Falcons agree to 5-year deal with DE Ray Edwards
FLOWERY BRANCH – The Falcons hope there is a new “Big Play Ray” in town.
Minnesota Vikings defensive end "Big Play" Ray Edwards has agreed to a five-year deal with the Falcons. Air Blank One is leaving at 6:01 p.m. to scoop him up and retun him to Flowery Branch. (Associated Press)
Defensive end Ray Edwards agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. The original “Big Play Ray” is former defensive back Ray Buchanan, who played with the Falcons from 1997 to 2003, and was on the franchise’s only Super Bowl team.
One of the team’s glaring deficiencies has been the pass rush. They are hoping that Edwards will help close the gap on the Green Bay Packers in the NFC. They hope he will balance the field and provide a pass rush opposite of Pro Bowl defensive end John Abraham.
On a day when the team released defensive end/tackle Jamaal Anderson, the Falcons reached a deal with Edwards. The former Purdue standout has 29 sacks in five seasons. He had eight sacks last season and 8.5 in 2009.
The Falcons were interested in Edwards after the draft. But they later cooled on him and pursued Carolina’s Charles Johnson. The Falcons backed out when the Panthers made a lucrative offer to Johnson, the former Georgia standout from Hawkinsville.
Entering free agency, Mel Kiper Jr. had Johnson as the top-rated defensive end available and Edwards was rated second.
“Finished second on the Vikings with eight sacks, teaming with Jared Allen to form one of the top pass rushing tandem at DE in the league,” Kiper wrote in his 2011 Free Agency Data Sheet. “But it was an uneven year for Edwards as he managed just 1.5 sacks in their first seven games.”
Kroy Biermann started at left defensive end last season and had three sacks. The Falcons also have Chauncey Davis, Lawrence Sidbury, Cliff Matthews and Emmanuel Stephens on the roster.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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425 comments Add your comment
boilerup
July 29th, 2011
7:20 pm
Boiler Up!!!!
falconfever74
July 29th, 2011
7:20 pm
yeah and sproles a conservative still tries to live life like a cave man. like your doing talking about a saints team who has done one thing in its years of exisistence. if u want to talk about the past which u conservatives are always dwelling on. . . .where’s your paper bag!
falconfever74
July 29th, 2011
7:24 pm
and you have the nerve to say same old falcons. wow!
falconfever74
July 29th, 2011
7:27 pm
uga 1999 had me for 1 minute when they said jets and cowboys are out and a dark horse is in it. good one uga 1999
Bartkowski
July 29th, 2011
7:42 pm
it’s a great start to reloading for this season, but more to do yet
Flo=Ri-Duh
July 29th, 2011
8:01 pm
Dahl will sign with the Rams . O-line will be the top priority
Saints Fans 'R US
July 29th, 2011
8:12 pm
Hey, that um Ray Edwards signing wasn’t all that good ya know. I mean, he only had eight sacks last season so he’s um, not that good. NO really, you Falcon fans got screwed. Seriously. NO really.
We’re not scared at all. Um…does anybody know where we can get new health insurance for Drew Brees?
Ramon
July 29th, 2011
8:22 pm
I wish the Falcons could trade for Champ Bailey, and move him to the safety position.
SeenThisB4
July 29th, 2011
8:33 pm
No NFC South team has ever won the Division in back to back seasons, and that won’t change this year either!!!
GEAUX SAINTS!!!!
Ramon
July 29th, 2011
8:34 pm
Seen, don’t have to win the Division to win the Super Bowl.
SeenThisB4
July 29th, 2011
8:43 pm
I hear ya Ramon, But it sure is an easier task when you’re a one seed. Of course being a one seed doesn’t always guarantee a trip to the Super Bowl, but then you guys are experts in that department.
Freddie G
July 29th, 2011
8:49 pm
I am surprised that Jenkins was released, I hope they will bring him back at a lower salary. Except for Roddy none of the others are experienced. Thomas is aware of this and will bring an expeienced receiver in if Jenks does not return.
J.J.M.
July 29th, 2011
9:08 pm
why nfl network dont show what the falcons have done?
DawgsnFalcons
July 29th, 2011
9:12 pm
I guess UGA 1999 didn’t know what he was talking about after all. Asomugha goes to the Eagles.
garcia
July 29th, 2011
9:21 pm
I don’t recall UGA1999 saying that we were going to sign NA. He wrote that we will be the talk of the national media this weekend and that we were going to sign two more FA’s- one on offense and one on defense.
