Falcons a no show in Free agency
 

After a devasting loss in the SB, I really thought Atlanta would be much more aggressive in going after pieces they need, especially defensively. They have already lost quite a few key pieces from last year's team, some pro-bowlers, this has been puzzling to me....Then you factor in all the new coaching changes, and the sophomore jinx is so common in the NFL, hard to get back to the show....

I have to wonder how much cap space they have.


I though I saw that they did pick up one CB, but I'm not sure.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Falcons have $15.5 million in cap space.

Yeah, that's not very much considering they might have some of their own guys left to sign, and still need to have enough room left over to pay their draft class.

They made a huge pick up this morning in signing Dontari Poe formerly of the Chiefs. He is one of the best DT's in the NFL. This was a huge void for the Falcons filled nicely....

They also picked up a very capable DE from Dallas - ESPN.Com had give them a B- even before the Poe pickup. It was said that they improved their depth.

They said their biggest loss was the Fullback...which is a position they labeled very underrated...and considering the amount of blocking a FB does in the Falcon offense, I would agree.

I think they will be okay with a decent draft. Hope there are some good DBs and a few decent FBs available.

Things will be very interesting in Atl this season. Seeing how they come off that playoff run plus all the staff changes will be a real test for the organization. I think they`ll be basically 2 camps of fans, those that will expect them to build on success and take the next step( maybe not win the S B but strongly contend) and fans expecting the dreaded " S B hangover". The division is improving, T B, but Atl is still the strongest. On a related note, Coach Belichick and the Pats have really done a 180. No picks as of now in the 1`st 3 rounds, but the added talent on both sides of the ball have many thinking this is the most talented Pats team Belichick has ever had. And he can still move Jimmy G, Butler or both. Now, when will the Braves get it going again ?

It's no secret the Braves laid down the blue print in the 90s for building a dominant team for over a decade. It's basis was having a dominant pitching staff (Maddox, Glavin, Smoltz, Avery, Etc...), and having a solid defense to back them up.

The Braves will be opening up the season in a brand new state of the art stadium on the Northside of Atlanta and finally got out of the bad side of town being in the inner city. Many fans are glad their 20 year lease expired on Turner field which was signed around the 1996 Olympics as they took over the stadium after the games were done.

So, what happened to the blue print laid down back in the 90s? Atlanta's projected starting pitching staff for the upcoming 2017. Opening Day pitcher Colon (age 43), Teheran (solid young pitcher), Dickey (age 42), Garcia (age 30), Foltynewicz (young with upside), and Wisler (young with upside).

The NL East for years has always been referred to the toughest pitching division in MLB for years thanks to the Braves blue print. The Phillies for years had solid pitching, the Nationals have one of the best if not the best staffs in MLB now, and the Mets also may be one of the best staffs in baseball and most of their pitchers are young.

So, needless to say the Braves will have about a year or two to continue to build up their farm system to keep up the excitement of their team for their fans. The new stadium will only be able to keep the excitement level up for so long as fair weather fans will demand success. Brave fans have been spoiled for too long in years past.

Jay - it has actually been over a decade since the Braves were really good and the fan base is ready for the new blood.

They have several more very good ( 'very good' just replaced 'elite' - I mean, who's zoomin' who? ) pitching prospects on the horizon - as they have learned the old saying, 'You can never have enough pitching." may be the 'most true' statement about today's game.

If a team accumulates ten hot prospects, they will be very lucky if as many as two live up to their 'press-clippings'. The Braves' brass have hedged their bets accordingly.