Falcons notebook

Williams missed most of last season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery on his right knee. He was seen at practice with a brace on his left knee.

Owens opened the season as the nickel back, but lost his job when Williams was fully recovered. Williams, a nine-year veteran, has been a force in coverage and as a blitzer out of the slot.

Williams had 35 tackles, one sack, three tackles for losses, one forced fumble and three quarterback hits.

After losing his spot, Owens went on to play well on special teams. He had 26 tackles and one interception.

"If Brian is not ready ... we just have to get [Owens] out on the field," Smith said. "That's the thing that happens this time of year. We have to have the next guy ready, and he has to step up."

In the regular season, the Packers, who had the fifth-rated passing attack (257.8 yards per game) in the NFL, passed for 344 yards against the Falcons. They gashed the secondary for five plays that went for 28 yards or more.

"A lot of them were not coverage issues," Smith said. "We didn't tackle as well as we needed to in that game. In the playoffs, tackling is at a premium. Missed tackles usually lead to explosive plays, especially in the secondary. If Brian is not able to play and get out there, it will be the next player."

Defensive end John Abraham (groin), defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux (shoulder), middle linebacker Curtis Lofton (knee), wide receiver Roddy White (knee), center Todd McClure (ankle) and safety Thomas DeCoud (ankle) were limited in practice.

Smith, Mularkey win awards

Smith was selected for the second time in three years as NFL coach of the year by Sporting News. Also, offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was selected as coordinator of the year.

"For Mike I think it's a well-deserved award," Smith said. "He's done a great job of getting our offense prepared each and every week.

Smith was flattered, but passed the credit on to his players.

"Coaching is really about the players and how they perform each and every week," Smith said. "It's an honor for me, but I really believe there were a half-dozen coaches who had great years. A number of them are still playing right now."

The magazine surveyed 617 NFL players, coaches and executives to determine the awards and their all-pro team.

White and Abraham were selected to their all-pro team.

Blitz pickup

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan completed 24 of 28 passes in the team's previous game against the Packers, but averaged only 5.9 yards per pass play.

The Packers' zone-blitz package forced Ryan to get the ball out quickly.

"There are certain things you have to adjust to quicker compared to other defenses you get," Ryan said. "There's a lot of different looks that you get, but with that said, you don't want to be out there playing too fast. As a quarterback, sometimes that can hurt you."

The Packers sacked Ryan twice in the previous game. The Falcons spent part of their bye week working on zone-blitz looks in order to make sure there were no free runners to the quarterback.