Falcons ready to get on the bus; help Smitty pay the fine
Falcons to ride on charter buses to Charlotte for the game agaisnt Carolina on Sunday.
CONVOY TO CHARLOTTE – Just emptying the notebook today before Sunday’s kickoff against the Panthers . . .
GET ON THE BUS: Fullback Ovie Mughelli is taking along his favorite pillow for the bus ride to Charlotte.
“I’ve got to have my pillow,” Mughelli said.
The Falcons are making provisions for the bigger players on the team for what should be a three hour and some change ride from Hall County.
“Coach said — and I don’t know how he’s going to work this — that we are going to have four seats each,” Mughelli said.
It’s been a while since most of the players have taken a bus trip.
“We flew is college,” Mughelli said. “This bus strip is going to be a throwback. I haven’t had a bus trip since high school.”
By taking the buses, the Falcons should cut their travel time in half. The three and half hour drive turns into a six to seven hour trip when they drive about an hour to the Airport, unload the buses, go through TSA security, fly to Charlotte, unload again and take buses to the hotel.
HELP SMITTY PAY THE FINE: The fans raising money to help Coach Smith pay his $15,000 fine have raised $1,999.14 through Friday afternoon. Here’s the link.
Steve Smith tackles Chris Houston after his key interception in Week Two. (CURTIS COMPTON/AJC)
SMITH STILL A FORCE: Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith’s numbers are down dramatically. He only has 34 catches through eight games. He’s averaged 88 catches over the last four seasons.
With Jake Delhomme throwing interceptions by the bushel, the Panthers have reigned in their passing attack.
“We were definitely struggling in the passing game,” Carolina coach John Fox said. “I think in the last couple of weeks, that’s much better now. I’m not saying that we are a well oiled machine by any stretch, but we are definitely improving in that area and hopefully we’ll continue to improve.”
Falcons cornerback Chris Houston, who intercepted Delhomme late to preserve the 28-20 victory in Week Two, hasn’t noticed the change.
“They don’t do anything differently,” Houston said. “Steve Smith is still the go-to-receiver. Running game and Steve Smith. Running game and Steve Smith.”
Houston said don’t pay any attention to Smith’s numbers.
“But in the last game he scored,” Houston said. “He ran a sluggo (slant and go) on a seam. He put up points. He might not have the catches, but he can create explosive plays.”
WALKER SHINING: Defensive tackle Vance Walker, the former Georgia Tech standout, was pressed into duty over the last two games with Thomas Johnson out with a calf injury.
Walker, a seventh round draft pick, was cut then placed on the practice squad. He was moved up to the 53-man roster when first round pick Peria Jerry was lost for the season with a knee injury.
Walker has been stout on the field. He had three tackles and a blocked pass against New Orleans. He had five tackles
Tony Gonzalez doesn't think ex-teammate Larry Johnson would be a good fit in Flowery Branch.
against the Redskins.
“He’s done well for us,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “We think he’ll continue to advance. It’s nice to see a young player step into a role so quickly.”
GONZALEZ ON LJ: Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez noticed as his former teammate Larry Johnson cleared waivers after being released by the Kansas City Chiefs.
“That’s the way it goes,” Gonzalez said. “Hopefully, he picks up the pieces and gets back on the train and finish his career off right.”
He doesn’t think Johnson would be a good fit for the Falcons.
“I don’t think we really need that,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve got a really good running back and some guys that are coming back and will be healthy.”
WHO’S THE STARTER: Left cornerback Tye Hill, who started the last two games, is listed as the starter on the team’s unofficial depth chart. Smith wouldn’t call him a starter earlier in the week. “It doesn’t matter as long as I get a chance to play,” Hill said.
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129 comments Add your comment
dj wilson
November 15th, 2009
8:32 am
Charlie
November 15th, 2009
12:57 am
Vicks career QB rating, 74, even at Matty Ices worst, he is still better than Vick.
Please dont fool yourself. Ryan is an average qb at best. We all know his arm strength is a question.
Mixxo
November 15th, 2009
9:08 am
If Matty Ice-Pick can hold the picks down to maybe two, we may have a chance today. If not…..
Cats – 31
Us – 13
Heck, why not give that three-name redneck from ‘Bama a shot at it if Matty doesn’t cut it? Col. John Parker is it? Poor Redman will never get a chance to play.
The sophomore jinx has owned Mr. Ice.
Benny
November 15th, 2009
9:14 am
Choke, you and Katt Williams were separated at birth. Admit it. That is the first step to recovery. Missed you at the last AA meeting.
happy days are here again
November 15th, 2009
9:51 am
happy Sunday everybody, here is something to get you out of bed and ready for the game!
go Falcons!
ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8GuH9oDHrU
Steve C
November 15th, 2009
10:13 am
Todd – Dacula = Yet another pseudonym for Choke.
RH
November 15th, 2009
10:30 am
Every quarterback the Falcons have had since their existance has been better than Mike Vick. I’d take Jeff George over Vick, even this season.
mars
November 15th, 2009
10:31 am
Don’t shoot the messy baby!
Ken Strickland
November 15th, 2009
10:42 am
If the Falcons cut RB Stecker to sign WR Bergeron, it likely means RB JNorwood, or one of our other RB’s on IR, is going to play today.
DJ WILSON-They questioned the arm strength of HOF QB’s like Fran Tarkenton, Ken Stabler, Joe Montana, Bart Starr, George Blanda and Len Dawson, so what’s your point? What separated these QB’s from the rest, and allowed them to become HOF QB’s, was ACCURACY, not arm strength. MVick had arm strength that rivaled John Elway, but he didn’t have ACCURACY, so he relied on he legs as compensation. That comparison alone should let you know that arm strength isn’t the answer to becoming a good or great QB.
Mixxo
November 15th, 2009
11:22 am
Big Matt – 8 (eight) picks in four (4) games!!!!
Hmm
November 15th, 2009
11:29 am
Okay one response to Choke the Joke! It has become alarmingly clear that, you’re the inmate trying to run the asylum.
That being said all of us have had an infatuation at one time or the other, You having your man-crush, and homo-erotic fantasies for Mike Con-Vick, in my case Farrah Fawcett, but at time ages you to maturity,it becomes time Choke to go to your bedroom, take the poster of Vick with all the little sticky spots down from your wall, and come to a realization that like all of the desires of my youth, the career of Mike Vick is DEAD, and most probably will not be resurrected….. It is time to Embrace OUR FALCONS, Support OUR TEAM, MANAGEMENT, AND COACHES, or time little FOOL, for you to move on to another fantasy, Hey there is a silver lining for you! Just up I24 is the second coming of Vick, look no further than Tennessee, and Vince Carter, how bout you hop on over and support another Basket Case, and he also fits you need for a Black QB!!!! Get LOST CREEP
Hmm
November 15th, 2009
11:36 am
Mixxo, are you so much of an IDIOT that you watch the game but never understand? The team with Ryan that I have been watching, has an Offensive line that over the last 5 games that have been allowing Matt Ryan to get hammered on a regular basis, now couple that with dropped passes by receivers,and the inability of Jenkins, and White to even get open at times, have forced Ryan to rush passes.
Consequently, while everyone wants to take the easy road and bash only the QB, how bout look at it as a whole and lay blame wherever it is deserved, J.Abraham, decides to play only in week 8 weeks one thru seven where was he? C.Houston, C.Jackson, the entire special teams unit, and Sam Baker! those are the guys that need called out!
Have you ever tried to deliver anything accurate and on time with 300 lbs laying on you? I didn’t think so….Just support the Birds and lose that racist mantra
!
Hmm
November 15th, 2009
11:44 am
Arm Strength! the ability to throw a ball a long distance. The Ice man has arm strength, see last years game against Chicago!
Accuracy.the ability to deliver a ball in a timely, and precise manner..The Ice man has this too.See again last years game against Chicago to Jenkins, Strength, and Accuracy..
Getting your ass handed to you every other snap.. See this years games against Dallas, New Orleans, and even Washington..
Record when kept clean this year 4-1(New England was a referee gift to Boston)
record when the line fails to do it’s job and the QB get hammered…
1-2.
Now tell me again how bad Ryan is.
I didn’t think so.
In the game today, White must , MUST do his damn job, and hold onto the ball, so Ryan does’nt have to rely so heavily on Gonzo.
The line must MUST protect the damn QB, and the Rt Defensive end MUST stop pouting over a contract he deems unfair(6.5 mill) and play some damn football!!!!!
final score Falcons 27- Panthers 17.
CHOKE on That
Hmm
November 15th, 2009
12:31 pm
Okay time for some Feetball! les go Falcons!
Mixxo
November 15th, 2009
1:11 pm
Happy feet……..not a good sign.
Mixxo
November 15th, 2009
3:45 pm
Game over! Pick happy Matty up to the same ol’ junk!
Deano
November 15th, 2009
3:50 pm
FIRE Elam! Whatever chance we had, went wide left with his kick!
