Falcons News, and Information

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Post all Falcons News and Rumors here

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from atlantafalcons.com

This morning as I was listening to ESPN.com national NFL writer Len Pasquarelli on 790 The Zone, he made the comment about the Falcons’ 26-10 loss to the Patriots — and I can’t remember his exact phraseology — that it was not a devastating loss. In terms of how the Falcons are being considered around the NFL in light of that lone blemish on their record, that sentiment appears to be holding up.
Fox Sports, who ranked the Falcons third last week, dropped them to No. 10. ESPN.com, which had ranked the Falcons fourth last week, dropped them four spots. Especially insightful is the comment on ESPN.com next to the Falcons’ ranking: “You know the Falcons have made progress when a road loss to the Patriots stands as a disappointment.” If you think about where this franchise was in 2007 and where it is now, that statement could not be any more true.
Another sign of what the Falcons are building came on Colin Cowherd’s nationally syndicated radio show. Cowherd did an amusing bit in which he attempted to sum up each NFL team in six words. For the Falcons, he came up with “solid, efficient; emerging star at quarterback.” I’d say that’s pretty complimentary.
Some of the others weren’t. He asked listeners to come up with their own and for the Raiders someone finished theirs with the words “should try selling pancakes.” Yes, a bit odd, but I can’t imagine anyone would be flattered by the thought that instead of being in the football business they should be in the flapjack business.
Do you have any six-word descriptions of the Falcons yourselves?

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--For the fourth consecutive game, the Falcons scored on their opening possession. After Atlanta ran six plays for 52 yards, kicker Jason Elam capped the drive with a 35-yard field goal.
In the three previous games, the Falcons scored touchdowns to open games. However, they have not been able to sustain the good openings. After the opening field goal, the Falcons did not score on their subsequent possession for the fourth straight time.
--On the first offensive drive for the Falcons, running back Michael Turner took his second carry of the game 40 yards. The 40-yard rush is the second-longest carry for Turner this season.
Turner, before leaving the game, rushed for more than 100 yards and totaled his second-highest career first-half mark with 111 yards. He gained 135 in the first half Nov. 7, 2008, vs. Detroit. At the conclusion of the first quarter, Turner had 69 rushing yards, which is also his second-highest career total in an opening period of play. His highest was 117 yards against the Lions in that same 2008 game.
--Kickoff specialist and punter Michael Koenen recorded five touchbacks against the Panthers, tying a franchise record he set in Week 2 against Carolina. In two games this season against the Panthers, Koenen totaled 10 touchbacks.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

