Falcons: Sidbury not about Falcons, can't wait to leave team.

[mdrake34]

WTF?
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/atlanta-falco...cons-life/
By D. Orlando Ledbetter

Defensive end Lawrence Sidbury is ready to put his four-year stint with the Falcons in his rear view mirror.

The team and the player are both apparently ready to move on.

“No, it’s not a place you would stick around considering what took place the previous year in your fourth year,” said Alan Herman, Sidbury’s agent, when asked if returning to the Falcons was an option. “That would not be an option for us. That’s not something he would want to do.”

Sidbury posted four sacks in 2011 and appeared ready to bust into the rotation and provide the pass-rush starved Falcons with some help. After another strong preseason, he never got the opportunity to play last season

Six-time NFL executive of the year Bill Polian rated Sidbury as a Tier B free agent.

“I had a few talks with Thomas Dimitroff and it was just one of those things; coaches decision,” Herman said. “Most general managers in the league . . . have to go along with coaching decisions.”

Dimitroff drafted Sidbury in the fourth round (125th overall) of the 2009 draft out of Richmond. Sidbury started 31 of 52 games at Richmond and recorded 145 tackles (71 solo), 20.5 sacks, 38 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four passes defensed. His 20.5 sacks rank fourth in school history and his 11.5 quarterback takedowns in 2008 placed him third on the school's single-season record list.

He set the NCAA record for the most sacks in a playoff game against Montana in a 2008 FCS title game with four.

But his career with the Falcons never took off.

“You play out the contract and then you look for another place to call home,” Herman said.

Sidbury played in 16 games as a rookie. He played in six games in 2010 and in 16 games in 2011 and saw his most action from scrimmage. He only played in 10 games last season.

“It’s hard to prove yourself when you’re sitting on the bench,” Herman said. “It was clear that he had more than a decent preseason. He was active in his pass rushes. I thought he put pressure on the quarterback. He just wasn’t afforded that opportunity during the season. You can’t sack anybody from the bench.”

He showed signs of progress in 2011, but didn’t seem to fit into the plans during Mike Nolan’s first season as the coordinator.

“He had 4.5 half sacks and two more were disputed (in 2011),” Herman said. “We actually thought he had 6.5 sacks when we looked at the tape. The bottom line is I thought he played well the year before and showed signs of being able to get to the quarterback and then not getting the opportunity this year was exceptionally frustrating.”

The Falcons like to use their backup ends on special teams. Sidbury gave it his best try on special teams, but was apparently beaten out by other players

“I can’t comment on special teams, that’s another coaching decision,” Herman said.

Sidbury’s plight was bizarre considering that Ray Edwards was released.

“He’s going to make his mark on getting to the quarterback,” Herman said. “One of the things that Atlanta has been deficient in is putting pressure on the opposing team’s quarterback. I thought that he fulfilled a need that the club had, but it was frustrating with a capital ‘F’ not getting the opportunity to get on the field and show what he could do.”

To his credit, Sidbury didn’t fuss during the season about his role with the Falcons. He didn’t even want to talk about it on Wednesday at the Career Expo at the W Hotel in Buckhead. He referred all questions about free agency to Herman.

“It was a very difficult year for Lawrence,” Herman said. “He complained and fussed to Jared Fox and myself. All we tried to do was be supportive of him. You know, what could we do? You talk to the general manager and you try to find out what’s going on, which we had numerous conversations. It’s one of those things that happens in football and sports, sometimes a guy doesn’t get an opportunity with one team. Hopefully, he can prove himself when he gets to the next team.”

Based on “winks and nods” at the NFL scouting combine for team executives, Herman is expecting his phone to be ringing on Saturday when teams can officially talk to agents about their clients.

“I think he’ll have a number of options,” Herman said. “I expect this weekend to be busy with a number of people who I think are going to call and want to talk about Lawrence. I would expect to see him sign somewhere pretty quickly.”

[FullMetalFalcon23]

I tell you the honest truth about My feelings regarding Sidbury. He has always been a player that just flashed. You would think Nolan would want to use him based on what we have seen of him, everywhere that man had been he has not missed a beat in either acquiring or developing somebody already there into a focal point if his pass rush.

The most common trend amongst those guys however are that those players seemed willing to put himself in a position to succeed someday. Eg Wake going to Canada. Maybe Nolan just did not like the lack of that attitude alongside the talent as much as he did in guys like Matthews and Massaquoi.

Lets face it, it is not just all the teams fault when a fourth year player is getting passed over for defensive snaps, not just dressing time buy a 2nd year guy and a rookie.

The falcons don't do malcontents and guys who aren't team players. If you show yourself to be like that especially when your value to the team is limited then yeah you are likely to be riding the pine.

Nolan would have played Sidbury if he wanted, if he felt that that talent could do something exceptional. That's the bottom line. He was in charge of that defense you could see that. It wasnt Mike Smith's defense he was running. It was his own creation based on our players.

I wish Sidbury the best of luck off in the future but I am of the mindset you have to give some to get some and considering that he seemed week in the run game department. If pass rushing is all he can do. He should go to a 3-4 team that can use him that way.

The interview not the article itself is about as biased and cloaked as you can get from an agent. Talks about the positives of his client. But the negatives of the team he played for. This isn't the kind of information that will encourage smart franchises to ring.

[phocis850]

Complaining about not playing is a ticket out.

He must not have proved anything during practices.

[FullMetalFalcon23]

Something just doesn't add up about it that I think should give a team pause first. Sidbury isn't gonna be the first end signed. I doubt he gets starter money unless its to a cap strapped team who are trying to rebuild. And want to sign him cheaply which he would be. He isn't getting a Kroy Biermann type contract.

But again I will say it. We all thought after the season he had he was the next man up. It was him not Matthews nor Massaquoi heck for some more than Kroy, it was expected that Nolan would want to use him as his Joker in the front 7 the Dumerville the Wake in Atlanta. Thing is those guys are still pretty versatile in comparison to Sidbury and you gotta think Nolan looked at the tape and thought that's not my guy. Abe was his rusher last year, how much of that was Abe's work and how much of that was the scheme geared to cause the match ups to get Abe home I don't know.

Again though if the team was happy to let Abe go when we were already middling in pass rush then they know what we don't know, whether it is by personnel on board player additions or scheme it seems Nolan has give. TD Smith and Blank the confidence to execute a plan that backs him up.

I just want Free Agency to start so that we can start getting some clues. The draft will help too.

[JDaveG]

I think it likely boils down to ST play. My guess is the staff thought he was unwilling to give his all on ST, and based on that didn't want him getting significant snaps on defense.

Maybe he just wasn't a very good ST player, but I have to wonder. If you have the talent to get a lot of snaps on defense, one would think you have the talent to show out on ST as well. That's how young, late round picks make football teams and get playing time. You play ST. This isn't exactly a well kept secret.

[babuka]

Going to have to draft a DE in the first and second round. This team needs some pass rushers really bad. May need a free agent to along with them.