Falcons Need Moore's Leadership, Make Roster Moves

William Moore may not be able to play football for the Atlanta Falcons because of his injury suffered in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but the defensive back is being counted on to lend a hand in the leadership of the secondary and the players brought in to help replace Moore and others on the injury list.

According to the Falcons website, the team made an announcement Tuesday that safety William Moore will miss significant time due to a shoulder injury. This was a jolt in more ways than one. Of course, he's proven productive during his six-year career, but in 2014, the defense was handed to him to lead.

With Sean Weatherspoon suffering a season-ending injury during OTAs, Moore took the reins and began to run with them. Now out for a minimum of eight weeks, Moore's presence and leadership will be a felt void in the defensive huddle.

Head coach Mike Smith spoke to Moore earlier Tuesday and impressed upon him how much the Falcons will still need to lean on him for help and guidance. Smith said he expects Moore to be present with the team every day during his recovery, in the film and meeting rooms, helping his teammates prepare for the games without him on the field.

"We're going to need his leadership, much like Sean," Smith said Tuesday. "Sean is with us in the meetings. We expect that William will do that, as well. He's designated to return, so he's a guy that's definitely going to be back before the season's over, so he's a guy that can help us win games."

Smith said second-year safety Kemal Ishmael will be the start in Moore's absence, and although Ishmael has played well in his limited time in 2014, Moore's presence off the field can be an asset to the young defensive player.

The team plays the Giants this week in New York. Atlanta lost to the Vikings while the Giants appeared to have found their offense last Thursday night against the Washington Redskins.

ROSTER MOVES MADE (ACCORDING TO ATLANTAFALCONS.COM)

The Atlanta Falcons today announced that they have placed center Joe Hawley and tackle Lamar Holmes on injured reserve and placed safety William Moore on injured reserve-designated to return. Atlanta signed safety Sean Baker, tackle Cameron Bradfield, and guard Harland Gunn to the active roster, in addition to signing safety Kimario McFadden and guard Adam Replogle to the practice squad.

Hawley, 6-3, 302 pounds, was selected by the Falcons in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He has played in 57 games with 23 starts at both center and guard.

Holmes, 6-6, 333 pounds, was selected by the Falcons in the third round (91st overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has played in 20 games with 17 starts at both left and right tackle.

Moore, 6-0, 221 pounds, was selected by the Falcons in the second round (55th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft. In four-plus seasons as a starter, Moore has amassed 421 tackles (281 solo) with 3.5 sacks, 14 interceptions, and eight interceptions.

Moore's designation means that he can return to the practice field after six weeks and then return to the active roster after eight weeks.

Baker, 6-0, 209 pounds, was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a college free agent out of Ball State following the 2012 NFL Draft. He spent part of the 2013 season on the Falcons practice squad before being signed to the active roster for the season finale.

Bradfield, 6-4, 308 pounds, was originally signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a college free agent out of Grand Valley State following the 2011 NFL Draft. He has played in 41 games with 27 starts seeing action at both guard and tackle. Last season, Bradfield played in a career-high 15 games with 11 starts at left tackle.

Gunn, 6-2, 310 pounds, was originally signed by the Cowboys as a college free agent following the 2012 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Falcons in 2012 and played in three games as a reserve offensive guard during the 2013 season.