Format change for the Schmo

Change is inevitable, and its no different here at the Schmo. We have had to change some plans here in The Telegraph sports department, and unfortunately, that means I will no longer be supplying you with Atlanta Falcons coverage, effective immediately. That also means The Pro Schmo is pretty much obsolete at this point.

But plenty of great things can come due to change, and I'm hoping that I've put together an idea that will keep you coming back to this blog and macon.com.

Starting this week, The Pro Schmo will become a place for laughs as I scour the sports scene to find you the stuff that doesn't always make it into headlines. I'll post stories, quotes and video from the lighter side of sports here every day for your enjoyment.

I hope those of you who read the Schmo will continue to visit, and I hope to gain some brand new readers, as this blog becomes "Oddball."

Falcons wrap

It's 1:15 a.m. and I just got back from the Georgia Dome. There were a lot of positives and negatives in a 16-9 loss for the Falcons vs. the Colts, and I'll be more than happy to go over them tomorrow with you. I'll also be posting quotes, notes and thumbs.

Roddy White throws tantrum

The personal foul penalty just incurred by the Falcons stemmed from Roddy White throwing a fit after Matt Ryan threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. I missed the first part of the tantrum, but White came off the field with his helmet missing, which leads me to believe it was thrown or stolen from him. I'm guessing it's the former.

Either way, if White's going to be a veteran the Falcons can turn to, he needs to grow the hell up and not do stupid things like that. Granted, the penalty hurt the Falcons very little, but those of who witnessed last year's visit from Carolina to the Georgia Dome can tell you exactly how much stupid, idiotic penalties can hurt a team. That was just boneheaded on White's part, and one of the assistant coaches gave him an earful for about 30 seconds as he came off the field.

It's halftime now and I'm going to go somewhere to avoid watching the "entertainment."

Cut Adam Jennings now!

Here we go again with Adam Jennings. If you didn't see just a few moments ago, Jennings, who SUCKED last year, just mishandled a punt return and gave the ball back to Indianapolis deep in the Falcons' end. Ramon Guzman just recovered the fumble and would have taken it in for a score if not for a phantom call that I couldn't hear up in the press box.

Look, I understand it's the preseason, I understand these games aren't real and there is some rust on some of these guys. Jennings, however, just stinks. He stunk last year as a returner and a receiver and it looks like that hasn't changed. Last year, I called for him to be benched dozens of times for mishandling punts, running right into defenders on returns or calling for fair catches when he has 20 yards between him and the nearest defender. Atlanta needs a return man a la Allen Rossum from a few years ago. Jennings will never, ever be at that level and he needs to go.

Now that that's done, Michael Boley has sustained a back injury and will not return to the game.

Live from the Georgia Dome

I don't know how many of you out there are paying attention tonight, but I'll do a little blogging from the Georgia Dome for the Atlanta Falcons' second preseason game of the year. The Falcons take on the Indianapolis Colts, although if the NFL allowed JV teams, this would be it for the Colts. Peyton Manning is out as is Bob Sanders, Ryan Diem, Ryan Lilja, Josh Thomas and Dwight Freeney. Former Georgia Tech star and Colts rookie Philip Wheeler is also not playing tonight.

As far as the Falcons go, here's a list of players who did not dress: Chris Houston, David Irons, Isaac Brown, John Abraham, Alex Stepanovich and Martrez Milner.

Starting at quarterback tonight, oddly enough, is Joey Harrington in place of Chris Redman.

On a side note, the Georgia Dome looks awesome. The Dome underwent a massive renovation that included changing the coloring of the paneling outside the Dome as well as changing out all the seats inside the Dome. It looks absolutely amazing, so kudos to those responsible.

Check in later for updates on the game.

UFL looking to bail out Vick

Well, not really, but sort of. Apparently, embattled Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick won't have to look too far for a job when he gets out of prison next year. The new United Football League, which starts next year, is ready to put up some big money for Vick to suit up for the league.

Yahoo! Sports has more info here.

Thumbs up, thumbs down

Here are some general thoughts on Saturday night's preseason game against Jacksonville:

THUMBS UP: Matt Ryan. The rookie faced a barrage of defenders to start out with, but he remained cool and calm, finishing the night 9-for-15 with 113 yards and a touchdown to Roddy White. Not bad for his NFL debut.

