Who Dat? Secondary playing well for Saints
Last season the Saints went for the jugular on the first play of the game, throwing deep to the speedy Devery Henderson. But Falcons safety Erik Coleman was over the top for the interception. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC)
THE BRANCH – The Falcons and Saints were in the same predicament this offseason.
They were making changes in the secondary and were looking for cornerbacks and safeties.
The Saints elected to sign ball-hawking safety Darren Sharper and cornerback Jabari Greer during free agency.
Both moves have paid off for the Saints. Sharper has six interceptions and returned three for touchdowns. Greer, the former University of Tennessee standout, is off to a good start.
With the secondary holding up, New Orleans’ new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has implemented his more
The Thomas Wade Landry statue outside to Cowboys Stadium.
aggressive approach.
Now, the Saints appear to have a defense to match their high-scoring offense and are the only undefeated team in the NFC at 6-0.
Instead of going the free agency route, the Falcons addressed their secondary needs through the draft.
Second round pick William Moore, who was expected to contend for the starting strong safety spot, was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday. Cornerback Christopher Owens, a third rounder, is playing on special teams. Cornerback William Middleton, a fifth rounder, was released, but has caught on with Jacksonville.
The Falcons elected to pass on talented cornerback Vontae Davis in the first round. He went to Miami on the very next pick. Davis’ off-the-field issues at Illinois certainly were a red flag for the Falcons.
The Falcons added Brian Williams after he was cut by Jacksonville, but he’s out for the season with a knee injury.
So now, the Falcons head into the first game against pass-happy New Orleans, and the secondary is still unsettled.
Was on the AirTran Falcons plane to Dallas.
There doesn’t appear to be any options other than to keep “coaching up” Chris Houston and Brent Grimes.
It would be unfair to throw Owens out there against Brees for his first NFL start.
“I feel comfortable on both sides, so it really doesn’t matter,” Owens said. “I just have to focus more on the field. I figure if you eliminate the mental mistakes, you have a better chance of making plays on the field.”
Former first round pick Tye Hill, acquired from the St. Louis Rams for a 7th round pick, appears to be on deck if the cornerbacks continue to struggle.
HEBERT ACTS A FOOL IN THE PRESS BOX: Hey, Bobby Hebert, no cheering in the press box! This was after the Saints win over the New York Jets.
THE BREW CREW: Before Barry Alvarez turned the University of Wisconsin into a respectable Big Ten program in the 1990s, it was rare to find a NFL player from the state.
With the signing of Aaron Stecker, the Falcons now have three players from Wisconsin. Stecker, the pride of Ashwaubenon High, went on to star at the University of Wisconsin and transferred to Western Illinois after Ron Dayne started to gobble up all of the carries on his way to the Heisman Trophy. Ashwaubenon is a small city right next to Green Bay.
Falcons long-snapper Michael Schneck is from the Milwaukee suburbs and played at Wisconsin. Offensive lineman Jose Valdez is from St. Francis, Wisconsin (a Milwaukee suburb). He’s on the practice squad and played at Arkansas.
OPENING DRIVE CHART: Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey’s opening game scripts were red-hot last season when the Falcons were 8-0 when they scored on the opening drive of the game.
This season, they have scored two times on the opening drive and are 0-2 in those games.
OPENING DRIVES IN 2008
Detroit – TD – Win
Tampa Bay – Interception — Loss
Kansas City – Punt – Win
Carolina – Punt – Loss
Green Bay – TD – Win
Chicago – FG – Win
Philadelphia – Punt – Loss
Oakland – TD – Win
New Orleans – Punt – Win
Denver – Punt –Loss
Carolina – FG – Win
San Diego – FG – Win
New Orleans – Interception – Loss
Tampa Bay – Punt – Win
Minnesota – TD – Win
St. Louis – FG – Win
OPENING DRIVES IN 2009
Miami – Missed FG – Win
Carolina – Punt – Win
New England – FG – Loss
San Francisco – Punt – Win
Chicago – Punt – Win
Dallas – TD – Loss
Coach Mike Smith is preaching “Team Defense.” But in the scheme of that “Team Defense” everbody has an assignment. He wants everyone to get better at their assignments, but don’t the cornerbacks have the most room for improvement in the “Team Defense” scheme? The unit is likely set to give up it’s third straight 300-yard passing game. Will the Saints even bother to show of their improve rushing attack with Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell? Which one of the receivers — Marques Colston, Henderson, Reggie Bush, or Jeremy Shockey — can the Falcons take away from Brees?
