Atlanta Falcons Fall Short in Super Bowl Bid
Second Half Collapse Finally Dooms
Cool Cage Poster by Arno!
***Super Cool Cage Poster that Fellow Cage Member Arno Created!***
Sure, it was a good year and it will be an even tougher road back for many fans after this one had the feeling that it could finally be “the year,” but alas it was not in the cards yet again. It was a good year that saw the Falcons starting to take a step further and they did finally rid themselves of the playoff albatross (although no one really cares about that now). Even though it may seem as though it’s the end of the world, it really isn’t. There are a ton of teams that would gladly trade places with our current franchise in being competitive every year and giving themselves a chance every season. It should be acknowledged that this regime has reached heights never before seen in it’s history (they only had back-to-back winning seasons back in 2008 and 2009). But it should be a wakeup call to everyone involved, including Arthur Blank, that changes will need to be made and all apart of the Falcons organization will have to work even harder to finally get to that next level. A look at the game and a peek ahead to the off-season……..
Total Team Loss
Total Team Loss, Not All Ryan (AJC)
The sensationalist, craven writer and pundit crowd have been waiting for this moment since the kickoff of the 2012 NFL season. Most writers love nothing more than to beat up on a franchise with a terrible history and a known penchant for falling short. The biggest line that is out there is that it’s all Matt Ryan’s fault and he’ll never win the big, never win a Super Bowl, he regularly plays the Grinch at Christmas, and is solely responsible for everything wrong in the world. Sure, he picked a bad time to make a fumble and threw an interception in the second half, even though Roddy White took full responsibility for tripping and that’s exactly what happened on replay. The fact is that this was a complete team loss from top to bottom, including General Manager Thomas Dimitroff as well.
All involved are to blame. The coaches got outcoached halfway into the 2nd quarter and completely overwhelmed in the second half. There literally seemed to be no adjustments to either side after their initial schemes were figured out. The defense had another epic failure, having no answer for really any of the offensive players, particularly Vernon Davis. Seems like the TE was an issue in the Seattle game also, right? The running game stalled. The play-calling became more predictable and less aggressive. Julio Jones was dominant, only to never to be seen from in second half. Roddy White trips on a route, leading to an interception. Harry Douglas trips on a wide open route that would have seen him walk into the endzone. The defense was exposed as being weak and the largest indictment on this regime of all, lack of pass rush, was finally taken advantage of.
Emotional Loss (AJC)
And yes, Matt Ryan isn’t doing himself any favors with his mistakes in the postseason, but in case you haven’t noticed, even the super-elite QBs (Brady, Manning, Rodgers) couldn’t do it all by themselves this year either. There was a reason that the vast majority of pundits picked the Niners, because in almost all aspects save quarterback and wide receiver, the 49ers had better players and more depth. Still, after finding a way to win at the end, the Falcons found a way to lose. It’s not the end of the world, but the Falcons have some big, and perhaps painful, decisions to make if they want to take the whole thing.
Defensive Epic Fail
Yes, there were two second half turnovers and a stall in the red zone to end the game, but as fellow Cage Member Coop said, being up 17-0 in the first half, playing at home with the crowd going nuts, and allowing the Niners to literally do whatever they want for 3 quarters has epic fail written all over it. In was a mirror repeat of the Seattle game where once the defense seemed to be “figured out” there were no answer to be had. The only problem was that instead of one quarter against the Seahawks, it was essentially 3 quarters vs. a more talented and battle-hardened team in the 49ers. The easy and obvious place to go is to Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator. He’s the one designing the scheme and calling the plays, so he gets much deserved criticism and rightly so.
Mike Smith gets some as well for being a defensive minded head coach working with an excellent DC, only to get completely exposed two weeks in a row on defense. The defensive players get some blame too. There was literally no pass rush (see below) and a less-than 100% John Abraham wasn’t to be found. Of course no one assisted him whatsoever in rushing the passer, but what else is new. The defensive tackles weren’t good either after doing a decent job of keeping Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick in check early on. They, along with the linebackers, allowed the Niners run game to get on track somewhat and it opened up the pass. Speaking of the linebackers, they were terrible in coverage all night. Coverage was atrocious including all cornerbacks and safeties. Kaepernick had a great second half, but the receivers were so wide open that a high school QB may have completed them.
Tough Way for Gonzo to End It (AJC)
The net was cast wide and far, this was a defensive collapse from top to bottom. Frankly, you don’t deserve to win any championships when you play defense that poorly. Last but not least, Thomas Dimitroff deserves some blame as well. We can talk about schemes and missed assignments all day long, but it was painfully obvious in the second half that this defense simply was overmatched personnel wise, especially along the defensive line. He’s missed on some draft picks on defense and will have to find a way to rectify it both through the draft and free agency if the Falcons will ever take the last step.
Motivation or Nose Dive Ahead?
The Falcons can take some solace in looking at the team that just beat them to advance to the Super Bowl. The 49ers hosted the Giants just last year and came up just short in their bid to go to the big dance right at the end. They dedicated themselves to pushing through, building themselves up during the regular season vs. good opponents, making some moves in free agency, and using that experience to push down that final barrier. The same can be said of the Packers when they lost the NFC championship at home in 2007 in OT. 3 years later, they were Champs. The Eagles actually lost three straight NFC Title games (two of them at home) before they finally went to the Super Bowl, albeit falling short. Maybe those teams made tweaks, maybe they made overhauls, but they fixed what went wrong in the NFC Title game.
Will Falcons Learn from Niners? (AJC)
This will be discussed at length from now to free agency to the draft and training camp, but the Falcons do have some serious, and perhaps painful decisions to make. The question is whether they have the willpower to make those decisions, which has a mixed history at best the past 4 off-seasons. The opposite is obviously also possible as well. If the Dimitroff, Smith, and Co. feel as though they don’t need to make many fixes and were just a play away from the big dance or make the wrong choices than they could be in for a nosedive. The Bears, Cardinals, Eagles, and Seahawks are all examples of teams that were one game away from the Super Bowl and either did too much, didn’t do enough, or simply made the wrong choices and fell back to playoff obscurity. Coincidentally, all four teams got rid of their coaches soon thereafter.
