Roddy White, Peerless Price, Michael Jenkins, Ashley Lelie. And now, Joe Horn. According to Yahoo Sports’ John Murphy, Joe Horn and the Falcons have agreed on a multiyear deal. After seven productive seasons in New Orleans, Horn will stay in the Dirty Dirty, where he should play a major role in new coach Bobby Petrino’s offense.
Before you hear otherwise on ESPN, let me make it clear that Michael Vick will not be improved because of Joe Horn. We’ve heard that when the Falcons spent consecutive first round picks on wide receivers. We heard it when they nabbed Peerless Price from Buffalo. Two mediocre seasons later, Price is out of Atlanta. Ashley Lelie was the big deep threat that would benefit Vick’s laser, rocket arm. But he had 28 catches a year ago.
The good news for the Falcons is they have quite a nice batch of wide receivers for Vick to miss. If Vick wasn’t running the offense and another quarterback (just to throw out a name…Matt Schaub) was, this could be a pretty potent offense through the air. But as far as we know, Vick is still the guy in Atlanta. Therefore, I won’t be selecting Joe Horn in any fantasy drafts. It’s no fluke that all these talented receivers have flopped in Atlanta. It’s because their Herpes-infested quarterback can’t get them the damn ball.
I think it’s a pretty lousy deal for both teams. The Falcons could have used this money to maybe try and convince Patrick Kerney to stay. Instead, they’re spending money on a wide receiver whose talent will be wasted. He’s also 35 and on the decline. As for Horn, it’s not a very good move either. He left New Orleans with a chip on his shoulder, possibly disgruntled about Marques Colston being the Saints’ new go-to guy. Rather than go somewhere where he can succeed and shove in New Orleans’ face, he’s going to a place where his numbers will be dismal.
