Atlanta Falcons: 4 Players Who Must Improve in Game Three
The Atlanta Falcons defeat at the hands of the Dolphins in Miami, raised some concerns. Players that Atlanta is depending on, did not play well. These four offensive players must improve, for the Falcons to prevail against the Jets.
The Atlanta Falcons second preseason game was a mixed bag. These ten players provided a good showing for the team’s coaches to evaluate. However there were four players on the offensive side of the ball, who failed to produce as expected against Miami.
Matt Simms • Quarterback
Many football fans believe that everything starts and ends with the quarterback. Yet football is the ultimate team sport and no man can will his team to win alone.
That being said while even the best quarterback can’t take over a game without a lot of help, terrible quarterback play can definitely hurt a team chances of winning. Unfortunately Matt Simms did indeed hinder the Atlanta Falcons opportunity to get a win in Miami.
Simms was recently signed to replace Kurt Benkert, after a toe injury placed Benkert on injured reserve. He looked like a guy who has not played football in a while.
Simms failed to complete half of his passing attempts, connecting on just 8/17 throws, for a pedestrian 86 yards. He averaged a measly 5.1 yards per attempt and had an unimpressive quarterback rating of 62.4.
Matt Simms also looked very indecisive. He did not throw an interception, but he was sacked these times. Those sacks were mostly due to Simms holding the ball too long, when taking too much time to diagnose the play.
Simms’ inconsistent play was reflected in his grade given by Pro Football Focus. He was given a failing grade of 42.6 out of a possible 99.9. That was the second lowest grade of any Atlanta Falcons offensive player in the contest.
The team has now signed former Patriots quarterback Danny Etling. Etling comes with the added bonus of the versatility to play wide receiver.
Matt Simms was unable to hold off Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray, as the starter for the Atlanta Legends of the folded AAF. Should he not improve rapidly, Matt may quickly find himself back on the market. If the Atlanta Falcons are to get a win in game three, they must get better play from their reserve quarterbacks.