FanHouse JustinPeele

If you're a tight end with two options: a) the Detroit Lions or b) anyone else, you sure think you'd want to end up with option b. But in L.J. Smith's case, it looks like he might end up stuck with the Lions.

The Falcons were supposed to be Smith's other option, especially since they need a tight end to improve what was a pretty awful group of tight ends last year. But apparently the Falcons got tired of Smith's unwillingness to agree to their offer.

Now the Falcons are saying that Smith didn't really fit what they are looking for since he's a pass-first tight end and they rely on their tight ends primarily for blocking. That probably translates best as the Falcons were looking to get Smith at a bargain and now they're running him down to try to bring down his price.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

On the heels of a nightmarish 2007 season, the Falcons were predicted to go 0-16 by some pundits. But not even the most optimistic Falcons fan would have expected a playoff spot, and even fewer would have seen Matt Ryan going from rookie to franchise quarterback before the season's halfway point.

But now here comes the hard part: The Falcons have never managed to put together back-to-back winning seasons. Whenever the Falcons have broken through with a playoff appearance, it's always been followed with a quick crash back to Earth.