Ryan and I give our thoughts on the Falcons State of the Franchise address from this past week including debating what may come of the Falcons new stadium, and the buzz it could create among the fanbase and whether or not it matters all that much. We also discuss what changes they can realistically expect with new coordinators, and what level of influence does Mike Smith have on those chances. We discuss Jason Snelling and his potential role with the team as well. Later, we talk about the NBA playoffs, including quite a bit on Ryan’s beloved Indiana Pacers against the Miami Heat. We also talk about wrestling, boxing, and MMA. Ryan professes his love for the women of TNA, while I stick by the old standby in Kim Kardashian. The topic without a doubt turns to stalkers and Vince McMahon’s profound philosophical insights before it’s all said and done.

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Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes

If you have any questions and comments, you can hit us up on Twitter, post in the forums in the podcast thread, or drop Ryan an e-mail at: ryan-valdez@live.com. Don’t forget to drop by every week to hear our live broadcast at: justin.tv/didziojo

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The team announced via Twitter that running back Jason Snelling has agreed to terms of a new deal. Snelling was an impending free agent, and joins Kroy Biermann and Thomas DeCoud as players that the Falcons have re-signed before the start of free agency next Tuesday, March 13.

Terms of the deal were undisclosed. Last summer, the Falcons re-signed Snelling to a one-year contract. Snelling split reps with Jacquizz Rodgers early in the season as the team’s third down running back. But when fullback Ovie Mughelli was put on injured reserve, he gained more playing time as a part-time lead blocker, sharing time with Mike Cox. In the past, Snelling has proven himself a valuable replacement starter at tailback. He had his best season in 2009, where he rushed for over 600 yards and 4 touchdowns, most of which came in the final 6 games due to the injury to starter Michael Turner. This past year, Snelling had 44 carries for 151 yards, along with 26 receptions. His ability to help out as a runner, receiver, blocker, as well as on special teams (30 tackles in five seasons) makes him an extremely valuable role player. Snelling was originally a seventh round pick for the team in 2007.

Is Ovie done in Atlanta?

New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter by many accounts prefers to use more two-tight end sets rather than using the traditional fullback position. But from what I’ve read, it seemed that in Jacksonville Greg Jones was so good as a lead blocker that he couldn’t really phase him out like he normally would. For much of the Mike Smith/Mike Mularkey Era, Ovie Mughelli has widely been considered the best or one of the best lead blockers in the game. But that all changed last year. If I’m not mistaken, Mughelli injured his knee early against the Bears (perhaps on the opening kickoff), but proceeded to continue playing with the injury until he was placed on injured reserve in October. That injury could explain why Mughelli was largely ineffective as a lead blocker through the first month or so of the season. Or it could be age starting to catch up with him. But Mughelli was only 31 this past year, and other top fullbacks similar to him like Lorenzo Neal, William Henderson, Mack Strong, and Tony Richardson were able to continue playing at a high level into the mid-to-late thirties.

But all of this raises questions about his future with the team. Mughelli is coming off season-ending knee surgery, entering the final year of his contract which will pay him $3 million in base salary. That’s a hefty price to pay for a fullback, even one as good as Mughelli. Especially if the Falcons shake up the running back position as much as they potentially could.

Part of the equation will be how the Falcons felt about Mughelli’s replacement, Mike Cox. Cox will be a free agent, and he certainly had his moments as a lead blocker, but he certainly didn’t come close to playing at the level that Ovie has been known to play at over the years. But if Koetter intends to minimize the role of the lead blocker, then it’s probably smarter to go with a cheap but solid guy like Cox, rather than the more expensive Mughelli. One certainly expects that Cox can be re-signed for considerably less than the $3 million the team would be paying Ovie. Retaining Jason Snelling also would give them another alternative option.

The Falcons also need help at tight end, and likely will target some young guy in the draft to groom as the heir apparent to Tony Gonzalez. And it will be interesting to see if they target someone that is more of an H-back type than your traditional inline tight end. If that is the case, then it would de-emphasize Mughelli’s role and value as well.

At this point, I would probably be pleasantly surprised if Ovie Mughelli returns to the Falcons in 2012. Just the sheer combination of age, injury, salary, and the fact that the team has two decent alternatives in Cox and Snelling, probably puts Ovie behind the eight ball. I would personally love to see him return because I still think a healthy Ovie can be a very effective player on this team and within this offense. But I can certainly understand if the Falcons brass decide to move in a different direction.

Jacquizz Rodgers

I’ve already discussed that I believe the Falcons should be parting ways with Michael Turner this off-season. And if that were to happen, then it would leave a pretty large hole atop the team’s depth chart at the running back.

