Atlanta Falcons Ready to Rebuild Team With Release of Veteran Players

There is a new head coach in office for the Atlanta Falcons and he is wasting no time turning things around for the Falcons, who suffered two very disappointing back-to-back seasons under former head coach Mike Smith. Dan Quinn, who was formerly the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, was hired by the Falcons the day after the Super Bowl to be the new head coach and he has been taking his job seriously since day one. First things first, he wants to take Mike Smith’s team and make it his team. And unfortunately for many guys, that means saying goodbye to players who don’t fit into Coach Quinn’s game plan.
On Thursday, the Falcons cut running back Steven Jackson loose. This did not come as a shock to many, and in fact, it was actually a relief to most fans. The Falcons had acquired Steven Jackson at exactly the wrong time, right after the peak of his prime. For all the money the Falcons paid Jackson, they did not get the monster plays that made him a star with the St. Louis Rams, his team prior to the Falcons. However, his lack of productivity and yards on the field was not entirely his fault. Jackson exhibited a great attitude and work ethic during his two years with the Falcons but between age and injuries, his body was just not cut out to do what it used to do back in the day. Add a weak offensive line who has problems blocking for runners and it was just not a winning equation. With Jackson gone, the Falcons will be counting on second-year running back Devonta Freeman, who should fit better into new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s zone-blocking scheme.
On Friday morning, the Falcons cut long-time Falcon Harry Douglas. The wide receiver had been with the team since he was drafted in the third round in 2008 and he, along with Roddy White and Julio Jones, had become the wide receiver trio that all Falcons fans had come to know and love. It will be a sad departure for Harry, who grew up a Falcons fan, as well as his fans but I have no doubt he will get picked up by another team soon.

The Falcons continued their cuts throughout the day, parting ways with veteran guard Justin Blalock and defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi. Like Douglas, Blalock had also been with the team since the day he was drafted, back in 2007. The offensive line overall needed a complete makeover and while Blalock has undoubtedly contributed throughout the 125 games he played in Atlanta, it seems that he was not going to fit into the new offense. On the other hand, the decision to cut Massaquoi was confusing to fans, as he was the best pass rusher on the team and everyone knows the Falcons’ number one problem on defense is the lack of a strong pass rush threat. But most likely, this just means that Quinn is looking to get a strong pass rusher in the upcoming draft. 
With free agency beginning in March, the Falcons will most likely make more cuts over the next few days to ensure that they have enough salary cap space to acquire the players they are targeting. At this point, it feels like nobody on the Falcons roster is safe. It will definitely be interesting to see the final product that Coach Quinn is trying to create and hopefully it will turn in some wins come September.