Without Matt Ryan, Falcons nearly pull off shocker
SO CLOSE - This long bomb to Falcons wide receiver # 12 Michael Jenkins is just off his finger tips for a sure touchdown as it falls incomplete during 1st half action against the Saints at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. Curtis Compton,ccompton@ajc.com
LAST ONE AT THE DOME – They have scrubbed the Falcons logo off of the Georgia Dome floor and are hanging some black curtains on the field.
It looks like they are setting up for some graduation. But they could be because the Falcons playoffs hopes are dead.
We have been getting a lot of Tweets about the two play calls by offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey. It seems that there is a little uprising over the reverse on first down that resulted in a 12-yard loss and the check-down by Chris Redman to Jason Snelling, who wasn’t able to pick up the first down on fourth-and-2.
“We had an opportunity to possess the ball twice in the fourth quarter,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “We had the interception where we made a bad read. But Chris played an outstanding game.”
The fourth down play had been working all game. Redman probably needed to wait for Snelling to clear and get past
Falcons president Rich McKay doing a TV interview before the game in the bowels of the Georgia Dome. (D. Orlando Ledbetter/dledbetter@ajc.com)
Saint linebacker Jonathan Vilma. (Haven’t watch the tape yet, so don’t know if he had time to wait.)
“Unfortunately, the fourth down completion didn’t give us enough yards to keep the drive going,” Smith said.
COVER-NINE: The Falcons dropped deep in coverage for most of the day. On one play they had nine players in coverage.
Out of a three man front, Lawrence Sidbury was at left end and he dropped into the flat, but Reggie Bush still game up with the third down catch between Sidbury and Stephen Nicholas.
“There was not as many explosive plays in the ball game today,” Smith said. “I thought that rookie Christopher Owens had an explosive play on the third-and-4 over on their sideline. I thought that he did some really good things. I thought that Brent (Grimes) held up well without Chris Houston in the ball game. I felt like we kept it in front of us for the most part.”
REDMAN ON HIS 50-YARD BOMB: Redman and Mike Jenkins should have had two long touchdowns. It appeared Jenkins, bad ankle and all, could have stretched out for a slightly overthrown ball early in the game.
He did stretch on his 50-yarder and ran away from Saints’ safety Darren Sharper.
“They brought some pressure from the outside,” Redman said. “We saw that nobody was deep and I thought Jenkins
The Georgia National Guard practicing for the National Anthem before the game. (D. Orlando Ledbetter/dledbetter@ajc.com)
made a great play. I thought a lot of guys stepped up. Michael Jenkins, Jason Snelling, Eric Weems, everybody stepped up and played a good ball game. It was good to see those guys step in and fill roles and play very hard. We are proud of everybody.”
SECONDARY CORNER: On Grimes’ first pass interference, he clearly hand his left arm around the receiver. On the second one, he should have had an interception. He had just as much right to go for the ball and the contact appeared incidental.
By the time Smith and Redman spoke, Grimes was dressed and gone. So we got DeCoud for you all.
“We matched the challenge,” safety Thomas DeCoud said. “They are the best offense in the league. We stepped up and played well against them.”
What was the key to slowing them down?
“Just making sure that all of our techniques were right,” DeCoud said. “We’ve played them twice a year, so we know what they are going to do. We had to see it and react to.”
Grimes and Owens tackled well.
“Everybody knows that we are a young defense so we try to show that (resolve) to fight and stay in games against good offenses,” DeCoud said. “It was tight and we played well. It’s something to build off of. We don’t want moral victories, but we have what it takes to play well late in games.”
Owens did get beat on a 42-yarder by Robert Meachem, but had an overall strong game.
The Cheerleaders practicing their halftime routine before the game. (D. Orlando Ledbetter/dledbetter@ajc.com)
“We wanted to contain those receivers the best we could,” Owens said. “We know that they thrive off the big plays. We tried to contain that as best we could. We just kept fighting. When the fourth quarter came, even at halftime we knew that we were still in it. We had our chances at the end.”
WEEMS WAS CLOSE TO BREAKING IT: Kick off returner Eric Weems was pretty close to breaking that last kickoff return. The Dome would have went crazy!
“The guys up front gave me some room,” Weems said. “My mindset is that should have went ahead and scored that.”
So did you like the play calls? You like the Cover-Nine? Do you think Weems is going to break one over the last three games?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
66 comments Add your comment
retired on the lake
December 14th, 2009
9:45 pm
BLOGGERS UNITE
HAVE HOPE
WE CAN ALL GET TOGETHER ON THIS
Mike Smith is a WINNER
ATLANTA HERE IS THE SCENARIO THAT WE ALL (haters of all colors, fans of all backgrounds) can get behind it’s a win win situation that everyone here gets something good.
