The Falcons can make the Super Bowl: Do they know that?
"Stand aside, striped stripling! I'm bound for glory!" (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The bye week arrives at a propitious time. The Falcons are 5-2, owners of the NFC’s best record. (The Giants would likewise be 5-2 if they beat Dallas tonight.) They’ve done good work. They’re capable of better.
The bye week brings time to refocus and recalibrate. Everything the Falcons believed about themselves when they reported to training camp has been borne out: They are indeed a massively gifted team. We saw as much Sunday when the Bengals brought a bunch of brand-name players — Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson, Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, Adam “Pacman” Jones — to the Dome. The Falcons built a three-touchdown lead, tossed it away and then surged backed ahead by two touchdowns.
And therein we bore witness to both the Falcons’ inherent potential and their one liability. They’re good enough to beat anybody, but sometimes they don’t seem to grasp how good they can be. Oh, they talk about it. They pay lip service. But I’m not yet sure that there pulses within this team the rock-solid belief — as opposed to the suspicion — that its manifest destiny is the Super Bowl.
New England bears that belief. Pittsburgh, too. But those teams have been there and won it all, and the Falcons have graced the game with the Roman numerals only once, and that was four coaches ago. The Falcons are 25-14 under Mike Smith but haven’t yet won a playoff game, losing at Phoenix in January 2009 as a road favorite. And for all the fine players imported by Thomas Dimitroff — Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez, Mike Peterson, Dunta Robinson — not one of them wears a Super Bowl ring.
And that’s really the only flaw I see. This offense is capable of great things. This defense is getting better as it goes. (Yeah, Palmer threw for 412 yards Sunday, but that can happen when a team gets that far behind.) My issue with the Falcons isn’t what they can do but in how often they do it. They played wall-to-wall in the signature overtime victory in New Orleans. They got away with a half-effort against San Francisco. They didn’t get away with it in Philadelphia.
To me, the game that still resonates was the opener in Pittsburgh. The Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger and still carried themselves as if they expected to invent some way to win, which they did in overtime. The Falcons messed around and managed not to score a touchdown. Yes, the Steelers can play some D, but still … no TDs for the offense of Turner and Gonzalez and Roddy White and Matt Ryan? Seriously?
What needs to happen over the bye week is that these Falcons look both without and within. Check around the NFC and they won’t find one team with more talent. Those touted most in preseason — Dallas, Minnesota, Green Bay and New Orleans — have all wobbled. The Falcons have climbed to 5-2 and have already played their most difficult road games. They’re not just playing to win the NFC South; they’re playing for the No. 1 seed.
And that’s the reason for the look within. The Falcons have to say, “We’re doing this.” Not: “We can do this.” They already know, or at least have reason to suspect, they can. The test now is simply to do. No more slack Sundays. No more sluggish starts with a blocked punt thrown in. Only big-time professional football from here on, the kind the Steelers and the Patriots play as a matter of course.
This doesn’t mean the Falcons can’t lose another game. They probably will. (Baltimore at the Dome on Thursday night — tough duty.) What it means is that the belief/expectation needs to grow within the complex at 4400 Falcon Parkway that this is now the home office of a fully expectant champion.
Mike Smith has a Super Bowl ring from his days as a Baltimore assistant. He should pass it around and let his men assess its size and importance. Because these Falcons could all be wearing such a ring very soon. Their sin would be in waiting too long to grasp what’s at stake. This team is good enough to be playing in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 6, 2011. It absolutely is.
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279 comments Add your comment
FalDawg
October 25th, 2010
10:35 am
Falcons can do it…just 1 concern..pressure defense’s seem to give Matt Ryan trouble..ie pittsburg,philly..if they can figure that at out,the sky’s the limit
Crabkilla
October 25th, 2010
10:36 am
Falcons All Day – I think we can win all remaining games, but I doubt that will happen. You can’t overlook the Bucs, Packers, or Seahawks. Lets not forget the Saints are a pretty good team too. Tampa gave us a time last year and we often struggle down there. Aaron Rodgers makes that Green Bay offense dangerous and with Clay Matthews healthy, our offense could have problems. Lets hope Matthews gets that positive test result we all know he is capable of. As far as Seattle, they appear good again and it seems we lose to them everytime we have to fly out there. I think we drop 2 more.
