Hero Inc.

A few weeks ago, I got caught up in an online conversation with Will about many random items.  However, when we started talking about sports, the conversation slowly moved to uniforms.  Specifically, I was describing my new love for the Steelers’ throwbacks, while he was a fan of the Buffalo Bills throwbacks.  I soon found that I could talk about sporting wear while the time quickly passed me by.  Little did I know that there was a whole website blog devoted to nothing more than the wardrobe of our beloved sporting events.

Known simply as “Uni Watch” I found myself sucked into a world I did not fully understand but enjoyed immensely.  It’s more interesting than you would think to see differing viewpoints of jerseys, helmets, socks, logos, etc.  I found myself looking more at what a team was wearing on game days than how they were actually playing.  Yeah that might be a little girlie, but once you are hooked, you are hooked.

With the recent posting that tied Google’s Time Life image search with Uni Watch, I saw that I really could spend long hours in front of a computer reading/viewing great moments in sports dress.  The postings range from the serious to the humorous (not for the faint of heart).  And who would have thought that vertical stripes on socks would cause one to go running to the hills?

And as always, who doesn’t love a guy that constantly makes fun of those wacky Oregon Ducks?  I mean, they have so much fuel to the fire.

This video gets better and better the more times I watch it.

That’s an SEC referee for you.

Updated: October 21, 2008

Well, well, well. Here we are. Six weeks into the 2008/2009 NFL season and the Falcons are looking like a team that has left all baggage and thoughts of yesteryear behind them. As the Falcons head into their bye week, they stand at 4-2 after the recent climactic climatic win against the Monsters of Midway, the Chicago Bears. They are tied for 1st in the NFC South and above all expectations.

Before the season started, the Falcons were found to be cleaning out their closet in what is known throughout the NFL as a rebuilding year.  Gone was the dreaded D. Hall.  Gone was the Coach That Shall Not Be Named (P.S. I hope you lose every game you pig).  Gone was the memory of Michael Vick.  Enter new GM Thomas Dimitroff. Enter new head coach Mike “Smitty” Smith. Trades and signings were made but nothing that caught your eye. The draft came and went with a few Falcon fans left wondering “Why Ryan”, “Why not Glenn Dorsey”, and “Why trade up to get Sam Baker.” The preason passed as it always does with many stating that those games prove nothing. I only saw draftees actually looking as if they were drafted with a purpose.

I jokingly said to many that “he [a NFC South team] that finishes last one year will win the division the following year.”  My real expectation was to win a total of 5 games due to many weak opponents throughout the year.  I never saw a 4-2 record heading into this Bye week.  I’m not sure many did.  However, the season is far from over, but now is a good time to take note of what we know at this point in the season.

• Thomas Dimitrioff was the right choice in GM.  He builds through the draft and is looking to gain value in his prospects as quickly as he drafted them.
• Matt Ryan is the real deal.  He is a franchise QB and I’m sorry I was a doubter in the beginning.  Currently, he isn’t being forced to carry the entire team but has shown spots of brilliance that makes you think that he can when it is required.
• Michael “The Burner” Turner is the leading rusher in the NFL even with 3 decent/bad games.  The man can run and pounds it when the team needs it.  His running threat, along with Norwood, is helping teams stay honest in preparing for our run/pass attack.
• Our offensive line is the most underrated aspect of our team.
• Our defense isn’t amazing and is probably closer to average if not slightly less.  However, they do what they are asked and sometimes rise to the occasion to play like they are so much more.
• Roddy White is a legit WR.  The Falcons are still searching for the number 2 guy, but Jenkins and Douglas are doing every thing they can to prove they can be.  It will be better when Robinson returns as well.
• The new TE’s, Peele and Hartstock, are doing well.  I’m glad the trade for Gonzalez didn’t work out since we had just dropped Alge as a pass catching tightend.  No more Milner is also a plus.  I probably catch more than him and that’s not a good thing.
• It seems that the “Screamers Wanted” campaign is working and the Dome is looking to be a hostile environment (3-0 record so far).  I now really look forward to defending the Dome.
• The pregame videoes (Delta Safety spoof, Welcome to the Show, and Defend the Dome) actually inspire me every time.  I just wish they would update the Welcome to the Show and Defend the Dome with plays from the season similar to how UGA updates their pregame video.
• The next three games (@Eagles, @Oakland, Saints) will be tough.  Oakland is more mentioned due to two road games in a row.
• “Smitty” should be Coach of the Year and Matt Ryan Rookie of the Year, if voted ended today.

