Falcons Megatrade Stuns the RDFL
Posted by beargrowlz on 26 Dec 2009 at 01:15:04 [13 comments]
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[size=24:a3a08d5acd][color=red:a3a08d5acd][b:a3a08d5acd]Falcons Megatrade Stuns the RDFL[/b:a3a08d5acd][/color:a3a08d5acd][/size:a3a08d5acd]
[size=18:a3a08d5acd][color=black:a3a08d5acd][b:a3a08d5acd]Cowboys Star Quarterback Leaves Big-D
For Eighteen Picks and Two Players[/b:a3a08d5acd][/color:a3a08d5acd][/size:a3a08d5acd][/quote:a3a08d5acd]
[quote:a3a08d5acd][img:a3a08d5acd]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/vince_palmer-scrambling.jpg[/img:a3a08d5acd]
[size=9:a3a08d5acd][b:a3a08d5acd]Jonesboro, GA native Vince Palmer scrambles out of Texas and into the Deep South as the Falcons new star quarterback.[/b:a3a08d5acd][/size:a3a08d5acd][/quote:a3a08d5acd]
Flowery Branch, GA -- "Utterly ridiculous" is how one RDFL owner described it. Another exclaimed, "Wow what a deal." And yet another owner's response was simply " :shock: :shock: :shock: ." But all were in agreement this was the blockbuster of all blockbusters as the Atlanta Falcons acquired star Quarterback Vince Palmer for eighteen draft picks, Falcons starting Quarterback Robbie Reed and backup offensive lineman Everett Branch.
Many observers expected something to happen when the Atlanta Falcons were bounced early from the RDFL Playoffs this past winter. There was no secret that Owner Beargrowlz and GM Arnold Tate were disappointed in the play of Quarterback Robbie Reed in the playoff game against Green Bay, and the club made no secret they were seeking an upgrade at that position. Most observers however, believed the Falcons would make a deal for a short term solution in a Tom Brady or Drew Brees.
But no one expected this.
"We had I think," began Atlanta General Manager Arnold Tate, "gone as far as we could with Robbie at quarterback. Having invested so much in trading up to get Lawrence Nakamura three years ago and the dealing for Dexter Walters two years ago, there was a concensus among the front office and coaching staff that we had to make a significant upgrade at the quarterback position to take advantage of those tremendous talents we acquired at wide receiver. To not do so would have meant leaving Tora and Dex to wither on the vine with an average quarterback not getting them the ball at crunch time."
[quote:a3a08d5acd][img:a3a08d5acd]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/arnold_tate.jpg[/img:a3a08d5acd]
[size=9:a3a08d5acd][b:a3a08d5acd]Tate believed upgrading the quarterback
position was imperative.[/b:a3a08d5acd][/size:a3a08d5acd][/quote:a3a08d5acd]
"We had five or six deals working for a quarterback" continued Tate, "and some negotiations naturally progressed further than others. But most of the quarterback options would have been short term old guys, and in the end, it just didn't make sense to make a deal now and have to readdress the position in a year or two."
Not everyone thought the trade bringing Palmer to Atlanta was a good deal for Atlanta. "To give up 22 players for one player? To give up 3 years of drafts for one player? To hamstring a franchise for years for one player? I could go into detail as to why it's a bad idea for Atlanta but I won't. It's the kind of deal that would never happen in real life." That's how New York Jets owner Rob7005b categorized the Palmer trade. For the Jets owner, this was the American Civil War sacking of Atlanta repeating itself - the trade would surely setback the Atlanta Franchise for years to come.
Falcons Owner Beargrowlz didn't directly dispute any of the Jets' owner's assertions, but thought it was rather a matter of one's perspective. "From the outside looking in, I can see how the deal looked utterly ridiculous" stated Beargrowlz. "Eighteen picks and two players for one guy, on the face of it that's an awful lot to pay for one player. But we did our homework, had a lot of talks with team owners, made a few offers and we're confident we paid the market price for a quarterback the caliber of Vince Palmer. The market place was insane - as some would say I am - but we're extremely confident that what we paid was the market price from other negotiations, offers, rejections and counter-offers that we had with other teams about similar players."
Beargrowlz contiued, stating "Five seasons ago I took over a 4-12 team that was simply horrible. Every year we've made gains, improved our record, until in 2013 we made the NFC Championship and last season we set a team record with 13 regular season wins. Now that we've built the program from the bottom up, the way I play the game means that we're now in a situation where we aim to be competing for a Super Bowl Championship every single season. We don't have the luxury of being a bad team for a season or three and drafting in the top five - that's just a waste of my time. That's not how I play the game. I play the game to win every season - not just win games, but win a Super Bowl every season. I've built a great team with a very good gameplan. I wanted a star quarterback to throw to those two dynamic receivers we brought in, and you don't get one of those picking 1.28 or 1.29 or 1.30 or 31 or 32 every season. I want to win every game, every championship, every year. Now. Today. And the kind of quarterback I wanted doesn't grow on trees, so we went and got him - and we paid a ridiculous price for him, but we got him."
In large part the steep price being asked by teams for franchise quarterbacks can be explained by the fact that such players never become available in the NFL. The high price is a reflection of that real life lack of a marketplace, but also a reflection that RDFL team owners are more daring and more willing to take risks than their NFL counterparts - both in trading away a franchise quarterback and in paying such a steep price as was paid by Atlanta.
But what about the future? Are critics of the trade right that the Falcons have been hamstrung for the future? Did Atlanta give up too much for Palmer? Said Beargrowlz, "We've got two of the top five receivers in the game - guys who draw targets, get downfield and make big plays - both entering their fourth season in the league. Now we've got a great young quarterback just entering his sixth season in the league. Given how I go about constructing teams we should contend for the RDFL Championship for the next ten seasons. We cover the loss of draft picks for this year and the next two the same way we built this team - bridging the gap through free agency and trades. And by the time Palmer, Walters and Nakamura get too old to win championships, we'll have had seven drafts [i:a3a08d5acd]after[/i:a3a08d5acd] the picks we traded away picking 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st and 32nd. What we did was unconventional, different, against the grain of the FOF cognescenti, sure. But rather than hamstringing this franchise, I think we just assured we'll be championship contenders for the next decade. And any time you can do that, you do that. That's how I play anyway."
[quote:a3a08d5acd][img:a3a08d5acd]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/lawrence_nakamura-skies-284x345.jpg[/img:a3a08d5acd] [img:a3a08d5acd]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/dexter_walters-vstb-286x345.jpg[/img:a3a08d5acd]
[size=9:a3a08d5acd][b:a3a08d5acd]Palmer to Lawrence Nakamura and Dexter Walters could become the greatest passing attack in RDFL history.[/b:a3a08d5acd][/size:a3a08d5acd][/quote:a3a08d5acd]
But can Atlanta really bridge the three year gap of picks through free agency and trades? "At the very least, half of those picks we dealt away would never make a 13-3 team" began Beargrowlz. "When you're picking in the late twenties or thirties every year, the other half of those picks are readily available through free agency if you're setup to sign role players every three seasons or so to fill specific roles. The advantage of acquiring them in free agency is they're already developed and can step right in and play for a couple, three years. Then you just replace them, rinse and repeat. These guys are always available in free agency, always."
"People underestimate the level of talent available in free agency because they look at overall ratings and say 'yuck" said Beargrowlz. "And for teams building from the groundfloor up that will be picking in the top five or ten for the next three or four seasons, the kind of players they need can usually only be gotten through a top five or ten draft pick - like when we made the deal to move up and draft Lawrence Nakamura. So making a deal like this just wouldn't make sense for them. But when you believe - as I do - that you're one piece away from a championship, not making this deal borders on the criminal. If you believe you're one piece away from a championship and you have a chance to trade for that one piece - while filling in the gaps using free agency role players like you have been doing over the past three seasons - not making a deal to get that one piece so you can sit around and draft in the 28th or 29th spot for the next three years just doesn't make sense to me."
"But I don't want to downplay what we paid, and I don't have an argument with those who say we paid a ridiculous amount for Palmer" continued Beargrowlz. "But beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess. If I can pickup a star quarterback and assure we're going to be in the championship hunt for the next ten years or so at the cost of ten to fifteen guys who won't make my roster, five to ten I can replace in free agency every three seasons, the quarterback the star is replacing and a bench guy that frees up $6 million in cap space to allow me more flexibility in free agency, I do it every time. I have enough confidence in my abilities and playing style that I can find players no one else wants and use them in roles around the stars of the team and win and win big. When your goal is to win a championship every season, a lot is only too much if you don't get what you need to put you in position to win it all. I think Palmer puts us there for the next ten years. Even if you feel the need to label a 'winner' and a 'loser' in the trade and want to say Dallas got the better of us, we got what we wanted - a franchise quarterback. I'm good with that."
