Mughelli, a reminder of Petrino era, cut by Falcons
Ovie Mughelli's contributions to the Falcons were outweighed by his salary. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
In the least surprising move of the Falcons’ offseason, they have released fullback Ovie Mughelli, effectively saving them $3 million on the salary cap.
In doing so, the team also eliminated one of the final remnants of the abbreviated Bobby Petrino era.
Few recall this but when Falcons owner Arthur Blank made the ill-fated decision to hand over the reins of his football team to Petrino in 2007, a major move that offseason was the signing of Mughelli. Petrino wanted a bulldozing fullback for his offense.
The former Baltimore Raven was a logical choice. What wasn’t logical was that Blank and then-general manager Rich McKay gave him a six-year, $18 million contract, a record for a fullback.
Mughelli wasn’t an awful player. But when you weigh his salary vs. his contribution to the team, it was a bad signing.
It didn’t figure that Mughelli would see the final year of his contract. The Falcons need the cap space and they drafted a fullback (Wisconsin’s Bradie Ewing) in the fifth round. Further, the team is holding a mini-camp this week and logically didn’t want to have to deal with questions about Mughelli’s status.
With the NFL recently granting the Falcons a $3 million salary cap credit for Michael Vick’s contract, the team is pretty decent shape with the cap. Conceivably, the might even have some space to sign a player who is cut from another team for cap reasons over the next few weeks.
Bottom line: Five years later, one mistake is now off the books.
By Jeff Schultz
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104 comments Add your comment
Mick
May 8th, 2012
10:31 am
This was expected, good luck Ovie, you’ve been a warrior.
John
May 8th, 2012
10:35 am
Good Luck Ovie…. Thanks for helping Atlanta get back on the football map
Falcons Release Ovie Mughelli « The Falcon Project
May 8th, 2012
10:37 am
[...] Mughelli had a cap number of $3.7 million for this season after signing a six-year, $18 million dollar deal in 2007 with then head coach Bobby Petrino at the helm. Any way you look at it, that number is way [...]
JBird
May 8th, 2012
10:38 am
I feel like this is a little harsh towards Ovie. He wasn’t an awful player? He was arguably the best fullback in the league who could demolish linebackers and catch TD’s. He was certainly paid a lot and this makes sense for the team, but Ovie will be missed, especially by Michael Turner.
vafalconfan
May 8th, 2012
10:41 am
Understand the business side of the cut, but we will miss a class individual and a player that gave his all every time he was on the field. He was the only bright spot from the quitrino era..that and his brother helping Roddy White.
JSS
May 8th, 2012
10:43 am
A mistake? No, he is one of the few UFA signings that has actually panned out for Flowery Branch! He was needed because of Dan Reeves infatuation with that no blocking and all eating TJ Duckett! Now, he was overpaid, no doubt, but hey, he was one of your best red zone receiving options other than Gonzalez…
And in terms of his work in the North Georgia charities, he was one of the best along with Warrick Dunn in making time and being effective in helping people and causes! He has paid them back in spades!
keepinitreal
May 8th, 2012
10:48 am
Mughelli was great at what he did, but fullbacks just don’t have much value in today’s NFL.
Thanks for your service to the team and community, Ovie.
Gwinnett Fred
May 8th, 2012
10:49 am
So this puts us around $6.5 below the cap, right.
Well, that’s one good thing about not having a 1st round pick – we shouls still have a few million left over after signing the draftees, putting us in real good position to claim a salary cap victim off another teams roster here in a few months!
Smoothie
May 8th, 2012
10:51 am
Come on Jeffy, save the vitriol for Joe Johnson, Vick and Petrino!
Yes, they overpaid, but you make it sound like he was a stiff. Class act and he has done a lot for the Atlanta community so I would say that he earned some of his coin off the field as well. A good ambassador for the game he was and will remain I am sure.
