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    <title>SB Nation - William Moore</title>
    <link>http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore</link>
    <description>Stories From Around SB Nation About William Moore</description>
    <item>
      <title>Falcons And Bears Recap: Hanging Tough And Winning Big</title>
      <guid>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/10/19/1090680/falcons-and-bears-recap-hanging</guid>
      <author>Dave the Falconer</author>
      <link>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/10/19/1090680/falcons-and-bears-recap-hanging</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:23 -0000</pubDate>
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  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-left_portrait&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/falcons-and-bears-recap-hanging&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Appropriate, given that I was only at peace in this game when Thomas DeCoud was picking a pass.  (AP Photo/John Amis)&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn0.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/141817/53616_bears_falcons_football.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
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          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/falcons-and-bears-recap-hanging&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by John Amis - AP
        
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          Appropriate, given that I was only at peace in this game when Thomas DeCoud was picking a pass.  (AP Photo/John Amis)
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    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/falcons-and-bears-recap-hanging&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p&gt;You may not consider a 21-14 victory &quot;winning big,&quot; but then again, you may not have seen last night's game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/ATL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Atlanta Falcons&lt;/a&gt; matured before our eyes on Sunday. Up against a defense that succeeded in stymieing our vaunted offense for much of the day, the defense needed to come up with several big stops in order to preserve the win. As usual, this team managed to bend but not break on D, but they took it a step further this time around by capitalizing on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/CHI&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Bears&lt;/a&gt;' mistakes and making a few huge plays. If last year's defense was in its embryonic stages, this season's just went through puberty and applied to college in one game. Great stuff.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Obviously we didn't make up any ground on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/NOS&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;New Orleans Saints&lt;/a&gt;, our exceedingly difficult to crack division rival, but we're sitting at 4-1 with a great chance of reaching that winning season or even grabbing a playoff berth. It was also further proof that this team just knows how to win a football game, even one where half of the team looks a little shaky. You really couldn't ask for a better effort level, and you won't catch me doing it. Some will say this was an ugly win, but I'm still calling it a big one. Bring on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/DAL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Dallas Cowboys&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At this point, I think I'm just talking in circles. Let's head over the jump and break this down.&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;h3&gt;HIGHLIGHTS&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;I think everyone would agree that &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34727/Thomas_DeCoud&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Thomas DeCoud&lt;/a&gt; deserves a mention after getting more picks than an OCD man with a stuffy nose. What makes it especially remarkable, if you watch the tape, is how zeroed in DeCoud is on both of those passes. He's watching the quarterback like a hawk, making an athletic move and holding on to the ball. If he had held on to those two potential picks against the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/NEP&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Patriots&lt;/a&gt;, the guy would be getting a ton of national attention right now. As it is, those five tackles and two interceptions are a great sign for the future, and he's one of our best coverage guys as a safety right now.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1192/Roddy_White&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Roddy White&lt;/a&gt; and Tony Gonzalez put up nearly identical lines, and both were huge parts of the team's success Sunday. Fighting for yardage and touchdowns, they managed to each grab a score, over 50 yards and four catches. While the offense struggled a little in general, neither of these guys showed any signs of slowing down.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;To continue highlighting more than one player under one bullet point&amp;mdash;times are tough, dangit!&amp;mdash;we'll move toward &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1111/Jonathan_Babineaux&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jonathan Babineaux&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34733/Curtis_Lofton&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Curtis Lofton&lt;/a&gt;. Babineaux forced a fumble, had half a sack and was a huge part of a pass rush which kept &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2919/Jay_Cutler&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jay Cutler&lt;/a&gt; off balance for much of the night. Lofton continued to add to his formidable legend, piling up ten tackles, forcing a fumble and absolutely crushing &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34543/Matt_Forte&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Matt Forte&lt;/a&gt; on a run which otherwise might have gone for a touchdown. These guys are as hard-nosed at they come, and both are criminally underrated outside of Atlanta. That may start to change.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1190/Eric_Weems&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Eric Weems&lt;/a&gt; is an explosive returner, in the same way that a bomb sort of blows up. If not for a slight misstep that carried him out of bounds, Weems would have run one back, and his 62-yard return on the Falcons' last successful drive was one of the most critical plays of the game. I'm going to keep calling for his involvement in the offense because I'm intrigued by his potential, but if nothing else he's a great asset on special teams.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1182/Jason_Snelling&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jason Snelling&lt;/a&gt; doesn't have any numbers which jump out at you, but he filled in admirably for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1167/Ovie_Mughelli&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Ovie Mughelli&lt;/a&gt;. Catching passes, grabbing a few carries and throwing a couple of excellent blocks, he showed once more why he's such a good fit for this team. For the sake of the ground game, though, I wouldn't mind Mughelli hurrying back.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3034/Michael_Turner&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Michael Turner&lt;/a&gt; saved a lackluster day by punching in the touchdown that gave us the lead. Even when his numbers don't look that great, Turner seems to make a real impact. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;He'll get mentioned in both places, but when Matt Ryan was on today, he was on like &lt;i&gt;Donkey Kong. &lt;/i&gt;With less time than he's had all season to make his throws, he managed to scramble, roll out and otherwise evade a quality pass rush time and time again. Gotta give him credit for that.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Finally, let's wrap the entire defense up like a delicious cinnamon roll. With countless big stops and a coronary-inducing clamping down at the end of the game, they earned their stripes today. Big ups to everyone on the D.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;LOWLIGHTS&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pressure aside, Ryan still needs to work on his finesse and timing a bit, as this game made evident. He overthrew a few receivers and underthrew a couple of others. Obviously having a defender's hand in your face makes that a little tougher, but it's something to improve in the weeks ahead.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Through no fault of his own, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1170/Jerious_Norwood&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jerious Norwood&lt;/a&gt; goes here. He was running really well until he got hurt, and now he could be out for a while once more. Since he's such a valuable part of our offense and yet so chronically hurt, this serves as a lowlight for the game. I hate losing guys to injury.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ditto for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2484/Brian_Williams&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Brian Williams&lt;/a&gt;, who has been an important piece of our defense and suffered a nasty-looking leg injury while defending against a strike to the end zone. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;William Moore&lt;/a&gt;, who hasn't managed to crack the lineup yet, also left with an injury. Here's hoping all these guys get better soon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1151/Michael_Jenkins&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Michael Jenkins&lt;/a&gt; looked out of his element on Sunday, with at least one drop and a tipped pass that went for one of Ryan's two interceptions. I'm sure that's a one week blip more than anything else, but it wasn't fun to watch.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;THE WRAPUP&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Game MVP: &lt;/b&gt;The entire defense, headlined by Thomas DeCoud and Curtis Lofton. You'll have to split the honor several ways, guys. Sorry.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Game Theme Song: &lt;/b&gt;I can't stop now, not after we've done so well &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9CI7wdy2W0&quot;&gt;with it!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;One Thing To Take Away: &lt;/b&gt;The defense isn't just better than expected. It isn't just good enough. It's actually starting to look just plain &lt;i&gt;good.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Next Week: &lt;/b&gt;The Dallas Cowboys, represented by &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bloggingtheboys.com&quot;&gt;Blogging The Boys&lt;/a&gt;. With their high-flying offense and passable defense, it ought to be an interesting game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Final Word: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Whew. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  


