Team Report says TD Mortgaged away part of the Falcons' future

[Swift Is a Die Hard]

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff, in a very un-New England-like move, mortgaged away apart of the Falcons' future in order to add fleet wide receiver Julio Jones.

The Falcons moved up 21 spots in the first round in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.

The Falcons switched first-round picks this year with the Browns. They also sent this year's second- and fourth-round picks to the Browns and next year's first- and fourth-round picks.

"It was an aggressive and bold move to trade up for player that we believe truly adds the explosiveness that we are looking for on this team," Dimitroff said. "We feel that Julio is a fine addition to our offense. We think that he'll help provide Matt (Ryan) with the tools we need going forward."

Jones was a three-year starter for the Crimson Tide.

"I'm just grateful for what they did, to trade up to get me," Jones said. "I really can't explain it right now. I feel like they have a lot of trust in me. I'm not going to disappoint."

Jones has been known to make the acrobatic catch and then occasionally drop an easy catch.

"I'm not ashamed," Jones said. "I play very hard. If I drop a ball, I drop a ball. But I had to teach myself to slow down. Play fast, but don't hurry. I usually would just take my eyes off the ball while I was trying to make play."

The draft experience was emotionally tough for Jones, who is from Foley, Ala. He still has several friends back in Tuscaloosa, which was hit by the tornado on Wednesday.

"I was hoping that nobody was injured," Jones said. "Unfortunately some people were hurt and killed. One of my teammates, Carson Tinker, got involved with the tornado. It killed his girlfriend and broke his arm."

The Falcons have been considering the move for more than a month. They even looked into getting up to the second pick, but nothing was feasible.

Over the final 48 hours before the draft, they knew that the sixth or the seventh pick was attainable.

The Falcons plan to couple Jones with Pro Bowl wide receiver Roddy White, who led the NFL in catches with 115 last season.

"They are not going to be able to defend us the way they have defended us in the past," Smith said.

Jones is looking forward to the challenge.

"When I went through the interview with Atlanta, they showed me a couple of plays where the safety was rolling over to double Roddy White," Jones said. "I just want to come in a take some pressure off him and make those guys play him one-on-one."

Normally, the Falcons could have retained some of their picks and included players in a deal, but because of the current labor situation, they were not allowed to include players.

"That's been the most innovating side of this because you are obviously trying to come up with compensation that is fair," Dimitroff said.

—The Falcons made a bold move, moving up 21 spots in the first round and by ignoring their need at defensive end when they selected Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones.

They swapped first-round picks with the Cleveland Browns, gave up their second- and fourth-rounder in this draft and their first- and fourth-rounders in 2012.

Some contend that the move to get Jones was an over-reaction by ownership to the playoff drubbing handed to them by the Green Bay Backers.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff clearly deviated from his New England teachings by mortgaging part of the team's future.

While Jones may become a big-time star, he doesn't sack the quarterback the team's most glaring weakness. The team's top pass rusher is John Abraham, who's set to turn 33 in May.

Linebacker Akeem Dent was added to provide some depth at linebacker.

Running back Jacquizz Rodgers was added to provide a change-of-pace back behind Michael Turner and Jason Snelling.

Outside of Jones, it's unlikely that the Falcons added any starting players in this draft.

BEST PICK

Wide receiver Julio Jones: He was considered the second-best receiver in the draft. If his foot heals properly, he should be able to maintain his 4.34 speed in the 40-yard dash. Coupled with Roddy White, the Falcons could have a dynamic duo. He is a competitive and rugged receiver who played in a pro-style offense under Nick Saban.

COULD SURPRISE

Running back Jacquizz Rodgers: He was durable and productive in the Pac-10 for Oregon State. He slipped into the fifth round because he ran a slow 40-yard time at the NFL scouting combine.

A closer look at Falcons picks:

Round 1/5 - Julio Jones, WR, 6-3, 221, Alabama

In his sophomore season, Jones battled through a string of injuries. He rebounded to help the Crimson Tide win the BCS national championship as he caught 43 passes for 596 yards and four touchdowns. Last season, he caught 78 passes for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns. He is noted for his downfield blocking in the run game.

Round 3/91 - Akeem Dent, LB, 6-1, 242, Georgia

He 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 will start out as a reserve middle linebacker and on special teams. Is noted for his big hits. He graduated in December with a degree in housing. He played inside and outside linebacker over his college career and has experience in the 4-3 and 3-4 defenses.

Round 5/145 — Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, 5-6, 198, Oregon State

The under-sized running back (5-6, 198) was one of the most highly productive backs in the draft. He will compete for a backup spot behind Pro Bowler Michael Turner. He will be a third-down and change-of-pace back.

Round 6/192 — Matt Bosher, P, 6-0, 208, Miami

He will be given a chance to win the punting and kickoff duties if the Falcons don't reach a contract agreement with Michael Koenen, who's a six-year veteran and made $2.7 million last season. Bosher will likely have to beat out Ken Parrish, who was signed on March 3. He averaged over 40 yards on his punts in each of his four years.

Round 7/210 — Andrew Jackson, G, 6-5, 299, Fresno State

He was projected to be a mid-round pick before suffering a severe high ankle sprain that caused him to miss most of his senior season. He will be expected to provide depth at the interior positions.

Round 7/230 — Cliff Matthews, DE, 6-5, 268, South Carolina

He's a high energy player who will get a chance to make the roster. He played weak-side linebacker as a freshman, before starting as a defensive end for the last three seasons. He played mostly on the right side. He will need some time to refine his moves at the pro level. He had 15.5 career sacks for the Gamecocks.

