Atlanta Falcons Football

Early 2005 Review

2005-03-31T14:34:00.000-05:00

Falcons are looking solid for the 2005 season! Can't wait for it to start!

Falcons - Recent Signings

2004-07-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

It's one No. 1 down and one No. 1 to go for the Falcons, who agreed late July 27 in principle with Ohio State wide receiver Michael Jenkins, the latter of the club's two selections in the first round. The agreement with Jenkins, which will be finalized July 28, leaves only standout Virginia Tech cornerback DeAngelo Hall unsigned. Hall, the eighth choice in the draft, is not close to an agreement and will officially become a holdout when rookie head coach Jim Mora convenes his training camp July 28. "I'm never one that says you're close or far because truly you're about a 10-second phone call from being able to finalize any of these deals," Falcons president Rich McKay told The Associated Press of negotiations with Hall's agent, Joel Segal. "So hopefully this is the one. I'll do everything I can."

Rookies Demorrio Williams and Etric Pruitt sign

2004-07-14T11:28:00.000-04:00

Rookies Demorrio Williams and Etric Pruitt signed three-year contracts with the Falcons on Tuesday night. Williams, a fourth-round selection from Nebraska, was given a signing bonus of roughly $345,000, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His overall deal is worth an estimated $1.3 million. Pruitt was given a bonus of about $63,000, and his overall deal is worth roughly $1 million. "It is always good to get the process started on getting our draft picks signed," Falcons' general manager Rich McKay said Tuesday. "We will continue to work on signing the remaining five draft picks with the objective of getting them signed by the start of training camp." The most notable members of the Falcons' draft class are cornerback DeAngelo Hall and wide receiver Michael Jenkins, fellow first-round draft picks.

Finneran competes in NFL Cayman Challenge

2004-07-13T11:08:00.000-04:00

Falcons wide receiver Brian Finneran along with seven of his fellow NFL players, recently participated in a series of competitions in the first-ever NFL Cayman Challenge. The hour-long program is set to air on the NFL Network on Wednesday, July 14 at 8 p.m. ET and again on Sunday, July 18 at 9 p.m. ET.

The eight players divided into two teams of four, the Blue and Red team. Finneran, along with Daunte Culpepper (Vikings), Ed Reed (Ravens) and Marcellus Wiley (Cowboys) made up the Blue Team, while the Red Team consisted of A.J. Feeley (Dolphins), Bubba Franks (Packers), Ephraim Salaam (Jaguars) and Roy Williams (Cowboys).

The NFL Network special will detail the quartets dueling in a series of six, team-oriented events amidst the backdrop of the popular Caribbean vacationing spot. Also included in the one-hour program will be a collection of short features chronicling the vacations of the eight athletes and their families on the lush, three-island British territory. NFL Network’s Michelle Beadle and Houston Texans’ Cheerleader Carrie Milbank will serve as hosts.

NFL Network is carried on DIRECTV’s basic service that is seen in more than 12.6 million homes on Channel 212. NFL Network is also available on Voom satellite service on Channel 312 as well as on cable via Charter Communications and Insight Communications. To get NFL Network, call 866-NFL-NETWORK.

Tight end Goodwin retires

2004-07-08T19:01:00.000-04:00

The retirement of Falcons tight end Hunter Goodwin became official Tuesday, and with it came a degree of uncertainty as the Falcons head to training camp in three weeks.

Goodwin, an eight-year veteran signed in March to be the No. 2 tight end behind Alge Crumpler, ended his career because he could not overcome a nagging hip injury. It led the Falcons last week to sign Justin Swift, who played for the 49ers from 2000 to 2002. He was out of football last season after getting cut by the Houston Texans in training camp.

New coordinator Greg Knapp, who coached Swift in San Francisco, won't use two tight-end formations as much as former coach Dan Reeves, but should run them some of the time. Swift has played 49 NFL games but has only 23 catches. Last year's No. 2 tight end, Brian Kozlowski, signed as a free agent with Washington.

"He was a good match for us for now," coach Jim Mora said of Swift. "We're still hunting, though."

If the Falcons make another move at the position, it would likely come during training camp as other teams trim their rosters.

Falcons Sign Justin Swift #45

2004-07-06T14:59:00.000-04:00

The Falcons signed reserve tight end Justin Swift to a one-year contract. Swift, 28, joins Hunter Goodwin and Spencer Nead as veteran free-agent tight ends added in recent months. Goodwin will backup Alge Crumpler and take away many of Crumpler's blocking duties. The Falcons hope to use Alge more in the passing game this season.

Falcons moving training camp to Flowery Branch in 2005

2004-07-01T18:32:00.000-04:00

After 6 years, the Falcons are graduating from Furman University.

Starting next July, the Falcons will conduct their entire preseason training at their Flowery Branch complex, joining a number of other NFL teams who do their preseason and in-season training at the same location.

The team's future at Furman had been in doubt as team owner Arthur Blank has considered bringing the team closer to its fan base. In 2003, Blank signed a two-year contract with the school with an option for a third year, which has been declined.

"If we have it at our facility, fans all over the Atlanta area and the state can come over," Blank said. "It's going to be a lot easier for them and fan-friendly."

While the drive to Flowery Branch -- about an hour from downtown Atlanta -- isn't a breeze, it's far shorter than the roughly 2 1/2-hour hike up to Greenville, S.C.

