Falcons Cut Harrington, Pollard, Forney, 19 Others
Sports Network | August 30, 2008
Flowery Branch, GA (Sports Network) - Quarterback Joey Harrington, tight end Marcus Pollard, and guard Kynan Forney were among the notables released by the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to the 53- player maximum. Harrington started 10 games as the Falcons' quarterback last season, but the selection of Matt Ryan with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 Draft, coupled with the return of local favorite D.J. Shockley from an injury that knocked him out in 2007, made the ex-Lion and Dolphin the odd man out. Harrington, the No. 3 overall pick of the Lions in the 2002 Draft, posted just a 51.5 passer rating in the preseason. Pollard was released for the second time this summer, after previously being dumped by the New England Patriots. The 36-year-old Pollard, who has 349 catches in 13 NFL seasons, was a member of the Seattle Seahawks last season. Forney started 89 games as a member of the Falcons from 2001 through 2007, but had been slowed by injuries of late and lost his starting right guard job to Harvey Dahl in the preseason. The other players cut by the Falcons on Saturday were offensive lineman D'Anthony Batiste, safety Eric Brock, offensive lineman Michael Butterworth, safety Deke Cooper, center Doug Datish, defensive end Willie Evans, cornerback Wilrey Fontenot, offensive lineman Kynan Forney, defensive end Brandon Miller, defensive tackle Rashad Moore, offensive lineman Terrance Pennington, linebacker Mickey Pimentel, cornerback Glenn Sharpe, defensive tackle Montavious Stanley, safety Daren Stone, linebacker Cameron Vaughn, wide receiver Eric Weems, wide receiver Chandler Williams, and tight end Keith Zinger. Notables among that group include Batiste, Pennington, Stanley, and Stone, all of whom spent time on Atlanta's active roster in 2007. In another move, running back Thomas Brown (groin) was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Atlanta opens the 2008 regular season on Sept. 7, when the Falcons host the Detroit Lions.
