Heavy Is The Head Which Wears The General Manager Hat

by Dave the Falconer on Feb 7, 2008 1:42 AM EST in Falcons News Comment 3 comments

Tom Dimitroff is wielding a hefty axe right now, and there's little doubt in my mind that he's going to start swinging it soon:

"Right now we have not concluded if we need to go for a left tackle, running back, safety or whatever in the draft and free agency," Dimitroff said last week in an exclusive interview with the Journal-Constitution. "We're bringing it all together, see where our strengths are, see where the money is, examine the [salary] cap ramifications and move forward."

He has a refreshing attitude toward the draft, saying he won't go for a QB in the top five just because it's the popular thing to do. Perhaps most importantly, the team seems intent on freeing up some $20+ million in cap space. To do that, they're going to have to cut some cap-munching veterans, which Wyche provides examples of:

Warrick Dunn: I love him to death, but after last season it's clear he could help another team a lot more than us. Send him on his way with all the honors you can, but if it's cap-feasible he should be cut.

Keith Brooking: See above.

Joe Horn: Oh God yes.

Wayne Gandy: Effective but so old. It's time to revamp the line.

Rod Coleman: Tough call here. The Falcons have a lot of promising young talent already, but Coleman is a pass rushing beast when healthy. I might be tempted to hold on to him if I were the Comrade.

Alge Crumpler: He's not as effective without Michael Vick, and injuries and ineffectiveness ruled the day last season. I think we should cut...

We should....

I can't do it.

Thomas Vladviostok Dimitroff, if you cut Alge Crumpler, I will cry. I will cry the tears of a tiny pigtailed girl, and when they are dry, I will stomp my legs and throw one hell of a hissy fit. It's completely irrational and it may not be good for the team, but I can't let you get rid of one of my favorite players ever and one of the most genuine guys in football. So help me God, Dimitroff.

The problem that Dimitroff faces and likely doesn't care about is how many fans are going to have reactions like me; ideally, he'll make decisions in the best interest of the team even if they're wildly unpopular. It's just going to be difficult for the fanbase to accept that guys who have been such a part of this franchise's lore will have to be chucked to the wayside if this team is ever going to contend on an annual basis. It's a very painful truth, which is why I'm glad we have someone who can apparently see it.

Who else should get the axe?

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Algernon Darius Crumpler

Dave, it is very well possible that I share your desire for Crump to remain a falcon because I viewed his efforts last season through rose colored glasses. I truly beleive that with an effective QB (Also, why does Redman get so little love from all the other posters here, he put up solid performances in all but 1 game, and in a season that is sure to be a rebuilding effort, i would be happy with him at QB.) Crumpler would perform at a high level. While I agree that the rest of the guys you mentioned are indeed on the way out, Crump is one of the guys I think the team desperately needs to hold onto. He provides great veteran leadership and a great security blanket for anyone we have under center

by Hamburger on Feb 10, 2008 2:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

one more note

if it became clear that only one of the players you mentioned in your post were to remain with the team, i would have a tough time choosing between Coleman and Crumpler. Coleman has been the most eyepopping and disruptive defensive player the team has had in the past half decade. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the 5 guys on the O-Line and the 4 on the D-Line are 9 of the 10 most important players on the team.

by Hamburger on Feb 10, 2008 2:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Possible Cuts

You mentioned possible cuts but I want to talk about untouchables. The Falcons as a team is not in shambles as the media likes to make us believe. There are some good, very good, and extra good players on this team. There are three mentioned above that if we cut, we will not be able to replace anytime soon. They are Rod Coleman, Keith Brookings, and Alge Crumpler. Rod Coleman when healthy is a beast. After a full year of recovery he is scheduled to have a beast of a season (SEE PATRICK KERNEY). Why should we allow other teams to harvest our players based on faulty reasoning. Keith Brooking has been playing out of position for over two years. He is a natural leader along with an exceptional player in his normal position. Let's concentration on getting a middle linebacker rather than gutting our resources. There maybe better tigh ends than Algie Crumpler, but we will not find one anytime soon. Algie still has a couple of good seasons left, the Falcons can use those seasons. Reworking their compensation to give us more cap space makes more sense than starting over and hoping that replacement players eventually become as good or better than what we now have!

Richie

by richie on Feb 11, 2008 11:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs