Falcons go into camp knowing playoff failures need to end
The unhappy faces of the Falcons' brass said it all after last season. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
The Falcons open training camp this week. They play their first regular-season game in seven weeks. They will be judged in six months.
This is their new reality.
The question with this franchise used to be, “Can they walk straight?” The answer generally was no.
Things improved. The question became, “Can they compete?” The answer over the past four seasons mostly has been yes, at least through December.
But after raising the bar with three playoff appearances in four seasons following mostly decades of infamy, the question now is a more difficult one to answer: Have they have hit a wall?
Some within the organization believe the criticism for postseason failures has been a bit too harsh. After all, two of the team’s three playoff losses have come against eventual Super Bowl winners (Green Bay and New York). The other came in quarterback Matt Ryan’s rookie season and against a team that went to the Super Bowl (Arizona). But for those believing too much is being expected for a franchise that now is fielding a respectable product, these contrasting numbers might explain the dissatisfaction.
•The Good: The Falcons’ regular-season record the past four years is 43-21. That’s an impressive .672 won-loss percentage for a franchise that entered the Thomas Dimitroff-Mike Smith-Matt Ryan regime in 2008 with a won-loss percentage of .405 (256-378-6). The 43-21 record also ranks fifth best, behind only New England (48-16), Pittsburgh (45-19), New Orleans (45-19) and Baltimore (44-20). However …
• The Bad: Among the 11 teams with the best records since 2008, the Falcons (0-3) are the only one that has failed to win a playoff game. Six of the 11 have gone to Super Bowls. Four others have won at least one postseason game: Baltimore (5-4), Philadelphia (2-3), San Diego (1-2) and the New York Jets (2-1). The Falcons are among six of the NFC’s 16 teams not to win a playoff game in that span (the others: Carolina, Detroit, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Washington).
So yes, this little run of infamy is gaining significance.
It follows that grand projections shouldn’t be made after the team’s season opener at Kansas City on Sept. 9. Or after games against Philadelphia and Dallas. Or following the two meetings with New Orleans. We saw double-digit win totals and home-field advantage and a bye fail to equate to playoff success. The Falcons were body-slammed by Green Bay two years ago at home and, after vowing this time things would be different, went into New York last January and was shut out (save a safety, 24-2).
Smith understands the team will be graded on the playoffs, as will he. With five assistants from 2011 staff gone — either by their choice or fired – the focus is on him more than ever.
“I think [the playoffs] is how everybody measures themselves,” he said. “We didn’t talk about expectations in the first year. We talked about milestones. One of them we wanted to reach was to participate in the second season. Where we are now and how we’ve developed in our first four years, we’re going to judged on the playoffs.”
When asked if he has picked up on something that the team has been missing in the postseason, Smith said: “It’s been a group effort. We haven’t played well in all three phases. We’ve turned the ball over. We haven’t protected well. We’ve given up big plays. We haven’t coached well. We made some coaching decisions that, when we took a second look at it, didn’t turn out well.”
There is some reason for optimism. The acquisition of cornerback Asante Samuel from Philadelphia should help the defense. Dunta Robinson’s likely move inside in the nickel will play to his strengths. If we assume that most of Ray Edwards’ problems in his first season with the Falcons were injury related, then the defensive front and the pass rush also should be improved.
But there also is reason to wonder. The offensive line remains a work in progress (theoretically). It would help if either draft pick, Peter Konz (guard) or Lamar Holmes (tackle), can contribute. But the possible return of Sam Baker at left tackle again doesn’t provide much comfort. The website ProFootballFocus.com ranked Baker 74th out of 75 offensive tackles in the NFL in “pass blocking efficiency” last season (after allowing 28 “pressures” in 242 snaps).
We’ll find out something in Kansas City, and in the 15 games that follow. But it won’t be determined until the playoffs whether they’ve hit a wall.
By Jeff Schultz
•
NFL won-loss records and cumulative playoff results since 2008:
TEAM SEASON PLAYOFFS
New England 48-16 2-3 (lost Super Bowl)
Pittsburgh 45-19 5-2 (won, lost Super Bowls)
New Orleans 45-19 4-2 (won Super Bowl)
Baltimore 44-20 5-4
Falcons 43-21 0-3
Green Bay 42-22 4-2 (won Super Bowl)
NY Giants 39-25 4-1 (won Super Bowl)
Philadelphia 39-25 2-3
Indianapolis 38-26 2-3 (lost Super Bowl)
San Diego 38-26 1-2
NY Jets 37-27 2-1
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219 comments Add your comment
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
12:28 pm
rollo lawson
July 22nd, 2012
11:42 am
When will we see an article titled, “Matt Ryan Needs To Step Up”? When we’ve had sub-par coaching and lackluster offensive line play in the past, the discussion/criticism centered around the QB play.
