Atlanta Falcons Inside Slant

It's hard to figure out where local hero D.J. Shockley fits into the Falcons' quarterback pecking order — if he does at all — but at least he's healthy enough now to make a case for himself.

Shockley recently was medically cleared to participate in all drills and activities after months of rehabilitating torn ligaments in his left knee. Shockley, who got hurt in a preseason game at Buffalo last season, had been restricted to rehab work and individual drills during minicamp and OTAs but he has been going through all team sessions and workouts this week.

"When I first came out in (off-season workouts), I was doing all the individual stuff but now I'm doing more of the team stuff and I'm feeling really good," said Shockley. "I've gained so much confidence. When you're in the huddle and you've got Todd McClure, Laurent Robinson and all the No. 1 guys in there and then to have things click and have McClure say, 'Good job running the offense,' that feels good.'"

Whether Shockley can make up for lost time remains to be seen, but the health of his knee is crucial. Shockley's ability to run is one of his key strengths — his huddle presence and big arm are his best attributes. If his mobility is restricted or if his plant leg causes him to adjust his throwing motion, it could hurt his chances to make the team.

Shockley is battling for the No. 3 job, which is either a good or bad thing.

Chris Redman is the starter for now and first-round draft pick Matt Ryan already dubbed the quarterback of the future. Joey Harrington has six years of starting experience. Shockley has only been healthy in one of his two NFL seasons and doesn't have the resume — or in Ryan's case, the draft stock — that seemingly would measure up.

However, Shockley has more long-term upside than either Redman or Harrington and that potential could get him past Harrington, who has consistently failed to prove he can get teammates to play for him.

If the Falcons' coaches opt to have Redman and Ryan as their top two quarterbacks, Shockley's upside and lower price tag could be more worth the risk than keeping Harrington. However, if Atlanta feels it will be competitive this season and wants Harrington around should Redman falter or Ryan not be ready, Shockley could be let go.

As for how he has looked since being cleared, coach Mike Smith said, "You see D.J.'s athleticism. He brings a different dynamic then the other three guys. He feels like he's getting more comfortable moving around on his leg, which is positive. It's good for him to get out and actually run the offense and get a feel for the verbiage and to get a feel for the shifts and motions of the offense."

NOTES, QUOTES

—WR Roddy White strained his left hamstring and he has not gone through OTAs the past two weeks. White, the team's leading receiver last season, said he does not want to rush back and aggravate the injury.

—CB Chris Houston has missed nearly two weeks of OTAs because of a bruise sustained from a knee-to-knee collision with a teammate during off-season workouts. The knee is sensitive to contact and Houston said he wants to fully heal before resuming workouts. Von Hutchins and rookie Chevis Jackson have taken reps in his place at right CB.

—Lionel Vital, the assistant director of player personnel, is the right hand man to GM Thomas Dimitroff, the guy who cut him as a player 18 years ago. Dimitroff was a scout with the CFL's Saskatchewan Rough Riders and was given the order to cut Vital, a running back at the tail end of his career.

Shortly thereafter, Dimitroff called Vital to see if he was interested in scouting. At first, Vital declined. He then ventured into evaluating players.

"When I look back now realize I was about to be so stupid because I almost missed a great opportunity," Vital, 44, said.

Vital went on to work for Cleveland, the Jets, the Patriots and Ravens before being hired by Dimitroff. The pair worked together in New England and Cleveland.

Vital is considered one of the best scouts in the NFL and was honored with the inaugural Fritz Pollard Alliance award in 2007 for the league's top African-American scout.

He is the top collegiate personnel man with the franchise but he also will have a hand in pro-personnel evaluation.

What type of player do Dimitroff and Vital stay away from?

"We don't want fat guys," Vital said. "Why? Let's say a guy is an offensive tackle but he's fat. He weighs 330 pounds. He gets down to 310 to trick you because he wants a new deal. He signs his new deal and goes back to 330 pounds. Big guys always get big again. We don't want to deal with those types of headaches."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's kind of weird for me to hold back from hitting someone. I'm looking forward to getting the pads on. That will be a good time." — Falcons rookie middle linebacker Curtis Lofton.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

The Falcons are still in the process of trying to figure out who will take over for two-time Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who was traded to Oakland.

Ideally, Atlanta would like to have rookie Chevis Jackson emerge as the starter because he is a prototype Cover 2 corner: Long, great fundamentals and he is a playmaker. The big issue is that he lacks top end speed.

The immediate answer could be third-year player Brent Grimes, arguably the top athlete on the team. Grimes, athletically, was compared to Hall by coaches over the past two seasons but his lack of stature (5-10, 180) and inexperience, make him a liability. Even so, Grimes is the one of the few defensive backs on the team who could play man coverage, regardless of the scheme.

The key to who plays left cornerback - Chris Houston will start at right cornerback - could be determined by how the Falcons' defensive front plays. If it is able to be stout against the run, they can play Cover 2 most of the time and hide the coverage flaws in the secondary.

Should teams have success running and the Falcons' have to move a strong safety into the box, that will leave defensive backs in a lot of man coverage, where they could be vulnerable.

FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

—PK Morten Andersen is a reliable geriatric kicker that still has some leg left but the signing of Jason Elam takes him out of the picture.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None.

DRAFT CHOICES SIGNED: QB Matt Ryan (1/3): $72M/6 yrs, $34.75M guaranteed.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED

—FS Erik Coleman: UFA Jets; $10M/4 yrs, $2.5M guaranteed.

—K Jason Elam: UFA Broncos; $9M/4 yrs, $3.3M SB.

—DE Simon Fraser: Not tendered as RFA by Browns; terms unknown.

—TE Ben Hartsock: UFA Titans; $9M/4 yrs, $2.5M guaranteed.

—CB Von Hutchins: UFA Texans; $9M/4 yrs, $2.5M.

—FB Corey McIntyre: RFA; $927,000/1 yr.

—DT Rashad Moore: Not tendered as RFA by Patriots; terms unknown.

—DT Kindal Moorehead: UFA Panthers; terms unknown.

—C Alex Stepanovich: UFA Bengals; terms unknown.

—RB Michael Turner: UFA Chargers; $34.5M/6 yrs, $15M guaranteed.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

—DT Tim Anderson: UFA; terms unknown.

—LB Michael Boley: RFA; $2.017M/1 yr.

—OL Tyson Clabo: ERFA; terms unknown.

—DE Chauncey Davis: RFA; $927,000/1 yr.

—QB Joey Harrington: FA, had been released by Falcons; $1M/1 yr, $300,000 SB.

—P Michael Koenen: RFA' $1.47M/1 yr.

—QB Chris Redman: UFA; $4M/2 yrs, $2.75M SB.

—NT Montavious Stanley: ERFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.

PLAYERS LOST

—TE Courtney Anderson: UFA Bills; terms unknown.

—TE Dwayne Blakley: UFA Titans; 1 yr, terms unknown.

—DT Rod Coleman (released).

—S Chris Crocker: UFA Dolphins; 1.15M/1 yr, $300,000 SB.

—TE Alge Crumpler (released).

—RB Warrick Dunn (released).

—WR Jamin Elliott (released).

—OT Wayne Gandy (released).

—CB DeAngelo Hall (traded Raiders).

—QB Byron Leftwich (released).

—S Omare Lowe: UFA Seahawks; $605,000/1 yr.

—CB Lewis Sanders (released).

—LB Marcus Wilkins (released).

—OLB Demorrio Williams: UFA Chiefs; $16M/5 yrs, $5.5M guaranteed.