Game Story: Ravens rout Falcons in exhibition opener
080912 ATLANTA: Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones makes a first down catch past Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb during first quarter action in Atlanta on Thursday, August 9, 2012. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM
The Falcons’ first dress rehearsal for the 2012 season was a near disaster.
After a stellar start by the first-teamers, the Falcons’ reserves couldn’t stop the Ravens or move the ball on offense. They coughed up 24 consecutive points as Baltimore blasted the Falcons 31-17 at the Georgia Dome on Thursday night.
In addition to taking the thumping, the Falcons suffered two potentially major injuries in their lightly attended exhibition opener.
The Falcons’ starters came out with a strong performance. The first-team offense featured second-year wide receiver Julio Jones and scored two touchdowns.
The first-team defense, playing new coordinator Mike Nolan’s marauding style, dominated the Ravens’ starters, won on third downs and put some thunderous hits on quarterback Joe Flacco.
“We got three three-and-outs in a row and that is something people might have questioned about us in the past,” linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. “That has definitely been an emphasis that we’ve been working on because that’s one of the things that’s been a thorn in our side. We’ll take the positive from that.”
Linebacker Mike Peterson said, “I think it was pretty good. Early on, the first unit played good. We had three three-and-outs. That was good but you know how it is in the preseason so you can always find something to get better at.”
On special teams, punt returner Dominique Franks had a dazzling 45-yard punt return.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, in an extensive exhibition-opener appearance, directed four series and played into the second quarter. Ryan was 9-of-13 passing for 155 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He finished with a quarterback rating of 103.
Ryan and the offense opened in their no-huddle attack and marched down the field. After two carries by Michael Turner, Ryan went to work. He completed a 13-yard pass to Roddy White, followed by 26-yarder to Jones.
Then Ryan tossed a wide-receiver screen to Jones that gained 19 more yards. That play was the most important of the drive and was wildly received by the fans. New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has been charged with improving the team’s screen attack.
Three plays later Ryan found Jones in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
“We moved the ball down the field pretty well,” Ryan said. “We were able to put the ball in the end zone and that’s what you want to do.”
The offense was stymied on its next two possessions before it got back on track.
On the Falcons’ fourth possession, Jones caught passes for 15 and 36 yards to help set up a 2-yard touchdown run by running back Jacquizz Rodgers that made the score 14-0. Jones finished with six catches for 109 yards
“It felt great,” Jones said. “We’ve been working during OTA’s plus the offseason; this is kind of my first offseason and OTA’s. But just being able to go out there and connect like that was a really good feeling.”
Flacco picked on the Falcons’ linebackers, who had trouble covering the Ravens’ running backs. He drove the Ravens for a touchdown, a 9-yard pass to tight end Ed Dickson that made the score 14-7.
Ryan was replaced by Chris Redman and then John Parker Wilson, who drove the Falcons into Matt Bryant’s field-goal range late in the second quarter. Bryant added a 31-yard field goal to make the score 17-7 at halftime.
The Ravens added two touchdowns in the third quarter and another in the fourth for the final margin.
The mood at the Georgia Dome turned dour when second-year man Akeem Dent, scheduled to replace Curtis Lofton at middle linebacker, left the game with a concussion with 9:38 left in the second quarter.
Also, rookie fullback Bradie Ewing, a fifth-round draft pick competing with Mike Cox to replace former Pro Bowler Ovie Mughelli, left the game with a severe knee injury. He left the field on golf cart.
Neither Dent nor Ewing returned to the game. Dent likely will head into the NFL’s concussion-protocol program and could miss valuable time, and Ewing, depending on the severity of the injury, could be lost for the season.
Smith said he had no regrets that Dent was playing on special teams.
In addition to Dent and Ewing, the Falcons also played without wide receiver Harry Douglas, who suffered a rib injury in the controlled practice with the Tennessee Titans in Dalton on Monday.
