Atlanta Falcons: Defensive end Ray Edwards released
By Michael Cunningham
The Falcons released defensive end Ray Edwards less than two seasons after he was heralded as a key component of the team’s pass rush.
The Falcons signed Edwards as a free agent in July 2011, giving him $11 million in guaranteed salary on a five-year deal. But Edwards produced little in the way of sacks (3.5) or quarterback pressures in 25 games with the Falcons.
Edwards started all 16 games in 2011 and four of nine games this season. Edwards’ playing time had decreased this season, a development coach Mike Smith and offensive coordinator Mike Nolan attributed to extensive use of special personnel packages.
Kroy Biermann has absorbed a number of Edwards’ snaps while playing a hybrid position in Nolan’s defense.
The Vikings selected Edwards in fourth round of the 2006 draft our of Purdue. He was set to make $3 million in base salary this year, $5.5 million in 2013, $5 million in 2014 and $5 million in 2015.
RAY EDWARDS PLAYING PERCENTAGE/PRODUCTION CHART
GAME PLAYS TOTAL PERCENTAGE TACKLES SACKS
K.C. 28 69 41 1 0
Denver 16 73 22 0 0
S.D. 35 56 64 2 0
Car. 30 64 47 3 0
Wash 12 49 27 0 0
Oak 45 73 62 3 0
Phil 10 63 16 0 0
Dall 10 57 18 1 0
NOS 20 62 32 1 0
TOTALS 207 566 36.5 11 0
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221 comments Add your comment
Double Zero Eight
November 13th, 2012
8:12 am
This move was a good business decision.
He had ample time to produce but failed
to do so.
Jimmy Crack
November 13th, 2012
8:16 am
THANK YOU.
It was getting so bad that opposing offensive lines were lining up wide receivers across from “No Play” Ray, and he still couldn’t get off the block.
old man
November 13th, 2012
8:21 am
Where’s Antone Smith? (8)
ohsnap
November 13th, 2012
8:30 am
MT runs like he’s fleeing the mafia. Only brotha in the league running with cement shoes on that could make the aints backs look decent. Ship his scrub self to jax for some picks, they’re dumb enough to take him. .
slug27marathons
November 13th, 2012
8:38 am
Ed is dead, that’s what I said…a terrible blow, but that’s how it goes….Ed is on the corner now…He ain’t no Superfly!
JAMES ONE
November 13th, 2012
8:38 am
I hope one or two of the offensive linemen is out of here soon. A running back cannot do anything if the defensive lines are controlling the line of scrimmage so the runners have no place to go.
sam
November 13th, 2012
8:40 am
I like the move. Sends a message to the rest of the guys that the Falcons are serious about winning. hope Turner gets the memo.
AlanFalcon
November 13th, 2012
8:43 am
One ofthe best personel moves the Falcons couldhave made, edwards added absolutely nothing and I repeat nothing to the Falcons team since he arrived, so long and good ridence.
Next up, Michael Turner if he doesn’t get back to what he was, he to has fallen off the wagon, Rodgers and Snelling offer the Falcons a lot more.
mark
November 13th, 2012
8:43 am
forget the defense!…how about a running game?!?!?!?…offensive line?!?!?!?
Ackshun
November 13th, 2012
8:47 am
This is a good move but he blame has to fall to TD for thinking Ray Edwards was a beast when he thrived for one season because the other guy was always drawing double teams in Minnesota. You don’t hire a guy to fire them you have to dig deep on evaluation. Now ccan he team admit they may have made a mistake and bring Ovie back (maybe Dahl too).
Phil
November 13th, 2012
8:51 am
Edwards was a bust. Michael Turner should have went with him. Turner is so friggin slow to hit the holes, they are closed up before he gets there. Can you imagine what our offense would be like if we had a top running back? Unstoppable thay’s what.
Get rid of Turner next!
Anti Turner
November 13th, 2012
8:58 am
Please trade or release Michael Turner and get a real running back. Turner is a fraud, he’s used up and past his prime!
