Clancy Pendergast headed our way?; TV ratings up
UPDATE
TWO QUICK THINGS
1. CLANCY PENDERGAST: We’re checking out this Clancy Pendergast to the ATL note. I know when the Falcons played Arizona in the playoffs last year, Coach Mike Smith had nothing but kind words to say about Pendergast and defense.
Don’t know what happened in Kansas City other than Scott Pioli is trying to put the New England band back together.
2. FALCONS ARE TV DARLINGS: For the second consecutive year the Falcons have seen a significant rise in TV ratings, according to Nielsen TV ratings provided by the NFL Broadcasting Department.
Falcons game TV ratings have increased 57 percent since 2007, the largest increase among any other NFL team. Atlanta is also up seven percent in ratings from last year’s 11-5 campaign.
In 2009, Falcons games were viewed by an average of 498,000 homes each week while Atlanta ’s Sunday Night contest against Chicago at the Georgia Dome reached the highest audience for the team in a single regular season week (642,000 homes).
FALCONS LANDING — Free Safety Thomas DeCoud was a surprise pick as the team’s defensive most valuable
Safety Thomas DeCoud laid a big hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees on Monday Night Football on Nov. 2. The hit led to a touchdown.
player by head coach Mike Smith on Monday.
The battle for the starting strong safety position never materialized when second round pick William Moore struggled with his health.
Secondary coach Alvin Reynolds had to make a decision.
He elected to move last season’s free safety, Erik Coleman, over to Lawyer Milloy’s old strong safety. That created the opening for DeCoud, a third round pick in the 2008 draft from California.
DeCoud entered the final game with 108 tackles, according to the coaches’ film breakdown. He had two sacks, three interceptions, two sacks and one forced fumble.
He impressed with his striking ability. It was his hit that ended Clinton Portis‘ season.
DeCoud was also strong in coverage. His range allowed him to provide help over the top of the zones.
The Falcons don’t really like the old free and strong safety classifications. They like to have the hybrid safeties with range and hitting ability.
The question on DeCoud was if he had the hitting ability. He showed his speed and range on special teams as rookie.
When he started pummeling folks in the run game and stopping receivers in their tracks after the catch, you thought he was a keeper.
Now, he’s the coaches’ MVP.
HOFer EMMITT THOMAS’ CONTRACT NOT RENEWED: Longtime Falcons assistant coach Emmitt Thomas’ contract was not renewed by the team.
“Everyone here in the Falcons organization has the utmost respect for Emmitt, and we deeply appreciate his contributions to our team over the years,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said Tuesday night. “We wish Emmitt the best in his future endeavors.”
Thomas, who served as the assistant head coach/secondary for the past two seasons under Smith, was an assistant under the team’s past four head coaches.
Thomas first joined the Falcons in 2002 under Dan Reeves.
He was responsible for keeping the team together when Bobby Petrino left during the 2007 season and was selected to serve has the interim head coach.
Last season, the defense finished 28th in the league against the pass.
When Smith was named the head coach, one his first decisions was to retain Thomas and promote him to assistant head coach/secondary.
Last season was Thomas’ 42nd in the league. He played for 13 years and has coached for 29 seasons.
Thomas made the Kansas City Chiefs out of tiny Bishop College and went to a stellar career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August of 2008.
Q & A EXTRA: Here’s a bonus question from the interviews the AJC conducted with owner Arthur Blank, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and and Smith earlier in the week. (THE BIGGEST NEWS FROM THE Q&A’s WAS THAT THE OWNERS AND THE NFLPA ARE MEETING ONCE A WEEK IN AN ATTEMPT TO SETTLE THEIR LABOR DIFFERENCES, according to Blank.)
Sam Crenshaw and DOL on Sports Extra, Jan. 10, 2010.
How active will the Falcons be in free agency?
Blank: “That will depend in part on whether or not the year is uncapped or capped because obviously the number of players that are free agents would become restricted free agents. So, we’d have to see how that plays out.”
Dimitroff: “We are very, very active in our evaluations of the free agents at this point. We’ve done a lot of work and we’ll continue to compare a lot of the free agents out there at positions of need. Again, we are waiting patiently to find out what will come to fruition on March 5 (start of free agency).”
Smith: “We are going to always try to better our team. Of course at the core, Thomas and I believe that you build through the draft and you supplement through free agency. If this is an uncapped season, the landscape of free agency will be much different than years before.”
A few other items. . .
Nice bow-tie!!!
