Streak Over – Falcons Run Redskins
Birds Pull Away from ‘Skins
What a Day for #33 (Curtis Compton/AJC)
The Falcons ended their only two game skid in the Coach Mike Smith era by blistering the Redskins in the first half, and then holding on in the second half after coming out completely flat in the third quarter. Not the most satisfying of victories in terms of complete games, but a needed win at home to snap the streak nonetheless. Michael Turner made us all remember why he is one of the best running backs in the game, basically putting the entire game on his tough-running legs. Matt Ryan continued his struggles as a second year quarterback, and the defense had a huge day in all aspects from the defensive line to the linebackers to the vastly improved secondary. The Falcons defense had 5 sacks in the first half alone and played lights out in quarters one and two, but came out maybe a little too comfortable in the second half and let the Redskins climb back in the game. A win that was expected and one where the Falcons took care of business, which wasn’t a guarantee in previous regimes. A look at the positions:
Defense
Studly Defensive Line
4 Sack Day for DL (Curtis Compton/AJC)
The defensive line followed up their pretty good game against the Saints with a dominating performance against the Redskins front line. Granted, the Redskins possess one of the worst offensive lines, and offenses in general, in the NFL but give credit where its due. The defensive line put constant pressure on Jason Campbell from the opening drive, particularly in the first half. Jonathan Babineaux had a monster game with 10 total tackles and 2 and a half sacks. Kroy Biermann chipped in 2 tackles and a nasty sack to start the game and John Abraham collared half a sack as well. Jamaal Anderson continued his solid play against the run after moving pretty permanently to defensive tackle, and Trey Lewis got involved quite a bit as well. Vance Walker is certainly making the most of his opportunity in the NFL showing good speed out of a big body and definitely giving a preview that he might be in the lineup for rotation for good. Poor second half, especially third quarter, but that can be said for the entire team. Grade – A
Solid LB Corps
The Birds got the usual tough performance from the linebacking corps. Mike Peterson led the way with 8 sol o tackles, Lofton had 8 total tackles, and Stephen Nicholas chipped in another 3 total stops as well. Along with the defensive line, the linebackers helped keep the Redskins under 100 yards combined rushing. The linebackers did give up several big third downs when Jason Campbell scrambled with his legs picking up 40 yards on the ground and some crucial first downs, particularly in the second half. This continues a bad trend on giving up yards on the ground to mobile QBs (remember Romo in Dallas?), especially with Donovan McNabb, Josh Freeman, Mark Sanchez, and Trent Edwards on the horizon. Grade – B
Vastly Improved Secondary
Welcome to the lineup and to Atlanta Tye Hill! What a home debut Tye Hill made in red and black in the Terror-Dome. Heads up play to catch the tipped pass for an interception, but the run back for a touchdown was pretty remarkable to see. 62 yard touchdown return that saw Hill make some pretty nice moves to cross the pylon. Surely its early, but it looks like Thomas Dimitroff may have done it again in snagging Hill with a seventh round draft pick. Many fans and this author included clamored for Hill to get in the lineup earlier, but Dominique Foxworth didn’t start until the seventh game. Chris Houston had 5 tackles and looked better than previous games and Chevis Jackson had a sack from the nickel slot, possibly taking over his role from last year. Erik Coleman had 7 tackles and Thomas DeCoud collared another 3 total tackles. The secondary got a lot of help from the front seven in terms of pressure and defended a pretty anemic passing attack, but give credit where its due, particularly from the most beleaguered unit on the team a couple of weeks ago. With rookies Chris Owens and William Moore on deck for next year, it appears the future may not be so dark in the secondary after all. Grade – A-
Beautiful Pick Six by Hill (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Game Ball – Tye Hill gets a consideration, but Jonathan Babineaux earns the game ball with a huge 2.5 sack day
Offense
Young Ryan QB
Matt Ryan didn’t have the best day today, but then again when Michael Turner runs like that he doesn’t need to. Ryan completed 17 out of 24 passes with one TD and one interception for 135 yards. Pretty much a non-factor for the most part. The Falcons jumped out to a big lead thanks to Turner’s running and Tye Hill’s pick six, so the play-calling surely got conservative (too conservative in the 3rd quarter) and with the Burner on fire, than play the hot hand. Ryan was sacked 3 times and seemed a little gun-shy after his pick which was a really terrible decision. Even though he didn’t have the most stellar of days, Coach Smith commented on how well Ryan audibled into running plays, one of which scored. It may be too easy to place blame on Ryan because maybe it’s the O-Line, the sacks, his second year, the play-calling, receiver routes, or a combination of all the above, but the bottom line remains that Ryan is not the same QB as a year ago. Grade – C
Turner the Man
Simply put, Michael Turner is The Man and is on a mission to get back to the playoffs and Pro-Bowl. Turner ran as good as he ever has in red and black, running hard, fast, using mad moves, and turning on the afterburners in the Terror-Dome today. #33 racked up 166 yards on the ground with two beautiful touchdown runs of 30 and 58 yards, not including another huge run that was called back by a penalty. The Falcons seemed to have found their rushing attack again, and most credit goes to The Burner himself. The offensive line must be doing a better job creating holes for the back. Jerious Norwood’s lightning quick speed is missed in some aspects, especially in situations such as Aaron Stecker failing to make a first down with a wide open space ahead in the 3rd quarter, but he did have 3 receptions for 22 yards. Ovie Mughelli’s return and presence is being felt throughout the team. Grade – A+
Receivers
Not a huge day for the receivers, but as mentioned earlier, they didn’t need one with the way Turner ran the ball. Gonzalez led the way with 41 yards and one touchdown and Roddy White had 3 grabs for 27 yards. The injury to Finneran may be of concern, which would leave the Falcons at 4 receivers. Might Troy Bergeron be getting a call from the practice squad. Grade – B
The Nasty Boys
The offensive line has gotten their mojo back in the form of imposing their will in the rushing attack. The offensive line paved the way for Turner against a formidable front including Albert Haynesworth, Andre Carter, and Brian Orakpo. They were on their game and had the Redskins defensive line committing penalties and jumpy, chiefly in the first half. If the offensive line has re-discovered their rushing attack, they have lost their superb pass-blocking ability from the first 5 games, giving up sacks by the boat load. Just as Ryan’s subpar play may not be entirely his fault, some of the blame may lie with Ryan holding onto the ball a little too long or receivers not getting open. Regardless, the Nasty Boys have got to figure out ways to keep their franchise QB upright. Grade – B-
Game Ball – Easiest pick of the season…..Michael Turner: 166 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns.
