Falcons get their reality check, and it’s not what they expected
Falcons could do nothing to stop Drew Brees and the Saints. (AP photo)
(UPDATED: 1:03 a.m.)
NEW ORLEANS — So much for the mystery.
There’s no need to wonder how heavily to weigh six consecutive dominating quarters against Carolina and Jacksonville. As it turns out, it means only that the Falcons are better than Carolina and Jacksonville — neither of whom they’ll be facing in the playoffs.
They’re not as good as New Orleans. They’re certainly not as good as Green Bay. It remains to be seen if they’re as good as anybody in the playoff field (although they did beat Detroit. But the Falcons won’t be playing them, either.)
Pecking order was firmly established Monday night. The Falcons got boat-raced by New Orleans 45-16 at the Superdome. At least, that was the score the last time anybody looked up.
“I think it’s an aberration,” coach Mike Smith said when asked what this says about the state of his team.
He had better hope so. The Falcons just suffered their worst loss ever under Smith. The 29-point deficit was even bigger than last season’s playoff loss to Green Bay (48-21).
Some might have been upset that the Saints poured it on at the end. (Drew Brees threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game with 2:51 left, prompting Saints coach Sean Payton to later alibi that he was just trying to get Brees the single-season passing yardage record on that drive.)
But when a team gets body-slammed like this, it has nothing to whine about.
The Falcons didn’t merely get beat by a seemingly faster and more talented team. They got punched in the mouth. They lost both lines of scrimmage. They had receivers laid out in the New Orleans secondary, and their own defense didn’t reciprocate. They got outcoached. They didn’t have an answer for a New Orleans offense that went over 300 yards by halftime or for quarterback Drew Brees, who just made them look silly most of the night.
They gave up a 92-yard kickoff return and allowed a touchdown on a 30-yard fumble return after Julio Jones found himself with an excess of thumbs. So they spread the agony around.
This all happened with quite a bit on the line, not the least of which was a slim chance to rally and win the NFC South.
“It’s pretty embarrassing the way we played,” linebacker Curtis Lofton said.
“I don’t even know what this means — I don’t have a clue,” wide receiver Roddy White said.
This doesn’t mean the Falcons are incapable of winning a first-round playoff game over Dallas, New York or San Francisco. But they have beaten only two teams all season that currently have winning records (Detroit and Tennessee), and this performance by players and coaches leaves nobody with any sense of comfort.
There’s also this: If things fall just right (or wrong), the Falcons will be coming back to New Orleans in two weeks for the playoffs. Sleep well, Brian VanGorder.
After consecutive wins over Carolina and Jacksonville, the Falcons had started to believe they could go on an improbable playoff run from a wild-card position this season, just like the Green Bay Packers did last season. But this game provided no reassurance of that.
Smith again: “I felt like we had a good week of preparation. I didn’t see this coming. We didn’t play Atlanta Falcons football and the scoreboard indicates that.”
What the scoreboard indicated was that this defense still can’t handle offenses with an elite quarterback. The only thing the first half gave the Falcons were bad flashbacks of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense, ripping them apart in January.
The Saints led 21-10 at halftime. They would’ve had four touchdowns in four possessions, but one would-be score went off Jimmy Graham’s hands in the end zone, was volleyballed by William Moore and fell like manna from heaven into the hands of Falcons defensive back Dominique Franks for an interception. So much for the Falcons’ first-half defensive highlights.
When Brees stepped back to pass, the Falcons’ secondary looked like somebody had kicked an ant hill. The Falcons rarely pressured Brees, rarely blitzed and, when they did, they got burned. Brees threw for 230 yards on only four possessions and New Orleans totaled 306 yards in offense.
There is your reality check about the Falcons’ defense in game No. 15.
Moving the ball wasn’t an issue early. The Falcons’ drove to a field goal and a touchdown on their first two possessions. But when they stalled, New Orleans kept going. As much as the Falcons fashion themselves as an explosive offense, they’re not nearly at the level of New Orleans or Green Bay.
