Atlanta Falcons: Birds Win Huge Game vs. Saints
Falcons Take Another Step
Huge Night by Abe, Defense (AJC)
The offense was anemic after the first drive and it was yet another nail-biter, but the Falcons removed another monkey off their back by beating their fiercest rival Saints on Thursday Night Football. After getting up early 17-0 and giving fans a hope of a blowout, the Falcons offense hit a stonewall and leaned heavily on one of the best defensive efforts likely in it’s history to beat the Saints. Not only did they win a big game, but the defense also nabbed a new career high 5 interceptions from Drew Brees along with snapping his 54 game streak with a touchdown pass. As of Sunday, the Falcons also clinched their 2nd NFC South division title in 3 years with the Tampa Bay Bucs losing to Denver.
Falcons Clinch 2nd NFC South Title in 3 Years
With the Tampa Bay Bucs losing in Denver on Sunday, the Falcons clinched their 2nd NFC South Division Title with 4 games remaining on the season. It’s hasn’t always been pretty and spectacular, but the fact remains that the Falcons still are tied for the best record in the NFL at 11-1 and, besides the Houston Texans, most other teams are finding their own struggles and actually losing games. No one is likely celebrating in Flowery Branch on the news of winning another NFC South Title, but rather on what they need to get fixed in the next month before the playoffs start. However, Coach Smith, all the coaches, the Falcons players, Thomas Dimitroff, Arthur Blank, and everyone else involved with the Atlanta Falcons franchise deserves amazing credit for giving Atlanta and it’s fans something to be proud of, which is a team that is consistently good to great every single year and has a chance at getting the whole thing someday.
Amazing Defensive Effort
D's Big Night (AJC)
Really all that needs to be said is the stat line: Drew Brees intercepted 5 times, which has never happened before and the Falcons defense breaks his long-standing TD streak at 54 games. It simply was a beautiful thing to behold, a defense that has had fits trying anything to shut down Brees and one of the more explosive offenses in the NFL the last 5 years. Even though John Abraham came away with only one sack on the night, the entire defense hurried, harangued, and hit Brees all night long to get him out of his comfort zone. The linebackers were all over the place batting balls, making plays, and giving tight coverage. The defensive backfield really stepped up with William Moore looking every bit the Pro Bowler with 2 awesome picks. Thomas DeCoud set the tone with his pick in the endzone in the beginning of the game. Along with Dunta Robinson, Robert McClain continued his excellent year with Christopher Owens having one of the best games of his career. And finally of course, much of the credit goes to one Mike Nolan for finally taking this defense to the next level in less than a year. In fact, if the offense never gets their consistency down, the Falcons defense may have to lead the way in the postseason.
1 for 11 on 3rd Downs. Really?
Let’s all just hope it was a really bad night on offense and not a disturbing trend. Matched up against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, the Falcons offense hit a cement stonewall after their awe-inspiring and dominating first drive. It was a thing of beauty to witness the Falcons shoving the run game down the Saints throats, but after that they evidently checked out. Ryan was off-target, the running game got cute and had some more of those infamous wasted plays, the receivers were dropping the ball and disappearing, and they couldn’t gain a first down to save their lives, normally a very good area (coming into the game as #2 in NFL in 3rd down conversions). Roddy White said they got complacent. Let’s all just hope that it was one of those bad nights, but it’s still unfathomable to understand how an offense loaded with so much talent can get completely shut down. They better get some things fixed and start getting it together very soon because the calendar is running out and they don’t want to head into the playoffs limping on offense. Especially when the defense is playing at such a high level.
Running Game Gets Going………..Early
This Must've Been Later in Game (AJC)
It was the best that Michael Turner has run in a long while. The first offensive drive was a sight to see. Turner was pounding the rock, running hard between the tackles and Jacquizz Rodgers was adding in the quick and shifty runs as a perfect complement. This was exactly what Falcons fans had been waiting to see: a sort of “thunder and lightning” combination. It sure was nice to see, but for whatever reason, the running game and the offense as a whole just fell off a cliff. It was a shame to see the running game going so well early on and the passing game be so terribly off. Which leads directly into the next point.
Will This Team Ever Fully Click?
