What I thought was interesting about it is that Ridder only threw two passes that were somewhat off target. One was to Pitts, the other to Bijan Robinson. Ridder didn't work all that much with Pitts last year, and Pitts was already on IR before Ridder took over the starting role. He's obviously still working on timing with the rookie Robinson as well. But... those two somewhat errant throws were both caught, so they weren't all that bad. His one incompletion was off of Drake London's hands, and the interception hit Scotty Miller (who was interefered with, but no call), bouncing up off the receiver to be brought down by the defense. In other words, his accuracy was really good for the one series that he played.
I agree. Ridder looked fine and will only get better. The offensive line was good and the playmaking ability is going to be nuts. Defensively they were stout too... I know that was your concern going into this season, they played well, especially, in my opinion, the secondary. They were ball-hawking quite well. Falcons dominated statistically also, offense and defense. Stats arnt the end-all in a preseason game where 2's and 3's are all over the field, but it looked good on paper. The side-line reporter to start the 3rd Q stated that Smith got after them on the penalties at halftime and let em have it... I think thats good on him. I think a fan of the Falcons can come away from that game with their chin up. Lots of good things happened with a whole lotta good things to look forward too. Plenty of real play-makers on both sides of the ball, should be one hell of an exciting team to behold.
'He Looks Great!' Falcons TE Kyle Pitts in 'Good Spot' with Injury Rehab Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts, fresh off returning to action in last Friday night's preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, is trending upwards ... but coach Arthur Smith suggested there's a mental hurdle to overcome. Seemingly in the blink of an eye, Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts has gone from highly touted rookie to third-year pro, seeking to send a message after an injury-shortened 2022. The message, of course, is that Pitts is still capable of being as productive as he was as a rookie, when he entered as the highest-drafted tight end in league history at No. 4 overall and exited by breaking the franchise's rookie receptions record with 68 and posting the second-most receiving yards ever by a first-year player at the position with 1,026. Few things went right for the 6-6, 245-pound Pitts last season, who led the NFL in off-target rate on passes intended for him at 30 percent before suffering a torn MCL in Week 11. Across 10 games, Pitts caught only 28 of his 59 targets while collecting 356 receiving yards and two touchdowns. If he'd played the entire season at that pace, his final numbers would've included 48 catches for 605 yards and three scores, which certainly looks better than the actual final product but is nonetheless a noticeable step backwards. But not to be lost in the numbers is that Pitts is still the same presence he was two years ago; the trials and tribulations along the way have only made him better, even if the box score hasn't yet reflected it. Still just 22 years old, Pitts remains in the early stages of what both he and the Falcons feel can be a bountiful long-term partnership ... and the two sides took another step towards that with the former Florida star's return to the gridiron during last Friday night's 13-13 preseason tie with the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite playing only one drive, Pitts delivered one of the game's biggest highlights - a smooth one-handed reception on a pass thrown behind him that led to a first down. It was the first live action for Pitts since suffering the injury, though he noted that he's been hit during practice and already feels acclimated. Better yet, Pitts feels he's in a "good spot" with his knee and believes he's playing faster mentally ... which is, in Smith's eyes, the biggest box he still needs to check. "It's more of a mental thing. Physically, he looks great," Smith said about Pitts' performance Friday against the Bengals. "It was good for Kyle to feel that, and he was excited to be back out there. Just one more step. We had a couple of plays for him and that was good to see." Even before his first reps of the preseason, Pitts looked ready to go - he was consistently winning reps in one-on-ones and was ramping up to full strength day-by-day during camp. The challenge has long been feeling prepared to play ... and Pitts delivered positive news on that front earlier this week while speaking to reporters for the first time since taking the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. "It felt great," Pitts said. "Going back, competing with the guys in a game situation, going against other people and having that feeling again." As such, Pitts appears to be trending in a very positive direction entering his third season, once more facing lofty expectations while catching passes from a new quarterback - Desmond Ridder - for the third time in as many years. And while there's always a level of uncertainty with performance after injuries, both Pitts and the Falcons are confident in what's been accomplished, what's being worked towards, and perhaps most importantly, what the future holds. FALCON REPORT/SI
The funny thing about the third preseason game is that I actually think the Falcons got the better end of the deal. Pittsburgh got a glorified practice for their starters. That's nice, but was it really better for them than a regular day of training camp? Atlanta got a lot of questions answered as to whether the fringe prospects were (a) roster-caliber players (b) needing time on the practice squad or (c) total clowns who need to go. Seriously... if you look at the 22 official "starters" for Atlanta in that game, I count five of them as legit #2's who were getting in some needed reps. The rest are guys who were trying to win roster spots - third string and in a few cases even fourth string. They NEEDED the game film, and they got it against another team's legit starters. If you're looking for an evaluation opportunity, it doesn't get any better than that. So thank you very much, Mike Tomlin. You made Arthur Smith's job a lot easier tomorrow. For me, the bad news on Friday was that because of the "heat dome", the team decided it wasn't safe to have the weekend practices open to fans. I was looking forward to catching one last blast of practice. But I get it. When the heat index is forecast to hit 100 before 11am, yeah, not such a good idea to risk medical emergency situations among the fans on the hillside.
