Babin, Atkins, Forsett...

by: Chris Sullivan

I think most people were pleased yesterday to see that we somehow managed to keep Justin Forsett (Young Nastyman / J-Force One) on the squad. Then, a lot of us were happy to see no Babin or Atkins on the cut list... and then... no Coutu or Mare... whats going on here guys? Well, the timely suspensions of Bernard and Babs bought us some time on these five players, but between the five of them there are exactly three spots that will be occupied. We know that one of the kickers will get one of those spots, so there are two spots left.

It seems like an obvious assumption that Babin and Atkins are going to be fighting for the flex spot there, and Forsett is sittin' pretty returning punts and getting a few touches. However, it is unlikely that the team will choosee to keep all the running backs active for a given game, meaning until someone gets injured (knock on wood) it is possible either Forsett or Duckett will be inactive. After seeing what Duckett can do when he tries, and seeing as he is the biggest back and arguably the hardest runner, it seems unlikely that Duckett is inactive for the bulk of the games. Babin and Atkins have both played very well in the offseason, and both Babin and Atkins play on special teams too. Atkins may also prove a viable backup to an aging Kerney who, as we saw last year, could be getting tired by the end of the year.

Given all that, I think it is very likely that the Hawks keep Forsett through week one cut him and resign him to the Practice Squad. This adds a level of security in that it is likely going to be easier to slip him onto the PS without all the teams scoping out their third RB from the waivers. It is obvious that we like Young Nastyman, but at the same time, it seems unlikely for him to make much of an impact this year, especially if he is not returning kicks. END POST