You make the call (after the fact): Was Julio Jones worth it?

Yes, we could have upgraded our defense via the draft last year, but from what i saw from Julio down the stretch last season makes me think he’ll be a Pro Bowler year in and year out if he stays healthy. Besides, who would Thomas D and Smitty got with those picks anyway? Outside Ryan and Curtis Lofton their picks have been painfully mediocre (see: Peria Jerry)

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yes yes and yes.. so we coulda had 2-3 B grade players on a roster full of B types.

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BamaDad summed it up nicely. I would add this–he was a short-term gamble. Taking lineman & other pieces with the picks would have positioned the team better for long term success but they thought they were ‘there’ & needed the piece Julio brought. They were wrong/not Julio’s fault. He’s good. This team will rise or fall on the QB, not Julio. What say u, MB?

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BBQ MAN, this isn’t the basketball draft we’re talking about. There are hundreds of worthy players in every NFL draft, even if a lot of them are grunts, a resource we are currently lacking.

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not even Jerry Rice came in and tore up the league in his first year……… give Julio this year and Dirk this year to evaluate…………… look at the impact SALSA MAN had with the Giants last year……… if used right this year it could pay big dividends

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I own this city of course I was worth it you haters !!!!!!!!!!!!
Roddy White Who ????
I am selling my new shirts this season WWJJD $25 Bucks

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Right now in the NFL the elite receivers (the ones that command multiple defenders) are Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson (when healthy), Larry Fitzgerald, Roddy White, and maybe Greg Jennings. None of them won a playoff game last year.

The NFL rules have altered to favor the receivers. Defenders can’t touch them. With that change, selling the farm for a receiver is an insane move. Now if a receiver is the best player on the board when your pick comes up, grab him and be happy.

(RB’s are even more fun, but that’s a topic for another day.)

The Falcons problems last year were their play calling and O-Line. Not the QB/WR core.

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Was reading MB’s article on second-guessing last year’s draft picks worth it? I think not.. Was Julio a great pickup? I think so…

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I know we live in a immediate gratification society, but, don’t you think it would be prudent to wait at least three years before declaring someone the second coming of Jerry Rice or not?

See this is the problem with the idiots in the media,they all want to be the first to declare that the next new someone is the greatest. Only in the mind of a narcissistic liberal arts major who has failed at anything truly productive in life does this make any sense.

I could list many examples of the, incl; the CEO vs Spurrier at Florida, Donnan vs. Spurrier, Michelle Wie ad on and on so forth and so on.

These self professed savants and self described makers of kings are idiots.

Just wait 3 to 4 full seasons and than we will know if Julio, Heyward or others are truly great. Of course the followers of this world will always follow those whom profess to be more intelligent, not matter the facts otherwise!and than we

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The impact from lack of draft picks can be minimized via free agency. But the Falcons did squat in that area this year. This season’s lack of free agent pickups following last year’s Julio scheme is what horrified me. Now the Falcons have a Joe Johnson situation… One guy who isn’t a superstar and a bunch of surrounding guys who can’t get you past the first or second round of the playoffs.
Now, if the Falcons could have gotten AJ Green, as Arthur wanted, we may not be having this discussion. Julio showed flashes, AJ was a star.

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sorry about the typos. Its my fault, but I do need a new keyboard

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Very worth it. The only bad part of the deal was the it exposed the weak arm Matty Popsickle. I attended many games last year to see our receivers slow down to attempt to catch underthrown balls. The other thing is the continual lack of a balanced attack in the running game. The pounding game of using Turner is dead. Creativity in our offense is overdue.

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Let’s ask that question in 2013 when Juliooooooooo has the Lombardi Trophy in his hands in NO……… Named MVP of the game

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Alphare, what has Julio Jones accomplished college or Pro? Are you telling me that AJ Green had nothing to do with Andy Dalton being as good as he was?

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R u kidding me??? YES he was worth it…. That’s what plagued the falcons two years ago ago was hat they didn’t have someone opposite roddy….the only position I wouldn’t trade up for is OL… U can find good OL in the later rounds of draft, other than that Im all for trading up and getting an impact player… People will realize within the next couple of years that this was a good move..now can we please trade grimes… He is not worth 10 mil this season he gets beat way toooooo much!

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There are no guarantees in the draft . And if you ask me ,anything after the first 10 are a complete crap shoot. So what did we really lose here. A handful of two dollar lottery tickets for a pro bowl receiver.Not bad if you ask me . Not to mention Roddys numbers were way down last year as teams rolled coverages his way. Should be interesting to see how they play us next year. Would love to see this team play more aggressive though. Im hoping the coaching change will give us a fresh look at the talent we already have.

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Trading five picks to move up and pick Julio was a terrible strategic blunder that serves as a testament to the fact that Dimitroff is a rookie who is mentored by a proven idiot, McKay. And that is not a knock on Julio, who has the potential to be a Hall of Famer. You could have put Superman at WR for the Falcons last year and it would have done no good. The play calling was horrid, there was no O-line to provide protection, Turner at RB is an antique who poses no threat and Ryan looked like a deer in headlights. Why buy a Ferrari if you do not have and can not afford the parts to drive it? Trading up to draft Julio was a stupid move that speaks to the ignorance of McKay and inexperience of Dimitroff. It was a move that did not address glaring needs and shortcomings and they paid a multi-year price. Like you said, who in Atlanta gives one hoot about this year’s draft. Even my rabid, teenage, football crazed sons have not so much as mentioned the Falcons or the draft. Given his drafts and free agent signings to date, with the likes of the Julio trade, Sam Baker, Dunta, etc. I would give Dimitroff a C- at best.

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Don’t know if he’s the next Jerry Rice, though I’m fairly certain he’s at least the next Randy Moss… hopefully the change at Offensive Coordinator will prove the value of this trade this season.

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Too soon to tell Mark,

you should give Julio 3 FULL seasons before “evaluating” this move by the Falcons.

I will say I like what I’ve seen out of Julio, I think by year 3 he’ll be an ELITE WR!

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I also think Dimitroff thought the Falcons were one piece away from a Super Bowl, which was probably his rationale for making that trade, and clearly this was a major miscalculation on this part.

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Let’s put this to bed… again… the trade was not a four for one… we gave up five picks, we got one pick for them… hence, five for one… Duh….

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Also I would trade at least 3 picks to get him…

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Yes he was worth it. And Atlanta really didn’t give up 5 picks. We swapped first and second round picks and gave them 3. But people forget that Roddy White is what 30/31? We needed to bring in another WR. Plus Julio almost had 1000 yards receiving and he missed 2-3 games.

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Yes he was worth it to all others who think he is not you are not bright.

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Line play is what wins games. With great o-line play, average QB’s and RB’s have great seasons.
With great d-line play, serviceable DB’s get the job done.

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Julio Jones is a great receiver, and probably went at the right point in the draft. The problem with Atlanta’s move to pick him up is that Atlanta gave up far more than a single high round draft pick for him. No wide receiver ever, with the possible exception of Jerry Rice, was worth what Atlanta gave up. The simple fact of the matter is that a Pro Bowl level wide receiver will touch the ball eight times a game; that equals 120 catches a season, which is an exceptional number by any measure. Yes, any one of those eight touches might be a huge, game changing play, but it is far more likely that all eight of them will be relatively pedestrian, run-of-the-mill plays. In my opinion, there are only a couple of positions that can justify the number of draft picks that Atlanta gave up for Jones, and those are Quarterback and Defensive End, and that number of picks is only justifiable if the QB or DE selected has franchise player talent. Those are the only two players on the field that legitimately have the chance to change the game on every snap.

