AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2006 > November > 14
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Competition among blockers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There seemed to be conflicting messages Monday about the possible role left guard Matt Lehr will play when he returns to practice Wednesday after his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s steroid policy.
Tailback Warrick Dunn, whose numbers have decreased since Lehr’s hiatus began before the Falcons faced the Steelers, said he welcomes Lehr’s return. However, he said the two new guards, P.J. Alexander, who has started for Lehr and Tyson Clabo - who took over for Kynan Forney (shoulder-injured reserve) — have done a good job.
Clabo said Monday, after film review, that he and Alexander actually played pretty well. Coach Jim Mora said the new guards have played fairly well too.
Atlanta will use the next few days to see if Lehr is ready to play Sunday or if the team will use a one-week roster exemption to determine if Lehr is ready.
I think the mixed signals - besides not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings - stem from Alexander and Clabo being decent in pass protection while Lehr being a more forceful run blocker at the point of attack. Dunn said Lehr’s experience is the big difference, which means Alexander and Clabo might be doing pretty well, but they are still getting acclimated to playing for real.
This is the first time either of them has started.
It probably will be tough for any of those players to get things going in a big way Sunday at Baltimore. But I’m sure this week at practice, having Lehr back will force Clabo and Alexander to be a little bit more focused and productive.