Roddy White was absolutely sick on Sunday! He is top 3 in the league right now. Glad I could see that in the Dome.
JSS
October 25th, 2010
10:36 am
Well geez, I heard that heroin sales had the suburbs big time… The other teams in the NFC mix who might be there opponents only have to look at the SF and Philly game tapes to see how it is done… That Dome does scare anyone with a deep passing game even with Robinson and DeCoud…
blord
October 25th, 2010
10:42 am
I passed on Roddy White in my Fantasy Football draft and took Larry Fitzgerald instead. I am an idot.
Sid
October 25th, 2010
10:44 am
propitious
[pruh-pish-uhs]
–adjective
1. presenting favorable conditions; favorable: propitious weather.
2. indicative of favor; auspicious: propitious omens.
3. favorably inclined; disposed to bestow favors or forgive: propitious gods.
Allright, upgraded my vocabulary today……………..!!
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World English Dictionary
Super Bowl
— n
American football the main championship game of the sport, held annually in January between the champions of the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference Champion Atlanta Falcons
Tami
October 25th, 2010
10:44 am
I still believe they need to get better on pass defense. And Ryan & his receivers need to get better at passing accuracy. And…they need to beat the big teams (ahem….e.g., Philly. Oh…and Tampa Bay is rising again & will be their next opponent, can’t overlook ANY division rival for that matter….Green Bay is coming up in about a month) as well as the teams on the schedule they’re expected to beat. They don’t really have an easy schedule, although it could have been worse. I’m not a “glass-is-half-empty” sort of person. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
I will say that the boys are improving rapidly & in dramatic fashion. They need to allow themselves to begin believing in themselves without underestimating their opponents. Tough to do, but they can do it.
Birdgang
October 25th, 2010
10:45 am
Preach “Front Row”!!! I can’t wait for the wave to die…This Falcon fan actually asked me to sit down, said that he couldn’t see. I said “We are at a football game right”, turned around and continued to wave my flag. We have to make more noise while the D is on the field, especially on third down. I looked around on 3rd down and several falcon fans are sitting down and saying nothing. Rise your a$$es up!!!!
The fans need some type of chant, that F-A-L-C-O-N-S thing is laaaaame!!
Saabotager
October 25th, 2010
10:46 am
Hold your horses kemosabe. Indescretion is the better part of valor. We don’t need the Falcons drinking their own kool-aid, which they did when the Bengals mounted that comeback. It’s more impressive to see points score by the birds in the second half. If they (Falcons)can overcome the stupidity bug when it comes to senseless turnovers, they are definitely contenders. Go Falcons!!!!
Sid
October 25th, 2010
10:46 am
lanier
October 25th, 2010
10:16 am
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…….sharpen up your pencil my friend and commence to adding something ……………(something intelligent Please)
crackbaby
October 25th, 2010
10:46 am
Mark – Falcons COULD get to the Superbowl but to expect it is premature and unfair. The team lacks depth particularly on defense. Let’s face it, this 5-2 team could easily be 3-4. Opponents get too many big plays. The Eagles are by no means a Super Bowl team and they just beat the snot out of Atlanta last week.
On the plus side, Roddy White is having an MVP year. Yesterday, Vance Walker (V-Dub as Wes calls him) stepped up big on the interior D line. You just can’t have too many good D linemen. The “hands team” did a great job on that last onside kick, too.
GO FALCONS!
