History suggests Falcons are headed for a 9-7 campaign
Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez (88) scores a touchdown in front of Philadelphia defender Ellis Hobbs (31). AP
PHILADELPHIA – History suggests that the Falcons are headed for a 9-7 season.
This was the third season that the Falcons have opened with a 4-1 mark.
After the other 4-1 starts, the team finished 9-7.
Last season, they went 4-1 before losing consecutive games at Dallas and at New Orleans. A rash of injuries started to set in and the team finished 9-7.
The Falcons started 4-1 in 1995, before losing to the St. Louis Rams 21-19 to drop to 4-2. They never got on a roll and finished 9-7, but went to the playoffs where they lost to the Green Bay Packers, 37-20.
The Falcons best start was in 1986 when they opened the season 5-1-1, before losing five straight and closing out the season 7-8-1.
The franchise went 5-1 twice. In 2004, they went on to finish 11-5 and reached the NFC championship game. In 1998, they went 14-2 and went to the Super Bowl.
The Falcons have never started a season 6-1.
“We are 4-2, hopefully we can win next week and be 5-2 going into that bye week,” tight end Tony Gonzalez said. “We’ll still be sitting pretty. It’s not a time to panic. We just have to go out there and keep getting better in practice.”
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158 comments Add your comment
Rupe in DC
October 17th, 2010
9:15 pm
GREAT NEWS EVERYONE! I just got off the phone with Special Agent Bennett of the FBI. I placed a call earlier today to the FBI and GBI, alerting them that a plane load of larcenist were headed to the Atlanta Airport. They were impersonating NFL players and coaches and they planned to steal checks this week. Agent Bennett informed me that the suspects were apprehended without incident. They were unarmed, not dangerous, put up no fight, and posed no type of flight risk. Atlanta…. your streets are safe now from those criminals!!!!
Rupe in DC
October 17th, 2010
9:15 pm
1st!!!
Jeff
October 17th, 2010
9:18 pm
History ain’t nothin’.
LJ
October 17th, 2010
9:19 pm
Dang D-Led, way to spread the hope!!
ATLJim31
October 17th, 2010
9:19 pm
They better play better than they did today or 9-7 is a pipe-dream.
cbro281
October 17th, 2010
9:25 pm
D Led u are a goober, that history crap is just that. I will take two losses out of every six games every year, please get a clue and write a real article.
Roland Lawrance 22
October 17th, 2010
9:30 pm
D. Led Any word on Dunta. As a former DB in the league i thought that was a clean hit and had it not been a penalty the falcons would have gotten the ball back and maybe the game would have a different outcome. As fans we don’t mind losing we just would like a better effort. We just got outcoached plain and simple. Abraham made the comment they did stuff differently from what we game planned for. Ok that is acceptable for their offense against our defense, but when are we as a team going to think outside the box and do some creative things on offense. It seems we had more creativity in Ryans first year than the last two. Passing on first down is ok. Even running on 3rd and 4 out of a obvious pass formation is ok sometimes. Make at least our opponent think a little. If this offense does not get past it’s predictability we are going to lose a lot more games just like this one.
RL
ryan
October 17th, 2010
9:32 pm
Jenkins was a jinks .
Rupe in DC
October 17th, 2010
9:37 pm
Hats off to Roland Lawrence …… many good memories from a DB that used to bring the wood!!!
old atl
October 17th, 2010
9:42 pm
We need some real offense coordinators, some real defense coordinators. Our coaches have no confidence in the secondary with all the soft coverages, it’s embarassing watching them. Why was it any real blitz against slow Kolb, wow. Man, we’ll be lucky if they go 8-8.
****News Flash*** frm Rupe in DC
October 17th, 2010
9:44 pm
The suspects are being transported to Flowery Branch, GA where they will be immediately enrolled in rehab courses. They will undergo extensive retraining on offensive and defensive basics, in hopes that they commit no further heinous crimes such as those committed today.
The citizens of Atlanta will be asked to have mercy on them for today’s larceny.
2Legit2quit
October 17th, 2010
9:45 pm
win the home games and split the road games is not a bad recipe! No shame in losing to steelers and getting tricked by a crafty eagles coach. As long as we learn from this we will be OK, I recall losing to Chiefs 55-10 back in 04 and still made it to the superbowl. Go Falcons
Tweets that mention History suggests Falcons are headed for a 9-7 campaign | Atlanta Falcons -- Topsy.com
October 17th, 2010
9:46 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kerri Leland and ATLHOMER, D. Orlando Ledbetter. D. Orlando Ledbetter said: History suggests Falcons are headed for a 9-7 campaign http://bit.ly/alR6Xr [...]
jojatek
October 17th, 2010
9:48 pm
Smith and his staff were clearly “schooled” today. The Falcons looked like they were trapped in that nightmare that we have all had: Showing up for class only to find that you had prepared for the wrong exam. That said, I must say that Ryan looks downright pedestrian this season. Missing reads… a little panicky under pressure… not waiting for plays to fully develop. Nobody seems to want to admit it, but Matty-Ice really needs to elevate his game… soon…
Time to get back to work, Smitty…
Roland Lawrance 22
October 17th, 2010
9:56 pm
Good Point 2ligit2quit.
However we had an offense that could really stretch the field with Tony Martin and Terrance Matthis as your possesion receiver. We are just not dominating enough to just line it up and run it down your throat. We need to find away to keep them off balance, run when they think we are going to pass and vice versa. One last thing that we need to try and do which seemed to always work for us, and that is getting off to a fast start. Got to do a better job of scripting our first possession drive to give us a better chance of scoring a TD. That i think will do wonders for this team. We’ve proven we can win from behind. Now let’s play by getting the lead first for change.
RL
todd
October 17th, 2010
9:57 pm
Is there one person in this organization from 1986? Or 1995 for that matter? How can history suggest anything then?
Roland Lawrance 22
October 17th, 2010
9:58 pm
2ligit
I don’t think that was “04 when we went to the SB more like 98 it was brookings rookie year and jessie tuggles last year.
RL
Mike is back
October 17th, 2010
9:59 pm
Dled, we took a beating today. THE BIRDS wasn’t ready to play. MATT continues to lock in on receivers instead of going through his progressions…He had a tough day. We looked liked a second tier offense compared to play calling of the Eagles.
The defense played uncharacteristically undisciplined. It was a bad game, but it only counts as one loss. No need to panic…however, there are some glaring weaknesses that needs to be addressed…WE LOOKED PAINFULLY PREDICTABLE TODAY. We played right into the Eagles hands. Surely, we are a better team than that.
Falcons, Class of the NFC? Nope.
October 17th, 2010
10:00 pm
This was downright embarrassing. I think this is exactly what they needed though. People around the league were saying we were the best team in the NFC. Most of the picks today were pointing toward ATL. But a lot of the computer simulations had the Eagles winning big. Guess the machines were right.
Perhaps preparing for two quarterbacks made the defense hesitant. Let today be a lesson for the Falcons. They are no longer the class of the NFC. They held that title for a week. Give it up to the Eagles. What is it about Philly teams?!
I agree the Robinson hit was the major turning point. Today was one of those games we weren’t supposed to win, & the players lived up to that. There’s always next week.
JustAMinute
October 17th, 2010
10:05 pm
Hold on just a minute. Even with all the hype, and as poorly as the team played, I don’t believe that this game holds much merit for the rest of the season. It was a tough loss and a lack luster performance by players and coaches alike. But, each team can be afforded a bad loss or two a season. A road loss at a Lincoln Financial against a team that historically the Falcons struggle with won’t mean all that much in December: Assuming the team can forget about the fashion in which they lost. Anyways, I see 6 more very winnable game on the schedule: 2 against Carolina, Cincinnati at home, Tampa at home, at St. Louis, and at Seattle. That leaves Baltimore at home, Green Bay at home, New Orleans at home, and at Tampa. If the team can pull out one more out of these they are looking at 11-5 and most likely a division title, and at worst a wild-card berth.
That being said I do believe that it is all dependent on how the team responds in the next two games at home. They need to get re-focused and have a 6-2 record going into the Baltimore game.
Falconian
October 17th, 2010
10:05 pm
Hey Roland Lawrence, Drew Pearson is still open…….MORON!!!!!
Reid Adair
October 17th, 2010
10:07 pm
While history says 9-7, D-Led, I think this year’s schedule – particularly with three consecutive home games coming up – plays into the Falcons’ favor. Atlanta did play well this afternoon, and Andy Reid pulled all of his trick plays out of his hat.
Ron-NS-Fan
October 17th, 2010
10:08 pm
lets see, we loose to Balt, Tampa, NO, StLouis, GB and end up 9 -7, miss the playoffs because of the eagles games…Sound familiar????
