5 reasons the Falcons will still have a winning season
Matty Ice has been put on ice, but he'll presumably be back. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
1. They didn’t put Matt Ryan or Michael Turner on injured reserve. This might seem a technicality, but it isn’t. Roster spots are precious, and teams don’t hold them open on a whim. Once you’re on IR, you’re gone for the duration. The Falcons believe these two essential players will return at some point this season. Speaking of which …
2. Forget Philadelphia. Forget New Orleans. Look beyond. The final three games come against the Jets (5-6), Buffalo (4-7) and Tampa Bay (1-10). Win those three and there’s your second consecutive winning season, and right now that seems a more realistic goal than making the playoffs. This isn’t to say the Falcons can’t beat Philly and/or the Saints. This is, after all, the NFL. And didn’t Tampa Bay nearly beat the Falcons? Speaking of which …
3. This coach won’t let this team quit, and this team won’t quit on Mike Smith. They could have rolled over Sunday. They didn’t. They won a game they had to win, albeit in underwhelming fashion. But the standings bear no category for UW’s (underwhelming wins). Just W’s and L’s and T’s.
4. Tony Gonzalez is proving he can carry a team in a way tight ends rarely do. He catches the tying touchdown in New York traffic against the Giants. He snags four passes on the winning drive Sunday. He’s a great player and a greater addition. Imagine where this team and this offense would be if Thomas Dimitroff hadn’t made that trade. (Do I hear 4-7?)
5. Sagacity will have its reward. The Falcons have been playing since 1966. They haven’t yet had consecutive winning seasons because they were both unlucky and unwise. This team has been unlucky with injuries, but management remains stalwart. TD and Smitty are the best combo this franchise has had, and smart teams can override even the vagaries of Dame Fortune. This isn’t a great team, but it’s a smart one.
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157 comments Add your comment
D-DawgDavis
December 1st, 2009
9:30 am
One thing I noticed from last night’s game between New Orleans and New England. Chris McAllister and Mike McKenzie both were out of a job two weeks ago and now after last night they look like great FA signings. How did we pass on both of those guys??
Easy Breesy Lemon Peezy
December 1st, 2009
9:31 am
It is disappointing that we won’t have Ryan for an important game to get an tiebreaker, but I think you’re right Mark. Falcons see that schedule at the end of the year and they know that gambles could pay off. So sit Ryan and Turner, get them healthy, and finish the season out strong.
D-DawgDavis
December 1st, 2009
9:32 am
One thing from last night’s game that is glaring to me. Mike McKenzie and Chris McAllister, both out of the game two weeks ago, show up and dominate a Brady-led passing game. How did the Falcons pass on BOTH of those guys?
John's Right
December 1st, 2009
9:34 am
10-6 was our expectation. Let’s not forget that this team is still in the middle of a revamp and we had 5 new starters on the defense. The offense didn’t perform quite as well as was expected and then the injury bug hit us and we derailed slightly. People who complain about this year expect too much in the short term. We’re building for long term success and anything we do this year is simply gravy.
DJ
December 1st, 2009
9:35 am
No chance of winning 3 more games? Hogwash…the Falcons have 3 more home games and will not lose at home. Yes, that means we will tag a loss on the Saints (hopefully their first).
Here’s a hint to NFL defensive coordinators that have to play the
Saints: Dust off the 90’s films of defending against the run & shoot. The league seems to have forgotten how to defend against it and the
Saints are only taking advantage of this fact.
Finally….for all of you “Falcons Fans” (yes I quote you because your description of yourselves in inaccurate): your team has not lost at home in nearly 2 full seasons. Get off your ***** and quit looking at your TV. Your (still “rebuilding”) team is consistently winning at home and deserves a whole lot more than 15,000 empty seats.
Supes
December 1st, 2009
9:36 am
The Falcons will surprise a lot of people and beat the Eagles this sunday.
