Tag: NFL

I really enjoy Pat Yasinskas’ ESPN NFC South Blog. He just wrote an article offering up his thoughts on Atlanta’s rebuilt defense.

“Sure, Atlanta’s defense played well enough to help the Falcons win 11 games, but it was done with smoke, mirrors, John Abraham and a whole lot of luck.”

So let the rebuilding begin by releasing a handful of aging veterans and drafting some key talent at critical positions. Peria Jerry at DT, and underrated (and undervalued) S William Moore. There is no doubt that Moore could be the steal of the draft. I absolutely think his stock dropped due to an injury plagued senior season, which in effect gave the Falcons two late First Round draft picks.

“Linebacker Keith Brooking, defensive tackle Grady Jackson, cornerback Domonique Foxworth and linebacker Michael Boley were allowed to walk in free agency and safety Lawyer Milloy was released.

The truth is Foxworth was the only one of the bunch the Falcons wanted to keep, but only if they could do it at a reasonable price and that didn’t happen. Brooking, Jackson and Milloy were great players — a few years ago. But last season, they were old guys and liabilities.”

I am as big a homer as the rest, and Brooking contributed mightily to the Falcons defense over the years, by oh my gosh did he loose a step or three last year. How could anyone forget the dumb zone read against the Cardinals in playoffs? I still think his play against the Rams in the last home game of the year was far worse. At times he looked completely befuddled, dazed, and confused.

Of everything the Falcons have done with their defense, not being able to keep Foxworth stings the most. Not that he is an elite player, but he was clearly the cream of the crop of the Falcons secondary.

I hope before it is all said and done the Falcons somehow are able to bring in a decent cover cornerback. Chris Houston and the rest just do not do it for me, but hopefully Smith and Dimitroff know best.

The only reason I am saying B+ and not a slam dunk “A” is because I am not 100% certain that Moore is a day one starter. I think that scenario is likely to be the case, but training camp will tell the story.

The ESPN NFC South Blog thinks the Falcons got the upper hand on the rest of the NFC South with the selection of Peria …

“The Falcons stayed at No. 24 and selected Mississippi’s Peria Jerry and — at least in the short term — they might be the winners of this draft for the NFC South. The Saints and Bucs both could have used Peria.

There’s no doubt Jerry will be starting next to Jonathan Babineaux on opening day. There’s almost no doubt Peria would have started for the Saints or Bucs right away.

We’ll grade this draft in a few years. But, as of right now, the Falcons are the only NFC South with an absolute certain immediate starter.”

They also think that Moore is a likely starter …

“I’ve said all along, the Falcons needed to get two immediate defensive starters out of this draft. I think they’ve done that.

The addition of Missouri safety William Moore in the second round should fill what was Atlanta’s only real remaining hole in the starting lineup. The Falcons aren’t about to give up on second-year pro Thomas DeCoud, but Moore’s draft status and physical skills probably will make him the starter at strong safety.

That spot was wide open when veteran Lawyer Milloy was released after last season. Moore is a physical player with a lot of upside and adding him was a very wise move because the Falcons are going to have to deal with tight ends like New Orleans’ Jeremy Shockey and Tampa Bay’s Kellen Winslow on a regular basis.”

I have not looked around at the full complement of sites posting grades, winners and losers, but I thought it was interesting that CBS Sports graded Peria and Moore as the second best player at their respective positions:

DT
2. Peria Jerry
6-2, 299, Mississippi

SS
2. William Moore
6-0, 221, Missouri

If we assume for a moment that Peria is a day one starter, and Moore wins Lawyer’s old job, then Day One was actually an “A” for the Falcons. Time will tell; hope I am selling ATL a little short.

The Atlanta Falcons picked up William Moore, S Missouri, with their second round selection (23rd pick in the second round; 55 overall. To be honest, I know very little about this Moore kid, but after doing some research on him seems to have a shot at starting. The scuttlebutt on Moore is that his value fell after an injury plagued senior year, and his coverage instincts are poor at best.

