Atlanta Falcons: No Excuses!
The Time Has Come
Time to Get it Done!!!!! (AJC)
New thread up to talk Falcons vs. Seahawks in one of the biggest games in franchise history. The matchups have been analyzed to pieces and the storylines have been beaten to a pulp. It all comes down to who wants it more. The Falcons must win this game for so many reasons, the least of which is to move on in the playoffs. Will be back with more analysis and breakdown very soon, but this one has taken its toll on the Atlanta Falcon Faithful. NO MORE EXCUSES, IT’S TIME TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP!!!!!!…………
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890 comments Add your comment
falcon21
January 15th, 2013
8:47 pm
Not gonna read the article D3, ” it’s a mere formality at this point” is enough for me! The game has to be played, we shall see.
falcon21
January 15th, 2013
8:53 pm
Sorry JB, I didn’t see you post.
falcon21
January 15th, 2013
8:54 pm
your
JB Falcon
January 15th, 2013
9:03 pm
21, sometime, someone, has to temper the emotions on this blog. I shudda known you would duplicate my feelings.
Sportaree
January 15th, 2013
9:09 pm
I don’t give much consideration to what Yastinkas and those other folks say, just because a jackass brays doesn’t mean we have to take it to heart.
Wabe
January 15th, 2013
9:29 pm
lmao @ that article that D3 posted.
I’m hoping the Niners come in with that same attitude.
A mere formality? LMAOOOOO
falcon21
January 15th, 2013
9:33 pm
Replay of the game is on NFL Network now.
Coop
January 15th, 2013
9:38 pm
Read the article Cage. Read all the garbage. Cause when we win the whole enchilada, you’ll have so many folks to tell to go to hell!
Look, the way we win games elicits this kind of talk. Mike Smith brings this on us with his retarded coaching philosophy. After that Epic 4th quarter, what you think we DESERVE?
That said, I believe these players will find a way to win in spite of Smith. Between the Pack and Niners, we got the better matchup for us.
We’ll win, if we can keep Smitty from screwing it up.
LRD
January 15th, 2013
9:41 pm
http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/story?storyId=8841313 Clayton picking FALCONS…. wow
sorry if someone already . posted
Coop
January 15th, 2013
9:44 pm
Blog Monster
Mike
January 15th, 2013
10:04 pm
Perceptions are funny. There is plenty of talk of Atlanta surrendering a 20 point lead. In order to have done that, would they not have to been able to get a 20 point lead. The percetion seems to me that Seattle dominated the game, until Atlanta was able to make to plays at the end. It is clear to most of us that San Fran had their way with GB, but there was a point in that game it seemed like it was going to be dominated, but not by San Fran. I know there was a punt to GB with them up by 7, and it felt like that could have been an opening to go up by 14. A muffed punt and then the whole outlook of that game changed. CK had an incredible game, but most of us have seen enough football to know that it is very difficult to duplicate such performances. Two years ago Aaron Rodgers had “that game” against us. Next week he played well, and GB beat Chicago to advance to the SB, however he never duplicated that performance. I expect CK to have a solid game, but am not thinking he will account for over 400 yards. That being said I do not look for Turner and Quiz to have a repeat of last week. Unlike most people I expect a tightly contested game. The matchup that concerns me the most is J Smith matched up on P Konz. As far as matchups are concerned, I like San Fran’s front seven over Seattle…esp at LB. DB’s are good, but nothing like we saw last week. On offense we should start w QB. Russel Wilson is more illusive, but Kaeprenick is bigger, stronger, and a better passer. Gore is a good RB, but not as good as Lynch ( however still has to be defended as one of the top RB’s). WR and TE (esp TE) San Fran has an advantage. OL San Fran is very good. IMO the third best in the NFL behind Seattle and New England. Three things I think Atlanta has to do this week 1) tackle eliminate yards after contact ( great job on Lynch last week… R Wilson and Seattle’s receivers not so much) 2) eliminate mistakes (turn overs, penalties, missed assignments) Hatbaughs seem to be great at exploiting mistakes of their opponents. Last emphasis should be on finishing. Last week we got 3 quarters of great football. This week we need that plus one.
