Ryan rated as NFL’s top under-30 franchise player

Good article D. I don’t think the fighting is a big deal. Like you said, if they were swinging their helmets then I’d be worried. Jamaal will have a break out year and we will all be putting this bust talk behind us.
can’t wait till the season begins. Go Falcons!!!

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D-Led,

Welcome back. Glad to hear you had an enjoyable vacation. You had one coming. SonicJim, I agree with you one both your points. Anderson knows full well what he is up against this year. I would really like to see Sugar Bear get him coached-up.
What these young players give back to the community is to be lauded. Atlanta is blessed to have such high quality young men.

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Hold on to your seats FALCON FANS, this team will begin it’s takeoff to winnersville come sept!

Man great to be a Falcon fan! Come on VS2, Lynne, and you other single player fans, start your defense of YKW!!!

Please all Falcon fans refer to MV7 as YKW to tick’em off!

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Jamaal Anderson is going to make a lot of us look real “ignant”, come January. He may even become this seasons total-sack leader on the team. With offenses more concerned with Abraham’s side of line, it’ll open the door for Anderson. I’m not an OC; but if I’m defending a pass rush, I’d double Abraham and Babineaux. It appears that Hip-Hip Peria may attract double teams, as well. That’s six players to block the pass rush of A.P.B. Now, who’s going to block Anderson? A running back, a full back or a second tight end? I think not; bring it.

A.P.B., A.P.B., A.P.B.!!!

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[...] See the original post here: Ryan rated as NFL's top under-30 franchise player | Atlanta … [...]

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lot of meat in this column d., not worried about anderson anymore, because we have insurance with that richmond spider man playing DE for the falcons now. i hope anderson does reach his potential and sid can be groomed to take over for mr double nickel in a couple of years.(experience, add a little wt.) and we all know he will get playing time on 3rd and long and filling in when abe is hurt. competition breeds a better team and with our 1st and 4th rounders this yr on the d-line, and the return of lewis, we now have about 8 nasty and atheletic men competing for 4 spots and playing time. our secondary gets remarkably better this yr with an onslaught of pass rushers that have more than one name, (abe) with our offense, we just need the def to move up to very good this yr and maybe elite with 1 more draft and the sky is the limit. go falcons

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With the speed, quickness, mobility and athleticism of our current DT’s, we’ll be able to run some serious stunts, which will definitely help our pass rush, as well as DE JAnderson. Imagine the difficulty OL’s will have trying to contain a pass rush from a DL featuring DT’s PJerry and JBabineaux and DE’s JAbraham and either JAnderson, CDavis, KBiermann or LSidbury.

I’m almost certain our coaches are well aware of the tremendous DEF talent they have at their disposal, and they’ll do everything they can to coach it up. Considering how well they did last yr, considering the liabilities they had at SS, LDT, LDE and OLB, we have an awful lot to look forward too. We’ve upgraded every position of weakness, and our much improved pass rush will neutralize the loss of CB DFoxworth.

There are no weaknesses or question marks associated with this yrs OFF. A yr of experience and the addition of TE TGonzalez took care of that. The only real question marks will be with our DEF, and they will be:

(1)How long will it take for our DEF to establish the necessary chemistry and jell?

(2)Rather than wondering if certain players will step up, we only have to be concerned with which player(s) will step up. We are simply too deep and talented at every key DEF position not to expect at least one of the competing players at each position to excel.

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Sorry guys, I have been away. Been doing the MEPS thing for the Army. Unfortunately, I will not be leaving SanAntone until Christmas. It will take by march before I am permanently back home in Georgia.

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Superman will have to rise up tonight!

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The trend continues…. one good year and then a sudden fall. The falcons can’t put too back to back good years together….. I predict the Falcons will come back to earth. They are much better in an underdog role than as a team on the rise. As good as Ryan is he will look more normal this year with teams preparing for him. 4-12 or 5-11 this year.

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Bye Bye “Give Me A Break” exit stage left.

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Dean 21, I say Abe should play 1 series in each of the 4 games to stay mentally sharp. He is a veteran player so physicality in limited practice should be enough. Let the young guys like Biermann and Sid get all the reps and then some. I did not realize that Biermann was in the running for LDE with Anderson and Davis. MMMMM…. This is definitely Anderson’s make or break year.

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UNTIL YOUR TEAM IS LED TO “ACTUAL” PLAYOFF WINS…………

BUST

BUST

BUST

BUST

GO FALCONS!

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Jason, I agree. I’m all about allowing Abe to get the rust off, but that’s it. I’m confident this coaching staff will do the right thing because they actually protected him last year and got major production out of him during the process.

Sarah B – Not a problem, I will put some things together this weekend and map out a plan so we can get started. The first thing to order is choosing a good day. I agree with this exit information given to “Give me a Break” It should be Do not Enter! All about what he said was in the past…again, this aint yo daddy’s Falcons!

I think JAnderson will either hold his on and improve or simply be replaced and traded elsewhere. I would say by game #6, we should know if this season will be a huge success or failure for him.

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Re-Post: correction.
Ken Strickland, good post and always I agree about our speed and quickness on the D line. We will give most offense coordinators fits if we perform like we should. My concern is how much Abe should play during pre-season, hopefully we will get some play time for Sid and Kroy this preseason.

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”Dean21

June 11th, 2009
10:42 pm
Does anyone in the cage think we should go out and sign a veteran cornerback & safety before training camp or should we just line up and go with our current cornerbacks/safties ”
Line and go with what we have on defence.
If there is a fly in the ointment?
It`s quality, proven depth on the O-line.
Unfortunately, chances of finding a guy that would be of much use (in that department) walking around on the streets are not too good.
That`s my main concern.
So goes the O-line, so goes your offence.

BT

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JASON-that’s the standard DT/DE stunt. A much better stunt would be for the DT to act like an OLineman and engage the OG’s inside shoulder and push him outside. You then loop the DE in behind the DT. At the same time, you blitz the OLB over the area vacated by the DE. If the OT slides inside to pickup the looping DE, the OLB has a clear path to the QB. If the OT holds his position and picks up the blitzing OLB, the looping DE either sacks the QB or forces him out of the pocket. This can be done simultaneously by both DT’s and DE’s. Another stunt would have DE JAnderson use his size by turning parallel to the line of scrimmage and just crash down the line. The DT would then loop to the outside. That was a tactic teams used against us when we had that small OL and used the cutblocking scheme under JMora.

Unlike last yr, the coaching staff won’t have to spend large portions of this yrs training camp learning the new OFF/DEF systems, and then teaching it, along with new terminology, to the entire team. Last yrs rookies didn’t have the advantages this crop of rookies will have. Last yr, vets and rookies were all in the same boat as far as not knowing what to do or what’s to be expected in concerned. Therefore, they didn’t get the benefit of having veterans show them the ropes. That won’t be the case this yr.

This training camp will be spent incorporating new players into an established system, rather than having new coaches trying to incorporate new players into a new system, like last yr.

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JA needs to make his mark this year..if not, Kroy may have to step in. You can smell the swagger in the air with these Birds. Love to hear about the fighting in OTAs..it’s going to make this team bond stronger over the summer and into fall.

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Matt “Red” Ryan has a tremendous upside. I did get a little concerned about the number of interceptions toward the end of last season, but, heck, he was a rookie. He should only get better.

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How can 2 players make a “wedge” shape? Won’t we have to call it something else, like a “brick” formation?

Also, I have to agree about the Tampa Bay cheerleaders. They are quite a group. Long hair must be a prerequisite.

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Great Friday Top O’ the Morn’ Bird-Cage Brethren! Hope everybody is getting ready for an excellent weekend. Gotta love the summer of laid back times and vaca’s; also a good time for many of us to unplug from Falcons and Football, but not for many of us junkies. To our ‘Birds………

Vick Release – just got a text from AJC Sports that we released MV. Best of luck to him in his future endeavors and his shot at redemption. ‘Nuff said.

Character – it truly is great to see the importance of commitment and service to community given by our Falcon players, established by Arthur Blank. They don’t HAVE to do what they do or reach a bare minimum, but they go out and try to make the lives better of citizens in the community. I’ve always appreciated Blank saying he wanted to produce a team that “Atlantans would be proud of”, understanding the important role sports teams can play in cities and communities.

South GA Boy – great post brother. You hit the nail on the head about our depth possibilities and competition all around the football team. With Abe, JA, CDavis, TLewis, PJerry, Babs, VWalker, Biermann, El Sid & possibly Thomas Johnson; we’re looking to have one of the best D-Lines in the ATL since I can remember. Our DTs have always been a point of weakness, and it looks like we finally have the depth and talent we need. JA better have the light switch on, because even though the coaching staff may give JA more opportunities to win the RDE job, CDavis has proved it on the field way more and it looks to be a serious battle.

Jimbo – right on about slow going. Its a good time to recharge for the upcoming Blitzkrieg of Football we’re ready to embark on, because when Training Camp starts on August 1st there’s no turning back. I used to be of the mindset of not being able to control my self waiting for the season, but with the help of my Bird-Cage hobby I’m enjoying the build-up to it just as much, as it will lead to a crescendo of excitement come Sept. 13th. It is the magical “year #3″ for DEs. Stirg did some great research a while back that the 3rd year is a switch on/off year for NFL players, particularly DEs. The nice thing is that he really doesn’t have any choice with CDavis breathing down his neck.

Ken Strick – even though I totally agree with you, I just want to play a little devil’s advocate with your OFF statement. It may be me being superstitous, but I hate to speak in absolutes about our OFF having no weaknesses. On paper it doesn’t, but as much as I think its BS, there is a possibility of Matty Ice having some issues in his sophomore campaign.

j-man – where you been bro’? Are you definitely coming back to the Ol’ GA at some point? If so, we’ll have to share some Shiner Bocks and Bobby Flay grillin’.

More to come after I attend to my Lil’ WR, who is waking up fussy.

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Anyone else notice there were no close-ups of white girls in that slide show? And there were plenty of them there. Hmmm…..

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Amazing how infants are infatuated with mirros, so I’ll try to get a few more points in…….

Dean21 – great to have you back my man! Those honey-do lists will get you in the quicksand really fast. Our schedule has been kind of jumbles with everyone taking breaks here and there. We’re on Chicago Game still and Falcons OFF vs Bears DEF coming today. I had an idea that Coach Ken stimulated on our Roster Spot Analysis, more to come on that in a bit. You’re exactly right. I’m hoping we’re finally getting to a point where no teams can come in and be even as close to as vocal as our Falcons Fans. Cowboys, Bears, and Steelers fans have been able to come in be really vocal. Hopefully winning will take care of that. ATL is such a transplant city that its a little expected and those transplants will pay whatever it takes to go to the game.

