Atlanta Falcons

We keep our series rolling, and we're now done with offensive skill position players. Time to move on to the line. The Falcons are missing Tyson Clabo and watched Todd McClure retire, so this is a thinner line on paper. Fortunately, it's a line with a lot of young, promising players who might be able to step up. Might. At tackle, the Falcons are not extremely deep, but they have decent starting options. Let's move right into the roster breakdown at the moment. On The Roster Sam Baker, StarterLamar Holmes, StarterMike JohnsonTerren Jones (R)Alec Savoie (R)Ryan Schraeder (R) I'm projecting Savoie to tackle, even though he's not listed strictly as one. As you can see, there's some UDFA talent here that might make a difference. Project away!

I'm getting a little sick of the Justin Blalock bashers. The criticism is just unwarranted. Blalock is an incredibly durable, solid player that helps anchor our offensive front. He's started 94 games since we drafted him. In fact, he missed two games in 2008, then hasn't missed a game since. Admittedly his rookie and sophomore campaigns were lackluster. But his 2010 was good enough to earn him a six year, thirty-eight million dollar contract. If you're keeping track, that's the fourth-best contract on the team. Since that contract was inked, Blalock has posted some fairly good numbers. He's surrendered just three sacks, while false starting once and being flagged for holding twice. Mind you, those are the only three penalties he's incurred during that time frame. Three penalties in two years. Fairly impressive, if you ask me Blalock is often criticized for his run blocking, or lack thereof. Let's set aside the fact that Dave's blind and deaf grandmother knows the Falcons aren't a run-first team anymore. Blalock isn't a premier run blocker by any stretch of the imagination, but he makes up for it with above-average pass blocking. Matt Ryan has taken 1,829 pass snaps since 2010. In those three years, Blalock gave up only five sacks. Sure, he tends to give up pressures in bunches, but lucky for us, Matt Ryan has a second-to-none knack for handling pressure. The run blocking issues are at least partially attributable to his size, which limits his mobility. Even so, his size is what makes him a good pass blocker, and I think that's a tradeoff worth stomaching. Notice that you don't hear much about Blalock. That means something - it means he's a high character, low-profile, low-maintenance player who does his job for the most part. And that's problematic why? Every offensive line position besides left guard has been in flux during the current regime. If anything, his contract could use some tweaking. But it's not so cumbersome to necessitate an outright axing, especially when we can't sort out the left guard situation to save our figurative lives. Look, you can disagree with me all you want. Disagree until the cows come home. Cite your first hand observations until the cows come home. Blalock isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Deal with it. End of rant.

Oct 16, 2011; Green Bay, WI, USA; St. Louis running back Steven Jackson (39) attempts to evade Green Bay Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop (55) after Jackson caught a pass from Rams quarterback Sam Bradford during the second half of the game at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Rams 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports Yesterday, we looked at how Steven Jackson may perform in the 2013 season, but we only looked at his rushing ability.  As we all know, Steven Jackson is a very versatile back.  Not only is he fast, he’s powerful.  Not only can he run, he can catch with some of the best hands a back in the NFL has.  Today, we’ll look at receiving.  Let’s see what he did with the Rams last year: 38 Receptions with 321 yards at 8.4 yards per catch.  That’s exceptional for a running back.  Something interesting to keep in mind is Jacquizz Rodgers had 53 receptions for 402 yards.  Both Rodgers and Jackson are also great at picking up the blitz in pass blocking.  In all reality, when looking at the intangibles, the Quizz is just a short SJAX. Atlanta loves to throw to their running back if he can catch it.  Jacquizz sometimes seemed more like a slot receiver than a running back.  Jackson can supply that versatility alongside Rodgers and I’m willing to bet we see a lot more passing to Jackson than he has ever had, maybe even more than his 2006 season where he had 90 passes and 806 yards.  Defenses won’t know what to expect when Jackson is on the field.  He could block, he could go catch a pass, he could run it up the middle, and he could run it outside.  If given the right opportunity, Jackson could be outstanding for the Falcons this coming year, especially in the passing department. With a better quarterback, Jackson will be able to catch more passes.  With a pass happy team, he’ll be able to really show his awesome catching ability.  Jackson will absolutely and unequivocally thrive in this offense.  He seems like the most complete answer Atlanta could have picked up this off-season.  I’m predicting a ground-breaking season like this: 80 catches, 750 yards at 9.4 yards per catch.  I believe that Steven Jackson will have the kind of season that makes fans love him as much as they love Tony Gonzalez.  In two years, when his contract is up, fans will be begging him to come back for a few more seasons.  It may sound like I’m being optimistic, and I may be, but I believe that Steven Jackson’s skill sets are a perfect match for Atlanta.  He’ll be able to do things here that he may not be able to do on other teams.  I’m very excited to see him play in the red and black. What do you think Steven Jackson will do for the Passing game?  Am I right, or just hopeful?

