today we few remaining members of Falcons Nation (not affiliated with the National Association of Falconry) are in a state of mourning following this weekends NFL Draft. such high hopes and endless possibility crushed by the weight of lousy picks and a scared front office, too chicken shit to take the best/most marketable player (McFadden) or the safest/smartest pick (Dorsey), and instead go with the overrated QB who wouldn't have even been the top rated passer in any of the last 10 drafts (that includes bust worthy QBs David Carr, Joey Harrington, Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Alex Smith, etc...)that all the east coast media dickheads think is a winner and has character.
uggghhh....if i ever hear the word character being used as the foundation for winning football games again i might start shooting people. the Cowboys have never seemed to get all caught up in bullshit adjectives like character. i mean they had fucking Michael Irving for fucksake...how'd that work out for them? football players win football games. do you believe the Falcons got the best players that were available? i sure as shit don't.
and it wasn't just Ryan, there were reaches all over the goddamn place. they took Sam Baker from USC with a 1st round pick that they got by trading two of their 2nd round picks. picks that they got from Houston and Oakland in the Matt Schuab and De'Angelo Hall trades...so basically they traded Hall and Schuab for Sam Baker...a guy who honestly they could of gotten in the 2nd round. good job. and then there were some of the other players to boggle the mind....
....like Curtis Lofton, a linebacker from Oklahoma. let's see, this is what Scout's Inc. had to say about Mr. Lofton, "Lofton isn't going to wow you with his natural ability; he doesn't have great speed and lacks the athletic ability to match up with running backs in man coverage." Wow! sounds awesome. considering he plays for Oklahoma and i've never really heard about him, despite watching a number of their games last season, i am gonna go ahead and assume he probably wasn't worth a 2nd round pick. they also took a couple of more linebackers i've never heard of, a tight end from LSU who didn't even start, a corner from Arizona that i remember watching get toasted in a couple of games last year, and a safety from California that can't cover. AWESOME. championship season in 3 years. i'm calling it now.
okay, let's play a game called: Alternate Reality Falcons Draft Some Good Players That Could Contribute Soon And Won't End Up Getting Cut or On Someone's Practice Squad.
here are the picks and then the picks that coulda been if i was making them:
Round 1: Drafted Matt Ryan. QB, Boston College.
coulda taken: Glenn Dorsey. DT, LSU.
if you are hung up on character, Dorsey had it in spades, plus unlike Mr. Ryan who gets called a "winner" without having actually won anything, Dorsey helped lead the LSU Tigers to the BCS Championship game and was also a member of the team that destroyed Notre Dame in Sugar Bowl the year before. sounds like a winner to me. not to mention he can stuff the run AND make plays in the backfield, something that Mike Smith knew a lot about with Jacksonville. last time i heard, Defense Wins Championships...not overrated QBs who won't be any good for a couple of years at best. but whatever, i've said enough about this.
Round 1: Drafted Sam Baker. OT, USC.
coulda taken: Brian Brohm. QB, Louisville.
i don't actually think Baker was a bad pick, just where they took him and what they gave up to get him was what i had a problem with. i wouldn't have cared as much if Atlanta would've traded up and taken Brohm, a QB who i actually believe will be a good pro. going into this season he was thought of as the number 1 QB in the country and would have actually been a 1st round pick in last year's draft if he'd left school early, but his stock was hurt because his team sucked more so than what he did. it's not his fault that his defense couldn't stop anyone. he still put up great stats and looked like a 1st round pick to me. he has an injury history, but i think it's worth the risk. he is a smart kid, played in a pro style offense and makes better decisions with the ball than Ryan did. he doesn't have a cannon for an arm, but then again neither does Tom Brady, what he does have is a good mind and an accurate arm and that's enough to be successful in the NFL. but honestly they could have probably gotten Baker with one of their picks at the beginning of the 2nd round and also taken Brohm with a 2nd round pick as well. solving their QB and Tackle problems without giving up as much as they did.
