FALCONS: 5 things we learned from the Carolina win
SPIRIT FINGERS!!!: Falcons Cheerleaders sported Throwback outfits for the Carolina game. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC).
SEATTLE OF THE SOUTH - We’re closing in on the record for consecutive days of rain. Five down, 35 to go. Who’s out there getting the Ark ready?
The Falcons post-game locker room was bizarre. I have to attend coach Mike Smith’s interview, but one longtime and legendary national reporter asked me why so many players leave so quickly after the game.
For the guys who were left, all of the talk was about how poorly they played.
No doubt, coach Mike Smith came into the room and likely lit into the team for some downright shiftlessness! The
Falcons cheerleaders did some high-stepping for the Throwback game. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC).
penalties by Harvey Dahl, Justin Blalock and the offsides by tight end Tony Gonzalez could not have made him happy. There was Michael Turner’s fumble inside the red zone. There was a weak arm tackle attempt by Chris Houston.
“I felt that we battled through a number of things the entire football game,” Smith said. “We had some miscues. We had some good plays.”
But in the end, he didn’t seem too happy with the victory. Guess he knows that in order to beat the very good teams in the league, you can’t make so many minor mistakes.
“We’ve got a lot of things that we can improve on,” Smith said.
Here are five things we learned from the victory:
- BLITZ BONUS: The Falcons have been working on being more aggressive. Their blitzes are starting to get to the quarterback. Linebacker Stephen Nicholas got his first sack of the season and third of his career. Safety Thomas DeCoud and Nicholas also had quarterback hurries.
- SNELLING’S A WEAPON: When Jerious Norwood left the game with a “Head” injury — Don’t know why they don’t like saying “Concussion” – Jason Snelling came in and ran the ball hard. Every time he’s gotten a chance to play, he’s been up to the task. Because of his strong play, the Falcons won’t have to rush Norwood, who was running pretty hard himself, back into the action.
- ELAM’S FINE: Jason Elam, the legendary kicker was listed on the injury report with a hamstring and was coming of a rare bad game where he missed two field goal attempts and an extra point. He didn’t have any field goal attempts, but was striking the ball well on his extra points, where he was four of four.
-
The 60s/70s era Go-Go Boots were a hit. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC)
GONZALEZ IS GREAT: His best catch on Sunday was the one with the linebacker draped all over him. Followed closely be the one that was challenged and ruled a reception at the 10-yard line. He’s a force in the redzone. He got Jason Snelling open for his touchdown when he took two defenders with him into the end zone.
5. POWER BALL: The Falcons couldn’t run the clock out with just 2:37 left after Chris Houston’s big interception. They want to have a running identity. That’s when you need to grind out 10 yards to secure the victory. If the offense powers the ball at the Panthers, then they would not have needed to sweat out the Hail Mary pass.
- NEXT UP: Atlanta (2-0) vs. New England (1-1). Will the Falcons be favored? They Patriots have looked shaky in Tom Brady’s return. If Buffalo’s Leodis McKelvin (of Waycross and Troy State) had taken a knee in the endzone in Week One, the Pats would be 0-2.
HERE’S MY FANTASY TEAM: Don’t have time to draft, so got into one of those auto-draft, public leagues on a website. Here’s my team. The Auto-drafter GM did pretty good. Haven’t check, but with Brees, I think I won this week.
STARTERS
QB Drew Brees, New Orleans
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
WR Mark Clayton, Baltimore
WR Percy Harvin, Minnesota
RB Thomas Jones, New York Jets
RB Joseph Addai, Indianapolis
TE Kevin Boss, New York Giants
K Stephen Gostkowski, New England
DEF Baltimore
RESERVES
WR Anthony Gonzalez, Indianapolis (have to cut him, he’s hurt)
WR Braylon Edwards Cleveland
TR Vernon Davis, San Francisco
QB Brady Quinn, Cleveland
RB Willie Parker, Pittsburgh
PK Josh Brown, St. Louis
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114 comments Add your comment
Wildebeast
September 21st, 2009
9:29 am
First!!!
Stupid
September 21st, 2009
9:29 am
FIRST
Season ticket holder
September 21st, 2009
9:30 am
The other thing we learned this week: If Arthur Blank wants an open air stadium, then he better be out of his box and getting wet like the rest of us when it rains. I love the DOME!
An Observation
September 21st, 2009
9:37 am
Great Blog!!! The cheerleader pics are a nice added bonus. I’m excited about the Falcons chances against the Patriots next week. We all know now that the NE Pats can be beaten and beaten at home (I agree that Buffalo should have won that first game).
GO FALCONS!!!! BTW…like the five lessons learned summary format following each game.
The Claw
September 21st, 2009
9:43 am
You left out one very important thing we learned: prevent defenses don’t prevent anything, except maybe a victory. Brady will pick that thing apart this week. I thought the point was to make them throw it underneath and hopefully in the middle of the field so the clock will wind down. Giving up 10-15 yard sideline patterns is a receipe for disaster. Yes?
ant banks
September 21st, 2009
9:44 am
the last play of the game would have changed the whole “5 things that we learned…” when you are tryin’ to defend a HAIL MARY do not bat the ball up so that the offensive team can get it!!!
RdHdKid
September 21st, 2009
10:06 am
I learned that history repeats itself. Grimes CANNOT hack it and needs to go away. And probably take Houston with him.
Blue Fender
September 21st, 2009
10:13 am
You are correct, ant banks. Why did Grimes bat the ball back in the field of play? Finneran looked like he was going to intercept the ball. Although I was impressed by Grimes leaping ability (he out jumped Finneran, who is 8″ taller), he needs a lesson on defending the hail mary.
