Tag: atl falcons news

Former Georgia OL accepts job as Falcons’ director of player development

Former Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Fernando Velasco has accepted a job to become the Atlanta Falcons’ director of player development.

Former Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Fernando Velasco has accepted a job as the Atlanta Falcons’ director of player development. Velasco played college football at the University of Georgia from 2003-2007.

The Wren, Georgia, native played in the NFL for eight seasons from 2008-2016. He started 38 games and appeared in 83 games during his NFL career. Velasco returned to Georgia as the assistant director of player development under Kirby Smart from 2017-2019.

The former Georgia standout followed Sam Pittman to Arkansas in 2020. Velasco was the director of player development at Arkansas from 2020-2022. He helped the Razorbacks improve significantly after they finished with a rough 2-10 record during the 2019 season.

Velasco has been a quick riser throughout his career as a support staff member. Support staffs are only getting larger throughout the top programs of college football and the NFL.

Fernando Velasco announced his job change via Twitter. He is certainly leaving the Arkansas football program better than when he found it.

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Atlanta Falcons waive former Georgia Bulldogs DL

The Atlanta Falcons have waived former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman John Atkins.

The Atlanta Falcons have waived former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman John Atkins.

Atlanta waived several players following their preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans. The Falcons have to cut one more player to reach the NFL’s roster requirement by Tuesday.

Atkins played in 36 career games for the Georgia Bulldogs. He compiled 81 total tackles over his career in Athens, but he never recorded a sack. Atkins is more of a run-stopper than a pass rusher. Now, he will search for another NFL opportunity.

Jan 8, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle John Atkins is looking for a new NFL home. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Atkins has 22 career tackles during his NFL career. He previosuly played with the Detroit Lions in 2018-2019. The 6-foot-3, 320-pound defensive tackle went undrafted in 2018.

Atkins signed with the New England Patriots following the draft, but was cut before the regular season. Atkins signed with the Lions, with whom he had an opportunity to play in a few games as a rookie.

Atkins opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Detroit Lions cut Atkins on June 2.

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Video: Georgia Bulldog Todd Gurley is coming home

Georgia Bulldog legend Todd Gurley signed with the Atlanta Falcons and is returning home. He released a video to celebrate.

Georgia Bulldog legend Todd Gurley is returning to the Peach State. Gurley signed a one-year deal to join the Atlanta Falcons. With Gurley and a couple of other free agent additions the Falcons could become the first team in NFL history to start 11 first-round picks on offense.

It didn’t take Todd Gurley much time to pick a free agent destination following his surprise release from the Los Angeles Rams. Gurley knew he wanted to return to Georgia.

To commemorate his return to Georgia, Todd Gurley and Roc Nation Sports released an awesome video celebrating his career and his exciting return to the state of the Georgia:

What an amazing video. It’s worth a couple of views. Todd Gurley was a joy to watch at the University of Georgia and has been outstanding in the NFL. Despite some injury concerns, Gurley still has a lot left in the tank.

Gurley will be fun to watch on the Atlanta Falcons, who are coming off a disappointing 7-9 season. The Falcons are in a stacked division with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints and Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta is going to need an epic season from Gurley to make the expanded NFL Postseason.

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