Franchise tag unlikely option for Kerney

The NFL Players Association recently released what the franchise tenders will be for the upcoming 2007 free agency period.

The deadline for when teams can designate who will be their franchise and transition players is on February 22. The free agency signing period does not begin until March 2. There is really only one Falcon free agent that has any potential of being designated as such, and that is defensive end Patrick Kerney.

Kerney is clearly the highest profile unrestricted free agent the Falcons have. Morten Andersen, Justin Griffith, and Ashley Lelie are also key Falcons that will be able to test the free agent waters come March, but none are expected to be as enticing to other teams as Kerney will be.

The franchise tender for defensive ends will be $8.644 million this year, which is the average salary of the top five defensive ends. But because Kerney counted roughly $8.84 million against the Falcons 2006 cap, his franchise tender will be higher. The rules stipulate that a player's tender will be either the designated one which is the average salary for the top five players at his position, or 120% of his previous year's salary, whichever is higher. Since Kerney's 2006 salary (in this case, referring to his entire cap hit) exceeded the normal franchise tender, it means that if the Falcons choose to place the franchise tag on Kerney, it will result in approximately a $10.6 million cap charge.

That seems a hefty price to pay for a 30-year old free agent that is recently coming off an injury-marred season. The Falcons have already begun contract discussions with Kerney and his agent, beginning in December. But it is unknown if the dismissal of head coach Jim Mora and defensive line coach Bill Johnson will ultimately play a factor in Kerney's decision to stay in Atlanta. Mora is now an assistant in Seattle, while Johnson is in Denver. Recent articles from the News Tribune and Denver Post suggest that both teams will be likely suitors for Kerney's services this off-season.

AsktheCommish.com reports that the Falcons are set to be approximately $11.5 million under the 2007 salary cap of $109 million. Meaning if the Falcons were to tag Kerney, it would essentially nullify much of their cap space.

Mutual interest between Falcons and Okoye

Draft Daddy.com reported in their Senior Bowl draft blog on Monday evenning that the Falcons talked to Louisville defensive tackle Amobi Okoye. Okoye at age 19, is the youngest player to ever play in the Senior Bowl.

Not surprisingly, Okoye conversed with his former head coach and new Falcons head man Bobby Petrino during Monday's practices. In his draft diary on AL.com, he noted that he took notice of many of his former coaches from his collegiate days at the Senior Bowl practices, now members of the Falcons coaching staff. In that diary, he noted joining the Falcons would be a good fit due to the presence of Kevin Wolthausen, his former position coach and now the Falcons defensive line coach.

Okoye is an interesting story, since upon relocating to this country from Nigeria, he skipped middle and entered high school at age twelve. He enrolled at Louisville at age sixteen and earned his degree in psychology in three and a half years.

Okoye measured in at the Senior Bowl at 6'2" 287, significantly less than his listed playing weight of 317 pounds. With the significant drop in weight, Okoye has been better able to showcase the quickness that allowed him to record 8 sacks this past season.

Okoye is widely considered to be the second best defensive tackle prospect available in this draft, and is the most highly touted prospect that various draft sources have indicated the Falcons have looked and spoken to midway through Senior Bowl week. Some experts project him to be a top ten draft pick, which would make him a legitimate target of the Falcons in the first round this year, considering they hold the tenth overall draft pick.

Falcon eye punter at Senior Bowl

The NFL Experts at Scout.com, reported that the Falcons showed interest in Baylor punter Daniel Sepulveda, interviewing him during Tuesday's practices at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL.

Sepulveda won the Ray Guy Award this past season, awarded to the nation's best punter, making him the only two-time winner ever after winning the award in 2004 as well. Sepulveda tore the ACL in his non-kicking knee in April prior to the season, making his accomplishment all the more significant. He had originally suffered a partial tear of the ligament in his knee in 2004, but it was not caught on the MRI at the time.

Sepulveda is widely considered to be this year's top punter in the draft, and is considered a potential late round pick. Many reports out of Mobile have remarked on his impressive 6'2" 228 physique and that he is built like a linebacker. Notably, Sepulveda contemplated a position change to that position earlier in his career at Baylor.

If the Falcons are seriously interested in drafting Sepulveda, it might indicate that the team is prepared to try punter Michael Koenen again at kicker in 2007, instead of re-signing Morten Andersen.

Koenen began 2006 as in the dual role as both punter and kicker, but struggled in the latter duties, only making 3 of 9 field goal attempts in the first two games. The team then signed Andersen, who made 20 of his 23 attempts. Andersen is currently set to become an unrestricted free agent on March 2.

