The Atlanta Falcons had a solid all-around game last night.  Joey Harrington looked pretty sharp as he completed 13 of 21 passes for 164 yards with 2 TD passes.  Chris Redman finished up the game completing 8 of 9 passes for 76 yards.  Warrick Dunn returned from back surgery just a few weeks ago to carry the ball 6 times for 8 yards (1.3 ypc).  Jerious Norwood was busy with 9 carries for 25 yards (2.8 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards and a TD.  Rookie Jason Snelling also ran the ball pretty well with 8 carries for 26 yards (3.3 ypc).  2nd year WR Adam Jennings had a great game with 5 grabs for 67 yards and a TD.  Michael Jenkins (4 rec, 45 yards) and Roddy White (4 rec, 43 yards) both looked better than they have in the past last night.  The Falcons carried the ball 32 times for only 74 yards (2.3 ypc) and they completed 22 of 32 passes for 223 yards.

The defense had some problems as the Bengals rushed for 86 yards on 17 carries (5.1 ypc) and they completed 20 of 33 passes for 213 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270827001

 

The Falcons have released Orlando Huff because DeMorrio Williams is all healed up and ready to go for the season.  Huff played in 16 games (13 starts) last season with the Arizona Cardinals and he made 69 tackles and defensed 4 passes.  The Falcons will only miss Huff if they suffer a few injuries in the linebacking corps this season.

D.J. Shockley will miss the entire 2007 season after he tore his ACL last Saturday Night.  This might really hurt Shockley’s career as he was in a heated battle with Chris Redman to secure the backup job on the Falcons.  In two pre-season games Shockley completed 9 of 17 passes (52.9%) for 123 yards with an interception.  He also carried the football 4 times for 19 yards (4.8 ypc).  Look for the Falcons to make a move before the season starts to bring in another QB because they aren’t sure if Chris Redman can handle the backup job.

It might not have been the most exciting victory but the Falcons will take it.  While the game might have been a tad boring the Falcons were not without bright spots.  The defense played very well and rookie Jason Snelling and Laurent Robinson both looked good on offense.  The quarterbacking last night was not good but what can you really expect from this motley crew?  Joey Harrington started off the game and he completed 4 of 7 passes for 31 yards and he threw a pickoff.  D.J. Shockley played the best of the QBs completing 4 of 5 passes for 46 yards and carrying the football 3 times for 18 yards but he left the game after he was injured.  Chris Redman is still trying to work the rust off of his game as he completed 11 of 21 passes for 90 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 18 yards (6.0 ypc).  Rookie running back Jason Snelling continues to impress.  He carried the football 12 times for 50 yards (4.2 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 13 yards.  Reserve running back Arlen Harris got some work in as he carried the ball 12 times for 33 yards (2.8 ypc).  Rookie WR Laurent Robinson caught 4 passes for 54 yards (13.5 avg).  The Falcons wound up carrying the ball 33 times for 118 yards (3.6 ypc) and they completed 19 of 33 passes for 166 yards.

The Falcons defense held the Bills to 69 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.1 ypc) and the Bills completed 18 of 29 passes for 158 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270817002

The Falcons are looking strong at TE as they have a good receiver (Alge Crumpler), a good blocker (Dwayne Blakley) and a talented rookie (Martrez Milner) to handle the position in 2007.  Alge Crumpler has been Michael Vick’s favorite target in the past and Joey Harrington will likely hook up with him often too.   Crumpler played in 16 games (all starts) last season for the Falcons and he caught 56 passes for 780 yards (13.9 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  Look for Crumpler to have numbers like those again in 2007.  He has now played in 94 games (83 starts) and he has caught 274 passes for 3,768 yards (13.8 avg) with 30 TD grabs.

Dwayne Blakley is a run blocking TE, period.  He played in 16 games (4 starts) last season for the Falcons and he caught 6 passes for 76 yards (12.7 avg) with 0 TDs.  He has now played in 47 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 14 passes for 141 yards (10.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.

Rookie Martrez Milner was a 4th round pick out of the University of Georgia so he should like playing in his backyard in the Pros.  He has a lot of talent as an all-around tight end but Coach Petrino might have to ride him all season as he was an underachiever in college.