--WR Adam Jennings could be on thin ice after muffing a punt that the Colts recovered at Atlanta's 15. The depth at wide receiver left the third-year player pretty much relegated to making his mark as a punt returner, and he hasn't done much in that area to state his case.

Jennings, in his third season, revisited his habit of fair-catching punts and not doing much with them when he opted to try and make a play. Jennings fair caught 19 of 30 attempts last season and was immediately replaced once Emmitt Thomas took over head-coaching duties following Bobby Petrino's resignation after the 13th game.

Rookie WR Harry Douglas, CB Brent Grimes and RB Thomas Brown are also competing for the punt returner job.

--Concerns about second-year DE Jamaal Anderson are starting to surface. The No. 8 overall draft pick is showing little progress from a mediocre-at-best rookie season, despite the new coaching staff putting him in alignments that play to his strengths. Anderson failed to register a sack in 16 starts last season, and he has shown no signs that he's gotten any better, despite being lined up more outside to take advantage of his speed. Anderson has a hard time staying on his feet, and he doesn't use his long arms to his advantage, which allows offensive linemen to get into his body and control him.

--It is starting to look more and more like RT Tyson Clabo will be the starter. Todd Weiner, who is recovering from major knee surgery, was on track to steadily be incorporated into the starting lineup. However, his progress has leveled off because of concerns about his durability. The plan has always been to bring Weiner along slowly, and that could mean him not being in the starting lineup against Detroit in the season opener Sept. 7.

--The Falcons are in real trouble at tight end in terms of the passing game. Though starting TE Ben Hartsock has been the best of the lot in terms of catching the ball, he is a blocker with a total of 24 receptions in four NFL seasons. Second-year player Martrez Milner, the only receiving tight end, has been sidelined with ankle and toe injuries. He has a history of injuries and can't be fully relied upon. Jason Rader and Keith Zinger have really struggled, with Zinger bobbling two passes against the Colts that resulted in interceptions.

Atlanta likely will retain three tight ends, but at least one of those might not be on the roster right now.

--Place kicker Jason Elam made all three field goal attempts against the Colts(25, 35 and 40 yards)after missing two of three in the preseason opener vs. Jacksonville.

"I have to work on the whole accuracy thing," Elam lightheartedly said a few days before facing the Colts. "I was really cutting the ball. I've been working on some stuff and I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable."

Elam said he's never been overly accurate in the preseason, so his early misses were par for the course.

"I was thinking all the way back to 1994 and people were calling for my job back then during the preseason. I missed a couple last year early on and things went really well in the regular season."

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
RB Michael Turner -- The "Burner" was pretty much Atlanta's offense in its 16-9 loss to Indianapolis. He had a third of the Falcons' total yards - 113 of 318 - on just four carries.

BATTLE OF THE WEEK
Backup DTs Simon Fraser vs. Tim Anderson -- This isn't as much a head-to-head battle as it is a numbers game. If the Falcons opt to keep just five defensive tackles, Fraser could have the edge because he can also play defensive end in a pinch. Anderson is more of a nose tackle. Grady Jackson and Rashad Moore seem like relative locks. If the Falcons keep six defensive tackles - something they could do because of Fraser's versatility - Anderson could be retained because he provides size and some pass rushing ability.

OTHER BATTLE FRONTS
QBs Joey Harrington vs. D.J. Shockley -- Shockley has had mop-up duty the first two games and he might not get to play in preseason Game 3 because Matt Ryan and Chris Redman could take nearly all the snaps. Harrington, who started against the Colts but did little more than hand the ball to Michael Turner, also might not play against the Titans this week. Harrington could have the edge at No. 3 because Shockley is eligible for the practice squad. ... RG Harvey Dahl vs. Kynan Forney; MLB Tony Taylor vs. Curtis Lofton.

ROOKIE REPORT
DE Kroy Biermann, a fifth-round pick from Montana, is surging. The undersized pass rusher (6-3, 241 pounds) collected a sack against the Colts and has managed to keep relatively constant pressure on quarterbacks with his relentless effort. Early in training camp, Biermann appeared to have lost confidence after getting physically overwhelmed. He rebounded by using his speed off the edge and tireless evasive measures to make opponents and his coaches take notice. Other than John Abraham, Biermann is the top edge rusher from the line of scrimmage.

INJURY REPORT
Backup C/G Alex Stepanovich spent the entire week recovering from an undisclosed back injury. The severity of the injury was not revealed but the Falcons re-signed 2007 draft pick, C Doug Datish, who was released over the summer. Stepanovich, signed as a free agent from Cincinnati, is expected to be the backup to starter Todd McClure and a swing guard.

--CB Chris Houston returned to practice after dislocating his left shoulder, but he was held out of Saturday's preseason game against the Colts.

--RT Todd Weiner's progress from microfracture knee surgery appears to have reached a plateau as his activity has been leveled off. Weiner could play Friday against Tennessee, but the medical staff is being very cautious.

--Backup CB David Irons strained his hamstring in practice and did not play vs. Indianapolis. He could return to practice.

--OLB Michael Boley suffered bruised ribs after being kicked against the Colts.

--Backup OT Quinn Ojinnaka, a vital backup who plays every position on the line, sprained his right knee against the Colts.

--TE Brad Listorti, whose injury was never revealed, was waived injured.

--DE John Abraham did not practice all week or play against Indianapolis because of a sprained right ankle. Coach Mike Smith said he could have played if it were the regular season.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.