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John Parker Wilson has nothing to do with this news roundup. Perhaps that's why he looks so perplexed. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the news roundup; and then stop.

Yes, it's time for us to re-visit the halcyon days of news gathering, where your fearless bravely goes into the Interwebs and collects bits and pieces of delicious data for you to peruse. Don't thank me too effusively, though. I'm only one man. We'll start this off today with a guy whose name isn't mentioned too often around here.

• My stance on Michael Vick hasn't really wavered. He's done his time in prison, he's entitled to seek his fortunes as a football player and as a human being, and I wish him well wherever he may go. One thing I don't consider him at this point is an Atlanta Falcon, and it's clear that the Atlanta Falcons don't think so either. While rumors swirl about the quarterback being traded to San Fransisco or getting cut from the roster altogether, he's going back before a judge regarding a bankruptcy plan. His legal and financial issues are going to haunt him well beyond the point that he catches on with a team, methinks.
• One more crime-related item and we'll move along. Quinn Ojinnaka isn't commenting on the charge of battery against him. I'm hoping this was a relatively minor incident that will be worked out swiftly, because the Falcons still need the offensive line depth. It's easy to forget that Ojinnaka is only 25. Hope for a just and speedy resolution. 
• Erik Coleman is apparently a wizened old man. The veteran safety, who as I recall fought in the War of 1812 alongside a reincarnated, steam-powered George Washington, is now the oldest starter in the secondary and one of the oldest guys back there period. A genuinely good guy, Coleman should be able to lead by example, and it's going to take one hell of an effort to pry him out of his starting role. And for those of you wondering, yes, I did minor in history in college.
• Hat tip to reader TO falcon, who noted that the Georgia Dome has a new scoreboard. It's always cool to get new gadgets--especially during a relatively slow news cycle--but unless it fires laser beams at Drew Brees, it's not going to change my life too much.
• The Tampa Bay Bucs are installing one of them zone blocking schemes, which you may remember in some form or another from the days of Alex Gibbs and Kynan Forney playing offensive guard weighing in at 150 pounds. I guess the nice thing to say here would be would be good luck, but I'm hoping it fails miserably and the entire team decides they'd rather make a living sailing the world on an actual pirate ship.
  
  What? I'm a Falcons fan. What do you want from me?
• Speaking of big changes on the defensive end of things, the Carolina Panthers are rolling with Ron Meeks, he of Indianapolis Colts fame (?). If the lessons of the past teach us anything--and judging by the way I live my life, they don't--it's that Meeks is going to swing a more complicated stick at us in the secondary and rely a little less on blitzing. Months away from the season, I think I can live with that.
• In the least surprising news since scientists determined that people read news that doesn't contradict their point of view, New Orleans Saints linebacker Dan Morgan is retiring. An allegedly supremely talented guy, Morgan's career was crippled by injuries and concussions, with each off-season bringing some peppy pieces about how this would be the year. I have to wish him well, as does Canal Street Chronicles, who says it's hard to lose production you didn't have in the first place.
  

Got a news item I missed? Submit it at davethefalconer@yahoo.com.

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Peria Jerry will treat offensive linemen like tiny obstacles this season. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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It seems like a very long time since the Falcons have boasted a dominant defensive line, but apparently those happy days are here once again.

That's the good word from ESPN's Pat Yasinskas, who lists his top ten defensive linemen in the NFC South and includes three Falcons. Incredibly, one of them hasn't played a snap at the NFL level, but Yasinskas is a fearsome oracle and sees the future so clearly that he knows exactly what Matt Ryan will shout when the Falcons hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy this year.

I say that in jest, of course. But take a look at these rankings:

1. John Abraham, DE, Atlanta. Sure, go ahead and call him one-dimensional. But aren't dominant pass-rush skills the dimension you want most from a defensive end?