Good win. GO FALCONS!
Daniel
September 21st, 2009
10:14 am
I think we learned that Decoud and Nicholas are not the weak links on the defense, as has been thought(by me).
humble(1)
September 21st, 2009
10:41 am
We need to officially change our everyday uniforms to the one’s we wore on Sunday. They were bad a$$.
DP in NC
September 21st, 2009
10:55 am
Oh yeah…the Ark’s almost ready.
D Money
September 21st, 2009
10:57 am
Hopefully Peria Jerry will be okay and not have to miss much time. We really need to stay healthy on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe Trey Lewis will be able to step up and I’m expecting to see Tye Hill get in on some plays. We’ll be lucky if Wes Welker is out next week too.
mountain_jim
September 21st, 2009
11:11 am
Unless the D can figure out how to get alot more pressure than they did this week, Brady will get 500 yards passing. When is Ryan going to get a chance to show off that new arm strength? I keep waiting for a completed bomb, nyet. Are receivers not getting open deep or is he just being careful?
JG
September 21st, 2009
11:27 am
Houston needs to be Benched.
He is Horrible..
Not only did he get burned constantly..but why didn’t he knock the ball down when it was 4th down..Pad his Stats? And who taught him how to tackle?
We can’t draft a corner soon enough..
K$
September 21st, 2009
11:28 am
Mr. Ledbetter
Why Parker in reserve over McGahee, or some other full time back?
ches
September 21st, 2009
11:29 am
Enter your comments here
Smitty should not only be unhappy with Houston over his arm tackle, but his overall play. Steve Smith was open any time he lined up against Houston. And the interception to the end should have been batted down, not caught. It was fourth down! Think!
Someone please explain to me
September 21st, 2009
11:29 am
Why at every home game I go to people walk around the concession area when the national anthem is playing. I know the hear it playing. How freaking disrespectful people are… Take your damn hat off and stand still for a minute and a half. SICK OF IT
I know that’s off topic but it needs to be said.
Falcons 2-0 baby!
Randy
September 21st, 2009
11:34 am
Am I the only one that thinks that this team is just a couple of correctable mistakes away from being something special?
Someone please explain to me
September 21st, 2009
11:34 am
“they”
FreeMikeVick
September 21st, 2009
11:36 am
Matt Ryan looked horrible. Do you all miss Vick now?
PMC
September 21st, 2009
11:37 am
The quality of officiating was just abysmal. They made bad calls all around so it was fair anyway but for 4 red flags to be thrown and those calls overturned… also the rule that had just been explained the week before on the Louis Murphy TD they blew that judgement call they also had two officials in place to judge a Steve Smith catch that he only got one foot down on… then they call people back to the field to check the clock AGAIN after the game was over. Numerous numerous mistakes… just an awful game for the striped men no matter whom you pulled for.
As for the Falcons… man it is great to see a team that is not doomed by some bad football early or some mistakes. They play hard. Peterson and Williams have been huge acquisitions already. Ryan was SHARP even though he’s still got some work to do on placement and that bad pick early… He is fantastic. Turner still made 100 yards and a TD even though they played great run defense. This team has options and answers and it is really fun to be a Falcons fan right now.
Free Mike Vick
September 21st, 2009
11:38 am
Matt Ryan looked horrible. Do you all miss Vick now? You should!
BabyGoatEater
September 21st, 2009
11:39 am
Wasn’t it Peele who had the offsides? Just woudln’t want TonyG getting blame for any mistakes, when he seems to never make one.
PMC
September 21st, 2009
11:39 am
Horrible spots all day too.
GT
September 21st, 2009
11:43 am
We do not know how to handle winners in this town. We had no defense coming into this season and we now have a defense. We have one of the best QBs, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends in the business. Had a bad day for us Sunday and won the game.
Stating the obvious
September 21st, 2009
11:45 am
We need to draft defense, defense, defense for the next couple of years. Not that they didn’t play ok but our offense seems pretty set for a while.
Keith
September 21st, 2009
11:51 am
Yes, I agree that the string of airhead penalties will make for a New England defeat. I did remember no turnovers and just a few penalties against the Dolphins….that type of game we could beat the Pats. We shall see. GO FALCONS. Will be interesting to see how they do away from the dome.
"Mr. Falcon"
September 21st, 2009
11:52 am
6. Jamal Anderson is a bust. He is intellectually challenged, lazy, slow physically, and untalented.
Osama Bin Laden
September 21st, 2009
11:54 am
Why you american complain about being at concession stand during national anthem? They should replace it with some sort of Chevron or Exxon jingle.
Ed-Covington
September 21st, 2009
12:15 pm
Anyone else see the highligts of Andre’ Johnson running wide open all day long against the Titans? Roddy White needs to watch to see how a PREMIER WR gets open. He demanded #1 money, yet the WRs he compared his contract to have much more speed and ability to seperate from the DB.
True Falcon Fan
September 21st, 2009
12:19 pm
Why in the hell would you post your fantasy team (that has NO Falcons on it) in the same blog about the 5 things we learned from the Panthers game?
F-105 Thunderchief
September 21st, 2009
12:19 pm
On topic, it’s surprising to hear of so much gloom-and-doom in a winning lockerroom. While it’s true, they let Carolina fly down the field at times, they did do enough good things to win. Hope they’re hungry to get better and win, win, win.
Panthers Fan
September 21st, 2009
12:19 pm
Ryan looked horrible. What a wasted draft pick.