Coaching
Get'em Coach! (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Coach Smith and Co. did what they were supposed to do in having the team prepared and beat teams they should beat. Coach Smith stopped his first small losing skid dead in its tracks by getting a win over the lowly Redskins. Smith and his teams toughness showed when they realized they were allowing the Redskins to get back in the game. Absolutely love the fire and passion of Smitty getting in the scrum on the sidelines and protecting his boys, notably getting in Me-Angelo Hall’s face, or mouth maybe the better term. His players will follow him anywhere for times like that, always having their back. Coming out completely flat in the second half is a cause for concern against an inferior opponent, but they did realize what was going on in time. Coach Van Gorder called a good game, particularly in the first half taking advantage of the Redskins weak offense and putting pressure on Jason Campbell. They have surged in stopping the running game pretty much from all teams except the Patriots. The secondary is improving every week and coaching up is obviously going on, just ask UGA fans what’s happened since he left Athens. Coach Mularkey gets mad props for re-discovering the running game. Whatever he and Coach Boudreau have figured out, they get great credit. The passing attack continues to be an issue, not sure who’s at fault, but it’s time for Mularkey to figure out the aerial game just as he did the rushing game. Grade – A
The Falcons came out strong, took their foot off the gas, but pulled away with the game against a lesser opponent. The Falcons were heavily favored today and the Redskins are certainly a team in disarray, but the Birds did what they had to do to get the win. It may not have been the prettiest win in the world, but it is a victory nonetheless and gets them to 5-3 at the midpoint. Save one game against the 49ers, the Falcons have not put together a complete game on offense and defense, and there are tons of areas for improvement (particularly Ryan and the passing game), but Falcons show great signs of a team looking to make the postseason again. Yes the Falcons beat a much weaker opponent today, but many times in this franchise’s history this wasn’t a guarantee.
Your Turn
-Impressed with the game as a whole?
-Turner officially back on track for another Pro-Bowl year?
-What’s the deal with the waves of sacks coming Ryan’s way?
-Is Ryan holding onto the ball too long and a little gun-shy?
-You fix the passing attack.
-Once a source of strength, is our WR corps running out of talent?
-Great D-Line performance or really weak ‘Skins O-Line?
-Concerned about mobile QB’s scrambling yardage?
-Tye Hill our lockdown CB we’ve been waiting for, or a way too early?
- Anxious about the Redskins scoring 17 points?
-How about Coach Smith? Would you want to play for him?
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186 comments Add your comment
boxcarar
November 8th, 2009
9:49 pm
Not me.
boxcarar
November 8th, 2009
9:50 pm
D3,
I can’t give grades until I view game. That will happen after Sunday night game. Glad that you are back to full CPU strenght.
falcon21
November 8th, 2009
9:55 pm
Better you than me BC. Good win today or at least I think so.
boxcarar
November 8th, 2009
9:58 pm
falc21,
I saw posts that questioned our meddle in the second half. Did we get lazy, or are injuries taking their toll on fatigue. If a player sits out of practice all week, their fitness will suffer. IMHO
boxcarar
November 8th, 2009
9:59 pm
Back in a while. Gotta take a test before midnight.
LRD
November 8th, 2009
10:05 pm
I will give our WR’s on thing, they can pop people on downfield blocks. Both white and jenkins decked people today…several times, and I mean decked.
WR’s though,couple times White or Jenkins would be open, almost totally wide open like no one within 10 yds of them, and Ryan would either dump off down or basically not even check them off.
To fix the passing attack is to keep Turner going, keep Ryan hitting short consistent patters to insure his confidence is back, and then attack down field. It seemed Ryan had “happy feet” and was again a bit uncomfortable again.
Turner seems to have it back. Yes it is the skins, but they did have a good defence.
What was worrisome about the skins, is they came out in the 2H and looked like a different team. How can our D go from 5 sacks in the 1H to what 1 in the 2H.
Babineaux had a wonderful game though.
And sitting there today, and looking down on the sideline skirmish, I would swear I saw blows being exchanged, and one of the ones throwing had no helmet and white hair.. even in the upper deck, you could feel the intensity shooting off Smith…. let’s bottle that up and use it in the future.