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Most definitely worth it…..

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Julio was the best player in the draft last year. His numbers would have led the NFL had he not missed 3 games and only played 1 qt in another. I bought my plane tickets and game tickets yesterday for the K C game. Be a REAL fan and put your money where your mouth is, Haters. Go Falcons!!!!!!!!

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I like Julio Jones, but I dont think it was a good move for the Falcons.

We already had Roddy White, Tony Gonzales, and even Harry Douglas. Our O-Line is not good enough to give our QB the necessary time, and when he does have time, he is not good enough on his deep throws.

Plus looking ahead, TD already knew that this offseason would be critical, with Grimes, Lofton and Abe being FAs. So we had to use our picks (and cap space) wisely.

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This is not a Julio Jones issue. Is he good? Absolutely. Will he be great? Only time will tell, but in my opinion, he will. So let’s say he turns into maybe not Jerry Rice or even Calvin Johnson, but Larry Fitzgerald or Greg Jennings, or even the equal of Roddy White. Is another Roddy White worth 2 first-rounders, 2 fourth-rounders, and a second? I don’t think so. Look at what Green Bay has done with 1 primary receiver and 4-5 secondary guys. You expect first-rounders to start, second-rounders will probably start, fourth-rounders are a coin toss. So would you rather fill 3 holes with B+ players or have 1 A+ player. I think you want to fill holes, and our playoff losses prove that.

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Mark, it’s FOUR draft picks for Julio, not FIVE. I know that five sounds a lot better, but we only swapped draft picks in your claim of the fifth. You’re implying that we actually gave away five picks, but we did not.

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They wanted a deep threat and big play potential. But you can’t have a deep threat unless the QB has some time.

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Look at the Super Bowl.

Fantastic defense. Real play makers.

And…. a wide receiver picked from another teams practice squad.

Lets also not forget that this brain trust signed Ray Edwards to a long term contract without giving him a thorough physical.

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Julio is a nice player so this isn’t about him. But WR’s touch the ball at most 10 times a game. Further, the 2010 Falcons were NOT merely one player away from being Super Bowl bound. We have needs on O-Line (and have for 10 years), safety and D-line that should all be addressed before going for the glamor move of WR.

Blank seems to be making the same mistake now that he did in year one (remember the big signing of Peerless Price?) of wanting to make the big splash instead of the boring building block

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Bill,

Remember Matty’s hail mary throw last season? All of our team was in the end zone and the ball landed on the 20 yard line.

And we signed him to a 10 year contract?

Isnt it strange that all of the armchair football managers realize that Matty’s arm stunk at Boston College, and Jones was perpetually hurt at Alabama, but Falcon’s management didnt?

I guess we need better scouts.

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Bad Idea Jeans

April 19th, 2012
10:19 am

Julio is a nice player so this isn’t about him. But WR’s touch the ball at most 10 times a game. Further, the 2010 Falcons were NOT merely one player away from being Super Bowl bound. We have needs on O-Line (and have for 10 years), safety and D-line that should all be addressed before going for the glamor move of WR.

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A WR can change a whole game with just one of those 10 catches a game.

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Unquestionably yes. For years fans have wanted a “that guy” be they coach killers like TO or Randy Moss or guys that other teams held tighter than a miser’s wallet like Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin or Andre Johnson. Well we went and got a “that guy” and still the whining persists. We’re talking about a receiver that saw the end zone 10 times in his rookie year and he’s only going to get better. If there’s a receiver in this year’s draft that scores double digit TDs I will reprint this article and personally eat it. Not to mention with Hines Ward’s retirement the best blocking receiver in the NFL wears a Falcon uniform. Yes, O-Line play was disappointing last year but just a season before as a unit it was the best in the league, I don’t think a lack of talent was so much the problem. There were no impact DLs in last year’s draft from 27 and after and none apparent from 22 on this year. Using Jimmy Johnson’s draft value chart we overpaid for Julio by roughly a 3rd to 4th round pick and I’ll take that in a heartbeat.

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@Steelers.
If the Falcons had your defense, yes the deal might have made sense.
But TD left the defense unfixed and his additions through free agency have left a lot to be desired.
The trade made me think TD was trying to duplicate the Chargers of Dan Fouts who needed to outscore every team and never made it to the Super Bowl.
What thinks our community of TD’s free agent additions?
We have the right owner with a mediocre at best GM.
We will not get to the Super bowl with the mediocre talent evaluation of Dimitroff.

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Nope. Contribute to a playoff win and he’d be worth it. So far he’s been good against crap teams and nowhere against good one. So as of now, it wasn’t

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If you were going to lose a first round pick in a trade this is the year to not have that pick. This draft had over 60 Juniors come out so this is a pretty deep draft and good players will be there into the 3rd round. Last years draft was not that deep and the Falcons knew that if they were going to get a superstar type player at the position they needed they had to make a bold move.

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Julio is a great athlete and wide out but he is not worth all those picks not because of him but other reason. 1. Could of got torrey smith and not give all draft picks, i know he is not as physical as julio but still did great. 2. Needed other things than WR. 3. Now with the new OC he wants to put in west coast style and that will not mean julio going deep alot. 4. My favorite reason and Its like number 3 Matt Ryan just can not throw the deep and lead and wideout in stride and i like julio but not worth all those picks because we need a LT and defense of line help in worst way and pur first pick is #55. Not good.

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Where in the world does everyone keep coming up with this silly 5 for 1 trade? If my math holds true, we swapped first rounders in 2011 – that is a wash, nada, zero. We then gave up 2 other 2011 picks plus 2 in 2012. Well my math says 4 for 1.

Please stop this silly 5 for 1. And yes the trade was worth getting such a talented receiver.

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Somebody earlier hit it on the head. That big nose guy ( Jerry) from the Mississippi school in the first round was a big screw up. I could tell looking at him play in college he would live on IR in the NFL. We should of drafted a lock down corner or a killer LB to help the defense. Those big nose guys ought to be signed as FA’s after they prove themselves with results and stamina

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Don’t dislike the pick, but wow Alton Smith (San Francisco) would have brought more NEEDED VALUE at the time. Could have taken the extra pressure off of Abraham, and given Atlanta a Defensive stallion for years. We could have won with Jenkins, and picked up a receiver this year in free agency. But Julio is here and the Kid can play. So welcome to town for a long time Julio.

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KerryB,

Maybe a WR could on some teams, but not the Falcons.

Our D is so bad that the “superstar” wide out would need to make 3 to 6 spectacular TD catches just to keep us in the game against a Superbowl caliber team.

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GTT

April 19th, 2012
10:29 am

Glad to have him, but the price was too high by a lot.

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When you are getting a future superstar at a skilled position who is a hard worker and doesn’t have the diva attitude that others at the position have it was a real cheap price.

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Anybody remember the 80’s when most every first round pick was a bust? Remember Aundray Bruce?

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Liberty Media is evil!

April 19th, 2012
10:33 am

KerryB,

Maybe a WR could on some teams, but not the Falcons.

Our D is so bad that the “superstar” wide out would need to make 3 to 6 spectacular TD catches just to keep us in the game against a Superbowl caliber team.

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I don’t think our D will be that bad this year with a real NFL caliber DC coaching them.

