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
JSS
August 16th, 2012
11:35 pm
Time to start cutting folks
NUNNA!!
August 16th, 2012
11:36 pm
1st
NUNNA!!
August 16th, 2012
11:36 pm
Ok..2nd
JSS
August 16th, 2012
11:36 pm
Gumby Fade Spoon….
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 16th, 2012
11:37 pm
Forget the defense It’s time to start Davis.
The Davis era has begun
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 16th, 2012
11:37 pm
WE WANT DAVIS
WE WANT DAVIS
WE WANT DAVIS
WE WANT DAVIS
WE WANT DAVIS
Explosive!
August 16th, 2012
11:39 pm
“The games don’t matter. More often than not, coaches don’t scheme. Players don’t care.”
and yet the NFL has the nerve to charge people to come out and watch these games.
Anyways as for the defense …. the sun rises in the east and the Falcons D is average or below, that’s just the way things go. If they were good/great, then I’d be surprised.
JSS
August 16th, 2012
11:40 pm
If DeCoud was not the safeguard behind Samuel and the other corners the problem would be so great, but I’m sorry he’s learned nothing
NUNNA!!
August 16th, 2012
11:41 pm
Its time to cut ties with Matty Ice..He is not gonna be any better than he is now..He is what he is..
We have to do sooooooo freaking much for this guy to be succeed..
MIller would have won a playoff game by now..
Bart would have won 2 by now..
Vick would have taken us to the Super Bowl with the teams we had in the past 2 years(if he was healthy)..
Matt is a good QB but like i said when we drafted him,he will progress only so much because with his weak arm,and him needing a trillion dollar supporting cast,he just isn’t worth the investment..
Start Davis Now!!
JSS
August 16th, 2012
11:42 pm
Explosive, they believe they are hiding things in the scheme to mask those things
Dominique "Choke" Davis
August 16th, 2012
11:42 pm
< start this guy?
eddie willers
August 16th, 2012
11:44 pm
AJ will make a lot of cornerbacks look silly.
Thomas DiNatale
August 16th, 2012
11:44 pm
Not a bad showing! Still in shock that this was broadcast on TV nationally. Can’t wait fo the season!!
JSS
August 16th, 2012
11:44 pm
Y’all know they ain’t letting Davis start… They riding or die with Ryan… It’s going to be a heck of a funeral!!!
JSS
August 16th, 2012
11:47 pm
“AJ will make a lot of cornerbacks look silly.”
That wasn’t silly, that was Serena-vs-Sharapova… That was Elvis Toast Patterson land!!!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 16th, 2012
11:48 pm
Okay folks lets start a petition to start Davis.
CHOKE is too boring and Davis moves the chains………….
DAVIS…..DAVIS…..DAVIS…..DAVIS…..DAVIS
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 16th, 2012
11:49 pm
A.J. showed why he was drafted 4th and Julio 6th.
Once again Dimitroff is a day late
bart
August 16th, 2012
11:52 pm
Surely you jest. Samuel had pretty decent coverage but Green is or will become one of the elite receivers in the league and made the play. I guess you could say all the DB’s covering Julio suk too because he makes plays. But I do agree that the defense as a whole doesn’t look ready. And on offense I believe it’s time to say so long to Turner. He’s becoming the wimpiest power runner in the NFL.
The Truth
August 16th, 2012
11:54 pm
Roughing the passer call. Sounds like a bounty offense to me.
JSS
August 16th, 2012
11:56 pm
I jest not, he blew past him and Asante looked like the 4×100 when they realized it was their night… Toooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssttttttttt!!!
Ahab
August 16th, 2012
11:57 pm
Are u extreme?
http://www.billoreilly.com/site/rd?satype=13&said=12&url=%2Fnewslettercolumn%3Fpid%3D37990
JSS
August 16th, 2012
11:58 pm
Your 4 of the first 5 games feature teams with supersonic jet fighters on the edge, you know they’re rewinding that video…
JSS
August 16th, 2012
11:59 pm
Ahab, your white whale is calling!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
12:00 am
When Andy Reid is done with you….well…..you are done.
Suckers
section 340
August 17th, 2012
12:06 am
this is trollville here. You guys need start getting laid. This is a horrible life style choice to get your rocks off. See ya in the Super Bowl
Go Falcons
Super Bowl Champs
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
August 17th, 2012
12:08 am
The NFL needs to not charge fans full price for these preseason games. Also if you want to fans to better attend the preseason games, quite scheduing them on week nights. It is difficult for working folks to make it downtown on a week night to see brand “X” players after the 1st quarter of the game.
Maybe Asante getting beat that bad on that one play might cause him to dial down all the rhetoric. It appeared that he was too busy celebrating the previous defensive play wich might have caused him to lose focus. Asante….quit mouthing off and just play the game.
JSS
August 17th, 2012
12:15 am
Get yourself “laid!”
JSS
August 17th, 2012
12:17 am
Asante ain’t dialing after all of these years… Ray Buchanan with less jewelry and a better haircut!
Gumbo
August 17th, 2012
12:18 am
DeCoud – UGH! Is anybody watching film at Flowery Branch??? For the past 3 years?? The Emporer has no clothes. Call it a bust, TD, and get on with finding an NFL safety Its OK to miss on one now and again…..
