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November 2007
Petrino finally declares his return
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even though he’d addressed the issue twice this week, Falcons coach Bobby Petrino never said that he would not entertain any potential offers from collegiate programs or that he planned to return to coach the team next season.
So, after being pressed again, Thursday, he finally gave a definitive answer.
“All my plans are to be here,” Petrino said. “There’s no question about that. I get asked the same question every day. That’s my plans.”
Whether a collegiate program tries to change those plans remains to be seen but word is that Petrino is not being seriously considered for any of the job openings or potential vacancies, the most attractive of which are Arkansas and possibly LSU.
In another note, offensive tackle Todd Weiner was placed on injured reserve today after having his second left knee operation. The Falcons have 13 players on IR, 5 of them players that have started.
Five of those players were used as tandems, which make their losses doubly painful. Weiner, a right tackle, and left tackles Wayne Gandy/Renardo Foster were all lost for the season with left knee injuries. Defensive tackles Trey Lewis (knee) and Rod Coleman (thigh, knee, triceps, hand) both went down against Tampa Bay nearly two weeks ago.
A lot of teams have sustained a lot of injuries, including Sunday’s opponent, St. Louis, but the Falcons were already a team that had a small margin for setbacks — and they’ve had more than their share.
Falcons trying to keep Boley as part of nucleus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Falcons are engaged in contract extension talks with outside linebacker Michael Boley, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Since Boley, who leads Atlanta with 101 tackles, has only three years of NFL service, he would be a restricted free agent if no accord is reached.
That means that the Falcons could match any offer Boley signs with another team. Atlanta likely would place a contract tender on Boley — as it did with Matt Schaub and Demorrio Williams last season — that would result in them receiving draft picks from any team that would want to sign Boley.
The move to reach out to Boley falls in line with team owner Arthur Blank’s pledge that the Falcons would do what they could to retain players they want to be part of their young nucleus. It’s not known if they have any other players they are trying to extend but the defensive building blocks, other than Boley, appear to be John Abraham, Jamaal Anderson, Trey Lewis, and Chris Houston.
Cornerback DeAngelo Hall was on that list before the season. His contract expires after 2008. There were talks before this season about an extension but him and the Falcons seemingly have backed off those desires after some bad feelings developed over the past few months. Whether a bridge can be built is always possible but as of right now, Hall could be traded or kept around for one more season.
Two starting defenders who contracts expire after this season are safety Chris Crocker and outside linebacker Demorrio Williams. The Falcons, at this point, have shown no signs of trying to stop them from hitting the open market.
Veteran DT Rod Coleman, who is on injured reserve, has two years and $8.25 million remaining on his deal. MLB Keith Brooking is owed more than $10 million over the next two seasons. With those hefty price tags, it will be interesting, as the Falcons plan for next season, if both players are retained.
Taylor tragedy: Sorrow and the NFL’s image issues
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The news of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor’s death is another tragedy of a young man and pro athlete. Taylor is the second NFL player to be killed in a violent manner this calendar year. Denver defensive back Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting in Denver New Year’s Day.
While doing a radio show with Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall and Joe Horn Monday night, both expressed concern for Taylor and his family, not knowing Taylor would die hours later. Each was saddened by the violent and potentially criminal element of the situation, which, at the time, came well before some of the details of the shooting became public.
The image of the NFL likely could take another negative hit in a year in which bad news has tilted the scales for all of the positive things that have been accomplished on and off the field. Heck, even mention of the Patriots’ incredible run so far is frequently has their Spygate incident attached.
As Horn, Hall, host David Archer and I were talking about the Taylor incident, I thought about the company I was in to bring me back to some of the good things about the NFL and its players.
Here was Hall, who, for all of his talking and bravado, has spent numerous hours with leaders at Virginia Tech to figure out ways to prevent another violent outburst like the mass murder that took place on the Blacksburg campus this year. Hall had a brother who was shot to death, prompting him to establish a foundation aimed at violence prevention.
It is well documented what Horn did for the people of New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina, with his time, money and the use of his popularity to help bring change to the region.
