Falcons’ defense moved into the Top 10
John Abraham believes the Falcons need more sacks to help the pass defense. Here, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) sits on the field after being sacked by Falcons defensive end John Abraham in the first half of an NFL football game in Chicago. APFLOWERY BRANCH – After shutting down Minnesota, the Falcons’ defense moved into the top 10 for the first time this late in the season under Falcons coach Mike Smith.
A top 10 defense is almost prerequisite to winning a Super Bowl title.
Eleven of the past 15 Super Bowl winners had a defense that ranked in the top 10 during the regular season.
Falcons defensive end Ray Edwards is all smiles walking on to the field after defeating his former team, the Vikings, 24-14 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
The only non-top 10 ranked Super Bowl winning defenses since the 1996 season were: The 1998 Denver Broncos (11th), the 2001 New England Patriots (24th), the 2006 Indianapolis Colts (21st) and the 2009 New Orleans Saints (25th).
The Falcons are set to face rookie quarterbacks in their next three games and could solidify their spot in the top 10 before they face New Orleans on Dec. 26.
To win the NFC, would have to play much better if they face the passing attacks from Green Bay or New Orleans.
The Falcons gave up 396 yards and two touchdowns to the Packers after jumping out to a 14-0 lead.
They gave up 322 yards passing and two touchdowns against the Saints after holding a 13-10 lead with 5:08 to play in the third quarter.
Defensive end John Abraham hopes that the defensive front and can crank up some heat on quarterbacks over the final five regular season games.
“We don’t have the sacks that we want to, but we are doing a good job on the run,” Abraham said. “In past years, our run numbers have been down. I think we are doing a great job of stopping the run this year.”
The Falcons have a gap control 4-3 scheme.
“The linebacker play has been excellent,” Abraham said. “The safeties, everybody has been really picking their games up. They understand what we are trying to do.”
Abraham, who’s tied for the team lead in sacks (four) with Lawrence Sidbury, would like to see the sacks increase.
“We are a little back in sacks, but as long as you’re not giving up two or three hundred yards you can always give yourself a chance as long as you can stop the run,” Abraham said.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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74 comments Add your comment
Geo
December 2nd, 2011
11:59 am
Jay, Packers 25, and Saints 23 in regulation is pretty dang respectable. However, when they do that IN the playoffs, yes, stop the presses!
Playmaker_88_3rings
December 2nd, 2011
12:01 pm
Same old joke of a Falcons team.
They only make a splash every 7 or 8 years when they get weak opponents or a soft schedule (like going 12-4 last year by feasting on the NFC West). Then they get to the playoffs and go absolutely nowhere.
45 years in the league and only 3 division titles? What a joke.
You know you’re a 3rd-rate franchise when your biggest accomplishment is finally stringing together two winning seasons in a row after nearly 5 decades in the league.
Season tickets Sec. 127
December 2nd, 2011
12:05 pm
Shouts Out 2 D-Block… Keep holdin it Down…
CGD..
December 2nd, 2011
12:06 pm
Wont sniff an NFC Championship with this coaching staff…
Fails like Norv, Bobby,Wade…et al….Take your pick an wake the freak up..Smack yourself out of it….lol
Aint's Killer
December 2nd, 2011
12:12 pm
Playmaker88, you still trying to hide those little bones in the closet?
It’s still written all over your face!
CGD..
December 2nd, 2011
12:16 pm
Playmaker_88_3rings
December 2nd, 2011
12:01 pm
“Same old joke of a Falcons team.
They only make a splash every 7 or 8 years when they get weak opponents or a soft schedule (like going 12-4 last year by feasting on the NFC West). Then they get to the playoffs and go absolutely nowhere.
45 years in the league and only 3 division titles? What a joke.
You know you’re a 3rd-rate franchise when your biggest accomplishment is finally stringing together two winning seasons in a row after nearly 5 decades in the league.”
Playmaker 88, the truth hurts man! lol
Playmaker_88_3rings
December 2nd, 2011
12:21 pm
@ CGD – maybe the Falcons can enlist MC Hammer and Samuel L Jackson to come up with some new dance or theme song. (with lots of chirping and dancing around in circles)
In 45 years in the league they’ve got 3 division titles and 3 theme songs. Now, that’s accomplishment !!
Boo Brees
December 2nd, 2011
1:17 pm
Can I get a Playmaker, a #88 jersey, 3 rings, 2 lines, 1 hooker and a hotel room?
And a pair of gloves so I can continue holding on to the 90’s!!
double b
December 2nd, 2011
1:22 pm
CGD–CANT GET DATE–AINTS WHAT A STORIED FRANCHISE–UR CRAZY UR POINTS ARE TOTALLY ONE SIDED–WHERE ELSE DO U TROLL OR DO U JUST GET OUT ALL OF YOUR FRUSTRATION FROM LIFE HERE–ATL WILL BE FINE AND IM SURE WHEN THEY WIN SUNDAY IT WILL BE ALL ABOUT HOW THE FALCONS PLAYED A THIRD STRING QB NOT HOW EFFICIENT ATLANTA’S OFFENSE LOOKED AGAINST THER NUMBER 1 D AND HOW IT WAS UR MISTAKE BUT RYAN ISNT REGRESSING BUT PULLING IT TOGETHER CONSIDERING ITS HIS 4TH YEAR –BUT I KNOW U WANT MENTION THAT SO I DID IT FOR U-HAVE AN AWESOME WEEKEND!!!!!!!
hiramsaint
December 2nd, 2011
1:25 pm
@ geo- respectable ? you lost both games. atl. really is the city where mediocrity is accepted and embraced.