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--Tight end Tony Gonzalez had a strong rookie season, but then had a drop off his second year. He remembers dropping 17 passes in his second year.
He wants to help second-year quarterback Matt Ryan get out of his five-game slump.
"If nobody else is open, I'm there for Matt," Gonzalez said. "If nobody else is open and we need a play, I hope I can come up with that play."
Gonzalez is second on the team with 44 catches for 501 yards and four touchdowns.
"Roddy is still the guy and he should be because he's an unbelievable talent," Gonzalez said. "He's a threat. He's a lot more of a threat than me to take it the distance if he catches it."
--RB Jason Snelling is preparing for a potential second NFL start in place of injured Michael Turner against the New York Giants.
"My approach is that I'm going to be coming in and starting this game," said Snelling. "That's the mindset that I have to have this week."
Turner suffered a high ankle sprain against Carolina. He would not rule himself out for the Giants.
The Falcons also re-signed Aaron Stecker and he's expecting his role to increase.
"I can pick up where I left off," Stecker said. "I can stay a little extra and watch a little more film, knowing that I will have a bigger role."
Running back Jerious Norwood has missed the last four games with a hip flexor, but did return to practice Thursday.
While Turner and Norwood are ailing, Snelling is ready to step in the lead role.
"I know that my team is counting on me to step up and make plays from the tailback position," Snelling said. "That's what I intend to do."
--Through nine regular season games, the Falcons have totaled 19.0 sacks and have out-sacked their opponents 19-12.
The Falcons' offensive line ended a streak of four consecutive games without allowing a sack after quarterback Matt Ryan was dropped by the Cowboys four times in Week 7.
The line has totaled 12 games without a sack dating back to the 2008 season.
Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann and defensive tackle Jonathan
Babineaux share the team lead in sacks with four apiece.
In the season opener against the Miami Dolphins, Biermann dropped
Chad Pennington on two occasions while forcing a fumble on the
first sack. The quarterback takedowns marked the first multiple sack
game for the second-year defensive end in his career.
Defensive end John Abraham also totaled two sacks against the Dolphins, marking his 12th and 13th career quarterback takedowns in season opening contests.
The Falcons have also gotten sacks from defensive tackles Thomas Johnson (first of his career) and Babineaux, defensive end Jamaal Anderson, linebackers Mike Peterson and Stephen Nicholas, safety Thomas DeCoud and cornerback Chevis Jackson.
--The Falcons rank fourth in strength of schedule this season with their opponents combining for a .588 winning percentage in 2008 (150 wins, 105 losses and one tie). The Carolina Panthers are the only NFC
team ranked higher in strength of schedule entering the season (second).
This is the Falcons' fourth game against a team coming off a bye week. "The league sets the schedule up and it's our job to play it," linebacker Mike Peterson said.
BY THE NUMBERS
10 -- Number of interceptions that Matt Ryan has thrown over the last five games.
140 -- Tony Gonzalez streak of consecutive games with a reception. His streak ranks second among tight ends in league history behind Ozzie Newsome (150 games).
12 -- The road team has won the last 12 times the Falcons and Giants have played.
87 -- The number of tackles that strong safety Erik Coleman has, which leads the secondary.
5 -- The Falcons have won 5 of 13 games on the road under second-year coach Mike Smith.
78.8 -- Matt Ryan's quarterback rating this season.
258 -- Consecutive regular season games PK Jason Elam has scored at least on point.
121 -- Consecutive regular season games C Todd McClure has started, dating back to 2001.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Assuming the worst, if Michael cannot play, then Jason Snelling will be our running back as well as Jerious Norwood. We are certainly hoping that Jerious will be back. He has not been able to participate fully with us over the last couple of weeks, but we are anticipating a chance for him to get out there and work with us on Wednesday. I'm very confident that Michael Turner will play in 2009." -- Falcons coach Mike Smith on the injury to running back Michael Turner.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

