Michael Turner is definitely the man in the Falcons' backfield for 2012, but there's no denying the fact he will need replacing in the relatively near future. David Wilson is a name that popped up on some very early mock drafts in 2011, and after falling off a bit, he's made a resurgence. Several sites/sources are starting to list Wilson as Atlanta's Round 2 pick in April. Let's take a look at the latest dark horse to land in Georgia.

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http://www.11alive.com/news/article/225816/40/Super-Bowl-in-Atlanta-Hefty-price-tag-for-open-air-stadium

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With the best Tight End in NFL history deciding to call it quits after next season, I think it is only right that we start looking for a replacement to be mentored under him for the next year. With that said I think our best option would be in the draft as free agency doesn't hold too many "homerun threats" at TE. This year honestly has one of the best drafting pools for Tight Ends that I have seen in my 18 years of life...

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What is going on's people. I am here to present another mock draft(screams from all over the forum). My last mock I had us trading MT to the Jets for a 4th. To my surprise it really didn't go over too well with some of you guys. It's cool though. In this draft I assume we do the TD thing and stay put. I do believe though we will get a compensation pick for Dahl most likely a 4th.

2nd: Casey Hayward/CB/Vandy: Lets face it Grimes isn't coming back. Our secondary as is, is decent but we could always use new talent. Input Hayward. This kid is a ballhawk. A little bit undersized at 5-11 he still has the instincts to play either zone or man. Since Nolan will be wanting to leave our CB's on a island more this is a very important skill. He also is aggressive in the run game and is a solid tackler. With this move we should be able to move DR to FS and start Franks and Hayward as our CB's.

3rd: Evan Rodriguez/TE/Temple: Gonzo isn't getting any younger. We need to start at least grooming his replacement. Rodriguez should be that guy. A former basketball player Guez( you like) was really under used at Temple. Some experts compare him to a "poor man's" Aaron Hernadez but there both fluid runners with great hands. Plus Guez is a better blocker than Hernadez and with Gonzo's help Guez should turn into a quality starter for us.

4th.(compensation pick): Chandler Jones/DE/Syracuse: After the 2nd round the DE crop talent wise drops significantly. I think if we could grab this guy in the 4th it would be a steal. He has good size at 6-5, 265 lbs and would be perfect for Nolan's hybrid defense since he could play 4-3 DE or a 3-4 OLB. He is solid in the run game and is quick off the line. His stock is on the rise since he is beginning to get his legs back after a injury hampered him this past season. He does rely to heavily on the bull rush so learning some new moves should help him become a solid pass rusher for us.

5th: Robert Turbin/RB/Utah St.: Snelling might not return and MT could be on his way out. I suggest we take a flyer on a RB in this draft. Turbin is my late round choice. He is a elusive runner with some power and soft hands. He averaged over 6.1 yards a carry last year and rushed for 1,517 yards and 19 TD's. Another tid bit his favorite superhero is the hulk so you know he runs with anger.

6th: Ryan Nassib/QB/Syracuse: They have to get a new back up QB either through the draft or FA. This is my favorite of the late round QB's. He is a clutch performer and has improved every year. If he gets some grooming and continues to improve he could develop into a quality starter down the road.

7th: Patrick Edwards/WR/Hou.: A lot of rumors have been swirling about HD going to Jax. I have no idea why he would want to but ok. If these rumors are true we are going to need a new slot. My choice returned to school(Ryan Swope) youtube him he is a beast. Unless Cone steps up or they grab a WR in FA we will need a new one. Edwards is quicker than he is fast. He runs nice routes and has soft hands. Some think he is a product of Houston's system but I think he has some skills to be a good slot WR for this team.

So there it is feel free to comment.