Falcons deny trade rumors

Not surprisingly, the Falcons released a statement on Tuesday denying any possible rumors of trading starting quarterback Michael Vick.

In the report by WXIA-TV, a spokeswoman for the Falcons said, "There are no plans to cut or trade Vick. Michael is our quarterback. He has a new head coach who is anxious to start working with him this season. Everyone has high expectations for Michael, including Michael."

The statement was released likely in contrast to recent internet rumors that the Oakland Raiders are preparing to make the Falcons an offer for their recently maligned quarterback. No such press releases or statements have been heard from the Raiders, whose recent attention has been centered on their new coaching hire, Lane Kiffin.

The Falcons own new coach, Bobby Petrino, gave Vick a vote of confidence during his introductory press conference, declaring that Michael Vick was currently the team's starter.

Vick's first meeting with Petrino occurred this weekend, following his infamous incident in Miami International Airport.

Vick traded to Raiders?

Foxsports.com's Ben Maller first reported in the NFL Rumors section of the website on Monday that the Oakland Raiders are interested in trading for Michael Vick. According to that report, the Raiders would part ways with receivers Randy Moss and Jerry Porter along with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft in order to acquire Vick.

The timing of this rumor is interested in the sense that it comes shortly after it was first reported that Vick would be exonerated of any wrongdoing in his infamous incident at Miami International Airport, in which he was accused of carrying a concealment device in a water bottle. And it also comes shortly before the Raiders announced that USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin would take over the team as the NFL's youngest head coach at age 31. Any such move, would likely involve the Raiders new coach being on board.

Trading Vick would invoke an approximate cap hit of over $20 million in dead money for the Falcons if such a deal would be made.

Also, the Falcons had an opportunity to acquire Moss back in 2005 when he first landed in Oakland. Falcons owner Arthur Blank indicated personally to Moss that his proclivity for negative attention from the media would cause the Falcons to not pursue him.

Falcons check out prospects at Senior Bowl

NFLExperts.com reports in their daily coverage of the Senior Bowl this week, the Falcons showed interest in the following prospects during Monday's practices: Miami defensive tackle Kareem Brown, N.C. State cornerback A.J. Davis, Arkansas offensive tackle Tony Ugoh, Pittsburgh middle linebacker H.B. Blades, and Wake Forest safety Josh Gattis.

The Senior Bowl is an annual all-star game featuring many of the top seniors from college football, and is often considered the first major event in the scouting process leading up to the NFL Draft in April. A week's worth of practices will be followed by a game between the North and South squads on Saturday, January 27. But for several reasons, the week's worth of practices are more important to teams and scouts than the game itself. It gives teams a chance to interact with players, and study their work habits and ethic.

All the prospects the Falcons were reportedly eyeing are considered potential first day picks. ESPN's Mel Kiper has Ugoh ranked 16th on his board of the Top 25 prospects in this upcoming draft.

Falcons hire 3 more assistants

The Falcons announced that they have had added three more assistant coaches. Jerry Rosburg, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, will helm the Falcons special teams. The Falcons also named two assistant strength coaches in David Puloka and Billy "White Shoes" Johnson.

Rosburg comes to the Falcons after six seasons as the Browns special teams coordinator. He will assume the duties left by Joe DeCamillis, who left to join the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff a week ago. Prior to joining the Browns, Rosburg coached for 20 years on the collegiate level, with stints at Notre Dame (1999-2000), Boston College (1997-98), Minnesota (1996), Cincinnati (1992-95), Western Michigan (1987-91), and Northern Michigan (1981-86). Most of his collegiate experience came as an assistant coach of defensive backs or linebackers, although he was in charge of special teams at both Notre Dame and Western Michigan.

Puloka, 28, comes to the Falcons from the University of Virginia, where he worked with new Falcons strength coach Evan Marcus in 2006. Puloka has a history in both track and football, excelling in both sports at Holy Cross. He had 19 career sacks during his career at Holy Cross, and also holds a school record in both indoor and outdoor shot put along with the discus.

Johnson is the fourth coach retained from Jim Mora's staff. 2006 marked his first year as an assistant strength coach with the Falcons. But he had spent twelve years prior in charge of player programs and development in the Falcons organization. Johnson was a standout receiver and returner during his playing days. He played for the Falcons between 1982 and 1987, and also was a member of the Houston Oilers (1974-80) and Washington Redskins (1988). Over the course of 14 seasons in the NFL, Johnson made 3 Pro Bowls, caught 337 passes, and scored 33 touchdowns as a receiver and returner. He currently ranks 16 all-time among Falcons in receiving yards and second in punt return yards.

