Atlanta Falcons news from around the web.
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Eli Manning, the number one overall pick of the 2004 NFL draft, has agreed to a six-year $97.5 million dollar contract extension with the New York Giants. This will make him with one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL along with his big brother Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger.
Manning is guaranteed 35 million under the new extension that will keep him a Giant until 2015. The Giants general manager Jerry Reese said that Manning is a "franchise quarterback". He must be after leading the Giants to a Super Bowl upset of the New England Patriots in 2008, in which he was named the MVP of the game.
This is great news for Giant fans who have seen one of their best receivers in Plaxico Burress, waiting for his sentence in off the field gun charges. This will help solidify the foundation of the G-Mens offense for years to come, and help Coach Tom Coughlin breathe a little easier for now.
photo credit: LocoMotion Photography
The Florida Gators who are coming off yet another national championship, made head coach Urban Meyer the richest coach in the SEC. He was rewarded with a 6-year 24 million dollar contract, that will average around 4 million dollars per year.
In his 4 seasons at Gainesville, he has guided the Gators to two national championships, with the help of players like Tim Tebow and Chris Leak. Not to knock Steve Spurrier, but Meyer gets them in position to win the BCS title game every year, and then wins it.
His new contract will run through 2014 and there are incentives that can push the "money" even higher. Meyer said in a statement that he is very" thankful and appreciative for what the university of Florida has done for him and his family".
The Gators have an amazing record of 44-9 under Meyer`s reign, which is third best nationally during his four-year span. Most importantly, his is 12-1 against Florida`s most viscous rivals- Florida State, Tennessee, Miami, and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Former Tennessee Titan and Baltimore Raven Steve McNair was found shot to death in a downtown condominium in Nashville, Tennessee. McNair was the Co-MVP in 2003 along with Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. As police arrived on the scene, they discovered McNair along with another unidentified woman shot to death in cold blood. As of right now there are no leads as to who is responsible for this possible homicide.
McNair who was most famous for playing through injury after injury, had his greatest moment in which he led Tennessee to Super Bowl XXXIV. This has been their only appearance in franchise history, where they (Titans) lost to the Rams 23-16. During his career he was a 3-time Pro-Bowler and joined the great Fran Tarkenton and Steve Young as the only players in league history to throw for 30,000 yards and rush for 3,500 yards.
He last played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2007 and due to injuries, called it a career in 2008. He was the third overall by the Houston Oilers in 1995, and finished with 31,304 yards passing and 174 touchdowns in his terrific NFL career.
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The Detroit Lions choose former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Stafford with the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. The sky seems to be the limit for Stafford as far as his rifle arm and intangible skills are concerned. The Lions can not rush him through like they did with Joey Harrington.
They must bring him along carefully with patience and forgiveness. Much like the Indianapolis Colts did with Peyton Manning. In other draft news, the New York Jets traded up for USC Trojans quarterback Mark Sanchez. The Jets are in dire need of a quarterback since Brett Favre retired and Kellen Clemens isn`t the direction the want to go in right now.
The Oakland Raiders should get the bonehead move of the draft, as they seem to do annually in my opinion. They selected Darrius Heyward-Beyout out of Maryland. Not to knock Heyward-Bey, but to pass on possible future Pro-Bowlers Michael Crabtree, and not to mention Jeremy Maclin, has me puzzled in a daze! Why does Oakland do this every year with their high picks?
All in all it was an interesting draft for all teams involved. No major trades were made and stars like Anquan Boldin and Julius Peppers stayed put for now. They along with others, were rumored to be on the move but nothing happened. Should be another great year in the NFL like it always is!
The already upstart Atlanta Falcons added another piece to their offensive juggernaut. They acquired future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez from the Kansas City Chiefs, for a 2010 second round draft pick.
Gonzalez caught 96 passes for 1,058 yards and ten touchdowns last year. He has the record for NFL career catches for tight ends with 916, plus 10,940 yards receiving, 76 TDs receiving and 26 100-yard receiving games.
All are NFL records that may never be broken. Gonzalez who is now 33, asked to be traded last year in October. However, general manager Carl Peterson said no team Gonzalez was willing to go to made a good enough offer for him. Apparently, the Falcons played the right card for him and now the rest of the league will fill his wrath on the gridiron.
With Gonzalez in the mix, the Falcons will now build on last seasons success. Quarterback Matt Ryan and back Michael Turner will be more than happy to roll out the red carpet for Gonzalez. He adds a dimension they missed last season with former Falcon Algie Crumpler.
