The Sports Xchange

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons spent the offseason addressing their outside linebacker position.

Because they stacked the position through free agency and the draft, head coach Dan Quinn doesn’t believe the team’s decision to cut second-year player Prince Shembo will hurt the unit.

Quinn supported the team’s quick decision to release Shembo, who was involved in an animal cruelty case that resulted in the death of a dog.

Shembo, a promising young linebacker who was set to enter his second season and possibly make $510,000, was released by the team on Friday. Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who went through the Michael Vick federal dog fighting investigation of 2007, was involved in the decision to release Shembo.

“We felt it was best for us to handle the things that we could on the field and then also best for him to handle the things he needed to do off the field,” Quinn said.

With the case pending, Shembo cleared league-wide waivers and is now a free agent.

Shembo was expected to contend for a role in the team’s outside linebacker rotation. He played in all 16 games as a rookie and made three starts.

In college, Shembo started 34 of 51 games at Notre Dame. He played 26 games at right outside linebacker and eight on the left side. He’s considered a 3-4 outside linebacker.

“We never like to have somebody not be a part of what we are doing,” Quinn said. “I think from everybody looking inside and outside-in, we have a pretty unique thing going here. It’s unfortunate that he’s not going to be able to be a part of it, but we have guys here ready to go.”

In free agency, the Falcons signed outside linebackers Brooks Reed, Justin Durant and O’Brien Schofield. The Falcons then drafted Vic Beasley with the eighth overall pick in the draft.

Shembo played inside linebacker last season because of an injury to Sean Weatherspoon. Quinn was set to move Shembo back outside this offseason before he was arrested on felony animal cruelty charges.

The move could also open the door for Ra’Shede Hageman to spend some time at defensive end.

“I think it’s that initial quickness that he has for such a big guy,” Quinn said. “We have him at the three-technique in our base package. I think he has enough size to play the defensive end, but it’s the length and the speed that he has. How fast can he come off the ball? He’s been really disruptive doing that, but in our base package and our nickel package I’ve been quite impressed with the start that he’s had so far.”

Hageman caught Quinn’s attention while the coach was studying the team’s field-goal defense.

“It’s the ability for him to go, create and disrupt things,” Quinn said. “For that size of a guy, he’s got really good quickness. We are going to try and utilized it and feature it in every way that we can.

“I’ve been pleased with his progress so far in terms of picking up the system and doing the things we are asking him to do in this system.”