Falcons very high on

[phocis850]

(04-15-2011 09:26 AM)caver50 Wrote:  It's not just you, slot reciever shouldn't even be on the table. Towards the end of last season, Douglas and Ryan finally started to hook up. I'am telling ya that Douglas has a great burst of speed after the catch, they just need to get thier timming down better.

I don't trust HD. Why not bring in someone if HD doesn't pan out?
A great slot receiver will make the other receivers better.

[caver50]

(04-15-2011 11:33 AM)phocis850 Wrote:  I don't trust HD. Why not bring in someone if HD doesn't pan out?
A great slot receiver will make the other receivers better.

Everybody was high on him before his injury. I think he still has that talent, I just believe we have more pressing needs at this time. What round were you thinking of anyway? If we were to go that route, I wouldn't pick one before the 4th or maybe 5th round.

[takeitdown]

(04-15-2011 01:27 AM)Jayhawk-Falcon2012 Wrote:  i don't know if its just me, but honestly i don't see why we're needing a "slot" guy. I'm sorry but watching McCluster here in KC is fine and all but i want some tall #2 that can catch opposite of Roddy. Maybe i'm in the small percentage, but thats just me.

That's our bigger need, it's just that there aren't many good tall 2 receiver prospects this year. I very much think that's the direction we need to go, but if there's not much of that, and we take a slot guy who can open things up this year, and hopefully take the tall 2 next year (when Jenks will only have 1 yr on contract), then that'd be fine, too.

We really need help at both, so I'll not quibble with which they get first, though I sure would like that Plaxico type on the outside to open up our deep game.

[Radical]

You're not looking for starters after round 3. Just because the need isn't pressing doesn't mean you waste it in the 6th round looking for a potential starter. Anything after round 3 are role players, projects, and special team players.

[g-dawg]

(04-15-2011 01:27 AM)Jayhawk-Falcon2012 Wrote:  i don't know if its just me, but honestly i don't see why we're needing a "slot" guy. I'm sorry but watching McCluster here in KC is fine and all but i want some tall #2 that can catch opposite of Roddy. Maybe i'm in the small percentage, but thats just me.

I want Greg Little so bad I can't stand it. He is the "total package".......size(almost 6'3", cter231lbs), speed(4.53/40 - very fast for a guy that size), strength(breaks tackles and runs through guys) and tremendous YAC and big play ability.

I don't know all the character defects - but if Falcons could sign off on the character, I think he could be the #2 WR in this draft behind only A.J. Green. Yeah, I like his skill set better than Julio Jones - I said it.

[Radical]

If his character is signed off on, then I could see TD hitting him up with a mid-round pick.

[Beef]

(04-15-2011 01:27 AM)Jayhawk-Falcon2012 Wrote:  i don't know if its just me, but honestly i don't see why we're needing a "slot" guy. I'm sorry but watching McCluster here in KC is fine and all but i want some tall #2 that can catch opposite of Roddy. Maybe i'm in the small percentage, but thats just me.

You're all missing the point & simply off base if you're trying to pigeon-hole this guy into a slot receiver & think he's a replacement for HD. He's not.

He's a playmaker, a weapon, a deep threat, inside, outside, 3 downs if needed....... all of it. That's what we're looking for & Jernigan plus a few others have the capability of being that type of player. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him & HD on the field at the same time.

If we can stop doing so many 2-TE 4 receiver sets & start looking more like GB, NO, or NE with 4 actual WR's on the field who can burn it up & actually SPREAD defenses out, then we're going to have a much better offense all around. Last year, with HD being unproductive & Meier going down, we didn't have the personel to do this. We made half-assed attempts at it by placing Snelling in the slot & that only worked a few times in the redzone (especially against Arizona). But it's not a solution & it's not going to spread a defense out. We need more playmaking WR's for this, period. We're just too predictible without more speed options.

[Swift Is a Die Hard]

Roddy White snatched a franchise-record 115 passes out of the air last season.

