Tony Gonzalez traded to Falcons / Photo: Newscom

Tony was understandably excited to join the Falcons:

“It’s somewhat bittersweet. I love Kansas City. I grew up in Kansas City. The city means a lot to me. I got there when I turned 21. It will be sad to leave a city I love. But I’m looking forward to making a Super Bowl run in Atlanta every year for the next three or four years. With Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White and now myself, we have the chance to be in the top five in the league in offense every year. How could I not be excited to join that team? (Chiefs General Manager) Scott (Pioli) and (coach) Todd (Haley) told me a little bit ago and there were nothing but positives ….. I think this is something that will help the team because they are rebuilding. There was no biterness at all from either side.”

The Falcons look smart with this trade. On paper, Tony might seem past his prime at 33-years-old. But if you look at his numbers on a miserable 2-14 KC team last season with four different quarterbacks on the 24th ranked offense (96 catches, over 1,000 yards and 10 TDs), you have to be impressed. And then look at what he did in the Pro Bowl (six catches, 98 yards and a TD), it’s easy to see the guy has a lot of football left.

Sources: AtlantaFalcons.com, FoxSports.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Chiefs Trade Tony Gonzalez to Falcons

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was presented with the 2008 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year award today. Joe was one of five finalists for the honor — running back Matt Forte (Bears), running back Chris Johnson (Titans), quarterback Matt Ryan (Falcons) and running back Steve Slaton (Texans).

You might recall that Matt Ryan won the AP’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. So here’s how this thing works. The five finalists were selected because of their outstanding performances throughout the 2008 NFL season. Each week, five nominees were chosen for the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL fans voted for the winner on NFL.com and via Sprint wireless. Those results were used to help determine the finalists. This was an excellent class of rookies and any one of the five could’ve won. In the end, Joe was nominated for 10 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week awards and won twice. A record 1,002,500 fan votes were submitted.

Joe deserves this. (I really feel he and Matt Ryan were the front runners for this award because of the difficulty of the position they play.) He finished the season with 2,971 yards passing and 16 touchdowns (14 throwing and two rushing). But his steady improvement and leadership are what I believed really sealed his successful rookie season. In his final 11 games, Joe guided the Ravens into the playoffs with a 9-2 record. And he had a very impressive 90.2 passer rating during that time. I’m more than optimistic about his chances for success next season and beyond.

Note: A bunch of the NFL’s “sponsored” awards were handed out today. I wrote about this one because I was personally invited to it. Of course, it was kind of hard to attend without actually being in Tampa and all. But I appreciated the offer. The other awards handed out today were the Motorola NFL Coach of the Year (Mike Tomlin), FedEx Air (Drew Brees) and Ground (Adrian Peterson) NFL Players of the Year, and the GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Year (James Harrison). Congrats to all the winners.

Source: NFL.com/rookie, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Joe Flacco: Diet Pepsi NFL ROY

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year yesterday by the Associated Press. I think Falcons owner Arthur Blank had hoped for Matt to have a shot at the starting quarterback position this season when the team drafted him third overall back in April. But I’m sure he didn’t expect this kind of success this soon — not for Matt and not for the Falcons as a team as the prepare to play the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals Saturday in a Wild Card Playoff game. As one would expect, Matt was typically well-spoken of the award:

“There’s a number of guys who had great rookie seasons this year, so to even be mentioned in that light is nice. It’s certainly a great honor, and I think it speaks to what we did as a team this year.”

I’m sure Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson is one of the guys Matt was talking about. It had to be a close call. Nevertheless, Matt had a great season by any player’s standards, but especially for a rookie QB. He completed 265 of 434 passes for 3,440 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He had a respectable 87.7 passer rating and also contributed with 104 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. His 3,440 passing yards ranks sixth in a single-season in Falcons history and he became only the second rookie quarterback in NFL history to have over 3,000 passing yards. Impressive.

When you think about what the Falcons organization and the fans went through in watching their supposed savior quarterback Michael Vick being led off to prison and their proud franchise reduced to jeers amidst the embarrassment of former head coach Bobby Petrino, this has to be an especially proud moment. From 4-12 in the basement of the NFC South last season to 11-5 and a Wild Card berth this season, the team can look to their Rookie of the Year quarterback as a building block for many years to come.

