Falcons’ RB Snelling makes most of his chances

By Ken Sugiura

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

From the moment he heard the play call, Jason Snelling liked his chances.

“Things run through your mind,” said Snelling, the Falcons reserve running back. “Make sure you catch the ball first. You’ve got to protect the ball and keep good ball security because I knew there would be a hit afterwards. And after that, playmakers have got to make plays.”

Catch the ball, protect the ball, make a play. Check, check, check.

Snelling, in his third year out of Virginia, has primarily has made his living on special teams — he led the team in special teams tackles last season. Sunday, he got his chance for significant action with the offense when running back Jerious Norwood left the game with a head injury in the first quarter. Snelling caught the first touchdown pass of his career, made the longest run of the Falcons season and did his part to keep the offense in gear.

Said quarterback Matt Ryan, “He’s such a big physical running back for us and such a great change of pace from Jerious and Mike (Turner). He’s just another guy that can come in there and make plays.”

Norwood was injured in the first quarter on a Ryan interception. He did not return to the game and was not in uniform in the second half. While the team did not provide an injury report following the game, Snelling said Norwood was “fine.”

“Anytime the coaches expect you to come in and fill in a situation, they don’t expect any dropoff and I don’t either, as a player,” said Snelling, who subbed on many of the third-down packages that Norwood typically plays. “It felt good to come out there and get plays and make plays.”

On Snelling’s touchdown reception in the second quarter, he ran out of the backfield on second-and-goal from the Carolina 10-yard line, made a diagonal cut to his right and escaped linebacker James Anderson, who was caught leaning the other way (perhaps paying attention to tight end Tony Gonzalez). Snelling caught the ball around the 6-yard line, broke a tackle and drove into the end zone. The extra point gave the Falcons a 14-10 lead it never relinquished.

“Matt came to me with it quick and I just had to break a couple tackles,” Snelling said. “I was hungry to get in the end zone.”

On the first play of the Falcons’ next possession, Snelling took a handoff up the middle for 20 yards to the Carolina 36, the Falcons’ longest run of the season. The next play, Snelling pounded again for eight yards. Three plays later, the Falcons were in the end zone once more for a 21-13 lead. Snelling ended the day with six rushes for 37 yards and the football he carried into the end zone.

“I’ll definitely keep it,” he said. “These things, they’re hard to come by.”