Atlanta Falcons: Birds Stumble to Ugly Win Over Cardinals
Going for Ugliest Win in NFL History?
One of Those Days (AJC)
Goodness gracious. This is one of those games that sees the Falcons win a game they shouldn’t even been close. How can a team turn the ball over 6 times and still win a game? Well, the Falcons found a way to do it. A win is a win is a win, but if the Falcons play like they did today it’s going to a bad collapse ready to happen. A look at one of the ugliest wins in NFL history……..
A Win, But…………….
The Falcons once again found a way to win the game, especially at home, but goodness gracious, the idea of winning an NFL game with turning the ball over 6 times is unthinkable. Gone are the days of feeling good about coming back and winning the game. The Falcons put themselves in that position and it was just an ugly display of awfulness for 95% of the game. Matt Ryan threw 5 , yes FIVE, interceptions in one game and somehow won the game. The Falcons better improve in a very quick manner because a their schedule gets infinitely harder in a hurry. However, the ugliest win in the world is always better than the prettiest loss in history.
Despite All the Bad, they Find a Way to Win……Again
It was one of the worst imaginable games, but the Falcons still somehow found a way to win the game. They are continuing to win the games even though not playing nearly close to their best. Although much in the post may sound negative, the underlying point is that this team keeps finding ways to win and that’s surely helping them in confidence. Watch out if this team ever puts together 60 minutes of their A game.
Ryan’s Collapse Day
Was This One Picked? (AJC)
Maybe it’s the case that 2 or 3 of the interceptions that Matt Ryan threw weren’t his fault, but good Lord it was a terrible display by the franchise quarterback. It started by his first play from scrimmage that was picked from a tipped pass. Another pass was tipped, but overall this looked like the QB from 2009 that was tentative, worried, and unsure of himself. The lack of running game, rather the insistence of running Michael Turner regardless of the circumstances, likely is taking it’s toll. Ryan found a way to win the game in the end, but everyone’s new favorites Tampa Bay Bucs are ready to celebrate Ryan’s career interception day next Sunday.
Loss Hangover
You can’t call it a trap game when you lose the week before, but the Falcons suffered from an ugly game seeing a team that saw a weaker opponent and played accordingly. The Falcons came out flat, executed poorly, and generally played awful. It wasn’t a deal of coming off a great game that you won and celebrated as such, but rather a game that was awful and you felt just as terrible. It was a tough game to get up for, but the Falcons nearly blew an opportunity to win one at home.
Questionable Play-Calling
Let’s get past the point of starting and running Michael Turner in spite of what actually works, but the play-calling and route combinations were pretty horrid to say the least. It seemed as though once the Falcons started moving the ball with Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling that a stall flag was raised and Turner was inserted back in the game. Although painfully clear to most Bird Cage members that the new way to dominate on offense is with versatile and responsive running backs, Koetter, Smith and Co. are bound and determined to force Michael Turner regardless of what the circumstances say. Not only that, but there were several times where the WR route combinations were terrible. Several times it was seen receivers and tight ends were running into each other’s zones. There is so much talent to be seen, however it seemingly gets minimized by a somewhat decent defensive coordinator. Better get it fixed or it’s going to be a bad slide to end the season.
To Turner Do Us Part
Turner, Turner, Turner (AJC)
Evidently Mike Smith is attached to Michael Turner and feels that he can’t make success without him. It’s not a smash against Turner himself, but the fact remains that when Jacquizz Rodgers or Jason Snelling are the feature backs (sometimes in at the same time), the offense simply rolls better, that has been the case all the way back to preseason. It appears to many that the offense is at it’s peak when Quizz or Snelling are in the game. Funny enough, when the Falcons offense is rolling and doing great, there is a need to bring Turner back in the game to slow it down and generally make the offense predictable, weak, and not good. If Mike Smith doesn’t adjust accordingly, fans may be looking at 0-4 in the playoffs. This isn’t to say that Turner doesn’t have a place on the offense, but it’s painfully clear that, regardless of what the coaching staff force, he is no longer a feature back and the offense is insanely predictable when he’s in the game.
Anyone Else at Punt Returner
It doesn’t feel good to talk down about any Falcon and Dominique Franks has surely absorbed some criticism, but the simple fact remains that Franks is just not getting it done returning punts. Franks doesn’t fair catch and that leads to terrible starting field position and he looks very timid returning punts. Even when there’s several openings, Franks looks to get tackled as soon as possible and any dynamic ability he showed in the preseason is definitely gone. At what point will the Falcons coaching staff make a change? There’s always Harry Douglas and they brought back Tim Toone and, just like those first down Turner runs, returning punts are becoming wasted plays at best and horrible miscues that lead to awful field position at worst.
