The Falcoholic - All Posts

Falcons Sign Tight End Colin Cloherty To Two-Year Deal

2013-06-18T19:22:11Z

You can't say the Falcons haven't been putting enough bodies on the roster at tight end, especially not after they just signed Colin Cloherty.

Cloherty is a practice squad superstar who has bounced between multiple teams, most recently the Jaguars and 49ers, before the Falcons inked him to a two year deal. He's been in the league since 2009 but has never made enough of an impression to hang around for long, but he's still just 25 years old and the Falcons apparently see something they like.

Falcons signed former Jaguars and Colts TE Colin Cloherty to a two-year contract, per his agent Sean Stellato.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 18, 2013

The Falcons have made a habit of bringing aboard less-than-highly-regarded talent or players that have flamed out elsewhere and giving them a shot to at least try to stick on the final roster. Given that Tony Gonzalez is only on board for one more year, giving a guy like Cloherty a shot isn't a bad idea. He's shown some special teams value, he has some promise as a pass catcher and he's athletic enough that he should be in the mix for a spot. Nonetheless, it's a bit of an interesting signing, considering the Falcons have a host of UDFA types, Gonzo, rookie Levine Toilolo and Chase Coffman.

Your thoughts on the signing?

Matt Ryan Talks About The Last Drive Of The 49ers Game

2013-06-18T19:00:05Z

Sometimes, I like to ramble on and on and on about a particular article, breaking it down for you. This is not one of those days.

Pete Prisco talked to Matt Ryan about the last drive of the 49ers game, that playoff classic that managed to bitterly disappoint all of us. It's a fascinating look at how the Falcons missed opportunities to score, and it tells you a lot about Ryan's confidence, shocked as he is that the Falcons didn't get it done.

Nothing you'll read here will lessen the sting of that loss, but all you can ask in the face of mistakes and a narrow loss is that your favorite team learns something from them. A smarter Falcons team is a more dangerous Falcons team.

Go read the whole thing, and then weigh in here.

Steven Jackson and Osi Umenyiora are Good Influences

2013-06-18T16:11:19Z

It's no secret that Thomas Dimitroff is good at his job. In five seasons as Atlanta's general manager, he's been named as Sporting News' Executive of the Year twice. That's not too shabby. Since Dimitroff was hired by Atlanta prior to the 2008 season, he's consistently made smart personnel choices. A few of his choices--Ray Edwards comes to mind--don't seem that smart in retrospect, but in looking at his free agent acquisitions collectively, Dimitroff has been very successful.

The two big name free agents who signed with the Falcons this offseason, running back Steven Jackson and defensive end Osi Umenyiora, are both shaping up to be great fits for the Falcons on and off the field. As Jay Adams writes at AtlantaFalcons.com, both Jackson and Umenyiora are positive influences on younger players, including wide receiver Julio Jones.

It's not that work ethic has ever been a problem for Jones--quite the contrary, he's well-known for his commitment, effort and dedication. When he was a coveted recruit coming out of high school, he mentioned in an interview that people sometimes talk more about his work ethic than his athletic ability, which was just fine with Jones. I've watched him at training camp and minicamp--if he's not on the field for drills, he's talking with Matt Ryan, or Roddy White, or assistant head coach Terry Robiskie, going over routes. Prior to his rookie season, during the NFL lockout, Jones and linebacker Akeem Dent were the only rookies who participated in the player-organized offseason training program. But, Umenyiora and Jackson are encouraging the young receiver, through their actions, to be even more committed and work harder than before.

Jones talked to FoxSports.com about how hard Steven Jackson works. He said that, despite Jackson's age, he's on the field for every rep he's supposed to take, and he's always giving it 100%. "That stuff is not mandatory, man, it's voluntary. You can come if you want to, but Steven is there working," said Jones, "I really believe he is going to make the Atlanta Falcons better."

