ATLANTA (AP) — There is renewed optimism for Atlanta’s defense and new hope fo

r the Falcons’ season that seemed lost following a 1-4 start.The overall defensive statistics are still ugly Robert Thomas Color Rush Jersey , but two straight wins and improved play from fill-in starters combined to leave Falcons coach Dan Quinn upbeat during the team’s bye week.“Let’s call it like it is, we hadn’t performed to the level that we wanted to defensively,” Quinn said Tuesday. “But this past week I really felt a shift take place. The guys that now have been playing together for a few weeks, I saw them rise to the occasion in that regard.”Following the off week, the Falcons play at Washington on Nov. 4, followed by another road game at Cleveland.For a team with six players on injured reserve, including three defensive starters, improved health is especially important for the Falcons (3-4). Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett had two sacks in Monday night’s 23-20 win over the New York Giants after missing two weeks with an ankle injury.“Getting Grady back out there is huge,” said wide receiver Julio Jones. “He’s a leader. What he brings to the defensive line and his energy is huge.”Jarrett says the Falcons, only two years removed from their 2016 Super Bowl season, can still make a third straight playoff appearance.“We understand that everything we want is still ahead of us,” Jarrett said. “We are going to approach it that way. We are not going to let one win stay on our mind too long, and we are not going to let a loss stay on our mind. … We have a long way to go and we are a group of tough guys that won’t give up.”Rookie linebacker Foye Oluokun, gaining confidence and experience in his fill-in starter’s role after Deion Jones was placed on IR, had six stops against the Giants. Second-year defensive end Takk McKinley added a sack, giving him a team-leading 5 ½ for the year.Atlanta gave up only two field goals through three quarters before allowing two fourth-quarter touchdowns to the Giants.“It’s good. You always want to go into the bye week with a win,” said cornerback Desmond Trufant. “The last two weeks we got a win, so we just have to keep grinding the momentum and get healthy.”It has been a rough first half of the season for Atlanta, especially on defense.The Falcons are giving up 419.4 yards and 30.3 points per game, the third-highest averages in the league. Only Tampa Bay (32.7) and San Francisco (31.1) have allowed more points per game through seven weeks.Before the spree of injuries, the defense was on the rise after allowing only 19.7 points per game last season.The heart of the unit was ripped apart by injuries this season. Jones and safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen were placed on injured reserve in the first month of the season.As new starters have become more comfortable in their roles, other players have healed. Jarrett and backup end Derrick Shelby, who had been out since Week 2 with a groin injury, returned against the Giants.“Our ability to swarm to the ball felt different in this game,” said Quinn of the win over the Giants. “I thought it was one of the better performances by the defensive line overall, run game and pass rush. If we can make sure we stay true to our style, I think that’s a big thing.”The Falcons placed right guard Brandon Fusco on injured reserve on Wednesday. Offensive guard Andy Levitre and running back Devonta Freeman also are on IR.Jones (foot) and Freeman (groin) may return in the second half of the season Cody Latimer Color Rush Jersey , though Freeman may be a long shot.Quinn said Jones, sidelined since the opening week, “is meeting all the markers” and “making terrific progress.” Even so, Quinn also said “We’ve still got a ways to go” before having the linebacker back on the field.The Falcons are in last place in the NFC South, but Trufant says there is still time to make a playoff run.“We always felt we were still in it regardless of how we started,” Trufant said. “We just had to get some momentum and find out what works for us and keep moving. There’s a lot of ball left and we can still do a lot of damage out there.” It’s Saturday, New York Giants fans, so let’s open up the Big Blue View mailbag and see what falls out.Ed says: No one is happy with five wins. There are, however, things that make me optimistic. The locker room dissension and distractions are gone. The Giants drafted well in 2018, getting good players beyond Saquon Barkley in the middle parts of the draft. GM Dave Gettleman and coach Pat Shurmur seem to agree on how they want to construct a roster, and I am in favor of their “from the inside out” philosophy. All of that said, in the end it will come down to whether or not they get the quarterback transition right.Ed says: I haven’t studied every player or figured out the financial ramifications. I would, though, have to consider the EDGE guys. Dee Ford, Trey Flowers, Za’Darius Smith, Dante Fowler, whoever else the Giants think could give them dynamic play off the edge. I’d consider the safety class, too. Tyrann Mathieu is an obvious name to consider because of his connections to defensive coordinator James Bettcher. Deone Buccanon, too.Ed says: Assistant DBs coach Deshea Townsend was announced as DBs coach for the Chicago Bears on Friday evening. Other than that, I’m curious to see where Dave DuGuglielmo, the offensive line coach let go by the Indianapolis Colts, winds up. I would think, though, that if the Giants wanted to replace offensive line coach Hal Hunter — or anyone else on the staff — they would have fired that coach by now.Ed says: What I believe really isn’t important. Since you asked, though Evan Engram Color