(Welcome all! With the NFL becoming more of a passing league, the “Cover 9@9” blog is here for you every Wednesday at 9 a.m. We try to get to everything about the Atlanta Falcons from the Hometown Huddle to how exactly the defense gave up 475 yards to the Mighty Cleveland Browns last season. We’re ramping up for the start of training camp this week with a look at the fans poll on how many sacks they think first-round draft pick Vic Beasley will amass as a rookie. -– D. Orlando Ledbetter)
1. THE BEASLEY PLAN, PART 2: Last Week, we looked at how the Falcons should use Vic Beasley, the team's top draft pick.
Then we asked you all to predict how many sacks he would get in his rookie season in a poll.
Our research – Hat Tip to Falcons sideline reporter John Michaels – revealed that only two players selected in the top 10 over the past 10 drafts had registered double-digit sacks as rookies.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
In 2011, Denver’s Von Miller, who was taken second overall, had 11.5 sacks. San Francisco’s Aldon Smith, who was selected seventh overall had 14 sacks.
While Beasley said he’s going to be a double-digit sack guy as a rookie, the majority of the fans in the poll did not agree with him.
A group of 44 percent of the voters picked that he would get less than 10 sacks.
A group of 37 percent projected that he would get 10 sacks.
A group of 11 percent projected that he would get 15 sacks.
The group voting for others was at seven percent and only one percent voted for zero sacks (Probably a few Saints fans).
2. MEDIA OBLIGATIONS: Spoke with Jud Hughes, the vice chair and head of Global Sports Practice at Korn/Ferry, the search firm that helped with the Falcons landing Quinn.
He was a coach before he moved into the human resources side of football and worked under five Hall of Fame coaches in Chuck Noll (Pro Football Hall of Fame), Bud Grant (Pro), Bo Schembechler (College Hall of Fame), John Ralston (College) and Terry Donahue (College).
Because of the non-disclosure agreements signed between the firms he was not able to get into that specifics of Atlanta’s search.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
As an expert in his field, we wanted to know what challenges a generic first-year head coach must overcome to be successful
“I think when you sit in the chair for the first time, it’s like drinking out of a fire hose,” Hughes said. “You’ve got so many demands that are on you that are not related to coaching that it’s almost overwhelming. The time you have to spend with the media, the time you have to deal with problems not associated with coaching, I think one of the things that head coaches find out is that there’s less coaching, because they don’t get to coach that much because they have all of the periphery things that they have to deal with.”
Quinn handled his media obligations deftly in the offseason and had to deal with a major periphery matter in Prince Shembo’s arrest for alleging killing a dog. He sent him packing.
The league mandates the media relations parts through its strong media relations policy.
Head coaches are required to speak to the media four times a week. But some teams – like the Falcons – put more on their head coaches’ plate by not allowing his assistants or front office folks to help him out with the media duties.
The general manager has been unavailable over the past two seasons on a regularly and timely basis. Assistant coaches are available, but you have to request them 24 hours in advance and the head coach has to approve. (I don’t remember coach Mike Smith ever turning down a request for one of his assistants.) Also, there are
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
questions that the general manager could handle for the head coach and relieve him of some of media duties.
While Hughes makes a valid point, it’s the teams putting more on the coaches’ plate and not the media.
“The public relations piece, dealing with the media and having to interact with that is something that is really different,” Hughes said.
Hughes didn’t seem to be fan of the digital era or social media, either.
“I would say the biggest change in all of sports is that anybody can be a reporter and anybody can comment on anything,” Hughes said. “The unfortunate piece is that there is no censor to it. You can say whatever you want. You can tweet whatever you want. You can block whatever you want.”
At the risk of side-tracking the interview, I tried to point out that the league has always had a strong media relations policy that dated back to Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s times (He was a former PR guy and understood the value of excellent media relations.)
But Hughes didn’t seem to buy that notion.
We got back on track and talked about how winning the locker room is very important for first-year coaches.
That was a fun little interview.
3. FIGHT SKIN CANCER: Here's an important public service notice to those planning to attend the open practices at training camp on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
WHAT: For the second consecutive year, the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) is partnering with the Atlanta Falcons to promote skin cancer detection and prevention. As part of this partnership, the Falcons will offer free skin cancer screenings with board-certified dermatologists. Screening participants will be eligible to win autographed Falcons memorabilia.
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, July 31, Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2
WHERE: Atlanta Falcons Training Camp Facility
4400 Falcon Parkway, Flowery Branch, GA 30542
Visit SPOTme.org to find more free screenings in your area.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
HOW: Board-certified dermatologists will conduct a visual inspection of exposed skin areas. SPOTme® skin cancer screenings will take place in a private booth at the training camp, in the parking lot across from the merchandise vendors.