MLK777
September 21st, 2009
12:22 pm
I’m a Falcon fan out in Texas. Can’t wait for the boys to get here and whip the Cowboys in this new Palace. Roll on Falcons!!
angry banker
September 21st, 2009
12:24 pm
Mr. Falcon – I was hoping this was going to be he season J Anderson broke out… looks like Bierman’s break out season! Not to mention C Davis is STILL a better DE. I think its time to cut bait, especially considering the high expectations we have for sidberry.
JG – I hate to continue bashing my D, but yeah, Houston looked bad, highlighted by the non-tackle for the touchdown. hes probably our fastest CB, but the worst in coverage and the worst in tackling. All I could think was “Chevis Jackson or Chris Owens would’ve made that tackle”. I wonder why we dont put ol Chevis Jackson in a CB on the goal line? Hes out tallest and most physical CB.
did anyone notice our prevent defense featured Curtis Lofton as the deep back? I wonder why. is that normal? Why not put in another Safety if you’re going to play him 30/40 years back from the line of scrimmage? I noticed they put in Finneran on Defense a few times – made some good plays. Love that guy.
Rodson Leftwich
September 21st, 2009
12:24 pm
I predicting a 6-10 record if the defense keeps this up. No pressure on the QB. He had ALL day back there. This is NOT a championship defense. Period. Poor pass rush and poor DB’s is not a recipe for success.
10 Things at the Dome yesterday
September 21st, 2009
12:25 pm
THAT SUCKED….
1. Jamaal Anderson
2. Fans who walk and talk and ignore the national anthem (you know who you are).
3. Fans in section 123 who sat on their hands the entire 2nd half.
4. Officiating
5. The fact that we couldn’t get that needed first down on our last possession.
6. The fact that Carolina actually could have tied the game up with time running out.
7. The Carolina Panthers (goes without saying).
8. The weird old dude in our row that kept making the “Ehhhhhhhhhhh” sound like he was Little John or something. I wanted to shoot myself.
9. The other Old dude in my row that tried to steal my flags that were under my seat when I went to the bathroom.
10. The Prevent D we slid into on the last Carolina drive.
Girlfan
September 21st, 2009
12:29 pm
Mr. Falcon, I agree, lets get rid of Jamal Anderson. They’ll do better by letting me stand there to distract the defensive line.
TP
September 21st, 2009
12:39 pm
On the topic of that hail mary pass: Has Brent Grimes landed yet? The dude out-jumped Finneran!
Roland
September 21st, 2009
12:47 pm
ONE THING I LEARNED FROM THE FALCONS GAME!!!!!
WE NEED ERIC BERRY and A COUPLE OF THE DBS FROM FLORIDA AND ALABAMA.
It is painfully obvious that our DBs are the weak links on this team!!!!!
Szűrös Csíkszentmihályi
September 21st, 2009
12:48 pm
What is the status of Peria Jerry’s injury?
STH
September 21st, 2009
12:53 pm
I have heard of Jerry being a girl, but I didnt know she played for the Falcons. I hope she doesnt beak a nail next…
Big Mac
September 21st, 2009
1:08 pm
I STILL Am NOT Happy With The So Called “Play Safe” Second- Half Of Falcons Football!!
Some Refer To This As “Ball-Control” When Trying To Protect A Lead! It ALMOST Exploded
In Their Collective Faces!! We Scored At Will In The 1st Half..Why Not Continue The Same
In The 2nd Half??..Lets See How Many Points We Can Put Up!! Lets Play “Smash-Mouth”
Football !! “Matty Ice” Was Just Getting His “Groove” And We Take The Ball Out Of His Hands..
We Have YET To Throw The Ball DOWN-FIELD..40 Yards Or More..Whats Up With That??
ATLeon
September 21st, 2009
1:16 pm
We learned what we always knew. BVG is garbage and needs an imagination. The best defensive teams keep offensive lines thinking and on there toes. I am so tired of seeing our linebackers lining up 6 yeas off the line of scrimmage and rushing 4 lineman. This guy has to be more intelligent than he’s letting on. Just prove it to us already!
roman
September 21st, 2009
1:20 pm
as of right now the vegas line for next week is new england +4.5 , remember in years past the coach would be excited with a win, I’m happy to see smitty not just happy with the win but demand more, but I trust the top brass. what’s amazing is that ryan could’ve thrown to tony all day and with sucess about everyplay, we just gotta get that killer instinct, go birds.
DJ Sniper
September 21st, 2009
1:21 pm
Can somebody explain to me why Jamaal Anderson is still starting? According to the stat sheet at nfl.com, he has not made one single tackle in the first two games. I was really hoping that he would finally put things together and come out like gangbusters this season, but so far, nothing. I say let the Beer Man move into the starting spot and open up more playing time for Chauncy Davis and Lawrence Sidbury. #98 is just taking up space.
MrHughes
September 21st, 2009
1:30 pm
5 things I learned.
1) Red helmets with black jerseys looks better in pics than it actually looks on the field.
2) Julius Pepper looks old, fat, and slow; no wonder no one wanted to take him in the offseason.
3) The Panthers are better than I thought. They run the ball and defend the run very well. I wouldn’t make the mistake of counting them out just yet. This is still a 3 team race as the Saints have no D.
4) New England is a classic trap game. Good franchises rebound from poor play. The Pats are the definition of good franchise. The Falcons will get their A game on Sunday.
5) The Panthers would have won if it were not for John Fox’s poor clock management skills.
a) Fox wasted almost 40 seconds at the end of the first half when they had a chance at a makeable field goal. Instead they threw the ball away on an attempted Hail Mary.
b) Why did Fox go for it on 4th down late in the 4th quarter? Fox had all 3 of his timeouts, the 2 minute warning, and his defense had just stopped us. Kick the field goal, kick deep, cover the kick return and flip field position, don’t allow us to take back momentum with a turnover on downs, and keep the pressure on our offense.