Great Falconi
October 17th, 2010
10:11 pm
The Falcons will be fine. People seem to forget that the team had won four in a row. Follow this loss up with a win and the team will be on track.
BigLou
October 17th, 2010
10:12 pm
9-7? Seriously…. I wonder if the Saints articles were this negative when they lost to the Cardinals. Talk about fair weather…..
bigstack19
October 17th, 2010
10:19 pm
2ligit
I don’t think that was “04 when we went to the SB more like 98 it was brookings rookie year and jessie tuggles last year.
RL
Tuggle’s last year wasn’t 1998. I want to say 2000 or 2001.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
October 17th, 2010
10:29 pm
Hey y’all, what’s a goober? Is dude hating on me? Or being very nice?
FalconFanPoopingonHaters
October 17th, 2010
10:29 pm
History also suggest that DOL will wear a bowtie tomorrow. We lost the game. Big deal. We’re 4-2. Not bad. The sky is not falling and the world is not ending. Our goals are still very much attainable. We’re tied for 1st in the NFC South with the next 3 games at home. Anything can happen. We just have to work hard and practice hard and beat the Bengals next week. One game at a time. GO FALCONS!
D. Orlando Ledbetter
October 17th, 2010
10:30 pm
Nothing new on Dunta. William Moore said they talked to him and he’s expected back. Coach Smith said he was fine during his press conference. He’ll probably be fined for the hit.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
October 17th, 2010
10:33 pm
Roland Lawrence 22 — I’m a form tackle guy. A form tackle would have gotten the job done. You don’t need to “launch” into players and definitely need to lower your target area and be in line with the league rules.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
October 17th, 2010
10:35 pm
todd — One of the 4-1 starts/collapses was last season.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
October 17th, 2010
10:47 pm
Falconian — Be nice to Roland. No name calling.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
October 17th, 2010
10:49 pm
FalconFanPoopingonHaters — I’m actually not wearing a bow-tie tomorrow. Great sweater and gray knit shirt with gold slacks.
gt97
October 17th, 2010
10:58 pm
Why did this have to come against the Eagles? We never challenge them. I think we need a little more urgency in the 1st quarter on offense. A little speed in the backfield will not hurt either. FatA$$ was slow as usual. Did you see the stats…Snelling 3 for 17 turner 16 or so for 45.
Chucktown
October 17th, 2010
11:19 pm
Hey Dled ever watch the Andy Griffen show? Goober used to pump gas. who ever called you that was not being nice.
Chucktown
October 17th, 2010
11:26 pm
Something to think about. When was the last time you saw Ryan hit one of oour WR’s in stride for yard after the catch?I and not talking about him hiting Roddy for a 5 yard pass and Roddy making it into 15 yards. I am starting to think he can only throw to spots, hook routes come backs etc
Philthy Birds
October 17th, 2010
11:27 pm
We were flat from the beginning. When Tony Gonzalez uncharacteristically pops a ball up into Asante Samuel’s hands, you know that it’s going to be a bad game. DOL, anything can happen, but I don’t think that 9-7 is any more likely than 10-6 or 11-5, even. Obviously, a lot of it is riding on our injury situation.
“Roland Lawrance 22″, if you are really “Rolland Lawrence”, I would expect you to at least be able to spell your own name correctly. If dementia is setting in that badly, the NFLPA really needs to help you guys out with the retirement and medical care.
DR. FALCON
October 18th, 2010
12:00 am
MR. LEDBETTER, WE WILL BE FAVORED TO BEAT THE BENGALS AT THE HOUSE NEXT WEEK TO PUT US AT 5-2 GOING INTO OUR BYE. i WILL TAKE THAT! WE PLAYED 4 OUT OF 6 ON THE ROAD TO START THE SEASON. WE ARE 4-2, 3-1 IN THE NFC! HISTORY DOES NOT MEAN A THING THIS IS A DIFFERENT YEAR! I LIKE OUR CORE GROUP OF PLAYERS! WE HAVE 3 STRAIGHT HOME GAMES COMING UP. IF WE HANDLE OUR BUSINESS, AT WORST WE WILL BE 8-3 BEFORE OUR NEXT ROAD GAME. STAY PATIENT! ITS A LONG SEASON!
Big Ray
October 18th, 2010
12:22 am
History also strongly suggested that we could not have consecutive seasons with a winning record.
We lost this game because we played like CRAP. But let’s break it down further:
1. The Eagles had a clever offensive game plan. They struck quickly in the beginning, using trick plays. We were on our heels ever since. They kept selling the screen pass that we’re so scared of, and we kept buying it, while they ran different/other plays.
2. They dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We never posed a real threat to Kevin Kolb, who had time to pick his nose, look at his watch, scratch his a$$, and then throw a pass. We also never established the run against a team that supposedly could not defend it.
3. Ryan missed some very good opportunities, throwing inaccurate passes to Harry Douglas, who had them beat in the slot, and passing to Jason Snelling at the sideline and two yards from the original line of scrimmage, when Tony Gonzalez was open at the goal line. Happened twice, both times he was open in the middle.
4. The lone interception was Gonzalez reaching for the pass, but never leaving the ground to go up and get it. He tipped it perfectly to a lurking DB who was there to make the tackle, not the INT. That’s the difference between 95% effort and 100% effort. Sorry Tony, but that one IS on you, even if you didn’t know there was a DB behind you.
5. Run play on first down. Every time. Predictable, and sadly so. Refusal to adjust when it clearly was not working.
6. Run blocking was bad, so was pass blocking. Ryan was doing his version of river dance in the pocket more than half the time. I’m getting tired of seeing this. He’s not overly mobile. We know this. So could we try blocking defenders, please?
Dr. Warren
October 18th, 2010
12:34 am
10-6 was my prediction before the season, and I’m sticking with it. Go down the schedule, and it seems obvious, barring key injuries and allowing for upset losses.
Y.I. Outta
October 18th, 2010
12:39 am
———Am i the only 1 that thinks Turner is a glorified fullback,,,,,He has no tailback instincts…Tired of seeing him tiptoe thru the hole and his lack of lateral movement!!!!!!!!WE WILL HAVE NEW COORDINATORS NEXT YR,Not sure which 1 it will be but 1 of them is gone,Maybe even before the yr is over
States Burr
October 18th, 2010
12:51 am
With your matching shiny gold shoes…
kcfalcon
October 18th, 2010
12:58 am
This is just pile-on nonsense. There are lot of winnable games left on the schedule.
Splitting the last 10 to get to that record you mentioned would be very disappointing. I don’t think TD, MS or anyone associated with the Falcons is thinking that way at all.
With this franchise, history isn’t much of a guide.
Falcons do need some evaluation though. Need to become more explosive. There are ways to do that and not worry about turning the ball over when the Falcons get more aggressive.
There will be a good bounce-back from the Eagles game. Count on it.
Singletary
October 18th, 2010
2:04 am
This one had “loss” written all over it. NFC East lines outweigh us on both lines. Is anyone else embarrassed that we lost to a team that lost to Redskins? Dreading Ravens game, too.
Falcons Chic
October 18th, 2010
2:25 am
This understatement by Jabba the Coach (Reid)
On whether the play of QB Kevin Kolb will make it difficult to go back to Michael Vick as the starter:
“This is a beautiful thing. When you’re sitting here as a chubby head coach in the National Football League, and you have two good quarterbacks, you’re a happy guy. That’s a positive thing.”
Football Bat
October 18th, 2010
2:28 am
I agree this article is nonsense. So D-Led is thinking we go 5-5 from here out? Your bowtie is on too tight. Could you mention that many of Ryan’s passes were too high, too low or late, or that our secondary lost its mojo when Dunta left? And how in the hell do you get fined and flagged for hitting someone in the chest with your shoulder pads? What’s he supposed to do, check his speedometer?
There’s plenty to talk about without this history crap. Didn’t we bury the old Falcons with consecutive winning seasons?????
Singletary
October 18th, 2010
2:30 am
Coaches — may I respectfully suggest that you have the players on BOTH sides of the ball re-read the Misdirection chapter in the playbook. A lot of what they were doing was obvious. Other teams now know how to defeat us after PiT & PHI.
JSS
October 18th, 2010
5:12 am
Still getting beat over the top I see… DeCoud may be “a stand-up guy.” but when is he ever going to learn? The whole rest of the League has it on video, Goodness, they are exploiting it in every form and manner. Now they are slapping Moore the same way they did Coleman too…
Mr. Mustard
October 18th, 2010
6:42 am
Hey, hats off to Rowland Lawrence. Nice of you to join us. I am sure you are used to dealing with knuckleheads. I guess some people never made a mistake in their jobs, ever. Hope to see you around as the Falcons continue to rise up in stature.
