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
JB Falcon
November 20th, 2012
8:48 pm
D3, I think you and I are supposed to hold little fingers now and make a wish. We said the same thing.
falcon21
November 20th, 2012
8:50 pm
I wish I could agree with you JB but this o-line cannot hold up against a good D-line long enough to make that happen. I hope you are right but the way we struggle against weaker teams kinda concerns me.
falcon21
November 20th, 2012
9:00 pm
I hope I am wrong and just bitching in the wind but we will find out in the playoffs.
Paddy O
November 20th, 2012
9:03 pm
I’m liking the pass first ethos. I’d prefer we do more of it with more agile RB’s – who can either run or get flared outside. We’ve got the team and I don’t think any team has the defensive talent to stop RW, JJ and Tony G – and, last 2 games, HD has been contributing.
D3
November 20th, 2012
9:04 pm
falcon21 — A few questions regarding the OL. 1) What would you do right now to fix the OL, or is there simply not enough talent there?…. 2) What would you do in the off-season to fix the OL once and for all? I would love to see our first two picks go for a big boy DT and best available guard, even though I really hope we take an RB high also.
JB Falcon
November 20th, 2012
9:09 pm
21, I get it but have no other alternatives to offer. I remember last year’s playoff against the Giants when their DL line creamed us. The team decided to go with passing, ergo JJ, and knew that the running game/OL would suffer. We just have to be better at what we elected to do. Wabe offered some alternatives relating to getting better at the passing game and that’s all we can do.
waynester
November 20th, 2012
9:14 pm
D3
You’ve got the 64,000 dollar question there(extremely dated reference)…..
HCMS will stay with a vet who’s not playing great over a rookie with potential every time–so I don’t see us making any moves barring injury…..
D3
November 20th, 2012
9:15 pm
Ridiculously too early, irresponsible off-season plan…………….
Sign DE Michael Johnson in free agency
1st) Big Boy DT, 315+
2nd) Best Available OL, preferably G, due to better value
3rd) RB
4th) LB
5th) TE
6th) CB
7th) Best available
Cut Turner, let Grimes walk, try and convince Gonzo to come back for one more. Re-sign Willy Mo, Sam Baker to a dirt cheap contract, and a handful of others.
falcon21
November 20th, 2012
9:17 pm
D3, I would put the big boy Holmes in now but it should have been done weeks ago. I agree with DT, Guard and RB. This team does just enough to win against the weaker teams. We will not see any weak teams in the playoffs and we almost have the playoffs sewed up. Anyway, we have 6 games left, if we make a change on the o-line we need to do it now.
Geo
November 20th, 2012
9:19 pm
If I’m not mistaken, Ryan took us down for an important field goal before the half and Ryan accounted for all but about five yards on the touchdown drive. So, yeah, JB, passing game. (and Snelling and Quizz)
SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TELL THE TRUTH
November 20th, 2012
9:28 pm
21, with all due respect. If you’re hoping for changes on the OL, they’ll have to be in your dreams tonight. Smith will not make any changes on either side of the ball unless there’s an injury involved. The man (Smith) is a creature of habit.
falcon21
November 20th, 2012
9:29 pm
JB, I know we gotta do with what we have to do it with and agree to a point. I just see more that we could or should have done. I guess I just don’t understand Smiths coaching style. Anyway, I’m not griping at you Cagers.
falcon21
November 20th, 2012
9:33 pm
Yeah I know Truth, no problem with your comment at all.
SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TELL THE TRUTH
November 20th, 2012
9:43 pm
Something incredible was revealed to me when Smith admitted why he didn’t go for the 2 pt conversion in the 4th quarter against the Saints. I think he refered to the 7 min 4th quater rule for not going for 2 pts? if we sit back and wonder why Smith choose to let off the gas when we have a two TD lead in the 3rd/4th quarters, it’s because he coaches based on the law of averages and statistics. IMHO
Geo
November 20th, 2012
9:46 pm
SOMEBODY: exactly. Boring. For fans and players.
falcon21
November 20th, 2012
9:49 pm
Enjoyed Cagers, all of you gave damn good points. Later y’all.
JB Falcon
November 20th, 2012
9:49 pm
I’m checkin’ out ya’ll and have enjoyed the convo’s. Anybody miss Mother Blank? This is the blog that makes my day!
