NFL – Page 11 – The Recycle Bin

Falcons/Rams preview – Preseason Week 2

This Falcons/Rams preview (ajc – The Bird Cage) of what to expect tonight is pretty much in line with what I posted earlier this morning. I am linking to the article because it also includes some Fantasy Football value, and it talks about tailgating. I am ordering my Weber Q 220 this weekend – I cannot wait for the season to start!

1 – Defensive Improvement
It was the first preseason game and lets just chalk up to that for some of our defensive performances. We had some bright spots and some low points, but overall we did hold the Lions to 3 points and that’s the bottom line, although many fans were less than enthused about the first defensive outing. Will we see some more pressure and more of a defensive gelling?

2 – Backup QB Battle
Even though Matt Ryan will see more action in this game, the battle royale continues in earnest with hometown favorite DJ Shockley trying to unseat Chris Redman. Shockley may have more upside, but he has to prove he can handle backup duties on a more consistent basis and Redman needs to justify his large salary.

3 – Fight for Last WR Spots
Will Eric Weems continue his mad dash towards not only a roster spot, but serious playing time? Weems has impressed throughout camp and looks to lock up a spot with a couple more solid performances. That would leave either one or two spots for Robert Ferguson, Marty Booker, Troy Bergeron, Chandler Williams, and rookie Aaron Kelly.

The defense better gel in a hurry. The Falcons can always get another WR after final cuts, or maybe even in a trade, but for the defense it is game time.

Know your Madden.

The ajc posted an article about Vick and Favre being added to Madden 10 via roster updates, but for me the more interesting part of the article was this gem.

A survey performed for EA by the University of Oregon’s Sports Marketing Center found that “Madden NFL” players were considerably more knowledgeable about the sport than other fans. For example, 67 percent of “Madden” players could correctly identify specific passing routes, compared with 48 percent of non-gamers.

Interesting. I wonder how many Madden players expect jukes and other special moves?

Sports Friday. Falcons take on Rams. No Schumacher return.

I was disappointed to learn that Michael Schumacher’s return to Ferrari ended before it started. Earlier this year Schumacher injured his neck racing around on two-wheelers; apparently the injuries were enough to keep him from being fit enough to race. PlanetF1’s editorial hit the nail on the head.

The shame is F1’s. Schumacher’s return, however fleeting, would have been one of the highlights of the sporting year. Given that poor results would have been attributed to his age and inaction then a victory in Valencia or beyond would perhaps have been the equal of any other achievement in his F1 career. But such musings are now academic.

I am bitterly disappointed that I do not get to see Schumacher give it one more go.

Falcons visit the Rams
It is preseason, so to casual fans it is not very exciting, but there are plenty of positions to watch. Backup QB battle – will Shockley pass Redmond? How will the secondary shape up – Houston is out for this one, which means someone will have an opportunity to step it up a notch. What about the WR depth chart? Is there a number three on the team, much less who is going to fill the fourth and fifth spots on the depth charts?

Happy Friday!

Favre’s Football Value.

There is always one in the room. Unfortunately, sometimes it is me. Someone always overrates a player such as Favre. As long as the love affair continues to roll on, how about this USAToday article warning fantasy football owners not pick up Favre as their starting QB.

With high-profile players such as Favre, at least one owner in most leagues usually is infatuated with the big name and drafts him way too early. True, the Vikings have an excellent rushing game, strong defense and run an offense similar to what Favre ran during most of his career with the Packers.

If anything, Favre will make RB Adrian Peterson a more obvious No. 1 pick. If Favre forces defenses to take some attention away from the run game, that can only help Peterson, who has been pretty good even when defenses were ganging up on him. Adding Favre might make a 2,000-yard season possible.

The article puts Favre somewhere in the Top 14, but you just know someone is going to take Favre way too early.

I do not get the Brett Favre love affair.

OK, so Favre signs with the Vikings. Now what? Part of me wants to say “Big f’ing deal.” The other part realizes that if (and this is a big if) Favre can perform above average he just may put the Vikings over the top. At the very least Vikings football will be interesting.

