FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Quarterback Byron Leftwich will start for the Falcons Sunday in New Orleans, Head Coach Bobby Petrino said Wednesday.
Leftwich replaces Joey Harrington, who threw four touchdowns in the Falcons first six games. Leftwich saw action in the closing minutes of the Falcons Week 5 loss at Tennessee completing 2-of-8 passes for 28 yards and an interception, but hasn't started a game in the NFL since Oct. 22, 2006 when he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"We're going to go with Byron," Petrino said moments after practice. "We decided to make the change. We're 1-5 and just didn't feel good about some of the things we did (on offense), particularly after turnovers. So, we're making the change."
The coach described the change as "permanent" and said Leftwich has picked up the offense quickly, despite signing with the Falcons Sept. 18 and missing time last week with a tweaked ankle.
"He's coming along with it," Petrino said. "I wish he would have got all those reps last week that he missed with the ankle injury but the ankle feels good and that's a good thing."
Petrino said he spoke with Harrington and No. 3 quarterback Chris Redman personally Wednesday morning. Harrington was unavailable for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Always jovial, Leftwich normally has a smile on his face. He seemed extra excited in light of the news, however.
"Football has really been taken away from me the past month and a half," Leftwich said, reflecting on his abrupt release by the Jaguars on Sept. 1. "It just seems like it's a new feeling now. It's all fun again."
Leftwich spent four years as the Jaguars starter after the team made him the seventh overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. In that time, he posted a 24-20 record and threw for more than 9,000 yards and connected on 51 touchdown passes.
He now gets a chance to recreate some of that consistency in Atlanta.
"You want to have the week to prepare," Leftwich said. "You want to have that week where you're the guy in the huddle and you're the voice they're hearing. That gives you a better opportunity to be successful on Sunday. When I got the news I was happy."
He talked earlier in the season about getting a fresh start with the Falcons and leaving his injury history in Florida. The quarterback missed 15 games over the last two seasons, including the last 10 games of 2006 with a nagging ankle injury. Before the injury, Leftwich completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,159 yards and seven touchdowns.
Questions have also swirled about his ability to pick up the Falcons offense quickly. That became a moot point as Leftwich started working with quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, who spent time as the quarterback's offensive coordinator in Jacksonville.
"It's not different, it's just learning the way (Petrino) wants to call (the offense)," Leftwich said. "Some of the plays are very similar; some of them are the same. It's just how you call it. It might be a totally different language. It's like (going from) Spanish to Chinese... I've been speaking Spanish all my life and now I have to learn Chinese in three weeks."
Musgrave has been his translator.
Of course, Leftwich isn't the only person behnid the Falcons offense success. Teammates were supportive of the signal caller Wednesday, with Joe Horn saying he and others must do their part to make Leftwich shine in a new system.
"I love Joey Harrington; I love Byron Leftwich," Horn said when asked about the switch. "Everyone gets an opportunity in this league to play football and now it's Byron's turn. Now I'm going to ride with Byron until the wheels fall off...
"If we drop balls and the line doesn't block, what's the need of Byron starting anyway? We all have to have a conscious effort to help this football team win.
FILM REVIEW: Petrino got a chance to review the play of the team's two new offensive tackles Renardo Foster and Tyson Clabo on film since Monday night's loss to the Giants and was pleased with their effort.
"Those are two pretty good players they went again," Petrino said, referring to defensive ends Osi Umeniyora and Michael Strahan. "The greatest thing is they both battled. They worked hard on their technique. I thought they did a pretty good job considering all the situations. Certainly we'll look to see improvement this week, but the thing I like most about them is they both really battled (and) really competed."
The Giants dropped Harrington four times Monday night, with Umenyiora and Strahan combining for one-half sack.
INJURY REPORT: Six Falcons players missed practice Wednesday -- Jonathan Babineaux (knee), Rod Coleman (knee), Alge Crumpler (knee/ankle), Corey McIntyre (hamstring), Stephen Nicholas (ankle) and Todd Weiner (knee).
Weiner will not play as he recovers from knee surgery.
Petrino said most players were sore from the late game Monday, and expressed more concern with McIntyre's hamstring injury than any other.
Click here for the weekly injury report.
