Falcons’ defense still showing reason for concern
Asante Samuel got to A.J. Green too late and was burned for a 50-yard TD(Curtis Compton)
If there is one absolute about NFL exhibition games, it’s that it never is a good idea to make blanket statements about how great or dreadful something or someone is.
The games don’t matter. More often than not, coaches don’t scheme. Players don’t care. Or maybe one guy cares but the guy who’s supposed to be guarding him is just trying to remember whether he Tivo’d “Shark Week.” And then sometimes, as was the case again Thursday night, NFL replacement officials who in their normal everyday life would be pointing you to the historical biographies section at Barnes and Noble, are so completely botching calls that it’s easy to miss that somebody made a great play.
(Example: The Falcons’ Jonathan Babineaux tackled Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton, but was given a personal foul for grabbing the facemask, even though Dalton’s facemask was nowhere near where Babineaux grabbed. I can’t figure out if this is better or worse than last week when the referee kept referencing “Arizona” on the microphone, either because he forgot where he was or he just hadn’t made his way through all of the “A” teams yet in his homework.)
Anyway, back to the Falcons. They played their second exhibition Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. In short, they were just OK.
On defense, actually, they were less than OK.
More like, just, oh …
They lost again, this time 24-19. That really doesn’t mean anything. (Somewhat amusing stat: The Falcons have lost seven straight preseason games.) Maybe none of this will mean anything when they open the regular season in a few weeks in Kansas City. They can only hope.
It wasn’t just that A.J. Green (50-yard touchdown catch) shifted into fourth gear just as Asante Samuel popped a clutch. The Falcons showed some liabilities when the first-team defense was on the field against Cincinnati, and that’s a concern for a team that has been trying to improve its pass rush and third-down defense (and because they’re a team that has allowed 40, 48 and 24 points in consecutive playoff losses).
There was some good. The defensive front was able to pressure on Dalton. Peria Jerry and Babineaux in particular were strong inside. Jerry got called for a borderline roughing-the-passer penalty, throwing down Dalton when it probably wasn’t necessary. But the Falcons probably would take that mistake right now over not getting to the quarterback at all. (It’s easier to coach down than coach up.)
Defensive end Ray Edwards, who needs to have a strong season after a mediocre first season, fell short of impact again. He pressured Dalton but failed to wrap him up for a sack. (Dalton eventually scrambled out of bounds for no gain, and a sack was credited to Jerry.)
The Falcons also missed tackles. They were gashed for a running play by Cedric Peerman (who might’ve gone to the end zone if safety William Moore hadn’t punched out the ball for a fumble). But the biggest issue was the secondary.
Green is great. We know that. We watched him at Georgia and again last season, when he was the first rookie to earn a Pro Bowl trip since 2003. But he made the Falcons’ secondary look silly a few times. He got behind everybody late in the first quarter from the 36, but Dalton threw long and Green made the catch out of the end zone. In the second quarter, on third-and-15 from the 50, Green ran down the right side, made a slight move for an out pattern that Samuel didn’t bite on, but then just blew past the Falcons’ cornerback and cradled a rocket from Dalton for a touchdown.
There was a third play in which Green beat Samuel down the sideline, but Dalton’s pass was underthrown and Samuel was able to close and get a hand in for the breakup.
Samuel is known as a gambling cornerback, and sometimes that costs him. But Green’s touchdown wasn’t the result of gambling — it was merely getting scorched. It wasn’t great foreshadowing for the season considering he was easily the team’s biggest transaction this offseason.
In a few weeks, maybe this won’t matter. Maybe defensive coordinator Mike Nolan can tweak some things. Maybe Samuel gets better. Maybe Edwards gets better. Certainly, everybody will care more. But in Week 2 of the preseason, there was reason for concern.
By Jeff Schultz
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172 comments Add your comment
Big Ray
August 17th, 2012
4:18 pm
Easy “marks” always recognize snipers when they seem them…because it’s usually too late. But keep reading my stuff. You know you can’t stop….
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
4:20 pm
@Wilson Pickett
I approve that messsage…ha ha
RunninWithTheDawgs
August 17th, 2012
4:23 pm
They’ve got me worried on both sides of the ball. We’ve yet to win a playoff game with the current team, and I don’t see that we’ve made that many improvements especially compared to some of the teams around the league. I like Matt Ryan, but I just don’t believe in franchise QB’s. We’ve been through this with Steve Bartkowski. Nice guy but no championships.
JSS
August 17th, 2012
4:23 pm
Went the whole month or October, November, and February without you and never batted and eyelash in caring… Need some of stalker boy’s meds to keep up that delusion?
DawgNole
August 17th, 2012
4:24 pm
C From Marietta
August 17th, 2012
10:26 am
Why to over react to PRE SEASON FOOTBALL. It’s glorifed practice. It will be ok.
____________________
“ok” as in fail once again to win a playoff game? Is that what “ok” is to you?
BIG TECH
August 17th, 2012
4:34 pm
What is a QB rating when you go 18 for 24 with 176 yards and you have two of the damn best wide receivers in the league? Tell me this….How many passes has Garbage Ryan thrown for 25 yards or more?
ATLnyc
August 17th, 2012
4:36 pm
Thanks for the column Jeff. I think you make fair points here and there is a little glimmer of cause for concern.
I do disagree with your interpretation of the AJ Green touchdown not being the result of gambling. I thought it was clear that Samuel was trying to stay inside the receiver and get a jump on the ball, just as he did the previous play. Not the best idea against AJ in single coverage, and maybe not the best judgement call on the whole.
But we’re going to see that with Asante, especially with an increased spotlight as a leader. For better (often, historically) or worse – he’s hungry for the big play and is going to try and take a big ol’ bite.