________________________________________________________
AMEN! I have been asking JEFF SCHULTZ about this for the longest. Apparently he is OFF LIMITS compared to THOUSANDS of articles that were written about the previous franchise qb.
Everybody knows what that is about.
RIP the black qb but PROTECT the white qb. It is what it is.
There I said it Jeff. Prove me wrong.
D man
July 22nd, 2012
12:59 pm
Even if they don’t win in the playoffs again this year, it’s better than a losing season like we used to suffer through. I believe they will be improved this year and should win playoff gameS.
JSS
July 22nd, 2012
1:10 pm
We will diverge here MCR… All I remember is the big talk by Ryan (and his supporters) when Schultz opined that Ryan had learned from his previous playoff meltdowns the Tuesday before the Giants took him to the woodshed in column! Not a peep since then at him in particular, just a lot of scapegoats…
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
1:17 pm
HAMLET – Performed by CHOKE in 2012……………..
To be or not to be, that is the question.
That is also the question Blank will be asking come next season…..ha ha
Email Profiling is Wrong
July 22nd, 2012
1:24 pm
@ Rollo and CHOKE,
Guys like me – like us maybe – who apparently have nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon, perceive a bit of a kid-glove treatment by the media when it comes to criticism of Matt Ryan.
It does seem to some extent, that the targeted areas for improvement for 2012 identified by the local media largely dance around what I guess we see as Ryan’s obvious shortcomings.
If I understand both of your comments, then I agree that among some members of Falcon Nation, Matt’s biggest strength is and always will be that he’s not MV7. Can’t say that’s a sentiment held by the dudes and dudettes who cover the team on behalf of the local media though.
Ryan’s our QB. Coming on five years now. He’s put up decent regular season statistics by any measure, but some (like me) will claim he’s a bit of a one-trick pony (dink pass today, dink pass tomorrow, dink pass forever) should be better.
We’re seeing a gradual process where all variables attributed as the reasons why Matt’s not better are being addressed. Seems a process of elimination will confirm one way or the other whether #2 is a victim of scheme and iffy protection, or if he is who some of us think he is. A game-manager with a mediocre skill set and a timid disposition.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
1:24 pm
@JSS
It amazes me that CHOKE is untouchable by the AJC and their hidden agenda fan base.
When Vick was here, he was treated like a beaten dog by the same AJC and fans that protect CHOKE’s delicate feelings.
JEFF I’m calling you out yet again!
You even made reference to Vick not winning another playoff games since his last playoff win, yet he does actually have playoff wins.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
1:30 pm
D man
July 22nd, 2012
12:59 pm
Even if they don’t win in the playoffs again this year, it’s better than a losing season like we used to suffer through
______________________________________________
Spoken like a winner
Big Ray
July 22nd, 2012
1:40 pm
JSS ,
Philly problems are their problems… But the Falcons are team with a cap and roster time bomb… So you like your depth that much? Good for you, it is going to interesting!
No, I’m not fine with the depth chart. That ain’t what I said. What I said was that I wasn’t all that worried about losing Tatupu to injury. We didn’t sign him to replace Lofton, we signed him as insurance. So if he’s a goner for the season, we’ll sign another veteran to get in there with Akeem Dent.
By the way, the depth chart prior to training camp means nothing. Sure, Ledbetter likes to post it 50 times prior to camp, but hey the man needs to write articles, ya know? I tend not to pay too much attention until the 53 man roster is set. I don’t care for our depth at DT or LT, to be specific. And I’m hoping we snag the right guys in our WR corps. We have three sure-fire talents there, question marks after that.
Big Ray
July 22nd, 2012
1:46 pm
Even if they don’t win in the playoffs again this year, it’s better than a losing season like we used to suffer through
______________________________________________
Spoken like a winner
I love how you take the part of the post you want to hammer at, and ignore the rest of the quote:
I believe they will be improved this year and should win playoff gameS.
