5 things the Falcons must do before they play again
Matty Ice needs to fling some longer snowballs. (AP photo)
1. Move Jamaal Anderson to defensive tackle. Again, he has supplied next to nothing in the way of a pass rush. (Except for a roughing call against Tom Brady on Sunday, which was kind of funny when you think about it. Jamaal? Roughing somebody?) But he’s pretty good against the run; if he weren’t, he wouldn’t still have a job. The center of the Falcons’ line was pushed backward in Foxborough, suggesting Thomas Johnson and Trey Lewis aren’t the answer in Peria Jerry’s absence. Could J.A. be?
2. Play Lawrence Sidbury at defensive end. This is a bye week, which means the Falcons’ coaches have time to tinker. Sidbury came hailed as the steal of the draft. Time to put him to work. The defensive line hasn’t had a sack in two games.
3. Find a role for Jerious Norwood. Michael Turner managed only 56 yards against New England and fumbled for the second time in two weeks. He’s still a big-time player, but Norwood can be big-time, too. Two weeks should give him time to heal from the head injury suffered on the opening kickoff against Carolina. This is the third different coaching staff that has paid lip service to Norwood’s talent. It’s time to Mike Mularkey and Co. to find a more frequent application.
4. Resolve to stretch the field. Matt Ryan has completed 60 passes in three games. His longest gain is 27 yards. The Falcons must find a receiver who can get downfield, and Ryan has to find him when he does.
5. Resolve to get urgent. “Urgency” is the watchword for 2009, and it could stand some sharpening. The Falcons forced four turnovers against Miami in Week 1, two against Carolina in Week 2, none on Sunday. Safety Thomas DeCoud could have intercepted a Brady pass in the end zone but didn’t. John Abraham had a hand on Brady before the quarterback stepped forward and found Chris Baker for the clinching touchdown. Too many plays went unmade. The Falcons need to make them.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
160 comments Add your comment
MATT WILL PEE IN HIS PANTS WITHOUT TURNER
September 28th, 2009
7:07 pm
Since Turner was blamed for the loss, then all the wins are due to him and nobody else, so what is Art paying the irrevelant NOODLE ARM for?
HE’S A BUST!!!!!!!!!!!
James
September 28th, 2009
7:36 pm
I know the falcons have 13 more games to go but if they lose to 49ers then season over.This team is not hungry enough and it was clearly shown yesterday.I really can’t believe the falcons didn’t blitz not one time in the game.The Jets gave you film to beat the Patriots or any other them and that is blitzing and taking chances which this coaching staff know nothing about.The falcons got to take chances and throw deep sometime and be aggressive like the Patriots.In football most of the time the aggressive and toughest team win.Falcons aren’t hungry enough yet!
Mark Bradley
September 28th, 2009
7:39 pm
Come on. If they lose to the 49ers they’re 2-2.
JSS
September 29th, 2009
2:27 am
“Socialist Agenda?” Where do you get this stuff? Yeah, subsidizing rich bankers, former hardware peddlers, and overpaid failed veterinarians shows that “rugged American individualism!
And your defense still sucks! To blitz like the Jets and the Ravens, you first have to have talented playmakers to accomplish that…
Oh you Flacco haters sound like those nut cases that pooh-poohed Ben Roethlisberger’s first 4 years in the League. Remember Stony Case, Brooks Bollinger and Troy Smith? They didn’t win with the same defensive talent in Baltimore… The kid is a winner, just like Big Ben!
Vick Supporter
September 29th, 2009
5:33 am
I wouldn’t say that the season is over, but when you have a QB who can be “The Checkdown King” sometimes, you won’t win many games unless you can run the football. I’m anxious to see if anyone blames Ryan for anything bad that happens with this team. So far its been “The Refs, the O and D-lines, Turner’s fault, Coach Smith’s fault”. Funny thing is…no one says its MATT RYAN’S fault ,lol, as expected. We all know why.
SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED FLACCO
September 29th, 2009
10:18 am
Week Three power rankings
Posted by Mike Florio on September 29, 2009 9:13 AM ET
1. New York Giants (Last week: 1). In the same week that Plaxico was locked up, the Giants proved that they don’t need a high-end wideout if their defense will be giving up zero points.
2. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 2). With all due respect to everyone in the organization not named Peyton Manning, there’s only one guy in Indy punching the clock who’s indispensable. And as long as he’s around, the Colts will be a contender.
3. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 3). The guy who looks like Bert from Sesame Street is suddenly making opponents feel like they live in a trash can.
4. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 4). The only schism currently in Minnesota involves the folks who want to book their Super Bowl-week hotel rooms now and those who want to wait. Until November.
5. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 7). When the best player on a good team has a bad day and the team still wins, it’s a bad sign. For every other team on the schedule.
6. New York Jets (Last week: 10). We’d hate to see how well Mark Sanchez would be playing right now if he’d actually been ready to leave USC.
7. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 6). If they suffer many more injuries, they might have to borrow some players from San Diego State.
8. New England Patriots (Last week: 8). The Pats went a long way toward quieting the critics with a 16-point thrashing of the Falcons. Lose to the Ravens, and the critics will be back.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 5). Safety Troy Polamalu has shown that he’s the most important player on the team, by not playing.
10. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 9). The Falcons had a chance to make a statement against the Patriots. Unfortunately, the statement was, “We’re not yet ready to beat the Patriots.”
“Could have drafted a WINNER but instead we have a WEENER”
O'Brien
September 29th, 2009
12:03 pm
Mark,
History shows that after a running back has close to 400 carries in one year (I forget the actual number of carries), there is a big dropoff (or injury) the following year (I think Eric Dickerson was the exception).
We’ve seen it first hand with the original Jamal Anderson. Could it be happening again with Turner? Or is that defenses are more prepared to stop him this year?
What do you think?
House Season 5 Finale
September 30th, 2009
6:15 am
[...] To be honest, when season 5 ended I was almost certain that Susan was the bride but when … 5 things the Falcons must do before they play againI'm still predicting a 11-5 record for them this season. On the issue of the Falcons, I believe [...]
BamaBirDawg
October 2nd, 2009
4:17 pm
Have been stewing on these five items for nearly a week now and find that all of them have merit… most certainly, numbers 1, 3 and 5.
Of course, neither you (the writer of this article) or I (a commentor to it) have a really big say in who does what. And perhaps, it is better that we don’t because if we did, the unemployment rate in Georgia would be a might higher.
Globals
October 3rd, 2009
8:56 am
all good things