***If Fox takes and makes those two earlier field goals, then the Panthers are only down 2 during their final drive. That means they don’t have to drive the length of the field and could have taken a makeable field goal at the end of the game for the win. ***
Gray Mule
September 21st, 2009
1:38 pm
We proved, once again:
The Falcons can’t cover or stop the Panther’s Smith.
He’s a Falcon killer. Always has been and nothing’s changed.
I fault the QB and not Smith for that late game pick.
Our younger, faster defense is an improvement but it’s still
a work in progress. QB pressure was there, although sometimes
just a bit late and the downfield coverage wasn’t really tight.
Explosive offense early. Then, either they adjusted and stopped
a lot of what we were doing or we changed and quit trying to explode.
Falcond did just enough to win – - – at home. It got kinda scary
late in the game.
Gray Mule
NullofNull
September 21st, 2009
1:47 pm
Does it seem like we’re protecting the defense by running & short passes. Trying to keep them off the field. By my count we’ve only made two throws downfield in two games.
Ross
September 21st, 2009
1:59 pm
Man I’m amazed by all the negative comments. This was a good victory against a fired up team. Carolina played very well. The Falcons remind me of the 2001 Patriots – this was a very Bellichekish win. The New Pats meet the old ones next week. 20-13 Falcons.
-drl
DJ
September 21st, 2009
2:07 pm
What I learned: the crowd can definetly effect the game. Early in the 1st quarter a Falcons punt was fair caught at the 10 yd line. A Carolina defender body slammed the gunner and the game went to TV time out.
Durning the time out, I ragged the side judge for missing the call. He finally looked at me (can’t miss my mouth on the front row) and I hollered “yeah you side judge you missed the call”. He heard me and ran to umpire; a short discussion ensued and the SJ dropped his flag. Carolina, backed up to the 5 yd line, had a 3 and out and we scored on the next series.
That was my flag and it wasn’t the first time something like that has happened. To the fans attending the game – get off your lazy butts and make some %^^&#$^&((@@ noise!
CJW80
September 21st, 2009
2:12 pm
I’m sorry but I was not worried throughout this entire game, if Turner had not fumbled and the refs had not give them a Bulls@#t TD We actualy could have won by a pretty big margin. I think the team got a little cocky and unfocused against a team that was giving it there all on every play. Smitty will clean that up and have us ready for next week!!!!
Sautee
September 21st, 2009
2:17 pm
ATLeon,
You said this: “We learned what we always knew. BVG is garbage and needs an imagination.”
So far, in two games against playoff teams with a combined record of 23-9 (last year) we’ve given up 27 points.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, the best defense in the league, have played two teams (only one playoff team) with a combined record of 22-11 (last year) and have given up 27 points.
Oh, and the Steelers are 1-1 and we’re 2-0.
So what did we learn about BVG again?
DrJ
September 21st, 2009
2:17 pm
I read the print ajc about Peria Jerry’s previous injuries. I wonder about the wisdom of drafting players who are so injury-prone. The Falcon’s running game looked better in the stats than it did live. If I hadn’t known the score, and only looked at the stats, I would have thought the Panthers won.
Just gotta get the running game going on a consistent basis, not a bunch of three yard plunges and an occasional 20 yd scamper. Yes, a concussion is what they don’t want to call it ’cause successive ones end careers. With only Turner and Snelling, it looks iffy. I hope that Trey Lewis will rachett-up to fill in for Perry, but the coaches had not thought he was up to it previously. Good thing that Abraham and the rest of the pass-rush crew did a good job, or our weak seconday wouldn’t have made it. I am not sure if the refs were out for us or not, but the team does lack discipline, this is up to the coaches to correct: penalties can kill us, earned or not.
MrHughes
September 21st, 2009
2:20 pm
I have little problem with how Houston played. Yea, the arm tackle on the running back was ridiculos. But, Houston had two huge plays in the closing moments. The open field hit on Steve Smith and the interception. I’ll live with those plays. Steve Smith had lots of yardage, but Houston did keep him out of the endzone.
The officiating was substandard yesterday. The 3 overruled challenges is pretty bad, especially when Gonzo’s would have been a TD had the ref not blown the whistle or ruled the pass incomplete like they’ve been instructed to do.
However, the crew should not take blame for that foolishness on the final play of the game. That call came from the booth upstairs. They were checking if time was still on the clock. It was obvious the pass was incomplete. Anyway, the refs on the field had nothing to do with that one.
Just calling like I saw…
JIMBOB
September 21st, 2009
2:26 pm
10 things that sucked,
I agree that it sucked that the Falcons didn’t get the 1st down on the final drive. Ryan hit Jenkins in the hands with that 3rd and 10 pass–Jenkins should have caught it. Also agree that the prevent defense is for losers.
I used to watch the Falcons blow game after game doing this late game ‘prevent’ defense back in the 70s and 80s. I don’t really understand the concept of letting them complete 12-18 yard pass after pass, then let them take a shot at the endzone. Better to play your normal aggressive defense IMO.
Overall, Falcons played well, Ryan looked sharp. Even Peyton Manning throws a dumb pic here and there, but overall he threw the ball well, made good plays, and made the throw to Jenkins at the end–which Jenkins dropped.
