<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Falcons | Milloy signed to three-year dealFri, 17 Mar 2006 10:00:31 -0800ESPNews reports the Atlanta Falcons have signed free agent S Lawyer Milloy (Bills) to a three-year deal. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.</div>
Yes! I was hoping this defender would land with Atlanta! The Falcons need a hard-hitting safety like Milloy. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2372678)</div><div class='quotemain'><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">Falcons plug defense, sign Milloy to 3-year $6M deal</span>ATLANTA -- In a move that addresses the Atlanta Falcons' most glaring defensive shortcoming, the team on Friday reached an agreement with unrestricted free-agent safety Lawyer Milloy, who was released by the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago for salary cap reasons.Milloy, 32, will sign a three-year contract, worth $6.01 million, with a signing bonus of $2.5 million and salaries of $810,000, $1 million, and $1.7 million, according to agent Carl Poston, ESPN.com's Michael Smith reports. The 10-year veteran visited with Falcons coaches and team officials earlier this week and dined with owner Arthur Blank at a local steakhouse, usually a tip-off that Atlanta is serious about pursuing a player. Milloy had also visited with the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks.Atlanta had made no pretense about dramatically overhauling a safety contingent that arguably ranked as one of the NFL's worst in 2005. Even with the addition of Milloy, the Falcons likely will still use a high-round draft pick to acquire a safety, one who might even have a chance to start as a rookie. Coach Jim Mora indicated at the conclusion of the '05 season that the Falcons would probably sign a veteran in free agency and also add a younger safety as well. The Atlanta starting safeties combined for just three interceptions in 2005 and totaled just five "big plays" -- a combination of interceptions, sacks, fumbles forced and fumbles recovered. In fact, over the last three seasons, the Falcons' safeties averaged fewer than six "big plays" per year. Contributing to the problem in 2005 was that the starters, Keion Carpenter and Bryan Scott, also tackled poorly. In hindsight, the Falcons' brass probably erred last spring in its approach to the longtime safety woes, eschewing higher-priced veterans at the position and instead concentrating on stop-gap players. Adding a player the caliber of Milloy, a heady veteran and a high-character guy, should benefit the Falcons both on and off the field. That said, Milloy, certainly in the past few years, hasn't authored many game-altering plays. He has just three interceptions in the past four seasons and, while his resume includes 22 pickoffs, Milloy has had more than three interceptions in a season just once in his career, when he garnered six in 1998. Still, he is a steadying force on a defense, and a very good tackler, both commodities the Falcons need at safety. The former University of Washington standout was a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 1996 draft. He was released by New England in 2003, after he rejected a salary reduction, and signed with the Buffalo Bills. He has 1,035 tackles in his career, including seven seasons with 100 tackles or more, and 15 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and 70 passes defensed.Milloy has missed just five of a possible 160 regular-season contests in his career.Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. ESPN.com senior writer Michael Smith contributed to this report.</div>
Good move by the Falcons. They haven't had a safety like him in a while. Another good corner and they have a nice secondary.
Thats a very good sign cuz there SS before which i think is Scott can move to FS and that will be good for there " D ".
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Punisher @ Mar 18 2006, 10:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>We lost Smith, got Abraham.</div>You guys didn't get Abraham
Bryan Scott will not start safety next year. I can guarantee that.We're trading Crocker from the Browns.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/sports/falcons/stories/0318milloy.html)</div><div class='quotemain'><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">Falcons get Milloy, seek Abraham</span>By STEVE WYCHEThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 03/18/06 The Falcons made two moves to complete their much-sought overhaul at safety Friday and took a step toward finalizing a deal for New York Jets defensive end John Abraham, their main offseason target.The cost for all three acquisitions could amount to two draft picks and millions of dollars, but Atlanta apparently won't have to part with backup quarterback Matt Schaub or its first-round draft pick, the 15th overall selection.The Falcons signed four-time Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Milloy to a three-year, $6.01 million free agent contract Friday. They have a pending trade that would send their upcoming fourth-round pick to Cleveland for safety Chris Crocker. The trade is contingent on Crocker passing a physical."Atlanta said they needed two safeties and said I could really help the team out," said Milloy, who said he initially wanted to end his career with his hometown Seattle Seahawks. "With Seattle, I didn't feel a sense of urgency to get anything done. Atlanta said they wanted me, and I want to be there."A team official confirmed Atlanta reached terms on a multi-year contract with Abraham, but the Falcons were waiting for the Jets to sign off on their offer of a second-round selection in the April 29-30 draft. New York put talks with the Falcons on hold because Seattle has offered a first-round pick, the 31st overall, and the Jets have agreed.This is where things get sticky. For a trade to take place, Abraham must agree to a contract with the team for whom he will play. If Abraham won't sign with the team the Jets want to trade him to, New York could make him play under a one-year, $8.3 million contract dictated to him as their "franchise player."While that was being sorted out, the Falcons could at least begin preparing for the turnover at safety, which the team felt was mandatory after sub-par production from Bryan Scott, who is still under contract, and Keion Carpenter, a free agent who is not expected to be re-signed.In Milloy, Atlanta gets a physical tackler and a player who should bolster a defense that ranked 26th in the NFL against the run (128.9 yards allowed per game) last season in large part because of the failure of its safeties to make plays close to the line of scrimmage. Milloy has averaged 103 tackles a season and registered 106 tackles last season in 16 starts with the Bills, who released him earlier this month for salary-cap reasons.Milloy would play free safety, which in the Falcons' scheme tends to play closer to the line and has more responsibility in run support than the strong safety, which is more of the cover safety. Scott started most of last season at free safety but was demoted after a Dec. 4 loss at Carolina for continued missed tackles.Crocker, whom the Browns felt was expendable because of the emergence of second-year safety Brodney Pool and the steady play of former Georgia safety Sean Jones, would be the cover safety who helps set the Falcons' defense. Crocker started 16 games in two of his three seasons and had 81 tackles, two interceptions and two sacks last season.</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (El Yeahhh @ Mar 18 2006, 07:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Punisher @ Mar 18 2006, 10:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>We lost Smith, got Abraham.</div>You guys didn't get Abraham </div>...........yet.
