SB Nation - William Middleton

Falcons Sign CB William Middleton To Practice Squad

Dave the Falconer — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:44:52 -0000

More photos » by Seth Perlman - AP

He's back, baby! (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

William Middleton's odd journey brought him right back around to where he started.

On the same day when the Falcons announced they were re-signing running back Verron Haynes, they also cut cornerback Glenn Sharpe from the practice squad and brought back Middleton. As someone who firmly believes Middleton has all the tools to be a future locker room leader and valuable addition to the cornerbacking corps, I'm somewhere between "hooray!" and "why didn't you just sign the guy in the first place?"Middleton, if you'll recall, was cut by the Falcons after a quiet rookie pre-season, signed by the Tampa Bay Bucs and let go again shortly after.

This is more good news for our corner depth, which with Sunday's quality play suddenly looks very good. Given the fact that guys like Keith Zinger and Eric Weems have carved out roster spots following stints on the practice squad, I'm excited to see what Middleton can do in the future. Because it would mean an injury, however, I'm hoping this is the last we hear of him in 2009.

Your thoughts?

Falcons Ink CB Brian Williams

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:45:52 -0000

via image.cdnl3.xosnetwork.com

I knew it!

Mike Smith is fond of guys he knows, as he proves yet again with the signing of cornerback Brian Williams. Williams, who was cut by the Jaguars earlier this week, played for Smith for a stint and, unlike most of the corners who are out on the market, still has a pulse and working limbs. According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, who is reliable in the same way that I am living in Atlanta currently, he's expected to step in and be a nickel back right away.

Obviously, this is a depth charge to the depth chart. Williams and Tye Hill will be competing for starting spots, whether anybody from the team wants to admit it or not, which means Brent Grimes and Chris Houston will only have a few weeks to nail down the jobs with excellent play on the field. This moves Chris Owens and Chevis Jackson further down the depth chart unless they can work out, and it may put one or both of their roster spots in jeopardy. Because I like both of them, that would stink, but the Falcons are obviously seriously concerned about the cornerbacking corps. Time will tell if this is the right way to address those concerns.

The upshot of this and the practice squad moves is that William Middleton is headed to the vile Tampa Bay Bucs, never to be seen again. As someone who thought Middleton could be a good cornerback in this league, I wish him well.

Your thoughts?

Thursday Pre-Game Notes: Tackling The Baltimore Ravens

Dave the Falconer — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:36:54 -0000

by Dave Martin - AP

Mike Smith does not suffer fools, or Ravens. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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After a close game against the Chargers, the Falcons are headed for their second consecutive rough contest against the Ravens. Buckle your recliner belts, ladies and gents.

Unlike the Chargers, who combine a potent offense with a decent defense, the Ravens are a run-heavy offense who pack an extremely difficult D. This will be the first major test for our thus far astonishing offense, and the run D will have their hands full dealing with Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and LeRon McClain from Die Hard. You may see Mike Smith shout once or twice.

Most critically, of course, this is the last chance for a lot of guys to prove they deserve a roster spot. Marty Booker and Robert Ferguson will do a little duking out, as will William Middleton and every other cornerback on the roster at this point. After this, every game counts in the standings, so this is the very last chance to take a wrench to this team and either fix or beat the hell out of it. Here's hoping the former, of course.

Jump on in. The links are just fine!

Jerious Norwood is being held out as a precaution. Can't say I particularly blame the Falcons for being careful with our backup running back, especially since he's going to be leaned on more heavily than ever before with Michael Turner not wanting to approximate his twelve hojillion carry season again. As long as he's fine by Week 1, we're all happy.
As Bleacher Report speculated, the New York Jets immediately went out and signed Ben Hartsock. This is relevant to this game chiefly because I'm going to be watching hard to see how Tony Gonzalez and Justin Peelle look when they're called upon to block. My guess would be fine.
Freshly signed cornerback Tye Hill won't be playing in the final pre-season game. Much like Domonique Foxworth last year, the team is going to bring Hill along slowly and hope he's ready to make an impact the instant they decide he's ready. This week is probably more to determine whether Chris Houston and Brent Grimes get to keep their starting jobs than anything else.
Matt Ryan has a perfectly symmetrical face, which will come in handy against the Ravens. I...I have to draw you!
The AJC says watch out for Spencer Adkins and Robert James, who will cling to roster spots if they can prove that they have long-term talent and are valuable on special teams. I'd expect them to keep Adkins over James, but I've been wrong before.

