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
lawton
September 13th, 2009
6:31 pm
defense surprised me, particularly the defensive line. peterson was a beast out there. wait until we get william moore back, the defense will get better.
Singletary
September 13th, 2009
6:33 pm
Could not have said it better myself, Jeff. My only addition would be Ovie. He’s got really sure hands, and the Miami D often let him pass, not expecting him to turn on the flat — or in the endzone — for the passes.
Not to jinx it, cana hora, knock on wood … whatever: They looked better than a first week team.
PS Coach Smith, bring as many Jags as you want. I think Petersen should be convinced he earned the job, and now he can join the Over-30 Club.
Ben
September 13th, 2009
6:36 pm
wow. first.
great games by almost all. this team plays with fire. loved the way the d was flying around and laying brutal hits.
good article Jeff, but I read the first sentence 3 times and think you should have read it a second time also.
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
6:37 pm
This is an amazing feeling. As a lifetime Falcon fan, I don’t remember having this much hope after the first game of the season following a playoff visit. I think we’ve finally found a winning combination in GM and coach. I am so looking forward to this year. We should all be excited how the D played. The O will come around. This is going to be great.
miami dolphins | Latest News | Hot News | Recent News
September 13th, 2009
6:38 pm
[...] Falcons pick up where they left off – a nice change of pace [...]
IslandDawg
September 13th, 2009
6:38 pm
Wow, defense carries the day! Who woulda thunk it?!
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
6:38 pm
YES Ben…brutal hits. It was so good.
DePlane
September 13th, 2009
6:41 pm
Great win….there were a few opportunities to really blow them out and our offense missed them. Defense played lights out! Very impressed with Mike Peterson’s debut as a Falcon. He looked shaky in coverage a few times, but made up for it with the FF and INT. Bierman is a beast and Abe looked like his old self teaching Jake Long a thing or two in the process. The DL overall looked great and the LB’s and Safeties fly to the ball. Kudos to B. Williams for his debut…Coach Smith knows his players doesn’t he?
Good experience facing the 4-3…which we’ll see for the next two weeks. Hopefully by the time we face Brady and co. we’ll have a nice feel for it and Ryan and Turner can try to exploit it better. Not Turner’s day, or Elam’s but not worried about those guys. Yes, only one win Jeff, but how exciting to be a Falcon fan when the future of this team looks so bright.
What a meltdown by the Panthers JD! Our D will be sharpening the talons this week for the kitty’s.
Singletary
September 13th, 2009
6:41 pm
Mountain Jim made an excellent point about MR2 getting hammered. How many sacks were there? To have only had 17 last year… means we are not going to be able to = Buffalo or Ravens at 11 & 12 for a season.
WHY was Turner trying to run behind Blalock and Baker all day? I thought his A gap was behind Dahl & Clabo.
Hope Jerry and Peterson are okay.
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
6:41 pm
Just a point for discussion: Did anyone notice that Roddy White is not playing as well as last year? I noticed in preseason and in this first game that he is running lazy routes. He is not coming back for the ball and not coming back to the qb when he scrambles. He looks almost as bad as he did two years ago.
Delmer D.
September 13th, 2009
6:43 pm
Great stuff, Jeffie, right on. Now please say something inspriational to Mark Richt to get us a new defence accordionator.
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
6:43 pm
We were up against a great D line today. I think that is why our running game struggled.
Reality Time
September 13th, 2009
6:44 pm
I think its time someone gave Coach Van Gorder some love. He definitely can motivate his players..
MightyQuinn
September 13th, 2009
6:45 pm
Wow! I was scared to death of Miami’s offense after the way our D looked in the preseason, but that was pretty impressive. But that was 1/16th of the season. After the 12-4 1980 season the Falcons won their first three games of the regular season and everyone was talking Super Bowl. We wound up 7-9. I remain cautiously optimistic. Tech wins, Georgia wins, Falcons win, Braves sweep Cardinals in St. Louis. Not a bad 4 days, I’d say!
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
6:45 pm
I didn’t notice too many flags in the game…which was refreshing.
Kyle
September 13th, 2009
6:45 pm
Barry Jay, You’re crazy. It was one game and he had like 6 receptions. Don’t know if you were expecting 18 catches and 250 yards but it was a solid game. Don’t bring that hollow negativity onto this game.
singndablues
September 13th, 2009
6:47 pm
Now who would you rather have drafted last year, Matt Ryan or the totally dominated and flat on his back Long? hmmmm.
Bangkapi Ajarn
September 13th, 2009
6:48 pm
I saw Bierman jumping in and making plays, but not Anderson. Is he losing playing time? Bierman sure earned the right to start and play, right where he should – between the lines.
Kudzu
September 13th, 2009
6:49 pm
Great start to a season. I was completely surprised by our defense, awesome job; this D looks so much faster, closing on running backs, getting in the backfield, 71 is showing sick quickness. The missed kicks freak me out. Whenever a point is missed, I feel like “crap, it may bite us in the butt late in the game”. apart from the kicker, the special teams did a great job… This offense is going to be fun to watch. So many ways to move the ball down the field. MattyIce gets his timing down, we’ll score at least 4 TD’s per game. I wasn’t greatly impressed by the OL play; blocking for the run-not good, plus too many hits on Ryan. Worst part of all of this, I now live in Tampa (Bucs suck) and have to cheer from a distance. Go Falcons! Go Yellow Jackets!
mudcat
September 13th, 2009
6:49 pm
Impressive is the word. If they can do the same thing against Carolina next week, we just may have something. I was really in awe of TG. What a professional!. Biermann looked great. I’m getting good vibes from this group!
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
6:49 pm
Kyle, just because he had six receptions doesn’t mean he was playing the way he should. A fullback can have six catches and he doesn’t run good routes either. As for negativity…not much of a discussion with everyone acting like nothin’s wrong. It was just an observation.
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
6:51 pm
Carolina will be a higher intensity game. From what we saw of the D…they are ready. They looked fast today and leveled some slobber knocker hits.
tony gonzalez | Latest News | Hot News | Recent News
September 13th, 2009
6:53 pm
[...] Falcons pick up where they left off – a nice change of pace [...]
