Monday
The Falcons were back at practice on Monday, and head coach Mike Smith stressed that the offensive line has to improve, as they gave up six sacks on Saturday against the Titans.
Right tackle Lamar Holmes spoke on behalf of the O-line on Monday, and expressed the same sentiment as Smith, saying that the entire unit has to improve as a whole.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Harry Douglas said that he would be willing to serve as the punt returner for the entire season, like he did on Saturday, if that is what Smith wants him to do.
Other news from Monday includes Paul Worrilow moving up in the depth chart and the team waiving Rashad Evans, Marcus Johnson and Marcus Sales, all wide receivers.
Smith also announced that injured players, which includes Roddy White, Asante Samuel, Peria Jerry and Matt Bryant, will be back and ready to play for the team's first regular season game on Sept. 8.
Five Things We Learned from Monday includes Smith adding that punter Matt Bosher and defensive linemen Kroy Biermann and Corey Peters stood out at Saturday's game.
You can also check out Monday's Mailbag, which is focused on questions about the defense, and the photo gallery from that day here.
Tuesday
Smith said backups will have more playing time on Thursday than they have had in the previous preseason games, which gives them a better chance to compete as final cuts loom. This also means that starters will get less playing time against the Jaguars, so this makes the remaining practices before the regular season critical.
Final cuts will be made this weekend, and several players remain hopeful they'll make the 53 man roster. This includes rookie linebackers Brian Banks, who is continuing to put work towards making the roster and Joplo Bartu, who has "high hopes." For more from Banks, also read five things he thinks you should know about his teammates.
Five Things We Learned on Aug. 27 includes Smith praising the rookie linebackers for exceeding his expectations and the position battle at right tackle still not being settled. If you missed that day's practice photo gallery, you can find it here.
After a short week of practice, the Falcons will play their final preseason game against the Jaguars on Thursday. To further prepare yourself, listen to this week's FalconCast, where AtlantaFalcons.com's Jay Adams and Daniel Cox name a few players worth keeping an eye on. Kickoff at the Georgia Dome is set for 7:30 pm, and you can watch on CBS Atlanta. If you live out-of-market, you can watch the game online with Preseason Live.
