(Here’s our weekly nine items at 9 a.m. Wednesday on the Atlanta Falcons, otherwise known as the Cover 9@9 blog!)
1. The no-spin zone: Falcons linebacker Dorian Etheridge, who signed as an undrafted rookie out of Louisville this year, had a stellar NFL debut in the 23-3 loss to the Titans on Friday.
The 6-foot-3 and 230-pounder finished with 13 tackles.
“Ethridge has done a nice job,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said.
Etheridge, who’s from Charleston, W.Va., was a productive player for Louisville. He recorded 258 tackles and had 14 pass breakups over 47 career games.
He didn’t know what to expect in his NFL debut.
“You just don’t know how it was going to be,” Etheridge said. “This is the NFL.”
Etheridge was a projected late-round pick, but went undrafted. He received a $5,000 signing bonus from the Falcons. The knock on him was that he wasn’t fast enough — 4.87 in the 40-yard dash — to cover running backs or tight ends in the passing game.
“Everybody’s journey is different,” Etheridge said. “As long as you get the opportunity, then you just have to take advantage of it.”
With the Falcons sitting 30 players against the Titans, Etheridge tried to make the most of his opportunity.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“It was my first NFL game,” Etheridge said. “I didn’t know how it was going to go. From special teams, I was more nervous about special teams than anything. You’re around a lot of pros, and they have a different approach to the game than when you around just college athletes.”
Etheridge played on the punt-coverage team at Louisville.
With Deion Jones, Foye Oluokun, Mykal Walker and Brandon Copeland on the roster, it’s going to be tough to make the final 53-man roster at inside linebacker. Etheridge, Erroll Thompson and Emannuel Ellerbee also are inside linebackers on the 85-man roster.
Copeland has been flexible, playing inside and outside linebacker.
“I’ve been very pleased with the inside linebacker (meeting) room, Deion, Foye, Mykal Walker, Erroll and Dorian,” Smith said. “Dorian made a couple plays. Erroll I thought was pretty physical, too. It’s exciting.”
The Titans started out running the ball well, before the linebackers stepped up.
“I’m excited about them,” Smith said. “We must do a better job getting in the game down in Miami, see what we can improve. You can’t overreact. It’s the (exhibition) season.”
Etheridge is expected to play more against the Dolphins.
“These young guys need to play,” Smith said.
2. Rushing attack. Smith, who unleashed Derrick Henry on the league for more than 2,000 yards last season as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, wants a better assessment of the team’s rushing attack.
Caleb Huntley made the start and rushed six times for 18 yards in the loss to the Titans. Javian Hawkins had five carries for 2 yards and D’Onta Foreman had three rushes for 10 yards. Smith wants more than 14 carries for 30 yards when the Falcons play the Dolphins at 7 p.m. Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
“I didn’t think it was a fair assessment of the running backs with Caleb, Little Hawk or Foreman,” Smith said. “We just didn’t get enough carries and we were in lot of second and longs. We kind of forced a couple of runs so that we could get a couple in there.”
Smith would like to stay with the run.
“We have to do a better job of staying on track so that we can get an evaluation of them running,” Smith said. “Then obviously on third down will be critical in the pass game protection-wise.”
Smith has to determine if he wants to play running backs Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson, who are listed No.1 and No. 2 on the depth chart.
3. Huntley update: Huntley, an undrafted player from Locust Grove High and Ball State, is hoping show what he can do. He rushed 576 carries for 2,902 yards (5.0 avg.) and 21 touchdowns in 33 games for the Cardinals.
“Ball State is like nine hours away from here,” Huntley said. “The winter can get pretty cold. We didn’t have an indoor (facility). So, we were really getting it out of the mud up there.
“We were practicing when it was negative temperatures outside during winter workouts or at practice. But it’s just a gritty school in Indiana where we put in work just like anybody else.”
Huntley was named the Region 4/5A offensive player of the year when he rushed for 1,487 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior in 2016.
“At Locust Grove High, my grades were not where I wanted them to be in high school,” Huntley said. “A lot of schools passed me up and I almost had to go the JUCO route. I ended up doing pretty good my senior year and getting the GPA that I needed.”
Ball State continued to recruit Huntley.
“Ball State said they were going to be with me through that whole process and they stuck to their word,” Huntley said. “I had to do the same and honor my word, go up there and play for them.”
Huntley hopes to get some more opportunities against the Dolphins.
“I’m just here to do what my coach needs me to do,” Huntley said. “I’m not trying to do anything spectacular. Just what the team needs me to do.”
Huntley knows he’ll have to play on special teams to have a chance to make the roster.
“I can play wherever they need me to play,” Huntley said.
4. Ogundeji’s journey. Rookie outside linebacker Ade Ogundeji, a fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame, has had a strong training camp after starting just one season of college football.
“When I got to Notre Dame I was a little younger at 17,” Ogundeji said. “I wasn’t that big. I was like 210.”
Ogundeji had to wait his turn.
“I finally got my first start when I was a fifth-year senior,” Ogundeji said. “I was able to do some things, able to get noticed and be here with this special group, special coaches and special teammates.”
While waiting his turn and filling out his 6-foot-4 frame, Ogundeji held the dream of playing the NFL.
