Falcons need to attack free agency for defensive help
Tennessee's Jason Babin had career-high 12.5 sacks last season.
Now that the Stupid Rich Men’’s War has nearly ended and NFL players are set to approve the new collective bargaining agreement, the Falcons need to turn their attention to an area people can more easily relate to: the defense.
According to Barrister D. Orlando Ledbetter, Minnesota free agent defense end Ray Edwards is expected to sign with Philadelphia. This is a concern for two reasons:
– 1) Edwards would fill a Falcons’ need for a pass rusher. The team supposedly had a “change of heart” about him. If that’s true, I wonder if it’s because Edwards is going to be more expensive than they had hoped and expected. (Several teams have showed interested in him, including Philly and New England).
– 2) The Eagles represent one of the Falcons’ biggest obstacles in the NFC. There’s also a possibility that they are going to trade quarterback Kevin Kolb — the former starter and now backup to Michael Vick — to Arizona and can pry cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in return. Edwards and Cromartie would significantly boost to a defense that finished fourth in the NFL last season (behind only Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Green Bay).
The Falcons on that same list? Eleventh.
That’s not bad overall, but probably not as good as it needs to be to contend for a Super Bowl.
There’s a belief in Flowery Branch that defensive tackle Peria Jerry will be back to full strength this season from a knee injury. But a front four of Kroy Biermann (whose production fell off last season), Jerry, Jonathan Babineaux (coming off a good season) and John Abraham (33 years old) is not comforting.
Remember, this was the same team that lost to Green Bay 48-21 in the Georgia Dome in the NFC divisional playoffs and allowed Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to complete 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns.
There are other ends available in free agency, including Carolina’s Charles Johnson, Green Bay’s Cullen Jenkins and Tennessee’s Jason Babin (career high 12½sacks last season).
After making the decision to go with an offensive playmaker in the draft (Julio Jones), this is when the Falcons need to fix the other side of the ball.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Previous NFL blogs:
– Falcons Dimitroff can do without NFL’s CBA mess
– NFL lockout nears end, but this is no time to celebrate
– NFL lockout will end soon because money trumps stupidity
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128 comments Add your comment
SeenThisB4
July 25th, 2011
3:49 pm
Cheesehead: The Saints are going to eat your dinner on September 8. Try to get sober by then! LOL! Oh, and by the way, I don’t think that under the newest format, a Super Bowl Champ has never lost the ensuing league opener. Watch history get made on September 8, on NBC.
Hmmm, I wonder if Chris Collingsworth is going to quit that high school gig he got, cause he was so sure that the lock out would cost at least a portion of the regular season. And I thought Cheesehead was an idiot!
ryan
July 25th, 2011
3:56 pm
I don’t have a problem with the Packers i like the big G on the side of the helmet it seems like the Saints fans on here don’t have any respect to anybody else .
Whopper Dawg
July 25th, 2011
3:56 pm
Abraham needs some help, and if he goes down you have zero pass rush. With no pass rusher coming out of next year’s draft (they will be long gone when the second rounder comes up), it is a real dilemma. Still stunned at the draft choices spent on a no 2 wide receiver. You don’t do that unless you think he is the last piece, the last piece, for a Super Bowl win. But this team has far too many holes on the defense and now probably the OLine for that to be true. I think TD went for the brass ring two years too soon.
SeenThisB4
July 25th, 2011
4:01 pm
Ryan: LOL! We respect the Packers, but unlike the falcan’ts, we don’t fear them. It’s not exactly a nuiance of a difference, it’s far greater that, but I understand, that you don’t understand that.
ryan
July 25th, 2011
4:03 pm
Don’t be surprised if we go after Charles Johnson and there are couple of other DE’s we will look at i am sure .
Paddy
July 25th, 2011
4:03 pm
Joe Tess your sir hate the Falcons and never have a positive comment. Go somewhere else, please.
ryan
July 25th, 2011
4:08 pm
I can’t wait for the season to start and see what the Saints are made of i think the Falcons will bring in a top FA the Jones and White combo will be awesome to watch .
Whopper Dawg
July 25th, 2011
4:09 pm
In thinking about this deal, TD will panic and overpay for a medium DE talent whoever that is, ALA Duante and Jenkins (contract renewal). And then he will be proclaimed great just like Duante despite the actual play on the field. Watch and see.
Arthur Mafia Blank
July 25th, 2011
4:12 pm
Sorry Falcons fans, we are staring 8-8 or worse in the face. Matty Ice can’t throw the 10-yard out, and we’re horrible on defense. Going to be a long year!
Pete
July 25th, 2011
4:13 pm
Oh boy, now the HYPE begins in earnest.
By this time next month, the Falcons will be on everyone’s list to go all the way to the “Big Dance”………….again.
The season will start. One or two draft picks will be injured……….done.
They’ll win 10 0r 11 games, make the playoffs, and lose again in the first round………..mainly because of a non existant pass rush and an offense that doesn’t show up.
Hey………..this is Atlanta.
Some things NEVER change.
PMC
July 25th, 2011
4:16 pm
Character and motor do not sack the QB in the backfield, Talent and and a little crazy does.
High Motor is a euphamism for untalented mostly uncoordinated guy who works hard.
The Falcons are not going to win unless they find some beasts at DE. Currently they have a team full of average talent and then John Abraham.
Same with OLB. They need guys that can cover that also have speed, many of those people are not high character guys, but it’s about time we got some talented nutcases like James Harrison at outside linebacker.
Pauls Johnson
July 25th, 2011
4:18 pm
SeenThis! Welcome back brother! Your priceless,,, clueless but priceless!
Hit A Single
July 25th, 2011
4:26 pm
Hey Ray! It seems like the crime rate will not go up! The lockout is over!
Hit A Single
July 25th, 2011
4:36 pm
I guarantee you that Brian Van Gorder is not the defenses problem. He has and will continue to do a great job.
JMF
July 25th, 2011
4:36 pm
I think first priority is signing Clabo. Then I think Blalock should be signed. Grimes and Weems are sure bets. I would like Edwards or Johnson at DE but can live with Bierman. This really is an outstanding team. Adding Julio Jones was real big. So far TD has made some good moves at GM. I am confident he will continue to make great moves in this free agency period. Look for him to shine. I wish I had the same confidence in the Hawks and Braves GM..
Pauls Johnson
July 25th, 2011
4:38 pm
Joe Tess is only here to make a mockery of any serious football discussion,,, he should be ignored..
Pauls Johnson
July 25th, 2011
4:43 pm
Just wait until Joe Tess starts talking about the “superbowel”,,, all the “fist rounds busts on the Flacons Rooster”,,,, then you will see what I speak of….
bucket
July 25th, 2011
4:56 pm
I hope I am wrong, but the decision to pass on Cameron Heyward is going to be a decision the Falcons regret. The Steelers have been a pretty successful franchise and they felt he was a player. With our track record evaluating and selecting first round picks I am really worried that we missed out on a chance to get a good player in the first round this year and saved our full complement of picks this year and next year. Spilled milk I know, but we’ll see.
Mike
July 25th, 2011
5:28 pm
Falcons need to step up and sign free agent to help their average defense, Eagles look as they will do just that !!
longtime bulldog
July 25th, 2011
5:41 pm
chc4 charles johnson also played at ga.
Great Falconi
July 25th, 2011
5:43 pm
Let’s get the OL taken care of first. I’m sure we’ll add a DE in free agency, but I’d rather not pay Ray Edwards a ton of money to come in here. We have plenty of talent on defense, but most of it is young. Let’s hope the experience of getting torched by the Pack (and, let’s face it, giving up some of the other big plays from last season) shakes up our defensive approach a bit in 2011.
There is no reason for any Falcon fan to think that this team will suck. This is a good team. It has been a good team for three years straight. We are relevant and should expect to be relevant for the foreseeable future. I never thought I’d see the day.
willie
July 25th, 2011
5:44 pm
None of these free agent DE’s are locks. Don’t overspend! We don’t have to win it all this year…just keep getting better and stay in the playoffs every year and who knows what can happen!
