Is The Window Closing? How Long Before We're Officially Rebuilding?

[JayOzOne]

We've got great young talent on the team. But we also have three of our key guys - Gonzo, Roddy, Turner - getting up in years. In fact, nobody would be surprised if Roddy and Turner's best years are behind them as they are both 30-ish. Julio is poised to take Roddy's spot as #1 receiver, but what happens to the depth behind them? How long do we have to win before rebuilding the team? Or are we sufficiently reloading that we can sustain success with the other players on the team already?

I believe we have to find Turner's replacement now and that we need more talent at WR. We also are in a fix at TE because Gonzalez is Ryan's crutch, so if the next tight end isn't nearly as reliable, what happens with the QB? If we don't shore up in the next two years, I can see our window closing fast.

[Minus Whale]

I'm not worried about the skill positions. They aren't as difficult to replace as qb's, , cb's, or linemen. I think there is a reason we see new rb's and wr's, year after year, putting up numbers. A wide receiver isn't worth much if you don't have a qb to throw to him, and a line to block for the qb. People have a tendency to overrate the importance of skill position players. I just don't buy it.

[Faithful Falcon]

I think that we are far ahead. We are really rebuilding our salary cap. We were suppose to be rebuilding in 2008. We still had Vick's Salary, and some dead money from a few dead beat free-agents from the past. As Peerless Price said that he hates us, we paid him while he cried. Ed Hartwell was stealing money from us. All of this affected us from building an ideal team. A lot of people think that Mora was Blank's worst decision. It actually was firing Wade Phillips. I can understand Dan Reeves, but Wade had our defense on the right track. We have been trying to find our identity on defense every since.

[paulitik]

We're a pretty young team, we need to rebuild the lines, but other than that we have a fairly solid core. This year we have work to do, but I don't think we are close to a total overhaul.

[Guest TheIdowu]

We just finished our rebuilding process at the end of the 2010 season. Dimitroff told us the process would span three full seasons. Is the window even open?

[DirtyBirdDynasty]

This is kind of a silly question. The Patriots are a team for example whose "window is closing" as their success if primarily dependent upon Bradys elite play and he will have to retire someday. When he does, that particular "window" closes.

When TD and Smith came in they took over a bad team and had to completely rebuild the roster. The strategy is to collect taleted players through the draft and supplement them with vets where needed. Ryan has not come close to his prime yet and people complaining about him dont understand that the QBs playing better than him like Rodgers Brees Brady are far more experienced than him.

Because we have that most important piece on O, the franchise QB, we build around him. Turner turned a bad team to a competitive one and made sure Ryan wouldnt come in as a rookie starter and be forced to win games throwing. Gonzalez was also brought in to make things easy for Ryan.

You can classify Turner and Gonzo as vets brought in for the transition period so that Ryan could come in as a starter without being in a bad positiion. We are now going to start entering the time when Ryan is an experienced QB. TD made a move that the majority of the GMs wouldnt out of fear for their job in trading for Julio Jones and hit an absolute homerun, the kid was a monster as a rookie. This is the kind of player you can only get at the top of the draft and never hits FA. People dont give him credit yet but that will change as Jones will likely be the most productive and playmaking Falcon for a looong time.

Offensively the task now is building an O line. We need a LT and maybe 1-2 more additions. Beyond that its a matter of adding depth, we need an athletic young TE, when Turner does retire and we do have a quality OL at some point we can look for a talented young feature back with speed, but Jones is the focus of the O and passing game going foreward, with guys like Turner, White and Gonzalez contributing in the capacity they can until they retire

So our "window" never truly opened yet. This team went from a bad team to a good one. To be a great one we need to improve both the OL and the DL. As we do this and Ryan gains experience and TD has time to make his moves and improve the pass protection depth on O and bring in a fast RB, and on D improve the pass rush and depth on DL and DB this team will be very competitive.

Because TD makes moves that pay off long term this team will only get better and better as we collect talented young players and they gain experience thats when our window will really open

Edited January 22, 2012 by DirtyBirdDynasty

[Psychic Gibbon]

The window is closing for players like Abraham, Gonzalez, and McClure, but overall the core players on this team are pretty young. I'll begin worrying about another rebuilding phase when the likes of Ryan, Weatherspoon, Lofton, and Jones begin slowing down due to age.

[Abe]

Consistent franchises don't need to rebuild just reload.

[Steel City Falcon]

This franchise is past rebuilding... They have a top 10 QB and young talent with JJ, Spoon, Lofton, Moore, etc.. A few more pieces and they get over that hump. Yeah Tony, Turner, and Roddy aren't getting any younger, so they need to start planning for the future. But they're not gonna blow this up and rebuild.

[TeamPlayer1]

How long? At least 5 years.

