated after game #3, we would be winless – (0-3). I said dude, just wait and see…watch how we defend the dome!

Trust me, I shared this story because the naysayers are still out there even though we went 11-5 including a play-off game. I’m one to believe in the process and i’m positive we will finally get our back to back winning season this year!!

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Last one of the night brothers(I sleep when my little guy sleeps)…..

Unca’ Bob(2) – Grandma’s Lip-Smacking BBQ Sauce

Ingredients
1/4 pound margarine
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 onion chopped
1 teaspoon ranch rub (Ranch Mix)
1 teaspoon steak (Steak Rub)
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup cola (recommended: Coca Cola)
1 bottle Worcestershire sauce
1 bottle ketchup
2 lemons, halved (Watch for Seeds)
1 bottle hot sauce
4 chicken breasts, boneless or bone-in
Directions
In a saucepan, melt the margarine. Add the garlic clove, mustard, onion, ranch rub, steak dust, honey and cola and bring to a simmer. Then add the Worcestershire, ketchup, lemons, and the hot sauce. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes and let it simmer down. Dip chicken in sauce and put on grill. Keep applying sauce onto chicken until cooked.

Hamad(2) – I agree with you that we have all we need at WR, IMHO. We have our solid 4 in Roddy, Jenks, HD, & BFinn, and can use that 5th spot to develop somebody like Aaron Kelly or Darren Mougey. I don’t even know if I remember a 5 WR set last year more than once or twice. We carried 6 WR’s on the active roster last year adn Weems may help himself by being a Spec Teams Ace.

Ken Strick(2) – it’s a hard-pressed job to find weaknesses in our OFF attack on paper. But as we know all the “experts” are saying that Matty Ice will hit the soph. slump, or the schedule is harder, or the bye weeks garbage. Honestely its all a bunch of BS and we know it.

falcon21 – what’s up my NW GA bro’? You going down to catch any of the summer concerts in Ridge Ferry park? Or do they still have those. Anyway, I would be pretty shocked to see BFinn go this year. Remember he didn’t play for two years b/c of injury so there’s two years his body didn’t get beat on. I say he’s there at least this year and maybe one more and retires. Solid 3rd down, red-zone threat, and excellent Spec Team’er. JMHO. Also a great character & locker room guy. He also got a contract renewal in the off-season.

Sarah B. – enjoy some brews for me. I’ll be toasting with you on thursday evening myself. Remember, what happens in Vegas………

Dave – d@– brother, you just brought the pure heat on that post. We need your excellent insights in the Bird-Cage on a more regulary basis. Don’t really have anything to add to your spot-on analysis, except that I look to see Chevis Jackson win a starting CB job with his physical play, with Chris Owens learning and getting comfortable in the Nickel(the way Jackson did last year). After seeing Van Gorder work his magic up close in in his time in Athens, i also expect to see a TON more aggressive play on DEF. He’s got the speed, toughness, and ferocity he lacked lasty year so it should be entertaining.

Unca’ Bob(3) – have you heard from Reno911 lately? Hadn’t talked to that Original Brother in a while. Also, GREAT find on Darren Mougey. Don’t know much about him or his speed, but based on pure physical stats….WOW! 6′6, 230? Just play pitch and catch in the red-zone. Wonder why we haven’t heard anything about him from Mini-Camp, OTA’s, or DOL? Love his size if he can get the quickness, speed, and route running down.

Later fellas’. Have a good one and we’ll see you on the flip-side. San Francisco Breakdown & Roster Spot Analysis TE#3 will have to wait until tomorrow. And on that note………

58 DAYS AND COUNTING TO 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!!!!!!

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i told allyou idiots that NEW ENGLAND WILL WIN THE SUPER BOWL THIS YEAR , THE FALCONS WILL NOT beat new england this year , brady has had a year to rest,they are po,d they didnt make the playoffs last year, and they added the running back from jacksonville,FRED taylor,please stop showing your ignorance on this blog, its ok to pull for your team, but this is why ive been betting football for 25 years,i love taking money from georgia numskuls like you all.

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OH YEA forgot to tell you all this falcon team in 2009 will go 6-10, ive already bet the under 8 in vegas easy money this year with the falcons with there schedule and the presence of vick loming around and the offseason moves spells DOOM,for the falcons but to me MONEY IN THE BANK,and UGA will lose the first game at oklahoma st guaranteed THE WILLSTER TOLD YOU ALL FIRST HAND 3 months ahead of time and ledbetter good article to pump up the blood,but WAYNE gandy please, this team needs young blood fast blood not people past there prime.

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Looks like the Blog Monster is on the loose again………F—-!

Attempt #2

Great Mid-Week Day A.M. Bird-Cagers! Gotta love wednesdays, especially when they’re over which signals we’re past the mid-point of the week. Even though we’re stuck in a serious Falcons Football drought, there’s still some good convo’s going on here. To the ‘Birds……….

Wabe – you’re right on that we’ve already seriously upgraded our D-Line rushing capabilities with Peria Jerry & Trey Lewis, which should have a huge impact on J.Anderson in his 3rd year. Couple that with a new All-Pro StrongSide LB in Peterson, Lofton in his 2nd year, and Stephen Nicholas who looks to finally have the light coming on. Compare that to Brooking, Disappearing Act Boley, Big Grady who provided ZERO pass rush, & Milloy who has lost a step or three and we have added speed all around. Expect Van Gorder to be much more aggresive this year in his plan of attack. At his peak at UGA, Van Gorder was a very aggresive play-caller. Excited to say the least.

Dean21 – what’s up my man? Oh, can’t wait for the tix in the mail so I can pop a brew and celebrate one of the best investments I’ve made in my life. I believe my section is 316, but I’m not sure. The House CEO and I got in on the good deals two years ago when they were making a big push to sell them. I love my seats: great view, Home side, and very reasonably priced. There are plenty of haters out there who would love to see us fail to make up for their own insecurities and issues with their own team. I don’t really want to see hardly any teams do terrible except for the Cowboys. Even though we have earned respect with the NFL Media, there are many fans who don’t want to believe that we could turn it around as quick as we have. 0-3, huh? That guy’s your friend? JK.

Ken Strick – good point about time of year. If we could go up there a steal one from the “Golden Boys” then we might have to start talking about the “process” as in NOW!

falcon21 – yeah, been to some Rome Braves games. Tons of fun, especially on two for tuesdays. I would be shocked if BFinn doesn’t make the squad. I think he is entrenched at #4 WR, with the #5 & #6 spots wide-open. I have a sneaking suspicion that we keep 5 RB’s and 5 WR’s instead of 4 RB’s and 6 WR’s like we did last year. Rather have TBrown & Snelling than say Kelly AND Weems on our active roster.

Alright Gents, a little work and will return with my 49ers OFF vs Falcons DEF prediction/analysis and Roster Spot Analysis – TE#3 a little later. And it looks like we have some hate baiter’s fishing in the ‘Cage: don’t take it!

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Attempt #3 – this gets on my F’n nerves.

Great Mid-Week Day A.M. Bird-Cagers! Gotta love wednesdays, especially when they’re over which signals we’re past the mid-point of the week. Even though we’re stuck in a serious Falcons Football drought, there’s still some good convo’s going on here. To the ‘Birds……….

Wabe – you’re right on that we’ve already seriously upgraded our D-Line rushing capabilities with Peria Jerry & Trey Lewis, which should have a huge impact on J.Anderson in his 3rd year. Couple that with a new All-Pro StrongSide LB in Peterson, Lofton in his 2nd year, and Stephen Nicholas who looks to finally have the light coming on. Compare that to Brooking, Disappearing Act Boley, Big Grady who provided ZERO pass rush, & Milloy who has lost a step or three and we have added speed all around. Expect Van Gorder to be much more aggresive this year in his plan of attack. At his peak at UGA, Van Gorder was a very aggresive play-caller. Excited to say the least.

Dean21 – what’s up my man? Oh, can’t wait for the tix in the mail so I can pop a brew and celebrate one of the best investments I’ve made in my life. I believe my section is 316, but I’m not sure. The House CEO and I got in on the good deals two years ago when they were making a big push to sell them. I love my seats: great view, Home side, and very reasonably priced. There are plenty of haters out there who would love to see us fail to make up for their own insecurities and issues with their own team. I don’t really want to see hardly any teams do terrible except for the Cowboys. Even though we have earned respect with the NFL Media, there are many fans who don’t want to believe that we could turn it around as quick as we have. 0-3, huh? That guy’s your friend? JK.

Ken Strick – good point about time of year. If we could go up there a steal one from the “Golden Boys” then we might have to start talking about the “process” as in NOW!

falcon21 – yeah, been to some Rome Braves games. Tons of fun, especially on two for tuesdays. I would be shocked if BFinn doesn’t make the squad. I think he is entrenched at #4 WR, with the #5 & #6 spots wide-open. I have a sneaking suspicion that we keep 5 RB’s and 5 WR’s instead of 4 RB’s and 6 WR’s like we did last year. Rather have TBrown & Snelling than say Kelly AND Weems on our active roster.

Alright Gents, a little work and will return with my 49ers OFF vs Falcons DEF prediction/analysis and Roster Spot Analysis – TE#3 a little later. And it looks like we have some hate baiter’s fishing in the ‘Cage: don’t take it!

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Dean21 – what’s up my man? Oh, can’t wait for the tix in the mail so I can pop a brew and celebrate one of the best investments I’ve made in my life. I believe my section is 316, but I’m not sure. The House CEO and I got in on the good deals two years ago when they were making a big push to sell them. I love my seats: great view, Home side, and very reasonably priced. There are plenty of haters out there who would love to see us fail to make up for their own insecurities and issues with their own team. I don’t really want to see hardly any teams do terrible except for the Cowboys. Even though we have earned respect with the NFL Media, there are many fans who don’t want to believe that we could turn it around as quick as we have. 0-3, huh? That guy’s your friend? JK.

Ken Strick – good point about time of year. If we could go up there a steal one from the “Golden Boys” then we might have to start talking about the “process” as in NOW!

falcon21 – yeah, been to some Rome Braves games. Tons of fun, especially on two for tuesdays. I would be shocked if BFinn doesn’t make the squad. I think he is entrenched at #4 WR, with the #5 & #6 spots wide-open. I have a sneaking suspicion that we keep 5 RB’s and 5 WR’s instead of 4 RB’s and 6 WR’s like we did last year. Rather have TBrown & Snelling than say Kelly AND Weems on our active roster.

Alright Gents, a little work and will return with my 49ers OFF vs Falcons DEF prediction/analysis and Roster Spot Analysis – TE#3 a little later. And it looks like we have some hate baiter’s fishing in the ‘Cage: don’t take it!

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Attempt #6 – its amazing how some posts get through with ACTUAL curse words and ones like mine that have ZERO curse words or profanity get eaten. Wonderful.

Dean21 – what’s up my man? Oh, can’t wait for the tix in the mail so I can pop a brew and celebrate one of the best investments I’ve made in my life. I believe my section is 316, but I’m not sure. The House CEO and I got in on the good deals two years ago when they were making a big push to sell them. I love my seats: great view, Home side, and very reasonably priced. There are plenty of haters out there who would love to see us fail to make up for their own insecurities and issues with their own team. I don’t really want to see hardly any teams do terrible except for the Cowboys. Even though we have earned respect with the NFL Media, there are many fans who don’t want to believe that we could turn it around as quick as we have. 0-3, huh? That guy’s your friend? JK.

Ken Strick – good point about time of year. If we could go up there a steal one from the “Golden Boys” then we might have to start talking about the “process” as in NOW!

falcon21 – yeah, been to some Rome Braves games. Tons of fun, especially on two for tuesdays. I would be shocked if BFinn doesn’t make the squad. I think he is entrenched at #4 WR, with the #5 & #6 spots wide-open. I have a sneaking suspicion that we keep 5 RB’s and 5 WR’s instead of 4 RB’s and 6 WR’s like we did last year. Rather have TBrown & Snelling than say Kelly AND Weems on our active roster.

Alright Gents, a little work and will return with my 49ers OFF vs Falcons DEF prediction/analysis and Roster Spot Analysis – TE#3 a little later. And it looks like we have some hate baiter’s fishing in the ‘Cage: don’t take it!

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Good Morning Birdeys !, reading DOL’s blog and the constant informed positive participants has become a regular activity here …how refreshing to find a genuine source of good timely info, positive discussion and analysis develop here over the last 6 months or so.

Wanted to add to the endorsement of exciting expectations for the Bird’s defense this coming season. When BVG was at UGA, he blew up many’a play sending hot blitzes at unexpected times, he kept offenses guessing where the next point of attack might come from, and then sometimes played coverage/take-away when blitz was expected. He rattled many offenses, kept them off-balance. Adjustments made at halftime were very…very… effective. It’s gonna be fun to see the Falcon’s defense become a wreckin ball force under Coach Smith and Coach Van Gorder. INTENSE is the best word i know to sum up how BVG gets his defense to play. And this is only the second season, and the first where defensive talent acquisition was priority. Caint wait !!!

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Dean21 – what’s up my man? Oh, can’t wait for the tix in the mail so I can pop a brew and celebrate one of the best investments I’ve made in my life. I believe my section is 316, but I’m not sure. The House CEO and I got in on the good deals two years ago when they were making a big push to sell them. I love my seats: great view, Home side, and very reasonably priced. There are plenty of haters out there who would love to see us fail to make up for their own insecurities and issues with their own team. I don’t really want to see hardly any teams do terrible except for the Cowboys. Even though we have earned respect with the NFL Media, there are many fans who don’t want to believe that we could turn it around as quick as we have. 0-3, huh? That guy’s your friend? JK.

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Ken Strick – good point about time of year. If we could go up there a steal one from the “Golden Boys” then we might have to start talking about the “process” as in NOW!

falcon21 – yeah, been to some Rome Braves games. Tons of fun, especially on two for tuesdays. I would be shocked if BFinn doesn’t make the squad. I think he is entrenched at #4 WR, with the #5 & #6 spots wide-open. I have a sneaking suspicion that we keep 5 RB’s and 5 WR’s instead of 4 RB’s and 6 WR’s like we did last year. Rather have TBrown & Snelling than say Kelly AND Weems on our active roster.

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falcon21 – yeah, been to some Rome Braves games. Tons of fun, especially on two for tuesdays. I would be shocked if BFinn doesn’t make the squad. I think he is entrenched at #4 WR, with the #5 & #6 spots wide-open. I have a sneaking suspicion that we keep 5 RB’s and 5 WR’s instead of 4 RB’s and 6 WR’s like we did last year. Rather have TBrown & Snelling than say Kelly AND Weems on our active roster.

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falcon21 – yeah, been to some Rome Braves games. Tons of fun, especially on two for tuesdays. I would be shocked if BFinn doesn’t make the squad. I think he is entrenched at #4 WR, with the #5 & #6 spots wide-open. I have a sneaking suspicion that we keep 5 RB’s and 5 WR’s instead of 4 RB’s and 6 WR’s like we did last year. Rather have TBrown & Snelling than say Kelly AND Weems on our active roster.