There are so many other guys in the NFL and with the Falcons, like Warrick Dunn, Keith Brooking, Jamaal Anderson, Lawyer Milloy … the list is too long, who simply are good guys.
Petrino’s back in ‘08
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons coach Bobby Petrino gave every indication Monday that he plans to be back for the 2008 season and not return to the college ranks; even if some of the programs with openings or soon-to-be openings come calling.
“I haven’t given that one bit of thought,” Petrino said about possibly returning to college to coach. “I certainly don’t want to get into any speculation and rumors and having to deal with that. I am focused on our football team here. I’m focused on playing the Rams this week.”
Arthur Blank said he has heard the speculation about Petrino possibly being courted to return to coach collegiately, so he asked Petrino if he intended to bail. Petrino told him no.
“He’s been very clear with me,” Blank said. “He loves Atlanta and he loves the organization. Obviously he’s disappointed in what happened to Michael Vick but he has great confidence with myself, with [president and general manager] Rich McKay and the coaching staff to put together a winner and be here many years.
“He told me this is where he wants to be and that his work is just beginning.”
In other developments, Petrino said that even though Byron Leftwich (tailbone injury) is healthy enough to play against the Rams Sunday, Joey Harrington would remain the starter at quarterback.
WR Joe Horn (hamstring) will return to the starting lineup as will RG Kynan Forney, who missed Thursday’s loss to Indy because of an illness.
Things aren’t so optimistic with LT Todd Weiner, who has missed most of the pats two games after aggravating his surgically repaired left knee. Petrino said there were no new developments with Weiner. Quinn Ojinnaka has started in Weiner’s place.
We’ll find out who’s a pro on Turkey Day
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Falcons broke practice today with several players saying they were eager to see how the team competes Thursday night against visiting Indianapolis.
Some players said they were eager to face the defending Super Bowl champions but they weren’t sure everyone was over the recent loss to Tampa Bay or has regained focus on the task at hand knowing that there won’t be postseason play.
Believe it or not, and this is true in all sports, some of the motivation to play well is being on national TV. Although the game is on NFL Network, which is not available in every television market, the fact that people who typically don’t get to watch the Falcons might be tuned in, has some players stoked.
This group of players hasn’t shown an inclination to mail it in so far, so it will be interesting to see the true professionalism of this team on Thanksgiving.
Joey’s up, Byron’s among the wounded
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Joey Harrington’s back as the Falcons starting quarterback but there’s still a question as to whether he’s the guy coach Bobby Petrino really wants under center.
Harrington will start Thursday against visiting Indianapolis because Byron Leftwich suffered a tailbone injury in Sunday’s 31-7 waxing by Tampa Bay. Leftwich started that game but was pulled in the third quarter for Harrington after he was ineffective and the Falcons fell behind 24-0.
Petrino said he would start the player who gave Atlanta the best chance to win but Leftwich’s injury prompted an obvious reason to go to Harrington.
Petrino said before the New Orleans game and last week that when Leftwich is healthy, he’s the starter and Harrington is the backup. Petrino was non-committal today as to who the starter would be after the Thanksgiving game.
In other developments, defensive tackles Rod Coleman (triceps, hand) and Trey Lewis (knee) were placed on injured reserve, meaning they are done for the year. It’s a tough break for Coleman, who only played in five games because of operations on his right quadriceps and right knee. Lewis was playing better than most of the team’s draft picks and was doing a solid job of keeping blockers off middle linebacker Keith Brooking.
Montavious Stanley and Jonathan Babineaux will start at defensive tackle. Tim Anderson will be part of the rotation. Defensive end Chauncey Davis also will be moved inside at times.
Left tackle Todd Weiner (left knee) is out; TE Dwayne Blakley (concussion) is doubtful and WR Joe Horn (hamstring) is questionable.
QBs in limbo - so’s the entire team
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Things continue to spiral for the Falcons.
The 31-7 loss to Tampa Bay was ugly and the way things unraveled, players finally seemed to have their spirits broken. They got beat bad and the loss damaged any realistic hope players had of making a playoff push.
Add serious injuries to starting defensive tackles Rod Coleman (right triceps, hand) and Trey Lewis (right knee) and offensive tackle Todd Weiner (surgically repaired left knee) and things look bad.