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
6:54 pm
That D line was getting pretty good pressure all game. The D looked like it was mid season. The O, on the other hand, looked very sluggish. But part of that was a really good Miami D and the first game timing issues I think. It will come together.
SirReal
September 13th, 2009
6:54 pm
I was really impressed with the D. I wish Ryan would have hit those misfires but he still had a very soild day. He’s still young and I think he’ll correct that. Turner just went against a stout D today. Still showed flashes of what he will do this year. Wait until CAR next week. Saw what PHI did today? As far as the D, I always felt our front seven was going to be fine. ( I think Jerry and Peterson are ok.) The secondary was my issue. I give them credit today and the Williams pickup was great. We’ll get a true test against better receivers the next couple weeks. ( Smith-CAR & Moss-NE) I like the direction we’re headed in. Glad to see us pull out a win. Here’s to hoping we correct the few mistakes/kinks we have…..thats when we’ll be “scary good.”lol Go Birds!
RFGH
September 13th, 2009
6:54 pm
Kudos defense. Maybe Ryan was not back to full strength after being ill earlier in the week. Offensive line wasn’t moving people off the ball and don’t know what happened to Elam. Wins a win.
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
6:57 pm
I don’t think there is any question…in the short term, Ryan was the best pick. Long will develop and should have a long and I believe, great career. Abraham took him to school big time. The refs could have called holding on just about every play.
will
September 13th, 2009
6:58 pm
BVG may be the best D-coordinator in the world. Period.
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
7:01 pm
RFGH: I noticed our O line was not winning the line of scrimmage. But I think the good Miami D had something to do with that. Elam’s leg has become inconsistent. He can still do the job, but he is going to be spotty this year and could have a couple blocked. I hope I’m wrong, but it seems his leg is not as strong as years past. That makes him overcompensate sometimes.
JSS
September 13th, 2009
7:02 pm
Barry, did you watch Carolina today? They were manhandled today… They have issues, but it is the Falcons, they’ll play down to the opponent… By the way, Miami has a good front 7, that is why you struggle, not just the D-line, their linebackers laid wood all day long!
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
7:03 pm
Enter your comments here
Wink
September 13th, 2009
7:04 pm
We had a good result today…we got the W which is most important. If it’s okay to say Elam botched an extra point & 2 field goals, costing us 7 points; then it should also be okay to point out that Ryan left 21 points off the board today with his throws to White, underthrown, Jenkins, behind him & to Norwood running open to the endzone,free & clear, overthrown.
Surprised the defense took up the slack today. Our D Line got after them. 4 sacks of the QB & forced fumbles & interception. On last drive DB’s reverted to form to allow the touchdown late or the fabulous prevent defense that get you beat. Thanks to Finneran for getting that onside kick recovery. Burner was tipping all day,even though they had 8 in the box.
Overall a good defensive game for a change, took the funk off the offensive Ryan; Gonzalez saved his bacon, which also helped cover it up. Ryan will have to hit the open throws when the opportunity arrives going forward…good game to open with!
bigstack19
September 13th, 2009
7:04 pm
Brian van Gorder and the entire defense should get a game ball. Outstanding work guys. If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t have believed it.
realist
September 13th, 2009
7:04 pm
Hey Fin, Where are you???
mountain_jim
September 13th, 2009
7:06 pm
Roddy looked fine to me. The oline/schemes needs to protect Ryan better than today, or he needs to find his safety valve quicker. He took some hits.
Barry Jay
September 13th, 2009
7:12 pm
JSS: didn’t catch Carolina…glad they were treated badly today. I just know when we play other teams in our division the intensity is usually elevated. I think we are going to beat Carolina.
BraveCat
September 13th, 2009
7:21 pm
Oh come on Jeff, NOW your saying how good the Falcons are. I read your previous post. Oh btw, the BRAVES SWEPT THE CARDINALS TOO. Jeff, tsk, tsk.
BraveCat
September 13th, 2009
7:21 pm
oops it is you’re are saying
midnite
September 13th, 2009
7:21 pm
Thanks for the great, well written article Jeff. Thats exactly the way I saw today’s game. The crowd had energy and the Dome had some electricity.
Man, the D looked nasty and won this one for us. Like you said Ryan and Turner were not their best today but Tony has great hands and what a pick-me-up he is. Hats off to Van Gorder and Mularkey.
We are in good hands finally, and fortunate to have Smitty and Dimitroff. These Birds of Prey are a real team! That was exciting to be there and am pumped about next week.
Fin
September 13th, 2009
7:23 pm
Good win by the Falcons. I wonder if the defense is that good or is Miami’s offense just that bad. For the poster who said Roddy was lazy looking today, I ask you to look at the comeback route where he tippytoed up the sideline coming back for the ball. Good Pro-Bowl play!
Dang..I didn’t know Mike Peterson had that in him…ooooowee, he was HITTIN!!!
NoleRick
September 13th, 2009
7:28 pm
I am soo pumped about the season now. Still cautious, but like everyone, the Defense was a huge surprise!!
Nuthin finer than beatin Caroliner….bring on the Kitties!!
Jack G.
September 13th, 2009
7:28 pm
Elam might or might not be at fault on those missed kicks. Kicking is at the very least a cordinated effort between the center, the holder and the kicker. If one of the three gets a little out of whack—-missed kick.
Sonny Clusters
September 13th, 2009
7:30 pm
We was not at the game today because the Braves was on television. We always watch the Braves even when Chipper is being a crybaby and not wanting to play because of a boo-boo of some kind. Chipper should get somebody to kiss it and make it better. Don’t they have a trainer? If the trainer can’t keep Chipper healthy then maybe it is time for a new trainer. How about the one the Falcons use? He seems to keep ‘em pretty healthy when you consider they are thowing their bodies all around on the field and nothing is so sore they can’t play. We was always ready to play when we was playing ball and it pays to stay that way because they could be pro scouts in the audience. We was discovered that way by Coach when we was little soccer players and Coach come over and had candy for everybody and that was back when it was mostly okay to do that. We was never able to understand why Coach had to go away for awhile. We was glad he came back, though. We went on to state championship and the Falcons may, too.