On Osi, Jones said that Umenyiora's work ethic has positively impacted his own. "Every morning Osi is working out in the facility before anyone else even gets there," Jones said. "I noticed that, so I started doing that. Little things like that will make this team great."

Make no mistake--while Jackson and Umenyiora both filled positions of need for the Falcons on the field, they weren't just brought in for their physical abilities. Mike Smith insists that games are won or lost in the locker room first, and because of this, Atlanta's front office values certain characteristics, such as a solid work ethic, and a team-first attitude. From that vantage point, it's clear that Umenyiora and Jackson are living up to the team's expectations so far in that regard.

The reality is, veteran influence--understanding what it takes in terms of commitment and sacrifice and effort to succeed in the NFL, and passing that understanding on to younger players--can definitely help put the Falcons in a better position to succeed this season. Much like Asante Samuel benefited the defense last season by coming in with some swagger and setting a tone of aggressiveness that was much-needed on that side of the ball, Steven Jackson and Osi Umenyiora are clearly committed to leading by example and doing whatever it takes to make the Falcons better. It's still to early to determine if these acquisitions will pan out on the field, but it's clear that these two understand and respect the Falcons' off-the-field expectations, and are having a positive influence on younger teammates in the process.

The Stataholic: Is Richard Seymour Overvalued?

2013-06-18T12:31:10Z

The match between the Atlanta Falcons and Richard Seymour appears to be over before anything even truly began. Or so it seems, if the latest reports hold true in the coming weeks.

Earlier in the week, I attempted to dissect why exactly Seymour (and a handful of other talented free agents) were still without teams as late as June. And the most likely explanation, influenced by Bill Barnwell, was the tighter salary cap under the new CBA. Many teams are still on the hook for old, not-so-cap friendly deals, as well.

And that seemed to make sense when you looked at free agents who had been coveted players in years past. But could it simply be that teams aren't biting on Seymour simply because he's an aging player who missed eight games in 2012?

His reputations certainly remains, but let's look at how he grades against a host of metrics.

First of all, let's be clear that Seymour had a great season in 2011 - 6.0 sacks en route to the seventh Pro Bowl selection of his career. Oakland's defense left something to be desired on the whole, but individually Seymour was one of the better defensive tackles in the league.

Last season, the story was somewhat different. Seymour played in eight games before landing on injured reserve, recording 12 tackles and 3.0 sacks on the year. Snap count-wise, there were weeks that saw Seymour out there for 80% of the time, and there were times he only saw 50% of the team's defensive snaps.

Oakland's defensive line on the whole, when you look at the team's Adjusted Line Yards (ALY - it measures how well an O-line did against them compared to the norm), was actually pretty good in 2012. The group ranked seventh in the league in rushing ALY, stuffing teams on 22% of all plays.

But as far as how the team handled runs off left tackle and runs up the middle, the group was much more pedestrian: Oakland's D-line ranked 13th on "mid/guard" runs and 22nd on runs off left tackle.

The stellar numbers at defending those end runs obviously speak to Oakland's defensive linemen, but the linebackers also play a big part in limiting carries around the edge. Those runs up the middle, however, have more to do with the Raiders' defensive tackles, of which Seymour was one.

And other teams clearly picked up on this, running mid/guard against the Raiders 57% of the time.

What about Seymour's overall value on the season?

If you consider his WPA (Win Probability Added) across his eight games, Seymour's 0.63 rating actually ranked 34th in the league, just above one of Oakland's new defensive linemen in former Falcon Vance Walker.

But Seymour's Tackle Factor (a measurement of his run-stopping success) ranked 77th at 0.54, and his Expected Points Added was pretty pedestrian at 10.6 on the season (67th among all DL).

Finally, and this is maybe the most important element of this analysis, Seymour made No. 8 on Pro Football Focus' "overvalued interior lineman" list based on his salary ($8.8M) and his relative performance.

But, he only makes that list because he misses eight games due to a hamstring injury that put him on season-ending injured reserve. As far as PFF's rating system goes, he was average in Pass Rushing Productivity (4.8) but graded at +8.5 as a run defender.