Good luck Ovie from a fellow Deac!
waynester
May 8th, 2012
10:54 am
Give TD some credit–we all saw the writing on the wall with Mughelli last season–we needed the change for monetary reasons and saw the inevitability of the situation, so we made a move. Mughelli now has time to show other teams if he’s healed and ready to play in time to make a full camp somewhere. It’s not like we shafted Ovie, at all–like others have said, he’s great in the community–he just isn’t needed as vitally under the new OC’s scheme as before….
PMC
May 8th, 2012
10:56 am
Bad signing? He’s been nothing but good here. When he was on the field he made up for an incredibly suspect offensive line. He goes down last year, the running game goes away.
Heck of a football player, but better human being. Very very sad to see him go.
RonnieMackAtl
May 8th, 2012
11:00 am
Any chance he comes back at a lower salary?
PaulieOldschool
May 8th, 2012
11:07 am
I agree that he was overpaid, but to my mind he never underperformed, either on or off the field. Yeah, it’s a business, but when we lose a class act, it’s never a good day on the personnel side of the business. Fair winds, Ovie, best of luck, thanks for all your contributions to the ATL, on and off the field, and I know you’ll land on your feet.
DK
May 8th, 2012
11:11 am
Jeff,
What exactly are you basing this appraisal of Mughelli’s contributions on? Take a look at Turner’s yards per carry and rushing yards with and without Mughelli in the lineup. The numbers speak for themselves. This is a lazy, Rob Parker-esque piece…
fb
May 8th, 2012
11:11 am
great guy but had to go….
Chattanooga Chuck
May 8th, 2012
11:17 am
Sad to see Ovie go, wish him the best.
The funny thing was that Petrino hardly used him after signing him to that big contract.
Jay
May 8th, 2012
11:23 am
Big ups to Ovie.. Always could count on Ovie to punish an LB & free up Turner.. Reason why he punish so many DB’s bc Ovie had destroyed an LB.. I bet we would’ve converted those 4th & 1’s that killed us last year if he was in there.. A team is about to get a good FB, good luck Ovie!1
Richard Morgan
May 8th, 2012
11:24 am
No way, was Ovie a bad signing. Did anyone realize that he helped us have one of the best run games in the NFL and, by the way, we could not score a running touchdown in the red zone after he went down with an injury last year? The man is a stud. If it was simply a money thing, so be it, but this does not diminish his abilities as a stud football player.
dean
May 8th, 2012
11:27 am
I never viewed Ovie as a reminder of Petrino. That’s like knowing your kid was actually fathered by your most hated enemy. I viewed him as a bulldozer with a smile. Let’s just hope he doesn’t appear on one of ATL’s opponents this year.
RecentWreck
May 8th, 2012
11:28 am
One of my favorite Falcons and the best FB we’ve had since Bob Christian… Unfortunately the business move makes sense, and I’m sad to see him go, but hopefully both sides part on good terms. Even injured, he still earned a chunk of his salary by the goodwill he fostered in the Atlanta community. Great player, great guy, Godspeed
Bluestreak
May 8th, 2012
11:30 am
Calling Ovie a ‘reminder of the Petrino era’ is a horrible way to note the time with the Falcons of a stand-up guy on and off the field. While his importance in the new offense may be less than in the previous ones, he’s still a good fullback and if we could resign him to a smaller contract, it’d be great to see him back. But I don’t think that will happen.
But don’t associate Ovie with one of the biggest scumbuckets on and off the football field. They couldn’t be less similar.
And for the DeCoud question, safety is still important to the defense, even if there is a new coordinator. And he can probably be coached up by a great mind like Nolan. BVG, well…he had a lot of players underperform. He’s the common thread. Watch, DeCoud will show up big this year.
dean
May 8th, 2012
11:32 am
Oh crap! I just saw the picture of Ovie and, no, I can’t say it, on DLed’s blog. You have to see for yourself. I’ll just call it a youthful indiscretion. He’ll learn who he shouldn’t associate with.
Happy St. Pat's!