Rankin Smith
September 13th, 2009
7:35 pm
Well hot-damn!
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
7:38 pm
From previous blog:
Again, when was the last weekend that The Birds, Tech and uga won, and the Bravos swept a series; especially with the Cards?
JSS
September 13th, 2009
7:38 pm
Fin, you can’t lay the ball on field… Just can’t do it… Unless you’re GA Tech, they can get away with it… They should have run that package with Pat White more…
Don’t get cocky… Better to get Carolina while they are down and getting their brains back… And with Mcnabb hurt and Vick still ineligible, the Eagles maybe vulnerable for a couple of weeks, so the Saints maybe undefeated as well… And if you don’t overemphasis the good front 7’s give this team fits….
Dear AJC headline writer….
If the Falcon picked where they left off, Larry Fitzgerald would be in China by now,,,
jimbob
September 13th, 2009
7:41 pm
Defense looked great. I was mystified by some of the offensive play calling. What is the deal with going for a bomb on 3rd and 1, not getting it, and then punting?!?
If you were planning on punting on 4th and 1, then why were you just going for a low percentage bomb?
Have some confidence in the offense for crying out loud. The falcons have numerous weapons. There was no reason not to go for it. This was near end of 1st half, IIRC.
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
7:41 pm
Well; Elam, Turner & Ryan all got their sub-par game for the year out of the way and the Birds still won.
GO BIRDS!!
nhe
September 13th, 2009
7:46 pm
Elam came back and hit a 50 yarder folks. He’s fine.
Jamie
September 13th, 2009
7:47 pm
One word-INTENSITY!!
big bad bird
September 13th, 2009
7:50 pm
Bierman is impressive, where did they find the guy? Great scouting. With the motor on him I am not sure he has stopped and the game has been over for hours. And you have to love the addition of Tony G. I am a happy bird.
Gred Mendel
September 13th, 2009
7:50 pm
Terrific game. Not just because of the win, but because the defense surprised everybody — including the Dolphins. Were it not for a few mistakes, the score would have been more lopsided. Elam had a bad day, but don’t we all (and we can’t schedule them)? He’ll be right back.
Best thing is, the game isolated the mistakes, making them correctable in a hurry, but without a loss. (IMO, Chris Houston is remains a mistake, or at least a weakness.)
It’s still a tough schedule, but barring critical injuries and un-corrected mistakes, this team will do very well this year. Super Bowl next year.
downsouthdirtybird
September 13th, 2009
7:50 pm
wink that norwood pass was his fault he just slowed down a little bit to early and tried to turn to early but ryan did have good few miscues but sure he’ll correct em
Sonny Clusters
September 13th, 2009
7:52 pm
Back when we was writing for the paper we was interested in telling both sides of a story. We learned that isn’t always possible when the columns are narrow and you run out of paper sometimes. So, we was content to just put in there what fit and not worry too much about the rest. When we was playing ball we did almost the same thing. One time we was at Dairy Queen and some Cobb County players drove up and got out of their BMW and come up to the counter and said something like, “gimme some soft serve with a curl on top and put it in a sugar cone and cover it in chocolate and put some nuts on top.” We knew right away that was trouble. Jeff went up to the car and told them Dairy Queen was out of nuts and they should go back to Cobb County. All of a sudden, three more of ‘em got out of the car and they started circling Jeff. Cool as a cucumber Jeff said, “They’s some nuts under the counter. I forgot.” And they ate their ice cream and went on they way after picking up a couple of Parkview girls that had come there to be with the team. We was always suspicious of Cobb County boys after that. Still are.
SOUTHERN ATL
September 13th, 2009
7:59 pm
New Michael Vick website:
http://mikevick.ning.com/
mountain_jim
September 13th, 2009
8:03 pm
Bierman – the next Patrick Kearney
Mitch
September 13th, 2009
8:05 pm
Big Bad Bird, it seems you haven’t seen this video…. Expect Biermann to continue ripping it up….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovNOAtJEeuY&feature=PlayList&p=E9CE42660D4B0B82&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=18
Relentless
September 13th, 2009
8:05 pm
Defense was big surprise wow. My only comment other than that is why don’t we run Norwood more? He can break it all the way at anytime and would keep D from keying on Turner.
tom
September 13th, 2009
8:06 pm
Elam will be fine, he’s a pro and he did hit that 50 yarder. I liked it that Coach Smith sent him back out there for that one. Bierman is a bruiser and young, will be around for awhile and a great compliment to Abraham. Sack filled year! Thought Houston quit on that completed pass, he should have had an interception if he had kept after the ball. That hit by Peterson rang my clock.
Go Falcons.
Southside Falcon
September 13th, 2009
8:07 pm
Kudzu: Your behind enemy Lines? Man taht has to suck seeing all that Suckaneer crap, as a fan your in my heart man Wera your black and Red with pride in front of them Suckas
Brainiac
September 13th, 2009
8:08 pm
Bierman…what a motor! We started to see that last year. He’s a Montana grad, by the way. Great scouting job.
Eric
September 13th, 2009
8:11 pm
And a star is born, all hale “THE BEER MAN”
Mike
September 13th, 2009
8:18 pm
Mike Peterson looked like L.T. out there, what a major upgrade over that other guy who made takles 10 yards down field.
ToccoaDawg
September 13th, 2009
8:18 pm
Falcons has a few things to work on. Overall they looked good. Dgets an atta boy that no one saw coming. congrats coach van, Next week will be a hard game, Carolina got embarrassed and they will be looking for bear. get ready Falcons. but a very very nice first win. and for the record Roddy did run weak routes its time he shows why he earns that kind of money.
oldbrave
September 13th, 2009
8:18 pm
yes 71 looked very good so did Jerry
MAD-DONNA
September 13th, 2009
8:18 pm
Not impressed! Dreadful! Poor showing by the offense! The defense looked better than the much glorified offense. The only reason they won, was because Miami was VERY dreadful. Ryan was no better hitting the deep pass, than MV in this game! But we won’t hear about that, will we?