Personally, I think the argument is subjective, and don’t care to engage in it. Getting to the playoffs and losing = disappointment. Losing and not making the playoffs = disappointment. Who cares, neither one is the goal in Atlanta, neither one is an acceptable result.
As for the continuing Vick saga, take your racial issues north to Pennsylvania, to Vick land. Take your blogging up there, too. All you have left is memories, youtube, and whatever sock it is you’re wearing out, American Pie style.
You think Vick has fond memories of the ATL? Probably not. I think he’d rather focus on winning in Philly. I’m sure he has let go of the past that he managed to survive and is focused on earning every bit of the $100 million the Eagles gave him. The man has a book out. Instead of yapping your trap about what he used to do here years ago, go read his book. Oh wait….pearls before swine….I forget….
Big Ray
July 22nd, 2012
1:57 pm
Email Profiling is Wrong ,
Well I must say you have a more eloquent way of saying that Thomas Dimitroff picked the wrong guy, than I’m used to seeing. Nevertheless, I say you’re wrong about that and one other thing –
I can’t count how many times I’ve seen or heard from local and national media alike about Ryan not winning in the postseason. In fact, ever article for the last calendar year and a half has said he seems like a winner….except he can’t win where it counts. So this kid-glove treatment you speak of is a mystery to me.
Rather, I think he gets plenty of criticism, it’s just not New York style. For that, you need to go to New York. If Ryan played in Philly, he’d be getting hammered. If he played for the Jets, he’d catch as much flak as Sanchez does. Maybe the same in Dallas, I don’t know. What I do know is that the rap on him for a couple years now is the truth – can’t win in the playoffs. I think he helps change that this year, but hey…I’m a hopeful Falcons fan. Some will call me stupid for that, but it’s freakin’ sports….I have nothing invested here, meanwhile those folks are likely making stupid decisions that actually affect their LIFE. But I digress…..
Ryan doesn’t get kid-glove treatment the way some of you suggest. You must be thinking of Tim Tebow….It’s just that Ryan doesn’t get the bonafide bashing that some of you think he deserves.
And in reality, I figure most of that (but not all of it) comes back to “I love Mike Vick, therefore it is my duty to hate Matt Ryan.”
Well, the day that Ryan admits he isn’t trying hard (now who would do that…oh wait…I know who), flips off fans as he’s walking off the field, and gets a charge and a couple years at Levenworth….then he deserves some mud slinging.
Until then, if you want to say he’s who you think he is, then you can take issue with the guy you should really be taking issue with – one Thomas Dimitroff.
But you won’t. Why? Because it’s easier to hate on the guy that came after Mike Vick. It requires less thought. And it gives you a more appealing target. And that’s what it’s really all about.
End of story. Bye bye now.
Big Ray
July 22nd, 2012
2:08 pm
Prologue….
The articles about Ryan’s lack of success never point to the media thinking that Ryan isn’t the problem. They always point to the fact that the Falcons Organization thinks Ryan isn’t the problem. But, you have to have some skill in regard to discernment to pick that up. Otherwise, you see what you want to see. Even Pat “I’ll pander to you NFC South fans” Yasinkas doesn’t suggest that Matt Ryan is faultless in any way, or that he’s a simple victim of circumstance. However, Mike Mularkey is often a convenient target because he was so aloof and enigmatic (as the Jacksonville Jaguards are about to find out). There is still that underlying tension in every article, begging to question Ryan’s true talent. It’s just that it has been hard to point out any indicting facts other than a lack of playoff wins. When you can’t prove that Ryan isn’t a decent/good QB on paper, you have to wait for something else to hang your hat on. Right now, postseason success is it. In fact, that’s all there is. His regular season record, plus the fact that last season he put up his best numbers yet (yardage, TDs, QB rating) despite our offensive line being at its worst in his career, makes it a bit hard to call him mediocre and what not.
Interesting. So timid and mediocre equates to a higher ranking and QB rating (according to ESPN stats) than Joe Flacco, Mike Vick (yes, he was injured…when is he not), Alex Smith, Ben Roethlisberger (yes, injured, I know), Jay Cutler, Phillip Rivers…..huh….ok then.
I suppose we’re all GMs in our own living rooms.
JSS
July 22nd, 2012
2:36 pm
But higher ranking when?
Ryan vs.
