SB Nation - Thomas DeCoud

Atlanta Falcons Past Drafts, 2008: Thomas Dimitroff's Inaugural Draft Class

Alec Shirkey — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:01:01 -0000

After the catastrophe that was 2007 for the Atlanta Falcons, it was time for a fresh start. A new GM and an entirely new (and honest) coaching staff were in place. Arthur Blank had engaged rebuilding mode.

And it would be this first draft that set the tone for the next four seasons under Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith. Had it been anything less than excellent, I'm pretty sure we'd be singing a completely different song. Dimitroff and Smitty might've been long gone by now, the team still searching for its image.

Thankfully, it wasn't.

Round 1: QB Matt Ryan
Grade: A+

At first glance, the team's decision to take Ryan with the third overall pick might have seen incredibly obvious. The team had just suffered through a painful 2007 season that saw their star quarterback locked away. The team only won four games, and there was a massive need at quarterback after watching the likes of Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich flounder about on the field.

But unlike Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III, Ryan was not a sure-fire No. 1 pick in the eyes of several general managers. This was a guy who threw 19 interceptions as a senior, and his arm strength had been under scrutiny as well. Miami and St. Louis, two teams that needed a quarterback, passed over Ryan. Tons of analysts had the Falcons taking LSU DT Glenn Dorsey.

But it was Ryan's intangibles, the leadership, and the need for a franchise face that got Dimitroff to bite on the baby-faced Boston College quarterback. All he did was win rookie of the year and lead the Falcons to four straight winning seasons. The Rams and Dolphins have been below the .500 mark ever since (exception: 2008 Dolphins). Franchise-changing pick.

Round 1: OT Sam Baker
Grade: D+

Though he's an easy scapegoat for fans after the offensive line really disappointed last season, Baker came in and started all 16 games as a rookie. On the whole, he's been an average left tackle up until 2011, when injuries led to a very below-average campaign.

But he was meant to be Ryan's sure-fire blindside protector, and since 2010 he's been one step away from losing his job because he can't pass protect. After continuing to sit out after Will Svitek made some quality starts, I think his future in Atlanta is still pretty much sealed.

He might get one more shot to take it away from Svitek this season, but he won't be on the team by 2013. Baker has been a fringe starter, and that's not enough for a first-rounder, let alone someone you trade up for.

Round 2: LB Curtis Lofton
Grade: A

Like Baker and Ryan, Lofton came in and started as a rookie. He would then start every subsequent game for the next four years, racking up 492 tackles, seven forced fumbles and 18 "stuffs" in that time. He was a monster at playing the run, and admirably served as one of the leaders on defense.

Sure, he wasn't phenomenal in coverage, but he probably should've gone to at least one Pro Bowl in a Falcons uniform. All in all, this is exactly what you want out of a second-round pick, and considering several teams had question marks about his size and speed, the Falcons absolutely nailed this pick.

Round 3: CB Chevis Jackson
Grade: C-

The first pick that isn't still on the team, Jackson was a raw corner out of LSU that the Falcons had hoped to develop into a serviceable starter, someone who could take over for the recently traded DeAngelo Hall.

But things just didn't turn out that way. He would get some extensive time as the team's nickelback and showed promise, but he never quite showed enough to win a starting job. He got a couple of spot starts, but was pretty disappointing in all of them. By 2010, he was off the team and would bounce around the waiver wire. You can't win them all.

Round 3: WR Harry Douglas, FS Thomas DeCoud
Grade: B

I group these together because Douglas and DeCoud have ended up being of a similar caliber. Both are capable starters and have their good (and bad) moments. But on the whole they are consistent and won't "wow" you on a consistent basis.

Douglas showed a ton of promise as a rookie, and in fact he'd probably get a higher grade were it not for injuries essentially taking away the '09 and '10 seasons for him. But he's been capable as the team's fourth receiving option (he even had an eight-catch, 133-yard performance against the Saints this year), and definitely earned his extension.

Likewise, DeCoud earned his extension for being a quality starter. He's had his fair share of missed tackles that lead to big plays over the years, but his skills as a ball-hawk make up for it. If DeCoud can flourish under Mike Nolan's new system, his extension could end up making him a steal signing.

Round 5: DE Kroy Biermann
Grade: A-

Has Biermann been amazing? No. But he's made an impact and even a few game-changing plays (if anyone remembers this amazing interception), and for a fifth-round pick that is amazing.

He's been solid against the run, a quality rotational pass-rusher, and a major contributor on special teams as well. Having just signed a three-year extension, he's just another member of a class that continues to provide a solid core of players on the Falcons.

The Rest: LB Robert James, RB Thomas Brown, CB Wilrey Fontenot, TE Keith Zinger
Grade: C

With the exception of James, none of these guys are still on the team, and James has been exclusively a backup or practice squader for the past four years.

