All Time Hawks Roster

By: Noah Lourie (@1788sports, @Noah_lourie)

PG: Mookie Blaylock

Watching Mookie Blaylock play reminds one of what basketball was intended to look like. Blaylock played like the prototypical old school point guard. He passed first but was also a great shooter, finishing first in threes attempted and second in threes made . Defensively he is one of the best to ever play the PG position. Twice he led the NBA in steals, and he is the all time leader in Hawks history in steals. Blaylock is number 11 on the all time steals list, a testament to his constant terrorization of the opponents offense.

SG: Joe Johnson

Joe Johnson, known by many as ISO Joe, is as pure a scorer as they come. He has a killer pull up jumper,  the ability to get to the rim, and he can act as a spot up catch and shoot player as well. Possibly no scorer has been overlooked more than Johnson. He is one of just 43 players in NBA history to eclipse 20,000 points, and he still has at least one more season to build on that number. Johnson was an all star in six of his seven seasons with Atlanta, and from his second season with the team and on he led the Hawks to the playoffs every season, a streak that reached ten years this past season. Because of Johnson's contributions to the longest stretch of success in Atlanta Hawks history, he earned a spot in the starting five.

SF: Dominique Wilkins

Dominique Wilkins is, without a doubt, the greatest Atlanta Hawk ever. He is also considered by many to be the greatest dunker ever, an even more impressive feat when taken into account that he played during the era of Michael Jordan. Wilkins is at the top of the list in just about every box score category there is. #1 in Hawks history in games, minutes, points, points per game, and points in a game (57, which he did twice.) He was a dynamic scorer who put just about everyone in the NBA on a poster. Because of all of this Wilkins is in the hall of fame, has his number retired by the Hawks, and recently got a statue of himself placed at the entrance of Philips Arena.

PF: Paul Millsap

Paul Millsap, Trillsap, the anchorman, the best Hawk since Dominique; whatever you know him as Paul Millsap did the same thing night after night in his four fantastic years in Atlanta: everything. Millsap was always one of the team leaders in just about every category, whether it be points, rebounds, or even assists, Millsap did it all for the Hawks. He was also a great defender, one of the best big men at getting steals in the league. Even as an all star all four years in a Hawks jersey, Millsap was extremely underappreciated around the country.

C: Dikembe Mutombo

Mutombo, famous for his finger-wagging celebration and gravelly, cookiemonster-esque voice, played five dominant years in a Hawks jersey. He was a four time all star in his five years in Atlanta, also leading the NBA in rebounding twice and finishing in the top five in blocks consistently. He is the all time Atlanta Hawks leader in blocks per game (3.2), rebound percentage (20%), and defensive rating (97.8). With the undersized Paul Millsap at power forward, the Hawks need a big, dominating force at center to grab rebounds at a great rate. Mutombo does that better than anyone else, plus he’ll join Mookie Blaylock and Paul Millsap to create a vicious, lockdown defense.

Backups:

PG: Doc Rivers

Doc Rivers is a pass first, pass second, pass third point guard. He averaged just 13 points in his 8 seasons playing for Atlanta, a time in which he also averaged 6.8 assists. Much like Blaylock, Rivers was a fantastic defender, averaging 2.1 steals per game, good for second all time in Atlanta Hawks history. He is also second in assists per game behind Blaylock, as well as 7th in all time win shares. A good veteran presence off the bench, Rivers will slow the game down and only make the smart plays necessary to winning games.

SG: Pete Maravich

“Pistol” Pete Maravich was one of the first flashy talents in the NBA. He was a great scorer and passer, averaging 23.4 points and 5.6 assists per game in his four seasons in Atlanta. His time on the Hawks was short, but his legacy remains, as he is still a household name in Atlanta and around the country, and his jersey was retired by the Hawks organization. His best season in a Hawks uniform was in 1973 when he averaged 27.7 points, 5.2 assists

SF: Lou Hudson

Hudson spent 9 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and two with the St. Louis Hawks. As an Atlanta Hawk, Hudson scored 23 points per game, good for 3rd all time. He always recorded at least 1.2 steals per game as well. Hudson was an offensive force, he could shoot, drive, and like many great scorers of the past he had a great hook and turn-around. Lou Hudson was the first star to play in Atlanta, and his jersey is in the rafters because of it.

