SB Nation - Aaron Stecker

Talking Giants With Big Blue View

Dave the Falconer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:15:09 -0000

by Tim Roske - AP

Tom Coughlin would like the Falcons to kick their own butts, thank you very much. (AP Photo/Tim Roske)

Those of you who tuned in for my chats with Saintsational from Canal Street Chronicles will have a basic idea of how this goes. A couple nights ago I sat down to talk with Ed Valentine, the head blogger over at Big Blue View, our network's Giants blog, in an effort to find our more about our erstwhile opponents.

Strictly football for this dialogue, which features two grown men transformed into statues of negativity. Will we each pick against our own team because of the recent woes of the Falcons and Giants? You'll just have to read through to find it, so join me after the jump.

Dave the Falconer: I guess the most obvious question is what exactly happened over the last four weeks to the Giants? Can you pin it on any one thing?

Ed Valentine: How did I know that would be the first question? What happened to them? They are missing in action? If they turn up somewhere down South, please let me know. Actually, it has probably been a combination of factors. Through five games they only played one good team (Dallas). The last four weeks have all been against very good teams, and they have exposed the flaws in the Giants defense.
Also, it is entirely possible that this team is not as good as we thought it was going to be. The defense has not been dominant, although Sunday will be the healthiest they have been all season.

DTF: That makes sense. With the Falcons also struggling, how concerned are you about our ability to hang some points on that defense?

EV: I'd be concerned about Notre Dame being able to hang some points on that defense, to tell you the truth. This team was supposed to be built around a dominant defense and it just hasn't worked out that way.

EV: Injuries (Kenny Phillips, Chris Canty, Aaron Ross, Michael Boley, Justin Tuck) have really hurt this team. They get Ross back for the first time all season on Sunday and will be as close to full strength as they have been all season. Maybe, just maybe, we start to see the defense the Giants thought they had.

EV: So, summarize the Falcons season for me. They have an identical record to the Giants at 5-4. Are they as inconsistent as that record indicates?

DTF: Inconsistency might be a light word for what's going here.

DTF: Some weeks, they have had excellent passing performances, other weeks the ground game has been superb, and other games every single phase of the offense and defense is terrible. The game against the Panthers last week was one of the worst I've seen in a long time, and we also lost Michael Turner. I'd say he's got less than a 25% chance of playing against you guys.

EV: The Giants are always proud of their running back depth. Explain to me how big of a loss Turner would be to the Falcons?

DTF: The way he's been playing in recent weeks, it's a tremendous blow. Jason Snelling is a capable replacement in the short-term, but there's no depth behind him unless speedy back Jerious Norwood comes back from injury, and he's not 100% yet. Our only other option would appear to be Aaron Stecker, who really isn't much more than a special teamer at this point.

EV: I look at this Sunday as a HUGE game. To me, it determines whether or not the Giants are true playoff contenders, or if they are just pretenders playing out the string until next season. Do you feel the same way from an Atlanta perspective?
DTF: If we lose this game, I'm calling it: We're basically out of the playoff hunt. It's absolutely critical that we try to put you away, considering that you're one of the top threats in the wild card hunt. I agree it's critical.

DTF: Will the Giants look to attack the Falcons through the air with their new-found plethora of receiving options, or will they stick to the run?

EV: Well, every time I try to figure out what game plan offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will employ, or that I think he should employ, I end up giving myself a headache. I support the guy, but around here folks love to rip him. Anyway, that's a long-winded way of saying I have no idea what Gilbride will actually decide to do.

DTF: I think your best bet is to pass, honestly.

EV: Here, though, is what I hope he does. I hope he gives you guys a steady dose, as in 25 carries or so, of Brandon Jacobs. The big fella has hardly been utilized at all during the losing streak (51 carries in 4 games) and it's time for them to start riding him.

EV: As for the pass, I just hope they stay with the short and intermediate stuff. One problem they had for a few games is falling in love with trying for the deep ball. Great when it works, but it leaves you wanting to throw the remote through the TV when it fails on 3rd and 2.

EV: The Giants always strive for balance. I just think failing to use Jacobs enough is leaving your best weapon on the shelf.

DTF: I'd tend to agree.

DTF: But I think the Falcons have had a fundamental problem generating a pass rush in recent weeks, which leaves a medicore secondary out to dry.

EV: Actually, that sounds a lot like the Giants. With Kenny Phillips out for the year, and Ross not having played yet, the secondary has been exposed.

EV: Tell me a little about Matt Ryan. Seems like he has been more inconsistent this season than he was as a rookie?

DTF: Remarkable the extent to which our teams' struggles have mirrored each other, really. Says something about the weight of expectations.

