FLOWERY BRANCH - T.J. Duckett stood on the sideline, not far from coach Dan Reeves. He kept his helmet on, waiting to get the signal that it was his turn to carry the football.
It never came.
Duckett, the Atlanta Falcons' first-round draft pick, didn't play a down during the second half of a 14-13 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday - an egregious oversight that apparently escaped the notice of the coaching staff.
``He should have played in the ballgame,'' Reeves admitted. ``We've got to correct that so there's not a situation at the end of the ballgame where you sit there and say, 'Golly, why didn't he play in the second half?'''
The 254-pound Duckett isn't hard to miss, but the Falcons somehow went through the final two quarters without realizing he had not been in the game. His absence was particularly noticeable on Atlanta's final drive.
Running the hurry-up offense, Michael Vick quickly pushed the Falcons to the Chicago 28, where they faced second-and-1. Warrick Dunn attempted to run right but was stopped for no gain. Vick followed by diving into the middle of the line, also short of the first-down marker.
Jay Feely then missed a 45-yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining, clinching victory for the Bears.
A big, powerful back such as Duckett would seem to be the perfect guy to carry the ball in that type of short-yardage situation, certainly more so than the 180-pound Dunn.
Reeves said he didn't want to use the rookie in the final two minutes of the game, no matter what the situation, but he clearly didn't carry out his plan to give Duckett about a third of the carries.
Vick led the Falcons in rushing for the second week in a row, carrying 10 times for 56 yards - mostly on scrambles rather than designed runs. Dunn gained just 34 yards on 15 carries, a 2.3-yard average.
Duckett took five handoffs in the first half and was the team's most effective rusher, gaining 32 yards. In the first two games of his pro career, the rookie has gained 71 yards on just 11 carries - a 6.5-yard average.
Vick admitted he was surprised Duckett didn't play in the second half.
``I thought something must have happened to T.J. I thought he got hurt,'' Vick said. ``But it's a coach's decision and he didn't play. Warrick is the go-to guy and T.J. is the backup. Both guys can play. T.J. adds another dimension to the offense.''
Dunn said the flow of the game dictated who was in the game. The Falcons fumbled on their first three possessions of the second half.
``That's the way the game went,'' Dunn said. ``We had a lot of three-and-outs and turnovers. No one got into sync or felt comfortable with the offense. It was nothing intentional. It just happened.''
Dunn, who signed a $28.5 million contract with the Falcons in March, was admittedly surprised when his new team took Duckett in the first round a month later. Reeves believes he can get both running backs an adequate number of carries, but Dunn got testy when pressed on how the rotation went in the last game.
``You guys are trying to make a big deal out of nothing,'' he told reporters. ``What you're trying to ask me don't.''
Duckett shrugged off his lack of playing time against the Bears.
``If my name was called, I was ready,'' he said. ``But the game was close and Warrick is a great back.''
Reeves said he won't make the same mistake when the Falcons (0-2) meet another winless team, the Cincinnati Bengals, on Sunday night at the Georgia Dome.
``We were trying to get (Dunn and Duckett) about 2-to-1 in carries prior to this,'' the coach said. ``Now we're going to do it with substitutions, by whatever people are in the game. We'll have it that way so we'll know who's in the game.''
Thursday
January 30th, 2025
4:41PM
