Got a case of the offseason football blues?

What we may lack in size. We’ll make up for in SPEED!! Peterson and Loftin will be great leaders for this LB corps.

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I just want football season to come back… waiting for the Braves to suddenly turn it around is depressing. I do like our LB depth though, and I especially like the fact that speed was a big thing that we looked for to fill positions on defense this year. Speed with no skill won’t give you much but with our coaches, I feel confident that all of out players will be ready to play and use that speed effectively

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I can’t wait for football…any kind of football whether is be pro or college. I just wanna see some hittin’.

In the mean time I’m enjoying watching Tommy Hanson light if up every night.

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woah, if one starter goes down were are in trouble or better hope the rookies are good, Wire ok but the rest of them will not be in NFL 2 years

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That Coy Wire is pretty good. He should definately get some playing time on special teams and on 3rd downs.

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You can’t place blame before a hypothetical situations occurs. It just depends. If all the new players suck… GM, if the players execute but don’t the wrong plays are called at the wrong times… coach. If Matt Ryan losses games by committing lots of turnovers… QB. I don’t see any of these things happening. I can see injuries taking out some key players which could really hurt our playoff hopes… but no way to foresee those.

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Hey D-Led I was getting a haircut the other day @ GoodFellas on Concord rd. And I look at the wall and see a big picture of you with your infamous Bowtie. I asked Tim ( who owns the shop ) if he knew you and he said that’s my man! I’ve been goi g to Tim for probably 10-15 years but I never that was you until I recently seen your picture on here. Anyways long story short it’s a small world! Do you go there to get cut or just old friends?

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My concern with the LB’s is in pass coverage against QB’s like Breeze, Brady, McNabb, i feel certain this is where we will be attacked defensively until we prove we can cover. This defense entirely will stop the run, without a doubt. We should be physically better at the position than last year.

What!!! The only thing to blame for missing the playoffs will be injury.

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falconidiot,

The QB’s you mentioned would be any ones concern. My concern is directed at the D-Line. Should they become disruptive in the other teams backfield, LB and DB play will be a moot point. The D-Line needs to put more pressure on whom ever the QB is. Should we obtain this goal this year the Falcon’s will make believers of a lot of people.

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Tyson, Nice highlight reel. I love those memories of the 2008 season. This season your highlights will be 12 min long.

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What!!!, now here’s a person that doesn’t get it. There are so many factors that go into a winning team and this person is worried about placing blame. I made the comment that football is 90% mental and 10% physical and this same person came up with the intelligent remark of thats why so many 150 lb geniuses are playing football. After a statement like that, this person is wondering who we should place the blame on if the birds don’t make the playoffs. I usually don’t give the brainless wonders of the world the time of day but for this person I will make an exception. If a fast time in the 40 and pure strength made for good football players we wouldn’t need a govenmental stimulus because we could resort to playing football, as talented as the players in the league are have you ever wondered why a mediocre team will remain mediocre until a good coach arrives. Kind of like getting a degree from Harvard and getting a degree from Chattahoochee tech. Not to offend the Chattahoochee graduates, but there is a big difference. How does a stud college athlete whom appears to be the best physical specimen in the draft become a bust, by not getting the mental aspect of the game. What!!!, have you ever heard of the wonderlic test, its a test of aptitude and intelligence, its not 100% as a predictor of success like any other test, but it gives a good barometer to base decisions on. Now I wonder why someone who could run a 4.2, 40, and bench 225 lbs 50 times, would need to take such a test. I got it, because they need to have some form of intelligence and teachability. At the same time I wonder how can a team so talented not make the playoffs without blaming the coach, QB, or GM. Once again I got it, injuries, chemistry, and the bounce of the ball, Belichick should be fired, the Patriots lost one player and didn’t make the playoffs, what a horrible coach, on that matter Tom Brady should be banned from the league, yeah he blew out a knee during a freakish hit but if he had played through the pain and suffering New England would have been superbowl contenders.

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Unca’Bob, Thanks for asking. The Wife’s doing good, going though some physical theapy. We’ll have her ready for training camp. It’s good to be back.

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I feel good about a lot of things concerning our team but the LB corps…iffy at best. been watching DVD’s of our 2008 games lately. thank goodness we picked up peterson!
IMO Lofton looked good in spots and i was mostly encouraged but he got lost in the fray and pushed back sometimes and we got run on so much that i had a hard time saying he’s a “thumper.” in college, yes!, in the pros, not yet. but hey, he SHOULD get better. Nicholas (although now we know why he didn’t play much {good luck to you and the family!}), had to go back to 2007 to see significant footage. not bad but not spectacular either. Coy Wire, love him on special teams…i really do. even thought he was okay in a reserve role. but his play in the Cardinals game was PUTRID, ATROCIOUS, REPUGNANT…(anyone know anymore words I can use?)!!! how many tackles did he miss?!! and was he ever in the right place? THAT guy was better than boley?! i LOVE him on ST though. i mean that.
i think we’ll do pretty well against the run but i was thinkin’ the same thing, falconidiot. who in our backer corp is good in pass coverage? Unca’ bob, even if we were a good pass rushing team, it’s not easy to get pressure quick enough to effect slants, shallow crosses, flats or anything quick or shallow and that’s what backers are partially or fully responsible for most of the time. a matchup with a back who can catch like reggie bush (twice a year), slot receiver, or a recieving TE against our backers scares me a little.
That said, I think the team will be fine. can’t wait for the season to start!!!!
GO GIT ‘EM FALCONS!!!!