Big Ray
November 20th, 2012
9:57 pm
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-falcons-blog/2012/11/20/atlanta-falcons-guard-harland-gunn-signed/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_falcons_blog
Another guy signed so he can be cut later…nice college resume (pass protection, that is).
JB Falcon
November 20th, 2012
10:00 pm
Somebody, that is EXACTLY why I have creeping doubts about our team. The rules; the laws; the averages SUCK. They are there to be broken by teams that are willing to believe that the rules are set by “average” which means if you want to be average you will be average. I’m out.
Big Ray
November 20th, 2012
10:01 pm
Paddy O ,
.357.38 is a great choice. So is the Ruger GP100. Mine is a blued 4″ version. I like Hornady Critical Defense for my lightweight magnum load (1500 fps) and Independence 158 grain Jacketed Soft Points for my heavy magnum load.
I don’t bother with .38 specials for anti-personnel unless my wife is shooting/handling the gun. But that’s just me.
Big Ray
November 20th, 2012
10:03 pm
D3 ,
I get your point. Again, not calling myself a fan of Harbaugh…just acknowledging some things he and other aggressive coaches have done. Name the last non-aggressive coach who won a SB….just sayin’….
And there is this also – aggression doesn’t mean you have to be a peckerhead. There are different types/methods of aggression. Case in point – Tom Coughlin repeatedly running the ball in the postseason last year even though his team was bad at it during the regular season. I’d say it paid off…
Big Ray
November 20th, 2012
10:06 pm
F21 ,
I think we ALL hope that we are griping and moaning in the wind and out of season.
The person who hopes to be right more than they hope the team wins…THAT is a non-fan. Can’t say that I know of anybody like that in here, though. We all would rather be wrong as hell and have the team make it to the top of the mountain.
Geo
November 20th, 2012
10:14 pm
Suggestion for Cage gathering: Moe’s and Joe’s in Va. High. Just throwin that out there….
snacktastic
November 20th, 2012
10:54 pm
Geo: That’s a short walk from my apartment. I’d gladly show up to meet the distinguished Cage folk.
E43
November 20th, 2012
10:58 pm
Wabe- The Falcons scheming is and has been hiding a lot of things about the oline. One thing that stays constant is that the passing game is not fixable and does not need fixing. That is despite Matt Ryan taking vicious hits.
Geo
November 20th, 2012
11:21 pm
Snack, cool. I’d be up for trying to make it this Sunday, the Panthers game on Dec. 9 or the Detroit game on Dec. 22. New Orleans is on a school night, so would be tough, and I’ll be at the Giants game.
Geo
November 20th, 2012
11:25 pm
Tampa Bay on Dec. 30 is my anniversary.
snacktastic
November 20th, 2012
11:41 pm
Geo: Any of those dates work for me, but I’d suggest 12/9 so more people can potentially show up. Some Cagers might be traveling around the other dates.
Big Lou
November 21st, 2012
1:36 am
I’m good for Feb. at the Saints some when they reach the Superbowl.
I know, one can still hope!
Zoomie
November 21st, 2012
8:56 am
” I think what many of us are saying is that we have to finally play to our strengths, open the passing game, loosen the defense, and let Quizz / Snelling / A-Smith run in those newly opened creases. You don’t have to have a power run game in the traditional sense, like in the days of yore.” — D3
This is a really good summary of what I’ve tried to comunicate here. I think we all love the new emphasis on the passing game,but it must have some semblance of a run game to consistently be effective. I think a lot of contributors to this forum believe we should use the arrows in our quiver instead of trying to fake the opposition into believing we have a Howitzer.
Big Ray
November 21st, 2012
9:03 am
E43 ,
Oh, I’m sure there is some math involved and I do believe that coaching is ultimately responsible for some of the run game problems.
As for taking the ball out of our most productive receiver’s hands to improve the run game….uhhh….
No. I disagree vehemently because of what I have seen other RBs do with limited touches.
Look no further than the game against the Saints. Ivory got 72 yards on 7 carries. Yes, I know he broke a 56 yarder on us, which means he only had 16 yards on the other 6 carries. Doesn’t matter, because he broke a big one out of 7 carries. That big run is the threat that the defense has to worry about. Then you have Mark Ingram who ground his way to 67 yards on 16 carries for a 4.2 yard per carry average. THAT, my friend, is effective running.
Then you look at our guys in the same game.
Rodgers had 29 yards on 3 carries, one of those was an 18 yard run. There again, the threat run that makes a defense think.
