Here’s what the players were saying after the game . . .
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is forced out of the pocket as he looks to pass against the Patriots during 1st quarter action. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
MATT RYAN
On the offense’s inability to score:
“When we come into these games, we don’t game plan a lot. We basically watch zero tape. It’s an extension of training camp. We are out there working on some things. Trying to improve on some different route combinations and stuff like that. We are trying out some different things that we worked on in the offseason. What we like and what we don’t like. What we are going to take to the regular season and what we are not.”
RODDY WHITE
On the offense:
“It’s just the preseason. The thing is, we’re going out there and we are just not finishing drives. We are moving the ball up and down the field, but are not cashing in with TDs. It’s just two games.”
SEAN WEATHERSPOON
On playing against New England:
“It was good to get out there today and go against a great offense. It was good to go out there and get that experience. I had Tom Brady throwing the ball in my direction. I can’t want to get in that film room and get coached up. . . obviously, we have to get off the field on third down because we played pretty good defense on the earlier downs. I know that’s going to be a big emphasis in the film room. We’ve got the right guys in here, we know that. It’s the preseason, but you want to go out there and dominate.”
On starting at strongside linebacker:
“It seemed about the same, but it was a little different because of the alignments. You never know which side you might be going to according to the way we set the defense up. But other than that, I felt comfortable. It wasn’t too much of a difference for me.”
On the touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez:
“It was pretty good coverage, but I have to be more aware to play through the basket of the receiver instead of trying to get my head around to make a play on the ball. I could have done that a little bit better. That’s something that coach will coach me up on.”
MIKE PETERSON
On the defense:
“It definitely wasn’t up to our standards of Falcons defense. We had a chance to go up against one of the elite offenses in the league and use them as a measuring stick. So Saturday, we’ll go back to work.”
On stopping the run:
“They were able to run the ball; I tip my cap to them. They’re a pass-happy team, and I think everybody on the defensive side of the ball, everybody’s just thinking they’re going to throw the ball, throw the ball. Then, they come out and run it. Sometimes, it’s a shock to you. That’s not an excuse; it’s just great game planning and a great scheme by them.”
On returning players for Miami:
“It’s really big, getting the whole unit back. It starts (coming) together, and we start getting ready for the opener. That’s what it’s all about, being healthy for the opener and having all your guys healthy.”
TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
Friday, August 20 — No Practice.
Saturday, August 21 — 9:30 a.m. – 11:35 a.m. (closed to the public); 3:45 p.m. – 5:25 p.m. (closed to the public).
Sunday, August 22 — 9:35 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (closed to the public)
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109 comments Add your comment
tjhook
August 20th, 2010
1:25 am
I am finally first!!
Nique
August 20th, 2010
1:32 am
I hear Mike, but that’s the exact same thing that the team said last year when we went up to N.E. & they ran the ball up & down the field on us! When are we going to realize that N.E. doesn’t respect our ability to stop their running game & right now, rightfully so! The next time we play them in whatever setting, we better not use this excuse again!!! Look for the run F. Taylor loves playing us right about now…& It was good for Spoon to get schooled & by a fellow rookie as well, to help him to humble himself & to stay in the books & tape! This game as makes me wonder how we let both Hernandez & Gradkoski go that late in the draft without us selecting one of them as Gonzo’s replacement??? Just something to think about.
tjhook
August 20th, 2010
1:33 am
Now that the privilege has been captured, ready to give commentary:
1) Mike Peterson was not impressive at all tonight. Was moved out of the hole consistently and it seemed that the linebackers and safeties are not on the same page when it comes to gap control.
2)Could someone ask if Trey Lewis has trade value. It appears that all of the defensive tackles have to be able to play both sides. Lewis is too pick to be a strong pass rusher and he was being pushed out of the play tonight (a failure to anchor or get low). He’s a good athlete but he needs to take guidance from Thomas Johnson – just occupy a space and shed the blocker when the runner gets close.
3) Finneran looked able but why is Mularkey seemed to be so intent on running West Coast sets? Our speed receivers are not that speedy – except Roddy and he was being manhandled at line of scrimmage. Also, if the passes are timing plays, why not take a page from Greg Knapp’s playbook and run some plays from a trips set. The Falcons’ receivers need routes that give them separation and space.
4) What does Falcon nation think about Blaylock and Baker’s performance tonight?
Tweets that mention Here’s what the players were saying after the game . . . | Atlanta Falcons -- Topsy.com
August 20th, 2010
1:54 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Atlanta Towing, D. Orlando Ledbetter. D. Orlando Ledbetter said: Here’s what the players were saying after the game . . . http://bit.ly/cV43G7 [...]
Chop Buster
August 20th, 2010
6:56 am
I don’t care if you’re experimenting or just running vanilla plays. You still play fundamental football, shed blocks, hold your gaps, wrap up and tackle. I just saw guys hitting with their shoulders and bouncing off, getting turned around on passes and just plain looking lost. Spoon has a lot to learn and looks like a typical rookie. Jackson is in is fourth or fifth year and he still cannot cover. Something is still going on with Matt Ryan. I don’t know if it’s nervousness or what but he doesn’t seem calm and decisive in the pocket. I hoped to see improvement in the team from week to week; but they looked worse this week.
waynester
August 20th, 2010
7:29 am
Our OL is still having problems vs. 3/4 teams and allowing too much pressure on the QB. I believe that’s the problem, Chop buster. We took a step back last night for sure. We wanted a measuring stick and we got the ugly stick….
