FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Falcons have plenty of athleticism in their defensive backfield. What they don’t have – safety Eric Coleman excepted – is a great deal of experience.
The Falcons added to that athleticism with a measure of experience on Tuesday with their acquisition of fourth-year cornerback Tye Hill from the St. Louis Rams.
Head Coach Mike Smith said the Falcons upgraded by adding Hill, the 15th overall pick in the 2006 Draft who had three interceptions in his rookie year but who has played only 12 games over the last two seasons because of injury.
However, Smith cautioned Hill is far behind the rest of his teammates in terms of learning the defense.
“Well, he’s going to be out here as quick as he can,” Smith said. “He’ll be here this evening and, of course, I don’t think it’s feasible that he’ll be able to play here this Thursday in the game. But we’ll get an opportunity to get him indoctrinated into how we do things.
“He’s got a lot of work to catch up. These guys have been working through about 1,700 scripted snaps and he hasn’t had them, so he’s going to have to learn. But he’s going to get an opportunity to come in here and compete.”
Among the roster moves that the Falcons made on Tuesday was to cut cornerback Von Hutchins. Hutchins, who spent all of the 2008 season on injured reserve, had one solo tackle and one assist in the first three preseason games.
Until Hill practices with the Falcons, it will remain unclear if the team will use him on the left side, where second-year man Brent Grimes is currently working with the first team, or on the right, where third-year player Chris Houston has been starting in the preseason.
Emmitt Thomas, the Falcons assistant head coach/secondary, said Hill is “an extremely fast, quick young man.”
“We’re excited about bringing him in and seeing if he can help us,” Thomas said of the Clemson product.
Thomas said the Falcons’ secondary is “young and inexperienced” but that they are learning.
“It takes a while, especially with everything geared towards the offense’s scoring, as far as when you can bump [receivers], what you let them get away with in terms of how much pushing,” Thomas said. “It also has to do with how much pressure you’re getting from the D-line, good drops by the linebackers...
“And we are inexperienced back there, but it came together last year with the leadership of Lawyer [Milloy] and [Domonique Foxworth] and got us a chance to get in the playoffs and I think as the season goes and they progress, they’ll get better.”
Last week Smith kept defensive starters in the game a bit longer than usual. With San Diego having amassed 255 passing yards in the first half, te coach said it was important for those players to regain some confidence.
“Coach was trying to get them to have a little confidence and a little success, which is very key in this day and time for these young men to have some confidence, especially in the secondary,” Thomas said. “Hopefully we can come out on Thursday and show we have confidence and make a few plays and get ready for next week.”
HARTSOCK CUT: Veteran tight end Ben Hartsock, who started 11 games last season, also was cut on Tuesday. Hartsock, who has only 27 catches in his five seasons, is primarily a blocker.
That leaves the Falcons with four tight ends on the roster: Tony Gonzalez, Justin Peelle, second-year man Keith Zinger, who spent all of last season on the practice squad, and fourth-year pro Jason Rader, who played five games with the team last year, starting once.
“I think [Zinger and Rader] are viable options,” Smith said. “I think it’s going to be very important for both those guys, Jason Rader and Keith Zinger, to play well in the game this week.”
The Falcons also released defensive tackle Willie Evans. Evans had one assisted tackle in the preseason.
HAVING A HEART: Starting on Monday the Falcons began wearing heart-shaped patches on their practice jerseys with the logo of Piedmont Heart Institute as part of a multi-year partnership that makes Piedmont Healthcare the Falcons’ “preferred healthcare provider.”
Piedmont Healthcare and the Falcons will develop a heart disease awareness campaign during this month.
Piedmont Healthcare also will be the title sponsor of the Atlanta Falcons Football Academy.
