The Atlanta Falcons came out of their week 1 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles with a big home victory over a team that was expected to have a powerful offense going forward. The Falcons were the ones who came out early over Philly by taking a 20-3 lead by halftime.
Towards the end of the game, news came across that the Falcons were agreeing to terms with a former number 1 overall pick from 2008. Former St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins offensive tackle, Jake Long, will be joining Atlanta coming off two ACL tears in his right knee over the last 2 seasons.
Following from Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn has officially announced the signing of veteran offensive tackle Jake Long, the first overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.
The deal is for one year, according to a source.
Quinn said Long will begin as the backup left tackle behind starter Jake Matthews. Long will then swing to right tackle, where Ryan Schraeder is the starter.
“Just another opportunity to continue to compete,” Quinn said of Long’s signing. “Look forward to having Jake here.
“I am excited to have him compete — his toughness. For a guy, ‘Yeah, I just want a chance to compete.’ When a guy talks to you like that, you certainly have a lot of respect for how he goes about his business. So, we’re excited to have him here; get him up to speed as fast as we can. And then we’ll kind of cross that bridge in terms of where and [when] after that.
Long is a four-time pro bowler and early in his career with the Miami Dolphins, the first overall pick seemed to be living up to the hype he received coming out of Michigan.
He’s battled through injuries throughout his short career but if he can stay healthy and the Falcons can work him into their offensive line, Long could be a huge upgrade to the Falcons offense which already looks pretty good.
