Falcons to Have Open QB Competition, D.J. Shockley, Joey Harrington Skeptical

Great news for Falcons fourth-string quarterback D.J. Shockley: head coach Mike Smith says the starting job is wide open. Of course, that's what every coach currently without a bona fide starter is saying, and realistically, Shockley has about as good a shot at the gig as Joey Harrington has of being traded to the Lions and taking them to the Super Bowl. Which, at about a million to one means there's still a chance.

"We'll have a rotation so that all of our quarterbacks have an opportunity to work early," Smith said. "That's something that we want to do, to give every guy an opportunity to compete for the starting job."

Matt Ryan, the team's first-round pick and next franchise quarterback, offers his thoughts on the process:

"I think there's no right or wrong way to do it. If it were an exact science, then everybody would follow the same protocol. As a competitor and a player, I think that you want to be out on the field and you want to have the ball in your hands."

As JJ Cooper pointed out yesterday, this is basically a two-horse race: Ryan vs. Chris Redman. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that Harrington and Shockley are each "in a battle for his NFL life", which sounds about right. However this shakes out over the next month, come December, there's a good possibility Ryan's under center for the duration. I don't like to make predictions, but I'm guessing his career ends up a little less gruesome than his predecessor's.