FOLLOW ME NOW
#1 Drink whatever cup of koolaid you drink from, be it the Vick is the next coming of the messiah cup or the Falcons can still win out and make the playoffs cup.
#2 Have faith in your individual beliefs (biases) and …….
#3 Read the following and repeat during daily prayers while facing the Georgia Dome!
If there is any justice to this NFL season and seasons past the following scenario would play out.
Week 15 Saturday night the New Orleans Saints dismantle the Dallas Cryboys
Sunday afternoon the Atlanta Falcons beat the NYJets
Philadelphia wins
Carolina shocks the Vikings
Monday night the Washington Redskins maul the NYGiants
Week 16 Washington wins 3 in a row by beating Cryboys
Carolina does Atlanta a favor and beats NYGiants
Falcons beat Buffalo
Philly wins again
Vikings lose Monday night to the Bears
Week 17 Vikings needing win to clinch 2nd seed instead lose 3rd straight to NYGiants
Falcons beat Tampa Bay
Philly with chance to gain 2nd seed goes into overtime with the Cryboys
with no score for more than 7 minutes.
All Atlanta is tuned into the end of the Eagles – Cryboys game.
A certain former Falcon and current federal felony probationer runs 56 yards
with a certain former Falcon and GTech graduate unable to catch him
and scores a winning touchdown that propels Atlanta into the playoffs.
More koolaid DRINK more Koolaid
Gamer
December 15th, 2009
9:11 am
GLAD TO SEE THE FALCONS PLAY WITH A HEART-BEAT!!!
Fewer miss-calls by officials and fewer miscues offensively and defensively by the Falcons and it would have been a Falcons VICTORY!!!
Overall a pretty competitive game by Falcons without Ryan and Turner!!!
Lets go for back to back winning record!! So all of the season’s goals will not be lost!!
What's Important
December 15th, 2009
12:14 pm
D. Orlando, why didn’t the headline say “Without Matt Ryan and Michael Turner”, makes just as much sense as what you said. Apparently you have a problem with Matt Ryan that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with his play. You never miss a chance to take a slap at him. Thank God you write only a third as many blogs as the other writers.
falconfan-67
December 15th, 2009
1:13 pm
is the job posting the vents a part time position? if so, my wife needs a part time job. she could work when the regular guy is busy.
dvj
December 15th, 2009
2:31 pm
http://dawgsvsjackets.blogspot.com/
Dave
December 15th, 2009
2:46 pm
It is clear that LAST YEAR’s team was NOT as good as we thought!
But it is EQUALLY CLEAR that this year’s team is NOT as bad as many say it is.
This was a game that COULD have been won! The last Carolina game and the NY Giants game were games that SHOULD have been won, but were not due to bad kicking, dropped passes and bad quarterback decisions.
In any event, the future is BRIGHT for this Falcons team. They have a great offense that should only be better next year, and a GOOD foundation for an improving defense next year.
They will win the last two games this season, and have a VERY good chance of finishing 9-7. If 9-7 is good enough for the playoffs, great! If not, c’est la vie!
bgf
December 15th, 2009
4:41 pm
Why is Shockley on the practice team! He was a much better 2nd and 3th backup for Matt ! This is a waste of young talent! Don’t tell me that he would not have played better BOTH games!! What a BIG WASTE!!
Lil Larry
December 15th, 2009
9:19 pm
You say that as though this team couldn’t win without Ryan. Why is it a shocker? Now I see why teams got rid of Redman…he stares down every player he’s about to throw to. He burned a hole in Snellings jersey from the time the ball was snapped. Vilma said he knew the same play was coming that they ran previously because they were in the same formation. I know Mularkey can’t be that stupid. Plenty of teams run the same plays throughout a game, but out of different formations. If you’re going to line up in the same formation at least run something different out of it genius. We got dumb and dumber running the offense and defense. Arthur take note and have a conversation with little Tommie Dimitrioff about a hard eval of this staff going forward.