Sarah B. – great to see you had a relaxing trip. Any craziness or sum winnings to speak of? I know a lot of pool and brews were involved. You’re exactly right with Big Ben in FF. The guy is terrible in Fantasy, what’s he average like 7 points or something? I had Tyler Thigpen for godsake who averaged like 18 points a game and finally won it all last year. Any interest in starting a Bird-Cage Fantasy Football League? Could be fun. I am the GM for my other two leagues and would definitely set it up. Let me know.

Marcus – good point on Raiderettes and the Chargers cheerleaders as well. I don’t think we’re the worst, but we certainly not in the upper echelon of hotness. Obviously its relative as these cheerleaders are on another level in the real world, but not in the NFL. Its definitely put up or shut down time for JA this year. No excuses for him.

j-man(2) – Looking for big things out of Biermann this year as well. He had a helluva rookie year as a backup even though it didn’t show up on the stat sheet.

BT – excellent point on JA. I’m right with you on CDavis. I think he’s got a great shot at winning the job. He did have 4 sacks in backup duty for chrissake. JA better get it going because CDavis was signed with the intent to be able to compete for the starting spot and besides a few players (Coleman, Abe, Lofton, etc.) not many positions are truly safe on DEF.

Ed – where you been bro’? Agreed. Competition is the key theme this year and it will make the team as a whole SO much better. When you have a fierce battle for the #5 WR spot or the #5 DT spot for instance, than things are seriously looking up. I can’t wait to go up to training camp and see some of these battles first hand.

MiltonDawg – there definitely is a serious confidence building with this team we haven’t seen in a while. Not the Lil’ Jimmy Mora/DHall/MV arrogance, but a quiet and deep confidence that we can win ANY game.

Robert – great to have you in the Bird-Cage. It definitely is a good place for many of us Falcons and Football junkies to come and talk intelligent football.

JWW – glad to have some backing opinion on the Bucs cheerleaders. I was just bored and looking on NFL.com at cheerleaders pics and the Tampa Bay Bucs cheerleaders are on another level.

Please compare our Cheerleaders to Tampa Bay’s if you desire:

Us
http://www.alumnicheerleaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/2008-afc.jpg

Them
http://www.buccaneers.com/cheerleaders/teamphoto.aspx

Tell me if I’m wrong on this one………

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Ryan better than Big Ben…REALLY?

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Jimbo: Dean21,
I think we let things play out, evalaute what we already have in camp and then make adjustments as needed re: the S/CB situation. We have plenty of competition in camp and the quality of the competitors is not really a question mark for me. TD will be watching to see what breaking in the other training camps and he will make a move if he sees the right fit come along. Why do you ask the question? Is it because you have concerns about the quality of the S/CB in camp or do you just want to see some additional veteran leadership in camp

Jimbo-I agree that it is a lot of players competing for only a few spots, but you can never miss a veteran’s play that has something left. I’m not sure what free agents are worthy at this time, (Unca’ Bob, where are you) but we are still very young at the cornerback position which concerns me more than the safety position. I trust the coaching staff to make the right moves when and if needed. The beginning of camp will determine what we do; I just wanted to put the idea about possibly having a veteran DB in the mix as well. I would say the earlier the better for them to learn a new system. It seems we traded for Foxworth last year to get more experience. Well, that experience is now in Baltimore.

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What’s up fellas? Waiting for a wedding here in Greenesboro. I had a GD
post eaten earlier. WTF? As far as JA goes, I understand both sides. He was
drafted 8th overall and should have done more, but the 3rd year is a “magical”
year for many players so its do or die time. He may not even start.

Toast the friday brews boys (& gals). More later……..

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D3, wassup man? I see you have your hands full again with the blog eatin monster! Man, pull out the 45 or the glock and handle him…okay, wait, better not do that..then you will not be able to post at all on your computer…lol What’s on tap going into next week?

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Jimbo,
I’m one to believe the playoffs would have been a real challenge without that foxworth move. Although I totally agree that the $$$ he signed was no match for us. This is rather late in the game to be signing starters for your team, so I was looking for more of a serious leadership platoon veteran to assist with tutoring the young guns. But you just reminded me that Von H. could surely play that role if needed.

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A post that was eaten earlier……….

Amazing how infants are infatuated with mirros, so I’ll try to get a few more points in…….

Dean21 – great to have you back my man! Those honey-do lists will get you in the quicksand really fast. Our schedule has been kind of jumbles with everyone taking breaks here and there. We’re on Chicago Game still and Falcons OFF vs Bears DEF coming today. I had an idea that Coach Ken stimulated on our Roster Spot Analysis, more to come on that in a bit. You’re exactly right. I’m hoping we’re finally getting to a point where no teams can come in and be even as close to as vocal as our Falcons Fans. Cowboys, Bears, and Steelers fans have been able to come in be really vocal. Hopefully winning will take care of that. ATL is such a transplant city that its a little expected and those transplants will pay whatever it takes to go to the game.

Sarah B. – great to see you had a relaxing trip. Any craziness or sum winnings to speak of? I know a lot of pool and brews were involved. You’re exactly right with Big Ben in FF. The guy is terrible in Fantasy, what’s he average like 7 points or something? I had Tyler Thigpen for godsake who averaged like 18 points a game and finally won it all last year. Any interest in starting a Bird-Cage Fantasy Football League? Could be fun. I am the GM for my other two leagues and would definitely set it up. Let me know.

Marcus – good point on Raiderettes and the Chargers cheerleaders as well. I don’t think we’re the worst, but we certainly not in the upper echelon of hotness. Obviously its relative as these cheerleaders are on another level in the real world, but not in the NFL. Its definitely put up or shut down time for JA this year. No excuses for him.

j-man(2) – Looking for big things out of Biermann this year as well. He had a helluva rookie year as a backup even though it didn’t show up on the stat sheet.

BT – excellent point on JA. I’m right with you on CDavis. I think he’s got a great shot at winning the job. He did have 4 sacks in backup duty for chrissake. JA better get it going because CDavis was signed with the intent to be able to compete for the starting spot and besides a few players (Coleman, Abe, Lofton, etc.) not many positions are truly safe on DEF.

Ed – where you been bro’? Agreed. Competition is the key theme this year and it will make the team as a whole SO much better. When you have a fierce battle for the #5 WR spot or the #5 DT spot for instance, than things are seriously looking up. I can’t wait to go up to training camp and see some of these battles first hand.

MiltonDawg – there definitely is a serious confidence building with this team we haven’t seen in a while. Not the Lil’ Jimmy Mora/DHall/MV arrogance, but a quiet and deep confidence that we can win ANY game.

Robert – great to have you in the Bird-Cage. It definitely is a good place for many of us Falcons and Football junkies to come and talk intelligent football.

JWW – glad to have some backing opinion on the Bucs cheerleaders. I was just bored and looking on NFL.com at cheerleaders pics and the Tampa Bay Bucs cheerleaders are on another level.

Please compare our Cheerleaders to Tampa Bay’s if you desire:

Us
http://www.alumnicheerleaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/2008-afc.jpg

Them
http://www.buccaneers.com/cheerleaders/teamphoto.aspx

Tell me if I’m wrong on this one………

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Anderson barely benched 25 reps at his combine. Unless he has bulked up and gotten a lot stronger, he won’t be getting many sacks. He’ll continue to get pushed around.

Dream on Stirg d’Nahsif.

PS 42 yr and waiting For back to back winning seasons.

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42 yrs and Waiting,

No loitering.

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Great Saturday A.M. Fellow ‘Cage Gents and Gals! Hope everyone is getting ready for a nice, long weekend of summer enjoyment: pool, good food, great times, or just some good old fashioned relaxing down time. To ‘Birds and ‘Ball…………….

Ernest – great point on JA. Even though he hasn’t had the sack numbers, he has been extremely productive against the run. I think DE’s assessments do get too caught up in sack numbers. Granted he has to improve his sacks to at least 6, IMHO, but we want an all-around DE who can do it all instead of a pass-rushing specialist who only goes in on 3rd down situations. Good point.

E.Tampa – as hardcore of a Falcons Fan as I am, I will concede that Big Ben already has two Super Bowl Rings and Matty Ice has none at this point. We could argue all day about how Ben has the best DEF in the league and has to simply “manage” the game, but the fact is he wins and should be ranked higher than Matty Ice. I guess Ryan may have got the nod because he’s so much younger I suppose.

Long Time Falcon – you’re right on about production from our right side of the D-Line. Regardless of who it is, JA or CDavis, we have to get more production from that side. Abe will be drawing so much attention that it shouldn’t be that hard. CDavis had 4 sacks off the bench, so I’m still entertaining the possibility that he might grab the starters spot. It surely won’t be given to JA simply b/c he was drafted #8 overall by a former regime.

Dean21 – what’s up my friend? Lets get into the “To sign or not to sign” a veteran CB/S. I can see both points. It looks like TD, Smitty, & Co. are going the youth-process route. I think if they believed we were one vet player away from the Big Dance than we would snag someone in the mold of Harrison. But TD wants to see what hes got on the stable that HE drafted. He’s expecting big things out of Thomas DeCoud and William Moore (remember that his specialty is drafting the safety position). We should definitely prepare ourselves for some early lumps with our new look Secondary, but thats where coaching comes in. Smitty and BVG did an absolutely masterful job with smoke and mirrors DEF last year. And for whatever reason, Foxworth was deemed to be a throw-away pick by the Broncos for a 7th rounder, he has one solid year, and gets way over-paid. He was solid, but not dominant in the mold of $8 million a year dominant.

I.MUS – where you been bro’? Must be taking an “International Mystery” vacation from the Bird-Cage.

Unca’ Bob – gotta love that “No Loitering” sign you posted up in the Bird-Cage. Now if we could only get a visible graphic we’d be set.

More later………..

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From AtlantaFalcons.com about Curtis Lofton, our core building block on DEF. For those of you concerned about William Moore, who TD drafted in the second round, remember who we drafted last year in the second round……MLB Curtis Lofton:

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Helmet in hand, linebacker Curtis Lofton walks off the practice field after a recent OTA practice in a focused conversation with 11-year veteran Mike Peterson.

The two are separated by 10 years and countless snaps, but they have one thing in common: An expectation of leadership.

Peterson was signed in the offseason to fill a spot at outside linebacker. Lofton started at middle linebacker as a rookie and, entering his second year, wants to become everything associated with his position.

Fiery leader.

Defensive signal-caller.

Mentor to rookies.

“As far as a player I’m more confident in all my checks; I’m lining other guys up. I know everyone’s responsibility,” he said.

Lofton led all Falcons rookies with 108 tackles (67 solo) and ranked second in the league in stops among first-year players. He led the team in tackles against the Bears (11) and, two weeks later, sacked Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and forced a fumble.

He played primarily on first and second down in 2008 but, with the free agency departure of linebacker Keith Brooking, Lofton will be called upon to play more on passing downs in 2009.

