Following his team's 24-2 loss to the New York Giants in last year's playoffs, team owner Arthur Blank came out and stated that the entire organization would be reviewed top to bottom, and that nobody was safe (I believe the phrase was "there are no sacred cows"). This set the stage for sweeping - perhaps shocking - changes, the likes of which the franchise hadn't seen in years.
Fast forward to the present, and whether or not that promise has been fulfilled is still up in the air. There has certainly been turnover on the coaching staff, with both offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder replaced with Dirk Koetter and Mike Nolan, respectively, but personnel-wise there hasn't been a whole lot of movement. In fact, the Falcons seem to have either stayed the same or gotten worse at several positions.
The Falcons' "new" free agent signings up to this point have been questionable. Linebacker Lofa Tatupu didn't play last year due to injuries, has had a career-long history of knee and concussion problems, and while he's made the Pro Bowl, it was in 2005 (way back when Shaun Alexander was tearing up the league at running back, to put it in perspective). In football that's a lifetime ago, yet we're supposed to believe Tatupu is going to replace Curtis Lofton (who is considered all but gone at this point)? That doesn't seem at all likely.
They also added Vince Manuwai at guard, but he's another player that spent last season away from football. Of note is the fact that no other team tried to sign him this season. Sure, Dirk Koetter knows him and what he can do from their time spent together with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but this is another move that doesn't fill me with confidence. It looks like the play of a team up against the salary cap that can't afford anybody else (like super-guard Carl Nicks, who ironically went to division rival Tampa Bay).
And then there's John Abraham. He's been resigned to a three-year deal, which is great, but he's 34 and Father Time looks to be catching up with him. Sure, he had 9.5 sacks last season, but 3.5 of them came in a rout of an awful Jacksonville team led to their doom by Blaine "The Terrified Statue" Gabbert. Any reasonably talented defensive end could have gotten a sack or two that night. Against the rest of the league, the "Predator" wasn't much of a terror at all; two other sacks came against Chicago in the first game of the season, leaving Abraham with only 4 sacks spread over the other 14 games of 2011. In nine games he was shut out of the sack column completely. It remains to be seen if he can regain his past form in Mike Nolan's new scheme.
Harry Douglas was another notable re-signing. He's a solid third receiver that can take some of the burden off of Julio Jones and Roddy White, and could potentially grow into the clutch slot receiver that the Falcons really haven't had recently. Tony Gonzalez has been Matt Ryan's safety blanket as long as he's been with the team, but it would nice if somebody with more speed (and less mileage) could fill that role.
Backup quarterback Chris Redman was also re-signed, seemingly out of habit at this point. I'm sure he's a great mentor for Matt Ryan, but it's no secret that the Falcons aren't going anywhere if Ryan goes down. Redman is exactly what he should be: a solid backup, nothing more.
Aside from the seemingly inevitable loss of Lofton, another notable departure is kick returner Eric Weems, who signed with Chicago. Weems wasn't very high-profile, but he was a legitimate return threat who always managed to gain some great yardage to secure good field position. He'll definitely be missed. I expect the Falcons to draft a kick returner in April in the hopes of finding a special teams replacement for him.
In terms of pending free-agent pursuits, rumor has it that Falcons representatives will be visiting with San Diego left tackle Marcus McNeill this coming week. Hopefully they can sign the big guy, as having more help at that position would be a major step forward. I'm sure Matty Ice would appreciate it.
While the Falcons certainly didn't require a roster overhaul this off-season, more talent (and youth) at key positions was definitely needed. I don't really think they've addressed either issue so far, but hopefully the players they have can be "coached up" to a level at which they can start winning playoff games. If not, things are going to get really interesting in 2013. The franchise's moves so far seem to indicate that they thought that offensive and defensive coaching was the problem last year. Let's hope that they're right.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Good Job, Redskins
Well, it looks like the Washington Redskins went out and got themselves a franchise quarterback. They just handed their first-round picks in 2012, 2013, and 2014, as well as their 2012 second-rounder, over to the St. Louis Rams for the second overall pick in this year's draft. With that pick they're expected to take Robert Griffin III out of Baylor, who had a spectacular workout at the recent draft combine.
There's a lot of people out there who think that the Redskins gave up too much to get Griffin. I don't think that's the case. What you have to remember is that, without a franchise quarterback to build around, those other picks don't mean anything. Sure, the Redskins might have used them to pick up some good - possibly great - players, but if they still had Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, or any other C-grade passer at the helm they weren't going anywhere anyways. At a franchise level it's much easier to recover from two years of missing first-round picks than it is two years of mediocre-to-terrible quarterback play.