They were all picks that filled needs, but really the number of these late-round picks that don't pan out is staggering, so you can't really blame a GM for not finding contributors in the seventh round. Alas.

Final Grade: A-

Sure, Baker and Jackson were busts. But at the same time, Ryan, Lofton, Douglas, DeCoud, and Biermann were anywhere from good to slam-dunk draft picks. This draft is what set the new regime into motion, and is largely responsible for all the wins that ensued. Thomas Dimitroff would win Executive of the Year for a reason.

For more on the Falcons, visit The Falcoholic. For all other draft news and such, check out SB Nation's NFL hub page.

NFL Free Agency: Falcons 'Dropping The Ball,' Says NFL.com

Jason Kirk — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:06:31 -0000

The Atlanta Falcons have yet to do much of anything in free agency beyond franchising Brent Grimes, bringing on two players who didn't play in 2011, and re-signing Thomas DeCoud and some backups. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as last year showed the deals tend to get better later in the opening week. Not everybody's that patient, and even some national observers are wondering what's up.

NFL.com's Steve Wyche, who's among the national guys most connected to Atlanta:

I spoke to a Falcons player who said the OL was the root to the team's woes, especially in short yardage, and the remnants of what remains look even worse. Atlanta has to upgrade at left tackle and right guard, and figure out what to do at center with Todd McClure a free agent. There are a lot of solid centers available in free agency and the Falcons need to nab one to keep Matt Ryan protected.

Citing a Falcons player shows the team agrees with the fan base on the biggest need, though pass rusher remains a major concern as well.

The Birds will get deals done and bring in some new players, and Wyche points out the Falcons don't have much cap space and could still bring back John Abraham. I don't really get the sense that he'd describe the job they've done so far as ball-dropping, even though that's the headline his work appears under.

For more on the Falcons, visit The Falcoholic.

Atlanta Falcons Free Agency: Mario Williams Rumors, Vince Manuwai Signs And More

Alec Shirkey — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:01:09 -0000

The past few days have been extraordinarily busy ones for the Atlanta Falcons.

As free agency is finally starting to move into high gear (the new league year officially begin at 4:00 PM on March 13), the Falcons have already worked out some key in-house contract extensions (Thomas DeCoud and Kroy Biermann) along with franchise tagging CB Brent Grimes.

But if any of the rumors currently swirling around the media hold some truth, the Falcons are far from finished in free agency. Prepare yourself, because there are many...

First, the updated free agency spreadsheet (I love this thing):

Falcons Sign OG Vince Manuwai
Jay Glazer reports that the Falcons have agreed to terms with the ex-Jaguars(!) lineman.

While terms of the contract have not yet been released, I can promise you it's nothing extravagant. Manuwai spent the entire 2011 season out of football, and before that his healthy has almost always been a major concern.

Still, most would certainly call this a bargain-bin signing. He's always been a talented run-blocker, and given the gaping hole at right guard (eww, Garrett Reynolds) this is a nice low-risk, high upside move for the Falcons.

Mario Williams To The ATL?
According to Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network, the Falcons are expected to make a "strong play" for the marquee free agent defensive end. With John Abraham almost certainly being let go this offseason, the Falcons obviously need a big-time pass rusher.

The drawback is that signing Williams could become very expensive, very quickly. Tons of other teams are eyeing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, including the Seahawks, Cowboys, Titans and Chargers. Basically, every team with even a slight need at defensive end wants to sign him.

While I definitely see the need for an impact pass rusher (who doesn't?), that doesn't mean the Falcons should sell their soul to acquire Williams. But with that said, just imagine what Mike Nolan and Smitty could do with a talent like that coming off the edge. I smell playoff wins.

Oh, There's Another Defensive End In Play
Think you know who it is? If you guessed Kendall Langford (who?), then you are absolutely correct. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC reports that "some in the agent community" feel the Falcons could try to sign the 3-4 DE.

Yes, a 3-4 defensive end. Langford, who played under Nolan during his tenure in Miami, profiles much more like a Corey Peters as supposed to an Abraham. In all likelihood, he would become part of the defensive tackle rotation in Atlanta.

However, in all honesty I'm not sure this signing makes complete sense. The Falcons already have Peters, Jonathan Babineaux- a very underrated and explosive d-tackle- and first-rounder Peria Jerry. Langford, while solid, wouldn't exactly come dirt cheap, either. While it's not implausible, my gut reaction is no.

Atlanta Looking At LB Lofa Tatupu
Adam Schefter has reported that the Falcons worked out the ex-Seahawks middle linebacker on Friday. Just like Manuwai, Tatupu also spent the entire 2011 season out of football. The main difference here, however, is that Tatupu is also a three-time Pro Bowler. If healthy, he could prove to be another prudent low-risk signing.

