Mike Smith knows failure starts with him, not coordinators (updated)

First?

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Now that that’s out of the way … Jeff, completely agree here. The 2012 season will either prove that our coordinators were holding back our team, or that it’s been Smitty all along.

I like Smith and hope that the prior is true, but I’m waiting on the 2012 season with nervous trepidation.

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since you mentioned the jones trades, the 3 picks we gave for him ended up being:
Jimmy Smith – starting CB for Baltimore
Greg Little – leading Browns receiver
Owen Marecic – FB, Browns

Plus the 1st and 4th rounders this upcoming draft.

I like Jones, but it would be hard to argue against having Smith, Little and Marecic along w/2 other players. In hindsight, this was a bad trade.

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While I greatly appreciate the winning seasons ( you have to achieve those before you go to the playoffs-duh), I’m ready like everyone else to take the next step. This isn’t pee-wee football where everyone gets to play, this is big-boy football where people are paying money to watch someone else work. If they do the work, they get paid. So everyone is on the clock. TD, Smitty, even Ryan…Sorry big-boy football…..Time to MAN-UP….

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The cycle seems to continue. Let’s rebuild again and hope for the best.

It’s crazy that other teams seem to find a way, but we always fall short. We had the Saints to make us not look quite so bad for a while, but the football gods shined on them by giving them Brees. We have to find that spark.

Yes, I’m rambling.

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“massive mole on his resume’s forehead”. Brilliant.

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I’m actually quite happy with the Falcons.

There is, after all, such a thing as other teams just being better.

The Falcons didn’t have the better team against the Giants and certainly not the best QB.

Wins and losses are 80% players and 20% coaches.

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Nice…I agree Jeff. While Smitty is the best head coach in Falcons history, a “vanilla” philosophy gets you nowhere in the NFL postseason. I hate to use the example…but look at Belicheck. He basically uses the regular season to “push” his defense to get better (they generally start with new players every year in the defensive backfield). By the time playoff time rolls around, they are very familiar with an attacking style.

The Falcons never seem to actually sack the QB when they blitz because they don’t do it routinely enough. They can’t pass effectively because they would rather run Turner up the gut against Seattle and Carolina. Meanwhile, Sean Payton and Bill Belicheck are running up the score (pass attack mode) on inferior teams.

My point: Coaches build duirng the season. Smitty – and by extension Mularkey and VanGorder- stuck with that they thought worked…if they needed to chnage then they would think about it at that time. Simply put, that does not get it done in big games. Crowd noise, stress, weather play HUGE dividends when you are doing something you are not used to doing.

Falcons need Jon Gruden types in here. Gun slinging Mavericks as Coordinators to moderate Smitty’s safe, comy approach.

FBD

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“He inherited VanGorder but it was his call to keep him.”

Smith didn’t inherit Van Gorder. He hired him away from SOS and the Gamecocks.

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totally disagree schultz… mike smith is the best head coach that have been in the atl. since dan h. in 1998.. with new oc &dc and get the secondary and running game and the o line redone atl will be good

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“Dimitroff has had some high-profile personnel moves that haven’t panned out — Dunta Robinson, Ray Edwards and Sam Baker, for starters.”

Can we add Mike Johnson, Joe Hawley and Garret Reynolds to that list too? Along with Sam Baker, that’s 4 draft picks spent on offensive linemen by Dimitroff and not a single one has established themselves as a serviceable player, much less a difference making player.

We may as well add Peria Jerry, Lawrence Sidbury and Kroy Biermann to the list too. The best I can say about any of those guys is that they’re good special teams players. Of all the offensive and defensive linemen drafted by Dimitroff, only Corey Peters has met expectations. That’s 1 for 8! Whoever is scouting and evaluating linemen prospects is not getting it done, you can’t get by in the NFL with a 12.5% success rate with your draft picks.

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No they don’t. They start with Dmitrof. Why does nobody mention this?

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Schultz, you’re out of your mind if you think the julio trade was a good move.
It’s set their roster back five years. Multiple players will outdo the injury-prone
Julio in the long run.

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Mike Smith hired BVG back from South Carolina, He was going to be the defense C. for Old Ball coach. BVG was a Smith pick. You are correct, the soft zone was not BVG, its falls on Smith. BVG anf MM got the blame, should fall on Smith.
It they leave Smith, no matter whos the OC and DC, it will still look like BVG and MM are still here. What we are is Smith football. 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Run first, and second, then maybe a pass.

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the Jones move was ill-advised then and still is. The falcons gave up a bunch of picks for an offensive player that has about ten touches a game and now the falcons have fewer draft picks and are left with little cap room. the falcons overpaid for edwards and robinson, which has contributed to the current cap room situation and gave up a 2nd round pick for Baker, who lost his starting job. when i look at this team, it has more of a possibility of sliding backwards than moving forward.

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I knew that I was going to get canned, so I was at Auburn the day that I do film review with the team. My goal is to be employed by each SEC team, even if it is for one day.

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Do not leave out Andrew Jackson, lineman that was drafted last year and cut.

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NO. failures start with not making the super bowl. FALCON FANS need to have patients. Coach Smith has the falcons in a position to atleast compete for a super bowl. I remember our beloved mike Vick mustered 2 playoff wins and no super bowl but every body was caught up with his athletic ability. Remember, Chris Chandler was the only super bowl QB TO TAKE FALCONS TO THE SUPER BOWL AND HE WAS NOT moble but had a great O- LINE FOR HIM AND RUNNING GAME.

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ok so we got clean slate for offense and defense will watch with the rest of falcons fans on what the 3 headed monster has to say at press conf at high noon today one wrong slip up now will be very telling of what the monster plans to do next hope we show rest of nfl that falcons really are fully commited to hiring the best available to coach our talent this is a gift to make changes all mistakes are now on the 3 heads AB,TD,MS GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY HUNTING — NO LIMITS — OPEN SEASON

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Jury still somewhat out on Julio Jones because of injuries but if he stays healthy he will be a stud and well worth the draft picks. As far as Mike Smith I do think he has earned some of if not the majority of the blame. Doesn’t mean I want him fired but humility earns respect and I think Smith should open up about some of his failures and explain what he plans to do differently next year as it could be his last if he doesn’t start to think outside the box.

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Country Boy-Being a gambler only works when you make the 4th downs.
Doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity.

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Been around a here a lot longer than you, Jeff. This organization is not “way past that now.” There is still improvement needed, but the team is still in far better shape than I’m used to as a fan of 35 years.

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And, I’m grateful for it, is my point. I hope they don’t mess it up, a la the Smiths with Leeman Bennett and his so-called plateau.

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I thought the Ricky Williams trade a few years back would have taught GMs across the league that 1 player no matter how good does not replace the quality available in the multible draft picks given up, TD showed his true stripe by wasting an opprtunity to improve the most neglected part of the Falcons team, the LINE on both sides of the ball. Quess what TD no team has ever been good and will never be champions with out some great big high quality linemen. More of the same old Falcons stupitity which has plagued the franchise from the beginning. With the schedule the Falcons played this year it is obvious that they are not a superior team. I think Jeff may need to look a little higher when he talks about who needs replacing. How about GM and dare I say it, that great decision maker Athur Blank himself.

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And what’s with knock on vanilla? It’s my favorite flavor, unless it is made from goat milk.