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Just saw on “NFL NETWORK” That their sources reported that commissioner Goodell has been secretly in talks with Vicks agent and according to the talks, Vick’s agent is led to believe that Vick will be allowed to play in the NFL in this season.

I guess “YAHOO SPORTS” should fire their sources who stated Vick would be suspended for the entire season

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WR that is VS2 in disguise – ignore please, there is no reasoning with him.

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I think our LB’s will be fine TD is some kind of miracle worker but we will see.

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[...] Got a case of the offseason football blues? ” Got a bad case of the offseason down home blues. There are no OTAs to cover. No mini-camps. The draft has been over for months. [...]

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WR, you made a good point about intelligence being a key element in football success. In fact, two weeks ago, ESPN’s Colin Cowherd compared college graduation percentages of all the players in the NFL to those in MLBaseball and it was a surprising 85% for NFL and less than 20% in all of MLB. It was also pointed out on his ‘Herd’ show and by Chuck Oliver on 680 The Fan that the closer you line up to the center of the field (closer to the football for Offense), the more important intelligence is. The QB has to read defenses, call audibles, check down receivers etc. and the Center typically calls blocking formations for the O line. Brains are always important but for RBs and WRs, speed, strength, hands, and athleticism are probably more important. On D it’s usually the Middle Linebacker and Safety directing player positioning.

With all the parity in player talent throughout the league, intelligence in the GM and Coaching Staff are crucial. Luckily the Falcons have Dimitroff and Smith. Building a team with a cohesive chemistry is vital and a problematic great talent or two can disrupt a team. Smart teams use addition by subtraction: T.O., D. Hall, J. Shockey, M. Vick, ‘Pacman’ Jones etc. One bad apple……….

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falmouth,

Your disc from last year can now become a Frisbee. Two of the LB’s you were watching are no longer on the team. With improved D-Line play Loften’s play will step up conciderablly. We now know about Nicholas’ lack of play last year, and the best read of the year BTW. Peterson had some issues at Jax last year so look for him to come in and prove he can still play at the NFL level. Overall, the LB corps looks pretty solid. I look for us to draft a LB next year that will have had played in a system that would have required him to play against the run and pass.We get him trained-up to replace M Peterson when he opts to retire.

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A couple of posters have already touched on it: it’s hard to make a reasoned judgement on the LB corps when the DL is not yet a known quantity. I trust the coaches are working hard to get the first two defensive layers in sync. Having a year (or more, in Peterson’s case) under their belts with the current system should help tremendously.

Unfortunately, the Falcons LB image burned into my mind is of both the MLB and OLB biting on the RB coming out of the backfield while the Cardinals TE rolled into the void created by our dropping safety, effectively ending the Falcon’s 2008 season. Third and sixteen — still hard to believe!

I need a new, more satisfying image. Hopefully, the LB crew described above will provide it.

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Interested to read that Mr. Blank’s right-hand man Reggie Roberts suddenly is playing golf which makes him now OFFICIALLY semi-retired.

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Is anybody else experiencing football withdrawal symptoms….?LOL

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Joe Be, Reggie deserves alot of time off for golf (and then some) considering all the BS he has dealt with over the past few years (Vick, Petrino, Moore). I think he deserves a medal.

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This question was put to new Falcon Garrett Reynolds:

Q: You’ve got a family background with the Volunteers and you grew up in Knoxville. How did you not end up at the University of Tennessee?
A: I grew up watching their games and stuff, and going to them with my pops. They just offered me a preferred walk-on though, and I ended up going over to North Carolina on a visit and I absolutely loved it. The teammates seemed great, and you know, I really liked the atmosphere, and I knew if I ever blew out my knee or something, I’d have a great degree to back me up. So it worked out great for me and I wouldn’t change it for nothing.

Isn’t that a complete diss at a University of Tennessee diploma? lol Whatever, I wish Garrett luck and think he will do great for us.

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Strig,

Peterson is a natural OLB and was placed into the middle out of need in Jax.

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Seems good to me. Again, I think we’re sitting pretty at linebacker.

Brian Hunt: Funny; linebackers look like a bad Spades hand. If you play your cards right, that “one and a bunch of possibilities” can turn four or five books, especially if “that one” is a Joker, like Lofton (the guarantee).

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Sarah B,

32nd draft choise? Priceless!!!

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Blues does not express what we are feeling, this is like depression.