The defense’s only hope against opponents at this level is to punch them in the mouth. But the Falcons were throwing hooks at air Monday night. In the first half, Brees moved the Saints 84 yards in 3 minutes and 28 seconds, 81 yards in 3:59 and 80 yards in 1:55.
You could almost hear defenders yell in unison, “Which way did he go?”
When New Orleans took a 28-10 lead in the third quarter on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Brees to Robert Meachem, chants of “MVP, MVP,” went up in the Superdome crowd.
Nobody in white jerseys would cast a dissenting vote.
The Falcons were looking for a sign that they could do something special in the postseason. Instead, they got smacked with a reality check. Barring an unexpected mutation, they’re nowhere nearly good enough for that.
By Jeff Schultz
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751 comments Add your comment
Great Falconi
December 27th, 2011
1:36 am
Ryan played well tonight. Our defense killed us in this game. Say what you want about Julio’s fumble and the red zone failures, but our D gave up 35 points (I’ll give ‘em a pass on the FG after Sproles’ return) to the Saints. Not only that, they gave up 164 yards rushing. It was a total meltdown on D. You cannot possibly beat a good offense when have given up nine straight third-down conversions (5-for-5 on third-and-long) to it.
I put this one on Smitty and VanGorder. If they can’t come up with something better than this (they did back at the Georgia Dome, if I recall), then somebody has to be fired. Drew Brees is a great guy, but I wouldn’t expect a “physical football team” (as Smitty claims we are) to make it so damn easy on him. I’ve been a Falcon fan for thirty years and I’m tired of watching the other team have their way with us. Smitty hasn’t had too many of those moments, but they’re starting to pile up in the collective psyche of Falcon fans. This franchise needs a playoff win or two really, really badly. If we come up empty-handed this year, the fans are going to turn on the team.
Hmmm
December 27th, 2011
1:38 am
Two things I noticed:
1. The defense hasn’t shown any improvement in four years under VanGorder/Smith.
2. Turner continues to wear down towards the end of every season.
falcons suck! always have..always will
December 27th, 2011
1:38 am
ohhh wait till next year! rise up! keep drinking the kool-aid!
Great Falconi
December 27th, 2011
1:39 am
All kidding aside, the important thing is that we won the battle for time of possession.
Bill Martin
December 27th, 2011
1:40 am
Puke, Puke, Puke, Puke. This team is at best sub=par. We have no consistant coaching and just hall a.. players. Too much money for next to nothing. I’ve mentioned Matty Ice until I am blue in the face. Anyone can see he is not, repeat, not a pro qb. Jusk junk qb. Keeps jumping around like a
puppet on a string an then panicks. Time t start over from the topp dow2n alll the way.
Robin
December 27th, 2011
1:41 am
Surprised anyone is blaming Ryan for this game.
The Falcons got whooped up front on both sides and couldn’t lay a hand on Brees, so he took em apart like a Hall of Fame QB should. That isn’t Ryan’s fault.
Are these old Vick fans who are bitter about that nonsense from 2007?
FalconsHeroZero
December 27th, 2011
1:42 am
Falcons have un-athletic DTs… That’s how you beat Brees.. Pressure up the gut…Watch Detroit vs. The Saints.. Suh is a Monster…not just fat.. Falcons DTs look like Offensive-Guards..
Amazing
December 27th, 2011
1:42 am
Did Atlanta respond to the drubbing by GB last year? No. Will they respond to this drubbing? No. Smith has started the winning seasons. Atlanta needs another coach to achieve loftier goals.
I can’t stand the way Smith shows fear.
MarkG
December 27th, 2011
1:42 am
Falcon D sucked big time, and that’s even with Grimes in the line up. I’m getting so damn tired of both Van Gorder and Mularkey. Get rid of both of them!!!!
ClayMc
December 27th, 2011
1:43 am
Mike Smith seems to be a good guy, just not a great head coach. He was hired to clean up after Petrino and restore credibility to the franchise. But the team has not progressed during his tenure despite the talent upgrades. And this team does have talent, players on both sides of the ball that would be coveted by any other team in the league. Like any team there are holes, but our issues appear to be gaps in strategy, preparation and intensity. That’s not to say the players dont play hard because they do. It seems their efforts are wasted because they are never in position to close the deal in ANY meaningful game. Bad play calls and wrong defenses can win against lesser talent but not against championship caliber teams. We need championship level coaches to get us to reach a Super Bowl and win.
