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Another Falcons draft has come and gone, and yet again the reviews are mixed with most Atlanta fans. Even with all the research in the world, GM Thomas Dimitroff proved to be his normal and completely unpredictable self, trading picks at will to get the players he wanted. Many fans predicted the Falcons would go cornerback and some even predicted they would take CB Desmond Trufant in the first round. That's where the correct predictions ended.
In all, they took in 2 cornerbacks, 2 defensive ends, 1 tight end, 2 safeties, and 1 quarterback. Most are happy with the players selected, or can tolerate them, but the idea that the Falcons brought home exactly 0 linebackers, defensive tackles, or offensive linemen is perplexing to say the least. Even though many were initially upset at taking two cornerbacks with the first two picks, what was once one of the biggest weaknesses had immediately been transformed into a massive strength, not just for 2013, but for the next many years. Cornerback has been one of the most unstable positions the past 5 years, and it's finally been solidified.
Many fans were OK with taking a defensive end in the 4th round, one of the most potential laden in the entire draft and definitely a good pick in that round, but then it veered off track for some fans. Perhaps the biggest reach of the entire haul was taking TE Levine Toilolo with the 4th round compensatory pick. Some sites had him slotted as low as the 6th or even 7th rounds. Then Dimitroff followed it up by doubling up on defensive end and even traded a 7th round pick to get DE Stansly Maponga. It was a brutal wait from the middle of the 5th round to all the way to the end of the entire draft.
The Falcons GM saved his most puzzling for last. He took safety Kemal Ishmael with the first one, a player not invited to the combine or even ranked by most scouting sites. He turned right around and took another safety in Zeke Motta, which was a great value pick. He finished up the draft with QB Sean Renfree from Duke, a highly intelligent player that's had his work ethic compared to Peyton Manning from former coach David Cutcliffe. We'll be analyzing and breaking down the draft in-depth over the next few weeks, but here's your chance to grade the Falcons 2013 Draft Class. Feel free to use letter grades, numbers, whatever you like……….
How can you not like this pick? Some feel that Dimitroff pigeon-holed this pick long ago. While that may be true in some regard, Trufant is every bit worthy of his selection. He's a unanimous selection as the 2nd or 3rd best corner, a first round talent, and an average taken from many scouting websites has him as the 25th best player in the draft. Only Jonathan Banks had more tackles than Trufant (195). He was a four year starter at Washington in the Pac-10 (a heavy passing conference). Only two CBs had more pass break ups (33), than Trufant (Dee Milliner – 36, Leon McFadden – 37).
He has prototypical corner size (6'0 – 190). The former Huskie was only bested by two CBs in the forty (Trufant – 4.38; Milliner – 4.7; Darius Slay – 4.36) and had one of the better performances on the bench. It works out perfectly for the Falcons being able to choose the best overall player and one of the biggest areas of need. Trufant is a prototypical Dimitroff player: 4 year starter, high production, and team captain. He's never taken a CB before the 3rd round, and even he (Owens) is no longer a Falcon. He's a great young man as well. He was extremely humbled and very emotional when getting the call. He has fantastic bloodlines with his brothers Marcus and Isaiah being NFL players.
Of course there's the issue of what the Falcons GM gave up. It was painful to see the Falcons part with their 3rd round pick, and even their 6th as well, especially in such a deep defensive draft. Time will tell on whether the Falcons gave up too much in seeing how those 3rd round selections for other teams pan out, but also how well Trufant does compared to the other first round CBs in Dee Milliner and Xavier Rhodes. Some believe it was a mistake because there were so many good corners and that either Rhodes or Trufant would have dropped to them. Of course there's no way of knowing now, but at a minimum it's a pretty flimsy excuse because the Vikings took Rhodes with the very next pick, New England traded out of their pick, and the other main fan target, Jamar Taylor, didn't go until pick #54. At a minimum, the argument is impossible to prove one way or another and it's a wash.
The Falcons grab one of the best corners and overall players in the draft. A four year starter from a heavy passing conference and an absolute plug-and-play player. Only reason this isn't an A+ is due to giving up a 3rd round pick.
Immediate reaction for most fans was disbelief. Why and how could Dimitroff go back-to-back CB in the first two rounds, especially after not having another pick until the end of the 4th round? The idea of not taking an linebacker or another position in this deep defensive draft will leave Dimitroff open to questions from fans until the end of 2013 on whether or not it was the right move to strengthen the secondary.
However, the player Robert Alford and the end result of turning cornerback (and secondary overall) from an unstable position and major weakness to an overall team strength is hard to question. It was the greatest area of need after free agency, and Dimitroff just set the CB position as an extremely strong one for years to come. If Trufant, Asante Samuel, and Robert McClain are the top three, than Alford could be one of the best 4th corners in the NFL. It's not out of the question for him winning the nickel job either. The SE Louisiana product had a very productive career notching 137 tackles, 20 pass break-ups, and 10 interceptions.
He's 5'10, 188 lbs and had a fantastic combine performance. He ran a 4.39 forty, did 17 reps on the bench, and had one of the best vertical leaps and broad jumps of all cornerback prospects. In addition to being a great corner, he's also fantastic on special teams and has to be considered to be a leader for the return man position, an area the Falcons were woefully inadequate. He was slotted to go somewhere in the 2nd round and he surely did. The corners that were ranked ahead of him (Jamar Taylor, David Amerson, Jonathan Banks) all went before him in the 2nd and only Darius Slay went earlier than he did that wasn't roundly ranked ahead of him.
Cornerbacks in the second round was arguably the strongest of the draft, at least in terms of value and quantity and Dimitroff struck. The player Robert Alford should earn an A grade, but deciding to pass on a linebacker or defensive tackle in the 2nd after giving up a 3rd will be questioned for awhile. However, the Falcons now have an extremely deep, young, and talented cornerback corps for years to come. When's the last time you could say that?
It's hard to argue with this pick at all. The media, both local and national alike, have beaten the "pass rush argument" to death for the last several years. They've not been saying anything untrue as the Falcons have been downright criminal in developing ANY pass rush whatsoever. They even made an enormous blunder in free agency with Ray Edwards. In short, it's been pitiful. While Goodman may not turn into the next John Abraham, he has all the tools to become dominant at the next level.
Even though the former Tiger had pretty good production, it's his measurables that pop out. He's 6'4, 276 lbs, has arms that are almost 37 inches long, and hands that are 11 inches long. He also ran a 4.87 and put up 26 reps on the bench at the combine. He's has that prototypical defensive end size and frame, the likes of which the Falcons have not drafted for in a long time. He had decent production, if not stellar while at Clemson. He pulled down 136 tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, and 12.5 sacks. He has issues with consistency and pre-snap awareness. Perhaps the best part is that utterly dominated one of the best offensive lines in LSU in the Chick-Fil-A bowl in December. Dimitroff mentioned that he can either play a 5-technique in the 3-4 or a 4-3 defensive end. The value is unquestioned as almost every single scouting site had him going in the 3rd round.
It's a great pick for need and for value. Goodman addresses one of the biggest problems and areas for need the last 5 years. He's a specimen the Falcons haven't drafted in some time. His ceiling is enormous. Only reason it's not an A+ is the Falcons inability to develop any other DE to date.
Here's where fellow Cage Members favorite mugs, TVs, or remotes were broken. If fans were already shaky due to the back-to-back corner picks and giving up a 3rd rounder, this one sent them hurling over the edge. Many thought the Falcons would take a developmental tight end, but surely not reach for one this early. The fact that Alabama NT Jesse Williams was sitting right there for the taking doesn't help.
Toilolo the player isn't necessarily a bad player or project to take on. His biggest defenders will immediately point out that he beat out 2nd round TE Zach Ertz before injury. However, it's where he was drafted that was bothersome. Predicting what would and would have not happened is impossible, but most scouting sites had him pegged around the 7th round territory and even others had him not being drafted at all. Toilolo's height (6'8) is very intriguing, especially in the redzone. He also enjoys blocking, but will have major work to do if he wants to be considered as a #1 tight end. He will need to work on his hands, route running, and overall play. Even though he may get to a point of being a feature TE, right now he seems nothing more than a #2 / complementary tight end.
Although it's irrelevant now, this seemed like a major, big-time reach by Dimitroff. Of course, projections were all over the place in general, but Toilolo was roundly considered a late round project. This pick will get the most scrutiny, and if he contributes and progresses, it could sway the overall draft, but right now, it doesn't look very good.
At this point, fans knew that the double-dip was Dimitroff's theme this year (even though they likely didn't think it would happen again in the 7th round). Of all the picks, this is the most interesting, and not necessarily in a bad way. Maponga is loaded with potential and had great production as a sophomore before an injury filled year that saw him double-teamed a ton. He ended up with 23 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks.
Beyond his production is his measurables. He's the opposite of Goodman in that he not your typical NFL defensive end. He's 6'2, 256, and did 30 reps on the bench at the combine. He didn't run the 40 due to injury. Some see Maponga as somewhat of a hybrid and Dimitroff described him as a pass-rushing specialist. He may be able to drop in space and is probably a good fit for Nolan's defense.
However, like Toilolo the player, Maponga seems to be a very good pick since he was slotted almost exactly where he was taken, but the selection creates more questions than answers. For instance, why would they take Maponga after already having Osi Umenyiora, drafting Malliciah Goodman, and even having Jonathan Massaquoi and Cliff Matthews on the roster? And then there's the case of Biermann. Most believe him to be the incumbent opposite Umenyiora. Does this mean that Biermann would be moving to linebacker more exclusively, or at least to some type of Nolan "joker / amoeba" role? Or is it just another young pass rusher for the competition?
This will sound like a major copout, and to a certain extent it is, but this depends on the future of Kroy Biermann. If the Falcons intend to keep Biermann at defensive end, this has to be a pick that makes no sense when you already have 4 players (Biermann, Matthews, Massaquoi, Goodman) competing for one spot. Don't forget that Biermann is making starter level money @ $3 mill per year. (D)
But, if the Falcons taking Maponga creates more opportunities for Biermann to have his own special role, much as he did last year, it would kill two birds with one stone: creating more competition and pass-rushing prowess to the DE competition, but also moving Biermann to more of an LB role would strengthen an apparent weakness as it stands now (B).