DIMITROFF ON THE POTENTIAL OF AN UNCAPPED YEAR: “We are not going to be driven by the uncapped year. We will be very mindful of it. . . I know that we will be very fiscally responsible here.”
BLANK ON CONTINUITY OF THE COACHING STAFF: (He answered this before Thomas’ contract was not renewed.) “I think if you look at the great teams in the NFL, one of the things that’s pretty consistent is their positions at the top of their organizations. The general manager, the personnel departments, their head coach, their
Mark Gastinaeu, Joe Klecko (73), Marty Lyons, and Abdul Salaam New York Jets. Klecko and Gastineau who lead the NFL in sacks with 20.5, and 20 respectfully led the Sack Exchange in 1981.
coordinators and their position coaches. They tend to stay together. So we are going to do whatever we can to make sure that this organization has that kind of stability.”
MORE ON KLECKO: Defensive lineman Dan Klecko was signed to a reserve/future contract.
Klecko, 5-11, 275 pounds, was selected by New England in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.
He has also been used as fullback. He’s played in 63 career games with six starts. He’s recorded five sacks for 33 yards, one fumble recovery, two rushes for five yards and 10 receptions for 56 yards with one touchdown.
Yes, he is the son of former New York Jets’ Sack Exchange member Joe Klecko.
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75 comments Add your comment
The Real Falcon
January 13th, 2010
9:05 am
A bit of a surprise but he did cover for more than a few mistakes in coverage by Coleman.
The Real Falcon
January 13th, 2010
9:06 am
Sorry to see Emmitt go but it was time. Don’t get me started about Klecko!
kelscruggs
January 13th, 2010
9:20 am
anytime your listed height is under 6′ you can subtract 2 or 3 inches. 5′11″ = 5′8″.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 13th, 2010
9:21 am
Which Klecko. Little Klecko or Sack Exchange Klecko?
mountain_jim
January 13th, 2010
9:23 am
I expected Emmitt’s demise – glad to see the staff knows DB technique needs improvement. Houston never learned to turn around for the ball.
nickz
January 13th, 2010
9:23 am
Can we please get something that resembles an actual cover cornerback!!! Emmitt was a great coach, but the secondary obviously wasn’t getting it done, so it has been more than time to move on.
welikebaseball2
January 13th, 2010
9:26 am
Great article D. Orlando. Yeah, I’d say DeCoud was much more of a strength than a weak link in the secondary. Seemed like Coleman didn’t played that bad either, especially in terms of run support. However…we were still horrible against the pass. Would you say the poor pass defense lies more on the cornerbacks than secondary as a whole? Of course, the lack of a pass rush didn’t help. I’m talking strictly secondary though.
nickz
January 13th, 2010
9:26 am
What do you think about grabbing CJ Spiller in the draft with our first round pick?
The guy would make an immediate impact on special teams and provide a reliable back up to Michael Turner rather than the oft injured Norwood. The secondary is our most glaring needs, but we would be reaching to grab a corner back with our first pick with Haden already off the board.
Just a thought…
vafalconfan
January 13th, 2010
9:26 am
Emmit was a class act and will be missed. However the secondary seemed unprepared at times last season and I think bringing in “new eyes” to evaluate and coach this group will help tremendously.
colorado bulldog
January 13th, 2010
9:29 am
Mark down the 2008 draft already as the best Falcons’ draft ever. (Ok not saying much). But we got starters at QB, LT, MLB, and FS. (And if Baker could stay healthy, we could say they all have been excellent.) Plus Dimtroff got solid players in a Nickel DB (Jackson), 3rd WR (Douglas), and Pass rusher (Biermann). Who gets that much from a draft! The 2009 Draft jury is still out since the two top picks were hurt most of last season. But if we get anywhere close to 2008 in the years to come… look out.
**Frederick(Bailey)Douglass**
January 13th, 2010
9:35 am
DOL…wrong color on the bowtie. How about something royal?
Maybe it was time for Thomas to move on? We DO need young energy around our young guys.
As for DeCoud…I called this early in the preseason DOL. The original plan was to transition Coleman OUT and move to a DeCoud/Moore duo, with either playing either postion. This was the year to let all young defensive players get RIGHT. I like Coleman, but he is shaky in pass coverage. Does not make plays on the ball, and gets turned around when he has to make open field tackles down the field. Don’t get me wrong…he has been MORE than serviceable, but he does not mesh with the development of a SHUTDOWN defense that stops the run AND the pass. Like…what does he give you that Lawyer did not? Same player if you ask me. BTW, what is the status on Moore? Is he healthy? What are the coaches saying about him at this point?
