Training camp goals.

1. Adjust to the new blocking scheme.

Coach Bobby Petrino has implemented a more traditional, inline blocking system for the running game, which is a fairly significant change from the zone/cut-blocking scheme previously utilized by former coach Jim Mora and line guru Alex Gibbs.

Players have said the adjustment might not be as radical as it may seem since most of them, through youth leagues, high school, college and in the NFL, have played in more traditional blocking schemes.
Guards Kynan Forney and rookie Justin Blalock should be quick to adapt, since they are grinder-types who are equally good at getting push in head-up situations and driving defenders out of gaps.

Right tackle Todd Weiner is an underrated veteran who should easily make the change. Tackle Wayne Gandy might not be as physical against the run as he once was, but his craftiness has allowed him to succeed for 13 seasons. Center Todd McClure doesn’t have the beef to deal with a lot of huge nose tackles so he might have to rely on some of the cut-blocking techniques to be effective.

The big challenge could come in the passing game. The Falcons have been inconsistent in pass protection, in part because the linemen were smaller and some of the schemes were difficult to execute. The admonishment of weight limits (most lineman were made to weigh less than 300 pounds) has players confident about their ability to succeed in pass protection.2. Master the audible system.

For the first time, quarterback Michael Vick will be part of an offense that relies on audible calls. He has spent the offseason learning the system but there is still a long ways to go.
Backup Joey Harrington said the system is tough to learn and it’s going to take a lot of repetition to grasp the audible game in its entirety. Former Louisville quarterback Chris Redman, who is competing with D.J. Shockley for the No. 3 job, was signed to help teach the system but he said it has evolved significantly and it’s been tough for him to learn as well.

Despite some of the hardships of learning the system, Vick has welcomed it, as has Harrington. Harrington said this is the first offense he’s been in that constantly puts pressure on the defense — in large part because of the audible scheme. Not only are there multiple options on each play, but there are multiple options as plays develop, Harrington said.

The quarterbacks aren’t the only pupils learning the audible installation. The linemen have to understand the calls and not only listen to Vick’s commands but those of center Todd McClure. The wide receivers and running backs also have to be aware of the calls and hand signals at the line of scrimmage. As Petrino reiterates, everybody has to execute for the offense to succeed.

3. Solidify the secondary.

There could be two new starters in the defensive backfield, one a converted cornerback, the other, a rookie.
Jimmy Williams, who spent all of last season and part of this offseason working at cornerback, is vying to unseat Chris Crocker at free safety. Williams (6-3, 215) has the size, speed and physical nature to be a force. However, he has spent the past few years analyzing the defense from the corner, which is vastly different than having to diagnose the entire field while also remaining the last line of defense.

He is steadily learning his new spot, but for now, Crocker has not yielded his starting job.
The reason why Williams was moved to safety was the Falcons drafted Chris Houston to start at right cornerback, where Williams was projected to start. Houston is known as a strong press-coverage corner with exceptional closing speed.

If Williams emerges as the starting free safety, opposing teams likely will game plan to try and exploit him and Houston. Houston can expect to get picked on anyway since teams would prefer not to throw at two-time, Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall.

CAMP CALENDAR

Players report July 25. Practice begins July 26. Final date TBA. Midtown touchdown, a free festival, followed by a practice at Grady Stadium in Piedmont Park in downtown Atlanta, Aug. 4.
Falcons report: Strategy and personnel

The Falcons signed Japanese wide receiver/returner Noriaki Kino######a to a free-agent deal. Publicly, the move was met with some skepticism, with cynics questioning whether this was a novelty act. However, Atlanta, and coach Bobby Petrino, don’t have the time or luxury to be adding players for the simple purpose of a good news feature story.
Kino######a will be given a shot to compete as a return man, where he actually fared well the past two seasons for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europa. He averaged 23.6 yards this season and 27.9 in 2005 on kickoff returns. There are several players he’d have to unseat, incumbent Allen Rossum being the main one, but the Falcons have seen something to give Kino######a a shot.

Atlanta signed sixth-round draft pick, safety Daren Stone, last week. Stone, linebacker Stephen Nicholas (fourth round) and running back Jason Snelling (seventh round) have all reached contract terms. The Falcons still must sign eight other players.

UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACK
Starter — Michael Vick. Backups — Joey Harrington, D.J. Shockley, Chris Redman.
A key issue will be how Vick manages learning and executing the new scheme while dealing with the ongoing dog fighting investigation. Though Vick has used the practice field as a safe haven during the off-season, the specter of the investigation will remain until there is some sort of resolution. Vick is a strong-willed person who has kept things together so far and maintained the faith of his teammates with his diligence and work ethic. Harrington was late getting into the mix but he’s rapidly picking up the new system. He has said he loves this offense and, after nearly two full years away from Detroit, he has regained his passion to succeed. Though Redman played for Petrino at Louisville and the two share a bond, Shockley is well liked and viewed as a player the Falcons would like to develop for the future.

RUNNING BACKS
Starters Warrick Dunn, FB Ovie Mughelli. Backups — Jerious Norwood, Jamal Robertson, Jason Snelling, FB Corey McIntyre.
Dunn has been at his career best the past three seasons, showing the burst and shiftiness to garner big chunks of yardage and positive gains on nearly every carry. He is coming off of shoulder surgery and his durability has become an issue. Mughelli was brought on to help clear potential tacklers out of the way and protect Dunn as well as churn out the tough yards the Falcons have struggled to gain the past two seasons. Norwood might end up being a more ideal fit for Petrino’s offense, because of his size, breakaway speed and hands. There is little doubt he will bear more of a load than he did last season. McIntyre is a sledgehammer that will be used to spell Mughelli. The other reserves will be used mainly on special teams or as developmental/scout teamers should they make the roster.

TIGHT ENDS
Starter — Alge Crumpler. Backups — Dwayne Blakley, Daniel Fells, Martrez Milner.
Crumpler had off-season knee surgery and did not participate in any offseason team camps or workouts in order to rehabilitate and properly heal. Crumpler could be the x-factor in Petrino’s offense. He could be used in a traditional alignment, flexed out wide or in the slot and be incorporated as an H-back. Crumpler’s versatility could earn him yet another trip to the Pro Bowl and make this offense really click. Blakley must still improve on his run blocking but he is a solid pass receiver who should see his playing time increase in passing situations. The coaching staff is very high on Fells, who made the team as an undrafted rookie last season. Milner is a very good blocker who could develop into a Chris Cooley type H-back if he improves on the receiving end.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Starters — Joe Horn, Michael Jenkins. Backups — Roddy White, Laurent Robinson, Fred Gibson, Adam Jennings.
Horn brings some sense of credibility to the team’s most unpolished unit. The Falcons have not had a true No. 1 receiver in years and his durability will be hugely important. Injuries have cut short his past two seasons but he said he is totally healthy — and motivated. Jenkins caught seven touchdowns last season, but like most of the receivers, he was inconsistent. White is the biggest enigma on the team. Incredibly gifted, the 2005 first-round pick has been a bust so far because of his frequent drops that have spawned doubts about his reliability. If he doesn’t improve, Robinson, a speed-burning rookie from Illinois State or Gibson, who impressed in offseason workouts, could take his spot.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Starters — LT Wayne Gandy, LG Justin Blalock, C Todd McClure, RG Kynan Forney, RT Todd Weiner. Backups — LT Frank Omiyale, LG Toniu Fonoti, C Doug Datish, RG Tyson Clabo, RT Quinn Ojinnaka.
The drafting of Blalock was made to help the Falcons establish a more solid interior presence in the run game and in pass protection. Gandy still has something left in the tank but he needs to sustain his production better than he did late last season. Over the final four games, he struggled in pass protection when teams sent players off the edge. Forney returns from a shoulder injury that kept him off the field for much of the season. He has been the best one-on-one drive blocker, and, if healthy, could are well in Petrino’s more traditional blocking scheme. Weiner is very solid and could be even more of a force at the heavier weight, which he prefers.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Starters — LE Jamaal Anderson, LT Jonathan Babineaux, NT Grady Jackson, RE John Abraham. Backups — LE Chauncey Davis, LT David Patterson, NT Darrell Shropshire, RE Paul Carrington, Josh Mallard.
With standout pass-rushing tackle Rod Coleman possibly out for four games after rupturing his quadriceps in a watercraft accident, the front, especially on the left side, is vulnerable. Anderson is going to have to deliver immediately. Coleman’s backup, Jonathan Babineaux, has been very productive in rotational situations, but he is undersized and might not be able to withstand the prolonged grind. Jackson’s return should solidify the interior run defense — if he’s in decent enough condition after missing most of the team’s offseason workouts and conditioning sessions because of a legal dispute with the franchise. Abraham is a dominant pass rusher and is better against the run than he’s given credit for — when he’s healthy. Abraham’s durability will be a constant concern since he’s been so injury prone. Davis, Carrington and Mallard provide excellent depth at the ends.

