‘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
Gump319
September 11th, 2011
11:06 pm
I think i’ll go fishing next sunday. I’ll look at the highlights later on.
Wink
September 11th, 2011
11:08 pm
Just one game and everyone in the division lost today, so we are basically tied for 1st place.
However, we lost all the the preseason games, which is basically practice and no game planning. We lost to Green Bay last year, who ended up being the Super Bowl Champions, no shame there, but it was last year and has nothing to do with our record this year, which as stated we are tied for 1st place.
The problem we are all having is looking at our history, kinda like the Braves winning 14 division titles and only one World Series championship. Impressive yes, but the same scenario played out year after year.
Back to the Falcons, for years we have had a terrible defense, in that we can’t get off the field in 3rd down and long. We can’t tackle on a consistent basis, our secondary is not very good, we can’t get pressure on the quarterback…thus we see no improvement in game one of this year, which reminds us of years past.
Our team was 13 & 3 last year, so expectation is higher, but we wait to see if things are really different…our reality in game one is same as years past. We add new weapons on offense and talk about explosive plays and we get none of that. We don’t even get an offensive touchdown, we continue to get only field goals, which guess what seems just like last year.
Our quarterback went to the Pro Bowl last year, most quarterbacks going into their fourth year make quantum leap. Our Pro Bowl quarterback is still making rookie mistakes…rolling to throw the ball to Urlacher and moving around in the pocket with no one touching him and fumbling the ball, again Urlacher recovers; both miscues leads to scores as a result of a short field. I should say these are mistakes he did not make his rookie season. Now contrast him to every quarterback in our division that played their game one of the season and he was the worst. Brees kept his team in the game to the end, Cam Newton threw for over 400 yards as a rookie, and Freeman also played a better game. We need for Ryan to play better, but his last few games as a starter he sucks…nothing to do with Mike Vick in comparison. We get to see that head to head matchup next week.
Speaking of that…fans will be confused next week, making this practically a home game for the Eagles dream team. Kyle Orten is no Michael Vick, but we speculate that it might not be pretty with a speedy running quarterback and improved pocket passing skill, which was never on display here as a Falcon. Now with the weapons he has at his disposal, our secondary will get worked over again. Our defensive ends will have to contain vs rushing the passer or Vick will run crazy. I say that because last year we got killed all season long with quarterbacks running right up the middle.
So yes it is just one game, but they look the same. Could it be Murlarkey & Van Gorder are still here with the same offensive & defensive schemes that just do not work…definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result!
Fans here have seen and heard it all before!
M&M
September 11th, 2011
11:08 pm
John
September 11th, 2011
11:04 pm
M&M….a lil sensitive aren’t you buddy? Matty Ice, is that you?!
No, I’m just speaking the truth and you know it.
Gump319
September 11th, 2011
11:10 pm
David Garrard!!!!
John
September 11th, 2011
11:11 pm
M&M…the truth as you see it? Everybody’s got a opinion…
FalconFan
September 11th, 2011
11:11 pm
The problem was turnover, poor protection and piss poor defense. Ryan threw for 319 yards, and completed 66% of his passes.
JP
September 11th, 2011
11:12 pm
Typical Atlanta…that’s why they call it Loserville! I’m not sure excatly what people thought when they went winless during preseason…I guess they thought that equated to Superbowl Champ! Their secondary couldn’t stop a HS team, much less a NFL team.
LMAO.
FalconFan
September 11th, 2011
11:13 pm
If you didn’t notice, Vick completed 43% today for 183 yards. All MV fans better be concerned with the 93 yards he had rushing. He is going back to bad habits.
shannon
September 11th, 2011
11:13 pm
I wanna see some big DT lineman..No more of these athletic linemane…u need beef in the middle
Gump319
September 11th, 2011
11:14 pm
The D was tired because the O went 3 and out so many times..
M&M
September 11th, 2011
11:16 pm
John
September 11th, 2011
11:11 pm
M&M…the truth as you see it? Everybody’s got a opinion…
So what you are saying is, The Falcons should have put their life on hold for Mike Vick ?!
Gump319
September 11th, 2011
11:16 pm
David Garrard!!!
M&M
September 11th, 2011
11:17 pm
But there is a buyer remorse on here concerning Mattt Ryan. And I’m included !
John
September 11th, 2011
11:18 pm
FalconFan….Vick took what they gave him today. Did you see the score? He had a sure 90 yard TD that hit DJax in both hands that he dropped, and a few more dropped passes..I think you need to worry about your Birds and “Sensitive Ryan”.
John
September 11th, 2011
11:20 pm
M&M….nobody said that, however they were free to sign him out of prison just as any other team…as least as a back-up like Philly.
Jim Moron
September 11th, 2011
11:21 pm
“If you didn’t notice, Vick completed 43% today for 183 yards. All MV fans better be concerned with the 93 yards he had rushing. He is going back to bad habits”
Speaking of bad habits for the 70+ million dollar QB, once again year after year IceMelt throws a pick and it cost the Falcons big time…..He had two critical turnovers that took the Falcons out of any chance of pulling out a w today. Both turnovers were converted eventually to touchdowns…
UGA=0-2
Falcants=0-2 this Sunday!
