Falcons ready for preseason play

By: T. Love

It is finally here. After days, weeks and months of agonizing it is finally football season again. I can’t believe it, but it is finally here. Our Atlanta Falcons are heading up to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Jets in the preseason opener for both teams.

I’ll admit that my enthusiasm is not where it could be, largely because No. 7 is chillin’ back in Virginia. Oh well, got to move on. Here are some of things I will be looking for in Friday night’s game.

Pass Rush
The play calling on defense will probably be as vanilla as it can be, so I want to see how much pressure the defensive line can get on the quarterback. The Falcons finished 14th in the league with 37 sacks; however, the team needs to get more pressure to help out the secondary which gave up 229.2 (29th) yards per game a year ago.

Jerious Between the Tackles
With Warrick Dunn out since an operation on a herniated disc, second-year man Jerious Norwood has taken all the reps with the first-team offense during camp. Last season, Norwood rushed for 633 yards on 99 carries as a compliment to Dunn. If Norwood can excel running between the tackles AND improve his pass blocking, then Dunn might have a hard time getting back on the field when he is healthy. Let’s keep rooting for Jerious.

Tight End Play
With Alge Crumpler sidelined with continued knee problems, we will need someone to step up at the tight end position. Daniel Fells and Martrez Milner appear to be battling for the No. 2 position. Crumpler will catch balls when he returns and we all know that, I want to see someone that can block. With our weak offensive line, we need all the pass protection we can get.

Free Safety Battle
Chris Crocker vs. Jimmy Williams. Who wants it? Crocker gave up a ton of deep balls last season, but he is ahead of Williams on the depth chart still. Williams has all the physical tools, but something isn’t right upstairs. Is it too early to start calling this guy a bust?

Receivers
Please don’t make me curse at the TV during a preseason game. Seriously.

Bobby Petrino
How does Coach Petrino manage the game, how long do the starters play, play selection. New coach, new schemes, some new personnel. Lets see what this guy has got.