FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons strong safety William Moore confirmed that he was fined $7,500 by the NFL for using his helmet on a late hit.
Moore hit came against Tampa Bay running back Earnest Graham in the third quarter. On third-and-4 from Tampa Bay’s 36, Graham caught a short pass for a 5-yard gain. Moore came over to aid linebacker Sean Weatherspoon on the tackle and was called for unnecessary roughness.
“It was called a late hit,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said Monday, when asked if he thought Moore would be fined. “Again, whether he was a defenseless player, that will be something that I’m sure the league will determine, but that was a personal foul.”
For the second week in a row, a Falcons defensive back has been fined by the league. Cornerback Dunta Robinson was fined $40,000 for a hit he put on Philadelphia receiver Jeremy Maclin, who was deemed a defenseless player.
“You see that the rules are changing, so we have to change with them,” Moore said. ”We have to continue to play physical. You can’t go out there and see how you are hitting a player. You just have to play fast and deal with it.”
Edwards has to finish
Defensive end Ray Edwards played 51 snaps against Tampa Bay on Sunday, the most of the defensive linemen.
Edwards doesn’t have a sack in the first three games.
“He’s played real hard,” defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder said. “We really like his effort in the first three games. He’s adjusted well to our style and our standards and expectations.”
VanGorder would like to see Edwards, the team’s major free agency pickup, start sacking quarterbacks.
“He’s been around the quarterback quite a bit,” VanGorder said. “He has to finish. But we’ve got a number of guys like that.”
Overall, VanGorder was pleased with the pressure the Falcons mounted on Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman.
“We bothered him. We hit him, and Ray was a part of that,” VanGorder said. “We’ve got to get out of the ‘almost’ game and we’ve got to get there. They all know that. Ray knows that. That’s the plan, to work on a better finish to the quarterback.”
Edwards believes it’s about finishing off his rushes, too.
“We are getting there,” Edwards said. “We have been playing against a lot of mobile quarterbacks.”
Arrest in theft
A man who delivered Chinese food to Matt Bryant’s Chateau Elan home walked away with the veteran placekicker’s golf clubs, according to police.
Kristian Vail, 22, of Flowery Branch, was arrested and charged with stealing the bag of clubs, valued at more than $3,000, from the open garage at Bryant’s home Sept. 16.
“He went into the open garage, took the clubs, delivered the food and went on his way,” said Braselton Police Assistant Chief Lou Solis. Vail, who was arrested Sept. 22, faces felony burglary charges.
When asked if he clubs were insured, Bryant said, “I’ve got some of my irons back.”
Injury report
Cornerback Kelvin Hayden (hamstring), wide receiver Roddy White (thigh, linebacker Stephen Nicholas (calf strain), defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (knee) and running back Jason Snelling (concussion) did not practice. Defensive end Cliff Matthews (not injury related), left tackle Sam Baker (ankle) and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton (foot) were limited in practice.
Staff writer Fran Jeffries contributed to this article.
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