More importantly, this interest in a quality backup inside linebacker validates my feeling that the Falcons will not re-sign free agent Curtis Lofton. With Akeem Dent apparently ready to take over the mike-backer role on defense, it would make sense that the Falcons want a cheap insurance policy should Dent falter. Adios, senor Lofton.

J-Snell Back In Red And Black
Remember I mentioned key in-house signings? Well, now you can add one more to that list: running back Jason Snelling. The Falcons reportedly signed the versatile backup to a three-year deal worth about $4M in total money. Snelling's skills as both a capable runner and receiving threat were already known, but he also filled in capably at fullback last season after Ovie Mughelli went on IR with a knee injury.

However, with Snelling's re-signing comes a strong possibility that the Falcons will either restructure Mughelli's contract (due $3M this season) or even straight up release him. A knee injury at that age won't be easy for Ovie to recover from, and so all in all this was a smart signing by the Falcons.

Dunta Robinson, Team Player
Finally, a pleasant surprise for Thomas Dimitroff and Falcons fans alike: CB Dunta Robinson has reportedly restructured his contract, giving Atlanta an extra $1.75M in cap space. Along with lowering his base salary by about $1M this year, Robinson also waived a $3M bonus that was due this season. What a nice guy!

Yasinkas speculates that this is likely a sign the Falcons are "gearing up for a big splurge in free agency" (Mario Williams alert), and I couldn't agree more. Dunta must be pulling for the Falcons to sign his ex-teammate just as hard as anyone else. I think by the time next week rolls around, we could be pleasantly surprised.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic. For everything else offseason-related, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub page.

Atlanta Falcons Free Agency: DeCoud, Biermann Signings Sensible, Not Sexy

Alec Shirkey — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:00:23 -0000

Let's face it: the NFL offseason more often than not is filled with over-enthusiastic hype followed soon after by a string of unexciting moves and signings. Very rarely do we witness an offseason where something truly unexpected happens, with last year's trade for Julio Jones being one giant exception.

But after a few questionable signings in recent years (see: Dunta Robinson, Ray Edwards), it's somewhat relieving to see Thomas Dimitroff and the Falcons make a couple of safe, cost-effective signings while addressing a huge free agent class.

They may not be the most exciting moves, but inking Thomas DeCoud and Kroy Biermann to some fairly cheap deals is probably the best course of action Dimitroff can take.

With those two signings, let's praise the return of the spreadsheet and take an updated look all free agents:

As you can see, DeCoud's deal puts him at just under $4M annually, and a good chunk of Biermann's contract is performance-based. This works especially well because both are players that could end up flourishing in Mike Nolan's defensive system.

The biggest knock against DeCoud has always been his tackling. He tends to either take a poor angle to the ball or simply not wrap-up, and several times last season we saw a back-breaking play caused by No. 28 throwing himself into the ball carrier instead of tackling. But DeCoud's prowess as a ball-hawking safety has never been in question, and his true value really comes from that skill.

Nolan's interest in Biermann comes in his potential in coverage. With more indications surfacing that the Falcons will be running some kind of fancy 4-3/3-4 hybrid defense next season, Nolan apparently feels as though Bear-man has the mobility to drop into coverage in a similar way that (gulp) John Abraham did under Brian Van Gorder. We'll see...

In addition to those two, the Falcons also inked their two exclusive right's free agents in Antone Smith and Michael Palmer. Smith has been a capable special teamer, whilst Palmer was the team's primary backup tight end for most of 2011. Both are solid players.

Going forward, the team will probably turn to address Curtis Lofton's contract situation, but in all likelihood I think his days as an Atlanta Falcon are almost up. With Cleveland's D'Qwell Jackson- a very comparable linebacker- receiving a five-year / $42.5M extension this offseason, that may be too much money for 5-0 to stick around.

Dimitroff also has to consider two key offensive contributors in Harry Douglas and Todd McClure. While Douglas has apparently drawn interest from the Cardinals as an underrated free agent, McClure seems like a solid bet to finish his career as a Falcon. Recently, Mike Smith went as far as to say the veteran center was the "cornerstone" of the O-line for the past four years.

But enough speculation. We'll have an answer to all these questions and more not long after 4:00 PM on March 13 finally rolls around.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic. For everything else free agency or draft-related, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub page.

2012 Atlanta Falcons Free Agents: John Abraham, Brent Grimes On Lengthy List

Jason Kirk — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:18:46 -0000

So. Yep. Time to move on to next year, yes? In addition to coaching staff evaluations, the Atlanta Falcons have quite a few personnel calls to make. For one, defensive end John Abraham, the franchise's all-time sacks leader who put up more sacks than any other two 2011 Falcons combined, could be leaving us.

