Atlanta Falcons Rumors & News

ESPN.com "Cutting two games off the preseason -- either by expanding the playoffs or moving to an 18-game schedule -- is still being discussed, commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday at the NFL's spring owners meetings in Boston. He said all "[options] are on the table." "As I have said before, I..." May 22

Akron Beacon Journal "Jimmy Haslam, whose purchase of the Browns was unanimously approved in October, apologized to fellow NFL owners for the negative attention an ongoing federal investigation targeting his family business, Pilot Flying J, has brought upon the league, Jarrett Bell of USA Today reported. Since the..." May 22

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "A worker was temporarily trapped Tuesday afternoon when a retaining wall collapsed at the Gwinnett County home of an Atlanta Falcons player. The man, whose name was not released, was working in a ditch when the wall collapsed around noon, pinning him face down against a concrete wall at the..." May 22

NFL.com "The NFL draft provides football fans with a peek into the exhilaration that comes with entering the league. Far less publicized is a player's exit from the game, which carries its own emotional weight. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the NFL Spring Meeting in Boston that he had met with..." May 22

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "NFL owners this morning voted to provide the Falcons with $200 million in league funding toward the new retractable-roof stadium slated to open in Atlanta in 2017. The money will come from the league’s “G-4” program, which supports stadium construction and renovation around the league. Most of..." May 21

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The Falcons signed one fourth-rounder, a fifth-rounder and two seventh-round picks on Friday. Defensive ends Malliciah Goodman and Stansly Maponga, free safety Kemal Ishmael and strong safety Zeke Motta were all signed. Terms were not disclosed. Goodman was taken in the fourth round and Maponga..." May 18

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Based on the contracts signed by the players selected in the same slots in 2012, the Falcons do not have enough money under the salary cap to sign all of their recent eight draft picks. They are $2.18 million under the salary cap, according to NFLPA documents. The players selected in the same..." May 11

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The Falcons waived kicker Casey Barth and cornerback Momo Thomas, two undrafted rookie free agents they signed after the draft, on Thursday. Barth, who played at North Carolina, is the younger brother of Tampa Bay kicker Connor Barth." May 10

USA Today "John Abraham had heard enough from Atlanta Falcons fans asking him to return to the team. After all, he wasn't the one who ended his seven-year run with the organization. "Y yall keep tweeting me like I did it," Abraham tweeted on Monday. "I got cut stop asking to come back plz" At one..." May 07

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Falcons linebacker Brian Banks, looking comfortable in the middle of the defense, went through his first practice with the team at their rookie minicamp on Saturday. Banks, who was signed by the Falcons on April 3, is attempting to make a comeback after being exonerated of rape changes in May of..." May 05

NFL.com "NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reached out to a source close to the defensive end, who said there was "nothing to it." The source added that "perhaps (Abraham is) expressing the frustration" he has with a free-agent process that hasn't yielded a new job. With Abraham coming off a 10-sack season -- and..." May 05

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "After the draft last night, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff head back up to the team’s draft room. Lionel Vital, the director of player personnel, was directing the effort to sign undrafted rookie free agents (UDRFAs) or college free agents (CFAs). “If you had the opportunity to go up..." April 28

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff targeted a player and made a trade to land him in the NFL draft Thursday night. It wasn’t the mega-deal, but the Falcons moved up eight spots from 30th to 22nd in a deal with the St. Louis Rams to select Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant. “It’s..." April 26

Fox Sports South "Matt Ryan’s offseasons have mostly resembled an ocean of calmness in past years. For the Falcons quarterback, who offers an air of unflappability, little appears to distract him from his stated goal of winning football games. This offseason, a couple of factors — some under his control,..." April 24

CBSSports.com "Because they do the on-location television coverage for the draft, the analysts who work for ESPN and NFL Network will know in advance who's being taken in the 2013 NFL Draft. But this year, those folks aren't going to spoil the picks on Twitter. Instead, they will "speculate" on who might be..." April 22

Yahoo! Sports "There is little chance that this year's NFL draft will match its trade-heavy results of 2012, when six of the top seven picks were dealt, including one of them twice. This is despite the fact that the top four teams and a bunch of others are trying like crazy to move around. The Kansas City..." April 22

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The Falcons are putting working on quarterback Matt Ryan’s contract extension on the back burner for a few weeks until the NFL draft is over, according to general manager Thomas Dimitroff. The draft is set for Thursday through Saturday. The team has been reducing salaries this offseason in order..." April 20

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Falcons safety William Moore, who recently re-signed with the team after a playing in his first Pro Bowl, was arrested and charged with simple battery on Thursday, according to Fulton County Jail Records. Moore was booked into Fulton County Jail, according to jail records. “We are aware of..." April 18

Yahoo! Sports "On the heels of regulators red-flagging a potential $18 million scam last week, multiple federal agencies are probing investments sold to NFL and NBA players, Yahoo! Sports has learned. According to multiple sources that spoke to Yahoo! Sports on the condition of anonymity, several professional..." April 17

NFL.com "Pat Summerall spent 10 years in the NFL as a player. He spent another 40 years describing the game he loved as one of the sport's iconic broadcasters. On Tuesday, Summerall passed away at the age of 82, Fox Sports spokesman Dan Bell confirmed to NFL.com and NFL Network. According to..." April 16

NFL.com "Fear not, friends, the NFL schedule will become public knowledge this week. League spokesman Greg Aiello announced Tuesday that the NFL's 2013 regular-season slate of games will be announced on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. This comes one day after the league told NFL.com's Around The League that..." April 16