Sid
October 25th, 2010
10:48 am
Tami
October 25th, 2010
10:44 am
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Tami, right on sister……………..shout it from the mountain tops
Chris
October 25th, 2010
10:48 am
slow down a tad Mark, Tampa Bay right on our heels at 4-2 with Arizona this week…
Will
October 25th, 2010
10:48 am
hejustwenthome- Balt. had to go to OT to beat BUFFALO. Indy has NO DEFENSE. We’ll see if the Pats can make it last all season. AFC is great if you only look at Pitt.
Dawglasville
October 25th, 2010
10:51 am
Did you see the dancing going on the Bengals’ sideline when they went up by one in the third quarter? It looked like a big party. Then the Falcons put the wood to them. I wouldn’t look for Roddy White on MTV but you might see him in the Super Bowl. The working class people of Cincy deserve much more than that carnival. It would be great to see a few more #84 jerseys around town.
JONESBORO SLIM
October 25th, 2010
10:51 am
I don’t know about you guys, but I saw the speed we needed to turn the corner with the pitch-out to Gartrell Johnson the Falcons newest addition…anybody else notice it?
Will
October 25th, 2010
10:52 am
Crackbaby- With all due respect, I don’t think you see the fact that ANY NFL team can beat another team on any given day. Look around the league. The fact is we’re 5-2 & we’re a good solid team. No doubt.
NOT YET
October 25th, 2010
10:52 am
The Falcons are a good team and they’re well on their way…but GREAT teams don’t squander a 21 point lead. The Falcons are not yet a great team.. They still play not to lose instead of playing to win…We still have some serious issues on offense. No doubt that Roddy White is one of the best receivers in the NFL, but he needs a solid #2 guy to help spread the opposing defenses other than Gonzalez…it says a lot about your offense when your Tight End has more receptions than your receivers. Also, we still don’t go deep enough. Defenses are able to play up close because of this forcing Roddy white to have to catch the ball within twenty yards and then fight for the rest of his yardage. Mularkey needs to open the play book…Baltimore’s defense is gonna have a field day with this offense if we don’t start using those plays with slant routes for example and our other receivers getting open…also….our O-LINE still needs work…the game of football is won at the line of scrimmage. Great teams understand this concept and work towards it. The Falcons are still learning this….don’t believe me??? Ask philly when they blitzed matt ryan like crazy and their defensive front push around our O-line like ragdolls….
Sid
October 25th, 2010
10:54 am
I am not a Meangelo fan but 4 interceptions and one a pick 6, pretty impressive. Although I don’t think Cutler is much of a QB, pretty difficult to throw from your back. Anyway, congrats to Hall, as much as I hate to say it.
Give Me a Break
October 25th, 2010
10:54 am
You are a hack…Dawgs beat Uf gaters and Falcons in the SuperBowl. The secret is to exaggerate and say something over the top.
Joe Tess Fish House
October 25th, 2010
10:55 am
Untill the Falcons improve the WR postion they will not get 2 the Super Bowel. They cant reley on Roddy White ever game. Tony G is over the hill and we all no Jenkins is a fist round bust. The Falcons had there chance 2 get TO and blew it. Did you see the TD TO got yeseterday? That could have been 4 the Flacons.
dobearsbare
October 25th, 2010
10:55 am
Had to look up “propitious”. It basically means favorable. As in, “conditions are favorable”. As in Magic 8 Ball. Which I guess is as good a way as any to predict the Falcons going to the Super Bowl. Yes, they’re talented. But they still have nine games to play, which means there are an infinite number of variables — many of them unknown — that will affect their season. I enjoyed the win yesterday. I’ll reserve the gushing for when they earn a spot in the NFC Championship game.
senior falcon
October 25th, 2010
10:56 am
As someone who has been with the Falcons since game one(some of you weren’t even born. or whelped)I just take pleasure in a good team that is among the best. Go Falcons!