Wide Indictment on Pass Rush
Every single person associated with the Falcons defensive side of the ball deserves blame on this one, save John Abraham. For the past five years, no one in the organization has been able to muster ANY pass rush whatsoever other than Abraham. That is simply inexcusable on all levels. Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith deserve the most blame because, ultimately, they’re the heads of the ship. Dimitroff has drafted Lawrence Sidbury, Peria Jerry, Jonathan Massaquoi, Cliff Matthews, Travian Roberston, and signed Ray Edwards. Rich McKay isn’t absolved either because the Jamaal Anderson pick at #8 overall set this franchise back years. Dimtroff may have the best intentions and picks skill players pretty well, but he has been abysmal on both sides of the trenches. Matthews and Massaquoi have shown some potential, but that hasn’t translated into results. Which leads into the next point.
Tough Day, but Good Ones Ahead (AJC)
If Dimitroff has failed at drafting defensive lineman, than Mike Smith has failed equally bad with his “Witness Protection Program” (see below). It would be one thing if every single defensive linemen drafted by Dimitroff showed absolutely no potential whatsoever, but that simply isn’t the case either. Sidbury showed some flashes in his very limited time as a Falcon (seemingly coming to an end). They can’t figure out what to do with Kroy Biermann and is a little too light for an every down DE. Robertson showed flashes during preseason only to never be heard from again. Matthews and Massaquoi never saw the field until Abraham got hurt and that’s only a handful examples. They have drafted extremely light defensive tackles that never draw double teams and allow every DE drafted to not see single coverage blocking and only
The fact remains that whatever the issue, the Falcons have failed miserably at all levels to address the pass rush situation. The defensive coordinators have been part of the problem, but they haven’t had a ton to work with for whatever reason. Nolan did a pretty good job early on to generate a pass rush, only to see it submarine yet again towards the end and in the playoffs. If the Falcons organization can’t find some way, any way, to fix it than the Falcons will either be in for a bad year or will not take the next step anyway.
Complete-Game Fatal Flaw
Tony's Great Run in Atlanta (AJC)
This one goes to no one other than Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith. We can talk about the coordinators, schemes, players, and personnel all day long, but the truth is that this is Smith’s problem and his alone. The Falcons have long been good for a quarter, a half, or even 3 quarters, but just cannot find ways to put teams away. Sure enough, it came back to finally bite them big time at the worst moment imaginable. Fans knew it was just a matter of time. It’s true that sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way and other times teams make good adjustments, but this is not only a trend, but an every game certainty. There was one exception with the Giants shutout, but that was about the only one in memory of the last five years.
Some refer to it as a killer instinct. That’s a part of it for sure. Smith has presided over teams with two different sets of coordinators that exemplify the exact same thing of letting teams back in the game. Most times Smith has found a way to win anyway, but that luck finally ran out in the playoffs, as many thought it would. Many times its becoming hyper-conservative with a decent lead. Others it’s trying to run out the clock and others it’s just becoming undisciplined and tensing up. If Smith can somehow find a way to fix this, it could be the final piece in getting over the hump. If he can’t, he might be looking for a new job in the near future.
Can Falcons Make the Needed Changes?
Plenty of Long Faces (AJC)
The Falcons and Mike Smith could take a cue from Jim Harbaugh, whose on his way to his first Super Bowl. Harbaugh took a lot of heat for changing quarterbacks very late into the season and it’s paid off. Meanwhile, Smith and Co. either can’t make the tough decisions or their changes are at a glacial pace. This will obviously be discussed a ton over the next several months, but there there is some doubt that Smith and, to a lesser extent, Dimitroff that they are unable or unwilling to make the needed changes necessary to take the Falcons to the next level. And Arthur Blank needs to be honest about what he wants as well. He pronounces that only championships will be accepted, but the cold fact is that Mike Smith has led a franchise out of the abyss, but also is 1-4 in the playoffs, has been the #1 seed in the NFC two out of three years, and has yet to grace the Super Bowl. Is Blank prepared to make a hard decision himself if the Falcons have hit a plateau?
“Witness Protection” Must Go
Fellow Cage Member Big Ray came up with one of the most poignant, and funny, descriptions of Mike Smith’s Player Development System: Witness Protection Program. Their inability to develop draft picks and get them meaningful playing time is deftly abhorrent. Maybe it’s all on Thomas Dimitroff for drafting poorly, but when fans see players do well at training camp in Flowery Branch and in preseason only never to be seen or heard from again, it’s supremely frustrating. On the surface, it seems that it’s simply Smith’s conservative nature taking hold in every aspect of this team. The list is infinite on seeing potential and never to be seen again: Antone Smith, Drew Davis, Kevin Cone, Lawrence Sidbury, Chris Owens, Dominique Franks, Travian Robertson, Mike Johnson, Lamar Holmes, Dominque Davis, Kerry Meier, Jonathan Massaquoi, Cliff Matthews, Charles Mitchell, and there’s likely plenty more.
Major Changes Needed on D (AJC)
Some of these listed maybe unfair since they were likely just bad picks (Johnson), but others have shown flashes and never seen the field. Not only that, but other players must “wait their turn” and be an apprentice before earning their chance (DeCoud, Moore) or only seeing the field when someone gets hurt (Peter Konz, Matthews, Massaquoi). This is not saying that these players would have necessarily made a difference in the grand scheme of things, but unless you’re a 1st round draft pick, you’re likely to be placed firmly in the Witness Protection Program. As Big Ray has said many times, either keep them, develop them, and let them play or cut them loose.
Full Scale Audit Needed
There can’t be that many things wrong with a team that goes 13-3, gets the #1 seed in the NFC, and is only a play or two away from going to the Super Bowl, right? Well, they had to do something right, but at the same time, his team has some major areas to address in the off-season and it will take an honest, objective, and sometimes difficult look at every single aspect of this team. Successful organizations do it on a regular basis and this is no different. The Falcons are seemingly good in several areas including quarterback, wide receiver, maybe safety, and perhaps cornerback. Even in those areas, the window is either quickly closing (Roddy White, Asante Samuel, Dunta Robinson over 30) or needs another look (is Harry Douglas a legitimate slot receiver? How big of a contract should Ryan get? What happed to the safeties in playoffs?). Those are the best case scenarios. The others, not so much.
One of like 3 Good Plays on D (AJC)
Like mentioned several times above, this will get a long and detailed look in the off-season, but everything else is up for debate. Defensive tackle needs a major overhaul. The Falcons must do something, anything, to solve the defensive end problems. The linebackers, once thought to be a strong area, looked awful in the playoffs. The offensive line played well in the playoffs, but weren’t a Super Bowl caliber unit in the regular season and needs some strength, youth, beef, and overall change to the unit. The running back situation is one of the biggest areas of need. Tony Gonzalez is likely retiring and leaving an enormous void on offense. Punt returner was a joke the entire season and the list goes on and on. Some areas may need tweaks, while others will require major overhauls, and still others will face difficult and sometimes painful decisions. This has been a great run for this franchise, the best in it’s history, but loyalties cannot get in the way of finding the best 53 man roster to make another run, especially on defense. This looks to be the most critical of all the off-seasons to date, seeing the Falcons getting so close, but now looking so far away if some things aren’t fixed in a major way.
