Mike Smith already pointing toward 2010
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank celebrates on the sidelines after a field goal late in the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, in Tampa, Fla. The Falcons defeated the Buccaneers 20-10. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)
TAMPA – Just minutes after awarding owner Arthur Blank with the game ball, Falcons coach Mike Smith was already pointing toward 2010.
“We are very disappointed that we didn’t make the playoffs,” Smith said. “We are pleased that we were able to get nine wins. This is the end of the 2009 season. But really it’s the beginning of the 2010 season on the calendar. We wanted to finish strong with three straight wins to lead us off heading into this 2010 season.”
The Falcons opponents for 2010 are set as they will face the AFC North, NFC West and the second place teams from the
ampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib (25) breaks up a first-quarter pass intended for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Michael Jenkins (12) during an NFL football game sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
NFC North and NFC East.
At home the Falcons will play Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Carolina, Arizona, San Francisco, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Green Bay.
On the road, the Falcons will play Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Carolina, St. Louis, Seattle, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
RYAN TOUGHED IT OUT: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan would not let on how tough it was to battle back from his turf toe injury.
At least now, he will get a chance to let the injury heal.
“I can’t say enough about Matt Ryan and his toughness,” Smith said. “That was a very significant injury in terms of the turf toe. For him to come back and the work that he did with our training staff and athletic performance, to come back and work as hard as he did, he spent many, many hours, the last three weeks, when he hasn’t been able to practice. He had to get a lot of mental reps.”
YOUNG CORNERS PLAY WELL: For the second consecutive game, cornerbacks Christopher Owens and Brent Grimes had interceptions.
“He got outside the pocket and he tried to make a play,” Owens said. “I felt like he threw it into a crowd and I was the fortunate one to pick it off.”
Grimes had another game-sealing interception.
“They ran a double move, I just played the man and made the play on the ball,” Grimes said.
Atlanta Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes (20) intercepts a fourth-quarter pass intedned for Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Bryant (89) during an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Grimes appeared to be steadier once he moved over to the right side in Chris Houston’s spot. He doesn’t feel that he plays one side better than the other. He opened the season at left cornerback.
“It doesn’t really make a difference,” Grimes said. “It’s corner. You are back pedaling and running on both sides. I don’t really feel any different on either side.”
Grimes led the team with six interceptions.
“I’m just out there trying to make plays and help the team win,” Grimes said. “If interceptions are the way that I can help, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
JENKINS HIT 50 CATCH MARK: Wide receiver Michael Jenkins had four to give him 50 for the third consecutive season.
Tampa Bay cornerback Aqib Talib had to be separated from Jenkins after an errant pass in the second half. He was talking trash and Jenkins wasn’t taking any mess from the second-year player.
“The ball was out of bounds and he was acting like he made a spectacular play,” Jenkins said. “He wasn’t talking about nothing.”
BROCK GETS SOME ACTION: Safety Eric Brock, who was moved up to the active roster on Dec. 22 from the practice squad, got some action on defense when Thomas DeCoud went down with a groin injury.
“It felt really good,” Brock said. “All of the preparation that goes into it and to finally get some snaps on defense was really encouraging. A lot of those vets like Mike (Peterson) did everything they could to encourage me. I felt real comfortable.”
Next season, Brock, who played at Auburn, will have to make the roster because his practice squad eligibility is up.
The Buc's pirate ship. (D. Orlando Ledbetter/AJC)
“I know that my practice squad eligibility is up,” Brock said. “I just have to continue to work hard in the off season. Continue to learn our plays, learn our checks and get more comfortable in the defense. When you feel comfortable, you’ll make plays. I have to continue to work on special teams. . . my main thing is to keep working.”
McCLURE WANTS TO KEEP LINE TOGETHER: If the league and the players union reach an collective bargaining agreement by March, right guard Harvey Dahl and right tackle Tyson Clabo will become unrestricted free agents.
“Hopefully, we can keep this group together as much as possible,” McClure said. “When you look at teams that have success, they keep their lines together for the most part.”
McClure was impressed with the how the team closed out the season. Despite being eliminated from the playoffs, they won their final three games.
“We had three games where we knew that we weren’t going to the playoffs and this team kept playing,” McClure said. “That says a lot about he character of the guys in this room.”
The ship from the front. (D. Orlando Ledbetter/AJC)
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83 comments Add your comment
Mac
January 4th, 2010
12:43 pm
Much respect for your insight but the stat about us having 1 win over a team with a winning record is extremely overrated. If we hadn’t beaten them, Miami, Carolina, and SF would have all finished 9-7 and Chicago would have finished 8-8.
