Shortly after the Falcons’ game against Jacksonville on Thursday night, coach Mike Smith dreaded his next duties.
General manager Thomas Dimitroff, normally an upbeat sort, was downcast.
The exhibition season was over, and it was time to make the cuts. That is a task that Smith said he usually doesn’t look forward to with much glee.
But this year, the cuts are especially troubling for the Falcons’ main football men because they likely will be televised on the final episode of “Hard Knocks” on HBO.
After the Falcons released 12 players to get to 63 on Friday, the team said Smith and Dimitroff were not available for comment. The Falcons must reach the league-mandated 53-man roster by 4 p.m. Saturday.
Linebacker Pat Angerer’s once-promising NFL career could be over after he was released.
In addition to Angerer, the Falcons released linebacker Yawin Smallwood, fullback Maurice Hagens, defensive end Nosa Eguae, cornerback Jordan Mabin, wide receiver Freddie Martino, safety Kimario McFadden, tight end Jacob Pedersen, offensive lineman Adam Replogle and defensive tackle Donte “Cupcake” Rumph, offensive tackle Pat McQuistan and running back Josh Vaughan.
Angerer, 27, was trying to make a comeback after undergoing microfracture knee surgery in December. The Colts selected Angerer in the second round of the 2010 draft out of Iowa, and he started 39 of 53 games for them before ending last season on injured reserve.
The Falcons selected Smallwood in the seventh round (253 overall) of the draft. He became the fifth pick since Dimitroff was named general manager in 2008 to be cut on the final cutdown. He joined running back Thomas Brown (sixth round, 2008), cornerback Wilrey Fontenot (seventh round, 2008), tight end Keith Zinger (seventh round, 2008) and cornerback William Middleton (fifth round, 2009).
Zinger later was added to the practice squad.
After getting down to 53, the Falcons will not be finished retooling their roster. They can add 10 players to the practice squad and will monitor the league waivers more intensely this season. One of the benefits of having a poor record last season (4-12) is that the Falcons are the sixth team in order to claim talent released by other teams.
Last season, Kansas City general manager John Dorsey used the waiver wire to fortify the back end of his roster, which helped fuel a big rebound and a trip to the playoffs. On roster cut-down weekend, the Chiefs snagged seven players off the waiver wire, including tight end Sean McGrath, who caught 26 passes last season.
“The next couple of days are very difficult because there are difficult decisions that have to be made,” Smith said. “We have a bunch of young men that have worked extremely hard, and unfortunately it’s just a fact of the NFL that there are going to be (only) 53 guys to make our roster.”
The Falcons know that they likely will be busy after the cuts and after picking the practice squad.
“Our personnel staff is going to have some sleepless nights over the next 72 hours,” Smith said. “There are going to be a lot of transactions over the next four or five days, really over the next 10 days.”
Smith believes that teams will wait until the first game of the season before settling on their rosters.
“There is a cause and effect for every move that takes place,” Smith said. “It’s a tough time as a coach and as a co-team builder in making those decisions.”
The main decision for the Falcons is whether to carry two or three quarterbacks after T.J. Yates turned in a dazzling performance against Jacksonville. Sean Renfree had a strong offseason and exhibition campaign.
“When you take the whole body of work from both of these young men, they have done some very good things,” Smith said.
Several players, such as Yates and Martino, made late pushes to make the roster.
“I’ve worked hard and I just hope it puts me in a good position to make this team,” Martino said before the cuts were made.
Perhaps, he’ll be signed to the practice squad.
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