“Curtis had an outstanding rookie season,” defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder said. “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 agrees with his coach, saying he’s more at ease on the field. That also goes for the rest of the defense, which will have five new starters from a season ago and dramatically decrease its average age per player.

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

“I practiced (sub packages) a lot last year,” Lofton said. “I never got to play it in a game, but I did practice it. I wouldn’t say that’s hard for me right now, I’m just using better technique and right now I’m trying to be more of a vocal leader and step up for the defense.”

The former Oklahoma star and second-round draft pick cautions fans about criticizing his group.

“The offense gets a lot of publicity and notoriety and they deserve that but don’t overlook this defense,” Lofton said. “We have a lot of young guys that started for us last year and really didn’t know what they were doing. This year we’re into the system and we know what we’re doing. I think we’re going to shock some people on defense with how good we are.”

While the entire defense looks to players like Peterson, defensive end John Abraham and safety Erik Coleman for veteran leadership, Lofton considers himself to be a teacher of younger players. It’s been just more than a year since he entered the NFL, but he and other Falcons rookies from 2008 have a wealth of experience — including overcoming a lack of expectations and leading the Falcons to the playoffs.

Lofton was one of five rookies that started or played key roles on the team last season.

“At Falcons University all of the rookies said we’re going to improve this team and do what we need to do to get to the playoffs,” he said. “(2008) wasn’t a shock to us. We’re just trying to build off last year.”

Building, of course, takes patience, dedication and a willingness to learn and pass along knowledge.

Lofton’s post-practice conversations with Peterson aren’t out of the ordinary. They talk about offensive sets and how to defend against certain plays.

The first steps of leadership.

But this is something Lofton will develop on his own.

“Mike P. has been in the league for 10 years,” the middle linebacker said. “He’s pulled me to the side, but you can’t really teach anyone how to be a leader. It’s just something that you earn when you get the respect from your other teammates.”

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http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=221025

Matt Ryan

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Thanks Unca’Bob, that was some good reading.

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I think Matt Ryan is going to prove even more this year that he deserves the credit he’s getting.

Nobody’s assessment of him stood out to me more than that of Steve Young. That guy never hands out accolades for free, and he practically gushed about Ryan. I’m looking forward to an even better year for him, especially with Tony Gonzalez around.

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For those of you that think Ben Roethlisberger should have been selected the best franchise player under 30, consider this. He came to a atable Steeler organization with an established management, coaching staff, HOF headcoach and an OFF/DEF system and philosophy already in place. He did an excellent job of managing the team his first yr and led them to a 15-1 regular season record.

His 2nd yr as starter, they went 11-5 and won the SB. After winning the Superbowl, FB Jerome “THE BUS” Bettis retired, and the team won only 8 gms the following yr with Big Ben as the QB. His 3rd season they won 10 gms and lost in the 1st rd of the playoffs. Last yr, they went 12-4 and won the Superbowl.

MRyan came to a totally disfunctional Falcons team that had embarrassed itself both on and off the field. It had new management, a new first time headcoach, new coaching staff and a new OFF/DEF system and philosophy. Ben Ben had veteran leadership to help ease him into their established system. There were no established veteran leaders on the Falcons to help ease MRyan into the Falcons newly established system because everything was new to everybody, including the veterans.

As a rookie, QB MRyan carried the Falcons, while as a rookie, the Steelers carried Big Ben. Is there anyone out there that thinks MRyan couldn’t have done as well, if not better, at leading that Steeler team? Is there anyone out there that thinks Big Ben could have done as well or better at leading the Falcons last yr as a rookie? He has a stronger arm that MRyan, but he’s not as accurate, doesn’t have his quick release and is just now showing the presence, maturity and leadership that Ryan showed as a rookie.

NATIVEBIRD-2rys ago, there were people making the same negative assumptions and offering some of the same solutions about WR RWhite that you’re making about DE JAnderson. If our coaching staff had been as impatient and unfocused as you’re being, we would have missed out on 2 outstanding Probowl seasons. The same thing can be said, and was said, about former Falcons Probowl DE Patrick Kerney.

With the drastic upgrade in the speed, quickness, mobility, athleticism and pass rushing ability of our DT’s, don’t be surprised if JAnderson remains the starter, despite his lack of sacks. We now have edge speed rushers like DE’s CDavis, KBiermann and LSidbury that can be used in passing situations. After all, not being able to stop the run was our biggest DEF problem last yr. That’s way we started SS LMalloy, despite his liability as a pass defender, and eventually replaced OLB MBoley with OLB CWire. Our biggest pass rushing problem was the 6.5 total sacks registered by our DT’s. That will definitely change this yr.

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With another training camp behind this offense, we’re gonna see double the crispness of last year. It’s gonna be a well-oiled machine with Gonzales providing the oil.

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Unca’ Bob, I think he means Dan S. The Redskins owner. That’s the best I can figure.

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You too Ken… and the Kerney mention made me sad all over again

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I crap out more football knowledge when I can’t control my bowl movement than you ever had! Go write about cooking!

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Joe Pa’,

I have a great chili recipe if you want it. When you serve it up make sure your bowl does’t move.

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So, you’re the DC for the Dolphins, how are you game planning for the Falcons offense?

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http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/6/12/906936/matt-ryan-declared-best-young?ref=CBS

Pretty good read tho not new. The blog has a lot of knowegeable thoughts.

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Great Sunday A.M. Bird-Cage Gents and Ladies! Another weekend drawing to an end, but it never seems to be as bad during the summer months as we time seems to slow down a little and is more laid back. Looks like we’re getting ready to hit the official “dead-zone” as our Falconi’s approach the last OTA session before taking a month and a half break until Training Camp. Well, we got some good things in store for us Falcons junkies out there. To our Falcons……..

Bird-Cage Supplemental Schedule – definitely gonna finish up our Falcons vs Bears Game #5 analysis over Sat and Sun. Per an idea from Ken, see what you guys think about changing the Roster Analysis up a little:

Each week leading up to Training Camp(roughly 6 weeks or so) choose a remaining position category and analyze it throughout the week, taking apart a couple different players per day including ALL players listed on the current 100 man training camp roster, such as:

June 15 – June 21: Offensive Line
June 22 – June 28: Wide Receivers
June 29 – July 5: Defensive Tackles
July 6 – July 12: Defensive Ends
July 13 – July 19: Linebackers
July 20 – July 26: Cornerbacks
July 27 – August 1: Safeties(Strong and Free)

Nativebird – agreed on CDavis. He’s not the flashiest or most well-known player out there, but he’s one of those players that just makes plays when he’s on the field. Totaling 4 sacks in a backup role is pretty outstanding, in my opinion. He resigned with the Falcons with the possibility to at least compete for the job and his contract indicates that. JA will not get the starting nod simply because he was drafted high. Those days are over.

Bullseye – after watching BVG at UGA, expect some more blitzes from the LBs this year with our increased athelticism at that spot. He didn’t really have the personnel or D-Secondary to send a lot of LB blitzes effectively. Boley completely disappeared and while Brooking was a good WLB, he certainly didn’t fit the mold to get after the QB. Lofton came out on many 3rd downs, which is the most ideal down to blitz. With Nicholas, Peterson, an increased role for Lofton, and even Biermann or El Sid getting a look at OLB.

Big Ray – good to hear from you. Lofton was definitely one of TDs best draft picks that often gets overlooked by the selection of Matty Ice. He could have been considered for DEF Rookie of they Year if he hadn’t had to come out on 3rd downs. The guy was a stud from day one and will only get better with a year in the system. JA has all the spotlight on him this year and I think he knows it. CDavis will be breathing down his neck to win the starting spot. May the best man win. The Decoud vs Moore battle for strong safety looks to be the most fierce of Training Camp. I think who ever loses the starting nod will still play. We might be looking at our future SS and FS because Decoud can move over to FS.

Unca’ Bob – yeah I got thse acronyms on the cheap at the local auction. I’m going to try and get out of that habit because I’m not texting for godsake.

Sarah B – Kerney was one we should have paid, period. If you draft a guy, develop him into a Pro-Bowler, and have a chance to resign him at his peak, sometimes you gotta fork over the dough. I think he ultimately wanted to sign with us but McKay and Co. really made no effort to keep him. The Abraham-Kerney combo I was so pumped about never materialized.

Jimbo – its going to be a serious task preparing for our OFF this year, especially the players being in Mularkey’s system for another year with his new toy TG.

Falcons vs Bears Final to come……….

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Anderson is the exception to the rule for the 3 year thresh hold. He is still learning the DE position. “LAte Bloomer”, that is what he will be. As long as he continues to play the run well, and if the DTs amp up the QB pressure he will start. As said you can find a good pass rush specialist among Bierrman, and Sid. Davis will play alot also. Probably go platoon with Anderson and Davis.

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Jason,

What’s up? It’s been a real slow day. I have even regressed to M Bradley’s blog. Addressing J Anderson, I have stated before, and I will say it again, in Feb. of this year he celebrated his 23rd birthday. To NFL standards it pretty much makes him a Rookie. P Jerry is 24 and prior to his first snap, will be 25. At this time, Anderson is a rookie. The exception being , he now has two years in the NFL. To get down on him at this time, to my way of thinking, is wrong.

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Sarah B,

Once you post the facts, there is no argument.

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Unca’ Bob,
To your point about Jamaal Anderson, I recently read that he and Sidbury share the same birth date. Good teams are about building depth. Unfortunately for Anderson, we are only now becoming a good team. For instance, it’s not unusual for the Steelers to sit a hih draft pick and let them learn without the pressure of the demands their high draft number might entail. That is how we should be viewing Jamaal. Are we a better team with him on the roster contributing, forget about his high draft number.

I’m with you Unca’Bob, let the kid mature into his position. He never played defensive end until his late sophmore year in college, so why is our expectation so high? Leave the kid alone.

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Thanks Unca’ Bob I see they went way!!

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Falcons OFF vs Bears DEF

Likely Matchups

LT-Sam Baker vs RDE-Alex Brown
LG-Justin Blaylock vs RDT-Dusty Dvorchek
C-Todd McClure vs MLB-Brian Urlacher
RG-Harvey Dahl vs LDT-Tommie Harris
RT-Tyson Clabo vs LDE-Alex Ogunleye
TE-Tony Gonzalez vs SLB-Lance Briggs
FB-Ovie Mughelli vs WLB-Nick Roach
RB-Michael Turner vs SS-Kevin Payne
WR-Roddy White vs CB-Charles Tillman
WR-Michael Jenkins vs CB-Nathan Vasher
QB-Matty Ice vs FS-Craig Steltz?

