The Falcoholic Feb 17, 2019
Career Window: Keanu Neal is still one the league’s best young defenders
Fact: Keanu Neal hasn’t eaten a carb since 2004 Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal is an outstanding football player and a fan favorite. Many fans foolishly freaked out when the Falcons took him 17th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. But Neal was head coach Dan Quinn’s guy, and he quickly silenced any naysayers. Neal only played 37 snaps in 2018, tearing his ACL during the third quarter of the season opener against the Eagles. Neal starting running again last month, and by all accounts, he’s on track in his recovery. Impact Neal is an above average strong safety, particularly when...
The Falcoholic Jan 23, 2019
How the Falcons safety position could and should shake out in 2019
The Falcons have the makings of a terrific young safety group. The Falcons saw significant injuries pile up across the roster, but with the benefit of hindsight, none were more damaging or all-encompassing than the injuries at safety. When the Falcons lost Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen, they lost two game-changing players who were vital to the defense’s success in very different ways, and that was a significant factor in the defensive disarray that was to follow. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Neal’s injury cost the Falcons their biggest tone-setter in the secondary, and it’s...
The Falcoholic Jan 23, 2019
The Falcoholic’s 2018 Falcons Positional Review: Safeties
Fact: Damontae Kazee can tickle a football and make it laugh The Falcons defense has a lot of work to do this offseason. The decision to move on from Marquand Manuel and hand over the defensive play calling to Dan Quinn was a big step in the right direction. If Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal stay on track, the back end of the Falcons secondary should be in excellent shape this fall. But before we look ahead, let’s take a look back. Ricardo Allen/Keanu Neal Not much to say about these guys. They are still the starters, notwithstanding everything that happened in 2018. Allen played 205...
