AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2008 > July > 21 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThe course of action: Compete
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay, okay, I left you hanging for a minute but I had to shut it down for a few so I can re-fuel for the season. So, I apologize for the hiatus but I’m back.
In fact, on Friday, I’ll be on live to answer any questions you guys have regarding training camp, the season, whatever. I’ll keep it real and hopefully offer some perspective about what’s to come. Once training camp arrives, my partner on the beat, D. Orlando Ledbetter (D-Led) and I will blog every day with the latest.
To more important matters, I spoke to head coach Mike Smith today after a staff meeting and he laid some things out as to how they will approach training camp. The first 26 practices are scripted, with much of it being a review of things they went over in offseason workouts.
I gathered it’s going to be pretty intense, but that they will not wear players out for the sake of proving this new coaching staff is unyielding.
He re-iterated that few positions are settled - including quarterback - and he emphasized the importance of preseason games. Smith said players throughout the roster would be put in high-pressure situations in practices and the exhibition games so coaches can see who cracks and who they can trust. There are no concerns about playing rookies if they are the best players at their positions, he said.
Smith was not definitive about the health of some players, but he did say that some players returning from injury, such as veteran right tackle Todd Weiner (knee surgery), would be brought along cautiously. Whether that means Weiner be set for the regular season remains unknown.
Smith also addressed the return game and said that Adam Jennings is still in play for punt returns. That means that Jennings, at worst, would be the No. 5 wide receiver, meaning the competition for rosters spots at wide out will be one of the most heated.
Jerious Norwood and rookies Thomas Brown and Harry Douglas will join Jennings as possible kickoff returners.
Offensive tackle Sam Baker, the first-round draft picks penciled to start at left tackle, and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton (2nd round) remain unsigned but Smith said the staff is hopeful they’ll be under contract when camp opens Saturday.
(Join Falcons beat writer Steve Wyche for a live two-hour blog Friday as the team prepares to open its 2008 training camp. Wyche will be online from noon-2 p.m. to answer your questions about this year’s team.)
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By chc4
July 21, 2008 11:59 AM | Link to this
Looking forward to the season even though it looks like a comeplete rebuild (how many times has that been said?). I’m still shocked we didn’t bring in a proven starting CB. I’m DHall is gone but what in the world are we going w/ in his place? That’s the biggesst blunder of the offseason imo.
By Charlie
July 21, 2008 12:32 PM | Link to this
Sounds good Steve, and with D-Led in the mix? This is gonna be good stuff. Hopefully you guys will be writing about so many “dust ups” that we will worry about the continuity of the team!
By Maniac is accurate
July 21, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this
Great to see you back, Steve. Will you guys have the Falcons blog open for commenting from the time it’s posted until a new one is posted? Most AJC blogs are open for comments much longer than the Falcons blog, without, best I can tell, any explanation, rhyme or reason why it has been so truncated here. Can we expect a better performance from you guys in that department this season? Thanks.
By Believe01
July 21, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this
It’s been a heck of a year for us long time fans. You see all the short band wagon folks have left and the season tickets sales fall. That’s all right for the real fans. Now a new season, a new coach and a new era for the Falcons. Hopefully in a few short years we will have a solid team, a new stadium (outdoors) and a new league of faithful fans. Thanks Mr. Blank for putting in the time and effort it takes to build a championship team. These have been the hardest years hopefully behind us. I’m looking forward to bigger and better times ahead of us. Let’s put the past to rest, forgive and forget yesterday. Tomorrow is a gift and today is the present.. that’s why they call it a gift. ( ok I stole that line from Kung Fu Panda, but it’s the truth! ) LOL Have a great day everyone. God Bless and may the Falcons do what they did in 1998, Shock the world baby! ( but I’ll be happy with 8 and 8!
By Stan
July 21, 2008 1:08 PM | Link to this
Any word on bringing back Coleman or Grady????
