Atlanta Falcons
Asante Samuel - #22 - CB
| Status | Active |
| Height/Weight | 5' 10"/ 185 lbs. |
| Birthday | 01/06/1981 |
| Birthplace | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| College | UCF |
| Years played | 11 |
| Drafted | 2003, 4th round, 23rd pick by Patriots |
Falcons sign four rookies
The Falcons agreed to terms with four members of their draft class on Thursday.
Falcons re-sign pair of LBs
The Falcons announced Thursday they agreed to a five-year deal to re-sign LB Stephen Nicholas. The team also re-signed LB Mike Peterson.
Report: Falcons re-sign OLB Nicholas
The Falcons have re-signed OLB Stephen Nicholas, keeping one of their key defenders in the lineup.
Top 10 questions for Falcons to answer
The Falcons are worthy of preseason hype, but PFW's Dan Parr says there is also reason to temper optimism about the team's chances of breaking through and making a deep playoff run.
Falcons TE Gonzalez prepares for life after football
Heading into his 15th NFL season, Tony Gonzalez says there's only one thing that will guarantee this will be his last year in the league — a Super Bowl title.
Gonzalez: Ryan ready to join rare category of QBs
Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez tells PFW there's no doubt in his mind that Matt Ryan is capable of leading Atlanta to a title this season.
NFC South best bets to break through in 2011
PFW identifies four players from the NFC South who are ready for coming-out parties in 2011 (clockwise from left) — Sean Weatherspoon, David Gettis, Gerald McCoy and Jonathan Casillas.
Charges against Falcons CB Owens dropped
Domestic violence charges against Falcons CB Chris Owens have been dropped.
Falcons' Ryan, Jones establishing connection in workouts
The reviews of Falcons rookie WR Julio Jones' performance at player-organized workouts have been very positive.
Falcons promote Polk
The Falcons promoted DeJuan Polk to coordinator of pro scouting on Thursday.
Report: Falcons CB Owens trashed ex's apartment
Falcons CB Chris Owens is being investigated by suburban Atlanta police for trashing the apartment of his ex-girlfriend and destroying many of her valuable possessions.
Jones has earned respect of Falcons teammates, coaches
The Falcons believe that big, physical WR Julio Jones will be able to provide some pop to the team's controlled passing game right away.
Blank says Smith likely to consider 'Hard Knocks' in future
Falcons owner Arthur Blank told PFW last week that he is open to considering an appearance on "Hard Knocks" in future years and he doesn't think head coach Mike Smith will automatically dismiss doing the show.
Report: Falcons' front office takes minor pay cuts
The Falcons have implemented minor payroll reductions to members of the front office, according to Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Falcons counting on more from Weatherspoon
We hear the Falcons believe they were a better, more active defense early in the 2010 season when SLB Sean Weatherspoon was healthy and they expect he'll provide more of a boost in Year Two.
PLAYER NEWS
Samuel was active and started for the Falcons on Sunday against Carolina after being listed as questionable.|||||||
Samuel aggravated a right shoulder injury against the Saints last week.
Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and Samuel have returned to practice in a limited role on Friday for the Atlanta Falcons.|||||||
Samuel is nursing a sore shoulder. He and Jerry were injured in last week's home win over Arizona.
Samuel returned an interception 79 yards for a touchdown in the closing minutes and Matt Bryant connected on a 55-yard field goal with 1 second remaining, allowing the Falcons to escape with a sloppy 23-20 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.|||||||
Including the postseason, Samuel leads the NFL with 45 INTs since 2006.
Samuel says he doesn't care if he starts at cornerback Sunday against Kansas City.|||||||
With the Falcons, the label of being a starting cornerback is somewhat less relevant. New defensive coordinator Mike Nolan is likely to use more schemes with three cornerbacks and two linebackers than he deploys in the base 4-3 scheme.
A person familiar with the deal says the Falcons have acquired four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel from the Philadelphia Eagles. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Wednesday because the deal has not been announced.|||||||
The trade was made after Samuel agreed to restructure his contract to a three-year, $18.5 million deal with Atlanta. His current contract with Philadelphia calls for him to earn $9.9 million in 2012 and $11.4 million in 2013.