LINEBACKERS
Starters — WLB Demorrio Williams, MLB Keith Brooking, SLB Michael Boley. Backups — WLB Orlando Huff, WLB Stephen Nicholas, MLB Jordan Beck, SLB Marcus Wilkins.
This is the most athletic unit on the team, however, this will never be mistaken as a physically brutish trio. This group works more on speed and getting into position before they can get blocked, not by crushing blockers and ball carriers. Williams missed all offseason workouts after tearing his right pectoral lifting weights. Already undersized, the inability to get stronger in the weight room could work against him. Brooking remains in the middle and his ability to go sideline-to-sideline will be maximized in a variety of schemes, according to defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Boley is one of the most gifted players on the team and has been used to cover slot receivers and as a rush end, as well as the strong-side linebacker. He’s on the verge of becoming a very special player.
Huff and Wilkins should provide adequate depth. Beck has been productive on special teams and when he’s seen game action but the new coaching staff opted to keep him behind Brooking instead of moving him into the starting lineup and playing Brooking at weak-side linebacker, which would be Brooking’s preference.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Starters — LCB DeAngelo Hall, SS Lawyer Milloy, FS Chris Crocker, RCB Chris Houston. Backups — LCB Allen Rossum, LCB David Irons, SS Omare Lowe, SS Daren Stone, FS Jimmy Williams, RCB Lewis Sanders.
Sanders could open the season as the starter opposite Hall if Houston struggles in training camp but Houston will be the starter at some point. Williams, who was moved from cornerback, is projected to unseat Crocker at free safety, however, Crocker has shown no willingness to surrender his spot. This could emerge as THE position battle during training camp. This secondary has tremendous potential but without much of a pass rush, it could he highly vulnerable because of the overall lack of experience. Milloy is still a highly productive player who could be more involved in pass coverage than he was last season, when, in essence, he was a fourth linebacker.
Irons has shown well in the off-season and could be a sleeper. Sanders has started in the NFL before. Depth at safety is a concern, though.

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Aaron Elling, P/KO Michael Koenen, PK Billy Cundiff, LS Boone Stutz, PR/KR Allen Rossum, Jerious Norwood, Adam Jennings.

Elling and Cundiff will compete for placekicking duties but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility the Falcons could sign another kicker in preseason. Morton Andersen performed well last season and is available if things don’t work out. Koenen leveled off somewhat as a punter last season but he has huge potential. Rossum remains one of the more effective punt and kickoff returners in the NFL but if he gets pushed back on the depth chart at cornerback and one or more upstarts shows promise in the return games, Rossum could end up battling for a roster spot.
Falcons report: Notes, quotes

Notes, quotes · Inside slant · Strategy and personnel

–For the second straight year, the Falcons will hold a festival and practice in downtown Atlanta at Piedmont Park. Despite heavy rain at times, last year’s event was a huge success. Players and coaches took pictures and signed autographs for fans, who also had concerts and interactive games to occupy them.
Following the festival, the Falcons will hold a practice at Grady Stadium, a high school venue.
–A handful of Falcons players attended the playoff victory by the Arena League’s Georgia Force last week. One was defensive tackle Rod Coleman, who had surgery to repair torn quadriceps. Coleman was said to be walking with a limp. The injury, suffered in a watercraft accident, could keep Coleman sidelined for the first three of four games of the season.

Get Free Articles at ArticlesGrab.com. Christian should visit the new Bible Wiki On Gods Word and History 

The gesture happened after Smith was given a technical foul after being called for an offensive foul late in the second quarter. He continued to argue and was then got a second technical along with an ejection.

As he left for the locker room, Smith raised both middle fingers to the Charlotte crowd while heading into the tunnel.

The problem with the Atlanta Falcons the past few years was NOT Michael Vick.

The problem was the undisciplined wide receivers, poor coaching and a terrible offensive line.

For those that don’t want to hear this take a look at this video by clicking right here and if you still disagree let me know. BTW if this doesn’t make you think differently then you can simply kiss my a**.

ATLANTA — Michael Vick was cleared by police Monday of any wrongdoing at a Miami airport, four days after the Falcons general manager said the star quarterback had “let a lot of people down.”

Vick’s water bottle was seized by security at Miami International Airport last Wednesday. Police said it smelled of marijuana and had a hidden compartment that contained a “small amount of dark particulate.”

