The Falcons will get another shot at Tom Brady, who’s in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Falcons (4-9) are set to host the Buccaneers (8-5) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Here’s what Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians had to say about the Falcons on Wednesday:
Q: Does (Ronald Jones) still have a chance to play on Sunday? If not, will Leonard Fournette move into that role (at running back)?
A: “We’ll wait and see on (Jones). It’s more of can he protect himself. The procedure (to insert a pin in his hand) went well. It’s whether or not he can use that hand to protect himself. Then Leonard would step back into that spot, yes.”
Q: What will happen with the specialists (who were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday)?
A: “There are sitting, going through the testing stuff. We’re going to have a bunch of kickers, snappers and punters on our team here possibly by Friday or Saturday. We’re just going to wait and see how it plays out. Knock on wood, the other guys will come back clean and might just keep those other guys around just in case. Can’t have enough of them any more. That’s for sure.”
Q: Where is Fournette’s head space? He was a healthy scratch last week.
A: “He’s in a great spot. He understood everything last week, and he understands everything this week. He had a great practice today. He’s into it. Leonard is a pro. It’s like that for everybody on our team, it’s a week to week thing.”
Q: How important is it to have a solidified third-down back given Brady’s propensity for using the running backs in the passing game?
A: “I think he trust all of the guys. Again, each week, each game plan is a little bit different depending who we are playing and who’s the best matchups. (LeSean) “Shady” (McCoy) did a good job last week. We’ll just see how it goes. We play it week by week.”
Q: What do you see from Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense over the last few games?
A: “I still see a lot of dangerous guys out there. Obviously, they are missing (running back Todd) Gurley a little bit. They are going to run the ball a little bit. Mix it up and they’re going deep. I don’t see any drop off in Matt’s play. When he’s protected, he’s solid. It’s just a matter for us getting that run game shut down and then getting after him.”
Q: How does (linebacker) Deion Jones look and how is he playing for the Falcons?
A: “He’s playing fantastic. When you have Grady (Jarrett), Deion, and (safety Keanu) Neal in the middle of your defense, you’ve got a heck of a defense. You have the chance to have a heck of a defense. Deion is playing sideline to sideline. Again, he’s got DB speed. He’s a unique cat.”
Q: You seen what (Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris has) done on both sides of the ball, would you be surprised if he got another shot at (being a head coach in the NFL)?
A: “I would hope so. As you grow as a coach, you learn. For him, having to had the develop of coaching offense and defense while he was in Atlanta makes him even more of a candidate. Obviously, he has a great relationship with players and players love playing for him. If you’re looking for a head coach, what else are you looking for?”
Q: Atlanta is obviously playing much better under Raheem Morris, over the last three weeks their defense is giving up just under 16 points a game. What are you seeing about them that’s different right now?
A: “Mixing it up a little bit more. Different fronts, different blitzes. The blitz package is different from what it’s been. They are getting after the quarterback pretty good and they are stopping the run. High, high energy. Guys flying to the ball. Extremely well-coached.”
Q: Offensively, what have you seen from Tom Brady and your guys before the bye and after the bye?
A: “What he did at the end of the half and the start of the second half, it was very, very good to score 17 points in a matter of five or six minutes. ... He’s not getting enough credit for what he’s doing.”
Q: With the voting wrapping up for the fans (Thursday), how many of your players are worthy of going to the Pro Bowl?
A: “A bunch. I wouldn’t even know where to start. Defensively, obviously JPP (OLB Jason Pierre-Paul), (DE Ndamukong) Suh, (OLB) Shaq (Barrett), (ILB) Lavonte David, (ILB) Devin White, (CB) Carlton (Davis). Offensively, I think Tom has had a Pro Bowl year. A bunch of guys. Ronald Jones, guard, tackles. Whoever the fans what. We have a bunch of guys playing really, really well.”
Q: Scotty Miller, for the entire season, has lead your team in yards per catch by a pretty decent margin. (Against the Vikings) he showed again what he can do with the big play. He only got five snaps. Is there anything he can do to get on the field more? Is there something the offense is missing when his speed is not in the lineup?
A: “Yes and No. I think if we have 80 snaps on offense he’d probably get a bunch more. If you have 42 or whatever it was, you’re not going to get as many. A lot of guys are not going to get as many. He does a great job with his opportunities. He’s always ready to go. Each week is a different game plan. He’s done a lot of good things for us and we’ll continue to use him.”
Q: When do you anticipate testing (Ronald Jones’) finger? What can you say about the front office and their foresight to go out and get LeSean McCoy and Leonard Fournette before he season started?
A: “Hopefully, (Thursday). We’ll see. But definitely Friday, but I can’t say enough about (general manager) Jason (Licht) and the job that he’s done. This is a heck of a roster. We’ve got depth every where. When we’ve had guys go down, we’ve had quality people. Just watching them work in the last 24 hours with snappers, punters and kickers, getting guys in here was amazing. Quality people, too.”
Falcons’ final three games
Buccaneers at Falcons at 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 20
Falcons at Chiefs at 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 27
Falcons at Buccaneers at 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 3
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