So what can we conclude about Seymour's performance in 2012?

1) Some of Seymour's overall value stats are skewed because he only played in eight games

2) Teams kept trying to run up the middle against the Raiders, obviously seeing a weakness there

3) PFF has Seymour as a solid run-defender, while Advanced NFL Stats and Football Outsiders imply that he was average to above-average

4) Seymour is 33 years old, and comes off an injury that caused him to miss half the season

While No. 4 should be a big knock against Seymour's value, this is where it's time for me to admit that my initial perception regarding the former Bulldog's play in 2012 was wrong. Yes, you heard right. Sometimes Doug Martin highlights do things to your memory.

Seymour was technically overrated, if only because he was certainly not worth the $10M+ salary he commanded with the Raiders.

But in a vacuum where everyone plays for free, Seymour was a rock-solid starter. As a backup on a cheaper deal, he would possess great short-term value.

The Falcons could've benefited, and it's unfortunate the aging veteran was unwilling to lower his asking price. But that's his call, and he's clearly fine remaining team-less over playing for less money.

Create Your Own Game 1 of the 2013 Season Pre-Game Speech

2013-06-18T02:50:16Z

I'm going to fulfill dreams tonight, offering the Falcohol-chugging masses an opportunity to pretend they're Mike Smith. Say what?! This should be good - buckle your seat belts and return your seat backs to their upright position.

Here's your task: in the comments, write the ideal game 1 of the 2013 season pre-game speech. Literally envision yourself in front of the entire team. Maybe you want to remind the team what the stakes are going into 2013, or maybe you want to yell at the offensive line a bit. In any case, it's on you to properly motivate the team. You can do it!

Fail and the team fails. Succeed and the teams starts the season 1-0 because you're so darn inspiring. It's a daunting task, no doubt about that. But I have faith in y'all, I just do. You're a capable bunch. I'll declare a winner after the first 20 submissions; he (or she) will be declared Mike Smith for the Day.

Go!

Why Peria Jerry Has Struggled

2013-06-17T23:00:46Z

Bit of a different post for you all this evening to round out this Monday.

Peria Jerry has pretty much been labeled as a bust for the Falcons. They've kept him around, presumably, because it would cost more to cut him than it would to keep him. In any case, after some serious digging, I've discovered the root of Peria Jerry's problems.

Well, in Murphy's Law fashion, the image uploader for the site isn't working right now, so I'll have to provide you a link you can click on, unless it starts working before I finish this post.

In any case, Jerry is a movie star!

Think I'm kidding? Click here to find out.

That is actually Ving Rhymes, but when I first saw it, I thought for sure it was Peria Jerry.

To compare, here's a current picture of Jerry.

Pretty similar, isn't it? Almost too similar. It stands to reason that Peria Jerry is actually Ving Rhymes. Jerry just puts on a ton of makeup to look younger when he's with the Falcons.

Don't believe me? Have you ever seen Peria Jerry and Ving Rhymes in the same place? I didn't think so.

Thoughts?

Why Trufant Will Start Over Alford At DB

2013-06-17T20:00:08Z

There was some stirring debate over on the Robert Alford signing thread that got me thinking: Could Alford start over Trufant if Alford was better? The quick answer is simply no.

But the reason for that isn't as cut and dry as you might think. Barring an injury, this shouldn't even be a discussion. Trufant is more pro-ready than Alford, if only because he has the family pedigree and certainly has the advice of his professional brothers on his side. In any case, here's a list of reasons why he'll start over Alford.

1) His family has NFL experience. I just mentioned that. He's more likely to bounce back from troubles because he knows people personally who have had ups and downs in the NFL

2) He was drafted higher. Before you tell me every example of a low round player turning into a Hall of Famer, I offer you this: First round players are not drafted to sit, with the extremely rare exception. Alford may turn into a wonderful DB for us, but until he proves he's the exception rather than the rule, he'll be second behind Trufant.

