All of the Falcons rookies who play prominent roles said they haven’t hit the so-called wall that causes first-year players to wear down during the long season.
“In terms of a ‘wall,’ personally I haven’t hit it yet,” linebacker Paul Worrilow said, echoing his fellow Falcons rookies.
At the same time, the rookies acknowledged that they needed the four-day break that followed the Saints game Thursday.
“That little break that we had was pretty good,” linebacker Joplu Bartu said. “I won’t say I was feeling (the wall), but it was well-needed.”
Falcons coach Mike Smith said he warned his rookies about the wall.
In college, preseason camp was short, and teams played a maximum of 13 games in a season, with not all of those games against comparable foes. In the NFL, the Falcons’ month-plus of preseason included four exhibition games.
The Falcons (2-9) will play their 12th regular-season game Sunday at Buffalo, with four to go after that.
“It’s both physically and mentally wearing on first-year players, especially first-year players that have had the number of snaps that (defensive backs) Desmond (Trufant) and Robert (Alford) have had, and we have two linebackers that have had a lot snaps as well,” Smith said. “They are aware of it and we try to make sure they get as much rest as they can.”
Hitting the wall would seem a possibility for Trufant especially. The Falcons selected Trufant in the first round of the draft with the idea that he would start, and he ranks third on the team with 698 snaps from scrimmage.
“I feel good,” he said. “Obviously coming off a three-day rest helps. Just the normal soreness that you have through the season. I feel good. I’m ready to finish the season strong.”
After strong performances in camp earned Worrilow and Bartu roster spots, injuries to veterans opened the door for them to play more than expected. Bartu ranks sixth on the team with 580 snaps, and Worrilow ranks 10th with 466,
“My legs are feeling pretty good right now,” Bartu said. “Everything is on track. I’m going to try to finish off the season strong.”
The rookies said the amount of practice time in the NFL is about the same as in college. In fact, because of collective-bargaining rules that govern NFL practice, college teams tend to spend more time on the field in pads than the pros.
But in addition to the longer training camp and more games, the physical toll of NFL games is greater, and the rookies spend a lot more time studying game plans than they did in college.
“In college, it’s just half of the day,” Bartu said. “This is your job, and you’ve got to be ready.
Jones signed: The Falcons on Tuesday signed rookie tackle Terren Jones from the practice squad and waived wide receiver Brian Robiskie.
The Falcons signed Jones as a free agent after he wasn’t drafted out of Alabama State. He was cut during the final roster reduction and signed to the practice squad.
“I was asleep when I got the phone call this morning,” Jones said. “They said they wanted to take a look at me on the active roster. I’m stoked for the opportunity and ready to go out there and try to win games.”
The Falcons now have 10 offensive linemen on the roster, including five whose primary position is tackle. Lamar Holmes is the starter at left tackle, Jeremy Trueblood is at right tackle and veteran Sean Locklear and rookies Jones and Ryan Schraeder are in reserve.
The Falcons signed Robiskie to a free-agent contract Oct. 10. His father, Terry, is the Falcons’ assistant head coach/wide receivers.
Injury report: There was no official injury report Tuesday, but tight end Tony Gonzalez (toe) and defensive end Malliciah Goodman (calf) did not participate in practice.
Gonzalez has started the two games since he suffered his injury.
Goodman missed the past two games. Smith said he’s scheduled to return to practice Wednesday and, barring a setback, should be available to play against Buffalo.
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