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Schultz

I totally agree with you on this column!!! The only thing I’d add is that this team as it’s currently constructed seems to lack guys on the Offense who are going to play with passion, fire, & heart in the post season. On the D you’ve got Abe, Spoon, & Lofton who are guaranteed to show up, on offense who do you have? Even Matt, & I’m not one of these Ryan bashers, although it can be argued that he shows up in a big game, not in the post season, but in general for a big game, he doesn’t seem to summon that out of his teammates & demand it of his offense that way a great qb should. Julio came to play as well, but far to often in big games Roddy, Gonzo, & Turner get shut down & shut out. Moreover, in 6 or our 7 biggest games this year we failed to score over 24 points & with that offense that’s unacceptable! Some are completely placing that on Mularcky & it’s not all on him. Look at those qb sneaks in the playoffs, there’s a HUGE difference between the determination that you saw in Drew Bress the night before when he jumped the pile on his qb sneak to get it, & the timid way Matt when about trying to get it & not only that, he didn’t learn from his 1st mistake the second time around. I’m just saying i don’t see the heart, the passion sometimes in some of our leaders. Moveover, there were at least twice on big 3rd downs where Matt went to Roddy & he didn’t come back for the ball allowing the defender to come over & around him for a strip when the drive should have kept moving! That’s completely unacceptable!!! & that’s not the OC, that’s our stars, Roddy was completely outplayed by Julio & that’s not ok, for our star wr, I’m just saying where’s the heart? Clabbo, a supposed prow bowler last year kept getting beat this year like he stole something & jumped offside more than anyone else on the line, again not acceptable! & this is where i agree with you, these things, the undisciplined, unmotivated element of the team is a reflection of their coach, the head coach has to hold them to a higher standard. Has to not cancel out the pass making it one-dimensional before the game because he wants to over depend on Turner as he did in both the Arizona & Giants game. Smith has to be held accountable to & really shouldn’t have anything to do with the Offense, he’s a defensive guy! Bring in Todd Haley & Steve Spagnuolo

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Smith is the one that opens up or limits the offense and the defense. He provides the guidelines for the staff. Now it is time to realize that is extremely difficult to run the ball for a yard or less when there are 11 defensive players clogging up the middle. Sometimes you have got to be a little unpredictable in order to loosen up the defense–pass the ball on fourth and one, and do not always run the ball on the first play of the game or the first play of the third quarter. I bet the other team has a clue of what you usually do in certain situations. The poor dumb fams doooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. WAKE UP PEOPLE.

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The Falcon’s problem’s do start with Smith but it is his staff that is responsible for the product on the field. He allow’s his coach’s to play their scheme and it is not working and he refuses to see where the problem lies. The secondary has talent but has been playing in the wrong alignment and overall scheme. Every team they play know’s it is easy to pick them apart because of that ZONE they play. A good reciever will get open simply by continnuing to cross the field, where-as the secondary has to stay in their ZONE and are constantly getting beat. On offense, they must establish a balanced game plan that is more suitable to their talent. This group of reciever’s, both starter’s and reserves, are very talented and should be used on a more regular basis. Matt Ryan can control a game when it is 1;25 to go and they go no huddle. Why not take that attitude for an entire game? What is going on now is just terrible coaching and a lack of perception as to what we really have. This is a good team with the ability to be great. Coaching seem’s to be the drawback. Football know-how is on this staff but practicallity is not.

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Press conference today more of the same that the Braves gave us with their letter to the fans. The real difference is that the Braves have a solid base for their team in good talent analysis and developement. Can’t say the same about the Falcons. And Jeff I too have noticed the lack of focus by the Falcons during theseason. Mike Smiths responsibilty all the way.

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Mike Smith isn’t going to have a strategy transplant. He most certainly is a class guy and brought stability to the org, but I just don’t see him taking the team to a SB. This team needs someone to give it an identity!

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@falconfan58 “Smith is the one that opens up or limits the offense and the defense.”

You have a link that proves your opinion?

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What a surprise! Great column! I couldn’t agree more.

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But, but Jeff – Mark says Mike Smith is the best coach in Falcons history.

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It’s clear that Thomas D. has a vision for the Falcons offense that is closer to the Packers and Saints style of play than the old three yards and a cloud of dust philosophy that the Falcons too often employed under Mularkey. Given that Smith comes from the defensive side of the ball, it’s hard to tell if the conservative, predictable Falcons offense was a result of Mularkey’s inability to adjust to the times and the players on hand, or a result of a conservative mindset of left over from Smith’s days as a defensive coordinator.

From the outside, Smith and Dimitroff still seem believable when they claim they are working well together and share the same vision for the team. If that is the case, it would seem that Smith will be willing to let a new offensive coordinator open things up under a new offensive coordinator who is able to take advantage of the talent assembled on that side of the ball. Next season could be an exciting one for Falcons fans, or the end of an era for Mike Smith. I hope it’s the former.

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[...] to Original Content From Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog): read moreSee more stories on Google: read more Related Articles Share About Author [...]

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Nobody’s screaming to bring in Todd Grantham. Why is that? Since Abraham won’t be back and the other DEs as a group are not real threats against the passing game, switch to a 3-4 to enhance the defense against against the modern passing schemes. As it has been said many times, 3-4 DEs are cheaper than 4-3 DEs and linebackers are easier to find.

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The defense looked great on first and second downs most of the year. It was shifting into the “oh, please don’t convert!” soft zone on third down that killed us every time. BVG didn’t do that at Georgia; that has Smith written all over it. I’ll be willing to bet he talks Blank into hiring Jack Del Rio as the new DC, which will lead to more of the same. Hopefully Dimitroff will talk him into leaving the new OC alone. Smith=Marty Schottenheimer.

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Tom Brady won Superbowls and a MVP before Moss arrived by the way.

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No one is sreaming for Todd Grantham because we’re Falcons pro football fans and not just Georgia college footballs fans

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He’s the BOSS he can handle it !! Let’s not forget where we come from ! I’ll take this any day !!

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We was wondering what is the difference between Mike Smith and Bobby Cox and why Mike Smith might be the problem but Bobby Cox never was? Winning in the regular season and losing in the playoffs seems to be a pattern, right? If Mike Smith was a nose picker we’d know something.

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When Coach Smith arrived all he needed to do to please the fans was to win more than he lost. He did and was hailed as a great coach. Now more is expected. We can get to the playoffs but we want to win a game in the playoffs. Coach Smith will have to do much better to stay. He has one more year.

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We will see what happens.

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Honestly Coach Smith should be gone too, if team lacks edge (which it does) Smith is not the one to restore it. All his mannerisms say i’m just going to be as good as i can and hope for the best…..GARBAGE I’m sure with this teams roster Coach Gruden would come out the booth and coach it if asked. this brings me to the next question, who wants to work with Smith thats good when they know he’s not going to let him fire up their side of the ball and ask more of the players. We he allow them to bring in the players they need to work their game plan? No, because old Smitty is a dinosaurus and you have to be inavative in todays NFL. Mr. Schultz please ask these tuff questions at the press conrfence. If the team takes on the idenity of it’s coach, who believes will win a champioship behind Mike Smith……I don’t, and I think deep down inside you and many others don’t neither.

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“Remember, the head coach always sets the agenda. If Mularkey and VanGorder failed, it’s partly because Smith failed.”

Kind of hard for a defense to care when they are the only one capable of scoring 2 pts in a game.

Bottom line: Falcons suck.

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Jeff Schultz: “For as much heat as Mularkey took, Smith is the one more likely to order vanilla in an ice cream shop.”

A Classic line. LOL

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Mike Smith=Mark Richt=Bobby Cox . Good managers of the REGULAR season but innefective beyond that. One championship in 28 combined years says it all.

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@Falcons4Eva “To the knuckleheads that thought I was off base when I suggested that Mike Smith would be on the hot seat”

So “Failure” is making the playoffs 3 out of the last 4 years? Hot seat? Idiots fire their head coach after making the playoff’s 3 out of 4 years. See Leeman Bennett.

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http://live.atlantafalcons.com/

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Addition by subtraction:

Subtract Ryan

Add RG3!

As long as Happy feet is the QB expect more playoff destruction!

Ryan’s game is obsolete…Jettison this bust…or expect 0-5…..

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Same reason nobody’s screaming to bring in Nick Saban or Paul “Man boobs” Johnson.

You stupid tool.

I didn’t post that. I was responding to someone else who posted that. Try to keep up.

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Matt Ryan is like bringing a knife to a gun fight!

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I stand by Mike Smith 100%. Some of you seem to forget the state of the falcons organization before him. We are not going to win every freaking year. There are 30 other teams that will not win the Super Bowl either this year. I still believe Mike Smith is the best man for the job. Anybody who says different is absolutely wrong.

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All you haters need to just chill out.

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To give them the credit for replacing two coaches is to not take their word.
The coaches left US. Period. It isn’t our job to read between any lines.

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Mike Smith has earned a good couple more years, assuming he continues to grow as a coach. Replacing key members of the staff is going to go a long way toward showing that growth. Remember Coughlin in NY was almost out with the Giants, until he made some changes to his coaching strategy. That being said I’m very excited to see where the team goes from here. There will be changes to the roster with so many FA’s. While the loss sucked, as a fine I’m excited about next year.