Overall, I only have one complaint this season.  Matt Ryan just doesn’t look cool when he wears the Under Armor white shirt.  A black version might help the situation but the white seriously hurts.  Seriously Matt.  You need to change the look.  A new nickname (“Matty Ice”) would be better as well.

Now please sit back and enjoy the rest of the season.  Here is a great video from the Falcons that basically sums up what this team and season means.  The Falcons website has more of these Vantage Point videos for the other games this season.

The other day at work, I received a random message over IM from a user I did not know. The user in question was someone I had met in a previous life on the internet when I was part of the e-fedding world. I know I’m going to regret this post later but oh well.

What is an e-fed?
Well, before there was fantasy football, fantasy baseball, or fantasy anything, there was fantasy wrestling. That’s right. Wreslting. I’m talking about Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and Sting. That kind of wrestling. According to wiki, an e-fed is a fictional wrestling promotion where the basic premise is that a player creates a character and manages his or her career.

Over my e-fedding career, there were two different ways to play but both shared a common aspect. The first e-fed I joined utilized a piece of software that would simulate wrestling matches. That’s right people. There is software out there that would simulate a wrestling match based on the type of match and the wrestlers that were placed into that match. You could setup all different types of matches (ladder, four way, Last Man Standing, etc.) as well as wrestler types (grappler, high flyer, technician, etc.). Most of the matches were very redundant due to the limits of the software. It was still cool at the time. The second type of e-fed I joined did not use the software. For each weekly event and monthly “PPV” writers would scribe the entire match and any other aspect of the show. This could be attacks in the backstage area, interviews, or vinettes. As you can imagine (if you are even trying), shows were constantly postponed due to the amount of time it would take to write these events. I tried to write a few here and there but I wasn’t any good.

The overall common component of both types was the aspect of role playing. Once you created your wrestler, you had to bring the wrestler to life through promos or interviews. These are just online postings where you build up your fight for the week or whatever feud you are currently involved in. There were limitations on what you could say or do in an interview to keep the fantasy as “real” as possible (i.e. no using wrestlers that were not your own). There was a point in time where I was having to write a promo a day for 4 days a week to prepare for my weekly match. Each promo could have taken me about 2 hours to write, which isn’t fun when Word suddenly crashes on you and you have to type it up again from scratch.

Who were my characters?
When I first started out, I created a tag team known as Snakebite (Viper and Venom). They basically had no personality and died rather quickly in my eyes but thanks to the software of the e-fed they were slightly above a jobber. Soon I began a feud with the resident outsiders of the federation and I needed a new “big guy” to combat the size of this wrestler known as Oz. I, therefore, created X who was almost 8 feet tall. I wasn’t very creative in the beginning. There was also Mondo for a short period of time but I actually ended up killing him off to make way for another character.

By killing off Mondo, I was able to create a storyline where Mondo’s brother would enter the federation in order to enact revenge on those responsible for Mondo’s overdose. Mondo’s brother was originally known as Cryus “The Virus” Fury. For those movie buffs out there, yes I did steal the name from Con Air. Cyrus was a loner who was more of a homeless bum. I modeled him after another real wrestler, Saturn. His style was hardcore and it allowed me to write for a darker style character.

