Atlanta Falcons: Dan Quinn impressed with Vic Beasley after debut against Titans
Vic Beasley Jr. didn’t take long to hit his stride in an Atlanta Falcons jersey, and new head coach Dan Quinn is already singing the praises of the eighth overall pick.
Beasley was among the defensive starters in a dominant first quarter display in the 31-24 preseason victory over the Tennessee Titans. His incredible burst off the snap was evident right from the off.
Quinn wanted to see what the rookie could do in a game situation and throw him right into the deep end. He was moved around the defensive line and faced a number of different matchups with offensive linemen, tight ends and double teams.
“Yeah welcome to the NFL right?” Quinn said. “That LEO spot, that’s the speed, that’s what we want to feature. I can’t wait to go through it with him, show the things we can improve on.”
Beasley lined up on the right side with fellow newcomer Adrian Clayborn, and this is something Quinn wants to see more of.
“It was good to see the speed, with Clayborn as well. It’s a nice package with those guys on the right side so we’re going to keep working with that as well.”
Beasley was lightning quick off the snap, and this cost him a flag for offside once, but he soon made up for it by getting up in rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota’s face, leading to an interception.
“I know he had fun playing. I wanted to see how close they could get and how fast they could play, but it was an awesome start.”
Not only was it great to see Beasley look comfortable in his role, it was also a relief to see him leave the field unhurt. Jacksonville pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. suffered a torn ACL in his first practice with the Jaguars, costing him his entire rookie campaign.
So far, so good for Vic. Let’s see what he can do against the Jets next week.
Next: Winners and losers from Falcons-Titans