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Thursday, August 25, 2005
Jenkins steps up among receivers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Jacksonville — This is the preseason. That means you shouldn’t have a meltdown if somebody misses a block or a tackle. Miss the bus — that’s another story.
This is the preseason. That means if Warrick Dunn gets flattened by a 250-pound linebacker on third-and-2, it’s not time to start screaming for T.J. Duckett. What it probably means is, it’s time to put Dunn in bubble wrap until the season opener.
That said, Jim Mora actually considered Thursday night’s exhibition something of importance. Typically, the only people who consider exhibition games important are the NFL’s money-grubbing bean-counters who charge full price for games that don’t count, presumably because a multi-billion-dollar TV package just isn’t enough.
But Mora considered the Jacksonville game important for a significant reason: There had been no tangible evidence that the Falcons’ offense had improved, which assumes tangible evidence translates to catches, first downs and touchdowns.
On Thursday, there was evidence. Michael Jenkins was like a big thumbprint on the Falcons’ game plan.
In the first three exhibitions, Jenkins caught two passes — total. Against the Jaguars, he had four catches for 35 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
If he keeps this up, opponents might actually have to start caring who plays in the secondary.
“This game will help his confidence, and it will help the people around him have confidence in him,â€? Mora said after the 23-7 win. “He’s just a young kid who needs time on the field… He took a big step today in maturing as a football player.â€?
Mora, who has been searching for a receiving threat, seemingly was basking in the moment even more than Jenkins. When somebody asked if it was unfortunate that the team played without the injured and maligned Peerless Price, as well as Roddy White, Mora paused and said: “I like the way Michael Jenkins played.�
In other words: Don’t ruin my night with a question like that.
Price didn’t make the trip because of a concussion. By the time his headache goes away, he may not have a job any more.
The team is carrying 88 players and must cut down to 60 by Sunday. Price has played unimpressively in three games. He missed quasi-tryout No. 4 Thursday. There is one exhibition remaining, which is not to say Price has one exhibition remaining.
Roddy White, this year’s first-round pick, was home with an ankle sprain. (That starting job the coaching staff had penciled in for him: You may want to erase that for now.)
This was Jenkins’ night. He had an 18-yard scoring catch from Michael Vick in the first quarter. In the second quarter, he amended for a drop — which led to an interception â€â€? by catching a 4-yard score from Matt Schaub. The pass actually was intended for Alge Crumpler but was tipped.
“We’ve got the guys here [for an effective passing game],� Jenkins said. “We’ve just got to make plays when the opportunity arises. “This offense could be a two-headed monster if we can start throwing the ball down field. If we get the passing game going, it will be hard to stop us.�
Mora said there wasn’t any intent to go at Jenkins more Thursday just because the season is nearing.
“In terms of the passing game, that’s hard to do that because coverage is going to dictate who you throw to,â€? Mora said. “I wasn’t going to hand-signal [Jacksonville coach] Jack [Del Rio], ‘Hey, give us single coverage so we can try to throw the ball to Mike.’ There was no concerted effort to force the ball to him.â€?
Which makes it even more impressive that Jenkins stood out.
Permalink | Comments (31) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Jeff Schultz
Devine promotion a desperate move
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
The Braves haven’t done Joey Devine any favors. Calling him up after 18 minor-league games has left him with a big-league ERA of 31.50 and has allowed him to become the first pitcher ever to yield grand slams in his first two appearances. This isn’t the way you’d want your prized young arm to be baptized.
The Braves usually don’t set up rookies to fail. They tend to promote guys later rather than sooner. (Witness Jeff Francoeur.) Given that they’re always in first place, they know they can err on the side of patience. But the disarray in their bullpen and the approach of October caused the Braves to promote a guy who’d been a pro for barely two months. They didn’t need to do that. They shouldn’t have done that.
In the grand scheme of a 10-year career, a lousy beginning might make no difference, but think how hard it will be for Devine to get that ERA under control and to shake off the memories of consecutive slams. Bobby Cox, as you’d expect, has said that Devine is just fine and is throwing great and is starng at a bountiful future, and maybe he is. And, giving the Braves the benefit of the doubt, you can’t always soften the blow of reaching the bigs. (Witness Kelly Johnson going 1-for-30.)
Still, this move smacked of greater desperation than Braves’ moves do. Surely the club had visions of Devine becoming their Francisco Rodriguez this October, but the difference is that K-Rod wasn’t asked to save the Angels’ bullpen when he arrived in 2002. Troy Percival was already in place. The Braves were asking too much of Devine, and two grand slams are what they’ve gotten.
Permalink | Comments (22) | Categories: Braves / MLB, Mark Bradley, Quick Hit
