Bradley’s Buzz: Did Smitty coach scared in Foxborough?
Mike Smith: Did timidity hurt his team? (AP photo)
I read Ron Borges‘ Monday column in the Boston Herald on the plane back, and I was impressed: He had a good point and made it nicely. And his point was:
Mike Smith coached a dud game against the Patriots.
I’m not apt to paraphrase Mr. Borges half as well as he expressed himself, so I’ll just quote:
“Falcons coach Mike Smith, of all people, should have known what was coming yesterday. Even when Tom Brady isn’t sharp, if you go soft on him he will make it hard on you.
“Yet despite being armed with knowledge gained from harsh experience, Smith allowed Atlanta defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder to make the same decision yesterday that Smith made Jan. 12, 2008.
“Both paid the same price: They got beat.
“At the time, Smith was the defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. In a divisional playoff game, he decided that his team could not pressure Brady under any circumstance and chose instead to drop seven and eight defenders into coverage.
“Brady carved them up as if he worked in a butcher shop. He set an NFL record for accuracy, going 26-of-28 with three touchdowns in a 31-20 win. His passer rating was 141.4.”
You’ll notice I said Mr. Borges had a good point. But I don’t know that I agree with it completely. To me, the Patriots’ running game (168 yards) beat the Falcons. Brady (27-of-42 for 277 yards) was only OK. He threw a late touchdown pass to tight end Chris Clark but missed every deep ball. The difference was, the Pats were gaining enough yards on first and second downs to put Brady in third-and-three, which is how they wound up with 28 first downs to the Falcons’ 13.
That said, I was surprised at how seldom the Falcons blitzed. Smith noted afterward that the Falcons sent “five or six” men at Brady in the first half, but clearly the Falcons were wrong-footed by the Pats’ sudden emphasis on the run.
“They’d run it 43 times and thrown it 100 [coming in],” Smith said afterward. “We didn’t fit the run as well as we’d have liked. We did not play the run the way we needed to.”
I thought the Falcons would play aggressively, both on offense and defense, than they did. Much of that had to do with New England hogging the ball for nearly 40 minutes. But New England wouldn’t have kept the ball had the Falcons taken it from them. And Mr. Borges’ point is overall a strong one, and one for the Birds to remember:
Faint heart never won the big game.
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
245 comments Add your comment
W Wallace
September 29th, 2009
9:59 am
I think it is time to roll the dice and trade Redman for a first round draft choice. We should draft another DT with the additional first round pick.
W Wallace
September 29th, 2009
10:02 am
I’ve never seen a game where O-Linemen were allowed to bearhug D-Linemen, and grab the back of the jersey with both hands, so that the D-Linemen could not get away.
Mark Bradley
September 29th, 2009
10:02 am
You’re not going to get a Round 1 pick for Chris Redman.
AlternateReality
September 29th, 2009
10:04 am
I don’t think Smitty coached scared, per se. Overly cautious maybe.
Regarding the defensive pressure, if you don’t have faith in your CBs in man coverage, do you really want to create a situation where, for example, Moss is isolated against Grimes with no help? I realize there are various blitz schemes that they could have used, but I think they were trying to contain the Pats, and they actually did a pretty good job. Better run defense would have helped, but the Pats took what we gave them and simply held on to the ball.
I was pretty upset about the punt in the 3rd quarter, from the Pats 38. I know that last year Smitty wouldn’t have punted there; then again we didn’t have anything to lose last year. Also the last punt, when we were down 16. It looked like he had thrown in the towel and was trying to get through the game without anyone getting hurt by that point.
Finally, an earlier poster made a point about Ryan making the correct reads. It seemed to me that he was dumping the ball way too quickly, taking the short open receiver instead of attacking the D. As several on this board have noted, if they were doubling or tripling TG, one of the WRs should have been open.
W Wallace
September 29th, 2009
10:07 am
As the QBs drop out of the picture, and coaches want to keep their jobs, then is value will increase. Pennington is probably done; maybe a second round.
I need to be stimulated
September 29th, 2009
10:10 am
No need to panic.
No one expected us to win them all.
Coach was fine although the defensive line needs some work.
We have 13 games left.
Win seven of those and we have our first back to back winning season ever.