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
12:25 am
You guys act like this is the post blog of the 1st round of the playoffs. What’s with all the sad faces? ha ha
section 340
August 17th, 2012
12:38 am
Its a daily over here. But seriously it sad. All of you our just trying pick a blog fight. You probably go to sleep in your moms house feeling that today was a good day because 8 people responded to my word vomit. And I’m looking at you “choke”, jss, where is your brotha seen b4.
REFMan
August 17th, 2012
12:38 am
Good job folks ignoring Matt “CHOKE” Ryan, don’t feed the obvious troll with no job.
j
August 17th, 2012
12:38 am
Why the heck is Garrett Reynolds the starting RG? They had all offseason, a 2nd round pick, Mike Johnson, and a 5ht round backup tackle is the best they can throw out there? Horrifying.
Who Me?
August 17th, 2012
1:05 am
It is time to pare down the roster a bit more, but this isn’t a regular season L. There is cause for concern with the 2nd and 3rd unit D, but i did see Dunta actually make some solid contact back there tonight – while watching AJ light up Asante. Dude is laughable but I’m withholding further comment til the regular season starts. No DC or OC in his right mind is going to trot out anything more than vanilla coverages and standard offensive sets to get a repetitive groove going for both starting units.
Davis deserved better from the college kids trying to catch his passes in the hurry-up at the end of the game. The kid can play, but he got no help.
Would like to be in the film room tomorrow….
Falcon Jim
August 17th, 2012
1:07 am
Choke, you should be in bed, son.
Jaded
August 17th, 2012
1:19 am
Defense in the NFL is about rushing the passer. The Falcons have an effective but aging, part-time player on one edge and an overpaid bust on the other edge.
There actually are some things to like about the Falcons’ defense, but they need an every-down player who can consistently put the QB on his back. Until they get that, Rodgers and Brees will continue to play pitch-and-catch.
joey
August 17th, 2012
1:26 am
I was at the game. The players simply didn’t seem to be trying that hard. But I agree the defense seemed pretty weak though I did wonder if they had their heads in the game 110%. The offense seemed to be trying to practice their screen passes this week and didn’t take a lot of chances downfield (or just that the o-line sucked it up). But overall I felt the offense played well and didn’t have much trouble moving the ball (except turner running which is probably more a result of the weak o-line…).
And guys don’t feed the troll. Thanks.
cousin vicker
August 17th, 2012
1:28 am
Matt Ryan is like the anti chuck Morris to”choke”
When Matt Ryan heats up, he causes global warming.
When Matt Ryan drops back, the stock market drops.
Matt Aryans play
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
1:29 am
Start Davis and trade CHOKE for a bucket of footballs
cousin vicker
August 17th, 2012
1:45 am
Oh and meant chuck norris. Have no idea who chuck Morris is
Seattle Hawks fan
August 17th, 2012
2:17 am
Put down the crack pipe….. Matt Ryan looks like a top five qb right now….. He is going to have a monster year…. David was playing against practice squad guys
Dwayne C
August 17th, 2012
3:06 am
Last year the Atlanta Falcons went 0-4 in the preseason, losing all four of their exhibition games. Despite players and coaches on this team downplaying this fact, the Falcons got out the gate slowly looking like crap on the road in their first game vs the CHI Bears. They were 1-2 after three games and 2-3 after five games before getting things turned around and going 8-3 the rest of the season.
If the Falcons stumble early in 2012 I wouldn’t count on another turnaround like in 2011. The NO Saints will be good again in 2012, the CAR Panthers are improving and the TB Bucs will be better in 2012 as well. and the Falcons have some tough games on the road in 2012.
If the Falcons are 2-3 after five games in 2012 look for this team to finish no better than 8-8(and maybe 7-9).
Stinger2
August 17th, 2012
4:34 am
Obviously Dwayne is not the president of the Optimist Club.
Singletary
August 17th, 2012
5:37 am
Davis IS better than JPWilson, and probably should be the #2 next year. Samuel and our $57 million dollar man definitely didn’t light up anyone’s board last night (except the blinding pain behind my eyes.) Please let it not be a painful season of missed opportunities…
GTT
August 17th, 2012
5:52 am
Who the heck is Davis?
GTT
August 17th, 2012
5:54 am
Oh, OK, now I see why the Vickophiles want Davis. Thank you Google images.
Falcons’ defense still showing reason for concern | football-feed.com
August 17th, 2012
6:04 am
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redcoat
August 17th, 2012
6:23 am
Joke of a blog………
WTF
August 17th, 2012
6:42 am
SSDD
These guys look like and perform like last year’s edition…hey, they ARE last year’s edition.
