DT John Henderson

[ATL Doc]

I can't understand for the life of me why we don't add this guy. Only only weakness on defense is at DT and there's a proven DT available and we won't pick him up in the hopes that someone will develope into the beast he is now. I am a Falcons fan and will always be but sometimes I wonder do we really want a Superbowl trophy. I honestly believe if we can apply pressure with our front 4 we'd be the best in the NFL. I don't care about who we play, bring them on. I have nothing but praises for our o-line. I see you TRENCHMEN!!! Much respect!!!

[LouDog]

I have all the faith in the world in TD and company. If they dont add Henderson I bet there is a **** good reason why

[Shredman]

i like big john, but i feel we still need a proven de more than a dt

[CHOCTHEFALCONFAN™]

I have all the faith in the world in TD and company. If they dont add Henderson I bet there is a **** good reason why

cosign!

[Clark Kent™]

Well the fact that we have yet to sign him must mean that Peria is not as far off as many think. If there was a serious threat to his health and a serious threat of Babs being suspended i think it would be pretty obvious that we would have signed a vet DT by now.

[Arthur.Blank]

There was a very good discussion on this last week.

Here is the link and Jaymadd made a very good comment post#13.

[rightsaidfred]

I tend to think that the current regime isn't all that enamored with older players. Someone like TG is an exception, but as a rule, I think they don't want one year guys. Even though Henderson played for Smith before, I feel like they are not going after guys like that. That said, as the season progresses, if injuries were to stack up, they might sign him as a stop gap, but other than that, no. JMO

[Beef]

I can't understand for the life of me why we don't add this guy. Only only weakness on defense is at DT and there's a proven DT available and we won't pick him up in the hopes that someone will develope into the beast he is now. I am a Falcons fan and will always be but sometimes I wonder do we really want a Superbowl trophy. I honestly believe if we can apply pressure with our front 4 we'd be the best in the NFL. I don't care about who we play, bring them on. I have nothing but praises for our o-line. I see you TRENCHMEN!!! Much respect!!!

GRRRR!

No, you're right, we don't REALLY want a Superbowl trophy.

Come'on MAAAN! Seriously??!!

[TeamPlayer1]

Henderson had great years with Smitty as DC at Jacksonville and if he's not pushing hard to get Henderson, then there's a reason.

[AtlantaFalconPokerPro]

I have all the faith in the world in TD and company. If they dont add Henderson I bet there is a **** good reason why

This, there HAS to be a reason we haven't signed him. I'm sure Smitty still has plenty of sources inside the Jags FO, and knows something we don't. Is it that hard of a concept to grasp? We aren't gonna sign Henderson because he is washed up, and offers no value to our team. I have complete faith, and confidence in Smitty and TD.

[Norwood all the way!]

if we havent gone after him by now, there is most likely a good reason for it. and there isnt much interest in him throughout the league. so that should say something. there could be number of reasons we(and the rest of the NFL) dont want him.

[DirtyBirdDynasty]

Evidently Smith and TD don't feel the situation at DT is dire enough to force their hand at this moment. On paper we have a very soilid group with good depth and a lot of upside. Babineaux was our best defender last season but he could be lookin at a suspension. Jerry is expected to come in and start beside him but he missed all last last season. Peters is a rookie. Johnson played well after not being in football the season before last and being thrust into a starting role by Jerrys injury and is much better as the #4. Walker has a lot of upside but is in his 2nd year. Anderson is theoretically capable of becoming a player but thats not a realistic expectation at this point. So if Babs gets suspended and Jerry isnt healthy wed be looking at Johnson and Peters or Walker starting which isnt a good picture. As the season approaches and these possibiities beecome realities we could see them making a move

Pros to signing Henderson

-Will bring a veteran prescence to stabilize DT position

-Will be a factor in run D

-Will add a needed element of nastiness to the D

-Familiarity with Mike Smith

Cons

-He's 31 and was cut

-Doesn't necessarily fit the scheme (1 gap penedrating dts)

-Adding will probably mean having to cut someone young at the position

In the end I think because we have Babineaux, Jerry, Peters, Johnson, Walker, Lewis and Anderson at the position the staff doesnt want to have to cut one of them unless we need to

[kiwifalcon]

I personally don't think we need to add veterans up front I feel we have enough experience there already and with Babs a potiential all Pro.DT isn't the weak point in our defence we a good against the run already.

The negative of going after Hendersen is his age and the salary he'll command there's no way he'll come for the vet minumun so theres no value for us in going for him.I'm confident in our rotation we have and Coach hamilton is the best D-line coach in the league I think we'll be fine with what we have.

[DaveTheBirdGuy]

if we havent gone after him by now, there is most likely a good reason for it. and there isnt much interest in him throughout the league. so that should say something. there could be number of reasons we(and the rest of the NFL) dont want him.

Nail firmly on the head, something just does'nt seem right with him, could be his health or his attitude.

[nobkowski]

I have all the faith in the world in TD and company. If they dont add Henderson I bet there is a **** good reason why

I agree that there is a reason. I sure do wish I knew what it is cause I've been wondering and wondering about this one.