EV: Tell me a little about Matt Ryan. Seems like he has been more inconsistent this season than he was as a rookie?

DTF: He actually had a great start to the year. And it's gone downhill rapidly in recent weeks.

DTF: I think he's looked shakier in the pocket, and at least part of that can be attributed to better pass rushes he's been facing. But something he's been doing with maddening regularity is sailing passes over receivers' heads, often with disastrous consequences. Ryan's still got a very bright future, but the coaching staff has to help him sort out his mental struggles.

EV: OK. Here is a question I always ask. If you could take one player off the Giants roster and put him in your lineup, who would it be? Why?

DTF: Without a doubt, Osi Umenyiora. Dude's a beast and we need the pass rushing help he could provide desperately. There are a lot of worthy candidates on the Giants, but he's the first name that comes to mind.

DTF: How about you? Same questions, but with the Falcons?

EV: So, here comes the part of that question I hate. I'm not an expert on your roster, but I would say this. We could use help at linebacker, and if you have a playmaker you would like to give us we would take him.

DTF: That would be Curtis Lofton. Extremely tough middle linebacker, league leader in tackles and a guy who you can count on to be involved in every play. Hits hard enough to jar the football loose, too.

DTF: Rapid fire questions, here.

DTF: Predictions for the game? What do you expect from Elisha Manning? Can Jacobs rack up over 100 yards? Do you have a score prediction?

EV: Giants, 27-24; I expect a huge game from Eli; Jacobs and 100 yards depends on whether he gets enough carries.

EV: Here are a couple for you. Can the Falcons run without Turner? A prediction?

DTF: I expect Jason Snelling to pick up at least 75 yards without Turner, and I'm predicting a 21-17 Falcons win, crazily enough.

A big thanks to Ed Valentine for taking the time to do this. Here's to a good game on Sunday.

If Michael Turner Is Out, Let's Discuss Our Other Options

Dave the Falconer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

Let's hope Turner's able to go Sunday, even if I doubt he will be. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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There's a lot of reports swirling around about just what's going to happen to Michael Turner this weekend, and almost all of them are a cause for concern.

Pretty much everyone seems to agree that Turner has sprained his ankle, but the severity of that sprain seems to be in doubt. If you listen to Dr. Roddy White, Turner will play this weekend. Listen to Mike Smith and that's a little less specific "confident" that he'll play again in 2009. And everything in between.

I would personally put the likelihood that Turner plays this week at like 25%, which leaves us to sort through our remaining options and figure out who we'll be trotting out against the Giants. The obvious choice for a feature back is Jason Snelling, who runs like an angry bull and can even catch a pass or two. Given the health and talent level of everyone else on the roster, he's pretty much the default. It's also a really cool thing to see a former seventh round pick who has battled epilepsy his whole life getting ready to start for the Falcons. Here's hoping he has a good week.

Beyond that, health really is going to play a role. Aaron Stecker has been re-signed and is available to go, but he's not exactly an elite option and will chiefly be useful for spelling Snelling. If Jerious Norwood is healthy, he could easily get ten touches and make an immediate impact with his speed, but I'm not sure he's going to be up for the game on Sunday. Unless we're willing to drop someone else off the roster to make room for another back, we really don't have any other options.

Now that we've established that, feel free to take a crack at predicting how this will all go down and how well our rushing attack will fare against the Giants.

Falcons And Redskins Recap: Winning Is Always Easy

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:49 -0000

by Erik S. Lesser - AP

Michael Turner high-kicked his way to victory Sunday. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

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This game was the polar opposite of last week's.

Against the Saints, we executed well all the way through and nearly won against a very tough team. In this one, we played poorly for long stretches and still found a way to win against the Redskins. The Falcons are maddeningly capable of switching back and forth between sheer brilliance and utter ineptitude, something that will hopefully disappear with time.

Still, the win is what's most important here, and the Falcons managed that 31-17. There were also quite a few encouraging bright spots this week, so it's not like there's any reason to be truly concerned here. I hope.

Follow me after the jump and we'll get to the real meat n' potatoes of this post.

HIGHLIGHTS

Michael Turner is awesome. My greatest fear right now is that he's going to be running, the camera's going to switch to the back of the end zone and he's going to keep running and come right through the television screen and punch me in the stomach. I'm sorry I doubted you! That 58 yard touchdown was beautiful!

