
Kevin Winston, the Falcons' senior director of player development, welcomes Julio Jones to the team's facilities in Flowery Branch in April. (D. Orlando Ledbetter/Dledbetter@ajc.com)
BIRDLAND — The lockout is a real bummer for the players.
But quarterback Matt Ryan is taking the bull by the horn (unlike the Hawks) and is providing the team some leadership during these turbulent times.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan before leading about 30 players through an unofficial minicamp practice on Tuesday. (D. Orlando Ledbetter/Dledbetter@AJC.com)
One of his missions is to get rookie Julio Jones up to speed. Jones, whom the Falcons traded up 21 spots to select in the NFL draft, has already been meeting with Ryan and the wide receivers.
It certainly helps that John Parker Wilson, one of Ryan’s backups, has been helping. Parker won 12 games as a senior at Alabama when Jones was a freshman.
He noted that Jones came in and learned the offense pretty fast. He said that Jones won’t have a problem learning the Falcons’ playbook, but noted that the verbiage of the play calls will be challenging.
At Alabama in 2008, Jones caught 58 passes for 924 yards and four touchdowns with Parker running the show.
“He’s gotten a lot bigger and it looks like he’s gotten a lot stronger,” Wilson said. “He was catching balls the other day, and his reach is still so amazing. It’s pretty sweet. He couldn’t run. He’s still working on his foot from when he messed that up, but he looks good. He looks really good.”
Wilson can help Ryan by telling him what routes Jones likes and what routes he runs best.

Falcons quarterbacks John Parker Wilson, Matt Ryan and Chris Redman.
“I remember watching film when I was getting ready for the combine and everything and I probably targeted him 75 percent of the time,” Wilson said. “No lie. He’s a true professional. I think he’s the real deal.”
The Falcons paid a steep price for Jones. They gave up five picks, including next year’s first and fourth round picks. When a team gives up so much for one player, there will be some additional pressure on him. Wilson believes that Jones will handle that extra pressure well.
“I think he’ll fit in really good with our team,” Wilson said. “He’s a good, hard worker, a lot like the other personalities we have on our team. I think it’s going to work well.”
It’s no secret that Jones was added to add some explosiveness to the offense.
Will that be in the form of more deep routes and throws? Or will it be in the form of the bubble and slip screens he ran at Alabama? With his 4.3 speed, we might see him on some reverses, too.
Ryan was not exactly sure how offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey plans to integrate Jones into the offense.

John Parker Wilson spinning the ball back in his Alabama days. He has special insight into Julio Jones. (Associated Press)
“It will be interesting to see,” Ryan said. “He’s a big physical guy. I think he can do a lot of things for us. I think he’ll play a big part. . . I think he can bring some unique things.”
After a stress fracture was discovered, Jones had surgery on his left foot after the combine. He was expected to have a two month recovery period and should be close to running again soon.
Ryan can’t wait for Jones to start running so that they can start working on their timing.
“I’ll be interested to finally get to work with him and seeing the skills sets he has in terms of route running,” Ryan said. “Once we kind of find out about that I think we’ll know more about how we are going to use him.”
Julio, go deep!
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
115 comments Add your comment
#1 falcons fan
May 13th, 2011
5:16 am
just win baby!…..and first!
Big Ray
May 13th, 2011
5:36 am
Nice work, D. Ledd.
college is forever
May 13th, 2011
5:37 am
http://www.collegelunchboxes.com I’m ready for some football.
explosion
May 13th, 2011
5:54 am
4th
DC Dirty Bird
May 13th, 2011
6:13 am
I wonder if Matty Ice is working on his deep ball. I’d like to see us open up the season with a deep post to Julio or Roddy.
Section 108
May 13th, 2011
6:40 am
Is it Football season yet? (Sigh)
Go Falcons!
Marcus
May 13th, 2011
7:29 am
DOL,
that shot was below the belt. The Hawks didn’t have the horses (or bench) to go 7 games. We lost our chance in Game 5.
That said, I hope the Falcons aren’t paralleling the Hawks post-season wise and no 1st rounder for next season …
Go, Julio!
Birdman
May 13th, 2011
7:37 am
I cannot wait to see the Dirty Birds with Julio, just hope matty ice can get him the ball deep!
Go Falcons!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
May 13th, 2011
7:53 am
Marcus — If they play up to their talent, like they did in Game 4, they’d be headed to the Finals. They are too inconsistent and are running out of excuses. They under achieved in the regular season. But give him credit for a solid playoff run.