9-7 if they are lucky (and they aren’t) – 7-9 more likely.
buckhead benny
August 17th, 2012
6:46 am
Shultz- He was sitting on the route to the outside and AJ did a double move- they interviewed AJ and Dalton about the td pass and the admitted Samuel jump the first route which he did so they wanted to try the double move because they thought he would bite again and he did sit on the route since it was third down so you are stupid and have no idea what you are talking about, fyi-
JSS
August 17th, 2012
6:53 am
joke of user name
JSS
August 17th, 2012
7:05 am
As reported by D. Orlando Ledbetter:
“Samuel and Green were battling.” “We were going at it,” Samuel said. “I relaxed on the deep ball a little bit, and he got over on top of me.” Samuel, a noted film student, was not surprised by the deep pass. “It was third-and-long, so it was time to put the ball up,” Samuel said.
Not surprised and didn’t do a dang a thing about it..
Falcondisliker
August 17th, 2012
7:13 am
Keep telling yourself that preseason doesn’t matter….the score doesn’t matter, but the play of your team does….You have some serious defensive gaps….Drew Brees will rip you a new one…just like he does every year…..
Saints will always be > Falcants aka the team that has NO SB RING…
Stay classy…
AlanFalcon
August 17th, 2012
7:14 am
In defense of Asante on the Green touchdown, why was there no over the top coverage help from a safety (a Pro Bowl Rookie with speed, height and ability) that is known and not question?
He was on and Island and it looks to me that someone was at fault, question is who and there in lies the failure !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JSS
August 17th, 2012
7:29 am
Because you safeties are no longer going to play cover 2 unless they in zone… You asked for it, you got it… The defense is now predicated on bring pressure from any area (even if they are not bringing it in the preseason), and those safeties were down in the box all night long…. Moore got Grimes embarrassed on the other side when waffled on coming over to cover a releasing receiver…
To their credit they forced some fumbles, from behind… But this is beyond silly… People have been telling you that you have the worst play recognition safeties in football for three seasons… Blame BVG all you want, it is not just scheme…
Deepdiver
August 17th, 2012
7:48 am
Julio is better than A.J.
Nativebird
August 17th, 2012
7:49 am
This Falcons franchise does have one consistent weakness from owner to management to offense to defense down to the mail room. They all tend to relay heavily on reputation. Samuel, Edwards, Turner, to Peterson, even the great Gonzalez; this coaching staff puts a bunch of reputations out on the field and says, “look, what a great team we have, they’re going to be great!”. As much as I like Smitty personally, for the past four years, there is not enough pressure or fire or motivation, plus the lack of execution and adjustment on game day. Samuel getting burned like a school kid…BY a school kid was just another example of it. Too much blather and swagger….from a team that is not THAT good.
DC Dirty Bird
August 17th, 2012
7:56 am
Wow….defense gives up 10 points in a half to a playoff team from last year and now there are major problems. PRESEASON. NEW SCHEME. This is when you want potential issues to be exposed. The offense looks great because the scheme didn’t change much, just the play calling philosophy.
I’m not gonna be crazy and say we have a top 5 defense in the making, but the doom and gloom Mr. “I’m not a Falcons fan but I can’t breathe without commenting about the Falcons” JSS is simply off base.
Dumbo
August 17th, 2012
8:15 am
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan….gosh, your running crap is the same as GTBob….now we know don’t we!
Jay
August 17th, 2012
8:18 am
Philly was right, Samuel is way past his prime.
Nativebird
August 17th, 2012
8:18 am
Jacquizz Rogers shows just how MUCH Michael Turner has lost a step (or three) every time he’s given the ball. The kid is faster, quicker, shifting and gets MORE yards every time he touches the ball. Turner continue to simply, slowly, just meander into the back of his offensive lineman, who aren’t moving anybody off the line. Yes there’s no huge gaping holes….but there are small cracks…and TURNEr simply cannot get to them or through them. START JACQUIZZ if you want a running game this year.
Crisco
August 17th, 2012
8:20 am
Hey JS…as scary as the secondary looks….the offensive line can’t get out of their own way. Ryan & Turner are going to get beat up very badly if the high school offensive line coach doesn’t figure out what he needs to do and does it it in a hurry
Dawg Done Gone
August 17th, 2012
8:23 am
Plus they have no creditable backup qb. Abraham & Edwards still not getting to the qb. Samuel will get beat by Fitzgerald,S.Smith,C.Johnson,M.Colston,H.Nicks,A.Johnson,P.Harvin,D.Branch,etc.
evil empire
August 17th, 2012
8:28 am
add Devery Henderson to your list DDG…
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
8:29 am
Poor Falcants. They are just so boring. Julio can’t do it by himself.
Start Davis and Julio will get to the next level. Julio is carrying CHOKE
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
8:31 am
It’s gonna get ugly against those big Tampa receivers
Babineaux the Dog Killer
August 17th, 2012
8:32 am
BABINEAUX Is a DOGKILLER! 2 large dog mysteriously die while wussboy is watching tv? Don’t think so. If not for his paycheck, wussboy would be in jail right now.
The Answer
August 17th, 2012
8:37 am
Dominique Davis will be the backup QB this year and the starter next year. He may have been in scrub time but he shows much greater field presence and aptitude than Ryan. His passes have zip and actually hit receivers in stride. Ryan could learn alot from this kid.