Running
Even though they are on a little bit of a downslide, they still have a pretty formidable D-Line, particularly their DEnds Brown and Ogunleye. Tommie Harris has made the Pro-Bowl. The weak spot lies with Dvorchek. He started tons of games, but doesn’t exactly strike fear in OFF. Baker will have his hands full with Brown, but Blaylock should do well against Dvorchek. The Harvey Dahl-Tommie Harris should be one of the best matchups of the year in the NFL. Clabo should handle an injury-prone Briggs with no problem. Urlacher is sliding a little bit, but is on the slide some himself. McClure is a vet and will do what’s necessary to keep him in check. Mughelli makes the difference in the Rushing Attack. Turner takes a while to get going, but goes over 115 yards with 2 TDs and Norwood adds 40 yds with 1 TD.

Passing
Vasher and Tillman is one of the best CB tandems in the league and will probably Jenks in check, but Roddy will be Roddy and show out regardless. TG has another great day dominating any of their LBs stretching the middle of the field and opening up every one else. HD has another solid day and Matty Ice tears up their yet-to-be-named FS. Even though their secondary has two good CBs, the Iceman tears them apart like a methodical surgeon. Roddy goes for 85 Yds and 1 TD, TG goes over 100 Yds and 2 TDs, and HD adds 60 Yds and 1 TD as well. Big Day for the Ice-Man going over 300 Yds passing with 3 TD tosses.

This will be a nail-biter to the end folks. They’ll be hungry for vengeance and Cutler(as we found out last year) will give our Defense fits. This will go down to the end, but our OFF is simply too much for their aging DEF and our young DEF stiffens up in the second half after stumbling in the first half. We ice the game with a kneel down on their 40 yard line winning by 5.

Final Score: Falcons 38 – Bears 33

Falcons 4-1

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Talk to you guys and gal tomorrow!!!

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d-3 i fell that we will make the playoff with an 9- 7 record. not a better record then last yr but abetter team than last next yr 2010 12-4 or better best in the nfc

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Good stuff. The scuffles are a good thing. My only question is do you know anything about rugby or the scrum?

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D3, I think Samuel will be good at RB. If will be as aggressive as he was in High School playing D and carry that mentality as a RB then he could be the next HW if you know what I mean. In HS Samuel was running over the D like it was nothing but that was HS. From what I’ve seen of him at UGA he seems to be running a little tentatively. If he gets aggressive then watch out.

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One helluva nice & confident prediction from The Bleacher Report listed by our friends over at The Falchoholic:

2008 Record: 11-5, second in division

2009 Projection: 12-4, Division champ

Quarterbacks
Matt Ryan, coming into the league after a successful college career at Boston College, was nearly the pride of the NFL last season. His unexpected yet incredible talent let the Falcons finally forget about their mess (a.k.a. Michael Vick) and propelled Atlanta from a terrible season to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth.

Ryan racked up nearly 3,500 yards through the air last season, and he’s not about to stop. The Falcons’ quarterback is going to be there for many years to come.

Grade: A

Running Backs
Michael Turner, in his first year as a Falcon last season, was also spectacular, finishing second in the league in yards (with nearly 1,700). The combination of Turner and Ryan makes for a dangerous combo for opposing defenses, who have to worry about both the pass and the run.

Behind Turner on the depth chart is Jerious Norwood, who is a decent running back himself. He actually was able to total more than 800 yards of rushing and seven touchdowns last season.

He may find himself playing a significant amount of split-back formation with Turner.

Grade: A

Wide Recievers/Tight Ends
Atlanta has an array of balanced, talented recievers. Roddy White lead the team last season with nearly 1,400 yards. With Michael Jenkins and Harry Douglas, the Falcons are going to have several options to pass to on every play.

Future Hall-of-Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez is newly acquired from Kansas City. His play will certainly help fill what was a weak spot last year at tight end, and will also provide a safe option for still mostly inexperienced Ryan.

However, Gonzalez is not a long-term option, and the Falcons are probably already at work scouting out a young player to fill in once Gonzalez retires.

Grade: B+

Offensive Line
The Falcons’ offensive line will probably not change during the offseason. It currently is a balanced group that has some talent along the entire line.

Although they may not really have any star among the bunch, the line is always instrumental in providing Turner the space to run that he needs to succeed.

Grade: B-

Defense
On the defensive line, John Abraham remains as one of the most dangerous lineman out there. However, besides him, Atlanta has a weak spot in that category.

At linebacker, several important roster changes have been made this offseason. Brooking and Boley have left for other teams, but Mike Peterson arrives from the Jaguars to help stabilize this position.

Curtis Lofton is also coming off a good year and will also help the Falcons’ defense.

The loss of corner Dominique Foxworth is a huge loss for Atlanta, and Chris Houston will now have to fill in at a position possibly too important for his skill level. This could be a weakness to watch for in the upcoming season.

However, Erik Coleman definitely has the capability to help out Houston and produce some stats for himself, as well.

Grade: B

Special Teams
Jason Elam was a perfect fit for the Falcons last year after his previous stint with Denver. He finished 29-for-31 and led the league in percentage from 40+ yards: 100 percent (10/10).

Jerious Norwood is currently the kickoff returner, although he definitely has some areas to improve. Harry Douglas, the punt returner, is a solid player for the position.

Grade: B+

Despite having a very tough schedule this season, the Falcons looked poised to accomplish their latest goal of getting a win in the playoffs. The only question is if Ryan has the composure to lead this team that far

If everything falls in the right place (young DEF growing up quick) than I can see it, but I’ll stick with 11-5 or 10-6. Gotta stay a little objective.

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QUOTE FROM DIMITROFF ON NEWBERRY SIGNING

Falcons add veteran offensive lineman Newberry
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Falcons signed veteran offensive lineman Jeremy Newberry on Monday, the team announced.

Newberry, a 12-year veteran, has started for eight seasons and made the Pro Bowl twice and will add some depth to the offensive line unit.

Newberry, 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, spent his first nine seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers after being selected in the second round of the 1998 draft. He’s also played for Oakland and San Diego.

He’s played mostly center, but has also spent some time at right tackle and right guard.

He has started 107 of 120 games throughout his career.

“Jeremy Newberry is an experienced offensive lineman who brings a significant amount of veteran leadership to our team,” said Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. “He competes with a tremendous amount of heart and passion on every snap and we’re excited to add him to the roster.”

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D-Led,

I’m hopeful Newberry is a good fit. He could add some depth to our O-Line. Perhaps we draft a Stud LB and a TE to train in 2010.

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D-Led – the timing of the Newberry signing intrigues me. Does this mean the whispers about McClure holding out for a new contract have some weight to them? Seems to me the Falcons already had back-up depth at center. Why sign Newberry now?

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Man in the Middle
Lofton ready to be a leader
Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton is ready to take on a leadership role in his second year with the team.

And he expects big things from the defense.

“The offense gets a lot of publicity and notoriety and they deserve that but don’t overlook this defense,” Lofton said.

“We have a lot of young guys that started for us last year and really didn’t know what they were doing. This year we’re into the system and we know what we’re doing. I think we’re going to shock some people on defense with how good we are.”

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There was an interesting post on the Falcoholic blog. It was a comparison between Turner and Norwood.
http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/6/14/908965/the-great-turner-norwood-debate
The question that I found thought provoking was whether or not the Falcons would work to re-sign Norwood after his rookie contract runs out. Do you think they will invest that much money in the RB position or will they let him go to another team? I think they should do everything they can to keep him and I hope they will but it is an interesting point to ponder.

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Saw this earlier: Scout.com’s Adam Caplan reports the Falcons agreed to terms with fifth-round T Garrett Reynolds to a four-year contract worth just over $1.93 million.

The signing bonus is roughly $180,000. The 6′7 North Carolina product will learn from one of the best line coaches in the league as a reserve.

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http://www.footballoutsiders.com/strategy-minicamps

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Good Tuesday Top O’ the Morn’ Fellow ‘Cagers! Nothing like a little news from the Falcons to get our juices flowing. Hey, we don’t need much do we? Can you imagine what a high pitch it will be up to as August 1 approaches? Good to have the ‘Cage blog rockin’, so let’s get to it…………

Coach Ken – thanks for the check on RFoster. I guess I was thinking of someone else. I gave my wrong depth chart anyway. I will have a hard time seeing us letting go of Will Svitek, Brett Romberg, and Jeremy Newberry, since we went out and signed them as Free Agents. But maybe we just signed them for competition.
Quick Hit OL Depth Chart:
T – Sam Baker, Tyson Clabo, Will Svitek, Garrett Reynolds
G – Harvey Dahl, Justin Blaylock, Brett Romberg,
C – Todd McClure, Jeremy Newberry
We only carried 9 OL on our active roster last year.

Jimbo – yeah, I saw that analysis myself over there. Pretty good breakdown from our friends over at The Falchoholic. I think we should do everything we can to re-sign him. But the fact is that some team out there will throw starters money at him (in the same mold that we threw starters money at Turner). I think they’ll do everything they can to re-sign him, but its going to be tough. We’re not going to throw Turner money at him, but a lot of it will depend on him. If he has it set in his mind that he wants the big bucks than it will be almost impossible for us to resign him, or if he wants to win a championship and get paid solid bucks from us than our chances are good. He strikes me as a pretty humble player and I could see him wanting to resign with us for fair-market value. If we do lose him, that certainly opens up a spot for us to draft a stud #2 RB in next years draft, which is a possibility beyond drafting an OLB and TE. Very interesting to wait and see because we don’t have our second rounder next draft. You can only keep stud Two-Back committees together for so long. Just look at Jones-Drew/Taylor and Brandon Jacobs/Derrick Ward.

Sarah B – great to have you back after your rockin’ Vegas Vaca!

More later…….

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Ken, Good call on Foster, Newberry is very versatile, He has experience at center, and both RG and RT, this should help us get by with 9 Offensive lineman, as D3 suggested.

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Stirg: Besides having that man-crush thingy (j/k), I beleive you were the one talking about 2 TE, if so…check out unca bobs find…it has pictures too! lol

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ROW3 & D3, thanks for the props. While I didn’t think OT RFoster would make the final roster, I certainly didn’t think he’d be released so soon. On the other hand, a roster spot had to be cleared when we signed Newberry.

On the subject of whether we’ll go all out to resign RB JNorwood, I think it will depend on whether RB TBrown makes the roster, and how well he does on special teams. Last yr, we didn’t carry a backup FB, unless you want to classify JSnelling as a FB. Eventually a current RB will have to be cut to make room for a backup FB because we can’t continue going without one. I also think QB JPWilson will end up on the practice squad. He’ll be groomed to eventually replace QB CRedmon, who will likely get a lot of attention when he becomes a FA. He could end up being too expensive to resign.