Big Ray — Thanks.
notso fast
May 13th, 2011
7:54 am
I like the sound of “Go Deep”.
KD
May 13th, 2011
8:00 am
I see Julio Jones in the first picture and Kevin Winston, the Falcons’ senior director of player development……Who is the third person?
TheManMike
May 13th, 2011
8:02 am
DLED: – Not to beat a dead horse…but this “5 Picks Given Up” thing is killing me. We gave up 4 picks and switched a 1st. Everyone keeps making it seem like we gave up TWO 1st round picks and it’s just bogus….We upgraded our 1st round pick this year and gave up only ONE 1st pick. Semantics? Maybe. Just wish people would get the facts straight….That’s all. Great read! Go Falcons!
Daddy Rabbit
May 13th, 2011
8:09 am
I hope JJ uses some of his money to but a suit that fits.
Glenn
May 13th, 2011
8:16 am
Has anyone else noticed that Thomas D. has a tendency to select kids with known injury issues as a HIGH draft choices (Peria Jerry, Moore, etc.). To me, these are high risk players, especially when you are trading up and risking not only this years draft picks, but next years as well and you have so many glaring needs on the defensive side of the ball that were exposed against Green Bay and you know which players you will lose at free agency (once the lock out is lifted).
The Falcons could have waited until Calvin Johnson became a free agent (and gotten a known commodity) rather than trading up for Jones this season, especially with the risk of his injury, and filled multiple needs rather than one wish list.
This trade didn’t make sense to me then and it doesn’t make sense to me now.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
May 13th, 2011
8:23 am
Daddy Rabbit — Julio is a sharp dresser. I know you saw that bow tie he wore on draft day.
Glenn — Valid points. Thanks for sharing.
dexterdawg
May 13th, 2011
8:23 am
Should the stress fracture stress us out? That is the first that ive heard of his injury. I know that this type of injury has ruined alot of careers in sports, especialy basketball. Yoa Ming in particular comes to mind. I know that the hardwood floor in basketball probably has something to do with the recurance of the injury. The turf in the Ga dome has improved from the past, it used to be no more than indoor outdoor carpet over concrete. Is this injury something to be concerned about?
D. Orlando Ledbetter
May 13th, 2011
8:26 am
TheManMike — The Falcons did give up five picks. They received 1 pick back. They gave up two first rounders, one second, and two fourths. Thanks for sharing your point of view.
HJones
May 13th, 2011
8:31 am
“Ryan was not exactly sure how offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey plans to integrate Jones into the offense.”
What an understatement. Let’s hope Mularkey has been told to call better sequences of plays. Mularkey never determined how to use Norwood. Norwood was always put in the lineup when it was obvious he would be given the ball, and the defense would stop him. I will not believe our offense is more explosive until it happens.
Wayne
May 13th, 2011
8:41 am
To you people worried about julio and injuries let me tell you. I’ve been watching him play since he was in high school and this is the toughest I’ve ever seen play the game. FYI….Several days before the combine Jones found out that he had a cracked bone in his foot and they wanted to fix it. Jones didn’t want to be totally dependent on his pro day so he opted to workout for the scouts and media at the combine while injured and he blew up the combine with his numbers. His performance on every level Left AJ Green far behind him, he ran faster, jumped higher, came an inch of the combine record broad jump and is significantly stronger. He did all that with that fracture and he has played with injuries before and never complained or missed a game. Last year he broke a bone in his hand and had screws inserted halfway through the season and didn’t miss a play plus set an Alabama receiving record with that screw in his hand and most people did not even know ha was hurt because he don’t whine and cry or make excuses he just plays hard and wins games…period
Chi Town
May 13th, 2011
8:42 am
Julio owns the puppies over in Athens.
mountain_jim
May 13th, 2011
8:44 am
Agree that whether this trade works out well or not is on Mularkey. With the added weapons he better come out with more variety and less predictability and better ability to stretch the field this year.
In my opinion the Hawks had a better playoffs than the Falcons this year, underachieving or not.
tp
May 13th, 2011
8:50 am
Hey D.Led, is Michael Jenkins truly happy about the drafting of Julio? Let’s face it, the guy was drafted to play his position. His public comments about it – unfortunately – are pretty consistent with the passive demeanor he’s displayed his whole career.
Jenkins obviously knows Julio will have to take the position from him with his play on the field (at least this year). But, dude, is there even a match, let alone a fire lit in your belly over this? You’re ‘excited’ about a guy coming in to the fold who wants your job?
