Falcons cut Crumpler + more...

[packers11]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3247718

Falcons release seven players, including Crumpler

Updated: February 15, 2008, 1:49 PM ET

The Atlanta Falcons continued their franchise makeover in earnest on Friday, releasing tight eend Alge Crumpler, quarterback quarterback Byron Leftwich, offensive tackle Wayne Gandy and four other players.

Teh team also announced it had released cornerback Lewis Sanders, wide receiver Jamin Elliott, linebacker Marcus Wilkins and defensive tackle Rod Coleman.

"This is a difficult day for the entire organization," Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement from the team. "A number of these players have contributed to this organization on and off the field at a high level and we greatly appreciate their efforts. These decisions weren't easy, but we felt they were necessary to build a team in the long-term best interest of the Falcons and its fans."

Crumpler, who just completed his seventh season, all with Atlanta, has 316 career catches for 4,212 yards and 35 touchdowns. He had been with the team since 2001 and was selected to five Pro Bowls.

Leftwich, formerly a starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars, was acquired by the Falcons during the season, was acquired by the Falcons after the Jaguars released him in order to go with David Garrard. He alternated with Joey Harrington as the Falcons' starter last season.

[MTPackerfan]

Crumpler might be a nice pick up at TE. Seems to be a good receiver.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

Wounder why Colemen got cut. I always thought he was one of their best players.

[packers11]

Wounder why Colemen got cut. I always thought he was one of their best players.

reminds me of the packers in 2005... they have a lot of rebuilding to do... it will take 3-4 years before this team will be a competitor again...

[RashanGary]

Crumpler might be a guy who's underrated after playing with subpar QB's. If Crumpler passed a physical I'd have to think he's better than Bubba.

[MadtownPacker]

Crumpler might be a guy who's underrated after playing with subpar QB's. If Crumpler passed a physical I'd have to think he's better than Bubba.Why not just keep all 3?

[KYPack]

Crunpler made 3 mil last year, 5.7 mil in '06. He's 31. It's a bad time to be +30 and making money on the Falcons.

Wonder where ATL is vs the cap after this purge?

[GoPackGo]

Crumpler would be a great pickup. No way in hell that he would ever come to Green bay though. :?

[PackerBlues]

Wounder why Colemen got cut. I always thought he was one of their best players.

reminds me of the packers in 2005... they have a lot of rebuilding to do... it will take 3-4 years before this team will be a competitor again...

I never really thought about it at the time, but fans of teams that had cap room in 2005 must have really been licking their chops when thinking about the cuts the Packers had to make..........Rivera, Wahle, Sharper, Longwell.

[BallHawk]

Jesus Christ, does anybody at ESPN proofread major stories they're publishing?

I mean, c'mon, Bulldog types better than that. :shock:

[BallHawk]

Read the comments about the article, they're actually pretty funny. Dude's getting ripped. :lol:

[BallHawk]

Yay, ESPN finally fixed the article an hour after it was posted.

ESPN, the world-wide leader in professionalism. :roll:

[KYPack]

I like it when somebody other than me spells THE, "TEH".

Yes that was a Bulldogian effort by the ESPN hack.

[twoseven]

Crumpler, nice. Wonder if I can daydream about TT giving him a look without being told how stupid picking him up would be. I remember when we traded for Keith Jackson in 95', it took him a year to learn our system, but the year after he was a major weapon.

[b bulldog]

Stop the nagging about my typing :lol:

[KYPack]

Stop the nagging about my typing :lol:

CAPS LOCK ON, bULLDOG.

CAPS LOCK ON.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I loved Crumpler... two years ago. He looked like a shell of himself last year. If he can get over those injuries, he's worth looking at--but not at a high price tag. Same thing with Coleman. He was one of the best inside rushers in the game two years ago, but he's like 33 years old with injury concerns now.

[twoseven]

I loved Crumpler... two years ago. He looked like a shell of himself last year. If he can get over those injuries, he's worth looking at--but not at a high price tag. Same thing with Coleman. He was one of the best inside rushers in the game two years ago, but he's like 33 years old with injury concerns now.
With the hack job Petrino pulled on that squad, the Vick fallout, having Harrington throwing the ball, etc..is it possible Crumpler's hiccup was related to the team's struggles, or just due to injury?

[Patler]

I loved Crumpler... two years ago. He looked like a shell of himself last year. If he can get over those injuries, he's worth looking at--but not at a high price tag. Same thing with Coleman. He was one of the best inside rushers in the game two years ago, but he's like 33 years old with injury concerns now.
With the hack job Petrino pulled on that squad, the Vick fallout, having Harrington throwing the ball, etc..is it possible Crumpler's hiccup was related to the team's struggles, or just due to injury?

