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+--- Thread: Falcons: Rank our Starters (/Thread-Falcons-Rank-our-Starters)
Rank our Starters - TonyGraziani - 01-21-2013 06:02 PM
For this season, rank our starters on both sides of the ball 1-11. Feel free to add comments along with your rankings as well.
1. Matt Ryan (Leader of the team, played great pretty much all season, top 10 QB)
2. Tony GOATzalez (Probably retiring at the highest level of play by a future HOF since Barry)
3. Roddy White (model of consistency, misses a ball once in a blue moon but can be counted on to produce game in and game out, top 5 WR)
4. Julio Jones (As Sunday showed, he can be the most dangerous receiver in the league on any given day. Will be more consistent as he matures and I think will lead the team in yards next year)
5a. Sam Baker (Did he improve or just play healthy? Either way it goes, he held it down this year, right along with....)
5b. Tyson Clabo (was for the most part solid all year, didn't "see" him most games, which is a good thing.)
7. Harry Douglas (he's this high by default for me. He wass bailed out by the fact he played with the best WR duo and the GOAT TE, but we need better production moving forward or, IMO, we should move forward without him in that #3 role)
8. Michael Turner (I hate how he tiptoes around and only runs with a purpose like every 12 carries, but I don't think he was terrible. The biggest problem was with....)
9. Justin Blalock
10. Todd McClure
11. Harvey Dahl's jockstrap carriers (The interior of our OL sucked this year. Flat out. To give credit where credit is due, they did not get Matt killed this year. But the majority of pressure that I saw was from the interior. Not to mention the holes they gave Turner and Quizz to get thru were smaller than Jerr....let me not go there.)
Be back with the D rankings if this post doesn't flop.
RE: Rank our Starters - The Don™ - 01-21-2013 06:37 PM
We can get a TE in this draft in the middle rounds. Good talent out there. Jared Cook could be a steal FA also.
I think HD will get more targets if Gonzo isn't here next year. Let's face it, Douglas was usually the number four option on many plays. He started getting targeted more later in the year. Just a eyeball's test.
Turner will be cut
Blalock is just average IMO. Not dominant but just...average. McClure said he would like to play one more year but he's not physical enough and he's a part of the problem IMO. Need to slide Konz over to his natural position and look for a mammoth RG that can clear the running lanes and be nimble enough to effectively pass block. Those kind of guards are out there in this upcoming draft. The interior OL needs to be the most physical of the entire team. Set the tone. Show the opposing DL that it will take a lot of muscle to outmuscle us. We're too finesse up the middle and that goes for both sides. But that's another conversation.
So. Offensive needs in no order are...
RG, RB, possibly LT if Baker walks, and TE.
RE: Rank our Starters - nativefalcon - 01-21-2013 07:18 PM
(01-21-2013 06:37 PM)The Don™ Wrote: We can get a TE in this draft in the middle rounds. Good talent out there. Jared Cook could be a steal FA also.
I think HD will get more targets if Gonzo isn't here next year. Let's face it, Douglas was usually the number four option on many plays. He started getting targeted more later in the year. Just a eyeball's test.
Turner will be cut
Blalock is just average IMO. Not dominant but just...average. McClure said he would like to play one more year but he's not physical enough and he's a part of the problem IMO. Need to slide Konz over to his natural position and look for a mammoth RG that can clear the running lanes and be nimble enough to effectively pass block. Those kind of guards are out there in this upcoming draft. The interior OL needs to be the most physical of the entire team. Set the tone. Show the opposing DL that it will take a lot of muscle to outmuscle us. We're too finesse up the middle and that goes for both sides. But that's another conversation.
So. Offensive needs in no order are...
RG, RB, possibly LT if Baker walks, and TE.
I agree on offense we need that, Turners gone, unless he gave them a deal and or we could not find someone better.
But to me, defense is much more of a priority, like you said, Harry D would get targeted more, in most offenses Harry D would be a number 2, we underuse him. Michael Palmer, seemed like the one that was getting trained, But who knows,
We will know the way their going in the draft, whoever they pick, Offense or Defense.
I would pray Tony comes back for one more year. Hes in better shape then Farve was.
RE: Rank our Starters - evo - 01-21-2013 08:45 PM
(01-21-2013 06:37 PM)The Don™ Wrote: RG, RB, possibly LT if Baker walks, and TE.
aint no way Baker walks. The falcons's front office believed in him, and gave him chance after chance for him to be succeed. Most of other teams would've cut him after last season, and drafted another LT. But instead, Coach Smith sent him home tell him to relax and heal up, then personally flew to Cali to check on him.
If anything he owes the Falcons the success that he have, they believed in him and stuck with him when everyone was calling for him to be cut.
If T-Rex walks, I will have no respect for him at all.