Vic Beasley, Adrian Clayborn give Falcons’ defense a boost

FLOWERY BRANCH -- A quick glance at the statistics from Friday’s game against the New York Jets showed little from Atlanta Falcons pass rushers Vic Beasley and Adrian Clayborn.

Beasley was on the field 19 plays and logged one quarterback hurry and batted down one pass. Clayborn participated in 11 plays and recorded a sack plus a batted pass. The two only had one tackle between them.

But don’t confuse the lack of numbers on a stat sheet with poor play from two of Atlanta’s newest pass rushers. On a conference call Sunday, head coach Dan Quinn raved about Beasley and Clayborn and noted that they have been getting progressively better as camp moves forward and growing together as a team within a team among the defensive linemen.

“I think the team chemistry part -- when you play next to a guy, much like the offensive linemen where now we’re starting to get into a rhythm of guys together -- the same thing happens on the defensive line,” Quinn said. “That communication, a look, a hand signal, knowing how to play off one another, those definitely happen with time as you’re going. As you go through training camp, you throw a lot of different combinations at the guys because honestly most of your work is aimed at perfecting your technique. Now as we’re starting to get closer to the season, that chemistry, that communication really ramps up to another level.

“I was pleased to see the things that we really wanted to work on came through in the game, certainly for those two guys. They both graded out well in the (opportunities) that they had, and we have some points of emphasis we’ll make this week for them. I’m anxious to see where they can go together.”

The two made their presence felt on New York’s first drive. Both bull-rushed their respective offensive linemen (D’Brickashaw Ferguson on Beasley; James Carpenter on Clayborn), and when they started winning their individual battles Carpenter looked over at Beasley, which allowed Clayborn to squirt through and force quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to scramble. The Jets’ third-down play failed, and Atlanta’s defense got off the field.

Clayborn’s sack came later in the first quarter when both he and Beasley again bull-rushed Ferguson and Carpenter. Because Clayborn was rushing from inside and had the benefit of working against a guard instead of a tackle, he shoved Carpenter out of the way easily and bowled Fitzpatrick over.

Beasley’s batted pass came in the second quarter after he and Clayborn worked a defensive line stunt to perfection.

When Beasley paused briefly, Clayborn crossed in front and plowed through Beasley’s man (Ferguson). Carpenter was a split second late adjusting and let Beasley get too close to Fitzpatrick’s throwing lane. That’s how Beasley easily got his hand on the ball. But there was something intriguing going on with Clayborn too while the pass was being batted down.

Because Clayborn has spent years in the NFL on the outside as an edge rusher, he knows how to pivot, change directions and blow past a defender. He was getting ready to elude Ferguson from behind the play. Had Fitzpatrick pulled the ball down instead of throwing it, Clayborn likely would have sacked him.

Atlanta added Beasley in the first round of the draft this spring and Clayborn via free agency. But now, as Quinn has moved them to where they can attack with optimal results, they’re growing into a force on the outside. Both batting passes came with Beasley and Clayborn working on the right side, as did Clayborn’s sack.

And Quinn is counting positive results as they continue to grow together.

This story was originally published August 23, 2015 at 9:37 PM with the headline "Vic Beasley, Adrian Clayborn give Falcons’ defense a boost ."