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Falcons counting on Sean Weatherspoon’s playmaking ability
Former Alabama linebacker Jerrell Harris turning some heads at camp
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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120 comments Add your comment
Esquire
August 10th, 2012
7:20 am
Even NFL.com story reads “Ryan impressive in Falcons’ preseason opener vs. Ravens”
sorrysaints777
August 10th, 2012
7:27 am
rolari
August 10th, 2012
6:41 am
@ raven nation Ed reed did play look at the julio TD highlight so did Ngata… Man people are always trying to make themselves feel better when their starters get scrubbed then want to turn around and say “we beat you” in the preseason when the fact is you would have really lost had we played our starters the whole game. Julio 106 yds and 1 TD in 1 qtr!!!!!gimmie a break. And all of your offense started what was the excuse for three and outs til we took all of our starters out and Let you score finally Huh?? You forgot your playbook in the hotel. We lost the preseason game but baltimore lost alot more SELF-RESPECT… Just say it the falcons 1st team made the ravens 1st team look like high school JV
________________________________________________________________________________
You stole my thunder. I’m happy somebody set that clown straight.
Cleveland Ave. Turk.
August 10th, 2012
7:30 am
Dent will be okay health wise…..bradie ewing will be missed nut we can easily get by with mike cox…..Piera Jerry looked great!!!!..that alone will do wonders for the D……The most dishearting thong was Sam Baker!!!!….Maybe cuz its early but he was getting handled……He clearly cant defend the bullrush……Julio is a man amongst boys..
Cleveland Ave. Turk.
August 10th, 2012
7:37 am
Shot out to Jesse “The Hammer” Tuggle. I saw him at the B.P. on Cascade and was truly starstruck. Matt is stellar im the no huddle…..HATERS say what u must but he is peyton manning 2.0 in reading defense…Noodle arm???? Yeah i cant tell. Say that to Joe montana who couldnt throw the ball 40 yards but is still the greatest……..
Cleveland Ave. Turk.
August 10th, 2012
7:41 am
I gotta get back to work…Ill be back to school all the haters later…Hopefully they can come up with sum real facts if they wanna bash me team……Football novices
Video: Turnovers led to rout by Ravens’ reserves | Atlanta Falcons
August 10th, 2012
7:54 am
[...] Game story: Ravens rout Falcons in exhibition opener [...]
Larry
August 10th, 2012
7:59 am
Your #1 MLB on special teams after losing Tatupu?
Stupid…utterly stupid!
Double Zero Eight
August 10th, 2012
8:00 am
Even thoiugh Shockley was injury prone, I always
thought he was a better QB than Redman.
If Ryan goes down, we are doomed.
tp
August 10th, 2012
8:04 am
I agree with everyone about our backup QB situation. If we truly have Super Bowl aspirations, we can’t enter the regular season with that duo/trio behind Ryan. This team is toast if Ryan gets injured and is out for an extensive period.
Coach Smith: No regrets about having Dent (your starting MLB) on special teams in the second quarter of the first preseason game? That’s downright comical! I guess you wouldn’t regret intentionally throwing away the winning Powerball lottery ticket as well.
Was that Julio Jones or an in-his-prime Terrell Owens on the field last night? The Ravens DB’s are still at the Dome looking for their jocks.
Mwilk
August 10th, 2012
8:16 am
Dominique Davis was the bomb! He looked like the second coming of Matt Ryan: decisive, accurate, on-point. He should DEFINITELY be competing for the #2 QB spot.
NATIVEBIRD
August 10th, 2012
8:19 am
The 1st team looked good on both offense and defense. We will be fine. I’m a little concerned about running the ball, we did nt have any impressive runs. The passing game looks fine.
I agree that we need a back up QB. Redman and JPW look lost and immobile out there. Redman is old and out of shape and JPW holds the ball too long and is inaccurate when he does throw it.
