Falcons Gab

Harry Douglas was back on the field Friday, which is good news as the team continues to work him back in off last seasons injury:

Falcons wide receiver Harry Douglas returned to practice on Friday. The Falcons had designs on limiting Douglas, but he’s ready to go. At one point during practice, wide receiver coach Terry Robiskie said, “Harry get out of that line. I’m not going to tell you again.” Douglas tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee early in training camp last season.

According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Falcons have agreed in principle to a five-year contract with 1st round pick linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon, a linebacker from the University of Missouri, is set to sign the deal before the 7PM team meeting this evening and will be on the practice field tomorrow morning.

Weatherspoon started four years at Missouri, one of only four true freshmen to play for the Tigers in 2006, and was named the team’s Special Teams Player of the year that year. As a sophomore he earned All-Big-12 honors and he finished his career with the 2nd most tackles in school history. Weatherspoon’s natural position is weak side linebacker and the Falcons love his athleticism.

Two avid SportsGab and NFL fans Adam Ward and Jason Zone Fisher won Gillette’s Ultimate Summer job contest this summer and are travelling the country attending numerous sporting events, concerts and parties, turning skeptics to believers along the way for the new Gillette Fusion ProGlide! As always at the Gab Network, we love hearing from our great readers, so leave your pick for NFL fantasy sleeper of 2010 in the comments section below.

Top Five Fantasy Football Sleepers in 2010

Brought to you by Gillette’s Ultimate Summer Job winners, Adam and Jason
(To follow Adam and Jason during their road trip across the country, check them out at ProGlideSummerJob.com and on Twitter @proglideUSJ)

Mike Wallace, WR Pittsburgh Steelers – With the loss of Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets this offseason and the aging (yet uber-reliable) Hines Ward, sophomore Mike Wallace has the opportunity to be the Black & Gold’s deep threat and overall stud. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger set personal records last season in passes attempted, passes completed and overall yards passing, so the time-tested Steeler philosophy of grinding out games on the ground and smash-mouth defense may be slowly altering on the offensive front. Wallace reminds us of the AFC-version of DeSean Jackson, with explosive speed and great hands to tout.

Devin Aromashodu WR Chicago Bears – The bears are coming off a disappointing 2009 season and are looking to come out of the gate firing in 2010, with a newly revamped offense that has key additions such as Chester Taylor and new offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Aromashodu has a strong chance to break out and glide as an emerging star of the NFL this year. He’s a great route runner and is a few inches taller the Johnnie Knox and Devin Hester, in turn making him Megan Fox appealing in the end zone. Not to mention, however, the fact that Martz is now calling the shots in Chi-town and we all know how much he loves having a QB with a cannon for an arm. His success may hinge on Jay Cutler’s TD/Interception ratio, but he should find multiple red zone targets due to his height and physicality.

LeSean McCoy RB Philadelphia Eagles – Not really a shocker here, but when Brian Westbrook went down with a serious concussion last year no one picked up the slack more than LeSean. He rushed the ball 155 times for 637 yards and 4 touchdowns while also racking up 40 receptions for 308 yards. Those numbers sound shockingly similar to a healthy Westbrook (not a bad player to mold your career around). The other factor that landed McCoy on this shortlist is that the Eagles, for the first time in at least a decade, will be led by a QB not named Donovan McNabb. This may change head coach Andy Reid’s game plan to a run first pass second philosophy.

Chad Henne QB Miami Dolphins – Last year Chad Henne had a great breakout campaign when veteran Chad Pennington went down. In 14 games he racked up nearly 2,900 passing yards with a respectable 60% completion percentage. Those numbers don’t normally stand out to the naked eye but when you add quite possibly the league’s best receiver in Brandon Marshall (to a receiving core that already touts Greg Camarillo and Davone Bess) the Dolphins could have something brewing in South Beach. It’s also worth noting that Henne will be throwing in a system that has recently driven defensive coordinators crazy due to the trickery involved in their running game/overall offensive scheme.

