The Falcons, as rumored in recent days, have parted ways with several veterans, most notably tight end Alge Crumpler:

"The Atlanta Falcons continued their franchise makeover in earnest on Friday, releasing tight end Alge Crumpler, quarterback Byron Leftwich, offensive tackle Wayne Gandy and four other players.

The team also announced it had released cornerback Lewis Sanders, wide receiver Jamin Elliott, linebacker Marcus Wilkins and defensive tackle Rod Coleman."

New general manager Thomas Dimitroff is certainly putting his stamp on the franchise right off the bat. Moves like these are not only expected; they're completely necessary for a team that went 4-12 last season. That disastrous season, as I indicated during the Petrino resignation saga, showed that this team had a long way to go to become competitive again. Cuts like this are a good way to get that ball rolling.

And get ready for more. The article goes on to say:

"From all indications, the shake-up isn't done. Veterans such as Warrick Dunn and Lawyer Milloy could become victims of the cap, though they weren't included in the original round of cuts."

Given that Dimitroff's previous experience is in the stellar New England Patriots organization, it's not surprising that he would get his tenure in Atlanta started by making a lot of cap-related moves. Now if he can just follow it up with some Patriots-esque drafts and a few free-agent steals (Zach Thomas, anyone?), the team will be well on its way to recovery.

Just so long as they don't draft Matt Ryan.