First Window Closing
We’ve discussed this before in The Cage many times the past several seasons in that the Falcons are reaching one part of a phase where the window is closing for many players that have helped to reach this level of success. Tony Gonzalez is likely retiring. Todd McClure will be 36 in February. Roddy White will be 32 next November. Asante Samuel just turned 32. John Abraham will be 35 in May. Dunta Robinson will be 31 in April. Jonathan Babineaux will be 32 in October. Michael Turner will be 31 in February. The list goes on and on.
Turner's Last Game? (AJC)
This is not to say that the Falcons don’t have a few good years left and some (White, Samuel) have shown no signs of decline while most of the others have. Will the Falcons organization try to go piecemeal and only tinker for one more year or will they make some fairly dramatic changes to set themselves up for the future? It would be tempting to go with the former, but the Falcons are at a point where some major changes are needed in certain areas. This will be a big point in the off-season.
MTV Sports Detox May Help
If you are masochist or glutton for punishment than this is your Christmas and Birthday all wrapped into one. You won’t have to venture very far to see that there are literally hundreds of hatchet jobs, gleeful revenge, “I told you so’s,” and “Same Old Falcons” as an ESPN writer said. Matt Ryan is the worst QB to ever grace the playoffs. This is worst franchise to ever play professional sports and should be burned at the stake for even attempting to win. They should have gone 3-13 like those true “same old Falcons.”
Sure, some of the points they make are valid and some major questions will take hold this off-season and some major weaknesses must be addressed, but these are the times why most Falcons fans (and many non-darling team fans) despise national, sensationalistic, and even sometimes, downright hateful sports media. The fact is, these AREN’T the same old Falcons. This regime hasn’t taken the final step, but it has pulled a broken and historically terrible franchise from the ashes to being an annual contender. They completed back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in it’s 40+ year history. They have made the playoffs 4 out of 5 years. They are only second to the New England Patriots in regular season wins (who, by the way, aren’t doing that great themselves in the posteason lately). They finally won a playoff game after everyone said they couldn’t and were a play away from going to the Super Bowl. Sure, this sounds like complete justification and rationalization and, to an extent, it is.
Great Game by JJ (AJC)
The Falcons haven’t figured out how to get over the final hump and Mike Smith and Co. will start entering a much more critical mode this off-season and coming regular season. And if they don’t make certain fixes and tough decisions they could slip right back into mediocrity, but they aren’t those “same old Falcons.” Those would be the ones that never even sniff the playoffs. This is a long-winded way of saying that getting rid of the hateful, virile, infantile, and sensationalistic national sports media may help getting past this loss.
Some great resources Atlanta Falcons news instead of biased, Entertainment Sports News:
http://www.thefalcoholic.com
http://bloggingdirty.com
http://falconsgab.com
http://gritsblitz.com
Stay With Us!
For those of you who are new to The Cage, we ask that you stay with us because even though it won’t have as much to talk about in terms of games, wins, and losses, it can be just as much fun to discuss about all the possibilities for free agency, the draft, off-season questions, and the upcoming 2013 season. The Cage already has a ton of topics ready to roll for the off-season.
Bird Cage Faithful’s Turn
No questions, just let it go on the crushing loss, your thoughts on the season that was, a look ahead to the off-season, and anything else about your favorite team………..
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706 comments Add your comment
Greg Mendel
January 21st, 2013
10:42 pm
Good job, Arno! Thanks! I am sincerely honored to see my screen name in there, and I am NOT WORTHY! Kudos to you and The Cage!
D3
January 21st, 2013
10:44 pm
E43 — You’re right, we’re way weaker in many areas than we would like to believe. I’ll have to stand up and eat crow on Nicholas. I thought re-signing him was a good move and that getting a legit DC would / could unlock his true potential. You’re right, this defense is in pretty bad shape going forward. We need a big shake-up in my opinion. Appears we’re stuck with Nicholas at least somewhat because the way I read his contract, it seems we’d have to pay him $3 mill just to cut him.
The Time is NOW
January 21st, 2013
10:44 pm
JB Falcon (9:56) – agree wholeheartedly!
darrell starks
January 21st, 2013
11:12 pm
Okay here is the blue print for superbowl in 2013.
First sign Restricted free agent Chris Ivory, Saints already have 3 quality RB
Ivory is only 24years of age and is a beast.
2nd sign free agent Paul Kruger 6′4 270 pounds is a monster and nasty plus he played around Ray Lewis.
Paul had 9sacks as a part time starters.
GET BOTH PLAYERS ON ARTHUR BLANKS PRIVATE JET AND IT’S OVER.
Falcons would have sign 2 nasty beast one on offense other on defense
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
waynester
January 21st, 2013
11:13 pm
The most worrisome problem to me is the window of opportunity. These vets have carried us pretty far but it’s a young man’s game and we are the 5th oldest team in the league. Personally, I’m in agreement with Smitty when it comes to starting the most veteran guys whenever possible. Even raw talent is no substitute for experience but the flesh is weak–even the best players get old and constant infusions of younger players are required but must be balanced by proven pros….thus the dilemma. Go young, like SEA or try to phase vets out incrementally….Young guys like Holmes show plenty of promise but are they ready for that next step? I’ve got to believe that HCMS is better equipped to make those decisions than we are, even if some of these decisions seem like no-brainers to we fans…..
darrell starks
January 21st, 2013
11:24 pm
DRAFT
1st Pick DT Jonathan Jenkins or DT Jessie Williams
2nd Pick ILB Kevin Minters or ILB Nico Johnson
3rd pick OG Larry Warford a beast, No way he last this long if so he would be day 1 starter for Falcons.
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
January 21st, 2013
11:31 pm
Defense 2013
DL Kruger, Peters, Jenkins or Williams, Abraham
LB Nicholas, Minters is a monster or Nico, Spoon
DB Grimes, Moore, Decoud, Asante
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
January 21st, 2013
11:42 pm
WHO IS THE BEST LB
Minters or Nico ?
I say it’s a toss up.
GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big Ray
January 21st, 2013
11:56 pm
D3 , a masterful piece.
Arno , loved the poster.
Wabe , your 6:53 pm post made PLENTY of sense.
Big Ray
January 22nd, 2013
12:09 am
Our defense has to be re-worked, plain and simple.
Either let Nolan install his 3-4 or revamp the 4-3. Thinking back on it, we should have seen all this coming anyway.
Nolan comes in as a new DC and had a few key things to say:
1) Every DE on the roster is a guy he considered a LB in his 3-4 scheme. He literally said that.
2) When asked repeatedly how the defense looked to him prior to the start of the season, he was evasive. The few things he DID let slip weren’t exactly positive. That alone tells you there is a personnel issue.
3) Why were we playing a hybrid defense? I’ll tell you. Nolan knew we’d only get so much from the front 4. He also knew we had exactly one guy in the LB group that could cover (Weatherspoon). So, he used 2 LBs a lot and went with a whole pile of DBs.
Our run defense suffered greatly, and with good reason. One less LB out there to plug gaps and make tackles. But as discussed before, there were bigger reasons (literally). Babineaux is in decline, Peters was out and when he came back never really made it back to 90% I truly believe. Vance Walker had the most consistency but is a backup, and Peria Jerry had no effect. When your front 4 looks like that, what are two LBs gonna do for you?
Exactly.
Dimitroff needs to get off the damn pot and start getting this ish right. That black dot board they have? Take a few dots off of there and roll on. No rookie is gonna come in here and disrupt the locker room with the leaders and vets we have in there. So unless a kid is really bad news (won’t stay out of trouble with the law, etc) then take a long hard look.
We need some studs.
And we don’t need to spend 4 years getting them ready either, dammit.
Use the draft, but also use FA. Just don’t pick another sullen underwear model.
As for vets versus young guys, it’s like this – the best franchises know when to infuse with young talent.
We’ve seen guys that weren’t top billing like Marshall Newhouse (Packers) and Nate Solder (Patriots) get their run early on, now they’ve developed into very solid players for high level teams. Trial by fire.
Time to quit this BS and get rolling. Put these kids on the spot. Especially when some of your vets are on their last legs or some of the “incumbents” are barely adequate on a good day.
Enough of this. Windows are only a problem if you don’t make yourself a couple of doors. Always have a backup plan. Always.
You wait too damn long, the world (and the game) passes you by. Then all you have is a bunch of beat-up vets.
Don’t think so? Ask the Steelers.
Big Ray
January 22nd, 2013
12:11 am
Damn blog monster….got me!!!
Hamad Meander
January 22nd, 2013
12:22 am
Arno – thanks for the prime real estate on the poster.
My voice is gone from Sunday afternoon. I’ll say this – Atlanta fans – you did your part. You were loud, energetic, and never let up. There wasn’t a single snap the 49ers took without full volume from the crowd. Awesome.
I’m disappointed in the outcome, but the game and atmosphere was grand. I could point out all the things that could/should have happened and we would have won, but everyone else has done that. We are lucky to have such a great team and I look forward to next season.
Hamad Meander
January 22nd, 2013
12:28 am
darrell starks – I love your ideas of going after Ivory and Kruger, but I’m not convinced we need to target a DT in the first round. If Gonzalez is gone, we HAVE to get Eifert or Ertz to replace him. Gonzalez has been too important to this team’s success to not have top talent at that position when he is gone. We do have a few holes to fill, but it looks like we don’t have major issues to address with our own unrestricted and restricted free agents.
Reginald Young
January 22nd, 2013
6:02 am
It was too easy. All they needed was one score in the second half. I’ve seen them do it a million times. 5 times last year 4 times this year. They know how to come back… But this time, the most important time, they didnt. I was there, section 316 row 8. I was surronded by the most passionionate fans. Ones who would have volunteered to play without a day of practice, knowing what was at stake. A trip the the Super Bowl. I can not get the images of the faces out of head after it was clear that they had lost the game. It was like witnessing a horrific car crash know personally the people involved. It was horrible. Words cannot express the sight. I feel for those fans who were really hurt by this. I truly now understand what it is to love a football team.
Chop Buster
January 22nd, 2013
7:30 am
First, let me say that’s a nice banner Arno created. D3, I can’t disagree with anything you’ve said in your write up.
I sat in my seat until the very end hoping that we had one more comeback in us only to see the last play come up as an incompletion. We should have never been in this position to begin with.
I hate criticizing a team that came so far with so little, but some of these guys are not championship material (a few on offense and majority of defense). Any team that goes in with a 17-0 half time lead and lose by four points doesn’t deserve to win. The bottom line is we’ve been playing with house money all year long and ran into a team that knew how to make adjustments in the second half. What I don’t understand is why would you run the same defensive scheme the entire game? You can’t be that afraid of Kaepernick (Smitty). This has Smith written all over it in my mind. The man is absolutely the most conservative, risk averse HC in the NFL. I really don’t know another I could even compare him to. With all this talent on offense, and barely any on defense, if you have to throw it 200 times to win the game then so be it. It was obvious SF could not handle our passing game.
This may be going over board, but I say we need to revamp the entire defense. There is one true starter on that defense and it’s Spoon. The rest of these guys are all backups or have passed their prime. Most of us have been saying they have to build this team to complete in the trenches and all Dimitroff has done is patchwork. The OL is slowly coming along and the DL is the same–zero pass rush unless you have a subpar OL. We need two fast LBs to go with Spoon (Dent is a ST fill and Nicholas is just plain slow). Dunta is slow and may need to be moved full-time to nickle and Asante too light in the azz to get physical off the line. Decoud just can’t tackle and has been too inconsistent year. William Mo if he’s healthy plays ok, but not the dominant SS I was hoping for–and he looks lost in coverage at times. Moore tends to look better when he’s allowed to roam the field, rather than play zone. Nolan needs to bring some of the physical guys he brought to SF, but I’m afraid Dimitroff may not bring some in if they don’t meet his clean and squeaky image.
I really hope we go 95% of defense in the draft with a power/speed RB and more OL help. As far as coaching, I hope Arthur and TD call Smitty on the carpet and read him the riot act. They should also demand he stay completely out of the play calling and worry strictly about in-game decisions, i.e., go for it 4th and 1, when to use your timeouts, etc.
I’m disappointed and don’t feel that we’ll automatically get back here next year with all the other teams improving (in and out of the division). We were SOOO close to going to the big dance.
