Falcons make an impressive opening statement
The Falcons celebrate their first touchdown. Get used to this. (Bob Andres/bandres@ajc.com)
Remember the season opener a year ago, when it became so clear so early that every move had worked? The general manager who rebuilt the roster. The coach who chose a different path than his predecessor and convinced his players they really weren’t a sub-standard life form. The quarterback who played like some flawless lab creation.
It happened again Sunday.
This is the part where we caution: It’s only one game. Even Mike Smith, the coach, felt compelled to say, “It’s Week 1 of a long journey.”
But it looks like everything worked again. The second-year moves by second-year general manager Thomas Dimitroff leave some sense of clairvoyance. The Falcons look better than good, better than last year, almost certainly better than we expected. They won their opener, 19-7, and it wasn’t nearly that close. Two missed field goals and a botched extra point — OK, Jason Elam: not so perfect – prevented an assumed seven points. Miami was shut out until the final 3:22.
This game had 26-0 written all over it.
Falcons coach Mike Smith and assistant Gerald Brown celebrate the final minute of the season's first win. (Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com)
“Until the first kickoff and the first regular season game – and I stress, regular season game – you can’t truly have an indication of what your team is about,” Dimitroff said. “It’s a good feeling when you know all of the hard work that goes into the evaluation of players by coach Smith and I and the whole personnel staff, and you see guys produce effectively. It’s encouraging.”
It’s more than that. For a franchise that has taken too many steps back after too few steps forward, this was a glowing statement on the future.
Tony Gonzalez in; Ben Hartsock out –
I'm Tony Gonzalez -- catch me if you can. (Curtis Compton/compton@ajc.com)
that one figured to work out. But could the new tight end have made a more dramatic entrance? Five catches for 73 yards, including one for a 20-yard touchdown and a finger-tip grab at the Miami one to set up the Falcons’ first score.
Mike Peterson in; Keith Brooking out – that one figured to work out. But is this the same Peterson whom Jacksonville practically drop-kicked out of town? He forced a fumble – separating the Dolphins’ Anthony Fasano from the ball and his senses — to set up a field goal in the first quarter and intercepted a Chad Pennington pass to set up a touchdown in the third.
Brian Williams, waiver pickup last week: a fumble recovery. Curtis Lofton and Kroy Biermann, selections from Dimitroff’s first draft: each with a forced fumble. Biermamn also had two sacks, as did John Abraham.
You looked for a few positive signs in the opener. The Falcons gave you a cross between ballet and a wrecking ball.
One win. Only one win. But think about this: They dominated despite seeing Michael Turner and the running game relatively stuffed, and Matt Ryan — despite finishing with solid numbers — actually misfire a few times to open receivers. What happens when everything clicks?
“I wouldn’t want to be a defensive coordinator trying to come up with a game plan,” center Todd McClure said.
Gonzalez was a little more direct: “If teams want to stack the box against us to stop the run, that’s fine. We should hurt them.”
There was no shortage of panic over the defense. Veterans were cut loose after last season and the team, while clearly younger and faster, looked lost in exhibitions. Exhibitions or not, there seemed no way to rationalize how the No. 1 unit played at times. “You just look at the guys we have on paper,” Peterson said. “Some teams look good in practice and some look good in pre-season. It’s just a matter of [carrying] it over when it counts.”
One win. Only one win. But it appears every move worked again. And afterward, nobody in the locker room looked surprised, nobody made any grand proclamations, nobody spouted off about their stats. An impressive start to the journey.
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213 comments Add your comment
JSS
September 13th, 2009
11:20 pm
Ed… I have no problem with people calling out Brookings because he hadn’t made a contribution on the field really sionce early 05. I was just as hard on Hartwell, he was never healthy… You can say his name by the way as long you’re not lying about what was doing or not doing during his tenure as the QB here… Keith was just way overpaid, and I have nothing but respect for the Georgia Institute of Technology. I don’t care where you went or did not go to school. just earn your money… I didn’t respect that he let the cancer that was Bobby Petrino go unchecked… No player had the ear of Arthur Blank than Mr. Brookings, he should have said how dysfunctional that locker room had become. And when Crumpler finally went public, Brookings didn’t say a thing… I was done with him then as a leader… They play in playoff game just confirmed that his time here was over… He needed to go… They did Boley a favor, he needed a change of scenery as well….
