Something in Falcons’ season has gone horribly wrong
The look on Matt Ryan's face speaks volumes about his toe injury -- and the Falcons' season. (AP photo)
FLOWERY BRANCH – Mike Smith admits he doesn’t play poker. So when the Falcons’ coach said Monday, “You have to deal with the hand that you’re dealt,” he chose not to expand on that thought with, “Do I have to ante twice for new cards, or is this where I bluff?”
The Falcons went 11-5 last season. What went wrong? They added Tony Gonzalez and Mike Peterson and Peria Jerry to a team that went to the playoffs with a rookie quarterback who only figured to get better in season two. What happened? Are twos, fours and sixes wild? Because if so, they’ll be fine.
The Philadelphia Eagles and a well-known second-string quarterback come to the Georgia Dome Sunday. This game conceivably could determine the Falcons’ playoff fate. But they will be missing their starting quarterback (Matt Ryan) and almost certainly their starting running back (Michael Turner) and maybe a few others, because that’s how this season has unraveled.
Referring to Chris Redman, Ryan’s replacement, Smith said, “I don’t anticipate there’s going to be a significant dropoff in the effectiveness of our offense.”
And then he rode off on his Unicorn.
There are two ways to spin the Falcons’ season: 1) They’re 6-5 with five games left, three against losing teams, and therefore still in the thick of the NFC wild card race; or 2) They required a last-second touchdown to defeat arguably the worst team in football, the 1-10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they played their first home game in three weeks Sunday before over 15,000 empty seats in the Georgia Dome.
In other words, they’re average, they’re desperate and the bandwagon still has plenty of room to stretch out and recline.
Were we so wrong about the possibilities with this team? Or did injuries simply wreck the season before things could get going?
Harry Douglas, the No. 3 receiver, punt returner and speed burner, suffered a torn knee ligament in the first week of training camp. There also have been season-ending injuries to the No. 1 pick (defensive tackle Peria Jerry), the No. 2 pick (safety William Moore) and the replacement veteran cornerback (Brian Williams). Running backs Turner (one and a half games) and Jerious Norwood (six games) also have missed time, making Jason Snelling relevant, which was neither the plan nor the desire.
John Abraham is invisible. Jason Elam may soon be.
This season was supposed to be special. It’s not. The Falcons’ playoff fortunes now rest on the arm of a guy who was selling insurance three years ago and the legs of the 244th pick in the NFL draft. Not Matt Ryan, who is out at least this week with turf toe. Not Michael Turner, who aggravated a high ankle sprain. Neither chose quick-healing injuries.
Last season, nobody expected much. But after a 4-3 start, the Falcons won consecutive games against Oakland and New Orleans and blasted off. They went 7-2 down the stretch and made the playoffs. It was a needed, post-Michael Vick, post-Bobby Petrino franchise cleansing.
But they’ve never really gotten into a rhythm this season. Even the 4-1 start included hiccups by Ryan and Turner, and certainly the defense. Then came the beat down in Dallas and the loss in New Orleans. The Falcons could’ve survived that. But losing to a mediocre team at Carolina two weeks later left little room for error.
Big problem: They have errors.
When asked about the way things have unfolded, Smith said only: “The big thing is you have to be able to improvise and adjust because the dynamics are changing all the time in this league.”
Dynamics: I believe they call that a euphemism. This hand is dangerously close to over.
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233 comments Add your comment
Matt "Choke" Ryan
November 30th, 2009
7:31 pm
FalconUGAFan
November 30th, 2009
7:23 pm
So Choke. The guy you hated and blamed for ALL the Falcons problems will not be playing this weekend. You stated in one of your posts that you are a Falcons fan, so does that mean you will be rooting for the Falcons now? Great, good to have you on board…..What are your 5 keys to the game?…from a Falcons fan perspective, of course…..
“SHOW me don’t TELL me” what I said on a previous post. I last rooted for the Falcons in 2006 – PERIOD!
