Having reviewed the offensive side of the ball, this blog will look at the defense and special teams.

Defensive Ends:  John Abraham, Kroy Biermann, Jamaal Anderson, Chauncey Davis, Lawrence Sidbury, Emmanuel Stephens and Cliff Matthews

Lots of if’s among this group.  Abraham is getting older and enters the last year of his contract.  Biermann shows potential and needs to take the next step in his development to solidify his spot.  Beyond that, Anderson has underachieved and may be in his last year with the team.  Davis provides a solid rotational backup but is only signed through 2012.  Sidbury has yet to really crack the rotation and get anything more than spot duty.  This is the season that he’ll need to show something in order to stay a part of this group.  Stevens is a practice squad/camp body type player at this point.  The late round addition of Matthews will inject some youth and competition into the group.  Biggest rumor is that the Falcons will make a serious run at Ray Edwards.  If that’s the case, then I’d look for Biermann to move to the right side and replace Abraham in 2012 while working Sidbury and Matthews into the rotation.  I do not expect Anderson or Davis to make a significant impact or stay in the near future.

Defensive Tackles: Jonathan Babineaux, Peria Jerry, Corey Peters, Vance Walker and Trey Lewis

Babineaux is as solid as they come but does turn 30 this season.  Jerry must improve and play at the level he was drafted to play.  He should be fully back from his injury this season and will show whether or not he’s part of the solution or not.  Peters played quite a bit for a rookie and should continue to develop.  Vance Walker is good rotational run stopper and should stay on board for quite some time.  Lewis hasn’t regained his promising form prior to being injured and I question whether he will at this point.  It’s my opinion that the key to our pass rush lies with the progression of Jerry and Peters not allowing opposing QB’s to step up and escape by scrambling or throwing.

Outside Linebackers:  Stephen Nicholas, Mike Peterson, Sean Weatherspoon, Spencer Adkins, Coy Wire and Robert James

Nicholas may or may not return depending on free agency rules and demand.  Peterson is not only at the end of his career but is also a free agent and may not return.  If he does, it will likely only be for another season.  Weatherspoon will be expected to step up and start this season and produce.  Wire is a dependable backup in run support.  Adkins has plenty of athletic ability and upside but seems relegated to special teams as does James.  Newly drafted Akeem Dent may figure into this picture in some way although I’m not sold that he has the speed or ability to drop into coverage to play on the outside.

Middle Linebackers:  Curtis Lofton, Akeem Dent and Bear Woods

Lofton is entering the last year of his contract and underwent double knee surgery.  Regardless of what level of surgery it is, it’s a red flag.  Lofton is very good against the run and has shown improvement against the pass.  The question now is longevity.  I’ve penciled in Dent as his primary backup but not sure that he really fits in the middle.  Time will tell on what Dent becomes and what his role will be.   While Woods has all the heart in the world,  I’m not sure he has a place on the squad at this point.  This is a position that seems to warrant attention in the next couple of seasons one way or the other.

Cornerbacks:  Dunta Robinson, Brent Grimes, Christopher Owens, Dominique Franks and Brian Williams

Robinson and Grimes are the no-brainer outside corners.  What remains to be seen is who will be the nickelback.  Considering that the Falcons were in nickel defense more than 50% of the time last season, the nickel has to be looked upon as a starter.  As of now, Owens and Franks will most likely battle for that spot with a veteran brought in to compete as well.  I don’t look for Williams to return as he is a free agent and at the tail end of his career.  A bit puzzling that a corner wasn’t added in the draft but this could be a situation where there is heavy free agent action and 2 or 3 veterans signed to compete.

Safeties:  Thomas DeCoud, William Moore, Shan Shillinger, Rafael Priest and Rafael Bush

As long as Moore stays healthy and pays his traffic tickets, the Falcons should be fine at safety for a long time to come.  Shillinger provides adequate depth and very good special teams skills.  Priest and Bush will most likely compete for a single reserve safety spot.

