Justin Blalock: Falcons Letting Him Walk a Mistake?

Justin Blalock was a prominent piece of the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive line the last eight seasons, starting 125 career games with the Dirty Birds.

Justin Blalock was one of the two anchors on the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive line during the heyday of the Mike Smith Era (2008-2012). Blalock along with retired Center Todd McClure helped keep QB Matt Ryan upright and opened up running lanes for RB Michael Turner during a five-year stretch where the Atlanta Falcons were the winningest team in the NFC.

Following Mike Smith’s firing after the Atlanta Falcons’ massively disappointing 6-10, 2014 NFL Season, Justin Blalock was part of the group of former Falcons players that were let go by GM Thomas Dimitroff and new HC Dan Quinn. The Atlanta Falcons’ front office appreciated Blalock’s successful time in Atlanta, but did not view him as a strong scheme fit in new OC Kyle Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme. They let Blalock go and he opted to retire rather than play for another NFL franchise.

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With the new-look Atlanta Falcons offensive line still very much an uncertainty, did it make sense to let a venerable veteran like Justin Blalock walk in the first place? Justin Blalock was a staple at left guard for the Atlanta Falcons for the last eight seasons. Though he and Todd McClure never reached a Pro Bowl, I felt that both players were highly respected for their craft both in Atlanta and throughout the rest of the league. Of all the cuts to happen this offseason, this one hurt the most.

While former Washington Redskins G Chris Chester has come in and played well up front in Shanahan’s ZBS, the interior offensive line struggled to form a secure pocket for Matt Ryan against the Miami Dolphins last Saturday night and have been mediocre at best in run blocking all preseason.

With Jake Matthews and Ryan Schraeder looking like fair bets to win the starting tackle gigs, barring injury of course, the interior remains the biggest question on the entire Atlanta Falcons’ roster. Joe Hawley is still recovering from an ACL and has played sparingly at center. Jon Asamoah doesn’t start up front for some reason. Both Mike Person and James Stone are being cross-trained at all three spots on the interior. Let’s not forget that Peter Konz was given an injury settlement not even a week ago. A lack of continuity up front is growing more concerning by the day.

Would it have been that impossible for Justin Blalock to learn to block an area as opposed to a man in switching from an MBS to a ZBS? A savvy veteran like Justin Blalock had a long career for a reason: a strong student mentality. That often times football intelligence conquers pure talent, as the average NFL career lasts just three seasons.

The Atlanta Falcons know what they were getting in Justin Blalock and I don’t fully understand why they are choosing to sacrifice certainty in Blalock in the hopes of finding an internal offensive line solution in Flowery Branch that just isn’t there.

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