When the Falcons face the Colts, you would not expect to be more worried about their running game than their air attack. But with Marvin Harrison, Anthony Moorhead and potentially Anthony Gonzalez out, the Colts passing game is pretty banged up while Joseph Addai has been running wild all season.
And the Falcons' defensive line is even more banged up than the Colts receivers. The Falcons placed starting defensive tackles Trey Lewis and Rod Coleman on injured reserve yesterday. Throw in Bobby Petrino's stupid decision to waive starting tackle Grady Jackson last month and the Falcons will go into the rest of the season with their No. 4 and No. 5 defensive tackles, Montavious Staley and Jonathan Babineaux as the starters and street free agents as the backups.
Fresh off the team's first win of the season and Joey Harrington's maturation into a solid NFL quarterback (much to Byron Leftwich's dismay), the Falcons got another dose of good news on Wednesday when Rod Coleman returned to practice.
The defensive tackle is continually one of the most underrated players in the league. If he can step back on the field he would immediately help the Falcons pass rush while also giving offensive linemen fits in the running game. It's not clear if Coleman will be ready to play this week or whether he'll need a couple of more weeks to recover from a broken kneecap, but with rookie Trey Lewis filling in for Coleman's backup Jonathan Babineaux, the Falcons could use Coleman as soon as he can get out there.
Coleman is much better as a pass rusher than he is as a run stopper, and in the opener against the Vikings, stopping the running attack of Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson will be paramount. So the Falcons won't miss Coleman too much on Sunday.
But overall, the health of the middle of the defensive line is perhaps the biggest question (well, other than quarterback) on the Falcons' roster. Nose man Grady Jackson is suffering from back spasms and is 34 years old and 350 pounds, so he can't be counted on for durability. If Jackson misses time, the Falcons will be stuck with Jonathan Babineaux and rookie sixth-round pick Trey Lewis as the starting tackles. That's not a recipe for success.
Although it's unconfirmed at the moment, Pro Football Talk is reporting that Falcons defensive tackle Rod Colemansuffered a serious knee injury in practice on Thursday and may be out for the season.
A source tells us that there is a rumor making that rounds that Falcons defensive tackle Rod Coleman suffered a serious knee injury during practice on Thursday.
The talk is that Coleman will undergo surgery on Friday, and could be lost for the season, and possibly longer.
According to various Atlanta publications, Coleman was limited in practice on Thursday due to a quadriceps injury and would not play this Sunday against the Vikings. However, none of the papers mentioned anything about him suffering a new, unrelated injury that would force him to miss the season.
Either way, this is horrible news for the Falcons. Coleman is arguably the best interior lineman in the game today, and he's irreplaceable. Whether it is one game or all 16, it will be damaging to Atlanta and their defense.
Reminder: Please make sure to note that PFT stated this was a rumor. In no way did they suggest this report was 100% accurate.
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
If you notice anyone missing on this injury report, I encourage you to let me know. Leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail and I will promptly update the report. Again, this is strictly for the fans (see: yours truly) who want to know what players will be on the field tonight.
Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino is not overly optimistic about the health of defensive tackle Rod Coleman. In fact, he thinks that Coleman may be out until week four of the regular season.
This is not the kind of news Falcons fans want to hear prior to the team holding mandatory minicamp. But on the bright side, Petrino also said that he expected linebacker Demorrio Williams to be ready for the season opener.
It's been quite a negative offseason in Atlanta so far. Hopefully by the time week four rolls around the team will be at full strength and all of this negativity will be behind them.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I certainly have some for Falcons fans today. The fall from cloud nine after an exceptional NFL Draft is going to hurt, so brace yourselves.
Pro Bowl defensive end Rod Coleman recently underwent surgery to repair his ruptured right quadriceps. The injury occurred during a freak boating accident over the weekend. It is reported that Coleman could miss anywhere from three-to-five months and in a worst case scenario, possibly even longer.
As if that news wasn't bad enough, linebacker Demorrio Williams tore his pectoral muscle while weight lifting and could begin the year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. In the interim, it is expected that Jonathan Babineaux will be used to fill in for him.
Bad news all around here. Hopefully both of these top NFL talents will heal faster than expected.
When the Falcons face the Colts, you would not expect to be more worried about their running game than their air attack. But with Marvin Harrison, Anthony Moorhead and potentially Anthony Gonzalez out, the Colts passing game is pretty banged up while Joseph Addai has been running wild all season.
Fresh off the team's first win of the season and Joey Harrington's maturation into a solid NFL quarterback (much to Byron Leftwich's dismay), the Falcons got another dose of good news on Wednesday 
Although it's unconfirmed at the moment, Pro Football Talk is reporting that Falcons defensive tackle 
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino is not overly optimistic about the health of defensive tackle Rod Coleman. In fact, he thinks that Coleman 
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I certainly have some for Falcons fans today. The fall from cloud nine after an 
