Do Falcons Have a Player Development Problem?
Poor Draft Picks or Coaching Issue?
Has Bier Been Under-utilized? (AP)
Thanks to Big Ray, WR, & Paddy O for their inspiration on this new post. Before diving into each of the Falcons soon-to-be free agents and whether they should sign or ship them, thought it an interesting idea to see how the Falcons have done with developing the players that have been drafted the last four years.
Has the coaching staff done a poor job of developing players, or at least failed to give them a legitimate change? Or have the draft picks simply been below par. It’s obviously a hard thing to figure out with limited knowledge for us fans, but it’s been frustrating never knowing if the Falcons had some quality players that were never given a chance to shine or if the picks just weren’t that good.
A Coaching Issue or…….
On one side of the coin is the belief that this Falcons coaching staff, led by Smith’s hyper-conservative philosophy on all fronts, have been entirely too cautious and slow in their player development. It seems that the Falcons have drafted some seemingly good prospects who have shown flashes of ability, only never to be seen or heard from again.
They also have had a maddening tendency to keep some of the same players on the practice squad for several years in a row, giving the illusion that they like something about them, but never giving them a legit chance to make the team or prove their worth. They have rarely put in rookies for clean-up time to get live snaps and experience. There have also been instances of players having good rookie campaigns only to completely regress and sometimes not even make the roster.
Poor Draft Picks or…….
Perhaps it’s simply a case of Thomas Dimitroff and his staff just making less-than-stellar draft picks that either had a limited ceiling, wasn’t a good fit, or just couldn’t progress for whatever reason. For instance, there’s no way you can blame the coaching staff for Sam Baker or Peria Jerry’s injury issues. They were well-documented when Dimitroff selected them. Although doing a pretty good job overall, the Falcons GM has certainly had his share of head-scratchers.
Various Reasons
Sometimes, no one’s necessarily at fault and it’s just a case of bad timing, the player’s work ethic, or having established starters already on the roster. Maybe the draft picks progression just hit a wall or an injury sidelined an otherwise bright future.
**The idea is to look at draft picks known more for their developmental value which tend to be draft picks 3rd round and later**
Harry Douglas – WR (2008 – 3rd Round)
This one obviously still has a chance to turn out well for the Falcons, but there’s a chance HD could go somewhere else and realize his true potential. The coaching staff surely can’t be blamed for Douglas getting injured in his 2nd year and he had a fantastic rookie campaign due to the Birds giving #83 chances to make plays.
HD Gone? (C.Compton/AJC)
That being said, though, the Falcons, in particular Mike Mularkey, did an extremely poor job of integrating Harry Douglas into the offense and definitely under-utilized Douglas when he was healthy last year and especially this season with him to go along with Roddy White and Julio Jones. Two examples here: Douglas looked fantastic in preseason and almost single-handedly brought back the Birds to win the game against the Saints at home. Those were only a few examples because otherwise he was non-existent in Mike Mularkey’s offense. Sure will hate to see him go elsewhere and be great.
Chevis Jackson – CB (2008 – 3rd Round)
Jackson is one of the more puzzling players to figure out. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2008 NFL Draft from LSU and had a very good rookie year. Jackson essentially became the Falcons nickel cornerback and recorded 31 tackles, 5 passes defensed, and returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown, making it the second longest interception return in franchise history. Jackson even had an interception in the playoffs against Arizona that season.
Even though the future looked bright, Jackson just couldn’t replicate his rookie form and had limited playing time in 2009 and was cut the following season. Jackson never caught on with any other team and was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, and Denver Broncos in 2010 and the Carolina Panthers this year. The coaching staff surely doesn’t seem at fault on this one since 4 other teams passed on him as well. Hard to think it was a terrible pick since he did have some decent success as a rookie. This one’s a puzzle.
Robert James – LB (2008 – 5th Round)
This is an example of the Falcons wanting to hang onto a guy, but evidently never progressing enough to warrant a serious look on the big stage. Part of James issues including him receiving a ban for illegal substances, but even then he’s been hanging around the practice squad forever. He can either play or he can’t and the Falcons have had 4 years to gauge that, but yet he still remains on the practice squad.
Kroy Biermann – DE/LB (2008 – 5th Round)
Biermann has obviously become a mainstay on the Falcons roster and he’s done everything the Falcons have asked of him. Thought by many of being a potential 3-4 type outside linebacker at 240 lbs, the Falcons evidently saw him as a pure 4-3 DE. He answered by adding almost 20 lbs and even had 2 sacks as a rookie and then 5 sacks in year 2. Biermann started 14 games at DE in 2010, but only came away with 3 sacks.
Biermann only recorded 2.5 sacks with limited sacks this year. Biermann has shown that he has athletic ability, taking two interceptions for touchdowns in consecutive years and both of them came on pretty spectacular plays. Biermann is potentially poised to leave the Falcons this year and perhaps have success as a 3-4 OLB elsewhere. The coaches shouldn’t take all the blame for a player regressing, but their rigidity in not being creative or trying players at different positions or trying different looks is their fault.
Christopher Owens – CB (2009 – 3rd Round)
Chris Owens Not Developed Correctly? (AJC)
No one has taken more flack than Owens after the Debacle in the Dome, where he became a scapegoat for many in what was a complete team and coaching meltdown. It was a shock when Dimitroff selected him in the third round and many thought him a major reach. Owens eventually took over one of the starting cornerback positions and played pretty darn well, nabbing two interceptions and stabilizing the secondary down the stretch for the Falcons to break the back-to-back curse.
Owens was relegated to the nickel role with the signing of Dunta Robinson and was eventually beat out by veteran Brian Williams. Owens skill was on display this year where he ran down several players with pure heart and speed. He can hit and tackle very well and seemed to play well in the playoff game in New York. Owens definitely has a future in Atlanta and may have been a victim of the ultra-soft zone defense. If he does much better under Mike Nolan, than coaching and schemes will have been the fault. If not, he probably was a reach after all.
Lawrence Sidbury – DE (2009 – 4th Round)
Sidbury is the biggest example of questions regarding this staff’s development of players. Sidbury was a unquestionably great pick for the fourth round and many draft experts thought he was a steal. He saw limited action as a rookie, but managed to collar a sack and even scored a touchdown against the Bills. The future looked very bright for Mr. Sidbury.
Than he evidently became a ghost in 2010, only appearing in 6 total games and even then he was relegated to special teams. Most of the times, he was on the inactive list. No injury was ever disclosed and fans were absolutely perplexed. Many thought he was on the bubble to even make the team in 2011. So what does he do this season? He nabs 4 sacks in very limited snaps. Sidbury always had ability and it’s just very strange what has happened with his development. How do you go from showing flashes and promise as a rookie to rarely seeing the field to showing great promise again in year 3 getting 4 sacks in limited time?
