Feb 15, 2008 2:04 pm US/Central
Falcons Release TE Crumpler To Start Rebuilding
Team Also Lets Go Of 6 Other Players
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) ―
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Alge Crumpler, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons, celebrates after making a catch.(Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)
Doug Benc/Getty Images
The Atlanta Falcons released four-time Pro Bowl tight end Alge
Crumpler and six other players Friday in the first step of a major
rebuilding job in the post-Michael Vick era.
The Falcons also cut quarterback Byron Leftwich, defensive tackle
Rod Coleman, offensive tackle Wayne Gandy, cornerback Lewis Sanders,
wide receiver Jamin Elliott and linebacker Marcus Wilkins.
"This is a difficult day for the entire organization," said Thomas
Dimitroff, the Falcons' new general manager. "A number of these players
have contributed to this organization on and off the field at a high
level, and we greatly appreciate their efforts."
None contributed more than Crumpler, one of the team's most
respected players and a leader in the locker room. He twice led the
Falcons in receptions and had a streak of four straight Pro Bowl
appearances from 2003-06.
But Crumpler was plagued by knee problems this past season and
dropped off to 44 receptions. Also, he counted $5.1 million against the
salary cap for 2008, money the Falcons felt could be better spent
elsewhere.
"These decisions weren't easy, but we felt they were necessary to
build a team in the long-term best interest of the Falcons and its
fans," Dimitroff said.
The Falcons also cut Coleman, who played sparingly in 2007 after
injuring himself on a personal watercraft during the last offseason.
Before that, he had been one of the NFL's most dominating interior
linemen, making the Pro Bowl in 2005.
"As a football coach it is never easy to cut any player, especially
veteran players who have been valuable members of the organization,"
said new coach Mike Smith, who was hired last month.
Leftwich was another player slowed by injuries. Cut by Jacksonville
late in training camp, he signed with the Falcons after missing the
first two weeks of the regular season. He was soon anointed the starter
by then-coach Bobby Petrino, but played in only three games because of
a perennially ailing ankle and other problems.
The 37-year-old Gandy started all 16 games for the Falcons in 2006,
but made it through only five weeks last season before going down with
a knee injury, the first major health issue of his career.
Sanders started six games in his only season with the Falcons, but
was supplanted by rookie Chris Houston. Wilkins and Elliott were used
sparingly.
The Falcons are retooling their roster after going 4-12 in 2007, a
tumultuous season marred by the loss of Vick. The team's most prominent
player pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges and received a
prison sentence of nearly two years.
Petrino bolted for Arkansas with three games left in his debut
season, and owner Arthur Blank further shook things up by taking away
the GM duties from Rich McKay, who remains as team president.
The loss of Vick had severe implications on Atlanta's salary cap,
especially when a federal judge ruled this month the team couldn't
recover $16.5 million in bonuses. The NFL is appealing that decision.
From all indications, the shake-up isn't done. Veterans such as
Warrick Dunn and Lawyer Milloy could become victims of the cap, though
they weren't included in the original round of cuts.
Dimitroff wants to provide flexibility in the free-agent market, which begins Feb. 29.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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