April 30, 2007 - Within days apart, the Atlanta Falcons made deals with Arizona and Seattle to fill some voids on their roster and move them up on the draft board. On Saturday, the Falcons made a statement moving disgruntled RB Warrick Dunn, a 2nd, 3rd, a 5th round choice and swapping the 8th overall pick for RB Edgerrin James and the 5th overall in this years draft. Atlanta's head coach Bill Petrino spoke on the reasons for the moves.
"When there's a player in the locker room who doesn't want to be here and is vocal about it to the other players, we need to nip it in the bud and correct the problem." Petrino also added, "You need to address the cancer before it effects the whole organization and that's what we did."
Many experts agree that James is an upgrade in the runningback position, but they also question the cost the Falcons paid to obtain him.
"We feel like we're just a few pieces away from being real contenders," added GM Ill Madden, "so to trade away some draft picks for a caliber player like James, we feel like it's to our advantage. Edge is not only a great player, but a phenomenal person to have in the locker room. You can't put a price on that."
Less than 24 hours later, Atlanta also dealt away their last 2nd and a 4th round pick to Seattle for wide-out Darrell Jackson. Needing a target for Michael Vick, the Falcons believe they found the answer with Jackson, who should contend against an aging Joe Horn for the #1 receiver for the team. But there are still questions concerning his hands. Jackson's been known for dropping his share of balls and is the only thing stopping him from being mentioned with the elite receivers.
"This off-season I made it a priority to work on catching the football with my fingertips, rather than allowing the ball to hit my palm's first." Stated Jackson, "And now the only thing to do is show and prove on the field."
If indeed Jackson's corrected his hand issues, this move pays great dividends for the Falcons in dire need for a receiver. If not, the trade can be costly for Atlanta.