It’s just too bad that someone with that much talent doesn’t have an equal amount of heart and desire …
Joey
May 13th, 2011
8:56 am
“His performance on every level Left AJ Green far behind him”
*********************************************
Wow, Wayne! And Jones still got drafted BEHIND Green, and the Falcons only drafted him after failing to reach a deal with the Bengals?
There are some stupid GMs in the NFL to not see how “far behind” AJ was . . .
Hopefully, they will both do great things in the NFL.
Harvey Updyke
May 13th, 2011
9:04 am
Roll Damn Tide
JB
May 13th, 2011
9:08 am
These guys will open up another 20 catch’s for Roddy. You can’t double both….and the running game will work even better as corners will be busy covering these two guys.
IceFan
May 13th, 2011
9:10 am
Julio is going to be AWESOME!
deep black
May 13th, 2011
9:19 am
Where are they holding player led practices?
dean
May 13th, 2011
9:31 am
deep black,
DLed gives that up and it’s off the the Clayton News Daily for him!
Robert 08
May 13th, 2011
9:37 am
Is Jacquizz Rogers or any of the other draft choices taking part in these practices? I hope Rogers gets in there so he too can get a head start on the season despite the lockout.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
May 13th, 2011
9:44 am
tp — He’s not happy, but he’s a real pro. He worked the slot pretty good when Petrino was here. He’ll have a mismatch if he can hold off Harry D.
deep black — They don’t want me to tell, because if the masses start showing up they’ll have to pay for security. That would be an additional expense.
Robert 08 — Akeem Dent was at the practices. I need to check on Quizz for you all.
DHD
May 13th, 2011
9:46 am
If you give up 5 and get back 1, isn’t that giving up 4? Did you go to a government school or something?
devildawg
May 13th, 2011
9:47 am
I thought players and teams weren’t allowed to have contact with each other. If thats the senior director of player development, then the fact that he and Julio are meeting should be against the rules of the lockout. Am I right about this? It seems like it should be some sort of violation. Just sayin.
mistaprime
May 13th, 2011
10:00 am
LMAO…@Daddy Rabbit. You are so right I thought I was the only one the seen that. That one button looks like its struggling to hold it together…lol
Go Falcons!!!!
AtlantaDude
May 13th, 2011
10:17 am
Billy bob – LOL
Broken bone in foot. Prior broken bone in hand. Did we just draft Greg Oden?
SeenThisB4
May 13th, 2011
10:31 am
falcan’ts first rounders are perennial members of the “Physically Unable to Perform All Star” team. Looks like Julio will be that club’s team captain this year.
Metro Coach
May 13th, 2011
10:44 am
billy bob- That is quite possibly the most ignorant statement I’ve read on an AJC blog, and that’s saying something considering all the liberal goobs posting on the political blogs.
realitycheck
May 13th, 2011
10:53 am
To Glenn who posted at 8:16a……..You said just about everything i’ve been saying all along. Amen brother!
chickenman
May 13th, 2011
10:57 am
deep ball and some screens… also fyi jaquizz is going to be a beast… this guy is like mjd small strong and explosive
EW
May 13th, 2011
11:02 am
Not many people have mentioned how much he is going to help on blocking for stretch plays and outside runs. He will generally always have the physical advantage and I love his tough nosed style with helping in the running game.
chickenman
May 13th, 2011
11:02 am
and to glenn.. You do not WAIT in the nfl.. The lions are building a dangerous team… they should hit the playoffs this year if stafford stays healthy.. so waitng on caivin would never work because he is the franchise along with stafford… Julio will come in and rack up around 600-700yds and maybe 4-5 tds this season which will be a relief because now roddy could really get open and cause hell..
- You didnt see the panthers wait for Andrew Luck… they drafted a major project in Cam Newton.. they could of gone with peterson or AJ and just waited til next year to get their guy… but whats the point… let alone the cost of singing a big time free agent..
PlanB
May 13th, 2011
11:11 am
I don’t know the exact numbers in the draft but I think like TheManMike says. We gave up (around) our 27, 59, 123 next years 32 and 128 for this years 6. Next years 32 and 128 are not as valuable as this years 32 and 128. It’s like the present value and future value of money. Our money is more valuable if we get it now rather than next year.
We got one of the two best at a needed skill position. We could have gotton an OK WR at 27. We had to either help ourselves score more points or keep opponents from scoring more. I wonder more if Mularky can do anything with this offense than anything else.
#27 DE’s don’t always work out and usually take about 3 years to develop. I hope we get one in FA. I think we made a good decision here. At least I hope it works out.