May 8th, 2012
11:35 am
Like Hines Ward, Ovie is on the “All Heart Team.” Would love to have Ovie in our camp . . . an exceptional NFL fullback.
rivercard
May 8th, 2012
11:36 am
Let’s see Falcons do better when Turner does well. He needs a hole to run thru. We have an offensive line that if they were all cut tomorrow only McClure would stand a chance of being picked up In my 50+ years of watching football one of the worst I have seen. All-Pro fullback Ovie made Turner much better.
Our 5th round FB pick was rated as not being able to hold block, create holes and physically weak.
Sounds like a Falcon recipe for success. Kind of like hiring the lowest rated OC in league. But Falcons are always smarter than the facts.
Jeff, Saying Ovie was not awful was a low rent cheap shot. I am surprised
FA4lcons
May 8th, 2012
11:41 am
Ovie was decent when healthy, but he was a big cap hit for us. I like Ovie, but for that type of money he should’ve been a RB instead of FB. Big ups to him in his future. This is good the Falcons are finally not holding on to players and being too loyal. I think it is a good move and Turner will be out of there next year. We need a RB that hit the hole fast and can go the distance. Turner motor have to get going, before he can do that. Thanks to the guys up front that he is able to get what he does every season. They are finally starting to move in the right direction. Great move!
Jeff Schultz
May 8th, 2012
11:42 am
To reiterate my feelings about Mughelli, since some are under the impression I don’t like the guy: 1) He’s a solid guy; 2) He was a good player; 3) He was overpaid. Is No. 3 his fault? No. But his salary hamstrung the organization. You can’t have a $3 million guy playing 30 percent (or thereabouts) of offensive snaps.
Buckeye
May 8th, 2012
11:47 am
Ovie was a team guy and one of the good guys. Good luck and fare well Ovie.
Bluestreak
May 8th, 2012
11:58 am
Jeff,
Agreed, he was vastly overpaid for his percentage of plays. And coming off an injury didn’t help. So, definitely a smart business decision.
But you know how the name of ‘that’ person gets folks around here (and now in Arkansas) riled up.
I think that’s where most folks are getting hung up.
Verdict is in
May 8th, 2012
12:02 pm
Sorry Jeff,
No need to try to explain yourself – the bloggers have obviously made they statement that, based solely on this article, YOU are the bad signing.
You better come up with some serious community service you’ve done to prove otherwise.
BjohnDawg
May 8th, 2012
12:10 pm
This is a Joe johnson type of player.
not a bad player…just paid way too much for what he does.
3.7 milion a year to block on first and maybe second down.
Just way too much.
give a rookie $500,000 and watch him block just as well.
Take the other 3.2 million and shore up the line ( either side).
Delbert D.
May 8th, 2012
12:13 pm
The Petrino angle doesn’t sell, Jeff. Mughelli was a good fullback, receiver and team guy. It was about injury and finances.
FalconsFan
May 8th, 2012
12:20 pm
Despite his contract Ovie was a great player, he gave his all on the field and off the field in the Atlanta community. I’d rather see this bitterness saved for players who have done NOTHING for Atlanta.
Ovie you will be missed!
-Falcons Season Ticket Holder
Bucky
May 8th, 2012
12:20 pm
Well said, Jeff! Good Guy, Solid Player! Good Luck Ovie!
FalconsFan
May 8th, 2012
12:23 pm
Bad column Jeff, I’d expect this quality out of D.Led, not you.
where is Cadillac Eddie Ray when we need him
May 8th, 2012
12:25 pm
Ovie was, and is a solid guy/player. He’ll resign somewhere…maybe here at a lower price
except for the fact we drafted a fullback.
tuck fech
May 8th, 2012
12:29 pm
I’ve met him in person, and he is indeed a class act. I’ve never heard a more intelligent pro athlete speak than Ovie Mughelli. Best of luck to you, Ovie.
PMC
May 8th, 2012
12:29 pm
Jeff, It’s just relative though. The 3 million to Ovie where they actually were getting great production is not worse than the 5 million dollar overpayment per year for Dunta Robinson or about the same amount for non producing Ray Edwards, or 3 million completely wasted dollars for Sam Baker. Not to mention guys like Mike Johnson who have never done anything.