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Mr. Blank sounded agitated at a question regarding “offense not being explosive” when search for new OC…he interupted the questioner.

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Disagree. This is a Team. The coaches, GM and Owner are part of the team.

It’s on everybody.

Until they have a team capable of dictating to other teams what they are going to do it’s unreasonable to believe they can go deep into the playoffs.

It’s not the worst problem to have considering they have gone from trainwreck to above average, but they are going to have to make better decisions all around.

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Good column Jeff, and like others have written I am counting on you to ask TD and Smith the tough, combative questions that DLed either refuses to or is unable to ask.

I can sorta see his point, because the Falcons did pretty much get a previous team reporter fired by closing access to him.

DLed also spent much of the offseason and early season defending Mularkey, who I wanted gone after last year.

Like others here, I like Smith, but if continues to coach and hire dully and conservatively then he will likely get himself ousted after another failed-expectations season, either by Blank or TD or both.

TD is also ‘on the clock’ to fix the oline and dline, with limited draft picks available.

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Smitty on radio now trying to defend our “Explosive plays” saying we ranked 9th in that category.

B/S….Forget Explosive Plays…..What good is a explosive play if you don’t get in the End Zone.

How about RED ZONE EFFICIENCY ! ! SCORE Touchdowns, NOT Field Goals ! !

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I agree Tradition. In addition to the vanilla leadership in place, look at the personalities of the star players in Atlanta. Chipper Jones, Matt Ryan, and Joe Johnson do not seem capable of lighting fires in their teammates or instilling a sense of toughness when the going gets tough. This city needs coaches and stars with some real edge to them.

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My biggest issue with Mike SMith is that he’s been hard headed this year. He’s continued to do the same thing (going for it on 4th down) despite his team proving to him that they cannot gain a yard when they needed it.

They have not evaluated the talent and the scheme and game planned effectively for teams with equitable talent.

I like Coach Smith. I feel confident still in Smith and TD. They’ve done a lot of good work so far. I think they expected far more from the lines of scrimmage than they got this year.

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Got news for you, Jeff……if the tables in a restaurant are empty, it’s because the food – i.e. chef – isn’t very good! Duh!

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@ Cal…Falcons record before Smith
2005 8-8
2006 7-9
2007 4-12
After Smith
2008 11-5
2009 9-7
2010 13-3
2011 10-6

These are the “good things” you were talking about. I’ll take that any day of the week.

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It seems like the lack of focus-it’s starts with the coach, then the players.

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And I only knew how to spell chi-hua-hua because of Les Nessman.

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Smith has definitely taken us to the next level. The only problem is there is a whole other level we haven’t reached yet.

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STRETCH

January 11th, 2012
12:31 pm

They get rid of the OC/DC??? Situation is like this:

No matter how you arrange chairs on the Titanic, the ship is still going down!
—————————————————————————–

That’s funny ! ! ! ! Real funny and absolutely rings true in this situation.

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The last three Super bowls have been won by smart innovative coaches that pushed the envelope. They had good defenses and very good offenses with players that were hungry. Mike Tomlin, Sean Peyton and Mike McCarthy were aggressive and that’s why they are champions. The Falcons aren’t even close to being able to compete with these teams using them same old drafting styles and coaching. Example: we take Pier Jerry in draft, Green Bay take Clay Mathews. Mathew’s a star player who makes plays, Jerry rarely plays. It’s not just coaching, it’s the mentality, you have to decide do you want to run a country club or a NFL team.

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Press conference live:

Here is the link:

http://live.atlantafalcons.com/

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I’ll be grateful if the Falcons just make the playoffs next year and lose in 1st round because quite frankly I think they are gonna have a losing record.

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WHAT DO YOU MEAN BLANK HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG? If it starts at the top, he is the top. He has hired all of the head coaches that did not work out.

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@Jarret you left out 2004, Wonder why?

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Arthur’s referring to Philly-in an attempt to anwser a question about the chemistry of adding an appropriate player to their roster.

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WOW –

Arthur Blank just called out the Eagles (though not by name, but certainly through reference that that “certain team, that signed all those free agents did blend well together”)

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Mr. Blank said he wants rings, so the regular season is only about making it to the tournament. Once you’re in the tournament, the real season begins and so far Smitty has nothing but bird eggs to show for it 0-3 (three zero’s).

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Another incorrect headline

You imply that Smith should leave.

Yeah, let’s do that.

And return to 4-12 and battling for the #1 draft pick again

Yeah. that’s a great idea

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Blank at the press conference: “We’re playing for rings. We’re playing for championships”

Catch it live at: http://live.atlantafalcons.com/

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Falcons4Eva, Don’t forget that Jason Babin was signed by the Eagles the DAY BEFORE the Falcons signed Edwards…

Jason Babin – 5 years/$28 million – 18 SACKS
Ray Edwards – 5 years/$30 million – 3.5 sacks

But, by golly, he’s a REAL GOOD RUN DEFENDER. The best we have had in Atlanta since Jamaal Anderson! Woo hoo.

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@ Jimmy Crack –

WoW …are you serious? I had no idea he was available at that time..all I remember is that they pursued Charles Johnson, but backed out when Johnson asking/signing price was more than they were willing to pay…

If that’s true about Jason Babin….then Dimitroff was asleep at the freaking wheel!

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@Jarrett … You do know we have been to the Super Bowl once, but Smitty wasn’t at the helm.

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Wow….Blank just put the offensive line on BLAST!
Saying they did not play as well as they should have.

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Mike Smith just showed is ego stubbornness when answering a question by Jeff Schultz.

Catch it live at: http://live.atlantafalcons.com/

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I like the fact that Smith is aggressive. He should have expected his team to make those 4th down plays. But he should have overridden Mularky’s ultra-conservative & predictable calls for the occasion. As I’ve said before, even Bobo would have burned them when they put 10 in the box.

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duronimo

January 11th, 2012
1:00 pm

I like the fact that Smith is aggressive. He should have expected his team to make those 4th down plays. But he should have overridden Mularky’s ultra-conservative & predictable calls for the occasion. As I’ve said before, even Bobo would have burned them when they put 10 in the box.

_————————————————

DItto! !

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News conference over.

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K Conway… That’s the point. They keep trying to hire these nice clean cut coaches and player with no blemishes and that doesn’t work. Sometimes you have to hire the not so polished coach or player and let him grow. I.e. Coach Gurden(chucky), Ray Lewis.

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Regarding Matt’s lack of passion…does anybody remember last year during the Falcons’ game against New Orleans. The camera cut over to the sidelines and Matt’s face was almost purple with passion as he was letting the O-line have it trying to get them fired up as they were going into overtime. They won that game. Where did that Matt Ryan go?

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It’s time to higher a Coach, and some players that can play football and love playing football. I don’t care if their hair hangs out their helmet. I don’t care if the spend their off time in the woods hunting. I don’t care if their in a band making videos. As long as they take football serious and can play ball. That’s it.

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He should flip the table over. This season ending was awful…….

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“Arthur Blank isn’t happy because he hasn’t a won a playoff game in seven years, and it’s not for lack of his willingness to spend money” … stop with that nonsense.

There is a salary cap and virtually all NFL teams are up against it every year. Spending money foolishly is the problems – can we recall Vick’s contract which prohibited acquiring a supporting cast to make the Falcons a winner during his tenure?

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ProBowl OL Clabo played a lot worst this season, do any of you think it was because OL Harvey Dahl was not next to him this season. ATL let Dahl go to Rams as free-agent last season. They were known as Bad Boys last season, this season they were alot less aggressive. I have two suggestions(1) Get M Ryan in weight room, he needs to get stronger ( kinda like T Tebow)where he can make those 4th and inches (2) Get a big strong RB, who when the hole is there, can go the distance instead of a 10 yd gain that Turner can give us. Most important thing to remember, games a won or lost at OL and DL! Get meaner and stronger there!

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In what universe is three trips to the post-season in four years and a winning record considered failure? They got beaten by Arizona the first year, a team that was a miraculous Santonio Holmes catch away from winning the Super Bowl. They lost to Green Bay last year, and Green Bay is quarterbacked by a guy that’s playing at the highest level any of us have ever seen. This year’s playoff loss wasn’t great, but New York played the most difficult schedule of any team in the NFL, so their record doesn’t tell the entire story. But, then again, neither has Jeff in this piece.

