Falcons’ secondary to get pre-playoff test
Falcons cornerback Robert Alford, who’s leading a revamped secondary, will be on the hot seat against the Saints.
The Falcons are 4-2 since left cornerback Desmond Trufant suffered a torn pectoral injury. They’ve battled rookies Carson Wentz and Jared Goff, and veterans Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Carson Palmer and Cam Newton.
With a chance to wrap up the No. 2 seed for the NFC playoffs, they are set to face their stiffest test in New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and his trio of receivers.
Rookie Michael Thomas, Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead have combined for 2,952 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.
“They have a nice receiving corps down there from the film study that we’ve been looking at,” Alford said. “Thomas has come along each week for them. He’s improved a lot since they first started. Cooks has always been their primary receiver. You can’t underestimate the guys down there with a great quarterback like Drew Brees.”
With the Falcons set to possibly face Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford or New York’s Eli Manning in the playoffs, the secondary needs some work.
“The back end has played really well,” Falcons defensive coordinator Richard Smith said. “I was impressed last week where we had the two turnovers by Jalen (Collins) and (Brian) Poole. They have been playing very, very hard and we’ve been able to create some turnovers, and that’s helped us have some more production.”
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.
