Kerry Meier

Don Wassall

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Very sad

Falcons draft pick grappling with tragedy

It should have been one of the happiest days in Kerry Meier's life, a lifelong dream come true.
If only he could make the nightmare go away.
On Saturday, five days after older brother Dylan died in a tragic accident during a hiking trip with almost the entire close-knit family looking on, Kerry was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. The record-breaking wide receiver from Kansas was taken in the fifth round.
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But on Monday, Dylan Meier, a former quarterback at Kansas State and member of one of the state's most prominent family of athletes, will be buried.
"It's so hard and so hard to grasp onto right now, four or five days later after my brother passed away," Meier said in a conference call with media who cover the Falcons. "It's a surreal experience and something I still don't really feel it happened. I'm thinking my brother is going to come walking through that door with that big smile on his face."
Dylan, 26, died in an accident while hiking with Kerry and other family members in Arkansas. He had planned to fly to South Korea to become an English teacher after Kerry was drafted.
"For the 26 years that my brother lived and me being able to be a part of 23 of those, it's something that you can't really put into words, the bond and relationship that we had and the type of guy he was to me, being a big brother," Meier said. "You couldn't ask for a better guy. He was very protective and looked out for me in every way possible and it's definitely going to be very hard to let this guy go."
The oldest of the football-playing brothers, Shad Meier, was a tight end at Kansas State and played in the NFL for six years, mostly with Tennessee.
Kerry, who is 6-foot-2 and 224 pounds, converted from quarterback to wide receiver for the Jayhawks and set a school record with 102 catches for 985 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. He set another Kansas record with 226 career catches.
"Being an ex-quarterback, I think I bring a knowledge of the game and just being a good football player," he said. "I'm not going to wow you with my speed or anything like that, but I think that one thing I do well is I pay very, very close attention to what I do. I pay close attention to details and I think I do the ordinary things well. I think with the opportunity I have coming in, anything I'm asked to do I think I can do it."
He still feels as though Dylan is looking after him.
"The news I got today, besides me being the happiest guy, he's the second-happiest guy for me," he said.
"He's pushed me through a lot of tough times growing up and he's always been right there for me and with me and has been carrying me along and telling me how much he loved playing the game of football at Kansas State. He showed me the direction and showed me the way and now I just want to continue my football career in honor of him and continue to play well, just the way he played."
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/36768508/ns/sports/
 
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What shoud've been a great week of anticipation turns into a true tragedy. I'll be rooting for him even more now, if thats possible.
 

Thrashen

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I heard about this story...another young, athletic white man lost forever. The Meier's seem like an awesome family. I remember Kerry's brother, Shad, during his time with the Titans and Browns.

I hope Kerry bursts onto the scene in a big way. He plays like a bigger, stronger version of Torry Holt.
 

Colonel_Reb

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Sad story. My sympathies to the Meier family. I'm pulling for Kerry all the way!
 

Don Wassall

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Looking at the Falcons' depth chart, Meier has a very good chance to eventually be their number two receiver. Roddy White is very good, but Michael Jenkins pretty much sucks. Meier is everything Jenkins isn't -- reliable, consistent, excellent route runner, great hands, tough, smart.





Mike Smith has been a big improvement over the forgettable Jim Moron Jr. regime. The Falconshave two other White receivers on their roster in Brian Finneran, who is 34 and has come back from two blown out knees but is near the end of his career, and Troy Bergeron, who seems destined to never get a chance to play. Jenkins is a former first round pick so that usually means several more years of poor play while he trys to "tap" his untappable goldmine of affletic brilliance. But I think Meier has a real chance here to be given an opportunity without serving too long of a racial apprenticeship.
 

celticdb15

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Couldn't agree more Don, Kerry's in a very good spot. He's a big bodiedWR and I am excited to see him baby some corners this year
smiley4.gif
.Hate to say it but I think Finneran is done. It will be interesting to see how the Ryan Wolfe situation turns out. A lot of draft "experts" were comparing him to Austin Collie, which for once I tend to agree with. They are both very productive college receivers who are around the same height 6'1\6'2 and in the 200 lb range. Both are underrated athletes, they may not have the DWF required mesurables but they both display fabulous body control which is areally underrated quality in WRS.
 

ToughJ.Riggins

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I'm glad to see that the Falcons scouts saw Meier at WR as I did for once. I moved him ahead of KU teammate Dezmon Briscoe in my rankings- who he was drafted just ahead of. Like Briscoe, Meier isn't a blazer, but he showed equal speed to Briscoe at the combine and definitely has shown to be more agile. Briscoe had a better YPC last year, but Meier is a more unstoppable route runner and possesses some quickness and great hands for the shorter and intermediate routes. Meier could turn out to be a good #2 WR (or even play the slot). Meier's got an impeccable work ethic. I had Meier ranked as my 19th WR- as a 4th/5th round guy- and guess what- he was the 19th WR taken. Looks like I was pretty accurate!
 