Alright Gents, a little work and will return with my 49ers OFF vs Falcons DEF prediction/analysis and Roster Spot Analysis – TE#3 a little later. And it looks like we have some hate-fishing in the ‘Cage: don’t take it!

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Alright Gents, a little work and will return with my 49ers OFF vs Falcons DEF prediction/analysis and Roster Spot Analysis – TE#3 a little later. And it looks like we have some hate baiter’s fishing in the ‘Cage: don’t take it!

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I agree with Jerry, to face four teams coming off a bye, and fairly close together is an outrage. This is the NFL stacking the deck against the Falcons.

D3 – love your posts and your analysis. Been keeping an eye on the BirdCage and I’m really enjoying the pure football talk on these AJC blogs these days. Nice to see that there are folks whose focus is the players, coaches, schedule, opponents and the like without the “other” stuff. Thanks and keep up the nice commentary.

Can’t wait til training camp! Peace…

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Tyson Clabo signed his contract today. Now we need R White and J Norwood.

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ANGRY BANKER-I beg to disagree. Statistics and common sense tells me the opposite. RMoss was the #2 WR on a pass oriented OFF that routinely used 3 and 4 WR sets. RWhite was the primary WR and received constant double and triple teams, while playing in an OFF that was very limited for most to the 1st half of the season, especially the passing OFF. His OFF scheme used the TE sparingly in the passing OFF and seldom used 4 WR sets, which leaves a naked backfield and the QB unprotected beyond the line of scrimmage.

The fact RWhite caught more passes than RMoss(88-69), gained more yds(1382) than either Moss(1008) or WWelker(1165), who caught more passes(111) for less yardage than White, demonstrates he was a better longball threat than RMoss or Welker, and/or did a better job of gaining yds after the catch. When RMoss was the primary WR in Oakland, he became totally frustrated because he couldn’t handle the double teams he faced as the primary WR. In fact, the Vikings traded him because he started openly venting his frustration as a result of the difficulty he was having dealing with the double teams he started facing after primary WR Chris Carter left. RWhite has been the primary WR since he started his 1st gm, and has been very successful consistently beating double and triple teams. BOTTOMLINE, THE FACKTS PROVE THAT RWHITE IS A BETTER OVERALL WR THAN RMOSS AND A BETTER LONG BALL THREAT THAN WWELKEN.

D3-The Falcons have constructed an OFF with a strong rushing attack, much like the one the Steelers had with the BUS, that made is so much easier for QB BIG BEN. Our OFF isn’t QB dependent like the Colts. The Patriots did pretty good last yr with their 2nd string QB running the show. CRedman is a solid QB and is simular to MRyan as far as passing accuracy and leadership are concerned. I don’t see our OFF losing much with him in control. Every other aspect of our OFF, and DEF for that matter, will be improved over last yr, and with the addition of prolific TE TGonzalez, what would possibly cause QB MRyan to regress in his 2nd season. Why concern yourself with the opinions of so called self appointed experts. AREN’T THESE THE SAME SO CALLED EXPERTS AND PROGNOSTICATORS THAT PREDICTED QB MRYAN WOULD BE A FAILURE IN HIS ROOKIE YR AS THE STARTING QB FOR THE WOEFUL ATLANTA FALCONS?

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Sarah B., Let’s select a time and date to hold our training camp visit for the cagers!

For the fourth consecutive year, the Falcons will hold Russell Falcons Training Camp at the team’s Flowery Branch headquarters. Atlanta’s 43rd training camp will be held from July 25-August 15, with select morning and afternoon practices open to the public. Admission is free.

The Falcons will hold 30 practices, which include 13 two-a-day sessions. Atlanta will travel to Jacksonville on August 9 for its first preseason contest followed by two home preseason games against Indianapolis the day after training camp breaks (August 16) and Tennessee (August 22). The Falcons will conclude the 2008 preseason schedule with a meeting against the Baltimore Ravens on August 28 at M&T Bank Stadium.

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DOL, No more blogs until Mid-July…what’s with that…there are 3 more weeks of OTAs??? I appreciate the need for vaca, but dude, head off on June 19th, LOL! Anyhow, have Chris hold it down or something. There should also be some good stories about guys to write during this period. When June 19th hits, it is going to be real bad, no real football news (except rook signings) until August!

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What’s up Bird Cage? Been running crazy lately. Looking at somewhat of a career change. Usually don’t have much time to post. Have been keeping up on the reading though. Fal 21, I have to disagree with you on Finn. Finn is the SUPREME go to man on 3rd down. He was with MV and is now with MR2.

Ken, I get what you are saying about Moss. It seems to me also that he has done nothing by himself. There is always a #1 WR oppisite except for OAK where he had probably hi worst year. He was a forgotten man there. Not saying he’s not good… just not one of the all time greats. Moss doesn’t strike me as physical. Atheletic, with out a question.

angry banker, Glad you joined and welcome to the cage. Nothing like another football to pick and get educated by. You Sir are on par with D3, Ken, Unca Bob, and JJ. Great posts.

Wawtawsha, Kind of wished BVG was still at UGA, but ambition calls. I think that’s why TD and Smitty went after faster more man cover DBs. Opening up a Pandora’s Box full of blitzes.

Saw the “Fishing”. I get amused. Need a good laugh from time to time. I will be gone from time to time. Will be checking in though, and with time permitted, I will drop a post. Keep it loose, and keep dropping the info.

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Great Hump-day Evening Bird-Cage Gents and Gals! Gotta love getting through wednesday work, knowing that Thursday is around the corner(aka known as the opening shot of the weekend). In my college days, Thursdays were way crazier than Fridays; as I look back I really don’t get that one. Anyway, to Falcons & Football………

Buck – thanks man. Many of us have made a concerted effort to “Talk real, intelligent football with cool fans” as we like to say. Come join us in the Bird-Cage anytime. Any and all fans are welcome (we’ve even had some great discussions with Tampa Bay and Redskins fans). Look forward to hearing more from you.

Dean21 – nice seats! We need to meet up and have some brewskis before some of the games. Getting season tix last year has made me enjoy NFL Football more than the B(ull***+)CS College Football. I get sick of the same teams being gagged and drooled over. It’s just all about the money. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my ‘Dogs on Saturday, but given the choice between a random NFL game and random College game, give me NFL all-day. Begin the “process” for us bloggers now! If we keep chatting it up here in the blog, than imagine how jacked we’ll be when Training Camp gets here.

Coach Ken – exactly on Big Ben and Joe Flacco for that matter. I was watching the “Top 10 Rookie Seasons” on NFL Network and Matty Ice wasn’t on there, but Big Goofy was #10. Matty Ice did it with a new head coach, new GM, and a patchwork defense.

Mave – we’re trying the best we can to fill the void while DOL is gone. I was hoping to get more info. from OTA’s, but basically its just a bunch of attendance reports b/c evidently those OTA’s are closed to the media. We’ll get there by rockin’ some great discussions here in the ‘Cage. Come join us on a more regulary basis, we welcome your excellent insights.

JJ – Beaming with pride on the No Fishing Policy we’ve introduced in here. Its amazing how they just kind of disappear with “oxygen”. Love that quote.

More later fellas. 49ers OFF vs Falcons DEF matchups finally coming tonight along with a solid TE#3 Roster Spot Analysis. Later Gents!

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Nookah,

I understand your concerns about the other teams bye weeks. There seems to be a lot of shakin’ down about it. My real concern is Atlanta draws theirs so early. The powers that be have not smiled upon us. They appear to have a New Orleans kind of veiw. Y’all look it up and let me know what you think.

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DEAN21-Whoever believes that seems to have forgotten RWhite was selected to the Probowl the yr before QB MRyan was drafted. RPetrino was the HC, and as you know, our OFF was so unstable we went through 3 different starting QB’s(JHarrington, BLeftwich & CRedmon). RWhite trived as a WR despite the QB round robin and the overall team adversity suffered under RPetrino. On the other hand, RMoss fell apart in Oakland and started acting like the pouting spoiled punk he becomes whenever things for him aren’t just right.

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Personally, I think Mike Smith has a point about Grimes. Foxworth played well last season, and he was clearly our best DB. But honestly, the money he commanded in the offseason wasn’t worth it. Like I said in an earlier post, the Falcons are going to be banking on an upgraded Front 7. If the front 7 plays well, it will benefit players like Grimes, who likes to play receivers tight and bump them a bit.

A SOLID FRONT 7 WILL BENEFIT A YOUNG/QUICK/INEXPERIENCED SECONDARY!

When talking about DB’s, personally, I like both Grimes and Chevis Jackson. Jackson displays ballhawk abilites. At 6′2, he matches up with some bigger receivers and offers a bit more size on the other side of Chris Houston. Grimes plays receivers aggressive and honestly, based on the effort/ability he puts forth, you wouldn’t think of him as being an undrafted player. His leaping ability is ridiculous and just the confidence/swagger he brings to the field is definately a net plus.

Still too early, but as of now, I’m banking on Chevis Jackson to win the other starting CB spot. His size gives him an instant advantage.

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Ken Strickland, I’m sure you coached a time or two in your career, but you sir also could be a great analyst for any major network! I do recall that which is the argument I brought up. Roddy has been improving every year in the league even under different QB’S and offensive coordinators. Although Randy Moss is still very talented and has had somewhat of a great career, you still cannot short change Roddy’s improvement and future potential.

Jason…wassup man, I thought you followed DOL to vacation city..lol
Glad to see you returned to the cage.

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I am around, barely. Been hectic in San Antone. I have got alot of stuff rattling in the noggin. I am transfering into the Army. Hopefully, getting stationed at Ft. Gordon. Got my fingers crossed. I can go see my Falcons and my DAWGS from time to time. Also got that little vacation to Disney World with my son in late July.

But enough of that. Just watched the Braves lose a tough game. Kids in the bed, wife somewhere in the house doing something, so I am stilling a little me time on the blog.

I thought that Moss debate was about to get heated. Alot of down time so we need to find some good topics to discuss.

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Re-post. I wanted to run this post again to see if I can get some feedback. It appears that the New England has some of us in the air. Again, I polled a so-called friend of mines and below is his comments of us winning this game:
D3,Jason, Unca Bob, Sarah B., Stirg, Ken S….you know I was talking to a friend of mines yesterday, well now he may be an ex-friend (lol)
I put this question to him…I said dude..Do you think my Atlanta Falcons can go up to Foxborough and beat the Patriots…? He looked at me and said H*ll Nah! They even may loose by 46 points…trust me, I almost hit him in his mouth! then I said noooooooo, violence is not the answer! Let’s just let the action on the field prove my theory of why I think we will win this game. I know that most people and some teams fear “Tom Brady” but he and the Patriots can be beat! and since my friend is a Steelers fan and have had success against the Patriots, he felt the need to be disrespectful…(all in fun though)and to conclude, he stated after game #3, we would be winless – (0-3). I said dude, just wait and see…watch how we defend the dome!

Trust me, I shared this story because the naysayers are still out there even though we went 11-5 including a play-off game. I’m one to believe in the process and i’m positive we will finally get our back to back winning season this year!!

Now we will bring mostly a young team to New England and it will be sort of a Homecoming game for Matt Ryan, I said earlier that I had to re-think this game and I have my fingers cross that we will win this game, but I have to say that it may end up a close lost…but surely not a blow-out! The key factor with this young team is that they never experienced back to back losses last year, so should we loose this game, again I see us taking the 49ers game.

Give me your thought cagers!

Welcome to the new Falcon Bird Cager’s also!

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Jason, my brother is in the Army and was at Ft Gordon and now he ha been transfered to NC..although he comes home every now and then, he is getting ready for his 4th tour in Iraq in December…I surely hope you get stationed here and my prayers are with you & your family!

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I was thinking that also. I see a very close game. I was going 24-21 ATL. Last min. drive for the long FG. Now I am on the fence. If we win that game, on the road, that would be huge. If we lose that game playing our best (lose close) I think we will be alright in the long run. I see these 2 teams going seperate ways. ATL will continue to grow and get better regardless of the outcome. N.E. will start to slip and ahow their age a little bit. Will they make the play offs, who knows. They will not be going to the Super Bowl. I say they do make the playoffs,but be out in one game. Their defense will really start to age. No young talent to surround that MLB.

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New beer alert. For me anyway. ZiegenBock. Good beer with a soft carmel flavor. I have a buddy here who is a Texas boy, and about all he drinks is Texas brew (shinerBock).

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Great Late One ‘Cage Bro’s! I wanted to rattle off some serious posts after seeing how active the Bird-Cage has been this evening. but I’ve been going non-stop today straight from work to home with my little guy to a honey-do list from the House CEO. Worn the F— out. One of these days my San Fran predictions are going to come, but no need now since we got so many convo’s going. Great to see the activity here even though its a serious down-time. Feeling some excellent Mojo here in the Bird-Cage. To our Falconie’s………

Wawtaw – meant to say it earlier, but we welcome you here in the ‘Cage anytime you want to come in and join in the debate. It has definitely become an addictive(maybe even unhealthy) hobby for many of us.

JJ – quote of the day my man: “don’t give the hate fishers any oxygen”, love it! They just breathe our carbon dioxide and slowly slink on out of here, isn’t it nice?

Nookah – great to hear from you today my ‘Nesta Brother! I too worry abou the byes because we seriously got screwed on that one. I worry about the Bears and Giants because they have top-notch coaching staffs who can use the extra week effectively, not worried about the Redskins and Cowboys because those chuckle-heads could have a month and they wouldn’t improve.

WR – where you been my bro’? I figured you passed out on da’ beach with too many scripes or Coronas. Good point about Welker and HD comparison. I remember someone (Mel Kiper maybe?) mentioning that comparison when TD drafted him last year. Plays perfect role for that slot and great complement to our big studs on the outside. Also went to the middle school I teach at, albeit way before I was there.

Dave – good insights man. I was pretty shocked to hear Smitty say that about Grimes. Love his heart, ferocity, fight, and work ethic; but I can’t get that Carolina game in Charlotte out of my head. Muhsin Muhammed dish-ragged him and flat out abused him all game. He couldn’t even come close to stopping him. My money’s on Houston & Chevis Jackson at CB’s and Chris Owens or Brent Grimes in Nickel.

jason – what’s up brother? Been missin’ your mad skills here in the ‘Cage. I figured you were swamped. Best of luck in your job transfer. Would love for you to make it back to good ol’ GA so we can get together for brews and grillin’. On a side note, I’m getting a pretty bad feeling that our Dawgs aren’t going to be that great this year, especially with Justin Houston being suspended, John Knox transferring, No RB’s stepping up, and all WR’s getting hurt or transferring. I was hoping for a 2005-Shockley repeat, but its looking more like a 2006 repeat. Hope I’m wrong.

