For the Falcons, the ‘D’ in ‘defense’ also stands for ‘dud’
One photo of John Abraham tells us all we need know. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Since Oct. 24, the day the Bengals had scored 32 points in the Dome, the Falcons’ defense had been more consistent than their star-spangled offense. (Five offensive Falcons to the Pro Bowl, only one defender.) It had held Baltimore to 21 points, Green Bay and New Orleans to 17. It was becoming the fleet and fierce unit general manager Thomas Dimitroff had envisioned as he was building.
Suffice it to say that TD the GM never envisioned what happened Saturday. Nobody did. Nobody could have.
A defense that didn’t yield more than 32 points in any game this regular season was overrun for 42 points — in the first three quarters. The D had made a big early play, Stephen Nicholas forcing a Greg Jennings fumble that Brent Grimes gathered. That enabled the Falcons to take a 7-0 lead. That would also be the last time over the next five Green Bay drives that the Packers didn’t score a touchdown.
Five possessions, five scores. The first four came on drives of 81, 92, 80 and 80 yards. (The final series spanned a mere 50.) The Packers’ Aaron Rodgers didn’t complete every pass, but he came close. Through three quarters he had passed 31 times, completing 27. He’d thrown for 330 yards in 45 minutes.
Rodgers had treated the Falcons’ secondary as if the signing of Dunta Robinson had never been consummated, as if Brent Grimes hadn’t developed into a big-play cornerback, as if nothing that occurred this regular season had been anything more than a sweet dream.
Alas, this was reality, stark and sobering. In a playoff game against a top-class quarterback, the Falcons’ newly tailored defense was made to seem shabby. The pass rush couldn’t get there, and nobody downfield could cover or tackle or do much of anything.
It was so bad that the Falcons, who’d led 14-7, ventured into the final period down by 28 points. This from a team that had, with Matt Ryan as its quarterback, lost only one Dome game before falling to New Orleans on Dec. 27. That night was disappointing, but not because of the defense. This night, by way of contrast, was so crushing as to make us wonder if the defense is indeed, as Dimitroff suggested this week, rounding into a championship unit.
Could Brian Williams have meant that much? He’s the Falcons’ fifth defensive back, the nickel man. He played in every regular-season game but hurt his knee against Carolina on Jan. 2. He couldn’t go Saturday, and into the nickel stepped Christopher Owens. Falcons defensive backs have had worse nights over the years — remember Charles Dimry against Jerry Rice? — but there haven’t been many. And Robinson and Grimes weren’t any better.
Credit Rodgers and the Packers for seizing on Williams’ absence. That said: Should losing your nickel man reduce a defense — a defense that ranked No. 5 in the 32-team NFL in points yielded — to rubble? If five possessions garner 35 opposing points, can you really be said to have a defense at all?
No, the offense wasn’t very good, either, and Matt Ryan was terrible. (His end-of-the-first-half interception will live in infamy.) But few offenses could have kept pace with the ravenous Packers this night, and certainly Mike Mularkey’s grind-it-out game plan is poorly suited for a point-a-minute game. This loss can be shared by all, but the defense was first — or, put more precisely, last — among equals.
But what now? Is this game a signal that the defense cannot hold up under duress, or was it simply one wretched night under the glare of the postseason? Thomas Dimitroff has some decisions to make, and they won’t be easy calls.
By Mark Bradley
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813 comments Add your comment
Fan of the Game
January 16th, 2011
9:40 am
Falcons will be back and learn from this. A heck of a year! Man I remember the rough years. People complaining are ones that never played sports, they just watch them. There is a big difference.
kevin lewis
January 16th, 2011
9:40 am
@ 24-7 and duluth. Finally,some non dilusional bloggers on board!
falcon
January 16th, 2011
9:40 am
I hope someone hires Mike Mularkey away from the Falcons. His offensive system is junk.
Double Zero Eight
January 16th, 2011
9:40 am
How do you spell choke? “FALCONS”
Robinson had been a bust. Jenkins, Anderson,
Jerry, and “Spoon” are not legitimate first
round draft choices. The Packers had better
players. They made big plays. It is obvious
the better team won. The O Line look confused.
Baker was not a legitimate first round pick either.
Ryan is not an elite quarterback. He looked like
a statue in the pocket and made some poor
decisions. I hope he is not another Tony Romo.
john meyer
January 16th, 2011
9:42 am
@ Mayhem is coming , Dont be such a crybaby , which is what #55 is doing in the pic above . We came in your house and slapped your sorry , crying ass around and took your red neck to the woodshed . Enjoy the offseason
Black and Gold
January 16th, 2011
9:44 am
I think what we saw last nite was a reflection of the Falcon fan base…OUTCLASSED and OVERRATED. The only thing that would have made this game more enjoyable, was to see Brees thump you clowns for the 3rd time this season. And you know that would have happened!