BOO BOO And TT
August 17th, 2012
9:01 am
I’m going to be torn apart for saying this, but it is a blog right? Which are all about opinions and different options… right? I do agree with a lot of what Matt ” Choke” Ryan is saying, he or she just like some others usually come on these blogs just to cause a blog war, but every now and then they have some good points. I like Ryan, I really do believe he has the (ability) to become a top 5 QB in this league, so far in the preseason, I have been impressed with him for the most part. However, he still needs to work on this arm strength and pocket pressance a little bit. He also “eyes’ his receivers way too much allowing safeties and cornerbacks to lock in on his passes.
Dominique Davis, as some have already mentioned has looked impressive so far, true this is only preseason and he is playing against the third string or whatever defense, but HE is a ROOKIE just like the players he is going against, who is to say what he is capable of doing with better receivers in the game? I would like to see him in there as the second string QB next game just out of curiosity, it’s premature, but this guy looks like he could be a football gem in the making, we shall wait and see.
JD
August 17th, 2012
9:08 am
Mr Shultz: Apparently you missed the same old Falcons inability to score inside the Red Zone…2nd quarter, inside the 5 with a first down…settled for 3 points. World class teams Inside the 10 yard line on first down should be automatic 7 points. This all looks just as alarming as the pourous secondary. For all the hoopla and promise of an improved team, these Falcons appear to be the same old guys. They have showed the Fans NOTHING worthy of support.
NFL Preseason Game Capsules – The Olympian | NFLGame.Net
August 17th, 2012
9:13 am
[...] gamesNFL NewsDalton, Green connect as Bengals hold on for preseason win over FalconsCBSSports.comAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -Lexington Herald Leaderall 655 news [...]
Nativebird
August 17th, 2012
9:15 am
Trivia: Question: Why does not John Parker Wilson have three names?
Answer: because it sounds better on the Alabama Insurance Agency office door that he will soon be running? “John Parker Wislon and Associates”.
old scout
August 17th, 2012
9:15 am
These Falcons look a lot like last year’s Falcons except this team has no MLB..and that’s true when Dent is playing. Turner is still the slowest starting RB in the NFL, so there is no running game. The Falcons have no pass rush…the long pass to Green doesn’t happen if there is any pressure. We better hope Ryan and the receivers have a great year or we are looking at about 8-8. It may be worse unless the O-line does a better job of pass blocking. Oh, and these opinions only relate to the starters, not the back-ups. It looks like the Falcons got nothing out of this draft.
JSS
August 17th, 2012
9:17 am
DC Dirty Bird, your defense in its base form has spread like the Red Sea to third line runners like Leonard (was that Najeh Davenport?), not against scrubs, that was your first team. They did not even use their two front line runner BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Bernard Scott…
Two weeks in row starting with Torrey Smith (Flacco overthrow) and now with Green people have run like that thru the secondary… And you still cannot tackle… Off base my butt!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
9:17 am
1st and goal at the 5 vs zero points in the playoffs – see a trend?
Did you guys see how effortless Davis was moving the chains with his feet and strong arm?
Face it Falcants fans, your boy is not the answer. Now I expect when Davis becomes the starter, you guys be as patient with him as you are with CHOKE.
I’m trippin, like you guys would do that…..ha ha
Nativebird
August 17th, 2012
9:21 am
Most critical evaluation question from preseason Game 2: Does Dominique Davis own any dogs?
Flacons never learn
August 17th, 2012
9:22 am
Well well…..The Flacons never learn. They give up 2 many draft pix 4 Juliet Jones and cant helpt the strugling defence out at all. 4 the Falcons 2 be sugcessful the will half 2 score about 90 points a game. Sense that is not posible I predict the Flacons go 4 – 12
DawgNole
August 17th, 2012
9:26 am
Dwayne C
August 17th, 2012
3:06 am
Last year the Atlanta Falcons went 0-4 in the preseason, losing all four of their exhibition games. Despite players and coaches on this team downplaying this fact, the Falcons got out the gate slowly looking like crap on the road in their first game vs the CHI Bears. They were 1-2 after three games and 2-3 after five games before getting things turned around and going 8-3 the rest of the season.
If the Falcons stumble early in 2012 I wouldn’t count on another turnaround like in 2011. The NO Saints will be good again in 2012, the CAR Panthers are improving and the TB Bucs will be better in 2012 as well. and the Falcons have some tough games on the road in 2012.
If the Falcons are 2-3 after five games in 2012 look for this team to finish no better than 8-8(and maybe 7-9).
_____________________
One of the few sensible posts on the role of preseason games as a factor in a team’s success. Winning begets winning–and vice versa. Losing ANY game only contributes to a culture of losing–at which this city’s pro sports teams and too many of their fans are nationally recognized experts.
The Truth
August 17th, 2012
9:26 am
LOL @ Ryan looking like a top 5 QB!!! He might be a top 5 QB on the Falcons’ roster, but he’s not a top 5 QB in the NFL. Stats don’t mean anything if you can’t win in the post-season. If Ryan chokes in the playoffs/big games again, I won’t care if he throws for 7000 yards and 85 TDs in the regular season – it won’t make a difference how he is viewed as a QB. He has a lot to prove before anyone starts throwing around the “elite NFL QB” moniker.
smilergrogan
August 17th, 2012
9:30 am
Assante will bite on double moves, and is always looking in the backfield. He knows his rep and high salary come from his history of interceptions. The thing that surprised me last nite was how slow he looked when Green hit the jets.
