GKS Contributor
ATLANTA-In the limited action they saw Thursday night, the Falcons undersized and underwhelming secondary did little to ease fears that they could be a massive thorn in the team’s hopes to win a divisional championship.
Baltimore quarterback John Beck engineered a 90 yard drive against the Falcons first team defense in the preseason finale, including more big gainers at the expense of struggling cornerbacks Chris Houston and Brent Grimes.
Baltimore won the game 20-3. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan played one series.
“There is a long way to go,” said Falcons coach Mike Smith, whose team opens the season at home against Miami on September 13.
The Falcons’ cornerback cadre of Grimes, Houston and Chevis Jackson have been vilified by fans and the press throughout the training camp, and the team sent out a signal this week that they may have less than full confidence in their current line up of defensive backs. They acquired former Rams first round draft pick Tye Hill, a cornerback who has battled nagging injuries over the last few seasons.
There are indications that Hill could be ready to contribute in a few weeks. While the Falcons secondary had its issues last season, those deficiencies were largely masked by the fact that Atlanta was able to dominate time of possession by running an offense that was heavily tilted toward the ground game.
Despite the defensive questions, the Falcons end the preseason with only one major injury: the loss of Wide Receiver Harry Douglas for the season. It appears veteran Marty Booker will be among a group of wide outs who will replace Douglas as the team’s number three target; additionally, the presence of Tony Gonzalez will make the tight end a bigger part of the Falcons’ passing game this year.
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