GEAUX SAINTS!!
fair feathered fan
January 16th, 2011
9:47 am
Teams are only good as their last game. When Green Bay loses they will know what I’m talking about. The higher you climb the harder the fall. If we were gonna lose, I ‘ve rather go ahead and get it over with, and prepare for the future. The Super Bowl loser will feel worse than the Falcons players feel currently. Go Falcons.
kevin lewis
January 16th, 2011
9:48 am
@Fan of the Game and falconholic, you guys would show up now that I have to leave 4 work.After reading some of those other posts I feel like I’ve been beaten worse than the coons were! Have Fun.
nique
January 16th, 2011
9:48 am
Doesn’t the D coordinator deserve some blame here? This D has plenty of talent on it, and yet rec’s were open throughout the entire game that Rodgers continued to find. And all of this was going on without GB really running the ball. Shouldn’t the D-unit have made some adjustments to at least slow Rodgers down?
Bird Droppings II
January 16th, 2011
9:49 am
@ Black and Gold
Misery loves company. Go back in your hole, troll.
grizzybear
January 16th, 2011
9:49 am
look at the good side of things, falcons gear is now 50 % off at local retailers!
JFant29
January 16th, 2011
9:49 am
This one hurts and the reason the sporting world do not take the Falcons serious. We have seen this song and dance before. For the love of me why were we just rushing three or four defenders most of the night. This performance makes me sick and tired. Oh well I guest I will go wash my wifes car.
Falconfan 24-7
January 16th, 2011
9:50 am
Players play and coaches coach. No excuses.Go Falcons, we’ll be ok.
It's time for the falcons to RISE UP and leave ATL
January 16th, 2011
9:51 am
The falcons need to STOP these foolish marketing campaigns
and FOCUS on coaching —
IT’S TIME to rise up? Please! It’s time to get a NEW head coach…
OK, great you went 13-3 in the regular season but the PLAYOFFS is when it REALLY counts.
MATTY ICE? He looked more like MATTY 1st year ROOKIE!
The FALL-CONS Were out COACHED and out PLAYED! Green Bay man-handled the FALOCNS point blank!!!
GREENBAY crushed the 2010/2011 falcons the same way that the FALCONS crushed them during the 1998/1999 the playoffs – Remember that year????
When it comes to BIG GAMES — MIKE SMITH and MATT Ryan — cannot make the BIG PLAYS!
tIME TO RISE UP??? PLease, ITs time to find a COACH and players that can deliever!
john meyer
January 16th, 2011
9:53 am
all trash aside, the worst thing that could have happened to the Falcons after our 8 min. td drive was that 102 yd td return. It put the def. back out for another 6 min td drive that started gassing your d. Your team is now ready for the next level .good luck
kevin lewis
January 16th, 2011
9:53 am
John Meyer, we knew you were an idiot when you dumped Jen Aniston! OH thats not you is it.Nope, just a John Mayer lover.Ha!
wastedyears
January 16th, 2011
9:53 am
hey van gorder there is a empty house in athens waitin 4 u pleaze come home ,dawgs havent been nothing but vanderbilt south since u left come on home son
john meyer
January 16th, 2011
9:55 am
kevin lewis , you must have been one of those fans who left early in the third q. nice job, crybaby
bears r god
January 16th, 2011
9:56 am
tyme to bring mr rodgers neighborhood to soilder field,u wont put 48 on us silly cheeseheads
kevin lewis
January 16th, 2011
9:57 am
I’ll say it again, CHAMPIONS DONT QUIT TIL THEY GET IT RIGHT! GO FALCONS!!
Black and Gold
January 16th, 2011
9:58 am
Bird droppings??
Perfect name for what you dropped all game long last nite. I love it!!
john meyer
January 16th, 2011
9:58 am
@ kevin loser get over it , its just a game . like a tiny penis little clown like you wouldnt be talking trash if you had won. have a nice day
Chris
January 16th, 2011
9:59 am
Just like the New Orleans game…We missed one sack after another that would have ended drives. The secondary was our weakness and it was exploited when it was time to turn it up a notch in the playoffs. I’m also not sure we shouldn’t look outside of Turner. Yea he is a good back but he doesn’t break any runs, he can’t catch the ball out of the backfield. I saw more ???? than Answers headed into 2011 draft
kevin lewis
January 16th, 2011
10:00 am
Nobody cryin here bud. I think theres a blog for your type just down the ole scroll.Keep going til you find it dip-####
Falconfan 24-7
January 16th, 2011
10:00 am
@ Pearl
Mike Smith was named the NFL Coach of the Year , two out of three years . Also, we have had three winning seasons in a row and he can’t coach. Are you kidding me? Give me a break.
