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The Atlanta Falcons didn’t make the kind of big splash at the start of free agency that many of their fans wanted.

But, little by little, they’ve made moves that should help make their roster stronger. They traded for cornerback Asante Samuel just before the draft and it’s pretty obvious the Falcons are counting on second-round pick Peter Konz to have an immediate impact on their offensive line. But this offseason might be far from over for the Falcons, who were strapped by the salary cap early in free agency.

That’s not really the case these days. Atlanta got a boost when it got a $3 million cap credit as fallout from the Michael Vick situation and some of that helped make room for Samuel. The Falcons cut veteran fullback Ovie Mughelli last week and they’re on the hook for a $733,335 cap hit for that. But the move cleared up $3 million in cap space.

That gives the Falcons some money to work with and you could see another move or two before training camp starts. Although the Falcons say they’re comfortable with Sam Baker at left tackle, I’m not sure that’s a great idea. At very least, they should bring in someone to compete with Baker. Veteran Marcus McNeill is still hanging out there in free agency. McNeill had an injury last season that may require more time to heal. If it does, I could see the Falcons bringing in McNeill. If not, the Falcons have enough room to look at some other alternatives.

If 32 teams have passed on Marcus I would have to say he is toxic until, as th earticle suggests, he can heal and show otherwise. Marcus had a back issue coming out of AU which he has clearly been able to deal with up to this point but maybe the straw that broke the camel's back has arrived. We just haven't seemed to have a good run with drafting OL in the TD era. I hope Konz will turn that around but there have been a decent number selected who have been pretty pedestrian.

In the same vein as you wondering what a particular FA is up to, how about Dallas Clark? I read yesterday where only KC is interested in him to spell Moeaki, so hopefully he can get his snap count down and stay healthy. I don't think we need him, but if he can be had for basically next to nothing it might be worth exploring. The other option in mentioned what him retiring fwiw, which I found a little odd as I thought he had more gas in the tank than that.

Such a move as acquiring Dallas Clark or a similar quality No. 2 TE like Jeremy Shockey would first require the Falcons to think that they have room to improve at the position. Same goes for adding a FA like McNeill or Vernon Carey to bolster competition on the outside in camp. And that first requirement cannot be fulfilled when you're complacent...

See rather than being a great GM that can anticipate problems, Thomas Dimitroff is just a good one that can only react to them. See, it's possible if not probable that by the end of training camp the Falcons will make additions to upgrade their TE position or WR depth (mainly to address the lack of proven returners), and many of TD's sycophants will applaud him for making those moves, despite the fact that they were moves made several months too late...

I'm with ya buddy, I've been beating one side of the drum while you beat the other all offseason long.

What you guys anticipate blows me away..... Do you anticipate anything good??

I just get tired of TD being lauded and applauded for doing things half-assed. And I know when I say that, someone is going to reply that it wasn't half-assed what he did to turn around this team in 2008. And he is indeed the best GM in Falcons history, and much better than anything we've had in the past. But his job isn't to be the best GM in Falcons history and be better than the Rich McKays, Ken Herocks, and Dan Reeves of the past, his job is to win championships.

And the fact that he cannot anticipate things that some schmoe like myself can see a mile away does not speak highly to how he is currently handling his job. Those things include the struggles of Sam Baker last year, the need to add a veteran corner such as Kelvin Hayden last summer. And for me, what I'm anticipating to be similar problems this summer is the lack of a proven returner, their utter lack of depth at the TE position, and the imminent decline of Michael Turner.

Now if those things don't happen this summer/season, then I'll gladly say I was wrong, and TD is the master and I'm still a ignorant arrogant schmoe. But if those things do happen, then what does that say about TD?...