Falcons: PFT - Falcons won’t overpay to keep Curtis Lofton, John Abraham

[[cHaOs]]

Letting Abe walk is not the answer

[Radical]

Where did Nolan say Lofton was bad at pass coverage?

[Anomaly]

(02-25-2012 12:32 AM)Radical Wrote:  Where did Nolan say Lofton was bad at pass coverage?

Just another 2nd hand rumor like the Grimes one.

[Statick]

(02-25-2012 12:32 AM)Radical Wrote:  Where did Nolan say Lofton was bad at pass coverage?

He didn't. That was just my guess that would be a reason as to why he wouldn't cry at letting Lofton go.

[FullMetalFalcon23]

(02-25-2012 12:32 AM)Radical Wrote:  Where did Nolan say Lofton was bad at pass coverage?

There was an article where Nolan is said to have said that we want Lofton back. But that he would come out in Nickle packages and Sean would play middle, because he was not convinced by what he saw on tape this year.

I can't be bothered to find the article but I remember reading it linked from more than one site. That being said I can't confirm how much is speculation. It could easily have been "Sean will play middle in N packages" and assumptions for why were generated from there I don't remember what was written as quoted.

Also Nolan wouldn't have said Lofton is bad in pass coverage. This season he was quite good I'd be interested to know in which formations he made most of his plays. There was even that one where he made a great play levelling a TE but called on it. He was more active and had more presence. But in comparison to Sean and Nic yeah he is 3rd in coverage. And I can understand why Nolan would say why take out one of my better cOver guys on a passing down and leave in one of my elite run stoppers when I could have both my better cover guys in and know that any drop off in run play won't be huge when its likely the team will pass from that personnel set anyway.

It's clear we want Lofton back. But anyone remember post Super Bowl the packers released then re signed hawk to a better contract. Lofton needs to use that sort of sense now. I don't think there are many playoff ready and competing teams who need a linebacker with his skill set and furthermore would pay him a high amount of money.

Now a low tier team with a porous defense that is struggling yeah they would but what are you about money or championship opportunities?

[FullMetalFalcon23]

Regarding Abe it's on the NFL homepage that he said his salary pales in comparison to top ends. He then tweeted that what he means is top ends make 12 to 16 mil. He asked if he was worth 10.

I'll be honest if he wants that much then that needs to incentive riddled. BUT. I don't wanna be a douchebag here. I don't want to see us resign Abe to something that could be worth that much at his age. We know our D is gonna bring more heat anyway. And if we lose Abe we know we can bring in an FA for longer with a less significant cap hit in this year and still get the same if not better production. I'll be honest here I'd let him walk purely because we have Edwards and 3 other pass rushers. In Nolan's system those guys are gonna have to work out of 3 guys one surely will break ahead of the others Sidbury has looked better and better in limited action he actually had the same rate of pressure as Abe although his sample is smaller. Matthews is another guy I like as a pass rusher also. We get better interior pressure those ends get better.

We have to be smart with out cap. Pouring a 3rd of our space into a player who will be gone in a year or 2 is a bad move IMO.

[Paprika Neck]

Abes worth ten mil a year he's still one of the most productive pass rushers in the nfl. Lofton isn't worth ten but grimes is

[phocis850]

Nolan having a better defense than BVG is speculation also.

[ggp]

Grimes will be on the team next season. It is now a matter of how much of a cap hit he will be. My guess is that the words "franchise tag" have been mentioned in negotiations. It would be best for both parties to come to a long term deal and move on from there. TD realizes that the Robinson contract was a huge mistake but he also realizes that he can not do anything about it for at least one year. So, the team will have to sink a large chunk of cap space into two CB's this coming year.

The Lofton stuff amounts to nothing more than posturing. Lofton is wanted back for his leadership and run stuffing talents. His pass defense has improved but can not be described as very good. Perhaps this deficiency can be minimized in a 3-4 set. The bottom line is that we will be spending a lot of cap space on CB's and we simply can not afford to throw a lot of money at a player that can be replaced by a recent draft pick. Dent may not be as good as Lofton, but I doubt the new defense will see a great drop off in the run game. Why do I say this? Because I believe that we will add another DT to the roster. Whether by free agency or draft, I think that the Falcons will add a big run stopper to be our NT. If we do that, a player like Lofton becomes less crtitical to keep.

John Abraham is a terrific pass rusher. He has enjoyed the fruits of his labors. He has been compsensated very well for over a decade. While DE salaries have sky rocketted recently, he has honored his contract like a real man. At this point in his career, his contract wil naturally reflect his advancing age. He could play for another five seasons, but history has shown that pass rushers decline with time. Given the recent interview, it is apparent that the FO has been honest with Abe and laid out their intentions. Understandably, he feels rejected and he let his emotions show. With time, he will get over it. He will either return to the Falcons or sign with someone else. But, he will not get $12M/year.

[Paprika Neck]

(02-25-2012 10:57 AM)phocis850 Wrote:  Nolan having a better defense than BVG is speculation also.

pretty sure it was mike smiffs defense, bvg kind of made that clear in an interview about taking the job at auburn.