Sports Page Atlanta

Saturday night proved a coming-out party for new RB Michael Turner, who had a 52 yard rush on his first carry and started Atlanta’s 2nd drive with a 63 yard run, and he wound up with 113 yards on just 4 carries.  Elsewhere on offense, rookie Matt Ryan’s solid play was marred by a terrible decision that resulted in an interception returned for a touchdown.  Chris Redman also looked good, but failed to put a lot of distance between him and Ryan.

Defensively, the Falcons were solid if unspectacular.  The linebacker crew stood out, as Keith Brooking, Michael Boley, and rookie Curtis Lofton all looked impressive.  Rookie DE Kroy Biermann picked up a sack and is starting to warrant more playing time.  In the secondary, training camp mini-star cornerback Brent Grimes continued to push for a starting job as his coverage remained stellar, including a pass defended in the end zone.

Though the Falcons lost 16-9, there were many encouraging contributions from young players, and hopefully the rest of this preseason will be used to continue to hone the considerable talents of the youth of the roster.

Here is what the Falcons quarterbacks did in the 16-9 loss to the Colts.

Matt Ryan: 8-16, 62 yards, 0 TD, 1 Int - 1 rush, 5 yards (Int was returned for TD)

Chris Redman: 3-4, 56 yards, 0 TD, 1 Int

Joey Harrington: 2-3, 17 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int

D.J. Shockley: 2-5, 24 yards, 0 TD, 1 Int

Here is how the 4 Falcons quarterbacks did after their first preseason game of the season.

Chris Redman: 3-6, 13 yards, 0 TD, 1 Int - 0 times sacked

Matt Ryan: 9-15, 113 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int - 1 rush att, 0 yards, 2 times sacked

Joey Harrington: 5-7, 64 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int - 1 rush att, 1 yard, 1 TD, 2 times sacked

D.J. Shockley: 4-15, 63 yards, 0 TD, 1 Int - 1 rush att, 17 yards, 1 time sacked