New Falcon Lelie has red flags all over him

[Bob's your Information Minister]

New Falcon Lelie has red flags all over him

By D.Laurant

The Atlanta Falcons were damned if they did and damned if they didn't. So they rolled the dice Tuesday night, jumping into a three-team trade that sent RB T.J. Duckett from Atlanta to Washington and WR Ashley Lelie from Denver to Atlanta (Denver got a draft pick from the Redskins).

What Atlanta general manager Rich McKay was staring at was the choice between having no proven No. 3 receiver or no proven No. 2 tailback. All of this came about when WR Brian Finneran, Atlanta's top possession receiver and one of the key safety valves for Michael Vick, blew out his knee in training camp.

So McKay gritted his teeth and made the deal. Was it a good one? Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com wondered that himself.

"Some Atlanta officials conceded on Tuesday night," Pasquarelli wrote, "that the trade of Duckett, who enjoyed an excellent training camp and preseason, was a dicey one, because it leaves the club without a proven backup to starting tailback Warrick Dunn, who is 31 and entering his 10th season."

Well, yeah. And there are more problems, mostly revolving around the choice of Lelie.

The now ex-Bronco comes south with red flags sticking all over him. For openers, Lelie was sitting out Denver's training camp (to the tune of $376,000 in fines) because he was "disgruntled" about being relegated to the status of No. 3 receiver.

So where do the Falcons expect Lelie to fit in? As the No. 3 receiver, behind Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. The same Atlanta officials who talked to Pasquarelli said they had discussed that with Lelie and he was OK with it.

But apparently not completely OK, because the Falcons didn't extend his contract. Therefore, after 2006, Lelie could very well wind up as an unrestricted free agent, and Atlanta could wind up having traded the very serviceable Duckett for dust in the wind.

True, Lelie is fast, and a certified deep threat. He has caught 168 passes for over 3,000 yards and 12 touchdowns since coming out of the University of Hawaii (where he played for former Falcons coach June Jones), and his yards per catch average of 17.9 is among the best in the NFL. But he has also been inconsistent and prone to drops. And he's certainly not the same type of receiver as Finneran.

Falcons coach Jim Mora was reportedly incensed at the play of his No. 3 receivers against the Green Bay Packers in the most recent preseason game. But draftee Adam Jennings (Fresno State) had his moments early on, and he's pretty much the same player (albeit far less experienced) as Lelie, without the baggage.

Duckett, meanwhile, had been chugging along at a 6.4 yards per carry average in preseason and is only 25. He has rushed for 2,175 yards and scored 31 touchdowns as a Falcon, and his exit means the team will rely heavily on rookie Jerious Norwood, who shows considerable promise but is 50 pounds lighter than Duckett.

What this all means, ultimately, is that Vick has no more excuses. The complaint had been that he had no deep threat in his arsenal -- now he has at least three, with White, Lelie and Jennings.

On the other hand, one serious injury to Warrick Dunn and the Falcons could end up with a rookie starter and no backup at all at tailback (DeAndra Cobb, the other back in the mix, has been injured).

Defense, anyone?