I maintain that there was something not quite right with Turner earlier in the season, but whatever it was has vaporized like an ant under a death ray. Right now, I think the Panthers, who have the top-rated pass defense in the league, are going to have to worry about our good friend Touchdown Vampire.
Big ups to Tye Hill, who went from not playing at all to locking down the starting job in Atlanta in the span of two weeks. Hill's interception and 62-yard return for a touchdown clearly caught the attention of the coaching staff, as the AJC speculates he'll start again. He's got the physical skills to win the job and may just have developed in the system well enough to make this work. This comes at the expense of Brent Grimes, obviously, but I still think he'll do good things at the nickle.
Jason Elam's back! Yes!
Tony Gonzalez had a very underrated game. The Redskins blanket the tight end, but Gonzo still managed to pick up 40 yards and a touchdown against that suffocating coverage. He's simply the most reliable option in the passing game, though he's not blowing up like Roddy White is.
Speaking of blowing up, Jonathan Babineaux went off like ten tons of dynamite. Ten total tackles, two-and-a-half sacks and some generally rage-filled play went a long ways on Sunday. Teams with weak interior offensive linemen ought to be peeing their pants about now.
Props to Kroy Biermann and Chevis Jackson (?), who both managed to sack Jason Campbell in a hit parade which unfortunately knocked the young quarterback out of the game. Half props to John Abraham, who managed a half of a sack.
Eric Weems is the man. Still doing well in the return game, so he gets another gold star.

LOWLIGHTS

Matty Ice, appropriately enough, is not doing so hot right now. It's not so much the one interception as it is the handful of bad throws, the inability to find anyone open downfield and the happy feet. It's not anything I'm worried about long term—I mean, hell, I'm barely worried about it short term—but it's yet another reminder that he's human and needs time to grow as a quarterback. Let's all give him that time.
This was a tough secondary, which partly explains both Ryan's struggles and Roddy White's. I don't think the injury was affecting him so much as he wasn't open all that often. Wasn't much of a game for either of 'em, really.
Everyone has different feelings about Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling, but can we all agree that it would be nice to have them back? I have no problem with Aaron Stecker and Verron Haynes, but they're not getting the job done behind Turner.
As orang3b astutely noted, Mike Peterson was getting killed in coverage today. He wasn't alone, though, as the entire defense forgot how to tackle and cover anyone for long stretches. The Redskins' offense isn't exactly dynamic, especially with that O-line, so our inability to make things happen during the second half of the game was disappointing. Again, it comes down to simple consistency.

THE WRAPUP

Game MVP: I dare not incur the wrath of Michael Turner. Here's your MVP, sir!

Game Theme Song: It's been too long.

One Thing To Take Away: We're still very much in the thick of the wild card race. I'm pretty happy with that.

Next Week: Our damnable foes in Carolina, the Panthers, who as you know are represented by Cat Scratch Reader (bwao naw now). Be sure to visit 'em during the week.

Final Word: Win.

Monday News And Notes: Tackling The New Orleans Saints

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:30:29 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

The face of evil! (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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In the immortal final words of the guy standing in the middle of the Tunguska event, this is going to be a big one.

Pretty much everyone thinks the Saints are going to win this game. Nostradamus predicted it years ago. The Mayan calendar ends with the inscrutable phrase "Saints by 10." Even the holiest of holies has issued a papal bull that states that the Saints will crush our beloved Falcons like Yahweh did the Egyptians. In short, no one really believes in us.

This would be a good time for me to give you a pep talk, but frankly this is the single most terrifying game on the schedule. I'm going in with my expectations firmly lowered, so that everything up to and including a victory will cause me to throw a one man party in my office. Some may accuse me of being negative or a non-believer or your term of choice—and I'm not totally going to dispute that—but it's also unrealistic to expect us to win every game on the schedule. With the New York Giants backsliding into oblivion, it's pretty obvious that the Saints stand between us and everything we desire. Unfortunately for us, they're pretty damn good.

In order to stop them, we'll have to put forth a balanced defensive effort that follows that lovely bend and don't break philosophy that we've been practicing for a long time. Keeping the Saints to field goals and getting a couple of timely turnovers could absolutely make this a winnable one, so long as our offense isn't gaining six yards and punting every time out. I'm confident we can do it. I'm just not confident we will do it.

Snap into the links with me, dudes and dudettes.

