Falcons Quote of the Day: Franchising Brent Grimes?

by James Rael on Feb 15, 2012 11:28 PM EST

Falcons fandom isn't easy right now. These are the doldrums. And when I say "the doldrums," I'm not referring to the belt of calm/light winds north of the equator between the northern and southern trade winds in the Atlantic/Pacific oceans. No sir, I'm referring to a dull, listless, depressed time period.

Never fear though, things will eventually get interesting. When they do, the decision to sign Grimes or let him walk will assuredly draw some attention. Bleacher Report columnist Chris Trapasso wrote an article about it. He had this to say about the situation:

If the Falcons want to franchise him, it will cost them a shade over $10 million next season. The 28-year-old Grimes could be in line for a four-year deal, according to sports writer D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

If he hits the open market, there should be a variety of teams looking to add him to their secondary. He's a gritty playmaker who seemingly overachieves every season.

I'm not sure if ten million would be worth it. GMs have to hedge their bets. Is Grimes worth ten million? Maybe. But there are two pressing questions. First, is it in the best interests of the franchise to lock him down long-term? Second, if the plan is to franchise him, would doing so unduly hinder our roster? To be frank, neither answer seems clear to me. At least not yet.

Discuss!

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The question is if

Grimes at $10 mil worth more than Lofton at $6-8 mil. Can’t see how we would survive letting them both go in free agency

Atlanta sports have singlehandedly crushed my soul.

by Beachy Keen on Feb 15, 2012 11:44 PM EST reply actions

I Think We

Can get Lofton for 5-7 Million, he has the numbers but has never made a probowl and isnt that effective in pass coverage, so even if he goes FA he wont be able to get the Big Deal unless some team foolishly overpays for him

by Nedk23 on Feb 16, 2012 12:02 AM EST up reply actions

No Because

As good as we know BG is, it doesnt matter how many good CBs you have if there’s no pass rush they’ll be ineffective. To go along with that I really dont think he is fit for a Mike Nolan defense, he had Sean Smith and Vonte Davis in MIA to big physical press corners that just isnt brents type of game, and the times he has been beat this year were when he was in man coverage (see seattle game). Anyways I have confidence DR will be the Robinson from Hou and Franks will step up nicely and a good player for us.

by Nedk23 on Feb 16, 2012 12:01 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

Yes.

I couldn’t agree more with you. Grimes is a great corner but him and DR are gonna completely switch roles under Nolan. Dunta will thrive and Grimes will struggle. Its seems that most fans don’t see it this way. It sucks cuz we all love Grimes and have watched him flourish into a great corner, but he will be a better fit elsewhere.

by dirtybird in ak on Feb 16, 2012 12:47 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

Agreed

I love Mighty Mouse as much as the next Falcon fan. But under Nolan his value diminishes to this team, but he’s going to want the big pay day – and I don’t blame him one bit – and some other team will surely give it to him. Let them. I’ll wish him well but he’s a zone corner who should now move to a team desperately seeking one. And as noted, we should see a lot more value out of Dunta under Nolan. Let’s hope so, anyhow.

by dom on Feb 16, 2012 2:27 AM EST reply actions

I say let BG walk....

resign Lofton to a 4 yr deal at 7 mil per, and then franchise Abe. I dont understand why people want to let Abe go. He still has a couple good years left and would do good in Nolans defense, especially when we switched to a 3-4 even, Abe would drop back to the opther OLB spot and rush the passer – what he does best. By doing the signings this way, we get to keep 2 of 3 and let the one go that will have the least value to us under the new DC.

WELL, THAT FREAKIN' BLOWED!!
2012 MAYBE?
probably not. lol

by ATLsince1972 on Feb 16, 2012 3:19 AM EST reply actions

My biggest concern

…about letting Abe go, apart from the very reasons you state, is where he might end up. The Saints are going to be looking for pass rushing help with Spags as their new DC. The idea of Abe in a Saints uniform coming after Matt Ryan next year gives me nightmares.

by dom on Feb 16, 2012 3:30 AM EST up reply actions

Whoa

I didn’t think about that. Man that would suck to watch him sack Matt to the delight of the NO fans in the Superdome

If Halladay, Lee, and Hamels all break their arms while playing tag in the clubhouse, We'll be set

by suicide bunting is a sin on Feb 16, 2012 7:02 AM EST up reply actions

Abe should go too

1 year early is better than 1 year late.

by pierre02 on Feb 16, 2012 4:10 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

Exactly.

And 10 million a year for Abe is crazy.

by widderslainte on Feb 16, 2012 8:13 AM EST up reply actions

Nobody said Abe would cost 10 million to keep...

by bischoje on Feb 16, 2012 3:47 PM EST up reply actions

The beauty of the 3-4 is that you dont know where the rush is coming from.

All (at least 3 of the 4) should be adequate at both the rush and coverage. Abe would never cut it as a LB in any system. He would still be an asset as an edge rusher from one of the DE spots in passing situations. Franchising Abe, however will never happen. That would put him at roughly 11+_mil for 1 year. He might take a 2 year contract at 4-5 a year. This I would do.

by SmokeyBell on Feb 16, 2012 3:13 PM EST up reply actions

Short answer

Hell no. Were already forking over money to DR no need to pay Grimes that much. He is a good player but it’s not like he is Revis or Bailey. He will be a nickel corner anyway in Nolan’s scheme so let him walk.

by pierre02 on Feb 16, 2012 4:07 AM EST via mobile reply actions

As noted elsewhere, DR is going to be a completely different corner in man-to-man under Nolan. And when I say completely different, I mean for the better.

by Pete E. Tong on Feb 16, 2012 11:44 AM EST up reply actions

Robinson/Franks/Owens

It depends on how good TD thinks these guys are.