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One thing about cleaning out a coaching staff is it leaves you with 2 possible results. One: The new people make and impact and the team gets better, or Two: The team stays the same or gets worse and it don’t take a genius to figure out whose head goes on the platter next.

To go any further, the Falcons are going to have to improve both lines. I think the team made the same mistake that I’ve seen a lot of teams make, in all sports, they start off trying to build something, they start to improve but they also get some breaks and have some things go their way. When that happens, they get the impression that they are better than they are, and they abandon their methodical building process, and try to grab the brass ring a little to quick. When you get to the point to contend, you have to take the shot at going all the way but if you grab too quick, you not only miss the ring but you start down hill. I think the Falcons went heavy on skill players, while ignoring building up the lines and that is why they are where they are. Now the challenge becomes building the lines before the skill players get old and start to decline.

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vicks contract wasnt bad. we had all the talent we needed. the problem was, we couldnt keep them off IR if you remember correctly. hartwell, coleman, smith, kerney, scott, price the list goes on and on. all our money was on the benches injured. it wasnt vicks fault we had poor strength and conditioning coaches. weak cop out.

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interesting read. i hope Arthur read this too::

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/kerry_byrne/01/10/julio.jones.trade/index.html?sct=nfl_bf3_a3

So much for shiny hood ornaments…lol

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The Raiders got it right. So, did the Niners……. your article is articulate and direct…..hopefully Mgmt. is paying attention…

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For everyone saying that Julio will be worth it when he is healthy, go look at his career at Alabama… The guy stays injured!

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What a bunch of losers that call yourselves Falcons fans. I have sat through 32 seasons of Falcons football (since I was 4 watching Bartkowski with my Dad). This coach & team has had 4 count em FOUR winning seasons. There isn’t ANY coach that has come close to that in 46 years of existence. Not Bennet, not Glanville not Reeves. There are some BIG pieces missing on this team (D line, o line, secondary, decent offensive play calling). Considering we went 10-6 & got the 5th seed in the playoffs while in the NFC SOUTH (Arguably the toughest division in the NFL) is not bad. If Blank fires the best coach in Falcons history after next year if we don’t win a playoff game yet win our division, it would rank right up there with the Boneheaded decision Rankin Smith made by firing Bennett the first time.

New OC, new DC are great for this organization. Let Matt Ryan,(the best quarterback this team has EVER had) loose with those weapons & watch out.

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After head coach and general manager, the next move down the ladder is head coach

Ever heard of proofreading. Considering your profession, you’d think it would be done 100% of the time.

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Schultz, You and all the idiot fans of the Georgia Bulldogs could not get Mark Richt fired at Georgia so now you take on another job to get all your idiot readers to jump on the band wagon to get Mike Smiths job. By the way it want happen either. If you have ever heard of Leeman Bennett and i know you have because you probably wanted to get him fired also. The Falcons were just coming up to what we wanted as true fans. WINNERS. Then the Falcons fired him and it has taken all this time to get back to WINNING. I think Arthur Blank will look at that and give Mike Smith the coaches and tools to get over the hump. What if the Packers and Saints and SINCE you mention New England had made a change the years they were winning and doing the same as the Falcons. Where would they be if they had changed head coaches. You think you are so smart and all you are is a sports writer for a newspaper that cannot even reach all over the state of Georgia. These guys you want to be fired run a very stress endured sport program with many employees and players to motivate and keep happy. Your job is to sit at your computor and get people fired up to call for the firing of some hard working coach. I’m so glad i was in a different profession and helped make a difference in peoples lives. Just saying people..

Chipper07

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I think Van Gorder is okay. Glad Mularkey is gone. But Smith better not have a repeat of the same ineffective offensive strategy or he should be next. Green Bay and New Orleans throw the ball ‘down’ field. You watch GB and a lot of their big gains come on quick, short slants, but they mostly always aim north and south.

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You folks that want to get rid of Smith and bring in someone “to take us to the next level” must not have been around in the Leeman Bennett days. Don’t go down that road again. I think Smith did kind of lose his mind going for it on 4th down so much, but at least he was aggressive.
Do you folks not realize that we just went to the playoffs 3 out the last 4 years. Of course we want to go further, but this team is not terribly flawed. New coordinators will provide some fresh ideas which can’t hurt. But you don’t go blowing things up just because of this disappointing loss to the Giants.
Interesting note heard on the radio this morning. The teams left in the playoffs were either top 5 on offense (Saints, Pats & Packers) or defense (Houston, Balt, SF). The anomalies are the Broncos (23rd O & 20th D) and the Giants (8th O & 27th D). Underlying meaning is that you have to be really really good on at least one side of the ball to have a chance to win it all. Just being good doesn’t cut it.
And the Falcons were 7th on O & 12th on D. So they should have been able to beat the Giants at least. Maybe new OC & DC’s will help push us up to the elite status.

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IF THEY HIRE THE UGA DC, GO AHEAD AND FIRE SMITH THAT SAME DAY! NOTE TO FALCONS: STOP HIRING DC’S FROM UGA. DAMN IDIOTS!!!

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Ah, TD draws a pass again. Your point that while he has made a ton or personnel errors, he has restored order and respectability to the front office and thus should have a pass on this deal, could be made for Smith and the coaching staff even though both coordinators just left for greener or at least more familiar pastures. Given the legacy of Mora and Petrino, Smith has been a bastion of order and respectability much more so then TD who is far more impressed with himself than the results warrant.

But my point is not to take up for Smith, but to point out the real failure starts with TD. After four years of drafts and FAs, he has yet to find a pass rusher, a shut down corner, Jerry is a bust, Edwards is a bust, Moore stays hurt, Baker is a bust, Robinson is OK but not close to the money he gets, the Jones trade will hurt this team for years (and was a huge mis-assessement by TD on where this team was in its development), and for the past three years of drafts any player chosen post first round save Peters never plays.

If it wasn’t for Ryan and Lofton, and the shine is coming off Ryan pretty quick and Lofton is solid but nothing special, Turner and TG, TD’s personnel moves are suspect at best and disasters are worst.

Before you bang on Smith, take a good look at TD’s moves. It is there the real culprit lies.

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Look, you folks can name call if if you, the last time a playoff caliber team had this kind of turnover (outside of the Pats) was the 2001 Steelers. You’ve got to realize where you are…

They are people who will come on here you to count your lucky stars that this franchise had 4 straight winning seasons… Stop arguing with those type of fans, they are misguided as those who accepted losing all those years… You have to have higher expectations…

That is what happened in Pittsburgh to Cowher… People held his feet to the fire, the Mularkey’s and Tim lewis’s got him championship game and they lost! The Rooneys were patient, but they said enough, and made Cowher address the problems…

That is the difference between the winners and the losers in this league! (Winning means Super Bowl trophies, losing mean anything else!)

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Shiny Hood ornament… How appropriate!! We gave up 5 potential starters or backups for depth FOR AN OFT INJURED WIDE RECEIVER!!!!

Dimitroff should be CANNED!

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just a possible typo to help out, the paragraph that starts ‘After head coach and general manager, the next move down the ladder is head coach’ that sentence did not really read to well after the head coach the next move down is head coach? just trying to help

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HA HA HA

I TOLD you LOSERS

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Cal, yes we were Definitely outcoached. However, when you have Roddy, Douglass, and Gonzo why not build some depth on the line and on Defense? We are hamstrung by this decision to trade 5 players for one. I love to watch him play, but this is an Awful move by a gm who supposedly was going to bring “the Patriot way” south… How often do you see the Pats give away anything in the draft…. Yeah, NEVER!

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What good are stretch the field receivers when you have a weak armed, innaccurate QB who appears to be scared to death in the pocket and so afraid of making a mistake that he throws it away often? I will admit Ryan is smart anad a good game manager during the regular season. But, when the pressure is on… Playoffs, going for it on 4th down, needing a big play,etc. Ryan mostly comes up short.
How often do you see a winner like Brees, Rodgers, or Brady slide short of a first down? NEVER! I can think of 3 times this year when chickensh!t Ryan did it… Point is, he is GUTLESS and a LOSER!