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Hang on Sarah, preseason is just around the corner!!!

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Here’s a link to the most underrated and overrated players in the NFL

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/11916896

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I am literally sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the season to begin. The Falcons linebacking corps is just one of the many areas of this years team that I am really excited about. I can’t wait til September 13th when the Miami Dolphins become our first victim.

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The Fourth is tomorrow. In addition to celebrating the nation’s Independence, it means that Football Season is getting closer!!!

SARAH B.: I’m worried about you. How can we get you to cheer up a bit?

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Good morning folks. Happ 4th. I see that there are alot of new bloggers. Didn’t read alot of posts, skimmed through alot. WR, Unca Bob,Sarah B, Strig, and row3. I see you all are holding down the fort. I also D3 is hiatus. I will be back and jump in the conversations. I have been perusing the Braves blog. In this down time and nothing on the “idiot box” as Sarah would say, I have been following my Braves. They look about ready to start a run. There are alot of idiots over there, unlike here with the exception of a new blogger “what!”, whoever that is. Just one more to ignore. He will be gone soon, once he reads the wisdom and knowledge of the D.O.L. and D3 crew. Can’t talk alot of $h!t to people who actually knows what they are talking about. Where’s D3? I forgot how many days to training camp and the preseason. Hoolar at you guys and Gal later.

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thanx Sarah B., hahaha! if you’re bored ’til training camp you can always start writin’ a thesaurus. me, i’ll be playin’ with the frisbees my Unca bob gave me.
talked to a few people who also agree we should draft a backer with a high pick next year. that doesn’t say much about the corps to me but we’ll see. i’d GLADLY eat crow if it means we’re good.
our lack of pass covering lb’s got me thinking about the secondary. i read that DeCoud was working with the first team D (was only ota but…). very interesting! i think i like that, would be cool to see him on the field more! but! if was with the first team was it at strong? i would assume so since we coleman at starting fs. hmmm, 197lb DeCoud at strong. hmmmm. anybody know what position he was playing?
first last years dvd’s now safety talk…maaaan, thinga are slow. come on training camp!

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Offseason Blues?

Nope, not me!

We got rid of that inarticulate THUG # 7 and his worthless, rage-filled, rude “Supporters” forever.

We also got Tony Gonzalez!

This has been THE BEST offseason for the Falcons in a long time.

GO, BIRDS!

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I think in a couple of years we could possibly have on of the better defensive backfields in the NFL. If it all works out then I can see Jackson and Owens as our starting CB’s with DeCoud and Moore at S. The reason why I think this will work out great is because Jackson and Owens can play the ball well while in flight. Jackson is a Saban guy and Saban doesn’t mess around with CB’s who are uncomfortable when the ball is in the air. Chris Houston anyone? From the video I’ve seen of Owens, he can run the receivers route better than the receiver himself. DeCoud and Moore can both hit and cover or at least have the skills to do so. In a couple of years, who knows, we could have a backfield that rivals past Philly backfields.

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I’m content with our starters — and a BIG fan of Lofton — but honestly, I’m a little concerned about our backup LBs this year.

The offense is going to be outstanding, and we’re going to have the ability to put up a lot of points as a result, but I think I could see us getting into some shootouts this year, particularly if Abraham, Lofton, or Peterson go down for any measure of time.

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Greetings from Beautiful Tennessee Fellow ‘Cagers! It’s 75 degrees and cool up here in NE Tenn. Even though I’m on a mini-vaca, I couldn’t resist popping in for a second. Looks like I picked a bad time to leave the ‘Cage, as we’re seeing some serious activity in our favorite forum. Love to see all the different posters coming into play. We’re officially under the 30 day mark, for those of you counting, until the most competitive Training Falcons Camp, maybe ever. To the ‘Birds…….

Off-Season Blues – honestly, this has been one of the best years I’ve ever had with the anticipation and outright boredom in the off-season. Usually I’m climbing the walls waiting for August to get here and can’t wait another second. I’ve had a little one to keep me busy for certain, but my new favorite hobby, The Bird-Cage, has helped me with my football fix and created a slow-building wave of excitement that will bursting like a volcano come September 12th.

I’ve really found ways to enjoy each season this year. In the past, there was only one season……Football Season, from September until the Super Bowl. And then the dark clouds of boredom and even depression set in, but this year I found a way to make the most of it.

The end of February started with the combines and analyzing some players that the Falcons could be looking at and trying to get a grasp of what’s out there and familiarizing myself with players. (I mean who ever heard of Connor Barwin and Sammie Hill?). In March, I broke out my Thrashers jersey once and saw a game at Phillips (wanted to see more, but the House CEO was seriously preganant and uncomfortable). Been meaning to go a Hawks game forever now, just didn’t have the time with my Little WR on the way. Loved the start of free-agency, especially the first week or so and see who’s donning new uniforms and any trades that’s on the books. This year the Cutler saga was the premiere headline with that Dolt of a new head coach, McDaniels, being the utmost arrogant tool and trading away their best player (didn’t ever really mind the Broncos, but hope they fail big-time now because of that dumb@—.) Followed the Hawks in the playoffs in April.

