tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206643522008-06-30T00:12:31.757-04:00Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-81164347073346330032008-06-30T00:11:00.000-04:002008-06-30T00:12:31.776-04:00

The defensive line grades are up. I tried not to over-emphasize one great player, and tried to give credit to teams a bit more that had multiple impact players along their lines. Depth and the strength of the rotation matters as well. I tried my best not to make too big a bias towards stopping the run or rushing the passer. I think I found a pretty good balance, but if there is any skewing, it's

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-80741437033555503182008-06-27T22:08:00.002-04:002008-06-27T22:16:19.868-04:00

A large degree of Falcon fans were very skeptical of Sam Baker's ability to be an effective left tackle on the NFL level when the team traded up to get him in the first round. And you can count me as one of them. Look, I think Baker is a solid player. He was very productive at USC, and I think in general he's a very good blocker and offensive linemen. But that doesn't mean he can stick at left

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-46183999489503870902008-06-26T15:00:00.001-04:002008-06-26T15:02:24.126-04:00

Okay, now it's time to rank the offensive lines around the league. This position gets a full 48 points in value. I must say though that these rankings are less about production, and more about talent level. And it also does skewer towards pass protection more so than run blocking. There are some teams at the bottom that run the ball very well, but are basically at the bottom because they can't

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-38898160784472654232008-06-19T21:39:00.002-04:002008-06-19T21:44:49.987-04:00

I probably should have just lumped this in with receivers, but I wanted to sort of factor in the run blocking aspect of this position. And instead of strictly grading teams on how good a group of receivers they havee, I tried to factor in guys that can push the pile as well. Although I must say, it is still biased towards receivers, since I counted more in favor of a guy who is a top-tier pass

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-39719443739628077672008-06-16T11:58:00.001-04:002008-06-16T12:00:49.610-04:00

Here are my rankings of the wide receivers. I just factored in each team's projected top four wideouts, since those are typically the only guys that get extensive playing time in a given year. Maximum points for this position is 36. RNK TEAM PTS GRADE 1 Colts 30 A- 2 Patriots 28 B+ 3 Cardinals 27 B+ 4 Cowboys 24 B 5 Packers 24 B 6 Lions 24 B

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-55390902423953105802008-06-12T14:04:00.001-04:002008-06-12T14:07:45.946-04:00

Okay, now that the rankings for the quarterbacks have sunk in, it's time to move on to the running backs. Depth is a bit more important at this position than it is at the quarterback position, since we're seemingly now in an era of football where most teams can't go through a season without being 2-deep at this position. This also factors in a team's fullback as well. The maximum points for this

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-82362876548771072742008-06-09T17:07:00.002-04:002008-06-09T17:13:48.228-04:00

Okay, you often see the so-called experts on the big football sites have their rankings of the entire league by position. Well, since it's June and there's nothing better to do, I'll try my hand at this as well. At the end it should be a good measure of which teams are the best. Although I should say that this will really only be a ranking of talent, and not really a prediction of how well each

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-74178462049205437342008-06-08T10:45:00.001-04:002008-06-08T10:48:19.597-04:00

While you have to like the notion that the depth chart seems very fluid at this point in the year under new head coach Mike Smith, at a certain point it becomes a little less fluid. In an ideal world you could say all 53 roster spots are completely open for competition each summer, but in the real world we know that is never the case. Even a staff as open to competition as Smith & Co. are, all 53

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-72520082403724747382008-06-02T21:34:00.002-04:002008-06-02T21:48:37.415-04:00

There's a new "fluff" piece by J. Michael Moore on the Falcons official site. Not to detract from Moore's writing, nor the brilliance of the site, but it's June, and we know that football is in it's annual down time that lasts until the final weeks of July. And all the official site can do is to run these "fluff" pieces that talk about how this player or that player is reading and rearing for the

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-15876033951077928882008-05-24T09:15:00.000-04:002008-05-24T09:15:01.086-04:00

Well since I incorrectly predicted a holdout for Matt Ryan, I'll try to make up for it with another not so insightful prediction, that Ryan will be the starter once the season opens. With his contract being signed so quickly, we can all see the context clues being left by this front office and coaching staff, it's just a matter are we going to choose to continue to ignore them at this point.

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-41387947031273214172008-05-21T18:20:00.000-04:002008-05-21T18:21:04.855-04:00

One of the main reasons why Chris Long, Glenn Dorsey, and Matt Ryan were the top three players on my draft board was due to their superior leadership skills and potential, in my own estimation. I believed all three more so than any of the other "elite" prospects would relish the opportunity to come to this franchise and immediately take on the mantle as a locker room and on-field leader. They did

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-12342538948006132042008-05-20T13:52:00.002-04:002008-05-20T14:04:51.286-04:00

The owners unanimously voted to opt out of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement that gives 59 percent of the total football revenues to the players. This wasn't unexpected, as the rookie salaries have gotten out of hand. I also believe the owners want to ensure that they have more options when players do things off the field that limit their availability to the team. With the Vick fiasco

James a.k.a. Happhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06979675892122038312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-27265361413405872652008-05-16T20:30:00.003-04:002008-05-16T20:40:01.910-04:00

I was reading a blog by Mike Florio (of ProFootballTalk.com) posted on The Sporting News, that made mention of the Falcons making the seventh worst move of the off-season by drafting Matt Ryan over Glenn Dorsey. I won't dispute whether Dorsey was the better pick/player, but I disagree wholeheartedly with the notion that the gulf between the two is so significant that it makes taking Dorsey a "