MSS
November 8th, 2009
10:13 pm
Great win and our D played great and our O played great to Hill had a big game and we need to win next week GO FALCONS!!!
falcon21
November 8th, 2009
10:15 pm
It’s a different game plan when you have the lead BC. Lazy or fatique has nothing to do with it with this coaching staff but being out a week your fitness will suffer. That goes with any sport. I’m out, have a good night Falcon fans.
Wabe
November 8th, 2009
10:15 pm
Agreed LRD. Good points.
Ryan must regain his confidence. Mularkey needs to get some easy passes for Ryan earlier in games to get the guy into rhythm and to build his confidence.
Ron
November 8th, 2009
11:10 pm
His story is almost unbelievable…. This guy John wins 97% of his NBA & MLB sports bets. He makes $70 K a week. Check it out! http://www.lasvegassportsodds.biz
Shawty
November 8th, 2009
11:12 pm
Whew, I just woke up. Fell asleep watching the Jints VS Iggles. And it’s tied. Yes, the Dome was quiet in the 3rd qtr. We tried to get the people around us fired up but it already seemed we would win so it was hard to do. You realise by the 4th we had taken out Portis, Campbell & Moss…
boxcarar
November 8th, 2009
11:17 pm
falc21,
I understand a different game plan with a lead, but 24-3 at the half is no time to shift gears until midway through the fourth quarter. Don’t let them up for air. If you want to give the offense some confidence, let them score 40 points on what seems to be an inferior team, and then let your starters ride some pine. IMHO.
Shawty
November 8th, 2009
11:32 pm
Damn, Austin TD – UB within 6 of catching me. Still have Buckhalter tomorrow night.
Wabe
November 8th, 2009
11:49 pm
Agreed 100% Box.
I can understand the Falcons giving the Skins the short passing game and even not playing the run as tight if they’re working with a 2 TD lead about midway through the 4th. But honestly, this DEF gave it to them the entire 2nd half – and it ended up getting the Skins right back in the game. There’s no harm in playing prevent, taking away the sidelines, and give them the short passes to keep the clock moving when you’re working with a 2 TD lead midway through the 4th. But, it seemed we took the foot off the accelerator much earlier than one would anticipate.
boxcarar
November 9th, 2009
12:19 am
Shawty,
Is that with the game over? Does UB have any players in MNF?
boxcarar
November 9th, 2009
12:22 am
Shawty,
UB has TE Heath on MNF. Cross your fingers. I believe that you will survive.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
12:26 am
Yeah, bu I have Buckhalter to play too.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
12:27 am
I think I will too…
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
12:29 am
Box, how’s it going in AR?
boxcarar
November 9th, 2009
12:33 am
Same old stuff. Cowgirls beat Philly. I don’t know where that will put us in the wild card race. We will need to beat Philly, for sure to stay in the race, though. I don’t know if we can catch NO to take division. They would have to totally collapse.
Dhunt
November 9th, 2009
12:36 am
I’m not trying to rain on the parade, but that “C” was mighty generous. You must be grading on a curve. On the Ryan interception both outside receivers were wide open and he threw the ball into triple coverage anyway and underthrew it at that. I’m not calling to bring back he who shall remain nameless, or bring in the obviously football challenged backup, but there has been and continues to be far too much anointing of this kid as the next coming of NFL QB greatness. Maybe he develops into that and maybe not, but it’s pretty obvious he is having a serious slump and yet, all I hear across the media is how good he is. Perhaps he should stop reading his press and start back reading defenses. I’m beginning to wonder if he’s actually scared to throw the ball down field, and arm strength and mobility are becoming more and more suspect. Let me be the first to say, I hope I’m wrong.
I saw at least one sack today that came on a three step drop. Ryan has to get rid of that ball, and that sometimes means throwing a good pass into tight coverage or to a quick check down or out of bounds, rather than take a sack because he is just standing three steps behind the line of scrimmage. One other sack came because the outside pressure got close but instead of stepping up and out of trouble Ryan stepped forward and then right back into a defender, instead of escaping out and upfield.
And can somebody explain to me why he takes a knee when the defense jumps offsides?!? I have never, ever seen an NFL QB do that. Isn’t that what they call a free play? Don’t most QB’s take that opportunity to take a shot at a big play, knowing that the worst that could happen would be offsetting penalties? I almost understand the one on fourth down, but he took the knee too early even then because the defender almost got back and that would have been a turnover on downs. It’s a bad habit no matter what.
Receivers have missed a couple of catchable balls. That’s no excuse not to throw it to them, and the outside guys simply are not being targeted, except on short comeback routes when the corner is playing 10+ yards off the ball. What happened to the double move? Is there a slant route in the playbook? Not ready to say that’s all on Ryan, but if it continues there is at least a coaching/play calling issue.
Babs was a beast today, as usual, and is likely the most underrated D-lineman in the league. Too early to tell about Tye Hill, and besides, opposing QB’s know that Houston will not turn his head to look for the ball (other than the very first pass his way today which he should have picked off) so they would rather throw at him anyway. Hill didn’t even get challenged much today.