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Top 10 Problems with the Falcons

10- Matt Ryan’s Arm Strength
9- Overall Running Game
8-Dropped Passes
7-Mike Smith
6- Defense End- Ray Edwards
5- Offensive Scheme / Coordinator
4-Defensive Backs / Robinson, Owens,
3- Defense Line
2-Offense Line
1-Overall Depth

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Dear Mr. Blank,
We the fans, did not expect to have a vote for your OC or DC. However, if you are planning on using taxpayer monies to pay for your new stadium, then, yes, I do expect to have a vote! And after this sorry year, I will vote NO! I will not pay more taxes, or use taxpyer monies to pay for a stadium in this economy, especially when we have a stadium. Use it or get out your BIG checkbook!

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First let’s fire Schultz’s proof reader “After head coach and general manager, the next move down the ladder is head coach. Smith’s 43-21 (.672) regular-season record is impressive.”

Next I’d like for Schultz and you readers claiming Smith is on the hot seat to please tell me the last time an NFL coach was fired while averaging over 10 wins a season and never having a losing season. I understand fans spewing venom over a bad playoff loss to the Giants, but once again Schultz shows a desire to be more dramatic than factual in this piece. Coaches do not get fired for the job Smith has done and is doing.

I also like that Schultz called for trading up to get AJ Green before the draft, applauded the move to get Jones when it was made then bails on the decision after Julio shows star potential. Jimmy Smith probably would have been taken in the draft spot the Falcons gave up. Do you really think Jimmy Smith would have the Falcons alive in the playoffs?

Finally, I don’t think you really need scapegoats on good NFL teams who don’t perform well in January. Great NFL teams yes, but the Falcons are not great. You want a scapegoat for why. They have failed to proper evaluate interior linemen. They drafted Peria Jerry who has been a complete bust. They traded up to draft Sam Baker earlier than most experts projected him going and he has been a complete bust. They failed to resign Harvey Dahl who in my opinion was the personality of the line and replaced him with a parade of inadequacy.

Inability to win at the line of scrimmage have effected both coordinators strategy and effectiveness. I am enjoying the fact the Falcons are relevant every year for the first time ever, but if Schultz is gonna call everybody out then why does Dimitroff get the pass for making them respectable. It was Mike Smith who coached a team of quitters that finished 4-12 , only added a running back and a rookie QB , to 11-5, 9-7, 13-3 and 10-6 records. Count those banners in the dome ceiling from the 40 years before Smith and Dimitroff. If you then think Mike Smith deserves the hot seat, you’re no smarter than Schultz’s proofreader.

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@ JS

Why should Mr Blank get a pass? “Falcons owner Arthur Blank isn’t happy because he hasn’t a won a playoff game in seven years, and it’s not for lack of his willingness to spend money”.

They how come they are in the bottom on the league in salary?

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the SN mock draft has Cleveland taking Alshon Jeffery with 1st Round pick the Falcons gave them for Julio Jones. Which tandem sounds better: RG3 to Jeffery or Ryan to JJ?

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bottom line is if Dimitroff had done this north of VA and were one and done, he and “Coach Smitty” would be shown the door. Mr Blank would do better to get rid of McKay(who’s heading the committee that’s “evolving” the NFL to flag football) and give Dimitroff a 1 year to get this thing to the next level or he’s gone.

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I have to agree somewhat with Shultz. Smitty is utimately to blame for the team’s shortcomings in the playoffs. He made the decision to hire Mularkey (a hire that I was totally against) and VanGorder (another hire I was totally against, even as a Dawg fan.) Sticking with the decisions made by those two guys, even when it was apparent that what they were doing wasn’t working was his decision. He’d better learn how to make better in-game decisions, pick better coordinators and coaching staff this time around or he’ll be out.

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Alshon will not be a 1st rd pick, he is not a game changer, Julio is. I hope RG3 makes an outstanding pro but you never know. Mattt Ryan is proven and him and Julio could be special together.

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I agree with all those saying “give Ryan a little more time” – in terms of both better pass protection and more years under his belt.

With all of this talk about the “franchise QBs”, with the exception of Brady and Peyton Manning, these guys didn’t really come into their prime until their 4th, 5th, or even 6th year.Rivers, Rodgers, Brees, Roethlisberger, Eli Manning – all took 4 or more years to become the solid “top-10″ QBs that they are. Let’s give Ryan another couple years before we make any true assessment of whether he has achieved what was expected of him.

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@Gatorzone…..I’m in no form or fashion justifying that draft day trade, actually I thought it was crazy. Actually I agree with another SI article that came out months ago that talked about how TD consulted with Belichick about that move. Bill told him not to do it, and there would be other receivers that would make an impact for lest, I e Titus Young. I think JJ is great but at that time we needed help in other places (we could have even got the other jj…… JJ watts). The problem here is the last part of that article THE QB, our QB is ok and nowhere near great. So we all know the formula for that, get a better QB or a monster D. (Tampa/Baltimore)

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I’m an passionate sports fan, I been here since 1984 and I’ve had little to cheer about. I think the city is cursed in terms of sports teams. How did New orleans beat us in winning a Super Bowl? Now after having this regime in place for four years, it appears that the Detroit Lions are closer to the ultimate goal than we are. How can this be?

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I loved what I saw from Blank in this press conference. He is not just deferring and going along with whatever Smith and TD say anymore – he has put them on notice that ‘the process’ and all the other platitudes are not going to be enough going forward – real results are required.

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@ Samuel

You need to let that NO winning a SB before us mindset go. You’ll live longer.

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Mike Smith=Marc Richt=Bobby Cox

Good coaches who can win you a lot of games, but in the playoffs (or in BIG GAMES) they and their teams fold.
Sorry that is the way it is, but, it is what it is.
I love what Smith has done for our franchise, it is so nice to be talking about needing playoff wins instead of wins period. However, I think there are deeper issues on this team than just OC and DC.

Smith – someone is going to have to explain to me how his teams seem NEVER ready for the big stage. That is more than just coordinators. Why good teams dominate us, and why we can’t seem to make adjustments when something is not working. There is more going on than just play calling, there are deeper problems with the team philosophy and execution.

Matt Ryan – is he a good QB? Yes, however, I am not sure what his ceiling is, and at this point, that is a problem. Can he develop more? I don’t know, but what I do know is worrisome. How can you not manage ANY OFFENSIVE POINTS against a middle of the road defense? Why do you come up small in every big game? Why, when you know you have a weak arm, and suffer accuracy problems with anything past 10 yards, are you not adding some strength training to your bean pole frame? Why – when you are surrounded by all pro’s, does the offense get embarrassed against quality competition? Was it play calling? Maybe – but what if Mularkey called vanilla offense because that is all Ryan can handle?

Julio Jones – Was he worth the trade? Complicated…. Yes, his skill seems to be elite level, and he should provide many years of playmaking ability – however,
The problem with the trade is this – was it worth giving up so much for a receiver, when we had so MANY OTHER holes in the team? For that matter – why worry about “stretching the field” when the guy we have under center can’t deliver the ball deep? In hindsight, which admittedly is always easier, I think we would have been better served to stand pat on skill positions, and address other needs. Ryan is a west coast QB, which means dink and dunk and strong running game.

Turner – is he slower? yes. Is his production falling off? definitely. Can we do anything about it? Probably not this year, but we are going to have to find a solution soon. Matt Ryan HAS TO HAVE a strong running game to be successful. Turner I think covered a lot of Ryan’s weaknesses early on, and caused the fans and media to overestimate Ryan’s rank as a QB.

Dimitroff – Here is the real issue that Blank has to look at. Dimitroff has made a lot of misses, some really costly (aka Sam Baker). But, every GM makes misses, such is the nature of the game. He has also hit some homeruns, and no one can argue with the success under his watch. HOWEVER, the single biggest question is about the JJones trade. For in this trade one has to ask the question, why try and change the entire makeup of what the team did well? Were there other forces at work? And if so, what were they? The worry for me about Dimitroff is he clearly tried to change the dynamic of the team, and it failed miserably. So he either did not understand what the team was – a problem – or he wasn’t aware the limitations of current players on the roster – a bigger problem.

Much like the Bulldogs – the Falcons have to be honest with themselves. Which is to say, you have good teams, but you simply are not in the same conversation as the Green Bays, The Alabamas, The LSU’s or the Saints. As much as it hurts, the Falcons are a second tier team, and we are not 1 player, or 1 coordinator away from competing.

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why not just go ahead and rid mike smith too? I thinks its time to start over

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Ok, so called fans…..
Every game the falcons won this year was against subpar teams, did you see our schedule for next season. The thought makes me want to T-Bo (LOL), oh wait I forgot he and rookie Yates are still in the playoffs. They actually won their first playoff game ever.

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4 winning seasons, a good, young franchise QB and an owner that is more than willing to do what it takes to win and you people want to fire the head coach, get rid of Ryan and whine about playoff losses? As a fan of a rival team, instead of wanting so much change so fast, you people need to give your team time. It’s no wonder ATL fans suck. You want it all at once.

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Good column Mark, but if we go 13-3 or 15-1 next season, would that be good enough to keep Smitty around? Wasn’t Leeman Bennett fired because he wasn’t capable of taking us to “the next level” at the time? Methinks that’s the case with Smith, no matter the regular season record, even if its undefeated. Get to Round 2 and it better be a close game at that, or you’re done.

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ATLfansuck – you clearly haven’t lived here long. We’re not whining – we’re tired of losing and I think we all recognize that if ANY professional sports team is going to get us another World Championship, its going to be the Falcons – not the Braves or the Hawks with their existing ownership.

Call it Fed Up. Hell, call it what you want – but the bottom line is it is no longer acceptable to make it into the playoffs, we expect to win the whole damn thing given the leadership of the team.

so get all hissied up if you want, but don’t call us whiners or take note that “we want it all at once.”.

Nothing could be further from the truth, its only taken us 40+ years to get this far and we’re TIRED of mediocrity.

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Jeff,

I don’t know how you, someone who is qualified to be a journalist, can defend D. Orlando Ledbetter. He is just a complete disgrace to your profession and the AJC should be ashamed to have him in its employ.

“baby out with the bath weather” was his latest absurd typo. Meanwhile, his blog covering a presser lasting over one hour lacked any insight and was flat out lazy as he normally is. I found it hilarious that Blank showed clear disdain for his idiotic question about allowing the public to assist with the decision of hiring new o and d coordinators. Oh, and his twitter account is an even further embarrassment to the AJC.

Fire D. Orlando Ledbetter and let Chris Vivlamore or someone who can at least write coherent sentences take over.

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A big advantage that Leeman Bennett had that Mike Smith doesn’t, was Jeff VanNote, R C Theilman, Mike Kenn and Co.

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I removed the pathetic OC and DC, sat in the briefing center on camera and said our mea culpa’s, showed I was totally PO’d, publicly spanked Smitty & Teddy, and commited to build a better team.

Let the hype begin on that we are now a better football team.

Oh yea, be sure to renew your season tickets for 2012!

Thanks.

Artie

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If Ryan is easily rattled, it’s because his oline protection stinks. A major part of the reason Brees and Manning are so good it that they have good o-lines. If Ryan is scared, it’s because Sam Baker has been getting him killed from his blind side most of his career and having Hawley allowing pressure in his face doesn’t help. It’s plain to see that Ryan doesn’t trust his own line. The only positive that came of of said distrust is that his release is quicker. So it’s simple…build the lines, Dimitroff!

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Loserville

I’ve been talking about it the last few years. Nobody listens to me, though.

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Why is Smith still the head coach? Failure does start with him…if we are to get mean players and physically, how can they be lead by a “cream puff” coach. Hire coaches from a successful staff, NO, GB, NE and we will be a turn around team. Look at what SF did during the season. Is Alex Smith really a QB? It all starts with the coach, Mr. Blank need to clean house on this staff, it has run its course!

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Statick, have you ever thought that Rodgers, and brees quick decisions and getting rid of the ball make their line look better than they are?

At one point this season GB was starting their 3rd string left tackle and backups at RT and one of the guards… Atlanta’s starters are better than that!

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Peria Jerry is another pockmark on Dimitroff’s record.

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Two word for offensive Coordinator….Mike Martz….He just resigned from Chicago……was the director of the greatest show on turf …when st louis won a super bowl…..our team has similar weapons that they had……would be a great fit.

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Marshall, they also had Kurt Warner… Someone has to be able to get the players the ball.

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Y’all leave DLed alone!

He’s an Atlanta institution, like that guy Mel who calls into the local radio shows.

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I think Mike Smith is smart enough to realize that his brand of football conservatism is too far to the right to beat the best teams in the league. Smitty is on the hot seat now. Expect him to adjust his philosophy accordingly.

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Smith is on borrowed time – the clock is ticking on him, and I don’t see anything special about this man that would in any way make me believe that he is capable of winning a Super Bowl.

He coaches small, and in the playoffs, you need big.

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Ledbetter as an Atlanta Institution? One of the most absurd things I have ever heard.

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Tootsi, you must not know Mel.

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Mike, you are not the one who should fall on your sword. That would be Thomas Dimitroff’s job. Mike, while you may have failed to discern what caused last year’s home loss to Green Bay (your player roster / personnel), it is not entirely your job to draft players or retain the ones you need to keep. You needed defense and big uglies / lineman. Instead traded up to draft a receiver. Never draft a receiver in rounds 1 or 2. You made two huge mistakes in last years draft. I do not see how you will be able to recover from that Julio Jones trade any time soon.

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I do not see how you will be able to recover from that Julio Jones trade any time soon.

He can, he just has to get Dimitroff to get off his butt and start scouting prospective linemen after the second round AND make some moves in FA to build up the line. It’s still possible.

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Join us for the Falcons Season Wrap Up tonight at 9 on Blogtalkradio.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cpstylin/2012/01/12/falcons-season-wrap-up

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It’s fair to say that Mike Smith has earned at least one more season as the Falcons’ head coach; no other coach in team history had ever posted consecutive winning seasons or playoff appearances. Smith has done both, with a winning record in four straight seasons after a 4-12, QB jailed, coach bailed catastrophe.

How many here complained about Smith’s hiring when it was first announced or at least thought to themselves, “Who the heck is THIS guy!? We wanted a proven ‘name’!” I’ll be honest; I figured he was for all intents and purposes a dead man walking, a glorified interim coach. And then he, Ryan, and Turner guided the Birds to 11-5 and the playoffs his very first season. Consider the culture reversed.

But once the bar had been raised to playoff-caliber expectations, the logical next step was the Superbowl, a plateau which only two teams reach in any year. Which is worth considering when you would have thought we were YEARS away from even sniffing playoffs after the Vick/Petrino debacle. But fair or not, these are the expectations, and while Mike Smith has proven able to make the Falcons a winning football team, he has yet to bring a Lombardi Trophy to Atlanta or to win a playoff game, and when all is said and done, regardless of what the Falcons’ record is next season, the only deciding factor as to whether he’ll likely be back is if they win at least once in the playoffs.

What I’m saying is, it’s a very tough situation when you do something unprecedented in the history of an organization’s 40-year history and realize your job comes down to one game’s outcome. Maybe we could do better than Mike Smith…but I guarantee we could do a whole lot worse.

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Do I like Smitty too much? If I’m a fan from the beginning of the franchise, why shouldn’t I like this many wins?

But too, if the ideal coordinator exists, he is someone that Mike Smith can live with but still would be someone who would make Smitty a little UNCOMFORTABLE. Someone who would be the next head man for a much smoother transition like has not been the case in franchise history

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Jeff, kudos to you. This article is spot-on.

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I missed a discussion during the season regarding how the settlement between owner and players affected the long term development of the Falcons that ownership and management had been pursuing. Some teams, generally those with explosive offenses prior to the settlement, seemed to perform appreciably better than those with lower scoring, clock eating offenses. Defenses seemed to be weakened by free agent movement and a thinning of first and second level backups. Defenses that could weather injuries to key starters in the past, found themselves swamped, like Pittsburgh at Denver, when having to play the backups extensively. It wasn’t necessarily the drop in talent, as much as the loss of cohesion attributable to new and younger people in an activity dependent upon shared experience.
The Falcons persisted in playing the game this year in the manner of the team that they envisioned themselves in August to be. That team identity, both offensively and defensively, seemed to become an identity crisis as the season progressed. The Falcons were not a power running offense in September and they weren’t one in January. It would be interesting to learn why tactics didn’t change more to fit the talents of the team. For instance, Palmer seemed to be a capable pass catcher during his rookie season. Yet he was seldom used as a weapon out of a double tight end formation in short yardage.
Certainly, the coaching staff was thorough in thinking about these issues. I believe the lack of change in tactics was heavily influenced by the assessment of the team’s talents. Changes in the coming months will provide a clue as to how accurate those assessments are judged to be.

