Falcons' top pick Jerry out for year

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Flowery Branch -- Thomas Johnson spent the last two seasons out of the NFL. He is about to make up for lost time.

Because of a season-ending knee injury Sunday to the Falcons first-round draft pick Peria Jerry, Johnson is set to start at defensive tackle against the New England Patriots this weekend, head coach Mike Smith said Monday.

Jerry, 6 foot 2 and 294 pounds, suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers. The team placed him on injured reserve and moved defensive tackle Vance Walker from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster.

“This is very [unfortunate] for Peria,” Smith said. “This is a very, very violent game in the line, both offensive and defensive lines. We are going to miss him.”

Players were notified of Jerry’s injury during Monday’s meetings.

“He’s a heck of a football player,” safety Thomas DeCoud said. “We are going to miss him.”

Johnson, since first being signed as an undrafted free agent by Dallas in 2005, has had trouble sticking in the league. Before this season, he had not appeared in a game since the 2006 season.

Overall, he has played in 13 games, making three starts for the Houston Texans in 2006. He’s been cut by Dallas, Houston and the New York Jets and was out of football since 2007. The Falcons signed him to a reserve-future contract in January.

“A lot of people look at my journey as a hard fought journey but I look at it as a blessing,” said Johnson, a native of Memphis who played collegiately at Middle Tennessee State. “You only get so many opportunities to be on different teams.”

While Johnson is set to start, Walker and Trey Lewis will also have a shot at playing time. Defensive ends Chauncey Davis and Jamaal Anderson have been used at tackle in pass rushing situations.

Lewis showed some promise while playing in 2007 but he missed all of last season with a knee injury.

“I’ve been preparing to play,” Lewis said. “Now, I know that’s that case. I’ll take a little extra time in practice to be prepared.”

Jerry’s injury strikes a blow to a defensive unit trying to replace five starters. He was playing the position that had been manned by former Falcon Grady Jackson.

Smith said Jerry earned the starting spot in camp but he had little to show for it statistically, recording just one assisted tackle in the first two games.

For the second consecutive year, one of the Falcons first-round draft picks will miss substantial game time due to injury. Last season, left tackle Sam Baker, who was selected with the 21st pick in the 2008 draft, suffered a concussion in Week Two and later had back surgery. He still played in eight games and made five starts.

Also, safety William Moore, the team’s second-round pick in 2009, has not played this season. He had knee surgery during training camp and also suffered a hamstring injury.

Jerry had a substantial injury history coming out of Ole Miss.