If I’m taking offense at a salary, even if the fullback is overpaid, I’ve got to start looking at the gross errors.
It’s like complaining about the Oil Change costing $75 when you paid 2 grand for a brake kit upgrade that doesn’t work right.
PMC
May 8th, 2012
12:29 pm
I mean seriously. The worst money paid in this city is to professional General Managers.
PMC
May 8th, 2012
12:32 pm
I mean 3 million dollars at least in overpayment this year is going to Brent Grimes because we didn’t take care of that last year.
Now we draft a Fullback in addition to Mike Cox? Ok. The Ovie contract wasn’t cap friendly I’ll give you that.
But we don’t seem to be very good in that area anyway.
Jamaaliver
May 8th, 2012
12:32 pm
Jeff Schultz said: “To reiterate my feelings, since some are under the impression I don’t like the guy: 1) He’s a solid guy; 2) He was a good player; 3) He was overpaid. Is No. 3 his fault? No. But his salary hamstrung the organization.”
Sounds like you were describing one prominent Hawks player with this description. =)
bigdon
May 8th, 2012
12:40 pm
Gotta agree it was not a bad signing, Jeffie. he did his thing as well as any other Falcon and a hell of a lot better than Baker, Edwards, the list is large. Can’t blame HIM for taking the money. Time passes and thiungs changed and he’s out and forgotten. All i care about is 2012 team and who’s on there and how they play because I’m vested in the future and the past really doesn’t exist. And I’ll have another bong toke, thank you.
Eb
May 8th, 2012
12:41 pm
A reminder of the disastrous McKay era. Thankfully he’s been relegated to new stadium planning.
tp
May 8th, 2012
12:44 pm
That’s too bad. Coach Vitt is going to have to re-work his “Go After Ovie’s Head” Falcons-Saints pregame speech.
Ted Striker
May 8th, 2012
12:51 pm
Ovie was overpaid however the Falcons were better with him than without him. And I’m not sure that he only played 30% of the Falcons’s offensive snaps (maybe that is true) when he was healthy.
p.s. I am out of bed
Terrell
May 8th, 2012
12:52 pm
As much as I liked Ovie as a person I wasn’t as impressed as some of you all were with him as a FB. I didn’t see the crushing blocks that open holes for Turner. What I mean by crushing is at 250+ pounds players should be dropping when you hit them. I didn’t see that. Bob Christian was smaller than Ovie and he was a better fullback in regards to opening lanes for our RBs when he played. Every now and then I saw a really good block by Ovie but there were times when I wonder were we better with just a single back? When Snelling played FB I saw him have more of an impact in regards to opening lanes. No he didn’t knock a guy to the ground but he engaged and cleared a path for Turner.
coloradofalconsfan
May 8th, 2012
12:57 pm
Not a surprise. It’s a financial move. I often wonder what would have happened on those 4th down runs had Ovie not got hurt last year and we had to play a scrub at FB. I hope Bradie Ewing will be a good replacement. Class move by releasing Ovie now in order to give him time to sign with another club rather than waiting until after the final preseason game.
DC
May 8th, 2012
12:58 pm
I’m loving all the people backing Ovie! Sorry jeff…sometimes you hit sometimes you miss…this is a def miss. Accept it and pump out another article so people forget this one haha
Rick James
May 8th, 2012
1:00 pm
Ovie will land on his feet..Best of luck to him.
I Got Mine at Leeman Bennett Ford
May 8th, 2012
1:00 pm
Good luck, Ovie!
You’re no longer a Falcon, but you’ll always be a class act/Demon Deacon!!!
(P.S. Not your best effort, Jeff.)
sldkfjslk
May 8th, 2012
1:03 pm
This is what’s wrong with Arthur Blank(check). He overpays for people which hurts the team. He did the same thing with Brooking. Brooking was a good linebacker but he was the highest paid in the league. If the Falcons want to be good they need to do a smarter job of allocating resources under the cap. There are other examples but the Falcons bore me too much to continue typing.
