Falcons’ flaws aren’t worse than any other NFL team
Mike Smith and Thomas Dimitroff will take their team's 8-1 record, flaws and all. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
FLOWERY BRANCH – This is the way the season has gone for the Falcons. They win games, and people find flaws. They finally lose a game, and people scream, “Aha!”
As if the struggles of the running game, or the instability of the run defense, or the fact that Ray Edwards too often seemed more passionate about conquering the art of modeling than the art of a tackle should come as any surprise.
The Falcons have flaws, but so does every team, and they’re not going away. This is the NFL. Rosters don’t morph significantly during the season. The league has a salary cap. There is little roster flexibility. Unlike baseball, there aren’t pyrotechnics at the trade deadline. Once a season starts, the best a team can hope for is that a backup evolves and contributes more than expected, or a player released by another team can fill a void, or that drop-kicking a high-profile veteran like Edwards gets everybody’s attention.
But from September to January (playoffs included), strengths, weaknesses and perceptions generally don’t change much. In the Falcons’ case, perceptions are that they’re not an overly physical team, they can’t even convert third-and-1’s, and therefore they’re not going to be a great team down the stretch or in the postseason.
So much for basking in 8-1.
“If the NFL had rankings like college football, we’d be last,” safety William Moore mused. “Because we don’t get the love. We can win a million games, but we’d be like Boise State. Maybe they’d give us a decent bowl game. … I like Shreveport.”
With their options limited, credit the Falcons for cutting Edwards. It was a bold decision, even if it meant admitting they goofed by signing him. It says a lot about the player (in terms of how far Edwards had fallen) and the team’s mindset (believing releasing him was addition by subtraction). There is no financial benefit to cutting Edwards now. He’ll still get his $11 million guaranteed. The Falcons merely came to the realization that he was dragging them down, whether in performance, attitude or both.
The damning analysis from coach Mike Smith: “We did it to make our football team better today and in the future.”
This about a player that the organization was going gaga over seemingly five minutes ago.
Edwards couldn’t rush the passer. He couldn’t defend the run. He wasn’t nearly as versatile or athletic as one might think for a guy who so proudly showed off his abs in his 2012 modeling calendar (12 months, 12 poses). Younger, cheaper, hungrier players with a pulse were better options.
Everybody realized the Falcons would not be a great power-running team this season, despite the team’s continuous, “We will be a power-running team” declarations. Michael Turner showed signs of slowing down last season. He’s not running behind an overly physical offensive line. The new offensive scheme clearly would maximize the team’s main talents.
At some point, one would think the Falcons will be able to figure out how to convert a third-and-1.
Offensive tackle Tyson Clabo said, “I still think we have a chance to be a good short-yardage team. It’s not that we aren’t blocking well, we’re just not blocking the right people.”
As flaws go, that would seem to be a correctable one.
Everybody has issues. New England ranks 29th in pass defense, and it lost at home to Arizona. Pittsburgh lost to Oakland and Tennessee. Also, Ben Roethlisberger feels like a piano just fell on him. Chicago has one of the worst offenses in the league (28th), punctuated by one of the worst passing attacks (30th). The mean, nasty, rip-your-head-off Baltimore Ravens? They rank 27th in total defense.
In Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers has been sacked more times (29) than any other quarterback. San Francisco’s offense is led by … Alex Smith. And they lost to Minnesota. Houston: Solid overall but not a great passing attack. Eli Manning has 11 interceptions — right between Cam Newton (10) and Brandon Weeden (12) — and has lost to three teams with losing records (Philadelphia, Dallas, Cincinnati).
None of this makes the Falcons better, it just illustrates that every team has to overcome something. We know the Falcons’ flaws. But 8-1 and flawed isn’t a bad place to be.
By Jeff Schultz
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195 comments Add your comment
Bill
November 15th, 2012
7:23 am
There is a lot of talk about Turner being less effective, but no one seems to mention that this downturn coincided with letting Ovie Mughelli go.
Me Too
November 15th, 2012
7:28 am
Let’s put “not any worse than other teams” to the test. Jeff please go team by team and ask the question:
Would you trade Michael Turner for this team’s running back? For NO alone, there are four running backs better than Michael Turner.