The FalconInsider @ scout.com thinks that Moore may not be a day one starter, but whatever concerns were on there on Moore, the Falcons got a second round gift.

“Brian McIntyre’s Take: Because of his combination of size, speed and versatility, I had Moore as the top safety in the draft. I was very surprised that the Falcons were in position to take him without having to burn a later round draft pick to move up to do so. It’s probably too early to say with any certainty if Moore will start in Week One, but the competition with second-year safety Thomas DeCoud should be one to watch during training camp.”

The Falcons have to find an immediate replace for Lawyer. No offense to DeCoud, but if Moore is not the replacement, this pick is suspect at best. Day One selections are for starters, unless you are the Super Bowl favorites and you are building depth. Day Two is when you pickup up a surprise starter, and strengthen your roster by getting some value plays.

When it is all said and done, I think Moore will be the starting strong safety. Why? Take a look at Moore’s numbers last year (2008 Missouri Season Statistics) and then compare them to his junior season (2007 Missouri Season Statistics). If Moore’s numbers last year fell due to injuries, and Moore can play healthy, the Falcons just got a steal of a deal.

I watched the first seven or eight picks of the draft, and then took the better half out for dinner. I figured that was pretty generous of me … giving up the draft and all. Hopefully she will reciprocate later tonight.

The Falcons managed a bit of luck by landing Peria Jerry, DT Mississippi, with the 24th overall selection. I really thought Peria would be gone by the time Atlanta selected, and I saw very few mock drafts that had Peria lasting this long.

Hopefully they will go secondary with the next selection, followed by linebacker, and then depth on the defensive and offensive lines.

Shaping up to be a great draft for the Falcons. At a minimum, Peria will be a day one starter.

OK, so the Falcons traded for one of the best TE to play the game (best as in the past). Not sure if I am happy about giving up a second round pick next year; second round picks can be starters if you are smart about your draft picks.

This article has me tickled pink …

“Tony Gonzalez said after his trade to Atlanta on Thursday that it is “somewhat bittersweet” to be traded to the Super Bowl contending Falcons away from the struggling Chiefs.”

Seriously. When have you read Falcons and Super Bowl contending in the same sentence? Hold the door; don’t jump to conclusions so quickly and temper the Falcons Super Bowl talk.

I guess it was bound to happen. Win a bunch of games, make the playoffs, and get rewarded with a difficult scheduled. It does not help that the NFC South is a very tough conference, making six games a year iffy propositions. I suppose this is better than the alternative; have a down year, get an easy schedule.

At this point the Falcons have 16-1 odds of winning the Super Bowl, which pretty much means Atlanta is not even in the preseason conversation, but it is still nice to not see “you are a dumb ass to even look” type odds. I like to call that progress. I guess it could also be a fool’s hope – Mezzanine Endzone season tickets will make a fool of you (or at least me).

The Falcons’ 2009 schedule is tough as nails:

-Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13 MIAMI DOLPHINS 1:00 p.m.
-Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 20 CAROLINA PANTHERS 1:00 p.m.
-Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27 at New England Patriots 1:00 p.m.
-Week 4: BYE WEEK
-Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11 at San Francisco 49ers 4:05 p.m.
-Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 18 CHICAGO BEARS 8:20 p.m.
-Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 25 at Dallas Cowboys 4:15 p.m.
-Week 8: Monday, Nov. 2 at New Orleans Saints 8:30 p.m. ESPN
-Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8 WASHINGTON REDSKINS 1:00 p.m.
-Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 15 at Carolina Panthers 1:00 p.m.
-Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 22 at N.Y. Giants 1:00 p.m.
-Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 29 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 1:00 p.m.
-Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 6 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 1:00 p.m.
-Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 13 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 1:00 p.m.
-Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 20 at N.Y. Jets 1:00 p.m.
-Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 27 BUFFALO BILLS 1:00 p.m.
-Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 p.m.