Lab tests found no evidence of drugs, according to a memo by Deisy Rodriguez, an assistant state attorney in Florida. She said the bottle no longer is considered evidence in an investigation.

Police will not file charges and there will be no disciplinary measures from the NFL or the Falcons.

“If there is no violation of law, there is no basis for discipline,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press.

Vick has had no public comment on the incident.

“Michael fully understands that his actions on and off the field are a reflection on the Atlanta Falcons and the NFL,” Vick’s attorney, Lawrence H. Woodward Jr., said in a statement faxed to the AP.

“Michael intends to spend this offseason focusing on his family, working with his teammates and the new coaching staff to insure that the Falcons have a great season in 2007, and devoting time to his charitable interests.”

The 26-year-old Vick had been the target of jokes and sharp criticism since the incident, including a skit on “Saturday Night Live.”

On Thursday, Atlanta GM Rich McKay said Vick “knows he let a lot of people down. Not just the coaches, not just me, not just Arthur Blank, but the fans. We were very clear in discussing that.”

McKay said Blank, the team owner, “is upset.”

After Vick was cleared, the Falcons issued a statement.

“We appreciate the speed at which the Miami authorities concluded their investigation, and we are pleased to learn of the outcome of the investigation,” spokesman Reggie Roberts said.

“This is another reminder of the high-profile nature of a professional athlete and the close scrutiny players undergo related to their conduct on and off the field. We look forward to putting this matter behind us,” he said.

This season, Vick became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards. Atlanta had the league’s worst passing attack and went 7-9, missing the playoffs for the second straight year. Coach Jim Mora was fired and Bobby Petrino was hired.

Kiffin, the son of Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, earned the job with a strong interview Monday after the Raiders failed to reach a deal last week with 32-year-old Steve Sarkisian, Kiffin’s fellow assistant to Pete Carroll at USC.

The Raiders called a news conference for Tuesday to announce the hiring.

Raiders owner Al Davis quickly moved to land another up-and-coming offensive mind with sterling college credentials, but just one season of NFL experience — as a defensive quality control coach with Jacksonville in 2000.

At 31 years, 8 months, Kiffin is even younger than Harland Svare, who took over the Los Angeles Rams in 1962 at 31 years, 11 months. Svare is listed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Web site as the youngest coach in the modern era, though younger coaches — including George Halas — led teams during the league’s founding years.

But Davis has ample reason to trust in young minds: Jon Gruden, Mike Shanahan and John Madden all succeeded as Raiders head coaches in their 30s — as did Davis.

Kiffin is 14 months younger than Madden was when the Hall of Fame coach took over the Raiders in 1969. Davis was 33 years, 6 months when he took charge of the Raiders in 1963.

Kiffin, a former Fresno State quarterback, is younger than at least nine players who finished the season with Oakland during its NFL-worst 2-14 campaign, including defensive tackle Warren Sapp, fullback Zack Crockett and receiver Alvis Whitted.

Coach Art Shell was fired after the season, and Davis apparently was determined to hire another young offensive-minded coach in the mold of Gruden, his last successful hire. Davis has fired three coaches in the last four years: Bill Callahan, Norv Turner and Shell, whose return to the Raiders lasted just one year.

Kiffin had been at USC for six years, ascending from a job as tight ends coach to three jobs last season as offensive coordinator, receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. While former Raiders assistant Sarkisian coached from the sideline with Carroll last season, Kiffin called the plays from the press box for the Rose Bowl champion Trojans.

Sarkisian had two strong interviews with the Raiders last week, but decided to stay at USC on Friday night. Both claimed Sarkisian never was offered the job, though numerous media reports said Sarkisian turned the club down.

Davis first interviewed Kiffin on Thursday — apparently to explore the possibility of hiring Kiffin as the club’s offensive coordinator. Kiffin returned to the Bay Area on Sunday for a second interview, this time to discuss becoming the Raiders’ head coach.

Kiffin also was a finalist for the top job at the University of Minnesota earlier in the offseason.

You need to take control of your life. You need to harness every molecule and minute and make this your most productive offseason. You need to give yourself the chance to experience, 12 or 24 months from now, your own Peyton Manning Moment. You need to work harder than you’ve ever worked to show everyone who’s saying you can’t take a team to the Super Bowl that you can.