ATL XMAN
May 13th, 2011
11:13 am
dled…falcons gave up 4 picks. the swapped 1st rd picks this year so that cancels each pick out there. advantage atl on this pick as atl got a better player at the 7 then they would have at 27 this year. cle also picked up a 4th rd pick this year from atl which atl has a full roster of 4th rd picks already to play this season from last years draft so no big lost there. advantage atl..then cle will get atl 1st rd pick in 2012 which will most likely be either a 27 or 28 pick again or if atl wins the super bowl, cle will get the last pick of the 1st rd..again avantage falcons. then cle will get atl 4th rd pick of next years draft which is no big loss either for the type of player julio will be. so thats 4 picks not 5 that atl gave up. make sense now dled?
Big Man
May 13th, 2011
11:19 am
Isn’t there a lockout going on? So why is this TEAM employee allowed to contact players?
GooooFalcons
May 13th, 2011
11:20 am
Looks like Julio needs a new suit jacket – pretty tight adound the mid-section. Hopefully that’s not from eating too much…
X
May 13th, 2011
11:28 am
@TheManMikeat8:02…Thanks for saying what I was thinking! You would think the beat writer would have caught that by now.
Enemas For Integrity
May 13th, 2011
11:30 am
Friday the 13th
cwltank
May 13th, 2011
11:36 am
Yea, Im glad he was chosen in the 1st round. He needs a new suit.
eM
May 13th, 2011
11:39 am
realitycheck
May 13th, 2011
10:53 am
To Glenn who posted at 8:16a……..You said just about everything i’ve been saying all along. Amen brother!
To everyone else. If you read between the lines, realityjerk is saying he’s an idiot or a aints fan. Well come to think of it, what’s the difference?
gcs
May 13th, 2011
11:40 am
Watching the Falcons O is going to be a lot of fun (they need to get Quizz out there too).
I just don’t know if the defense is going to be any better.
.
Jonkdawg
May 13th, 2011
11:44 am
Friday 13th? wottha hell!
eM
May 13th, 2011
11:47 am
When did the Falcons draft Steve Irkel? DANG JULIO!!!!!! What were you thinking? LOL!
Billy bob
May 13th, 2011
12:02 pm
He is not ever going to be a roddy
Mike
May 13th, 2011
12:14 pm
@ Glenn the only thing about waiting for CJ to be a free agent is that his contract isn’t up until 2013. Roddy will be 33 at that point. Julio isn’t just here to be the Robin to Roddy’s Batman, TD got Julio to eventually be Matt Ryan’s go to guy. He’s banking on Julio being a #1 like CJ is now in 2013. However, for all the talk about Julio/Quizz, the season will hinge on whether Jerry, Moore, and Spoon stay healthy and make plays on defense.
BirdDirty
May 13th, 2011
12:47 pm
@DOL
That response to Marcus sounds like more like the Falcons than the Hawks, LOL!!!
DJ Sniper
May 13th, 2011
1:27 pm
I was about to respond to the post about Matt Ryan supposedly having a noodle arm, but then I saw it was from hiramsaint, so I decided to save the keystrokes.
mistaprime
May 13th, 2011
2:19 pm
Well even though Matty Ice has a better QB rating than Brees, Brees do have the ring. I am a Falcons fan, but it is what it is. My prediction ATLANTA FALCONS 2012 SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!
Chucktown38
May 13th, 2011
2:24 pm
Lets not put the cart before the horse, can Ryan throw the ball deep. I like Ryan but I have never seen a pass thrown further than 42 yards in the air. Can anyone tell me different? How far can matt throw it?
TTide
May 13th, 2011
2:39 pm
As a Tide fan, Julio was a pleasure to watch. He is a leader and his work ethic is second to none. For the Falcons worrying whether they gave too much to get Julio will soon find out they got a deal. You build programs with players like this guy.
falCants4ever
May 13th, 2011
2:44 pm
i watched the video…the ball Matty Melt threw was only 25yrds in the air….50yrd YAC….real strong arm…falcants…
eM
May 13th, 2011
2:49 pm
falCants4ever
May 13th, 2011
2:44 pm
i watched the video…the ball Matty Melt threw was only 25yrds in the air….50yrd YAC….real strong arm…falcants…
Correct……..same goes for Brees and most long Td passes in the NFL. Weak argument.