Always Ball First
Abe and Kroy Stand Firm (AJC)
This really doesn’t apply to this game since the Cardinals won the toss and elected to defer, but throughout the season, it seems as though the Falcons always get the ball first to open the game. Mike Smith believes in getting the ball first and trying to go down and score to set the tone for the game. That’s all fine and good when you go down and score a touchdown, but more times than not the Falcons are going 3 and out, stalling on drives, and in worst case scenarios, turn the ball over essentially wasting a possession and even helping the opposing team. Most want to get their defense on the field first to see if they can make an early stop, score themselves first, set the tone for the game, and even get the ball back at halftime. Of course you can’t control who wins the toss, but when your defense is outperforming your offense, it may be time to rethink that strategy.
Time to Panic on Run Defense?
The Falcons continue to have major issues stopping the run. Each week the Birds are finding new ways to make rather unheralded running backs look like perennial Pro Bowlers on the ground. To it’s credit, the defense stiffened up when they needed to, but much of that had to do with pitiful quarterback play from the initial starter and then a brand new rookie. It’s a total team failure effort. The defensive tackles are getting blown up, the defensive ends are getting pinched, the linebackers are taking poor angles and getting blocked easily (Akeem Dent looking at you), and the defensive backs are taking poor angles themselves. And many of them are tackling poorly. Fans shudder to think about playing against some of the better running backs in the league and one of the best, rookie Doug Martin, looms in less than a week. Break out those prayer beads.
Offense Has Become Predictable
Great Play by Babs (AJC)
Attribute it to play-calling, the fact that Turner makes the offense predictable, weak offensive line play, or just poor execution, but the strain is becoming apparent on Matt Ryan and the offense. The Cardinals and other defenses are pinning their ears back and going after Ryan and trying to throw him off his game. It worked pretty well on Sunday. Also throw in those wasted 1st down runs and it’s easy to see the offense getting picked up with ease. Evidently there’s a hesitancy to let Ryan run the no-huddle. To be fair, the offense has been pretty good throughout the year, but as the season starts it’s final drive, the Falcons are showing some eerily similarities to seasons past.
McClain a Future Starter?
Some positive news from the game is the continued excellent play by cornerback Robert McClain. The undrafted free agent is potentially moving out of a role player / nickelback and possibly into a future starter for the Falcons at some point. With their two other corners on the downside of 30 and Brent Grimes coming back from a significant injury (and likely not re-signed), McClain’s good play is a great and needed sign for the future.
Spot on Commentary
We all complain about the media and the game announcers, but Daryl Johnston and his crew was pretty spot on. At one point Johnston said that “if the Falcons play like this against a quality opponent, it’s going to be a different outcome.” Also at some point in the game, Tony Siragusa said the “Falcons were doing everything in their power to keep the Cardinals in the game.”
Minimal Impact from new DE’s
This shouldn’t come as a massive surprise, but Ray Edwards release didn’t lead to any new explosions from any of the other defensive ends Lawrence Sidbury, Cliff Matthews, or Jonathan Massaquoi. It was only one game and Kroy Biermann is still taking the majority of snaps as the new starter, but there’s a hope that one of these guys can show some promise.
Just Another Bad Game or Paper Tigers?
Despite Everything, they're 9-1 (AJC)
Are we the ones who are wrong after all? The Falcons are 9-1 and that’s nothing to sneeze at in the NFL, but it’s getting harder and harder to defend some of the things the Falcons do and they way they play. They blew an enormous opportunity to essentially bury the hated Saints and the Bucs are suddenly right on their heels in the division. They obviously can’t control their schedule and have won 90% of the games they’ve played, but many of what seemed big victories at the time (Chargers, Eagles, etc) aren’t looking nearly as good, lost a huge division game, and have looked downright terrible against some of the league’s worst (Raiders, Panthers, Cardinals). Many in the media have felt the Falcons are paper tigers of sorts, gobbling up weaker opponents and looking generally weak overall. Fact is, fans are having a harder and harder time defending the Birds as of late, but they are tied for the best record in the NFL through 10 games and every team beneath them has their own set of problems and issues. Bottom line is we’ll know everything we need to know in the next 11-12 days. It won’t matter how ugly the wins are if they find a way to pull out W’s against the Bucs and Saints.