By Maxx
July 21, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this
Thank you Steve, I was starting to have football withdrawls
By Greg
July 21, 2008 1:22 PM | Link to this
Steve, thanks for this post. Talk to as many of the assistants as you can, as often as you can. I’ll bet you’ll scoop up more interesting facts about player potential there than from the HC. I agree, BTW, with chc4 about the worrisome corner position. They ought to pay, say, Chad Johnson a consultant fee to come to camp for one day and run right at our corners…just to show them what they’re gonna be up against once things get rolling. Johnson made us look sick in last year’s preseason. DHall ended up with his shoelaces tied together.
By Ken Strickland
July 21, 2008 1:27 PM | Link to this
I’d feel a lot more comfortable about the Falcons chances this season having a DT like Dorsey or CEllis in the starting lineup. Instead, we’ll have a franchise QB on the sidelines carrying a clipboard. Despite all of the hype to the contrary, there’s nothing that shows MRyan is even the equal of CRedman, let alone better, at this point. I’m certain he might have more long term potential, but this franchise needs to be more concerned with the present.
The success or failure of the Falcons this season will be based on the performance of the DEF, especially the DL, not the OFF. Having a strong run stopping, pass rushing DL would improve our pass DEF exponentially, and drafting a DL like Dorsey or Ellis would have made that a reality. Having a franchise QB on the sidelines carrying a clipboard makes ABlank feel better, but does little for overall team performance.
Sorry ABlank, you fumbled again. You didn’t learn from your previous mistake of marketing a player instead of the team. You know, like the GRITS BLITZ, or the DIRTY BIRDS, or the STEEL CURTAIN, or AMERICA’S TEAM, etc. You market the team and let the fans chose the player(s) they want to follow, instead of you selecting a player and forcing him on the fans.
By J
July 21, 2008 1:27 PM | Link to this
Sign Chad Hall!!! Best KR/PR around!
By Phillip
July 21, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this
Steve,
What’s your “take” on the season ticket sales? McKay keeps saying positive things on their campaign to sell more season tix while not releasing how many have been sold? I’m “guessing” right now they probably have about 50,000 season tix sold - which would leave about 22,000 empty seats before single games are sold. Is it just me or is it going to be TV “blackout city” on every home game this year? would love to hear your thoughts Steve…
By CDW
July 21, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this
Well said Believe01. Forget the past and lets move on and I’m also ok with the bandwagon fans gone.
By Phillip
July 21, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this
Adam Freakin’ Jennings!
Surely to goodness he won’t make the team! He is the worst punt returner in the NFL and has never made a big play in the two years he has been in the role of punt returner…….he is HORRIBLE!!!!
By mark
July 21, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
You mentioned that the Quarterback situation was already settled. Did Coach Smith give you a name? Just curious and can’t wait to blog with you guys as this season will be a great one!!
By clinton cain
July 21, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this
coleman grady, bring them back you cant; get any worst they are proven. DJ Schockley dont;t make another dumb move and let him go, remember the bret farv move came back to bite you in the-ss
By GATORZONE
July 21, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this
Ken, if they would have drafted a d-lineman this year, they would have had to go with a QB next year and he would not be ready until the year after. They have to bite the bullet and go ahead with the most important piece of the puzzle.
Besides, whose to say Dorsey is not going to be an injury prone bust?
By roman88
July 21, 2008 2:57 PM | Link to this
he said the qb position wasn’t settled, I hope dj gets plenty of preseason action, to show he should stay. looking at last yrs scores, atl really was in most every game, some want to rip blank, but at least he seems to want to win and care,
By Hollywould
July 21, 2008 3:35 PM | Link to this
Philip is dead on. Jennings has done nothing.