JT
November 13th, 2012
9:07 am
Whats up with Polite, I don’t get it why was he cut…..
FRUIT MAN
November 13th, 2012
9:07 am
I tell people all the time Falcons CB Robinson is a serviceable CB, but we are paying him like he is Deion I also told people Allen of Minn. made Edwards should have never signed him period. Go Falcons, DAWGS, Hawks, and Jackets!!!!
chucktownfalcon
November 13th, 2012
9:11 am
I wouldn’t mind seeing Chauncey Davis signed for the remainder of the season. If anything, to provide experienced depth
JT
November 13th, 2012
9:26 am
Why was Polite cut.
loel.mckinnon@yahoo.com
November 13th, 2012
9:29 am
Like I said b/4, Turner is good for the “taking a knee play” at the end of the game.
Pamela
November 13th, 2012
9:45 am
You know it’s a shame how the NFL just use people up and then just throw them away. So sad. Turner is STILL playing for the Falcants’ because why???? He is short, unathletic and slow…Oh well…I don’t like the Falcants’ anyway… I don’t care.
Esquire
November 13th, 2012
9:49 am
FALCONCHRIS
November 13th, 2012
7:04 am
ITS FUNNY WHAT ONE LOSS CAN STIR UP
******************************************
No, it’s really not funny. If we expect to be a championship caliber team………and I mean the Big Dance not just the playoffs, we should be able to win games like last Sunday. It was ours and we had so many opportunities and shot ourselves in the foot so many times. Until the playoffs that is as close a playoff caliber game we are going to be in and we didn’t get it done.
WHY? Asante Samuel for one, still probably running that mouth. Do it on the sideline Dunce Hat. Drew Davis, stopped running in a route……….do you think Ryan is going to throw you the ball where you were or where you are gonna be. Roddy White…..I’m not sure if he pulled up because he thought the ball was short or lost sight of it……..I dunno, but if he takes 3 more steps in stride we got 6 points. We couldn’t run the ball. Maybe we should have run a couple of plays to let Ryan run out of the pocket and slide to protect himself. That’s probably 5-6 yards easy, more than what we got out of our backs. At least it would give their D another dimension to think about. 6 penalties for 53 yards………….and that first one against #22 was a killer. Instead of the 12 we are on the 27 yard line………a gift from our defense to theirs, tis the season. Poor tackling….I could go on and on. The worst part of the loss is we breathed life into a team that was on life support and is now appearing in the NFL playoff picture as “In the Hunt” along with our other division foe Bucs.
I’m done with last Sunday’s loss, I’m done with Ray Edwards.
We got a game on Sunday. http://www.nfl.com/schedules/2012/REG/Falcons
http://www.nfl.com/playoffs/playoff-picture
FruitOfTheLoom
November 13th, 2012
9:50 am
This is a great move. Ray hasn’t made an impact in the run game, as it has become apparent that he can’t rush the passer. This move put the rest of the team on alert. Now we can hopefully see some more Sidbury/Matthews/Massoqui. This could really boost our Defense. Surprising but great move! It’s ok Ray can now focus on his true passion, modeling tighty-whities
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 13th, 2012
9:50 am
Kinda makes me wonder if Ray said the wrong thing to the wrong person. If you’re just an average player carring a big paycheck you better at least have a good attitude. Regardless, he’s gone and I doubt that he’ll be missed. GO FALCONS !
PMC
November 13th, 2012
9:51 am
Hoping that they stay tight as a group. I understand McClure being salty. It’s evident that the OL has worked extremely hard. Baker in particular is having his best year. Todd has been a great player in this town for a long time. Appreciate all his hard work, it’s just that they aren’t good “enough” sometimes.
That said, it’s one game, they are 8-1. I don’t think it’s any one units fault. They absolutely need to modify tendencies, and shake things up.
Just stay together Falcons, it was just a frustrating loss. Make Arizona pay for it.
We want to see how physical you can be.