Kickers and Punters:  Matt Bryant, Michael Koenen, Ken Parrish and Matt Bosher

Bryant and Koenen are ticketed for free agency.  I believe Bryant will re-sign while Koenen is allowed to seek employment elsewhere.  With a pick spent on Bosher, he’ll very likely be the next punter while Parrish serves as a camp body.

Most of the work for the Falcons in free agency will hinge on whether or not they feel the defensive end position is headed in the right direction and how many corners they want to bring in.  As was the case on the offensive side of the ball, a lot will be determined by what the team does with its own free agents.  I look for a defensive end, two corners and possibly a linebacker to be brought on board.

 

The 2011 Draft is in the books and it’s time to take a look at the roster and get primed for free agency and the future.

Quarterbacks:  Matt Ryan, Chris Redman, J.P. Wilson

I was actually a little surprised that we didn’t add a QB in the late rounds but the QB talent in the draft was very thin and overrated in my opinion.  With Ryan, the Falcons obviously have their starter in place and have no pressing need at the position.  While Redman is a more than competent backup, he’ll be 34 years old this summer and signed through 2012, which will probably be his last contract with the Falcons.  Wilson enters his third season and is the heir apparent to Redman.  However, in order for that to happen, Redman will have to be let go and the financial commitment be made to Wilson.  A lot of that will depend on the free agency rules that end up in the new CBA but this would have to happen sooner than later which is why I expected to see another developmental QB added.  Maybe I was a year early.

Running Backs:  Michael Turner, Jason Snelling, Gartrell Johnson, Antone Smith, Jaquizz Rodgers, Jerious Norwood and Ovie Mughelli

Turner is signed for 3 more seasons and it’s hard to envision him going beyond that with the team.  Snelling is the obvious successor in the power role but is entering the free agency years of his career and will command more money.  There will be opportunities to either pay the price for Snelling now or trade him for value.  I don’t see much of a future for either Johnson or Smith at this point with the addition of Rodgers.  With the fifth round selection of Rodgers, we’ve added our new change of pace back which immediately ends Norwood’s stay in Atlanta as he enters free agency.  Looking forward, expect the team to draft a big back in the next draft or two to either compensate for Snelling leaving or Turner being cut in favor of Snelling.  As for Mughelli, he’s here until 2012 and I could actually see the fullback position being phased out by then and instead going with a two back set of a power back and a speed back or single back/empty backfield formations as this seems to be the way the team and offenses in general are moving.

Tight Ends:  Tony Gonzalez, Michael Palmer, Justin Peele, Robby Agnone and Marquez Branson

Gonzalez is back for 2011 and will most likely call it a career after this upcoming season, if not, 2012 is almost certain to be his last season.  After scouring reports, I have found nothing  pertaining to the Falcons tabbing Palmer as the future replacement for Gonzalez.  While Palmer has a similar body type, he’s not as fast or athletic as Gonzalez and is probably the backup solution.  Peele is more of a blocker and is getting up in age.  Agnone and Branson are not long term solutions and probably no more than camp bodies or practice squad players.  I really thought that a future tight end would be selected in the draft but that didn’t happen.  What is certain is that a tight end will almost certainly be drafted in 2012 or obtained in free agency.

Wide Receivers:  Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Harry Douglas, Eric Weems, Kerry Meier, Julio Jones, Andy Strickland, Brandyn Harvey and Tim Buckley

Roddy White is the obvious star of the group but will turn 30 this year and is signed through 2014.  The drafting of Julio Jones not only adds speed to the #2 receiver spot but also gives us the next #1 when Roddy is done.  Jenkins is signed through 2012 and provides a sizeable option in the slot if he returns.  There are rumors that he will be traded or cut in the offseason.  Douglas is facing a pivotal year being that he will be 2 years removed from a knee injury and is expected to achieve the potential seen in his rookie season.  Weems is the consummate returner and also expected to contribute more in the receiving game.  Meier is coming off a knee injury and will likely only see time in 4 or 5 wide sets this season.  He is largely seen as the replacement for Finneran and as a slot receiver.  It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Falcons add another receiver via the draft in 2012.

