FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Adam Jennings played a part in one of the biggest offensive plays in the Falcons 24-19 win over the Bengals Monday night.
The second-year wide receiver hauled in a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joey Harrington after weaving his way through Cincinnati's zone coverage. Yet, still eager to learn everything about the offense, he looked to get some in-game advice from Head Coach Bobby Petrino.
Petrino appreciated the effort, but not the timing.
"Adam has done a nice job for us," Petrino said. "One thing about Adam is that he’s going to work hard and give full effort every second out on the practice field. He has gotten to the position where I feel comfortable with him at receiver. He has shown that he can return both punts and kickoffs and he needs to come out and produce like he did the other night.
"I just told him that he needed to quit asking so many questions on the sideline when I'm trying to call a play. Other than that I think he's done a nice job for us."
Jennings and the coach get a chuckle about the exchange now as the team prepares for the preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens, but the receiver is anything but relaxed when he thinks of what it takes to make the team's 53-man roster.
"You are a guy on the bubble," Jennings said. "You know, somebody else can come out and have a huge game and all of a sudden you're not looking so good. You just have to go out, play as hard as you can, try to make all the plays that come your way and make the ones you're not capable of making at some points in the game."
The 5-foot-9 receiver out of Fresno State is also drawing praise from his quarterback.
"I think Adam Jennings is the type of guy that you love to have on your team," Harrington said. "He works incredibly hard. He is the type of guy who runs extremely hard every play. You know where he's going to be. He's consistent. He's a great worker. He's a great listener and learns. I would love to have Adam on this team."
Making the team is a quest that began more than three months ago. For some, it ends Saturday when the Falcons are required to make final roster cuts.
Jennings, who leads the team with nine catches for 113 yards and a touchdown this preseason, and the rest of the second and third string figure to get most, if not all, of the playing time Friday night against the Ravens. With it comes plenty opportunities to showcase talent.
Atlanta may be preparing on a short week (just 95 hours separate kickoff between preseason game No. 3 and No. 4), but Petrino said roster spots can be secured and lost in the final exhibition game -- even if coaches have less than a day to decide who must clean out his locker.
"When you look at the second and third string, there is still some evaluation to be done," Petrino said Wednesday. "I don’t want to single any guy out, but we definitely have a lot of evaluation to be done. I always tell them that you’re no just competing for a spot with guys in our locker room, but everybody playing in the preseason. We are evaluating guys on other teams, too, so that we can have the perfect players to fit our 53-man roster. So, they need to prepare and then go out and play well."
Petrino said he, President and General Manager Rich McKay and others in the player personnel department will meet after Friday's game and reconvene early Saturday morning to talk through the 22 cuts that must be made.
"Some guys have moved down and others have moved up, so it’s just non-stop evaluation," Petrino said. "We also try to judge who they are going against. But, I think the bottom line is that we are going to get the best 53 players we can."
The schedule hasn't done any favors for players on the bubble, especially when coaches spent some of the limited practice time this week preparing for the team's Week 1 game at Minnesota.
"It's going to be a fast turnaround," Jennings said. "We just have to get ready. We still have to make the football team. That's what we're going to try to do on Friday night. If you're not ready to go, you're probably not going to be on the football team. We all know that so we're getting as ready as we can get. Baltimore may have had more rest, but that's no excuse for us. We have to go out and win the game.
The Ravens lost 13-7 at Washington Saturday night. They will likely approach the fourth preseason games like most teams -- a chance for starters to rest and reserves to make their final case.
The Falcons sent the first-stringers to the conditioning field the past two days, opting to give running and weights some extra time. Petrino said Wednesday he was "leaning" toward keeping the No. 1 team out of the game entirely. Harrington agreed, saying all indications pointed to his playing time being limited.
So the door is open for players like Jennings, who relish every chance to get their names in front of decision makers.
"It's not a good idea, but we have to cram," he said when asked about the short week and the game's importance. "We have to go in there and watch what Baltimore does on defense, watch how their (defensive backs) play, watch their tendencies (and) go out there and make plays. If we don't make the plays, we're probably not on the football team.
"I want to be on the team. I think all the other guys want to be on the team, too."
ROSTER MOVES: Cuts aren't scheduled until Saturday, but the Falcons made two moves Thursday in releasing running back Sha-Ron Edwards and signing kicker Matt Prater.
Prater was with the Miami Dolphins, but was released Aug. 27. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent of the Detroit Lions in 2006. Prater appeared in 46 games at Central Florida and is tied for first in school history with 50 career field goals.
