Forget loss — defense proves Falcons ready for playoffs
John Abraham has 13 sacks (and added an interception Monday) to lead Falcons' defense.
FLOWERY BRANCH – For the first time in more than 10 weeks, it was the day after a Falcons’ loss Tuesday.
Cleansing breath.
Who knew this season would bring about such an adjustment period?
As you look to get grounded again, here’s your focal point: A three-point loss to the defending Super Bowl champions who probably were just a little more desperate for a victory probably doesn’t constitute a collapse. Nor does it alter the power structure in the NFL’s playoff field. As coach Mike Smith said again Tuesday, the day after a 17-14 loss to New Orleans: “There’s 15 other teams [in the NFC] who would love to trade places with us,” and I think we can assume that includes the next opponent, Carolina (2-13).
Truth is, we know now pretty much what we knew before Monday’s loss. The Falcons and Saints are dead even. It’s not bad to be dead even with the defending champions. Also, Philadelphia, Chicago, Green Bay are all conference threats to get to the Super Bowl — not a revelation. And in games when Michael Turner (2.8 yards per carry) can’t run, the Falcons’ offense tends to shut down.
But the loss to the Saints wasn’t a horrible sign for the future. The Falcons can still achieve all of their regular-season goals — NFC South title, first-round bye, No. 1 seed — just by beating Carolina, and that game plan usually entails little more than having a pulse.
In fact, notwithstanding Smith’s position that “nothing good ever comes from losing,” there were some fairly significant positives. Some of the areas that we questioned about this team might have been answered, particularly on defense. Offense was a problem Monday, but occasional criticism of offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey notwithstanding, scoring generally hasn’t been the problem this season (the Falcons are fifth in points: 25.5).
Sounds strange. But I feel better about this team now than I did before the New Orleans game.
Consider:
– Despite the Saints’ 90-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes Monday, the Falcons’ secondary has been strong. They make plays. Pass defense figured to be an issue this season. But with the meteoric rise of Brent Grimes and the short learning curve of safety William Moore, it’s now a strength. Surprisingly, the biggest question mark is $57 million cornerback Dunta Robinson. Here’s your stat of the year: Four linemen — John Abraham, Chauncey Davis, Jonathan Babineaux, Kroy Biermann — each have more interceptions (1) than Robinson (0). (Smith said Robinson is “coming along” after missing training camp with a hamstring strain. Can you still be “coming along” in Week 16?)
– The pass rush pressured New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees all game (though he was sacked only once because of eight missed opportunities, when pass rushers overran him). Abraham and Babineaux in particular have been strong. Abraham has 13 sacks, the second-highest total of his career. There is no better sign for the Falcons’ postseason fortunes than Abraham.
– Monday’s game was extremely winnable. Two Falcons fumbles led to one New Orleans touchdown and prevented an Atlanta touchdown. Michael Jenkins dropped a touchdown pass (albeit, drawing a pass-interference penalty in process).
Finally, there was the decision of coach Mike Smith to punt on fourth-and-six with 2:52 left, leading to the Saints running out the clock. Smith didn’t second-guess himself on that Tuesday, though he acknowledged that the Falcons’ defense (which allowed the Saints to get two first downs and run out the clock) might have been fatigued in that 90-yard drive: “We ended up playing 75 snaps on defense, and that’s a lot of snaps. In the average game, you’re playing 60.”
Some skeptics believed the Saints would expose the Falcons. They didn’t. Monday’s loss changes nothing. This team looks ready to take the next step.
Just don’t lose to Carolina.
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408 comments Add your comment
FACTS
December 28th, 2010
9:22 pm
Grimes jersery is displayed at the HOF LOL
FACTS
December 28th, 2010
9:22 pm
Enter your comments here
Archie
December 28th, 2010
9:25 pm
@Jack in Macon-
You can’t judge a DB’s effectiveness by how close he is to an open receiver when he catches the ball. You judge by how completions they allow compared to the number of times their receiver is targeted. Also, we don’t know what the coverage was. It could’ve been a zone coverage where he’s supposed to be 8 to 10 yards away.
