Falcons

queen · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:13 pm Post subject: Falcons

ATLANTA -- Several hours before the Falcons 24-19 win over the Cincinnati Bengals team Owner and CEO Arthur Blank declared a renewed focus on football. The words came in light of quarterback Michael Vick pleading guilty to federal charges in a Richmond, Va. courthouse.

About eight hours after Blank said his team would "move on," a new quarterback made his Georgia Dome debut.

And he didn't disappoint.

Joey Harrington was 13-of-21 passing for 164 yards in his most extensive action of the preseason, leading the Falcons on two touchdown drives and bringing his own form of fire to the field.

“That was a good win for us," Head Coach Bobby Petrino said. "It was really a good week of preparation for us. I liked the way our players attacked the week. I liked the way they participated in the meetings. I liked the way we practiced all week long. I think they got themselves ready to play. It was important for them to come out and play well on national television. We certainly didn’t do everything right, but we did get the win. I felt good about the way we played in the first half.”

The Falcons defense, however, had the first chance to zero in on football as the team took the national stage on Monday Night Football.

The Bengals started backed up at their own 6, but broke loose with a 16-yard completion from Carson Palmer to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and a 33-yard run by running back Rudi Johnson.

But Cincinnati would gain just one more yard on the opening drive, punting the ball to Harrington and the Falcons offense.

Atlanta ran just three plays on its first possession, but bounced back for a 10-play, 80-yard drive for a touchdown midway through the first period. Harrington was 5-of-5 for 75 yards on the drive (6-of-6 in the first quarter), including a 28-yard scoring toss to Adam Jennings with 3:28 remaining in the opening quarter.

"He did well going over our checks -- what we're going to get in and out of," Pro Bowl tight end Alge Crumpler said of Harrington. "It was so much easier when we were out playing the game today."

Harrington stood tall in the pocket on the scoring toss, making an impression with his patience -- Jennings was not the first, second or third read. Harrington scanned the field and found Jennings, who broke free from coverage at the last moment.

“It was nice to play well for our fans because it does something for your confidence," Harrington said. "We had spurts in our first two games on the road. We had things to build on but also to work on. We came out tonight at home and made some good plays out there.”

The drive was also highlighted by Crumpler, who made his first start of the preseason after missing time recovering from knee surgery. Crumpler finished the game with two catches for 15 yards, including a first-down grab on the first scoring drive that included a helmet-lowering move that knocked safety Dexter Jackson backwards and out of the game.

"I love to play," Crumpler said. "I'm not a great spectator. I love playing the game of football. Getting out there was encouraging to my teammates. You could see it in their eyes in the huddle. I could feel the crowd again and made a few plays.

"I'm going to try to get the first down. I'm never going to run out of bounds. I'm a big guy. I hope Dexter is OK. I know he's a great player. I went over and made sure I talked to him after that. That's just football. We're all going to take our shots. We're all going to take our licks."

The first-team defense held the Bengals scoreless for the rest of the first quarter thanks, in part, to aggressive play along the defensive line. Defensive end John Abraham threw Rudi Johnson for a 4-yard loss on the game's opening drive and rookie Jamaal Anderson picked up two sacks in the game (one of four total for the Falcons defense).

Harrington also led a second-quarter touchdown drive capped by a touchdown pass to running back Jerious Norwood. He returned after halftime to pilot the offense down field for a 37-yard Billy Cundiff field goal and a 17-13 lead before handing the keys to backup Chris Redman.

Palmer threw two touchdown passes on the Falcons defense -- one to Chad Johnson and one to tight end Daniel Coats as he completed 15-of-22 passes for 136 yards on the Falcons first-team defense.

But the Bengals were held scoreless again in the third quarter, mostly because of defensive pressure and ball control. The Falcons held the ball for 12:10 of the third quarter and scored another touchdown -- a 1-yard run by fullback Ovie Mughelli -- to take a 24-23 lead.

“I felt great," Redman said. "I thought both Joey and myself had good games. Obviously, there are some things we need to improve on. We missed some checks in the running game that we normally don’t miss. There’s definitely room for improvement, but for a group, I thought we played pretty well. We just need to keep getting ready and keep getting better.”

Cincinnati would score again on a 58-yard catch and run by Chris Henry, but the Falcons would control the clock for the rest of the game. The team used the time to work some new players into the rotation, including quarterback Casey Bramlet and defensive end Nic Clemons, who recorded a fourth-quarter interception off Bengals backup Doug Johnson.

The Falcons (2-1) will host the Baltimore Ravens in the preseason finale Friday night back at the Georgia Dome.

INJURY UPDATE: Running back Warrick Dunn left the game in the first quarter favoring his ankle.

“The plan for Warrick was to treat it like it was his first preseason game, which it was," Petrino said. "We wanted him to play the first quarter and get him six to eight carries and maybe 15 or 16 plays. He was ready to come back in the game. He told me he felt rusty and would like to get the ball a couple of more times, but it was time to shut him down and get him ready for Minnesota. We need Warrick back there. He provides a comfort level for me and everybody else because he knows exactly how to play the position. He is going to make some great plays for us.”
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