Member Thoughts On Dimitri Nance & Antone Smith & Ryan Winterswyk?

[MSalmon]

I'm just curious as to what everyone's thoughts are on these guys. Particularly Dimitri Nance & Ryan W. Nance fascinates me because of his size and hard charging style. Ryan W. simply because i have no clue why we transitioned him to TE. There must be something to Ryan W. if we sign him, and convert him to TE

One thing that I'm not seeing a lot off of our UDFA (grimes being a major exception) is a lot of "gems" emerging. Yeah, I know Clabo was an UDFA, but we weren't soley responsible for developing him. He spent a lot of time on several NFL squads and NFL Europe.

Any other possible PS gems that you all see?

[tobyd77]

From what I know about Nance that makes him interesting to us is #1 he knows koetter's system from his days with koetter at ASU.#2 what makes him interesting is he is known for being a good pass protector and he can be a receiver out of the back field also. he already was with us once but we didn't use him as he was signed to our practice squad until the packers got him in the 2010 season. he was doing well for the pack but he also got hurt a long with Grant in 2010 which resulted in James Starks taking over and holding on to the job. It makes me wonder what will happen to Antoine Smith because Nance will be coming into the camp with a leg up because he knows Koetter's scheme and Antoine will have to be super impressive to beat him out. I don't know about Ryan W. much.

[Master Exploder]

I imagine Nance will be the only one that actually makes the final roster cut.

[MSalmon]

From what I know about Nance that makes him interesting to us is #1 he knows koetter's system from his days with koetter at ASU.#2 what makes him interesting is he is known for being a good pass protector and he can be a receiver out of the back field also. he already was with us once but we didn't use him as he was signed to our practice squad until the packers got him in the 2010 season. he was doing well for the pack but he also got hurt a long with Grant in 2010 which resulted in James Starks taking over and holding on to the job. It makes me wonder what will happen to Antoine Smith because Nance will be coming into the camp with a leg up because he knows Koetter's scheme and Antoine will have to be super impressive to beat him out. I don't know about Ryan W. much.

Wow I didn't make the connection! That is very interesting. I like what little I've seen of him. He hits the hole hard. Tell you what it would be great to find a "gem" rb like that on roster.

[tobyd77]

Some of us think that Turner should be cut for 2012 but now that I think about it that would not be wise of us to do . #1 Turner still demands respect amongst defenses so he still will demand 8 in the box so I believe that Koetter will be just the right guy that will exploit that an provide explosive plays off the playaction that will allow us to take advantage of those opportunities . #2 Rogers has not proved himself to be a viable threat yet to defenses so having Turner a long with him will make defenses respect the run game as a whole and Turner still remains a great asset in our success of accomplishing that. Rogers will need to establish himself if he is to become our #1 guy. He will have to prove it in order to get the repsect MJD, Leshawn McCoy, or even Ray Rice gets plus they are still working on his pass blocking skills. Once that happens I see turner in 2013 hitting the road as he will have more experience in pass blocking and running the ball well. Turner will serve as the jump starter for the run game until our run game can stand on it's own without him. I also believe that if it should not work out with Rogers than Nance will serve as our fall back guy but I see Rogers excelling in this scheme though as it is set up for him to succeed just as MJD has. It's funny now that i think about it Jacksonville did the same thing when Koetter came there and Fred Taylor was loosing his step they drafted drafted MJD and once MJD established himself as a #1 back than FT was gone but Koetter did a great job using the two when they both were on that team. After 2007 which was Taylor's last 1000 yard rushing season as a Jaguar you began to notice the MJD began to take over the show more and more and once he became a house whole name in the NFL Taylor was gone. I see that happening with Turner here except sooner more like 2013.

Edited January 29, 2012 by tobyd77

[YoungHeezy]

Antone Smith has great speed (like the ability to take one 80 yards) but never recieved any PT other than special teams...I would've like to see him play some.

[Flashinator23]

I think if Jason Snelling signs elsewhere and we do not draft a RB you could see him make the team. He's got good talent and is a powerful back. Could be a short yardage specialist since Turner hasn't gotten that done as of late.