ESPN isn't always my favorite site in the world. Their analysis tends to be, to put it mildly, poor. They can still produce some mighty compelling content, though. That's the case today, where ESPN produces a list of each team's suspensions for PED from 2010-2013. The relatively small number of suspensions either speaks to the lack of a PED problem in the NFL or a pretty lax culture around them, and I'd have to guess the latter. Regardless, it's an illuminating look at which teams and players have been hit The Atlanta Falcons cash in somewhere in the middle of the pack for PED suspensions. Their two suspensions came from Robert James and Joe Hawley. Some teams have received no suspensions over those years, and a handful have only received one. The leader? The Seattle Seahawks, who have five suspensions in the last four years. They're followed by the Denver Broncos and New York Giants with four each. Your reaction to this interesting little article?

6 NFL Drafts in the Books 2008: Likely Never Topped (AJC) As the Falcons and Football “dead zone” rolls on, thought it would be a good idea to take a look at all of Thomas Dimitroff’s NFL Draft classes and see which ones were the best and which ones weren’t as good. Every franchise say they want to “build through the draft,” but Dimitroff and the Falcons actually put their money where their mouth is concerning drafting and keeping their own. In fact, they are only second to the Green Bay Packers in the NFL of drafting and keeping their own players. Not only is the drafting part impressive, but what sets the Falcons GM and overall organization a part from the rest is the fact that they keep the players they want. It’s hard to think of any player they haven’t held onto if they’ve really wanted to keep them. Obviously, some have been a little better than others and some of the more recent ones have yet to be rendered a final verdict. But before we take a look at …

The off-season program begins in earnest with organized team activities, and we're rapidly approaching the start of those for the Atlanta Falcons. This is wonderful news. OTAs officially kick off after Memorial Day, starting Tuesday, May 28th. They will last three days, and give us real fodder for what lies ahead in position battle and tweets from Roddy White. It's an exciting time all the way around, and the most interesting thing we've had since the draft ended. Sorry, rookie minicamp. Here's what I'll have my eyes on early: How Lamar Holmes looks Whether PK Manley is actually 370 pounds, which he's not How the rookies and UDFAs perform in these limited practices Whether Mike Smith will wear his classic safari hat, and maybe complement it with a machete, which would be both frightening and motivating What do you expect from OTA?

