The Falcons say they’ll ‘figure it out.’ We ask: ‘OK, when?’
This man is a fine football coach, but he's got some figuring to do. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Matt Ryan’s final pass had smacked off Roddy White’s hands and into the arms of Green Bay’s Jarrett Bush, and the galling game was finally gone. The man in the three-piece suit on the 40-yard-line, the man who foots the bills, stood with hands on hips and stared, and surely a part of Arthur Blank was thinking, “I’m paying for this?”
The 2011 Falcons have worked five games and lost as many as in the entire 2010 regular season. Matt Ryan, the quarterback, sought to brush this off by saying, “It’s early,” but the calendar insists that it’s October. This team should be playing well, or at least well enough to make us believe in its potential. Through five games, the Falcons have done their darnedest to foster doubt.
They have too much talent to be 2-3. The rule of thumb in all sports is: If you’ve got the players and you’re not winning, it must be the coaching. Yes, the mere notion arrives with a jolt. For three seasons Mike Smith and Co. wrung close to the maximum from their men, but now the talent is top-shelf and the results are substandard, and how else do you square this circle?
Sunday night showed us how good the Falcons can be when properly deployed. For two possessions this offense was strong and swift and crisp, all conspicuous resources being brought to bear by coordinator Mike Mularkey. Double M, as he’s known in-house, dialed up reverses and fake reverses and quick passes and body-slamming runs, and after two possessions this observer was saying, “This is the team I’ve waited to see.”
Then that team took a hike. The Falcons had 145 yards and 14 points on those first two drives; they managed 106 yards and zero points on the remaining seven possessions. And here we note: Green Bay entered ranked 28th in total defense, 31st in passing defense. The Falcons had their way for two possessions. Then, for reasons unclear, they lost the plot.
No, the coordinator didn’t instruct the high-priced tackle Tyson Clabo to kill two drives with penalties. Nor did the offense wither because Mularkey, as the convenient criticism goes, Got Too Conservative: Of those seven pointless drives, four began with pass plays. (And it didn’t help that Ryan, who usually has tepid first halves and flying finishes, did it the other way around this time.) It was stranger than that: Everything worked, and then nothing worked.
Asked afterward if he felt a need to re-evaluate the way his offense is being called, Mike Smith bristled and said: “No, I don’t think so. We’ve got to execute better. It’s my responsibility to see that the plays going in give our players the best chance to succeed — I take full responsibility for that, and no one else.”
That manful response tells us, not for the first time, that this head coach is a first-rate boss. But Smitty is a defensive man by trade, and he leaves it to Mularkey to run the offense. Sometimes Double M does it so well — again, those first two drives were objects of art — that you couldn’t imagine such a man running out of ideas, but seldom does even a pedestrian NFL offense go as bankrupt as the Falcons did Sunday.
Brian VanGorder, the defensive coordinator, moved heaven and earth to keep Aaron Rodgers on the back foot. Without John Abraham, BVG put lesser pass rushers in position to overrun the Packers’ pressed-into-service backup tackles, and if the offense had done anything after those first 18 minutes the Falcons would have won. As it was, VanGorder’s defenders held Green Bay without a touchdown for 41 minutes, which was stirring stuff. Just not enough on a night when his team swore off scoring after its second drive.
Speaking Monday, general manager Thomas Dimitroff mentioned the need to play fundamental football, never an issue before. (In the first three seasons under this regime, the Falcons ranked fourth, fourth and first in fewest penalties. They’re 18th now.) Late Sunday night, the owner had struck the same chord.
“We’re 2-3,” Blank said. “I’m not happy about being 2-3. We’ve had a lot more penalties.”
Then, smiling the slightest of smiles: “I have full confidence we’re going to get it figured it out.”
Smith uses that phrase after every loss, and the losses are coming faster. From Sept. 13, 2010, through the day after Christmas, the Falcons played 13 games and won 12. They’ve since lost five of eight. There’s still time to get this right, but with every false dawn the brave talk sounds thinner.
Figure faster, Falcons. A season is in peril.
By Mark Bradley
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255 comments Add your comment
Michael Turner
October 10th, 2011
6:34 pm
The Butt shots have affected my vision and speed
Felix
October 10th, 2011
6:35 pm
They are just following in the Braves footsteps and choking their way out of the playoffs. That’s is what Atlanta’s pro teams do best.
what da what!!!!!!!!!!