Cawmmon Cents
September 21st, 2009
2:41 pm
all this talk about “getting rid” of Houston or Anderson (everyones favorite player to kick) is ridiculous. We know that Houston is a solid #2 CB…who was covering one of the best WRs in the league. Cut the guy some slack. Obviously The Falcons over reached when they took Anderson….not his fault. But who do you replace him with? Who do you replace Houston with? You think, and you think…but no one comes to mind….right? You have to play with the hand your are dealt. Those guys played well enough to win. …Way to go falcons
PMC
September 21st, 2009
2:50 pm
Ed from Covington Seriously? Roddy White has been fantastic getting open and catching the ball. He’s been brilliant. Andre Johnson… had a great day against Tennessee… he has before… but he’s been repeatedly shut down by double coverage. Roddy White has been awesome the last two years… he is easily a Top 10 receiver league wide.
DJ
September 21st, 2009
2:56 pm
You guys are way too much into fantasy. Remember, the call it fantasy, not reality. Reality is Falcons won, Panthers lost.
Jamal Anderson is a run stuffer, that’s why he starts. Against Miami, Roddy got Tony G in the endzone with a (wide reciever) block).
In the first 2 games, Atlanta “fantasy” players have stunk it up but the Falcon’s are 2-0. I guess somebody has to buy the beer.
Bad News
September 21st, 2009
3:08 pm
PRESEASON IS OFFICIALLY OVER:
Miami………….over
Carolina……………..over
The real conenders start this weekend. Playing in the dome against week offenses and suspect defenses were extended by the Miami & Carolina weak offenses and defenses who could not find their way out of AA ball.
Now it’s time to go on the road and deal with a pissed off New England team. That will be the start of 6 out of 8 games on the ROAD against the meat of the season.
Scheduling Miami & Carolina is both good and bad. The good is having a 2-0 record. The bad is building false hope that this team can actually compete with the elite teams such as New England, Giants, Philly, New Orleans, Dallas, Buffalo and Jets, etc.
I could bash NOODLE ARM but for the next 9 weeks he is going to see what the REAL NFL is really about – no more weak teams on the remaining schedule.
I’ll be in touch guys
P.S. Another win for Flacco vs a Superbowl contender!
Aqua Man
September 21st, 2009
3:26 pm
Ryan looked horrible. Too bad Blank turned his back on Vick, on the Falcons might have done something this season.
Headmofo
September 21st, 2009
3:54 pm
Enter your comments here
With Jerry down for the year it looks like Vance Walker will start to get some playing time. I have no problem with Vance Walker however I am unsure why we never hear anything about Trey Lewis. He was supposed to be the man after he recovered from his knee injury. Why doesn’t he get more playing time he looked great in the preason? I know they paid Jerry 1st rd money, so they had to play him, but Trey Lewis was a force and we could stand a little more beef up front. Carolina did gash us on a few runs.
ToccoaDawg
September 21st, 2009
3:55 pm
Perry needs to just get well and watch his team this year to be ready for next year. though lose.
Waycross Ed
September 21st, 2009
4:06 pm
Enter your comments here
“If Buffalo’s Leodis McKelvin (of Waycross and Troy State) had taken a knee in the endzone in Week One, the Pats would be 0-2.” D Orlando you forgot to point out that the Pats kicked deep because it was 2 min left in the game and they had all 3 of their timeouts. They were counting on stopping Buffalo and getting the ball back with bout a minute 30secs left in the game. If my homeboy takes a knee Buffalo still had to get a first down to ensure victory. His bad play did make it much easier for New England but had he taken a knee there is NO guarantee the Pats would be 0-2 !
OldFan
September 21st, 2009
4:19 pm
Last week the O was down and the D was up. This week the D was down and the O was up! Maybe, next week we can have both on the upside. Great win!
The DBs we have now need to step up or they will not be here long TD will build a winner. Keith who?
We could not stop them and we still won. That’s freakin awesome! (not the “we couldn stop’em” thing, the winning thing). Good teams find a way to win bad games. This is a good team. From owner to waterboy I really like this team. Tony G is amazing.
Somewhere on some team there is a really good DB wishing he could play for us right now
GREAT WIN!
GO FALCONS!
ATL Fan
September 21st, 2009
4:36 pm
Listened to the game on Sirius Satellite radio. The broadcast was from Carolina. The announcers were raving about how good Matt Ryan is. Interesting experience listening to the game from the opposition’s point of view.
SPARTAN NATION
September 21st, 2009
4:46 pm
PERIA JERRY OUT FOR THE SEASON.
Bad News
September 21st, 2009
4:56 pm
Falcons beat the Saints? Are you people on drugs? Brees lit up the Eagles and their top 10 defense – the Falcons are not even in the Eagles area code
You gave up 452 yards against Jake “I can’t stop throwing interceptions” Delhomme and top it off you lost your starting Nose Tackle.
Drew Brees is going to have a field day!
But one matter will be settled in the next 3 weeks, and that is why the Falcons made the wrong pick in qbs in last year’s draft.
The Patriots’ next 2 games are against the FALCONS & RAVENS…… Finally we can put to rest that “B.S.” that NOODLE ARM is better than Joe Flacco…………… NO MORE EXCUSES
CHOKE vs WINNER !!!!!!!!!!!!!
F-105 Thunderchief
September 21st, 2009
5:01 pm
Jamaal Anderson is moving to tackle.
ATL Fan
September 21st, 2009
5:01 pm
Since Jamaal Anderson is a run stuffer, will he be moved inside since Peria Jerry is injured?
BostonBCfan
September 21st, 2009
6:00 pm
To Bad News:
FYI (”for your information” in case you don’t know what FYI means)………..
Belichick just got done telling the studio guys on WEEI radio up here in Boston that Matt Ryan “has an extremely strong and accurate arm” and “looks nothing like a 2nd year QB. Looks like he’s been in the league for years.” He emphasized STRONG and ACCURATE several times during his weekly radio show today.