JONESBORO SLIM
August 20th, 2010
7:52 am
Tell me if you agree …the OL looked good giving up no sacks…..it looks like Douglas is going in the slot next week
waynester
August 20th, 2010
7:58 am
SLIM
No sacks, but plenty of QB pressures..looking forward to getting Douglas back (hopefully) at full strength. Gotta agree with the criticisms of our kicking game– it’s about 50/50 hit or miss right now…
JONESBORO SLIM
August 20th, 2010
8:05 am
@waynester
OL held up well…Matt waiting for the receivers to get open…thats how I look at it
Season Ticket Holder
August 20th, 2010
8:06 am
Is it to late to sell my season tickets? The falcons were bad at all phases of the game. NE realize that Matt Ryan cannot throw deep so they kept 8 and 9 players within 7 yards of the line. I see several reasons why falcon’s coaches won’t call the deep route. 1. Matt has a weak arm. 2. The O line cannot pass block. 3. the falcons don’t have a fast receiver to run a fly route.
Every team the falcons face this year will copy NE defense and crowd the line of scrimmage. We will be lucky to go 8 and 8.
Sonny Sundown
August 20th, 2010
8:10 am
@season ticket holder
where do you want to meet to buy those tixs……..$40.00 each OK?
Russ the Wonder Dawg
August 20th, 2010
8:14 am
Was Bobo and Martinez calling the shots of this game?? HORRIBLE!!!
waynester
August 20th, 2010
8:14 am
$40–I’ve got $40–do I hear $45? $45–looking for $45–all in? All done?
SOLD! $40 to the man in front…..
BirdFanscout
August 20th, 2010
8:15 am
I only look at the facts. Preseason does not mean much. Most teams like the Rams win in preseason and end up losing in the regular season.
Now that this has been said, the 3rd and long defense has me concerned. If you are honestly evaluating this you will concede that this really started with Brookings and the 3rd and 16 in the playoffs. Now TD and Smith has changed players at all three levels on the DL, LB, and DB. He has a new DB coach. It must be said that they now have to look at scheme and the DC.
O G Falcon Fan
August 20th, 2010
8:35 am
That was just plain dreadful last night. I know it is preseason and it does not count or matter but DANG!!! that was sloppy all the way around.
JONESBORO SLIM
August 20th, 2010
8:35 am
I guess we’re the only ones who haven’t been to sleep….trying to put a new scheme together for next week………
Blue Fender
August 20th, 2010
8:36 am
Preseason means very little as far as records. Detroit was 4-0 in preason a few years ago and went 0-16 in the regular season. This was the same year that Indy went 0-4 and ended up 13-3. Preseason means nothing.
Falcon Red
August 20th, 2010
8:41 am
Yeah…nothing impressive at all last night. And seriously, can we do something about the kicking game? Didn’t we lose three games or so last year because of that?
D. Orlando Ledbetter
August 20th, 2010
9:00 am
tjhook — Trey Lewis has been the most impressive of the backup tackles. With Peters status up in the air, I think you want to keep Lewis.
EVERYBODY — Cheer up! It was the New England Patriots. It wasn’t like the Rams came in here and rolled them 28-10. This young team should be able to get better from the spanking the Pats put on them.
Season Ticket Holder
August 20th, 2010
9:11 am
@Sonny Sundown
Your pricing is right. Last night, the scalpers were selling the tickets for half face value. I have $79 tickets, which means that $40 is about right.
But if you wait a week, I may let you have them for less
Witherspoon
August 20th, 2010
9:12 am
LOL. Witherspoon got so burned on the TD pass he was looking the wrong way and didn’t even know where the ball was. It kind of reminded me of a Willie Martinez coached player. Here on out Witherspoon needs to stop talking and just play. I think his nickname should be “TOAST”.
Ghost of Season Past
August 20th, 2010
9:15 am
It seems like literally everything that went wrong in this game, plagued the team all last season.
The 3rd down thing: We dont really have blitzing linebackers, i cant rememebr the last time a LB had a sack… seriously… yet they still blitz and usually thats where some crossing route comes in and breaks us for 10+ yards.
Injuries: granted it wasn’t the “starting” line up because there are always people missing games I’m sick and tired of them trotting out the JV squad… would be great to actually be able to evaluate the starters.. hopefully in Miami well see that (ill be at that game)
Run Defence: looked bad… Stalled Drives: No Bueno… Settling for FG’s: sigh… Missing FGs: /facepalm …
Mukluks
August 20th, 2010
9:38 am
Go Falcons!
JJ
August 20th, 2010
9:46 am
Yeah preseason results don’t mean a good or bad season, but when your 1st string starters look this bad, it makes you wonder. usually when a team gets beat bad, it’s the 2nd and 3rd string that mislead the scoring.
Roddy White: "It's just preseason"
August 20th, 2010
9:48 am
More indication that this team is going to be in trouble. It was “just preseason” for new england also, but they kicked the falcons butts the whole game. Making a bunch of excuses after a preseason game—not good.
CapBuster
August 20th, 2010
9:49 am
It really makes me angry to see a receiver drop a pass and go to the sidelines grinning like a Cheshire cat and yukking it up with other players while we’re getting beaten! Where’s your pride?
And what was Jim Mora doing on the sidelines?