PF: Kevin Willis

Kevin Willis played 10 seasons on the Hawks, all with Dominique Wilkins. In that time Willis made one all star game, during a season in which he scored 18.3 points and grabbed an incredible 15.5 rebounds per game. Beast would be a good way of describing Willis in just one word, as he was always looking to throw down a monster dunk or block his opponent out of the building. He also had a great post game, with a hook shot that was near unstoppable. Willis is the Hawks all time leader in defensive and offensive rebounds, fifth in points, and ninth in blocks. Willis is as tough as they come, and he's the type of underrated, scrappy player that Hawks fans love.

C: Al Horford

Al Horford was at the center (no pun intended) of the most successful run in Atlanta Hawks history. The 2007 draft is infamous for when the Blazers took Greg Oden directly before Kevin Durant. What is not remembered, however, is that the with the number three pick the Hawks nailed their selection, taking two time March Madness champion Al Horford out of Florida. He made the playoffs in every one of his nine seasons in Atlanta, including when he was arguably the best player during the 2014-15 campaign which saw the Hawks win 60 games. Horford was an all-star four times in a Hawks uniform, including probably his best season where he averaged a career high 18.6 points and 1.5 blocks per game. Horford is 5th in Hawks history in win shares and 8th in field goals and player efficiency rating.

Falcons Start Year Off With a Win

By: Tim Childers (@1788sports, @childers1788)

After an agonizing seven months for Falcons fans, the NFL season is upon us. While the Falcons were able to keep most of their 2016 NFC Champion squad together, there was some new faces at a few key spots. After Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan went to take the head coaching job at San Francisco, former USC and Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian was trusted to handle the Falcon's explosive offense. The other position with a major change was at right guard. Following the retirement of Chris Chester, Wes Schweizer won the starting right guard spot out of preseason. While the defense showed that they had built off of the improvements of last season, the offense struggled to get into a rhythm. The game was closer than it should’ve been, as the falcons hung on for a 23-17 win. Here are the five biggest talking points from the Falcons win on Sunday.

Bears Front Seven Much Improved

This game featured two very explosive young defenses, but it was the Bears that was most surprising. Anchored by the play of defensive end Akiem Hicks, the Bears defense was able to get some pressure on Matt Ryan including two sacks by Hicks. Chicago's Defense also made it almost impossible for Atlanta to run the ball, limiting both Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman to a combined 53 yards on 20 rushing attempts. While Atlanta was able to get much going for short yardage, they gashed the Bears defense for some big pass plays including an 88 yard touchdown reception from second year tight end Austin Hooper, the longest reception by a tight end in the NFL regular season since 1974.

Falcons Pass Rush Comes Alive

Much was said about the Falcons defense after the Super Bowl loss. After getting gassed in the final quarter and a half, both Defensive Coordinator Richard Smith and D-Line Coach Bryan Cox were let go. There wasn't much change in style for the Falcons Defense; they still were as quick and physical as they were last season. The change in the defense came with the play of the new faces. Devondre Campbell excelled in his new role after switching from weakside to strongside linebacker in the offseason. Rookies Duke Riley and Takkarist McKinley looked good even though the latter got very few opportunities, mostly due to the fact that he's nursing a shoulder injury. Both free agency aquisitions Dontari Poe and Jack Crawford made an impact on the improved pass rush, which resulted in four sacks, two of which came from Brooks Reed. Reed’s play was especially surprising, especially when you think about how there was a pretty decent chance that he wasn’t going to make the final roster. Overall the defense was the star of the show, with a much improved pass rush and a solid secondary.

