Atlanta Falcons: Jack Crawford could be special
By Randy Gurzi
On Saturday the Atlanta Falcons offense struggled in their Preseason Week 3 loss, but defensive end Jack Crawford may have had a breakout game
There was almost no reaction at all when the Atlanta Falcons signed former Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders defensive end Jack Crawford this summer. There probably should have been because the England-born Crawford is the perfect fit the Falcons and has shown some flashes in his limited time, especially over the past two years with Dallas.
A former basketball player, the 6-foot-5, 274-pound edge rusher has 9.5 career sacks with 7.5 coming over the past two seasons. For some reason, the pass-rush starved Cowboys let him leave despite putting up such numbers as a rotational guy. After Saturday, it looks like their loss.
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Crawford missed time after a groin injury, but made up for his absence by recording four tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. His energy was contagious as he and first round pick rookie Takkarist McKinely were a nightmare to try and block for the Arizona Cardinals.
He also has the right approach as, in typical brotherhood fashion, he passed off the praise to the rest of his defensive lineman. Here was a quote following the game according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.
"“I wouldn’t say it was anything personal. I would just say it was the whole defensive line working together. Some of it was like right place, right time. I felt like it was a group effort. We were all working together. It just came together, and I happened to make the play.”"
Next: Atlanta Falcons: Debut in Mercedes-Benz Stadium spoiled by Cardinals
It was a great first showing in his new uniform and he was one of the bright spots in the debut of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Keep an eye on Crawford coming off the edges, because he may have been one of the true steals of the offseason for the Falcons.