Two more games like the last two and Turner is officially back. Better to peak at the end of the year than at the beginning like last year.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
12:37 am
I know I was hoping CAR could take them dowm, but alas, NO. We must beat the Saints here. Finished painting, looks great.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
12:43 am
Dhunt, I missed the kneel downs, was it really so bad? We headed home.
boxcarar
November 9th, 2009
12:49 am
Dhunt,
On the taking a knee, if a flag is thrown, he may be making sure that it is not a big play for the defense. If it turns out to be illegal procedure instead of offsides, then we only lose a maximum of 5 yards, but if he throws down field on a broken play, you can get burned just as easily as burning the opponent. If it is offsides, then we gain the five yards. Safer bet. IMHO
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
12:54 am
Well put Box.
boxcarar
November 9th, 2009
1:01 am
Thanks, Shawty. He may be trying to minimize a negative big play.
Birdman
November 9th, 2009
1:03 am
Great post D3
Turner looks to be back and I agree he gets the game ball.Yes it was the skins we played but there D is a good one and they did get a weeks rest.So the burner is looking darn good .
Hope Finn is OK .Hats off to Smith for being right in the thick of things. Like you said that will go a Long way with his men giving him a lot of respect. The ICE MAN looked OK but still a little shaky . He will only get better with time tho. Great game for Babs . Tye Hill may be the one.
Big game coming up next week ,Panthers playing better ball now but the Birds should take them if they bring there game . All the games left are winnable and we just might see a win out the rest of the season. Probably not but it is possible .I see a loss for the Saints coming .They seem to be getting more venerable each week. The Giants ant looking near as good this year as last and we could beat them also. Have not seen the outcome of the Eagles game but they to are beatable especially here at the Dome.
Falcons control there own destiny from here out and with the Burner getting on a roll and no more major injuries ,plus the return of Norwood , things could be good .
Go Falcons
boxcarar
November 9th, 2009
1:12 am
Birdman,
I just hope we can get our walking wounded back to full strength. I believe our fully healthy team can play with anyone. I know injuries are a part of the game, but can’t the football gods smile on Atlanta just a little? And how bad are the injuries? Are we endangering our top talent by forcing them to play? Could we have beat a second tier team like WAS and rest some of these guys?
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
1:15 am
The injuries do suck. I think we will be fine down the road though.
Birdman
November 9th, 2009
1:32 am
Good point boxcarar
But maybe our wounded back is just being let rest for a reason ? You never know
boxcarar
November 9th, 2009
1:36 am
Birdan,
So true. Go Birds!
Birdman
November 9th, 2009
1:47 am
Box you and Shawty keep the the cage alive .
I gota get some sleep . 6.30 coming soon and work calls.
Go Birds. God bless.
Box
November 9th, 2009
1:57 am
If Shawty can change…
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
1:58 am
Change into what???
Box
November 9th, 2009
2:00 am
Just a name.
Box
November 9th, 2009
2:07 am
In relation to the blog, the name changes (shortens), but the IP remains the same.
Box
November 9th, 2009
2:27 am
I’m out. Good night and God Bless.
Ed
November 9th, 2009
3:43 am
Glad to see you are back up and running at full stength D3 and you were at your usual best. I personally was impressed by just about all factions of the Falcons except at QB and I don’t see a change anywhere in the near future. The magic of last year just isn’t there and it could be a struggle all year for Ryan.
The Real Falcon
November 9th, 2009
8:23 am
LAST!
It would be nice to have a game where our quarterback doesn’t toss an interception.
It’s been quite a while!
Dhunt
November 9th, 2009
9:43 am
Box, your explanation leaves a little bit to be desired. The reason I say that is because the officials generally whistle the play dead when there’s an offensive illegal procedure. There’s no big play to avoid because the defense is not even given a chance to decline that penalty. .
JeanE
November 9th, 2009
9:47 am
Great win, little flat in the 3rd quarter but very enjoyable nonetheless! This just reinforced how happy I am that D. Hall the dope is gone gone gone! What a jerk (holding back on the language) and no class whatsoever. I’d take Smitty against him in a one on one anyday forget the age difference! I knew Matt Ryan would have a sophmore slump it was pretty much inevitable but he’ll be OK. He is looking a little deer in the headlights from getting hit alot more this year, guy needs to hit the weight room and add a few pounds b/c QB’s take hits. I am very worried about Finn, is he OK? He is so underated not just for his hands but his blocking both as a receiver and on special teams. I hope he’s going to be allright. Not on to Carolina, a team we shouldn’t take for granted and who always plays us tough. Go Birds!
mountain_jim
November 9th, 2009
10:44 am
What is wrong with Ryan’s field vision? That interception was thrown where all the defenders were, while on that play Roddy was wide open for a TD deep and Jenkins was wide open as well. Ryan is looking at Gonzo early and often, sometimes to the exclusion of all the other wide open receivers. Ryan looked so much better last year.
Paul
November 9th, 2009
10:50 am
Dhunt -
A false start by the offense would lead to a play being blown dead, however, offiicals allow play to continue on other offensive procedural penalties such as illegal formation, or two players in motion when the ball is snapped, etc.
As for Matt being the only QB to EVER take a knee when he draws the opponet offside, thats simply not accurate, NFL (or college) QBs routinely employ a “hard count” to draw the defense offsides in short yardage situations, if the D jumps offside you take the free 5 yards and move the chains, no need to risk having your QB get hit while he waits for the receiver to get down field.
Ackshun
November 9th, 2009
10:56 am
I think Mularkey will have to call a few more plays with Gonzalez kept in to block rather than running a route. Matt Ryan seems to have gotten a little spoiled by the big TE with fly-paper for hands. He is pushing to get the ball to him in high risk situations when other receivers are in single coverages against better matchups. Once Ryan starts spreading the ball around a bit better, it will take the heat off of the pass rush and make him less predictable (reducing his INT total).