DixieDestroyer

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Don Wassall said:
Looking at the Falcons' depth chart, Meier has a very good chance to eventually be their number two receiver.  Roddy White is very good, but Michael Jenkins pretty much sucks. Meier is everything Jenkins isn't -- reliable, consistent, excellent route runner, great hands, tough, smart. 
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
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<div>Mike Smith has been a big improvement over the forgettable Jim Moron Jr. regime.  The Falcons have two other White receivers on their roster in Brian Finneran, who is 34 and has come back from two blown out knees but is near the end of his career, and Troy Bergeron, who seems destined to never get a chance to play.  Jenkins is a former first round pick so that usually means several more years of poor play while he trys to "tap" his untappable goldmine of affletic brilliance.  But I think Meier has a real chance here to be given an opportunity without serving too long of a racial apprenticeship.</div>

Jenkins sux royally. Finneran, Bergeron & Meier deserve reps over that bum. BTW, Matt Ryan helped Roddy White achieve All-Pro status.
 

Don Wassall

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Meier gets some props, along with an indication of how long his racial apprenticeship may last:

How about Brian Finneran 2.0, also known as Kerry Meier.



This kid is dealing with some serious tragedy, but he's channeled it to bring to Flowery Branch the same kind of performance that led him to be drafted.


Meier's mental toughness is not in question and he showed his physical toughness all weekend, making catch after catch in traffic.


I like to make a bold predictionnow and then and here's one for you: This wide receiver, in five years, will be held in the same regard as Brian Finneran is now.
http://www.examiner.com/x-1778-Atlanta-Falcons-Examiner~y2010m5d10-Bird-Watching
 

celticdb15

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Why the f**k 5 years? How about this year w\Matty Ice tossing him the ball and leading Atlanta as NFC South Champs. What an idiot, I know that comment was meant as "props" but come on..
 

Thrashen

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Kerry Meier plays absolutely nothing like Brian Finneran. Meier is big-bodied and powerful, whereas Finneran is taller and lankier. Meier possesses much better toughness, elusiveness, and quickness after the catch, whereas Finneran is more of polished, finesse WR. They both have great hands"¦but what white skill player (besides Jeremy Shockey or Jerehme Urban) doesn't?

Wait, none of that matters"¦they're both white men who happen to play the same position. They are both better compared to the likes of Ricky Prohel
smiley29.gif
. From the obese DWFs tailgating outside the stadium, to supposed "experts,"Â￾ race is far more significant than any stat or measurable. Edited by: Thrashen
 

whiteathlete33

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From Rotoworld:

Falcons agreed to terms with fifth-round WR Kerry Meier on a four-year
contract.
<div ="s_pNewsTextMain"> The converted
quarterback is Kansas State's all-time receptions leader with 226. A
big, sure-handed target, Meier projects as the successor to long-time
Falcon Brian Finneran as a possession receiver. He'll have to contribute
on special teams to make the roster as a rookie.
</div>
 

Jack Lambert

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Of course he'd succeed Brian Finneran.
smiley29.gif
He'll be contributing on more than special teams this year.
 

snow

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Hes nothing like Finneran and he went to Kansas, not Kansas State, do they even bother to do their research on white players?
Edited by: snow
 

ToughJ.Riggins

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Snow, good catch...Maybe the Rotowire "journalist" mistook him for Jordy Nelson...After all- they're just token white WRs from Kansas. Anyway, I think Meier has a shot to play in the slot this year...After Roddy White the Falcons have no star WR do they? Maybe Meier could even work his way up to #2 as Jenkins is nothing special.

Meier was one of the few white WRs in recent years that was drafted almost as high as he should have been IMO. Did he even go ahead of his teammate Dezmon Briscoe? I think they were both 5th rounders.
 

ToughJ.Riggins

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ToughJ.Riggins said:
I'm glad to see that the Falcons scouts saw Meier at WR as I did for once. I moved him ahead of KU teammate Dezmon Briscoe in my rankings- who he was drafted just ahead of. Like Briscoe, Meier isn't a blazer, but he showed equal speed to Briscoe at the combine and definitely has shown to be more agile. Briscoe had a better YPC last year, but Meier is a more unstoppable route runner and possesses some quickness and great hands for the shorter and intermediate routes. Meier could turn out to be a good #2 WR (or even play the slot). Meier's got an impeccable work ethic. I had Meier ranked as my 19th WR- as a 4th/5th round guy- and guess what- he was the 19th WR taken. Looks like I was pretty accurate!

Never mind...My former post summarizes some of my thoughts...Yes, Meier WAS taken ahead of Briscoe!
 

whiteathlete33

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Meier is already expected to be a white special teams demon. He probably won't see any field time as a receiver this season.
 

icsept

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Meier is in no way suited to be on special teams unless its to cover an onside kick. He'd be as out of place covering kick-offs as Danny Woodhead was last year.
 

