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I seemed to have lost the list of free agent running backs in 2006.Can someone post them please.After watching Dunn last night it is apparent how valuable he is.A quick slashing running back is more effective in this offense than a big burly duckett.If Dunn doesn't renegotiate which I doubt since i think he will have one of his best years then the other choice is to cut him and go after another running back.Westbrook is not the effective runner dunn is.A running back with vision,speed and puts his heart into it every play.I certainly would hate to see him go but his contract is huge and this is suppoed to be a good free agent crop.Look forward to the free agent list!

Maybe Edgerin James? I can't believe nobody offered for him this offseason...

I'm reorganizing my files, so I should be able to get those up and the rest of the free agents up in the next few days.

Thanks Pudge.

Off the top of my head the best non-superstar back (Edge & Alexander) that will be a FA is Chester Taylor. I don't think it would be a bad idea going after him (assuming Dunn is gone), he is a great all around back and there is a reason while Cleveland made a bid on him of 3 million and the the Ravens matched it (he was a RFA last year). For those who haven't seen him play (I haven't seen tons of him) but he is a stronger verison on Dom Davis of Houston and is the type of back that is a perfect fit for a zone blocking scheme.

KFFL has one for about every year upcoming but I am to cheap to subscribe to the member services!

Gerald Riggs (Jr.) would be a perfect fit with his power running and breakaway speed. Depending on how good of a year he has and we have, he may not be available to us on draft day though.

I do agree that, even though it seems crazy to think runnig back right now, it will be an issue in the offseason.

I wouldn't expect Riggs to get picked too high in the draft because the Vols passing game isn't that great, thus he will get shut down on some games, dropping his stock. He would be a good pick possibly & after watching his father play here, I would be comfortable with picking him up in the draft.

I am not sure about Riggs, to me he has a nice burst but does he have that top end speed? The reason I wonder if he has that speed is because he isn't a overpowering back. I think he could be a very good back in his career or a complete bust. I would really like to see a lot more of him this year. I would much rather have Chester Taylor. I am very high on him and think he is a star in the making.

Ideally, we can get an all in one type back, but Knapp has had a 2-headed backfield for quite some time now. Every year in San Fran, it was Hearst and Barlow. THe most carries a single back has ever had in a year with him as OC, was 265, which is what Dunn had last year. And he's done very well with it, because he's never had a running attack that didn't rank in the Top 10 (6th was the lowest he ever ranked).

I think the Falcons would love to keep Dunn, but not at his current 2006 salary ($8.5 million). What I suspect is that they'll cut Dunn come February and then try to re-sign him to a more cap-friendly contract, if possible. As for Duckett, unless he has a career year, he's trade bait. And the team will look for another player to pick up in his place, which will probably happen in the draft.

It's hard for me to see DVD sticking together beyond this year.

Duckett signed a 6 year deal in 2002 for a reported 6 mil. That is not a bad contract for a guy who averages 5 yards per carry and is a beast on the goal line. Dunn is the better back for this offense, but he is going to have to restructure his contract if he wants to remain a Falcon. The problem is, Dunn does not want to split carries and has said as much, here and in Tampa.

If Dunn doesn't play ball and restructure, Duckett will stay and you'll see us drfat or sign a back similiar to Dunn. Like him or not, I think TJ is here for the long haul.

And I think TJ will be a good back when he becomes the starter. Will he be Jerome Bettis reincarnated? We can only hope.

On another note, Gerald Riggs Jr sure has looked good against the Gators tonight even though his team can't pass for ****. He has caught a few flares out of the backfield & made some nice runs.

Joseph Addai, LSU. If we decide to change our RB's, I honestly think he's the way to go...

I would ask Dunn to accept a straight paycut to remain a Falcon for '06. If he chose not to I would go ahead and release him. As much as I like him he is getting older and is not worth 5 mil imo.

I am hoping we can get by in '06 w/o spending a high pick on a back. The secondary could really use the attention.....as well as a couple of other areas.

Heck, look at the trend in runningbacks these days. Willie Parker is a prime example of how difficult it is to become a good runningback in this league. If you have decent size, great speed, and good vision, all you need is a good offensive line scheme (which we have) and you can be successful.

With our scheme's we could plug in almost any back in the league and have success on the ground.

Random Thought: Can you really be underrated when everyone in the sports reporting world calls you underrated for the duration of your career? Every single game I watch since Dunn came to Atlanta you get the following comments:

"Warrick Dunn is such an underrated pass blocker because he...."

"Warrick Dunn is so tough in between the tackles and is really underrated with his ability to run up the middle"

"Warrick Dunn is such an underrated threat out of the backfield because..."

I don't think we can call Dunn underrated anymore.

Dunn really is the perfect RB for our current system. TJ isn't a bad RB, but he just doesn't move quick enough to take advantage of our OL scheme. He would do better in PIT IMO. If we are going to need a replacement for Dunn after this season, I would like to get someone like Taylor in FA or draft a Reggie Bush or DeAngelo Williams (not that we'll get the chance). We need someone with excellent vision, cutting ability, and quickness. Cadillac was my ultimate option out of the last draft. There will probably be some RBs who fit that bill in the middle of the draft next year. The main thing is I think McKay would like to move away from spending so much on our RBs. I think they probably feel they can do it with the way running schemes are making most teams successful. Hopefully, we will be able to find our guy without spending an arm and a leg because then we might be able to afford more luxuries like another CB like DHall or better OL or a replacement for Brady Smith.

Reggie Bush will go in the Top 10 picks assuming he doesn't flame out this year or suffer major injury. We could have had Kevin Jones dag nabit!

Other PAC-10 RB's to watch that may be available in the middle rounds:

Terrence Whitehead, Oregon: Hasn't delivered as much as he could have for Oregon. I think the offense stunts his growth more then anything (pass wacky PAC-10). He is built just like Dunn but with a little more size (5'10" - 210lbs). His best season was 2004 with 1,144 rushing yards (6 TD's) and 405 receiving yards (2 TD's)

Jerome Harrison, Washington State: Really came out of nowhere starting last year and netting 900 yards, 9 TD's. Also built in the Dunn mold (5'10" - 200lbs). So far through three games this season he has 399 yards rushing, 5 TD's, and 85 yards receiving. A good combine and solid finish to this year will have him fly up draft boards.

Yvenson Bernard, Oregon State: Looking like a solid runningback in his sophomore year and first starting. Currently has 214 rushing yards (4.8 YPC), 3 TD's, and 173 yards receiving. He's sharing carries right now also. Could go either way.

Sidenote: The PAC-10 is pass wacky so if a runningback in the PAC-10 goes over 1,000 yards rushing he's pretty darn good.

What about Maroney? I have seen many mocks putting him in the later part of the 1st round. I think he'd be perfect for our system as well. If they dump both Dunn and Duckett, we could draft Maroney and sign another guy like Duckett (except someone who is better at pass protection and receiving out of the backfield). We could sign a second back of similar quality like Chester Taylor and have a nice rotation. I'd prefer to move Griffith up on the priority list where he could be our all-purpose guy: FB blocking on run plays, extra pass protection, and a great receiver. Then we could draft a guy like Maroney to take the bulk of the carries, and sign/draft another guy to be our special teams RB. Perhaps Cobb can come back next season and make the team as our 3rd RB/KR. Then Mora would have the option of getting another RB or FB to round out his core of RBs. With the running game being so important to our success, I would stock up on quality RBs who can fill multiple roles.