Vick water bottle did not contain marijuana

MIAMI - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick wasn't carrying marijuana when stopped by security last week at Miami International Airport, ESPN reported Sunday.

Citing anonymous NFL sources, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Vick wasn't carrying marijuana or any other illegal substance. The ESPN report also cited an anonymous Falcons source, who said the team expects to hear something formal by Monday.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wouldn't comment on the report. He told The Associated Press the league had received no information on the issue.

Last Wednesday, Vick reluctantly surrendered a water bottle to security at the Miami airport. He was not arrested and was allowed to board an AirTran flight to Atlanta.

The bottle was found to have a compartment that contained ``a small amount of dark particulate and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana,'' the police report said.

Miami police have said it could take weeks to decide whether to file charges.

-- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

McKay addresses incident with Vick

Falcons GM and president Rich McKay held a press conference today in order to officially address the recent off-field incident that Michael Vick had in a Miami airport.

McKay stressed the disappointment the organization has in the circumstances surrounding the incident, as well as Vick's own disappointment to the organization and notably the fans.

McKay indicated that the Falcons will deal with Vick internally, but added they are not looking to punish him separately from anything that the league hands down. The team is also prepared to let the legal side of the matter play itself out.

Vick has had little history of "off-field" incidents throughout his career as a Falcon. The biggest black eye prior to the events in Miami, was when he made an obscene gesture to fans following a home loss to the New Orleans Saints. Vick was fined $10,000 by he league, and also instructed to donate an addition $10,000 to charity.

Vick found in airport with hidden compartment in water bottle

Miami's NBC 6 reports that Michael Vick was found with a hidden compartment in a water bottle at Miami International Airport on Wednesday.

Vick was said to be reluctant to give up his water bottle at a screening point while trying to board an AirTran flight to Atlanta.

Airport officials indicate that it was a 20 oz. Aquafina bottle with a concealed seam behind the bottle's label. The seam apparently separated the top of the bottle from the bottom. The partitions were sealed by what appeared to be silicone sealant. The concealed compartment contained a small amount of a dark substance that officials describe to have the pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana. When held upright, the bottle appeared to be half full of water.

Vick has not been arrested, and the substance in the bottle is being analyzed by Miami-Dade Police.

The Falcons released a statement to CBS 46 in Atlanta on Wednesday night: "We understand there have been reports allegedly involving Michael Vick that took place at the Miami International Airport earlier today. We plan to look into the matter and discuss it with Michael before having any further comment."

Several Falcons undergo off-season surgery

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that four Falcons players underwent surgery recently, and will spend the majority of the off-season rehabilitating those injuries. Included were Warrick Dunn, Todd Weiner, Fred McCrary, and Jason Webster.

Dunn underwent shoulder surgery. Weiner had damaged cartilage repaired in his knee, while McCrary underwent a similar procedure. Webster had surgery to repair a hernia, after suffering through a torn groin for much of the second half of the season.

Dunn is expected to restructure his contract at some during the off-season, to make his cap hit more palatable to the franchise. McCrary is an unrestricted free agent. It is unknown if his injury status will affect whether or not the team opts to re-sign him. Weiner, a prospective free agent as well, had his contract extended through 2011 in October.

Petrino hires bulk of coaching staff

The Falcons announced today the bulk of the coaching staff of new head coach Bobby Petrino. The Falcons still may make some more additions to their coaching staff, as currently they do not have a special teams coach. They have hired an assistant in that area. But the team has yet to designate someone to take the place of Joe DeCamillis, who served as special teams coordinator for the Falcons since 1997.

The persons hired include Keith Rowen, and Andy Sugarman as offensive assistants, with Brian VanGorder and Jon Gannon as defensive assistants, with Tom McMahon serving as assistant special teams coach, and Evan Marcus coordinating the strength department.

Rowen, 54, joins the Falcons coaching staff as tight ends coach. This will be his second stint in Atlanta, after coaching the Falcons offensive line from 1990-93. most recently worked as offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. He served one and a half years before being demoted from the position after a Week 6 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night. He worked with Tony Gonzalez in Kansas City from 1999-2004, and helped coach offensives lines in Oakland (1997-98), Minnesota (1994-96), and Indianapolis (1985-88). Rowen comes to the Falcons with 23 years of coaching experience in the NFL, 1 year in the USFL, and 8 years at the collegiate level.

