 |
| |
|
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|
 |
Elation in Atlanta Falcons bet on future with trade for top overall pick
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -- When he took charge of the forlorn franchise in January 1997, Dan Reeves promised the Atlanta Falcons would make a permanent break from their gloomy past. Acquiring the rights to draft quarterback Michael Vick in a Friday afternoon trade with the San Diego Chargers could turn out to be the most important move Reeves has made with the Falcons. "I have to give an awful lot of people credit," Reeves said. "It certainly wasn't just me. [Team president] Taylor Smith, first of all, for stepping up and being willing to do it. You have to give ownership a pat on the back for seeing this is a good deal for the Atlanta Falcons." Atlanta swapped the No. 5 overall pick, a third-round pick, receiver Tim Dwight and its second-round pick in 2002 for the No. 1 overall spot in the NFL draft, which begins Saturday. Ron Hill, the vice president of football operations who has full autonomy in Atlanta's draft efforts, believes the deal sends a positive message to a disinterested local populace and the Falcons' dwindling fan base. "I hope so," Hill said. "It's a franchise move, something that you look at a decision you make to help your long-term situation." Though it was too early to tell what kind of impact the trade might have on season ticket sales, Hill erased any doubt that they will trade the No. 1 pick. "No, we made the deal so we could bring him on board," Hill said of Vick, the former Virginia Tech star. "Dan is a very competitive person, and he wants to win worse than anybody in our organization. The Smith family has done everything they could do in the time I've been here to make us a better team. They stepped up to the plate again." No one has been able to end the Falcons' post-Super Bowl hangover from their surprising 1998 season. Atlanta has gone 9-23 the last two years and in the process has alienated even those who bothered to buy tickets in the half-filled Georgia Dome. Finally, on Friday, Reeves signed off on a deal that brought some hope to an organization that desperately needs some good publicity. Sports talk radio stations were buzzing across metropolitan Atlanta during a time of the year traditionally dominated by the Braves and spring college football practice. Reeves admitted being smitten by Vick, who as a redshirt freshman led the Hokies to the 1999 national championship game after passing for 1,840 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 585 yards and eight touchdowns on 108 carries. Vick has been timed at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash, exceptional for a quarterback. Last year, Vick suffered a high ankle sprain and missed two games. He finished with 1,284 yards passing, eight touchdowns and six interceptions. "I don't know that I've ever seen a quarterback who a lot of times is the fastest player on the field," Reeves said. "I don't know that that happens many times. But there's no doubt he's the fastest player on the field sometimes when you look at the film. He's got a great release, a very quick release, a very accurate release. He's a great competitor. "When we brought him in here a couple of weeks ago, he was an impressive young man. He handled himself extremely well. He's young. There's no question it's going to take time for him to develop. But we'll fit in some ways to get him involved a little bit because he's just too exciting for the fans not to see." Hill doesn't anticipate the Falcons' having a hard time signing Vick, whose agents reportedly were seeking a $15 million signing bonus from San Diego. Talks between the Chargers and Vick's representatives eventually broke down. "You don't make moves like these by being blind to a situation," Hill said. "We're fully aware of the parameters." If Vick is signed and ready to participate in training camp, which begins at the end of July in Greenville, S.C., he is likely to be playing behind 13-year veteran Chris Chandler. "Right now, that is absolutely the situation," Richardson said. "It's certainly not something that's going to take away from Chris Chandler and the success he can have this year. We're looking forward to it." Reeves didn't seem to be too worried about the difficulties Chandler had in Houston when the Oilers drafted Steve McNair with the No. 1 overall pick. "He's a great guy for Michael to learn from," Reeves said. "We'll have to try to get him involved in some packages to create some problems for other teams. When you've got that kind of speed and ability, you've got to utilize it somewhat." In the Falcons' 35-year history, the club has held the first overall pick in the draft three times. In their first NFL season in 1966, Atlanta drafted linebacker Tommy Nobis from Texas. In 1975, the Falcons drafted quarterback Steve Bartkowski from California, and in 1988 the Falcons took linebacker Aundray Bruce from Auburn. Dwight, a three-year veteran, was a restricted free agent who was signed Friday. Terms of the contract were not announced. Last season, Dwight had 26 receptions for 406 yards and three touchdowns, returned 33 punts for 309 yards, including a 70-yard TD and ran back 32 kickoffs for 680 yards.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