Whatever the case, congrats to DeCoud on a heck of a year. His pick down in the red zone of the CHI game was a REAL interception (he actually jumped a route out in space given his read of all WR routes around him). We have a hammer at middle LB, and FS…now we need a whopping stick at NT to be strong right down the middle. See Ravens this weekend for an example.
retired on the lake
January 13th, 2010
9:49 am
Emmitt congrats on a stellar career. Now enjoy some time off you earned it.
midnite
January 13th, 2010
9:56 am
Too bad about Emmitt Thomas not getting renewed. Unfortunately there is no room for sentiment in pro sports today. Good luck to a class guy that greatly achieved in his NFL career as both player and coach.
Mave2124
January 13th, 2010
9:59 am
D-Led….why was ET let go…is he going to retire? Do they want a younger assistant for the secondary with Alvin Reynolds??? Is Bill Musgrave interviewing with the Bills as Pro Football Talk noted?
D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 13th, 2010
10:03 am
Was kind of hard for me on Emmitt. He was great to me and Steve Wyche on the beat. Also, I had him for one year in Green Bay when he was Ray Rhodes’ DC. Ron Wolf deep-sixed the entire staff hours after the final game and just one season.
FDB: I’ve got some royal in the closet, for sure!!! Interesting take on Coleman. Think he has more speed in coverage than Milloy at this point. They were going nuts about Moore before the injuries. But they just need to see him healthy for an extended period of time. Coach Smith said everyone was expected back from their injuries. (Was a little light on the details and I didn’t want to hi-jack the press conference by asking him to go down the list of 13 IR players, one by one. We do need a better medical update on everyone.)
DRAFT: RIGHT NOW — haven’t dived all the way into draft mode — I like FSU’s Patrick Robinson at 19/20. Spiller would be good, too. But you can “find” a good backup RB later in the draft.
Ricky
January 13th, 2010
10:10 am
Emmit, thanks for all your contributions with the Falcons. Best of Luck in all endeavors!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 13th, 2010
10:13 am
Mave2124: ON ET – The defense was ranked 28th vs. pass. Young corners are developing too slowly, Houston and Grimes in particularly. Don’t know if they want a younger assistant or not.
Haven’t seen the PFT report. As of late yesterday, no team had asked for permission to talk to Bill Musgrave. He’s under contract for next season with the Falcons. This was as of 1:48 p.m. yesterday. Will check again. Had a call about Chicago waiting to talk to him too. Word is Leslie Frazier is headed to Buffalo.
nickz
January 13th, 2010
10:13 am
Patrick Robinson would be the next bext available CB and probably would be solid, but most think that would be a reach at 19/20, as he’s graded a 2nd round talent.
CJ Spiller just came to mind after all the injuries this year to the running backs and seeing Eric Weems run directly into oncoming tacklers on every return…
boiler up
January 13th, 2010
10:16 am
Draft a Boilermaker.. Dt Ryan Kerrigan.. and Please get a defensive back that is a playmaker without the show boat D-Hall package that comes with him.
boiler up
January 13th, 2010
10:17 am
Enter your comments here
Kaye
January 13th, 2010
10:23 am
DOL: Do you think Houston will be back if we go corner or even B. Williams?
D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 13th, 2010
10:25 am
Nickz: THAT’S FUNNY! I thought that too. Also, thought Norwood ran into the ground with head down at times.
BOILER UP: Guess and your Big Ten friends are happy about a decent bowl showing!!!
KAYE: I believe Houston is under contract for another year. Hill is a UFA, but I think you bring him back. Neither has shown “lock down” capacity. They added a rookie to the mix.
McNasty
January 13th, 2010
11:07 am
OK so one of my ideas on the coaching staff came to fruition. We still need to have game plans on both sides of the ball that are superior, or at least comparable to the elite first tier teams. Our last three wins were against third tier teams (NY Jets borderline 2nd.)where we played poorly in the first half. It seems that everyone knows our tendencies but us. It is not always a personnel handicap because the NY Jets dont have but one superior player (cornerback) than us. Nor do I think Baltimore has that much more talent than New England.
Its defensive game plan was diversified, stealthy, and pressurized.
Lets demand more from the game planners
Resign or Resign?
January 13th, 2010
11:11 am
Sorry about Emmitt; who was the secondary coach, Emmitt or Alvin Reynolds?
Michael Foster
January 13th, 2010
11:50 am
“Patrick Robinson would be the next bext available CB and probably would be solid, but most think that would be a reach at 19/20, as he’s graded a 2nd round talent.
