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Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Don’t look for trade
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With their next game not until Monday night vs. the Jets, the Falcons were given off Tuesday and Wednesday, following film sessions Monday. General Manager Rich McKay said the Falcons won’t be participants in any trades Tuesday, the NFL trade deadline. No teams have called and the Falcons haven’t tried to make any deals, McKay said.
Unless your team is just completely injury riddled and the players in free agency don’t suit your fancy, trades typically aren’t made until the offseason, McKay said. It’s tough to find a player who can come in six weeks into the season and have a major impact. And if a team is willing to part with someone at this juncture, there must be a catch, be it age, salary, ineffectiveness or attitude. Very few teams have the salary cap space to absorb a player who is earning more than a minimum contract at this point, as well, McKay pointed out.
That's why the Falcons were so active in the early stages of the
season signing players they didn’t necessarily need at the time, but ones that could emerge as contributors down the line. Though injuries neccessitated some signings — defensive back Chris Cash (recently broke his arm, out for the season) was a find — the acquisitions of DBs Omare Lowe and Leigh Torrence didn’t seem like much, especially with so many players in the secondary already. Well, Lowe is a special teams monster, and Torrence, a Marist product was activated last week and, like Lowe, and had a nice game on special teams against the Saints.
The next seemingly irrelevant signing at the time to possibly take the stage could be wide receiver Jerome Pathon, who has been inactive since being signed Sept. 28. The eight-year veteran, who has 62 NFL starts and 91 appearances, is expected to be activated for Monday’s game with New York, although nothing has been made official. He likely would be used in a reserve role, but in his three weeks with the team, he’s impressed coaches with his precise route-running and sticky hands.
His potential break could come at the expense of veteran Dez White, who just simply hasn’t handled his business. He is getting open, but he’s dropping the ball more and more and in the NFL, that’s a fast track to the waiver wire.