Tom Davis
August 20th, 2010
9:54 am
I don’t think Coach Smith is going to be around much longer.
Friday Linkage « control+ATL+delete
August 20th, 2010
9:56 am
[...] After the disappointing but altogether meaningless loss, D. Orlando Ledbetter tracked down some quotes. My favorite quote is from Roddy White, who said: “It’s just the [...]
Fred in Columbus
August 20th, 2010
9:56 am
The Falcons will learn from this and get better. So will the Patriots. Sigh…
Jimmy's Mora Jr
August 20th, 2010
10:00 am
Well…that was ugly last night. Only preseason but nothing was clicking. We are going to need a top notch kicker if we want to pull out some wins this year. Bryant was ok but we need great right now. The Burner couldn’t get any holes opened up. Matty Ice looked Iced for sure.
BTW: How did you like me in the commentator role last night on Fox???
Hawks fan
August 20th, 2010
10:02 am
FIRE THOMAS AND SMITTY!
joe
August 20th, 2010
10:04 am
falcons place kicker will cost them 3 games this year and Baker may be the worst LT in the league!!!!
Mike Hampton
August 20th, 2010
10:06 am
I’m thinking about dressing up as Moore or Norwood for Halloween – I haven’t decided which one yet.
fish2774
August 20th, 2010
10:11 am
Smitty will be gone if he doesn’t part ways with Brian Van Gorder. Van Gorder doesn’t have the experience as a D-Coordinator to be in this league. He doesn’t know how coach these guy’s up. I think he still believe’s in Georgia running a college defense.
Michael Conner
August 20th, 2010
10:14 am
“Fire Thomas and Smitty!” “I don’t think Smith will be here much longer” I sure am glad you rocket scientists are not coaching the birds! Preseason is for finding problems and tuning up. If you’re so un-hyped on the Falcons, send me your tickets, quit calling yourself a fan and watch soccer or something! Morons, your bus is leaving…
MrHughes
August 20th, 2010
10:15 am
Guys, the performance was not great last night, but it was the Patriots. First, the Patriots and the Falcons clearly had different goals last night. The Falcons are evaluating what/who they will/won’t take to the regular season (see Ryan’s quotes). The Pats were clearly game planning and scheming. Remember the Pats were blown out of the water by the Ravens in the playoffs in one of the most embarrasing home losses I’ve seen in recent memory. New England has something to prove and are trying to erase that. The Pats treated it much more like a regular season game than the Falcons did. I’d rather make my statements in the regular season and playoffs versus pre season games. This will set a good tone and they can use practice time to work on the issues from last night.
Trey Lewis had some good downs last night. Matt Ryan’s arm strength is a concern. Turner looks very good. I have no issues with Spoon’s play. He was in position. That was a perfectly thrown ball on a well covered man. There was no too much that could have been done about that throw.
I have no idea why Fox hired Jim Mora. He should be coaching high school football somewhere. He’s the last person that should be talking about respect in a locker room. You have no credibilty there when you are riding shotgun in your players sports car, doing chest bumps on the sideline, and sniffing inhalants before kickoff.
CTK
August 20th, 2010
10:15 am
If you look at the play by play of the Falcon offensive plays with Ryan behind center, its not great, but not that bad. The first possession looks like they were trying to get the rookie RBs involved in passing plays. Second possession, was 3 and out, but we stopped them on their next possession too. The final possession with Ryan, they moved it well. The last throw was a good but Gonzalez let it bounce off.
The D was shakey in places but hopefully this gives them something to work with. Can’t wait to see our complete DirtyD in action.
Submariner683
August 20th, 2010
10:17 am
I’d hate to be in a fox hole with most of you guys. Negative upon negative. I do agree that the first teamers didn’t look good. The defense allowed way too many 3rd and longs to be converted. Exactly like last year where I believe they were last in the NFL at that. More frustrating was the 3rd and longs converted by the run. The 2nd TD by NE 1st teamers was a fluke. They should have never had the ball on what was a God-awful roughing the kicker call. If that were the regular season I would have lost my mind.
I agree that Turner and most of the receivers appeared slow. I did like the pass rush generated by the D-line. They got to Brady quite a bit and disrupted him and forced a fumble. If they can generate a pass rush like that in the regular season I believe the defense will at least improve on giving up the big plays.
Stu
August 20th, 2010
10:22 am
Man what a bunch of drywaller dimwits these posters are. Damm y’all are dumb. Leave and don’t let the door hit you bunch of chicken little panicky bed wetters. Bunch of freakin’ Obama voters. Little girls, go away. Football ignoramuses. Shallow headed drones.
PreyDawg
August 20th, 2010
10:23 am
Listen boys, DJ is right. This is way too much doom and gloom for this early. Some of you do raise some valid points though.
So many pundits brag on our O-line. But the individuals on this line are nothing like dominant. McClure is frequently overmatched physically and was last night. For a team that lives on running the ball. We frequently get stoned on running plays. Watch how often Turner has to stop and try to bust outside on what should be a play up the middle. And I am not talking about a designed cut-back play either.
We desperately need to go deep on some folk. But I thought this last year and it is still true. They dont want Ryan slammed in the chin. And Mularkey knows that is what will happen if Ryan has to stand back there long enough to let receivers get open deep.
Good observation from the guy who said Roddy got manhandled at the line. This is happening often, even going back to last year. Your #1 has GOT to come off the line clean. I thought Roddy, with his college wrestling background would be great at that. He is not.