You do know that Pittsburgh only played their starters for two series on both sides of the ball? It was their backups that played most of the game.
Sure, but the legit #2s also only played for about two series for Atlanta. Basically the first half was guys fighting for the last spots on the back end of the roster and for the practice squad berths getting a chance to show what they can do, trying to prove it by going up against guys who really are going to make a roster and even play a significant number of snaps this season. That's terrific film for the evaluations that the coaching staff will have to do by the end of tomorrow. Some of those fringe players really did help their cause. Many more are probably going to have nightmares again tonight reliving the moments that likely sealed their fate on Tuesday.
Now that the practice squad signings are underway, the announcers in that game have been somewhat vindicated. They kept referring to Pittsburgh's "starters", which was incorrect, but they were really trying to emphasize that Pittsburgh's roster players were up against Atlanta's scrubs. Of the 22 "starters" for Atlanta, five are now on the practice squad while five more are no longer with the team at all. In particular, the two cornerbacks who started and played most of the game for Atlanta were both true fourth string. One of them (the one who gave up the pass to George Pickens on the opening drive) got signed to the practice squad today. The other (the one who gave up the 33-yard pass to Johnson on the opening drive, the pass interference on Olszewski that set up Pittsburgh's third touchdown, lost contain on the 31-yard run by McFarland, and got beaten on several other pass plays) did not make the team at all. This also emphasizes why I say the Falcons got the better end of the deal. Before that game, the CB who didn't make it at all had been one of the stars of training camp and the Miami exhibition game and was thought to be in contention for a spot on the back end of the roster. Then he faced real players instead of the Dolphins garbage-time scrubs, and now he's unemployed. On the offensive line, Ryan Neuzil had a few bad shotgun snaps in the earlier exhibition games, but he and former Vikings prospect Kyle Hinton held their own against Pittsburgh's first and second unit defenses. They made the roster. Meanwhile, the two starting linemen on the left side - one of whom was the leading candidate for the swing tackle role going into the game - couldn't open holes at all for the running game. They're both gone now, not even on the practice squad. The two guys who gave up those two first half sacks (and got called out by the announcers) are both off the roster as well, though they did at least make the practice squad. In all of these cases, I think the opportunity to evaluate them against another team's 1's and 2's was a HUGE factor in the coaching staff's decisions.
NFL teams are quick to note that the depth charts they issue throughout the preseason are unofficial and the ones the Falcons put out the last few weeks made that point clear. Rookie running back Bijan Robinson was listed as the team’s third-string running back despite being the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft and the subject of much praise from those around the team over the course of the summer. It’s now time for the regular season to begin and the Falcons have adjusted the chart to better reflect Robinson’s actual role on the team. Robinson is listed as the starter in the backfield with Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson behind him in the pecking order. All three players should see time in the offense when healthy — Patterson has been dealing with a soft tissue injury — but Robinson is expected to be one of the focal points in Atlanta’s attack. Tuesday’s change to the depth chart acknowledges that. NBC ___________ _________________________ Nothing new here. I was just a tad surprised that he jumped Allgier, but then again, its just a list on paper. Im sure the 'hot hand' will get fed the ball.
It also feeds into what I was saying about Bergeron being the starter at LG the moment the draft card was turned in. The preseason depth charts will not put a rookie ahead of a player who was here the prior year, period. Robinson, Bergeron, Harrison and Phillips were all listed behind last year's players on that depth chart. Allgeier as the #2 does make sense in that he's the bruiser and is also less of a factor as a receiver. Patterson might not even play this weekend as he continues to recover, so listing him as the #3 was automatic. There's a chance that Godwin Igwebuike might be a practice squad callup for the opener. I'm still not sold on him, but for a week one callup, anyone who already knows the offense will be ahead of someone new. Expect Allgeier to be the short yardage guy, and also the guy who runs the ball constantly in the second half if Atlanta has a lead. I'm expecting a lot of plays with Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, Mack Hollins and Bijan Robinson as the five skill players. With Patterson gimpy, I'm not expecting much of the 2 TE, 2 RB formations, though we will see some of that with pure fullback Keith Smith. In those situations, I'd love to see Pruitt as the second TE instead of Jonnu Smith. So London, Pitts, Pruitt, Robinson and Keith Smith. In that package, the pass plays would have Keith Smith flex out to where an H-back tight end would play, and he'd help with pass protection. Ridder played with Pruitt last year, with Pruitt catching 9 passes for 103 yards in those final games (compared to 7 receptions for 47 yards the rest of the season). That combination would give Ridder two familiar targets (London and Pruitt) and two stellar players (Pitts and Robinson) that he didn't play with last season. But once Patterson is back to full speed, it will be really fun to have Patterson, Robinson, Jonnu Smith, Pitts and London as the five skill players in the huddle. Robinson is showing he can split out, Pitts is obviously a legit receiver, and WR is Patterson's natural position. That group could easily be empty backfield, or Jonnu Smith could line up at fullback with Pitts in line at TE for a power run game.
