Spencer Adkins to start for Mike Peterson
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) makes a touchdown catch past Atlanta Falcons linebacker Spencer Adkins (59) during 4th quarter action for a 28-3 lead at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Thursday, August 19, 2010. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com
FLOWERY BRANCH — Reserve linebacker Spencer Adkins will start for Mike Peterson, who was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday.
Adkins, who has been inactive for five games this season, will make his first NFL start.
He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft from the University of Miami.
“I’ve been ready,” Adkins said. “I’ve been watching these guys that I’ve been behind. I’ve learned from them. I have just been preparing myself for this time.”
He will continue with his roles on the special team units.
“I just have some extra baggage that I have to take care of,” Adkins said.
He knows that he will have to manage his emotions when the Falcons face Tampa Bay at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
“It’s exciting every time I step on the field no matter what I’m doing,” Adkins said. “I’m definitely going to be excited, but I’m going to do my job. I’ve been there before.”
Adkins has played a lot in the last few exhibition seasons. He played in five games as a rookie, nine games last season and 10 games this season. He had two tackles against Tampa Bay.
“There’s no pressure,” Adkins said. “It’s just the same as preseason games when I’ve taken all of the snaps. So there’s no pressure at all.”
Curtis Lofton will remain at middle linebacker and Sean Weatherspoon at the weakside spot. Peterson had taken over for Stephen Nicholas, who has not played in the last two games with a toe injury, at strongside.
“He’s ready to slide in,” Lofton said. “We won’t drop off or miss a step.”
Peterson, who was in his 13th season, was playing well. He had 13 tackles against Houston.
“No one can replace Pete,” Lofton said. “He brings a certain swagger and nasty attitude. He’s irreplaceable. I love having him out there.”
Adkins was a mainstay at the workouts at Buford High during the lockout that the players were running. He won over Lofton, who was calling the defensive signals there.
“He makes plays,” Lofton said. “He’s been getting a little work here and there. He’ll be ready to go.”
Adkins is soft spoken and doesn’t appear to have the outward swagger of the other linebackers on the team.
“He is one of the quieter guys on D-Block, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be fired up this weekend,” Weatherspoon said. “He played at the U and you definitely have to have a little dark side to you if you played at the U. We look forward to Spence being out there. He’s a run and hit guy and we look forward to seeing that.”
The linebackers knew something was wrong with Peterson after the Saints’ game. He’s set to have a surgery in the future on his arm.
“I knew that he was banged up a little bit,” Weatherspoon said. “He went in the training room a few times. I didn’t know it was that serious. I just wish him the best. It was a season-ending injury right before the playoffs. It is kind of tough on him.”
Peterson sort of adopted Weatherspoon and took him under his wings last season.
“He’s been integral in my development,” Weatherspoon said. “Whenever I’m doing something wrong, he’d pull me to the side. He’s helped me a lot.”
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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69 comments Add your comment
Brothas Hunt2
December 29th, 2011
1:12 pm
Jay Dubu, I am definitely guilty of very high expectations given the Falcons regular season sucess last season. You are right…the Falcons weaknesses on offense and defense have been exposed by elite teams and a few up and comers. I think you may need to re-think your comment about the Giants and the Lions. The Giants have a two-man running game that is picking up steam game by game, the have a Superbowl winning QB (Eli Manning) and they have a great pass rush that will exploit our patch work offensive line. We beat Detroit in the regular season but if you have been watching sports news lately Mathew Stafford and the Lions are hot right now. I would rather see the Falcons face Dallas in the 1st round. I do not believe Dallas will beat the Giants at home on Sunday. The Giants D-line will bring tremendous pressure againts an injured Tony Romo.
BH2
Brothas Hunt2
December 29th, 2011
4:26 pm
If anyone cares to read this guess what? The NEW Falcons Defensive Coordinator that should replace BVG is already on the coaching staff (Tim Lewis). Coach Lewis is currently the secondary coach. I challenge all REAL FALCONS FANS to go on the Falcon’s home page and read Tim Lewis’s coaching bio and NFL coaching experience compared to BVG. Bottom line…Mike Smith should be fired because he should have realized long ago that BVG is way over his head and Tim Lewis should have been promoted to D.C.
Here is a sample: Lewis brings 16 years of NFL coaching experience to the Falcons secondary. Lewis is known around the League for his expertise in the coverage and pressure package fields as he has served as either a Defensive Backs Coach or Defensive Coordinator throughout his entire coaching tenure.
Lewis began his pro career serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Backs Coach for five seasons (1995-99) before being named Defensive Coordinator over the next four years. His defense ranked seventh overall in his first season as coordinator and jumped to lead the League in total defense in 2001. In 2002 and 2003, his unit also finished in the NFL’s top 10, giving him four-consecutive top-10 finishes as a Defensive Coordinator. Lewis coached the likes of cornerback Rod Woodson in Pittsburgh for two seasons (1995-96). In ’96, the Hall of Famer contributed with six interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and 19 passes defensed.
Following his coaching stint with the Steelers, Lewis spent three years as Defensive Coordinator with the New York Giants. In 2005, his defense did not allow a touchdown in a span that covered 15 quarters and 53 opponent possessions. During his three-year tenure, the Giants ranked sixth in the NFC in opponents passing yards per attempt average (6.79) and second in the conference in opponent passing plays of 25-plus yards allowed. In 2004, New York ranked fifth in the NFC in total defense allowing an average of 339.8 yards per game.