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It is defintely too early to tell. We will have to wait another 2 years and see how we fared with limited picks in the last year and this year’s draft and compare it with the value he added for our Team during the entire time he spends with falcons.

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@Kerryb.
You mean we paid for tickets to see a team with crummy coaches hold us back year after year.
If that is so, maybe Mike should go for hiring them.

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There are so many misses in the first two rounds ( JJ Not being one of them…yet), that I continue to salute the NE model of stockpiling enough picks to make up for the misses.
That said, as a loooog suffering ATL sports fan, we’ve had so many timid GMs in Every franchise here, that the boldness and courage of that move makes all the difference for me. TD gets a least 3+ years of “let’s see” from me, just for having stones.

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The Falcons plan is similar to the Dan Fouts Chargers as I keep saying.
It is great fun to watch against sub par defenses.
But we are not even that because I don;t recall Fouts being shut down the way the Giants hels us to 2 points.
They got out scored but not shutdown.

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The Brown’s will just screw up the pick anyways, so I’d say we did ok.

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I like Julio, but I don’t think he was worth what we had to give up for him.

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Minor improvement at GM for Falcons a agree about TD he is not a good judge on talent and he his degree in art in Canada, What does he know about football and how to build a team to win. I will be the next falcons gm and remember this TB, those are my initials When i get up there i will ATL Its first hardware.

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It is Cold Hard Football Fact’s contention that quarterbacks make the receiver and not vice versa. They seem to pretty much know their stuff.

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@Kerryb
Only 4 seasons?
Does not sound like someone who buys season tickets every year.
To tell the truth, I like Mike Smith and wish him well.
The draft sure will be a bore for us though.
What do u think of TD’s free agents?
Not so great so far?

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Kerryb,

Im not convinced that a coaching change will do all of that but its a nice dream.

Being a sports fan in Atlanta is a big let down. We get to see, first hand, how stupid a management can be. We get to watch the Texas Braves compete in the WS every year because we wanted to rent Texeira. Some idiot with the Braves thought Tex’s girlfriend would entice him to play for the Braves. How Naive.

We get to watch the Hawks… Not much to say that hasnt been said about them.

And we get to watch a Falcons team that went 13-3, had great promise, and then was managed back down to mediocre team with many, MANY holes.

I think I will have a t-shirt made that has all of Atlanta’s team logos on the front and then on the back put:

“Team’s Mottos.”

“Better luck next year!”

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I like the head coach and the owner.
As usual for the Falcons, the GM is the weak link.

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Matt

April 19th, 2012
10:44 am

Besides, they were hoping to get AJ Green and took Julio as a plan B

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I don’t think that is true. I think they would have took either one. If they wanted AJ and had to settle for Julio they wouldn’t have made the trade. I think they really wanted Julio for his added blocking ability in their run game. AJ was not known, even at UGA, for being a great blocker.

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Liberty Media is evil!

April 19th, 2012
10:46 am

Kerryb,

Im not convinced that a coaching change will do all of that but its a nice dream.

Being a sports fan in Atlanta is a big let down. We get to see, first hand, how stupid a management can be. We get to watch the Texas Braves compete in the WS every year because we wanted to rent Texeira. Some idiot with the Braves thought Tex’s girlfriend would entice him to play for the Braves. How Naive.

We get to watch the Hawks… Not much to say that hasnt been said about them.

And we get to watch a Falcons team that went 13-3, had great promise, and then was managed back down to mediocre team with many, MANY holes.

I think I will have a t-shirt made that has all of Atlanta’s team logos on the front and then on the back put:

“Team’s Mottos.”

“Better luck next year!”

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You really think that Atlanta fans are the ONLY ones that say what you are saying? I bet you could go to half the cities that have sports teams and hear the same things.

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LOL. I think it’s funny to read the whining on this blog.

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ridawg

April 19th, 2012
10:46 am

That was a bone-headed draft pick. Julio is great, but giving up 2 first rounders, a 2nd rounder, and 2 4th rounders is too much unless you’re signing a franchise QB or beastly lineman. The scary thing is that it HAS worked out as well as possible. What if Julio hadn’t been the player he is? That was a GIGANTIC risk. The reward is nice, but doesn’t outweigh the risk.

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Once again we didn’t give up TWO first rounders. Only one which is this years.

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@Kerryb.
U r putting up a good fight for your cause.
Congrats for having the moxie to take so many on.

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Minor improvement at GM for Falcons

April 19th, 2012
10:49 am

@Libertymedia.
I pretty much agree.
One Braves championship is not enough.
There is one excuse though.
The smaller market teams get cheated just as the Seattle Seahawks did.
What if that Super Bowl had fair refs and the Seahawks won?
Maybe the start of a dynasty.
Now like most small market teams, they get stiffed and fall back.

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The Braves are not considered a small market team. Someone like Kansas City is a small market team.

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They made the right move. Julio is going to be a beast on the field. His speed is a game changer and the boy was only a rookie year ago. If the line holds up on protection the falcons are going to succeed in the passing game.

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Dman,

“TD knows that you can improve the team by FA’s and we have a young very talented team that will only get better.”

HAHAHAHA. You have been out hunting in the south Georgia forests for the last 2 months. We have so many “older” players with large salaries that we have no cap space. TD has managed us into a hole that will be very difficult to emerge from.

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GTBob

April 19th, 2012
10:52 am

He now has a year under his belt. Watch what happens next year.

The problem isn’t him, the problem is that Matt Ryan isn’t a gunslinging QB. You say we needed to open up Roddy White. Was Roddy significantly better this year? We are going to run the ball half the time and pass it half the time. Trading away two drafts for a number 2 receiver when we needed defensive help has a terrible idea and it will continue to hurt us.

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Joe Montana wasn’t a gun slinging QB either. The west coast offense was a ding and dunk offense. Let’s wait and see how Koetter uses his QB and WR’s next year. Mularkey was a 3 yards and a cloud of dust OC. From what I have read Koetter is more of an open it up type. He was at Oregon and Boise State and they became an open it and throw the ball teams.

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I say that he was worth it.

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Let’s see what the new O-Coordinator does with him.

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Think how much better he’s going to be with an off season worth of work and off season coaching from Robinski.

He is going to be a good receiver. I don’t think anyone disputes that. The problem I have is how much will it help our team even if he becomes the best receiver in the NFL. I don’t think that would even turn us into a serious playoff contender.

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Let’s hold off on assessments of “worth it” until at least after this year, since the Falcons will be utilizing a new offensive scheme (and hopefully one that maximizes rather than minimizes the potential of the players on the field). If suddenly the offense is truly the “explosive” weapon we were promised last season and Jones is a big part of that, then yes, he’d have been worth it. If not, well, probably not.

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@Kerryb.
Grissom was obviously safe in stolen base attempt late in game 6.
Boston proved a series can turn on a stolen base.
Why did we fail to get the obvious call?
NY vs Atlanta.
Yankees get the call.

Ump might as well have given all Atlanta fans the finger.

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It was a bad move, but not because of anything Julio did. TD is showing to not be the genius behind his retrosexual eyeglasses, dude is just busting on the front and back of our drafts. It’s his job to tell Arhtur Blank (if he did make this call) to be patient and get a LT worth a darn before you get a WR.

Plus, look at our D…..baaaaaad, and our OL, baaaaad. Like I said, no Julio bashing its just that the kid cannot fix the issues we should have used with that 1st rounder last year and the boatload we gave up to get him. 8-8, here we come.

