Falcons vs. Eagles 2015: Atlanta snap counts and analysis for Week 1

Offense

Chris Chester: 77 (100%)
Mike Person: 77
Matt Ryan: 77
Jake Matthews: 77
Andy Levitre: 77
Ryan Schraeder: 77
Roddy White: 65
Julio Jones: 59
Jacob Tamme: 54
Leonard Hankerson: 52
Tevin Coleman: 44
Levine Toilolo: 42
Patrick DiMarco: 29
Devonta Freeman: 29
Terron Ward: 4
Nick Williams: 4
Eric Weems: 3

It obviously bodes well that Matt Ryan and the offensive line were in there for every single play, and the line managed to block well enough to keep Ryan alive. There's room for improvement, but given the opponent and the tossed-together nature of the line, this was probably a best-case scenario.

Leonard Hankerson got plenty of snaps and just wasn't productive with them, which was disappointing. Levine Toilolo, meanwhile, went from rumored cut to second tight end on the field, and he looks greatly improved from a year ago. Tevin Coleman out-snapped and out-touched the football compared to Devonta Freeman, and I expect that to continue going forward after a strong first performance.

The only real surprise here was that Nick Williams was active and snagged four snaps, coming down with one reception. I thought he'd be the first man off the roster because the team can't possibly keep seven wide receivers all year long, but he's sticking around for now. Kudos to him.

Defense

Desmond Trufant: 74 (100%)
Robert Alford: 74
Justin Durant: 74
Ricardo Allen: 74
Paul Worrilow: 74
William Moore: 72
Phillip Adams: 57
Vic Beasley: 49
O'Brien Schofield: 44
Adrian Clayborn: 43
Jonathan Babineaux: 41
Ra'Shede Hageman: 28
Malliciah Goodman: 27
Kroy Biermann: 26
Grady Jarrett: 20
Tyson Jackson: 16
Paul Soliai: 14
Jalen Collins: 5
Kemal Ishmael: 2

The Falcons threw Ricardo Allen right into the fire, and I think you could say he acquitted himself well. That snap count is indicative of the coaching staff's trust in him, and at this point it's hard to bet against him having a terrific year at free safety. Amazing to see.

The snap counts on Monday night were in many ways indicative of the team the Falcons were playing. The Eagles are a team that runs the football, sure, but they had very mixed success doing so, and the Falcons responded by putting quicker personnel on the field to gin up a pass rush and play the pass better. O'Brien Schofield was the biggest beneficiary, but you saw Adrian Clayborn getting snaps on the interior, Jonathan Babineaux pulling down 41 snaps, and electrifying rookie Vic Beasley leading the front seven in snaps, as well. Against teams with less imposing passing attacks and more imposing ground games, you can expect to see more snaps for the likes of Soliai, Jackson, and the impressive Ra'Shede Hageman, but the Giants are probably not going to provide much of a different look.

Special Teams

Kemal Ishmael: 25
Kroy Biermann: 23
Eric Weems: 22
Nate Stupar: 20
Allen Bradford: 20
Patrick Dimarco: 20
Desmond Trufant: 18
Robert Alford: 18
Phillip Adams: 17
Matt Bosher: 16
Jalen Collins: 16
Josh Harris: 10
Levine Toilolo: 10
Matt Bryant: 6

The usual suspects here. If you'er wondering why Kroy Biermann has some leeway on this team, special teams value has something to do it, and he's generally one of the team's better performers there. Ditto Kemal ishmael, who got virtually no run on defense but remains one of the team's hardest-hitting, most valuable special teamers.

One positive note that stands out here: Keith Armstrong trusting Jalen Collins with 16 snaps on special teams, which gets a rookie who needs a lot of work on the field in some capacity, at least.