Falcons O-Line Struggles

One of the biggest reasons why the offense was out of sync was due to the poor play of the offensive line. The Falcons offensive line was a key part to their explosive offensive play last season, where they were able to create a lot of space for the explosive Falcons run game as well as protecting Matt Ryan. Wes Schweizer had a particularly rough day, as he was bullied by the Bears defensive line all day. While the Falcons and Schweizer have plenty of time to improve, if he doesn’t do it quickly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dan Quinn go to Ben Garland or Sean Harlow.

Hooper Comes Up Big in the Fourth

After being drafted in the third round of the 2016 pick, Austin Hooper came up big for the Falcons, especially after losing Jacob Tamme to injury late last season. The Falcons and Matt Ryan have been looking for a dependable receiving tight end ever since Tony Gonzalez’s retirement in 2013, and they seem to have found it in Hooper. The Stanford product came up big in the final quarter and finished with 128 yards on two receptions including the aforementioned 88 yard touchdown. If Hooper can continue to perform as the first choice tight end, the Falcons passing game can become even more dynamic.

Ryan Picks Up Where He Left Off

Following the Super Bowl loss there were many questions about Matt Ryan and how he would deal with the loss. There has been a somewhat wrong assertion that Ryan isn’t as mentally strong as some of his fellow quarterbacks. Well, any doubts about Ryan’s state of mind were put to rest with his play on Sunday. The reigning NFL MVP put together a solid game, completing 21 of his 30 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown. He also scrambled for a first down and showed very good pocket presence, even though he was under pressure for much of the game. As the offensive line gets in sync and Sarkisian gets comfortable with the Falcons offense, expect Matt Ryan to consistently put up numbers and performances that you would expect from the League's reigning MVP.

The Falcons Host the Packers at MBS in a Rematch of the NFC Championship Game.

All Stats via NFL.com

Photo credits to David Banks/Getty Images, Michael Conroy/AP Images and Nam Y.        Huh/AP Images

Notre Dame vs Georgia Preview: Georgia Defense to Decide

By: Donny Karr (@1788Sports, @DonnyKarr)

Tonight, the Georgia Bulldogs face an opponent that’s been seeking revenge for over 30 years. The last time Georgia played Notre Dame was in the 1980 National Championship game in which the Dawgs walked away with its first and only national title.

Tonight’s matchup will have major implications for both teams in relation to their respective paths to the college football playoff. A Georgia win would be a huge statement. Kirby Smart will have proven his ability to lead his team to victory against the odds, on the road, and over one of college football’s most storied programs.

The Difference Maker

Georgia’s defense will prove to be the difference maker tonight in South Bend. The Dawgs snuffed out Appalachian State’s veteran offense time and again last week until the backups went into the game late in the 4th quarter.

Notre Dame has been cheerleading its offense all week after running away with a 49-16 win over Temple. But was the score indicative of a dominant performance by the Fighting Irish, or a lackluster Temple defense that gave up early in the game?

Yes, Notre Dame ran for 422 yards against the Owls, but the majority of those yards came on huge plays in which the Temple defenders missed tackles, blew coverages, and simply gave up on the play.

Georgia’s defense is an entirely different animal. Defensive guru Kirby Smart has polished his unit over the past year into a frenzied, but well-disciplined attack operation. The Dawgs made little mistakes against App State, and stifled the Mountaineers’ running and passing game.

The bulk of Notre Dame’s yardage came after contact, in large part because of Temple’s defensive strategy of arm-tackling and poor pursuit angles. The Irish did not pound the ball through Temple’s defense in a commanding way. Notre Dame simply tore off big runs against an Owls defense that looked confused and unconcerned with letting their opponent walk into the endzone.

Expect the Dawgs to follow through on their intent to “punish” the Irish offense.

Notre Dame repeatedly ran to the left side in their win against Temple. They managed to rip off big runs in doing so, but their rushing attack was not enough to impress the Dawgs. The Georgia linebacker unit will be ready to defend the run in any direction.