So why you keep referring to Ryan as noodle arm means either you’re an idiot, a vick fan or you must be an NFL coach in disguise who knows more about QB’s than coach Belichick. My guess is it’s the first two.
Although it’s going to be tough for me, I have to root against Matty for the first time next week and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do it but i gotta stay with my heart and be loyal to my Pats. Maybe I shouldn’t watch the game because either way it’s going to be tough for me to watch the ending. Unfortunately for the falcons it would have been better if the patriots had won yesterday because after listening to all of them (especially Brady) on the radio today they are all very pissed about yesterdays game.
Good Luck Falcons!!!!!!!!!!!! And Pats!!!!!!!!!!! Hey, I can wish both good luck at least.
Ice2Gonzo4-6
September 21st, 2009
6:11 pm
Geez guys we just beat 2 playoff teams and after reading some of your posts you’d think we just lost to KC and Det! Am I the only one who remembers when we were lucky to win half our home games? Personally, I’d like to thank CMS, TD and AB for (nay, not restoring) but for finally introducing respectablity to the team I’ve loved (and cursed) for the past 30 odd years. For your efforts gentlemen let me introduce you to your new hypercritical completely unreasonable fan base. Give me a break guys. We finally have a franchise not satisfied with mediocrity, you should enjoy it.
YuleeFalcon
September 21st, 2009
6:15 pm
Here’s hoping that we have a repeat of the 1998 visit to Foxboro. I was at that game and man was I ever so proud to be a Falcon fan!!
roman
September 21st, 2009
6:24 pm
The saints put up a ton of points last year too, there problem is no defense, we’ll split with them anyway, go birds. this offense can match anybody’s including the aints, go birds
IceFan
September 21st, 2009
6:41 pm
Please include cheerleader pics every week from now on
dawes
September 21st, 2009
7:23 pm
go falcon all to the super bowl
Sautee
September 21st, 2009
8:34 pm
The most important stat of all is WINNING %.
I’m a Vick fan AND a Ryan fan. Here’s where both stood after 18 games started:
Vick: 10-7-1 .555%
Ryan: 13-5 .722%
Career starts:
Vick: 37-30-1 .544%
Ryan: 13-5 .722%
“You play the game to WIN”…Herm Edwards
downsouthdirtybird
September 21st, 2009
8:54 pm
bad news i think u just sat on a pointy object and have been grumpy ever since its ok man
Headmofo
September 21st, 2009
11:20 pm
Enter your comments here
With Peria Jerry out for the season, where is Trey Lewis??????? He was supposed to comeback this year and be a beast anyway!!! Did he fall out of favor with the organization????
Fin
September 21st, 2009
11:33 pm
Hey all..good DIVISION win against a playoff team from last year. Let’s not look past those important facts. Jerry is gone for the year…I think Rod Coleman is available if we want to give him another try. He was a good player for us.
@ Ed Convington. Do you just not like Roddy? Every week, you have some complaint about Roddy getting paid number 1 receiver money and not making plays. What more does Roddy have to do? The Falcons are not the pass first team the Texans are…therefore, Roddy won’t have the same stats.
Man..I bet the Jags are kicking themselves as they see Peterson flying all OVER the field!
DHunt
September 21st, 2009
11:45 pm
I learned that every game for this Falcons team is going to be a “trap” game. And maybe we don’t deserve any respect until the team actually steps up, gets the curse off their backs, and go deep into the playoffs. That’s the only thing that gets respect.
So keep bad mouthing them. Especially when they deserve it, but even when they don’t (Houston should have knocked the ball down?!?! One of the rare times he actually makes a play on the ball rather than another player, and you want him to develop the bad habit of knocking it down? If Steve Smith isn’t right there he maybe takes that ball to the house and puts the game out of reach. But it’s cool. Complain about the Falcons players trying to make plays. They need all the billboard material they can get. I had the Falcons 13-3, but with the loss of Jerry, am now only cautiously optimistic. Maybe he can make it back by the second round of the playoffs.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
September 21st, 2009
11:50 pm
When Curtis Compton post a gallery of the Cheerleaders. I plan on using them. He’s awesome.
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
1:20 am
By the way, if anybody wants to know what Flacco vs. Ryan is shaping up to be, here are some stats:
Flacco : 2 games, 43 for 69 (62.3%), 497 yards, 7.2 yards per pass average, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, 6 passes for 20+ yards, a quarterback rating of 96.1, ranked #6 among NFL quarterbacks.
Ryan : 2 games, 43 for 63 (68.3%), 449 yards, 7.1 yards per pass average, 5 touchdowns and 1 interception, 6 passes for 20+ yards, a quarterback rating of 108.5, ranked #3 among NFL quarterbacks.
Strange how “noodle arm” has pretty much the exact same yards per pass and number of passes for 20+ yards as Flacco….
Big Ray
September 22nd, 2009
1:23 am
Sautee,
Great point!
Dhunt,
I wouldn’t be looking for Perry this year, not even for the playoffs. He’s a first round pick and getting him (and keeping him) into the best shape possible should be the focus. As for Trey Lewis, I’m not sure why he hasn’t been playing. Hmmmm….
richbrave
September 22nd, 2009
7:53 am
I’ll try once again. Article in the TIMES-DISGUST about EL SID. Evidently the home folks here in RICHMOND don’t have much to crow over where his play in ATLANTA is concerned. To paraphrase his quote, “I’ve got a lot to learn.” From the silent response on this blog to my queries about him and AARON KELLY, that’s evidently true. Anybody got anything to say on the subject?