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      <title>Jerious Norwood, William Moore Should Return To Face 49ers</title>
      <guid>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/9/30/1061563/jerious-norwood-william-moore</guid>
      <author>Dave the Falconer</author>
      <link>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/9/30/1061563/jerious-norwood-william-moore</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:30:14 -0000</pubDate>
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  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-banner&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/jerious-norwood-william-moore&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Expect to see this guy's helmet against the 49ers. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn1.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/121683/49086_falcons_lions_football.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
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          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/jerious-norwood-william-moore&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by Carlos Osorio - AP
        
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        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          Expect to see this guy's helmet against the 49ers. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/jerious-norwood-william-moore&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;Since good news is always welcome, I thought I'd share a couple of tidbits that you might have heard elsewhere already. Both backup RB &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1170/Jerious_Norwood&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jerious Norwood&lt;/a&gt; and backup SS &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;William Moore&lt;/a&gt; will be returning to the field against the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/SFX&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;49ers&lt;/a&gt;, barring any freak alien abductions or things of that ilk.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Obviously, both of their returns would come at an excellent time. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3034/Michael_Turner&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Michael Turner&lt;/a&gt; still hasn't gotten it going in quite the Touchdown Vampire manner we had all hoped for in 2009, and the coaching staff isn't ready to give &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1182/Jason_Snelling&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jason Snelling&lt;/a&gt; too many carries because he's a similar kind of back. Norwood, who is just about as fast and shifty a back as you could dream up, really needs to be given some opportunities to spell Turner and provide a different dimension to the running game. Let's face it, even the best running back in the league can only do so much if he's asked to plunge through the middle of the defensive line 25 times a game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Speaking of keys to the running game, our good friend &quot;C4&quot; Moore might be just as useful on the other side of the ball. We could really use a push up front to slow the run, but barring that Moore has a reputation as an excellent tackler and someone who has terrific instincts against the run. It might be worth&amp;nbsp; getting him in there in clear rushing situations and having him cheat up closer to the point of attack and see if he can get the jump on whichever poor, hapless running back we happen to be dealing with at the time. The mere chance that he could help out makes this a welcome option.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What about you guys? Do you expect Norwood or Moore or both to have an immediate impact?&lt;/p&gt;

  


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      <title>Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers Open Thread</title>
      <guid>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/9/20/1044816/atlanta-falcons-vs-carolina</guid>
      <author>Dave the Falconer</author>
      <link>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/9/20/1044816/atlanta-falcons-vs-carolina</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:00:16 -0000</pubDate>
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    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/atlanta-falcons-vs-carolina&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Let's see Ovie Mughelli catch another touchdown! (AP Photo/John Bazemore)&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn1.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/111182/51093_dolphins_falcons_football.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
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          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/atlanta-falcons-vs-carolina&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by John Bazemore - AP
        