By bigeasy830
July 21, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this
Gatorzone, I understand your point of view. But I like, Ken believes that the D lineman would have helped solidify the defense. We have some decent young talent on defense especially at linebacker.. We may still lose many games but, we will be more competitive. We are starting over from scratch. You first build up your lines. Thats the way you build a team. Look at the approach that Houston took after Kubiak took over. Most laughed at him for drafting Williams, but who is laughing now. He then drafted the young lineman from Louisville last year. They won 8 games last year. We must take the 4 to 5 year plan to even think of being competitive. Our team is that bad. So waiting one year on the true franchise QB is probably the best thing. I dread that we rush Matt Ryan and he gets shelled like David Carr or Joey Harrington. Those guys were considered good QBs but they were but in bad situations on terrible teams. Just like the Falcons are now. I am a Falcons fan, but I am just looking at things realistically. The Falcons are one of the worst teams in the league, maybe the worst. We won 4 games last year and Seattle gave us the last win. We lost to St Louis, a team that won only two games. It may have been because of coaching but you cannot deny that we also have very little talent on this team except maybe the linebacker core. We need to build up our entire team. That is why I think it was so crazy to trade two second round pics for an O-lineman that would have been there for us in the second round anyway. We needed all those high draft picks. This is why I am not happy with the GM. I can understand the Matt Ryan pick but not the Sam Baker pick.
By Zman
July 21, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this
Man you Georgia fans are as bad as the Vick fans when it comes to blind loyalty. I think DJ’s best bet is to take a page from another Dawg QB and look at maybe a slot receiver. I look at DJ like Hines Ward a whole lot of talent, but he is not going to start in the NFL at the QB position. Ward saw that in himself and was willing to make the change, and now he is one of the top clutch players at his position in the game. I just think that DJ has too much talent to be walking around the sidelines holding a clipboard. He could have maybe a great career in the NFL if he looks at changing from QB to another position. Heck maybe defensive back who knows.
By bigeasy830
July 21, 2008 4:15 PM | Link to this
Great post Ken Strickland, I agree with you 100 percent.
By Explicit
July 21, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this
Not very excited at all by the prospect of having to watch Adam, “go nowhere” Jennings return punts again. Please please please let Thomas Brown beat him out. Special teams returns can boost your team so much because you can get yardage so quickly and not have to work as hard for it as you do on offense.
Also I am more worried about the DL than I am the secondary. The secondary can be covered up easier than a poor DL. If we don’t get pressure on the QB or penetrated into the backfield then we are going to have offenses going on some long drives against us and unfortunately some short ones.
Everybody will have a thousand reasons not to mess with Jason Taylor but if all the Dolphins wanted was a 2nd rounder this season and a second day pick two drafts from now I don’t know why we didn’t throw our hats in the ring in order to try to get the services of a proven pro-bowl caliber player that can help to make our team better.
Just because everyone says we are going to be terrible doesn’t mean that we have to be.
The same can be said for Shockey. The Saints just made a weak part of their team a strength. I wish the Falcons would do more of that too.
By The Dean 21
July 21, 2008 4:36 PM | Link to this
I think Mike Smith is contradicting his comments from earlier mini-camps to when he said that positions were up for grabs and may the best competitor wins. It seems that the QB & PR positions are not up for grabs now and Training Camp has not started. If Adam Jennings makes this squad, then be prepared for a long season folks. Adam Jennings imo should not be on the practice squad. We need a better process in realizing our talent and how to use it. A punt returner is a valuable and important piece to field position, we have suffered in this area for the past 2 years and we need a spark plug type of guy to give us momentum after a punt. We also need to be on the waiver wire look out for DL & OL’s. Get big Grady back for a few downs or bring back Coleman. Just get some big body lineman who has skills to stop the run. Our division is not that strong. Although we are re-building does not mean we cannot compete right now.
By Ken Strickland
July 21, 2008 4:43 PM | Link to this
GAATORZONE-they could have drafted DT Dorsey at #3, or traded down and drafted DT CEllis. Trading down and drafting Ellis would have gotten them another 2nd rd pick. Then the Ravens would have traded up and drafted MRyan instead of Flacco. We could then use the two 2nd rd picks from the DHall and the trade down for Ellis and traded back into the 1st rd and drafted QB Flacco and OT Baker. We would still have our QB and LT of the future, as well as a playmaking, pass rushing, run stuffing DT of the present.
Come on, can you honestly tell me the Falcons wouldn’t be better off starting the season with Flacco, rather than MRyan, standing on the sidelines carrying a clipboard, and either Dorsey or CEllis starting at DT?