Game of the Year to Date
What an enormous game looms for the Falcons. The Falcons travel to Tampa Bay to play one of the hottest teams in the NFL and play one of the biggest games of the season. Considering what’s at stake, it has to be the largest. The Bucs are only 3 games behind the Falcons and winning here would put the Birds in a great position for the division, giving them a 4 game lead with 5 games to go. However, if the Falcons lose, the door swings wide open once again putting the Bucs only two games behind the Falcons and some difficult games coming up (Saints, Giants, @ Lions). If the Falcons can go down and win any way possible, fans will get some sense of comfort back. If the Birds go blow one on the road, as they did in New Orleans, it’s a whole new ballgame.
Bird Cage Faithful’s Turn
1) Simple Run Stuff – your thoughts on the Falcons ugly, ugly win?
2) What in goodness name happened to Matt Ryan?
3) What’s your confidence level right now?
4) Did the Falcons suffer from a “loss hangover” or did they just play down to their competition?
5) What’s going on with the play-calling on offense?
6) Will the coaches stick with Turner regardless of the realities on the ground?
7) What is the deal with punt returner?
8.) Does it annoy you that the Falcons always get the ball first?
9) Time to hit the panic button on run defense? Why so bad?
10) Why has the offense become so predictable?
11) Is Robert McClain a potential future starter?
12) Are the Falcons paper tigers after all?
13) How big is the Bucs game on Sunday?
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1,276 comments Add your comment
falcon21
November 19th, 2012
10:20 pm
Birdman, that was class my friend, same with you Big Ray. That is what this Cage is all about. Later all.
Michael
November 19th, 2012
11:47 pm
I said it last week and this week has only reinforced it. Mike Smith is as worthless as a milk bucket under a bull. He will not change and it will see us end up 0-4 in the playoffs. I was not in favor of them brining him back this season and am not going to be in favor of him remaining. He is nothing more than a transactional leader, one who simply looks at numbers, statistics and tendencies and plays the percentages, which is fine in the regular season. It will get you more wins than losses. But it does not translate in the post season. He is not the kind of person you want to follow in war.
We need a transformational leader, one who can communicate with players and inspire them to reach an achievable goal; one who can motivate his players to rise beyond their own abilities to play extraordinary ball. Smith cannot do this. He is not a brilliant football mind nor a leader of men. He is simply a guy who plays the numbers game…period. He needs to go.
Slant Pattern
November 20th, 2012
12:21 am
“Climb down off the cross, you’re not Jesus Christ and we could use the wood for something else…..” – BR
Damn you man!! That was a new keyboard you just ruined! Thank you for the coffee burns all up in my nose
!! I am awake now.
E43
November 20th, 2012
12:23 am
D3- The travesty here is bringing back Snelling at the tailback position. I would understand if he converted to FB because he would have a longer career. I doubt he will be in the NFL past the Falcons. The more I think about it, I think they returned Snelling and Turner to buy them time. They can now justify going after a RB with a high draft pick.
I don’t value Rodgers as much as a starter for the same reason I don’t value Harry Douglas as much as a starter. That’s because they do nothing to improve the run game. The scheme in 2008 wore down DT’s and Matt Ryan was not taking many hits. Matt Ryan can get the ball to anyone on the field. That’s really my problem with Rodgers as just another receiver. What happens when they have to run just to protect Matt Ryan? What happens against the Bears defense? Isnt this one of the reasons we havent gotten ou the first round? Does Rodgers share the same issues with Norwood who was averaging 5-6ypc before Mike Smith’s power scheme?
No one is running the ball well. Not Turner , Snelling or Rodgers. That’s running the ball to their strengths. The only person with an excuse of not getting opportunities is Antone Smith, who’s in a similar situation Dwyer is in with the Steelers. Difference between Dwyer and Smith is that injuries forced Mendenhal and Redman out his way.
Slant Pattern
November 20th, 2012
12:26 am
“Finally saw what SP has been talking about RE: the route combinations. Some of them were pitiful. I remember several times seeing receivers running right in each others areas. ” – D3
Glad to know I’m not crazy. I wondered for a bit if it was just me or the receivers struggling with the new system. There comes a point when you see the same things enough that it has to be a design issue IMHO. The good news is that if these things can be corrected we should see greater red zone efficiency and maybe a few bigger plays.
Slant Pattern
November 20th, 2012
12:48 am
Blog Monster check
“Getting way ahead of myself here, but I don’t wanna see anybody other than Konz and Blalock moving forward on this line. I think we should continue our search to bolster this line in the upcoming draft.
