Its that time of year when the NFL teams take the field to prove that their second team is better than your second team. Its exciting stuff let me tell you, but if nothing else it gives the fans a chance to get a glimpse at the potential stars of the future. In Saturday’s preseason opener where the Falcons took on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, we got plenty of flashes of the future.

Matt Ryan and Michael Turner started the game with the first team, hanging on for two drives in the first quarter. Ryan came out 5-for-7 with 33-yards to his credit as Turner broke free on a 40-yard scamper for a touchdown. Free agent acquisitions Tony Gonzalez and Mike Peterson showed up to play as well. Gonzalez converted a Ryan pass on third down as Peterson racked up three tackles in the first quarter.

Former Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford took over for Daunte Culpepper in the second quarter and showed why he was the number one pick in the draft. Stafford didn?t post gaudy numbers going 7-for-14 with 114 yards, but the number of drops by Lions receivers, most notably Keary Colbert, took the sizzle out of an otherwise stellar performance. Calvin Johnson was sidelined by a sprained thumb and will be a welcomed addition by Stafford once he is healthy. Lions’ RB Kevin Smith was also showing continued flashes of brilliance to follow up on his great 08 campaign.

Atlanta’s backup quarterbacks didn’t offer up much to write about. Redman seemed to make a habit of going three and out, and DJ Shockley seemed as erratic and inconsistent as ever. The one positive seemed to be new pickup out of Alabama John Parker Wilson. His passes were on the money more than they weren?t, and he seemed to step up at key points in the drive. It will be interesting to see who is the odd man out when it comes time to make final cuts.

The one name that kept echoing through the broadcast was rookie CB Christopher Owens. Where ever the play was developing on the field, he was in the middle of the action. I guess he’s trying to prove that coming out of a small school (San Diego State) doesn’t mean his play is small. Also consistently on the highlight reel was third string running back Thomas Brown. He put the team on notice that there is more than just Turner and Norwood that could carry the ball.

The score showed a Falcons loss at the end of the day 27-26 due to a 47-yard field goal by Jason Hanson as time expired, but there is a lot for the Falcons to take away from the effort. Lots of guys are fighting tooth-and-nail to make the squad and have three more games to prove their worth. Next up is the St Louis Rams on 8/21 at Edward Jones Dome. Trying to stuff Steven Jackson behind the line will be a great test of the Falcons run defense.

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