April saw the Masters, which was a really good one this year and finished with a storming Tiger and Phil on Sunday, and a total collapse by Kenny Perry to lose the Green Jacket. Start of the Braves season, which was neat to watch with so many new players and pitchers.

And of course how can I forget the absolute masterful and awesome Bird-Cage that was at a high pitch about the draft for almost a full month. That was some serious good stuff and it took something that was a small enjoyment for me to another level when I got to know all the regulars in here. What a draft it was, and Reno911 taking home the title of best mock draft, who’s gone M.I.A. since. Spent a couple of weeks analyzing that in May and tried to take my nephews to their first Braves game, which was rained out.

Watched the US Open in June, found another new hobby in trying to emulate Bobby Flay, the Grilling Messiah. Played some Madden of course and kept track of Andy Roddick in Wimbledon, who’s in the semi-finals. After a crappy streak of losses and pitiful play, looks like the Braves have a shot in a terrible NL East. And to top it off, the Tour de France starts tomorrow which I’m stoked about. My brother got me into it about 5 years ago and its a lot of fun to watch, especially when our man Lance Armstrong is in it (going for Title #8 this year). Not only is it fun to watch everyday, but it also takes us right into training camp.

But the biggest thing helping me through the Off-Season Blues is my fellow Bird-Cager’s where I can come and talk good, intelligent football with cool fans. A true hobby that I throroughly enjoy!

Sorry for the long post, but the ‘Cage is kind of like a drug and I just seriously OD’d after being away for several days. Drop back in later………

LESS THAN 28 DAYS UNTIL MOST COMPETITIVE FALCONS TRAINING CAMP EVER!!!!

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I’m excited to see Stephen Nicholas….I feel like Stephen Nicholas can be a impact LB…… Look for Nicholas to have a great year……..

Also

I’m excited to see Spencer Adkins during training camp and the during preseason..The Steelers was really high on Spencer Adkins… All Spencer Adkins has to do is show flashes of his ability right now……… Spencer Adkins have allot of potential as a attacking WLB…. I know as a WLB Spencer Adkins awareness must improve because he will be called on to drop in covering but the guy has the talent to do so.

40 Yrd Dash: 4.48
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 30
Vertical Jump: 36 1/2
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.25

The guy has “The U” type LB talent …. I want to see can the Coaching Staff turn that raw talent into a starting WLB in 2 or 3 years (when Mike Peterson retire) ……..

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Atljbo,

Good research on S Adkins. He’s 5′11″ and comes in at between 235 to 245 lbs. With the speed and his size he could certainly blow somebody up. He will make a great addition for our S Teams.

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yup

Jon Beason is barely 6′0 an dude is a beast……5′11 and 6′0 is not a huge difference…. Spencer Adkins also has that LB chiseled body so im not worried about his size and talent……. its a mental thing with him….. I look for Adkins to be a special teams ace while he learn his position from a good LB (Mike Peterson) for 2 or 3 years.

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D3, we also have the British open approaching.

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falcon 21,
2 weeks, I’ll be pulling for THE MAN of course, but if not tiger, how ’bout D.Duval? I hope the open was not a fluke and it would make WR and every other yellowjacket happy. If not tiger/duval – then american. I dont know which course their playing but I hope its one of those with knee high grass against the ocean’s furry!
Phils out, so maybee a vet. like D.loveIII or K. Perry- he’s been playing lights out lately- he just needs a sedative on sundays.

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JJ, right on about K.Perry, if he would have had a couple of beers in his bag on the last few holes he would have won the Masters.

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Atljbo,

You are correct, in that size does not determine the merit of a player. J Abraham is not the biggest player on our roster, let alone the NFL.

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Cager’s,

I feel like I have been ran over by a Fat Tire and I can hear my pillow callin’ my name. JJ, thanx for the props. Atljbo, thanx for the great video. Please come back to join in. D3, enjoy your mini-vac. Why does that sound like something you would clean your key pad with?

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Who golf without a few beers in their bag???

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Sarah B. a bad day of the golf is when you are playing bad but a really bad day of golf is when you are playing bad and have no Bud Light!!!

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oh who cares what you said it’s all good in the cage….

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We are gonna give up so many rushing yards on defense, it might get ugly

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Hello falmouth…

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falmouth, I’ll be here to provide more words when you need them.

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The Open will be played at Turnberry.

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[...] like to sit down and discuss the team we all love so dearly. I’ll direct you toward this selection of musings from the AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter, who takes a brief look at some backup linebacking [...]

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Aren’t the Saints picked to win the division every year??????? How’d they do last year????? How are they better??? According to the odds the Falcons weren’t even a 8-8 team last year and all they did was almost win the NFC South, missing out by a single win. Now all they did was get better during the off season. So F#$K Vegas. I hate that place anyway.