Me Too
November 15th, 2012
7:31 am
Bill, go back to 2010 and look at the three regular season and GB loss. You will see the same kind of negative runs by Turner as you see this year. Ovie did not open the holes for Turner. How many blockers can one man require to get one yard?
KB
November 15th, 2012
7:55 am
Treat 3rd and 1 like it’s 3rd and 5 – spread out the defense and use the skill players that we have. Did we run a single screen play last week?
loel
November 15th, 2012
8:01 am
This article started off taking about eating Edwards salary and shortly turned to Turner,,,,,What a surprise!!!!!! Should tell us something.
4DaBirds
November 15th, 2012
8:23 am
Nice read there Jeff. You put the NFL in proper perspective with this article.
Sis-Boom-Bah Humbug
November 15th, 2012
8:23 am
Regarding the ongoing inflexibility of the Falcons with respect to Turner’s running plays, it comes down to the difference between stubbornness & pigheadedness. Stubbornness denotes obstinacy or resistance to change, while Pigheadedness Is Stubbornness To The Point Of Stupidity.
A stubborn person is susceptible to changing when they at last realize they have been wrong. On the other hand, a pigheaded person will persist in a wrong choice indefinitely, regardless of repeated failure – they simply will not accept reality.
Again this year, the Falcons are committed to mainly running Turner – in the same obvious situations & in the same monotonous ways, despite the typically ineffective outcomes. That kind of compulsion is simply PIGHEADED, and to make matter worse, it is so frustratingly PREDICTABLE.
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 15th, 2012
8:35 am
I’d rather see everybody blaming our running problems on Turner than Smitty. Smitty is the best thing that has happened to the Falcons yet, and anybody who doesn’t know that is too young or hasn’t been a fan long enough to know what a ratty team we had for years and years. I also give equal credit to Mr. Blank for doing what he said he’d do by bringing a winning team to Atlanta. I figure we’ll be playing in a SB in the next year or two, and I think we’ll win it. GO FALCONS !
much ado about nothing
November 15th, 2012
8:42 am
Actually, winning a playoff game dosen’t mean much anyhow,
unless you win the Super Bowl.
Esquire
November 15th, 2012
8:50 am
Jeff, your first responder (lol, not in the police and fire dept sense of the word) and so many others often write in terms of the Falcons playoff participation as if its never happened. This team has been to the Super Bowl and won several playoff games. You don’t accumulate an 8-1 record with what the writer advanced as “psyche of doubt”. What in the world is “psyche of doubt” anyway, is the writer trying to put forth psychology of doubt as part of this teams mental makeup. Theirs nothing like a loss to your most hated rival that you should have won to cure that “psyche of doubt”. According to the supposition teams with a history of losing cannot ever win, the Caints and Bucs being perfect examples. The natural progression doesn’t always produce a perennial powerhouse football team, ie Caints and Bucs, again. I break it down into the Smith era and the Blank era and frankly I’m amazed that a Smith era team ever won anything. And the Blank era almost imploded thru the selfishness of a very gifted athlete and the selfishness of a very narcissistic coach. But here we are, the #1 NFC team with a chance to punch a ticket to the Big Dance. These guys are professionals and aren’t adolescents questioning and searching for their confidence.
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 15th, 2012
9:05 am
Smitty is just not a gambler nosiree. That’s why we see Turner running between the tackles so much. He lets Snelling and Quizz in the game occasionally and they do good and then he goes right back to Turner. Since Antone Smith looks so good in the pre season games you would think he’d get a touch every now and then but it’s not going to happen. Smitty is just not a gambler, but he is a winner and that’s what I love about him.
robert
November 15th, 2012
9:07 am
I just wish they would drop the trash talking. Believe it or not that does create incentives for other teams to beat you. Roddy White your a great receiver. Just shut up and let your playing do your talking.
dean
November 15th, 2012
9:13 am
The first Falcons fan that mentions the word “plateau” gets a backhand slap so hard they will wake up in the cesspool on the gulf that shall be their eternal purgatory.
Have a Great Day!
Sylvester Stamps
November 15th, 2012
9:32 am
Spot on brother! Good blog!