Zach
September 13th, 2009
11:33 pm
I dont know if anyone else agrees, but to me it seemed like elam was very lackadaisical on his kicks tonight. Almost like he wasn’t trying or paying attention or something. just an observation
falcon guy
September 13th, 2009
11:40 pm
BARRY JAY…..SHUT THE **** UP !!!! you are nit picking trying to create a buzz at roddy’s expense, because he got paid just STFU….
greg
September 13th, 2009
11:41 pm
Where are all those idiots hammering the defense after the San Diego game…I was one of them and I was wrong.
Brendan
September 13th, 2009
11:42 pm
Did Jason Elan save his job with that 50-yard Field Goal?
Brendan
September 13th, 2009
11:45 pm
Brooking was amazingly quiet about all that. But, I’m sure his silence was what he thought was the best course of action. Truthfully, I hope Brooking can still remain viable in the NFL.
THE OBGYN
September 13th, 2009
11:48 pm
Berry Jay I’ve never been really impressed with roddy. He’s a excellent second tier receiver and nothing more. He was option 1, 2, and 3 last year which is another reason why he had such a great year. The year before that was pretty decent. The guy has talent but he isn’t a top 10 guy. He may never be. Our wr corps is still thin compared to a lot of teams out there. The difference is our QB isn’t throwing lazer shots that are just out of reach. He’s throwing beach balls into the their hands. Now RWhite is the #2 target behind Gonzo. So expect him to hit 60-65 catches for 1000 to 1100 yards and 8-9 tds. Dang good season. I thinking gonzo will be 70 catches for 800-900 yds and 10 tds. Thats solid as hell for your 1 and 2 options. Ryan passes for 3k this year and turner runs for 1.4k
Which means we’ll be a force every game. Man if the defense is as good most weeks as it was this one we will be close to untouchable as any team we have ever had.
BigHittas
September 13th, 2009
11:58 pm
Abraham and Bierman, the New Gritz Blitz.
Way to go D, we made a super upgrade gettting Peterson and letting old 56 go.
BigHittas
September 14th, 2009
12:00 am
Roddy has earned his respect……84 was one of the go to guys in the NFL last year and will be again this year.
Keith
September 14th, 2009
12:03 am
I was at the 50-yd line and felt like I had a pretty good view of the game.
I was totally impressed by the D-Line. WOW!! They had some sort of pressure on the majority of snaps…even if they didn’t get to the QB, he was feeling it! Wow, hard to believe that the game ball would go to the DEFENSE!!! (Or Peterson….). Impressive first!! GO FALCONS!!
Matt the Brave
September 14th, 2009
12:48 am
Only 8 more to go for me. Honestly. Just want those 9 wins so that we can have a winning record and every dang sports website will stop referring to the fact that we’ve never had back-to-back winning seasons.
Morten Andersen
September 14th, 2009
12:50 am
If Elam messes up again, the great Dutch hope is ready to go. Really, I am. It doesn’t matter than I’m older than most Norse gods, I’ve still got the leg.
Matt the Brave
September 14th, 2009
12:53 am
Hey Fact Finder, I’m guessing that you’ve got the Patriots and Cowboys in that top 5? Let’s see how things go in Foxboro and Dallas before you go and say that those teams will ‘mop the floor’ with us.
KQuark
September 14th, 2009
1:24 am
I for one am going to give you an I told you so. I have the NFL ticket and watch the Jags quite a bit because I use to live in Jax. I know Peterson and Williams were the real deal and jumped for joy when Jax waived Williams the last minute because he’s perfect for this team. CB ability with S football acumen and ball skills. The fact that you did not hear his name much save for the fumble recovery was a good sign.
Peterson is also a leader with more game than Brooking at this point and Coach Smith knew that well. Del Rio is a real troglodyte and things down in J-Ville are real bad right now. They might have all their home games blacked out this year.
I think Dimitroff and Smith can now be trusted on the draft.
Finally Gonzo was the last missing link for Ryan. Some teams are going to stop the run like they did last year and Gonzo is the perfect 3rd down bailout A big athletic target with great hands.
It’s a long season and some players will progress, some will fade and some will get hurt. But I feel great about the starting lineup this year.
AtlantaFan
September 14th, 2009
1:37 am
I LOVE TO SEE “The Beer Man” cheering section! Get this man a deal with Miller Light or Bud or something! From watching the game on TV I heard a lot of Dolphins fans. I have no idea what the problem is with our fans here. Can’t blame the Vick experience on it either. The Defense was GREAT. I hope we get Michael Turner off and flying too. With him running and Ryan throwin we’re going to be lethal.
Big Ray
September 14th, 2009
1:38 am
Mike Peterson is giving us what we want out of a veteran linebacker, and that’s all I’m going to say. Another great pickup by Dimitroff and Smith.