This team plays much different at home, they find ways to win games even with backup players and when they squander leads.
Chris Redman has proved he’s more than capable of sustaining drives, he did it 2 years ago, granted in some “throw away garbage games”, but none to less, he proved he can make good decisions and take care of the football.
We need to get J-Rock more involved, in the running game, short passing game, get him out on the perimeter with screens, reverses, etc.
Run Snelling between the tackles.
As long as the Falcons keep this game close, they will find a way to pull it out.
Jason Elam needs to quit messing around, he can’t aford to miss any more makable FG, it’s draining the team, killing momentum and demoralizing.
As long as or O-Line gets healthy, I think Redman…and the combination of Snelling/J-Rock will be enough to beat the Eagles at home.
The Eagles barely beat the Redskins (at their place), so they’ve got problems of their own. They don’t have Westbrooke, a rookie RB plus a FB is their running game. Andy Reid still wants to throw it 60 times per game.
Eagles not as good as last year. Falcons, not as good as last year, all things considered, this being a home game…Falcons find a way to win it!
Sonny Clusters
December 1st, 2009
9:38 am
What about the kicker? Do they have a new kicker yet?
MCook
December 1st, 2009
9:41 am
FalconSorry missed the short bus this morning.
And “Choke”, Deion Sanders can tell your ignorant a$$ all about turf toe,but YOU would cut him some slack. After all he’s a bro,right?
Mark Bradley
December 1st, 2009
9:52 am
I picked the Falcons to go 10-6 and win the division. Obviously I didn’t see the Saints being unbeaten. Nor did I envision all the injuries. But that’s the NFL.
NERDS!!!!!
December 1st, 2009
10:03 am
Did all the yellow bug fans get turf toe at the same time？
WHERE ARE THEY NOW????
Greg Mendel
December 1st, 2009
10:03 am
I’m not optimistic about making the playoffs, but I think the Falcons can end “the Curse,” and that would be a huge accomplishment. If last season had been the reconstructive season predicted, we’d probably be pretty content with 2009. Best of all, the chances of several unbroken winning seasons to come are good, once the most glaring weaknesses are methodically corrected. (Chris Houston first. Even before Elam.)
Matt Ryan is the franchise quarterback, but he hasn’t been playing much better than Redman lately. I think Ryan will actually improve as a result of being out a couple of games. He’s still a rookie who was thrown into the Lion’s Den. If he was really a dud, it would have shown last season.
Regarding Philly and Nawluns — good as they are — they may arrive with Tampa Bay Syndrome, already chalking up the Birds as a W. We’ve lost to about three teams this year that have come off byes for “must win” games against the Falcons. I’m betting we win against one of them, probably Philly. All the emotion and “intangibles” in the world won’t save our inept bonsai CBs from Drew Breese. Unless we get some very major turnovers.
Tommy
December 1st, 2009
10:04 am
Of the five remaining games, there is no game left where you can say ‘forget it, no chance, they can’t win’. They could end up anywhere between 7-9 and 11-5 (my bet is 10-6 and we lose the 6th-seed tiebreaker to the Giants). The Saints game will be tough, but we came very close against them in NO, and they’re due for a bad game. Ruining their perfect season would be almost as great as making the playoffs.
This team is prepared every week. Under Mike Smith, they have never lost by three scores (their largest margin of defeat is 16, against Dallas and New England this year). Falcons teams from 5 or 10 years ago would have closed up shop after the Carolina game. Remember what happened in ‘99 and ‘03, when Jamal Anderson and Vick went down. They quit.
The best thing about this Falcons team is that they are always worth watching.
GT..(avoids shreveport)
December 1st, 2009
10:16 am
….12-2….Orange Bowl Champs….
PMC
December 1st, 2009
10:18 am
nice column Mark. I think it’s worth just having faith in whatever 53 can go. We have an excellent battery between TD and Smith even if the talent level on this particular team isn’t quite up to snuff…. the coaches in place are doing well with what they have and the players are playing thier behinds off.
