FanHouse Stephen Nicholas

ESPN's Pat Yasikinas has a solid story today about Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas and his infant son's heart transplant. It's a great story for Father's Day and well worth the read.

But beyond Nicholas and his wife Irene's emotional journey of dealing with a sick child that thankfully has a happy ending now that Stephen Jr. is doing well, something else jumped out from Yasikinas' story: the Falcons as an organization got it right.

It's easy to make jokes about the Falcons' history of ineptitude on the field, but what struck me is that the team got every detail right off the field with Nicholas.

The first Atlanta Falcons rookie has finally been signed. Fourth-round draft pick Stephen Nicholas (linebacker, South Florida) agreed to a four-year contract yesterday.

Although they haven't seen much of him, the Falcons felt the need to get him wrapped up and tucked away as soon as possible. There is a good chance that Nicholas could be thrust into the starting weakside linebacker spot immediately because of the injury to Demorrio Williams.

I realize that will probably worry a lot of fans, but it shouldn't. While he's no Williams, the 6'3", 225 pound Nicholas is quite capable of holding down his own. He's a very gifted athlete with a motor that never stops. He's also known for being a very good pass rusher with excellent tackling ability.

The Falcons won't lose much productivity with him on the field.