GB QBR 55.1
DET QBR 63.1
NO (1st GM) 81.5
HOU QBR 50.6
NO (2nd GM) 92.9
NYG (WC GM) 71.7
The only above .500 team that Ryan went above a QBR against was TENN at 110.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
2:51 pm
@Little Ray
I think they are looking for you in the Bat Cave…..ha ha
You have been wrong since 2008.
Unlike the Bat Cave you have no company of denial in her……ha ha.
Ask yourself this question: Who has more upside, Philly or Atlanta…..ha ha
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
2:55 pm
“FALCONS OFFENSE A NO SHOW; LATEST IN RYAN’S PLAYOFF LOSSES”
That headline says all you need to know about a BUST
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/don_banks/01/08/wild.card.playoffs/index.html
JSS
July 22nd, 2012
2:55 pm
Serious question (I’ve asked this before), How can a NFL QB have career 63.6% completion rate in the playoffs and never have exceeded 200 yards in passing yardage? He’s only had 40 incompletion in 3 playoff games!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
2:58 pm
With the 3rd pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the Falcons choose, __________, quarterback…………
HA HA HA
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
3:02 pm
@JSS 2:55
Come on you know the answer to that question. Joey Harrington had the same stats. Its not very difficult to throw dink and dunks behind the line of scrimmage. The YAC is greater against mediocre talent, but in the playoffs that garbage doesn’t fly.
Dude is a JOKE
JSS
July 22nd, 2012
3:04 pm
Somewhere Joey Harrington is on a bicycle cursing your user name!
Email Profiling is Wrong
July 22nd, 2012
3:45 pm
@ Big Ray,
You make some good points. The Ryan / Vick debate has another side which you just articulated.
I will correct you where you tell me what I think though.
I don’t quarrel with Dimitroff’s pick of Matt Ryan where and when he picked him. We needed a QB/team leader/franchise player desperately (no disrespect to Chris Redmond). By most estimations, Ryan was the best one available in the draft.
I get a bit insulted by what I perceive to be Dimitroff’s public pronouncements – referring to Matt as our “elite” and our “top ten” QB. Based on the Matt Ryan I’ve watched the past two years, that makes Dimitroff’s statements a bit self-serving. He sounds like a shill.
If I didn’t make it clear before, shame on me; but as a Falcons fan, I don’t a darn about MV7 anymore.
It’s not about Ryan vs Vick to me. That ship has sailed. Vick the Falcon was lazy. He cared more about playing video games with his entourage and smoking doobies – and fighting dogs – than he did about improving his craft. He lied to his employer and the league. He crapped on the fans. He broke the law.
He’s been punished pretty severely for those transgressions. Some would say he’s paid his debt to society. If he can redeem himself as a man and a player in Philly, more power to him.
But when the Birds of Atlanta play the Birds of Philly, I’m rooting for our QB and our team.
But I can tell you that Matt Ryan’s strength of character as opposed to MV7’s doesn’t impress me on game day. Matt’s got a ways to go. Hopefully this is the year he gets there.
Don Waddell
July 22nd, 2012
4:32 pm
Winning in the playoffs is overrated.
Wilson Pickett
July 22nd, 2012
4:38 pm
Big Big year for Ryan. If he can’t get it done this year then he is out.
Larry
July 22nd, 2012
4:50 pm
CHOKE: “RIP the black qb but PROTECT the white qb. It is what it is.”
Now we know the real motivation of this pinheaded dolt; anyone who backs him is just as quilty and could use a correction.
Smoove Criminal
July 22nd, 2012
5:18 pm
Enter your comments here
Stinger2
July 21st, 2012
2:44 pm
Based on most of the above comments, it seems Falcon fans are like Braves fans. They cannot be satisfied with winning seasons unless the team is successful in the playoffs. Be thankful the Falcons have improved to the point they are making the postseason on a regular basis. Think of the fact that they rarely made the playoffs in the Smith regime.
————————————————–
I don’t think any of us would be true fans if we didn’t want playoff success every year. I think all of us fans are tired of “just getting there.” So yes, Falcons and Braves fans are similar in that way. But I guarentee you the ownership and management for both team have different view.
