Atlanta Falcons

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – A crowd of 15,000 fans celebrated the life of former football star Junior Seau in a memorial on Friday at a San Diego stadium, as they cheered on his grieving family and listened to speakers describe his generosity and sense of humor. Seau, regarded as one of the best defensive NFL players of his generation, died on May 2 at his home in Oceanside, just north of San Diego, from a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest, according to police. He left no suicide note. …

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NFL star Junior Seau celebrated at stadium memorial (Reuters)

OCEANSIDE, California (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of fans are expected to attend Junior Seau’s public memorial in a San Diego stadium on Friday, more than a week after the former National Football League star killed himself in his beachfront home. Seau died on May 2 in a bedroom of his home in Oceanside, just north of San Diego, from a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest, according to police. The 43-year-old former linebacker left no suicide note. …

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Huge crowd expected at Seau’s memorial in San Diego (Reuters)

With Mother’s Day looming, those looking to purchase last minute gifts for the special women in your life need to act quickly. Most women I know would rather not get any household items, but if your wife or girlfriend is a diehard fan of the Atlanta Falcons, there are countless options out there. One of the best things about the internet is the ability to get gifts at any time, including just days away from a holiday. What are the top Atlanta-themed gift ideas to get mom this year?

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Top Atlanta Falcons Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day: Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Two things stand out looking at the 10 best rookie quarterback seasons in modern (post-merger) NFL history: one, that there aren’t very many great ones; and two, that most of those are recent. If the trend continues, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III  could wind up positioned well on lists like this one in the future. For now, though, here’s who they’re chasing. These are the quarterbacks who have gotten off to great starts.

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The 10 best rookie quarterback seasons in modern NFL history (Shutdown Corner)

The 2012 NFC South head-to-head schedule begins in Week 1, when the Carolina Panthers travel to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After the New Orleans Saints finished the 2011 season with a 13-3 record, the team may have more trouble stringing wins together in 2012. It may become an opportunity for the Atlanta Falcons to make a run at the NFC South division title.

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2012 NFC South Head-to-Head Schedule (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

MCKINNEY, Texas (Reuters) – Police sought a second charge against former football star Deion Sanders on Thursday stemming from an altercation with his estranged wife and her friend at the couple’s home in a Dallas suburb last month. Police officials in Prosper, Texas, said they had asked the Collin County District Attorney’s office to consider filing a charge of misdemeanor criminal mischief against the 44-year-old Hall of Famer. Sanders had previously been charged with simple assault in connection with the April 23 incident. …

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Police seek second charge against ex-football star Deion Sanders (Reuters)

OCEANSIDE, California (Reuters) – Former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, considered one of the best defensive football players of his generation, was found dead at his home in Southern California on Wednesday from a gunshot wound to the chest in an apparent suicide, police said. He was 43. A young woman who identified herself as Seau’s girlfriend alerted police to the death, saying she had found him wounded and unconscious in his beachfront home just north of San Diego, Oceanside police chief Frank McCoy told reporters. …

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Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau dies in apparent suicide (Reuters)

The Tennessee Titans have reportedly signed former Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zac Diles. The Titans needed a backup middle linebacker once Barrett Ruud officially signed with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason. The Titans had also interviewed three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lofa Tatupu before he agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

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Tennessee Titans Reportedly Sign Former Houston Texans LB Zac Diles: Local Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Each year, there are players who fall in the draft for a number of reasons. We all remember the sight of Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn waiting far beyond expectations for their names to be called, and the divergent paths their careers have taken give us one more reason to say that the draft is, in the end, pretty much a total crapshoot. Here are this year’s latecomers, with Nebraska’s Alfonzo Dennard as the all-time cautionary tale regarding taking it easy the week before the draft. [ Michael Silver's rankings: Gus Frerotte gives Kirk Cousins advice in Redskins quarterback race ] Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama (35th overall pick, Baltimore Ravens) — Upshaw, a dynamic pass rusher who was expected by most pundits to go in the mid-to-late first round, apparently started to drop when he showed up to his Pro Day weighing 279 pounds . The Ravens let the draft come to them and selected a great value pick who could really shine opposite Terrell Suggs

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Why they fell: Draft prospects picked later than expected (Shutdown Corner)

New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese is fond of saying that beyond the third round is when personnel guys start really earning their paychecks, and quite a few people in front offices around the league got a good start on that in a fifth round that featured some surprising talent. Of course, various dings pushed these prospects to the third day of the draft, but there are a lot of rotational players in this round, and a few potential foundation starters. Here are the best values as we see them. Atlanta Falcons — Jonathan Massaquoi, DE/OLB, Troy (164th pick overall) — Well, I’m going to like this pick, since I had Massaquoi ranked 50th in this year’s Shutdown 50 . This either makes me an idiot, or the Falcons geniuses, or both. Since most of my readers would vote in the affirmative on the former, why did Massaquoi fall this far? His production dipped in 2011 after he put on weight, and he’s not a very aware defender in space, but he has outstanding speed off the edge, and the Falcons have been trying to get that edge-rusher position right for a number of years in the draft

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Jonathan Massaquoi, George Iloka, DeQuan Menzie among best fifth-round value picks (Shutdown Corner)