JC
September 22nd, 2009
8:46 am
THERE NEEDS TO BE A PETITION TO KEEP THESE UNIFORMS. WE ARE NOT AN EXPANSION TEAM ANDS THATS WHAT ARE CURRENT UNIS LOOK LIKE!!!! ALL GREAT UNIS ARE TRADITIONAL: CHI, GB, WASH, DAL, OAK, NY, PITT, IND, MIA, AND ON AND ON!!!! PLEASE BRING THESE BACK THERE IS NO ARGUMENT AS TO WHICH LOOK BETTER, ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!
ddawgdavis
September 22nd, 2009
8:57 am
JA98……..
Looks like we have a new role to earn your money. Start him opposite Babs, they don’t have the size or the girth, but they have the strength against a weak (I said it WEAK) NE line. All we need is for them to plug up the middle and get Abe and Biermann and Sids their chance to eat Brady.
Prediction: Brady broken Tibia.
J Dub
September 22nd, 2009
10:09 am
D. you also need to cut Vernon Davis, Brady Quinn, Braylon Edwards, and Willie Parker while your at it…..
Sautee
September 22nd, 2009
10:47 am
Ray,
about this: “Strange how “noodle arm” has pretty much the exact same yards per pass and number of passes for 20+ yards as Flacco….”
Breaking it down even further:
Flacco: yds /attempt 7.20
Ryan: yds / attempt 7.13
That’s .07 difference, or about 2.5 INCHES per attempt more.
So you can see just how Bad News could reach the conclusion that Flacco’s arm is stronger. Much stronger. Oh yes.
Sautee
September 22nd, 2009
10:58 am
And I pray that Peria doesn’t earn the moniker NJerry.
I MUS WRITE
September 22nd, 2009
11:32 am
Ditto Mr Falcon…. JA is officially a bust in my eyes. What hurts the most is we could have drafted Patrick Willis who I was very high on- he’s a flat out beast and will probably make the Pro bowl this year.
Houston is horrible, he doesnt cover well and now he cant tackle,what exactly does he do to help the team. What a horrible attempt at tackling near the goal line -Im mid 30’s and i swear i could have put up more of a effort.I would play C Jackson over him.
Grimes is athletic and thats about it….Too dam little!!!!!
We better have some blitz packages ready for Mr. Brady -if not he’s gonna pick our thin secondary apart. Use the Jets/Giants strategy -Hit him hard and often so he doesnt develope a rythm.
O yeah Peterson is definitely a player -Ive seen him make more impact plays in two games than #56 made all last year…..Whadda ya know he barely got in the game sunday night …hmmmm i wonder y? Dam pile diver!
Joe
September 22nd, 2009
11:57 am
Make sense adding another DT to the squad to expand options? Maybe Darryl Richard from New England’s practice squad?
Ken Strickland
September 22nd, 2009
12:01 pm
BAD NEWS-can you explain to everybody why a majority of the sports writers, coaches and players voted old NOODLE ARM ROY honors and not JFlacco? And please tell us why his rookie performance is considered the most outstanding in NFL history and he, and not JFlacco, was selected to play in the Probowl?
YOU SEE, YOU’RE SO BLINDED BY THE IDEA OF ARM STRENGTH MAKING A QB SUPERIOR, YOU CAN’T SEEM TO SEE WHAT THAT NOODLE ARM HAS MANAGED TO ACCOMPLISH. WELL, ONLY A BIASED IDIOT LIKE YOU COULD MANAGE TO OVERLOOK THE OBVIOUS. Please don’t overlook the questions?
Also allow me to fill in the gaps created by your narrowminded attempts to justify you ignorance.
(1) QB TBrady passed for 378yds in their luck win over the Bills. He threw for only 216yds in their loss against the Jets. So what a QB does against one team doesn’t automatically mean it will be repeated against another.
(2) Yes, QB DBrees has been passing lights out, but their DEF has also played lights out pass DEF, by giving up 391 passing yds to Philly’s inexperienced backup QB Kolb, WOW!!!!(that’s light our like playing pass DEF in the dark). By the way, wasn’t DBrees passing lights out last yr when we whipped his butt?
(3) The Saints are playing about as well as they’re capable of playing, and we’re not, and that will definitely change after our bye week.
Tell me BAD NEWS, who was the Falcons QB in 2006 when we were soundly defeated twice by the Saints, especially that very embarrassing Monday night loss right after hurricane Katrina?
WISHFUL THINKING, DELUSIONAL IDEAS AND A BOATLOAD OF STUPIDITY AND IGNORANCE ARE THE ONLY REASON YOU’RE ABLE TO REMAIN ON THESE BLOGS.
DJ
September 22nd, 2009
12:12 pm
Huh? Losing Jerry is big but Trey Lewis would be in the rotation on alot of teams (inactive both games). The Falcons lost some depth at the top but Trey is a player.
FYI JA #98 has been moving to tackle on pass plays for 2 seasons now. You all watch too much TV; according to most poster’s logics here, the Beer Man should be cut cuz he didn’t have a sack against the Cats.
The Falcons have yet to play up to potential yet they are 2-0.
Ken Strickland
September 22nd, 2009
1:10 pm
I MUS WRITE-I have to question your assessment of BGrimes(5′10″ 181lbs) being too short to be effective playing CB. Consider this. Of the 8 CB’s selected to last yrs Probowl, half were 5′10″ or less, AWinfield(5′9″ 180lbs), CFinnegan(5′10″ 188lbs)were starters, ASamuel(5′10″ 185lbs), RBarber(5′10″ 184lbs) were reserves. DRevis is 5′11″ 198lbs.