FugitivePoet
January 22nd, 2013
8:39 am
I can’ begin to tell you how much this loss hurts and much more than anticipated.
We were right there. One play from anybody: Douglas not stumbling, Arching pass from Ryan to Quizz, Ryan getting on the fumble, Backers plugging the option hole, a screen or end run on the the 9 for last plays with Ryan hurt and don’t get me started on those fucking refs with their personal fouls and bullshit roughing call and yet not critical calls on the Niners when they started tussles or hit Ryan late (like they don’t bet?).
The Niners were seriously not that good. We beat ourselves. Again.
This one will hurt a long time.
SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TELL THE TRUTH
January 22nd, 2013
8:52 am
D3, thanks for all you do here in the cage, giving us a place to share opinions, blow off steam. This blog has proved to be, IMO, invaluble during the regular season…and IMO, equally, if not more during the off-season, makes the off-season go pass a whole heck of alot faster. Thank You.
Arno, Great work on the poster. It would look sharp on a black T.
trademark
January 22nd, 2013
9:16 am
First up – Damn, Arno, that is one bad a$$ logo! Thanks, man!
Next up – Very insightful D3. And thanks for saying pretty much everything I wanted to about an ESPN columnist that will from now on remain nameless. Unless you want to call him “SaintsB!tchBoy” or something….
On the playoff loss….I was very painfully reminded of an afternoon in 1980 when I was a kid and watched Dallas do something very, very similar to us….17 point deficit, all made up in the second half. We go home. All I can say is….for those of you to young to have lived through that, now you know what we geezers are talking about. It is heart-wrenching. The last time that happened to the Falcons, we went into a steep and long decline. Fortunately, this time, we have the front office and staff that keeps the ship sailing in the right direction, which brings me to my next point:
Mike Smith. Tough one. At times he seems like a savior. At times he is the reincarnation of Marty Schottenheimer. Or a close resemblance. Here’s the thing as I look at the big picture with a bit of distance; Smith and TD have the team moving forward as to reaching goals. It’S slow, painfully slow, but let’s list them:
1- Recover a lost franchise. Check. The Falcons. were in as worse shape as I can ever remember them being in after Petrino and Vick. They righted that ship, and fast. They made the Falcons not only good, but competitive. A playoff contender for 4 of the last 5 years. How many teams in those situations can say that? Cleveland? Oakland? Kansas City? How about Arizona? 1 year of stellar success, and then what? Tennessee? Look at Philadelphia (yeah, I really don’t want to either, but still….). Buffalo. Miami. Tampa. New Orleans is also starting down that slide. Brees is aging, and they can’t pay all of their key players. Let’s face it, I can name probably another 10-15 teams right now in that situation. We ain’t one of them, and show no signs of doing anything but remaining at or near the top of this highly competitive and changing league. No small feat. In fact, almost unheard of.
2. The success string. It was slow, one winning year, then we had to reach the goal of back-to-back winning years. We only finished 9-7. We made it by the slimmest of margins, but still.
3. Get dominant. We took the number one seed and looked primed for a run, but we still had a step to take in this loooong building process.
4. Win in the playoffs. This is the one I think took a year too long to happen. This situation we find ourselves in now should have taken place last season. Hence….
5. WIN IN THE PLAYOFFS. OK, now we did that. There’s an asterisk though, as I think we’re still a year behind on the next step….
6. Win the title. Considering how long it’s taking to reach each goal here, I wouldn’t be all that shocked if the Falcons reach the Super Bowl, only to lose it, and be behind on the next step once again….
7: Win Titles. It’s no secret TD is modelling this club after New England, who is respected an dominant because of their multiple title wins. This is where he wants to take the Falcons, and honestly, judging by the obvious progress this franchise is making, they’re going the right way.
Here’s the danger:
We are taking SO DAMNED LONG at every step to do it. NFL careers are not built to last like that. WE have, IMO, about a 3-4 window left to get these goals accomplished, and honestly again, I wouldn’t be shocked if it takes that long to do it. It seems to be the style of management. And the team reflects it.
Maybe we fell apart in the game because we just were still one step away. Personally, I tend to think that’s BS, that that game was winnable, and so was the Super Bowl, with the team in it’s current state. Which brings me full circle.
Mike Smith. Let me pose a hypothetical question in my next post. Stay tuned.
trademark
January 22nd, 2013
9:17 am
Blog monster!
elephanthead
January 22nd, 2013
9:28 am
You’d better hope that Gonzales comes back for one more year, because if he retires you can bet every cent you have that Dimitroff (the master evaluator) is going to use our best draft pick on another shiny hood ornament like Zach Ertz, the TE from Stanford. This will be the most important offseason for the Falcons in many years – there are a lot of things to be fixed, and I hate to say it, but I have my doubts about whether TD and Smitty are up to the task. Here’s to hoping they get it right this time.
Sis-Boom-Bah Humbug
January 22nd, 2013
9:36 am
The Falcons defense began the season with some innovative & effective schemes, and as the season wore on their performance regressed. Nevertheless, most were optimistic going into the playoffs that Nolan would pull out some new wrinkles, as if they had been holding back toward the end of the season. Well the sad reality is that the defense in the playoffs looked like the 2010 season and earlier: paranoid prevent defense. The game planning, scheming, and choking on defense looked to have Smitty’s twelve thumbs all over it.
The obvious talent deficiencies are not enough to explain or excuse the poor defensive performance in both playoff games, especially with the big leads the offense generated. Clearly, there have been multi-year failures in player acquisition and/or development, but unfortunately that cannot be fixed overnight.
If Nolan was fully in charge of the defense in the playoffs, he probably can and should be fired without any hesitation. He could readily be replaced. Nevertheless, I have to believe that Smitty was imposing his clumsy ideas on the defense. Regardless of the defense’s woes, Smitty’s performance, especially in game management/decisions, consistently leaves much to be desired. Quite simply, the game seems to proceed too fast for him to keep up mentally.
Accordingly, Smitty presents the Arthur Blank with a HUGE problem. How do you replace an inadequate head coach who nonetheless has compiled an excellent record? Even more perplexing, who could he be replaced with? It will be interesting to watch Mr. Blank and see how he plays it – but he in not a passive owner who merely enjoys public visibility. He wants/demands results. My expectation is that he will not discharge Smitty unless he is sure of hiring a well-proven head coach. Such a decision has to be one with a very high probability of success, because fortunately the Falcons are not desperate.
In this context, I cannot help but wonder about any off-the-record agreements that may have been made in extending Koetter’s contract. In any case, the extension was very prudent.