Box
November 9th, 2009
11:35 am
Paul,
Thanks for the clarification.
Wabe
November 9th, 2009
12:33 pm
Co-sign your post about Ryan Dhunt.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
12:44 pm
Hey Box, Wabe… 5-3 on the way to the playoffs.
LRD
November 9th, 2009
12:52 pm
For Houston.. it seemed everyone was screaming for him to turn his head around… he got lucky out there.. but you know the Law of Murphy will make sure that when it counts the most, houston will not be watching the ball, get a pass interference call setting up a winning score… I just hope it does not cost us a back to back season…
Wabe
November 9th, 2009
1:07 pm
I hear that Shawty. I still have this team winning 10-11 games – which should be good enough to get us into the playoffs. But, I wanna see this team make some noise in the playoffs. And to do that, we’ve got to be clicking.
Who knows, we all sat here in the Cage and criticized Turner for his tip toe efforts in the first half of the season – and he seems to have that corrected. The guy’s running with authority now. Maybe Ryan can turn it up in the next couple weeks and get things right.
Imagine what this offense would look like if it got rolling on all cylinders…
Sickness.
I mean, it is better to peak late in the season – who knows?
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
1:18 pm
From Peter King’s MMQB: g. The Falcons will be a tough out in January. And yes, they’ll be playing football in January.
Coop
November 9th, 2009
1:29 pm
Great write up D3. Not sure about the D line grade. They were A+ first hald, but F in the 3rd quarter. I think some can be attributed to play calling.
So at the midpoint, we’re right where I thight we’d be. We won the games we were supposed to and lost the games we were supposed to. I had hoped we could beat Dallas, but no such luck. If we continue to beat the teams we should only, we’ll be 10-6. That might not be good enough ofr the playoffs. I’m starting to wonder whether this team will pull a rabiit out like against Chicago last year and actually upset someone.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take a solid 10-6 over what Jom Mora would’ve done. I’m content that next year will be the year to challenge for the dividion and go deep in the playoffs.
If it ended today, NO and Min would get byes and Dallas and Arizona would host us and Philly. So we’d have to go to Dallas and if we won, go to NO. YIKES!!! Along way to go, but some food for thought on how each game is important.
Here is our schedule:
@ Car (I had this as a loss figuring we’d split with CAR and with NO. Looking at NO, we need this win. We can’t count on beating NO even at hone. So this all of a sudden became a HUGE game for making the playoffs).
@ NYG (I had this as a loss, but now NYG seem human. It’s there, but if we could steal this on, we could make 11 wins. Rather go to Dallas or Arizona in the first round???).
TB (Must win for 9 wins, much less playoffs).
Philly (This will be interesting. I had this as a loss, but if we do lose to NYG, we might have to have this one or get shut out of the playoffs at 10-6. I think our only competition for WC comes from the 3rd team in the NFC East. We already lost to Dallas. If we lose to NYG and Philly, we’re sunk. We need to hold the head to head tie-breaker over one of those three teams, or hope that one completely falls apart).
NO (Had this as a win. I don’t have confidence in that anymore. Thus, this week @ Car is HUGE. Steal this game could get us to 11 wins. Still don’t think we compete for the division).
@ NYJ (must win to get 10. Count on it!).
BUF (must win to get to 9. Bank it!).
@ TB (must win to get to 9. By the time this game comes, the playoff race will be clear. this game will mean the difference between the 5th and 6th cede. This is the difference between fighting the NFC East champ or going back to Arizona.
CBrass
November 9th, 2009
3:50 pm
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d814124e5&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true
JJ
November 9th, 2009
5:40 pm
Afternoon cagers,
CBrass, thanks for the video. Meangelo started the fracas and its hillarious to me that he’s talking about goodell, he may be the one fined. It’s so obvious that he was there for more than helping a teammate who had already left.
After rewatching the game(cannot see shit from front row except cheerleaders and visitors bench) #23 had 2 good plays to start the 1st qtr. He actually turned his head (cbrass-dont faint) after that, he sucked. He avoids tackling like a plaque aka dion sanders. Prime time got away with it being a shut-down corner, houston is not.
D3, great blog, hope your IT prob. are behind you. Your team would have won this week if you had access to your team.
WR, hope your feeling better, the flu suks! But hey, GT at #7. not bad, rooting for them the rest of the season.
Jay Falcon
November 9th, 2009
7:00 pm
I was under the impression that when Ryan takes the quick knee it’s because the center is told to go ahead and hike the ball when he sees a D lineman jump into the neutral zone. Since the ball is not necessarily hiked to any type of call by Ryan, the offense isn’t ready so he just takes the knee. I am pretty sure the fourth down inside the 5 they weren’t even going to run a play. The play was to draw the d offside. I could be wrong but that’s how those plays look to me.
Mike
November 9th, 2009
7:04 pm
Given the interception Ryan threw yesterday was a horrible pass. Not that the throw itself was bad, but the decision to throw it was terrible. I do not think Ryan is as bad as many think he is now. Nor did I think he was as good last year as everyone made him out to be. There have been times this year we have knocked Turner for playing poorly, Ryan for playing bad, defense for not showing up, the o-line, receivers for dropping balls, and even the coaches game plans and playcalling. One thing us fans can do something about is the 12th man. I was at the dome yesterday and the 12th man did not show up until late in the game. Coming out after the half I think the D fell asleep because it was so quiet in the Dome. We as fans need to bring more energy when our D is on the field. Those players feed off of that. We need to make opposing teams hate coming to our house like they hate going into New Orleans, Philly, New York, Minnesota, Cleveland, and Chicago.