ON ANOTHER POSITVE NOTE, I DID NOT SEE CHRIS OWENS!
DLED DID WE FINALLY CUT HIM! I HOPE SO…..
RB
August 10th, 2012
8:23 am
If the Falcons release Dominique Davis, he will quickly land with another team. He looked good!!! Ozzie Newsome got a look at him and he doesn’t overlook talent.
FALCLOWNS...it don't matter
August 10th, 2012
8:30 am
Only an IDIOT coach like fat boy Mike plays their starting QB 4 series in a PRESEASON game….what a DA…..Saints and Pats were smart enough to pull the elite Brees and Brady after 2 series….
This explains why the FAILCANTS will NEVER win a SB ring…And the Saints win #2 this year….
Must be TERRIBLE to be a Failcant fan…..same story every year….FAILURE…
Keep working hard on those preseason games, Mikey….maybe one day they have a preseason SB…lmao…
Saints > FAILCANTS
Stay classy,
Saints Troll
PMC
August 10th, 2012
8:38 am
So, Robert James showed up.
Flo-Ri-Duh
August 10th, 2012
8:38 am
Falcons are seriously lacking depth at LB and OL……… a long season ahead.
PMC
August 10th, 2012
8:39 am
Why is this saints fan so angry? What do they have to be angry about?
NEED A NEW HEADLINE WRITER
August 10th, 2012
8:44 am
The headline that Ravens rout Falcons was wwritten by someone not familiar with pro football, The Falcon starter routed the Raven starters. Once the scrubs come in it is time to quit keeping score and change stations. The Falcons hav no back-up QB is the main thing that is confirmed by the scrub play. Even if Redmond is starting the most you can count on if 7 to 10 points. But. to say the Ravens routed the Falcons is plain ignorant. Wake up AJC
Cejay
August 10th, 2012
9:01 am
@ PMC
Because all the int’s could score was 2 field goals !!!! ….fail,lol
@falclowns
Our idiot coach ??? who’s coach is gone for the year……thats an idiot coach
DHunt
August 10th, 2012
9:09 am
Rout? Really? If this is some misguided attempt to pacify all the trolls that inhabit your blog, you fail just on GP Mr. Ledbetter. You’ve been around long enough to have a better grasp on what pre-season really means. Maybe the Ravens reserves routed the Falcons reserves. ravennation is delusional, because Flacco stayed in longer than all the Falcons 1st teamers, just so he could get a score against backups and feel better about his lackluster performance. Preseason football is about starters vs. starters, and then seeing which individuals can perform up to NFL level. There were several Falcon reserves who showed up well tonight, including most of the D-line, some of the O-line, Drew Davis, Dominique Davis, Robert James, and McClain, just to name a few. The Ravens ran a no-huddle for most of the game to take advantage of our rookies on defense, and got most of their yards off Tyrod Taylor’s personal athleticism and a very good backup running back. Rout? not hardly…
Hatfieldgeoff
August 10th, 2012
9:32 am
Oh and Peria Jerry was the most pleasant surprise. Hope this wasn’t a one-time thing.
Mike Franklin
August 10th, 2012
9:37 am
Preseason loss doesn’t mean much. it’s how you play and our first teamers did really well. But that said, the loss of Ewing and Dent made me ill…
Smitty is a good HC and held his ground but… if he isn’t quietly second guessing himself by having Dent at risk on special teams during an exhibition game… he should be.
Ivan
August 10th, 2012
9:38 am
“Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata and Ray Lewis did not play….and the Falcons played starters longer”
JPW is a starter?
Mike Franklin
August 10th, 2012
9:40 am
PMC said: “Why is this saints fan so angry? What do they have to be angry about?”
Years of feeling inferior hangs around. At one time, the Saints sold ‘I hate the Falcons’ tee shirts… back about the same time when their fans attended home games wearing bags over their heads.
The anger will eventually pass along with the generation carrying that heavy chip on their shoulders.