Stevie B
December 28th, 2010
9:25 pm
FACTS—Wasn’t Dunte supposed to be our “big free-agent” acquisition this year. The whole defense has out performed Dunte including Grimes. And for Hall, we all know why he is gone and it wasnt because he was a big free-agent that wouldnt play in Atlanta. Maybe if Hall would have put that jock strap in his mouth he would still be here.
Facts is Facts
December 28th, 2010
9:27 pm
I’m not mad at Grimes. He holds his own. He made himself known around the league this year. He was literally under the radar. Another good performance next year and he will be a pro bowler. Having said that he still doesn’t strike fear in the top tier receivers in the league.
Jeff Schultz
December 28th, 2010
9:28 pm
JSS — Guilty as charged (on Grimes).
BirdDawg24
December 28th, 2010
9:29 pm
like i said yesterday, the saints would stop the running game,they did, score early and often ,we didnt. passing game and special teams would have to pick up the slack they didnt,no turnovers,we did, brees would eventually take advantage of defense,he did… the only reason the saints score wasnt higher was because the birds blitzed almost everyplay but eventually a good team is gonna make adjustments, new orleans did.and dont think carolina wouldnt like to come in here and spoil the party.
whodat70816
December 28th, 2010
9:29 pm
LMAO @ Jeff….
I’ll admit I’m a little bit of a bozo….
I’ll also admit I love reading your blogs…they make me laugh. You are a master at taking lemons and making lemonade….Isn’t that what cheerleaders do?
Jeff Schultz
December 28th, 2010
9:29 pm
JSS and others (on D-Hall): It’s amazing what happens when a guy with talent actually decided to play hard.
extremus
December 28th, 2010
9:30 pm
The defense did indeed play very well, but they were also on the field FAR too much. My concern is that they probably can’t sustain that level of intensity for that many minutes; this team NEEDS to control the clock to win. And that falls on the offense; if Turner isn’t getting the job done, then at least mix up the looks or get an extra back behind Ryan add trick plays and keep defenses off-balance.
There does at times seem to be a clear discrepancy between the defensive improvements we’re seeing week after week and the offense, which never really has found its stride. At least some of that comes down to the offensive playcalling; having Turner or anyone else run a draw play into the stacks the Saints constantly had waiting in the middle is useless, and it yielded the game’s biggest turnover (and likely the deciding play of the game) at the goal line. And I’ve NEVER liked those quick passes to receivers still standing behind the line of scrimmage; they almost never turn out for positive yards. It’s clear that while White, Gonzalez, and Jenkins are all capable receivers, they’re just not enough by themselves to be able to expect too many deep plays; the Falcons are short at least one good wide receiver opposite White to spread out opposing defenses. Ryan is establishing himself as one of the better QBs in the NFL, but simply put Rome wasn’t built in a day; he still needs more weapons to go to.
The Falcons as constituted remind me of the Braves of the early ’90s (pre-Maddux): good enough to contend for a title, but by no means a shoe-in to dominate anybody. Hopefully they’ll still be good enough to win the Superbowl this year, but if not it will be interesting to see if they can put in the final pieces for that dominant team we’re still waiting for before Gonzalez and others start leaving or retiring.
Stevie B
December 28th, 2010
9:31 pm
Jeff—-That is where the rubber meets the road!!
SWAT Native
December 28th, 2010
9:31 pm
I’m happy for all the Falcons selected to the Pro Bowl, but especially Ovie. I think he’s the most underrated player on their team. As for Grimey, i watched the Pro Bowl analysis on NFLTV, and they listed him as being one of the players they were most surprised to see not named. That’s a long way from preseason, when many fans may have been surprised to see him make the Falcons.
I also think there is something to the Falcons having a vanilla offensive game plan last night knowing they might see the Saints again in a few weeks.
Finally, I know a lot of Saints fans lke to talk junk on our boards, but I was shocked last night to be approached by some Saints fans after the game saying that it was a tough loss, the Falcons have a great team, we’ll see you again in the playoffs, and remember that our team lost three at the end of the year on the way to winning the Superbowl.
Facts is Facts
December 28th, 2010
9:33 pm
Oh well, look at it this way Falcon fans, at least you’re talking about meaningful football in late December.