Big Ray
January 16th, 2013
7:43 am
Listened to some sports radio on the way to work this morning. Diehard 49ers fan calls in and says….
…he loves his team…but is SCARED TO DEATH of our offense….he wondered how in the hell could they possibly cover our WRs and TE.
Now…I would love dearly for our team to go out there and prove his fears valid for 4 SOLID QUARTERS.
Somehow, some way, we have to get on the gas on offense and NOT LET UP. Been too long since I’ve seen our offense do that.
We’ll need to do that in this game against SF…and if we win, we’ll have to do it again in the Super Bowl.
I will be so mad if we lose because we let off the gas AGAIN.
Birdman
January 16th, 2013
7:56 am
Morning Cage
I just hope all this talk on TV puts a big chip and hunger on our Birds shoulder . I hope that they don’t fall for all this crap and come out Flat and nevus.
FALCONS RISE UP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a Blessed day Cage ……..
trademark
January 16th, 2013
7:58 am
OK, I said I wasn’t going to do a detailed scouting of the 49ers, because they were too similar to Seattle. After reading Big Lou’s post out on 4:08, I thought it might be better to take a second look.
First off, BIG props, Big Lou, solid scouting work.
Secondly, I felt it was necessary to do it, because every single conversation out there on the game explains what the Falcons’ perceived weaknesses are, and there is jack on the 49ers weaknesses. Practically no mention of the Seattle beat-down, and that took placed just over a month ago. It’s like they’re TRYING to help the 49ers scouts and coaches. SMH.
Scouting our offense vs. their defense, I took a look at the tendencies the 49ers had in games when their defense performed good, and compared that to what teams did to make them perform badly, namely, the Seattle blowout. The answer is pretty damned clear, it’s not even a question. The teams that dominated the 49ers defense rammed it down their throat with the run. St. Louis, Seattle, they rammed it right at them. As Big Lou said, their LBs are disciplined, disciplined, disciplined. They hold their lanes and rush into gaps. And their front 4 is good enough to generate pressure. Again, great call by Big Lou on calling for the draws and outside screens, but watch for the D-backs, they are not as good as Seattle’s, but I saw them jump more than one route on those on film. They are opportunistic. Draw plays and play-action are going to figure into this one big time. Big shots downfield are going to take a perfect storm, good blocking and a LB or safety blitz that gets picked up or avoided. The 49ers did not get burned on those a lot this year. Here’s some good news; they like to cover TEs with LBs. THey might adjust that for Tony G. (I would…), but if that’s the case, there’s your safety valve all day. Our O-Line is going to have to go into serious Beast mode, though. If the 49ers do not get their pressure from the front 4, our receivers will come very open.
Back with the other side in a minute.
trademark
January 16th, 2013
8:14 am
Our Defense vs. their Offense.
And here’s where I found the 49ers dirty little secret. You want the truth? Think Mike Vick and the Falcons. The ONLY difference is that instead of Alge Crumpler, his security blanket is Micheal Crabtree. Seriously, I actually had Deja -Vu watching the film of the Green Bay game and what CK did to that (poorly designed) defense. He surveys, waits for gaps, or a missed blitz, and then takes off. I will say that he makes better decisions than Vick, though, so he isn’t prone to throw it into the dirt or into the teeth of the defense. How to defend it? Remember Tampa Bay? They used to KILL Vick. A variation of the Tampa 2 is called for here. The LBs have to be quick to watch the gaps and read the option (Spoon, Dent; I’m looking at you). Speed, speed, speed. I hope you did your wind sprints this week. On passes, step up and knock down the slant patterns and crossing routes, on runs – GET TO YOUR GAP FAST AND CLOSE IT. The one problem with this strategy is this doesn’t allow for a lot of blitzing, so the pressure has to be generated from the front 4, and I am not confident that we have the personnel to do that. That’s why I’m calling for a variation. Disguise blitzes from the safeties or even the corners, but KEEP CRABTREE COVERED. Doubled, if you can. Because the fact is, and there’s no avoiding this, WHEN CK WAS IN TROUBLE; HE ALWAYS, ALWAYS LOOKED FOR HIS SECURITY BLANKET. He’s still a rookie. Miles (their TE) is not it. In the 49er losses, he factored into this very little. Then I looked at their wins. Nada. (In Green Bay he had one reception, yeah, it was big, 44 yards, but that is not a safety valve.) Crabtree. Keep him covered. Period. That alone will frustrate the living hell out of CK and leave him feeling very uncomfortable. In the Seattle game, he had only 4 receptions, and that’s saying a LOT, because in that one, SF was throwing a lot (Only 19 rushing attempts, it happens when you’re getting beat). Keep him covered. Pressure CK and make him make the decisions, and be faster than him to the gaps. We do all that, (And that will not be easy…make no mistake) and SF is in for a long day.