After seeing the Falcons give up their original 7th round pick and waiting from the beginning of the 5th round all the way to the end of the 7th, this pick was baffling. Ishmael was completely unknown or unheard of by most fans. He wasn't invited to the combine (which doesn't necessarily mean anything) and wasn't even ranked by most scouting sites. The player may be a diamond in the rough, but it's the next pick that makes this one more questionable. Safety actually was one of the Falcons strongest and deepest positions on the team with two returning Pro Bowlers (Moore, DeCoud) as the starters and promising Charles Mitchell in the 3rd spot.
Ishmael had 386 career tackles, which is nothing to sneeze at. He was also chosen as the 2012 Conference USA Player of the Year by conference coaches. He's got good size and speed and, like Maponga, could help transform the defense, but until the results are seen on the field, taking two safeties, one of them completely unknown, this has to be seen as a highly questionable pick at best.
If this pick is looked upon in a vacuum, it probably would be much higher, but the fact they took another safety with the next pick and took someone who was completely unheard of in an area that's one of the Falcons biggest strengths, this one will be guilty until proven innocent.
It may sound hypocritical to criticize the Ishmael pick, while turning around and lauding the Motta pick, but that's what will follow. Motta was extremely productive at Notre Dame is one of the surest tackling defensive backs in the draft. A slow forty time dropped him down pretty far. However, in his press conference, Dimitroff talked about how Motta isn't a straight line runner, but his quickness as evidenced in the 3 cone drill, has very good football speed. He's 6'2, 215 and actually improved his 40 time at his pro day to 4.71 from 4.83. Motta was one of Mayock's favorite players and expects him to not only make the team, but also to contribute.
At a minimum, Motta is a good backup depth to Thomas DeCoud at free safety, but Mike Nolan may have more in store for him. Some are speculating that Motta could possibly be the answer to the Falcons TE and 3rd down woes. Motta can cover tight ends, but isn't afraid to come up in the box and lay the wood on someone either.
Motta was slotted in this area and could hold some deep potential for Mike Nolan's defense both for his coverage skills and his ability to wrap up and tackle, a big problem area for the Falcons secondary in 2013.
Sure, the Falcons could have used this pick on an area of higher need, such as linebacker or defensive tackle, but at this point in the draft you looking for potential, and Renfree has a lot of it and compares to Peyton Manning's work ethic from coach David Cutcliffe, who coached both Manning brothers. At a minimum he's a solid #3 QB that could finally stop the rotating backup QB turnstile. If he develops, they could possibly do what the Eagles did with Kevin Kolb and the Packers did with Matt Flynn, where they turned a backup QB into draft picks in a trade.
Of course we as fans don't know what schemes or plans Mike Nolan has cooked up and it may make complete sense when the season starts, but right now the LB corps is criminally thin. Besides the starters of Weatherspoon, Dent, and Nicholas, there's Robert James and newly signed Brian Banks. Pat Schiller is still on the practice squad and make make a push, but overall a position that needed as much help as any other position got absolutely zero. This could change if Biermann moves to a more permanent LB role.
Like linebacker, defensive tackle was completely overlooked in the entire draft, and one that seemed to hold a lot of talent. As it stands currently, the Falcons lost one of their best rotation guys in Vance Walker and did not fill the void at all. As it stands, the Falcons only have 4 DT's on the roster (Babineaux, Peters, Jerry, Robertson), and two of them have major injury troubles. They have Micanor Regis hanging around on the practice squad, but it's hard to understand what's going on here.
It was tough trying to decide between a B- or a C+ and if there was anything in between that would be the grade. If you break down each pick and look at the entire draft as a whole, it looks to be more strong than questionable overall. The picks of Trufant, Alford, Goodman, Motta, and Renfree are hard to argue with. Truant and Alford will immediately help. Goodman has immense upside, especially for where he was picked. Motta will definitely contribute on special teams and likely lock down the back up free safety spot, and even could move into some type of safety / linebacker hybrid role. The Renfree pick is extremely low risk with a potenial high reward. Also, it will likely stop the revolving door at 3rd string QB.
The questionable and / or suspect picks include Levine Toilolo, Stansly Maponga, and Kemal Ishmael. Toilolo will be one that could either swing this draft much higher, or keep it around middle to average. If comes in and contributes and finds some production as the #2 TE, than it was a good pick, but if Coffman or Palmer take most of the snaps, than it likely was a major reach. Maponga was a good pick and if it helps change the direction of the defense, it was even better, but if it's just another body in the competition at DE with Biermann still there, it doesn't make any sense. The same goes for Ishmael. Right now, you have to think he's somewhat of a long shot to even make the team, but if he does and the direction of the defense as a whole improves, it makes sense.
The most difficult for fans to swallow, at least currently and on the surface, is the decision not to pick up any help at either linebacker or defensive tackle, two of the most dangerously thin spots on the entire roster. And to be honest, two positions that could have used an injection of talent. Of course the true assessment won't come until the final roster cutdown and the final return won't be until the season gets underway, but for now it looks like a slightly above average haul.
April 29th, 2013
9:12 pm
April 29th, 2013
9:31 pm
solid B
April 29th, 2013
9:32 pm
What are we basing these grades on? Draft pundits projections? Scouts? I find giving grades to drafted players before they even step on the field to be an exercise in futility. But if I had to give a grade based on the players we selected in general I'd say overall it was a B.
April 29th, 2013
9:34 pm
We covered our "must have" positions with up & coming guys, who are less expensive, allowing us to make a new deal with Ryan and still have $$ left over to add a few vets after camp cuts. Our division-mates also improved themselves and we now have to prepare to counter those moves with a couple of additions after June 1st cuts come down….
Great job juggling everything this draft season and providing a real service to your fellow Cagers. It's truly appreciated, along with the personal passion you display for our team and for the regulars on the board. Thanks, man!
April 29th, 2013
9:48 pm
All things considered, I feel a B+ is deserved. It ain't like we were 4-12 last year.
April 29th, 2013
9:57 pm
Great job juggling everything this draft season and providing a real service to your fellow Cagers. It's truly appreciated, along with the personal passion you display for our team and for the regulars on the board. Thanks, man!
April 29th, 2013
9:59 pm
I would say B…getting Jesse Williams instead of Toilolo in the 4th and Chase Thomas or John Lotulelei would have made it an A. That being said there are a few of the UDFA's that seem rather intriguing. LBs Paul Worrilow and Nick Clancy…Darius Johnson WR (unbelievable hands and catching radius for a small guy, athletic ability rivals Brent Grimes, just wonder about his ability to run after catch). Also DTs and o-linemen. Also hoping Banks makes the squad. Apparently was impressive in tryouts last year, but being close to start of the season set him back a year. I believe this draft was about getting Nolan his players.
April 29th, 2013
10:05 pm
[...] News here – Atlanta Falcons: The Cage ← Police: Possible explosive device found in [...]
April 29th, 2013
10:10 pm
Kemal Ishmael better safety. Do your research before criticizing.
April 29th, 2013
10:26 pm
Andre — He is not the better safety, says every single scout, analyst, and draft website. Obviously, we're not scouts ourselves, so all we can do is trust the professionals. Not saying he won't be good, just that right now he's not the better safety. RE: doing research, that's one of the funnier things I've heard in awhile. I'll be happy to send you thd draft excel spreadsheet I worked on for 2 months.
April 29th, 2013
10:54 pm
To add to JB's comments above, you did a bang up job on that player stats spreadsheet. It was a herculean effort and I appreciated the data as well. Everything was laid out perfectly to get whatever info you wanted on a particular player.
April 29th, 2013
10:54 pm
D3 I second JB's post. Going off of the spreadsheet you put together and looking at scouting reports along with whatever video I could find on different players I felt like j knew what this draft I had to offer. I am generally locked in on the first two rounds, but after that outside the SEC and ACC to a degree I do not have a lot of exposure to different players. I was familiar with all the names selected by our Falcons, their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their overall grade. All except Ishmael. That is better than most years, usually round 3 or 4 a name pops up…and I am like "who" from Middle What State? Anyway appreciate your time and effort.
April 29th, 2013
11:42 pm
Many CAGERS seem to think each draft & each draft pick is solely TDs decision, and his alone. How can anyone think he makes all of the Falcons draft decisions in a vacuum without the input or approval of anyone else at Flowery Branch?
If anyone is to be blamed or praised for this yrs draft, especially defensively, it's MNolan, because this was HIS DRAFT. Apparently there were things Nolan wanted to do defensively that he couldn't do as effectively as he wanted with DEs Abraham & Sidbury, CB DRobinson, & maybe even DT VWalker.
While we fans maybe up in arms over us not drafting a LB with cover skills, maybe Nolan intends to utilize the safeties he drafted to provide that function.
April 29th, 2013
11:43 pm
How can you grade them before they set foot on the field……. still I will try.
#1 Trufant (CB) = A- (passed up the #5 rated player in the draft and in my opinion a position of need – (Shariff Floyd DT) & at the same time gaining a starting CB which was priority #1 in this draft. A #3 & #4 was a lot to give to move up 8 spots.
#2 Alford (CB) = B. Is a CB here more important than getting a pass rushing DE or a starter at OLB? Passed over several highly ranked players at a position of need to get another CB that probably won't start this year. This was the last real chance to upgrade the DL or OLB.
#3 TRADED = F Could have potentially gotten a starter with this pick due to the deep draft.
#4 Goodman (DE) = B – Couldn't expect much more at DE in the 4th….. passed over a possible upgrade at WR (Swope, Quniton Patton, Tavarres King)
#4 Toilolo (TE) = C Not a position of grade need in this draft. Again – passed up upgrades at WR & OL for a PROJECT.
#5 Maponga (DE/LB) = C A 3rd down pass rusher at best. Another role player. Passed over Jesse Williams (DT) in an area where depth and quality is questionable.
#6 TRADED = B No big loss here.
#7 TRADED = A Used for trading up in 5th round…. acceptable.
#7 Kenal Ishmael (S) = F – WHO? Passed over a potential starter in Quenterus Smith (DE)
#7 Zeke Motta (S) = B A Worth a shot. Still why did he get passed over 243 times ?
#7 Sean Renfree (QB) = B Rated the 9th best QB by scout.com – Falcons could use a 3rd QB.
Falcons started with 11 picks and I don't see more than 5 of these guys making the team and only ONE starter.
April 29th, 2013
11:47 pm
D3, bang up job as always sir. You really should be getting paid for this. You did a great job recapping a lot of the bits and pieces I read in the last thread too. And to that end, Cagers you did a great job providing links and also personal analysis on possible uses of each player selected. It went a long way to making me feel more hopeful about this upcoming season, so thanks for the positivity and generally well thought out comments.