CJ Spiller just came to mind after all the injuries this year to the running backs and seeing Eric Weems run directly into oncoming tacklers on every return…”
@nickz. —-are you an idiot? Weems was outstanding with kickoff returns. He had plenty of returns where he got after contact yardage.
Remember, there is no wedge anywhere, which has NFL kickoff returners scrambling to figure out how to return kicks anymore. Weems did a good job. You know nothing about football if you think Weems was a liability returning kicks
JackLackey
January 13th, 2010
12:01 pm
Norwood has lost about five steps since his rookie year. No explosion hitting the hole.
2006 Rookie Season — 6.4 yds. per carry, 78-long
2009 Season — 3.3 yds. per carry, 21-long
Injuries have taken a toll…
nickz
January 13th, 2010
12:02 pm
Yeah, you’re definitely right about Norwood…running head down directly into people or into the ground isn’t going him into open space very often where he can take advantage of his speed, which is about his only attribute since a 250 lb Jason Snelling shows more “shifty-ness” than Norwood.
Also, the quickest way to improve our defense at this point is to probably keep them on the field as little as possible during the games. I’d feel good with a Turner / Spiller backfield eating up 40+ minutes of clock per game a game…
nickz
January 13th, 2010
12:15 pm
Michael Foster – How many returns (kickoffs or punts) for TD’s did the falcons (aka – Eric Weems) have this season??? 0! That’s pretty “0″utstanding if you ask me…
Weems is a bum, medicore kick returner at best…granted, he was reliable at catching the ball and holding on to it, but C’MON!!!!, any player in the NFL (including actual kickers) can catch a football or they wouldn’t be in the league…
Nice try Foster…
F-105 Thunderchief
January 13th, 2010
12:19 pm
Nice post, sir. As usual, your blog is unleashed and off the hook.
truth
January 13th, 2010
12:29 pm
nickz……plz check and see what Weems average return yards where, then come back and tell us what you think.
nickz
January 13th, 2010
12:33 pm
probably around 25 per kickoff I would imagine…it’s great starting at the 25 yard line every drive, that’s great field position!
I MUS WRITE
January 13th, 2010
12:49 pm
Said it before but Decoud and Bierrman are my favorites on the Defense… Maybe i missed sumthig this year was Coleman really that bad??? See ya Emmit- Our Cb’s were horrible most of the year -im pretty sure better coaching would have helped Houston turn his dam neck…Wow
I Hope we can get a Veteran CB/DT in FA.. Trey Lewis, Thomas johnson are not going to cut it…PJerry who knows how his knee will be come Sept 2010…..
Im on the fence with our running backs. I like turner but he seems slow to hit the holes and gets tackled for losses alot. Norwood shoud go tothe Jags we atre totally using him wrong when he can manager to stay on the field.
Rb’s i like in the draft- CJ Spiller,Dexter Mcluster(ole Miss), T Best(California) We nedd a shifty burner type to go with Snelling and Turner.
We desperately need an OT and a yung LB -Clabo should be playing guard he is a beast inside but he doesnt posess the athleticism to handle guys on the edge.
Players i want gone….Crisp houston,JA98,Norwood,Trey lewis,T.Johnson, possibly Abe depending on what we can get for him.
Daddy Warbucks aka Big Bank Blank -Open that check book and make the fane base happy……
Just heard Jaxonville is looking at obtaining MV7…….
nickz
January 13th, 2010
12:55 pm
Fine….I’ll concede…CJ Spiller would in no way be a better backup RB than Norwood or better returner than Weems.
It would certainly downgrade both positions. Why would we want a quality backup RB who can stay healthy and carry the load in case Turner gets injured? Why would we want a homerun threat as a kick/punt returner when we can get just get a nice average return with Weems, with no chance of him taking one to the house and potentially changing the game?
Clearly I’m delusional…or ya’ll are just idiots
now tha't funny
January 13th, 2010
1:02 pm
Why do we need a backup tailback? We have the best one in the NFL right now. Cornerbacks are an iffy pick at best, and there is ALWAYS a learning curve with a corner. If Brent Grimes starts 16 games he will have 10 picks. Eventually other teams will stop throwing the ball his direction. Draft a hard, pipe hittin outside linebacker that can rush the passer. Or get the Mountain from bammer. The first pick is going to be defense.
