The view is different along the Falcons’ defensive line. There are some bigger bodies in the trenches — especially with the offseason additions of Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai.
That is good news for the secondary.
“Standing 40 yards back and watching (in training camp), I go ‘Whew,’” secondary coach Tim Lewis said. “The girth of the defensive line is a lot different to see how wide they are.”
With Jackson (6-foot-4, 296 pounds) and Soliai (6-4, 345) the Falcons hope they have successfully clogged the middle of the field. Opposing running backs may no longer be easily able to break through the line and run straight at defensive backs.
“I just watch and enjoy it,” Lewis said. “When we are playing a single-high defense, the guy who is in the middle of the field doesn’t have guys come running at him with a 20-yard start. That is a nice thing. To see (Nos.) 96 (Soliai), 99 (Jackson) and 95 (Jonathan Babineaux) operate in that scrum, when the ball spits out it goes right or left. It’s a little bit easier tackle for a 195-, 200-pound guy.”
Runners got into the Falcons’ secondary a lot last season as the team struggled and finished 4-12. Of the Falcons’ top six tacklers, four were defensive backs with William Moore (second), Desmond Trufant (fourth), Robert McClain (fifth) and Thomas DeCoud (sixth).
Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan appreciates the new-look unit up front. However, the coach is reserving judgment on just what a difference the unit will make. Training camp is one thing. Exhibition games will be another. That will be the real proving ground in advance of the season.
“Obviously, we have to prove that in the games, but in practice that has certainly been a difference,” Nolan said of the effect of the bigger defensive line. “More often than not, there is not a lot of open field right now between the safeties and the line as far as the run defense goes. There has been times, because of the (running) backs having to redirect to find the hole as opposed to straight down hill, there has been time for the safeties to close the gap a little more.”
Nolan and Lewis stand deep in the defensive backfield during training-camp drills and watch as it unfolds.
The wide-body look will help second-year cornerbacks Robert Alford and Trufant. The two both played 16 games last season, with Trufant starting 16 and Alford starting four after replacing Asante Samuel.
Trufant sees the defense as one unit and not a sum of its parts.
“That makes a huge difference if a guy has a 15-, 20-yard head of steam,” Trufant said. “We got the big boys up front, and they make it unbalanced. We just have to fit in where needed. It makes our job way easier.
“But we help each other. The D-line helps, and we help the D-line by being good in coverage so they can get sacks.”
Nolan also cautioned that the secondary cannot be caught off-guard watching the big boys work up front. They still have a job to do, albeit a different one at times.
“I’m very hopeful that in the preseason we can continue to grow and get that shored up,” Nolan said. “Our secondary really hasn’t seen it from that perspective in a while. You don’t want them lulled to sleep thinking, ‘Hey, I can stand back here awhile and nothing is going to happen.’ They still need to get up there close because there will be a time when somebody comes through and they need to make a play.
“I still not getting too excited, but there is no question that the front area looks different.”
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