I may not love this draft, I may not feel we got the best value with our choices, and I may be able to provide 100 ways I woulda done it differently if I was the boss, but there are valid points to be made for the 'it's not so bad' argument.
April 29th, 2013
11:59 pm
One notion I particularly like is the 'new safeties contributing as hybrid s/olb' deal. I don't know who thought of that first, but it made me feel a lot better about taking those 2 safeties at the end. I'm still not GLAD we did that, but it's nice to have a hope to cling to, even if it doesn't turn into anything in the end. Maybe you folks are onto something there. The other acceptable (to me) prospect would be that one of these dudes is gonna replace Decoud and that will save us some $. Idk how true that is, and there are games where I like Decoud….but there are games where I wish we could find somebody, anybody, else too. The fact that our coaches focused on players who were strong tacklers makes me feel a bit better as well; glad it's not just the fans seeing a major problem there. Anytime I see a need or weakness being addressed, I'm happy.
April 30th, 2013
12:09 am
I am very, very curious to see what happens with this tight end. That move made me feel more than a little sick, and the bits and pieces I've read about the dude have only made me feel worse. Still don't see how the h*ll that was a bigger need than any other at the time, and if we are so into Chase Coffman why are we picking up another TE this year? It could have waited til next year's draft, or later in this draft, or if there were no suitable draft prospects, go FA to fill the need. FA next year, even. We haven't seen much of anything from the TEs we already have, so what makes us think we can develop this kid? Idk, that pick really bothered me, even in a draft filled with moves I'm still questioning. If he pans out, well, marvelous. But somehow I don't see a ton of reason to feel hopeful of that, besides blind optimism. We aren't exactly known for our player development….
April 30th, 2013
2:26 am
Here's how I grade it:
Getting precisely the guys you targeted: A
Drafting "Best Player Available": D
Addressing the Front 7 of the defense: D + (Goodman and Maponga will be the difference in scheme/position versatility…or they won't. Meanwhile LB wasn't addressed at all.)
Addressing the OL: F (it didn't happen. At all.)
Upgrading the defense: B+
Upgrading the offense: D
These are "on paper" grades. Clearly the true grades come when these guys take the field and make their presence known…or don't.
No real way to grade this draft with consistency, that was the best I could do….
April 30th, 2013
2:38 am
Might seem harsh, but I have to see a difference in how these draft picks are coached up and used before grading the draft higher. I'm grading this draft based on past experiences. Past experiences tell me that first and second rounders get meaningful playing time if not injured. Third rounders might, depending on what position they play and how thin it is or how effective/ineffective the current starters are in said position.
Anybody drafted past the third round (again, in the previous 5 years) generally sits the bench unless – again – injury or serious ineffectiveness on the part of the incumbent starter dictate otherwise.
Thus, Goodman and Maponga could be counted on to maybe get meaningful snaps a couple years from now. Maybe. Same with Toilolo. Only Trufant and Alford would have a legit shot at meaningful contribution in their rookie years. Even then, Alford wouldn't be a guarantee because he was the 2nd corner taken and we have McClain already proven as a meaningful contributor, making him all but a guaranteed incumbent starters.
Basically, with past experiences we would be looking at two guys out of the plethora of picks as guys we can expect to see on the field.
Now if TD means what he says and Smitty adheres to it ("It's time. Guys come off the bench and play"), then this draft gets a different and higher grade because TD and the CS got who they wanted and have the opportunity to make use of them, even the mid-rounders.
But until I actually SEE that difference on the field , it's hard to be as confident and satisfied as I'd like to be in regard to this draft.
I feel that potentially , it was a better draft than it looks like on paper, in a vaccum, even with positions I felt needed to be addressed not being addressed in the draft.
April 30th, 2013
2:47 am
I am very, very curious to see what happens with this tight end. That move made me feel more than a little sick, and the bits and pieces I've read about the dude have only made me feel worse. Still don't see how the h*ll that was a bigger need than any other at the time, and if we are so into Chase Coffman why are we picking up another TE this year?
I get your drift. My one theory is that it's a combination of hedging one's bets and falling in love. Having TG88 around has shown the advantages of having a big TE in the offense, as big guys who can move become matchup nightmares for defenses. That alone is the "fall in love" aspect.
Hedging bets? Well, I'll put it like this. Coffman has the talent. I'd say he has talent between Jason Whitten and Jimmy Graham (minus the drops). Maybe better than both. But he just cannot stay healthy…been that way his entire young NFL career. It's why he's bounced around. If he can stay healthy, and that is a BIG "if", he's deadly. Watch some of his highlights from college. Dude can ball.
On the other side, you have Michael Palmer. He's solid. Can block, can catch. But he's not a matchup nightmare for anybody by any means, and I think that has become apparent to the CS or they would not have brought in so many TEs as UDFAs last year, let alone Coffman after that.
So Toilolo is another "somewhat raw" prospect with size and athletic ability of a kind, who can create a matchup issue for defenses, even if in a limited capacity (that may change later…or it may not). He has more upside than Palmer, and is healthier than Coffman has proven to be so far.
As you say, it could be interesting. If Coffman stays healthy, I say Toilolo struggles to get onto the field. If not, look for Toilolo to be used a few times here and there, maybe on the end of the line, opposite TG88 in a nasty 2-TE set. Of course, that all depends on how well his reported intelligence helps him pick up the offense and blocking schemes.
We all know how it works around these parts – if the TE can't block, he'll have an uphill battle making the team, let alone getting on the field in real time.
April 30th, 2013
2:47 am
Damn that blog monster.
I had a reply to Sinsin's TE concerns….
April 30th, 2013
2:51 am
Darn BLOG MONSTER!
Zeke Motta's 40 yard dash time was very well explained in TD's Draft Day 3 press conference.
Much like Jarvis Jones, he doesn't run the official 40 yard dash well due to mechanics, but he plays at a much higher speed. TD says his play speed projects to a 4.6 forty…and you can bet that the Steelers saw the same in Jones.
Motta is roughly 215 lbs. At 225, I'm betting he retains his speed (that 3 cone drill was as good as many good CBs turn in) and adds to the wallop he brings. At that point, or maybe at 5 more lbs than that, you're talking about replacing a LB in the lineup…
April 30th, 2013
6:08 am
Pat Kirwan's worried about our right tackle situation. He suggest that the Falcons resign Clabo as we're forced to start untested Lamar Holmes at right tackle. Pre-draft, Dimitroff was specifically asked about the void at right tackle. He mentioned Holmes, but the first name he suggested was Mike Johnson.
Johnson came to us as Bama's all-time leader in starts, Holmes was a Ju-co transfer with limited college experience, and due to the fact that we missed the part about him being injured, virtually no pre-season experience in the NFL. We've all read the reports stating that Johnson was beaten out by Reynolds for the right guard position. Actually it was a close competition that Garret won by default when Mike was injured in the pre-season.
Nick Saban was very high on Mike Johnson, Paul Boudreau didn't seem to think much of him. Boudreau doesn't work here anymore. Pat Hill has a years experience working with these guys and shortly we'll get to see what he thinks. Don't be surprised if he thinks more highly of Mike Johnson than his predecessor did.
I'm less disappointed in our undrafted free agent approach than D3 is. I like the small school hero approach. Most these guys produced great stats against lessor level talents. When lined up against NFL talent, most will be exposed, but sometimes you'll find a Jessie Tuggle hiding in there.
April 30th, 2013
6:28 am
Morning Cage
I think the first and second picks got an A
Goodman gets an A .Nolan will use this Guy to his ability
And the TE pick Toilolo . If he can be developed and I think he will be. Starter in 2014 . I think he is going to be Special in years to come 6′ 8 he will be a monster target for MR not to mention his blocking ability
I give the Draft a healthy B +
April 30th, 2013
7:26 am
I would give an overall grade of B for what I don't know.
I like the potential of some of the chosen players very much. Potential doesn't win games nor puts a great player on the field. And, that is the big issue. Aside from the first two picks, will any of these other players gain any experience by actually playing. At quarterback we have Matt Ryan and two young players. It has been the tendency of the coaching staff not to keep the offensive foot on the gas so none of the backup quarterbacks gain any game time experience. Will this situation continue?
It's back to Big Ray's statement that a grade is hard to give until they play.
From the most important perspective, I don't believe the Falcon's draft keeps us even with the San Francisco 49's whose draft was probably one of the bests in the NFC. So maybe the success of the draft will be determined on Ground Hog Day in 2014.
April 30th, 2013
7:32 am
It has been the tendency of the coaching staff not to keep the offensive foot on the gas so none of the backup quarterbacks gain any game time experience. Will this situation continue?
Legit concern right there. You can practice until you're blue in the face. You can be the world's best clipboard holder. But until you face another team that has bad intentions for your arse, then it's mostly fool's gold.
Get ahead, stay ahead, and your backup QBs get some burn + we get to take Ice out early or midway through the 4th quarter.
Besides, how else can you showcase potential trade bait for 3rd-6th round picks? The only other way is a way you don't want to have to go – injury to your starter.
April 30th, 2013
7:39 am
Sinsin- contrary to what many experts say, Toilolo was not brought in to replace TG. I had him in one of my earlier mocks. He is a compliment to TG in the red zone. If teams are going to use a LB and safety to double TG in the red zone, then you will have someone have to man up on a 6-8 TE. He along with Jax FA signing was nothing more to improve their short yardage and red zone efficiency.
April 30th, 2013
7:51 am
Falcons draft for me gets a B. There really isn't a player/project I don't like, except Ishmael, but that's solely because I don't know much about him. His limited tape tells me nothing to suggest he didn't deserve a late 7th round pick.
I love the CB double down. Losing the third rounder hurts, but honestly, if it's a fourth round pick, people aren't as focused on the trade up. And we got Goodman – a third round talent – in the fourth.
Goodman and Moponga are high floor/higher ceiling guys. I see them as at least contributors in the future. Toilolo is a situational guy for now and if he catches two touchdown passes this season, which is a possibility, he'll be worth it. If Mike Johnson/Joe Hawley can be redzone targets, you will never convince me that a 6′8" TD specialist won't be. Motta and Renfree are about as good as 7th round picks can get.
I would've given this draft an A if it went like this:
1st Rd: Trufant
2nd: Alford
3rd: traded
4th: Jesse Williams
4th: Goodman
5th: Toponga (without the trade-up)
6th: traded
7th: Motta
7th: Renfree
7th: Chase Thomas
Then get Ishmael as an UDFA if you want him.
