7 things wrong with the Falcons
Sporting Atlanta's version of the cheese heads, the ice heads Chris Elliott, Brian Sutton and Danny Boswell (left to right) cheer for Falcons quarterback Matt "Matty Ice" Ryan as he takes the field to play the Green Bay Packers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
FLOWERY BRANCH – The Falcons (2-3) will try to circle the wagons against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers (1-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
The one thing that sticks out from our chats with Falcons coach Mike Smith this week is notion that the coaches and players have to work together to right their ship.
“It starts with the coaching staff and the players,” Smith said. “We’re only going to fix this together. We’re not going to fix this individually. It’s not one person, it’s not one thing.”
Man, it sure isn’t one thing. Here’s my little list of 7 things that need some fixing.
- Penalties. They have 32 penalties through five games after being the least penalized team in the league last season with 58 penalties. Tyson Clabo’s holding made sense under the “you can’t let the quarterback get killed” doctrine. Roddy White’s penalty made sense, too. He was complaining about the late hit – that wasn’t called – when Ryan took a pop while sliding. The illegal substitution and illegal formation penalties are pee wee football penalties. Those are the ones that must be eliminated.
Matt Ryan calls an audible at the line of scrimmage during 1st half action against the Packers. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
- Where’s the Ice Man? Quarterback Matt Ryan is not playing well (seven touchdowns, six interceptions). He had his fourth-lowest passer rating (53.6) in four seasons against the Packers. He had a 49.3 on Dec. 28, 2008 in a season-finale 31-27 win over St. Louis, a 46.6 against New Orleans in a 35-27 loss on Nov. 2, 2009, and 29.3 in the second game of his career, a 24-9 loss to Tampa Bay. The Falcons are 16-0 when he has a passer rating of 100 or more. They need the razor-sharp 100-point man going forward.
- Pass defense. The secondary is still hemorrhaging yards. They are giving up 294.2 yards per game which ranks 28th in the league. Chicago’s Jay Cutler (312), Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson (319) and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers (396) have all passed for more than 300 yards against the Falcons. (If Jermichael Finley doesn’t have two drops, Rodgers would have passed for more than 400 yards.)
- Pass rush. Defensive end Ray Edwards, signed to help the pass rush, only has one sack and John Abraham is battling another groin injury. Edwards acknowledged that he has been slowed by knee surgery that he had during the lockout. “It’s getting better and better each week, and it’s starting to show in my play,” Edwards said. Also, Edwards, who was signed to a six-year, $30 million contract, eased into a new role. With Minnesota he rushed solely from left end. The Falcons flip-flop their ends depending on the matchups, so he’s played some left and right end. “I’ve adjusted,” Edwards said. “Actually, my first sack came from the right side. I definitely have adjusted to it.” Perhaps the Falcons need to drop the whole notion of harassing the quarterback and actually getting them on the ground.
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Packers kicker Matt Crosby nails a long field goal over the reach of Falcons defensive end Ray Edwards. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
Protect the Ice Man. The offensive line, with one new starter, has given up 14 sacks and 35 quarterback hits. However, they have given up only one sack in the last two games.
- Run game: Michael Turner rushed for 100 yards against Chicago and 114 against Philadelphia. The “Ground and Pound” attack has sprung Turner for 20 yards against Tampa Bay, 70 against Tampa Bay and 56 against Green Bay.
- Third down woes. The Falcons are allowing the opposition to convert on 46.3 percent of their third downs, which is 30th in the league. Curtis Lofton has a plan. “Put pressure on the quarterback,” Lofton said. “Get sacks. Sacks equal great coverage and great coverage equals sacks. We have to just keep working together and playing together as a team.” Ask if he could pinpoint the issue, Lofton said, “It’s a combination of different things.”
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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347 comments Add your comment
JSS
October 13th, 2011
10:53 am
@ Southern Man…
Sadly I bet they didn’t, and they were blaming the critics of the Falcons for the defeat!
TruthSeeker
October 13th, 2011
11:00 am
I agree with a lot of the previous comments. The Falcons were about a 10-6 team last year that went 13-3 thanks to a favorable schedule and extremely good health. But when they ran into a better Packers team in the playoff, their lofty record was exposed as a fraud.
