10:54 am February 13, 2011, by D. Orlando Ledbetter

Bob Bratkowski (Associated Press).
We haven’t heard from Matt Ryan since the end of the Green Bay game.
In addition to Carson Palmer, here’s a list of quarterbacks that the new Falcons quarterback coach has work with:
1989 at the U: Craig Erickson.
1991 at the U: Gino Torretta.
1992-’98, Seattle: Rick Mirer, John Friesz and Warren Moon.
1999-2000 Pittsburgh: Was the wide receivers coach.
2001-’10 Cincinnati: Jon Kitna, Carson Palmer and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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D. Orlando Ledbetter
February 14th, 2011
8:22 am
EARLY RETURNS:
Do you like the hiring of Bob Bratkowski as quarterbacks coach?
* Yes (43%, 427 Votes)
* Undecided (37%, 368 Votes)
* No (20%, 207 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,002
Bird Game
February 14th, 2011
8:28 am
D. Ledbetter,
Honestly…. give one high light of Bratkowski career that speaks out great hire…. I’ll wait.
mgdawg
February 14th, 2011
8:58 am
Has carson palmer really progressed that much? He had a good couple of seasons at the start of his career, but since then he has flatlined and probably isn’t in the top half of qb’s in the nfl. Maybe this was due to his injury or some other factor that I don’t know, but having carson palmer as the top name on the list doesn’t blow me away. However, I do realize the top qb coaches out there are not going to make a lateral move, if they leave their team they’re going to want to be an offensive coordinator. Hopefully the falcons know what they are doing.
LOCKOUT
February 14th, 2011
9:05 am
All of this talk is irrelevent. THERE WILL BE NO..ZERO NFL PLAYED IN THE 2011-12 SEASON. START LOOKING AHEAD TO 2012-13.
PMC
February 14th, 2011
9:18 am
I don’t know enough about his body of work to say whether or not I like the move or not. I’ll just hope for the best.
The fact that he’s been employed as a QB coach in the league for a long time would seem to be in the plus column much moreso than that resume of students.
Cincinatti is a trainwreck of an organization with horrible ownership. Success is going to be few and far between there for virtually anyone. Hard to judge any player or coach only on what they did for the Bengals.
Rick Mirer was vastly overrated because he was a QB for the Irish….(and we all know that never happens right?)
Barkin'Dog
February 14th, 2011
9:19 am
1989 at the U: Craig Erickson.
1991 at the U: Gino Torretta.
These 2 QBs did pretty well being coached by Bratkowski in those years at the U of Miami (college). What happened to these 2 QBs in the pros hasn’t much to do with their college QB coach.
PMC
February 14th, 2011
9:20 am
I really think another athletic TE, a faster WR on one side or the slot (perhaps HD) and or a back with some speed out of the backfield who can catch passes will ultimately help Matt Ryan. He needs to model his game after Drew Brees.
DoninAcworth
February 14th, 2011
9:22 am
Seems like another step forward for Matt and the team. I’m with the coach here.
Sid
February 14th, 2011
9:22 am
Bratkowski wasn’t the Bengals QB coach, he was their Offensive Coordinator for the last 10 years being replaced by Jay Gruden this month. Bratkowski’s dad was a QB (Packers) but Bratkowski himself was a wide receiver. You don’t hear anything about Frank Reich (Peyton Manning’s QB coach) so I guess we’ll just have to trust the hire to the Falcons brass.
Barkin'Dog
February 14th, 2011
9:24 am
If Palmer hadn’t torn his ACL in the first half of the AFC CG against Pittsburgh, they would have won that game and likely the Super Bowl. And, as we all know, Palmer has never been the same since (fear of future injury, quick releases, I assume). Then the carnival began with Ocho Cinco, etc… and the Bengals regressed for all time (hence why Palmer wants out). One can only assume Bratkowski wanted out ASAP as well. Personally, I’m glad to have him – believe he will perform better than any other time in his career with this opportunity. GO FALCONS!
Terrell
February 14th, 2011
9:29 am
Falcons relax
Are you serious? First you say we should get Nnamdi and then we should franchise Grimes and move him to NB? I’m sorry but that is just dumb. You’re going to pay Grimes $10-15M to be a NB? Come On Man.