Woo! Get pumped!
Injuries could be a huge factor here, as J. Mike notes. If Jason Snelling is out, that leaves us with Michael Turner, Aaron Stecker and Verron Haynes. That's not great, honestly. There's a lot of questionables on the list in general, but I expect most everyone to play. Snelling really is the wildcard.
One of the things I truly enjoy about the Saints-Falcons rivalry is how generally civil it is. That doesn't mean it's not a good one, of course. If either team had any sustained success, it might be a more recognized one. With the Falcons drawing national headlines last year and again this season and the Saints dominating, it's bound to attract more attention. That probably also means more angry people. Yay.
The mere mention of a sophomore slump for Ryan is enough to make me grind my teeth. There are some causes for concern, certainly, but Ryan's numbers through six games this season are actually better than in 2008. Why are we supposed to be concerned about this again? And I really don't want to hear that Ryan's doomed and we made the wrong choice and OH NO! He's a kid in his second year in the league and he's already had one of the best seasons ever by a Falcons quarterback. Time to relax.
Matchup of the week? The two secondaries versus the two aerial attacks. Drew Brees is just plain scary right now, and it helps that he has a wealth of receiving options against a secondary that's banged up and struggling. On the other side of the field, the Saints have improved and have Darren Sharper, who can jump a route or two. They'll have to contend with Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins, though, which is still reasonably fearsome. Whoever wins it through the air will win it all.
Saints fans don't fear the reaper, but they do fear Gonzo. Go figure.

Falcons Sign Aaron Stecker. Yuck!

saints-nation — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:04:14 -0000

This news makes me ill. As if Stecker is going to somehow divulge some super top secret way to stop the Saints. There is no magic button. It's so stupid that teams do this every year, hoping to get some sort of insider information. I know they are hurting at RB, but let's be serious: The only reason he was signed was because of his familiarity with the Saints. The fact that a player I liked is now a member of the hated rival "Dirty Birds" is enough to give me an ulcer. Not because it'll make a lick of difference in the final outcome of the game, mind you, but because Stecker is now "tainted."

I still have trouble forgiving Bobby Hebert for doing the same. Yuck.

Falcons To Sign RB Aaron Stecker, Mull Bigger Role For Jason Snelling

Dave the Falconer — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:17:12 -0000

UPDATE: Per Tom Curran's Twitter account, William Moore is out for the year. Tip of the Falcoholic cap to maddosc for delivering this terrible, horrible, no good news.

Recognizing the issues rampant in their running back depth chart, the Falcons busted a move.

Aaron Stecker is very familiar with the Saints, which no doubt was a driving force behind getting him signed prior to the this game. He's also a decent back with some special teams value, so he could get a little playing time right away. His biggest aid to this team will be planning for Nawlins, though, so don't expect him to ride up on a white stallion and save us from our ground games woes.

In related news, it sounds like the coaching staff is considering getting Jason Snelling more touches in the weeks ahead:

"Well, if he continues to run the ball like that, yes," [Coach Mike] Smith said. "He ran the ball very effectively.

"He's a guy who has come in and played fullback for us and the tailback position as well and Jason, every time he has gotten an opportunity, he has played very efficiently. He could warrant more touches."

I'll be interested to see if anything comes of this and how significant the bump in carries would be, but there are clearly changes afoot. Hopefully the biggest change we see against the Saints is Michael Turner blowing past 100 yards on five carries, but any improvements would make me pretty happy right about now.

ON THIS DAY- August 10th, 2000

Niko Houllis — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:44:29 -0000

Fresh off their loss in the NFC Championship game, the Bucs were heavy favorites to go to the superbowl! As we know, the season started out making all the predictors look like geniuses. That is until no one saw Curtis Martin take off his glove and throw a TD pass to beat the Bucs and start a 4 game slide. Way before that, in the second preseason game for both clubs, the Bucs went to and took on their cross state rivals the Miami Dolphins.

The version of this game I have is incomplete, so instead, you will get to see the thrilling conclusion of the game, the last 15 minutes all complete! ENJOY!

After watching the beginning sequence, who was the better return man, Clifton Smith or Aaron Stecker?

Yes Smith went to the probowl, but did Stecker get enough chances? Did he have the same quality of blockers? As the defense was much better then, did he not have enough attempts because the other teams did not score as much(Not a bad problem to have)?

Addition by Subtraction or Addition by...Addition?

Saintsational — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:00:15 -0000

It's a fact that after every season, NFL teams begin the process of improving their roster during the long off-season months. These improvements can come about in two different ways: Getting rid of certain players/coaches and adding others. Most often, and rightfully so, it's the big name free agent signings or the top round draft choices that get talked about most. But after the Saints didn't re-sign Josh Bullocks and let go of Gary Gibbs this off-season, I started wondering if getting rid of a player or coach could be just as important to the betterment of a team as who they add.

