Falcons get to see New England's 3-4 defense up close

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons center Todd McClure can't wait to see the New England Patriots at practice Tuesday.

And, no, he doesn't want to see their old Super Bowl rings.

McClure and the rest of the offensive line are excited about the opportunity to practice against New England's 3-4 defense. In four exhibition games, the Falcons will have faced three teams that play 3-4 defenses.

More importantly, three of the first four opponents the Falcons will face to open the season play the 3-4. The heavy diet of preseason work against the 3-4 should help.

"The hardest part about it is learning your footwork because they are playing two gaps and they like to play on your back shoulder," McClure said. "You have to stay conscience about that because towards the end of the play, they are going to try to throw you one way and fall back into the ball carrier."

The Falcons could use the work. Last season, Miami and New England's 3-4 defenses held Atlanta to 68 and 58 yards rushing respectively. The Falcons did rush for 124 yards against Dallas' 3-4.

Even though the players will not practice in pads, McClure believes the offense can benefit from going against the Patriots.

"They are a great defense," McClure said. "They've been a great defense for years. To be able to work against those guys, it's only going to make us better."

Norwood returns to practice

Running back Jerious Norwood, who's been out since Aug. 1 with a hip flexor injury, returned to practice Monday.

"It felt great to get back out there and start moving around, getting back into shape," Norwood said. "I'm just glad to be back out here."

Norwood said it was the same hip injury that he suffered last season.

"I've been dealing with this injury for 10 months now," Norwood said. "Hopefully, we've got the problem fixed now and I can go out there and play ball."

He doesn't think it will be a recurring condition.

"No, I'll just treat it every day," Norwood said. "I'll do what I need to do to keep myself healthy."

Douglas to play

Wide receiver Harry Douglas is slated to play in Thursday's exhibition game against the Patriots at the Georgia Dome. It will be his first action since the playoff game in Arizona in the 2008 season. He was hurt early in training camp last summer and missed the entire season.

Falcons coach Mike Smith hopes that cornerback Dunta Robinson (hamstring), cornerback Brian Williams (knee) and defensive tackle Peria Jerry (knee) will be able to play in the third exhibition against Miami on Aug. 27.

Roster moves

The Falcons signed safety Eric Brock and cornerback Dominique Daniels. They also released cornerback Daylan Walker.

A star is born?

Backup running back Dimitri Nance was one of the stars of the 20-10 victory over the Chiefs last weekend. He scored two touchdowns and had a nice 16-yard catch streaming out of the backfield.

"It's good to see young guys that are new in our system, to come out and have some success," Smith said. "Dimitri has to continue to not only develop on the offensive side, but he has to continue to work on special teams. That's going to be a key for him in making our roster."

Nance, an undrafted rookie free agent from Arizona State, is one of two Texas Class AAAAA high school players to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a season. The other player is Cincinnati Bengal Cedric Benson. Nance ran for 3,173 yards on 341 carries and scored 41 touchdowns for Euless (Tex.) Trinity High.

He believes a shoulder injury last fall that caused him to miss games against Stanford, California and USC his senior year hurt his draft status.

"I thought I had a pretty good senior season and missed about three games," said Nance, who ran for 795 and six TDs last year. "I think that might have hurt me a little bit. I knew I could get a free agent deal, get into some camp and work hard."

He played on special teams as a freshman and sophomore for the Sun Devils.

"Now, I'm going to have to play special teams," Nance said. "I have to get in there and learn it and get as high on the depth chart as a I can."

He is on the punt, punt return, kickoff and kickoff return units.