If the Falcons get to the playoffs but lose, AB and company are not happy and hold people (or will) each particular party accountable. Blank and Dimitoff want success and just getting there isn’t good enough anymore. The Braves seems to be the exact opposite now that the glory days of the 90s are a distant memory. There is a “culture of acceptance” that runs rampant through that organization worse than the plague and if the Braves make it to the playoffs but lose this year, that will be good enough for Frank Wren and Fredi G (who will tip his cap in the process. Blank and TD will fire Mike Smith if he losses in the playoffs, Frank Wren will probably reward FG with a nice new contract for making it there………thats your difference.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
5:28 pm
Don Waddell
July 22nd, 2012
4:32 pm
Winning in the playoffs is overrated.
__________________________________________
Spoken like a true Falcon fan
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
5:30 pm
@Larry
Oh my God, how can I go on knowing you have figured me out?
HA HA
Here since day 1
July 22nd, 2012
5:31 pm
I remember the Randy Johnson days, the Bob Berry days, Bob Lee days. I remember Norb Hecker,
Dan Henning, and June Jones III, as qb AND as coach.
Give me Smith, Dimitroff, et al, any day and give ‘em time to make it work!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
5:31 pm
If playoff wins are overrated then CHOKE is top notch…..ha ha
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
5:34 pm
Here since day 1
July 22nd, 2012
5:31 pm
I remember the Randy Johnson days, the Bob Berry days, Bob Lee days. I remember Norb Hecker,
Dan Henning, and June Jones III, as qb AND as coach.
Give me Smith, Dimitroff, et al, any day and give ‘em time to make it work
____________________________________________________
Please see Ossie Newsome/John Harbaugh/Joe Flacco & 5 playoff wins, 2 championship games, and a savings of 42 million and call it a day…………………ha ha
Excuses are like butts – everyone has one
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
5:37 pm
THE TRADITION OF MELT DOWNS……………………….
2008 Safety and picks……………………
2010 70 Yard pick 6 before half time (As Troy Aikman said best…..worse decision ever).
2011 Zero offensive points………………………….
It doesn’t get any more PATHETHIC than that
"Just keeping it REAL"
July 22nd, 2012
6:24 pm
Choke, you are the biggest racist in all of these blogs. You know if MR was black, you wouldnt be here. Its all about race with you since your lord n savior got humiliated a few yrs ago.
Believe it or not, ALL races over on D3 fan blog are falcon fanatics-we all bleed red n black. We dont care about skin color, we care about our team! Ask BR, ask SW, ask JJ, ask JB…color does not matter!!! GROW UP KID AND READ SOME KING SERMONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
but your a racist, you only care about the color of skin your qb has…welcome to the ATL!!!!!!!
rollo lawson
July 22nd, 2012
6:31 pm
@choke,
I don’t want to get into a black qb, white qb discussion. I just want to know why this QB is coddled by the local sports media. That goes for print, radio, and t.v. It’s going to come a point in time where Matt Ryan needs to rise above the fray and make a big play in a big game. I will say that he was much more daring and aggressive coming in as a rookie. For some reason, we haven’t seen that type of play recently, especially last year. Again, let’s hope it was more Mularkey than Ryan. Regardless of that, sometimes you have to overcome coaching (or lack thereof) and make a play!!!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
6:35 pm
“Just keeping it REAL”
July 22nd, 2012
6:24 pm
Choke, you are the biggest racist in all of these blogs. You know if MR was black, you wouldnt be here.
____________________________________________
You must be prophet because only God knows what’s inside of a person’s heart. So is your name Moses II?…..HA HA
Now what does that have to do with CHOKE being a JOKE.
Distraction from the facts only work in Romney’s campaign…………..
Nice try though…..ha ha
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
6:41 pm
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HarrJo00.htm
Joey Harrington’s 2007 stats………………….
Completed over 61 percent of his passes.
Looks like CHOKE to me
Najeh Davenpoop
July 22nd, 2012
6:45 pm
“So does Mike Vick take this much heat in Philly for the Eagles not making the playoffs last season (ahem…the Falcons made the playoffs….)?”
Are you kidding? Vick has taken a TON of heat from Eagles fans since last season. Eagles fans are a lot more reactionary than Falcons fans are. 2010 is in the distant past for them. If Vick has a bad game to start the year the boo birds will come out in full force at Lincoln Financial Field.