A head coaching change often means a notable change in a team’s chemistry & personality, not to mention roster. Clearly, the Falcons need a BIG change in personality. On the field, the defense is complaisant, lackadaisical, often confused, and seemingly lacking in concentration. This is a coaching problem of major scale – all the way around. The trouble here is first changing Smitty’s personality/leadership style, and whether such an after-the-fact transformation could actually have the intended impact on the team. Somehow, something REALLY has to happen to make the defense play like PROFESSIONALS.
trademark
January 22nd, 2013
9:39 am
D3- can you help me brother? Blog ate my post!
SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TELL THE TRUTH
January 22nd, 2013
9:40 am
We will not win a Super Bowl with Mike Smith as Head Coach.
During Mike Smiths tenure as Falcons Head Coach, his teams have proven to perform (play) inconsistent football, camouflaged by consistent regular season winning records.
Mikes Smith failure to take this franchise (football team) to higher heights, will never happen. Smith, I’m sure is a nice guy, players, fans for the most part, like and respect him…but he’s not that trend setting, dominate coach that other teams, and to a certain degree his players fear.
Mike Smith has evolved somewhat in his coaching Philosphy in the last couple of years, or should I say, it was forced upon him by our “ingenios” GM. It can’t be more obvious than on the offensive side of the ball. If left up to Smith, he’d probably still be happy with running Turner 2 out of 3 downs for a total of 3 yards and clouds of dust that apparently clouded his offensive philosphy of what a true dynamic, NFL offense looked like. Smith, in my opinion, is a coach, that has to weigh things out (evolve) into his decision making, that kind of mind-set, IMO, will always leave him a step behind his most competitive peers. Take 9′ers Harbaugh, he made a decision that a lot of pundits, fans questioned in choosing Kap, over Smith (see how that worked out). Would a coach Smith had made that same decision, if in that same situation? IMO, Hell Naw!
The reason I say he wouldn’t, Smith has shown his loyalty to veteran players, rather than developing, playing younger players that could make the footbball team better. Some of Smiths decisions when it comes to who makes the 53 man roster should come into question. Why is Robert James still on the team? I understand he may be good at special teams, but what is his value beyond that? Does he provide depth to our LB corp? Sidbury, he’s been inactive half the season, why keep him on the team if you’re not gonna play him? Those are only two instances of players clooging the roster, not providing quality depth. This is becoming a lengthy post, I will submit, and contiue…
SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TELL THE TRUTH
January 22nd, 2013
9:43 am
D3, please help! Apparently, the Kraken is released. Blog ate my post!
D3
January 22nd, 2013
9:53 am
SOMEBODY / trade — Posts out!
Paddy O
January 22nd, 2013
9:55 am
Arno – very cool artistic poster! Unless MR2 has long term problems with that shoulder, I don’t see this team being sub 500 for the next decade. I hope we talk Tony G into one more SB run. We need to replace Mike Turner – need a pure speed guy. Yes, our D needs to be upgraded – but at LB, CB and safety. Unless Grimes can still play – and we still need depth. Franks should be gone. We could be a top 5 NFL team in that next decade. JJ is the REAL deal. As stated prior to the season – TD MUST order Mike Smith to keep the passing attack going until you score 35 – then keep that lead to 21 points. We scored 24 points in the first half. We changed our approach in the 2nd half and got stuffed. Smitty Ball. Mike Smith finally LOST a lead in the 4th quarter. Why? He sits on leads. That is a tactical error. THAT is what Mike Smith MUST stop. If I”m TD, and he repeats this “big lead” collapse in the 2nd half NEXT year, I move on without him.
trademark
January 22nd, 2013
9:58 am
Thanks D3!
trademark
January 22nd, 2013
9:59 am
(Dear Cage, please see 9:16 post for part 1)
OK, back.
Let me ask this to the Cage. Play the 2012 Falcons against the 1998 Falcons, and who wins? (I’m going to go with the 1998 club. They were balanced, got pressure on the QB and put teams away. Most of all, they were GREAT at adjustments in-game to opponents. The current team would never be able to put enough pressure on Chandler and stop Anderson at the same time. Oh, 2012 would score some points, but in this shoot-out I’d go with the team that held Young and Rice to 18 points in the playoffs).
OK, now let me ask it this way. Switch the coaches. NOW who wins? Are you feeling me?
There’s a big, BIG damned problem with playing not to lose. See what happened last week as exhibit A, B,C,D…and the rest of the damned alphabet. Teams reflect the attitude of their coaches, and until Smith gets it through his skull that the SCORE IS 0-0 UNTIL THE FINAL !$%%&!% WHISTLE, we are never going to get that “killer” instinct that is the final step this team needs.
Really. That’s it. That’s IT. Even our defense shut down San Francisco until we had that lead. Then WE RELAXED. Lost focus. Got over-confident in ourselves. Got sloppy.
Ballgame.
The heroics always show up at the end, because all of a sudden the scoreboard says it’s 0-0 again. Or we’re behind. Then we play like we should.
HOW MANY TIMES this season have we seen these heroic drives and defensive stops and asked ourselves and each other : WHERE IN THE HELL HAS THAT BEEN FOR THE LAST THREE QUARTERS?
Answer: It’s always there. We weren’t applying ourselves, because we THOUGHT WE WERE WINNING.
The problem with this mentality is that it completely disregards the ability of the other team to come back. And in the NFL, that is dangerous without end. Teams with killer instinct, and the talent to do it, play like it’s tied, or they’re trailing. ALL THE TIME. It makes you CONCENTRATE. It makes you DESPERATE. And when all that is combined with high-talent levels and experience, it makes you deadly.
Let me put it to you this way; If Dan Reeves had San Francisco down 24-14 at the half, the final would have been something like 37- 24 Falcons. Period. We’re good enough to outscore San Francisco, even when they’re pressing. We PROVED that in the first half. BUT, we’re not good enough to do it when they’re pressing and we’re playing ball control and just seeing if we can score in the process.
On that note, Smith is damned well smart enough, if he FIGURES THIS ONE THING OUT, he would be right there as well.
Later for now, Cage!!
Paddy O
January 22nd, 2013
10:00 am
TRUTH has one helluva an idea – can we get that poster printed on a t-shirt?
Big Ray
January 22nd, 2013
10:16 am
Our defense has to be re-worked, plain and simple.
Either let Nolan install his 3-4 or revamp the 4-3. Thinking back on it, we should have seen all this coming anyway.
