Atlanta Falcons New 53 Man Roster

[pzummo]

Starting Offense

QB - Matt Ryan

RB - Michael Turner

FB - Ovie Mughelli

TE - Tony Gonzalez

WR1 - Roddy White

WR2 - Michael Jenkins

LT - Sam Baker

LG - Just Blalock

C - Todd McClure

RG - Harvey Dahl

RT - Tyson Clabo

Starting Defense

RDE - John Abraham

UT - Johnathan Babineaux

NT - Peria Jerry

LDE - Kroy Biermann

WLB - Sean Weatherspoon

MLB - Curtis Lofton

SLB - Stephen Nicholas

LCB - Dunta Robinson

RCB - Brian Williams

FS - Thomas DeCoud

SS - Erik Coleman

Special Teams

LS - Joe Zelenka

P - Michael Keonen

PK - Matt Bryant

Offensive Depth

OT - Quinn Ojinnaka, Garrett Reynolds

OG - Mike Johnson

C - Joe Hawley

WR - Harry Douglas, Brian Finneran, Eric Weems, Kerry Meier

TE - Justin Peelle, Michael Palmer

RB - Jerious Norwood, Jason Snelling

QB - Chris Redman, John Parker Wilson

Defensive Depth

DE - Chauncey Davis, Lawrence Sidbury, Jamaal Anderson

DT - Thomas Johnson, Corey Peters, Vance Walker

CB - Christopher Owens, Brent Grimes, Chevis Jackson, Dominique Franks (KR)

S - William Moore, Shann Shillinger

LB - Mike Peterson, Coy Wire

[THE ForceFan27™]

Bergeron is in...Weems is out.

[AF89]

Bergeron is in...Weems is out.

And then out, untill he's back again :P

[ugadawg]

Why do you have DeCoud at SS? I think Moore will be SS and DeCoud will be FS.

[THE ForceFan27™]

And then out, untill he's back again :P

I only said that because there HAS TO BE a reason they are keeping him around. We'll see.

[Durrty]

Bergeron is in...Weems is out.

IMO...Bergeron and Weems are out...Wolfe is IN.

[Drathdon]

May be stupid or tempting fate, but might we only carry 2 QB on the roster, and one on the practice squad to open up another spot? Seems like a possibility with this depth and potential of free agents.

[CHOCTHEFALCONFAN™]

Do you really think Williams will start @RCB...C'MON MAN!!!

[blizzard_falcon]

May be stupid or tempting fate, but might we only carry 2 QB on the roster, and one on the practice squad to open up another spot? Seems like a possibility with this depth and potential of free agents.

I'd do it. As far as I know, Wilson would be eligible for practice squad. The big risk there is that another team signs him, but... I think Redman is a solid enough backup that we'd be okay with only 2 QBs on the roster. I think Matt's shown good toughness in his first two seasons - he came back from that turf toe injury faster than expected, and I know from personal experience how painful that can be.

[JOKER2]

Looks very solid, and very close to what I think it will be as well. Maybe 2-3 players off depending on how training camp and preseason shake out. Much upgraded over 08 and 09, and we had 2 competitive teams 11-5 playoffs and 9-7. I really feel this is the year we will start to become a dominant force in the NFC. Much like the Colts, Steelers and Pats in the AFC. I think we are going to start to see a year in , year out contender with this franchise over the next decade. They are gonna be fun to watch as they gel and get better and better as we add more depth.

[dvt5045]

I think Giordano makes the team at SS

[Shredman]

Starting Offense

QB - Matt Ryan

RB - Michael Turner

FB - Ovie Mughelli

TE - Tony Gonzalez

WR1 - Roddy White

WR2 - Michael Jenkins

LT - Sam Baker

LG - Just Blalock

C - Todd McClure

RG - Harvey Dahl

RT - Tyson Clabo

Starting Defense

RDE - John Abraham

UT - Johnathan Babineaux

NT - Peria Jerry

LDE - Kroy Biermann

WLB - Sean Weatherspoon

MLB - Curtis Lofton

SLB - Stephen Nicholas

LCB - Dunta Robinson

RCB - Brian Williams

SS - Thomas DeCoud

FS - Erik Coleman

Special Teams

LS - Joe Zelenka

P - Michael Keonen

PK - Matt Bryant

Offensive Depth

OT - Quinn Ojinnaka, Garrett Reynolds

OG - Mike Johnson

C - Joe Hawley

WR - Harry Douglas, Brian Finneran, Eric Weems, Kerry Meier

TE - Justin Peelle, Michael Palmer

RB - Jerious Norwood, Jason Snelling

QB - Chris Redman, John Parker Wilson

Defensive Depth

DE - Chauncey Davis, Lawrence Sidbury, Jamaal Anderson

DT - Thomas Johnson, Corey Peters, Vance Walker

CB - Christopher Owens, Brent Grimes, Chevis Jackson, Dominique Franks (KR)

S - William Moore, Shann Shillinger

LB - Mike Peterson, Coy Wire

i dont see weems making this team if HD is ready to go , and i also see Peterson in the starting lber core, to start the yr for sure...

other than that and barring a big signing in aug or sept , this looks very close to what i see as our Depth Chart

[Shredman]

i take that back, if this guy can not crack under pressure i want him on the field opening day , just saw this highlight reel. 3rd or 4th kick from 50+ it would have been good from 70...sorry M Bryant, this kicker looks for real man....

man i guess they gave him #5 for a reason....jesus

[Jaymadd]

Williams will not start, even TD said he will play Nickel back, he is not in the competition to start IMO, it is time to move on past overhyped his play last year because OUr CB situation was so messed up. I also think that the Oline will be shaken up a little, I think we will see at least one new starter on the ONline, maybe two.