I am a fan of 31 NFL teams and the Falcons are not one of them
FalconUGAFan
November 30th, 2009
7:36 pm
As I expected. All lies exposed or a sad little person. Your life is pretty sad if you spend all your time on a blog for a team you don’t care for…
reality
November 30th, 2009
7:40 pm
Well, at least ‘choke’ has finally admitted here to being the bigot that he clearly is….
junebaby
November 30th, 2009
7:43 pm
i know the trick, just blame vick! regardless that he hasn’t been with this team in 3 years. it’s still his fault. everything bad, that happens to the falcons is his fault! if michael turner gets hurt, it’s his (vick’s)fault. if j abraham doesn’t get any more sacks, it’s vick’s fault! if ryan throws for 400 yrds, he’s a hero(anti vick), if he throws 40 int.s it’s vick’s fault. if the offensive line gives up sacks, it’s vick’s fault that ryan can’t run to avoid sacks. if there are issues in the kicking game, it’s all on vick. OH don’t blame the coaches or the g.m. for not getting more from the guys on the field, it’s vick’s fault. it happened 4 years ago, but we all know it’s his fault. if the falcons don’t have a winning season, oh i know, we’ll blame it on vick. HOW LONG ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BLAME IT ALL ON VICK????
i know he’s a big man with broad shoulders, and can take all the crap, certain fans and writers want to dump on him. but i’m sure he would love to know how long he is supposed to shoulder all the blame for a team that has never had any +seasonal win streaks
U-no
November 30th, 2009
7:44 pm
Choke is a joke… go whine on some other blog.
Our offensive line needs to improve. As much as I like Elam, he needs to go. We need to get some CB’s that are play makers and are faster and bigger. Injuries took away any advantage we would have had on defense early on, and now have taken away any advantage we still had at this point in the season.
We can still make the playoffs, but I am in agreement with many others as to what will make me happy. Break the back to back curse and then get some good trades and drafts in the off season.
Go Falcons!
reality
November 30th, 2009
7:46 pm
What the hell are you talking about Junebaby? Are you really as stupid as your above post or you just putting us on here for effect? I’d like to think it was the latter, but I don’t think you are smart of enough to come up with such a tactic.
FalconUGAFan
November 30th, 2009
7:47 pm
What are you talking about, Junebug? No one is blaming Vick. He is long gone. Good luck to him, hope he does well in life. I truly wished it had worked out with him. He was a raw QB that just neeed the right circumstances to develop in. It didn’t happen, he has moved on, so should we.
FalconUGAFan
November 30th, 2009
7:47 pm
What are you talking about, Junebug? No one is blaming Vick. He is long gone. Good luck to him, hope he does well in life. I truly wished it had worked out with him. He was a raw QB that just neeed the right circumstances to develop in. It didn’t happen, he has moved on, so should we.
FalconUGAFan
November 30th, 2009
7:48 pm
sorry cat caused double post
Alan
November 30th, 2009
8:01 pm
There are alot of idiots on this page, don’t respond to MCR and he will go away, he is only looking for an audience because he has no football smarts.
Dawgs2009
November 30th, 2009
8:03 pm
Matt “Choke” Ryan = Saint Simmons
dentaldawg
November 30th, 2009
8:07 pm
When you go to bed tonight ask Paul Johnson what he thinks, then you two can snuggle.
junebaby
November 30th, 2009
8:09 pm
@reality…, i see you found my post in a hot sec. and blasted me! why don’t u do the same for the racists comments i’ve seen directed at m.vick for the last 3-4 years. right, i already know those posters have you full backing! yes, i post these comments to see what responses i’ll get, and how long it’ll take to get them. i already know i’ll get surefire responses from “those people”, but it’s the people who try and play like it’s all fair, and that they have any biasis aghainst certain players. the first thing they always do is to attack me, but never any of the most blatant racists. it’s an experiment, so to say, and i plan on keeping count.
Greg
November 30th, 2009
8:10 pm
Dimitroff has never impressed me (although he is evidently much impressed with himself), and this, of course, calls into question Arthur Blank’s judgment. D. is supposed to be such a great judge of talent. But we paid gazillions for Ryan. How much better than Schaub is he? Is he better at all? Is he better than Flacco? Josh Freeman? Not so far as I can see. After paying huge sums for Ryan and Jerry, we now skimp on everything else, trying to do everything on the cheap, picking up other teams’ rejects. We have some great assistant coaches, but there’s only so much they can do with our talent. Frankly, we’re an average team at best in today’s NFL. 7-9 is not improbable, 8-8 is likely. Here’s some pure heresy: I’m not even sold on Smitty as a great coach. We throw away a lot of plays on offense (biggest error that the Birds keep repeating: we throw a six yard completion on 3rd and nine and get tackled—punt time). Van Gorder has yet to prove he is a capable defensive coordinator. I’m not as hopeful as some that we can turn this around in a year or two. I’m not at all sure we have the necessary talent at the top.
