5 Dan Quinn takeaways after the Falcons' walk-through practice
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FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons coach Dan Quinn, a native of Morristown, N.J., is ready for his second exhibition game and a mini-homecoming.
Here are five takeaways on the eve of facing the New York Jets at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
1. Red zone: The Falcons spent a major portion of practice working in the red-zone.
“That’s what we were trying to feature today,” Quinn said. “More situation work. There is always a time for that.”
2. Starters: The starters will play longer in the second game. Most of the starters just played 10 snaps in the 31-24 victory over the Titans.
“Everyone will play a little bit longer, especially members who are competing to be on the first unit,” Quinn said. “We’ll extend their playing time. Whether if it’s longer or shorter will be based on the position really.”
3. Rushing attack: Quinn doesn't care who starts, he wants to see some improvement. The Falcons running backs rushed 30 times for 69 yards against the Titans.
Top backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman aren’t expected to play.
“Whoever is in, the No. 1 thing is coming off the ball, how good could our combination blocks get from the tight end and tackle, the guard and center and the man blocks,” Quinn said. “For the running backs, can they hit it one gap at a time and make their cuts. That’s really the thing we’ve been preaching.
“Whether if you’ve been in here for a day or if you’ve been in here the whole offseason, execute the system.”
4. Offensive line: The offensive line will get heavily scrutinized.
“Offensively at the line of scrimmage and how quickly we can come off the ball and continue to attack,” Quinn said. “That’s really the mindset that we want to have.”
5. Tackling a priority: Quinn will have an eye on the defensive units.
“Defensively, I want to keep emphasizing our tackling,” Quinn said. “Keep emphasizing our mindfulness to go after the football. Those are probably the two things that stand out most for me defensively.”
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About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
