Finally. Our long Falconly nightmare is over.
Michael Jenkins returned to practice on Wednesday, ushering in a glorious new era of Falcon football. Unlike the first two games of the season, we won't have to rely on Harry Douglas, Eric Weems and Brian Finneran any more. Instead, we'll get back our proverbial rock, the man who catches passes like he cradles babes to sleep, the one Michael Jenkins. Thank the football gods!
Or, you know, we're getting back a decent receiver.
I've been stunned by the number of you who have openly wondered whether having Jenkins back in the lineup would make a difference for the Falcons passing game. "Perhaps he would've caught that," some mused. "If only we had someone as tall as Michael Jenkins in the passing game," others said.
I have only one question in response: Are you people insane?
Apparently the old saw about absence making the heart grow stronger is accurate. As we've repeatedly discussed on this blog, Jenkins is a capable enough receiver who just so happens to be neither are sure-handed as he ought to be or as good a blocker as he's reputed to be. That makes him roughly an average wide receiver, and a high-octane offense like the Falcons could certainly use a little bit more than that.
I'm not saying he shouldn't be starting outside. He offers a different look than Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, and Harry Douglas probably is better-suited to the slot. But to promptly forget all the time we collectively spent bitching about his untimely drops over the last several seasons the minute he gets hurt is the worst kind of self-deception there is.
That said, welcome back, Michael Jenkins! Please shut me up by being great.