Ryan leads Falcons in lockout workout

[atljbo]

Ryan leads Falcons in lockout workout
.BUFORD, Ga. (AP) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan says he doesn't mind working as a player and a coach during the NFL lockout.

Such is life when players are not allowed to report to work and can't talk to their bosses.

But the lockout hasn't kept Ryan from trying to bring his teammates together. He gathered about 30 players for 7-on-7 drills - offense vs. defense - in a scripted session Tuesday on an immaculate practice field at Buford High School, 15 minutes south of the Falcons' training complex.

"This is just something to keep us sharp," Ryan said. "We've all been doing it long enough to understand what's beneficial. You kind of put on your coaching hat and work on some things you want to work on."

It was the Falcons' first time together on a field since losing to Green Bay in the playoffs.

Atlanta draft pick Julio Jones, taken No. 6 overall, has attended some of the passing sessions Ryan has held with Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White. Neither receiver came Tuesday.

Falcons backup quarterback John Parker Wilson indicated that Jones still isn't running at full speed. The former Alabama standout had a foot stress fracture discovered in February, but he still ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds a couple days later at the NFL combine.

Jones underwent surgery in Tuscaloosa when he returned from the combine.

"He looks skinnier on TV than he is in person," Ryan said of the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Jones. "When I first met him, he was enormous. I was like, 'This guy is a monster.' But he's smart, intelligent and we talked about some offensive football.

"I think he'll be really good in our system."

Michael Jenkins, the incumbent starting receiver opposite White, knows he will have to work hard to keep Jones from taking his job.

"You knew at some point we were going to get another receiver with a high pick," Jenkins said. "It's all about the business, and you know how it is. Added competition makes everybody better."

Wilson, who played with Jones at Alabama when the Crimson Tide went 12-2 in 2008, believes Atlanta fans shouldn't worry about Jones' health.

"He's gotten a lot bigger, and it looks like he's gotten a lot stronger," Wilson said. "He was catching balls the other day, and his reach is still so amazing. It's pretty sweet. He couldn't run. He's still working on his foot from when he messed that up, but he looks good. He looks really good."

Without White, Jones or tight end Tony Gonzalez present, Ryan threw passes to Jenkins, Harry Douglas, Brian Finneran and others. Fullback Ovie Mughelli was on the field, too.

Defensively, five starters - cornerback Brent Grimes, safety Thomas DeCoud and linebackers Curtis Lofton, Sean Weatherspoon and Mike Peterson - ran the coverages. Lofton is still half-speed as he recovers from two arthroscopic surgeries on the same knee, but he still made some calls before Ryan took the snap.

Lofton also attends some of the four-day-a-week conditioning sessions hosted by Falcons linebacker Coy Wire in nearby Cumming.

"It's good to have players out here doing this because nobody has to be out here right now," Lofton said. "It says a lot about this team. We've got something special going on here. We've just to keep working hard and hopefully get to a championship some day."

During brief time when the NFL lockout was lifted, Ryan spoke on the phone with coach Mike Smith, coordinator Mike Mularkey and new position coach Bob Bratkowski to help the quarterback map out some practice sessions with no official team supervision.

"We've got the same offense coming back," Ryan said. "We've got a lot of guys on the defensive side of the ball out here, so the calls are going to be the same. We just need to polish some things up and get a little bit of work in together. Fortunately enough, we've got a lot of guys who live here during the offseason and that's not the case in every organization, so I think that helps."

[Swift Is a Die Hard]

Michael Jenkins = straight class..

dude gets a bad wrap ...Is he a stud wr ..nope but he is done what is ask from him and makes clutch grabs ..



Im not to fond of Jones out there is passing sessions for his sake and the team sake...GOD for bid he gets injured and we have no protection and he has no contract . I also hate anyone telling us not to " worry about a INJURY " . or Jones health

[papachaz]

(05-10-2011 08:05 PM)Swift Is a Die Hard Wrote:  Michael Jenkins = straight class..

dude gets a bad wrap ...Is he a stud wr ..nope but he is done what is ask from him and makes clutch grabs ..



Im not to fond of Jones out there is passing sessions for his sake and the team sake...GOD for bid he gets injured and we have no protection and he has no contract . I also hate anyone telling us not to " worry about a INJURY " . or Jones health

if Jenkins can move to the slot and make those amazing catches he could sure help this offense

[atljbo]

I dont think Jenkins is a bum and i somewhat agree with Swift... The guy did what he was asked to do but i think a time came when we needed more then he could do... Dude saw alot of single coverage and could not get separation.

I do think Jenkins can do damage in the slot running those seam routes Colston style... The only thing is,,, His salary...

We will see what TD decide to do... But i do think Jenkins can be a weapon for this team.

[xstealth]

(05-10-2011 06:34 PM)atljbo Wrote:  Ryan leads Falcons in lockout workout


"We've got the same offense coming back," Ryan said.

ahh fuck; they can draft anyone they want, this offense will be the laughing stock of the NFL with their 10 yard out rights and curls after then run run pass scheme that MM runs...


bullshit this is....