THUMBS DOWN: Have to give a thumbs down to the cameramen shooting the game for NBC affiliates. It was like they had never actually seen a football game. Shots were all over the place and some plays were missed because they simply didn't know where the ball was. I don't expect much, but I do expect TV to be better than radio.

THUMBS UP: Running backs. Michael Turner, Jason Snelling, Jerious Norwood and Thomas Brown all did tremendous on the ground. Brown looked a little hesitant, but that will fade with experience. After watching Turner, I'm excited to see what he can do the rest of the season. Snelling had my vote for play of the night with his rumbling 47-yard reception on a screen pass to set up a Joey Harrington touchdown.

THUMBS DOWN: To the offensive line in front of DJ Shockley. In the preseason, I agree with the call to try to win late in the game instead of going for a tie. The offensive line should have been jacked up with a chance to win. Instead, the pocket collapsed on the Falcons' final play and Shockley tossed an interception to end Atlanta's chances of pulling out a win.

THUMBS UP: Jamaal Anderson. He finally recorded an NFL sack. It's about time, but it certainly has to relieve some pressure. Now, let's see if he can do it when it counts in a few weeks.

THUMBS DOWN: Third-down efficiency. The Falcons finished with a paltry 33 percent on third downs, converting on just 5-of-15. Yeah, it's the preseason, but that has to get better. Punting is no fun for anyone.

THUMBS UP: The offense and play-calling. Both were pretty good -- and a lot better than last year, which is all that's important at this point. I liked Mike Mularkey's play-calling throughout the game. The Falcons seem to have a good grasp of the system, and they tallied up 343 yards because of it. Atlanta also had chances to score, which was nice to see.

THUMBS DOWN: Fumbles. The Falcons recovered three fumbles during the game and turned it into three points. While the offense as a whole played well, there were times when it just couldn't get things done, like on third downs and when the Jags turned the ball over. Atlanta has to take advantage of those things.

Image: The Associated Press (running back Jason Snelling)

20 Questions: No. 17 - Game night

The 20 Questions series will run every few days leading up to the end of training camp and the start of the NFL season.

No. 17: What should I expect to see out of the Falcons in tonight's preseason game against Jacksonville?

Hopefully, a different team from last year. A lot of football fans don't care a whole lot about the preseason because they say it doesn't mean anything. I beg to differ. While the season is certainly a whole lot more exciting than the four games that make up the preseason for each team, these mean-nothing games can tell you a lot about how a team is going to perform once games start counting.

That said, you need to watch preseason games differently than you watch regular season games. During the preseason, it doesn't matter how many touchdowns Peyton Manning throws. You already know he's aces, so what he does isn't important. What is important, however, is what the younger, lesser experienced players do during the preseason.

Tonight, I'm going to really keep a close eye on Matt Ryan. Chris Redman has been announced as this week's starter, but head coach Mike Smith said all the quarterbacks are going to get equal time. This will be Ryan's first taste of what an NFL field is really like, and how he performs tonight will tell you all you need to know about his preparation and ability to this point.

I'm also going to pay close attention to DJ Shockley. The boat is awfully full at quarterback for the Falcons with Ryan, Redman and Joey Harrington, which means Shockley is fighting for his career tonight. I'm rooting for him because I think he brings something to the field Harrington doesn't (OK, he brings a lot of things to the field that Harrington doesn't), but he has to know that tonight will go a long way in determining his future with the Falcons, or possibly any other NFL team.

Watch for the first team offensive line and see how it does against Jacksonville's front four. Watch for the Falcons' receivers and who plays where. Watch for rookie linebacker Curtis Lofton and see if he really has what it takes to start during his first year.

The final, perhaps most important, thing to watch for tonight will be coaching. We all remember last year's debacle when it came to play-calling. Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey's system will be on display tonight, although hardly in full effect. Even so, pay attention to the types of plays he runs in different situations. I'm sure you'll notice a vast difference from last year right away.

Datish back again

After a brief stint with the Indianapolis Colts (two weeks to be exact), Doug Datish is back with the Falcons. Datish was a sixth-round selection by the Falcons in 2006 and spent all of last season on injured reserve with a bum wrist.

