All you have to do is watch a Falcons practice and you see why veteran linebacker Mike Peterson is so valuable.

He’s constantly communicating. His voice dominates the practice field as he makes sure teammates are in the right position. Over time, his voice will lessen because he’s teaching middle linebacker Curtis Lofton how to be Atlanta’s vocal leader.

“In Jacksonville, I was the talker,” Peterson said. “I was the one getting guys lined up. If guys aren’t lined up right, it’s not their fault. It’s my fault.”

Peterson has assumed similar responsibilities in Atlanta. Signed by the Falcons in March, he is the leadership piece Atlanta coach Mike Smith was seeking.

Peterson had six productive years in Jacksonville, but his tenure with the Jaguars ended on a sour note. The Jaguars’ 2008 season went awry almost from the very beginning. Left tackle Richard Collier lost a leg after being an innocent victim of a shooting outside a club. Constant losing on the field caused the team to lose focus.

And then came a weird scene in a Week 9 loss to the Bengals. The Jaguars were trailing 21-3 and looking lethargic. Peterson made a shoestring sack of Bengals quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Hoping to inspire his teammates, Peterson performed a sack celebration in which he flexed his muscles. Jack Del Rio, a no-nonsense coach and former linebacker, steamed on the sidelines.

In part, he was mad at the team’s performance. Del Rio was also mad at defensive tackle John Henderson, who was ejected on the previous play for trying to gouge the eyes of Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth.

Then came one of the weirdest blowups of the 2008 season. Del Rio held his temper until Wednesday of the following week. During a team meeting, Del Rio started singling out some of his grievances about the team’s performance. He cited Peterson’s celebration, and Peterson jumped up to explain himself. As a leader, he said he was trying to spark a comeback. The Jaguars did indeed come back, but they fell short 21-19. Del Rio fired back and things became verbally nasty.

Like the official who ejected Henderson for eye-gouging, Del Rio ejected Peterson from the locker room and told him to go home. Peterson lost his starting job. He was placed on the inactive list for the next game. One of the best free-agent signings in Jaguars history was suddenly deemed a bad guy.

“The thing that I don’t want is for that one year to spoil my other years,” Peterson said. “I had five great years, and Coach Del Rio and I had a great relationship. I still have fans there. In fact, I have a football camp down there. That’s how I feel about the area. I had one bad year. I bumped heads with the head coach. You just hate for that one year to stand for your whole stay.”

Fortunately, it didn’t. Peterson knew his days were numbered in Jacksonville. First of all, it’s rare for any free agent to play out his entire contract. Peterson did that with class and dignity. Del Rio was grooming a younger Daryl Smith to become Peterson’s replacement, but Smith was injured late in the season, leaving Del Rio no choice but to re-insert Peterson as a the starter.

“It was just a matter of going out with a bang,” Peterson said. “I knew the handwriting was on the wall. Daryl was destined to replace me, but he got hurt. To have that last game in Jacksonville and having me among the starting 11 was a blessing. I made it six years.”

Work wasn’t hard for Peterson to find. Mike Smith, who took over as the Falcons’ head coach last year, was the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator before that. Even though the Falcons sacked five defensive starters from last season’s 11-win team in order to get younger and faster, Mike Smith made sure to sign the 33-year-old Peterson and name him the starter at weakside linebacker.

Youth movements require a delicate touch and can make or break head coaches. Football is a balancing act. Youth offers speed and energy. Experience offers leadership and consistency, but if players get too old, they can become liabilities. Mike Smith felt strongly enough about Peterson’s skills that he put him at a speed position (weakside linebacker), even though Peterson’s clearly not as fast as he was in his younger days.

“I’m a natural weakside linebacker,” Peterson said. “Coming into the league, I ran a 4.47 40. Speed has always been my thing. In Jacksonville, I was asked to play the middle, but I loved being an outside linebacker. Getting a chance to play it again is a great compliment.”

Peterson signed a two-year $6 million contract with the Falcons, so he knows the urgency of his job. He’s schooling Lofton and working with the other young players on the defense. He’s having a blast, and, to his credit, he’s taken the high road with his battle with Del Rio.

“Four years ago I might have still been pissed off about the situation,” Peterson said. “But I’m a grown man. I realized last year I was auditioning to go to another team.”

There was a theory that Del Rio used Peterson as an example because he knew Peterson was a good enough person to accept it. Naturally, no coach wants to hear players speaking out in meetings, but Peterson was bold enough to do it. He was the talker — and still is.

“The ultimate goal of any coach is to have 53 players buying into the system,” Peterson said. “Once that happens, you let the players run the team. If guys are struggling, players tell them to get into the playbook and do what is needed.”