Stinger63
November 15th, 2012
9:33 am
I agree with the initial point made in the article. Every team has flaws, and in a “League of Parity”, we should be very proud of our team being 8-1 at this point. All the critics and “Negativity-Freaks” should take a look at the overall records of the entire league, and see how many teams would LOVE to be at 8-1 right now. New Orleans is a very difficult place to win games, especially when you consider the fierce rivalry that the Falcons have with the Saints. We just need to get fired up and return the favor when they come to our house!
Hotlanta….. Rise-Up!
PMC
November 15th, 2012
9:43 am
Well, for what it’s worth I still like this team a great deal. I think it’s the best overall team the Falcons have ever put together save perhaps 1998 when the defense was star studded, but the offense is equally proportioned this season.
I think this team has what it takes to win a Super Bowl, they just have to go prove it.
monty
November 15th, 2012
9:43 am
Jeff. maybe some are now saying aha, but I’ve been saying for several weeks now that the short yardage run game is in disarray. Anyone can see it with a decent nose for football. I love watching all the wins, I really do. Proud to be a Falcon fan and all of that. But be honest, not many pundits give this team much of a chance because they see what the avg fan doesn’t or won’t see. A team that can’t pick up a yard when it’s needed. It finally came to light for all to see on that critical goal line fiasco last week. Turner never even makes it to the line of scrimmage in those situations and we’re supposed to be world beaters come playoff? Not aha! But Ah-Uh. Weak run game, totally pass dependent offense, bend but don’t break opportunistic defense is not really a good formula for a Super Bowl as much as I would love to see it. In the mean time I’ll just enjoy another 12-4 season and wait till next year.
ideas
November 15th, 2012
9:47 am
Funny how someone mentioned Chris Chandler got us into our one and only Super Bowl. But the next two years the fans were trying to run him out of town on a rail. I actually sat there, season ticket holder, and listened to them. I could not believe it. I for one think the fans are so fickle here that they will be doing the same to Matt when we get there.
dean
November 15th, 2012
9:53 am
ideas,
I would ask the pitchfork bearers how they expected Chris to throw the ball with any accuracy while he was flat on his back or, in best cases, running for his life. Pathetic.
monty
November 15th, 2012
10:01 am
You control the clock and keep the other team off the field by running the ball or at least being able to run the ball with some efficiency. In the playoffs the inabilty of being able at least to some dgree run the ball will only mean that our defense will not get a chance to rest much, especially if the other team is running it well. Gets back to the trenches in post season. Like it or not. The team that runs it can use playaction to their advantage. I shutter to think of facing ,say a NY Giants team, that can run the ball and have Manning pick us apart with their vertical passing attack. It wouldn’t be pretty unless we can get the run game going ourselves and match them with our playaction.
True Falcon Fan
November 15th, 2012
10:14 am
JSS
November 14th, 2012
7:28 pm
Mexico was great, the wife-to-be is great, and the future is bright!
___________________________________________________________________________
“Wow” — firstly who would really consider matrimony with your SORRY ASHES???
Will she/it their blog name be JSS/LaNina-Zero-schmucker???
Really “ZERO” give us ALL a big break, get married move you, your “DROLLY-mouth” momma (I mean the ONE that PAYS ALL the bills) & the wife to be to let’s see —- Tegucigalpa, Honduras — perfect place for you and your sorry ashes!
Go Falcons — Cardinals next
abby normal
November 15th, 2012
10:30 am
OK, so every team has flaws. That doesn’t make me feel any better about ours. Mike Smith is famous for saying “we’ll get that fixed” whenever something goes wrong. Well, the short yardage game has been in the toilet for a long time and it ain’t fixed. How about it, Smitty? Tick Tock. Tick Tock.
GTT
November 15th, 2012
10:36 am
Bill, they couldn’t gain a yard on third down last year when Ovie was playing. Sorry, but that’s not it. And, he was paid waaaay too much money for a fullback. You may note he is still jobless.
Samuel
November 15th, 2012
10:42 am
Well Said………
GregKennesaw
November 15th, 2012
10:56 am
Worse thing about Falcon’s loss? JSS returns.