The Ray Edwards signing is big and if that is all TD does (besides re-signing our top FA’s), then I am OK with the offseason. Ideally, we will add a DB that can help us at the NB position.
FalconsFan284
July 29th, 2011
9:49 pm
falconforever—-Conservatives talk about the past while Liberals talk about a world that can never be. In fact, throughout History it has been Conservatives that have made real change happen, while Liberals sit on their asses and talk about it. Just look at the moron in the White House if you need some real world evidence. Why not list that idiots accomplishments without using his skin color or Bin Laden?
SEEN—–Your Taints have done nothing this offseason but resign a few players that helped you lose to the Seahawks. The biggest threat to the Falcons is in Tampa Bay. At least they are a team the has some depth. With your 20+ free agents the Taints depth can be found at the bottom of a glass called yesterday!
Real American
July 29th, 2011
10:17 pm
FalconsFan284…which must be your IQ….The Falcons go up against an elite team and fold like cheap chairs every single year. You act like there is some storied history. LOL
Falcon's D-Back
July 29th, 2011
10:31 pm
uhhhh…Defensive backs? anyone? Please.
Tdawg
July 29th, 2011
10:50 pm
UGA 1999 did say we already had a deal for NA….it was in a previous blog….he was wrong, just got lucky with the Ray Edwards signing. He is like a phsycic, who says “you have a sibling, I recall a letter A”.
Tdawg
July 29th, 2011
10:52 pm
I say we should pursue Nate Clemons, good corner who was over paid in SF and we could get good value now that he was released.
Threadkiller
July 29th, 2011
11:07 pm
When we played the Niners..Didn’t we beat Clemons like a 4 year old at KMart??
FalconsFan284
July 29th, 2011
11:20 pm
Real American—–You are aware, of course, that an IQ of 284 would be higher than Einstein’s, right? It’s sad that you stupid Taints fans come here and try to espouse some superiority while also looking like fools. If I were you, I would concentrate on the over abundance of free agents your depleted team has and see how they resign all of them before I would come here and run down the Falcons.
It’s true, the Falcons don’t have a storied History and neither do the Taints! Well, unless you consider being the first major sports franchise to have fans showing up with paper bags over their heads, as is part of the Taints History.
What you’re missing is that this is the possible start of Atlanta’s story. While we have already SEEN the beginning of the end to the Taints title run.
tylanta99
July 29th, 2011
11:29 pm
I think our defensive backs are good. Now since we have another pass rusher it will take a lot if stress of our backs. I would like to see us get one more veteran tall receiver, since Jenkins is gone.
distracted
July 29th, 2011
11:49 pm
@uga1999
F&$% You
http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-07-29/after-claiming-biggest-free-agent-prize-eagles-can-pursue-biggest-trophy
SaintsFan284
July 30th, 2011
12:31 am
It seems as if we have signed or replaced all but 2 FF284. Now who’s talking out of their arse? Correct- it would be you. Same Falcant story , different year. First it was Matty melt then it was Turner then it was Robinson and now it’s Edwards and guess what. You ain’t going to the big game this year either. Are you really that stupid where you can’t put it together? Talk about storied history , look at your team too goofball. Your own Qb flips off the fans in the Dome. Coaches quitting in mid-season. Players arrested for drugs and killing animals. No Superbowl wins . 0-2 in the playoffs for the so called greatest team in recent NFL history. Coaches taking cheap swings at opposing players. You really need to stop yourself , get a real life and try not to be such a moron. Yeah , good luck on that one.
SaintsFan284
July 30th, 2011
12:35 am
P.S. Saints will win the NFC south with Tampa a close second and the Falcants at 8-8 and I’m being very generous to you. The Saints and the Packers showed everyone how to stomp a mud hole in your butts last year ans all teams watch film.
D man
July 30th, 2011
12:50 am
Falcons will win the division AGAIN this year too.
Brent
July 30th, 2011
2:35 am
Ledbetter, I don’t get everything I am hearing in the media about how they don’t think Edwards will be that good in ATL because he benefited from the Vikings line…
Correct me if I am wrong
John Abraham had more sacks then Allen 2 out of the last 3 years…WITHOUT two of the top 10 DT in the league… WITHOUT a pass rushing end to compliment him. Abraham had more sacks last year than any othe DE. The most sacks the DE opposite JA55 has had? Jamaal Anderson – 2, Kroy Biermann – 5 (the year JA55 was hurt, only 3 last year), Chauncey Davis – 4 (that was 3 years ago he has gotten 1 sack the last two years). So, our second best pass rusher got 3 sacks. Now I know sacks aren’t the only thing a DE does, but most agree that Edwards is pretty solid against the run.