The rest in another minute.
Chop Buster
January 16th, 2013
8:16 am
BR (7:43) – I would love for Koetter to throw in another wrinkle to the offensive mix…Coffman along with Gonzalez, Roddy and Julio. Someone is gonna get loose and Coffman has deceptive speed. I watched the GB/49er replay last night and there were times the 9ers secondary looked completely confused on who to defend.
Chop Buster
January 16th, 2013
8:17 am
Also, I believe we will see a different defense and hopefully Smitty has learned his lesson taking his foot off the gas in the second half.
trademark
January 16th, 2013
8:27 am
Coaching and intangibles: I think the Falcons did a really solid job scouting the Seahawks, really. They did all the things necessary that other teams did to beat them, and in the NFL, the Blueprint to beat another team is ALWAYS there. To our advantage, we did not get blown out by anyone this year to anywhere near the extent that the 49ers got beat down by Seattle. You want your game plan? There it is. Make them replay that game. They really, really don’t want to relive that nightmare. They might get on the plane after 3 quarters if they are, just for self-preservation. (Hey, I can wish, right?). Harbaugh is smart, but he’s stubborn. His game-plan is not very fluid, and changes in it (i.e., Seattle, when he had to pass more), and the team looks lost. Get them out of their comfort zone, and this one is winnable. Still hard, sure, but not by letting them dictate what they want to do. On a perfectly even field, where they can do what they want and we can do what we want, this one is CLOSE. And I don’t know about you, but my nerves could stand just a tad less jangling this week.
Advantages, I think the Falcons have the advantage at QB, RB (Turner AND Quizz AND Snelling), TE, Receivers, Kicker and Corners. The 49ers have the advantage at both lines (Are you listening lines? GET MEAN), LBs and Special Teams (Stay Disciplined STs, no freebies, we absolutely cannot afford it!). The fact that they (at least on paper) hold the lines is a very daunting obstacle to overcome. We have to raise the bar to lessen that advantage, because that’s a big one. If we play fast, mean and loose, we can do just that, and win this one Falcon style (think more the 2nd New Orleans game….
)
Later, Cage!
GO FALCONS!!
Chop Buster
January 16th, 2013
8:30 am
Trademark I said the exact thing to my brother last night on how we should defend CK–use the old TB LB attack when they use to kill Vick. There’s actually three you have to defend: QB, RB, and pitch man. Don’t attack with just the two LBs because then they’ll adjust to that. Disguise our coverages and send safeties, corners, etc at different times. Another thing we need to do is hit the QB on every option play regardless–that will make the HC decrease option calls seeing his QB getting rocked.
Paddy O
January 16th, 2013
9:09 am
well, watched the game on NFL replay last night – only from the end of the 3rd quarter to the end. BL was right – Roddy should have caught the ball from ryan where the Seahawk was draped on his back – and yes, Trufant suddenly stopped and BLOCKED (interference?) on the MR2 interception in the 4th. I thought 96 played a darn good game – AND, he was held on just about every play – but those refs in the 4th quarter were obviously instructed to let Seattle come back. I was very satisfied with the play of Massaquo and the Octopus. But, on TV – that was one helluva game.
Paddy O
January 16th, 2013
9:15 am
BL: Wilson had a TON OF time in the first half too- but our CB’s did a great job – except on Miller – all 3 of these elements IMHO were intentional game scheme by Nolan – we NEVER blitzed the first half – and it was infuriating until you realize we shut them out. Our blitzing in the 4th quarter was fairly effective – except we did not leave a ’spy” containment guy – one blitz had Spoon and another guy hit the line in the same hole, the first guy went down and spoon flushed Wilson, but that left the flat open and Wilson trotted into the endzone. I think most have underestimated Nolan. His game plan worked – until the offense got off track in the 4th down. The gimmick play with the reverse to JJ was a big mistake. But, we won!