William Middleton – CB (2009 – 5th Round)
On the surface, it’s easy to say that this was just a bad pick, one of Dimitroff’s famous head-scratchers. Many fans thought it was a reach, even for the 5th round. Even draft junkies hadn’t even heard of Middleton and they had just drafted Chris Owens a few rounds earlier. He didn’t even make the team as a developmental player and that’s saying something considering the fluidity and shakiness of the Falcons secondary since 2008.
However, he caught on with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has played in 39 games for the Jaguars, including starts. Middleton even nabbed an interception to go along with 38 combined tackles. Now, the Jaguars secondary shouldn’t be considered the pinnacle of excellence, but they were one of the better statistically ranked defenses in the NFL. Middleton could start for one of the better defenses, but couldn’t make it as the #5 cornerback to develop in Atlanta?
Garrett Reynolds – OT (2009 – 5th Round)
.JPG)
Dpes Reynolds Still Have a Future on OL? (AJC)
Reynolds got his big chance this year and couldn’t hold the right guard position. Reynolds was always a project anyway, but if you’ve ever gone to see him up close at Flowery Branch, you’ll quickly see him as he is a giant among men. He played right tackle exclusively in college at UNC and in high school, so his best chance seemed to be at RT. It never made that much sense him working at right guard with his height and frame and inexperience at guard, regardless of their affinity for cross-training.
Reynolds is obviously still on the roster and may still figure into the Falcons future, but this kind of goes into the Falcons rigidity in philosophy. With the problems on the offensive line, could the offensive staff not have tried Tyson Clabo at right guard and allowed Reynolds to play his natural position at RT? The coaching staff shouldn’t get most of the blame, but their limited flexibility should be called into question and like most players, could Reynolds not got some live snaps in 2009 and 2010? It is encouraging that all OL spots are open for competition for 2012.
Spencer Adkins – OLB (2009 – 6th Round)
Adkins was always a project, but Dimitroff loved his speed and upside for the future, while earning his living on special teams. Adkins has been around for 3 years and has never gotten any legitimate snaps at OLB in all those years. He was even in doubt of making the roster in 2011. Adkins only received his first start after all other options had been exhausted.
While only getting limited action, Adkins looked pretty darn good with few snaps. One play in particular against Tampa Bay, he took on and fought off several blocks to get to the running back for a tackle-for-loss in the backfield. Luckily, the Falcons still have him, but chalk this one up as a failure in development and chances to get this guy some live snaps.
Vance Walker – DT (2009 – 7th Round)
If the coaching staff gets criticism for not developing certain players correctly, they should get proper credit for the ones they do well with. Vance Walker has been one of the most pleasant and surprising picks under Dimitroff. Taken in the 7th round, Walker has worked his way to be a very solid player in the Falcons defensive line rotation and looks to continue to be that way in the future.
Corey Peters – DT (2010 – 3rd Round)
Peters Definitely a Bright Spot (AJC)
Like Vance Walker, the coaching staff deserves credit for the development of Peters as a bona fide starter at defensive tackle to go alone with Jonathan Babineaux. Although a big shock to fans when drafted, Peters has been one of the best and most consistent picks of the Dimitroff Era. He has even fought off former 1st round pick Peria Jerry to retain his starting role and only looks to get better as his career continues.
Mike Johnson – OL (2010 – 3rd Round)
One of the more disappointing picks to develop so far. Many though Johnson was a future starter on the offensive line, only to get injured early on in training camp and never recover. Certainly, the coaching staff can’t help him getting hurt, but they also likely knew they wouldn’t keep Blalock, Dahl, and Clabo all together in 2011.That’s another failure of getting younger guys playing time with real minutes.
Joe Hawley – OL (2010 – 4th Round)
Hawley had his lumps for sure this year, but did fairly decent considering he was moved from starting center on opening day to taking over right guard for Garrett Reynolds. Hawley did get some snaps as a rookie and maybe that helped him some this season. It never appeared that Hawley would be anything other than the Falcons future center, but maybe his talent led the coaches to move him to RG. Either that or the coaching staff were in desperation.
Dominique Franks – CB (2010 – 5th Round)
The Falcons appear to have played this one right with Franks being ready to take over a potential opening at one of the cornerback positions with the likely departure of Brent Grimes in free agency. Franks was always thought to be a good pick in the 5th round, but found his chances extremely limited as a rookie, even after he took in one interception in only two appearances. It looks as though it will work out, but its also another strange disappearance of a player that showed a lot of promise.
Kerry Meier – WR (2010 – 5th Round)
The coaching staff doesn’t get blame on Meier since he’s struggled to stay healthy as a pro, but even when he was healthy he never got any chances. Meier is yet another player to look really good in preseason only to disappear during the regular season.
Shann Schillinger – S (2010 – 6th Round)
No fault on the coaches staff here as Schillinger appears to not been the greatest of picks and only seemed to have special teams ability and not much more. Looks to be on the outside looking in when roster cuts come down this fall.
Akeem Dent – LB (2011 – 3rd Round)
Dent Really a ST Player Only? (AJC)
Still one of the most puzzling picks of the Dimitroff Era. Like Julio Jones, there’s not questioning the player they selected, only where he was taken. The Falcons were set at the time with Curtis Lofton being the stalwart at MLB and the idea was that Dent would be a special teams maven. It was hard to believe the Falcons were so set with their roster that they could afford to spend 3rd round draft picks on special teams players alone. There’s a thought going around that Dimitroff was hedging his bets on Lofton seeking a maximum contract. In that case, there would be no downside for Dent getting snaps at middle linebacker. There were no such chances and we wonder again…..why?
Jacquizz Rodgers – RB (2011 – 5th Round)
Rodgers had a very good rookie campaign, but many wonder how much more successful he could have been if he had been integrated properly and more often in the running and passing game. Like several other players, Rodgers would have several great runs or catches in a game only to never be heard from again. Seems like a pattern.
Matt Bosher – K/P (2011 – 6th Round)
The coaching staff get credit for Bosher’s development for no other reason than sticking with him during his initial struggles. There was no other option after they parted ways with Michael Koenen.
Andrew Jackson – OL (2011 – 7th Round)
Yet another one of the mysteries regarding the offensive linemen development. Even though Jackson did have an injury history in college, many thought he could challenge for playing time and certainly a roster spot especially after reports of a good training camp. Jackson was initially put on the practice squad and than elevated to the 53 man roster due to injury. Coaching staff shouldn’t get too much criticism on not immediately developing a 7th round pick, but this adds to the long list of curious OL developments.
Cliff Matthews – DE (2011 – 7th Round)
Matthews has the potential to have a great future with the Falcons and even though he’s a 7th round draft pick, he looked pretty darn good in preseason. And of course since he looked so good in preseason, he was never heard from again during the season. This continues a similar pattern with defensive ends: see Lawrence Sidbury.