The process continues.
Don’t panic.
JIMBOB
September 29th, 2009
10:10 am
Greg Easterbrook on ESPN harps on the fact that college and NFL coaches punt WAAAY too often. They ignore the percentages and likelihoods and coach like cowards that do now want to be blamed with failing to make a 4th and whatever.
Offensive play-calling went down the toilet and the Falcons needed to go for it on those 4th downs. He did not coach to win, and he put the defense in a tough spot by keeping them on the field for 40 minutes.
It was a huge dud of a game, it’s good they have 2 weeks to study it, and get ready for the next one.
Clemson Kid
September 29th, 2009
10:11 am
I think the coaching staff should hold classes on how to tackle. You know the old fashioned hit and wrap up kind, not this hit the ball carrier with a shoulder and hope he goes down type of junk you see now.
F-105 Thunderchief
September 29th, 2009
10:12 am
I think we should trade John Parker Wilson for two first-round draft choices, Albert Haynesworth and Darren McFadden.
SWAMI
September 29th, 2009
10:18 am
Apparently the plan was not to blitz much. OK fine. But after awhile it was quite clear that “not” blitzing was “not” working. Then you had Brady having a total meltdown on the sidelines. Time to BLITZ ya think? DOH!!!
I think that the biggest weakness of the Falcons was exposed in this game: The Falcons coaches either don’t know how to or are unwilling to ADAPT. “SURVIVE AND ADAPT”. Atlanta’s coaches are stuck on “survive”.
Yeah. He coached like a little girl.
John
September 29th, 2009
10:20 am
Call it game plan, or skill; the reason the Falcons lost this game was they were never in control of the line of scrimage. They were beat in the trenchs. I trust that Smitty will correct the problem.
SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED FLACCO
September 29th, 2009
10:23 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.”
“Instead of drafting a WINNER you have a big WEENER”
Falcon 4 Life
September 29th, 2009
10:26 am
The reason we lost this game was because we didn’t go for it on 4th down. Mike Smith knew that the defense was not doing their job, but he thought giving the ball back to Brady that they will eventually wake up. This defense played on their heels the entire game and it scares me to think about the remainder of the season. I guess I should of waited on purchasing season tickets, because we are headed to a loosing season with that type of performance.
Truly a Concern Fan
Falcons Whining Stop Your Crying.....Boo....Hoo...Hoo
September 29th, 2009
10:31 am
I guess you cry babies didn’t see the missed called when Moss was grabbed and held with 2 refs standing right there. If he wasn’t held, that was a touch down.
Stop your whining and do like all good teams do when they lose – analyze the qb performance. Unless of course he can do no wrong because of his eye color.
AlternateReality
September 29th, 2009
10:35 am
Posting repeatedly under different names doesn’t hide the fact that you hate Ryan, but he was probably about 10th on the list of reasons we lost the game.
PJ.
September 29th, 2009
10:37 am
I like Coach Smith, but I must admit that I had reservations when he was hired, and this was based entirely on that playoff game against the Patriots when he was the DC in Jacksonville and the Jaguars had a stout D. My perception of him changed after last year, but in this game I saw the same old Mike Smith. The Jets show us one week earlier that you have to hurry Brady, who is still not back to his comfort level as a top QB. but we did not follow that lead, neither did we improve the run defence after Carolina exposed it the week earlier. I am still in support of my Falcons, but I am not feeling as good about our chances this year as I was last year, despite the acquisition of TG. however I hope they prove me wrong. To punt on those occasions when we were trailing is unforgiveable, and to me was worse than what coach Kiffin did against the Gators. It is time we move JA 98 out of the defensive end rotation and into the defensive tackle rotation. Bierman, Sidbury, Davis and Abraham should do for now.
Stat Checker
September 29th, 2009
10:38 am
Matt Ryan’s Career Road Record:
3-6
See a pattern?
Zorro
September 29th, 2009
10:38 am
Where are you Vick Supporter? Get on line and tell us about the great game ‘Mad Dog’ Mike had on Sunday. That goes for you too Falcons Sorry. If they made hats to fit brains, you guys would be wearing peanut hulls. Falcons Sorry (you got the second part right) doesn’t have enough intelligence to know how to turn off the caps lock on his computer. This fool doesn’t even know the difference between ’scarred’ and scared and like VS is long on mouth and short on brains.