Stansly Maponga Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go back and watch more than one game from Maponga this past season. But I had broken down last year’s bowl game, so I will also factor in my notes from that game as part of this evaluation. Height: 6-1 7/8 Weight: 251 School: Texas Christian Class: Junior Speed: 4.81 (Campus) Maponga was born in Zimbabwe, but moved to the United States when he was a child. His career path to the NFL mirrors that of Falcons teammate Jonathan Massaquoi. Massaquoi, a native of Liberia came to the U.S. at a young age as well. Massaquoi shined at Troy during his sophomore year, but his production fell off as a junior. But he wound up declaring for the NFL draft and probably not going as high as he initially envisioned (fifth round). Maponga had a strong sophomore campaign, emerging as one of TCU’s top pass rushers with 9 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. He looked much more pedestrian as a junior, although he was somewhat limited by a broken foot in October. But he only managed 1 sack and 2.5 tackles for loss in the six games prior to the injury. His production actually went up over the final 5 games with 3 sacks and 4 tackles for loss. Maponga opted to declare for the draft. TCU has been a school that has produced a steady line of productive pass rushers at the collegiate level, but not as many have translated well to the pro game in recent years. Jerry Hughes has struggled in Indianapolis since being a top pick, and players like Chase Ortiz, Tommy Blake, and Wayne Daniels are recent players that produced at TCU, but could not translate at all to the NFL level. If Maponga does find success at the next level, he will be the first former Horned Frog since Aaron Schobel (2001-09). Maponga was primarily used as a left defensive end while at TCU, able to exploit the slower feet of many right tackles. CAREER STATS 2012: 11 GP/9 GS, 26 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 4.0 sacks, 0 INTs, 1 PD, 2 FF, 0 FR 2011: 13/13-55-13.5-9.0-0-2-5-0 2010: 12/12-32-3.0-2.5-0-1-1-0 2009: redshirted - Missed 2 games due to injury in 2012 with a broken foot 2012 GAMES WATCHED at Texas (11/22): 3 pressure, 0.5 sacks, 1 FR, 1 key blocked 2011 GAMES WATCHED vs. Louisiana Tech (12/21): 2.5 pressures, 1 TFL, 1 run stuff SKILLS These are general skills required for his position and relative to not only top collegiate prospects, but also NFL players. Grades are based on a 10-point rating scale: 1-pathetic, 2-poor, 3-weak, 4-below average, 5-average, 6-above average, 7-good, 8-very good, 9-excellent, 10-elite Strength (4.5) – Maponga tested well at the Combine on the bench press (30 reps), but you don’t see that sort of strength or power on the field. He can get pushed around a bit too easily by tight ends and often gets more than he gives when trying to take on a lead blocker. He isn’t a strong tackler either, missing a number of wrap tackles. He doesn’t show great power or strength when trying to use a bull rush. Quickness (7.0) – Maponga has nice edge quickness, particularly when he’s in a wide technique and can pin his ears back. You get him in that track stance that is often used in the Wide-9 technique, and he can get upfield with his first step. He has enough speed to set up right tackles and thus has the potential to develop a good counter move. Right now, his spin move isn’t particularly effective as a counter move. Pass Rush (5.0) - Maponga only really showed adeptness at the most basic speed rush off the edge. Will use his hands to slap down the punch of the offensive tackle with a basic swim move. Doesn’t really use a rip move. Showed ability to get extension with inside arm on the speed rush to generate some power. Knows how to get his hands inside when trying to bull rush, but largely non-effective since he lacks power and strength to drive blocker backwards. Point of Attack (4.0) – Doesn’t quite know how to take on and shed blocks. Has trouble disengaging bo

This is how I think the second half of the season will shape up for the Atlanta Falcons… Seattle Seahawks @ Atlanta Falcons A playoff rematch is big for the Falcons, this is one of those games that will earn them respect if they can win it. With great offenses on both sides this game will be about who plays better defensively. Who can get the big stops will be the deciding factor in this one. Even though this game is at home and i hate to say this, I am going to give this game to the Hawks. They are gonna have that chip on their shoulder and win a good game 27-21 LOSS Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa will be at home in this one which will give them a better shot the second time around. Division games can also be tricky because your record doesn’t matter as much. This is the worst team in the division though if you ask me so I don’t see them besting the Falcons. Atlanta takes this one 21-17 WIN New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons Thursday Night was very interesting between these teams last year to say the least. Eggs thrown at the Saints us, 4 interceptions from Drew Brees and his Touchdown streak finally ended. I wonder what is going to be in store this year at the Georgia Dome for the Thursday night rematch. The Saints publicly stated they think of Atlanta as their little brother early last season. Atlanta countered by beating them up the next time the two teams met. More of that to come this year, I think Atlanta finally gets the best of their rivals this year and take 2 wins. 31-17 WIN Atlanta Falcons @ Buffalo Bills Oh Canada! Being from Canada I can not wait to see this game. It will be the first cold weather game of the season for the Falcons which will be about the only factor working against them in this one. Unless CJ Spiller can rush for 300 yards and 4 TD’s I don’t see it happening for the Bills. 17-7 WIN Atlanta Falcons @ Green Bay Packers Two games on the road in cold weather for the Falcons Spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Especially when its Aaron Rodgers working against you. Don’t get me wrong however, I think it is very possible for Atlanta to win this game but I am gonna give it to Green Bay 24-14 LOSS Washington Redskins @ Atlanta Falcons The Falcons will be beat up by week 15 but RGIII should be worse.The Redskins might even get conservative in this game and try to keep the young QB from tucking and running the ball. Atlanta played a sound game against Washington on the road last year so I am gonna take them on the road. 28-20 WIN Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers Players and fans alike are circling this game on the calendar, including myself. I plan on going to this game and i expect the victory for the same reason I picked Seattle to beat us. Hands down this is the single most important game on the schedule this year; away from home, late in the season, potential home field advantage on the line and a rematch of the NFC championship game last season. This one is going to be a thriller and its hard to pick with it coming so late in the season. I am very confident though if the Atlanta Falcons are in good shape they will make this game their best of the season winning it 31-17. WIN Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons After another sub par season for the panthers I see them trying to finish strong against Atlanta. Depending on The playoff implications I see Atlanta resting their starters in the 2nd half opening the door for Carolina to take this one 24-17. LOSS I Just want everyone to know I am going off of what I see the team doing for the entire season. I am picking Atlanta to go 13-3 (even though I have them losing 4), I am-picking a 5-1 division record and i see them splitting games between the Seahawks and the 49ers. This is just a breakdown of how I see the season playing out to get us to that point. I think the Atlanta Falcons have the potential to do better but also with injuries or poor play do worse. Who knows in the NFL only time will tell Give me your f