DT or LT/RT/RG in the draft.
Gotta build these lines. I can wait on LB. RB is definitely a need, but how high would they go? I don’t think any RB would look good without a line to run behind. Gotta get the lines fixed before investing any more in skilled positions.” – Wabe
I said to D3 I didn’t have the ammo to back up a war in this area and that still holds true. It is no secret I put value drafting as a main priorty but I don’t limit myself fully to it. From a purely value persective T, DE, DT should be the first things we look at as only QB is valued more. OC, G etc. can be had in the second round on most occasions. That being said I do not want another Baker fiasco where we end up taking a 2nd/3rd round talent in the first round because of need. If there is a run on DT and DE leaving a beastly Tackle available we must jump on that. Under the right circumstances I could even see taking a OC or G in the first but that would not be my first goal.
crybaby
November 20th, 2012
1:19 am
M.Turner need to be THE return man..both punts and kick offs..MAYBE he could earn his keep and rack up 100t yards a game!
Look people, any team can win 6 games and any team can loose 6 games…the only ones that count are the ones in the middle!
Ryan still does not have the ability to throw the ball over the hands of the stretched out D.L. or over their helment’s for that matter!
Our Weapons and our strength is still not being utilized by Koetter or Nolan..Why the hell the receiver Davis is not being played is upsetting to me..All he does is catch the ball and score touchdowns.
Why this team can’t stop the run or have one of the better running teams is wild..From top 5 to
bottom in 1 year is crazy stuff!
Oh well, we will see how the last 6 games play out..2 T.B.–1 N.O.–1 Carolina-! Giants..I think they will be dam lucky to win 2-3 of the last 6..You just never know which team is going to show up!
I certainly don’t see any play off magic at this point..
darrell starks
November 20th, 2012
6:16 am
Somebody please tell why Lamar Holmes is not out there for atleast a couple series, Baker is weak and need be move to right side, why can’t coaches staff see this the Falcons will not win in the Playoffs with this offensive line.
Offensive line Horrible.
Make changes ASAP.
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
November 20th, 2012
6:22 am
DT and MLB is a must change on defense, teams continue run the ball straight up the middle.
Look for Martin to gain 200yards this weekend.
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
November 20th, 2012
6:36 am
DL is major issue specially at DT.
Perrie and Walker are not getting the job done at all, Cliff Matthews was creating Havoc he did more in 1game than Edwards did in 2season with Falcons.
Travian Robertson is the only true NT on this team and should be starting, when your rank almost dead last game in NFL against the run you can’t continue play same players avery game and not make adjustment.
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
November 20th, 2012
6:41 am
STARTES ON DEFENSE
KROY, BAB, TRAVIAN, PETERS, ABRAHAM
NICHOLAS, SPOON,
DUNTA, MOORE, DECOUD, SAMUEL
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
November 20th, 2012
6:51 am
Offensive line is horrible and continue to be weak in the running game and passing, Matt Ryan is saving the OL with his quick decision,Falcons are rank almost dead last in yards per game.
Mcclure is done him and Baker are getting push around up front like a lof a bread, Clabo need move inside to RG and move Konz 2center.
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
November 20th, 2012
6:56 am
STARTERS HOLMES, BLALOCK, KONZ, CLABO, BAKER
RYAN, SNELLING, TURNER OR QUIZZ
WHITE, JULIO, TONY
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
BobbyDawg
November 20th, 2012
7:07 am
There’s really no way to tell what the O linemen are doing other than watching the game.There are all kinds of stats to look at on qb,rb,wr,te,db,lb, and so on but no numbers on OL, so all we can do is watch and see who’s pushing forward and who’s getting pushed back. Right now the Falcons ol are on the losing end. Back in the day when we couldn’t even post a winning record we still had Jeff Van Note at center and a pretty decent run game especially when William Andrews was on board. FIX IT.
GO FALCONS !
Wings
November 20th, 2012
7:32 am
birdman – “Working away from home at my age for weeks at a time is starting to get to me. The 3 most important things to me is God ‘ Family ‘ Country. And I am thankful for having a job.”
There is always a positive associated with every negative. Birdman thanks for reminding us that football is only a game. A good message for this week. And, you gave us some insight into who you are.
Wings
November 20th, 2012
7:34 am
For defensive tackle, I nominate the “Blog Moster”. The most powerful one on the Cage.