Rush Jersey , I think the problem you have a GM is you haven’t seen anyone of that size (he might not even be 5-foot-9) succeed in the modern NFL. You’re asking a coach and GM to stake their jobs, and maybe their careers, on a massive roll of the dice. If I’m the GM, I can’t do it.Ed says: The relationship between Collins and the Giants seems curious. I’ve said before that I think Collins will be back, I just don’t think it will be with a long-term deal. The guess here is that Collins ends up playing 2019 on the franchise tag, and both sides figure out the long term later on.Ed says: No. The three picks is nice volume, and the Giants should be able to get good players. I’m just not comfortable dropping that far, especially when the Giants will probably already have 11 picks entering the draft.Ed says: Honestly, I don’t know. Gettleman doesn’t like to put a time table on anything, and I don’t blame him. If things fall into place, the Giants could make the playoffs in 2019. I’m sure that’s what they would like to do. Gettleman talks about building a team set up for sustained success. That’s what you want to happen, or hope will happen. To do that you need to draft well over a period of years. You can have a year like the Giants did in 2016, but they weren’t set up to maintain that. It takes good decisions year after year to accomplish that goal.Ed says: Honestly, I think we saw a lot more of that in the second half of last season. Barkley caught fewer passes as the season went on (58 in the first eight games, 33 in the last eight) and I thought in general the Giants did a better job getting Barkley “planned” receptions and using him as a weapon in the pass game. I think they will continue to get better at that, and will have more opportunities to do so if they can continue to improve the offensive line.Ed says: I think the Giants did very well in the draft. The Barkley vs. Sam Darnold argument will rage for the next 20 years, probably. There is, however, no denying how good Barkley is. Will Hernandez, B.J. Hill, Lorenzo Carter are all quality players. I would say the Giants went 4-for-4 at the top of the draft. If they can continue to do that, sustained success won’t be far behind.Ed says: Maybe, but who is he going to replace? Alec Ogletree? B.J. Goodson? Sean Lee is a nice name, but I think about Jon Beason when I think about the Giants acquiring Lee. I would rather see the Giants add guys with futures rather than spend money on guys trying to hang on to their pasts.Ed says: Who isn’t talking about that? The Giants did draft Lorenzo Carter last spring, and he has shown signs of developing into a good player. They know they need more talent at all levels of their defense. I expect much of the offseason to be devoted to finding it.Ed says: Russell Shepard is already a free agent. As are Bennie Fowler, Corey Coleman and Cody Latimer. Also, Russell Shepard had 10 catches last year. Whatever the Giants do with Sterling Shepard will have nothing to do with any of their other veteran receivers.I don’t know if the Giants will want Patrick Omameh Color Rush Jersey , or be able, to sign Sterling Shepard long-term. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to get rid of him now, though. The Giants need to add at least one wide receiver, not subtract a good one and create another hole.Ed says: From No. 6? No. There might be a team or teams willing to jump in front of the Giants to get Haskins. I get that. If it happens, it happens. If I’m the Giants GM, I’m not doing it. First, I’m not 100 percent sold on any of the quarterbacks. I like Haskins and Jones, but I’m not falling all over myself and feeling like one is a “must-have.” Plus, I just don’t think the Giants are really in a position to move up.When the New York Jets moved from No. 6 to No. 3 they have up three second-round picks, two in 2018 and one in 2019. If you go by the trade value chart, they traded up into a spot worth 2,200 points and gave up 3,100 points in value to do it. The Giants don’t have extra second-round picks. They also don’t have a third-round pick this year after taking Sam Beal in the Supplemental Draft. Suppose they make that trade, draft Haskins and keep Eli Manning. You get a rookie QB who isn’t going to play right away and don’t have another draft pick until Round 4 in the 2019 draft. How do you get better that way? How do you maximize the primes of Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr.? In my view, you don’t.David Gray asks: With Kyler Murray officially declaring for the draft, the Giants now have two more options at quarterback: Murray and possibly Josh Rosen. At quarterback the Giants have four options for next year: stick with Manning (and postpone finding his successor), try to sign Foles, draft Haskins or Murray, or trade for Josh Rosen (if he becomes available). You’re GM of the Giants, what would you do about the quarterback situation? Ed says: I’m not drafting Murray, I’ve already established that in a previous answer. I’m not thinking about trading for Rosen because that doesn’t seem realistic. I’m not getting into a bidding war for Foles. Yes, he has a Super Bowl but he has never been a 16-game starter and he has never succeeded outside of Philly. I’ve seen too many backups get starter money, only for the team that gave them all that money to find out they really were backups to begin with. I’m considering Haskins if I don’t have to trade up for him. Failing that, I’d consider moving back into the middle or late part of the first round for Daniel Jones. That’s a less costly move than going up from No. 6, and that way you end up with a top 10 talent AND a potential quarterback of the future out of Round 1.