Yahoo! Sports "There's a curious and somewhat disgusting case of whodunit being investigated by approximately a dozen NFL teams. National Football Scouting president Jeff Foster, who runs the NFL scouting combine, confirmed that a hotel room was left trashed during the February 2013 event in Indianapolis...." April 16

NFL.com "Brian Banks got his dream of an NFL career back when he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons last week. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff insists signing Banks wasn't an act of charity or some publicity stunt. Banks lost 10 years of his football career over a crime he didn't commit, but the..." April 10

NFLEvolution.com "The preliminary hearing in a lawsuit brought by former players against the NFL alleging misinformation over head injuries has ended for Tuesday in Philadelphia. Both sides presented their arguments, according to The Associated Press, with the players side saying the league profited from..." April 09

NFL.com "Brian Banks got his dream of an NFL career back when he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons last week. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff insists signing Banks wasn't an act of charity or some publicity stunt. Banks lost 10 years of his football career over a crime he didn't commit, but the..." April 09

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Former Atlanta Falcons tight end Greg McCrary was in grave condition in a hospital on Monday night, according to his brother. “He’s not doing well, and we appreciate everybody’s thoughts and prayers,” said Phil McCrary, who is Athletics Coordinator for DeKalb County Schools. Earlier on Monday,..." April 09

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The Atlanta Falcons cleared the final political hurdle on Thursday on the team’s plan to build a $1 billion retractable-roof downtown stadium. Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm, voted 8-1 to approve issuing more than $200 million in bonds backed by city hotel-motel taxes that..." April 04

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The Falcons, in a salary cap move, are set to release starting right tackle Tyson Clabo later today. “We’re really disappointed,” said Clabo, who was notified about the release at 7:30 a.m. Thursday. “This was unexpected.” The move, which will be announced as a post-June 1 cut, will save the..." April 04

New York Times "In its quest to keep fans in the stands, and give them a reason not to view games in high definition in their livings rooms, the N.F.L. will put cameras into all home team locker rooms next season. Then they will encourage the teams to use the video on their stadium scoreboards, to give fans who..." April 04

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "NFL fans in other cities have a major gripe with their ownership. Some owners take the big television revenue check and stuff it their big fat pockets. Falcons fans can rejoice because owner Arthur Blank has not been shy about letting his football men spend up to the cap in order to field..." April 03

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Even though the Falcons recently signed one of the top free-agent defensive ends in Osi Umenyiora, they still could address the position in the NFL draft. On Tuesday, the Falcons had one of the top defensive end prospects, Florida State’s Tank Carradine, in to visit the facilities and meet the..." April 03

ESPN.com "The Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday are signing linebacker Brian Banks, who was exonerated last year in a California rape case in which he was falsely accused, a team source confirmed to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. "The kid will get a second chance that he deserves," a team official said in a..." April 03

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The Falcons signed linebacker Brian Banks, a former football star who was exonerated on rape charges, today. The team, which has avoided signing players with character issues is wake of the Michael Vick dog fighting call, will hold a conference call with the media around noon. He’s had..." April 03

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The Falcons came up 10 yards short in the postseason. But in the offseason, general manager Thomas Dimitroff is clicking on all cylinders. The Falcons had some potentially massive holes at several key positions, but they have come up with plausible answers and possible upgrades at nearly every..." March 30

NFL.com "Osi Umenyiora added some more context to the pass-rusher market Thursday when he officially signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Dwight Freeney took note. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport said Thursday on "NFL Total Access" that Freeney wants more than Umenyiora's $8.5 million base earnings...." March 29

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "As the NFL free-agency period churns to a slow grind, teams around the league are turning their focus to the draft, which is less than a month away. The first round of the draft will be held April 25. Rounds 2 and 3 are set for April 26 and rounds 4-7 for April 27. The Falcons, who figure to..." March 27

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Osi Umeniyiora, who was a major cog along the defensive line that help propel the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles, finalized a deal with the the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday. Umenyiora, the 10th active sack leader in the NFL, visited the Falcons last Wednesday, and his stated his desire..." March 27

ESPN.com "There are lots of reports out there that the Atlanta Falcons are close to signing defensive end Osi Umenyiora. But nothing official has come yet. Even if it does, the Falcons might be wise to continue looking for help for the pass rush. In theory, Umenyiora would take the place of John..." March 25

CBSSports.com "Former NFL player Scott Fujita has seen enough. He's tired of the bigotry. He wants it to end. He's not alone. Players like Fujita, along with a coalition of current and former NFL players, and NFL team owners, a music mogul and others, are working diligently to create a safe atmosphere for the..." March 25

NFL.com "After 194 starts in 13 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, center Todd McClure is retiring from the NFL. A seventh-round pick back in 1999, the under-sized McClure was tutored by zone-blocking guru Alex Gibbs. Across the coaching staffs of Dan Reeves, Jim Mora, Bobby Petrino and Mike Smith,..." March 25

New York Post "Osi Umenyiora reportedly won’t have the Giants to complain about anymore. The veteran defensive end, who became known as much for contract squabbles as production on the field in recent years, is set to bolt Big Blue and sign with the Falcons today or tomorrow, according to an Internet report..." March 24

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Free agent defensive end Osi Umenyiora, the 10th active sack leader in the NFL, wants to join the Atlanta Falcons. Umenyiora, who visited the Falcons on Wednesday and has won two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants, expressed his desire to play for the Falcons on the Jamie and Jerome Show..." March 23

New Orleans Times-Picayune "The biggest free agent moves in the NFC South may all still be to come. The New Orleans Saints are wrapping up a visit Friday with free agent outside linebacker Victor Butler, who could help fill their most glaring defensive need. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still mulling a blockbuster trade for..." March 22