SB Nation - Todd Weiner

Vote for the Greatest Falcons C of All Time

tlozwarlock — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:00:19 -0000

As Ms. Zombie Robot just told you, it's time to vote for the greatest Center in all of Falcons' history. Only three candidates were named. Follow the jump for a rundown of the currently nominated offensive linemen. We still need at least two left guards on the list. Otherwise, the two nominated RGs will be auto-inducted and I'll just shift one over to LG.

Candidate	Pos	Years as a Falcon	Pro Bowls	1st Team All Pro
Todd Weiner	RT	7	0	0
George Kunz	RT	6	5	0
RC Thielemann	RG	8	3	1
Bill Fralic	RG	8	4	2
Jeff Van Note	C	18	5	0
Jamie Dukes	C	8	0	0
Todd McClure	C	9	0	0
Bob Whitfield	LT	12	1	0
Mike Kenn	LT	17	5	2

Poll

Who is the Greatest Falcons C of All Time?

Jeff Van Note

334 votes

Jamie Dukes

27 votes

Todd McClure

71 votes

432 votes | Poll has closed

Atlanta Falcons 2009 Draft - The Construct

Steve Nichols — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:06:35 -0000

(With many thanks to DaveTheFalconer from The falcoholic.com who provided the framework for us to start with. Most of the information in this article is from him.)

2008 was a good year for Atlanta. NFL fans who aren't close to Atlanta had a few things running through their minds at the start of 2008:

1. This team was recently abandoned by their coach,

2. This team was recently abandoned by their QB,

3. This team had some locker room issues (see Hall to Oakland).

Those fans might have thought Atlanta would be visiting the basement. But the team featured a star young QB, and played their hearts out. Having dodged what could have been a terrible year, Atlanta has placed themselves in a position where they can approach the draft needing a few key players instead of blowing up the roster.

Let's take a look at the construct as it currently stands:

Atlanta, despite those difficult issues, had an ace in the hole. A new GM who gave the team a fighting chance moving forward. From Dave:

We drafted pretty poorly the two years before 2008, but the addition of GM Thomas Dimitroff made a huge difference. Aside from a pair of injured reserve players late in the draft and two seventh round picks, everyone on the roster had an impact. The philosophy is to fill needs high in the draft and then look for the best value/best fit beyond the second or third round. It worked well for us last year.

TEAM NEEDS -

The team's biggest needs are along the offensive line and at DT on the defense. Dave tells us that he would rank the needs as below:

DT
OT/OG
SAF
TE
DE

'09 Draft Strategy Approach -

Direct from Dave:

If the best players available at 24 are safety or a defensive end type, or if it's a huge reach to grab one of the remaining DTs or OLs there, I would definitely trade down. Trading up isn't really an option in my mind.

After last year, it's very possible we'll simply go best available for much of the draft. I would note that our first round picks hit major team needs, and I would see that trend being repeated again this year. If you go beyond the second round, definitely look best player available.

Picks Available to Atlanta -

24
24
24
24
7 & 24
24
24 (Conditional pick for Foxworth based on playing time - as high as a 5th round pick).

Note that Atlanta is not likely to gain any compensatory picks from the NFL.

Targets in the Draft -

DT B.J. Raji
OT Andre Smith
DT Peria Jerry
TE Brandon Pettigrew
OT Eben Britton

These players may not slip to Atlanta, but they would be takes if they did. SAF Moore would be worth the value, but may be available in the second.

Retirement / Injury Considerations -

Again, from Dave:

There's a small chance S Lawyer Milloy will retire, but he's getting older and we should be replacing him one way or the other. DT Grady Jackson is playing dangerously close to 400 pounds and could break down at any moment. OT Todd Weiner, who swung back and forth between both tackle spots last year, shouldn't have to start due to his knees and the team should be looking to improve production on the right side of the line.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If there is one thing I believe in, it is that fans of a team are closer to their team and to their team's needs. When I want to know about a team, I go straight to the SBN team's site and ask.

So I'm asking you, either as a fan of the Falcons or as a fan of the draft, where do you agree and where do you disagree? What would you add to the conversation?

More soon....

Official Falcons/Vikings Injury Reports

Gonzo — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:57:39 -0000

Alrighty, folks. . .got back late from our funeral detail today, so I'm just now getting the chance to put these things up here. When my 3-month rotation is done (and before my next 3-month rotation starts), I'll have to do a bit of off-topic work here about the honor guard experience, because it really is something cool.