And for those that don't think Beargrowlz' deal for Palmer does what he thinks it will? Beargrowlz said, "That's the beauty of it. That's why we play this game and do things that can't be done in real life. If we don't contend for some championships and instead we stink up the joint over the next ten years I guess they'll be right and I'll be wrong. But that's what's great about this game. In real life a guy like Palmer never gets traded and a team never gives up the draft picks I did. Those that say this deal would never happen in real life are right, it wouldn't. But that's one of the reasons I play the game - to do stuff I can't do in real life. That's the fun part!"
As the Falcons make this deal, team owner Beargrowlz looks pretty confident that he did the right thing for the Falcons franchise. But one wonders, does the criticism of the trade, that he has hamstrung the franchise for several years. bother him at all? This is one area where Beargrowlz seemed more contemplative than anything. "I guess every person wants the approval of everyone else" began Beargrowlz. "After all, we're social animals and we want everyone to approve of us and like us. But after being married 23 years, my wife tells me I do dumb shit all the time. You get used to it. Sometimes she's right, sometimes she's wrong and sometimes, it's just a matter of perspective."
Matter of perspective or not, even then, not all RDFL team owners thought this was a bad move for the Falcons. "Bear is my tip to win the bowl this season," said Washington Redskins Owner ace5715. "If you know Bear at all you'll know all he seems to do is win, picks or no picks."
[quote:a3a08d5acd][img:a3a08d5acd]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/ken_sommerville-hth.jpg[/img:a3a08d5acd]
[size=9:a3a08d5acd][b:a3a08d5acd]Star Tailback Ken Somervile finally gets some help carrying the Atlanta offense.[/b:a3a08d5acd][/size:a3a08d5acd][/quote:a3a08d5acd]
As for the elder statesman of the Falcons, Tailback Ken Somerville, who predates the Beargrowlz Era in Atlanta and has carried the weight of the Falcons franchise on his shoulders for the past seven seasons as its primary weapon, was pleased with the deal for his part. Said Somerville, "I'm getting old man. I want a ring or two before I hang up my cleats. I think Vince is just what we need in The ATL."
And if there's any Atlanta Falcon that deserves a ring or two, it's him.
In the end, to be fair, we do think some of the critique levied by New York Jets' owner Rob7005b is spot on. This deal would never happen in the NFL. A player like Vince Palmer would never be available via trade, and a team would never give up this many draft picks in a trade. And this was a formidable price to pay to acquire one player. And true enough, Dallas got a sweet payday in this deal - though they did give up one of the best players in the RDFL at the most important position in football.
And while the Falcons paid a high price is true in so far as it goes, the numbers look much worse than they are. "Eighteen picks" doesn't mean eighteen players for an Atlanta club that should be drafting in the 28th spot or worse every season for the forseeable future. It means at least nine cuts, maybe seven to nine role players and maybe one or two good players. Maybe that just means Beargrowlz is a lousy drafter - if so more power to him for dealing away things he would have wasted but are fungible assets to others for something that he is good at judging the skill of. And maybe Dallas gets more players out of the draft picks than the Falcons would have - be it because Beargrowlz might be a lousy drafter, the Dallas owner a good one, or maybe it's just more difficult to make Atlanta's 13-3 roster than it will be a rebuilding Cowboys squad.
But if, as Beargrowlz believes, the Falcons were one player away from a prolonged run at the Super Bowl, this deal makes a lot of sense from Atlanta's perspective.
As Falcons fans, let's just hope it's common sense and not nonsense.
[color=white:a3a08d5acd]XX[/color:a3a08d5acd]Click here for more... | Take That Sherman!
Posted by beargrowlz on 26 Nov 2009 at 06:28:47 [13 comments]
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/ajc.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][size=24:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Take That Sherman![/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d]
[color=black:a3fa661b5d][size=18:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]How A New Hampshire Yankee Rebuilt Atlanta After Sherman Burnt It Down[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d]
During the American Civil War Union General William Tecumseh Sherman deveised and utilized the concept of total war to take away the Confederacy's ability to feed and support their armies. He burned a number of communities to ground razing farms and military installations including Columbia, South Carolina (the spiritual home of the Confederacy) and Atlanta, Georgia (the main supply and transport center of the Confederacy).
That was the state I found the Atlanta Falcons in when I took ownership of them prior to the 2010 season.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/burnatla.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Sherman's "March to the Sea" Began With the Burning of Atlanta.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
This is the story of how the Falcons were rebuilt from a woeful 4-12 team in 2009 into a championship contender in 2013 and 2014.
But this isn't your regular news story, it's me, Beargrowlz, writing in the first person telling my story of how I rebuilt the Atlanta Falcons from the dregs of the league into a championship contender. I'd like to say the rebuild was elegant, that it could serve as a blueprint for other teams rebuilding in this league or others, but it wasn't - in fact it was a downright ugly rebuild. It was the result of mostly poor drafting by myself and a reliance on trading, free agency - something that you rarely see in the Front Office Football world - and gameplanning. Many parts of the story are embassing because I simply made dumb moves. But we overcame them - maybe through luck, and maybe partially because I made a few good moves along the way. Had I the rebuild to do over again, I am certain I'd do a lot differently, but in the end it worked.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/falcons-wallpaper-600.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Bluntly listing the bad moves along with the good, this is the story of how Beargrowlz built and transformed the
Atlanta Falcons from league laughingstock into an RDFL superpower.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
Most stories celebrate the heroic team owner making all the right moves and outsmarting his opponents to build a juggernaut of a team. In this case, nothing could be further from the truth. I made many more wrong - or time wasting, value neutral - moves than I did right ones. Fortunately what few right moves I did make seemed to have much more impact than the many wrong moves I made. So with that in mind, here's the story of how an idiot built a championship contender despite himself.
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2010 --[/b:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d] There's no putting it mildly, this Atlanta Falcons club was horrible. Considering the talent on the team, they likely played over their heads to finish 4-12. The quarterback situation was disastrous, no receiving weapons and not much talent on defense. There were some bright spots however. The previous ownership had an underused, very talented running back in Ken Somerville entering his third season having yet to get 200 carries or have 1000 yard season, the offensive line was talented and (DT) Tommie Harris was a hoss up the middle on defense. So the cupboard wasn't bare, but it was bread and water for dinner so to speak.
The first thing I did was fire the entire staff and bring in my own people. I hired General Manager Arnold Tate away from the Georgia State University Panthers where he had just built a new Division 1-AA program as their first Head Coach. Tate had also previously been the Head Coach at Georgia Tech and the University of Alabama. His recent experience in building the Georgia State program would prove invaluable to rebuilding the Falcons.
Joining Tate was new Head Coach Austin Jochen who had been the Offensive Coordinator for the Chicago Bears. Prior to joining the Bears Jochen was the Head Coach at the University of Hawaii. Jochen had experience in both the run and shoot offense as well as a power running game. This is Jochen's second go-round with the Falcons as he was their Offensive Coordinator from 1991-1993 and Head Coach from 1994-1996, giving the staff a distinctly Peach State flavor.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/gtech.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/ga-sthrn.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/valdosta_state.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/ga-st.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/uga.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]The Falcons Staff would have a distinctly Peach State look to it with coaches from Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Valdosta State,
Georgia State, and eventually the University of Georgia Bulldogs joining the Atlanta coaching team.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
Jochen's staff continued to draw heavily on Georgia roots, as new Offensive Coordinator Bert Ferguson joined the Atlanta staff from the Minnesota Vikings, before which he had been the head man at Georgia Tech, the U.S. Naval Academy and Division 1-AA Georgia Southern. Ferguson's specialty was the triple option and developing running backs and his coaching skills would come to fruition in the record setting running year of 2013.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/arnold_tate.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/austin_jochen.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/bert_ferguson.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d](GM) Arnold Tate, (HC) Austin Jochen and (OC) Bert Ferguson gave Atlanta a fresh start in 2010 and remain with the club today.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
I wanted a fresh start and they'd give it to us.
Tate, Jochen and Ferguson remain with the Falcons to this day.
Marco Diaz was hired away from the St. Louis Rams as the new Defensive Coordinator, before which he had been the Head Coach at Valdosta State University, where he become only the second head coach in history to win a National 1-AA Championship in his first year as Head Coach. But due to philosophical differences with Coach Jochen, Diaz was let go following the 2011 season and he now fills the same position with division rival New Orleans.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/marco_diaz-a.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Marco Diaz was the first Defensive Coordinator of Beargrowlz' tenure
- and the only coach hired by Bear not remaining with the club in 2014.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
I'll be honest, one thing I have never really done well is draft. Maybe it is because my teams have always fared well and I get low draft picks, maybe it's because until the last few seasons I never bothered to learn how to read the combines, I just don't really know. Whatever it is, I know I have a lot more to learn and a vast area to improve in this regard. One good draft pick I did make however was my first ever pick in the RDFL - (MLB) Teddy LaFountain. He's been a "Hoover" - a tackling machine, he can drop into pass coverage and in a pinch even rush the passer. I know the FOF cognescenti scoff at picking a linebacker so high (1.7), but after five seasons of Teddy patrolling the middle of our defense I have no regrets.