Vick Supporter
September 29th, 2009
10:39 am
If you have a QB who can’t/won’t stretch the field, you lose.
Ryan is a good QB, but he’s heading towards being an improved Chad Pennington. And no, I’m not bashing Ryan because I’m a Vick fan. We all saw the game. After 3 games and your longest pass is 27 yards?!?!?
Looks like the term I coined “Noodle Arm” is starting to stick. I’ve noticed that the term has been used numerous times on these blogs.
I should change my username to “The Innovator”.
“The Great Mike Vick Has Returned”
Go Eagles
Fancy Leotard
September 29th, 2009
10:41 am
I like your article. What is up with Turner? I was hoping he would have a big game…duh, but he looks like hes just gotten up from a meal at The Feed Mill the way he’s running. IS this the man that wrecked the buffet at the Harrow club?
Vick Supporter
September 29th, 2009
10:42 am
@Zorro
Lol…don’t get angry, my caucasian friend
“Vick will shine again”
Freddie G
September 29th, 2009
10:43 am
Let the comparison between Ryan and Flaco begin. I like Matt Ryan and I am a Falcon fan, but I strongly believe that Flaco is the better QB. I am not saying so because of this game because Matt did nothing that caused us to lose the game, I just watched both of them in the first two games, and believe Flaco throws a better ball. He has a stronger arm and is more accurate. Mark what do you think?
Birdy
September 29th, 2009
10:44 am
Coach Smith and Brian Van Gorder are standing first in line to receive the “Risk-Free NFL Championship Trophy.” I can’t wait to see it placed gently in their outstretched hands.
Birdy
September 29th, 2009
10:47 am
Oh, and I might add: I’m sure Bill Belichick or Mike Tomlin will be the one presenting them the “Risk-Free” trophy.
PJ
September 29th, 2009
10:50 am
Our record at 2-1 is very good and we lost to a good team on the road. Having said that I must say that our coaching staff had a bad day as well; not since coming here have I seen our Offensive Coordinator have such a bad game. Coach Smith did not coach as if he was trying to win, but rather to keep the Pat’sscore down. Hope the Coaches and the D will do a better Job in San Fran.
SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED FLACCO
September 29th, 2009
10:50 am
Watch what Flacco does to the Patriots this week!!!!!!!!!!
Vick Supporter
September 29th, 2009
10:51 am
LMAO!!!!! Look at the Falcon “FANS”…….Turning on M.Turner already. You people were kissing his ass last year….he doesn’t produce (QB can’t stretch the field) and it’s not officially Turner’s fault,lol.
What a loser fan base….
Did Vick F up? Absolutely…..you STILL don’t have a player that was better/talented than him.
i have no idea if the game was shown nationally in the states…I had to watch the game at a later date here in Okinawa…but I was definately not impressed.
I SAY AGAIN…I THINK RYAN IS A GOOD QB…..but his ceiling is only so high. Once they put the double team on Tony and turned Roddy into what he really is..A POSSESION RECIEVER BEING PAID MILLIONS,LOL….Ryan was lost. i think we are all smart enough to read facial expressions….Ryan was confused…..we all saw it. And now, all of a sudden, M.Turner is fat?!? What else can you come up with!!! He was the savior last year, and now he gets bashed,lol.
Same ol’ Falcon fans. The funny thing is…Vick will rise again…and people that really know football know it. Yeah….Vick f-ed it up here and got in trouble, and he deserved SOME jail time….but he will shine again. You people know it
“The Great Mike Vick Has Returned”
PJ
September 29th, 2009
10:56 am
Mark what you think of our Draft class this year? with Jerry gone for the year after playing in only two games, and none of the others making any contribution worth noting, this looked like a Jerry Glanville, or Swamp Fox Draft.
James Earl Jones
September 29th, 2009
10:56 am
DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vick Supporter is laying down the TRUTH!!!!!!!!!
The Falcons “fans” are SILENCED!!! LMAO
Birdy
September 29th, 2009
10:57 am
I guess my point is, we here in Atlanta have never won much on the NFL stage so we are OK if we go down swinging.