Tami
January 4th, 2010
1:12 pm
I’d like to think that the outcome of a Falcons game would not be dependent on whether I’d have a good day or not. However, even with some financial aggravation that I’m currently dealing with, I still had one fantastic day yesterday, especially after our boys won. It even has carried over into today, although it’s a major, frigid Monday in the ATL. It feels so nice to have a team with some earned respectability for a change. Such a major contrast to how our team was this time 2 years ago. Have a great offseason, Falcons. And…I too certainly hope the O-line remains intact.
DMac
January 4th, 2010
1:28 pm
AwSome! The last 3 games were all for Nothing except pride. The way these guys played hard shows the players hold each other accountable. When you have that you have a group that stays inspired. They played great Defense. Matt Ryan played when he could have complained of Turf Toe and maybe should have had 3 weeks off. Now we don’t have to listen about the Curse and the record. Looking forward to next year. Arn’t you glad your not a Raider Fan…
D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 4th, 2010
1:33 pm
MAC: It might be overrated. But if you are going to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy, those are the teams you have to beat in addition to pummeling the lower level squads.
TAMI: Hang in there. Glad you’re having a good day.
collegeballfan
January 4th, 2010
1:40 pm
Next: free agent signings and the draft. I would say we need every position but really need a pass rusher to assist/replace Abraham.
TMoney
January 4th, 2010
1:42 pm
You can’t change a teams record by saying “If they had beat this team or that team this would be their record”. Instead, I like to take A teams results and remove the results. Let me give you an example, the Saints finished the season 13-3. Instead of switching wins for loses in the Falcons games, remove the Falcons games from the equation. There record drops to 11-3 and their winning percentage goes from .813 to .786 Do you see where I’m coming from?
With this in mind, let’s look at the Falcons schedule, minus the Falcons. Remember, the Falcons finished 9-7, a .563 winning percentage. First, we need to know the total records of all teams the Falcons played. In the games the Falcons won, the teams were a combined 56-88, a .389 winning percentage. The teams they lost to were 74-38, a .661 winning percentage. The total record comes out to 130-126, a .508 winning percentage.
Now we simply remove the Falcons result from each teams record to see if there are any drastic changes. The teams the Falcons beat wins will stay the same, but the losses drop. The record becomes 56-79, a .415 winning percentage. That’s a .026 winning percentage increase. In terms of the teams the Falcons lost to, the wins drop from 74 to 67. The total record then becomes 67-38 for a winning percentage of .638. This is a drop of .023. Neither is a significant change. The total record adjusted becomes 123-117, a .513 winning percentage. That’s an increase of only .005, which is not significant at all.
The conclusion is simple, the Falcons beat the teams they should but lost to everyone else. I could probably go into further analysis (penalties, injuries, ppg, etc.) and come up with a statistical way to increase the Falcons record or make the teams they beat look better, but as of now, I’m sticking with the Falcons winning when they should.
All that said, I’m hoping for a 10-12 win season next year (the schedule should be middle of the road in terms of difficulty and I doubt the injury bug will be as persistent as it was this season). The time ahead for the Falcons looks very bright with TD, Smith, Ryan, and Turner all leading the way.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 4th, 2010
1:59 pm
CollegeBallFan: We’ll get to the draft first. Hopefully, we’ll go down to the Senior Bowl to do some blogging and scouting. Free Agency is tied to the labor deal and that could get messy.
TMoney: That’s a lot of math. 10 to 12 wins, seems realistic with a good draft and the return to health of the 11 IR players and Turner.
Football Bat
January 4th, 2010
2:04 pm
Two opinions that keep making me projectile vomit:
1. “If we had let our kicker go two games earlier…” IF, IF, IF. IF the Jets had a better kicker, we’d have lost that game. Ever think of that? Decisions at every level make the team and the season, so just enjoy it for what it is, dreamers.
2. “No room to celebrate if we don’t make the playoffs…” Did you really expect us to compete for the Super Bowl when we released FIVE defensive starters? I’m plenty happy to see our defense come together and win the last three despite injuries. What’s the point in squeaking into a wild card slot or even make a “deep run” if we’re not capable of winning the championship???
Here’s the goal: WIN THE DIVISION. That is the first level of winning and domination, and of course a playoff spot.
All you nay-saying, knuckle-dragging, thug-loving, mouth breathers, say it with me: “WIN THE DIV-IS-ZUN.”