Angus
November 30th, 2009
8:12 pm
I’ve been to every game but one…….
- It’s a boooorrrrring brand of football we’re playing
- We’re good at a few positions, bad at too many, but only great at one (Tony G – dude knows how to beat a zone – RW & MJ should watch some of his film).
- Douglas’ injury took away our quickness (watch Wes Welker tonight).
- Roddy’s hold-out didn’t help and overpaying like we did won’t help in the future.
- Trading all our vets on D was a gamble we’re paying for right now.
- This year’s draft class has contributed absolutely nothing.
All in all, we’re only a game or two worse than I expected (hello Jason Elam) – the future’s still bright.
Bravissimo
November 30th, 2009
8:12 pm
I am a fan of 31 NFL teams and the Falcons are not one of them ….Then WHY in gods name are you here?
Eagles Message Board
November 30th, 2009
8:15 pm
“It makes absolutely no sense. All it does is disrupt the flow of the game. I wish Lurie would tell Reid to knock it off. Give Vick a clipboard and make Kolb the second stringer.”
Najeh Davenpoop
November 30th, 2009
8:18 pm
They suffered a lot more injuries this year and didn’t have the benefit of playing four of the league’s five worst teams like they did last year. It’s that simple.
Mixxo
November 30th, 2009
8:20 pm
I got my Xmas present early! matty “ice” is riding the pine for perhaps the rest of the year!!!
Yea baby!
This isn’t even a .500 team. Horrible, horrible football team.
Failed Season
November 30th, 2009
8:27 pm
How did matt ryan get worse this year, with a better supporting cast???? No playoffs, maybe not even a .500 season. What happened???
Babalu
November 30th, 2009
8:28 pm
OK… so this is like a great blog and everything, but the AJC has so much more insight to offer…check out the photo essay of victoria’s Secret Model Boot Camp. I learned a lot… and i know many of us who blog here regularly are really into interior design… so just check out the photos of last week’s feature privat quarters feature house house , in particular the close up of the butterfly… Now that is journalism at its best… the link is:
http://projects.ajchomefinder.com/gallery/view/homes/private-quarters/classic/pq-mann-1125/
Man is local news great or what.
tyler
November 30th, 2009
8:30 pm
I understand the increasing list of injured players on the team, but Tampa Bay, really?! The Falcons need to play with more INTENSITY. Let’s face it these last five games are pretty much play-off games and if the Falcons don’t realize this they’ll go nowhere.
WHERE’S THE BLITZING?!?!?!?!? Every other team seems to be putting pressure on the opposing q-b except us. When you let the q-b have all day in the pocket, he’s going to burn us downfield becuase of our horrible secondary. On 3rd and long, instead of rushing 3 and hoping against a long pass (which happens a lot by the way) BLITZ!!!!!
D.Ellis
November 30th, 2009
8:35 pm
The injury bug hits all teams. However it has hit the Falcons real hard this year.
-1rst and 2nd round pick out for the year-1 starter
-Harry Douglas ( Starting slot WR/PR/KR)
-BRain Finneran, veteran 3rd/4th WR
-Matt Rayn-Starting QB
-Maichael Turner-Starting RB
-J. Norwood-2nd RB/KR
-Brain Williams-Starting CB
-S. Baker-Starting LT
Among others. Like I said it happens but thats alot of freakin juice on the offensive side of the ball to be missing…..I don’t care what anyone says.
And to answer the statemwnt earlier that the Falcons have “1rst round offensive linemen”……that is a flase statement.
Clabo-undrafted free agent
Dahl-undrafted free agent
Blalock-2nd round pick
Baker-only 1rst round pick of the bunch….so that would be “1rst round offensive limeMAN” not “lineMEN”
Still though it;s the NFL and you gotta find ways to win games….which is exactly what this team did on Sunday. But the injury bug is bitin the offense HARD
D.Ellis
November 30th, 2009
8:39 pm
Tyler-I agree with your statement on the blitzing. Jsut my opinion though is the D-back field is very weak and alot of blitzing only leaves them that much more exposed if they don’t get to the QB with the blitz. Jsut my thought as an arm chair QB
Billy Bob
November 30th, 2009
8:40 pm
It is just a game. Too many people are entirely wrapped up in what is said here. Opinions are like butt holes, everybody has one. I enjoy the statement like dump someone and get someone else like you can find a “corner” at walmart, isle 12. 32 teams in the nfl, everyone is looking for someone to fill a weak position. Only so many people to go around. To win in the nfl part of it is just luck. Luck wasn’t it the cards this year, plain and simple. Falcons a great team, not hardly but compared with the last 30 years they are respectable, even when they loose.