These are my primary areas of concern. The 3rd down drop by Gonzo was a function of Ryan trying to get the ball out in 3 seconds. Douglas was about to come open. But Ryan has been coached that he doesnt have long so get the ball out of there before you get creamed.
Ryan still needs to look for that back out of the backfield more often. He did better at that last night but more improvement needed.
fish2774
August 20th, 2010
10:32 am
Get rid of Van Gorder and the weak defensive schemes. This isn’t UGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RockyMTNFalcon
August 20th, 2010
10:34 am
I know its only preseason, but our boys need to finish a few drives and get some touchdowns under their belts. It will do wonders for the 1st team offense’s confidence.
Abe the Fan
August 20th, 2010
10:45 am
I wonder how the Falcons would look if Norwood was as interested in getting on the field (and making a play) as he was in cheesing it up with Mora!
blord
August 20th, 2010
10:50 am
Let me temper this by saying this is preseason and so some of the lack of fundamentals is to be expected; however, we have a hard time getting out of our way sometimes. On the Taylor TD we blocked our own players which allowed him to get the score. Geeez that is a little embarrassing. I feel like we will at least stop the run during the season since we did last year. For some reason we just like to making Fred Taylor look like he is 23 again.
I thought Ryan played well. The pass over the middle was beautiful to Roddy and Gonzo’s drop was a nicely (not perfectly) placed ball. I sure would like to see our first team offense get into the endzone. Especially since our kicking situation doesn’t look secure at the moment.
I want to also say something about Roddy. He is our best WR which we all know. I would like to see him be more concerned with making catches and less concerned with getting calls. Yes he had someone on his back last night but the ball was still catchable and instead of focusing on that he was already asking for the flag. Sometimes you get calls in this league and others you don’t. You just can’t depend on getting them. He did this several times last year as well. The top receivers in this league make catches even in traffic and with defenders on them. This is what they mean by strong hands.
I do think we as fans have reason to be excited about the Beerman. He is a star in the making.
Don’t worry about Spoon yet. He got spanked last night but that is expected form a rookie. My problem is our vets playing like rookies.
blord
August 20th, 2010
10:53 am
fish2774 “Get rid of Van Gorder and the weak defensive schemes. This isn’t UGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Schemes were not the problem last night. Tackling and shedding blocks was! Every defensive scheme in the preseason is basic. You’re entitled to your opinion but I hope it is based on more than last nights game.
Eric
August 20th, 2010
11:01 am
@Stu – “Bunch of freakin Obama voters.”
That was classic man!!!!
As far as the game is concerned, the starters played ok. The score should have been 7-3 when the backups came in (the roughing call was a joke). The defense forced Brady and company into a 3 and out and Bierman made an impression for sure. MR had some nice passes and neither failed drive was his fault (TG drops a sure first down catch and RW was being mugged on a non-call interference). The O-line was pretty decent (Turner had some nice gains) and MR wasn’t sacked or really even touched. I think all these people wetting themselves need to chillax and remember that this is preseason…..
Pete
August 20th, 2010
11:01 am
The Falcons will ALWAYS be the same in these situations………..ALWAYS :
1) Pathetic defense on 3rd downs. Can’t stop any thing or any body.
2) They look good against average or mediocre teams and are a JOKE against a quality blue chip franchise like New England. Tom Brady was smiling all night thinking ……”This is like taking candy from a baby”. ZERO respect, zero fear of our Jr. League defense.
3) Offense……….Smart under the direction of Ryan but soft, no killer instinct. None. Nada.
4) Result : Looked like a high school team going up against UGA.
Tom Davis
August 20th, 2010
11:02 am
Weatherspoon looked like he played for Gtu. That’s how bad it was.
Season Ticket Holder
August 20th, 2010
11:15 am
Two preseason games and the first team offense has not scored a TD! The kicker was making 50 yard field goals during warm-ups, then he choked in the game. We loss several games last year due to a poor field goal kicker. It time to upgrade.
JONESBORO SLIM
August 20th, 2010
11:23 am
Its preseason ….think of it as “poker” you don’t want to show your full hand…..you don’t think Pittsburg and others team reps weren’t in the press box scouting…so remember “its preseason”
myra
August 20th, 2010
11:40 am
Sorry. They looked bad. Someone said ‘well they are the Patriots’.
umm…aren’t we supposed to be a top contender too?
I think we were lied to. I mean its still the same guys as last year.
Anyway u cut it, we were steamrolled.
Really??
August 20th, 2010
11:41 am
SHould have taken Demaryius Thomas or Dez Bryant with that first pick!!!! I told you so!!!!!
Really??
August 20th, 2010
11:42 am
Roddy White is all we got!!!!
G Mann
August 20th, 2010
11:42 am
After having read all of your comments and all of the AJC Sport comments it appears that I am rereading the same post from 2009. Great expectations in Atlanta. I know it is preseason and bla bla bla, but I have real concerns with our offense being unable to make 3rd down conversions which force field goals attempts which we are not very good at and need to improve greatly. WE WILL NOT WIN MANY GAMES BY KICKING FIELDGOALS, WE NEED TOUCHDOWNS TO WIN because our defense is still suspect 9-7 again is my prediction….cannot wait to find out. D prove me wrong
Really??