Sugarman, 35, has been a close associate with former 49ers and Lions head coach Steve Mariucci, serving as an offensive assistant under him at California, San Francisco, and Detroit. His most recent position was as tight ends coach for the Lions in 2004 and 2005. He will serve as offensive quality control coach with the Falcons.

VanGorder, 47, comes to the team after one season as head coach at Georgia Southern. He also was a head coach at Wayne State from 1992-94. Van Gorder's only NFL experience came in 2005, as the Jacksonville Jaguars linebackers coach. He served as a defensive coordinator for four different programs between 1997 and 2004, most prominently at the University of Georgia (2001-04).

Gannon, 23, was once a promising safety at Louisville, but his playing career was cut short by a severe hip injury in 2002. Last season, he joined the Louisville coaching staff under Petrino as a defensive graduate assistant. He will serve as defensive quality control coach for the Falcons.

McMahon, 37, was another assistant transported from Petrino's Louisville staff. He will work as the assistant special teams coach for the Falcons, after dealing with the Cardinals special teams this past year. He also worked with their linebackers in 2006, after five seasons working with the defensive line.

Marcus, 39, will coordinate the Falcons strength and conditioning program, taking over for Sal Alosi after his sole season on the staff. THe past four seasons, Marcus coordinated the University of Virginia's strength program. But he worked as an assistant strength coach for teh Saints for three seasons (2000-02), his only NFL experience. He has been a long time assistant strength coach on the collegiate level, having worked in a number of programs since 1991, including Louisville, Texas, Maryland, and Arizona State.

Falcons hire assistant Nix

The Falcons hired Southern Mississippi assistant Derrick Nix to be the assistant running backs coach under Ollie Wilson. Wilson was one of three assistant coaches retained under new head coach Bobby Petrino from the previous staff under Jim Mora. Nix could be considered the protege and future successor to the 55-year old Wilson.

Nix will undoubtedly be the youngest member of Petrino's staff, as he will turn 26 in February. Although new assistant secondary coach Joe Whitt, Jr. is 28. He has spent the past four seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, Southern Miss.

Nix earned All-Conference honors his first two seasons at Southern Miss, rushing for over 1000 yards each year. An ankle injury limited his junior season (2000), but those injuries were further complicated by kidney problems. He would return to the field in 2002, and rush for a career high 1194 yards and 11 touchdowns. But further kidney problems cost him any shot at the NFL. He received a transplant of a kidney donated by his brother, Marcus, in June 2003. Shortly after he took over as a graduate assistant at Southern Miss, with his duties mostly involved with coaching the defensive backs. In 2004, he moved to tight ends coach. And in 2005, he moved to coach the team's running backs. He finished his playing career at Southern Miss, ranking second on the team's all-time rushing list with 3584 yards and third with 30 touchdowns.

Nix was a college teammate of current starting Falcons linebacker Michael Boley.

Kerney could land in Denver in 2007

The Denver Broncos have hired former Falcons defensive line coach Bill Johnson to take over their defensive line. He replaces Andre Patterson, who joined the Broncos in 2005, and was instrumental in that team acquiring in the past two off-seasons six ex-Cleveland Browns, his former employers.

Johnson had been with the Falcons since 2001 after two decades of coaching on the collegiate level. He was replaced by Kevin Wolthausen, who followed new Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino from Louisville.

With Johnson's joining of the Broncos staff, the Rocky Mountain News is speculating that perhaps potential Falcons free agent defensive end Patrick Kerney will be in their cross-hairs this off-season.

The Falcons entered negotiations to re-sign Kerney back in December, but he indicated then that changes to the coaching staff could affect negotiations and his decision to return to the team.

Kerney has been a Falcon since 1999, when he joined the team as their first round pick out of Virginia. Only linebacker Keith Brooking has been a part of the team for longer. Kerney turned 30 in December, and had been a picture of durability during his career in Atlanta before this season. He had never missed a game since joining the Falcons, but managed to miss seven games this past year due to injury. He came away with 4.5 sacks in nine games, ranking second on the team behind Rod Coleman's six.

Many believe that due to Kerney's age and potential salary demands, it will be difficult for the Falcons to retain him. If he does hit the open market, the Broncos could be one of several teams interested. The Broncos tied for 15th in the league in sacks in 2006, but the lack of a pass rush has been a sore spot in recent history, as the team was the 28th-ranked team in 2005.