Reading today’s news of Favre signing with the Vikings was anticlimactic. I think everyone knew it was a matter of when, not if the Vikings were able to get Favre to change his mind again (and again, and again, and again).

I just wonder what it was that made Favre say that the time was right, but three weeks ago he was done.

Whatever. I have always liked Favre, and I wish him well, unless he meets up with the Falcons in the playoffs.

Second chances. How will Vick fit in with the Eagles?

I am glad to see that Michael Vick is getting a second chance. Let’s see what he does with it.

I am not surprised that Vick finally signed with a team, but I am surprised with the location. I figured the Philadelphia was set at QB, but just thinking about how rough those fans are makes me wonder what sort of reception we will see Vick receive.

“There won’t be a quarterback controversy,” Reid said. “We have to make sure he gets back in football shape. He comes into a good, stable unit here. Donovan and Michael are very close.”

Reid made sure he spoke with McNabb before signing Vick.

“I pretty much lobbied to get him here,” McNabb said. “I believe in second chances and what better place to get a second chance than here with this group of guys. … He’s no threat to me, not for Kolb. We had the opportunity to add another weapon to our offense.”

If Vick is an importance presence for the Eagles, the December 6th game at the Georgia Dome will be crazy.

First Falcons Depth Chart of 2009

No real surprises with the Falcons first depth chart of the year. According to the NFC South Blog

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the offensive depth chart is the situation at backup wide receiver. With Harry Douglas lost for the season, the Falcons have Marty Booker and Brian Finneran listed as the top two backups. But Robert Ferguson, Chandler Williams, Eric Weems, Troy Bergeron and Aaron Kelly also are in the mix. Also, Chris Redman is listed as the No. 2 quarterback and D.J. Shockley is third.

On the defensive side, the Falcons have rookie Peria Jerry as the first-team nose tackle. The first-teamers in other positions of interest are Stephen Nicholas at strongside linebacker, Brent Grimes at cornerback and Thomas DeCoud at safety.

It will be a surprise if DE Jamaal Anderson actually is a certified number one; can he actually progress enough to not call him a bust? On the WR front it would be nice to see Bergeron [we attended the same high school] move up the charts, but he is listed as fifth string, so he will only make it on low salary, more injuries, and great special teams play.

Sports Monday.

If you work for a living, Monday’s basically suck. Those of you lucky enough to be at home because you want to be out of work get to watch the circle boys take on Watkins Glen today at noon. This is one of my favorite courses on the Sprint Car circuit, but alas, I will be at work.

The Braves have been on a mini tear of late, winning three in a row over the Dodgers, and five of six to pull within 3.5 of the Wild Card lead. Of course every time I write about Atlanta, I more or less jinx them and they fall to pieces again.

The Falcons resume camp today, this time with a full compliment on the offensive side of the ball. I hope to goodness that the Detroit game this Saturday is televised. Nothing like watching the rookies, seeing the depth charts fill out, taking a quick look at Gonzalez, and of course seeing what former Georgia Bulldogs QB Stafford can do for the Lions.

Football officially kicked off last night with the annual Hall of Fame game. Tennessee beating Buffalo 21-18. It was preseason football, but the Statue of Liberty like trick play by Tennessee was good fun.

Happy Monday. Deal with it.

Roddy White ends holdout. Gets Top 3 WR cash payout.

Good for White. He got his Top 3 contract, received a bucketload of guaranteed money, and now he gets to back it up on the field. According the ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas (of NFC South Blog fame)

A source said White’s deal is for six years and $50 million ($18 million guaranteed). It makes him the third-highest paid receiver in the NFL behind Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, who averages $10 million a year, and Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers.

This little bit from the ajc shows why it was key to get the contract situation resolved as soon as possible.

The signing of White was extremely important to the continued growth of second-year quarterback Matt Ryan and the offense. Last season, Ryan threw 34 percent of his pass attempts in White’s direction as he guided the team to an 11-5 record and playoff appearance.

