Stephen Nicholas Banged Up, Will Be Ready For Regular Season

Whether you believe that Stephen Nicholas could lose his job or not, it's hard to deny that it's a critical preseason for the man. He's got a lot of young linebackers breathing down his neck and undoubtedly wanted to put a lackluster playoffs behind and return to the tackling machine he's traditionally been.

Unfortunately, the preseason's more or less over for Nicholas. Mike Smith revealed Sunday that the veteran outside linebacker is hurt and won't be playing Saturday:

Smith said Nicholas sustained a leg injury and will not play in the upcoming game against the Titans. He added that many starters traditionally don’t play in the fourth preseason game and that would likely be the case for Nicholas as well. The head coach did say he expects Nicholas ready for Week 1 of the regular season.

Reading the tea leaves here, it sounds like Nicholas is more or less locked in to a roster spot at minimum, but I've learned that tea leaves are woefully inaccurate. The important thing for a team still lacking in linebacker depth is that (assuming he is locked in) Nicholas will be back for the start of the regular season, providing his strong run-stopping skills once more. Let's keep these injuries minor, eh?

Your thoughts on the injury to Nicholas?

More from The Falcoholic:

• Discussion: Looking Ahead To The Titans Game
• Tony Gonzalez Makes his Triumphant Return to Training Camp, is Still Awesome
• Who Will Start On The Falcons Offensive Line?
• Discuss: The Most/Least Impressive Parts Of The Falcon Preseason
• The Impressive Falcons Ground Game Vs. The Ravens And Why It Matters