Paddy O
January 16th, 2013
9:27 am
well, folks seem to ignore the “impact” of rookie QB’s – anybody here Wilson throwing away at LEAST 3 points when he got sacked at the end of the 1st half? and there is the press’ lover boy gushing over how well Wilson played. Pete Carroll is the consumate BS artist. Must have come from his time in Southern California.
JJ
January 16th, 2013
9:34 am
Big Lou/trademark, tks-great stuff!
trademark
January 16th, 2013
9:34 am
Chop Buster – Kewl that you had the same thought. Like I said, the only thing I don’t like about the Tampa 2 is that the D-Line just HAS to generate the QB pressure, and I really am not sure ours can. So I thought to throw in some corner and safety blitzes, which the Falcons have effectively done this year. But we HAVE to do this while keeping Crabtree covered. CK is going to have tunnel vision on him.
Chop Buster
January 16th, 2013
10:26 am
trademark, “CK is going to have tunnel vision on him.” Sounds like a good opportunity for some our guys to jump the route. Hopefully, they let Asante cover him even though Crab has a few inches on him. One thing I noticed watching the GB/SF game last night is Rogers always hits his receiver in the chest to waist area with his passes–which allowed the LBs/DBs to get a hand in there at times. We all know that Tony likes the ball high and will make things harder for SF to defend. We need to hit Julio and Roddy on more crossing routes. Alge was always wide open up the middle of the Tampa 2 whenever we played TB, so we should probably send Tony and Chase on routes up the middle. I’m sure Koetter will have something to get our guys open.
DHunt
January 16th, 2013
10:35 am
Even the most pessimistic contribution in the Cage seems like flowery praise compared to the coverage of the Falcons everywhere else. Brilliant analysis here (BL, trademark, Zoomie,) makes you wonder what the “experts” are watching when they look at the Falcons.
All I have to add is a bit of homerism. The Falcons were up 20 points going into the 4th quarter and even then could not be said to have played their best game. The Falcons have played three complete games all year, against the Chargers on the road and at home against the Saints and the Giants, and all of those games were total domination. The Falcons really are playing with house money this week. There’s a very slim chance they will get blown out; it hasn’t happened all year. Worst case scenario, Falcons lose a close game to what EVERYONE has already determined to be a superior team. No shame in that, you just reload and keep on keepin on. No pressure here, just a great opportunity to prove the naysayers wrong one more time.
So maybe you haven’t seen enough of it to be sure when you will get it, but you do know it’s there, waiting in the wings. The Falcons are as capable of greatness as any other team in the league, and far more capable than most. And when the Falcons are great, they are truly dominant. Why can’t we get two more complete games out of this team this year? And wouldn’t it be wonderful if we did?
D3
January 16th, 2013
10:46 am
Bound and determined to finish new post within the hour, but heard this nuggett on Chuck and Chernoff on way home………
Of Kaepernick-douche’s 181 rushing yards, only 3 of them were after contact
He is not Cam Newton who can absorb hits and keep going. Put a hat or 11 on him and he will go down.
D3
January 16th, 2013
10:55 am
I know there was a punt to GB with them up by 7, and it felt like that could have been an opening to go up by 14. A muffed punt and then the whole outlook of that game changed. — Mike
Great point Mike! That only became a blowout towards the end if I recall. I do remember that being a HUGE play for that game.
Big Ray
January 16th, 2013
11:28 am
http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/football/koetter-trying-crack-code-49ers-stout-defense/nTxrc/
Sometimes I wish Koetter would just keep his mouth shut.
His first quote had me coming unglued…and I realized he was probably just yapping his trap and giving the SF defense too much credit (on purpose). And yet….dude did you have to say that ? Read the article, you’ll know what I’m talking about right away…
I did find the comments on the no huddle interesting. Gee, where have I heard those comments before? Oh yeah…Smitty. Hmmmm. Interesting. I understand not using the no huddle when your huddle thing is working. But how many times do you have to experience a failed drive before you go with the no huddle? That is the question. I think the CS has different feelings about how or why a drive was stalled…and none of those feelings lead to “dammit, run the no huddle they have all our scripted plays figured out.”
