August 7th, 2008 
Matt Loede 
Posted in Long term these things usually mean little, but for now it’s a headline, and that is the Faclons have decided to go with veteran QB Chris Redman to start the preseason opener vs the Jags in Jacksonville on Saturday night. Redman edged out rookie Matt Ryan for the start, but that for sure does not mean that Ryan will be on the bench come opening day – at least not yet. “And as we go through the preseason, we will start a different quarterback in a different game,” Coach Mike Smith said today. “That’s the plan right now. We’re going to make sure that all of our guys have an opportunity to play with the first unit. It’s an open competition for those guys, and this will be the first opportunity for them.”
Ryan will likely be the #2 going into the preseason game, while Joey Harrington and D.J. Shockley will also get some playing time. Ryan has been running the first-team offense a lot in training camp, and it would not be a surprise to see him as the teams starter at some point during preseason and then possibly to start the season for the new-look birds.
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