The Falcons' secondary doesn't like the long ball.
Overall, they have given up 41 pass plays for 20 yards or more. There have been at least two "explosive" pass plays in every game.
"We are at the back of the league in giving up explosive plays of 20 yards or more," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "It's something that's been our Achilles' heel."
Look for rookie cornerback Christopher Owens to get some action and possibly start for the Falcons.
"We are going to evaluate as a staff, not only scheme, but also personnel, and come up with answers that we feel will give us the best opportunity to win," Smith said.
The Falcons gave up 234 yards on seven pass plays of 20 yards or more against the New York Giants.
They are hoping to confuse Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Josh Freeman.
"The defensive line has got to get pressure on the quarterback and the secondary has to cover their guys," middle linebacker Curtis Lofton said. "It's just all of us working together to get off the field on third downs."
Owens may become the fourth person to start at left cornerback this year.
Brian Williams opened the season as the starter. Tye Hill and Brent Grimes have started at the spot.
Hill was yanked after a slow start against Carolina. Last week, New York's Eli Manning threw for a career-high 384 yards. He appeared to target the left cornerback spot at times, including in overtime when he hit Mario Manningham for a 29-yarder with Grimes in coverage.
Hill, who started the two previous games, did not play against the Giants.
The Falcons could start Grimes and give him the quick hook like they did Hill at Carolina. Or they could just start Owens from the outset.
"Maybe with people not knowing the coverages or not being grown-ups about what they are supposed to do, so we've got to make changes," Abraham said. "If I'm not playing well they are going to take me out. It's a part of the game. We are just going to move on with Chris."
--The Atlanta Falcons named wide receiver Brian Finneran the team's nominee for the 2009 Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Finneran, a 10-year NFL veteran, currently has eight catches this season for 72 yards and has competed in eight of nine contests. After suffering knee injuries in 2006 and '07, a determined Finneran returned to the gridiron last season and competed in all 16 regular-season contests.
The award recognizes a player's off-the-field community service. Each team nominates a player and the winner will be selected by a blue ribbon panel and recognized on the field before kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, Florida.
Some of Finneran's community work includes serving on the board of Breast Friends, Inc., which supports breast cancer awareness, and purchasing 40 season tickets for the local military and the Eagle Ranch Children's home located in Flowery Branch as part of the Atlanta Falcons Extra Yard Partnership Program.
--Last season, the Falcons finished with a minus-3 turnover differential, which ranked 21st in the NFL. This season, the Falcons started fast to improve the mark by forcing four Dolphins turnovers in Week 1.
Against the Giants in Week 11, the Falcons were even in the turnover category, giving them a plus-2 margin on the year. Heading into the 11th game of the season, Atlanta currently ranks tied for fifth in the NFC in turnover differential.
--Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux is in the midst of a career season.
Babineaux, a five-year veteran has totaled 33 tackles, a team-leading four sacks, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and two
fumble recoveries.
Against the Washington Redskins, Babineaux posted a single-game career-high with 2.5 sacks and contributed with five tackles.
His four sacks this season have already set a career-high as well as his two fumble recoveries. He is one forced fumble away from tying a career-high and is on pace to finish with 53 tackles, which would tie his career-high set in 2007.
--Running back Jason Snelling has seen extensive action at running back and fullback this season.
He has already set new career highs in carries (62), rushing yards (259), receptions (17), receiving yards (145) and total touchdowns (three rushing and one receiving).
Last week against the Giants, Snelling established a career-high with 76 yards on 25 carries (3.0 average).
In 79 touches (62 rushing and 17 receiving), Snelling has registered 26 first downs (18 rushing and eight receiving) for an average of one first down per every 3.04 touches.
BY THE NUMBERS
0 -- Number of interceptions that Matt Ryan threw last week against the Giants after throwing 10 in the five previous games.
141 -- Tony Gonzalez's streak of consecutive games with a reception. His streak ranks second among tight ends in league history behind Ozzie Newsome (150 games).
11-1 -- The Falcons' home record in the Georgia Dome under second-year coach Mike Smith.
80.0 -- Matt Ryan's passer rating this season.
5 -- Games Jerious Norwood has missed with a right hip flexor.
259 -- Consecutive regular season games PK Jason Elam has scored at least one point.
122 -- Consecutive regular season games C Todd McClure has started, dating back to 2001.
6 -- Number of Falcons averaging at least 10 yards per catch. Tony Gonzalez (11.2), Michael Jenkins (11.7), Roddy White (14.0), Eric Weems (12.3), Ovie Mughelli (10.0) and Marty Booker (12.7).
QUOTE TO NOTE
"That is an operation that has not been smooth for us over the last two games and it's costs us points. It's something again, not going to call out one person in terms of how it should go. (But) it's a sequence were we have to snap the ball when the snapper gets the signal and the kicker has to kick the ball on time. Right now we are not doing that efficiently." -- Falcons coach Mike Smith on the struggles of field goal kicker Jason Elam, who is 10 of 16 this season.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