First of all, awesome. Where Abe walks, civilization ends. Can't dispute that. I think he's plenty capable against the run, but that's overshadowed by the fact that he just gobbles up quarterbacks. As long as he's healthy and Julius Peppers doesn't show up determined to grab a massive new contract, Abe's the guy to beat. He more or less single-handedly took care of the Falcon pass rush last year, so the fact that he might actually have some help this year makes this ranking all the more justified. Who's next?

3. Jonathan Babineaux, DT, Atlanta. Very quietly, he's become the most solid interior lineman in the division.

....What?

Babineaux was very, very solid last year, and he clearly deserved a new contract. I'm the last man to quibble with his success, and he's the only clear starter on the interior coming into 2009. Still, I can't help but think that the defensive tackle corps in this division has to have taken a bit of a nosedive for Babineaux to be considered the NFC South's best. Here's hoping that with Peria Jerry and Chauncey Davis hopefully joining him as starters, he'll be free to author a few more big plays. If nothing else, he's rock solid against both the pass and the run, and you can't argue with that.

Oh, and speaking of Jerry...

7. Peria Jerry, DT, Atlanta. He's only a rookie, but there's little bust factor with this guy. He should be a force right away.

It's nice to hear the guy getting praise this early in the game, and his skillset as a penetrating defensive tackle with size suggests that he should fit right in this year. Injuries will be my biggest concern with Jerry, but it's really much too early to say whether that'll be a factor going forward. It's also probably a little too early to include him in a top ten list, but I'm not going to argue. Flattery will get you everywhere, Pat Yasinskas.

Add in a hopefully motivated Jamaal Anderson and another solid end in Chauncey Davis and you've got a pretty good group of starters. Take that equation further and add in potential pass rush help in the form of Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury, plus a mammoth defensive tackle in Trey Lewis, and you've got a line that might actually shake up the image many have of a weak front four that doesn't create enough push in the pass rush. Dominant might be too strong a word, but with so much attention on revamped linebacking corps and the heavy competition in the secondary, it'd be nice to feel comfortable with the guys in the trenches. For once, I can't see any reason we wouldn't be.

Your thoughts?

A very Falcoholic hat tip to TO falcon, who broke the news yesterday evening that CB William Middleton and DT Vance Walker. Trying to follow that act with a couple of quick sentences of analysis seemed impossible, so let's delve a little bit deeper into this.

I've put together profiles of Middleton and Walker that will give you background on both picks. I think it goes without saying that I'm thrilled they're both on board, as both seem to be bright kids with talent that goes above their draft slot. It doesn't hurt that Middleton is competing for a spot in a wide-open cornerbacking corps, while Walker joins a defensive tackle rotation with some top end talent but not a lot of true depth. Neither will have a giant impact this year, but it's the years ahead that matter.

It's easy to look past these kinds of players, I know. We're all wondering about DT Peria Jerry and S William "C4" Moore by virtue of their draft positions and the fact that they seem to be poised to seize starting jobs. Their splash on our collective psyche is much greater because they'll be playing critical roles immediately, and that's a respectable position...but it totally ignores the overhaul our defense needs to undergo.

If we're to get better quickly, it's going to take contributions from everyone. It's going to take Vance Walker stepping in and making a key stop or two over the course of a season. It's going to take William Middleton picking off a crucial pass to stall a drive. Sometimes you win or lose the game on the back of a role player, and it's no coincidence that teams with quality depth catch those seemingly lucky breaks more often than those squads that don't.

We don't have the terms of these deals yet, but I'll try to update as soon as we do. Here's hoping both stick around and provide value for the Falcons, because I will never say no to defensive help. Leave your thoughts on the rooks in the comments, folks.

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If you don't read this news, Tony Gonzalez will punch you in the gut! (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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I never promised you a rose garden, but I sure as heck promised you a news roundup.

By popular demand, I'll attempt to establish a news roundup that can in some small way live up to the compiling J. Mike already does over at at the Official Site. Rather than have you click through the jump, we're going to do all of this right here on the front page. Daring? Yes. But I've always envisioned myself as a visionary.

