NFL picks: Atlanta-Baltimore

NFL picks: Atlanta-Baltimore

Coach Jim Mora said quarterback Michael Vick will start and likely play only one series Thursday night when the Atlanta Falcons open the preseason at Baltimore.

Vick broke his right leg in Atlanta’s second preseason game last year when he scrambled out of the pocket and Baltimore’s Adalius Thomas jumped on his back. The Falcons went 2-10 in games he didn’t start, but Vick led them to a 3-1 finish in the final month.

Atlanta: Starting fullback Justin Griffith and reserve receiver Terrence Edwards dressed but were limited in both sessions Monday after each player sustained mild concussions while scrimmaging the Titans.

Edwards, who left because of dizziness, laid a hard block on Tennessee safety Rich Gardner during a pass play Saturday.

“I think he’s still feeling his hit,” Mora said. “When you get the blood going, it comes back on you and you might get nauseous.”

Layne, who has passed Stanley Pritchett on the depth chart, got most of the work at fullback. Griffith ran a few plays, but didn’t engage in contact.

Atlanta Other Aches And Pains:@ Middle linebacker Chris Draft returned to Furman University late Monday night after missing nearly a week with asthma. He will not play against the Ravens, but Draft said he underwent what he described as a “left heart catheter test” after two echo cardiograms were inconclusive. ... Will Overstreet’s career remains in jeopardy after getting a second opinion on his tender left shoulder Monday while visiting Birmingham orthopedist James Andrews. Overstreet, who likely will go season-ending injured reserve for the third straight year, said Andrews won’t be able to read the MRI for at least six weeks because the shoulder “is such a mess.” ... Defensive end Patrick Kerney practiced for an hour in the night session, but left after irritating his sore groin. ... Tight end Alge Crumpler is out indefinitely with a knee bruise. He hyperextended his knee Thursday. ... Right end Brady Smith and nose tackle Ed Jasper both have knee bruises that have sidelined them since last week, and neither will dress at Baltimore. ... Second-year defensive tackle Demetrin Veal has missed over a week with a strained hamstring and trails Chad Lavalais and Antwan Lake on the depth chart behind Jasper and Rod Coleman.

When training camp started July 28, the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive line hardly worried coach Jim Mora.

Not anymore.

Injuries to right end Brady Smith, nose tackle Ed Jasper and reserve left end Travis Hall limited their availability in the last few days. Smith and Jasper are 31 and Hall 32; Though Hall has been more susceptible to injury the last three years, he’s expected to return sooner after a sore ankle held him out of work Friday and Saturday at Tennessee.

Smith and Jasper are nursing bruised knees.

“We have depth issues at D-line, no question about it,” Mora said before giving the players Sunday off. “Our scouts say there should be several guys available when the final cuts are made, but right now, as far as getting our work done and not disrupting other parts of the team, it’s a concern.”

A weak pass rush directly affects coverage, and a thin line won’t hold for long against an opponent that runs the ball well. The Falcons catch a break of sorts when they open the preseason Thursday. Baltimore running back Jamal Lewis, who last year rushed for 2,066 yards, remains sidelined as he fights criminal charges in federal court, but the Ravens have a strong offensive line led by left tackle Jonathan Ogden.

As former Georgia standout Musa Smith and Chester Taylor fill in for Lewis, Baltimore also has a nice alternative with fullback Alan Ricard.

Rams-Bears

Marty Booker is the only proven receiver with the Bears, and offensive coordinator Terry Shea seems lukewarm on him. Beyond Booker, there’s 2001 first-round pick David Terrell, who already has been labelled a flop in some circles. He’s pencilled in as a starter right now, and after him are Justin Gage and Bobby Wade, the pair of fifth-round selections from 2003, along with Bernard Berrian, the third-round pick this spring, and familiar faces Ahmad Merritt and Jamin Elliott.

While coach Lovie Smith pledged to bring an offense similar to what he was used to in St. Louis, it will have a greater Kansas City Chiefs influence than anything else.

Our receivers here are better than what we had in Kansas City when we first started [in 2001],” offensive coordinator Terry Shea said. “But a lot of the guys in Kansas City are going into their third year. We’re seven months into it. But I saw something (Thursday), even though we weren’t razor-sharp, I saw some individual routes that made me say, ‘Wow.’ (On Friday), I thought we practiced very well.

Grossman has looked great this preseason, but behind him is a combination of inexperience and the unknown. Is Jonathan Quinn a legitimate backup quarterback? You have to wonder, based on his practice performance. Can super-smart Craig Krenzel perform in an emergency? Perhaps he can if he only has to hand off.

There were other options at quarterback in the off-season, but the Bears did not make a deal.

Grossman is getting 65 percent of the snaps in practice, according to offensive coordinator Terry Shea, who campaigned hard for Quinn in part because he coached him in Kansas City and knew the player was already comfortable in the system.

“There were two factors,” Shea said when asked why he preferred Quinn to Chandler.

“Chris probably knew something about the offense because he told me he had been in some parts of it, but Quinn knew it like the back of his hand. I knew Quinn would come in and be a great emotional support for Rex. Jonathan was younger than Chris and more athletic.”

Shea said Grossman has played well but that there is a lot to learn. It hasn’t helped the rhythm of the offense that so many receivers have missed time because of injuries. Marty Booker returned recently while Justin Gage, defined by Shea as Grossman’s “hot button receiver” a week ago is still nursing a sore hamstring.

The teams met earlier in a controlled scrimmage. The Bears, who did not get a third offensive possession because Smith said they are running out of bodies, did not convert on third down, going 0-for-3. St. Louis made good on 5 of 9 third downs.

Linebacker Joe Odom has been dropped to the second team. Lance Briggs started at strong side, and Marcus Reese, whose value continues to soar, was at weak side. Hunter Hillenmeyer was between them. Odom was sucked in by a screen pass from Jeff Smoker to Stephen Jackson that went for a 22-yard gain.

Both teams held out several starters. Quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Marshall Faulk did not see action for the Rams, while linebacker Brian Urlacher, who is nursing a hamstring injury, and wide receiver Marty Booker and others sat out for the Bears.

The scrimmage also provided a chance for new Chicago coach Lovie Smith to put his team up against the Rams, where he worked as defensive coordinator before taking the job with the Bears.

Smith said after the scrimmage, “We know we have a long ways to go. We get a chance to play them again next week with hopes that we’ll have a better team on the field playing against them.”