Mostly reserves trying to make a lasting impression before cut-down day led the way as the Falcons defeated the Jaguars 31-12 in Thursday night’s exhibition at TIAA Bank Field.
The victory snapped a 12-game exhibition season losing streak that dated back to Sept. 1, 2016.
The backups, with 35 players being held out of the game for mostly precautionary reasons, jumped out to a 21-3 lead and held on for the victory.
Here are five things we learned in the game:
1. McGary has strong debut: Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he planned to play rookie right tackle Kaleb McGary if the doctors granted permission. Well, that meeting with the doctors went well. McGary, who had a cardiac heart ablation procedure on July 31, started and played the first half, which included 39 offensive snaps.
“He was so excited to get going and I was too,” Quinn said. “I was ready to watch him. He put out good work in practice this week. Anytime that you (must) have a layoff in the middle of your most busy work time, it’s hard, especially when you are a rookie and trying to get acclimated into it. For him to come back, he was really ready to go.”
McGary held up well against Jacksonville defensive end Datone Jones, linebacker Leon Jacobs and defensive tackle Michael Hughes. He had only one apparent break down, but ended up walling off a side for quarterback Danny Etling to escape from a collapsed pocket.
“It was awesome to play football again,” McGary said. “I missed it and I got to do it with my brothers. It’s hard to beat that. It’s hard to beat it.”
Now, the only issue is did the Falcons see enough to start McGary over Ty Sambrailo in the season opener against the Vikings.
2. Ollison can play fullback: The Falcons used running back Qadree Ollison at fullback in the I-formation in the first half.
Ricky Ortiz, the only player listed at fullback on the official depth, was held out of the game with an ankle injury. After Ollison was drafted, the Falcons insisted he was a running back. Running backs coach Dave Brock later confirmed he was a running back, but with Ortiz out he played some fullback.
Ollison, a fifth-round pick from Pittsburgh, scored the first touchdown on a nifty 9-yard run in the first quarter. He rushed for 51 yards on 14 carries.
On one of his plays at fullback, he got a nice lead block.
“That was by design that we’d get him some work at fullback,” Quinn said. “I thought he answered the challenge.”
3. Etling worth developing: Etling, who the Falcons claimed off waivers from the Patriots on Aug. 14, was much more composed in his second performance.
Etling, working with 10 to 12 plays he mastered, completed 15 of 25 passes for 174 yards for a touchdown. He finished with a respectable 94.4 passer rating.
He also rushed 10 times for 67 yards to help keep drives alive.
Last week against the Redskins, he relied too much on his feet. Against the Jaguars he ran only when was in trouble.
He directed the Falcons to three touchdown drives in the first half and got them in range for a 53-yard field goal attempt that was missed by Giorgio Tavecchio.
“Getting down in the red zone and scoring, that’s so big,” Quinn said. “Keeping plays alive is something that we saw from him at LSU and a little bit last week.”
After quarterback Matt Simms was injured, the Falcons claimed Etling. He had to learn the offense on the fly over the past two weeks.
“That’s a fast transition for him,” Quinn said.
4. Tavecchio likely headed to the unemployment line: Tavecchio's struggles continued. He missed a 53-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter. The kick had the distance, but was wide left.
He made 4 of 9 field goal attempts.
Blair Walsh, who was signed Sunday to compete with Tavecchio, made a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter.
“We had a lot of faith in Giorgio last year,” Quinn said. “He was 5 for 5 when ‘Miracle Matt’ (Bryant) was injured. We haven’t hit the same mark this year. That’s what prompted, for weeks now, us looking and evaluating.
“That’s why Blair came in as well. That’s part of the process when you don’t make the mark. I wouldn’t saw we lost faith, but our first experience with him was an excellent one. Right now, we are not hitting on the same stride. That’s what prompted the looking.”
The Falcons have a decision to make at the position as Bryant is set to have a tryout with the team on Friday. Barring a horrible workout, the team appears set to reunite with the 44-year-old kicker, who was with the team over the past 10 seasons.
“Trust me, the workout, especially at his position, it’s not going to be an all-day affair,” Quinn said. “He’s not going to be running 40s or anything like that like you normally do. I’m sure he’ll break a sweat.”
5. Brooks-James could get scooped up by another team: Falcons running back Tony Brooks-James broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He rushed 15 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
He put a nice stiff-arm on Jacksonville cornerback Picasso Nelson, let another player run by him with a stutter-step and he picked up down-the-field hustle blocks from tight ends Jaeden Graham and Logan Paulsen.
The Falcons didn’t dress running backs Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith. Ollison, Brian Hill and Kenjon Barner are likely to make the team.
Brooks-James, who played at Oregon, probably did enough to impress another team.
“The speed,” Quinn said of Books-James. “Sometimes you’re looking for traits at a position and there were a number of guys who showed traits at their positions today whether if it was special teams, offensively or defensively. It was good to see him go.”
About the Author