Blue Fender
September 13th, 2009
8:20 pm
You are spot on, mountain_jim. Bierman and Kearney are from the same mold. If he keeps it up, JA98 will be on special teams and Bierman will be in full time.
oldbrave
September 13th, 2009
8:20 pm
miami dreadful could just be because of our defense
Dale
September 13th, 2009
8:21 pm
Two of the three missed kicks were squarely the fault of the long snapper in my opinion. The first field goal snap was too high and screwed up the timimng and the extra point snap was damn near on top of Koenen’s shoulder. Hopefully that will be addressed during the upcoming week.
oldbrave
September 13th, 2009
8:21 pm
miami has 3 probowl players on their defense line porter taylor and fugerson
AlternateReality
September 13th, 2009
8:21 pm
Have to be encouraged when the QB and top RB can have sub-par games, the kicker misses 3 kicks, and you still beat up on what figures to be a pretty good opponent.
On the Miami Herald message boards, the main message seems to be ‘What the h@ll just happened to us?’
oldbrave
September 13th, 2009
8:22 pm
oline will be fine
Reid Adair
September 13th, 2009
8:22 pm
What an impressive performance by the defense. The offense didn’t have the fireworks that some people expected, but Miami’s defense is one of the better units in the league.
It was just one game … but it was a lot better than I frankly had expected, especially on the defensive side.
oldbrave
September 13th, 2009
8:24 pm
now we need to take care of the kittys from carolina abe always plays great aganist them
AlternateReality
September 13th, 2009
8:24 pm
Thought Roddy should have come back on the long pass that Ryan underthrew. I think he would have at least gotten an interference call, since the defenders were beat and probably wouldn’t have been able to keep from running over him.
MyView
September 13th, 2009
8:25 pm
When BVG was the UGA Def coord., I hoped he would never leave. Well, he has the only job that I would have approved of him taking. LOL!!!
Dwayne
September 13th, 2009
8:25 pm
Eric…And a star is born, all hale “THE BEER MAN”….awesome!!
MyView
September 13th, 2009
8:27 pm
I also aggree that Miami should get the credit for the lack of offense by the Falcons. Those dudes are stout and will have a good season.
Ron Mexico
September 13th, 2009
8:27 pm
My crotch itches
Chaz
September 13th, 2009
8:28 pm
Wow, I totally forgot about Ryan’s flu earlier this week… I’m willing to overlook the misthrows now. Elam, however, might wanna get his resume together.
Craig
September 13th, 2009
8:29 pm
ATLANTA HAS A CHANCE TO BURY CAROLINA RIGHT NOW, DON’T BLOW IT!!!
T Rock
September 13th, 2009
8:30 pm
The Dolphin fans were making alot of noise before the game, oops,sux to be you. I guess we will see a lot of Carolina jerseys next week. Why is it that the opponents jerseys show up so strong in “OUR HOUSE”!! Are we selling our tickets, do we not give a damn, what the hell????
Grest job Falcons especially defense. We will take anymore Jags that they don’t want.
JSS
September 13th, 2009
8:30 pm
Eric…
Why do you people have to come up with the cheap and tacky names for players?
I scratch my head, I’m a fun loving person but that is just childish!
He really reminds me of the old Broncos D-linemen Karl Mecklenburg… Late round pick, big heart, big motor, and brought his game every week… And again, Jamal Anderson played a good game, you should give him props for a change!
NEXT #13
September 13th, 2009
8:30 pm
WE PLAYED TODAY LIKE WE SHOULD HAVE PLAYED AGAINIST A TEAM THAT DOESN’T HAVE A Q.B.OR RECIEVER’S WHO CAN STRETCH THE FIELD.THAT’S WHAT DISCIPLINE AND GOOD COACHING WILL DO!! WITH THAT SAID ,I HOPE WHEN WE GET TO THE TEAM’S THAT CAN STRETCH THE FIELD AN THROW LONG WE’LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE BELL AND PLAY LIGHT’S OUT LIKE TODAY!! I WAS THERE AND YOU COULD FEEL THE CONFIDENCE AND SEE IT THRU THE PLAYER’S!! I MEAN, PEOPLE THERE WAS SOME LICK’S PAST TODAY! SO KUDO’S TO ALL OF THE FALCON ORGANIZATION!! OH AND BY THE WAY T.D. I THINK THAT #88 GUY WAS WORTH @ LEAST A 2010 #2 DRAFT PICK…MAYBE MORE!! GREAT JOB GUY’S KEEP IT UP!!!
Jeff Schultz
September 13th, 2009
8:35 pm
BarryJay – Agree that Dolphins should get some credit for stopping the running game. That’s a pretty good defense.
Bravecat – I have no earthly idea what you’re talking about.
NHE – I would like to brag about the fact that after Elam missed two FGs and an XP, I turned to somebody before the 50 yard attempt and said he’d make it.
Eric – That’s one cheering section I’d like to see. “The Beer Men.”
Eric
September 13th, 2009
8:36 pm
JSS, I’ll give Anderson his props he did bat down 1 ball.
Ryno
September 13th, 2009
8:37 pm
Delhomme got benched today in Carolina. If he doesn’t start they have a bonafied QB problem in Charlotte. We are not a team you want to face when you don’t know who is taking snaps. GO FALCONS!
awesomekid
September 13th, 2009
8:39 pm
yall are crazy falcons were beast today dey were a lil slow at the beggining but wait till we get them wheels turnin dnt want stop us D play was signifacant O need to show there cabapility bcuz i waz mad at there peformance but they still looked gud
Ken Strickland
September 13th, 2009
8:42 pm
While I wasn’t surprised by our overall DEF performance, I must admit to being surprised at the consistent pressure we got from our DL. Getting that kind of DL pressure allowed us to drop our LB’s into coverage. Having them in front of the receivers benefitted because it allowed them to get some serious hits and cause some timely fumbles as well as get an INT.