October 10th, 2011
6:35 pm
Why does everything that Matt Ryan does seem so complicated, its football you are not Peyton Manning….Please run the plays that are called and practiced …..we need to get back to the basics and stop tryin to be something were not….
Jackets/Packers
October 10th, 2011
6:38 pm
@Cytbo.
I can relate.
Nothing wrong with baring your soul if u r up to it.
A girl friend happy at the wrong moments is a telling clue.
BravesFan79
October 10th, 2011
6:41 pm
What happened to Kory Beerman? Did we replace him with a over-hyped Ray Edwards?? Bring back the BeeerrrrMan!
Cybo
October 10th, 2011
6:41 pm
Just sitting here thinking about Matt Ryan’s first NFL pass. Has he thrown anything like that since? You know RAC yards. Help me bloggers
Cybo
October 10th, 2011
6:45 pm
Is it ok to run a reverse or a trick play.
Authur Blank
October 10th, 2011
6:48 pm
As soon as I deal with this divorce, I will get refocused. I really want that stadium.
bobwhite
October 10th, 2011
6:49 pm
Lame ass franchise from the top to the bottom..Rich McKay sold A.B. a bill of goods..A.B. hires a G.M. wanna be bike rider via internet video..Then they hire a wanna be head coach whom was a lifelong assistant coach..after many noteable head coach’s had turned the job down!!
All in all..when you consider the dire circumstance this franchise was in at the time..We are very fortunate to be playing ball at all..It looked like, for the longest of times, that we would not be able to find ANYBODY that wanted the job!!
So, lets be thankful that we have one Mike Smith-Thomas D.-Rich McKay-and Arthur Blank with the blank looks on their faces and with them all repeating in unison “its early yet, we still have time to turn this thing around”!! This from the mouth’s of babe’s who have had 2 W’s since December of last year, through the pre-season and the first 5 games of the current season!!!!! Give me a break!
As I look deep into my crystal ball, here’s what I see..I see Cam Newton and friends coming into town with a swagger that is completely undeniable,,I see him setting a new mark for rookie QB’s And TORCHING our weak defense to the tune of almost 500 yards!!! I see many penalties on the part of the falcons and one of the chief culprits is R.W…several others against the defense and the offense..I see coach smitty slamming his headset on the ground with the most god awful look on his face that you could possibly imagine..possibly foaming at the mouth!
Look folks..there’s no way this team is any better than 7-9 IF they are that good!! All this jabber about playoff’s and super bowl hype..well that’s all it is B/S/hype..we have collectively been sold a bill of goods!!!!
Jim 70
October 10th, 2011
6:51 pm
Tired of players celebrating after tackles/sacks/etc, only to have them miss tackles and play poorly on a majority of plays.
CANDICECANDY
October 10th, 2011
6:52 pm
OHHH WOW: YALL BANDWAGONS SURE DO JUMP FAST HUH? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE “FALCONS CANT LOSE AT HOME” BS OR RISE UP BS…LMFAO @ALL YALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CANDICECANDY
October 10th, 2011
6:53 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH……MATTYMELT DID WHAT HE DOES BEST!!!!!!!!!
WHODATNATION
October 10th, 2011
6:55 pm
U mean to tell me the FALCONS lost last night AT HOME???? Really???? As much crap as they talk???????WOW..IM SHOCKED!!!!!!!!
Ivan
October 10th, 2011
6:56 pm
Mark
Thank you for being one of the very few voices of reason on the Falcons.
LMAO@FALCANTS
October 10th, 2011
6:57 pm
Wait a minute..u mean to tell me the FALCONS LOST??? AND AT HOME???REALLY//////As much crap and the fans talk and Roddy BIGMOUTH White???? They lost for real???????
LMAO@FALCANTS
October 10th, 2011
6:59 pm
Where is #1FalconFan::: HOW’s THAT RISEUP THING WORKING FOR YOU????///Falcons are doing a great job..Keep up the good work!!!.WHODAT!!!!!!!!
LMAO@FALCANTS
October 10th, 2011
7:02 pm
Maybe yall should hire the mascot,,,Samuel L Jackson!!..LOL
Gregory Moundine
October 10th, 2011
7:02 pm
I am still a fan. I traveled 5.5 hours to attend the Falcons game. I am a season ticket holder. I served in the military 22 years, but no one, I say no one comes to your house and beat you twice.
