Dimitroff: “It’s going to be a very busy two weeks”

[DrReality]

Dimitroff: “It’s going to be a very busy two weeks”

4:46 pm August 30, 2009, by Mark Bradley

Saturday's revelation: Brent Grimes is beaten. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)

In the grand scheme, maybe Saturday’s exhibition was the right game at the right time. The Falcons themselves weren’t just surprised by what transpired; they were shocked. But it happened 15 days before the first for-real game, which means there’s still time for some last-minute shopping.

Afterward, general manager Thomas Dimitroff said: “It’s going to be a very busy two weeks.” He would say no more, but the message seemed cleared enough: This is the man who found Domonique Foxworth and Jamaal Fudge near the end of preseason 2008 to prop up his secondary. There seems a strong need to do something similar now.

The Falcons liked everything about cornerback Chris Houston in training camp: His preparation, his attitude, his play. But something happened in Saturday’s first half: Houston yielded one big play on third down, then another, then another. If a guy’s going to be your No. 1 cornerback, that can’t happen. Even No. 1 corners get beat — all corners get beat — but they can’t let one bad play put them on the back foot the rest of the night.

The Falcons must now determine if Houston has the toughness to shrug off a big gainer and keep playing. He seemed to lose his edge against the Chargers, and if he’s incapable of regaining that edge from one play to the next the Falcons need to know it now.

Dimitroff watches the waiver wire. He knows who’s unsigned. (Chris McAlister, to name one former stellar cornerback. But he’s coming off knee surgery.) He knows other teams must make cuts, too. The trade for Foxworth seemed insignificant at the time, but he wound up starting.

Whom should the Falcons pursue?

Derrick Brooks, LB.

Chris McAlister, CB.

Lawyer Milloy, S.

Someone else.

Nobody at all.

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The Foxworth/Fudge acquisitions didn’t resonate at the time was because almost nobody figured the 2008 Falcons would be good enough for such late transactions to matter. There’s much more pressure on Dimitroff to do something now. This team is coming off a playoff run and has added an All-Pro tight end. The Falcons believe their future is bright, yes, but that includes the immediate future.

As Mike Smith, who tried hard to accentuate the positives, said Saturday: “We’ve got a lot of work to do … It’s not one unit; it’s a team defense. It starts up front and goes from the linebackers to the secondary, and there was not one group that succeeded on third-and-long.”

That could, and I expect will, mean more time for rookie Lawrence Sidbury at end. It could also mean a move not just for a DB. Derrick Brooks is unsigned, and he played linebacker at a fairly high level for a really long time. (Heck, Lawyer Milloy is unsigned, though I can’t imagine the Falcons taking him back.)

The Falcons aren’t necesarily looking for someone to play the next five seasons. They require someone to help them through the first couple of months of a difficult schedule. They learned Saturday night that they’re still in need of outside help. But better then than on the afternoon of Sept. 13.

[jy23]

Dimitroff: “It’s going to be a very busy two weeks”

4:46 pm August 30, 2009, by Mark Bradley

Saturday's revelation: Brent Grimes is beaten. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)

In the grand scheme, maybe Saturday’s exhibition was the right game at the right time. The Falcons themselves weren’t just surprised by what transpired; they were shocked. But it happened 15 days before the first for-real game, which means there’s still time for some last-minute shopping.

Afterward, general manager Thomas Dimitroff said: “It’s going to be a very busy two weeks.” He would say no more, but the message seemed cleared enough: This is the man who found Domonique Foxworth and Jamaal Fudge near the end of preseason 2008 to prop up his secondary. There seems a strong need to do something similar now.

The Falcons liked everything about cornerback Chris Houston in training camp: His preparation, his attitude, his play. But something happened in Saturday’s first half: Houston yielded one big play on third down, then another, then another. If a guy’s going to be your No. 1 cornerback, that can’t happen. Even No. 1 corners get beat — all corners get beat — but they can’t let one bad play put them on the back foot the rest of the night.

The Falcons must now determine if Houston has the toughness to shrug off a big gainer and keep playing. He seemed to lose his edge against the Chargers, and if he’s incapable of regaining that edge from one play to the next the Falcons need to know it now.

Dimitroff watches the waiver wire. He knows who’s unsigned. (Chris McAlister, to name one former stellar cornerback. But he’s coming off knee surgery.) He knows other teams must make cuts, too. The trade for Foxworth seemed insignificant at the time, but he wound up starting.

Whom should the Falcons pursue?

Derrick Brooks, LB.

Chris McAlister, CB.

Lawyer Milloy, S.

