Falcons show why expectations should be tempered
I'm sure you recognize the face on the cover of Sports Illustrated's NFL preview issue, which says something about expectation level.
It was easy to forget, amid the defensive ruin and Charles Dimry flashbacks, that the Falcons actually won an exhibition game the other night against San Diego.
Thomas Dimitroff barely noticed.
“The third preseason game is very important in terms of setting a tone,” the Falcons’ general manager said. “That’s what was unfortunate about that game.”
Game 4 wasn’t much better. The Falcons lost to Baltimore on Thursday night, 20-3. The preseason reaffirmed what we already knew: This team will go as far as Matt Ryan and the offense carry them, because it won’t be the defense.
It’s easy to get drunk off one great season. The Falcons went 11-5 last season. Unexpected 11-win seasons lead to meteoric expectation levels. Some now believe 11 wins is the standard, rather than partly the residue of overachievement and a soft schedule.
But there was a lesson learned the other night. Several players didn’t perform to the levels that Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith had hoped. And by perform, we’re not referring to talent, but focus and effort. Those are two things the Falcons never lacked last season.
Want to see how quickly 11-5 turns into 5-11? This is the NFL. Start to think you’re better than you really are and watch how quickly the bottom falls out. That won’t play with Smith, who coached tough and physical defenses in Jacksonville. It certainly won’t play with Dimitroff, who came from an organization, New England, where the sum almost always exceeded the seeming value of the parts.
Baltimore fullback Jason Cook burns Chris Houston for a touchdown catch, another bad sign for the defense. (Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com)
Asked what he was looking for in the team’s final dress rehearsal, Dimitroff didn’t hesitate: “I really want to see the second- and third-team players rise up. I want them to go into this with an element of poise. I want them to show that no matter where they are on the depth chart, they need to produce and they need to play with a sense of urgency. I’m speaking more of the defense.”
He also could have been speaking of the No. 1 defense. There are problems. Ten of the 11 starters were on the field in the first quarter — John Abraham being the notable exception — when the defense was schooled by the Ravens’ third-string quarterback, John Beck. Five days after San Diego backup Billy Volek (7-for-9, 102 yards, one touchdown) had a 150.9 quarterback rating against them, Beck engineered a 14-play, eight-minute, 91-yard touchdown drive on the Ravens’ first possession. That set the tone for the night.
Beck went 5-for-5 for 50 yards and a touchdown. (Rating: 147.9) I’m sure it was a very proud moment for Mr. and Mrs. Beck.
Dimitroff wants what he saw in New England — tough, physical, smart defensive players. The Falcons may get there eventually, but that’s not the team they have now.
Drawing conclusions from exhibitions always is risky. Certainly, two national publications look at the Falcons’ offense and expect that to translate to wins. Sporting News, the same outlet that projected a 1-15 record last season, this year predicts a run to the NFC title game. Sports Illustrated just put Ryan on the cover of its NFL preview issue, and picks Atlanta to win the NFC South (but lose in the first round to Green Bay).
A year ago at this time, most tabbed Atlanta to finish any where from last place to possibly having a chance to win six games (only if everything went right and Smith didn’t suddenly decide in Week 3 that he wanted to coach Arkansas). We got so much more than that.
Now expectations might be out of balance in the other direction. But if things go terribly wrong, at least we’ll know why.
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208 comments Add your comment
Falcon 8211
September 3rd, 2009
11:34 pm
i hope our defense is better than what they have shown. hope td works some more magic
Bad News
September 3rd, 2009
11:35 pm
Preseason is over and the GM is still hunting for answers – BRILLIANT!
Falcon 8211
September 3rd, 2009
11:42 pm
oh yeah i still do not understand how td keeps his cool on screen when he knows he has a lot of work to do this week and ya’ll keep talking about other teams cutting players by cut down date. that is just a bunch of other teams rejects. you can not get a shut down corner that way. please people we need chris mcallister can you say 3 probowls and 1 superbowl ring already not to speak of experience and leadership. 1 year contract with incentives based on performance also he provides leadership to our young dbs
Charlie
September 3rd, 2009
11:50 pm
No story here, it is Pre-Season, we will be fine. They will get it figured out, got confidence in smitty.
Real story is Vick, HAHAHAAH. He is looking TERRIBLE, looks like Verron Haynes running the ball. Still can’t hold onto the ball.
Where is Falcon Sorry
BIGGATLDAWG
September 3rd, 2009
11:54 pm
we need some DT’S who can move the pile and get in the backfield. find the best cover corner on the cut wire. and a linebacker who can blitz when needed.