He was waived by the Falcons a little more than a month ago, which was when he hooked on with the Colts.

Also, the Falcons waived kicker Kevin Lovell. No surprise here with Jason Elam on the roster. Lovell was pretty much just signed to hold for field goals and carry Elam's pads around during camp.

One quick note I want to make here: The other day on this blog, I reported that Robert James had been waived by the Falcons. That was untrue. A news release sent by the Falcons had confusing wording that made it sound like James was off the team. Rather, the fifth-round draft choice from this year was placed on injured reserve. My apologies for the screw up.

Next installment of 20 Questions coming later tonight.

Favre traded to Jets

It's late into the evening, but the gears in New York have been grinding out a trade. The Jets have reportedly traded to acquire Brett Favre from the Green Bay Packers. ESPN has been giving this non-stop coverage tonight since word broke and they're interviewing everyone under the sun. In fact, I'm slated to go on in 30 minutes. Kidding.

But it looks like the battle with Green Bay is over and maybe we can get on with our lives. Now that Favre is with the team he will play for this year, let's break it down simply.

This move is good news for:
- The Atlanta Falcons. Rumors swirled that Tampa Bay was interested in the future hall of famer, and an early report Wednesday even stated that a deal was done to send Favre to the Bucs. That didn't happen, and the Falcons now don't have to deal with playing him twice in a season.
- Chansi Stuckey. The former Northside standout will spend the second season of his NFL career catching passes from Brett Favre. Very cool.

This move is bad news for:
- Me. I'm a Bills fan.

James waived/Tuesday links

My apologies for not getting back here since Sunday. I spent Monday in Athens helping David Hale cover Georgia practice.

And now, your links:

Blogging Dirty puts some thought into the Falcons' 2008 schedule.

Great story from The Sun Chronicle on former Falcons cornerback Lewis Sanders and how closely 9/11 affected him.

11Alive says linebacker Tony Taylor will get his first start in the NFL on Saturday against Jacksonville.

From the AJC, the Falcons are undecided on the QB rotation and Steve Wyche says there are some questions at tight end.

Animal Planet will kick off a new series by detailing the fiasco involving Michael Vick and dogfighting.

For your weekend entertainment

Rookie cornerback Chevis Jackson is keeping a video diary of his first training camp at atlantafalcons.com.

ESPN.com actually does a good job here with a transcription of Derek Thomas' introduction and Falcons assistant head coach Emmitt Thomas' induction speech. Great stuff.

The Gainesville Times details the Falcons' all-access fan weekend, including Saturday's Roam the Dome event.

The Ledger of Central Florida discusses the reasons former running back Warrick Dunn has been so durable.

And finally, here are your reasons the Atlanta Falcons could win this year's Super Bowl.

Friday afternoon reading

Enjoy!

Blogging Dirty has your top 10 reasons fantasy football is so great.

According to ajc.com, D.J. Shockley is nipping at the heels of the other quarterbacks.

From J. Michael Moore of AtlantaFalcons.com, the Falcons spent Thursday being coached up on some new rules.

USA Today says wide receiver Roddy White stays in touch with former quarterback Michael Vick in prison.

FOXSports.com says the Falcons have a clean slate and a bright future ahead of them.

The Falcoholic weighs in on what is turning out to be a righteous quarterback battle.

20 Questions: No. 18 - Jamaal Anderson

The 20 Questions series will run every few days leading up to the end of training camp and the start of the NFL season.

No. 18: Can Jamaal Anderson be more productive on the defensive line?

He better be or there's going to be a strong contingent of Atlanta fans waiting to run him out of town. Seriously, though, it was really surprising that Anderson had such a difficult time at defensive end last year. Everyone's biggest gripe about him was that he failed to record a sack during his rookie season, and that was certainly a valid complaint. Anderson led the SEC in sacks during his final season at Arkansas, so expectations were extremely high when the Falcons drafted him in 2007.

And really, when a team goes out of its way to draft you at No. 8 overall, shouldn't they expect a somewhat immediate turnaround? I felt bad for Anderson last year because it was obvious that this was eating at him. It's not like he didn't care that he wasn't putting decent numbers up opposite John Abraham. He's a good kid who obviously loves playing for the Falcons, but he needs to come in this season and produce to prove his worth.

