March 7, 2010 by
Rick Bridges |
2010 ATLANTA FALCONS PREVIEW,
atlanta falcons,
BRENT GRIMES,
BRIAN WILLIAMS,
CHEVIS JACKSON,
CHRIS HOUSTON,
Detroit Lions,
Dunta Robinson,
NFL draft,
NFL TRADE
See what happens when you're a cornerback that can't turn your head to play the ball?
According to Schefter, the Lions have agreed to swap picks in the 5th round of the 2010 draft and also surrender their 6th rounder for Falcons cornerback Chris Houston.
Houston is a talented guy who could be a very solid cornerback in the NFL. His problem is he simply cannot play the ball. Due to that inability, it seems Houstons worn out his welcome. He missed the last five games of the 2009 season due to injury. At the time, I felt it was a nice way of moving rookie Chris Owens into the lineup while allowing Houston to keep his dignity. It's possible I was correct based on Schefters tweet.
It's not surprising with the aquisition of Dunta Robinson this weekend. It left an odd man out with Chris [...]
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After watching the film on the 2009 San Francisco 49ers, here's a look at the state of the team and what to expect this offseason.
Offense
What was supposed to be a power-run system wound up becoming a shotgun offense. Why? Quarterback Alex Smith was more comfortable in that formation, and coaches probably believed that a shotgun would ameliorate the crippling pass blocking blunders at right tackle (where Adam Snyder and Tony Pashos took turns getting destroyed). [...]
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Today, the Atlanta Falcons announced that they have promoted quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave to the assistant head coaching position.
Musgrave was being persued by unknown sources which may have prompted the promotion. His work with Matt Ryan gave him job security with the Falcons over the past two seasons.
Widely known as one of the best quarterbacks coaches in the NFL, the move doesn't really surprise me. I was concerned that he may be offered a higher ranking position such as a coordinators job with one of the rebuilding teams.
Washington seemed like a place he would fit in well. He was with them back in 2005 and has an amiable relationship with now head coach Mike Shanahan.
So to me, the move appears a matter of necessity. Keeping the core coaching staff together going [...]
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Going into the off-season, the two major concerns for the Falcons are on defense. The offense, for the most part will be complete. The return of Harry Douglas from season ending ACL surgery is a big boost. It gives quaterback Matt Ryan another playmaker to distribute the ball to next season.
Also recently re-signed receiver Brian Finneran helps complete a pretty solid core of receivers. The offense also has a healthy Michael Turner coming back as well as the best tight end in NFL history, Tony Gonzalez.
So the offense seems ready to go in 2010. It's the defense that needs a little tweaking.
The return of Peria Jerry and Brian Williams should provide quite a boost for a team that ranked in the top ten in run defense last season. However, the pass defense is another story.
The [...]
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This was easily the best-played Super Bowl of my lifetime. The game lasted a little over three hours, despite the extended halftime. There were only eight total penalties,none of which were major blunders. Both teams executed their gameplans effectively and, for the most part, every player showed up.
Hard to believe that Indy got outscored 31-7 after the first quarter. It never felt like a lopsided contest.
[...]
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Growing up in the Eighties I can tell you, if you didn't live near Atlanta you likely won't remember seeing the Falcons play enough to know any of the players. As a kid growing up in Louisiana the only way I could follow the black and red was reading the black and white Sports Page on Monday mornings.
I'd watch Sports Center on Sunday nights to catch any highlights that may or may not grace their show. Typically, it would be a ten second blurb about the game. You may see one or two plays, but that was the extent of their media coverage.
On lucky weekends, you may get Chris Berman for thirty to forty five seconds drooling over Jerry Rice as he glides past a confused looking Charles Dimry or DJ Johnson. Otherwise, I watched my two Saints games a year and followed the Falcons as well [...]
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Pro Bowl voting closes December 21. Here’s my 2009 ballot.
NFC (*starter)
QB: Drew Brees, Saints*
QB: Brett Favre, Vikings
[...]
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You've probably seen the Pro Football Hall of Fame commercials for the JC Penny Van Heusen Fan's Choice program. It's a new initiative that has fans going online to vote for the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees. The vote is unofficial; the idea is to give fans a formal platform to put in their two cents. You can check it out here.
What’s interesting is that one of the Pro Football Hall of Famers who has teamed up with JC Penny Van Heusen to help spread the word is former Giants linebacker Harry Carson [...]
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If you're a college football fan, this is the greatest time of year. For the next four weeks, your sport will offer a slate of 33 different consolation games, all disguised as significant NCAA showdowns, thanks to corporate sponsors and one catchy word: Bowl. Who isn't looking forward to seeing Marshall face Ohio in the Little Caesars Bowl? Or how about Bowling Green vs. Idaho in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl?
In short, the joke that is college football is funniest this time of year. In the NFL, playoff races are heating up. The league is boiling down to 12 teams who will all enter the mid-January tournament [...]
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Why has there been so much chatter about Larry Johnson signing with the Bengals? This is a story about a backup-level running back signing on to be......a backup running back. The only interesting angle is that Johnson has major character flaws and happens to be joining a team that .a.) Has a history of off-field problems and b.) Is in first place in its division and doesn't need any distractions. (Johnson, of course, won't be a distraction because any issue from here on out is a career killer.)
But people aren’t talking much about the character side of things. Instead, they’re talking about how Johnson’s [...]
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