Is it wrong to hope Falcons lose today?

I'm tired of the lose for a better draft pick argument. This is the NFL, not the NBA. There is starting caliber talent in the first 100 picks. Scout correctly, draft and develop correctly, no matter where you draft at.

But in saying that, you ready for Bill Belichick as the Falcons coach? B/c there is heavy smoke about it from more than one reputable source.

What a dumb move that would be. Typical Blank.

Less than 24 hours before this frick is fired.

You ready for Bill Belichick as the Falcons HC?

That would be so Blank.

I agree. I don’t think it’s time to get rid of Fontenot. Belichek has a completely opposite philosophy on roster building and would want his own guy.

The other rumor is Bienemy.

I want an established HC. Anyone who has had success as a HC in the NFL. The only one that they should absolutely not consider would be Dan Quinn. He had his chance.

fricking Falcons - got smoked by their biggest rivals.

As much as I hate the petulant little shite, I think you have to look at someone off the Kyle Shanahan tree.

quote:

---

I don’t think it’s time to get rid of Fontenot.

---

He is really, really good at the pro scouting/free agency side of things.

He needs to be sent on a long weekend vacation with no cell or internet service during draft weekend. This has been arguably the worst drafting team in the league over the last three years.

quote:

---

And his drafts actually haven't been that bad.

---

2021:
Round 1, pick 4 - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida. One of the biggest draft busts in franchise history. His lack of effort is appalling. The offensive version of Vic Beasley, just even less productive. Somehow.
Round 2, pick 40 (from DEN) - Richie Grant, S, UCF. He is unplayable a lot of the time.
Round 3, pick 68 - Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan. Already cut.
Round 4, pick 108 - Darren Hall, CB, San Diego State. Already cut.
Round 5, pick 148 - Ta’Quon Graham, DT, Texas. For a fifth round pick, he has been good. No issues here.
Round 5, pick 182 - Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE, Notre Dame. About to be cut.
Round 5, pick 183 - Avery Williams, CB, Boise State. Fine for a 5th round pick. Looked like he might actually contribute a little pre-injury.
Round 6, pick 187 - Frank Darby, WR, Arizona. Already cut.

2022:
Round 1, Pick 8 - Drake London, WR, USC. He's fine, but he's an underneath possession receiver. You can get those guys anywhere. He's a solid player, but this was an awful pick this high in the draft.
Round 2, Pick 38 - Arnold Ebikete, EDGE, Penn State. Largely disappointing, has occasionally shown flashes.
Round 2, Pick 58 - Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State. Yeesh. This pick looked awful even before his season ending injury. His UDFA replacement looked infinitely better than him. Potential offseason cut candidate.
Round 3, Pick 74 - Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati. LOL
Round 3, Pick 82 - DeAngelo Malone, EDGE, Western Kentucky. He has contributed absolutely nothing and has spent his entire career on the side of a milk carton.
Round 5, Pick 151 - Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU. Easily, easily the best pick of the Fontenot era. The team apparently disagreed, as they spent a top 10 pick on his replacement a year later.
Round 6, Pick 190 - Justin Shaffer, G, Georgia. Jamaree Salyer, the starting LT for the Chargers and Shaffer's Georgia teammate, went about 5 picks later. Shaffer is a cut candidate.
Round 6, Pick 213 - John FitzPatrick, TE, Georgia. Not sure he has ever seen the field.

2023:
Round 1, Pick 8 - Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas. Taking a RB in the top 10 should get someone fired on the spot.
Round 2, Pick 38 - Matthew Bergeron, G, Syracuse. Looks like a very good pick. No issues here whatsoever. Fontenot deserves his flowers for this one.
Round 3, Pick 75 - Zach Harrison, DE, Ohio State. This was a project, but he has shown a few flashes this season. TBD.
Round 4, Pick 113 - Clark Phillips III, CB, Utah. Potential starting corner in the 4th round. At the very least, he will be a good rotation guy. Good find here.
Round 7, Pick 224 - DeMarco Hellams, S, Alabama. For a 7th round pick, he has stepped in nicely when replacing former second round bust Richie Grant. Should be a useful rotation/special teams player. Any value in the 7th round is good.
Round 7, Pick 225 - Jovaughn Gwyn, C, South Carolina. If he becomes the primary backup interior lineman, this will be a very good pick.

Mostly bad, with a few good picks and one or two hidden gems in the later rounds. Whiffing on three straight first round picks, all in the top 10, is a really bad look.

Two of those top 10 picks were spent on non-premium positions (TE and RB). I don't give a shite about the best player available philosophy here. I'm fully convinced Fontenot would take a kicker in the first round if he had a high enough draft grade. To make picks like this while continuing to neglect the lines of scrimmage is atrocious. Lo and behold, the Falcons are still looking for a premier pass rusher to replace John Abraham, still looking for a gamebreaking WR to replace Julio and Ridley, and are about to be in dire need of two offensive tackles.

His 1st draft was definitely bad, no argument there.

But the 2 drafts afterwards were significantly better than the one before it.

I'd like to see his 1st round philosophy if a new coach comes in. I'm almost certain it was Smith who wanted London, Robinson, Pitts and Fontenot got them for him.

quote:

---

Round 6, Pick 190 - Justin Shaffer, G, Georgia. Jamaree Salyer, the starting LT for the Chargers and Shaffer's Georgia teammate, went about 5 picks later. Shaffer is a cut candidate.

---

I told everyone and their brother that NFL teams and draft "gurus" were insane to have these two guys graded similarly coming out of college, and I am a complete nobody who really only pays attention to cfb these days. Salyer was so much better than Shaffer in college, I will never understand what teams were seeing. Sometimes I think they just out-think themselves or get way too caught up in measureables.

Also, I know he's had injury problems, but taking the Troy Andersen dude when Nakobe Dean was available was also ridiculous. Maybe I am being a homer there, though.