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-15789092417315733292008-05-10T08:07:00.002-04:002008-05-10T08:10:51.663-04:00

Don Banks discussed the ramifications of the 80-man roster limit in this most recent article on SI.com. It's a good read, and while it may seem rather trivial to the casual fan, it does have perhaps significant ramifications for all teams and the Falcons in particular. By my current count, the Falcons have 91 players on their roster, which includes their 11 draft picks. So that means, that for

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-61601581695475590422008-05-02T09:08:00.000-04:002008-05-02T09:09:46.979-04:00

Well if you don't know, our new first round pick Matt Ryan is represented by super-agent Tom Condon, who is a sort of guru among agents for quarterbacks. He represented Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, Byron Leftwich, and Drew Brees. And what do all of these guys have in common? They all held out trying to get their contracts done. That's Condon's go-to move. Hold out his player. Granted, I don't

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-56491661310540052472008-04-28T09:17:00.001-04:002008-04-28T09:17:45.411-04:00

Let me start out by saying I don't love this draft. But i do like it. I do think this is a nice start for the Dimitroff and Smith era. I really like the Matt Ryan pick. I've been firmly on the Matt Ryan bandwagon since the BC-Georgia Tech game this past season. I think we got a really solid quarterback that is going to be a leader for this team. The way I'd describe Ryan is Carson Palmer in Matt

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-4947215181761549782008-04-23T13:33:00.001-04:002008-04-23T13:35:23.542-04:00

I did a Top 20 draft board last year, but this year I actually did some scouting myself. Last year's board was based off some limited scouting, but a big part of it was the work done by the so-called experts, and basing it off a plethora of their opinions. Not this year, these rankings reflect my own viewpoints. Some top prospects are omitted, and that's because I simply didn't see them play this

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-17752208222859117762008-03-21T09:05:00.002-04:002008-03-21T09:11:42.218-04:00

This is a good trade for both the Raiders and Falcons. The Falcons were able to get something substantial for a player that wasn't going to be a long-term solution in Atlanta. Now with another second round pick, the Falcons have a lot of draft day ammunition. They can stand pat, and take a very good player with pick No. 34, or they can package it with other picks in order to move back into Round

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-28942863283772258462008-03-11T01:24:00.000-04:002008-03-11T01:26:20.209-04:00

...In regards to improving the offensive line. Granted, there is still plenty of time for moves to be made, but the crop of available offensive linemen is comparatively slim to what it was a week ago. Right now, the only free agents that might be worth the Falcons efforts are guards Larry Allen or Chris Naeole. And Allen is contemplating retirement, and Naeole is coming off a severe enough quad

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-49055333113947745342008-03-06T15:28:00.000-05:002008-03-06T15:29:11.768-05:00

It was reported that when the Browns re-signed Anderson to his three-year contract, the first of his bonuses was deferred until April. Why does that matter? Because it means the Browns can trade him between now and then without any cap consequences. When the Browns traded Leigh Bodden, it opened up a hole at cornerback. Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think the Browns plan to go into this season

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-51247497530824020862008-03-04T00:29:00.001-05:002008-03-04T00:34:24.115-05:00

I'm not a fan of this signing. I'm sorry, I know I'm crazy. I know 98% of my fellow Falcon fans are all excited and giddy and were on the verge of not renewing their season tickets until this move, but I'm not among them. I think the Falcons paid a high premium for what will essentially amount to a non-factor. No, I don't think Turner is crappy, but he's nothing special. The running position is

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-51381484832594853692008-02-24T12:19:00.002-05:002008-02-24T12:37:53.439-05:00

The Miami Herald reported on Saturday about the possibility of the Falcons dealing DeAngelo Hall to the Dolphins as part of a bid to get the Dolphins less than coveted No. 1 overall draft pick. The immediate presumption I'm more many would make is that the Falcons would be trading up to get Boston College QB Matt Ryan. But I'm hear to suggest that if such a move were made, the Falcons should

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-7407329395057532422008-02-24T02:05:00.002-05:002008-02-24T02:08:24.538-05:00

Why? Not because he's short on talent. In fact, he's probably the most talented player in this draft class. But for two reasons, the first of which is because he plays running back. And while running back certainly is an important position on the football field, it hasn't quite shown that it's a pivotal piece to team building. Looking over the past decade or so at the elite running backs, and

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-3608513403042299942008-02-13T08:35:00.001-05:002008-02-13T08:35:41.610-05:00

I've been thinking about this for quite a while now, and our top needs are left tackle, quarterback, and running back IMO. We have the chance to get the best tackle in this draft with our first round pick, and no one is really talking about it. Do they realize how great of a leader Jake Long is? He has average footwork, and he might be projected as a right tackle to some, but if we needed to, we

M. Libidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03635146995124140427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20664352.post-22497176945553340162008-01-24T02:43:00.001-05:002008-01-24T02:43:54.181-05:00

I'm sure you've been patiently waiting for my assessment of the Mike Smith hire, well here it is... I'm fine with it. I'm not blown away, nor will I be crying myself to sleep tonight. It's a really even keel move if you ask me. I see this guy as a John Fox clone. From everything I've read and seen about him, he seems very "Fox-esque." And it's interesting to note that before the season ended,

Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05633462408267040479noreply@blogger.com