But whatever.
It’s worth a read.
Koetter isn’t giving anything away, but he’s hardly confidence-inspiring. Such as the comment about Quizz trucking Seattle’s safety….dude…. did you have to say it like that ?
Wings
January 16th, 2013
11:34 am
I love HC Mike Smith.
From ESPN:
But you can slice Smith’s record just about any way and it still is very impressive. Let’s take a look (and this is regular season only):
vs. the NFC 39-20
vs. the AFC 17-4
vs. the NFC South 17-13
Home 33-7
Away 23-17
1 p.m. (ET) games 38-17
4 p.m. (ET) games 11-3
Prime-time games 8-4
Indoors 38-13
Outdoors 18-11
Falcons score first 42-10
Falcons lead at halftime 44-2
Falcons lead going into fourth quarter 42-1
Falcons lead in time of possession 38-8
Falcons gain 300 yards 44-14
Hold opponent under 300 yards 23-1
Falcons have a 300-yard passer 10-8
Falcons have a 100-yard rusher 16-3
Falcons have a 100-yard receiver 26-12
Falcons win turnover battle 34-3
Falcons have five or fewer penalties 40-15
Falcons have 20 first downs 40-14
JB Falcon
January 16th, 2013
11:58 am
The last time an NFC No. 1 seed lost a championship game on home turf was the Philadelphia Eagles, who did it in 2002 and 2003. Since then, the past four No. 1 seeds hosting the NFC title game were victorious: the 2004 Eagles, 2005 Seahawks, 2006 Chicago Bears and 2009 New Orleans Saints. Like the Falcons, each of those four teams had 13-3 records. In three of those four cases, those No. 1 seeds beat No. 2 seeds.
John Clayton -espn
Big Lou
January 16th, 2013
12:18 pm
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/01/the-atlanta-falcons-the-nfls-new-team-of-destiny/267130/
Read some of the 49er fans comments below. They are just as worried as us with the match up.
Oh, and the article is nice, too.
Big Lou
January 16th, 2013
12:24 pm
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/44338/media-day-for-nfc-championship-game
Live conference on the NFL network! Don’t miss the interviews at 4pm!
Big Lou
January 16th, 2013
12:42 pm
http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media-lounge/videos/Dukes_Comebacks_Just_Happen/d481c24f-3263-4836-8443-f42ebdc24f69
Great video
JB Falcon
January 16th, 2013
12:47 pm
BL, great link @ 12:18.
JB Falcon
January 16th, 2013
12:52 pm
Looks like Chip Kelly is going to be the HC of the Eagles.
JB Falcon
January 16th, 2013
1:57 pm
Another glimmer of hope for the Falcons. Guess who’s on the cover of SI this week? Kaepernick!
Arno
January 16th, 2013
2:58 pm
“FALCONS, FALCONS RISE UP,” the choir sings, and we intercept Drew Brees.
Red and I jump out of our seats, slapping fives with strangers and with each other.
We intercept Drew Brees.
In a couple of hours, after our 23-13 win, we’ll be the least respected 11-1 team in NFL history. In 17 days we’ll beat the defending Super Bowl chanpion Giants 34-0 and still get no respect.
We intercept Drew Brees.
Maybe we’ll fall short again this year. The experts have already written us off. We have 46 years of losing behind us.
We intercept Drew Brees for the fifth time. The clock runs out. My brother and I walk into the night, looking straight ahead.
[excerpted from Sports Illustrated 1-14-13 “Hello. My Name is Thomas, and I’m a Falcons Addict,” by Thomas Lake]
JB Falcon
January 16th, 2013
3:11 pm
Borrowed this from over yonder, it’s really good!
http://www.ninersnation.com/49ers-vs-falcons-nfc-championship-2013-nfl-playoffs/2013/1/16/3881144/nfc-championship-2013-49ers-vs-falcons-biggest-concerns
D3
January 16th, 2013
4:14 pm
FINALLY NEW POST UP CAGE!!!!!!!!!!
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-falcons-fans/2013/01/16/atlanta-falcons-birds-win-one-away-from-super-bowl/