Head Coach Mike Smith
Opening Statement:
"This week is a critical week for all 32 teams in the National Football League. The lifeblood of any team is building through the draft and this is going to be a critical week for us."
On the 2008 Atlanta Falcons:
"We accomplished several of our goals and were pleased with the outcome. We're very fortunate to be one of the 12 teams to have the opportunity to play in the playoffs but, like I told our guys back in January, that's 2008 and we're on to 2009."
On offense vs. defense in the NFL Draft:
"It was obvious last year that we added some very important pieces on offense. Going into this season we can't talk about (if) it's going to be offense or it's going to be defense. We definitely have some holes to fill on our football team and we're going to take a good, strong look at the defensive side of the football. But we're not going to say we're going defense."
On Matt Stafford and Matt Ryan and Stafford not throwing at the Combine:
"We had a personal workout with Matt (Ryan) and spent time with Matt individually. It wasn't really a tough decision for us in terms of having to deal with that. There's a number of quarterbacks that will go and throw on their campus... You just have to go and do your due diligence. We were very pleased with the way (Ryan) worked out and I thought Matt had an outstanding season this year."
On what attracted him to Matt Ryan:
"I think one of the first things that stood out for me personally was, even though Matt didn't throw, he was out there with all the other quarterbacks. Sometimes the guys that don't work out come and leave. I think that showed what kind of person he is. Then, of course, the interview process is very important. Matt's skill set was obvious in terms of what he can do throwing the football. But when you sat down and talked to him and felt him out in terms of what he likes to do in studying the game we saw he was going to be a successful quarterback and he definitely exceeded our expectations last season."
On finding a tight end that can block and catch:
"I think the tight end position, especially in this day and age with what teams are doing offensively -- most teams don't have fullbacks -- I think the tight end position is a priority. I think it's very difficult to find the guy that can both run and block because some of the offensive schemes they're running in college, the spread offense, you don't get a chance to evaluate guys getting down in three-point stances."
On what point the coaches are at in the scouting process:
"The great thing (General Manager) Thomas (Dimitroff) and his staff have done for us is pare the list down for our coaching staff and we're going to get an opportunity this week to get a chance to really see these guys in person. We have had the opportunity to do some film work through the offseason and we're looking forward to interacting with these college eligible players."
On a pass-catching tight end affecting the Falcons offense:
"I think (offensive coordinator) Mike (Mularkey) looks at the tight end position probably a little bit differently than most offensive coordinators. Mike played in the league as a tight end for nine season. Our offense has a lot of elements that are very difficult for a tight end. I thought our guys did a nice job last year... Ben (Hartsock) is more of the blocking tight end and Justin (Peelle) was more of the receiving tight end. But it's a good group of tight ends. I think from top to bottom here at the Combine this is one of the better groups."
On Arizona's use of a tight end:
"I thought they utilized their tight end very well, especially in the playoffs. But those three receivers they have are tough to defend. Of course the more weapons you have on the offensive side of the ball the more difficult it is to defend. I know Leonard Pope was injured there at the end of the season. I think Arizona had a dynamic offense this season."
On what's impressed him most about Matt Ryan:
"Matt is a young man we classify as a 'gym rat.' The day after the ball game in Arizona I came walking down the steps and walked past the quarterback room and Matt was in there watching the tape of the game. That just tells you what kind of guy he is. I think the thing that was most impressive about Matt was his maturation process throughout the season. We were able to give him more and more as the season went on. I think he handled the no-huddle extremely well. I think that was a good weapon for our offense... He had a number of awards at the end of the season but I think the most impressive thing about Matt Ryan's first year was that we did not choose captains at the beginning of the season. We elected captains at the end of the year and Matt, as a rookie quarterback, was elected an offensive captain. I think that says a lot about a young man, to come in and not be a part of our program for a whole year and be elected a permanent captain."
On rookie offensive tackles last year and this year:
"I can't really speak to this year's class. I haven't spent a whole lot of time watching the offensive tackles. I know the eight that came out last year (in the first round) I think the majority of them played extremely well. From what I understand this group of offensive tackles are just as impressive -- maybe not as deep -- but very good players."
On the thought behind placing the franchise tag on Michael Koenen:
"Michael was a key part of our success this year. He did a great job kicking the ball off. He's not just a punter, Michael also handles our kickoff duties so he has two jobs. He did an outstanding job in terms of placing the ball in the end zone. He was third in the National Football League in touchbacks. Michael did a great job. Our punt coverage team set an NFL record for return yardage... We only had 49 return yards against us this year and that had a lot to do with Michael's hang time, Michael's ability to position the football where we wanted to kick it and I thought our coverage unit did a good job as well. Michael, I think, is an integral part of the game and special teams is so important."
On working at the draft and free agency together:
"I think you have to look forward and I think that's one thing Thomas Dimitroff does very well. He's very forward-looking. What happens in free agency is going to affect what happens in the draft, not only in 2009 but 2010 as well. You've got to look forward and it's going to be a deep draft at a certain position we may forgo taking a player in free agency because we know next year it's going to be a very deep draft. You have to be forward-thinking and you have to look out the timeline."
On looking ahead to the next year's draft:
"You have to look out. If not, you're not doing your due diligence and I think you can look out at least two years at what might be available. Our scouts do a great job projecting what's going to be out there in the upcoming years as well."
On balancing carries between running backs in the future:
"We try to set going into each game about how many touches we'd like to get both of those guys. Michael (Turner) is very young. He's been in the league for five years and he only had 251 total carries in his career prior to this season. Even though he has five years in the league he doesn't have a lot of wear and tear on his body. Michael got stronger as the season went on and I think that was one reason why we continued to give him as many carries as he got. We will take a good, hard look and project next year how many touches, in an ideal situation, we'd like to get him. Jerious (Norwood) is not only a threat running the ball but he's also a threat catching the ball coming out of the backfield and he does a very good job in kickoffs. I think he had over 1,200 yards again this year in kickoff returns."
On going quarterback first in 2008 over a tackle:
"As we went through the process last year, when we made the decision last year to draft Matt Ryan with the third pick we knew we needed to get some help for him on the offensive line. That's why we moved up in the first round to take Sam Baker. There was that run on tackles that took place there in the first round so we had to move up to assure ourselves we could get an offensive tackle to protect the backside of Matt. Once we went with Matt we were going to do everything in our power to get one of those top tackles."
On if you can predict a run on a position on draft day:
"It's really based on the number of players that are graded that high. Each year it happens at a different position. Last year it happened to be offensive tackle. This year it may be at a different position. Once you see two or three of them go you pretty much know that's the mode of operation throughout the league. I know there were other teams that had to do the same thing. Carolina moved up to take (Jeff) Otah there in the first round. You have to go on a gut feel with the general managers that are calling the shots."
On interest in Julius Peppers:
"Julius is an outstanding player."
MORE ON THE 2009 NFL SCOUTING COMBINE:
- NFL.com: Combine Homepage | Participants
- BLOGS: J. Mike's Missives | Off the Cuff with Mookie Dunkleman
- TWITTER: Follow J. Mike and Matt on Twitter
- FLICKR: Check out the Falcons Photostream
- NFL NETWORK: Combine Workout and Programming Schedule
- WORKOUTS: What Will the players be doing at the Combine?
- RESULTS: Top Performers at the 2009 Scouting Combine
- LAST SEASON: AF.com Combine coverage from 2008
