atljbo Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Atlanta didn’t draft Shane Ray because of . . . Michael Vick?By now you know the story, just days before the NFL draft, projected early first-round pick, Shane Ray was cited for marijuana possession on the freeway after being pulled over for driving in the left lane for too long. The citation made nationwide headlines, mostly for its proximity to the draft.Ray, who, of course, fell in the draft due to the run-in with the law and is now a Denver Bronco, opened up to BSN Denver’s Brandon Krisztal on the PTO Podcast this week about the incident and told an interesting story about his conversations with the Atlanta Falcons leading up to the draft.Atlanta held the eighth pick in the draft and Ray along with many others considered that a very likely destination for the pass rusher, but after the citation, things took an odd turn.“Atlanta was still calling me,” Ray told Krisztal. “I talked to Atlanta every day leading up to the draft and I told them the same story.”The story, as he tells it, is that he was pulled over for spending too much time in the left lane, the cop said he smelled marijuana, Ray complied with the cop admitting there was marijuana, the cop cited him and he was on his way.Of course, the story took on a mind of its own, reports indicating that he was arrested, questions about whether he was an abuser of the drug etc., it was no longer just a marijuana possession citing on the outside.“A lot of people didn’t believe [my story],” Ray said, talking of those in the Falcons front office. “I was like, ‘Look, man, do I need to take a drug test right now? I’m cooperating completely, what is it you want me to do?'”Ray was asked to repeat the story to multiple Falcons officials, head coach, GM, owner and on, and on.“I told Atlanta, ‘You can drug test me right now’,” he reiterated. “I’ve told you what happened over and over again.”What the Falcons told Ray on the day before the draft is, well, interesting to say the least.“They were like, ‘You’re still our guy, it’s just the GM’,” Ray explained. “I couldn’t believe he said this, he was like, ‘The GM (Thomas Dimitroff), ever since what happened with Michael Vick, we just want to have a clean slate’.”Obviously, Ray ended up not being the Falcons guy, as they went with another outside linebacker in Vic Beasley out of Clemson. How much of that had to do with Shane Ray’s citation on the phantom connection the Falcons drew to Michael Vick, we’ll never know, but however much it is, is ridiculous.We’re talking about an incident that happened nearly 10 years ago involving the brutal killing of animals being compared with a guy having a few bucks worth of weed in his car. Think about that.Ray and Beasley both had four sacks in the regular season, Beasley doing it in 538 defensive snaps while Ray did it in just 341Listen man... Im good with Beasley .. I think he and Ray will be great pass rushers in this league in a couple of years but man..TD gotta chill out with this **** .. I hope to god this is what Mr.Blank means by redo some things in the Front office ... We dont need to draft bad guys but its stupid to take a guy of your board for a stupid mistake... I think we probably would have taken him in the 2nd round if he was there because coach Quinn was high on him.But TD has to fall back on this really strict no F up type rules... I remember in 2010 when Everson Griffen was in the draft ... TD said something like we know he was one of the better pass rusher in the league but he did not meet what we was looking for in other areas.... Yes he college i heard he could be a hand full at times but sometimes a guy just needs to grow up... Leslie Frazier help the guy grow up as a player and as a man..... Yes Everson Griffen is a crazy dude still ..lol.. But the man has not been in trouble and he is one of the better DE's in the league.This is not a Shene Ray or Beasley convo... I liked both alot .. This a GM being overly cautious at time... You will miss out on some talent and dog type personality a team needs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulitik Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 That's not TD, that's Arthur Blank.If you have a top 10 pick, and the differences between 2 players are negligible, and Ray and Beasley were very comparable, of course you're going to go with the guy that didn't get arrested. TD also took a chance on Prince Shembo, and got burned. If Ray was there in the 3rd round, it's worth the risk, but a top 10 pick makes it a different story, and Shane Ray should understand that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SetzerFalcon Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I was finding the story plausible right up until the name-dropping of TD. I know TD is persona non grata here -- and I have no interest in getting into that debate -- but without some sort of corroboration I find it extremely hard to believe that anyone within the Falcons organization would tell a potential prospect that everything's cool except for the GM. That just reeks of complete fabrication from a player who (rightly or wrongly) felt burned by the Falcons not taking him after being linked to him for weeks leading up the draft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FentayeJones Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I dont know man... we took Collins and he had a lot more baggage than Ray. Maybe TD was gun shy because it was a top ten pick, I dont know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lornoth Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 That probably only means we would have picked him in the 2'nd. He almost made it that far, so obviously nobody thought he was worth a high 1'st pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atljbo Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 That's not TD, that's Arthur Blank.If you have a top 10 pick, and the differences between 2 players are negligible, and Ray and Beasley were very comparable, of course you're going to go with the guy that didn't get arrested. TD also took a chance on Prince Shembo, and got burned. If Ray was there in the 3rd round, it's worth the risk, but a top 10 pick makes it a different story, and Shane Ray should understand that.I've heard Mr.blank hint towards that we need to be more open minded with a guy with a pass ... I think the Vick thing is just an excuse to not take a guy with some sort of history .I do think that was TD ... Again this is not a ray vs Beasley thing .... We are good ... And even tho I would be OK with change .. I do think some put to much blame on him ... But I do think we have to be more open minded ...You look at the seahawks and want to build that .... Those dudes have dogs man .A guy a lot of us want ... Bruce Irvin has a checkered pass when he came out (draft).... Dude don't always say the right thing on twitter ... But he has not been in