• You can tell how slow it is right now when this is the best list of possible additions the AJC can come up with. One guy is actually on the roster (Eric Weems), one guy is just going to another team (Lawyer Milloy) and two are young guys currently competing for roster spots (Aaron Kelly and Troy Bergeron). I guess that's responsible journalism, but I kind of prefer out-there choices to something this obvious. Blame it on the Falcohol, I guess.
• According to this CBS Sports story, Harvey Dahl is a brutish ogre who feats on the kindness of other souls. I've long said that Dahl's nasty edge gives him a well...edge...but it tends to backfire when he gets so mad that he gets stupid penalties called on him. It's a double-edged sword, and hopefully he can still be nasty and learn to keep himself in a check a bit more in the year ahead.
• Daniel Cox at Atlanta Falcons Examiner takes a look at Jerious Norwood, the man of many talents who should get a chance to display plenty of them in the year ahead. He's a scary weapon in so many ways, but I'd like to see Michael Turner get a few less carries, and doing so might mean taking Norwood out of the return game so as not to risk injury. If that happens, someone will have big shoes to fill on special teams, but I'd rather see Norwood get more snaps and help throw defense into disarray.
• Tampa Bay Bucs fans mull over notorious foot-shooter Plaxico Burress, coming to the conclusion that he's a great fit for their team. While I definitely think Burress has made a string of dumb mistakes, his quality hands would make him a nice fit on a team that doesn't have a lot of top-end talent at receiver. Not sure where that legal issue is going to leave him, though.
• Few Panthers have riled up the fanbase as much as Jake Delhomme. There are those who love him, those who think he stinks and those of us from around the NFC South who think the contract they gave him was criminally insane. He's just a Cajun enigma, that guy.
• Saints fans are a bit excited about this Pierre Thomas kid. You won't find a bigger fan of Thomas outside New Orleans than Your Fearless Leader, but the fact that he's got a clear shot at a starting job is troubling because I really believe he's got a ton of talent. You can, uh, cut him now, guys. I'm sure he's no good.

Got a news item I missed? Submit it at davethefalconer@yahoo.com.

via www3.allaroundphilly.com

Welcome to a new user-suggested feature, where we'll be taking brief looks at each position on the roster, handing out grades like candy and talking briefly about what fans can expect from the position. Because this is late May and early June, a lot may change, so be sure to take the roster predictions with a few grains of salt. It's good for your heart.

Today we tackle the position belonging to the least-contended starter on the roster, one Matt Ryan, who stole our hearts and made a fool out of some--or maybe just one--mouth-breathing blogger.

Join me after the jump, won't you?

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Let's wrap up the last two picks of what looks like a very good draft by rolling through rounds six and seven. We'll also have quick thoughts on a pair of undrafted free agents who the Falcons have signed, with more sure to come in the days ahead.

6th Round: Spencer Adkins, ILB, Miami: Adkins is about as close as you can get to the dictionary definition of a project. A physically imposing athlete with a lot of football intelligence, Adkins has a host of things he'll need to work on, including his coverage instincts, his wrapup tackling and his energy level. This is stuff he can work on, but Adkins has the basic skills to be a force on special teams early in his career. Eventually, he's got the potential to become a punishing backup for Curtis Lofton, and there's enough upside that he may actually become something more. Great gamble for the Falcons in the sixth round.

7th Round: Vance Walker, DT, Georgia Tech: Remember how I kept asking the Falcons to get a run-stopping defensive tackle? You're looking at the guy.

Walker is well-known for being excellent against the run, but apparently he's got no problem hitting the quarterback in the face every now and then. He'll have to work at his push up front to be effective in the NFL, but Walker projects as a very balanced backup defensive tackle in the pros with a little work. If given the chance, I think he'll be a familiar face on gamedays. With so many defensive tackles already on the roster, though, Walker needs a great pre-season and some breaks to get the opportunity. Very solid pick.

Undrafted Free Agent: John Parker Wilson, QB, Alabama: An interesting pickup by the Falcons. Wilson is not a huge guy, not a fast guy and not an incredibly accurate guy. He's just a guy who happens to be a decent quarterback.