Falcon 8211
December 15th, 2009
10:07 pm
ther are no moral victories per gonzo. i agree
Vick State of Mind
December 15th, 2009
11:51 pm
Falcons fans are so bandwagon! We still have a chance to make the playoffs so stop your whining and get on board. If we can finish 9-7 and have some things fall our way, which by the way is a longshot but possible, we can make the playoffs. The Cardinals showed that its not about what your record is, but how hot you can get at the end of the season. Most of us said the Falcons would win 9 or 10 games this season anyway. That is a good record considering this crazy once in a lifetime schedule we had to play this year. Who knew the Saints would have a career year like they are having? I didn’t. Anyway all this will do is one make the Falcons more battle tested and experienced, and two make mgmt work harder in the off season to improve the team. If nothing changes it will be an uncapped year so there are no excuses for not improving the team. Blank has deep pockets, let’s see how much he wants a winner. Yes we lost a 2nd rounder but we still will have ample picks to get what we want. I actually think Gonzalez has hurt us this year. Last year we had a blocking tight end who gave Matt Ryan an extra person for protection, thus giving him more time to make smarter throws. An extra blocker also helped with making holes for Turner and Co. With the demise of the run game and more throws from a second year QB we have struggled a little yes, but 16tds and 12ints arent that bad when you compare them to other QBs with Ryan’s experience.
Vick State of Mind
December 15th, 2009
11:54 pm
bgf, JPW outplayed Shockley by a WIDE margin in the preseason, that is why he is on the practice squad.
Pssh Why?
December 16th, 2009
1:02 am
●████▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
▄▄▅████████▅▄▃▂
██████████████████►
◥☼▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲⊙▲☼◤
MV#777
December 16th, 2009
1:14 pm
The Intelligencer
The Michael Vick experiment doesn’t look quite so much like an experiment anymore. It looks like a success.
Vick has 11 touches in the last two games and among them are two touchdown runs, a touchdown pass, a 32-yard completion to set up a touchdown against the Giants, a 43-yard completion to set up a touchdown in Atlanta, a five-yard run for a first down and a five-yard run down to the 1-yard line to set up a touchdown against the Giants.
“It’s funny how you don’t hear anybody say, ‘Oh, Michael Vick is going to upset the offense’s rhythm’ anymore,” guard Todd Herremans said with a chuckle Monday. “I don’t think he’s upsetting our rhythm right now.”
Vick is no longer a work in progress. He’s an intriguing weapon that Eagles head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg are increasingly placing in critical situations.
After spending a year and a half in prison and not playing football for nearly three years, Vick is starting to look once again like the guy who went to three Pro Bowls for the Falcons between the 2002 and 2005 seasons.
“It’s great to have some plays in the offense where you can actually have some success,” Vick said after the Eagles beat the Giants 45-38 Sunday night at Giants Stadium. “I felt relaxed. I felt good. I felt myself again.”
Vick’s role has evolved since he made his Eagles debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Eagles third preseason game on Aug 28. He no longer is a Wildcat. He’s simply a quarterback like he was during his big years in Atlanta as a threat to run or throw whenever he’s on the field.
“The tough thing about him is you can’t view it as what everybody in the league refers to as Wildcat,” Giants defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan said. “He is a quarterback. You have to treat him like a quarterback.”
That means defenses can’t cheat up like they would against a pure Wildcat quarterback. They have to play the Eagles honest, since Vick is now throwing the ball so well. That makes him an even more dangerous runner.
“He’s a quarterback with great athletic ability and a great arm,” Reid said. “You’re talking about one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL before he was suspended there.”
Earlier this year, Vick was missing when he threw. He missed a wide-open DeSean Jackson on what would have been a 30-yard gain in San Diego. Now, he’s hitting those passes.
Advertisement In his first nine games after serving a two-game suspension, Vick was 3-for-9 for six yards. The last two, he’s 3-for-4 for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Similarly, he was 12-for-27 rushing (2.3 average) up through the Chargers game. During the Eagles’ four-game winning streak, he’s run 10 times for 66 yards (6.6 average) and two TDs.
He’s been almost unstoppable on third down, running seven times, converting six times, and gaining 68 yards on those seven runs – an average of 9.7 yards per carry.
“You know what he does – there are a lot of guys with his speed and quickness,” Reid said. “He’s very patient. He (receives) the ball first, and then he sees things set up and then – phew – he goes. The more he plays, the better he’s going to feel.”
Vick isn’t the only reason the Eagles have won four straight games, moved into first place in the NFC East and find themselves on the brink of their eighth playoff berth in the last 10 years.
But it’s not a complete coincidence that the offense has been rolling and the Eagles haven’t lost since Vick began making plays. Big plays.
“He’s really become a big part of our offense,” Herremans said. “What he’s able to do, it’s definitely something that teams have to game plan for. I don’t think of him as a gimmick or a novelty. He’s just a good player. He’s dangerous.”
D. Orlando Ledbetter
December 16th, 2009
5:22 pm
Jets coach Rex Ryan to Falcons: “Tell ‘em to strap it up. It’s going to be a physical game when they come up here.”