Turner – 13 carries, 15 yards. His longest run a 9 yarder.
Brees threw 32 passes. Ryan threw 52. The difference? The Saints could afford to run because they could do so effectively and because they got the lead at one point.
The Falcons had to pass more because they couldn’t run, and then eventually couldn’t afford to run the ball because they were behind.
I still agree that some coaching issues are there. I don’t know about finesse blocking vs. power blocking because I’ve never believed we were a power running team. I do know that losing Harvey Dahl and an aging Todd Mcclure, along with an inept Tyson Clabo have contributed to a rotten running game.
But Turner is averaging just a few carries less per game than he was last season. Passing more has helped this offense score more when it executes properly. Nobody is going deep into the playoffs with a power running game. Nobody.
Big Ray
November 21st, 2012
9:07 am
Zoomie ,
We don’t have the hogs to support a power running game, much less enforce our will on other teams thusly. We do have some guys who can hold up in the passing attack most of the time.
This was a point Slant Pattern tried to make during the offseason (Turner doesn’t fit the offense so well when more of an emphasis is on the passing attack).
We could get a lot more out of guys who can catch the ball out of the backfield or even on draw plays. The hated Saints have done it for years.
We need to gash defenses, not run them over…again, lacking the beef to run anybody over.
Well said, “use the arrows in our quiver”….
LRD
November 21st, 2012
10:41 am
Lets see .. the Niners go into NOLA this weekend and beat up the saints and we go to tampa and give up 145yrds on the ground and lose by 3.
So we have 2 really ticked teams facing off on a short week in Our House.
And that will the biggest test for us this year….
Can we get over a division loss to Tampa.. and then insure we do not give up another one to the dreaded sAINTS? And as confident as I am in the falcons, I have a bad feeling about this sunday
Big Ray
November 21st, 2012
10:44 am
LRD ,
The bad vibes ain’t helpin’ man….LOL
Big Ray
November 21st, 2012
10:45 am
We have what it takes. We don’t need to lose ANY division games, and this Sunday is a critical one. It will partially define what this team is going to be capable of doing.
DePlane
November 21st, 2012
10:57 am
Yastinkas giving all the love to Freeman and the Bucs. What a homer.
DePlane
November 21st, 2012
10:58 am
LRD, you’re giving up before the game is played? C’mon man!
LRD
November 21st, 2012
11:00 am
Guys.. not giving up.. just trying to analyze…
Arno
November 21st, 2012
11:20 am
We can’t underestimate the lift we gave the Saints by going up 10 rather than 14 points. And the lift we gave the Cardinals by that first INT. Those teams were desperate for a win and we helped them believe they could get it. Bucs are looking for a signature win. Falcons do not need to give them any extra inspiration. I’m looking for the Falcons to bring NO party favors.
D3
November 21st, 2012
11:29 am
Regarding this Sunday, I wouldn’t call my feelings as much nervous as I would anxious. The fact is this: yes, we could possibly absorb a loss to the Bucs on Sunday, but can we really expect to win in the playoffs when we can’t even beat a playoff-fringe team, much less a higher ranked playoff team?
I kind of thought we’d lose in NO, just because for no other reason, but I fully expect to win Sunday in Tampa Bay. If we lose, my expectations for the post-season will surely take an enormous hit. One reason for that is the fact that we have the hardest part of our schedule coming up. A near loss to the hated sAINTS on the road is one thing, but this is a very young team with a first year head coach straight from college. If we can’t beat this type of team now, what makes us think we can beat them in a month in a half?
Season defining game on Sunday, IMO.
LRD
November 21st, 2012
11:29 am
My vision..we lose to the bucs, and then we do not lose another game until next years pre-season.
That is what I honestly think can happen.
D3
November 21st, 2012
11:37 am
On another note, it would be really nice to get pressure on a quality QB on Sunday. I don’t really count the Cardinals rookie QB because of the very fact that it was his first NFL experience on a generally weak offense. If you think about it, we haven’t really gotten good pressure on higher level QBs as of late.