It's the refs fault
December 27th, 2011
1:43 am
it’s the falcons cheerleaders fault…it’s the white mans fault…it’s everybody fault except the falcons players, coaches
Had enough
December 27th, 2011
1:46 am
Where is this team?Where is it going?How is this thing going to get fixed???
Robin
December 27th, 2011
1:46 am
Also, Abraham needs to go. Tom Jackson went off on him in the pre-game about getting his sacks against garbage competition and he’s right. The defense needs a ballhawking FS to pair with Moore and a true pass rushing force on the interior.
Clemson Fan
December 27th, 2011
1:47 am
Agreed, Great Falconi, I was surprised how easily the Aints ran the ball on us tonight. Maybe I’m delusional, but I think we can keep it closer with adjustments – stuffing the run and putting more pressure on Brees.
Loserville USA
December 27th, 2011
1:47 am
Funny how the worst coach in Falcons history had 2 excellent coordinators — HUE JACKSON and MIKE ZIMMER…
Funny how the best coach in Falcons history has 2 brutal coordinators.
gabugman
December 27th, 2011
1:48 am
“Why are you clowns still complaining about the refs? Name the plays”
Although I’m not a clown, I will:
2nd qtr, 3rd and 6, Reggie Kelly receives whiplash on the same type of hit that was ruled a penalty for the Saints 15 minutes earlier.All three announcers concur that the refs have not been consistent. Result of non call is a Atlanta punt, drive over.
Sproles 92 yard return is only possible by the non call of blocking in the back by NO #35. I watched it over and over in slow mo, the guy was facing the wrong direction from the play beginning. Penalty non call puts the ball on the NO 10 yard line.
Third qtr holding in the end zone, flags come out but then they decide it’s OK since it was a screen pass (WTF?) but Breese decides to tuck and run (WTF?), safety averted.
Granted, these botched calls may not have had any bearing on the out come since NO was on fire but to not make them looks decidedly like favoritism.
Sargent Carter
December 27th, 2011
1:49 am
Well, guys, it is not as bad as it seems. It is not as bad as it seems. It is not as bad as it seems. Coz this was not Atlanta Falcon’s football. Mike Smith said so. Neither was the playoff loss to Green Bay last year or the first game loss to Chicago this year or the other loss to the Saints or the loss to Green Bay this year. Brian van Gorder, the former Georgia Southern coach, has two weeks to figure out how to make it not as bad as it seems. Julio Jones has two weeks to get a pair of magic gloves for his hands. The Falcons will get to the Super Bowl if Drew Brees slips on a bananna peel and reinjures his shoulder and Aaron Rodgers hurts his elbow doing his touchdown dance. Chill, it is just not as bad as it seems…it is worse…remember Tom Landry’s Dallas 27, Atlanta 20, it is deja vous all over again, just Yogi Berra said
Let's Be Honest
December 27th, 2011
1:50 am
The difference between Atlanta and New Orleans is that Saints fans show unwavering support for their QB and team no matter what, so it eventually pays off.
Atlanta are still fighting a race war over their QBs. Stupid Black fans still mad about Vick, stupid White fans making excuses for Ryan.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
1:51 am
Mr. Panic Button
December 27th, 2011
12:21 am
“Here’s the run down…
-Arthur promotes his fired GM (McKay) and makes him President & CEO
-Dimitroff and his joke of a scout staff bring in H.S. players disguised as college drafts and sign FAs that have no talent just to appease the fans
-Mike Smith didn’t have a top 10 defense in Jacksonsville and got the HC job because McKay knew him and thought he was a good guy
-Dimitroff is a figure head…no real say so and had zero experience as a GM
-Mike Smith hires an OC that’s washed up with an archaic offensive philosophy, a DC that isn’t a college level proficient DC
-Everytime the team has time off they get embarrassed for being unprepared
-Arthur needs to sell the team to someone who doesn’t get close with the people he hires and forgets football is a business–where’s the accountability???? Not one person on this team and staff is held accountable for the poor performance of this team”
Mr Panic, well said Sir. You hit it nail on the head!