Around the same time as Cryus, Buddy “Man of Action” Lee was born. This single moment is probably the start of the hero complex, but that’s an argument for another day. Buddy Lee was the hero everyone wanted and needed. He was the ultimate face that the crowd would love. With entrance music by Foo Fighters “My Hero,” I had finally found a character that I could really get into. After a few months, I was tired of writing for a face because of the limitations. When Buddy Lee moved to a heel status, he took on an arrogant, “I’m better than the entire world” attitude as well as the moniker “Mr. Hero.” On occasion Buddy Lee would use Cryus as a lackey and a tag team was formed, The Hero Selective. Both Buddy Lee and Cyrus held multiple tiles with Buddy Lee coming out ahead in the singles category with World titles in more than one federation.

	Name	Buddy Lee
	Hometown	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
	Wrestler Type	All Rounder
	Entrance Music	Foo Fighters “My Hero”
	Catchphrase	I am the Hero of All Heroes, your Paragon of Virtue, and the TRUE Man of Action.
	Finisher(s)	Buddy Lee Bomb, (Gut-Wrench Powerbomb), Herosault (Moonsault), Herovation (2 Powerbombs and a DVD)

	Name	Cyrus Fury
	Hometown	Chicago, Illinois
	Wrestler Type	Hardcore
	Entrance Music	Chevelle “Family System”
	Catchphrase	Feel my FURY!
	Finisher(s)	The Fatality (Reverse Inverted DDT that drops the opponent’s back onto a knee)

Now to make sure those videos from the TWF never show up. Man, how old was I?

For those west coast readers, I’m talking about University of South Carolina and not University of Southern California.

Yesterday, I made my way to San Francisco to visit May knowing that I would be missing some of the UGA/USC game. I was hoping the game would be locked up before I had to get on the plane but that was not the case due to being televised on CBS and the fact that we always play USC close. While riding MARTA, I’m getting game updates via the blackberry and text messages from my buddy David. This is not the ideal way to watch a UGA game but it was working better than nothing.

By the time it was set to board my flight, the game was just beginning the 4th quarter with UGA up 14 to 7. When I found my seat, the flight attendant asked if I needed anything. I jokingly responded that an update to the game would be nice. She responded by saying that she’d check with the pilot but I might also want to see if it could be found on the XM radio system. I quickly found the SEC channels and the channel for the game. However, since we were still on the ground, they had not switched the audio system over to the XM system due to possible pilot announcements. I was hoping that once we pulled away from the gate audio would begin, but that was not the case. Before we were forced to turn off electronic devices, I was given one uplifting moment when David informed me that we had recovered a fumble in the endzone to prevent USC from scoring.

As the plane pulled away from the gate, I stared intently at the flashing XM radio system. With no audio playing in my ears, all I could read was:

199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER

Heading to the runway I kept hoping audio would kick in. When we were about 10th for take off, I knew that I would not make into the air with a result.

199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER

Every time the message flashed, I had a heart attack in fear that it would say UGA14 USC14. The message continued to flash and I’m hoping to see any kind of news but at least good news.

199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            FINAL

Man, that was a close one. I’m hoping my flight back next week during the start of the UGA/Arizona State game is not as detrimental to my health.

Last night instead of going out to enjoy my Friday night, I stayed at home to “veg” out in front of the TV. An old movie caught my eye that I remember watching as a kid and started thinking about great soccer moments in the movies. I love soccer, but being an American, it is rare a true, good soccer movie is made. Usually we only get flicks that push soccer even further back in the American eye. If it isn’t part of the American big three (football [NFL], baseball, or basketball), it will not receive its cinematic justice.

Therefore, I have decided to create the five best cinematic displays of soccer that I have seen.

5. Any part with Larry’s (The Keeper) visions, The Big Green – Ah yes, the quintessential Disney formula for the mid-90’s:
   

   Misfit kids + A Sport + 1 Known Actor (Steve Guttenberg) + Humor = Release This Movie

   The Big Green may not have been as good as Mighty Ducks, but I loved the scenes where Larry was imagining the other teams attacking him as their mascots, most notably the Knights. It just goes to show you what magic goggles can do when worn properly on the soccer field. Maybe the goat was a bit much though.