I was sorely disappointed that we didn’t hardly get even as much as a glove on Brees against the sAINTS a few weeks ago. I can’t understand the belief of letting an elite QB like Brees simply sit back there and pick you a part. Yes, it’s a risk of trying to put pressure on a guy like that and getting burned deep, but it’s not an “if” situation if you give the guy time, he’s going to beat you. Don’t care if you’re playing Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, or Drew Brees, if they have time they’re going to beat you………period. They may end up beating you anyway, but at least putting pressure on them gives you a chance. This isn’t to say that we should be blitzing 9 guys on every play, but you have to pressure good QBs or you’re going to get beat. I felt like we were getting pretty good pressure on some of the QBs early in the year (Manning, Rivers, Cassel, RG3), but we haven’t since. It’s understandable you don’t want to blitz guys like Vick and Romo too much who can scramble, but Brees NEVER scrambles.
Matty Bicep
November 21st, 2012
11:38 am
By Unca Bob
Matty Bicep
November 19th, 2012
4:03 pm
13) How big is the Bucs game on Sunday?
Not huge, the NO and Giants, and maybe the 2nd TB games loom larger. It is feel good game, not a must have.
You are an absolute idiot. Please understand D3, I am being as respectful as I can possibly be. Some deserve no respect. Myself included.
————————
Funny, when I suggested that this game was not all that important, this was the response I got from an Esteemed” cage member. Funny how name calling IS tolerated in the cage after all. Although, I never called any specific game member a name.
Last line typo is funny thought. Freudian?
Actually, I never violated any terms of use. I could respect peoples wishes if it was a private blog, but it is on the AJC website, so I have not gone anywhere.
Wabe
November 21st, 2012
11:41 am
The Bucs are pretty awful when it comes to pass defense, so I fully expect the Falcons to carve up that Bucs secondary on Sunday…
Thought came to mind yesterday about the playoff picture. The Packers are sitting at 7-3 right now, and this being despite all of the injuries they’ve suffered. Losing C.Benson for the season, Gregg Jennings being out for most of the season thus far, and Jordy Nelson being out the past 2-3 weeks. They’re still rollin, winning 5 of 6 straight.
It just speaks to the greatness of Aaron Rodgers. The only reason I mention this is simple. Guys like Rodgers, Brady, Brees, P.Manning, these guys find ways to make even the most average supporting cast look brilliant. I know most of these guys are surrounded by talent, but those offenses don’t going into a shell when one guy is missing. Whereas with us, we’ve noticed somewhat of a dropoff whenever J.Jones isn’t on the field. I don’t like that. That doesn’t bode well. Other guys have to get into the mix, and Ryan has to make these guys viable options. That’s the only way that this offense as a whole will take it up another notch. That’s if we get multiple threats going.
For whatever reason, our offense has great players, and doesn’t really look ‘high-octane’ or great. They look good/solid. The reason this team reminds me of teams in the past is because of this: we’ve had games over the years where our offense is a complete dud, but our defense picks up the slack [kinda like this past weekend]. And then we’ve had games these past couple seasons where our offense is scoring at will, but our defense can’t stop a lick. Both sides of the ball have carried the team in various weeks. It may sound good to someone who doesn’t watch, but, truth is, every team has something they can lean on.
We’ve went over it a hundred times. But, every team has a side of the ball they can depend on and they know going into a game that it’ll show up. 9 times out of 10, the Packers, Saints, Patriots, etc. offenses will show up to the game. They may be somewhat slowed, but they’ll never come to a screeching halt the way we saw with us this past weekend. Teams like the Niners, Steelers, Bears [despite what happened this past Monday night], have defenses they can lean on. Those teams can go into games expecting their defense to show up regardless of the circumstances.
The Falcons have been up and down on both sides. That, IMO, is eerily similar to the teams we’ve fielded in the past. Very up and down on both sides. You can say we’re balanced. But, this team needs to be ‘dominant’ offensively going into the playoffs for us to stand a chance to accomplish our goals. Can’t be short of that.
D3
November 21st, 2012
11:41 am
LRD — I get the opposite feeling if we lose on Sunday (just the nervous nellie in me). If we lose on Sunday, losing 2 out of our last 3 against division opponents, we go into a tailspin at exactly the worst time imaginable. After Sunday, we have the sAINTS in a few days, @ Panthers (not an easy out despite their record), the Giants, @ the Lions (same as Panthers), and home to the Bucs. I kind of go into this game with the feeling I had in the off-season: STOP TALKING ABOUT IT AND PROVE IT! A win here puts us with a 4 game lead with 5 games to go and also puts us an excellent favorite to wrap up the #1 seed. A loss here with the hated sAINTS only a few days later makes this fan one very nervous and shaky fan. Want to meet up for the sAINTS game?