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          Let's see Ovie Mughelli catch another touchdown! (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
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    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/atlanta-falcons-vs-carolina&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;You know, 2-0 sounds pretty great. Think we can make it happen?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Falcons are staying put this weekend and taking on the stalwart Panthers, who are looking to bounce back while the dudes in the throwback uniforms look to keep rolling. Unfortunately, I won't get to catch any of it due to (what else?) work, so I expect you guys to run comments up well into the triple digits without me. Pour out a little Falcohol, too.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Personally, I think this is a very winnable game if the Falcons can muster the same defensive effort they did against the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/MIA&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Dolphins&lt;/a&gt;. Here's to what should be a great game to watch, though like last week, I wouldn't complain if the Falcons just absolutely trash the Teal Cats. Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Let's break it down to the atomic level.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Who? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/ATL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Atlanta Falcons&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/CAR&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Carolina Panthers&lt;/a&gt;, 1 p.m. EST&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Where? &lt;/b&gt;Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Weather? &lt;/b&gt;Confucius say &quot;man under dome roof not worry about rain.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Injuries? &lt;/b&gt;S &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;William Moore&lt;/a&gt; is still questionable, but will likely get a few snaps this weekend. It'll be nice to see how helpful he can be against a quality running game. K &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2922/Jason_Elam&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jason Elam&lt;/a&gt; and DT Peria Jerry are probable, but I fully expect them both to start and be effective, particularly because Elam has something to prove after a subpar performance Week 1.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Panthers have listed S &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3089/Chris_Harris&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Chris Harris&lt;/a&gt; as doubtful and DT &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34380/Nick_Hayden&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Nick Hayden&lt;/a&gt; as questionable. A few other players are probable, but the biggest effect on us would be if second-year T &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34435/Jeff_Otah&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jeff Otah&lt;/a&gt; or RB &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/4194/Jonathan_Stewart&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jonathan Stewart&lt;/a&gt; were at all limited.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Odds? &lt;/b&gt;Atlanta over Carolina 6.0, O/U 44.0&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Foe? &lt;/b&gt;Your friends and mine over at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.catscratchreader.com&quot;&gt;Cat Scratch Reader.&lt;/a&gt; You know the drill by now: Stop over and comment, but be polite. And comment more here. Don't embarrass me in front of the Panthers fans.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;GO FALCONS! Let's reduce these cats to kittens!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  


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      <title>Atlanta Falcons vs. Miami Dolphins Open Thread</title>
      <guid>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/9/13/1027973/atlanta-falcons-vs-miami-dolphins</guid>
      <author>Dave the Falconer</author>
      <link>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/9/13/1027973/atlanta-falcons-vs-miami-dolphins</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:00:28 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;div align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/247910/r.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/247910/r_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;R_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;p&gt;via &lt;a href=&quot;http://photos.upi.com/topics-MIAMI-DOLPHINS-VS-ATLANTA-FALCONS/f527ea2203ddab8bd496bed1132b019b/R.jpg&quot;&gt;photos.upi.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;Time to kick off a season watching a team with vast potential. Sounds like a good time to me.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;Obviously, I strongly encourage all of you to obsess over every single play and offer your analysis as the game runs, and I hope you'll take advantage of that. As usual, I'll be working, but with a little luck I'll be able to catch most of the game and chat with all of you. Here's hoping for a great game, though I'd settle for the Falcons absolutely blowing the Dolphins out of the water.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;Come along with me as we break it down, won't you?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Who? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/ATL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Atlanta Falcons&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/MIA&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Miami Dolphins&lt;/a&gt;, 1 p.m. EST&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Where? &lt;/b&gt;Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Weather? &lt;/b&gt;There's no weather in a dome, dum-dum.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Fun Fact? &lt;/b&gt;This is the first game of the 2009 season. That is awesome and fun. And also a fact. There you go.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Injuries? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;William Moore&lt;/a&gt; is the only guy who is certainly out, so we won't get any chances to see him blow up runners this week. Alas. Everyone else is probable, including &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1107/John_Abraham&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;John Abraham&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1170/Jerious_Norwood&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jerious Norwood&lt;/a&gt;, and I expect everybody will play. The Dolphins listed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71148/Vontae_Davis&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Vontae Davis&lt;/a&gt; as probable, so we'll likely see the talented young cornerback out there today. I'm less thrilled with that.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Odds? &lt;/b&gt;Atlanta over Miami 4.0, O/U 43.5&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Foe? &lt;/b&gt;Friendly neighborhood Dolphins blogger Matty I will have &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thephinsider.com&quot;&gt;everything you need at The Phinsider.&lt;/a&gt; Visit, because it'll be worth a read, but please be as respectful as always if you wade into the game thread.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;GO FALCONS! Let's sink these Dolphins!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

  


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      <title>Friday Pre-Game Notes: Tackling The St. Louis Rams</title>
      <guid>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/8/21/997203/friday-pre-game-notes-tackling-the</guid>
      <author>Dave the Falconer</author>
      <link>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/8/21/997203/friday-pre-game-notes-tackling-the</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:00:23 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">

  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-left_portrait&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/friday-pre-game-notes-tackling-the&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Thomas Brown will try to run his way into our hearts Friday night. (AP Photo/John Amis)&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn3.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/82364/47991_falcons_camp_football.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
    &lt;div class=&quot;photo-meta&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p class=&quot;by clearfix&quot;&gt;
        
          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/friday-pre-game-notes-tackling-the&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by John Amis - AP
        
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        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          Thomas Brown will try to run his way into our hearts Friday night. (AP Photo/John Amis)
        &lt;/p&gt;
      