Charlie
September 3rd, 2009
11:55 pm
Bad New, there are 32 teams, and with the exception of New England, every other GM is looking for answers somewhere. Defense will be bad at the beginning of the season, but fortunately we have an offense that will be able to control the clock, and keep us in the games. Expect a lot of 41-38 scores. However, the defense is young and will improve as the season progresses. Pre-season don’t mean anything.
Josh M
September 3rd, 2009
11:58 pm
Good. Lord. People.
This is the preseason, just like the one last year when Detroit was the only team to go undefeated. Yeah, the d backfield looks suspect, but I’m reading some real Chicken Little crap here. Please, some of my friends need tickets – if you’re not into what’s going on, donations are welcome.
Snewo DAWG
September 4th, 2009
12:11 am
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is a good CB or two that can cover the opposing WRs worth a damn, and if the Falcons could get them before the season opener that would be great.
Bad News
September 4th, 2009
12:15 am
HA HA – Can only score 3 points against the 4th unit
Hamad Meander
September 4th, 2009
12:17 am
Charlie – don’t ask for Falcon Sorry – he’ll show up as soon as he sobers up.
Ok, this was a preseason game. The intensity wasn’t there, it should have been there, but it wasn’t. That doesn’t mean that this is exactly how this team will play when the season starts. Let’s HOPE there is better D when it counts.
I’m not as concerned about the personnel as I am the intensity and smarts on the field. I think we’ve got a good group, but I’d like to see Anderson benched, Hill play well, and the safties call good coverages. I believe there will be a lot of coaching, film study, and practice next week that will help this team play solid enough on D to win lots of games.
Skee
September 4th, 2009
12:19 am
Just let the season begin and then end, then we’ll know!
Boo Boo
September 4th, 2009
12:24 am
They need to cut Brookings! He’s too old and too slow, and he’s affraid to hit anyone. Plus, he went to Tech. Sorry. Just miss those suggestions on how to fix a bad defense.
IlliniDawg
September 4th, 2009
12:25 am
I have always wondered why the Falcons secondary seems to suck every year. Outside of 1998, with Booker and Buchanon and Eugene Robinson, we have had either preening self-absorbed prima donnas (Deion, Deangelo, etc) or “smart” and “physical” [read short and slow] “blue collar”guys (Case, Bush, Dmry).
Brent S.
September 4th, 2009
12:30 am
I saw some brighter spots on defense this week.
Houston STILL sux
Jamal Anderson just needs to sit his butt down!!!!!.
Peria Jerry looked pretty good a few times. He’s a rookie still trying to get his feet wet.
I did like Chevis Jackson’s hustle on D tonight.
I guess the ONLY thing I was disappointed with tonight, was when we didn’t go for it on a few 4th and shorts. It’s pre-season, heck, why not. Let’s see what kind of “JUICE” we got.
Other than these spots, I feel the defense will grow and get better. Keep in mind, Ty Hill didn’t even play tonight! Once the season starts, our offense will click enough to help our defense out until they start to gel as a unit.
Brent S.
September 4th, 2009
12:31 am
Hey Boo Boo, I hope you were kidding about Brooking…you do know he is no longer a Falcon, correct?
Dan
September 4th, 2009
12:46 am
Great Falcon DB Roland Lawrence, Bobby Butler, Scott Case
Matt the Brave
September 4th, 2009
12:48 am
All I want is 9. Just 9 wins. They don’t even have to be pretty wins. Just have a winning season so we don’t have to listen to the crap that ESPN reports on every time they mention the Falcons. For the love of all that’s Sacred, just give me 9.
gcs
September 4th, 2009
12:51 am
I really liked what management did in year 1 but I think they took a step backwards when they dumped Brooking and Foxworth (and to a lesser degree Grady Jackson and Boley).
.
Dr. Warren
September 4th, 2009
12:52 am
When you can isolate a specific problem in preseason–such as an incompetent secondary–then it doesn’t matter that it’s just preseason. They are who you see they are. And that means we have real problems that will persist in the regular season.
Atlanta Falcons Talk » Blog Archive » Falcons show again why expectations should be tempered
September 4th, 2009
1:06 am
[...] http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/200…ld-be-tempered/ Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs Posted September 4th, 2009 in Atlanta Falcons Blogs. [...]