As powerful as our OFF will be, we are still rather thin at some positions, like OT, OG, FB and TE. It looks like we’re starting to address the OL problems by signing some versatile veteran Olinemen. I also see at least 6 of our 7 draftees making the team, and possibly all 7. CB WMiddleton is likely the only draftee that could be in jeopardy, and he might hold on. We lost 4 DB’s from last yrs squad, RPrude, MPaschal, LMalloy and DFoxworth. We have 4 returning who were on IR last yr, AHarris, DIrons, BGrimes and VHutchins, and we drafted 2 CB’s. DB’s DVinnet, TTiller and GSharpe will definitely be on the hot seat. DE’s MLucas and WEvans, along with DT’s JJefferson, TMyles and TJohnson, will also be on the hotseat.

There’s going to be a lot of physical fighting during this yrs training camp because there will likely be more talented young players fighting for roster spots than at any other time in Atlanta Falcons history. Also, look for us to pick up another receiving TE before the season starts. FOR TEAMS IN THE EAST, THE ROAD TO THE SUPERBOWL, FOR YRS TO COME, WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ATLANTA.

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Ken S. I agree it is a big change from the past and a good change. I admit I was a azz sometimes but look at some of the bloggers we were reacting to. Now if I read something negative I ignore it. Ok back to the Falcons, the team seems to be set, so where do you think our main worry is now? The secondary! Thats my biggest question at this point.

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D3, I’ve been away from the cage awhile. The Wife took a nasty spill down the stairs and broke her wrist, which required surgery, been trying to do the good Husband thing and nurse her back to health, got to have her ready for training camp. I’ve been trying to catch my news from the headlines. I’ll be tuning in as I can, ’cause the news in the cage is better than the news on the web.

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Great stuff Fellas! Following on Coach Ken’s note, just wanted to send a shout out to all the gentleman and ladies who have made this a fantastic forum to come and talk intelligent Falcons football with cool fans. It has quickly become one of my heavy vices. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a Fan Blog one day to join in DOL’s.

Taking a mini-vaca’ up to parents house for a few days of relaxing, pool, brew sippin’, and good recipes(albeit healthy since I’m back on the diet thing). Will check in every so often to see how its going. One of these days I’ll set us up our weekly position analysis as promised and and I think the Cowboys or Redskins are on deck after we put a whippin’ on the Bear-Chumps.

Be back in the ‘Cage soon. Keep it rolling strong. And on that note………..

45 DAYS, 12 HOURS, 20 MINS UNTIL 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!!!!

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JJ,

Glad you enjoyed the link. I know I will be going back to it.

D3,

Thanks for the props. I went to your link and felt like the kid in the candy store. They have stats from back in the ’20’s. I wasn’t aroud then, but close…

K Strick,

If you were to tell me something bad was going to happen to me tomorrow, I would stay home all day. Nice call on Foster.

row3,

I hope your wife makes a complete and speedy recovery.

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Thanks for the well wishes, Cagers, I’m excited about the Newberry signing, just a year ago, we were being convinced by every media outlet that we had the absolute worst offensive line in all of football. Remember, how M Ryan would’nt survive his rookie season, we reached, and drafted (short-arm) Baker too high. Now it seems we have enough depth, that we will cut some pretty talented players. the only thing that concerns me is back-up LT, I don’t think (re-tread) Gandy is the answer. Does anyone know how Newberry became available, was he released, or was he an unrestricted FA?

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UNCA BOB-I wouldn’t go that far. My call of OT RFoster was rather easy. Both he and him mammoth teammate from Louisville, OT Kurt Quarterman, were both brought in as UFA’s by HC RPetrino. They were perfect for the limited blocking scheme employed by Petrino’s at Lovisville, which consisted of lining up a bunch of massive OLinemen and overpowering the opposition. Petrino tried to import that same system to the Falcons, thinking it would work in the NFL. There’s a reason Louisville’s OLinemen went drafted and their RB’s were taken after the 1st rd. Even Petrino passed when presented with the opportunity to draft 2 of his best former players. Both KQuarterman and RFoster are massive, but they were limited athletically and skill wise.

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What’s up gents? On vaca’ in North GA, but wanted to drop a quick line

If we carry 9 OL on our active roster as we did last year, who are our 4 tackles? Obviously Clabo & Baker, but who gets the final 2 spots between GReynolds, QOjinnaka, PMcCoy, WSvitek, JNewberry, & MButterworth?

Discuss………..

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D3- Who’s the best candidate for back-up LT.

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Chatted with my man J. Michael of AF.com yesterday. It was single letter fest.

http://jmike.blogs.atlantafalcons.com/2009/06/17/a-quick-chat-with-d-led/

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row3,

I ran D-Led’s link. Finally I got to put a real face to a blog.

PS- Glad you enjoyed my link.

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Good Thursday A.M. Ladies and Gents! Slow goes these days in the Bird-Cage, huh? Hey, to be expected with the driest of dead zones taking hold of our beloved Falcons. Everyone needs a break, except for a couple of us serious junkies. Anyway lets talk some Falcons and Football……….

Roster Position Analysis – Offensive Tackle

Based on last year’s active roster we carried 9 Offensive Lineman, with 4 of them being Offensive Tackles(Sam Baker, Tyson Clabo, Quinn Ojinnaka & Wayne Gandy). Obviously Sam Baker and Tyson Clabo are locks, so who makes the other 2 spots?

Sam Baker
Height: 6-5 Weight: 312 Age: 24
Games – 8, Games Started – 5

Pros – Showed signs of great promise as a true Rookie Left Tackle (one of the most difficult positions in the NFL). Held his own against some of the Best DE’s in the game protecting our rookie Franchise QB).

Cons – Extremely injury prone throughout his rookie year. Only played in half the regular season games, starting just 5 of those games. One of the big knocks against him coming out of USC was him being severly injury prone.

Tyson Clabo
Height: 6-6 Weight: 332 Age: 27
Games – 16, Games Started – 16

Pros – Amazing goldmine of a find picking him up after not making a roster in 2005 after being drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2004. Increased his play steadily starting 10 games in 2006, 11 games in 2007, and being a rock-solid RT in 2008 starting all 16 games. Tough, nasty, physical. Paved way for Michael Turner being 2nd leading rusher in NFL. Pairs with Harvey Dahl to form the “Nasty Boys” on the right side.

Cons – Can he perform consistently as he did last year? Why did it take so long for the Falcons to re-up his Restricted Free Agent tender? Will the Falcons fork over the money for a long-term deal that Clabo will command for a very young, stud Right Tackle? Let’s hope so.

Quinn Ojinnaka
Height: 6-5 Weight: 305 Age: 25
Games – 8; Games Started – 0

Pros – young left tackle that has grown into a steady backup for the Falcons after being drafted by Lil’ Jimmy Mora. Has withstood and made the roster through 3 coaching regimes in consecutive years. Good size and only 25. Maybe can turn into the type of OL that Boudreau harvested in Clabo and Dahl.

Cons – even though making the roster 3 years in a row says something about his abilities, he has never had the light bulb come on and even started one game for the injuried Sam Baker. Couldn’t compete for either tackle spot when both were open. Falcons brass elected for Wayne Gandy to start instead of going with youth in their “process”. Originally drafted by Lil’ Jimmy Mora to run cut-blocking scheme.

Will Svitek, Garrett Reynolds, and Michael Butterworth coming next……

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There’s got to be a better way to clean gutters. Ain’t nobody invented that yet? You GT-guys need to work on that…

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Started cleaning gutters on the house earlier. I was just thinking, hoping, that there was a better way to clean them. I was thinking, maybe, of a high-powered vacuum or a jet-blower, or something. I’m even thinking about using fire and just burn the debris. I figured that may make 11 o’clock news.

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That will work Unca’ Bob, they just finshed my roof.

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finished

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Thought you guys would enjoy this

Falcons mates say Ryan making ’scary’ improvement
By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer
Posted: 06/18/2009 12:37:47 AM PDT

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga.—Matt Ryan’s teammates say the quarterback will be even better in 2009 than he was when he won widespread acclaim as the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year last season.
“By leaps and bounds,” Atlanta fullback Ovie Mughelli said of Ryan on Wednesday as the Falcons approached the end of their organized team activities. “It’s actually scary how much he’s improved and it’s only his second year. People thought he couldn’t get much better than last year.

“In the weight room, what he’s done out here, his arm strength, the way he reads plays, he’s gotten better in every aspect.”

The Falcons will have their last day of workouts Thursday and begin training camp on Aug. 1.

Ryan led the Falcons to an 11-5 record—an unexpected jump from a 4-12 finish in 2007—and a playoff spot last season. Michael Turner rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first season as a full-time starter, and Roddy White had 88 receptions for 1,382 yards.

Ryan, Turner, White and Mughelli have been joined by 10-time Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez, who was acquired from Kansas City.

The Falcons, who a year ago were a popular pick to finish last in the NFC South, now look like a rising force, especially on offense.

“The thing you see out there across the board is confidence, starting with Matt at quarterback, all the way down,” said center Todd McClure. “Everybody just has a different confidence than we had even last year,

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because we were trying to learn a new system. Now we have a year under our belt and that confidence can take us a long way if we can just stay together.”
Coach Mike Smith says he has focused on the Falcons’ passing game in the organized workouts.

“Matt is making good decisions and being accurate with the football,” Smith said. “I don’t think those two traits can be overlooked. That’s what we’ve emphasized with Matt, make better decisions and to be more accurate throwing the football.”

Ryan says the Falcons already are preparing to deal with increased expectations.

“I heard a quote from coach Smith, ‘expect to win but don’t get caught up in expectations,’” Ryan said. “I think that’s pretty pertinent because you can’t worry about all the long-term stuff. You just have to go out there and have confidence in yourself and not worry about all the long-term stuff that goes with it.”

Ryan said he began studying film after the Falcons’ playoff loss to Arizona as he focused on making better decisions in key situations.

“The No. 1 thing going into the offseason for me was to improve the decision making and so I’ve watched a ton of film, just trying to get better and to sharpen up for next season,” he said. “I’m going to continue to do that for the next two or three months.”

Ryan completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 3,440 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He said there’s much room to reach the levels of improvement that Mughelli sees.

“Quarterbacks make their living on third down and in the red zone, so those are areas I felt I could improve on from last year,” he said. “You also make your living at the end of the game so you want to make good plays and make good decisions in two-minute situations, so those are areas I definitely focused on.”

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Great Friday A.M. Fellow ‘Cagers! Gotta love Fridays, huh? The best night of the weekend and the official start of the weekend, even though my weekends usually start on Thursday night. Excited to see some fellow ‘Cagers coming back in, even if its housework advice. Anyway, I digress…………

Coach Ken – good points on Ojinnaka. If he provides as much versatility as you suggest, than that definitely will be a huge plus-positive for him on making the roster. My thing is why would they draft a Tackle themselves and sign a backup Will Svitek if they were confident in Ojinnaka as a solid backup? Also, the versatility of Svitek, Romberg, & now Newberry kind of takes the place of that OL cross-training and use.