“I just had to continue to work every year to get better and better,” Ogundeji said. “I only had one opportunity to start in college. That was my last year. I kind of had to just keep pushing and keep pushing. Once my opportunity fell into my lap, I had to take advantage of it.”
Ogundeji enjoyed his time at Notre Dame.
“The teams that we played every single week (prepared him for the NFL),” Ogundeji said. “The players that you go against at Notre Dame, they get you ready to come here. You know what to expect.”
5. Vaccination plan. Smith went with the soft sell in helping the team reach 100% vaccinated rate.
“All we ever tried to do was to educate our guys and let them make their own choices,” Smith said Tuesday. “I’m not a pandering politician. We tried to give them the information. Told them to research it themselves and that’s it.”
The players elected to take the shots that help guard against COVID-19.
“It’s really about those guys,” Smith said. “That’s the thing. We didn’t sit here and try to push or anything like that. We just gave them the facts, educate yourself, and those guys made the choices they made.”
The Falcons became the first NFL team to reach the 100% vaccination rate. Detroit also has reached 100%.
“There were protocols in place if you’re unvaccinated, you’re essentially using last year’s protocols,” Smith said. “If you are vaccinated, the protocols have changed a little bit. Obviously, the logistical things when you travel, certainly that will benefit us.”
6. Dolphins moves. The Dolphins picked up offensive tackle Greg Little in a trade with Carolina on Tuesday. They sent the Panthers a 2022 seventh-round draft pick.
To get down to 85 players, the Dolphins waived/injured cornerback Jaytlin Askew (McEachern High/Georgia Tech), waived offensive tackle Jonathan Hubbard, defensive tackle Jerome Johnson, guard Tyler Marz and offensive tackle Timon Parris and placed wide receiver Allen Hurns on injured reserve.
Little, who played at Mississippi, was a second-round pick by the Panthers in 2019.
7. Local Dolphins: While Askew was waived/injured, there are several other players with local ties on the Dolphins including defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter (Tucker High/Georgia), guard Solomon Kindley (Georgia), wide receiver Albert Wilson (Georgia State), cornerback Justin Coleman (Brunswick), long snapper Blake Ferguson (Smyrna) and defensive end Tyshun Render (Newnan).
Also, wide receiver Preston Williams (Lovejoy) in on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
8. Tagovailoa Time: The Falcons’ defense will face Miami second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who’s being groomed to takeover this year.
He’s been working on avoiding pressure.
“I think that’s part of quarterbacking; stepping up in the pocket, sliding in the pocket to give yourself better throwing lanes,” Miami coach Brian Flores told the Miami media on Tuesday. “I think he does a nice job of that. I think he’s got a good feel for that. He’s aware of that.”
9. 2021 official depth chart: The Falcons, who will face the Dolphins at 7 p.m. Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., released their official depth chart Tuesday.
Kaleb McGary remained in the No. 2 spot at right tackle behind Willie Beavers and AJ McCarron remained at No. 2 behind Matt Ryan despite being out-played by Feliepe Franks in the exhibition season opener.
(NOTE: It’s considered official because the team released it. The team however considers their own depth chart to be unofficial.)
OFFENSE
WR - Calvin Ridley, Christian Blake, Chris Rowland, Juwan Green, Antonio Nunn
TE - Hayden Hurst, Kyle Pitts, John Raine
LT - Jake Matthews, Jason Spriggs, Kion Smith
LG - Josh Andrews, Sam Jones, Ryan Neuzil
C - Matt Hennessy, Drew Dalman, Joe Sculthorpe
RG - Chris Lindstrom, Willie Wright
RT - Willie Beavers, Kaleb McGary, Jalen Mayfield
TE - Lee Smith, Parker Hesse, Ryan Becker
WR - Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus, Tajae Sharpe, Trevor Davis, Frank Darby, Austin Trammell
RB - Mike Davis, Cordarrelle Patterson, Keith Smith, Qadree Ollison, D’Onta Foreman, Caleb Huntley, Javian Hawkins
QB - Matt Ryan, AJ McCarron, Feleipe Franks
DEFENSE
DL - Grady Jarrett, Marlon Davidson, Ta’Quon Graham
NT - Tyeler Davison, Chris Slayton, Olive Sagapolu, Eli Ankou
DL - Jonathan Bullard, John Cominsky, Zac Dawe
OLB - Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, Brandon Copeland, Shareef Miller, Adetokunbo Ogundeji
ILB - Deion Jones, Mykal Walker, Dorian Etheridge
ILB - Foyesade Oluokun, Emmanuel Ellerbee, Erroll Thompson
OLB - Steven Means, Dante Fowler, Tuzar Skipper, Kobe Jones
LCB - A.J. Terrell, Chris Williamson, Kendall Sheffield
FS - Erik Harris, T.J. Green, Richie Grant
SS - Duron Harmon, Jaylinn Hawkins, JR Pace, Dwayne Johnson
RCB - Fabian Moreau, Isaiah Oliver, Delrick Abrams, Darren Hall, Avery Williams
SPECIAL TEAMS
K - Younghoe Koo, Cameron Nizialek
P - Cameron Nizialek, Dom Maggio
LS - Josh Harris, Jake Matthews
H - Cameron Nizialek, Dom Maggio
PR - Chris Rowland, Avery Williams
KOR - Cordarrelle Patterson, Chris Rowland
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Falcons’ 2021 schedule features trip to London, January trip to Buffalo