MV#777
December 29th, 2009
7:20 pm
IT FIRST BECAME obvious, this feeling between Michael Vick and his new teammates, a couple of weeks ago in Atlanta. It was his homecoming game, as it were. It was where he scored his first touchdown for the Eagles and his teammates bounded off of the bench in celebration, where cornerback Sheldon Brown said that he and some of the players were telling each other before the game that they wanted to win it for Vick.
I mean, win one for Mike? Really? We all observe from a distance, and it was so hard to see or to understand. But it was real. There is no doubt that it was real, this bond between Vick and his new teammates.
And, now, this:
The Eagles’ players have unanimously voted Vick as the team’s recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award, given annually to the player on each NFL team who exemplifies “commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.”
Guilty of horrific crimes. Sentenced to a federal prison term. Forfeited millions and millions of dollars. Back in the league for only a few months, only through the good graces of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Eagles coach Andy Reid. Now, a convicted felon honored by his teammates for overcoming a terrible situation into which he had put himself.
“I’m not sure you can explain it unless you’ve gone through it here with him,” Reid said yesterday. “Everybody is going to have their opinion on it, I’m sure. Until you’ve been with him for the hours that his teammates have been with him and seen him through all these different things that he’s had to go through, that time-tested part of it, you can’t appreciate it quite as much.
“I don’t expect everybody to understand it, no, but I think it’s a tribute when it’s a slam dunk by his teammates voting him that. It was just a unanimous vote there.”
That this is just a gut punch to the people who have opposed Vick’s reinstatement goes without saying. For them, a PETA spokesman said:
“The Philadelphia Eagles fumbled when they gave Michael Vick the Ed Block Courage Award, which was named after a man who advocated in behalf of abused children. Michael Vick should not be the person anyone points to as a model of sportsmanship, even though he has now exchanged dogs for touchdowns after serving time for extreme cruelty to animals. We wish him well in educating others, but this is not appropriate and does not mark a joyous moment in NFL history.”
It is hard to disagree with any of that. It does seem too soon to be celebrating Vick. It does not feel right – and this comes from somebody who thought Vick deserved a chance to play this year, somebody who was looking forward to seeing what he could do on the field.
But here is the thing: I did not get a vote and you did not get a vote. This is a players’ award, voted upon by players. And whatever your personal feelings, it is impossible not to be fascinated by this team’s embrace of Vick, right from the start.
“I never worried that guys wouldn’t accept me,” Vick said. “That probably was one of the last things on my mind. The most important thing was to get in here and get to know the guys and get acclimated in the city and playing football again. You just let things happen naturally. You just be yourself.”
This is more than just teammates supporting a teammate. It is clear that they like the guy. Talking to them through the season, it is clear that they thought the punishment for the crime was so severe, prison-wise and especially financially, only because Vick was a celebrity. Their inclination as fellow celebrities was to root for him, and as fellow teammates to root for his ability to help them on the field. But the feelings still ended up going deeper, and this award demonstrates it.
“It means a great deal,” Vick said. “I’ve only been in this locker room for 3 1/2 months. For those guys to feel that way about me, it means a lot to me. The bond that I have with the players on this team and the way we’ve jelled has been outstanding.”
Someone asked Vick what kind of courage he demonstrated, per the award.
“I’ve had to overcome a lot, more than probably one single individual can bear,” he said. “Take a look at what I’ve been through. You ask certain people to walk in my shoes, they probably couldn’t do it – probably 95 percent of the people in this world. Because nobody had to endure what I’ve been through, situations I’ve been put in, situations I’ve placed myself in, decisions that I’ve made, whether they were good or bad. There are always consequences behind certain things and there are repercussions behind them, too. Then you have to wake up every day and face the world, whether they perceive you in the right perspective or it’s a totally different outlook on you.
“You just have to be strong and believe in yourself and be optimistic. That’s what I’ve been able to do and that’s what I display.”
When you talk to Vick, it sometimes takes him a minute to get to the key point: situations I’ve placed myself in. That is what rankles for some, still, that minute it sometimes takes. But it is all part of a longer process.
Anyway, Vick said, “The thing I told Roger [Goodell] was that, 4 or 5 years from now, when I come to him, I’ll be able to say everything I told you I was going to do, I’m still doing it. That’s what I pride myself on. That’s my focus and that’s my goal.”
That might have seemed a more appropriate time for an award such as this one, not now. Then again, this is all about a bond within a locker room, a place that none of us can hope to understand from the outside
MV#777
January 2nd, 2010
3:02 pm
WHAT GOES AROUND….
COMES AROUND……
LOL………..