Breaking Down the Grimes Injury

Any way you slice it, this hurts. It just does - there's no getting past that. It's like having your pet gerbil die. Sure, Fuzzy was a great companion, but at a certain point, if you keep talking about him, people may react negatively.

Don't get me wrong, I'm crushed. During the preseason, when in the company of non-Falcons fans, I boasted heartily about the quality of our secondary. I told everyone who'd listen that Brent Grimes' vertical is NBAesque. I dirty birded until my heart was content. But alas, some things aren't meant to be.

Look, I'm disappointed, I'm sad, my feet hurt, et cetera. And I'm sure you're feeling the same way. Still, we have to move on. There are fifteen more games to play this year, and this league takes pity on no team. These games won't play themselves.

Join me after the jump and we'll sob hysterically into our pillows analyze the loss.

First, Grimes' injury begs an obvious question: how does this effect his stock in free agency?

I think it does. A lot. Achilles injuries are tricky. It's not an injury you can play through. If you play on it, it gets worse. Your achilles helps you push off, which is an ability that Grimes relies on heavily. Folllowing surgery, he likely won't jog for about 2 1/2 months.

Simply stated, there are going to be some questions about his recovery. Teams will work him out, and there may be a team that takes a chance, but I think this makes him a more affordable long-term acquisition for the Falcons.

Second, it's a darn good thing we brought back Dominique Franks. Say what you want about the kid, he's our fifth corner back, and I don't you'll find many fifth corner backs with ridiculous ability. He's raw/utterly unproven, and that rawness has to transition into production at some point, but this may provide him that chance. Certainly Owens will need to step it up a notch as well.

Third, don't be surprised if the already sack-happy Mike Nolan gets a little more sack-happy. Because our secondary is that much thinner, our pass rush just became that much more important. Nolan will adjust and look to create even more pressure. In the process, players like Kroy Biermann, Lawrence Sidbury, and Jonathan Massaquoi may see more action.

Fourth, Dave still smells like swisher sweets and grape drink. So there's that.

Discuss!