Other Notables:
Chris Houston – CB
The Falcons traded Houston to the Lions for a sixth round draft pick and at the time seemed like a great deal. Problem is that Houston just had an excellent year in Detroit and verged on a potential Pro Bowl year. Hard to understand how the coaching staff doesn’t get some blame here.
Jose Valdez – OL
Valdez was a practice squad hero that many fans were just waiting for him to not only break into the 53 man roster, but challenge for playing time. He looked really good in preseason, but was never selected to the gameday roster, but rather held on the practice squad for 3 years. He was recently taken by the Minnesota Vikings and added to their gameday roster. Now, there’s no sense in claiming he was a big loss, but it belies the point on this coaching staff deciding whether the guy can play or not. If you like his potential than coach him up and if you don’t then replace him with someone who can develop.
Antone Smith – RB
Smith has made the Falcons roster two years in a row, but has been specifically limited to special teams where he’s done well. Smith has shown in preseason to have excellent speed and agility, but of course he’s seen no carries whatsoever during the regular season. Again, either the guy can play and is worth developing or get someone who can.
Your Turn
-So, does this coaching staff have a player development problem or were many of the players simply poor or mediocre draft picks?
-What’s your thoughts on each of the above candidates: coaching issues, poor picks, or other?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
651 comments Add your comment
waynester
January 31st, 2012
9:18 pm
S & T
If Smith wasn’t willing to change he would have been let go when MM and BVG left and we wouldn’t be undergoing all this “change” on the coaching (and soon) the player side. Will we see the kinds of change that we want? Probably not– since we all have different ideas of what needs changing–but things WILL be different, for better or worse….
JB FALCON
January 31st, 2012
9:23 pm
Mike Smith WILL change and adjust, he has no choice. As was already posted, SW I think, the CS, as a whole has learned from our past experience. No matter how much gloom and doom is seen by many, AB is not a loser and has proven that beyond a doubt. Next year will be the first part of the second part. AB started with one store and a great idea and a “plan.”
I have mentioned before, the most stupid question I have ever been asked was “What did you plan to do if your failed?”! Is “DUH?” an adequate answer?
JB FALCON
January 31st, 2012
9:33 pm
Does Smith come anywhere close to this? – D3
I don’t think so. MS has this team on the same page, imo, but one could argue that there must be some desension on the team when it gets to the playoffs. Hopefully that will change, if that has been a problem.
Okay, change my answer to, that’s a darn good question!
D3
January 31st, 2012
9:42 pm
JB — Great point @ 9:23 pm. I think there is reason for optimism for sure. Guarded optimism, but it’s there nonetheless. Nolan is a fantastic hire and no one can argue that. Koetter may be a question mark, but he only has to be better than Mularkey, and as inept as he was, he still helped this offense put up some decent numbers. It was also nice of them letting go of the OL coach. Something had to give there. Either Boudreau’s philosophy had peaked or they realized he just couldn’t get it done or wasn’t developing the guys correctly. I’m positive and hopefully the free agency decisions on our own players, free agents, and draft will speed up the momentum. My fear is that we’ll stand pat with guys like Turner, Abe, etc. and expect different results.
panic fan
January 31st, 2012
9:45 pm
Seems as if the major disconnect was replaced. T.D had ideas when he RETAINED SAID PLAYERS FOR THE TEAM now who is the one to get those players coached up and on the field.This did not happen the past 4 yrs,so with that said,if this pattern is still present after this year we all know who is going to be looking a new job.Lets hope our new coaching staff has better overall game plan to get these players on the field and involved, we have a lot of potential that has not been used so far
Big Ray
January 31st, 2012
10:07 pm
dimitroff wasn’t handed the keys to a god awful team. in fact the team was 3 years removed from being in the nfc championship game. since that time they fired/hired a coach, only to see that said coach run away mid season, their starting pro bowl qb go to jail. so yes the team was detiorating because of some chemistry/personnel issues but it’s not like the OVERALL talent level was similar to this years colts or jaguars.
Heh….never, ever underrate team chemistry. What kind of franchise is it when your HC is a moron (and it’s finally realized, so you fire him), then the next guy literally runs away in the night? Yeah, the QB situation was bad…that’s an understatement.
You act like TD drafting a franchise QB was all he did. He also got a CS that got something done, even if it hadn’t been “enough” up to this point. Smitty may yet (with his new coordinators), get something done in the postseason.
Strange….seems the 49ers made one move – firing a HC and getting a new one…and it made all the difference. The difference was in the culture and the chemistry, because the roster was largely the same. Franchise QB? Who thought Alex Smith was a franchise QB?
So I’ll bet that Niners fans had much to say the same as you – the GM didn’t do squat and was “mediocre at best.” One right coaching hire later, and the team goes from a sack of sh!t to the NFC championship game. Guess what that meant? The GM automatically went from the sh!t list to the VIP list.
TD is not mediocre at best. He’s better than average. But we will agree to disagree, as usual. Only this time, remember what I said – better than average . Not genius, not whatever you normally like to claim that I say. Simply better than average.
Big Ray
January 31st, 2012
10:24 pm
Bless your heart, you have brought up a paradox that has had me thinking for a long while. If ones forte is on whatever side of ball, how can you succeed not knowing the other side? How does one plan with no knowledge of the other side? These are football people that do this for a living and at some point opt for one side of the ball or another.
You make a good point. My thing was, as a HC, you had to come from somewhere. Or rather, traditionally (at least in my opinion), you SHOULD have. In other words, any HC should have been either a DC or an OC. I know this isn’t always going to be the case, but I state again, you only specialize in one side of the ball.
That does NOT mean that you should have no knowledge of the other side. Far from it, in fact. Truth is, you need to be able to trust the guy who deals with the side of the ball that you DON’T specialize in, but you have to have enough knowledge of that side of the ball to understand how qualified that guy is, and whether or not he can do for you what you need done. But you still want him to be better than you at what he does. But you still have to both trust that guy, and manage that guy. Tricky work, but it is what it is.
I think Smitty learned that the hard way, but I also think he got a good slice of humble pie in the process. He chose wrong with Mularkey. Those two had a disconnect that just kept going on, no need to point fingers in any direction, it was what it was. Jax will get to find out of Mularkey and Bratowski are “tight.”
Funny thing is, I think a HC who is defensive-minded, who was a former DC, learns from two different guys. He learns from the OC he worked with on his former team, and he learns from the OC that he hires in his new gig as a HC. It not only gives him experience, it gives him something to compare with.
And I think this is why we saw Smitty hire Koetter, in part. He worked opposite him, he knows what the guy is about. He worked with Mularkey, with Mad Mike being his subordinate. Smitty knows that what Mularkey brought to the table was enough for some things, but clearly not enough for others. Koetter is a somewhat different guy (we don’t know just how different yet, some feel he is too similar), and he has to be different enough because if he wasn’t Smitty wouldn’t want to touch him with a 10 foot pole. Why would he? He’s already experienced Mularkey.
