Peering At Position Battles After The Falcons-Dolphins Tilt

by Dave Choate on Aug 14, 2011 8:00 AM EDT in Falcons News

So what did that first pre-season game do for the camp battles we've profiled thus far? Let's not waste any time dinking around before we answer this urgent question.

In total, we've profiled four camp battles up to this point. You can find my original posts here, here, here and aqui. I've touched base on a battle I hadn't yet written about, too.

You can find it all after the jump. Why wait?

Mike Johnson vs. Garrett Reynolds: Whether you thought Reynolds performed flawlessly Friday night or not, he showed he's a capable run blocker and someone who can grow into right guard. With Johnson still out with a concussion, this job is all but GR's.

Adam Froman vs. John Parker Wilson: Still trying to figure out how JPW's doing, because that's going to go a long way toward determining how this one ends up. JPW was sloppy but had his moments, while Froman quietly did okay until his game-ending interception. JPW's got the definite leg up, but I'm not ready to call this one just yet.

Stephen Nicholas vs. Mike Peterson: Neither was a true standout in this game, given their limited playing time. But I think Nicholas is pretty clearly the starter, mostly because Mike Peterson is telling everyone he's the backup. That's straightforward talk, right there.

Dominique Franks vs. Chris Owens: Rafael Bush is a factor here, also, but Franks is bigger, stronger and a more natural cornerback, even if Bush had a heads-up pick in the game. Owens got burnt to a crisp and Franks did fine in his action, so I think we've all but resolved this one. Unless, of course, something goes horribly wrong.

Dominique Franks vs. Eric Weems: Here's the new one. Franks looked very natural returning kicks Friday night, while Brandyn Harvey looked great in the passing game. I like Weems and think he's valuable, but if the coaching staff is willing to toss their nickel back in harm's way on special teams, he could be expendable. This is one to watch in the weeks ahead.

Got any you'd like to add to the list?

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Comments

Having watched Mike Johnson as an All-American at Bama

I have a feeling he is going to be a long term stalwart on the line. I love what Reynolds is doing right now; Johnson being a year behind can provide quality depth this year before pushing Blalock next year.

'There are two pains in life. There is the pain of discipline and the pain of disappointment. If you can handle the pain of discipline, then you'll never have to deal with the pain of disappointment,'- Nick Saban

by J Tadpole on Aug 14, 2011 8:06 AM EDT reply actions

Blalock just signed a six-year deal

And is by far our best interior lineman. Unless he can learn to snap the ball, Johnson is going to be buried on this depth chart for quite some time.

by TheAreopagite on Aug 14, 2011 8:57 AM EDT up reply actions

I know about the deal

but the only reason he might be our best OG is because Dahl left. I don’t think Blalock is that great honestly.

by J Tadpole on Aug 14, 2011 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions

And actually,

Reynolds and Clabo could end up as the starting tackles at some point if Baker doesn’t improve with Blalock and Johnson at guard.

by J Tadpole on Aug 14, 2011 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions

This scenario is no where close to happening.

The Falcons spoke volumes as to who they thought was the better guard when they decided to sign Blalock over Dahl and I concur 100%.

by Fear Me on Aug 14, 2011 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions

Are you sure they decided that?

If I’m not mistaken Dahl left before Blalock was signed. In any case, Baker is probably the weakest link on the line.

by J Tadpole on Aug 14, 2011 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Dahl/Blalock is a push

They’re both solid – nothing spectacular, but good in the running game. Baker is definitely the weakest link though, and he makes me nervous. With a franchise QB, you really need to have a solid LT that isn’t setting you back 5 yards because he’s jumpy. That said, I do think this is his year to prove he deserves to be the blindside guy. If he continues to middle, I think we see someone else slide into that spot.

by The DW on Aug 14, 2011 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions

That's what I was thinking.

Clabo at LT, Reynolds at RT. Hopefully he improves enough for this discussion to b moot though.

by J Tadpole on Aug 14, 2011 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions

Thing is

Clabo signed a RT deal. He’s not playing LT for that $. As for Dahl/Blalock, Dahl is on the wrong side of 30 and not really going to develop more as a player. Whereas JB is only 27(ish). While Harvey may be better pound for pound, Blalock still has room to grow.

by birdwatch on Aug 14, 2011 12:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Not likely to see Clabo swith to LT

as it’s a difficult transition from RT to LT.

by mwalex on Aug 14, 2011 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Darren Walls

If this kid can prove himself on ST. This kid could bump someone on the practice squad.

by flyinhigh on Aug 14, 2011 8:31 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Defensive End

Cliff Matthews showed me alot. Emmanuel Stephens is battling for a spot, also. Mr Bierrmen didn’t look bad. And we didn’t even see what our money gets us with Abraham/Edwards pairing.
Oh and that Belgrave kid at safetey in his up and down play made me frustrated.

by flyinhigh on Aug 14, 2011 8:41 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

I'd throw Sid in there too.