Mr C
May 8th, 2012
1:06 pm
Jeff, Mughelli was a solid player. He is the best fullback in the game. Go ahead and compare the Falcons running game with and without Ovie. Ur description that Mughelli wasn’t an awful player is wrong. Ur article comparing him to Petrino is also awful journalism. Ovie was overpaid as a fullback but don’t diminish his performance with the Falcons.
Compared with all the Free agents that Dimitroff has signed, Mughelli actually was a great signing based on performace.
Dr. Warren
May 8th, 2012
1:10 pm
Gotta go with the gallery on this one, Jeff. “Wasn’t awful” and “good” are not synonyms. Need to be clearer the first time and, if not, then come clean that you were not. And yes, Ovie has clearly been good.
Eisendawg
May 8th, 2012
1:11 pm
Based on this reasoning, whats your take on signing Joe Johnson to a 6 year, 119 million deal, nearly 27 million more than any other team? Something is bad wrong with a system that will pay Joe over 21 mil per yr. and pay Jeff Teague around 2 mil per year. Of course, pro sports has been screwed up for a long time. We pay our sports heros multi millions while your average Marine makes around 67 thousand. And next up, a replacement stadium for the Falcons, so prepare to ante up. It’s sad, we’re like sheep.
Big Earl
May 8th, 2012
1:13 pm
Ovie is a great guy and was a great FB … but the Falcons had to let him go. He just had too big of a salary and is coming off an injury. I’d love to see them take some of those $$$ and go after Marcus McNeil if he checks out physically. Has anyone heard anything about McNeil?
Bob
May 8th, 2012
1:18 pm
Great Guy, Good Solid Fullback, maybe a bit overpaid, but he was great contributer to the Falcons Turn around of late
tjhook
May 8th, 2012
1:22 pm
Ovie,Ovie, Ovie!!!! We’ll miss you, man!! Big blocker, pushed for team success, and you never heard him try to cut down a teammate in the paper needlessly. Any criticism he ever made about the team was constructive. I hope they bring you back . . . people talk about overpaid, the poster child for that is #2 in the Atlanta Falcons program. Renegotiate with Ryan please. He does not deserve his salary because Turner is the more important piece to this team.
jerry
May 8th, 2012
1:24 pm
A football was not even needed in the game for Ovie to play his role. I never did get this in this day and age of pro football where every skill player should be able to do something with the ball, catch, run, throw, whatever. Just a waste of an offensive player.
At least Ovie...
May 8th, 2012
1:25 pm
…was not a Jon Koncack(sp?) type overpayment since he could at least play and contribute when he was healthy, unlike Jon…now THAT was a bad overpayment signing…
I am glad to see that most the comment so far are favorable toward Ovie…
Ron Mexico
May 8th, 2012
1:28 pm
Hey Jeff,
Do you want to know what is illogical? Your repeated use of the word “logical” in this blog. Thank you Mr. Spock.
doggoneit
May 8th, 2012
1:29 pm
He made a Lot of money. He cracked a lot of heads for his fullbacks to get through! I bet we would of got that one foot if he was on the field during the Playoff!!
Lardawg
May 8th, 2012
1:34 pm
If you didn’t see or understand the worth of that bad news as it came crashing into the line ahead of MT you really don’t understand football. (Jeff) Olvie just got what the then GM was willing to pay. Good for him! One of my favorite players for sure. Hopefully he’ll stick around for a little less money. If not here, then I really wish him luck where he lands and a stomach bug on game day against the Falcons.
