Falcon Report

BLOCK! Falcons Swat Jaguars Punt Into TD

Linebacker Quinton Bell came through in the clutch.

Jeremy Brener

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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The Atlanta Falcons are injecting some juice into the final preseason game.

After forcing the Jacksonville Jaguars to punt deep in their own territory, the Falcons applied even more pressure on fourth down.

Veteran linebacker Quinton Bell blocked Logan Cooke's punt just outside of the 5-yard line. It was recovered by rookie linebacker DeAngelo Malone, who fell on it just outside of the end zone.

On the next play, running back Qadree Ollison charged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.

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Ollison's touchdown run marked his fourth carry of the day. He's now racked up 21 yards in the first half, leading the team alongside Caleb Huntley.

Moving back to the blocked punt, seeing some special teams improvement is a welcomed addition to the team. The Falcons ranked towards the bottom of the league's special teams rankings a year ago, but plays like this won't keep Atlanta there in 2022.

Special teams is the easiest way to try and earn playing time or make the team. Bell, who was on the team's practice squad a year ago, likely earned major brownie points with head coach Arthur Smith and special teams coordinator Marquice Williams.

As a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders (then the Oakland Raiders), he failed to make the team out of his rookie training camp. He appeared in five games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and won a Super Bowl with the team, but now he's looking for more playing time with the Falcons. Plays like this will help that cause.

The Falcons lead 14-6 just before halftime.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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