[tobyd77]

He was a short yardage specialist that's was one of the things that made him interesting to the pack. He ran in a 2yard and 1 yard td for the Falcons in a preseason game against the Chiefs in 2010 and the Birds let him get away go figure.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d819bc4c5/Dimitri-Nance-second-TD

[tobyd77]

Does any one remember this story?What happened with this because it could be a big plus for the Birds.

http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2011/08/31/falcons-will-benefit-from-michael-vicks-new-contract/

[Francis York Morgan]

Nance and Smith both have tons of potential imho, not a huge fan of Winterswyk.

[delaigle]

I think the plan is to try Winterswyk as a replacement for Kelly as the blocking TE not sure how soon they expect that to happen, this season or next or when

Edited January 29, 2012 by delaigle

[Dem Birds]

I like Nance over Smith as a RB, but if it comes down to the 2 again, Smith will get the nod because of his special teams play. It's more important for a 4th running back.

[delaigle]

I imagine Nance will be the only one that actually makes the final roster cut.

I think that may depend on Snelling, He tried the FA market last season and it did not pan out for him, so he came back to the Falcons for 1 year. Maybe he'll get signed elswhere or maybe the Falcons do not re-sign him. So Smith may be bcak at #4 again, he's making a name on special teams. I did have higher hopes when the Falcons first signed him in mid 09.

Turner, Rodgers, Nance, A. Smith

Edited January 29, 2012 by delaigle

[jbrinson]

I don't know why the falcons never give smith a chance on offense. I'm sure he can do more than Gartrell Johnson

[paulitik]

I can't figure Smith out, he makes 4-5 boneheaded mistakes, and after the point where I can't believe he's still wasting a roster spot, he does something really impressive. I just hope that Koetter matches his talk and gets the most out of every weapon we have, so until I see how our players perform this pre-season under the new scheme, I'm going to withhold judgement until then. We simply can't make honest assessments of players because we were so hamstrung by the inept Mularkey offense. Smith, WInterswyk, or Nance could be the next Victor Cruz, LaGarette Blount, or Antonio Gates type UDFA that lights it up in the NFL.

[MSalmon]

I can't figure Smith out, he makes 4-5 boneheaded mistakes, and after the point where I can't believe he's still wasting a roster spot, he does something really impressive. I just hope that Koetter matches his talk and gets the most out of every weapon we have, so until I see how our players perform this pre-season under the new scheme, I'm going to withhold judgement until then. We simply can't make honest assessments of players because we were so hamstrung by the inept Mularkey offense. Smith, WInterswyk, or Nance could be the next Victor Cruz, LaGarette Blount, or Antonio Gates type UDFA that lights it up in the NFL.

I agree with all that you have said. But specifically to the Smith comments, I can't figure him out either. But to be honest, you're right the whole offensive roster (including the PS guys ) were used weirdly by Mularkey. We draft a Meir, carry him on roster--don't throw to him. HD shows his speed is back--we don't use him! Mularkey to me seemed solely focused on HIS PLAYS and not situations and attempts to exploit weak areas of defenses.

[Knight of God]

I want to know more about about Winterswyk.

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=79050&draftyear=2011&genpos=DE

He is spoken of as a blocking TE at 6'4" 268lbs but I know that he is really athletic.

[JRid]

Smith might be the fastest guy on the team and he is very strong for his size. I think they didn't trust him enough to catch the ball(his biggest weakness) and were scared he would fumble. He did make some good plays on special teams, but he made some big mistakes that really cost us too. I think he can really do some good things in the screen game so maybe Koetter will use him.

Nance couldn't stay with the Packers and wasn't picked up by anyone else so I can't say I have a whole lot of confidence in him being something real special. HIs connection with Koetter could work out really good for Nance and the team so it is hard to predict.

I think the staff really likes Winterswyk, but he will need some time to develop. I remember this season he got injured so they had to cut him, but I had a feeling they would bring him back as soon as he was healthy, which they did.