Gravy Train
September 4th, 2009
1:06 am
Bug, Why is it okay to single out players for the Falcons but not for UGA? Where were the vaunted defensive adjustments of BVG tonight? Why is his secondary getting torched four straight weeks now? When is he going to start “coaching them up” or “making more with less” as you say? No pressure from the front four and BVG is average. Got caught blitzing again tonight too. That’s all I’m gonna say. I just hope you are learning something along the lines of player execution. Especially when a DC has the advantage of having an unblockable DE as opposed to not having one.
Confused
September 4th, 2009
1:12 am
Is that what it is with DJ? He throws a very accurate but uncatchable ball? I’m not really disagreeing with that, but it’s funny the Ravens defender was able to catch it.
jeremy t.
September 4th, 2009
1:22 am
Why are some of you people saying 4-12? Are u serious? We have one of the best offenses in the league if not THE best, enough to carry us to at least 9 wins alone. The true problem is indeed the defense. Chris Houston and Jamaal Anderson are awful (Mckay picks) and should have developed by now. I was high on Chris Owens but he was torched tonight and Brent Grimes shows signs of athleticism but has dropped at least 4 balls he should have intercepted this preseason and did not look well early last season. The verdict is out on Decoud while Coleman and maybe Tye hill are guys to believe in. And why do some of you keep screaming bring back milloy? Did you see the same playoff game against the cardinals as i did? Yes, he’s good for leadership but his skills are have highly diminished. Look for Dimitroff to pull something off once final cuts are made. We’ll probably see 2 corners brought in.
Boo Boo
September 4th, 2009
1:23 am
Yeah Brent I know. I just miss the “let’s fix a bad D” on a 11-5 team. This team is just to easy to complain about.
Scottbravesfan
September 4th, 2009
1:33 am
Preseason doesn’t mean a damn thing.
Big B CH 99
September 4th, 2009
2:47 am
I know people will get mad, but I think U have to keep JPW over DJ b/c he just flat out outplayed DJ this preseaon, & since DJ can’t move up past 3rd string in his 4th yr, U have to say that he’s never gonna be more than a 3rd stringer, therefore U ahve to go w/ the rookie JPW.
Calvin G. Sims, Sr.
September 4th, 2009
2:56 am
Charlie, I was actually enjoying the rare silence from falconsorry. Be careful what you ask for. GO FALCONS!!!
Calvin G. Sims, Sr.
September 4th, 2009
3:05 am
Hey Dan, when you name good DB’s, don’t forget Kenny Johnson, circa 1980. He is often overlooked but boy could he play. He was ferocious too. A poor man’s Ronnie Lott.
The Anti Bug LIAR
September 4th, 2009
5:59 am
Hello Grim Reaper… Party of 53? Da… da da da.. da… da, da… da da…DA!!! How apt that they are bringing back those ugly 66 deadbird uniforms! Stop looking in the Way Back Machine!!! You better hope for a BAILOUT!!!
To the Future!
Jeff Schultz
September 4th, 2009
6:12 am
Sitting on MARTA, going to airport, heading for Stillwater . . .
Henry D – BVG does his share of yelling. But you can’t yell all the time. It’s about teaching, esp. with such a young defense.
Monster – Boley was pretty average last year. I think Jerry was a lot better last night than he had been. He was right there with Biermann.
Boo Boo – That was pretty funny.
Jeff Schultz
September 4th, 2009
6:18 am
FYI, Falcons Sorry was banned about 2 weeks ago.
jc_falcons
September 4th, 2009
6:27 am
TD and Smith have to know that the secondary is sub-par and that they better do something about it. There will be many available cb’s in the next week or 2 that are better than Houston or Grimes.
Bottom line….Arthur aint gonna be too happy if the secondary does not improve and starts costing us games.
Maxwell Snark
September 4th, 2009
6:35 am
Don’t you love your job? Work late, get up early and travel. Whoo hoo. Not.
I appreciate it, though.
midnite
September 4th, 2009
6:41 am
Saturday could be a very interesting and busy day for Dimitroff and the Falcons. I don’t think it’s time to throw in the towel yet. Keeping fingers crossed.
Chuckles Dimry
September 4th, 2009
6:56 am
I trained Chris Houston real hard this off-season. We worked a lot on footwork! It showed lat night, he was great! My secret weapon was my special bowling shoes. I could glide all over the place, but cutting could be tough. Sometimes I would slip but that was because the grass was slick. Someone in Canton asked for those shoes after Jerry Rice got lucky and scored five touchdowns against me. It was a fan in Canton GA and he wanted to burn them, like the toast they served me for breakfast the next morning at the Falcon in. Why was everyone laughing at my toast?
