Tweet
ATLANTA -- Demonstrating that they are serious about overhauling a safety corps that rated as one of the NFL's worst in '05, the Atlanta Falcons have acquired three-year veteran Chris Crocker from the Cleveland Browns for a fourth-round pick in this year's draft.
Chris Crocker
Crocker
The trade is contingent on Crocker passing a Monday physical exam. On Friday, the Falcons added 10-year veteran safety Lawyer Milloy, agreeing with him on a three-year, $6.01 million contract.
Crocker, 26, started all 16 games for the Browns in 2005 for the first time in his career and has his best season by far, with 86 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one recovery, two interceptions, and four passes defensed. For his career, he has 175 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed, and had appeared in 44 games and started 22 of them.
A former Marshall standout, Crocker was chosen in the third round of the 2003 draft. While the Browns felt Crocker was still a starting caliber player, the team has a glut at safety, and coaches are convinced that second-year pro Brodney Pool, a highly regarded second-round choice in 2005, is prepared to step into the starting lineup this season.
The young Cleveland safety contingent also includes Sean Jones and Brian Russell.
Conversely, safety has been a position of concern in Atlanta for several years, and the overall performance of the team's safeties in 2005 was poor. Not only did the Falcons safeties not make big, game-altering plays, they also failed to make routine ones, and their collective tackling was shoddy. Team officials and coach Jim Mora acknowledged that rebuilding the safety position was an offseason priority.
Even with the additions of Milloy and Crocker, the Falcons might still use an early-round draft choice to bring in another young safety.
In Milloy, the Falcons landed a veteran who will get everyone lined up in the right place, and who is a sure tackler. Crocker should provide energy and another physical hitter to the interior of the secondary, and he is also a very good special teams player.
Crocker has two seasons remaining on his contract and has a base salary of $1 million for 2006.
__________________________________
ATLANTA -- In a move that addresses the Atlanta Falcons' most glaring defensive shortcoming, the team on Friday reached an agreement with unrestricted free-agent safety Lawyer Milloy, who was released by the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago for salary cap reasons.
Lawyer Milloy
Safety
Buffalo Bills
Profile
2005 SEASON STATISTICS
Tot Ast Solo FF Sack Int
107 75 32 0 1 1
Milloy, 32, will sign a three-year contract, worth $6.01 million, with a signing bonus of $2.5 million and salaries of $810,000, $1 million, and $1.7 million, according to agent Carl Poston, ESPN.com's Michael Smith reports.
The 10-year veteran visited with Falcons coaches and team officials earlier this week and dined with owner Arthur Blank at a local steakhouse, usually a tip-off that Atlanta is serious about pursuing a player. Milloy had also visited with the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks.
Atlanta had made no pretense about dramatically overhauling a safety contingent that arguably ranked as one of the NFL's worst in 2005. Even with the addition of Milloy, the Falcons likely will still use a high-round draft pick to acquire a safety, one who might even have a chance to start as a rookie. Coach Jim Mora indicated at the conclusion of the '05 season that the Falcons would probably sign a veteran in free agency and also add a younger safety as well.
The Atlanta starting safeties combined for just three interceptions in 2005 and totaled just five "big plays" -- a combination of interceptions, sacks, fumbles forced and fumbles recovered. In fact, over the last three seasons, the Falcons' safeties averaged fewer than six "big plays" per year. Contributing to the problem in 2005 was that the starters, Keion Carpenter and Bryan Scott, also tackled poorly.
In hindsight, the Falcons' brass probably erred last spring in its approach to the longtime safety woes, eschewing higher-priced veterans at the position and instead concentrating on stop-gap players. Adding a player the caliber of Milloy, a heady veteran and a high-character guy, should benefit the Falcons both on and off the field.
That said, Milloy, certainly in the past few years, hasn't authored many game-altering plays. He has just three interceptions in the past four seasons and, while his resume includes 22 pickoffs, Milloy has had more than three interceptions in a season just once in his career, when he garnered six in 1998. Still, he is a steadying force on a defense, and a very good tackler, both commodities the Falcons need at safety.
The former University of Washington standout was a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 1996 draft. He was released by New England in 2003, after he rejected a salary reduction, and signed with the Buffalo Bills. He has 1,035 tackles in his career, including seven seasons with 100 tackles or more, and 15 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and 70 passes defensed.
