Offense
While Chris Redman took snaps with the first-string offense, all eyes were on the #3 overall draft pick Matt Ryan’s first practice, which went well. Coaches were impressed with his camaraderie with teammates most of all. New RB Michael Turner’s shoulder injury limited him somewhat, but he made it onto the field and drew rave reviews with his performance. At WR, it was comforting to see Brian Finneran hauling in passes, appearing to be fully recovered from two ACL tears. On the starting squad were Roddy White (who suffered a mild hamstring injury) and Laurent Robinson, a decision which Joe Horn was none too happy about. How the team deals with his grumbling will certainly be an issue to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. Also, rookie Harry Douglas made quite a splash and could play a role as a slot receiver sooner than expected. At tight end, the Falcons still lack a real playmaker in the passing game, but if Martrez Milner emerges, look for him to challenge Ben Hartsock for that duty while rookie Keith Zinger provides some help in running situations. Along the offensive line, Sam Baker appears to be the favorite to start at left tackle this season. He probably won’t start early, but don’t be surprised if you see him there a few weeks into the season. Until he’s ready, expect Quinn Ojinnaka to start. After some time at right tackle, Justin Blalock moved back to his natural position of left guard. The sooner the second year player from Texas can mesh with Baker, the better the Falcons will be. The rest of the offensive line will look familiar to fans, as they return Todd Weiner at right tackle, Kynan Forney at right guard, and Todd McClure at center. Weiner’s health remains an issue, but he is expected to recover from his knee operation by the beginning of the season.
Defense
There is little news along the defensive line, where Jamaal Anderson and John Abraham remain as the starting ends while DT, with Trey Lewis hurt, appears to be set for a rotation among Kindal Moorehead, Jonathan Babineaux, Rashad Moore, and Montavious Stanley. Keith Brookings’ move to weakside linebacker is helped by the addition of rookie Curtis Lofton, who can play anywhere in the LB corps. Lofton saw time inside, which means Brooking may wind up sharing some time with the up-and-coming Stephen Nicholas while Michael Boley remains at strongside linebacker. Boley attended camp amid the news of his recent arrest on battery charges. While any arrest is certainly a black eye to the Falcons organization, it must be noted that Boley appeared very contrite about the incident, and he was charged with a misdemeanor which is yet unresolved. The biggest defensive question this year concerns the cornerbacks, of whom Von Hutchins and Chris Houston appear to be the starters. While David Irons and rookie Chevis Jackson are in the mix, this week’s minicamp gave little insight as to what to expect from that situation in the coming months. Keep an eye on corner Brent Grimes, who wowed the coaching staff with impressive man-to-man coverage skills in the camp. At free safety, veteran addition Erik Coleman has an early edge on the starting job over backups Antoine Harris and the disappointing Jimmy Williams. At strong safety, veteran Lawyer Milloy returns with second year player Daren Stone battling rookie Thomas DeCoud for backup duty.
Special Teams
With Jason Elam and Michael Koenen firmly entrenched at place kicker and punter, respectively, there wasn’t much intrigue about kick specialists in mini-camp, although undrafted free agent rookie Jimmie Kaylor hopes to make at least the practice squad as the backup punter. Due to Adam Jennings’ struggles as a returner last season, Atlanta added several other return options through both free agency and the draft. The team will give former Dolphins WR Chandler Williams as well as the recently drafted local hero Thomas Brown a chance to earn return duties this fall.
Brent Blackwell
Entries (RSS)