Young secondary showing signs of progress

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons cornerback Christopher Owens was in the team's facilities early on Monday.

He had to see the film of what went wrong on the 65-yard touchdown pass that he gave up to New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards.

"I watched it and I've moved on from it," said Owens, a rookie third-round pick from San Jose State. "I've learned from it and know what I can do better. But at the end of the day, it was a good catch and good pass by those guys."

Owens bounced back from the play and played Edwards tougher and came up strong against the run.

"I had to play through it," Owens said. "The coaches and players were telling me to play through it. It was a move-on-to-the-next-play type of attitude."

That was the only big play the Falcons secondary gave up as the young unit continues to grow. Right cornerback Brent Grimes and free safety Thomas DeCoud are in their second seasons.

Strong safety Erik Coleman, who's in his sixth season, is the veteran of the bunch.

Cornerback Chris Houston, who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, is in his third season.

Like Owens' play, the young group has struggled at times this season, but it is starting to show signs of improvement.

"I thought as a whole, they played well," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "They are maturing, individually and collectively."

Grimes had a bounce-back game. After getting two personal interference calls against New Orleans on Dec. 13, he had two interceptions against the Jets, including the one to seal the victory in the fourth quarter.

DeCoud, who's started all season, also had an interception.

"I feel that we are getting better," DeCoud said. "We are starting to really find that chemistry that good secondaries have and good defenses have as a whole."

In addition to the young players on the field, the Falcons have rookie safety William Moore on injured reserve. He was the team's second-round pick from Missouri.

"I think our young guys are doing a great job of getting better every week," Coleman said. "We are playing better as a unit. We are starting to get better chemistry. Hopefully, we'll continue to get better and continue to grow together, and one day we'll have something special."

The stats still don't look pretty. The Falcons are ranked 30th in pass defense, giving up 254.8 yards per game.

The biggest improvement has come from them attacking the ball in the air.

"When the ball goes up, it's ours," Owens said. "That's our attitude."

Owens says he's learning with every snap.

"I think the more you get comfortable with playing, especially the corners, the more they can get comfortable playing out there on that island," Coleman said. "When that receiver goes long to run a deep pattern, it will be second nature for them to turn and run with them, look for the ball, and go up and get it."

Coleman is not alarmed by the play of his young mates and thinks the Falcons could be laying the foundation for a solid unit.

"When you look at the good secondaries and the good defenses around the league, it's teams that have been together for a while," Coleman said. "They understand the game and know each other's strengths and weaknesses. I think if we continue to grow with each other, one day we'll be one of those top secondaries in the league and top defenses in the league."