    &lt;/div&gt;  
    
    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/friday-pre-game-notes-tackling-the&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;After a very average kind of game against the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/DET&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Detroit Lions&lt;/a&gt; last week, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/ATL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Falcons&lt;/a&gt; fighting for a roster spot will be looking to make a very big splash against the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/STL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;St. Louis Rams&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Some rosters are pretty well locked already, but the Falcons have a lot of guys who are poised to make a difference and are just waiting for the opportunity. Guys like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34724/Thomas_Brown&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Thomas Brown&lt;/a&gt;, the speedy potential special teams ace at running back, who is looking to unseat &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1182/Jason_Snelling&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jason Snelling&lt;/a&gt;. Guys like Chris Owens, who is drawing some rave reviews for his play at cornerback. And then there's guys like Dave the Falconer, who enjoys believing he makes a difference as he shouts and cheers from his futon. Bless them all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With that in mind, let's jump in to some pre-game observations:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://albanyherald.com/Main.asp?SectionID=4&amp;SubSectionID=4&amp;ArticleID=5729&quot;&gt;Chris Owens seems to be shattering the learning curve.&lt;/a&gt; If he wins a prominent job in the secondary he's likely going to struggle somewhat, but he's very smart to maximize his value on special teams. There are a lot of corners who are likely in front of him, but an impressive outing tonight could change that very quickly.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This is going to be a critical game for a lot of other rooks, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71263/Vance_Walker&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Vance Walker&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71262/Lawrence_Sidbury&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Lawrence Sidbury&lt;/a&gt;, because &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1431/Mike_Smith&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Mike Smith&lt;/a&gt; wants to get them &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/falcons-rookies-to-get-120422.html&quot;&gt;time against the Rams' starters.&lt;/a&gt; This will separate the men from the boys in a hurry, and it's a great way to accelerate the aforementioned learning curve.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Over at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2009/8/20/996550/falcons-injuries-benefit-the-rams&quot;&gt;Turf Show Times,&lt;/a&gt; my brothers in blue-and-gold seem to think the injuries to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1146/Chris_Houston&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Chris Houston&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;William Moore&lt;/a&gt; will make things easier for their passing game. That'd be true if they weren't down &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3206/Marc_Bulger&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Marc Bulger&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34679/Donnie_Avery&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Donnie Avery&lt;/a&gt;, but since that's the case, I'm going to engage in a little good-natured trash talk and say &lt;i&gt;NO WAY JERKS HAHAHA!&lt;/i&gt; Ahem.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Curtis Lofton, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkfv213n0FZf0TFmAH5YCWTCIzuwD9A690R00&quot;&gt;natural born leader?&lt;/a&gt; The expectations for one of The Falcoholic's favorites already are sky high, and it looks like he's ready to assume that kind of role. He and Mike Peterson will be critical to the growth of some of the younger guys in the front seven. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Apropos of nothing, here's a fun little feature on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/falcons-top-pick-peria-jerry-learning-the-ropes-119436.html&quot;&gt;Peria Jerry.&lt;/a&gt; My favorite response by far is when D. Orlando Ledbetter at the AJC asks him who his favorite team is, and Jerry says the Falcons....and then says he &quot;can't believe (DOL) asked me that.&quot; We're going to get along just fine, Peria!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

  


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      <title>Falcons injuries benefit the Rams passing game</title>
      <guid>http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2009/8/20/996550/falcons-injuries-benefit-the-rams</guid>
      <author>VanRam</author>
      <link>http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2009/8/20/996550/falcons-injuries-benefit-the-rams</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:37:03 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">

  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-left_landscape&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/falcons-injuries-benefit-the-rams&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;St. Louis Rams quarterback Kyle Boller will start against a Falcons defense missing its top CB.&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn1.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/81989/48929_rams_jets_football.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
    &lt;div class=&quot;photo-meta&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p class=&quot;by clearfix&quot;&gt;
        
          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/falcons-injuries-benefit-the-rams&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by Peter Morgan - AP
        
      &lt;/p&gt;
    
      
        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          St. Louis Rams quarterback Kyle Boller will start against a Falcons defense missing its top CB.
        &lt;/p&gt;
      
    &lt;/div&gt;  
    
