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Falcons Training Camp Report
4for4.com Exclusive
By Ralph Durham
August 20, 2007 |
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The Falcons have two preseason games in the books, and while some things are clarifying, areas of uncertainty remain.
First, the offensive line play looks better. Rookie Justin Blaylock is a definite upgrade at guard, but more importantly the whole unit seems to be playing better and should deliver a better overall combined performance. Having a stud fullback helping out with the blocking doesn’t hurt either. It’s still preseason, and we’ll see how they hold up when the real bullets start flying, but all indications so far give reasons for some optimism.
The wide receiver group, justifiably much-maligned the last few years, is clearly improved. True, there was nowhere to go but up, nevertheless, the unit is definitely playing better. Maybe much better. The addition of
Joe Horn – and yes, I’ll say it – Joey Harrington – seems to have to have elevated the performance of habitual under-achievers
Michael Jenkins and especially Roddy White. Most draft boards still have Jenkins ranked ahead of White as the Falcons’ #2 WR behind Horn. I’d seriously rethink that if I were you. At this point, White is decisively outperforming Jenkins in practice and in games. His routes are crisper, he’s making the catches he ought to make, and making plays. Right now he looks to be the #2 option ahead of Jenkins. Unless… the kid no one else knows, but
Joey Harrington can’t shut up about – Laurent Robinson, the 6’2” 195 lb WR from Illinois State – just takes over, like he seems to be doing. In practice anyway, he simply makes plays. He makes athletic grabs, drags a toe on the sideline while concentrating on the catch, goes up with a DB and makes the catch. I noticed Harrington going to him on third and long against the Bills. Is this the guy he’s building a strong rapport with? It’s too early to anoint him the next rookie sensation, but keep an eye on him for the future. The future might come soon if the 35 year old injury-prone Horn goes down, he might suddenly find himself the target of quite a few passes.
In the running game, Warrick Dunn is proving me wrong when I ventured earlier to guess he wouldn’t return from back surgery any time soon. To be fair, I did qualify that I’m not a medical professional. But apparently back surgery has come a long way in a very few years, from the days of pocketknife exploratory and… anyway, Dunn seems to up and around, jumpin’ like a young ‘un and chompin at the bit. So let’s put him back in the mix for the season full time, maybe with a cautionary asterisk, no more. Where does that leave Bobby Petrino’s running game?
If preseason is any indication at all, the scouting report on Coach Petrino holds up. He likes big backs and downhill running. At the goal line that likely means
Ovie Mughelli and Jason Snelling, the 7th round draft pick from Virginia. Snelling looked good against the Bills on Friday. He ran for 50 yards on 12 carries, but that included getting stuffed a couple of times for losses on 3rd and goal and 4th and goal, where it looked like there was confusion on the formation and slow development of the play that wasn’t his fault. He has good speed for a big guy, and had some nice runs of 10-plus yards. I’m not saying go crazy, but if you’re thinking late-round deep-league flyer, he’s looking interesting. He has a roster spot, and he might be a big part of this offense sooner than people think.
I know that when you talk Falcons’ running game these days, everyone wants to know about
Jerious Norwood. Norwood’s an exciting player, and I like him. Here’s why I think you shouldn’t overpay though: first, take back that bump he got when Dunn went down. Dunn seems to be back. Second, Norwood isn’t likely to get many chances from inside the 5 yard line. That’s when Snelling, Mughelli, or Dunn will get the call. Yes, Norwood is a big play guy, he’ll rip off the 50-plus yard TD run a few times this season, which means he’ll have some big games. But he won’t be a consistent producer, and he’ll have more than his share of games where he turns in dud numbers, especially against teams with fast linebackers that won’t let him get to the corner. Be advised: Norwood is electrifying when he hits it big, but no matter how many times it’s replayed on Sportscenter, that TD only counts once in your fantasy league.
At QB Joey Harrington has the starting job, and seems to be in a good position to exceed expectations. Consider: here he is, former 3rd overall pick, high expectations, and he looks terrible while playing for some terrible teams. No one seriously considers him a viable starting QB, so he comes to a situation in Atlanta where he’s brought in as a backup and suddenly handed the keys to the car. What does anyone expect? Nothing much. Perennial laughingstock WR unit, an organization in turmoil that has never done much anyway. If he falls flat, who could say it was a surprise? On the other hand, careers do get resurrected. And there are signs that the offensive team around Harrington might be significantly better than in recent years.
The other big news at QB - The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that backup
D.J. Shockley is done for the year due to a knee injury. He had an MRI and Coach Petrino will make it official today. The tone doesn’t sound good. If it turns out to be a season-ending injury that’s really too bad, because he’s a local high school and college product, and model citizen on a team that desperately needs one. The AJC reports that his #3 jersey is one of the top team sellers these days, and his autograph the most sought-after. If Shockley is done for the year, that leaves
Chris Redman, who played QB for Bobby Petrino at Louisville as the lone backup. The Falcons would then definitely have to go out and paw the scrap heap looking for a #3 QB. Not likely anyone you’d want to roster, just letting you know.
Finally, at TE, nothing much to report on Alge Crumpler. The team is taking it slow with him in practice, but he should be fine for the start of the season.
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