[KJinCton]

When you watch his face slappin, youtube videos, you got to like the guy. But I believe he was due to make $5 million this year and I can't imagine him wanting to play for the league minimum knowing he was due so much.

He's probably got his agent asking for that level of money, when he should be looking to take vet minimum or above, with some strong incentives added. His production in the past couple of years has been ok, but not $5 million ok.

I'd love to see him in a Falcons uniform, but i'll give TD the benefit of the doubt.

[Karst41]

Here is our current roster, and there may be other udfa's lurking that are not listed.

Name / Exp.

Anderson 3

Babs 6

Bryant 1

Jerry 1

Johnson 3

Lewis 3

Peters R

Walker 1

Klecko 7

So why not pare down this list and see who we get rid of to make room for Henderson.

[shinyflip]

I think we are going to wait for a while before making any decision on Henderson, for now the staff will hope that our DT's right now improve and are healthy.

If problems arise then Henderson can be brought in at any time and plugged in as he has spent years in Mike Smith's defence.

There's no rush right now until closer to the season after TC and everything!

[slewis1952]

I can't understand for the life of me why we don't add this guy. Only only weakness on defense is at DT and there's a proven DT available and we won't pick him up in the hopes that someone will develope into the beast he is now. I am a Falcons fan and will always be but sometimes I wonder do we really want a Superbowl trophy. I honestly believe if we can apply pressure with our front 4 we'd be the best in the NFL. I don't care about who we play, bring them on. I have nothing but praises for our o-line. I see you TRENCHMEN!!! Much respect!!!

I agree 100%.. we have nothing better on the DL and his stats LAST YEAR beat JA98 and Abe's.. what is wrong with us?

[slewis1952]

I personally don't think we need to add veterans up front I feel we have enough experience there already and with Babs a potiential all Pro.DT isn't the weak point in our defence we a good against the run already.

The negative of going after Hendersen is his age and the salary he'll command there's no way he'll come for the vet minumun so theres no value for us in going for him.I'm confident in our rotation we have and Coach hamilton is the best D-line coach in the league I think we'll be fine with what we have.

JOHN ABRAHAM IS OLDER THAN HE IS!!!

[G-Wiz22]

i like big john, but i feel we still need a proven de more than a dt

Per Huddle Report;

Peria Jerry DT Mississippi

STRENGTHS

Peria is one of the quickest defensive linemen at his size that I have seen in a long time. Most of the quick DT's are shorter and much more stout than Peria. This kid could be something special. He has good feet and does a solid job keeping an offensive lineman's hands off of him. Peria has some mature pass rushing techniques; his burst, speed and quickness off the line are his biggest strengths. There is a ton of talent to work with and, in my opinion, Peria has the kind of unusual athletic talent does not come along that often. He is not even close to using all of his true potential.

NEEDS TO IMPROVE

Unfortunately, this kid is out of shape and overweight because somebody had the bright idea that, because of his size, Peria would be a good DT. That was a big mistake! Peria must get in better shape; if he does, he could be an excellent DE in a 4-3, then moved inside on pure passing downs to take advantage of his quickness. He is not very good against the run as a DT; however, as a DE he uses his hands well and does a very good job against the run. If you slim this kid down to 275-280 lbs, you will have yourself one **** of a 4-3 defensive end. This kid has special talent and right now he is not even close to using all of it. In fact, I bet this kid doesn't know how good he could be! He must improve his work ethic, desire and football intelligence. In the meantime, he can rush the passer on pass rushing downs and impact for the team that drafts him right away.

ok maybe i'm too easily convinced but i'd say its worth a shot by picking up Henderson and moving PJ to DE!

[skynyrd04]

Seeing as how its been a couple of weeks or so now and no one's made the big offer, I think Henderson's price is going down. Don't be surprised if we let him twist in the wind for a while then sign him for our price not his. If he isn't signed by training camp somewhere look for TD with Smitty's nudging to make a low priced offer.

[maxatlanta]

Seeing as how its been a couple of weeks or so now and no one's made the big offer, I think Henderson's price is going down. Don't be surprised if we let him twist in the wind for a while then sign him for our price not his. If he isn't signed by training camp somewhere look for TD with Smitty's nudging to make a low priced offer.

^^^This. I don't buy the not fitting our scheme argument. He is a very goot DT and regardless of what people are saying, we have a lot of questions at that position. As for the list Karst posted, only Jerry, Babs, and Peters are guranteed a roster spot. And in terms of this season, Henderson is a safer bet than Jerry or Peters.

[mizzle23]

I think a lot of people forget that football isn't just a sport its a business (something I had to remind myself of ). Henderson wasn't cut because he is old and washed up he was cut to save a finacially struggling franchise some money. He hasn't been signed by anyone for much the same reason. This is happening to a lot of vets this year. I think after ota's and tc we will see a few vets getting picked up because teams will have a better feel for how their draft picks are gonna pan out. Guys projected to be starters or second team might not be ready so teams that want to contest this season will be looking for stop gap vets. I'm not worried yet let's see what our young guys got before committing our resources.

[Wild Bill]

Smitty already coached this guy in Jacksonville. If the coach wanted him TD would have signed him by now. Get a clue!