JAYCOOL
August 10th, 2012
10:48 am
Redman will be fine, we’ve seen him in real game action before. JPW, yeah his time as a Falcon is done. Davis will be the back up QB in the 2013 season. Dent will be ok and be back on the field soon.
JAYCOOL
August 10th, 2012
10:51 am
@Ivan I might be wrong but I am willing to put up my season tickets to say that was Ngata chasing down Ryan when he threw that side arm pass.
Really?
August 10th, 2012
10:58 am
“Rout”, “Disaster”, “Thumping”. This post was “Pathetic”, “Uninspired”, “Second Rate”.
Taint much DLed, more like DLevel, beat writing that is.
Ross
August 10th, 2012
10:58 am
Who uses their starting middle linebacker on punt coverages? We have to make better coaching decisions .
Ed
August 10th, 2012
12:17 pm
Matt Ryan and the first teamers looked outstanding, for awhile there the Falcons had about 250 yards of total offense to the Ravens 9.
PlanB
August 10th, 2012
12:47 pm
First unit vs 1st unit = Falcons 14 – Ravens 0.
Ravens 1st vs Falcons 2nd = Ravens 7 – Falcons 3
Scrubs vs scrubs = Ravens 24 – Falcons 0 Good job 1st and 2nd unit.
MS has gotten us to being a winning season team but I’m afraid that’s as far as he can go. When you lose your good MLB to FA, lose a FA MLB to a weight lifting injury, go get your over the hill MLB because no one else wants him, you just don’t play your only hopeful on special teams. You also don’t throw the red flag on a call where the WR is so close to the white line refs will not overturn their call. If he gets another HC job with a needy team as we were, he will gain experience and become better but he’s not what is best now. Bad decisions from a good man with good intentions are hurting us. Those red flags are too important to make mistakes.
We’ve seen Redmon play before and know he is capable of winning in the NFL but I liked the way Dominique David played. Good composure. Good atheletic ability and good arm. I would like to see him given a chance for 3rd and possible 2nd with time. JPW looks no better than he did in his first year.
DawgNole
August 10th, 2012
12:49 pm
Woulda, shoulda, coulda, IF . . . .
Stop trying to justify, rationalize, and shift blame (to a headline writer, of all things) for yet another LOSS by an ATL team. When a team blows a 14-point lead at home and loses by 14, it’s a ROUT. Doesn’t matter that it’s preseason. They kept score, didn’t they?! YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME, losers.
Call it an azz-kickin’ if you don’t like rout or disaster. Point is, it SHOULD be unacceptable. The fact that it’s NOT unacceptable in ATL is why this town is so aptly called “Losersville.”
155 seasons of pro competition. ONE championship. And STILL you try to justify a loss. Sickening.
I usually just read but....
August 10th, 2012
12:54 pm
Raven fans, please don’t tell me about the starters that didn’t play. Ed Reed, 34yo 9/11/12, can’t play all year. He’ll retire the end of this year if he holds out that long and is still walking without a cane!
Ray Lewis? Seriously? 37yo Ray Lewis? Did he even make the trip? I heard his wife took him antique shopping and the store owner kept him..
.
PlanB
August 10th, 2012
12:57 pm
DawgNole – I count it as two Azz kickings. Our starters kicked their starters Azz. Their scrubs kicked our scrubs Azz. If you don’t know there is more than one contest going on in preseason, don’t waste your money on the regular season.
DawgNole
August 10th, 2012
1:01 pm
PlanB
August 10th, 2012
12:57 pm
DawgNole – I count it as two Azz kickings. Our starters kicked their starters Azz. Their scrubs kicked our scrubs Azz. If you don’t know there is more than one contest going on in preseason, don’t waste your money on the regular season.
_____________________
An ATL pro team lost yet another ballgame. And lost it badly. THAT is what matters. And if you don’t understand that, you should continue to feel right at home in Losersville.
