Atlanta Falcons: 5 Players to Watch Versus the Jets
By John Buhler
. TE. Stanford. Levine Toilolo. 80. player. 44
A lot of scrutiny has come from Levine Toilolo’s play the last two seasons for the Atlanta Falcons. Thomas Dimitroff brought Levine to Flowery Branch from the great tight end manufacturer that is Stanford University back in the 4th Round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Unfairly, Toilolo essentially came to Atlanta as the heir apparent to Tony Gonzalez, the greatest TE to ever play football.
In his first two years, Levine struggled to make plays in space, often dropping catchable balls thrown to him by Matt Ryan. After the worst season from Atlanta TEs in about a decade, Dimitroff and Quinn decided to bring in both Jacob Tamme and Tony Moeaki into the mix to compete with Levine Toilolo for targets between the hash marks.
More from ATL All Day
- Atlanta Braves: Felix Has Already Shown Enough to Win a Rotation Spot
- Atlanta Braves Implode Late To Phillies, Cole Hamels Remains Sidelined
- Kyle Wright Shines As Folty Struggles In Atlanta Braves Loss To Red Sox
- Atlanta Hawks Sweep Back-to-Back Games Over Weekend
- Atlanta Braves: Grapefruit League Play Check Up
Perhaps this increased level of competition has brought out the best in young Levine as he made some great catches from both TJ Yates and Sean Renfree in last week’s preseason game. Levine was wide open on multiple occasions and helped the Atlanta Falcons move the chains in crunch time. Essentially the improved hands of Levine Toilolo helped the Falcons defeat the Titans when it came down to the wire.
Look for Levine Toilolo to build upon a great first preseason game and try to make more plays against a better defense in the New York Jets. Levine needs to play well in the final three preseason games if he hopes to hold on to his 53-man roster spot in 2015.
Next: A Backup QB Battle?