Dean21 – I’m right there with you on the 49ers game. I’ve been meaning to lay down my analysis, but there’s been so many posts to respond to, there’s simply no need. Its a good problem to have.

Great day/night in the Bird-Cage my brothers. Gotta hit it to bed and get some shut-eye, 5-30 comes mighty early. See you on the flip side. And on that note……….

56 DAYS AND COUNTING TO 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!!!!!!!

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Stirg – I’m all for it if leads him to a 17 or more sacks this year. A wise man knows his body and what he can produce out of it…

Jason – yeah, we could see a nice rotation in the defensive backfield..I keep thinking back to Coach Smitty defensive units in Jacksonville, man they were hitters! I know he is bringing that style to the Falcons!

D3 – Have a good one my brother…yeah 5:30am is a monster to wake up to and it’s 30 mins before quitting time for me.

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Stirg d’Nahsif, You are so wrong on many levels. lol!!1 Stirring the pot!!!

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Guys the past hour or so has been a blast. Almost found my groove again. Last post for the night, gotta get in bed myself. I will be checking in tomorrow just for Stirg d’Nahsif’s posts. Good night all see ya tomorrow.

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Jason, me too on the Stirg posts. I think he has a man crush on Abe. Being I just arrived in Vegas I’m probably the only one up so I’ll sign out for the night. Hey Reno911 I’m in your state… Nite!

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Stirg….You’re boy has arrived, you must be so proud! j/k, all in good fun my brotha!

Sarah B…If I was there, I’d put at least a $100 on the over/under for falcon wins! I think it’s at 8 wins. Keep hydrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Excellent Thursday A.M. Brothers! Gotta love thursdays, even ones where its supposed to rain all day. The weekends go from Thursday – Sunday in my household. Really excited the see the ‘Cage has picked up some serious steam and is rockin’ well. Lets hit it………..

j-man – just got got this uneasy feeling about our Dawgs. Can’t put my finger on it, its just there. Maybe it was that collapse we had on DEF. If we have another year of DEF like last years, good bye Willie Martinez. I’m so happy about BVG being with our Falcons, but our DEF has been on a steay decline since he left. I’ll have to check out that brew you mentioned.

Stirg – great to here from you my man. No comment on Abe? C’mon now we here in the ‘Cage know you better than that.

j-man(2) – yeah, Chevis Jackson seems to be the forgotten man with all this talk of Grimes & Chris Owens. The guy may not be as fast as Owens or Grimes, but makes up for it with his physical nature, ball skills, and awareness. The guy made some serious plays in the slot. I would love to see Grimes in the slot and Jackson/Houston manning the corners with Chris Owens coming in on dime situations.

Sarah B. – have some Sol’s, enjoy the pool, hit the slots, and have a blast! Check in with us here in the ‘Cage. Definitely lay down some money on the Falcons as JJ said.

More Later………

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“NEWS FLASH” —- “NEWS FLASH” —- “NEWS FLASH”

CBSSPORTS.COM REPORTS THAT SAINTS COACH PAYTON MAKES VISIT TO SPEAK WITH “GOD’S” QUARTERBACK MIKE VICK………..

OH THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD………..

THOSE NUMBER “7″ JERSEYS WILL BE ROCKING THE GEORGIA DOME

KARMA IS A “YOU KNOW WHAT”

GO FALCONS!

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Stirg – love the “banana in the tailpipe” metaphor. Did you happen to get that from Beverly Hills Cop? Great stuff

Falcons DEF vs 49ers OFF

Running
Frank Gore is one of the best RB’s in the NFL. Period. Even though he can go stretches when he disappears, overall he’s one of the toughest runners in the game with game-breaking ability. He’s been able to do what he’s done with SF’s O-Line and lack of weapons up until last year. Nicholas, Peterson, and Lofton look to have their hands full with Gore; but Peterson’s leadership and Lofton/Nicholas’ athleticism should offset that. Their O-Line doesn’t scare me in the least. Our new look DL Rotation should have a field day on them getting hits, sacks, knockdowns, and pressures in the backfield. Abe & JA should have several sacks and Jerry/Babs/Lewis should be tearing up their interior line, especially. Vernon Davis is reaching bust status quick after being picked #6 overall in the draft a couple of years ago. He may be a decent blocker, but his pass skills aren’t jack(more on that in a minute). As with many games, we stop Gore and this one looks to get away from the niners quickly. Multiple sack game from our DL and LB corps.

Passing
Vernon Davis is reaching bust status very quickly. He had done pretty sub-par after being drafted so highly. Even with his size he is not much of a red-zone threat. He’s had several years of “breakout” years to no avail. Peterson and DeCoud/Moore will have no problem taking away this weapon. The WR’s finally had a pretty good year with Long-tooth Bruce having almost a 1,000 yd year. How much longer can he keep up that pace. Bryant Johnson is average and caught less than 500 yds with a handful of toucdowns. Michael Crabtree is the x-factor. I know he was very highly regarded, but personally I think he’s over-hyped from being in a conference with the worst Defenses in College Football. He very well may turn out to be a stud WR, but not this year. Houston handles Bruce, Jackson handles rookie Crabtree, and we shut them down. Still no long-term QB. Shaun Hill taking them to the promised land? I think not.

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Stirg, what happened to stirring thinks up in the cage, I can’t believe you didn’t take the bait, I guess I’ll take my scripes and Ramem noodles and just stay home.

Sarah, did you take the bathing suit because guess what, it wouldn’t be needed here, its raining once again, you would think as much as you talk about the rain you would at least have took it with you.

Ken, I get somewhat of what your talking about with Moss but I have to disagree with you on the coverages he faced during the Carter years and I also disagree with his decline being a result of Carter leaving. Carter himself has stated time and time again that the sky was the limit for Moss, he also made it well know that he was able to do alot because for the first time in his career he had a running mate who took the double coverages away from him. Now when considering both, Brad Johnson was the starting QB in 98 until he got hurt, Randall Cunningham came on had an unbelievable year and we all know how that ended. The next year Randall came back down to earth, Brad was eventually traded to Tampa and neither receiver blossomed without a decent starting QB. Eventually Carter retired and without a decent QB Moss became a sore spot for the team, he was traded to Oakland who also failed to have a decent QB and later to NE who may have the best QB and what happened. Your right Moss is not much of an over the middle type receiver, but if you watched the same Falcons games I watched last year you will notice that Roddy wasn’t doing the over the middle work much either, which made the acquistion of Tony Gonzalez important. White has excelled and hopefully he will continue to excel but Randy Moss didn’t pile up all the TD’s and yards over the yards just because he out ran or jumped people deep, if that was the case it would make a DC stupid or Moss superman. Good receivers need good receivers around them, the best receiver in my time has been Jerry Rice, but Jerry Rice always had good compliments around him and he had two hall of fame QBs throwing to him, so compare his stats to Moss stats and you can easily see that it takes a great receiver to accomplish what Moss has done.

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Yeah, D3; that quote belongs to Axel Foley. Thanks

I’m with you on Frisco; however, I do believe that the x-factor will be Coach Singletary. He had half a season to gather a 53-man roster an establish cohesion. You know what, they stilled finished second, in a weak division, at 5-4. Let’s not forget, Singletary is a winner. Now, I don’t expect the 49er’s to beat the Birds but lets not underestimate their ability to win. I don’t see this game being tight but I don’t see it being a complete demolition either. Sure, the 49er’s weren’t great last year but they’re returning some key players that helped them to a 5-4 record under Singletary’s tenure. When you consider that and couple it with a running game and a sufficient quarterback, you end up looking like the early-90’s Falcons. You know the team that would lose against Raiders, Bengels and the Lions (games they should have won); then turn around and beat teams like Giants, Cowboys and Bears. Again, I don’t expect the 49er’s to win this game; but neither do I expect them to lie down. If Gore establishes his running game and gives our defense over a hundred yards, it’ll be a long day. We’ll definitely have to utilize our offense to play defense in this game. Here’s where my arguments for a good tight end (Pettigrew; Gonzalez) pays off.

Atlanta wins 21-14 and move to 3-1 for the season.

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Atlanta @ San Fransisco

Singletary is on track to rebuild both sides of the ball. Of 19 rookies on the roster, 9 play on the line. 3 of those are DT’s. Shaun Hill played in 9 games and put up some pretty good numbers. He had 62.8% passing with 13 TD’s and 8 picks. His QB rating was 87.5. If protracted thru an entire season they are similar to Ryan’s. They started off under Singletary 1-3, but ended the run 4-1. No cake walk here.

Atlanta 31 San Fran 17

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Hey Unca Bob, man I think you stole my thunder. I figured this score would be off a little since we were playing them out west, then I thought about the Green Bay & Oakland games and said okay with another year with the playbook and another year for Ryan, this is defintely reschable..anyways, here is my earlier post…

Dean21

June 3rd, 2009
10:33 pm
D3, It will not be a problem sir…I’m sure we will meet first at the Branch during Training Camp. Now I have to re-think my overall Falcons first 3 games again. Although I would love for us to be 4-0 after the 49ers game, it’s highly unlikely…so I will say we will be 2-1 heading into that game and come out 3-1….

Falcons 31-17

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Well since the room is slow and like D3 states, it’s raining in the ATL…I’m going with the…

ORLANDO MAGIC!!

Dwight Howard is a GA boy, gotta show some support….

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WR-I agree with CCarter’s assessment of RMoss. The sky has always been the limit for him. However, his unwillingness to work hard, take contact, expand his gm and become more than just a homerun threat has limited what he’s been able to accomplish. In other words, he’s been his own worst enemy and has limited his own development, as far as becoming a complete or primary WR. RWhite is a primary WR that can make a passing OFF good, while RMoss is a secondary WR that can make a good passing OFF better.

Here’s another way to make my point. Over the period covering 06-08 RWhite steadily improved, even though he played under 3 different HC’s and OFF coordinators, 3 OFF different OFF systems and 5 different starting QB’s over that period, including 3 in the same season(07). His REC’S: 06(30), 07(83) & 08(88), his YDS: 06(506), 07(1202, 08(1382), his AVG: 06(16.9), 07(14.5), 08(15.7) and TD’S: 06(0), 07(6), 08(7). Over the same 3yr period RMoss has been on 2 different teams, had 2 different HC’s and OFF coordinators, and 3 different QB’s. His REC’s: 06(42)Oakland, 07(98)& 08(69)Patriots, YDS:06(553), 07(1493), 08(1008)AVG: 06(13.2), 07(15.2) & 08(14.6) TD’s: 06(3), 07(23) & 08(11).

RMoss has been up and down, inconsistent, over that same period. Even with Oakland he wasn’t their best WR, as Ronald Curry had 62 receptions in 06. Even Welken, his sidekick over the last 2yrs in New England, has been more consistent and productive over the same 3yr period. He caught 67 in 06 with Miami, 112 in 07 and 111 in 08 with the Patriots. The overall production and consistency of one dimensional WR’s like RMoss are usually very dependent upon either the system they’re in or the QB, and you can see that with him. TRUST ME, WR RMOSS HAS NEVER LIVED UP TO HIS VAST TALENT, POTENTIAL OR HIS HYPE.

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Sarah B – I agree, not a kobe fan either! Well, you surely brought the rain with you…but it appears it raining in the east & west.

Did you have those seats last year? You are right above me. This is a first for me so I’m excited to join the fun at the dome! Everyone is telling me that Falcons landing is off the chain!

Well, I have the Falcons 3-1 after the San Fran game.

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Dean 21, That would be too much luck for me. I am in the process right now. I have to go through a MEPs type of thing next Wed. If I sign then, it will be most likely AUG before I go anywhere. in AUG, I will have to go to OK for 2 weeks, then NM for four. Once that is done, I will be off to my new post somewhere around November. This really going to screw my football up this year. Will probably miss alot of Falcons and DAWGS games. I will have to be checking the Cage frequently to keep updated.

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Ken, somehow we are getting crossed up on our opinions, White is an improving go to receiver that may someday surpass Moss as far as production and reliability. Comparing the two now based on where they are in their careers is unproductive. White is a 5th year pro thats only 27 years old, Moss is a 12th year pro who is 32, White has not reached his peak, Moss peak years have come and gone, meaning while continuing to be very productive he is on the downside of his career. When I say that you can’t put White in the same class as Moss its considering the work over a career, as good as Ryan was last year can you put him in a class with Brady and Peyton Manning,no,he’s not there yet, do I expect him to get there, yes, do I expect White to surpass the achievements of Moss,yes, 2 good years makes you a pro-bowler,2 good years doesn’t put you in the same class as a proven veteran when considering the work and achievements sustained over a career. Good Example, Terrell Davis was an awesome NFL running back, he helped to lead his team to two SuperBowl titles, but his career was cut short because of injuries and he is rarely mentioned as one of the all-time greats, same goes for Bo Jackson, who to this day no one has come close to his size,speed,and vision combination.

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Sarah B – Now you surely have enlighted me, I appreciate the heads up and the brochure about the cheerbabes! I’m sure I will enjoy all the festivities before and during the games. I have so many friends that come down early to set up for tailgating, i’m sure I will be exploring those options as well. So, have you hit the strip yet? You will have to close the lid on the laptop and get busy with the dices, slots, etc.

Yeah, I think we all would take 4-0 and be totally shocked at 1-4, so the Falcons had better be ready. Truly they should know that they are no longer a surprise team. They will be the hunted! We have to protect the terror-dome!

Jason – man dust your knees off and try again should it not go through.
Sorry to hear you will not be able to join us or any of the games, trust me when I say…the cage will keep you informed, so you will not miss much as long as you chime in brother. You gotta take care of you, so do what you gotta do man! We will send a toast to ya right before kick off on Sept. 13!!

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Yeah Dean21 – they got killed. To tired today to go to the strip big time change and all. Just chilled by the pool with cocktails. I do gotta place that Falcon over/under bet though 8-8 my azz.

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Blog monster is alive and well tonight!

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Here’s a report I picked up on the net
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP)—Offensive guard Tyson Clabo(notes) signed his restricted free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons after starting all 16 games for the first time in his career.

Clabo was part of an offensive line that helped the Falcons finish second in the NFL with an average of 152.7 yards per game.

In other roster moves, the Falcons signed undrafted free agent wide receiver Bradon Godfrey, who had 128 receptions during his college career at Utah, and released linebacker Brock Christopher

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Whew! I just read my last post and realized that, with my “mock” starting lineup, I’ve created a legitimate second string defense.

Our depth

D-Line
Davis
Lewis
Walker
Sidbury/Biermann

L-Backs
Wire
Gilbert
James

D-Backs
Grimes
Owens
DeCoud
Fudge

Wow! Now that is a championship team. Any team that can replace an injured player with a legitimate starter and not miss a beat, a championship team is created. Interesting.