Peterson’s voice is once again being heard. And it’s appreciated.

Article via ESPN, written by John Clayton – http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=4285880

Last season the Altanta Falcons, led by Michael Turner and Matt Ryan, shocked the NFL world as they would finish the season 11-5 and earn themselves a playoff berth. No one outside of the Falcons locker room thought that they’d have a winning record, let alone a playoff berth but that’s what happened. Now inquiring minds wonder, are the Falcons legit or was last season merely a fluke, although a feel-good story. There is now pressure on Roddy White, Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and company to match last season’s effort and possibly even exceed what was done last season. There are those who now expect the Falcons to be contenders for a Super Bowl berth and if the Arizona Cardinals showed us anything, it’s that no matter what the team name on the front of your jersey is or no matter how good others think you are the Super Bowl is always a realistic possibility.

To give Matt Ryan another target in the passing game, the Falcons acquired tight end Tony Gonzalez in the off-season hoping he’d not only bring his ability to make plays, but his veteran leadership as well. There are some who question how much is left in the tank for Gonzalez, but to be fair to him, the last couple of seasons in Kansas City wasn’t anything special as they running game struggled, the offensive line struggled, and the quarterback position was never solved. He has a chance to be re-born in Atlanta with a Falcons team who hopes to be flying high this season.

The best thing to have come from this was the signing of Byron Leftwich, one of the most underrated QB’s in the league IMO.  He was only pushed out of Jacksonville because they grew tired of his injurie habits and had a 100% healthy Garrard there ready to play ball.

Leftwich is a gutty play.  He isn’t the most skilled player, but he makes plays, especially when you need them.  Harrington is pretty much the opposite type of player.  When you need a big one..you can’t count on him in the least bit.  Leftwich thrives in those situations.

Were the Falcons really going anywhere with Michael Vick anyway?  They were coming off a horrible year.  He has never been able to consistently throw the ball to a wideout.  Sure he hasn’t had the best WR’s but a lot of the very same guys had big years else where and got to Atlanta and went nowhere fast.

If life doesn’t look to good after Vick, I don’t think it has much to do with Vick.  This team could no doubt find itself as a better team in 2-3 years without Vick then they would have been with him.

By Gregg Hayim
 

The Philadelphia Soul walked into the Wachovia Center Thursday night with their playoff ticket having already been punched. Brilliant early season play and a 4-0 start can be credited for that. However, a five-game mid-season skid and the inability to regain that once stellar form almost cost them the chance to open the post-season at home. Almost, being the operative word.

The Soul’s luck headed southbound when franchise quarterback Tony Graziani went down with a shoulder injury during the second quarter of a Week 7 Monday night game in Dallas. Graziani was placed on the IR and wouldn’t return to action for a month. The Soul would lose the game-and the subsequent four in his absence.

In his return to duty, Graziani lead the team to it’s first victory since early April, a 78-34 decision over the New Orleans VooDoo. Since the injury, the Soul have gradually regained their early-season form and Graziani’s new found rhythm with his receiving corps could not have come at a better time. Philadelphia closed the season on the heels of 4-2 stretch; including last Thursdays dramatic 63-49 comeback win over the Orlando Predators.

Philadelphia began the game in auspicious fashion; subsequent first quarter possessions resulting in a turnover on downs followed by a Graziani interception that went for six the other way put the Soul in an early 14-0 hole. Not exactly the start Head Coach Brett Munsey had in mind. Graziani- and the Soul- would recover; chipping away at the Predators lead and tying the game at 35 heading into the intermission. Despite an Orlando third quarter opening drive touchdown, the Soul remained resilient and Graziani, well, he remained brilliant. A dazzling second half aerial display, the results of which earned him AFL Offensive Player of the Week Honors and should serve as a warning sign to the rest of the league as to what Graziani and Co. are capable of when healthy and in-tune.  

Graziani, a former seventh round pick of the Atlanta Falcons, was magnificent as he rallied his troops, throwing for three touchdown passes and accounting for a fourth with his legs: a two-yard run touchdown run that iced the game and ultimately kept the teams travel gear in storage- at least for another week. A thrilling Soul victory and an equally bitter Predators defeat.

Luckily-for the Predators-if they want redemption they won’t have to wait long. The two teams will play again this weekend in the opening round of the AFL playoffs as Friday’s Wild Card match-up marks the first time since 2001 that two teams will play each other in Week 17 and then during the first-round of the playoffs. However, the Orlando Predators should be careful with what they wish for as a Tony Graziani lead Philadelphia offense is things nightmares, not dreams, are made of…

He went on Reserve/Injured with the injury on July 31 of last year after he suffered it on July 29 during training camp. He had been rehabbing the knee in preparation for the 2007 season.