Coop
November 9th, 2009
7:31 pm
Mike – I watched on TV, but I was surprised how quiet it was. I agree, the Dome needs to rock.
CBrass
November 9th, 2009
7:32 pm
For all of the Dawg fans out there ex-Dawg Thomas Davis, current Carolina Panther Weakside LB, is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Ok now back to our beloved Birds.
DHunt
November 9th, 2009
7:34 pm
I hear ya Paul, and like I said, I do understand about the one on 4th down, when you don’t really have a play called anyway and you are just trying to draw the other team offsides. But I have seen Matt do it several times this year alone, and only once was it on a play where they were actually just trying to draw the Defense offside. I watch a heck of a lot of football and I just don’t see other quarterbacks doing that, otherwise, how do you explain the concept of a free play? Just seems to me to be a bad habit, but I’ll give him time to mature out of it.
This Falcons team is good enough to run out the rest of the season. Especially if they get a few guys healthier, and avoid any more injuries. NO is certainly not a better team, except in the win loss column (the only place where it matters). Falcons were good enough to beat NE, NO, and Dallas, but Dallas was just a poor energy game period, and we got hosed by bad officiating and a couple of bad breaks against NO and NE. The Aints are good for a change but the Falcons exposed them. A decent pass rush and they can be beaten (they really should have lost the last two and they were at home).
JJ
November 9th, 2009
7:43 pm
WR, hope you’re feeling better, FFL aside, the flu su_ks! Good luck in mnf.
Posted 2 others eaten by the monster, it happens.
Great post D3!!!
JJ
November 9th, 2009
7:55 pm
Mike/Coop: We raised almighty hell with meangelo and falcons in general. Voice is hoarse after my meangelo fiesto. SOME fans are fanatical, some sit back…its ATL…transpot city, more transplants than regular southerners. Lets get them in the seats before kickoff first and then work from there…
JJ
November 9th, 2009
7:59 pm
ps- front row is great for seeing cheerleaders/visitors team players (meangelo) but su_ks for viewing the game!
Birdman
November 9th, 2009
8:37 pm
Good eve Cage
The birds need a win in Carolina to have a chance for the wild card . They want win there div unless something drastic happens with NO.NO has a pretty easy schedule left minus the Birds . We probably want catch them but we might just take them here at the dome.Could be there only loss.Hope so and there is a chance we might win out . The Giants are a team we can beat but remember we take them after there weeks rest . Gona be an interesting season left for the birds .Dallas needs to lose a game now and the Vikings also . Tough road ahead. Philly is also a must win .
Go Birds
Dawson Devitt (D3)
November 9th, 2009
8:49 pm
Great Post Victory Gameday Cagers!
So happy to be back to full strength and put the computer issues away. Pretty good game yesterday and the combined win-loss record of our opponents who we lost to AT THEIR PLACES is 20-4. We’re in a perfect position with two enormous games against New York Giants and Philly at home. If the playoffs started right now, us and Philly would get the wild cards (I know its ridiculous because its so early, but still), and looks like the Bears and Packers are falling to get into that category. We control our own destiny for sure. 
Un”Terror-Dome” – Didn’t mention it in the post but the Terror-Dome was not its normal raucous self
Took my brother to the game and he mentioned how “non-full” it was close to kickoff. The seats got filled in pretty quick, but it was not the normal hell-raising place. Perhaps because it was the Dead-skins and we jumped out so quick. The place got loud in a hurry when Me-Hall Suck got in the skirmish on the sideline. Lost my voice on that one.
Paul, DHunt, MSS, LRD – Great to have your excellent insights here in the Cage.
All the Regs – Sure is nice to be back to full speed and here in the Cage with all my regular peeps and Falcon family, and the family is finally all getting back into good health.
Maybe back in a bit, but if not have a great night and see you on the flip, and on that note………….
5 DAYS, 16 HOURS, & 11 MINS UNTIL THE BRAWL UP I-85 NORTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coop
November 9th, 2009
8:56 pm
Wish I still lived in Atlanta. I have seen a few games there and it’s never defening, but seriously… after watching the game in NO and having to constantly adjust the volume, I was wondering if anyone was there this week in ATL. I know the Cage is pulling their wait, but we could use another 40,000 voices.
Birdman – agree Car is a must win, but not Philly (unless we lose to NYG).
Coop
November 9th, 2009
9:22 pm
Wow… spelling, poor grammar. I gotta stop sniffing glue.
Coop
November 9th, 2009
9:23 pm
BTW D3 – What do you do? Are you a teacher or coach or something? High School? Just curious.
Dawson Devitt (D3)
November 9th, 2009
9:52 pm
Coop – Middle School Math Teacher in Clayton Co. here in Metro ATL. I coached middle school football for 5 years, but had to give it up with the joy of my first son being born.
falcon21
November 9th, 2009
9:59 pm
Coop, the Dome can and will get loud but for some reason it all depends on what team we are playing. Coop, where do you live now? You may have already said but I don’t remember.
LRD
November 9th, 2009
10:11 pm
Or lack of crowd beginning of game could be because i like others was on the Westbound line with the broken down marta train at MLK..we finally got into the stadium to hear a roar (of course missed the first drive and TD!).