Milloy has missed just five of a possible 160 regular-season contests in his career.
Chris Crocker
Crocker
The trade is contingent on Crocker passing a Monday physical exam. On Friday, the Falcons added 10-year veteran safety Lawyer Milloy, agreeing with him on a three-year, $6.01 million contract.
Crocker, 26, started all 16 games for the Browns in 2005 for the first time in his career and has his best season by far, with 86 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one recovery, two interceptions, and four passes defensed. For his career, he has 175 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed, and had appeared in 44 games and started 22 of them.
A former Marshall standout, Crocker was chosen in the third round of the 2003 draft. While the Browns felt Crocker was still a starting caliber player, the team has a glut at safety, and coaches are convinced that second-year pro Brodney Pool, a highly regarded second-round choice in 2005, is prepared to step into the starting lineup this season.
The young Cleveland safety contingent also includes Sean Jones and Brian Russell.
Conversely, safety has been a position of concern in Atlanta for several years, and the overall performance of the team's safeties in 2005 was poor. Not only did the Falcons safeties not make big, game-altering plays, they also failed to make routine ones, and their collective tackling was shoddy. Team officials and coach Jim Mora acknowledged that rebuilding the safety position was an offseason priority.
Even with the additions of Milloy and Crocker, the Falcons might still use an early-round draft choice to bring in another young safety.
In Milloy, the Falcons landed a veteran who will get everyone lined up in the right place, and who is a sure tackler. Crocker should provide energy and another physical hitter to the interior of the secondary, and he is also a very good special teams player.
Crocker has two seasons remaining on his contract and has a base salary of $1 million for 2006.
__________________________________
ATLANTA -- In a move that addresses the Atlanta Falcons' most glaring defensive shortcoming, the team on Friday reached an agreement with unrestricted free-agent safety Lawyer Milloy, who was released by the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago for salary cap reasons.
Lawyer Milloy
Safety
Buffalo Bills
Profile
2005 SEASON STATISTICS
Tot Ast Solo FF Sack Int
107 75 32 0 1 1
Milloy, 32, will sign a three-year contract, worth $6.01 million, with a signing bonus of $2.5 million and salaries of $810,000, $1 million, and $1.7 million, according to agent Carl Poston, ESPN.com's Michael Smith reports.
The 10-year veteran visited with Falcons coaches and team officials earlier this week and dined with owner Arthur Blank at a local steakhouse, usually a tip-off that Atlanta is serious about pursuing a player. Milloy had also visited with the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks.
Atlanta had made no pretense about dramatically overhauling a safety contingent that arguably ranked as one of the NFL's worst in 2005. Even with the addition of Milloy, the Falcons likely will still use a high-round draft pick to acquire a safety, one who might even have a chance to start as a rookie. Coach Jim Mora indicated at the conclusion of the '05 season that the Falcons would probably sign a veteran in free agency and also add a younger safety as well.
The Atlanta starting safeties combined for just three interceptions in 2005 and totaled just five "big plays" -- a combination of interceptions, sacks, fumbles forced and fumbles recovered. In fact, over the last three seasons, the Falcons' safeties averaged fewer than six "big plays" per year. Contributing to the problem in 2005 was that the starters, Keion Carpenter and Bryan Scott, also tackled poorly.
In hindsight, the Falcons' brass probably erred last spring in its approach to the longtime safety woes, eschewing higher-priced veterans at the position and instead concentrating on stop-gap players. Adding a player the caliber of Milloy, a heady veteran and a high-character guy, should benefit the Falcons both on and off the field.
That said, Milloy, certainly in the past few years, hasn't authored many game-altering plays. He has just three interceptions in the past four seasons and, while his resume includes 22 pickoffs, Milloy has had more than three interceptions in a season just once in his career, when he garnered six in 1998. Still, he is a steadying force on a defense, and a very good tackler, both commodities the Falcons need at safety.
The former University of Washington standout was a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 1996 draft. He was released by New England in 2003, after he rejected a salary reduction, and signed with the Buffalo Bills. He has 1,035 tackles in his career, including seven seasons with 100 tackles or more, and 15 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and 70 passes defensed.
Milloy has missed just five of a possible 160 regular-season contests in his career.
I wonder if that would free up Keion Carpenter
Comment