This morning the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported that as many as 10 Falcon players could be cut beginning, today.

Whom could it be?

Wayne Gandy
Brian Finneran
Byron Leftwich
Joey Harrington
Todd Weiner
Kynan Forney
Lawyer Milloy
Warrick Dunn
Keith Brooking
Alge Crumpler


The AJC is also reporting that Rod Coleman has been cut, already.

I'll update this as the reports are released.

The streets in Flowery Branch are going to run red, today.

Wayne Gandy - probably
Brian Finneran - probably
Byron Leftwich - hopefully
Joey Harrington - hopefully
Todd Weiner - possibly
Kynan Forney - perhaps
Lawyer Milloy - maybe, but who would play SS?
Warrick Dunn - has some trade value, probably wouldn't be cut
Keith Brooking - would be surprised, could still start at OLB if DeMo goes
Alge Crumpler - no way, too good to cut...if he goes we gotta get something for him
Rod Coleman - with the injuries, it wouldn't shock me if he went.

Other guys I wouldn't be surprised if we cut:
Chris Crocker
Jimmy Williams
Joe Horn

I have a report coming in that there are 7 cuts just announced...bear with me, I'll get you more news as soon as I have it!

EDIT:

OK...here they are:

TE Alge Crumpler
QB Byron Leftwich
OT Wayne Gandy
CB Lewis Sanders
WR Jamin Elliott
LB Marcus Wilkins
DT Rod Coleman

Wow I can't believe they cut Crumpler, he is a great Tight End, you would think they could get a pick for him.

And here is the official news from AF.com...

are the Falcons cap strapped this offseason?

Nope, we were projected to have quite a lot of cap room already. Something like $20m I think Blank said, and that was pre-cuts. bipolarboy may correct me on that, but I think its about right.

We will take Crumpler, thank you very much.

Wow. Two needs already filled and it's not even mid-Feb. yet...

Could the Falcons be releasing Crumpler to may be restructure his contract?

You know, with the Jim Mora connection that would not surprise me at all.

I guess it could be a possibility, but my guess is he's more likely gone.

You forgot the Ruskell connection.

Again, thanks for giving us the NFC West once again.

wow, Crumpler!!! I would like to see him in a packer uniform...

coleman was a little suprising too...i mean sure he has had some injury concerns but he can dominate when fully healthy...

I would love to see Byron in a Arena League uniform...LOL

I'd love to Byron in a Saints/Bucs/Panthers uniform!

I'd love to see him as the Seahawks starter...LOL

Yeah, um... he said 23-30 million... AFTER CUTS.

May be the Falcons are gearing up to go after Briggs or another big name UFA.

Thoughts on Alge:

1. Remember this guy has had knee surgery about every 6 months for the last 2 years.
2. He doesn't fit Mularkey's offense. His TEs are blockers first.
3. Locker room. They may be making a concious effort to clean out the locker room of dissenting voices.
4. Contract. He was making a lot of money, and the F.O. is obviously very serious about starting from scratch after the series of embarrassments that have befallen the team within the last 10 months.


Coleman has been hurt, and a pain on the sideline and in the locker room. He wasn't cut because he can't play, he was cut because the front office doesn't want him, AND Jonathan Babineaux has a very similiar skill set.

Don't forget Smith and Van Gorder want to go big up front.

If we spend money anywhere in free agency (the 'if' is there b/c I don't think Atlanta's a particularly attractive FA destination, not because we won't try to spend money) it'll be one or both sides of the line.

Thanks man! After I wrote that I had a funny feeling it was a bit out...

S'okay. We're not done cutting. Only done for the time being.

I think another 5-7 players will be on the chopping block come February 29th or whatever the flip day is.

You don't generally cut someone to restructure him. There's a negative cap effect.

Crumpler's a free agent and done in Atlanta.

Best of luck to him.

The other thing about Coleman and Crumpler leaving is that you just know we're literally hours or if we're lucky days away from a DeAngelo Hall meltdown.

Next, item up for bids.... One loudmouth cornerback prone to on-field tantrums and being burned by receivers with a fraction of his speed and talent.

A few months ago, I said that the 2008 Atlanta Falcons were going to be comparable to an expansion team, but... it sucks to be right.


More cuts to come, I'm sure.

If ATL wants to get rid of Hall, I know my Rams would be more then ready to take him.

If TD has any sense, he will already have spoken to Hall and told him exactly why we're doing this and that it's going to be for the better. We fans can see that, and hopefully DHall will too.

