Curtis Lofton
 

I think the guy is hell of a player but is it just me but he can't cover worth of s&%h. I watch ever game and it seem soon as the other team gets in the red zone he gets burnt. What do you guys think

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

You're right. Hawthorne is looking way better in pass coverage this preseason. I think quite a few of us wouldn't mind seeing a lot of Hawthorne and Humber on the inside this year.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

I thought it was great how he knocked the ball out to prevent the TD yesterday... I'll take his somewhat poor coverage along with everything great he does...

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

I'm going to keep beating my drum - we need to replace the old guys with fresh blood or our defense is going to be pathetic again this year.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

He's 27 and had 123 tackles last year, tied 17th in the league... Doesn't look pathetic to me

Curtis Lofton
 

True, but I will say that there was a reason the falcons cut him and while he isn't the oldest kid on the block he has more years on him than the guys I want him to be replaced with.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Yeah he declined their 3 different offers and then signed with us for less... He was a UFA

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

The Falcons thought he wasn't an every down LB... That's why they didn't offer him the money he wanted and he signed with us because he felt disrespected by the Falcons low-balling him. I'm not gonna lie, the Falcons may have been right because his pass coverage is lacking.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Funny; he played 95% of the defensive snaps when he was on their team... 118+ tackles every season except his rookie with 94

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

The Falcons didn't cut him. In fact they offered him almost as much as the Saints did.

But they, in their typical classless way, decided to use insults as a negotiating tool. They made announcements to the rest of the league that Lofton wasn't that good. They claimed he was a liability in coverage, which they had never said before his contract year. And that he was only a 2 down back even though he played more downs than any other player on their defense going back to his rookie year. So in the end, even though the falcons offered him almost as much as the Saints, he decided he didn't want to play for a team that would publicly disrespect him after several years of being one of their best defensive players.

After Lofton left, the Falcons run defense dropped from 6th in 2011 to 21st in 2012. And overall the dirty bird defense dropped from 11th in 2011 to 24th in 2012. I'm not going to pretend the decline in defense is completely due to Lofton's departure but the pigeons didn't do themselves any favors by letting him walk.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Guys. We can argue semantics all day long but our D is atrocious. If we are going to go down again this year id rather it be with the young guns than the same ole show from last year.

To me we should abandon the 3-4 this year and go back to a 4-3 with Foster in the DL lineup. Since we are hurting so bad at LB going back to 3 LB might make some sense.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Lofton isn't very fast, and a liability in coverage; but he's smart and flies to the ball. He has a high motor, and he's a leader. Hawthorne has looked better, but we have to play players to their strengths and mask their weaknesses. Everybody has weaknesses. Patrick Willis isn't great in pass coverage either.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Drew Bree's can't punt.... We try to keep him out of that situation :)

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Hey I was all for a 3-4 defense but let's face it we just don't have the LBs and now we have all this talent on the front line. It makes total sense.

Why is that insane?

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Wished he could play some LB :doh:

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Because we brought in a coordinator who is 3-4?!

And if you always jump back to the comfort zone every-time you face a little toughness, nothing changes...

Curtis Lofton
 

Yeah but we don't have any freaking LB's now! You don't think Rob Ryan knows how to run a 4-3? We are desperate, first thing we did today was pick up a LB.

Long term I think we should go 3-4 but, man, this season it might better we wait another season.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

um, Galette, Wilson will be back for game 1; Atkins, Galette, Wilson, Johnson, Martin, not to mention the new Haralson...

That's 6 OLBs right there...

"I'm sorry, Rob... You'll have to throw 70%(random #) of your playbook away and adapt 4-3 in 2 weeks!" :rolleyes: Total insanity

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Desperate times require desperate measures. Play to our strengths now. I'd take our four best DL over our four best LB right now.

As for Ryan's play book did you see how many times we were in 4-3 alignment on Sunday? We played in that formation for most of the first series.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

And do you understand that it's preseason? And Ryan isn't showing the Falcons too much film to prepare?

What you think they've been running 4-3 all through training camp?

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Then what are you yammering about? There is nothing to abandon.... We are in a 3-4 only 20% of the time.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

He plays smart. True we may have to make him a 2 down player. But he still has a few good years.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Just go back when he was with the Falcowns we was burning him. He kind of like Roman Harper how the hell you can cover a damn TE.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

We do the same thing w/ Graham... Teams almost have to double a good TE :doh:

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

I disagree, I don't know how this new guy plays or even if he starts but if he does he and Junior can play outside and put Tez inside with Hawthorn, Lofton is good on run downs only, Humber looks much better than Lofton on the inside and plays the pass better. I like Lofton but a 3-4 lb. he is not. We could have a really good set of 3-4 lb.'s if they play them to their strengths.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

No offense but, 3-4....4-3.... you're getting caught up in semantics as well..

The "change" to 3-4 was not as drastic as you may think. Payton's brought in 3-4 type defenders for years. D Coordinators say they're only lined up in a 3-4 less than 20% of the time anyway.

We changed DC's. THAT was the most important part. You can call it a 2-7-2 defense if you like, but the (positive) difference is Rob Ryan.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Curtis Lofton was a prize free agent just last year. He may need to play only 2 downs at a time, but we'll get the best out of him this year. Ryan will use him to his strengths.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

Fear the Beard.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

It is ironic that now we finally have the players for a decent 4-3 setup with Hicks/Jordan maturing and Humber/Hawthorne looking so solid. But it's a 3-4 league now anyway. Well past time the change was made.

Lofton is a good player. Yes he has to be protected but that is one of the great things about a 3-4 defense. He can be the player that he is and his weakness don't hurt you so much because you have a rangier guy next to him that can play coverage and run sideline to sideline.

Re: Curtis Lofton
 

This thread makes me realize its probably a really good thing that this website isn't like some others I've seen (cough, cough) and only offers a "like" option for posts and not a "dislike"