He was a magical and dynamic force as he amassed 1,389 yards and 10 touchdowns to power the one-receiver passing attack. He battled through double-teams and sometimes triple-teams to rack up his impressive numbers.

Injuries were a factor at the other positions as Harry Douglas had to open the season as the starter. He was coming off knee surgery and is best suited to be the slot receiver.

Michael Jenkins missed the first four games with a pinched nerve in his shoulder and made just 11 starts.

Also, the Falcons were hoping that Kerry Meier, a promising fifth-round draft pick would help, but he went down with a knee injury and was lost for the season.

Jenkins nor Douglas ever came on to help relieve some of the attention from White or to help with creating the explosive plays. Jenkins came back to finish fourth on the team in receptions with 41. Douglas averaged 13.4 yards on 22 catches and scored just one touchdown.

With defenses able to concentrate on keeping White in front of them and not worry about somebody running over the top, the Falcons had to painstakingly move down the field, stringing together first downs in order to keep drives moving.

Head coach Mike Smith became comfortable going for it on fourth down and short.

"Creating those explosive plays are very similar to the turnover ratio," Smith said. "If you are giving up a lot of explosive plays, it doesn't really matter how many that you get. You want to win the explosive (play) ratio just like you do the turnover ratio."

Smith stopped short of calling for more deep throws, but it's clear he wants to get up and down the field a little faster.

"You've got to create explosive plays in both the run and pass game," Smith said. "If they are going to (focus on stopping the run), you might have to throw a deep pass."

The Falcons have checked out most of the top receivers in the draft.

They will not be able to secure Georgia's A.J. Green or Alabama's Julio Jones unless they trade up.

However, they have been intensely sniffing around the second tier of wide receivers, too.

Maryland's Torrey Smith sent out a tweet from Flowery Branch recently. Also, they have a pretty thick file on Troy wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan.

They are also looking at some later-round possibilities like Auburn's Darvin Adams, East Carolina's Dwayne Harris and Fort Valley State's Ricardo Lockette.

Harris led the Pirates with 101 catches for 1,123 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He's considered a third- or fourth-round pick. He's from suburban Atlanta's Tucker High School.

The Falcons plan to use all 30 of their visits and Jernigan and Smith were in the first group of players to visit the team.

"We'll get a chance to get them back on the grease boards with the coordinators and the position coaches," general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "We'll let them work the building and get a chance to meet everyone."

—The Falcons know they must face Drew Brees and the vaunted Saints' passing attack twice a year.

They also were quite impressed with the development of Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman last season.

The Falcons went 3-1 against the top quarterbacks in the NFC South and know that Freeman is only going to get better.

They needed overtime to beat the Saints and a miraculous 103-yard kickoff return by Eric Weems to pull out the second Tampa Bay game.

In order to stay atop of the division, the Falcons' defense has to improve on all levels.

They are certain to draft a linebacker in the draft. They selected Sean Weatherspoon with the 19th pick last season and will seek to add another outside linebacker, who can attack the passer and hold up in coverage.

"We still have depth within that group," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "Because of the different packages that you see on defense, there are going to be more guys that are specialized."

While they want the hard-hitting Mike Peterson back to play on run downs, they need an heir apparent at weak-side linebacker.

Weatherspoon showed flashes of explosiveness and the ability to make big plays when he was healthy last season. Stephen Nicholas took over for Weatherspoon and played well. However, Nicholas could be declared a free agent and seek a starting spot elsewhere.

The Falcons will likely pull a linebacker's name off the board in the third or fourth round.

Georgia's Akeem Dent, who had a great Pro Day, came away with a private workout invite from the Falcons. The Falcons have also worked out California linebacker Mike Mohamed.

Dent and Mohamed fit the Falcons' profile of productive four-year players. Both also have their degrees. That was a common theme during the last draft as the team touted the players' high "football intelligence" or "FBI" as they called it.

Dent, who redshirted in 2006 after coming out of Atlanta's Fredrick Douglass High, started all 13 games last season and had a team-best 126 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also forced and recovered two fumbles. He graduated in December with a degree in housing.