    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/falcons-injuries-benefit-the-rams&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/ATL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Atlanta Falcons&lt;/a&gt; will be&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/cb-houston-out-for-119092.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; without several players&lt;/a&gt; when they take on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/STL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;St. Louis Rams&lt;/a&gt; this week.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Starting CB &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1146/Chris_Houston&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Chris Houston&lt;/a&gt; is out with a hamstring injury. That's the only starter out this week. Second round draft pick and former MIzzou standout SS &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;William Moore&lt;/a&gt; will not play. Moore is not listed as the starter, though it's believed he will be once the season begins. The Falcons will also be without DT &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1877/Jason_Jefferson&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jason Jefferson&lt;/a&gt; and LB &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/16751/Edmond_Miles&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Edmond Miles&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With CB &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2928/Domonique_Foxworth&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Domonique Foxworth&lt;/a&gt;, the Falcons had an 11.9% DVOA for the pass defense last season, 7th best in the league. Houston became their top corner when Foxworth left, and, much like the Rams, it's a fairly open competition for the spots behind him. Most likely to earn the second and third CB jobs are &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1140/Brent_Grimes&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Brent Grimes&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34730/Chevis_Jackson&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Chevis Jackson&lt;/a&gt;, both of whom will start this week.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's a good matchup for the Rams offense. Grimes was successful defending just 41% of the balls thrown his way last season, working as the third CB. Jackson had a 44% success rate. It's a nice re-introduction to starting again for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1382/Kyle_Boller&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Kyle Boller&lt;/a&gt; and the young Rams receivers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Rams will be without QB &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3206/Marc_Bulger&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Marc Bulger&lt;/a&gt;; WRs &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34679/Donnie_Avery&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Donnie Avery&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2210/Tim_Carter&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Tim Carter&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71537/Brooks_Foster&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Brooks Foster&lt;/a&gt;; LG &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2838/Jacob_Bell&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jacob Bell&lt;/a&gt;; and DT &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/4267/Adam_Carriker&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Adam Carriker&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Starting LT &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3201/Alex_Barron&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Alex Barron&lt;/a&gt; and DT Darell Scott will be &quot;Friday decisions&quot; for the Rams.&lt;/p&gt;
  


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      <title>Rams tight ends looking for big night against the Falcons</title>
      <guid>http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2009/8/19/994631/rams-tight-ends-looking-for-big</guid>
      <author>VanRam</author>
      <link>http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2009/8/19/994631/rams-tight-ends-looking-for-big</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:20:37 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">

  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-left_landscape&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/rams-tight-ends-looking-for-big&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Will St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, right, and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur call for more passes to the tight ends against the Falcons this week?&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn0.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/80993/46996_rams_camp_football.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
    &lt;div class=&quot;photo-meta&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p class=&quot;by clearfix&quot;&gt;
        
          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/rams-tight-ends-looking-for-big&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by Jeff Roberson - AP
        
      &lt;/p&gt;
    
      
        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          Will St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, right, and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur call for more passes to the tight ends against the Falcons this week?
        &lt;/p&gt;
      
    &lt;/div&gt;  
    
    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/rams-tight-ends-looking-for-big&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/STL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;St. Louis Rams&lt;/a&gt; tight ends didn't see many passes come their way last week against the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/NYJ&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Jets&lt;/a&gt;. That came as a surprise for a West Coast offense, that feeds the ball to TEs on routes and check downs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In last week's game, QB &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3206/Marc_Bulger&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Marc Bulger&lt;/a&gt; connected with starter &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2524/Randy_McMichael&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Randy McMichael&lt;/a&gt; for a 10 and a 15-yards pass. Blocking TE &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2070/Billy_Bajema&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Billy Bajema&lt;/a&gt; had a 9-yard catch, Eric Butler had a 4-yarder, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3234/Joe_Klopfenstein&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Joe Klopfenstein&lt;/a&gt; had an incomplete on the play where QB Brock Berlin was injured. Don't read too much into what seems like a forgotten night for TEs. The Rams stuck to a pretty basic playbook, running on 29 of 56 offensive snaps, and the Jets impressive group of starting LBs are a tough matchup. I was a little surprised we didn't &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1133/Daniel_Fells&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Daniel Fells&lt;/a&gt;, since he's the lead horse in the race for the third TE spot on the roster.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All of that may change against Atlanta this week. The coaches will probably want to see a little more of the playbook and Atlanta presents a favorable matchup for tight ends. Last season, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/ATL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Falcons&lt;/a&gt; defense posted a 24.7% DVOA against TEs, 28th in the league. Opposing TEs caught an average of 6.7 passes per game (only #1 WRs caught more) for an average of 54.1 yards per games.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That's not likely to be improved this season. Second year MLB &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34733/Curtis_Lofton&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Curtis Lofton&lt;/a&gt; is their strongest LB in coverage; according to Football Outsiders play charting results, Lofton was successful against 67% of the 15 passes thrown at him. Outside LB Cory Wire, who came on the field against the pass last season successfully defended 51% of the balls thrown his way. New addition Mike Peterson, with Jacksonville in '08, had a 39% success rate and opponents gained an average of 6.8 yards on passes targeting him. At SS, the Falcons have Mizzou's &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;William Moore&lt;/a&gt;, who was inconsistent as a senior. Starting FS Eric Coleman had a 45% success rate against the pass.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Last season, when the Rams nearly beat the Falcons in a week 17 upset, the tight ends were quiet, only Klopfenstein had a catch, for 29 yards, on one of Bulger's 19 completed passes. If Klopfenstein can do it... Of course, that game was all about Steven Jackson who rushed for 161 yards on 30 carries (to get his fourth 1,000 yard season) and caught 4 passes for 54 yards. Hmm, think we could see something like that again this week?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And, yes, I realize the weird connection discussing TE play for a team that added Tony Gonzalez this spring. That's a whole 'nother matchup, and I bet we'll cover it in a subsequent post.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For the Rams tight ends, this is a good week to get some action, especially with all three backup QBs getting all the playing time. Remember, Boller has experience connecting with a TE from his days tossing balls to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1400/Todd_Heap&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Todd Heap&lt;/a&gt; in Baltimore. Expect to see McMichael build on his game last week while Fells and Klop battle it out for the third spot and Eric Butler will want to put his name in the mix too. In practice, the coaches seem to be using Bajema to catch passes more than I thought. See if that trend continues this week.&lt;/p&gt;
  