Atlanta Falcons Trade Seventh Round Pick For CB Tye Hill

Dave the Falconer — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:32:11 -0000

via www.gainformer.com

The Falcons didn't wait long to follow up on Thomas Dimitroff's promise of changes in the secondary. Fox Sports' Jay Glazer tweeted that the team traded a seventh round pick to the St. Louis Rams for cornerback Tye Hill.

Hill is a cautionary tale in many ways. Picked 15th overall by the Rams back in 2006, he made the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie Team, but has largely struggled to stay on the field since then. He ended both 2007 and 2008 on injured reserve, and his play when he was on the field rarely approached any kind of sustained excellence. For his three-year career in St. Louis, Hill picked 4 passes, deflected 13 and came up with 105 tackles. Those aren't eye-popping numbers, and now you know why the Rams were willing to swap a seventh rounder for the guy.

That said, this could be a bigger coup than the Domonique Foxworth trade last year. Foxworth was and is a savvy coverage cornerback with average-to-above average physical tools. Hill has blazing speed and was highly regarded coming out of college, and at age 27 there's still the possibility that he could be a late bloomer. The vast potential he showed in his first year in the league makes this a very low risk gamble for the Falcons.

What Hill won't bring is size, but it's become clear by now that Dimitroff and Mike Smith aren't really hung up on how tall a guy is, and that's probably for the best. It's going to take a little while to get Hill up to speed on the defense, but with the secondary struggling to gel and Chris Houston in particular looking like he's out of position too often. Worst case scenario is that we wasted a pick at the very end of the draft on a guy who won't do much. The best case scenario is that we've found a guy who will jump into the starting lineup, deliver on his potential and prove to be a punishing cover corner who can tackle a bit. My bet is somewhere firmly in between, which makes him excellent value for the Falcons.

The question now becomes which cornerback will lose his roster spot to make room for Hill, and unfortunately, my guess is that it'll be William Middleton. There's a guy I really hope they keep around on the practice squad, but we shall see.

What are your thoughts on this trade?

Poll

What will Tye Hill do for the Falcons in 2009?

Kick butt, take names, chew bubblegum

204 votes

Fall on his butt, spell names incorrectly, warm bench

99 votes

Who knows, I dunno, do you know?

236 votes

539 votes | Poll has closed

Atlanta Falcons Sign DT Peria Jerry, Complete Draft Class

Dave the Falconer — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:00:30 -0000

At last, the 2009 NFL Draft class is complete.

With the signing of first round draft pick Peria Jerry, the Falcons' front office scores another coup, becoming one of the first few teams to lock up their entire class. That was made somewhat easier by the fact that there's not a single offensive position player in that group, but it's still quite the accomplishment.

This leaves the team in excellent position coming into training camp. With all their picks signed, rookies can get to work immediately at trying to unseat veterans, and chances are very good that we'll see at least two or three of the new guys on the field Week 1. Jerry's virtually a lock given his pass-rushing ability, William "C4" Moore seems like a likely choice given his physical skill set and Chris Owens or William Middleton could surprise in the secondary. Even if it's just one or two, that'd be a great showing for guys who will have only had about a month of intensive training in a uniform.

I'd like to take this opportunity to reiterate how much I like this draft class, too. The team didn't go flash and ended up filling almost every major defensive need, and are now free to target offense against in the off-season. There's a lot of talent here on the side of the ball that needed it the most, so I can't wait to see what this ends up doing for us.

And a big congratulations to Jerry, who has a chance to bring back the halycon days of Rod Coleman for this defensive line. We need a pass rush and he's by far the most likely rookie to bolster that in year one, so I welcome him with open arms.

Weigh in!