Can he do it? Well, the circumstances certainly look good -- in fact, just as good as they were at the beginning of last year. With the Falcons signing Grady Jackson again, he'll have a huge presence on the defensive line and consistently eat up two offensive linemen. That is sure to help Anderson. With Abraham coming off a pretty successful season, teams will likely key up on him with occasional double teams. Those two factors alone should open things up quite a bit for Anderson, but he's going to have to take advantage of it.

With a rookie season under his belt, I think the nerves will be long gone and he'll be able to play a more relaxed brand of football up front. Anderson won't go another season without a sack, and he should rack them up pretty easily this year. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that Anderson will record the first sack of his NFL career Sept. 7 against Detroit. That will be the first of many for Anderson in his career.

Photo: www.atlantafalcons.com

For your Wednesday perusal

Some things to enlighten the mind and sooth the soul...

Blogging Dirty welcomes Grady Jackson back with open arms. Those must be some pretty big arms.

Some great thoughts from The Falcoholic on what looks like a snub of cornerback David Irons.

Covers.com says don't bet on the Falcons unless you bet on them to lose.

A bit of an update on the renovations at the Georgia Dome. Looks much better than the former peach (pink?) and green combo.

Darren Epps at the Chattanooga Times Free Press says Arkansas players are starting to defend Bobby Petrino. Ahhh, the naivety of youth.

From the Gainesville Times, running back Thomas Brown is looking to be a little more consistent.

20 Questions: No. 19 - Grady Jackson

The 20 Questions series will run every few days leading up to the end of training camp and the start of the NFL season.

No. 19: Will signing Grady Jackson really make any difference?

Might as well keep it relevant at No. 19. Grady Jackson will absolutely make a difference at the defensive tackle position. At 6-foot-2, 345 pounds (yes, he's really 345 pounds, and no, I'm not telling lies, kpax), Jackson doesn't even need to get out of his three-point stance to make a difference for the Falcons. Jackson pretty much has his own gravitational pull and he takes up a ton of space in the middle of the line -- something the Falcons didn't have heading into training camp. With Jackson in the middle, the run defense is suddenly solidified a bit more, and that has to give the Falcons confidence.

The only downside to Jackson is that he's not a three-down tackle. Because of his sheer mammoth size, he's going to need to be rotated in and out quite often. The upside to that is having a pretty fresh tackle lining up every couple of downs. The downside to that is that the Falcons don't have anyone else of Jackson's size and ability, which automatically makes any down Jackson spends on the sidelines a running down for the opposing offense.

I'm still not too sold on the crop of defensive tackles the Falcons have at their disposal with the exception of Montavious Stanley. The former Louisville tackle seems to be on the way up since being cut by Dallas last year. If he can earn a starting spot, the Falcons are suddenly a formidable, fearful force in the middle with Jackson added to the mix. If the Falcons, by some minor miracle, regain the services of injured DT Trey Lewis, they're even better set since Lewis is really the only other DT besides Stanley and Jackson I trust.

But take everything else out of the equation and, absolutely, 100 percent yes, Jackson will make a huge difference to the defensive line this year.

Image: Ric Feld/Associated Press

Tuesday reading

Wesley Brown over at Atlanta Falcons Blog puts in his two cents on some occurrences at camp since it got underway Saturday.

Blogging Dirty says just let Joe Horn go already.

From ajc.com, some very bad news for the Falcons, Big Daddy Grady is coming back to the ATL and Harry Douglas doesn't care if you have a Super Bowl ring.

Profootballtalk.com has a very low outlook at the Falcons this year.

Profootballweekly.com has your quotes of the week from around the league.

20 Questions: No. 20 - Is last year really over?

I'm going to try a new series called 20 Questions on this blog as we really get into the meat of training camp. Every couple of days, I will answer a new question regarding the Atlanta Falcons. If you have any questions of your own you want to ask, feel free to drop me a line. Otherwise, I'm just going to make them up as I go.

Today's question: No. 20 - Is last year really worth bringing up any more?