4. Allies vs. Nazis, Victory – This movie could have been great. Mix great athletes with a good actor, Michael Caine, and you could possibly have a great soccer film. What’s that you say? To help it get exposure in the states you need to beef it up by adding Sylvester Stallone? Are you kidding me? Victory is great, but Stallone just kills it. It’s either his constant jabs against the game or his non-believable role as the team’s goalie. Otherwise, this movie is great. I mean, where else are you going to get Pele overcoming an injury to help his team out? Or classic 70s/80s soccer moments? Why Stallone? Why?
3. Team Shaolin vs. Team Evil, Shaolin Soccer – Mix cool fighting techniques with soccer and, of course, I’m sold. The basic plot is that five monks come together to relieve the great feeling Shaolin brought to them and maybe even have a great soccer match at the same time. Each character’s special Shaolin technique somehow magically matches to a great soccer skill. The graphics are pretty cool too.
2. Dirty Yellows vs. True Blues, Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Sure it may be a musical with that guy from Herbie and Marry Poppins (David Tomlinson) as well as the Murder She Wrote Lady (Angela Lansbury), but the soccer scene is great. Early mixture of live action and cartoon is just funny when the human has to be the ref with no control. Animals playing soccer offers the great lines:
   

   Charlie: That’s a foul referee.
   Carrie: They’re animals, Charlie.
   Charlie: That may be, but it’s no excuse for dirty football.

   The match also has probably two of the best keepers/goalies you will see in a film featuring soccer.
   

1. Cons vs. Guards, Mean Machine – I know what you are already thinking. This is just a rip off of The Longest Yard. Well, when the original Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds was released in the UK, it was given the name Mean Machine instead. I’m thankful someone took the time to provide soccer/movie fans with a good movie by modifying the original concept. Mean Machine follows the same formular as The Longest Yard:
   

   Pro Player – Everything Thanks to Broken Laws + Humor + Ability to Redeem Himself = Great Soccer Movie

   Vinnie Jones works well in his role as a drunken pro who threw everything away and now finds himself in prison. The game…..errr…..match has everything: Great Commentators, a Keeper/Goalie going on walkabouts, skills, violence, and a great team concept.
   

Roughly 5 days and 23 hours until the NFL season begins. Ok, it may not truly begin but the preseason games do for the Atlanta Falcons. This weekend, the Falcons spent time in scrimmages that were open to the public in hopes of reaching more fans and giving us all a taste of what is to come in the coming season. I attended the Allstate All-Access Roam The Dome event on Saturday where I took pictures and notes on what this year’s team is doing.

First off, let me say that the Dome looked amazing. I can now easily tell what team plays in this venue and what team will be playing their in December for a conference championship. The outside looked great and the inside change of seats was even better. It almost made me begin looking to the season even more.

As for the scrimmage, the team was divided into two teams: white and red. The 1st team defense was on the red team as well as the 1st team offense. Here are a few points of interest I gathered from the day.