[delaigle]

ReBuilding or not rebuilding

07 about 33 new faces under patrino

08 about 25 new faces

09 about 27 new faces

10 only 15 new faces

11 about 23 new faces

Remember there are 53 active + 8 PS

so looking at these numbers make your own call about rebuilding

Edited January 22, 2012 by delaigle

[falcon057]

ReBuilding or not rebuilding

07 about 33 new faces under patrino

08 about 25 new faces

09 about 27 new faces

10 only 15 new faces

11 about 23 new faces

Remember there are 53 active + 8 PS

so looking at these numbers make your own call about rebuilding

I'd like to see these #'s w/o PS included (some are forced turnover) thanks

[JBeattz]

We're fine. The new pieces we're adding are proving to be quality. As we fill holes with quality guys we are creating new cornerstone players for when our current cornerstones leave.

When Turner, Gonzo, and Roddy are done, we'll have new players such as Julio, Spoon, Quizz, HD, experienced enough to take up their slack, while the even newer new players learn the ropes.

The time to worry is when we stop getting players that can play like Spoon, Julio, Quizz, Moore, Peters. If you cant come up with a list of young guys that are exciting like that, then you're in trouble.

[delaigle]

I'd like to see these #'s w/o PS included (some are forced turnover) thanks

Oh I understand and agree as for the PS subtract about 4 every other year it won't be exact

but close.. Not sure what you mean about "forced" turnerover. BUT many were changing the same piece year after year ie Frazer and Moorehead were here in 08 gone in 09 so the same piece was replaced multiple times.----- I was not trying to say 1/2 the team was gone each year.------- or maybe it was the same 1/2 gone each year

As for the PS some players ( Wilson, Cone & James) spend most of the year on the PS but did wind up on the active roster so how do you count them?

Cox came in in the middle of the year how do you count him?

EX on the PS (11) James, Wilson, Branson, Valdez were not new faces

Edited January 22, 2012 by delaigle

[falcon057]

Oh I understand and agree as for the PS subtract about 4 every other year it won't be exact

but close.. Not sure what you mean about "forced" turnerover. BUT many were changing the same piece year after year ie Frazer and Moorehead were here in 08 gone in 09 so the same piece was replaced multiple times.----- I was not trying to say 1/2 the team was gone each year.------- or maybe it was the same 1/2 gone each year

As for the PS some players ( Cone & James) spend most of the year on the PS but did wind up on the active roster so how do you count them?

You only have up to 2 years depending on players time on your 53 men roster, and every year teams pick from others PS to add to their 53. (forced change not by chose) and players move at year end by moving to other teams PS

I think that # is much larger than 4 every other year IMHO but I don't have any #'s to back-up that

and yes it sure paints a large turnover rate.

and I agree with you some of the same 4 to 5 positions of back-up players change every year / late signing done by TD every year.

We are not rebuilding just trying to re-sign or value players we drafted 4 years earlier as they move to their 2nd contract (pay me time). And value the older players that are entering their 3rd r 4th contract. I believe these are the tough calls that can really hurt a team from moving forward. Short contracts with mostly guaranteed money. You are a hero or a goat no in-between.

[muskokas finest ©]

Don't think the window was ever open, given the play-calling, QB limitations.

[ukfalc]

It depends on the GM.

Decisions like the Julio trade and Dunta Robinson signing can close the window sharply, because they can leave you without enough cap space or draft picks to replace key losses that you may suffer.

We need to get back to basics. Hoard draft picks, and find value in the 2nd tier of the free agency market rather than overpsending on 1 big name. If we do things right, we can keep the window open for at least a decade, until our franchise QB retires.

[SYD]

It depends on the GM.

Decisions like the Julio trade and Dunta Robinson signing can close the window sharply, because they can leave you without enough cap space or draft picks to replace key losses that you may suffer.

We need to get back to basics. Hoard draft picks, and find value in the 2nd tier of the free agency market rather than overpsending on 1 big name. If we do things right, we can keep the window open for at least a decade, until our franchise QB retires.

Na I think the JJ trade basally allowed us to cheat. JJ looks like a monster and the real deal he is going to be in the league barring anything bad 10+ years. We just cheated and got our Franchise #1 WR for the next decade to grow with our #1 franchise QB who could also be around another decade. In 6 years when Ryan is on top of his game and JJ is the freak he looks to be this move will be seen as widely extending our window. I think the long term impact of JJ is alot more than all mid to late picks we traded, as in the position in each round we would have picked would have been a later round pick.

Not many 13-3 team get a #6 pick to grab a WR that could be the best in the game very shortly.