What will eventually burn your toast down there is his refusal to play press coverage; this means when the opposition has third and five, Assante will be laying off at least ten. Belechick got tired of his act, and the Eagles overpaid. Reid finally tired of him as well. Hope this wasn’t your only off-season acquisition.
BIG TECH
August 17th, 2012
9:32 am
Here we go again with this Matty “Garbage” Ryan! The Falcons and the Dawgs definitely have ONE thing in common and that’s Two way overrated Garbage qb’s!!!
jerry
August 17th, 2012
9:45 am
Note to cameraman: When Turner runs the ball or Redman passes the ball, it is not neccessary to replay the play in slow motion, it already is.
A
August 17th, 2012
9:47 am
So FCS formerly div1aa is expanding the playoffs from 16 to 24 teams and div 1 can’t go to more than 4??? What a bunch of bs
Ignorant to the game
August 17th, 2012
9:52 am
Do some of you just talk to be talking or are you that ignorant? If you all believe that Davis should start over Ryan you’re not watching football. First of all to start Davis you would set the offense back for years. The falcons have made the playoffs three times under Matt Ryan. He’s an nfl quarterback that threw for 4k yards last year. He will not be limited under Koetter’s offense. Davis has not even seen a real nfl defense. Two preseason games playing against a 3rd team defense doesn’t make you an nfl quarterback. He didn’t even get drafted. All nfl gm’s passed on him in the draft, yet you all think he should start over Matt Ryan. He’s the fourth sting qb on the depth chart. If you all think on day 1 that he should start over Ryan then you all are just ignorant to the game.
matt
August 17th, 2012
9:56 am
You mean the defense they could’ve improved with the 5 picks they gave up for Julio JOnes?? That defense????
Wipeout
August 17th, 2012
10:06 am
How fun is atlanta sports fans they as stupid is all M.Vick not here in eagle land hurt and will never be great he may win superbowl if was back up to Ny Giants QB……However we need start playin football not Pantyhouse league…2-2 be nice if we start season 4-0 you be here sayin its a flute!….Saints 12-4 falcons 11-5 Car.Panthers 8-8 n tampa bay 3-13….that me pick for season!
danny
August 17th, 2012
10:10 am
yeah that was a quality defense Davis was going against. You guys crack me up
D rates an F
August 17th, 2012
10:13 am
If the Falcons lose to the Dolphins next week then when the season starts I think I will watch the paid programming on CBS instead of the Falcons on FOX each Sunday Afternoon!
Michelob
August 17th, 2012
10:19 am
Hey Jeff…here’s an idea. Maybe the NFL and the owners should make all preseason games free or maybe just charge like 5 bucks a pop. Good for PR and would allow “regular people” to get to go to a game…it might also fill up the stadiums…is it just me, or do these stadiums seem awful empty this year as opposed to other years…
PMC
August 17th, 2012
10:23 am
It’s not the CB’s we should worry about in coverage, everyone is beaten at times in the NFL.
It’s the safeties in coverage. Neither one has proven that they understand how they are supposed to play or can play well in coverage when asked. Why are guys able to get behind the defense so easily? The safeties are not good in coverege at all.
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.
C From Marietta
August 17th, 2012
10:28 am
The idiots are out in full force on this blog.
Gico Lizzard says
August 17th, 2012
10:29 am
I saved a bundle my not renewing my Atlanta Falcons Season tickets.
PMC
August 17th, 2012
10:33 am
C, other than the people that just hate the Falcons, I don’t think anyone is saying anything critical about losing a preseason game.
It’s the elements of the team that were in question all offseason. I’m excited about the offensive and defensive schemes being different, I love what I’ve seen so far.
It’s the little things that they weren’t doing well before, missed tackles (going back to the chicago debacle last year see SPOON get absolutely embarassed by Matt Forte) The blocking on the OL.
The defensive line looks pretty good and improved, the offensive line looks better than last year. Reynolds looks competant and Baker looks healthy for instance, but they went from Absolutely horrible to fairly competent.
Fairly competent isn’t good enough to win superbowls, or even a playoff game. We knew the skill positions were awesome, they still haven’t addressed the most glaring issues.
CaliDirtyBird
August 17th, 2012
10:34 am
It must be the preseason! All the over reacting, all the trolls who say thing on blogs they’d never say face to face because what they are saying here is so stupid.
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.
Susan
August 17th, 2012
10:35 am
Did you all REALLY THINK you would win any game? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That’s laughable! The Failcant’s team is just as sorry as it always has been and will be. Now Gonzalez is trying his best to continue to play football until the Failcan’t actually win a superbowl…well as sorry as his team is it ain’t gon’ happen no time soon…he will be 100 still telling people he is going to retire…so sad! If he wanted to really win a Superbowl, he should have gotten with a real football team with real fans! Atlanta Failcants do not have real fans! You all are so sorry and sad…
Please tell me WHY was the Georgia Dome empty last night? So sad…
The sad part about the Failcants is you couldn’t tell the difference when Matt (spaghetti arms…ooohhh don’t fall on me) Ryan was playing or not… Such a SORRY DREADFUL team!
