Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Monday, Aug. 12

Still not over that preseason loss? Same here, but we learned a lot in Thursday’s game against the Dolphins. Run through our main takeaways in today’s Falcoholinks.

Preseason Week 1 roundup

The Falcons dropped their 10th straight preseason game on Thursday, falling to the Dolphins 34-27. Our recap examines the good, the bad, and the ugly from Atlanta’s first* preseason game, one where Matt Schaub reasserted himself as a capable backup, and both Russell Gage and Qadree Ollison impressed.

A loss, regardless of its overall meaning, will always generate the hottest of takes — so we’ve got those for you, too.

And if you’re aching for some analysis of the auditory variety, give a listen to David Walker and Evan Birchfield as they go over the game in The Falcoholic’s postgame podcast.

Roster additions/subtractions

Dan Quinn is clearly not tolerating mistakes or mental lapses from his young players, as recently added defensive back Hamp Cheevers has become the recently departed after he dropped a potentially game-winning pick against the Dolphins. Cheevers was released by the team on Friday, and linebacker Chase Middleton was added to the squad.

The wide receiver battle

The Falcons obviously possess one of the most lethal wide receiver trios in the league in Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Calvin Ridley, but the first couple of preseason games have illuminated an intense battle for the remaining spots. Russell Gage has been extremely impressive so far, and if you’re into betting (quick aside: Bovada doesn’t like us), he seems to have the edge on Justin Hardy at WR4.

But players like Olamide Zaccheaus and Christian Blake have also opened eyes with their play as well. They’ll look to continue their good work in the next three games in hopes of cracking the roster.

Looking to the Jets

The New York Jets roll into town on Thursday for the Falcons’ next preseason game, and we’ve got our eye on a few players who deserve to get some extended run. Atlanta hopes to snap a 10-game preseason losing streak, and hopefully these young guys can assert themselves and help the team get there.