ChippersLoveChild
October 25th, 2010
10:56 am
The Packers still worry me… despite all of the injuries they’ve had, they’ve still managed to go 4-3 and their only losses have come in overtime and in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. If a little luck had gone their way they could easily be 7-0. Once some of the guys they haven’t lost for the season get healthy, and they add Harris and Bigby back to their defense, I still think they could be scary good. I think it comes down to Atlanta and Green Bay when all is said and done.. but the Falcons look solid.
juice sourcer
October 25th, 2010
10:58 am
The Falcons are good enough….the main reason is that there is no great team in the NFC…it’s wide open with probably 8 teams with a shot from just the NFC.
Will
October 25th, 2010
10:58 am
Bengals can keep TO. I don’t want him. He’s a cancer.
realitycheck
October 25th, 2010
10:59 am
The defense is getting better? Are you watching the same games I am? How about Smith’s team can win their first playoff game this year as a more reasonable prediction. Are you just trying to create enthusiasm for your blog?
Spell checker
October 25th, 2010
11:00 am
I’m what Joe Tess Fish House doesn’t have, and needs–badly!
Greg from Marietta
October 25th, 2010
11:04 am
Say has anybody seen “SeenThisB4″ lately? It seems old “It Is Our Time” has all but folded up the chairs and gone home. Pretty much the way his Saints did against Cleveland. Now its time to “Rise UP!” and Go Falcons. I hope the entire team reads this article by Mark Bradley it actually makes a lot of sense. It is almost like the Falcons haven’t bought in they they are as good as they are. For inspiration they should watch the Navy vs Notre Dame game and see what belief in yourself can do for a team. The Midshipmen believed that they could win and win they did.
Wash in ATL
October 25th, 2010
11:04 am
Wow you sneak by an overrated Bengals team, now your headed to the Superbowl !!!! Your defense is ranked 25th , this vagabond group is going nowhere, the NFC is a joke this season. Name one solid NFC team that has shown up every Sunday this year. If Marvin Lewis had any brains he would have shoved Benson down that scrub defense’s throat yesterday. You have to be an idoit to get outcoached by Mike Smith.
ohmy
October 25th, 2010
11:06 am
let’s just take it one game at a time shall we…in the meantime, my favorite plays yesterday all involved adam jones: the roddy white take-away for a td and the prissy dance, the white td a little later, but most of all the weems hit near the end that crossed pac man’s eyes for the rest of the game
JONESBORO SLIM
October 25th, 2010
11:07 am
What are you people talking about? “Cincy comeback” give me a break….if you take away the 14 points from the 2 TURNOVERS……you people keep saying the Birds are not a great team yet…New England didn’t look like a great team yesterday against the Chargers…this team can stand their own against any team….so get off that crap
Keith
October 25th, 2010
11:07 am
NOT YET, well said…I agree with you totally..You my friend know the game of football..When are the Falcons going to see that for themselves? After another first round playoff loss? The only thing that can carry us the big game at this point is our running game and it’s hard to run with 8 and 9 guys in the box on just about every down. Life long Falcon fan…Go Birds!!!!
vafalconfan
October 25th, 2010
11:07 am
The bungles are a mess as always..let’s keep this win in perspective.
Sid
October 25th, 2010
11:07 am
Cleveland 30 aints 17
God has smiled upon us………………!!
Frank Lloyd Wright Table and Chairs
October 25th, 2010
11:08 am
It was just a week ago that Bradley had dumped on this team.
Pete
October 25th, 2010
11:09 am
Super Bowl………………….really…………………..with THAT pass defense ??
You’re kidding, right ??
Our midget CB’s are the “achilles heel” of this team. They stop NO ONE.
You don’t go to the big dance with NCAA Div.II level CB’s.
Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.
Wash in ATL
October 25th, 2010
11:09 am
Idiot is what I meant. Oh yeah Matt Ryan & Carson Palmer are both scrubs @Will any fool who would rather have Michael Jenkins over T.O. is the same reason the Falcons have never been to a Superbowl haha lol !!!!
michaelgee
October 25th, 2010
11:09 am
The jinxs on.
