Atlanta Falcons: Bird Cage

Some Questions Start to Arise

Blank & Dimitroff (AJC)

Atlanta Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff could do no wrong when he first came aboard as the Birds new executive. He selected Matt Ryan with his first pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, who became Rookie of the Year and later made the Pro Bowl. He snagged Michael Turner in free agency, who has made 2 Pro Bowls since. He has been named the NFL Executive of the Year two times in four years, so much of this is playing devil’s advocate.

He hit on picks Curtis Lofton, Harry Douglas, Thomas DeCoud (at least initially), William Moore, Sean Weatherspoon, Kroy Biermann, Vance Walker, Jacquizz Rodgers, Michael Palmer, Corey Peters, Dominique Franks, and engineered a big trade for Julio Jones. He traded for Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez and has helped the Falcons to their best four years in franchise history, including making the playoffs 3 out of 4 years and a #1 seed in the NFC. Perhaps his biggest accomplishment was …

Continue reading Should Falcons GM Dimitroff Feel Some Heat? »

Great Re-sign (AJC)

Will be back soon with a longer, more in-depth post, but wanted to get a new thread up so you can continue your Falcons and Football talk……..

1) Harry Douglas

Fortifies a great 3 WR rotation for next 3-4 years and will only get better by not playing under Mularkey

2) Thomas DeCoud

Upside should be realized under Nolan

3) Jason Snelling

Ultimate insurance in running game. Could move to fullback if Ovie is released. Only concern is worry about taking snaps away from Rodgers or speedy Smith.

4) John Abraham

Will Finish as a Falcon (AJC)

No, he’s not Mario Williams, but he was the best available pass rusher after Mario. Yes, he’s 34, but he should also benefit from Nolan and have his career extended playing under Smith and become a pass-rushing specialist. Will truly give Falcons time to either see if Sidbury or Matthews can make the jump or draft a new DE in 1st or 2nd round next year. Finishing career as a Falcon and possible Ring of Honor is icing on the …

Continue reading Your Thoughts on Falcons Free Agency So Far? »

Good Re-sign (AJC)

Some of the biggest names are still on the table, but Thomas Dimitroff and Co. made a flurry of moves that kept several potential Falcons free agents in Atlanta.

Brent Grimes said he won’t sign his franchise tag, but they are reportedly looking for a long-term deal with the Falcons. The biggest names remain unsigned with only a few days remaining until free agency starts. A look at the re-signings so far….

Thomas DeCoud

5 years / $17.5 million / $4 million guaranteed

Even though DeCoud had some critics, the majority of fans thought this was a good move to bring back the 3 year starter at free safety. DeCoud had an excellent first year, but struggled in coverage and tackling the last few.Some think the safety position still needs to be upgraded, but with several holes to fill, soon-to-be limited cap space, and only 2 draft picks in the first four rounds, this was a very good move. DeCoud, along with several other defensive starters, will look to benefit from …

Continue reading What’s Your Thoughts on Falcons Re-signings? »

Falcons Franchise Tag Brent Grimes

Grimes Tagged (AJC)

Thomas Dimitroff and the Falcons have placed the franchise tag on CB Brent Grimes, deciding to pay him at least a one year salary of $10.6 million, the average of the top 5 cornerbacks in the NFL.It should be said that the Falcons still have until July 16th to sign Grimes to another deal, which would then remove the franchise tag and thus take away the $10.6 million dollar salary.

The player shouldn’t be up for any dispute whatsoever. Grimes is the Falcons best cornerback, which isn’t the hardest thing to accomplish. Still, Grimes is an excellent cornerback with superior athletic ability and heart. Much of this debate really has nothing to do with Grimes and all to do with the huge contract paid to Dunta Robinson a few years ago. A look at all angles and scenarios involved, pick which you like………..

Brent Grimes Really Is Worth It

Pro Football Focus ranked as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and he surely …

Continue reading What’s Your Thoughts on Brent Grimes Franchise Tag? »

Your Turn to Rate the Falcons Free Agents

Coming Back After All? (AJC)

Just a quick new thread before the “Changes to Falcons Defense” is finished. Rate your Falcons soon-to-be free agents on importance of re-signing.

1) Brent Grimes

According to reports, it appears the Falcons are intent on keeping. If Dimitroff and Co. can find a way to keep Grimes to a reasonable but fair deal, some of the other needed free agents, and fixing the OL, it would be a coup.

2) Curtis Lofton

The big debate centers on Lofton and how much to pay. He may still need some work on coverage, but he’s a known commodity and someone to build around. Hard to imagine him getting Patrick Willis money in Atlanta, though.

3) Harry Douglas

This ones a no-brainer. There’s no one proven after him, he’s shown he can play, he can take over for Roddy White down the road, and he solidifies the offensive arsenal for years.