Marcus
January 4th, 2010
2:19 pm
Based on the final records on NFL.com, we are No. 22 going from the bottom/worst record (STL) and will probably have draft position commensurate with that reg. season scale, but both the NYJ and BAL (w/similar 9-7 records) are playoff teams, so I dont know if their playoff progression impacts their draft position or if reg. season record settles the matter w/the SB participants excepted.
Having said that, our 1st round draft position will range somewhere between spots 19-22 unless we trade up/down.
… We are kinda in that no-mans land where we hope someone falls but if he doesn’t we are either trading down, trading out, or grabbing BPA.
This years draft is supposedly heavy on the defensive side … depending on the depth of talent, I could see a DE or CB for us eithe in 1st round or trading down, getting lower 1st round pick + mid-round 2nd round pick … maybe CB Ras-I Dowling (UVA) or CB Patrick Robinson (FL State). UF’s Joe Haden will be gone by then, unless some unforeseen issue knocks down his draft status or the 20+ teams ahead of us don’t have a need for a CB.
F Troop
January 4th, 2010
2:23 pm
I share the sentiments of many – this was a good season. Every reason to tank it but with heart and class we battled thru injuries and kept ourselves relevant and respected.
That said, tere is a pervasive but wrong-headed notion from many Birds fans that all the Falcons have to do is draft their way back to the playoffs. But this goes against a general view around the league that rookies rarely can help a team on defense until well after nine or ten games. Well folks, we don’t have nine or ten games to see our drafted rookies pay off.
Though I was very much heartened at our run stoppage the last four games, the pass rush needs critical help now.
Jamaal Anderson and John Abraham absolutely must be upgraded. Babineaux has come into his own. Bierman’s a keeper. Move Grimes to free safety, he’s made me a believer with his heart. Owens looks promising. Keep Houston and DeCoud – though DeCoud’s gonna have to get bulkier. Much as I hate it cuz he was a good player we’ll have to release Williams – DBs with ACL injuries rarely come back to form.
A three back rotation will be helpful to Norwood, who took a beating running between the tackles than he’s perhaps been used to.
What’s up with Tony G saying IF he returns next year? Thought he had two more years left on his contract. The Falcons seemed only slightly disappointed he didn’t get his 1,000 catch – and that bugged me. Something going on there? He’s an absolute touchdown machine.
Our mantra should be “depth, depth, depth, depth…”
Here’s to an NFC championship as a legit and obtainable goal in 2010-11!!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 4th, 2010
2:29 pm
F Troop: Tony G. has one more year left on his contract. He’s worried about the labor situation prematurely ending his career.
F Troop
January 4th, 2010
2:43 pm
Got it! I would hate it for Tony. He was as good as advertised.
Btw, any thoughts to bringing in a serious vet QB as a back-up? The drop-off between Ryan and Redmond’s too great for my comfort level. Ryan’s a big guy and doesn’t look injury-prone, but a Byron Leftwich or Jeff Garcia would make me feel better should another OL mishap occur.
Ackshun
January 4th, 2010
2:55 pm
Victory over teams with a winning record has always been a shakey argument for me. What is more important is the teams record and how they were trending immediately PRIOR to playing them. Miami was healthy and a legitmate contender when the Falcons played them, as was San Francisco and Chicago. In addition the Falcons stood toe to toe with every team this year (with the acknowledged exception of Philly). But for a good place kicker, they beat New Orleans (maybe twice), the Giants and New England. Next year won’t be a cake walk with New Orleans still and factor and the Panthers resurging after they can Delhomme. But a first round playoff bye is a definite possibility if we can stay healthy.
Atlanta Peach
January 4th, 2010
3:56 pm
I do fine, Howd bout you ?!!!!!!
T
January 4th, 2010
4:12 pm
Falcons need to look for WR help for R White!! if they do, would it be in the draft or trade/free agency?
Atlanta Peach
January 4th, 2010
4:15 pm
When is the Orange Bowl ?
Kane337
January 4th, 2010
4:21 pm
To win against good quarterbacks you need a good pash rush. That is something the Falcons did not have. Based on that it’s no surprise they didn’t beat any quality quarterbacks this season. Fix the pass rush and next season will be a different story.
Martin Calloway
January 4th, 2010
4:39 pm
Brent Grimes, I’m in your fan club, even without the INTs. You play hard every second you’re on the field.
JobHopper
January 4th, 2010
4:56 pm
The reason this team had back to back winning seasons is they DIDN’T QUIT!!!! I am very proud of this team playing hard every game.
How many teams of Falcons past showed up to the stadium with Hefty bags when they were out of the playoffs.