I don't want to be unkind, but the absolute pinnacle I can envision for this guy would be as a backup quarterback, and that might be pushing it. He'll certainly give you a hell of an effort and he's a smart kid, but a guy with 30 interceptions in three years and a career completion percentage well under 60% isn't striking fear into the heart of Chris Redman. He's a worthy gamble for QB depth, but don't get your hopes up too much higher than that.

Undrafted Free Agent: Aaron Kelly, WR, Clemson: A tall, thin receiver with excellent hands, Kelly is an intriguing prospect for the Falcons. His biggest weakness isn't his lack of top flight speed--the Falcons have shown they can work around that--but rather his reputation as a weak blocker. Kelly's got upside and his pass-catching ability alone makes him worth a flier, but he's going to have to learn to block if he's going to stick around and have any kind of impact.

Your thoughts?

We'll be exploring each player's future role in the coming weeks, but I thought I'd get up brief capsules on each of the players the Falcons have picked so far. Enjoy, and leave your own thoughts on the finest of the second day of the NFL Draft.

3rd Round: Chris Owens, CB, San Jose State: The very definition of a solid coverage corner. Owens has very good instincts and wheels around well, allowing him to keep up with even the most elusive wide receivers. Tackles surprisingly well for his size and has the ability to pick off a few passes. Due to his size (just a hair below 5'10"), he's not a great matchup against tall receivers. There are some concerns about the competition level he faced in college. I think Owens is virtually a lock to play nickel in his first season and may become the team's #2 corner with time. I don't have any concerns about his upside.

4th Round: Lawrence Sidbury, DE/OLB, Richmond: Those who know me know that I'm prone to exaggerate, so feel free to take this with a grain of salt. I'm just going to say it anyway. Sidbury may well have the most upside out of any player we've drafted so far. He's a force off the edge, tackles well, never stops running and does well in pass rushing situations. His frame is big enough for him to survive at defensive end, but he could well become a potent linebacker if given the chance. He's not terribly strong against the run and could use some strength training, but kicking him to linebacker somewhat negates both of those issues and gives him a chance to make an impact right away. Love this pick.

5th Round: William Middleton, CB, Furman: A small college corner who also doesn't have fearsome height. Middleton is stronger than hell for a corner and hits like a train made of cement, which will give receivers matching up against him second thoughts as they go over the middle. His athleticism isn't in question, but he'll need a little work on his coverage instincts. Probably will be a solid special teamer immediately and could very easily become a fixture in nickel and dime packages before too much time passes.

5th Round: Garrett Reynolds, OT, North Carolina: Strong as an ox and three times as big, Reynolds has enormous upside as a right tackle. His mobility and pass protection are going to need some help, so he should probably sit at first, but there's no doubt that Michael Turner would love to run behind a guy who mauls as well as he does when it comes time to put the ball on the ground. He's still got some room to grow and could be defined as a project, but it's not like we'll be building him from the ground up. Another pick I really love.

Your thoughts?

via www.thefootballexpert.com

William Moore was arguably the best player available.

There are many who will say that Moore should have slipped even further, but you won't find me among them. He's an ideal strong safety in many ways, with the ability to the play the run, hit hard and close the distance quickly when covering tight ends and wideouts alike. The team clearly isn't completely sold on Thomas DeCoud at SS (which is a shame), but it should be a pretty fierce competition between the two in training camp.

Of course, he has weaknesses. His coverage instincts will need to improve, and I don't expect him to match up against talented receivers unless Mike Smith has a death wish. There's also been some concerns about his overall speed, but I feel like that's less important given the role he'll be asked to play in Atlanta.

The best thing about these first two picks is that we managed to get two likely starters at positions of need. Where the argument can come in is whether we got the type of players we needed, i.e. a run-clogger at defensive tackle and a coverage-savvy safety. Maybe not, but both Moore and Peria Jerry have the talent to make up for their shortcomings and earn spots in the lineup. I'd bank on it.

Your thoughts?