The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Beasley challenged
Rookie first-round pick working to ratchet up his pass rush and tally sacks.
Defensive end Vic Beasley, who suggested when he was picked by the Falcons in the first round that he could deliver quarterback sacks in the double digits, has two in four games.
Falcons first-round pick Vic Beasley, who has two sacks after four games, is on pace to finish with eight.
After being drafted, Beasley said he felt that he could be a “double-digit” sack guy this season. He’s been solid, but not spectacular. The Falcons need Beasley to rise up against the Washington Redskins and spice up the pass rush.
“I thought there have been some flashes where we’ve seen some good stuff,” coach Dan Quinn said. “It’s the initial quickness that you see off the ball. Going through that process with him is day-in and day-out.”
He’s the 25th rated 4-3 defensive end in the NFL by profootballfocus.com. He’s played 153 snaps and has two quarterback hits and five hurries to go along with his two sacks.
Beasley has faced several of the top tackles in the league in Philadelphia’s Jason Peters, Dallas’ Tyron Smith and Houston’s Duane Brown. He had his best game against Giants rookie Ereck Flowers, who was selected one pick after Beasley.
Quinn has Beasley working on his counter move and fin- ishing his rushes stronger.
“How do I keep working on my counter?” Quinn said. “How do I keep working how to finish? As you know, the pass rush part of it is the finish, so I think he’s playing well and it’s all out there in front of him, for where he’s going to get to. He’s a real hard worker at it, and he wants to do it. I think it’s the initial quickness. We knew that was there. Now, it’s that finishing part of the rush.”
The Falcons have five sacks and are on a pace for 20. They had 22 sacks last season.
Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins, who’s set to make his 14th NFL start against the Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome, has posted a 4-9 record as a starter since he was selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft.
Second-year coach Jay Gruden picked Cousins over former first-round pick Robert Griffin III to lead the team. Cousins is off to a 2-2 start this season and is coming off perhaps his finest moment in the league.
With Washington trailing 20-16, Cousins led a 15-play, 90-yard touchdown drive to pull out a 23-20 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. He tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon with 26 seconds left for the win.
“That was a big drive for us,” Cousins said. “It was a great way to finish the game. Most importantly, we got the win.”
Cousins knows the Redskins are underdogs against the 4-0 Falcons.
“Now, we head to Atlanta to face a really good opponent that’s on a roll in their environment,” he said. “We have a great challenge ahead.”
Cousins, who operates a short passing attack for the Redskins, has completed 68.6 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and four interceptions.
He leans heavily on the Redskins’ rushing attack.
“We feel really good about Alfred (Morris), Chris Thompson and Matt Jones,” Cousins said. “We have three good backs who can all make plays. They are pros and great teammates.”