{"id":58031,"date":"2019-02-07T21:46:03","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T02:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=58031"},"modified":"2021-03-20T12:40:24","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T16:40:24","slug":"atlanta-legends-starting-offense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/02\/07\/atlanta-legends-starting-offense\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Down the Atlanta Legends Starting Offense"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the 2018 NFL season all wrapped up after Super Bowl LIII<\/a>, kickoff weekend for the Alliance of American football (AAF) is fast approaching. The first slate of games is scheduled for Saturday night, with the Atlanta Legends heading down to Florida<\/a> to take on the Orlando Apollos<\/a> for the season opener. Ahead of kickoff, the Legends have finalized their starting lineup<\/a>. That lineup includes former NFL quarterback Matt Simms<\/a><\/strong>, who spent time with the New York Jets<\/a>, the Buffalo Bills<\/a>, and the Atlanta Falcons<\/a>. Let’s take a look at Atlanta’s starting offensive talent.<\/p>\n

Atlanta Legends Offensive Overview<\/h1>\n

The Man, the Myth, the Matt<\/h2>\n

Just when many assumed Aaron Murray<\/a><\/strong>, the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> fourth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, had cemented his role as the Legends starting quarterback, Atlanta went and flipped the script. Instead, the team announced, Matt Simms had won the starting role<\/a> over Murray. Last Word on Pro Football’s very own David Latham covered the news of the AAF’s first quarterback controversy. As he points out, the decision was likely made due to Simms’ NFL experience.<\/p>\n

Where Murray had no NFL experience whatsoever, Simms had at least some between two AFC East teams. That being said, Simms’ stat line isn’t exactly encouraging. On 39 pass attempts, he has all of 19 completions. In fact, he’s lost the ball more times than he’s scored – including an embarrassing 20-yard backwards pass<\/a> to no one<\/em> in 2015. If Atlanta’s decision truly came down to NFL experience, one might argue that no experience is better than that, right?<\/p>\n

Time will tell if Simms has grown as a quarterback, and whether or not he can effectively lead this team. Perhaps, if given the right protection and offensive arsenal, he could become the team’s first actual legend.<\/p>\n

Prediction:<\/strong> Doubtful.<\/p>\n

Potentially Legendary Running Backs<\/h2>\n

Atlanta’s rushing corps will be lead by former Notre Dame back Tarean Folston<\/strong> and, presumably, Denard Robinson<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At Notre Dame, Folston only rushed for just over 1,700 yards and 11 touchdowns. His college career was stunted by an unfortunate ACL tear, which cut his production upon returning from the injury. The last time Folston played football was in 2016, when he rushed 77 times for an average of 4.3 yards per carry. While Folston hasn’t seen on-field action in some time, he could be beneficial to the Legends as a pass-catching back. During his sophomore year, he reeled in 18 passes for nearly 200 yards. He only scored one touchdown on those receptions, but on 31 receptions through college he gained just under 9.5 yards per reception.<\/p>\n

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Shoelace \ud83d\ude08 #AllHailATL<\/a> | @DenardX<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/XhVOUYTjWw<\/a><\/p>\n

— Atlanta Legends (@AafLegends) January 13, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n