Falcons still have chance to hit their stride at right time
Could Sean Weatherspoon and Falcons be flying high going into playoffs? (Jason Getz/AJC)
At this point of the season a year ago, the Falcons had won eight straight games, were 12-2 and tied with New England for the NFL’s best record, had beaten New Orleans, Baltimore and Green Bay and generally looked like anything but a team that could lose its first playoff game by 27 points — which, of course, they did.
There’s an obvious byproduct to having a season suddenly going down like Pompeii. People stop assuming what comes next.
Which brings us to the 2011 Falcons. More people probably project them as a first-round playoff exit than a Super Bowl contender. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Athletes feed off external doubt, and the “Green Bay did it, so can we” thing is slowly evolving into this group’s rallying cry. (The Packers entered the playoffs last year as a NFC’s sixth seed and proceeded to obliterate all in their path, beginning with the Falcons.)
“All of our goals are still in front of us,” running back Michael Turner said following Thursday’s 41-14 dismembering of Jacksonville. “All we can ask for is to get in the tournament, and then we’ll take it from there. We saw what happened last year with Green Bay.”
The Falcons are 9-5. They will get into the playoffs. They’ve had more than a few hiccups this season but have rebounded nicely. After losing to Houston and getting humiliated for one half at Carolina (combined six-quarter slouch: opponents 40, Falcons 17), they rallied to beat the Panthers and bury Jacksonville (combined six-quarter bounce-back: Falcons 65, opponents 14).
Falcons have lessened Mike Smith's stress. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
A stronger sense of how real this awakening is will come next Monday night, when the Falcons play at New Orleans. But there’s certainly no reason to think this team can’t go on a special run. It was a talented group with a veteran core before this season started, and it remains that.
“We like the [playoff] position we’re in because we feel like we can take our show on the road and win,” wide receiver Roddy White said. “We’re built to run the ball and play-action pass and get the ball to [the receivers] on the outside. We don’t break. We know we just have be consistent to win games. Carolina definitely was a wake-up call for us. It took two quarters to wake up, but we learned. You never want to be down 23-7 but it’s good to see what your team can do when that happens. That gave us a lot of confidence.”
The Falcons have clinched their fourth straight winning season Thursday. It speaks to general expectations that that was an afterthought. They know they need some measure of postseason success because one-and-dones get old real quick with a jaded fan base.
But there are positive signs. Matt Ryan is on target again. Receivers aren’t dropping passes. The defense is starting to get more pressure. There are fewer missed tackles. Sean Weatherspoon is an emerging star. The team hasn’t had a turnover in the last two weeks.
General manager Thomas Dimitroff was concerned about his team for several weeks, but he’s starting to see light now.
“Mike has echoed this, and we’ve been very clear: We expect much more consistency given the talent of this football team and the talent of this coaching staff,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that we had some moments of inconsistency. But we really believe now we’re starting to get our feet underneath us and we’re starting to play some fundamentally sound football.
“I’m seeing accomplished assignments. I’m seeing focus. I’m seeing finish.”
A little swagger also may be coming back. When asked his thoughts on the New Orleans game, White smiled and said, “We’re going to win.”
So he’s guaranteeing that?
“I don’t guarantee victories,” he said. “But we’re going to win.”
That certainly would alter perceptions.
By Jeff Schultz
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400 comments Add your comment
Mr Charlie
December 18th, 2011
3:52 pm
Don’t know if Romeo can be called a genius just yet after beating one team playing for nothing…but, job well done…..IF they hang on.
Mr Charlie
December 18th, 2011
3:53 pm
Yea, Brees kills us, makes up pay for trading UP from MV7 and dissing him, as he should.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
3:56 pm
DREW BREES
32-40
410 Yards
5 TDS
NEXT
WEEK
HA HA HA
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
3:59 pm
Phillip Rivers (Chargers Starter)
Drew Brees (Traded)
HA HA HA
CHOKE (3rd Pick) – ZERO PLayoff wins
FLACCO (Late round pick) – 4 PLAYOFF WINS
HA HA HA
Mr Charlie
December 18th, 2011
4:02 pm
MV7 1st pick, 10 years, no SBs
Tom Brady 6th round 3 rings.