FruitOfTheLoom
November 13th, 2012
9:52 am
Polite wasn’t blocking well and was dropping passes….Mike Cox isn’t any better
PMC
November 13th, 2012
9:53 am
I like the Edwards move because it’s been clear that he doesn’t care and he doesn’t want to be here. I’m sorry he lost his job, but I’m also not sure he really wanted to play anyway.
I want to see the young guys come out and attack from that position.
Larry
November 13th, 2012
10:06 am
Offense line/Falcon/oxymoron. 3 times inside 5 yard line. This is no super Bowl team. Forget about it.
SeasonTicketHolderFalcons
November 13th, 2012
10:06 am
You people can save you well wishes for Edwards…he made $10 million. He had 11 more tackles than I did with the Falcons and I was sitting up in the stands eating popcorn and drinking beer!!! The way I see it, we paid for him to occupy one blocker! I am sure Mike Nolan wanted to get rid of him in training camp but finally his hands were untied and they had enough of his crap! He gave him 9 games to get it together…
Statick
November 13th, 2012
10:10 am
Good move. Now a better move would be for Smitty to actually play the younger DEs and DT he has on his roster, like Mass, Sid and Robertson. Give ‘em a frickin’ chance, Coach!
observer
November 13th, 2012
10:17 am
Can’t quite understand everyone who now wants to see Sidbury or Massaquoi out there. Uh, neither one of these was able to beat out Edwards for the job and Massaquoi couldn’t even make the active roster. How would they be an upgrade over Edwards?
Esquire
November 13th, 2012
10:36 am
FALCONCHRIS
November 13th, 2012
7:04 am
ITS FUNNY WHAT ONE LOSS CAN STIR UP
******************************************
No, it’s really not funny. If we expect to be a championship caliber team………and I mean the Big Dance not just the playoffs, we should be able to win games like last Sunday. It was ours and we had so many opportunities and shot ourselves in the foot so many times. Until the playoffs that is as close a playoff caliber game we are going to be in and we didn’t get it done.
WHY? Asante Samuel for one, still probably running that mouth. Do it on the sideline Dunce Hat. Drew Davis, stopped running in a route……….do you think Ryan is going to throw you the ball where you were or where you are gonna be. Roddy White…..I’m not sure if he pulled up because he thought the ball was short or lost sight of it……..I dunno, but if he takes 3 more steps in stride we got 6 points. We couldn’t run the ball. Maybe we should have run a couple of plays to let Ryan run out of the pocket and slide to protect himself. That’s probably 5-6 yards easy, more than what we got out of our backs. At least it would give their D another dimension to think about. 6 penalties for 53 yards………….and that first one against #22 was a killer. Instead of the 12 we are on the 27 yard line………a gift from our defense to theirs, tis the season. Poor tackling….I could go on and on. The worst part of the loss is we breathed life into a team that was on life support and is now appearing in the NFL playoff picture as “In the Hunt” along with our other division foe Bucs.
I’m done with last Sunday’s loss, I’m done with Ray Edwards.
We got a game on Sunday.
shannyeight
November 13th, 2012
10:38 am
The trade deadline is over, so stop with the “get Steven jackson” crap. If the Falcons didnt pursue him before the trade, then they didnt want him, and arent gonna pursue him in the offseason either…his price tag is still too high.
I’m kinda glad they cut him at this point in the season-1) it shows they mean business about trying to right the defense, and anybody can get it if they dont get their act together, 2) it gives them extra money to make better moves in the offseason, and 3) he wasnt productive at all on the field.
I feel they should add Sidbury to the lineup and gradually bring in Massaquoi…
Mike is Back
November 13th, 2012
10:48 am
Dled, we knew Edwards was dead money after last season…I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt…and say it was the injuries…Still kind of surprised though.
Jerry can’t be far behind.
78dawg
November 13th, 2012
10:48 am
He should have been cut after the first year. Worthless player.
Big Crimson 75
November 13th, 2012
10:55 am
Good, good, good!!
If we don’t win something of substance this year, the blame is squarely on gel-hair.
He’s awful. His decision making has almost ruined this franchise.