Yeah, there's some wishful thinking in there, but none of that is a stretch…. Still, there isn't a draftee in the bunch I think couldn't make an impact.
As far as our lines, the FO/CS thinks a lot more of Mike Johnson than the fans do, which at least tells us something. The beginning of this year could come along a little slow on the O-line, but one of the time-tested NFL rules is continuity and time spent playing together can make a good O-line elite if the coaching is there (which I believe it is). I'm glad to see a lot of young guys with upside that can play now. And they've got weapons around them to help hide any of their mistakes.
If Biermann moves to LB, our DE depth is still better than last year and our LB corps is better than last year.
Despite the opportunity costs of drafting like we did instead of going LB/DT/OL, there is a lot to like about this draft.
April 30th, 2013
8:11 am
good link….
7 of the 9 teams on Kirwans's list need O & D Linemen, 5 needing O-Line help. That means the price for a FA OT just went up if we have to grab one. If Clabo were brought back it wouldn't lead to an improvement… Only if one of our young guys step up. I'd LOVE it if Mike Johnson won the job. It would justify our faith in him after staying with him through injury and still have Holmes to back up both Tackle spots. If Holmes wins the job, we still need someone to back up Baker and I don't think Johnson can cover OLT. This season, we really NEED one or two late round guys to become contributors–whether on STs or as back-ups. Nothing would thrill me more than seeing TD hit a couple of home runs on UDFAs, enabling us to operate more economically, yet maintain a high level of play. If There's a Brady or a Grimes or a Cruz in this class, it would help this franchise bigtime, given our cap situation…..
April 30th, 2013
9:02 am
He may not pan out to be a J Tuggle, but I do like his upside.
Ronnie Mingo Jr.
FB/RB – Ark
6-1- 231
4.47 40
He seemed to have been underutilized at Ark. But good production regardless. He has good hands out of the backfield as well. He reminds me of William Andrews, only faster.
April 30th, 2013
9:12 am
We added several guys at FB–maybe we'll pick up Tebow and give him a try….
April 30th, 2013
9:28 am
After the NFC Champ. Game, Nolan blamed the defensive failures on "scheme". In hindsight, what he obviously meant was–having the players to FIT his scheme. Nolan/TD/MS cut/allowed to walk expensive guys who didn't fit with young, cheaper guys who DO fit. As for the late rounders–most of them won't make the team. If we can find a couple of surprises among them it'd be icing on the already tasty cake. It would be a dream come true if some late picks could supplant MORE expensive starters, enabling us to operate more efficiently and freely in Free Agency. I'm expecting us to make great strides defensively and on STs. On Offense, there are a couple of big unanswered questions but however it settles out, I think we have better players in the specific positions–we've just got to get them working in concert as an entire Unit. Reworking Ryan's contract before the start of the season would facilitate making a couple of FA moves to "band-aid" any shortcomings we see pop up during Camp. I'm really optimistic that this team will gel into a better squad than any we've fielded so far, especially on Defense…..
April 30th, 2013
9:40 am
D3, I join the others in trumpeting much appreciation for your hard work. I always enjoy doing the draft with the Cagers and your input makes it all flow properly throughout the weekend. Much fun, thanks.
#1……….Enough of the Jesse Williams whack-a-backwards talk. We weren't the only ones passing on this one-trick brahma bull for 4 FULL rounds. Jacksonville picked Denard Robinson in the 5th round, as a Runninng Back, before this guy. At the bottom of the 4th the Ravens picked a Full Back from HARVARD over this guy. The list goes on and on, so enough already.
#2…The way TD talked prior to the draft about the compensatory picks. He discussed them like they were surprise presents at Christmas, and he seemed to infer that that late comp 4th pick was like a wildcard General Manager pick and could be used for anything position, as long as he stayed with the defensive theme in the rest of the draft. That's why I expected a RB (bigger than Quizz) to be taken with that comp pick as insurance in case SJ gets dinged. So instead TD pulls the trigger on a Tight End with a "high floor", as right now he is a jump ball in the end zone waiting to happen. In an interview TD did say that their draft plan has not changed even with the re-acquisition of Tony Gonzales. That means they planned on drafting a TE, so they did.
#3…Although Motta is a good player from a high profile school, there are reasons he was passed up by the league for 6 rounds. I agree the 40 time helped his stock fall but there must have been other clues in the game tapes. On the other hand, Ishmael had absolutely ZERO publicity coming out of UCF and was unfairly shunned by the Combine. I believe we will all see in the coming months that Ishmael is a special athlete and I predict Kemal will immediately secure a ST role if not more in Nolan's scheme. Kemal is my DITR #1 in this year's draft.
#4…My DITR #2 is Mr. Maponga. Here are his words in a recent article:
(Maponga had a good feeling when he visited Atlanta last month.)
"I felt like I was at home, like this is where I was going to be for my career," he said. "It just felt right. In the back of my head I knew I was probably going to end up being with the Falcons."
At 6-foot-2, 256 pounds, Maponga says NFL scouts have undervalued his abilities. His injury is healing fast. He has another checkup Monday to see how far it has progressed.
"People think just because I'm undersized I can't do most of the stuff the 6-4, 6-5 athletes do," said Maponga, whose draft grade according to NFL.com was a 68, 30th among defensive linemen. "They've got their scores wrong. I'm ready to bring strength, power, speed and everything. I believe. I know that I'm the best defensive end in this draft. But for me to prove that, I'm just going to let my game speak for itself. I'll be doing treatment and do what I need to do to come back 10 times better. I believe I will come back stronger than ever and ready."
Overall Draft Grade – B+
April 30th, 2013
9:57 am
Well, I agree with Big Ray on this point… "Getting precisely the guys you targeted: A"
Isn't that what the draft is all about? We can't judge based on best player available because… well, simply put, what if the best players available were quarterbacks… we don't need one, hence, the best player available has no impact on our draft needs and our draft grade. Seems like many on here wanted Jesse Willliams for the defensive line. He was there, several times, and we passed on each opportunity to grab him. Is that a failure of our draft, or a clear statement that we didn't need him as badly as we fans thought we needed him?
I'll give TD an A+ for getting the players Nolan wanted/needed to build an aggressive, cover-the-back-half-with-the-best-DB's-available, and get-after-the-QB-with-the-nastiest-DE's-available defense.
By the way… I'm a guy that wanted to trade back, in the Patriot method I've witnessed for so long on draft day, and grab Warford with an early second round pick, then begin grabbing the best outside linebackers available, then defensive tackles, and hopefully grab a Ryan Swope and a Zac Stacy or Rex Burkhead in the later rounds…
April 30th, 2013
10:04 am
CAGERS-Here's a very interesting link. Enjoy.
April 30th, 2013
10:11 am
Also to add onto Mike's point about the accuracy of D3's spreadsheet….
Prospect – Drafted – D3's Projection
Trufant – Bottom 1st – Bottom 1st
Alford – Bottom 2nd – Bottom 2nd
Goodman – Bottom 4th – Middle 4th
Toilolo – Bottom 4th – Middle 6th
Maponga – Middle 5th – Bottom 5th
Ishmael – Bottom 7th – Unknown
Motta – Bottom 7th – Middle 7th
Renfree – Bottom 7th – #11 on QB list
That is incredible, D3! Awesome work.
April 30th, 2013
10:20 am
Alford pick gets an A from me. It will be REALLY nice to grab some yards on punt returns.
Toilolo pick gets my F for flummoxed. More interesting match-ups in the red zone is to me a luxurious detail. If we are looking for some O spark, we could use it up and down the field– one extra 3rd down conversion here and there. I want to see Matt getting an extra tenth of a second, our RB getting a better lead block, a slot receiver who gets one more yard after catch.
The Ishmael pick has the feel of somebody in the scouting department getting tossed a cracker. Hope it's whole wheat.
LB sets the tone for the D. Why are we standing pat here? Anticipated synergy between Spoon and Biermann?
I'm spoiled. That spreadsheet from D3!!!
April 30th, 2013
10:21 am
That list shows no extreme "reaches" by TD. The biggest is Toilolo, but I expect he'll have an impact on O and STs. I bet we'll try him in a "Margus Hunt" kick blocker role on STs (with that height and leaping ability) plus the obvious red-zone threat which lessens the 'reach' in my view…..
April 30th, 2013
10:24 am
at that point in the draft, you're looking for role-players and developmental guys anyway, so, to me, the TE pick seems perfectly within those parameters. If reinforcements are needed on "D" there's plenty of time to add a FA and get them acquainted with the playbook before the action begins…..
April 30th, 2013
10:38 am
I agree with Pooler on the BPA vs Target. Only a team with no particular needs would consider going BPA on every round but I've never seen a team with no needs.
April 30th, 2013
10:42 am
"While we fans maybe up in arms over us not drafting a LB with cover skills, maybe Nolan intends to utilize the safeties he drafted to provide that function" (KS).
April 30th, 2013
10:49 am
CAGERS-Here's another gem.
April 30th, 2013
11:23 am
Not being as cognizant of all the available talent throughout the draft and not sitting in the pre draft meetings at Flowery Branch, I was somewhat disappointed – CB is NOT what was causing our TE free for all during the playoffs last year – and honestly, those are the only games that count (you should whoop the bad/mediocre NFL teams). We have a quality AND depth problem at LB. But, if the safeties were drafted as hybrid guys that takes some of the the failure to address off – but, those were 7th round guys however you dice it. I rank this draft a C-; and only because D3 likes Alford and Goodman. The QB selection was idiotic; Maponga? really? We shall see. If the D finishes 2013 ranked in the bottom half of the NFL AGAIN, then either TD or Nolan/Smitty have a defensive development problem.
April 30th, 2013
11:28 am
You seem to understand so much about this,
April 30th, 2013
11:32 am
Mike – essentially, we drafted Toilolo so we don't have to use Hawley and Mike Johnson as TE's anymore. that was where Welcome Back earned his stupid cute rep last year.
April 30th, 2013
11:34 am
sin – i was advocating the S/LB hybrid – hopefully a guy who can hit, is a little lighter, but FASTER than your typical LB – thus a little better in coverage. However, 2 guys drafted in the 7th Rd don't really give me much hope – but, Motta appears to be a good value pick.