White turned in a spectacular season in 2008, setting a franchise record with 1,382 yards and earning his first Pro Bowl trip. It was White’s second consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season.

Hopefully no harm, no foul, and things return to normal when the Falcons resume training camp on Monday.

Harry Douglas out for the year with torn ACL.

It is a bummer of a news day to read that the Falcons budding young WR Harry Douglas is out for the year with a torn ACL. I know it is not the same thing, but I watched my wife go through the whole “replace an ACL” thing a year and a half ago; not a pretty picture. According to ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas

The news Thursday morning that wide receiver Harry Douglas is out for the season is devastating. It comes as Roddy White’s contract holdout has no apparent end in sight. The Falcons had big plans for Douglas.

He was working with the first team in White’s absence. Even if White returned, Douglas was going to be no worse than a very active third receiver. Now, the Falcons don’t really have a first or third receiver.

I guess Roddy has a little more contract leverage. Hope they get him into camp soon, and best wishes to Harry on a speedy recovery.

White wants Fitzgerald money.

According to the ajc contract talks with Roddy White are not going very well.

White, who is under contract for the 2009 season, wants a contract in the financial neighborhood of Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, who recently signed a four-year $40 million deal. The Falcons apparently are not willing to go that high.

As I wrote over the weekend, I think it is fair to make a case that White should get Top 10 WR money, but I just cannot see Fitzgerald money. If I were White I would try to get everything I could too, but he also needs to be somewhat realistic. In another year or two he may be considered a Top 3 receiver, but until he starts matching Fitzgerald reception-for-reception and TD-for-TD I hope White’s camp does not do something completely stupid.

With that said, this article make the case that White is actually statically comparable to Fitzgerald over the last couple of years. I would make the case that Fitzgerald has been much more consistent over his five years vs. White’s four years.

For Falcons fans there is some good news. It looks like Atlanta does have some leverage in contract negations.

The Falcons do have some leverage in that White could eventually cave and play without a new deal — and be tagged with a franchise tender next season or sign a long-term deal at some point before then. Should the NFL and the NFLPA not complete a new labor pact, making the 2010 season an uncapped year, White also would be a restricted free agent because he has less than six years of service. That would allow Atlanta to cripple his mobility by requiring interested teams to give up at least a first-round pick in order to sign him.

I hope this one does not get ugly.

Speaking of football season.

The Falcons got their camp under way over the weekend, and UGA officially kicked things off today [or maybe it is tomorrow; would not be the first time I ever went early]. I am surprised one of the top questions in this article from the ajc was not about Cox’s ability to lead the team and hold down the QB spot. Assuming that Cox has the position nailed down (mostly because he is a fifth year senior) I think the tailback position is the next most intriguing.

Caleb King, once a celebrated recruit out of Gwinnett County, enters his third season in the Georgia program and gets his first shot at a starting job. Redshirted in 2007 and used sparingly as Moreno’s backup last season, King starts camp No. 1 on the tailback depth chart.

That’s not insignificant, but he will have to fend off competition from three teammates who weren’t in the mix during spring practice: Richard Samuel and Dontavious Jackson, both of whom were injured, and Washaun Ealey, who was still in high school. Plus, 5-foot-7 Carlton Thomas showed in the spring that he intends to command playing time, too.

This is a great time of year. Hope springs eternal for the Dawgs, and I just got my Falcons tickets. Good times!

Tale of two contracts.

As we head into the opening of training camp for the Atlanta Falcons, I thought it was interesting that these two guys are going in somewhat different directions.

First there is this year’s first round draft choice Peria Jerry who just signed a nice fat juicy five year contract. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but according to the ajc:

Last season, Tennessee selected running back Chris Johnson with the 24th pick, and he received a five-year, $12 million deal, of which $7 million was guaranteed. Johnson had a base salary of $295,000 in 2008 — followed by $385,000 in 2009, $550,000 in 2010, $800,000 in 2011 and $960,000 in 2012.