Charlene
May 13th, 2011
2:59 pm
The falcons will go deep and deep every game with Jones and other players. This offense will be difficult too stop this season. We will be looking at Manning when he was younger. Matty Ice will be throwing for 39 TDs this season with nine INTs. He will have a great season when it starts that is for sure
Bravos Fan
May 13th, 2011
3:02 pm
Devildog that picture was taken whilke the lockout was lifted and players could have contact with the front office personel and coachs. It was lifted the first day of the draft and then reinstated the next day, so it wasn’t a violation of the rules.
eM
May 13th, 2011
3:02 pm
Ok…..so it takes 90+ yards with no yak to be an elite QB. Got it. My bad. I guess we can sratch Joe Montana off that list and many others. Man you aints fans are awsome!!!
Steve-O
May 13th, 2011
3:03 pm
Jeff George, Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell. Anyone care to guess how strong their arms are/were?
SECfan
May 13th, 2011
4:54 pm
99th Just do it Julio!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
May 13th, 2011
4:59 pm
Yeah, the picture was taken on April 29. The lockout was not in place.
PlanB
May 13th, 2011
5:19 pm
Don’t know if we keep Jenkins and I do like him but we will be strong in the pass game either way. Roddy, Gonzo, Julio, Quizz, Kerry Meier and H. Douglas 2nd year off his injury. Not bad. I do remember many run then run then 3rd and long last year. We must have better play calling for these guys. Mularky has to get better unless he is being held back by a conservative Mike Smith. Hope not.
air ball
May 13th, 2011
5:24 pm
Sorry guys but I really can’t throw it that far. I sure wish we would have drafted a t.e. who runs routes in my range. Don’t worry though, we’ll have another winning season and then be able to enjoy the playoffs and Superbowl from the comfort of our own homes.
cwltank
May 13th, 2011
5:36 pm
Mularky is gone…. he was predictable, thats my guess why he was not retained. Judgeing by what they did i n the draft we will pass 1st & run less. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!
SeenThisB4
May 13th, 2011
6:08 pm
Just like his coat jacket in the picture above, Julio Jones is about to be a BUST!
hiramsaint
May 13th, 2011
6:19 pm
whats up stb4- me thinks roddy will be gettin’ a little jealous with all the julio love don’t you?
SeenThisB4
May 13th, 2011
6:29 pm
hiram: Probably, he is pretty self centered. What’s your take on this Jones pick? Seems to me all the falcan’ts did was add another speedy receiver, who’s prone to injury. They think they just turbo-boosted their offense, but I don’t see it. Sure, defenses may not be able to double up on White, but, that still remains to be seen. If Julio is on the injured list, there’s no other speedy receiver to take his place, unlike the Saints who are loaded at both WR, RB, not to mention TE. And, they pretty much mortgaged their draft picks for next year, which I think will probably be around actual pick number 8 to 10.
hiramsaint
May 13th, 2011
6:38 pm
all i can say is if my D was in the lower half of the pack , like the saints , i would have drafted with an emphasis on D , like the saints , instead of making a ricky williams type deal for a wr that my qb couldn’t reach on a consistent basis. if i had to have a ball catcher , it would have been a t.e. who runs routes in matty melts throwing range . i guess the failcans were hoping on fa to bolster their aging and slow D. hows that working out for them. hmmmmmm!
SeenThisB4
May 13th, 2011
6:54 pm
Yeah, can’t disagree with that, their selection of a WR is without a doubt, a knee jerk reaction to the pulverizing disembowelment they got at the hands of Green Bay. They think they need to bolster their offense to keep pace with Green Bay’s and New Orleans’s offensive arsenals. But, sure, perhaps their offense got faster, but can it put up more points? It’s glaring apparent that their defense is woefully equipped to stop high powered offenses. I think they made a huge mistake, but it only helps their rivals, so I’m all for it.
See ya later Hiram: I’m going down by The Fly and see the river rising for myself. See ya.
hiramsaint
May 13th, 2011
7:02 pm
adios and good luck with it my friend
Delbert D.
May 13th, 2011
7:47 pm
The Panthers now have both of the Rivals #1 QBs from 2007.
doggoneit
May 13th, 2011
7:48 pm
Julio, go deep!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 13th, 2011
8:15 pm
Funny that the Falcons beat writer takes a shot at the Hawks, who unlike the Falcons actually managed to not get embarrassed in the playoffs this year.
hiramsaint
May 13th, 2011
8:21 pm
man that was cold…true but cold!