By the way I don’t blame Maclin at all. He was solid all year even with the drop in the Georgia Dome. Last year went wrong for the Eagles because they had too many new players and not enough time to acclimate them to the system since the lockout wiped out training camp. Didn’t help that Jackson was avoiding contact all season trying not to get concussed and that the O-line was getting shuffled around because of injuries for the first 8 games, but mainly it was just too many new players and not enough camp and preseason.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
6:47 pm
WHAT FANS OUTSIDE OF DELUSIONAL ATLANTA IS SAYING…………….
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120108130341AAjJxiP
Najeh Davenpoop
July 22nd, 2012
7:00 pm
“AMEN! I have been asking JEFF SCHULTZ about this for the longest. Apparently he is OFF LIMITS compared to THOUSANDS of articles that were written about the previous franchise qb.”
I will stay away from the race issue because I am neither white nor black so it doesn’t pertain to me. But with that said, Jeff Schultz wrote an article headlined “It’s time for Vick to go” after the 2006 season. This was before the dogfighting allegations arose in April 2007.
At that time, Vick had four full seasons as a starter under his belt (66 regular season starts), and had compiled a regular season record of 37-27-1, 2 playoff wins and an NFC Championship Game appearance.
Right now, Matt Ryan has four full seasons as a starter under his belt (61 regular season starts), and has compiled a regular season record of 42-19, with zero playoff wins.
So at roughly the same point in their careers, Ryan has won (on average) about one more regular season start per year than Vick, and hasn’t had any playoff success whatsoever.
If it was time for Vick to go after four seasons as a starter, it is at least time to start asking legitimate questions about Ryan’s viability as the franchise quarterback after four seasons as a starter. And that is based entirely on production, not on ethnicity.
rollo lawson
July 22nd, 2012
7:22 pm
Thank you, Najeh Davenpoop. My sentiments exactly!! Please respond Mr. Schultz.
Don Waddell
July 22nd, 2012
7:24 pm
CHOKE, you’re the kind of fan we need. Buy some season tickets, and I’ll through in some port-a-potties and a chance to meet me in the flesh. If you buy in the next 10 minutes, I’ll personally introduce you to Matt Ryan and future Hall of Famer Keith Brookings.
Nola Nate
July 22nd, 2012
7:41 pm
@Larry ; SERIOUSLY ??? You’re going to remind me about losing to the 7-9 Seahawks, when your team scored TWO POINTS in its most rewcent playoff game ? REALLY ??? Perhaps we should just talk about the most RECENT time when our respective teams played each other when it counted , and your Dirty Buzzards got their behinds CRUSHED —– I don’t care how many players or coaches are suspended beacause of the bounty scandal ; the Saints are just plain BETTER than your Falcons, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it…………………..
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
7:46 pm
JEFF WE ARE WAITING
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
7:49 pm
This is all you need to know about the respect CHOKE gets from the paying fans….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzEq0m_6FrI
HA HA
"Just keeping it REAL"
July 22nd, 2012
8:33 pm
IF MATT RYAN WAS BLACK, YOU RACIST WOULDNT BE HERE!
MLK is ashamed of being brothers to you racist brothers…you fail to understand Dr. Kings message!!!
JSS
July 22nd, 2012
8:36 pm
Dude, that is cold bloodied!
"Just keeping it REAL"
July 22nd, 2012
8:53 pm
then read some of Dr. Kings messages, yes Im JJ from D3!!!
JSS
July 22nd, 2012
9:35 pm
Sorry, don’t bring the late good Reverend Dr. King into this… My Mother actually knew and worked with the man… He was no saint, great but no saint (or Falcon)… He liked baseball more! And Just, the message at 8:36 was not intended for you… Sorry, but that is just blog demagoguery at 8:33!!!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
July 22nd, 2012
9:42 pm
HA HA HA
JJ from D3 Blog…..no wonder your comments are so stupid and bias…..
Sports must be slow over there………………
HA HA HA
Big Ray
July 22nd, 2012
10:06 pm
Email Profiling is Wrong ,
No. Shame on ME for going from talking to you to talking to some cognitively challenged fools who would much rather trade insults and incite a race riot (figuratively speaking, we know that internet ninjas are never like this in person).
I got carried away swinging a stick at some dogs, who of course barked the minute they realized somebody had a stick (and they know who they are).
I get a bit insulted by what I perceive to be Dimitroff’s public pronouncements – referring to Matt as our “elite” and our “top ten” QB. Based on the Matt Ryan I’ve watched the past two years, that makes Dimitroff’s statements a bit self-serving. He sounds like a shill.
