By John Manasso
Foxsportssouth.com
August 14, 2010
Here are five observations from the Falcons' 20-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in their first preseason game on Friday:
1. Turner looks good. In the two series that he played, Falcons running back Michael Turner looked like he did in 2008 when he finished second in the NFL in rushing. On the team's opening drive, which resulted in a field goal, quarterack Matt Ryan only had to throw one pass, as Turner churned up 29 yards on four carries and also caught that one Ryan pass for seven yards.
"He worked really hard in this offseason to get himself in unbelievable shape and really have a great year," Ryan said of Turner. "And I think tonight's a good start."
When Turner plays like that, it makes everything easy on the Falcons' offense, which is based on ball control. In their 11-5 season in 2008, they ran the ball the second-most times in the NFL. That means Ryan doesn't have to throw as much and, as you might remember, he missed almost two full games with a turf toe injury that he suffered as he was being hit by Tampa Bay's Stylez G. White.
"No, you know what, I thought we were running the ball so successful on the first drive that we didn't need to pass it and I'll be the first to tell you that if we run the ball like that my job gets a lot easier," Ryan said of his one attempt on the opening drive. So I'll take that any day of the week."
2. Falcons need a speed back. It's early in camp and thus far head coach Mike Smith has not expressed any concerns about No. 2 running back Jerious Norwood's ability to stay healthy. Norwood only played 10 games last season as a result of a concussion and a hip injury. He has missed all but the opening few days of camp.
Jason Snelling is a competent running back -- good at blocking and receiving -- but he lacks the speed that the Falcons need for outside runs to stretch the defense as Norwood has. That was evident on third-and-3 from the Kansas City 12-yard line on the opening drive. The Falcons pitched the ball to Snelling in an attempt to go around the right side, but he was not fast enough to beat a defender and the Falcons had to settle for a field goal. On the second drive, the Falcons pitched the ball to the left side to Snelling and he was caught for a three-yard loss.
Snelling finished the night with 24 yards on 11 carries -- only 2.2 per carry. First-year player Antone Smith, who had two drops but ran the ball with 36 yards on 12 carries, might be a better option for those outside runs where the Falcons need the back to turn the corner. But Smith will face tough competition for a roster spot from undrafted rookie Dmitri Nance, who rushed for two touchdowns and caught two passes for 26 yards.
3. Defensive line looks strong. Defensive line coach Ray Hamilton's group ranked among the stars of this game. End Kroy Biermann came off the left side in the first quarter on a third down and stripped Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel of the ball, with John Abraham recovering it. In the third quarter, end Lawrence Sidbury caught Chiefs running back Jackie Battle for a two-yard loss.
With his continued development, Biermann, who ranked third on the team with five sacks (just one off the team lead) last season as a second-year, situational player, could become an every-down player.
Smith already has signaled that Jamaal Anderson, the eighth overall pick in the '07 draft who has only 2.5 career sacks, will not be a starter at end based simply on his pedigree. Last season the Falcons started the process of converting the 6-foot-6 Anderson, now 291 pounds, to tackle.
"Any time you