Falcons have not been able to stop the run consistently sine the “HAMMER” retired!
ShelbyJenkins
September 11th, 2011
11:22 pm
Yeah Vick is going back to those bad habits, Winning! Its going to be worse next week. Hopefully they bounce back against Tampa Bay.
M&M
September 11th, 2011
11:23 pm
Well, I guess Authur couldn’t forgive him for the lies.
Show Me State of Mind
September 11th, 2011
11:24 pm
Matt Ryan looked like he always does against good defenses/ playoff teams/ good coaches…
like a DEER IN THE GD HEADLIGHTS !!!!!!!!!! Once again, he WET THE BED !!!!!!!!!
We never outcoach anyone. Our schemes suck !!! Our godawful secondary STILL SUCKS !!!!\
WTF has changed ???? Not a GD thing !!! Same old sorry Falcons….same old sorry excuses from Matty Sue !!!! Take off the GD dress Matty Sue !!! Your a$$ ought to be sore from the gangbanging you took from the Bears. They pa$$ed your puscatore a$$ around and made you there b*tch !!
I hate to see what Philly and Vick does to this pi$$poor defense.
M&M
September 11th, 2011
11:26 pm
When Vick was here, We had 2 first string QB’s. We should have kept the one who is in Texas now. What was our reasoning for trading him ?!
Jim Moron
September 11th, 2011
11:27 pm
M&M, let me let ya in on a little secret..Mr Blank knew whats up..But he had to go public and play ignorant like he did not know.. Did you know that NFL security are former FBI people?
They know when you scratch your arse or pick your nose dude….
Blank is not innocent!…Sell the team Mr tool chest…
M&M
September 11th, 2011
11:28 pm
Show Me State of Mind
September 11th, 2011
11:24 pm
Matt Ryan looked like he always does against good defenses/ playoff teams/ good coaches…
like a DEER IN THE GD HEADLIGHTS !!!!!!!!!! Once again, he WET THE BED !!!!!!!!!
We never outcoach anyone. Our schemes suck !!! Our godawful secondary STILL SUCKS !!!!\
WTF has changed ???? Not a GD thing !!! Same old sorry Falcons….same old sorry excuses from Matty Sue !!!! Take off the GD dress Matty Sue !!! Your a$$ ought to be sore from the gangbanging you took from the Bears. They pa$$ed your puscatore a$$ around and made you there b*tch !!
I hate to see what Philly and Vick does to this pi$$poor defense.
Now, He’s the one upset !
John
September 11th, 2011
11:29 pm
FalconFan….Football conservatives love to put limitations on Vick’s ability to run with the ball. When no receivers are open, Matty Ice chucks the ball out of bounds, while Vick takes off for 20…this clearly bothers Vick critics, the belief it gives him a unfair advantage that most immobile QB’s don’t have.
Show Me State of Mind
September 11th, 2011
11:29 pm
At least give us a good defense !!! We can get a Trent Dilfer type and win it all with a GREAT DEFENSE !!!! I am tired of sissy players that are light in the loafers and can’t GD tackle or make a freaking play. We need playmakers and a QB with HEART !!!!! Matty Sue you need to go see the Wizard of Oz and ask for a brain, heart, and courage !!!!!! Right now, you just have on a dress !!
You looked like you wished you could click your ruby slippers together and say “There’s no place like home….there’s no place like home” But instead, you just crawled into the fetal position and took it up the rear. You suck, sissy !!!!
ShelbyJenkins
September 11th, 2011
11:34 pm
Cant blame Authur for letting Vick go, its was the principle of the thing. Don’t get it twisted though, however you may feel about Vick, next week against this defense, Vick will look MVPish.
Bonez
September 11th, 2011
11:34 pm
Cosign John
Vick>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Matty duck
Show Me State of Mind
September 11th, 2011
11:36 pm
Dimitroff is not looking so smart to me. Did not address the offensive line or the sorry sack secondary. he way overpaid for Dunta Robinson, Weatherspoon, Matt Ryan, and Baker sucks out loud.
Tom G
September 11th, 2011
11:42 pm
Just read that M Ryan got sacked 6 times, 14 hits on him and 6 hurries – I guess we did miss Harvey Dahl(badass) and McClure quite a bit. Perhaps we should have given Dahl more money and kept him instead off rookie WR? Don’t blame this on Ryan, who threw for over 300 yards, I’ll admit he did make a couple bad plays under duress. Any QB running for his life would probably suffer same fate. Hopefully we get better blocking next week or it will be more of same until M Ryan is in the hospital!!
houstondawgfan
September 11th, 2011
11:43 pm
UGA = Bad Team
Braves + about to lose the wild card
Falcons + gets embarassed on the road, forget about superbowl, its not happening with Van gorder as the coordinator.
Really bad weekend for Atlanta Fans, Hope there are no suicides…
ijonathan
September 11th, 2011
11:43 pm
Tom G, did you watch the game or just read some selective stats?
Najeh Davenpoop
September 11th, 2011
11:46 pm
“If you didn’t notice, Vick completed 43% today for 183 yards. All MV fans better be concerned with the 93 yards he had rushing. He is going back to bad habits.”
