This has been a rare occurrence in Atlanta over Jamaal's 3 year careerI've been thinking the last couple of days about Falcons players that are in the position of performing at a high level this year or either not being with the team next year or not playing a pivotal role in the future. Jamaal Anderson, John Abraham, Brent Grimes, William Moore, and Jerious Norwood are the guys that pop into my head.
Jamaal Anderson
Anderson was a draft pick of douche bag Bobby Petrino. Anderson was picked 8th in the 2007 NFL Draft. Ahead of Patrick Willis and Darelle Revis. Jamaal is an athletic DE but has had a lot of trouble finding the quarterback in his career with the Falcons. He had half a sack last year and posted only 27 tackles. Mike Smith moved him inside to DT in some situations last year and he seemed decent at that position. The only reasons I can think of that Anderson is still on the team is that we are weak on the defensive line and it's an up capped year. If Anderson doesn't come up with a big year he won't be with the team next year. It's possible he won't even make it out of camp this year if he doesn't step up.
John Abraham
DE is a popular position for this subject. The Falcons got very little production out of the DE position last year. Abraham had a huge drop off last year. In 2008 he posted 10 sacks, in 2009 he had 16.5 but last year he fell to 5 sacks. Another key stat is turnovers. In 2008 he caused 4 fumbles, in 2009 he also caused 4 fumbles. Last year he was responsible for only 1 fumble. Abraham has made a career of getting after the QB and of making key strips. Abraham is getting up there in years and this might be his last year with the team. He's still a good pass rusher but he's not worth the investment if he doesn't step up this year. I think a full year of Peria Jerry rushing up the middle will also help Abraham. The combination of Jerry and Jonathon Babineaux (provided Babineaux can stay out of jail) up the middle will take blockers and pressure off of Abraham and allow him more freedom to get to the QB. As this team is set right now Abraham is a huge key to the defense. He needs to play big.
Brent Grimes
Grimes is commonly referred to as the most athletic guy on the team. The biggest knock on Grimes is that he's only 5'10". If he was 6'2" he would probably be a world class corner. Grimes got extra playing time last year and improved as the year went on. Grimes posted a career best 6 interceptions, recorded 66 tackles and defended 13 passes. Dunta Robinson was the big Free Agent acquisition this off-season, Game One starter Brian Williams was re-signed and 2009 draftee Christopher Owens showed he could play last year. Those three guys are the main reason that this is a make it or break it season for Grimes. If he can't break the starting rotation or nail down a nickel spot I think he's going to get permanently passed by these guys. I think the best case scenario for him is nickel with Dunta and Christopher Grimes as starters. Grimes is kind of like his name. He's a gritty, grimy player that you like to have on your team. However, he might see most of his time in special teams this year.
William Moore
Moore was drafted in the second round last year. He was drafted to play safety next to Erik Coleman. William Moore got hurt and Thomas DeCoud stepped in and played admirably. If Moore can't win the starting job in pre-season there is no telling when he will see the field barring injury. He might not see the field until Erik Coleman is no longer a Falcon.
Jerious Norwood
This is the only offensive guy on my list. A lot of Falcon fans would put Michael Jenkins on this list but as a #2 receiver he fits well with the offense and not everybody can be a superstar when you also have Roddy White, Michael Turner and Tony Gonzales demanding touches (that and Jenkins is a great blocker). Jerious Norwood was a huge disappointment last year. A lot of that was due to injuries but injuries are a part of the game and if you can't get on the field then you will be replaced. Norwood had a career low 252 yards last year. He averaged a career low 3.3 yards per carry. He did not rush for a TD. He played in the least amount of games in his career. And the worst part of this is that the starter, Michael Turner, was also hurt and we needed Norwood to step up and be our #1 back for stretches of the year. In 2008 Norwood scored 36 total points and only scored 6 in 2009. Norwood is a big time playmaker and a guy with home run capability. He's a great compliment to Michael Turner. Turner is a bowling ball who will run your ass over. Norwood is a lighting bolt who will leave you in the dust. But if you can't get on the field and can't make plays while you are on the field due to injuries then we need to find another home run hitter. It's been noted by the Falcon coaching staff that they want to reduce the workload and number of carries from Michael Turner. This is clearly Norwood's year to step up or step out.
Those are my 5 "Make It/Break It" guys as I see it right now. Maybe I'll take a look back at them during certain parts of the year. I think a strong case can also be made for Mike Peterson and Stephan Nicholas to be included in this list but I think they both played better last year than anybody else on this list.