Speed and quickness kills, and we saw that today. If our OFF gets on track against Carolina, our DEF should be even more dominant, since it won’t be on the field as often. Like us, the Panthers are a run 1st team, and if our OFF scores and forces them into catchup mode, we can turn JAbraham, KBiermann, LSidbury, TJohnson, TLewis and PJerry loose on the QB.
How many negative minded prognosticators are still feeling 7-9 or 4-12 etc? The Falcons put a whipping on last yrs AFC South champs and record turnaround cinderella team. Having Bill Parcell stab us in the back was the best he could have done for the Falcons. With TD, we ended up with a solid, balanced, dominant and versatile OFF. They, on the other hand, ended up with a gimmick ladened OFF that worked because teams were caught unprepared.
This is a new season, and what happened today to the Dolphins gimmicky OFF is exactly what happened to the Falcons’ gimmicky OFF under HC JMora, with MVick at the helm.
The 1st real test for our pass DEF will be against the Patriots.
BugKiller
September 13th, 2009
8:44 pm
Willie Martinez: TERRIBLE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR WHOM NOBODY WANTS AND ONLY HAS A JOB BECAUSE HE BEST FRIEND IS ALSO THE HEAD COACH.
Brian Van Gorder: OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR WHO IS SOON GOING TO BE A HEAD COACH CANDIDATE FOR COLLEGE OR THE NFL WHOM EVERYONE WANTS.
It’s no secret why Georgia’s defense has SUCKED for 4 + years.
Now, we can only hope that SOMEONE, Evans, Adams, the Boosters, SOMEONE stands up and does the right thing and has Martinez FIRED. Because we all know Richt will never do the right thing in this instance.
And we can only hope that the Falcons go far into the playoffs this year so no one can steal BVG away.
MAD-DONNA
September 13th, 2009
8:45 pm
Hey Jeff Schultz, a little trivia for you. Is today the first time that Woods, Jeter, and Federer have won on the same day?
Pitt. Queen
September 13th, 2009
8:48 pm
Great summary big guy.
Denver Bird
September 13th, 2009
8:49 pm
where you at, “FALCONS SORRY”???????
wes r
September 13th, 2009
8:52 pm
Yeah u guys got a taste of what we here in montana got to see for four years….bierman is a player….regarding his motor wheels and general attitude see if you can find the clip of him chasing down a mt state wide out in open field to save a td….think the wide out was jefferson who was in camp this year for a pro team…the beer man is a human high light reel
BIOMASS
September 13th, 2009
8:57 pm
Very good victory today. Defense looked pretty doggone good. Gonzalez was “as advertised.”
Ryan was a bit shaky. Just a bit. His longball just isn’t there. Just doesn’t have the cannon. Neither did Joe Montana.
BugKiller
September 13th, 2009
8:58 pm
Guys, if you haven’t figured it out yet, Falcons Sorry is just another name “Bad News” uses.
Same as “Joe Flacco.” Same as “Vick Supporter” and “Vick Supporter 2.”
And I’m pretty sure, same as “JSS.”
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
9:00 pm
Ken:
Miami doesn’t play in the AFC South. (Indy, Jax, etc.) They are AFC East.
GO BIRDS!!
Jimbob:
If you don’t understand, I’m glad that Mike & Mike are running the offense.
AUG24
September 13th, 2009
9:02 pm
The Falcons organization and coaching staff have a clue. Georgia needs to take notes. There is a reason why somebody wants Van Gorder every year but not Willie Martinez.
JSS
September 13th, 2009
9:03 pm
Sorry Bug Killer, more than one person thinks you’re stupid
itpdude
September 13th, 2009
9:03 pm
It’s too much for the AJC to put the box score on the front page. They like angering me by forcing me to dig into the sports section and then going to football and then going to Falcons.
Thanks! I’ll be at nfl.com
Trey
September 13th, 2009
9:05 pm
Clusters, I thought you were done commenting.
WHAT UP!!!
September 13th, 2009
9:06 pm
Falcon Sorry is sorry he dont know football!!
Oh again………BigEasy830 and Bad News, you boys can still kiss my A**!!!!
Pete
September 13th, 2009
9:06 pm
One word only.
AWESOME.
Good night.
AUG24
September 13th, 2009
9:07 pm
Thomas Dimitroff takes the “emotion” out of his decisions and seems to make the right ones. He let Warrick Dunn and Keith Brooking go. They were both great members of society but their best years were behind them. This is a business. Mark Richt needs to understand that college football is big business. Football brings alot money to UGA, fire Willie Martinez. Please!
Skee
September 13th, 2009
9:09 pm
The Defense played an excellent game today. The offense struggled there some, but managed to get the job done. The new guys played really good today. I was very impressed with the speed of our defense and the hard hits was coming from everywhere. It’s only one game and we do gotta lot to work on, but I think they got something going good there. GO FALCONS!
Skee
September 13th, 2009
9:09 pm
The Defense played an excellent game today. The offense struggled there some, but managed to get the job done. The new guys played really good today. I was very impressed with the speed of our defense and the hard hits was coming from everywhere. It’s only one game and we do gotta lot to work on, but I think they got something going good there. GO FALCONS!
JSS
September 13th, 2009
9:09 pm
FALCON SORRY was banned, but somehow Stendec still is allowed to spew his rage… And Bug Killer, well he speaks for himself… He has the observational skills of a 10 year old…
Hey Jeff Schultz, where’s that next Brett Favre story?
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
9:10 pm
karolina kittens:
Jake the Fake was benched and replaced by Josh McKown, who suffered leg and foot injuries. Matt Moore played some, then Jake went back in to throw another pick and fumble some more.
GO BIRDS!!! Bring on the kitty cats!!
Starring Peter Graves as Capt. Clarence Over
September 13th, 2009
9:10 pm
The good: forcing 4 turnovers. The bad: only getting 6 points off of TO’s.