Biermann should be the starter from now on at the other end. In my crystal ball, I see the future: Sidbury on one side, Biermann on the other. Post John Abraham Era, of course.
I’ll worry about playoffs after we get that 9th win and the awesome feeling of a Falcons team that has consecutive winning seasons. That’s what I hunger for at the moment.
Our defense is showing the very urgency and nastiness Dimitroff, Smith, and VanGorder said they wanted.
Despite some misfires, Ryan looked pretty good. The key is, he hardly made any SERIOUS mistakes that could have been picks, like last year. Even that deep throw to White was one the Dolphin DBs didn’t see coming. Sean Smith didn’t catch it because he didn’t know where the ball was…
By the way, Ryan is currently rated at 5th best in NFL quarterbacks so far this season, after the first games have been played. Not bad. Notable names ranked lower than him? Joe Flacco (sorry, BAD NEWS), both Mannings, Roethlisberger, and McNabb.
The O-line may not have pushed off that much, but they only gave up two sacks, and played with a nasty attitude. Miami’s defense is actually pretty good. But they were no match for us, even with some mistakes made.
Turner will bounce back and have a good game against the next team, more than likely. Why? Because they’re going to have their hands full trying to keep up with our diverse passing game. That and the Panthers don’t have 4 LBs to chase Turner around all game long.
Norwood is getting some early reps from Mularkey. Watch him close, as he is going to break some serious plays against teams.
Big Ray
September 14th, 2009
1:38 am
It’s great to see some real Falcon fans on here.
EducatedBlackMan
September 14th, 2009
2:08 am
Hey everyone stop ragging on Jamaal Andersen. He had a tipped pass and I saw a couple of times that he forced the QB into another defender for a sack. In addition to that, he is pretty good playing the run. If not for his pressure, would the others have gotten the sacks. The stat sheet only tells part of the story. Please evaluate the full picture. He is going to get his sacks, but if he doesn’t get one and we win the Super Bowl, he is still an integral part of the D Line rotation. Show his some love.
EducatedBlackMan
September 14th, 2009
2:09 am
Show HIM some love. Typo LOL
Fin
September 14th, 2009
3:10 am
I’m kinda concerned by all the posters here who are throwing shots at Roddy. I don’t think he had any dropped passes, did he? Someone said it was his fault that he didn’t come back on the Ryan underthrow. If Ryan puts the ball out there and let’s Roddy run under it..that’s an easy TD and flip for Roddy. Let’s be happy with this win and hope there were no major injuries and get prepared for next week. I want some of that interception / fumble action that Delhomme gave up this weekend!
In other news…Are y’all as happy as me that football is BACK?!?!?!?!
falcon
September 14th, 2009
6:35 am
I dont seem to remember the snaps being bad on Elams kicks. But then I didn’t get to see the replays yet. I dont know whats up with him.
Biermann also excels on kickoff coverage. Hes the first one down the field most of the time.
And yes there were way too many Dolphin jerseys in the crowd yesterday. I dont understand why more Falcon fans dont take those tickets.
Ross
September 14th, 2009
7:08 am
Mark my words – Kroy Biermann is a total star in the making – he’s incredibly fast and can get around linemen – he has to control his tendency to move outside too fast – but that speed is going to kill QBs this season. Biermann and Abraham are a good old fashion pincer attack – reminded me of Zook and Humphery!
-drl
Ross
September 14th, 2009
7:11 am
Ryan didn’t have great stats but what’s forgotten in Tony G’s highlight reel TD is that Ryan picked up the blitz perfectly and got HAMMERED while G was heading into the end zone. Ryan is a lot tougher than he looks. He took shots all day without a whimper. That Miami D-line is a very good one and Ryan beat it.
-drl
Steve
September 14th, 2009
7:41 am
What a surprise the defense turned out to be. The only thing that could have made the day any better would have been a shut out but I guess that’s not only me wanting my cake and to eat it too, but with ice cream on it as well. They can take Carolina down !
Jeepers
September 14th, 2009
7:47 am
Great game! All of the players contributed to a solid team effort. They got the job done as a team…not because of one player. I cannot wait until next Sunday to see them in those old throwback uniforms. The Panthers may have had a bad day, but we all know they can play a really good game when they want to. Go Falcons!