Matty Bicep
November 21st, 2012
11:44 am
Okay, I got another scenerio, an accident victim with no legs and only one arm left which he exercises all day long, hence the name? Nah, I don’t even believe that myself.
I always run my posts by my better half since she is Falcon fan #2 in this house and she said not to post this, but, I’m not really right in the head
JB, I am afraid this post says a lot more about you than is does I. You outta listen to your wife.
Really D3, you allow this stuff on your respectful blog?
For the record, all I did was call our D3s negativity for bringing up a probably 6 game collapse because of our WIN we got Sunday, and questioned whether the fans deserve a winner. And when I look at the vitriol, hatred, and just bazaar stuff that is said, it sorta makes me think I just might be onto something.
For I have the gall to say if we play a football game, we have a chance to win it, regardless of the outcome of our previous game.
It is rather silly.
Wabe
November 21st, 2012
11:49 am
So far this season, the Raiders, Redskins, Cowboys, and Cardinals have all slowed our offense down.
We did rack up 450+ yards of offense on the Cowboys, but with very little to show for it on the scoreboard. We scored 19 points. 450 yards of offense shouldn’t equate to 19 points.
It’s tough to make a case that we can score points against the best of them, IE – defenses like the Niners or Giants, when we’ve shown a tendancy to be slowed down by a lot of lesser teams we’ve played this season. Again, yeah, we did well enough to win those games, but, it doesn’t bode well for us when we run into some of the top teams in the league in the playoffs. If it was just a 2-3 week thing, fine. But, we’ve seen it pop up at different points in the season. We went nuts in our 1st three games this season offensively. But, since then, we’ve consistently had ‘dud’ games offensively.
This team really needs to take it to another gear offensively. That’s my sole focus moving forward. The Falcons will go as far as the offense takes them, and the offense will go as far as Matt Ryan takes them, and Ryan will only go as far as the O-Line allows him to take us.
Going forward, I want to see the Falcons playing a brand of football that allows us to say that we could’ve beat any team in the league the way we played. Period. Regular season games are starting to dwindle. It’s time to start catching another gear.
That’s what I’ll be looking for from here on out. Are we playing good enough football to beat anybody in the league, not just the team in front of us.
Arno
November 21st, 2012
11:50 am
Smith is telling his guys that this is the first game of the rest of the season. It WILL set the tone. I agree with D3.
Paddy O
November 21st, 2012
11:52 am
heck, if you don’t think mike turner – who is LESS than 1 dimensional, is NOT part of our problem, your head is either in the sand our deep up your bowels!!
D3
November 21st, 2012
11:53 am
Guys like Rodgers, Brady, Brees, P.Manning, these guys find ways to make even the most average supporting cast look brilliant. I know most of these guys are surrounded by talent, but those offenses don’t going into a shell when one guy is missing. Whereas with us, we’ve noticed somewhat of a dropoff whenever J.Jones isn’t on the field. I don’t like that. That doesn’t bode well. Other guys have to get into the mix, and Ryan has to make these guys viable options. — Wabe
Agree 100% wholeheartedly. I think this is because our coaches, mainly Smitty, just will not turn over the reigns and allow the offense to be what these other offense are. They not only have accepted that they are a pass-first offense, but they thrive on it. They don’t fight it, as with what Smitty seems to do. Perhaps this is the great “disconnect” that SW has been talking about for a long time. TD seems to be building this offense in the mold of the wide-open offenses and Smitty simply refuses to fully let go of his ball-control obsession. Notice how GD awesome our offense looks when Ryan goes no-huddle typically with some short of 3 WR/1 TE/1 RB or 4 WR/1 RB, or some type of spread-like offense.
Speaking of Ryan, this seems to be something that continues to be a part of his DNA. Have you noticed that when Ryan gets off to a really good rhythmic start, how awesome his day ends of being? There are a ton of examples, but just take the sAINTS game. Long pass to Roddy to start the game, ends up with a career day.
Flip around to the opposite. First play from scrimmage is intercepted (mostly his fault, but Roddy could have caught it) and he starts off poorly, he ends up with a career worst day? I’ve always thought that when Ryan gets some easy and comfortable passes under his belt that he is always so much better, but when he gets off to a bad start (many times through the TWP’s (Turner Wasted Plays)), he ends up struggling all game. Would love to see some Tim Toone working the inside slot some this game, because HD is mostly non-existent most times.