The Falcons wasted no time dipping their toes into the free agent market, signing free-agent cornerback Dunta Robinson to a six-year, $57 million contract on Saturday.

Robinson, an Athens, Ga., native, made an immediate splash telling AJC beatwriter D. Orlando Ledbetter that he was “the best cornerback in the National Football League.”

What a way to make a first impression, Mr. Robinson.

The 28-year-old former South Carolina Gamecock had 13 interceptions, four sacks and 333 tackles in his first four seasons with the Houston Texans.

He hopes to fill a void in the Atlanta secondary, which finished 28th in the league against the pass last season.

In other offseason news, Chris Redman will continue to back up Matt Ryan at quarterback. He signed a two-year, $5.6 million deal. CB Brian Williams will try to battle back from knee surgery in an Atlanta uniform after signing a one-year, $1.6 million deal.

Atlanta also inked CB Brent Grimes and long snapper Joe Zelenka to contracts. Grimes lead the team with six interceptions last season.

The Falcons parted ways with WR James Swinton, who was on the practice squad last season, and traded Chris Houston to Detroit for a 2010 sixth-round pick. The teams also swapped fifth-round picks under the deal.

Houston struggled at times last season, recording one INT in 12 games. He has three interceptions and one forced fumble in 44 career games with the Falcons.

-- PHIL FOLEY
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The Heisman Trophy running back, the mountainous nose tackle, the Butkus award-winning middle linebacker and the speedy corner blitzer –- the Crimson Tide’s national championship team was filled with superstars.

But somewhere lost in the shuffle was a quiet, dependable leader in DT/DE Lorenzo Washington, whose consistency and ability to juggle multiple positions has NFL scouts taking a closer look.

Originally recruited as a nose guard, the athletic defender was shifted to the outside a year after Nick Saban’s arrival in Tuscaloosa.

Playing next to juco standout Terrence Cody meant Washington would relinquish some attention, and some stats, but the 6-5, 288-pound Washington welcomed his new position –- and thrived.

“I like going everywhere, no matter what position it is,” said Washington, who won the Crimson Tide’s Billy Neighbors Defensive Lineman Award after making the switch, followed by the coveted Bart Starr Most Improved Player Award. “I just like playing defensive line.”

In 2008, one of his best plays came against No. 3 Georgia where he swarmed the pocket and pancaked Matthew Stafford for a 10-yard loss.

“He knew how to get from speed to power,” said Alabama defensive line coach Bo Davis. “He knew how to flip his hips to get around the guy, and get to the quarterback. He did a great job with that.

“He can play multiple positions –- that’s the thing about him. When I first got here, I played him at nose guard. And then, he played three-technique, he played five-technique, he played six-technique. I could move him anywhere I wanted to move him and he could play. You have to be smart to be able to do that because with these schemes, when you change positions, you’ve got to know the different techniques that you have to use, and that’s the thing that he brought to the table.”

And that translates into NFL interest.

“He’s played in a 3-4 defense and in a 4-3 defense, and I think that makes him attractive to all 32 teams,” one NFL scout said. “Players like Terrence Cody, his teammate at Alabama, only fit teams that use a true nose tackle. He wouldn’t fit a regular defense. Lorenzo has that type of ability.”

Washington also has ability on special teams, where his blocked punt against Arkansas this past



Lorenzo Washington works the bench press at the IMG Performance Institute in Bradenton, in preparation for the NFL Combine. Missouri State TE Clay Harbor encourages him, while Indiana OT Rodger Saffold congratulates him for a job well done.

season set up the team’s fourth touchdown in a 34-7 win.

Aside from his versatility, which many would consider his forte, Washington has earned praise for his leadership qualities, something he feels made him an asset to Alabama’s national championship program.

“He brought a lot to the room," Davis said. "He wasn’t an outspoken leader, but when he was on the field, he led by example. He was always dependable. You could always depend on him to do his job and that was the thing I enjoyed so much about Lorenzo.”

It’s the mark of a man who says each time he plays, it’s for his mother. “She’s my motivation. She’s why I do what I do,” said Washington, who grew up idolizing Bruce Smith.

It’s the mark of a man who moved around a lot growing up, witnessed his share of bullies and always leant a hand to younger teammates.