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Also, TD….stop drafting players with injury history bro, see Baker, Perry, etc. And quit trying to land the next Tom Brady gem in the 7th round, rounds 5-7 playes are about as good as FA’s. See punter, last year??? DERRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPP.

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Shorts,

I agree on the injury ridden comment.

We keep getting players that may of went off in the top 10 first round but they were “injured” in their last season in college, etc.

Im sure we made the re-signing of Harry Douglas a priority as backup to Jones and White. Hopefully these new coaches will devise play packages that dont let our prized WR’s get pummeled on 4 to 7 yard short passes.

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This is what happens when the owner starts influencing personnel decisions. Blank wanted a shiny hood ornament for his franchise QB (who lacks confidence in his arm strength) to throw down field to. The problem is when you want to throw downfield, you have to have a) a QB who CAN throw downfield and b) a line that will provide said QB the time to throw downfield. The Falcons have neither, so we in essence have a Ferrari on a farm with a dirt road. The Ferrari sure looks good and can still look impressive in the right conditions but its not really a fully functioning piece of equipment that will make the farmer money…..its just really nice to have.

So…..bad move. If we were going to move up, we should have gotten a can’t miss OT, DB or DLineman. We didn’t and now we are paying the price. The Falcons fall will be traced back to this move and Arthur needs to learn from this and keep his nose out of the personnel decisions. If he wants to win, of course.

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Let’s see he is a bigger, stronger version of Roddy White. White was taken late in the 1st round and is now one of the elite receivers in the league and a key part of a 13-3 season. Yep I think he was worth it.

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OMG!!! Here we go again with this. Someone must be bored. Ok, if you are a Falcons fan and you expected this team to be in the Super Bowl, not just contention, from last season on to the next 2 seasons, then it was a bad trade. If you are willing to wait for the Falcons defense (and Matt Ryan) to catch up with the rest of the offense, then it was a good trade “for the future.” Sometimes a talent like Julio Jones cannot be passed up. There will be very few receivers in college coming out in the next 3-4 years who will be as good as Julio Jones and AJ Green. Remember, the Falcons were ONE pick from having Adrian Peterson after he was passed over twice. We haven’t been in that position in 7 years. Overall, it was a good trade, but one to yield benefits down the road, not NOW.

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yes, falcons just have bad coaching staff who dont know how to utilize talent

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Mark, lay off the botox. Your forehead is already kind of big. Starting to look like a Vulcan.

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plenty of rb’s and wr’s walking the street….you should have taken defense…

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Slydog,

Two things. Free agency. Salary cap space.

This isnt Madden football on the XBox.

This is the problem with our country. People willing to debate the undefendable. We traded all of those picks, young players that wouldve allowed us to drop some of our expensive veterans, for a wide receiver. He wasnt even the best wide out in the draft. If someone has the brass ones to compare Jones to A.J. Green then you are about as capable of judging talent as TD himself.

Now we still have no defense, no pass rush, and no OL. Next season we will have to address tight end, running back, Brent Grimes, and other spots. We have no salary cap space.

The Jones trade will go down as the worst trade in Falcon’s history. It will handcuff us to mediocrity and your precious Julio Jones will be up for free agency by the time this team has the slightest chance to recover.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is blind, and was out hunting during this years FA.

Unless you think Blank is going to lobby the NFL to raise next years cap by say 30 million dollars.

ROFL.

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It will be all better when the Falcons trade Roddy next week for a 1st and 4th rounders.

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Only a Bammer would think Julio is worth it. And if they were honest with themselves they would know that Julio didn’t add much to the table at Bama. He scored 4 touchdowns against SEC opponents in 2010, and only really showed up against Auburn….but only for a half in that one as well. He is big, fast and strong, but he doens’t show up when needed….those show signs of million dollar body, 10 cent head.

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It’s a little misleading to say we gave up a first round last year and this year. We swapped places in the first round last year and gave up this years first round pick plus the other later round picks. Just to clarify.

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Stirring,

I have been saying that for 3 months.

The Falcons ONLY chance for redemption is to trade Roddy now. If you want to bet everything on Jones then prove it by trading White. I wouldnt even ask for a 1. I would trade for a 2, 4, 5, 6, 7. Lots of young guys in this very deep draft pool.

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I’ve wondered why would a GM like Dimitrof (sp?) who had demonstrated a solid mindset toward building a NFL team, would ‘roll the dice’ on such an ‘all or nothing’ bet. Maybe the reality is that a GM that’s capable of making the Julio Jones deal in the first place, risky as it was, just might not have done much with the picks they traded away…let’s just hope that it won’t go down in Falcon lore as the equal to the knee-jerk firing of Leeman Bennett, Arthur Blank’s pushing Mike Vick’s wheelchair onto the field or our Man of the Year’s decision to go looking for a late-night BJ before our only Super Bowl.

By the way, are we really going to go along with building, paying for, a new stadium just so an owner can make can make more money when he’s already got more than he or his off-spring will ever be able to spend? Win something Baby…then maybe we’ll see.

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@ Driver 8 said it all -
” Why mortgage everything on a deep threat when your QB can’t throw deep??”

But to be fair to the Falcons’ brain trust, after the 13-3 season – even with the playoff debacle against Green Bay – we appeared fairly sound. So why not take the audacious step of exchanging four picks that would result in serviceable talent for one pick that yields a true game changer?

Who knew the departure of Harvey Dahl would decimate the O-line? Who new the pass rush would still be mediocre after the free-agent acquisition of Ray Edwards? Who knew Matty Nice would continue to morph into the Incredible Mister Limpet?

Julio appears to be the real deal. He’s productive, big, tough, fast and explosive; and he proved it time and time again WHEN RYAN CAN GOT HIM THE BALL.

I think you can argue, that to some extent, a WR is only as good as the QB throwing him the ball. Any evaluation of Jones has to be weighted heavily with that consideration.

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Jones made that amazing catch when Matty basically threw the ball behind him. It was the #1 play of the week.

Unfortunately Jones would need to make 4 of those a game just to keep us in it.

It will be interesting to see where the Brent Grimes franchise drama leads us. I can imagine him sitting out if we dont give him a 5 year contract.

No wonder “Hard Knocks” wants to do the Falcons this year. Grimes will provide all of the drama.

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“Man” that game stunk my last post should read – and 124th pick, not 184th pick – went back and looked at the article.

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How dare you even ask this question.
Julio Jones will retire the greatest Falcon Receiver ever!

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Interesting strategy…Every year trade all your draft picks for the right to draft a sure thing top of the draft Pro Bowl player. Over 10 years your team has been stocked with 10 pro bowlers. Pick up the rest of your roster from FA and undrafted FA. Because of the salary cap this would probably not work. Thoughts?

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Holes at every position and filling a hole that had just been filled was the issue. My point is that a dominant receiver is more than a shiny hood ornament.

BTW – We gave up a second and a fourth last year. First and fourth this year. Hardly two whole drafts.

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Nothing against Julio Jones, I hope he goes on to a long and successful career. I read somewhere that Dimitroff asked for Belichek’s advice on whether they should give up all those picks to grab Jones and he told him not to do it. This isn’t hindsight, because I thought it was a mistake at the time…I just didn’t see where a receiver like Jones was such a pressing need… especially when your franchise QB struggles with deep throws.

