Atlanta’s wild card? This week, it could be Justin Griffith

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, December 14, 2006  |  Comments( 2 )

Atlanta Falcons
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Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora Jr. is being coy this week. He has no choice.

His team's two top running backs (unless you count Michael Vick in that department) are hurting. Warrick Dunn has a calf injury, Jerious Norwood sprained his right knee. Neither injury is considered season-threatening, but it's iffy as to whether either will be ready to play against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night in the Georgia Dome.

Amazingly, the Falcons -- all but written off after losing four straight, a death spiral that left the erratic Michael Vick about as popular in Atlanta as Gen. Sherman --- have revived, winning two in a row. Yet Saturday's game still matches two of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL, with Dallas coming off a fearful pounding at the hands of New Orleans, a victory over the Giants the week before that.

Meanwhile, Mora tries to hold the media and the opposition at bay regarding Dunn and Norwood, saying only "We'll have to see how it goes in practice this week."

If they don't play, that will leave the tailback position in the hands (and feet) of fullback Justin Griffith, who rushed for 57 yards and scored his first NFL rushing touchdown after Dunn and Norwood limped off in the third quarter last week. At 5-foot-11, 232 pounds, Griffith runs with impact, but any Falcon coach will tell you he's more valuable as a blocker. That job would fall to backup fullback Fred McCrary, who attended Mississippi State. So did Griffith, and so did Norwood.

Beyond that group lies the great unknown, with Chris Crocker, Taurean Henderson, Butchie Wallace and Cory McIntyre listed as supplementary running backs.

Is it too late to get T.J. Duckett back?

Playing at home isn't necessarily a good thing, either, because Vick hasn't performed well in the Dome. The frustrated Falcon fans, remembering last year's last-season collapse, booed Magic Mike so lustily after the last home loss three weeks ago that he gave them a one-finger salute -- with both hands -- as he left the field.

Of course, that was two victories ago, and Vick was steady, if not spectacular, in a 16-7 victory over Tampa Bay last Sunday.

And the Falcons are now in a three-way tie for the wild-card lead.

This week, though, the wild card may be named Justin Griffith.
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