NOTES, QUOTES

—Linebacker Akeem Dent was a redshirt at Georgia, and he used to hear stories from the older Bulldogs about Falcons defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.

VanGorder was Georgia's defensive coordinator from 2001 to 2004. Georgia's former defensive coordinator Willie Martinez used some of VanGorder's terminology so Dent is familiar with the Falcons' calls.

"We found that out during his local workout when we sat him down and got a feel for his football knowledge," Dimitroff said. "Again, that is helpful going into a year as far as maybe being backed up a little bit."

—Jacquizz Rodgers ran for almost 4,000 yards in his career and didn't have a fumble in 939 touches.

"Ball security is something that we worked on every day in practice," said Rodgers, who will compete for one of the backup spots behind Pro Bowler Michael Turner.

As a freshman, Rodgers helped lead Oregon State to an upset over Southern Cal when they were ranked No. 1 in the nation.

"Our aim for him is to come in as a change-of-pace back for us," Dimitroff said. "We have our bangers in Michael Turner and Jason Snelling."

—The Falcons didn't make the big Julio Jones trade to have him sit on the bench. With the lockout, they have to figure out how to get him ready.

Falcons head coach Mike Smith said the team will have a plan to get Jones up to speed fast if the lockout robs them of part or all of the offseason workouts.

"Julio has a wonderful football IQ," Smith said. "When you sit down and talk to him about the game of football, he understands it. I think that goes back to his time there at the University of Alabama."

He can certainly start working on the playbook with backup quarterback John Parker Wilson, who was Jones' quarterback when he was a freshman at Alabama.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.

FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

—DT Trey Lewis: Potential RFA; 2 yrs, terms unknown.

—OT Will Svitek: Potential RFA; terms unknown.

—LB Coy Wire: Potential UFA; 2 yrs, terms unknown.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED: None.

PLAYERS LOST

—S Erik Coleman (released).

[Radical]

(05-06-2011 08:14 AM)Swift Is a Die Hard Wrote:  Some contend that the move to get Jones was an over-reaction by ownership to the playoff drubbing handed to them by the Green Bay Backers.

Classic case of weasel wording to introduce an agenda. Poor journalism defined.

[phocis850]

So now we moved up to the fifth spot?

[Radical]

(05-06-2011 08:43 AM)phocis850 Wrote:  So now we moved up to the fifth spot?

Sometimes the facts don't really matter all that much.

[Swift Is a Die Hard]

(05-06-2011 08:43 AM)phocis850 Wrote:  So now we moved up to the fifth spot?

Mistakes are made sometimes in journalism . I didnt even notice the 5 but do now since pointed out 1/5.. USATODAY does a good job with most of these team reports

[FullMetalFalcon23]

Problem with things like this is saying he mortgaged the future now is whilst it is factually true in terms of how many picks we gave up for how many we got to use it is an easy claim to make. But if Jones rolls out like expected then the chatter will stop because he will be "the future" (joking, never liked that phrase). But seriously though Jones like Green is a rare prospect, guys like that do not tank easily has to be serious shit happening around them to sink them that bad. Our last top 5 talent under this regime hasn't failed us.

I also find it interesting because if he had been drafted by cleveland at 6 instead there would be none of this chatter questioning whether or not he could be a player in the NFL. Because he would have gone to a team pundits expected him to go to. However because a team from the bottom of the draft came up for him its raising eyebrows, and tension. It gives the pick of Jones more interest because such a high regarded player is going to a title contender instead of a team on the build.

The expectations on him have changed from say helping Sam Bradford develop and helping the Rams in a few years be title contenders to being the number 2 or 3 target on a team that is in the midst of competing and will be for years.

I feel like coming out to Atlanta this summer just to see this play out. I think a lot of Fans are gonna be excited when they see Jones up close. Look at it this way, Jones at this stage in his career is already ahead of where Roddy was due to situation own ability college performance. Roddy can mould this kid, protect him and show him the right way. He isn't gonna be one of those guys who goes through a wilderness phase with stuff off the field distracting how he performs on field. Guy is Blue Chip. And for those that say he has no diva in him as an article mentioned i say so what. He's got a beast in him instead and I'll take that any day. Kid plays with a Gonzo like attitude.

[Gritz]

Looking forward the day (coming very soon) when Julio makes all of this womanly hand-wringing a moot point.

[Gritz]

Disgruntled Falcon Fans at the end of 2010 Season: "We're slow! We need speed! We're predictable!

Disgruntled Falcon Fans After 2011 Draft Where Speedy Playmaker(s) Are Acquired: "What the hell did you do? You mortgaged our future!

Disgruntled Falcon Fans in 2035: "WaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaH!"

This shit is comical.

[ATLBound]

How is it unlikely that we got any starters when the pick that the whole article is about discusses our #2 wr spot? How can you overlook your subject of the article? Lol. Poor journalism indeed.

Also they claim our lackng positin is defensive end and sacks but fsil to provide an alternative to solving this problem with the draft. They also seem to forget about free agency and the process of development from your previous players.

The same people that claims Abe was done 2 years ago are now praising his skills. How many ways must I debunk this article?

[Gritz]

(05-06-2011 10:38 AM)ATLBound Wrote:  How many ways must I debunk this article?

I don't know but you're off to a great freaking start.....