Atlanta Falcons’ William Moore returns to practice

November 25, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Atlanta Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel (22) is congratulated by strong safety William Moore (25) after he broke up a pass in the end zone against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Atlanta Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-23. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Good news for the Atlanta Falcons during practice this week. Strong safety William Moore, who missed the final four games of the season with a hamstring injury, returned to practice Saturday. Saturday was the Falcons final on-field practice until Wednesday, so it’s a good thing that Moore got back on the field to practice.

Now there’s no way to know whether or not Moore will play against Seattle. He’s by far the best strong safety the Falcons have, but only when healthy. There’s no way the Falcons will rush Moore back to the field. They wouldn’t want him to get further injured or come up gimping at some point in the game. That would be bad for Moore as a person, the most important thing, but also for the Falcons.

Hopefully if Moore is healthy enough to play, he won’t be rusty. There’s no way that he hadn’t been constantly preparing mentally for every game, and this playoff game will be no different. He’s undoubtedly been taking mental reps during every game.

If  Moore is declared unready physically or mentally, the Falcons will start safety Chris Hope in his place. There’s no doubt that Moore can do more things on the field than Hope can, but in the last four games, Hope has done a fantastic job filling in for Moore. He’s not hesitated one bit getting in on the tackle for every run play, and I haven’t noticed him being a major liability in the pass game.

That being said, I’d like to have Moore back. But if he’s not ready, Hope is more than capable of filling in.