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Monday, March 17, 2008
Who will replace D-Hall?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
D-Hall could be in the Silver and Black by the end of the week, Jason Elam might come back home to kick after 15 seasons in Denver and Keith Brooking will return to middle linebacker for a third straight season.
With the recent developments with the Birds, the most talked about has been the likely trade of two-time Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall to Oakland for second and sixth-round picks in this draft. The Raiders and Falcons have agreed on the trade but since Hall is entering the final year of his contract, he wants a new deal in place - as do the Raiders.
They don’t want to trade away two draft picks (the first being the 34th overall choice) for a one-year player and Hall wants to get P.A.I.D.
Once those terms are agreed upon, and they should be in the next few days, Hall will be the latest member of a team that, in 2004, went to the NFC championship game. As a side note, only Brooking and offensive linemen Kynan Forney, Todd Weiner and Todd McClure remain key contributors from that squad.
The biggest question regarding the Hall trade might not be who Atlanta takes with the picks it gains from the trade, but who is going to play that cornerback spot.
The Falcons just signed Houston free agent Von Hutchins but they want him more as a nickel back/safety. Second-year player David Irons and third-year player Brent Grimes are possibilities - Irons made a huge impression last season - but the eventual starter might not be on the roster right now.
The Falcons would save just more than $3 million by moving Hall, which would help create more space under the camp to use in a variety of ways. Whether that player would be a rookie or someone acquired in a trade/free agency, a lot would be asked of him, especially with the pass rush still a concern with help needed at defensive tackle and end Jamaal Anderson still developing.
That high second-round pick Atlanta could receive could be used to nab the quarterback they need or someone like Oklahoma middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. Atlanta could also parlay that pick into a mid-first rounder and nab the best available cornerback to replace Hall.
Regarding Elam, the Brookwood product is coming to Atlanta Wednesday for a visit. Based on how things have gone so far, this won’t an wasted fly by. The free agents the Falcons have brought in, they’ve pretty much signed. Elam has been one of the better kickers in the NFL for 15 years and at 38, he’s still nearly a decade younger than 47-year-old Morten Andersen.
Andersen has been automatic inside the 42/43 but the Falcons want to explore getting a stronger-accurate leg, which could be important since touchdowns might be hard to come by again with the offense being rebuilt.
Defensively, Brooking has been slated to play middle linebacker again, according to defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. The five-time Pro Bowler would prefer to play as the weak side outside linebacker but because of the lack of MLBs in free agency and the draft, Brooking likely will end up in the middle.
That could change if Atlanta were able to draft Lofton or someone of his ilk. However, another reason Brooking is being kept in the middle is to get second-year linebacker Stephen Nicholas on the field. Nicholas was on the verge of replacing former WLB Demorrio Williams until Nicholas suffered a high ankle sprain that basically relegated him to being a special teams player.
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