JSS
September 13th, 2009
9:11 pm
Go back to the Willie Martinez watch dim wit…
Trey
September 13th, 2009
9:11 pm
At least we won.
Sage of Bluesland
September 13th, 2009
9:14 pm
Where’s crabfilledjoe and his ‘yearning for Brooking’ tripe?!
I saw more ill-intent–and deliverance–out of Mike Peterson in one game than our precious Hometown Hero ever delivered on the field in over a decade.
See, folks–Peterson’s performance and overall disruptiveness is what linebacker play is supposed to look like…It’s not the ankle-grabs eight yards downfield (a Brooking specialty), pre- or post-game ‘rah-rah’ interviews (another Brooking specialty to which the media sheep lapped up), or reading ‘Green-Eggs-and-Ham’ to the little kiddies (about all Brooking was good for–charity work).
Addition-by-Subtraction indeed. Goodbye and good riddance to the overrated and completely overpaid local-boy-done-good!
Here’s to actual performance on the field under this braintrust–for the first time in a long time–maybe ever–I feel like we actually have a chance when it comes to GOOD DECISION-MAKING, which is the key to success in most pursuits…
Here’s to your garbage, crabbyjoe–and your ridiculous and not-too-subtle racism (and I’m white, by the way, and called Brooking a Hometown Hero way back when he was at The Flats, getting kicked out of practice for hitting defenseless QBs…and, no, I’m not a Dawg fan either…you’re excuses are pathetic, my ignorant ‘friend’, but I DO look forward to them nonetheless…)
JSS
September 13th, 2009
9:16 pm
That 800 meter chick from South Africa has more gonads than you… And at least he/she’s a winner… A true example of real gender equality… And I wan’t 1-6 against the last week… 7-1 straight up and against the line…
Falcon 8211
September 13th, 2009
9:17 pm
great game falcons. let’s keep the focus and intensity still have 15 more to go. carolina will come in here trying to make-up for this week. divison game let’s put the wood to them . i truly have to say i was surprised by the defense today. please keep it up. great coaching but the players have to perform. put b. williams on smith sunday and follow him everywhere. back to work monday focus turns to carolina now!!!!!!!!! go falcons
Teresa (Tee-Tee)
September 13th, 2009
9:20 pm
I love my Atlanta Falcons Great Game!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep up the good work.
Fact Finder
September 13th, 2009
9:24 pm
The Top 5 teams in the NFL would wipe the floor with the dirty birds.
Bull Butter
September 13th, 2009
9:25 pm
This win was compliments of auther blank,for the snubing from the tuna.No way was miami going to win this game.
Jeff Schultz
September 13th, 2009
9:25 pm
Ryno – I’m happy to say Delhomme is not on my Fantasy League team.
Mad-Donna – Don’t know, don’t care, not sure anybody but you does. How’s that? But on an unrelated note, I think I’m due for a beer.
jesse james
September 13th, 2009
9:26 pm
Yeah i would like to know where are the “BAD NEWS”,BIGEASY 830 and MV7 are at with there fat mouths! I know it’s the first game but i know if we would have lost they would be running there mouths!GO SUPER BIRDS!
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
9:26 pm
Hey JSS:
Respect your opinion, and all, but this is a blog. Why should I type out “Tony Gonzales” when I can just type “TG” and everyone knows what I mean? And how does this show disrespect for Gonzales? Does your simply typing “JSS” show disrespect for yourself? Everyone uses shotcuts on blogs and posts; doesn’t mean any lack of respect; just to save time.
GO BIRDS!! CLAW CAROLINA!!!
Bull Butter
September 13th, 2009
9:29 pm
We will find out next week how good we are.If the falcons can stop the run we will be in good shape.
Ken Strickland
September 13th, 2009
9:29 pm
ED COVINGTON-thanks a bunch for the correction. I actually knew that, but I obvously had the Falcons in mind when I typed it. You know, this yrs DEF will have their share of bad gms, and that’s to be expected from a DEF that’s so inexperienced and young. The real difference in this yrs DEF is when it’s not having one of its off days, it has the ability to do what it did today. Last yrs DEF didn’t have the ability to do what our DEF did today.
DE KBiermann got as many sacks in todays gm as DE JAnderson got all of last yr. However, I saw JAnderson make some strong moves when rushing the QB. In one instance, he was responsible for JAbrahams getting his 2nd sack. I saw him bullrush the OT and put him so close to the QB he couldn’t throw. That forced the QB to sidestep to the left to get room to throw and sidestepped right into JAbraham grasp. Overall, everyone on the DEF had a successful gm. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jeremiah
September 13th, 2009
9:32 pm
Good game! The D was surprising, considering some of the performances I saw in pre-season, but I guess that’s why they call it the “pre” season! Now that the bell rung, and the real season started, the Birds came obviously prepared! I, like some, was concerned about Ryan’s few miscues, but I think he was solid overall and maybe just amped for the first game. His upside is so huge I’m not concerned. Biermann was AWESOME! Abraham, Peterson, Jerry, Lofton, everyone seemed to play with extreme fire and energy and the quickness to the ball and the finishes were all pretty great across the board today. Very encouraging to see! T. Gonzalez was the HOF we all knew he was, and he did not disappoint! I just can’t wait till Ryan does get his timing clicking, I really like our future! I’m not worried about Elam, and I’m certainly not worried about R. White. He was scrambling and came back in to allow Ryan to complete one first down, and created another on a crossing pattern with his quickness. White, like Ryan is young and his upside and future still looks very bright! Another great game preparing, planning, and execution-wise from the coaches, and kudos to TD for all his offseason moves. They are looking good so far… All in all, these are good times to be a Falcon’s fan!