Perhaps now everyone understands why Ray Edwards was sitting their over a month into free agency last year.
Everyone in the NFL knew he was garbage, except one stupid GM.
Buddy Landel
November 13th, 2012
10:55 am
Bring back Pierce Holt!!!
Falcons ditch Ray Edwards in less than 2 seasons (National Football Post) | E. OVERSTREET SPORTS MANAGEMENT
November 13th, 2012
11:02 am
[...] the veteran he will be placed on waivers today after less than two seasons with the club. The Falcons guaranteed Edwards $11 million in a five-year contract and he had 3 ½ sacks in 25 [...]
Esquire
November 13th, 2012
11:02 am
observer
November 13th, 2012
10:17 am
Can’t quite understand everyone who now wants to see Sidbury or Massaquoi out there. Uh, neither one of these was able to beat out Edwards for the job and Massaquoi couldn’t even make the active roster. How would they be an upgrade over Edwards?
********************************************
Anything, anybody, hell even you, would be an upgrade over “Take a play off Ray”.
Statick
November 13th, 2012
11:09 am
Uh, neither one of these was able to beat out Edwards for the job and Massaquoi couldn’t even make the active roster. How would they be an upgrade over Edwards?
It’s well known that Smitty would prefer to go with a vet over a rookie more often than not. Now that he doesn’t have Edwards to take up space, why not give them a chance and see what they have. They may surprise him outside of languising on STs.
Da Truth
November 13th, 2012
11:09 am
@BB
“It’s a shame to see ones career end like this”
Not really. He was given 11 million and delivered 11 tackles over 2 seasons. It’s a shame when a guy gets $15 bucks an hour, works his butt off and then get laid off because of government policies.
Dee
November 13th, 2012
11:10 am
He’s awful. His decision making has almost ruined this franchise.
DUMBEST STATEMENT EVER.
Da Truth
November 13th, 2012
11:11 am
@Statick
“Uh, neither one of these was able to beat out Edwards for the job and Massaquoi couldn’t even make the active roster. ”
Hard to not play the guy who has delivered in the past and was given an $11 million signing bonus. You have to give the guy every chance, every benefit of the doubt.
Da Truth
November 13th, 2012
11:13 am
@Big Crimson 75
“His decision making has almost ruined this franchise.”
The words of a GD fool.
1998 Was Our Year
November 13th, 2012
11:18 am
Good Riddiance…..what a waste of $$$$$$.
mediocrity continues...
November 13th, 2012
11:23 am
That project of brining him in for $11M up front had Failure written all over it from the get go…
Statick
November 13th, 2012
11:42 am
@ Da Truth
Hard to not play the guy who has delivered in the past and was given an $11 million signing bonus. You have to give the guy every chance, every benefit of the doubt.
Not my words. That quote was the guy before me.
And I agree with you. Like I said, I believe that Smitty will go with a vet before a rookie, highly paid or not. The only reason he starts Konz was because Reynolds is on IR.
Hello
November 13th, 2012
12:35 pm
Nolan is defensive coordinator; not offensive – geesh, does anyone proof read these things??
ATL/UGA #1 fan
November 13th, 2012
12:46 pm
turner and perry are next!
ATL/UGA #1 fan
November 13th, 2012
12:47 pm
no play Ray ya blew it
Heat check: UGA’s hot, Tech’s warm and the Falcons are 8-1 | Mark Bradley
November 13th, 2012
12:51 pm
[...] had to do? Run the ball and stop the run. Barometric reading: Barely 24 hours later, the Falcons cut defensive end Ray Edwards, who had little to do with Sunday’s loss but who did little after signing as a big-ticket [...]
Da Truth
November 13th, 2012
1:15 pm
Played half of the game without Julio Jones. If he is in the entire game, the falcons win easily. Book it.
Da Truth
November 13th, 2012
1:16 pm
Bill
November 12th, 2012
11:13 pm
I would love to hear one reporter or talk show host state the fact. This is one of many Thomas Dimitroff bust.
Read the AJC. What are the other “busts”. CLown