Offensive Tackles:  Sam Baker, Tyson Clabo, Will Svitek and Garrett Reynolds

I still don’t feel that Baker is a true left tackle but the team must feel comfortable enough with him at the position to proceed without change.  Clabo is set to enter free agency this offseason and will most likely be re-signed by the team.  Svitek is a competent backup to either tackle position and is signed through 2012.  The team is high on Reynolds (either at right tackle or at guard) and is signed through 2012.  His future will largely be determined by what happens in free agency this offseason and could very well end up being the starting right guard.

Guards:  Justin Blalock, Harvey Dahl, Mike Johnson, Jose Valdez and Andrew Jackson

Blalock and Dahl are both set to be free agents and one of the two will surely be elsewhere in 2011 although depending on what happens with the CBA, it’s possible that both could find their way back onto the roster depending on free agency rules.  Johnson is the future of one of the guard positions and probably sooner than later.  Valdez is an intriguing developmental prospect that the team is high on and could eventually be a factor.  Newly added Andrew Jackson is another developmental prospect for the future.  Right now, the biggest question facing the Falcons is whether Blalock and Dahl return.  It’s hard for me to imagine both being retained or being allowed to leave and again, I have to caveat that with “depending on what happens with free agency rules.”

Centers:  Todd McClure, Joe Hawley and Rob Bruggeman

This is McClure’s last year under contract and it’s hard for me to see him playing beyond that.  Hawley is the heir at center and appears ready for the job.  Bruggeman is a developmental prospect.  I don’t expect a lot of movement at this position going forward but you could see a late draft pick added in 2012 as a backup to Hawley.

 

In summary, the Falcons offense is largely set with only the free agency questions at guard and tackle to answer for 2011.  Going forward, expect another developmental QB, power RB, a bona fide replacement for Gonzalez, WR for depth and o-line depth to be added in the next two drafts.

 

Next blog:  The Defense and Special Teams

Eric Branch of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that the Falcons had an “extensive sit down” with Louisville quarterback Adam Froman during his pro day last week on March 10.

Froman had a strong performance displaying passing skills and athleticism. He completed 33 of 35 passes during passing drills. He ran his 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds, and have a 3-cone drill of 6.6 seconds, and short shuttle of 4.08 seconds. Those latter two times would have been tops at least month’s Scouting Combine among quarterbacks, and his 40 time would have placed third.

Froman has gone under the radar due to injuries limited him at Louisville. Injuries cut short both his junior and senior years after transferring from Santa Rose Junior College. He managed 15 starts in those years, managing to complete 60.3% of 403 passes for 2987 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Froman still has a lot to learn as a quarterback, as he didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year of high school.

The Falcons are relatively set at quarterback with Matt Ryan as the starter and Chris Redman as the backup. But the team could be interested in bringing in a fourth arm to compete and push third stringer John Parker Wilson.

I keep seeing a bunch of mocks having the Falcons take an offensive linemen in the first round of the draft, and frankly from where I’m sitting, I think the odds are very, very, very low that happens. In fact, I think the odds are fairly low that the Falcons will take an offensive lineman at any point in the draft, let alone the first round. And I’ll explain why, and much of it has to do with the labor strife the league is currently undergoing.

I’m not certain what is going to become of the CBA labor situation the rest of this week or going forward. But let’s look at both scenarios: (1) the pessimistic one where a lockout occurs and there is essentially no player movement between now and the draft and afterwards. And (2) the optimistic one in that a new CBA gets hammered out at some point in the next seven weeks before the draft and that we get some semblance of free agency and a relatively normal off-season. How does either scenario affect the Falcons offensive line situation?