TD didn’t do a good enough job addressing this team’s needs. Julio Jones was a non-essential luxury. Ray Edwards wasn’t the answer to fixing the pass defense. We should have addressed that problem directly by fortifying the secondary in the draft and then going hard after Nnamdi Asomugha or Jonathan Joseph in free agency.
DC Dirty Bird
October 13th, 2011
11:02 am
Wow, fire TD rants? Please, no GM is perfect. Even the SB champs have picked some duds. Our GM does a good job of selecting players that fit the profile of the players the coaches desire. Quite frankly, I like the fact that he went out and got DRob, Edwards, and Julio. Its up to the coaches to maximize their talents and the rest of the league seems to think that these individuals have considerable talent.
Teams don’t crowd the line every down. Just the downs that Mularkey screams RUN!!! with his weak formations. And for those that speak on Ryans accuracy with the deep ball, you’re right, its not accurate. You act as if its something the team focuses on in practice or that the line actually blocks for. There is a reason we only scored 14 points against a defense that leaked like a seeve against Kyle Orton and the Denver Broncos. Lets see, how many points did Carolina put up on the Bears in Chicago?
Its not the team that’s been reading their own press clippings, its the coaches. Now Mike Smith thinks its acceptable to say that a false start or holding penalty is a drive killer. Guess what, it doesn’t have to be and it doesn’t seem to stop the better offenses in the league.
DESIGN PLAYS FOR THE PLAYMAKERS. IT’S THAT SIMPLE.
tmc
October 13th, 2011
11:03 am
plain and simple:
The Falcons BIGGEST problem is the defense.
It’s not the only problem, but it should be on the top of the list.
When you give up the yards they are, the big plays and the 3rd down converts by the other team…. effects the ENTIRE team.
Fix the defense and the offense get’s better.
2nd on the list should be finding a punter.
He’s killing the defense as well.
Pete
October 13th, 2011
11:04 am
It’s the same ole tired worn out problems that have plagued the mediocre Falcons forever.
If we hear them once more we can all dance to them. LOL
Dawgdad (the Original)
October 13th, 2011
11:04 am
When the offense and defensive coordinator, both very agressive in prior jobs, are criticized for being too conservative, maybe it is not them calling the shots. Who actually controlls the defense and offensive play calling?
Chandler going Deep..
October 13th, 2011
11:05 am
@bert help immediately! That family tree of yours has issues…..
Chandler going Deep..
October 13th, 2011
11:05 am
seek^
SirReal
October 13th, 2011
11:06 am
@teamguy Ummm actually many fans dont like Ryan not b/c he is european descent but rather bc the last one was just plain better. Im not european but I like a LOT of “white” QBs and Ryan just isnt at the top of my list. Here are my fav “white” QBs who are vastly better than Wack Ryan. 1) Brady 2) Brees 3) Rivers 4) the Brothers Manning 5) Stafford 6)Fitzpatrick (yes Fitzpatrick. the guy has skills.lol) 7)Schaub 8)sBradford 9) last but CERTAINLY not least Mr Rodgers. You know…the current reigning champion
By the way I’m not “white”. Get over yourself and beyond socially constructed concepts and think for yourself if you can.
John S
October 13th, 2011
11:11 am
There is nothing wrong with the team…it is the coaching. The Falcs have thrown more this year than ever before, and while I believe in Matty Ice, he is not an every down passer right now. I think in the next 2-3 years he will be, granted the line can hold which they currently can’t. When successful the falcs play a greasy run game, lots of counters and inside runs followed by play action. The first half against GB they played this…in the second half they started passing, why? Don’t change what works. They got Julio and now think they are the f-ing colts. Stick to what you are run the ball.
Finally, the defense isn’t playing bad but they should be prepared to give up yards since Dunta Robinson is awful and the safeties, while I love Decoud, are not cover safeties. Brent is amazing and one of the best CB’s in the leagues but they need to adapt the Bears style, very conservative Pass-D and stiff nosed run D. Keep safties high and be willing to give up yards but be steady in red zone.
LambordiLivesOn
October 13th, 2011
11:12 am
They should’ve come with some yellow spray paint …then they cld change them to look like cheese when the dirty birds start to lose…I suspect as dirty bird fans can’t get too comfortable with any game….
