Live from the Dome: I’m back, and so’s the Burner
Slept fast. Went to Mass. Now I’m back downtown, chatting again. Last night was great fun — fine game, unexpected (at least by me) result, much to discuss. Example: Why did Paul Johnson call four consecutive deep passes with the game on the line? We know his stylized offense doesn’t feature the short or intermediate pass, but what about the ol’ option toss? Did PJ bail out — mixed metaphor alert — on his bread and butter?
I wish I could say I had great hope for another great game here at the Dome, but I don’t. I figure the Falcons beat the Bucs by three touchdowns. I figure the Falcons need to beat the Bucs by three touchdowns just to remind themselves they can still be a playoff-caliber team, recent results notwithstanding.
Four losses in five games will have a chilling effect on a franchise and its fans, and traffic around the Dome seemed unusually light around 11:30. (And I was running late.) Can’t imagine there’ll be a full house today, but I’m bad at predictions. Example: Tech 42, Georgia 27.
Wrongheaded though I am, I hope we can make the most of whatever this day brings. The idea is to talk about the Falcons, but we can certainly accommodate the occasional Tech-UGA submission. So I ask once again: Join me, won’t you?
Oh, and this one actual snippet of news: Michael Turner is in uniform and seems to be moving expeditiously in warmups. He’ll play. And Jerious Norwood is no longer among the inactives. That makes for a full house in the backfield, which isn’t the same thing as a full-house backfield. But it’s a most welcome sign.
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1,228 comments Add your comment
SwimTrunk Dawg
November 29th, 2009
2:06 pm
7-5 the new black.
6-10
November 29th, 2009
2:06 pm
Wow
Some secondary huh?
Matt
November 29th, 2009
2:06 pm
You have GOT to be kidding me??
Mark Bradley
November 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
Well, that looked easy.
I stand corrected. Erik Coleman got turned on the first completion. Hill just chased the guy down. The touchdown was on Tye Hill.
"Chef" Tim Dix
November 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
14:59 = Tye Hill.
TMoney
November 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
Tye Hill, you’re fired…again.
D.Ellis
November 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
Wow………..Was Hill diving on a quarter he saw on the ground?
Vick Supporter
November 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
Boy does that Freeman have an arm……he can throw it DEEP with no problem….doesn’t have to wind his arm or anything
J.J.M.
November 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
lol DB looked back but still couldnt stop the play
Matt
November 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
Tye Hill is stealing Arthur Blank’s money, somebody please arrest him and get him off of this team.
BugKiller
November 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
QB controversy? *rolls eyes*
Mark,
As Hill gets beat like a dead horse yet again… WHERE IS CHRIS OWENS???
Why is Mike Smith so slow to make changes in personnel?
I just don’t get it.
Did he take “Stupidly Loyal” lessons from Mark Richt?
Mark Bradley
November 29th, 2009
2:08 pm
Two plays, 80 yards.
"Chef" Tim Dix
November 29th, 2009
2:08 pm
We cut Verron Haynes and kept the breck girl and Tye Hill?
TMoney
November 29th, 2009
2:08 pm
Ryan just limped back out. still in uniform, so he may be coming back in.
80sFalcon
November 29th, 2009
2:09 pm
I can’t believe it took the Bucs 2 quarters to realize we have the WORST secondary in the league!!
Rural Education
November 29th, 2009
2:09 pm
Let’s be honest guys, this is an average team. To finish 500 would be a miracle. The offense is limited and the defense is nonexistent.
J.J.M.
November 29th, 2009
2:09 pm
I wish falcons could take shots down the field
Meanwhile...about that energy
November 29th, 2009
2:10 pm
Nice segway by the Fox guys: And this touchdown was brought to you by the Waffle House where, just like any receiver that goes against the Falcons’ secondary, we’re open 24/7.
TMoney
November 29th, 2009
2:10 pm
How many plays for a loss do we have so far? I think it’s somewhere around 10 already.
TMoney
November 29th, 2009
2:10 pm
Sack #5.
J.J.M.
November 29th, 2009
2:10 pm
so easy for the buccs
Mark Bradley
November 29th, 2009
2:10 pm
Sack. Not the greatest day for the line. Or for the team.
Matt
November 29th, 2009
2:10 pm
Is that FIVE sacks allowed in the first half alone???
Sid
November 29th, 2009
2:11 pm
getting closer to my prediction of Bucs 21 Losers 13. Funny as hell. bunch of pukes.