More cuts wouldn't surprise me, but not today. Maybe once we can designate post June 1st guys it might happen...I hope we make a couple of solid FA signings now...not necessarily the top names, but guys that will obviously have been brought in for the right (football) reasons.

We're not going to cut him. If you want him, you'll have to trade for him.

Hall is still pissed off because of the way the front office handled the Vick situation. It's beyond my imagination that he's going to be consolable after Crumpler and Coleman get cut.

I'd bet money that we're days away from a trade demand.

Didn't he already ask to be traded?

The closest he's come to something like that was last season when he mumbled behind the scene about holding out until he got a new contract.

I felt like he was a lock to do that this season before this. My guess is that now; he'll want out. His BFFs have been removed from the team and he's as immature a player in the league as there is.


I will say this, if he doesn't demand a trade, it is a great sign for the new regime. It will mean that they've convinced DeAngelo Hall that what they're doing is in the best interest of the team. DeAngelo is not a team first guy, that would be a MAJOR accomplishment.

Are there any other Falcons that are Starters that you think will be cut?

Warrick Dunn will probably end up going as might some (a lot) of the offensive line -- guys like Forney, McClure etc.

Wow why cut Crumpler, their best offensive threat. The pack would love to have him.

Well, with the exception of Roddy and maybe Norwood. Thing is, he doesn't fit with Mularkey's offense and teams probably all knew that so we figured we couldn't get anything for him. Kind of a Steve McNair situation if we'd kept him.

There's a strong rumor that four more players have been/will be cut in the near near future. THat would mean that in a span of a couple days, Atlanta will have fired around 20% of their players.

My guess is that the delay is due to trying to delay the cap hit the team will take, which of course is bad news for anyone who signed a long-term deal with a lot of un-amortized bonuses.

Joe Horn, Lawyer Milloy, Kynan Forney(2 or 3 years left on his deal), Todd Weiner (resigned quietly in '06), and maybe Ovie Mughelli, but I think he'll be safe b/c they want a power running game. However, he is a $3 mill/year fullback.


I think Dunn and Brooking are entering the final year of their respective contracts, so their names not being on the list could be a good sign if you're a fan of either or both.

Horn and Milloy seem the most likely.

I'd be really surprised if Finneran survived this, but I think he's entering year 2 of a 3 year contract. Injury settlement, perhaps?

I don't know. We'll probably hear more news tomorrow. AF.com reported that no further cuts would be announced TODAY.

One of my objections to mock drafts is that you guys trade anyone without thinking about their real value.

Warrick Dunn for example. Well over 30. Small. Can't go an entire season without rest or his body breaks down.

How many runningbacks could you get for the league minimum on the FA market who on paper (that's the key, the name is meaningless) look better than him.

Crumpler has an injury history and a big contract, which any team trading for him would have to take. I'm not saying that there isn't a team out there who would've parted with something for him, but it is a douche move to take one of your veteran players and force them to go to another city rather than cut them and give them the freedom to find their own employer.

How many of these '(x) team has given (y) player the freedom to seek a trade' actually end in a trade, too? If you go that route it's a big distraction, and with a situation like what Atlanta has, you can bet that they just want this finished.

I think Todd McClure could be a June cut. Gotta get another center first, though.

Crumpler and Coleman stun me! Both I believe we could get a pick, any 2nd day pick.

I don't know about Brooking, but Dunn, yes. Both him and Milloy are likely to go very soon. On the Crumpler front, I've heard his injury is worse than advertised, and that it's likely he won't ever be the same. If he does come back, from what I hear, it's a "one hit" and it's over type of injury...of course, that could be said about any football player, injured or not.

It doesn't take much for me to believe a rumor like that.

He's had four knee surgeries in the last two seasons. Something is obviously chronically wrong with it.

Red Raider, Coleman's spent most of the last two years injured as well. For the amount of time involved in looking for a trade, I doubt it would've been worthwhile.

Besides, don't be so sure that Atlanta isn't looking for a deal on one of the players they've yet to cut.

You could be right about trying to make a deal, and anything they could get, even 7th rounders is a bonus for them. As far as Crumpler, he has sustained numerous injuries to the same knee, and that's not a good thing for someone who needs to get down field and make cuts to get open.

In baseball you see this all the time, but for some reason in the NFL it just isn't done.

Look at Zach Thomas, Mike Wahle, etc.

Those guys would've fetched something on the market.