The Broncos have shaken up their defensive coaching staff, replacing coordinator Larry Coyer with Jim Bates, and Patterson with Johnson, and are not expected to retain linebackers coach Kirk Doll. Kerney could potentially be a major component of a revamped 2007 defense.

Falcons add four to 2007 roster

The Falcons made a few more roster moves this past week, adding four players to their 2007 roster.

The team signed defensive Nic Clemons, cornerback Brent Grimes, and linebackers Ryan Riddle and Travis Williams.

It is quite possible that all four players will wind up being allocated to the recently redubbed NFL Europa this spring.

Both Grimes and Williams were with the Falcons this past summer during training camp. Both were undrafted free agents with the team. Grimes missed all of the preseason with an injury, while Williams appeared in 3 games and recorded 4 tackles.

Clemons spent his collegiate playing days at University of Georgia. He first entered in the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins in 2003. He earned a practice squad position as a rookie. He managed to make the roster in 2005, and appeared in 8 games. He was cut this past summer by the Redskins.

Riddle, a sixth round pick for the Raiders in 2005, appeared in 12 games as a rookie mostly on special teams. He was released by the Raiders this past summer, but picked up by the New York Jets in September. He spent most of the season inactive on the Jets roster, but did play in 5 games, mainly on special teams as well. He played defensive end at California, and has spent much of his short NFL career as an outside linebacker for 3-4 teams. He could project either as an end or outside linebacker for the Falcons.

Petrino names five more assistants

Bobby Petrino added five more assistants to his coaching staff, including four from his staff at Louisville. He also retained one more Falcon assistant, Emmitt Thomas, as secondary coach.

His assistants from Louisville, include Mike Summers, Joe Whitt Jr., Kevin Wolthausen, and his brother Paul Petrino. Summers is set to take over the offensive line, Whitt will assistant Thomas in the secondary, Wolthausen will handle the defensive line, and Petrino will coach the receivers.

Thomas, 63, was brought in along with Wade Phillips by the Falcons in 2002. He is a long-time NFL assistant, helping develop and improve many secondaries in his 26 seasons in the NFL. He even served as defensive coordinator for the Eagles (1995-98), Packers (1999), and Vikings (2000-01). Thomas played thirteen seasons for the Chiefs (1966-78), appeared in 5 Pro Bowls and 2 Super Bowls during a career that netted him 58 career interceptions.

Summers comes to the team with over 20 years of experience coaching collegiate offensive lines. He has been with Louisville since 2004. His most notable previous collegiate tenure was serving as offensive coordinator under head coach Jerry Pettibone at both Northern Illinois (1985-90) and Oregon State (1991-95).

Whitt, 27, has worked on Louisville's staff in the secondary in 2003. In 2002, he worked as receivers coach at The Citadel. His father, Joe Whitt Sr., was a long-time assistant at Auburn, where Petrino coached in 2002.

Wolthausen, a Louisville assistant since 2003, comes to the Falcons with over twenty years experience coaching defensive lines in college, including stints at Arizona State (1983-86, 1995-00), Oklahoma (1993-94), and USC (1987-92). He even served with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League for one year in 2001. He has helped produced three NFL first rounders, most notably Browns linebacker Willie McGinest.

The younger Petrino, 38, has been a long-time assistant at Louisville, first joining the staff in 1998. He has been the team's offensive coordinator since 2004. He has previous experience developing wideouts at Utah State (1995-97) and Idaho (1992-94). He has helped develop Seahawks wide receiver Deion Branch.

Musgrave and Wilson staying on

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave and running backs coach Ollie Wilson are at least two assistants that will be retained on new head coach Bobby Petrino's staff.

Offensive consultant Alex Gibbs and special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis are two holdovers from Jim Mora's staff that will not be returning, along with offensive and defensive coordinators Greg Knapp and Ed Donatell.

It is unknown if any more current Falcons assistants will be retained, although it is not expected per the AJC report.

Zimmer hired to head Falcons defense

New Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino has made his second hire in coaxing current Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to lead the Falcons defense. The first hire Petrino made was naming Bengals assistant Hue Jackson as his offensive coordinator.

Zimmer has been the Cowboys coordinator for the past seven seasons. The best year for the Cowboys under his leadership came in 2003, in which the 'Boys defensed ranked first in the league. This past year, the Cowboy defense ranked 13th.

