FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — When the Atlanta Falcons signed free-agent tight end Charlie Woerner in the offseason, they expected to employ a lot of 12 personnel this season. Throughout training camp, they continued to think they would. In Week 1, they did.
And then they stopped.
The Falcons (4-2) used the personnel grouping, which gets its name because it includes one running back and two tight ends, on 22 snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have used it on only 12 total snaps in the five games since and most of those came in the second half last week against the Carolina Panthers as they ran the ball to run out the clock.
“There were a lot of things going into that first game that led us that direction — what we were seeing on tape from the Steelers, some of the matchups on the edge are tough,” offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said.
The Falcons had 10 points and 226 yards against Pittsburgh, both of which remain their season lows, and decided the next week to lean more heavily on 11 personnel against the Philadelphia Eagles. After using 11 personnel (one running back and one tight end) on 24 snaps against the Steelers, Atlanta has used it at least 53 snaps in each game since.
“It’s been fun to kind of get back to the roots of the 11 personnel,” said Robinson, who spent his entire pro coaching career before coming to Atlanta working for Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, who has become renowned for his use of that grouping. “As we got going (in Week 2) against Philly, that started clicking, and we kind of had just been rolling with that group since then. Not saying that we won’t get back to 12, even this week with some things.”
Using 11 personnel means more playing time for wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III, who has 24 catches for 259 yards, and less for Woerner, although the Falcons have kept Woerner involved by rotating him with Kyle Pitts in their single-tight end formations. Woerner has played 113 snaps this year compared with Pitts’ 298.
Since Week 1, the Falcons are fifth in the league in yards (396.8 per game), third in the league in passing (278.2 ypg) and sixth in scoring (27.8 ppg). That may suggest why they’re not in a hurry to jump back into heavy 12 personnel usage.
“Starting with that Philly game, we had a great mix of run and play action, and the dropback game was good, so, once that was rolling, and then we looked at the next opponent, we said, ‘Hey, I think this is another good week for 11 (personnel), and those guys have got a great feel.”
The Falcons have universally praised Woerner’s value to the Falcons’ run game, and the fifth-year tight end out of Georgia said he’s happy with this role in the current structure.
“It’s just about continuing to evolve and figure out how we mesh together and work together, what works best,” Woerner said. “I think we’re just continuing to get better. It’s nice to be winning games while you’re figuring it out.”
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Penix playing key scouting role this week
Michael Penix Jr. owes a lot to Ryan Grubb, but he’s doing everything he can this week to help the Falcons beat his former coach. Penix, the Falcons’ backup quarterback, passed for 9,544 yards and 67 touchdowns in his final two years at the University of Washington with Grubb as his offensive coordinator. Grubb is now in the same role for the Seattle Seahawks.
“Tell Grubb we’ve got Michael Penix in a room right now and haven’t let him out for three days, got a light in his face, making him tell us everything. He better change all his signals,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris joked. “I’m just kidding, but obviously, he talks about the stuff that he knows.”
The Falcons are picking Michael Penix Jr.’s brain this week about his college offensive coordinator who now has the same role with the Seahawks. (Matt Kelley / Getty Images)
Penix has debriefed Atlanta’s coaching staff about what he expects from Grubb, but the quarterback said he isn’t sure how valuable his information will be this week.
“I haven’t watched their offense. I only watch their defense,” Penix said. “As far as his philosophy and things he likes to do, like attack, I could give insight on that. As far as what I can help provide, I’m not 100 percent sure because I haven’t seen what he’s done this year. He could be doing a totally different thing.”
For Penix, it’s not awkward facing his former coach.
“Whatever happens in this game, I know we’ll both have the same love towards each other,” Penix said. “He knows it’s part of the game. I had a great relationship with Coach Grubb. That’s my guy. As much as I love him, I’m on the Falcons, he’s on the Seahawks so I’m going to do whatever I can to help us win.”
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Is pass rush making progress?
Morris says the Falcons’ pass rush is making strides. He knows it’s not obvious, though. Atlanta is last in the NFL with five sacks and 28th in pressure percentage, according to TruMedia.
“I do like where we’re going,” the coach said. “Actually knocking the quarterback down has gotten better, but we have missed some layups. Still not good enough, no doubt about it, but I do like where we’re going.”
This week might provide the Falcons with an opportunity to get well. Seattle is 28th in the league in pressure percentage allowed (40.1 percent), and right tackle Stone Forsythe is next-to-worst among qualifying offensive linemen (100 pass protection snaps) with a 12.9 percent pressure rate, according to TruMedia.
Eyeing rare four-game winning streak
The Falcons have the chance to post their first four-game winning streak in the same season since Weeks 14-17 of 2019, when Morris was the team’s secondary coach under Dan Quinn.
“In this league, it’s so important that you stack performances because they’re each their own entity, and they really don’t carry over,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “I heard one quarterback talk about it like stages in the Tour de France and while they build, you also have individual stages. You can’t view it like they’re all tied together. That’s a great thing to think about when you’re struggling, when you’re losing, knowing that the next game is truly a new week, a fresh start, turn the page. Then when things are going well, you feel like you’ve got to go back out and earn it again and not get bored or get complacent with the process that it takes to win on Sunday. So, I think that’s the message and just understand we got to go stack another performance and keep stacking performances week in and week out and see where the dust settles when we get to January.”
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Safety depth becoming an issue
If starting safety Justin Simmons is slowed Sunday by the hamstring injury that limited him in practice this week, the Falcons could have depth issues at the position. DeMarcco Hellams remains on short-term injured reserve and is “weeks away” from returning, and Micah Abernathy went on season-ending IR last week.
That leaves Atlanta with only Simmons, Jessie Bates III and Richie Grant at the position, although Morris said cornerbacks Kevin King and Antonio Hamilton also can fill in at safety.
(Photo of Charlie Woerner and Tyler Allgeier: Matt Kelley / Getty Images)