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http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories//2009/05/31/dimitroff_falcons_draft.html

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Ken Strickland, Good question. At DT lewis is the known quantity. Jerry the #1 round draft pick. I say Lewis starts along side Babs at the moment. ATL can afford to work Jerry in, in a heavy rotation with Walker, Babs, and Lewis. I say by the bye if Jerry is ready, he will start. By the end of the season he will be starting, and Lewis will sub to avoid injury and get the most bang for the buck; ala Abe last year.

At CB, it will be interesting. I say it doesn’t really matter. The rotation will also be heavy and fast. It will also be interchangable, like a match up from week to week. From the get go, I Houston and Jackson. Just because I like Jackson matching up with the opponet’s physical WR. I also see Grimes and Owens fighting it out for the nickel/slot WR. I think Grimes will excell here. Middleton in the dime.
Now, you noticed I didn’t mention Hutchins. If ATL only goes with 5 CBs, Hutchins is out of the mix. Missing all of last year due to injury really hurt. If they go 6 CBs, it is going to be interesting especially if Hutchins proves to be 100%. ATL is blessed to have 6 really good CBs, just no pure shutdown corner, yet.

On the subject of player’s jobs to lose. I don’t see DeCoud exactly losing a job. I think Moore will start over DeCoud because of DeCoud’s ability to play multiple positions. He can play both safety spots well. I can see almost a platoon like situation where Moore plays obvious run downs, and DeCoud on pass downs.

I am going to give Anderson to the bye week. It’s year 3 for him. time to step it up and show why he was a first round pick.
Nicholas should be ok at OLB. I think he gets thrown into the fire, staying on the field until he shows he can’t.
Peterson will play alot. He will be an onfield coach to prepare Lofton to be the leader of the defense. Plus he will still be a productive player making plays, something Brooking was unable to do last year.

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Unca’ Bob, I think I understand your concern. TD’s description of “Buzzard” Moore is in contrast between the days after the draft and the days after the mini-camp. The article that you made reference to is post mini-camp (after evaluating Moore’s abilities with NFL players). His evaluation sort of contradicts his description of Moore, immediately after the draft. After mini-camp, he describes Moore:

William Moore, S (Second round): “William is doing a nice job. He’s spending a lot of extra time with our secondary staff. He’s always trying to analyze what’s going on and trying to pick this system up. It’s not always easy to come in at the safety position as a first-year player, let alone as a rookie, and pick up the position in the NFL. He’s a physical presence. He will continue to refine his footwork and skills. We’re encouraged by what he’s done so far.

I found this post, entered by D.O.’better, after an interview with TD immediately after the draft. When D.O. asked TD about the second pick, TD offered this:

TD ON THE SAFETY SITUATION: Is it Moore, DeCoud and Fudge competing for the strong safety spot? “It will be up to Mike Smith. William is more of strong safety given his size and ability to come up and light up the ball carry. But he also has the range and he has more versatility than what was presented at the Senior Bowl. We really believe he has the ability to be in the deep part of the football field. There is some versatility there. We are happy to have Erik Coleman here with his veteran leadership and veteran status. He’s going to be a nice mentor for this young safety group. Thomas DeCoud, we are excited about his upside. We think he is going to continue to grow. He’s got nice speed and ability to cover the field. In my mind there are going to be three or four safeties on this team who can be legitimate contributors no matter who is called upon. ”

So, what you’re suggesting, Unca’ Bob, is that those sentiments have changed since evaluating Moore’s performance at NFL speed? I don’t know. Perhaps TD and Coach can see, first hand, why Moore’s stock was lowered enough, for us to grab him in the second. Maybe it wasn’t his injury that placed his ‘07 and ‘08 seasons in contrast with each other. Maybe we’re over-analyzing this and should exercise a little patience with his maturity into the NFL. Either way, we’re still set. My point was, we’ve established ourselves, defensively, to finally compete with quality players. When have we EVER had legitimate back-ups? When have we ever had a second string that can start for most teams?

Good observation, Unca’ Bob.

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Totally off subject comment here. The AJC has posted yet another photo of Ryan getting ready to throw a football. It looks awful as always. The ball is way behind his head pointed straight up, and his left hand is in a waving-to-Mom position. From those photos you’d think he just got off the short bus and “throws like a girl”. LOL I never notice that while watching him at normal playing speed. His form looks good, he has a quick release, and always looks in command. Who is taking and posting these photos, Staff Photographer Joey Harrington?

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WILLIAM MOORE WILL BE A BEAST!

Honestly, I don’t think you can hang your head at T.D.’s 2nd round pick. Moore was projected to be a top 10 pick if he jumped after his junior season. Injuries plagued him in his senior season, and as a result, his draft stock fell.

He’s known to be a ball hawk, and has the physicality to get up to the line up scrimmage and light up the ball carrier, as T.D. said. If he’s truly as gifted as people say he is attacking the line and being a run-stopping safety, then I think within time, he will develop into one of the better safeties in the league. He will need time to adjust to the speed in the NFL, and his coverage abilities are definately a question mark at this point. BUT, I’M SYKED TO HAVE MOORE IN THE FALCONS SECONDARY!!!!!!

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Great Friday Afternoon ‘Cage Brothers and Sisters! Meant to get in the ‘Cage last night but just ran into the “sleep” wall last night. As experts say when talking about running or biking races. Anyway, the Bird-Cage is rockin’ alive and well these days and I’m really stoked about it. Well, plenty of time to make up for it today, so let’s get to our ‘Birds…….

Crabapple – I second angry banker on props about Welker. He just kind of shot out of a cannon in Miami, went to the perfect system in NE, and is the absolute best complement to Moss giving the Pats the deep threat and great route-runner, middle of the field guy in Welker. Welker makes Moss better, not the other way around, IMO.

WR – where you been my bro’? Great point on Rice and the complements around him. The best receiver of all time for sure, but he had great weapons all around him. John Taylor was a stud in his own right and would have been the number one WR on any other team, Roger Craig is one of the biggest underrated RBs of all time(he redefined how versatile RBs could be), Tom Rathman was a stud FB who could catch out of the backfield, and the greatest QB of all time throwing the ball to him. I know them well as they were my favorite team growing up, besides the Falcons of course.

jason – finally saw ShinerBock on the shelf. Its next on my list to try. Having Grimes and C.Owens competing for the slot and losing candidate taking the dime-back really gives us a solid Defensive Backfield. Nice!

Stirg – great quote brother-man from D-Town. Love that movie, but that scene was absolute classic. That’s more like the score I look for; I think they’ll surprise some people but won’t take the next step until they resolve that QB situation.

Sarah B. – how’s Vegas-Land? Did you tie one on last night? I keep seeing the trailer for that movie “The Hangover” and think of you guys in Vegas. Any word from Reno? Gotta try the Falcons Landing as a tailgate station.

Ed – thanks for the update my man. Where you been? Bring back your excellent insights to the ‘Cage.

Strig(2) – wow, love that second D-rotation. As you or Ken noted a while back, that second rotation looks almost as good as our FIRST rotation last year. If we can get these rooks and new guys ready to play, the sky’s the limit.

Dean21 – If you organize the Bird-Cage gathering, your first brews on me. Keep up the great work.

jason(2) – great question. I’ll take that one and analyze in depth in a little bit. Should stimulate some good debate.

Unca’ Bob – great article pick-up my man. Love the fact that Michael Jenkins kept battling and finally had the year everyone was waiting for. I like the guys character and always knew he had mad skills. I’ve been a little critical in the past, but its amazing what nice thrown balls will do for receivers. I’ll never forget that one-handed catch he made against the Steelers at home a couple of years ago. With All-Around WR Roddy, Big-Tall Physical Move the Chains Jenks, & Speed Demon HD, we have a great, young WR corps. Not even including HOF’er TG. Top to Bottom, I think we have one of the best WR corps in the league.

Wabe – totally agree with you my man. When we were doing our Draft Analysis here in the Bird-Cage, I was initially against Moore due to his lack of productivity his senior year. But the more I looked at him and the fact that he was hurt his senior year and evidently played under a weak D-Coordinator, I thought he would be a great fit for us and bring that toughness and hard-hitting style to our DEF. Good stuff brother.

Tons more coming later. Analysis on jason’s roster question, Falcons OFF vs 49ers DEF, and one of these days the Roster Spot Analysis TE#3; the debates have been so good as of late, there’s been no need to supplement. Keep it rockin’ fellas!

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D3, on the CBs… There is starter canidates everywhere. They are interchangable. Houston better not be slipping, or he will drop down the depth chart. We were debating a while back on Jackson starting or playing the nickel. You know I was leaning nickel. I have changed my mind. Jackson’s physical nature will work best against the opposing team’s phy. WR. Grimes being the most atheletic is perfect for the slot and having to fight through traffic. I still stand by my assertion that Owens will be starting before the year is over.

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Right on Big Ray, Moore is a building block for the future but I still think he will get a lot of playing time this season. It may have been a small reach to get him but he was also too good to pass on.

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STIRG-do you realize your backup DEF is better overall than last yrs starting DEF.

JASON-I find it hard to believe we’ll go with only 5 CB’s considering DIrons, BGrimes and VHutchins are coming off season ending injuries. VHutchins is considered better suited as a cover 2 CB than a man to man specialist, but he’s also rated as an excellent nickel back, which might explain why we signed him last yr. Last yrs season ending injuries to VHutchins, BGrimes and DIrons made CJackson the nickel back by default. If he becomes the starter opposite CHouston, VHutchings might top the list for nickel back, since he has the most experience and is the most physical CB on the roster.

Someone mentioned that TLewis would likely get the starting nod because he was a known commodity. Well, his series of unjuries, limited experience and the extended time he’s spent rehabing actually makes him as much, if not more, of an unknown commodity than PJerry or VWalker.

On the issue of OT Ojinnaka, I don’t see him getting cut unless his personal issues with his wife are really serious. Don’t forget, LB MBoley and DT JBabineaux had simular personal issues and they weren’t sent packing. In fact, some individuals actually placed JBabineaux in the same category with M ick and vilified him accrodingly. Just think, if we had cut him, some other team would have benefited form him having a breakout season, and an already pourous DL would have been even more pourous.

Besides, we’re thin and inexperienced at OT to begin with, so I see him just laying low, keeping his mouth shut and allowing this whole thing to fade away like the Babineaux and Boley incidents eventually did.

THE ATLANTA FALCONS ARE BETTER THAN THEIR 09 SCHEDULE. TALENT WISE, WE’RE AS GOOD AS ANYONE IN THE NFL, ESPECIALLY ON OFF. EXPERIENCE IS THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS US FROM BEING IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS THE ELITE TOP 4 TEAMS(the Steelers, Giants, Patriots & Colts). These 4 teams have dominated the SB over the last decade.

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Ken Strickland – valid points on the cb’s…my question to you is exactly how many would you carry if you were the coach and how would you utilize them.

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Jason, D3, Unca’ Bob, Ken Strickland, Stirg, WR….
I’m also trying to figure out exactly how many WR’s and RB’s are we carrying this year. Both positions are flooded with on-takers, so during training, hopefully the best 4 or 5 will be left standing barring injury!

Who should return kick-offs and punts this year? Although we have not talked much about it, but our kicking game is solid! We do not have to concern ourselves with finding a punter or place kicker! whew!

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Jason, I was reading your comment on Richard Samuel possibly being the #1 RB for the Dawgs and I agree totally. He attended my old High School so I got to see alot of his games. As good as he is at RB, he was even better on defense. That man was a monster. I would like to see him at LB with the Dawgs. Sorry guys, I know this was not the Birds but I’m a huge fan of both.

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Dean 21, I think if Brown makes the team he will handle most of the returns along with Norwood. I would like to see Norwood get more carries at RB along with JS so Turner can stay healthy and not get worn down.

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I don’t know if you’ve already seen this article about Harvey Dahl or not, but it’s a good read. Anyone that gets compared to Conrad Dobler gets my seal of approval. Check it out!
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/11793612

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falcon21 , ON all the blogs I read last year and this… they all say the same thing about him at LB. Maybe he is a hitter not a hitee.

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Yeah, Ken, I did recognize the betterment of our defense. I didn’t realize, until after I posted, how good the second string defense will be, compared to last season’s first string. Amazing, isn’t it. In some cases, God forbid, an injury to a starter may not be a bad thing. The Moore and DeCoud battle is going to produce the better man; and depending on how “the better man” plays, it may be intriguing to watch the one who pulled the shortest stick. That is the one position I look forward to watching this season.

Dean21, I’ve been thinking about your question, long before you even asked. What did I come up with? I have no idea, my friend. Its simply hard to determine. I’m not sure how long you’ve been blogging in this cage but a while back, I researched T.D.’s scouting candidates and rookie signings while he was Director of Scouting with New England. I found that every year, for about 5-7 years, his drafting would produce an eventual Pro-Bowler (with the exception of, maybe, a couple years). Look at New England’s number one draft picks during TD’s tenure:

2002 21 Daniel Graham TE Colorado
2003 13 Ty Warren DT Texas A&M
2004 21 Vince Wilfork DT Miami (FL)
2004 32 Benjamin Watson TE Georgia
2005 32 Logan Mankins OG Fresno State
2006 21 Laurence Maroney RB Minnesota
2007 24 Brandon Meriweather S Miami (FL)

Now those are starters that can really put you on your anus. New England was so good, and still is, that their first round picks were usually late (picks 21-32, with the exception of 2003). Yet, TD was still able to yank some starters. I failed to note (I will, if need be) the players drafted in later rounds, that turned out to be really good players. For example, in 2002, New England drafted Deion Branch in round two and Jarvis Green in round four; Both have contributed to New England’s success. I don’t want to go through the whole list; but just to throw a couple more examples at you, New England drafted Eugene Wilson and Asante Samuel in rounds two and four, respectively, in 2003; and in 2004, they drafted Vince Wilfork, Benjamin Watson and Marquis Hill. I can go on (I can post the list of TD’s draftees, 2002-07, if you want it) but I think you get the picture. Every year that TD was involved with scouting and drating, he always produce 2-3 starters. Incidently, 2005’s draft produced Logan Mankins and Ellis Hobbs in rounds one and two, respectively; and in rounds four and seven, TD signed James Sanders and Matt Cassell.

So to answer your question, in my honest but unprofessional opinion, two or three rookies, at least, will start. The question is, who?

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Hey cagers, I know this is a tough question but does anyone know what the Falcons record is after a bye week of their own? And what is their record against teams coming off their bye week in the last 5 years or so?

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And yes I did bet on both $5 on winning SB $10 on winning NFC Champ. I know, not a lot but I can’t afford a lot.

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Not a lot of computer time here but I’m trying.

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Strig,

It would seem we struck a chord some where. It wasn’t anything you or I said, T Dimitroff said it. It was, on my part, an interpratation of what I thought he was saying. No one else read it that way so I must be wrong. I can live with that.

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Unca’ Bob, I don’t know if I took the article you are refering to the same as you, but I also was not sold on Moore starting soon. I saw almost a platoon situation with DeCoud with Moore starting full time later in the year or next season. Moore is so physical against the run, and DeCoud with his atheleticsm could damn near play a nickel or dime role. That’s the way I saw it any way. One’s strength being the other’s weakness.