Having a legitimate franchise quarterback has many more benefits than simply making a team better at that position. It makes a team more attractive to free agents, more marketable overall, and it also energizes the team's fan base. What do you think excites Redskins fans more: the possibility of having RG3 at quarterback next season, or the possibility of having three years of first-round picks that may wind up being busts anyways? The answer is pretty obvious.
The Redskins do have one other ace in the hole, which is the mind-bogglingly large bank account of billionaire owner Dan Snyder. He's shown in the past that he's willing to spend stupid amounts of money on "top-flight" talent in order to field a competent team (see Haynesworth, Albert), which means dipping into the free agency market can soften the blow of those missing first-rounders to a certain degree.
Of course, this is all moot if Griffin turns out to be a bust (I'm looking at you, Ryan Leaf). Even if that turns out to be the case, drafting a franchise quarterback is the one thing in the NFL that's actually worth gambling on, because the payoff can be huge. Just ask the New York Giants, who similarly bet the farm on Eli Manning and now have two championships to show for it.
Good job, Redskins. You made the right call.
There's a lot of people out there who think that the Redskins gave up too much to get Griffin. I don't think that's the case. What you have to remember is that, without a franchise quarterback to build around, those other picks don't mean anything. Sure, the Redskins might have used them to pick up some good - possibly great - players, but if they still had Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, or any other C-grade passer at the helm they weren't going anywhere anyways. At a franchise level it's much easier to recover from two years of missing first-round picks than it is two years of mediocre-to-terrible quarterback play.
Having a legitimate franchise quarterback has many more benefits than simply making a team better at that position. It makes a team more attractive to free agents, more marketable overall, and it also energizes the team's fan base. What do you think excites Redskins fans more: the possibility of having RG3 at quarterback next season, or the possibility of having three years of first-round picks that may wind up being busts anyways? The answer is pretty obvious.
The Redskins do have one other ace in the hole, which is the mind-bogglingly large bank account of billionaire owner Dan Snyder. He's shown in the past that he's willing to spend stupid amounts of money on "top-flight" talent in order to field a competent team (see Haynesworth, Albert), which means dipping into the free agency market can soften the blow of those missing first-rounders to a certain degree.
Of course, this is all moot if Griffin turns out to be a bust (I'm looking at you, Ryan Leaf). Even if that turns out to be the case, drafting a franchise quarterback is the one thing in the NFL that's actually worth gambling on, because the payoff can be huge. Just ask the New York Giants, who similarly bet the farm on Eli Manning and now have two championships to show for it.
Good job, Redskins. You made the right call.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Backspin: Tuff Crew
Back in 1989, a high school friend of mine introduced me to a mix tape that he'd received from his cousin, or some other relative, who lived in New York (state or city, I'm not sure). Amongst the old school gems on this tape was a song that I'd never heard before: My Part Of Town by a group named Tuff Crew, out of Philadelphia. It blew my mind.
Tuff Crew was like the anti-Fresh Prince in terms of Philly hip-hop. Instead of humorous stories about Freddy Krueger and misunderstanding parents, Tuff Crew produced strictly hardcore battle rhymes and party jams, topping it all off with some great production. However, they didn't hang their image on crime like another Philly product, Schoolly D; instead, they were more like an early EPMD, dropping hints of guns and criminality without claiming it outright.
They were also unique in that they were a group consisting of multiple MCs who actually rhymed in most songs, a throwback to the larger rap groups of the early-to-mid eighties like Whodini and UTFO. Ice Dog had a menacing nasal monotone; Tone Love had a raspy flow that was razor-sharp; and L.A. Kid had a smooth, laid-back style that complemented them both. It gave their tracks a dynamic feel, and was perfect for party jams like Nut.
And then there was DJ Too Tuff. The fact that he was a white member of a hardcore hip-hop group was notable enough in 1989, but what made Too Tuff even more unique was the fact that he was their DJ, and uh, oh yeah, he ripped turntables apart. The DJ was a more central figure in hip-hop during this period in its history, with every album having a DJ instrumental track featuring plenty of cutting and turntable acrobatics. Most groups also followed in the footsteps of Run-DMC, adding at least one ode to their DJ on each record released. DJ Too Tuff, a.k.a. "The Deuce Ace Detonator", cemented his legend with the peerless Behold the Detonator.
Tuff Crew's best-known full-length releases are 1988's Danger Zone and 1989's Back to Wreck Shop, both classics in their own right. The crew shuffled their roster after these albums and eventually broke up, but not before making an impact on hip-hop much larger than their record sales would indicate. In my opinion they're a legendary crew, highly underrated and underappreciated by hip-hop at large.
