Falcons' pass rush prayers answered?

ATLANTA - It is with great pleasure that I take a break from home confinement and rationing toilet paper to talk about the Falcons’ recent acquisitions, Defensive End, Dante Fowler and Tight End, Hayden Hurst.  

It’s no secret, the Falcons have been desperate for a consistent pass rush for a while now —a long while. So, anyone with a warm body and any sort of sack reputation is going to sound like the second coming of Bruce Smith.  

So, is Dante Fowler the answer to our pass rush prayers? Is Fowler the guy we’ve been waiting for?

Dante Fowler is coming off an 11-1/2 sack season for the Rams (the Falcons defense recorded only 28 sacks to rank at the bottom of the NFL).  Three of those came against the Falcons last October when he destroyed our offensive tackles. He finished that game with seven tackles, three sacks, three tackles for losses and four quarterback hits.  

Matt Ryan would probably says, “YES!”  He’s THE ONE!”

But after Vic Beasley’s mostly disappointing five seasons in Atlanta I am not ready to proclaim anyone Sack Savior —yet.  Fowler has also had bouts of inconsistency. Ironically, he and Beasley were the 3rd (picked by Jacksonville) and 8th overall picks, respectively, of the 2015 draft.  But the Jaguars didn’t wait as long as the Falcons did with Beasley. They shipped him off to the Rams after three seasons.

He’s only 25 years old and has a built-in connection with Dan Quinn, who coached him at the University of Florida.

Fowler is a very nice pass rusher but I want to see the proof on the field and whether Quinn and his staff will put him in the right situations to succeed.

Fans and highlight shows like to put spotlights on individual players. Players like it, of course, because it can turn into more money. But football is the ultimate team sport. Everyone has to be on the same page. A pass rusher gets all the glory. But he’s only as good as the guys around him.

In L.A., Fowler played with Aaron Donald and Clay Matthews. He wasn’t the only threat.

We can expect the usual, quality push from the middle of the line from Grady Jarrett. So, imagine if consistent pressure was coming from the edges! How good would Grady be then? How good would everyone else be!

In other words, it is also time for Takk McKinley to step up and be a force from the other end position. If he has a good year, Fowler will have a great year.

Having played the tight end position, I am one of those who believe they never get the ball thrown to them enough!

Hayden Hurst should be a guy Matt Ryan will find often. He’ll be easy to find at 6’5” with lots of long red hair!

The knock on him is that he wasn’t even the best tight end on the Baltimore Ravens. But there is something to be said for athleticism. Hurst was a pitcher in the Pirates organization. He could see a career coming out party with the pass happy Falcons.

Worth a 2nd round pick? Probably not. But again, in the Falcons offense he could quickly become a go-to guy for Ryan. An athletic tight end can play anywhere on the field. Our Justin Felder spoke with Hurst Thursday afternoon. Hurst said he's back home in Jacksonville working out in his garage, trying to stay in shape during the NFL-mandated COVID-19 down time. 

Please keep it coming Falcons. Anything to keep myself connected to sports during my confinement!