AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September > 18
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Leftwich arrival: Immediate buzz, gradual impact
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the winless Falcons playing their home-opener Sunday vs. Carolina, the acquisition of quarterback Byron Leftwich will create a buzz that could create some diversion after two season-opening losses that have been nothing short of a buzz-kill.
The former Jacksonville starter, signed by Atlanta today, won’t immediately remedy the Falcons’ offensive woes. In fact, there’s a good chance he won’t be activated for the game this weekend. Leftwich will spend his first few weeks learning the system as a backup and could eventually challenge Chris Redman for the No. 2 job.
While Leftwich is cramming, starter Joey Harrington will have to maximize the grace period to keep his job. If the Falcons felt secure with Harrington and simply wanted someone as insurance, they wouldn’t have signed a former starter who has played in the postseason.
Coach Bobby Petrino clearly is not pleased with his team scoring just 10 points in two games and allowing 13 sacks in the process. Petrino puts the impetus for the success of his offense at the feet of his quarterback; so right now, Harrington is bearing the brunt of his angst.
The signing of Leftwich does signal that the Falcons don’t want to let things get too out of hand before making a radical change. However, Atlanta could have brought in Leftwich three weeks ago but opted to wait until it is two games into the hole before getting the process started.
Services »