April 30th, 2013
11:58 am
The draft did not go the way I expected it to, in terms of my perceived needs for our team. Nonetheless, we did pick up some solid talent, so it wasn't a bust. That said, I don't think you can really give an accurate grade for a draft until 3 to 5 years out…
April 30th, 2013
12:12 pm
Time, grading the draft now is the same as predicting the players to draft. It's based on perceived potential. I gave the draft an overall B+ even though we did not draft many players we were hoping for. There are only so many options at any given time during the draft to get the players you want. There's 31 other teams that could be wanting the same guy. The NFL has this stupid "wait your turn" thingy going on.
April 30th, 2013
1:07 pm
Tuesday Greetings Cage! — Rolling through another week and I think once some of the "draft shock" settles in, we start to get a better perspective. There is simply so much that we don't know right now and it's a marathon, not a sprint. There's mini-camp, OTA's, potential FA signings, camp, roster cut downs, cap casualty players available, and training camp before the final 53 comes into focus.
Chop — RE: Grades, you're right. It's really impossible to grade any kind of player or draft as a whole until at least 2-3 years. I have a feeling that Trufant, Alford, Goodman, and Motta will make the team and likely be contributors. The others are very interesting picks.
waynester — Thanks for kudos. It was a fun hobby during that Feb/March dead zone. It will also be nice to be able and go back to see how these guys turn out on other teams. The heavy lifting is done, so from now on, I can just go and plug in the stats next year. I have no idea, but I don't really see any major additions.
RE: Pat Kirwan — I may be in the minority, but I'm just not as worried about the Clabo release and many are. I could be dead wrong, but overall I think that Holmes surely has more upside than Clabo and definitely more athleticism. We can't have it both ways on the RT situation. Either Clabo was overrated and overpaid and needed replacing or he's good enough and should have kept his job. We can't say he's not worth his contract and a major weakness on the line and be upset when they make a move.
Hawley vs. Reynolds @ RG? — Speaking of TD's presser, when I think Schultz mentioned the offensive line and he was talking about the RG position, the two names he mentioned were Reynolds and Hawley. He went on to talk a good bit about Hawley and how he's gotten much bigger and stronger over the past year. We may struggle @ RG, but I think it's worth it long-term to go ahead and move Konz to OC and Holmes to RT. I have a hard time seeing Johnson as the guy at RT, but what do I know.
April 30th, 2013
1:08 pm
"The NFL has this stupid "wait your turn" thingy going on." – JB
What's up with that? lol.


text:
Credits & Info
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- Jul 20, 2006 | 11:02 AM EDT
- Daily 4th Place July 21, 2006
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Wow! Daily 4th! Thanks guys!
After thinking a lot and a little discussion, the Just Another Weekend Crew decided to go to a bar in Downtown Mexico City... Just to realize that the most "fashion" place ended up being a gay bar. After some drinks and with a tight idea of returning home, these idiots found some troubles with the police. Entirely based on a true story.
Well, this is the second episode of Just Another Weekend. Because of the first one reviews, I improved a lot of aspects that you suggested guys. It is a lot faster, better animated and a lot funnier! As the first one, this is in spanish but it has subtitles so I hope you aren't lazy enough to read a while. Subtitles are a little fast but that's the main escence of the movie. Maybe you would like to see the first one to understand a little the "Darkar's Head" concept. Whatever, it took me about 25 days to make it so I hope you can enjoy it. I would like a lot, helpful reviews so I could make a better movie next time. So... enjoy!
Rated 5 / 5 stars July 18, 2011
3 partes que me gustarón.
Chica: Jack, besame.
Jack: Soy el rey del... *botando a la chica*, *silbando*.
Ubaldo: *Everybody dance now, tun tun tun*
Grabadora: Me gusta el chocolate, repita.
COMENTARIO ALTERNATIVO: Oye, Darkar ¿Por que Jack en lugar de Darkar?
Rated 5 / 5 stars January 4, 2011
Me gusta el chocolate...repita
Me gusta el chocolate!!! me encanta el hershey blanco...
I love chocolate!!!I love white hershey...
Rated 5 / 5 stars September 15, 2010
de verdad muy bueno
lo ke fue en su tiempo si valio la pena de verdad desde aqui empezo lo que ahora es darkar lo mejor esta muy bueno
Rated 4.5 / 5 stars May 12, 2010
Muy Loko!
Rated 5 / 5 stars March 26, 2010
lo mismo de arriba

subset: commoncrawl


text:
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) -- The Indiana Pacers were sure they could win at least one game in Atlanta.
So much for that plan.
This playoff series is all tied heading back to the heartland.
Josh Smith scored a career playoff-best 29 points as the Hawks built a 17-point lead at halftime, then withstood an Indiana comeback to even the series with a 102-91 victory over the Pacers in Game 4 Monday night.
"This is going to be one heck of a series right now," Indiana center Roy Hibbert said. "I thought we'd be able to at least split down here."
The Hawks beat Indiana for the 13th straight time at Philips Arena, a streak that dates to 2006. But the Pacers can take solace with not having to win in Atlanta, as long as they take care of business on their home court.
Tied at two wins apiece, the teams return to Indianapolis for Game 5 on Wednesday night.
"That's a great Atlanta team over there," George Hill said. "We knew it wasn't going to be an easy series. We knew they weren't going to lay down. It's always tough for us to play here. It's good we have two more games on our home court if necessary."
Then again, Indiana must be wondering how the series got to this point after the Pacers dominated the first two games in their building, averaging 110 points and a 16-point margin of victory.
After struggling much of the second half, the enigmatic Smith made every big play down the stretch. He swished a rare 3-pointer, came up with an offensive rebound to set up a 3 by Kyle Korver, and finished off a fast break with a right-handed dunk. Plus, he did another stout defensive job on Indiana star Paul George, who had to work for every one of his 21 points.
"When he plays like that," Hawks guard Devin Harris said of Smith, "we're a very good team."
With George scoring 18 in the second half, many on very difficult shots, the Pacers made a game of it. But they couldn't come all the way back from a 57-40 deficit at the break. Indiana got as close as four in the third quarter, and was within five numerous times in the final 10 minutes. But the Pacers expended so much energy getting back in the game they just didn't have enough to complete the comeback.
Korver added 19 points off the bench, most of them coming on his specialty: the 3-pointer. He knocked down five from outside the arc, including the biggest one with 2:33 remaining after Al Horford threw up a wild shot that missed. Smith snatched one of his 11 rebounds and spotted Korver lurking all alone on the outside.
"Energy and effort," Smith said. "If we play with those two words and play together -- I take that back, make it three words -- we're a pretty good basketball team."
Horford chipped in with 18 points, and Anthony Tolliver made all three of his shots from beyond the 3-point line, providing a big boost every time the Hawks needed one.
Indiana was better offensively but still struggled to make shots, finishing at 38 percent on a 32-of-84 performance. George came alive after halftime, connecting three times from beyond the stripe, while every other starter was in double figures.
It wasn't enough.
The Hawks turned the momentum in the series with a 90-69 blowout in Game 3. They did enough good things in the first half and the closing minutes Monday to get the series back where it started returning to Indy, where they must win at least one game to advance.
"We contested pretty much every shot they took," Smith said. "That's what it's going to take."
The Pacers played with much more effort than they did Saturday, but it didn't matter in the second quarter. Not with the Hawks gunning away from the outside -- they went 7 of 8 from 3-point range in the period -- and running the court with so much abandon that coach Larry Drew had to call a 20-second timeout late in the first half just to allow his players to catch their breath.
Atlanta appeared on the way to a second straight blowout. Not so fast.
Indiana turned up the defensive pressure, while the Hawks began walking the ball up and the court and getting sloppy. The Pacers ripped off a 15-1 spurt that nearly wiped out an 18-point deficit, holding Atlanta without a field goal for a good chunk of the third quarter. After Horford's dunk with 10:05 left in the period, the Hawks didn't make another basket until Devin Harris' nifty dash from one end of the court to the other for a layup with 1:34 remaining.


text:
A former founder and executive director of a St. Albans in-home health care business received a nearly four-year prison sentence relating to charges stemming from a health care fraud investigation.
A Feb. 29 indictment charged Shida Jamie with health care fraud, false statements relating to health care matters, conspiracy to alter and falsify records, falsification of records and engaging in illegal monetary transactions.
Jamie, 63, pleaded guilty in October 2012 to federal conspiracy.
"Jamie admitted that in or about August or early September 2009, she altered and falsified records and documents of Golden Heart," stated a news release from U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin's office.
According to the indictment, Golden Heart entered a provider agreement with the Bureau of Medical Services to provide aged and disabled waiver program services in order to receive Medicaid reimbursements.
In order to provide personal care services and receive reimbursements, a company must provide a minimum amount of training and conduct criminal background checks. Federal prosecutors claim Jamie did not provide minimum training and "knowingly hired" people with felony drug offenses.
The indictment alleged Jamie did not provide the initial eight hours of training to new caregivers or 32 hours of first-year training to employees and did not provide eight hours of annual in-service training.
"It was further part of the scheme that Shida Jamie directed Golden Heart's office staff to ignore the training requirements and send caregivers into homes to provide services to its clients without providing any training whatsoever," the indictment stated.
The indictment further stated personnel files were false because Golden Heart did not provide enough training to satisfy American Red Cross requirements. According to the indictment, cards were obtained for employees who received no training.
According to the indictment, Jamie also encouraged caregivers to submit reports for "excessive transportation mileage" and would bill Medicaid for the full amounts.
"Golden Heart and Shida Jamie hired caregivers who did not have a valid driver's license to provide in-home services to Golden Heart's (aged and disabled waiver) program clients and allowed those caregivers to submit reports for transportation mileage which she thereafter billed to Medicaid," the indictment stated.
According to the Feb. 21 news release, Jamie admitted to directing office staff to "review the personnel files of caregivers who provided personal care services and directed staff members to place newly created and altered documents into personnel files that contained the missing training documents."
"Jamie further admitted that she agreed with known Golden Heart employees to falsify signatures on training documents to make it appear as if caregivers had received training in compliance with personal care program guidelines," the news release further stated.
Golden Heart In-Home Health Care also was charged in nine counts of the 18-count indictment with health care fraud, false statements relating to health care matters, conspiracy and falsification of records.
The news release states that in October 2012, federal prosecutors settled three civil cases filed against Jamie and Golden Heart to recover losses associated with the Medicaid fraud, freeze assets to preserve them from restitution and to forfeit assets coming from the fraud.
