‘Explosive’ Falcons just opened season with a dud
What do they say about a picture telling a story? This one of Matt Ryan explains Falcons' day.
CHICAGO – When the Falcons said they wanted to get more explosive this season, did they mean like Wile E. Coyote explosive?
They said the intent was to open up the offense. Stretch defenses. They said they wanted to get more aggressive on defense. Pressure opposing quarterbacks. Let it fly, baby. Light the fuse. Problem is, when you don’t follow your own directions, it’s easy to inadvertently wire your big toe to the ACME dynamite kit. Then when you push the plunger on the season opener . . .
Boom!
The Falcons opened the season Sunday. Three hours later, all the remained was a pile of ashes.
Chicago Bears 30, Falcons 12. How’s that for your potential Super Bowl team? Instead of giving you a reason to forget their 48-21 playoff loss to Green Bay last January, the Falcons succeeded only in extending the hangover. They have been outscored in their last two games by 45 points.
And about that 0-4 record in the preseason. Maybe it’s not so meaningless after all.
“Stunned is an understatement,” linebacker Mike Peterson said.
“This isn’t what we planned on — it was awful,” Roddy White said.
It was worse than that. It was inexcusable.
Was all that talk about explosiveness just lip service? This was a season opener. This game followed months of hearing coaches, players and the front office talking about the need for wows and pyrotechnics on both sides of the ball. The Falcons traded a blur of draft picks so they could move up to draft wide receiver Julio Jones. They snagged defensive end Ray Edwards in free agency. They talked a big game.
But when the gates open, they pressed the trigger and a flag saying, “Bang!” popped out. The Bears didn’t play dead.
Many Falcons players chose to credit Chicago’s defense for playing a strong game and taking away the deep threat. But quarterback Matt Ryan and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey seldom left the impression they were in attack mode. Ryan never threw deep. Never. He says he thought about it several times but there was nothing there. Ryan also committed two horrific mistakes — an interception by Brian Urlacher, which led to a second-quarter touchdown when the game was still 3-3, and fumbling in the third quarter, leading to an Urlacher return for another score.
Ryan also was hoping to leave his Green Bay playoff performance behind him. This didn’t help. He has five turnovers and one touchdown pass in his last two games.
The Falcons didn’t just look bad. They self-destructed. They did things that good teams, let alone Super Bowl contenders, never should do. The defense missed tackles, took bad angles on plays and blew coverages. They turned Jay Cutler (312 yards, two touchdowns) into Sid Luckman. They introduced Roy Williams, who got drop-kicked out of Dallas, to relevancy.
They were beat physically. Chicago defense may be good but it’s hardly Monsters, redux. This isn’t 1941 or 1985.
Offensively, the Falcons looked and played timid. They lined up White on one side, Jones on the other, and Tony Gonzalez and Harry Douglas between the two, as advertised. Then they cowered. Chicago often dropped eight players into coverage and taking away the deep ball. But don’t great players and great coaches adjust? They make plays. Instead, we were subjected to four quarters of check-downs.
Coach Mike Smith acknowledged the poor performance but he tried to temper concerns with, “Let’s not say the sky is falling.”
Gonzalez also sought to calm the masses.
“People outside the organization are going to push the panic button,” he said. “They’re going to think, ‘Oh my God. Overhyped. Over this. Over that. You know what? They’re full of it. If you want to think that, go ahead. Maybe it sells papers. Maybe it gives people something to talk about. But it’s one game. We’ve got the players to do something special. We just have to go out next week and play better. And we will next week, I guarantee it.”
Nobody should doubt the Falcons can still be a great team. But opening performances like this tend to alter perspectives, especially with Michael Vick and Philadelphia coming to the Georgia Dome next week.
Overhyped? It’s probably too early for such proclamations. But it would at least be nice to see the Falcons attempt what they advertised.
By Jeff Schultz
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750 comments Add your comment
Candy Gram for Mongo
September 12th, 2011
2:55 pm
Is this explosive play idea Arthur Blank’s?
Bob in Suwanee
September 12th, 2011
3:08 pm
Time to fire a shot across the bow of the players. Time for accountability. Bench players that played a bad game. Yes you Hawley, Owens, DeCoud, and Reynolds. Oh, and it may not be a bad idea for Dimitroff to call that secondary coach into the office and give him his walking papers. I think that would give Van Gorder’s ego a little wake up call. Time to show some leadership from the front office, time to hold folks accountable.
