TheSouthernSportsEdition.com
The Game February 11
Falcons Offseason
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Unfortunately, the season did not end the way the Atlanta Falcons had envisioned. With all of the confetti falling to the ground, and the New England Patriots celebrating the historic come-from-behind win in the Super Bowl, the questions immediately began for Atlanta.
The franchise was already aware that Offensive Coordinator, Kyle Shannahan, would be moving on to become the next head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
The Falcons also knew that quarterbacks coach, Matt LaFleur, would become the Offensive Coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. What took many by surprise was the major shuffle on the defensive side as well.
Coach Dan Quinn decided to remove Richard Smith as defensive coordinator and also dismissed defensive line coach, Bryan Cox. However, no matter who is running the offense or defense from the sidelines, what will determine the success of the Falcons’ future is who is lining up on the field. Let’s take a look at what the Falcons can do to take that final step next season.
On offense, there really aren’t many changes that need to be made. New offensive coordinator, Steve Sarkisian, comes into a pristine offense that just set historic NFL records for scoring.
Matt Ryan is coming off of an MVP season, the running game is a two-headed monster with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Of course, the receiving corp is led by the incomparable Julio Jones, and the offensive line has a great mix of youth and experience.
Draft possibilities for the offense would include offensive guard Quenton Nelson from Notre Dame or Ethan Pocic out of LSU.
If Atlanta looks to the free agent market to bolster the offensive line, Green Bay’s TJ Lang could provide a quality upgrade on the interior line. Other than line depth or upgrades, this side of the ball is practically intact and ready to build on what is in place.
Obviously, this is the side of the ball that Dan Quinn and the front office want to improve upon given the coaching shakeup. There is still a need for quality pass rushers up front.
As we saw in the playoffs, when Atlanta was able to get pressure on Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady, things went amazingly well; when that pass rush wore down? Let’s not go there.
Vic Beasley should continue to progress and seemed to flourish learning from pass rush specialist Dwight Freeney. Atlanta should keep Freeney around for one more season, limit his snaps early to have him fresh for the late season and hopefully playoffs.
The upcoming draft has a solid group of potential sack masters, and Atlanta should prioritize defensive line. This could be a year for Atlanta to make another “Julio Jones” type of move and trade up early to make a run at Myles Garrett out of Texas A&M.
If not, stay at 31 and see if Charles Harris from Missouri or Derek Barnett are available in that draft spot.
In free agency, Atlanta could target New York Giant Jason Pierre-Paul. Pierre-Paul is still a fierce pass rusher, despite his recent firework incident. Calais Campbell could be a possibility as defensive end or even move inside at 300 pounds. The Cardinals are not in a good spot when it comes to the salary cap and have other high priorities on the roster.
If Atlanta wants to make a move in the secondary, which will automatically get better with their best cover corner Desmond Trufant back healthy, the Falcons could take a run at Atlanta native and best safety in the game, Eric Berry from the Chiefs. It would be a huge boost for the team and a great chance for Berry to come back home and play for his hometown team.
Many teams are not always able to follow up great seasons with another run at the Super Bowl; injuries, chemistry, and sometimes just plain luck don’t always stick around.
However, with the franchise making immediate moves already, it shows that they were not satisfied just to get there. The team wants to take the next step, and right now it seems they are in great shape to do just that.
Georgia Sports Heart Break
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I had a business associate call me from San Diego this week offering his condolences on the epic fourth quarter meltdown of the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51.
He asked me what happened, and I said you would have to live in Georgia and follow college and pro sports in this state to understand.
Natives could see this entire thing unfolding right before our eyes, and yet we knew it was coming and felt powerless because that is how we have been conditioned living in this state and following Georgia based sports teams.
Here are the numerous examples of classic Atlanta choke jobs:
January 4th, 1981: The 12-4 Atlanta Falcons led the Dallas Cowboys 27-17 with 6:37 left to play in the NFC Playoffs. The Cowboys rally and beat the Falcons 30-27. The 1980 Falcons were a good enough team to win the Super Bowl. The loss to the Cowboys killed momentum for the franchise as they only had one more winning season the rest of the 1980’s. It had to come from the hated Dallas Cowboys.