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Ha ha, teams still doubled Roddy and took away deep throws. They even single covered your great wideouts! The difference again was line play and the QB. The only thing that is going to free up the outside receivers is to have a fast tight end to free up the outside making teams go the middle of the field.Those first throws in the Houston games were attempting but with receivers running post patterns. The Texans dared them to beat them, D-A-R-E-D them! Look, Julio is a fine talent, but he’s never going to be the freak that Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, Greg Jennings, or Larry Fitzgerald happen to be in performance. Let’s hope that he can make it to the Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison level which is a excellent talent meeting excellent execution of potential…

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i guess everyone forgot their was a lockout. Bradley you amaze me with your short sightedness. no otas, no advanced preparedness with the new lineup, equals a super bowl W for an otherwise average GMEN team. the falcons had a desperate need to keep up with the saints firepower, and if you dont make a move for a all pro reciever, then crys for change are worse this year. lets look at micheal jenkins stats in his last season with the falcons, and first season with the vikings.

jenkins had 38 rec for 466 yards, and three td’s. julio who missed half of the packer game, and several others started 13, but really played in 12, had more than double the yards 959 yards, 54 rec’s, and 8 td’s. i think it was a good move, and the falcons didnt have any roster spots for those draft picks, etc. in the long run, julio will make folks shut up. hamstring injuries happen to everyone. last years oline was the weak link and matt ryan was a tough cookie and dealt with it like a pro. sports writers are all wussies who never played the game, or even had the skill to be an athlete, and it takes zero skill to be a journalist these days. D, Orlando ledbetter is a prime example. i worked in tv news for years and that guy would have never gotten a job, his writing isnt polished, and his presumptions are all skewed… Bradley, ask yourself this question. where would the falcons be last year without julio. sitting at home watching the wildcard weekend.

i think i have said enough.

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Two words for the guy saying all WR’s are “hood ornaments”; Calvin Johnson.
Argument dismissed.

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And Washington’s 1st picks are liable to be good – This seasons is #6, and the #38 2nd pick.

Washington’s probably going to have higher picks than 22 and 27 the next two seasons they ship to Cleveland as well.

So 4 picks for a #2. And those 4 picks are going to be a #6, probably 2 in the middle of the 1st round, and the #38.

Now I know QB is a more important position than WR, but still, they gave up alot more than we did.

And if we knew Reggie White 2 or something was coming out next season in the draft, I say make another deal just like this. A game changer.

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Great question MB – the survey will go 60/40 for the good, but there are very few “Rare Air” receivers who can come in and make an immediate impact from that position. There are many reasons why this did not produce at least ONE playoff win, but to put it on JJ, not all of it, but a piece of it. Not to be a UGA homer, but AJ was the pick and everyone knew it, so that would have cost us more. They took a chance and it will pan out in the end, SANS any critical injury.

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It’s only because we don’t have a first round pick right now that this is an issue. Julio was well worth the trade. Let’s look at this – we traded last year’s 27th pick and this year’s 22nd pick for last year’s 6th pick. That 6th pick had a very productive season even with being out some games to injury. how much would the 27th pick last year and the 22nd pick this year contribute? Don’t even talk about the 4th rounder – you can barely name players taken in the 4th round.

The main thing is that we got the best WR to come out of college in years for two low 1st round picks. First rounders have about a 50% bust rate, and it seems from Julio’s rookie year, we are going to be on the good side of that ratio, so let’s stop talking about the trade and start talking about how awesome Julio and Roddy can be together!

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I still think he was worth it. HE almost single handedly won the Carolina game this year. He had some injury issues and hopefully that will not be an issue in the coming years. Get through this years draft and see how he does in the next several years. We will have our normal draft in tack for next year. Hopefully, the team will continue to move upward and build toward the ultimate goal. By that time, (which I do think is coming), Julio should be an integral cog in the team’s function.

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Why look back and dwell? I say let’s look forward. What’s done is done. We have him and I do believe he will be an outstanding receiver.

But now the main goal is for TD and company to earn their money and really steal a jewel or two out of the upcoming draft.

Again, time will tell.

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Julio is a great wide receiver. But no wide receiver is worth that much. I am not sure if I could have parted with that much even if I thought he was the second coming of Jerry Rice.

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The idea that a wide receiver is a “hood ornament” is moronic. NFL rules favor passing the ball. If you cannot pass the ball, you lose in this league. Just as important as passing the ball is catching the ball. Wide Receivers aren’t hood ornaments. More like the wheels on the car. Without the wheels, doesn’t matter how good the engine or body is – the car doesn’t move.

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call up cleveland and ask for the deal back…bet they jump at having him

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2010 Playoffs – GB 48, ATL 21

What is the logical need? Defense to mitigate a hot QB. Nah, we should just outscore them! If we had someone like Julio Jones we’d win 49-48 or something.

2011 Playoffs – NY 24, ATL 2

Maybe we’ll draft a punter in the 2nd round.

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This year will be a HUGE indicator of his success or if the deal was worth it.

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He’s hood ornament in that old offense… To answer your own statement, they could not pass the ball in form or manner that made quality NFL teams really fear them…

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Hmmm…. let’s see: A.) Missed time due to injury; B.) Cost the Falcons the Texans game when he proved he didn’t know what a “two-minute offense” was (standing at the five while BOTH teams were lined up back at the 30 waiting on HIM) and dropped the game-winning TD pass in the end zone on a ball that hit him in the chest; C.) Cost the Falcons serious momentum in New Orleans with a fumble on a drive that could’ve brought the Falcons within a touchdown (instead, the Saints scored on the turnover and went ahead 38-17), and D.) Got his big-play touchdowns when games were already out of hand.

So I’d definitely say NO.

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I don’t feel I can make this call. I understand the logic behind making that pick, it’s just that it was extremely costly.

Long term I think it will prove advantageous and looking at the team they need smaller numbers of playmakers than they do larger numbers of bodies. So I’m still a fan as Julio is a great player.

That said, I think it hurts them this year because they struck out with Sam Baker and we still don’t know what we’re going to get at DE.

IF we’re sitting at 22 we have a chance to get a better left tackle this year, but nothing is guaranteed.

So yes I’m still behind the pick even though we have mostly given up this year as far as adding talent that can help the team.

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Kerry J Byrne did not watch the horrid offensive game planning week in and week out either.

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Julio “quit” in his last Iron Bowl. All I needed to know.

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It takes more than one season to justify a trade. But if you looks at Jones’ averages against Roddy White (the veteran) they are very similar. So why not trade White, his mega salary, and his Tweeter addication, and get back some of those high draft picks alnong with soem cash for FA?

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I think falcons should only draft uga players. That way they can both be mediocre…

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GtBob, say it ain’t so. I thought only UGA players get suspended for games. Tech players never do. Ha!

http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia-tech-sports/2012/04/19/techs-drummond-faces-suspension-for-alcohol-conviction/

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Devil’s Advocate… AJ Green had 65 catches for 1057 yards (16.26 avg), 7 TDs, and 4 100+ yard games. Jones had 54 catches for 959 yards (17.76 avg), 8 TDs, and 5 100+ yards games. Oh yes, and Julio was hurt part of the season. So how do you figure AJ is better than Julio?

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It would have been a perfect deal, if the Falcons would have had a very good OLine in place already.
Ryan can throw deep, and he can deliver the ball to the reciever, but a QB needs more than 2 seconds of protection from his OLine, so that he can allow the recievers to run their routes and get open.