From someone who's sick of reliving it, no, it's not worth bringing up any more. It's like that movie Groundhog Day at this point. In fact, I'd like to declare that anyone mentioning last year's Atlanta Falcons season from now on should be forced into a conversation with this guy. On the first day of training camp Saturday, thoughts and questions about last year were relevant considering the fiasco at the Falcons training camp facility. That's understandable.

But now that the contrasts have been made between last year's opening day and this year's opening day, I think it's time to hold a funeral service for the term "last year" when referring to Michael Vick, or Bobby Petrino, or Alge Crumpler, or DeAngelo Hall, or this guy. That term no longer applies any more when referring to the Falcons.

Sure, there are plenty of players still on the team who unfortunately had to deal with those circumstances, but for many of those players, last year might as well have been a million years ago. The circumstances are so different now, and there's actually a relaxed atmosphere up in Flowery Branch. Everything is drama-free, so bringing up last year in reference to this year doesn't make any sense any longer.

Besides, aren't we all sick of talking, hearing or reading (or writing) about it?

Sure, it sucks that the Falcons had to go through all that stuff last year, but it's ancient history now. Let it die and let's move on. The Falcons certainly have.

Sunday reading and viewing

Couple of things I found while scouring the Web...

Atlantafalcons.com does an incredible job with its video every year. Lots of great and creative ideas come out of these guys. On Saturday afternoon, they mic'd up head coach Mike Smith.

Rookie cornerback Chevis Jackson blogs about getting ready for training camp.

From the Mountain View Voice, a great story on one of Michael Vick's former dogs more than a year after being rescued.

From Scout.com, you'll never see this offense in the NFL, but it sure is fun to watch. Two quarterbacks, six receivers and three linemen? Wow.

Training camp report

The first day of Atlanta Falcons training camp is in the books and it went about as smooth as it possibly could go. It was really nice to go there this year without all the hoopla and distraction of last year at this time.

Here are some news, notes and quotes:

- Chris Redman took all the first-team snaps for the Falcons during the morning practice. Some of you may be disturbed to know that Joey Harrington took all the second-team snaps. Matt Ryan worked with the third team and D.J. Shockley got in sparingly with the third team, as well. Things don't look all that good for Shockley right now if for nothing else than the simple fact that he's not going to get a whole lot of reps. With Harrington being a bit more seasoned, Shockley's days could be numbered in Atlanta.

Here's what Redman had to say about the competition: "I'm just excited. I'm excited to play, I'm happy to be here and I think the whole team as a group came out and looked real strong today. You're always competing no matter where you're at and so I'm just going to go out there and just worry about what I have to do and go out there and try to win games and see what happens."

- Michael Turner looked as solid as he could despite the team going with just helmets and very little contact today. More will be known about him when the team straps the pads on, but he impressed me today. Also worth noting is Jerious Norwood. I think he actually gained a step in the offseason. He looks extremely fast and elusive right now. This could be one hell of a tandem.

Turner on what stood out on Day 1: "The energy. Everyone looked excited out there and excited to be here. That's a good sign coming into the season."

- Rumors flying around camp today about the Falcons talking with Grady Jackson again. A source close to the team told me today that he was surprised the deal wasn't done by this morning's practice. Either way, it looks like Jackson might be coming back to Atlanta. Good thing, too. The Falcons could use some help at defensive tackle.

Here are a couple of quick hits for you:

- Laurent Robinson was the No. 2 receiver on the first team this morning.
- Brent Grimes was in the other cornerback spot opposite Chris Houston.
- The first-team offensive line Saturday: Sam Baker (LT), Justin Blalock (LG), Todd McClure (C), Harvey Dahl (RG), Tyson Clabo (RT). Interesting since Dahl was a practice teamer for San Francisco to start last season.
- None of the tight ends looked very smooth this morning. It's obvious that this is not a group of pass-catchers.
- The defensive line shifted around all morning and it didn't look like there was a clear set of first-teamers with the exception of Montavious Stanley.
- At linebacker, Curtis Lofton worked with the first and second teams at middle linebacker while veteran Keith Brooking slid over to the weakside and played some middle.
- Tony Taylor got some reps at linebacker with the first team.
- Brian Finneran had some great catches during team and 7-on-7 periods. He is one big target and it's good to see him healthy again.

Photo: Head coach Mike Smith (John Bazemore/Associated Press)