FALCONS 2008: SECONDARY: Ready for the test?

Flowery Branch —- In each exhibition game, acrobatic Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes got his hands on a pass.

One came after a dynamic leap high into the air.

Another came after dashing around the receiver and then batting the ball to the turf.

It seems like just a matter of time before Grimes gets both hands on the ball for his first NFL interception.

“I’ve just got to finish the play and make the catch,” Grimes said. “I know I can do it. I just have to make it happen.”

If Grimes gets his first interception he’ll be excused if he does the Shippensburg Shuffle or some other dance named after his alma mater.

“I don’t know, I’ll see when it happens,” Grimes said. “It will be a spontaneous thing. I don’t have [anything] planned.”

The undrafted free agent has spent two training camps and a stint in the defunct NFL Europa honing his skills.

A hamstring injury in 2006 hampered his bid to make the team.

Falcons scout Bruce Plummer kept singing his praises, and Grimes was re-signed in January 2007 and allocated to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europa.

Now he finds himself ready to start his first NFL game, in the spot that was held by Pro Bowler DeAngelo Hall.

Grimes knows that he’s going to get tested —- early and likely often if he doesn’t make any plays.

When Emmitt Thomas became the interim head coach after Bobby Petrino’s abrupt departure last season, Grimes got some playing time against Arizona. He battled the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and finished with 10 tackles.

He was obviously targeted.

During the exhibition season, the Falcons would leave Grimes in games so that he could get some seasoning.

“I got some experience from it, some good experience,” Grimes said. “I’m excited to get out there and do it when the real bullets start flying in the regular season.”

Grimes batted down a couple of passes in the end zone during the preseason, helping the Falcons piece together a string of 13 consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown.

“It was the preseason, but you have to go out there and win,” Grimes said. “You don’t go out there and just start walking around. It’s still people trying to score, and you held them out. It’s an accomplishment. Now, we just have to get it done in the regular season.”

After Hall would get an interception he would run around and then drop to his knees as if he was thanking the Lord for the pick.

Grimes had to develop in Hall’s immense shadow.

“I just looked at it when DeAngelo left as an opportunity for me to step up and get a chance to play,” Grimes said. “I wasn’t looking at it like I was a shoo-in for being a starter or nothing like that. I just looked at it as an opportunity. I’m sure everybody looked at it like that.”

Falcons coach Mike Smith knows that Grimes is going to get his share of action.

“He has some games under his belt, just not at this level,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a learning curve, but he’s got a good skill set. He just has to focus everyday and try to get better.”

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MAKE OR BREAK

Plenty of pressure on the corners

The Falcons are in rebuilding mode, and no position is a better example than cornerback.

Chris Houston started 11 games last season as a rookie. Brent Grimes will make his first start. Chevis Jackson, a rookie from LSU, will open the season at nickel back. While the SEC might be the best college conference, it’s not the NFL.

In a shrewd trade by general manager Thomas Dimitroff, the Falcons sent a seventh-round draft pick (which could be upgraded to a sixth-round pick) to Denver for Domonique Foxworth, a former understudy of Georgia great Champ Bailey.

Foxworth is not integrated into the defense yet. But he gives the team insurance if one of the three young guys don’t hold up. At the very least, he is a respectable dime back.

If this group can’t hold up, air raid sirens will scream above the Georgia Dome, warning fans about the bombs the opposition will be throwing.

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TALKING POINTS

Five other things to watch in the secondary this season:

1. It doesn’t take a defensive guru like Tony Dungy to figure out that the Falcons must rely heavily on zone defenses. Their cornerbacks are too young to regularly leave in man-to-man coverage.

2. Strong safety Lawyer Milloy is running around like a 22-year-old, still thumping folks.

3. Free safety Erik Coleman will try to get his career back on track. Coleman and Milloy will have to hold the secondary together.

4. Domonique Foxworth played nickel back in Denver behind Champ Bailey and Dre’ Bly. He needs to get on the field because of his experience. He’s motivated because he’ll become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

5. The Falcons have a quality reserve and super special-teams player in Antoine Harris.

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A quick look at the Falcons’ secondary:

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

“The secondary took a significant hit when the team shipped DeAngelo Hall to the Raiders in March. With Hall gone, pressure will be on second-year CB Chris Houston (above) to make great strides in a hurry.”

—- Pro Football Weekly

“Lack a cover corner; limited range spells trouble at safety. Grade: C-minus.”

—- Sports Illustrated

“The Falcons addressed a need at free safety in free agency by signing Erik Coleman in March. Coleman didn’t fit in the Jets’ defensive plans under Eric Mangini but had 121 tackles and two interceptions in 2005. If he returns to form, the Falcons can pair him with veteran Lawyer Milloy for a solid safety tandem.”

—- Athlon Pro Football

DID YOU KNOW

> Chris Houston led all Falcons rookies in tackles last season with 53.

> Lawyer Milloy needs 36 tackles to reach 1,500.

BY THE NUMBERS

23: Rank of the Falcons’ pass defense last season after they allowed 228.4 yards.

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THE AJC’S WEEK-LONG FALCONS PREVIEW

SUNDAY: QUARTERBACK

Considering how a rookie quarterback usually struggles, is it the right move for the rebuilding Falcons to start Matt Ryan?

MONDAY: OFFENSIVE LINE

The Falcons have their quarterback and running back of the future. How much can we expect if the much-maligned line struggles?

TUESDAY: RUNNING BACK

It has been three years of an undefined —- or unfulfilled —- role for Jerious Norwood. What can we expect this season?

WEDNESDAY: RECEIVER

There is Roddy White, but who else catches the ball? Tight end Alge Crumpler is gone, and his replacements are considered primarily blockers.

THURSDAY: DEFENSIVE LINE

Certainly, more is required from Jamaal Anderson. The No. 8 overall pick last year went the entire season without a single sack.

FRIDAY: LINEBACKER

Can the defense be good enough while the middle linebacker is inexperienced? Curtis Lofton will be counted on.

TODAY: SECONDARY

Can DeAngelo Hall be replaced? Did the Falcons make a mistake trading the disgruntled cornerback, or is it addition by subtraction?

SUNDAY: SPECIAL TEAMS

The Falcons may rely on their special teams to score points. More important, they can’t afford to put the offense or defense in tough situations.

 DEPTH CHART: Secondary 
CB 
Brent Grimes 
Chevis Jackson 
David Irons 
S 
Lawyer Milloy 
Jamaal Fudge 
S 
Erik Coleman 
Antoine Harris 
Thomas DeCoud 
CB 
Chris Houston 
Domonique Foxworth