This time of year can be enjoyable for some and miserable for others, as teams are beginning to decide who to cut from their roster to meet the 53 man maximum by Saturday’s deadline.

While most of the players sent packing this week tend to be unknowns, brought in for the sole purpose of providing adequate bodies to get through training camp and the pre-season, there will be quite a few names hitting the street that people around the league and elsewhere will recognize immediately.

One player that will likely fall into the latter category is Atlanta cornerback Chevis Jackson, who was a well regarded prospect coming out of LSU in 2008 and was selected 68th overall. Jackson has struggled mightily thus far in his career to distinguish himself on the field, and given his poor play through three pre-season contests this year, he’s expected to be among the cuts this weekend.

Given his potential, Jackson won’t be out of work for long, but his inability to contribute much on special teams will hurt him significantly in finding a club willing to offer playing time.

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In a move to add a bit more depth up front to their offensive line, New England has traded away an undisclosed draft pick to Atlanta to acquire offensive guard Quinn Ojinnaka, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.

Ojinnaka isn’t likely to find his way into the starting lineup any time soon, but he should provide a solid body to plug into the fold if need be. The draft pick compensation isn’t expected to be significant and will likely be a late round selection at best.

The fifth year veteran started 12 games and played in 39 contests for the Falcons, but he’ll have to wait to make an appearance in a Patriots uniform, as he’s been suspended for one game by the league as a result of a domestic violence incident he had in the off-season with his wife.

This the seventh part of our series breaking down each team’s needs (by division)  headed into the draft tomorrow evening. In case you missed our previous posts, feel free to take a look here.

As always, we want to hear what you think, so don’t hesitate to leave us your thoughts in the comment thread.

Atlanta Falcons (9-7)

Analysis: Last season was definitely a big letdown for the Falcons, who were expecting big things after a strong season in 2008. The acquisition of future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez definitely helped the offense, but mediocre performances and injuries at other key positions caused Atlanta to falter at all the wrong times last year. That said, winning nine games gave them back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in their history, which is definitely something to be proud of. Look for more of the same this year, with essentially the same cast of characters back to push for a Super Bowl run. Read the rest of this entry »

For many fans, mixed martial arts (MMA) runs a close second to the NFL, with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) pitting the some of the world’s best athletes against each other in a controlled fight inside an eight-sided ring, with no exits.

Always eager to stay one step ahead of their competition, several NFL players turned to MMA as a part of their off-season training a few years back, and quickly realized the benefits.

Increased stamina, balance, and leverage are but a few of the positive attributes cited by participating players, and while the idea of having million-dollar superstars using a violent sport to assist in their training would seemingly run opposite to most teams, the Atlanta Falcons have embraced it as a whole.

The lead trainer for the group has been Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, who has had a long-standing passion for MMA and together with UFC champion Randy Couture, founded MMAthletics to bring the training used by fighters to athletes in other sports. Read the rest of this entry »

Sun @ 10:50 pm – Just a quick update. The deal between the Lions and Falcons is still pending approval from both sides, and is not yet official. Apparently, things will be finalized later on tomorrow, according to Schefter. My apologies for jumping the gun too quickly…

7:35 pm – Two days removed from hauling in two key free agents and a standout defensive tackle via trade, Detroit jumped back into the news head first with yet another defensive acquisition: cornerback Chris Houston.

The Lions have traded their 2010 sixth round pick and have agreed to swap fifth round positions with Atlanta, in exchange for Houston, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Trading away Houston was made possible in large part by the Falcons recent addition of free agent cornerback Dunta Robinson, who agreed to a major contract on Saturday afternoon.

Despite his struggles at the position last season, Houston represents a major upgrade for Detroit and will undoubtedly solidify a secondary that had difficulty stopping most every team offensively last year.

Prior to last season’s trade deadline, Atlanta made a strong push to acquire Houston cornerback Dunta Robinson, but fell short in the end and missed the playoffs, thanks in large part to a porous defense. So it comes as no surprise that the number one priority for the Falcons this year was getting Robinson into the fold, this time via free agency.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Atlanta has signed Robinson to a six year contract. No other terms have been released as of yet, but it’s likely that any agreement between the two sides will be significant, given Robinson’s ability on the field.