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Great Saturday A.M. ‘Cage Brethren! Posting has been a little slow going as of late. My little Future WR is doing a lot better, but between my little buddy and the honey-do list from the House CEO, its tough to get in the Bird-Cage as much as I would like. I’m sure a lot of you feel my pain. Bird-Cage is doing well these days especially during these down times. Anyway, here we go……….

jason – yeah, I agree that DeCoud has the inside track on starting this fall. He’s will have been in the system for two years and had a full year to get used to NFL speed. Like you, I see Moore steadily working his way into the lineup as the year progresses, particularly against big running teams like Carolina and Washington.

Big Ray – good point on our picks. No reason to rush Moore, Owens, Sidbury, or even Jerry for that matter since we have Decoud, Grimes, Hutchins, C.Davis, and Trey Lewis having experience in the league and more ready to step in. The only issue with Jerry is that he’s already 25, which is concerning as a rookie.

Coach Ken – gotta depart with you on Ojinnaka. I think his seat is one of the hottest on the roster come training camp. He was drafted by Lil’ Jimmy Mora to run a cut-blocking scheme(the same he ran in college). He’s been in the league three years and had every opportunity to win the RT spot this previous year and the “lightbulb” evidently hasn’t switched on. Couple that with the fact that we signed Romberg & Will Svitek, drafted Reynolds, and most OL cross-train and can play all positions. It looks to be a huge battle between Ojinnaka, Pat McCoy, and Mike Butterworth for a 10th spot if we keep 10; last year we only carried 9.

Dean21 – can’t wait to pop a brew. Too bad they don’t allow alchohol at Training Camp. As far as WR’s and RB’s, we carried 4 RBs and 6 WRs last year on our active roster. The question on the 10th overall spot comes down to Spec Teams. We rarely use 5 WRs, much less 6 WRs. If Snelling and TBrown are better on Spec Teams than say Weems, and can add more to our OFF, than I say we keep 1)Turner 2)Norwood) 3)Mughelli 4)TBrown 5)Snelling 6)Roddy 7)Jenks 8)HD 9)BFinn and the battle royale for the last spot between AKelly, Bergeron, & Weems. JMHO. Schedule of supplemental material coming soon. The ‘Cage has been rockin’ so well that there hasn’t been a lot of need for it.

falcon21 – ahhh, it all makes sense now my brother. You attended the Big C. I always root for players from our area that go to UGA. Kris Durham was from my hometown, but is injury-prone and can’t turn the corner. I agree with you that if Samuel can come back from injury he has the best shot by far. King has been a pretty big disappointment thus far. Maybe Ealey can come in and make some hay; I’m pretty concerned about our team this year to be honest with you.

Jimbo – where you been bro’? Great name dropping in Dobler. Dahl sure is a nasty one, but he’s gotta watch it to a point because those 5, 10, & 15 yard penalties are drive killers.

Stirg – the great researcher has returned! I learned all my mad research skills from you my brother. No better way to argue a point than with facts. I see Jerry starting for sure, Moore & Owens will play but as far as starting outright, we’ll see. One of the most interesting parts of your research to me is their 2005 draft: Nick Kazckur and James Sanders just started last year after waiting three years in the wings. That’s how back-logged their talent is, if the guys can continue to prove themselves year in and year out, they will eventually get a shot which is good news for C.Davis, TLewis, T.DeCoud, and even DIrons(to an extent).

Sarah B. – thank you so much for giving us that info on the ACTUAL Vegas lines. Its even crazier than I realized. Having the Bears as the favorite? Are you kidding me? And the Vikings….what? You’re probably right about the AJC, they probably talked to some random dude who gave them that BS assessment. It is hard-pressed to find ANY NFL media to think they will not at least be 9-7.

Alright, great saturday Gents. Hopefully TE#3 Roster Spot Analysis and the finish of the ATL-SF game will come today. Enjoy the day ‘Gents and ‘Gals!!!

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If there’s one spot on the roster where one could argue there’s an abundance of competition, that position would be receiver. The irony is that out of the seemingly hundreds of receivers the Falcons have signed, only one will win a roster spot, and that’s as a likely inconsequential fifth receiver in an offense that utilizes two or three and a tight end most of the time.

While there were already a few guys on the roster who could compete, the most intriguing options are actually the undrafted guys from this year, which include Arena Football League talent Troy Bergeron, Clemson rookie Aaron Kelly and Utah newcomer Bradon Godfrey. Unrookie Chandler Williams has a chance to stick around because he’s a clear asset on special teams, while Khalil Jones probably won’t win a spot unless everyone else on the roster suddenly takes up water polo. It’s the undrafted guys or bust in this case.

Without further ado, let’s take a quick look at each of these guys, as well as my wildly irresponsible prediction about which one of them will make the final roster. Here’s a hint. If you’ve been reading for at least a month, you’re going to know who I pick.

Darren Mougey: Positional versatility is what Mougey has in spades–or at least clubs–as he dabbled in quarterback at San Diego State. At 6-6 and 230 pounds, Mougey is downright huge, and has all the physical tools necessary to succeed. He doesn’t have a track record of eye-popping numbers at the college level, but if they kept him around they’d have an emergency quarterback. So he’s got that going for him.
Bradon Godfrey: The newest addition to the competition, Godfrey is 6-3 and 197 pounds and had an efficient career at Utah, where he caught 128 passes over his career. He doesn’t appear to have any physical tools that separate him from the pack, which leads me to suspect he’s more of a camp body than anything. Still, he’s clearly a solid enough guy, so maybe he’ll surprise. There’s not really a whole hell of a lot out there about Mr. Godfrey.
Troy Bergeron: We know what Bergeron can do. He can return a few kicks with reasonable success and can catch like crazy. What’s the catch with this catching, you ask? That would have to be the fact that he’s done all his damage in the AFL, which is just a wee bit different than the plodding pace of the NFL game. He’s clearly talented, but it’s a red flag that he hasn’t managed to stick to a roster before now despite his success in another league. At 6-2, 190, Bergeron will probably be in the running until late in the pre-season.
Aaron Kelly: I saved the best for last. A beanpole of a receiver, Kelly weighs as much as Bergeron but stands almost as tall as Mougey. He’s got intriguing pass-catching talent but will clearly need to add a little bit to his frame so he doesn’t blow away every time a guy in the third row of the Dome farts. Still, his height and his relative speed for a tall guy makes him the option I think is going to make the roster.

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unca bob – another good article – keep em coming!!

wabe – agreed on Moore – excited to see how he develops in our system. Its great that we already have coleman and decoud back there, so we don’t have to rush him in until we feel hes ready to lead.

Ken – agreed on our OFF, we’ve solidified ourselves as one of the best. I feel like we have alot of Question marks on DEF – Draftpicks, Lewis and Hutchins coming off injuries, how peterson will adjust to our scheme, who wins the starting jobs in the secondary – but hey, there was alot of question marks with our OFF last year too and look how well that turned out. Well just have to wait and see, very excited about our potential.

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Stirg d’Nahsif, I like your post earlier…We don’t have to sit here and try to determine who is going to make a 53-man roster, out of 60 players. Injuries and absence will determine that for us. But it is so much fun to nit pick and debate what we think is going to happen.

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Some Interesting Reading from AtlantaFalcons.com:

Cornerback Von Hutchins and defensive end John Abraham returned to the OTA practice field on Wednesday.

Abraham was held out of early workouts while recovering from some lingering bumps and bruises from the 2008 campaign. Hutchins, a free agent addition last year, missed the entire season after injuring his foot on the first day of training camp.

“I still (got some time) before I’m 100 percent healthy,” Hutchins said on May 21, knowing he would soon be back at practice. “But I’m looking forward to getting out there and getting a little sore.”
Away from the field, Hutchins acted as a mentor to a young secondary.
Now he’s ready to extend his six-year career which, to date, includes 142 tackles, two interceptions and 16 starts.
“I had all that time during the season to re-evaluate a lot of things,” he said. “I learned a lot about myself and the team. I learned a lot about my family. But this is football now. I’m ready to get back on the field. I’m working on rehabbing. I’m staying after practice rehabbing. I’m getting here before and getting some treatment and stuff in.”

Abraham led the Falcons with 16.5 sacks in 2008 while fighting through a variety of ailments. Smith decided to give the 10-year veteran some time off to open offseason workouts. The three-time Pro Bowler got some work Wednesday, though the team limited offensive and defensive linemen to focus more on the passing game. “We had a plan for John,” Head Coach Mike Smith said. “We’re going to work John with that plan in mind. John has been through a lot of OTAs and a lot of mini camps so we want to get him acclimated to some of the new things we’re doing defensively.”

In other OTA news…

… Smith called this week’s practices a “passing camp,” saying linemen will get to retreat to the weight room before the end of practice while the rest of the team focuses on throwing the ball and defending the pass (not bad since the temperature has been hovering around 90 degrees).

… With Hutchins back the team is closer to 100 percent. Smith is pleased with the health of the Falcons at this point in the offseason.

“Jeff Fish and his staff have done a good job preparing these guys,” he said. “We’ve had very few pulled muscles or any of those soft tissue injuries. We’re really healthy and hopefully we can stay that way. Our goal has always been (to be healthy) for September 13. So hopefully we can accomplish that.”

… After missing some time during voluntary workouts earlier in the offseason, newly-acquired tight end Tony Gonzalez is on the field for a second week.

The coach is still happy the 10-time Pro Bowler is part of the Falcons family.

“Tony is going to be a great addition to our team,” he said. “We’re always trying to improve and he’s definitely going to make us a better football team — offensively, defensively and special teams.”

… The team announced tackle Tyson Clabo signed his restricted free agent tender on Wednesday, confirming his status for 2009. He and right guard Harvey Dahl are restricted free agents this season. Both received a reported second-round tender, meaning any team to sign them would have to forfeit a draft pick.

Atlanta also released undrafted free agent Brock Christopher.

And from our D-Coordinator……..

Seven of the Falcons eight picks in the 2009 NFL Draft are defensive players.

Safe to say the team is looking for an infusion of talent and youth on that side of the ball. That, of course, comes with its own set of pros and cons.

But three weeks into organized team activities, defensive coordinator Brian VanGoder likes the upside shown by the speedy group taking shape on the field.

The Falcons are in the process of replacing five starters from a defense that — at the end of 2008 — sported an average age of 27.8

The 2009 Falcons could start multiple rookies on defense including, but not limited to, defensive tackle Peria Jerry, safety William Moore and cornerback Chris Owens. They’re competing with an equally youthful bunch including a second-year safety (Thomas DeCoud) and a third-year defensive tackle (Trey Lewis).

As of Thursday, just three players on the defensive roster are age 30 or older. Twenty-seven are age 26 or younger.

Curtis Lofton, who started at middle linebacker as a rookie, just turned 23.

“Curtis had an outstanding rookie season,” VanGorder said of Lofton, who finished fourth on the team with 108 tackles while playing primarily on first and second down. “Now he’s in his second year and much more comfortable with the system and communications. Therefore he can play a lot faster. He did not play in our sub package last year so that’s an area right now he’s really working on and trying to catch up a little bit… First year to second year we should see good, solid improvement from him.”

Lofton came off the field on passing downs last season. Defending the pass is an area of emphasis moving forward and something the team must do with quicker, but less experienced players.

The Falcons finished 21st in the league last season allowing 220 passing yards per game. The defense got younger in the secondary over the offseason but it will be up to various competitions to determine starters in 2009.

“I think we have to (see who rises to the top),” VanGorder said. “It will sort itself out in mini camp, OTAs and training camp… The competition will sort itself out and the guys that are deserving will earn it over that course of time. Competition is a healthy thing right now.”

The group can get help from the front seven in the form of pressure on the quarterback.

It’s not a perfect correlation, but it doesn’t take a multitude of numbers to realize more sacks — or hands in the quarterback’s face — creates a poor throwing environment.

John Abraham recorded 16.5 sacks in 2008. No other player had more than four (Chauncey Davis).

VanGorder likes what he’s seeing so far from second-year defensive end Kroy Biermann. He’s put on some extra muscle and, with Abraham taking some time to recoup from injuries, is getting extra reps.

The team also returns a starter in Jamaal Anderson and drafted three defensive linemen.

“I think we’ve got a guy like Kroy who is a year older and has some natural pass rush abilities,” VanGorder said. “Lawrence Sidbury, who we drafted out of Richmond, gives us another speed edge type of guy. Inside with Peria Jerry we drafted another sudden, explosive guy. So we should be much improved and we need to be much improved in regards to the pass rush. How that will all work itself out, we’ll see but it’s a good competition for us right now. The speed and experience factor are the biggest indicators right now that we’ll be better.”

Speed creates opportunity on defense which, in a perfect world, leads to more turnovers.

Atlanta finished 25th against the run (127.5 yards per game) last season.

The focus thus far has been on speed and explosiveness, but VanGorder also talked Wednesday about what the team can do to replace 345-pound defensive tackle Grady Jackson, who signed a free agent deal with Detroit.

As he puts it, three players are looking to fill the role.

All fit with the overall themes of youth and speed.

“Right now (Thomas Johnson) and Trey Lewis are battling it out,” he said. “Jason Jefferson is a much better looking player. There’s competition in there but I think the size of T.J. and Trey in regards to a Grady comparison gives us that space eater, but a little bit faster and run-to-the-ball kind of guy. We hope we’ll be better.”

Johnson, 305 pounds, has spent time with three different NFL teams. Jefferson started a game for Jackson in 2008. Lewis missed all of last season with a torn ACL, but says he’s rejuvinated and a better student of the game.

Johnson and Jefferson are 27. Lewis is 24.

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Unca’ Bob, The player research GURU. I need some info on a DT,Thomas Johnson. Getting props from BVG. D3 great article, glad you posted. Who is this Thomas Johnson? Might be pushing WALKER. We all thought Walker would work with Bab, Jerry, and Lewis. Now we have Johnson and Jefferson. Competition from every where at all positions. Players can’t sit and rest on their laurels.

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D3-Excellent article. And based on that article, it appears if DT TLewis is healthy and 100 percent, he might earn the starting spot and PJerry will be used along with JAbraham in passing situations. MLB CLofton is still young and inexperienced and still needs some protection in front of him. In that area, TLewis is the best option for the job.

Bottomline, with the talent and experience we have returning at every position from last yrs active DEF roster, we don’t have to start any rookies to potentially be an outstanding DEF.

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Here here, Ken. I say we put the rookies on ice, where feasible, and start the players returning from last season, including the injured. That way, our second string will look even more impressive, than what I posted earlier, and will mature while easing into the game.