Source: AtlantaFalcons.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Matt Ryan NFL Offensive ROY

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received 951,246 votes to lead all NFL All-Stars in fan balloting for the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl. N.Y. Jets quarterback Brett Favre (880,833 votes) ranks second overall, while N.Y. Giants quarterback Eli Manning (821,852 votes), Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis (767,817 votes) and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner (673,710 votes) round out the top-five. Here is the list of Top-Ten vote-getters for the 2009 National Football League Pro Bowl:

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
2. Brett Favre, N.Y. Jets
3. Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants
4. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
5. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
6. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
7. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
8. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
9. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
10. Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins

The Top-Five rookie vote-getters were Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans), Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons), Matt Forté (Chicago Bears), Chris Horton (Washington Redskins), and Steve Slaton (Houston Texans).

The teams will be announced at 4 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, December 16 on a special NFL Total Access 2009 NFL Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network. The 2009 NFL Pro Bowl presented by State Farm will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, February 8 and televised by NBC.

Source: NFL Media, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL All-Stars Top-Ten Vote-Getters

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

This is why we love the National Football League, right? Even if your team came out on the losing end of one of these games, you have to appreciate the beauty of the fantastic finish. And five of today’s games had ‘em. If you were watching the 1 p.m. ET games on DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket Game Mix, good for you. You got your money’s worth. Four of the five fantastic finishes were early games ending at roughly the same time:

• After trailing for most of the game, Minnesota Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell hit a 26-yard field goal with nine seconds left as the Vikes beat the still winless (0-5) Detroit Lions 12-10. The game-winner came on the heels of a controversial pass interference call against Lions DB Leigh Bodden. After seeing the replay, I have to agree. It looked like Leigh barely touched Vikings receiver Aundrae Allison. Aundrae’s forward motion was his own lunging. And so begins the post-Matt Millen era in Detroit.
• On 4th and goal from the two-yard-line with three seconds on the clock and trailing by five points, Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, back from an illness last week, called his own number, scoring on a quarterback draw to beat the Miami Dolphins 29-28. For the Texans, it was their first win of the season. And it took every bit of four quarters to get it. Houston receiver Andre Johnson had a career day with 10 catches (three on the final drive) for 178 yards and a touchdown.
• Josh Brown kicked a 49-yard field goal as time expired, leading the opportunistic St. Louis Rams to an unlikely 19-17 win over the heavily favored Washington Redskins. The kick came after a bonehead personal foul penalty by Rams guard Richie Incognito moved the try back 15 yards. For the Rams, despite that infraction and 10 other penalties — plus being outgained by 168 total yards — it was their first win and a great “audition” of sorts for interim head coach Jim Haslett.
• Jason Elam kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Atlanta Falcons to a 22-20 win over the Chicago Bears. The Bears thought they had the game won after quarterback Kyle Orton connected with receiver Rashied Davis for a 17-yard score with 11 seconds left. I believe Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan will look back at this game as a possible turning point in his rookie season — it was his first 300-yard passing effort and he made a perfect sideline throw to receiver Michael Jenkins under heavy pressure with six seconds left. He’ll still have his share of growing pains, but this was a veteran performance. Falcons fans have forgotten Michael Vick.
• The Arizona Cardinals became the first team in NFL history to win an overtime game on a blocked punt. The official Gamebook play-by-play looked like this: M.McBriar punt is BLOCKED by 87-S.Morey, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, RECOVERED by ARI-52-M.Beisel at DAL 3. 52-M.Beisel for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN. The score happened after forcing Dallas three-and-out to start the OT.

This is the kind of weekend the National Football League dreams of.

Source: NFL.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Five Fantastic Finishes

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to all 32 teams today. Actually, he e-mailed the memo to team executives, coaches and general managers and told them to read or distribute it to every player on their team. I’m guessing they slapped it on every player’s locker:

“Player safety on the field is important to all of us in the NFL. Football is a tough game and we need to do everything possible to protect all players — offense, defense, and special teams — from unnecessary injury caused by illegal and dangerous hits. From this point forward, you should be clear on the following point: Any conduct that unnecessarily risks the safety of other players has no role in the game of football and will be disciplined at increased levels, including on a first offense. Playing by the rules shows respect for your fellow players. No one wants to see unnecessary injuries. Let’s have a safe and exciting 2008 season.”