Geo
December 2nd, 2011
1:34 pm
I’m aware of the score, a@#hole. I’m only talking about points allowed.
double b
December 2nd, 2011
1:37 pm
HIRAMSAINT–DO U AND CGD HANGOUT IN THE LAND OF IGNORANCE, Y DONT YALL STAY THERE, YEAH I SAID YALL–WORRIED MORE ABOUT THE FALCONS THAN THE SAINTS DONT BLAME U
ATLER
December 2nd, 2011
2:48 pm
Top 10 in run defense not passing defense. You can try to sell that crap elsewhere Ledbetter!!!!
FalconFANatic
December 2nd, 2011
2:58 pm
SeenThisB4-I bet the Falcons catch the lowly Aints and beat them for the division in the Benz. The Falcons are finally getting their act together…You will see. Go Falcons! Rise Up and make a run for the Championship!
ray hart
December 2nd, 2011
3:09 pm
houston has #1 defense falcons weak secondary will be exposed by short pass and run game TEXANS WIN 27-10 RYAN SACKED 6 TIMES
atlbyrdsfan
December 2nd, 2011
3:52 pm
Did anyone else notice that Ray Edwards appears to have his old shoulder pads from Minnesota in the pic… They have purple and gold on them… YUCK! I know we can get him some RED and BLACK ones!!!
Barry
December 2nd, 2011
4:16 pm
Hey Y’all:
Can you hear it!! THUMP!!! It’s getting LOUDER!!!! THUMP!! THUMP!! THUMP!!! “ONE HEARTBEAT.BABY!!!”
The TEAM is getting STRONGER. The offense, the defense, the special teams. This is the season to be “JOLLY”. THUMP!! Our Falcons are are a “FORCE” in the NFL. Every game throughout this “holiday season” will have our Falcons, “Stuffing Stockings” with eciting, hard fought , nasty, southenr football wins and tearing “ANGRILY” through this season and the playoff. IT’S TIME TO GET YOU “POP CORN” and “WATCH THESE BIRDS FLY!!”
NOW, ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!!?????
“WE RISE UP!!” IN “ONE HEARBEAT!!” ONE GAME AT TIME!!!
THE “PROCESS” CONTINUES!!!
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a FALCON FAN!! TELL EVERYBODY!!
…………………”ONE HEARTBEAT, BABY!!……………..
Mike is Back
December 2nd, 2011
5:26 pm
I see the TROLLS are seething…they are in rare form…must have been some previous post on the blog…hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. heh heh
RISE UP BIRDS… LET’S GO…LET’S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BoomBoomJoe
December 2nd, 2011
5:35 pm
I see so many AINTS FANS get on here and try to bash our Falcons, Like really come on. The saints have only been good for a few years, are you serious. What happen the other decades before,you cant forget how horrible the saints are and have been. GO DIRTY BIRDS…..
PlanB
December 2nd, 2011
7:30 pm
Not seeing enough talk about Ownes and Franks playing regularly this week. Owens is awful and is probably starting. Franks will be playing nickel. Have you any idea how much dissavantage this is to us. It’s like plugging 3 water holes with 2 hands. We learned Owens after 3 1/2 years can’t cover. Franks can’t learn because when someone goes down, Owens goes in. We can find decent backups for reasonable money but we don’t. WHY??? TD get us a couple.
12 men in the huddle
December 2nd, 2011
8:48 pm
“We need corner help badly. Maybe Owens and Franks can survive the next three weeks because we are playing rookie qbs. If they can and our offense can just put up 20 points are more – we will win these games. WE HAVE TO HAVE GRIMES AND HAYDEN when we play the Saints, and if we go to the Playoffs against teams like the Packers or Cowboys.”
….we need Grimes and Hayden to not just play, but step up and use their brains more than just once every other series of downs! Grimes is an athlete, but there’s more to playing in the secondary than being fast or quick. They have to THINK out there! “Where do I need to be on this play?” “Do I know who I’m responsible for when this ball is hiked?” So many times it looks like our defensive secondary is clueless on passing downs! But they do seem to be getting better.
RB
December 3rd, 2011
9:30 am
If the Falcons had not morgaged their future for Julio the defense would be even better. I felt Greg Little ( Cleveland’s pick in a later round) could have been just as good. I just compared their stats and there is not a big difference. Greg Little will prove more durable over the years. I’m not complaining because I’m a Cleveland fan first, Falcons second. I’m just sayin!!
Falcon James
December 3rd, 2011
10:05 am
No one is questioning weather or not the falcon can stop the run. the problem has been and always will be stopping the pass. Abe puts not pressure on the QB and on the occasional time he gets close to the QB, Dunta and Owens are out of position and leave they man wide open. Until the falcon figure out how to defense the pass, they will never hold a lead.
Falcons’ defense moved into the Top 10 | NFL Online News
December 4th, 2011
8:01 am
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