FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Falcons' win on Sunday was a game of firsts for defensive tackle Dontari Poe.
Not only did he record his first full sack as a Falcons player, he played his first offensive series for the Falcons. Poe took three offensive snaps for Atlanta in their 27-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
"As far as the goal line part is concerned, I've been nudging that along for a while, and it's a part of his game that he's able to do not only can he line up at fullback and he can catch it and he can run it, he's got some of the best hands we have," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. "It definitely brought some energy to our team, and it was a pretty clear running lane to run right behind. It was good to have him in the game, and it definitely brought some energy to the team."
This isn't the first time Poe has been used on offense – he's rushed, blocked and even passed on offense when he was with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Atlanta used him as a fullback in goal-line situations, using him to block for Tevin Coleman's touchdown run and the play-action pass from Matt Ryan to Austin Hooper.
"It was fun," Poe said of playing offense on Sunday. "It's always fun to go out there and have some fun, run around and look like I'm about to score a couple touchdowns."
Quinn said Poe's versatility is what allows him to be able to play on both sides of the ball. The Falcons also used Ben Garland to block on those plays.
"He's such a versatile guy and such a good athlete, it's pretty easy to do, and Ben Garland was in goal line, as well, so there's very few men that have been in the same season on goal line defense and on goal line offense, and those two have been on that."
Although only time will tell if the Falcons will use Poe more often in these situations, it's certainly a nice option to have in their back pocket.
