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Despite former head coach Arthur Smith being out of the picture, the Atlanta Falcons will still be a team that runs the football at a high rate in 2024. With one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and one of the league’s most dynamic rushers in the backfield, the Falcons will look to make a two-headed monster on offense between Kirk Cousins’ arm and Bijan Robinson’s legs.
#DirtyBirds looking to go 3-0 this weekend against #OnePride ! @gregcosell shows how Atlanta’s offense is already making Bijan Robinson a focus. Creative run concepts like this counter play have allowed Bijan to consistently move the chains.@DariusJButler | @PlaybooKFoley pic.twitter.com/U2b6qigMrZ
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) September 22, 2023
Some organizations might believe that having a top-line would be enough, but head coach Raheem Morris has added another difference maker in the run game at the tight end position this offseason. Free agent Charlie Woerner could be the key to having one of the best offenses in the league.
Welcome home, Woerner!
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) March 13, 2024
This past March, general manager Terry Fontenot and Woerner agreed to a three-year, $12-million deal. What he brings to the table is more than meets the eye.
Charlie Woerner’s background and potential role with the Falcons.
The 26-year-old is a Georgia native who, like Zion Logue, attended the University of Georgia. At Georgia, he played at Sanford Stadium from 2016 to 2019 and quickly showed what he was about at the tight end position.
UGA TE Charlie Woerner split the zone... pic.twitter.com/LrpCSARxHO
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) November 12, 2019
Unlike Logue, the former San Francisco 49ers tight end has NFL experience. As a member of the San Francisco 49ers for the past four seasons, he has proven himself as one of the league’s best blocking tight ends as he has played an intricate role in the success of Niners running back Christian McCaffery’s success.
The #49ers' run-blocking in the second half just stepped up to a whole another level. This drive just really set the physicality and they were able to establish dominance at the line of scrimmage.
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) January 23, 2023
S/O Charlie Woerner with a huge block on #92 to clear the way for CMC. pic.twitter.com/gx7IyFqVRR
PFF gave Woerner a 76.5 run-block grade in 2023 with the 49ers. By comparison, departed tight end Jonnu Smith received a 43.7 with the Falcons last year. MyCole Pruitt, Atlanta's other primary tight end after Kyle Pitts, graded at just 46.8.
Woerner has the means to be a pass-catcher but has not been utilized in that role so far in his career. He has also been a core special teamer at the NFL level.
Coming from one of the NFL’s top rushing attacks, the Rabun County native is excited to go home and play where he grew up.
"Just excitement," Woerner said, per the Falcons official website. "(There's) excitement for me and my wife to get back closer to family, to play for the hometown team that I grew up cheering for and pulling for. Just very excited and very humbled to be back."
"I think the team is just so ready to take off," Woerner said. "It's not as full rebuild as you think with the new head coach. It seems like a refresh almost."
Woerner slots nicely as the team’s TE2 for new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and opposite Kyle Pitts in 12 personnel situations. He can be an asset in cooking up explosive and effective run plays. Moreover, he can also be a sneaky receiving threat at 6-5 and 240 pounds.
More must-reads:
- Jordan Love's thumb surgery comes at inopportune time for Packers
- Jon Gruden 'looking forward to having the truth come out' amid lawsuit against NFL
- The 'NFL single-season reception leaders' quiz
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Jets QB Justin Fields had 'alarming' practice against Giants
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields found out he has a long way to go following his performance at Tuesday's joint practice with the New York Giants. Per Connor Hughes of SNY TV, Fields started hot at the practice before struggling during the move-the-ball period. "Very interesting practice for #Jets QB Justin Fields," Hughes posted on X. "He finished 7 of 12 with a TD. 5 of 5 to start practice. Then 0 for 4. Finished 2 of 3 with the really impressive TD to Jeremy Ruckert in red zone (starter 18 yard line). "The offensive performance was a bit alarming in move-the-ball period of practice. Fields Co. had three attempts to get down field. They didn’t gain a first down. Only gained yards twice (two short Breece Hall runs). Three sacks. That needs to be fixed. #Giants defense toyed with NYJ during that period." Some Jets fans online thought Hughes was using hyperbole to characterize the practice, but he doubled down on his judgment of the offense. Fields looked strong on his first and only drive in the Jets' 30-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. He went 3-of-4 passing for 42 yards and rushed two times for 14 yards and a touchdown. However, the Giants defense at the joint practice is a much better unit than the short-handed one the Packers trotted out for the first preseason game. Fields' issues seen with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, with holding the ball too long and not being able to pass consistently downfield, were a factor against the Giants. Following Saturday's game, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Fields was getting better but had a lot to improve on. Tuesday's practice was a humbling reminder that Fields needs to become a consistent passer if the Jets are going to move the ball on good defenses in the regular season.