any trouble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlfanstckndenver Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 (edited) Yea this is interesting to say the least. Granted I don't want a self imploding team of boneheads like Cincinnati, but I'm done with the whole "Falcons filter. " Bring me guys who are tough and have and attitude. Not all guys who made a mistake are loser Richards. I just want more imposing football players. Period.Edit:I should add that I preferred Beasly over Ray. I still do too. Edited January 13, 2016 by Atlfanstckndenver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoFalconsFan56 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Blank hired TD to install clean image. Look how far it's gotten us in the playoffs. Not saying I want dirty players but **** Hilary Clinton favors legalizing weed and she's probably going to be president of the United States (unfortunately)I've fallen off the blank and TD bandwagon completely. Still a fan of the franchise but I can't wait until blank sells the team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Falcon Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 TD is the devil. How I know? He's good with money and his hair stands up on his head like horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkerFalcon8710 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 JALEN COLLINS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flip Wilson Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 This is something that has been blown out of proportions on these boards. If there is a "filter" it is mighty permeable, because we took Collins and Jimmy Williams! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlfanstckndenver Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 What's sad to me is that something Vick did about ten years ago is still impacting this team. That doesn't jive with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flip Wilson Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 What's sad to me is that something Vick did about ten years ago is still impacting this team. That doesn't jive with me.I don't think Arthur or TD think about Vick often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atljbo Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 This is something that has been blown out of proportions on these boards. If there is a "filter" it is mighty permeable, because we took Collins and Jimmy Williams!If your HC or a coach pond the table for a guy .. A good GM let's that coach get there player.Again some ppl is going over board on the MB ... My point is we need to be open minded period ... We don't need bad guys on this team and we must do the background checks .... But my thing is a mistake should not take a guy off your board or drastically change things if its a mistake .Again this is not a Shane ray thing ... This is a we may miss out on a good player because they made a mistake ... Mr.blank has hinted towards this also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lornoth Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 If your HC or a coach pond the table for a guy .. A good GM let's that coach get there player.Again some ppl is going over board on the MB ... My point is we need to be open minded period ... We don't need bad guys on this team and we must do the background checks .... But my thing is a mistake should not take a guy off your board or drastically change things if its a mistake .Again this is not a Shane ray thing ... This is a we may miss out on a good player because they made a mistake ...Mr.blank has hinted towards this alsoThen we wouldn't have picked Collins, or Shembo, as stated above. They had as many problems as most of the 'problem' draftee's. I don't think we're any more wary of those kinds of players than any team. Maybe when we were just recovering from Vick/Pigtrino, but not for a while now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Falcon Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Collins was Quinn, not TD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lornoth Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Collins was Quinn, not TD.Everybody is Quinn, that's how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Tzu 7 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I was finding the story plausible right up until the name-dropping of TD. I know TD is persona non grata here -- and I have no interest in getting into that debate -- but without some sort of corroboration I find it extremely hard to believe that anyone within the Falcons organization would tell a potential prospect that everything's cool except for the GM. That just reeks of complete fabrication from a player who (rightly or wrongly) felt burned by the Falcons not taking him after being linked to him for weeks leading up the draft.Yeah there are several things that don't make sense.1. Pioli runs the draft2. Quinn would have final say and could completely override TD... hence Collins.3. Babineaux is still on the team and he had a marijuana incident during the season maybe 2 years ago.If anything shows that the Falcons are still sensitive to things because of Vick it would be Prince Shembo. As soon as they found out a dog died at his hands they dropped him like a bad habbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtybird56 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Doesn't quite add up to me. TD has been stripped of some of his powers in regard to the draft, Quinn is supposed to be making the final call, we took a guy with the same kind of baggage in the 2nd round of the same draft and also a guy with red flags in Prince Shembo last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thanat0s Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonDaLuvMaker Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Did Ray really expect the Falcons to tell him "Sorry, we're drafting Beasley if he is there at 8"?Also, other teams that needed pass rushers passed on him as well like the Cardinals and the Steelers. I honestly think that Ray would've been a Raven if the Broncos had not jumped ahead of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovie_Lover Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Collins was Quinn, not TD.You know this how? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Falcon Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 You know this how?Quinn told me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovie_Lover Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Quinn told me?And Vonn Miller told me he's gonna be a Falcon next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFanSince1969 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Atlanta didn't draft Shane Ray because Vic Beasley was on the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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