Like I said. A nice fat juicy contract. I hope Peria does well and anchors the d-line for years to come.

And on the other end you have 2005 first round draft choice, Pro Bowl wide receiver Roddy White. He wants some more duckets.

White’s position is that he could suffer a career-ending injury, and there are no fully guaranteed contracts in the NFL. He said during the offseason that he wanted to have his contract situation resolved before the season started. What wasn’t clear was whether White meant the start of training camp or the start of the regular season.

However, the Falcons are under no duress to complete an extension. White is under contract for the season and could become a restricted free agent for one year because the NFL owners opted out of the collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA, the player’s union, and could face “uncapped” salary requirements next season. White would lose the leverage that comes with entering unrestricted free agency when his contact expires.

I can understand White’s position, but one year does not a contract make. I hope he reports and does not try to hold the Falcons for ransom. I do think that White can become a premier receiver, so I hope they work out the details behind the scenes and everyone lives happily ever after.

Hot damn, Falcons training camp opens tomorrow!

Goodell hands Vick a serious setback.

It is hard for me to argue in favor of Vick because what Vick did was wrong. Vick is now a convicted felon, he needs to get his life back together, and playing in the NFL is not some sort of inalienable right. With that said, as I wrote over the weekend, Vick has already paid a hard price. He did not deserve to be suspended on top of serving jail time. As ESPN columnist Howard Bryant wrote, Vick just got treated unfairly.

But on this day, Goodell certainly deserves no thanks from Vick, as the commissioner did nothing compassionate or lenient or even proper. A man just spent two years in a federal penitentiary, but for Goodell — the commissioner of a sport in which a grown man runs around with a ball until someone else tackles him to the ground — doing real, hard time wasn’t enough.

Goodell had to show how tough he is by piling on, to remind everyone who wears the pads and makes the game what it is just who the real boss is.

I really do not know what else to say about this story. I am not here to argue the case for Vick being the same one man show he was before he was incarcerated, but I am here to set the record straight. Goodell just committed a travesty by suspending Vick.

Let the man play. Why Michael Vick should be reinstated into the NFL.

I have restrained from commenting on the Michael Vick situation. The man is out of prison, he has served his time, and now he wants more than anything to play in the NFL again. In the words of Roddy White, I say free Mike Vick …

As an Atlanta Falcon fan I have moved on; we now are in the Matt Ryan era. As a father of young boys I have had to deal with the whole role model thing. Or in the case of Vick, lack of a role model. As an owner of a dog I find what Vick did and supported repugnant.

Contrary to what some would want you to believe, the whole Michael Vick situation is not a racial issue. Plenty of his supports are white, myself included. I still have a Vick #7 jersey. My kids still like Vick; in fact they were excited when I told them that Vick is trying to get back into the NFL. I think the league could have looked past the Mary Janes (or whatever it is called these days), the crowd he ran with, and some of the other poor behavior. It just so happened that Vick decided to fund dog fighting. Wrong place. Wrong time. Wrong crime.

With all that said, and with all due respect to those that would keep Vick out of the NFL, the man has paid his dues to society. He was convicted and served his time.

There are many places in “real life” where Vick as a convicted felon is no longer free to pursue work. Currently the NFL contains no such restrictions. If the NFL decides to further punish Vick they should take a hard look at the rest of the players in the league and decide just what point the league is trying to prove by not reinstating Vick now.

The latest rumors are that Vick will be conditionally reinstated into the NFL, but the catch is there will be some sort of suspension. Double jeopardy? A suspension at the beginning of the year is going to damper Vick’s hopes of catching on with a team. What point would a suspension serve?

After we get the suspension business out of the way, the next question will be who will sign Vick? I think there are very few owners that are strong enough to put up with the carnival atmosphere of the dog loving protesting crap that will ensue by PETA and friends. Of course the PETA crowd deserves its own article, but that is a different op-ed.

For now Vick should concentrate on keeping his nose clean, getting back into football shape, and pray that someone will realize that he has already paid a steep enough price. I say let Michael Vick play.