A lot of it has to do with scheme and having, or not having, an efffective pass rush. It’s more than just a matter of size or height. There were a lot of things wrong with last yrs DEF, and we can’t expect to fix it all in just one season, especially not after 2 gms. We’ve definitely fixed the OLB and safety problems, and we’ve seen definite overall improvement in our DL play. Getting more QB pressure will go a long way toward fixing our CB problems. I think we’ll see improvement in our CB play after we make some adjustments and/or changes during our bye week.
Tom
September 22nd, 2009
2:35 pm
Jerry is a good player, would have been good with no injuries, with that said, it was a waisted pick in the draft. He came out of college
with injuries, he knew if he played another yr of college he would have gotten hurt and never drafted by the pro’s so he came out early..I hate because he is hurt and hate it that the falcons wasted the pick and money drafting a hurt player..I don’t for see him ever playing a full season and lucky to play a half season..To many injuries at to early of an age, it will only get worse..
Ken Strickland
September 22nd, 2009
3:18 pm
TOM-an awful lot of people thought like you and actually said some of the same things when we signed DE JAbraham. DO YOU THINK THAT WAS A BAD DECISION AND A WASTE OF MONEY? The same thing was also said about DT SBaker, which is why he dropped to the lower half of the 1st rd. DO YOU THINK WE MADE A BAD DECISION AND WASTED MONEY DRAFTING HIM AS WELL?
Injuries are a part of the gm, which is why we have backups.
Jack Falcon
September 22nd, 2009
3:35 pm
The Falcons are not throwing the ball deep because Matt Ryan CAN’T throw deep. Every time he tries it is underthrown and/or intercepted.
The REAL Bad News
September 22nd, 2009
3:39 pm
Michael Vick can’t get on the field even with Donovan McNabb injured, Vick will be 3rd string QB.
ha ha ha
The REAL Bad News
September 22nd, 2009
3:41 pm
Michelle Vicky will ride the bench this week while McNabb is out and the rookie + Garcia take care of business
really badnews
September 22nd, 2009
3:42 pm
MV still riding the bench while a ROOKIE QB starts in place of McNabb ! ha ha ha
gasportsfan
September 22nd, 2009
4:16 pm
Season ticket holder, how many days does it rain this time of year…not many.If we had an outdoor stadium the number of sunny days will far outweigh the rainy days this time of year…Look at the number of high school football games, tech and bulldog games are play outside in this area…Lets face it football is meant to played outdoors!!!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
September 22nd, 2009
4:27 pm
First Falcons QB Randy Johnson dead at 65
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/first-falcons-qb-randy-144175.html
Phil Lunney
September 22nd, 2009
5:03 pm
Enter your comments hereAny word on Norwood?
Sautee
September 22nd, 2009
5:49 pm
Ken S,
Great point about the size of the Pro Bowl corners.
And I’d bet that Grimes could out jump most of them. Amazing hops.
He just needs to play and he’ll get better. He’s only played 16 total games in his career, so he’s hardly gotten his feet wet yet. I think he’ll make us very glad we have him at some point.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
September 22nd, 2009
6:01 pm
Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick shows Dimitroff, Mike Smith and Tony Gonzalez some love today on his teleconference with the Boston media.
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2009/09/bits_from_belic_24.html
Justsaying
September 22nd, 2009
6:47 pm
Enter your comments here
I MUS WRITE
September 22nd, 2009
7:21 pm
KS- Grimes is 5′7 on a good day, ive seen the guy in person and 5′10 he is not. Grimes has crazy athleticism and he’s okay in coverage,but he is not a starting quarteback in this league IMO…. Especially on a team with playoff aspirations and a killer schedule.
Wow you mentioned Grimes in the same key stroke as Winnfield,Samuels and Revis- I hope that was just a comparison on stature.
Tom ….C’mon man, with the doom and gloom -Jerry will be fine and playing by week4 next year maybe, depending on the severity- im not a doctor but i play one on Tv lol….
“Matt Ryan cant throw deep” When did that happen, I mean we’ve only played 2 games. The hoddy says his arm is Strong and Accurate….I think he knows more than most, so uhhhhmmmm yeeaaaahhhhhhh……..
I MUS WRITE
September 22nd, 2009
7:23 pm
CORNER BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
richbrave
September 22nd, 2009
7:52 pm
Any word on SIDBURY?
Bad News
September 22nd, 2009
8:48 pm
NOODLE ARM vs Tom Brady………
Joe Flacco vs Tom Brady……….
Let’s see who the real BUST is
Boo Boo
September 23rd, 2009
4:06 am
j anderson is alive and breathing, so he can fill a space at dt. who else we gonna get to play there?
all the moaning and groaning about the 4th quarter … try running around the yard at your house each play the defense runs. you might find yourself winded by the 4th quarter too. remember those worthless dbs from the preseason? they are still playing, but looking better when the d-line is putting pressure on the qb. late in the game the qbs get better against the falcons. that’s why they will need big leads all season to win. you can expect the dbs to start looking bad sooner, especially get toasted by brady, with jerry out for the season, and j anderson living up to his bustness self.
Nicholas Fan
September 23rd, 2009
8:38 am
I’ve been saying all along Nicholas would be a player, I watched the guy all through college and he makes plays. The more experience he gets this year the better he’ll be, the guy has pro bowl potential down the road, mark my words!
ct falcons
September 23rd, 2009
6:04 pm
I’m a huge Falcons fan in Connecticut(since ‘91) n I’m going 2 c our guys hopefully go whip on the patsys in foxboro. Good 2 c a good start without playn our best football…by the way relax on #98 J.A.he gets a good push n is improving. He WILL make a big play down the stretch. Go dirty birds!