You surely can’t blame the defense at this point, but this will be an ongoing question either until this team comes together in all three phases or they it will be a case of untapped potential. Yes, they’re still winning, but the teams that find a way to get to the Big Dance and hoist that Lombardi Trophy are the ones that find a way to come together and play great in all three parts. At times it’s been the offense and others it’s been the defense. Others, the special teams has bailed the team out. Fans keep waiting. Offense are you listening?
Woeful Offensive Line
A Yucky Offensive Performance (AJC)
There’s nothing else to say that already hasn’t been beaten to a pulp going all the way back to preseason and even last year. There’s certainly no immediate help and, just like the team itself, it seems as though the entire line can’t all perform on a high level at the same time. In the past the problem has been pressure from the outside, particularly from Clabo’s end. Sam Baker has done pretty well overall. During the Saints game, the tackles seem to hold their ground only to see the middle get blown up all game long. Rookie Peter Konz was getting handled, 35 year old Todd McClure had his hands full, and even the usual steady Justin Blalock was shaky. The Falcons don’t have a whole lot of reinforcements available this deep into the season and really didn’t change anything from last year’s underwhelming OL. At this point, it’s up to OL coach Pat Hill and Dirk Koetter to find ways to either improve the OL, minimize the deficiencies, and play to their strengths. Let’s all hope they find a way to fix it the best they can down the homestretch.
Is Ryan a Rhythmic Passer?
There definitely have been times when Matt Ryan has gotten off to a bad start and come back to play well. And surely, to an extent, all quarterbacks need to get some type of rhythm. However, it seems particularly acute with the Falcons quarterback. When Ryan gets off to a good start, he usually finishes with a fantastic day. Look no further than some of the games this year, the first Saints game comes to mind. Maybe it’s unfair to say that Ryan must start good to finish good, but the opposite does seem to be true: when Ryan gets off to a rocky start with constant pressure, he usually struggles the entire game. With this porous offensive line even the best quarterback would have a hard time, but when Ryan has a few bad series to get the game started, it appears to be an uphill battle from that point on. Three games in particular stick out this season in that regard: the Raiders, Cardinals, and the Saints most recent game. Thursday night’s game would seem to be a dream for Ryan with the running game dominating early on, but the passing game was non-existent and managed only one TD after the first drive even though the defense nabbed 5 interceptions. Once again, this may not be all his fault because the offensive line was dreadful and receivers had plenty of drops, but if Ryan needs a good, quick start to get going than that should be an emphasis in game-planning.
Owens Redemption
Owens Good Game (AJC)
It didn’t come in a playoff game, but Christopher Owens had a night to remember. Long known (unfairly) as the main scapegoat to the Debacle in the Dome destruction vs. the Packers in the 2010/11 playoffs, Owens had a big night subbing in for Asante Samuel after the first play of the game. Owens had several nice passes defensed, including an especially athletic one in the endzone that would have otherwise gone for a TD. It was great to finally see Owens play up to his potential that most fans remember back when he took over at the end of 2009. Seeing Owens and Robert McClain doing so well under Mike Nolan’s defense has alleviated some worries at cornerback going forward the next several years.
Will Falcons Ever Find Killer Instinct?
It certainly doesn’t seem so. Stop if you’ve heard this one before. The Falcons get off to a great start, even going up 17-0 in the first half with a foe (the biggest rival in this case) they seem to have on the ropes and on the verge of burying them. And then……….the Falcons let them right back in the game and have to find a way to win at the very end of the game. Yes, it’s going to happen from time to time, especially when playing a good opponent with a high-powered offense. But this is a common occurrence with the Mike Smith led Falcons. It can’t all be put on Smith for getting conservative when getting a big lead (in fact they started throwing the ball after being dominant in the run game on the first series), but do the Falcons always have to put themselves in this position? The score was 17-0 and the defense was playing lights out, only to see the offense hit a brick wall and go 1 for 11 on third down conversions. One of the biggest complaints from fans in the off-season was the Falcons inability to develop any kind of killer instinct. Obviously all wins can’t be blowouts, but whenever the Falcons have a chance to put a game on ice, they simply can not find a way to do it, whatever the reason.
Bird Cage Egg Tosser’s Turn
1) Simple Egg Toss – overall thoughts on beating the hated Saints on Thursday Night Football?