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Thanks Unca’ Bob- Fox Sports

3. Falcons’ offense will be better than Panthers’ offense

Sure, the Atlanta offense doesn’t boast a Steve Smith or have a running back combination with the versatility of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

But Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, the impact of Tony Gonzalez and one of the most underrated offensive lines in the NFL give the Falcons the edge.

What will “Matty Ice” do for an encore after one of the single greatest rookie seasons at quarterback in NFL history? How about become even more dominant after general manager Thomas Dimitroff didn’t rest on his laurels, dealing for one of the most prolific tight ends in NFL history? Ryan tossed 16 touchdowns last year. Having Gonzalez will equal at least 22 touchdowns this season. It will give Ryan the ability to work the middle of the field more. And with safety help rolling in Gonzo’s direction, WR Roddy White will score over 10 touchdowns this year after last season’s breakout stunning campaign of 88 catches and 1,382 receiving yards. And Gonzo still has at least three years left of playing at a Hall of Fame clip.

Michael Turner literally ran with his first opportunity to be a bell-cow back, with just under 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Who needs Michael Vick?

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Shot off some illegal fireworks – all good fun. What!!! Beat it. Only positive Fallcon talk here. Yes the Saints are picked to win the division every year but it’s ours this year.

What a great weekend so far, I love the pool!!!

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[...] like to sit down and discuss the team we all love so dearly. I’ll direct you toward this selection of musings from the AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter, who takes a brief look at some backup linebacking [...]

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Dec 27th at the dome. Get your popcorn ready!

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WR, Can you please tell me what keeping it real means? I hear it all the time on tv and in music, but what the hell does it mean?
being honest? or truthfull?
If your not keeping it real, does that mean your lying?

I’m sure it’s just me but I have never in my life injected “I’m just keeping it real” in a sentence or thought.

Just curious, but hey, I’m just keeping it real!!!

First time for everything.

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Here’s a example of keeping it “Real”:

Everyone knows Mcnairs murder was done by a black man. Perhaps a robbery crew, or perhaps a drug dealer that he was an aquaintence with. Its only the politically correct pansies and the blacks in denial that their culture sucks and has no morals, that would even think that it was a murder suicide, or that the victims family had anything to do with it.
No racism here, just keeping it real.

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Delusional and unsubstantiated? wow thats words only dumb ignorant Liberals would use when someone calls out the truth and keeps it “Real”.
Kind of like all the dumb liberal women who said “it could of been a white man” when talking about the eastside bartenders murder. Once again i was proven RIGHT in the end!!

falmouth probably also thought OJ was innocent didnt ya?

This is a FOOTBALL blog… and im talking about a FOOTBALL player… i have every right to do so!
Im only surprised more people dont have the balls to call this out for what it was.

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Just a quick hit boys & gals as I wrap my mini-vaca up here in Tenn.

Don’t take the hate bait my fellow Cagers. As JJ said awhile back, a fire needs oxygen to survive. Don’t even respond to the infantile, petulant posts.
As tempting as it may be, don’t be the hate oxygen, and eventually it will burn itself out.
Good, intelligent, actual football talk in a respectful manner.

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D3, how is PF? I’m guessing that is where you are. Hello Jason, be careful that Braves blog is deadly. Anyway we don’t have long to wait and our Birds will be flying.

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WR no offense taken, in fact I agree, a lot, just haven’t found anyone yet, but only November since the big D was final. Falcon21, no harm no foul. I am very hard to offend. Sad about McNair, but he shouldn’t have been getting jiggy wit it on his wife.

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Not your typical woman remember?

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Good summing up Ken S. The Douch 2009 can have a family reunion with himself.

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WR, good analogy.

Does madden nfl come out soon?

This month of July is going to be the longest month of the year!

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AMAN JJ!! I think the defense will be just fine.

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JJ-Excellent analysis. We have only 2 positions that are lacking in depth, and they are (1) a backup pass catcthing TE and (2) a backup FB. MBL CLofton has worked extremely hard this off season at increasing his strength, speed and quickness by reducing both his weight and his body fat. OLB MPeterson adds speed and striking power to our LB group. OLB SNicholas will be an upgrade over MBoley just by the fact he’s proven to be a good fit in our DEF system, which Boley obviously wasn’t.

In CB DFoxworth, we lose experience, polish and outstanding technique, which served hIM and the DEF well, since we didn’t have much of a pass rush. With either CJackson, BGrimes, COwens or RMiddleton replacing him, we lose the experience, and some of the polish and technique, but we gain more speed and quickness, which will be an asset and possible neutralize his loss now that we’ll have a solid pass rush. Also, we cannot underestimate the impact of having a SS that can cover at least half the field backing up our CB’s in pass DEF.