Early Doucet, WR, Arizona Cardinals – With the departure of star wideout Anquan Boldin to the Baltimore Ravens, Doucet has an opportunity to star as a slot receiver in the Cards offense. Losing Kurt Warner won’t help his numbers, but Doucet has a similar frame of Boldin and can most likely make some noise against opposing defenses that need to focus on (and double team) perennial Pro Bowler Larry Fitzgerald. While Doucet’s teammate Steve Breaston is projected to start across from Larry Fitzgerald, he’s ultimately an unproven wideout showcasing online flashes of brilliance and consistency. Doucet’s time to shine is now to prove he’s a reliable target, especially in the red zone.

ESPN says that talks between the Falcons and their first round pick Sean Weatherspoon are going very slow:

Negotiations with the Falcons’ first round draft pick Sean Weatherspoon, are “moving at a snail’s pace,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Weatherspoon is expected to contend for playing time at both outside linebacker positions, but any missed practice time during training camp would be a setback. The Falcons begin training camp Friday.

Yahoo! Sports has a list of players and teams under pressure as they enter training camp of the 2010 season, and one of the players on the list is the Falcons #1 running back Michael Turner:

Players with bad bodies (Turner is listed as 5-foot-10, 244 pounds) have a tendency to overreact when things start to go bad. Last year, Turner’s production dropped by nearly half (from 1,699 yards rushing to 871). Turner, who admits his weight had crept well over 250 pounds, decided to lose some this offseason. Hopefully, Turner doesn’t go too far because his ability to shed tacklers with his power is a key to his running style. Of course, there’s a balance between weight that robs you of quickness and weight needed for power running. That’s why Turner is the kind of back who probably isn’t going to have a long career if he’s the bell-cow guy. Sometimes those are the breaks for players.

Fox Sports.com’s Adrian Hasenmeyer has his pre-camp outlook up. You can see the entire camp breakdown by clicking HERE. He has the Falcons at 11 on the list:

11. Falcons (9-7) – PRE-CAMP OUTLOOK: With most of the offense set, Atlanta focused on defense in the draft – zeroing in on a big need by grabbing tackling machine Sean Weatherspoon at linebacker in the first round. The Falcons hope he becomes the heir apparent to Mike Peterson. Still, can this pass rush get to the QB, or will they be rocking the “matador” defense in 2010? Say it with me, “Ole!”

Rookies and veterans are due to report on July 29 and the first practice is July 30. An intrasquad scrimmage is scheduled for August 6 with a Mock Game set for August 7. Jacksonville will join the Falcons for practice on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10. The New England Patriots will take part in a joint practice on August 17.

Yahoo! Sports reports that DE Kroy Biermann is a player to keep your eye on when training camp kicks off:

Defensive end Kroy Biermann: He came on strong in his second year and appears ready for a breakout season. He is good rushing the passer, but may not be stout enough to hold up full-time against the run.

Hot seat: Outside linebacker Mike Peterson. Peterson came over after being released by Jacksonville last season. He manned the weak-side linebacker spot that was vacated by Keith Brooking’s departure. The Falcons drafted Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon in the first round. In the offseason, Weatherspoon worked out at both outside—Sam and Will—linebacker spots. If he can’t beat out Peterson, he’ll serve a one-year apprenticeship before taking over.

Responding to reports that defensive tackle Peria Jerry’s knee injury was more serious than it first seemed, a source with knowledge of the situation told Pro Football Talk that the Falcons are not worried. The source said that the Falcons expect Jerry to be ready for training camp, but it’s still odd that they’ve never released the details of the injury. The source also said that Jerry’s ACL was never injured.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that rumors are still going round and round about the injury that took place last season to first round pick Peria Jerry, and what part of the knee or ligaments were hurt:

Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Peria Jerry only played only two games last season before going down with a mysterious season-ending left knee injury. The team has yet to reveal what part of the knee or ligaments were injuried. Rumors continue to fly about his ACL or non-bone related injury according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jerry was the Falcons top pick(24th overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft. Jerry had a history of injuries coming out of O’ Miss.