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Falcons Looking To Rebuild; From Coaches To Players

After a miserable last year that was mired in controversy of many types, the Atlanta Falcons are looking to rebuild their team. New head coach Mike Smith atlanta, falcons, nfl, rich dansereau, football looked over this weeks mini camp with eager anticipation to see signs of what his new team might be able to deliver. Though some of the faces might be familiar to Smith, this was the first time he saw some of them as their head coach. Among the veterans that could top anyone's nfl picks were Keith Brooking, Joe Horn, D.J. Shockley, and Michael Turner. In addition to these battle (both media and gridiron) tested veterans, all eyes will turn to the Draft Day live feed from Falcons' Training Camp in Flowery Branch, Georgia on April 26th. The Falcons have one first round pick, number three overall, and three second round picks on the first day of the draft! The names of possible choices are flying all around the the metro Atlanta sports talk airways. There is serious talk of quarterbacks Chad Henne from Michigan and Matt Ryan from Boston College as well as talk of defensive tackle, Glenn Dorsey from LSU! While baseball is only a few weeks old, the draft is looming and football talk is in the air!

Posted by Rich Dansereau on 04/16/2008 07:56 PM

Comments (28)

rich dansereau, atlanta, falcons, nfl, mike smith, draft

Originally posted at: Rich's Blog: Falcons Looking To Rebuild; From Coaches To Players

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28 Comments on Falcons Looking To Rebuild; From Coaches To Players

APR

2008

And who knows, with Arthur Blank talking to Mike Vick, he may one day be a Falcon again!

On the bright side, the Falcons are not known to be a seriously dysfunctional franchise...not that I am, but how would you like to be a RAIDERS fan?! UGGH!

Falcons will get it together again, but it probably is going to take a couple of years to recover from the debacles with VICK and Petrino.

Rich, the team suffered through a lot this year. Hopefully the staff and players will come back stronger. I still like going to the games.

Good luck guys. As a life long Saints fan I know how you feel.

Ron - I think that Blank has been so badly burned by both Vick and Petrino that he will not be ready to take Vick back. The Falcons will rebuild hopefully equipped with lessons learned from this whole debacle.

Debbie - I could not stop being an NFL fan because of the actions of a few! It will I'm sure be a process to rebuild the team but they will do it.

John - Ah someone to commiserate with...(I've really been a Colts fan for years, memorabilia and all. I do care about the Falcons as I live in metro-Atlanta and want the home team to do well. I even had a Vick jersey but got rid of it promptly).

APR

2008

The Falcons desperately need a solid quarterback , a back up running and help on the defensive line with the release of rod coleman.

Dorsey DT out of LSU or Matt Ryan the QB from Boston College would be great fits.

Rich good job for staying loyal to your team as a Oakland Raider fan i feel your pain. Its nice to see that not all football fans are band-wagoners.

Eddy

Eddy - Those are two of the three most often mentioned names around town! Thanks for reading and commenting!

APR

2008

Rich,The falcons have a long way to go...but without the quitter coach and releasing some bad eggs...things are looking up

Rich ------ not a problem i enjoy your blog posts. The good thing for the falcons is that the cancers that were a part of the organization are now gone. Its time to rebuild which isn't as bad as it sounds.

What do you think about their 2008/2009 schedule?

Eddy

BLR Guy - I think things will definitely improve for the Falcons with these changes.

Eddy - I think they will definitely have some tough road games @ Tampa Bay, @ Carolina, @ Green Bay, and @ San Diego! The home games look much better. I am really interested to see how both Denver and Green Bay perform this year!

Rich----- yes the san diego and green bay games will be very tough.

I have that feeling that green bay will have a decent year im picking them to go 10-6. Aaron Rodgers has been waiting years to be "the guy" in Green Bay. The packers are pretty solid on offense and defense. On the other denver is going to have a bad year and go 7-9. They have no stand out recievers except for Marshall but and the qb Cutler have been mudslinging publicly all year long. Their defense is a train wreck and this may be Shanahans last year as Denvers head coach.

Eddy

Eddy - I am not now, nor have I ever been a Shanahan fan! I am also no fan of Wade Phillips at Dallas. I need to have a coach that has some emotion to be able to rally behind; not that I am any Dallas fan, but that city deserves better! It will be interesting to see how Green Bay receives their new QB and there will need to be some real leadership to emerge to give Denver any chance of a winning season. Cutler really showed his lack of mental fortitude in their loss to San Diego last season. He must show real leadership!

