Sports Page Atlanta

Sorry Atlanta fans, but Jake is long gone and signed at this point so why bother with coulda, woulda, shoulda’s.

So let’s talk about Chris Long. I still think St. Louis takes him with the second pick and ends that hope as well. But let’s delve into the why and why nots of Chris. As much as I hate the phrase ” he has a motor that never stops” it’s the truth with Chris Long. If every player had a standard motor, his would be a V12 turbo with an after market super-charger and intake system. When he can’t over power someone, he runs by them, when he can’t do either of those he out-maneuvers them. The positives just keep going, he has the pedigree, (Mr. Radio Shack’s Son) he played at UVA which doesn’t take dummies (even jocks) and was a phenomenal player on an average team in a better than average conference. (I know their conference was down last year but he’s no freshman). He can play hybrid OLB or a DE in the 4-3.

Now that I’m done bragging on him like my name is Howie or Hodge let me tell you why Chris won’t be the Falcons pick (aside from the aforementioned Rams pick)

The Falcons brass still think Jamaal Anderson will develop into a solid if not pro-bowl DE. Along those lines they have other positions at which they don’t feel like they have any REAL starters. While this is far to early to draft a TE, CB, or S, it’s not to early to take an OG, OT, or DT. I just don’t think that Chris is the right choice for the Falcons here even if the Rams pass him up. What is the right choice you ask? Well I have one more player preview for you and then a few options for what the Falcons might do and why! So stay tuned sports fans! Oh and by the way did you catch game one of the NBA first round??? Still think the Hawks stand a chance? Only if KG and one of the other Boston Three Party get food poisoning and then get caught in traffic on the way to the airport, after which they hop on a plane to Atlantis instead of Atlanta!

J.T. Jensen

This weekend, while most Atlanta eyes will be closely watching the Falcons, plenty of other local fans will be watching to see where their favorite college players wind up going. Here’s your guide to Georgia Tech players for this weekend.