In just one off season, we’ve gone from starting a past his prime one dimensional SS, that struggled with pass DEF, to 5 young safeties versatile enough to effectifely play both safety positions, with one, Al Harris, being athletic enough to play CB as well. Last yr we basically had a one man pass rush(DE JAbraham). This yr, we’ll have at least 2 DE’s that will serve as pass rushing specialist(KBiermann & LSidbury). We also had only one DT that was capable of generating an inside pass rush(JBabineaux). This off season, we’ve added at least 3 more in TLewis, PJerry and VWalker.

I DON’T THINK THERE’S EVER BEEN A FALCONS DEF THAT HAD A COMBINATION OF SPEED, QUICKNESS, ATHLETICISM AND DEPTH TO EQUAL THIS YRS DEF. WE HAVE SO MUCH YOUNG TALENT AND DEPTH, ESPECIALLY ON DEF, WE COULD END UP CUTTING PLAYERS DURING TRAINING CAMP, THAT COULD END UP AS STARTERS FOR OTHER TEAMS.

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Falcon21, no need to apologize, its not that serious. You have been in the cage for a while, trust me Sarah is glad you came to her defense, I am too, even though there was no need. Thats pretty much how the cage works, we talk mostly Falcons but we will defend our brethren or sister when the need arises. Look at Ken Strickland, probably the most unconfrontational person in the cage, but if you hit a button he will fire back, not with hate or vile, but with the truth. I argued back and forth with Unca’Bob about a week ago, got kind of heated at times, but in the end we were arguing about the same team, a team we all want to see succeed and thats what makes the bird cage special. I can’t go on forever because I’m not talking football, but I do want to leave you with a good example: Jason is a faithful member of the cage, Jason is also someone who is going through some issues that none of us want to ever face, so what do I do, I jump on his beloved Bulldogs, why, because for one moment in time he gets to fire off on my Jackets and even though he might not need it, he gets to go into a different world, a world where there are no limits and in the end you can still be friends because you share a common bond. To top it off I hear some of the things his family is facing and I realize that life is not all that bad for me, I refocus and think about what is going well in my life without focusing on whats not. Thats why I messed with Sarah, when you understand people you understand that this is a place of release and ultimately a place where someone can find comfort and sometimes in that place of comfort someone makes you face something that is on your mind, you have a laugh and it doesn’t bother you quite as much. Thats what makes sports so great, you can have the toughest week and when your favorite team wins, it gets you going and you start a new week fresh and ready to take on the world. Bad part about it is when you have a bad week and your team loses, but you gotta figure thats why beer is so famous around game time.

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falcon21, I caught Tony G. on Rome as well. He said 2 things that really caught my attention. First, he said that he doesn’t think he’ll get double team’d because of Roddy, Jenkins and H. Douglas. The other thing he said was during OTA’s, that he’s noticed this team doesn’t have any “me” players (ie. Hall, ochoknucklehead). We’ve all known this for some time, but it’s nice when an outsider comes in and reaffirm what we’ve been saying for months! We finally have a TEAM in the big ATL!

I bet other teams defensive coordinators (especially in the nfc south) are wondering the same thing: who do we double? Pick your poison!

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Hi guys, glad to see all fences are mended. I have a great sense of humor and am not easily offended. The thing that hacks me off the most on these blogs is the race thing and well that “first” thing though mostly the race thing. I have no idea what color any of you are and could care less. Nor the players on my team. The “thug” thing hacks me off too – just a replacement for the “n” word in my opinion. Remember I didn’t grow up in the South, however it is not is exclusive here as I keep finding out as stupid people will say things to me because I’m a white female.

Now, can’t wait for training camp and will definately be at the AM 8/1 even though it does start at 8:30 in the morning.

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Although, job required…

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Well, he really better do things that need to be done. The last one didn’t do !@#$!

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Back in the ‘Cage Again! Great to be back with my brethren after a nice, relaxing mini-vaca up in East Tennessee seeing the House CEO’s family. Recharged and ready to go as we’re under 26 days until training camp. Picked a bad time to take a sabbatical from the Bird’s blog. Looks like I missed some humor, confrontation, and some hate-fishing out there. Proud of my fellow ‘Cage members for not taking the bait. Don’t even acknowledge that corrosive bile spewing out of their mouths. When we even respond to that garbage, we validate that it is actually a comment worth something. To ‘Birds and ‘Ball………….

Ken Strick – great 10 point analysis on our potential this year. Just playing devil’s advocate, but I think we might want to temper our expectations just a tad on our defense. Our defense is loaded with potential, but its still potential until they show they can gel together and play as a unit. We probably can’t do a lot worse than last year’s DEF, but even though we gave up a ton of yards, we did good limiting points last year ranking 11th in points given up per game. Does having one of the lightest DT tandems in the NFL concern you?

Falconless in Seattle – I’m not completely drinking the Saints Kool-Aid, but I think they be pretty tough if they can get their DEF to improve ANY. Malcom Jenkins was a good pick and Sedrick Ellis should be healthy, but other than that they had a pretty crappy draft. How’s the reports of Lil’ Jimmy Mora out there in Sea-town?