Pauls Johnson
September 12th, 2011
3:15 pm
I agree with you Bob,, this is 2 games in a row the Falcons did not show up to play,,, thats coaching,,,
Bird Dawg
September 12th, 2011
3:16 pm
Bob and others…..none of us know what goes on behind their closed doors….Maybe Coach Smith is getting on his coaches and players…maybe there will be a little more fire in their actions this weekend….I can’t believe they’re treating this as candyland right now….
Chill out a little over the 1st game of season…this staff has proven itself and will correct things.
And McClure was a big loss on O-line….they need to gel.
naturallyNAWLINS
September 12th, 2011
3:17 pm
WOW…its only game 1 and all u FAILclowns fans are jumpn ship! HOR-REE-BLEY! Come on guys hang in there….you will one a SB ofe these DECADES! chuckle…chucke!
naturallyNAWLINS
September 12th, 2011
3:19 pm
Roddy White…..”greatest show on turf”….guess he meant greatest show on THE PRACICE FIELD!
LMAO…..
Bird Dawg
September 12th, 2011
3:19 pm
**IT Happens
Bird Dawg
September 12th, 2011
3:20 pm
What’s Aint’s record?
Brian
September 12th, 2011
3:24 pm
Thomas DeCoud and Chris Owens are the problem.
kenny
September 12th, 2011
3:30 pm
Dunta Rob ran the fastest 40 on his knees i have ever seen..Give him a pay raise (worthy of his talents) and find him a boyfriend…That is all the falcs. need to finish the year 3 and 13..
falcon 1
September 12th, 2011
3:43 pm
Well gents, we can’t give up this soon, but our team needs to give us a hand. First off lets look at our great no show defense and no show coaching……. Hey Mike Smith, i’m talking about your dumb a_ _ !!!!! Falcons 8-8 if we’re lucky.
naturallyNAWLINS
September 12th, 2011
4:14 pm
@ DAWGbird……absolutely correct…but whats also absolutely correct is the FAILclowns “AINTS” got a SB ring….chuckle chuckle again!
NO living in the past in nfl
September 12th, 2011
4:50 pm
I would bet atlanta gets a SB win long before N.O. gets close to playing for another one.
NO living in the past in nfl
September 12th, 2011
4:52 pm
By the way, what’s also absolutely correct is N.O. is ghetto, sewer of a city, with ghetto, sewer trash people. Go back there if it’s so great.
naturallyNAWLINS
September 12th, 2011
4:55 pm
FAILclowns living in the PRESENT and FUTURE with no SB ring (thnks for the thought)chuckle chuckle……@ u CLOWNS
naturallyNAWLINS
September 12th, 2011
4:58 pm
NOW DATS naturallyNAWLINS….dont u just love MY CITY!
WHO DAT….not the FAILclowns!
naturallyNAWLINS
September 12th, 2011
5:02 pm
@ FAILclowns living in the PRESENT and Future with no SB ring………………… By the way get MAD @ Jeff Schultz: Explosive’ Falcons just opened season with a dud….well guess you cant get upset at mere FACTS….or can you? What a joke of a team!
ATL Sports Fan
September 12th, 2011
5:11 pm
naturally, let me guess you came to beautiful Atlanta from that cesspool of New Orleans when god turned the water faucet on. Too bad you and the other 100K plus didn’t go back.
Locked-up
September 12th, 2011
5:18 pm
The way the Falcon Player’s played for their big salaries against the Bears thay should have been Locked-Up instead of Locked-Out this off season because they just stole that game pay check!
Silly Falcons
September 12th, 2011
5:20 pm
Atlanta was jinxed when they built the city in a forests. Forests are good for sleeping and wood. Not for playing football. So they played the game in Chicago. Same thing. The Falcons were looking for the woods and saw they were on a lake. It confused them.
If all of that makes sense, then you’ll understand the Falcons don’t have a change in hell of playing in the Super Bowl this season. Playoffs? Back to the woods boys.
B Waters.