I’m just hoping we can get better play on the line of scrimmage the rest of the year. They aren’t going to quit simply because a few starters can’t go and with only 53 slots every player on the game day roster should be able to perform at a very high level when asked.
JSS
December 1st, 2009
10:19 am
DJ, If you think the N.O. Saints are playing with Run and shoot tendencies, I just don’t how to say how wrong you are… (Not personal) Too much Tight End play, and they go VERTICAL!!! Running Backs are involved and go vertical as well. These aren’t option routes, the receivers are making plays… Coltson’s catch and run 2 weeks ago was something to behold… R&S was predicated on small quick receivers running option routes and Quarterback making quick reads and getting it there… Brees surveys the field and then he hums it… You must be confusing them with the 2001 New England Patroits…
PMC
December 1st, 2009
10:20 am
The miss last week was on the snapper who had 2 more stinkers. Hopefully they can correct him this week and Elam will stop shanking it left.
PMC
December 1st, 2009
10:24 am
I wonder if Mike will be delivering cool water, yellow, red or purple gatoraid this weekend…. in his house….perhaps some chunky soup to the QB.
ohmy
December 1st, 2009
10:36 am
unlike last season, every opponent expects us to be good. no more intangible edge. teams are ready for the falcons. this year’s team may be better, but other teams are better as well and some are still pretty good anyway. Our defense, while leaking like a sieve, has still put the offense in a position to win games. The offense has been inconsistent, but this is not really a surprise given the change in dynamics brought on by TG–more choice means more indecision–for everybody. Elam has been a dissapointment but is still good–his errors are far more obvious…and costly. In every way, this organization is better than it has ever been. 9-7 will be joyful.
pilgrim
December 1st, 2009
10:39 am
@D-DawgDavis
Good question. How did we miss on McKenzie?
I Now Pronounce You "Barack & Larry."
December 1st, 2009
10:42 am
I watched the new movie “THE BLIND SIDE” the other night, and it got me thinking a bit about how important the family home is to a person’s lifelong development.
If Michael Vick had been raised by the same kind, intelligent, religious, loving, law-abiding, cerebral, articulate, tax-paying, clean-cut parents with good hygiene who raised Tim Tebow, would he have grown up to be both an upstanding citizen AND a top-rate NFL QB?
Mr. & Mrs. Tebow could have obviously have taken the thug out of the ‘hood, but could even they have pulled off a miracle and taken the ‘hood out of the thug?
How much better could Mr. Vick’s life be today if he had been raised properly?
I wonder…
Glitchy
December 1st, 2009
10:47 am
NERDS, the yellow bug fans are getting ready for the ACC championship game.
Who the DAWGS playin this week??
Sonny Clusters
December 1st, 2009
10:49 am
Mark, when Dimitroff tells Arthur Blank what is going on . . . is that called Filling in the Blank?
And when you look at his face . . . do you see a Blank expression?
Are those suits from Jos. A Blank?
Clay
December 1st, 2009
10:51 am
FALCONS SORRY, Ryan and Vick will be face to face – sitting on the bench across from each other!!!
master
December 1st, 2009
10:52 am
DONE! SAINTS r awsum
ARTHUR B.
December 1st, 2009
10:53 am
ANYBODY WANNA BUY A FOOTBALL TEAM?
tjg
December 1st, 2009
10:56 am
Here’s what the Falcons need this season: more risk taking!
I was screaming “Go for two!” after the TD in NYC, but they did not.
If you have superior talent, and are at home, etc then yes, play the percentages…if not then gamble a little and roll the dice – it’s their only chance (get a little lucky) and get rid of the kicker who from preseason onwards has cost hem at least one or two games. Act now and take a few risks, and maybe just maybe…
Baba O'Riley
December 1st, 2009
10:58 am
tim mazetti, mick luckhurst, donald iguebweke, the gramatica brothers, norm johnson…bring ANYONE in. we need a kicker
AlternateReality
December 1st, 2009
11:01 am
Anybody notice that the Falcons D actually played the Saints better than New England’s did? The Pats corners were getting scorched pretty badly. At least Grimes and Houston usually make the tackles that the Pat’s CBs were whiffing on last night.