[PutMeInCoach]

Shillinger = practice squad ... Rafael Bush = ($) Hidden Gem - I will add hi... He is a beast and will suprise a lot of people. I think he is a better safety than Moore. Just watch out for this kid....

I also think Chevis will play all DB positions this year.

Edited April 29, 2010 by PutMeInCoach

[wallace francis]

I think that's about right pzummo.

The biggest question for me is SLB?

I like Peterson over Nicholas until he falls apart. He's just more physical. Neither he nor Nicholas were particularly good in coverage last year though.

[falconfanjason]

Chris Owens will be the RCB, platooned by Grimes...pretty sure Williams will now play the nickel backed up by Chevis. Also Peterson over Nicholas at least at the beginning of the season.

[pzummo]

These are all fair points that I did consider. Here's my reasoning behind the roster.

LBer - I would've put Peterson over Nicholas at MLB or WLB, but he's never played SLB. Weatherspoon is a natural WLB and that's where we drafted him to play, so I see the competition coming at SLB. Peterson has never played SLB in any system. Nicholas has a couple of years of experience playing SLB in Smith's scheme and I think that will ultimately help him beat out Peterson for the starting job.

Safety - Putting DeCoud at SS was a typographical error. I had him and Coleman swapped. In our scheme, they are basically interchangeable anyway. I considered putting Moore as a starter but our Safety play really came on strong towards the end of last season and I don't think Moore will win the job by the time week 1 rolls around coming off of that injury. Coleman only has one year left on his contract, so if we weren't going to start him I would think we would've traded him. He has started every game the past two seasons and he's only 27 years old, so we definitely could have gotten something for him in a trade. I think after Moore's injury setback last season, they are going to ease him into playing time and not start him initially. Shillinger is supposed to be very good at special teams, and that's why he made my squad over others,

CB - I really wanted to put Chris Owens here, he looked good last season. Ultimately, this was one of the tougher decisions for me to make putting Williams over him and I do think it could go either way. In the end, call me old school, I like the thought of players not losing their starting jobs due to injury. Williams only has one year left on his contract, so I could see him starting week 1 giving our young corners a little more time to adapt to the pro game.

WR - Weems is too good on special teams for any of those other guys to beat him out. I know Bergeron is a fan favorite and feel good story to make the team, but I picked this roster with my head, not my heart. At that point in the depth chart, the best Special Teamers make the squad, and Weems has excelled on ST's.

K - I don't see us starting the season with a rookie Kicker unless he can prove he's really really good. For some reason this seems like the toughest position to transition to the NFL.

Notable Mentions - I think Wolfe and Bear Woods will be on the Practice Squad because they are so raw but do have potential. I don't see either cracking our 53 man roster.

[falconmaniac]

I'm pulling for Wolfe from UNLV to make it on the team at WR.

[Jaymadd]

These are all fair points that I did consider. Here's my reasoning behind the roster.

LCB - I really wanted to put Chris Owens here, he looked good last season. Ultimately, this was one of the tougher decisions for me to make putting Williams over him and I do think it could go either way. In the end, call me old school, I like the thought of players not losing their starting jobs due to injury. Williams only has one year left on his contract, so I could see him starting week 1 giving our young corners a little more time to adapt to the pro game.

Notable Mentions - I think Wolfe and Bear Woods will be on the Practice Squad because they are so raw but do have potential. I don't see either cracking our 53 man roster.

We bought in Williams last year as a stop gap option. TD stated they resigned Williams this year to compete for the Nickel spot. Williams was taken out on 3rd downs last year because Grimes was a better cover CB than Williams and Owens was a rookie. Over the last 4 games Grimes and Owens played better than William played at any point in the season. I dont think that starting Williams for week 1 will make that much of a difference for Grimes and Owens who go a good amount of PT last year.

[FalcoChicquera]

I agree with most of your 53 but have listed mine below and would like to compare for a second.

Firstly, I think we bring in an extra full back (in the same way we brought in Haynes last year) as I think Snelling has now proved that he can be a true RB. While Snelling will be the "game day" backup FB (as I wouldn't expect Ovie's backup to make the active 45 every week) I can't imagine that a power running team who use lots of I sets would go in with only 1 recognised FB. As a result we will lose Thomas Johnson - which I regret but he is unlikely to ever play better than last season (no upside) and so at 29 he may be the odd man out.

