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The Falcons have released 29-year old DT Thomas Johnson and 27-year old safety Matt Giordano. Johnson played in 13 games for the Falcons last season and he had 20 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. Giordano played in 5 games for the Packers last season and he made 2 tackles. This is a good sign for the Falcons’ D that they don’t think they need these guys.
The Falcons have dealt 26-year old G/T Quinn Ojinnaka to the Patriots for a undisclosed future draft pick. Ojinnaka played in 9 games (5 starts) for the Falcons last season. In four years with the Falcons, he played in 39 games (12 starts). Hopefully the Falcons got a decent pick from the Patriots who are getting desperate due to injuries and holdouts along the O-Line.
The Falcons have lost rookie WR Kerry Meier for the year as he was placed on the Injured Reserve List due to a knee injury. This will hurt the Falcons who don’t have a lot of depth at WR. Meier played in both pre-season games for the Falcons this year and he had 3 receptions for 34 yards (11.3 avg). He was a fifth round pick of the Falcons but he will have to wait until 2011 to show what he can or can not do.
The Falcons will be without starting WR Michael Jenkins for the next 4-6 weeks due to a injured left shoulder. This is a huge blow to the Falcons if Jenkins isn’t ready to start the season. The Falcons have loved what Harry Douglas has been doing in training camp but I’m not so sure he would be ready to step into Jenkins’ starting spot by opening day. Brian Finneran, Eric Weems and Kerry Meier aren’t starting material either so the Falcons need Jenkins to make a speedy recovery.
The Falcons have selected OG Mike Johnson out of Alabama with the 98th pick overall (third round) of the NFL Draft. Johnson has the size at 6′5″, 306 pounds to dominate but he’s a finesse player who is a much better pass blocker. He is aggressive off the line but he does not have to power to lock and load in the running game. Look for the Falcons to get Johnson in the weight room and keep him there for a while to add some hurtin’ power to his frame. Johnson played in 14 games (all starts) at Alabama last season and he played in 54 games (41 starts) in his three years there. I don’t think the Falcons are going to throw Johnson to the wolves right away but he has a nice upside if he improves his strength.