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-RB Jerious Norwood has struggled since returning from his right hip flexor. He's played in the last two games after missing five straight and has been ineffective.He had six carries for 22 yards against Tampa Bay and 11 carries for 18 yards against Philadelphia. On the season, he's had 36 carries for 118 yards and is averaging 3.3 per carry, well below his career average of 5.8.
He has caught 12 passes for 107 yards (8.9) and has a 22-yard touchdown pass.
"Not to make excuses, but I don't know that Jerious is 100 percent," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "He's fighting through that injury. I don't know that he is explosive as he would be if he was 100 percent. Again, we're not going to use injuries as an excuse."
They are hoping he can return to form down the stretch.
"Jerious is a guy that can create explosive plays," Smith said.
--Last season, middle linebacker Curtis Lofton ranked second in the League in tackles among rookies behind Jerod Mayo (according to STATS, Inc.) and received 2008 All-Rookie accolades from the Sporting News and Pro Football Weekly.
He has not had a drop-off in his second season, as he leads the team in tackles with 135. He had a career-high 19 against New England earlier this season. Lofton has also added two forced fumbles and two passes defensed.
Last season, he came out in passing situations. Now, he's a three-down player and is emerging as a leader on the unit.
--The Falcons have had their share of injuries, the latest is a concussion to tight end Justin Peelle, who will not play this week. Linebacker Tony Gilbert (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve.
Quarterback Matt Ryan, who missed last week's game against the Eagles with turf toe, and running back Michael Turner (high ankle sprain) will be game-time decisions.
After having very few injuries last season, the Falcons have been hit hard in 2009.
First-round draft pick Peria Jerry (knee), wide receiver Harry Douglas (knee), second-round pick Williams Moore (knee), cornerback Brian Williams (knee), long snapper Michael Schneck (broken ribs) and linebacker Tony Gilbert (hamstring) have all been lost for the season.
Fullback Ovie Mughelli (two games), running back Jerious Norwood (six), Turner (two full and parts of two others), left tackle Sam Baker (two, parts of two others), wide receiver Brian Finneran (three) and Ryan (one) have all missed games.
Last season, Baker, who suffered a concussion and a back injury, was the only starter to miss any games. He missed 11 starts, but played in eight games, making five starts.
"We can't make excuses," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "There are no excuses. Injuries are a fact of life in the NFL. This late in the season, we are going to have guys down."


BY THE NUMBERS
0 -- Number of times the Falcons have dropped back-to-back home games under second-year coach Mike Smith.
143 -- Tony Gonzalez' streak of consecutive games with a reception. His streak ranks second among tight ends in league history behind Ozzie Newsome (150 games).
12-2 -- The Falcons' home record in the Georgia Dome under second-year coach Mike Smith.
48 -- Number of pass plays that the Falcons have given up that have gone for 20 yards or more.
7 -- Number of rushing plays that the Falcons have given up that have gone for 20 yards or more.


QUOTE TO NOTE
"Guys, the sky is not falling." -- Falcons head coach Mike Smith when asked about the Falcons' playoff chances with four games to play.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

--Falcons coach Mike Smith wouldn't say if he had to go bring the coffee to meetings when he worked under Rex Ryan. They were assistants together in Baltimore for four seasons.
Smith and Ryan, now the New York Jets' head coach, will square off on the field Sunday. Ryan was a candidate for the Falcons' vacancy when Smith got the job.
Their ties are even deeper.
"Rex, his brother Rob and I were all three defensive coordinators at the same time in the Ohio Valley Conference," Smith said. "Rex was at Morehead State. I was at Tennessee Tech, and Rob was at Tennessee State. We kid and joke that the OVC is the Cradle of Coaches."
Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh was also in the OVC at the time as the offensive coordinator at Morehead State.


--Against the Falcons, the Saints elected to double-cover tight end Tony Gonzalez and roll their coverage over to Roddy White's side. That left Michael Jenkins open for three catches for 82 yards, including a 50-yard bomb.
Jenkins was open on another deep play but missed a slightly overthrown pass.
"He just missed that one," White said. "Other than that, he was doing his thing beating their coverages backside. Teams are going to have things like that and see what works. If we struggle against it, they are going to use it."