Fire Mr Blank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
1:52 am
the^^^
Amazing
December 27th, 2011
1:52 am
That Dallas 27 Atlanta 20 game is on youtube I believe.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
1:53 am
Get Cowher and Andrew Luck in here…..
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
1:54 am
Mike Smith= Norv Turner………………
gabugman
December 27th, 2011
1:56 am
“Mike Smith= Norv Turner”
Lol, not quite but he has the potential…
There's something here for everyone...
December 27th, 2011
1:56 am
These posts crack me up! The great thing about a blowout loss is there is something there for every dirtbag faux fan to point to as the problem. Having said that, anyone calling out Ryan is a total idiot. The guy can play. He is not the caliber of Brees, but tonight, Tom Brady couldn’t have been Brees.
Two things bothered me about this game. The D-line gets no push, which exposes ALL zone schemes. Even if Dunta was worth half what we pay him and we had legit free safety play, they would get punked with the time we give the opponent QB. Second, I’m really tired of hearing all about the Saints. They’ve earned a severe beat down with the way they’ve taken it to us lately, and I want to have a team that will fight every inch of the way down the field. We may not match up talent wise, but dammit, we need to match intensity, and I didn’t see that. Even the GB loss last year wasn’t this bad. We played fast and hard in that game, we just couldn’t tackle the QB. This game we couldn’t get close enough to fling sweat on the guy. It was really sad.
And that was an awful game officiating wise. It was like watching a hockey game in Philly. One side got to play any way they wanted, and the other got hammered all night for everything. Didn’t make a difference in the score, just made it that much harder to watch.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
1:59 am
Matt Ryan is not a play maker…His lack of shows up against the winners(playoff) teams…..
Amazing
December 27th, 2011
2:00 am
Yet but Norv works in San Diego. No comparison to this hell hole.
Turner has coached the most games in NFL history among head coaches with an overall losing record 110-116-1.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
2:00 am
Lost by almost 4 TD’s to GB last season in the PLAYOFFS?..It was HORRIFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There's something here for everyone...
December 27th, 2011
2:01 am
…And if I have to hear one more Saints fan talk about how superior their fans are for never giving up on their team and how it’s really their unwavering support that pays off in the end I’m gonna puke! Give me a break. You guys will be back to wearing bags on your heads the minute that liquor buzz wears off from this run. It’s amazing how pure your loyalty became AFTER winning a title.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
2:02 am
Sucked so bad that word on the street, Mr Blank laid the law down and said that would not happen again..They have to win a playoff game this year…Coach Smith is sweating bullets right about now….
yeahsure
December 27th, 2011
2:02 am
BVG gets outclassed every big game. MM, please take notes on mixing things up and using players.
@SCHULTZ.
Please call attention to the horrible refs. We don’t stand a chance if we have to do this again and the officiating continues to be one-sided.
Amazing
December 27th, 2011
2:07 am
Yeah Nebraska fans used to talk S about how classy they were. Yeah when your team drubs teams by 40 points, it’s easy to be classy. But when the table turned with that idiot Solich, those classy fans showed their true selfs.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
2:08 am
Its coaching when your getting blown out like this multiple times. Its not a fluke anymore.Its a pattern now..
Mckay, Dimitroff, and Coach Smith and Staff should be re evaluated after the season. Another Blowout playoff loss and I’d can them all….
Clemson Fan
December 27th, 2011
2:09 am
Well, I’m not “on the street” as some posters, but I would have to say that this is still one of the best Falcon teams that I have seen in 30+ years. 3 out of last 4 in playoffs and every reason to be hopeful that this team can make the corrections needed to improve themselves, both next week and next year.
Loserville USA
December 27th, 2011
2:11 am
POSTED EARLIER: Falcons are 1-5 in games Ryan throws over 40 passes….
POSTED NOW: Falcons are 6-1 when Turner gets over 20 carries…..