Stirg – I have to confess, and it probably knocks a couple of points off my Dude Score, but I paid a couple of guys who own their own handy-man business to clean my gutters. Best $70 bucks I ever spent.

falcon21 – how’s things going up NW GA way? Are the Rome Braves doing any better than the ATL Braves? Hope so, because the Bravo’s are DONE. I’m headed up Rome way myself towards the end of summer to see family and friends.

Stirg(2) – we definitely can expect Abe to show up and bring his A game week in and week out, but he doesn’t strike me as a leader/mentor type, so that might be a little bit of a stretch. Looks like Biermann is staying put at DE instead of moving back to OLB.

Ed – thanks for the article. How scary would it be to see Matty Ice “improve dramatically”? Can’t wait to don my Black #2 Jersey for the 2009 Season!

Dean21 – whenever you return, the training camp schedule has been released. I’ll definitely be headed up for the Aug 1st session, and will try to make to a couple of more as well, but that is the first week back for school and it will be hectic getting ready for the upcoming school year. Its too hard to make it up during the week with my 2 month old little WR.

Some Training Camp I’m looking at:
-Sat.Aug 1st (Love to go to both, but A.M. looks promising)
-Fri.Aug.7th (Scrimmage game @ Brookwood High)
-Sat.Aug.8th (Mock game in GA Dome)

OL Analysis later, for those of you interested……..

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Continuing our analysis on Roster Spot Analysis – Offensive Tackle

As mentioned earlier, we carried 9 OL our active roster last year and 4 of them were Tackles (Sam Baker, Tyson Clabo, Quinn Ojinnaka, Todd Weiner, & Wayne Gandy rotated in when Baker was injuried).

Final 3 on the roster: Will Svitek, Garrett Reynolds, Michael Butterworth

Will Svitek
Height: 6-6 Weight: 300 Age: 27
Games – 13, Games Started – 4

Pros – young, big Tackle that has NFL starting experience with the Chiefs last year and having experience in 13 games. Will have no trouble filling in as a solid backup for either Tackle spot, needed especially with Sam Baker’s injury problem. Falcons brass thought enough of him to sign him as a Free Agent.

Cons – besides last year, has severly limited experience only playing in 3 total games over previous two years in KC. 6′6, 300 is big, but the weight is a little under for prototypical big tackles.

Garrett Reynolds(R)
Height: 6′8 Weight: 309 Rookie
Combine Scouting Report: Reynolds may lack the flashy athleticism that characterizes many of this year’s top tackle prospects, but his toughness and reliability on the right side could help him ultimately enjoy a more established pro career than some rated ahead of him. A three-year starter, with his action almost exclusively at right tackle, Reynolds has the frame and physicality to remain at the position at the next level. He lacks the speed to handle speed rushers, however, and isn’t the consistent drive blocker his size might indicate.
Possesses that “nasty streak” that Smitty and Boudreau covet. Last years 5th round draft pick, Kroy Biermann, not only made the actice roster, but contributed heavily.

Michael Butterworth
Height: 6′7 Weight: 334
No Stats, 2nd Season out of Slippery Rock

Pros – huge, big tackle that could be a nice backup option behind Clabo and Baker. If Boudreau could work his magic than might he be the next Clabo or Dahl?

Cons – impossible to find any actual stats. Was waived by Falcons last year for a reason and will be the lowest man on the totem pole. Will have to fight the hardest to make the active roster, and with the drafting of Reynolds may not even make the practice squad.

So fellas wathca think about our Tackle rotation this year?

Will Baker make it a full season with health?

Will Clabo look to hit the Free Agent market and leave a gaping hole at Left Tackle next year?

Who will make the 2 spots on the active roster behind Baker and Clabo?

Is this Ojinnaka’s final year as a Falcon?

How will the Svitek, Romberg, and Newberry signings affect our OL?

Happy with who we got at Tackle on our current Camp roster or do we need to sign some more?

J-MAN – understand your frustration with the blog’s dead-zone, but this is the driest of dry times of the year for Falcons and NFL. Eveyone’s taking their final vacation before the long, grueling NFL season takes hold. It would be nice to get a few more OTA updates though.

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http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcsouth/0-12-92/Very-special-Father-s-Day-for-Falcons–Nicholas.html

Y’all have got to read this. It is incredible!!

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Just got back from getting my wife’s car repaired. You really, really need to click on my 2:27PM link. It will go a long way to explain a lot of questions…PS Bring a kleenex.

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The thing on the OL is going to be versatility. Who can play multiple positions. The FAs ATL signe all seem to have that versatility, as well as Ojinnaka. Pretty interesting. I think maybe Reynolds will be assigned to the Practice Roster.

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Stirg, I have to go to Grand Haven in August and my sister offered to have me fly into Detroit and ride up with them but I think I’m going to opt for flying to Flint and renting a car for the not quite 2 hour drive to Grand Haven because I don’t know about riding that far with them and NOT having my own way out either.

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…and you guys try to convince me that its okay for Abe to miss practice, camps and OTA’s because of a brutal season last year. How absurd? That really demonstrates leadership.

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Unca’Bob, LOVE the story. How did this not leak? Hats off to the entire organization for the love at support they showed Mr. Nicholas and his family. It makes me even MORE proud to be a Falcons fan!

Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads in the Cage.

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ANGRY BANKER-the answer to your question about Clabo is NO. Why destroy the continuity of the OL by switchng Clabo to LT, where he has no experience, when both Ojinnaka and Newberry have starting experience at the position. Besides disrupting the OL continuity, putting someone with no experience at LT would put QB MRyan at greater risk, and that’s
not going to happen.

STIRG-don’t let this JAbraham thing get you off track. It doesn’t seem like the players or the coaching staff is having trouble with his OTA and minicamp participation. Personally, I think both TD and Smitty are prone to keeping things close to the vest, so to speak. Their comments about Abe recovering from the rigors of last season might be their way of concealing the fact he might be recovering from major surgery. The special treatment you’re complaining Abe’s receiving has led to him having record production, and playing 2 full seasons. What player couldn’t appreciate JAbraham’s leadership by example after watching him consistently utilize his vast skills and determination to fight through double and triple teams to provide a virtural one man pass rush.

LET THE COACHING STAFF WORRY ABOUT LEADERSHIP. AFTER ALL, HOW MANY MISTAKES HAVE THEY MADE SO FAR WITH THIS TEAM AND IT’S PLAYERS?

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Oh, I forgot to answer your question: “…how many mistakes have they made with this team and its players?” Keith Brooking should have been shipped along with DeAngelo Hall. He certainly should not have been starting for four downs last season. I bet Dallas won’t make that mistake. I admire Brooking and I appreciate the years that he’s given to the organization; but physical abiltiy is physical ability, it cannot be taught. The man just got old, simply put. I think the mistake was being loyal to Brooking because of his contributions to the team. Clearly, Wire or Nicholas should have been starting in Arizona.

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D3, that`s good stuff on the backup OT analysis.
You and Ken Strickland (and others) know your Falcon football.
That said, here is my general take in the interior of the Falcons O-line.
Keep in mind some guys will be crossed trained to be backup to both guard and tackle or guard and center.
It looks like Romberg and Newberry will be utilized as backup to center and guards.
The idea being when you can have only 45 players active on your game day roster, of the 53 on your total roster.
Have one guy to back up all 3 interior positions.
That way you can go with 7 active O-linemen instead of 8, allowing you to have an extra D-line man or D-back active on game days.

The Newberry connection is sort of a domino effect. With plenty of extra tackles, Quinn Ojinnaka was likely to practice at guard. But now that the team has signed both Romberg and Newberry, there’s an overload of interior linemen. Bump Ojinnaka back over to tackle, and bump both Foster and Stepanovich out the door.

Garrett Reynolds and free agent Will Svitek are also available as tackles and are the leading contenders along with Ojinnaka to win those roster spots. Ryan Stanchek played left tackle at West Virginia, but he’ll play guard in camp. I’m anticipating that he’ll pair up nicely with Garrett Reynolds, which will increase his chances of making the team.

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[...] Ryan rated as NFL's top under-30 franchise player | Atlanta …Having pro sports teams in the Atl is a blessing that most of us don’t truly appreciate. Trust me, some states like West Virginia would love to have just One pro team in their state. It is truly special when the pro athletes come out and support …… “The offense gets a lot of publicity and notoriety and they deserve that but don’t overlook this defense,” Lofton said. “We have a lot of young guys that started for us last year and really didn’t know what they were doing. … [...]

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Happy Fathers Day to one and all. It would seem our secret is out

A year ago, most looked at the Atlanta Falcons and rookie quarterback Matt Ryan and figured they would be a 5-11 rebuilding project. But Ryan exploded onto the NFL scene, leading Atlanta to an 11-5 record and becoming the best young quarterback to hit the league since Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer.

Ryan completed 61.1 percent of his passes and threw 16 touchdown passes in a run-oriented, well-coached offense. More than that, Ryan displayed a remarkable presence in the fourth quarter. He also completed passes to his fourth read after only one month, a rare showing by a young QB.

NFC South blog

ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas writes about all things NFC South in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation
But the Falcons’ return to prominence is more than just Ryan. General manager Thomas Dimitroff comes from the Bill Belichick school of evaluators and has quickly established himself as one of the league’s better personnel minds. Mike Smith is the perfect head coach for Atlanta. A brilliant defensive coach, Smith hired a great staff and won over players by being honest and establishing a consistent voice.

Here are five things other than Ryan that make the Falcons a winner:

1. Improving defense

Despite losing five starters from 2008, the defense should be better than you think. The biggest improvement is in the middle, where the defense is much faster. Mike Peterson, a former Jaguar, provides leadership and experience at weakside linebacker. Thomas DeCoud not only has good size at safety at 6-foot, 193 pounds, but he adds more speed. Plus, second-round pick William Moore should work his way into a three-safety rotation that improves depth.

Peria Jerry, a first-round pick, offers a little more quickness from nose tackle. Stephen Nicholas, a fourth-round pick from 2007, completes a much quicker linebacking corps coming from the strong side. The past two drafts have also added speed and depth at cornerback. Now, Smith can choose from a decent crop of corners — Chris Houston, Chevis Jackson, Brent Grimes, Von Hutchins and rookies Chris Owens and William Middleton. They may not be big corners, but the Falcons now have more speed at the position. The other factor on defense is that vocal defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder is a rising star in coaching circles.

2. This team can really run

Expect the Falcons to run 35 times a game, taking pressure off Ryan and allowing him to avoid 30-pass games. Atlanta plans to lighten the load for workhorse Michael Turner, who had 376 carries for 1,699 yards last season. The ace in the hole is Jerious Norwood. People tend to forget Norwood is one of the team’s faster athletes. His career rushing average is a staggering 5.8 yards per carry, but he has never had more than 103 attempts in a season. The Turner-Norwood one-two punch is the perfect blend of speed and power.