--Rookie linebacker Spencer Adkins, a sixth-round pick from Miami, was active for just the second game this season.
He had a big special teams tackle on the kickoff return after the Falcons tied the game 23-23.
"It's been a learning process," Adkins said. "Every day I learn and get better."
Adkins has spent most of his time in practice at strong-side linebacker.
"But coach informs me daily that I need to learn both outside positions," Adkins said.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

-With injuries to Michael Turner (high right ankle sprain) and Jerious Norwood (concussion, hip flexor), third-year running back Jason Snelling is getting plenty of action this season.Through 13 games, he has already set new career highs in carries (86), rushing yards (339), receptions (23), receiving yards (227) and total touchdowns (four rushing and one receiving). Against the New York Giants in Week 11, Snelling established a career-high with 76 yards on 25 carries (3.03 avg.).
Snelling has a knack for making plays when he touches the ball. In his collegiate career at the University of Virginia, Snelling recorded 310 touches (235 rushing and 75 receiving), 115 of which went for first downs.
That's an average of one first down for every 2.7 touches. He is producing similar results this season with the Falcons.
In 109 touches (86 rushing and 23 receiving), Snelling has registered 36 first downs (24 rushing and 12 receiving) for an average of one first down per every 3.03 touches.


--Before this season, Chris Redman hadn't played in a meaningful NFL game since 2002. He made his comeback in 2007 during the Bobby Petrino and Michael Vick lost season. He finished up the season, but the team was already eliminated from the playoffs.
Redman nearly staged a major upset of the undefeated New Orleans Saints last week but the Falcons came up short, 26-23, against their bitter rivals.
Redman saw his first significant action since 2007 when he entered a Week 12 contest against Tampa Bay, filling in for an injured Matt Ryan (turf toe).
With 23 seconds remaining in the game on a fourth down play, Redman found wide receiver Roddy White in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
Redman, who's in his seventh season, finished the game and completed
23 of 41 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns for an 89.8 passer rating.
He struggled the following week against Philadelphia and had a quarterback rating of 56.1.
In his second start of the season against the Saints, Redman completed 23 of 34 passes for 303 yards. The total was the veteran quarterback's second-highest single-game passing mark.


--No one is expecting the Falcons to run the table and reach the playoffs. But no one expected them to get there last season, either. The Falcons have a path that could still lead them to the playoffs.
They need Dallas (8-5) to lose their remaining games at New Orleans, at Washington on Monday night and against Philadelphia. That would leave the Cowboys 8-8.
They need the New York Giants to finish 1-2 or 0-3. That would leave them at 8-8 or 7-9. The Giants close out with games at Washington, against Carolina and at Minnesota.
The Falcons would need to win-out to reach 9-7. San Francisco can win-out and tie the Falcons at 9-7. But the Falcons trounced the 49ers' 45-10 on Oct. 11 and hold the tiebreaker.
"Anything can happen," center Todd McClure said. "You've seen crazier stuff happen over the years."


BY THE NUMBERS
1 -- The Falcons dropped back to back home games for the first time under second year coach Mike Smith.
85 -- Number of yards Roddy White needs to reach 1,000 for the third consecutive season.
40 -- Chris Redman's quarterback rating in the 34-7 loss to Philadelphia was 56.1. He improved 40 points against the New Orleans Saints to finish at 96.1.
144 -- Tony Gonzalez' streak of consecutive games with a reception. His streak ranks second among tight ends in league history behind Ozzie Newsome (150 games).
12-3 -- The Falcons' home record in the Georgia Dome under second-year coach Mike Smith.
125 -- Consecutive regular season games C Todd McClure has started, dating back to 2001.
51 -- Consecutive regular season games in which DE John Abraham has competed in.
52 -- Number of pass plays that the Falcons have given up that have gone for 20 yards or more.
7 - Number of rushing plays that the Falcons have given up that have gone for 20 yards or more.


