Found January 11, 2012 on FreeTheSportsman: Yardbarker Blogger Network
Written by: Matthew Blunk The 2011 NFL season saw many rookies making an immediate impact on their teams. It is all the more impressive considering the NFL and its players were engaged in a lengthy lockout throughout the offseason, hindering a rookie's chance at contributing in his first year.Let us examine the five finest seasons of 2011 by a rookie. Just missed the cut: Julio Jones, ATL54 receptions/959 receiving yards/17.8 yards per catch/8 TDAfter the Falcons traded five draft picks to acquire him, the expectations for Jones going into his rookie season were rather heavy. Fair or not, he was supposed to come in and make a difference in the Falcons' aerial attack. He was supposed to provide a deep threat. He was supposed to draw attention away from Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. And he did. Despite missing three games with a hamstring injury, Jones made the most of the 13 games he did play in the regular season, and was one of the few Falcons who seemed interested i...
THE BACKYARD
BEST OF MAXIM
AROUND THE WEB
RELATED ARTICLES

Falcons GM: No issues with draft-day deal for WR Jones

Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff insisted that he has no regrets over the team's draft-day deal to select wide receiver Julio Jones. "We said - when we made the very aggressive move on Julio Jones - that this was not only a move for the here-and-the-now," Dimitroff told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "This was a move for (the) long-term success...

Falcons must improve to avoid playoff mishaps

Minutes after his team was eliminated from the playoffs, Falcons head coach Mike Smith said that the process of improving for the 2012 season would start the next day. Smith admitted on Monday that the team took a step back in 2011 which was fairly obvious since the Falcons went 13-3 the season before, winning the NFC South and earning a first-round bye, whereas they finished 10...

Falcons Notebook: Falcons lose coodinators

Within 48 hours of their latest flop in the playoffs, the Falcons' offensive and defensive coordinators had moved on. Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder returned to the college ranks and accepted the same position with Auburn. Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey landed a head coaching job with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since arriving in 2008, general manager Thomas Dimitroff...

A requiem for the 2011/2012 Atlanta Falcons

Today, we say goodbye to the 2011/2012 Atlanta Falcons, a team that was good, but a team that should've been better than just "good." The Falcons were so confident that they were close to being legitimate title contenders that they sacrificed five draft picks to land Julio Jones, who they felt was the one missing piece to their offensive puzzle. And Jones performed...

Video: Atlanta Falcons & Coordinators part ways

Atlana Falcons’ Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey is now the Jaguars’ Head Coach. What do all the changes mean for Mike Smith? CineSport’s Noah Coslov chats with the AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter. Here’s my working list of candidates to replace defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. One thing to keep in mind is that coach Mike Smith pointed out that the...

VanGorder departs for Auburn

Brian VanGorder Falcons defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder stepped down as the team’s defensive coordinator to take the same position at Auburn University. VanGorder has been the Falcons defensive coordinator since 2008, after initially accepting the defensive coordinator job at South Carolina after the departure of Bobby Petrino. But Smith was able to convince VanGorder...

2012 Fantasy Football Sleeper: Running Back Jacquizz Rodgers

Could Jacquizz Rodgers prove size doesn't matter in 2012? In the second part of my offseason Fantasy Football Sleeper analysis, I want to talk about a little guy who really didn’t get much of a chance to shine in Atlanta as a rookie. With the Falcons’ early exit last weekend against the Giants in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, it’s time to talk about what...

Roddy White added to NFC Pro Bowl team

Carolina Panthers' DeAngelo Williams (34) runs for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond) Falcons wide receiver Roddy White was added to the NFC Pro Bowl team today, according to the NFL. White will replace Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who is unable...

Week off may be a curse, not blessing

GREEN BAY — Even the Packers admit Dunta Robinson had a point last Sunday. Robinson, the Falcons’ veteran cornerback, stood in the Atlanta locker room after a 24-2 NFC wild-card loss to the Giants and predicted Big Blue would have a decided edge against a rested Green Bay team this weekend...

Falcons lose DC VanGorder; Smith won't reveal candidates

Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith announced the first offseason change to his coaching staff Monday, and it came as a bit of a surprise.

Auburn hires DC from Atlanta Falcons

(source feed provided no summary content for this entry)

Auburn dips into the NFL for new defensive coordinator

A month and a day after losing their defensive coordinator, Auburn has found its replacement. At a press conference Monday afternoon, Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith announced that his defensive coordinator,  Brian VanGorder, has accepted the same job at Auburn.  The school has yet to comment on the hiring. VanGorder has spent the past four…
THE NFL HOT 40
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers

Join the Yardbarker Network (YBN) for more promotion, traffic, and money.

Company Info
Help
What is Yardbarker?

Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.