SB Nation - Matt Hansen

A Wish For Training Camp: A Healthy Atlanta Falcons Team

Dave Choate — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:00:21 -0000

No, this is not newsworthy. It's just the heartfelt plea of a loyal Falcons fans to the Football Gods or the lord of fortune or whatever.

Now that Lofa Tatupu and Matt Hansen have gotten hurt--before training camp even started, no less--I feel it's my solemn duty to try to get some good juju working. The Falcons may have a poor pre-season and a few rocky spots along the way to training camp, but the most important thing of all is that the entire team stays healthy going into the season.

This is, of course, more easily said than done. Injuries are an inevitable part of camp and the pre-season, and notable injuries seem almost inevitable. Having already lost Tatupu, it feels real way too early.

More to the point, we've seen in the past what healthy Falcons team are capable of, which under the current regime has been at least a playoff berth. It was only the 2009 season, with its Matt Ryan and Michael Turner injuries, when the Falcons couldn't quite get there. I don't want to see a repeat of that.

Please join me in sending your positive energies to your deities of choice. It may not do any good, but we gotta try.

Lofa Tatupu Injures Pectoral Muscle

Dave Choate — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 16:17:36 -0000

UPDATE: Tatupu is now scheduled for a visit with the infamous Dr. James Andrews on Monday, which rarely seems to happen unless the injury is serious. Cross your fingers.

The injuries are starting already, and training camp hasn't even begun.

First it was Matt Hansen, who tore a tendon and was waived/injured so he can be placed on injured reserve. Now the linebacking depth chart may just take another hit, with Lofa Tatupu injuring his pectoral in a workout on Friday.

We literally have no idea how severe this is, because the Falcons aren't saying anything until early next week. Until then, we just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best.

If Tatupu is going to miss any significant time, whether it be training camp, pre-season or even into the season, then Akeem Dent is going to get first crack at the starting job. Dent is probably the coaching staff's long-term preference for the position regardless, but I have a hunch they were hoping Tatupu could be a bridge for a year while Dent continues to learn the ropes.

Even if Dent is ready and impresses, losing linebacker depth is never a good thing. Let's hope Tatupu's back in action and ready to compete soon.

The Incredible Staying Power Of Robert James

Dave Choate — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:00:14 -0000

With Matt Hansen's injury, the battle for linebacker clarifies somewhat. Hansen was no lock to make the final roster, but he was a strong competitor for a spot.

In his absence, the primary competition for a pair of reserve spots (I'm guessing, here, but I do think Tatupu/Dent/Weatherspoon/Nicholas have spots locked down) comes down to a motley crew of undrafted free agents, Spencer Adkins and Robert James.

It's no certainty, but that might mean it's time to resign ourselves to another year of Robert James.

James is an enigma to nearly everyone outside of the team. Drafted in the fifth round back in 2008, he has never gotten a tackle in an NFL game. He has bounced from the practice squad to the roster over and over again, and was suspended for four games back in 2010 for violating the league's performance-enhancing substance rule. He has had, not to put too fine a point on it, an uneventful career.

Yet James keeps coming back to these Falcons. He keeps getting released and coming back, surviving to make the roster another year. He's beaten out scores of UDFAs to grab roster spots in the past, and he survived the four-game suspension. Every year, it seems, he spends some time on the active roster, and every year, he's inactive for every game.

Contrast that to Spencer Adkins. Selected a year later than Adkins and a round later, he's played in 24 games over three seasons, piling up 12 tackles and helping out on special teams. That's hardly a distinguished career, but he's doing something on this football team. He's also just 25 years old; James is 28.

It defies belief that a 28-year-old linebacker with no exceptional size or speed and no history of any production at the NFL level could stay with the same team for five years, but unless a rookie like Patrick Schiller or Jerrell Harris steps up in a big way, that's probably exactly what's going to happen.

As a writer, I like to think I can choose the right words for most situations. Yet I find myself at a loss over and over again when it comes to James. For the first couple of years, he was a vaguely promising young linebacker. Ever since then, he's just been around, as much a fixture at the Georgia Dome as the dome itself. I literally can't think of a single reason why he's been able to hang on as long as he is, but you have to admire the dude for it.

If James does hang on this year, I hope he contributes a ton to the team as a reserve and special teamer and shuts us all up. Otherwise, it will be just another chapter in the remarkable saga of Robert James.

