The most important point: the two teams had joint practices Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of the game on Friday. They brought in referees, and the refs even worked the one-on-one drills. So they already had two days of head-to-head competition and lots of film to evaluate. With that in mind, they used the game as a chance to get a look at the reserves and the long-shots. Quarterbacks Ridder and Heinecke sat out the whole game. All three of the top RBs were out, along with the top two WRs and the top two TEs. All of the projected starters on defense and the offensive line were out. The biggest roster question: since the emergency QB rule is back in play this year, is it worth burning a spot on the 53-man roster to keep Logan Woodside? Woodside played the entire game, and he made a very strong case for keeping him on the roster. As usual, the final stats really don't tell the tale. The official numbers aren't bad at all - 14 of 23, no TDs or INTs. But he threw a deep pass that hit the receiver perfectly in stride for a huge gain, except for the minor detail that the receiver flat out dropped the ball. He also had a touchdown pass that another receiver simply dropped. And another deep ball would have been a difficult catch for the receiver due to good coverage, but he threw the ball just about perfectly and simply wasn't rewarded for the effort. The receivers on the two drops probably killed any chance of making the actual roster right then and there. The third one didn't have a chance of making the roster in the first place. I'd say he didn't hurt his chances of making the practice squad, as he ran a good route and showcased some speed, but he'll still need to do more if he's going to stick around as the competition for those spots is going to be fierce. One receiver who did help his case for sneaking onto the back end of the roster is undrafted rookie Xavier Malone. He played the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. Logan Woodside targeted him twice. He caught both passes. They turned out to be Atlanta's two longest offensive plays of the game. So it's time to start keeping an eye on him. He played two seasons of junior college ball in Mississippi, which is something that I personally think is a strong point. Kansas and Mississippi have very strong JC programs, and the players are getting actual game reps rather than redshirting or playing limited roles as redshirt freshmen at the big schools. They've also been through the adjustment of making the step up and learning a new system when they made the move from the JC program to a four year college. That may not seem important, but while all the other undrafted guys are having their heads spin just getting used to how the pro team runs their drills, the JC transfers have been through that kind of adjustment before. Malone is one of those small speedsters best suited for the slot. If he sneaks onto the roster, he'd probably be a backup for Scotty Miller, who has a similar profile. I'll be generous and say Malone is 5'8". He runs the 40 in under 4.4 (listed at 4.36 at his pro day). He also put up a 36" vertical at the pro day workout. Downside is that his final two years were only at Division II Henderson State. But while he was there, he was seriously productive. He also did kick return duties there, which might help him stick around given that Avery Williams is injured. He'll probably need to do a lot more if he's going to crack the roster, as he'll be up against TEs and defensive players for a late roster spot in addition to the other WR prospects. That extra WR spot might also be the guy who gets bumped to make room for Logan Woodside as the third QB. But at the very least, Malone just made a VERY strong case for keeping him on the practice squad. I'd say offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield helped his case a bit. He's likely the most significant lineman that actually played, considering he's in the mix for the swing tackle role. I'll need to watch the game again to focus more on him, but it looked to me like he did his part to keep Logan Woodside clean, and he definitely helped open some holes for the running backs. The best story for Atlanta was the all-around performance of the defense. They mostly played vanilla, but they still managed to generate consistent pressure on the Miami quarterbacks. Some of the interior defensive linemen in particular had standout moments, including last year's undrafted rookie Timmy Horne, third round rookie Zach Harrison, and journeyman Albert Huggins, who tried out in minicamp and was signed to the 90-man roster when Avery Williams was placed on IR. The most impressive sack of the game came right at the two minute warning in the fourth quarter. For whatever reason, the team rotated in Arnold Ebiketie at that point. It almost seems unfair to put one of the team's rising stars against an opponent's garbage time offensive line. But they did, he torched the Miami front, and he simply took the ball away from quarterback Skylar Thompson as they went to the ground. In general, even the preseason vanilla defense looked far more effective than anything Falcons fans have seen from the team in the last five seasons. Even the third string secondary looks solid. Late round safety Demarco Hellams stood out. He's also a special teams ace, which will definitely help his cause when we get to the roster cuts.
