--------------------Atlanta Falcons Blog---------------------

Falcons Vikings Recap

2011-11-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

The Falcons get their 7^th win of the season against a struggling Vikings team, but there are still many faults with this team. Let us take a look at the Good and the Bad.

THE GOOD

Matt Ryan- Matty Ice probably had his best game of the season on Sunday. He completed all but 7 of his 34 passes, and could have been all but 5, but the receivers dropped a couple of well thrown balls. He showed poise, and the offensive line did a pretty good job of keeping him upright. Major Props to Will Svitek for shutting down Jared Allen.

Sean Weatherspoon and Curtis Lofton- These two have been playing great all year. They collectively racked up 19 tackles, and Spoon had a sack, and three tackles for a loss. These guys both deserve to be in the Pro Bowl, but I suspect they will get snubbed since the Falcons aren’t known for a shutdown defense. People who know football know that this is a special Linebacker Corps.

Chris Owens- While Owens still needs a lot of work on his covering abilities; he made a great effort to run down Percy Harvin on that kick return. Harvin is one of the fastest returners in the league, but not fast enough to outrun a determined Chris Owens. That could have been a different game if he didn’t make that tackle. Having said that, the defense still needed a goal line stop, and they delivered with another great stop by Spoon

Jacquizz Rodgers- This guy needs more carries. He draws many comparisons to Darren Sproles, and Ray Rice, and I think that he is the real deal. Turner is still a beast of a Bruising Back, but utilizing Quiz is only going to keep Turner fresher longer. I see no downside to getting him 12 or 13 touches a game.

THE BAD

My only real complain is the third quarter. I don’t know where this team goes after half time. They have been getting outplayed by everyone in the third. I think we need some guys to step up in the locker room to keep the intensity for a full 60 minutes.

Next week we have the Texans. They are banged up bad at QB and will most likely be starting there third string quarterback. If the run defense can stay stout against Foster, then I like our chances.

A look back at the Falcons last 5 games

2011-11-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

Week 6
This was the Falcons first really rewarding victory, a must win game against a division rival in the Carolina Panthers. Matt Ryan managed the game, Michael Turner had his best game of the season, and the secondary made Cam Newton look like the Rookie that he his. This game also contained one of the best defensive plays of the season. A one handed interception by DT Corey Peters on a screen pass. This was one of many games that Peters had a big impact in.

Week 7
This was our chance to finally win back to back games this season. A tough road game against the Detroit Lions, but one that we would eventually come out on top in. Another great game for Turner, going over 100 yards for the second consecutive week, and although Matt Ryan didn't look great, He came back after an injury and completed a beautiful pass to Harry Douglas for a much needed first down. This was a huge win, and could make the difference between the Falcons or Lions making the playoffs.

Week 8
BYE WEEK

Week 9
A game against the winless Colts, that would prove to be a field day for Rookie Julio Jones. The Falcons got there third consecutive win here, and the highlight reel consisted of two amazing touchdowns by Julio. This was the first game that the team seemed to fire on all cylinders. Matty Ice played great, the running game was effective, and the defense didn't let up a score the entire game. The Falcons appeared to be getting hot at the right time.

Week 10
Our first game against the Saints. The game was in the Dome, and we really wanted a win. Another lights out performance by the run defense, and the offense played good enough to take the game into OT. The Falcons won the toss, and got the ball first. In the end, the game came down to a questionable call by the officials, and the an even more questionable call my Mike Smith. We decided to go for it on 4th and 1 in our own territory, and Turner got stuffed. It was a devastating loss, and I suspect will we come out fired up when we meet them again week 16

Week 11
A must win game against the Titans to stay in the hunt. The run defense established itself holding Chris Johnson to 13 yards on 12 carries. The Falcons led the entire game, but unfortunately still let rookie backup quarterback Jake Locker put up two late touchdowns on us to make the game closer than it should have been. In the end a win is a win, but it would be nice to play a full 4 quarter game.

The Falcons have the Vikings in week 12, another must win to stay in the hunt for the playoffs

A Look Back at the Falcons first 5 games.