Oh, and then there’s that little quarterback issue. A controversy it’s not. When a team is 3-7, calling it a controversy might be overstating the relevance. However, Bobby Petrino’s yo-yoing of Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich is a potentially counter-productive tack.
There were no injury or starting quarterback updates Monday as Petrino gave the team off to rest for Thursday night’s home game against defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis.
Petrino seemed to be in full support of Leftwich last week but when Leftwich didn’t perform well he re-inserted Harrington, the former starter who had won two straight games. Players didn’t question the decision to play Leftwich but there were some privately expressed concerns about the lack of commitment to either player.
Leftwich said he expected to start. Harrington said he didn’t know what to expect but he would assume he would be No. 2.
Nothing went right for Falcons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Things couldn’t have been worse for the Falcons Sunday. Let’s count the ways:
They got crushed by Tampa Bay.
They failed to get back in the NFC South playoff race.
They switched quarterbacks — again. After Byron Leftwich was harrassed all day and ineffective, Joey Harrington returned. Who knows who will play against Indianapolis on Thursday.
Warrick Dunn, who needed just 58 yards to surpass the 10,000 career yards mark, didn’t come close.
One other thing is certain. Any momentum that two straight wins built, is gone.
Harrington upset over QB issue
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coach Bobby Petrino said today that when Byron Leftwich is healthy enough, he would start at quarterback for the Falcons. Neither Petrino nor Leftwich ruled out the possibility of Leftwich starting this Sunday against Tampa Bay at the Georgia Dome.
Leftwich went through his first full practice since having ligaments surgically repaired and fortified on his right ankle three weeks ago. Petrino said he was surprised at how good Leftwich appeared. Leftwich said he felt great. How Leftwich’s ankle responds to the physical stress will determine how soon he would be back on the game field.
As for current starter Joey Harrington, he wasn’t happy. Especially since it was a query from the AJC after Petrino and Leftwich already spoke to reporters that led him finding out about him being on borrowed time.
Harrington, who was taken aback, said he thought he earned the right to remain the starter but took the high road for the most part from there. Once again, communication seemed like a problem — sort of.
Petrino, in his remarks, said weeks ago that Leftwich was the starter for good and that Harrington would be the backup. Though Leftwich’s right ankle injury temporarily threw a wrench into things, Petrino said he would stick to the original plan of having Leftwich be his guy when he’s ready.
Milner down and out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons rookie tight end Martrez Milner was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury suffered Sunday at Carolina. The fourth round draft pick from Georgia is done for the season. Milner is the second rookie to be placed on IR. Center Doug Datish broke his hand in training camp.
The nature of the injury won’t be fully disclosed until Wednesday by coach Bobby Petrino. Petrino said Monday that initial tests showed it was a high ankle sprain, but that was before results of an MRI exam were relayed to him.
Though the loss of Milner may seem minute, the rookie was used a lot in two tight end sets and he had nine catches this season. He also was a solid special teams player.
Of more note is the fact that the two guys who played ahead of him, Alge Crumpler and Dwayne Blakley, haven’t been pictures of health this season. Blakley suffered a pectoral injury that kept him out for a brief period and Crumpler missed two games with a chronic knee injury that is under constant care.
If either of those players goes down, a position of relatively solid depth becomes a major area of concern. Atlanta did sign former Raiders and Lions tight end Courtney Anderson.
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Could Leftwich start against Bucs?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Starting quarterback Byron Leftwich in place of Joey Harrington was almost a no-brainer three weeks ago after the Falcons fell to 1-5. What about putting him back in the starting lineup now that Atlanta has won two straight with Harrington at quarterback and sits just two games behind NFC South-leading Tampa Bay, which comes to town Sunday?
Could happen.
Coach Bobby Petrino was non-committal Monday about a possible quarterback change once Leftwich is medically cleared following ankle surgery two weeks ago. Petrino said no decision would be made until Leftwich proves he is physically able to play but the fact that he’s even contemplating Leftwich’s role after two straight wins means there is a chance a change could be made.