2) Is that one of the best Falcons defensive performances in franchise history?
3) Will the defense carry the torch in the playoffs, instead of the offense?
4) What in Hades happened to the offense?
5) Emerging trend (getting figured out) or just one bad night?
6) Thoughts on the running game vs. the Saints
7) Will this team ever fully click this season or postseason?
8.) Anything left to say about offensive line?
9) Is Ryan a rhythmic passer?
10) Thoughts on Chris Owens superb performance?
11) Will the Falcons ever find a killer instinct in 2012?
12) How good does it feel to be 2012 NFC South Champs?
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750 comments Add your comment
tyler
December 3rd, 2012
11:52 pm
What’s up cage. Wow 11-1 baby. I understand some of the criticism and overall fear of failure coming from some of you guys, but I also feel a lot of it is unjustified. But hey, just listen to any of the national media and all they want to talk about is how the Falcons can’t get it done when it counts.
I’m a huge Falcon fan and pay close attention to this team, as I’m sure many of you do. However, I love Coach Smith, and give him much more credit than many of you do. I saw a new one today from Michael, he decided to blame the fact that the Falcons got away from the run because of Mike Smith. Now I’ve heard it all. LOL.
IMHO, the Falcon team that was 13-3 and lost to the Packers at home, was nowhere close to as good as the Falcons are today. Many of the same players are here, but a few years ago those players were young and inexperienced. This year, those same players are in the prime of their careers. I’m speaking most specifically about Ryan, Moore, Decoud, Nicholaus, Clabo, Baker, White (the guy just keeps getting better), Beirman, Owens, Robinson, and Spoon.
These guys are ready to win it all, they got what it takes, and I think it’s gonna happen.
waynester
December 3rd, 2012
11:57 pm
HCMS knows that this final quarter of the season is of paramount importance. Everything HAS to start clicking together approaching a hoped-for playoff run or it’ll fizzle. CAR got after us in that first game and we need to return the favor. They’re going to be under a lot of pressure with their coach likely to be unemployed within the month and having just been beaten by KC in a real emotional game. I’ve got to believe that our guys are taking this one very seriously starting off the final quarter with a big win and improved execution….
Slant Pattern
December 4th, 2012
12:00 am
“Say whatever you want about me, but I’m rooting for the Saints next week. I’d love to see those Giants miss the playoffs.” – Wabe
Conventional wisdom says hope for a tie between the two as rooting for either is a major foul, however this might be the one case where rooting for the Taints to win is ok. If the Taints win they just lose draft seeding which means their win is actually a loss and by beating the Vagiants we get the chance to possibly put a huge dagger in their playoff hopes.
Watching the Skins outcoach the Vagiants makes what we are dealing with all the more frustrating however. Coughlin stuck to full retard Smittyball against a team they passed on with ease. Maybe Smitty isn’t alone in the “stuck in the past” bin. The Skins showed how a team can power-run by using deception as much as force, a lesson that after 5 years our coaching staff still hasn’t truly learned.
DHunt
December 4th, 2012
12:02 am
Coop, if you look at the ESPN playoff machine, there’s a decent chance the Giants won’t even make it to the postseason. Redskins have a much easier schedule to close it out. If you use the power rankings as the assumption for the winner of the next four weeks, the Skins take the East, and that’s with the Ravens beating the Skins at Washington, which I find hard to believe now that Suggs is back on the injured reserve.
And all this bull crap about the Falcons wins being lucky has got to cease! I guess the Giants would win, but they aren’t lucky? I guess the Texans didn’t get lucky and beat the Lions on Thanksgiving? You can say almost any game every Sunday boiled down to luck (I know that Indy game yesterday certainly did in more ways than one). If it wasn’t for luck (the bad kind) Detroit might have a winning record. BUT THEY DON’T!!!!
And therein lies the idiocy and cognitive dissonance that rears it’s ugly head whenever some people are confronted with the Falcons record. It’s only “luck” when it applies to the Falcons? Get the f*ck out of here with that.
Big Ray
December 4th, 2012
2:31 am
Big Lou ,
No misunderstandings, I understood what you were saying…I was referring to someone else’s assertion in regard to Ryan running around.
