Falcons Flyover: November 7, 2012

Good morning, everyone. Let's take a break from the political discussion and dive right into today's links.

Philipkeith Manley Added to Roster
With Garrett Reynolds lost for the season, the Falcons have activated Philip Keith Manley from the practice squad. There isn't much information out there on Manley, but this link to NFLDraftScout.com has some pretty decent numbers on him. Other than his name, there doesn't appear to be much that sticks out about this Toledo alumni, but we won't know for sure what he's capable of until he sees some regular season action. Hopefully Peter Konz can continue to play well so our lack of depth doesn't becoming much of a glaring hole. Atlanta's offensive line has been weak at times this year, but if Konz goes down, this team could be in serious trouble.

Doubters Don't Concern Falcons
The Falcons as a group don't seem to be too flustered over the lack of attention and respect they've received for starting this season undefeated. On the other hand, it seems like every week the team the Falcons beat gives them a lot more credit than the media—including Jason Garrett of the Cowboys.

"There's a reason they're undefeated halfway through the season," Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. "This is a challenging place to play at. I thought we did some good things in the ballgame. They did more good things."

Is the Saints Game a Must-Win?
Bill Shanks of the Macon Telegraph believes next Sunday's matchup against the Saints is a "must-win." While I wouldn't go that far, he does make some good points. Given the rivalry, there isn't a worse team out there to give the Falcons their first loss of the season. But on the other hand, if this team is truly a Super Bowl contender, then they should be able to recover from one loss regardless of the opponent.

Vegas Odds on a Perfect Season
In addition the regular chatter surrounding the Falcons' perfect record, sports books in Las Vegas have begun to place odds on Atlanta finishing the 2012 season 16-0. The odds right now might surprise you.

Falcons See Progress From Akeem Dent
With the injury to Sean Weatherspoon, Akeem Dent was given a starting position against the Cowboys, and he didn't disappoint. An alumni of UGA, had seven tackles last Sunday and played a significant role in containing Jason Witten. The superstar tight end had just 51 receiving yards—covered primarily by the likes of Dent and Stephen Nicholas. If Dent can continue to progress the way he has the last few weeks, he'll give the Falcons the depth they need should Weatherspoon or any other linebacker suffer a debilitating injury.

"The thing I'm most proud of is the way he handled the huddle," Smith said of Dent, who was selected to handle the signal-calling duties because of WLB Sean Weatherspoon, who is in his first season as the defensive signalcaller, was out with an injury. "(Dent) was a signalcaller on our base defense and our sub defense, and I thought he did a very nice job. He was very active."