1982 Atlanta Braves: The 82 Braves started the season with 13 straight wins and in late July had a 9 game division lead over the Dodgers. Then the Braves proceeded to lose 19 of the next 21 games and backed into the playoffs after losing to the Padres on the final day of the season as Joe Morgan hit a homerun to lift the Giants over the Dodgers to give the Braves the NL West title. The Braves then proceeded to get swept by the Cardinals in the NL championship series. Do you see a trend starting to develop?
1996 Atlanta Braves: Up 2-0 in the World Series against the Yankees after winning first two games in Yankee Stadium. The Braves drop 4 straight to choke in classic Atlanta fashion. I am not even going to mention Mark Wohlers. Just throw a dang fastball.
1998 Atlanta Braves: This team won 106 games and go up 2-0 on the Padres in the NL Championship series and then lose 4 straight. The 97, 99, 02, and 03 Braves all won 100 games and choked in the playoffs.
2015 Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks won 60 games and were the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Get to the Eastern Conference Finals and get swept 4-0 by the Cavs. Hawks had some good teams in the 80’s that folded like a dove in a cornfield on a Saturday hunt.
Super Bowl 51: The one we’ll never forget. Beat the crap out of Seattle and Green Bay and roll into the Super Bowl clicking on all cylinders and for 43 minutes beat the absolute crap out of the New England Patriots. Leading 28-3 the wheels completely fall off. The 25-point lead evaporates and the Falcons lose in overtime on the biggest sports stage ever, and now will it will be remembered as the biggest meltdown in sports history.
If you are a follower of any major sport in the state of Georgia you know disappointment well. Dawg fans you know disappointment as The University of Florida owns you in all three major men’s sports Football, Baseball, and Basketball.
Atlanta pro sports has only one World Title the 1995 Braves, and decades of heartbreak.
I’ll leave you with this a long time avid Atlanta pro sports fan told me this joke on Tuesday. When I die I want 2 Falcons, 2 Braves, and 2 Hawks fans to be my pallbearers so they can let me down one last time.
Cheer up the Braves are about to report to Spring Training. I know that brings comfort Atlanta sports fans.
Glynn Academy Sends 16 To Next Level
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
National Signing Day has come and gone and the Glynn Academy Red Terrors had 16 kids sign to play at the next level…yes, 16.
Rocky Hidalgo has built a juggernaut in the short three years he has been at Glynn. When you have 16 kids sign to play college football there is no denying.
DeeJay Dallas-Dallas was a Georgia commit until the firing of Mark Richt. Kirby Smart and his coaching staff had other priorities than Dallas, thus driving the Glynn QB to follow Mark Richt to Miami. Georgia will regret not getting this ‘do-everything’ gifted athlete. Dallas has already enrolled at Mia
Zalon’tae Hillery-Hillery ended up being one of the most sought after offensive lineman in the country. Hillery was thought to be going to Miami all along, until some last-minute indecision. Hillery was strongly considering Kentucky until a phone conversation with Mark Richt eased his indecision and Hillery was back in the Canes fold.
Preston Joseph-Joseph was a Stallworth on the Glynn defense and despite being slightly undersized the Red Terror standout played his way to a Georgia Military College.
Devon Peacock-As the season went on for Glynn, Peacock got better and better. So much so that Georgia State decided to offer him a preferred walk on spot. With Peacock’s abilities he will garner a scholarship in Atlanta sooner rather than later.
Xavier McClinton-The one Terror that did not commit on signing day was Xavier McClinton. McClinton got offers from Georgia Tech, Stetson and FAMU.
Quintavius Walker-Good offensive linemen are hard to find. Walker did a great job run blocking all year and protecting DeeJay Dallas at QB. Eastern Arizona took notice and got Walker to commit. This is a steal for Eastern Arizona.
Quandry Mosely-Speaking of steals for Eastern Arizona, here is another. Quandry Mosely is a ball hawking safety that can also play receiver. Mosely is 6’2 and 170 pounds and I think will become one of the better safeties to ever play at Eastern Arizona.