Allow me to re-post my mock starting defense:

DE Abraham
DT Lewis
DT Babineaux
DE Anderson
LB Peterson
LB Lofton
LB Nicholas
CB Houston
CB Hutchins, Jackson or Owens (that’ll be intriguing to watch)
FS Coleman
SS DeCoud

That’ll still give us a good looking second string:
DE Biermann and Sidbury
DT Jerry
DT Walker or this Johnson guy I’m hearing about (question is, why didn’t he workout for three other teams and he’s only 27?)
DE Davis
LB Wire
LB Gilbert
LB James
CB Owens
CB Grimes
SS Moore
FS DeCoud and Fudge

Simply, Wow! What an All-Star team we have, gentlemen.

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Good Saturday P.M. Bird-Cage Fellas! Where does the time go, already Saturday night rolling into Sunday. All good because we’re one day closer to Training Camp. And this one is shaping up to be the most competitive, mayber ever. To our Falcon-i’s…………

Thomas Johnson – so what a shock to read the article from AtlantaFalcons.com and see BVG talking about this guy. I went back for a double take and the name didn’t look familiar. But BVG seems to be pretty high on him judging from his comments. So by that count that puts us at 6 DTs competing for 4 spots on the active roster. Last year we carried 4 – Big Grady, Babs, Jason Jefferson, & Kindal Moorehead. We know Babs, Jerry, & Lewis are shoe-ins if healthy; so could this Thomas Johnson beat out Vance Walker for the 4th spot? If they close I’d say we go with Walker since he’s younger and has more upside. Remember that they always can play around with numbers depending on the depth they have overall. For example, last year we carried 4 RBs and 6 WRs; and this year I bet we carry 5 RBs and 5 WRs, JMHO.

More in a bit……….

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Here’s a nice article talking with BVG about this year’s OTA.
http://jmike.blogs.atlantafalcons.com/2009/06/04/words-from-the-defensive-coordinator/

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This is from atlantafalcons.com on Thomas Jefferson.

Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Dallas Cowboys on August 28, 2005.

Waived by Dallas on September 4, 2006 and was signed by the Houston Texans as a free agent three days later.

Waived by Houston on August 28, 2007.

Signed by the Jets to a reserve/future contract on 1/15/08.

Signed by the Falcons to a reserve/future contract on 1/7/09.

2008 (JETS)
Spent the 2008 training camp on the New York Jets roster before being released prior to the regular season.

2006 (TEXANS)
Saw action in 11 games (three starts).

Recorded a career-high five tackles (four solo) against Cleveland (12/31).

Registered his first career start vs. Buffalo (11/19).

2005 (COWBOYS)
In his first season in the NFL, competed in two games while adding one assisted tackle.

Made his NFL debut against Washington (12/18).

COLLEGE
Posted 47 tackles and four sacks as a senior at Middle Tennessee State University.

Played in 11 games (eight starts) as a junior while contributing with 33 tackles and four sacks.

PERSONAL
Attended Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tennessee.

Earned all-state, all-metro and all-city honors as a Hamilton senior.

Graduated with a degree in Education from MTSU in 2004.

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Unca’ Bob, you are the man. I asked and recieved. Somethimes I think in this day and age there is not a lot of difference in a practice squad player and one who makes a NFL roster. If Johnson keeps proving BVG right… what will happen with Walker. BVG talked about Babs, Jerry, Lewis along with Johnson and Jefferson. Don’t recall anything on Walker. One of the reasons I like Walker was his size. I asked a question a while back in regards to the DT position. In the 4-3 ATL runs a DT and a NT right? If so I had Jerry backing up Babs in that format, and Walker backing up Lewis at the NT position. AM I close to being on target?

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UNCA BOB-Like JASON said, YOU THE MAN. That was a very revealing article. I posted sometime ago about the problems DT GJackson’s lack of mobility, speed and quickness caused on the DL. It prevented us from using stunts, which would have helped DE JAnderson tremendously, especially in pass rushing situations.

Teams recognized our base DEF was very weak against the pass on 1st and 2nd down, particularly on the left side(DT GJackson & DE JAnderson). That was partly becaused we focuseed on stopping the run on those downs and our SS and LB’s were always close to the line of scrimmage and vulnerable to play action. Teams knew we couldn’t do any effective stunts with GJackson at DT, so they took full advantage of it on 1st and 2nd downs before he, DE JAnderson, MLB CLofton and SS LMalloy could be substutited for. We were able to keep the pts allowed down because when teams were in or near the redzone, passing became more difficult due to the lack of realestate, and our front 7 wasn’t as vulnerable to playaction.

This yrs DEF will be able to do some serious stunting and blitzing, and we’ll be able to do it on any down regardless of which front 7 is in the gm.

LAST YR, OFF’S PREPARED THEMSELVES TO ATTACK OUR WEAKNESSES, LIKE SS, LDT, LDE & OLB, BECAUSE WE HAD FEW STRENGTHS. THIS YR, THEIR PREPARATION WILL BE GEARED TO TRYING TO NEUTRALIZE OUR STRENGTHS, BECAUSE OUR ONLY OBVIOUS WEAKNESSES WILL BE YOUTH AND INEXPERIENCE.

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Ken Strickland,

You flatter me, Sir. I think all the Cager’s know who the real man is ’round these parts. I’m still in the developemental stage in my “proess” to become “a” man. My process continues…

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8-8 IN ‘09….”VEGAS YOU ROCK”

GO FALCONS!

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Happy Sunday from Vegas all. Good posts – keep ‘em coming. Off to play golf.

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I MustWrite,and gdg73, First know you can’t teach 6′5, but when you go from a 6′5 receiver in the ACC to being undrafted something was flawed!GDG73, Eric Berry is probably going to end up in the Steve Atwater, Ronnie Lott, and Ed Reed mole, but an NFL corner he is not. IMustWrite you also mention we need depth not dinosaurs, but you want to bring in Rodney Harrison. Stay off the Yack when blogging, because you have no understanding of the League or football in general!

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8-8 in ‘09 AND NO PLAYOFFS……STILL BETTER THAN ‘07

GO FALCONS!

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Good Sunday PM ‘Cage Gents and Gals! Gonna be a quick one tonight, because I gotta get some shut-eye and get ready for summer classes, BLECH! The House CEO had a girls night out tonight, so my little WR had my hands tied and prevented from getting in the ‘Cage tonight. Great convo’s and football talk during our “dry” time of Falcons Football. Speaking of……….

On Tap this Week for Supplemental Football Talk:

Weekly Opponent Breakdown & Analysis
Game #5 – Atlanta Falcons vs Chicago Bears (Sunday Night Football)

Monday – State of the Franchise/Off-Season Analysis
Tuesday – Bears OFF vs Falcons DEF
Wednesday – Falcons OFF vs Bears DEF
Thursday – Game Breakdown & Final Predictions
Friday – News/Headlines from around the NFL
Sat/Sun – Catch-Up Days

Roster Spot Analysis
Monday – TE#3
Tuesday – LT
Wednesday – LG
Thursday – C
Friday – RG
Sat/Sun – Catch-Up

falcon21 – hope your right about our Dawgs. I’m sure we’ll do fine. I’m really concerned about our WRs and RBs. And we know what awfulness(is that a word?) that Willie M. is capable of on DEF.

Unca’ Bob – Nice Research. I think Jefferson might be the odd man out this year with such an infusion of new DT talent. If we carry 4, the battle for #4 is between Walker/TJ/Jefferson. If we carry 5, than the 5th looks to be between Jefferson and TJ. I can’t see us not keeping Walker over the other two since he is a TD/Smitty “guy” they drafted.

jason – that battle for the starting spot between Jerry and Lewis looks to be the fiercest of any other positions, except for the SS position. Can’t wait for training camp.

Richbrave – your boys look to be doing well for themselves. El Sid looks to have boatloads of talent, but needs some work to get to the NFL level, per Mini-Camp and OTA reports. Aaron Kelly looks to be a leading candidate to earn the #5 WR spot. He’s in a tough battle against Troy Bergeron and Eric Weems. To earn the spot, he’s gotta be a stud on special teams.

Sarah B. – how’s Vegas-Land? Any “crazy” stories to report? Enjoy the rest of the Vaca’.

angry banker – very true that Grady was a huge asset in the run game, but I think they’re looking for someone they don’t have to take out on 3rd downs every single time. He was good, but on the downside of his career.

Alright peeps have a great week and we’ll see you in the ‘Cage soon. And on that note…………

52 DAYS AND COUNTING TO 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!!!!!!!!!

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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/194440-atlanta-falcons-super-bowl-bound

I think this was written by K Strick because I have read it before.

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Greetings!!!! Guys you all make me so proud. This is indeed a Football blog of no mean order. This blog will soon get national attention if it hasn’talready. The knowledge here is spewing from all directions and the football facts are flowing fluently and frequently. The seriousness of our bloggers have eliminated the vitriol and it’s all football 24/7/365. Booyah!!!
“Chase dem crazy baldheads out of town!!!!” (You know I have to quote Mr. Marley)

Check this out Cagers!!! I am not sure if anyone posted this article before but here goes.

Considering the Kansas City Chiefs situation at the quarterback position last year, the fact that Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez still managed to have one of his best years as a pro is quite remarkable. Gonzalez (6-foot-5, 251 pounds and 33 years old) finished the 2008 season with 96 catches for 1,058 yards, scoring 10 touchdowns.

Just think of what an offensive coordinator could do with a guy like Gonzalez if he had players of equal talent at the other skill positions. Gonzalez wanted out of Kansas City for some time, and now he has hooked up with a team that has some notable talent at the key positions on their offense. The Atlanta Falcons offense was loaded everywhere, except for the huge hole at the tight end position.

Supporting cast: The 2008 season was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Atlanta. Certainly no one expected Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan to start every game his rookie year and perform the way he did all season. Ryan, drafted with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, showed incredible poise and maturity, completing 265 of 434 passes for 3,440 yards, with 16 touchdown passes. After a dismal 4-12 season in 2007, Ryan stepped in and the Falcons posted an 11-5 record, making the playoffs.

The continued improvement of Falcons wide receiver Roddy White was a huge factor in Ryan’s rookie success and the success of the team as a whole. White (6-foot, 208 pounds) had the best season of his career in 2008, posting 88 receptions for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns.

An even bigger factor contributing to the Falcons’ success last season was the acquisition of former San Diego Chargers running back Michael Turner. Serving as the workhorse, Turner averaged 4.5 yards per carry and finished the year with 1,699 yards while scoring 17 touchdowns. With Falcons running back Jerious Norwood providing the speed to complement Turner’s power, the Falcons had an effective running game, and it took tremendous pressure off of their rookie quarterback as well as the offensive line.

The only glaring offensive need the Falcons had was at tight end. Upon looking over the stat sheet, it’s impossible to overlook the gaping chasm right in the middle of the Falcons offense.

Falcons tight end Ben Hartsock finished with three catches for 26 on the year yards. That left tight end Justin Peelle as the main man at the tight end position in terms of production. In stark contrast to what Gonzalez was able to do in the Chiefs offense last season, Peelle led the Falcons tight ends with only 15 catches for 159 yards, with two touchdowns. Evidently Peelle fails to strike terror into the hearts of opposing defenses. With no tight end to worry about, opposing linebackers can key on Turner, and opposing safeties can focus more on the wide receivers. They also have the option to bring a safety down toward the line of scrimmage on first and second down or in short-yardage situations.

Taking Peelle out of that equation and replacing him with Gonzalez puts the whole situation in an entirely different light. This could be the move that takes the Falcons offense to the next level.

Just look at the possibilities that open up for the Falcons offense with this single addition. There is no reason to believe the Falcons won’t be an even more potent scoring machine in 2009. Not only is Gonzalez dangerous on the underneath routes and the red zone, but he is also a threat on deep routes. Plus, being a great all-around tight end, the 10-time Pro Bowler is also a superior blocker who can help in the running game as well as in pass protection.

With Gonzalez, opposing linebackers and safeties will be forced to focus more attention on the middle of the field, no longer having the luxury of double teaming White on the outside without consequence. Now with defenders occupied with Gonzalez, there is likely to be single coverage downfield. White, the Falcons’ deep threat, is a big play waiting to happen.

If the defense plays their safeties in a two-deep zone to handle White and Falcons No. 2 wide receiver Michael Jenkins, then either Gonzalez eats them alive working the underneath or the gut of the defense is softened up for the 230-pound Turner to plow through. If the opposing team chooses to put eight or nine men on the line of scrimmage to stop Turner, options are then opened in the passing game.

If the defense chooses to blitz and attack the quarterback, Ryan can quickly dump the ball off to Gonzalez, Turner or Jerrious Norwood in the flats. It is a game of “pick your poison” for any defense that has to play Atlanta in 2009.

Fantasy football outlook Statistically, it’s Ryan who will reap the benefits more than anyone else with this new dimension to the Falcons offense. Ryan’s 3,400 yards passing and 16 touchdowns are only likely to spike in 2009.

There may be some concern that with the addition of Gonzalez the targets could be more thinly spread among the receivers, but don’t look for White’s numbers to go down. White has emerged as an elite wide receiver over the past few seasons, and the presence of Gonzalez is likely to solidify his chances of repeating if not improving upon White’s 2008 numbers. The addition of Gonzalez makes White more attractive than ever on draft day. He is considered a No. 1 fantasy wide receiver.

Jenkins, on the other hand, could be supplanted as the number two target in the Falcons passing game. Relegated to the third option behind White and Gonzalez, his numbers should drop. In 2008, Jenkins, a big possession-type receiver, (6-foot-4 215 pounds) caught 50 balls for 777 yards and three touchdowns but isn’t likely to match that in 2009.

Gonzalez the NFL’s all-time tight end leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns, will likely remain a No. 1 fantasy tight end in 2009.

Wideouts Harry Douglas and Brian Finneran present no fantasy value in 2009, barring an injury to one of the two starting receivers.

Wheras I like what this article is saying generally I do not necessarily agree with all the statements made. e.g. I think Michael Jenkins will have a pretty good year because he is bound to draw single coverage of the opposing teams weaker defenders as Roddy and Gonzo will have to draw the best defendes and or doble teams and this will allow Jenkins to be pretty open. All he has to do is run solid routes and we’ll be OK.. As the man says and if you read the gospel according to Ken chapter 9 verses 10 – 17, THIS OFFENSE IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!!

Go Falcons!!!!

Nuff respect everytime!!!

The heathen back deh pon de wall!!!! (Robert Nesta Marley)

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Greetings!!!! Feel no way, I’m just trying to make up for lost time!!! My schedule is tight these days so I have to make hay while the sun shines and up North here I mean that literally. Bigups to all Cagers!!!! Booyakah!!!!

Found this on Sam BAker. Interesting stats I thought.

That’s our own OT Sam Baker. I want you to project him. “Now wait just a darn minute, “He’s an offensive lineman. They don’t have stats to project!” This is true. As far as official league stats go, OTs generate two: Games Played (G) and Games Started (GS).