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One further thing. 2012 is NOT a make or break year for the Falcons. Do NOT get your hopes up or even put them all into this next season.

If they are better great, but this is NOT a team that looks like a Super Bowl caliber team. Doesn’t mean they can’t win it. They could, but expecting that with this lot when they haven’t won a playoff game yet is silly.

Let’s expect them to come out with a winning record and a playoff bearth with the hopes that they will win at least one playoff game this year.

If they lose, they aren’t throwing in the towel and changing coaches or GM’s etc. That might be the case after the 2013 season if progress isn’t made.

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This time of year is like Christmas for an NFL fan; everybody can’t wait to open that shiny new toy that they’ve seen in the store window and the Sears Wish book or the prospect that all the analyst are talking about. That makes it very painful for Falcons fans to have to sit there and wait for the first round to go by without a pick. But that doesn’t make this a bad trade; in fact, it was a very good trade. First of all the Falcons got what they believe will be a great player versus four good players. Always take the great player. Secondly, two NFL teams have validated the trade: the Redskins traded two first round picks and a second to move up four spots, the Falcons moved up 20 spots and only gave up one first round pick. And, the Lions made a star receiver the highest paid player in the league. The top receivers are valuable and teams aren’t going t o let them get away.

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So what if we had not of drafted Julio. Our pick was #26
26 Kansas City Chiefs Baldwin, JonathanJonathan Baldwin WR Pittsburgh Big East from Atlanta via Cleveland [R1 - 6]
1 27 Baltimore Ravens Smith, JimmyJimmy Smith CB Colorado Big 12 in lieu of pick 26 (time expired) [N 3]
1 28 New Orleans Saints Ingram, MarkMark Ingram RB Alabama SEC from New England [R1 - 7], 2009 Heisman Trophy winner[N 4]
1 29 Chicago Bears Carimi, GabeGabe Carimi OT Wisconsin Big Ten
1 30 New York Jets Wilkerson, MuhammadMuhammad Wilkerson DE Temple MAC
1 31 Pittsburgh Steelers Heyward, CameronCameron Heyward DE Ohio State Big Ten
1 32 Green Bay Packers Sherrod, DerekDerek Sherrod OT Mississippi State SEC

The problem isn’t who we got last year, it’s who are we not getting this year.

Ultimately, Julio is going to prove to be All Pro year after year. You never know, TD may pull off some slight of hand and land a irst rounder at a positon of need. You get much deeper in the draft you still have a learning curve.

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Verdict: Too soon to tell, but in time, it will be the right move.

Reasons:
-No WR available in the 20s in either 2011 or 2012 approaches his talent.
-No guarantee how the theoretical five picks would have panned out.
-Jones already is proving to be a sure thing.

Bottomline: You make moves to win. Better to lose being proactive, rather than sitting back, hoping, wishing, praying that all the pieces fall into place. Hindsight is always done by “cold, trembling souls who know neither defeat or victory” — Teddy Roosevelt.

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It APPEARS we gave up too much for Julio but the real question becomes who would we have drafted had we not made the trade? Can’t say because the draft would have gone a different way had we not made the trade and Julio would have been on some other team who then made a different choice. If we had drafted a “bust” or a “reach” in round 1 rather than taking Julio, then that makes this Julio trade looks good.

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You need a QB first… so bad move. I know the Falcons (and the media for that matter) think they have their QB of the future but that doesn’t make it so.

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Gotta go along with most and say yeah, I think it was worth it. Matt Ryan once again unaccountable screwed the proverbial pooch. Period. End of argument. He’s the one that is not worth the money they’re fixing to give him. He’s average as grits and has now CHOKED thrice in a row — that’s three times for you non-UGA graduates — . I mean, hell, if the Saints didn’t put a bounty on hime like they did on the others and we play twice, I think ‘nuf said. Plus you trot out Sam Baker. WTF do you expect?

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You got it almost exactly right, Mark, when you said “We in these parts saw a lot of Julio Jones when he played for Alabama, and we had a good long look at him last season (when he wasn’t hurt).”

Now let me change it so that it is *exactly* right: “We in these parts saw a lot of Julio Jones when he played for Alabama (when he wasn’t hurt), and we had a good long look at him last season (when he wasn’t hurt).”

See what I did there?

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But are you comparing rookie years? One name, David Carr :-0 Johnson played all 16 games and was durable for 3 of his first 4 years. And Andre Johnson missed more than half of last season, that dude is a true beast!

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6-10…..

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Big Don, go watch that wretched offensive line play vs the patterns run last year and say that it was Ryan’s fault.

Going back to Vick (and probably farther) this town blames the QB too much for the front office NEVER addressing problems on the offensive line and in the scheme.

Why are we running 30 yard routes if the QB has 1.5 seconds to throw?

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Sam Baker has been the same player since he’s been in the league… we just keep chugging along as if there is no issue at left tackle. We’re lucky Svitek could play.

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Inconsistent QB play contributes to any wide receiver’s game

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Let’s see what the new coordinators can do with this team before we rush to judgement. I had the feeling all last year they were bidding their time, knowing full well that it would’ve been suicide to change the coaching staff without a full training camp to implement a new system.

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julio no longer has dreads..

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A big fat NO, thought it then, still think it now, I don’t care how talented he is. Too much for 1 WR.

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by the way i think he’s worth it, look at the potential we could be getting with him. That speed with that size, with that leaping ability, with that strength? He’s a physical freak, and much better than anyone we could get at our spots. I mean we were looking at drafting akeem ayers.. where is ayers now? i don’t even know what team he’s on. and 2nd round? the only 2 players of notice that came out there are the red head cincy QB and the Cowboys RB. both would have been picked before us.

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Was he worth it? Yes. We now have a top flight receiver for several years and will not need one in the future if and when Roddy’s receiving abilities begin to twitter away.

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You guys can keep taking shots at his injuries, but they were pulls. They weren’t paussy injuries from being hit. Julio is rock solid with low body fat. Hopefully having a full offseason with the training staff will get him in the right range for body fat(higher than last year) which should reduce the pulls.

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In previous years the Falcons had spent so many picks on defenders in the second-through-fifth rounds that I didn’t really mind the Julio trade. If anything, the offensive line may be the part of this team that suffers from the traded picks, but it’s hard to know right now. It’s just too early to tell.

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It’s not about Julio. Yes he’s a great player….and probably will go onto great things. But the team needed SO much, and still does. That is the issue. From a guy that preaches “build the the draft” as a foundational element of NFL success, Dimitroff has been fair to midlin with said strategy. The Draft is more than about landing one big name player. Apparently the ” assessment” of needs is where GM and HC are struggling.

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I think the 5 for 1 deal was too much for a WR with the offense the Falcons run. I think building depth would have been a better move. With that being said, I like the risk and the bold move up to take Julio. Hopefully the new OC will better utilize Julio and Roddy and not forget about Gonzales and Douglas underneath.

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While I’m still not comfortable with what we gave up, I honestly think AJ Green and Julio Jones were Calvin Johnson caliber WRs that don’t come along very often. I think by the end of this season the trade will be completely forgotten as the Dome is flooded with #11 Jerseys every game. The kid is a faster T.O. with none of the headaches.

I do understand the criticism of the lack of addressing the OL. We have gone the opposite of conventional wisdom as far as what is thought to be the correct way of building a Champion. From the inside out. I am really disappointed that we have not tried to adress our horrid LT situation in Free Agency.