JSS
September 13th, 2009
9:37 pm
Just don’t be childish with Ed… Too much of that in here… He’s earned better than cute (a monkey and dog are that)… It is like this whole disrespect for young girls that goes on here… Time and place… You generally come with intelligent topical material, but he hasn’t been long enough for that mess… He’s one of the best and philanthropic men in the League… He’s just better than than that.. By the way, it how they desparged him as he was being jettisoned from KC…
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://rdmblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/gonzo.jpg&imgrefurl=http://rdmblog.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/time-for-tony-to-go-gonzo/&usg=__X7qsP8DVdIeDA0_x9DG00V_TQcQ=&h=630&w=431&sz=52&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=jRJVDJgepsbnxM:&tbnh=137&tbnw=94&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522Gonzo%2522%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1
Perspective is a dangerous thing!
JSS
September 13th, 2009
9:41 pm
Only for Ed, so don’t come trying to get on this conversation
Sorry for the typos and omits, but I think you get the meaning of the comment…
Kris P. Creme
September 13th, 2009
9:41 pm
Great win, but I’m still gonna miss Grady Jackson.
JSS
September 13th, 2009
9:44 pm
Ed, just don’t be childish with it is all; too much of that in here… He’s earned better than cute (a monkey and dog are that)… It is like this whole disrespect for young girls that goes on here, Time and place… You generally come with intelligent topical material, but he hasn’t been here long enough for that mess… He’s one of the best and philanthropic men in the League… He’s just better than that.. By the way, it is how they disparaged him as he was being jettisoned from KC…
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
9:45 pm
Concerning other games today, including GB v Bears now:
We’re either seeing a lot of awful QB play or great defenses. Ryan sure looked a lot better than 90% of the other QBs. Jake, Rogers, Cutler, Orton, Leinhart(?) etc. have had problems galore.
Buying the groceries in Miami
September 13th, 2009
9:48 pm
Did the big tuna Parcells show up?..John Abraham slapped Jake Long around pretty darn good.
JSS
September 13th, 2009
9:52 pm
Well you have almost a full off season to game plan this one game and tendencies… So I think it is more than anything else… None of that putting in the game plan on Thursday stuff… What’s your take?
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
9:54 pm
JSS:
I respect your place, man; God Bless.
I also have the utmost respect for real people (not celebrity) like Tony Gonzales. He has been an awesome addition to the Falcons both on the field and off. He has been a guest on several TV and radio programs and has represented the Falcons with honesty and intelligence. I was glad to see his remarkable performance on the field today to back up his respectability as a still all-pro player to go along with the respect he enoys as a person. ( and a beautiful wife, October) We can all, as fans, be proud that he is a Falcon. This could not be said of all Falcon players in the past.
fieldofdreams
September 13th, 2009
9:59 pm
Colts – Falcons Super Bowl.
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
10:01 pm
I don’t think you need a special game plan for carol(ina). Cover Steve Smith and stop the run. Don’t worry about QB, whether Jake or McKown.
On offense, know where JP is. Let carol(ina) worry about our SEVEN offensive weapons (have to count OvieM now!)
Sonny Clusters
September 13th, 2009
10:06 pm
That little three legged dog is still blogging away. Imagine that! We was always pulling that dog’s tail and it was always running into the street. When we was playing ball sometimes we’d let that little three legged dog (we called him Trey because he was stupid) play centerfield. You shoulda seen him getting the ball back in to the infield!
Tech alum
September 13th, 2009
10:09 pm
Had to TiVo the game and just finished watching. That was complete domination. The D played huge and our offense is a machine. Should’ve been 50-7. Bring on Carolina and welcome to Atlanta Tony Gonzalez and Mike Petersen!
Sage of Bluesland
September 13th, 2009
10:14 pm
Folks in Atlanta: Peterson’s performance is precisely how LB play is supposed to look like.
You’re so used to ankle-grabs eight yards downfield (a Brooking specialty), pre- and post-game ‘rah-rah’ interviews with the sheepish media (another Brooking specialty), and the reading of ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ to the kiddies (about all Brooking could do halfway well–and it was OFF the field)…
Looking forward to crabjack#@@joe and his excuses and not-too-subtle racism…His ignorance makes me laugh!
Just think, our good ol’ Hometown Hero was the 2nd highest paid LB in the league last year! What a sad, sad joke. Thank goodness we have a chance as this braintrust weeds out the utter FRAUDS like the rah-rah local-boy-done-good!
Ryan
September 13th, 2009
10:22 pm
OK, we get that you hate Brooking. How about we talk about this year’s Falcons instead?
JSS
September 13th, 2009
10:23 pm
Ed… Do you think Rex Grossman is somewhere laughing his butt off?
I don’t care if Carolina can’t run against anyone in the League, they somehow find a way to gash the Falcons…
As much as people bash certain ex-Falcons, you still had high quality community folks of those dysfunctional team… Dunn, Crumpler (and I still can’t get the hatred of him here) he told the truth about a cancer and liar (Petrino), and Milloy (drunk driving aside)…
JSS
September 13th, 2009
10:30 pm
Ha ha ha ha ha… Sears!!! I guess Favre really cares what Jeff Schultz thinks! That was too funny!
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
10:32 pm
Yeah, Sage:
One line about MP and the rest about Brooking? Let it go, man; unless you have money on the ‘Boys.
BTW, Let’s see: according to you, KB’s faults were:
He is from Georgia
He was paid a lot of money
He reads to children
He gave interviews you didn’t like.
He did not perform to your high standards.
Boy, he sounds like a real jerk to me!
KB may not have always been a great linebacker, but I was always proud he was a Falcon. I can’t say that for all past Falcon players.
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
10:42 pm
Kris P. Creme:
Do you mean “you” personally will miss Grady, or the donut shops will miss Grady?
After Babs play today, Grady who?
Singletary
September 13th, 2009
10:43 pm
The explanation re the defense that I find heartening is from Mike Smith himself. I’m paraphrasing, but the gist is that he & BVG were making players do things in pre-season they didn’t think the players could do, testing them to make the team better. While I’m suspicious he realized that the D was weaker than he thought when he made a phone call to Williams last weekend. However, it was clearly another good decision by Smitroff.