BH2
Biggest Falcon Fanatic
December 29th, 2011
5:17 pm
Has anyone besides me wondered if getting Jack Del Rio as our new D coordinator could be a possibility. Given his ties with Coach Smith, I think this could be a great change for our defense.
coloradofalconsfan
December 29th, 2011
6:51 pm
“Biggest Falcon Fanatic”, I don’t see that happening. Del Rio’s “Colonel Kurtz” way of motivating worked for a while. aka chopping wood. But he wore out its welcome. Do we really think Mike Peterson would want to play for him, the way he basically wrote him off? And I think even if Pete moved on others would feel the same.
coloradofalconsfan
December 29th, 2011
6:58 pm
“Brothas Hunt2″, Lewis’ handling of our current secondary would not enhance his resume. If we replace BVG, we need to clean house on that side of ball. I’d like to see Falcons go after a coordinator with 3-4 experience & bring it in. (Though I doubt they will since Mike Smith has always be in a 4-3 system.) Not sure its a good fit for Abraham but couldn’t you see Spoon being a force as OLB in 3-4? The elite D teams are running the 3-4.
hiramsaint
December 29th, 2011
7:56 pm
todd- really-is that your real name? anyhow , you sound bitter. it’s ok to be jealous , just don’t be bitter.and don’t be afraid either uh-hu-don’t be scared
Brothas Hunt2
December 29th, 2011
9:00 pm
“Coloradofalconsfan” the main point that I was trying to make regarding Tim Lewis is that he is more qualified than BVG to run the falcons defense as they are configured right now in a 4-3 scheme. Again, can you argue with his impressive resume as a DC with Pittsburg and the Giants. I’ll remind you that both the Steelers and the Giants are multiple superbowl winners and have always been known for very good defense. As the secondary coach, Tim Lewis has to coach within the defensive scheme that Coach Smith and BVG has put in place. Since Coach Lewis is not in charge of the overall defense he can only do so much. That said, Coach Smith and BVG are in over their head.
BH2
Brothas Hunt2
December 29th, 2011
9:18 pm
Coach Tim Lewis is the Falcons current Secondary Coach. As a former Defensive Coordinator with the Pittsburg Steelers, his defense ranked in the top ten in the NFL in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. Check out his bio on the Falcons home page or scroll above to see what I wrote about his stint with the Giants as DC for three years.
Bottom line…how in the hell did BVG get his job as DC over Tim Lewis? I have read these blogs the enitre season and most fans want to trash the entire coaching staff. However, in my opinion the the failure of this defensive squad to get off the field on third downs rest entirely with Coach Smith and BVG. Smith and BVG are responsible for the soft zone scheme that we are forced to watch every game.
BH2
falconsrus
December 29th, 2011
9:39 pm
Sounds good to me bruthas 2 bvg is a tool not too sharp to boot
falconsrus
December 29th, 2011
9:44 pm
spencer and dominique young hungry sparks a fire come on falcons wake the eff up
chuck
December 30th, 2011
12:26 am
Dimitroff has made too many mistakes. In fairness there will always be a few picks and free agents signing that don’t work out. My biggest concern is Dimitroff doesn’t seem to understand the draft and the value of draft picks. We have given up way too many picks to trade up in the draft.
The reason that New England is at the top of the league year in and year out is because they stockpile high draft choices. They had 6 or 7 picks in rounds 1-4 last year and will again in 2012 have extra picks in the early rounds. Dimitroff should have taken a LT in the first round of the 2011 draft and gone after the “Julio Jones” type WR in 2012. I think Julio Jones is a great WR but I’m mystified that our GM and HC that both promised to build thru the middle while controlling both lines of scrimmage have let our offensive line become so substandard. The defense line is also inferior. Now we have a mess on our hands. That #1 and #4 draft picks that we traded away look like they will be around number 20 in each round. We have way more holes than draft picks. We need a C, a LT, a RG, a TE and another RB. That’s all 5 picks and we haven’t even addressed the lack of a pass rush and the need for another CB that can cover a slot receiver.
Gritsfalcon
December 30th, 2011
3:49 am
Dare I say it? “Wait til next year” ??!! Not again.
Mikey
December 30th, 2011
8:28 am
Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Mike Peterson… we will miss him! He has been a great addition to the team since his arrival and he is a class act. He will be hard to follow but I am happy to see Adkins getting some playing time. We need to continue adding depth and strengthening the backups. This is a very fast linebacking corps. I hope that we will see some contact with receivers at the line in the game plan. That “run back to the goal line and try to prevent them from crossing” type defense isn’t working with the stronger teams. With this linebacker corps, we can pressure QBs and CONTROL tight ends and receivers out of the backfield. I don’t mean stand behind them until they catch the ball; I mean knock them on their butts. This linebacking corps is CAPABLE. I hope we see the Falcons practice this against the Bucks. GO FALCONS… Rise UP!
Mr. Belichick
December 30th, 2011
9:52 am
No big deal. The Falcons only have two more games anyway.
jerseyfalcon
December 30th, 2011
12:06 pm
I know this story is about Peterson and Adkins but has anyone see Jonathan Babineaux this year?? Did he forget that the lockout is over and the games aren’t simulated? ….20 tackles and ONE sack………augh
Veedub
December 30th, 2011
1:18 pm
D Led… We really reachin with this one don’t ya think? Third string guy could get us hurt bad!!!!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
December 30th, 2011
1:19 pm
Veedub — Spencer is ready to go. He’ll be fine. He’s fast and can hit.
falconsrus
December 30th, 2011
7:21 pm
Amen to that youngbloods rise up
panic fan
December 31st, 2011
2:20 pm
#1 high character high performance high energy player
mr pete is a non-replaceable player person he will be highly missed OK NEXT MAN UP JUST LIKE PETE SAID COUPLE WEEKS AGO ITS PLUG AND PLAYOFFS