GregKennesaw
November 20th, 2012
8:12 am
start snelling
Ken Strickland
November 20th, 2012
8:15 am
While RB MTurner is not as quick to the hole as he once was, he at least had holes to get to back then. I still say we’re seeing the effects of not having Probowl road grading FB OMughelli to clear out the trash in the holes. Our inability to run started almost immediately after Mughelli went down with his injury.
The fact that we drafted a FB, especially one known for his power blocking, is proof our coaching staff felt the same way. With better overall blocking from our OL and FB, we wouldn’t be complaining about MTurner at all. He’s still capable of going through a hole and causing havoc in the secondary, but he can’t create his own holes or overcome a stacked DEF.
CAGERS, have you noticed how teams have been able to pound us with their running gm in the 1st half, only to be almost completely shutdown in the 2nd? Those same sweeps that killed us in the 1st half of Sunday’s gm became loses or no gains in the 2nd. WRs have been unable to gain many YAC against us all yr.
Also the announcers made an observation and comment about how efficient we are on 3rd and long but struggle mightly on 3rd and short. We need to get out of the power running approach we continue to use on 3rd and short and treat every 3rd down attempt the same whether it’s 3rd and long or short.
BobbyDawg
November 20th, 2012
8:36 am
The worst part of Sunday’s game was only the first quarter — 13 points. They made a good adjustment and the next three quarters went 3 – 0 – 3 I think. I think the whole lb corps plays much better with ‘Spoon in there, but I hope they give him plenty of time to get over his injury and JJ too. Right now I’m more concerned with the ol than anything. If we get that fixed MR2 and 33 will both look better and there’ll be more points on our side of the board.
Zoomie
November 20th, 2012
8:54 am
Agree completely with KS: the problem with Turner is he’s not getting the holes to run through. The O-line is not getting it done, and the FBs have not helped. MT33 is a straight-ahead runner who has to get to the second level at speed to be effective. It’s not happening. The Falcons experimented with trying to get him to the edge last week, but it didn’t work because MT33 cannot cut back into a crease. MT33 had one great run (9 yards I think) Sunday on the right side where Clabo and Konz stoned their guys and Blalock pulled for a lead block. When the LBs weren’t able to meet MT33 head-on, he got positive yardage. The problem with MT33 is that he’s not able to consistently get the kind of holes the O-line blew open on that particular run.
We saw a lot more Snelling and Quizz, plus we saw them try some different things with Turner last Sunday. The Falcons are trying hard to answer the riddle to the run game. I think DK is feeling the pressure.
Now that I think about it, I wonder if the Falcons felt confident enough going against the Cards that they tried a lot of O experimentation? Different looks in the running game, receivers occupying the same space, MR2 bouncing balls off defenders’ heads, the strange “attitude,” or “listlessness” the players seemed to display . . . makes sense if you think about it.
This would definitely help explain why the O, as a whole, looked pretty clueless most of the game. I hope that’s what it is. If that’s the answer, it makes me feel a little better about where the team is going moving forward into the season.
SPS
November 20th, 2012
9:29 am
D3: Have you given any thought to having the Cage meet up at a sports bar for an away game? The Detroit game on a Saturday night would be perfect. Need to find a central location, and print name tags. Might also need a metal detector at the door in some cases.
Big Ray
November 20th, 2012
9:52 am
Birdman ,
No, no sweat at all man. Definitely wasn’t aiming at your head, sorry to give that impression.
Big Ray
November 20th, 2012
10:08 am
E43 ,
Does Rodgers even get enough carries to show what he can do? I think not. However, he has more good runs than Turner does and despite having a mere one-third of the carries (you may as well call them “chances”) that Turner gets, Quizz has the same yards-per-carry average.
Besides, Quizz gets to the hole quicker (assuming there is one), makes guys miss a lot more, and is much more versatile in the passing game.
However….I think that the truth is simple – without a better push/blocking from the OL and good lead blocker, there isn’t a RB out there who is going to greatly improve this running game. Some guys have more speed and are more elusive…this much is true. I’m not saying I don’t wan a better RB.
What I’m sayin is this – you have to fix the foundation before you start putting up walls…
Big Ray
November 20th, 2012
10:09 am
SP ,
Every now and then I come up with a good one. Agreed on your draft thoughts, BTW…
Big Lou
November 20th, 2012
10:13 am
http://blog.atlantafalcons.com/jayadams/2012/11/19/smith-confident-in-injury-outlook-this-week/
Thank God Spoon is coming back for the Bucs. SPOOOON!