AlternateReality
December 1st, 2009
11:04 am
tjg –
Do you think Smitty would go for 2 if he had to do it all over? I hope so – I was thinking the same thing that day.
I think that last year he gambled more because he didn’t have anything to lose, and this year, with higher expectations, he’s played it a little closer to the vest. Time to loosen up again.
I Now Pronounce You "Barack & Larry."
December 1st, 2009
11:11 am
I was watching the new movie “THE BLIND SIDE” the other night, and it got me to think about how important parents are in raising a child.
If Michael Vick had been raised by the same kind, caring, intelligent, law-abiding, clean-cut, tax-paying, articulate, cerebral, God-fearing, well-mannered, turn signal-using, restaurant server-tipping parents who raised Tim Tebow, would he today be an excellent citizen, a scholar AND a top-rate professional quarterback?
How much better would Mr. Vick’s life be today if he had been raised properly?
Mr. & Mrs. Tebow could obviously have taken the vermin out of the ‘hood, but could they have pulled off a minor miracle and taken the ‘hood out of the vermin?
Hmmm…..
I Now Pronounce You "Barack & Larry."
December 1st, 2009
11:12 am
Enter your comments here
JSS
December 1st, 2009
11:13 am
Alternate, he’s still gambling… He’s wasted more important timeouts with that little red flag… Put that thing away!!!
tjg
December 1st, 2009
11:34 am
No, I do not think he even considered going for two then or now, and that’s the issue. Same thing concerning forth downs. Your team came back unbelieveablely, used up ALL their energy, managed miraculously to get within one point, on the road with the Giants offense humming, and you want to “play it out in overtime???” Sorry, Smitty is a great program builder but not a great real time decision maker and I am afraid if asked he would say “I would do it again this way, and kick to tie.” Here’s the better option: use your last time out and find a play you like and roll the dice…could have been the difference in play-offs or no play-offs. (There have been other occasions when he has not been on top of it either…hope it is just youth as a head coach and not a pattern of conservative behavior becasue the faclsons are just not good enough to win consistently by always playing the odds…especially this year.
tjg
December 1st, 2009
11:34 am
Enter your comments here
Matt "Choke" Ryan
December 1st, 2009
11:56 am
Mark
Still think my statement about the CHOKE faking injury is “silly”?
Then explain why Smith who you stated in other blogs, does not give out information on injured players, not until required by the League, yet ruled out the CHOKE on a Monday afternoon, yet has listed Norwood as questionable the past 4-6 weeks and listed Turner as a game time decision the previous week.
I wonder why he would not wait until required by the league to disclose his decision on the CHOKE. Why so early?
Has he ruled out Baker yet?
Has he ruled out Dahl yet?
Has he ruled out Turner yet?
Is the CHOKE a special case? But why?
I still am convinced that he was going to get benched, but Blank didn’t want the fan base to say “WE TOLD YOU SO”.
Therefore, he had to look for a perfect bailout to make it look like he was benched for having an injury.
The CHOKE was not even limping when he left the field.
I’m happy Blank finally realized that he is not NFL material and needed to be benched in a game that the team desperately needed to prolong the obvious………..WHIPPED by the Eagles and Saints.
Mark Bradley
December 1st, 2009
12:00 pm
Yes. Your statement is silly.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
December 1st, 2009
12:01 pm
Supes
December 1st, 2009
9:36 am
The Falcons will surprise a lot of people and beat the Eagles this sunday.
