Tialavia, Perkins proof Falcons’ Plan D program can work
Falcons tight end Joshua Perkins (82) heads towards the field before a game against the Los Angeles Rams played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 11, 2016. (AP Photo/John Cordes)
By Juliakate E Culpepper
Dec 30, 2016
With Jacob Tamme’s season-ending shoulder injury and Austin Hooper’s knee injury still affecting depth at tight end, Joshua Perkins and D.J. Tialavea stepped up, and each scored his first career touchdown against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, proving success can come out of the Falcons’ Plan D program.
The Falcons’ development program — Plan D — teaches players who are inactive or on the practice squad how to progress to the level of play in the NFL. Perkins and Tialavea proved Saturday how the Plan D can translate to the field during games.
“Both of them, specifically, reach out to our Plan D program and what we stand for as Plan D,” coach Dan Quinn said. “There’s some guys that won’t have that (chance to play), but it’s the extra work that they’re putting in so when your time is called, you’re ready to answer. That’s a powerful feeling to know that like, ‘All right. I’m ready.’ It’s also a feeling knowing from their teammates, they see the work that these guys put in extra so when it comes time to go to work their ready to go. I think (Perkins and Tialavea) are probably a byproduct of the Plan D program that they’ve put a lot of work in.”
With Hooper ruled out for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, Perkins and Tialavea will have another opportunity to show how they’ve progressed.
Tialavea, a third-year tight end who spent time on the Falcons’ practice squad in 2015, was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster Dec. 22 and scored his first touchdown on a 1-yard pass against the Panthers, expanding the Falcons’ lead to 20-3.
“It was a special moment,” Tialavea said of his touchdown. “It’s even more special when you know that you helped contribute to the team win, so it’s an awesome feeling.”
Tialavea’s 1-yard touchdown reception is the only stat of his professional career. In four seasons at Utah State, Tialavea recorded 198 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
On Saturday, Tialavea proved what hard work and dedication to the Falcons’ Plan D program can do.
“For a guy like (Tialavea) coming up last week off the practice squad for us and getting his opportunity, you know it’s been two years of practicing with us, learning the offense and being at practice every day,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “A lot of times when guys are nicked up, he’s the guy that I’m throwing to during practice. So, there’s that chemistry that is built, the longer that you are just around guys. I think that’s where the depth of the team shows. We practice hard, and I think because of that guys are ready to play when they get their opportunity.”
Tialavea graduated from Utah State in 2013 and wasn't drafted, but earned his first chance in the NFL from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014. Tialavea signed as a college free agent, but was cut before the regular season began. In 2015, Tialavea became a member of the Falcons' practice squad and was promoted to the active roster for the first time Dec. 29, 2015 for the Falcons' last game of the season, against the Saints.
With Tamme’s season-ending injury, Tialavea is listed as the fourth-string tight end behind Hooper, Levine Toilolo and Perkins.
Perkins, 23, signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in April, but sat inactive for the first eight weeks of the season. On Saturday, Perkins caught a 26-yard pass from Ryan to score on the Falcons’ first drive of the game.
“I’ve been wanting to play in the NFL my whole life and to be able to have my first touchdown, it was just a dream come true I’m so excited about it,” Perkins said. “We try to stay ready each and every week so when the opportunity comes like it did last week, we’ll just be ready to take advantage of it.”
Since he signed with the Falcons, Perkins watched his teammates play on Sundays and participated in the Plan D program, learning and growing enough to make Saturday's 34 receiving yards and touchdown feel easy. Perkins' first career reception came against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 8, an 8-yard reception that moved the Falcons inside the 49ers 10-yard line, setting up a 5-yard touchdown run by running back Devonta Freeman.
“Each day we come in and work and just being able to be a part of that, being able to develop each week, to be able to be part of a program and just see everyone being here is great,” Perkins said. “I just learned a lot (in Plan D) when I finally got my opportunity, I feel like I’ve done it so many times before that it was just easy when I got up there.”
The rookie out of Washington’s first game came Nov. 3 against Tampa Bay, and in seven games, Perkins has three receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown.
