FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Today's Early Bird Report includes what the Falcons need to do to make a return trip to the Super Bowl as well as a trade involving Russell Wilson.
Enjoy!
FALCONS HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
ESPN: Falcons need some fine-tuning to make return to Super Bowl
After their journey to return back to the Super Bowl ultimately fell short in 2017, ESPN's Vaughn McClure believes the Falcons need a bit of fine-tuning to get their again in 2018.
As ESPN looks at the Super Bowl prospects of each NFL team, McClure places the Falcons in the "Should contend, but there are question marks" category, which is the second-highest category on their list. Here is what McClure has to say about the Falcons:
"The Falcons and owner Arthur Blank would love nothing more than to become the first team to play a Super Bowl in its own stadium. In order to make that a reality, the Falcons have to rediscover the offensive success they enjoyed during their 2016 Super Bowl run, when they averaged a league-best 33.8 points per game. The missing element from that team is offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, now the head of the San Francisco 49ers. New coordinator Steve Sarkisian wasn't able to uphold the standard in his first season, but coach Dan Quinn expressed full confidence in Sarkisian heading into the 2018 season."
Here are more articles for Falcons fans:
- CBS Sports: Mock draft: Falcons add intriguing DT prospect
- The Ringer: Falcons the league’s most stable franchise
BIGGEST NEWS FROM AROUND THE NFL
NFL.com: Russell Wilson traded to New York Yankees
This may not be the biggest news of the day, but it might just be the weirdest. Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson has been traded to the New York Yankees. It wasn't Seattle that shipped him off, however, but the Texas Rangers, who dealt Wilson's MLB contract to the Yankees for future considerations, according to NFL.com’s Edward Lewis.
Lewis reports that the acquisition appears to be nothing more than a publicity stunt for the Yankees, which will allow Wilson to attend spring training for a bit and speak with the team.
Wilson juggled the prospects of pursuing both a football and baseball career, spending two seasons in the Colorado Rockies' farm system after the team drafted him in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. While it seems as though MLB teams haven't yet given up on Wilson, it's safe to say he made the right career choice.
Here are some more articles from around the league:
- ESPN: Colts’ Luck won’t need second shoulder surgery
- *Sports Illustrated: *Examining why McDaniels abandoned Indy
- CBS Sports: Crucial offseason financial dates
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