WHY: One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Although skin cancer can affect anyone, men ages 50 and older have a higher risk than the general population of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
While approximately one person dies of melanoma every hour, all skin cancer is highly treatable when detected early and treated properly. To reduce the number of deaths from skin cancer, the Academy and its member dermatologists are providing free SPOTme® skin cancer screenings at various locations across the country to catch skin cancer in its earliest, most treatable stages.
One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, and approximately one person dies of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, every hour. Skin cancer can affect anyone, but men ages 50 and older have a higher risk of developing melanoma than the general population.
Skin cancer is highly treatable when detected early and treated properly, and the Academy and the Falcons hope to encourage the general public to attend.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
4. CONGRATS TO NICHOLAS: Former Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas has been hired as quality control assistant coach at South Florida by head coach Willie Taggart. His title is Football Analyst – Defense.
Nicholas, who starred at South Florida, was drafted in the fourth-round (109th overall) by the Falcons in 2007.
He went on to play 101 games and make 50 starts for the Falcons, mostly at strongside linebacker.
Nicholas was first-team All-Big East his senior season (2006), a Conference USA all-freshman team member in 2003, and was twice named South Florida's defensive most valuable player (2004, 2006).
5. RED LIGHTNING TO INTERN: Blogged this yesterday, but it's worth repeating.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Frankie Grizzle-Malgrat, who is was known in college football circles at Red Lightning, will join the Falcons as a training camp intern this offseason.
He’ll be on hand with the team reports on Thursday and for the first practice on Friday.
Grizzle, who worked the sidelines for Florida State, is widely considered the best ball boy in college football.
6. LIST OF VETERANS: Here's a list of the veteran newcomers the Falcons have signed over the offseason (Waiting to get word on how Jake Long's workout went on Tuesday and if he'll be signed.):
Phillip Adams, cornerback: He spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders. He's started a combined eight games over those seasons, with eight pass deflections and three interceptions. Adams will likely compete for a nickel role. He was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round (224th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. He has spent time with the 49ers, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Raiders and Jets during his career. Overall, he's seen action in 12 contests with four starts, recording 20 tackles, one interception, and four passes defensed in 2014.Signed March 12. NFL experience: 65 games played. 8 starts.
Allen Bradford, linebacker: He's a converted running back who was selected by Tampa Bay in the sixth-round of the 2011 draft. In the Pros, Bradford was moved to linebacker. He was signed to Seattle's practice squad in Oct. of 2011, where he was switched to linebacker. Bradford has also spent time with the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns. He has played in 13 NFL games. In college, he played in 52 games for the Trojans and rushed for 1,585 yards on 267 carries (5.9 yards per carry) and scored touchdowns. Bradford ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds at the combine back in 2011. Signed on Feb. 13. NFL experience: 13 games played. no starts.
Chris Chester, offensive guard: The former Washington Redskin, who was ranked lower than the departed Justin Blalock and Asamoah in recent years under profootballfocus.com's grading system, was signed for $2.8 million. Chester, 32, has started 111 of 137 games for the Ravens and Redskins. Chester was snapped up after being released by Washington. Last season, Blalock (26th) and Asamoah (24th) were rated higher than Chester (33rd) by profootballfocus.com. Blalock gave up three sacks, six hits and 20 quarterback hurries over 991 snaps. Chester gave up five sacks, three hits and 16 hurries. Signed May 20. NFL experience: 137 games played. 111 starts.
Adrian Clayborn, defensive end: A former first-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2011, has 13 career sacks. He played one game last season after tearing his biceps. He agreed to one-year deal, worth $3 million with another $1.25 million available through incentives. Clayborn, 26, also has battled a condition called Erb's Palsy, a disability that caused nerve damage to his right shoulder. He missed most of the 2012 season due to a torn ACL, he returned and played another full slate of games the next year and made 64 tackles and had 5.5 sacks. While he didn't flash the same type of burst off of the edge, he was still a solid contributor. The Falcons need him to rebound to help stop the run and add some spice to their pass rush. Signed March 12. NFL experience: 36 games played. 36 tarts.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Justin Durant, linebacker: He was a second-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007. He signed a three-year, $10.8 million contract with the Falcons after playing for Dallas last season. He's battled injuries over his career and is projected to replace Sean Weatherspoon, who signed with Arizona in free agency, at weakside linebacker. Durant has started 80 of 95 games over eight seasons, in which he also played for the Lions and the Cowboys. Signed March 10. NFL experience: 95 games played. 80 starts.
