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| The Falcons are discussing a new deal for Domonique Foxworth, according to the Denver Post. |
Our View: The cornerback stepped up for the Falcons this season while helping lead them to the playoffs. |
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| The Arizona Cardinals got great jumps on rookie Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan not only because he didn't vary the snap count, but because the Cardinals noticed the signal-caller raised a heel before the snap, according to the Arizona Republic. |
Our View: Nice job by the Cardinals to pick that up. The team had a few offsides penalties, but were getting noticeably good jumps off the line all day. |
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| Falcons head coach Mike Smith won the AP 2008 NFL Coach of the Year award on Sunday, according to the Houston Chronicle. He edged Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano by one vote. |
Our View: Smith took a 4-12 club and took them to an 11-5 record with a rookie quarterback. No matter who won the award between Smith and Sparano, either coach would've been very deserving. |
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| Roddy White fared well in Saturday's 30-24 loss to the Cardinals in the opening round of the playoffs, as he hauled in a game-high 11 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. |
Our View: The Falcons crashed and burned tonight, but White was a lone bright spot offensively. |
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| Michael Turner was shut down by the Cardinals in Saturday's 30-24 loss, as he was limited to 42 rushing yards on 18 attempts. He managed to reach the endzone on a seven-yard scamper. |
Our View: Turner's season came to a disappointing end tonight, but he has plenty to be excited about for 2009 as he finished second in the NFL with 1,699 rushing yards, while scoring 17 touchdowns. He will surely be a high first-round fantasy pick. |
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| Rookie Matt Ryan struggled in Saturday's 30-24 loss to the Cardinals, as he completed 26-of-40 passes for 199 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions. He was sacked three times, one of which resulted in a safety. |
Our View: The Offensive Rookie of the Year was rattled in the desert in his first playoff game, but has a bright future ahead of him and the Falcons are on the rise. |
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| Domonique Foxworth exited Saturday's playoff game against Arizona in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury, according to the live NBC broadcast. |
Our View: This is a tough loss for Atlanta as they are already thin in the secondary and are battling one of the top passing teams in the NFL. His return is uncertain. |
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| Atlanta Falcons inactives: D.J. Shockley (third quarterback), CB Glenn Sharpe, CB Eric Brock, LB Tony Gilbert, T Wayne Gandy, C Alex Stepanovich, T Quinn Ojinnaka and DE Jamaal Anderson. |
Our View: No surprises here, as there was little chance given for Anderson to play. |
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| As expected, Atlanta's Jamaal Anderson is not likely to play in the team's playoff game, according to ESPN.com. |
Our View: Anderson has a high ankle sprain, but is not a high-impact player, despite his status of first-round draft pick. He had just 2.0 sacks on the season. |
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| Curtis Lofton is questionable for Saturday's playoff battle at Arizona due to a knee injury, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: The rookie enjoyed a strong debut campaign with 94 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. The team did not speculate whether he will play. |
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| Grady Jackson is questionable for this weekend's playoff game at Arizona due to a knee injury, according to the Sports Network. He missed practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday and Friday. |
Our View: Jackson is the Falcons' best defensive tackle and would be missed if unable to go Saturday. |
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| John Abraham is listed as questionable for Saturday's playoff game at Arizona, according to the Sports Network. He sat out practice Wednesday and Thursday and was limited Friday while nursing thigh and shoulder ailments. |
Our View: He finished third in the NFL with 16.5 sacks and would be greatly missed by Atlanta if unable to go against Kurt Warner and the high-flying Cardinals' aerial attack. |
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| Falcons running back Michael Turner and Miami quarterback Chad Pennington tied for second place in the MVP race, as each received four votes, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. |
Our View: Turner ran for nearly 1,700 yards while scoring 17 touchdowns, and Pennington was an integral part of helping turn the Dolphins from a 1-15 team to a playoff squad. |
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| It does not look like defensive end Jamaal Anderson will be able to play in the Falcons playoff game this weekend, reports the Sporting News Today. |
Our View: Anderson is battling a high ankle sprain. The former first-round pick has not been what the team had hoped for in his first two seasons. Chauncey Davis and Kroy Biermann would play in Anderson's stead. |
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| Lawyer Milloy (back) was limited at practice yet again on Thursday, but he still fully intends to play this weekend, according to NFL.com. Milloy, who missed the Vikings game in Week 17, hasn't missed back-to-back games since 2004. |
Our View: The Cardinals are last in the league in rushing yards (less than 74 a game), but their passing attack is formidable. Look for Milloy to be on the field as the Falcons hope to curtail the aerial attack of Arizona. |
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| Jamaal Anderson was a DNP on Thursday due to his injured ankle, according to the Falcons Official Website. |
Our View: Anderson and John Abraham will be sorely missed against the high powered Cardinals offense if they cannot go this weekend. |
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| John Abraham was a DNP on Thursday due to both his thigh and his shoulder, according to the Falcons Official Website. |
Our View: Abraham and Jamaal Anderson (ankle) both missed practice today, and the Falcons desperately need the outside push of one at least one of them if they are going to contain the Cardinals passing attack. |
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| Michael Boley's career as an Atlanta Falcon could be over once the Falcons playoff run is complete, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. |
Our View: Boley will play somewhere in 2009, but after a down 2008 effort it remains to be seen how much scratch he will be able to convince a team to pay him moving forward. |
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| John Abraham has been limited in snaps in practice this week as the Falcons want to keep him fresh for Saturday's game at Arizona, according to ESPN. |
Our View: The Falcons will need their sack leader to get after Kurt Warner if they're going to slow down the Cardinals' offense. Arizona doesn't have much of a running game, so Atlanta should win if they can stop the pass. |
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| Defensive end Jamaal Anderson (high ankle sprain) did not practice on Wednesday, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. |
Our View: Anderson missed last week's game and could miss the playoff round as well. He is not a big producer at defensive end. He has 27 tackles and two sacks in 16 games. |
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| Michael Turner was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 17, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He had 208 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons comeback victory over the Rams. |
Our View: While Matt Ryan is getting more press for MVP-consideration, Turner has been the far better player for Atlanta. He finished the season with 1,699 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He carried the rock 376 times in his first season as a starter. |
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