The Falcons defense, while not yet complete, will certainly have a much better composition next fall with Robinson manning one side of the field and preventing opposing wide receivers from running roughshod over the team as they did last year. We’ll have more information on the contract numbers once they hit the wire.

Atlanta kicked off the free agent frenzy earlier tonight when they agreed to a new contract with backup quarterback Chris Redman. The deal is worth an estimated $5.6 million over two seasons, and gives the Falcons a reasonably seasoned player to stand in the gap should Matt Ryan go down with an injury for any extended period of time.

Free agent cornerback Dunta Robinson could potentially be right behind Redman, according to several sources, with Atlanta working overtime to sign the Georgia native, who was the #10 overall pick in the 2004 draft.

This was another close call for New Orleans, but once again they found a way to win when it mattered most. The Saints now have an all important first round bye and remain two games ahead of the Vikings for home field advantage in the NFC.  QB Drew Brees and Co. definitely aren’t showing any signs of letting up as the regular season gets close to the end, and are gunning for a perfect record to go with a run to the Super Bowl.

Final score…

New Orleans – 26

Atlanta – 23
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11:00 am – Team officials released a short statement on Babineaux’s arrest… “We are aware of the situation concerning Jonathan Babineaux and are in the process of gathering information. Because this is a legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”

8:20 am – The Falcons beleaguered roster took another hit this morning, when news of standout defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux’s arrest hit the wire.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, police in Gwinnett County made a routine traffic stop of Babineaux late last night, and arrested him after the officer noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The officer then discovered three bags of the drug, weighing in at about 40 ounces, which is well above the dividing line between simple possession and possession with the intent to distribute.

Babineaux is currently out on bail, but the charges the are likely coming from the incident could bring a significant punishment from the league along with enough jail time to cause him to miss a fair amount of playing time next season.

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The one constant in the NFL is change, and no one knows that better than kickers, who often find themselves attached to a short leash, even those that have proven themselves time and time again.

Jason Elam found that out the hard way from Atlanta earlier today, as he was released by the Falcons in favor of Matt Bryant, who formerly kicked for Tampa Bay and has a career long field goal of 62 yards to his credit. Elam had been struggling throughout much of the season with his consistency, and combined with his poor kickoff distance, the decision to cut him loose was a relatively easy one for Atlanta.

We previously reported on a potential move by the Falcons to find a new kicker early last month.

Bryant seemingly owned the city of Tampa Bay three seasons ago, when he shocked most of the league with his 62 yarder to win a key game against the Eagles as time expired, but much like Elam, he fell out of favor earlier this season after missing several crucial kicks. That said, his career field goal percentage is very good at 82.1% and there is little doubt he still has what it takes to be successful in the NFL, so the move makes sense on a number of levels.

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The Falcons got good news today, receiving word from their medical staff that the injury suffered by QB Matt Ryan in yesterday’s win over Tampa Bay was turf toe, and not something more serious, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer.

Ryan will apparently see a specialist to address the issue, but at this point he’s only scheduled to miss one game; this week’s contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. Backup QB Chris Redman, who threw the game winning touchdown on Sunday, will get the majority of the reps at the position in practice this week, with Ryan resting until further notice.

When Atlanta RB Michael Turner went down with a ankle injury last week, many fans of the Falcons feared the worst. Without him in the huddle on offense, Atlanta’s scoring potential would take a major nosedive, as Turner’s ability in the run game opened the door for the Falcons passing attack to succeed.

But just as things seemed to be headed in the wrong direction, Atlanta’s other multi-talented running back, Jerious Norwood, has returned to the practice field, and depending on his health, he should be available to play next week against the Giants, in a crucial game for both teams.

Norwood presents opposing defenses with a variety of challenges, as he is capable of inflicting damage on the ground and through the air as well. He also provides a solid blocker for QB Matt Ryan on passing downs. His status for Sunday’s contest should be determined by the end of the week, but could go right up to gametime if necessary.