When I hear a head coach with multiple options announce his starting quarterback nearly a week in advance of a game, this is what immediately comes to mind.
Basically, Dixon is raw. He’s extremely physically talented, and there are going to be moments in Sunday’s game where your jaw will probably drop watching him. Dixon will take off and run. Dixon will throw some deep passes. Dixon will also probably throw at least one pick, if not two or three.
If the Steelers are smart, they’ll let Dixon manage the game and occasionally do something electric, but they won’t hand the reins over to him entirely. The Falcons have an opportunistic defense this year, in my mind, and they’ll capitalize on his mistakes. A game that emphasizes Rashard Mendenhall would be a better one for the Steelers, if not the Falcons.
So get ready to see Dixon under center against the Steelers. With any luck, we’ll smash them regardless of who’s back there.
Who’s the ultimate Falcon? And who’s the ultimate anti-Falcon? That’s what we’re going to find out with our summer project: the Scale of Falconliness. We’ll rate former Falcons on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most Falconly. The rule: minimum of three seasons with the Falcons for coaches, five seasons for players.
Let’s face it, family: we’re not going to make it all the way through all the worthy names in Falcons history this time around. We haven’t made it to John Zook, Bob Whitfield, or Scott Case yet, among several others, so it’s safe to say we’ll be back to evaluate more in the future. We can pick it back up next offseason and maybe work through a couple during the bye week, but this week will probably be about the end of Round 1.
Of course, there are two names we couldn’t finish Round 1 without. Today’s isn’t one of those two, but he is a nice young man who once played alongside Lawrence Taylor at UNC.
Eight years as a Falcon. No years as a non-Falcon. Except for the ones before he joined the NFL.
In his first seven years, missed only one stretch of games.
1980 Defensive Co-Rookie of the Year, along with his Falcons linebacking associate Al Richardson.
Still lives in Atlanta I think, doing good deeds, being fan-friendly at draft parties, running a local football camp, and hanging out with teammate Bobby Butler.
The internet also alleges he runs some sort of business here.
Endured almost the entire ’80s, the lost decade of Falcons football history.
Never was thought of as the most incredible football player of all time — isn’t near the Falcons leaderboards in any stat, and earned no Pro Bowls or any other kind of distinction after 1980.
Some of you may be concerned that his son plays for Auburn.
Here is the link if you want to read the official article: http://www.atlantafalcons.com/2010/09/falcons-announce-practice-squad/ Hit the jump if you’re too lazy to read the article.
Dan Klecko, DT/FB: Hardly a surprise. A veteran with versatility, he didn’t have enough left in the tank to stick at the end.
Brett Romberg and Blake Schlueter, Cs: Joe Hawley is the safety of the future. Romberg was no longer needed, and the team decided to cut bait. Schlueter’s a versatile lineman who may land on the practice squad.
Robbie Agnone and Keith Zinger, TEs: As expected, the middling Agnone and pure blocking tight end Zinger were on the chopping block. Zinger may land on the practice squad, while Agnone will ply his trade elsewhere.
Troy Bergeron, Ryan Wolfe, Andy Strickland, Brandyn Harvey, Tim Buckley, WRs: Despite getting extensive run, none of these guys were going to make the final roster over Brian Finnerand Eric Weems. Wolfe and Strickland may get practice squad invites.
Dmitri Nance, RB: Almost certainly a practice squad candidate after a quality showing this pre-season. We’ll see the Rushin’ Russian again someday.
Dominique Daniels, CB: No surprise here. Daniels was signed to provide depth during the pre-season.
Rafael Bush and Eric Brock, S: Brock’s a borderline talent with special teams value. Bush is an intriguing if raw prospect who is ticketed for the practice squad.
Bear Woods and Weston Johnson, LBs: We all love Bear Woods, but he still needs time to develop. He’ll end up on the practice squad if no one else snatches him away. Johnson’s a borderline talent at best.