We got beat by Philadelphia in Philly, that happens to a lot of teams so I don’t think it is the end of the world.
However we do have some holes and they showed yesterday. I have said and will continue to say, this Falcons’ franchise is headed toward greatness, but they are not there yet.
Our offensive and defensive lines are good, but not great.
We miss Norwood, or at least a scatback to offset Turner.
Matt Ryan does not have the arm strength or the accuracy to carry our team when we cannot run the ball. Plus sometimes he still locks in to his receivers thus broadcasting the plays.
Our offense is too predictable, when the opposing team is stuffing Turner, then they zone in and forcer Ryan to make throws he is not best suited for, then mix up the plays, run some misdirections
We did seem very creative our first year with Ryan, and the last two seem less thoughtful.
We have a good yound defense, a good yound quarterback and Roddy White, but we were out coached and played yesterday. Philly exploited our weaknesses, and they had the home field.
We are going to be okay, but we ain’t elite just yet.
Finally, I am sorry but Tony Gonzalez has lost a step. I wonder if we will cut him a year too early, rather than a year too late, as is our new philosophy, of which I agree.
Does anyone agree with me about Gonzalez?
Zoomie
October 18th, 2010
7:21 am
All of the issues over which fans here have been hand-wringing came home to roost in this bird fight. Very predictable play-calling, especially at the start of the game, led to a very slow start and good field position for the opponent to hang 21 on the Falcons before they realized they were in a game. Matt Ryan looked tentative, slow to read and deliver, and had no response for a blitzing defense. Poor special teams play resulted in excellent field position for the opponent. O-line that played fairly well in the run game, but poorly in pass protection.
The Falcons have gotten a lot of positive press as a presence in the NFC, but as pointed out here before, it’s becoming more apparent their 4 wins were against teams that are mediocre at best. The Eagles were a good barometer and it looks like the apparent weaknesses shown in the earlier games are indeed endemic.
Considering the hype and the paycheck, Matt Ryan is looking rather pedestrian. Is this a result of offensive strategy and play-calling, or is he truly that slow in making reads, decisions, and executing the plays? Given the football acumen attributed to him, why doesn’t he seem smart enough to execute a convincing play-action pass? Both Flacco and Sanchez are outplaying the Falcons $78M quarterback by a wide margin.
I also predicted a 10-6 season for the Falcons. I’m with DOL: 9-7 isn’t out of the question.
LawdHamercy
October 18th, 2010
7:25 am
Fire MM and BVG!!!!!!!Fire MM and BVG!!!!!!!Fire MM and BVG!!!!!!!Fire MM and BVG!!!!!!!Fire MM and BVG!!!!!!!Fire MM and BVG!!!!!!!Fire MM and BVG!!!!!!!Fire MM and BVG!!!!!!!Fire MM and BVG!!!!!!!
Why do we continue to get these predictable coaches? AB you better get this right or else we’ll be just another average team with high expectations. There was no change in play calling when our scheme wasn’t working. LB’s 7yards deep? Are you kidding me? That means we’re afraid of K.Kolb? Why weren’t we pressuring him? Zero blitz and drop the corners. Oh they were already dropped. That didn’t help.
It’s not the players. They got pressure. It’s the play calling. Our defense plays insurance ball. We’ll get killed if we played Peyton Manning or Brady. Playing scared ball or safety ball. At one point the All 7 were dropped at least 7 yards deep with only 4 on the line. WTF is that?
Tim Parker
October 18th, 2010
7:26 am
I’m not worried about the loss to the Eagles. Scum city advantage. It was needed to expose holes and remind players that every game is important. At this point, we are exactly where I predicted we would be. The only miss was the Steelers game. Thought we would win it and lose the Saints game. We’re still on top of the NFC South, and looking for the competition going forward, I only see two more possible losses.
LawdHamercy
October 18th, 2010
7:29 am
Oh yeah the Offense.
Matt Ryan is slow making decisions and throwing the motion. I hope he can work on these things. Sam Baker is just slow and not strong enough to be a stud LT. We got him in the first round? You gotta be kidding me. He’s a bust. Ryan had opportunities, but didn’t capitalize due to pressure in and indecision. The WR looked great, but he could go through the progressions in time. I’ve been to 3 games this season including preseason and I’ve been saying all along, Ryan is not recognizing the open man in time. HD is constantly open in the middle. Other recievers are open, but he’s not seein them in time.
Homer, GA
October 18th, 2010
7:49 am
How many times can we run up the middle to start the game!! Nobody knew that was coming. No imagination at all the whole game. Our defence is not good enough to have a bad offence. When we face a good passing QB we still can’t stop anybody.
Season Ticket Holder
October 18th, 2010
7:53 am
The Eagles defensive plan was to stop Atlanta’s running game and force Matt Ryan to beat them. Of course, Matt did not step up his game. Also, it appears Atlanta’s Offensive Coordinator did not make adjustments when the Eagles started the game with 8 defenders in the box. What is the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The falcons must change up their game plan.
RobbE33
October 18th, 2010
7:57 am
The chubby Philly coach out-schemed the Falcon’s staff; pure and simple. Until Smitty and company can implement a little more innovation and the ability to adjust when their plan isn’t working, we’ll have these blow-outs. I’m curious, DOL, what is the Falcons’ record when Loose, Goose & Moose are calling our games?
Ol'_Dirty2
October 18th, 2010
8:15 am
Are we not still 1st in the division at this point? If so, let’s calm down with the panic and hysteria and make the most of this 3 game homestand. We were on the road 4 out of 6 games and split. One hearbreaker and one beatdown both in the state of Pennsylvania shouldn’t wreck the whole season. Let’s learn from the mistakes and move on. Bad call on the Dunta-Jackson hit, but we had a chance after that point and still didn’t capitalize. That’s what stands out to me.
Chop Buster
October 18th, 2010
8:32 am
History suggests that Mularkey starts hot in all new positions the first year and dies every year after. Why are we running a 1970s offensive philosophy? Heck even Pittsburgh doesn’t run that offense anymore. Also, why did we ever hire a college DC that had no history in the NFL as a coordinator? Why did BVG sit in the safe zone defense for the entire game? Arthur Blank needs to hold all of them accountable. It starts with Smith for hiring these two. It starts with Smith to make them accountable for the game plan–if there is such a thing with this staff. It starts with Smith to hold the ST coach accountable for the Falcons failing all year long on STs.
Brian
October 18th, 2010
8:50 am
Can we get a REAL left tackle, please?
Section 102 (40 yard 15th row)
October 18th, 2010
9:04 am
Watching live, with 80,000 (I only saw 3 other falcons jerseys) screaming eagles fans singing that stupid girly song every 5 minutes was enough to hurl an otherwise pretty nice hot dog and cold beer… How the game went live:
William Moore is a STUD.
1) If the falcons aren’t going to run a screen in the game, they need to run them in practice all day, ’cause the defense never sees screens and gets schooled each week.
2) Matt can’t throw the deep ball.
3) Matt can’t throw with velocity (exhibit A, the 3rd down play near the eagles ten where the DB had time to come around and defend the pass. Most pro qb’s would have gunned that in there for a big first down on a key momentum drive in an away game)
4) There were tons of wobbly throws.
5) Michael Vickesque inaccuracy. Well, nobody’s that bad, but it was pretty ugly.
6) Thank God Jenkins is back. He was open a lot and looks huge live.
7) Fat A$$ looks huge in person. and SLOW. Unbelievably slow hitting the holes. DLed was all over that one earlier in season. Somebody get 33 on Jenny Craig during the bye week.
9) The helmet crack live gave 80,000 fans goose bumps and we all held our breath for 5 minutes until somebody moved. Seeing that many NFL players on a knee is REality TV. Glad both Sean and DuntAY are going to walk again.
10) RoddyW dragging across the linebacker zone 10 yards down field is a nice play. He looks great after the catch
11) Grimes is a 160 lb fireball.
12) Can anybody in Atlanta call Offensive plays to keep a defense on its heels? Ouch. Who’s going to coach the coach?