WOA NELLY
August 17th, 2012
10:36 am
Davis looked really good and definitely should be the #2 QB. He has a great arm and was very accurate. If his wide receivers could have caught his passes on that final drive they might have pulled out a miracle win. GOOOOOOO FALCONS. Oh and Matty “CHOKE” Ryan you are a goober gobbling geek.
CaliDirtyBird
August 17th, 2012
10:41 am
Also, Davis is definitely looking like he may beat out JPW and even give Redman some competition but lay off the sauce about starting him over Ryan. Again something I doubt you’d say in the office because you would want your co-workers questioning your intelligence.
Again, Davis better than Shockley ever was and better than JPW will ever be seems very possible.
Better than Ryan? There are 10 starting QBs that can say that!
CaliDirtyBird
August 17th, 2012
10:43 am
Meant to say aren’t 10 QBs.
falCANS
August 17th, 2012
10:50 am
You guys dont know football. Save the gamble by Assante IN A PRESEASON GAME defense was great. Consistent pressure from the Da line, Stephen Nicholas looked like Spoon 2.0, Daunte Owns the slot position and was “hit sticking” all night. The only problem I seen was Brents Grimes shoulda be playing on the left. The guy is a shutdown corner!! How many catches did he allowed again???
Ivan
August 17th, 2012
10:51 am
Man this blog is a riot! I’m not sure what’s funnier…
The fans up in arms over a preseason loss
The trolls actually trying to troll a preseason result.
The idiots falling hook, line, and sinker for the trolls.
Good way to start the Friday. Keep it going, fellas.
Flacons never learn
August 17th, 2012
10:54 am
4 – 12
dan the nerd
August 17th, 2012
11:02 am
Matt Ryan still looks weak. He is afraid to throw down the field because of his noodle-arm. At one point he had 7 completions and averaged less than 5 yards per attempt! Take away the RACs and he was throwing 2 and 3 yard passes. WEAK!
Offense will be the same as last year.
JSS
August 17th, 2012
11:02 am
Never fails, the self-professed “Troll identifiers” just can’t help themselves…
rollo lawson
August 17th, 2012
11:03 am
I don’t know what game Jeff Schultz was watching. The Falcons look like a different team from years past. Pressure from the dline and an assertive, more confident Matt Ryan is what stood out to me. Cincy is no slouch, on offense or defense. AJ Green can beat ANY corner in this league.
My only concerns and Turner and Gonzalez. My goodness they looked SLOW!!!
rollo lawson
August 17th, 2012
11:04 am
Correction: My only concerns areTurner and Gonzalez.
falCANS
August 17th, 2012
11:13 am
Yea I forgot to talkin about offense. We need a while new line except RT. They’re better than last year but still not getting a push. Ryan looks like he is ready to go Brady on use and throw 40 passes a game if line holds up. Roddy White hasn’t lost a step, Julio is Julio even going up against a top ten CB in leon hall. Turner is looking horrible BUT we all know he goes 5 attempts for 4 yards then goes fa 25 on the next . Tony has lost a step but still top ten tight end
Whadda Ya Know?
August 17th, 2012
11:24 am
Defense needs to be more discipline that’s for sure. The tackling was subpar last night and the secondary is STILL allowing receivers to get behind them. We need a serious upgrade of talent on this team. Lofton still looks lost and he doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. Where’s Crisp Owens been? Injured? Must have tripped over his own feet again.
Whadda Ya Know?
August 17th, 2012
11:25 am
Oops meant Franks still looks lost. Lofton is lost because he’s gone. LOL
WooYeah
August 17th, 2012
11:32 am
Sound the alarms! Sound the alarms! The sky is falling!
A few things to keep in mind here….
…We didn’t scheme this week… (Its called pre-season).
…AJ Green makes a lot of people look bad… (He’s good, in case you didn’t notice).
…Every corner gets burnt from time to time… (Even Revis and Asomugha).
…We have an offense that is capable of keeping up in a shootout… (Our D will not stop everybody all the time. That’s why we have brought in a new offense, to take advantage of our weapons).
The tackling needs work, but that’s something that can be corrected.
I feel good about this team. Again, they’re not perfect, but no team is.
Son of Sammy Davis Jr, Jr
August 17th, 2012
11:37 am
The two words together Atlanta Falcons is reason for concerns.
Chop Buster
August 17th, 2012
11:45 am
JSS = Just Simply Stupid. Who is this clown? Master hypercritic? Which team are you a fan of? It’s obviously not the Falcons.
GA Dome
August 17th, 2012
11:53 am
Yes the defense need some more work but it appears in the second exhibition game we have found a quarter back that look likes he can be a very good back up to Ryan.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
11:54 am
DAVISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
11:58 am
It wasn’t the defense that got shutout vs the Giants in the playoffs
Flacons never learn
August 17th, 2012
12:06 pm
How bad did Perriery Jerry play?
