Falcons' Snelling likely to play Sunday; Jackson still in limbo
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — As they come out of the bye week attempting to turn their season around, the Atlanta Falcons could have at least one running back healthy for Sunday.
But not the one Falcons fans likely cherish the most.
On Monday, head coach Mike Smith said Jason Snelling, who suffered a concussion in last week's loss to the New York Jets, has progressed through the NFL's concussion protocol and could be back on the practice field by Tuesday or Wednesday.
However, the status of Steven Jackson, one of the major offseason acquisitions who has not played since Week 2, remains unknown. Smith was asked if he were optimistic about the potential of Jackson returning on Sunday, when Atlanta hosts division rival Tampa Bay.
"We had a lot of guys here during the bye week when the players were off," Smith said. "The injured players were here doing their rehabilitation. I think some guys have made some progress. I'm not going to talk specifically about any one player. The only player that I will say who is further along than he was last week is Jason Snelling."
Smith had originally thought Jackson would miss two or three weeks. If Jackson returns for Week 7, he would have required five weeks to heal. On Sept. 27, Jackson wrote on his personal blog that he would not return until he was 100 percent healthy.
"But I have to be patient," Jackson wrote. "That's just part of being mature as a player. I know my body, and I have to make sure that I'm right. I don’t want to come back too soon, and just be an average guy on the football field. When I come back, I want to be 100 percent healthy and be the dynamic running back who can catch the ball, run between the tackles and do all the things that I’ve done."
The Falcons enter Week 7 with one of the five worst conference records and sit 2 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot.
The good news: The 0-5 Buccaneers are currently engulfed in controversy, regarding the fallout of releasing previous starting QB Josh Freeman (now with Minnesota).
The bad news: Atlanta must brace for its final 11 games without Julio Jones, a burgeoning All-Pro receiver, who incurred a season-ending foot injury against the Jets.
Four-time Pro Bowler Roddy White, whose productivity has been severely limited by an ankle injury, also suffered a hamstring against the Jets. White (133 straight games) could miss the first game of his career.
To replace Jones, the Falcons signed wide receiver Brian Robiskie, the son of Falcons wide receivers/assistant head coach Terry Robiskie.
Brian Robiskie, a fifth-year veteran, has career tallies of 43 catches, 485 yards and four touchdowns.
According to one report, Atlanta could join trade talks for Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. Smith said he would not address such reports but then added, "We've built this roster, we like this roster."
Along with Jackson, Smith also elected not to update the status of White, left tackle Sam Baker (knee) and middle linebacker Akeem Dent (ankle).
The Falcons will release their initial injury report on Wednesday.