JeanE
September 14th, 2009
8:04 am
It was a great win, no doubt about it! Thank God we didn’t need those points from Jason Elam’s misses. Let’s hope that’s an aberration cause we will need the old Elam back. One quibble: why on 3rd and 1, we were only up a little bit, did we go for the whole enchilada? We just needed 1 lousy yard! That play makes sense if we were way ahead in the game, we were not at that point. That had me scratching my head. One other quibble: Brian Finneran is more than a special teams player (great recovery on the onsides kick)! We have many weapons on offense & he can be one of them! I knew as soon as Gonzalez got here, he’d be forgotten again. Sigh. Otherwise, very impressive. I believed what everyone was saying about Peterson being too slow: not! Brooking would’ve never caught that interception, it would’ve hit him & fallen to the turf. And I never heard of Brian Williams, how awesome did he play? Sorry Brent Grimes but you are too short! Now, Miami is pretty bad so let’s not got too excited. But the Panthers are even worse!!! I can’t wait to unload all over them. Go Birds! PS-Love the Matt Ryan Airtran commercial, that is really funny.
tree rollins
September 14th, 2009
8:13 am
Report Card **
Matt Ryan A-
Tony Gonzalez A
Michael Turner C+
Kickoff Coverage Team A++++
Defensive Line A-
Linebackers A
Defensive Backs A-
Kicking Team (Elam) D
Coaching A
tree rollins
September 14th, 2009
8:17 am
Other notables:
-Roddy White drops a ball as usual
-Our receivers (other than Gonzalez) just don’t get any separation from the defenders. Many times Ryan had nobody to throw to because our receivers were so well covered in single man coverage
-The kickoff coverage was unbelievably good/don’t think I”ve ever seen better
-We should have run Norwood more yesterday/they had Michael Turner’s number in that game
Ross
September 14th, 2009
8:17 am
Check out the play at 5:00 minutes in here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uvINfVI37k
Biermann chases down a WIDEOUT in the open field – amazing!
-drl
Mike
September 14th, 2009
8:26 am
Been a life long fin fan, and you guys played lights out yesterday. Gratz! What an impressive showing by your defense. Just know our OL is young and these are the type of growing pains you go through. It will be interesting to see if your defense is really as good as they looked. One thing is certain, they were laying the wood yesterday. Gratz again.
blord
September 14th, 2009
8:40 am
What is the over/under on how many turnovers Jake the fake will have next week?
One week yes but you have to enjoy things while you can in this league. Our D played great but I am still a little concerned since Chad isn’t known for his arm strength and Miami’s offense isn’t exactly known for being blazing. Still you have to feel good with the play of the d line and with the expectation that a defense so young will get better during the year. The kicking game worries me some. I just worry about a game like that getting into a kickers head but all and all I thank the Falcons for putting me in a good mood even on a Monday.
Jeff Schultz
September 14th, 2009
8:55 am
Checking back in if anybody has any questions.
Blord — The Delhomme situation will be interesting to watch. I’m blogging on it in a few hours but there’s already pressure for Carolina to sign another QB. Everybody was wondering when his number miught come up and we might finally be there.
blord
September 14th, 2009
9:07 am
Jeff, Do you think they could make a play for someone like Vince Young? Not that he is a big upgrade or anything. I am just thinking of qb’s that might be available via trade. Delhomme is horrible.
t larry
September 14th, 2009
9:20 am
Where is FALCONS SORRY ?
j
September 14th, 2009
9:32 am
Whooa. what happened to Keith “butterfinger” brooking? That bum ripped the falcons off for years. When was the last time he had a forced fumble and an INT in the same game?
Jeff Schultz
September 14th, 2009
9:38 am
Blord — Doubtful on Vince Young. I think somebody like Jeff Garcia is more likely. Guys like Young don’t get moved during the season. But what Tennessee could get for him now (minimal) wouldn’t be enough of an incentive to trade him.
j — Last time Brooking had an int. and a forced fumble — ooh, that would be way back. Might have to look that up.
Paddy
September 14th, 2009
9:40 am
I thought Roddy White played a good game Barry. Did not see the game in person today but on tv he looked darn good.