ABLANK, THE BEST PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR ANY TEAM IS WINNING, NOT DRAFTOMG AND PROMOTING MRYAN, OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL PLAYER.
By tnfalcon
July 21, 2008 4:43 PM | Link to this
The Falcons have removed several malcontents and rightfully so. Those players were like malignant tumors eating away at the heart of the team. I believe the falcons are now better physically and mentally. Arthur Blank has made several moves to improve the team. The book is still out on the coaching staff but they can’t be worse than what we’ve had the last three years. Several teams have gone from worst to first in recent years. I am just hoping for enough improvement to be legitament competitors. Since 1966 I have been keeping the faith.
By GT GRAD
July 21, 2008 4:52 PM | Link to this
Cut Jennings now! Give him a chance to catch on with another team. This approach allows the Falcons more time to determine who is best new player for the position. (#1KR/#1PR/#5WR)
I assume McKay & Blank have told Mike Smith how “talented” Jennings is and that they drafted him to be a “special” player (return specialist). He had a few break away returns at Fresno State which inflated his return numbers and they made a mistake. They simply want to keep him hoping he will eventually pan out and make the draft pick look good……he has not produced on the field and it is time to cut him loose.
By St. Bernard
July 21, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this
I’ll take Blank over the Spirit group anytime!
By Rick
July 21, 2008 5:04 PM | Link to this
Ken , get a clue, A blank had no say in the drafting of Ryan or the not drafting of Dorsey. Who said Dorsey is a game changer? He could be the next Ryan Lief. We had to take the step at some point and get a NFL qb. Redman looked ok at the last of the season, just that ok, Harington had the deer in the headlights look and DJ is coming off knee surgery. He will do nothing this year and will be lucky to be the number 3 guy. As for the UGA guys crying, DJ would have had his shot last year with all the qb rotation going on, he got hurt, the stars just did not line up for him, and no way is he going to play while Ryan is make a zillion bucks.
By Peachtree John
July 21, 2008 5:06 PM | Link to this
By Greg
July 21, 2008 5:32 PM | Link to this
I agree 100% with Ken Strickland. I understand GATORZONE’s point, but did you notice last year that when Harrington and Redman had time they were usually pretty accurate throwing the ball? At times they were both scary good. If we had worked harder on both lines, in the draft and FA, I’d be a lot more hopeful. I know that we may still make some moves, but we have some really deep needs on the lines and I don’t see how we expect to “coach up” what we have now and beat the teams in our conference.
By Klimaxx
July 21, 2008 5:35 PM | Link to this
Stupid team
By Zman
July 21, 2008 5:44 PM | Link to this
Bigeasy830 a good Saints name even though you say you are a Falcons fan. Lets be honest last year was a bust from the beginning. We lost Vick before the season started, and what a media circus that was. Then we hired a coach who I feel that McKay should have be fired over. I tell you the Falcons are not that bad. NO we are not going to the playoffs but we will be competiitve because the new coaching staff will hold peoples feet to the fire. I feel as long as we show improvement each week we should be happy. I see at least 6 to 8 wins this year.
By falcondawg
July 21, 2008 6:16 PM | Link to this
THANK GOD ALMIGHTY!!! FOOTBALL’S BACK!!!
By Rod
July 21, 2008 8:15 PM | Link to this
Whatever, if they let DJ SHockley get gone they would have to be crazy. Yeah is the future but Ryan needs a good team around him according to Doug Flutie. Shockley atleast for this year will give the QB a chance to live until the offense becomes comfortable for everyone in unisun. We are expect the 6th offensive lineman in the draft to start day one in the NFL. Sam im sure is going to be good but he may get redman or ryan hurt this year until he gets more experence in the nfl.
By Gray Mule
July 21, 2008 9:45 PM | Link to this
Funny how all us fans “know” how the season is going to turn out, even before pre-season begins.
With all the mess of last season, there was four games won by the Falcons.
Question. Will this season’s team be in as big of a mess as last season’s? We lose our QB before the season starts, our coach runs away before the season is over and we have a group of players who were more Vick oriented than they were team players. Worst to first sounds good to me!! Let’s do it!
Gray Mule