Wayne
May 13th, 2011
8:33 pm
@Joey………………..I watched both of them from the time they were coming out of high school and yes he is far behind Julio as a complete player. Aj won’t block, he will just stand there, he can’t return punts and kickoffs because he couldn’t handle the hits. Julio proved he was a better athlete at the combine and that’s the end of that discussion. As far as production, AJ was the best player on a HORRIBLE team and he had 2 great QB’s throwing him the ball. He got 80 % of the passes because there was no one else that’s why he stood out so much. Julio was arguably the best player on the best team in the nation period. Those are facts that can’t be disputed and you are sadly mistaken with your comment because half of the teams had AJ at #1 and the other had JJ #1 and they admitted as much in interviews so you should py attention.
As far as all these so called “fans” why are you guys bashing them for improving the team significantly? Julio has never missed a game due to injury but yet you keep saying things about it. Do your research before bashing the guy, he will give this team everything he has and then some and is a winner so you guys should be glad you didn’t get some cry baby that wont play if he stubbs his toe
Seen (Sean Payton) This (Take Painkillers) B4
May 13th, 2011
9:20 pm
Well, glad to see that HiramSaint/SeenThisB4/Falcan’ts has left the building for the night. Nothing like seeing a blogger converse with himself using multiple identities.
Also curious about a whole bunch of comments that seem to have been deleted…didn’t think correcting a Saints fan about comma use or exactly what being the “2012 Champions” means would require censorship by the AJC.
hiramsaint
May 13th, 2011
9:42 pm
talk about multiple identities-who are you usually???. i , too , noticed some deletions but what do you expect? so anyway , hows that professor of english diction thing going for you ?
Seen (Sean Payton) This (Get the heck out of New Orleans) B4
May 13th, 2011
9:43 pm
ha ha ha…it’s going okay thanks. I really don’t know what was so offensive in that exchange to warrant AJC to delete posts…it’s never happened to me before. Oh well. Also, the only reason I come on these blogs is to see what you Saints fans have to say–you keep it funny and interesting.
Mark (another one)
May 13th, 2011
10:13 pm
I agree with DOL. When a team drafts a player, they give up a pick for them. The Falcons traded four other picks so they could swap firsts. That’s using five picks to get one player. Julio cost the Falcons five picks.
Is he worth it? Questionable and some will never be satisfied. I’m a Dawg fan and I think it was. Julio will become the number one receiver in a couple of years but in the mean time he and White will drive defensive coordinators crazy.
TheManMike
May 13th, 2011
10:14 pm
DLED – You just reworded what I said….We didn’t lose a 1st round pick this year, we simply changed position – so we only lost 4 picks in the deal. What’s so hard to understand here?>
I guess the horse wasn’t quite dead yet…
TheManMike
May 13th, 2011
10:16 pm
@Mark (another one) – When worded that way, you make a valid point. Well done.
hiramsaint
May 13th, 2011
10:31 pm
every once in awhile we are censored. just prepping for the future i suppose. you are 1 of the few who know why we’re here- just to have some fun with our rivals but some take it way to seiously. oh well , such is life!
SeenThisB4
May 13th, 2011
10:41 pm
hiram: The reason they censored a few posts was cause the falcan’t posters were being out-classed on their home blog. Right eM?! LOL!
Saw the river man. Yeah it’s high, but what’s really impressive, is how fast that water is moving.
Seen (Sean Payton) This (toss his painkillers into the rising river) B4
May 13th, 2011
10:54 pm
Wow, okay, so Hiram & SeenThisB4 are actually two people? I figured it was the same Saints fan just stirring things up more by using two names. But Hiram clearly knows proper comma placement so they must be different posters. I stand corrected.
Seen (Sean Payton) This (toss his painkillers into the rising river) B4
May 13th, 2011
11:01 pm
You’d think they’d censor Joe Tess Fish House…oh well…so Hiram and SeenThisB4 are not one and the same. I stand corrected.
Long suffering fan
May 13th, 2011
11:14 pm
So we gave up 4 picks, more than any team has ever give for a WR, to get a guy who has trouble holding onto the ball and injury problems. I would say that this will go down as the greatest trade in NFL history-for the Browns.
Falcons Chic
May 13th, 2011
11:53 pm
I know they were in shock. The 2007 season & this? The ONLY good things since they have returned to the league. Perhaps, Colt, PHillis, Cribbs are also positives.
@ Big Man, he’s not signed. My understanding is can come by to pick up his playbook, which a lot of players during the 2 or 3 day injunction.
slobberknocker
May 13th, 2011
11:59 pm
I’m glad we have 4.3. And I still want to see Noel Devine in here.