Nativebird
November 15th, 2012
10:58 am
Wow. what a ringing endorsement. Everybody else sucks as bad as we do. Yet we don’t getting any love. You don’t see the problem with that? The fact is…if you want love In this league, it is HOW you do it that counts. The old “eye test” as they say….and my Falcon friends…..other than Ryan, Julio, Roddy and Tony….our “eye test” suqqs. Look at the Saints. Yes they suqq too….but Breez and his records is all anyone talks about. So much so, they have EsPn knowing they suqq but openly rooting for Breez and his magical show to “please please get better and wins some games so we can talk even more about you.” It’s kinda of like Obama and the press. He obviously suqqs as a Pres, has ruined everything he touches, but it’s irrelevant because to the press corps he’s so dam secksy.
Ryder
November 15th, 2012
11:24 am
JSS has a point, until the Falcons can beat the Saints they will always have an inferiority complex about them, especially when they face high octane offenses such as Green Bay and the always dangerous Eli Manning. We need to face facts and realize that this is a team that needs to step up when they play top level opponents in January, nothing else matters.
oldmike
November 15th, 2012
11:51 am
btw if there was a psyche of doubt with this team we don’t get the ball in line to win twice in the last 3 minutes of the game. what we have is a opportunity to try something different in those short yardage situations. let’s see how this all plays out.
Answer This
November 15th, 2012
12:07 pm
@ Ryder
Please dont throw fuel on the fire! He does not have a point! Lets say we dont beat the Aints this year and still make it to the NFC Championship Game……….what point are you actually allowing him to have? I could use the COULD HAVE phrase (as in could have beat the crap out of the Aints by 3 Touchdowns,but I wont). They won the game last Sunday…………there is no mental block here between the Falcons and the Aints……..especially when you rack up 400 + yards and you have 3 receivers who had 100+ yards. The only problem was that we did not get three yards on three tries……….not rocket science. Who cares what the Defense did (they only gave up 3 points in the 4th quarter and 7 in the third). We get 3 yards and this game is a blow out! SIMPLE! We did not do it and they won. On to Arizona who will pay and the Aints have to see us again while they are on a life support for the playoffs! Not what you want when you have a pack of Angry Birds who know that the score could have gotten out of hand. RISE UP!
Dawgs Eat Tiger Meat
November 15th, 2012
12:20 pm
But teams win with running ball & defense in playoffs. Falcons wont have a running game as long as M. Turner is the ball carrier.
Dawgs Eat Tiger Meat
November 15th, 2012
12:24 pm
So M. Smith & Koetter doesnt think its Turner’s fault? Ok. Then give Quizz 25 carries against Arizona and you will see.
Escaped from Email Purgatory
November 15th, 2012
12:24 pm
“As flaws go, that [converting short yardage situations] would seem to be a correctable one.”
One would think. But this flaw spans multiple seasons and is one very conspicuous reason why we’re not finishing the deal in big games.
You gotta give the organization credit for the 2012 Birds. They’re good or better than last year almost everywhere (save punt and kick off returns). Attribute that to the GM, players and the coaching staff (particularly the new guys).
Hopefully, they’ll all figure a way to advance the ball a short distance when a short distance is all we need.
What’s T.J. Duckett doing these days?
Ivan
November 15th, 2012
12:45 pm
“Actually, winning a playoff game dosen’t mean much anyhow,
unless you win the Super Bowl.”
Exactly. What kind of fan or team is satisfied after going 1-1 in the playoffs? After that the question will be, “Yea the team is good but can they go FAR in the playoffs?”
It’s just a useless ‘carrot on a stick’ stat for the talking heads to keep chasing. Especially when the Falcons were undefeated, because they didn’t have much else to point to when it came to flaws. Now they have the short down yardage stat and playoff stat. Big deal.
Go Birds. Kick the Cards.
Banned by Mark Bradley
November 15th, 2012
1:02 pm
Lets talk about leather.
warfalcon
November 15th, 2012
1:07 pm
Spoken like a Champ.ONE GAME AT A TIME,LETS GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 Falc
November 15th, 2012
1:15 pm
relax—ATL was just flat and overconfident against that bad saints team. ATL will roll through the rest of the schedule with 2-3 losses and dominate in the playoffs. SF, Chicago or GB don’t match up with ATL. Falcons v. Texans—super bowl–mark it down!
