The Falcons got crushed yesterday, but you'll forgive me if there's no rending of garments and gnashing of teeth from my end. First of all, it's the Jets (who are decent) and it's preseason (which is, for all intents and purposes, meaningless). Follow that up with a healthy dose of a lot of backups and you've got a recipe for me not really flinching much. That being said, there are things we should take away from this game.
- Jason Snelling is getting the #3 back job. This should've been obvious when Justin Vincent didn't get a single carry, but it became even more obvious when Snelling showed off more power and speed than I think any of us had a right to expect. One preseason game should hardly be the benchmark in this case, but unless Vincent gets the start next time around I think it's pretty obvious who Petrino is going with. If Snelling can regularly look as good as he did last night, he's a quality pick to back up Dunn and Norwood. Arlen Harris also got only 3 carries for six yards, so forget him.
- D.J. Shockley needs to bludgeon Chris Redman to death if he wants the backup job. Shock came out looking pretty piss poor last night before rallying a little, but considering Redman sort of cruised he probably hurt his chances a little. I'd like to think he's going to get a few more shots to prove himself in the preseason, but Redman already looked better at camp. I fear Redman as our backup QB more than I fear being mauled by a tiger, so this is a wee bit concerning. Hopefully Redman either continues to play exceptionally well or Shock overtakes him soon.
- Roddy White and Laurent Robinson are probably in the mix for starting jobs. The fact that Jenkins was the only thing close to a decent receiver last year, it seemed natural that he'd be the #2 guy opposite Joe Horn. While it's not set in stone, White and L-Rob's performances mean they probably have a better chance at seriously competing for starting jobs. If Roddy has actually learned to catch, he might be our most dangerous receiver. Then again, considering the piss poor route running he displayed last year, maybe not. If Jenkins starts, I expect to see White in the slot, but I could see Robinson in the slot if White starts. That's mostly because Robinson has looked much more athletic and I'm thinking the team wants someone as athletic as a White or L-Rob in there. Next week's game against the Bills should give us a better idea.