2011-11-23T21:24:00.000-08:00

This season has been one filled with frustrating losses, and even some frustrating wins. The Falcons came out of the gate falling down, got back up around week 6, and actually appear to be making an end of the season run.

Week 1
It started in Chicago, the Falcons ran out onto Soldier Field only to get whopped up on by the Bears. I saw the beat-down first hand. The play calling was predictable, the secondary played little to no coverage, and the offense tried and failed at working Julio Jones into the lineup. It looked like the Falcons were playing a 5th preseason game, and the Bears came out ready to start the regular season. In retrospect, I suppose that its a good thing to have your worst performance in the beginning of the season, rather than the end.

Week 2
After that we were off to play Mike Vick and the Eagles. A game we were happy to win, after laying an egg in our opener. The falcons showed a few flashes of the greatness, but looking back we realize the Eagles weren't the "Dream Team" that we thought they were, but this was a must win game considering if we hadn't gotten this one we would have been sitting at 0-3 through 3 games.

Week 3
A loss to the Bucs. This one probably stung as much as any regular season loss I have ever seen. Both teams looked pretty bad the whole game, but all we needed was a stop on 4th and 1 to have a chance to win the game. No one will ever know if we would have made that stop, because Corey Peters jumped off-sides before the ball was snapped. It was clear that Josh Freeman just wanted to draw someone off sides, and that he probably had no plan to even run a play.

Week 4
This was one of those frustrating wins I was talking about. A game where we led by 17 at the half, we only manage to win by 2. This might have been acceptable against a playoff caliber opponent, but it wasn't. It was against to Seahawks. The second half play, and play calling was terrible. Unfortunately, the the theme of letting teams come back in the seconds half is proving to be a common one.

Week 5
This was the big game. Our rematch with the Packers. We came out ready to get some revenge. We were in great rhythm, and even had an 8 point lead going into the half. Then we threw it away in the second half. this game is the perfect example of what I alluded to in the "Week 4" section. We gave them the victory, by not scoring a single point in the 3rd, or 4th quarter.

Though 5 games our so called "Superbowl Caliber Team" sat at 2-3. A look at our last 5 games coming on Turkey Day if I can squeeze it in between the games.

THE AFB (Atlanta Falcons Blog) IS REDESIGNED AND RUNNING!

2011-11-23T20:57:00.000-08:00

After a long drought, The AFB is back and blogging! New post coming within an hour!

Corey Peters Injures His Knee

2011-08-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Corey Peters was carted off the field after sustaining a knee injury. This could be a huge blow to the Defensive line if it is serious. He is one of our best run stoppers so hopefully he recovers quickly.

UPDATE
Corey Peter's knee will not require surgery. He will miss the Jacksonville game, but it is not an ACL tear.

Falcons Sign Defensive Tackle Carlton Powell

2011-08-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Powell was released by the Jets after being unproductive in his 3 years in the league. This signing means guys like Vance Walker and Trey Lewis will have to stay sharp.

Falcons Lose 28-23, Falcons Starters Win 14-0

2011-08-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

GAME RECAP

The first preseason game was a real thriller to start, but didn't end as the Falcons hoped. While the starters looked dominant over the Dolphins, some of the backups did not impress. Let's run through the players that got themselves noticed, whether it was for good or bad play

THE GOOD

Matt Ryan - Ryan started out shaky. His first 4 passes were incomplete, but after he completed his next 6 for 90 yards and a TD to Harry Douglas. Probably his two most exciting completions were those to Julio Jones. The first time he hit him running a short route across the field, that allowed Jones to pick up considerable yards after the catch, and shortly after that he found him open in the center of the field for a 22 yard completion. All in all Ryan looked sharp once he got into a rhythm with his receivers.

Michael Turner - I couldn't tell if Turner was looking awesome, or if the Offensive line was just making huge holes. After thinking about it, I decided it was a little bit of both. Turner didn't stay in very long, but on his 4 carries he put up 21 yards and a touchdown. He looks ready for another 1000 yard season.