@ CHI (L) 10 for 100
vs. PHI (W) 21 for 114
@ TB (L) 11 for 20
@ SEA (W) 26 for 70
vs. GB (L) 16 for 56
vs. CAR (W) 27 for 139
@ DET (W) 27 for 122
@ IND (W) 19 for 71
vs NO (L) 22 for 96
vs. TEN (W) 21 for 100
vs. MIN (W) 19 for 60
@ HOU (L) 14 or 44
@ CAR (W) 21 for 76
vs. JAC (W) 19 for 61
@ NO (L) 11 for 39
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS COACHING STAFF??? Really obtuse game-planning.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
2:12 am
Nobody cares where you are Clemson…..Yawn…
Amazing
December 27th, 2011
2:15 am
He’s drinking with Danny Ford and looking and MSU rewinds.
Clemson Fan
December 27th, 2011
2:15 am
Falcons all the way baby. I’m still on board. And, if not this year then next year.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
2:17 am
Some of these old timers have seen the bar set so low by this organization for so long, that all you have to do is give em a sniff and they’ll be satisfied! lmfao!
DJ
December 27th, 2011
2:20 am
Same ole same o.2 weeks and the same crap.
Mora Senior
December 27th, 2011
2:21 am
Organization! Organization! Organization!
Nothing about the Falcons looks organized to me.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
2:21 am
Stick a fork in the John Abraham! He was invisible as usual against the winners…A pattern?
magicharp
December 27th, 2011
2:22 am
Man we deserve better than that. And they wonder why Atlanta teams get no respect!
once recent reader
December 27th, 2011
2:23 am
Not here complaining about Refs, but after reading a few posts I was reminded about that “Screen Pass” call. I don’t know the rule, and don’t get it. Brees didn’t even seem to attempt a pass . . .maybe it was the play called, but how would the Refs know that? It could have been a fake screen and long pass. Truly not complaining, but want to better understand that call. It was not the difference in this game!!! The guy whom the Refs said was throwing a Screen pass was the difference!!! Great game by Brees.
Mora Junior
December 27th, 2011
2:24 am
Can you believe these idiots at UCLA hired me!
Loserville USA
December 27th, 2011
2:24 am
Never seen an NFL team go to the playoffs without a signature win.
If 13-3 masked the crap last year, this 9-6 is much worse because we’ve overcome incredibly bad game planning. Win over Philly would not have happened now….win at Seattle would not have happened now. Lucky to beat Carolina there. Probably would have beaten a terrible Tampa Bay team now….so Falcons are realistically a 7-8 team against a pretty easy schedule.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
2:25 am
Line play was the difference and then of course Drew stuck the knife in and twisted it….
IlliniDawg
December 27th, 2011
2:25 am
Can’t believe that we couldn’t even get a late-hit on Brees. Our guys were so late to the QB that the refs were already moving the chains. After that last TD, I officially despise Sean Payton and Brees and want to play them again — total lack of class, Like everyone else in NOLA, the guy is a d-bag.
Sargent Carter
December 27th, 2011
2:25 am
Big guy in the sky, you have helped Tebow, is there anything you can do for us Falcon fans? Since 1966, I never thought I would say this, but our best coach has been Dan Reeves and he never WON a Super Bowl anywhere, but he GOT THERE. I am 60 years old and don’t know when I’ll be facing St. Peter, so Norb Hecker, Norm Van Brocklin, the swampfox(twice,yikes), Leeman Bennett, Dan Henning, Jerry Glanville, Petrino, the Mora guy…and others, big spirit, could you just grant us one real coach before I kick the bucket? Could you take time out from Tebow to give us THE ONE, and help king Arthur make a worthy choice. As Furman Bisher used to write..selah.
once recent reader
December 27th, 2011
2:27 am
Clemson . .. .I’m still on board too. Maybe I’m just a bit less emotional about it all. Obviously this team doesn’t seem to have it together as well as the Saints, Packers, Pats, maybe Steelers and Ravens . . ..but come two weeks from now it’s One and Done for all losing teams. I know this team has the capability if they can only execute better.