Mohamed, 6-3 and 239 pounds, played in 50 of 51 games and made 26 starts for Cal. He received his bachelor's degree from Cal in Business Administration in December of 2010, finishing with a 3.44 cumulative GPA.

He runs a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash and has a 32-inch vertical. He can also tip his helmet to Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud, a Cal product who's considered an ascending star at free safety.

Mohamed made a ton of plays at Cal. He looks pretty fast, but on film you don't see the violence and explosion in his tackling. He's excellent in coverage and had a big pick to secure a victory over Stanford in 2009.

While the Falcons are high on their young linebackers Curtis Lofton and Weatherspoon, they'd like to add another outside linebacker to cross train on the weak side and strong side.

"We have some young guys that have been contributing on special teams, in Spencer Adkins and Robert James," Smith said. "There is going to be a great opportunity this offseason for them to show what they can do."

—Falcons coach Paul Boudreau has crafted together a hostile and mobile offensive line over his first three seasons with the team.

When he took over the unit, it was it tatters.

While high draft picks were spent on left tackle Sam Baker and left guard Justin Blalock, Boudreau has relied mostly on crafty center Todd McClure and former undrafted free agents right guard Harvey Dahl and right tackle Tyson Clabo.

The team appears set to let Clabo test the free-agency waters, when football returns.

There is a possibility that Clabo will attract a super deal and fly the coop. While Dahl and Blalock are also potential free agents, Clabo, who went to the Pro Bowl as an alternate, will be difficult to replace.

"The best thing I can say about these guys is that they have a great chemistry and they play great together," Boudreau said. "There is almost like a nonverbal communication. When they are in the meeting room, they can't shut up. But when they are on the field, everybody kind of knows what everybody else is doing."

Boudreau has been appreciative of their study habits.

"We've been together for three years and we've seen some things together," Boudreau said. "We've adjusted to them and kind of know ahead of time what's happening because of how they approach their jobs."

The rock-solid stability along the line over the last three seasons has allowed quarterback Matt Ryan to develop quickly. Other than Baker getting nicked up as a rookie, the unit has played together.

"They did a very good job of protecting the quarterback (last season)," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "We were one of the top teams in sacks allowed (third, 23 sacks allowed). We did a very good job."

The Falcons have planned for this possible purge along the line by drafting tackle Garrett Reynolds, the nephew of Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds, in the 2009 draft. They also drafted guard Mike Johnson in the third round and center/guard Joe Hawley in the fourth round last year.

The Falcons also have Will Svitek, who started two games at left tackle in 2009.

"The core of what we want to do is going to be controlled by how our offensive line plays," Smith said.

If Reynolds is not ready to take over and they consider Svitek a reserve, the Falcons could be in the right-tackle market.

Late in the first round, the Falcons could be tempted to take Wisconsin's Gabe Carimi or Mississippi State's Derek Sherrod.

Both are big, young and agile tackles. They'd have to check their egos at the door.

"Very few guys can come in and start," Boudreau said. "I had Willie Roaf. I had one other guy who came in as a starter, but very few guys can come in and start. They have learning pains and growing pains."

Boudreau believes that the players drafted to fill in the potential holes on the offensive line are ready.

"These guys have gone through it," Boudreau said. "There are certain days where they are going to struggle. The focus has to be there. The attention to detail has to be there."

—Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has been extremely busy during his three drafts with the Falcons.

In 2008, he traded back into the first round to get offensive tackle Sam Baker with the 21st overall pick after selecting quarterback Matt Ryan third overall. Washington traded its first-, third-, and fifth-round selections (No. 21, 84, and 154) to the Falcons for two of Atlanta's second-round selections and its fourth-round selection (No. 34, 48, and 103). The 84th pick turned into wide receiver Harry Douglas. The 154th pick became defensive end Kroy Biermann.