Chop Buster ,
Totally agree. I’m tired of us saying things like “we go as far as Ryan takes us” and then watching him run for his life half the time. Either you fix the damn problem or you don’t.
We need to fix it. I think we have some workable prospects in Konz and hopefully Holmes. On top of that, I’d keep Clabo. I know things won’t work out this way, but if you ask me, every other position is up for grabs. McClure, Baker, Clabo…all three get replaced in my fantasy world…
Bottom Line – we need a couple of studs. A couple of stars. Just two. Three is better, but it’s rare. But we do need two guys that could push for or make the Pro Bowl. The rest need merely be “solid.”
BobbyDawg
December 4th, 2012
6:20 am
A man running around gets in trouble. Leave MR2 in the pocket where he belongs. He has been pretty much injury free up untill now and running around back there invites injuries. We need to fix the oline so Ryan can do his job. GO FALCONS
Chop Buster
December 4th, 2012
6:39 am
BR – “Bottom Line – we need a couple of studs. A couple of stars. Just two. Three is better, but it’s rare. But we do need two guys that could push for or make the Pro Bowl. The rest need merely be “solid.””
Totally agree. We need to protect Ryan at all costs. The difference in his play when protected is like night and day. Additionally, if we can get one or two on the DL that can get pressure up the middle then we would solidify us when we play in our base defense. That would open so many doors for Nolan to get more exotic defensive attacks.
Chop Buster
December 4th, 2012
6:40 am
“it” would solidify us
The Time is NOW
December 4th, 2012
10:03 am
Tyler (11:52 pm) – I enjoyed your post.
Isn’t the NFC East getting interesting? Recent history says whoever wins the Falcons’ first playoff game represents the NFC in the Super Bowl. I agree with whoever said (maybe Chop Buster) they expect the first playoff game to be a typical Falcons game from this season: early lead and hang on for dear life. If the Falcons win such a game, I agree that the boost to their confidence could unleash the true potential of this team. This is what I hope for and expect.
Chop Buster
December 4th, 2012
10:23 am
The Time is Now, no it wasn’t me that said it. Even though I’d like to hope we don’t go into the playoffs with the same mindset as the regular season (that was Mularkey). Smitty said they want to keep the pedal to the metal, keep scoring, and not lose any of our remaining games. This came from his Mike Smith show on 790 the Zone yesterday. I’ll take the Missouri view on Smitty’s comments–Show Me!!!
Arno
December 4th, 2012
11:01 am
9) Is Ryan a rhythmic passer? There is every reason to respect Ryan’s courage and determination. I think his trust is a bit shaken. That first sack was an ugly wrap, twist, body slam. There was one a couple of weeks ago where the grass logo got printed on his helmet. He has the courage, but maybe not the confidence in available time. Many have commented on him pressing and not seeing all his progressions. I think it effects his fakes, too. Cam and RGIII torment even the cameramen with their option fakes– not saying Ryan could ever do that. But compare how smooth Schaub, Eli, and Brady are on their fakes. Better fakes might slow down that pass rush. In addition to the more quickly developing plays that people are suggesting here, the fakes are something Matt could improve on right now– before the hoped for upgrades in O line personnel. You know everybody will be gunning for him the rest of the way.
Paddy O
December 4th, 2012
11:09 am
You can pretend luck is not in existence, but Brees playing like crapola was lucky. Plus, our offense was horrible. When the Saints kicker muffed that kick a couple years ago, that was some super luck.
Paddy O
December 4th, 2012
11:11 am
I remember a SF game where the CB intercepts – game over, but gets stupid and luckily RW strips him and Dahl falls on the ball.
Matty Bicep
December 4th, 2012
11:26 am
The thing about luck is it evens out. You say it is “luck” when Brees plays bad, but it is just “bad luck” when MR2 plays bad?
Really, the larger the sample (16 games) luck evens out, in shorter series (playoffs), luck carries a much larger impact….You think the Giants 07 SB helmet catch was not luck?
Matty Bicep
December 4th, 2012
11:28 am
I remember a SF game where the CB intercepts – game over, but gets stupid and luckily RW strips him and Dahl falls on the ball.
Well, SF screwed up, random luck would say that we would also do something similar to lose a game, but we did not.
Again, over time luck evens out, maybe Smitty is just the benefactor of 40 years of BAD falcon luck, lol.