Now, are you telling me that with a DE who is a better pass rusher than Allen and DT who are pretty good (but not quite as good as the Williams) that Edwards isn’t going to be able to get ATL at least 4 sacks?
He is a huge leap above what ATL has had the last 5 years. Atlanta’s line is not as weak as the media (not you Orlando) would have you believe. They aren’t the Vikings line from 2-4 years ago, but they just got a whole lot better. This was the best fit for Edwards because he will benefit from having 3 very good players beside him…The Falcons aren’t asking him to be the man… they are just asking him to do exactly what he did in MN which was offer a deterant for teams who double the other pass rusher. I don’t see how it is going to be any different here for him and why we can’t expect at least as much as he did in MN.
SaintsFansAreFunny
July 30th, 2011
2:56 am
P.S. The Saints lost to the worst team in the history of the NFL playoffs. They will be swept by either the Falcons or the Bucs this year and split with the other leaving them in 3rd place in the division. The Saints are the only team in the NFC South on the way down while every other team is on their way up. Say hello to the Panthers when they pass you on your way down. Saints live off their past success while the rest of the league passes you by. It amazes me how their fans can talk about the Falcons being one and done when they lost to the Super Bowl Champions when their team lost to the worst team in the history of the NFL Playoffs. That is one of the funniest and yet saddest things I have ever seen.
FalconsFan284
July 30th, 2011
3:10 am
Taintsfan—–First of all, I mentioned that neither team had a storied History or are you just not smart enough to understand what you read? Secondly, the Taints haven’t signed all but two of their free agents. Whatever comic book passes for a news paper in the Big Sleazy should really attempt to keep you informed. With the loss of the Taints depth I’m looking for them to challenge Carolina for fourth in the division.
FalconsFan284
July 30th, 2011
3:28 am
RealAmerican, Taintsfan, hiram, Seen—–Or whatever name your dumb ass will go by next—–ESPN still have the Taints as needing to sign 21 of their free agents. That’s a far cry from the 2 you think. Hell Carl Nicks hasn’t signed yet and neither has Darren Sharper. Now they may end up back with the rest of the sewage in the toilet bowl known as the Superdome but they haven’t signed yet and the list had been updated as of 10:24PM on July 29, 2011.
OHIOdirtybird!!!!
July 30th, 2011
4:05 am
Personally I’m happy with the Edwards pick up, Not only do I think it is an upgrade for the pass rush but I think it will help out the secondary/overall defense as well……Now for all the people that say we “need” a corner, I don’t totally agree but if we were too jump on somebody I would prefer Asante assuming Philly will let him go. I’m a fan of Nate Clements(not Clemond) but Asante Samuel is a lil younger and has a more impressive resume.
All in all though I am happy with what TD and co. have got taken care of but I would be MUCH more happy if we could get Snelling sealed away. Either way it’s should certainly be a exciting season, GO FALCONS!!!!!………O yeah……FK the saints!!!!
DawgsnFalcons
July 30th, 2011
8:03 am
UGA 1999: Specifically named NA in a previous blog. He originally said that the falcons would sign Edwards and Asomugha and announce at 1:00PM then he said that it would only be Edwards at 1:00 and today at 2:00PM there would be an announcement for two more major moves by the Falcons. However, he did say that a deal for NA was done.
SaintsFan284
July 30th, 2011
8:32 am
Signed OR REPLACED all but 2. Now who can’t read? I don’t think you could make a beer fart in a whirlwind your so dumb. To bad we can’t make bets on here because as the Saints have owned your sorry team for the past 5 years , I’d own your sorry existance also. At the end of the season it will be the same old , same old- next year if we can sign that one more piece , we’re going to the Superbowl. guess what- it ain’t gonna happen and heres why. A team is a team and what you have is a bunch of individuals. Good job on pirating my name , imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and jealousy!
Ken Strickland
July 30th, 2011
8:52 am
To all of you AINT FANATICS. The AINTS have an NFL high 28 UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS that have to be dealt with just so you can keep from getting worse. What we’ve done will definitely help us get better. CAN YOU SAY YOU’VE DONE ANYTHING TO HELP YOUR BELOVED AINTS IMPROVE UPON YOUR 2ND PLACE FINISH IN THE NFC SOUTH DIVISION?