JimmyB
Joe Tess Fish House
October 18th, 2010
9:09 am
HA! This teem wont win anmore games. The real Flacons where exposed Mr Blanks needs 2 sale this teem now
Blackbird
October 18th, 2010
9:09 am
Mr. Blank
Please have your GM fire the OC, that had to be the worst set of play calling I’ve ever seen. (2) Have you ever wondered why the Eagles beat the breaks off of the falcons every year? (3) We are what our record say we are, we barely beat teams we are suppose to beat, but when we play solid playoff caliber teams we get drugged in the dirt. (4) This team is not that good. (5) The QB is not special, just average so stop fooling yourself. (6) Mike Smith appears to be a very nice guy, but he has to surround himself with some innovative coaches that can transform this team to a team of the 21st century. (7) I’m a Falcon fan who stuck with the team through all the ruff years, but my patients is getting thin. If you are serious about winning championships, due what the team that win do. (Look at their rosters, look at them, they have star players, not just the old build a solid team through the draft). How many stars do you have on your teams that are recognized as stars outside of Atlanta? Who on your team gets bragged on every week on sports shows and radio? You need play makers! (8) Read the eagle comments before the game that they gave Atlanta. No respect. They didn’t say Atlanta D was good, they said they were ok and Atlanta had small corners. They said Atlanta Offence was alright but we’re prepared for them (with a back up offensive line) it want be a problem. Something to think about, when was the last time we beat a solid top ranked playoff caliber team?
Scott
October 18th, 2010
9:15 am
9/7 is no longer good enough . Blank and the Atlanta fans deserve better and hope he open his eyes and fire the defensive coach and his staff , hell getting rid of coach Smith would be even better .
Tired
October 18th, 2010
9:37 am
“Attention, attention..John Parker Wilson, report to the office please,John Parker Wilson, report to the office please.”
JustAMinute
October 18th, 2010
9:39 am
Hey, it could be worse, we could be rooting for the Cowboys.
hornblowermg
October 18th, 2010
9:42 am
this falcon edition is just plain slow at every position. somebody please trade half the team for Spillers. when Ryan committed that last fumble there was a falcon player who tip-toed around a Philly man on the ground into the general direction of the fumbled ball instead of diving over him for the recovery. i couldn’t believe my eyes; the man was too fat and slow to fall onto the ground. this team is pitiful regarding playing fundamental football.
Joe Tess Fish House
October 18th, 2010
9:45 am
N E 1 else think that matt Ryan needs 2 be bench?
Tired
October 18th, 2010
9:46 am
It worked wonders for Kolb…….
Monduj1
October 18th, 2010
9:48 am
At the end of the pre-season I predicted 7-9 and I’m sticking with it. We split with TB and Carolina and win either St. Louis or Seattle, but not both. Losses coming to Cincy, Baltimore, Green Bay and New Orleans.
Mularkey absolutely must go. Now. Nothing left to be said here. BVG was totally out coached and out smarted yesterday, but has made progress with the Defense. He needs to abandon the notion of dropping DL into coverage. A Zone Blitz requires someone actually blitzing from somewhere else. If he can’t figure that out, then he needs to go too.
Next year TD and company had better be looking for a LT and a new young QB. I’m done defending Ryan’s weak arm, happy feet, poor decision making, staring down receivers and lack of accuracy. He’s a good kid but simply does not look capable of taking us to the next level, which is actual playoff wins.
Tired
October 18th, 2010
9:53 am
@Monduj1
Finally, someone admits it !!!
MSS
October 18th, 2010
9:56 am
Matt does not need to be benched are you all crazy its our O line matt had no time and when did he made plays it was just a bad game we are ok
Joe Tess Fish House
October 18th, 2010
10:01 am
I posed this on anoter blog that it is quiet evidence that Ryan is not ready 4 the nfl. Time 2 strat Redmond.
Tired
October 18th, 2010
10:04 am
I’m just saying, don’t get me wrong I’m a big Falcons fan with little patience for ineptness. Flaco and Ravens are a playoff caliber team, Sanchez and the Jets were picked to go to the SB…….where are we????…..still waiting on Rayan to develope??????? while the others are already there…….
Tired
October 18th, 2010
10:06 am
Joe, get out of here with that stupid Redmond sh!t !!!!He’s not the solution DA
Joe Tess Fish House
October 18th, 2010
10:10 am
Why do peeple say dont get me wrong when they say something dumb? Dont say something dumb and we wont get your wrong.
singh is king
October 18th, 2010
10:12 am
i was watching the game, and same old things, running on first down i could tell from there plays that they will run they will pass, common man where is coaches dont they have 2nd plan, not spreading the eagles, put hd in backfield like norwood, damn it block it.
Tired
October 18th, 2010
10:17 am
Joe……you’re laughable at best. Me saying something dumb? this is coming from a person who thinks we should have gotten T.O., kept vick and numerous other “dumb” things…..
Football Bat
October 18th, 2010
10:23 am
@Blackbird-
The last time we beat a playoff caliber team was Sept. 26 in New Orleans. Stars have to come from some draft somewhere, and we have done a pretty good job of balancing the two while cleaning up a hoodlum attitude and shedding the consecutive winning seasons curse. Turner, White, Abraham, Robinson, all top tier. “Build” is part of “rebuilding” and we can’t fire and reload every other year although a new OC would be a very effective upgrade needed for some time now.
Philly always seem to have our number, true. Some serious poor tackling, true. If we split and go into the bye with two losses, I don’t think there’s any room for complaints. Split Ravens, GB, NO, and Seattle games, and win out otherwise, we’re 12-4, but 10-6 could still win the div if we beat the Saints again.
Joe Tess Fish House
October 18th, 2010
10:27 am
How is getting TO dumb? They sure could of have used him yestreday
dub366
October 18th, 2010
10:38 am
bottom line is the Falcons need of a QB. Mike might be gone , but he left image here to be filled and Matt Ryan can’t do it.
DJ Sniper
October 18th, 2010
10:39 am
Oh lord, here we go with that nonsense about Matt Ryan not having a strong arm. Look, Ryan has worked on his arm strength over the last two seasons and it shows. Just go back to that bomb he tried to hit Harry Douglas with in the Saints game. The ball had plenty of zip and velocity, so let’s end that argument right now.
I’m not in panic mode after this loss because we still have plenty of football left to play. We are very much in the playoff hunt and we could still get a division title out of it. That being said, there are some adjustments that need to be made:
1. Will somebody PLEASE get in Mike Mularkey’s head and tell him to diversify the offense?!?!?!? If fans like myself can watch the games and predict what he’s going to call, you know the defense can spot it. It seems like he does not know the definition of play action, screen pass, or deep ball. We have the right players in place to be an explosive offense, but with Mularkey, the offense will never live up to its full potential.
2. Somebody tell Brian Van Gorder that when you have your opponent backed up in their own end zone, you DON’T drop your best pass rusher into coverage!!! When I saw that on the replay, I was ready to shoot somebody. Like Mularkey, BVG doesn’t quite know how to mix things up. We rushed only 4 down linemen for pretty much the whole game. Only once or twice did I see us blitz or try to put any extra pressure on Kevin Kolb. With that type of game plan, any QB can look like an All-Pro.
3. As for special teams, why is Eric Weems still our return man? He strikes no fear in anyone, and he’s not a threat to take it to the house. During the offseason, I remember reading that Dominique Franks might get a shot at returning kicks and punts. I know we are pretty deep at CB, but why not activate him simply for return purposes?
Now I’ll comment on some of the good things that I saw:
1. Michael Jenkins looked good in his first game back. He wasn’t dropping passes like he usually does, and he kept the chains moving when the ball came his way. His arms looked pretty jacked, so it appears he’s been keeping himself in great shape.
2. William Moore is a beast! I saw him deliver some good hit, record a great open field tackle for loss, and he leads the team with 3 INT’s. I knew he would be productive as soon as he got healthy. Erik Coleman simply was not making plays like that, so keeping Moore as the starter was the right move.
Bottom line: we need to come out next Sunday and beat the brakes off of Cincinnati. After our disappointing loss to the Steelers, we hung 41 points on Arizona. Let’s see if lighting will strike twice.
Keith
October 18th, 2010
10:46 am
Re: DJ Sniper
Special kudos to #2. Dropping Abraham into coverage boggled my mind. WOW!!
Jenkins was solid in his debut.
GO FALCONS!
Keith
October 18th, 2010
10:49 am
Yes, our offensive line was dominated yesterday. That surprised me a bit. But sometimes certain teams just have another team’s number. THe case with the Eagles….I believe it is 8-1 over last 9.
GO FALCONS!
Keith
October 18th, 2010
10:49 am
Cincy is struggling this year for the most part. ATL should be a big favorite in the Dome.
DJ Sniper
October 18th, 2010
10:51 am
Did anybody else see how pissed off Matt Ryan was after Philly recovered that fumble at the end of the game? I wonder who he was going off on. My hope is that it was the offensive line for not chasing after that loose ball. Let’s hope he plays angry next weeks and takes out that frustration on the Bengals.