Big Ray
January 31st, 2012
10:26 pm
waynester ,
Excellent point. There WILL be changes, and it’s probably best that they not be what WE want….LOL.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 31st, 2012
10:38 pm
First I want to give a shout to William Middleton who sat at my table in 4th grade.
Secondly, it is a draft picks issue more so than a coaching issue.
Najeh Davenpoop
January 31st, 2012
10:40 pm
Thirdly, more of you should be watching the best team in Atlanta, the Atlanta Hawks.
Big Ray
January 31st, 2012
10:50 pm
JB ,
I never sensed the all-out unity that it takes for a team to go all the way to the SB, with our team. It just wasn’t there. It starts with the CS. Those guys have to believe in each other, have to be supportive of each other, have to be on the same page.
Simply put, you CANNOT expect your players to be that way if your CS is not that way.
For this reason alone, I still wonder if Smitty has that “it” that a HC must have. Every good HC has their own version, but they have it….or they don’t. Can Smitty be the rallying point? Can he keep players wanting to play for him? Guys want to play for Belichick. Guys want to play for Coughlin. Harbaugh. Tomlin….others….
Do they want to play for Smith? Or was the lack of focus and the perceived player dissension based on the players’ reaction to the dissension among the CS? All speculation and conjecture.
But then again….maybe not.
Big Ray
January 31st, 2012
10:53 pm
Thirdly, more of you should be watching the best team in Atlanta, the Atlanta Hawks.
Heh….yeah…they beat the bad teams. Sounds familiar. Call me back when they can do more than split wins/losses with the decent-to-good teams.
Wabe
January 31st, 2012
10:57 pm
So the Falcons finally got their coaching staff filled out…
Happy to hear that. Now we can focus our efforts on the personnel.
Don’t know much about any of these guys they recently appointed, so I won’t bother weighing in much on that.
Also read that Smitty and Koetter have finished up their work on the new offensive playbook. Excited to hear that and can’t wait to see what that entails. Smitty’s comments about the Falcons showing multiplicity of defenses was somewhat expected, but I’m happy to hear that actually coming out of their mouths. I’m honestly super jacked up about next season because of what Mike Nolan will bring to this defense. The scheme, the different looks, just a new attitude to a defense that desperately needed a makeover in philosophy.
Regarding the development of players, I think a lot of folks here in the Cage have been makin’ that point for quite some time. There are a number of guys we can point to that showed flashes that never really progressed. Thomas DeCoud, Kroy Biermann, Lawrence Sidbury, Chevis Jackson, Chris Owens, all guys that really showed that they looked the part early in their careers. Unfortunately, they’ve shown very little progress, and in some cases, regressed. It’s almost as though this organization has been living off a players raw talents for quite some time. We see very little progression from a number of spots. There are a few exceptions to this. Guys like Grimes, Spoon, and even Peters have shown a gradual progression from one year to the next. But, just compare the Falcons to the Saints regarding this. The Saints drafted Carl Nicks in the 4th round, and dude’s developed into one of the league’s best gaurds. We just don’t seem to have that kinda luck. There’s been a lot of talk over the years about how the Falcons ‘got a steal in such and such’ round. Sidbury, Franks, Cliff Matthews, etc. I wanna see these guys eventually making meaningful contributions, and playing critical roles going into the future.
Wabe
January 31st, 2012
10:58 pm
lmao @ Davenpoop in the Cage…
And preaching the Hawks I see.
WR
January 31st, 2012
11:12 pm
Hate that I couldn’t get back in sooner, missed some great convo’s today, and I’ll get to that in a sec. But BR, now I know your going to argue with me, but you have to admit, at least the Hawks seem to have solved the problem of losing to lesser teams, they were the opposite of the Falcons, they beat good teams to build up our hopes and lose to bad teams to crush our hopes.
Back to the Falcons, the point was made, “do you really think the CS wouldn’t play a player that was better then the player they put on the field”. Well yes I do, Jamaal Andersen was allowed to play as a starter or big time role player for years until his contract was up. If Sam Baker had not gotten hurt we would not have seen Will Switek. Jason Snelling filled in admirably for an injured Micheal Turner two seasons ago, and once Turner returned Snellings play didn’t increase at all. If Peria Jerry hadn’t been injured no way would we have known by now the player that Corey Peters has turned out to be, they would have just let Jerry linger just like they have often done in the past. Under this regime the only reason Grimes even got an opportunity is because so many other corners were hurt, he got a chance and didn’t come off the field after that. How did Harry Douglas do in the absence of Julio Jones, now how did he do upon his return, did you even see him on the field beyond cameo appearances.
I have nothing against common sense opinion, and common sense opinion would be the idea that a CS wouldn’t put its best 11 guys on the field, but that’s why were having this topic now, because history has not shown that the Falcons do put their best 11 guys on the field, and history has not shown that they even give a guy a chance unless injuries completely merit it.
WR
January 31st, 2012
11:36 pm
D3, again, I’ll say great post, its a great topic to debate about during the offseason. Falcons fans are Falcons fan no matter if we agree or disagree on how they get there, and as someone mentioned the Falcons front office probably could careless about what we think. They know all we want is to win, regular season covered, but what about the playoffs, its coming.
Personally, and I’m not wishing any ill-will on anyone but I’m looking forward to the end result of the Andrew Luck man crush. Rarely is a player this hyped, that turns out to be the player that a team thought he would be. Sure Newton had hype, but he had just as much negativity as hype. But Luck, I mean teams are practically salivating in the guy hasn’t played a down in the NFL, then you have the Colts. Now if Peyton isn’t healthy I completely understand, but even at 36 if healthy that’s a huge gamble to let him go for a QB that could very well be a bust. Falcons fans thought we had it bad with Vick, but his departure was involuntary, imagine a voluntary departure brought on by the organization because they drafted a bust, now that’s catastrophic.
Again no ill-will wished on Luck, its just the hype, that kind of hype rarely plays out and if it doesn’t in this case I would hate to be in his shoes, well give or take a couple million dollars guaranteed, I probably could get over it.
E43
February 1st, 2012
12:01 am
I see no problem with the Falcons development. There’s just too many players and not enough PT and time to spread things around. Injuries create opportunities, but the Falcons are in my opinion the healthiest football team in the NFL. Roddy White’s back up is Kerry Meier. Loftons back up is Dent. Good luck finding any kind of reps behind those guys. The real issue in my opinion is that the Falcons have an itchy trigger finger. There are times they did things to make people happy and ended up having musical chairs at certain positions. That really killed continuity and really just pushed current problems into the future.
E43
February 1st, 2012
12:08 am
I talked a lot of smack about TD. I don’t think his picks were poor. Its just that there are certain things that teams need to assess sooner rather than later and those issues likely will be addressed this off season. However, I think that he is quickly evolving into a guy that needs a lot of money or draft picks spent just to get the simple things done.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 1st, 2012
12:09 am
“Heh….yeah…they beat the bad teams. Sounds familiar. Call me back when they can do more than split wins/losses with the decent-to-good teams.”