Baker started (GS) five games last year and played (G) in eight. As we all know, he decided to have surgery on the 29th of October to fix a herniated disc in his back. While Sam called it “minor surgery,” it still kept a talented OT off the field for weeks on end. Even though he returned and played downs in the final three games of the season, the impact and momentum he had during the first few games was lost.

Measuring Sam’s early impact on the team last season is essential in projecting how he’ll do with a (hopefully) healthy and full season ahead of him. Take the jump with me as I break down his impact. Then grab your crystal ball and do some projecting of your own in the comments.

To measure Baker’s impact, I looked at the play-by-play calls of the five games he started as the primary left tackle. I created three stats: Runs through LT, Run Yardage through LT, and LT Yardage Percentage (percent of LT run yards out of total run yards). Here’s the breakdown:

Opp Runs thru LT LT YD

LT YD %
Detroit 6 116 36.5%
Tampa Bay 3 15 14.3%
Kansas City 7 56 30.1%
Green Bay 4 19 10.8%
Chicago 7 33 44.0%

AVG Run thru LT: 5.4

AVG LT YD: 47.8

AVG LT YD %: 27.1%

Sam, a rookie OT, accounting for 27% of the run yardage in his five starts is somewhat phenomenal. He certainly proved he was worth the high draft pick. With Baker (fingers crossed) staying healthy this year, this stat should increase in the 2009 season.

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Nookah, you on fire today, my Rastafarian brother. Very, very interesting reading. I compare the Falcon’s offensive options to the options of the Atlanta Hawks. If Joe Johnson had a bad day, Marvin Williams would pick up the slack. If Josh Smith’s offense is off, Al Horford’s game would pick up. That is very parallel to the Falcon’s options. If White is double-teamed, pass it to an open Gonzalez. If denfenses concentrate more on passing, Michael Turner runs for 200. If Turner can’t penetrate the middle, send Norwood ’round the end. I think this offense will be at the top of most offensive categories in the league. The one defense that can give us problems, is Pittsburgh, because of the versatility of their safeties and linebackers. Good post, Nookah.

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UNCA BOB-While I didn’t write that excellent article, I’ve certainly made every point contained in that article at least once in the past. I mentioned how TD and Smitty came in last yr and cut or traded 6 starters, FS CCrocker, OLB DWilliams, TE ACrumpler, CB DHall, DT RColeman and RB WDunn(the last for were Probowlers), and we improved tremendously on both sides of the ball.

The same thing has been done this yr, with the release of starting DT GJackson, CB DFoxworth SS LMalloy, OLB’s MBoley, KBrookings and SS LMalloy. The last 2 are former Probowlers. We’re not just replacing them with younger more talented players, we’re replacing them with players who’s talents and abilities better fit our current OFF/DEF systems.

Having a talented player in a certain position isn’t nearly as important as having the right player that’s able to utilize his talents and abilities more effectively within the teams OFF/DEF system. We saw that become an issue with OLB’s DWilliams in 07 and MBoley, and even KBrooking, in 08.

The players that will fill their shoes are players our coaches have personally selected, or chosen to retain. This means they have qualities and abilities our coaching staff feels will better fit their OFF/DEF systems. RIGHT NOW, WE ARE BETTER THAN THE ARIZONA CARDINAL TEAM THAT DEFEATED US IN THE PLAYOFFS AND ADVANCED TO THE SB.

Looking at how strong and talented our 08 draft class is, and how much they’ll impact the team, especially the DEF, I’ve decided Falcon fans should give thanks to team that made it all possible, the Detroit Lions. because we owe them a debt of gratitude. Consider this. It’s obvious TE BPettigrew was the player TD and Smitty targeted at #24. But, when they realized Detroit wasn’t going to allow him to slip past them, we pulled the trigger on the TGonzalez trade.

Just think, if we had drafted TE BPettigrew, most of our picks could have changed, if not all. We could very easily have missed out on DE LSidbury or CB COwens, or even SS WMoore, depending on where in the draft we decided to address the DT position. As a result, instead of drafting the best TE in the draft, which meant missing out on the 2 best 4-3 DT’s in the draft, PJerry & EHood, we traded for the best TE in the world and got the best 4-3 DT in the draft, PJerry. THANK YOU DETROIT, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU AGAIN.

Here’s an interesting exercise that can keep this forum going for a while. We have 7 draftees and several FA’s that will compete for roster spots, and in some cases starting positions. Let’s get all of the info we can on each new player, as well as the incombents they’ll be competing against for starting positions, like SS/FS TDeCoud, DE JAnderson or OLB SNicholas. That way, we can determine who has the best chance of starting and/or making the 53 man roster.

Every week we’ll select a position, like TE, and research the players competing for those roster spots. After researching each player, each of us will present our projection of the final roster and see who comes closest to the actual roster after the final mandatory cuts are made. Since I brought it up, I’ll start off with the TE position. Although we know there won’t be any competition for the starting slot, there will be intense competition for the backup slots.

SO EVERYONE SHOULD START GATHERING INFO FROM SCOUTING REPORTS AND ARTICLES IN ORDER TO GET A READ ON EACH TE CURRENTLY ON THE ROSTER AND PRESENT IT TO THE FORUM. THEN, WE SEE IF WE CAN COME UP WITH A CONSENSUS ON WHO HAS THE BEST CHANCE AND/OR IS THE BEST FIT. WHEN WE’RE FINISHED, WE SHOULD HAVE A COMPLETED ROSTER ASSEMBLED THAT WE CAN BE COMPARED TO THE FINAL ROSTER.

GET READY, GET SET, GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

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Yo, Posse, greetings!!!! Just found this posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas – Food for thought!!!

We’re resuming our NFC South position rankings with defensive linemen.

I’m combining defensive ends and tackles into one big group, and as I’m looking at the rosters, I’m mildly surprised that this group isn’t stronger. That’s especially true at defensive tackle, but there’s hope here because I think young players like Atlanta’s Peria Jerry and New Orleans’ Sedrick Ellis can be very good, very soon.

The overall quality of defensive linemen in the division is a little down right now because Carolina and Tampa Bay don’t have the outstanding lines they once did. The ends are a little stronger than the tackles and can become even more so if some young players like Atlanta’s Jamaal Anderson, Carolina’s Everette Brown and Tampa Bay’s Gaines Adams emerge this year.

Anyway, here’s the list:

1.John Abraham, DE, Atlanta. Sure, go ahead and call him one-dimensional. But aren’t dominant pass-rush skills the dimension you want most from a defensive end?
2.Julius Peppers, DE, Carolina. Easily the division’s most-talented defensive lineman. But there are questions about his motivation and intensity with Peppers wanting out of Carolina. Those questions aren’t really new.
3.Jonathan Babineaux, DT, Atlanta. Very quietly, he’s become the most solid interior lineman in the division.
4.Will Smith, DE, New Orleans. No, he didn’t play to his potential last year and he’s facing a four-game suspension at the start of this season. But this guy plays the run well and has shown pass-rush skills in the past.
5.Sedrick Ellis, DT, New Orleans. Has the ability to unseat Babineaux as division’s top tackle and could do that very soon.
6.Gaines Adams, DE, Tampa Bay. You can argue that this ranking is way too high. But look at the rest of the division. Adams had 6.5 sacks last season. If he adds a couple of moves, he easily can reach double-digit sacks.
7.Peria Jerry, DT, Atlanta. He’s only a rookie, but there’s little bust factor with this guy. He should be a force right away.
8.Charles Johnson, DE, Carolina. We’re going to rank him ahead of the rookie Brown based on the promise Johnson showed last year. He had six sacks in a part-time role and has the potential to do big things.
9.Ma’ake Kemoeatu, DT, Carolina. He doesn’t do anything except take up space. But that’s his job.
10.Charles Grant, DE, New Orleans. Exact same story as his teammate Smith. But the guy does have a couple of double-digit sack years in his background and you never know what new coordinator Gregg Williams might be able to pull out of him.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

NFC South position ratings – offensive linemen. We’re not breaking them into different positions, but are considering the premium placed on left tackles, the most important people on the offensive line.

1. Jordan Gross, Carolina. He finally got All-Pro recognition last year as the Panthers returned to coach John Fox’s ball-control offense.

2. Jeff Faine, Tampa Bay. A case can be made he’s the best center in the league. He’s also the leader of a very good offensive line.

3. Todd McClure, Atlanta. Go ahead and argue all you want about their underrated center. The Falcons ran the ball and protected rookie Matt Ryan very well last year. It had to start somewhere. It started with McClure.

4. Davin Joseph, Tampa Bay. The Bucs have been building the interior of their line for several seasons and it looks like they’ve got it right with Joseph and Faine.

5. Jammal Brown, New Orleans. Not as dominant as Gross, but he’s got the Pro Bowl on his resume and has kept Drew Brees standing.

6. Donald Penn, Tampa Bay. Fire away on this one. I know the rule of thumb is you get your left guard in the first round. Penn’s far from dominant, but so are a lot of tackles who were taken in the first round. He’s become a solid, reasonably-priced player at a key position.

7. Jeff Otah, Carolina. One single move allowed Fox to return to his ball-control system. That was drafting Otah, a natural mauler and placing him at right tackle.

8. Jahri Evans, New Orleans. This guy has started all 48 games in four years and almost never makes a mistake.

9. Sam Baker, Atlanta. His status as a left tackle taken in the first round is a little shaky because of injury problems last year. But, if Baker comes back healthy, he could be in the top five.

10. Travelle Wharton, Carolina. I’m giving Wharton a very slight nod of New Orleans guard Carl Nicks, who had a very nice rookie season. Another season like that and Nicks will move ahead. But I’m keeping Wharton right now for his versatility and heady play.

Go Falcons!!!

Nuff respect everytime!!!!

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Hey fanatics, i’ve been reading daily and counting the days to camp. You have redefined the term of “fan”! Allot of our fellow fanatics are in the military (jason) or have their own kids (seminolewarrior) in our military protecting our ass while we sleep comfy at home from harm. My weekly mmqf (peter king) has a nice say about our men/women in uniform that we all take for granted…sorry for length….

”
Tom Coughlin is one of three Super Bowl-winning coaches (Cowher, Gruden) who’ll visit the U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf.
David Bergman/SI
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Four weeks from Fourth of July weekend, I’m whistling a patriotic tune this morning, and alerting our men and women overseas that they’re about to have some interesting visitors. There’s more today — including my thoughts on Brett Favre (who is going to have his own network, Web site and galaxy before his career’s over). I’ve got Rodney Harrison as unplugged as he can get, the motivation of NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, the eye-rolling in New Orleans over Jeremy Shockey and an update on your favorite college southpaw, Austin Wood, the Texas reliever who threw 13 shutout innings last week.

We’ll start by waving the flag.

In 1966, the USO began a tradition of sending NFL players and commissioners to visit American troops around the world by dispatching future Hall of Famers John Unitas, Sam Huff, Frank Gifford and Willie Davis to Vietnam. That’s probably the starriest lineup ever for a USO trip. But this year’s roster is in the same headline-grabbing ballpark — and I predict the speeches will be a little more colorful, with more neck veins popping.

Later this month, three Super Bowl-winning coaches from this decade — Tom Coughlin (Giants), Bill Cowher (Steelers) and Jon Gruden (Bucs) — will join one AFC Championship coach, Tennessee’s Jeff Fisher and the AFC Championship runnerup last year, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, in traveling to the Persian Gulf to visit our troops.

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for years,” Coughlin told me, “and I can’t tell you how excited I am, and all the coaches are, to be making this trip. It’s a great chance for us to recognize the real heroes of this country. Our troops need to know how much we appreciate what they’re doing, and I mean every one of us in the NFL and every one of us in the country.”

Coughlin knows the trip will be as memorable for him as for anyone he visits. A military history buff, he is good friends with the current commanding general of the multi-national force in charge of the Iraq invasion, Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, a Giants fan. Coughlin also had a double-amputee Iraqi veteran, Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, speak to his team often during its Super Bowl run in 2008. In his coaching career, he has often incorporated military themes into his talks to his teams.

The Giants’ coach is not alone. You can bet all five coaches use war stories to motivate their men. For that reason, it’s going to be strange for them to be talking to military men about football players rather than the other way around.

“It’s going to be a challenge, figuring out what to say,” Coughlin said. “I’ve already started to write some things. But it’s important to me not to be off the cuff. This is too important for that. I want my words to mean something to them.

“One of the things I know I’ll talk about is how we talk about team all the time. I know they talk about team all the time. One of the things I’ve learned from Gen. Odierno is you realize how important it is to be able to trust the men and women next to you. You place your lives in their hands; they place their lives in your hands. And when Greg Gadson talked to our team, he talked about vigilance, about being ready. Always.

“That’s a fastball right down the middle for me. I’ve got to have everyone ready every day, because I don’t know when the next guy is going to be needed. In Greg’s case, he told us they worry about the soldier who didn’t fire his weapon in his last day on patrol. So maybe he figures he doesn’t need to clean it the next day to have it ready to fire, and when he needs it, maybe it doesn’t work properly. Just that one moment of not being ready could really cost the entire platoon. Same with us. You don’t want to be the man who is not prepared and lets down the entire team.”

You can bet Coughlin, at some base in Iraq or Afghanistan, will tell a room full of soldiers the story of David Tyree, the last receiver on the roster, who caught four passes in the first 18 games of the 2007 season, and then, because of injuries, stepped up to catch four in the Super Bowl upset of New England. Including the helmet catch, of course.

I hear the league didn’t have a difficult time persuading the time-challenged coaches (well, the retired ones have some time on their hands, of course) to clear their calendars for a week. Commissioner Roger Goodell went last July, and he’s been an outspoken advocate of not only what his trip did for the troops, but also what it did for him.

“Several things about the trip were very striking — how our service men and [women] never complain about anything, how much I admired them, and how much the NFL meant to them,” Goodell recalled last week. “You can never complain after seeing the conditions our troops work in. The positive attitude and pride they take in their mission and our country are inspiring. You go over there thinking you’re doing something for the troops, but you return recognizing it is one of the most meaningful things you have ever done for your own sake.”

Having gone to Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan to visit troops 15 months ago, I can tell you Goodell’s right. Doesn’t matter what you feel about the war itself. You’re dropped into a National Geographic special, into the most interesting place you’ve ever been, and you realize right away how much these people love everything about the NFL. My advice to the five coaches: Get ready to sign 750 autographs a day, minimum, and pose for 300 pictures a day, minimum. Get ready to fall into an exhausted sleep every night and never get more than five hours of it, because there will always be more people to see and bases to visit. In the Persian Gulf, you’ll be like the Beatles were in New York in 1964 … without the shrieking girls.

***

Thank you all for protecting us so we can discuss NFL!!!

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Professor Strickland, I just read your excellent post and that was an absolutely brilliant observation you make about the Lions. Sorry I jumped the gun on my last posting by posting my 53 man roster. I definitely would have held off and gone through the exercise you’ve recommended. It’s a great odea and will keep the Bird Cage active for quite a while. Should at least get us to page 4 anyway.