This isn’t so much about the infamous water bottle and what might or might not have happened in Miami. This is about the bigger picture. From being hailed as the Michael Jordan of your sport, you’re now viewed in ever-expanding circles as a coach-killer or worse. Your wildly lucrative (and once carefully cultivated) career is being cheapened with every headline. When you entered the league you worked hard to say and do the right things, but increasingly you’ve become entangled in bizarre incidents that don’t reflect well on you or your employer.

As the saying goes: You can’t be framed if you don’t put yourself in the picture. I’m fairly certain Tom Brady — likewise single and good-looking — enjoys his social life, but I’ve never heard of Brady getting into a scrape in an airport security line. (For you, this makes twice.) You need to step back and remember your place in the sporting firmament, to recall who you are and what you represent. You once made it easy to believe in Michael Vick. You need to stop making it hard.

For all that, you still have a grand opportunity. This head coach arrives with the express mission of making you better. When Bobby Petrino was with Jacksonville, he’d sit with fellow assistant Dom Capers, ticketed to be the first coach of the expansion Texans, on charter flights and they’d talk about how it would be to have the draft’s No. 1 pick and for that No. 1 pick to be you. Way back then, Petrino was thinking of the plays he’d draw up to utilize your skill set. Lo and behold, here he is.

And what was your first face-to-face encounter with the new man? A “stressful” (Rich McKay’s word) meeting regarding the water bottle. Even the usually understanding front office sounds as if it has lost patience: The Falcons’ three-sentence release Monday didn’t mention you by name. And still missing from all the water-bottle blather is any explanation from you.

For someone so famous, it isn’t enough to be technically innocent. You have to be above suspicion. From this day forward, you need to do everything within your power — and ultimately everything remains within your power — to preclude external stress. If that means staying home six nights out of seven, then stay home. While you’re there, try watching game film. Better yet, call Petrino and ask if he’ll watch with you. I bet he’ll even spring for the pizza.

You’re 26, about to enter your seventh NFL season, and you’ve arrived at a crossroads. You can continue to be the uncertain player you became under Mora/Knapp, a runner one week and a thrower the next, and soon you’ll be 31 and looking to resurrect yourself the way all last-chances do – as an Oakland Raider. Or you can work with this clever coach and immerse yourself in detail and bring your fundamentals to the level of your immense gifts, and then (assuming the rest of the roster holds up its end) you’ll be what you’ve said you dream of being: A great quarterback, a Super Bowl quarterback.

You have the time. You have, goodness knows, the talent. You can get where Peyton Manning is going, but you have to apply yourself. These last few months have made us wonder if you’re as serious about your job as you need to be. Show us you are. Shut us all up. Take this team to the Super Bowl.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Johnson, who switched from shortstop to outfield at the behest of the Braves in 2004, is back in the infield, being groomed by Hubbard as the club’s preferred replacement for second baseman Marcus Giles.Martin Prado, Willy Aybar, Pete Orr and Chris Woodward are available to compete at the position, vacated when Giles wasn’t offered a contract in December and signed with the San Diego Padres.

But the Braves, barring an unexpected trade, hope Johnson will assert himself at spring training and fill a couple of boxes on the team’s checklist — second base and leadoff hitter.

“It’s open,” Braves general manager John Schuerholz said of second base, “but he’s regarded as the prime candidate.”

After missing the 2006 season with elbow problems that required ligament-transplant surgery in June, Johnson immersed himself in a winter course on the how-to’s of second base, with Hubbard his private instructor.

“He’s got the best teacher in baseball,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said.

The Suwanee, Ga., kicker/punter is a lifelong Georgia fan, as the son of former Bulldog and NFL great Kevin Butler, but he was still weighing a tough decision before he came to Athens for his official visit this weekend.

Butler reportedly has scholarship offers from Wake Forest and Duke, one of the most prestigious universities in the South. Meanwhile, Georgia had expressed interest in Butler, but only as a preferred walk-on.

Georgia’s coaching staff is typically hesitant to offer scholarships to high school kickers, particularly after offering one to Andy Bailey, who twice lost his job as the Bulldogs’ starting place-kicker and will enter next season as the backup to Brandon Coutu, who joined the team as a walk-on, but will be an all-America candidate next year.

Butler’s future, however, will likely be as a punter — a position that will be open in the fall thanks to the departure of four-year starter Gordon Ely-Kelso, another former walk-on.

Returning backup Brian Mimbs is currently the frontrunner for the job, but Georgia’s staff would certainly like to have a competition for the job in the fall — a competition that would be stronger by including a punter of Butler’s caliber.

Ely-Kelso believes Mimbs is capable of doing the job, given the opportunity.

