FLOWERY BRANCH—The plan is for Falcons safety William Moore to test his previously-injured shoulder with contact in practice this week before being activated from short-term injured reserve and playing in Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Moore isn’t yet sure how much abuse the shoulder can take after having missed seven games and practicing for two weeks.
“Game day, bullets flying, that’s when you test it,” Moore said Wednesday. “You are going to come out there and be physical (in practice). I am doing as much as I can, hitting a few bags, going against my teammates. But we are not full contact. I won’t know until I get out there.”
The Falcons can use Moore’s leadership and experience (58 career starts) in the secondary. His replacement in the lineup, second-year safety Kemal Ishmael, has been strong in run support but has had issues in pass coverage. Rookie Dezmen Southward, the No. 4 safety, also has had some of the same problems.
Moore has earned a reputation for physical play over his five-plus seasons. He said he expects his shoulder will hold up while delivering big hits.
“This is a physical game,” Moore said. “You can’t fake it. I’m going to go out there and play the way I’ve been playing. I’m sure I will be all right. I’m playing ‘Willie Mo’ football.”
Moore was placed on short-term injured reserve after suffering the shoulder injury against the Vikings on Sept. 28. He returned to practice last week but didn’t take live contact.