Amari Cross-It is a long-standing tradition at Glynn Academy; if your last name is Cross you are going to play football at Glynn. Amari Cross was no exception and was a pillar for the Terror running attack this season on the offensive line. Kennesaw State took notice and offered Amari Cross a preferred walk on spot. With Cross’s size and footwork he will have every opportunity to garner a scholarship for the Owls.
Devin Roberson-Roberson was one of the better pass rushers in the region. Ridgewater College got a huge commitment from Roberson, who has a motor that doesn’t stop.
Travis Harris-Harris came on strong as the season progressed and showed his abilities in the secondary. He committed to Ridgewater College.
Shakour Thomas-Thomas was one of DeeJay Dallas’s favorite targets at receiver and showed a lot of big play potential. He is one of seven Terrors to commit to Ridgewater College.
Vance Rowe-Rowe was a vastly underrated player for the Terrors. Ridgewater College will certainly look to develop Rowe in the secondary.
Tre Sailem-Sailem was one of the better corners for the Terrors. He has everything you could want in a DB. Another Ridgewater College steal.
Trashawn Bacon-Ridgewater College gets an underrated OL in Trashawn Bacon. Bacon did an amazing job for the Terrors all year.
Jeremiah Anderson-Anderson came back from a serious knee injury this season and was a key contributor running the ball for Glynn. He may be the most talented player that Ridgewater College signed.
The Hard-A-Way
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On a night early in February, a player for the Atlanta Hawks scored a career high 33 points in a game against the Houston Rockets.
That’s impressive enough as it is, but consider this as well: 23 of those points came in the fourth quarter, and helped Atlanta erase a 20 point deficit to secure a come from behind win. Now that’s the kind of game that makes people take notice. Tim Hardaway Jr. turned some heads earlier this month.
It was a kind of breakout game, though in reality it wasn’t so surprising to anyone who has been paying attention to the Hawks this season. Hardaway has been so crucial for Atlanta throughout this campaign.
He has managed to be a consistent force on a team that has struggled to stay consistent as a unit. He did have his struggles in December, but if slumps truly are contagious then he merely caught what every other player on the team had that month. Excusing that outlier, Hardaway has improved across the board.
The Hawks have kept Hardaway’s usage static for the most part the entire season and his efficiency has gone up along with his shooting numbers. He currently has the best offensive rating on the team for anyone who receives regular playing time. He is currently second on the team in overall net rating.
The real testament to his usefulness, however, comes from looking at the team stats with and without him. When Hardaway is in the game, the Hawks have outscored their opponents by 143 points; when he’s off the court, Atlanta has been outscored by 171 points.
It’s a compelling story of a player finally leveling out. Hardaway’s tenure with Atlanta has been an up and down one, to say the least. In fact, no one on the roster has had the kind of career turbulence that Hardaway has experienced as a Hawk
Atlanta famously (infamously?) acquired Hardaway in a three-team trade that cost them their first round pick at the 2015 NBA Draft. The deal brought jeers from across the internet and outrage from the Hawks fanbase. That only escalated when Hardaway opened the 2016 season on the inactive list and eventually found himself playing in the D-League.
He deserves a lot of credit for shutting out the noise and putting his head down and going to work on his game. The talent has always been there for Hardaway but he needed to learn that there was much more to the game than accumulating numbers.
Hardaway earned a spot in the rotation during the second half of 2016 although a groin injury in the final regular season game pretty much prevented him from having any impact in the playoffs. This season got off to a rocky start when he opened the preseason with a 3 for 30 shooting stretch. However, he battled through that and has seen his role continue to grow as the season progressed.
The trade can still be debated especially when you factor in that Hardaway will hit restricted free agency this summer while a draft pick would be under team control for a couple more seasons. Still, credit Hardaway for making the situation into where it is a debate worth having.
His breakout this season may be comparable to winning the lottery for Hardaway this summer. The NBA has placed a premium on wing players and Hardaway will likely be looking at a significant raise.
