Two days prior to his alma mater beginning its quest to stay No. 1, D.J. Shockley ended his preseason bid to become No. 3. The Georgia alum, now fighting for a roster spot with the Falcons, hadn’t taken a significant snap since last suiting up for the Bulldogs in 2005. But in a 10-9 win against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, Shockley suited up for his most important game since being named MVP of the SEC Championship Game in his final collegiate season. Flash forward three years, and Shockley is on the razor’s edge of scoring a roster spot. The Falcons have until Saturday’s leaguewide deadline to cut their roster down to 53 players.
Shockley didn’t blow the doors off a stout Ravens defense, but he did produce his best showing of the preseason and the game’s only touchdown, a 20-yard touchdown pass to Brian Finneran to cap the first half. Shockley finished 7-for-14 with 98 yards.
“I almost kissed Finn in the locker room,” Shockley said about his second-quarter connection with Finneran. “It’s such a good feeling that all this hard work is starting to pay off.
“I’m still out here working and still trying to get better. The best thing I can do is go out and compete like I did.”
NUMBERS
The running game proved itself once again, rushing for 100-plus yards in every preseason game. … On the defensive side, Thomas DeCoud and Glenn Sharpe snagged their first two NFL interceptions and Kroy Biermann (five tackles, sack) continued to show the pressure on the passer that could see him push Jamaal Anderson for playing time. … The defense has gone 13 quarters without conceding a touchdown.
Horne can be reached at ehorne@scoreatl.com.
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