I hope your delusional mentalities don’t have you thinking signing Sproales to replace RBush, or resigning Bushrod are improvements. Please tell us poor but definitely improving Falcon fans what the AINTS have done, or intend to do to get better. The Falcons have signed all of their draft picks and have only 3 unsigned FA’s.
Please answer the following questions AINT FANS:
1-How many draft picks have your BELOVED AINTS signed?
2-How many of your FA’s have you signed?
3-How many of your FA’s remain unsigned?
4-Do you think Sproales is an upgrade over RBush?
5-Do you think a move has been made that improves the team, and if so what is that move?
The best your BELOVED AINTS could do last yr was finish 2nd in the NFC South Division, behind the Falcons, and split the seasson series. And that was before we upgraded our OFF by getting a bigger, faster, more athletic #2 WR in JJones, a change of pace RB in JRogers, and a 2nd pass rushing DE in REdwards.
The Falcons have made moves that will definitely make them better, so what have you done to get better? So far, it appears you haven’t done enough to keep from getting worse.
Testiclese
July 30th, 2011
8:56 am
UGA 1999
July 29th, 2011
10:07 am
EDWARDS AND ASOMUGHA ARE NEW FALCONS!
UGA 1999
July 29th, 2011
10:09 am
DawnsnFalcons….sorry dude the deal was done last night.
Testiclese
July 30th, 2011
9:10 am
1999 also said that all eyes would be on Atlanta on Monday after our FA signings.
I think he meant Phillie.
Ken Strickland
July 30th, 2011
9:26 am
Let’s face it AINT FANS, the AINTS are now paying the price for their decision to rebuild through FA and trading away draft picks to acquire veterans players. The end result has injuries and age taking their toll. And don’t forget AINT FANS, your entire team is just an injury to QB DBrees away from total collapse.
And that sorry excuse for a DEF can’t carry itself, let alone carry a wounded OFF.
falconfever74
July 30th, 2011
9:30 am
falconsfan284: i am not going to turn this to a political debate, this is a sports blog. just going to say i am liberal minded but i am a political independent. And it saddens me to see that our once mighty country will never be that again, because of its people. we as americans are more concerned about getting our point across instead of coming together as a unit and once again making us a great power. democracy is great and there is nothing like it, but like everything else that exits it has its flaw as well and that flaw just happens to have been whats screwing us up. . . . SEGRAGATION. sorry fellow sports bloggers got off the subject just passionate about my country and its people.
SaintsFan284
July 30th, 2011
9:50 am
Oh Ken-Trading away draft picks????? Now who did that this year? At least do some research first and get your own answers. How dreadful it must be to be uninformed. If you care so much about what the Saints have done , find out for yourself. I keep up with my team as well as yours then I make observations, Though they may be skewed towards my team at least I educate myself on both teams. Denial will only lead to embarassment and dejection as it did last year. Our loss wasn’t so bad because we didn’t pretend like the Falcants did. Thats why the emasculation done to the Falcants by the Packers stung so hard.
Jon
July 30th, 2011
10:19 am
i knew UGA 1999 was full of it. He loved all the attention y’all showered him with… his moment of glory. LOL
Saints Fan
July 30th, 2011
10:52 am
“Our loss wasn’t so bad because we didn’t pretend like the Falcants did” Spoken like a loser. True dat.
hiramsaint
July 30th, 2011
10:56 am
@ kenny- our d was ranked #4 last year. what does that say about the failcans #16. you are dumb kenny but do you expect me to believe you can’t read? dt, lb’s, cb’s, ss-yeah , we’ve done nothing for our d plus ingram signed this morning and we have sproales who in paytons O will be able to do what bush couldn’t or wouldn’t -run through straight ahead. man we’re gonna be rough on y’all this year. seems to me you are the ones who traded draft picks while we bolstered our #4 d. what did you do for your d- get one de? yeah that surely will propel you to the sb this year just like every big name you;ve signed has done so far.-NOT
drmondo
July 30th, 2011
11:10 am
Unsigned Saints as of 7/30/11 11am
Ayodele, Remi
Betts, Ladell
Charleston, Jeff
Evans, Heath
Giordano, Matt
Goodwin, Jonathan
Hargrove, Anthony
Hartley, Garrett
Humphrey, Tory
Jones, Julius
Mitchell, Marvin
Mitchell, Kawika
Nicks, Carl
Roby, Courtney
Sharper, Darren
Strief, Zach
Thomas, David
Waters, Anthony
Wilkerson, Jimmy
Wynn, DeShawn
Young, Usama
BOOGIES THE MAN FROM HARTWELL GA
July 30th, 2011
11:25 am
IN MICHAEL ‘THE LIER’S’ SECOND BOOK HE WILL TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT BEING A DOG KILLER, DOPER, DRUNK AND A ‘DON’T GIVE A DAMN TEAM PLAYER’…
WILL BE A BEST SELLER.
