With Michael Vick looking increasingly unlikely to be the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback this season, the assumption has been that backup Joey Harrington will, by default, get the job. But don't forget about the No. 3 man on the Falcons' depth chart: D.J. Shockley. Although he spent all of last year on the Falcons' roster, Shockley has never been active for an NFL game. But fans in Atlanta know him well because he grew up in Georgia and was the Bulldogs' starting quarterback in 2005.
Shockley was mentioned on ESPN First Take this morning as a possible starter whom local fans would prefer over Harrington. New coach Bobby Petrino isn't going to let the fans decide on his starting quarterback for him, but anything that would make fans happy would be a positive in the Falcons' decidedly negative situation.



















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-23-2007 @ 12:31PM
atlfan42 said...
I hope the Falcons cut Vick and move on. I don't care if he is guilty or not at this point. I, like most Americans would have been fired a long time ago. As for who starts, I think Harrington and Shockly both are good back ups. Why do we not try to get Culpepper? Has he sign with Tampa yet? If not he is only 30 and is a great QB. He would be an up grade from Vick. He is a top 10 QB and maybe a top 5. I bet the Falcons receivers could catch if they had a QB that practiced with them.
Reply
7-23-2007 @ 7:42PM
christian said...
Let Coach Petrino do wat he wants to do with the team. After all, when they hired Bobby Petrino they wanted him to turn this team around and that wat he is trying to do. He is the coach and not any body else
Reply
7-23-2007 @ 7:43PM
jeremy littlefield said...
D.J. SHOCKLEY WILL BE A GREAT STARTING Q.B. ONE DAY, BUT THAT DAY ISN'T TODAY. I LIKE THE WAY HE PLAYS. GIVE HIM ANOTHER YEAR AND HE MAY BE READY TO TAKE THE REINS. RIGHT NOW THE FALCONS BEST CHANCE AT THE PLAYOFFS IS JOEY HARRINGTON. HE HAS PLENTY OF STARTING EXPERIENCE AND EVEN AS BAD OF A NAME AS HE RECIEVED WITH HIS LAST TWO TEAMS HIS NUMBERS WERE STILL BETTER THAN VICK'S. AS BAD AS THE LIONS WERE WITH HIM THEY ARE DEFFINITELY WORSE WITHOUT HIM. THE FALCONS HAVE A MUCH BETTER TEAM THAN THE LIONS OR THE DOLPHINS AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CARREER HARRINGTON WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO LEAD A GOOD TEAM. MAYBE TO THE PLAYOFFS IF THEY CAN PULL AWAY FROM THE SHADOW VICK CAST OVER THEM. IT WILL BE A BIG CHANGE TO HAVE A Q.B. WITH GOOD WORK ETHIC.
Reply
7-24-2007 @ 7:20AM
1DawgFan said...
Me personally, I feel either Harrington Or Shockley would be a step up! Atl should cut there losses with Vicko...Good bye and Good riddance!!
Reply
7-25-2007 @ 10:07AM
dgwood said...
With Vick out, the Falcons will have to get another arm in the rotation. So, I think the best way to find out who should start for this team is the have an open competition for the job. This way, the best QB during training camp should get the shot to start.
Reply
7-25-2007 @ 2:11AM
Jon said...
Ugh! I saw DJ get drafted to Atlanta and was excited for him, He is a QB like Vick so under this management he could Accel. I have been waiting 3 years and this excatly what i want. If anyone saw DJ against New England Last year in Preseason, They Know what he is capable of. Give Him A Chance And He Will Win!
Reply
7-25-2007 @ 4:39PM
ATLDB said...
Culpepper stinks! We don't want him! He really work wonders in Miami running around hurt and scared. Moreover, he was garbage with Randy Moss, leading me to believe Randy Moss carried him all those years. Anyhow, he is still hurt and timid, and nobody else is jumping out of their chairs to sign him, especially the Falcons being without a great reciever (Hopefully, Horn will be productive). I would like to see the Shockster, but he Harrington will have to lose the job, which is highly likely. The Lions stunk and Harrington couldn't pull them out of the cellar, and he is going to have a hard time in Atlanta. Mike Vick is the only guy who could make this crappy franchise even mediocre. You gotta be a special player to single handedly take the Falcons to the playoffs, twice, and once was with no team and crap coaches, who I swear put together the gameplan of the week while shaving in the car on the way to the game. So, no Culpepper, Harrington ain't no suprise superathlete, and DJ needs to somehow step when his time comes. Stupid Falcons, stupid Vick, another year in the basement with a boring, white-boy loser drop-back qb.
Reply
7-27-2007 @ 3:38AM
Craig Jones said...
Joey Harrington,he can't hold a candle to Shockley. He could'nt do it with Detroit or Miami that's why he was cut! It's Shockley's turn,he will sell tickets not Harrington.
Reply
7-27-2007 @ 7:31PM
Sam Jamison said...
Joey Harrington,what a joke. The only chance the Falcons have is DJ Shockley. He can move in the pocket and he is acurate with his passes. Harrington is slow and can't stay consistant,he'll never sell tickets.
Reply