Coach: You’ve done a good job resurrectingthe franchise. You’ve brought professionalism and hope to us.
But when next you get on the big stage, GO FOR IT. GET AFTER THEM. LEAVE NO BULLETS IN THE ‘GUN’.
Make us proud that you’re going to go down to someone “great,” GO DOWN SWINGING.
Thanks,
Your friend Birdy
Vick Supporter
September 29th, 2009
10:57 am
Peria Jerry, LMAO…
The Falcons hopes rely on Peria Jerry, lmao..
Man I have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard
SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED FLACCO
September 29th, 2009
11:02 am
Michael Turner is the same player he was last year. The only difference is that teams know if they stop Turner – they stop the Falcons because the quarterback has no down field ability.
They they signed Tony (hall of famer) Gonzalez because they thought that would be the cure for the redzone FAILURES, but like I have said all alone, the tight ends were not the problem, because it’s the qb’s responsibility to deliver the ball.
Turner is going to get injured this season because teams will stack the line because they don’t have to worry about getting burnt deep.
When you have a career (regular season) record of 3-6 and an 0-1 in the playoffs, who’s fault were those losses?
Birdy
September 29th, 2009
11:03 am
I meant “IF” you are going to go down against someone “great”…
dbird1
September 29th, 2009
11:07 am
How many back to back winning seasons did Vick produce? None. thats what i thought.
SirReal
September 29th, 2009
11:08 am
We cant condemn the D based on one performance ON THE ROAD w/ a YOUNG D overall. Just a couple weeks ago we talked about how good we’ve become. I do agree that we need more pass rush but our problem lies with the team as a whole from coahing on down…..everyone is responsible in one way or another. We’ll get it together….the season is still far from over.
Dr. King's Legacy
September 29th, 2009
11:10 am
Vick Supporter = Poor Content of Character
=======================
“Vick Supporter” is genuinely disliked and even hated by fellow bloggers for being a rude, obnoxious person with little class and poor character, NOT because of any superficial reasons.
In contrast, Coach Smith coached rather poorly on Sunday but still is still held in high regard for how he elects to conduct himself and how he treats all of those around him.
Vick Supporter
September 29th, 2009
11:15 am
@dbird1
Are you putting the entire blame on Vick?
I though it was a team sport….that’s what I see on these blogs all the time it seems….”We win as a team without Vick”….an exact quote from the “fans” on here. OH!!! here’s another one….”We’re a team now…we don’t depend on one player anymore”…PFFFFFFFFFFF…
Falcons fans are a bunch of bandwagon flip-floppers. You love your players (especially Ryan…you won’t EVER turn on him) yet you turn on the MVP of the team..Mike Turner. The comments that are made on these blogs proves that you people don’t know how to support a team….the only reason why I don’t support getting rid of pro teams here is because I like to go to the games (not falcons game..only HAWKS games).
“Vick will shine again”
vafalconfan
September 29th, 2009
11:15 am
If anything what I have learned since Smitty arrived is when things go wrong they correct it. Look at how they shored up the DB situation just before the start of the season. Having said that the next few games will give us a good idea of what kind of year we will have. The score last Sunday could have easily been 48-10. We were out-coached and out schemed for sure..Now let’s see how they adjust.
JIMBOB
September 29th, 2009
11:19 am
Considering that Turner has already had two crucial drive-killing fumbles, and appears to be fatter and slower than last season, people have not turned on him all that much.
dbird1
September 29th, 2009
11:23 am
Vick Supporter,
I recall many games that our ex-qb lost for us. because he had no accuracy. he was one of the most exciting guys to watch..but he got man-handled when the d stopped the run(check out almost any game against your favorite team the eagles). and no we have not turned our back on Turner. the O- line needs to step it up. stop making this a race thing. thank your boy
vick for destroying our 2007 season.
Vick Supporter
September 29th, 2009
11:23 am
@Dr. King’s Legacy
Let me figure this out….. since I’m not on the Ryan bandwagon and I support Vick..ON AN OPEN FORUM where people can express there opinions…..I have “Poor Content of Character”?!?!?
how dare you even drage Dr.King’s name into a FOOTBALL FORUM. Read my posts, woman, I haven’t one thing about race or have been racial towards anyone.