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115 comments Add your comment
JASon
November 2nd, 2009
12:39 pm
Will someone tell me why the front page story is about Saints fans showing up strong in Atlanta? Thanks for representing Atlanta so well, ajc. You guys are the greatest.
FMNF
November 2nd, 2009
1:51 pm
The Falcons have a 5o% chance to win this game but I’m 100% sure they won’t.
Fanman
November 2nd, 2009
3:42 pm
So is the game tonight going to broadcast on any of the local channels for all of the non-cable folks?
Fanman
November 2nd, 2009
3:57 pm
found my answer – yes – it will be broadcast live on CBS – WGCL.
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/tvlistings/index.html
F-105 Thunderchief
November 2nd, 2009
5:13 pm
Hate to say it, but the Falcons are going to wilt before the Saints like a Bulldog before a Gator. Hope I’m wrong. Play with some pride, passion and smarts, Falcons. Keep a cool head, Red Ryan.
FMNF
November 2nd, 2009
5:15 pm
I hate games going in knowing your team is not going to win. This is gonna be a total butt whooping. I hate the truth sometimes.
Ronald Millsaps
November 2nd, 2009
5:39 pm
If I were in Mike Smith’s shoes, I’d play man-to-man coverage in the first quarter and blitz a lot. I think Atlanta will be able to get to Brees a lot more easily than we got to Tony Romo.
Secondly, I’d mix up the looks Brees got throughout the game and would shift to zone in the second quarter and would implement a corner blitz 2-3 times in the period.
In the third quarter, I’d implement a mix of blitzes and fake blitzes, a la Bill Belichick.
In the fourth quarter, I’d present a mixture of all of the above.
If the defensive line were to play well tonight, things would be a whole lot easier for Atlanta. Mark Bradley and others applauded the move, but we should’ve kept Grady Jackson. We clearly missed him last week and likely will again tonight.
I’d run the heck out of Jason Snelling, and IF Jerious Norwood’s good to go, I’d run him outside the tackles like there’s no tomorrow. One reason why Michael Turner hasn’t run so well is because Norwood’s speed threat hasn’t there like it was last season. I’d also try some downfield throws early this game in an attempt to open up Matt Ryan’s passing lanes to Tony Gonzalez.
I’m still not convinced that the Saints are as good as advertised. Brees is phenomenal and has been for years, but I still have question marks about their overall physicality and defense, though they’ve improved a lot in both areas. I continue to have questions about Sean Payton, who isn’t doing as much for his team as Gregg Williams is.
Speaking of running, the Phillies need to return to running also. They haven’t done enough of it this series, and their lack of it has hurt them. Charlie Manuel is doing one of the very things I’ve criticized Bobby for, which is to wait overly patiently for the long ball. Many might look at Philadelphia’s stats and think the chances of a home-run ball intrinsically are as good as the numbers on paper, overlooking in the process the fact that those numbers are the result of hitting AND running and keeping a pitcher off-balanced.
I loved the Vikings game yesterday. Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, and, yep, Brett Favre are (still) incredible. If Atlanta doesn’t win it all, I wouldn’t mind at all if they did, them or the Patriots, who, by the way, contrary to flat-record implications, actually are a LOT better than they were two years ago at this time. I’d be fascinated to see Bill Belichick’s secondary schemes against the Saints’ passing attack. I won’t have to wait long (November 30).