I thought he did alright for himself. He was hustlin all night and getting pressure on a lot of plays plus his hit on the qb started the whole Bush INT sequence.

by A. "Falmouth" Thomas on Aug 14, 2011 9:26 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

by Dave Choate on Aug 14, 2011 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Like Matthews

I think Sidbury realizes he has few opportunities left and needs to show something now. No way the Falcons carry 6 DEs on the roster (Abe, Ray, Beer-man, Chauncey, Sid, Matthews). I think Matthews still spends a year on the practice squad to give him time to build up some size and learn better hand technique. However, if Matthews significantly outshines Sid during this preseason, it wouldn’t shock me to see Sid cut.

by The DW on Aug 14, 2011 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Bear Woods

Seems too have some momentum. Can he push Robert James or the other STer. That’s one of the other position battle.

by flyinhigh on Aug 14, 2011 8:45 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

I'm with you on

Bear. He seemed to be around the ball on almost every play. I think you were referring to S Adkins when you mentioned “the other STer” but I think he should replace Wire. Wire is a good SP player and even led some workouts during the lock-out but I’ve never been impressed with him as a backer, at all (or maybe I just still mad at how putrid he was against the Cardinals in that playoff game way back).

by A. "Falmouth" Thomas on Aug 14, 2011 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions

Superior Post!

Great read. My morning so far…

Click 1: AJC.com "What We Learned from Falcon’s Loss" to read day-old/watered down information complete with the typical grammatical errors (Mike Peterson now in a "reserve rule").

Click 2: ESPN.com NFC South Blog to read…nothing. Pat Y often outperforms DLed (which isn’t saying a lot) but his physical proximity to the Bucs and history with the Panthers seems to create some occasional bias. Today…three new Panthers posts and a preview of Bucs posts planned for Sunday/Monday.

Click 3: TheFalcoholic.com to read MEANINGFUL OBSERVATIONS that cut to the point and give Falcon fans UP TO DATE INSIGHTS as to where things stand.

Clearly I am clicking in the wrong order. Keep up the GREAT WORK!

by LifeLongBirdFan on Aug 14, 2011 9:05 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Agreed.

I’d say that Pat Y is mostly un-biased, but he does heap a ridiculous amount of praise on Freeman – after only one full season starting. He also loves Brees but I do have to say, he never fails to prop up Ryan either.

DOL coverage is just sad. Softball questions and empty articles.

Love the Falcoholic and loved the live chat during the preseason game! I think I’m going to stick around for a while.

by The DW on Aug 14, 2011 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions

You are always welcome to

And LifeLong, thank you.

by Dave Choate on Aug 14, 2011 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions

Yep

AJC also has entirely too many trolls of other teams for some odd reason. It’s excruciating.

by introvertedGSUfan on Aug 14, 2011 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Dave I’m so glad you named E. Weems versus D. Franks and B. Harvey. That was an unknown camp battle to me until Friday night. I don’t know how a guy who made the Probowl last year doesn’t make the final roster or how often that happens, but this could be one of those cases. You add J. Rodgers, and H. Douglas to our return game and that’s not good for E. Weems. I’m not counting E. Weems out but the fact that he was only resigned to a one year deal lets me know that his job was never secured. Also B. Harvey is stepping it up big time this year and being that E. Weems was never a recieving threat, that just adds more uncertainty.

"I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be
Kobe Bryant"

-Kobe Bryant

by waltbabyluv on Aug 14, 2011 9:54 AM EDT reply actions

Weems value

I wouldn’t count Eric Weems out just yet. He was a pro-bowler, but not due to his return duties – he was on the squad because of his excellent coverage skills. The guy is a solid tackler and finds a way to always be around the ball.

As a receiver, he’s got decent hands and runs solid routes. Harvey is going to be a project, and is probably looking at practice squad duty for this year. I do think you could see Franks returning the ball more, but Weems roster spot is not that threatened at this point.

by The DW on Aug 14, 2011 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions

Weems

Supposedly is doing great in camp today with Ryan throwing to him. I wonder if Harvey is getting opportunities with Ryan? Can anyone who has been to camp confirm or deny?

by KMarch on Aug 14, 2011 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions

JPW vs. AFROMAN…Really Relevant?

I just saw the QB Ratings from Friday night:.

MattyIce: 122.9 (Sweet!)
JPW: 57.1 (With a year under his belt; against backups.)
AFROMAN 22.9 (Granted he’s only been around for two weeks. But the same would seem to be true for most of the defenders he was working against.)

Questions:
Redman is in his mid-30s…how much longer can he be a viable #2? How comfortable are we now in knowing he is one blindside hit away from being #1?

JPW and AFROMAN are both UFAs…is there any realistic chance either will "develop" into a viable #2 before Redman’s clock winds down?