August 20th, 2010
11:43 am
But then again this is the Falcons and they have never been known to draft well…..
Drew
August 20th, 2010
11:52 am
Pats fan here…..Whoever said the Pats were game planning is incorrect. There is no way they are sitting there in rooms watching film. BB is not gameplanning. He has one for Cincy, NYJ and Miami likely in theory waiting on final scouting details, but there is no way he is gameplanning in preseason. Working on concepts? Sure. Tony Gonzalez had free reign, and I can tell you right now if this was a regular season game, Tony G would be hounded all game like BB does when he contains Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates. They did do some blitzing and scheming as BB tries to get his players used to scheming since they are so young and coming together, but that’s not game planning. Nor was running the ball. Last year, NE had major issues getting teams to respect their run. They ran it well last week against New Orleans, did it again this week and Brady is using play action again, because he can quickly scamper back from the line of scrimmage, 2 years removed from leg surgery. THis is bad news for defenses on NE’s schedule. I am not trying to be a jerk here, just trying to give you some outside perspective so you can gauge your team better. NE dictated on offense with the run and O Line play, because it has become an emphasis on camp. They did not have this last year. Atlanta has a good team. But, I also think when Matt Ryan says “we didn’t gameplan” or Roddy White says “it’s game 2″, you can’t say that. Because next week it’s game 3, and before you know it you aren’t playing in Game 4 because you open the season the next week. I’d be a little concerned about the lackadaisical comments from them, but I do think Atlanta will eventually be in the mix. I think you ran into a young, athletic D that is being counted out in NE and a revamped, lethal offense that hasn’t even game planned yet. Good luck during the season.
KGB
August 20th, 2010
11:53 am
A sloppy, embarrassing performance. The worst was that we were physically dominated on the line of scrimmage. That’s worrisome. So much for that “elite” defense we’ve been hearing about.
And a preseason game is no excuse for the points mentioned. That’s a bad indicator for the regular season regardless of schemes and game planning.
KGB
August 20th, 2010
11:55 am
Drew – is right on the money.
Richham
August 20th, 2010
12:06 pm
I think some of you are getting way ahead of yourselves. We lost to the Patriots. It’s good that the fans expect results even against the best teams, but don’t get too worked up over this game.
The one thing that concerns me and should be the outright #1 priority is the 3rd and long defense. Giving up first downs in those situations will kill a team. That needs to be fixed ASAP! We can’t continue to get burned on 3rd and long. I believe the rest will take care of itself.
LP
August 20th, 2010
12:13 pm
I think with the same number of reps in practice JPW would be a better starting QB than Matty ICE. He has a strong arm, an is accurate in the pocket or on the move, this opens the playbook up for a deep passing attack, which the defense must respect. He comes from a pedigree program, therefore he’s comfortable performing and winning under pressure.
KGB
August 20th, 2010
12:15 pm
I find it amusing to hear people here attempt to downplay concerns over the teams performance, as “it’s only a preseason game”. Then continue in their posts to express their concerns about the teams performance.
MrHughes
August 20th, 2010
12:18 pm
I think New England had all their starters on the field and they game planned. Jerry, Moore, and our starting corner backs didn’t play. Brady only threw for 85 yeards despite having Moss, Welker, Crumpler, and two rookie tight ends.
S Erik Coleman had a great pass break up on a would be touch down pass to Randy Moss. Last year, that’s six points! John Parker Wilson looked good last night. He might get the nod as the backup over Redman. Peele played very well last night as a nice combo to Gonzo. Siddbury looked really good. he had four tackles, three solo and netting an 11 yard loss on Zach Robinson. Trey Lewis had four tackles and got a sack for 11 yards too. The last few years have left us with a lot of depth on the defensive line. Overall, the defensive unit did give up some long runs, but they also had nine tackles for loss. That impressive! The missed tackles can be fixed. Sometimes that comes from guys trying to do too much.
The Falcons also converted over half of their 3rd downs last night. New England doesn’t have a bad defense, so that is encouraging even though we didn’t get it into the endzone until the outcome was decided. I don’t understand why Bergeron is still on the roster. I don’t see him making the team over Meier or HD.
Hey "LP"
August 20th, 2010
12:19 pm
You win the award for Dumbest Post of the Day. Congrats ya Bama homer…
Hapfalcon
August 20th, 2010
12:19 pm
DREW; Appreciate you analysis and comments. I enjoyed your cerebral contribution. Hope to hear more from you.
Mountain Man
August 20th, 2010
12:21 pm
Poor!
Mr. Blank
August 20th, 2010
12:21 pm
Drew. You know more about this team than I do. Need a job??
what a joke
August 20th, 2010
12:30 pm
Maybe next year,or the year after that,maybe the year after that,or the year after that.Same old dance and song.I am glad the Saints won a superbowl,it gives us real southerners something to be proud of, not like this floundering franchise we have here in Atlanta.the saints spent money and brought players in who could play and wanted to win.they had an onner commited to winning and spending to get it done.
NW Falcon
August 20th, 2010
12:34 pm
The only thing in mid-season form is my anger at the defense for not stopping anyone on third down.