Well, they manage to do something every year that the Falcons are apparently incapable of doing, which is winning in the playoffs…
Terrell
February 1st, 2012
12:26 am
There are two players here that I want to dispute:
William Middleton: The Falcons wanted to keep him but it became a numbers game and they had to put him to the PS where the Jags picked him up
Chris Houston: The difference is the the dline he has in Detroit. Early in the season they were forcing bad passes by the opposing QBs and as a result it led to some easy ints but Houston, but once the dline stopped getting pressure the Chris Houston we all know was seen. He’s fast but still can’t turn his head.
BigLou
February 1st, 2012
1:05 am
Even though the Hawks blog needs great coverage like The Cage, I agree with Najeh. Go Hawks! At least they won playoff games the past couple years!
Big Ray
February 1st, 2012
6:16 am
Well, they manage to do something every year that the Falcons are apparently incapable of doing, which is winning in the playoffs…
Do you really want to compare NFL playoffs to NBA playoffs? Give me a break….
In the NFL, the wild card can go to the SuperBowl. In the NBA, the 8th seed does not go to the Finals. Case closed.
Big Ray
February 1st, 2012
6:22 am
WR ,
Hate that I couldn’t get back in sooner, missed some great convo’s today, and I’ll get to that in a sec. But BR, now I know your going to argue with me, but you have to admit, at least the Hawks seem to have solved the problem of losing to lesser teams, they were the opposite of the Falcons, they beat good teams to build up our hopes and lose to bad teams to crush our hopes.
You’re right – I’m going to argue. How many good teams did the Falcons beat last season compared to bad teams? We beat one team last year that was a playoff team (i.e, this is my definition of a good team) – that was Detroit. The rest of the time, it was bad teams that we beat. On top of that, they lost to Tampa, which was absolutely inexcusable.
By “contrast”, the Hawks beat the terrible teams, and manage to get a win or two (or three) against good teams. Yeah, they win in the first round over teams with issues, then get dismantled in the 2nd round every single time.
Not impressed until I see otherwise. They’re known for fast starts, especially when the schedule is dominated by weaker teams. But I digress. The Hawks look better this season than they did last season. But a weak schedule never hurts. I’ll be favorably impressed when they can consistently beat teams with winning records.
Big Ray
February 1st, 2012
6:27 am
Terrell,
Good point on Chris Houston. It’s too easy for us to look at players that leave this team and go elsewhere, and not take into account the totality of surrounding circumstances in regard to their performance.
Strange….I don’t hear anybody yapping about dear ol’ Mike Jenkins and his stunning 38 catch, 3 TD, 455 yard season up there in Minnesota. I wonder why….
Yet the same thing applies….surrounding circumstances. Either way, not missing the guy…
Big Ray
February 1st, 2012
6:34 am
WR,
Points well taken, i.e. Svitek and Peters.
Big Ray
February 1st, 2012
6:35 am
Now that my morning vinegar is spent…time to get back to work.
Good to see that the CS situation is all filled out. Time for THEM to get to work.
I thought the comment about the offensive playbook being finished was interesting. I don’t know whether to be alarmed or happy. Somebody tell me which one I should be….
BigLou
February 1st, 2012
8:40 am
Big Ray
I say be alarmed. Very alarmed. I see up the middle for -1 yards in our future.
BigLou
February 1st, 2012
8:45 am
Weaker teams? They almost beat Miami and Chicago twice during those back-to-back games. They were BS’d by the refs in Chicago, where we were dominating them the whole game. A lucky three beat us with the Miami game. The only game I feel the Hawks truly had no chance was against the Spurs, and that’s because we are too small in matchups. That’s like saying the Falcons haven’t proved anything when they beat Greenbay and NO in the reg season.
WR
February 1st, 2012
9:22 am
Its the Falcons blog and I know we should be talking Falcons, but great to see Atlanta sports teams fans out, which is why I don’t mind commenting about the Hawks on here time to time, you see, we do support our teams.
BR, the Hawks had the best regular season team in the NBA on the blink of elimination last year in the playoffs, sure they lost but they had them on the blink, Falcons haven’t been close to having anyone on the blink. As for beating up on lesser teams, who has anyone played in the NBA this year with a better record then the Hawks. You have Dal whom the Hawks haven’t played, OKcity, Hawks haven’t played, Clippers, Hawks haven’t played, Chi-Hawks have blowout and should have beat twice, Miami, hawks beat them at full strength and couldn’t get up for the lesser version of them. None of that really matters right now, the idea of bringing up the Hawks is because they are now at least playing 21st century basketball as opposed to whatever that was under Mike Woodson, that’s all most of us are asking out of the Falcons, make those changes and I like the Falcons chances.
Paddy O
February 1st, 2012
9:29 am
Comments on HC staff working in unison – if you follow the Giants during the regular season, with the piranha press in NY, you have a pretty good idea that the Giants don’t generally sing in as a harmonious choir. HOWEVER, when the post season arrives, Coughlin is able to get the most out of his players – the Giants have gotten to Super Bowls and have NEVER had a complete team that dominated – predominantly their defense & QB pressure is close to elite, but usually their QB is average, their WR’s are barely average; their run offense is what usually carries them (our D got hammered by their run game). The key is harnessing your teams ability & passion at the right time. AS of today, Mike Smith can’t do that. Our game plan against the Giants was absolutely awful – almost like bringing a knife to a gun fight, or the US Army in Africa during WW2 prior to Patton showing up. From my perspective, against the elite teams (top 10%), Mike Smith has thus far been tone deaf as far as running the game, and if we fail the first half, we don’t have the gumption to pivot and play a different game in the 2nd half. There was a big debate – is that SMITTY BALL or MM zombie stuff? MM admitted as he pulled into J’ville that he was a lousy in game play caller – so, hopefully it was 90% MM. BUT, the short & 4, which Smith has made in previous years, just did not pan out this year – which indicates to me what the coach is seeing on the field is not the reality on the field. Our O line did NOT get much push the entire year – so, do you run a QB sneak which is predicated on O line push in the middle? Not bloody likely. This also applies to running Turner up the middle – which has NOT worked since at least the 2nd NO games of 2010. That is now a long stretch.
Michael Rodgers
February 1st, 2012
9:51 am
@DePlane. I’m glad it has occured to someone else to suggest Robinson move to safety. To envision he and Moore as hit factories underneath and over the top as well as bringing in a guy like Courtland Finnegan (as has been rumored) coupled with the re-signing of Grimes or even Owens or Franks at the other corner makes the secondary instantly better. Add to that mix a change to a 3-4 playing to the strengths of the team with Biermann as a stand up passing rushing OLB (aka Kevin Greene) and Weatherspoon on the other side only opens up opportunities for Ray Edwards and Abe or another DE to get to the QB. It also allows Lofton and a young Dent to make tackles without having to get off blocks first. Throw in a competent DC who is an upgrade over BVG and the defense is instantly 75% better than last yea without having to delve too far into FA maket.