Jason Snelling - Jason did exactly what we expected; he carried the ball effectively with 6 carries for 27 yards, and he caught a short pass that he turned in to a first down. Typical Snelling.

Julio Jones- Julio looked great. I already talked about his two catches for 43 yards, but I left out the 12 yards he picked up on the ground. That's right Julio Jones can run the reverse. The fans went crazy every time he touched the ball. He already looks to be adding explosiveness on the Offense, and I'm sure it will only get better as a gets more experience.

Harry Douglas - I was really impressed with Douglas. He was our leading receiver, and caught a great TD from Ryan. He is someone that could really surprise some people at at the slot receiver position.

The Offensive line - The starting line looked awesome. The Falcons running backs averaged close to 7 yards per carry when they had the starters blocking for them. In addition to that, I can't recall one play where Matt Ryan appeared to be really rushed. Great Job by the O-line.

John Abraham - Abraham had a ridiculous interception, that Definitely got the Miami receiver yelled at. It was good to see one of our big name guys make a big play.

Brent Grimes - Grimes just did what he does best. Makes Quarterbacks look like idiots. Chad Henne could not catch a break against our defense. He was picked off of a dropped pass by Abe, and then he tried to throw one down field, and Grimes used his 90 inch vertical to jump up there and snatch it. It was awesome.

Cliff Matthews - The dolphins appeared to have the momentum for most of the 2nd half. But on third and long Cliff Matthews did the best thing a defensive player can do, got the defense off the field. It was a 3rd and 9 and Cliff just Bull Rushed the Offensive Tackle and put Matt Moore on the ground. It was clear that he wants in on the Defensive line Rotation.

OTHER PLAYERS THAT LOOKED SHARP

Brandyn Harvey made a couple nice cathces
Sean Whetherspoon stuffed the run a couple times
Emmanuel Stephens had a nice sack
Kerry Meier had a nice catch for 18 yards
Jacquizz Rodgers showed that he can run between the tackles
Rafael Bush had a great INT off a tipped ball
Bear Woods led the team in Tackles

THE NOT SO GOOD

Obviously the backups guy aren't going to play like the first string guys, but I was hoping to see a better game out of Christopher Owens. The only time I really noticed him, was when he blew coverage and costed the Falcons a Touchdown. If I had to guess I would say that Dominique Franks is going to be the front runner for the starting job after that.

Key Matchups for Miami Game

2011-08-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

Dunta Robinson vs. Brandon Marshall - Dunta didn't play as well as everyone hoped last season. Prior to coming to the Falcons, Robinson played a lot more man to man coverage. He struggled with some of the Falcon's Zone schemes, but with a year in the system under his belt, I expect him to be much improved.

Falcons Front Seven vs. Reggie Bush - Reggie Bush is a familiar Foe for the Falcons, and the Falcons handled him pretty well last year, But he is still an explosive back that can make things happen. This will be a good test for the front seven to contain Bush

Chad Henne vs. Falcons pash rush - Even though Ray Edwards will not play today, this is still a great opprotunity for the young guys on the defensive line to show their pass rush abilities. Kroy Biermann is a guy to watch tonight. He had a good season last year, but lacked the sacks that the Falcons needed. I would bet he puts Chad Henne on the ground tonight.

Ray Edwards Will Not Play Preseason Game Friday

2011-08-11T12:48:00.001-07:00

Ray Edwards will be held out of the first preseason game tomorrow due to an off season knee surgery he had. This will give a Kroy Biermann the start, and should allow some of the younger guys on the D-line to get even more playing time.

Offensive Guard Camp Battle Update

2011-08-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Throughout training camp Offensive lineman Mike Johnson, and Garrett Reynolds have been battling it out for the open guard position. And up till Sunday it seemed to be a pretty close competition, but unfortunately it's been reported that Mike Johnson got a concussion during Sundays practice. This gave Garrett Reynolds a strong advantage, and he is the starter on the depth chart for the Falcon's first preseason game. As long as Reynolds continues to play well, it looks like he will secure the starting spot.