Jack
August 20th, 2010
12:35 pm
Oh my Gosh…The season is over. Ryan is a chump. Brady is God-like. 3 series of downs is a lifetime. If Gonzo had caught his 3rd down pass, Ryan’s warming up (remember 3 sets of downs) & momentum may have gotten him into the end zone. If there had not been a prissy roughing the kicker penalty, Brady could not have thrown the TD. So they would have cancelled each other out. Sure makes sense to me, chickin’ littlers !.
ernisTbass
August 20th, 2010
12:36 pm
Mike Peterson said thet they didn’t play up to Falcons standards, unfortunately he is wrong, they played exactly to their standards, the Falcons haven’t been able to get off the field on third down since Wade Phillips left town
TD
August 20th, 2010
12:37 pm
Not sure if Matt Ryan knows what he is talking about. We don’t “Game Plan”. How could you not?
Drew
August 20th, 2010
12:39 pm
Mr. Hughes, NE was without rookie Jermaine Cunningham and 10 sacks Tully Banta-Cain at OLB. Both have ankle sprains and didn’t make the trip. Also, NE’s best corner, Leigh Bodden, stayed back home. Trust me when I tell you NE did not have a game plan. There are things they did not do well last year that they are hammering on, within FA, the draft and overall with an attitude. From my perspective, I am pleasantly surprised with the young 2009 and 2010 players and how BB has upgraded NE’s 2009 weak spots on paper and in ideology. I think Atlanta is a veteran team, but they are not good enough to flip the switch. You can’t do that. You have to come in slowly and progress in preseason. People up in NE are complaining beyond belief about the Pats which I find embarrassing. Belichick leads a team to 11 wins with a back up QB and then rebuilds his defense and adds in some nice pieces on offense in the last two drafts, winning the division last year and trying to replace defensive players with 3 and 4 SB appearances under their belt. I mention this, because it appeared last night that NE’s 2nd and 3rd stringers, players NE fans have no confidence in because they don’t recognize the names as regular bench players, pretty much dominated the Falcons bench players. So, that is a depth issue, in my opinion. Regardless, no coach in the NFL game plans in preseason. I find it slightly comical you think NE did and Atlanta did not. I am not buying that. Indy got run off the turf last night by Buffalo. Preseason is a tryout for young players and spots up for grabs, and a tune up for veterans. Week 3 in preseason is important for bubble players for the Falcons and hoe clean they look on both sides of the ball. I think if Atlanta improves and shows some consistency, things will be fine. You have to sort of conceded the idea the Saints win the division, so that means you have two Wild Card spots, meaning 10-6 is what Atl should be shooting for in 2010. Anything else is a bonus as Dimitrioff rebuilds. Don’t worry, I think you are doing it right while teams like Minnesota and the NY Jets are doing it completely wrong.
D.S.G.B.
August 20th, 2010
12:39 pm
ok we can sit here and focus on all the bad things that the falcons did last night. but did you notice that out of the three possessions the starting patriots had, the falcons held them to two “three and outs.” one of those was taken away by a weak weak roughing the kicker call that only ne gets. so if not for that, and if matt bryant had made his fg, we would have gone in to the half- ne=7/ atl=6. thats not too bad considering there was no gameplanning. there was just a couple of dropped passes that hindered us from moving the chains on third down to keep the drive alive. at half id say we were pretty even. besides with our running game, its the latter part of the game when we wear defenses down and continue to pound the ball. i wouldnt put too much stock in the score. if it was week one, the game would have been alot closer. im still a fan, i realize that even during the season the falcons just might lose a game or two, but im not going to abandon ship. we still got it. go falcons.
Section 108
August 20th, 2010
12:43 pm
3rd down has been an issue with the Falcons for years now………
Long-suffering Fan
August 20th, 2010
12:43 pm
I saw a pretty good team on the field last night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Falcons.
FalconUGAFan
August 20th, 2010
1:02 pm
@Drew Thanks for the perspective. I agree with every point that you make. TD and Smitty are making the right moves, but it takes time. We’ve just had too many years of futility and we are beyond hungry for a winning team.
gdg73
August 20th, 2010
1:08 pm
My observations from last night:
Get well soon Jerry, Anderson, Robinson, Jenkins;
1) Matt Ryan needs to stop locking in on Tony Gonzalez. You have other receivers.
2) Passes to Gonzalez have to be perfect because a defender is always on his back in coverage (no separation);
3) No more Ryan roll-outs Mularkey!!!;
4) Defense continues to play soft;
5) Bierrman will have 10+ sacks this season;
6) Babineaux creamed Decoud on the Taylor TD run;
7) Did DJ Shockley ever get a chance to play with first teamers?;
9) Witherspoon had nice coverage on Hernandez. Keep in mind that was on play action. How many times do you see a receiver covered that tightly by a LB on play-action (almost never);
10) We should have invested in a kicker (draft) 4 years ago;
11) When did Jim Mora become a celebrity (signing $1 bills)?????;
12) Is Matt Ryan really that good????
JuneBaby
August 20th, 2010
1:11 pm
Are the Falcons supposed to et a free pass because they were playing a good team? All we’ve been hearing is how the falcons were supposed to be so much better this year! i guess the word better is relative to last year’s team, no offense, no defense, or heart has been shown through 2 preseason games. If you can’t play well in the preseason, how will you play well in the regular season? The defense still havent shown a pass rush, and the DBs can’t cover anyone. The offense after back to back continuity isn’t exciting anyone. Matt Ryan, an elite qb; he sure couldn’t prove it by me!!! And they should quit putting junk on the field and calling them wide recievers. Sure this team may be good enough to beat up on the bottom dwellers in the NFL, BUT THEY ARE NOT AN ELITE TEAM, by any stretch of the imagination!
