Jason Snelling and the Falcons Soar Past the Cardinals

Jason Snelling and the Falcons Soar Past the Cardinals

After starting off the season with a heartbreaking, overtime loss to the Steelers, the Atlanta Falcons were motivated to come back home and beat the Cardinals in front of their home crowd.  It didn’t take long for the Falcons to jump out on top when Matt Ryan and Roddy White connected on a 7-yard TD pass just five minutes into the game.  The Dirty Birds dominated from the start thanks in large part to their ability to run the ball.  It wasn’t Michael Turner nor was it Jerious Norwood that ran through the porous Cardinals’ defense racking up 186 total yards and three touchdowns.  It was their third-string running back, Jason Snelling, that was forced into action early after Turner and Norwood left with injuries in the first half.  It was huge for Snelling to step up and perform like he did because if the Falcons are going to win games this season it will be by establishing the run and running play-action off of that.  Going up against the Saints next week, the Falcons will need Michael Turner back on the field playing.  But if he is unable to go, Falcons’ fans can take solace in knowing they have a formidable backup in Snelling.

Jason Snelling on WCNN in Atlanta to talk about whether he has been the same type of player his whole career, whether he plays with a chip on his shoulder because all of the other teams passed on drafting him, and what it is about the Georgia Dome that makes them so dominant there.

Whether he has been the same type of player his whole career:

“Yeah, I always look at myself as a complete running back, the more things you can do, just the little things, protect the quarterback, be an option out of the backfield for Matt and those are the things that I have worked on and it shows on the field.”

Whether he plays with a chip on his shoulder because all of the other teams passed on drafting him:

“No, I don’t really think of it that way.  All of that stuff is in the past, where I was drafted and who didn’t take me, once you get across on the field you are a football player like everybody else and just really being a late round pick it made me work a lot harder.  It made me work a lot harder where other guys had a little opportunity but I have always had to maximize my opportunities.  When coaches see that, a guy who doesn’t get as many is able to do a lot with the opportunity they get, they like that for the future.”

Whether he realized he had to carry the load with both Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood out with injuries:

“Oh yeah before the game I realized that I was going to be the only guy, but I prepare myself every week that I am going to be the starter.  I do that every week and I have always done that my whole career, so when the time came I was prepared as always.”

What it is about the Georgia Dome that makes them so dominant there:

“I mean it is just our home crowds and our Atlanta fans embrace us.  We always want to protect our house.  We show up when we play at home.  We just have got to take it on the road.”

Whether the team feels pretty good heading into the game vs. the Saints:

“Oh yeah we are feeling real confident.  We know that we have got a lot of work to do.  A week of preparation for the Saints, they are the Super Bowl Champs and the have got a great team but we are real confident with our offense going in there being able to put up some points against their defense.”