We know that Tyson Clabo, Harvey Dahl, and Justin Blalock all had their contracts expire at the end of the 2010 season. The Falcons quickly were able to re-sign reserve Will Svitek last week, getting him locked up for two more seasons as a Falcon. But those three players that aren’t yet signed represent 60% of the Falcons starting lineup, and arguably the best 60%. Clabo landed a Pro Bowl bid this year, and Harvey Dahl quietly had a second solid year in a Falcon uniform. And even Justin Blalock, the player I thought going into this season was the weakest link of the front five improved his play, and arguably was our most consistent blocker over the second half of the season.

Read more…

Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reports that the Falcons have informed two impending free agents wide receiver Brian Finneran and cornerback Brian Williams that they will not be re-signed.

Both players had their contracts expire at the end of the season. Free agency is supposed to begin on Friday on March 4, but will be delayed, if not outright cancelled if the league and the players union cannot come to a new agreement in regards to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Finneran, is behind current center Todd McClure in terms of currently longest tenured Falcon. He first joined the Falcons in December 1999, when he was signed to their practice squad, after appearing in 3 games earlier that season with the Philadelphia Eagles. By the 2002 season, he had ascended to being a starter on the team and their leading receiver. Knee injuries cost him both the 2006 and 2007 seasons, but when Mike Smith and Thomas Dimitroff took over in 2008, they brought him back. This past year, Finneran caught 19 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. All in all, Finneran played 9 seasons with the Falcons, starting 38 of 126 appearances with 236 catches for 3072 yards and 19 touchdowns in that span.

Williams first joined the team just before the start of the 2009 season, as the Falcons sought to shore up their weak cornerback position. Williams managed to start the first five games before an ACL tear cost him the rest of the season. He came back this past year, and managed to shore up the nickel cornerback position after early struggles from Chris Owens in that role. In two seasons combined with the Falcons, Williams managed to start 6 of 21 games, recording 49 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, and recovering two fumbles. Williams originally entered the league as a fourth round pick in 2002 by the Minnesota Vikings, before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2006, where he first played under coach Smith.

The combined loss of these two veterans likely leads the Falcons to try and address their depth at both positions in April’s draft, if not sooner if a CBA can be worked out.

Jay Adams of Atlanta Falcons.com reports that Falcons tight end Justin Peelle will miss the next four to six weeks due to undergoing sports hernia surgery on Tuesday. Backup Michael Palmer will move up in the depth chart to take over for Peelle, who’s duties are mostly as a blocker, but he’s added value as a receiver. For the year, Peelle has 3 catches for 26 yards. Palmer has made catches in each of the past two games likely due to increased playing time from Peelle not being 100%.

Also on today’s injury report, running back Antone Smith was held out with a shoulder injury, suffered vs. the Eagles on special teams coverage.  Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon missed practice and has already been ruled out for this week’s matchup vs. the Cincinnati Bengals as he continues to recover from a knee injury he suffered in Week 5 vs. the Cleveland Browns. The Falcons have a bye next week, which should allow Weatherspoon an extra week to rest and recover. Stephen Nicholas is expected to continue starting in place of Weatherspoon.

Cornerback Dunta Robinson also sat out practice due to the concussion he suffered vs. the Eagles. He also received $50,000 fine from the league for his hit on Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson that caused a concussion in both players. Robinson is appealing his fine. Due to league rules on concussions, his status vs. the Bengals won’t be known until he is cleared by an independent doctor. If he misses the Bengals game, Chris Owens is expected to be the starter.

Jay Adams of Atlanta Falcons.com reports that the Atlanta Falcons have placed running back Jerious Norwood on the injured reserve after he suffered a knee injury on the opening kickoff of the team’s matchup last weekend vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported earlier today that it was a torn ACL in his right knee.

Norwood had thus far had limited usage offensively this year, with his only two carries coming for 8 yards in the season opener vs. the Steelers. He also had a reception for 9 yards in that game, and had been splitting reps with Eric Weems as the team’s kickoff returner. Injuries are nothing new for Norwood, who had only made it through a full 16-game schedule once since joining the Falcons in 2006.