"The civil settlement resolves all three civil actions by recovering all known assets of Jamie and Golden Heart which represent proceeds of the fraud," the news release states. "The money derived from the settlement will be used to make restitution to Medicaid for the losses it sustained from Jamie and Golden Heart's fraudulent conduct."


text:
Cheese, Bread & Honey
15–22 June 2014 (4 places left)
Optional pre-tour extension: 13–15 June 2014
While staying in the beauty and silence of the mountains of the Garfagnana, you have the rare opportunity to work alongside food artisans and mix with the locals at their homes, eating their traditional dishes and learning to cook them yourself. You walk along historic trails where pilgrims, merchants and bandits have gone before — though none have been seen recently! An ideal tour for nature lovers and hikers with an appreciation of food and wine. Very small group (only 8–10 guests).
Itinerary at a glance
Day 1 — Arrival and summer solstice festival
Day 2 — Make bread with village baker
Day 3 — Visit beekeeper and confront the crisis threatening bees, sightseeing at Barga
Day 4 — Visit family dairy, cooking lesson
Day 5 — Cooking lesson and pizza party at Italian home
Day 6 — Visit pecorino cheesemaker and cooking lesson
Day 7 — Walk the bandits' trail, farewell dinner
Day 8 — Departure
Highlights of tour
3 cheese experiences
- Visit family dairy that makes cheese from milk they buy from shepherds
- Visit shepherd who makes cheese from milk of her own flock
- England vs Italy sheep's milk cheese tasting
3 bread experiences
- Bake Garfagnana potato bread with village baker
- Visit 18th-century water mill and meet the miller
- Learn to make pizza dough and cook it in a wood-fired oven
1 honey experience
- Lunch with a beekeeper, help remove honey from the combs, discuss the current threat to bees, taste single varietal honey
3 cooking lessons
- Learn the many ingenious ways Tuscan farmers use stale bread
- Cook lunch based on summer vegetables and local trout
- Learn to make ravioli filled with ricotta and nettles
City sightseeing
- Barga, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Lucca (optional pre-tour extension)
Other activities
- Summer solstice village festival
- Visit Orecchiella Nature Reserve
- Pizza party with Italian family and friends
- Walks to Barga and along mediaeval bandits' trail
- Optional pre-tour extension: weekend in Lucca during monthly antique fair
Optional pre-tour extension
Since this tour doesn't include time in Lucca, this is your chance to get to know this gem of a city on your own. We make it easy for you by arranging transport from Pisa airport or Pisa or Lucca train station, booking your hotel and dinner at a restaurant on your first night. All you have to do is relax and enjoy your stay.
Friday 13 June
Transfer from Pisa airport, Pisa Centrale or Lucca train station to your hotel in the historic centre of Lucca. Dinner in the wine cellars of a 16th-century palazzo.
Saturday 14 June
Free day in Lucca. This is the weekend of the monthly antique fair when the streets of the city are filled with antique dealers from all over Italy.
Sunday 15 June
Free morning in Lucca. Afternoon transfer to Ai Frati with rest of group.
Day 1
Transfer from Pisa airport, Pisa Centrale or Lucca train station to Agriturismo 'Ai Frati', our secluded, peaceful home for the coming week. Tonight we celebrate the summer solstice at a village festival with a panorarmic view of the Alpi Apuane silhouetted against the sunset.
Day 2
This morning we join Paolo Magazzini, the village baker, who teaches us to make Garfagnana potato bread, a Slow Food presidium, in his wood-fired oven. While the bread ferments and rises we find out all about farro of the Garfagnana (an even more primitive wheat than spelt). Paolo's wife cooks our lunch which we wash down with farro beer made next door. In the afternoon we visit the Orecchiella Nature Reserve where we can see mouflon, the local wild sheep.
Day 3
A free morning to explore the territory, swim in the pool, read in the cloisters or breathe deeply in the clean mountain air. Revived, we visit the beekeeper Francesca Buonagurelli for lunch, including her incomparable salsa rossa and, of course, her single varietal honey. As we help her extract honey from the combs, we discuss the recent disappearance of bee colonies, the catastrophic effects on agriculture and vegetation and what we can do about it. Then to the lively mediaeval town of Barga (optional walk) for sightseeing and dinner.
Day 4
There are ways to modernise without adding chemicals or losing the essential flavour of artisan food. Verano Bertagni shows us how he accomplished it with his cheese and saved the shepherds whose milk he buys. We learn why ricotta isn't cheese and taste his award-winning pecorino. We lunch in Andrea Bertucci's parallel gastronomic universe before returning home for a cooking lesson using our stale bread to make delicious Tuscan farmers' dishes.
Day 5
Still on the theme of bread, our cooking lesson this morning includes pizza dough, which is best after rising for several hours, so we'll bring it to the beekeeper Francesca's pizza party tonight. The afternoon is free for leisure activities until we depart to shop for pizza toppings and help Francesca light her wood-fired oven. We learn how to tell when it's hot enough and become dab hands at cooking our pizzas. Soon Francesca's family and friends arrive and we feel as if we've lived here for years.
Day 6
Cerasa farm is an alpine paradise for the endangered Garfagnina sheep. The Cavani family is part of a project to save the breed, and the fee we pay for our visit contributes to the cause. Signora Gemma shows us how she makes pecorino in the time-honoured fashion from their milk, whilst her daughter Ombretta explains about using natural dyes to colour the wool and displays the textiles they're producing. After lunch, composed almost entirely of food produced on the farm, we buy some ricotta and forage for nettles before returning home for a cooking lesson making ravioli with ingredients we know we can trust.
Day 7
This morning the hikers among us will follow one of the old bandits' paths to Sillico, a mediaeval hill village even more exquisite than most. With luck we won't have to hold up the local restaurant to get some lunch. On the way to dinner, we stop at Ercolano Regoli's 300-year-old water mill, where Paolo, the baker, brings his farro to be ground and other farmers bring their maize and chestnuts. Our farewell dinner starts with a sporting event: Italy vs England for the sheep's milk cheese championship with you as the referees. A full meal of typical Garfagnana dishes and Tuscan wine follows.
Day 8
Transfer to Pisa airport or train station.
Agriturismo 'Ai Frati', Pieve Fosciana
A 14th-century monastery in an idyllic mountainside setting. Each ample apartment is composed of three monk's cells. Despite its tranquil hidden location, Napoleon's troops found it and destroyed its chapel, but left the cloisters and their frescoes for us to admire. Swimming pool and magnificent views.
Group Leaders
Heather Jarman
Following her careers as archaeologist, orchestra and artist manager and chef, Heather came to Lucca to pursue her passion for traditional artisan food. Her tours, inspired by her infectious curiosity, open captivating new worlds to her guests.
Prices & What's Included
Per person €1950 (Euros)
Single Supplement: €225 (Euros)
Friendly English-speaking guide throughout your stay
7 nights welcoming, relaxing accommodation, en suite bathrooms
Local ground transportation for 8 days
Daily continental breakfast, 5 lunches, 6 dinners
Cooking lessons, guided visits with artisans
Does not include
Travel and cancellation insurance
Wine and drinks, other than those served with meals, additional meals
Personal expenses such as telephone, mini-bar, etc.
Meeting points
Pisa airport, Pisa Centrale train station, Lucca train station, Lucca hotel if you book the pre-tour extension
If you are flying from outside Europe, we suggest you arrive a couple of days early to recover from jet lag so you can fully enjoy your time with us. We are happy to advise about where to stay and eat and what to do before and after your tour.
Informal. Jeans or smart trousers are acceptable everywhere. Good walking shoes are required for optional walks.
Weather in June
13–26˚C/55–79˚F, precipitation 43 mm/1.7 in
Optional pre-tour extension
3-star hotel (including breakfast)
- Price per person: €325 (Euros)
- Single supplement: €45 (Euros)
4-star hotel (including breakfast)
- Price per person: €375 (Euros)
- Single supplement: €50 (Euros)
2 nights in 3-star or 4-star hotel
Transfer from Pisa airport, Pisa Centrale station or Lucca station to hotel
Daily continental breakfast, 1 dinner
Does not include
Travel and cancellation insurance
Wine and drinks, other than those served with meals, additional meals
Personal expenses such as telephone, mini-bar, etc.
Services of a guide
The Itinerary is subject to change if necessary due to weather or agricultural conditions or other events outside our control.
What People Say
Thank you so much for a wonderful week, it really revives the spirit!
We enjoyed the tour immensely and look back on all we did with great fondness. You are a wonderful tour guide. You took us to places we definitely wouldn't have seen on our own. I will cherish my memories forever.
When people ask what I liked best, I must say that I rave about our trip with you — it was excellent and a real contrast with all the big city tours we did.
It was one of those magical trips for me that you can't really ever re-live, you just have to cherish it.
This is a tour for those who want to get below the surface. You will meet extraordinary people, share meals with them in their homes and watch as they keep ancient traditions alive. Heather's knowledge comes from her love for the Garfagnana and its people and it is infectious.
I want to thank you so much for the wonderful week we had with you. It was so much fun. I'm telling everyone about it.
We had the most wonderful time on our tour. I knew I would enjoy myself but I was blown away by how much Bryan enjoyed himself. I have not seen him so relaxed. We all got on so well and loved all the things we did and saw. Just wanted to say thank you for organising such a great tour. I would recommend it to anyone.
Your tour was the highlight of our seven-week absence from home. There were so many highlights that it is difficult to single out one experience above another, but I must say that the contact with the olive trees was very special. Above all it was your preparation and organisation and great communication with us all that will remain with me forever.
We are truly grateful for the opportunities afforded by traveling with you. You willingly share your passion for the slow food lifestyle with your clients, creating unforgettable and personal experiences like visiting with Beppe at his metato, picking olives with Augusto, or tasting the newest prosciutto with Andrea. Everyone made us feel like part of the family. Not to mention all of the amazing meals! We learned so much and are eager to apply it to our life here at home. It was truly a perfect honeymoon, and a once in a lifetime holiday.
Amazing trip for us both. Much enjoyed every segment of our itinerary and our congenial group and coach driver! Food, our hosts, accommodation, your information and effective communication—all very good.
We had so much opportunity to learn, not just by observing the producers, but by cooking, tasting and eating and, of course, being involved in all aspects of olive oil production. It was just brilliant to be able to pick, process and bottle our own oil.
The pleasure hasn't waned and I have already prepared food differently and made a big veg soup, bruschetta with OUR oil and the mondiola. Went to my local Sainsbury's last evening and was totally depressed at the range and quality of the veg ... My life won't return to exactly where it was before the trip, truly: I shall experience greater satisfaction and greater frustration!