September 12th, 2011
5:24 pm
That was Mularky alright…Horse Mularky.Im so tired of these cavemen esque nfl coaches that refuse to adjust even if it means there jobs. Ryan cant throw deep even if they let him. his brain thinks he can make throws that his arm cant. Hes a red faced hot head. A lucky ryan leaf, with a worse arm. His luck is running out. The falcons never learn. Oh yea, way to stick by Vick. Blank let the media make long term investment choices for him. If we stink this year, its wrap for this organization. Are only hope is Ryan stages a mutiny and starts changin the plays in the huddle. If he has the guts
Silly Falcons
September 12th, 2011
5:31 pm
Some teams are just bad. It’s in the bones. Saints. They were bad. Got good. Will soon slide back to bad. Too much water in New Orleans. Bad for the team. Bad team.
Falcons are like the Braves. Bad for a long time, got good, then okay. Will soon be back to bad again.
Just as well. The long emergency is here so by the end of this decade we’ll have zero money for professional sports.
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
5:36 pm
Mr Blank, 13-3 was a “Fluke”!!! Now you know the deal..
Fal-cons may go 0-3..Especially if the Eagles win big…Some of the coaches may not last the season..
Hire Dan Reeves Toolman! MAKE IT SO!
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
5:38 pm
The 2nd coming of Joey Harrington…
Its already a long season…..
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
5:43 pm
If the Fal-cons go 0-5, Mike Smith has got to go ASAP!
Silly Falcons
September 12th, 2011
5:49 pm
Chandler going deep. It’s not Smitty, it’s the coordinators. Fire them. NOW.
Don’t hate player. Hate the game.
Mystikal
September 12th, 2011
6:14 pm
WHERE TO PLACE THE BLAME???
Matt Ryan is a good quarterback; not great, but a ‘good’ QB. I like to say he is a safe quarterback, cause for the most part he keeps cool and doesn’t make the big turnover (gotta love the timing of this right). But that is also what keeps im from taking the next step. Great quarterbacks take chances to make the big plays. Ryan doesn’t have a big arm, isn’t the most accurate and is one of the least mobile QB’s in the league, but (until today) has gotten it done. Maybe this is who he is or maybe he has gotten all that he can out of Mularkey’s offense.
Now this doesn’t nearly all fall on Ryan. There were plenty of missed tackles, dropped passes, special teams miscues and just crappy play in general. The secondary still sucks, the opposing QB’s stay very comfortably in the pocket and we can’t get off the field on 3rd down for anything. I don’t know if the defense got tired out quickly because the offense kept going 3 and out but whatever.
Definitely not ready to contend for a superbowl, but it is just the first game and hopefully we’ll learn (a lot) from this ass-whuppin. Still think we can do some positive things, but the journey doesn’t get any easier with Vick and co. coming to town.
naturallyNAWLINS
September 12th, 2011
6:18 pm
OH YEAH…gud luk w Vick and company next week! While yall watch and learn how to spank DAbears!
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
6:37 pm
Coach, you have got to be truly embarrassed the way your team has played ball for 6 straight games and yes the preseason does count!!!!
If your team is blown out again this coming Sunday Night, YOU SHOULD HAVE THE DECENCY TO STEP DOWN…Cause YOUR TEAM HAS QUIT you………
NFL Links: Colts hope worst is behind them; Bears make statement
September 12th, 2011
6:53 pm
[...] An Atlanta columnist says the Falcons’ poor play in Week One was “inexcusable.” [...]
jim
September 12th, 2011
7:06 pm
I’ve always questioned the philosophy of putting no emphasis on winning in pre-season games. With the talent so evenly divided in the NFL, developing a winning attitude has to be very important, even in practice games. I’m not convinced that the Bears have better players than the Falcons, but they certainly had a better game face on Sunday.
woeismesince66
September 12th, 2011
7:22 pm
What can I say. The whole outfit is a bunch oduds.
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
7:42 pm
Hey Fal-con fans, check this stat out, if an NFL team starts out 0-2 their chances of qualifying for a playoff slot is about 13% or basically 1 in 10 chance.. Sunday night is a MUST WIN Mr. BLANK!!!!!!
Unfortunately, your team has neither the coaching/player talent to match up well against Philly..
I sense another devastating loss for your organization….You have history against you..Lost 8 of 9 to the Eagles by an avg. of 2 touchdowns!!! Your losing big to these guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eagles 48 Fal-cons 16
A Blowout would mean a loss season and the players bailed on Coach Smith!!!
Have you called Dan Reeves yet? Swallow some humble pie and call the professor ASAP! Make it so…
The Clock is ticking to disaster for your club…
Greyhound is waiting for you McKay too…Hey Coach Mike your bags packed and ready?