Go Falcons.
Ms. Peggy a.k.a Honestly-Speaking
January 16th, 2011
10:02 am
The FALCONS handled GREENBAY the same way ATLANTA handled the SNOW Storm — LOOKING like fools on national Televison…
I’ll be using my MATT Ryan t-shirt to line my trash can.
look at what happens when the FALCONS try to rise up…they get knocked down – every time!!!!!!!!
And you want the city to build u a new DOME? please. 48-14???? Total disgrace!!
Ted M
January 16th, 2011
10:02 am
They say great teams win the close games but the Falcons didn’t win the close games this…they got flat out lucky in 3 games so there record is more like 10-7, not bad, they have a lot of work to do this off season and most of it should be focused on the offense.
Oh and btw if Cam Newton is available when they draft they should take him. He’ll probably need a couple of years to develop, no prob. So what if it hurts Ryan’s feelings. Draft him…they won’t.
BuckeyeMike
January 16th, 2011
10:02 am
On the biggest stage the Falcons including the coaches failed badly. The Packers had to overcome significant injuries all season. They have been battle tested; they have an experienced quarterback who had to sit behind an aging legend (Bret Favre) and was mentored to achieve moments like this, and a coach that should have garnered Coach of the Year honors for having to overcome all those injuries. Just wait until they get their 14 injured players back next year. Scary for the NFC. The Pack is back!!!
Ms. Peggy a.k.a Honestly-Speaking
January 16th, 2011
10:03 am
The FALCONS handled GREENBAY the same way ATLANTA handled the SNOW Storm — LOOKING like fools on national Televison…
I’ll be using my MATT Ryan t-shirt to line my trash can.
look at what happens when the FALCONS try to rise up…they get knocked down – every time!!!!!!!!
And you want the city to build u a new DOME? please!! 48-14???? Total disgrace!!
BravesFan79
January 16th, 2011
10:03 am
What kinda crappy azz zone defense were the Falcons in!?? They couldnt even play man to man on 3rd downs!?? Rodgers had NO PROBLEM picking it apart!! AWFUL GAME PLANNING!!
Ted M
January 16th, 2011
10:05 am
“The FALCONS handled GREENBAY the same way ATLANTA handled the SNOW Storm — LOOKING like fools on national Televison…”
That’s pretty funny, however, my power never went out so I’m grateful for that.
Bird Droppings II
January 16th, 2011
10:05 am
@ Black and gold.
Open wide.
At least we didn’t lose to the 7-9 Seahawks (the worst team in NFL playoff history.)
Asheville Dawg
January 16th, 2011
10:06 am
All I can say is that they are who we thought they were. A defense that never stopped the Packers. I agree the 102 yard td killed the Falcon defense, they could never get off the field.
Disappointed is just a word. Feels like they ripped out my heart and stomped on it during the third quarter.
It's time for the FALCONS to RISE UP and leave ATLANTA
January 16th, 2011
10:06 am
The falcons need to STOP these foolish marketing campaigns
and FOCUS on coaching —
IT’S TIME to rise up? Please! It’s time to get a NEW head coach…
OK, great you went 13-3 in the regular season but the PLAYOFFS is when it REALLY counts.
MATTY ICE? He looked more like MATTY 1st year ROOKIE!
The FALL-CONS Were out COACHED and out PLAYED! Green Bay man-handled the FALOCNS point blank!!!
GREENBAY crushed the 2010/2011 falcons the same way that the FALCONS crushed them during the 1998/1999 the playoffs – Remember that year????
When it comes to BIG GAMES — MIKE SMITH and MATT Ryan — cannot make the BIG PLAYS!
tIME TO RISE UP??? PLease, ITs time to find a COACH and players that can deliever!
packerbacker
January 16th, 2011
10:06 am
Tough loss Falcons. At least you got a win over the Saints. However, for you guys to leave in masses with 5 mins left in the 3qtr is inexcusable. The true definition of fairweather fans is what I witnessed in the 3rd qtr. You guys got beat by a better team, but you did have a nice season. I’ll never engage in trash talk with falcons fans again, because you’re not true fans- only front-runners.
hiramsaint
January 16th, 2011
10:08 am
and at least we didn’t get our behinds handed to us in our own house as the #1 seed by the # 6 seed wild card team . what a joke of a franchise and still no whiff of a superbowl win!