But there were mezzanine sections that were not filled, and lots of red seats upper sidelines.
The loudest roars was for sacks in the 1H, The Boos for Hall when announced for punt return, Turners 2nd TD, and of course Smith vs Hall. My voice was a bit shot, but it was rather quiet. My next game is NO, and my guess the Dome will be rocking for that game. (may try and find seats for the eagles though…)
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
10:18 pm
LRD, I was upper corner and I said the same thing. “I thought this was sold out???” It was quieter than any game this year in there. But then again we did jump out early on a crappy team. It will not be so quiet when NO & Philly come to town. LRD, Philly has been sold out since the day they signed Vick, you’re going to have to try the scalpers…
Box
November 9th, 2009
10:25 pm
Shawty,
FFL looking good.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
10:34 pm
Yes it is Box. Holding breath… Heath Miller better not score.
Mike
November 9th, 2009
10:38 pm
Good point JJ…start of the game and start of 2nd half you can always find many empty seats and fans making their way down the aisles….Meangelo did get quite a welcome back to the Atl, and the boos rained down on the questionable TD call…and we raise the roof once they get inside our redzone. I know the Atl can rock the dome. We did it last year against Carolina and New Orleans. If we can handle our business on the road the next couple of weeks, I look for the dome to really be rocking as we make a playoff run with 4 out of out last 6 at home.
falcon21
November 9th, 2009
10:50 pm
Big Ben threw an ugly int. If that was Matt Ryan then some of our fans would say he is a bust.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
10:53 pm
Crappy punt…
falcon21
November 9th, 2009
10:57 pm
Great punt if you are for Pittsburgh. I’m gone, have a good one.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
11:26 pm
Not a Pitt fan, grew up in DET.
Box
November 9th, 2009
11:32 pm
As long as they don’t throw to their TE, you win.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
11:32 pm
Unless there is a last minute TD tp Miller, I got UB. Thanks Turner!!!
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
11:33 pm
to Miller…
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
11:34 pm
Whew, Ward…
Box
November 9th, 2009
11:35 pm
Congrats!
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
11:37 pm
Thanks
Box
November 9th, 2009
11:39 pm
May have to bench Buckhalter after that hit. He’ll probably sit with a concussion next week.
Shawty
November 9th, 2009
11:41 pm
Yeah, I saw that. He did nothing the week either. Injuries suck.
Box
November 10th, 2009
12:40 am
Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.
JJ
November 10th, 2009
8:55 am
Good morning Unca’Bob, were up!
CBrass
November 10th, 2009
9:36 am
I forget who it was earlier but he/she made a great point about keeping Gonzo blocking when Ryan drops back. It does at time seems like he is forcing the ball to him, even when he’s covered by 2 receivers. Ryan just needs to settle down and set his feet and make better decisions. He has been suffering from a server case of “happy feet” lately which is the main cause of his int’s. It’s been pointed out that he missed the time that both Jenks and White were wide open. With the run game having picked up I’m sure we will see more play action to keep defenses honest. Teams will continue to load the box(which has cause Turner to run more outside where he is having a lot of success) therefore we should use Booker/Gonzo to roam the middle and let Jenks and White run long. The thing with that is Ryan has to have confidence in his ability to get either one of them the ball. He has the arm to do but to me he seems to have lost his confidence.
I may be totally wrong in making the above statement but that’s what I see. Would love to hear others options on this.
WR
November 10th, 2009
9:56 am
Morning cagers, alot to catch up on in my days of absence, first, what a great win for the Falcons, many see it as not being the best showing but I caution and emphasize that every team that has won a championship had to win an ugly game alone the way. Defensively, I hear more and more coaches referring to the speed of the Falcons defense, remember their young and inexperienced so the greatness hasn’t really shown to the fans, but when opposing coaches are taking notice thats a good sign for where the D is headed. Couple of quick hitters D3 style:
Tye HIll has looked pretty good over the last couple of weeks, and for as much as we bash Houston, he has shown signs of being at least a decent corner lately, sometimes it takes a little more motivation for some and seeing how Hill has been preforming Houston doesn’t want to be the weakest link.
Before the season started my sleeper to make the team and contribute was Vance Walker, he’s starting to make my projection look good as he is showing decent ball skills and exceptional speed from the DT position. He’s not your 350lb space eater but he is a 300+ terror, so far not in the pros, but he’s starting to show signs.
Wow, there was a Chevis Jackson sighting in the past game, not referring to just him playing but referring to him actually showing up making plays, if he can regain his form from last year and improve a bit it can only be of great benefit to the Falcons with eight games left to play.
Offensively, I would like for the Falcons to develop a killer instinct, both from the players perspective and the perspective of the coaches. If a team wants to lay down then the birds should step on their throat, I don’t see that from the offense, they get leads and they sit on them, some would say what about the defense and my response is that the D is young and will develop that instinct, but the O is full of veterans who have seen it all. I refer back to the game and to what the boss(D3) posted, the running game was hitting on all cylinders so the birds didn’t need much from Ryan or the other aspects of the offense, wrong, the running game was hitting on all cylinders which should have really opened up the passing game but it didn’t, that could lead to some serious problems down the line, as much as Turner was gashing the skins there should have been some kind of playaction that allowed for a deep pass to one of our superstar receivers, but there wasn’t, the Falcons and the fans have to be wondering why not.