JJ
December 4th, 2012
1:05 pm
From Thomas Casale at FantasySharks:
“From The Feeding Frenzy – Week 14 Trade Bait
Dec 4, 2012
Sell
Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Atlanta – OK, I’m finally giving up on Rodgers. It took until Week 14 but it’s over. Mike Smith won. I lost.
I honestly thought at some point Rodgers would start getting more touches, and we got to a point where Rodgers and Michael Turner were splitting touches, but Smith is just one of those coaches who thinks he has to run the ball to win. That’s why the Falcons will lose their first playoff game again this year. I don’t care what their record is – you can go and mark that down right now. I still think Rodgers can be a bigger part of the Falcons offense but it’s just not going to happen while Turner is around.”
Dont agree with his playoff prediction of course, just wanted to show that other non falcon fans have seen the same from Smitty.
Zoomie
December 4th, 2012
1:18 pm
” That’s why the Falcons will lose their first playoff game again this year. I don’t care what their record is – you can go and mark that down right now.”
Make sure Arthur’s got this cat’s number, since he seems to know exactly what it takes to win a playoff game.
Hell . . . why should the Falcons even show up for the playoffs? Thomas from some organization that seems to feature marine predators as strippers has guaranteed a loss. We should just give it up, because this dude’s credibility seems unimpeachable.
Zoomie
December 4th, 2012
1:38 pm
Now that my “Falcons 2012 NFC South Champions” commemorative plaque, that I bought to nail to my brother-in-law’s face, has arrived, I’m ready to start putting the Falcons-Aints game aside and start looking forward to our next opponent.
Cam had a solid game in their loss to the Chiefs. It appears to me, he’s playing better football. The Carolina Kittens would love nothing more than to share the contents of their 2012 litterbox and hand the Falcons another loss. They believe they can do it, too.
In the last game, thy seemed to know every route the Falcons’ WRs run, and they choked ‘em off. As a result, MR2 pretty much froze in the pocket and got nailed — repeatedly. The kitties played the Birds tough last time and the Falcons really lucked into a win. How do you think the Falcons O will play differently this time?
I don’t know if I even want to speculate on the Falcons’ defense. If I was the Panthers’ OC game-planning for the Falcons, I’d be quaking in my boots knowing Mike Nolan has 12 games of tape on me, and — oh yeah — we already played them once this year. He saw the NFC South Division carnage that was unleashed in the Georgia Dome Thursday night. Plus, Nolan has three extra days to game plan for the Central Carolina Calicos. Could get ugly!
Gotta watch that Steve Smith guy, though . . .
D3
December 4th, 2012
1:55 pm
Greetings Cage Family! — Finally starting to come out of the woods a little bit. Nasty little sinus infection, but gradually feeling better and ready to talk some Birds…….
New Hope vs. Years Past
There is a little divide I think in all of us right about now. We want to firmly believe that we have turned a corner and all these close, nail-biting wins will pay dividends for us in the playoffs. But as Falcons fans, we can’t easily just assume that it will translate into playoff success just because it should, especially given our recent 0-3 mark. The best way to say it is cautiously optimistic, which is cliche, but it really is true for most of us.
The defense IS markedly better and there’s simply no denying that. Matt Ryan IS doing better than he has in the pas in terms of yards and QB rating, but not necessarily in touchdowns and interceptions. Is the offense “that” much better? Yeah, at times, but surely not always.
Another factor is this, there’s only one other team not losing some real headscratchers out there. The Giants, 49ers, Packers, and Bears have ALL lost some serious headscratchers to some bad teams (watch me saying that we now lose to the Kitties). The point I guess is that we’re winning and we’re not playing our best football yet. I’m not worried in the least about our D, but I am starting to worry about our offense.
JJ
December 4th, 2012
2:30 pm
D3, IMHO, it all comes down to OL, particularly in pass blocking. Im very happy with 13-1 and the turnaround TD/CS has made with this franchise. Love my falcons more than anything but just dont think we have the personnel on the OL to go very deep in the post season. It’s the major flaw TD has made with this team.
Big Ray
December 4th, 2012
2:46 pm
The thing about luck is it evens out. You say it is “luck” when Brees plays bad, but it is just “bad luck” when MR2 plays bad?