[The Falcon Jedi]

(05-10-2011 09:50 PM)atljbo Wrote:  I dont think Jenkins is a bum and i somewhat agree with Swift... The guy did what he was asked to do but i think a time came when we needed more then he could do... Dude saw alot of single coverage and could not get separation.

I do think Jenkins can do damage in the slot running those seam routes Colston style... The only thing is,,, His salary...

We will see what TD decide to do... But i do think Jenkins can be a weapon for this team.

What kills me about Jenkins is he is physically very like Randy Moss. Fast, tall, lean... but what separates them is their mental attitude. Moss is tough, Jenkins is a sissy. Moss fights for balls, sheds being blocked off his routes, and runs fast routes and makes quick breaks. Jenkins is one of the fastest players on this team but you would never know it watching him run routes. He plays Slow, he doesnt attack the ball, and all his problems are mental weakness or lack of desire.

[atljbo]

(05-10-2011 10:36 PM)The Falcon Jedi Wrote:  What kills me about Jenkins is he is physically very like Randy Moss. Fast, tall, lean... but what separates them is their mental attitude. Moss is tough, Jenkins is a sissy. Moss fights for balls, sheds being blocked off his routes, and runs fast routes and makes quick breaks. Jenkins is one of the fastest players on this team but you would never know it watching him run routes. He plays Slow, he doesnt attack the ball, and all his problems are mental weakness or lack of desire.

He is a passive player... He doesnt play to his measurable.... I agree with that

[The Falcon Jedi]

(05-10-2011 11:32 PM)atljbo Wrote:  He is a passive player... He doesnt play to his measurable.... I agree with that

He plays like he doesnt care, or focus, or has any mental toughness. Jenkins could be elite - WE DRAFTED HIM TO BE ELITE IN THE 1ST ROUND. But he has disappointed. Looking back, Jenkins should have been a 4th or 5th round pick.

[Radical]

Jenkins doesn't have near the speed or athletic ability of Randy Moss. Jenkins just lacks explosion and separation ability. He's about middle of the pack with speed in a straight line, but he's slow off the start and slow coming out of his breaks. Throw in the fact that he doesn't have an instinct for the ball and doesn't really attack it in the air, you end up with a WR that plays like he's 5"10. But hey, at least he can block.

[FullMetalFalcon23]

Xstealth, I think they were referring to personnel, they aren't gonna tell the league we will run the same playbook. No adjustments. If you were being sarcastic though, I can say I missed it....

I wonder if after the pro bowl, Matt said "I want a big fast receiver and I want one now." I love having Jones on the team, we really should see Matt start pushing downfield more this year. He is a smart qb he will do it when he needs to. Rather than just keeping it short more often. It is pretty obvious from 08, he can push the ball downfield and over the middle with furor. I personally feel like the opportunity has not been there though. The offense has not been like 08 for the last 2 years. Roddy has been ballin, No speed and versatility threat from norwood and Hd and no suitable step ups in their place., Jenkins best play was in 08. And since then bar his clutch ability, he has just silently been working away. Tony G, has been a great and grounding influence, and has also provided us with veteran savvy play that whilst he is no longer an out and out threat to house any pass can still make you pay if you sleep on him just once. You look at offense and you think we really haven't added much in fresh legs in the draft until now. As high as I am on meier I know that in personnel terms he is a role player even though he can be a play maker he us that reliable guy you can get the ball to. similar to jenkins he will do what is asked for him, except with his FBI I think that could end up being more of an impact from number 4 than Jenkins at number 2 in previous years. Not from a stat point if view but a technical one. Fans will soon be able to see what I mean, where as Jenkins has no identifiable threat to plan for. Surrounding him with players who have talents may be the best way to get more out of Jenkins in efficiency sort of like what happened with fin, Matt threw to him less but when he did it was a high percentage of valuable completions. Jenkins will need a restructure if he is to play a role like that. I think there will be one anyway.

Bringing in Jones and Rogers gives the returning players in this offense a good bit of breathing room. You bookend Matt with 2 threats like we now have, that puts a stretch on the db coverage. You put receivers in between them you thin things out more, add in our strong backfield that now has a viable receiving threat also it makes this offense balanced and still dangerous because we should get back our quick strike ability from 08. I remember mayock talking about game planning for the O, and him talking about how dangerous we were at any time. I do.t wanna go all the way back to that, but we need a balance between the steadiness of the last few years and the dynamism of that year.

Another thing I will say is D needs to come into its own more this year, because the majority of new talent has been there. I think the lack of a defensive draft is a good indication that our young guys are getting closer to being there. But really it must start to be more prevalent. Add in a fa d end or cb or both to sure things up, but it has to be more like the saints game on a regular basis.

Mm and BVG and MS have a bevy of talent at their disposal and with the coherence we have had at skill positions we should and need to see more. I am very excited to see Moore, Spoon and Peters develop. Moore especially. Sometimes he was just clueless on the field but you could see through the growing pains and translating of what he learned in film study and playbook a playmaker emerging