“Sometimes when I was younger, I wish somebody would have pulled me aside and helped me out or asked me something," he said. "So I try to do that. There are a lot of kids out there who need that these days.

“Just being the oldest out of all my sisters and being the oldest out of my cousins, I enjoy doing things like that. I’ve always been looked at as a ‘big brother.’”

In fact, if Washington does make it in the league, he hopes to start a charity to benefit some of the poorer neighborhoods outside of Atlanta, an area not too far from where he lives.

“I’ve seen bad places in Atlanta where people don’t want to go [to help] and it’s not fair because those people need people looking out for them too. Sometimes the places people don’t want to go are the places where the people need the most help.”

In an age where football prima donnas have invaded nearly every NFL locker room, Washington is a breath of fresh air.

He carries no baggage, doesn’t question his coaches, and comes to work each day with an open mind, making him the ideal candidate for any club looking to invest in its future.

“He is very bright and very coachable,” Davis said. “He tries to help everybody. Even people that were playing his position, he tried to help them … He was always supportive of Cody.”

Combine coachability with experience –- he played in 49 games in his college career, including starts in back-to-back seasons as one of the nation’s top-ranked defenses –- and Washington certainly demands a closer look from teams vying for depth up front.

“I think his skill can really take it to the next level and be a pretty solid pro,” said the NFL scout, who followed Washington throughout his college career. “He’s one of those guys that, coming to the next level, he’s not going to get drafted high. He’s going to be a late-round draft choice, but he’s the type of athlete that can stick and have a long career.”

-- JENNA LAINE
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Tight end will not be a pressing need in the draft.

In an interview posted by the team’s official website, Tony Gonzalez has confirmed that he will return to the Atlanta Falcons next season.

“I’ll be around for sure next season,” the Hall of Fame lock said in the podcast.

After a successful first season with the Falcons, Tony Gonzalez has decided to return for another.

The former No. 13 overall pick of the Chiefs will enter next season one reception shy of becoming the first tight end in NFL history to grab 1,000 receptions. Gonzalez consulted with his family before making the decision to return.

“You don’t ever want to make a decision right after the season is over,” he said. “Now that I’ve had a chance to get away from the game a little bit and talk to my family, I’m definitely going to be around for another year.”

The 10-time Pro Bowler was traded to the Falcons prior to the 2009 season. He quickly became one of Matt Ryan’s favorite receivers, making 83 receptions for 867 yards and six touchdowns, including a six-yard grab in the final seconds against the New York Jets that helped the Falcons post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.

With Gonzalez filling Atlanta’s need at tight end, the Dirty Birds will likely turn their attention to defense in the upcoming draft.

-- PHIL FOLEY

With final grades and awards given out, it’s now time to turn our attention to next season.

As we take that journey through Indianapolis for the combine up until draft day on April 22, we will have plenty of time to talk about who the Atlanta Falcons will nab with the No. 19 pick. But we must begin with a look at what the team's most pressing needs are. Here are the top five this offseason.

1) Safety -- Atlanta’s safeties have a tendency to get lit up like a Christmas tree. It wasn’t pretty for Atlanta’s defensive backs, who allowed 3,873 yards in the air last season, fifth-worst in the NFL.

If the Falcons hope to take that next leap, they will be best suited adding help to the secondary, primarily at the safety position. Thomas DeCoud showed some flashes that he could stick around the league for a while and second-round pick William Moore will hopefully contribute a bit if he can solve his injury woes next season.

But if Atlanta wants to improve upon its terrible 2009 numbers, they are going to need someone other than DeCoud, Moore and Erik Coleman contributing in center field next season.

Atlanta needs to bring in some safety help to aid a unit that was too often clinging to life this season, much like Thomas DeCoud was here to Pierre Thomas. DeCoud showed some promise, but Atlanta would be smart to get him assistance.

2) Defensive Lineman -- It’s really a tossup whether the Falcons should address their needs on the D-line or at safety first. Both units could use a bunch of help going into next season.

When you drill into the numbers, the D-line was also terrible, notching just 28 sacks last season, also fifth-worst in the league. However, first-round pick Peria Jerry got hurt, and John Abraham had a very un-Abraham-like season, recording just 5.5 sacks.