QB/DB
May 8th, 2012
1:37 pm
This is so wrong to speak of O. M. in such mistake terms. The guy was a player for us and a part of the success the Falcons have had. Please don’t hatchett him! That guy from Wisc. is not the answer at FB for a team that is going to the Super Bowl, he isn’t!! The Falcons could have had the Dawgs Figgins for a steal. Some of you may think I’m homing it but Figgins is a load who could also play TE and ST’s, I bet he will be a much better Pro then that guy from Wisc. plus he has played in the tough SEC. The one great thing is there will be a lot of very good players cut at the wire for different reasons. With the new cap room if the Falcons do a great job they can get some great pick-ups at several positions that can help us get to the SUPER BOWL. Please TD, it is now or never, please we go out in the first round of the Playoff’s and the wheel will come off!
gt4ever
May 8th, 2012
1:42 pm
A mistake…. Seriously, what type of experience gets you a job at the AJC… To say this was a mistake is like saying all those beefy guys up front are a mistake… The only reason we ran so well for a while was because of people like this guy… Good Grief… Is there any thought put on any of your articles.. My 6th grader has a better grasp of what makes a football team better….
John
May 8th, 2012
1:44 pm
Ovie was positive addition to the Falcons…. Its bad form to tie the news of his dismissal in with memories of that turkey Petrino. Thanks for your service to the Falcons and community, Ovie.
Vampire Bill
May 8th, 2012
1:45 pm
I liked him.. Good luck O
Boo Boo
May 8th, 2012
1:46 pm
I think “era” is a bad choice of words. More like “Patrino’s one night stand, when he snuck out at 4:00 AM to go home to his pig wife.” (metaphorically speaking of his wife – Arkansas pigs)
As for Mo-Haley, he was solid until his injury, and all NFL animals like as much food in their bowls as the owner will allow. They never say, “Oh, that’s way too much, and I’m watching my figure.” It all falls under the “release one over-paid football player so we can sign another over-paid football player” category.
realitycheck
May 8th, 2012
1:48 pm
QB/DB……….Get to the SB? This regime can’t win a playoff game and the last two of those haven’t been close. Additionally, the Falcons roster may be worse than last year’s. What are you smoking?
jay
May 8th, 2012
1:49 pm
The organization was hamstrung over 3 million dollars per year???? I doubt that.
Tokyo Tom
May 8th, 2012
1:53 pm
I’m also going to pile on- way off base here Jeff! It wasn’t Ovie’s contract taht spoiled the salary cap; there are plenty of other Falcons who can make that claim! If another team wants to pay Ovie 1.5mil+ next year, take the money & run (again); if not, Falcons should consider resigning at that amount, the team can utilize Ovie’s experience to develop Brodie for next year. Backfield line-up of Turner, Snelling, & Rodgers at RB & Ovie & Brodie at FB looks good to me with speed, strength, experience, talent, and DEPTH
Boom Boom
May 8th, 2012
1:53 pm
RESPECT!!
kingdaddy
May 8th, 2012
1:57 pm
Ovie
You will always be one of my favorites. I hate to see your dedication and hard-play gone and I wish you the best. Hope you catch on with a team we don’t see all the time. Good Luck…
ajc sports fan
May 8th, 2012
2:01 pm
enough said..lets move on. Go Falcon.
FalconJim
May 8th, 2012
2:05 pm
Ovie was a helluva player, who gave it his all…..we gonna miss him. Turner was better with him in the game, too. I wish we could’ve re-structered his contract, and kept him. Or maybe he wasn’t willing to do that.
Oh well…..Good luck, Ovie!!! We wish you the best…
Great Falconi
May 8th, 2012
2:07 pm
The value of Ovie’s contract was a mistake. Other than that, his addition was one of the few good things done during Petrino’s interregnum of terror.
Kramer
May 8th, 2012
2:10 pm
Jeff is correct with the fact he was overpaid for his position. In my mind, he made up for it with what he did off the field with charities and the community. A solid football player and a great man. Good luck to him on his next team.
Section242
May 8th, 2012
2:16 pm
Thanks for all your hard work, Ovie! The Falcon fan base will miss you.
Say what?
May 8th, 2012
2:17 pm
Eisendawg: The average Marine makes $67k? I’m in the wrong business.
Op Ed
May 8th, 2012
2:19 pm
Best wishes Ovie!
