Some good news came out of player practices this week in regards to a couple of Falcons on the mend. Previously injured wideout Harry Douglas and safety Shann Schillinger have reportedly been making good forward progress in recovering from their respective injuries.
Douglas, who tore his ACL in training camp prior to the 2009 season, came back to the Falcons in 2010 but still took awhile to get his knee back up to 100%. However, he has regularly attended the Falcons unofficial minicamps this offseason and seems to be back up and running at full speed.
When questioned about Douglas' production, Mike Smith would often cite how ACL tears typically take two years for the player to fully recover. Not only will defenses have to face a receiver tandem of Roddy White and Julio Jones, but now they'll have to deal with a healthy Douglas as well. Expect him to provide some extra explosiveness from the slot in 2011.
In other news, 2010 sixth-round pick Shann Schillinger, who broke his ankle toward the end of last season, is also on the road to recovery and showed up at a few of the practices. Schillinger noted that while he is not 100% healthy, he's almost to where he can play at full speed. The Falcons already don't have much depth at safety, so having him healthy will only help.
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