WR – great point to bring up. This is first and foremost a football forum, but we talk about all kinds of things on here. Even though none of us have probably met, we share a feeling of concern for one another. Of all my buddies, I’m the only one who doesn’t have a Facebook account. When asked why not, I say “because I got the Bird-Cage!” That’s all the social network I need. Its a fun hobby.

JJ – thanks for asking the “keeping it real.” It was a question that many of us benefited from having it answered. Didn’t watch the PGA tour that Tiger won. I was too busy watching that epic Wimbledon match, pulling for my boy Andy Roddick. Normally not a tennis fan, but love to root for Americans in any sport. Hated to see him lose such a great match. Now watching my boy Lance resurrect and give himself an excellent chance to win it for an EIGHTH TIME! Madden won’t come out until like mid-August. Sucks, huh? Also, might have a little surprise coming soon to liven up July, August, and beyond.

falmouth – thanks for your effort to re-direct our convo’s back off that hate spewing out of the mouths of idiots. Notice, without acknowledgement, they simply fade away. Its a beautiful thing.

falcon21 – here’s a little info I got our NW GA (Calhoun) WR commitment Da’rick Rogers. 6′2, 197; 4.34 40-Time. WOW!…..
“Rogers is a special talent. He has all the tools to be an elite receiver on the next level. He is built like a linebacker, but he is a smooth athlete that runs well, that has great body control, and he has as much potential as anyone in Georgia. He is a great straightline runner, but needs to improve flexibility. If he puts everything together, then he can be a 2010 signee that plays as a true freshman. – Chad Simmmons – South Recruiting Analyst.”
Can you imagine him, AJ Green, and Marlon Brown?

jason – sounds like a great thing getting all the boys(and girls) back on board as we creep ever so slowly to Training Camp. What’s the word over there at the Bravo’s? Win 5, lose two. Time to clean house with some of those guys, namely (G.Anderson, K.Johnson, Francouer, Kotchman, etc, etc). Did you ever find out about a possible transfer to GA?

Offical APB’s (All Points Bulletin) – going along with jason’s note I’m officially sending out search and rescues for some of our fellow ‘Cagers who have gone missing for some time now. Time to get the ENTIRE crew back together:
-Seminole Warrior
-Nookah
-Lil’ Dave
-Marko
-Reno911
-Falcon Devil
-dacha

Great to be back ladies and gents! More to come later. And on that note………..25 DAYS, 14 DAYS, & 6 MINS to MOST COMPETITIVE, EXCITING FALCONS TRAINING CAMP IN HISTORY!

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D3, don’t drink the Saints Kool Aid. And Da’rick will not be a player we will red shirt from what I have heard about him. Falcons and Dawgs, sorry WR!!!

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D3, funny you should say that about facebook, I feel the same way. The people I want to keep up with, I keep up with, I kind of consider facebook a place where people try to figure out if they were known. If you didn’t know me when I was one of your peers why do you want to know me now. Nothing against people on facebook, but I made my life, when times were bad the people that cared were there, when times were good those same people were there to celebrate the good. Its pretty much how I view Falcons fans, and why the cage is such a release, if you are a true Falcons fan you have suffered but you have kept the faith, no matter how excited I am about the upcoming season I still have that little voice of doubt and I am looking forward to the birds putting an end to that feeling this year.

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http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcsouth/0-12-124/Video–Tony-Gonzalez-on-joining-Falcons.html

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JJ, have you noticed that the ratings for the NFC on Madden have been posted on espn.com. If you go by the Madden ratings William Moore will be a starting safety this year. Moore is rated much higher than Decoud which is strange considering Decoud has a year in the pros and Moore is a rookie.

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WR – sorry no offense I did forget to ask if you were single. Well?

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Oh and here I thought I was the only one in the world that didn’t have a Facebook page. Good to know. I just don’t get it.

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Reno911,

I have found a recipe for you. I got it from the President of the South Carolina B-B-Q Association. I haven’t tried it yet, but it comes from a very good source. Please give me a heads-up if you would want this recipe.

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D3-Eveb though our DEF has a lot of potential, I do think our starting DEF will be based more on actual talent and ability than potential. The veterab players that are in position to assume starting positions, like DT TLewis, SS TDeCoud, AHarris and JFudge, CB’s VHutchins, BGrimes, DIrons and CJackson, LB’s SNicholas and MPeterson and DE’s CDavis and KBiermann are all proven veterans at this point. For the most part, very little potential will be included in our starting lineup, and any player that’s included in our rotations will have proven their worth
after intense competition during training camp.