Secondly, I think Coy Wire may well be a victim of a numbers game at LB. We will have 4 starting-calibre LBs this year and he may well be pushed out of a job if Woods and Adkins show enough urgency on special teams. It's a shame as I like the guy, but his contract expires this year and he is over 30. I also think we carry 6 LB's, not just 5.

Third - I prefer Svitek as a backup LT to Ojinnaka, Peek to Palmer, and can't see us going with 5 WR's. This leaves Finneran as the odd man out (Meier will replace him in effect)

Finally, I agree with all your starters except Williams. I think that a knee injury of that severity to a 30+ DB is going to cause serious problems. He will be a vet backup at corner and safety and so should make the roster, but I don't see a major contributor.

----------

BTW, I have split it into people I expect to get play time on O and D and those whose major contribution will be on ST.

QB Ryan/Redman/Wilson

RB Turner/Norwood/Snelling

FB Mughelli

WR White/Jenkins/Douglas/Meier

TE Gonzalez/Peele/Peek

OT Baker/Clabo/Reynolds/Svitek

OG Blalock/Dahl/Johnson

OC McClure/Hawley

23

----

DE Abraham/Biermann/Sidbury/Davis/Anderson

DT Jerry/Babineaux/Peters/Walker

LB Lofton/Weatherspoon/Nicholas/Peterson

CB Robinson/Grimes/Owens/Williams/Jackson

S DeCoud/Moore/Coleman

21

----

ST (Off) Weems (WR)/Full Back (to be signed)

ST (LB) Adkins/Woods

ST (DB) Franks/Schillinger

K Bryant

P Koenan

LS Zelenka

9

----

PS Banks (TE)/Smith (RB)/Bruggeman (OL)/Wolfe (WR)/Valdez (OL) Bush (DB)/Stephens (DE)/Johnson (LB)

Edited April 29, 2010 by FalcoChicquera

[I MUS WRITE]

Bergeron is in...Weems is out.

I dont think Bergeron beats out Meire or Wolf... I believe they will take the place of Booker and possibly Finn

[Knight of God]

Offense looks just like it did last year...

[Misznay-Schardin]

Offense(25)

QB - Matt Ryan, Chris Redman

HB - Michael Turner, Jerious Norwood, Jason Snelling

FB - Ovie Mughelli, Antone Smith

WR1 - Roddy White, Harry Douglas, Kerry Meier

WR2 - Michael Jenkins, Eric Weems

TE - Tony Gonzalez, Justin Peele, Keith Zinger

LT - Sam Baker, Will Svitek

LG - Justin Blalock, Mike Johnson

C - Todd McClure, Brett Romberg

RG - Harvey Dahl, Joe Hawley

RT - Tyson Clabo, Garret Reynolds

Defense(25)

LDE - John Abraham, Lawrence Sidbury

DT - Peria Jerry, Corey Peters, Vance Walker

DT - Jonathan Babineaux, Tank Johnson

RDE - Kroy Biermann, Chauncey Davis

SLB - Stephen Nicholas, Coy Wire

MLB - Curtis Lofton, Robert James

WLB - Sean Weatherspoon, Spencer Adkins

CB1 - Dunta Robinson, Chris Owens, Chevis Jackson

CB2 - Brent Grimes, Brian Williams, Dominique Franks

SS - William Moore, Eric Coleman

FS - Thomas DeCoud, Matt Giordano

Special Teams(3)

LS - Joe Zelenka

P/KOS - Michael Koenan

K - Matt Bryant

- I think we are comfortable enough with the Matt Ryan/Chris Redman combo that we will let JPW sit on the practice squad.

- I think we could see Dan Klecko be our FB, but I am not sure where the coaching staff imagine him playing. He could be a DT or a FB.

- I think we finally see Brian Finneran walk/retire. I wouldn't be surprised if Ryan Wolfe makes it onto the team at #5 WR over Weems or Meier.

- I could see one of our UDFAs make it onto the team over Zinger, but I don't know enough about them to really make that call.

- I wouldn't be shocked if Mike Johnson takes Blalock's starting job. If not this year, he's definately starting somewhere on the line next year.

- I think Hawley sits at guard and battles it out with Romberg. He will be our future C for sure though.

- I think we run with 5 DTs and 4 DEs, and Jamaal Anderson walks. The DT depth isn't really set in order, but I think that's the 5 we keep. I know our staff likes Walker and Johnson, and Peters obviously makes it.

- OLB is difficult with Peterson still being here. I don't know if he walks or if he moves to back-up. If he goes on back-up he will probably back up all 3 positions.

- I think our CB depth chart will probably look like it did when we got that leaked CB depth chart. I think Grimes finally establishes himself as our starter, and he holds down the #2 side opposite Dunta. He did pretty well at the end of last year there, and I don't see how he will lose it. Williams was said to be brought back to play inside and provide experience/leadership, and with that nasty knee injury I don't see him making a push for the starting job. Franks will probably be our #6 for return purposes only.

- I think William Moore will beat out Coleman for the starting spot if he remains healthy. Thomas DeCoud has FS on lock down.

- I wouldn't be surprised if we brought in a new LS and a new kicker for this year, but I couldn't list any names.