The Dawgs returned 10 of 11 defensive starters in 2017. Notre Dame returned 4 of 5 offensive linemen. The Irish blocking will have all it can handle against Georgia’s front 7, who will be looking to light up Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush all night.

All Eyes on Fromm

Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm couldn’t have asked for a bigger first start. Facing a storied opponent in an away game at night will be a monumental test for the youngster, but expect him to handle the challenge with grace and poise.

The Irish defense will need to stop Georgia’s Thunder and Lightning rushing attack in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. They will need more than the Luck O’ the Irish to stop those two.

Expect Georgia to pound the ball into Notre Dame’s defense while Fromm picks them apart with play action passes and 3-step drop throws.

Fromm will likely make a few mistakes, but it won’t be enough for Notre Dame to capitalize on and pull out a win.

Final Prediction:

Georgia 31

Notre Dame 17

Falcons @ Bears Preview

By: Ricardo Russ (@1788sports, @RicardoLRuss)

The Falcons open their season with a road game at Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears. Last year, the Bears were… not good. They finished 3-13, and finished with the 25th overall DVOA. Not only that, but they then lost their franchise QB, Jay Cutler,  and his two immediate backups, Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley. The Bears then also managed to lose true #1 WR Alshon Jeffery to the Eagles in free agency, likely further compounding the issues of the Bears passing game.

In the 2017 draft, the Bears traded up to grab QB Mitch Trubisky out of UNC as their signal caller of the future. However, despite his relatively good performances during the preseason, he will start the regular season as the backup to former Tampa Bay QB Mike Glennon, in order for Trubisky to have some additional developmental time. This works out for the Bears, as Glennon has been surprisingly effective against Atlanta for a career backup, as he boasts a 1-3 record and 109.2 passer rating against the Falcons.

Luckily for Glennon, he will have the ability to lean on RB Jordan Howard, who arguably had a better rookie season than Ezekiel Elliott, and a top 5 offensive line, led by guard Josh Sitton. Unfortunately for the Bears, Glennon will also have to contend with an extremely depleted receiving corps, following the loss of Alshon Jeffery in free agency and the season ending injury to Cameron Meredith. The Bears will have to hope that the previously unimpressive Kevin White lives up to his potential, or they will be competing with the Jets for the ignominious title of the worst WR group in the league.   

While the Bears offense will likely be an average to below average unit in 2017, given the offensive turnover and general ineptitude of the 2016 offense, the Bears should have a pretty good defense in 2017,  despite their relatively poor rankings in 2016. The Bears did make an effort to add talent to their defense in the offseason, as they added safety Quintin Demps and DL Jaye Howard in free agency and drafted former Alabama safety Eddie Jackson. However, the Bears will be mostly reliant on internal improvement to aid their defense. Their best defensive player in 2016 was linebacker Jerrell Freeman who graded out as one of the best linebackers in the league. The bears also got good production from edge rusher and former Georgia Bulldog, Leonard Floyd, who finished with 7 sacks during his rookie season.

While the Bears are a team likely on the rise, the Falcons are already one of the best teams in the league, and there is no one area, other than arguably the OL, where the Bears are definitively better than the Falcons. In particular, I believe that Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman will have a ton of room to run against the Bears, which will help set up play action shots to Julio, Taylor Gabriel, and Mohamed Sanu. While I am hesitant to predict a blowout given the fact that there will likely be opening game jitters, I think the Falcons will ultimately come away with a comfortable win.

Prediction: Falcons 31 -Bears 20

2017 Atlanta Falcons’ Defensive Backs preview

By: Ricardo Russ (@1788Sports, @RicardoLRuss)

In 2016, the Falcons’ secondary wasn’t exactly amazing, statistically or otherwise. The Falcons finished 28th in passing yardage given up and passing touchdowns allowed, and of course gave up over 400 yards passing on the biggest stage in the Super Bowl. I’d actually argue that they became clearly the weakest aspect of our team after Desmond Trufant went down in Week 9 and the D-Line and Linebackers improved.