QUOTE TO NOTE
"The team has been here since '66 and it's very odd that they haven't put back-to-back winning seasons together. It's one thing that we'd like to do for our fans. Having back-to-back winning seasons is something that they've never had." -- Falcons center Todd McClure on the team needing to win-out to have a shot at the playoffs and to end the 44-year streak of never having back-to-back winning seasons.
Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

--Cornerback Brent Grimes was called for two critical pass-interference penalties Dec. 13 in a key 26-23 loss to New Orleans.
On Sunday against the Jets, Grimes came up with two interceptions, including the one to seal the victory. He leads the Falcons with four interceptions.
"I just read the receiver and made a break on the ball" Grimes said.
Over the past two seasons, Grimes has had a tough time holding down his starting spot. He opened the 2008 season as the starter but lost his job to Domonique Foxworth midway through the season.
He was set to open this season as a starter, but after a bumpy preseason, the Falcons acquired Brian Hill and Tye Hill. He's been in and out of the lineup and was filling in for Chris Houston (hamstring) against the Jets.
"Brent's play all through the season has been fairly steady," coach Mike Smith said. "It was nice to see him get the opportunity to make some game-changing plays. I thought that both of those plays that he made were game-changing."
Grimes didn't want to have a letdown just because the Falcons were eliminated from the playoffs.
"That always hurts, but you have to go out and compete," Grimes said. "We went out and played the game and competed even though we heard some news that nobody wanted to hear today."


--Quarterback Matt Ryan took a couple of shots from the Jets, but he was not sacked.
"We were short-handed," Smith said. "Some guys were banged up and didn't practice. That was a team that prides itself on putting pressure on the quarterback. It was a big challenge for our offensive line."


--Chauncey Davis' blocked field goal was a key play in the game to set up the winning drive with 4:27 left.
"We are taught to get off the ball, take three steps and get your hands up," Davis said. "We got that good push, and I got my hands up."


--Jets coach Rex Ryan, in his teleconference with the Atlanta media, asked the reporters to tell the Falcons that they'd better button up their chin straps because it was going to be a physical game when they got to New York.
"I'll give their defense credit, it was a physical game," right guard Tyson Clabo said. "There was a lot of hitting going on. (There was) a lot of jawing. They came ready to play defensively. He was right. We needed to bring our chin strap, and I think we brought them. We didn't back down."


--Ryan was dropping back and rolling out under the watchful eyes of Smith, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey more than two hours before the game.
After that workout, the Falcons made the decision to play Ryan over Chris Redman despite the fact that Redman had received most of the work during practice last week.
"Matt had got some limited work during the week," Smith said. "We said we are going to play the guys that give us the best opportunity to win the football game."


Copyright (C) 2009 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

QB Matt Ryan on the first play of the game - a 42-yard deep pass to WR Roddy White for a TD: "We had a matchup we liked. We had Roddy with one-on-one coverage so we took a shot downfield.

[rhensley3]

--The Falcons held Tampa Bay to 38 yards rushing in the season-finale. They were coming off a game where they'd held Buffalo to 40 yards rushing.
"Over the last quarter of the season, I thought we (played run defense) as well as anybody in the league," Falcons coach Mike Smith said.
The good games allowed the defense to leap from 20th in the league against the rush to 10th, giving up 106.8 yards per game.


"I'm very proud of the way our defense played run defense the second half of the season," Smith said. "Early in the season when we played New England, I felt that we did not handle the run game very well.
"It's an emphasis point since we got here, that we're going to be able to stop the run and run the football. I think our guys have really gotten a very good understanding of it through the second half of the season. We fit the run much better and that's at the core of what we want to do defensively is be able to stop the run."


--Cornerbacks Christopher Owens and Brent Grimes each had another interception in the season-finale against Tampa. Both had one a week earlier against Buffalo.
"Those two young corners through the last quarter of the season have progressed very well," Smith said. "I think that bodes well for us in the future to have those guys get that experience, especially Chris Owens."