“You are STUPID” Girl
Real Fan
December 1st, 2009
12:18 pm
The Eagles barely beat the Deadskins last week. It’s very possible to win this one. We just need to get rid of Elam and it’s more than possible. So “choke” on that!
Matt "Choke" Ryan
December 1st, 2009
12:23 pm
Real Fan
December 1st, 2009
12:18 pm
The Eagles barely beat the Deadskins last week. It’s very possible to win this one. We just need to get rid of Elam and it’s more than possible. So “choke” on that!
“And the Falcons” needed a miracle to beat a 1-10 team, at home, against a rookie qb………
So what is your logic
Matt "Choke" Ryan
December 1st, 2009
12:29 pm
Atlien
December 1st, 2009
12:24 pm
Why did Coach Smith announce Ryan wasn’t playing on Monday when just last week he refused to give details on Turner until it was mandatory by the league to disclose player injuries? He plainly said he wouldn’t disclose anything until he had too, but now he gives the Eagles a full week’s notice that Matty Ice won’t be playing on Sunday?? Yeah….ok, sure.
“Guess I’m not the only silly one”
GINA
December 1st, 2009
12:29 pm
And why is the last game against the Bucs a given??
Benjamin
December 1st, 2009
12:30 pm
Atlanta is going to beat either Philly or the Saints. Call it a prediction.
Atlien
December 1st, 2009
12:31 pm
Real Fan, the Falcons barely beat the Bucs whose record is worse than the Skins.
Atlien
December 1st, 2009
12:32 pm
Tim Tebow’s parents broke rules and shopped him into a district that he did not live in at all to play for a particular high school down in Florida. Tebow’s parents are hypocrites of the highest order.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
December 1st, 2009
12:35 pm
CHOKE’s Injury is a CONSPIRACY:
Don’t let the AJC and the team fool you!
Isn’t it a big coincident that with the return of Michael Vick & Smith ruling out a player before the deadline?
Coincident?
I say Conspiracy!
Don’t let them try and fool you. This would be HUGE if by some way Andy Reid allows Vick more touches than he has in previous games and he EMBARRASSES the Falcons and the CHOKE continues to throw PICKS especially with that great secondary, led by Asante Samuel.
This so obvious it’s a CONSPIRACY.
Nice try Blank
Nice try Falcons
Nice try AJC
YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Matt "Choke" Ryan
December 1st, 2009
12:38 pm
Bradley
Are you trying to block my posts because you have been exposed. Don’t make me bug your bosses at the AJC!
Matt "Choke" Ryan
December 1st, 2009
12:51 pm
You know, guys, I’m done livin’ the lie. I really am a FALCONS FAN. And I would give anything to sniff Matt Ryan’s jock. It’s just that I’ve had so much fun over these years provoking and baiting y’all and seeing all the passion poured forth on behalf of the Falcons, well I became addicted to the blog like my cousin, MV7, became addicted to dog fighting. It’s been a long and fun run, but I decided to out myself here and now. Why out myself now? No reason. No reason at all. Insanity has no reason. BWAAHAHAHAH!!!LIKKYLAKKALOCO!
Baba O'Riley
December 1st, 2009
12:53 pm
Atlien- The Packers DID lose to the Bucs. They seem to be doing fine now.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
December 1st, 2009
12:54 pm
Matt “Choke” Ryan
December 1st, 2009
12:51 pm
You know, guys, I’m done livin’ the lie. I really am a FALCONS FAN. And I would give anything to sniff Matt Ryan’s jock. It’s just that I’ve had so much fun over these years provoking and baiting y’all and seeing all the passion poured forth on behalf of the Falcons, well I became addicted to the blog like my cousin, MV7, became addicted to dog fighting. It’s been a long and fun run, but I decided to out myself here and now. Why out myself now? No reason. No reason at all. Insanity has no reason. BWAAHAHAHAH!!!LIKKYLAKKALOCO!
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Benjamin
December 1st, 2009
2:02 pm
What a fulfilling life you must lead, Choke.