Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Monday, Oct. 22

A Falcons game on Monday Night Football is a bit like when the clocks change in the Fall. You don’t realize how much that extra hour of sleep helps until you get it — and man it felt nice to not spend my Sunday stressed out as Atlanta was idle.

But the tension always rises, and alas here we are on game day against a 1-5 Giants team just as desperate for a win as the Falcons. As you gear up for tonight’s action, get up to speed on all the Falcons’ headlines you may have missed in today’s edition of Falcoholinks.

Isaiah, Where Art Thou?

Since safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen went down for the year, there’s been more superstitious crossing of fingers than outright optimism when it comes to the secondary. Jordan Richards is doing a king’s ransom’s worth of nothing, and Brian Poole has taken a step back.

So our Kevin Knight rightly asks: Where is Isaiah Oliver? The Falcons’ physically-gifted second-rounder out of Colorado hasn’t seen much of the field, but with Atlanta’s secondary situation in its present, lamentable context, he should warrants some looks — if not simply for getting him acclimated to the NFL game, but because there aren’t many options.

Grady, Ridley, and Sanu looking good

In a year where the positive injury news comes as often as a winning Powerball ticket, we finally received some last week. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, rookie wide receiver Calvin Ridley, and receiver Mohamed Sanu should all be ready for Monday’s game against the Giants.

It’s obviously a welcome development on the injury front, and should boost confidence heading into tonight’s game.

The Air Up There

The trials and tribulations of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium roof have been well documented, but for the second straight game it should be open tonight. The roof never hit an IR stint, but it’s been more of a decoy than operational focus of The Benz.

But the cool fall air is here and thus the plan is that the roof at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will open for Monday Night Football.

Post-bye predictions

The Falcons hit their bye week after tonight’s clash with New York, so Dave Choate took a look at what may change for this football team when they resume play in Week 9. Defensive prognostications of course abound, but Dave also keyed in on Tevin Coleman’s usage in the passing game.

Changes will of course need to be made if this team hopes to weasel into the playoff picture, with the defense being on top of the docket.