The Jets are good because they can generate a pash rush and they allow their DBs to play man the whole game which is a strength of Revis and Cromartie. They are both suspect in zone defense
Barkin'Dog
February 14th, 2011
9:31 am
Sid — good call on Frank Reich… one of my favorite back-ups of all time. He orchestrated the greatest comeback in NCAA history (playing for Maryland vs. Miami, the week after Flutie’s Hail Mary, against Bernie Kosar), and NFL history for Buffalo in the AFC CG against Warren Moon’s Oilers after Jim Kelly went down (these records may have been broken since then, though). I would suppose the best news about a QB coach is no news (as you stated). Only bad news seems to make the news
mryan2
February 14th, 2011
9:34 am
If you’re an Atlanta/Georgia Sports fan and want to talk with other fans, check out our NEW message board.
http://www.atlsportsnation.com/forum
We have team forums for the Falcons, Bulldogs, Hawks, Braves, Yellow Jackets, Thrashers, etc. Please register and post! Be apart of a huge site in the early days of existence. See ya there! We’re looking for posters, moderators, bloggers/writers. Join up if interested.
cbcon
February 14th, 2011
10:17 am
He has a good pedigree. Wiki him and his dad, Zeke.
Falcon Fan 2
February 14th, 2011
11:46 am
Its a done deal, he is the Coach so why all the voting and BS. Lets see what the man can do. Support the Falcons and work together..get good draft picks and lets win!!!!
JSS
February 14th, 2011
12:26 pm
“Cincinatti is a trainwreck of an organization with horrible ownership. Success is going to be few and far between there for virtually anyone. Hard to judge any player or coach only on what they did for the Bengals.”
That is like “Mama’s Family” (the Falcons all-time .424 winning percentage) calling “BJ and the Bear” (the Bengals all-time .435 winning percentage) bad TV!
SawThat1nce
February 14th, 2011
12:55 pm
Stuck in TVLand?
Die Hard Falcon
February 14th, 2011
1:09 pm
Hey all, I for one think this is a good hire for us, but only time will tell. I trust TD and his judgement, while it’s not perfect, I think it’s the best in the almost 20 years I’ve been a Falcons fan.
In other offseason comments, I would very much like to get Nnamdi but he isn’t going to come to ATL, unfortunately he’s talked only about the Jets and the Packers, let’s hope he stays in the AFC if he doesn’t come our way. One thing that crossed my mind though was now that the Texans are moving to a 3-4 D, what does that mean for Super Mario Williams? I know it’s a ridiculous longshot, and I’m a dreamer, but if they would somehow be willing to trade him for our 1st round pick and JA98 who fits the 3-4 better perhaps, or even adding another mid round pick or something, would that not be an “super” pick up for us? I know it’s a dream and almost certain not to happen, but what a scenario. Any thoughts?
Kane337
February 14th, 2011
1:11 pm
With the lockout looming Bratkowski may not even get a chance to coach up Ryan until September.
Die Hard Falcon
February 14th, 2011
1:18 pm
I think this is a good hire, you’re not going to get a huge name for a position coach very often, and when you do, they usually leave in a year or 2, this guy has plenty of experience and I trust in TD’s decision-making ability. Not perfect but the best I’ve seen in ATL in the 20 years of being a Falcon fan.
In other offseason comments:
I would love to get Nnamdi, but he’s said he wants to play for the Jets or the Packers. I hope he decides to stay in the AFC if he won’t come to us. I was thinking since the Texans are switching to a 3-4, I wonder what that’ll mean for Super Mario Williams? I know it’s a complete dream that will most likely never happen, but what about trading our 1st round pick, JA98 (since he fits 3-4 scheme), and another mid round pick to Houston for Williams? I know it’s a stretch, but that would lift us up to elite status immediately. Any thoughts or has anyone heard anything regarding the Texans moving Williams to other teams or where they’ll play him?
Decatur Falcon
February 14th, 2011
1:27 pm
Matt Ryan needs Bratkowski wisdom, because Matt Ryan needs it out there on the field. Now Matt Ryan has to get some arm strength, he is tall and can see over the line. I love that, but you have Roddy White. No wide receiver like to came back for the football, Falcons don’t have the wide receiver that got that kind of instinct on the field to fight for the football in the air like Green Packers wide receivers. Mike Smith has to see this about Matt Ryan when he look at game film. I am hoping that Bratkowski can correct Matt Ryan weakness, and become the quarterback we drafted in the first round.