Paddy O
October 18th, 2010
10:54 am
The Falcon D did not necessarily play bad, they were just out played. However, our lack of QB pressure, or tendancy to leave the middle open when our LB goes off the lane, plus the bad play of CB’s after Dunta’s departure were earmarks for a bad game. Our team speed was not good enough to overcome the Eagles speedy receivers – our safties failed to provide safety. We definately have poorly conceived blitz stunts. Finally, Mularkey came out running in the 3rd quarter, as though we were ahead or tied – WTF????? We rarely go down field, and just don’t have a lot of creativity – it may be a hallmark of a Mike Smith team, plodding, predictable plays. You notice we never use the shot gun unless we are behind? This is stupid – watch Peyton Manning – that must by Matty Ices’ role model. Very, very , very disappointing.
Authur Blank
October 18th, 2010
10:57 am
don’t worry cause the last three games could have ended this way they still fought after going down early so were good 4-2 out of six so far is not bad were still tied for the lead in the NFC, If thery can get to 10-2 then we’ll be ok.
DJ Sniper
October 18th, 2010
10:58 am
I keep reading comments about Ryan looking skittish in the pocket and locking onto receivers. I agree, but only to a point. Did you see how many times Ryan had defenders in his face? I don’t care what QB you have; you pressure them and that’s going to cause them to be off a bit. Now contrast that with Kolb performance yesterday. For the most part, he had all kinds of time to stand in the pocket and throw.
I forsee a very new O-line next season. Justin Blaylock and Tyson Clabo are at the end of their contracts and probably won’t be back. Todd McClure may end up retiring as well. I have a feeling we will go into 2011 with Mike Johnson at LG, Joe Hawley at C, and Garrett Reynolds at RT. As for the LT spot, if Sam Baker keeps at his current pace, that will be a position to address in the next draft
D. Orlando Ledbetter
October 18th, 2010
11:05 am
Chucktown — Yeah Andy Griffith is the best show ever. Didn’t make the connection.,
DJ Sniper — Heres the avg gain per pass play for the Falcons this season: Pitt (5.2), Ariz (6.8), NOS (6.7), San Fran (5.5), Browns (5.8) and Philly (5.1). The probably need to throw down the field more or get more yards after the catch.
FSJR
October 18th, 2010
11:05 am
We have got to be the easiest team in the league to gameplan for especially offensely. We do what we do and don’t change a thing. If our execution is off, we have extremely hard times. I didn’t notice a sense of urgency in the play-calling after we were down a bunch, it was more or less, stay the course.
FrontRow
October 18th, 2010
11:06 am
2-2 on the road, 2-0 at home. 4-4 on the road and 8-0 at home gets you in the tournament.
FrontRow
October 18th, 2010
11:08 am
How do you beat a team of smurfs running high school plays? Bust one of the smurfs in the mouth.
Unfortunately the refs threw the flag. Dunta ducked and led with his shoulder. What is he supposed to do, let the smurf catch the ball.
That was a third down stop and exactly what the team needed at the time. It’s not Dunta’s fault the guy is a smurf that folds when he gets hit.
Eric C.
October 18th, 2010
11:09 am
Remember last season when the Saints got behind the Dolphins 24-3 on the road (even though they came back and won), #@$% happens in the course of a season. This game was the pits, but keep things in perspective…let’s get em next week and go into the bye at 5-2.
JustAMinute
October 18th, 2010
11:13 am
Tired come on, if you give Matty the Ravens or the Jets defense I bet you would be singing a different tune. There is no comparison between the Falcons D and the Ravens and Jets. Do you remember 2001? The Ravens D made Trent Dilfer look like Marino.
I do believe that Matty does still need to put on 10-15 more pounds and work on his footwork and velocity. Peyton Manning he is not, but he is not just a game manager either. He doesn’t need the number 1 defense to win, but he does need a solid team effort. The defense, special teams, and offense looked like a deer in headlights yesterday. The team can win with Matty, but he still does have more development to go.
Mark
October 18th, 2010
11:18 am
Falcons are not going anywhere until they get some receivers that can get open & stretch the field. The dink & dunk offense won’t take you very far. Ryan has looked like crap this year – happy feet & all.
Defense is inconsistent as is the offensive line. They have a long way to go to be considered an “upper tier” team.
JustAMinute
October 18th, 2010
11:22 am
Front Row, I completely agree about Dunta’s hit. Those announcers are a bunch of idiots. How was Jackson a defenseless player, he had the ball in his hands? That was exactly what the team needed; a big hit to force a change of possession. They threw the flag because Jackson is littler than I am( 6ft. 175lb).
Did anyone else see the hits that the Steelers Jerome Harrison laid on two Browns players? (Massaquoi and someone else) They were just as bad.
DJ Sniper
October 18th, 2010
11:27 am
I was watching the pre-game show for Sunday Night Football and I wanted to slap the broadcast crew for calling Dunta Robinson’s hit on Desean Jackson as helmet-to-helmet. The replay clearly shows that Robinson hit him with his shoulder. Even the broadcast crew during the game mentioned that.
DOL, what happened to all that preseason talk from the coaching staff about opening up the playbook and letting Matt Ryan have free reign of the offense?
waynester
October 18th, 2010
11:38 am
Dunta went into the receiver’s right shoulder pad with his left shoulder pad, making minimal contact helmet-to-helmet and maximum contact with the ball, causing a turnover. It was a clean play–a dam* good play and a lousy tsk-tsk call by the officials and even worse holier-than-thou display by “Moose” Johnson and the broadcasting crew. Free Dunta!
waynester
October 18th, 2010
11:40 am
*correction*
Dunta went right shoulder to RIGHT shoulder…..
falcoholic
October 18th, 2010
11:53 am
1. The Falcons were clearly out-coached. That needs to be addressed by management because you can’t teach coaches to be smart.
2. Play calling IS predictable, and that goes back to coaching.
3. Matt Ryan is beginning to disappoint. Specifically, my complaints are,
A) Stares down receivers so everyone knows where it’s going.
B) Slow delivery. Watch old Brett Favre sling the ball and compare. Half the passes defended yesterday would have been receptions with some snot on the ball.
C) Fails to find open secondary receivers. (Maybe because he never takes his eyes off the primary receiver).
D) Poor pocket sense. He doesn’t seem to have the peripheral vision or sense to realize when his blockers are beat and someone is rampaging through the backfield.
E) Almost never steps up into the pocket. Most of his sacks are from the side and back. Most of the time, a step or two up towards the line would have bought him the space and time needed to get rid of the ball, but he doesn’t do that for some reason.
4. We have a few good players on the OL, but we need some more beef. The smaller guys can do a good job of getting downfield and blocking for the run, but they’re a detriment if they can’t control their assignments. Everyone gets beat, but when it happens consistently in a game, something is obviously missing.
I like the resolve, conditioning and effort from the team this year. They have won several because they played every of the 60 minutes. I welcome the wins we had this year, but I’m troubled by the way we had to get them. We are not overpowering, out-coaching, or finessing the wins. We have a couple of wins that were either luck or desperation. I remain hopeful, but it looks like the luck is starting to run out.
Falcons not there yet
October 18th, 2010
11:55 am
Dunta’s hit was solid, though he went a little high and launched (something the league is watching this year)
Rodney Harrison last night gave the best analysis, he said when guys get ready to hit hard like that they tend to stand up a bit, this caused the high hit. He didn’t say it was a bad helmet-to-helmet hit as did most announcers (that obviously never looked at the tape).
Also, Ditka was on Mike and Mike this morning and you could tell that he liked the hit – he kind of caught himself from saying it was a clean hit (I guess not to upset the league). Not saying Ditka is any kind of great analyst (I personally think he’s a knucklehead).
Definitely need a new offensive coordinator and Ryan definitely needs to take chances down field. Ryan plays like he’s scared to make a mistake. Atlanta is very robotic.
OldSchoolFootballFan
October 18th, 2010
11:57 am
No Mr. Gonzalez, U have to play better on the field. U had good practices before the Eagles game and U came out and stuck up the joint from the beginning whistle to the final gun. I can accept a loss as a fan it’s part of the game. I can’t accept paying money for tickets and overprices concessions to have a bunch of millionaires waste my time and money by giving a half-assed effort. I am an 11 year military veteran and former Naval Officer. Defeat in battle is inevitable eventually, but defeat without fighting spirit is cowardly and unacceptable. The Falcons PLAYED the game Sunday, I didn’t see any FIGHT!!! Buckle up your chin straps and play like MEN against the Bengals. The team my need to watch the final battle scene in the movie Glory prior to kickoff for motivational assistance. Try it, it may work.
Wendell Thomas
October 18th, 2010
12:04 pm
Are the Falcons really a 4-2 team or a 2-4 team? They should have lost to SF and NO. Can we beat elite teams with our predictable non-productive offense. Is the defenses okay or was Sunday’s game a reflection of what we have to look forward to for the rest of the season. Same old Falcons…get your hopes up just to let you down!
