News That Would Devastate Michael Vick

The Atlanta Falcons continued their franchise makeover in earnest on Friday, releasing tight end Alge Crumpler, quarterback Byron Leftwich, offensive tackle Wayne Gandy, cornerback Lewis Sanders, wide receiver Jamin Elliott, linebacker Marcus Wilkins and defensive tackle Rod Coleman.

"This is a difficult day for the entire organization," Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement. "A number of these players have contributed to this organization on and off the field at a high level and we greatly appreciate their efforts. These decisions weren't easy, but we felt they were necessary to build a team in the long-term best interest of the Falcons and its fans."

I just don't understand why teams have been releasing their best players lately. Michael Vick's favorite receiver, and arguably the team's best receiver, Alge Crumpler was released. Why would you get rid of your best receiver? It makes no sense. What are they thinking?

Crumpler, who just completed his seventh season, all with Atlanta, has 316 career catches for 4,212 yards and 35 touchdowns. He had been with the team since 2001 and was selected to five Pro Bowls.

Leftwich, formerly a starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars, was acquired by the Falcons during the season after the Jaguars released him in order to go with David Garrard. He alternated with Joey Harrington as the Falcons' starter last season.

"As a football coach it is never easy to cut any player, especially veteran players who have been valuable members of the organization," said new coach Mike Smith, who was hired last month.

That's probably why Alge Crumpler was released....because the Atlanta Falcons just got a brand new head coach who feels no sympathy or understanding in getting rid of players who he has no prior connection with. And that whole it is never easy to cut players thing is just a cover up. He doesn't mean it.

From all indications, the shake-up isn't done. Veterans such as Warrick Dunn and Lawyer Milloy could become victims of the cap, though they weren't included in the original round of cuts.

Oh, and I'd take Leftwich over Harrington any day

Falcons Release Players In Rebuilding Broken Team

The Atlanta Falcons released four-time Pro Bowl tight end Alge Crumpler and six other players today. The Falcons also cut quarterback Byron Leftwich, defensive tackle Rod Coleman, offensive tackle Wayne Gandy, cornerback Lewis Sanders, wide receiver Jamin Elliott, and linebacker Marcus Wilkins. Many of these cuts were made to open up funds that the Falcons believe could be better spent on new, fresh players. All of these cuts were made after a failure of a season by Atlanta, who finished 4-12. The largest single reason for the Falcons' failure and their current personel upheavel can be said in one word: dogfighting. Yes, Michael Vick, the Falcons' ex-most prominent player, pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges and received a prison sentence of nearly two years last year. This loss severely hurt the Falcons' offense, which never recovered during the season. To hurt Atlanta even more, a federal judge ruled this month that the team couldn't recover $16.5 million in bonuses from Vick and other dropped players. This places more strain on the Falcons' salary cap, preventing them from picking up desperately needed players. This pressure on Atlanta's salary cap is fueling the personel cuts that are now roiling the team. From all indications, the shake up isn't over yet. Other players such as veterans Warrick Dunn and Lawyer Milloy could be released due to the salary cap. All this is bad news for Atlanta. One wonders how they are going to replace such key and important players. What are they going to do? Fill the roster with rookies and free agents? With all these changes going on, it seems as if that's all there will be in Atlanta. Rookies. Not such a bad thing, but veterans are needed to show these green players the ropes. The Falcons should definately reconsider the massive renovations they are currently undertaking. Cleaning out the team's closet of all seasoned, skilled, veterans is like destroying the cornerstone or foundation of a towering building. Just like the foundationless building, a team of rookies will collapse without any solid veteran guidance or support. Next season will be a bad one for Atlanta.