Due to his restricted status, the Hawks will have the ability to match any offer that Hardaway receives from another team. Whether it is with Atlanta or another team, Hardaway has earned it.
The Game Feb 4
SSE Minute Feb 3
Pirates Signing Day
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Coming off of a disappointing 5-5 last place region finish, the Brunswick High Pirates had 7 players sign Letter of Intents to further their education and football careers.
D’Ante Demery- University of Georgia: The 4-star recruit signed with the UGA’s top 5 class. The 320-pound offensive tackle is part of the best OL group ever assembled in UGA recruiting circles and whether Demery gets on the field as a freshman will be determined. This kid has a chance to be in the NFL in 3-4 years.
Shawn Smith- University of Virginia: Great pickup by UVA. Smith is fast and a great athlete and could be a good WR at the college level. I think Smith is a pretty good DB and could land there. Virginia has a great athlete in their program. Smith might possibly return some kicks as well. He will bulk up quickly in a college strength and conditioning program.
Danijah Gammage- Mercer University: Mercer got a great football player. Gammage is a hitter and has great ball skills. I think Gammage has the potential to develop into an NFL caliber player while he is in college. He reminds me a lot of Tracy Walker coming out of BHS. He will get bigger and stronger in Macon.
Deqwan Chapman- Albany State University: Chapman was a solid corner for BHS now he heads to a solid college football program and I think he will end up being at ASU. Good kid and a good player.
Wiley Golden- Tusculum College: Golden will take his talents to the prestigious private college in Greeneville, Tennessee. Golden is an excellent student and has great hands at the TE position. Golden’s academic accomplishments are stellar and he is a pretty good football player on top of it. I’m very proud of this young man.
Jabori Williams- Hutchinson Community College: You can’t teach size and at 6’4 330 pounds Williams is huge. I expect him to contribute right away and bigger things will happen for this young man in a couple of years. He is just learning how to play OL.
Brandon McMaster- University of Georgia (Preferred Walk-On): What if this young man did not battle injuries his entire senior year? He goes to UGA as a PWO because this kid has a 3.5 GPA and has already graduated and is the example of opportunities that come around to folks who get it done in the classroom. This kid is a great football player and it would no surprise me one bit if he does not end contributing in Athens. UGA got a steal here.
BHS has talent and has kids that get it done in the classroom. The future is bright for the Pirates as they could sign 10 or more players next February with the huge senior class returning.
But for the seven that signed on signing day, as a Pirate alum I just want to thank you for all of the blood, sweat, and tears you shed to lay the foundation for future Pirates. Thank you and as always Pirate Pride!
North Carolina Running Away With ACC
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At the beginning of the season there were basically two expectations I had for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The first one was that I figured due to a lot of the experience they had coming back they would be able to start the season off on a hot streak and be one of the better teams in the country.
The second thing was that as the season progressed, and really once the conference schedule started, they would begin to regress back to the mean a little bit. For the most part the first expectation took place. I’m still waiting on the second.
(Before I go any further, I do realize what I’m about to say will sound odd considering that Carolina just got Nancy Kerrigan’d by the Hurricanes down in Coral Gables. However, I do think their loss to Miami was more along the lines of them just having a bad game as opposed to it being an indication of what to expect for the remainder of their season.)
I’ll admit that predicting a fast start to the season wasn’t exactly an example of me going out on a limb. Even though Carolina lost Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson off last year’s team, they still returned 6 juniors and seniors that played major minutes last season.
Those guys are used to playing together so while teams that rely heavily on incoming freshman are building chemistry during those first few months, the Tar Heels were ahead of the game.
The fact they have been this successful, this far into the season, has honestly surprised me. There’s a reason why they have so many upperclassmen playing valuable minutes- none of those guys are/were talented enough to have been high draft picks had they left early.
That’s not to say they’re college’s version of Jackie Moon and the Flint Michigan Tropics from Semi-Pro, but there are probably 8-10 teams that are more talented than the ‘Heels.
