Atlanta Falcons DC Richard Smith: countering Oakland Raiders' big offensive line, Derek Carr's athleticism critical in week 2 matchup

On Sunday the Atlanta Falcons will look to rebound from a disappointing week one loss. This Sunday they take on the surging Oakland Raiders. I would've confidently proclaimed this a win just a few years ago. But now we're in a vastly different place and these are entirely different teams. One thing is absolutely true: the defense has to play to their potential.

Heading up the Falcons defense is defensive coordinator Richard Smith. Here's what Smith had to say about the Raiders' offense looking ahead to Sunday's game. (Credit to The Mothership for the video of his comments.)

"When you look at their line overall, they're a big physical group. Ya know, 340 pounds, 330, so it's a big physical group that can move the line of scrimmage. They're doing a really nice job of protecting [Derek] Carr. Plus Carr has the athletic ability to move around with his feet. A lot of times on third down, he extends those drive, not only with his arm, but with his feet."

Smith isn't wrong and as you know, his son is on that staff. He knows their squad well and he gave his honest assessment in the video linked above. If the Falcons front seven doesn't employ solid technique and play smart football, they're going to spend their entire day getting pushed around and chasing Carr. Not an ideal scenario.

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