3. Solid offensive line

Offensive line coach Paul Boudreau has assembled a group of five starters that should be together for years. Unlike most teams that are switching to more athletic zone blocking schemes, Boudreau has installed a man blocking line that has gotten bigger since the departure of offensive line coach Alex Gibbs, who set up the line for former Falcons coach Jim Mora a couple of years ago. Right tackle Tyson Clabo is 6-foot-6, 332 pounds, and right guard Harvey Dahl is a mauler who will battle until the whistle has blown. The left side of the line offers good athleticism and pass-blocking skills. Left tackle Sam Baker established himself as a solid pass-blocker as a rookie last season. Justin Blalock is a solid left guard, and Todd McClure is a smart center with leadership skills. Dimitroff brought in veteran depth with the signings of centers Brett Romberg and Jeremy Newberry. Garrett Reynolds, a 6-8, 310-pound tackle prospect taken in the fifth round, is being groomed for the future.

4. Development of Harry Douglas

Tight end Tony Gonzalez was the headline acquisition of the offseason, but the development of wide receiver Harry Douglas will make Ryan more dangerous throwing into the middle of the field. Gonzalez’s skills are well known. He’s a future Hall of Famer who has a knack for getting separation in the middle of the field. Douglas, a sleeper in the three-receiver, one-tight end set, could explode this season. At 5-11, Douglas is taller than many slot receivers and has added more than 10 pounds of muscle to his frame. With great targets in Douglas and Gonzalez, Ryan has the luxury of throwing a few higher passes in the middle of the field, knowing Douglas and Gonzalez have the height and leaping skills to grab the ball. That opens up the offense and could allow the Falcons to turn a few more field-goal drives into TD drives.

5. Underestimated D-line

Outsiders might be underestimating their defensive line talent, but the Falcons have a lot of high picks invested in the line. Starters John Abraham, Jamaal Anderson and Jerry are first-round picks. Jonathan Babineaux was a second-rounder and defensive end Chauncey Davis was taken in the fourth round. Jerry’s the most interesting player of the bunch to watch. He’s a little raw, but he has a good first step. Smith has enough linemen to keep them fresh with a nice rotation. Veteran defensive line coach Ray Hamilton made a smart move resting Abraham (16.5 sacks in ‘08) on early downs last season to save him for the pass rush. Hamilton’s next mission is to get more sacks from Anderson and develop Jerry.

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JJ,

Thank you. I try. I wish I could. They hope to complete the third round today.

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4. Development of Harry Douglas

Tight end Tony Gonzalez was the headline acquisition of the offseason, but the development of wide receiver Harry Douglas will make Ryan more dangerous throwing into the middle of the field. Gonzalez’s skills are well known. He’s a future Hall of Famer who has a knack for getting separation in the middle of the field. Douglas, a sleeper in the three-receiver, one-tight end set, could explode this season. At 5-11, Douglas is taller than many slot receivers and has added more than 10 pounds of muscle to his frame. With great targets in Douglas and Gonzalez, Ryan has the luxury of throwing a few higher passes in the middle of the field, knowing Douglas and Gonzalez have the height and leaping skills to grab the ball. That opens up the offense and could allow the Falcons to turn a few more field-goal drives into TD drives

This will be what sets the Falcon offense off this year. HD and Gonzo in the middle.

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Just to throw a little more fuel on the fire.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver, Harry Douglas, is no stranger to doubters—he’s never been considered a top-shelf receiver—he’s no Roddy White or Randy Moss.

He’s often heard that he’s too short (5′11″), too light (171 lbs), too skinny or too slow (4.5 forty) to be an elite receiver.

As a senior coming out of Jonesboro High School in Jonesboro, Ga, he wasn’t highly-touted, but he was respectable and garnered the attention of such high profile schools as Georgia, Pittsburgh, and Missouri.

He decided on the University of Louisville and set out to prove that he was a better than average player with some serious pro potential to be had for the team that took a gamble on him.

His career at Louisville started off slowly, but by the time he left he was considered one of the best on his team and in the Big East, garnering first-team honors and loads of respect.

Douglas found his way back to his home state of Georgia via a third-round draft selection by the Atlanta Falcons in 2008 and immediately became a possible candidate for the second wide-receiver slot on the team.

Michael Jenkins would eventually win out but Douglas took his opportunities where he found them and made quite an impression on the team in limited play.

By season’s end he had 23 catches for 320 yards and a touchdown.

Now, entering into his second full-season, he will have the chance to possibly break free and make a name for himself in an Atlanta offense that looks to be potent in 2009.

How?

Well, for one, the presence of Tony Gonzalez is sure to attract some worthy attention as he is likely to get the lions share of Ryan’s short-to-intermediate passes—particularly when he isn’t acting as a blocker for Michael Turner.

However, when there is a pass play, look for Douglas to line up in the slot alongside Gonzalez and cause some mismatches with the opposing defenses.

He will find ample lanes to run through with defenses concentrating on a)Michael Turner and b) Tony Gonzalez. When they do, they will miss the bolt that will be Harry Douglas flying 15-20 yards up the field for the big catch.

He may only be 5′11″ and weigh a paltry 171 lbs, but he is deceptively quick and can be counted on to make big plays down field when given the chance—last season, with limited targets (39), he managed to make five catches of 20 or more yards.

Further, Douglas is good enough to work his way into the coveted number two slot if he continues to play as well as he did last season—Michael Jenkins doesn’t have a stranglehold on the position, despite performing well last season, and could find himself pushed if he reverts to his 2007 self.

Either way, the Falcons will continue to find ways to get Douglas into the game—he was often in on special teams plays last year and performed well.

All Douglas needs is opportunity. The talent is there—for anyone who believes his size will get him into trouble, tell that to the defenders who have had a hard time bringing him down once he has the ball in his hands.

At the end of the day, it may seem like a long shot that Harry Douglas will be anything more than a passing thought, but it won’t be the first time Douglas has had to prove the doubters wrong.

Look for him to open some eyes and close some mouths this coming season.

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Ken, Agreed. The only thing this defense needs is game experience. They will be faster and quicker. Playing together in camp and pre-season should have them ready by regular season. The reason so-called experts in the media may not be sold is the sheer number of key positions involved.

SPEED KILLS!

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The only starting OFF position that will be open to competition this yr is WR, and the competition will be between HDouglas and MJenkins. Otherwise, our OFF players will spend this training camp working on continuity, chemistry and making the things they did successfully last yr second nature.

The players on last yrs DEF will make some of the same mistakes that last yrs players made. However, the players on this yrs DEF will have the young, speed, quickness and athleticism to recover from those mistakes. Most of the key players on last yrs DEF had either reached their peak(CB DFoxworth & MBoley) or were way past their prime(DT GJackson, OLB KBrooking and SS LMalloy). That meant they offered little to no room for improvement and their continued presence limited the chance for the DEF to get better overall. The added speed, quickness, athleticism and versatility of the young replacements will offer an automatic improvement over the players they’ll replace, and these younger players offer unlimited potential for improvement.

I truely believe the youth and enthusiasm these young players bring to the Falcons will serve to make our DEF much better than expected.

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Ryan pure media hype. still a punk under pressure in 2009!!

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Time will tell what kind of team we’re going to have this year. Coach Smith and Co. will have a team that we can be proud of. the offense will be o.k. with addition of Gonzalez. The defense will need some work. I think the defense will be better than we were last year. But, it will take a couple of players to step up to the task of getting it done. Lb-Lofton, Lb-Nichalos,Lb-Wire,De-Anderson,Db-Houston,Db-Jackson, needs to take it to the next level if we are going to make any noise this year. I believe they can. I like the players we drafted. I believe they will also step up with time. I am excited about this team like no other teams we had before. I’m not saying that we will go to the Super Bowl. But, I believe we will go deeper into the playoffs than last year. The keyword here is BELIEVE! I believe in our front office and our coaches and players to have one hell of a year. Can’t wait till this season to start.

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Wow! Are we really going to be that good? I mean, I know that a number of us have been discussing the possibilities, the ought-to-be’s and the hypotheses of this year’s squad, since the draft; but, until the posts that Unca’ Bob has been displaying, I didn’t realize that we were going to be THAT potent. Unca’ Bob has revealed the overlook of Harry Douglas. The expectations are obvious with White, Jenkins and Gonzalez. HD’s effectiveness, however, is sometimes overshadowed by our all-star receiving corps. HD is probably the best second-year slot receiver in the NFL, IMO.

On to mention, the depth at every key position is a luxury that we have never been able to afford. Our starting offensive line is further deepened with quality veterans, that could very well start on most NFL teams.

Our defensive backfield, like the report indicated, is stacked with speed and competition will produce the fastest, strongest and best cornerbacks, on the team, to play that position. A wonderful option to have, that I’ve been overlooking, is a three-headed monster at safety. Can you imagine the removal of a defensive lineman or linebacker and then insert the combination of DeCoud, Coleman AND Moore? Gentlemen, I think with the versatility of William Moore, we are about to introduce a new defensive scheme that will, finally, supersede the dominant Cover Two scheme. Let me remind you that some pundits suggested, pre-draft, that Moore should gain weight and move down to play some Will, at times. If that holds true, can’t you see us playing a 4-2 or 3-3 defensive front and enter Moore and/or Decoud, with Coleman, for a three-headed safety? I think that would negate the inexeperience and lack of size we have at the corners. We can still play Cover Two, that Smitty covets, and have a safety lurking around the field. OMG, the options…

I leave this entry with a question. We are aware of all the competitive depth we have at every position on the field. I once considered our cornerback position as the weakest on defense; I digress my argument, after Unca’ Bob’s entry (good work, U.B) and now consider linebacker being the weakest. Albeit the linebacker corps is very good, especially the starters, but who do we have, besides Coy Wire, that will spell quality depth?

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Do you think that Brian Finneran is a lock to make the team? I know that he has good size and good hands, but I read today (I think Pat Y, espn) that he is on the bubble or at least questionable. What say you?

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Stirg, I meant to say here for game 1.

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What’s up fellas? Good to see some of you back in the ‘Cage.

Stirg – what’s going on my D-Town man? Great analysis of a 3 headed Safety rotation. DeCoud strikes me as more of the Cover Safety and Moore of course as more of the head-hunting run support safety. I can totally see DeCoud and Moore being our FS and SS of the future. Like the idea of running a 4-2-5 or a 3-3-5. Knowing Smitty and BVG I can totally see it happening. It would be similar to a 3-4 where WMoore could serve as an SS/OLB hybrid. I could totally see Abe/PJerry/JA as the three DL; Lofton and Nicholas as LBs, and DeCoud/WMoore/CHouston/CJackson/EColeman as our DEF Secondary.