Overall it was a win and as fans we’ll take it, and I’m sure the Falcons will take a W any way they can get, I just wanted to add my two cents, a little tuesday morning quarterbacking because monday the worst of teams was still taking it to my arse and I’m not talking the FFL.
Speaking of the FFL and other postings I was unable to comment on, the post I’m posting next is all about those aspects of the birdcage so please feel free to skip over it for non-regulars or those who can careless about fantasy football.
Birdman
November 10th, 2009
10:06 am
Morning Lady Brass
I agree with what you said .It makes very good since.Its always a pleasure to read what you have to say.
Today I turn the calender for one more year on this great earth that our awesome God has given us to live. 48 years and I love this team . May all your lives be blessed here on the cage.
William Boyette — The Birdman
With thanks and love to you all
JJ
November 10th, 2009
10:10 am
Birdman, Happy Birthday!
WR
November 10th, 2009
10:12 am
First, JJ great win in the FFL, thats how it should be between two good teams and two good friends, , just think if Mendenhall finishes off that last run for a TD I win, he didn’t, Ward got a TD pass and my friend you get the victory. Hate that I was unable to talk trash, late Saturday I thought I would but I relapsed but hopefully the bug has finally moved on, HOPEFULLY, can’t wait to we all meet up, between I and you, if no one else has fun I’m pretty sure we will.
CBrass, thank you, thank you, and again thank you, you left me speechless which is rather hard to do, theres nothing like having someone who you have big time differences with wishing you well, for all of our crap I wish there were more people like you in this world, sorry cagers, but for all of the bad in the world I tend to focus on the good and what CBrass said really warmed my heart towards the positives of this world of negative focus, she showed a perfect example of what I believe the world should be like. By the way thanks to all the well wishers, I can barely ever remember being sick much less being sick for nearly a week, I didn’t post but I did read your comments so thank you, as I said earlier I think I’m starting to be in the clear but the last time I felt this way, which was only a few days ago, I woke up to a relapse, hopefully its done but we’ll see.
Sorry about all the long postings, its been awhile.
CBrass
November 10th, 2009
10:14 am
Birdman,
Thanks for the comment and I hope you have a wonderful day today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
John Waynesworld
November 10th, 2009
10:16 am
Good morning! CBrass I think you are right, but Matty is still VERY YOUNG. His mistakes, that are all correctable, are still somewhat annoying. For instance, I thought he was doing a great job last year of looking off the safeties, but this year it seems that he is staring down his receviers. I have noticed in recent years that QB’s around the league are doing a strategy of looking off coverage “hard” and then snapping their head and throwing in a completely different (usually the opposite) direction. Mark Sanchez does a great job of this even though his decision making is way too raw. Matty has a leg up that decision making process, playing his entire college career and an extra year in the bigs, but he needs to look off coverage help “hard” to eliminate or at least slow down the over the top defender from closing.
Watching our wide receivers over the first part of this season, I have to say that I miss Harry Douglas more and more every game. The Patriots loaded the box to stop the run, bracketed Gonzo and put their best DB on Roddy and we had no passing success. Dallas did the same and they won. The Redskins tried to copy the strategy but couldn’t stop the run and lost. The Falcons desparately need a speedy slot receiver with great hands to offset the “bracketing” being done by our opposition, or the formula for stopping our offense will already be out there for the REALLY good teams to manipulate.
John Waynesworld
November 10th, 2009
10:27 am
BM/WB: Happy Birthday young man. Don’t worry, 48 is fine as long as you are maintaining your “25 inside”. Just don’t try any Starsky and Hutch over-the-car moves!
Coop
November 10th, 2009
10:29 am
Happy Birthday Birdman!
WR – Welcome back and stay on that recovery path!
D3 – I grew up in clayton county. Went to Kilpatrick, Mundy’s Mill, and am a VERY proud graduate of Jonesboro High (paved the way for Harry Douglas
).
falcon21 – I live in San Antonio now. I went to North Georgia College, then joined the Army a little over 16 years ago. Came back to GA for school at UGA and then was stationed at Ft. Benning for a bit, but otherwise, I’ve been all over. I miss Atlanta, but the wife and I have decided to settle down here after I retire. Here work is much better here than anywhere we’ve been. And after all I’ve put her through (moving, deployments, etc.) she deserves some peace. Other than all the Cowboy fans, it’s real nice here. Reminds me of ATL back in the early 90s. Not quite too big yet.
I just bought my tickets to come home for Christmas. First stop after Hartsfield… the Varisty. Two – no three chili slaw dawgs, some onion rings, and a frosted orange. Oh son, I just got teary eyed.
Birdman
November 10th, 2009
10:36 am
Thanks cage
Coop you make me hungry thinking about the varsity .Glad you will be coming home.
Will Norwood be playing this week anyone know ?
CBrass
November 10th, 2009
10:38 am
JWW,
Good morning to you.
“..but this year it seems that he is staring down his receivers.” Joe Cox….ROFL
WR,
No problem
Shawty
November 10th, 2009
11:05 am
Happy B-Day Birdman!!! Sorry it’s raining so much. WR glad your better.
Birdman
November 10th, 2009
11:20 am
Thanks Shawty
Yes the rain is why I,m not working today but it did give me my B day off.So does anyone know when Norwood will return or Snelling ?
I would like to see the Birds pick up another good and fast WR next year and on that note how is the Finn doing also ?