Nose tackle Paul Soliai and defensive end Tyson Jackson, the Falcons two key defensive pickups in free agency, are fulfilling their roles in the defense.
Soliai, 6-foot-4 and 345 pounds, is eating up two blockers. While Jackson. 6-4, 296, is holding his ground. Both have positive ratings against the run and pass by Pro Football Focus.
Soliai has five hurries, eight tackles and six stops, which are defined as plays that result in an offensive failure. Jackson has three hurries, a blocked pass, three tackles, six assists and two stops.
“It starts with us,” Soliai said. “We can’t depend on anybody else. …We just have to show up and play physical up front. We have to play from the first quarter to the last quarter.”
The Falcons are crumbling on the edges at defensive end and in the interior at inside linebacker. They are giving up 153.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 28th in the league.
“Oh yeah, it’s a stat for me,” Soliai said. “It shows what kind of hard work I do. A lot of people don’t talk about nose tackles. If I’m doing my job and the linebackers are making plays, that makes me happy. But we’ve had some missed tackles.”
The Giants average 120.2 rushing yards per game which ranks 16th in the league.
“I doesn’t matter how we look at them or what they did against other teams,” Soliai said. “We just have to show up and play.”
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