Falcons Release Unofficial Depth Chart for Miami Game

2011-08-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE

WR 11 Julio Jones, 83 Harry Douglas, 14 Eric Weems, 15 Andy Strickland,8 Doug Beaumont, 12 Kevin Cone

LT 72 Sam Baker, 65 Jose Valdez

LG 63 Justin Blalock, 79 Mike Johnson

C 62 Todd McClure, 61 Joe Hawley, 67 Rob Bruggeman, 64 Ryan McMahon

RG 75 Garrett Reynolds, 69 Andrew Jackson, 68 Paul Fenaroli

RT 77 Tyson Clabo, 74 Will Svitek, 66 Matt Murphy

TE 88 Tony Gonzalez, 87 Justin Peelle, 81 Michael Palmer, 85 Marquez Branson

86 Ryan Winterswyk, 48 A.J. Simmons

WR 84 Roddy White, 80 Kerry Meier, 16 Tim Buckley, 17 Brandyn Harvey,

19 Drew Davis, 89 P.J. Gore

QB 2 Matt Ryan, 8 Chris Redman, 4 John Parker Wilson, 13 Adam Froman

RB 33 Michael Turner, 44 Jason Snelling, 27 Gartrell Johnson, 35 Antone Smith,

22 Jacquizz Rodgers, 32 Philip Sylvester

FB 34 Ovie Mughelli, 42 Lucas Cox, 40 Thor Merrow

DEFENSE
RE 55 John Abraham, 90 Lawrence Sidbury, 93 Cliff Matthews, 96 Emmanuel Stephens

DT 91 Corey Peters, 99 Vance Walker, 97 Trey Lewis,

DT 95 Jonathan Babineaux, 94 Peria Jerry, 76 Kiante Tripp,

LE 93 Ray Edwards, 71 Kroy Biermann, 92 Chauncey Davis, 70 Tom McCarthy

OLB 56 Sean Weatherspoon, 54 Stephen Nicholas, 51 Robert James, 49 Youri Yenga

MLB 50 Curtis Lofton, 52 Coy Wire, 43 Akeem Dent, 45 Bear Woods

OLB 53 Mike Peterson, 59 Spencer Adkins, 46 LaMarcus Thompson

RCB 23 Dunta Robinson, 21 Chris Owens, 26 Kamaal McIlwain

LCB 20 Brent Grimes, 24 Dominique Franks, 29 Darrin Walls, 37 Kirk Belgrave

SS 25 William Moore, 39 Shann Schillinger, 38 Rafael Priest, 30 Matt Hansen

FS 28 Thomas DeCoud, 39 Shann Schillinger, 36 Rafael Bush, 41 Suaesi Tuimaunei

SPECIALISTS
K 3 Matt Bryant

KO 5 Matt Bosher

P 5 Matt Bosher, 6 Ken Parrish

KR 14 Eric Weems, 83 Harry Douglas

PR 14 Eric Weems, 83 Harry Douglas

LS 82 Joe Zelenka

H 5 Matt Bosher

Rookie Training Camp Update

2011-08-07T23:11:00.000-07:00

It's time to talk Rookies. We are a pretty good ways into camp, and I think it's time to talk about the progress of the young guys. Let's start from the bottom and work our way up.

Cliff Matthews DE South Carolina - Matthews is one of our two 7th round steals in this years draft. At 6'4 257lb Matthews is a good sized Defensive End, that has been impressive at training camp. He is one of many Ends on the roster, and will have to continue to perform if he wants to get playing time. The Falcons are famous for heavily rotating there defensive line. The falcons will probably keep 5-6 Defensive Ends on the 53 man roster. John Abraham, Ray Edwards, Kroy Biermann, Cliff Matthews, Lawrence Sidbury, and maybe Chauncey Davis. Cliff will probably be fighting for playing time with Sidbury. Abraham, Edwards, and Biermann will get the majority of the snaps.

