Falcons: Grading each defensive position vs. Lions
Cornerbacks – A.J. Terrell, Casey Hayward, Darren Hall, Mike Ford, Dee Alford, Lafayette Pitts, Cornell Armstrong, Matt Hankins, Corey Ballentine
Do we really need to talk about the Atlanta Falcons star corner duo with A.J. Terrell and Casey Hayward? I really don’t think so, we know what we will get from them when the regular season gets underway.
Let’s start with the good when it comes to the backup cornerbacks. We all hope Darren Hall can take a big step up from his rookie year, and so far, so good. He was solid, allowing one catch for seven yards on two targets with a total of 15 coverage snaps.
The star of the group was former Canadian Football League All-Star Dee Alford. He played the most snaps of any cornerback. He was targetted nine times, allowing five catches for just 33 yards. He also came up with that excellent interception where he undercut the receiver and took the ball from him and also had six tackles. He has been shining all offseason, and this continues into the preseason.
The two players that stand out when it comes to bad play were Mike Ford and Corey Ballentine.
Ballentine played 16 snaps in coverage and allowed three catches on three targets for 45 yards.
As for Mike Ford, it was even worse, as he only played 12 coverage snaps yet allowed three catches on four targets for 63 yards. These two guys did not do themselves any favors.
Overall the corners were decent at best, although the starters did struggle along with the rest of the defense. Anyhow, Dee Alford is a name to keep an eye on over the next couple of games.