APR

2008

You are right Rich, Jay Cutler doesn't command leadership, it seems like he is just running through the motions when he is on the field. During that Denver / San Diego game Rivers was all over cutler with his verbal insults.

Rodgers in Green Bay will have a decent year, he isn't going to put up Favre like numbers but their core group of players are pretty young and they have alot to grow upon.

Eddy

Eddy - I actually felt bad for Cutler during the who Rivers' tirade from the sidelines but after thinking about it, a NFL QB should not elicit pity but confidence and in many cases awe! Did you know that Rivers and Cutler played college ball together!

APR

2008

Rich------ no i did not know that? Rivers went to NC state and Culter went to Vanderbilt. Whats the story on that? Very interesting...........................................

But you're right Culter isn't exactly a dominating presence in the huddle.

Eddy

Eddy - You are correct. I have misspoken and apologize for passing on bad info. I thought I had heard the commentators say they had played college ball together during that San Diego v/ Denver game. I should have checked this out and not relied on my sometimes overworked memory. Thanks for clearing that up or I would still believe the bad info.

APR

2008

While it's nearly impossible for me to stay out of the Cutler talk between a Raider fan and a guy in Atl who has Chris Chandler as the best QB to play for his team :) I will....

Falcons go Dorsey #1 and then grab Henne or Joe Flacco in the 2nd and they'll be alright....I'm a big Wolverines guy so I like Henne---probably won't be an all-pro, but he's big and strong and you can win around guy's like that. On the other hand- Flacco has got a straight up rocket arm but he's never played against NFLish competition.

Rich------ not a problem buddy i dont blame you with so many players changing teams its tough to remember what school they came out of.

Jim----- yeah the rumors on ESPN and all over the net are saying that Dorsey is their pick. Henne would be a better pick since Flacco doesnt have experience playing against real competition.

Eddy

Jim - Dorsey's name is heard a lot on the airways here. If the falcons don't take a QB first pick then they will still have better options in their three second round choices than what they currently have.

Eddy - Thanks for the pass my friend! A QB, whether, Henne or Ryan, would be my choice. The falcons need a real offensive leader which was an obvious void all of last year.

Rich---------- Signing a veteran QB such as Daunte Culpepper or Trent Dilfer wouldn't be a bad move by the Falcons this offseason. I prefer Matt Ryan Over Henne because he has better mechanics and a superior arm.

Eddy

Eddy - Though I have been a fan of Culpepper in the past...his time is past. The falcons have mired themselves with the likes of those who played yesterday or perhaps should not have played at this level to begin with. I hope that the Falcons will move forward with the team building for the long haul.

APR

2008

Rich----- what you say is true, Culpepper is completley past his prime but there isnt much free agent quarterback talent out there. Matt Ryan should make a difference but the key is to get him signed as soon as possible, the Falcons dont need to do what the Raiders did last year with Jamarcus Russell which ruined his development.

Eddy

MAY

2008

Eddy - I am very happy with how the draft went and yes the falcons do need to sign him quickly!

MAY

2008

Rich---------- The Falcons now have the luxury of bringing in Matt Ruan as early as the middle of the season. Veteran Chrsi Redman can take him under his wing and will eventually give up the starting job. Free agent acquistion RB Michael Turner will have a strong season.

Eddy

MAY

2008

Eddy - I am glad to see Michael Turner in ATL. He will be an asset and seems from a recent interview to have his head on straight. I don't think that ATL will put up with Redman for half a season so hopefully Ryan will get ready quickly.

Rich---------- He did get a nice fat contract so he has all the motivation in the world to become the go-to running back for the Falcons.

When it comes to the quarterback situation they should put Ryan in by week four and just let him grind it out. Redman will probably be injured by then anyway.

Eddy

Eddy - I couldn't agree more on both aspects of your Ryan/Redman comment...LOL!

MAY

2008

I don't care for the falcons but they need to do something last year was not good!! Hopefully for Falcon fans Matt Ryan will be the ticket.

Andy - Because they are local to Atlanta, I did follow them and their more colorful,albeit lackluster year last year. Though I am and have been a huge Colts fan. Thanks for commenting!

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