CJ
May 8th, 2012
2:39 pm
I’m pretty certain that no Falcons fan thinks of Petrino or the Petrino “era” when they think of Ovie. I’m also pretty certain that without him, Michael Turner would not have been a top 3 back in the league each year. I do not understand where you were going with this article and it definitely came off in poor taste to the reader.
ATL_Native
May 8th, 2012
2:48 pm
Eisendawg: I think you made a typo. The average is less than half of that. But I get the point. Semper Fi.
Jeff: BAD JOURNALISM. Ovie was paid appropriately for the years he was here. WIth the shift in focus on our team now, it no longer makes sense so we have no choice but to part terms. Business decision. But to link him to PETRINO and call him “not awful” were stretches & cheapshots.
ONE WAY OUT OF THIS JEFF: Simply admit you overshot it, apologize to OM and us knowledgeable fan, and move on.
ATLtodolavida
May 8th, 2012
2:58 pm
Ovie is a true role model. An excellent person and a pro bowl fullback. Values education, planning for post-football life, and concern for the environment combined with service in the community. Best of luck to him.
Bravesfan79
May 8th, 2012
3:06 pm
Nothing but respect for Ovile, he never embarassed the Falcons, he was solid on and off the field. Gluck man.
jawga69
May 8th, 2012
3:21 pm
Ovie was a class act at Porter-Gaud, Wake Forest, the Ravens and the Falcons. Best of luck, Ovie. You will be invaluable to whichever team lands you.
The Real Falcon
May 8th, 2012
3:22 pm
What a bush league blog!
SirReal
May 8th, 2012
3:33 pm
I wish him the best. Figured he wouldnt last the whole life of the contract but thats alright. I’m sure he made a nice piece of change in the 5 years he was here. Very good player but even back then I thought it was insane for a fullback to get that kind of money. He is still a good player and I hope he catches on somewhere…other than the NFC South. I hate to see our former players in division unis.
Jonas
May 8th, 2012
3:38 pm
Schultz such an ugly tone in your article man. Ovie was the heart of the O and a great guy. He wrote a post game article for the Post and Courier in Charleston that I read every week. Why take a pot shot at him as he goes out the door? Nobody’s arguing with the business aspect but dude you need to learn some class from Ovie.
William
May 8th, 2012
3:52 pm
Ovie was a damn good Falcon! He didn’t get the publicity, but the man was a ferocious blocker for this team. Mughelli looks like the kind of team-mate you’d want… tough, smart, and playing with a smile on his face.
He was a salary cap casualty.
Schultz you wrote a classless article. Maybe Vilma is on to something.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
May 8th, 2012
3:55 pm
“SIGNS THAT YOUR FRANCHISE QB SUCKS”
Never on the headline of AJC Blogs
YourPoliticalAnimal
May 8th, 2012
3:56 pm
I wonder how he might work blocking for the Bills’ Fred “Action” Jackson???…but not at 3 mil…nope, too steep…
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
May 8th, 2012
3:59 pm
What’s worst……..A fullback getting 3.7 million or a ZERO playoff points 0-3 playoff record 72 million dollar CHOKE?
LT
May 8th, 2012
4:00 pm
Jeff, how do you write about Mughelli’s time with the Falcons and not mention that he made the Pro Bowl in 2010? Granted, Pro Bowl picks can be sketchy, but Mughelli deserved to be there that year.
You say you liked him as a player, but called him a “bad signing” and a “mistake.” Those are harsh words for a player who performed about as well he could in his role.
Sid
May 8th, 2012
4:02 pm
Jeff Schultz May 8th, 2012 11:42 am
To reiterate my feelings about Mughelli, since some are under the impression I don’t like the guy: 1) He’s a solid guy; 2) He was a good player; 3) He was overpaid. Is No. 3 his fault? No. But his salary hamstrung the organization. You can’t have a $3 million guy playing 30 percent (or thereabouts) of offensive snaps.