• The name of the day seemed to be D.J. Shockley. Sure I might be a little biased, but he seemed to be cool and calm out on the field and easily moved the ball down the field against the 1st team defense. Out of all the QB’s, D.J. shined the best and truly made it seem like there could be a real fight between the QBs before the season begins. All of Shockley’s throws were on target and the incomplete throws were more an issue with the WRs not pulling in an easy to moderate catch more than a throwing issue.
• As for the other QB’s, no one really shined. Matt Ryan’s first pass of the day was a horrible low thrown ball that was easily tipped at the line of scrimmage. He also threw an INT when his team was inside the 20 that was returned to the 5 by Blue Adams. It looked at times that Ryan was focusing on Roddy White too much instead of looking at the entire field. He could have been looking to relieve the magic of the night before where White and Ryan connected on a 65 yard TD pass.
• The running backs looked great. The tandem of Norwood and Turner will be great. I really like the idea of two “starter” backs since you can use one to wear down a defense and then turn up the energy again in the second half with your second back. It worked well two years ago when Norwood was picking up between 6 to 8 yards a carry because of the tired second half defenses he was facing thanks to Dunn’s help. Jason Snelling looked good as well and a few good “power” runs (even though that’s difficult in a two hand touch scrimmage). For those also wondering, Thomas Brown did not look that great. I’m not sure if it was the plays he was given to show his skills but he was probably the least effective out of all the RBs. I’m hoping he is looked at more for his return abilities since the team seems to be looking for Adam Jennings on offense instead of returns.
• With the return of Grady Jackson, the Falcons are switching to a 3-4 defense instead of their previous 4-3 (4 defensive linemen and 3 linebackers). However, I don’t see this defense being run on every play because Grady doesn’t have the stamina to work every play and I’m not sure if the other DTs are big enough to fill the hole that Grady fills. It did look nice to see that LBing core….
• Linebackers. It seems that the once UGA notable Tony Taylor could have a chance at starting linebacker this season. He was on the 1st team defense and was playing MLB with Keith Brooking and Michael Boley playing on the opposite sides. John Abraham was the other defensive lineman who was dropping back to play LB when the 3-4 was run.
• The race to fill the D. Hall spot looks to be a good one. Both Blue Adams and Brent Grimes looked decent in the scrimmage but we will have plenty of time to see their capabilities during the preseason games. I cannot offer my thoughts on Chevis Jackson’s scrimmage play because I did not see him (forgot to look). I’d like to see Grimes become great because he is coming from a Division II school just like his current mentor, Secondary coach and Hall of Famer Emmitt Thomas.
• Before scrimmage started, the defense was announced and stepped out of the tunnel individually. Each player performed a “dance” that was quite entertaining. One player (I forgot which), even gave the crowd a taste of the “Dirty Bird” again. Brent Grimes was the only player with no dance. His name was called and he played it straight and ran straight to the rest of his teammates. I will say that I don’t think I’d like to see Keith Brooking dance ever again unless it is due to a game winning INT returned for a TD.

Overall, I don’t think we, the Falcons, are as bad as everyone expects us to be, but I don’t think we should look for anything other than trying to compete in our own division. Let’s build the team for the year and look to the future for further improvement.  I’d say the first goal would be to get past the stigma of the Falcons not being able to produce back to back winning seasons.

Not much to say here other than, GO HAWKS!!!!!!!

I’m not a big basketball fan, but I will be a fan of Atlanta teams. Don’t call this the bandwagon. Just call this, me supporting you doing the improbable (not impossible). I wish you the best and regardless, you have accomplished more than anyone expecting out of you.

GO FREAKIN’ HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The draft was not as entertaining as it has been in previous years. I believe this was determine by better predictions by the analysts and the outcome of the number 2 and 3 picks. The 2 and 3 picks were going to determine the rest of the draft and they did.

As a Falcons fan and ticket holder, I was not pleased with the number 3 selection of Matt Ryan or trading back up in the first round to take Sam Baker. I understood that we needed some Offensive Line members to protect Ryan, but I think that was a huge jump and too much to give up for that pick. The rest of their picks didn’t wow me either. I like the Jackson pick, but Lofton and Douglas just leave me scratching my head. Hopefully our Scouts saw things the fans don’t and things will turn around.

With Ryan being the 3rd pick, I’m looking to see him signed fast and begin learning the system as quickly as possible. I don’t want him to start right away but maybe mid to late season he should enter. It’s been my belief a top 10 pick should start right away and contribute to his team. Even though Ryan was not my top pick (and Dorsey was still on the board), he is slowly growing on me and certain comments are beginning to change my mind towards him. Atlanta needs to move on from Michael Vick and Ryan might be that chance. When Vick finishes his sentence, the Falcons need a Franchise player in place so that the media and fans do not turn back to Vick. This needs to be a clean move from old to new. Ryan also has said all of the right things since being selected and his quote “Manning-esque love for the game” needs to translate to the field and fans.

The following awards are mine to give following the two day circus known as the NFL Draft.

