Falcons first-year coach Dan Quinn is set to make his head coaching debut in the exhibition season opener against the Tennessee Titans at 7 p.m. Friday at the Georgia Dome.
The starters are not expected to play long.
“It’s our first preseason game in a new system, you know that you want to come out and you want to execute well,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “Obviously, you’re not game planning or anything like that at this time of year, but you want to see guys run the system the way it’s supposed to be run right.”
Ryan has some baseline goals.
“If we can execute our assignments and move the football a little bit, I think that’ll be good,” Ryan said.
Here are five things to watch against the Titans:
1. Offensive line: The Falcons are starting with left tackle Jake Matthews, left guard James Stone, center Joe Hawley, right guard Chris Chester and right tackle Ryan Schraeder.
The Falcons have installed the outside-zone blocking system and the players must work in unison to create holes and seams for the running backs. Also, pass protection will be worth watching.
Most of the attention will be on the guards. Stone started nine games at center last season and Chris Chester, who came over from the Redskins, has moved in front of incumbent Jon Asamoah.
“There’s still a lot going on with the inside three, but Chester is certainly one that has jumped out at us,” Quinn said.
2. Pass rush: Rookie Vic Beasley, the eighth player selected in the draft, was added to improve the Falcons pass rush.
The Falcons also added former Tampa Bay defensive end Adrian Clayborn and want to see if he can rush from the defensive tackle in the nickel package.
The Falcons had only 22 sacks last season, which ranked 30th in the league. Over the past six seasons, the Falcons ranked 26th, 20th, 19th, 28th, 29th and 30th in total sacks.
While the Falcons want to affect the quarterback, they also want him on the ground.
3. Free safety: Ricardo Allen, a fifth-round pick from Purdue, didn't even make the team last season.
After being cut he was signed to the practice squad as a cornerback.
The new regime reassessed the talent on the roster and converted him to free safety.
Allen, who had 253 tackles over his college career and 13 interceptions, has the speed, range and tackling ability to handle the position. He hasn’t looked out of place in practice, but he’ll get tested by Tennessee and rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft.
4. Running backs: Veteran running back Antone Smith is set to start with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman out with hamstring injuries.
Also, Terron Ward and Jerome Smith are expected to get some action. Michael Ford has been in practice just a week and may not be ready to play.
Fullbacks Patrick DiMarco and Collin Mooney are in a competitive battle for the starting spot. DiMarco is the better pass catcher, while Mooney has impressed running backs coach Bobby Turner with his ability to finish blocks.
5. Backup quarterback: T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree are likely battling for one spot.
“With T.J. and Sean, there’s been back-and-forth good stuff,” Quinn said. “We’ve evaluated each throw, each time for the percentage and it is still close, and we’re still part of that. Both of them are going to get a good bit of time going here in the next few weeks.”
The Falcons kept three quarterbacks last season, but may elect to just carry two.
“It kind of depends on the player…we’ll make those decisions in a couple weeks from now,” Quinn said.
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