Estimating the rookie contracts- Collie, Taylor

shake n bake — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:57:14 -0000

Moving backwards from the first installment to the two fourth round picks, Austin Collie (#127 overall) and Terrence Taylor (#136 overall)

Recapping, the Colts have been allotted just over 4mil for signing rookes of 7.5 to 8 million in cap room. They are unlikely to need very much of that space to sign the rookies. The biggest reason being that every rookie signed bumps a minimum salary player out of the top 51 of the roster, meaning that 310K comes off the cap at the same time as the signed rookie's hit goes on.

To the fourth rounders,

Austin Collie (#127 overall)

via media.lvrj.com

Last years' 4th rounder Jacob Tamme's (also #127 overall) contract details are only partially out there. He signed for 4 years and Coltscap has his 2009 cap charge (which allows for finding his signing bonus of 442K), but not a total cash number.

The picks directly before and after Collie remain unsigned, but Lawrence Sidbury (#125) and Andre Brown (#129)provide brackets 2 away from Collie in both directions. Sidbury signed with the Falcons for 4 years, worth 2.91mil, 441K of it signing bonus. Brown was inked by the Giants for 2.18mil over 4 years with 433K in bonus. Sidbury's agent seems to have done a very good job finding Sidbury 600K more than two earlier picks got in their four year contracts. Rich Ohrnberger (2.20mil) and Anthony Hill (2.21mil). Collies' deal will probably slot in with the earlier contracts rather than the outlier, Sidbury.

Like the Powers deal, contract total should slot in between the surronding players, but Collie will likely be getting a larger than usual chunk of real cash upfront, spreading the cap cash out more evenly across the deal.

My estimate- 4 years, 2.19mil, 450K bonus, 423K '09 cap hit

Running total (2 picks) 907K

Terrence Taylor (#136 overall)

via i90.photobucket.com

All four of the players around Taylor are signed, 3 of them to 4 year deals, giving pretty solid slotting for Taylor's deal. Troy Kropog and Gartrell Johnson, the two picks before Taylor both signed for 2.15mil contracts with 400k signing bonii. On the other side of Terrence Taylor, Jason Phillps signed a 3 year deal and William Middleton signed for 4 years, 1.96mil, with a 206K signing bonus. Why the big drop? Both the pre-Taylor picks and post-Taylor picks match up pretty well with the picks near them. The drop seems to show there is a significant difference (more than just a normal pick or two drop) between the end of the 4th round and the start of the 5th. Taylor was the final pick of the 4th round so should fit more in with the 4th rounders.

My estimate- 4 years, 2.10mil, 415K bonus, 414K '09 cap hit

Running total (3 picks) 1.3mil

Baltimore Ravens Draft Picks Sign For Less Than Others

Bruce Raffel — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:04:26 -0000

It is beginning to look like the players drafted by the Baltimore Ravens want to sign and become part of this team so badly that they are more than willing to sign contracts for less money with smaller signing bonuses than other picks drafted later than them. Now with the understanding that I don't get to see the entire contract broken down to guaranteed money and incentive clauses, it may not be exactly as it appears on paper. However, take a look at what the players that have signed so far by the Ravens from the 2009 NFL Draft accepted as compared to those players drafted either just before or after them.

When draft picks are signed by their teams, there is a pecking order to put them in and they are basically "slotted" into contract amounts that coincide with their position in line based on where they were drafted. Therefore, the player drafted 50th overall should make less than the one drafted 49th but more than the guy drafted 51st. That doesn't appear to be the case with the players that have already signed with the Ravens. Check out these draft picks that have signed with other teams in comparison to the Ravens' picks that were drafted either before or after them:

Round 3:

87. Patrick Turner, WR - USC (Miami): 4 years, $2.3 million, $714,000 SB (Signing Bonus)

88. Lardarius Webb, CB - Nicholls State (Baltimore): 3 years, $1.714 million, $529,500 SB

89. Jared Cook, TE - South Carolina (Tennessee): 4 years, $2.44 million, $700,000 SB

Round 5:

137. Jason Phillips, LB - TCU (Baltimore): 3 years, $1.34 miliion, $156,050 SB

138. William Middleton, CB - Furman (Atlanta): 4 years, $1.956 million, $206,900 SB

148. Brandon Hughs, CB - Oregon State (San Diego): 4 years, $1.936 million, $186,650 SB

149. Davon Drew, TE - East Carolina (Baltimore): 3 years, $1.3245 million, $139,250 SB

151. Rhett Bomar, QB - Sam Houston State (NYG): 4 years, $1.935 million, $185,000 SB

Round 6:

184. Bear Pascoe, TE - Fresno State (San Francisco): 4 years, $1.856, $106,000 SB

185. Cedric Peerman, RB - Virginia (Baltimore): 3 years, $1.263 million, $78,000 SB

186. Robert Henson, LB - TCU (Washington): 4 years, $1.852 million, $102,500 SB

Click here to see the site I used and the rest of the signings listed so far. While I realize that these may not be exactly correct, as they are from another blog site that I cannot vouch for (www.BackseatFan.com), I've verified the ones I could by cross referencing them with other sites' reported signing numbers and they seem pretty close if not correct. It's intersting to see the discrepancies between what players signed for with the Ravens compared to other players and teams. Perhaps it is the great negotiating abilities of the "Wizards" at The Castle, or maybe the draftees desire to play for this excellent franchise outweighs their need to maximize their contracts an they just want to get in camp. Either way, their making more money than they could ever expect and now have the chance to prove their worth as players and ultimately the bigger payday will follow. I can't wait to see that amounts and comparisons when the Ravens #1 draft pick, Michael Oher and #2 selection, Paul Kruger, end up signing, hopefully before Training Camp starts in just over a week from today.

Post Publish Note: I'm trying to find out how this compares to prior year's signings (2008?) but haven't been able to come up with a site that lists them with enough detail to compare. Any help out there? Thanks.

A Look Around the NFC South Blogs

Jaxon — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:00:24 -0000

I thought I would check in our NFC South bretheren blogs to see what they are talking about that might interest Panther fans. So here it goes:

Atlanta Falcon Position Battles: The Cornerbacks - The Falcoholic
This time we're going to look at perhaps the most wide open position on the entire roster. Last time we did this little exercise, William "C4" Moore ran away with the strong safety crown. Because there's so many more options at cornerback, I imagine the vote is going to go a little differently. Basically, the top four vote getters are going to be our top four corners going into the season, with the top two being assumed as our starters. Make that vote count!

They are all competing to see who gets the honor of being torched by Steve Smith in 2009.

Meet A New Atlanta Falcon: S William Moore - The Falcoholic
Role: I'd frankly be surprised if Moore wasn't bringing his tlaent to bear on some unfortunate souls from the start of the season. The Falcons didn't pick him up to sit unless he performs at a level significantly below Thomas DeCoud this summer, and he's such a force against the run already that he makes sense at strong safety. I fully expect him to get a ton of snaps and potentially factor in on special teams, if Mike Smith is willing to get him on the field for that as well. I see a very bright future for Moore, who could be a decade-long starter in the NFL if he steers clear of injury.

If DeCoud is so good then why did they draft Moore?

The Falcoholic - Falcons Have Now Signed 5 of 8 Draft Picks
"The Atlanta Falcons today signed sixth round draft pick linebacker Spencer Adkins. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Adkins, 5-11, 246 pounds, totaled 72 tackles (42 solo), 10 tackles for loss, five sacks and one interception in 31 career games at the University of Miami (Fla.). Last season, he set career highs in tackles for loss (six) and sacks (four) while contributing with 17 stops. The Falcons have now signed five of the eight 2009 Draft selections, which include: cornerback Christopher Owens (third round), cornerback William Middleton (fifth round), offensive tackle Garrett Reynolds (fifth round), Adkins (sixth round) and defensive tackle Vance Walker (seventh round)."

Looks like there is a lot of fresh meat in the Falcons defensive backfield.