He's a superstar.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/teddy_lafountain.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d](MLB) Teddy LaFountain, the Falcons first draft pick under Beargrowlz, has become a true superstar.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][u:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2010 College Draft[/b:a3fa661b5d][/u:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d]
1-07 (ILB) Teddy LaFountain, South Carolina
1-30 (FL) Rob Sauerbrun, South Carolina
2-06 (OLB) Leo Middleton, Brigham Young
2-31 (QB) Robbie Reed, Ball State
3-05 (CB) Clarence Stanton, Virginia Tech
4-07 (TE) Norman Craig, Mississippi
4-17 (SS) Joey Robbins, Delaware State
5-06 (FS) Jim Swift, Arkansas State
6-05 (FB) Vinny Casper, Washington
7-07 (SS) Edwin Zappa, Oklahoma
Not a bad draft - at least for me - as five seasons later LaFountain, Sauerbrun, Middleton, Reed, Stanton and Craig are all still with us.
Offensively, Quarterback Ernie Brewer (1.1, 2008) had been thrown feet first into the fire in 2008, starting 11 games and posting a passer rating of 63.8 leading the Falcons to a 3-13 record. I guess previous management lost confidence in Brewer after his disastrous rookie season because in 2009 they went with veteran Darrell Waller who led Atlanta to a 4-12 mark while putting up a 62.3 passer rating.
Looking at the numbers, maybe it wasn't the quarterback that was the problem.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/rob_sauerbrun-leap.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Rob Sauerbrun may not be the #1 wideout Bear hoped for, but he's among the best slot receivers in the RDFL.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
In any case, after having lost out shot at Justin Vance because of the prior management's trade of the 2009 1.1, Iwe really needed to see whether Ernie Brewer was going to cut it as a starting quarterback. We named him our starter from Day One - but we drafted (QB) Robbie Reed out of Ball State at 2.31 with an eye towards the future. We tried to start bringing in receivers to give him some toold to work with, drafting (WR) Rob Sauerbrun (1.30) and (TE) Norman Craig (4.7), but I quickly realized that while Sauerbrun would be a fine complimentary receiver, neither he nor Craig would be able to carry the fulltime load as #1's at their positions. Brewer performed adequately, but it always felt like everything was forced and the passing game clunky and was a struggle for everything.
While there's little doubt that I have to take some of the blame because my gameplanning ability was still in its nascent stages, much of it had to do with the fact Ernie still had few weapons to throw to - and those weapons he did have were undeveloped - but some of the blame has to go to Brewer himself. He just was never going to be more than a replacement level starter, maybe, with the right gameplan and receivers he could be average - he's having a career year this season and he's rated 20th in passer rating, I think the Chiefs are getting just about every ounce of talent out of Ernie that anyone can.
I admit, 2010 was a season of baby steps for the Falcons. But one area I was determined to improve on was turning Ken Somerville - who seemed to be an afterthought under the previous ownership - into the offensive focal point of a pretty bad offense. We managed to accomplish that and I think it was a major step forward. Kenny went from 197 carries over 16 games in 2009 to 277 carries in 2010. He went from 916 yards in '09 to 1341 in 2010 - the first of four consecutive 1000 yard rushing seasons - and went from a 4.67 YPC to 4.84. And while his receptions were basically unchanged, he went from 5.16 YPR and 4.90 YPA to 10.97 YPR and 9.11 YPA. At least the deal which lost us Justin Vance had now resulted in a potent offensive threat in Ken Somerville.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/ken_somerville-front.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Tailback Ken Somerville galloped to his first 1000 yard rushing season and onwards towards superstardom in 2010 by
rushing for 1341 yards at 4.84 YPC.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
Despite not having much of a passing game, we did make significant improvements offensively. While we were still ranked 31st in passing yardage, we passed for virtually the same amount of yards as we did in 2009 but on 133 fewer attempts and our passer rating went from 30th to 17th.
But it was rushing the ball where we made our largest gains. Atlants went from averaging 102.5 YPG (26th) and 4.08 YPC (21st) in 2009 to 139.0 YPG (2nd) and 4.40 YPC (5th) in 2010. And it was this improvement as well as our relatively more efficient passing game that saw the Falcons improve from averaging 11.5 PPG (32nd) in 2009 to a still poor, but getting better, 18.9 PPG (24th).
Offensively we had begun to make progress.
Defensively we regressed a bit, no doubt in small part due to my ineptness as well as a complete lack of cohesion due to me releasing a ton of holdovers from 2009. Aside from LaFountain and Tommie Harris the defense was horrendous and didn't show any signs of getting better.
But at least we made some headway offensively and improved from 4-12 to 6-10, still 4th in the NFC South. Not a great start to my RDFL career, but it was something.
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2011 --[/b:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d] I said I don't draft well and our 2011 draft was symptomatic of that track record. I went and took (QB) Scott Finley at 1.9 despite having drafted Robbie Reed the year before - though to be fair I hadn't counted on Reed hitting 60/60 and routinely having a passer rating over 100 with few interceptions and few sacks.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/robbie_reed-draft.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d](QB) Robbie Reed (2.31, 2010) shocked even Bear with his development and forced his way into the starting lineup in 2011.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
At the same time I thought Finley would rate better than 52/52 - neither of which is particularly relevant in hindsight. While both are decent at avoiding sacks, I'm really not certain what their avoid interceptions bar is like as I wasn't a big combine follower in 2011 and have no idea what their solecismic test score was. In any case, the drafting of Finley was probably a wasted pick - we probably should have pursued a receiver if one was available or some help on defense. God knows we needed both.
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][u:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2011 College Draft[/b:a3fa661b5d][/u:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d]
1.9 (9) QB Scott Finley
3.9 (73) MLB Donald Gospe
3.30 (94) LDT Leland Bluske
4.9 (105) RDE Billy Smith
4.19 (115) RCB Grady Hage
4.21 (117) FL Neal Spencer
5.9 (137) SLB Albert Clevinger
6.9 (169) FL Tyrell McFarland
7.9 (201) LDE Shawn Greer
7.16 (208) SE Darryl Bernreuter
Finley still backs up Robbie Reed, Gospe converted to defensive end but doesn't play much and Bluske to defensive tackle but doesn't play much. All three are pretty solid backups and provide us with some depth, but I could have drafted much, much better.
I did make some trades that proved to be fairly significant in the longterm in the 2011 preseason. Acquiring cornerbacks Andy Terrel and Bo Money and (S) Corwin Fulcher in three seperate deals landed us 3/4 of our current starting secondary. We also signed (S) Vernon Cooper in free agency and converted him to strong safety where he became an All-Pro in 2013 and continues to start for us to this day.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/corwin_fulcher.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/vernon_cooper.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Safeties Corwin Fulcher and Vernon Cooper still patrol the Falcons secondary in 2014 making receivers pay for going over the middle.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
Despite this huge influx of talent, our pass defense continued to give up plenty of yards. But we continued to improve our points allowed, dropping from 24.9 PPG allowed (28th) to 22.1 PPG allowed (22nd). This was the beginning of our bend but don't break style of offense - giving up lots of yards but slowly reducing the number of points allowed. Our defense was still porous, but by the measure of points allowed, slowly getting better.
One area where we did make great strides in both 2010 and 2011 was on special teams. In 2009 we allowed 24.5 yards per kick return (10th) and 14.0 yards per punt return (30th). In 2010 we improved upon both numbers allowing 20.7 YPKR (5th) and 11.6 YPPR (25th) and in 2011 we allowed 18.0 YPKR (the first of three straight #1 rankings and we are leading the league again in 2014) and remained realtively steady at 12.2 YPPR (25th).
Special Teams would also be a strength in the return game as well. In 2009 the Falcons ranked 32nd in punt return average and 30th in kick return average. In 2010 we improved those rankings to 3rd and 8th respectively and in 2011 we rated 10th in PRA and 4th in KRA.
Atlanta would go on to lead the league in yards per kick return in both 2012 and 2013 averaging over 35 yards per return.
Offensively we were still dreadful - disappointingly so. Even our running game slumped, though Ken Somerville did record his second 1000 yard rushing season.
Our goal at the start of 2011 had been to make a two game jump from 6-6 to 8-8. Like our offense, our record was a bit of a disappointment as we finished at 7-9, one game off our target. The good news was we were finally of the cellar after just two seasons at the helm and finished just two games out of first place - and we had gone 4-2 against our division opponents. So while 2011 was somewhat of a disappointment, there was legitimate hope that with a few breaks, we might be able to compete for a playoff spot in 2012 - just my third season at the helm of the Atlanta Falcons.