Chubbyboy
August 10th, 2012
1:02 pm
Long season, if we have injuries to our starters…The talent level really drops off once the starters left the game…WOW…
J from Sin City
August 10th, 2012
1:16 pm
To say this game was a rout is the same as declaring a woman “Best Dressed” who wore diamonds and a mink coat to a sunny beach.
Nowwehaveasecondary!
August 10th, 2012
1:32 pm
Lofton was on coverage teams for years. Linebackers are usually the best tacklers on the team. That said I wish Smitty had a rookie out there on those plays in pre-season.
warfalcon
August 10th, 2012
1:45 pm
This was not a rout it was their 2nd & 3rd beat our 2nd & 3rd stringers,not a rout.Use better words next time for practice games.Damm
D. Orlando Ledbetter
August 10th, 2012
2:06 pm
Jimmy Crack – I like you headline better.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
August 10th, 2012
2:12 pm
Esquire — Definition of Rout: To defeat overwhelmingly. Perhaps I overstated the 31-17 loss in the first exhibition game?
Security lines
August 10th, 2012
2:21 pm
The only rout was outside in the security lines where the wait was forever to get in, only to find the place 1/3 or so full. Without hundreds of more metal detectors, regular season sellouts will be extremely painful. Went to Yankee Stadium last Sunday and you just show your ticket and walk in.
Mike Franklin
August 10th, 2012
2:33 pm
DOL… please keep us up on Ewing and Dent.
PS – Yeah, rout (even at 31-17) was probably a little off. I would have personally applied ‘butt whippin’ instead.
pb
August 10th, 2012
2:55 pm
Saints fans here in Atlanta do seem to have a problem, like bad attitude. Maybe because of all the years there in N.O., and only a few really good teams.( Similar to Falcons!) Or maybe because the city has had bad luck with hurricane Katrina, and just now coming back? But they seem to hate the Atlanta fans and team a lot more than we even think about them.
Fantasy Football News August 10th | Black Fifty 9 Razor
August 10th, 2012
3:35 pm
[...] http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-falcons-blog/2012/08/09/reserves-get-worked-out-as-ravens-rout-falcons-... [...]
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
August 10th, 2012
3:38 pm
I will be extremely disappointed if the Falcons keep Chris Redman as the #2 QB after the final cuts this year.
He started off last night doing the same thing that he did last year when he got to play….STINKING UP THE FIELD!!!!
I was at the Dome last night and the first team offense and defense looked good!!!!
jaz
August 10th, 2012
3:59 pm
Well, Redman’s passes could have hit his linemen’s backsides if they were a couple of feet lower, but he was really uninspired and lethargic, and Smitty will keep him around for another year. I sure hope Dominique Davis gets tagged for the #3 slot. John Parker has zenithed out at a rather low level and needs to be let go.
debo
August 10th, 2012
4:03 pm
What a stupid article. The article should read that the Falcons look like world beaters, our first team DOMINATED the Ravens first team offense and defense. When the Ravens got on the board it was 50/50 starters and reserves on defense. The one argument you could realistically make is the Ravens 3rd and 4th string guys are better than ours, but the Falcons that we will see on Sunday looked like world beaters. What a boneheaded article to go with some of our boneheaded “fans”.
Samantha
August 10th, 2012
4:06 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I told you that the Failcant’s are sorry! They just knew they were going to win this game…
With that being said…HA! 
Pamela
August 10th, 2012
4:08 pm
Matt Ryan just keep the laughs coming in…Matt Ryan is a sorry Quarterback..he is over rated and just sad!
He will continue to prove me right through out this season…watch…wait and see.
Leeroy
August 10th, 2012
4:10 pm
Needs pic to match the headline:
http://i.imgur.com/FYgaK.jpg
Pamela
August 10th, 2012
4:15 pm
FALCLOWNS…it don’t matter – I agree with you 1,000%!