Big Lou
November 20th, 2012
10:16 am
“Agree completely with KS: the problem with Turner is he’s not getting the holes to run through. The O-line is not getting it done, and the FBs have not helped.” Zoomie
The reason why the Falcons got a TD Sunday was because of the FB, FYI.
Big Lou
November 20th, 2012
10:21 am
http://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/article-1/McClain-Making-The-Most-Of-Increased-Time/3357ca5e-d9a4-49fd-9b10-85fa41e52534
Robert McClain. I like this guy.
Joshua malavenda
November 20th, 2012
10:31 am
Heres a great article to put this lousy win perspective:
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1415516-atlanta-falcons-sloppy-win-more-desirable-than-a-blowout
My thoughts-
I am not really irritated by the win I am more irritated by the lack of not fixing the glaring problems that we had in aints game. I am starting to wonder if the issue is Mike Smith. I will make a early prediction if
the falcons don’t go deep in the playoffs the falcons will fire mike smith.
I was doing some early draft research and hope the falcons draft Barrett Jones from u of Alabama
He would fit perfectly in the falcons oline because he can play all the positions on ol and he is quite good at them plus he is a great person and would fit perfectly in our “choir boy” locker room.
Hamad Meander
November 20th, 2012
10:34 am
Well, one thing is for sure. If you throw 5 INTs and no TDs and STILL win the game, you are a team of destiny. Is that an NFL record? To have that many turnovers, no TD passes and still win…..
I’m not worried about this team, Matt Ryan, or anything else. The Falcons should secure home field and a first round bye and then, who knows? I don’t expect them to get to the Superbowl, but progress (a playoff win) is ok.
Big Ray
November 20th, 2012
10:43 am
I think everyone should read this…..
Some scary similarities between us and the Bears…other than their defense is better than ours. Most of you will know precisely what I mean. Any diehard Mike Smith supporters might not want to apply. And understand one thing…this isn’t about backup QBs. Not at all. Don’t be confused….
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/san-francisco-49ers-beat-chicago-bears-32-7-teach-nfc-lessons-backup-quarterbacks-111912
Paddy O
November 20th, 2012
10:54 am
regarding calibers: I prefer 357 mags – can shoot 357 or 38 special (little cheaper); i’ve got ruger gp 100 & henry rifles both in 357 with the capability of toting a combat load – just in case we run out of gas and electricity the next 20 years.
Paddy O
November 20th, 2012
11:03 am
question: after watching the Cards – is Larry Fitzgerald the most over-rated WR in the league? He reminded me of Chad Johnson out there – looked like he was mailing in his effort. Without Warner, Whisenhunt is a pretty average coach – decent D though.
Paddy O
November 20th, 2012
11:05 am
D3- I doubt the players read this – maybe some of the subs – but, I would think somebody on either AB’s or TD’s staff just peruse at least the cage – some smart folks on here – especially on draft day – if you look at guys the Cage has ID’d – we’ve picked up on some good guys – Kerrigan, Aldon Smith, JPP. Torrey Smith looks good – but, JJ is a game changing WR.
Wings
November 20th, 2012
11:09 am
Big Ray that is a BIG article. It defines what the Falcons are and are not:
You have to lean forward
outdated
A season is about direction and momentum. The deeper you get, the more things find their shape.
Niners coach Jim Harbaugh outsmarted Smith from the start, and embarrassed him.
Harbaugh’s aggressiveness.
Anyway, Harbaugh was looking, which is the only way to find something.
Bears QB assigned not give the ball away. That’s it. The same assignment coaches have given backups for decades
while Smith, after all these years with the Bears, still almost never wins big games.
But it just looked all wrong, not only by execution, but also by attitude, body language, posture. It looked as if the Niners were proactively trying to be a Super Bowl team while the Bears were hoping everyone else would get out of their way.
And it was just impressive to see Harbaugh look for an advantage, and take chances, when Alex Smith was out.
Meanwhile, Lovie Smith tried to win on one side of the ball
___________________________________________________
The Falcons are who we think they are in the cage. I wish MB could understand that article.
Wabe
November 20th, 2012
11:21 am
We know the line may be the problem, but that problem ain’t going away.
So, despite Turner being a better RB than Quizz in some people’s eyes, that ain’t the circumstance we find ourselves in at this point. What needs to be evaluated and observed is whose the better option behind this line?
