I'm ready to put this on the side of a milk carton:
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I ask because I cannot believe--cannot!--that the three guys Mike Smith has competing for the nickel job are Chevis Jackson, Antoine Harris and Blue Adams. Jackson is a totally legitimate choice for the position, and I'm obviously rooting for the new draft pick to do well. But the other two? Let's check out the AJC here:
Harris played in 13 games last season, mostly on special teams.
Adams, a five-year veteran, was signed on Saturday. He played in 13 games last season for Cincinnati.
Antoine Harris is exactly as he's described: a capable special teamer. I'm frankly surprised he made it all the way to training camp, but whatever. Blue Adams has a great name but was just cut by the Bengals and wasn't expected to catch on anywhere; the Falcons snapped him up days later and suddenly he's in the running to be our third cornerback. That's terrific. Good for them.
But where in the name of Chris Miller's successful Tecmo Super Bowl career is David Irons?!
I ask because Irons seemed to have a legitimate shot at the nickel job this year at the end of last season. He did well on special teams, performed capably on the field when he got there and just generally looked like a hell of a lot better of a bet than Antoine Freakin' Harris. After the draft and Von Hutchins came about, it seemed like he might get buried. Now he's so far down the depth chart that he's not even competing for the nickel spot against the likes of Harris and Adams. Hell, where is Wilrey Fontenot? Why is undrafted corner Glenn Sharp suddenly signed as well?
This can only spell doom for David Irons in Atlanta. Frankly, if the Falcoholic favorite isn't even going to get a fair shot at nickel back, what's he doing on the roster? Surely the team could just cut him and pick up a veteran to anchor the back end of the cornerbacking corps, couldn't they? At least then they'd have leadership instead of a young guy rotting on the bench.
If I sound a little angry about this, it's because I haven't heard word one from the team or any other outlet as to why Irons seems to have fallen so far down the depth chart. I really thought he had a good chance of providing value somewhere in the rotation, and it's inconceivable to me that he's falling behind special teamers and freshly signed former Bengal special teamers who were known for committing fouls. Clearly, he's not fitting into the team's new philosophy.
What do you guys think? Is David Irons out of the rotation entirely, or am I overreacting about a camp battle?