Sports

BY RUSS RAGAN
It took a while, but the Falcons have finally got a new head coach and yes he is offensive minded and that’s a good thing. I think the Birds will contend more sooner than later in the NFC South. It is getting close to the scheduled start of Spring Training and the Browns still have some business to take care of.
Let’s start with the biggest news of the week. The Falcons have named Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as head coach. He has done a really good job as play caller, of course it doesn’t hurt having Derek Henry as a great back.
Another big piece is the possibility of hiring Dean Pars as defensive coordinator. He is known to be very apprehensive in play calling and he loves to blitz. He coached with Smith at Tennessee. He is currently retired but word is he is a chance to come.
The big challenge for Smith and staff is what to do with the fourth pick of the draft. If they stay at number four, they must take a quarterback. Zach Wilson from Brigham Young will be there and possibly Justin Fields as well. The second option is trading down to say number 19 to Washington and take Mac Jones from Alabama or Trey Lance from North Dakota State. The deal should include a second round pick and maybe a future number one. I also expect an early second round pick at running back. Travis Etienne from Clemson would be good with me and he catches a ball well out of the backfield.
The bottom line is this; Matt Ryan probably will be the quarterback in 2021. I think it’s time to draft his replacement for the 2022 season. I also think it’s time to draft a true workhorse running back. I think that is the way they should go in round two.
We have better than three months to discuss this one.
If you watched the Tampa-New Orleans game Sunday, you should have noticed one thing, the NFC South is getting old.
We probably saw Drew Brees in his final game and honestly he looked old.
Who will be the replacement? Jameis Winston doesn’t scare me at all. Then there is Tom Brady and Tampa Bay. He will be back in Tampa next year at 44 and honestly his best days are behind him. Will Tampa be the 2021 favorite? Without any questions. The Falcons can be right there in 2022 but this draft can’t be missed.
As I was writing this Sunday night, it looks like the search for the general manager is over.
Terry Fontenot, the assistant at New Orleans will be named the headman in Atlanta real soon.
Hopefully, Spring Training is close by as the 2020 baseball off-season is almost over. I wouldn’t be shocked if things got delayed a little but MLV is hoping for a 162 game season. There is still no word on the DH in the national league.
It doesn’t look like Ozuna will be a Brave as his price will be too high.
Names like Peterson, Brantley and a possible Kris Bryan trade should heat up soon as the Cubs are really moving payroll.

BY RUSS RAGAN
Despite neither team playing, there was news on the Falcons and Bulldogs front. The Dogs have several key returners and the offense should be really good. The Falcons have the fourth overall pick in April’s draft plus they have a fourth place schedule which is nice. There are reports that there is a favorite for the head coaching job and it’s a surprise.
Nothing really to report on the Braves front but I have some ideas.
It was a good week on the Bulldog front. Players have until this Friday the 15th to announce if they are returning for another season by the NCAA. The defense got a boost as Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Davis are coming back. No word yet from Zamir “Zeus” White. I do think he will be back. Scoring points shouldn’t be a problem for the Dogs this fall.
There hasn’t been a whole lot of winning in Falcon land, but their losing has helped things out. We do have good news to report. The 2021 schedules are out and it’s doable for the Birds. They have the home games with the Saints, Bucs and Panthers. After that things get a lot easier. Of the remaining ten teams only two made the 2020 playoffs. Buffalo is very good, no question about it. The other is the Washington football team and they are very beatable.
The second part of good news is they have the fourth pick in April’s draft. The big question is do you draft a quarterback? Zach Wilson from BYU and Justin Fields will possibly be there. Personally, I don’t think the Birds leave Fields there at number four. They could trade down and add picks. We will talk more about that as time goes on.
There is even still more Falcons news and this one is about the next head coach. It looks like the early favorite is Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady. He was also in the same position in 2019 for the college national champion LSU. He is only 31, does that scare anybody out there?
The other big interior went to Kansas City Chief offensive coordinator Eric Bienieiz. He is the hot candidate across the league. Personally, I would take either one and it does excite me that both are offensive guys. The next three plus months should be interesting in Falcons land.
Let’s wrap up with the Braves. In the 2019 off season they picked up Cole Hanels, bad move, and Will Smith, improved as the year went along. In the 2020 off season, they picked up Charlie Morton. A move I liked, add Drew Smyley a move I don’t dislike just like last year things have gotten really quiet.
The Mets did make a real big deal as they got shortstop Francisco Lendor and pitcher Carlos Carrasco.
The Mets give up descent prospects in the deal but they are paying pretty much by contracts.
So, what will the Braves do? Well they could bring back Ozuna and hope the designated hitter comes back at least by 2022. They could trade for Kris Bryant from the Cubs as he will be a free agent at the end of the season, but you can’t overpay in prospects. Don’t rule out Michael Brantley or Joe Peterson for the last outfield spot. The Braves should do something soon for the offense.