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Jeff, it’s just the way you word it ………..”Bottom line: Five years later, one mistake is now off the books.” Even though he was overpaid he played up to the money with heart and determination. He made the team better “when he was in”. I think he was a great player, you say a good player. Fullbacks aren’t Maserati’s, they’re more like bulldozers and nobody could bulldoze better than him.
So if the organization is no longer hamstrung I expect some pretty nifty signings…..!!
PreyDawg
May 8th, 2012
4:04 pm
Even as a full back I thought Ovie was a solid player but I never saw where he was particularly dominant. I think there were at least 6 or 8 similar players in the league who were equally effective at the same position for less money. Best of luch Ovie. And stay away from the “Green” movement people. They are nuts.
PreyDawg
May 8th, 2012
4:06 pm
Get off Schultz’s back on this one. He didn’t do a think wrong. Everything in the article was right. He didn’t slam Ovie. Ovie was overpaid according to his contribution. Some of you same people have griped about lack of action in the off season and lack of cap space. This was a good business decision.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
May 8th, 2012
4:08 pm
I still don’t know how a person making 72 million can’t get the team at least a field goal in the biggest game of the season. You have the nerve to say 3.7 is overpaid. I think we need to compare success versus hype.
Success…..Joe Flacco 5 playoff wins in 4 seasons @ 30 million.
Hype…….CHOKE 0 playoff wins in 4 seasons @ 72 million.
How is that not overpaid compared to Flacco?
Boo Brees
May 8th, 2012
4:09 pm
Say what you want about his contract, but it didn’t seem to stop us from signing some big contracts after 2007. Plenty of signings and re-signings have taken place witn his contract on the books.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
May 8th, 2012
4:13 pm
If he goes to Carolina…………..watch out!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
May 8th, 2012
4:32 pm
But, it needs to be said, Flacco’s QB rating was 50.8 in the 08′ playoffs, and 39.4 in the 2009 playoffs. Submarginal to say the least.
Nativebird
May 8th, 2012
4:42 pm
Our fifth round fullback from Wisconsin led the nation in scoring springing blocks on a Badger offense that every body that was paying attention clearly knows was one of the toughest and relentless rushing attacks In the nation. That devastating knee in Detroit combined with a clearly out of balance salary cap hit led to this obvious no brainer move. Please….don’t shed a tear for Ovie Fifteen million dollars Mughellli. He should be quite proud of his career. Good guy….good player. This offense will be better.
William
May 8th, 2012
4:46 pm
No tears, just a lot of respect for a job well done by Ovie. You know there are other guys on this team, past and present, who haven’t EARNED their money the way Ovie did.
And so, yeah, Schultz wrote a classless article.
Jeff Schultz
May 8th, 2012
6:10 pm
PreyDawg — Thanks. I’m had to go back again and read what I wrote to see if I missed/overstated something. Think some folks clearly read something the wrong way, but sports is about passion and people have their opinions.
Jeff Schultz
May 8th, 2012
6:11 pm
Choke — Welcome back. Still a one-trick pony I see?
Firsttimer
May 8th, 2012
6:47 pm
I liked DLed’s article much better. Of all the awful things that came out of the Petrino era; Ovie was the one bright spot. To refer to him as a mistake off the books is an insult to the player who laid it on the line every Sunday. His salary for what you estimate as thirty percent of the time was far more beneficial than the Ten Million tied up in Grimes. I like Grimes but fact is fact. The one constant that makes us winners is the balance on our offense. Trust me, Turner would not have had all those lofty yards without Ovie leading the way. Send him out with honor…not dismissed as a mistake off the books. Your article sucks!!!!
Eric
May 8th, 2012
6:50 pm
Jeff,
Take a look at your last sentence. “Bottom line: Five years later, one mistake is now off the books.” There is no way to read things the wrong way. You’re saying Ovie was a mistake. I’m not going to punish Ovie because he got a job during the Petrino era. I judge the man by his own actions. He is a great fulback who was part of the reason why Michael Turner has ended the year as a top 5 rusher 3 out of 4 years.
I wouldn’t speak ill of a player because I don’t like the guy who picked him.