True. Can’t have it both ways. Luck factors in, but does not explain all. Luck has more to do with guys staying healthy than it does actual performance.
If Brees throwing five…actually six…INTS is lucky, then we cannot criticize Ryan for throwing picks in a game. It’s just plain “luck”….and I know nobody is gonna buy THAT one…
Big Ray
December 4th, 2012
2:48 pm
D3 – agreed. The offense worries me. The defense does not.
Wings
December 4th, 2012
3:25 pm
And what about that guy named Andrew Luck. Where does he fit in?
Paddy O
December 4th, 2012
3:56 pm
RG3 is improving with every breath he takes – but, I saw him again take a vicious legal hit. If he keeps sticking his nose out there like that, eventually somebody will take it off permanently. But, Skins look very good on both sides of the ball – our comeback against them is looking better and better. We do have a habit of making improving teams look bad while playing us. I hope this trend continues.
Paddy O
December 4th, 2012
4:01 pm
MB – i’d agree that helmet catch in the 07 Giants SB win was pure luck – plus, Manning escaping the grasp to avoid the sack; we don’t give up bad dumb plays – it is the heart of what beneficial character Mike Smith DOES bring to the Falcons. Mike is stability and consistency and avoidance of stupidity – bad penalties. That ethos does bring long term benefits. We are much better than last year. This team is now designed to make it into the playoffs. Question is though – how many playoff games do we win??
D3
December 4th, 2012
4:05 pm
RE: Offense
I’m not in panic mode just yet, but I’m getting their regarding the offense. We just have not looked in sync for a whole game in a long while on offense. I know that Ryan has had career days here and there and some drives have been a thing of beauty, but this offense hasn’t looked spectacular since we traveled up to Philly and utterly dominated that game. We stumbled against the Cowboys (a little understandable vs. a good D), played good against the Saints but that final series sticks in my mind, looked terrible vs. the Cardinals, did OK vs. the Bucs, and looked pitiful against the Saints. Once again, before you jump off the top rope at me, Ryan has had some career days in there, but the point totals haven’t been out of this world either (except for the first Saints game, which we lost).
Maybe it really is simple as just a weak OL and everything goes from there. We all said that if our OL looked the exact same than we’re in trouble and sure enough………..there you go. Since we’ve been talking about the OL forever now, I’ve changed my mind and saying we should just go with the best available G or T. Honestly, I think taking a guard and plugging him in next to Konz at C and either Clabo or Sam Baker at RT should significantly upgrade our OL. Still believe that Holmes should be our starting LT next year and let Clabo and Baker battle it out for RT starting spot.
As our buddy SP has let us know with great analysis, much of this is on Koetter himself. He may not be Malarkey, but he’s no wunderkind either. It baffles me how an offense with so much talent can so easily get bottled up and look downright pitiful. JJ, Roddy, TG, HD, Quizz, Snelling, etc. etc. I do understand the conversion thing and I truly do think we’re still missing a dynamic back and we’re still giving Turner plenty of his carries, but I digress. Some of it may be Ryan. All I know is that we’ve seen glimpses of greatness, but no consistency. And the least productive on offense has been lately. Gotta get that fixed.
Paddy O
December 4th, 2012
4:53 pm
Oddly, Brees typically throws at least one gawd awful interception against us – I suspect he want to beat us just as badly as we wish to beat him – and, terminating his consecutive TD toss streak is sweet revenge. Most recognize sports team windows – Brees’ with the saints may be ending – but, the key there is Payton. I thought Ryan’s 5 interception game was bad luck – he was snake bit THAT game – but, we were victorious – it does lead a certain crediblity to the perception that the 2012 Falcons are tenacious. Key for me on Ryan’s bad play and my loss of confidence in Welcome BAck – comfort and familiarity. NO has a good coaching staff at picking up team tendencies. Last year against Seattle, we were painfully predictable. My hope was Kotter would be a smart enough coach to detect his own and decoy the opposition. The way NO shut us down EXCEPT where we surprisingly started off the game running off tackle – indicates that Kotter is not as sharp as I hoped he would be. If we play the Giants a 2nd time this year, that could be our achilles heal – it is what happened in the 2nd GB game where we got whooped bad. Our offense needs to be more complex and dynamic. At this point it is not – some are arguing that we have not peaked under Welcome BAck – I hope they are right, but at this point don’t have that confidence. We apparently did little innovative in the game plan past that 1st possession run orgy; and failed AGAIN to address unexpected, and un addresses as the game developed; push from the middle. If I’m our playoff opponent, I’m intending to push that issue with us.