The other reason I feel so strongly about our DEF is our coaching staff. We gave up am awful lot or passing and rushing yardage last yr, but very few points, comparatively speaking. That was directly due to an outstanding job of coaching, especially when you consider the number of season ending injuries they had to deal with. I can only imagine how much more effective they’ll be with the infusion of speed, quickness, mobility, youth, versatility, athleticism and depth they’ll have to work with. I JUST CAN’T SEE HOW THE ADDITIONS TO OUR ACTIVE ROSTER OF DT’S PJERRY, TLEWIS AND VWALKER, LB’S MPETERSON, SADKINS AND RJAMES, SS/FS WMOORE AND AHARRIS, CB’S DIRONS, COWENS, BGRIMES AND VHUTCHINS AND DE LSIDBURY WON’T ALLOW US TO REDUCE THE EXCESSIVE RUSHING AND PASSING YARDAGE ALLOWED LAST YR, AND FURTHER REDUCE THE POINTS ALLOWED.

Any rookie that earns a starting slot this yr will have to beat out a veteran player to do so. This isn’t like last yr when certain rookies were automatically given starting positions, like QB MRyan, LDT SBaker and MLB CLofton. They didn’t have to earn starting positions, their starting positions were theirs to lose from day one. Not a single one of this yrs draftees will have an automatic starting slot given to them. Last yr, it would have been correct to talk about potential, but not this yr. THIS YR IT’S GOING TO BE ABOUT TALENT, ABILITY ABD PERFORMANCE, NOT POTENTIAL.

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Unca’Bob—–HEADS UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You should know better brother than holding on to a BBQ recipie!

WR, yea those madden numbers are wack! Someone was smokin’ something.

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JJ,

Sorry. I didn’t kknow you were on board.

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JJ that crap just’s leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Don’t know why but even after your warning, well in my defense I wanted to read Bradley’s part even though he rehashed it from SI, but I was just stupid enough to read part of the comments. Promptly left back out after someone lumped Vick in with Our President of this great country.

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Let’s try again shall we:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4271465&categoryid=3550185

Unbeleivable graphics of course, but I cannot wait to play out our season on the 65″ (box, not flat screen unfortunately). I’m finally going to upgrade (after allot of research) to the PSIII, blue ray won.

Talked to some guys at gamestop and they think sony will have a pkg. deal with madden for around $299.

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WR, I hear what you’re saying. It’s all good but leave the hedges alone! By the way, I once new a GT fan and that is rare in these parts. Just kidding.

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Sarah B. – tnk my princess of the ‘cage! Haven’t heard from D3, must be tending to little WR. I used to live off of dresdan and chamblee-tucker back in the 90’s, sounds close to you. I’m now outside the perimeter, but with-in miles. I disagree with you about dekalb county, you can have them. Nothing racial, just political nin-comb-poops? At least ya’ll got rid of MR. CEO.

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Rescue me is on, the best cable show on tv, besides deadliest catch!

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What’s Goin’ on My Fellow ‘Cagers? Good times rolling along here during the dog days of summer, scorching heat, good grillin’, and getting ever so closer to the big day: 2009 Training Camp! It’ll be here before you know it. To ‘Birds and ‘Ball……..

falcon21 – I’m not completely sold on the Saints, but if everything fell into place, which would be a lot, they might could make some noise. Reggie Bush is turning out to be just like his buddy Matt Leinart: pretty boy USC guys who like the idea of being a football player, rather than actually working hard to achieve. We’ll see.

Tim – thanks for the props my friend. We certainly welcome your opinion and its a great way to pass the time as we try to entertain ourselves as we move ever so closer to August. I’ve usually never given a crap about pre-season…until now. I can’t wait for this one. All credit goes to TD & Smitty for that one.

JJ – what’s up my friend? Thanks, but until it goes live I’m not counting my eggs yet. It all seems a go, but I’m just playing the waiting game at this point. That’s the main reason I haven’t really said anything. If it does go forwards, I’ve got a bunch of stuff ready for us. Can’t wait for this year’s Madden, for obvious reasons. They should release it exactly one month from the first game in order to give us something to do for chrissake.

Sarah B. – you’re definitely not the only one who doesn’t have a Facebook account. But people who I never in a million years would have one, does. I got my social networking here in the ‘Cage. What fireworks did you shoot off? I set off a few good ones in Tenn on July 4th. $20 gone in like 2 minutes.

WR – you know I’m all in for a fantasy league for sure. The thing is that we’ve got to get at least 8 in. I’m in, you, & Sarah, but do we have 5 more?

Coach Ken – Oh, I definitely agree about the potential we have ready to go. I guess I’m just a bit superstitous on pumping up our team before the season starts. Jerry and Lewis having serious injury histories makes me a little nervous. By every account, we should see vast improvement.

SPS – nice point on Hutchins. He may be in great with the coaching staff, but he will have a serious climb to get over injury and win a spot, especially if we only carry 5 CB’s.

Good stuff peeps. DOL’s gotta a new blog up, I guess we’ll see you over there!

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I’m definately up for a fantasy league. Can we do it on Yahoo? That’s the one we use for our work league so I know it well. We have at least 5 so far so 3 more should not be hard. No more than 12 though, last year we had 12 and when you had an injury the waiver wire was empty and it was pot luck.

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