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No matter what happened last night in Televisionland, we here at The Falcoholic know that Falcoholinks have been sitting on the Iron Throne of your heart for quite some time. For that reason, read on to start your Monday morning.
Lindstrom signs
The Atlanta Falcons’ first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft is officially under contract. This week Chris Lindstrom signed a four-year deal with a fifth-year option, making him the final draft pick to put pen to paper.
A surprising-but-sensible pick in the first, Lindstrom will immediately start on the offensive line. But where?
While a starting right guard at Boston College, Chris Lindstrom’s opens up some opportunities for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcoholic’s Adnan Ikic makes the argument that Lindstrom is best suited on the left side, between Jake Matthews and Alex Mack.
Pioli out
Left field stuff for sure, but last week the Falcons parted ways with assistant general manager Scott Pioli. Pioli joined the franchise in 2014, and was pivotal in the team’s draft success over the past few years. No word on what his next move is, but the front office has lost an incredibly bright mind. We’ll keep a keen eye on internal prospects to possibly fill his role.
Starting over (kinda)
There was a lot of turnover in the Falcons organization after the end of the season. Sarkisian? Gone. Manuel? Gone. Armstrong? Also gone. It was a tumultuous way to end the year, but the franchise is signaling that it’s willing to chance it on new faces in new positions.
That’s especially evident on special teams, where the Atlanta Falcons cut Matt Bryant in favor of Giorgio Tavecchio, severed ties with Keith Armstrong and brought in new coordinator Ben Kotwica, and have a camp battle brewing for the return job. They’re hoping to hit the reset button on a unit that’s been irritatingly pedestrian for some time.
Clock-watching
News was made with the recent report that Falcons owner Arthur Blank had become “restless,” and while that specific verbiage was walked back by the organization, it doesn’t negate the glaringly obvious: we’re all restless.
The Falcons have the talent to win a championship, but in The Falcoholic’s Cory Woodroof’s new column he details how the clock is ticking on the most successful iteration of the Atlanta Falcons.