Here’s what Saints coach Dennis Allen, whose team plays the Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, had to say on his media conference call Wednesday:
On how Michael Thomas looked on the field: “He looked good. We’re working him back in. We’ll see where we are at. Again, another positive step toward trying to get him back out there.”
On if he’ll make it back: “We’ll see. I don’t want to get into a lot of specifics. We’ll see where he’s at, but certainly he’s progressing.”
On his initial impressions of Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts from the two games last year: “He was coming off the injury there in the second game. So, I don’t quite know if he was 100%. Big. Fast. Explosive. Really good route runner. Great hands. Highly impressed with the player. He’s a matchup kind of nightmare and (a) guy that we have to pay attention to and understand where he’s at at all times and how they are trying to utilize him.”
On if the NFL is trying to find guys like him or is he rare: “Those people are rare. To have that type of size. That type of athleticism. That type of speed. You don’t find those guys just walking down the street. So, they are still pretty rare type of people. When you are able to find one of those guys, and if they have the type of commitment and work ethic, they can really be something special. Certainly, I’ve seen signs of him being able to be that way.”
On preparing for heavy play-action teams: “The first thing is that you have to make the run-game ineffective, and therefore the play-action is not as effective. We’re going to have to do a good job of being able to stop the run and try to make them get into a one-dimensional type of game. But that’s certainly the challenge that you face when teams are able to run the ball, and they are a play-action team. That makes it more difficult when they are able to run it more effectively.”
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The Bow Tie Chronicles
Atlanta Falcons 2022 NFL schedule
Sept. 11 vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m.
Sept. 18 at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m.
Sept. 25 at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Oct. 9 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Oct. 16 vs. San Francisco, 1 p.m.
Oct. 23 at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Oct. 30 vs. Carolina, 1 p.m.
Nov. 6 vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1 p.m.
Nov. 10 at Carolina, 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 20 vs. Chicago, 1 p.m.
Nov. 27 at Washington, 1 p.m.
Dec. 4 vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 at New Orleans, TBD
Dec. 24 at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Jan. 1 vs. Arizona, 1 p.m.
Jan. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, TBD
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