"We all are competitors, so of course everybody wants to be out on the field as much as possible," Samuel said on Thursday. "Like I always say, the coach is going to do the best thing to help the team win. You'll see how it develops and how everything unfolds on Sunday."
At 31, Samuel says he likes any significant role with the Falcons that will help him excel this season and perhaps extend his career.
"I'm excited," he said. "Life goes on. I'm not in Philly any more. I'm a Falcon. Happy to be here. They embraced me well. The atmosphere is great. The team is great. The coaches are great, so I'm looking forward to going out and having a good season."
Noteworthy
* The federal judge who oversaw NFL labor matters for almost 2 decades is considering a collusion lawsuit brought by the NFL Players Association that accuses the league of collusion. The players claim the NFL conspired to hold down salaries in 2010 with a secret salary cap.
An attorney for each side argued before U.S. District Judge David Doty on Thursday. Doty took the case under advisement, without promising when he'd decide but acknowledging he's not in a rush.
"We're not going to stop any games from being played or anything like that," Doty said.
Last year, Doty issued a key ruling for the players in a dispute over $4 billion in television revenue they contended the league held to survive a long lockout. The claim was ultimately resolved as part of the new collective bargaining agreement reached last July in time to play the 2011 season.
* The New York Jets are tops in the NFL - in average ticket prices. Team Marketing Report released its Fan Cost Index, with the Jets having the highest average for non-premium tickets at $117.94. They beat out their AFC East rivals, the New England Patriots, by 10 cents. The Super Bowl champion Giants are third at $111.69. The Cleveland Browns have the lowest average per ticket at $54.20.
* Stevie Johnson has been held out of practice because of a groin injury, leaving the Buffalo Bills' top receiver's status uncertain for their season-opener at the New York Jets this weekend.
* Wednesday night's Giants-Cowboys game was the third-most watched "NFL Kickoff" game in the 11-year history of the event, according to fast national data released by The Nielsen Company. While facing strong competition from the Democratic National Convention, the game dominated the night in primetime more than doubling the combined delivery of ABC and CBS.
The game, won by the Cowboys, 24-17, in the first NFL game played on a Wednesday since 1948, was seen by 23.9 million viewers, only surpassed by last year's Saints-Packers game (27.1 million), and the 2010 opener (Vikings-Saints, 27.5 million).
