Jamaal Anderson

Now it’s time to break down a defensive lineman, starting with perhaps the Falcons most infamous player: Jamaal Anderson

Pros: Has good size and has the ability to get leverage vs. the run. Can make the stop at the point of attack. Shows some burst upfield, to press the pocket and make plays in the backfield. Showed more maturity and intensity as the 2009 season wore on. Has a nice motor. Can line up inside or outside. Does his best in the former when he plays in the 3-technique over the guard’s outside shoulder, which allows him to use his quickness better.  When playing end, does a decent job holding the edge.

Cons: Doesn’t have good short-area burst or quickness to close on the ball and make plays as a pass rusher. Lacks flexibility, so he can whiff on some stops when he does manage to get penetration. Is lacking in terms of hand use and technique. Has trouble disengaging from blockers as a pass rusher and shows very few moves. Tends to rely on his quickness, which isn’t great. Too often gets a poor jump off the snap. That also causes him to lose some battles vs. the run and get pushed off the ball.

2010 Outlook: Anderson is a valuable member of the Falcons rotation because he can play the run, as well as take reps inside on. He has disappointed as a high first round draft pick, and isn’t likely to live up to those expectations. But he has the ability to prove himself a key role player in the Falcons front rotation.

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Jamaal Anderson

Jamaal Anderson is the one Falcon player that fans love to hate. But Anderson does have value, and Mike Smith isn’t crazy for saying so.

It’s easy to understand why Falcon fans are disappointed with Anderson. He has recorded 2.5 sacks in 3 seasons as a starter, major underachievement for a player that was drafted in 2007 with the expectation that he would replace Patrick Kerney, one of the top pass rushers in Falcons history.

People tend to forget that 45% of the plays called in the NFL are running plays, so the fact that Anderson is lacking as a pass rusher doesn’t equate his value to zilch. Anderson is arguably the best run defender on the team at defensive end.

And the team’s two most proven pass rushers: John Abraham and Kroy Biermann aren’t exactly known for the ability to hold up against the run. So the Falcons only benefit from having Anderson as well as Chauncey Davis manning most of the snaps on run downs. That way, Abraham and Biermann can focus on what they do best: rush the passer. Both players have a tendency to wear down as the season goes on. Abraham is no stranger to injuries, and Biermann’s production declined sharply as the season wore on. If the Falcons are hoping to make a deep playoff run, they are going to need their best pass rushers playing well and a lot down the stretch. So the more reps that can be saved for them in September and October should pay off in December and hopefully January.

Anderson also adds value because of his ability to play inside. And with Peria Jerry coming back from injury, the Falcons could use that insurance early in the season. The Falcons are also bringing along Corey Peters. And while Peters can contribute this season as a rookie, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll hit the ground running when the regular season begins. Folks should recall that Vance Walker who played as a rookie didn’t make many contributions until the middle of the season. One probably shouldn’t expect a whole lot more from Peters. Coupled with the possibility that Jerry may not be 100% by September, the Falcons mayneed that extra depth that Anderson provides early in the season.

The defensive line is arguably one of the deepest positions on the team’s roster in terms of experience. Largely due to the fact that the team employs a heavy rotation on most Sundays last season.

The return of Peria Jerry could cause a minor shakeup here. His injury last season caused the team to start using Jamaal Anderson more as an interior player. But if he has a healthy return, then Anderson’s versatility is less valued. Couple that with the possibility that Anderson could lose his starting left end spot to Kroy Biermann this summer via competition, and his hold on a roster spot is tenuous.

We do know that John Abraham, Jonathan Babineaux, Kroy Biermann, and Peria Jerry seem to be locks to make the roster. But the guys that fill the remaining four or five slots remains to be seen. Lawrence Sidbury and Corey Peters are likely to be two of those players. How strong a summer Sidbury has could go a long way to how much success the team’s pass rush has in 2010. Peters’ status as a draft pick gives him good odds to making the final roster. But he’s not a lock since Thomas Johnson, Vance Walker, and Dan Klecko may also be breathing down his neck. Of that group, Walker probably stands the best chance to earn the top reserve defensive tackle spot. His play improved as last season wore on coupled with his youth gives him the best long-term potential of any backup tackle besides Peters.

Chauncey Davis is a steady performer on running downs, but the team may find it hard to justify keeping him around if Anderson is kept, and Sidbury improves. But his value as a run defender could become more pronounced if Biermann and Sidbury don’t show enough improvement in that area to be every down players.

Trey Lewis will also be in the mix inside. But he struggled throughout the 2009 season, and unless he has a major resurgence and shows the skill and potential he flashed in 2007, he seems like a roster long shot. Rajon Henley and Emmanuel Stephens are undrafted ends who can earn a practice squad position if they can show some burst and speed off the edge as pass rushers.