Michael Foster
January 13th, 2010
1:20 pm
Weems gave us great field position a lot. He was a valuable returner. Watch the games.
nickz
January 13th, 2010
1:20 pm
Anyone remember when Jason Snelling was the only active RB on the roster this past season? Does anyone remember a time when Norwood wasn’t hurt?
Yulee Falcom
January 13th, 2010
1:20 pm
Weems is doing well enough I believe. I don’t think we need to use such a high draft pick on CJ Spiller. Weems (and our Special Teams) ranked 9th out of 21 in return average among returnees with at least 30 returns this season. I will give you that his 3 fumbles (2 on kick-offs and one on a punt) need to be addressed, but they are not worth demoting because of it. I do see Snelling taking the #2 spot from Norwood next year. Without a 2nd round pick this year, I just can’t see us going after Spiller with such weakness on defense.
nickz
January 13th, 2010
1:24 pm
Season ticket holder here Michael Foster…so I managed to see a few games this year…
But I do like how Weems has gone from “outstanding” in your first post to now only “a valuable” returner…having doubts or are you conceeding to superior logic???
nickz
January 13th, 2010
1:31 pm
Yulee Falcom – I agree with most of that. I just don’t want to reach for a player with less talent with our 1st pick just to address a position we have an urgent need to address (aka – Cornerback). I think we tried that before a few years ago with Jamaal Anderson and we all know how well that worked out for us…
I’d rather grab a guy like Spiller who could contribute immediately on Special Teams and allow Norwood to wobble around on the sidelines with his crutches all season…
NOLA
January 13th, 2010
1:42 pm
Who dat? who dat? who dat gonna beat em saints?
Boohoo
not the damn ‘cons. cause the cons don’t play this weekend?
hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahah
Who dat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yulee Falcom
January 13th, 2010
1:48 pm
As for Norwood, I can remember last year when he played in all regular season games and the playoff game in Arizona. The year before that he played in 15 out of 16 games. In his rookie season, he missed only two games. This season has been his first true banged up year. Is it a sign of things to come? Who knows. I would understand if Atlanta does not try to resign him. Some other team will throw some money at him and look past his injuries.
Yulee Falcom
January 13th, 2010
1:55 pm
nickZ–I agree with you on the 1st round bust that is JA98. Had we got him with a 6th or 7th round pick, I believe he wouldn’t have such a large target on his back. He is serviceable and his talent leads towards being a starter on a poor team. One thing is for sure, he will not make more money than his current contract if Atlanta needs to resign him.
What do you think about Josh Cribbs? We get the returner you want plus we can keep our first round pick. He is looking for 3-5million a year, well bellow first round draft pick salary.
ello
January 13th, 2010
2:01 pm
as a family member for emmitt he is really retiring he said he was tired of the travel and have the fear for flying so he said it is time to turn in his footware , he his ready to come home been in the game to long so to he say thank to all
The Grinch
January 13th, 2010
2:04 pm
I agree with nickz; unless McClain is available with our first pick I like Spiller. Weems had a few good moments, but he doesn’t scare anyone. Turner was inconsistent and Norwood goes down like a shot with an arm tackle from anyone over 140 pounds. We can get a solid corner through FA; we have so many needs I say draft best available then plug holes in FA.
Let us not forget, Douglas was a pretty good returner too. Hope he comes back 100%; we definitely need a #2 receiver and since we just grossly overpaid Jenkins last offseason it’ll need to be from within. How is a 6′4 guy with long arms and 4.4 speed never open? And why the heck did we give him a 4 year extension after watching it over and over?
The Grinch
January 13th, 2010
2:08 pm
Cribbs is a malcontent; we just spent a couple of seasons getting rid of all those but Babinaux.
nickz
January 13th, 2010
2:34 pm
I’m definitely excited about Douglas coming back and I couldn’t agree more with Michael Jenkins being the worst #2 reciever in the league. He’s got every physical attribute you could ask for accept the ability to catch a freakin pass!!! That was a real bad call on his extension…
I’m mixed on Cribbs, he’s a great talent and he certainly deserves more than the pathetic offer the Browns gave him, but other than his return abilities, he doesn’t in one position as he’s more of RB/WR hybrid player. That’s valuable if utilized correctly in a offense or gimmick plays, but that doesn’t really fit in with Mike Smith’s style of offense based of the running game. Cribbs is a better fit in the wildcat formation, which I’m not sure we need to incorporate.