• Darrell Robertson, Defensive End / Linebacker - Robertson is an athletic end who could be a great fit for a 3-4 scheme as a rush linebacker and could be a real steal in this draft. What will probably push him to Sunday is his lack of ideal size, but he found his way around it in college, giving up only 1 first down on running plays toward him last year. In 2007, he picked up 16 tackles for loss and 6 1/2 sacks as a very important part of Tech’s strong defensive unit. He’s not seen as a true down lineman, probably because he gets pushed around by big tackles, but as a 3-4 linebacker, he can utilize his speed as a rusher or when covering the TE. There’s always the chance he could become an every down lineman much in the mold of other thin players like Jason Taylor, but the 3-4 OLB is most likely his immediate destination. Expect him to hear his name called early on Sunday. Just for fun prediction: Round 4 - 3rd pick (102nd overall) - New York Jets, who could use some explosiveness from the outside and some DE/OLB depth in their 3-4.
• Durant Brooks, Punter - The winner of the Ray Guy Award is easily the best punter available in this draft. While he doesn’t have the ideal size or accuracy, his booming leg forced 21 fair catches last year alone, and his hang time would already possibly be the best in the NFL. There are no questions about his leg strength; Brooks set an NCAA record with 57 50+ yard kicks over the last two years of his career. As great of a pro prospect as he is, punters simply don’t get chosen early in the draft, so Brooks will assuredly have to wait until Sunday to hear his name. Still, the 3rd or 4th round isn’t out of the question, and he should definitely be gone by the end of the 5th. As a punter who can kick for distance in any type of weather, he’ll be attractive to plenty of teams.
  Just for fun prediciton: Round 4 - 17th pick (116th overall) - Arizona Cardinals, who had the worst punt game in the NFL last year.
• Tashard Choice, Running Back - Choice gets high marks for his leadership qualities and work ethic, as he will improve any locker room he sets foot into. He has great vision when it comes to seeing holes opening up. However, Choice doesn’t have top-back speed, and he can’t break tackles easily. He runs like a power back but lacks the power to really pull it off at the NFL level. This, along with his injury issues, will cause him to slip a bit. Still, his production was solid in college, racking up 1473 yards and 12 TDs as a Junior and 1379 yards and 10 TDs as a Senior. Expect to hear Choice’s name called early on Sunday.
  Just for fun prediction: Round 4 - 21st pick (120th overall) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are looking for some depth and love short-gain, between the tackles runners.
• Philip Wheeler, Outside Linebacker - With a nose for the ball and good play recognition, Wheeler will go somewhere near the rest of his Jacket teammates, most likely early on Sunday. He’s known as a great blitzer, and he can play well against the run. What limits him are the following: he isn’t ready to play any zone defense, has a tendency to take some plays off when the play isn’t directly involving him, isn’t very fast, and plays recklessly at times, trusting too much in his ability, which probably isn’t as good as he thinks it is. He’s best used as a run-stopping OLB and occasional blitzer, and while he’s versatile enough to play inside, he is too easily blocked to be effective.
  Just for fun prediction: Round 4 - 24th pick (123rd overall) - Pittsburgh Steelers, who appreciate guys who can play run D and bring in the occasional blitz.
• Gary Guyton, Outside Linebacker - An explosive athlete, Guyton is a solid character guy who will improve the team both on and off the field. That isn’t to say he doesn’t have flaws. Guyton takes a little too long to recognize plays and rarely puts big hits on ballcarriers. Still, he’s quick and smart, and in a system which utilizes him mainly as a run defender, he could be helpful. He shouldn’t be playing 3rd downs, but could be fantastic as a special teamer and backup two-down linebacker. It’s hard for him not to remind you of another former Tech LB who was a better athlete than football player - Keyaron Fox.
  Just for fun prediction: Round 7 - 10th pick (217th overall) - St. Louis Rams, who need some help in kick coverage immediately.
• Mike Cox, Fullback - Cox will never be a key receiver out of the backfield or a change-of-pace ball carrier, but he isn’t a bad blocker at all. A big wide guy who can clear a lane for a back or block for kick and punt returners, Cox has very good awareness on the field. There are some injury issues and an arrest that could drop him out of this draft, but he will certainly go to camp with someone, and might even get selected this weekend. As a blocking fullback and special teams player, he’s worth a look.
  Just for fun prediction: Undrafted free agent - Signed by Seattle Seahawks, who are one of the few teams that still utilize pure blocking FBs.
• Adamm Oliver, Defensive End - I’ll be surprised if Oliver is drafted, if only because injury has prevented him from working out for scouts. He’s a high-effort, hard hitting DE, but he will struggle to shed blockers and lacks the speed you look for in a starter. Oliver is probably destined for the depth chart doldrums, but he might be helpful on special teams.
  Just for fun prediction: Undrafted free agent - Signed by Jacksonville Jaguars, who tend to value the slower DEs of the world sometimes.
• Jamal Lewis, Strong Safety - Lewis projects as a future special teams player, as he has great athleticism but poor on-field recognition and awareness. He might be useful in dime packages, since there won’t be much guesswork involved in those situations. As it stands, however, Lewis can’t recognize plays well enough to be ready to contribute right now. He’s a project for the long run.
  Just for fun prediction: Undrafted free agent - Signed by Carolina Panthers, who could use some help in kick coverage and might give him a chance to help out.

Brent Blackwell

Well, Aaron was wrong when he predicted the Wily Mo Pena would be John Smoltz’s 3,000 strikeout. As you know the victim was Felipe Lopez.

3,000 is a lot of strikeouts. That is averaging 200 for a 15-year stretch. Now Smoltz has played a lot longer than 15 years but some of those seasons he was a closer and did not rack as many innings.