Falcon Jim
October 18th, 2010
12:17 pm
Joe Phish-Breath is back ! Missed that swamp humor yesterday when it was needed. He’s the Jr Samples of swamp humor. Here’s………………………….PHISH-BREATH ! !
ASHCAN.
October 18th, 2010
12:18 pm
Why all the excuses for the falcons? they just got beat down by a better team.Now they have to face T.O AND OCHO and please don’t look past cinn record.A win is a win but sometimes you have to look at how a team wins.Are they winning with out a doubt or from other teams mistakes?(N.O missed FG,SF fumble off INT).Reality is no matter how you win its a W but those wins like that are not gonna come every week expecially in the playoffs.DLED,your just being real about the falcons going or could go 9-7.But i see by the response of these falcon fans that after all these years of being hyped up about this team(and still get disappointed)there still in denial.Just because you change coaches and a over rated QB don’t crown you a good team,its just change with the same outcome.
JSS
October 18th, 2010
12:19 pm
Trent Dilfer never looked like Marino… The Ravens Defense openly mocked their own starting QB. That team played offense better than actual offense. Jamal Lewis and the Ravens D carried that team.
Waynester…
He launched himself 3 yards into the receiver! He caused a whiplash… Frame it anyway you like, the League sent the officials around this summer to the camps and told the players that those type of hits were going to be flagged! It was a penalty, you need to get over this obsession about that hit…
Falcons not there yet
October 18th, 2010
12:24 pm
the missed FG for NO was after Atlanta mis-managed a drive at the end of regulation to give Brees enough time to get into field goal range. If on third and fourth down we run, the clock ticks or they use their timeout, instead we give them time. We outplayed NO, the overtime drive was great (but Smitty had to tell Mularkey to run the ball)
SF, agreed, lucky win.
Theme for the season is the defense playing better but the offense not doing anything especially down field. We had 5 “3 and out’s” yesterday – that won’t work.
Monduj1
October 18th, 2010
12:27 pm
@DJ Sniper
Are you kidding me about Ryan’s arm strength? Just because he can heave it down the field 50 yards doesn’t mean he has a strong arm. Almost every QB in the league can heave it that far. The “strength” is in the velocity. In other words, his 50 yard throw takes an eternity to get there which allows the defense to overcome. He seriously under threw several balls yesterday and this is a consistent trend.
The Falcons are very lucky to be 4-2 and by all rights should be 2-4 and possibly 1-5. Hartley gave us one at N.O., Clements handed us another one against San Francisco and if not for an absolutely incredible play by Biermann we looked to be on our way to another loss to Cleveland with a hobbled Jake Delhomme at QB.
To the numb nuts still opining about T.O., how would he have helped our defense yesterday? Has he converted to QB or LT? The WRs weren’t the problem yesterday. His team is 2-3 right now, BTW.
Section 102 (40 yard 15th row)
October 18th, 2010
12:28 pm
DJ – Nice comments. However, get your radar gun on matt. It will show what we saw live yesterday and Falcoholic notes in his nice post. Matt ain’t got game deep, especially the underthrown wobbler to Roddy down the right sideline that RW84 almost came back and caught with two defenders on him. How many games in the NFL do you see multiple DB’s come back and be in position to intercept or come around and knock out the ball because they had time to react? Not as many as we saw yesterday. Watch McNabb or Favre sling it live and you’ll feel the difference. This partly explains why the falcons won’t spread the field deep as much as we’d like.
DefiantOne
October 18th, 2010
1:02 pm
This is a good team, not served well by its coaches in the two losses. Staid, boring, and predictable won’t cut it if you want to get over the top.
Doug
October 18th, 2010
1:08 pm
Our schedule is so favorable this year that I see us winning at least 10 or 11 games. The only teams left on our schedule that I think will be very difficult wins are Baltimore and New Orleans. And we’ve got both games at home. Not only are they the only teams on the schedule sitting at 4-2 or better, but they have the most talent of anybody left on the schedule.
ctfalconsfan
October 18th, 2010
1:58 pm
I was hoping to see our team step up as a or THE CONTENDER in the NFC but we are, sadly, a pretender!!
- Lucky wins against Saints and 49ers along with yesterdays beat down leaves me wondering where we are headed as an organization???
I HOPE WE BEAT CINCY 7-3 and as a result we fire Mularkey during the bye week. Our offense should be much more productive instead of predictable..
alanfalcon
October 18th, 2010
2:03 pm
The next win will come from effort and execution not hope to win.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GrowlerWilkinson
October 18th, 2010
2:11 pm
I dont know who the Falcons offensive coordinator is, but if it is Mike MuLarkey,the Falcons need a new offensive coordinator. I guess he is doing his job because his play-calling was very, very offensive. I was offended by the calls or the non-calls that were supposedly called. Continued 3-and-outs are completely unacceptable when you have a 1#:Pro Bowl Quaterback; 2#:three All-Pro receivers in Gonzales, Jenkins and White; 3#:three pro bowl runners in Jerius Norwood, Snelling and Turner and 4#:a Pro Bowl pass rusher in Abraham. There is no excuse with all the talent on the Falcons to be HAVING TROUBLE SCORING POINTS. This makes no sense when you have nothing but All PROS and PRO BOWLERS AT THE SKILL POSITIONS. The Falcons should have put up 50 points on the Eagles yesterday with Vick being unhealthy and a virtual non-factor. I gave up watching game after the Falcons went down 21-0. I quit on them because they were flatter than a pancake and gave virtually NO EFFORT AT ALL. If I had paid to see that game I would have DEMANDED A REFUND FOR MY TICKET PURCHASE.
Realistic Falcon Fan
October 18th, 2010
2:17 pm
Everybody can see that our QB is not, has not, and I wonder will he ever develope the skillset required to do battle with the top teams in the league. As I read the comments, it is no bazaar observation that evryone can see his feet, vision, decision making, accuracy and mentality lacks the maturity at this stage in his career. As much as we would like to have a savior to proceed the Vick tenure. Matty Ice has not been the same since his first year. It woul be safe to say he has REGRESSED since entering the league. While our observations appear to be the same, do you really think the coaching staff do not know or see theses weaknesses. There is a reason why the ball is not stretched (thrown) deep down the field. No screen plays, no stepping up in the pocket. Sooner or later the team will start loosing confidence because they all watch films together the last time I checked. So I do not think it is not talked about among the team. Colt Mccoy makes his debut against the Steelers and throws for 281 yards. Matty Ice after three years goes against the Eagles and throws for 250-something. C’mon Falcons coaches and owner, Rise Up? Call a spade a spade. We could use a QB if we want to win…..
Falcon Jim
October 18th, 2010
2:26 pm
SeenThisB4 = Cheese Steak = atlapp = Kew.
ctfalconsfan
October 18th, 2010
2:36 pm
Realistic Falcon Fan – I’m not ready to give up on Ryan just yet but agree he has regressed from his rookie season. He panics way too quickly in the pocket. (Of course having Baker protecting your blind side, who could blame Matt for being jumpy).
I never thought that I would feel the same way about Ryan dropping back as I did Vick!
With Vick in the pocket, I was thinking sack, fumble, interception, over throw or a rare completion. I thought with Ryan in the pocket that I wouldn’t think like that anymore but I find myself very nervous when he is passing especially on a passing down.
cejay
October 18th, 2010
2:38 pm
SeenThisB4 = Cheese Steak = atlapp = Kew = ashcan
Bama Falcon Fan
October 18th, 2010
2:49 pm
Said in other pre-season post on guessestimate of the 2010 season that Falcons would be 13-3 or 12-4 for the season. Pitt=L, Pho=W, NO=W, SF=W, CLE=W, Phi=L, Cin=W, TAM=W, BAL=W, STL=W, GB=L, TAM=W, CAR=W, SEA=W, NO-W, CAR=W – Worst case could be loss with either Bal or NO. Dude get over it. Very few teams have ever went 16-0 or even 15-1.
ctfalconsfan
October 18th, 2010
2:51 pm
DOL – You and the other sports writers need to start putting pressure (through your articles) on the Falcons to fire Mularkey ASAP.
Living up north I can tell you that both the New York and Boston media would be ripping into their OC’s for such horrible game planning. You guys need to take the gloves off and stop with the softball questions after a beating like this and instead start asking Mike Smith the tough questions that need to be addressed!!
ctfalconsfan
October 18th, 2010
2:55 pm
Bama Fan – I don’t disagree that one would look at the Philly game and see a potential loss for ATL.
However it is the manner by which we lost that has me concerned.