Leonard Hankerson, wide receiver: Hankerson, 26, was signed to a one-year contract in free agency after playing four seasons in Washington, where he caught a career-high 57 passes in 2012 under new Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. He will compete to earn the top spot behind former Pro Bowl wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White. Hankerson, who was slowed by a hip injury as a rookie in 2011, battled to come back from knee surgery last season. Signed March 11. NFL experience: 31 games played. 14 starts.
Carlton Mitchell, wide receiver: He was originally selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round (177th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft out of South Florida. Mitchell played in 16 games for the Browns and made three catches for 31 yards last season. He knows the offense after playing under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan last season. Signed June 16. NFL experience: 16 games played. No starts.
Tony Moeaki, tight end: He had a monster rookie season with 47 catches and appeared headed for stardom in 2010. But injuries have stalled his career. Moeaki had a knee surgery and then later suffered a season-ending torn ACL during the 2011 exhibition season. He bounced back in 2012 with a 33-catch season. But after suffering a fractured shoulder, Moeaki was no longer in the plans for 2013 when a new regime took over. In 2013, after signing a two-year deal with Buffalo he suffered a major hamstring injury in training camp. He was placed on reserve/injured list on August 29th and was released from after reaching an injury settlement on Sept. 1. Last season, he played with Seattle for six games as he battled calf and shoulder injuries. He flashed his play-making ability on a 63-yard catch-and-run against the 49ers on Nov. 27. The only question is can he stay healthy enough to win the starting position. Signed March 19. NFL experience: 38 games played. 31 starts.
Collin Mooney, fullback: He was signed after spending two seasons with Tennessee. He was out of the league last year. He was signed by the Titans as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2012 draft. Mooney set a school record with 1,339 rushing yards during his senior season with the Black Knights. He has played in 14 NFL games with four starts. He appears to be a longshot to unseat DiMarco. After graduating he spent three years fulfilling his commitment to the U.S. Army. He was commissioned in the field artillery branch of the U.S. Army. Signed May 4. NFL experience: 14 games played. 4 starts.
Mike Person, offensive guard: He played in 16 games last season for the St. Louis Rams, but has no NFL starts. He played 60 snaps at left guard and gave up two quarterback hurries. He was listed among "others" outside of the top 10 tackles, who were free agents by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn, who commented: "A deep backup, Person's three-year deal was worth $3.35M ($500,000 guaranteed)." He's ended the offseason working with the first-team at left guard. So, he's somewhere between a starter and a "deep backup." Signed March 10. NFL experience: 16 games played. 0 starts.
Tyler Polumbus, tackle: He's 30 and has played in 98 NFL games and made 57 starts. He started at right tackle for Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan 2011-2013 while with the Washington Redskins. He started four of five games in 2011, when he split the season between Washington and Seattle. He started 15 of 15 games in 2012 and 16 of 16 in 2013. Last season, he started seven of the 11 games he played in. He was the 62nd ranked tackle in the league who played more than 25 percent of his team's snaps, according to profootballfocus.com. He played 491 snaps and gave up eight quarterback sacks and 13 quarterback hurries. Signed May 14. NFL experience: 98 games played. 57 starts.
Brooks Reed, linebacker: He played inside and outside linebacker with the Houston Texans for four seasons, signed a five-year, $22 million contract, with $9 million guaranteed. Reed, battled back from an offseason groin injury, worked at strongside linebacker in the offseason. Reed was drafted in the second round (42nd overall) in 2011 by the Texans, who selected J.J. Watt with the 11th pick of the first round. He started 52 of 60 games alongside Watt, who blossomed into one of the NFL's stars. Signed March 10. NFL experience: 60 games played. 52 starts.
O'Brien Schofield, linebacker: He was originally selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round (130th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. He spent time with the Cardinals and Seahawks, posting 111 total tackles (93 solo), 13.5 sacks three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one pass defense. Schofield played in all 16 regular season games and two playoff games as a member of the Seahawks in 2014. He posted 20 tackles (15 solo), two sacks and one fumble recovery last season. Signed March 12. NFL experience: 66 games played. 11 starts.
Jared Smith, offensive guard: He was on Seattle's practice squad in 2013 before suffering an injury. The Seahawks picked him in the seventh-round (241st overall) of the 2013 NFL draft. He played at New Hampshire. Smith was waived prior to the start of training camp in 2014. He is also the midst of being converted from a defensive lineman. At New Hampshire he had 129 tackles (59 solo) 12.5 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He was named an All-American by College Sports Journal and The Sports Network. Signed March 18. NFL experience: No games played. No starts.
