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http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 70339/1027

The real question behind this article is if Schulters is still not 100% or if he's just holding out of practice because he and/or his agent expect to be released within 2 weeks.

If Schulters is less than 100%, it severely hurts the chance of him being a Falcon. But then again, Barry Stokes was supposed to be less than 100% when he was cut by the Giants this off-season, and the Falcons still signed him a few weeks later, which indicated he was ready to play.

I tend to think that he's at worst at the end of his rehab and just wants to focus on getting better for his new team. He probably doesn't want to risk getting hurt in practice that isn't really worth it. He would much rather get with his new team and start learning and practicing with them. I still don't know if we have the cap to make it happen, but I bet they find a way to get him because of how he would help sure things in the secondary for us.

he will prolly take a few weeks to recover fully but I think he will be fine and very possibly a falcon in the near future.

Definitely!!! Keion Carpenter is a dime back that with 2 recurring knee injuries in the past 3 years, means he's lost much more of the little speed he had. Carpenter is a decent stopgap, but has never been much more than that in his career, dating back to his days in Buffalo and his pre-injury days in Atlanta.

Schulters has played FS for the Titans over recent years, but he's a much more natural SS. He has good range, plays the run very well, and is solid against the pass. He's one of those rare safeties that plays both areas very well, although he's much more natural run stopper.

Schulters, if 100%, is the ideal SS we need in this system. Mora/Donatell love rangy SSs that they can use up mostly in the box to help with the run, but don't give up too much when in coverage (see Leroy Butler & Schulters). They prefer their FS to be solid cover guys that can play centerfield and mix it up in the run if need be, but like their guys to be able to cover WRs (see Darren Sharper). Schulters, if he proves healthy, is the ideal fit for in our defense.

He's not young anymore at age 30, but he still has a lot of ability left in him. Remember that this past year was the first time in quite some time that he has suffered a major injury.

The biggest question is can we afford Schulters? Other teams are just as interested in him as the Falcons, and almost every one of them has significcantly a lot more $$$ to spend on him than we do.

Unless we really move fast in terms of renegotiating contracts, I'd say by the end of the week, Schulters WILL have a new team and it WON"T be Atlanta.