@johnabraham55 Damn ima free agent.Never truly been through this.If this my last game as a falcon I wana say I loved every min and thank you for the love

By Rotoworld's count, here are Atlanta's other 2012 free agents:

Visit Atlanta Falcons blog The Falcoholic

Quarterback Chris Redman
Running back Jason Snelling
Running back Antone Smith (exclusive rights)
Wide receiver Harry Douglas
Tight end Michael Palmer (exclusive rights)
Center Todd McClure
Defensive tackle Vance Walker (restricted)
Linebacker Mike Peterson
Linebacker Curtis Lofton
Cornerback Brent Grimes
Safety Thomas DeCoud
Kick returner Eric Weems
Long snapper Joe Zelenka

Last year, Snelling signed a one-year deal after testing the waters and Grimes was signed to a lean one-year tender as a restricted free agent. Weems also signed a one-year contract as a RFA, and Peterson was also signed just for 2011.

That so many critical players are due at once is actually a testament to Thomas Dimitroff's first draft class. Most of the names that likely leaped out at you while reading that list came from the 2008 draft. Now, without very many draft picks to work with, the test will be to see which of those players have earned second contracts.

Ex-Patriots Safety James Sanders Could Compete For Atlanta Falcons' Starting Job

Gethin Coolbaugh — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:41:52 -0000

James Sanders went from being the odd man out in New England to being a top candidate to start in Atlanta in a matter of days.

Sanders, who was cut by the Patriots on Monday, is now reportedly a top candidate for a starting job with the Atlanta Falcons, according to SB Nation Atlanta.

Sanders has played both strong safety and free safety, and I agree with Dave Choate that Thomas DeCoud’s free safety position could be a likelier fit than William Moore’s strong safety spot. DeCoud has made at least a couple of visible mistakes this preseason — not that you’d base such a thing strictly on preseason performance. Moore adds value as a run defender and over-the-middle enforcer, meaning his own middlin’ pass coverage isn’t all that noticeable.

Sanders had played with the Patriots for his entire six year career, totaling 203 tackles and eight interceptions in 84 games in New England.

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.

Avoiding A Comic Book Tattoo Faux Pas

Jason Kirk — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:12:35 -0000

Hey, Thomas DeCoud! Sweet Venom tattoo!

-- someone besides you, because you know better

The 5 characters i have tatted on me are Wolverine, Deadpool, Nightcrawler, Gambit and the "Black Suit" Spiderman..easily mistaken for Venomless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyThomas DeCoud
TwentyAte28

NFL Lockout Ends, And Falcons Players React

Jason Kirk — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:15:52 -0000

Thomas ditmitroff @BGrimes20 needs a new deal asap so I expect him to sign by tomorrowless than a minute ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry Favorite Retweet ReplyRoddy White
roddywhiteTV

NFL Football is back!less than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® Favorite Retweet ReplyJamal Anderson
jamthedirtybird

Right on!RT @miss_colleen ready for some FOOTBALL? @Atlanta_Falconsless than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet ReplyCurtis Lofton
CurtisLofton50

RT @C_Hairston61: Can't wait to get into a cold tub that's not just a bath tub filled with ice waterless than a minute ago via Echofon Favorite Retweet ReplyMichael Palmer
MGPalms

Football back...football back..the lockout is over sayin football back (Rick Ross voice)less than a minute ago via Echofon Favorite Retweet ReplyThomas DeCoud
TwentyAte28

Told y'all it was going to b over!!! Ready to get back to work!!! Felt like football was takin away from me!!! Now I kherish it more!!less than a minute ago via TwitBird Favorite Retweet ReplyDominique Franks
DFranks24

Football is Back!less than a minute ago via Twittelator Favorite Retweet ReplyJason Snelling
JSNELZ44

NP: Im Coming Home.....lol im actually going home!less than a minute ago via Twitter for Android Favorite Retweet ReplyAkeem Dent
Akeem_Dent51

And here are a few locally relevant non-Falcons, while we're at it:

Just got off the Bat Phone...Football is back in business baby!!! Here we go! Hinesless than a minute ago via Facebook Favorite Retweet ReplyHines Ward
mvp86hinesward

Football is back!!!!less than a minute ago via Echofon Favorite Retweet ReplyJosh Smith
TooSmoove5

Just got a call from my agent he said "the lockout is over" I told him he has the wrong number!!less than a minute ago via Echofon Favorite Retweet ReplyPeter Moylan
PeterMoylan

Congrats to both parties on settling the lockout. Intelligent men always find ways to win!!!less than a minute ago via Echofon Favorite Retweet ReplyMike Vick
MikeVick

Hmm concern for players health had to be negotiated..shouldn't that always be a given? #NFLless than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyDale Murphy
DaleMurphy3

PHOTO: Thomas DeCoud's Apollo Creed Shorts Wish You A Happy Fourth

Jason Kirk — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:00:51 -0000

Happy Independence Day, y'all:

Via