During his time with the New Orleans Saints, Rashid Shaheed got awfully familiar with the Atlanta Falcons. However, Shaheed was traded to the Seattle Seahawks during the NFL Trade Deadline, but even a change in uniform hasn't stopped the speedster from breaking the hearts of Falcons fans.
And Atlanta's familiarity with Shaheed meant they knew he was a home run threat entering Week 14 against the Seahawks. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old got the last laugh against his fomer rivals, as he ran back the opening kickoff of the second half 100 yards for a long Seattle kick return touchdown.
Making matters even worse is that Shaheed's long touchdown broke a 6-6 tie between the Falcons and Seahawks. That play turned out to be a massive momentum shift in Seattle's favor, as Zac Robinson's offense still has yet to swing the pendulum back in their favor since the half kicked off.
Even with a new team, Rashid Shaheed managed to take advantage of the Falcons' special teams woes
The Dirty Birds have been kicked while they're down on special teams recently, and Sunday afternoon was no exception. Special teams were the main reason the Falcons lost last weekend against the Jets, and the same issues are threatening to lose Raheem Morris' group a second consecutive game.
After special teams practically gifted New York 10 points in Week 13, Marquice Williams was expected to enter this week on the hot seat, but Morris is pledging loyalty to him despite the unit struggling mightily. But now it's starting to look like the entire staff is as good as gone in due time.
Moreover, Zane Gonzalez had a field goal that would have cut into the deficit, and the return touchdown certainly didn't help. Morris admitted after last week's loss that the Falcons were willing to gift the Jets free yards to prevent long returns, but Shaheed is teaching them all the wrong lessons.
However, the woeful afternoon doesn't end on special teams. The Weber State product's four receptions for 67 yards marked his best offensive outing as a Seahawk, and it's all because former Saints OC Klint Kubiak is using his blazing speed to take advantage of Jeff Ulbrich's penchant for dialing up two-high shell coverage.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was supposed to be the player Ulbrich and Morris would have to key in on, but Shaheed is making them regret that decision. And for a player they should have known not to underestimate due to his time in the division, it confirms the Falcons are very unprepared once again.