That being said, you can count the number of good CBs that Falcons have had in their history on one hand. Grimes is pretty good, throw another 2 inches on him and you wouldn’t dream of letting him loose. He is the only play maker in the Dbackfield.

But it really becomes almost moot, as when our pass rush walks out the door with Abe whoever is back there is going to get torched big time.

by Whopper Dawg on Feb 16, 2012 6:56 AM EST reply actions

WTH?

Why in the hell do people keep saying Grimes isn’t good in press coverage and man2man? Someone, PLEASE, give me this evidence. He’s been with Atl and the soft zone pretty much his whole career. How in the hell do we know if he’ll be good at that scheme or not yet? IMHO, he’s the most agile dback we have by far. I think he’d be our best cb, BY FAR, in any scheme.

by JC23 on Feb 16, 2012 8:29 AM EST reply actions

It might be about his size more than anything else.

by mwalex on Feb 16, 2012 12:39 PM EST up reply actions

even if he has hops that beat out much taller guys?

People look to size and all but they always forget this man plays much much taller than he is. Let me ask this…who would you have between Darrell Green during his heyday or Grimes? Most would say Green but they would be astonished to know that Green is only 5-9! Stop holding back on Grimes because he is short or because he can “only play zone”. How does anyone know what he can play since he has only played zone in ATL? I tell ya, some fans on here would find a reason to want to trade Revis and Deion (in his prime) and Rod Woodson (in his prime) if we had them on our team.

Dont cloud the issue with facts!

by muuzilla on Feb 16, 2012 12:50 PM EST up reply actions

franchise grimes, and trade him for a 2&3 draft pick, then april gets more intresting!

"I'm about rings now"
~Arthur Blank

by CollegePark4Life on Feb 16, 2012 8:33 AM EST reply actions

Keep Grimes...

He’ll adjust to any changes. Look how far he’s come in his career! He’s a unique talent and the kind of guy I love rooting for. If I had to choose between Lofton and Grimes, I’d take Grimes (don’t get me wrong, I love Lofton too).

"It's called Thanksgiving for a reason. If I can give and people thank me for it, that's kind of the thing that makes me feel great inside." - Dunta

by TomQ on Feb 16, 2012 9:29 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

I'd say no

to franchising BG. I love seeing BG in black and red but ATL would be in trouble paying him and DR while trying to sign Lofton and Abe or Abe’s replacement. There is also the issue about an OL FA that would demand a big salary.

ATL will have to make some sacrifices this off season and BG might be one of them.

by mwalex on Feb 16, 2012 12:44 PM EST reply actions

It's not that I think he'll do bad in a man coverage scheme.

It’s just that I think we have more pressing needs to address. If we were to implement some type of man coverage scheme and retain BG it would be in his best interest to gain some weight and muscle on his frame. I think he would do well in that case.

Brent Grimes: 5’9-5’10 – 181 lbs

I mean, there have been shorter and height comparible cornerbacks who have done well in man coverage:

Kevin Dockery : 5’8 – 188 lbs
Darrell Revis: 5’11 – 198 lbs
Leon Hall: 5’11 – 193 lbs
Tramon Williams: 5’11 – 191 lbs

Ron Artest = Ron (sm)Artest - He Is The Most Interesting Man In The World

by JoshChildressAfroIsCure4Cancer on Feb 16, 2012 2:07 PM EST reply actions

Hate to say it but BG is nnot 5'9 - 5'10 by any means.

I am 5’8. He is shorter than me. I met him at open practice last year.

by SmokeyBell on Feb 16, 2012 3:17 PM EST up reply actions

I was trying to find his height.

and everywhere I looked it said 5’9 or 5’10. I knew he couldn’t have been that tall

Ron Artest = Ron (sm)Artest - He Is The Most Interesting Man In The World

by JoshChildressAfroIsCure4Cancer on Feb 16, 2012 8:25 PM EST up reply actions

Don't franchise him

If you can get him for a multi-year deal that works for both sides, pull the trigger immediately. If you can’t, you let him walk and figure out other options.

I basically feel that way about every one of our free agents, though I’m loath to lose some of them.

by Dave Choate on Feb 16, 2012 3:56 PM EST reply actions

The big question for me

is did Grimes take himself out of the playoff game against the Giants or was he really still too injured to play. Some reports have the coaching staff as being shocked he did not play in that game. Mike Smith and TD know the truth here. If he took himself out of that game based on some future contract and was cleared to play by the doctors, I would not even acknowledge he was due a contract with the Falcons. Kick rocks!

by Kushion on Feb 16, 2012 8:55 PM EST up reply actions

I’d rather put that money towards DE/DT. A good pass rush will make average CBs good, and good CBs great. I think we can get more than decent CB play from the guys we have, with improved QB pressure.

by Bedhead514 on Feb 16, 2012 6:02 PM EST reply actions