Barry
November 15th, 2012
3:02 pm
MHey Yall:
Great article, Schultz!! We,as local fans, look at our team more intently than we look at other teams around the leaugue. We see our Falcons play every week wherein we have becomenire than familiar with the style and passion that this team plays with in the past and what they are trying to do in the future which is get to the Super Bowl. Currently, as a good team, we are going through growing pains towards being great team. Those growing pains consist of being under the media and fan microscope. M based upon your success and dealing with the accolades and critisms when they come. Great teams have thick skin. They hear but don’t hear and stay focused on the team mission and goal. They
know that their only friend in their road to the Super Bowl are those coaches and teammates in the locker room. They are tied to the hip with each other and have each others back in these weekly footbal battles against teams that are in their path towards winning the Super Bowl. They are joined together in “ONE HEARTBEAT!!”. We are at the halfway point on our journey and this an enjoyable season watching our Falcons develop into a Super team with new offensive.and defensive.philosophy. . I am enjoying.what I am seeing and how our Falcons are playing. Yes, like every team in the? NFL, we have to continually “tweek” things before and after each game .. That’s.football, folks. Get use to it on our journey.,as FANS, to the Super Bowl. FROM WHAT I HAVE WITNESSED WITH OURFALCONS,”THEY WILL MAKE US PROUD!!!” They will do it in ” ONE HEATBEAT!!!”
GO FALCONS!!!!!!
THE ” PROCESS” CONTINUES!!!!! IT CONTINUES TO THE SUPER BOWL!
“FALCONS, RISE UP!!!!” WE”RISE UP!!” IN “ONE HEARTBEAT!!! ”
SSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH!!!
This is a SECRET from a FALCON FAN!! TELL EVERYBODY!!!
……………,,,”ONE HEARTBEAT,BABY!!!”……
JSS
November 15th, 2012
3:43 pm
All that “civility” is still just oooooooooooooooooooooooooooozing from the usual suspects! Sad, the panpiper takes his shots and his comrade the dolt never wants to face the facts… Maybe mini-me the cheerleader will rip off another of his favorite childhood cereal commercials as he eats some Junior Mints? I just won a lawsuit, crack on, the sucker I destroyed in front of courtroom full of folks is just you pawns, wondering what the heck just ran over her side!!!
Man, this is a great day!!! And you still can’t gain 1 yard!!! Ha ha ha ha!!!
JSS
November 15th, 2012
3:56 pm
Oh yeah, this “franchise” has been to a Super Bowl, not “this team!” Only place they’ve been is the White Castle on NJ Route 120 on the way to Newark Airport and the In and Out Burger in Glendale on the way home for the lockers to be cleaned out the following Monday!
oldmike
November 15th, 2012
4:14 pm
hey JSS how did the Saints do in the playoffs last year?
JSS
November 15th, 2012
5:05 pm
@ Old Mike…
Like Houston they won a game, and then they hit a team with a running game, a hot TE, and a QB who played out of his mind… But what do I care if the Saints win or lose? They have a Lombardi, got that Seattle monkey off their back… Is that enough of an answer for you? Better food choices between the Stick and SFO by the way, ask Jeff Schultz!
Billy Bob
November 15th, 2012
7:32 pm
It is so easy to fall into the trap of wanting all the talking sports heads to swoon over your team. In our case that ain’t going to happen because they only do that for organizations that have won a SB and multiple playoffs. I don’t give a crap what they think and I know how that works. You beat Philly and who do they interview, the loosing coach? Ok, I get it, the teams with the largest markets get all the print and talk. As a 30 + year fan this is best team and organization that I’ve seen and I’m proud of them. Hell I remember Marion Campbell getting the coaching job by default. Those were the years. Old farts like myself have smelled enough crap to recognize a rose when we see one.
gO dEEP
November 15th, 2012
11:33 pm
I say just keep pounding on that door – sooner or later it will open.
You can’t Win or Lose a play-off game if U don’t play it.
JSS
November 16th, 2012
5:41 am
“I say just keep pounding on that door – sooner or later it will open. You can’t Win or Lose a play-off game if U don’t play it.”
My gosh, somebody sounds like a Chiefs or Browns fan…
You want Fries with that order
November 16th, 2012
5:47 am
Hey Jeff schultz if you can read these ever find..if you know how too is question at AJC…..I have a wonderfull that you can start Put Tommy Nobis in the canton Football hall of fame…why hell is not in he the original falcon first Pick you would think some sport writer here would start it…