Paddy O
December 4th, 2012
4:59 pm
Mike Mularkey ought to send the Falcons offense a gigantic Christmas Bonus for making him look like a good coach, and helping him land the J’ville job. IMHO, we excelled inspite of his self-imposed shortcomings. BVG just stunk.
Geo
December 4th, 2012
5:04 pm
Seems to me that Koetter was doing a good job for the first half of the season. Under his direction, we were transitioning into an explosive, pass-oriented offense, with passes (and sometimes runs) to Quizz taking the place of Turner pounding the rock to ice the game. The line was pass blocking better than at any time during Ryan’s tenure, and he responded with MVP type play. Then apparently Smitty decided we needed get back to old school power running with Turner, and the offense has been out of sync ever since. The line can’t seem to pass block anymore, but can now open some running lanes. If we could do both reasonably well, and mix our plays intelligently (actually try to fool the defense), we would be unstoppable.
I think mixing Turner in late in the game with a lead, when the defense is tired and would want no part of the bowling ball with a head of steam, would be the best way to use him, but I would use Quizz and Snelling for the majority of snaps.
Birdman
December 4th, 2012
5:52 pm
Good evening Cage
D3
That is exactly what I was saying in my post the other day. When I said I hope they go ahead and get the no 1 seed and home field adv . This offence just does not have the fire they had at the beginning of the season . A couple of weeks off for some of them to go back and focus on what is wrong .
Yes this means not play the last game . Hit the books and films and practice . I know some of you don’t think its wise to get out of the roll . But I do . I myself have played Sports in my younger and older years . And it worked for me. It has also worked for some of the Kids I have coached in the past. Maybe not Football . But I think its all the same as an athlete. Anyway that,s how I feel
GO FALCONS !!!!
tyler
December 4th, 2012
6:26 pm
Good evening Cage. I was talking to my buddy during the NO’s game and got to thinking about the Falcons interceptions. I’m sure most of us remember the Nolan quote before the season started regarding his philosophy on sacking the QB. Something like he would “rather have 12 guys with 1 sack than 1 guy with 12 sacks”.
Well, this same philosophy seems to be taking shape on interceptions by the Atlanta team. I havent looked it up yet, but we have got a lot of players with at least 1 INT. Me and my buddy came up with Moore, Decoud, Samuel, Spoon, Nichalaus, Babineaux, Peters, McClain, Beirman ( we think) , and Robinson. That’s 10 different players if I’m not missing anyone. Did Abraham have one, or Owens? I think this has got to be getting close to some kind of record. Say what we will about the defensive weakpoints but we definately have some playmakers, and a DC who knows how to get them in position.
Birdman
December 4th, 2012
6:29 pm
Maybe we are all thinking its going back to Smitty Ball . Maybe they are not Showing us all there tricks just yet. I will say this tho until its all said and done none of us really know . 11 and 1 is pretty good if you ask me.. I am concerned for the playoffs tho The Birds have not blown a team out the way we may want them to. But no team has blown out the Falcons ether
Wabe
December 4th, 2012
6:43 pm
So, I’m assuming most everybody is comfortable with the Falcons letting Grimes walk this coming offseason, right?
Don’t know who wouldn’t be with the emergence of McClain and Owens showing improvement under Nolan’s system.
So now, with that money we save, do you see them dumping any money to shore up the OL? I know Baker’s been ‘alright’ this season, and we have Holmes in the waiting, but can anybody see us going after a guy like Jake Long? He’d be pricey, but he’d shore up that LT spot for us, allow us to play Holmes at RT, and possibly move Clabo inside and Konz to C.
Possible? Or am I just dreaming?
Matty Bicep
December 4th, 2012
6:45 pm
Our O line is mediocre, we don’t have a pile pushing RB, our playcalling can be lackluster at times, and Ryan has some cracks in his armor. It is whack a mole, that is life in the NFL.