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2012 --[/b:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d] I don't draft well. Sometimes even when I can't mess things up, I do. Fortunately, when deciding between a Mercedes and a Lexus, even if you mess up and make the wrong choice, you've still got a sweet ride.
That's what happened in 2012.
In a blockbuster deal - criticized by some but lauded by others - we sent two #1's and two #2's to the New York Jets for pick 1.2. I felt we really needed a receiver to put some teeth into our offense and there were two outstanding blue chippers in that year's draft - Lawrence Nakamura and Dexter Walters. Walters had better hands and could return punts but Nakamura was much further along developmentally. I took Nakamura, which turned out to be the wrong choice as Walters has since developed into the best receiver in the league.
But like I said, a Lexus is still a nice ride.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/lawrence_nakamura-465.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Lawrence "Tora Tora" Nakamura finally gave the Falcons a deep threat at wideout in 2012.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d][u:a3fa661b5d]2012 College Draft[/u:a3fa661b5d][/b:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d]
1.2 (WR) Lawrence Nakamura, Michigan State
3.27 (DT) Quinn Poteat, Eastern Illinois
4.12 (LB) Dana Hodges, Arizona
5.27 (OT) Jermaine McCarthy, Arizona State
7.9 (OC) Ellis Dillon, Kansas
7.14 (TE) Duane Lucas, Texas Christian
In Nakamura's rookie season he caught more balls (78) than any receiver to that point in Falcons history - in a run first offense - and had the most receiving yards (1058) since Terry Glenn in 2005. He also set an Atlanta team record for touchdown receptions (8) which he would break again in 2013 with 10.
All in all not bad for the wrong pick.
Besides Nakamura our third round selection (DT) Quinn Poteat converted to (DE) and remains an integral part of our platoon defense.
Aside from the deal for the Nakamura pick, we were pretty quiet on the trade front in 2012. We did make two major acquisitions via free agency however, (TE) Ike Marquardt and (RB) Adam Warren.
Warren, a former first round draft choice of the St. Louis Rams, settled in as a very solid backup to Ken Somerville in 2012 both running the ball and receiving. But it was in 2013 that Warren went into the record books - and out in a blaze of glory as he seemed to use up whatever was left in his legs and he was out of football by 2014.
Warren and Somerville would become the first and only (I think) pair of running backs on the same team to each rush for 1000 yards in the same season, amassing an amazing team total of 2817 yards, leading the rest of the league by over 600 yards rushing.
The truly amazing part? The team averaged 5.45 yards per carry.
Incredible.
But that was the next season, in 2013. In 2012 the duo led Atlanta to a 5th place ranking in rushing and 4.57 YPC - good enough for 2nd in the league. And while the passing offense was still a pedestrian 28th in yardage - it also had the fewest pass attempts in the league - Atlanta quarterbacks posted the highest team passer rating (93.8) in team history, good enough for a 17th ranking.
Baby steps, but progress nonetheless.
This progress, small as it seems, translated directly into points as the Falcons bettered their 2011 mark by six points per game, averaging 25.1 PPG (13th).
The offense was slowly coming together. Scott Finley and Robbie Reed shared the quarterbacking duties in 2012, and while in 2009 Ken Somerville had yet to have a 1000 yard rushing season, in the period from 2010-2013 he ran for over 1200 yards each season and averaged over 4.75 YPC each year. At wide receiver Lawrence Nakamura become a legitimate #1 wideout and Rob Sauerbrun was a solid, if unspectacular, complimentary receiver. Ike Marquardt, who had started only 16 games in his previous four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, settled in at Tight End for the forseeable future.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/ike_marquardt.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d](TE) Ike Marquardt was signed as a free agent in 2012 and would become a very dangerous weapon by 2014.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
The offense was improving, but I wasn't entirely satisfied with the unit yet. I felt there were still question marks at quarterback and I really wanted to move Sauerbrun to the slot receiver spot and get another legitimate #1 wideout to compliment Nakamura. Little did I know that I'd have that chance in the next offseason.
Defensively our only significant acquisition that remains with us today was (DE) Henry Brown. Brown had a great season in 2012 recording 8.5 sacks but has been hot and cold since that season - mainly due to my inconsistency in getting him playing time. We've never been able to generate a significant amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and I suppose that's responsible in large part for the large amount of yardage we give up.
But 2012 was a season where we [i:a3fa661b5d]did[/i:a3fa661b5d] put it all together defensively. Our pass defense held opposing quarterbacks to an 87.2 passer rating (5th) and we held opposing offenses to 17.1 PPG (2nd). This significant defensive improvement coincided with the firing of defensive Coordinator Marco Diaz and the hiring of Reggie Fletcher as Atlanta's new defensive guru. Fletcher had held the same position with our division rival the New Orleans Saints, but prior to that had been the Head Coach at the University of Georgia. In a twist of irony, Marco Diaz replaced Fletcher as the Defensive Coordinator with the Saints, where he remains today.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/reggie_fletcher-a.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2012 saw Reggie Fletcher join the Falcons as their new Defensive Coordinator.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
All of a sudden we had transformed ourselves from a 7-9 team that was being outscored every game to a 10-6 team that scored 402 points while allowing only 273 en route to winning the NFC South as well as winning our first playoff game in franchise history.
While 2011 had been a slight disappointment, 2012 was a major step forward.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/atlanta_falcons_cheerleaders.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]By 2012 Falcons fans had a lot to cheer about - and plenty of eye candy to boot.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
The Atlanta Falcons had arrived and were here to stay.
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2013 --[/b:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d] (DT) Tommie Harris was our best defensive player until we drafted Teddy LaFountain in 2010. He was still a dominant defensive tackle in 2010, but he missed all of 2011 with a serious knee injury. We decided to franchise him at the start of the 2012 season not knowing if he'd make it back from knee surgery. He had a solid 2012 season but we couldn't come to agreement on a new contract and we ended up franchising him for 2013, realizing he would likely hold out and we'd probably have to trade him.
We were right.
Harris played his last game for us in 2012 - unfortunately as I really liked him and thought he made a powerful duo with LaFountain up the middle. Aside from the Harris trade and an ill-fated deal for fast fading cornerback Kelly Cash, things were mostly quiet on the trade front.
Until We PM'd the Detroit Lions.
In 2012 we made a deal to move up to 1.2 to draft a wide receiver and chose Lawrence Nakamura over Dexter Walters. In no way was I disappointed with Nakamura - he's a great receiver - but Walters has clearly turned out to have been the better choice. After sending out a dozen or so cold call PM's trying to pick up a second #1 receiver and coming close but just falling short of making two different deals for other receivers, I got a "do over" from Detroit. For two firsts, two seconds and a third rounder the Lions agreed to send us (WR) Dexter Walters, the same Dexter Walters we passed over to choose Nakamura the season before.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/dexter_walters-539.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Passed over once by the Falcons in favor of Lawrence Nakamura, Atlanta jumped at the second chance to
acquire superstar Wide Receiver Dexter Walters.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
All of a sudden the Atlanta Falcons had arguably the best trio of wideouts in the RDFL.
So what did we do?
We set an all-time rushing yards record (2817 yards) unlikely to ever be broken and averaged 5.45 yards per carry while producing two 1000 yard runners in Ken Somerville and Adam Warren - showing that just the [i:a3fa661b5d]threat[/i:a3fa661b5d] of those weapons on the outside could open up huge running lanes as teams overplayed the pass - or rather the threat of the pass. For in 2013 we threw for only 3100 yards (31st) on 407 passes (32nd), though our team passer rating took another huge step forward as we finished with a 112.5 rating, good enough for 3rd in the league and completed over 75.2% of our passes (1st). Robbie Reed took over the starting job on more or less a permanent basis and started all 16 games in 2013 and with a lack of draft picks due to the Nakamura and Walters deal he's likely to hold the job for the forseeable future barring another blockbuster deal - which is always possible.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/ken_somerville.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Tailback Ken Somerville has been the focal point of the Falcons offense since Beargrowlz took over the team in 2010.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
The record shatterring running game and the coldly efficient passing game led to a four point per game jump in offensive production to 29.1 PPG - good enough to be the third best scoring team in the RDFL. In just four seasons we had gone from the worst scoring team in football averaging just 11.5 PPG the year before I took over to averaging 29.1 PPG in 2013 - a increase of almost 18 PPG in four seasons.
Mission accomplished - offensively anyway.
Defensively we added edge rusher Corwin Naslund and pass covering linebackers Harry Gist and Clifton Santana. The "D" wasn't quite as stingy as it was in 2012, but it didn't need to be, allowing 21.4 PPG which ranked a very respectable 7th in the league. We still were giving up lots of yardage, but not a lot of points. coupled with our constant growth in points we ended 2013 465 points while allowing 343, finishing 11-5 and winning our second consecutive NFC South Championship.
Failing to qualify for a bye we won two playoff games in 2013 making it to the NFC Championship Game, where we put up a gallant fight at Seattle, losing 24-17 to the eventual RDFL Champions.