Heavyweight Champion of the Earl
August 17th, 2012
4:40 pm
Falcons fans are the worst! If Atlanta was 2-0 in the preseason, then preseason games are excellent indicators of how the season will pan out. But now they are 0-2, preseason games don’t matter. Falcons will unfortunately back into the playoffs, and get thrashed by the eventual Super Bowl winners…again. I predict the Falcons will waive Dominique Davis, and he will go elsewhere and become a star just like Favre, Deion, Vick…
DawgNole
August 17th, 2012
4:40 pm
CaliDirtyBird
August 17th, 2012
10:34 am
First team looks good overall after two games. Yeah the defense gave up a touchdown. Whoopie! To my recollection the gave up a touchdown in every game last year and went 10-6. The year before they also gave up a touchdown in every game and went 13-3.
____________________
How did the team do in the playoffs after last year’s 10-6? How did the team do in the playoffs after the previous year’s 13-3?
Ricky Grooms
August 17th, 2012
4:40 pm
Maybe the reason the Falcons lost is because they were on national television.
DawgNole
August 17th, 2012
4:52 pm
Paul
August 17th, 2012
1:11 pm
True to form, Atlanta. The only people that come on the ONLY newspaper in town’s website to discuss the city’s teams are either haters from other teams or miscreants who still soil napkins in their mother’s basements. Not sure why I am always so blow away that the supposed “fan base” for Atlanta teams just doesn’t care. You have a baseball team that has the best record in baseball since the All Star break yet you have to beg people to “come out to the park” except when you are giving out bobbleheads. You have a football team that has had 4 straight winning seasons and has gone to the postseason 3 out of those 4 and one of the best young QB’s in the game and you let Saints/Bucs fans get on here to cackle along with all those poor souls who still think that Michael Vick got a raw deal from the team that gave him a $100 million contract and can’t let go. Intelligent, knowledgeable sports discussion? Fuggitaboutit!
______________________
It’s called fan apathy/skepticism. Do you think that ONE championship and many postseason failures between the two teams during their entire half-century in ATL has anything to do with that?
DawgNole
August 17th, 2012
4:59 pm
Big Ray
August 17th, 2012
4:16 pm
Yeah. Because you don’t win games in the postseason with your RB, you do it with your RB. Name the RB who has won his team the SuperBowl the last few years.
________________
” . . . you don’t win games in the postseason with your RB, you do it with your RB.”
Hello??
Your stuff’s normally pretty lucid, but you lost me on this one.
musicrockinrobin
August 18th, 2012
6:41 am
You people are sooo funny and have short memories. Matt Ryan is a winner. He doesn’t turn the ball over (like Vick STILL does) he’s not a jerk that his teammates can’t stand (like Vick’s teammates past and present who consistently drop his passes on purpose) and he works hard at his craft, something that Vick still hasn’t figured out. Start Davis? Get real, regular season NFL defenses would correct your flawed opinion real quick. Everybody needs to hush up and be more suppotive, you could live in St. Louis……
help wanted
August 18th, 2012
10:59 am
Really, what is so different about it? Weems gone and hardly any linebackers….not good
And seems like all the draft picks that were supposed to help with bull rushing (O-line and fullback) are going down to injury. So are they actually worse off?
Falcons draft picks go down quicker than a $5 ho.
Falcon Jim
August 18th, 2012
1:36 pm
Bad football, bad officiating, bad coverage. It was a BAD night.
TFalc
August 18th, 2012
2:08 pm
asante—overrated, overpaid. He’ll be another high dollar falcon bust. Book it.
JSS
August 18th, 2012
2:30 pm
“Matt Ryan is a winner. He doesn’t turn the ball over (like Vick STILL does)”
Whew, I thought it was my early morning eyes… Here’s a trip down memory lane…
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-films-anatomy-of-a-play/09000d5d81dcad2d/Divisional-Anatomy-Tramon-Williams-Pick-Six
JSS
August 18th, 2012
2:36 pm
The beats goes on…
http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/Jackson-picks-off-Ryan/9d46e7a4-3605-4271-9b60-9c5474118339
The World’s still spinning…
JSS
August 18th, 2012
2:42 pm
Before someone declares “ancient history” …
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000048198/Brendon-Ayanbadejo-40-yard-int-return
The Burner Turner
August 19th, 2012
10:53 am
I dont really care about the defense I care about where my next meal is coming from. Hrrrrmmp . I been wearing weights on my legs for conditioning. Coach said I weighed 20 extra pounds and I explained I had the leg weights on. He said ,,,, well damn you should be a sleek missle then.
I am hungry
time to eat
Is it lunch yet.
Heard we are having fried peach pies at dinner dessert . I take a plastic zip loc and fill it up for late at night when I get hungry.
Hell I am always hungry. I think I might have worms.
Are there concerns mounting about the Falcons’ defense? | Falcons Focus – Atlanta Falcons Blog, Opinion & Analysis
August 22nd, 2012
8:31 pm
[...] at the Dome, AJC columnist Jeff Schultz wrote the following about how Atlanta’s defense is still showing reason for concern: It wasn’t just that A.J. Green (50-yard touchdown catch) shifted into fourth gear just as Asante [...]
There are already concerns mounting about the Falcons’ defense, but why? | Falcons Focus – Atlanta Falcons Blog, Opinion & Analysis
August 22nd, 2012
8:32 pm
[...] at the Dome, AJC columnist Jeff Schultz wrote the following about how Atlanta’s defense is still showing reason for concern: It wasn’t just that A.J. Green (50-yard touchdown catch) shifted into fourth gear just as Asante [...]