‘Mimbs is an awesome punter. I think he could step in right now and if you just gave him a few games, he’d be right there where I could be,’ Ely-Kelso said during Chick-fil-A Bowl practice. ‘I think the biggest thing for him is just experience. I think if they give him the chance, he could be real good.’

So could Butler. But without a scholarship offer from the Bulldogs, Butler could still select Duke — certainly a lesser football program, but one that came through with an offer — despite his family connection to the Georgia program.

Butler was one of eight players expected to make official visits to Athens this weekend, along with one other uncommitted prospect, four-star Delray Beach, Fla., offensive tackle Orlando Franklin.

Franklin has arranged visits to Florida State and Miami in the next two weeks, but the 6-foot-6, 300-pounder is considered a Georgia lean.

Shaw tight end Bruce Figgins was among the six already committed players expected in Athens over the weekend, along with Justin Houston, Caleb King, John Knox, Israel Troupe and Charles White.

Also expected in town for an unofficial visit was Hardaway offensive tackle Antwane Greenlee, who has committed to Georgia but is still drawing interest from a number of schools, including Florida State — the school where he originally committed before switching to the Bulldogs.

Next weekend will be a big one as Georgia moves toward national signing day on Feb. 7. The Bulldogs are currently scheduled to host six guests, including uncommitted prospects Allen Bailey, Cameron Heyward, Eugene Kinlaw and Zeke Rozier.

Bailey, a linebacker/defensive end from Darien, Ga., and Heyward, a defensive tackle teammate of Butler’s at Peachtree Ridge, are Georgia’s top two remaining targets.

So if this rumor is true then Atlanta would be crazy to go with it. Atlanta could do better and Backup QB Matt Schuab is not very mobile. A trade like this could very well put Atlanta in a hole they might not recover from for a very long time.

The Suwanee, Ga., kicker/punter is a lifelong Georgia fan, as the son of former Bulldog and NFL great Kevin Butler, but he was still weighing a tough decision before he came to Athens for his official visit this weekend.

Butler reportedly has scholarship offers from Wake Forest and Duke, one of the most prestigious universities in the South. Meanwhile, Georgia had expressed interest in Butler, but only as a preferred walk-on.

Georgia’s coaching staff is typically hesitant to offer scholarships to high school kickers, particularly after offering one to Andy Bailey, who twice lost his job as the Bulldogs’ starting place-kicker and will enter next season as the backup to Brandon Coutu, who joined the team as a walk-on, but will be an all-America candidate next year.

Butler’s future, however, will likely be as a punter — a position that will be open in the fall thanks to the departure of four-year starter Gordon Ely-Kelso, another former walk-on.

Returning backup Brian Mimbs is currently the frontrunner for the job, but Georgia’s staff would certainly like to have a competition for the job in the fall — a competition that would be stronger by including a punter of Butler’s caliber.

Ely-Kelso believes Mimbs is capable of doing the job, given the opportunity.

‘Mimbs is an awesome punter. I think he could step in right now and if you just gave him a few games, he’d be right there where I could be,’ Ely-Kelso said during Chick-fil-A Bowl practice. ‘I think the biggest thing for him is just experience. I think if they give him the chance, he could be real good.’

So could Butler. But without a scholarship offer from the Bulldogs, Butler could still select Duke — certainly a lesser football program, but one that came through with an offer — despite his family connection to the Georgia program.

Butler was one of eight players expected to make official visits to Athens this weekend, along with one other uncommitted prospect, four-star Delray Beach, Fla., offensive tackle Orlando Franklin.

Franklin has arranged visits to Florida State and Miami in the next two weeks, but the 6-foot-6, 300-pounder is considered a Georgia lean.

Shaw tight end Bruce Figgins was among the six already committed players expected in Athens over the weekend, along with Justin Houston, Caleb King, John Knox, Israel Troupe and Charles White.

Also expected in town for an unofficial visit was Hardaway offensive tackle Antwane Greenlee, who has committed to Georgia but is still drawing interest from a number of schools, including Florida State — the school where he originally committed before switching to the Bulldogs.

Next weekend will be a big one as Georgia moves toward national signing day on Feb. 7. The Bulldogs are currently scheduled to host six guests, including uncommitted prospects Allen Bailey, Cameron Heyward, Eugene Kinlaw and Zeke Rozier.

Bailey, a linebacker/defensive end from Darien, Ga., and Heyward, a defensive tackle teammate of Butler’s at Peachtree Ridge, are Georgia’s top two remaining targets.