2013 was a tremendously successful season for the Atlanta Falcons. With a second consecutive double-digit win total, a second stright division title, two playoff wins and an appearance in the conference championship, there can be little doubt the rebuilding of this once horrid franchise was complete. I take a lot of pride in how far I have brought the franchise. the Falcons have become an elite franchise, dare I say dominant team.
But I still can't draft worth a damn.
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][u:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2013 College Draft[/b:a3fa661b5d][/u:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d]
4.22 (WR) Robert Reese, Pittsburgh
6.26 (SS) Deon Apple, Kansas State
7.25 (CB) Roosevelt Madison, Michigan
Agreed there weren't a lot of picks to work with due to the Nakamura and walters deals, and Deon Apple has stuck with the team and looks like he might be a respectable safety down the road, but not much here to see.
Still I can't really complain, 2013 was a fabulous season.
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2014 --[/b:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d] We entered the 2014 season with very lofty goals in mind. First we wanted to increase our win total from 11 to 12 or more. Second we set out to win our third straight NFC South Championship. And finally we set out to return to the conference championship and win it this year.
Lofty goals indeed.
First, let's just get it out of the way - we had yet another dismal draft. Again, no high draft picks as we're still paying the mortgage on Nakamura and Walters, but either I'm just not having luck finding any sleepers or I'm severely retarded.
I haven't ruled out either possibility.
[color=red:a3fa661b5d][u:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]2014 College Draft[/b:a3fa661b5d][/u:a3fa661b5d][/color:a3fa661b5d]
4.25 (RB) Burt Barber, Stanford
5.29 (OT) Daniel Bronson, Memphis
6.28 (TE) Mel Malone, Ohio State
7.27 (WR) Robert Reese, Pittsburgh
OK, first, I can't believe I re-drafted Reese after letting him re-enter the draft. I must have been drunk or on crack or both. Seriously, WTF?
Second, I hold out some hope for Mel Malone. He had a good agility score and looked like he was going to have solid getting downfield ability as a Tight End, but with Marquardt, Craig and free agent Scottie Everhart at tight end I decided to convert Malone to Fullback in hope of getting another receiving weapon. He came through the conversion remarkably well with surprisingly good running skills with the potential to be an outstanding pass blocker and more than adequate receiver.
So maybe I did find a gem in all the dross I usually draft. We'll see.
Our offseason was tame compared to the previous two seasons, but how do you top deals for Lawrence Nakamura and Dexter Walters? Besides, I'm out of decent draft picks until 2016.
One area I did need to address was the rapidly ageing offensive line. I had left it untouched since I took over the club in 2010 - it was the one area the previous administration had done a great job in. But they were getting old and (LT) Everett Branch had become primarily a run blocker and I wanted to get younger overall and bring in a better pass blocker at left tackle.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-staff/rdfl/action/o-line.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Beargrowlz inherited a very talented offensive line in 2010 and it remained unchanged until 2014 when the Falcons
dealt for (LT) John Hopper.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
To that end we sent a 2015 4th round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns for (LT) John Hopper. Hopper has played spectacularly well for us this season, converting 41.8% of his KRBO (33/79) through Week 16 and allowing only 3 sacks on 373 pass plays (0.6 SPCT).
And he's young.
We also added some much needed depth on the offensive line, though none of it was young. 11 year veteran (LT) Kelly Butler performed well in a backup role prior to being injured and 9th year Guard Frankie DiCaprio has been stellar as a substitute. I'd still like to get younger on the line, but dealing for Hopper was a start and we've got some depth there now in case any lineman's talent falls off the table due to age next training camp.
While we didn't acquire any major new weapons for our offense this season, I think we landed a nifty little slot receiver as an undrafted free agent, Gerald Dotson. He should prove to be an excellent fourth receiver and could even be a solid third receiver when needed to fill in for Rob Sauerbrun. I'm very happy with that little pick up.
Draft not withstanding, we still had three goals to accomplish in 2014. First, improve upon our 11-5 regular season record; second, win our third consecutive NFC South Championship; and finally, get back to the NFC Championship Game and win it.
But before we could accomplish our goals - which admittedly were set pretty high - I thought we needed to really build a more balanced offense. When most teams in most leagues talk about achieving more balance on offense, they mean they want to run the ball more. For us, it was just the opposite - we needed to throw more often.
In 2013 we ran the ball 517 times - second most in the RDFL. Now granted, we ran the ball extremely well averging 5.45 yards per carry. But we only threw the ball 407 times - the fewest pass attempts by any team in the league. I thought this made us far to one dimensional and easy to read - especially when we play the great teams come playoff time. All they had to do was stack against the run and they would stifle our offense.
So now we needed to get better in the passing game.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/dexter_walters-red-200.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/lawrence_nakamura-200.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/ike_marquardt-200.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Wideouts Dexter Walters and Lawrence Nakamura joined Tight End Ike Marquardt to improve the passing attack by
943 yards from 2013 to 2014.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
Much of this would require an adjustment to my mindset. We had two great wide rreceivers and a tight end I knew I could make great, but I didn't have confidence in our quarterbacks to make the play - so when it came down to crunch time my gameplan relied on Ken Somerville and Adam Warren.
What I needed to do was have the confidence to let Reed make the play and show he was - or wasn't - capable of making the play and leading this team for the forseeable future. Until I took the training wheels off and kept using Somerville as a crutch, I would never know whether Reed could cut it as an RDFL quarterback.
While our running game hasn't been bad by any stretch of the imagination, it hasn't been the dominant force it was last year. Part of that is due to a midseason injury to Ken Somerville - who is still averaging over 5 yards per carry - and part due to the release of Adam Warren, who rushed for 1000 yards in 2013 but had lost too many steps by training camp to make the team.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/robbie_reed-scrambling-600.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Falcons fifth year Quarterback Robbie Reed is at his best scrambling out of the pocket throwing 91 touchdown passes
against 31 interceptions while completing 71.6% of his passes for a 104.0 passer rating in 49 career starts.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
That's where the new found confidence in the passing game came in. Quarterback Robbie Reed (13 starts) and backup Scott Finley (3 starts) shatterred the all-time Falcons team passing record, breaking the 4000 yard barrier for the first time in team history. Stepping up as Quarterback Robbie Reed's favorite targets were Wide Receivers Dexter Walters (89 catches for 1224 yards), Lawrence Nakamura (62 catches for 838 yards) and Tight End Ike Marquardt (47 catches for 616 yards).
Leading the way in the new, more balanced offense was Quarterback Robbie Reed, who has once again been quietly efficient, completing 74.8% of his passes for a 115.3 passer rating while throwing 28 touchdown passes against 7 interceptions in 13 starts. Most of all Reed seems to have finally put to rest any quarterback controversy with his play this season.
Even with the increased emphasis on creating a more balanced attack by throwing the ball more, and despite the fact that we threw for over 4000 yards for the first time in team history, we still ranked only 27th in pass attempts with 515. But the Reed/Finley combo averaged 7.87 yards per pass, 5th best in the league - with Reed averaging 8.18 yards per attempt.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/dexter_walters-td.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Dexter Walters set the all-time single season Falcons touchdown reception record by hauling in 15 scoring strikes in 2014.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
And despite ranking only 27th in pass attempts the Falcons pass offense significantly improved by 943 yards from 2013 to 2014, going from 3109 passing yards (31st) in 2013 to 4052 passing yards (11th) in 2014.
With Reed, Walters and Nakamura young and at the top of their games, one can only imagine the possibilities this passing attack has and the future looks very bright indeed.
And while Reed and Company were shattering all sorts of team passing records, it's not like the Falcons abandoned the run. Quite to the contrary, Atlanta rushed for over 2000 yards again (7th) in 2014 while averaging 4.43 YPC on 460 carries (9th). Ken somerville led this still very respectable running game, narrowly missing a fifth straight 1000 yard season as he missed three games due to injury, rushing for 942 yards and 5.06 YPC. Somerville was ably backed up by veteran Steven Jackson - a free agent pickup during the offseason - who rushed for 695 yards and 4.32 YPC.
Interestingly enough though, while you'd think going to a more balanced attack that threw for 4000 yards would result in more points, the Falcons averaged an excellent 29.3 PPG (4th) - but it was just a slight uptick from the 29.1 (3rd) PPG they averaged with their dominant run game of a year ago.
Go figure.
Just goes to show there's more than one way to skin a cat - or put the pigskin in the endzone.