That would normally seem like a death knell for the secondary’s hopes of improvement in 2017, particularly given that the Falcons didn’t make a big signing or spend much of their draft capital on the secondary, as the only new blood brought into the team was 5th round rookie Demontae Kazee. However, the return of Desmond Trufant alone should lead to massive progression, and that’s before you even get to the improvements that should be made by the rest of the secondary as they mature and are no longer adapting to the pace of the NFL.

The additional experience of the secondary is extremely important, because just like with the linebackers, Dan Quinn’s defensive system prides itself on speed and physicality and additional experience in this defensive scheme allows everyone, but particularly the DB’s, to play fast. Oliver Connolly of All22.com agrees, and goes even further to argue that the Falcons will have the 2nd best set of corners in the entire league. While I find it a bit premature to say that the Falcons’ corners will be *that* good, I do think that they will take a massive step up in their performance.

Depth Chart:

Corner	Free Safety	Strong Safety	Corner
Desmond Trufant	Ricardo Allen	Keanu Neal	Robert Alford
Brian Poole	Sharrod Neasman	Kemal Ishmael	C.J. Goodwin
Deji Olatoye	Demontae Kazee		Blidi Wreh-Wilson

*Jalen Collins would likely be the Falcons’ third corner,which would allow Robert Alford to play in the slot, but he is suspended for at least 10 games for violating the NFL’s PED policy.

Breakout Defensive Back of the season: Keanu Neal



The Falcons drafted Keanu Neal in 2016 in an effort to fill the role played by Kam Chancellor in Seattle in the Falcons’ defense, and I’d say that the former Florida Gator got off to a great start in that mission during the 2016 season. A safety playing in the role shared by Chancellor and Neal is generally responsible for playing in the box against the run, dropping into short zone coverage over the middle or covering tight ends, running backs, and slot receivers, and, above all else, serving as an enforcer. Neal was able to fulfill all of these roles in his rookie season, as he can play the run, cover, and of course, hit. This dude can bring the pain, and he adds that intimidation factor to the Falcons’ defense. Neal also has a knack for forcing fumbles, as he forced 5 fumbles,  which led all defensive backs. If anything, Neal could work on his ball skills, as he finished with 0 interceptions, and an improvement in that area would make the All-Rookie team safety even more effective.

Final Outlook:


While the Falcons’ secondary was a bit of a weakness in 2016, I am confident in asserting that it will be much harder for the Falcons’ opponents to pick on the defensive backs in 2017. The return of Desmond Trufant, a true shutdown corner, means that the Falcons’ opponents will be forced to throw away from him, which will in turn give the other members of the secondary chances to create drive-killing plays and force turnovers that will give the ball back to the Falcons’ explosive offense.

The Morning After 9/8/17

Braves Walk off against fish, Falcons mostly healthy, United prepares for it’s home opener at the Benz

By: Billy Lindahl (@1788sports, @billylindahl)

First of all, last night a bit of KARMA was achieved for those of us who are fans of the Falcons. The Patriots opened the season against the Kansas City Chiefs and of course all of the pomp and circumstance before the game was all about their latest championship, including putting up on the scoreboard at Gillette Stadium the score from Super Bowl 51 late in the 3rd…..as if we haven’t grown tired of that already. Well Karma was welcomed as the Patriots had a 40 burger put on them last night. Chiefs winning 42-27. Good.

Braves win in Walk off fashion 6-5

The Braves did something last night that they haven’t done in a while, trail in the 9th and come back and win. It was a back and forth see saw match as the lead kept changing throughout the night. Finally, thanks to future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, the Fish took a 5-4 lead in the 8th inning. In the 9th though,  Ozzie Albies doubled in Markakis, and then the other Suzuki, Kurt knocked in the winning run a few batters later.  It was good to see the boys fight and claw back. Ozzie Albies continues to make adjustments and become a really solid player for the Bravos. Sean Newcomb didn’t have his best stuff, but wasn’t terrible either.

