Archive for March, 2013

Many Holes, Tons of Possibilities

How will Osi Signing Affect Draft? (AJC)

As The Cage heads full steam into talking, researching, and analyzing the 2013 NFL draft, the biggest question always leads off with who the Falcons will take first. The draft will contain anywhere from 5 to 11 new players, span 3 days, and cover 7 rounds, but the first pick is what everyone talks about the most. Also, it determines what direction the rest of the draft can and will take, along with what impact may be felt the most in the upcoming season.

Good Batting Percentage

Spoon One of Easier Ones to Predict (AJC)

Thomas Dimitroff has a pretty good slugging percentage on 1st round picks. Matt Ryan won rookie of the year, been to two Pro Bowls, set franchise records, and is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Julio Jones was elected to his first Pro Bowl in year 2, and nearly broke 1,000 yds receiving as a rookie. Sean Weatherspoon may not have earned a Pro Bowl trip just yet, but he’s already …

Continue reading Who will the Atlanta Falcons Take with their 1st Pick? »

Working on new draft heavy post, but wanted to go ahead and get up a new thread letting you discuss all things new Atlanta Falcon Osi Umenyiora. Here’s some questions to help you out…….

Good Move? (Getty Images)

1) What’s your overall thoughts on the signing: good, bad, or ugly?

2) Does this mean the Falcons are staying permanently in the 4-3 defense?

3) What’s your thoughts on the contract: 2 years, $5 mill guaranteed, $8.5 million overall, that could rise to $12 million with incentives.

4) Is this much better than just keep John Abraham?

5) Who will be lining up opposite Umenyiora? Biermann, Matthews, Massaquoi, or draft pick?

6) Speaking of, is there any way the Falcons can convince Abe to comeback for one more year on the cheap?

7) How does this affect the Falcons draft plans?

8.) Are the Falcons putting too many eggs in one basket with all these older vets?

9) Will Umenyiora being a two-time Super Bowl winner help in the locker …

Continue reading Your Thoughts on Atlanta Falcons Signing of Osi Umenyiora? »

Holes Abound on Defense

Spoon a New Leader on D (AJC)

Even though free agency will stretch until the beginning of the season and all the way through, the major rush is over and the Falcons are surely done with the big spending, basically because they have no more money. Atlanta’s team did a good job of keeping their own in Tony Gonzalez, Sam Baker, Garrett Reynolds, and William Moore. They even added one of the best running backs of the past decade in Steven Jackson. Interestingly, only one of those resides on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, the two represent an antithesis of one another. On one side, you have an offense that is laden with Pro Bowlers, future Hall of Famers, and seems ready to suit up if the game were tomorrow. Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and Steven Jackson look as good as any offense in the NFL, at least on paper. And that’s not even mentioning Jacquizz Rodgers, Chase Coffman, Jason Snelling, and perhaps Harry Douglas (or …

Continue reading Atlanta Falcons Defense Ready for a Major Rebuild? »

Falcons Keeping their Own

One More Go! (AJC)

If you were expecting the Falcons to jump out of the gates and be big spenders like the Dolphins, Rams, and Browns you were sorely disappointed with the start of the Free Agency Frenzy. Even though Dimitroff made a few quick strikes back in his early years for Michael Turner in 2008 and 2010 for Dunta Robinson, that hasn’t happened in a few years. It’s no secret that the teams that are perennial contenders rarely make huge signings on the first day, or even the first few weeks. By and large, the contracts that are signed on the first few hours of free agency are usually highly inflated. Mike Wallace signed a $60 million deal for 5 years and Paul Kruger inked a 5 year deal worth $40 million. This is not to say that they aren’t excellent players, but are they really worth that price? There was initial talk that the Falcons were pursuing running back Steven Jackson and a deal may be imminent, but that tapered off to being …

Continue reading Your Thoughts on Atlanta Falcons Free Agency So Far? (Updated) »

A Week Left and Some Big Names

It may not include as many names as last off-season, but the Atlanta Falcons are on the clock as to whether or not they intend to keep their soon-to-be free agents before they hit the open market. A good rule of thumb is to keep your guys well before the free agent frenzy starts, because anything and everything can happen. Last off-season saw the Falcons keep a great core together including Kroy Biermann, Jason Snelling, John Abraham, Harry Douglas, Tony Gonzalez, Thomas DeCoud, Michael Palmer, Antone Smith, and franchise tagging Brent Grimes. It may not be the flashiest and most exciting thing in the world to just keep your own players and not spend big on new ones, but that strategy yielded the Falcons one of their best in franchise history, coming up only 10 yards short of the Super Bowl.

The big names include William Moore, Sam Baker, and Brent Grimes, but there’s a slew of other players that have also been vital to the Falcons success. …

Continue reading What Free Agents will Atlanta Falcons Keep? »