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Brian and I kinda promised each other no gifts this year – what with the baby and the house and the lack of really needing anything … but then i got to pinning gifts for him and well, this happened. Unfortunately he is still refusing to let me buy these for him despite the fact that he would actually love all of these.
1. Hedley & Bennett Apron – he likes to cook, but be kinda macho about it. | 2. Whale Stapler – for his desk, obviously | 3. Shoe Shine Kit – because real men shine their own shoes | 4. Sphere Ice Mould - for those whisky nights especially in the winter | 5. Seersucker Classic Tie | 6. Leather Adjustable File - 'dude' office accessories will make him psyched to sit down for work | 7. Cashmere Hat - a luxury he would NEVER buy himself | 8. Leather Pencil Case 0k, he won't get this but i love it. | 9. Nylon Cordura Bag for an 'dude' diaper bag?
10. Stanley Thermos - we love coffee very much, in the car or not. | 11. Tool Kit – because he is sooo sick of me never knowing where mine are so these would be just his. | 12. Slim Sweatpant - because we are super cozy around the house these days and he needs more comfy clothes | 13. Bookweight – he can hold/rock Charlie while reading | 14. Leather Handle Utility Scissors – yeah, another one he won't 'get' but I love.| 15. Ducks Coffee Traveller – again with the coffee | 16. Waxed Canvas Camp Stool |17. Ducks Hoodie Don't mention the ducks year this year, but he's still a massive fan | 18. Wood & Leather Ice Bucket - Yeah, so dude and so great.
19. CPO Chambray Button-Down Work Shirt - He could wear this every day – work or play | 20. Lavett & Chin Pomade - the man loves his hair cream | 21. The Encyclopedia of Morrissey and The Smiths - because his teenage self really indulged in this music | 22. Galaxy Rocks Glasses - I've never met a man who appreciates a heavy rocks glass as much as that man | 23. AV Room Portable USB Turntable By Crosley – because he's a man and therefore by definition he wants a turn table | 24. Notebook - so he can retire his lame drugstore versions | 25. JBL Voyager - so he can play his music via wifi anywhere in the new house | 26. iPhone Case – because he's been eyeing this for a long time and loves Star Wars very much | 27. Dopp Kit - he refuses to admit that he needs one, but the man needs somewhere to put his dopps.
So those are all of the things that i want to get him. Unfortunately he won't let me. So what I'm going to get him instead is a day off of daddyhood some time this year – with probably two rounds of golf for him and a friend, and an uber ride there and back. Now THAT, he can't argue with.


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Effective Nov. 19, Texas Social Security offices will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – a reduction of 30 minutes each weekday. In addition, beginning Jan. 2, offices will close to the public at noon every Wednesday.
While agency employees will continue to work their regular hours, this shorter public window will allow them to complete face-to-face interviews and process claims work without incurring the cost of overtime. The significantly reduced funding provided by Congress under the continuing resolution for the first six months of the fiscal year makes it impossible for the agency to provide the overtime needed to handle service to the public as it has done in the past.
In addition, on Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving, all Social Security field offices will be closed to the public. As the agency did last year, employees working that day will focus on reducing backlogged workloads.
Most Social Security services do not require a visit to a local office. Many services, including applying for retirement, disability or Medicare benefits, signing up for direct deposit, replacing a Medicare card, obtaining a proof of income letter or informing Social Security of a change of address or telephone number are conveniently available at www.socialsecurity.gov or by dialing the toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the TTY number, 1-800-325-0778. Many of their online services also are available in Spanish at www.segurosocial.gov.
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The Progress Times is the hometown newspaper for the local communities of Mission, Sharyland, Alton, Palmview, La Joya and surrounding areas in Western Hidalgo County. We have a staff of veteran reporters who work diligently every week to bring our readers the latest news as it affects their hometown area and people.


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Bircher Daughter Claire Conner Exposes Right-Wing Danger To America In 'Wrapped In The Flag'
Author Claire Conner pictured in the May 12, 1961 issue of LIFE magazine in which her photo appears as part of a feature story on The John Birch Society. Claire was 14 years old, the youngest person in the photo. In the two page spread, she is the 3rd person from the right. Her parents, Laurene and Jay Conner, and her brother, Jay R., are on the first page of the photo 4th, 5th and 6th from the left.
French Roast News
Anne is reading …
My parents were right-wing extremists @ Salon
Excerpted from "Wrapped in the Flag: A Personal History of America's Radical Right"
Related: Repeal the 17th Amendment. Until 1913, Americans didn't elect senators, state legislators did.
John Birch Society Founders
View members of John Birch Society Council larger
Founding members of the John Birch Society Council included author's father S.J. Conner, president of the Conroth Company and Fred C. Koch, a founder of Koch Industries and father of today's well-known Koch brothers.
Anne Reflects On McCarthyism
The Republican War on Women Gives Me Nightmares April 6, 2011Ten years later I sat on the Chelsea stoop of my New York apartment with my landlord, who was a playwright. He asked me about my background and I explained that I grew up in Minnesota but I so loved Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
I volunteered that I knew Senator Wiley from Wisconsin, that he was such a great man. He insisted that we be very patriotic with our flag raising ceremony each day, but I was all for it.
My playwright landlord just looked at me, his young tenant and laughed. 'Do you not know that Senator Wiley was Joseph McCarthy's right-hand man?' he asked me.
'No way,' I exclaimed.
'Believe it,' he said. And of course it is true.
The same man that I respected and honored, the man whose grandson was my first boyfriend, whose granddaughters were great friends to me, the town that recognized my talent and ran me for student council president when I was the new girl in school, also produced the co-leader of the McCarthy hearings.


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Which two players might be Georgia's best "package deal" out of the state's 2012 college football prospects?
It may be the Jenkins County High School duo of mammoth defensive tackle Jonathan Taylor (top candidate to be the state's No. 1 overall prospect) and defensive end James DeLoach.
They both have around 15 early scholarship offers from mostly the same schools. They've never made it a secret that they wish to play on the same college team.
"We're best friends," Taylor told the AJC. "We're going through the same recruiting process with the same schools. Just about everybody wants us as a package and says we can help out in a hurry on defense. We want to be teammates in college. We enjoy play football and hanging out with each other. And if we're away at college and get homesick, we can help each other out."
That leads us to our next question: Which college would they like to be packaged to? Taylor says he's not ready to name any leaders but said, "Right now, I'm wide open. Georgia and Georgia Tech are some nice schools. They are closer to home and our friends and families can come to our games all the time. Alabama and Auburn are real nice, too." Taylor said he will likely commit after his senior season.
The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Taylor has become an overnight sensation in recruiting circles, rocketing to the top of many scouting lists. Taylor was one of seven Georgia prospects on the Rivals 100, along with Lowndes linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons, Stone Mountain linebacker Markuss Eligwe (video of his commitment to Florida State), St. Pius cornerback Geno Smith, Harris County defensive end Jordan Jenkins, Callaway tight end Ricky Parks, and Sandy Creek wide receiver JaQuay Williams.
Taylor seemed a little uncomfortable in the spotlight at the state track meet, as many other football players who run track came over to chat. He tried not to draw attention to himself but found it hard to hide at his size. He had a spirited conversation with UGA's latest commitment, Dodge County linebacker Leonard Floyd. "He just wanted to know how recruiting was going and everything," Taylor said.
Jenkins County High School is located around 50 miles south of Augusta.
– By Michael Carvell, AJC Recruiting Blog
CLICK HERE to catch up on ALL of the LATEST RECRUITING NEWS
Got an item? email@example.com — Inappropriate BLOG comments will NOT be tolerated
May 10th, 2011
5:17 am
May 10th, 2011
5:21 am
Stay close to home so your friends and family can see you play. At the same time get a grat college experience in Athens playing for coach that is respected by all for the "man" that he is. Go Dawgs!
May 10th, 2011
6:01 am
They will probably choose the dawgs if Mark Richt wins big in the fall. Thank you to
all the people who helped out after the bad storms destroyed Tuscaloosa and the
other southern states. RTR
May 10th, 2011
6:15 am
If you want to play for a state school and receive the best education (ie, compare average SAT at UGA,Bama & Auburn Vs GT), become a yellow jacket and play for former Statesboro resident, Paul Johnson.
May 10th, 2011
6:21 am
Would love to see these young men in the Red and Black. Good luck to both of them.
May 10th, 2011
6:41 am
I know it may be a long shot based on history of big-time prospects signing trends, but it wure would be great for these guys to come play on the Flats for Coach Johnson and Coach Groh.
We could use them the most. We almost never get guys this talented. I hope both of them consider that when they make their decision.
As a side note, Michael, is DeLoach expected to play stay at DE or switch to OLB if he signs at a school who runs at a 3-4 (everyone but Auburn)?
May 10th, 2011
6:54 am
Despite a year away from high school graduation, DeLoach and Taylor already have a large fan base on campus. I think they'd fit very nicely into Al Groh's 3-4 pro-style defense and make an immediate impact!
May 10th, 2011
7:07 am
There is only one school in the state to consider if you want the best all around education and that is UGA, best of luck to both where ever they decide to attend.
May 10th, 2011
7:07 am
Stay in-state fellas. It does make a difference in the long run. Good luck with your choices!
May 10th, 2011
7:09 am
Let's keep education out of it…both Tech and UGA are fine schools, but neither one is the best school in the state.
May 10th, 2011
7:10 am
And if these guys only cared about academics, they'd give up football altogether. And what would be the fun in that?
May 10th, 2011
7:24 am
These guys are Georgia's to lose. Whether UGA recruits guys like this or not will go a long way toward deciding what kind of program CMR really has.
May 10th, 2011
7:36 am
I think I saw these guys at a track meet in Richmond Hill, they did shot put and discuss, which they easily won. there size was definitely noticeable, I knew they had to play football but didnt know if they were any good or not
May 10th, 2011
7:37 am
I don't care what system your defense runs, these guys could help anybody! I hope they stay in state, hopefully in Athens, but anywhere in state.
May 10th, 2011
7:43 am
Gentlemen….Just stay in state. UGA, TECH, just keep it in state.
May 10th, 2011
7:53 am
May 10th, 2011
7:53 am
I would love to see them in Athens, THE State University. I'd rather see them at Tech if not us other than Bama or Fla. Schools.