Vick had a less than stellar game, but the good news for him is that he and the offense as a whole got better as the game went along. They looked really out of sync in the first quarter but things got smoother for them as the game went along. The Rams have a good D-line, so it’s not like it was going to be a cakewalk for them anyway.
Next week’s game will be interesting for both teams. Interesting to see if the Eagles can come out of the gates clicking on offense (I am particularly interested to see the Brent Grimes-DeSean Jackson matchup) and to see if the Falcons’ O line can handle the Eagles’ pressure.
ohhhYEAH
September 11th, 2011
11:49 pm
Jim Moron
kinda hard to do anything when the d line is in your face right after you get the ball, as was the case today with out sorry of an excuse for an offensive line,
Grump
No, the d was not tired due to the offense, they were tired because dunta, spoon, and CHRIS OWENS cant cover a receiver to save their lives
houstondawgfan
September 11th, 2011
11:51 pm
The defense made choker Cutler look like a hall of famer today.. LOL.. I really think the Falcons are not as good as the experts think they are..
If they come out like this next week, dont even watch the game, Philly blows them out like Green Bay did.. It feels like they need a miracle, and pre season is more important than you think.
If falcons lose next week, here are the rankings for the NFC South and probably end of season:
Saints X= Playoff team
Panther
Falcons
Tampa bay
Reasoning, if you are an contender and lost 4 games in the preseason. Get blown out on the road, Saints showed more heart.. I hope everyone sees Van Gorder is the weak link on the coaching staff… Her needs to get replaced with his Marion Campbell (bend dont break) defense.. Even the experts are second guessing the Falcons as we post, saying if we lose, the Falcons are not as good as they thought they were.
honest_abe
September 11th, 2011
11:54 pm
blah blah blah.
it all comes to down to the lines. the offensive line couldn’t block anyone and was sorely missing mclure and dahl.
the dlines couldn’t get any pressure on cutler.
falcons are better than what they showed tonight but not by much. you can go get 10 #1 receivers but without any time to throw… they are useless.
TheAntiMe
September 11th, 2011
11:56 pm
The Falcons played today’s game as if they thought is was a playoff game – in a daze. Dunta Robinson was pathetic! Anytime a Chicago player with the ball got anywhere near Robinson he fell down as if he were shot by a sniper. When it comes to tackling, Dunta Robinson makes Deion Sanders look like James Harrison.
djthescorpian
September 11th, 2011
11:56 pm
We are no better now than the worst team in the NFL. Who is that? As of now it is us.
Jim Moron
September 11th, 2011
11:57 pm
IceMelt=Romo
Turnovers are comin from these 2 at the worst times….
Jim Moron
September 11th, 2011
11:58 pm
Romo= Jeff George…Great arm! What was he thinking about?
SonofaDawg
September 11th, 2011
11:59 pm
This rise up motto is so lame!
TheBigCat
September 12th, 2011
12:01 am
Why the panic? Falcons are in first place?
djthescorpian
September 12th, 2011
12:01 am
Blank won’t blink till the Falcons are 0 wins until after their bye.
Mystikal
September 12th, 2011
12:04 am
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.
moboman
September 12th, 2011
12:07 am
This was a game for some individual players to look in the mirror and decide if they belong. Witherspoon — you gave em a touchdown. Wrap up man, this is the big league.
Decoud — two picks make this a different ball game.
Turner — quit running like u dont wanna get hit. Where’s the Burner????
Ice — bow up and grow a pair.
O line — any body home?
Dunta — see Ice above.
Cwag
September 12th, 2011
12:07 am
I think fire mularkey…and get a West Coast OC in here. I think Ryan would PROSPER in that type of offense.
OHIOdirtybird!!!!
September 12th, 2011
12:09 am
Wasn’t totally Matt fault!!!..jus sayin
Jim Moron
September 12th, 2011
12:09 am
Give Romo, credit , he said he cost the Cowboys a win tonight..I hope Romo can get better!
Don’t hold your breath for Ice Melt to speak out like that in front of the cameras..
Tom G
September 12th, 2011
12:11 am
ijonathan – I watched most of the game. Ryan interception was outstanding diving interception by Uralocker and he was running for his life when he laid ball on ground and fumbled. He did not play great game but was not as terrible as it sounds. My take on game is bad tackling on D, not enough pressure on QB, bad coverage, safetys dropped several interceptions in their hands. Terrible punting(35 yd average), poor KO return decisions. O had a 100 yard runner, 300 yds passing, but was limited to short passes because of Bear coverage. Too many poor performances to single out 1 guy!
moboman
September 12th, 2011
12:13 am
PS sure missed Koenen, and Dahl today. Winners dont let starters get away.
Dave Choate
September 12th, 2011
12:14 am
The Falcons are in trouble. Matt Ryan needs to go. There is a reason why the Falcons aren’t explosive. It’s because ryan’s abilities are not conducive to that style of offense.
Jim Moron
September 12th, 2011
12:16 am
This is as good as Ryan will get.. Hes maxed out his talent……Sorry to be the bearer of news flash..