To fill Norwood’s spot on the roster, the team signed running back Gartrell Johnson. Johnson was a fourth round pick with the San Diego Chargers last year, but was cut by that team at the end of camp. He was picked up by the New York Giants, and appeared in 10 games, carrying the ball 13 times for 43 yards (3.3 avg). The 5’10″ 219-pound running back is more of a power runner than the speedy Norwood. You can read about Johnson in a scouting report included in the 2009 FalcFans.com Draft Guide.

The team did manage to add some speed at the position by signing Shawnbrey McNeal to the practice squad. McNeal was another cast-off of the San Diego Chargers and was an undrafted free agent this past year. You can read a scouting report on McNeal, posted here in the forums.

In the absence of Norwood, Antone Smith will likely be elevated up the depth chart and potentially get more reps on Sundays. Depth at running back is fairly thin with the loss of Norwood. Michael Turner suffered what Mike Smith termed a non-severe groin injury during the Week 2 game vs. Arizona. Jason Snelling is expected to get a heavier dose in the offense as he did against the Cardinals.

To free up a space on the team’s eight-man practice squad, the team parted ways with middle linebacker Bear Woods.

Adam Caplan of FOX Sports tweeted late Sunday night that the Falcons had agreed to trade offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka to the New England Patriots. Later reports established that the agreed compensation is an undisclosed draft choice.

Ojinnaka was a 2006 draft pick by the Falcons out of Syracuse. In four seasons with the Falcons, he played in 39 games, starting 12. Last season, he started 5 games at right guard in place of an injured Harvey Dahl. In 2007, he started 7 games at left tackle as an injury replacement for Wayne Gandy. Ojinnaka has experience playing all five offensive line positions, and adds depth and insurance for the New England Patriots due to a lengthy contract holdout from left guard Logan Mankins, and a recent injury to his replacement Nick Kaczur.

Ojinnaka is set to serve a single game suspension this season stemming from a battery arrest in 2009.

The Falcons depth up front had been improved this off-season with the additions of draft picks Mike Johnson and Joe Hawley. Second-year player Garrett Reynolds had been working throughout the preseason as the first right guard off the bench. Ojinnaka had mainly been working at both tackle positions, but has been pushed by Jose Valdez at right tackle.

While compensation hasn’t been disclosed, most summer trades usually involve conditional late round picks. Usually those conditions are contingent on the traded player making the new team’s final roster.

The Falcons shuffled their depth in the secondary today with the additions of safety Eric Brock and cornerback Dominique Daniels. To make room for the pair, the team released cornerback Daylan Walker according to the AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter.

Brock appeared in three total games over the course of the past two seasons with the Falcons, playing solely on special teams. He was cut by the Falcons back in February. Daniels was an undrafted free agent signed this past spring, that was cut back in June. Walker was an undrafted free agent signed by the team in May.

The Falcons needed to address depth in their secondary, as four players were held out of last week’s preseason opener with injuries: corners Dunta Robinson and Brian Williams, and safeties Matt Giordano and William Moore. On Sunday, the Falcons re-signed defensive back Gabe Derricks.

The Falcons essentially ended their kicking competition today by the release of Steven Hauschka. That leaves Matt Bryant as the sole kicker on the roster and the de facto winner of the roster battle. In other roster moves, the team also cut tight end Colin Peek and re-signed defensive back Gabe Derricks.

Both Hauschka and Bryant each hit one of their two field goal attempts on Friday night’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the team seemingly has opted to go with the more experienced Bryant rather than the younger Hauschka.

Peek was an undrafted rookie signed this past April, but was injured during the first day of training camp practices. Derricks was cut a day later to free up a roster spot for Peek’s replacement, tight end Robbie Agnone. Derricks should add depth at the cornerback position, given that Dunta Robinson and Brian Williams both missed this past week’s preseason contest. He too was originally an undrafted rookie free agent signed this past April.