gazoo Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 The FalcoholicBy The DWhttp://www.thefalcoholic.com/2015/8/19/9167151/falcons-training-camp-2015-state-of-the-secondaryOne would be forgiven if you didn't believe that the Falcons defensive secondary could be a strength going into the 2015 season. After all, this is the unit that gave up a ton of yards in 2014 and seemed to struggle to find consistency throughout the season. However, a deeper look at the 2015 Falcons reveals a team with some depth and some good options across the board. This is a unit that could fare much better this year and has some very intriguing young players that could end up being building blocks for this defense.The VeteransThis defensive secondary is anchored by veteran strong safety William Moore. Moore has seen his fair share of injuries over his career, but appears to be as healthy as ever coming into camp. In fact, he's dropped his playing weight and appears to be moving very well on the field. In Quinn's defense, he'll be asked to play in the box far more often and he's stated that he has a renewed focus on making sure he tackles guys instead of always going for the big hits. If he can stay healthy, Moore can thrive in this system and is a critical piece going forward.On the edge is the criminally underrated Desmond Trufant. Tru has been a revelation since coming to Atlanta, and his performance in camp has only cemented the thought that this will be the year that the rest of the NFL will take notice. Trufant is not only turning into a top-5 corner, he may be in the conversation as one of the few true shutdown corners in the league. He's repeatedly demonstrated his fantastic speed and impeccable mechanics throughout camp, even intercepting Matt Ryan in the early days of the summer. He's going to be a cornerstone of this defense for a very long time.Trufant's draft mate, Robert Alford, is looking to take the next step in his development. While he has not had the same level of success that Trufant has had, Alford is progressing well and the new coaching staff has been pleased with his performance in camp. There was some initial thought that Alford could be supplanted by newly drafted Jalen Collins, but that talk has subsided as Alford has had a very strong camp while Collins has struggled. Alford is a bit of a wild card, but if he can stay consistent this year, he could be another great building block for this defense.The New GuysThe Falcons surprised quite a few people when they drafted Jalen Collins in the second round of this year's draft. The 6'2" corner was seen as a project player with tremendous upside and is definitely a model of the type of corner that Dan Quinn likes to deploy. However, early injuries and missing some time at OTAs has cost Collins and his development has not accelerated as quickly as hoped. Collins may still see some time on the field in nickel or dime sets, but he's not likely to secure a starting position this year.Phillip Adams is a journeyman corner that has impressed throughout training camp. He's gotten considerable time with the first team defense and looks poised to secure a role in the sub packages on the team. At just 27 years old, he can fill a role for a couple of years while some of the younger players are given time to develop.The SurprisesOf all the players who have surprised this offseason, perhaps no one has surprised more than Ricardo Allen. The fifth round pick from a year ago - who was surprisingly cut and put on the practice squad - has emerged as the favorite to start at free safety, a position he hasn't played before. Allen has done nothing but impress the coaches and his teammates throughout camp. While he still has some growing to do in the position, the early returns have been very promising.Another player who has emerged in training camp is un-drafted free agent Kevin White. The corner out of TCU - who was once thought to be a potential day 2 pick in the draft - surprised many people when he went undrafted. Well, the early indications are that White can carve a role out for himself on this team, possibly even making the 53-man roster. There is still plenty of football left to be played, but White is a name to pay attention to as we go into the next few preseason games.The ConcernsComing into camp, many people felt that the free safety position was Charles Godfrey's to lose. The tone in camp changed early when Ricardo Allen emerged and Godfrey has quickly disappeared into the background. His performance against the Titans was not good and there are questions over whether he's a good fit for what Dan Quinn is looking for in a free safety. He's a name to monitor over the coming weeks.Likewise, 2014 third round pick Dezmen Southward has struggled in his transition to corner. His game against the Titans left many people concerned about whether he could make the transition successfully. Secondary coach Marquand Manuel told our own Jeanna Thomas that Southward has the tools and the speed and length to play the position, but he has to put it together on the field. If Southward can't put it together in the next few preseason games, his position on the 53-man roster may be in serious jeopardy.Final WordsAs you can see, there are a lot of questions remaining in the defensive secondary - but those question are indicative of some fierce competitions in camp. With guys like Adams and White stepping up, and Allen emerging into the starting free safety role, there are reasons to be optimistic about the long-term potential of this group. If the secondary can continue to progress in camp and through the preseason, this could end up being a strength of this defense not only this year, but for years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRUNKuno Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Artical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macintez Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 ArticalMuch Art, Such Ical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Mo Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Partical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbabygrady Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 