Even if Alford is slightly better than Trufant, I think Trufant will still start. Alford would have to be considerably better than Trufant to pass him on the depth chart. The Falcons have shown a very strong commitment to their high draft picks, even when things have gone awry (see Peria Jerry).

3) He's getting paid more. I don't know how much more, but I can assure you he is (or will be) getting paid more money. If there's any shining example of how this has affected the team before, I point you in the direction of former Falcons Dunta Robinson and Michael Turner, but especially Turner. The Burner is still without a team, and Robinson, if I'm not mistaken, took a huge pay cut to play with the Chiefs, but yet the Falcons continued to trot those two out there even if they weren't necessarily our best options.

You see this a lot in sports. You're paying a guy a ton of money and you keep playing him, even if he isn't producing. Perhaps the people in charge of those decisions feel obligated to the owner or someone to give a player playing time if he's being paid a huge sum of money.

But this applies to Trufant and Alford because you're not giving a guy a first-round contract to sit. The second round contract should be a good bit lower than the first round, as well.

4) Trufant is more likely to leave once his contract is up.

If both Alford and Trufant get equal playing time and each play up to their expectations, Trufant will be more likely to leave because he'll be the high profile guy seeking the big contract elsewhere because he didn't get enough playing time while he was here. We all know the Falcons like to take care of their own, but if the guy or his camp is unhappy, he's not staying. (See Grimes)

Alford, to my knowledge, is not a high profile guy. He went to a small school and, unless you were really into the draft this year, you probably didn't know much about him. He's more likely to be alright with not playing as much initially. Then, once Asante retires or gets shipped off somewhere, Alford steps into that role and we have two happy DBs playing on the outside for the next 5-8 years.

Doing it this way also lowers the risk of having to pay two massive DB contracts at the same time. If Alford starts for two years and has one very good year, his contract will be less than Trufant's, who would have been starting for four years with at least two very good years. Keeping them both (if they're worth keeping) would be significantly less than if the reverse happened, since first round picks can still get fat contracts after their first one unless they just totally fall off the board.

But all of that is just my opinion. Unless Alford plays at an absurd level and Trufant just tanks it, I don't see Alford starting over Trufant initially even if Alford is "better", which could mean one of many things.

Thoughts?

Save The Date: 6/30/13

2013-06-17T16:00:06Z

I'm getting married! Just kidding. We're not quite there yet.

BUT...

It gives me great pleasure to officially announce that The Falcoholic's own radio show is going live on Sunday, June 30th, at 1 pm. It'll be your football/sports fix until real football comes around.

Unfortunately, Rise Up Radio was already taken, so I had to go with Rise Up Nation. I do believe it fits, given that we are a community of Rise Up people all over the country (and in some cases, outside the country!)

SB Nation has partnered with BlogTalkRadio to provide an avenue for us to stream a radio show for our blogs. That also means that I should be able to broadcast from my house, even on my lame internet! If not, we'll make it work. Promise!

It's taken a good bit of toiling and troubling to figure all this stuff out regarding the show, but I'm happy to say that it's definitely on now and there's a definite start date for when this is going to happen. At first, we'll just be feeling the show out a little, but perhaps in the future we'll be able to secure some interviews with people inside the Falcons organization. No promises, since they're very busy people, but we'll give it a whirl.

I've run a few sports shows here and there at school, so it'll have a more sports radio-like feel to it than the casual session we did during the draft (which was fun!).

Because it's the offseason, I may incorporate some other things into the show if we run, say, 2 hours. I'll look into it, because I know many of us are more than just football fans.

If you have any suggestions for the show, or if you'd like to be a guest on one of the shows, let me know in the comments! This is our show, so let's make it better than everyone else's!

I'll give out more concrete details in the coming days. I hope that whether you're a guest or not, or whether you post much on this site or not, that you'll join us on this new adventure into sports radio!