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http://pickens.fetchyournews.com/archives/1322-Atlanta-Falcons-News-Mularkey-Moves-On.html

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In my entire life in this whole wide world I have never been more discouaged and/or stressed about the future of the Braves and Falcons than now. They are both led by idiots.

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FIRE WREN
FIRE FRODO
FIRE SMITH

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Felix, Surely you jest. There have been many, many years to have been more discouraged and/or stressed with the Falcons (trust me, in their 45 year history)….They are finally starting to spoil us with a taste of some success. That’s why we want more and it hurts more when not yet achieved. They’ll get better. Don’t let the current emotional letdown of a recent loss discourage what has been and will be achieved.
Super Bowl will happen sooner than you think.

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Silly computer generation….Rome wasn’t built in a day.

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Once again, the solution : Coach Nick Saben.

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That is something….Auburn must be digging deep into Lowder’s (or whatever their jacka– boosters name is) pockets. To match dollars with Arthur Blank for BVG is impressive. I thought they went broke with Scam Newton.

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Atlanta, you just don’t get it. It started long ago with a Smith. It’s like the curse of the goat with Boston, it took several decades for Boston to overcome. It will take Atlanta several more also. At least Boston had faithful fans. Atlanta bails on it’s teams when the going gets tough. I know, I’ve seen it. I’ve been in Atlanta since the 80’s. My team, who by the way Atlanta remembers well, is the Dallas Cowboys. We suffered thru the years also but eventually went to the big game. The Falcons won’t until they get a decent GM, maybe the Coach they have now can do it, we’ll see. You can see what effect having a owner/GM who thinks he is a coach can do to a team, namely the Cowboys. They won’t be back until the owner/GM butts out. Atlanta needs a better GM. I think the owner butts out but you still have the curse on you. No faithful fans.

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IMHO= I’m clueless

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Hey Arthur spin anyway you want. Your QB is a bust!

Three embarrassing blowouts on the National stage prove he’s a strikeout!

Sunday was the worst of them all. Offense totally shut out by the 27th ranked defense is beyond horrific!

Unacceptable comes to mind. Both Coordinators were smart to jump this sinking ship….

Up next 0-4……

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Mr. Blank has Mike on the clock for 2012.
Ryan doesn’t have the arm to backup the defense.
The offensive line needs help
Free agents can and must be found due to last years Julio trade even thoug Julio is worth every slot given
Go back to the red helmets for every game.
Throw the damn ball to Julio instead of using him to clear the area you DA!

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Falcons are now better than mediocre but not quite a top tier NFL team. I don`t believe most of the fans who are crying for Smith or Dimitroff to be fired have a clue.
They are becoming like a lot of UGA fans. Too delusional.
They think the Falcons should win every game.

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Let’s use this opportunity to find a D coordinator who knows and understands the 3-4. Maybe someone like LB coach at PGH – Keith Butler. Dude’s home is in Alabama. Top two Defenses in NFL (PGH & HOU) run 3-4. Could allow ‘Spoon to be a larger force than he already is. DE in 3-4 might be a better fit for Edwards too.

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As far as our Offense is concerned, we need to become a dominating Defense. I believed in Ryan but he looks shell-shocked in the playoffs. And yet, heck if Trent freaking Dilfer can win a Super Bowl, there’s still hope for Matt Ryan. But we have to become a defense like Ravens were/are. Give us a D that scares the crap out of the opponents and the O can be ok.

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Falcons are now better than mediocre but not quite a top tier NFL team. I don`t believe most of the fans who are crying for Smith or Dimitroff to be fired have a clue.
They are becoming like a lot of UGA fans. Too delusional.
They think the Falcons should win every game.

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I see… so you’re satisfied with getting blown out in the first round of the playoffs every year? All you care about is just making the playoffs? I guess fans should just settle for not being terrible? What a loser mentality. I could see if this was year 1 or year 2 but this is year 4. At what point are blow out first round losses not acceptable anymore… 5, 6, 7, 8 years?

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Sidbury has more Sacks (4) in limited time than Ray Edwards (3.5). Sidbury deservs a chance to start

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Jeff, the good news is that TD, who I believe capable, finally realizes he can no longer make draft picks after downing too many Patron shooters, and Smitty now clearly understands he can no longer be Bubble Boy from a Seinfeld episode. Jones, as much as I like having him was an enormously bad decision given the other needs proven by the GB playoff loss last year, and subsequent thrashings by ranked opponents in 2011. And Smitty’s allowance of inane play calling, as well as a lack of preparedness / adjustment capability for most significant games in the past 2 years is completely irresponsible.

Thanks for the space here. Go Falcons.

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A thing that Haunts with me is our inability to convert on forth and inches. it kills me. It seemed that any decent line should be able to move the pile that far. Since then I’ve given it some thought, and it’s occurred to me that we get what we pay for. A line line built of high draft choices should control the line of scrimmage, but that’s not what we paid for. Our skill players are high picks, Our line’s composed of low draft picks and free agents. The truth is they’ve given us a lot of bang for the bucks, but is it fair to ask that much of them. On forth down the other guy’s should be scared shirtless (family newspaper) of what were going to do. When the other guy’s know what we’re going to do they will stop us. We can’t telegraph our intentions and expect anything other than than what we got. Either invest some picks in the line, or zig when they’re looking for zag.

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Dimitroff, Smitty, coordinators(now gone), and PLAYERS, all share the blame….

The smart posters in this blog have hit the nail on the head, i hope someone in Flowery branch reads this..

I have made my points on Dimitroff and Smitty previously…and now to the Players….

I agree with many posters….who is our on field leaders, who do the players fear? Who commands respect? Who plays with the passion of a Ray Lewis or a Drew Brees…

We have built a team of nice guys, good guys….Brees and Lewis are nice guys, good guys, but when they put on the helmet and get on the field they are in charge, and not afraid to get in somebody’s face or hurt some feelings….

Every year we hear how Matt Ryan spent the offseason studying Brady, Rogers, Brees….well let me suggest he study their leadership, fire, passion….Matt Ryan is a good enough QB to win us a Championship, i.e. see Eli Manning…

Can Spoon be that on the defense? nobody is stepping up….a lot of guys who work hard, stay in shape, learn the playbook, and play, but who leads and inspires?….

In the NFL the players do not respond to coaches like in HS and NCAA, they respond to their peers….

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Blanks is very angry because he was sold by Dimistroff and Smitty that this was the year for a championship. It had to be because of all the free agents we have after this season, and the new CBA….That is the only reason he signed off on the JJ draft decision…Blank needed a NFC championship to secure the new stadium easily, and TD told him he would deliver….

Blank is pissed and I am glad, see his body language today, and even interrupting TD about stats are squat….It’s about WINS, baby, PLAYOFF WINS!!!!

Blank knows what we fans will come to figure out…we are now in rebuilding mode two new Coordinators and probably at least 25 new roster players, almost half of the 53 man roster…

Dimitroff and his decisions this offseason will make or break the next 3 to 5 years…

We think Smitty is under pressure….Dimitroff is too….

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Falcons Season Wrap Up tonight at 9:00 PM EST on Blogtalkradio. Call in!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cpstylin/2012/01/12/falcons-season-wrap-up

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Let me try to simplify the problem here. We pay young athletes high salaries + bonuses without proving themselves. I suggest we tie salaries to performance, kind of an incentive to stay healthy, play to a higher level, one would think the competitive juices would keep performance at its peak, but obviously we have some slackers. The answer is simple, get hurt..lose $$, underperform, lose $$,
win a Division…get a bonus…win a SB get a huge bonus..

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San Diego Steve – I had never thought about that but you are absolutely right. Everybody is new to there role within the organization and are cutting their “collective teeth”. Regardless, Sundays performance was abysmal…

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Let’s face it folks. When it comes to pro sports, Atlanta has become the Cleveland of the south.

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Morris joining Shanahan….dammit.

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If we fix the o-line we’ll be fine next year and if we don’t we won’t. I think it pretty much starts and ends there. The game-plan doesn’t matter if the line can’t get a push, open holes and protect the QB. What o-linemen are available in free agency? We won’t be able to draft what we need. We’ll know by the offseason moves if the team will be better next year.