Falcons Mostly Healthy heading into Chicago

The Atlanta Falcons injury report is minimal on Thursday before the get away day today. No starters listed on the report, which is good news. Rookie D. Kazee was a full participant, but is listed with an ankle injury. We’ll see if he gets to see any action this weekend. Limited was Backup Tackle A. Pasztor with a chest injury as well as RB T. Ward with a sore hamstring. RB B. Hill didn’t participate with his ankle injury.

Atlanta United excited about playing in their New Stadium

United fans, we made it. We finally made it to the last #FiveStripesFriday before the “home opener at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Get there early on Sunday, be loud. The acoustics in MBS are incredible and let’s show those boys from Dallas what a real Home Field Advantage feels like in MLS!

Other News 9/7

• Matt Ryan wrote a column for the Players Tribune. It’s definitely worth the read.
• Atlanta United announces a pub crawl prior to the match on Sunday.
• Braves announce that any Florida evacuees coming to SunTrust Park can have free tickets during Marlins series.
• Braves apologize after playing “Rock You Like a Hurricane” during the game last night against the Marlins.
• Hawks GM Travis Schlenk announces a good bit of changes to Basketball Ops.

Looking ahead

Braves continue their 4-game series with the Marlins tonight at 7:35. Mike Foltynewicz takes the ball for the Braves while Jose Urena toes the rubber for the Fish.

Why the Braves Can Only Go Up From Here

By: Andy Ridgway (@1788sports, @1788ridgway)

We grew up watching players like John Smoltz, Javy Lopez, and Chipper Jones being household names in the entire Southeast. For years, the Braves had a solid roster with very few movements. One day, that all changed, when the Braves started trading left and right, players were retiring, and management was changing. Fans began losing interest in the Braves because there were so many changes, that it was hard to keep up. Attendance started dropping, and long-time fans began walking away. The entire franchise seemed to be crumbling apart.

As the club announced that it was closing Turner Field to the Braves, this meant a new stadium was on its way. Attendance started to rise, and the fan base began to reappear. People wanted the chance to say they went to the last few games the Braves ever played at Turner Field. October 2, 2016, Ceremonies and celebrations occurred during the last game against Detroit as a going away extravaganza to send the team off to their new ballpark.

April  14, 2017, Suntrust Park opens its gates for its Inaugural game against the San Diego Padres. After a colossal Opening Day ceremony, the Braves score 2 runs in the bottom of the first to start the game off. San Diego responds quickly with 2 runs in the top of the second. The Bravos go on to win the game 5-2. It’s the fuel the franchise needed to rekindle the flame that is the Atlanta Braves spirit.

While the club has been trading and farming players from the minors with no end in sight, we may finally be rebuilding the all-star team we once had. Slowly but surely, the Braves have signed on some major potential. With players like Freddie Freeman, Julio Teheran, Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson, and most recently Matt Adams, we seem to have have the ability to bring home some pennants in the coming years (assuming we can keep Freeman off the D.L. and not trade away any of our M.V.P.s)

Via Albany Herald

What we want to avoid -

• Terrible trade deals (ex;)
• Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden to St. Louis RHP Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. (neither of which we have anymore)
• Justin Upton and Aaron Northcraft to San Diego for Max Fried, Jace Peterson and Dustin Peterson, Mallex Smith and international bonus compensation.
• Evan Gattis and James Hoyt to Houston for Mike Foltynewicz, Rio Ruiz and Andrew Thurman

• Signing terrible players like Bartolo Colon as P.R. stunts
• He was obviously on his way out from baseball, but we didn’t have to be the ones to let him die off.
• Digging too deep into the hopes and dreams of the farm system.
• Leaving pitchers in way past their prime. (we have too many pitchers for you to let colon drag his fat knuckles through the dirt.)
• Did I mention terrible trade deals?

What we can keep doing right.

• Using the farm system in an advantageous manner
• Keeping our players off the D.L.
• Freeman backpacking the team to a win

via RantSports