For starters, I think getting the bye in week 4 sucks; week 5, 6, or 7 would be a better check point. From a home schedule standpoint, I wish Atlanta picked up a different team than Chicago; saw them last year, and adding Cutler does not make the Bears any more compelling. Getting Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, and Buffalo is nice. I have never seen any of those teams in person, so I am looking forward to those games.

So where to from here? The Falcons have never had back-to-back winning seasons, so that has to be the first order of business. May as well get that monkey off their collective backs, and make the playoffs to boot. While Carolina is always strong, I do not see them winning the division. Tampa Bay is rebuilding. New Orleans will bounce back this year, making the South a tossup between the Falcons and Saints. At least that is my early predraft guess.

I really do not get all the fuss about moving Robinson. He may turn out to be a great player, but then again, maybe not. I thought this exchange from the NFC Chat (ESPN Blog Nation network stuff) was enlightening:

Frat (Athens, GA): Pat, why the Laurent Robinson trade? By all appearances we traded a promising young receiver for a few extra draft spots. Was something else going on behind the scenes? Is this really a good trade for the Falcons?

SportsNation Pat Yasinskas: Yeah, the coaches had given up on him. They didn’t like the fact he wasn’t very physical.

As I wrote a few days ago, I think the trade was a solid value play. The Falcons moved Robinson, a former 3rd round pick that was injured all of last year and most likely did not play into the Falcons future (or he would not have been traded). In return Atlanta was able to move up ~20 spots in the 5th and 6th rounds. On draft weekend, I think Falcons fans will be grateful that we were able to pick a little higher in each round.

TheFootballExpert has the Falcons taking Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi with their first round pick.

Atlanta Falcons – Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss.
Brandon Pettigrew is tempting as he would provide Matt Ryan not only with another great blocker, but also a huge target to throw to. But with a deep draft of tight ends, the Falcons can afford to pass on a tight end in round 1. With Grady Jackson gone the Falcons have very little at the defensive tackle position. Last year, almost all the experts thought the Falcons would take DT Glenn Dorsey. The Falcons made the right decision with Matt Ryan, but now they get their defensive tackle. A hole at your defensive tackle position is much more of a concern than a hole at your tight end position.

That is better than the Atlanta burns their first round pick on Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State, mock drafts that I continue to read. According to this article, the Falcons only got 211 yards out of the TE position last year, which was good for dead last.

I like the idea of addressing the TE position in the 3rd or 4th round. I think the Falcons must go defense with the first few selections.

No, not what you are thinking. Will the ‘birds be in Prime Time? Only a few more days to wonder …
 

“The 2009 NFL schedule will be released in prime time for the first time, exclusively on NFL.com and NFL Network, on Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00 PM ET. The entire 2009 schedule will be announced and analyzed on NFL.com and NFL Network during a two-hour primetime NFL Total Access: 2009 Schedule Release Presented by GMC Sierra. …”

I have a serious Jones for some Falcons right now. Cannot wait to see my seat upgrades, and to see what sort of tailgate specials I am going to get for the 2009 season.

Earlier this week the Falcons moved wide receiver Laurent Robinson to St. Louis for a swap of fifth and six round picks.

“Atlanta sent wide receiver Laurent Robinson to St. Louis along with a fifth-round choice (160th overall) and a sixth-round pick (No. 196). In return, the Falcons will get St. Louis’ fifth-round pick (138th) and sixth-round choice (176th overall).”