Harpie
November 30th, 2009
8:41 pm
Jeff, you fit perfectly in Atlanta – Atlanta sports teams always cry and make excuses, instead of strapping up and playing their butts off, like REAL teams do. All football teams have injuries, it’s part of the game. Redman is a pretty good quarterback, we have other good runners besides Turner. They can still have a decent season – IF THEY DON’T FOLD ( like they have many times in the past ). Go Falcons – have some balls!
Vick Supporter
November 30th, 2009
8:45 pm
The Great Mike Vick Has Returned.
He’s going to break a big play against the Falcons. Guranteed
Vick Supporter
November 30th, 2009
8:47 pm
Matt Ryan = Overated
TheAntiMe
November 30th, 2009
9:00 pm
I love the Falcons but it’s been over, Jeff, since the loss at NY to the Giants. Even without the injuries last week there are just too many teams that the Falcons have to pass in the standings to reasonably expect to make it to the playoffs.
The good news, however, is that I do believe that they will get that other 800 lb. gorilla off of their backs by finishing above the .500 mark this season.
pilgrim
November 30th, 2009
9:01 pm
The Giants went all out on QB pressure and TB copied them. Redman handled it well despite taking the hits. Expect the same from Philadelphia.
Philadelphia has tormented the Falcons in the past with their screen plays. Look for the Redman to try something similar with Norwood.
With all the troubles the team has had this year (unbelievable!), I see improvement over past Falcons teams in how this one is handling it. Hope the fans hang in there.
How ironic, considering certain bloggers, that we won’t see Ryan vs. Vick!
Matt "Choke" Ryan
November 30th, 2009
9:05 pm
Isn’t it Ironic that “YOU” people hated Vick being a mobile qb, saying he will get hurt, but the CHOKE is the one that may have a career ending injury, if it is in fact an injury, which I believe he just a FAKING PUNK BIATCH.
However, if he is injured and end ups being a career ending injury, not that he really had a career other than being a PICK MACHINE, it would destroy the salary cap with all that guarantee money he STOLE he will set the Falcons back 5 years before they can offer another monster contract.
Damn – I know Art Blank is mad as hell
“DUMP THE CHUMP”
Atlien
November 30th, 2009
9:08 pm
Well at least the Dome will be filled to capacity for a game this season. That’s a positive, right??
Matt "Choke" Ryan
November 30th, 2009
9:12 pm
There is good news – they will be home for the Christmas & New Years holidays
Todays Special: Grandma CHOKE pot pie – eat up boys while it’s hot
Asheville Dawg
November 30th, 2009
9:16 pm
Well Jeff I hate to be an “I told you so”, but now that Ryan and Turner are out hurt (as I predicted) the Falcons are shot. No back to back winning seasons, a 7-9 season is looming, maybe 8-8, but definitely not a winning season. Just call me the bearer of bad news.
pilgrim
November 30th, 2009
9:26 pm
(Just saw the Yellow Jackets advertised on Australian TV.)
RedandBlack
November 30th, 2009
9:30 pm
Listen folks, anyone who knows anything about football could already tell you that an NFL team can not just replace six starting defensive players from last years’ reserves and this year’s draft and expect the same result as last year with an extremely more difficult schedule this year. This season will be a major success if the Falcons win more games than they lose. It would be a miracle if they could make the playoffs, especially with all of the injuries. If anyone was expecting the Falcons to meet or exceed last year’s performance, then they really do not know anything about football.
T.D. will re-build this team incrementally each year by the draft primarily. Coach Smith is a super coach and works well with the players, management, and owners. The Falcons need more talent and size on the defense and they need a better offensive line less injury prone players on offense.
Give the Falcons two more years and then we all will see a team similar to this year’s New Orleans and Indianapolis teams. Yes, the Falcons can get that good. But it takes time, folks. Look at the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Falcons finally have the right ownership, management, and coaches. The right players will come too. Go Falcons!!
