Even with the return of two-time All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones and the speedy Taylor Gabriel, the Falcons’ vaunted passing attack was not in rhythm in the third exhibition game.
The key starters are not expected to play against Jacksonville at 7 p.m. Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and quarterback Matt Ryan and Jones contend that they can fix things in practice before facing the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sept. 10.
Jones is recovering from offseason foot surgery and Gabriel from a lower leg injury. Both were extremely limited during the exhibition season, and it’s reasonable to conclude that they will need some time to get up to top speed.
While they are striving for top form, Mohamed Sanu had a great offseason and exhibition season. He may have to carry the passing attack early.
“My mind is in a great place,” Sanu said. “I’ve just be crafting. Working on my craft. ... It’s been good. We’ve been learning on the field and challenging each other offensively and defensively.”
Sanu, who signed as a free agent in 2016, is coming off his best season in the NFL. He caught a career-high 59 passes on 81 targets for a career-high catch percentage of 72.8. He added 653 yards and four touchdowns.
If the Falcons have to lean on him a little more early, while Jones and Gabriel come around, that would be fine with coach Dan Quinn.
“He definitely is,” Quinn said when asked if Sanu could carry the passing attack. “We have leaned on him, and it started way back in the spring when he came in. He’s thrown just a hell of a camp in terms of intent, speed, aggressiveness that he’s played with. I would say he’s very equipped to handle that.”
Of course Quinn, Mr. Positivity, fully expects Jones and Gabriel to be just fine.
“As far as Julio Jones and Taylor Gabriel, now that we’ve had them for two weeks we do feel comfortable with them,” Quinn said.
NFL MVP Ryan, who guided the offense to 540 points and a league-leading 33.8 points per game, is a Sanu booster, too.
“Mohamed has done a great job for us this entire offseason and through camp,” Ryan said. “I feel like he’s in really good condition. I think he’s a lot more comfortable in the system.
“He’s not thinking as much. I think that helps guys play faster. He has looked really good. ... I expect him to do a lot of great things for us this year.”
Sanu was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2012 draft out of Rutgers. After four seasons, the Falcons signed him to a five-year, $32.5 million contract. His best season in Cincinnati was in 2014, when he caught 56 passes for 790 yards and five touchdowns.
Sanu believes the offense will come around, too.
“We are just doing our job, staying focused within the play,” Sanu said. “You can’t look forward, you can’t look behind. We just have to stay within the moment. We still have some things we need to fix. We have to get a sense of urgency a little bit, just go out there and craft.”
Sanu said he hasn’t set any personal goals for the season.
“Just keep doing my thing, staying focused within just me,” Sanu said. “I don’t really set goals. I just go out there and stay consistent. If I can do that, I’ll be doing my job. I have to hold myself accountable to my teammates and I’ll be fine.”
However, Sanu believes he can build off of last season’s showing.
“Oh, most definitely, you’ve got to build every day,” Sanu said. “If you’re not building, you’re getting worst. I definitely want to do that, keep building. Find little things to keep crafting at to get better and better. Master it. Master it. Once I get that, find the next thing that I have to master.”
Over the offseason, with air time to fill, several TV shows did their “wide receiving trio” stories. Jones, Sanu and Grabiel were often cited as the best trio in the league or were at least the conversations.
Sanu seemed offended by those who didn’t pick the Falcons as the top overall group, top to bottom.
“We just try to better ourselves,” Sanu said. “You can’t forget the Wolf, (Justin) Hardy. He’s one of the best players that people don’t know about. It’s not a game.
“We know what we (have), and we just try to work on our craft. Everybody has their opinion. ... We’re not worried about all of that. We are just trying to get better and better.”
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