Edited January 22, 2012 by SYD

[paulitik]

Na I think the JJ trade basally allowed us to cheat. JJ looks like a monster and the real deal he is going to be in the league barring anything bad 10+ years. We just cheated and got our Franchise #1 WR for the next decade to grow with our #1 franchise QB who could also be around another decade. In 6 years when Ryan is on top of his game and JJ is the freak he looks to be this move will be seen as widely extending our window. I think the long term impact of JJ is alot more than all mid to late picks we traded, as in the position in each round we would have picked would have been a later round pick.

Not many 13-3 team get a #6 pick to grab a WR that could be the best in the game very shortly.

Good post, while I'm still not 100% comfortable with what we gave up, you are right, Julio was a long term investment. It's going to sting a little this year, but as long as he's healthy, I don't think we'll remember what we gave up for him in 2-3 years.

[Guest TheIdowu]

This is kind of a silly question. The Patriots are a team for example whose "window is closing" as their success if primarily dependent upon Bradys elite play and he will have to retire someday. When he does, that particular "window" closes.

When TD and Smith came in they took over a bad team and had to completely rebuild the roster. The strategy is to collect taleted players through the draft and supplement them with vets where needed. Ryan has not come close to his prime yet and people complaining about him dont understand that the QBs playing better than him like Rodgers Brees Brady are far more experienced than him.

Because we have that most important piece on O, the franchise QB, we build around him. Turner turned a bad team to a competitive one and made sure Ryan wouldnt come in as a rookie starter and be forced to win games throwing. Gonzalez was also brought in to make things easy for Ryan.

You can classify Turner and Gonzo as vets brought in for the transition period so that Ryan could come in as a starter without being in a bad positiion. We are now going to start entering the time when Ryan is an experienced QB. TD made a move that the majority of the GMs wouldnt out of fear for their job in trading for Julio Jones and hit an absolute homerun, the kid was a monster as a rookie. This is the kind of player you can only get at the top of the draft and never hits FA. People dont give him credit yet but that will change as Jones will likely be the most productive and playmaking Falcon for a looong time.

Offensively the task now is building an O line. We need a LT and maybe 1-2 more additions. Beyond that its a matter of adding depth, we need an athletic young TE, when Turner does retire and we do have a quality OL at some point we can look for a talented young feature back with speed, but Jones is the focus of the O and passing game going foreward, with guys like Turner, White and Gonzalez contributing in the capacity they can until they retire

So our "window" never truly opened yet. This team went from a bad team to a good one. To be a great one we need to improve both the OL and the DL. As we do this and Ryan gains experience and TD has time to make his moves and improve the pass protection depth on O and bring in a fast RB, and on D improve the pass rush and depth on DL and DB this team will be very competitive.

Because TD makes moves that pay off long term this team will only get better and better as we collect talented young players and they gain experience thats when our window will really open

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest TheIdowu]

Also, what people fail to realize is that TD is thinking long-term; not just the here and now. In order for us to be perennial contenders, we need this type of mindframe; and, I for one, am glad TD has this mindset. There is a difference between the 2002 Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders, 2005 Seattle Seahawks and teams like the Steelers, Ravens, Patriots that are always contending season after season after season after dog gone season. Real and true success is long-lasting.

[Mega Flare]

[ukfalc]

Na I think the JJ trade basally allowed us to cheat. JJ looks like a monster and the real deal he is going to be in the league barring anything bad 10+ years. We just cheated and got our Franchise #1 WR for the next decade to grow with our #1 franchise QB who could also be around another decade. In 6 years when Ryan is on top of his game and JJ is the freak he looks to be this move will be seen as widely extending our window. I think the long term impact of JJ is alot more than all mid to late picks we traded, as in the position in each round we would have picked would have been a later round pick.

Not many 13-3 team get a #6 pick to grab a WR that could be the best in the game very shortly.

I wouldn't say we cheated (apart for cheating ourselves out of a ton of picks).

We could have rebuilt our entire OL with the 5 picks we used in that trade. Instead, we find ourselves with just a 2nd and 3rd round pick and 3 late selections in this years draft. We don't even have enough high and mid round picks to address our OL needs, and that 's before you even consider that we may have to replace HD, Grimes, Lofton, Abe if they leaqve through free agency, or the need to find long terms replacement for Turner, and Gonzo.

Trading 5 picks for 1 player isn't building for the future. It's sacrificing the future for short term success.

[Birdbrains9]

Roddy's skill set wont fall off that much at least for the next 2 years. I agree about Turner and Gonzo but that can be fixed real easy. Turner, Rodgers and either a FA or draftee RB can hold down the fort for at least 1 more season, so RB doesnt become a pressing need THIS year. Gonzo replacement can be found in FA THIS year, John Carlson. He is very underrated who can block and is a very good receiving option who is also young. Other options include: Fred Davis and M.Bennett from Dallas.

[Trouble]

Rebuilding is not the word i would use. Evolving would be a better word. We are evolving to become a complete team on both sides of the ball.