I think the defensive side of the ball is where our focus needs to be in both the draft and free agency, but if there’s no value at the positions we need when our 1st pick comes along, I’d rather grab a guy like Spiller than reach for a player, like say a Patrick Robinson mentioned above when he’s not a 1st round talent
Dan
January 13th, 2010
2:36 pm
Basically we need to take a freak in the draft. Every year there are the same type of players but when you have a chance to possible draft a freak you do so. My this year freaks are Ndamukong Suh and Eric Berry but of course he will be gone when the Falcon pick. So my next one are Dez Bryant: He doesnt drop passes, he is big muscular kind of a Terrence Owens build and would be a perfect complement to Roddy White. Taylor Mays big fast hard hitting safety you dont see any of these ( Docoud did good but when a freak is sitting there have to take a second look. Mt Cody huge DT Freak to stuff the line that is athletic (Dont know if Babineaux is going to be around) and finally Jermaine Gresham a big athletic catching TE? Gonzalez isnt going to be around for ever and Jermain should maybe learn from the best. I know some of these players dont fill an immediate need but I dont see anything really outstanding in those other players that dont come through the draft year after year. I say get these and supplement the other area that are lacking on the Defense CB,DE,OL and Outside LB through Free Agency
Martin Calloway
January 13th, 2010
2:42 pm
Is Alabama LB Rolando McClain a possibility for the Falcons?
I MUS WRITE
January 13th, 2010
3:04 pm
Nikz- Im with you some what…. Weems is a football player period,any good team needs guys like him and bierrman. weems did a good job returning kicks and punts,but Spiller could come in and do just as well as a rook IMO. Spiller has the it factor and he would upgrade our Special teams .
Norwood is hurt every dam year and his yac yards are way down fron his rookie season,I want him houston and Anderson gone NOW!!!
Also dexter mccluster would also be an option -he is wicked fast. he reminds me alot of chris johnson who by the way just won odffensive player of the year award.
does anyone know if #57 for bama is coming out this year- That man is a beast i want him on our line, i’ll pas on Mt Cody
I MUS WRITE
January 13th, 2010
3:09 pm
Wait a minute….Cribbs only wants 3-5 mill. Sign him release Norwood and draft Best or Mccluster in the middle rounds
J-MAN
January 13th, 2010
3:16 pm
Enter your coI wonder if theres no cap would it be a “Free-for-all” I’m sayin that with sarcasim. Between Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder, Paul Allen- He is the richest owner afterall. Plus will Blank compete for premier free agents. Will he go after Leigh Bodden, Richard Seymore, Karlos Dansby, Casey Hampton, I doubt Wilfolk will be available with that potential Franchise tag, Ryan Clark, Dunta Robinson, Adewale Ogunleye, Kyle VandenBosch, Julius Peppers, I personally think we will be in play for many of these free agents and if we can sign some of these guys the off-season will be a sucess if you count the draft picks and the returns of Harry Douglas Peria Jerry and William Moore. What is your opinion some of these potentail moves Mr. Ledbetter? Baseball shouldn’t have the only hotstove league.
J-MAN
January 13th, 2010
3:17 pm
II posted this last night and I wonder if theres no cap would it be a “Free-for-all” I’m sayin that with sarcasim. Between Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder, Paul Allen- He is the richest owner afterall. Plus will Blank compete for premier free agents. Will he go after Leigh Bodden, Richard Seymore, Karlos Dansby, Casey Hampton, I doubt Wilfolk will be available with that potential Franchise tag, Ryan Clark, Dunta Robinson, Adewale Ogunleye, Kyle VandenBosch, Julius Peppers, I personally think we will be in play for many of these free agents and if we can sign some of these guys the off-season will be a sucess if you count the draft picks and the returns of Harry Douglas Peria Jerry and William Moore. What is your opinion some of these potentail moves Mr. Ledbetter? Baseball shouldn’t have the only hotstove league.
Hamp
January 13th, 2010
3:58 pm
I say get a FA CB like Dunta Robinson. Then you Draft a Head busting LB some one mentioned the learning curve on CBs and that is very valid. We are set at Saftey because coleman plays well enough until moore is healthy think about this if moore and Decoud mature we are gonna have a awewome pair of safties. Nichols is good but we need that head buster to play behind the other OLBs this year to be ready when the gator leaves I love that guy and the way he came in and pushed the younger LBs.
F Troop
January 13th, 2010
4:12 pm
DeCoud was alright, but no star. To me, he managed to come to work everyday, stay healthy, and not get egregiously burned. Everybody else in the secondary falls under the former categories, but that doesn’t make DeCoud great. Never saw him pick off a deep one from a Cover 2 for example. But if he were to put on about 15 more pounds of muscle, for a “hitting” safety, he might be something.