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      <title>Roam the Dome Report</title>
      <guid>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/8/9/982961/roam-the-dome-report</guid>
      <author>tlozwarlock</author>
      <link>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/8/9/982961/roam-the-dome-report</link>
      <pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:45:09 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;h5 class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; align=&quot;center&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 10pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151670/DSC00831small.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;photo&quot; src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151670/DSC00831small_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dsc00831small_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Reader &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/users/TomQ&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;TomQ&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; and likely starting safety &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34727/Thomas_DeCoud&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Thomas DeCoud&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 10pt;&quot;&gt;Thanks to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/users/gritzblitz&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;gritzblitz&lt;/a&gt; for wearing the official Falcoholic tee. Kudos for &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/users/Hardcore%20Falcon&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Hardcore Falcon &lt;/a&gt;and his son donning Bartkowski's number. And finally, appreciative hat-tip to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/users/TomQ&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;TomQ &lt;/a&gt;for making a great event companion and being the official &quot;Falcoholic Rome the Dome photographer.&quot;&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 10pt;&quot;&gt;Roam the Dome was a unique experience, one that I highly doubt many other teams do for their fans. The no-contact &quot;mock game&quot; may pale in comparison to Friday&amp;rsquo;s &quot;Friday Night Lights&quot; game or a real season game, but it offered a lot of insight into how the team is shaping up. &lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 10pt;&quot;&gt;The team opened the event with several punt return practices. The returners rotated out and included &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1190/Eric_Weems&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Eric Weems&lt;/a&gt;, Chandler Williams, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1134/Brian_Finneran&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Brian Finneran&lt;/a&gt; among their number.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst&quot;&gt;Finn didn&amp;rsquo;t return a single one; instead he just fair caught the balls within the twenty yard line. &lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1140/Brent_Grimes&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Brent Grimes&lt;/a&gt; showed some fancy footwork and managed a forty or so yard return. &lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpLast&quot;&gt;Chandler Williams was decent, finding about thirty yards of running room on one return.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 10pt;&quot;&gt;Just about all receivers got their shot yesterday. Brian Finneran and Michael Jenkins continued to be our starting two while &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/3355/Troy_Bergeron&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Troy Bergeron&lt;/a&gt; worked out in HD&amp;rsquo;s third slot on the Red team, and the rest of the receivers rotated in and out with the White team (second/third stringers).&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst&quot;&gt;The most impressive white jersey wearing receiver was Eric Weems, who seemed to catch just about everything that came his way. Weems would always find yards after the catch. In one situation, when lining up for John Parker Wilson, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1146/Chris_Houston&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Chris Houston&lt;/a&gt; managed to clap his hands on a ball intended for Weems near the red zone. Weems, having turned to watch this, still made the catch and took the Wilson-led offense to the sixteen yard line.&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot;&gt;Troy Bergeron looked very comfortable in the third receiver slot and only lost one pass thrown at him (granted, Ryan threw it a bit high)&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot;&gt;Aaron Kelly, while not explosive, did make a few athletic grabs, at one point seeming to use his long arms to, as TomQ put it, &quot;catch the ball out of nowhere.&quot;&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1151/Michael_Jenkins&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Michael Jenkins&lt;/a&gt; made some very impressive catches. One of them came on a third down situation. Ryan under-threw a pass but Jenkins, ever aware, spun around, caught the ball, and earned the first down, bringing the Red team into the red zone and setting up the best catch of the game.&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot;&gt;Speaking of the best catch of the game, Tony G owns it. On first and goal, Ryan rolled out and after bouncing a moment, floated a ball over a double-covered Gonzo. Tony simply reached up with his mile-long arms, grabbed the ball, and voila, Ryan-to-Gonzo in the redzone is born. The crowd erupted.&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot;&gt;Brian Finneran was, as usual, golden on third down, but he also found himself catching on first and second down as well. Reliable to a fault, Finn never missed a catch. While he may not be as dynamic or athletic as the newly extended White, you can bet your bottom dollar that Finn won&amp;rsquo;t drop a crucial ball.&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpLast&quot;&gt;Tony G made one more impressive catch when a Redman ball came to him a bit bobbled. Tony grabbed it, felt it to start to leave his fingers, and then tucked his elbows and hauled the ball into his chest. That&amp;rsquo;s what experience brings.&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 10pt;&quot;&gt;Now, onto QBs!&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1175/Chris_Redman&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Chris Redman&lt;/a&gt; looked to be locked into the second QB spot. He led the Red team to a touchdown and utilized every offensive weapon we have, including Tony G. He rolled out quickly and kept drives alive on third down.&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle&quot;&gt;DJ Shockley saw one drive stall in field goal range and another end with a fumble. To his credit, he only overthrew receivers a couple of times and never once found himself without someone to throw too. His throws were zingers so it&amp;rsquo;s not a surprise some of the softer-handed receivers couldn&amp;rsquo;t hold on.&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpLast&quot;&gt;John Parker Wilson was impressive between the end zones, keeping drives alive with well thrown passes and reaching the endzone twice. He even used his own feet to gain the four yards needed on&amp;nbsp;3rd and 4 when his receivers were well covered. His endzone play was, unfortunately, not as spectacular. When facing the uprights, Wilson seemed to force things, rolling out frantically in order to get away from defensive players. This undoubtedly led to his inability to find a receiver either time he was on the goal line. He did make one good pass to TE Jason Rader in the end zone, but it was easily pawed away by Chris Houston. Wilson did end up being the only QB with an INT, and it came via&amp;hellip;&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;margin: 0in 0in 10pt;&quot;&gt;Brent Grimes!&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst&quot;&gt;Not only did Brent show off his ability as a possible punt returner, he managed to haul in a John Parker Wilson endzone pass that seemed way too high for any normal human being to catch. Grimes, likely shorter than many of the team&amp;rsquo;s ball boys, jumped three stories high and made a spectacular interception. So amazing was it that the Dome production crew played the replay twice.&lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;As for the rest of the secondary, they kept the White team QBs honest and broke up a few passes. Their coverage was air-tight at times. Other than that, they really didn&amp;rsquo;t make many standout plays. &lt;font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Follow the jump for more pics!&lt;/p&gt;