John S
October 13th, 2011
11:13 am
@sirreal…you are insane. Fitzpatrick, Eli Manning, and Bradford….what a foolish statement. Let’s see any of these guys, except Manning, piece together a season and then we can talk.
Chandler going Deep..
October 13th, 2011
11:14 am
Matt Ryan has been a MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT!
Southern Man
October 13th, 2011
11:16 am
Lambordi? Are you trying to spell “Lombardi”?
Chandler going Deep..
October 13th, 2011
11:17 am
Ryan is supposed to playing like former UGA great Matt Stafford!!!
BigdaddyC
October 13th, 2011
11:17 am
Our blame the coaches mentality over the past ten years is the same as our blame the teacher mentality when our kid fails. The players have to play the game and perform… I get sick of the blme the coaches.. I bet when you slack off at work or just screw up you blame the boss.. we always have to blame someone! Take responsibility for yourself, step up to the plate and hit the ball. Oh yea, that’s another sport.. Where the Braves fans want to blame the hitting coach, when these 30 year old hitters just forgot how to hit.
Boom Boom
October 13th, 2011
11:20 am
This is Simple….Move the Team to LA and we won’t have any of these problems anymore. Atlanta is a College Football Town Period.
Southern Man
October 13th, 2011
11:20 am
I would agree with those who , among other issues, fault the coaching. Did you notice the GB staff coaching up their players during the 1st half on what the Falcons were doing? They obviously made the needed adjustments, while the Falcons’ coaches did not.
Glenn
October 13th, 2011
11:21 am
Seven things Wrong with Falcons:
1. Dunta Robinson
2. Matt Bosher
3. Michael Turner. Slower than my Grand mother BEFOR the artificial hip.
4. Rayan can’t throw deep.
5. White and Jones can’t catch deep.
6. O line and D Line
7. BVG and MM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bums gotta go!
tt44
October 13th, 2011
11:22 am
YEP, Falcons are disappointing!
DC Dirty Bird
October 13th, 2011
11:22 am
The Bears have won how many Super Bowls with that style? They also pay to have studs on the line and in the LB core. When will people and our coaches get it it? Defense no longer wins championships. Offense wins championships. You just need enough defense to win the matchups.
Mr. “I’m not white” Sir Real….did u really put Aaron Rodgers below Eli, Stafford, Schaub, and Fitzpatrick?
No we are not the Colts but the Colts have an offensive system that even Curtis Painter can throw for 300 yds in without a running game.
Chandler going Deep..
October 13th, 2011
11:25 am
Can we make a trade to possible draft Andrew Luck?
Chandler going Deep..
October 13th, 2011
11:30 am
“Dont forget that of the Falcons 1st 5 opponents….4 of them were playoff teams last year. And the 5th team won 10 games and just barely missed the playoffs.”
And thats the reason why Ryan’s QB rating is below 80!! He cant compete with the best…He is being exposed.. He’s average at best…He not a playoff caliber QB.Does not have the talent…The truth hurts sometimes..
Andrew Luck! Andrew Luck! Andrew Luck!
RetNav
October 13th, 2011
11:37 am
Play calling stinks only time we move the ball is when Matty is in the no huddle. I think we need to just stay with that it works, and it worked for Payton up in Indy. Punting is really really BAD. I checked out our punter’s background he was a field goal kicker for Miami not a punter and he proves it everytime he is called on. I have not given up on them because they have the talent, and we can turn this around.
JSS
October 13th, 2011
11:37 am
Bob Irsay (Colts owner) has already said that if Luck is available to them, they are going to take him and groom him!
Ron Roberts
October 13th, 2011
11:38 am
Steve nailed it in the first few comments. Our kicking game is sub-par; our rookie punter isn’t good, and we watched while Green Bay took a 53-yard FG shot (and made it) when we opted not to take a similar FG shot earlier in the game that would have put us up 17-6 at the time (after the holding penalty drove us further back, mind you, but still…)
Also there’s this (and not sure anybody else mentioned it, so sorry if you did):
Eric Weems has been rendered useless by the new kickoff rule. Our starting field position has to be drastically down from last year. This season, we’re 27th in kickoff return yardage with an average of 21.6 yards returned – that’s when we don’t just take the touch back. Last season, our 26.5 yards per return average was tops in the NFL. We average 2.875 kickoff returns attempted per game last year; this year, it’s down to 2.00.
