FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson was signed to help improve the Falcons’ pass defense.
But the defense’s ranking against the pass has not improved since he was signed to a six-year, $57 million contract March 6, 2010.
After the 2009 season, the Falcons ranked 28th against the pass while giving up 241.9 yards per game. Last season they moved up to 22nd, giving up 226.6 yards. This season they are back to 28th, giving up 294.2 through five games.
In 2011, Robinson has been targeted 27 times, and teams have completed 21 passes (77.7 percent), according to Stats Pass. He has no interceptions and two passes defensed.
Falcons coach Mike Smith hopes that Robinson and the pass defense improves before Sunday, when they face white-hot rookie quarterback Cam Newton, who’s passing for 311.6 yards per game.
“We’ve faced a couple of pretty hot quarterbacks, and they’ve been able to move the football,” Smith said Thursday. “We’ve got to get better in a lot of areas, and pass defense is one of them.”
In a Q&A with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Robinson discussed Newton and the play of the secondary.
Q: How tough was it for the secondary facing Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers?
A: It’s different when you face a guy that can’t really move. He’s a sitting duck. Aaron Rodgers is not that type of quarterback. You get pressure on him and he can move to other side of the pocket and still make plays. It’s tough, but we understand on the back end that we just have to cover a little while longer.
Q: What’s your assessment of Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton?
A: I watched him play a lot in college, and I’ve seen a few of his games this year. He has that same kind of [elusiveness]. He’s another guy who the team is really rallying behind. He’s got that team playing with a lot of confidence.
Q: Is Carolina the most-hyped 1-4 team in the league?
A: I know they’ve only won one game, but they’ve been in every single game, and they’ve all come down to the wire. It’s going to be another tough test for us. We understand that. We have to get ready to play because we’ve got to get a ‘W.’
Q: The secondary had to rely on its depth last week when William Moore and Christopher Owens were injured. How’s the depth?
A: We understand that we have multiple players who can come out and get the job done in the secondary. When they went down for us, those were big losses. We need those guys out there on the field. You have to continue to roll. We had to plug guys in, and they came in and did a great job.
Q: Are safety Shann Schillinger and cornerback Dominique Franks ready if needed?
A: Those guys are ready. That’s one thing that we have in the secondary is we have a lot of depth. We have a lot of guys who can get the job done if their number is called. I definitely think Shann Schillinger and Dominique Franks are ready to play.
Q: Was it good for the secondary to get some sacks and quarterback hits last week?
A: We have a lot of confidence in the guys up front. We understand that they can play. Every game is not going to be a great game for specific groups. Everybody had a certain part to do. When one group is not playing well, another group has to step their game up.
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