TD
August 20th, 2010
1:38 pm
LOL. The old Falcs were playing vanilla. They didn’t want to show their playbook.
Drew
August 20th, 2010
1:41 pm
Does a playbook consist of losing the line battle allowing that many rushing yards? Neither team game planned or did anything special. NE’s 2nd and 3rd stringers outplayed Atlanta’s as well. Just be honest, that the Miami game next week is a critical building block moving forward. See how they do and then make a judgeement because the 4th game is a throwaway.
Steve C
August 20th, 2010
1:48 pm
who is that running back that should be released, is his name Norwood? Get rid rid of them bum!
blord
August 20th, 2010
1:48 pm
Wow. It is amazing how guys will overeact to a preseason game. Don’t be so stressed out and angry at life. I have some concerns as well but all is not lost. Take a breath and understand that the Colts hardly ever win during the preseason. Geeez.
MountainDawg
August 20th, 2010
2:04 pm
On the upside, Kroy Biermann showed (again) why he should be starting at DE (opposite of Abraham). J.Anderson needs to be moved to DT or at 2nd string. On the down side, I hope Kerry Meier’s injury isn’t severe. The kid is a stud at WR & should get plenty on reps & passes.
GMAN
August 20th, 2010
2:21 pm
3-4 DEFENSE…… 4-3 is a thing of the pass. besides that we’ve had 3 drafts for 4-3 LB’s’ to short. if Sitty doesn’t address VG he’s not safe, and i like smith. i also think we’ve got a mularkey offense.
TD
August 20th, 2010
2:28 pm
blord: Come on now. Have you ever seen such an inept performance?
Jimmy's Mora Jr
August 20th, 2010
3:28 pm
I just watched the game again at lunchtime. It is uglier the second time around! I suggest everyone watch it again and refresh your comments.
And Junior was terrible in the booth can’t beleive he is going to be a Sportscater on National TV – he will be yanked before the season is over!
Dr. Warren
August 20th, 2010
3:31 pm
What’s with Weatherspoon and “coach me up”??? Sounds strange.
CTK
August 20th, 2010
3:45 pm
At the half last week the SB champs were behind 17-7 against the Pats. Im assuming with the starters. Our starters, the SB champs this year, held them to 7-3 at the half. Im not including the TD that came after the “roughing the kicker” call. The Pats are a respected team and Im giving them their props. We can compete with them.
Guys, lets not jump off the wagon yet!
Fish2774
August 20th, 2010
3:49 pm
Blord, it’s not just the preseason. The problem lies with Smitty not taking over the defense. He’s suppose to be a defensive specialist why do we continue to allow a coordinator with less experience to run the defense. Did Rex Ryan hand over control of his defense, will Sean Payton hand over play calling abilities on offense ah that’s a noooooooooooooooo!!!!! Smitty needs to take control of his defense or he’s out of ATL………………
Just stay healthy
August 20th, 2010
4:00 pm
Yes, we looked bad last night, but better now than September. I don’t care if you win any preseason games. Win when it counts!!! Don’t listen to the critics that sit around waiting for any reason to down the Falcons. Continue to look at the new young players and get the veterans healthy to make a run at the trophy. We will be fine.
Arthur Blank
August 20th, 2010
4:01 pm
Our first team actually did ok with 4 potential starters out of the game. I who was the bone head official who call a personal foul on jackson. The score would have been 7 – 3. And not sure why we played our #3 QB because clearly for this year Redmon is my #2 QB. It was a bit disappointing because the guy who are fightting for a job didn’t play with much intensity or urgency. And lastly i like franks but he beter start making any interception that hits him square in the hands. How are you going to drop that INT and then go back to field a punt SCARY.
The real Arthur Blank
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
August 20th, 2010
4:17 pm
After sitting through last night’s game in the Dome…one thing is VERY EVIDENT…..Mike Mularkey has got to go…..the offensive play calling is pathetic!!!!
LOS-GRID IRON
August 20th, 2010
4:32 pm
Today I will give a lesson a/b football 101. First of all, your offense and defense is only good as what you practice against. Secondly, football is played from a game of mismatches reguardless on offense or defense. Our ATLANTA FALCONS lack the ability to attack other teams so therefore our coaching staff must deploy schemes the create a mismatch. We can argue all day about player personnel if we don’t make other teams play to our tempo we are waisting our time drafting all the 1st round pick that never pan out. Today football requires us to go a hybrid 3/4 scheme on defense and on offense stop letter your TE be your point of interest look @ more fluid passing attack down the field w/ a better formations of creating mismatches down the field not @ the line of scrimmage.
Fish2774
August 20th, 2010
4:33 pm
Sick & Tired I think the offense has the tools but I feel the TD is crippling the offense by not adding that #2 receiver. Mularkey’s offense can be productive if you have that deep passing attack to compliment the running game.
LOS-GRID IRON
August 20th, 2010
4:41 pm
just think we don’t have no idenity on offense or defense, sound like a coaching change could be in the near future.
SAINTS LSU
August 20th, 2010
5:16 pm
@ sonny sundown meet me @ the Louisiana Super Dome I will buy your tickets Who Dat We Dat 2 Dat superbowl 45 here we come Geaux Saints
hiramsaint
August 20th, 2010
6:36 pm
the pats were a whole diff ballgame than a 4-12 chiefs team …wait… i said that last week
FalconInVT
August 20th, 2010
7:17 pm
Place Kicker!!! <~~~ This will cost us!