  
&lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151678/DSC00826small.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;photo&quot; src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151678/DSC00826small_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dsc00826small_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;William Moore&lt;/a&gt; signs my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/ATL&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Falcons&lt;/a&gt; helmet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151682/DSC00828small.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;photo&quot; src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151682/DSC00828small_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dsc00828small_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Chris Redman takes his turn signing the helm.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151686/DSC00830small.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;photo&quot; src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151686/DSC00830small_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dsc00830small_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;DeCoud and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/users/tlozwarlock&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;tlozwarlock&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151690/DSC00804small.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;photo&quot; src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151690/DSC00804small_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dsc00804small_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;The Dome Field. Makes you feel warm and fuzzy, doesn't it?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151694/DSC00821small.jpg&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;photo&quot; src=&quot;http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/151694/DSC00821small_medium.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Dsc00821small_medium&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;The team stretches before the mock game&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;More pictures to come!&lt;/p&gt;
  


      </description>
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    <item>
      <title>Busy Falcons News Afternoon</title>
      <guid>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/8/6/980056/busy-falcons-news-afternoon</guid>
      <author>tlozwarlock</author>
      <link>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/8/6/980056/busy-falcons-news-afternoon</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:08:41 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">

  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-right_landscape&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/busy-falcons-news-afternoon&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Matt Ryan tries desperately to find a receiver still standing.&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn3.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/73045/48361_falcons_camp_football.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
    &lt;div class=&quot;photo-meta&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p class=&quot;by clearfix&quot;&gt;
        
          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/busy-falcons-news-afternoon&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by John Bazemore - AP
        
      &lt;/p&gt;
    
      
        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          Matt Ryan tries desperately to find a receiver still standing.
        &lt;/p&gt;
      
    &lt;/div&gt;  
    
    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/busy-falcons-news-afternoon&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;The Good:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/falcons-sign-free-agent-110013.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Falcons have signed Robert Ferguson to a one year contract&lt;/a&gt;. Hopefully we'll get some form of use out of him. Thanks to user&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/users/Pregame%20with%20Pabst&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Pregame with Pabst&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for the link and heads up.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Bad:&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/falcons-lose-110004.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;William Moore is gone for up to four weeks.&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;While it's nice that it's &lt;i&gt;only&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;four weeks and not the season, this will likely keep Moore out of the starting lineup until at least October.&amp;nbsp;Thanks to&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/users/MentallyMIA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MentallyMIA&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;for the heads up.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I know little about Ferguson besides what&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/users/orang3b&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;orang3b&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;has been able to tell us.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 16px;&quot;&gt;[Ferguson o]nly had 3 receptions last year in Minny, and was buried on the depth chart (he only played in one game after their bye week). Whether that was injury or ineffectiveness, I do not know. 2007 he had 32 receptions, though. I certainly think he has more of a chance to contribute than &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2796/Marvin_Harrison&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Marvin Harrison&lt;/a&gt;, for instance&amp;hellip;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 15px; font-weight: bold;&quot;&gt;...&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5 class=&quot;comment_title&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;&quot;&gt;He&amp;rsquo;s definitely just &quot;a guy&quot;. The last (and only) time he was good was 2003. Since then his DVOA (value over average) has been negative, and his Catch Rate right around 50%.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As for Moore, him missing up to a month will hurt his chances of getting an early start this season. I personally felt, even after just seeing him during minicamp, that he was primed to start from day one. Still, I think DeCoud will make a fine starting safety.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What a day, what a day...&lt;/p&gt;
  


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      <title>Atlanta Falcons Training Camp Observations, August 4 Edition</title>
      <guid>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/8/4/976810/atlanta-falcons-training-camp</guid>
      <author>Dave the Falconer</author>
      <link>http://www.thefalcoholic.com/2009/8/4/976810/atlanta-falcons-training-camp</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:00:18 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">

  &lt;div class=&quot;photo-tpl photo-tpl-big_time&quot;&gt;

    &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/atlanta-falcons-training-camp&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Harvey Dahl wonders if he's going to have the punch someone pictured off-camera. (AP Photo/John Amis)&quot; class=&quot;ap_photo&quot; src=&quot;http://cdn3.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/71455/47992_falcons_camp_football.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
    