He cheep shoted the QB. Anoter fist round draft bust by TD.
realitycheck
August 17th, 2012
12:09 pm
Just a few more weeks til we start hearing all the “wait til next year talk”. It’s only preseason, but this team isn’t going anywhere, and other than the homers and dreamers, most everyone else already knows it. Ryan looked pretty good last night, but he usually plays better at home anyway. Let’s see what he does in KC on a grass field with lots of crowd noise. The defense will be no better than last year, and possibly worse mainly because of the loss of Curtis Lofton, and not having draft picks. Signing overpriced DB’s like Robinson and Samuel isn’t the answer. Dimwit hasn’t been held accountable!
eric
August 17th, 2012
12:10 pm
Come on Jeff. A little early for the nay saying isn’t it? The starting defense had a great game last week against the Ravens. I liked the aggressiveness but yeah the tackling was terrible. So what, its the preseason.
Curt
August 17th, 2012
12:16 pm
Matt Ryan is definitly not the problem with the Falcons. It appears that Ryan has in creased his arm strength, accuracy and timing. This is evidenced by how he hits players crossing on the intermediate routes. I will agree (somewhat) that Ryan is not as good as some others at throwing the very deep ball but we have not seen much of that so far so it is difficult to tell.
Matt Ryan is the quarterback of the Falcons and that is not going to change any time soon. Ryan is also good and getting better. Time for everyone to complain about something else such as the non-existing run game so far this year. It appears that the line is getting better at blocking for the pass but worse at blocking for the run.
Also, I have to agree with this article about the defense. Right now, it appears to be no better than the last few years but, I am willing to wait and see what the coordinator has up his sleave and hope that the Falcons are holding back for the real season
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
12:34 pm
21 completions and only 175 yards? That is a lot of dink & dunk. Nothing has changed. Warrick Dunn could throw better than that
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
12:37 pm
CHOKE had 21 completions and Dalton had 14 completions and about the same amount of yards. CHOKE could only dream of throwing a 50 plus pass in the air with a flick of his wrist like Dalton
Rodster
August 17th, 2012
1:07 pm
No kidding. Our secondary made Dalton to Green look like Montana to Rice.
gl
August 17th, 2012
1:08 pm
AJ and Dalton tested Asante three times. After having success on the first two he got suckered on the third. It should be a reminder for him not to get too cocky and above all don’t get beat deep! At this point I would rather go with Dominique Davis as the number two quarterback because he has shown more in accuracy, mobility and drive. There are two more preseason games to evaluate the talent and I hope the Falcons notice the potential of Davis. Redman improved from last week but the majority of his throws were safe passes. JPW’s time was so quick I practically missed it. Ryan was 18 for 21 for 174 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and some fans had problems with that.
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!
DawgDad
August 17th, 2012
1:19 pm
” It appears that the line is getting better at blocking for the pass but worse at blocking for the run.”
It does seem that way. Rodgers’ runs are typically draws, which won’t establish a ground game, and Turner seems to be getting 0-to-minus yards instead of 1-5 yards on the meat-and-potatos power runs. They made a HUGE mistake letting Harvey Dahl walk, and you can’t lose a Pro-Bowl caliber blocking back and expect to be a better power running team. It seems to me the Falcons running game no longer demands special attention on defense.
Posters are complaining about Julio Jones? Huh?
Eric C.
August 17th, 2012
1:22 pm
Would not be surprised if Turner ends up falling off more this season, but in his defense, I will say the Bengal’s have a really good D. My biggest concern on defense were the gaping holes vs the run…kind of scary.
chris
August 17th, 2012
1:22 pm
I thought Samuel got hung out to dry on the TD play. It honestly looked liked one of Van Gorder’s awful calls from last year. The Falcons were in man coverage on the outside, zone underneath and only rushed four. Ridiculous scheme. If I have my CB’s in man then I’m always going to send 5 or six guys after the QB. We almost got there with four so there’s a good chance that Dalton wouldn’t complete that pass if we blitzed. That was on Nolan. What’s the point of playing man if you’re not going to kill the QB?
too tough
August 17th, 2012
1:42 pm
as for samuel…the eagles let him go …just sayin….Falcons D….get yall a## in gear and be somebody for a change!
Najeh Davenpoop
August 17th, 2012
2:05 pm
Samuel is good, but he gambles a LOT. The Eagles noticed that last year. And if he is losing a step at all at age 31 (I didn’t watch last night’s game so I don’t know) chances are he is going to start gambling more.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 17th, 2012
2:07 pm
” It seems to me the Falcons running game no longer demands special attention on defense.”
And that is a major problem, because the main reason the Falcons’ offense has been so good statistically the past few years is because they dominated time of possession and routinely had two or three more possessions per game than other teams. If they can’t rely on Turner anymore, they are relying an awful lot on Ryan’s ability to make big plays while not turning the ball over. They are really hanging their hats on Ryan making “the leap”.
explosive defensive line, linebackers, secondary
August 17th, 2012
2:12 pm
Jeff Schultz knows his football.
John Boy
August 17th, 2012
2:20 pm
As for the ref continuing to call Arizona for penalties, maybe he’s closely related to the Vice President.