4) Jason Snelling

He is extremely versatile and if he could make a permanent move to fullback, …

Continue reading Rate the Falcons Free Agents »

Time for Quizz to Get a Large Role? (AJC)

The Atlanta Falcons and their fans enter a very intriguing off-season. On one hand, this regime is by far the most productive in franchise history, making the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years. However, they are also 0-3 in the postseason, with the last two being embarrassing blowouts. Add to that the issue of 17 players set to become free agents, and this is by far the most unpredictable off-season in recent memory.

GM Thomas Dimitroff could decide that only a few tweaks are in order to get over the playoff hump, or he could take this opportunity to dramatically remake the Falcons roster for the forseeable future. In other words, Dimitroff could decide to “play it safe” or “take some risks” in regards to several positions on the roster.

Quarterback

This ones still a year or two away from making an assessment. Although the majority of fans still believe Matt Ryan is the franchise QB, there are some who think all that ails the Falcons is …

Continue reading Will Dimitroff Take Risks or Play It Safe on Offense? »

How Much for Re-Sign? (AJC)

Sickness has made its way through the family and has even batted around the order. Working on new “Risk or Play it Safe” post currently, but wanted to get a new thread up to let the Bird Cage Faithful talk Falcons and Football. Until new post gets up, here’s 10 questions to get the conversations going……..

1) Is Brent Grimes the 2nd Best Overall Free Agent on the Market?

Yesterday, AJC’s Jeff Schultz came out with an article reporting that ProFootballFocus.com (known for their intensive use of stats), rated Brent Grimes as the 2nd best overall free agent on the market. Do you agree with this assessment? If so, should the Falcons consider using the franchise tag on him, thus awarding him an almost $11 million dollar contract?

2) Can Lawrence Sidbury and or Cliff Matthews Take Over if Abraham Leaves?

The same website ranked John Abraham as the #3 overall free agent on the market. Turning 34 in May, Abraham seems ready to cash in on one last contract …

Continue reading 10 Falcons Free Agent Questions »

Positions of Need

Will #44 Be Here in '12? (AJC)

This is just a smaller new post thread to transition to a much more in-depth and longer post to come soon. Until the new post comes, we wanted to hear from The Bird Cage Faithful on the Atlanta Falcons biggest areas of need by position.

The Cage’s Take

Offensive Line

Some will say defensive ends or cornerbacks or maybe even running backs, but the Falcons must finally infuse some much needed talent into an offensive line that has overachieved since its inception. Maybe a new OL coach, scheme, and offensive coordinator can make a big difference with the guys already on roster, but Dimitroff likely even concedes he hasn’t drafted enough talent.

Only two players are solid at two positions, Justin Blalock and Tyson Clabo, and the rest will be totally up for grabs. Joe Hawley gave some flashes and Will Svitek did an admirable job in relief, but still major question marks on Mike Johnson and Andrew Jackson remain. Garrett Reynolds …

Continue reading What is Falcons Biggest Area of Need? »

Poor Draft Picks or Coaching Issue?

Has Bier Been Under-utilized? (AP)

Thanks to Big Ray, WR, & Paddy O for their inspiration on this new post. Before diving into each of the Falcons soon-to-be free agents and whether they should sign or ship them, thought it an interesting idea to see how the Falcons have done with developing the players that have been drafted the last four years.

Has the coaching staff done a poor job of developing players, or at least failed to give them a legitimate change? Or have the draft picks simply been below par. It’s obviously a hard thing to figure out with limited knowledge for us fans, but it’s been frustrating never knowing if the Falcons had some quality players that were never given a chance to shine or if the picks just weren’t that good.

A Coaching Issue or…….

On one side of the coin is the belief that this Falcons coaching staff, led by Smith’s hyper-conservative philosophy on all fronts, have been entirely too cautious and …

Continue reading Do Falcons Have a Player Development Problem? »

Give Your List of Must-Keeps

Not Even a Debate on Lofton (AP)

As the Atlanta Falcons approach the 2012 off-season, one of the most interesting points to follow is how much the Birds roster, which has been extremely stable the last four year, will change. Those very few changes made a lot of sense when the Falcons were believed to be “right on the cusp of greatness.” But going 0-3 in the playoffs, including 2 straight embarrassing blowouts, has prompted the belief that its time for a minor overhaul of the roster.

The Falcons have a large amount of their own players set to become unrestricted free agents, 17 to be exact, which includes a large portion of key players from Dimitroff’s first draft. In the season review press conference, the Birds GM talked about their being “no sacred cows, tough decisions, & 8 or 9 guys which to build around.” In addition to having a limited amount of cap space, Dimitroff also has no 1st round or 4th round pick due to the Julio Jones trade. Your …

Continue reading Falcons Free Agents to Re-sign »