Josh Freeman looks geared for failure The Tampa Bay Bucs are going to be an interesting team to watch in 2013. Josh Freeman is entering the final year of his contract, and recently it was reported that the Bucs wouldn’t mind seeing rookie Mike Glennon get an opportunity. How Josh Freeman handles this sort of adversity could impact the next five years of that franchise. I think Freeman is a talented quarterback, but I’ve never thought he had the intangibles to be a top-level starter. I liked Mike Glennon a lot, as he was the highest-rated quarterback in this draft class for me. But I don’t think Glennon will really work as a rookie starter. The main issues I had with Glennon was that he wasn’t particularly mobile, nor does he have the intangibles that I think he could flourish as a rookie starter. In Dan Pompei’s piece linked to above, they make the comparison to Joe Flacco. I do think that fits somewhat. You may or may not be surprised to discover that I don’t think Flacco possesses ideal intangibles. Flacco is a player that I think has benefited greatly from being on the right team. In Baltimore, he became a rookie starter because of injuries to Troy Smith and Kyle Boller. He made the most of that opportunity. But I think it helped greatly how much of the Ravens were a run-first, defensive-minded team that already had a leader in Ray Lewis. Flacco essentially never really had to assert himself as the guy up to this point. Moving forward with Lewis and others gone, and fresh off a Super Bowl he will now. I think that’s why I’ll likely always consider Matt Ryan to be a better overall quarterback than Flacco. I know Flacco has better physical tools, and he’ll make throws look easy that Ryan will never be able to make in a million years. And for that, there are those that will consider him the better player. But I think given what Ryan has had to be in Atlanta from the very beginning, a stabilizing force, that makes him the better overall player. I just believe that if you had put Ryan in Baltimore in 2008, you’d likely to get the same if not better results. If you had put Flacco in Atlanta, I don’t think he would have had the same success. Flacco reached a level the past two years (running no huddle) that Ryan was doing Day One. How does this relate to Tampa Bay? It’ll be interesting to see how things play out this year. If Freeman handles this currently adversity and flourishes, it could make his career. Because if he is dumped by the Bucs next year, I don’t see him landing in as good an environment. If he’s the top free agent next off-season, teams like Oakland and Cleveland will likely be strong suitors, but none of those teams have the supporting cast that Freeman has in Tampa. Glennon won’t get the same circumstances that Flacco got in Baltimore. If Glennon became the Bucs starter, he would have to take the bull by the horns much earlier. And I’m not sure Glennon has that ability. *** There are a lot of good free agents still available. Players that I will be shocked if they don’t find teams by the times camps open. In fact, many of these guys should already have jobs. Will Sack For MoneyAhmad Bradshaw is still unsigned. Bradshaw is coming off an injury, and is not going to be healthy for a few more weeks or months. The Steelers were interested, but their selection of Le’Veon Bell might end their wooing him. But I think besides Pittsburgh, Dallas or St. Louis would be good fits for him. All of those teams still need help at the running back position and Bradshaw could wind up being the lead tailback for each team by the time the season ends. But the best fits for him might be in the city of New York. I don’t know if that bridge is burned, but the Giants haven’t really upgraded their running back position. And if they can get Bradshaw on the cheap, there’s no better place for him to land. But if not t

Thus far, we've projected quarterback, running back, fullback and wide receiver for the Falcons. Those positions were all fairly easy to figure out, with the possible exception of what's going to happen down the depth chart at receiver. Today will not change that. We're talking tight end, a position with a lot of intriguing talent. The Falcons have a Hall of Famer, a gigantic rookie with some interesting talent and a former draft bust who may still be a mighty useful player. That's not even mentioning some of the UDFA types on the roster right now. This is a position of strength, in other words. Time to project it. On The Roster Tony Gonzalez, StarterLevine Toilolo (R)Chase CoffmanTommy GallardaAndrew SzczerbaAdam Nissley Now that you've got the names, tell us who you believe will make the final roster. I really like this Gonzalez guy, myself.