MarkTwain
November 30th, 2009
9:32 pm
Falconian and Tech Buzz- For a while I was starting to think I was the only Falcon fan who realizes what a poor effort this kid mails in. Forget the injuries, he plays like his testicals have yet to descend. My only complaint with Dahl and Clabo this year is that they haven’t stomped Baker’s guts in for taking plays off and not finishing blocks. Yeah, the fans notice that stuff. Clabo and Dahl ain’t perfect, but they bust ass for 6 seconds every time and get paid half what they are worth.
56 Supporter
November 30th, 2009
9:33 pm
It is funny——–OR NOT that you reverse racists ran Brooking out of town and EVERYONE in Dallas is indicating KEITH IS A MAJOR REASON FOR THIER SEASON.
Navigator
November 30th, 2009
9:35 pm
Does anyone realize that Jason Elam is directly responsible for taking the Falcons out of two games and almost a third one. How can the Falcons continue to use him when he’s barely over 60%, and has choked in several big game situations. The next two are most obvious, no pass rush, inability to stop the rush, the offensive line is offensive to the Team, the fans, and the city. They need an overhaul on both lines to get the Falcons back to 11 wins. Last year the Falcons had a running team, and Ryan filled in with his passes, but this year it’s Ryan’s passes and filling with the run.
Vick Supporter
November 30th, 2009
9:39 pm
Its gonna be a full house at the dome on Sunday, and I will be there. the only game i’ve attended. The falcosn are just not worth watching in person….unless Vick is there,lol
Vick will shine again
reality
November 30th, 2009
9:45 pm
I love the revisionist history you read on this blog. You would of thought that we had won, or even played in, a super bowl during the years from 2002 – 2006. What we had was a team that was completely one dimensional and easily shut down whenever it went up against a defense that was in the top 12 in the league. Whenever the Falcons went up against the top defenses of those years, they were completely rendered impotent, which is something ‘chokesondick’ can relate to.
On top of that, from 2005 – 2006 the Falcons had an awesome record of 15 – 17, including an amazing mark of 9 – 15 from the last half of 2005 through all of 2006. Yeah, it’s clear that we need to bring back the main cog of those teams to raise us up to the next level.
eric
November 30th, 2009
9:46 pm
“Choke” has got to be the single dumbest human being on the planet. If you really think that Mike Smith would have Matt Ryan, the future of the franchise, fake an injury to let a former insurance salesman start the most important game of our season then there just is no reason to EVER take you seriously again (not that I ever really did anyway). You are such a moron that it is at least entertaining to see what idiotic thing you are going to say next….
JV
November 30th, 2009
9:46 pm
Hyperbolic headline. 1999 was a season gone horribly wrong. This one just hasn’t gone as well as we hoped, and it can still turn out well, though I don’t see the Falcons making any noise in the playoffs if they happen to get there.
The future is bright.
Noodle Feet Rules
November 30th, 2009
9:52 pm
Thank you Navigator,, your the first person on this blog to make any sense
Noodle Feet Rules
November 30th, 2009
9:53 pm
Enter your comments here
reality
November 30th, 2009
9:55 pm
Yeah, he’s really shining again…
His 3 completions for 9 yards and 65 yards of rushing on 15 attempts on the season are truly amazing! That’s what I call a big time difference maker!
The fact is that Jason Snelling is a bigger difference maker now then you know who….
Noodle Feet Rules
November 30th, 2009
9:55 pm
Choke, Kiss our Falcon —
falcon
November 30th, 2009
9:55 pm
uhhh Jeff……how about the injuries to Westbrook and Jackson? How about the Eagle’s loss to the lowly Raiders a few weeks ago? Despite all your gloom and doom we will still convene at the Dome on Sunday and take care of business.
Noodle Feet Rules
November 30th, 2009
9:56 pm
By the way,, Keith Brooking sux
Jay
November 30th, 2009
10:04 pm
There is a reason they have so many empty seats for Falcons games. They’re VERY boring. They never throw deep, Turner hasnt been breaking nearly as many runs, Norwood is either hurt or riding the bench (despite the coaches saying year after year that they’ll use him more). I also noticed that Jenkins almost never gets any yards after catch. So unless Roddy is making a catch, nothing really happens on offense.
Add to it that our defense rarely gets sacks and turnovers, and gives up a lot of yards and…we just have a very boring team.