Atlanta Falcons: 5 Things Learned Vs. Cowboys
By John Buhler
The LB Corps Is the Spark Plug of the Defense
This may not seem as obvious as Jones or Freeman on the offensive side of the ball, but I now know where the Atlanta Falcons will draw inspiration from on defense. It starts and ends with the linebacker corps.
When Atlanta looked abysmal against the run in the first half, it was the linebackers that weren’t wrapping up in their tackling efforts. Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden ran for four combined touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons in the first half.
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Then out of the locker room, a new team emerged. It was the linebackers that paved the way for another Atlanta Falcons comeback in the Dan Quinn Era. Whether it was Justin Durant, O’Brien Schofield, Nate Stupar, or Vic Beasley, the amount of heart the LB corps played with brought the Falcons back from a sure loss in this one.
I used to look at the Atlanta Falcons LB corps as an extreme defensive liability. Now I view the unit as the tone setters for the defense. The secondary and the defensive line feed off the energy of the linebackers. How this unit performs against the run ultimately decides how the defense will play.
Next: This Is a Second Half Football Team