This free agent strong safety is one of the more dynamic players on the Redskins defense and in the entire league. Wouldn't you love to watch the Falcons' defense with this guy on the field? Landry is 27 years old and would instantly bring that intimidation factor to our defense. The Falcons' defense is not feared by anyone really. We all want a defense that instills fear in our opponents. Landry is a 6 foot 220 pound safety that is built like a brick house and hits like a Mack truck. We currently have a safety like that in William Moore but not in Thomas DeCoud. If your reading this and wondering why this player isn't being pursued by every team in the NFL or wondering why the Redskins would even let him go is because of his injury problems over the past 2 years. The last 2 seasons Landry has ended the year on injured reserve with problems with his Achilles tendon. Landry's only other weakness is that he struggles in the deep passing game. He is consistent though. When Landry is on the field he makes plays with his physicality and toughness. In 2010 and 2011 Landry played 17 games. He had a total of 133 tackles, 9 pass deflections, 1 interception, and 2 forced fumble. DeCoud in 2010 and 2011 played all 32 games. He had 10 less tackles, just 1 more pass deflection, 4 more interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. In my opinion, Landry outplayed Decoud in almost half the games. I think if we lost DeCoud to free agency Landry could be a good pick up. Landry should be looking for a 1 year deal. It might be a risk or a bad investment but it should be worth it if he stays healthy. We could convert either Moore or Landry to FS considering in Mike Nolans defense's he has a bigger FS than usual. Moore and Landry sound like a nice tandem to me. If we do run a hybrid 4-3/3-4 or when we eventually convert to a 3-4, Landry would have already been ready considering he has played in one in Washington. Landry is a top safety in this league when he actually suits up to play on Sundays. It would kill me to see him successful anywhere but Atlanta.

With all the flack of who we need and the draft, I think we have forgot about free agency a little bit in the last few days. Harry Douglas is my subject that I bring to the light here...

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I laughed hard after seeing Tony Gonzalez's pre-game Ron Burgundy impression. In 2012, could Mike Johnson do a copycat impression when the starting roster is announced before a national game?

If you’ve watched SEC football the past few years then you’ve probably heard of offensive lineman Mike Johnson. A solid pass protector and run blocker, Johnson’s play on the field led to him becoming a two time All-American at Alabama. Atlanta ultimately drafted the talented lineman in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft. When Harvey Dahl was lost to free agency many people (including myself) figured Johnson would step in and lock down the RG spot immediately. However, a concussion early in training camp and a season ending foot injury eliminated that plan. 2011 saw Atlanta’s OL struggle mightily, find some consistency, then struggle again. Atlanta will almost certainly be looking to beef up the OL in free agency and the draft. Guys like Carl Nicks and Ben Grubbs will be available during free agency but are expected to get hefty contracts. If Atlanta is unable to sign a stud guard in FA or decides to spend FA money on other needs, could they go into 2012 with Mike Johnson as the starting RG? Take the jump with me to see why Mike Johnson could be our guy at RG.

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I know you get tired of hearing this question. If you're a Falcon fan you'd know that this question is brought up every time the Falcons' name comes up in a discussion. The Falcons' were sitting at the 2011 draft with the 27th pick without a real need at any particular position. Most thought wed just sit there and draft a DE, WR, or a TE. Any other year we probably would draft the best player available, but this year was different; we were in the lockout. The lockout prevented free agency before the draft, so unlike the usual off season we didn't know our true needs going into the draft. Thomas Dimitroff wanted to get " explosive " so we went out and traded 5 picks (2011 and 2012 first round picks, a 2011 second round pick and both 2011 and 2012 fourth round picks) with the Cleveland Browns. We didn't benefit from the lock out because we could not trade players, only draft picks. The Falcons finished out the 2011 season with a 10-6 record and the 8th ranked passing offense. After the jump I'll break down the possible draft picks Atlanta could of made as well as their production this season. The picks I choose are based off what we needed this season. ( ex. pass rush, pass blocking )

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Well now that I have you attention I have a few questions for all that could possible help me out. Im 17 and currently a senior in high school. Im a huge Falcons fan that would love to possibly take D. Orlando Ledbetter spot for AJC or even take Dave Choate spot here on The Falcoholic. I have a couple of fan post that I have already written for The Falcoholic but Im curious to find out the steps needed to become a great writer like Dave or just the requirements needed to be a full time journalist. Any advice would be great and Im sorry for those who actually thought I came up with an epic trade proposal. I might actually consider thinking of one that might put this team over the top and get us our first playoff win under Smitty and Ryan.

If you want to see this cool Falcons logo, go to www.projectphantom.com, and go to the NFC South redesign page, and check out the Falcons and the other teams logos. They are quite good, especially the Falcons one. They have most the league done. I believe the NFC West, AFC West, and AFC East they are still working on. The site is run by a few University of Tennessee @ Knoxville students who are very talented artists to say the least. You might want to check out some of their other stuff as well. They pretty much got the representations (mascots) down pretty accurately. LMK what you think!