(It’s also the manner of which we won against Saints, 49ers and Browns that also has me concerned!)
The score was much closer than the actual game as we were manhandled in every aspect by Philly. At least the Special teams didn’t give up any big plays as they have done all year.
This team needs a lot of work to get to 11-5 or 12-4..
Ken Strickland
October 18th, 2010
3:06 pm
In Sunday’s gm, we witnessed everything that’s wrong with the Falcons. Our coaching staff keeps thinking we can continue doing what we did in yr one and doing it the same way it was done then, even though teams have caught up to what we’re doing. Even though our OL aint bad, it’s certainly not good or strong enough to manhandle good teams with talent and a clue.
Our OL just doesn’t consistently run block well enough to make our rushing OFF consistently dominant. Our OL also doesn’t give QB MRyan enough time to make all of his reads, or our receivers enough time to complete their routes. OC MMULARKY IS STILL TRYING TO BEAT DEF’S BY KEEPING EVERYTHING BETWEEN THE TACKLES, AND REFUSING TO THROW SWING PASSES TO OUR RB’S OUT IN THE FLATS.
You’d think somebody on our coaching staff would take into account the difficulty we have defending our flats, and return the favor. Sending your RB’s into the flats is far more effective then holding them is as blockers. First, usually a LB is assigned to go out and cover the RB in the flat, which takes him out of the play, and prevents him from blitzing . Secondly, it usually creates a mismatch, and gives the QB an option or outlet. Thirdly, it spreads the DEF, rather than allowing them to sack the line and run or pass blitz.
Our play calling and overall OFF has become too predictable, and teams with schemes and talent have taken advantage of it for the last 2yrs. We don’t run any quick slants or outs, especially on 1st down. When teams are blitzing heavily, other than holding our RB’s and TE in to block, we don’t do anything to make them pay. Quit slant, outs, swing passes to or RB’s, TE, RB and WR screens are very effective against blitzes.
Instead of doing any of these things, which other teams routinely do, we consistently put all of the pressure on our OL to pickup the blitzes. And when they don’t, we offer no alternatives. Yes, we are a running team, but we do all of our running between the tackles. Yes, we have a Pro Bowl TE, WR and QB, but we limit who we pass too and how we pass.
Smitty needs to fire MMularkey and do what other teams with stagnant OFF’s are doing, and that’s hire an OFF coordinator with an OFF mind and system that will expand our OFF potential.
Lesa
October 18th, 2010
3:09 pm
C’mon DLed. I expect better from you. Just because the Falcons lost one game, does not mean the whole season is shot. Sheesh!! We have a soft part of the schedule coming up and the Falcons will rack up some wins. The Falcons are still the class of the NFC.
Falcon Jim
October 18th, 2010
3:20 pm
cejay,
I just went back and read ASHCAN. Yup, you are right. This guys got more persona’s than Eve.
Eskoballa
October 18th, 2010
3:24 pm
oh cmon first pittsburg now philly. jeez people, teams cant win them all, besides we not the only ones 4-2. bears, ravens, chiefs had losses to so y dont ya jump on them too. point of the matter: like pittsburg loss, we ll jes get back up and win. it is still too early to predict records and playoff. i guarantee we ll be on a streak again next week then after bye. you make mistakes, you learn from them…bottom line.
Eskoballa
October 18th, 2010
3:26 pm
and also, its odd how our 2 losses are from pennsylvania teams.
Edward
October 18th, 2010
3:27 pm
9-7 is being just a bit pessimistic isn’t it. The Falcons are 4-2 and are coming off a road loss in Philadelphia where the Eagles were yet to win a game this season until yesterday. The Falcons are well coached and will get things back under control this week back at the Georgia Dome against the Bengals, with a bye week after that and Tampa Bay to follow the Falcons should be 6-2 when the Ravens come to Atlanta for a Thursday nighter. Call me the ultimate optimist but I see 11-5 perhaps 12-4 out of this team.
JustAMinute
October 18th, 2010
3:29 pm
All of you guys on here talking about how lucky the Falcons were against the 49ers and Saints need to relax. One play can change the course of a game, and just because it happens at the end doesn’t mean that a team is lucky to win.
Yea against the Saints we got a break at the foot of Hartely, but that is why they play the game. In my opinion the Saints were lucky to even have a chance to win that game. How fortunate were the Saints that a punt grazes off of DeCoud’s foot and stays on the sideline to be recovered? In my opinion if the Falcons don’t lose the ball there, then they salt the game away anyways.
In the 49ers game our defense dominated Smith and Gore, and without their punt block for a touchdown that game is not even close anyways. I would say that they got pretty lucky too.
Furthermore, if the Falcons had came away with a touchdown out of the 3 field goals against the Steelers then I think we win that game too.
The team has had the ball bounce their way a few times late in the game, but they obviously played well enough to win.
They did play poorly against the Eagles yesterday though.
MV77777!11
October 18th, 2010
3:38 pm
YOU KNOW WHAT????????????????????
SOME OF THE FANS IN ATLANTA & THE TV FANS & BLOGGERS DONT UNDERSTAND. THEY ARE HURTING THIS FALCON TEAM WITH ALL THIS BULLSH#T….. REDNECK BULLSH#T….HATERS. MR.AUTHUR BLANK YOU ARE CRAZY AS HELL TO LET THESE FANS TELL YOU IN SO MANY WORDS HOW TO RUN YOUR TEAM. (FU#K THEMMMM) SHOP AT LOWES!!!!!! AT THE RATE THIS SH#T IS GOING MR. BLANK YOUR GOING TO LOSE ALL YOUR GOOD PLAYERS BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY FOR REDNECKS. FROM MCKAY ON DOWN BUDDY!!!!!…ITS ALMOST TO LATE FOR YOU MR .BLANK.(HOMEDEPOT OR THE FALCONS) THATS WHY 25,000 OF YOUR OLD FANBASE AN MYSELF SUPPORT MICHAEL VICK (EAGLES). BE A MAN !!!!! A OWNER LIKE JERRY JONES… WITH SOME BALLS…..
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JustAMinute
October 18th, 2010
3:38 pm
One more thing on all of this lucky talk. If David Tyree drops the ball against the Patriots in the Super Bowl then New England would have won and been the first team to go 18-0. I didn’t hear everyone talking about how lucky the Giants were to win.
Realistic Falcon Fan
October 18th, 2010
3:45 pm
Lesa – There are no soft schedules in professional football. If you cannot see what we all see, what happens when we meet another caliber team? My Point. We are currently a long way from the class of the NFC. Get Real…..We need to make improvements and changes now to even have a chance at being a top notch team. Not to poke at you but you are not REALISTIC, or just don’t know the game of football..
ShempHoward
October 18th, 2010
3:54 pm
All I wanted to see yesterday was the MIKE VICK versus MATTY ICE showdown. VICK WOULD HAVE OUTGUNNED AND OUTPERFORMED ICE BY A COUNTRY MILE AND THIS IS ALL I WANTED TO SEE.
AceRichards
October 18th, 2010
3:58 pm
Shemp: I agree with you totally! I know most fans wont admit it, but they know they wanted to see if Ice was better than Vick, which he is not. Its the same thing in the NBA each year when the playoffs begin, MOST FANS WANT TO SEE KOBE and LABRON play in the finals to see who is better. LaBron has won a couple of MVP trophies yet the majority of fans know that Kobe is the best player. The best way to decide is if they both are in the same arena at the same time so that you can make your assessments simultaneously.
Joe Tess Fish House
October 18th, 2010
3:59 pm
I have a felling the Falcons wont finish beter then 5 – 12
Realistic Falcon Fan
October 18th, 2010
4:01 pm
MV777777!!11 – Guy WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU WRITING? YOU SOUND VERY IGNORANT AND NOT SLIGHTLY INTELLIGENT. SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE JUST SAYING THINGS WITH NO SUBSTANCE OR FACTS. YOU CONTRADICT YOURSELF. YOU ARE INTITLED TO YOUR OPINION, BUT GOOD LORD MY MAN????????????
ctfalconsfan
October 18th, 2010
4:03 pm
To all the guys talking about luck, I agree teams need to be lucky but they also need to be good.
I’m questioning how good we really are?? Or at least how good is our coaching staff?
I look at the big picture and yes while I love a win against the Saints, 49ers and Browns I also know that we were lucky against the Saints and WE SHOULD HAVE DOMINATED the 49ers and Browns which we didn’t. This is a concern.
The Defense I’ll let slide as they have done a GREAT job, up until yesterday, and are exceeding expectations but our offense is plain terrible. Very few points scored against PITT, 49ERS, Browns, and Eagles. The offense BY FAR is not coming close to even meeting expectations. This needs to be addressed now with the firing of Mike Mularkey..