I don’t see Quizz as a great between the tackles runner, and don’t see him as the longterm solution at RB. But, at this stage, he’s probably a better option at RB with the line being the way it is. He can make his way through smaller holes, and can find them and get through them quicker than Turner so the blocks don’t have to hold up as long.
I don’t expect our rushing issues to get corrected any time soon, and especially this week, because Tampa is one of the best teams in the league stopping the run. Funny thing is though, they’re on the exact opposite end of the spectrum [they ranked 32nd last I checked] in pass defense. So again, the gameplan should be heavy pass, as it’s been every week.
Paddy O
November 20th, 2012
11:24 am
I think the Falcons thus far have sucked up a lot seasonal luck – again, a lot like 2010 – we DEFINATELY play down to our competition – at this point, this is a direct reflection on smith – he now has a LONG track record. If folks think Turner is a better runner than Quizz, you are delusional. but, if you expect quizz to run it between the tackles all game, he’ll be on the DL in about 2 weeks. depends on how smart your coaches are.
Paddy O
November 20th, 2012
11:26 am
we probably need a LB to shadow Martin this week. I fear how many runs he’ll get – and, TB has a much better QB than AZ. and, not so stupid or “hasty” a coach – whisenhunt did us a gigantic favor – he yanked his QB WITH a 13 point lead. dumb.
Wabe
November 20th, 2012
11:30 am
And Big Ray, that’s an excellent read and you’re definitely on point noting the similarities. A lot of those same conclusions drawn about Lovie Smith definitely apply to Smitty.
There’s a difference between guys like Sean Payton and Jon Harbaugh who trust what they do vs. guys like Smitty who trust that the other guy will make a mistake somewhere. Those are coaches that force the issue, and that can’t really be said about Smitty.
Smitty’s a good coach, but how he fares in this postseason will be very telling. This will be his 4th crack at the postseason. If we see the same results, he can’t run from that.
Paddy O
November 20th, 2012
11:32 am
the bears got embarassed by SF. badly. but, their back up QB played poorly. kapernick played very well.
Slant Pattern
November 20th, 2012
11:49 am
Great article BR, but you already knew that. This is my favorite qoute and one that I fear applies to someone in our organization more than we’d like.
“It was all just a reminder of why Harbaugh is one of the young, up-and-coming star coaches while Smith, after all these years with the Bears, still almost never wins big games.” – Greg Couch, smart guy
If we let the past go and go with what this team is truly capable of even the Niners should fear us greatly. It doesn’t look like a certain someone will let that happen…this year could end up even more of a transition than many expected.
Paddy O
November 20th, 2012
12:12 pm
I said it earlier, from an upper management perspective, if the Falcons & Smith crash and burn again, it will be time to replace him. I think if the Falcons do win a SB, Tony G is retired. I think if we come close, we have a chance to keep him. He and JJ may be our most valuable guys on offense.
J85
November 20th, 2012
12:20 pm
My thoughts on the team:
Offense
I think key to our offense last game was our interior line play.
To be honest, I think the tackles were doing pretty ok (some exceptions here!).
Guards are the most solid part of our offense with Blalock getting the deal done and Konz showing that he should keep his spot.
I think Todd McClure had one of his toughest games of -well- at least this season.
Arizona brought the house early and often in the A-gap, overloading TMC.
This got MR2 off balance as he had no way to step up. I believe the only sack came early, didn’t it?
Later on, Arisona loosened up a bit, but Matty still was off balanced, having his clock ticking a little too fast with more men in coverage.
Also, the run was crushed by the inside linemen pressure. (remember the run where JS44 almost got tackled at the place where he took off on a 3rd down play?)
I say: get the inside covered first and Matty will be fine next game.
Defense
I think they absolutely had a brilliant game!
If you give up just 1 TD the entire game, while losing the turnover battle by a +5 differential, scoring a TD in the process, you did a brilliant job.
Downside was the run coverage, but that’ll continue to happen.
But what do you want with a 4-2 defense, with the DE’s often in 2 point stance?
That’s just 2 DT’s with their hands in the dirt. If they’re double teamed, with the DE’s singled out as their pad level is too high to be able to tackle on the run, it’s easy for an offense to block. Especially with such weak DT’s we have.
In comes the LB core and that’s exactly where we could use an upgrade (shoutout to spoon)
It seems like MN likes to see how much pass coverage looks he can give the opposing team and slides it down to run coverage looks based on how the team wants to run against them.
As long as it works down the line, that’s fine by me!