As much as it pains me to say, Carolina has been the best team in the ACC, up to this point. I have idea if Joel Berry II has switched to a vegan diet and is having kombucha put into his body intravenously, or if he’s sold his soul to devil, but whatever he’s done to evolve into the player he has become has worked. Anyone who tells you they predicted his game to excel to this level is lying.
You can insert whatever diet joke you want about Kennedy Meeks (maybe he’s on the vegan diet?), but to equate his success this season solely on his weight loss would be doing him a disservice. To drop enough pounds that you could form an entirely new human is one thing, but to take advantage of that new-found freedom to move on the court is something Meeks deserves a lot of credit for doing.
Combine the seasons those two men are having with the emergence of Isaiah Hicks, Kenny Williams, and Theo Pinson, as well as the maturation of Justin Jackson, and you can see why they are poised for a deep tournament run.
Plus, I know Roy gets a lot of crap from his fan base and those on the outside- deservedly so in some cases- but those guys I just mentioned aren’t developing on their own.
On paper, their remaining schedule looks tough. You could even argue in most games they will be the lesser talented of the two teams. But, as Carolina has proven all year, the better team is always the most talented.
Impact Of Braves Signing Kurt Suzuki
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Despite rumors to the likes of Wilson Ramos and Matt Wieters throughout the end of the season and into the offseason, the Braves never signed a game-changing catcher for 2017.
That doesn’t mean they did nothing to bolster their backstop depth chart, however: instead they picked up veteran Kurt Suzuki to combat Tyler Flowers to playing time. Catching was certainly something the Braves needed to look at after 2016, but did they do enough to improve?
Flowers turned out to be a solid pickup for Atlanta, eventually taking over the position full time from AJ Pierzynski, whose resigning turned out to be not nearly as beneficial. Not that you could blame John Coppolella and company, really: AJ was coming off one of the biggest years of his career, he just fell off faster and harder than anyone might have suspected.
However, once his playing time diminished and Flowers and backup Anthony Recker took the reins, the Braves’ offensive numbers at catcher rose to the point of respectability. That being said, Flowers played well over his career highs in 2016 and – at the age of 31 – a step backwards is more likely than a continuation.
Adding Suzuki shouldn’t necessarily be expected to make up for that offense. An All-Star a few years back, Suzuki has never been an offensive juggernaut during the past decade of his career and can’t be expected to start turning that around now. However, he’s a veteran player and alongside Flowers that gives the Braves an experienced catching option every night of the season.
That should make a difference on the other side of the ball more than anywhere. Flowers was known for his defensive acumen during his long stint with the White Sox, but had his struggles throwing out base stealers in 2016. Much like his bat returning back to his career numbers, the Braves should expect this to rectify itself as well.
Suzuki is a capable thrower and allowed only one passed ball in 797 innings last season. He too should be expected to ably play the position on defense.
Flowers and Suzuki are solid options to catch, even though they may not be the sexiest names to be playing backstop. I admit I was holding out hope for a Ramos signing, as I wasn’t too keen on Georgia Tech’s Wieters joining up. However, the Braves brass may have gone this route for a reason: not to block any of the several up and coming prospects.
This may come as a surprise, given than after Christian Bethancourt didn’t become the catcher of the future in Atlanta, it seemed like there were no options to fill the spot of the obvious next catching prospect. While it’s true that there is no one at Triple A knocking on the door of Atlanta, there are some bright lights a little further down the farm system.
Looking at some of the recent moves Coppolella has made to fill up the depth chart: in back to back years the Braves have used high draft picks on catching prospects like Lucas Herbert and Brett Cumberland. They’ve also acquired the likes of Kade Scivique and Ricardo Rodriguez through trades, and picked up the top catcher from the international draft with Abrahan Gutierrez.
These guys aren’t showing up in Atlanta soon, most likely you might start hearing their names in the minors this year and then they might make a case for a big-league job in 2018, but they are explanation enough for Coppy’s thought process on hiring Suzuki to work with Flowers this season.
All the Braves need is for one of those five guys to catch on and they’ve got themselves a bona-fide catching prospect. For now, however, Flowers and Suzuki should do fine.