On that note, the only fitting way to wrap up this column is with one of Tuff Crew's epic instrumentals, Going the Distance.
If you don't know, now you know.
Tuff Crew was like the anti-Fresh Prince in terms of Philly hip-hop. Instead of humorous stories about Freddy Krueger and misunderstanding parents, Tuff Crew produced strictly hardcore battle rhymes and party jams, topping it all off with some great production. However, they didn't hang their image on crime like another Philly product, Schoolly D; instead, they were more like an early EPMD, dropping hints of guns and criminality without claiming it outright.
They were also unique in that they were a group consisting of multiple MCs who actually rhymed in most songs, a throwback to the larger rap groups of the early-to-mid eighties like Whodini and UTFO. Ice Dog had a menacing nasal monotone; Tone Love had a raspy flow that was razor-sharp; and L.A. Kid had a smooth, laid-back style that complemented them both. It gave their tracks a dynamic feel, and was perfect for party jams like Nut.
And then there was DJ Too Tuff. The fact that he was a white member of a hardcore hip-hop group was notable enough in 1989, but what made Too Tuff even more unique was the fact that he was their DJ, and uh, oh yeah, he ripped turntables apart. The DJ was a more central figure in hip-hop during this period in its history, with every album having a DJ instrumental track featuring plenty of cutting and turntable acrobatics. Most groups also followed in the footsteps of Run-DMC, adding at least one ode to their DJ on each record released. DJ Too Tuff, a.k.a. "The Deuce Ace Detonator", cemented his legend with the peerless Behold the Detonator.
Tuff Crew's best-known full-length releases are 1988's Danger Zone and 1989's Back to Wreck Shop, both classics in their own right. The crew shuffled their roster after these albums and eventually broke up, but not before making an impact on hip-hop much larger than their record sales would indicate. In my opinion they're a legendary crew, highly underrated and underappreciated by hip-hop at large.
On that note, the only fitting way to wrap up this column is with one of Tuff Crew's epic instrumentals, Going the Distance.
If you don't know, now you know.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
It's 80's Cartoon Time
As a child of the 80's, I was privileged to bear witness to some of the best cartoons in the history of the medium. Of course there were the big ones, such as The Transformers and G.I. Joe, but there was also a sizeable number of lesser-known cartoons that were really pushing the limits in terms of characters, plot, and overall story quality. One of these was The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers.
Produced in the U.S. with animation created in Japan, Galaxy Rangers had some really great characters that all had their own personal side issues (Shane Gooseman: "I am not a metamorph!") and long-running story arcs. I'd rank it a close second only to Robotech in my list of favorite 80's cartoons.
Speaking of Robotech, I still think it's criminally underrated as a franchise. I've always wondered why it hasn't hit movie screens like almost every other major comic, fantasy, or science-fiction property has by now. As it was originally a cobbled-together meta-story that combined three different Japanese anime series (Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA), I'd imagine that sorting out the rights and money distribution for a movie deal would not be easy.
Further indication of licensing difficulty is the small number of Robotech video games released in the West; there's only been four released in total, with a fifth (Robotech: Crystal Dreams for the Nintendo 64) getting cancelled during development. In contrast, Japan sees a steady stream of games based on the three separate series (Macross in particular), with each licensing agreement requiring no more wrangling than usual.
I'd love to see Robotech live-action movies, especially now that special effects have evolved to the point that they could really do the source material justice. They could easily turn the series into a trilogy, with each movie covering the high points of each generation. A man can dream, right?
Produced in the U.S. with animation created in Japan, Galaxy Rangers had some really great characters that all had their own personal side issues (Shane Gooseman: "I am not a metamorph!") and long-running story arcs. I'd rank it a close second only to Robotech in my list of favorite 80's cartoons.
Speaking of Robotech, I still think it's criminally underrated as a franchise. I've always wondered why it hasn't hit movie screens like almost every other major comic, fantasy, or science-fiction property has by now. As it was originally a cobbled-together meta-story that combined three different Japanese anime series (Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA), I'd imagine that sorting out the rights and money distribution for a movie deal would not be easy.
Further indication of licensing difficulty is the small number of Robotech video games released in the West; there's only been four released in total, with a fifth (Robotech: Crystal Dreams for the Nintendo 64) getting cancelled during development. In contrast, Japan sees a steady stream of games based on the three separate series (Macross in particular), with each licensing agreement requiring no more wrangling than usual.
I'd love to see Robotech live-action movies, especially now that special effects have evolved to the point that they could really do the source material justice. They could easily turn the series into a trilogy, with each movie covering the high points of each generation. A man can dream, right?
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