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You want to solve the Falcons problems? It is easy. OL and DL. Fix the wink links there and the rest of the team will fall into place. That helps the passing game, the running game and the corner backs and basically snowballs the Atlanta Falcons into being up there with GB and NO.

The trenches are the Falcons weakness and NOTHING else.

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For those who believe the AJC BS here’s something to consider. Wade Phillips is the NFL’s highest paid DC at $700K per year. CVG will make over $100K more than that at Auburn. The NFL is a step up for players, but not coaches.

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Dimitroff is on the hot-seat, and should be.

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Everyone Falcons fan should watch this video after the Giants loss!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rLca3qktBx4#!

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I think Mike Smith is a good guy whom everybody likes but not too many have respect in so far as a football coach is concerned. Again, to reinterate, the ‘birds need to sign three or four, 8 -12 year veterans who will kick butt in the locker room; And who have never won a Super Bowl ring! And I wonder if Mike Smith/Thomas Dimitroff are too afraid to hire those kind. They seem to be more worried about “keeping order and looking professional” as opposed to getting guys that live and PLAY on the “edge” each Sunday! They are afraid to loose the player’s loyalties to guys that have been in the NFL wars and shake things up! Yep, they need only three or four REAL football guys that when they hit low points during the game and during the season the team can look to those guys for “leadership.”

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2004 & Counting LOSERS

HA HA HA

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Mike is fine but the players are the problem. We had a good OC and DC but there were people more from the Offensive side that seemed to not care about blocking or protecting the QB. Michael Turner was the obvious problem because he didnt seem to have any getty up-n-go in his step.
The highest paid RB in the league, he used Arthur Blank just as Michael Vick did. Im telling ya that you best get rid of that fat sausage and get a proven RB.
1 good year from Turner and he’ll have a good year when his contract is up for renewal. Invest in the OL because they need to be able to block and open up holes. No effort on their part.
This has been the whole problem, the OL and Michael Turner. Now we have the problem of finding a OC and a DC of all things.
Firing isnt the answer but re-wiring is.

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Arthur gets a little too personal with his staff. Case in point, Rich McKay. When have you ever seen a GM get fired and promoted to President & CEO by the oener that fired him from the lower position?

The press conference was nothing more than a marketing sham. When the HC who is responsible for leading the team and ensuring his coordinators plan and call an aggressive game totally fails and is still in place as though it was his coordinators fault, someone (Arthur) is protecting another of his favorites. Smitty is a WEAK leader and does nothing to hold players and coaches accountable during the season. Can’t come up with a solid gameplan or make an in-game adjustment to save his life–instead Arthur saves him. Now he’s going to make the necessary changes with TD to get the team on track? They must think we’re all fools.

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BY the way….did you know that the Patriots have lost their last 3 playoff games.Fire Belechek and get rid of Brady.

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Failure starts with Blank. He’ll never get a noted, first-string coach to work for him.

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I’m surprised that so few bloggers zero in on one of the biggest flaws in the Falcons offense. It is easy to blame the QB since most fans just watch the QB primarily. No QB looks good when running for his life. The running game only works when they are against inferior lines and the QB has time to throw and receivers have time to run the route. The Falcons are probably the league’s slowest team on offense. Turner has zero quickness and no breakaway speed. Snelling is the same. Even little Rodgers is not fast by NFL standards. The tight ends, Gonzalez and Palmer are very slow. Roddy White has average speed for a receiver; same for Douglas. Jones has good speed but not great quickness. The defense has some talent but the soft scheme really hurt in several games. I think Van Gorder was a big problem…good riddance.

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Maybe in a 100 years the Falcons will become and elite team.

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I like Smith, it’s nice to be able to whine about losing in the playoffs instead of not even having the chance to play there. We really aren’t that far from being able to compete with the elite.

I think these two coordinators knew they were out and went ahead and moved before it was a big scene. On defense, the soft zone prevent garbage that gave us one of the worst 3rd down defenses has to go. The front four needs to get pressure. The secondary with Grimes in really isn’t that bad, the problem is a lack of pressure. Ray Edwards has been silent, and Abe didn’t really get it going until the end of the season. Why BVG waited until a playoff game to finally get some decent blitzes going baffles me, it was obvious for most of the season that the front four weren’t generating the pressure needed. On the Offense we need a more dynamic and non predictable play caller, and Ryan needs to get accurate deep.

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chump atlanta taxpayers and fans are going to be paying big money soon to build Arthur a fancy new, open air stadium so he can even more millions!! If not, he’ll threaten to leave and the chumps will come up with the cash! The stadium contract deals will go to friends of the mayor and council, as always—everyone involved gets rich, the taxpayers will get hosed! Prices will be even higher for tickets, parking, food, …. Pay up chumps!

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Boy I wish I could play a violin or fiddle with all the excuses for this football team. Since the falcons lost, it seems all the so called sports experts on radio, tv and print have done nothing but come up with excuses after excuses. I would not count on next year either since it will be more of the same.

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Just think: the 2012 draft will be of little immediate impact help; it was gutted in a trade for 1 WR.
God, how the old stupid Falcons live on.

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Enter your comments here

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Mrs Charlie is a PUNK COWARD

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Smitty maybe a good coach but he seems to be alot like Bobby Cox, a regular season guy. Come playoff time it seems he is out of his league. Accountability. Chemistry. New O. seems like they use Falcons defense as practice dummys. No pressure on Brees and receivers taking turns with catches.

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What is the guys name that was HC at Texas Tech that was fired 2 or 3 years ago? He has a great offensive mind. Then there is Norv Turner. Some are saying another guy. Forgot his name. Point is there are some good ones. Still no good tho unless the HC uses their skills.
@observer saying that no QB looks good when running for his life. True, but he mostly ran backwards and to the right to throw the ball away. Brees, Rodgers and other good ones run and complete a 5 yd, 10 yd or 15 yd pass. This keeps the offense on the field and these are the 38 PPG QB’s as opposed to MR’s 20 PPG+-. He may do that as required by coaches, but that needs to change.

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Big fan of Mike Smith and what he has done for this team, but maybe there is a ceiling to his success.

I don’t think he is on the hot seat, but it’s certainly warm.

Atlanta just didn’t have a lot of swagger during the season. They would pound bad opponents and look over-matched by the elite. I believe in the talent on the roster on offense (Ryan, Turner, Rodgers, White, Jones, Gonzalez) and defense (Lofton, Weatherspoon, Moore is really shaping up, Abraham has been steady though at times unspectacular) I would just liked to see, as you put it, a less “predictable” offense. Anyone who has watched a SINGLE Falcons game knew what that team was about and what they were going to do.

I’d like to see the offense use the pass to set up the run more. Let Ryan loose. I’d like to see him throw for 4000 yards every season. He has the skills and the know how to get it done. I watch offenses like New England and Green Bay enviously and know that with the talent on the offensive side of the ball, the Falcons could be that way too.

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if they bring in a ex head coach or a really good coordinator

Smith will gone sooner than later.

Guy cant manage games.

He panics in crunch time and only know to run up the gut. wthf

free agents better be a big part of the off season quest.

Draft picks in 2 and 3 only aint going to solve the Falcons troubles.

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Smitty is too nice to his coaches and players and needs to demand more of a comittment from everyone on the field, if not it will be his demise !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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white guys!

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crickets chirping……

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How bout them Aints,, oh,, nevermind,,

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Yeah “Choke,” how about the Saints fans trolling here all season. All in the same boat now. Looks like the NFC West has the Saints number. That loss at St. Louis sent New Orleans on the road, where they have never won a NFC playoff game in team history. With the Crimson Tide’s big win in the BCS game, it has been a rough week for Louisiana football fans! With that in mind, it seems like “Choke” could apply to players other than Ryan.

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Coach Smith gets one more year..maybe 2…Dimitroff will get much longer..the Falcons will not see the playoffs again for a while..it’s not enough to desire to be the best..there is a formula that goes into drafting, coaching, paying the right amount…we must figure out the formula. Right now we have a several issues one being the QB..look around the league at the formulas that work..they all include a really good QB.

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Mike Smith need to stop hiring his friends

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I know CHOKE won’t fool Blank twice with a 72 million dollar contract ………….

HA HA HA

0-3 is a helluva drug

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