Actually, I think the hiccup, if there was one, was in 2005 when he had 65 receptions. The 42 receptions in 2007 were about what he did in 2001-2004 (25, 36, 44, 48) and last year when he had 56.

[Fritz]

What makes me chuckle about these kinds of threads is that everybody gets excited and speculates as to whether TT will sign a guy like Crumpler or a guy like Zach Thomas, when in fact the more likely signing will be one of the "The Falcons also released four others." He'll sign somebody like that Lewis Sanders dude.

We'll all be pissed, the dude Ted signs will contribute and Algae Crumpler will sign a mega-deal with the Vikings or the Raiders, and will toil for a 5-11 team.

[twoseven]

What makes me chuckle about these kinds of threads is that everybody gets excited and speculates as to whether TT will sign a guy like Crumpler or a guy like Zach Thomas, when in fact the more likely signing will be one of the "The Falcons also released four others." He'll sign somebody like that Lewis Sanders dude.

We'll all be pissed, the dude Ted signs will contribute and Algae Crumpler will sign a mega-deal with the Vikings or the Raiders, and will toil for a 5-11 team.
It may just be that Woodson signed with us because he couldn't get a better deal somewhere else, but CW was a HUGE name the offseason we signed him. Let's also not forget that Ted DID in fact go after Randy Moss, just not as aggresive as the Pats. We'll also never know how many studs turned HIM down since he's been here. Currently we are sitting very pretty cap-wise, roster-wise, and record-wise. This is something you could NOT say any other of TT's years here. Because of that I say it's hard to predict what he may do this offseason.

[KYPack]

What makes me chuckle about these kinds of threads is that everybody gets excited and speculates as to whether TT will sign a guy like Crumpler or a guy like Zach Thomas, when in fact the more likely signing will be one of the "The Falcons also released four others." He'll sign somebody like that Lewis Sanders dude.

We'll all be pissed, the dude Ted signs will contribute and Algae Crumpler will sign a mega-deal with the Vikings or the Raiders, and will toil for a 5-11 team.

Methinks you got it.

[mission]

Alge is worshipped down here in Atlanta. all the sports talk quotes
the players talking about without him in the locker room, the team would have ended up ten times worse. he's supposedly the hardest worker on the team and very articulate when I've heard him speak. the only way he'd consider gb after living in a city with this much nightlife is if he's a family man. daily youll hear about some big club night hosted by such and such player to draw ppl and I've never heard of an Alge night... now josh smith on the other hand... that mf parties!! like party party if ya catch me--mister all night every night

[vince]

What makes me chuckle about these kinds of threads is that everybody gets excited and speculates as to whether TT will sign a guy like Crumpler or a guy like Zach Thomas, when in fact the more likely signing will be one of the "The Falcons also released four others." He'll sign somebody like that Lewis Sanders dude.

We'll all be pissed, the dude Ted signs will contribute and Algae Crumpler will sign a mega-deal with the Vikings or the Raiders, and will toil for a 5-11 team.
:lol: While the article below doesn't completely denigrate free agent signing as an effective strategy, it does factually support just how much truth there is in your assertion Fritz.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=sando_mike&id=3247587

How Washington approaches free agency is anyone's guess
By Mike Sando, ESPN.com
Updated: February 15, 2008

The NFL salary cap has swelled 44 percent in five years, from $80.5 million per team in 2003 to an expected $116 million this year.

The growth has left even some playoff teams flush with tens-of-millions in cap space as free agency approaches, but one team needs to trim another $6 million or so to live within the rules.

That team is the Washington Redskins, of course.

While at least a half-dozen other organizations lack sufficient cap room to operate comfortably, none can touch the Redskins for sheer largesse. Even after reworking several deals, the Redskins remained the only team above the projected cap, according to league sources.

We wonder what owner Daniel Snyder has planned for the start of free agency Feb. 29. The team's month-long search for a head coach, punctuated by the surprise hiring of Jim Zorn, proved most anything is possible.

If the Washington Post's sources are correct, the Redskins will make a run at Cincinnati's Chad Johnson. While the Bengals insist their leading receiver is not available, the Redskins do not discourage easily. In 2006, they committed $10 million in bonuses to Brandon Lloyd after acquiring him from San Francisco for third- and fourth-round draft choices.

Imagine what the Redskins might offer for a receiver who actually can play.

Lloyd might have become an All-Pro if he could have drawn Adam Archuleta exclusively in coverage. Archuleta, effective as an in-the-box safety early in his career, collected $5 million in bonus money from the Redskins in 2006 before the team realized almost immediately that he wasn't right for their defense.

The Redskins showed relative restraint last offseason.

They signed linebacker London Fletcher and cornerback Fred Smoot to deals that together count less than $6 million against the 2008 cap. The team signed no other big-name free agents in 2007. But with Lloyd and third-string quarterback Mark Brunell eating more than $10 million of cap space between them, the Redskins need to clear room.