Kudos go to Mike Smith for keeping this team prepared and ready to play. Thank you ‘09 Falcons for showing us heart!!!
BOB
January 4th, 2010
5:49 pm
The 3 things that most important to winning footbal,especially at the professional level, are a solid quarterback; great defense and depth.
The 2009-10 Falcons had an average quarterback- maybe it was the dreaded sophmore jinx, a bad defense- their kingdom for a pass rush; and, insufficent depth at key positions like quarterback.
Immediate help comes through free agency; long term through the draft. Big free agent signings/ trades should be used to fill in the gaps at QB, Cornerback-over 6′ under 27 and under 4.5- and DE. the draft should fill the needs at running back and O-line.
The clock is ticking, there are teams like the Steelers who want to get bak in the mix and will be very aggresive and teams like the eagles who have maybe one last shot at the brass ring after this year.
Great finish to what could have been a diaster of a season but that was then and this is now.
Big Bird Fan
January 4th, 2010
7:20 pm
Great game Falcons and glad that we finally got that MONKEY off of our back. When the Falcons sealed the game with a little over a minute left they sould have thrown theball to Tony G. so that he could have got his 1000 career catch and wouldn’t have to wait until next season. After all he deserves it…………………..GO FALCONS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tyger
January 4th, 2010
8:01 pm
Falcons dissappointed deservedly so…
1. Can’t win throwing interceptions – how do you address that?
2. Secondary improved – keep’em all; odd man out plays nickel/dime packages.
3. Biermann-Babineaux most productive DL – add Jerry, perhaps Cody and look out.
4. M.Peterson = pain – old but productive, another young one can’t hurt.
5. WR, WR, WR – we still can’t catch or stretch the field.
6. OL, OL, OL – Baker, Clabo, Dahl all injured – go figure.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
January 4th, 2010
8:25 pm
Nobody has said anything about my photos of the Pirate ship.
TYGER: Clabo has started the last 55 games. He wasn’t hurt.
At last
January 4th, 2010
8:27 pm
Nobis, Humphrey, Curry, Kenn, Van Note, Andrews, Kuykendall, Lothridge, Bartkowski, Anderson and Andersen…the good ones. Hanson, Johnson, Lemmerman, Berry, Lee, Ray, Butler (Cannonball and Bobby), Pridemore, Brezina, Mike-Mayer, Burrow, Mitchell…the forgotten ones. On behalf of those mentioned, thanks to the ‘09 Falcons for finally getting the boulder off of our backs.
Atl44
January 4th, 2010
9:00 pm
I dont know if anyone else does this but I see 7 (hopefully) solid wins on the schedule. Tampa twice, Carolina at home, San Francisco at home, and St. Louis, seattle, and the browns on the road. that means the falcons need to find at least 3 more wins to get to 10-6 and a good shot at the division and the playoffs because there is no way the saints go 13-0 again right? please?
Falcons are Pros
January 4th, 2010
9:17 pm
Nice photos of the ship DOL.Now back to falcons.when is the playoff game for btb winning seasons,and who do we play?just kdding but it sure leaves an empty feeling not making the playoffs.Best of luck to the saints in thier push for the SB.
BIGBEN42
January 4th, 2010
9:45 pm
The Falcon’s needs for 2010 season. A Dominant Defense and a powerful running attack. LB are very steady. Need a pass rushing DE and strong rush in middle. This team is not that far away from being a real winner.GO FALCON’S 2010
Your Overall Take on the Season | The Bird Cage
January 4th, 2010
10:32 pm
[...] might build for the future. The Falcons ended on a big hot streak winning their last three games, but as DOL points out, the Birds only beat one team with a winning record (NY Jets) on the year and had some not so [...]
USS Babineaux
January 5th, 2010
3:53 am
Anybody got a spliff?
what
January 5th, 2010
9:12 am
What the Falcons need in 2010 more than anything is less injuries.
Lorenzo Jones
January 6th, 2010
9:51 pm
To be honest with you we need Douglas to come back 100%…Or just go and get a tight wide reciever to play on the other side of White…keep Grimes move him to safty….he’s fast and quick and has great vision…to short for corner….last but not lease we need another defense end just as strong just as experienced as Abraham…..lol……die hard falcons fan….2011 superbowl champs///
Mr.Hustla
January 6th, 2010
9:52 pm
Enter your comments here
TCCB
January 15th, 2010
11:57 pm
I hope Mike Smith gets Anger Management or REPLACED!!!!! that guy is nuts!!!!!