Someone else.

Nobody at all.

View Results

Loading ...

The Foxworth/Fudge acquisitions didn’t resonate at the time was because almost nobody figured the 2008 Falcons would be good enough for such late transactions to matter. There’s much more pressure on Dimitroff to do something now. This team is coming off a playoff run and has added an All-Pro tight end. The Falcons believe their future is bright, yes, but that includes the immediate future.

As Mike Smith, who tried hard to accentuate the positives, said Saturday: “We’ve got a lot of work to do … It’s not one unit; it’s a team defense. It starts up front and goes from the linebackers to the secondary, and there was not one group that succeeded on third-and-long.”

That could, and I expect will, mean more time for rookie Lawrence Sidbury at end. It could also mean a move not just for a DB. Derrick Brooks is unsigned, and he played linebacker at a fairly high level for a really long time. (Heck, Lawyer Milloy is unsigned, though I can’t imagine the Falcons taking him back.)

The Falcons aren’t necesarily looking for someone to play the next five seasons. They require someone to help them through the first couple of months of a difficult schedule. They learned Saturday night that they’re still in need of outside help. But better then than on the afternoon of Sept. 13.

Thank god they saw what the rest of us saw. We need serious :help wanted3: at that position. I don't know how much we can improve there at this point but I really hope we do something :helpsmilie: I have faith in Dimitroff so I'm just going to sit back and let him do his thing. But please PLEASE get something done!!!!

[TheTruth]

Yeah, us Falcons Fans over there at the Atlanta Falcons Official Message Board have talked a lot about Saturday's game. The defense (aside from run defense) was pretty bad--especially on third downs. Houston has ZERO ball skills, and it is a shame he is our #1 CB. I like Owens' physicality and upside, and I would rather see him over the constantly burnt Houston. Hell, all QBs have to do is throw it to Houston's receiver because Houston won't break it up...and certainly won't INT it. *Sigh* We all wish Grimes was 6 feet tall, but he isnt. At least he plays tight coverage and if he learns how to catch, could reel in a handful of INTs.

Our front 7 is a work in progress. Lofton is very good, Peterson is an upgrade, and Nicholas will hopefully be good. Babs is a very good DT, Jerry has a lot to learn and may not start Day 1 (although I do like Trey Lewis if he's not), Abe is a beast, and JA98 is a waste at this point.

A lot depends on our pass rush, and so far, we don't have much of one. Hopefully Jerry will grown into that guy like he was in college, and either JA98 or Biermann/Sidbury emerge as the regulars opposite Abe.

Coleman is very good at SS and DeCoud is a mystery at FS (I can't wait for Moore to finally be ready to contribute).

The bottom line, there are a lot of question marks along our defense. We had one bad showing and "the sky is falling" skeptics come out. You know, the "0-16 is staring us in the face" types. I'm one of the biggest skeptics and cynics on the planet, but I'm not freaking out just yet. Do changes need to be made? Yes. But there isn't a lot out there unless we give up attractive draft picks, put our faith in an aging FA vet, or pin our hopes on castoffs from team cuts. If very little of those things happen, we will have to just get better as a team or replace our current starters with other players in-house.

Our defensive starters come Week One won't look much different than they are right now. Luckily, Week one isn't here yet, so there is time.

Problem is, the Atlanta Falcons are running out of time.

Edited August 31, 2009 by TheTruth

[DrReality]

Falcons cornerbacks on hot seatBy D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Falcons coach Mike Smith was clearly displeased with the defense’s play against San Diego.

.The target of much of his displeasure was cornerbacks Chris Houston and Brent Grimes, who have been running with the first team defense, for their lack of physical play in man-to-man situations.

The secondary was victimized on several third-and-long situations with catches over Grimes and Houston. The Chargers converted 7-for-8 on third downs in the first half.

“A lot of times, people just think it’s the secondary, but it’s not,” Smith said. “It’s team defense.”

However, Smith made it clear that he was not absolving the cornerbacks, who were left in man-to-man coverage with the Falcons blitzing on several of the third down conversions.

“I’m not absolving anybody,” Smith said. “Again, when we go out there and play, we play as a team, we play as a unit.”

Last season, the Falcons acquired Domonique Foxworth from the Denver Broncos in a trade on Sept. 2, right before the outset of the season. He eventually replaced Grimes as the starter at left cornerback.

Houston was scolded early last season for not being physical enough, but he retained his starting spot when he picked up his play.

The Falcons’ options are limited at the position.

