FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- While others hit the beach or found a quiet spot to relax over the bye week, tackle Quinn Ojinnaka spent extra time studying film. He did so to prepare -- and perhaps get a bit of an edge -- for his first NFL start.
The second-year pro moved to the top of the depth chart at left tackle after Renardo Foster suffered a season-ending knee injury at New Orleans Oct. 21. He said he's ready for action and the 49ers aggressive, 3-4 defense.
"They blitz a lot," Ojinnaka said. "You never know where they're coming from. If we pick all that up I think we'll get some holes and make some plays. I feel like we're going to do a good job picking it up."
Ojinnaka (6-5, 292 pounds) started 23 games in four years at Syracuse and played in 11 games for the Falcons last season. He has few specific concerns about facing a 3-4 defense, which allows teams to bring linebackers off the edge and sometimes create more complicated blitz schemes.
"It's about the same thing because, if you look at their linebackers, they're just as big as regular, 4-3 defensive ends," he said.
Ojinnaka will likely line up across from San Francisco defensive end Marques Douglas, who is fourth on the team with 48 tackles (2.5 sacks).
"I've been watching the film trying to see the guy across from me and see what he likes to do and what his favorite move is," Ojinnaka said. "I think that right there is going to help me out when I'm actually lined up in front of him."
"His preparations have went really well," added Head Coach Bobby Petrino. "He's in to it (and) understands his assignments. He has been sitting there and waiting for this opportunity for a long time and he's handled it very maturely.
"I think he'll be all right. He played a lot in preseason. He goes against good guys in practice every day. He just needs to make sure he focuses on one play at a time, utilizes his technique and communicates with the guys next to him."
FRESH START: The Falcons got just three days off on the bye week but it was enough for the squad to develop a fresh outlook on the nine games remaining in the regular season.
"Everybody is motivated and we're ready to go," wide receiver Roddy White said Wednesday.
Quarterback Joey Harrington played on a Dolphins team last season that won four straight games after its bye week to get back to .500 for the season.
"It's very possible especially on this team because, with the exception of the New York game, there hasn't been a game that we've been out of," Harrington said. "We've had a chance to win every game. It's not like we're trying to make huge strides in one week off. We just need to regroup."
Veteran running back Warrick Dunn said he kept a low profile during the bye week in hopes of recharging his body. He also got a peace of mind that he hopes gets passed around the locker room.
"I think, because of so much that was going on, guys needed that break to recoup a little bit, get fresh and probably motivate themselves again," Dunn said. "This is a new season. The record is 1-6 but we can still go out, play hard (and) play well. Let's win the next game. If we can do that, hopefully things start to turn around... What you do on Sundays shows a lot. I think guys have to go out and continue to play hard and leave it on the field. If guys do that, hopefully we'll finally get that big break and it turns it around for us."
INJURY REPORT: Defensive lineman Montavious Stanley left practice Wednesday with a knee injury. Petrino said the 308-pound tackle underwent an MRI, but results weren't available Wednesday afternoon. Stanley has 11 tackles this season, but has been inactive for the team's last two games.
"The doctor's opinion was encouraging," Petrino said.
Defensive end John Abraham missed practice due to an illness. Petrino said the lineman and linebacker Michael Boley (ankle) could return to the field as early as tomorrow. Stephen Nicholas (ankle) and Todd Weiner (knee) also returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis.
Click here for the injury report.
TICKETS AVAILABLE: A limited number of single-game tickets are on sale for Sunday’s NFC match up against the 49ers. In the event the tickets remain unsold by Thursday at 1 p.m. EST, the game will be subject to NFL blackout rules and will not be shown locally in Atlanta.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets can log on to www.ticketmaster.com or can call Ticketmaster at 1-800-326-4000.