Former crew chief frustrated by the 'ridiculous' racing at Watkins Glen
It is no secret that NASCAR's current road-course package has not been very good. Aside from the mile-and-a-half tracks that were once the least competitive and exciting in the series, those races are the rare bright spot for the Next Gen Car since its inception in 2022. Shane van Gisbergen drove away to an 11.1-second win over Christopher Bell in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen and set multiple records in the process. While the racing was not particularly exciting, that was not what left former crew chief and current analyst Steve Letarte frustrated the most following the weekend. A recurring issue in each race over the weekend was drivers utilizing the runoff areas around the track and not staying on the traditional racing surface, which ultimately led to some crashes in Saturday's Xfinity race. "So, I hate track limits that have to be officiated," Letarte said on "Inside the Race." "Because I like tracks that you should just stay on the track. I didn't think it mattered. Now, I am team get-them-back-on-the-race-track-at-Watkins-Glen. I don't love the Watkins Glen that I see. ... I think Turn 1 is not as great of a corner with no exit respect or responsibility. You just blow the exit. I think the carousel is a much easier corner, being able to just go driver's left. "I also think Turn 6 is going — let me add, that I think the (Connor) Zilisch, SVG wreck between the last two corners (in the Xfinity Series race) happened because they left the track, and the Austin Hill wreck with Michael McDowell happened off the race track. Now, both could have been avoided, we can talk about who's at fault. What I'm saying is, I've never driven a lap at Watkins Glen. I can analyze what happens between the white lines." This comes one year after rumble strips were placed in Turn 1 to keep drivers from using the runoff area, and that clearly has not worked. As the field has got closer together, using up all the track has become a common way for drivers to establish momentum, especially as they prepare for the right-hander going into The Esses at Watkins Glen. The bottom line is NASCAR's road-racing product needs to get better and Letarte wants to see race cars "stay on the race track because I think it will be a better race." Van Gisbergen's historic dominance certainly does not help, but the overall road course product is not great. Whether NASCAR makes some changes to the runoff areas and enforces track limits remains to be seen, but that still may not be the biggest issue if the racing does not improve.
Jon Gruden 'looking forward to having the truth come out' amid lawsuit against NFL
Jon Gruden sent another warning shot toward the NFL after scoring a major win in court. On Tuesday, Gruden welcomed a ruling that will force the NFL to litigate the circumstances of his firing in court rather than closed-door arbitration. The former Las Vegas Raiders coach made clear that he intends to continue his legal challenge to the NFL to ensure that they are held accountable. “I’m looking forward to having the truth come out, and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden said in a statement provided to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. “The league’s actions disrupted the whole season. We were leading the division at the time and they completely blindsided me and the team.” The Raiders were 3-1 in 2021 when Gruden was forced to resign after some offensive emails that he sent between 2011 and 2018 were leaked. Gruden has alleged that the NFL leaked the emails to force him out of a job after obtaining them during an investigation into the Washington Commanders. The NFL is set to appeal Monday’s ruling, but if that appeal fails, the league may be forced into public discovery. One alternative would be to offer Gruden a settlement, but he has not said whether or not he would be interested in such a resolution. Gruden has not held an NFL coaching job since the Raiders forced him out. He has recently spoken about possibly making a return to coaching at the college level.
Brewers' run of dominance makes MLB history with more left to achieve
Not only did the Milwaukee Brewers rough up a Cy Young contender on Tuesday night, but they made MLB history in the process. Milwaukee beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 14-0, chasing Paul Skenes from the game after only four innings. Skenes' gave up four runs off six hits in one of his worst outings of the season and then the Brewers tacked on 10 more runs throughout the rest of the game. The Brew Crew hit five home runs on the night. The win was Milwaukee's 75th of the season, extending its current win streak to 11 games. And by reaching 11 games, the Brewers, who own the best record in all of baseball at 75-44, accomplished their second win steak of at least 11 games this year. Milwaukee's latest run of dominance made the Brewers the first MLB team since the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays to record multiple win steaks of 11+ games in a season. To truly put their 2025 season in perspective, the Brewers became just the 13th team ever to accomplish two or more win streaks of at least 11 games in a season since 1900. So throughout the past 125 years, spanning several different eras of the sport, this year's Brewers team already has a case as one of the most dominant. Of course, it will take finishing the job and capturing the franchise's first World Series title to truly earn the honor of being recognized as one of baseball's greatest teams. With 75 wins in the middle of August, Milwaukee is now shooting for a team mark before worrying about making the franchise's first World Series appearance since 1982. 97 wins is the goal to become the winningest regular-season Brewers team ever, surpassing the 2018 club. Just seven years ago, that 2018 Brewers team set a new standard for the franchise in terms of a top single-season win total, going 96-67 in the regular season before falling in the National League Championship Series. Prior to that, the only Brewers team to ever win a league championship was that 1982 squad, when they won 95 games and the AL pennant, before losing the World Series in seven games.
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