And for what?

Snyder's spending has bought two playoff victories since he purchased the team for $800 million in 1999. Money does not always buy championships.

Additional proof lies in the NFL Players Association's annual rankings of best-compensated players. The list ranks the 10 highest earners at each position, based on 2007 payouts. The numbers -- released to the media during Super Bowl week -- help determine how much teams must earmark for franchise and transition players, but they are instructive for another reason.

The three highest-paid players at each position played for teams that won 219 games and lost 309 last season. Exclude the quarterbacks, who are often worth top dollar, and that 219-309 (.415) mark becomes 189-291 (.393).

San Francisco's Nate Clements, Baltimore's Chris McAlister and Kansas City's Patrick Surtain were the highest-paid cornerbacks. Their teams were a combined 14-34 last season.

Archuleta, now with Chicago, Oakland's Michael Huff and San Francisco's Michael Lewis were the highest-paid safeties. Their teams were a combined 16-32 last season. Clements played well in his first season with the 49ers, but what were his contributions ultimately worth? His coach, Mike Nolan, lost authority over personnel, while the team's record tanked.

The Redskins have managed to remain more competitive despite leading the NFL in "dead" money since 1994 with nearly $128 million, an average of more than $9 million per year, according to an NFL executive with access to league salary information.

Dead money piles up when teams release players before enough time has passed to spread the impact of large signing bonuses across multiple salary caps.

If the Redskins release Brunell, for example, they'll be able to subtract his base salary from the cap, but they'll still have to account for more than $3 million in "dead" bonus money that has yet to count.

The Redskins' dead-money totals have accelerated dramatically since Snyder purchased the team.

Their annual totals were $780,000 in 1994, $1.1 million in 1995, $1.4 million in 1996, $4.2 million in 1997 and $1.3 million in 1998. Subsequent totals have jumped to $7.6 million (1999), $5.7 million (2000), $14.8 million (2001), $13.2 million (2002), $14.4 million (2003), $11.2 million (2004), $20.1 million (2005), $21 million (2006) and $10.7 million last season.

That's an average of $1.75 million in annual dead money during the five years before Snyder purchased the team, but $13.2 million per year during his nine seasons of ownership.

Dead money isn't always fatal.

The New York Giants ranked among the league leaders with $18.8 million in dead money last season, and they still won Super Bowl XLII.

Dead-money figures for 2008 are too tenuous to project because teams are still shaping their rosters.

The Redskins are famous for paying massive signing bonuses, accompanied by low base salaries in the first few years of contracts. The strategy suppresses cap numbers early in the deal, but the dead money piles up if the team parts with the player earlier than anticipated. The Redskins frequently have reworked deals, pushing cap-related consequences into the future.

They cleared about $9 million in cap space this week by adjusting tight end Chris Cooley's contract, converting an $11 million roster bonus to signing bonus.

The Giants, meanwhile, curtailed their free-agent spending before last season. They committed a relatively modest $7.5 million in bonuses during the first month of free agency in 2007. The Redskins, despite what qualified for them as restraint, committed about $22 million in bonuses over the same period.

Fletcher proved to be a worthy addition. His production and leadership helped the Redskins fight through a season marked by key injuries and the tragic death of safety Sean Taylor.

Washington has enjoyed other offseason successes. Marcus Washington, Clinton Portis, Phillip Daniels, Casey Rabach and Todd Collins proved to be valuable additions in free agency, regardless of price.

But as the Redskins proved during their improbable playoff push, and as the Giants affirmed, winning requires more than fielding a high-priced roster. Some teams seize the moment and refuse to let go, often counter to spending totals.

San Diego, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Green Bay and the Giants added no big-name players from other teams during the initial wave of free agency last offseason. They combined to win three division titles while posting a combined record of 58-22 (.725). They won eight playoff games.

The Redskins are fortunate to have an owner willing to spend whatever it takes to improve his roster. They'll be even better off when Snyder proves he knows when to keep the checkbook in his suit pocket.

Mike Sando covers the NFL for ESPN.com.

[KYPack]

The Vick thing has really thrown the Falcons for a loop. One thing I've noticed is they are cutting all these guys a year or two too late. Crumpler was a huge thing two seasons ago, now the best they can do is cut him?

TT made his purge and then got his team on track in 2 years. The Dirty Birds appear years away right now.

[GoPackGo]

Crumpler close to signing w/ the Seachickens

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/sports/falcons/stories/2008/02/29/crumpler_0302.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=21

[GoPackGo]

Feb. 29 - 5:45 pm et

The agent for Alge Crumpler disputes a report that his client is close to signing with the Seahawks.

[MadtownPacker]

Sounds like Crumpler wants to come to GB.