It was only the exhibition opener, but Falcons coach Dan Quinn was clearly disappointed in the effort and the play of his team in the 17-0 loss to the New York Jets on Friday.
Quinn, normally upbeat and positive, was decidedly downcast after the game.
Quinn thought the rookie class was ready to play, but felt they were “tight” and didn’t play well. He said the team was “sloppy” and committed too many penalties.
“I was so looking forward to this game,” Quinn said. “It was a big evaluation opportunity (for) a number of guys, at a number of different spots. I thought we missed our mark in some instances.”
Here are seven things we learned from the 17-0 loss:
1. Kazee can play. Second-year cornerback Damontae Kazee, who had bolted from the locker room by the time Quinn's news conference was over, finished with 11 tackles and was all over the field.
“Kazee has been somebody that has definitely impressed us,” Quinn said. “Probably from the midway point last year on, he was a factor on special teams. Tonight, his physicality (showed up).”
Kazee is listed behind Ricardo Allen at free safety on the depth chart. He was called for a lowering-of-the-head penalty under the new helmet rules.
“He’s working hard on his tackling,” Quinn said. “I knew he had some fouls on that tonight. That’s what this time is for. Having those reps in the game is such an important factor. He goes really hard. He totally empties it for his guys. I was impressed tonight.”
Kazee, who also was practicing some at nickel back, was not perfect.
“There are some things for him to clean up and I know those are correctable,” Quinn said. “That’s why we are so excited for him. I really felt his energy.”
2. The rookie class didn't do much. Quinn has been touting the rookie class, including the undrafted players.
“I was so excited for this group because I really felt that they’d put the work in,” Quinn said. “I was hoping to see the energy that they’ve shown, (since) May. So, I thought there was a little bit of first-game tight(ness).”
The group didn’t play up to Quinn’s demand for high-energy and attacking football.
“One of the phrases that we have is ‘the way we do anything is the way we do everything,’ ” Quinn said. “I felt their energy through the first part of training camp up through tonight. I’m anxious to look and see who really stepped up and made plays.”
Wide receiver Devin Gray, quarterback Kurt Benkert, defensive tackle Deadrin Senat and cornerback Isaiah Oliver were singled out for playing well.
3. Running backs were disappointing. The Falcons are looking for a third running back to play behind Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. No one stepped forward in the first exhibition game.
“It didn’t seem like we had much going in the run game,” Quinn said. “I don’t know if that’s going to be a good part of the evaluation ... we’ve got a lot to work on. I’m encouraged by their youth and speed, but I didn’t think we played as well as we can.”
4. Turnover margin. The Falcons want to improve their turnover margin this season, but came out of the game even.
“We had one interception and we forced one fumble and recovered it,” Quinn said. “More than anything, I want our style of play to show up. Tonight, there were a number of times, that I didn’t feel that way. So, we are going to work hard to make sure that our style always shows up and improve upon that for this week.”
5. Fullback competition. Neither of the fullbacks stepped forward, either. Ricky Ortiz and Luke McNitt played against the Jets.
“We still have lots to discuss at fullback,” Quinn said.
6. Benkert to Gray. Benkert, who played as the third quarterback against the Jets, completed three passes of 20 yards or more and looked comfortable in his NFL debut.
He opened with a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Dontez Byrd. He also had a 30-yard and a 23-yard completions to Gray, who led the team with four catches for 84 yards.
“That was really one of his strong traits from UVA, taking shots down the field,” Quinn said. “I also thought he did a nice job of extending plays and getting outside the pocket. He’s comfortable on the run. That’s a big part of what we do with the keepers and the run game.”
Benkert received a $60,000 signing bonus, the largest amount of the undrafted rookie draft class. He completed 9 of 17 passes for 125 yards and had an interception.
“I had a lot of fun out there,” Benkert said. “I made some plays and didn’t make some plays. (There are) some good things to learn from. I think it’s a good starting point to use as a steppingstone to start my career.”
Gray, who played at Cincinnati, was the target on a fourth-and-2 fade pattern from the 5-yard line. The Falcons were 0-for-2 in the red zone.
“It was a really good ball,” Gray said. “It was just, I could have made a better adjustment. It was a perfect ball. We’ll practice it this week and we’ll get it next time.”
7. Sack master. Linebacker Jonathan Celestin, from Mundy's Mill High and the University of Minnesota, made the Falcons' only sack. He shot the A-gap on a third-down blitz.
“It was a great feeling to be out there and play the game of football with my teammates,” Celestin said.