Mock Drafts
Let's change this up a little and look around the web at some of the mock drafts. This is the time of year that all football fans are thinking about who will help their team in the draft, who will fall to them and who will super charge their team. Here is a look at some of the mock drafts out on the interweb:
Jared Odrick, DE/DT Penn State- Daniel Cox (Atlanta Falcons Examiner)
Brandon Graham, DE/Michigan- J Micheal Moore (J. Mike's Missives)
Maurkice Pouncey, C/Florida- D. Orlando Ledbetter (AJC)
Sean Weatherspoon, LB/Missouri- The Falcoholic (SB Nation)
Brandon Graham, DE/Michigan- Pat Kirwan (NFL.com)
Looks like Brandon Graham is the leader in the clubhouse but it's interesting that out of 5 mocks that I looked at 4 different players were chosen. 3 mocks went DE, 1 went with OL and 1 with LB. All are positions of need with DE, in my opinion, being the biggest team need. This is a huge pick for the Dirty Birds because we don't have a second round pick this year (Tony Gonzales trade). We do have 2 3rd round picks (picked up a compensatory at the end of the round) so it's possible that we could trade up. Last year Thomas Dimetroff picked up Christopher Owens in the 3rd round and in 2008 Dimetroff picked up Harry Douglas, Chevis Jackson and Thomas DeCoud. Dimetroff is a football nerd and his wheel house is the middle rounds so I'm confident he can find some contributors in the middle rounds but we need a guy who will make an impact at #19 and that's not a guaranteed pick.
The covers are coming off of pools in the South with the weather warming up. My parents still have an old school receiver and CD player so no Ipod hook-up. I made up a quick mix CD to take over to the pool this afternoon and got some compliments. Let's take a little break from football and take a look at what made the cut. Can you guess the 2 songs I kept in for the wifey? Tried to pick stuff that pretty much everybody would enjoy. Only had an 80 minute CD so several songs had to be cut...
Jamaal Anderson
Anderson was a draft pick of douche bag Bobby Petrino. Anderson was picked 8th in the 2007 NFL Draft. Ahead of Patrick Willis and Darelle Revis. Jamaal is an athletic DE but has had a lot of trouble finding the quarterback in his career with the Falcons. He had half a sack last year and posted only 27 tackles. Mike Smith moved him inside to DT in some situations last year and he seemed decent at that position. The only reasons I can think of that Anderson is still on the team is that we are weak on the defensive line and it's an up capped year. If Anderson doesn't come up with a big year he won't be with the team next year. It's possible he won't even make it out of camp this year if he doesn't step up.
John Abraham
DE is a popular position for this subject. The Falcons got very little production out of the DE position last year. Abraham had a huge drop off last year. In 2008 he posted 10 sacks, in 2009 he had 16.5 but last year he fell to 5 sacks. Another key stat is turnovers. In 2008 he caused 4 fumbles, in 2009 he also caused 4 fumbles. Last year he was responsible for only 1 fumble. Abraham has made a career of getting after the QB and of making key strips. Abraham is getting up there in years and this might be his last year with the team. He's still a good pass rusher but he's not worth the investment if he doesn't step up this year. I think a full year of Peria Jerry rushing up the middle will also help Abraham. The combination of Jerry and Jonathon Babineaux (provided Babineaux can stay out of jail) up the middle will take blockers and pressure off of Abraham and allow him more freedom to get to the QB. As this team is set right now Abraham is a huge key to the defense. He needs to play big.
Brent Grimes
Grimes is commonly referred to as the most athletic guy on the team. The biggest knock on Grimes is that he's only 5'10". If he was 6'2" he would probably be a world class corner. Grimes got extra playing time last year and improved as the year went on. Grimes posted a career best 6 interceptions, recorded 66 tackles and defended 13 passes. Dunta Robinson was the big Free Agent acquisition this off-season, Game One starter Brian Williams was re-signed and 2009 draftee Christopher Owens showed he could play last year. Those three guys are the main reason that this is a make it or break it season for Grimes. If he can't break the starting rotation or nail down a nickel spot I think he's going to get permanently passed by these guys. I think the best case scenario for him is nickel with Dunta and Christopher Grimes as starters. Grimes is kind of like his name. He's a gritty, grimy player that you like to have on your team. However, he might see most of his time in special teams this year.