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Nativebird i think that Dimitroff thought the Falcons were closer to the super bowl than they actually were. That 13-3 year went by and all i watched was Matt Ryan make pin-point throws to RW for 4-7 yards per pop. Now in that 13-3 year everything went right; no injuries, very few penalties, few sacks, few TO, excellent on third downs, led the league in 10+ play drives, etc.

Defense was still bad yes, but a couple of marginal players from the draft weren’t going to solve those problems. Dimi’s plan was to splash and sign, which is what he did. He made a big splash by trading up 17 spots and signed the best D end his money could buy.

In the end, This team couldnt’ve been much better with those picks than without them. remember that the falcons had to be perfect on offense if they wanted score, and with those picks from last year, we’d still be having Van Gorder coaching them.

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One he barely had a 1,000 yards total. 2. It is easy to load up on bad secondaries (Falcons fans should be use to that point), Indy, Tampa, and Carolina were in the dumpster… Fix your own flawed thinking, Grimes had a real knee issue. You got one more game out of him than you should have last season… Like I said, he (Jones) is a fine talent, but Bolden fine, not Fitzgerald great! Can he possibly elevate his game? Sure, but the big problem with Falcons fans is that always get mad when people point out that they got a Lexus in the garage and not a Mercedes…

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Looking at our draft history in the late first round, I say it was without a doubt worth it. This guy is a stud. There are other moves I question more like franchising a nickleback (Grimes) and taking a huge risk on arguably one of the most important positions on the field in Lofa (mlb). Anytime you can get a game changer you take it no matter what the other needs are. There are not many in the league with Julio’s skill set

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I honestly don’t see why Dimitroff is criticized for his draft picks so often.. Baker and Jerry look like the only busts that he drafted, and Baker was a major need so you really can’t fault him for that pick.

these are all the noticeable picks that Dimi has made over the years, those not on here are either practice teamers or SUPER nobodies

2008- 1st Ryan, Baker, 2nd Lofton, 3rd Douglas, Jackson, Decoud and 5thBeerman

2009- 1st Jerry, 2nd Moore, 3rd Owens, 4th Sidbury, 5th Reynolds and 7th Vance Walker

2010- 1st Spoon, 3rd Peters, 3rd Johnson, 4th Hawley 5th Franks Meier, 6th Shann

2011- 1st Julio, 3rd Dent, 5th Quiz, 6th Bosher and 7th Jackson, Matthews

first 2 rounds= 2 busts

next 2 rounds= 1 bust

5-7 do we really care?

I see some pretty good players on this list that have panned out great for our team. To say that Dimi is a bad drafter would be foolish, every GM drafts a bust once in a while, but Dimi has been consistent with his picks. I mean he gave us Spoon Ryan and Julio! those three are all future pro-bowlers come on people! open your eyes!

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you falcon fans think play calling was bad last year , just wait till your new off. coordinator gets going !! from what we saw in JAX last year you people have not seen anything yet .

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1) Some people can’t see it now, but this was a long term move.

2) If trading those picks for Julio was a mistake, so was Detroit giving Calvin “Megatron” Johnson such a huge contract. Either you get the point in this analogy, or you don’t.

3) It’s always amusing to watch folks turn this into a conversation about our QB. Look, if you’re still on MV7’s scrotum, please go join a Eagles blog and leave the rest of us alone to talk about actual Falcons football. If the deep ball is all that wins games, then Joe Montana would have never become a household name, and somebody can explain to me why Dan Marino never won a SB. Otherwise, STFU.

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One other note that a lot of people aren’t aware of. As a rookie, Julio led the NFL in yards after the catch. I’ll say it again – LED THE NFL. Despite missing a few games. Let it sink in…there is potential here that you just can’t imagine.

BTW, Roddy leading the League in receptions means what? It meant Ryan went to him far more than anybody else, it meant Roddy was focused, etc. Look at the rest of his numbers, however – TDs, Yards Per Catch, etc. Not so impressive at that point. Less to do with Roddy and more to do with our offensive scheme (Mularkey) at the time.

Good God….how do people miss this?

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One player who can, at best, affect 10-15 plays per game vs. 4 different players who could affect 60+ plays per game?

You’re assuming all 4 players can get in the game, stay in the game, and be effective. Let me give you a quick tour down memory lane.

Remember 1st round picks Sam Baker and Peria Jerry? How many games did they play in their rookie years, all total? How many did they start in? I’ll tell you – Jerry played 2 games, started none. Baker played 8 games, started 5. Do you even remember our 4th round picks over the years? How many games have they played, how many started?

Your assumption of how many plays a certain number of guys can affect is skewed. And it’s also assuming they are effective. Julio can score TDs. Baker assures that the QB will get happy feet and won’t be able to make plays that often. Jerry doesn’t even show up well enough to play. And our 4th rounders aren’t on the field.

Next…

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I say trade Julio to move up in the draft so we can get Stephen Hill.

He can’t catch a cold but he sure is fast……

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YES!! hands down, with roddy soon leaving his prime def worth the move.. jj is already one of the top wr in the league and his not even played his 2nd year………..
and im SSOOOO glad he cut off them dreads

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windu (and some others) get it; the rest of the organization-fed sheep do not. (and, yes, that is precisely what most of you are).

The miscalculation by our boy-wonder GM on how close this team was to elite-status is remarkable. It still smacks as a knee-jerk reaction to the Packers playoff debacle.

Dimitroff should have been fired on the spot for making this trade, considering the many needs on this team.

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The trade wasn’t about last year. It was about being able to get a WR of that talent level…that he felt would not be available in the 20’s without waiting 3 years anyway for development.

Dimitroff found Ray Edwards at DE whom he thought would add to the pass rush last year. Didn’t happen because of the injury. Same with Peria Jerry. The knee injury was catestrophic.

He missed on Baker, but they will rectify that sometime this offseason. They brought in the big guy to play right guard because Mike Johnson has never been healthy and that spot was AWFUL last year.

Julio has been thus far all we could ask of a player. It was a hit. Expensive yes, but they did go to the playoffs last year with an unbelievably average offensive line.

No one especially not the men in charge think this is an elite team… thats why they changed coordinators, no matter what fluff they give us publically.

They know the problems, they are just taking a really long time to fix some of them probably waiting to see if they can find better options than the ones that are available currently.

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They had a team that couldn’t come back from a deficit the year before to a team that could potentially score in a short amount of time with Julio. They have 2 excellent WR’s now and a quick hitter in Harry Douglass that can do a lot of things. Not even mentioning the TE guys like Snelling or Quizz that can catch the ball out of the backfield.

The offensive talent was absolutely underused last year because of the weakness of the offensive line and to some extent the scheme.

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Let’s see what kind of a career he has first….gotta love the immediate second guessing by joe jack ass at SI.

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heck no, he’s always had injury problems. And he’s not that good.

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Not just “NO” but HELL NO”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Any NFL team wins in the trenches. Case and point, Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. Yes, I did say Trent Dilfer.

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No way a green rookie is worth 5 players especially when teams run thru the Defense like toilet tissue.

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We will not know how good or bad the JJ pick or even the Matt Ryan pick was until we have an OL good enough to give the pass plays enough time to develop. We passed on good OL FA’s. If TD can’t put a good OL on the field this year with a new OL coach and draft picks, he should go.
The JJ pick cost us alot, and I believe we would have been better last year with the extra picks but in the long run, if we get a good OL we will be better off with the JJ trades. It’s all up to TD. He should never have let Dahl go. People don’t call those busts but I do.