OTP Saint
May 14th, 2011
9:20 am
I think going for Julio was a big stretch. It made me a happy Saint. Adding Julio, Ray Edwards, etc… won’t help the Falcons beat the Saints. Saints exposed the Falcons in the GA dome and helped show Green Bay the way. Falcons miss the playoffs this year…..(if there is a season).
cwltank
May 14th, 2011
10:00 am
We split with GB & the Saints any given Sunday a team can lose or win. The Falcons will be and improved team, stop hateing. GB ran the tables, but we will meet them again this year & we will make history……
Robert08
May 14th, 2011
10:37 am
Saints fans sure do talk a lot of trash about last year’s playoffs considering they got destroyed by a team with a losing record. At least the Falcons lost to the Super Bowl champs.
Jake
May 14th, 2011
12:47 pm
Can’t wait to see ingram and julio play against each other. Good times for falcons fans ahead.
2011-2012 NFC South standings (my predictions)
Falcons- 12-4
Saints- 10-6
Bucs- 9-7
Panthers- 4-12
nolla
May 14th, 2011
1:48 pm
here we go again.
Seattle Falcons Fan
May 14th, 2011
4:04 pm
Thank You WAYNE @ 8:33 – Exactly! Yes the first round pick next year stings a little because of our need for a TE next seaon, but what did everyone want the Falcons to do, wait to #27 and pick up a middle of the pack DE project? No TD went out and basically drafted one of the best player in the draft. The Julio trade up is equal to signing a big time free agent. Just everybody calm down and watch who we sign for our D once Free Agency begins. It seems like everyone wanted the Falcons to just sit on there hands and sign another P. Jerry. That is not what we needed. TD was determined to draft Pro Bowl talent not a rotational player. Don’t forget not only will Julio make some great catches, but he will give Turner the blocking for more yards and Roddy’s numbers will soar too because teams can’t focus their secondary on him.
Amen to a player that played through his injuries. People act like he didn’t play or his performance dropped because of them. I think his numbers and performance looked pretty dang good.
I think too that a lot of people don’t realize the signifigance of the Dent draft pick and the Punter draft pick. Dent was brought in so we can let Nicholas walk to save money to sign a big time free agent. Same with the punter. He doesn’t have to be a pro bowler, he just has to be a good backup.
Also I think we don’t realize what Quizz will bring to the team. I have being saying all off season that we should try and sign either R. Bush or D. Sproles. Now we don’t need to. We got a cheaper version of what I wanted the Falcons to do. Now only one thing left……Sign either Johnson or Edwards at DE and sign an above average CB. Maybe a decent Linebacker too.
D LED- Any word on what O lineman the Falcons plan to bring back? I hope all of them. I hope The Nicholas money will help with that also.
hiramsaint
May 14th, 2011
5:37 pm
@ robert108- you mayhave forgotten but it was the saints who lost and it was the failcans who got destroyed. i’m sure it was just a small slip on your part but as the fed gov. says-we all need a little re-education!
Seen (The Saints) This (lose to a below .500 playoff team)B4
May 14th, 2011
8:06 pm
I think I would rather get destroyed by the Super Bowl champs than lose to a below .500 playoff team coached by Pete Carroll. And the Saints D got torched just as bad as ATL’s D did. Neither Falcons fans nor Saints fans should be happy or talk trash about 2010 given how our seasons ended. I’m still p*ssed about the GB game–part of me hopes there is no football in 2011. You invest every week in a team, you get the #1 seed, and then…that happens. I (Fal)can’t imagine it’s any better from a NO perspective. They were the defending champs and had overcome a lot of injuries to get the wildcard…I’m sure they felt (rightfully so w/ that QB & coach) that they had as good a chance as anyone in the tournament…only to get into a shootout with a team that didn’t even have a winning record…that Marshon (sp?) Lynch run had to be devasting. I remember the Braves coming off their title and how it felt losing to the Yankees in the ‘96 series–how much that s*cked (and still does)…gotta be similar for NO fans last year. I guess their Lombardi trophy eased the pain…hoping we get one of our own someday…hoping this regime just wins a playoff game or two.
hiramsaint
May 14th, 2011
9:03 pm
sorry but i can’t relate- when we were the #1 seed we finished the job and brought home the trophy. with smitty and matty melt at the helm, i hope you have patience to wait for a new regime
flurrrs
May 14th, 2011
10:00 pm
Yall are about to see what a receiver on beast mode is like. Enjoy
Seen (The Saints) This (lose to a below .500 playoff team)B4
May 14th, 2011
10:17 pm
Really Hiram? All I heard was “Two-Dat” and the start of a Saint dynasty, and then you lose to a below.500 team, and you can’t even acknowledge how bad that is? Please–I know we’re “rivals” but cut the BS. The way the 2010 season ended for NO had to be horrible. Or is your comment about “when we were the #1 seed we got it done” an admission that, as the #5 seed, once you lost the NFC South title, you had no expectations?
