Falcons DE Brandon Miller (Georgia)
Falcons P Jimmie Kaylor (Colorado State)
Falcons RB Jamar Brittingham (Bloomsburg University)
Falcons LB Ike Brown (Central Michigan)
Falcons CB Glenn Sharpe (Miami, FL)

Falcons | Butterworth signed
Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:24:17 -0700

Josh Buchanan, of NFLDraftBible.com, reports the Atlanta Falcons have signed undrafted rookie free-agent OT Mike Butterworth (Slippery Rocky). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.



(from the OMB) and I'm not sure the original source.

Yay! We got an OT! nr6 (where the hell is "Slippery Rocky"???)

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons Monday signed seven undrafted rookie free agents -- one day following the conclusion of the 2008 NFL Draft. Included in the signings were: linebacker Isaac Brown (Central Michigan), punter Jimmie Kaylor (Colorado State), cornerback Glenn Sharpe (Miami, Fla.), free safety D.J. Wolfe (Oklahoma), defensive end Brandon Miller (Georgia), running back Jamar Brittingham (Bloomsburg) and offensive tackle Michael Butterworth (Slippery Rock).

Brown, 5-11, 203 pounds, finished second on the Chippewas defensive unit with 106 tackles last season. The Saginaw, Michi. native also registered 11 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries last season.

Kaylor, 6-3, 198 pounds, finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference and 18th nationally with a 43.2 yards per punt average last season, which also earned him honorable mention all-conference accolades. His 44.0 gross average ranks second in school history (172 punts for 7,570 yards).

Sharpe, 6-0, 185 pounds, collared seven tackles (five solo), one interception and three passes defensed last season. After missing the 2004 and 2005 seasons due to injury, he returned to the gridiron in 2006 and was the recipient of the Brian Piccolo Award, given to the most courageous player in the ACC.

Wolfe, 5-11, 201 pounds, was voted an All-Big 12 second-team selection by the coaches and The Associated Press in 2007 after starting in 14 games and registering 87 tackles, four interceptions and four passes defensed. He tallied a two-interception game at Colorado and compiled 11 tackles against Missouri in the Big 12 Championship.

Miller, 6-4, 254 pounds, appeared in 11 games in 2007 while making seven starts at linebacker. His best game came against Mississippi where he collared six tackles and his first career interception. In his Bulldog career, Miller totaled 73 tackles and six tackles for loss.

Brittingham, 6-0, 203 pounds, is the all-time leading rusher and scorer in school and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) history, ending his career with 5,689 rushing yards and 6,867 all-purpose yards. He was one of the nine national finalists for the Harlon Hill Award as the nation’s top Division II player last season.

Butterworth, 6-7, 330 pounds, earned All-America honorable mention honors by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette for his performance last season. He also garnered ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors for the second consecutive year and was a first-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division selection for the third straight year.

NC graduate gets deal with Falcons

Atlanta has been showing the most interest in Mike Butterworth throughout the NFL scouting process, and it was the Falcons that have landed the Northern Cambria graduate and former Slippery Rock University offensive tackle.

After not being picked in the two-day NFL draft, Butterworth signed a standard two-year free agent contract with Atlanta on Monday morning.

‘‘Everyone was really excited,’’ said Butterworth, who watched the draft with his family in Northern Cambria. ‘‘It was a long day [Sunday] watching those five rounds go by. It’s a relief.’’

The Falcons contacted Butterworth’s agent immediately following the draft, and a deal was struck less than a half hour after the draft’s completion.

‘‘I had a feeling I was going to end up with Atlanta,’’ Butterworth said.

It wasn’t that Butterworth didn’t have a choice — Tennessee also called to try and land the 6-foot-7, 312-pounder. However, the familiarity with the Falcons gave them the edge.

‘‘It pretty much came down to that. We felt I had a better chance to fit in with Atlanta. We also knew I already had guys in my corner there.’’

Butterworth will report to the Falcons for a four-day minicamp beginning May 8. Before that, he will remain in Northern Cambria working out.

The Falcons have been linked with Butterworth for awhile now and were the only team to attend the pro day at Slippery Rock.

‘‘Michael is a big guy who played at a small school. He has redeeming qualities such as size, and he is a guy who can move his feet,’’ Falcons offensive line coach Paul Boudreau said. ‘‘If he can learn our system and the speed of the NFL, we would like to work with him.’’

The Falcons let Wayne Gandy go earlier in this offseason, and 2007 starters Todd Weiner and Renaldo Foster are both coming off knee injuries. The team drafted USC’s Sam Baker with their second first-round pick Saturday, probably to play on the left side, and new coach Mike Smith said a couple of weeks ago that Justin Blaylock, a second-round pick in 2007 and the starter at left guard last season, will get a look at right tackle.

All of Atlanta’s other tackles were either undrafted free agents, street free agents or practice squad players.

‘‘I knew they needed offensive linemen,’’ Butterworth said. ‘‘I’m hoping to go and prove myself.’’

Wolfe signs with Falcons

Michael Kinney
The Norman Transcript

NORMAN —

The 2008 NFL draft lasted for two days. Through seven rounds more than 200 college players names were called from the country.