And, hey, by that time, it'll be March. . .or, as I call it, "we're not quite to the draft so Gonzo is reaching for material" time.

So, since the Falcons are the guests of the Beloved Purple this weekend, we'll start out by taking a look at their injuries first.

Atlanta Falcons Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
John Abraham	thigh/shoulder	12.19.2008
Sam Baker	hip/back	12.19.2008
Brian Finneran	calf	12.19.2008
Grady Jackson	knee	12.19.2008
Ovie Mughelli	hamstring	12.19.2008
Todd Weiner	knee	12.19.2008

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ben Hartsock	back/toe	11.26.2008
Von Hutchins	foot	7.29.2008
Robert James	head	8.5.2008
Thomas Brown	groin	8.30.2008
David Irons	knee	12.16.2008
Pat McCoy	knee	8.30.2008
Laurent Robinson	hamstring	12.16.2008
Antoine Harris	groin	12.9.2008

Comparing this to the NFL.com injury reports (as I always do), all of the players listed on Atlanta's injury report are shown as having limited participation in Friday's practice. Don't even worry about John Abraham. . .he'll be out on the field. Much like Jared Allen, there's no way Abraham is going to miss a game like this where there's so much on the line.

Sam Baker, the promising young rookie tackle, missed seven straight games before returning last week against Tampa. If he can't go, Quinn Ojinnaka will start in his place. In either case, I'd expect the Falcons to have a lot of help for their LT against big #69. Finneran is way down on the depth chart, so I'm not sure he'll even be active for this one (NFL.com's depth chart for the Falcons shows 5 WR at 2 different spots, and none of them are named Brian Finneran). Grady Jackson hasn't missed a game all year, and with All Day and All Night lining up in the Minnesota backfield, I'd be willing to wager that he won't miss this one, either.

On to the Vikings' injuries:

Minnesota Vikings Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Adrian Peterson	ankle	12.19.2008
Brian Robison	knee	12.19.2008

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jared Allen	knee	12.19.2008
Gus Frerotte	back	12.19.2008

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Artis Hicks	elbow	12.19.2008
Darius Reynaud	foot	12.19.2008

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
E.J. Henderson	foot/toes	10.6.2008
Heath Farwell	knee	8.11.2008
Kenderick Allen	wrist	8.19.2008
Drew Radovich	shoulder	10.13.2008
Jayme Mitchell	knee	8.11.2008
Michael Boulware	wrist	8.30.2008
Charles Gordon	ankle	11.13.2008

Pat Williams isn't shown on the injury report, but we all know he's out until the post-season, and we've already discussed the injury at length. I think it's a big injury for the Vikings, but it's also something that they can overcome. Anyone that thinks that the Falcons are going to come into the Dome and put up 200+ yards rushing just because big #94 isn't in the middle is in for a bit of a rude awakening, I think.

Hicks and Reynaud didn't participate at all in Friday's practice, and neither of them are going to be "up" on Sunday afternoon. Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson? Yeah, like they're going to miss this game. Robison had full participation in Friday's practice, and it's going to be interesting to see how he gets used this week. He's been coming in for Phat Pat a lot on passing downs thus far as it is, but with Williams being out and the Falcons (likely) throwing the ball a lot on Sunday, I think we're going to see a lot of field time for Robison.

Apparently Gus Frerotte is a bit miffed about losing his starting job, even though he claims to be 100%. First of all, there's no way in hell that Gus is 100% already. He's an almost 40-year old man with a back injury. No way that thing healed up in less than two weeks. Second, I'm not sure if Gus recalls this or not, but he was one half of football away from the Detroit Lions moving from 0-12 to 1-12 at our expense again. Again, let me remind everybody. . .the Lions have 4 interceptions this season through 14 games. Take out Gus Frerotte's contributions, and that number drops from 4 to 1.

Yes, I know that guys aren't supposed to lose their jobs because of injuries and all that. Well, guys also aren't supposed to lose their jobs after a game where they throw four touchdown passes, either. So, I guess it all evens out.

And those are the injuries that could have an effect on this Sunday's game. More on the game tomorrow. . .until then, keep enjoying your weekend, and if your Christmas travels begin over the weekend, stay safe out there, especially in the Upper Midwest where the weather is already turning crappy, by all accounts.