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NOW, however, it is time to draft for defense. Hopefully Peria comes around, and we need
DEFENSE

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I wish the trade up had been for A.J. Green. But I still think it was well worth it. Difference makers are scarce.

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Green is just another hack from UGA and nothing more.

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I think the main reason they made this deal was because of the folly of not moving up for Calvin Johnson in 2007. We had the 7th pick in the draft and the Lions had the 2nd. The Lions were actually wanting to move down for the right price because they had an All-Pro in Roy williams and Matt Millen had already spent 3 high 1st round picks on WR. But for some reason we took Jamaal Anderson instead of trading a 1st and a 2nd for the #2. Pick

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Sometimes it takes three years or more to determine if getting Julio was a good move. We’ll never know what we would have gotten had we kept our original position. However, I really like having Julio on our team and if he isn’t already our best receiver then I think he will be soon. He is a definite game breaker and this move would’ve been much better received if we had a strong armed qb like Steve Bartkowski. The Falcons had to start drafting offensive linemen after getting Bart and if memory serves – they started much sooner with the OL drafts with Bart than they did with Matt Ryan. I believe two really good offensive linemen would help this team tremendously because Ryan is a very good qb although hasn’t been much in the playoffs yet which an improved OL would make a big difference IMO.

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I wish the trade up had been for A.J. Green. But I still think it was well worth it. Difference makers are scarce.
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I wish we could’ve traded up for Green, also. Odds are that Julio will be a big timer. However, Green was a sure fire cinch to be a big timer. A few more natural receiving skills than Julio.

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TD thought he was the last piece to get to and win the Super Bowl. The 13 – 3 season and the Green Bay model confused him and he did not recognize where the team really was. And that is the essence of the GM job, yes?

Jones is a good kid, and should be a good, maybe great WR. But that is just it, he is a WR. You don’t trade that much draft cache for a WR, MAYBE a franchise QB, but not a WR.

Big mistake. And humorously, many TD fans defend the choice with the logic, “We wouldn’t have gotten anyone good anyway”. So they defend TD by inferring TD is not a good GM. I find it hilarious at one level and tragic at another.

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Julio brings many more qualities to a team other than receiver…..he can be used in many playing situations and he is also a very selfless blocker and detail player…..he commits fully to his assignments and is a full team player… as has been mentioned, he is a strong warhorse as a receiver in strength and stride…and, has great hands.. one important detail is that there was no doubt that he had been trained as a winner and could immediately add to this team…you have to really look at the line picks, real availability and long-term worth… his versatility rates him a much higher value than most who only excel with speed and hands running down the field….
By the way….yes, a little biased, but totally objective on this one….ROLL TIDE ROLL…!!!

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Hell at least this owner goes after top talent and will spend money, I vividly remember the last one who didn’t, couldn’t whatever…

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AlabamaFalcon – you’re right. Even though we keep wanting to improve our Falcons, we must admit that things are much better than the many years of the Smith’s ownership.

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You guys suck at math.

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Not only is the rookie season too soon to evaluate a player, but one under a questionable passing game OC. There’s a chance that Koetter’s different approach to the passing game will not only elevate a 2nd-year WR’s game but an experienced QB’s as well. Can’t possibly be any worse than a goose egg against the Giants.

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Another thought. I haven’t seen a good summation of what we would have gotten in the draft if we had kept the picks. I know some of you draft fanatics have made that call. With 20/20 hindsight who could we have taken and what did they contribute to the teams that took them?. Which players would they have replaced on last years team. Mark I would like to see that in the coming article you mentioned.

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juulio is not half the receiver that AJ GREEN is, and never will be. Of course leave to the bumbling falcons to second guess the obvious!

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I think if he can stay healthy,yes but u have to look deeper into this to see a more complexe picture,considering that we would be picking in the mid 20s,also look at this overall draft talent it just isn’t all that great.some of us count 4 picks because we swiched 1st,how can u really count the spots that both teams trade as a pick if you do can you noy count that the browns gave 1 up

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bird

April 19th, 2012
6:05 pm

The trade wasn’t that bad. The Falcons swapped 1st round picks at the last draft and gave away this years 1st. Its not like the Falcons gave away two 1st round picks., but that’s the way people try to make it sound

Great post! Now please get Coby Fleener to add another homerun hitter. This guy is faster than Jimmy Graham and Gronkowski..

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I don’t care who the player was, to trade 5 to get one player is a gamble. Green, Julio, who ever. Everyone will second guess the GM and Coach about everything when their team doesn’t do what they expect. Now if we would have made and one the SB this topic would not be discussed. I love my Falcons win or lose. Go FALCONS!!!!!!!

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Dimitroff came from the Patriots, but did not bring the mindset, at least to this point, I would like to see. The Patriots stock pile draft picks, not trade them away. The Patriots build on the lines of scrimmage because that is where it is won and lost. The J.J. trade may prove to be like the Herschel Walker trade from Dallas years ago, except we are Minnesota in that scenario. I still say trade Roddy/Turner in a deal to get draft picks for this year or next.

My prediction is that this Falcon team will face some of the toughest qb’s in the league this season and will NOT make the playoffs. Even if they make the playoffs, this is not a team built to win the Super Bowl.

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The Packers SB win “scared” all the GM’s into making moves like this. Everyone thought the Pack with their youthful team and ARodgers would dominate the next 3-4 years and TD reacted to it. Dan Reeves has always said a wide receiver takes 2-3 years to mature in the league…this guy is gonna be good if he can stay healthy.. too soon to tell right now…

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With the SB CHAMPION NEW ORLEANS SAINTS and catching passes from Drew Bree’s vs Melted Ice? I am sure he would be much happier than with your perennial LOSER team…..just ask Curtis Lofton…lmao

Stay classy, dirty turdz…..here’s to the Saints winning it all this year and the FAILCANTS finishing at 8-8…..can I get a who dat? Thank you…

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I see the NOLA asshats are out early this morning.

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Come on Mark, you know it takes more than one season to properly evaluate the Julio move.
Thomas is one of the best evaluators, and Julio is a superior player.
He scored a lot of touchdowns. Did you run this by Jeff before you threw it out there?
I think it is fair to say Thomas can evaluate better than your idol CMR. Have you kissed him
lately?

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Falcons definitely gave up a lot for Julio, but the real problem was they did not seem to know how to use him. Mularkey finally got around to using his athletic ability 4 or 5 games into the season. But they never used him enough. They ran a slant route to Julio against Seattle that went 90 yards for a score and yet they rarely used it again all year. They should have had a better idea on how to fit his abilities into the offense, even with the lockout costing them some time.

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Hatfieldgeoff – You are correct about Mularky but if Koetter isn’t an improvement we are still at square one. Koetter is Smitty’s guy but wasn’t Mularky also. It usually takes about 4 years to get rid of these guys and will be a waste of great talent if Koetter isn’t the right one. I hope he is good but we have been handed a guy right up MS’s game. Run up the middle. We excuse Koetter on the passing game because he didn’t have the QB & WR’s to work with. Is not having the talent a good reason to hire a guy. I would better trust someone that had the talent and used it wisely. Hoping for the best!!!

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Kudos for the use of “pilloried”. You are a shrewd character Mark. Atlanta professional sports is a lot more fun with you around.

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