    &lt;div class=&quot;photo-meta&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p class=&quot;by clearfix&quot;&gt;
        
          &lt;span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/atlanta-falcons-training-camp&quot;&gt;More photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
        
        
          by John Amis - AP
        
      &lt;/p&gt;
    
      
        &lt;p class=&quot;cap&quot;&gt;
          
          Harvey Dahl wonders if he's going to have the punch someone pictured off-camera. (AP Photo/John Amis)
        &lt;/p&gt;
      
    &lt;/div&gt;  
    
    &lt;p class=&quot;more-link&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thefalcoholic.com/photos/atlanta-falcons-training-camp&quot;&gt;Browse more photos &amp;raquo;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;/div&gt;


&lt;p&gt;With so much training camp news out there and the season so close, I thought it was time to collect observations from beat writers, fellow bloggers and those closest to the team. As usual, I'll be offering my own analysis and generally snarky commentary. I just can't help myself, you know.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Let's jump in:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A really great observation buried a little bit in this story from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.examiner.com/x-1778-Atlanta-Falcons-Examiner~y2009m8d3-Atlanta-Falcons-Sights-and-Sounds-of-camp-8309?#comments&quot;&gt;Atlanta Falcons Examiner&lt;/a&gt;, who notes that the rapport between Matt Ryan and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34728/Harry_Douglas&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Harry Douglas&lt;/a&gt; is something special. Douglas is also showing great hands in the early going here in camp, according to writer Daniel Cox. Some readers and pundits have asked why Douglas can't slide into the starting lineup if &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1192/Roddy_White&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Roddy White&lt;/a&gt;'s holdout drags on, and I'm here to tell you that even with the great showing, the talent disparity at this point is still a little bit too wide. There's no doubt that Douglas has a bright future ahead of him, though. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1107/John_Abraham&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;John Abraham&lt;/a&gt; keeps a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/abraham-works-to-strengthen-107587.html&quot;&gt;particularly hardy core-strengthening regiment&lt;/a&gt; going in the off-season, according to beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC. The ravenous sack monster has found that the exercises have eliminated his groin injuries, which have cost him significant time previously in his career. It's hard to say whether it's 100% those exericses or 50% that and 50% superstition, but whatever keeps Abe on the field is better than okay with me. He should be due for another double digit sack season with a little more help along the line.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Interesting quote from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1431/Mike_Smith&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Mike Smith&lt;/a&gt; regarding &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2725/Von_Hutchins&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Von Hutchins&lt;/a&gt;, who according to the &lt;a href=&quot;http:// Q. Can you talk about the battle at the safety position with William Moore, Thomas DeCoud, and Von Hutchins out there getting some reps? A. &quot;&gt;Official Site&lt;/a&gt; is getting reps at safety:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;&quot;I think the defensive side of the ball has more position battles and more competition. I think the safety position is one where there is a good battle. We&amp;rsquo;ve moved Von in getting him more reps. Von is a very valuable guy for us because he can play corner, he can play nickel, and we&amp;rsquo;re working him at safety.&amp;nbsp; He could be a utility player if he doesn&amp;rsquo;t win the starting position. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/71259/William_Moore&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;William Moore&lt;/a&gt; is just learning our system, but he has the skill set we are looking for the safety position. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/34727/Thomas_DeCoud&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Thomas DeCoud&lt;/a&gt; is coming back from his rookie year last year where he had the opportunity to compete and play on special teams. Of course, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1219/Erik_Coleman&quot; class=&quot;sbn-auto-link&quot;&gt;Erik Coleman&lt;/a&gt; is a returning starter. We are going to put a good eye on all players and the best 53 guys are going to be the guys who make our roster.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/i&gt;That sums up the safety battle without really giving you any hint of who is going to win, but the thought of Von Hutchins in a utility role is an intriguing one. The dude's a versatile defensive back who would seem less likely to win the strong safety job because William Moore is a better pure hitter and Thomas DeCoud is arguably a better coverage guy, but if he could jump in at nickel back or fill in at safety when needed, Hutchins could see a ton of snaps this year.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2009/08/03/five-questions-blank-on-falcons-white-ticket-sales/?cxntfid=blogs_jeff_schultz_blog&quot;&gt;The AJC's Jeff Schultz&lt;/a&gt; has a short and very candid interview with Arthur Blank, where he talks about the close relationship between Mike Smith, Thomas Dimitroff and Rich McKay, and admits that ticket sales are still catching up after the Mike Vick and Bobby Petrino fiasco. Rather than go into this at length, I'll just note that I have &lt;i&gt;never &lt;/i&gt;been happier with the owner, front office and coaching staff than I am right now. I hope this feeling lasts. &lt;strike&gt;&lt;/strike&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strike&gt;Probably nothing, but did anyone else notice that on the Official Site's roster matrix, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.atlantafalcons.com/People/Roster.aspx?q=position&quot;&gt;John Parker Wilson is listed as a wide receiver? &lt;/a&gt;If this has any legs I expect we'll hear more about it in the days ahead, but JPW as a receiver is a very, very intriguing thought. If you've got any news on this, make sure you let me know.&lt;/strike&gt; Strike that. J. Mike at the site says it's just an issue with the roster. Ah well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;li&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  


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