Falcons prepared for slippery field conditions
Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian used to be the head coach USC, which plays its home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
He knew what the team was in for during Saturday’s Wild Card playoff game against the Rams.
Sarkisian warned Falcons head coach Dan Quinn that the field conditions would get slippery once the temperatures started to drop in the night game.
Several player slipped and the Falcons equipment managers started switching to longer cleats late from the second quarter through halftime.
“It was slick,” Falcons safety Keanu Neal said. “But anytime, anywhere. That’s not an excuse, but it was slick a little.”
Matt Ryan’s back foot nearly slid out from beneath him on his eight-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones. He had to float the ball out to Jones.
“The conditions were slick for sure,” Ryan said. “I slipped a couple of times.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