Joe
September 12th, 2011
7:50 pm
Technically that is 6 straight loses including pre-season. We need a new offensive coordinator. The birds are too obvious! We need a new defensive coordinator! I wont through Coach Smith under the bus yet, but his days should be numbered also. I think this team went as far as it could, with this staff. It is similar to the Hawks….we wanted Woody gone and Mike has done no more than Woodson. Matt Ryan has stalled in this offense…
Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR
September 12th, 2011
7:54 pm
As an loyal and proud Mr. Micheal Vick fan I feel totally vindicated to see the Falcons’ quarterback show us how good he is. And Mr. Micheal Vick the $100,000,0.00.00 man won his game versus the Rams. Now let get Mr. Vick back here in Atlanta where he belongs. we all support Mr. Vick.
Bob
September 12th, 2011
7:58 pm
The Falcons are very boring to watch. Matt Ryan dumps off short passes and never goes deep, we have a very slow backfield, we seem to think we can run over the other team when we can’t. I understand why the owner, the coaches and players want to stay positive but the team has lost 5 games in a row playing very, very conservatively. Why! Go out play without being afraid. If you can’t score 30+ points in the league you will probably get beat! A great coach once said “fear makes cowards of us all.” Maybe that slogan should be in the Falcon’s locker room….what a preformance….open up the offense and PLAY football.
Stat Man
September 12th, 2011
8:13 pm
Chandler, 13% is about a 1 in 10 chance? You go to APS?
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
8:15 pm
You got jokes Stan the man? lol
Stat Man
September 12th, 2011
8:16 pm
Mr Thomas, Vick is a $100,000,0.00.00 man? Were you and Chandlers math class?
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
8:20 pm
Hope you feel better little Stat dude…..
Stat Man
September 12th, 2011
8:21 pm
Now, I did a little research, and this is Vicks 10 year. Lets examine his incredible, big game winning record.
2002 9-7 Won the WC game in Green Bay, lost division playoff to Eagles.
2003 Broken Leg
2004 11-5-1, Bounced division playoff to Seattle
2005 8-8
2006 7-9
2007-08 out of Football
2009 Backup
2010 10-6, Bounced in 1st round of Division Series
Now, am I mistaken, but was Vicks largest accomplishment a WC victory in 2001. Seem like a loser to me.
Stat Man
September 12th, 2011
8:24 pm
Bottom line, in 10 years, Vick has been one an done twice, and won a measly WC game before getting bounced by the Eagles, he has never even sniffed a league championship game.
Why are we even talking about Ryans failures in the playoffs as though Vick has accomplished something? They both have been playoff failures, but since Vick has been in the leagure 3x as long, well, his is 3x the failure…..stats don’t lie, but some people can’t handle the truth.
Stat Man
September 12th, 2011
8:28 pm
Ryans has won 66% of is games started, Vick, 58%. 66%>58%
Stat Man
September 12th, 2011
8:30 pm
Correction, Eagles were bounced in the 1st round of the WC round in 2010. So, he and Matty Ice have played in the exact same number of division playoff rounds, 1. Why all the hype? Like Vicks 100 mil contract. The fact is, 20mil voids if he plays 35% of the snaps in any given season. Total hype, but I guess Vick fans just like to make noise about nothing.
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
8:35 pm
Here you go again??
StatMan you are going to have a rough night come Sunday? lol…Its going to be like ole times round here again..More Fal-con beat downs coming…
tom
September 12th, 2011
8:35 pm
What am I to do. My hometown Steelers got slammed and my local Falcons —well I just don’t want to talk about it.
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
8:40 pm
Who coached Vick for most of his time spent with the FAil-CONS?????????????
Jim MORON……………………………..Enough said………………..
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
8:45 pm
Hey STAT DUDe, let me let you in on a secret:
NUMBERS NEVER TELL THE WHOLE STORY……………..
Stat Man
September 12th, 2011
8:47 pm
Chandler, I just say the facts. Will we lose to the Eagles? Well, we always do, that goes all the way back to 2002 division play when they bounced the birds…..For the record, Vick is 0-3 against Chicago as QB for the Falcons, so yesterday was nothing new. And just for giggles, he was 0-1 last year against the Bear as Eagles QB. Just stating facts, some people can’t handle the truth.
Chandler going Deep..
September 12th, 2011
8:48 pm
YOU WANNA GO THERE?
Vick Beats Chicago with the same gang IceMelt had yesterday………….End of Story