why not just keep Southward as a backup safety? we have a ton of CBs and Moore probably won't play 16 games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Diesel Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Nice articalAt this point, I'm comfortable with the starting secondary of Rico, WillyMo, Tru, Alf, and even Adams at NB. Ish has shown he is more than capable reserve safety; however, should one of the corners go down, our depth is questionable at best. Surely, Collins or Southward will make strides with a little experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 why not just keep Southward as a backup safety? we have a ton of CBs and Moore probably won't play 16 games it's possible he just doesn't have the skill set to play either safety or cornerback in Quinn's system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Nice articalAt this point, I'm comfortable with the starting secondary with Rico, WillyMo, Tru, Alf, and even Adams at NB. Ish has shown he is more than capable reserve safety; however, should one of the corners go down, our depth is questionable at best. Surely, Collins or Southward will make strides with a little experience.I really liked what I saw from Ish last year, he should do well at SS in our attack defenseAdams has looked good, I think the strength of our secondary will be predicated on how much better Alford can get. If he comes out of preseason balling this year, the secondary as a group will be stout. Even if WillyMoFo goes down, I think Ish will be solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerSteve Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 ArticalAfter reading said artical, I feel way more smartical. Thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theProf Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Gazoo just a heads-up. You can edit the title or subtitle of a topic thread if you are the OP. Just go to your initial post in the topic thread, click on Edit, then click on "Use Full Editor" at the bottom of the screen, which brings up your title line and subtitle line for editing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaMeatTroughsEgo Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Is the writer of the article that guy who used to post here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead1956 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Good read, Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuggle'2 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 TATF, where spelling mistakes don't die, they become part of the everyday language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capologist Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 shartical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Gazoo just a heads-up. You can edit the title or subtitle of a topic thread if you are the OP. Just go to your initial post in the topic thread, click on Edit, then click on "Use Full Editor" at the bottom of the screen, which brings up your title line and subtitle line for editing.Thanks Prof, I actually did that on purpose. If you recall, last year someone had "Artical" in a title and it became legendary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 TATF, where spelling mistakes don't die, they become part of the everyday language.Exactly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoo Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Is the writer of the article that guy who used to post here? you may be right, could be TheDirtyWordII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjerry Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 TATF, where spelling mistakes don't die, they become part of the everyday language. Admittedly, I still go back and read the old one from time to time. It's easily found just by searching artical and Falcons in google. It's still funny to this day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOVAFalconFan Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 After reading said artical, I feel way more smartical. Thanks for posting.I'm Spardicas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuggle'2 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 you may be right, could be TheDirtyWordIII thought this at one point, but I have my doubts. The DW on TheFalcholic is very nice and accepts any and all criticisms that come his way. He will talk about anything. TheDirtyWordII, well not so much. I like his stuff, but oh man he doesn't like when people question it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulitik Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 This thread is like a punch in the Testicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwifalcon Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I really liked what I saw from Ish last year, he should do well at SS in our attack defenseAdams has looked good, I think the strength of our secondary will be predicated on how much better Alford can get. If he comes out of preseason balling this year, the secondary as a group will be stout. Even if WillyMoFo goes down, I think Ish will be solid.I actually think the performances of White & Adams have been a heaven send with Southward and Collins not performing as expected thank god for the fore mentioned.The FS play of Allen is also a heaven send as know one had any idea at the beginning of pre-season who that would be and the mentioned has stepped up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHALCONABERNATHY Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Lol @ ardical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nono Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) Ride Marta its "Smartical" Edited August 20, 2015 by Nono Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Flare Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Did someone beat me to fartical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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