Nolan comes in as a new DC and had a few key things to say:
1) Every DE on the roster is a guy he considered a LB in his 3-4 scheme. He literally said that.
2) When asked repeatedly how the defense looked to him prior to the start of the season, he was evasive. The few things he DID let slip weren’t exactly positive. That alone tells you there is a personnel issue.
3) Why were we playing a hybrid defense? I’ll tell you. Nolan knew we’d only get so much from the front 4. He also knew we had exactly one guy in the LB group that could cover (Weatherspoon). So, he used 2 LBs a lot and went with a whole pile of DBs.
Our run defense suffered greatly, and with good reason. One less LB out there to plug gaps and make tackles. But as discussed before, there were bigger reasons (literally). Babineaux is in decline, Peters was out and when he came back never really made it back to 90% I truly believe. Vance Walker had the most consistency but is a backup, and Peria Jerry had no effect. When your front 4 looks like that, what are two LBs gonna do for you?
Exactly.
Dimitroff needs to get off the damn pot and start getting this ish right. That black dot board they have? Take a few dots off of there and roll on. No rookie is gonna come in here and disrupt the locker room with the leaders and vets we have in there. So unless a kid is really bad news (won’t stay out of trouble with the law, etc) then take a long hard look.
We need some studs.
And we don’t need to spend 4 years getting them ready either, dammit.
Use the draft, but also use FA. Just don’t pick another sullen underwear model.
As for vets versus young guys, it’s like this – the best franchises know when to infuse with young talent.
We’ve seen guys that weren’t top billing like Marshall Newhouse (Packers) and Nate Solder (Patriots) get their run early on, now they’ve developed into very solid players for high level teams. Trial by fire.
Time to quit this BS and get rolling. Put these kids on the spot. Especially when some of your vets are on their last legs or some of the “incumbents” are barely adequate on a good day.
Enough of this. Windows are only a problem if you don’t make yourself a couple of doors. Always have a backup plan. Always.
You wait too damn long, the world (and the game) passes you by. Then all you have is a bunch of beat-up vets.
Don’t think so? Ask the Steelers.
Paddy O
January 22nd, 2013
10:16 am
Dan Reeves would take the current Falcons to the SB IMHO. Smitty just leaves your head shaking. Smitty Ball is. I can’t see Kotter suddenly opting to run the ball when his passing attack is unstoppable. So, who does that? Our defense in the playoffs was very reminiscient – with that zone defense of our BVG defense. – who does that?
Ultrasuede
January 22nd, 2013
10:20 am
How about getting rid of those god-awful uniforms and going back to how they looked during the first decade or so of the franchise?
Knew Money
January 22nd, 2013
10:56 am
It’s been a while since I posted on “the Cage”, though I have read just about every blog this year. I too, am still recovering from the game that got away. Being optimistic and moving forward on the Falcons building on this success is the only way fans should be at this point. No need to dwell on the negative. Mike Smith has done an excellent job coaching. Coach Smith along with Dimitroff have turned this franchise around. Over the 5 years since they’ve arrived, the Falcons have twice been the #1 seed in the NFC. Trading for Tony G. and Asante S., and signing Turner in FA were great moves. I believe they will continue to make the moves to get this team to the Super Bowl. The one area I think the Falcons should address through Free Agency is the offensive line. I know the OL did a decent job in the playoffs. But over the course of the season, the running game struggled and Matt Ryan got hit a lot. As far as what is out there in Free Agency, I would like to see the Falcons go get a top OT. Here’s three names I think the Falcons should Target:
Ryan Clady OT Denver
Branden Albert -OT KC
Jake Long – OT Mia
The two players I would like to see the Falcons re-sign are Grimes and Robert McClain. This would make the Falcons secondary solid. Moore will probably want $8M, which is too much.
As far as the draft go, I think the Falcons should pick the best available DL players with their 1st – 2 picks. After that, they should draft a RB/KR in the 3rd Round. Rounds 4-7 should be more defensive picks OLB, S, another DL.
Matty Bicep
January 22nd, 2013
11:03 am
PaddyO, again I have to ask, how did play calling in the 2nd half result in anything? Our first two possessions were turnovers. The next possession started on the 1, then our last drive.
When you turn the ball over, you don’t know if the next play would have been a TD. We threw for 400 yards, and when you do that, it does not mean your not throwing the ball enough.
Really, this team evolved into the old Jerry Glanville/June Jones run and shoot. When you can’t run the ball, and your defense leaks like a sieve, you put tremendous pressure on your QB. You make some good highlight footage, but it you have to score, score, score almost exclusively through the air, your vulnerable. I came away thinking Ryan lost the game, until I realize that he had a 114 passer rating, and we threw for 400 yards….Then I realized, our moving AWAY from smittyball, grinding it out, turned this team into the 95 Falcons…Same old it right.
Turnovers, especially at inopportune times trump the best play calling and QB play in the world, ask Bill Belicheck and Tom Brady.
Really, great passing teams who can do little else NEVER win superbowls, NEVER. That it why Air Coryell never won any championships. If we think we just need to call more pass plays….I think that is a mistake.
Geo
January 22nd, 2013
11:07 am
Just watched the game again. Some observations:
Anyone who blames Matt Ryan for this loss is crazy or a hater. For the five years he has been an Atlanta Falcon he has been the best player on the team. He is a winner and the main reason we have been to the playoffs 4 out of five seasons. He will win a superbowl.
But he needs a running game. There’s a reason all the experts harp on the running game. Sometimes they call that “being physical.” Whatever you call it, it’s a vital component of any offense. All this complaining about our running the ball is way off base. If you don’t run it, teams can just keep bringing the pressure and no QB can stand up to that over the course of a ballgame (btw, we have one of the toughest in the league at standing in under pressure). That’s what happened in this game at end. One team could run it in and one asked their QB to do everything. And he almost did.
Anyone who blames the defense is crazy. We had some breakdowns in coverage, we had some poor tackling, but we held a very good offense to 28. Should be enough. IF we’re just a little better on offense. One play better.
Which is why the loss was a heartbreaker, and it’s also why we are still a very good team that should be back in the title game next year. Just think if we had a great running back to go with our great QB. That has been a big missing piece for a few years now. Time to get it fixed.
Matty Bicep
January 22nd, 2013
11:10 am
The vertical passing team that won a SB was the Rams, but they ran the ball well too. If you pass to set up the run, you have to run.
The Saints won a SB with a vertical passing game, but they also had a top running game when they did it.