Steve
July 30th, 2011
11:33 am
Anybody else notice the disappearing act of UGA 1999 after Asomugha signed with the eagles?
Ken Strickland
July 30th, 2011
12:38 pm
HIRAMAINT/AINTSFAN284-Let’s see how dumb I am and how little research I do.
1-Your BELOVED AINTS were the 2010 defending NFC South and Superbowl champions, and entered the 2010 playoffs as a wildcard team. Your 1st opponent was a team that randed 31st in rushing OFF, 19th in passing OFF, 28th in total OFF, and they ranked 25th in total DEF.
Tell me AINT FANS
hiramsaint
July 30th, 2011
12:50 pm
yep your pretty dumb kenny- now answer your own questions. if you are afraid of the answers then maybe you shouldn’t ask scary questions. last year all i heard from you was “the past is over -what have you done now?’ tell me ken what has your #16 ranked d done to get better? one de? is that it? is that what will put you over the edge this year? it was robinson last year and turner before that and ryan before that and so on and so on and all you really have is NO playoff wins and an 80 % losing record to the saints over the past 5 years.
FalconsFan284
July 30th, 2011
1:02 pm
hiram—-Tisk, tisk. If you had been paying attention you would know that Atlanta has addressed their defense and far beyond the signing of one defensive end. How, you ask? Simply put, the Falcons have managed to keep their depth in tact. They haven’t lost valuable players through free agency or through the organizations inability to look beyond one or two seasons. No, the Falcons have been methodically working towards becoming a better overall team. While your Taints seem to be looking at everything in a vaccuum, just as you are doing.
“We ranked fourth in defense last year and therefore we should be even better this year,” you say. But the facts of the Taints situation is quite different than what you are making them out to be. First of all, there is a really good chance the Taunts will be starting up to five different players eitheron defense or in different spots on that defense, including an unproven rookie and a corner they want to see play safety. Secondly, there is the issue of depth. Depth, or the lack thereof, is what really killed the Taints last season. What little depth your team did have is being taken from you this season. You don’t exactly replace those guys with 20 undrafted free agents and then get to claim how much better they will be. The world just doesn’t work like that!
Taintsfan284—–Saying the Taints have replaced all but two of their veteran free agents with 20 undrafted rookies doesn’t actually mean your Taints have done a great job. I would argue it means just the opposite. Sorry if you just aren’t smart enough to argue with the people that understand the difference.
Ken Strickland
July 30th, 2011
1:09 pm
HIRAMAINT/AINTSFAN284-So you think I’m dumb and don’t do any research. Well, let’s look at the facts. The Seattle Seahawks ranked:
1-19th in PASSING OFF,
2-31st in rushing OFF,
3-28th in overall OFF.
Yet, with all of that offensive futility, they managed to score 41pts against your 4th ranked DEF. CAN ANY OF YOU EXPLAIN THAT EMBARRASMENT?
Your BELOVED AINTS 6th ranked OFF couldn’t outscore the Seahawks 28th ranked OFF. Your vaunted 4th ranked DEF couldn’t stop an OFF that ranked 31st in RUSHING OFF, 19TH in PASSING OFF, and 28TH in TOTAL OFF.
The Falcons lost to the eventual Superbowl Champion Packers, who had the NFL’s 9th best OFF. If you call what they did to us emasculating, then what Seattle did to you amounted to a total SEX CHANGE. To say, “OUR LOSS WASN’T SO BAD BECAUSE WE DIDN’T PRETEND LIKE THE FALCANTS DID”, to avoid dealing with the reality of what happen to their team in the playoffs, is as DUMB AND DELUSIONAL as saying HURRICANE KATRINA was just a GENTLE BREEZE.