The line’s numbers should be better next season with a healthy Jerry. And Abraham, despite his “advanced” age of 31, is too good to be that bad again.

Nevertheless, some thought should be given to using the No. 1 pick to nab someone to replace Jamaal Anderson, he of the half a sack last season.

3) Cornerback -- Yes, this flock of Falcons showed some improvement as the year went on. And Brent Grimes was a nice surprise for the Dirty Birds, coming down with six picks.

But let’s face it. This unit is vastly undersized. Not a single CB is over 6 feet tall in a league in which the wide receivers they are covering are almost always a few inches taller. Atlanta could conceivably do some shopping in the big and tall store to add an athletic cornerback to equalize the height disadvantage and shore up the pass defense.

4) Linebacker -- One can see a theme emerging here: The Falcons need defense, defense and more defense. And truth be told, Atlanta’s linebackers were not terrible last season. However, the unit could be much, much better.

A high-impact player on either end of Atlanta’s 4-3 scheme would work wonders to shore up both the pass and run defense.

5) No. 2 wide receiver -- This is not the biggest of priorities for the Falcons, who have a defacto No. 1B receiver in tight end Tony Gonzalez. However, Michael Jenkins underperformed as Atlanta’s No. 2 guy last season. Fifty whopping receptions for 635 yards and one touchdown is not exactly the type of performance you expect from your second wide receiver.

Any slight upgrade, perhaps even the return of Harry Douglas, who missed the season with a knee injury, would vastly improve this unit.

-- PHIL FOLEY

With the good, there must always be sprinkled in the bad.

After giving you the best moments of the Atlanta Falcons’ 2009 campaign, no season-in-review would be complete without a look at some of the worst moments.Santa Claus has his naughty and nice list. We have our LVP, worst play and “Shame on You” moments.

So without further adieu, let’s go to the digital tape!

Least Valuable Player: There are quite a few candidates for this one, including rusher Jerious Norwood. However, we’ll give Norwood the benefit of the doubt because he was injured for a good part of the season. Therefore, the debate comes down to whether this dubious distinction should be given to WR Michael Jenkins or DE Jamaal Anderson.

Both players were dreadful this season. But at the end of the day, the honor has to go to Anderson, even though Jenkins caught just one touchdown pass.

Anderson’s numbers are beyond awful. The former No. 8 overall pick recorded just 27 tackles and 1/2 of a sack in 13 starts this season. He has just 2 1/2 sacks in three years for the Falcons. Defensive linemen are supposed to tackle rushers and pressure quarterbacks. Anderson did neither well.

Congratulations Jamaal, you have won the prestigious "LVP" Award for your non-contributions to the 2009 Falcons.

Worst Play: In a season filled with disappointments, it’s the one against the Carolina Panthers that most comes to mind.

Down 21-19 in Week 10, Eric Weems gave the Falcons hope by returning a punt to the Carolina 49. But quarterback Matt Ryan dashed Atlanta’s hopes and doomed its season by throwing an ill-fated pass into double-coverage. The result was all-too-predictable. Carolina intercepted the ball and put the game out of reach on the ensuing drive.

Honorable mention: Jason Elam misses a 34-yarder on Atlanta’s previous possession that would have given the Falcons a one-point lead.(Skip ahead to the 2:15 mark in the video below if you want to relive this for some reason.

Falcons fans’ “Shame on You” moment: It’s one thing to go out there and politely applaud when one of your former players comes back into town.

It’s quite another to cheer enthusiastically when that player comes to town and helps beat your team like a drum. Atlanta has the reputation of being a soft sports town with wavering allegiances, which is true because so many people here grew up somewhere else.

However, if there was ever a moment that typified how fair-weather Atlanta sports fans can be, it had to be that moment after Mike Vick tossed a touchdown pass in his return to the Dome with the Philadelphia Eagles and Falcons fans wildly applauded.

The dude disgraced the Falcons franchise, lied to owner Arthur Blank and spent time in prison for killing dogs. Your team desperately needed a win over the Eagles in order to remain in the playoff hunt.

I don’t care if you think Vick was wronged by the legal system and that the Falcons made a big mistake releasing their former felonious signal-caller. You never cheer the enemy, especially when the playoffs are on the line. Epic fail, Falcons fans.

-- PHIL FOLEY