He's a wild card in the formation, for sure. The good news is he practiced Wednesday, though on a limited basis. So did WR / special teams ace KhaDarel Hodge. I'm guessing they'll both be limited again today, with the team hoping to get them back to full participation Friday.
One bit of bad news this week is that OL prospect Barry Wesley (on the practice squad) suffered an injury and was placed on the practice squad IR list. Wesley was an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State. He's a versatile prospect who played both guard and tackle in college. He's a longer term project who showed promise in the preseason games. Hopefully this setback won't be the end of his NFL career. The team brought back safety prospect Lukas Denis to take his place on the practice squad.
As expected, Patterson was limited again today. Hodge was back to full practice. Jonnu Smith was also back - he was held out of practice yesterday, but it was a scheduled rest day rather than an injury situation. It's pretty clear that cornerback Jeff Okudah will be out, but Mike Hughes is back. I'm expecting A.J. Terrell and Tre Flowers to start on the outsides with Dee Alford at nickel. Hughes will back up Terrell and Flowers, with Clark Phillips as the backup for Alford.
Updates on two former Falcons offensive linemen... Colby Gossett signed with Cleveland as a free agent on a cheap one year deal this spring. He didn't make their roster. For now the Falcons still have three linemen on the practice squad (Tyler Vrabel, Justin Shaffer, Josh Miles) even after the injury to Barry Wesley. But if they decide they need to make a change or need more depth due to midseason injuries, Gossett was a reliable backup. Former third round pick Jalen Mayfield was released by the Falcons ahead of the final roster cuts. He has now been signed to the Giants practice squad. Interesting take on him is that the media blasts him as a bust, but he's still very young with a lot of upside. Head coach Arthur Smith pointed out that Mayfield actually could still be playing at Michigan right now if he had not come out for the draft in 2021. Turns out he's right. Mayfield played three seasons in college, but his final season was 2020 - which didn't count against anyone's eligibility - and he didn't redshirt. So 2021 would have been his third season of eligibility, and his IR year last year would have become his redshirt year, making the 2023 season his official senior season of college eligibility. So good luck to him. I'm thinking that a change of scenery and a fresh start in a new organization will do him a lot of good.
For Atlanta, corner Jeff Okudah is now officially OUT. Patterson was limited again Friday and is listed as Questionable. KhaDarel Hodge is also listed as Questionable, but I'm expecting him to play. Patterson seems much more dicey. D.J. Chark is officially OUT for Carolina and Adam Thielen is Questionable. Thielen is probably in the same boat as Patterson. It's an ankle injury. He did participate in practice on a limited basis on Wednesday, was out of practice completely on Thursday and was limited Friday. They'll be rushing to get him back if they can exactly like the Falcons will with Patterson. At this point, flip a coin on both of them.
Running back Godwin Igwebuike will be on the Falcons’ 53-man roster for Sunday’s opener against the Panthers. The Falcons signed Igwebuike off of their practice squad on Saturday. The move comes a day after the Falcons listed running back Cordarrelle Patterson as questionable to play because of a thigh injury. Igwebuike has appeared in 28 games for the Seahawks, Lions, 49ers, and Buccaneers. He had 31 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons in the preseason. The Falcons waived defensive end Joe Gaziano to make room for Igwebuike. They also elevated defensive back Natrone Brooks and tight end Parker Hesse from the practice squad.
Why didnt you tell me to start, Allgeier in fantasy? Ridder was really good... it was a good start at least.
It's a shame that the team wasted Tyler Allgeier's first two runs by killing the drive with some horrendous play calling shortly afterwards. But that was a surreal start for Allgeier's season. His first carry went for 19 yards. The very next play, he ran it through the middle for 22 yards. The run blocking was there, without a doubt. The pass blocking, on the other hand, was atrocious in the first half. I don't know how much of that was on Ridder vs how much was due to the play calls. The offense is based on run, run, run, then hit a deeper pass if possible. Ridder did a pretty good job of going to the checkdowns and hot reads when he was under pressure, but that's why his numbers were so low - 15 completions for only 115 yards is less than 8 yards per completion including yards after the catch. He had to unload before Drake London could get open. London only had one target for the entire game. Something the team will need to clean up quickly is that Ridder took four sacks. Three of them killed three of the team's first four drives in the first half. The set of three downs that ended each drive included a sack. (The other drive was off of the first interception and led to the team's first touchdown.) And... welcome to the NFL, Bijan Robinson. 5.6 yards per carry rushing, plus 6 receptions (most by anyone on either team) and a receiving touchdown that was all Bijan on YAC.