Hurt Kurbstreit
December 28th, 2010
9:33 pm
I don’t feel better after the loss, I’m still feeling the pain. But I was impressed with the defense last night. They did their job. From my perspective, Malarky got out schemed by the NO defensive coordinator last night. Saints took what the Falcon’s D gave them, which was the short and mid range passes. The Falcons should have taken the same from the Saints instead of continuing to try to run Turner when the run game was not there. But hey, just take care of the Panthers next week and all is good.
Hit A Single
December 28th, 2010
9:35 pm
Double Pass Interference – Still under futher review! 25 hours and still counting.
Saints LSU
December 28th, 2010
9:35 pm
you guys keep saying the saints have to come back to the Georgia Dome you mite see MV7 Before you see the saints you don’t want to face the saints are MV7
Stevie B
December 28th, 2010
9:38 pm
Speaking of MV7. Can’t wait to see this Pro Bowl game. See if MV7 can hit any of our recievers or if he will just overthrough them like the days of old.
Hurt Kurbstreit
December 28th, 2010
9:38 pm
Yeah, the double pass interference was a terrible call and a big one against the Falcons.
Michael Pick
December 28th, 2010
9:41 pm
Man that ball is slippery tonight.
Nick Tetley
December 28th, 2010
9:42 pm
The Falcons are a good team. But not a great team like the Saints. The Saints lost aganst weaker teams, every team lays it all on the line to beat the Superbowl CHAMPS! The Falcon had the ball bounce their way in a couple of games( Saints, Bengals, 49ers, Packers) When you get home field you better finish. remember its THE SUPERBOWL CHAMPION SAINTS. not the Saints. CYA in the play off!!
juice sourcer
December 28th, 2010
9:45 pm
Agree 100%. Just don’t punt the damn ball with 2 mimutes to go. Play to win.
JSS
December 28th, 2010
9:48 pm
“JSS all I remember is people talking about how small Grimes is. Was that the trash talking?”
If you go back into the Falcons Blog during the ‘09 off-season. Very unkind things were directed at Grimes, the more unsightly ones were removed by Ledbetter… They weren’t just talking about his height… Here’s one that was mild enough not be deleted…
“Rico March 9th, 2009 10:12 am I’m not too sold on the likes of Brent Grimes”
Say what you like about the old GM and his regime, the mistake they made with Jimmy Williams has been nullified by the diamond they found in Grimes and how they actually used NFL Europe to actually develop a player. Heaven knows I wish Dominque Franks had that kind of outlet…
Gen Neyland
December 28th, 2010
9:54 pm
“Just don’t lose to Carolina”. Agreed, but I’d say at this point, “Just don’t lose again this season.”…
JSS
December 28th, 2010
9:56 pm
To paraphrase Rick James: “Nyquil is a hell of a drug!” I take no credit for the misspelled words, wrong use of phrase tonight… So bang away if you like!
BirdDawg24
December 28th, 2010
9:56 pm
i wonder if vick will give the pro bowl attendees the finger. like he did our fans.im glad he’s not here .
Stevie B
December 28th, 2010
9:57 pm
JSS—I am on the Ambien run tonight.
JSS
December 28th, 2010
10:01 pm
@ Stevie B…
Playa, let somebody else make the run… You don’t want to be like Tiger!
JSS
December 28th, 2010
10:02 pm
I rarely partake in medication, but I have concert to see tomorrow night, and I’m not missing it!
Katrina says...........
December 28th, 2010
10:02 pm
A former Rick James protege now joins him in eternal life, Blue eye Soul Sister Teena Marie.
Stevie B
December 28th, 2010
10:03 pm
No worries. My wife is already passed out. I am not far behind her. Made the run to the bathroom a minute ago and lost my balance. Now that is one hell of a drug!
BirdDawg24
December 28th, 2010
10:04 pm
nfl.com said drew brees heroics won the game. what did he do climb the goalpost and save a kitten while dodgeing the falcons blitz…. heroics , really, dude was just trying to get rid of the ball before falcons almost sacked him with a missed tackle.
FrontRow
December 28th, 2010
10:06 pm
@whodat70816 &Saints#1_Fan – It was the Saints that benefitted from the (only) 8 penalties. No offsides, are you kidding me?
The looks on the Saints fan’s faces after that one was priceless.