Mystikal
May 14th, 2011
10:41 pm
For those still stuck on the draft day trade, look at it like this. Matt Ryan is our quarterback and a good one. However he is no Peyton Manning or Drew Brees (yet). Meaning he can’t make average players look like superstars. Mattie needs talent around him to be successful at this point. Yes the trade was a big gamble, but you have to take chances in this league; there are no SURE things. Look at how Brandon Marshall, Ochocinco, and Randy Moss situations panned out. Taking a chance on a DIVA receiver is a much bigger gamble. Julio is a mature talented young guy who is only going to get better. His contributions ultimately will be measured on whether the team wins and how they win. Granted we have to make some moves on defense, but with the additions of JJ and Quiz our offense should be able to do what we want whenever we want (for most part). First things first end this childish lockout that isn”t benefiting anyone and we get on with our lives.
eM
May 14th, 2011
10:51 pm
Seen (The Saints) This (lose to a below .500 playoff team)B4
May 14th, 2011
10:17 pm
Really Hiram? All I heard was “Two-Dat” and the start of a Saint dynasty, and then you lose to a below.500 team, and you can’t even acknowledge how bad that is? Please–I know we’re “rivals” but cut the BS. The way the 2010 season ended for NO had to be horrible. Or is your comment about “when we were the #1 seed we got it done” an admission that, as the #5 seed, once you lost the NFC South title, you had no expectations?
That’s just it HerpiesHiram, or is it Hi..i’llramSeenThisB4, like to talk bogus trash talk. The pathedic jerks just like to come on here and prove to the Falcon nation how stupid aints fans are. Seen talking about watching the river rise and all. They only thing he sees rising is his little joey everytime Hiram post a blog. Please some one tell them how to log onto an aints blog.
hiramsaint
May 15th, 2011
7:33 am
with all th injuries at rb we had to that point , we were hopeful but realistically we had lost all expectataions. nobody gets back after set backs like that. perhapshad we been injury free , like another team i know , we could have put on a better show. @ em- how come everytime you and the majority of the failcan fans can’t win a debate you revert to your obsessions with our urinary tract. man thats just…gay. anyway em , have a good day and keep mid town colorful but try to fantasize about something else-like a woman maybe!
Teague
May 15th, 2011
10:46 am
I’m not an NFL fan. But, for any of you with doubts about Julio, rest easy. In my 30 years of rabidly following Alabama football, I’ve never seen a player I’d rather have on my team than Julio Jones. He is the epitome of a team player. And TOUGH. He’s had a few injuries, but nothing that has kept him off the field. He’s out there every play catching passes or blowing up DB’s to allow RB’s to win Heisman trophies. He’s a physical freak. If he had gone to a pass-happy school, like Arkansas he would have had HUGE numbers. He had GOOD numbers at Bama, and never once complained or moped. He just wanted to WIN. See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO8Wf0VKip4&feature=related
BigGA_BirdDawgFan
May 15th, 2011
10:51 am
Everyone who is fretting or fuming over how many picks were traded away let these phrases soothe your soul: “Free Agency” and “Arthur has a BIG checkbook” and “Arthur wants a championship as much or more than anyone else.”
hiramsaint
May 15th, 2011
2:21 pm
in regards to free agency—LOCKOUT. how soothing is that?
Game Manager
May 15th, 2011
10:31 pm
So all of a sudden Matt Ryan’s noodle arm is going to get strong enough to go deep? Julio, be prepared to come back to the football and fight the defender for the ball.
DEE-ROME
May 17th, 2011
6:19 pm
SeenThisB4 you hope for your Saints sake this offense is going to be HIGH POWERED to many weapons.
BAMA CHIK
May 19th, 2011
12:28 pm
SOOOOOOOOO ready for football season!!! Ready for the rest of the country to see what BAMA fans have known for a while…just how special Julio really is…and p.s… how cute does J.P.W. look with his hair cut!!! ROLL TIDE AND GO FALCONS!!!
kenneth
May 19th, 2011
1:42 pm
like the guy the #1 falcon fan said just win baby am with him and the owner need to get real I want some football this season now. stupid it.
Arosmith
May 19th, 2011
9:01 pm
I am very excited about this up coming season if this isn’t the year for the falcons its damn sure close