--The Falcons have 15 players who will become unrestricted free agents: wide receiver Marty Booker, right tackle Tyson Clabo, right guard Harvey Dahl, wide receiver Brian Finneran, safety Jamaal Fudge, linebacker Tony Gilbert, safety Antoine Harris, running back Verron Haynes, punter Michael Koenen, running back Jerious Norwood, offensive guard/tackle Quinn Ojinnaka, quarterback Chris Redman, running back Jason Snelling, safety Charlie Peprah and cornerback Brian Williams.
Clabo, Dahl, Fudge, Koenen, Norwood, Ojinnaka and Peprah are in the group of 212 players league-wide who will remain restricted free agents if a new labor deal is not signed by March.


Clabo and Dahl are starters and Koenen, received the team's franchise tag last season.
Clabo has started 53 of 54 games over the last four seasons. Dahl broke into the starting lineup in 2008, but ended the 2009 season in injured reserve.
"Our union reps and the guys from the NFLPA have been down too," Ryan said. "We've had discussions with them. It's something that we all want to get done, no questions about it. I think both sides do. It's going to take some time for them to do it."
Safety Erik Coleman is the team's player representative.


--There will be a coin toss, per league rules, between the Falcons and the Houston Texans to determine the team that will pick 19th overall in the 2010 NFL draft, Falcons coach Mike Smith said.


--The Falcons basically kept their practice squad in place by signing those players to reserve/future contracts. The players signed center Rob Bruggeman, wide receiver James Swinton, quarterback D.J. Shockley, wide receiver Andy Strickland, center Blake Schlueter, defensive end Maurice Lucas, running back Antone Smith and offensive guard Jose Valdez.


Copyright (C) 2010 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.

[rhensley3]

--Longtime Falcons assistant coach Emmitt Thomas' contract was not renewed by the team.
"Everyone here in the Falcons organization has the utmost respect for Emmitt, and we deeply appreciate his contributions to our team over the years," Falcons coach Mike Smith said Tuesday night. "We wish Emmitt the best in his future endeavors."
Thomas, who served as the assistant head coach/secondary coach for the past two seasons under Smith, had served as an assistant under the team's past four head coaches.
Thomas first joined the Falcons in 2002 under Dan Reeves. He was responsible for keeping the team together when Bobby Petrino left during the 2007 season and was selected to serve as the interim head coach.
Last season, the defense finished 28th in the league against the pass.
The team replaced him with Tim Lewis, who moved on from the Seahawks with Pete Carroll bringing in a new staff.


--The Falcons are not sure how they will approach free agency.
"That will depend in part on whether or not the year is uncapped or capped because obviously a number of players that are (unrestricted) free agents would become restricted free agents," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. "So, we'd have to see how that plays out."
The personnel staff is preparing just in case 212 players do indeed become unrestricted free agents.
"We are very, very active in our evaluations of the free agents at this point," general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "We've done a lot of work and we'll continue to compare a lot of the free agents out there at positions of need."
The Falcons, under Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith, want to build through the draft and use free agency to supplement need areas.
"If this is an uncapped season, the landscape of free agency will be much different than years before," Smith said.


--The Falcons only lost one assistant coach last season and are hoping to retain a super-majority of the staff again this offseason.
Tom McMahon, an assistant special teams coach, left after 2008 to become the special teams coordinator for the St. Louis Rams.
"I think if you look at the great teams in the NFL, one of the things that's pretty consistent is their consistency with their position at the top of their organizations," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. "The general manager, the personnel departments, their head coach, their coordinators and their position coaches. They tend to stay together."


--Defensive lineman Dan Klecko was signed to a reserve/future contract.
Klecko, 5-11, 275 pounds, was selected by New England in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.
He has also been used as a fullback. He's played in 63 career games with six starts. He's recorded five sacks for 33 yards, one fumble recovery, two rushes for five yards and 10 receptions for 56 yards with one touchdown.


QUOTE TO NOTE

"We are not going to be driven by the uncapped year. We will be very mindful of it. ... I know that we will be very fiscally responsible here." -- General manager Thomas Dimitroff on the possibility of an uncapped season.


Copyright (C) 2010 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.