Jump to content

Pat Yasinskas thinks the falcons had a good draft


Recommended Posts

Patterson in Atlanta writes: Do you think the Falcons draft class is enough to win the NFC South, if so what are the chances?

Pat Yasinskas: I thought Atlanta had a very solid draft. Wasn’t spectacular, but the Falcons didn’t need to do anything dramatic. Throw in the fact that last year’s top two picks will be coming back from injuries that kept them out for almost all of their rookie seasons and the Falcons are sitting nicely. They were 9-7 a year ago and that was with a bunch of injuries. With everybody healthy and a good core in place, I see them as the most logical challenger to the Saints in the NFC South.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the NFL today a team can go from 7-9 to 12-4 in one season and win the Super Bowl, so it's hard to really know if any team is really a threat to do it. But aside from that, and even more important than that, is the idea of creating a team that can compete for the title for multiple years. In that regard, I think Atlanta might still be a year or two away from being there.

We will need more DE's. Even if Abe rebounds this season, I think he's fairly close to becoming a minor player on a defense because of his age. So, we may need two DE's. The secondary needs time to gel, and to prove it's worth. We may be okay there, or we might need another cb and safety. And lb talent is not yet proven either, aside from Lofton, who really isn't great in coverage.

The recent draftees on the OL will likely have to become major contributors within the next year or so and that's not a certainty. And Matt has to bounce back this season and solve some of the issues he suffered through last year.

I'm very upbeat about the team, and the progress being made. We MIGHT be able to mke some noise this season. But to be a long-term threat we still have a few holes to fill, I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the NFL today a team can go from 7-9 to 12-4 in one season and win the Super Bowl, so it's hard to really know if any team is really a threat to do it. But aside from that, and even more important than that, is the idea of creating a team that can compete for the title for multiple years. In that regard, I think Atlanta might still be a year or two away from being there.

We will need more DE's. Even if Abe rebounds this season, I think he's fairly close to becoming a minor player on a defense because of his age. So, we may need two DE's. The secondary needs time to gel, and to prove it's worth. We may be okay there, or we might need another cb and safety. And lb talent is not yet proven either, aside from Lofton, who really isn't great in coverage.

The recent draftees on the OL will likely have to become major contributors within the next year or so and that's not a certainty. And Matt has to bounce back this season and solve some of the issues he suffered through last year.

I'm very upbeat about the team, and the progress being made. We MIGHT be able to mke some noise this season. But to be a long-term threat we still have a few holes to fill, I think.

Falcons are well on their way to being a force for years. TD knows how to draft- he finds gems in the lower rounds. This team should win double digit games this year, get to the playoffs and just get better in the coming years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually Pat's answer is no surprise at all if you follow his columns on the NFC South. He is one of the VERY few writers out there who actually has a clue about what goes on with our team, and the NFC South in particular.

He hit the nail on the head that the rest of the moron ANALysts failed to hit: Atlanta didn't need any "spectacular" draft this season. We just needed to fill the gaps, and did so very well it appears to me. That is why I can't stand most draft ANALysts. They are just focused on some of the very top personalities and ALL of them tend get on the same player's nuts. You never hear any of them talk about the guys who end up being the gems/steals of the draft 3 years down the road. This year it was all TIM TEBOW till I thought I would puke. No disrespect to Tebow: I love his fire for the game. But his potential/impact in the NFL did not justify the overcoverage the media bestowed on him IMHO.

Yasinskas has been giving us props WAY before anyone else, and yet he is balanced about pointing out obvious flaws in our team. I really enjoy reading his stuff on the NFC South; whereas, I despise most of these NFL writers in general.

Edited by FalconFanForLife
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pat Yasinskas: I thought Atlanta had a very solid draft. Wasn’t spectacular, but the Falcons didn’t need to do anything dramatic. Throw in the fact that last year’s top two picks will be coming back from injuries that kept them out for almost all of their rookie seasons and the Falcons are sitting nicely. They were 9-7 a year ago and that was with a bunch of injuries. With everybody healthy and a good core in place, I see them as the most logical challenger to the Saints in the NFC South.

I see the Aint's as the most logical challenger for us...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Weatherspoon fans got their wish. (That were by far the most vocal on the boards)

I try to not get my hopes up about the draft because of the sheer number of players there are to choose from and how many top picks I've seen go up in flames over the years.

I hope Spoon is another Tuggle. Tuggle was always a team player and you never heard his name in a negative manner. A pro's pro. He retired a Falcon when he could have gone elsewhere like Brooking. Brooking was also a first round pick. Tuggle went undrafted.

You figure it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Weatherspoon fans got their wish. (That were by far the most vocal on the boards)

I try to not get my hopes up about the draft because of the sheer number of players there are to choose from and how many top picks I've seen go up in flames over the years.

I hope Spoon is another Tuggle. Tuggle was always a team player and you never heard his name in a negative manner. A pro's pro. He retired a Falcon when he could have gone elsewhere like Brooking. Brooking was also a first round pick. Tuggle went undrafted.

You figure it out.

Not trying to start a Brooking debate or anything but we did get almost 11 years (5 probowls) out of Brooking so its not like he was a bust or nothing. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not trying to start a Brooking debate or anything but we did get almost 11 years (5 probowls) out of Brooking so its not like he was a bust or nothing. :)

...and if he had been near the vocal leader here that he has portrayed in Dallas we may have a few more W's in our win column.

(excuse me for still being bitter over his mocking the franchise that made him a multi-millionaire)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...and if he had been near the vocal leader here that he has portrayed in Dallas we may have a few more W's in our win column.

(excuse me for still being bitter over his mocking the franchise that made him a multi-millionaire)

He rubbed me the wrong way with that too, and I was a huge Brooking fan.

I hadn't seen him show that much leadership in ATL in awhile, and our 11-5 season was a great time to do it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pat is the master of pushing bandwagons. He will be on ours soon enough and so will most of the world.

We have the depth now and that is the push over the edge that we needed. Just a few lucky breaks and we will make history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...