stendec
November 3rd, 2009
8:11 am
SOMEONE TELL:
Matt “Another Incerception” Ryan that he choked just as badly as Chris Miller/Jeff George/Joey Harrington. Untalented Yankee filth! Jason “Wide Left” Elam that Falcon placekicking tryouts commence immediately. Please contact Morten Anderson! Roddy “Butterfingers” White that premiere receivers do not drop certain touchdown passes in critical situations. Overpaid son of a betch! Midgets in Falcon secondary that they are unable to cover an elderly one legged woman in a wheelchair let alone tackle one. Heartless and gutless bestards! Coach Mike Petrino not to settle for field goal attempts against Saints. Especially without a damn field goal kicker! Powers that be to ban Falcons from Monday Night Football forevermore. Do nothing but embarrass families, themselves and entire state every time they appear! Alfred “Another Drop” Jenkins to turn in his uniform. Scum could not catch sniffles in Antartica! Arthur Blank to stay the Hell off sidelines. His presence there totally unnecessary! Falcons that they should be completely ashamed to be a full three games behind division leaders after only seven contests. Quitting commode residue!
The KMA Awards go to:
Melted Ice for making no attempt to stop Saint from reaching end zone after interception. Unacceptable! Falcons for going bellyup to prove everyone in sports world correct in NOT picking them in upset. Falcons picked Saints too! Former Bronco who has contracted marshmallow leg disease. Guy is paid big bucks to do one f#cking thing!
My sympathy to Michael Turner, the Falcon defensive front and linebackers (except for chokes against Saints in red zone), punter, kickoff guy and onside kick squad. Displayed heart and toughness absent in teammates!
Are Ryan and Elam directly responsible for defeat in most important showdown in Falcon franchise history? The two of them cost the team 13 points (interception for score plus two missed field goals) with screwups. Final margin eight points. Do the f#cking math!
Losers forevermore. Not confident they can whip Redskins. To Hell with the quitters! BOYCOTT REDSKIN GAME. Send message that fans will no longer tolerate this type of uncaring bullshet! ++STENDEC++
stendec
November 3rd, 2009
8:14 am
Thank you Orlando for being only columist with courage enough to publish my post. I worked hard on blasted thing. Was so upset after latest Falcon fiasco that I could not sleep. Thanks again. Best. ++STENDEC++
submariner
November 3rd, 2009
8:27 am
Why didn’t they pound the ball in with Turner and eat up the clock after they recovered the fumble? The running game was working! The bad play calling there and Elam’s 2 missed field goals hosed ‘em. Not to mention 14 points off turnovers for the Saints. The beat themselves and gave that one away.
Ronald Millsaps
November 3rd, 2009
5:01 pm
Enter your comments here
Ronald Millsaps
November 3rd, 2009
5:11 pm
“stendec”– None of the guys you mentioned deserevs the tirade you provided, and your comments against Chris Miller show just how little you paid attention when he was the quarterback here. Honestly, he was a lot better than a Troy Aikman but just didn’t have the offensive line, the defense, etc.. (That Miller-Rison, Miller-Haynes attack is one of the top ten passing offenses in history.)
Matt Ryan disappoints me. I expected a sophomore slump for him, but he has made even-worse-than-expected throws and has done so occasionally at awful times, like last night.
Very encouraging to see Michael Turner play as well as he did.
The Saints are very good but not as good as advertised. I’m going to try to attend the game in Atlanta.
Ironic to see a reference to Miller. I listened to the game on the New Orleans Saints’ radio network and heard Bobby Hebert at halftime.
As for Daniel Snyder–the worst owner in professional sports by far–if fans aren’t saying anything obscene (don’t tell me that word lacks a concrete definition; it certainly does) or libelous, then I hope each one who has had a sign confiscated files a suit against the team. I’m totally serious, and the man’s completely obnoxious and completely clueless about football. In the ultimate team sport, he goes out and signs random individual talent and individually think a signed contract equates a problem-solver. If I were a head coach, there’s no way I’d want to work for him, and if I were a Redskins fan, I’d be frustrated with his foolish ownership.
Phillies in seven.
Ronald Millsaps
November 3rd, 2009
5:12 pm
deserves*
Ronald Millsaps
November 3rd, 2009
5:19 pm
it certainly does not* or it certainly has one*
Ronald Millsaps
November 3rd, 2009
5:21 pm
ignorantly thinks*
AGH!!!!!!!!!!! What’s with all the typos??
I’d be typing better if Atlanta had won last night.
Chase Utley’s home-run swing is one of the best in history.