The Falcons must set their 53 man roster by 6pm tomorrow. The question everyone wants to know is, will D.J. Shockley make the team? We'll address that last. Let's walk through the other Dawg Falcons.
Brandon Miller - I just don't see Brandon making the 53 man roster. He is still learning the defensive end position, and I don't believe he got much playing time there during the pre-season. He played a lot of special teams, but I don't think that is enough. Look for Miller to remain with the Falcons as a practice squad player.
Martrez Milner - Wow. What a fall Martrez has taken. Early in pre-season, he looked to be the starter as the Falcons' only pass catching tight end. After injuring his ankle Milner missed multiple games prior to returning for last night's finale against the Ravens. With the signing of Marcus Pollard, it looks like Martrez may not even make the team. I don't have a good feel for this one. We'll just find out tomorrow.
Thomas Brown - I really think Thomas is going to make the team. He's looked solid both as a back and a kick returner. He had a 50+ yard return last night that was called back on a hold, but it still was pretty nice. Unfortunately he hurt his groin in the game as well. I think he'll make the cut, and maybe the bigger question is will he be healthy enough to contribute.
Tony Taylor - Duh. The question isn't if Taylor will make the team, it's if he'll start. I don't think he will, but look for him to be a key reserve on the defense.
D.J. Shockley - Last but not least, we have D.J. It's pretty remarkable how much talk there has been about D.J. Shockley vs. Joey Harrington for the number 3 QB spot. I almost want to say that has been a more popular topic on local sports talk in Atlanta than Matt Ryan starting. If you watched the game last night, you saw that D.J. flat out moved the offense better. He threw a nice touchdown pass to Brian Finneran, and he just brings another dimension to the offense.
Let's say that D.J. and Joey grade out equally. Shockley is cheaper, and he is a marketable player. I'll repeat that. He is a marketable 3rd string QB. To me it's a no brainer.
DJ made the cut!!!!
ReplyDeleteBut Brandon Miller did not. Also, Thomas Brown was placed on Injured Reserve. Man, I hate that for him. He was looking so great and has had such a history with injuries. He just cannot seem to catch a break.