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Ovie Mughelli, a fullback, and Marcus Wilkins, a backup outside linebacker/special teams player, are what the Falcons have delivered in the first weekend of free agency. Not big names. Solid parts, but not big names.

The bigger news was probably the releasing of linebackers Ed Hartwell and Ike Reese, the top two free-agent signings of 2005.
The timing of Hartwell s release was more of a favor to him because the Falcons decided they weren t going to keep him. So they let him go early so he might be able to catch on with another team.

As of now, it appears Keith Brooking will slide to the middle to take over for Hartwell, as he has for most of the past two seasons when Hartwell was hurt. There is a chance Jordan Beck will get a shot to start in the middle, especially if outside linebacker Demorrio Williams, a restricted free agent, gets lured away and Brooking has to remain as the weak-side starter.
Atlanta had enough money to try to sign at least one big-name free agent (it would take some careful crafting of contract structure).

However, there was a conscious decision to use restraint in a wild free-agent market that has seen a decent amount of non-franchise-type players get paid outrageous sums of money.
That s why the Falcons are going to let the market settle down before they decide if they want to pursue free-agent wide receiver Joe Horn.
There has been dialogue between Atlanta and the former Saints wide out, who could be a needed in-your-face guy in the locker room, especially for the relatively young group of receivers.

Even so, any move on Horn likely would come later rather than sooner so the Falcons can measure their cap flexibility over the next few weeks.
The Falcons probably will bring in some second-tier offensive linemen they met with Seattle s Floyd Womack last weekend to slowly beef up a unit new coach Bobby Petrino wants to enlarge. Cornerback Will James, formerly Will Peterson, is coming in for a visit Wednesday.

All right, finally the Foulcons make the move that will send them to the Super Bowl! I ve always loved Joe Horn s game and better yet, he is one HOT mutha! I ve always wanted to try the interracial thing, and he s just the Ken, great comments.

You ve awakened memories of that 80 s team. Bartkowski launching the Big Ben. Andrews looking like a tank in a red uniform.

I watched Lynn Cain carry 5 Buffalo Bills for about 10 yards and he was the little guy . would david irons be a good 3rd or 4th round pick? a plus is the fact he is from here.

Joe Horn signed hopefully they signed him to something reasonable. Assuming they did, good move. With defensive end Patrick Kerney set to test free agency and leave town with his eight-year Falcons career in the rear-view mirror, it would seem hard for Atlanta not to use its first-round draft pick 10th overall on a defensive lineman.

Most mock drafts have the Falcons taking LSU safety LaRon Landry, but the one knock on Landry is his deep coverage skills. If that is accurate, that sounds pretty much like the same makeup of current free safety Chris Crocker.
Drafting a defensive end seems like something the Falcons would do regardless, although with Kerney on board, taking one in the first round would not have been a priority.

John Abraham s injury history suggests that having a potential stud in the wings would be a pretty good idea.
Though safety is a need, it might not be as great of a need as defensive line, offensive line and wide receiver. Then again, the old best player available analogy might come into play and Landry or Florida s Reggie Nelson be the guy selected first.

I also have to add this, Georgia Tech s Calvin Johnson running a 4.35 in borrowed shoes is pretty unbelievable. If they can pull it off, I would think the Falcons would try pretty hard to move into the top three to nab the standout wide receiver.

With the NFL scouting combine set to begin mid-week, the Falcons broach the annual draft-prospect cattle call with some major issues to address besides looking at players that they could select in April.
Re-signing defensive end Patrick Kerney is at the top of the list.
Beginning Tuesday, Kerney has a week to void the remainder of his contract, thus making him a free agent.

The Falcons say they want to re-sign Kerney and he s said he wants to return.
The public harmony gives all indications that things could be settled within the next few days. However, if there is a hiccup, Kerney will be a major commodity on the open market and could entertain financial offers well out of Atlanta s range.

Losing Kerney would be a huge blow, as the Falcons learned last season after he went down with a torn pectoral muscle that required season-ending surgery. While replacement Chauncey Davis didn t hurt Atlanta, he did not make the plays that Kerney typically makes, especially against the pass. There also aren t a lot of affordable defensive ends in free agency that could deliver what Kerney does.

Atlanta could slap the franchise tag on Kerney by Thursday, taking him off the market for a year. However, the franchise tender would cost Atlanta more than $8 million and pretty much devour all of their projected salary cap space for next season.
In an interview Monday, new Falcons offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said quarterback Michael Vick won t receive any special treatment.

There will be no coddling of Michael Vick, Jackson said. We re not going to coddle Michael Vick. This is not a demerit system where we say, Okay we re not going to deal with this guy this way and this guy that way.

We re going to coach them all hard and he knows that. We have an expectation of him and I think he ll be the first to tell you that I m not afraid to say anything to him and I m not afraid to say anything to anyone on this offense.
There is an expectation and that s what we re going to get.

I don t care what he position is. That s the way we see it and that s the way we re going to deal with it.
Though Vick has been perceived as a Prima-Donna, I actually think Vick will appreciate a little tough love when needed.

At some point in his life, Vick was yelled at and set straight in order to drive the point home and he probably responded by correcting his mistakes. Most elite athletes have been scolded by coaches and will tell you they were better for it.
Just got back from Miami this morning and was welcomed by quite the frigid blast but at least it was dry.

I was in South Florida covering the Super Bowl and all the events leading up to it. Trust me, not only was I thankful to be covering the Super Bowl, but in Miami? As Borat said, I like.

For the first time ever, rain fell during a Super Bowl, making it a somewhat sloppily played game. However, the elements are part of what the game is about ask the Bears, who have considered the snow, wind and rain their allies for years.
I was impressed on how the Colts offensive and defensive lines steadily imposed themselves on the Bears, who were supposed to be tougher up front.

Peyton Manning was deserving of MVP honors, but I felt running backs Dominick Rhodes or Joseph Addai could have been MVP, too.
However, Peyton had a very good game, so I don t think anyone had a problem with him getting a ring or top player honors.
As for the Bears, they can say all they want to about Rex Grossman.

They called a conservative game to avoid putting too much pressure on him, which isn t how a team that makes it to the Super Bowl is ideally supposed to play. It seemed wise because when they did ask him to make plays, he dropped the ball, tripped or threw interceptions.
Chicago s loss didn t solely fall on Grossman the vaunted defense couldn t stop the run however, the way the Bears approached the game showed an uncomfortable reluctance to play championship football on offense.

Chicago coach Lovie Smith s loyalty to Grossman all season was admirable. But next season, they better have a Plan B in place and not wait too long to go to their secondary option if Grossman revisits this type of inconsistency.
Onus on Vick, teammates
A few days before the game, new Falcons coach Bobby Petrino sat with about a dozen reporters and fielded a ton of questions.

I did a story on how Petrino said he planned on letting Vick audible. Vick and several of his teammates did not like the previous coaching staff s scheme that did not let them change a run play to a pass play or vice versa when they got to the line of scrimmage and saw a defensive front designed to stop the play that was called, but was prone to an alternative.
Now, Vick and his teammates will get a chance to show what types of players they are.

Petrino is putting the responsibility of the offense squarely on Vick.
If Vick is up to handling Petrino s plan, it could enhance his viability as a quarterback, or, at the very least, change some skeptical minds. If Vick struggles, routinely checking off into bad plays and the like, it will bode poorly for him and possibly, his future with the team.