One hope would be that Jacquizz Rodgers can fill that hole or at least a large part of it. Rodgers was underutilized by the Falcons this past year, and he could blossom in Dirk Koetter’s offense. Koetter maximized the abilities of Maurice Jones-Drew in Jacksonville, and there are many similarities between the two players. But more than likely, the Falcons aren’t going to want to thrust such a huge responsibility on Rodgers. And by no means should the Falcons put all of their eggs in that basket.

Turner’s potential departure should improve the odds that Jason Snelling should return to the Falcons. Snelling is by no means great, but he’s a consistently solid and is versatile due to his ability to play a multitude of roles as a runner, receiver, blocker, and on special teams. He’s proven in the past to be a capable replacement starter for Turner, and thus should get another opportunity to showcase that ability.

But what the Falcons really need to do is go after someone that is in a position to potentially take over the No. 1 spot and be the sort of workhorse that receive up to 250 carries next year.

The big names on the market are Baltimore’s Ray Rice, Chicago’s Matt Forte, and Houston’s Arian Foster. But it’s been well-known since October that Rice and Forte will receive the franchise tag from their respective teams, and Foster is just a restricted free agent. So barring the Falcons packaging players and both of their Day 2 draft picks in a trade, they won’t have the opportunity to even sniff at any of them.

But the free agency cupboard still is not barren after those guys, just there is nobody that is clearly a top back. Cedric Benson (Cincinnati), Michael Bush (Oakland), Tashard Choice (Buffalo), Justin Forsett (Seattle), Ryan Grant (Green Bay), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (New England), Tim Hightower (Washington), Peyton Hillis (Cleveland), Thomas Jones (Kansas City), Marshawn Lynch (Seattle), and LaDainian Tomlinson (NY Jets) are some of the backs in that next group of runners.

Read more…

While twenty players appeared on the Falcons Friday injury report, the majority of them were able to fully participate in the last two or three days of practice this week. Listed among the players that were not are linebacker Stephen Nicholas and cornerback Brent Grimes. Nicholas is doubtful for Sunday’s playoff game against the New York Giants, while Grimes is listed as questionable. Nicholas (turf toe) did not practice all week, and has missed four of the past five games with that injury. He is expected to be replaced by Spencer Adkins, who got his first career start last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Grimes missed both Wednesday and Thursday’s practices with his knee injury, but was able to go on a limited basis on Friday. Missing Thursday practice was considered a precautionary measure by head coach Mike Smith. Grimes missed last weeks’ reguar season finale after returning the week before against the New Orleans Saints. If Grimes is unable to go, then Dominique Franks would likely get the start at left cornerback. Before returning against the Saints, Grimes had missed three straight games, all of which he was replaced by Franks in the starting lineup.

Also listed on the injury report as probable were wide receivers Harry Douglas (groin) and Kerry Meier (groin), safety William Moore (groin), tight end Michael Palmer (knee), and running backs Jason Snelling (knee) and Michael Turner (groin). All except Snelling (limited participation) were held out of Wednesday’s practice. All would go on a limited basis on Thursday. Palmer and Snelling were able to participate fully on Friday, while the others still were limited.

For the Giants, linebacker Mark Herzlich was listed as out for the game with an ankle injury. Defensive end Justin Tuck was added to the injury report on Friday with a shoulder injury, but is probable for Sunday’s game. Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) missed both Wednesday and Thursday practices, but returned on a limited basis on Friday. He is listed as probable along with tight end Jake Ballard (knee), running back Da’Rel Scott (knee), offensive tackle Tony Ugoh (ankle), defensive end Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee), and cornerback Corey Webster (hamstring).

Jones makes a diving grab

A lot of great plays have been made by the Falcons offense this year. Some bruising runs by the backs and some acrobatic catches on the part of the receivers.

It was very tough to pick a winner and it really came down to three acrobatic catches that really stood out in my eyes, each from a respective receiver: Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones. But in the end, I had to give the rook the love for his diving catch against the Colts.

The Gonzalez one-handed grab in the back of the endzone against the Eagles and White’s finger-tip grab vs. Detroit were the other two plays.

Here are some other plays of note for the year, including some more from the receivers:

• Michael Turner’s bruising run vs. the Titans
• Turner’s game-busting run vs. the Eagles
• Snelling’s bruising catch and run vs. the Saints in Week 10
• Quizz’s 31-yard TD catch vs. Carolina in Week 14
• Douglas catch and run vs. Vikings
• Gonzo’s one-handed snag vs. Seattle
• Julio’s 49-yard catch vs. Tampa Bay in Week 3
• Julio’s 29-yard sprint vs. Jacksonville

The Falcons released their injury report this week, and Sam Baker was listed as questionable after limited participation in all three days of practice. Baker missed the past three games with a back injury. Two weeks ago he was reportedly expected to miss 3-4 weeks. He has been replaced by Will Svitek in the team’s past three outings.