Not only that, but on the offensive side of the ball, it would be nice if Koetter would study film of Joe Gibbs offensive schemes of the 80’s and 90’s. They have the resources to run a 3 receiver, 1 TE one back set more frequently. Using Snelling, a back who runs hard after the initial contact and alternating with Rodgers to run screens and bring more speed will open up the passing game allowing Ryan to make better use of Douglas’s speed, White’s route running abilities and Jones sheer strength and speed coupled with Gonzalez’s ability to find the first down marker. This is of couse contingent upon Hill’s talent to make for a better blocking O-line with improved talent via FA or better development of current players.
WR
February 1st, 2012
9:51 am
Paddy O, good points and hopefully the Falcons are moving beyond that this year. Blank put it in the hands of TD and Smitty. He gave them full support and I believe that’s was also to say your both going to be fully responsible if no improvement is made this next season. Smitty a defensive minded HC goes out and hires probably the best DC on the market, in my opinion that screams loudly that he’s planning on changing. I admit, I too am concerned about Koetter, but given the aforementioned point I just don’t believe the Falcons are going with the same type scheme that was ran in Jacksonville. As crazy as it appears on the surface I get the feeling the birds will be opening things up next season both offensively and defensively.
Then consider this, Koetter is the type of OC that could bring both aspects of a strong running game and strong passing game to the playoffs. Let’s not get it wrong, we do need a more attacking and passing style of offense, but it all slows down in the playoffs, so your going to need an O that can grind also. I’m thinking that was the idea in signing Koetter, basically and OC that can get the O on track no matter what isn’t working. In the past if the running game was shut down the Falcons were pretty much shut down, looking forward their addressing that.
trademark
February 1st, 2012
9:52 am
I’m thinking the restructuring, or aptly named “The Process:Part 2″, is starting to shape up to really be “Smitty’s” team. I think that is exactly where the “disconnect” happened, and someone (I’m thinking Arthur Blank) made the decision to go this route.
The biggest disconnect was between Dimitroff and Smith last season. (I say “was” because I really hope this behind them now….hope….)
Dimitroff convinced EVERYONE that the only reason the Falcons weren’t winning in the playoffs was lack of “explosive” plays. We heard it so damned much, it became annoying even before the first play of the season. So he goes and spends the bank on an “explosive” player, and “suggests” that he get the ball a LOT based on the amount we invested in him. It makes sense…name one other rookie player in the last 4 years that got so much damned playing time and was so much the focus of play calling (and don’t say Ryan, he HAD to play
)
So….what happens? Let’s take a look….more “explosive” plays? Check. Results? In 2010, the Falcons as a team had 5458 yds, and scored 414 points. In 2011, the Falcons as a team had 6026 yards, and scored 402 points. Ooohhhhh-kay, so, we filled the stats with empty yardage, and ended up scoring LESS points than the season before, dropped 5 spots in playoff seeding, and ended up scoring ZERO points in that playoff game against the 27th ranked Defense in the NFL. Oops.
Does the word “fail” come to anyone else’s mind about now?
The battle of philosophies is O-V-E-R, folks. Dimitroff and the “explosive” plays lost. I have no idea if he had inside help with this one either. Considering that the game plan forced the plays so much in JJ’s direction, I’m guessing Mularkey was in on it as well.
Consider this: so far, Smith has surrounded himself now with coaches from his past that share his run-heavy, ball control philosophy. Hell, even the new “QB coach” thinks like that. I use that term loosely, because I firmly believe Thomas is there as a “buffer” (nice analysis by D-Led on that one) between Ryan and the OC and HC, because we just aren’t going to be pass heavy next year, and that can piss some QBs off. Seriously, how many people out there still think Ryan needs any more “coaching up”? He’s got it, he’s a LOT smarter than most OCs in the league right now, including our ex one. We’re going back to the Falcon’s offense we saw in 2010, Cage, with maybe a few more wrinkles thrown in, sure. I HOPE it’s not predictable, that’s what killed it last year. Smith won. He gets it his way.
Let’s see if it works.
WR
February 1st, 2012
10:12 am
Micheal Rodgers, love the idea of moving Robinson to safety, more because of coverage ability rather then the fear of going across the middle though. In today’s NFL the fear of going across the middle has been taken away. Use to be a day where WRs go across the middle at their own risk, a brutal hit normally was to follow such a pattern, now the receiver is allowed to catch the ball first and become a runner before he can even be contacted with a ferocious hit, so that idea no longer really exist.
Now offensively we are completely on a different page even though I really understand your point. Joe Gibbs O was built around a big mean nasty offensive line to begin with, it was more about overpowering your opponents. With the change in the speed of the game and defensive pressure packages power has been offset by speed. You can be as strong as you want to be but if you can’t put your hands on the variety of guys coming your strength means nothing. QBs are just not getting that all day time they use to get back in the day, if you have 5 good offensive linemen the D is going to send 6 or 7 guys and their coming fast from all directions. Notice this, first their was a change on D to the 3/4, that D brought more pressure in a variety of ways that made blocking them very difficult if not impossible. What followed, a change in O to more of a spread style, to take away some of the options of bringing a variety of players. Eventually it will change back again, so no opinion is really right or wrong, the best opinion will remain on the ability to maximize your personnel.
Wings
February 1st, 2012
10:23 am
trademark – I understand what you are saying but I don’t know if it describes what happened. I know all of the media heads were all saying the Falcons were failing at changing the offense in 2011 from run to explosive pass. In essence, aren’t you saying the same thing? I think you are giving too much credit to the coaching staff. My eyes saw a coaching staff that didn’t know how to mix up a set of plays, a coaching staff that didn’t know how to use people, and a coaching staff that was totally void of any creativity. I believe we saw a lot of passes in many of the games because the running game just was not working. It had run its course with MS, MM, and MT. All of the teams had determined how to stop it and the offense was forced to pass. When the team was forced to pass, it became one dimensional.