Firing Mike Mularkey propelled the Steelers into the Super Bowl!!! The time is now to dump the dead weight!
cejay
October 18th, 2010
4:07 pm
ShempHoward
October 18th, 2010
3:54 pm
All I wanted to see yesterday was the MIKE VICK versus MATTY ICE showdown. VICK WOULD HAVE OUTGUNNED AND OUTPERFORMED ICE BY A COUNTRY MILE AND THIS IS ALL I WANTED TO SEE.
———————————————-
Well, at least you got your name right !! hahahaha—- stooge !!
DJ Sniper
October 18th, 2010
4:08 pm
Why are people in here pushing the panic button on Matt Ryan? Some of you act like he’s the second coming of Trent Edwards or any of the other 467 quarterbacks that have played for the Miami Dolphins since Dan Marino retired. I won’t sit here and say that he’s perfect by any means, but he’s not nearly as bad as some of you make him out to be:
1. People are saying that he’s regressed, but looking at his numbers, he’s on pace to throw for just under 3800 yards. He threw for 3440 as a rookie and would have gotten close to that number or surpassed it had he not had the toe turn injury last season.
2. You take Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Drew Brees and put them in our offensive system and their numbers probably won’t look so good either. Those three guys play for teams that air the ball out and take deep shots down the field instead of leaning towards the dink and dunk stuff that we run. Also, our pass blocking hasn’t been up to snuff this season, especially yesterday.
This team does have some areas to address in next year’s draft, but QB is not one of them. Open up the playbook and let Ryan have full command of the offense and we will see much different results. We can already see the difference when he runs the no huddle.
MV6
October 18th, 2010
4:10 pm
The flag for unnecessary roughness on the Jets DB was total bs on Lloyd in the Broncos-Jets game, he catches it near the sideline, gets hit & no helmet to helmet bs, & gets flagged for late hit which was a joke! Is this pro football??? or ballet??? The NFL is ruining pro football with all the bs rules, pretty soon all the recievers & running backs will be wearing red no hit jerseys too!
DJ Sniper
October 18th, 2010
4:11 pm
Also, can somebody tell me exactly when Mularkey was given the boot by the Steelers?
cejay
October 18th, 2010
4:15 pm
SeenThisB4 = Cheese Steak = atlapp = Kew = ashcan = shempHoward = MV77777!11
Big O
October 18th, 2010
4:20 pm
Before the season began, I predicted a 10-6 season for the Falcons. It still looks pretty reasonable. I saw one play yesterday where the ball was hiked and Ryan instantly rared up and threw the ball to a sideline receiver before he looked at his other receivers. It turned out Gonzolaz was wide open in the end zone, but Ryan never even looked. So the Falcons QB still has some growing to do along with the other young players before it gets playoff time. Plus despite all the o-line praise I’ve heard, we may need a few better players there yet also.
Falcon Jim
October 18th, 2010
4:21 pm
cejay, that makes the seven faces of Eve! !
HA HA HA
Falcon Jim
October 18th, 2010
4:22 pm
I’ll bet Cheese Steak’s boyfriend wore him out last-night after their victory.
cejay
October 18th, 2010
4:29 pm
Yes, ole Cheese steak, for someone that was here talking so much crap before the game and has not come back to rub our nose in it, makes you think…hhhmmmmmmm. Maybe now that we’ve mentioned him , he’ll “mysteriously” (wink,wink) show up !
Fan
October 18th, 2010
4:35 pm
9 and 7. What a joke. Try 7 and 9. Big hype at the beginning of the season. Now begins the BIG fallout.
cejay
October 18th, 2010
4:36 pm
SeenThisB4 = Cheese Steak = atlapp = Kew = ashcan = shempHoward = MV77777!11 = fan
SawThat1nce
October 18th, 2010
4:40 pm
The Falcons will finish 2010 12-4.
SawThat1nce
October 18th, 2010
4:43 pm
The Eagles had a better game plan yesterday, that was the difference.
SawThat1nce
October 18th, 2010
4:44 pm
I think that going back 15 to 20 years to predict the outcome of the 2010 season, is anti-smart.
Falcon Jim
October 18th, 2010
5:14 pm
cejay, I think if we talk about him, we will”channel” him.
Nedt
October 19th, 2010
9:23 am
I will start by stating that I am an Eagles fan and was at the game on Sunday. No question that the Eagles totally outplayed and outcoached the Falcons. In fact, the final score was not indicative of the beating the Eagles put on the Falcons. However, I was shocked that the Atlanta coaching staff (or Matt Ryan, for that matter) did not work to abuse Ellis Hobbs at left corner. Whichever receiver lined up on Hobbs’ side was sure to be open. Hobbs was playing off the line the entire game. he chipped no one at the line. He allowed the Atlanta WR’s to operate in wide open space and did nothing to slow them down. Not only was he terrible in coverage but he struggled tackling all day as well. The first TD to Gonzo was a one-on-one isolation on Hobbs and it was no contest. If the Falcons staff and/or QB were savvy, they would have exploited the Hobbs matchups all day. Instead, Ryan threw at Samuel, a Pro Bowl DB, more than any other QB in two years. Made no sense. The opportunity was there and Ryan just didn’t capitalize on it. Had he gone after Hobbs, it would have hanged the entire game… Thx.
GunnerWashington
October 19th, 2010
1:20 pm
Andy Reid is esctatic that he can waffle back and forth between starting Vick and Kolb. Both guys are great #1 starting qbs. Kolb is the one with the hot hand now so Kolb temporarily has the starting job until Vick does something spectacular and the pendulum shifts back to Vick. I’LL SAY THIS ABOUT THE VICK/KOLB QUARTERBACK CONTRAVERSY. Vick can do anythinng Kolb can do. Kolb cannot do anything that Vick does. That is how I would determine who the starter is.
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
October 19th, 2010
4:33 pm
D-Led – I’m just trying to understand how you were able to make that giant leap from game five in the season to end up at 9 and 7 for the year?
The years that you are comparing aren’t even comparable. Oh ye of little faith….
ShempHoward
October 19th, 2010
5:28 pm
I am disappointed that Mike Vick didnt get a chance to play against his former team the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday. I’m sure Vick wanted to show Arthur Blank and the organization that they made a mistake letting Vick and Schaub go to stick with Matt Ryan. I’m sure Matt is an overall better quarterback than Vick. Schaub is better than both Vick and Matt. Ryan will make the hall of fame and have a similar career to that of Steve Young. Matty had one of the best rookie seasons on the books in nfl history AND Matty Ice also won offensive rookie of the year honors in his first season for a spectacular performance on the field. I am predicting that Matt Ryan will be the best quarterback in the league in 2-3 years from now. I know for sure that when Tom Brady and Peyton Manning retire, Matt will be the best quarterback in the league. IF THE FALCONS FACE THE EAGLES IN THE PLAYOFFS, THE MATCHUP OF VICK VERSUS MATT RYAN WILL REAPPEAR AND FANS WILL DELIGHT IN GETTING THE CHANCE TO SEE RYANS PERFORMANCE VERSUS VICK.
ShempHoward
October 20th, 2010
2:17 pm
I dont understand why Mike Vick has been dropped to No. 3 qb by Reid. Vick is #1, gets a few cracked ribs now all of a sudden he has to take a back seat to the two other qbs on the team. This is insane. Mike should have EXPLODED once he found out he was being demoted for getting cracked ribs. This proves beyond a doubt that there is no honesty in sports anymore. How could Andy Reid look Michael in the face and say, you know what Mike, were sorry you got a few ribs cracked in the game, but you will be rewarded for it by giving up your #1 position and taking two backseats and moving all the way back to #3 (the last qb position). Ive never heard of that happening before and I feel that Mike Vick should sue the Eagles for discrimination and unlawful personnel practices.
PaulWarfield
October 20th, 2010
3:28 pm
I read earlier where some moron said that Vick needs to be in a Falcon uniform. I am sure there are just a handful of idiots who feel that way (mostly the Vick supporters and the Matt “Choke” idiots) but the vast majority of fans dont want to ever see Vick ever again. Vick is the Philadelphia Eagle mascot (bird brain) and will continue as the no. 3 qb until he gets his unconditional release. VICK WILL MAKE NO MORE OF AN IMPACT THAN A STATUE OR A STORE MANIQUEN.
JuniorBridgeman
October 20th, 2010
3:36 pm
Dunta couldnt stop when he speared jackson last sunday. Dunta could see jackson in his rear view mirror but couldnt see him until he became a deer in his headlights and rammed him into the ground driving him into the dirt with the force of a nuclear explosion.