jay curley
September 14th, 2009
9:44 am
best looking D for coons since
the eighties the bruse broters and kikindall chill bumps
f
September 14th, 2009
9:48 am
Enter your comments here
Clayton
September 14th, 2009
9:54 am
This was a great win but as stated above, I will remain cautiously optomistic as well. We have the 4th toughest schedule in the entire NFL plus as good as our Defense looked we cant expect 4 turnovers and 4 sacks every week. Not being negative, but cautiously optomistic. Hope we keep winning!! Go Falcons
FalconDawg
September 14th, 2009
10:02 am
Wow! Is all i can say, i couldn’t have asked for a better performace as far as a team playing equaly balanced. The defense was lights out! They flew to the ball with a hungry attitude like i’ve always dreamed one day they would. Well that day finally came, hard hits, turnovers, pressure. I say you’d have to give the D a grade A +. Brian williams was a nice pick up for the secondary. Mike petersen was the same player i saw a jacksonville but better, he seems happy that someone wants him. The defensive line played amazing all game! Offense was balanced as well. Plus what can you say about Tony G, He is a machine really amazing to watch. Over all falcon fans i hope you all agree on this, the over all team chemistry was Great, new guys on the team and previous players acted like they wanted to win together and played the game like you should, like a TEAM! The stars wanted to win the heart of the fans and team mates which i think is huge. I really see great things coming if they are not here already. Just sit back and think for a second, what we’ll be like when we play with all cylinders going!!!!! GO FALCONS!!!!!!
jfreak13713
September 14th, 2009
10:07 am
Just imagine when Turner and Ryan both play to their potential! Defense looked great! Very impressed!
FALCON SORRY (Impersonation)
September 14th, 2009
10:12 am
FALCONS AINT THAT GOOD THEY BEAT A TEAM THAT HAS NO OFFENSE. IF THEY HAD THE REAL DEAL QB MV7 THEY WOULD HAVE BEAT DOLPHINS 97-0. TRUE DAT. FALCONS GOT LUCKY YESTERDAY. THEY SORRY. WORD. I READ ONCE THAT TONY GONZALEZ LEADERSHIP WAS RUBBIN OFF ON THE REST OF THE SORRY FALCONS. I WISH HE WOULD RUB ONE OFF ON ME. FO SHO
GT Brill
September 14th, 2009
10:14 am
WOW ! Where did this “D” come from ?!? Congrats to BVG and Mike Smith.
I hope the Falcons keep up this nasty attitude the rest of the year, it is fun to watch
the other team get punished.
I’m not even going to nit-pick, a great win.
And it was double satisfying that we beat the big tuna after the snubbing he gave Arthur Blank.
GT Brill
September 14th, 2009
10:17 am
Fake FALCON SORRY @ 10:12 a.m., Thanks for the laugh !
Adam
September 14th, 2009
10:18 am
Don’t know if anyone noticed, but at least on the extra point, that was on the place-holder. The laces were clearly in on that kick, not sure about the other two. But you could tell the holder knew he screwed up. He just kinda sank and lowered his head when Elam kicked it. Elam hit it clean, but the laces were turned in. And yes…….that makes a huge difference in the direction of the ball.
Bullseye
September 14th, 2009
10:20 am
Flash back to last year’s draft and listen to Joeblogger Fan declare that to pick a quarterback with our first pick would be the supreme waste because “Atlanta has the worst offensive line in football…”
We need Glen Dorsey was the cry.
This year Joeblogger Fan cries out: “our defense is the worst in pro football! Foxworth was a GOD! Peterson is too old and slow, we’ll never sack the quarterback!”
I know it is hard, considering the Falcons past, but trust in what Dimitrov and Smith are doing. It’s been a long 43 years. We deserve this.
falcon fan 4-ever
September 14th, 2009
10:23 am
Great game yesterday. I tip my hat off to the defense. If it wasn’t for them, the outcome would have been interesting. The running game was non-existent. We showed we can win with out a running game. It also shows that if we can click on all cylinders ( run,pass,defense,kicking game ) anything is possible. Just like Coach Smith said, it’s only 1 game a long journey to go. Hang on to your seats and enjoy the ride.We have the 4th toughest schedule in the league. Coach Smith and the coaches has done outstanding job of getting these guys prepared and a great game plan and adjustments during the game. I also tip my hat off to the coaches. A GREAT TEAM WIN !!!!!!!!
Paddy
September 14th, 2009
10:28 am
I have had my moments that I raged on Jamal Anderson. Can’t do that today. He played a good game and I finally saw a little fire in him. It is what it is. He and the rest of the defense played with real passion. Congrats!
Hamad Meander
September 14th, 2009
11:20 am
All I can say about yesterday’s game is: WOW! I expected the offense to play better, but I certainly didn’t expect the defense to play that well! Folks, the Miami Dolphins have one of the better offensive lines in the NFL. Look it up – it’s made of mostly high draft picks and big, fast, smart guys. We tore them up. We got pressure on the QB. We stuffed their run. FANTASTIC!!!!!
I’m looking forward to seeing that type of defensive game with the offense clicking a bit better. It will be a rout.