Blank will repay Falcons' staff for payroll cuts during lockout | Jeff Schultz
July 25th, 2011
5:54 pm
[...] – Falcons need to attack free agency for defensive help [...]
SportsPaige
July 25th, 2011
6:58 pm
Falcons better sign Charles Johnson if this is true about Edwards. If they do not upgrade their defense, especially with these good to very good DEs available. I will be sorely disappointed in Dimitroff if he chooses to stand pat with this defensive line. Falcons would be set for many less wins than last year if they don’t. imo of course.
Ken Strickland
July 25th, 2011
8:46 pm
SEENTHISB4-Every single team throughout NFL history has lost and lost big at home. But, no other team in NFL history has lost in the playoffs to the only NFL team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing history. That’s what you need to be laughing at, because it’s futility at it’s worst, and it’s embarrassing. It’s especially embarrassing to get punked in that manner when you’re the defending NFC South division and Superbowl champs.
TO ALL AINT FANS, WINNING A SUPERBOWL WILL NOT, AND I REPEAT, WILL NOT STOP YOU FROM BECOMING THE 3RD BEST TEAM IN THE NFC SOUTH DIVISION. You’d better hope your BELOVED AINTS are good enough to even make the playoffs this yr.
Oh how the mighty have fallen. And while you continue falling, AINT FANS remain deep in denial and continue to pretend it doesn’t matter because you’ve won a Superbowl. Or, you dismiss everything that offends your delusional sensibilities by continuously crying and whining about your injuries.
Loyal Falcon
July 26th, 2011
12:20 am
Who were the Aints before their SB win? Our (Falcons) franchise history runs way deeper and more well known than the Saints especially with future and present HOF’s as well as other dominant players. Tuggle, Sanders, Nobis, Bartowski, Mathis, (rookie Favre) to name a few and all I know and think of is Archie Manning lol … Y’all may have great pride because that’s the only the only professional team in tge damn city until the NBA Hornets came there several years ago so we have a more well rounded fanbase because not everyone likes all 3 major sports equally.
Compare franchise record stats… And y’all still holding on to that non starting NCAA bust aka Reggie Bush? Kim K. dropped him, so maybe y’all should learn to let it (him) go too. We lost Vick now let’s see Bush unsigned. Also do note that we could’ve had Brees in ‘01 but went with Vick instead.
BTW N.O. will never ever be classier than anything in/from Georgia!
Braves or Falcons: Who’s taking bigger risk minus big move? | Jeff Schultz
July 26th, 2011
9:26 am
[...] now, the pass rush must be improved. There are increasing indications that the Falcons may be priced out of the market for the likes of [...]
EddieB
July 27th, 2011
7:31 pm
Why don`t you People go elsewhere with all your dislike and hate of Atlanta Falcon Football and let True fans talk about what they like this team do.But first as you clearing out all i want is the Falcons to beat the Green Bay Packers and the rest of the NFC Best Teams in Season as well as the Playoff and NFC Champs and then beat the New England Patiots in the Superbowl this season.If you want to be the best you have to beat the Best?Oh yes also if you tape the Green Bay like i did Eight miss tackles with Five would be sacks against Rodgers all on thirddowns.But still we sucked at CB,But no team in the League last year had better WR than Green Bay did?So yes it make alot sense to add Great Wr to very talented core of Wideouts now with White,Jones,Jenkins,Dougles,Weems,Meirs and i think the Falcons should and possible will resign Finn for two reasons one is clutch is the Red Zone and Third converions.Two Special Team play on Kick and as a deep CB on Hail Mary Plays?Few team players left in the league.Like others i would like the birds not had gave up so much in the Draft this season and next,But we would not had got the Best Wr to come since Roddy White and maybe even better.Also i heard some people hating on Jamal Anderson,But he alway been good against the run and Last Season i seen a guy who was really starting to get after the Quartbacks Too?Now i want to listen to Falcons Fans not jerks who go to other Teams sites just blow there Horns and there Teams go to there site please.