Wide receiver Julio Jones was also listed as questionable, despite not practicing all week due to re-aggravating a hamstring injury in last week’s loss to the Saints. Jones suffered the original injury in a Week 5 loss against the Packers, missed two games, but then returned two weeks ago to have a big game against the Colts. If Jones is unable to go on Sunday, he will be replaced by Harry Douglas who is coming off a career high performance against New Orleans.

Expected to miss a second consecutive game is William Moore (quadricep), as he also did not practice this week. James Sanders will start in place of him at strong safety.

Several other players were listed as probable for this weekend’s game against the Tennessee Titans. Harry Douglas (thigh), Ray Edwards (knee), and Antone Smith (knee) all were able to participate fully in the past two days of practice and were probable. Brent Grimes (knee) and Jason Snelling (hamstring) were both limited on Wednesday and Thursday, but participated fully in Friday’s practice. Curtis Lofton (ankle) was added to the injury report after Thursday, but also went full bore on Friday. John Abraham and Todd McClure were also included on the injury report, but only because both were held out of Wednesday’s practice for non-injury related rest. They had full participation in both Thursday and Friday’s practices.

The Titans linebacker corps is shaken up with starters Gerald McRath (hamstring) and Barrett Ruud (groin) both listed as questionable on their injury report. Both were able to practice fully on Friday. Backup linebacker Colin McCarthy (knee) is also questionable after missing the last two days of practice. Defensive end Dave Ball will miss the game with a concussion.

Unfortunately, this little feature has slipped my mind the past two weeks. So we’ll bring it back again. This week’s highlight has to be Jason Snelling’s 24-yard catch and run where he broke several tackles and rumbled through practically all of the Saints defense. He would not be denied.

Snelling Rumbles

Honorable Mentions

Harry Douglas 46-yard catch & run

Ryan threads needle to Gonzo

Bryant’s game-tying FG

Mughelli celebrates vs. Carolina

Jay Glazer of FOX Sports tweets that the Falcons are going to place fullback Ovie Mughelli on injured reserve due to the knee injury he suffered on Sunday against the Detroit Lions. The exact nature of Mughelli’s knee injury has yet to be disclosed. Earlier reports suggested that Mughelli’s season would not end. Per Zach Klein of WSBTV, Mughelli suffered a torn MCL, which is an injury that is rarely treated with surgery, and is known to be able to heal fully inside 6 weeks.

The Falcons brought in two free agent fullbacks: Mike Karney and Jason McKie today for workouts during their bye week.

Jason Snelling likely will be the team’s first option to replace Mughelli in the starting lineup. But if they sign one of those players, it might not be long before they are inserted in the lineup. The Falcons have also made ample use of the two-tight end set in past games where Mughelli has been limited, likely meaning more reps for backup tight ends Michael Palmer and Reggie Kelly.

Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network tweets that the Falcons are working out free agent fullback Jason McKie and Mike Karney today. The Falcons apparent interest in McKie is likely related to the knee injury Ovie Mughelli suffered in the Falcons win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

While the severity of Mughelli’s injury has yet to be disclosed, it does not appear to be season-ending and Mughelli himself tweeted Sunday evening that he would be back soon and the injury looked worse than it actually was. According to ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas, the Falcons interest in a free agent blocker likely indicates that Mughelli will miss an extended period of time.

McKie and Karney are noted for their physical blocking style, similar to Mughelli. Reserve running back Jason Snelling filled in for Mughelli after he suffered his injury on Sunday, and at various times in the past has done the same. In 2009, when Mughelli was sidelined for two games, the Falcons used Verron Haynes instead of Snelling primarily as the fullback, and likely will use either veteran pickup in a similar manner. The Falcons will have time to get McKie, Karney, or any free agent fullback up to speed in the offense since they have a bye this week.

McKie last played a game with the Chicago Bears in 2009. McKie spent six seasons with the Bears, including the final four where he served as their starter at fullback. He was cut by the Bears after the 2009 season, and then signed by the Saints the following spring. He was cut by the Saints at the end of 2010′s training camp. The Baltimore Ravens would sign him in November, where he spent six weeks on the team’s inactive list. But the team cut him at the outset of this past summer’s training camp.

McKie was originally an undrafted rookie out of Temple, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2002. He spent some time that year on the Eagles practice squad before joining the Dallas Cowboys active roster at the end of the year. He would be cut by the Cowboys the following summer before being claimed by the Bears.

Karney spent the past two years with the St. Louis Rams, after five seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He was cut by the Rams this past summer. He helped clear running lanes for Deuce McAllister while with the Saints in the latter part of his career.