July 4, 2008

We hear the image-conscious Falcons could be prepared to part ways with second-year S Daren Stone if he’s convicted of driving under the influence. Stone, who is considered the heir to SS Lawyer Milloy, was arrested on a drunken-driving charge in the early morning of June 15. The Falcons’ organization has been hypersensitive to any charges against employees as it tries to rebuild its image in the wake of the embarrassing Michael Vick saga. Stone mostly worked on special-teams units last year, but sources say he had the potential to flourish in new head coach Mike Smith’s defensive scheme. Atlanta does have some depth behind starting safeties Milloy and Erik Coleman, but it took a hit when Jimmy Williams was released last month, and Stone’s departure would be another setback. However, coaches have been encouraged by the performance of rookie FS Thomas DeCoud in workouts, so much so that he took some snaps with the first team. The Falcons may be willing to sacrifice some depth in order to avoid another scarring public-relations fiasco.