Nickel back Chevis Jackson plays the physical brand of cornerback that Smith prefers, but lacks the top-end speed to lock up No. 1 receivers.

Also, Von Hutchins, who was signed as a free agent last year, is not 100 percent recovered from his broken Lisfranc (foot) injury, which caused him to spend last season on injured reserved.

Before the injury, Hutchins was considered another tough and physical cornerback, best suited for nickel situations covering receivers out of the slot.

Hutchins has been working out at safety and cornerback when he can practice.

It’s unlikely that Smith would toss either of the two rookies, Christopher Owens or William Middleton, out on the field before they are ready to play. But Owens’ performance plan may have to be accelerated.

There are a lot of veteran free agent cornerbacks available, including Mike McKenzie, Chris McAlister and Ty Law.

Other veteran free agents include Ricky Manning, Sam Madison and Aaron Glenn.

“I know we are very disappointed with our third down efficiency, but again that was a very good offense,” Smith said. “It’s something that we have to address, and we’ll address it as a coaching staff and a defensive unit.”

The Falcons starters played their most time of the preseason. Several starters played into the third quarter.

“This is the preseason,” Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

It was not lost on Smith that the defense was carved up by one of the league’s top passers.

“I will tip my hat to Philip Rivers,” Smith said. “Congratulations on his $92 million contract. I think the San Diego Chargers have made a very, very wise investment.”

Roster moves

The Falcons released defensive tackles Jason Jefferson and Tywain Myles and long snapper Robert Shiver to get down to 75 players before the Tuesday deadline.

[coachx]

We ran a ton of man coverage and got eaten up.

We tried to start Grimes last year and we all know what happened. The 57 year old Mushim Mohammed burned him for 100 yards in the first half vs. the Panthers.

Grimes is gritty and has heart but is not a starter. The 6'5'' Vincent Jackson made Grimed look 11 years old Sat. night.

Owens is listed at 5'9'', just like Grimes, is but Owens looks at least 2'' taller then Grimes and has longer arms. Grimes is more like 5'7''.

If McCallister's knee is recovered he would be a good addition.

Too bad Ty Law is probably to slow now to play man defense................and that is probably the case for Mike McKenzie too. However, they are both known as extremely physical corners and Mike Smith is harping on a lack of his CBs playing physical in man coverage.

Looking forward to seeing what conclusion Dimitroff, Smith, and VanGorder come to.

[jy23]

Yeah, us Falcons Fans over there at the Atlanta Falcons Official Message Board have talked a lot about Saturday's game. The defense (aside from run defense) was pretty bad--especially on third downs. Houston has ZERO ball skills, and it is a shame he is our #1 CB. I like Owens' physicality and upside, and I would rather see him over the constantly burnt Houston. Hell, all QBs have to do is throw it to Houston's receiver because Houston won't break it up...and certainly won't INT it. *Sigh* We all wish Grimes was 6 feet tall, but he isnt. At least he plays tight coverage and if he learns how to catch, could reel in a handful of INTs.

Our front 7 is a work in progress. Lofton is very good, Peterson is an upgrade, and Nicholas will hopefully be good. Babs is a very good DT, Jerry has a lot to learn and may not start Day 1 (although I do like Trey Lewis if he's not), Abe is a beast, and JA98 is a waste at this point.

A lot depends on our pass rush, and so far, we don't have much of one. Hopefully Jerry will grown into that guy like he was in college, and either JA98 or Biermann/Sidbury emerge as the regulars opposite Abe.

Coleman is very good at SS and DeCoud is a mystery at FS (I can't wait for Moore to finally be ready to contribute).

The bottom line, there are a lot of question marks along our defense. We had one bad showing and "the sky is falling" skeptics come out. You know, the "0-16 is staring us in the face" types. I'm one of the biggest skeptics and cynics on the planet, but I'm not freaking out just yet. Do changes need to be made? Yes. But there isn't a lot out there unless we give up attractive draft picks, put our faith in an aging FA vet, or pin our hopes on castoffs from team cuts. If very little of those things happen, we will have to just get better as a team or replace our current starters with other players in-house.

Our defensive starters come Week One won't look much different than they are right now. Luckily, Week one isn't here yet, so there is time.

Problem is, the Atlanta Falcons are running out of time.

I like what I saw out of coleman as well, but the rest of that unit needs serious help. Grimes looks like a kid out there and Houston just didn't impress me at all. He gave up play after play after play (literally)! I think the front 7 will be ok, I dont think JA98 will be starting week 1, well he shouldn't be. I think adding mccalister would be a good move but other than that I really don't know how much improving we really can do. Hope we get it done.