Finneran is being evaluated by doctors this week and there is no word on his status from the club.

The 6-5, 217-pound receiver has 187 receptions for 2,647 yards and 15 touchdowns in 86 career games (35 starts). The Villanova product came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Seattle in 1998. He saw time in the 1999 season with Philadelphia before he was signed to the Falcons’ practice squad in December of that year.[/QUOTE]

http://atlantafalcons.com/team/article.jsp?id=19509

I had a good feeling that Finneran would be off the team this year – injured or not. It’s too bad though, because before his injury last year, every one was so excited to have him. Good luck to him. He was a good Falcon.

The future receiver depth chart looks to me like this:

Joe Horn – Michael Jenkins – Roddy White – Laurent Robinson – Adam Jennings

First Round: Laron Landry Safety | Senior | L.S.U.

6′1″ 213 lbs. 4.35
Youtube
It’s obvious that Atlanta needs a ball hawk in their secondary besides DeAngelo Hall. Chris Crocker and Lawyer Milloy was an addition to the team last year. However, Lawyer Milloy isn’t getting any younger as we speak, and Chris Crocker hasn’t really been impressive much either. Our secondary is nothing with just DeAngelo Hall being the only obvious playmaker. With Laron Landry, we have a playmaker that will bring power, skill, and intimidation to the safety and maybe even cornerback position. That means we kill two birds with one stone due to the fact that Landry can possibly play cornerback at the next level. Laron Landry fits our team needs perfectly. He can keep up with almost all of the recievers in the league, he can tackle (hard), and he’s got great run coverage skills to go along with his pass coverage abilities. The reason why I drafted Laron Landry over Reggie Nelson is simple. In a handful of games that I’ve watched Reggie Nelson for Florida, I’ve seen him give up on many plays. Landry hussles his behind off on practically all the plays I’ve seen him play in. Reggie Nelson didn’t impress much with his performance in the national championship; and impressed even fewer with his performance at the NFL Combine. I’m sure that once we tutor Landry into the team in the offseason, he’ll be starting at the FS position starting from week one. Laron Landry has the potential to be the anchor of this defense for many years to come, we can’t pass up such a high-caliber defensive back like Landry.

Second Round: Michael Bush RB | Senior | Louisville

6′1″ 243 lbs. 4.50
After seeing how Atlanta played in the short yardage situations last year, it’s tough to say that we don’t need a power running back. Michael Bush is the running back that Petrino’s system needs. Petrino already stated in a press conference before that he will definetly look into a power back for Atlanta, and that a power back is essential for his offensive scheme to work properly. And what better player to draft than Michael Bush? Bush has already played under Petrino in Louisville. He is also pretty quick for his size, and can definetly step in and block with the body frame that he has. Some may say that Bush has durability issues. I think that people are putting too much hype into that leg injury. In my opinion, if Michael Bush didn’t get injured in the beginning of the 2006 season, he could of been a nominee for the Heisman Trophy. I’m almost positive that Bush will be there when we draft someone at the forty-fourth overall selection of the draft. Keep in mind that ‘if’ Bush isn’t there for us to draft, we can always go with a defensive end/tweener like Lamar Woodley. However, with the lack of redzone success last year, it’s crucial to this offense that we get a strong running back. Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood have already shown that they can’t do much in the redzone, and Mughelli is better off blocking for the back than running with the ball. With the lack of skillful power backs in the free agency pool, we’ll just have to settle with the best one and draft Michael Bush with our second round pick.

Third Round: Daniel Bazuin DE | Senior | Central Michigan

6′3″ 266 lbs. 4.77
With Kerney out the door, it’s clear that we need someone to bring depth into the defensive line early and maybe start later on. Daniel Bazuin is an excellent pass rusher, and he reminds me of a slightly altered version of Patrick Kerney. Bazuin plays very aggressive, works hard, and can put in quite an amount of time on special teams. Bazuin’s the kind of player that can bring pressure to the quarterback from the outside and provide quite a distraction to the offensive linemen. Not to mention that if we put him in the right scheme, we can possibly play him at the outside linebacker position. Dan Bazuin may end up being a steal for Atlanta if he’s available at this point of the draft. I know some of us may want to draft an offensive lineman at this point of the draft, but we may just draft a defensive end just to be one step closer to re-building our defensive line all over again.

Hopefulyl Michael Vick is up and ready to play next week too.  It;s also the game he looks to be set to go above 1000 yards rushing.  For a QB that’s a crazy accomplishment.