FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. Fred VanVleet Raptors Jersey . -- The Atlanta Falcons have made a commitment to rookie starters on defense that is especially rare for a first-place team.Four rookies are expected to start on defense when Atlanta plays at Philadelphia on Sunday. Safety Keanu Neal, linebackers Deion Jones and DeVondre Campbell and nickel back Brian Poole were on the field for the first snap in last weeks win at Tampa Bay.Defensive coordinator Richard Smith said he has never seen so many rookie starters.Never in my career, and Ive been in the league for 29 years, Smith said Wednesday. Ive never seen that.Its no surprise that Neal, the first-round pick from Florida, is starting. The team likely would have been happy if Jones and Campbell earned a share of playing time. The biggest surprise is Poole, who was undrafted from Florida but made an immediate impact in training camp.According to figures provided by the Falcons, Neal leads all NFL rookies with 57 total tackles and Jones is second with 51. Those are the leading totals for all Falcons players.The youth movement also includes second-year linebacker Vic Beasley Jr., who leads the team with 7.5 sacks, and second-year cornerback Jalen Collins, who might start Sunday if Desmond Trufant is held out with a shoulder injury. Starting defensive tackle Grady Jarrett also was a 2015 pick.Those are the key names in a makeover on defense that was expected when coach Dan Quinn, the former Seattle defensive coordinator, was hired last year.The strong showing by this years draft class helped earn general manager Thomas Dimitroff a new three-year contract on Monday.I think having the picks we had and where we were picking, we felt very confident that we were going to put together a good group of guys, Dimitroff said Monday. ... Were real happy with how theyre producing for this years class.Tight end Austin Hooper could give the 2016 draft class a fifth starter this week. Jacob Tamme is expected to miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury. Levine Toilolo started for Tamme last week.Neal said the first-year players talked in rookie camp following the NFL draft about the possibility so many could start this season.I mean, we talked about it, Neal said. Thats always a cool experience, being on the field at the same time. Weve got the opportunity. Now weve just got to play.Injuries made it difficult to get the four on the field at the same time in the first half of the season.Neal missed the first two games following minor knee surgery in the preseason. Jones and Campbell missed time with ankle injuries. But it was clear from the start of the season Quinn thought the rookies deserved to start.There are many coaches out there that wouldnt do that, Dimitroff said. Theyd wait until the sixth, seventh game of the season. We were very forward about allowing these guys to have a lot of important, interesting reps early on, and I think it really helped their confidence.Smith said he likes the maturity level of the rookies. He said he sees no sign that the long season is affecting the new starters.Its a long season and theyre not used to playing but right now weve played 13 games and I dont see it in their eyes, Smith said. I love their work ethic and the way they work. I like their demeanor if something happens and they do make a mistake, theyre ready to go on with the next play. Overall they all have a bright future.Game notes The Falcons used their indoor practice facility due to poor air quality outside. Winds blew smoke from wildfires in north Georgia over Flowery Branch and south over Atlanta on Wednesday and Thursday. ... DE Dwight Freeney (quad) joined practice after being held out on Wednesday. RB Tevin Coleman (hamstring), CB Desmond Trufant (shoulder) and Tamme (shoulder) did not practice. Quinn said Coleman and Trufant could still play this week if able to practice on Friday. He said Tamme is likely out.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Marc Gasol Jersey . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. OG Anunoby Raptors Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. http://www.nbaraptorsonline.com/Authenti...-Carter-Jersey/ . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. SEATTLE -- In the third quarter of the Seahawks 24-3 win?Thursday night, the team?faced a first-and-goal from the Los Angeles Rams 1-yard line and opted to throw the ball to Jimmy Graham in the end zone.That decision did not sit well with cornerback Richard Sherman, who engaged in a shouting match with members of the coaching staff on the sideline.Im upset about us throwing from the 1, Sherman said afterward. Id rather do what most teams would do, making a conscientious decision to run the ball.Sherman said he was initially talking to Pete Carroll on the sideline, but then offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell got involved.Yeah, I was letting [Carroll] know. Weve already seen how that goes, Sherman said, alluding to the Seahawks Super Bowl XLIX loss to the New England Patriots, which ended on a Russell Wilson interception in a similar situation.Im sure you guys have seen that play enough times, Sherman said.Sherman had to be calmed down by teammates, including linebacker Bobby Wagner, on the sideline.Carroll, meanwhile, downplayed the incident.Between what he was saying and what Doug [Baldwin] was saaying, Doug was saying, Give me the ball. Fred VanVleet Jersey. And Richard was saying something else, Carroll said. I needed those two guys to go sit down and have a little timeout and talk it over what we should do next.Im not even worried about it one bit, not one bit. I dont know. I talked to him on the sidelines, and he was jacked up and ready to go. He went out and played a good series after that. What was said in there, it doesnt matter. I know you would love to know more. Youll probably figure out more. But I dont care.Wilsons pass to Graham on the first-and-goal situation was nearly intercepted. After a failed rushing attempt with Marcel Reece on second down, Wilson threw a touchdown to Baldwin.That was one of our guys whos got as much emotion and passion for this game as you could ever want, Carroll said of Sherman. And sometimes it goes one way, you have to reel it back in. He did exactly that. He did a nice job of coming back to poise and finishing the game really well. ' ' '
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