However defensively we have regressed in 2014, allowing 22.1 PPG (15th), up from 21.4 PPG (7th) in 2013. This despite increasing our sack total from 20 (28th) in 2013 to 26 (22nd). A pretty poor excuse for a pass rush at 15.3% I know, but still there was some improvement there.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/corwin_naslund.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d] [img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/henry_brown-tackle.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Defensive Ends Corwin Naslund (#90) and Henry Brown (#76) combined for 13 sacks, 30 hurries and 7 blocked passes on
a pass rush unit that clearly needs to take a step up to improve the defense.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
Defensive Ends Corwin Naslund and Henry Brown were our most effective pass rushers, but that's being damned with faint praise. Our defensive platooning where we played run stoppers when we tried to anticipate the run and pass rushers like Naslund and Brown when we expected the pass probably hurt our overall effectiveness rushing opposing quarterbacks. I think both men are capable of more, as are we as an entire team.
Despite giving up more points this season our overall run defense also improved. Led by (MLB) Teddy LaFountain and (SS) Vernon Cooper, Atlanta went from 1813 (16th) rushing yards allowed in 2013 to allowing only 1725 yards (8th) in 2014.
[img:a3fa661b5d]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/bears-stuff/rdfl/action/cooper-lafountain.jpg[/img:a3fa661b5d]
[size=9:a3fa661b5d][b:a3fa661b5d]Middle Linebacker Teddy LaFountain and Safety Vernon Cooper continue to be standouts on defense, combining for
202 tackles and 54 assists as they finished first and second on the Falcons in those categories.[/b:a3fa661b5d][/size:a3fa661b5d]
Even our overall pass defense improved from 2013 when the Falcons allowed 4178 yards passing (24th) to this season when we held opponents to 3966 yards (20th) through the air. But perhaps both the rushing and passing yardage numbers are misleading, for the yards per carry jumped from 4.21 (15th) in 2013 to 4.55 YPC (30th) this season. Likewise, opposing quarterbacks saw their passer rating jump from 97.4 in 2013 (19th) to 100.5 in 2014 (27th).
By any standard, this was a pretty bad defense this year.
Not by any stretch of the imagination could anyone conceive of a possible scenario under which those numbers might be viewed as "good", but I wonder, is our defense that bad because we score so many points and our opponents get the ball back a lot? Do we just not have enough defensive talent? Or am I just that bad of a defensive gameplanner.
I'm not ruling out any of the possibilities.
But as we conclude the 2014 regular season, despite the defensive shortcomings of this team - and they are very real deficiencies - I've got to be very pleased with how far we have come in five short seasons. In 2014 we won our third consecutive NFC South Championship since I took over the team in 2010. We set a new team record for wins in a season finishing 13-3 and received a first round bye in the playoffs. And we have one of the most potent, versatile, and balanced offensive attacks in the RDFL with young superstar playmakers at the skill positions. No longer the laughingstock of the league, the Georgia Dome and the city of Atlanta is a place where the future of the Atlanta Falcons is illuminatingly bright.
And the future is now.
[color=white:a3fa661b5d]xx[/color:a3fa661b5d]Click here for more... | 2011 Atlanta Falcons Season Review
Posted by beargrowlz on 2 Oct 2008 at 00:21:21 [3 comments]
[img:2c8da12c9e]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/rdfl/ajc.jpg[/img:2c8da12c9e]
[size=24:2c8da12c9e][color=black:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Falcons Fall Short of Goal[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
[size=18:2c8da12c9e][color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]But the ATL Is Finally Moving in The Right Direction[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
[u:2c8da12c9e][color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]2011 Atlanta Falcons Season Review[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e][/u:2c8da12c9e]
"Our goal for 2011 would be to win eight games, finish .500" said Falcons owner Robert E. Lee Bearaguard after Atlanta was coming off a 6-10 season in 2010. The Falcons didn't quite make .500 - falling one win short - but did improve on their 2010 win total and appear to be heading in the right direction with a bunch of young talent and a growing competitiveness.
And yes, the Dirty Birds are left once again sitting home playing golf as the RDFL playoffs begin, as usual. But there's plenty of room on the Falcons bandwagon for optimism, or so says team owner Bearaguard. "We're definitely heading in the right direction. I really likie our young, talented and athletic defense and the progress and growth we've seen at the quarterback position" said Bearaguard. "I really think we're starting to get to the point where we'll have to be taken seriously as a football program and where the word 'playoffs' isn't a dirty word anymore" laughed Beariaguard as he finished speaking.
And maybe he has a point. In the five years prior to Bearaguard buying the Falcons, Atlanta made the playoffs once and from 2005 through 2009 the team won 4, 9, 2, 3 and 4 games respectively. In the two seasons Bearagaurd has owned the team, the Falcons have won 6 and 7 games, improving their win total each year. But better still, the Falcons have put together a very talented young nucleus on defense anmd finally appear headed in the right direction at quarterback, a position of failure that has loomed over the franchise' head since its inception.
Consider if you will, that second year pro Robbie Reed (2.31, 2010) set the franchise record for touchdown passes this season, his first as a starter, while playing in only 13 games. Reed also set the franchise record for passer rating, passes thrown and completion percentage. And this from a player who wasn't even on the radar to be the Falcons starting quarterback at this time last season.
[img:2c8da12c9e]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/rdfl/coach_jochen.jpg[/img:2c8da12c9e] Falcons Head Coach Austin Jochen stated, "Robbie had an absolutely magnificent camp and
[size=9:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Falcons Head Coach Austin Jochen[/b:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e] really began to take over the job in Training Camp. He went in at 24/55 and came out of camp a robust 32/60. Then he really outplayed Scottie Finley (1.9, 2011) in the preseason for the starting job and has consistently developed all season to the point where he is 46/60."
"We're really excited to see just how good Robbie can be" finished Jochen.
Reed did have a very solid season, though most of the year the Falcons tried to put him in a position where he didn't have to do to much and could just manage the game. Some would say the Falcons staff played it far too close to the vest, far too conservative, and that's what resulted in their 7-9 record, but General Manager Arnold Tate disagrees. Said Tate, "We played it like we should have. We gave Robbie room to grow and develop while we remained competitive week in and week out. As we acquire and develop weapons to surround Robbie, we'll open up the gameplan and transition him from being a game manager to being the kind of quarterback that wins games on his own. I'm really excited about this kid, he's come a lot further a lot faster than we thought he would after we took him at 2.31."
There is no doubt Robbie Reed's development has been a pleasant surprise for the Falcons braintrust. But that begs the question, why did Atlanta take a quarterback at 1.9 in the 2011 draft? And why isn't Scott Finley - that 1st round pick - starting and developing? Offensive Coordinator Bert Ferguson replied, "The kid (Reed) boomed at +8/+5 in Training Camp. We weren't looking at him as a starter prior to camp, but then he came in with a performance like that and Finley came in a disappointing +5/-6, but more importantly a "16" current. Add their respective performances in the preseason and Robbie just flat out won the job."
But what about those that believe Finley to be the better long term prospect than Reed? Says Ferguson, "well Scott went from "16" current to "25", so he showed us something with his work habits as a backup, so I wouldn't count him out of the picture entirely. This coming camp will be critical to the development of both players." So the starting quarterback job is still an open competition, or is it? "Well, right now, with how we expect Robbie to continue develop in camp, if we can obtain a weapon or two for him to throw to, we think we can challenge for the division and the playoffs. With Robbie as our starter we went 6-7 but lost two of those games by three points or less and another by less than a touchdown. We think we can compete with Robbie as our quarterback right now - Scott it might take awhile longer" says Ferguson.
[img:2c8da12c9e]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/rdfl/robbie_reed_card.jpg[/img:2c8da12c9e]
[size=9:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Falcons starting quarterback Robbie Reed was a late
second round pick in 2010 who blossomed unexpectedly
in 2011.[/b:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
There's little doubt Ferguson speaks the truth as it was clear this season that Finley was overmatched and just isn't at the point of development where he can be competitive in this league. But if he doesn't play, on a consistent basis, how will he ever get to that point, and if he doesn't get to that point, will Atlanta have wasted a high first rounder on a career backup quarterback? GM Tate answers, "We can't look at it as 'wasting a pick' because frankly Reed's surprise development this past offseason turned out to be a bonus for the organization. If one of the two develops into our franchise quarterback, we'll be set for well down the road. It really doesn;t matter which one."
In the long run, tate is right. Still, our guess is that if the Falcons knew Reed was going to develop as well as he has, the braintrust would sure like to have that 1.9 pick back they used to draft Finley with. Anyway, let's take a look at how the Falcons did last season and their outlook for the future.
[color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][size=18:2c8da12c9e][u:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Quarterback[/b:2c8da12c9e][/u:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e]
[b:2c8da12c9e]Robbie Reed: 2nd year, (2.31, 2010), 46/60
Scott Finley: 1st year, (1.9, 2011), 25/58[/b:2c8da12c9e]
The jury really is still out which youngster is going to be the Falcons quarterback of the future. Reed had a solid season after a breakthrough trainging camp and developed 22 points over the course of training camp and the 2010 season. He's currently 46/60 with what looks to be substantial room for growth. He's a good runner and his scrambling ability coupled with a more than adequate pocket presence help him avoid sacks other quarterbacks might take. Developmental limitations show suspect timing, indications he's never going to be all that when it comes to running the two minute drill and has a questionable ability to read defenses. He did not however show a tendency to throw interceptions last year, but the Falcons did have training wheels on the offense and asked Reed only to manage the game, not win it. When he begins to run a real offense with real receivers and starts chucking the ball around we'll see whether he has a knack for the bad pick or three.
