Archive for December, 2011

An Indefensible Effort

Was this the 3rd and 18 conversion? (AP)

Pulverized, crushed, ripped to shreds, smashed, blown out. Choose any word you like to describe the pathetic display by the Falcons in New Orleans last night, but we’ll just go with completely embarrassed. Making the playoffs is mostly an afterthought for most fans after getting absolutely destroyed by the bitter rival Saints. Some will point to the poor refereeing; others may say that Payton, Brees, and Co. poured it on. The fact is that an effort that poor should be get piled on.

Yes, this organization as a whole has made great strides during the Smith/Dimitroff Era, but anyone who believes this teams is “really close” or “right on the edge” of being great or elite is certifiably delusional. Some readers may think this too harsh a critique and that’s fine. But this anger, disappointment, and hollow feeling inside is pretty representative of most fans. If they wanted a mantra of “us against the world,” than …

Continue reading Falcons Embarrassed by Saints »

Playoffs 3 Out of 4 Years

Take Bow Mr. Smith, You've Done Us Proud! (C.Compton/AJC)

Well, the Falcons still have two games to go and it doesn’t get any bigger than Monday Night against their biggest rival in New Orleans against the Saints, but the Birds have made the playoffs in 3 out of the last 4 years. Sure, they didn’t punch their own ticket to “the tournament,” but they put themselves in the position to get the help needed to get in the tourney and immense credit goes to Coach Mike Smith, the entire coaching staff, all the players, Arthur Blank, Thomas Dimitroff, and everyone involved with the Atlanta Falcons organization on their 2011/12 playoff birth.

The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears and the Falcons now have made the playoffs in consecutive seasons and 3 out of 4. Blank, Dimitroff, and Smith talked ad nauseum about wanting to be a consistent contender and be considered when playoff time came around. Sure, they still have bigger goals to reach, but for a …

Continue reading Falcons Get Playoff Berth, Ready for Saints »

Are Falcons Peaking?

JJ's Big Day (C.Compton/AJC)

Will be back soon with an in-depth post about the big game from the destruction of the Jaguars on Thursday Night. But for now let’s hear from the Bird Cage Faithful on the blowout from Thursday, as well as the game of they year in New Orleans a week from Monday Night.  A few questions to get you going…..

1) Are the Falcons peaking at the perfect time? Or is it merely 6 great quarters against inferior opponents?

2) Did the offense finally turn some kind of mythical corner?

3) Are the Birds moving a little bit away from the run-heavy philosophy?

4) Will the Falcons pull off the big upset in New Orleans in a week?

5) Are any Birds headed for the Pro Bowl? If not, should any of them be?

Be back with a new post soon……….

Continue reading Falcons Decimate Jaguars »

A Rallying Point?

Many of us feared the worst after the atrocious first half display by the Falcons. It seemed as though the season was headed down the drain after seeing the Birds go down 23-7 while making the Panthers look like world beaters. They couldn’t catch. They couldn’t tackle. They couldn’t move the ball and Matt Ryan even suffered his first safety of his career.

But as critical as many of us have been, these Falcons deserve the same amount of praise in refusing to give up and literally willing themselves back to win the game. It wasn’t the Packers or Saints, but beating a very solid NFC South opponent on the road in the fashion they did speaks volumes of the character of this team. Does this now mean they are destined for Super Bowl glory? Of course not, but it was great to see that fight that has been a trademark of Smith-led teams. A look at the 8th win of the season…….

1) Refused to Lose

As mentioned above, the season seemed all but lost after watching the …

Continue reading Falcons Show Guts in Win Over Panthers »

Does This Team Deserve a Postseason?

Postseason Slipping Away? (AP)

Just a fair warning that if you think many of the posts are overly negative or you don’t believe the Falcons have serious issues, than you may want to skip over this one. It’s just this simple: the Falcons aren’t very good. Yes, they are 7-5 and still have a shot at making the postseason, but can you legitimately see this team doing anything if they do get there if they play the way they did today? They have proven they can only beat average and below average teams and now have a new notch in their column of losing to a 3rd string rookie quarterback who were mostly without one of their best offensive players (Andre Johnson) and arguably their best defensive player (Mario Williams). The Falcons played one of their absolute worst games of the year and was the exact opposite of last year’s 13-3 team: unfocused, penalties, drops, errant throws, turnovers, and the list goes on and on. A look at the awfulness in …

Continue reading Falcons Fall Apart Against Texans »