Andrew Jackson OG Fresno St. - Our other 7th round steal. This is a guy that some draft analysts expected to go in the 3rd or 4th round. Unfortunately for him, an ankle sprain kept him on the sideline for his senior year, killing his draft stock. But know he is healthy and turning heads at camp. He has great technique for a Rookie, and is very versatile. He is almost a lock on the roster, because he is proving to be a valuable backup at both the guard and tackle position.

Matt Bosher P Miami - Many people were perplexed when the falcons elected to take a punter in the 6th round, but he definitely has value. He did all the punting and kicking at Miami, and did a pretty good job. He will probably only punt for the falcons, but he has proven that he has a strong accurate leg.

Jacquizz Rodgers RB Oregon St. - I hate to overuse the word "steal" but this guy was a STEAL. Some thought that he would go in the 2nd or 3rd, but many teams didn't want a 5'6 running back. The falcons decided to take a chance on him, and it appears that it could pay off. He was just what the Falcons needed. He is a quick tough runner with great hands, that offers Matt Ryan an excellent 3rd down or check down target. He is very elusive with the ball in his hands, and will help contribute to the Falcon's explosive offense.

Akeem Dent LB GEORGIA - Akeem was a solid yet somewhat unexciting pick. Fans always hope to grab a starter with a 3rd round pick, but sometimes depth is equally as important. He is another versatile player that the Falcons will try to teach all the linebacker positions to. The Falcons starting LB jobs are pretty locked up, but Dent will hopefully be challenging for a starting job within a few years.

Julio Jones WR Alabama - There is not much more to say about Julio. You have probably heard it all by now. He is just straight up a beast of an athlete, that is a huge upgrade at the Wide Receiver position. In my opinion he is the most pro ready WR to come out of the draft in years. He will definitely have the opportunity to prove himself early and often, and I would be shocked if he doesn't live up to the challenge.

Jason Snelling Resigns with Falcons

2011-08-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Jason Snelling returns to the Falcons today, after searching high and low for a starting role. The contract is for one year, but the value of the contract has not been disclosed. The return of Snelling is a little bittersweet; throughout 2010 he proved he deserved more carries and more playing time, but the addition of Jacquizz Rodgers could keep Snelling off the field even more than he was in 2010. Hopefully the offense can figure out a way to get everyone some touches, because it appears all of our running backs are well deserving.

Camp Battles: Johnson, Reynolds, and Jackson?

2011-08-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

One of the most important battles going on at training camp is the one for the open offensive guard position. After losing Dahl to the Rams, it looks like three players are trying to step up to the challenge. My money is on Mike Johnson; the 2010 third round pick out of Alabama has good size for a guard. At 6'5 315 pounds I'm sure he could fill the whole left by Dahl.
Garrett Reynolds is the other serious contender for the position. The 2009 5th round pick out of North Carolina has a little bit more experience then Johnson. Reynolds saw action in 5 games in 2009, but both were inactive for all of the 2010 season. Reynolds is taller than Johnson at 6'7, but weighs about 5lb less at 310lb.
Then their is the dark horse. This years 7th round pick out of fresno state, Andrew Jackson. Jackson was a very productive offensive lineman in college, but an ankle injury kept him from playing his senior year. This just about killed his draft stock, which made him a steal in the 7th round. Many people talk about his great technique, but he lacks ideal size. He is 6'6 but he is a few pounds under 300. Although his chances of getting the starting spot are slim to none having him in the competition is only going to make him, and the other offensive lineman work harder.

Falcons Waive Harfman, McGill

2011-08-06T18:35:00.001-07:00

The Falcons released two more players today. Kicker Jacob Harfman, and Tackle Rob McGill were two of many cuts to come as preseason approaches.

Ray Edwards Say Atlanta Defense Can Be Great

2011-08-06T15:47:00.001-07:00

“This defense can be great,’’ Edwards said. “We all need to get on the same page and build that chemistry. Our motto is that it all starts up front, so we need to do our job and make everybody else’s job easier. If we work together, everybody’s going to eat.’’