Green Bay, sure they did it, but look at where they are now, they had good timing, but once they got figured out, they have not fundamentals to fall back on.
Matty Bicep
January 22nd, 2013
11:18 am
Geo, Ryan is an easy target, it is not fair to a QB to put everything on him, that is why I have always defended the WTC, you have to diversify your play calling to NOT have to have the QB make a perfect throw every single play.
Really the knock on this team all season has been O line protection, Turner, and our short yardage offense. Yet, non of those played an issue with this past 2 games. Our problem were bad timed turnovers, bad punting, and penalties. It just goes to show, it is always something, it is whack a mole, that is whey a winning combination, a philosophy, it more important than any called play, or any single player replacement.
BobbyDawg
January 22nd, 2013
11:20 am
The Dome was great on Sunday. It was my first trip there in a while and I can’t remember it ever being that loud. It was heartbreaking to say the least to watch our entire team just fold up after such a great start. Smitty says their tight end did most of the damage, but I think we did most of the damage to ourselves. After l got over the rage l had to look at the season as a whole and that finally put a smile on my face. We had a great season with a lot of great games. I’m thinking our failure in both of these games even though we won one was mistakes and lack of execution rather than lack of talent. The Falcons are close real close. Let’s hope they make some of the necessary adjustments in the off season and we come out smoking in September.
Chop Buster
January 22nd, 2013
11:30 am
Geo (11:07) – “Anyone who blames the defense is crazy. We had some breakdowns in coverage, we had some poor tackling, but we held a very good offense to 28.”
Those issues stem from lack of a true pass rush with just your front four, lack of LB speed and players discipline in the fundamentals. Good defenses do the fundamental things very well. We have had this problem all year long.
In addition, we have too many small players on this team to truly be a dominant defense. We need a space-eater to fill the middle and need speed off the edges, DEs, LBs and CBs. A lot of our guys (OL & DL) seem to lack strength and the ability to push the opponent’s DL back.
IMO, this is NOT a championship caliber defense as it stands today. The chasing, diving and hand tackling has been an issue all year long. It needs to get fixed once and for all.
Geo
January 22nd, 2013
11:42 am
Funny, I was more worried about our Oline toward the end of the season, but they came through in the playoffs. Agree on the DL needs, Chop Buster. Need more discipline in our secondary, and yes, in the fundamentals of tackling, angles, etc.
Big Ray
January 22nd, 2013
12:11 pm
Geo ,
Call me crazy, but I think we can and DO need to improve the defense.
As for the running game, I think it’s been a theme in this forum for oh…I don’t know….2 whole years? We’ve been screaming about Turner for that long at least.
We couldn’t run all year long.
Big Ray
January 22nd, 2013
12:14 pm
I came away thinking Ryan lost the game, until I realize that he had a 114 passer rating, and we threw for 400 yards
It’s easy to do, which a lot of folks have….particularly if you’re looking for one person to blame.
I’ll say it again – the two QBs currently headed for the SuperBowl have very good RBs behind them.
They also have good defenses.
And NEITHER team plays “not to lose.”
The Time is NOW
January 22nd, 2013
12:23 pm
This season also reminds me of 1980, as trademark mentioned. Heartbreak after a giddy ride of optimism. For me, though, there are differences beyond my progression from young adult to middle age (humor me).
After the 1980 season ended with the tragic loss to the boys, I was supremely confident that we would be back with a vengeance. We still had Bart, Andrews, Cain, Jenkins and a serviceable defense coming back the next season. I thought it was just a (ugly) bump in the road. I was wrong.
After this season, I am more concerned that our short term window may be closing. There are reasons for confidence that this front office is up to the task at hand. TD, et. al., turned around this franchise from it’s arguably lowest point in record time. But there are also concerns about the caliber of a number of draft picks, particularly in the trenches.
On the plus side of player development, unless a player entering the league has elite physical skills the normal pattern is that it takes a few years to develop into a starting caliber player. Some never develop, but players like Dahl, Grimes and Clabo were written off before they blossomed into solid NFL starters. If you look around the NFL, there are lots of players who fit that profile. We are forced to hope that at least some of the young guys who appear lost in “the witness protection program” will actually step up when required.
The loss is still too fresh. My optimism is guarded. Hope I’m as wrong now as I was in 1980 about our next season.
The Time is NOW
January 22nd, 2013
12:34 pm
Forgot to mention, I am grateful for the wonderful season! It was fun. They had me believing all year long. (Maybe this is the start of the healing process.)
Geo
January 22nd, 2013
12:50 pm
Big Ray, never said we don’t have work to do on defense. Only that it was not the reason we lost this game. We stopped them (including a stop that was negated due to a bad roughing call), we created turnovers, we did enough to win. That’s obvious, I think.
Geo
January 22nd, 2013
12:52 pm
Aw, did somebody get up on the wrong side of the bed today?
Arno
January 22nd, 2013
1:02 pm
Smith relies on certain strengths– turnover ratio, few penalties, clutch Ryan. Each strength fell short Sunday, one play each. Not too surprising, really– getting traction out of those particular strengths won’t necessarily work when facing a disciplined, balanced 49er team. So now we look at the missing pieces. Getting that consensus feeling at the Cage…
D3
January 22nd, 2013
1:03 pm
Love that TrollBeGone spray. We should buy some stock in it, it’s such a good product!
welikebaseball2
January 22nd, 2013
1:12 pm
D3, your honesty & passion makes you my favorite of all the writers that cover any of the home teams. I agree with your assessment of the defense 100%. The only thing I’d add, that you didn’t emphasize, is the desperate need to find a consistent running game. Now, does that mean replacing Turner? I’d go for that. Does that mean bringing in some tough, run-blocking offensive linemen? I could go for that too. However it goes, having Ryan throw the ball 40+ times a game flat out won’t get it done. We’re going to need more out of the running game…which would, in turn, help the in-need-of-some-upgrades defense by keeping them off the field. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the QB’s of both winning teams from Sunday threw the ball fewer than 40 times.
Big Lou
January 22nd, 2013
1:23 pm
After seeing that schedule next year…
We won’t be talking about how easy it was for ATL to reach the playoffs.
Patriots, @Green Bay, @SF, Washington, Seattle
Not to mention tough defenses like Arizona and the Rams.
Then you have Carolina and Saints in our division.
I’m really looking forward to the changes ATL are gonna make… cause that schedule is going to test our talent. All I know is that if they make the playoffs next year with a good record, I won’t doubt them.