Can the Saints Maintain their Offensive Fire Power While Simultaneously Improving their Defense? - Canal Street Chronicles
He noted that during offense vs. defense drills it was the offense that initially got the better of their defensive counterpart until Williams and his unit began making plays and challenging Drew Brees and company. This led me to wonder if an improved defense might actually help push the Saints offense to improve as well and not become complacent. After all, if the Saints managed to put together the best offense in the league while practicing against one of the worst defenses in the league on a daily basis, just think what they can accomplish now facing a decent defense every day.

If that logic holds, would a defense that constantly practices against a top offense benefit from that somehow? I guess the logic does not hold.

Meachem's Last Stand - Canal Street Chronicles
Originally I had planned to write some long, well-researched, inspirational post filled with facts, numbers and references that would astound the mind and boggle your brain. But I just didn't know how to work it all out and I just wasn't really feeling it. I've since come to learn that I'm pretty apathetic toward Robert Meachem. I've also come to realize that we don't really need any facts and figures to discuss this topic. There is only one factoidal truth worthy of note regarding this matter: Meachem has been a disappointment thus far given his first round pick status.

It looks like the Saints are not the only team waiting for a highly drafted WR to make an impact. I'm sure you know who I am referring to (Okay, since some slow Saints fans might be reading this: Dwayne Jarrett)

Plot to take over Da Chronic enters its final phase - Canal Street Chronicles
Now, from my secret lair in the Old City Ice House, I am prepared to take over Canal Street Chronicles for good...or evil, as the case may be. Because once the power of the Blogosphere is in my hands, I will inaugurate a little war. In a matter of hours, Sports Illustrated and Yahoo will have annihilated each other. We shall see a new power dominating the world!

Congrats to MtnExile on taking over the Lead Blogger role over at Canal Street Chronicles.

Sears Non-Starter - Buc 'Em
In a somewhat surprising release of information, it appears as if Arron Sears has lost his starting job. As you may or may not know, Sears has been inactive in the offseason due to some apparent concussion issues, either from 2008 or offseason work. The team, and Sears have maintained silence on this issue, calling it a personal matter. Apparently, Sears wasn't excused from minicamp, and as a result of not being there, a formal change in the depth chart has been made with Zuttah now occupying the starting left guard spot. Morris is quoted as saying about Zuttah.

I would like to think this helps the Panthers but Zuttah is a good player so I bet its a wash.

By the Numbers - Rehashing the 2008 Defense - Buc 'Em
We'll start by looking at the Buc's defense in relation to passing yards per game, rushing yards per game, yards per passing attempt and yards per carry. This will give us an idea game by game if the Bucs were wearing down towards the end of the season. We will also look at the Buc's per game average and year averages vs the league average. Finally, we'll look at the same numbers from the first 12 games as compared to the last 4 games, those in which the Bucs were panned for giving out.

What jumps out at me is that 299 yards rushing the Panthers hung on the Bucs during that Monday Night game! That is one stat that never gets old or loses its relevance.

Buc 'Em - Another Smith That Can Return Kicks
There's no doubt that Clifton Smith provided one of the feel good stories of the 2008 NFL season for Buc's fans. An undrafted free agent, he was largely expected to be just another NFL body. After all, we had drafted return man extraordinaire Dexter Jackson in the 2nd round to take care of the return game. To avoid any hyperbole and avoid a story we all know too well, Jackson didn't exactly pan out in year 1. Clifton Smith soon won the job and by the end of the year, was lounging in Hawaii on the NFC Pro Bowl Roster. He provided a spark to our return game and cemented the job as our punt/kick return man.

Clifton Smith did have a surprising year returning the ball. Might the Panthers find a similar gem in their bevy of UDFA kick returners in camp?

Floor, Ceiling Set for One Chiefs Rookie Contract

Joel Thorman — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:20:46 -0000

Colin Brown works out with the Chiefs offensive linemen in the offseason (Photo Source)

View full size photo »

Completing NFL contracts for players selected in the first round is a tricky business. For the agent, getting the best possible deal is an obvious must. The agent is not only looking to get the most amount of money for his client (and himself) but also indirectly recruiting future clients by nailing a big money deal. For the team, it's about standing your ground and spreading the money out so the salary cap hit is manageable.