[jdub051082]

I'm just curious as to what everyone's thoughts are on these guys. Particularly Dimitri Nance & Ryan W. Nance fascinates me because of his size and hard charging style. Ryan W. simply because i have no clue why we transitioned him to TE. There must be something to Ryan W. if we sign him, and convert him to TE

One thing that I'm not seeing a lot off of our UDFA (grimes being a major exception) is a lot of "gems" emerging. Yeah, I know Clabo was an UDFA, but we weren't soley responsible for developing him. He spent a lot of time on several NFL squads and NFL Europe.

Any other possible PS gems that you all see?

We should have traded the other guy (I can't remember his name) instead of letting Nance get away.

[Big_D]

I think if Jason Snelling signs elsewhere and we do not draft a RB you could see him make the team. He's got good talent and is a powerful back. Could be a short yardage specialist since Turner hasn't gotten that done as of late.

I really think Turner gave us his best. He tried to make up for the passing failures this past season. He was expected to make up for the other part of the offensive scheme that never did enough. He wore himself out trying and must have felt he couldn't be expected to solve it all alone.

[isproab]

I'm just curious as to what everyone's thoughts are on these guys. Particularly Dimitri Nance & Ryan W. Nance fascinates me because of his size and hard charging style. Ryan W. simply because i have no clue why we transitioned him to TE. There must be something to Ryan W. if we sign him, and convert him to TE

One thing that I'm not seeing a lot off of our UDFA (grimes being a major exception) is a lot of "gems" emerging. Yeah, I know Clabo was an UDFA, but we weren't soley responsible for developing him. He spent a lot of time on several NFL squads and NFL Europe.

Any other possible PS gems that you all see?

No gems. I think Smith has some ability but he is rearely in the game at RB. You can have all the other guys.

[Rocketman]

I want to know more about about Winterswyk.

http://www.nfldrafts...=2011&genpos=DE

He is spoken of as a blocking TE at 6'4" 268lbs but I know that he is really athletic.

According to a Google search, Both Winterswyk and Gallarda came from Boise State. Winterswyk was the DE all four years and Gallarda was the TE there all four years. Apparently Gallarda got injured and was out for the last 5 games of his senior year. They used Winterswyk some as TE for the balance of the season. Gallarda was an UFA and went to Jacksonville. He was waived in the last cut. According to draft reports, Gallarda, at 6'-5", 265 pounds was a blocking TE and a red zone threat in college. Found this clip of him against Virginia Tech.

He looks athletic and with Koetter the former OC at Jacksonville, Gallarda would know the offense. Looks like we picked him up to be a hybrid.

[Knight of God]

According to a Google search, Both Winterswyk and Gallarda came from Boise State. Winterswyk was the DE all four years and Gallarda was the TE there all four years. Apparently Gallarda got injured and was out for the last 5 games of his senior year. They used Winterswyk some as TE for the balance of the season. Gallarda was an UFA and went to Jacksonville. He was waived in the last cut. According to draft reports, Gallarda, at 6'-5", 265 pounds was a blocking TE and a red zone threat in college. Found this clip of him against Virginia Tech.

He looks athletic and with Koetter the former OC at Jacksonville, Gallarda would know the offense. Looks like we picked him up to be a hybrid.

Nice, but what about Winterswyk?

[Rocketman]

Nice, but what about Winterswyk?

I thought Winterswyk was average in the preseason. I know the thought was to convert him to a TE position but didn't think he had the athleticism as a complete TE. I think he struggled with the feet a bit and maybe that can be corrected over time. He has average hands and as an example, I thought the pass he didn't get in the Jacksonville game was very catchable. If time is affordable for development with him, then he might make it. I pretty old school and prefer not experimenting with guys who played one position for 4 years and trying to convert them. IMHO, rarely does this work and when it does the athlete is extraordinary.... just saying...

[Knight of God]

I thought Winterswyk was average in the preseason. I know the thought was to convert him to a TE position but didn't think he had the athleticism as a complete TE. I think he struggled with the feet a bit and maybe that can be corrected over time. He has average hands and as an example, I thought the pass he didn't get in the Jacksonville game was very catchable. If time is affordable for development with him, then he might make it. I pretty old school and prefer not experimenting with guys who played one position for 4 years and trying to convert them. IMHO, rarely does this work and when it does the athlete is extraordinary.... just saying...

Thanks.