MB, any mention of the SB just put the kiss of death on the birds. Gee thanks Mark.
Greg Mendel
October 25th, 2010
11:13 am
I think Mark is right about the importance of the team’s mindset, and the “team” includes the coaching staff. Against the Bengals, we finally saw some aggressive play-calling. Roddy White’s day wouldn’t have been so magnificent if Ryan hadn’t thrown those long passes. The coaches need to know the skills exist, believe in them, and use them wisely. In today’s NFL, predictable, conservative play may be as much of a gamble as taking calculated risks.
Ryan had good protection on Sunday, and it gave him confidence, which showed on the scoreboard. In my opinion, we still have weaknesses on defense (weak pass rush and vulnerable secondary), but encouraging an attacking offense is playing to our strength. Encouraging the defense to be opportunistic will build its confidence and compensate for vulnerabilities.
Of course, injuries change everything. I don’t think Sunday’s game would have ever been close with Weatherspoon and Robinson in the game. The value of some players is more obvious when they aren’t in the game.
JoeFan
October 25th, 2010
11:14 am
The Falcons are a fortunate team here or there that goes the other way and they are 3-4 instead of 5-2. At beast without any breaks the Falcons will go 10-6 but likely will be 12-4. They seem to have the magic this year and that may be enough to get them to the Super Bowl. They want to it on talent alone.
Give Me a Break
October 25th, 2010
11:14 am
Who said “TIME TO DIE”?
Will
October 25th, 2010
11:15 am
Wash in ATL- I see you’re a Vick fan. I’m glad ConVick is gone too.
james
October 25th, 2010
11:17 am
So I was watching Tony Dungy and the former Patriot DB (his name escapes me) on NBC last night. Both were lamenting that the NFC was not up to par, that 5-2 records was the best any team in the NFC could muster and who was going to rise to the top?…and so on. They talked about Tampa Bay, New York, Chicago, and Seattle, but our Falcons did not even enter the conversation, no mention of them whatsoever! At first I was annoyed by this and wondered what NBC’s beef is with Atlanta, but then I just accepted the fact that THEY tend to not show much respect for the Falcons and continue to overlook them and that’s just how its gonna be. Flying under the radar and catching the National media completely off guard after they’ve racked up an 8-2 record is actually OK with me. I just wish the media could actually find it within themselves to objectively report on the facts every now and then.
I'm just sayin'
October 25th, 2010
11:17 am
Wash in Atl: Can I get starch in that? And btw, the Falcons HAVE been to a Super Bowl. haha lol to you, too.
Wash in ATL
October 25th, 2010
11:17 am
Hey aren’t you the same guy who wrote the article “8 reasons the Braves will win their division” when they had a 7 1\2 game lead over Philly. Now you have the nerve to mention the Falcons & Superbowl in the same breath WTF hahaha LMAO !!!!!
Un- fair weather fan
October 25th, 2010
11:17 am
Hope does indeed spring eternal here at the Mark Bradley column.
Sid
October 25th, 2010
11:18 am
@ Wash in ATL
October 25th, 2010
11:04 am
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Interesting you point that out………….Guess who finished last year 25th in Defense…………yep, that’s right your Super Bowl Champs.
Cleveland 30 aints 17
Ya gotta love it…………!!
Un- fair weather fan
October 25th, 2010
11:20 am
I sure do hope you’re right and I’m wrong, Mark, but until I see evidence that the Falcons can actually show up – let alone win – on the road in the Northeast, count me out as a believer in this Falcon team’s Super Bowl chances.
Wash in ATL
October 25th, 2010
11:20 am
Oh yeah my bag you talking bout when they went to South Beach to cruise the strip !!!! Your right I meant to say won a Superbowl !!!!
Sid
October 25th, 2010
11:20 am
Wash in ATL
October 25th, 2010
11:09 am
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You need to type a little slower dumb ass.
Look up the history of the Super Bowl, you just might find the Falcons somewhere