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ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons began a major overhaul Tuesday after a dismal season, signing three linemen at the start of free agency, re-signing defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, and cutting former Pro Bowl safety Thomas DeCoud. Needing to bulk up on both sides of the line, the Falcons agreed to terms with guard Jon Asamoah, defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai. Asamoah and Jackson played last season with Kansas City, where Asamoah lost his starting job. They were familiar to former Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who was hired in January as Atlantas assistant GM. The 345-pound Soliai spent seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins, including two seasons under Mike Nolan, now the defensive co-ordinator of the Falcons. "They are good football players and solid in many ways," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a conference call. "They add to the toughness, the size and the grittiness of our team. That was a goal we had set out at the beginning of the off-season to accomplish." Terms of the new contracts were not released, but Soliai reportedly received a five-year deal worth $33 million, with $14 million guaranteed, while Jackson got a five-year deal worth up to $25 million. "Paul has played for coach Nolan in Miami and is familiar with our scheme, and Tyson is a good football player that will fit with what we want to do defensively as well," Falcons coach Mike Smith said in a statement. "Jon is a physical, experienced offensive lineman that will add a veteran presence to our offensive line." The Falcons made re-signing Babineaux a top priority, not wanting to take another hit up front before delving into free agency. A nine-year veteran, Babineaux had 49 tackles, two fumble recoveries, a sack and a forced fumble last season. Overall, he has played 138 career games for Atlanta, with 108 starts. "Remaining an Atlanta Falcon and in Atlanta as my home were the best decisions for me and my family," said Babineaux, who agreed to a three-year contract. DeCoud, a third-round pick of the Falcons in 2008, was a leader on the Falcons defence two years ago when the team came up one victory short of the Super Bowl. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection. But DeCouds production dropped significantly last season as quarterbacks lit up the secondary and the Falcons plummeted to 4-12 for their first losing season since 2007. He was the second starter released from that unit, following cornerback Asante Samuel. "The search for a safety that will help us in our quest to be a more established and consistent defence was at the forefront of this decision," Dimitroff said. In other moves, the Falcons re-signed centre Joe Hawley, who made seven starts in 2013 after Peter Konz lost the job, and offensive lineman Mike Johnson, who was expected to contend for a starting job a year ago but went down in training camp with a season-ending injury. In a procedural move, Atlanta formally released tight end Tony Gonzalez, who retired at the end of last season and has already taken a job as a television commentator. "This was a decision we had to make with the start of the new league year as we begin retooling our roster for 2014," Dimitroff said. "On behalf of the entire Falcons organization, we wish Tony all the best in his television career and thank him for everything he did for this franchise." Asamoah was a third-round pick in 2010 by the Chiefs. He fell out of favour with coach Andy Reid and was benched last season in favour of journeyman Geoff Schwartz. Still, the Falcons feel he can stabilize the right guard position, which has been a major issue for several years. Atlanta cut Garrett Reynolds, who made 10 starts at that position last season before he was replaced by Konz, who had flopped at centre. The line must do a better job protecting quarterback Matt Ryan, who was sacked 44 times, and opening up holes for a running game that ranked last in the league at just 77.9 yards per game. Jackson was the third overall pick in the 2009 draft out of LSU, but never had a breakout year with the Chiefs. He did have a career-high four sacks in 2013, so the Falcons hope hes ready to make a more prominent impact. Atlanta is desperate to get more outside pressure on opposing quarterbacks after notching just 32 sacks last season; only two teams had fewer. Soliai played in 99 games with the Dolphins, including 62 starts. Last season, he had 34 tackles with one sack, one forced fumble and five passes defenced. He played under Nolan in 2010 and 2011, earning his first career Pro Bowl selection in the latter season. With big holes remaining in the secondary and at tight end, plus the draft coming up, Dimitroff said there is plenty of work left to do. "We will continue to add in every direction to fix this team," he said. Steven Adams Thunder Jersey . -- Desperate to stop Tom Bradys latest comeback bid, the Miami Dolphins sought help from a reserve safety making his NFL debut after being signed Tuesday off the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. Devon Hall Jersey . Wawrinka, who is seeded fourth, is in the top half of the draw with Serbian Novak Djokovic. The Swiss star outlasted Djokovic in a five-set quarterfinal thriller last year and stunned Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the final to capture his first-ever Grand Slam title. https://www.thunderrookiesshop.com/Dj-Augustin-City-Edition-Jersey/ . 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But Walker was far from happy with his teams performance. "To be honest with you, we have to play better," Walker said. "We have to focus on winning our battles, skating more and we cant take for granted that were here. They (the Battalion) earned their spot and we earned our spot. We have to start skating and start playing. "We did it in the first and then it was like we werent satisfied. There was something more out there, something better. There isnt anything better than what we were doing in the first." The first period was all Guelph, as they outshot the Battalion 16-6 and beat them to pucks right from the opening faceoff. Holding the leagues most potent offence scoreless in the first period seemed to give North Bay more confidence as the game went on. Battalion head coach Stan Butler was happy with the way his team matched up against the heavily favoured Storm. "I thought we played hard and it was a pretty even game. Once you get in overtime, one shot and its done," Butler said. "They have a great team and thats the style we have to play. We have to play hard, we have to check up ice, track the puck hard and not give them time and space. "If we sit back and watch like we did in the first period and allow them time and space, theyll do serious damage." The Battalion benefited from the scoreless opening 20 minutes by taking iit to the Storm in the second.dddddddddddd They were rewarded early when Ben Thomson, on a power play, snapped a fat rebound past goalie Justin Nichols, who made 32 saves on the night, for a 1-0 lead at 3:06. But Guelphs Brock McGinn evened the scored a minute later. North Bay continued to play a tough defensive game, holding the Storm to just seven shots in the second period. The Battalion regained the lead 3:35 into the third, as Jamie Lewis wrist shot from the faceoff circle found the top corner past Nichols. But Guelph made the most of the few scoring chances it had, and came back to tie the game once again on its second shot of the third period. Robby Fabbri found Mitchell cruising over the blue-line and he ripped a wrist shot over Smith for his 11th goal of the playoffs at 12:23. With the goal, Mitchell moved ahead of teammate Kerby Rychel, into first place in playoff points with 24. Guelph ended the game on its first shot of the extra period, with Dickinson wristing a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle over Smiths glove for his sixth goal of the playoffs. Smith made 27 saves. Guelph finished the game 0-for-4 on the power play, while North Bay was 1-for-2 with the man advantage. North Bay captain Barclay Goodrow said the Battalion are looking forward to stepping back on the ice in less than 24 hours for a chance at evening the series before heading home for Game 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. "I think the advantage of playing back-to-back is you can get right back at it and you dont lose too much of the momentum you gained from the game before. Hopefully, we come out tomorrow and forget what happened tonight and keep on going." ' ' '