First things first... the entire starting offense didn't play. Slot receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, RB2 Tyler Allgeier and TE2 Charlie Woerner didn't play. #2 center Ryan Neuzil wasn't on the official list of players being held out, but he had a mild calf strain in the joint practices so the coaches kept him out as a precaution. So the only "important" players in action on offense were QB2 Michael Penix and swing tackle Storm Norton. Likewise, on defense nearly all of the projected starters were out. Likewise, the starters for the defense were either held out entirely or in for just two series. Those included starting safety Richie Grant and OLB Lorenzo Carter (8 snaps each) and defensive linemen Taquon Graham and Kentavius Street (7 and 6 snaps), who might not be true starters but will potentially be major portions of the rotation. NT Eddie Goldman hasn't retired yet! He also played 8 total snaps in rotation. Otherwise the entire game was players trying to make their mark for backup positions or potential practice squad berths, which is exactly what you'd expect for the first preseason game. So... how did everyone do? The biggest disasters were the two injuries. Safety DeMarcco Hellams got hurt early in the first quarter and was taken off the field on the cart. He hasn't been put on IR yet, which suggests the team does expect him to return later in the season. But I'm guessing he gets put on IR immediately after the roster cutdown date. Third rounder Bralen Trice did get put on IR, ending his rookie season. His injury came at the end of the first half. It wasn't even in a contact situation. He simply took a bad step on the wet field and wrecked his knee. He has already been placed on IR, out for the year. Penix looked good. Overly excited at times, and he overthrew some pretty easy passes. But he also made some sweet throws, and he made up for an early mistake later on. The mistake was that he went for a deeper, low percentage play on third down and didn't see his RB wide open for the easy first down. Later he had another play where he went through his progression and did check down to the receiver in the middle of the field - and threw a dart for the perfect pass, right on target. Swing tackle Storm Norton's most embarassing moment came on the very first offensive play. I don't know if the wet field was an issue, but he lunged for a block and pancaked himself. The defender went into the backfield untouched and stopped the runner for a 3-yard loss. Norton was rock solid in pass protection though, and his position at RT was also noteworthy with the team starting a lefty at QB. Julien Davenport and Andrew Stueber were surprises. Both were listed as third string tackles, but Davenport started at left tackle ahead of Barry Wesley (who came in later on at guard instead of tackle) while Stueber started at right guard next to Norton. Later, Davenport moved over to right tackle and played 70% of the offensive snaps, while Stueber played the entire game. Kyle Hinton got the start at left guard to round out the line. Overall, they did a great job of protecting Penix. The rookie only faced pressure on two throws. One was a poor play call, with the RB split out wide as a receiver while a pass rusher was allowed to come free from the wide nine spot. And the pressure on the other pass play was intentional - it was a screen. I'd say this might be the most important aspect of the game for Falcons fans. Just two years ago we were going crazy trying to figure out if we had five capable starters. Now we're seeing a mix of second and third stringers keeping the top draft pick clean in the pocket. When Taylor Heinecke came into the game, he had a muffed exchange from #3 center Jovaughn Gwyn. Heinecke looked like he simply pulled out early, thinking the play was dead. He walked off signaling false start. The slow motion replay showed that Norton might have indeed jumped a little early, but there was no whistle and no flag. There's no reason why Heinecke should have given up on a play so quickly, especially inside his own 10-yard line. So I'll say he simply muffed the snap. That was the play that essentially decided the game. Overall, Heinecke didn't help his case for sticking around as the #3 QB. But #4 QB Nathan Rourke was mostly dreadful. As a result, Rourke has already been released, with the team bringing back John Paddock. Why they released Paddock in the first place is a minor mystery, as the coaches had positive comments about him earlier in camp. Now he might get a chance to showcase himself in an exhibition game. One player who most definitely helped his cause was #4 TE John FitzPatrick, who is fighting to hang on to one of the final roster spots. He's had several drops during camp, but he made his presence felt on Atlanta's touchdown drive. He caught an outlet pass and took it to the 1-yard line. He then made the key block that put RB Carlos Washington into the end zone for the score. Another player on the ropes who absolutely helped himself in the game was OLB DeAngelo Malone. On defense? Meh. But he was the absolute monster of the special teams group, with four special teams tackles (three on punts and one on a kickoff). A player who didn't help himself was WR prospect Josh Ali, who at times had flashed in camp. He only played four official snaps on offense in this game, and he got called for two penalties. The kickoff returners weren't so hot, but it should be noted that Ray-Ray McCloud didn't play and Avery Williams only made a token appearance in the game. The second tier return men on the depth chart are Mike Hughes, who also didn't play, and Rondale Moore, who obviously didn't play as he was already on IR. So the return men were backups getting a shot at demonstrating that they can be useful in a return role. I'd say they failed miserably. There were two muffed two kickoff receptions. Thanks to the new rules, they had plenty of time to recover but ended up with poor returns. WR Dylan Drummond also had one that he caught in the end zone and for whatever reason attempted to return. Under the new rules, the touchback would have put the ball at the 30-yard line, and he only made it to the 20. Overall the second unit defense that started the game was solid, and fans should remember that Atlanta had a 10-3 lead to end the first quarter. The biggest play allowed by the defense was what I thought was a miscommunication or missed assignment, as CB Antonio Hamilton released one receiver to cover another receiver that was already being covered by the nickel back. Meanwhile S Lukas Denis wasn't behind Hamilton to pick up the suddenly uncovered man. Denis then missed the tackle, and the receiver was off to a 43-yard gain before being chased down by Hamilton. Denis got called out by the announcers for the missed tackle, but I think it was really Hamilton that blew the play by releasing the outside receiver to cover an already covered inside man. But other than that mishap, I'd say Hamilton and Denis both had pretty good games. I'm guessing that Hamilton was already close to sealing a final CB roster spots, and Denis at the very least helped his case for a practice squad spot. He may be a boomerang player - released at the final roster cut but then resigned immediately after clearing waivers when DeMarcco Hellams goes on IR and frees up the roster spot. For the most part, the entire second half is best forgotten. Each team managed a field goal in the third quarter and nothing at all in the fourth. Were the defenses good, or were the offenses simply that bad? Yes, and yes. To put it in perspective, the Falcons had first and goal twice in the fourth quarter and came away empty both times. Meanwhile, the best Miami had to show for the fourth quarter was a missed 58-yard field goal attempt. Hopefully the remaining two exhibitions will be more watchable. And injury-free.
I think Penix was a luxury considering the contract they signed Cousins to. They could have drafted someone more in line to help them make the playoffs this season.
That nails it perfectly, and through various interviews over the last couple of months, the team pretty much admits it. I get it, and I was as shocked as anyone when they actually pulled the trigger and drafted Penix. My own approach would have been to shop the pick, trading down, getting assets in future drafts, and then taking one or two beast DTs. But I don't know if a suitable offer would have come my way. I'm coming around to their way of thinking though. The basic storyline is that they were surprised when Penix was still on the board at #8. But he was right there for the taking and the team decided there was no way they were going to pass up the chance to grab him. Team owner Arthur Blank was fully on board with that move. To paraphrase Blank, they had gone two seasons without a reliable quarterback. They've seen that movie, and they don't want to see it again. I don't know how much thought they put into the idea that they were giving up something for this season in order to get him. I know Blank thinks long term. The way the Packers waited and groomed Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love would fit right in with his way of thinking. He's probably very happy that his team is taking that approach.