Although under coach Bill Parcells, the Cowboys have utilized a 3-4 base defense, Petrino has indicated his preference for a 4-3 scheme. Zimmer coordinated a 4-3 unit his first three years in Dallas before Parcells took over, and is expected to continue the use of the 4-3 in Atlanta.

Zimmer has been with the Cowboys since 1994, where he was brought in as a defensive assitant to then head coach Barry Switzer. He was promoted to defensive backs coach the following year and began coordinating the Cowboys defense in 2000.

Zimmer and Petrino were part of a Weber State staff together in the late 80s. Petrino was an assistant there in 1984, 1987, and 1988, while Zimmer served there from 1981-88. At Weber State, Zimmer held defensive coordinator position but also had duties coaching both inside linebackers and defensive backs. In 1989, he moved on to Washington State, where he spent five years as their defensive coordinator.

The 50 year old Peoria, IL native had an interesting start to his career. Zimmer began his collegiate playing career at Illinois State as a quarterback, before moving to linebacker as a junior.

DeCamillis joins Jaguars

New Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino won't have an easy task of filling out his coaching staff as it was reported today that Falcons special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis is moving onto take the same position with the Jacksonville Jaguars. DeCamillis is the lone coach to survive the entire tenures of Dan Reeves and Jim Mora, and is considered one of the premier special teams coaches around the league.

Under his leadership, the Falcons have boasted one of the top and most consistent special teams units in his ten seasons with the team. Allen Rossum earned a Pro Bowl spot in 2004 as the NFC's return specialist. Byron Hanspard and Darrick Vaughn each have lead the the league in kickoff return touchdowns during DeCamillis's read, while players like Tim Dwight and Darrien Gordon also were considered top return specialists. DeCamillis also helped develop Falcons kicker Jay Feely from an undrafted free agent into the NFL's leading scorer in 2002. Punters Chris Mohr and Dan Stryzinski during their tenures were considered two of the best placement punters around, while undrafted rookie Michael Koenen is considered one of the up and coming young punters in the league. The Falcons led the league in punt coverage allowing the league's lowest average return four times during his tenure, placed second twice, and sported two other Top Ten finishes.

Petrino to pick Jackson as Knapp's successor

The latest word out of Cincinnati indicates that Bengals receivers coach Hue Jackson is the likely successor to Greg Knapp as Falcons offensive coordinator. Jackson coached with new Falcons head man Bobby Petrino for two seasons at Arizona State (1992-93), a staff that also included current Lions head coach Rod Marinelli. Jackson took over the Bengals receivers in 2004, and has developed what many consider the premier trio of wideouts in the NFL in Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chris Henry. Jackson's exact role as offensive coordinator is unknown, as many suspect Petrino himself will be the primary play-caller, but his experience and knowledge, especially in game preparation would be invaluable.

It would not mark Jackson's first time as an offensive coordinator. He served in that role for four seasons at Southern California, under coaches John Robinson and Paul Hackett. He also served in that same capacity during the lone year that Steve Mariucci was the head coach at California in 1996. His experience with Hackett and Mariucci indicate his strong West Coast roots, which could be a strong base as quarterbacks Michael Vick and Matt Schaub try to transition into Petrino's offense.

Jackson's first shot in the NFL came as running backs coach for the Washington Redskins for two seasons (2001-02). He was then promoted to offensive coordinator in 2003, the final season in which Steve Spurrier was there. Jackson took over play-calling from Spurrier in November of that season.

Jackson was a quarterback at Pacific, a dual threat, throwing for 2544 yards and rushing for 919. He became a graduate assistant there in 1987, and worked as receivers and running back coaches the following years. He served as running backs and special teams coach at Cal State-Fullerton in 1990 and 1991. In the spring o 1991, he joined the London Monarchs coaching staff in the World League, its inaugural season, where he worked with the teams running backs, receivers, and special teams. In 1992, he served as running backs coach at Arizona State, where he teamed with Petrino, who was then the quarterbacks coach. He took over for Petrino as quarterbacks coach in 1995, where he continued to develop current Broncos passer Jake Plummer.

Falcons choose Petrino

In a surprise move, the Falcons will announce on Monday that they have selected University of Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino to be the next leader of the franchise. Petrino accepted a five-year $24 million contract to be the Falcons next head coach, replacing Jim Mora. This past season, Petrino led the Cardinals to a 12-1 season, and a bowl win over Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl. Over four seasons as the head man at Louisville, the Cardinals sported a 41-9 record with a 2-2 record in bowl games. The Cardinals at one point in the season were considered a dark horse for the national title, climbing as high as third in the AP poll as they were undefeated through their first eight games. The Falcons are hopeful that Petrino's past of producing high-powered offenses on the collegiate level will kick start what has been a sputtering passing game in Atlanta the past few years. The Falcons were ranked last in the league this past season in passing offense.