You say “that’s only an average of 5 yards difference.” Yes, but that could also mean one long run out of three per game, and we’re off nearly an attempt per game, too.
Gatorzone
October 13th, 2011
11:46 am
Stafford, Brees, Hassleback, Freeman, and possibly Newton would be better than a limp armed pantywaiste who gets happy feet!
ctfalconsfan
October 13th, 2011
11:50 am
to TMC, you say fix the Defense and the Offense will improve but I would say the opposite.
Let’s not forget in the 3 losses we have our offense scored 0 TD’s against CHI, 1 against TB and 2 against GB that is just plain terrible..
Our defense played well enough for us to easily beat TB and they kept us in the GB game.
I’m not saying there’s isn’t room for improvement on that side of the ball but our offense needs to be scoring TD’s!!!
Greg
October 13th, 2011
11:50 am
The Falcons lack of success this year is really a mystery. It’s really hard to
to figure out. Seems to be more of a lack of cohesiveness to me. In any case, I think that
Aaron Rodgers is going to doom the rest of the NFC for years to come. He’s 26, amazingly talented, incredibly smart, and gets better every year. The Packers management is the best in the NFL and Ted Thompson raises the team talent level every year. They are the 2nd youngest team in the NFL, and are WAY under the cap. This is scary
Gatorzone
October 13th, 2011
11:51 am
I would take Tebow over Ryan…
Arm strength… Better
Toughness… better
leadership… better
intensity… better
running ability… better
acuracy… about the same
yeah,, gimme Tebow
TruthSeeker
October 13th, 2011
11:54 am
Ron Roberts, that’s a great point. We probably win two fewer games last year without Weems. Now, thanks to the new rule, he’s a non-factor.
Field position was a huge part of the Falcons’ success last year.
DR
October 13th, 2011
11:55 am
The 7 things wrong with the Falcons are 1 Mike Mularkey. 2 Mike Mularkey , 3 Mike Mularkey , 4 Mike Mularkey, 5 Mike Mularkey , 6 Mike Mularkey , oohh and 7 Mike Mularkey.
Ron Roberts
October 13th, 2011
11:56 am
Listen, Matt’s not flawless but he’s far from a “top 5″ reasons why the Falcons are struggling.
1. Pass defense is STILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL awful, Dimitroff. Still.
2. Offensive live has regressed, badly, which means the
3. Running game isn’t consistent enough to keep us out of 3rd and long situations
4. Roddy White’s early-career case of the “dropsies” has returned
5. Our special teams aren’t special at all. Between our punter giving opposition good field position, Eric Weems being rendered almost useless with the new 35-yard line kickoff and Coach Smith having no confidence in our FG kicker making anything over 45 yards, it puts more of the onus on the QB to make things happen.
6. That’s where Matt comes in. We’re throwing more, which is GOING to bring the completion percentage down because we’re having to take more chances WITH our throws. If you were the Falcons’ QB and you KNEW:
a. you’ll need to score 24 or more to win b/c your defense is gonna give up that much
b. if you don’t score, your punter’s gonna shank his kick and put you behind 3 or 7 with aforementioned defense.
c. it’s basically up to you because your line isn’t blocking for you very well, and if it’s not blocking for you, it’s not doing much for Turner, either, but throw it quick ’cause the rush is coming…
…then how would YOU do?
Ron Roberts
October 13th, 2011
12:00 pm
Sir Real, “get real.” Ryan’s predecessor is a whopping 1-4 this year, so far.
Greg
October 13th, 2011
12:01 pm
Gatorzone
October 13th, 2011
11:51 am
I would take Tebow over Ryan…
—————————————–
Good one! You might want to warn us before tossing out a laugher like that!
