Tag: Atlanta Falcons (Page 37 of 66)

      Daily Six-Pack: NFL Preseason Saturday

      August 15, 2009 /

      Six games highlight Saturday’s preseason action in the NFL. Below are six things to keep an eye on tonight in the NFL.

      1. It’s the start of a new era in Detroit.
      Word out of Lions camp is that rookie Matthew Stafford is way ahead of the curve when it comes to first-year quarterbacks. Even though Detroit would love to see veteran Daunte Culpepper take the majority of the snaps behind a brutal offensive line this season, it appears that Stafford has made quite the impression and it may be hard for the Lions to keep him on the sidelines. Today when the Lions host the Falcons in both teams’ preseason opener, Detroit isn’t going to overact to Stafford’s performance either way. If he goes out and throws two interceptions in two series, they’ll shrug it off as a learning experience. If he throws two touchdowns on his first two pass attempts, the team will chalk it up to preseason luck and hope the live game experience will be valuable in his development. The point is that it’s only preseason and chances are, his performance won’t be an indication either way of how well he’ll fair in Detroit. The key is that the Lions can officially put their disastrous 2008 season behind them today, and Stafford represents the future.

      2. Cutler makes his Bears’ debut.
      You’ll be hard pressed to find a Chicagoan who isn’t thinking playoffs (or even Super Bowl) after the Bears acquired quarterback Jay Cutler from the Broncos this offseason. You’ll have to excuse Chicago fans for their budding enthusiasm because, you see, they’ve been waiting a long time for a quarterback of Cutler’s ilk to pass through their great city. Sure, the Bears still don’t have the greatest set of receivers and there are still question marks surrounding the offensive line, even after the offseason addition of Orlando Pace. But none of that will matter once Cutler lines up under center tonight against the Bills and riffles his first completion, because the Bears finally have their quarterback.

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      NFL

      Ten second-year NFL breakout candidates

      August 10, 2009 /

      Players like Matt Ryan, Chris Johnson and Joe Flacco have already pulled a seat up to the proverbially NFL dinner table after turning in solid rookie seasons. But which second-year players (who didn’t have great success in their rookie campaigns) are set for breakout seasons in 2009?

      Here are 10 that jump out to me:

      (Note: I consider players like Ryan, Johnson, Flacco, Jonathan Stewart, Matt Forte and Steve Slaton as already having breakout seasons, so you won’t find them on this list.)

      In no particular order:

      1. Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders
      Justin Fargas is a favorite of head coach Tom Cable’s in Oakland, but the Raiders didn’t select McFadden with the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft not to take full advantage of his talents. Thus far this summer, the Raiders have lined McFadden up not only at running back, but also at receiver and even quarterback. With Cable calling the offensive plays this season, McFadden is set to see plenty of opportunities to excel in Oakland’s offense and as long as he can stay healthy (a turf toe injury slowed him down last season) the former top 5 pick could emerge as the Raiders’ most potent offensive weapon. The one part of his game that he’ll need to improve on, however, is his ability to run between the tackles. If he can’t, the hard-running Fargas will steal plenty of McFadden’s touches this season.

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      NFL

      White’s contract fair for both him, Falcons

      August 10, 2009 /

      A couple days ago, the Falcons’ receiving corps was essentially on life support.

      How bad were things? No. 1 wideout Roddy White was in the midst of a contract holdout that wasn’t going well, promising slot receiver Harry Douglas torn his ACL in practice and will miss the entire season, and the team had to scrap near the bottom of the free agent barrel by signing veterans Robert Ferguson and Marty Booker.

      But over the weekend, things went from ugly to hopeful again as White ended his holdout by signing a six-year, $50 million contract extension with $18 million in guarantees. The deal was less than Larry Fitzgerald’s four-year, $40 million deal, but more guaranteed money than Greg Jennings’ three-year, $26.35 million (with incentives) extension.

      Last week it was reported that White was seeking a deal similar to Fitzgerald, which would have been ridiculous if the report were true. White has been excellent the past two seasons, emerging as Atlanta’s best receiver and top playmaker. But he didn’t deserve Fitzgerald-type money, not with his lackluster first two seasons in the pros, where he didn’t even combine for 1,000 receiving yards and amassed just three touchdowns.

      When you compare the two player’s numbers from a year ago, White (88 rec., 1,382 yards, 7 TDs) and Jennings (80 rec., 1,292 yards, 9 TDs) had comparable numbers. Given White’s solid 2007 season (83 rec., 1,202 yards, 6 TDs), it makes sense that he was given more guaranteed money than Jennings, but in no way should he make what Fitz does.

      The Falcons did a nice job not panicking during White’s holdout, and not feeling the need to overpay when Douglas went down for the season. GM Thomas Dimitroff played it cool and got a deal worked out before White’s holdout became too much of a distraction. Plus, Dimitroff proved that the Falcons will take care of veterans like White when they play out their contracts.

      Overall, this was a solid deal for both sides.

      NFL

      Falcons ink White to six-year deal

      August 9, 2009 /

      Roddy White’s holdout worked. The Falcons signed him to a six-year deal worth $50 million.

      ESPN has the details…

      A source said White’s deal is for six years and $50 million ($18 million guaranteed). It makes him the third-highest paid receiver in the NFL behind Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, who averages $10 million a year, and Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers.

      Greg Jennings just signed a three-year extension worth $26.35 million (if he hits his incentives), so White’s deal doesn’t average as much, but has more guaranteed money.

      News, NFL

      Roddy White a no-show at Falcons camp

      August 1, 2009 /

      The excitement bubble has just been burst for the Atlanta Falcons.

      After being one of the NFL’s feel good stories in 2008, the Falcons are off to a bumpy start so far in 2009 as one of their top playmakers decided not to show up for camp because he’s upset about his contract.

      Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, the 27th pick of the 2005 draft, was a no-show for the first team meeting Friday evening.

      White was scheduled to report by 6:30 p.m., but he was not there, according to his agent. Players not present for the first meeting are considered “holdouts.”

      A player holding out will be fined $17,000 per day, as determined by the collective bargaining agreement.

      The Falcons have been in discussions with White’s representative, Jonathan Feinsod, about a contract extension. He confirmed that White wasn’t at the meeting but said “no comment” when asked to elaborate.

      There’s no question that White deserves a pay raise. Over the past two years, he’s compiled 171 receptions, 2,584 yards and 13 touchdowns while emerging as one of the better young receivers in the game. He certainly deserves more than the $2.28 million he’s expected to receive in his final year of his rookie contract and the Falcons need to pay him to ensure Matt Ryan has his top playmaker in the passing game for years to come.

      That said, I find it ironic that this is the same White who caught only 59 passes and three touchdowns in his first two seasons in the NFL and now he’s essentially ready to holdout for a new contract. Granted, most receivers don’t develop until their third year, but White was so bad that some were deeming him a bust after only his second season.

      Again, White deserves a pay raise and the Falcons are likely to pay him…in due time. But it must tick the Falcons off that White is putting a damper on what should be an exciting time for Atlanta’s organization by bitching about a contract when quite frankly, he didn’t deserve whatever he was making in his first two seasons.

      But I digress. The Falcons need to open their checkbook and pay the man. He’s worth the money given his age (27) and production over the last two years and again, Ryan is better with White in the lineup. I think it would have been better for all parties involved if White would have showed up to camp on time and let his contract situation play out on its own. But maybe this is just a scare tactic and he’ll show up in the next couple of days.

      NFL

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