I like Grimes and his motor. I like the new wrinkle where we bring him around the line to pressure/disrupt the QB. I just don’t think the math is there for 5′8″ to beat a 6′4″ WR as we saw with San Diego. I think he could become another Alan Rossum/Tim Dwight speedster on returns, though, with that same disregard for his body and pain. (I don’t think he is Hester or Cribbs, but those two are almost super-human.)
Was Miami’s D Line that good or did our usually “beast” O Line not play up to their usual brutality?
Brendan
September 13th, 2009
10:44 pm
I think Sage’s point was that Brooking ate too much cap for what he brought. And that it got ‘glossed over’ because of the all the other wonderful, off-the-field things that he did. Which I think are admirable, on Brooking’s part. But his salary hurt the Falcons’ chances of ever putting together “back-to-back” winning seasons. Right now, that’s looking pretty good, sans Brooking. I think the Falcons are going to break the string.
Personally, I thank Brooking for his service. I’m happy he got Pro-Bowl recognition. But I am glad he’s gone and been replaced by ‘better.’ I’d never seen a player get so many Monday morning credits for tackles.
45ACP
September 13th, 2009
10:54 pm
Dawgs win, Falcons win, Jackets win.
An excellent weekend for the Georgia teams.
The Braves win also albeit a little too late.
Ed-Covington
September 13th, 2009
11:02 pm
I agree 100%, Brendan. I love MP’s play. But for once, I’d like to see the bloggers praise a present Falcon without having to drag a former Falcon throught the mud. How is that relevant?
As I said, Sage used one line to praise MP, and justifiably so. But then he used the rest of his post to degrade Brooking. Don’t blame Brooking because the media, pundits, front office and bloggers made him out to be superman. He was paid what the league thought he was worth. The Falcons offered the extension voluntarily; he did not hold out or twist their arm. Some of these fans hated him just because he played for Tech or didn’t defend a certain ex-QB when some others did.
JSS
September 13th, 2009
11:03 pm
Singletary, their front 7 is that good (Miami)… especially now that Jason Taylor is back… Porter on the other side… But if you get to two safeties with quality (like Gonzalez showed), you can make some hay…
By the way, your namesake has righted the ship in San Francisco… They did what the Falcons did not do in the playoffs…
Kane337
September 13th, 2009
11:05 pm
AWESOME
PMC
September 13th, 2009
11:14 pm
Where can I buy my #71 Kroy Bierman Jersey?
HERBIE
September 13th, 2009
11:18 pm
mad donna you are slimeball an idiot and dont know football when you see it
JJFalcon4Life
September 13th, 2009
11:20 pm
I HATE to say I told you so, (no I don’t) but I TOLD you guys last week that the defense would be fine after we our first team D was let loose on their QB! Have a little faith. After we get our offense clicking next week against the Panthers, we could be looking at going against the Pats as the 2-0 Falcons, maybe the featured game of the week!
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.
blord
September 14th, 2009
12:00 pm
I thought White had a nice day. He will catch more in weeks to come that I feel confident about. One question thought to you guys that were at the game. On the long pass from Ryan in the first quarter that Ryan missed on (and I agree he was off target) it appeared from the TV angle that the pass only feel a few feet in front of him. It appeared to be catchable if the WR would lay out for the ball. So my question is was it really as close as the cameras made it appear?
blord
September 14th, 2009
12:01 pm
sorry shoudl have proof read… I mean though and fell
JG
September 14th, 2009
12:13 pm
Was anyone else holding their breath in the 1st quarter as we were waiting for the defense to fold? If you weren’t fired up as a Falcon’s fan after that shot by Mike Peterson then you really aren’t much of a fan! I thought Keith Brooking was a great person but he always seemed to tackle 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage without much punishment delivered to the ball carrier. It’s only the first game but the discussions here in Atlanta are much different than in Chicago, TB, NC or Detroit! Go Falcons!
Archangel
September 14th, 2009
12:43 pm
Wouldn’t it be a hoot if the Falcons played the Eagles in the NFC championship and Vick was starting for them?
JIMBOB
September 14th, 2009
1:10 pm
Ed-covington,
The bomb on 3rd and 1 is a horrible call if you don’t have the guts to go for it on 4th. Easterbrook has written in depth on this: the Falcons should have gone for it on 4th. Smith’s background is on defense, and this playcalling showed it.
This team is loaded with weapons and unless deep in their own territory, should mostly go for it on 4th and one.
Mind you, the D played great, there were flashes of some brilliant offense, but that series was a serious dud.
Chris
September 14th, 2009
1:24 pm
I don’t know why people are getting on Roddy. Yeah he didnt have a 100 yards but did you see the blocking he did. He made a great block and a key block on the Gonzalez TD.
Bullseye
September 14th, 2009
1:34 pm
The people who get upset with White’s performance are the nerds who started him in their fantasy league.
Constantine
September 14th, 2009
2:51 pm
Hey Morten Andersen, there’s a phone call from a “Mr. Dimitroff” for ya…
curtis
September 14th, 2009
3:37 pm
wheres falconsorry and bad news now lmao.abrhams a stud, he ran right over miamis all pro lt…great game
Ode At Halftime
September 14th, 2009
4:14 pm
ODE AT HALFTIME
Gonzo you are thrilling me.
Elam you are killing me.
Falcon run game’s kinda slumping.
Defense though has my heart thumping.
Abe, Peterson, Biermann, BEASTS
Knock those ‘Phins right outa their cleats
Total Falcon Domination.
Super Bowl our Destination!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DamYankee
September 14th, 2009
5:34 pm
Reading this blog late but pleasantly surprised at the level of comment/debate – as opposed to the UGA/Jello Yackets moronic bloggers. Jeff, I feel sorry for you if you have to read through all the BS on the Saturday blogs. Peterson is a freakin’ monster, Gonzalez is a true pro who can do it all, run routes, catch the ball AND block! Things are looking a whole lot brighter!
Alan
September 14th, 2009
6:08 pm
GO FALCONS-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dave
September 14th, 2009
9:10 pm
without the 4 turnovers this was a lot closer than it looked. no running game and ryan missed open ricevers all day. miami was flat and made us look better than we are