I see where you’re coming from on that one. On the one hand, he does sound self-serving. On the other hand, if that’s your horse in the race, are you going to say he’s “okay”, or are you going to talk him up? Rhetorical question, I’m not saying Dimitroff is right or wrong, just that I kind of expect that from a GM. At the same time, there was Dimitroff spouting stats about the offensive line at the press conference (favorable stats, of course)….and Blank cut his a$$ off in mid-speech and said “that doesn’t mean they played well.”
I loved that moment. Because in that moment I realized Blank was real. He’s not about excuses. His vote of confidence is otherwise known as the corporate rope. Yeah, you get a chance to fix your mistakes, but if you don’t….hey, you hung yourself. So it will be for Smith this season, with Dimitroff likely having a bit more rope to work with. But Blank ain’t playin’, no matter what folks think about him. I saw that angry face. He’s embarrassed. Rich guys don’t like that.
He’s been punished pretty severely for those transgressions. Some would say he’s paid his debt to society. If he can redeem himself as a man and a player in Philly, more power to him.
But I can tell you that Matt Ryan’s strength of character as opposed to MV7’s doesn’t impress me on game day. Matt’s got a ways to go. Hopefully this is the year he gets there.
I agree with every word of that. This is (or should be) about game day performance and nothing else. But for some folks, that just ain’t the case.
Big Ray
July 22nd, 2012
10:16 pm
Najeh ,
Yeah, I bet Vick does get hammered up there in Philly. It was a rhetorical question. Fans will do that to you in Philly which is why I said that if Ryan played up there, he would be getting hammered something fierce . It’s the nature of the biz up there, and in NY, among other places. That was in response to the “kid glove” treatement. For those of you who have issues with Jeff Schultz, that’s another story. I have no dog in that fight….oops, I mean I have no horse in that race.
By the way I don’t blame Maclin at all. He was solid all year even with the drop in the Georgia Dome. Last year went wrong for the Eagles because they had too many new players and not enough time to acclimate them to the system since the lockout wiped out training camp. Didn’t help that Jackson was avoiding contact all season trying not to get concussed and that the O-line was getting shuffled around because of injuries for the first 8 games, but mainly it was just too many new players and not enough camp and preseason.
Well you certainly give more alibis for the Eagles than you ever have for the Falcons…interesting…but it be what it be. All I’m going to say is that one team’s legit issues are no more valid or less valid than another team’s issues, and leave it at that.
I don’t blame Maclin for the season at all. I blamed him for not making the play at the end of the game against us. Nobody was on him, he had that pass dead to rights. If it was Roddy, Julio, or somebody else on the Falcons team that dropped the ball and we lost to Philly, you know good and well that player would have taken similar heat…The funny thing about all that is most folks won’t remember that Maclin had 170 or so yards against us in that game….but they’ll remember him dropping the pass near the end zone…just sayin’….
Well, not enough camp due to lockout and all that, too many new players. Yeah, I can see that. Yet I don’t think Philly was the only team with O-line issues (ahem…we had them ALL SEASON LONG), lockout/camp issues, and new players.
I do know this – a Pro Bowl backfield wasn’t getting the job done too very well. And guess what? I don’t blame that on them not getting enough offseason work. I blame that on the zone system that fool behind DC was using up there.
Odd…three veteran pro bowl guys stinking it up in coverage for a large portion of the season (don’t compare the stats of Rodgers-Cromartie, Asomugha, and Samuel to those of the Falcons starting CBs…it’ll scare ya). Has to be the system. We had a similar issue with far less overall talent….
Big Ray
July 22nd, 2012
10:18 pm
You’re going to remind me about losing to the 7-9 Seahawks, when your team scored TWO POINTS in its most rewcent playoff game ? REALLY ???
Yeah….as the defending superbowl champs, that was a pretty far fall. And that’s why you’re angry that it got mentioned. LOL.
Big Ray
July 22nd, 2012
10:19 pm
Seems we scored a 2 whole embarrasing points against the eventual CURRENT SB defending champs. It’s bad, but memories of the New Orleans Bounties getting RUN OVER by Marshawn Lynch are still giving me the warm fuzzies, LOL.
Sorry, but I think you should have set a bounty on him….or did he set one on your entire defense? LOL!