"Chef" Tim Dix
November 29th, 2009
2:11 pm
Can the Falcons run a standard screen to slow the pass rush?
Extremus
November 29th, 2009
2:11 pm
Relax, BugKiller, I was being facetious about a quarterback controversy (at least for now). Still, at least on that last drive Redman showed he can perhaps be a capable option if something happens to Ryan.
sanantoniofalconsfan
November 29th, 2009
2:11 pm
i’v been saying for weeks that they should have given Redman a chance while matt was struggling even just to give matt a break to pull it together and I was called an idiot and many other names.
however, so far he’s 8-9 for 107 yards and a touchdown.
not too bad
BugKiller
November 29th, 2009
2:11 pm
I said it after the draft in April:
The Falcons SHOULD have drafted Michael Oher so they could move Sam Short Arms Baker to right tackle, and Tyson Clabo to the bench.
5 sacks is just horrible.
Mark Bradley
November 29th, 2009
2:11 pm
You say five sacks in a half like it’s something bad, Matt.
David
November 29th, 2009
2:11 pm
Five sacks… Redman, Vick, Ryan, it doesn’t matter if we block how we’re blocking.
80sFalcon
November 29th, 2009
2:11 pm
It doesn’t take long for the birds to fall apart. Only Atlanta can make a 1-9 team look this good. Just like it’s been for the past 30 years. We play to the level of our competition.
sanantoniofalconsfan
November 29th, 2009
2:12 pm
o-line and defense sucks though
Mark Bradley
November 29th, 2009
2:12 pm
I’m starting to see why Tye Hill was available.
J.J.M.
November 29th, 2009
2:12 pm
He has all day to throw the ball
preston
November 29th, 2009
2:12 pm
OK…..thats just what I feared, TB played that drive fearlessly…..a couple of long throws with one great catch by Bryant…and now we have a game. And I would not Risk putting Ryan back in the game at this point….Redman is playing fairly well at this point, and with the way Tampa Bay is getting to the QB, Ryan with his limited mobilty will be a sitting duck.
Matt
November 29th, 2009
2:12 pm
Tampon Bay ripping off huge yardage chunks now.
BugKiller
November 29th, 2009
2:12 pm
Seriously:
Imagine how good this line would be with Oher and Baker at the tackles.
Wasn’t Jerry a guy who got hurt a lot in college, too?
ubah
November 29th, 2009
2:13 pm
Are they just running to make their RB’s feel better? I would throw on every down.
Mark Bradley
November 29th, 2009
2:13 pm
A couple of Allstott runs and the Bucs are in field-goal range.
Wait. He’s gone, too? Do they still have the pirate ship?
J.J.M.
November 29th, 2009
2:13 pm
no pass rush cant blame it all on the DBs even thought they are horrible
Jimmy
November 29th, 2009
2:14 pm
The problem, as it has been all year, is that that the O Line is porous.
GoTech610
November 29th, 2009
2:14 pm
I’d like to point out that all of these Matt Ryan Nay-sayer’s should now be able to see that the O-line is a big part of the offense not getting any time to let plays develop.
I couldn’t see it before, but I can now. I think we have been doing pretty good to have 5+ sacks a game. You can’t play offense with that crap.
How many run plays have been stopped before Turner even has a chance to take a step.
Agree or Disagree, Mark?
Eric C.
November 29th, 2009
2:14 pm
How about this for motivation defense…if you lose this game, the season is over.
TMoney
November 29th, 2009
2:14 pm
So far, the Bucs have 9 TFL, 5 sacks, and 6 QB Hits. There’s a name for blocking like this: Lookout Blocks.
Mark Bradley
November 29th, 2009
2:15 pm
The O-line was better last year than this, GoTech. No question.
David
November 29th, 2009
2:15 pm
Oy. This team won’t make the playoffs. We’re letting a rookie throw the ball all over us. We’ve got McNabb and Brees coming to town soon, which could get ugly. This secondary needs to be gutted and re-worked. It’s an absolute joke, and the fact that the Bucs have five sacks and we have zero is also an indication of how poor our D-line is.
"Chef" Tim Dix
November 29th, 2009
2:16 pm
If anything good come out of this game it will be Damon just scratched BVG name off of CMR short list.
Rural Education
November 29th, 2009
2:17 pm
We are allowed to hit the other quarterback right?
sanantoniofalconsfan
November 29th, 2009
2:17 pm
what happened to the promising o-line of last year?
this is horrible
Brian
November 29th, 2009
2:17 pm
Can you say STILL no two winning seasons in a row?