Emmanuel Stephens and Maurice Lucas, DEs: Neither were going to make it. The Falcons have depth and talent at defensive end, and these guys provide little value.
Jose Valdez, G: A big project lineman, Valdez needs several coats of polish. If he ends up on the practice squad, he’s a guy to watch for the long-term.
Chevis Jackson, CB: For me, the biggest surprise of the day. Jackson had a poor pre-season that probably sealed his fate, but Brian Williams could barely get on the field. Jackson will land elsewhere as a hybrid safety/corner, I expect. The Ravens may have interest.
WHO MADE IT
Vance Walker and Trey Lewis, DTs: Vance Walker is an all-around tackle with developing skills. Long-term, he projects as a valuable reserve lineman with the ability to get into the backfield. The hulking Lewis took huge strides forward this off-season and looks like a potential monster out there. He could get significant snaps in clear running situations, or when the Falcons are matched up against smaller lineman that he can simply roll over on his way to the quarterback.
Joe Hawley and Rob Bruggerman, C/OL: Kind of a no-brainer. Hawley looks tough as nails and is the center of the future after Todd McClure retires. He may see some time at guard this season, too. Bruggeman’s a guy that offers size and some nastiness as a reserve, and he can play outside or in if needed.
Michael Palmer, TE: After watching this guy in pre-season, I believe we have something potentially special on our hands. He’s got great instincts in the passing game and looks like he’ll be coachable as a blocker. Our long-term backup tight end, and he may even see some time as a starter down the line. For now, he’s simply quality depth.
Brian Finneran and Eric Weems, WRs: No big surprise here. I don’t believe Finn offers a lot at this stage in his career, but he’ll be called upon to play outside against the Steelers. Weems is a developing returner who could be a very, very valuable player if he can put it together as a receiver.
Antone Smith, RB: As anticipated, the speedy Smith did enough in pre-season to lock up a roster spot. He’s a poor bet to do much unless the team suffers an injury at the position, but they’ll continue to develop him in the hopes that he’s the long-term answer for Jerious Norwood. Watch him closely this season.
Brian Williams and Dominique Franks, CBs: Williams probably isn’t any more talented than Chevis Jackson, but he had the advantage of being unable to get on the field and prove that. With Jackson gone, he’ll serve as the Falcons’ fourth cornerback and a steadying presence for the younger guys. Franks makes it based on his vast potential. If he flattens out his learning curve a little bit, he could be competing for nickel snaps by 2011.
William Moore and Shann Schillinger, Ss: Moore showed the ability to stack furniture that we’ve all being hoping for. He’ll be a force against the run this year, and he’ll be breathing down Erik Coleman’s neck all year. Schillinger looks like a guy worth watching, and has a very well-rounded skill set.
Coy Wire and Spencer Adkins, LBs: Wire makes it as a special teams player and a capable enough veteran linebacker. Adkins makes it because he’s freakishly athletic, and the Falcons are betting he’ll start putting it together in 2010. Look for both to offer a lot of value on special teams.
Robert James, LB: This one’s a huge surprise. I thought for sure that James’ brush with PEDs would harm his chances of making the roster, but he looked awfully tough picking up a sack against the Jaguars. He’ll also provide special teams value.
Mike Johnson, G: The guy’s a future starter. No chance he was going to be off the team.
Matt Bryant, K: At least for now, Bryant’s job is safe. He’ll look to put a bad pre-season behind him and focus on nailing field goals within 40 yards. Beyond that, the Falcons may be more aggressive on fourth downs or simply turn kicks over to Michael Koenen.
The deadline to cut down to the final 53 man roster is at 6 p.m. today.
Along the way, a lot of pre-season Falcons are going to have to get the boot. Use this thread to predict, mull and pontificate on the cuts before they happen, and perhaps to put forth your own preferred final roster. For the record, I’m sticking with my picks outside of a couple quick changes to the practice squad, which I’ll reproduce after the jump.
