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Crumpler won't play in the preseason, Falcons coach Jim Mora said. Crumpler returned to practice in full team drills on Aug. 2 and is expected to play in Week 1. The tight end has the labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder repaired in late February after he appeared in his third straight Pro Bowl. |
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Crumpler, possibly quarterback Mike Vick's favorite target, had career highs in receptions (65) and yards (877) in 16 games last season. He caught five touchdown passes. Crumpler enters his sixth season 12 receiving yards shy of 3,000 for his career. |
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Koenen was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts, including a 40-yarder as time ran out to help the Atlanta Falcons beat the New England Patriots 26-23 in a preseason game on Friday. |
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Koenen handled the punting and kickoff duties last season, but his play on Friday makes him a strong candidate for the starting kicker position. |
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The Falcons got the bad news they expected Monday: Finneran is out for the season after tearing up his left knee in practice. Finneran, one of quarterback Michael Vick's favorite targets, went down during a workout Sunday night as he practiced a one-on-one drill with rookie cornerback Jimmy Williams. An MRI confirmed that Finneran tore the anterior cruciate ligament, in addition to sustaining cartilage damage and a slight displacement of the knee cap. He will undergo sur |
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The loss of Finneran was a serious blow to the Falcons' hopes of bolstering an offense that ranked 27th in passing yards last season. While he wasn't a starter, he did lead all Atlanta wideouts with 60 catches for 611 yards and, along with tight end Alge Crumpler, had an excellent rapport with Michael Vick. |
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After declining to attend Denver's offseason conditioning program, Lelie is now boycotting the team's three-day minicamp. The Broncos' wide receiver and his agent, Peter Schaffer, said they want a trade. Lelie is entering the final season of the rookie contract he signed as the 19th overall pick in 2002, but doesn't feel he has the opportunity to be the featured receiver in Denver's offense. |
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Lelie had 42 catches for 770 yards and one touchdown last season. He has 168 career receptions for 3,007 yards and 12 touchdowns in 64 games, all with Denver. |
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Gandy was traded from the Saints to the Falcons on Thursday. Atlanta will be his fourth stop after spending time with the Rams, the Steelers and the Saints. |
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Gandy, who is 6-4 and 315 pounds, will be entering his 13th season and was signed by the Saints as a free agent in 2003. He started 16 games last season, and has started 16 games every year from 1995-2005, except for 2001 when he started in 15 games. |
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Abraham was traded to Atlanta on Tuesday as part of a three-way deal involving the Jets and the Broncos. The Pro Bowl defensive end had been seeking a trade the entire offseason after the Jets placed their franchise tag on Abraham for the second straight year. Abraham had 10.5 sacks in 2005. |
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In the deal, Atlanta and Denver swapped first-round picks, with Atlanta moving from 15th to 29th, and then the Falcons sent the 29th pick to the Jets. Atlanta also received middle round picks in 2006 and 2007 from the Broncos. Abraham, who lives in South Carolina, wanted to play for the Falcons and should be a force along their defensive line. |
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The Falcons bolstered their secondary by signing 32-year-old safety Milloy to a three-year deal worth $6 million. Milloy was released by the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago because of salary cap reasons. |
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Milloy had 107 tackles, 32 of which were solo, a sack and an interception for Buffalo last season. |
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The New York Jets designated Abraham as their franchise player for the second straight year, meaning the standout defensive end will make at least $8.33 million this season. Abraham was unhappy with the team's decision last season and waited until the end of training camp to sign. He had 10.5 sacks in last season, but was hoping the team would sign him to a long-term contract. |
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There is a chance Abraham could be traded, since the Jets are over the salary camp. If not, expect Abraham to once again sit out training camp before signing the franchise offer. |