WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Notes, Quotes

The Sports Xchange

December 14, 2018 at 5:05 pm.

–Don’t read anything into the fact that rookie running back Ito Smith had more carries than veteran Tevin Coleman last week against the Packers. It just happened to work out that way, head coach Dan Quinn said.

Smith had 11 carries for 60 yards, including a long run of 17 yards. Coleman ran 10 times for 45 yards, including a long gain of 13 yards.

“It wasn’t anything other than just the flow of the game,” Quinn said. “Sometimes you’ll get a run that’s called back-to-back, but by no stretch was it 11 to 10, we usually don’t too excited about more than one.”

But Quinn does like Smith’s toughness and quickness on inside zone runs.

“He can line a guy up in the hole and use his change-of-direction and break a guy off,” Quinn said. “Where Tevin sometimes will toss it outside and see the wide zone and stretch the defense and then try to get a vertical cut.”

Quinn sees the disparity between the two backs as a strength.

“What unique stuff do they have?” Quinn said. “In most instances, especially in our offense and really the NFL today, at running back, you better be able to catch. Because there are all sorts of ways to utilize that player as well.”

–If tight end Austin Hooper can’t play this week because of injury, it may open additional opportunities for backup Eric Saubert to step into the role of Matt Ryan’s safety-valve receiver.

Saubert had two catches last week against Green Bay. He was the only tight end on the roster after Hooper was injured. Logan Paulsen, the other tight end, was inactive because of an injury.

“Eric has done a great job for us,” quarterback Matt Ryan said. “I thought he did a nice job last week.”

Ryan said Saubert has gotten better in the run game and in pass protection in his two seasons with the club.
“I think he’s gotten better,” Ryan said. “You never know. In this league opportunities come at different times. His opportunity came a little bit last week and we’ll see what it is this week, but we have confidence in him that he’s going to go out there and make plays.”

Saubert is in his second season with the Falcons. He played in 14 games last year and did not have a reception. This season he’s played in all 13 games and has five catches for 46 yards.

BY THE NUMBERS: 9 — The number of 100-yard receiving games that Julio Jones has posted this season. That ties his own franchise record.