Both sides will haggle and it can be a long and drawn out process. The team will point to the money paid to the player in the same slot the previous year as the starting point. The agent will make a case that his client deserves a certain percentage increase. Offers, counter-offers, counter to the counter-offer and so on.

As Chris noted yesterday, the lower round draft picks usually complete their deals up to several weeks in advance of the first rounders. The money is less, both sides pay attention to the slotted pay from the previous year and there's less variance.

As of now, the players selected directly before and after the Kansas City Chiefs fifth round draft pick Colin Brown have been inked to deals. That means we can get pretty darn close to projecting what Brown's deal with the Chiefs will be.

The players selected directly before (William Middleton, Falcons) and after (Johnny Knox, Bears) were given identical base salaries in their four year contracts.

2009: $310,000

2010: $395,000

2011: $480,000

2012: $565,000

If these numbers are familiar, then you've been paying attention to me more than ~~you should be~~ I thought. The base salaries are identical to the base salaries all the Chiefs undrafted free agents received. This appears to be a pretty standard contract.

(Upon further investigation, it appears nearly every late round pick that has signed has these base salaries. Even Matthew Stafford has identical base salaries for the first two years of his deal. What really counts here is the signing bonus money so keep that in mind.)

We know Knox received a $204,240 signing bonus which brings his grand total to four years, $1.945 million or an average of $486,250 per year. Middleton's signing bonus hasn't been reported yet and those figures aren't tracked (at least publicly) by the NFLPA.

The player selected in Brown's spot last year signed a four year, $1.903 million contract which includes a $198,000 signing bonus. This tells us that with these late round picks the signing bonus will increase a slight percentage and make virtually no difference in the final contract.

A guess as to Brown's final numbers will be the base salaries indicated above, with a $205,000 signing bonus, which would bring his total to four years, $1,945,760 or an average of $486,440 per year.

Paul Fanaika of the Philadelphia Eagles was selected immediately after the Chiefs sixth round pick Javarris Williams. He signed a four year deal but the terms are unavailable at this point.

We'll continue tracking the floor and ceiling of the Chiefs draft contracts and keep you updated with estimations of their future deals.

H/T to the trusty Mac's Football Blog for the complete list of draft pick signings.

Atlanta Falcons Ink Two Late Round Draft Picks

Dave the Falconer — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:00:19 -0000

A very Falcoholic hat tip to TO falcon, who broke the news yesterday evening that CB William Middleton and DT Vance Walker. Trying to follow that act with a couple of quick sentences of analysis seemed impossible, so let's delve a little bit deeper into this.

I've put together profiles of Middleton and Walker that will give you background on both picks. I think it goes without saying that I'm thrilled they're both on board, as both seem to be bright kids with talent that goes above their draft slot. It doesn't hurt that Middleton is competing for a spot in a wide-open cornerbacking corps, while Walker joins a defensive tackle rotation with some top end talent but not a lot of true depth. Neither will have a giant impact this year, but it's the years ahead that matter.

It's easy to look past these kinds of players, I know. We're all wondering about DT Peria Jerry and S William "C4" Moore by virtue of their draft positions and the fact that they seem to be poised to seize starting jobs. Their splash on our collective psyche is much greater because they'll be playing critical roles immediately, and that's a respectable position...but it totally ignores the overhaul our defense needs to undergo.

If we're to get better quickly, it's going to take contributions from everyone. It's going to take Vance Walker stepping in and making a key stop or two over the course of a season. It's going to take William Middleton picking off a crucial pass to stall a drive. Sometimes you win or lose the game on the back of a role player, and it's no coincidence that teams with quality depth catch those seemingly lucky breaks more often than those squads that don't.

We don't have the terms of these deals yet, but I'll try to update as soon as we do. Here's hoping both stick around and provide value for the Falcons, because I will never say no to defensive help. Leave your thoughts on the rooks in the comments, folks.

Poll

Your thoughts on the signings of William Middleton and Vance Walker?

Both quality signings

83 votes

I like Middleton

13 votes

I like Walker

8 votes

Tell them I hate them!

1 votes

Opinions are scary

11 votes

116 votes | Poll has closed