Mr Charlie
December 18th, 2011
4:02 pm
MV7 1st pick, 10 years, no SBs
Tom Brady 6th round 3 rings.
Mr Charlie
December 18th, 2011
4:02 pm
MV7 100 mil bust TWICE….HAHAHAHAAHAHA:)
Leeman Bennett
December 18th, 2011
4:04 pm
The Falcons can beats the Saints if they play perfect football and the Saints make mistakes AND the Falcons take advantage of those mistakes. Any team that goes all the way to the Super Bowl has to capitalize on their opponents mistakes. If the Falcons can do that, then they have a chance. If they don’t do that, well we have all seen that before. RISE UP!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
4:04 pm
ROMEOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Mr Charlie
December 18th, 2011
4:06 pm
24-40 as a head coach Romeo? Genius? LOL. But congrats to him for today.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
4:12 pm
47-21 (Genius)
Oops
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
4:14 pm
Smitty = Loser
CHOKE = Loser
Dimitroff = Loser
CHOKE Lickers = GOP Losers……………… HA HA HA
Freddy Mac baby…………. ha ha ha
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
4:28 pm
DREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM TEAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
5150 UOAD
December 18th, 2011
4:34 pm
The Packers Lost and the Saints will lose to the FALCONS!
katherine
December 18th, 2011
4:39 pm
Hey guys……so how is everyone doing today?
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
4:45 pm
DREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM TEAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
ha ha ha
5150 UOAD
December 18th, 2011
4:55 pm
Kat CHOKE is on his 2nd bottle of hand lotion and 2nd box of Kleenex. Man that is a nasty Lazyboy he is sitting in.
Mr Charlie
December 18th, 2011
4:59 pm
Now that it is down to 3 games left, the numbers are small enough than even Choke can figure out that the Feebles are not mathematically eliminated and he is all excited.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
5:09 pm
DREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
TEAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
SUCKAS
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
5:12 pm
Lose to Saints (Again)
Lose to Bucs (Again)
Season over & 2013 (No 2012) watch
HA HA HA
2004 & Counting FOOLS
5150 UOAD
December 18th, 2011
5:12 pm
Chokes Dream Team is himself in only a jock playing center with MV7 wearing only a jock strap calling plays under center. CHOKE is getting all Hot just thinking about the possibilities.
Mr Charlie
December 18th, 2011
5:17 pm
MV7 is the only African American QB with a CHANCE of NOT having a losing season in 2011….not exactly what I was expecting when when I heard he would “redefine” the position 10 years ago.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
5:19 pm
DREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
28
TEAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
0
HA HA HA
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
5:20 pm
0-2
HA HA HA
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
5:21 pm
SAINTS…………….Check
BUCS…………….Check
Season over………………..
2013 Draft watch is on…………….
HA HA HA
Mr Charlie
December 18th, 2011
5:26 pm
Choke Logic
Smitty career 42-20 (loser)
Romeo career 24-40 (Genius)
Well? Speaks for itself.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
5:27 pm
Oh God, why can’t we win a playoff game without Vick?
5150 UOAD
December 18th, 2011
5:31 pm
Why is Warren Moon the Greatest African American QB and MV7 will never anything in the NFL but an overpaid bust?
Saint Hiram
December 18th, 2011
5:36 pm
that stride is gonna get tripped on mnf
5150 UOAD
December 18th, 2011
5:44 pm
Hiram’s Taint is heard from.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
December 18th, 2011
5:48 pm
SAINTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
HA HA HA
duronimo
December 18th, 2011
6:38 pm
The uptick in the team’s performance is directly linked to Ryan starting to hit some of his receivers on the dead run. Number 11 is taking some short stuff to the house. Ryan is marginally better on longer passes as well So, his timing is clearly better. Why it took so long for this to occur this season is a mystery. The defense is playing well too.
MWC
December 18th, 2011
7:20 pm
Where are all the tools that complained that the FALCONS beat teams only because playing rook QB ? Hmmmm…..Aints vs rooks today in Minn…????