Bird-Cage meeting potentials – I will definitely be headed to the Aug.1st A.M. Falcons Training Camp and hopefully to the scrimmage game @ Brookwood High School. Would also love to hit the Sat scrimmage game at the Dome, but that might be a stretch. Can’t do it during the week because thats when the little kiddies make their way back in the school building.

JJB – good question on BFinn making the roster. Personally, I think he’s a lock as our #4 WR. The guy is a stud on 3rd down conversions and is money on Special Teams. Even though TG will take away some of those opportunities, I couldn’t see anyone replacing him of the remaining 6 on the roster. I look for Aaron Kelly, Eric Weems, & Troy Bergeron to battle it out for the 1 or 2 remaining spots. Personally I’d love to keep Kelly if he can put on some weight because that’s the perfect spot for him to develop and eventually take over for BFinn. Don’t count out Darren Mougey with his stats, 6′6 & 230 with speed and hands.

Strig(2) – good question and call on our OLB corps. I think Wire is a formidable backup and Gilbert is servicable behind Lofton. I assume TD, Smitty, & Co. are continuing the “process” letting Robert James and Spencer Adkins battle it out for the #6 LB spot. Even though he’s a touch on the light side, they’re real high on Robert “the Beast” James.

Good night all. See you on the flip side. And on that note………..

39 DAYS, 13 HOURS, & 39 MINS UNTIL 2009 ATLANTA FALCONS TRAINING CAMP!

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Dean21 – whenever you return, the training camp schedule has been released. I’ll definitely be headed up for the Aug 1st session, and will try to make to a couple of more as well, but that is the first week back for school and it will be hectic getting ready for the upcoming school year. Its too hard to make it up during the week with my 2 month old little WR.

Some Training Camp I’m looking at:
-Sat.Aug 1st (Love to go to both, but A.M. looks promising)
-Fri.Aug.7th (Scrimmage game @ Brookwood High)
-Sat.Aug.8th (Mock game in GA Dome)

OL Analysis later, for those of you interested……..

D3, I will communicate with Sarah B later today to begin setting up our meeting time & date…thanks for the schedule, and thanks for keeping the blog alive and well. I had another small break and took advantage of it, will have another during the holiday.

Sarah B…D3 brought up a good point with the schools starting back in early August. I see we have to plan the tail gating as well during the first game of the preseason and the first game of the season. I can’t wait to join in th festivites at Falcons landing! I’ll be in touch later today to work on the details.

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Stirg, that sounds like another plan to look forward to…hopefully Sarah B and I can include you in the mix.

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From an artical written by Rob Rang.

CB Christopher Owens, Atlanta (third; 90th): Though few outside of the WAC know it, San Jose State has featured several NFL-caliber defensive backs over the past few seasons, including Dwight Lowery, a part-time rookie starter last year for the Jets after being drafted in the fourth round, and Coye Francies, a sixth-round pick of the Browns this year. The most consistent of the bunch, however, has been “Peanut” Owens, a 5-9, 180-pound mighty-mite whose toughness, competitiveness and overall athleticism will make him a legitimate contender to start for the Falcons as a rookie.

Strig,

I agree that LB depth is an issue. Another would be TE. Tony G is not going to be with us for too many years. We have a need to bring some one on board to tutor. BYU has Dennis Pitta. He’s 6′5″, 250 lbs. In high school he lettered in football, track, and basketball. Sound familiar? He has won serveral scholastic awards and spent two years dong missionary work for the LDS. His junior year he caught 83 passes in 13 games for 1083 yards. Oh, did I mention, he’s an Eagle Scout?

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Daniel Cox Examiner.com on Matt Ryan.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1778-Atlanta-Falcons-Examiner~y2009m6d20-soph-slump

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STIRG-we have OLB’s RJames, CWire, SAdkins and EMiles, with MLB TGilbert. Starters MPeterson, who can play MLB, and SNicholas, who can play both OLB positions, will provide versatility and additional depth. This LB group will consist of players that have been chosen, not inherited, by TD and Smitty, and will be much better fits for our DEF system.

Our front 7, along with SS, was our major DEF weaknesses last yr. With the infusion of youth and talent, it will be one of our strengths this yr. We will have both versatility and specialization. When we need to rush the passer, we’ll have pass rushing specialist like DE’s JAbraham, KBiermann and LSidbury and DT’s like PJerry, VWalker and JBabineaux. When we need to stop the run, we’ll have stout DE’s like JAnderson and CDavis and stout DT’s like TLewis, TMiles and TJohnson. At OLB we’ll have CWire, who is strong against the run, and OLB RJames, who is strong against the pass, and is also known as a big hitter.

Our DEF coaching staff did an outstanding job of coaching up the DEF, considering the limited and rather one dimensional talent they had to work with. For the amount of yardage our DEF gave up against both the run and the pass, they did an excellent job of holding down the points allowed. With the massive infusion of youth, speed, quickness, athleticism, mobility and versatility, our DEF coaching staff will have a he!! of a lot more to work their magic with this yr.

This yrs DEF should be able to cut down drastically on the amount of passing and rushing yardage allowed, and correspondingly, the number of pts allowed. The addition of TE TGonzalez should allow our OPF to increase their 3rd down and redzone efficiency, which should correspondingly increase our scoring efficiency. That combination of OFF/DEF improvements should make us a force to deal with this upcoming season.

TALENT AND COACHING WISE, THE ATLANTA FALCONS ARE ON THE SAME LEVEL WITH THE COLTS, STEELERS, PATRIOTS, RAVENS ETC. THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS US FROM BEING CONSIDERED IN THAT ELITE COMPANY IS OUR OVERALL LACK OF EXPERIENCE, FOR BOTH THE TEAM AND COACHING STAFF. AND A WINNING TRADITION.

THAT WILL SOON CHANGE PEOPLE.

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Good points. I certainly enjoyed your clip, Unca’ Bob, about Peanut Owens. I hear TD’s process of due diligence is being noticed and admired around the league; and if Owens fit “the Matrix”, he must be special. He has a knack for sniffing out very good, talented players in middle and late rounds. I do believe Peanut is one of those players. Good point, Unca’ Bob. You really think we have a legitimate weakness at TE? You remember, you were there, how I spent countless nights arguing my point about TEs Pettigrew and Gonzalez. One night, after the rumor went up about us acquiring Gonzo, I made an entry with different looks we could use. I suggested Pettigrew/Peelle, Gonzo/Peelle, Pettigrew/Peelle/Hartsock, Gonzo/Peelle/Hartsock, Pettigrew/Gonzo/Peelle, Pettigrew/Moran/Peelle, Moran/……you get my point. That is a very good line-up, considering catching TE’s aren’t favorable in Mularkey’s scheme. When they played, both Peelle and Hartsock averaged ten yards per catch. I think we are very solid at TE, right now. Certainly would agree with you, though, that we target the best tight end in next year’s draft and we would certainly have bargaining chips to achieve that. I can’t remember the best tight end that was projected in next year’s draft but I do remember it was somebody that was like Pettigrew, to-the-third-power. I’ll look it up…

Ken (wiping my forehead), I still can’t figure out, for the life of me, how in the hell did we give up so many yards and allowed an unequal amount of points? That just does not equate, to me. Still, it happened and I don’t believe in turning over meat, several times, on the grill. Very good point though; thanks for the reminder.

The point about the depth at linebacker. I think I should have phrased the questioned a little different. The word I was supposed to use was “proven”. At every key position we have “proven” depth. Offensive and defensive lines, wide receiver, tight end, offensive and defensive backfields all have “quality-proven” players sitting behind the starters. I think linebacker is the one position we have that don’t demonstrate proven players. I’ll go along with you for Peterson and Gilbert at middle linebacker; however, its debatable about the OLB position.

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Strig,

Peele & Hartstock combined for 18 completions, 185 yds. and 2 touchdowns. Mularkey was himself, a TE. I feel we are going to get way more from TG than we got last year. P & H stuck No fear in any one in the red zone or anywhere else for that matter. Watch what MM does this year with TG. You will like it!

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Not to get to far in the future, but next years draft will be interesting. Roster will be tweaked, and needs drafted to bring in competition at positions. I agree with LB and TE being 2 needs for depth and competition. I also see RB and WR as 2 others. RB in case of Norwood leaving and WR because Finn ain’t getting any younger. That’s four out of a possible 7 or 8 picks. I also see DE, especially if Anderson does prove to be a bust( Hope Not). I don’t see a “True” need looking forward to next year’s draft as of now.

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Yeah, Unca’ Bob, I agree with you. I think we will eventually need to bring in a TE to replace TG, just like we’ll have to eventually replace old-Abe. I didn’t consider drafting outside of first round to negate high expectations, until you mentioned it. Considering the high expectations we have for the team this season, we may not have a choice; and, we may not have to, with Hartsock and Peelle. Like I mentioned, and you confirmed it with your stat, they averaged ten yards a catch. Albeit, the pass attempts were low in number, the law of proportion tells me that 18 catches for 182 yards can equate to 180 catches for 1820 yards (please, excuse my optimism). The point is, in MM’s system, they are two very good, quality-proven tight ends.

Good post!

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I have my eye on Kelly, but at the same time you would want to have at the minium 5 WRs. Anderson was a TE. Can he move back if DE doesn’t work? Just kidding. If Anderson doesn’t show dratsic improvement, he will be gone after this year, or he will drop behind Sid and Bierrman in the pecking order.

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D3, that’s fine. I actually think it’s a better day to choose than any other right now. We will look into setting up for the August 1st date. I too will be at the preseason games and hopefully all of the home games.

I agree Stirg & Jason with the TE, WR and RB positions – I’m also thinking the TE happen in next years draft. It seems that TD’s MO is to draft from within instead of big time free agents right now. I think he filled the spots he wanted to in free agency, now he will just draft the talent going forward. Dude knows what he’s doing!

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I am, however just wrapping up work so I will jump back on when I get home.

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Dean 21,

Thank you. I simply try to keep it interesting. There are many, many Cager’s that do the exact same thing, in their own way. Props to one and all. Without D-Led we would not even have the blog to post on. The kudo’s go to him.

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STIRG-once teams got to our 20yd line, our pass DEF got much better because the territory we had to defend was drastically reduced. If you’ll remember, SS LMalloy usually did a good job in pass coverage near the redzone. The closer a DB is to the goalline, the more important experience and technique become, as apposed to sheer speed and athleticism.

It’s too early to be concerned about our overall depth. Remember, we’ll have a chance to improve our depth as plenty of veteran OLB’s will be cut during training camp.

I also believe another pass catching TE will be brought in this yr. It doesn’t make sense to expand our passing OFF to include TE TGonzalez and not have a replacement that can fill his shoes as a pass receiver in the event he’s injured.

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