Don Wassall

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If Douglas continues to have injury problems this could benefit Meier. Douglas is small, listed at 5' 11" and 170 pounds and had just 23 receptions as a rookie in '08 before missing all of '09 with a knee injury, yet the DWFs constantly pine over his "potential," which if he is like most black receivers will somehow never be tapped. Meier is in a good spot on this team with the awful Michael Jenkins being the second starter and no-names such as Eric Weems in the mix (and unfortunately Brian Finneran is near the end of his career).It's not beyond the realm of possibility that he could be used a fair amount as a rookie, like Collie and Hartline were last year.From Rotoworld:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution confirms that Falcons WR Harry Douglas has yet to be medically cleared from his torn ACL. He's not even cleared for non-contact drills. While the Falcons may simply be erring on the side of caution, Douglas' recovery does seem to be taking longer than expected. It'll be interesting to see if he begins training camp on active/PUP. If healthy, Douglas gives Matt Ryan another exciting weapon.
 

whiteathlete33

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Kerry Meier is doing very well in training camp but apparently is only a 4th receiver at best. From Rotoworld:

Rookie wideout Kerry Meier is off to a great start in training camp.
<div ="s_pNewsTextMain">
The former college quarterback has been running crisp routes and has
caught everything thrown his way. Roddy White and Michael Jenkins will
hold down the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, and the Falcons are hoping Harry
Douglas will nail down the No. 3 role, but the No. 4 spot is up for
grabs, and Meier is hoping to win the job. Brian Finneran and Eric Weems
are his main combatants for the gig.
</div>
 

Highlander

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whiteathlete33 said:
Kerry Meier is doing very well in training camp but apparently is only a 4th receiver at best. From Rotoworld:

Rookie wideout Kerry Meier is off to a great start in training camp.
<div>
The former college quarterback has been running crisp routes and has
caught everything thrown his way. Roddy White and Michael Jenkins will
hold down the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, and the Falcons are hoping Harry
Douglas will nail down the No. 3 role
, but the No. 4 spot is up for
grabs, and Meier is hoping to win the job. Brian Finneran and Eric Weems
are his main combatants for the gig.
</div>
Why oh why would the Falcons "hope" that Harry Douglas "nails down the No. 3 role"? Shouldn't they only "hope" that the most deserving player wins it, regardless of who it is? If Meier (or someone else for that matter) is performing better than Douglas then shouldn't the Falcons "hope" he "nails down the No. 3 role"? Otherwise, the better player is sitting on the bench.
 

devans

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Highlander that is a very perceptive point. You have picked up on something that has niggled away at me almost subconciously and it needed highlighting.
Time and time again you see quotes like these from "coaching staff" saying how they hope a black player wins a starting job. There is an example in the Rams forum...
"Amendola (is) the No. 3 receiver, but coaches are hopeful that
fourth-round rookie
Mardy Gilyard</font>
works his way into the picture."
Imagine the reaction if the Vikings coaches were quoted as saying they hoped Gerhart would win the starting RB job off Peterson. I think there would be a few questions asked.
But why. What's the difference?
As you say they should not be rooting or hoping for one player over another (unless perhaps he is on a much smaller contract) just let the best man win and play.


Edited by: devans
 

Don Wassall

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Meier update. He has thetalent to be better than chronic underachiever but perpetual starter Michael Jenkins, but will have to serve his obligatory racial apprenticeship if he ever does become a starter:

Joe in Fredricksburg, Va. writes that it seems everyone's saying the Falcons need help at receiver and wonders if Kerry Meier is no longer in the plans.

Pat Yasinskas: Kerry Meier was drafted by the Falcons last year, got hurt in the preseason and missed his rookie year. All indications are Meier will be healthy this year and the Falcons like him a lot. However, I think the people who are saying the Falcons need a receiver this year (and I'm one of them) are talking about a speed receiver. Meier doesn't fit that profile. He projects more as a candidate to take over
Brian Finneran's role and, in some ways, Meier has the potential to do more than Finneran. He can line up as an H-back, play anywhere on special teams, and perhaps even throw the ball about because he was a college quarterback. But Meier is not a speed receiver who can stretch the field. I think the Falcons will draft a speed receiver and look to Meier to take over the Finneran role.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/18715/hitting-the-nfc-south-hot-spots-17
 

Don Wassall

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It's just coach-speak at this point in the offseason, but I like how Mike Smith never mentioned Jenkins when asked about the team's need for a number two receiver:


Q: What's your receiver situation going forward? A lot of people contend that you need a number-two receiver.
A: It's a very solid receiving corps, of course led by Roddy White. I think there will be a jump in production from Harry Douglas because it's going to be his second year recovering from his knee surgery. Even though Harry was ready to go when the season started, he wasn't 100 percent.
As the season progressed, he got better and better. I think it was evident in the Carolina game [in Charlotte on Dec. 12] when he caught the deep ball. Harry will be an integral part of what we want to do.
We will get Kerry Meier back. We were very impressed with him during the preseason. We felt that he was going to be a guy who could contribute not only on offense, but on special teams as well. He's ahead of schedule as well in terms of his rehabilitation.
Eric Weems was a playmaker on special teams. He did not have a whole lot of opportunities on offense, but he is a guy who can be more involved in the offense.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/q-a-falcons-mike-857541.html
 
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