On the plus side, we have an opportunistic D, and we also our special teams are pretty good (was I the only one holding my breath every time Sproles fielded a punt), and that alone can propel a little 3 game winning streak.
But really, the Giants crushed the 49ers and Packers, they got beat by the Redskins, whom we handled with ease. So, Lombardi here we come!
Unca' Bob
December 4th, 2012
6:46 pm
D3
December 4th, 2012
4:05 pm
RE: Offense,
I’ve watched, for the most part, the same games as you have and I still come away with a different feel than you. Make no mistake, I could be very wrong here, but, I feel everything vanilla is brought forth with a reason. A lack of exposure if you will. Come playoff time I see the Falcons to open up the entire can of whoop-fanny. Look for it!
Matty Bicep
December 4th, 2012
6:49 pm
can anybody see us going after a guy like Jake Long?
Really, our OL issues can be traced back to the JJ trade, not that it was a bad trade, but it is not without consequence. JL would be good, but are there any mauling guards available? LTs like Jake are gonna cost a lot. Our tackle play has been meh, but if Holmes is half of what the cage has built him up to be, we should be OK at tackle I would think.
JB Falcon
December 4th, 2012
6:49 pm
BM 5:52, the rest or not rest thing is indeed a question. Seems like the last time we got home field and a bye week MS gave the team a week off to sit on their butts. Your idea sounds better to me. After all, those guys a getting paid dearly to bust their tails. Having a hurt body part shouldn’t keep you from watching film, light practice, etc. I don’t know if that’s agreeing with you or not but we’ve already tried taking a week off and that didn’t work out so well.
Birdman
December 4th, 2012
6:55 pm
I remember that JB . But this is not the same team we had then ether ?
Birdman
December 4th, 2012
6:56 pm
Might I add Ryan was not as mature then also
Matty Bicep
December 4th, 2012
6:57 pm
Really, if we had Nolan as our DC, chances are we beat the Cards, and who knows. I also doubt the debacle at the Dome ever happens.
I think the moment I thought this team was really built different is when we played NO the 1st time, and NO had the ball up 28-17 and I thought DB was gonna put us away. But we held and should have won that game too….But NO got lucky.
Unca' Bob
December 4th, 2012
7:06 pm
Birdman,
No sir , it’s not the same team. We picked up Samuel, lost Lofton and Weems, and I miss Weems. Just a thought…
JB Falcon
December 4th, 2012
7:21 pm
UB, I never thought I’d say it but, I too, miss Weems. He was far better than “statue boy” and did serve the purpose of a receiver every now and then.
JJ
December 4th, 2012
7:22 pm
Unca’Bob,
My younger brother from another mother…happy holidays buddy.
2- Congrats on making the SarahB playoffs (myself included) and were pitted against each other this week…good luck and my team never lives up to the projections…so its anyones game!
3- You believe our lack of offense to hiding plays for the playoffs???
Im sorry buddy, but that makes no sense after going 1-13(on 3rd downs) last thursday.
If AND A BIG FUKKIN F, we ever get to the elite offenses like the patriots, we need to work on our offense 24-7
Our Offense is not elite, its good with need improvement!!!!!
JJ
December 4th, 2012
7:26 pm
blog monster—blows as always…
JJ
December 4th, 2012
7:28 pm
its for u – ub, sorry 1 handed
Unca' Bob
December 4th, 2012
7:45 pm
JJ,
I’m sure it was about FFL and how you were going to do mean and ugly things to me and mine. I gave you one, the time is now. Bawby.
Unca' Bob
December 4th, 2012
7:58 pm
JB Falcon,
Ever so often I check the stats on Weems and it doesn’t look good for him. I thought we used him in a much better manner than the Bears have. They seem to feel they have it all with their own ST’s and it makes me wonder why they even signed him.
JJ
December 4th, 2012
8:01 pm
lol, wrong my friend. Youll see if D3 releases it, quite the opposite but I do love to smack but after leading the league in pts for AND AGAINST…Im a tad apprehensive my friend. Was just going to say good luck to the both of us!!!
JJ
December 4th, 2012
8:06 pm
Revoir Unca’Bob.
Unca' Bob
December 4th, 2012
8:09 pm
JJ,
I’m good with good luck.