Biggest Reach: Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jaguars jumped from pick 26 to pick 8 in order to get Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida. I can understand some jumps, but this one was not worth it. The Jags gave up their 1st round pick, two third round picks, and a fourth round pick. This was just a reach, I don’t care if he is a home state player. The Jags overpaid.

Biggest Surprise: Green Bay Packers – The Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers as the heir to Brett Farve. However, this year they drafted Brian Brohme out of Louisville and Matt Flyn out of LSU. Is Green Bay looking to build a QB controversy?

Biggest Winner: Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs had a great draft. They were able to pick up Glen Dorsey, DT (one, if not the, top pick in this year’s draft) as well as Brandon Albert (OG) and many other high quality players. This was a great draft to be a Chiefs’ fan.

Biggest Loser: Me – I look forward to the Draft to see tears as players fall from where they were projected to go. Watching Matt Leinart and Brody Quinn tear up was priceless. No one really cried like that this year (Dorsey had tears of joy). No real shockers were seen. I feel like I was cheated out of a great draft.

Mr Irrelevant: David Vobora – OLB – Idaho selected 252nd by the St. Louis Rams

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Atlanta Falcons Draft Results

The links for the picks will direct you to the sites linked from the Atlanta Falcons’ website where highlight videos can be seen or other profile information.

Round 1:

• Matt Ryan – QB – Boston College (Pick 3)
• Sam Baker – OT – USC (Pick 21) [Acquired from Washington]

Round 2:

• Curtis Lofton – ILB – Oklahoma (Pick 37)

Round 3:

• Chevis Jackson – CB – LSU (Pick 68)
• Harry Douglas – WR – Louisville (Pick 84) [Acquired from Washington]
• Thomas DeCoud – S – California (Pick 98)

Round 4:

• NO PICKS

Round 5:

• Robert James – OLB – Arizona State (Pick 138)
• Kroy Biermann – OLB – Montana (Pick 154)

Round 6:

• Thomas Brown – RB – Georgia (Pick 172)

Round 7:

• Wilrey Fontenot – CB – Arizona (Pick 212)
• Keith Zinger – TE – LSU (Pick 232) [Acquired from Pittsburgh]

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

As promised, here are the players from UGA who were taken and where they ended up.

• Marcus Howard – OLB – Round 5, Pick 161 – Indianapolis Colts
• Thomas Brown – RB – Round 6, Pick 172 – Atlanta Falcons
• Chester Adams – OG – Round 7, Pick 222 – Chicago Bears
• Brandon Coutu – K – Round 7, Pick 235 – Seattle Seahawks

With the NFL Draft only a few days away, I’ve decided to create my own big board of draft possibilities and needs for the Atlanta Falcons.

First off, let’s start with what the Falcons don’t need. This will be a short list, but it is good to get it out of the way.

• Fullback – Ovie Mughelli is a beast on the field and is one of the highest paid fullbacks in the NFL. He was brought specifically for Coach Bobby’s system but didn’t see much playing time due to the missing running game when we were behind, ahead or even on the field. I made certain to watch him anytime he was on the field. This man moved double teams out of his RBs way like Kobayashi moves hot dogs off of his plate. The man is good and hopefully he will become a great central point to Coach Smith’s new system.
• Defensive End – Many people looked down on Jamaal Anderson for not having a super year. He played like a rookie should but he wasn’t that bad. He had many forced fumbles and did an overal decent job. He just wasn’t the super impact player the Falcons were expecting of him. On the opposite side of the line sits the great John Abraham. If it wasn’t for injuries, this guy would be unstoppable.
• Punter – Michael Koenen has the leg, enough said for a punter.
• Running Back – With the recent signing of Michael Turner, the Falcons are set in the RB spot. Some might say Turner is not an every down back, but there is still Norwood to take care of additional situations which should make for a great one two punch.
• Kicker – With the recent signing of Jason Elam, the kicking game is set. Sure I’ll miss Old Reliable Morten Anderson, but at least now we can kick over the forty yard mark without calling in the punter.