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Jimbo, I think you are selling Bierrman a little short. Sid is going to be a work in progress. He will be third team majority of the season. Could wreak havoc on ST, though. I will drop my roster in a little bit, and we can compare.

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My 2009 Roster and depth chart:

QB) Ryan OL)Blalock
Shockly Clabo
JPW Dahl
RB) Turner Baker
Norwood McClure
Brown Romberg
FB) Mughelli Reynolds
Snelling Ojinnaka
TE) Gonzalez Svitek
Harstock
Peele
WR) White
Jenkins
HD
Finn
Weems

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Weekly Opponent Analysis – Game #5

Atlanta Falcons vs Chicago Bears
Sunday Night Football – PrimeTime in the TerrorDome

This should be a fun one to examine, analyze, and breakdown this week since we had the comeback of the year against them and their absolute obnoxious fans. I actually don’t mind the Bears as a team, but hate their fans. They take the boat over any of our NFC South Enemies, IMO. That might sound crazy, but that acted like complete jack@sses in the Dome last year. Love taunting those chumps on the way out the door. I’m all for enthusiasm, support, and even a little smack during games but those guys were out of control. Same goes for Cubs fans @ Turner Field. They Suck!

State of the Franchise – 2009 Chicago Bears

Record: 9-7-0, Finished 2nd in NFC North Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 375 points (23.4/g), 14th of 32 in the NFL.
Allowed 350 points (21.9/g), 16th.
Differential of 25 points (1.6/g), 17th.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +5 (0.3/g), 8th.
Coached by Lovie Smith (9-7-0)

Last 5 Years
2004: 5-11
2005: 11-5
2006: 13-3
2007: 7-9
2008: 9-7

Key Additions: Jay Cutler, Orlando Pace, Kevin Jones
Key Losses: Kyle Orton, Mike Brown, Frank Omiyale, Marty Booker, Brandon Lloyd
Key Draftees: Jarron Gilbert, Jauquin Iglesias, DJ Moore, Marcus Freeman

Offense
Obviously the trade of the off-season included the Bears giving up the world to get Cutler. With what they gave up, their GM believes they can win now. Cutler is a stud(as we know from last year) and this looks to be one of the best match-ups of the year in the NFL. Adding Orlando Pace also adds to their toughness in the ground attack with stud RB Matt Forte. If their WRs can come up big such as rookie Iglesias, Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and Rashied Davis, than they have all the makings of being one of the best OFF’s in the NFC couple with Greg Olsen. Big IF

Defense
They’re still one of the better DEF’s in the NFL, but the mystique has worn off. The group that led them to the Super Bowl has aged mightily and become severely injury-prone. The luster has been worn off some as we showed last year. Still good, but not great.

And on that note…………

51 DAYS AND COUNTING TO 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!!!!!!

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Blog Monster was angry my friends………….

Weekly Opponent Analysis – Game #5

Atlanta Falcons vs Chicago Bears
Sunday Night Football – PrimeTime in the TerrorDome

This should be a fun one to examine, analyze, and breakdown this week since we had the comeback of the year against them and their absolute obnoxious fans. I actually don’t mind the Bears as a team, but hate their fans. They take the boat over any of our NFC South Enemies, IMO. That might sound crazy, but that acted like complete jack@sses in the Dome last year. Love taunting those chumps on the way out the door. I’m all for enthusiasm, support, and even a little smack during games but those guys were out of control. Same goes for Cubs fans @ Turner Field. They Suck!

State of the Franchise – 2009 Chicago Bears

Record: 9-7-0, Finished 2nd in NFC North Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 375 points (23.4/g), 14th of 32 in the NFL.
Allowed 350 points (21.9/g), 16th.
Differential of 25 points (1.6/g), 17th.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +5 (0.3/g), 8th.
Coached by Lovie Smith (9-7-0)

Last 5 Years
2004: 5-11
2005: 11-5
2006: 13-3
2007: 7-9
2008: 9-7

Key Additions: Jay Cutler, Orlando Pace, Kevin Jones
Key Losses: Kyle Orton, Mike Brown, Frank Omiyale, Marty Booker, Brandon Lloyd
Key Draftees: Jarron Gilbert, Jauquin Iglesias, DJ Moore, Marcus Freeman

Offense
Obviously the trade of the off-season included the Bears giving up the world to get Cutler. With what they gave up, their GM believes they can win now. Cutler is a stud(as we know from last year) and this looks to be one of the best match-ups of the year in the NFL. Adding Orlando Pace also adds to their toughness in the ground attack with stud RB Matt Forte. If their WRs can come up big such as rookie Iglesias, Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and Rashied Davis, than they have all the makings of being one of the best OFF’s in the NFC couple with Greg Olsen. Big IF

Defense
They’re still one of the better DEF’s in the NFL, but the mystique has worn off. The group that led them to the Super Bowl has aged mightily and become severely injury-prone. The luster has been worn off some as we showed last year. Still good, but not great.

And on that note…………

51 DAYS AND COUNTING TO 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!!!!!!

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D3, yeah I had a little down time finally, glad to be back in the cage though. I gotta agree with Jimbo, I can’t be like Sarah and take the laptop with me, although I did for my brief trip to Litchfield Beach, that was more of a quiet be by yourself type getaway though. Enough about the vacation, whats been going on in the cage, I see D-Led is taking a break also. I probably will not be on much tonight, but tomorrow I’m back in the cage hopefully until training camp, so let me know whats on tap and once again, glad to be back amongst the cage.

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The Bears downfall during their “hayDay” was not having at least a mediocre Offense to go with that Deadly defense.

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Stirg d’Nahsif, A.P.B. NICE !!!

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jason, They’ll need a lot more than Georgia boys to save this city. Stafford, Johnson and myself (can’t sell my “self” short) will need the support to maximize our talents. Stafford will definitely need an effective RB and strong run support (they don’t have). Johnson will definitely need a TE (they got Pettigrew), RB and a second WR to draw double teams away from him. I will definitely need another Red Scripe… Be right back, fellows. Take ten.

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Hi guys, again nice posts. For those of you wondering… I am the CEO, CFO and Chairman of the Board in my household. Flying back in from Vegas tomorrow night and will resume regular posts at some time Wednesday. Nice Vaca BTW. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.

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Also, I 3rd the motion for A.P.B.

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Strig,

I paid a visit to Chicago’s Sun-Times & Tribune this morning and read up on what the general tone was. They seem to feel they have only one reciever and their backfield would not be too strong because of injuries. It was just my feeling and you know what that gets me into.

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Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

Time for the linebackers in our series of NFC South position rankings. I’ve lumped the outside linebackers in with the middle linebackers.

Four of the top five are middle linebackers with Carolina’s Thomas Davis as the lone outside linebacker in the top five.

Jon Beason, Carolina. The best defensive player in the division.
Jonathan Vilma, New Orleans. Had a solid season last year, but should be much better with an improved defense around him.
Barrett Ruud, Tampa Bay. The only proven building block as the Bucs overhaul their once-great defense.
Thomas Davis, Carolina. Has emerged as a playmaker after a rocky start to his career.
Curtis Lofton, Atlanta. Stood out in the middle as a rookie and will be counted on as an every-down player this year.
Stephen Nicholas, Atlanta. I see this guy as one of the division’s breakout players this season.
Scott Fujita, New Orleans. Nothing fancy about him, but he does what the Saints ask.
Mike Peterson, Atlanta. Getting up there in age, but has something to prove after last year’s clash with Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville.
Angelo Crowell, Tampa Bay. Bucs went after this guy hard in free agency, so he must be in the plans.
Na’il Diggs, Carolina. Doesn’t stand out in any area, except he rarely makes mistakes and that’s why the Panthers keep bringing him back.

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Ken, go ahead and call an A.P.B. on opposing QBs. Its going to be that ugly. I already know that its going to be next to impossible for opposing defenses to hold our high-powered offense; now, I’m beginning to believe that opposing offenses won’t be able to contain our defense.

I can see it now: Chicago is at the twenty, with 3rd & long and they need a touchdown to tie the game (an extra point will win it). Its an obvious pass with four wideouts and our pass rushing unit is sent in to rush the QB. Then, the chants begin…71,228 fans start calling an A.P.B. (Abraham/Anderson, Peria and Babs). Its an uproar; the offense can’t even hear in the huddle. They trot to the line, confused. They set. They snap. Cutler drops back, with two and a half seconds, max, to get rid of the ball. Suddenly, a defenseman appears in the backfield and the QB is sacked. Its Jamaal Anderson, with his fourth sack of the game.

lol. Wishful thinking?

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Consider what Chicago’s DEF has to contend with when they play the Falcons. Last season the Falcons had the #14 passing OFF, the #2 rushing OFF and the #6 OFF overall. Adding TE TGonzalez can make our passing OFF as dynamic as the Saints or the Colts, our rushing OFF much more effective than it was last yr, and our overall OFF almost unstoppable. The only way to stop our passing attack is to get to QB MRyan fast, and their front 4 isn’t going to be any better than last yrs.

When we played them in gm 6 last yr, it was before our bye week, which means our OFF was still very limited and almost totally run dependent. What does that mean? It means their vaunted DEF couldn’t contain a young inexperienced one dimensional OFF that was very run dependent, or stop it from scoring 22pts.

Does anyone think it will be easier for their DEF to stop an improved version of that same basic OFF, but with more experience, chemistry, the addition of the NFL’s best TE and a vastly expanded passing attack? The Bears have had dynamic OFF players, like WPayton, GSayers and WGalimore, but they’ve never had a dynamic OFF, especially passing OFF, no matter who their QB has been. The only way QB JCutler will change that is if he changes the organizations philosophy and they competely redesign their OFF. I don’t see that happening because the Bears organization is simply too steeped in tradition, and that tradition has always featured a conservative OFF and an agressive DEF, which has been their formula for success thoughout their existence.

Consider this. Of the Bears top 4 reception leaders, 2 were TE’s, one was a RB and only one, DHester, was a WR. That means their were a lot of short or checkoff passes. TE’s and RB’s don’t put a lot of pressure on CB’s, and none of their TE’s are threats to do much after the catch. No matter how accurate or strong armed QB JCutler is, he can’t make his TE’s run any faster, or his OL provide better protection. OT OPace will help, but signing an over the hill OT to be a starter only underscores how desperate they are to protect their QB. Remember, there’s a reason the pass happy Rams released him.

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ATL-42 / CHI-21

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Ken Strickland wrote: “Consider this. Of the Bears top 4 reception leaders, 2 were TE’s, one was a RB and only one, DHester, was a WR. That means their were a lot of short or checkoff passes.”

Really makes you wonder, with those kind of stats, why the Bears wouldn’t give Mike Hass a shot at WR. What would have been the downside? Hester is fast but can’t run routes and can’t catch, two attributes which are fairly important at the WR position. LOL at THE BEARS.

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A few weeks ago, we did the summary on the Miami/Atlanta game. I completed my summary by suggesting that Atlanta and Miami will meet again in the Super Bowl. I found an interesting article by Sporting News writer, Albert Breer. He questioned, “Dolphins, Ravens and Falcons: Can these successful ‘08 teams win again in ‘09?”:

Miami Dolphins

Reasons to believe: Miami aggressively addressed its primary issue—pass defense—by adding defensive backs Gibril Wilson, Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, and rushers Jason Taylor and Cameron Wake. Patrick Turner and Pat White, the club believes, are playmakers Miami needed offensively. And then there’s the grounded approach that Tony Sparano has instilled.

“The team is focused, the ‘year before’ won’t be a problem for us,” Ferguson said. “The hard part is we have to worry about everyone staying healthy. … As a vet, we really didn’t do anything last year anyway. We won the division. Big deal.”

Reasons to doubt: The Dolphins were 7-2 in games decided by less than a touchdown and had the league’s 27th-ranked schedule in 2008. They have the NFL’s toughest slate, by last season’s record at least, in ‘09.

And remember, the emergence of the option-based Wildcat package was a result of Miami not being explosive or consistent enough offensively, so questions remain—and likely will be answered in development of young players—on that side of the ball.

Atlanta Falcons

Reasons to believe: The addition of tight end Tony Gonzalez and maturation of young studs Matt Ryan, Sam Baker, Michael Turner and Roddy White means Atlanta should present as many problems to defenses as any offense in the NFL. And with GM Thomas Dimitroff’s philosophy of drafting leadership types, young’ins Ryan, Baker and Curtis Lofton are setting the tone.

“You can see, this is where those guys want to be—they’re excited, and there all so young,” Gonzalez said. “The sky’s the limit here. It’s a completely new enthusiasm.”

Reasons to doubt: Five pretty significant defensive contributors departed, and young players like Peria Jerry, William Moore, Chris Owens and Chevis Jackson will be counted on.

“There will be growing pains, like we had last year on offense,” Dimitroff said. “But I have the utmost confidence in our defensive staff, with Mike Smith and Brian Van Gorder.”

There’s also this: After playing the NFC North and AFC West last year, Atlanta draws the two East divisions.

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Fox Sports did a top 99 players list. Only one Falcon made it on defense:
92. John Abraham, DE, Atlanta Falcons: Abraham’s one of the more under-appreciated players of his generation. A beast originally at defensive end for the Jets, now with the Falcons, he’s the top defensive player for Mike Smith’s gangbusters Atlanta D. At 31, he recorded a career-high 16.5 sacks in 2008.

On offense the Falcons fared better:
56. Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons: With Matt Ryan at the helm and Michael Turner in the backfield, White had a monster season in ‘08. Considered a “bust” during his first few years in the league, the former first-round pick has successfully shed the label with two big seasons in a row.
47. Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta Falcons: At age 33, Gonzalez had one of his best years as a pro in ‘08, despite playing on a dismal team with a handful of unknowns rotating at quarterback. Now he goes to Atlanta, a team with a top quarterback, top running back, top wideout and serviceable offensive line. Forget the miles on his pedometer — Gonzalez could be in for his best year yet.
43. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons: Sophomore slump? Don’t expect one with this guy. Ryan has the city of Atlanta in the palm of his hand, and now Tony Gonzalez as the ultimate safety valve. High expectations for Matty Ice in ‘09. He should exceed them.
38. Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Turner “the Burner” burst on to the scene in ‘08, breaking out of former Chargers teammate LaDainian Tomlinson’s shadow and producing the better season of the two players. Turner’s the workhorse Atlanta hoped he’d be when they gave him his big contract in the offseason of 2008

Manning is #1; Brady #2 & Big Ben is #3

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http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/6/9/903295/the-atlanta-falcon-defensive-line?ref=CBS

Another.

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Abraham deserves more than what he is getting but you don’t see him crying over it. He is man enough to stand to his agreement and then work on reaching an agreement for the amount that he deserves in the next contract. That is the Professional way of doing things!

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Truly it is very interesting for me to read this post. Thank you for it. I like such themes and everything that is connected to them. I would like to read a bit more soon.

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