Before the winning streak, there was little doubt that Leftwich would be re-inserted once he was able. Leftwich’s arm strength allowed Petrino to call more downfield passes, which, in turn opened up running lanes because linebackers and safeties could crowd the line of scrimmage.
However, the Falcons actually have momentum. Harrington also proved to teammates that he is pretty darn tough. He took some jarring hits vs. Carolina and kept getting up and making plays that needed to be made.
In other developments, there were no medical updates for WR Joe Horn (hamstring) or RB Jerious Norwood (ankle). Petrino said he did not have a full diagnosis but the initial report on rookie tight end Martrez Milner was that his suffered a high left ankle sprain against Carolina.
Also, there are some tickets available to the game vs. Tampa Bay, meaning, if there are unsold seats by 1 p.m. Thursday, the game could be blacked out on local television. That would mark two consecutive home blackouts.
Falcons less anemic than Panthers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Charlotte — In a battle of anemic offenses, the Falcons were just a little better — defeating Carolina on a touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining.
Hey, at least it’s progress. The Falcons won their second straight game.
Suddenly the Falcons are not completely out of the NFC South race. With New Orleans’ loss, Tampa Bay leads the division at 5-4, followed by Carolina and New Orleans at 4-5 and the Falcons at 3-6.
Boley headed toward free agency?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons outside linebacker Michael Boley, who leads the team with 90 tackles and is an emerging star, will be a restricted free agent this spring unless he reaches a contract extension with the team before then. So far, no talks have taken place in that regard, according to his agent, Zeke Sandhu.
That’s not to say the team won’t try to lock up the former fifth-round pick before season’s end but Sandhu said he’s been given no indication from the team that contract talks are on the horizon.
Since Boley is only a third-year player, the Falcons have the ability to place a one-year tender on him that would require any team that signed him to an offer sheet to offer compensation if Atlanta opts to not match the deal. The Falcons did as much with Matt Schaub (before trading him to Houston) and outside linebacker Demorrio Williams last season. No team signed Williams and he signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with Atlanta.
Williams will become an unrestricted free agent this spring unless the Falcons offer a contract extension, which they might not because they like rookie OLB Stephen Nicholas and MLB Keith Brooking could be moved back outside next season.
In terms of Boley, he seems to fit the criteria of the type of player Atlanta wants to have for it’s foreseeable future. He’s a solid citizen and an ascending talent who’s already approaching Pro Bowl caliber.
Starting free safety Chris Crocker also will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. He said he would like to return, but the Falcons have not approached his agent about an extension.
Norwood iffy, focus on the run not
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Falcons resumed practice Wednesday focused on running the ball and stopping the run.
With either an injured David Carr, Vinny Testaverde or rookie Matt Moore at quarterback, the Falcons expect Carolina to do everything in its power to establish a running game.
Safety Lawyer Milloy said Atlanta won’t get hammered on the ground like it did in the teams’ first meeting this season, when Carolina ran for 175 yards in a 27-20 victory. And there won’t be a repeat of last season, when the Panthers threw just seven times and were able to run for 183 yards in a 10-3 victory the second time the teams’ faced off.
Offensively, tailback Jerious Norwood (sprained right ankle) did not practice but he said he would be able to play Sunday. Coach Bobby Petrino said if Norwood plays it won’t be in a limited capacity, meaning, Norwood would only see the field if he can do what he does well. If Norwood is out, bruiser Artose Pinner would backup starter Warrick Dunn.
The running game could get a boost with the return of tackle Todd Weiner, who missed the past three games after having arthroscopic left knee surgery. Weiner will play Sunday but where has not been determined.
Tyson Clabo has played well in Weiner’s spot at right tackle. Quinn Ojinnaka also had a good game at left tackle vs. San Francisco in his first NFL start, but the coaching staff might feel that Panthers’ end Mike Rucker is a tall order for Ojinnaka. Weiner said he’s played both tackle spots and would have no problem moving to left tackle.
In other injury news, tight end Alge Crumpler took part in portions of practice and he could be back. QB Byron Leftwich was in more discomfort than anticipated after a pretty tough workout Monday, according to Petrino, so his return probably won’t be for at least another week.