Your thoughts on James?

Why I Picked Matt Hansen To Make The Final Roster

Dave Choate — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 03:01:59 -0000

Primarily speculation, of course, but it didn't come totally out of the blue.

I picked Matt Hansen to make the final roster because the Falcons are strong at linebacker, but don't run particularly deep. Besides the starting three of Stephen Nicholas, Sean Weatherspoon and Lofa Tatupu/Akeem Dent, they have only Tatupu/Dent and likely Spencer Adkins to fall back on. They could use one more versatile player.

That's where Hansen is looking good. Robert James has hung on forever despite contributing essentially nothing, and I'm about ready to count him out for 2012. Hansen, meanwhile, has been playing all three linebacker spots in mini-camp, making big plays and showing well in coverage, something that's necessary to play linebacker in Mike Nolan's system. He's also had a year to learn the ropes as an on-again, off-again member of the Falcons, so he's not coming in completely raw.

In all, I think he offers more than James, and plenty to make the team as a sixth linebacker. He may well be a gameday inactive throughout the season, but I'd feel better about having him around as a security blanket than some of the other guys vying for roster spots.

Let's have a little late-night discussion. What do you think of Hansen's chances?

Falcons Sign Six To Reserve/Future Contracts

Dave Choate — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:01:27 -0000

The Falcons will hold on to the rights to six young players with some potential. This is more or less what's going to pass for big news during this off-season on the player front, so get pumped!

I actually like the talent on display here, though none of these guys are likely to ever be more than reserves for the Falcons. With a slate of free agents coming up and some big decisions to make, it's smart to keep potential contributors in the fold.

Here's a quick rundown of each of these six players. Check back in at noon if you want more thoughts on potential defensive coordinators.

S Suasei Tuimaunei: Wouldn't you love to listen to announcers struggling with this name for sixteen games a season? I put him first because he's got the best chance of contributing in 2012 thanks to his special teams savvy and excellent tackling. Tuimaunei also offers quality size (6'1", 205) and straight line speed (4.45 40 yard dash) at a position the Falcons traditionally have not had a ton of depth at. If Thomas DeCoud walks, he could stick as a reserve.
WR Drew Davis: He got lost in the shuffle a bit with Kevin Cone getting called up to the bigs, but Davis is another quality wide receiver prospect from a prolific Oregon offense. He's got pretty good size at 6'2" and decent speed, and he had a reputation for being pretty sure-handed. The Falcons may not bring back Weems and haven't given Kerry Meier much of a shot, so Davis could push for a spot in 2012.
TE Ryan Winterswyk: A converted defensive end, Winterswyk was always a pretty high-motor guy for a defender. At 6"4", 270 pounds, he projected as a little big of a tweener as a defender, so he's switched sides. He's likely slimming down a little to play tight end and could be an interesting fit as a potentially devastating blocker, though probably not as a receiver. I can't see the Falcons bringing back Reggie Kelly again, so Winterswyk could hang on as the team's de facto blocking tight end.
TE Tommy Gallarda: Another blocking Boise State tight end with slightly better speed and better hands than Winterswyk, but perhaps a little less potential throwing blocks out in front of the run game. The one plus is that he did have nine touchdowns at Boise State and has the size to be a red zone threat. He's a project, to be sure, but he could be utilized like Michael Palmer was in 2011 down the line.
OT Kyle Jolly: Jolly has—say it with me—quality size (6'6", 315 pounds) and spent some time on Pittsburgh's practice squad in 2010. The Falcons could always use talented ~~reserve~~ offensive linemen and don't really have anyone to develop in the system out of Jose Valdez, so Jolly will get some seasoning. At worst, he'll push some guys around in practice.
S Matt Hansen: He spent training camp with the Falcons as an inside linebacker, but despite some quality practices did not make the team. The Falcons are now apparently trying him as a safety, though he could certainly play linebacker as well. A classic thumper with terrific tackling ability and decent physical skills, Hansen's another project who likely won't stick with the team in 2012. Down the line, though, he's got enough potential to make a little noise.

As I said, most of these guys project to be no better than backups, and we'll be lucky if half of them get to that point. For a team that prides itself on quality depth, though, that's hardly a bad thing, and most of them play positions where the Falcons either are thinner right now or project to be thinner once the free agent dust settles.

Thoughts on these six players?