However, D.J. Wolfe's name was not one of them. The former Oklahoma Sooner safety watched the draft at his residence in Norman with family and friends around him only to go through the entire process undrafted.

"It was upsetting for a little bit as it got later and later," Wolfe said.

However, Wolfe's story didn't end there like so many other pro football hopefuls. As the draft dragged on, his cell phone kept ringing with calls from his agent and from clubs interested in Wolfe. Not to draft him but as a free agent.

"Except for the signing bonus, you get the same amount of money," Wolfe said. "And you get to pick where you want to go. It benefits you in your favor."

The teams that were showing interest included Dallas, San Francisco, Tennessee and Atlanta. In the end he chose the Falcons over the 49ers because of the money and their defensive back situation.

Wolfe signed a free agent contract with a signing bonus of $10,000.

"They had the biggest signing bonus," Wolfe said. "Their safety situation looks good. They only have Lawyer Milloy, who has been around for 13 years. They just signed Erik Coleman. Those are the only guys with experience. It was a more favorable place to go. They have a new coach, new regime. So there will not be any favoritism as to who plays. Everything is fresh. It's a good thing."

Besides Milloy and Coleman, Wolfe will have to battle the Falcons' third round draft pick Thomas DeCoud for playing time.

"They drafted Thomas, which is cool," Wolfe said. "But that doesn't make me want not want to go there. I love competition. I just don't want to sit back and watch. That's not me."

While the money and the chance at earning playing time were big reasons for Wolfe signing with Atlanta, it was the small touches that put the Falcons over the top of the 49ers' organization, who he had been coached by in the Senior Bowl.

"My family came up from Louisiana and my parents came up from Lawton," Wolfe said. "I had told the Atlanta coaches they would be there and we would be cooking some gumbo. When he called during the draft, the first thing he asked was 'How's that gumbo?' That meant a lot."

Along with Wolfe, former Sooners Lewis Baker (49ers), Joe Jon Finley (49ers), Garrett Hartley (Denver) and Marcus Walker (Vikings), have also signed free agent contracts.

Wolfe, 5-foot-11, 201 pounds, came to Oklahoma as one of the top-rated running backs in the country out of Lawton Eisenhower. However, he was in the same recruiting class as Adrian Peterson. After playing sparingly on offense as a freshman, he was moved to cornerback as a sophomore and junior.

Wolfe switched positions one more time during the preseason to strong safety and had a productive senior campaign and was named to the All Big 12 second team. He ended his career with eight interceptions and 171 tackles.

Not UDFA, but FAs. Says below that Turnbull was a Falcon before. I don't remember that, maybe because he didn't really play much. This guy any good, or just an injury prone backup?


FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Falcons signed free agent wide receiver Chandler Williams and claimed the contract of defensive back Nick Turnbull from the Bengals Tuesday.

Williams, 5-11, 184 pounds, was originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He was released by Minnesota following training camp, but was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad later in the season.

Turnbull, 6-2, 222 pounds, will make his third career stint with the Falcons. In 2006, he competed in two games with the team before being waived on December 11 and joining the Chicago Bears for one contest. The Miami native was signed as a free agent by Atlanta on May 9, 2007 and spent the 2007 training camp with the Falcons before being placed on injured reserve on August 29. Turnbull was then waived from the injured reserve list on October 25 and spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals later in the season.
Both Williams and Turnbull are graduates from Florida International University spending three seasons together in a Golden Panthers uniform.

Oh yeah, Turnbull has been with the Falcons before. I think his one contest with the Bears was the Superbowl two years ago. He just never fit because of depth, but I think he's pretty decent.

The name seemed very familiar to me, but I couldn't for the life of me remember seeing that name on the back of a Falcons jersey. Maybe I saw him w/the Bears or the Bengals. I was thinking he was pretty good too, but maybe that's just because I recognized the name. Sometimes you can recognize a name for someone stinkin' it up too. ;)

Bryan Matthews
AuburnSports.com Publisher


AuburnSports.com

Brock will try to earn a spot on the Falcons roster.
Brock said he will sign the free agent deal Wednesday and report to rookie training camp the weekend of May 10.

"I'm anxious, excited, nervous –- all those balled in together," said Brock. "Rookie camp, nothing is really promised to you. You have to go and make the best of your opportunity.

"It's all about catching someone's eye and impressing them. You just have to go in there hungry and ready to work."

2007 stats:

13 games played

40 solo tackles 19 assited tackles = 59 total tackles

1 tackle for loss

5 pass break ups

3 quarterback hurries

1 fumble recovery

I hope I never hear of these guys again.

Good point, although that Butterworth guy seems like he could be a help w/some good coaching. We can use all the good OTs we can get. fgtb76

Brock agrees to terms with Falcons

Posted by Phillip Marshall, The Huntsville Times April 30, 2008 3:07 PM
Categories: Football

Auburn safety Eric Brock has agreed to a free-agent deal with the Atlanta Falcons. He decided on the Falcons after also considering an offer from the Jacksonville Jaguars,

At least 10 Auburn players from last season's Auburn team will report to NFL camps. Quentin Groves, Pat Lee, Pat Sims, Jonathan Wilhite and King Dunlap were chosen in the draft. Brock, Carl Stewart, Prechae Rodriguez, Josh Thompson and Cole Bennett agreed to free-agent deals.