That was the quote by Edwards regarding the Falcons defense. With an improved pass rush, the Falcon’s defense seems to have a lot of potential. The defense has a lot of young starters that seem to be getting better every year. Don’t be surprised if the falcons have a top 10 defense next year.

Here are the defensive stats from last year.

Total Yards- 5319 (16th in the league)
Pass Yards- 3625 (22nd in the league)
Run Yards- 1694 (10th in the league)
Points- 288 (5th in the league)

Potential 2011 Depth Chart

2011-08-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a General idea of what I think our 2011 depth chart might look like. The starters are pretty much locked into their spots, but a lot of backup positions will be fought for in camp, and through the Preseason.

OFFENSE

WR1 - Roddy White, Kerry Meier
LT- Sam Baker, Will Svitek
LG- Justin Blalock, Mike Johnson
C- Todd McClure, Joe Hawley
RG- Garrett Reynolds, Andrew Jackson
RT- Tyson Clabo, Will Svitek
TE- Tony Gonzalez, Justin Pelle, Mike Palmer
WR2- Julio Jones, Harry Douglas, Eric Weems
QB- Matt Ryan, Chris Redman, J.P. Wilson
RB- Michael Turner, Jacquizz Rodgers, (Jason Snelling) Antone Smith
FB- Ovie Mughelli, (Jason Snelling)

DEFENSE

LDE- Ray Edwards, Kroy Biermann, Cliff Matthews
DT- Jonathan Babineaux, Vance Walker, Trey Lewis
DT- Peria Jerry, Corey Peters
RDE- Jonathan Abraham, Kroy Biermann, Lawrence Sidbury
OLB- Sean Weatherspoon, Akeem Dent, Spencer Atkins
MLB- Curtis Lofton, Coy Wire
OLB-Stephen Nicholas, Mike Peterson
RCB- Dunta Robinson, Dominique Franks
LCB- Brent Grimes, Chris Owens
SS- William Moore, Erik Coleman
FS- Thomas Decoud, Shann Schillinger

SPECIAL TEAMS

K- Matt Bryant
KO- Matt Bosher
P- Matt Bosher
KR- Eric Weems, Dominique Franks, Jacquizz Rodgers
PR-Eric Weems, Harry douglas
LS- Joe Zelenka

I'm like 85% sure I didn't leave anyone out. The Reason Jason Snelling is in parenthesis is because he has been shopping around to see if he could sign with another team where he could have a larger role. I'm sure the falcons would love to have him back, but I think he has proved that he can handle more than a backup role. So I guess we will have to wait to find out.

Atlanta Falcons Sign A.J. Simmons

2011-08-05T19:16:00.001-07:00

Atlanta Falcons signed A.J. Simmons today, to increase competition at TE after cutting Robbie Agnone. Simmons is a 6’3 255 lb tight end that played for University of Arizona.

Stats and Players That Could Give Falcons Extra Boost!

2011-08-05T19:15:00.002-07:00

The Atlanta Falcons had a great regular season last year going 13-3. But when you really look at the stats you can see problems that were hidden by an easy schedule. Fortunately it’s clear that the Falcons are ready to fix these problems in 2011.

First thing to look at is sophomore linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Spoon was brought in to add quickness to the defense and to help the falcons get off the field in 3rd down situations. The stats show why a healthy Spoon will greatly help the defense.

Let’s take a look at Sean Weatherspoon’s 2010 performance. He started a total of 5 games, including the first 3 games, but in the third he went down with an injury against the Saints. That injury put Spoon out 5 games. In the 5 games that Sean was out, the Falcons opponents had a 3rd down success rate of 55%. But in the 5 games he started, opponents 3rd down success rate was 32.8%. That is a HUGE difference. Defense is all about getting off the field so the offense can score. If Spoon stays healthy than the falcons are definitely looking at an improved defense.

