Archive for August, 2012

******EDITOR’S NOTE*********

This post came out right around the time of the actual cuts and roster. Apologies on the incorrect nature.

Put Your Prediction Hats On

It’s the time fellow Bird Cage brothers and sisters: time to predict what the Falcons final 53 man roster will look like. Most of the positions are already locked up, but there’s a few areas that could hold some shocks in store. Do your best to guess what players will don the red and black for another year, those that may be relegated to the Taxi Squad, as longtime Cage member Unca’ Bob has termed it, and who gets an outright pink slip. Bird Cage’s weak attempt:

Quarterbacks (2)

Matt Ryan

No description needed here. The franchise quarterback has looked as good as he ever has since coming to Atlanta as a rookie and winning rookie of the year. Not only does he look more confident as a quarterback, the new offensive system really seems catered to his skill sets. If the offensive line can get it together, the …

Continue reading Atlanta Falcons: Roster Cut Edition »

Fans Stuck Somewhere in the Middle

This Pic Sums It Up Pretty Well (MCT)

It was a win and when the real season hits, that’s all that will matter. It’s preseason though, so everything’s still fair game. Most fans seem to be stuck somewhere in the middle after three preseason games and the all-important 3rd “tune-up” contest. The scoreline doesn’t necessarily tell the entire story. This post is not meant to seem overly negative or critical, but there’s a big fear among many fans that problems from preseason can drag into the regular season, as it did when the Falcons had an absolute collapse in Chicago in their 2011 opening game. A look at the 3rd preseason game:

SmittyBall Appears Here to Stay

Although Mularkey still shares a lot of the blame in terms of the offensive construction, Mike Smith appears to drive this conservative ship and seemingly really enjoys it. Whether it be stubbornness or just his overly conservative nature, the apprehension is that changing …

Continue reading Atlanta Falcons: Mixed Emotions as Birds Down Dolphins »

Some Bright Spots, Some Areas for Concern

D is Progressing (AJC)

Even though the Falcons actually lost the game against the Ravens in the first preseason game and the backups looked pretty bad, fans were filled with hope from the new coordinators and the first team’s play. Expectations were tempered a little bit as the Falcons lost again to the Bengals on Thursday night. More than the score, there were some areas for concern in the second preseason game. To be sure, there were still plenty of bright spots in all phases of the game, but not quite the performance from a week ago. A review from the Falcons-Bengals game:

Offense and Defense Back to Earth

The defense came out and dominated the Ravens in the first game, holding them to three straight 3 and outs. The offense looked superb, driving at will on a team known for it’s stellar defensive play. Hope was sky high. The Bengals game may not have been terrible, but it surely didn’t inspire the same confidence the first …

Continue reading Atlanta Falcons: Expectations Tempered in Loss to Bengals »

New Coordinators Inspire Hope

Starting Punt Returner? (AJC)

The Atlanta Falcons debuted in their first preseason game and looked really good against a team that was a field goal away from going to the Super Bowl last season. The new coordinators inspired fans with hope implementing new schemes and showing some much needed innovation and creativity. Of course not everything went perfect, but overall the first team looked superb on both sides of the ball. The second and third team players, however, is a major cause for concern, or even panic if you prefer. The Falcons stormed out to a 14-0 lead, and ended up losing 31-17. That’s what preseason is for and they surely have a lot to correct, but there’s still a lot of good to take away. A review from the game……..

Great Debut for the Coordinators

The offense was innovative and creative. The defense was aggressive and completely shut out Joe Flacco and company when the first team was on the field. As longtime Cage …

Continue reading Atlanta Falcons: First Team Looks Great, Depth a Major Concern »

What Worries You

Will Smittyball Continue? (AJC)

As the Falcons get ready to start their preseason tour this week, there’s so much to be positive about as fans of our beloved team. New coaches, new coordinators, new schemes, new talent, Julio Jones, Asante Samuel, Sean Weatherspoon, and the list goes on and on. However, there’s always some areas that every team has to worry about as preseason starts and the Falcons are surely no exception. Of course we’ll all know a lot more after the preseason games have been completed and the final roster is set, but what concerns you as the Falcons get ready for the Ravens on Thursday?

Bird Cage Take

1) Offensive Line, Offensive Line, Offensive Line

It never strays far from every single conversation regarding the Falcons. When Coach Smith and Thomas Dimitroff arrived, they had to put together a patchwork line that did a fantastic job with several undrafted and practice squad linemen. It worked pretty well in 2008 and 2010, not so …

Continue reading Atlanta Falcons: What’s Your Areas of Concern? »