May 10th, 2011
8:11 am
Tech fans are being nice right now but the minute they decide not to go to tech watch how quick they become "thugs" and too dumb to go to tech!
May 10th, 2011
8:15 am
Good point Football_365
May 10th, 2011
8:21 am
Love to see them in the Old Gold and White Go Jackets!
May 10th, 2011
8:22 am
Football_365, you and your Bulldog brethren do the same thing so don't even go their brother.
May 10th, 2011
8:25 am
Love to seem them at The Georgia Institute of Technology. I'm tired of Notre Dame and Ohio State coming down here and picking our boys. Stay up their Yanks!
May 10th, 2011
8:30 am
These guys appear to be fine young men from good christian families. The fact that they are supportive of each other shows that they will be team players and not prima donnas. I would like to see them wear the Red and Black for the flagship, but no matter where they end up I wish them the best.
May 10th, 2011
8:38 am
@ come on man I have NEVER bashed a kid for choosing a school other than uga if I make a negative comment on here its towards you so called fans. I have been through the recruitment proceas so I understand the stress involved so I have never and will never bash a kid because he didnt pick my favorite school. I cant speak for other uga fans im only responsible for me and thats not what im about
May 10th, 2011
8:40 am
C'mon cmon man,
It's "there", brother.
May 10th, 2011
8:49 am
I think they are bound for AUBURN….yes, you heard it here – AUBURN after fighting it out with SABAN.
UGA/GT is close running.
UGA could get these two if they are patient to see what happens to UGA and Richt. IF UGA starts of beating BOISE and So. Carolina – then UGA could be a recruiting force.
Richt is in trouble – UGA will need to change it up after this season or next. He is like Tuberville and Fulmer – the pack not only caught up to Richt – they passed him.
UGA was a bottom HALF SEC team last year – at best the #8 team – and Tennessee was playing better than UGA at the end of the year.
UGA was behind Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State, Florida, South Carolina.
UGA needs to let Richt go if he does not win MINIMUM of 10 games – not including bowl – otherwise – enjoy 6 to 8 Regular season wins the rest of his career.
Heck – you could bring back DONNAN – at least he built up the program and had it poised for greatness – he just was not there to enjoy what he built.
It will be an interesting year!
Hey – prayers to all those in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee affected by the tornado's.
May 10th, 2011
8:58 am
I know these 2 guys are very high on GT according to jacketsonline. This will be a UGA/ GT battle all the way. Taylor is a GT fan actually but GT does not offer their major so i can see them ending up at UGA. GT must broaden our education system. We have an excellent school but we have got to open it up more. UGA i think will get these 2 when its said and done. If they split up, i think deloach goes to GT and taylor to UGA. I wish them both the best either way. GT is in it with jenkins as well. I think we can snag a couple of really good prospect in georgia this year. However, if both UGA and GT both have losing seasons again, this could put bama or auburn back into this more closely.
May 10th, 2011
9:02 am
Yeah, a lot of really good in-state prospects seem to want to give UGA and Tech a chance this year but are taking a "wait and see" approach. If either or both schools play better than expected, there could be some really good classes.
Tech especially could surprise some people with the quality of our class IF we win some games (that's a HUGE "if" right now), because we're not used to pulling in high-quality classes.
Groh needs to prove he can field a top defense.
May 10th, 2011
9:10 am
Tech does more with top flight talent than those pups down the road. Come to the flats!!!
May 10th, 2011
9:11 am
Hey Dr. Nick… SAT scores would indicate aptitude prior to attending college, so that wouldn't be a very good indicator of the quality of education that a college like UGA, GT, AU, or Bama would provide. Try again…
May 10th, 2011
9:24 am
I have been hearing that John Taylor and James Deloach give the edge to UGA if we have a good season they will bee in Athens this Fall also UGA has made move for Chris Black and with the release of Elaye it opens a spot to land Kieth Marshall go dawgs .
May 10th, 2011
9:28 am
@the bees nees and exactly what does tech do with their top flight athletes? Do they graduate? no, does tech send 5 or 6 guys to the nfl every year? no, are they ever up for any post season awards? No can they beat uga's worst team in 14yrs? No. so please tell what tech does with their top flight athletes!
May 10th, 2011
9:36 am
Football_365 you are an idiot if you think tech's student-athletes don't graduate. Oh, just check the Pittsburg Steelers roster, the Ravens Roster, the NY Giants roster. While your at it, just the whole NFL roster. Now you are enlighten.
May 10th, 2011
9:38 am
As a fan of the Dawgs I just want to let the fans from other schools know that we don't care what you think about UGA or Coach Richt, but I guess we should thank you for showing your infatuation for all things UGA by turning a recruiting blog into a discussion about UGA and Coach Richt. If we are so horrible and irrelevant, then why are we in your heads and in your thoughts and conversations so much? Since you need something to think about, go check out Mark Richt's record in years that he has a returning starter at QB.
May 10th, 2011
9:38 am
Beat UGA's worst team in 14 years? Good grief Tech's team was also awful last year. Cry me a river son. You guys are suppose to beat Tech most of the time. UGA is an easy school, they can get whoever they want. Not the case at Tech!
May 10th, 2011
9:41 am
We need better players so come to GT and help us have a .500 season.
If you come to GT I bet we can almost beat the mutts at least one time before you leave for the CFL.
You will get coached up if you come to GT.
If you come to GT you will be the best players we have ever had since we have not had any good players since CPJ took over.
May 10th, 2011
9:47 am
Seeing the techies attacking CMR is laughable.
The best coach GT has ever had (and likely will ever have) Dodd has a worse record than CMR.
You pinheads named your stadium after a coach that can't hold a candle to the UGA coach you constantly bash.
But hey you do have old Turkey Neck CPJ – you know the smartest coach in the galaxy – LMAO.
Stinger I see you are still a moron.
May 10th, 2011
9:48 am
UGA HAS to win big this year in order to even be in the running for these two recruits.
May 10th, 2011
10:02 am
Dodd was a class act and big-time winner. He won in an era without cupcakes and a 12-game schedule.
The best coach of the year wins a trophy named for him for a reason.
If you want to pick on Tech coaches, Dodd is not the one you want to pick on.
May 10th, 2011
10:07 am
@true tech 43% of the football players graduate from tech for you fans to brag about academics all day thats horrible. Thats why they are last in the acc when it comes to graduation rates right. No you are an idiot. Do you really want to talk about uga players in the nfl? cmr is responsible for sending more guys to the nfl than techs last 6 coaches combined!
@wake up stop crying I responded to a tech fan who said "tech does more with their top flight athletes so if that statement is true uga should not dominate tech. im still waiting for some tech fan to tell me what tech does with their "top flight athletes". Im willing to bet instead of answering the question somebody is going to say something about aub, fla, or bama it happens everytime.
May 10th, 2011
10:08 am
And only someone as dumb as "Old Blind Dawg" (perfect handle) would be unable to see that "Stinger" is just yet another "clever" dog fan with a sarcastic post.
May 10th, 2011
10:11 am
Hey pinheads CMR has the same attributes you praise coach Dodd for – only difference in the two – CMR has a better record
May 10th, 2011
10:13 am
The academic argument is annoying, so I'd like to end it. But just to play devil's advocate for a moment: wouldn't graduating fewer players prove that your school is harder?
Also, for the record, the very low graduation numbers for football players are for Gailey. Check the numbers under Johnson's watch. They are among the very best in the ACC.
Johnson is much more strict when it comes to academics.
But let's quit arguing academics. Both schools are good in their own way…they just offer different things.
May 10th, 2011
10:13 am
IF, big IF Richt flops this year, We'll know BEFORE the Tech game. Recruiting will be touch and go in Athens this years, mainly because of the small number available to sign( around 18) and if Dawgs flounder, the opposition will hammer kids about Dawgs being in a flux. McGarity will have to hire NEW coach before his current team plays in a bowl. We can't sit around and wait until Jan. 4th to hire. It'll be over in recruiting for the most part by then.I'm not endorsing this, But Kirby Smart will be the next Georgia coach.
May 10th, 2011
10:16 am
It is laughable seeing these Tech fans bash UGA when they were just as bad as UGA was even in our worst year they still could not beat us then they loose to Air Force it going to have take Tech to have a good year to even have a chance at John Taylor and James Deloach .
May 10th, 2011
10:16 am
You are correct. Bobby Dodd would have liked Richt. Dodd was a good coach, but a better man. Same as Richt.
May 10th, 2011
10:19 am
Can we just agree both teams were pathetic last year?
It makes both teams look bad when we bash each other.
6-7 is 6-7…both teams looked awful in the bowl games as well.
May 10th, 2011
10:20 am
If you are going to discuss academics, both Tech and UGA need to broaden their offerings in to each other's areas. With 10,000,000 people, Georgia needs more than one engineering research school, and the same can be said for medical schools, etc. I understand some specialization but the breadth would allow students to explore other options without having to transfer schools.
I am California educated, and I could see UGA and Tech competing similar to UCLA and Cal. I can also see why people wouldn't want to go to Augusta to study to be a doctor. We have a shortage of professionals in this country and state. Why do we limit our Universities so much? If you say money, that is short sighted.
May 10th, 2011
10:21 am
Make your mommas proud. Stay in state and get the best education and the most prestige in the best city in the world. White and Gold, gentlemen.
Go Jackets!
May 10th, 2011
10:23 am
Tech has problems with Johnson, they just won't admit it publicly. Johnson's last two classes have not brought in the caliber of athlete to compete with BCS types. He will feast on the usual suspects like Wake and Duke,Western Carolina etc, But he can't even beat a bad Georgia team two years in a row, who have BCS type players. Johnson will be gone in 2 years.


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Rieker Remonte Dinka 04 Loafers 5 5
Fell apart I loved the style and comfort of these shoes and planned to take them on trips this summer. I wore them a few times and the stitching on one shoe completely unraveled. May 15, 2014
Very comfortable I only wore these one time since we have had snow here until recently, but they are very comfortable. My feet are in between a narrow and medium width so they are a little wide for me, but with shoe inserts, they work fine. May 21, 2013
I have ordered similar "sling" type shoes in the past from Travel Smith and have loved them. Comfy! February 6, 2014
Perfect comfortable fit right out of the box, no "breaking in" necessary! May 20, 2013
Wonderful shoes Wonderful comfortabl shoes for walking all day during my trip May 12, 2013
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Product:10976-Rieker Remonte Dinka 04 Loafers


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