Still laying down The Law
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In reviewing some of the numbers the Falcons have compiled, two things jump out and they’re both on defense.
The first is that OLB Michael Boley already has 90 tackles based on the team’s accounting, which comes off film review. Boley’s tackle total matches his career-high mark set in 14 starts last season.
SIDENOTE: The NFL’s stats are taken off game tallies and frequently, when it comes to tackles, are significantly less than team-supplied totals.
Second, strong safety Lawyer Milloy is second in stops with 64. Now, a team never wants a defensive back ranking among it’s tackling leaders, but Milloy, truth be told, serves as a fourth linebacker, so he’s not making too many tackles 15 yards down field.
That Milloy is still producing at such a high level says something. Early in the season, it seems as if he’d lost some starch on his hits and some bounce in getting to the ball. However, over the past few weeks, he has seemed like a different player.
The coaching staff and front office love him, not only for his unquestioned professionalism, but also from the fact that he continues to be productive.
Which leads to a question: With several veterans likely to be jettisoned after the season, would Atlanta be better off hanging onto a good player and great locker room guy like Milloy for one more season (he has one year left on his contract) or should they send him on his way this summer and bring someone new in.
The Falcons seemingly have a lot of other areas of need to address than strong safety but Milloy, 33, is in his 12th season.
The Predator’s on the loose
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch — The Falcons beat a bad San Francisco team Sunday but the caliber of the foe doesn’t matter much after losing six of the first seven and a victory is crucial.
Several players stepped up, particularly on defense, but the biggest difference maker was end John Abraham. Abe had a sack and a forced fumble and he seemed to take up residence in San Francisco’s backfield.
He could have just been warming up because he’s getting ready to play against the team he’s wreaked the most havoc against over the past two seasons, Carolina. In two of Atlanta’s past three games vs. the Panthers, he has four sacks and two forced fumbles. This week, his prey will be QB David Carr, who was sacked seven times in a loss to Tennessee Sunday.
The Predator has six sacks this season and we’re starting to see how good he can be if he stays healthy. If tackle Rod Coleman can get anywhere near where he’s capable of playing and if rookie Jamaal Anderson figures things out any time soon, Abe’s presence could allow other people opportunities to ring up some sacks or pressures.
There was no update about tailback Jerious Norwood’s right ankle injury from coach Bobby Petrino Monday. Norwood did not need crutches or any other type of support after the game but he did limp gingerly.
In other injury news, RT Todd Weiner (knee surgery) return for Sunday’s game at Carolina. He was active against the 49ers but he did not play. He could replace Tyson Clabo and Clabo could serve as the swing tackle to Clabo could be moved to left tackle, although Quinn Ojinnaka performed fairly well, Petrino said.
The returns of quarterback Byron Leftwich (ankle) and tight end Alge Crumpler (knee/ankle) could be soon, but maybe not this week.
O-line feeling a little frisky
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Although second-year player Quinn Ojinnaka will make his first start at left tackle for the Falcons this weekend — it’s the third change at left tackle this season — Atlanta’s offensive linemen feel the team will finally be able to establish the run vs. San Francisco Sunday.
An emphasis has been put on establishing the run to set up the play-action pass, according to some players. Though they would not reveal what they’ve seen in the 49ers defense, there is optimism that the Falcons front can get some push and create seams for Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood to exploit.
San Francisco uses a 3-4 front, which the Falcons don’t see much, and they boast a super-stud at middle linebacker, Patrick Willis. Willis is among the NFL’s top tacklers and is a leading candidate to be the defensive rookie of the year.
As for the usage at running backs, Norwood said things have been set up for him to get more touches but he did not say if that meant more carries or receptions.
In other developments, the Falcons signed Tim Anderson to back up Trey Lewis at nose tackle. Anderson likely will take the place of injured backup nose tackle Montavious Stanley (knee).
Anderson was cut two weeks ago by Buffalo, where he spent the past four seasons and started 17 games. There seems to be an attraction to former Bills players as Anderson is the third player the Falcons have signed this season from Buffalo.
Deep snapper Mike Schneck and tackle Terrance Pennington are the others.
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