How Matt Ryan has Influenced Falcons Preseason Plans
The Atlanta Falcons will face the Cleveland Browns Sunday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for their final preseason game.
The projected Falcons starters have seen limited playing time in Atlanta's first two games, and with just one more opportunity for a tune-up before the September 12th season-opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, it's still unclear how much time the Falcons' starters will see on Sunday.
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Head coach Arthur Smith discussed his timeline for making a decision on the lineups for the game against the Browns.
"Probably Saturday," Smith answered when asked when he would decide on playing time for starters. "We're still in training camp mode. We've also adjusted the schedule to get us in a little bit of a rhythm, what the regular season week would look like."
Smith acknowledged that similar to the first two preseason games, the final game against the Browns will be more about personnel evaluation than game planning. The Falcons, like all NFL teams, must trim their rosters from 80 players to 53 by Tuesday.
"We're not going too crazy with the game plan. I don't think we'll see a lot of teams do that," Smith said. "We've got to make a lot of decisions by Tuesday.."
Smith is in his first year with the Falcons. He and new defensive coordinator Dean Pees have been installing new schemes on both sides of the ball. Smith understands the balance between learning a new offense and defense and building the roster.
"That's under consideration," Smith answered when asked about starters getting live game reps in new schemes. "Our objective has been to make sure we get guys evaluated, try to build depth with the young guys."
Having veteran quarterback Matt Ryan on the team has certainly influenced Smith's preseason plans. Ryan is in his 14th NFL season and will acclimate to Smith's offense quickly.
"If we had a younger quarterback situation, maybe I'd be a little more concerned. I'm not really concerned with Matt. And that's dictating our decision here in Atlanta," Smith said.
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Ryan, along with nearly all of Atlanta's projected starters, have yet to play a down in the preseason. Smith said he would decide on Saturday how much time Atlanta's projected starters would see against the Browns on Sunday.
There's only one certainty thus far in Atlanta's preseason: the team that lines up against the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener will look vastly different than the personnel that has played the first two preseason games.