Finley, like Reed, loves to run the football. A solid pocket presence coupled with his scrambling ability should indicate a talent for avoiding sacks - but in limited action he did take quite a few last season. He was absolutely dreadful when forced into action due to an injury to Reed and he's clearly not ready for prime time - in fact Finley has a long, long way to go before he'll be in a position to quarterback a team that stands a chance of competing for the playoffs. That said, Finley has tremendous growth potential and did develop 14 points over training camp and the 2011 season while throwing only 83 passes - 5 points came in camp, 9 during the season under mentor Jon Kitna's tutelage. Finley has the potential to be a very accurate passer with good timing skills and a potential ability to read defenses very well. He did however show a tendency to throw some bad picks last season.
Both quarterbacks could potentially develop into the Falcons starting quarterback for the forseeable future. Reed has the edge after a very solid season and because he is so much further along developmentally than Finley, but Finley might very well be the better long term prospect. Training Camp 2012 will be critical to both men in determining their futures and the future of the franchise. If Reed has another camp like 2011 when he boomed +8/+5 it will be difficult for Finley to break through and win the job. Finley needs to avoid a camp like 2011 when he went +5/-6. He needs a camp like Reed had in 2011.
Says owner Bearaguard, "I'm pretty pleased where we stand right now at quarterback. We're on the right track. Now we just have to find some receivers for these guys to throw to." Which brings us to the receiving corps.
[color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]GRADE: B[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e]
[size=18:2c8da12c9e][color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][u:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Receivers/Tight Ends[/b:2c8da12c9e][/u:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
[b:2c8da12c9e](WR) Rob Sauerbrun: 2nd year, (1.30, 2010), 51/51
(WR) Daryl Bernreuter: 1st year, (7.16, 2011), 33/50
(WR) Thomas Zhang: 5th year, (5.21, 2007), 50/50
(TE) Norman Craig: 2nd year, (4.7, 2010), 40/40[/b:2c8da12c9e]
The Falcons have done very well at developing complimentary receivers over the past two seasons. Sauerbrun and Bernreuter should be 50 reception players in the future and Craig should be in the 40-50ish range - in fact Atlanta management is kind of disappointed in Craig's play over the past two seasons and they'll be expecting more out of him or they may start looking for another young tight end.
Zhang isn't the type of receiver that really fits the Falcons gameplan, but in his five starts he was probably the Falcons most productive receiver. Where he fits in the receiver rotation is in question, but he'll stick around because of his spoecial teams skills.
What Atlanta needs is a go to wideout. Sauerbrunm, Bernreuter, Zhang, Craig and running backs Kenny Somerville and Vinny Casper are all terrific secondary options - but the Falcons really need a gamebreaker that will force other teams to focus on him and allow these talented second tier player to be more productive.
This is most definitely the one area the Falcons will need to upgrade in 2012 if they want to be a playoff contender.
[color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]GRADE: D[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e]
[size=18:2c8da12c9e][u:2c8da12c9e][color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Running Back/Fullback[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e][/u:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
[b:2c8da12c9e](TB) Ken Somerville: 4th year, (Trade from Seattle, 2009), 68/68
(TB) Dean Battle: 4th year, (Trade from San Diego, 2010), 50/50
(FB) Vinny Casper: 2nd year, (6.5, 2010), 47/53[/b:2c8da12c9e]
Prior to Head Coach Austin Jochen taking over in 2010 Ken Somerville, despite being one of the most talented running and receiving backs in football, had never carried the ball 200 times and had never had 40 receptions in a single season.
Things are different now.
[img:2c8da12c9e]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/rdfl/ken_somerville_card.jpg[/img:2c8da12c9e]
[size=9:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Somerville has had a coming out party under the new
Falcons ownership.[/b:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
Since Bearaguard took over the Falcons and brought in Jochen and his staff, Somerville has carried the ball over 250 times each season, rushing for over 1200 yards each season for an average of over 4.8 ypc each year. Someville has also been an integral part of the passing game as well, adding 63 catches in 2011 to his 256 carries out of the backfield. Says Jochen, "If we're not getting Somerville 300 touches a year, we're wasting his extraordinary talents. Even with his somewhat limited endurance, we need to be creative and find ways to get him his touches."
Backing up Someville has been Dean Battle, who because of Somerville's limited endurance, has seen plenty of action. Not the receiver Somerville is, Battle is a gifted and talented running back who has admittedly, underachieved, averaging just slightly below 4 ypc each of the past two seasons. Says Offensive Coordinator Bert Ferguson, "We've got to find ways to get Dean involved in more ways that he'll succeed in. Right now we haven't done that, and while he hasn't been a failure, he hasn't exactly been lights out backing up Kenny either."
Fullback Vinny Casper has provided pretty good value for a 6th round pick, making 41 receptions for 274 yards last season. He was a solid checkdown choice for Reed all year.
[color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]GRADE: A[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e]
[size=18:2c8da12c9e][u:2c8da12c9e][color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Offensive Line[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e][/u:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
[b:2c8da12c9e](LT) Everett Branch: 6th year, (1.2, 2006), (70/70)
(LG) Justin Smiley: 8th year, (Dispersal Draft), (87/87)
(OC) Jason Brown: 7th year, (Free Agency, 2009), (52/52)
(RG) Oliver Lucas: 4th year, (3.1, 2008), (65/65)
(RT) Shane Olivea: 8th year, (Dispersal Draft), (68/68)[/b:2c8da12c9e]
The Falcons offensive line generally performed well in 2011, 5th best at protecting the passer and the 6th ranked rushing game - 9th in yards per carry. The line is anchored by former All-Pro Guard Justin Smiley, but Smiley - like the rest of the line - is getting older and how much longer they'll be a dominating force is questionable. Unless the Falcons can get some consistent play from their quarterback and receivers and develop the passing game into one opponents have to respect in the next two to three years, the O-line will need an infusion of young talent before Atlanta will compete for a championship.
[color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]GRADE: B[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e]
[size=18:2c8da12c9e][u:2c8da12c9e][color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Defensive Line[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e][/u:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
[b:2c8da12c9e](DE) Leland Bluske: Rookie, (3.30, 2011), (42/57)
(NT) Tommie Harris: 8th year, (Dispersal Draft), (81/81)
(NT) Andy Scully: 3rd year, (1.14, 2009), (52/52)
(DE) Donald Gospe: Rookie, (3.9, 2011), (37/61)[/b:2c8da12c9e]
The tone was set for a disappointing 2011 by the defensive line when Tommie Harris tore his ACL in the preseason - and things just went downhill from there. Harris, one of the best defensive tackles in the game, missed the entire year and is still not fully recovered - the Falcons aren't sure he ever will be. The one bright spot was the play of Nose Tackle Andy Scully, a converted defensive end, who settled in rather nicely into the nose position and played well.
The ends were both rookies and played like it - when they were able to stay healthy and in the lineup. Leland Bluske, making the move from defensive tackle to a 3-4 end, lost valuable development time and only hit the field for 10 games. Donald Gospe, making the transition from middle linebacker to end, missed four games losing valuable development time. Neither end played particularly well and their development - while still promising - was a disappointment.
To that end the Falcons replaced Defensive Coordinator Marco Diaz with former New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator Reggie Fletcher, who specializes in working with ends and is solid working with young talent.
2012 should show some improvement here, but in reality, it can't get any worse.
[color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]GRADE: F[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e]
[size=18:2c8da12c9e][u:2c8da12c9e][color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Linebackers[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e][/u:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
[b:2c8da12c9e](WLB) Leo Middleton: 2nd year, (2.6, 2010), (59/59)
(WILB) Tyjuan Hagler: 7th year, (Free Agency, 2009), (45/45)
(SILB) Teddy LaFountain: 2nd year, (1.7, 2010), (88/88)
(SLB) Matt Simoneau: 6th year, (Trade from Washington, 2010), (55/55)[/b:2c8da12c9e]
An outstanding group of linebackers that specialize in areas that compliment each other well, no doubt this is the core strength of the Falcons defense. Leo Middleton was named All-Pro, but he wasn't even the Falcons best linebacker in 2011. That honor belongs to Teddy LaFountain, who is likely the best all around linebacker in the RDFL.
[img:2c8da12c9e]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/rdfl/teddy_lafountain_card.jpg[/img:2c8da12c9e]
[size=9:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Teddy LaFountain is a tackling machine up the middle
for the Falcons.[/b:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
While Middleton certainly had an All-Pro worthy season recording 9.5 sacks, 22 hurries65 tackles and assisting on 22 others, LaFountain is the rock the Falcons defense is built upon, making 120 tackles - his second consecutive season with 100 or more tackles - and assisting on 34 others. LaFountain, who was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2010, only got better in 2011 and figures to be the anchor of the defense for years to come.
