Atlanta Falcons Inside Slant

The injuries continue to mount.

With the Falcons set to face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints' vaunted passing attack, they couldn't afford to lose a cornerback.

But starting right cornerback Chris Houston, arguably the best corner on the 29th-ranked pass defense, has been ruled out of Sunday's game with a hamstring injury.

Brent Grimes, who has started two games at right cornerback and two at left cornerback, will likely step in for Houston.

Grimes had an interception against Brees in the first game.

"I think we are a very young defense that has not played as consistent as we would like throughout the entire season," Falcons head coach Mike Smith said.

"I think there have been spurts within games that we've played efficiently and effectively. I think that our guys are going through the learning curve and experiencing the ups and downs of being an NFL player. That's where I think we're at right now."

Grimes is athletic, but he measures less than 5-feet-10-inches tall --meaning he's usually outmanned against above-average-sized receivers. He's a scrapper and he keeps battling back from being targeted by several quarterbacks this season.

He first lost the left starting cornerback spot with a poor training camp. Brian Williams was signed before the start of the season to take over. On third downs, Williams would move to cover the slot receiver and Grimes would play outside.

After Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury, Grimes took over but eventually lost the starting nod to Tye Hill, who then lost it to rookie Christopher Owens.

Grimes knows he'll be battling all day against the Saints.

"One week (Robert) Meachem is making some big plays," Grimes said. "The next week it's (Marques) Colston. Then they might try to get Reggie Bush some touches. Then, there is (Jeremy) Shockey. There are a lot of people to focus on."

On Sunday against the Saints, it will be Owens and Grimes starting with Chevis Jackson handling the slot duties.

"You just can't say we have to stop this person or we have to stop that person," Grimes said. "It's a whole offense and that's what makes them so successful."



--In retrospect, it was a rather ambitious undertaking.

The Falcons' plan to replace five starters on defense has not worked out too well through 12 games of the season.

Last season, they used a bend-but-don't-break defense that held up enough to allow them to finish 11-5 and reach the playoffs.

But the team may have overreacted after a playoff lost to the Arizona Cardinals when they felt some of their older player's lack of speed and range cost them the game.

So safety Lawyer Milloy was not re-signed. He's a reserve now with Seattle.

Linebacker Keith Brooking received a much better offer from Dallas. He is having a fine season after being reunited with Wade Phillips, his former defensive coordinator in Atlanta.

Cornerback Domonique Foxworth signed a lucrative deal with Baltimore. He has struggled with the Ravens.

Nose tackle Grady Jackson was allowed to leave during free agency. He signed with Detroit and has played in 11 games.

Linebacker Michael Boley was not pursued in free agency. He signed with the New York Giants. He's battled some injuries but is starting to play well.

While trying to break in the new starters, the Falcons have struggled. The team has given up 48 pass plays and seven running plays that have gone for 20 yards or more.

The coaches call them explosive plays and they're killing the Falcons' playoff hopes.

"Explosive players are normally one of four things," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "Three of the four are on the defensive players. Very rarely do you see a great throw and a great catch. It's usually a mental error, a missed tackle or poor leverage. Those are the three things that contribute to an explosive play."

Three potential replacements on defense ended up on the injured reserve.

The Falcons were counting on first-round draft pick Peria Jerry to start at nose tackle for Jackson. Jerry's out for the year with a knee injury.

Second-round pick William Moore was expected to start at strong safety for Milloy, but he only played in one game.

Cornerback Brian Williams was signed late from Jacksonville and was starting at cornerback before he was lost to a knee injury.

Linebacker Michael Peterson was signed to play weak-side linebacker for Brooking. He had a fast start to the season, but has tailed off.

Linebacker Steve Nicholas took over at strong-side linebacker for Michael Boley and has been solid.

Looks like over the upcoming offseason, the Falcons will have to take another swing at fixing their defense. They will likely have to start with the secondary that has given up so many big pass plays.

"Right now we are not handling the explosive plays," Smith said. "We are 31st in the league in terms of giving up the explosive plays. It's something that we've been working on and trying to address all season long. It's something that we haven't gotten fixed."

SERIES HISTORY: 81st regular-season meeting. Falcons lead the series 44-36. They split last season with each team winning at home. The Falcons won at home last year 34-20.