In 2009, the Falcons traded with St. Louis, which gave up its fifth- and sixth-round selections (138th and 176th overall, respectively) to Atlanta in exchange for wide receiver Laurent Robinson and Atlanta's fifth- and sixth-round selections (160th and 196th overall, respectively). The 138th pick was used on cornerback William Middleton, who is now with Jacksonville. They selected linebacker Spencer Adkins with the 176th pick.

In 2010, the Falcons acquired St. Louis' fifth round selection (135th overall) in exchange for selections in the fifth (149th overall) and sixth round (189th overall). The Falcons had also acquired Detroit's sixth-round pick, and a conditional seventh-round pick for the 2011 draft in the Chris Houston trade. They moved up to the 135th pick to select cornerback Dominique Franks. They selected safety Shann Schillinger with the 171st pick.

He may have to make a move up in the draft this year to get some defensive end help.

All-Pro defensive end John Abraham will turn 33 in May. He's set to enter the last year of his contract.

Despite taking defensive ends in three of the last four drafts, Dimitroff knows that Abraham's heir apparent isn't on the roster.

Jamaal Anderson (2007, eighth overall) has developed into a solid rotational player. He has not developed as a pass rusher.

Kroy Biermann (2008, fifth round) took over the starting position last season, but wasn't able to mount consistent pressure. Lawrence Sidbury (2009, fourth round) was rarely active and has not shown that he's going to be a factor. The light switch has to go on for him quickly after two seasons of learning.

"They still are young," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "We've got to have pressure on the quarterback. It's not always defined by how many sacks that you have."

Abraham returned to form last season with 13 sacks (after just 5.5 in 2009); the rest of the defensive ends combined for only six.

"You want to make sure that the quarterback is under duress and that he's not able to sit back and feel comfortable in the pocket," Smith said.

The Falcons are going to have options with the 27th pick in the first round. Missouri defensive end Aldon Smith is a possibility. The Falcons have taken players from Missouri in the first round in 2010 (linebacker Sean Weatherspoon) and the second round in 2009 (safety William Moore).

So, they like the Tigers.

And there isn't much to dislike about Smith, who is a 6-4, 264-pounder. He was a play-maker for the Tigers. He made 46 plays behind the line of scrimmage over the last two seasons.

Some of the more respected draftniks contend that there are nine defensive ends worthy of first-round grades, so it's likely one will slip through to the 27th pick.

Iowa's Adrian Clayborn, Georgia's Justin Houston and Ohio State's Cameron Heyward are quality ends and potential targets.

"We always are trying to improve our pass rush," Smith said. "There are certain positions that have a premium in the league, and that doesn't change."

NOTES, QUOTES

—As part of their preseason schedule, the Falcons will play a nationally televised game at Jacksonville on FOX Friday, Aug. 19.

—TE Tony Gonzalez said his career could be over if the lockout results in a canceled season.

"Would I sit out a whole season and come back - probably not, honestly," Gonzalez told Sporting News. "At this point, at my age, I don't know if that would be smart of me to do something like that. But I'm enjoying the offseason, working out and preparing like I always do."

Gonzalez, however, believes the season will be played. "I think it might cut into camp," he said. "Into the season, I doubt it. Who knows though? Hopefully we can get these issues resolved. The arguments from the owners' perspective are a little outrageous to me. It's the No. 1 game in the world. I think there are so many ways you could structure a deal. Maybe there are too many chiefs, not enough Indians. Maybe we should get one or two representatives from each side to hammer it out.

"But between the owners and the players, that's a lot of different opinions and that's why the process is going so slow. That's why I don't think it's going to be resolved anytime soon. But I just don't see an entire season being taken away. That would be sad. Not just for the players and the owners, but the fans."

—With the Falcons expected to be on the lookout for a linebacker, coach Mike Smith commented on the team's current group at the position:

"We still have depth within that group. Because of the different packages that you see on defense, there are going to be more guys that are specialized. Mike Peterson was our base defender against the run, and Sean (Weatherspoon) ended up playing in our (nickel) package. I thought that when Sean was out, that Stephen Nicholas did a very good job of fitting into that role.