But Smoltzie did ring up five 200-strikeout seasons. Only a few pitchers of the 16 players that have recorded 3,000 career K’s has had fewer 200-strikeout seasons. And some of some Atlanta Braves ties (not the kind you wear.)

• Greg Maddux - 1 200 K season (1998 with Braves)
• Phil Niekro - 3 200 K seasons (1977-79 all with Braves)
• Smoltz - 5 (1992, 93, 96, 97 and 2006)
• Don Sutton - 5 200 K seasons (former Braves announcer)
• Curt Schilling - 5 200 K seasons

Dave McMahon

Two of the NBA awards were handed out already and none of them went to any Atlanta Hawks, but some of them were close as were a few former Georgia Bulldogs and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

In the 6th Man Award, San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili won.  Coming in 3rd was former Hawk Jason Terry.  In 6th place was current Hawk Josh Childress.  In 15th place was former Georgia signee Louis Williams and in 16th was former Georgia Tech player Jarrett Jack.

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett won the Defensive Player of the Year Award.  Hawk Josh Smith was 6th and former SW Atlanta Christian Academy stud Dwight Howard was 8th.

Dom Webber

John Smoltz has 2,996 career strikeouts going into tonight’s game against the Washington Nationals. Even those of us with problems in math can figure out that Smoltz is 4 strikeouts away from an amazing feat. Tonight Smoltz should become the 16th pitcher in baseball history to reach 3,000 strikeouts.

What’s more amazing to me is the fact that from 2001 to 2004 Smoltz only made 5 starts as he moved to the bullpen to act as the Braves closer. Imagine how much quicker he would have reached 3,000 if he’d stayed in the rotation that whole time.

Smoltz has 260 career strikeouts against the Nationals franchise, which is more strikeouts than he has against any other team in baseball except the New York Mets (275). He averages 1.16 strikeouts per inning against the Nat’s, so tune in by the 3rd inning at least, or you may miss something special. Actually strike that… Get down to Turner Field tonight. The game starts at 7:10. You don’t get many chances to see this kind of historic event unfold right before your eyes.

Totally random guess: Smoltz will get his 3,000 strikeout facing Wily Mo Pena in the 3rd inning tonight (Pena in his career is 0-8 with 4 strikeouts against Smoltz). What’s your guess???
photo credit: angel_shark

Aaron Hanks

photo credit: gravely

There has been a lot of talk in the media lately about Matt Diaz platooning once again. On Monday, the left fielder went 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Since 2006, when Diaz joined the Braves, he is currently 6th in batting average for major leaguers with at least 700 at-bats during that time. The rest of the list is pretty darn impressive (even the number one guy)

Top-6 batting average leaders since 2006

1. Chipper Jones - .340
2. Matt Holliday - .333
3. Ichiro Suzuki - .332
4. Derek Jeter - .332
5. Albert Pujols - .330
6. Matt Diaz - .329

Dave McMahon

Former Georgia Bulldog linebacker Odell Thurman is back in the NFL after missing the last 2 seasons because of violations of league’s substance abuse policy. He tried to come back last season, but Roger Goodell would not allow it. He has been working out in Monticello and in Athens in the meantime.

In 2005, playing for the Bengals, Thurman totalled 148 tackles, 5 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles.

He still has 2 years left on his contract. He lost $785,000 out of his contract during his 2-year suspension.

Dave McMahon

It is very unordinary for Hawks fans to be tuning into a game around this time of year. In fact, it hasn’t been since 1999 that both the Hawks and their fans had a post-season to look forward to. Atlanta’s rebuilding process since its last playoff appearance has taken much longer than expected, but alas this franchise has something tangible to show its development. Entering the playoffs with a 37-45 record, the Hawks clinched the 8th seed in the east and finally ended the playoff drought in Atlanta.  As impressive as it sounds, there is little time for rejoicing with a showdown against the number one seeded Boston Celtics quickly approaching. The Celtics posses the best record in the NBA at 66-16 and will own the home court advantage for the entirety of the playoffs.  This season the Hawks have gone 0-3 against the Celtics and look to face a team that has been resting their starters for the past couple weeks.  The odds are clearly stacked against the Hawks in the opening series of the playoffs, but Atlanta stands in a position with nothing to lose.

