FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons have made a commitment to rookie starters on defense that is especially rare for a first-place team.Four rookies are expected to start on defense when Atlanta plays at Philadelphia on Sunday. Safety Keanu Neal, linebackers Deion Jones and DeVondre Campbell and nickel back Brian Poole were on the field for the first snap in last weeks win at Tampa Bay.Defensive coordinator Richard Smith said he has never seen so many rookie starters.Never in my career, and Ive been in the league for 29 years, Smith said Wednesday. Ive never seen that.Its no surprise that Neal, the first-round pick from Florida, is starting. The team likely would have been happy if Jones and Campbell earned a share of playing time. The biggest surprise is Poole, who was undrafted from Florida but made an immediate impact in training camp.According to figures provided by the Falcons, Neal leads all NFL rookies with 57 total tackles and Jones is second with 51. Those are the leading totals for all Falcons players.The youth movement also includes second-year linebacker Vic Beasley Jr., who leads the team with 7.5 sacks, and second-year cornerback Jalen Collins, who might start Sunday if Desmond Trufant is held out with a shoulder injury. Starting defensive tackle Grady Jarrett also was a 2015 pick.Those are the key names in a makeover on defense that was expected when coach Dan Quinn, the former Seattle defensive coordinator, was hired last year.The strong showing by this years draft class helped earn general manager Thomas Dimitroff a new three-year contract on Monday.I think having the picks we had and where we were picking, we felt very confident that we were going to put together a good group of guys, Dimitroff said Monday. ... Were real happy with how theyre producing for this years class.Tight end Austin Hooper could give the 2016 draft class a fifth starter this week. Jacob Tamme is expected to miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury. Levine Toilolo started for Tamme last week.Neal said the first-year players talked in rookie camp following the NFL draft about the possibility so many could start this season.I mean, we talked about it, Neal said. Thats always a cool experience, being on the field at the same time. Weve got the opportunity. Now weve just got to play.Injuries made it difficult to get the four on the field at the same time in the first half of the season.Neal missed the first two games following minor knee surgery in the preseason. Jones and Campbell missed time with ankle injuries. But it was clear from the start of the season Quinn thought the rookies deserved to start.There are many coaches out there that wouldnt do that, Dimitroff said. Theyd wait until the sixth, seventh game of the season. We were very forward about allowing these guys to have a lot of important, interesting reps early on, and I think it really helped their confidence.Smith said he likes the maturity level of the rookies. He said he sees no sign that the long season is affecting the new starters.Its a long season and theyre not used to playing but right now weve played 13 games and I dont see it in their eyes, Smith said. I love their work ethic and the way they work. I like their demeanor if something happens and they do make a mistake, theyre ready to go on with the next play. Overall they all have a bright future.Game notes The Falcons used their indoor practice facility due to poor air quality outside. Winds blew smoke from wildfires in north Georgia over Flowery Branch and south over Atlanta on Wednesday and Thursday. ... DE Dwight Freeney (quad) joined practice after being held out on Wednesday. RB Tevin Coleman (hamstring), CB Desmond Trufant (shoulder) and Tamme (shoulder) did not practice. Quinn said Coleman and Trufant could still play this week if able to practice on Friday. He said Tamme is likely out.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale Nike Shoes UK . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Wholesale Shoes UK Authentic . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. http://www.discountukshoes.com/ . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. Cheap Nike Shoes UK Online . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Discount Shoes UK Online . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- On Selection Sunday last March, two of the biggest story lines involved the Syracuse Orange (in) and the Monmouth Hawks (out).Syracuse, a middle-of-the-pack Atlantic Coast Conference team, justified the NCAA Tournament selection committees decision to make the Orange a No. 10 seed by reaching the Final Four.Monmouth, meanwhile, received a No. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament and is back to the drawing board this season as the Hawks seek their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2006.In an early-season matchup that recalls the committees controversial decision, Monmouth (1-1) will visit 18th-ranked Syracuse (2-0) on Friday night in a Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational game at the Carrier Dome. The five-team, round-robin tournament also includes South Carolina, South Carolina State and Holy Cross.Syracuse thumped Holy Cross 90-46 Tuesday at the Dome after routing Colgate 83-55 to open the season.After defeating Drexel 78-65 in its opener Nov. 11, Monmouth overcame an 18-point deficit against South Carolina to send the game into overtime Tuesday before losing 70-69 on a buzzer-beater.Last season, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season champ Hawks became a mid-major media darling by playing 17 road games and 23 games away from home and beating Power Five teams Notre Dame, USC, Georgetown, UCLA and Rutgers. Ultimately, the selection committee couldnt ignore Monmouths eye-popping losses to Canisius, Army and Manhattan.Led by reigning MAAC Player of the Year Justin Robinson, Monmouth was selected to finish first in the MAAC this season in a poll of the leagues cooaches.ddddddddddddAgainst South Carolina, the Hawks trailed 40-22 before mounting a 27-8 run to briefly take the lead. In overtime, the Gamecocks Duane Notice blocked Robinsons layup with eight seconds left, and PJ Doziers 15-footer at the buzzer won it for South Carolina.We were in the right place, they got a lucky shot, Monmouth coach King Rice said immediately after the game. All you have to do is watch (South Carolinas) reaction. They knew they were in a big-time fight. Their kids are tired, they all hugged me and said, Man, coach, your guys. Whoo!While they struggled offensively for three-quarters of the game, the Hawks stayed close by making 23 of 27 foul shots and holding South Carolina to 33.8 percent shooting from the floor. Senior center Chris Brady recorded the second double-double of his career with 17 points and 10 rebounds.The Orange steamrolled Holy Cross behind a 13-for-25 shooting effort from 3-point range. Fifth-year graduate senior transfer Andrew White sank all four of his shots from beyond the arc and led Syracuse with 19 points.The Syracuse offense is directed by point guards Frank Howard and John Gillon, who have combined for 46 points, 27 assists and just five turnovers in two games.There is no answer if we are all hitting jumpers. and when you go to man-(to-man) you will get beaten that way, too, said Gillon, a fifth-year graduate senior transfer from Colorado State. With our depth, our smarts and our athleticism, it is really hard to stop us. ' ' '