Now for my personal big (mini) board going into the draft.

1. Jake Long – OT – Michigan => This guy is a beast. He would make a great captain over the years and should be around for a long time. Much of the problems with the Falcons is the QB position. Many say we should draft a QB at our top spot, but I say no. What’s the point drafting a great QB who may not start for another year and probably couldn’t stand up for long without a decent group in front of him blocking. Long could be that block and maybe we could do what the Browns did and trade back into the late 1st round to gain a good QB. The first statistic that stood out to me was his size and speed (6’7, 313 lbs, 5.219 40-Dash time). The next great statistic was during his 4 year starting career at Michigan, Long allowed 2 sacks and 2 penalties. Sure, there is the chance this guy could be the next Robert Gallery, but that’s rare.
2. Glenn Dorsey – DT – LSU => Dorsey was a beast this season for LSU. Every opponents’ offensive play began by knowing where this guy was on the field. I mean, he was double teamed a good portion of the time and oh yeah, he was injured a majority of the year and he still produced big plays when needed. How about them apples? With the recent releases of Grady Jackson (last year) and Rod Coleman (my boy), the Falcons need someone with speed for the pass rush and power to stop the run. Dorsey has both. If Long is already off the board to the Rams or Dolphins, I’d go with Dorsey. If Coach Smith wants to build from the inside out, then a DT is a good start.
3. Leodis McKelvin – CB – Troy => With D. Hall away “winning” with Oakland, I say “goodbye and good riddance.” However, with Hall’s departure, that cornerback spot needs to be filled. Is Jimmy Williams a bust yet? Can Houston continue to hold his own? Even if we need a cornerback, this is too high of a pick to use for McKelvin. Maybe we could look to trade down in order to gain more picks. The Ravens are looking to move up for Ryan. I say we let them. McKelvin is one of the best CB’s in this year’s class and would easily still be available if we fell to picks 5 to 15.
4. Ryan Clady – OT – Boise St or Sedrick Ellis – DT – USC => Again, I’m looking to get more with what we have. Trading out of the number 3 spot could help us build more. These two players, like McKelvin, will still be available in the 5 to 15 range and are both highly rated. Some even believe that Ellis could be just as good if not better than Dorsey. I’m not one of those people, but that’s because of my love for the SEC and hatred for the Pac-10.
5. Not Matt Ryan – QB – Boston College => The Falcons do not need Matt Ryan. There are many great number two quarterbacks in this years class and Atlanta can easily pull a Cleveland (draft a long time player and trade back into the 1st round to select the QB of choice). Henne, Woodson, Brohm, etc. are all decent picks. I don’t think I would see Brohm with the Falcons simply because the team needs to move farther away from the Petrino issue from last season. Also, Ryan may be a franchise player for some teams, but he would not be one for Atlanta. Michael Vick worked as a franchise player. He put people in the seats and made the game exciting for Atlanta. That’s the type of player Atlanta needs for a Franchise. Just with a cleaner sheet off the field.

Other positions we, Atlanta Falcons, should be looking to fill in the draft:

• Linebacker – Keith Brooking isn’t getting any younger and we will need to fill that major hole sooner than we would like. Boley is growing into an outstanding player, but that’s just one guy.
• Safety – With the way the rest of our defense plays sometimes, we need a great safety and it doesn’t look like this is the year to fill that spot. This draft is not full of uber athletic safeties and that’s just what we need.
• OL and DL – I know I’ve touched on this position above, but I want to stress it even more. A great team is built from the inside out. Atlanta is not a great team on the inside nor outside. Therefore, these are the positions to fill. Depth at interior DL will help during the second stretch of the season.

Oh yeah, as always, I hate Mel Kiper. I wish I could do my job well 20% of the time and still keep it. Must be a sweet life. With 4 of the top 50 picks in this year’s draft, hopefully the Falcons will have something to show for it in the next few years.

After the draft, I’ll post a recap of top moments, biggest surprises and a complete run down on who the Falcons picked up and what teams picked up any UGA players.