According to Brian McIntyre of Mac’s Football Blog, two Falcon players will see their base salaries increase this year due to incentive clauses in their contract. Jamaal Anderson will see his base salary increase by $2 million to $3.1625 million, and Mike Peterson will get a $600,000 raise to have a base salary of $3.1 million.

Peterson is entering the final deal of the two-year contract he signed with the Falcons last off-season. Anderson is signed through 2012, although the final year of his rookie deal is voidable.

The minute I mention the word trade, I’m sure it’s only going to take a few seconds before Glenn Dorsey’s name pops into the head of someone out there. Why? Truth be told, the majority of Falcon fans wanted the team to draft him back in 2008 instead of Matt Ryan, and the notion that the team can still land their “franchise” defensive player along with their franchise quarterback is appealing to many.

There are rumors out there that Dorsey (along with every other Chief not named Matt Cassel) is on the block. This past summer, it looked like the Chiefs would be willing to move to Dorsey for next to nothing in order to get some return on their investment, but I don’t think that is the case anymore. Dorsey is the Chiefs best end as of today and is coming off a strong seven-tackle performance vs. the Redskins. Dorsey has 22 tackles on the season. For comparison, their other starter and first round pick Tyson Jackson has only five. The disparity isn’t that much different between that of John Abraham and Jamaal Anderson on our own roster. And when put in those terms, I don’t believe the Chiefs will simply give Dorsey away for anything less than a second round pick.

The Falcons are probably not in a position to really make any trades. The team has already dealt away next year’s second round pick. And while I think the team will get compensated with some early picks for next year’s draft because of our free agent losses this past off-season, it’s not the same. Even with an extra third and/or fourth rounder, the team has to be weary about falling into the trap that Rich McKay did in 2006 and start dealing all their draft picks away for veteran players to get them over the hump. The crappiness of the ’06 draft is one of the reasons why the team was so bad when Dimitroff took over. Draft picks are precious, particularly those from the first few rounds.

Which is why if the Falcons are looking to make any moves on this trade deadline, they are probably best trying to offer player for player deals instead of player for pick deals. Which then begs the question of which current Falcon players offer the most trade value.

Despite improved performances this year and especially the past two games, the Falcons could still look to deal Jamaal Anderson if they think they can get good value for him.

The only other players on the roster that the Falcons could afford to move and get something in return is either of the two reserve backs: Norwood and Snelling.  They might try to flip one of the reserve corners: Jackson or Hill, but with Brian Williams injury status from last night up in the air, that probably isn’t a smart move.

I think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that we make a deal before tomorrow night’s trade deadline. And if the Falcons were, I think the best move might be to move Norwood for a cornerback, particularly if the early prognosis on Brian Williams injury isn’t too promising. If we get lucky, maybe the Texans GM Rick Smith gets drunk tonight and decides to deal us Dunta Robinson for Norwood straight up. A deal that packages Anderson and Norwood for Dorsey is a popular one on the forums is probably the most realistic (if you can use that term when speculating on Falcon trades). Dorsey is a heck of a talent, but is he really as promising as he looked a year and a half ago? Are we sure that latent Top 5 potential is still there and will emerge once he arrives in Atlanta? Or are we simply ignoring the facts that Dorsey has been a fairly average player since he’s entered the league under some false hope that Mike Smith and Thomas Dimitroff can turn everything to gold. Maybe we were just simply all wrong that Dorsey was as good a talent as we thought he was in April 2008.

Who knows? I’m sure Thomas Dimitroff has an idea. And it’s why he gets paid millions of dollars (at least I hope he does because if he doesn’t, he deserves a raise), and I just run a website.

It’s been a little more than a week of camp, and here’s a brief recap of the players that have raised (or lowered) their stock in that time, based upon published reports.

STOCK UP

Thomas DeCoud – Although DeCoud may win the starting gig by default due to an injury to William Moore that will likely keep him out for the rest of the summer, it’s quite possible he would have won the job outright. Most observers have come away praising DeCoud for his ballhawking skills so far this summer.

Brent Grimes – By my own assessment, Grimes entered camp seemingly on the outside looking in. But at this point, he seems to be the early favorite to win the job opposite Chris Houston. Although we should point out that Grimes was impressive in camp last summer, but his play during the regular season was less than stellar. But his stock is also boosted by the fact that he might be the early favorite to replace Harry Douglas as the team’s punt returner with strong showings in preseason games.

Vance Walker – Walker got some early praise from Mike Smith in the opening days of camp. While Walker has no shot of becoming a starter, if he keeps it up, he should certainly land a roster spot and help the team’s rotation.

STOCK DOWN

Jamaal Anderson – Fairly or unfairly, Anderson has a bulls-eye upon him this summer as one of the players that not only Falcon fans, but pundits nationwide are looking to see if he steps up. And in his case, no news isn’t good news. While we’re not saying Anderson is behind in his battle with Chauncey Davis, the fact that he hasn’t pulled ahead significantly by this point doesn’t bode particularly well for him.