DHunt
November 20th, 2012
12:29 pm
“The Falcons are who we think they are in the cage.” Wings
I’m not one to attack anyone personally, but ego much? As if the Cage hasn’t been wrong about the Falcons personnel, schemes, coaches, etc, etc, etc. Akeem Dent was a bust after his first two games as a starter, according to the prevailing Cage sentiment. Now he’s showing promise. I remember when Brent Grimes was persona non grata, then he became the best we had, now he’s expendable. I recall when Snell wasn’t worth the money he wanted, and nobody else wanted him which proved it, and now many Cagers want him starting.
The Cage is the best collection of football fan minds I’ve ever seen in one place. But the hubris expressed by that statement is epic.
The Bears got beat, and Lovie got out-foxed. But an observant viewer could have easily detected that the Bears have been a one trick pony all season. If you give them turnovers they will beat you; if you protect the football they don’t have the offense to compete.
The Falcons, on the other hand, have shown something that few teams display. As the article link by Joshua malavenda (new cager?) points out, this team has shown that it knows how to win. http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1415516-atlanta-falcons-sloppy-win-more-desirable-than-a-blowout
If the defense has a bad day, the offense steps it up, if the offense struggles, the defense makes stops, when we turn the ball over, we bow up, Somebody goes down, next man up does their job. This Falcons team never quits, and has been rewarded for that never die attitude with 9 wins. That’s what has stood out for me more than even the areas that need improvement.
D3
November 20th, 2012
12:32 pm
While I’ll admit that I think that Harbaugh is a good coach, I’m not feeling all the lovefest on the guy. To be frank, he’s an egomaniac @sshole, in my opinion and despite some good games, this is the same team that lost to the Vikings, tied a terrible Rams team, and got embarrassed by the Giants at home. I would love for Smitty to inherit some of his traits, but the more I read on the guy the more I just don’t like him. He must have gotten different genes from his brother, who I think is a class act and a great coach.
While I’m very critical of Smitty, I’m not ready to throw the towel in on him just yet. The guy is already the greatest Falcons coach in history in less than 5 years. He has shown some regression to his conservative days, but he’s also shown he can change (some) and allow his coordinators free reign. Sadly, many of our best victories all came earlier in the year. Like I said the other day, we’ll know everything we need to know in terms of this year’s team the next two weeks, really 10 days.
Paddy — Agreed on the 2010 similarities. We did have some big wins that year, though. We beat the sAINTS in New Orleans, the Packers, and the Ravens. But when we lost that MNF game to the sAINTS after X-Mas, I knew we were in trouble. We have gotten lucky to win and that does mirror 2010. I sure hope I’m wrong this year, but unless we get back to early-season form, I’m starting to worry that this year may not hold what we want and need after all.
D3
November 20th, 2012
12:37 pm
SPS — We actually tried to have a small get-together several years ago, but everyone got hung up one way or another at the last minute. Coop and I talked about having some type of get-together over the summer when everyone isn’t so crunched for time. I’m all for it. That Lions game seems like a good idea, only issue would be trying to find somewhere that’s even close to being central for all of us.
D3
November 20th, 2012
12:41 pm
DHunt — Thanks for the needed jolt of positivity. I’m as guilty of anyone of going to the darkside. I do think some of it is simply human nature, regardless of how good your coach is at motivating you, to play to your competition. It’s always easy to get up for the big games, but not so much for the lesser teams. Even the teams that consistently blow people out of the water will get caught with their pants down from time to time (the great 49ers losing to Vikes and tying awful Rams; Florida St was beating people by 50+ pts a game, than loses to NC St). The Bucs game will be absolutely huge.
D3
November 20th, 2012
12:43 pm
Good article and this might be my favorite part……….
Yet so far this season, the Falcons have showed an ability to win not only with a near non-existent running game, but even on days when kicker Matt Bryant is having a bad day (Dallas), when the defense gets run over (Kansas City, Carolina, Washington) or when Ryan and the offense are off their game (Denver, Oakland, Arizona).
When one part of the team doesn’t perform, one of the other parts is there to pick up the slack.
Zoomie
November 20th, 2012
12:44 pm
BR@ 10:43 AM
Very sobering read.
Arno
November 20th, 2012
12:46 pm
Falcons are 3-1 against teams absolutely desperate for a W. A little taste of playoff atmosphere doesn’t hurt.
Wings
November 20th, 2012
1:00 pm
Dhunt I meant by that statement that this large diverse group of cage fans with differing opinions is usually on target when we discuss the pros and cons of the Falcon. I did not mean we are the know it all and always right cagers. I should have expressed better.