William Moore
Moore was drafted in the second round last year. He was drafted to play safety next to Erik Coleman. William Moore got hurt and Thomas DeCoud stepped in and played admirably. If Moore can't win the starting job in pre-season there is no telling when he will see the field barring injury. He might not see the field until Erik Coleman is no longer a Falcon.
Jerious Norwood
This is the only offensive guy on my list. A lot of Falcon fans would put Michael Jenkins on this list but as a #2 receiver he fits well with the offense and not everybody can be a superstar when you also have Roddy White, Michael Turner and Tony Gonzales demanding touches (that and Jenkins is a great blocker). Jerious Norwood was a huge disappointment last year. A lot of that was due to injuries but injuries are a part of the game and if you can't get on the field then you will be replaced. Norwood had a career low 252 yards last year. He averaged a career low 3.3 yards per carry. He did not rush for a TD. He played in the least amount of games in his career. And the worst part of this is that the starter, Michael Turner, was also hurt and we needed Norwood to step up and be our #1 back for stretches of the year. In 2008 Norwood scored 36 total points and only scored 6 in 2009. Norwood is a big time playmaker and a guy with home run capability. He's a great compliment to Michael Turner. Turner is a bowling ball who will run your ass over. Norwood is a lighting bolt who will leave you in the dust. But if you can't get on the field and can't make plays while you are on the field due to injuries then we need to find another home run hitter. It's been noted by the Falcon coaching staff that they want to reduce the workload and number of carries from Michael Turner. This is clearly Norwood's year to step up or step out.
Those are my 5 "Make It/Break It" guys as I see it right now. Maybe I'll take a look back at them during certain parts of the year. I think a strong case can also be made for Mike Peterson and Stephan Nicholas to be included in this list but I think they both played better last year than anybody else on this list.
Mock Drafts
Let's change this up a little and look around the web at some of the mock drafts. This is the time of year that all football fans are thinking about who will help their team in the draft, who will fall to them and who will super charge their team. Here is a look at some of the mock drafts out on the interweb:
Jared Odrick, DE/DT Penn State- Daniel Cox (Atlanta Falcons Examiner)
Brandon Graham, DE/Michigan- J Micheal Moore (J. Mike's Missives)
Maurkice Pouncey, C/Florida- D. Orlando Ledbetter (AJC)
Sean Weatherspoon, LB/Missouri- The Falcoholic (SB Nation)
Brandon Graham, DE/Michigan- Pat Kirwan (NFL.com)
Looks like Brandon Graham is the leader in the clubhouse but it's interesting that out of 5 mocks that I looked at 4 different players were chosen. 3 mocks went DE, 1 went with OL and 1 with LB. All are positions of need with DE, in my opinion, being the biggest team need. This is a huge pick for the Dirty Birds because we don't have a second round pick this year (Tony Gonzales trade). We do have 2 3rd round picks (picked up a compensatory at the end of the round) so it's possible that we could trade up. Last year Thomas Dimetroff picked up Christopher Owens in the 3rd round and in 2008 Dimetroff picked up Harry Douglas, Chevis Jackson and Thomas DeCoud. Dimetroff is a football nerd and his wheel house is the middle rounds so I'm confident he can find some contributors in the middle rounds but we need a guy who will make an impact at #19 and that's not a guaranteed pick.
The covers are coming off of pools in the South with the weather warming up. My parents still have an old school receiver and CD player so no Ipod hook-up. I made up a quick mix CD to take over to the pool this afternoon and got some compliments. Let's take a little break from football and take a look at what made the cut. Can you guess the 2 songs I kept in for the wifey? Tried to pick stuff that pretty much everybody would enjoy. Only had an 80 minute CD so several songs had to be cut...
Start Me Up- The Rolling Stones
Your Touch- The Black Keys
Summer Of '69- Bryan Adams
The Thanks I Get- Wilco
Over My Head (Cable Car)- The Fray
Centerfield- John Fogerty
The Boys are Back in Town- Thin Lizzy
Don't Stop Believin'- Journey
These Are The Days- Paul Westerberg
Street Fighting Man- The Rolling Stones
Some Dreams- Steve Earle
The Joker - Steve Miller Band
Ankle Deep- Tom Petty
I'll Be Your Man- The Black Keys
Hey, Soul Sister- Train
Holiday- Vampire Weekend
Jesus, Etc.- Wilco
Just Breathe- Pearl Jam
Tiny Dancer- Elton John
Proud Mary- Creedence Clearwater Revival
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