Chevis Jackson – Like Anderson, Jackson is fighting for a starting spot, and thus far there have been few reports citing his strong play early in camp. It’s conceivable that if he doesn’t pick it up he could fall all the way to fourth on the depth chart after entering camp as the expected starter.

Roddy White – You won’t count us as one of the Falcon fans that were upset by Roddy’s holdout. But his rep was shaken in the eyes of many, and he’ll have to use the remaining weeks to earn it back. We have little doubt he will.

Unlike the offensive line, the defensive line is fairly unsettled as far as the starting lineup. Jonathan Babineaux and John Abraham can be assured of retaining their starting spots, but the other two positions are up for grabs.

At left end, Chauncey Davis and Jamaal Anderson will compete. But this is Anderson’s job to lose. The team is fairly confident that Davis can handle the starting job if need be. He outplayed Anderson last year, despite coming off the bench. This summer may mark the last chance Anderson has to prove his worth. If he doesn’t impress, might find himself in a new city by the end of August.

At nose tackle, Trey Lewis and rookie Peria Jerry are expected to be the primary competitors. It seems the Falcons would prefer for Lewis to win the gig, and Jerry to serve as the backup tackle at both interior spots, but the coaches like Jerry enough that they would feel fairly comfortable starting him right away. Lewis was solid for the first half of 2007 before an injury sidelined him and he missed all of last year as well. So this summer will be really the first chance the coaches get a look at him outside OTAs and some film study.  So they definitely aren’t married to him as far as the starting spot goes.

The competition for the backup behind Abraham should also be fairly intense between Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury. The winner of that battle could get a lot of reps on passing downs, subbing for Abraham as well as working opposite him since the team likes to move both Anderson and Davis inside to rush the passer. It’s likely that both players will be retained, since the team is looking to develop more speed off the edge.

Also in the mix inside is Jason Jefferson, Thomas Johnson, Tywain Myles, and Vance Walker. All four are likely competing for probably only one roster spot in the tackle rotation. Jefferson is the most experienced, but Walker is a draft pick, giving him a small boost. Myles and Johnson however offer a bit more beef. But because the team can move either Davis or Anderson inside on passing downs, there isn’t a strong need for a fourth tackle if none of the players steps up.

If I was to make a predict today, I would lean more towards the team keeping five ends and three tackles with Davis and Jerry winning the starting gigs by summer’s end.

Steve Wyche of NFL.com reports that defensive end Chauncey Davis re-signed with the Falcons. Davis, a free agent that is expected to compete for the starting job this year signed a four-year deal worth $14 million, with $8 million paid over the first two seasons.

The Falcons had planned to visit with Green Bay Packers defensive end Mike Montgomery today, but per the AJC, that visit was cancelled once the team re-upped with Davis.

Davis started 1 of 16 games last year, finishing with 38 tackles, 4 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries. He could supplant 2007 first round pick Jamaal Anderson as the starter. Anderson had another disappointing year, starting 15 games, but wound up with 27 tackles and 2 sacks. In order to make room for Davis, the Falcons have tinkered with the idea of moving Anderson to defensive tackle on a more permanent basis.

Pro Football Weekly reports that it is very likely that Falcons defensive end Jamaal Anderson move inside to defensive tackle next year. Anderson has been a disappointment thus far in his short Falcon career at defensive end. He was drafted eighth overall in the 2007 NFL draft.

As a rookie in 2007, he started all 16 games but did not record a single sack. This past year, he tallied 2 sacks and 27 tackles at left end. But his playing time diminished as the season wore on. The team utilized him inside on passing downs throughout the season and per the PFW report could plan to do so on a full-time basis next season.

Likely filling in for Anderson at left defensive end will be Chauncey Davis, who is a free agent this off-season. Despite serving as a backup, Davis finished the year with 38 tackles and 4 sacks. Falcons nose tackle Grady Jackson is also a free agent, but Anderson isn’t expected to move there, rather serving as a backup to Jonathan Babineaux, who recently was given a five-year extension.

Per PFW, without a strong training camp, Anderson could be released. That could make him potentially the highest drafted player in 2007 to be released. Currently, the 49th overall pick Bengals running back Kenny Irons, the brother of Falcons corner David, holds that distinction.

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC reports that the Falcons have decided to keep rookie left tackle Sam Baker out of this weekend’s upcoming game against the Oakland Raiders, as he’ll be sent to see two specialists about his hip. Baker did not start this past week against the Eagles due to the hip injury. Todd Weiner started in his place, but also left the game after reaggravating a previous knee injury. He was replaced by Quinn Ojinnaka.

Baker has already missed time this season due to a concussion and other injuries. If either he or Weiner are unable to go, Ojinnaka is expected to start. Per the AJC, the Falcons might pursue other options in free agency to shore up the left tackle position.

In other injury news, defensive end Jamaal Anderson’s status for this weekend is unknown. He left Sunday’s game against the Eagles with a concussion and will be reevaluated this week.