BIG TECH
August 17th, 2012
2:38 pm
Murray=Ryan..the two of the most overrated quarterbacks in the state of GA. “Garbage” Ryan is up to his old garbage passes again….3 to 5 yards per pass and you have two of the best wideouts in the league that are burners downfield and you dump the ball off for a 3 to 5 yard gain? No way No How! the Falcons will make the playoffs this year!
brad
August 17th, 2012
2:39 pm
Seriously? I thought our D looks a lot better than last year. Jeff wants have concern because Assante didn’t want to blow out his hamstring trying to make a play in preseason? I have CONCERN about the future of the AJC and their HACK, NON-ATHLETIC, writers. Obviously, none of these guys have ever played organized sports in their life. They got a degree in journalism and played ping pong and now they want to tell us about PRO SPORTS. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
ron
August 17th, 2012
2:46 pm
This is what happens if you overpay old, washed-up CBs and DEs.
Falcons are doomed. I better sell my season tickets on ebay.
Kyle
August 17th, 2012
2:58 pm
This article confirms the fact that Schultz has no idea what he is looking at when evaluating football.
Crisco
August 17th, 2012
3:04 pm
BIG TECH…uh butthead…Murray beat the Tech Turds didn’t he….another thumper dumper Johnson sucker
ron
August 17th, 2012
3:06 pm
I predict regressed defense and ok offense.
Falcons go 8-8
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
3:09 pm
One thing for sure, Blank will never draft another 5 year college qb with 22 picks in his last season in college
Matty "Matty Ice'
August 17th, 2012
3:11 pm
I DO NOT CHOKE MR Matt “CHOKE” Ryan I MAY GAG A LITTLE PLAYOFF TIME BUT I DO NOT CHOKE AND THAT IS ALL CYA IN THE PLAYOFFS SUCKERS
BIG TECH
August 17th, 2012
3:16 pm
Crisco, Murray is going to stink up the joint against Mizzou the first game!!! I can’t wait to hear you Puppies start crying fire Mark Richt with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter! hahahahahahaha!!!!
Crisco
August 17th, 2012
3:23 pm
BIG TECH…how come you Tech Turds always know so much about UGA….could it be you’re a closet UGA fan or just in the closet
JSS
August 17th, 2012
3:54 pm
Chop buster…
You’re either slow or just lost, care to enlighten us?
I don’t care about “fans!” Stick to what “you” know…
@ Davenpoop…
They are all in on that circus… Too bad it is Al Shirah and not Barnum and Bailey!
Wink
August 17th, 2012
3:56 pm
Falcons vs Ravens tickets $17.50 for two
Falcons vs Bengals tickets $21.50 for two
Parking for two games $20
Pre game meals …nice!
No emotional baggage after games….priceless!
JSS
August 17th, 2012
3:59 pm
“I DO NOT CHOKE MR Matt “CHOKE” Ryan I MAY GAG A LITTLE PLAYOFF TIME BUT I DO NOT CHOKE ”
Nope, that was a “Choke”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC0wxvCSxHE
The gift that keeps on giving…
Big Ray
August 17th, 2012
4:10 pm
Schultz,
I have no idea how you manage to attract so many damn trolls. Maybe you got all the ones left over from when Terrence Moore used to write for the AJC?
OH well, a blog hit is a blog hit, right?
It certainly explains JSS’s existence. I think somebody is paying that clown to post. Either that or the guy who called him out for not getting laid is dangerously close to the truth….LOL…
JSS
August 17th, 2012
4:15 pm
World is still spinning and as usual sniper, you’re still wrong! Go play with stalker boy, he loves your stuff between his psychotic episodes…
Big Ray
August 17th, 2012
4:16 pm
And that is a major problem, because the main reason the Falcons’ offense has been so good statistically the past few years is because they dominated time of possession and routinely had two or three more possessions per game than other teams. If they can’t rely on Turner anymore, they are relying an awful lot on Ryan’s ability to make big plays while not turning the ball over. They are really hanging their hats on Ryan making “the leap”.
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.
How good have the starting RBs been for the teams who have won the SB for the last 4 years? Did we get beat in the first round these three times by teams with darn good RBs? Nope. Their QBs destroyed us.
I find it more than just ironic that Turner and the possession game gets mentioned in one breath about success of this team, but from the same mouths came all that noise about needing a better QB, Smittyball and his penchant for grinding games out, blah, blah, blah.
Just come out with what you really want to say. You still hate Ryan, you still are in love with Vick, and you can’t get the F@CK over it. Which means you’re going to be sick as a dog (no pun intended for Vick fans) when it turns out that Ryan’s preseason performance (check out his QB ratings and accuracy for the first two games) is more than just an aberration.
Go cheer for the Eagles. You don’t belong here.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
August 17th, 2012
4:16 pm
@JSS 3:59
How dare you show facts…..ha ha.
I love how CHOKE just falls down pretending he was trying to make a tackle…ha ha
WE WANT DAVIS
WE WANT DAVIS
WE WANT DAVIS
WE WANT DAVIS
WE WANT DAVIS
Wilson Pickett
August 17th, 2012
4:16 pm
Atlanta isn’t a very good football team. Not a real bad team but no way are you getting past the 1st round again if that far. Mr. Blank will take an axe to this group come January just like the Colts. He will be a complete DA if he drafts the QB from USC.
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 [...]