Or…is a more likely scenario to be TD signing a proven veteran to fill the #2 slot when the time comes? If so, do the 57.1 and 22.9 QB Ratings go from worrisome to irrelevant?

by LifeLongBirdFan on Aug 14, 2011 9:56 AM EDT reply actions

Redman is a decent stop-gap

But we do need to find someone who can be a long-term backup. Few teams could suffer the loss of their starting QB, but we do need someone who can carry the team decently should Ryan get banged up. Redman has done well in this regard, but his 3 million against the cap and his age are making him a target for eventual cuts.

Personally, I think JPW can still be the guy, but he has to settle in a bit better than what he did the other night.

by The DW on Aug 14, 2011 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions

We shall see about Redman soon.

I think he’s always done a spectacular job when called upon but he is old. I’m not really overimpressed with our backup QB situation, especially when you look at teams like GB, NE, NO and the eagles. They have all found ways of getting good backups.

Rule #1: Double tap.

by Ball Hawk on Aug 14, 2011 10:12 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Well

If the falcons weren’t so picky they could have had VY for peanuts just like Philly. I love the way Falcons do things but every now and then I’d like to see them take a chance on someone. Philly will deal VY in a couple years for a nice pick if Vick stays healthy and if he doesn’t then VY will battle Kafka for that spot. You gotta give Philly some credit. They’ve taken Vick and obtained 5 draft picks and a probowl player for him by dealing the other QB’s. I’d like to see TD do some of these things too.

by BigFalcon84 on Aug 14, 2011 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions

VY not a good fit

Young would not have been a good fit in our system, and I just don’t see him as that good of a QB. He made a lot happen in TN with his legs, but his accuracy is suspect and his decision making was below average. He will get playing time in Philly, but probably would never see a snap in Atlanta. So, for Philly, grabbing him as insurance made a ton of sense – especially when you factor in the ability to use him as trade-bait in a year.

by The DW on Aug 14, 2011 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Vince Young

is a terrible QB. Why do you suppose the Eagle got him for peanuts? Because few teams wanted to deal with his immaturity and tantrums. If ATL had signed Young I would have been terrible dissapointed in our FO.

by mwalex on Aug 14, 2011 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions

They won't be able to trade him in a few years

Because he signed a 1 year deal.

by Mosugo on Aug 15, 2011 6:57 AM EDT up reply actions

It's entirely possible

I think the coaching staff would like to cultivate someone who is young and grasps the offense. So often, veteran backups who are called upon in their first year in the systems are decent to bad.

But if they keep playing like this, yeah, the next Redman may be on the wrong side of 30 again.

by Dave Choate on Aug 14, 2011 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions

Nicholas vs Peterson

is a non issue, it has already been pretty much said Nich is the starter and Peterson has talked about how he don’t mind being the backup

by chaz s on Aug 14, 2011 10:48 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs

Exactly

But I had mentioned it shortly before they made the announcement, so I just wanted to circle the wagons. The right guy is starting there.

by Dave Choate on Aug 15, 2011 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Another battle is Defensive End

There’s no way, with Ray Edwards, John Abraham, and Kroy Biermann definitely keeping spots on the roster, that the Falcons can keep Chauncey Davis, Lawrence Sidbury, and Cliff Matthews, can they?

Chauncey is making some serious money, so I think he has a leg up, which puts us at El Sid vs. Cliff Matthews. Pretty solid battle right there.

by ndnpride8806 on Aug 14, 2011 1:16 PM EDT reply actions

The money could put him at a disadvantage

The team could keep Stephens, Matthews and Sidbury for less than Davis.

by Mosugo on Aug 15, 2011 6:57 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I don't think theres a KR battle

Weems fair caught all of his on coaches instructions. If he was fighting for his position, I would think they’d tell him go for it. Franks had a nice return but I think they’re looking at options in case Weems goes down

by zooker on Aug 14, 2011 1:59 PM EDT reply actions

Oh and Sidbury looks like his days could be numbered

Shillinger too

by zooker on Aug 14, 2011 2:00 PM EDT reply actions

I thought Sidbury got some nice pressure

Granted I fell asleep about halfway through his 2nd series on the field

by FLA_Falcon on Aug 14, 2011 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Shillinger looked soft

who’s our backup safety behind Moore and Decoud?

by roblovvorn on Aug 14, 2011 6:20 PM EDT reply actions

because that dude ain't gonna cut it

by roblovvorn on Aug 14, 2011 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions

One of the backups is Schillinger

by mwalex on Aug 14, 2011 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions

that's too bad

maybe one of the Rafael’s can step up

by roblovvorn on Aug 14, 2011 6:55 PM EDT reply actions

Bush looked good

by Mosugo on Aug 15, 2011 6:58 AM EDT up reply actions

Our Bear

Having known Bear since he was a child. I can assure everyone that he plays hard and gives it his all! He will make plays every time he is on the field! He is also a great person who deserves a spot on the team! He is a hardworking team player! AND a super role model!!!

by mamacat on Aug 14, 2011 10:18 PM EDT reply actions