Tight end primed for another Pro Bowl year

<p>Alge Crumpler used his four-year relationship with Michael Vick to offer a brief respite from another oppressively hot practice Wednesday afternoon.</p><p>What began as a simple corner route down the left side evolved into an acrobatic display that Crumpler and Vick have made routine in their career with the Atlanta Falcons.</p><p>"It's too early in training camp for vintage Crump. It's too hot, too," Crumpler said later. "I'm a goal-setter. I want to have places I can go. When you're perfect early, I mean, what's the point?"</p><p>Crumpler, a two-time Pro Bowl tight end, and Vick, a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, showed why their best years could be ahead of them. Turning around abruptly to his right, Crumpler had to reach back before he could snag Vick's sharp pass.</p><p>The 20-yard gain was hardly common. Vick rolled left and evaded a pass rush by firing a low sidearm ball. Crumpler had to adjust accordingly, but their longtime understanding of each other allowed the quarterback to hit his tight end on a route that ended prematurely.</p><p>"I had outside leverage, so what I tried to do was stick inside to let Mike know I was pulling up," Crumpler said. "We trust each other completely."</p><p>Similar moments helped the Falcons win 11 games last year as they earn just the third division title in franchise history and played in their second NFC title game.</p><p>In a home victory over Tampa Bay, Crumpler made the Buccaneers bite on a fake route that allowed him run past the coverage and catch a 49-yard touchdown. Vick, who's often billed as the consummate improvisational quarterback, knows he has the perfect target in Crumpler.</p><p>"You throw Alge 100 balls 100 different ways and he'll make 100 catches," Vick said. "The guy is amazing."</p><p>Crumpler's performance against Tampa Bay began a three-week run that included four touchdowns, 12 catches and 268 receiving yards. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week following a 24-21 win over New Orleans.</p><p>"He's better than advertised, in my opinion," Falcons head coach Jim Mora said. "I think you can make an argument that he's the best player on our team. The best pure football player on our team. There's nothing he can't do. He's a great blocker. He's levelheaded and he's got great hands. In our opinion, he's the premiere tight end in football."</p><p>Crumpler prides himself on having the NFL's softest hands, but he measures his success over the last two years by studying coverages and becoming a sturdy blocker. His self-stated goal this year is to discover "that Ray Lewis sense before the ball is snapped, to know everything and be able to anticipate everything that's going to come."</p><p>Lewis, Baltimore's perennial All-Pro linebacker, is renowned for his ability to take over a game. Crumpler seeks a comparable reputation.</p><p>"As a rookie, I know what it's like when you're going 100 mph and the game's 100 mph to you and you've got a 20-game season," Crumpler said. "I've been there, but the game's a little slower for me because I have pre-snap reads and I understand where things are coming from."</p><p>What Mora and the Falcons love so much about Crumpler is the matchup problem he often creates for opponents.</p><p>"If you put a linebacker on him, typically he's a more athletic and little faster than most linebackers, not all," Mora said. "And if you put a safety on him, that's like facing a power forward and posting him up with a little point guard. You can't get around him."</p><p>Setting career highs last season with 48 catches, which established an Atlanta single-season record for tight ends, 774 receiving yards and six touchdowns was just a start. His 16.1 yards per catch led all NFL receivers who had at least 30 receptions, but Crumpler knows more fans remember Atlanta's season-ending loss in frozen Philadelphia.</p><p>Eagles safety Brian Dawkins laid a jaw-dropping hit on Crumpler as he caught a pass over the middle.</p><p>"See, I've gotten over it, but every time I meet somebody they keep talking about me getting my head knocked off," Crumpler said. "They keep bringing back memories, but that's not something I dwell on."</p><p>Notes:@ Mora added to his disappointment Tuesday regarding the Falcons' stalled contract talks with first-round pick Roddy White. Time is running out for the rookie receiver to earn a starting job in preseason. "He's missed four practices," Mora said. "He's 300 reps behind. You never get those back. Unless he comes in here and he's Randy Moss revisited or T.O. revisited, he's not starting for us this year, not initially." ... Reserve defensive tackle Brandon Mitchell has been diagnosed with a hyperextended back. He was treated with an epidural.</p>

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