Falcons defensive backs scare everyone except opponents

Safety Erik Coleman, a rare veteran back there, answered forcefully the other day: “We’re going to stand out.” And in a positive way, he meant.

“We have a great opportunity,” he continued, working on the theme that, with the Falcons offense scoring regularly, opponents will be forced to try keep up.

“We feel the more the ball is in the air, the more opportunity we have to make plays on the ball.”

Such bravado belies the unease of the past 10 days. In the most meaningful third preseason game Aug. 29, against San Diego’s upscale offense, the Falcons treated third-and-long like nap time. The Chargers were 6-for-6 on third down conversions in the second quarter. On one touchdown drive, they moved the chains on third-and-18 and third-and-17, then scored on third-and-24.

That set off waves of worry on the Falcons’ blogs and sports talk frequencies.

None of those voices was quieted when the Baltimore Ravens drove 91 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the final preseason game.

The front office’s first response was to trade last week for a former first-round cornerback, Tye Hill.

At 5-10, the former St. Louis Ram is no giant. Which means that, no matter how fast he is, he doesn’t immediately answer one of the main complaints aimed at this unit.

It’s not like they are too short to get on the rides at Six Flags. But with no defensive back over six feet, and two key members around 5-foot-9, their lack of height has become an issue. The Falcons are going to have to stay on their tip-toes to cover the league’s best and lankiest receivers.

As 5-foot-9 corner Brent Grimes lined up against San Diego’s 6-foot-5 Vincent Jackson last Thursday, the physics of the matchup just appeared so daunting.

Size does not matter to the team’s assistant head coach/secondary coach Emmitt Thomas.

“Working with the Redskins (from 1986-94), we had about six guys that we won Super Bowls with that none of them was over 5’10,” Thomas said.

Emphasizing the interlocking nature of pass defense, Thomas was quick to add, “Pressure up front also makes those guys taller.”

We’ll just mention here that Deion Sanders was 6-foot-1. The average height of the pro bowl corner last season was 5-foot-11. But there is more to measure than just verticality.

They’re young too

The Falcons secondary may lack height, but at least it’s inexperienced.

The team this season opted not to bring back cornerback Domonique Foxworth and 13-year veteran safety Lawyer Milloy. It took three defensive backs in the first five rounds of the draft. Nine DBs currently on the roster have two or fewer years of experience.

Add a resume that is as humble as burlap, and Grimes is pretty much the symbol for the disadvantages of this group.

His is the kind of example of perseverance that is supposed to make fans stand up and cheer. Instead, he finds himself a centerpiece of the Falcons gravest concerns.

From the city league of Philadelphia, Grimes was considered too small to play anywhere famous, and went instead to Division II Shippensburg (Pa.) College. Coming out, he was considered too small to be drafted. Clinging as an undrafted free agent, he was considered too small to make a roster. Bouncing from Europe to the practice squad, Grimes broke into the Falcons lineup last season, appearing in 12 games, starting six, but was considered too small to be much more than a placeholder until someone more statuesque came along.

Once Thomas, too, was an undrafted free agent cornerback out of Where’s That U (more precisely, Bishop College in Dallas, class of 1966). He made it all the way to the NFL Hall of Fame as Kansas City’s career interception leader and a long, distinguished coaching career. He’d argue that Grimes’ climb to the NFL was “definitely harder than mine.”

“In my time, a free agent had a better chance of making a football team than his does now because of salary cap,” Thomas said. “When I played, they cut 1s, 2s, 3s (draft picks). Now, when a young man gets drafted in the first four rounds and he’s at your position, he’s usually going to be there. You have to be exceptionally good to get him out of there.”

Grimes always could run and jump exceptionally. He is a practice field legend, hurdling trash cans and carts last season when the momentum of a play took him that way. But those tall guys in the NFL are athletic, too.

“I hear about (size) all the time,” Grimes said. “I just try to go out there and prove I can play at this level.

“We have tall receivers here. I go against them every day, so I’m pretty used to it. It’s still a battle, you just got to be in position and make the plays. And there are some plays the offense is just going to make.”

In the end, fans don’t care about the inspiring backstory. They just want to see the secondary win a battle once in awhile.

So many questions

How this secondary shakes out is a real Maltese Falcon kind of mystery with the real season just a week away. Can the Falcons milk the best of the oft-injured Hill (who missed 20 games the last two seasons)? Will someone else step up – for instance, second-year Chevis Jackson? How fast can this unit grow up, and how much will it hurt?

Expect that the most experienced of the group – with six years in – to be the spokesman for these and other intrigues.

“I’m feeling very confident about (the season),” Coleman said. “We have a lot of young guys who are working hard. Every time we go out on the field, we’re learning stuff.

“Some guys learn from doing stuff on paper, some guys learn from our films. But a lot of times, guys learn from stuff happening.”

Oh, stuff definitely has happened. And more stuff is on the way. In this era of good feelings – the Falcons still possessing that new coach/quarterback/GM smell – it will not be easy playing the role of potential Achilles’ heel.

Coleman heard it all after the San Diego game and already has girded himself for more criticism as the season unfolds.

“That’s OK. We’ll take our hits when they come,” he said. “That’s part of the game.”

Then, providing the preseason’s signature understatement, he added, “Y’all aren’t always going to have something good to say about us.”