Much to the chagrin of The Falcoholic:

“Despite that, I still don’t like this move at all. When we drafted L-Rob in the third round, he flashed speed and pass catching skill in his rookie season. He was a complete non-factor last season, yes, and maybe he’s going to turn out to be an injury-prone player. He had a lot of upside, though, and that’s something we don’t really have outside of Roddy White and Harry Douglas. Michael Jenkins is a quality option, but we know that his ceiling is a decent number two receiver with good blocking skills. Nobody else on the roster right now–and yes, I’m looking right into your soulful eyes, Eric Weems–has the upside Robinson had. Letting him go to move 20 spots up in two of the latest rounds of the draft immediately weakens the depth of our receiving corps in the short-term and long-term.”

Me? I do not think this is such a shitty trade. The Falcons managed to move up approximately 20 spots in the fifth and six rounds for a WR that shows some promise, but one that will be buried on the Falcons depth charts. Why not cut bait, get what they can for essentially nothing, considering Laurent had no future in Atlanta? According to the FalconsInsider @ scout.com …

“Between Robinson’s injuries, no visible role in the offense or on special teams, and general manager Thomas Dimitroff inheriting Robinson and having nothing personally invested in the former 3rd round pick, the Falcons used the talented receiver to significantly improve the team’s draft position in the fifth and sixth rounds.

Dimitroff has also done Robinson a favor by trading him to a team he has the potential to start for. As nice a guy Dimitroff assuredly is, I’m not sure how much that played into the Falcons’ thought process, if it did at all.”

I think this is a good move, especially when you consider the NFL Draft Value Chart. At some point you have to take some risks in order to move onwards.

Please say it isn’t true. Could the Falcons possibly be looking to go with a TE with their first round pick? Half of the usatoday.com panel (4 out of 8 pundits) thinks this is a likely scenario.

• Jim Corbett – Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
• Nate Davis – Brian Cushing, LB, Southern California Derek Harper – Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
• Sean Leahy – Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State
• Matt Pitzer – Evander Hood, DT, Missouri
• Rob Rang – Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
• Larry Weisman – Louis Delmas, S, W. Michigan
• Scott Zucker – Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State

Early on in my off season reports I did list a decent dump off safety net type TE as a need, but good grief, we do not need to revisit the Reeves era of taking a TE (or two) early and often.

Up until this report, I felt certain the Falcons were going to go defense with their first couple of picks, but now I am getting worried. Where there’s smoke, there is fire. Looks like the coals are smoldering.

Because everyone has to have one, right? In the interest of time, today I am only going to focus on the Falcons’ picks. Besides, we still have a long way to get to April 25. More mocks to follow.

J. Michael Moore (of the official Atlanta Falcons’ site) is on his third take of the 2009 draft …

“No. 24 — Atlanta Falcons: S Louis Delmas, Western Michigan (Previous Pick: Clay Matthews)

Look him up and you’ll read concerns about his ability as a run stopper but he’s one of the more gifted players in pass coverage. His skills could translate to the “interchangeable” safety position General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said he was looking for. He was a team captain and three-time All-Conference performer. He’s been called “a natural play maker.” After some more consideration, I thought this a more logical pick.”

Delmas is becoming a “popular” pick for the Falcons, but I think the Falcons need help now, not in a two or three years after Delmas gets some NFL seasoning. Maybe as an early to mid second round pick, but not as my first pick in the draft.

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the ajc.com Falcons Blog has offered his take on this year’s draft. Quoting Ledbetter, is almost like someone quoting my ramblings on this blog, but I digress.

” It’s no secret the Falcons will go heavy on defense in this draft. Here are couple of players to track over the next month. They’ll likely still be available when the Falcons pick No. 24.

-Northern Illinois defensive end Larry English.
-Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis.
-Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim.
-Southern California linebacker Clay Matthews Jr.

24. Atlanta Falcons: Larry English, DE/OLB, Northern Illinois.”

At this point I think I can draw two conclusions. First, everyone universally agrees that the Falcons will take a defensive selection with their first pick, but the position varies depending on the mock draft in questions. Second, no one has a clue who the Falcons will target with their first pick because it is too hard to predict who will be left by the time Atlanta is on the clock.