Stephen Fleming
December 18th, 2011
8:07 pm
@MWC…Yo dic****…saints also beat team with experienced QBs unlike matty melt & fakecons.
aints suck
December 18th, 2011
8:23 pm
Pamela, I swear, every time you type in FAIL on the FALCONS name, all I see is your life. A big FAILure. The Falcons have a better chance of winning than the aints.
GO FALCONS!
phil
December 18th, 2011
8:49 pm
The Chargers can’t win for losing…
Fire someone!
whodat70816
December 18th, 2011
8:55 pm
Poor Falcon fans filled with all sorts of false hopes.
Dolamyte
December 18th, 2011
9:28 pm
Yeah Sean Payton is really scared of a team that he has a 9-2 record against coming into the dome. The mighty Falcons beat two garbage teams with rookie qb’s and you think they are world beaters. Oh wow you scored 41 points, the Saints do that like every other week.
Dolamyte
December 18th, 2011
9:30 pm
Hey MWC look at the rest of the freaking season. Freaking azz clown. Whats our freaking record? 11-3! Whats Brees/Paytons record against Atlanta 9-2.
5150 UOAD
December 18th, 2011
9:43 pm
Dolamyte shouldn’t you be out Slapping up your Garden Tools and grabbing yourself?
Lee Westwood wins in Thailand – Atlanta Journal Constitution | NewsAsean.Com
December 18th, 2011
10:00 pm
[...] Falcons still have chance to hit their stride at right time [...]
MWC
December 18th, 2011
10:06 pm
Yo Stephen, so you’re trying to tell me all the Falcon wins are due to rookie QB’s? Looks like your are not only an idiot, but the real d#@k cheese ! LOL !
trademark
December 19th, 2011
5:40 am
….at least Green Bay and Atlanta have something in common now….
Blogs filled with sorry a%& Saints Trolls with nothing else better to do than go to other team’s message boards and scream at the top of their lungs how great they HOPE their team is….
*sigh* Sad. Sad. Sad.
trademark
December 19th, 2011
6:01 am
interesting from Sunday: (source:si.com/Burke)
“If the Vikings wanted to see how healthy Adrian Peterson really was in his first game back from a sprained ankle, they got their answer. The team wanted to ease Peterson back into the lineup, and he didn’t get his characteristic workload in the first half. But he made the most of his time in there with a 39-yard run that saw Saints defenders grasp at his ankles near the line of scrimmage, until Peterson drove through the defenders and sprinted away from everyone in sight.”
Sorry a%& bastards, trying to re-aggravate the injury. Maybe end his career, next time, huh Saints. Dirty a&% scared little children.
just sayin'
December 19th, 2011
8:10 am
brees wasn’t traded…FA signing to NO..after shoulder surgery…saints took a chance on his surgery being successful…would out well for them….
just sayin'
December 19th, 2011
8:21 am
worked*
George Allen
December 19th, 2011
8:45 am
“They’ll get to the playoffs” (famous last words, how soon we forget). One thing about columnists, their memory can be worse than the best closers in baseball.
Michael M.
December 19th, 2011
8:50 am
Saints play of the game>>>> ” Center snaps the ball to Breeze, ball sails by Breeze and Vikings recover……Drew, what was you doing out there dude ? ”
Put that play in the Game next Monday night against the Birds !
A last years game >>>> ” Drew takes the flea flicker and throws it deep, booooooommmm, interception
Falcons ! ”
Stick that one in the playbook too .
Another big play to add >>>>” Breeze back to pass, Breeze has to scramble due to heavy defensive pressure, a dump-off to avoid the sack, booooooommmm , right into the hands of Big Abe ! ”
Stick it in the playbook Saints Coaches !
Superdome T-Shirt Vendor
December 19th, 2011
9:21 am
I’m going to be selling SAINTS – 2011 NFC South Champions T-Shirts this weekend. They are going to be HOT after the game. You want me to pre-order one for you?
Leeman B
December 21st, 2011
1:23 pm
Failcons, Falcants. Saints fans are cute: it’s impressive that they know how to power on a computer. It’ll be funny if they lose next week…alot of these Bobby Booshay clowns may be on suicide watch.