We know defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs has been replaced by Gregg Williams and hope this is going to be an improvement for the Saints. If this turns out to be the case, which half of this defensive coordinator transition would factor most in the Saints defensive improvement; the absence of Gibbs or the presence of Williams? In reality, it's a combination of the two. But is it possible that one could play a larger role than the other? Perhaps Gibbs' system really was that bad and any new defensive coordinator would provide better results than what Gibbs was able to accomplish. If that was the case than I think it would be safe to assume that getting rid of Gibbs was more important than actually choosing the correct replacement, whoever that may have been. And this logic could just as easily apply to the players on the field. Anybody has got to be better than Josh Bullocks, right? Also remember that with a limited number of spots, roster re-arranging is a zero sum game. Every time the Saints sign a player, someone else has to go. Are the Saints getting rid of the right players or are they releasing a future Pro Bowler?

So let's get a little philosophical with this today. On the whole, have the Saints improved more because of the players they have added or because of the players they've gotten rid of this off-season? Are there at least specific instances where this was true this off-season? Is it even possible that getting rid of a player/coach is more important than acquiring one?

As a quick refresher and to help facilitate discussion, here is a list of some personnel that are not returning to New Orleans this season as well as some players who will be making their regular season debut with the team. This list is meant for illustration purposes only and is not making any comparisons.

Position	Former Player	New Player
Def. Coordinator	Gary Gibbs	Gregg Williams
CB	Aaron Glenn	Malcolm Jenkins
S	Kevin Kaesviharn	Darren Sharper
CB	Mike McKenzie	Jabari Greer
S	Josh Bullocks	Pierson Prioleau
TE	Mark Campbell	Darnell Dinkins, Dan Campbell
RB	Aaron Stecker	Lynell Hamilton
DT	Hollis Thomas	Rod Coleman
C	Matt Lehr	Nick Leckey
DT	Brian Young	DeMario Pressley
FB	Mike Karney	Heath Evans
DE	Josh Savage	Paul Spicer

Poll

Have the Saints added by subtracting this off-season?

Not at all

27 votes

Yes, slightly.

355 votes

Every cut they've made has been genius

233 votes

615 votes | Poll has closed

15 Reasons Why the 2009 Saints Season has to be Better than 2008

Saintsational — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:00:11 -0000

Player	Pos.	Status	Date
DeMario Pressley	DT	Placed on Injured Reserve	July 27, 2008
Adrian Arrington	WR	Placed on Injured Reserve	August 29, 2008
Hollis Thomas	DT	Placed on Injured Reserve	September 9, 2008
Mark Simoneau	LB	Placed on Injured Reserve	September 12, 2008
Tracy Porter	CB	Placed on Injured Reserve	October 7, 2008
Martin Gramatica	K	Placed on Injured Reserve	October 8, 2008
Charles Grant	DE	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 3, 2008
Mike McKenzie	CB	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 10, 2008
Brian Young	DT	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 15, 2008
Aaron Stecker	RB	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 18, 2008
Mark Campbell	TE	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 19, 2008
Aaron Glenn	CB	Placed on Injured Reserve	November 27, 2008
Kevin Kaesviharn	S	Placed on Injured Reserve	December 4, 2008
Courtney Roby	WR	Placed on Injured Reserve	December 8, 2008
Reggie Bush	RB	Placed on Injured Reserve	December 17, 2008

I understand that some of these players aren't on the team anymore or weren't much of a help in 2008 but the point is that being forced to deal with this incredible amount of injury in one season makes it damn near impossible to have a sucessful year.

While Cedric Benson set to hit market, focus will turn to running back

Kirkendall — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:01:17 -0000

Another thing that today means is that the Bengals were unable to get Chris Crocker, Cedric Benson and Stacy Andrews re-signed before hitting the free agency market. Benson was a high priority because the Bengals would only be left with Chris Perry, James Johnson and Kenny Watson. It became more of a priority when DeDe Dorsey wasn't offered a tender. However, we suspect that, unless another team gets involved, he could eventually sign to a minimum deal that saves the Bengals $460,000.

What does this mean?

Well, the Bengals will be down to three running backs while waiting to see if Cedric Benson could secure a better deal in free agency. If he can't, perhaps he falls back on an offer that the Bengals may have made, or resume negotiations. There's a chance that the Bengals could be mid-level players in free agency, working running backs like J.J. Arrington, Deuce McAllister, LaMont Jordan (which has a certain poetic irony), Dominic Rhodes, Fred Taylor, Aaron Stecker, etc.

However, it would seem more likely that the Bengals will definitely hit the draft for a running back. Geoff Hobson went so far to say that they'll draft a running back no matter what. "Whether they sign Benson or not, the Bengals know they have to draft a back." Uh-hum. Chris Wells? (sigh)

It would also appear that the Eagles are interested Stacy Andrews.