I almost busted a gut. Ryan has: Better arm strength, better accuracy (by a mile),
playoff experience, etc. A whole team of professional coaches and evaluators pretty
much decided Tebow wasn’t even a good 3rd string QB!! Now that Fox has been pressured into
playing an inferior player for entertainment sake, he’ll lose control of his team because the players want to win not entertain the masses.
madashell
October 13th, 2011
12:04 pm
Atlanta Native hit it on the head. Other teams dont have to spend much time looking at films against the Falcons. They run the same plays every time. I was so excited the first 2 possessions of the GB game with mixing it up. They were not ready for it for they were not in the films. So what do we do after the half? Go right back to what isnt working. I wish I had headphones on during the game so I could tell Mularkey what a dumb ass he is. Ive never been more pissed about a team than I am this year.
ctfalconsfan
October 13th, 2011
12:07 pm
gatorboy stay on point, Teebow plays for Denver this isn’t fantasy football or some nonsense like that.
We have RYAN and we need to improve.
yeahsure
October 13th, 2011
12:08 pm
I’ve always been a fan of Smitty but the responsibility should lay with him. He is the HEAD Coach. Mularkey is his choice. Smitty is a defensive coach but still allows BVG to run that soft zone. The responsibility is with Mike Smith. More heat needs to be directed towards him so that he will have the guts to make the necessary changes. He needs to consult with TD, Brian Bilick, and whoever and find candidates for a new OC.
Just Being Average got us to 13-3 a year ago
October 13th, 2011
12:08 pm
#8 Worst Punter in the League
JSS
October 13th, 2011
12:09 pm
“6. That’s where Matt comes in. We’re throwing more, which is GOING to bring the completion percentage down because we’re having to take more chances WITH our throws.”
Ryan’s completion rate is 61%. He thrown 196 passes, 2nd most in the NFL and only average 6.64 yds an attempt. There’s your problem, 6.64 yards a completion! I’m giving him the benefit of some of the doubt because of Roddy’s drops, but his ypc percentage would still be in the low 7s. Come on, Matt Ryan is now part of the problem!
ctfalconsfan
October 13th, 2011
12:10 pm
Madasheel u state – ” Ive never been more pissed about a team than I am this year”
You must be new to the Falcons! lol
try 1999 when we went 14-2 the year before, SB and then we lost our first 4 or 5 games in a row to start the 1999 season and finshed 5-11…..
BIGBEN42
October 13th, 2011
12:14 pm
MATT RYAN: Has regressed. Other QB have moved ahead of him. Ryan doesn’t have the arm strength and is not very accurate.
ctfalconsfan
October 13th, 2011
12:18 pm
Ryan is fine! He will thrive when Mularkey is finally canned..
MM is like an anchor pulling our offense down into the deep abyss!
ctfalconsfan
October 13th, 2011
12:25 pm
I hope we beat Carolina 9-0 so we can finally fire MM…
I also hope Bosher has another -10 yard punt.
2 men that would then need to step up are:
Smitty needs to fire MM!
TD needs to cut Bosher which basically admits to the world that he was wrong to let Koenen go!
Regardless the moves need to be made for the sake of our team.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
October 13th, 2011
12:27 pm
It’s 14 sacks and 35 HITS on the ICE MAN!
CAN I BLOG?
October 13th, 2011
12:30 pm
WHATS UP
CAN I BLOG?
October 13th, 2011
12:31 pm
HERE COMES THE SO-CALLED TIGHTEND,THAT MARK RICHT AND MIKE BOZO CALLED CAM NEWTON!
FALCONS 2-4
PANTHERS 2-4
ctfalconsfan
October 13th, 2011
12:41 pm
Can I Blog? – I think not!!
Atlanta will roll all over Carolina!!
It should be 38-10 but luckily for Carolina we have Mularkey so we’ll start trying to run the ball and kill the clock halfway through the 3rd quarter so the final will probably be 24-17..
Chandler going Deep..
October 13th, 2011
12:41 pm
Here it comes again 46 years of excuses…Wonder what the next 46 will be like? Same ole, Same ole?
Atlanta Georgia: The land of excuses…………………………………………and avg Pro Athletes….
IceMattyIce
October 13th, 2011
12:42 pm
Matt Ryan is easy to rush because he has no pocket awareness or mobility. Plus he’s not athletic. The Falcons need a stud offensive line which they don’t have. Every other QB in our division can avoid the rush. MR cannot. Every other QB in out division can throw the long ball acurately. MR cannot. Every other QB in our division doen’t get rattled in the pocket. MR does. Every other QB in our division, when faced with having to scramble, knows where the 1st down marker is and dives headfirst if close. MR does not.