Petrino is no stranger to the NFL, where he spent two seasons as quarterbacks coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1999 and 2000, and one season as their offensive coordinator in 2001. That season the Jaguars offense ranked 17th in total offense, 14th in passing offense, and 26th in rushing offense. They did however rank 9th in the league in yards per attempt that season.

After coaching the Jaguars, he served as offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2002, before been hired to head Louisville's football team. He has spent several years in several programs as offensive coordinator. His first venture at Louisville came in that role in 1998. Prior to that he coordinated offenses at Utah State (1995-97) and Nevada (1994). He was quarterbacks coach for two seasons at Arizona State, working with a young Jake Plummer. He had previous stints at Idaho State (1989-91), Weber State (1984, 1987-88), and his alma mater Carroll College (1983, 1985-86). He was a 2-time NAIA All-American quarterback at Carroll College.

Next targets: Cameron, Singletary

The Falcons have received permission to interview San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Malcolm "Cam" Cameron and San Francisco 49ers defensive assistant Mike Singletary. The interview with Cameron is expected sometime this weekend as the Chargers have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Singletary's interview is expected early next week.

Cameron is the first potential candidate to replace Jim Mora as the head coach of the Falcons that has previous experience as a head coach. Cameron coached for five seasons at Indiana University, where he compiled a 18-37 record. Under Cameron's guidance, current Washington Redskins receiver Antwaan Randle-El became one of the premier dual threats in the country, rushing for nearly 4000 yards and throwing for over 7000 as a quarterback there. He also combined for 86 touchdowns.

Cameron's current achievement is that his Charger offense ranks first in the league in scoring offense, and 7th in total offense. The Chargers offense has finished 5th and 3rd in scoring offense the past two seasons, consecutive top five finishes that had not occurred since the famed days of "Air Coryell" in the mid-80s.

Cameron's previous tenure prior to joining Indian in 1997, was as quarterbacks coach of the Washington Redskins, where he worked under Norv Turner and helped develop Gus Frerotte. Prior to that he spent a decade as an assistant at the University of Michigan.

Singletary's coaching experience is limited, with 2006 marking only his fourth season patrolling NFL sidelines. Singletary's duties in San Francisco, mostly involve tutoring their young linebackers. Prior to joining the 49ers in 2005, he worked for two seasons as linebackers coach in Baltimore. His contributions have made 49er linebacker Brandon Moore into one of the emerging gems of the NFL, who led the 49ers with 92 tackles and 6.5 sacks this past season.

But Singletary is most renown for his 12-year Hall of Fame career. He was inducted into the Hall in 1998. Like another candidate for the Falcons head coaching job, Ron Rivera, he was apart of the 1985 Bears championship team. Singletary was the unquestioned leader of a series of Bears defenses that during his career, finished in the Top 5 in total defense six times, and first three consecutive seasons (1984-86). Singletary retired after 1992, finishing his career with 1488 tackles. He was named to 10 consecutive Pro Bowls and to the league's All-80s team, and was AP Defensive MVP twice (1985, 1988).

Although Singletary's lack of experience on the sideline is considered a considerable obstacle for him to become a head coach, many observers believe it is only inevitable that he does achieve that goal of leading an NFL franchise in the near future. Herman Edwards and Rod Marinelli are two current examples of NFL head coaches that never coordinated an NFL defense prior to their hirings.

Rivera next on Falcons' list

Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera is the second on the Falcons list of potential successors to Jim Mora at head coach. On Thursday the Falcons interviewed Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. The team will interview Rivera sometime this weekend, since it is the only available time due to the fact that the Bears have a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Like Whisenhunt, Rivera is one of the hottest available candidates for open head coaching positions this year. He interviewed earlier this week for the vacant Arizona Cardinals job. Like Whisenhunt, he was considered one of three finalists for the open St. Louis Rams job a year ago, that eventually went to Scott Linehan. He also interviewed for the Green Bay Packers gig last year, that went to Mike McCarthy.