I’ll be off and on the computer all day, but I’ll have a cuts wrapup by the end of it. In the meantime, if you guys can write front-page worthy FanPosts about the rounds of cuts, I’ll pop ‘em up.
Enjoy!
QB Matt Ryan QB Chris Redman QB John Parker Wilson RB Michael Turner RB Jerious Norwood RB Jason Snelling RB Antone Smith FB Ovie Mughelli WR Roddy White WR Michael Jenkins WR Harry Douglas WR Brian Finneran WR Eric Weems TE Tony Gonzalez TE Justin Peelle TE Michael Palmer T Tyson Clabo T Sam Baker T Garrett Reynolds T Will Svitek G Justin Blalock G Harvey Dahl G Mike Johnson C Todd McClure C Joe Hawley DE John Abraham DE Kroy Biermann DE Lawrence Sidbury DE Chauncey Davis DE/DT Jamaal Anderson DT Peria Jerry DT Jon Babineaux DT Vance Walker DT Corey Peters DT Trey Lewis OLB Stephen Nicholas OLB Sean Weatherspoon OLB Mike Peterson MLB Curtis Lofton MLB Spencer Adkins LB Coy Wire CB Dunta Robinson CB Chris Owens CB Brent Grimes CB Dominique Franks CB Chevis Jackson FS Thomas DeCoud SS Erik Coleman SS William Moore S Shann Schillinger K Matt Bryant/Kris Brown P Michael Koenen LS Joe Zelenka
PRACTICE SQUAD
S Rafael Bush RB Dmitri Nance WR Dezmon Briscoe LB Bear Woods WR Ryan Wolfe TE Keith Zinger OL Blake Schlueter Some guy another team released
I thought this was a nice, low-risk signing from the beginning, and it’s easy to move on now that it hasn’t borne fruit. Klecko has a lot of positional versatility—he can play fullback and along the defensive line—but it became evident that he can no longer do either one particularly well. At some point, the ability to play multiple positions is not worth the risk that you’ll blow plays on both sides of the ball.
Ovie Mughelli is of course locked in as the starting fullback, and Jason Snelling is probably our emergency option.
While some teams jettison six players at once, the Falcons are taking the gentlemanly approach. Every good executioner should take the time to lavish individual attention on those facing the axe. It’s the proper way to do things.
Anyways, unsurprisingly Eric Brock did not beat out Shann Schillinger for the last safety spot on the Falcons. Brock has been an on-again, off-again member of the Falcons for a while now, and he did nothing but offer solid special teams value and a little average play in the time he was here. Unfortunately for him, Schillinger caught fire in the pre-season and Brock is on his way to free agency land again.
I will, however, bet you a significant amount of Monopoly money that he’ll be back with the team next time there’s an injury in the secondary.
The final game of the pre-season is also the final proving grounds for many Falcons.
You’ll see your fair share of roster spots decided before this one is even over, so take in one more performance from some of your favorite undrafted free agents tonight. It’s also a chance for the entire team to trot out a vaguely regular season-like performance, so half the fans don’t go into a panic because oh my god we only gained two yards on that run! And so forth.
It doesn’t hurt that the Falcons are up against a pretty tough team. The Jaguars have a decent defense and a burgeoning offense, which is thankfully minus human bowling ball Maurice-Jones Drew. It should be a good opportunity to get things ready for the Steelers, though David Garrard is (roughly) six million times more mobile than Byron Leftwich.
As always, this is your game discussion thread. I’ll see you guys there!
Weather? Going to be a warm one. And hey, there’s always the possibility a hurricane hits. Best chance John Parker Wilson has of throwing a 50 yard pass.
Injuries? Aside from holding guys out for an abundance of caution, nobody should be missing this game. Final tune-up, folks.
Jaguars will be missing Maurice Jones-Drew, which should make life easier for the Falcons.