F Troop
January 13th, 2010
4:25 pm
One question, Orlando: What’s your take on ACL injuries from speed position players? I was telling a friend that the player who suffers this type of injury is never the same – and where it counts most (WR, CB) are positions where you can least have diminished speed. That said, Harry Douglas and Brian Williams are gone if I’m a GM.
Also, why isn’t anyone talking about the Falcons getting a strict possession receiver, like a Wes Welker? Jenkins is way overpaid for what he brings to the game.
Third, when will the “draft a DB” talk settle down? A rookie DB cannot help you until game 10 at the earliest. Id even say that if we have a rookie DB starting for us the first 10 games either he’s the 2nd coming of Champ Bailey or Deion, or we’re out of the playoffs by then.
tyger
January 13th, 2010
5:47 pm
Notes….
Jamaal Anderson signed 5yr./$31M contract/ $15M guaranteed – has 2.5 sacks in 3 yrs., although plays run well, how do you justify it and/or how do you get out of it? i.e. what’s the hit to the cap, even if there’s no cap, there’s still a budget, so do you just let him walk, trade him or keep him?
Dan – I luv Dez Bryant too. But he will be long gone by the 19/20th pick. I agree with your freak analogy too. You want a 10 yr. stud.
Terrance Cody is still my guy. I watched most of the bowl games and know most of the names thrown about and was left un-impressed. Arenas too small, McClain ditto, looks like SS, Morgan, Robinson, etc. all good, but didn’t wow me.
T. Cody wows me, he’s the only guy I saw that other players didn’t want to block. Other teams always had to double/triple team. Fills a need and can plug-in immediately.
With question marks Babineaux, Anderson and Jerry – Cody makes alot of sense. And what if for Gods sake, we have one beast too many or wind up with one the most dominant Dlines in the NFL.
When’s the last time ATLs D-line was feared? The Gritz Blitz? Claude Humphrey? Biscuit Cornelius?
Abraham, Babineaux, Cody, Jerry
Davis, Sidbury, Biermann, Johnson
I bet the secondary and entire defense looks a helluva lot better. That’s strength up the middle.
Lil Larry
January 13th, 2010
6:59 pm
Best of luck Emmitt…enjoy yourself. Now, we need a DB coach that can really coach sound fundamental technique–and no NOT watching the damn receiver and hope you can guess when the ball is coming. First and foremost you have to have speed to run in stride with the receiver, look back for the ball, use your body to work the receiver to the sidelines (without using your hands), and finally make a play on the ball. Now that was easy wasn’t it? I would like a running back in the mold of Emmitt Smith (around 5′10″ , 220-230, with speed and power). Snelling did a decent job and got better as the year went on; but we need someone capable of keeping the level of play the same as Turner with no drop off. We need a 6′4/5″ receiver who is aggressive, attacks the ball, and runs sharp routes. A fast OLB who can blast the QB, cover RBs and TEs out of the backfield. Get a NT/DT who can push the middle and take on at least two blockers…this would free up our DEs to get after the QB. Move Baker to RT and get a monster blocking LT. And finally, use Norwood on the move or trade bait–but he cannot run the ball between the tackles (runs into his own players and drops his head too much). I’m glad I’m not the only person that sees him doing this.
gdg73@yahoo.com
January 13th, 2010
7:14 pm
1. Say no to Patrick Robinson in the first round.
2. Spend some real $$$ on a CB in free agency
3. Josh Cribbs is the stud. We could use him.
4. I would love Suh, McClain, or Eric Berry at our pick.
5. Since all three will be gone by then, Pick CJ Spiller (true game breaker)
RICHIE RICH
January 13th, 2010
7:31 pm
Nickz, i agree about Eric Weems, but i wouldn’t mind having Jordan Shipley in the 3rd rd if somebody doesn’t take him in the 2nd. He could replace michael jenkins as our #2 receiver and Weems as our kick returner.
Lil Larry
January 13th, 2010
7:37 pm
Also, when are we going to bring some defensive and offensive linemen in here with some size and power? When Smith came here he said he wanted to design this team in the mold of the Steelers lines that are designed to play in cold weather and have an unstoppable power running game. You don’t have to go small to have fast players. Look at the Cowboys, Jets, Panthers, etc. We need to bring some grade A beef on these lines what can push the OLs and vice versa on our oline.
