Dan Quinn’s thoughts and reactions to Friday’s game against the Jets

It really is just preseason, but that doesn’t mean we have to like what we’re watching. Dan Quinn certainly didn’t on Friday, judging by comments he made yesterday, though he did have a little bit of good injury news and some faint praise for Duke Riley.

Let’s cover that real quick, if you please.

Positives

• Brandon Fusco probably needed to start separating himself right now after Wes Schweitzer had a strong training camp, and it appears he’s gotten that well underway. Quinn singled out Fusco for praise, and he was one of the few offensive linemen who played a strong game against the Jets.

• Jamil Douglas was one of the few Falcons dealing with an injury issue after Friday, and it appears he’s going to be fine. Ty Sambrailo should also be back this week, so if you didn’t love what you saw from Austin Pasztor and Matt Gono, that’s probably good news.

Negatives

• Quinn was justifiably upset about the two penalties to start off the one offensive drive the starters actually were in for, and just generally with the sloppiness. The Falcons racked up penalties and missed 10 tackles, by Quinn’s count, and I’m sure he was a little unnerved by the resemblance to some of the worse games the Falcons have played in recent years. The good news, of course, is that it was still just a preseason game and a showcase for the reserves.

• This one’s sort of a mixed bag, but it is very much worth noting that Quinn spent the time to say that Duke Riley improved and thinks he just needs as many snaps as the Falcons can give him in preseason. That’s not a vote of confidence, per se, but it does tell you that Riley’s probably going to have to do worse (and Foye Oluokun better) to actually push him out of his job. It’s worth remembering that as we wonder aloud about his fortunes going forward.

We’ll hope Quinn has a lot more to celebrate this coming Friday, even if staying injury-free is still the best reason to feel good.