Risky moves don’t pay off for Falcons

Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon was tackling a Rams defender Sept. 15 when another player’s leg whipped into his.

Weatherspoon’s cleat stuck in the turf and, just like that, he suffered an injury to a foot ligament that still has him sidelined.

“If my leg is not there, it doesn’t happen,” Weatherspoon said.

It was rotten luck for Weatherspoon. Certainly the Falcons experienced plenty of it while sliding from Super Bowl contenders to the fringes of the NFC playoff picture with a 2-6 record.

But some of their misfortune is related to calculated risks that backfired on general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith.

The Falcons acquired players with previous injury issues, and three of them have been sidelined for significant time this season. Dimitroff also took risks by sending away multiple draft picks for wide receiver Julio Jones and banking on unproven players along the offensive line. And Smith let wide receiver Roddy White play on a bad ankle that made him ineffective.

Jones and offensive tackle Sam Baker, two key starters who have been hurt, have histories of injury. The foot injury that sent Jones to injured reserve after five games reportedly is related to the foot surgery he had before his rookie season.

Soon after joining the Falcons last spring, Steven Jackson said he planned to “break the mold” of rapid decline for running backs at age 30. The Falcons signed him despite his recent history of soft-tissue injuries, and he hurt his hamstring on the first series of his second game and missed the next four.

Dimitroff, through a team spokesman, said he wasn’t available for an interview because he was on a scouting trip.

Weatherspoon said players view injuries as the unfortunate aspects of a physical game.

“You play a tough sport,” he said. “Sometimes you put your body in situations where it is not going to respond well.”

In the cases of Jones, Baker and Jackson, their bodies previously showed signs of wear.

Jones put on a fantastic performance at the 2011 scouting combine despite a foot injury that was surgically repaired soon after. Dimitroff traded two picks in the first round, one in the second and two in the fourth for the pick he used to select Jones.

Jones has been a success. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in his second season and was leading NFL wide receivers in catches and receiving yards when he was placed on IR, but the Falcons, lacking depth, were 1-4 in those games.

Struggles with his health contributed to Baker losing his starting job in 2011. Baker was healthier in 2012 and had a good season, prompting the Falcons to sign him to a new contract, but he’s missed four games this season with knee and foot injuries.

Baker’s injuries further weakened the offensive line. Its struggles in pass protection were a major factor in the team’s 1-4 start, and though it has improved in that area, persistently poor run blocking is a major reason the Falcons are one of the least efficient rushing teams in the NFL.

Earlier this season, Dimitroff said he had no regrets about trading away five draft picks for the one he used to select Jones. Dimitroff also said then he was confident the offensive line would improve as its young players gained experience and coaching.

In the case of White, the risk for the Falcons was in the management of his injury rather than his injury history.

White had never missed a game before this season, but suffered a high ankle sprain during the second exhibition game. Smith let him play the first four games, though White said he essentially was a decoy at times.

White said compensating for the ankle injury contributed to a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the past three games.White said that, in retrospect, he may have been better off letting the ankle heal before trying to play.

“’Smitty’ is such a good guy, especially in dealing with me,” White said of Smith. “A couple times he shut it down and (told) me to kind of wait it out and make sure you are completely healthy. It’s just tough. I’m a competitor, and I just love to play football. It’s tough for me to say I don’t want to go out there no matter what (the injury) is or how I’m feeling, especially if I think I can make a difference.”

It turned out White was not effective playing on the balky ankle. The Falcons have quality depth at wide receiver, including veteran Harry Douglas, but White played 70 percent of the offensive snaps before the second injury sidelined him.

White’s injury was bad luck, but the decision to let him play with it was one of a handful of risky decisions that haven’t paid off for the Falcons during their dispiriting season.