"It's going to benefit us, as far as not having to travel and also our family and fans," said tight end Alge Crumpler. "It's got to."

The decision became official Wednesday night when the Flowery Branch City Council unanimously approved the construction of expanded facilities at the team's headquarters. The plans include a dormitory to house players during camp, a revival of the team's Falcon Inn at its old Suwanee complex. The Suwanee site, which the team left after the 1999 season, was its training camp home from 1979 to 1998.

The Falcons already are planning an expansion to their four-year-old headquarters to accommodate the Georgia Force arena football team Blank purchased in May. Construction of the dorms, which will be beyond a retention pond next to the two practice fields, is scheduled to start in October.

In recent seasons, the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers have left college campuses to train at their own complexes. Seven other teams do likewise.

Aside from being closer to fans, teams benefit by being able to use their own fields, weight and video equipment, locker rooms and coaching offices. While all players will stay in the dorms, coaches and staff will be able to sleep at home. The need to isolate players for the sake of building morale, an oft-cited reason for the traditional training camp, has been decreased by offseason workout programs. Nearly all of the Falcons players, for instance, have been working out in Flowery Branch since March.

The news disappointed Furman, which also hosted the team from 1971 to 1978 and had received positive reviews from team officials and players.

"The only thing we couldn't do was move closer to Atlanta," said Chris Colvin, an assistant athletics director and the university's training camp coordinator.

But it is a boon for Flowery Branch, which was waiting for the team to commit full-time to camping there since the team moved from Suwanee in 2000.

Said Flowery Branch Mayor Bryan Puckette, "It gives us an opportunity to play host as a city more often and share what we have in Flowery Branch with others."

Latest Falcons News

2004-06-29T09:28:00.000-04:00

Coach Jim Mora changed the reporting date for training camp from July 28th to the 27th. The first practice will be Wednesday, July 28.

For the most part, the Falcons will alternate between one practice a day and two. The 9 a.m./3 p.m. practice routine of recent years will be gone.

A typical two-day sequence: Day one -- practice at 8:45 a.m., lunch, afternoon meetings, dinner, practice at 7:15 p.m., and evening meetings; Day two -- breakfast, meetings, practice at 2:45, dinner and evening meetings.

"It is sort unique. My dad did it [while coaching the Colts]," Mora said. "Dom Capers does it [with the Texans]. I talked to him recently and he said he'd never go back to another schedule.

"You get two meals and a meeting between each practice. Players get more recovery time, and they're more reinforced."

Busy Crumpler

Tight end Alge Crumpler, whose wife, Jen, recently had the couple's first child, has been working overtime -- at home, and learning a new offense.

The trick is that Crumpler's had to learn much more than before about what his teammates do on each play. That's because in many passing situations, he will have the freedom to adjust his route based on what coverage the defense is in. First, he'll have to read the defense, then think of where not to run a route.

"I have so many more options as far as flexibility and route-running options than I've ever had, which is great as long as I understand the concept of the play," he said. "I have to know where the other [receivers] are so I don't cover them up."

Laying low

Many team officials and coaches are on vacation, and the offseason strength and conditioning program officially ends for veteran players on Friday. Many will skip town before that in anticipation of the July 4th holiday.

Rookies will work out (and study) through July 15.

"[Rookie wide receiver Michael] Jenkins and [rookie quarterback Matt] Schaub have been working with [wide receivers coach] George Stewart on an almost daily basis since Jenkins [did not report to the team until two weeks ago]," Mora said.

"But really, it's the same here as around the league. It's a time when there's not much going on."

He said it

"It's up to Jim [Mora], but working with him as much as I have in the past, [Vick's] probably not going to see a whole lot of the preseason.'' -- Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, on how much of quarterback Michael Vick will get to work on the new offense in exhibition games.

Atlanta Falcons 2004 Season - Are They Ready??

2004-06-25T12:32:00.000-04:00

For now, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell are keeping things relatively simple, and Jim Mora said coaches have not yet reached the point where they've decided to subtract certain elements of their scheme because they don't have the players to execute them.
"We try to work on situations, but we haven't had any come up yet where we say, 'We're just not going to be able to do this,' " Mora said. "We create as we see what the players can do."

Soon, though, coaches will stop doing things because they have a hunch players can do them, and start asking them to do things they're not sure will work.

"Absolutely, in preseason games, you have to see guys in certain situations," Mora said. "Like in preseason games, on third-and-seven, we might run a draw and (fans) might say, 'What in the world did they run that play for?'

"Well, it's because we have to see that back run that play. Or you might not pressure because you want to see if you can get pressure with these certain four guys."

Meanwhile, even though 12-year veteran Ty Detmer might begin the season as the backup to quarterback Michael Vick, rookie Matt Schaub is getting more work in the team's ongoing organized team activities (practices).

"You need to do that," Mora said. "Ty understands the ins and outs of the offense, and doesn't need a whole lot of reps. That allows you to get Matt and Mike more snaps."

Schaub seems to be fitting in. At least one veteran WR said this week that he's been impressed by the former University of Virginia star.

And strong safety Bryan Scott has learned that he's a safety. Period.

"Free safety and strong safeties in this scheme are pretty much interchangeable," he said. "I'm a safety."