Former All-Pro provides exciting nugget on James Pearce Jr.

If everything reported since the start of training camp hasn’t been enough to convince Falcons fans — which is understandable, given just how dismal this team’s pass rush has been for over a decade — maybe these words from former All-Pro Gerald McCoy will finally move the needle.

“I know a lot of people in (Atlanta’s) building,” McCoy said. “All I hear about James Pearce is how dominant he is and how he’s unblockable.”

It’s been a long time since a defensive rookie entered a season in Atlanta with this kind of hype. James Pearce Jr. is being billed as the perennial 10-sack player the Falcons have been searching for since John Abraham, who last suited up in 2012.

The organization clearly believes Pearce can contribute right away, and that bold draft-night trade to move back into the first round suddenly doesn’t look so questionable. If Pearce lives up to even a fraction of this hype, general manager Terry Fontenot deserves his flowers for aggressively fixing the longest standing problem in Atlanta, one that’s existed for more than a decade.

Week 1 can’t get here soon enough.