"We have some young guys that have been contributing on special teams, in Spencer Adkins and Robert James. There is going to be a great opportunity this offseason for them to show what they can do."

—The Falcons had a private workout with Troy wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan.

He is moving up on a lot of draft boards and there is some concern that he might not be available when the Falcons pick in the second round.

It's reasonable to conclude that the Falcons are going defensive end with the 27th pick in the first round.

But Dimitroff, head coach Mike Smith and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey don't show up for everybody's private workout unless the player is getting serious consideration. They were all at Jernigan's workout on Wednesday (March 16).

Jernigan has run a low of 4.32 in the 40-yard dash and a high of 4.55. So, basically, he's a move/slot receiver in the Percy Harvin mold. He played quarterback in high school and was used in Troy's version of the Dirty Bird (Wildcat). He led Eufaula (Ala.) High School to two Region 5A championships in 2005 and 2006.

Asked who he is similar to, Jernigan said, "I would have to say DeSean Jackson. At Troy, I didn't get a lot (of press coverage). I can get off of press, but I just didn't see it a lot in the conference I played in. But I can get off press. I can play outside or inside."

Jernigan was asked to describe what a team would be getting if they selected him.

"No. 1, they'll get a hard worker throughout, 24-7," Jernigan said. "I'll do anything to get a win. They'll get a good receiver, special teams and a team player."

He caught 84 passes for 822 yards and six touchdowns. He had 10 catches for 209 yards against Arkansas State on Sept. 25. He also had three touchdowns rushing, one kickoff return touchdown and one punt return touchdown.

"I always said as a little boy playing (youth) football that I wanted to be in the NFL one day," Jernigan said. "Here I am. I've got a chance."

—Justin Houston, one of the hot hybrid outside linebacker/defensive ends in the NFL draft, has generated some interest from the Falcons.

Houston, who skipped his senior season at Georgia to enter the draft, is considered the 28th-ranked player in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com. He was an All-SEC outside linebacker last season, but is considered a scheme-fit for the Falcons at defensive end.

The Falcons pick 27th in the first round and have been looking at defensive ends and offensive tackles.

The Falcons like Houston's ability to make plays in the opposition's backfield. He had 10 sacks and 181/2 tackles for loss last season. Houston's 20 career sacks rank seventh on the school's all-time list.

Houston bench-pressed 225 pounds, 30 times at the NFL Scouting Combine, which was the fourth highest total in the linebacker group.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Creating the explosive play is an area where we have to improve. If you are giving up a lot of explosive plays, it doesn't really matter how many that you get. You want to win the explosive (play) ratio just like you do the turnover ratio." — Falcons coach Mike Smith.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

DRAFT VISITS: DE Justin Houston, WR Jerrel Jernigan, WR Torrey Smith, PK Kai Forbath, LB Casey Matthews, LB Akeem Dent, CB/S Marcus Gilchrist, WR Dwayne Harris, DE Ryan Kerrigan

TEAM NEEDS

Defensive end: All-Pro defensive end John Abraham will turn 33 in May. He's set to enter the last year of his contract. Despite taking defensive ends in three of the last four drafts, general manager Thomas Dimitroff knows that Abraham's heir apparent isn't on the roster. Missouri's Aldon Smith, Ohio State's Cameron Heyward and Georgia's Justin Houston could all help the Falcons at the position.

Right tackle: Tyson Clabo has likely played his last game with the Falcons. If Garrett Reynolds is not ready to take over, the Falcons could look at Mississippi State's Derek Sherrod.

Outside linebacker: Mike Peterson is expected back, but Stephen Nicholas could be an unrestricted free agent when the labor fog clears. California's Mike Mohamed and Georgia's Akeem Dent are possible mid-round picks.

Wide receiver: Mike Smith has made the call for more explosive plays. He knows that the Falcons need more than Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez in order to open up the offense and take the reins off quarterback Matt Ryan.