T. A.
January 16th, 2011
10:08 am
Falcon Fans: Please stop drinking the kool-aid! You were never as good as your record indicated! SOFT schedule! Next year, you’ll see what you’re made of when you have to play a tougher schedule:
2011 schedule:
Green Bay, Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit, Jacksonville, Houston, Tennessee, Indianapolis, NFC East
NFC West, NFC South Twice. You might go 8-8!
lombardi
January 16th, 2011
10:08 am
aaa your an idiot saying the patriots will embarass the packers. we almost beat them a few weeks ago with backup matt flynn at qb. lol pats cant beat us on a neutral field.
Motocross Survivor
January 16th, 2011
10:09 am
Blank seemed to make himself scarce for the cameras last night.
pirate
January 16th, 2011
10:10 am
Um, I may be wrong, but the stat of the day: Packers punter stays at hotel. (no punts)
Ted M
January 16th, 2011
10:10 am
Steve Bartkowski was lighter on his feet and was a better scrambling QB then Matt Ryan. That’s pretty bad especially when he doesn’t have Bartkowski’s arm.
I don’t think we can win a Super Bowl with Ryan.
Coach
January 16th, 2011
10:12 am
11 pages of typical Atlanta transplant fans. Just find another team to follow please. We are only 3 years removed from the rock bottom of where a team can go. We have a good team. 13 wins in the NFL is no fluke, including a win over Green Bay. We were terribly outcoached I will agree with that. As far as personnel, no need to comment but don’t be ignorant. Ryan is good enough to get us there, just like Eli Manning was in New York. We need an explosive running back, calling Turner a “burner” is a joke. We need a NFL DC not a college one. We need some DBs, Owens shouldn’t be in the NFL and Robinson should have stayed in Houston. We need to pressure the QB, Lamar Woodley will be available, we have the lowest Payroll, go get him. Mularkey, this ain’t Pittsburgh!
Can You Believe It!!!
January 16th, 2011
10:12 am
Remember the Miracle on Ice when the USA won the Gold medal in hockey. How about we all root for a miracle on the Gridiron. The Seahawks beat the Bears and then the Packers to go to the Superbowl. Then the 10-9 Seahawks beat the 16-2 Patriots to win the Super Bowl at 11-9! What a story that would be!!!
falconfan2986
January 16th, 2011
10:12 am
@ hiramsaint
But you lost to the worst Playoff team in NFL history (the Seahawks). Remember?
Welcome back troll.
Falclowns Fans are Classless
January 16th, 2011
10:12 am
Great stat: over the last 30 years only 4 NFC top seeds lost in the first game, with the icing on the cake being the Falcons have now done it twice!!!! EPIC FAILURE = FAILCANTS! Saints rule, we have a ring, you don’t, enough said….stings, huh? so sorry! Who Dat, We Dat…
One and done. I guess the Number 1 seed and the Super Bowl going through Atlanta still means something in that it may for those with connectiong flights……LMAO….WHO DAT!
William C Smith
January 16th, 2011
10:13 am
The D Line can not control a game. The Falcons need a great defensive tackle to make this defense go. It will be impossible but if only the Falcons could get Nick Fairley. This would add some pressure on the quarterback up the middle.
Sid
January 16th, 2011
10:13 am
When they came out of the tunnel I swear I thought to myself, they do not look like they are fired up, looking somewhat timid. Christopher Owens didn’t lose us this game………..at least not all by himself. The Packers dominated in every facet, they wanted it more than we did. Aaron Rogers got hot at the right time of the season. We all knew our defense has improved but still 22nd ranked against the pass. So it was a fun year, winning the NFC South an accomplishment and naturally we all wished our A game had of showed up last night. Congrats to Green Bay more than likely the NFC representative in the Super Bowl. So none of us wanted to lose like that, not so much embarrassing as it was like being strip searched in public. Maybe that trip to Hawaii appeared a little more appealing than Arlington in February. We beat Green Bay in a playoff game at Lambeau, they just returned the favor. Congratulations to the Talon Razor Sharp Atlanta Falcons on an excellent season. So, who do you like in the draft……………..?
choke ville
January 16th, 2011
10:14 am
ryan-choke
abraham–choke
robinson–choke
white–choke
van gorder–choke
mularkey–choke
In the big game of the year—a total choke
wastedyears
January 16th, 2011
10:15 am
FIRE MARK RICHT!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!!
Falclowns Fans are Classless
January 16th, 2011
10:16 am
@falconfan2986 – drink some vodka, take a pill…will help ease the pain of knowing you will NEVER win a SB….where’s your ring, loser? i would be happy to post pics of the SAINTS RING and LOMBARDI, redneck…FAILCANTS = EPIC FAILURE…biggest playoff loss in 30 years…you, sir, are an embarrassment to the NFC South and a FRAUD….truth hurts, huh? stay classy….
p.s. – this is so much fun….