Atlanta owner orders GM to get Calvin Johnson
 

While everyone has focused on No. 4 Tampa Bay as the most likely trading partner for No. 2 Detroit in the Calvin Johnson Sweepstakes, it's the No. 8 Falcons who might truly be in the driver's seat. Sources say Falcons owner Arthur Blank has pretty much ordered Atlanta general manager Rich McKay to do everything he can to put the team into position to land Johnson at No. 2.

Blank wants Johnson for a couple of reasons. First, Johnson played at Georgia Tech and would help sell tickets to disillusioned Falcons fans who have endured two non-playoff seasons after Atlanta went to the NFC title game in 2004. Second, the Falcons still have their long-standing need of a reliable big-play receiver for quarterback to play pitch and catch with.

With seven picks in the first four rounds (including two second-rounders and three in the fourth), Atlanta definitely has the ammo to make the deal with Detroit. The Falcons could send the Lions their picks at 8, 39 and 44 for the No. 2 spot, and still have a third-rounder and three fourth-rounders to fill other needs.

The Lions are known to covet middle linebacker Patrick Willis of Mississippi and would be perfectly situated at No. 8 to select him. Picking up at least two extra second-rounders in the process would meet Matt Millen's goal of turning the No. 2 slot into a first-day package of picks. Detroit is likely to draft a quarterback with its own second-round pick at No. 34. Stanford's Trent Edwards remains slightly favored over Michigan State's Drew Stanton.

Wow, I think I have been saying this for a while.

Good. I wish them luck.

The more likely the Falcons, the less likely the Broncos.

Good for Vick, too. It's too bad he had to suffer through a god-awful receiving corps to get Joe Horn and Calvin Johnson.

Detroit could make a killing off that. 8th overall, 2 Seconds, and couple 4ths.

funny as hell they have to mortgage their future to make a shitty QB look good....

Calvin Johnsons from Atlanta and went to GT which is in Atlanta and it's hard to sell tickets there........all about the tickets baby.

He "orders" him to get Johnson? Why didn't we think of this? Carl, I order you to draft Joe Thomas.

Well there's a difference in the owner and the GM......Atlanta has the ammo to move up there if they want to.

this plan is foolproof...unless oakland take him at no. 1

Detroit should jump on that.

But Millen is a reerun, so who knows...

Calvin Johnson would become the face of the Falcons, thereby making Vick expendable should he suck again this year........

That's the real story here.

Sucks for Calvin. Has to play in college with a QB who can't throw, then forced into the same situation in the NFL.

what u talkin about willis

Faders will pick Calvin just to screw everyone else. Then they will take Hobbs in the 2nd.

I like the idea of Calvin going to a team where he can't really hurt us.

I'd rather it be the Falcons than another team in the AFC West.

Really stupid to let that information leak. Now that Detroit knows that the Atlanta GM has a directive to move up I guess they can charge whatever tehy want.

This is why I think if the Chiefs really want to trade LJ they should call the Falcons, they're willing to trade all the time it's easy to get shit done and they love big names.

Detroit will likely jump on that, IMO.

They REALLY want Gaines Adams, but could get him by moving down.

Not sure if they can get him at 8 though, that may be the hang-up.

They want Calvin Johnson. We can't provide that for them. If we want to trade LJ, we should call the GIANTS.

That woulda been fine before they went and signed a RB........

Teams only need one RB? :rolleyes: Besides that Reuben Droughns would cause them to pass on LJ? Ohh okay.

Jayice you don't know more than the average fan, even though you wish you did.

They have Brandon Jacobs too........I think it would make them leary of giving us much or wanting to pay him that amount of money he wants.......

Jacobs hasn't done jack shit besides being good at goal-line situations. Just because you don't believe it could happen, doesn't mean it couldn't. The Giants would be a good fit for LJ.

This is precisely why Blank should STFU and worry about home depot. The dumb one who sucks the penis thinks that getting Johnson will put asses in the seats....well what happens in three years when your dog-fight arranging QB is washing around the league, and you pissed away 3 premium draft picks to pick up an elite prospect at the least important position (outside of FB or K) on the football field?

I watched a decent amount of Giants games last season and Jacobs looked pretty damn good when he spelled Tiki in non-goal-line situations. It may not be ideal but Jacobs and Droughns could be solid while splitting time.

What a waste that would be, the Falcons problem is not WR, it's their dipshit QB who can't read defenses or throw an accurate ball.

Mortenson from ESPN just said he didn't think there was any chance that Atlanta does this...

It wouldn't matter, Atlanta traded their only QB away in the offseason. So either them or the Raiders could select Calvin Johnson and he would be ineffective, with no QB to throw to him.