In three seasons as the Bears defensive coordinator, he has led the Bears to two Top 5 finishes in both scoring and total defense. This past season the Bears defense ranked 3rd in scoring and 5th in total defense, while ranking 1st in scoring defense and 2nd in total defense in 2005. In 2004, his first in Chicago, the Bears defense ranked 13th in scoring, a marked improvement from 2003, in which the bears were 22nd in scoring defense. Players such as Lance Briggs, Tommie Harris, and Nathan Vasher have developed into Pro Bowl players, while Mike Brown and Brian Urlacher have extended their Pro Bowl careers.

Prior to joining the Bears, he spent five years as linebackers coach in Philadelphia, where he helped develop the career of linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, who went to two Pro Bowls under Rivera. From 1997 to 1998, he was with the Chicago Bears as defensive quality control coach, his first job coaching.

From 1984 until 1992, he played with the Chicago Bears, and was a member of the 1985 Super Bowl team. Over his career, Rivera appeared in 149 games, tallied 392 tackles, 9 interceptions, 7.5 sack, 5 forced fumbles, and 4 fumble recoveries. He was a star at Cal prior to joining the NFL, where he set the all-time record for the school in both sacks (22) and tackles (336). Rivera will celebrate his 44th birthday this coming Sunday was born in Ford Ord, CA. With his father being in the military, he has also lived portions of his life in Germany, Panama, Washington, and Maryland as well as California.

Falcons to interview Whisenhunt

The Atlanta Falcons plan to interview Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt today for their vacant head coaching position. Whisenhunt is the first scheduled interview for the team after firing head coach Jim Mora on Monday. Whisenhunt played for the Falcons between 1985 and 1988 as a tight end before ending his playing career with the New York Jets in 1992. Whisenhunt has been the Steelers offensive coordinator since taking over the position from Mike Mularkey in 2004.

Under Whisenhunt's leadership, the Steelers won Super Bowl XL last season. The Steelers offense ranked 5th in total yards this past season, with previous rankings of 16th and 14th in 2005 and 2004, respectively. Whisenhunt's offenses have featured strong rushing attacks, ranking as high as 2nd in 2004, 5th in 2005, and 10th this past season. The passing game has steadily improved under his leadership, ranking 28th in 2004, and then improving to 25th in their Super Bowl year. But ranked 8th this past season.

Prior to his promotion, Whisenhunt served as the Steelers tight ends coach for three seasons, where. He served in that same position in 2000 on the New York Jets coaching staff. He was also the tight ends coach for the Baltimore Ravens for two seasons (1997-98). He also coached Cleveland Browns special teams in 1999.

Whisenhunt is a local, born on February 28, 1962 in Atlanta, GA. He attended Georgia Tech, where he ranked second in the school's all-time receiving yards list and fourth in career receptions. He went on to have a productive seven-year NFL career. In four seasons with the Falcons, he caught 56 passes for 551 yards and 5 touchdowns. In one season with the Washington Redskins (1990) and two with the New York Jets, he caught a total of 6 passes for 45 yards.

Whisenhunt is considered one of the leading candidates among current NFL assistants for various positions around the league. His name has been mentioned and linked to current open vacancies in Miami and Arizona. He was considered an early favorite for the vacant Oakland Raiders job last season that eventually went to Art Shell. He also conducted a phone interview for the vacant St. Louis Rams position that wound up going to Scott Linehan.

The Search Begins...

The Falcons announced yesterday that head coach Jim Mora would not be retained. The team's 15-16 record since their appearance in the NFC Championship Game in January 2005 is the main reason for Mora's dismissal. But consecutive 2-6 finishes in the second half of the past two years, and comments made about interest in other coaching positions on the radio definitely weighed poorly in Mora's favor. But now the Falcons must begin a new era, as Arthur Blank looks to hire the third coach of his short five-year term as Atlanta Falcons owner.

There is no official list of candidates, although many have concluded that the Falcons will lean towards an offensive-minded coach due to the team's struggles in the passing game the past few years. Michael Vick's presence on the team also plays a factor into the team's search as Falcons GM Rich McKay indicated, although it won't be a final judging factor. Hiring a coach that can get the most out of Vick's abilities will be a significant factor however.

Blank indicated there is no set timetable to hire a coach, although Mora himself was hired in less than two weeks after the Falcons concluded their 2003 season. If a similar process occurs again, it probably favors a coach that is currently under the employment of a college program or on a non-playoff team in the NFL.

Also the fate of the remainder of the Falcons coaching staff is unknown. McKay indicated their fate will be at the full discrepancy of the new head coach.