DJ
August 20th, 2010
8:26 pm
P-R-E-S-E-A-S-O-N
What part of that don’t you get?
DJ
August 20th, 2010
8:27 pm
Hey the Saints and the Falcons are tied in the loss column in the pre-season. Does that mean the Falcons are going to the super bowl too?
hiramsaint
August 20th, 2010
9:37 pm
but not in the superbowl win column!!!!!!!!!
Techbuzz
August 21st, 2010
1:16 pm
Everybody calm the F&%# down….geezzzz!!! It’s not like we just played in the Super Bowl two nights ago. These Falcons have proven to me that they are serious about winning. Take last year for example, ANY other Falcon team, and I have had to stomach several, would have just rolled over and died if they had three games left in the season and no shot at the play-offs. However, THESE Falcons went out to play, and even though they didn’t have the play-offs to play for, they DID play for this city by FINALLY breaking the B2B winning season curse!
Are there things we need to work on-without question. Then again, there are 31 other teams that would say the same thing. Everybody wants the Falcons to win the SB on every snap and it ain’t gonna happen. The owner, TD, and Coach Smith have these Falcons headed in the right direction. Plus, I really feel Matty Ice will have a banner year this year. When I heard he spent part of the off-season watching and studying film of other great Quarterbacks from the past, THAT ALONE tells me he is serious about playing his position. Considering our former quarterback spent his off-season killing dogs, I’d say we have a pretty damn good upgrade.
Also, keep in mind, pre-season is where you find out who wants to play. Our starters weren’t even out there playing the whole game. In a REAL game you have so much adrenaline, aggression and killer instinct you play on and with. The starters will be ready to perform when it counts. This is just there rep time for the regular season.
I personally can’t wait to see what type of DE Kroy Bierman is going to be. He reminds me A LOT of Patrick Kerney! The biggest issue our defense had Thursday, besides not being able to get off the field on 3rd downs, was nobody wrapped up on tackles. Mike Peterson got knocked on his butt at least three times that I saw. Does anyone remember Scott Case? They boy, back in the day, would lay people OUT that even considered coming across the middle. He wasn’t a big time star or player, but he played when it counted and he did it well!
So, everyone just take a deep breath and relax. The REAL season hasn’t even started yet for crying out loud. The theme this year is RISE UP-not give up after the second pre-season game!
hiramsaint
August 21st, 2010
2:15 pm
techbuzz- with the O not able to get in the endzone -you are right about the superbowl thing. about matty slush studying other qb’s. do you really think thats unique to him? every qb in the nfl studies other qb’s , defensive schemes and film of what works and what doesn’t . if this is his 1st year doing it , shame on the falcons and ryan. the starters will perform when it counts- b.s.. it didn’t happen last year and the injury thing is also b.s. because those back-ups become starters!. the one thing you are right about id the D- same as last year and injury prone dunta and a rookie aren’t gonna help much. good luck none the less on the injury front
Not a Falcons fan
August 21st, 2010
6:17 pm
See what happens when the Falcons play a real team. You might need to quit making the Super Bowl champs t-shirts for the Falcons.
JUST A OVERPAID CHUMP#2 and SAM Baker
August 21st, 2010
9:14 pm
Matt is overrated weak arm , but AJC you if a player to throw under the bus I have one for you Sam no blocking Baker This is a pure bust . both are First rounder and should have been third round picks at best both . punk and a chump all 100 uncut pure bust for that kind of money. The face is not living up to the money nor the hype!! Ice not patty melt when heat is applied!!
JUST A OVERPAID CHUMP#2 and SAM Baker
August 21st, 2010
9:28 pm
The play calling is not the problem it is the players. you want a face but you need football players.
3rd&16
August 21st, 2010
9:53 pm
I was ready to see our new faster defense and Spoon lay the wood on somebody but that never happened. Instead they laid the wood on us. Still lacking a 4.2 40yd dash type fast receiver. Roddy (or Jenkins either when he returns) can’t catch a cold or get open. That new 5-10″ corner has stone hands like all the others (except Grimes). Please don’t let Franks try to catch punts/kicks this year. Lucky so far he only fair catches. All those weird draft picks are looking weird. It’s only pre-season Roddy, so keep on laughing. We are stuck with hoping a bunch of knee surgery returnees are going to make a difference which is nothing to laugh about.
jb
August 22nd, 2010
11:02 am
The Falcons play like a bunch of retards.
FalconFan2010
August 23rd, 2010
7:29 am
With the Falcon Defense, I figured out what the difference was with this game and last game. Not just the team, but the clientèle. Let’s face it Weatherspoon is not ready to start and definitely should not be considered a SLB. He is not an upgrade over Nicholas but maybe Peterson. Nicholas, Lofton and Spoon preformed much better together than Lofton, Spoon and Peterson. I think we go back to the starters of last year and place Spoon in the Nickel package until he is ready to take over at the WLB position. I think we need some consistency with all of our players especially on defense. Let’s be honest, recently ATL has not been good at picking 1st round picks, with the exception of Matt Ryan. If Spoon doesn’t pick up by mid season, he’ll be in the same commentary as JA98 a bust. Being “coached up” isn’t going to be a good excuse by the end of this year.