Trailboss
February 14th, 2011
1:48 pm
Now that we have a new OB coach,,,, Don’t for the our DF coor. who play not to lose insteal of playing to winn. I can’t blame the plays its the coaches call the plays and I know none of the wanted to play prevent D and they’re behind and Van Gore and 3-8 prevent D. He should be back in college.
JSS
February 14th, 2011
3:02 pm
SawThat1nce
February 14th, 2011
12:55 pm
“Stuck in TVLand?”
They wouldn’t play that crap on TV Land… That is why the comment about the Bengals was illogical coming from a Atlanta sports fan (sorry Paul, you actually make sense 98% of the time)…
Brian
February 14th, 2011
4:34 pm
SAINTS FANS and others pretending to be Falcon faithful (JSS – I’m talkin to you!)– GO BACK TO THE ‘AINTS BLOG WHERE YOU BELONG!
Did anyone pay attention to Carson’s numbers without the DIVAS on the field? In the two games with good route runners (and without T-OCHO to contend with) Carson posted 90+ passer rates (according to NFL.com). Matty is a GOOD QB, still developing and needs two more speedy WR with great hands to scare defensive secondaries out of double coverage. Matty showed in the PRO BOWL he can take you apart with multiple targets (Calvin Johnson, FITZ, Desean, ROWDY). HD and Jenks (even Roddy) dropped many crucial passes along the course of the season.
This Bratkowski guy is just a position coach, NOT the OC!
Here are what I think the important draft/free agency needs are:
1 – WR (James Jones (GB) will be a free agent this year.)
2 – OT (specifically left tackle) Baker struggled all year against speed rushers.
3 – DE (Abe is in the twilight of his career)
4 – RB (Turner will be 31 this year and Norwood needs to go.)
5 – TE
6 – OLB/MLB
7 – OG
JSS
February 14th, 2011
6:40 pm
Reposting here as well…
@ Brian the Clown…
I systematically answered your “snarky” post. Maybe your master and protector Ledbetter will release it… If not, you have no clue!
PlanB
February 14th, 2011
8:09 pm
Don’t forget about Meier next year. I think he will be good but hope he doesn’t come back like H. Douglas did this year.
I do think we should go for Nnamdi though if we are serious about being SB contenders.
I still have to wonder who is calling the O & D schemes in games. Is it MM & BVG or is Smitty putting conservative restraints on them. If not, we need to let MM go.
MB
February 14th, 2011
9:23 pm
WE NEED A Back that can catch the football
MB
February 14th, 2011
9:31 pm
we need to chill relax a littli bit were in the third yr of a process ive been wtchn since 66 seen alot of bad times arthur will get us thru.do yall know who the smiths r.this aint even close.count ur bleesins.gonna build thru the draft.we will have r revenge.green bay ur lucky
yo mama
February 14th, 2011
11:44 pm
Look Ryan;s game is solid except for throwing the deep ball. he hangs it up too high, just throw the damn ball deep better than we have, and thats an improvement. carson can throw the deep ball. what else does Matty have to do? he needs to win in the post season, and work on his deep ball. looks like his work last off season worked, and now has a new coach to help out his game. nice work. good find.
kevin
February 14th, 2011
11:46 pm
Let me set everyone straight about Bob Crapkowski….as a long suffering Bengals fan, Bengals nation has wanted this bum gone for 3 straight years and finally got their wish. He is the NFL graveyard for QB’s and offenses…has shown an utter inability to adjust in-game to situations, does not utilitze the talent around him (forget about your TE ever getting the ball thrown to him, bob would rather bite off his own hand first)…has let RB Bernard Scott rot on the bench instead of using him in the screen game with his immense speed…and he is the undertaker for all quality QB’s….last good season he oversaw an offense was 2005….and the talent stayed the same for 3 years following that. Anybody would be insane to make their O-coordinator….QB coach is even a huge stretch. Mark it down–he will single handedly ruin Matt Ryan within a matter of 2 years. He already did the same to Carson Palmer.