Stevie B
December 28th, 2010
10:07 pm
Better get back on Topic.. lets see
1. Mike Vick still can’t throw the ball to a wide open reciever.
2. DeAngello hall lets rookies carry his jock strap.
3. Saints arent as good as their fans think they are.
And Jeff’s topic was
4. Falcons D ready for playoffs
JSS
December 28th, 2010
10:09 pm
@ Extremus…
“but if not it will be interesting to see if they can put in the final pieces for that dominant team we’re still waiting for before Gonzalez and others start leaving or retiring.”
Man, if they have a lockout, all bets are off! That 82 Strike was the death knelll of the Falcons of the early 80’s…
FrontRow
December 28th, 2010
10:15 pm
And the rest of you Saints fans keep in mind – the game was saved by Drew Brees making a tackle on John Abraham. Great play or the game is 21-10.
Now I’m not gonna call that lucky like you whiners have all year. It’s a great play but do you really want to stack your chances on your best player having to tackle d-linemen?
Ditto on everything Jeff. I really enjoyed leaving the game last night and reminding all the over-celebrating (again) Saint’s fans that they were celebrating locking up second place.
BirdDawg24
December 28th, 2010
10:16 pm
the falcons defense does not put fear in the hearts of any team. they r average, not really good, average. why do u think they blitzed so much last night ? to cover the secondary , mike smith knew brees and wide reciever core would burn the secondary if he didnt put serious pressure on him, secondary has been a issue and may cost falcons a trip to the superbowl.
Katrina says...........
December 28th, 2010
10:16 pm
Who’s playing in the Chick-fila Bowl ?!
JasonB
December 28th, 2010
10:16 pm
Based on my observations of the game, and the terrible offensive play calling, i got the impression that Atlanta didn’t really care about winning the game. The defense was OUTSTANDING to say the least, but NO’s receivers were causing matchup problems considering our safeties were playing alot of man coverage on them. In regards to offense, that was some of the worst offensive play calling i have ever seen! The falcons were so predictable on first down that NO would put 8 and 9 in the box over and over again…i was sick of it after the first quarter, yet the falcons made no adjustments and continued to accept small gains….how could it be any more obvious that they needed to pass when you have receivers uncovered down the field????? Had it not been for the defensive touchdown and their great play….it would have been a blowout….Hey offensive coordinator!! get it together or go home!!
Michael Pick
December 28th, 2010
10:19 pm
Enter your comments here
JSS
December 28th, 2010
10:22 pm
@ Jason…
Matt Ryan can change the play! He doesn’t have to wait for the hurry-up… He’s got to get you out of a bad play…
Pudwacker
December 28th, 2010
10:23 pm
Good bye #2 seed Philly. Vick sure hasn’t looked good recently.
Karma baby!
BLUE
December 28th, 2010
10:27 pm
The Philadelphia Mike Vick has turned into the Atlanta Mike Vick. Suddenly he can’t recognize blitzes or read coverages
Mr Charlie
December 28th, 2010
10:28 pm
Yea, other than the one quarter where the Giants melted down, Eagles have looked quite feeble. As as we saw what the Giants did yesterday…..Hardly seeing the Eagles being the best in the NFL….Vick should have 4 ints, and now a fumble. He is a weapon alright.
Michael Pick
December 28th, 2010
10:28 pm
Man that ball is slick
Mr Charlie
December 28th, 2010
10:30 pm
Blue, it is ATL MV. Plus he is fumbling. I guess now that he started having success he is starting to hang with the homies instead of studying tape.
JSS
December 28th, 2010
10:30 pm
You actually want Philly as a 2 seed, the later you see them the better…
Mr Charlie
December 28th, 2010
10:30 pm
Eagles getting schooled by Vikes! LOL.
BLUE
December 28th, 2010
10:31 pm
Mr. Charlie you may have a point
BirdDawg24
December 28th, 2010
10:32 pm
yeah the headlines on the front page after the superbowl will read ‘falcons defense gives up ‘outstanding’ last second 99 yd td pass from tom brady to gradakowski . ” falcons defense throws everything but the kitchen sink at brady, but get the toaster back.. ‘
Mr Charlie
December 28th, 2010
10:33 pm
Actually, from what I have seen from the Eagles lately….I want to play them as soon as we can. Sure they pulled it out against the Giants, but we saw what the Giants were yesterday. Now they are getting schooled by the Vikes with a Rookie QB, not exactly like getting beat by the defending superbowl champs.