Round 2: Drafted Curtis Lofton. ILB, Oklahoma
coulda had: Quentin Groves. DE/OLB, Auburn.
okay this is a pick made of personal bias, but let's be honest Groves is gonna be a sack artist in the NFL. he's faster than any of the other ends taken in the draft and will be a great outside linebacker at the next level. he has problems stuffing the run sometimes, but he is a playmaker in the pass rush. i predict he'll be a star sooner than later.
Round 3: Drafted Chevis Jackson. CB, LSU.
coulda had: Tavaris Gooden. ILB, Miami.
i actually have no problem with this pick. Jackson will be able to help out as a nickleback, but i think Gooden could be the perfect replacement for Keith Brooking at middle linebacker. he's kinda weak against the run, but he's a hell of an athlete and can make plays against the pass, plus we was part of the 7th Floor Crew at the U and so if it doesn't work out for him with the Falcons, he might be able to contribute to the Atlanta Rap scene.
Round 3: Drafted Harry Douglas. WR, Louisville.
best pick the Falcons made, he can come in a play the slot. has good hands. and if the Falcons had taken Brohm it would make sense to also take his favorite target. i'll leave this one alone.
Round 3: Drafted Thomas Decloud. S, California.
coulda taken: Justin King. CB, Penn State.
so if they hadn't taken Jackson they would have needed to sure up that nickleback spot and King is the best Corner available at this point. the kid has amazing speed and could be a returner as well. at one point he was projected as a 1st round pick, but slipped after the combine. i know nothing about DeCloud other than the fact he's slow and played for a shitty Cal team.
Round 5: Drafted Robert James. OLB, Arizona State.
coulda taken: Frank Okam. DT, Texas.
James is an undersized linebacker who plays for Arizona State...this means i think he sucks. Okam however is a former 5 star recruit at Texas who underachieved a lot in college, but has great size and showed the ability to stuff the run. could be a bit of a project, but could develop into a great tackle...especially when paired with Glenn Dorsey.
Round 5: Drafted Kroy Biermann. OLB, Montana.
coulda taken: Owen Schmidt. FB, West Fucking Virginia.
never fucking heard of this guy before. he could be Lawrence Taylor all i know. i do know who Owen Schmidt is. Schmidt is a beast-like man-creature with a mohawk who breaks his face mask and hits himself in the face with his helmet when he messes up. if Atlanta wants to take on Jacksonville's power running style they need a solid fullback. i think Schmidt is the last of his kind. a true blocking fullback with size and speed and he can catch just for good measure. i think he will be a probowler and he'd become a fan favorite.
Round 6: Drafted Thomas Brown. RB, Georgia.
again i have no problem with this pick. he's a hometown kid. he'd add some depth behind Norwood and Turner. he can return kicks and he might end up becoming a legit weapon in a couple of seasons. plus he played for the Dogs, so why the fuck not take a chance in the 6th round on him.
Round 7: Drafted Wilrey Fontenot. CB, Arizona.
coulda taken: King Dunlap. OT, Auburn
i saw Fotnenot get fucking toasted in a couple of games last year. this guy can't play in the NFL and i'll be surprised if he even makes the team. Dunlap is a bit of a project. he got beat out by a true freshman last year at Auburn, but he's a fucking giant at 6 foot 9 and 310 pounds. could be a good right tackle in a few years. with that kinda frame he's worth a 7th rounder. plus he's another Auburn player and i'm a homer.
Round 7: Drafted Keith Zinger. TE, LSU.
coulda taken: Mario Urrutia. WR, Louisville.
okay this completes transformation into the Atlanta Cardinals...but seriously he's worth the pick. Urrutia was thought of as a 2nd or 3rd round pick but slipped because of injury. he's got incredible size and speed and is a steal in the 7th round. he's big enough to play some tight end, and would be the perfect red zone threat. Zinger didn't even start for LSU last year. i call this one a no brainer.
anyways i am no scout or draft expert...all i do is watch a shit ton of college football and pray for the best when it comes to the Falcons and their draft, but i think you'd a have a hard time telling me that my draft board doesn't look a hell of a lot better than the one that Atlanta put together.
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