Game 1 Summary:

It didn’t take but the first 1:30 min of the game to realize that the Hawks could not even come close to matching the energy or hunger of the Boston Celtics. The T.V, showed the Boston sideline feeding off the frenzy in the Garden while the Hawks nervously exchanged chest bumps and nervous stares. After the opening tip, Boston quickly set the tone with a flurry of both inside and outside scoring and suffocating defense at every position. Their defense completely removed Joe Johnson as a scoring option, and made open jumpers a rarity throughout the entire game. The Hawks were struggling to find simple passing lanes, and found themselves in a 14 point deficit early in the first half. Atlanta regrouped and capitalized on a couple Boston miscues, and cut the lead down to 4 with about five minutes to go in the 2nd quarter.  Doc Rivers quickly plugged Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce back into the line up to help secure a ten point lead going into the second half.

There were very few bright spots for Atlanta in the second half.  All of Boston’s starters began registering double digit scoring figures until they let their bench add to the scoring frenzy. The last 8 minutes of the game appeared to be the longest of the season for the Hawks. The T.V. showed an Atlanta bench filed with blank stares and disheartened body language. The team is very aware that they have another game in Boston before they can regroup in Atlanta, and will have to find a way to change the momentum of this series. On a brighter note, Al Horford continued his impressive Rookie of the Year campaign showing a lot of finesse and dominance in the low post. He never once appeared intimidated by Boston’s post presence, and displayed his enthusiasm and heart until the last minute.  Horford may prove to be the catalyst the Hawks need to change the momentum of this series, and generate some belief that Atlanta can compete against the NBA’s best. The teams are schedule to play game two in Boston on Wednesday, April 23rd at 8:30 p.m.

Elliot Bernstein is a 22 year old native of Atlanta. He currently attends the University of Georgia, but will be graduating in August. He is an avid fan of Atlanta sports, and a very proud member of the Bulldog Nation. Elliot is extremely excited about working with SportsPage Atlanta, and believes the city of Atlanta has an exciting year of sports to look forward to!

Redshirt sophomore, Anthony Egbuniwe, thinks that he is ready to contribute to the defensive scheme after sitting out a year. Egbuniwe transferred from Tulsa and will play at DE this season.

“They just let [ends] go, let them play football,” said Egbuniwe, who was ineligible to play last season after transferring. “You go out there, you rush the passer, make plays. That’s what I love.”

Egbuniwe, who is from Greenville, S.C., returned to the South for two reasons: mom and his former coaches left Tulsa.

“Well, my mom got sick, and there was the coaching change [former Tulsa head coach Steve Kragthorpe and defensive line coach Mark Nelson went to Louisville],” he said. “I made the decision I needed to be closer to home. “Mom’s doing better. It was the right decision.”

gg

Bart Stevens

Does everyone realize that the NFL Draft is this weekend? It’s right around the corner. I did some looking around at mock drafts, and came up with this. Nobody is certain what will happen at the #3 slot when the Atlanta Falcons pick. Here’s a look at ten mock drafts from around the internet, and a sneak peek at who Atlanta will take.

• Walter Football -  Jake Long, OT, Michigan
• NFL Draft Countdown - Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
• Draft King - Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
• NFL Network - Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
• FF Toolbox - Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
• Football’s Future - Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
• NFL Draft Dog - Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
• The Football Expert - Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
• The NFL Draft Site - Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
• EMQB - Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College

So, Dorsey and Ryan both take 40% of the votes here with McFadden and Long getting 10%. I’ll keep updating mock draft results as the week goes on. Until then, go read the write-ups at these sites. Some are very, very good.

Bart Stevens