You deserve to be banned from this site…as a matter of fact..I won’t entertain your rediculous thought/comments. You’re not worth the time or effort
SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED FLACCO
September 29th, 2009
11:26 am
dbird1
How many Falcons qbs have won a playoff game since 1998?
AlternateReality
September 29th, 2009
11:27 am
In the first exhibition game, Turner had a nice long run, and after he broke through the hole no one could catch him. He sure didn’t look slow then. I think the problem is that he’s tip-toeing around waiting for a hole to open, and the holes haven’t been there often enough.
And I’ll repeat something I’ve said before – last year Turner had a lot of carries for little or no gain, then would pop off 1 or 2 long runs per game. More touches equals more chances to break the big one. Against NE, he didn’t get enough touches because we couldn’t get the ball back in the second half.
Vick Supporter
September 29th, 2009
11:28 am
JIMBOB: “Considering that Turner has already had two crucial drive-killing fumbles, and appears to be fatter and slower than last season, people have not turned on him all that much.”
Bruh….he looks the same as last year to me…neither of us gets on the scale with him or lift weights with him in the offseason. Your comment just proves my point….you people do not support your team in bad times…especially……nevermind….I still find it funny that I see hardly any negative Ryan comments on here.
Mark Bradley…I don’t know if you like me to much on these blogs..but I really like your articles. keep it up…and thanks for allowing people that aren’t drinking Ryan’s kool-aid to have there say.
SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED FLACCO
September 29th, 2009
11:31 am
I guess after this Sunday, when the Ravens play the same Patriots team, it will be settled if it was a qb problem.
We will also witness if the Falcons drafted the WRONG quarterback!
Don’t make up excuses when the Ravens whip the Patriots.
Remember “the defense does not play offense” so that excuse is worn out
Tymar
September 29th, 2009
11:31 am
Vick Supporter !
Please, Oh, Please tell us all some more about how much “better” you are than the rest of us and how much more money you make than all of us in your big, high paying, Affirmative Action-given IT job with Crisco.
ROTFLMAO !!!!!!
cajdawg
September 29th, 2009
11:35 am
Too much is being made over one loss. I am worried about the following themes that I have seen over the first three games:
1)Michael Turner isn’t hitting the line of scrimmage with explosion. I don’t know why? Is he injured? Is he 10-15 pounds heavier than last year? Is the Oline not opening up holes?
2)Run defense. Dline made up of pu….s. Gap control? F… gap control. If we would draft Dlinemen with some size they wouldn’t get tossed around like rag dolls. We drafted a 6′ 2″ 290 pound Jerry at D tackle. Most teams start ends at that size.
Stat Checker
September 29th, 2009
11:35 am
QUARTERBACK PLAY DURING 2002-2006:
-1 Division Title
-2 Playoff appearances
-2 Playoff wins
-1 Championship game appearance
-3 Pro Bowl selections
-1 MVP finalist selection
-0 1 and done playoff appearances
FOR THE RECORD.
Vick Supporter
September 29th, 2009
11:37 am
@dbird1
How am I making this a “race thing” by stating my opinion? Please copy and pace one thing that I have said that’s racist. I would love to see it. Also, wasn’t the O-line one of the Falcon strong points (according to the bloggers on here) last year? When I brought up the O-line and Vick in the same sentence, I was “racist” and you people BRAGGED about how GREAT the O-line was with Ryan at QB. Cmon man…let’s be honest here. All of the Falcon fans loved the O-line, and Turner, and now it’s a problem? You “fans” are flip-floppers …..you syay that Vick fans are racist and only support Vick because he’s black, yet our stance hasn’t changed…We’ve supported Vick the whole time…yet when things go wrong for the Falcons…you find someone to blame…..and what a coincidence…its NEVER Matty “Ice”. Its never his fault…EVER…just like I’ve always said
dbird1
September 29th, 2009
11:38 am
true on the playoff wins. can’t argue with that. time to Vick debate to bed. He’s gone..forever. True Falcon fans have moved on. As far a Flacco. If you have a top 3 defence that gives you the ball on the opponents side then it is pretty easy to win games. flacco is good w/ a good team.