[color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]GRADE: A[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e]
[size=18:2c8da12c9e][u:2c8da12c9e][color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]Secondary[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e][/u:2c8da12c9e][/size:2c8da12c9e]
[b:2c8da12c9e](CB) Andy Terrell: 4th year, (Traded from San Diego, 2011), (58/58)
(CB) Bo Money: 4th year, (Traded from Minnesota, 2011), (49/49)
(CB) Clarence Stanton: 2nd year, (3.5, 2010), (49/49)
(SS) Vernon Cooper: 5th year, (Free Agency, 2011), (66/66)
(FS) Derek Pagel: 9th year, (Free Agency, 2011), (48/48)[/b:2c8da12c9e]
General Manager Arnold Tate and Head Coach Austin Jochen took 2010 and evaluated the secondary as a whole - and they didn't like what they saw. So prior to the 2011 season they brought in a new starter at every position, the only holdover was second year nickel back Clarence Stanton. The results? Significant improvement, though still clearly a work in progress.
In 2010 the Falcons allowed a passer rating of 106.1, allowing 68.2% of passes to be completed for 248.2 yards per game. In 2011 those numbers improved to a 90.2 passer rating, 63.4% completions and 240.4 yards per game. The Falcons also icreased their interceptions from 8 to 14 over the one year period. Still room for improvement, but definitely heading in the right direction.
[color=darkred:2c8da12c9e][b:2c8da12c9e]GRADE: C+[/b:2c8da12c9e][/color:2c8da12c9e]
All in all, 2011 showed the Falcons are headed in the right direction. The team's strengths are clearly in the offensive line, running game and linebacking corps, and the secondary and quarterbacking situations look promising. But the Falcons were disappointed in the development of the defensive line and the lack of the emergence of a big play receiver.
Those will be the areas the Falcons will need to address going forward if they hope to become a legitimate playoff contender.Click here for more... | Falcons Name Ferguson Offensive Coordinator
Posted by beargrowlz on 1 Dec 2007 at 13:18:17 [1 comments]
[img:b5c6bfbc9f]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/rdfl/ajc.jpg[/img:b5c6bfbc9f]
[size=24:b5c6bfbc9f][color=red:b5c6bfbc9f][b:b5c6bfbc9f]Falcons Name Bert Ferguson New Offensive Coordinator[/b:b5c6bfbc9f][/color:b5c6bfbc9f][/size:b5c6bfbc9f]
[size=18:b5c6bfbc9f][color=black:b5c6bfbc9f][b:b5c6bfbc9f]Comes Over From Minnesota With Reputation for Developing Young Talent[/b:b5c6bfbc9f][/color:b5c6bfbc9f][/size:b5c6bfbc9f]
Flowery Branch, GA -- The Atlanta Falcons today announced the hiring of former Minnesota Vikings Offensive Coordinator Bert Ferguson as their new Offensive Coordinator.
Ferguson comes to the Falcons as with solid credentials in all aspects of the game, but specializes in the running game and developing young offensive talent and figures to be a crucial figure in the continued development of young Tailback Ken Somerville.
Falcons Head Coach Austin Jochen had this to say. "Bert brings a good mix of development skills at all positions to the table. He'll help us get the most out of Ken Somerville but he'll also be able to help develop much of the young talane we hope to inject into this program over the next few seasons. I think he's going to be a tremendous asset to this football club."
The Falcons also announced they had parted ways with last season's Defensive Coordinator, Marty Bradley, who took a similar position with the Detroit Lions, and Offensive Coordinator Donald Sanders, who left Atlanta to take the Head Coaching position with the Lions.
Both Bradley and Sanders had been considered for the top job in Atlanta, but been passed over, and both decided to move on rather than work in what would have been an uncomfortable position under the man who was brought in from the outside as their boss. The Falcons have yet to name a replacement for Bradley.
In other news, former Falcons Head Coach Brent LeFavor, widely considered a tactical coaching genius both offensively and defensively, has yet to hook on with another RDFL club and at age 69 is rumored to be considering retirement.Click here for more... | New Falcons Ownership Cleans House
Posted by beargrowlz on 29 Nov 2007 at 04:34:32 [1 comments]
[img:9116bb409c]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/rdfl/ajc.jpg[/img:9116bb409c]
[size=24:9116bb409c][color=red:9116bb409c][b:9116bb409c]New Falcons Ownership Cleans House[/b:9116bb409c][/color:9116bb409c][/size:9116bb409c]
[size=18:9116bb409c][color=black:9116bb409c][b:9116bb409c]New Owners Bring in New GM, New Head Coach[/b:9116bb409c][/color:9116bb409c][/size:9116bb409c]
Flowery Branch, GA -- "New", "aggressive" and "proactive" were the buzzwords of the day at the offices of the Atlanta Falcons here in Flowery Branch as the falcons announced the hiring of Arnold Tate, the now former Head Coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team as their new General Manager and named Austin Jochen, the Offensive Coordinator of the Chicago Bears, as the new Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
CEO of the Falcons, Robert E. Lee Bearagaurd stated, "The old ball team was in rough shape when we bought it. Now we're going to fix it up and make it a contender again. Oh it'll take some time, but these two fine gentlemen we hired today are the first step along that long road when the south...er...the Atlanta Falcons...will rise again."
Arnold Tate, the new General Manager and Director of Scouting, comes to the Falcons fresh off a 9-2 season at the University of Georgia. His hiring is bound to be popular with local football fans, who have needed a fresh shot of espresso into their bloodstream if recent attendence is any indication of fan support for the Falcons.
"It really is going to be a long process y'all," stated Tate. "Any of yuns that is expectin' the playoffs anytime soon is gots bats in your belfrey." Tate also made it clear that he was the one who would be making personnel decisions, not the new Coach. Said Tate, "I'll be the 'un buyin the groceries, we'll leave it up to old ball coach to cook em up into some nice vittles."
And Arnold Tate will indeed be making some wholesale changes it seems. The Falcons seem to have a solid offensive line and a good young running back. but questions at quarterback, and a lot of young talent on defense lead to more questions than answers, at least according to the new GM. "We'll be makin big changes on defense. First we'll sit down with Coach Jochen and settle on a system to run. Right now, there's just a mish mash, a big pot a jumbleaya on defense, no coherent system, no defensive philosophy. We'll change that from day one and use the draft and free agency, and maybe a trade or two here and there to work towards building that system. Fortunately we gots two first rounders to work with this year, so that's a damn fine start."
The Falcons' new Head Coach is 55 year old Austin Jochen. Jochen has spent the last two seasons as the Offensive Coordinator of the Chicago Bears and he spent the three years prior to that as the Offensive Coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. Jochen comes to the Falcons with a reputation as a cerebral coach, not a rah-rah fiery boss like you'd expect Arnold Tate to hire. Will their styles clash? Or will they make for a good mix? Jochen is reputed to be a very good tactician on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, and his teams are usually well disciplined and commit few penalties.
"We'll try and field a competitive squad every week and play hard to win every Sunday, but the basic facts are that we're not going to be very good for awhile and it's going to take three, four, maybe five years to rebuild this team from the bottom up" said Jochen. When asked to give a vote of confidence to either former #1 overall draft pick Ernest Brewer or four year starter Darrell Waller, Jochen refused to do either. Said the new Head Coach, "I'm not guaranteeing any jobs. Every single spot on the 53 man roster will have to be earned. We might even bring in another quarterback or three for competition. Every single job is open."
Real estate tip to Waller and Brewer: rent.
A Falcons spokeswoman said the club would be filling out Jochen's staff over the next week or so. When asked who would be making those hires, she said "Coach Jochen will be hiring his coaching staff."
[img:9116bb409c]http://www.bearsruletheworld.com/rdfl/coach_jochen.jpg[/img:9116bb409c] [u:9116bb409c][b:9116bb409c]Austin Jochen, Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons[/b:9116bb409c][/u:9116bb409c]
2008-2009 Chicago Bears (RDFL) -- Offensive Coordinator
2005-2007 Dallas Cowboys (RDFL) -- Offensive Coordinator
1998-2004 Univ. of Hawaii Warriors (WAC) -- Head Coach
1995-1997 Univ. of Southern California (PAC 10) -- Offensive Coordinator
1992-1994 Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10) -- Defensive Coordinator
1987-1991 Georgia Southern (Div. III) -- Head Coach
1983-1986 Georgia Southern (Div. III) -- Offensive Coordinator
1981-1982 Maine Maritime (Div. III) -- QB's Coach
1979-1980 Maine Maritime (Div. III) -- Secondary Coach
1977-1978 Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10) -- Graduate Assistant
1973-1976 Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10) -- Played Free SafetyClick here for more... |
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