Jacob Tamme, tight end: He was signed to a two-year $4 million contract in free agency and is trying to revive his career after two down seasons with the Denver Broncos. Tamme, 30, is considered a pass-catching tight end, but only caught 14 and 20 passes over the past two seasons. In 2012, Tamme caught 52 passes for 555 yards. Tamme was a fourth-round pick (127th overall) of the Indianapolis Colts in the 2008 draft. He had his best season in 2010 when he caught 67 of 93 targets (72 percent) for 631 yards and four touchdowns with the Colts. He has played in 107 games and made 23 starters. Over his career he's caught 178 of 277 targets (64.2 percent) for 1,703 yards and 10 touchdowns. Signed March 19. NFL experience: 107 games played. 23 starts.
Nick Williams, wide receiver: Originally signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2013 NFL draft. He played in five games as a receiver and returner during his rookie campaign in 2013. Williams played in 42 games at Connecticut where he caught 43 passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns. He set a school record for career kickoff return yards (2,045) and ranks second in yards per return (25.9). Additionally, Williams is the only player in UConn history with at least two kickoff returns and two punt returns for touchdowns in a career. Signed Feb. 24. NFL experience: 5 games played. No starts.
7. SALUTE TO ETSU AND KSU: The National Football Foundation gave a salute to four college football programs set to take the first for the first time this fall.
East Tennessee State, former coach Mike Smith’s alma mater, is actually returning to field and will play in the Southern Conference under head coach Carl Torbush.
Kennesaw State was also saluted. The Owls will open play in the Big South Conference under head coach Brian Bohannon.
Also, Finlandia (Hancock, Mich.) and Lyon College (Batesville, Ark.) are set to play football.
8. ATLANTA FALCONS 2015 COUNTDOWN TO CAMP: We started our countdown to training camp 11 days out with a position-by-position look at the team. Links are below if you missed one.
Here’s the schedule:
Thursday – Fullbacks/Tight ends
Thursday-- Assistant coaches (non coordinators)
Friday – First day of practice.
9. TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE: The Falcons will hold their training camp at the team's headquarters for the 11th consecutive year and will have select practices open to the public from July 31 – August 19.
On Friday, August 7, the Falcons will hold their “Friday Night Lights” controlled scrimmage at Buford High School.
Here’s the training camp schedule:
Friday, July 31 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Saturday, August 1 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Sunday, August 2 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Monday, August 3 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Tuesday, August 4 – Players’ Day Off (No Media Availability)
Wednesday, August 5 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Thursday, August 6 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Friday, August 7 – “Friday Night Lights” (Buford High School – open to the public)
Saturday, August 8 – Players’ Day Off (No Media Availability)
Sunday, August 9 – Practice 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (open to the public)
Monday, August 10 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Tuesday, August 11 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Wednesday, August 12 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Thursday, August 13 – Practice 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. (open to the public)
Friday, August 14 – Falcons vs. Tennessee Titans, Georgia Dome, 7:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, August 15 – Players’ Day Off (No Media Availability)
Sunday, August 16 – Walkthrough (closed to the public)
Monday, August 17 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Tuesday, August 18 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
Wednesday, August 19 – Practice 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (open to the public)
ROOKIE MINICAMP VIDEOS
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 2nd round pick CB Jalen Collins
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 3rd round pick RB Tevin Coleman
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 4th round pick WR Justin Hardy
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 5th round pick DT Grady Jarrett
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 7th round pick OT Jake Rodgers
VIDEO: Meet Falcons 7th round pick CB Akeem King
AJC's 2015 NFL DRAFT COVERAGE
Falcons pick Vic Beasley, pass on Todd Gurley
Scouting report: Vic Beasley the next DeMarcus Ware or a one-trick pony?
Grady Jarrett escapes fire before Falcons draft him
MARK BRADLEY COLUMN: Vic Beasley: The right pick at the right time
JEFF SCHULTZ COLUMN: Falcons' Quinn determined to fix pass rush in draft
STEVE HUMMER feature on first-round pick Vic Beasley
Falcons add CB Jalen Collins in the second round
Falcons add RB Tevin Coleman in the third round
Falcons' draft bios round 2 through 7
PHOTO GALLERY: Meet the Falcons draft class
VIDEO
Vic Beasley plans to be a double-digit sack guy
Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn on the first round of the draft
Falcons coach Dan Quinn on 4th round pick WR Justin Hardy
Dimitroff and Quinn on 5th round pick DT Grady Jarrett
Quinn on 7th round pick OT Jake Rodgers
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