J-MAN
January 13th, 2010
8:38 pm
Hey have you seen Justin Blaylock he is a hass lil larry. This team needs NFL players not “potential” case in point Jamaal Anderson. We could have had Patrick Willis, Darrelle Revis, Jon Beason, Joe Staley all were picked AFTER Jamaal Anderson in 2007. So I know what everybody is thinking who are “The Football Players” in this draft.
In no particular order the guys that will show up on Sundays- They might not be hall-of -famers but they give you effort and production. REMEBER THESE PLAYERS ARE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER.
1.Ndamukong Suh
2. Eric Berry
3. Gerald McCoy
4. Terrence Cody
5. C.J. Spiller
6. Joe Haden
7. Rolando McCLain
8. Dan Williams
9. Dez Bryant
10. Derrick Morgan
11. Jahvid Best if recovered from concussion
12. Tim Teabow- he might not be a superstar but will not be a bust
13. Mike Iupati
14. Russell Okung
15. Jermain Gresham if recovered from injury
16. Taylor Mays
17. Javier Arenas
18. Donovan Warren
19. Brandon Ghee
20. Perrish Cox
21. Travis Lewis
22. Sean Weatherspoon
23. Carlos Dunlap
24. Everson Griffen
25. Arrelious Benn
If any of these players are taken I will fell good about this years draft but if we come down with 2 or 3 I think I will cry tears of joy.
Lil Larry
January 13th, 2010
10:07 pm
J-Man, that goes to show you the idiots Arthur had running his team and drafting these busts. Guy played DE all on a couple of months his senior year, does nothing special, and you still draft him? Arthur ought to run McKay’s ass outta town for being so stupid. A coach’s son does not make one a draft guru. That’s water under the bridge now…but we’re still stuck with some of these clowns. Anyway, there are a lot of excellent choices in the list you provided.
geno
January 14th, 2010
6:26 am
good writing there lil larry, finally someone besides me can see that this falcon team is in trouble…..too many bad drafts, not enough wide recievers, still running antiqated 4-3 defense, throwing too much to the TE, who and why is ovie mahaley on this team, inability to coach-up players, conservative offence, not enough speed and playmakers……bottom line 2010 falcons 6-10 or 7-9…..coach smith was right this is a “process” because its certainly not progress.
Andy
January 14th, 2010
9:06 am
I would really like to see attention to fixing the “Pass Rush” and acquiring a “Shut Down” Corner next season and using Brian Williams as depth and third down packages. Owens and Grimes played well down the stretch but they have to improve even more if the Falcons are to succeed in 2010.. Those are to two BIG troubled spots on the defense.
cutter
January 14th, 2010
10:46 am
F Troop- Keep in mind this was Decoud’s FIRST year starting and second year in the league.. Players due tend to get better with experience.
cutter
January 14th, 2010
10:46 am
do
truth
January 14th, 2010
10:52 am
Dang the NFL teams are missing the mark…..lil larry and geno are the answer to the NFL. Someone give them a call!!!! Hurry!!! They know how to be a GM, coach, own and play in the NFL!!! Bo aint got nuttn on these guys!!
cutter
January 14th, 2010
10:52 am
Brian Williams would have to be resigned. He’s a 30 year old coming off of total knee reconstruction and probably will not be ready for OTA’s or Preseason. We might not see Brian Williams again in a Falcon uniform.
J.FALCON
January 14th, 2010
11:36 am
I WOULD LIKE CLANCY BUT ONLY IF HE IMPLEMENTS THE 4-3/3-4 HYBRID D FROM ARIZONA. I DONT WANT A BASE 3-4 DEFENSE WE DONT HAVE THE PERSONAL FOR THAT. BUT I CAN SEE US SWITCH JA55 BACK N FORTH FROM DOWN LINEMAN TO OUTSIDE BACKER TO CREATE BETTER PASS RUSH OPPURTUNITIES.
what about Harry...
January 14th, 2010
12:06 pm
sorry, got too bored to read all of the posts. Weems was okay, definitely not great. Drafting a backup running back/return man so high doesn’t seem to make sense. We definitely need to see the health of Turner and Harry Douglass (2008 returner). Seems Norwood is too oft injured but Snelling is a nice “legs always moving” backup.
Go Falcons!!!
Jimbo
January 14th, 2010
7:17 pm
what about Jonathon Dwyer? I haven’t seen his name mentioned
Jimbo
January 14th, 2010
7:18 pm
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Dawson Devitt (D3)
January 14th, 2010
7:56 pm
DOL – Great blog as usual and you looked migh-T-sharp rockin’ the bow-tie!
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