I love Matt Ryan
November 15th, 2009
4:21 pm
Can’t use the running game as a excuse anymore, Matt is losing them all on his own!!!!!!!!!!!
stendec
November 15th, 2009
4:25 pm
It is becoming apparent that Matt “Another Interception” Ryan is a one season wonder. Utterly unacceptable mistakes! Falcon defense is a liability. Cut Jason “Another Short Miss” Elam! Someone give Morten Anderson a call. Nothing special about this heartless group. Same old Falcons! Will be at even mark after loss to Giants. Downhill from there! Back to back losing seasons will remain intact. Oh well. Maybe next century! ++STENDEC++ Jeff Schultz is a censorship advocate!
Atlanta Peach
November 15th, 2009
4:57 pm
I never ever thought I would be finaling agreeing with “Choke” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Atlanta Peach
November 15th, 2009
4:59 pm
Finally ! Sorry !
Simpdawg
November 15th, 2009
6:03 pm
Matt Ryan has definitely lost his confidence and their schedule is about to get harder.
Big Ray
November 15th, 2009
8:07 pm
I just don’t get it.
So the Falcons have a record of 5-4, and all is lost? Have we forgotten that this team was practically rebuilt from the GROUND UP just barely a year and a half ago?
If the bar was set too high, it was because the culture changed. Instead of keying on one guy, we now have a TEAM. Only a TEAM can be a winner, not a single individual with 21 other also-rans. The sophomore jinx gets a lot of guys. Teams have tape on Ryan and now they know how to play him…for now . He’ll get better, and then they can watch all the tape they want.
And why are we (well, some of us) still bringing up Mike Vick? Seriously, people.
“We always had a chance to win with Vick”. Look Vick did some of the best stuff on the football field that has been seen on the football field. He did do a lot of good for this franchise. Unfortunately he also did the absolute worst for this franchise, letting himself, his family, and his team down in the end. Now, he’s little more than a bit player (if even that) for the very same archrival that destroyed him both times that we made the playoffs while he was quarterback.
I don’t know if that’s poetic justice or just cruel fate.
Either way, Vick did MORE to let this franchise down in the end, than he ever did to lift it up. That’s the way it is, and nobody is paying a higher price for it than Vick himself. It’s a shame. It really is.
But it’s stupid to compare Ryan to him. If you’re holding onto the past, then please do it on your own time. In the meantime, let Ryan play 6 years before you start making comparisons. It’s only fair. Of course, that might be inconvenient to some arguments, but such is life.
I know one thing…. The fact that his coaches and teammates (particularly his receivers) are showing Matt Ryan a good bit of support, particularly in this latest loss. I never remember seeing that for his predecessor, and that speaks volumes. Take it as you will.
Reality is, this team has a long way to go, but is for once (and for the first time) pointed in the right direction.
Finally:
Ryan ‘09 is a work in progress.
Vick ‘09 is a sad joke.
Big Ray
November 15th, 2009
8:18 pm
Heh. A 2nd year quarterback gets nervous because he’s spent more time sandwiched between a slobbering 300 lb man and some green turf than he ever has in his life….and this is NEWS? Ha!
Do the same to either Manning, Brady, Brees, Roethlisberger, any of them….and watch the same results. Guys get hit and hurried enough, and they’re going to struggle. They’ll throw interceptions.
Is it Matt Ryan’s fault? Yes, part of it is. He’s making bad decisions. But some of it is teams’ dedication to putting pressure on Ryan. Hey, defenses respect him. He torched a lot of teams last year.
People need to calm down. It isn’t that freakin’ bad. Bunch of “chick littles” around here, geez…
I love Matt Ryan
November 16th, 2009
12:30 am
Big Ray,
Manning just spent half a game on his butt, but he got the job done when it mattered, and I dont think it’s an over reaction he struggling and all u guys wanted to do was blame Turner and the running game, now that mike’s back to his old self, it’s the pressure. Good QB’s handle pressure, while average QB’s fold and Matty is looking real average I just hopes he gets it together sooner than later GO Falcons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Respect
November 16th, 2009
7:12 am
Snelling deserves a lot of credit for keeping us in the game at all yesterday. The passing game looks like it was shut down from the get go and all we had was the run. With Turner coming out with 40 minutes left to play that easily could have been a very lopsided game. Snelling did pretty damn good.
carolina panthers - news bytes
November 20th, 2009
1:49 am
[...] Dolphins running back rotation just not the same against Panthers, plus updates and inactives Falcons ready to get on the bus; help Smitty pay the fine | Atlanta Falcons with D. Orlando Ledbette…CONVOY TO CHARLOTTE – Just emptying the notebook today before Sunday’s kickoff against [...]
Denisecgk
February 8th, 2010
10:14 am
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Ruthcgy
February 8th, 2010
10:19 am
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Lauracgl
February 8th, 2010
10:56 am
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