SawThat1nce
February 15th, 2011
1:58 am
Jss…..@6:40pm……………your “snarky” post….Ha Ha.
SawThat1nce
February 15th, 2011
2:01 am
Enter your comments here
Jeff
February 15th, 2011
9:15 am
Wish the Falcons were hiring a new defensive coordinator. The current one is not capable of coaching in the nfl.
yeahsure
February 15th, 2011
10:07 am
Theres no pleasing some of you “falcons” fans. This is a guy with decades of football experience that we are hiring as QB COACH. It’s not HC or OC. He will not be calling plays!
“but we should have hired __enter big name here___ or ______ ” Umm… maybe they didn’t want to leave their stable higher paying jobs, move their families to come to Atlanta to become a QB Coach.
schmeckdawg
February 15th, 2011
10:18 am
Can this guy improve on the Falcons’ third favortie play? Hey Tony take two step and turn around. The Falcons need a lot of help at a lot of postitions so the hiring of this guy doesn’t really float my boat. Get back to us with some free agency signings and after the draft!
yeahsure
February 15th, 2011
10:26 am
Musgrave is well respected and may have been a really good coach. However, Matty did have several instances where he stared down receivers and threw off his back foot on the long ball. Maybe a fresh pair of eyes from a football guy will have some benefit for this progression.
And again, position coaches do not call plays on the offense or defense.
Who?
February 15th, 2011
10:40 am
why are the falcons hiring no name coaches from a crummy team like the bengals? Their offense was terrible. Atl needs to hire coaches from good teams like Green Bay and New England, not the lowly bengals. Atl better get it together quick or they may not even make the playoffs next year.
JR from VR
February 15th, 2011
10:49 am
I was hoping the Falcons could hire John Ramsdell from San Diego if he perhaps was interested in a change of situation but I trust Smitty and think Bratkowski will be a good QB coach
JeanE
February 15th, 2011
11:57 am
Why do we need the “next Finneran” when we still got the original? His hands didn’t stop working, nor did his brain, his character or his stellar work ethic! Guy can still move the chains and we can’t afford to lose his excellent play on special teams, I hope the Falcons Brass realizes these facts.
falCANTS4ever
February 15th, 2011
12:24 pm
where are all the fans that have been saying Matty Melt doesn’t need a QB coach?…he’s top tier…one of the greatest…HOF stuff…my a$$….no coach will be able to get MM to quit looking at his primary receiver at the snap….and of course, who’s gonna coach him out of that ‘out’ pass that sails over the receiver and into the ball boy’s hands…..falCANTS
Truly study the game of football, the trends, and what's going on.
February 15th, 2011
5:47 pm
Undecided
Jethro
February 15th, 2011
8:31 pm
Ryan’s a sponge. If Brat has something worth offering (I think he does) then Ryan will absorb. Matt’s not so malleable that a coach can completely change his style. Wouldn’t be a good coach if he tried. Besides, Matt didn’t lose to Green Bay – the Atlanta Falcons lost to Green Bay. This is a team that doesn’t need an overhaul; it needs a tweak. A different perspective is a tweak.
Falcons relax
February 16th, 2011
11:22 pm
@ Terrell Im serious as a heart attack. Heck yeah I said we should franchise tag Grimes (TO KEEP HIM 1 MORE YEAR) and sign Nnamdi. I said that would be the dream. But letting grimes go in FA and signing Nnamid is more of a realistic thing. Either way my point is signing nnamdi would be epic. AND WHY DO YOU THINK THE JEST GENERATE A PASS RUSH???? Its because of the CBs in Cro and Revis. IT AIN THE PASS RUSH.
Look at the steelers, prime example. Got ate up by the packers. STeelers have a strong front 7 and pass rush, BUT GARBAGE CB’S. Jets are the exact opposite. JEts don’t have a Polamalu or James Harrison type players. Rex Ryan has to make exotic blitzes and schemes to get to the QB based on the play of Revis and Cro. Point being, WE NEED THE SECONDARY TO GET STRONGER. We get a pass rush with Babs and ABe all the time but the secondary gets ate up too often.CB’s create the pass rush with their great covers skills, while a team like the Steelers has to create a pass rush for the CBs to even have a shot at covers skills.