The Commissioner might be on the verge of handing out fines and suspensions for illegal hits (technically, I guess NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Ray Anderson would take care of that), but so far this season, he only nailed Bucs cornerback Elbert Mack (one game suspension) for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. I guess that was enough to prompt this memo.

Source: NFL Media

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Roger Goodell Stresses Player Safety

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Atlanta Falcons rookie Matt Ryan was named the team’s season-opening starting quarterback by head coach Mike Smith today. Matt will also start the Falcons preseason finale against Baltimore this Thursday:

“We have evaluated Matt through OTAs, mini-camp, training camp and over the course of three preseason games. After reviewing Matt’s progress, we feel like he has won the starting job.”

The decision makes sense. In this particular situation, Matt will do better in a “baptism-by-fire” than he will watching and learning from the sidelines. In three preseason contests, Matt has completed 32 of 52 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for an 80.4 passer rating. I could say not bad for a rookie, but he’s clearly the better option over Chris Redman or Joey Harrington. The Atlanta Falcons aren’t going to the playoffs and Matt will take his lumps this season. But in the long run, this assignment will only help the development of Matt’s career and the development of this team.

Source: AtlantaFalcons.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Matt Ryan Named Starting QB for Falcons

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan was impressive in his debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars tonight. The Falcons lost the game 20-17, but Matt was 9 of 15 passing for 113 yards and a touchdown (25 yards to WR Roddy White) in five first half drives. It’s too early to be making any sort of predictions, but Falcons fans have to be optimistic with this start.

Source: AtlantaFalcons.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Matt Ryan Solid in Preseason Debut

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan signed a six-year, $72 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons yesterday. The deal ended concerns that lengthy negotiations would hinder Matt’s chances of becoming the team’s starting QB this season. The Falcons weren’t going to let that happen because even though head coach Mike Smith has said the starting quarterback job is an open competition, he knows his personnel. Coach Smith said:

“If he’s the best player, whether he’s a rookie quarterback or rookie offensive lineman or rookie linebacker, we want those guys to come in here and compete. We’re going to put the best player out there on the field.”

Let’s be serious. Neither Joey Harrington nor Chris Redmond has been able to prove they are worthy of being a consistent starting quarterback in the National Football League. Joey did it for a short while in Detroit and he’ll be a solid #2. Chris a reasonable #3. And while Matt Ryan will certainly take his lumps and have his fair share of growing pains during his rookie season, he is the $72 million answer for the Falcons and the hope of this franchise. Now.

Source: AtlantaFalcons.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Six Years, $72M for Falcons QB Matt Ryan

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

Recently drafted players like Chiefs DT Glenn Dorsey, Jets DE Vernon Gholston, Rams DE Chris Long, Miami T Jake Long and Falcons QB Matt Ryan will learn the importance of personal brand management as part of the new NFL Player Brand University.

In its first year, the program will consist of two brand boot camp sessions designed to teach new players the fundamentals of brand development, by combining their on-field achievements with the community and business opportunities they pursue off-the-field. The sessions, which are mandatory for rookies and open to veterans, will be held at 19 NFL team facilities throughout May and June (beginning in Chicago tomorrow).

What a great idea. The program is part of an NFL Player Development initiative to assist players in taking a proactive approach to their career development by fully utilizing club and league resources to positively position themselves in their community. That means they have a small window of tremendous opportunity and they’d better take advantage of it. According to Michael Haynes, the NFL’s Vice President of Player and Employee Development:

“NFL Player Brand University is designed to help players develop and execute a brand strategy that will help them maximize their NFL experience and enjoy a successful career within and beyond the game. Our goal is to give every player who comes through the league the ability to fully leverage this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

While learning about brand management, players will work to develop their own Brand Action Plan to define their identity and image goals based on personal preferences and interests. Then players will work with team Player Development staff throughout the season to select opportunities that help them to achieve those objectives. They will be able to use the NFL Brand Playbook throughout their first season as a reference to making wise decisions as they adjust to their new surroundings. NFL Player Brand University’s curriculum will also be included at the Rookie Symposium next month.

Source: NFL Media, Photo: Newscom

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NFL Rookies to Take Part in Player Brand U