WR
February 1st, 2012
10:39 am
trademark, I completely get your point, but as a stanch advocate against Koetter let’s take a look at his resume beyond just Jacksonville. The guy brought an innovative passing game to, in all places, Boise State, and he succeeded against even the big boys of college football. He moves on to become OC in Jacksonville and his QBs are David Garrard and Blaine Gabbert. Now if you take nothing against the QBs who were the receivers during that time period. Now I’m not one to blame everything on personnel but its not like he had a AK47 and decided to just use his swiss army knife. In Atlanta, if the Falcons don’t trade White and resign Douglas, he also has Julio and Gonzo and that’s not even mentioning the RBs. When we can say honestly that Douglas could go to J-Ville and be their #1 receiver right now, that’s saying alot. Chances are Meier might actually be able to go to J-Ville and be their #1 so that’s saying even more. Sure he’s a coach Smitty is familiar with, but instead of the obvious thinking of Smitty hiring someone because he could control them, might it be Smitty hiring someone he trust because he believes he needs to take a step back and focus more on his HC duties while having trust that his coordinators can get it done without his hand in the cookie jar. We don’t know and won’t know till next season, signs point to more of the same for the Falcons, but those are the signs that we long time suffering fans of the Falcons see because of their history. Until we know what signs Smitty saw after the latest playoff debacle we just don’t know, but a good start is when a defensive minded HC brings in a DC who is considered far better then he in understanding offenses and trying to stop them, I’ll say again, that just screams change is coming.
ryan
February 1st, 2012
10:42 am
Which is more exciting the NFL draft or National Signing Day .
trademark
February 1st, 2012
11:08 am
I get it, it’s all new…but (there’s always one of those, right?)
A little tidbit from Smith’s Press conference:
“Falcons coach Mike Smith has been busy filling out his new staff.
Upon returning from Mobile, he shot this little video with the team’s website.
If you can’t watch the entire 9:08, here are some of the highlights:
1. The Falcons have nearly completed their new offensive playbook.”
OK, soooooooo, the playbook is almost done before Free Agency even STARTED, all of the drafts were analyzed and anyone has any idea which players are coming here and which aren’t?
DO YOU REALLY STILL THINK SMITH ISN’T GOING TO DO THINGS HIS WAY?!!? They wrote practically the ENTIRE PLAYBOOK IN LESS THAN THREE WEEKS AND HAVEN’T DRAFTED OR SIGNED A SOUL.
That’s straight from the horse’s mouth, folks. He KNOWS what he is going to do already.
OK, so, if THAT isn’t a clear example of not paying attention to personnel on the field, but more towards PRE-WRITTEN COACHING philosophies…I dunno, I’ll stop trying to convince anyone, because it doesn’t get any clearer than that, the FRIKKIN’ COACH said so.
SeminoleWarrior
February 1st, 2012
11:31 am
Piggybacking on WR @ 10:39
My ACC brother. I have had a week plus now to think about the direction of this coaching staff. And I think you hit it directly on the head. Smitty is now in a position where he HAS to allow his staff to be more proactive in their respective areas of command. The Mike Nolan hire was clearly a message that the defense has to get more focused and be more aggressive. The Koetter hire was a message that things had to open up more in terms of an offensive balance and scheme.
I know that there is a lot of dissention and frustration among the fan base. Like you, I see the glass not half empty here but half full. Koetter has something in ATL that he had in a very minimal means in Jax….ABUNDANT TALENT. Those that think that an offensive mindset can not transfer are just being close-minded in my opinion. Koetter obviously know the significant of a rushing attack and if he had the weapons, we may have saw more in the JAX passing attack.
I have said it before and I echo it again here. 2012 is going to be a transitional year for the Falcons. While there is a large degree of talent on this team, it will take the better part of a season for it to all mesh and come together. Prepare for it now….no need to sweat it because real results, true tangible results of the Process, Part Two are STILL, at least 2 years aways. Bank on it….
trademark
February 1st, 2012
11:42 am
…All things being equal…as Mike Smith is basically saying, and publicly no less, “We’re doing things this way. We already know the plan.”, that does NOT mean that it won’t work. As a Falcon’s fan, I am desperately and optimistically hoping that he knows exactly what he’s talking about.
…on the analytical side of my thinking, though, I’m thinking that if I’m a Defensive Coordinator in the NFL with Atlanta on my schedule, I’m pulling tape of Jacksonville and Boise State like right now. Because if they wrote that playbook that fast, there’s going to be some recycles in there…probably more than a few.
SeminoleWarrior
February 1st, 2012
12:00 pm
Trademark,
I can understand the frustration. Hell, I feel the same. But I am also thinking that I am not focusing intensely on the tape exclusively. I am assuming (dangerous, I know) that when Koetter went in for the interview, he had the playbook already in place.
I am going to assume that it has some version of a WCO base and that it will give us a balance of rushing and intermediate passes (10-20 yards) with a premium placed on YAC. JJ11, HD83, TG88, and RW84 all have shown the capacity at times to be very effective after the catch. I think that if a higher premium is placed on that, the TRUE strength of MR2, the intermediate game, then it will soften defenses for one of two things; 1) the EXPLOSIVE big play and 2) the weardown of a defense in the later portions of the game by effectively rushing the rock.
My theory is based on the mindset of both TD and MS.
TD said we had to get explosive. The WCO and a greater premium of the WCO allows the POTENTIAL for that. Examples, Houston and Green Bay…look at what their WRs and TEs do after the catch. You will see similiar in the Miami Dolphins this upcoming season as well when they convert to a WCO based scheme.
Smitty loves the ball control philosophy. So if you move the rock effectively and get points (preferably touchdowns) out of the drive, it makes it easier for an attacking defense to be more opportunistic in both scheme and approach. There in lies the Nolan effect.
Again, I am throwing out the Jax tape as it relates to Koetter totally. That team was a total disaster offensively once Del Rio kicked Garrard to the curb. Clearly, clearly, Gabbert was not ready to be the starter and they had no other options. All they had was MJD. Teams knew it and STILL could not stop him. So give Koetter credit for riding the best horse he had in the stable.
Some may not like the WAC/MWC game but it puts a premium on WCO/spread type schemes. It is the rave and it is coming, in some fashion, to the big stage. And that playbook, the one that took only three weeks to develop, IMHO, certainly, has plenty of no-huddle, some spread, and some WCO in it. And there can be a power rushing element to a WCO. Just look at the track records of Roger Craig, Frank Gore, and Adrian Foster to name a few.
SeminoleWarrior
February 1st, 2012
12:12 pm
One more offensive point of order.
Mad Mike’s playbook had some strong points. The offense, at times, was a force to deal with. Some will say it was the level of competition that allowed for that. Perhaps. We looked good against those that we should have beaten and look WHIPPED against the elite. I still would argue that it was more of the DISCONNECT and a failure to integrate key components into a more wide open, offensive approach.
There is not a lot to change in our rushing attack. Like it or not, it STILL is one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL. Improved, disciplined OL play should keep it there. No huddle allowed for a more up beat tempo to the game, not allowing the opposing D to sit back and predict was coming from our O. The implementation of tenants of the WCO/spread will further that trend.
We are closer offensively than most would like to see. Again, the main issue, DISCONNECT and effective game planning, IMHO, have been addressed. We will known for sure later this fall.
SeminoleWarrior
February 1st, 2012
12:14 pm
Perhaps Koetter and Smith are looking at keeping the best of the rushing attack in place while adding dimensions of the WCO/spread/no-huddle variations I have discussed. It would compliment the strengths of the team while adding an element of no being able to be so predictable.
