One thing I always like to do after the season is look back at playing time for all the players in the NFC South.
We’ll get to the Buccaneers, Panthers and Saints at some point in the coming days or weeks. But we’re going to take a look at the Atlanta Falcons now since they’re in the playoffs.
Let’s start with Atlanta’s defense. The Falcons had 1,041 defensive snaps. Here’s a list of how man plays each player was on the field for, followed by my thoughts on things that stand out:
Thomas DeCoud 1,040
Dunta Robinson 950
Stephen Nicholas 890
Asante Samuel 827
William Moore 774
Kroy Biermann 696
Robert McClain 613
Vance Walker 539
Peria Jerry 505
Akeem Dent 504
Corey Peters 443
Chris Hope 262
Ray Edwards 212
Dominique Franks 207
Christopher Owens 177
Mike Peterson 117
Brent Grimes 52
My thoughts: Having the 34-year-old Abraham on the field for almost 72 percent of the plays seems excessive. But, after Edwards flamed out and was released, the Falcons really didn’t have much depth at defensive end. … Babineaux was on the field for 82 percent of the plays. That’s a huge number for a defensive tackle and it makes you wonder if he might be a little worn down. … Technically, Dent is Atlanta’s starting middle linebacker. But he only took part in 48 percent of the plays and some of that came while he was filling in for an injured Weatherspoon. The Falcons used their nickel defense more often than their 4-3 base. But I think you might see a fair amount of Dent on Sunday against Seattle because the Falcons need to slow Marshawn Lynch and the running game. … That’s not a misprint that Jones, a Pro Bowl wide receiver, was on the field for one defensive play. The Falcons threw him out there as a safety, the same way they used to do with Brian Finneran, at the end of one game.