And why didn’t Jerry Rice thank me when he went into the Hall of Fame for making him better what with all of our classic battles and confrontations?
Jeff Schultz
September 4th, 2009
7:13 am
Maxwell Snark — Thanks. This is the side of the job people don’t see but I’m not complaining, especially these days.
Chuckles — Dimry was supposed to induct Rice at the Hall of Fame. But he got lost in coverage and ended up in Des Moines.
SirReal
September 4th, 2009
7:36 am
Ok, so how does the FIRST TEAM Defense get scrubbed up by a THIRD STRING QB?!!!!! I really do not think its the front seven. We’ll get it together with them….but this POROUS, SWISS CHEESE secondary (except Coleman, he’s solid) is TERRIBLE. Houston is NOT the answer, nor is Brent Grimes…..as much as I like TD, he may have whiffed on the D this year……
Nativebird
September 4th, 2009
7:40 am
Okay, yes surprise, the secondary is young and struggling. Thus the continued problems on 3rd down. The good news from last night was Peria Jerry, he showed up and showed WHY he is indeed going to be eventually an NFL star. GREAT PICK. indeed our DL played well. mr. BIERMAN, once again, showed why he needs to be at least on the 1st team rotation at DE, with Chauncy Davis.
again, it is clear Jamaal Anderson is the odd man out on this DL. All of our DE’s play better, and at DT, even Johnson is better. It’s sad, but this former overall #8 pick appears, IMHO, to be under the cut-line.
the youngster’s Owens and Middleton have SUCH a long way to go. Im wondering now if Dimitroff is slightly questioning his off-the-beaten recruiting paths to Furman and San Jose State. If not, he should be. Talking about a steep learning curve to the NFL.
Nativebird
September 4th, 2009
7:44 am
Oh, and yes, Dimitroff should consider packaging the former 1st rounder Anderson in a trade for some experienced NFL DB depth.
MiltonDawg
September 4th, 2009
7:54 am
the D line may have looked good, but dang, that secondary looks horrible!!! You had Jordan Beck basically picking apart our starting D. TD needs to add another DB asap!!! Anybody left from Arena League??
MiltonDawg
September 4th, 2009
7:55 am
JS- have you arrived in Stillwater yet??
Harleyman
September 4th, 2009
7:59 am
Time for Van Gorder’s head to roll. It’s funny, no one thinks he could be the problem.
One Starter
September 4th, 2009
8:28 am
The Ravens only played one starter all night and our D couldn’t stop that? Long, long season ahead.
MightyQuinn
September 4th, 2009
8:30 am
From what I’ve seen, the front seven is fine against the run, but they are not getting any pressure on the QB and that makes the shortcomings at corner and safety even more obvious. Its not just the DB’s that are the problem, its the entire pass defense. Even when they bring 7 guys in on a blitz its not happening, and THAT is a MAJOR problem. And I’m somewhat strangely sad falcons sorry is gone. Its kind of like when your crazy uncle dies. You wonder who’s gonna take over showing up in their underwear for thanksgiving dinner.
CrazyVol
September 4th, 2009
8:46 am
Wow, that’s 3 hours of my life I will never get back. Yea I know pre-season, but the Falcons looked sad in all areas. Went and got the Falcon car tag which allowed me to have access to the field before the game, and where did they put me? At the endzone with the Ravens??? Ask the ushers what was up with that, they stated it is what it is. Should have known it was going to be a baddddddddd night.
All I can say from last night is that Beck schooled the Falcons, and Owens…….well momma wont let me use the words I need to for Owens.
10 Wins Schultz?? Not this year.
Benjamin
September 4th, 2009
8:49 am
Yep…this gonna be a LONG season…
SO glad I didn’t waste the $300 to watch this debacle unfold via Sunday Ticket this season…
greg
September 4th, 2009
8:50 am
Before the preseason started I was saying 10-6 because the schedule is much tougher than last year. Then after the Detroit game I said 8-8. After the San Diego game 7-9. Now it’s going to be 6-10. Book it. This team is not very good.
Hollywould
September 4th, 2009
9:07 am
Good one on Dimry Jeff.
I need to be stimulated
September 4th, 2009
9:13 am
I’m on the Train.
Jump on and become a member of Peria’s Fan Club!
Jerry’s Kids!
Chef montuer
September 4th, 2009
9:14 am
4 wins max