JB FALCON
February 1st, 2012
12:47 pm
1. The Falcons have nearly completed their new offensive playbook.” -TM
The first step in any project is to have a plan, or blueprint. The second step is to assemble, or gather up, the materials that will be needed to carry out the plan or project. The materials will have to be what the plans call for, the way I see it.
I posted the same exact thing yesterday from DOL’s page but with a different outlook. So, now, imo, things should get interesting.
Paddy O
February 1st, 2012
12:49 pm
If our Falcons still stick to a run heavy offense, we will be lucky to have a 500 record next year. With our O line, we are not built to be run heavy. We shall see. Smitty may crash & burn, 2012 is now the KEY year.
SeminoleWarrior
February 1st, 2012
1:05 pm
Paddy O, respectfully disagree. This OL has been a key element in a rushing attack that has been in the top seven or higher each year of the Mike Smith era.
The fact that defense KNOW we are going to run at certain times made us predictable and easier to scheme for. With a hopeful infusion of a more balanced intermediate passing game, I would say that we can offset that. And that is what I think that Koetter brings to the Falcons. The key phrase we heard from Smith when Koetter was announced was his strong tendencies and liking of the vertical passing game.
The word “vertical” is what I think throws people off here. Historically, it means deep passes. In todays’ game though, it mean more of a rhymic flow using quicker, shorter passes and maximizing yards after the catch.
The rushing attack is then used to control game tempo. That is the direction I feel that we are AND should move into. Again, I cite the gameplans of Houston and Green Bay as examples. While Green Bay does not have a potent rushing attack, it can provide a change of pace at key times in the game. Look no further than the game Starks had against the Falcons two years ago in the playoffs. Look at what Foster was able to do against the vaunted Ravens. The template is there and if smart, the Falcons should seriously model themselves accordingly.
IMHO, it maximizes our talent in the best possible scenarios offensively without totally throwing out the baby with the bath water.
Ken Strickland
February 1st, 2012
1:08 pm
On the subject of player development, I see a combination a things. No matter how much you can teach a player during training camp and practices, he’s not going to move ahead much if he’s not allowed to do anything under gm conditions other than special teams. Injuries aside, WRs KMeier and HDouglas were rarely utilized, or utilized effectively, when healthy. And the best example of our problems in that area is RB JSnelling. In yr 2 he replaced MTurner when he went down, and proved he was one of the, if not the, NFLs best backup RB.
Even though Snelling has proven he’s more versatile than MTurner, and is more than capable of carrying the load, he has still been grossly underutilized for the past 2yrs, even though Smitty and Co have repeatedly claimed they want to reduce Turner’s carries. Even when our coaching staff has already developed a player they refuse to utilized him when needed. And to make matters worse, this yr we had 2 quality backup RBs(JRogers/JSnelling), and our coaching staff still over utilized Turner while under utilizing both of them.
It’s not just a matter of development or drafting. Our biggest cause to player development has been our coaching staff’s inability or unwillingness to incorporate the players we have developed into the regular OFF/DEF, beyond special teams.
Screen Pass
February 1st, 2012
1:17 pm
“OK, so, if THAT isn’t a clear example of not paying attention to personnel on the field, but more towards PRE-WRITTEN COACHING philosophies…I dunno, I’ll stop trying to convince anyone, because it doesn’t get any clearer than that, the FRIKKIN’ COACH said so.” – trademark
Hey, someone gets it. Martyball = Smittyball = paint by numbers = McNamara’s Whiz Kids = FAIL. If Koetter’s newest version of Smittyball is successful, it will be for a short time only as once film is out and DC’s adjust it is done. The same “paint by numbers” approach is seen on MM’s, Cooter, Hill, etc.. resumes and not oddly the results are the same everywhere they go. One or two outlier seasons of success followed by mediocrity…not bad enough to fire but not good enough to win big. This is the DESIRED RESULT of Smittyball…to keep your job, not win games that matter. Sure, they wanna win but they are hampered by the same number crunching soul crushing boring R-R-P scheme that dictates wins over the weakest and loses to the top outliers. I gotta run for a bit, but make no mistake trademark, I see what you fear and there is good reason to.
SeminoleWarrior
February 1st, 2012
1:21 pm
Let me go on record with a shocker here.
The most important hire to most is the Nolan hire and for reasons that are crystal clear. But to the TeePee, the most important hire is the Pat Hill hire for the offensive line.
Why in the hell you may ask? I am going to repeat an old theme here so be patient. I think that the Falcons are in the midst of a transition to the zone blocking scheme. Simply put, when you look at the OL personnel that are on the draft sheets today, there are not enough of the old big warhorses to go around when constructing an OL. So the smaller, more athletic OL personnel are more available and thus, the transition. Hill has an active attitude and a stone reputation as a solid coach/leader. Key word – leader. Hill gets the BEST out of his players. That is what he used to make Fresno State viable as he built that program to respectability in the shadows of USC, UCLA, Stanford, and the rest of the Pac 10.
Zone blocking then plays well into the WCO scheme. Again, at the expense of being repeating, I will say again that the WCO is the OFFENSE BEST SUITED for the talent that the Atlanta management is assembling in ATL. Look at our moves. JJ11 – excellent in the intermediate game with power, great hands, and the strength/speed to break it at any time. TG88 – great hands and a mismatch in the middle/intermediate game. Quizz22, a solid receiver with deceptive speed after the catch and more power than given credit for; HD83, effective slot receiver with serious upside in the short route and go game. I could go on.
Again, the GREATEST note strength of MR2 coming out in the draft in 2008 was his mobility, his cerebral presence, and his demeanour. His scheme was the WCO and he ran it well at BC. The blocking scheme at BC…the zone scheme. It fits perfectly.
History is all I have. But the greatest lessons of man have historical ties. While looking to the future, it may do the Falcons the most good to look (REALLY look) at the true strengths of this team as they exist, not in terms of what someone, Coach Smith included, may desire.
Screen Pass
February 1st, 2012
1:30 pm
“…on the analytical side of my thinking, though, I’m thinking that if I’m a Defensive Coordinator in the NFL with Atlanta on my schedule, I’m pulling tape of Jacksonville and Boise State like right now. Because if they wrote that playbook that fast, there’s going to be some recycles in there…probably more than a few.”- trademark
I imagine they already know lol. I would bet ASU is the tape they wanna look at as it is Cooter’s “pinnacle” of “success”. You won’t find anything very different other than a smattering of “bubble screens”…but that is all you really need to see. Koetter didn’t fool the NFL very long and there is no reason to think he ever will. Blaming everybody but Cooter is a cop out, he had access to QB’s better matched to his scheme than M. Ryan and failed miserably. He has talent here that can allow other ways to win but neither Cooter or any of Smitty’s ball-sack disciples have ever shown an ability to adjust..it is not in the philosphy. IF we get a dominant O-line then talent will dictate we will be dangerous no doubt…if not then lord help us.