Now lets move on to another huge hindrance in the 2010 defense. Sacks. The Falcons posted 31 last year, making them tied for 23rd in the league. No lets look at the 2011 defense. Before we get to Ray Edwards, lets talk about the DT’s. 2009 1st round pick Peria Jerry is finally getting healthy, and even though his value as a pass rusher is yet to be determined, it can only help to add a quality player to the Defense Line rotation. This is going to help keep Jonathan Babineaux and Corey Peters fresh and productive, and add more depth to the defensive line. Now, Ray Edwards. A great young Defensive End that is easily an 8-10 sack guy lining up opposite of Abe. With Kroy Biermann working his way into the rotation, this also allows our group of defensive ends to stay fresh. If Edwards can post close to 10 sacks next year (which I believe he will) the Falcons could easily jump into the top 10 in sacks.

Finally let’s talk about our offense. At the beginning of the 2010 season it appeared that the Falcons had all the talent they could ask for on offense. Michael Turner in the backfield.Tony Gonzalez at Tight end. Roddy White at wide receiver, and of course Matt Ryan at QB. But as the Year went on Teams began to figure out how to game plan for Roddy, because their wasn’t another huge threat on the other side of the field. And in addition to that the Running game started to look stagnant because the Falcons lacked a change-of-pace back. Well say hello to Julio Jones and Jacquizz Rodgers. Everyone went crazy over the Julio trade during the draft, because everyone saw how explosive he was. He is an NFL ready WR that now has the opportunity to be mentored under one of the best receivers in the league (Roddy White). With those two lining up at Wide Receiver, Matt Ryan should have a field day.

And now to the Running game. Everyone knows that Michael turner is a beast, but he’s not exactly known for making people miss, and catching balls out of the backfield. That’s why Rodgers is going to complement him perfectly. He is a small elusive back, that many expected to be drafted in the 2nd round. We grabbed him in the 5th. He is the perfect change-of-pace back for our system, and should be an absolute steal.

Brent Grimes Remains a Falcon

2011-08-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

Brent Grimes Signed his first round tender today. It’s not much of a surprise that he is back, but it’s great to have him at camp. The deal is reportedly worth 2.61 million. Grimes is a probowl Corner, and should only improve next year.

A side story to this signing is the battle that continues for the nickel back. Chris Owens and Dominique Franks are battling it out for the starting nickel back job. Getting grimes back at camp means, there are less snaps for the other corners, therefore Owens and Franks are going to have to make every snap count as they seek more playing time.

Potential Production of Wide Receiving Core in 2011

2011-08-05T19:14:00.001-07:00

2011 has the potential to be a great year for the Falcon’s Wide Receivers. This group has a lot of young talent, mixed in with some great experience veterans. Let’s take a look at the WR line up.

Roddy White- Our number 1 receiver, that seemed to be close to unstoppable last year, even without another top flight Wide Receiver to take the pressure off him. Roddy has everything it takes to be the best in the League. He’s got the speed, the route running ability, the hands, and of course the confidence. In an ESPN interview this off-season he was asked if their was ever a time he felt like he wasn’t open. He said that there was one time against Tampa Bay when the triple teamed him, and he slipped. Roddy caught 115 balls last year and racked up close to 1400 yards. I expect him to have a similar performance this year.

next,
Julio Jones- The newest addition to the Wide Receiving core, Julio is a big physical receiver that draws a lot of comparisons to Andre Johnson. He is a rookie out of Alabama, who was coached under Nick Saban in a pro style offense. He could easily be the most pro ready WR out of this years draft, and I expect him to be a 40-60 reception guy this year.

Harry Douglas- Harry is a guy that all of the coaches have been excited about since he was a rookie, but unfortunately injury problems have stopped him from showing his true potential consistently. If he can stay healthy then he will be a great slot receiver, that will add even more quickness to the offense.

Kerry Meier- Another guy that the coaches have been raving about, but has been slowed by injuries. Kerry missed the entire 2010 season with a knee injury. Meier is a smart guy that played QB in college; this makes him a great option for trick plays if he can stay healthy. He can both throw and catch making him a versatile asset.

This receiving core could be the best in the league if everything goes to plan, and they can stay healthy.