Listen to me media, Atlanta Falcons coaches, staff and Falcons fans the only way we can feel better is by 1. making the playoffs and 2. by beating GB to advance further in the playoff or to make it further than GB in the playoff.
If you remember, in this league it takes a lot a skills and a little luck to make it to the playoffs or Super Bowl. Remember GB would not have made the playoffs if it was not for Desean Jackson running that punt return back to beat the NY Giants.
Listen I am hurt from this lost and will have to deal with a lot of GB fans tomorrow at work. This one will be a hard one to swollow, but we have to now look to the Carolina Panthers game. The Falcons, Panthers, Bucs, Eagles, Cowboys and Giants all do not have good records at this point. The Wild Card is going to be wide open. We have to forget the GB game and move on. I know it’s easier said than done, but we must prepare for Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers! Go Falcons. Keep your heads up!
Gregory Moundine
October 10th, 2011
7:08 pm
Let’s prepare for Carolina. The Wild card will be wide Open in the NFC. Go Falcons!
Titletown
October 10th, 2011
7:11 pm
Enter your comments here
garcia
October 10th, 2011
7:12 pm
Mr Bradley,
You are quick to point to the deficiencies of this franchise. Every fan sees them for themselves. We don’t need your help to state the obvious. Here is a question: Why are you not doing your job? Why do you, and rest of the AJC hacks, loft soft balls at our coaches. Atlanta is supposed to be a big city; why doesn’t our newspaper act like it?
Ask Mr Smith why Sam Baker can not protect his QB’s back side. Ask him why his QB forces passes to JJ instead of completing passes to an open HD. This is a big boy game and it needs to be covered by big boy reporters. The AJC writers seem to lack the confidence to ask the tough questions.
Stand up and grow a pair. Save the feminine snide comments and tangential comments. Get to the crux of the matter. In short, act like a journalist. Get us some answers.
Michael Turner
October 10th, 2011
7:15 pm
I reallty didnt expect to carry the ball this much
cybo
October 10th, 2011
7:17 pm
Garcia
Yes lets start the revolt
tmc
October 10th, 2011
7:19 pm
This team aint winning anything with that defense.
They are horrible.
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 10th, 2011
7:20 pm
Instead of the slogan “Rise Up”…..
it should be…..”WISE UP”
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 10th, 2011
7:22 pm
You know in all seriousness…..you could have a run first, play action, run-first, deliberate offense (ala Pittsburg or Baltimore, Baltimore at its Super Bowl days)….if and it’s a big IF, you have a dominating defense like those teams that I mentioned.
Our defense led by the porno-mustached BVG are FAAAAARRRRRR from dominant……
Delbert D.
October 10th, 2011
7:26 pm
Sam Baker is a turnstile.
Gregory Moundine
October 10th, 2011
7:28 pm
I do not know how many times I have to say it, go get T.O. Yes Julio is good but he’s not a Veteran and does not have the experience as a T.O. or a Randy Moss. The Falcons need attitude on its team.
steven A.
October 10th, 2011
7:30 pm
At the beginning of free agency I envisioned the Falcons using the wildcat formation and thought that a guy like Brad Smith would be a perfect complement to Matt Ryan(see Buffalo Bills). All can clearly see
Matt Ryan will never be a playmaker like the upper tier Quarterbacks.
steven A.
October 10th, 2011
7:32 pm
T. O. would be a horrible pick-up for his team. Randy Moss would be a better fit.
NOBODYYOUKNOW
October 10th, 2011
7:34 pm
They just ant that good yet fans.
steven A.
October 10th, 2011
7:34 pm
I stated last season that Ryan is inaccurate and needs tall receivers to lob the ball up to. Where is
Harold Carmichael when you need him?
Titletown
October 10th, 2011
7:34 pm
Having lived through a 30 year drought before the Pack even achieved respectable, I am not here to dance on Falcon fan pain. After reading all the posts about dumping Matt Ryan, I will share this tip. look at the history of Packer back up QBs and you will see a long list of starters for other teams who made the play offs I won’t bore you all with the names as my purpose is to say Mr. Blank should realized that the guy behind Aaron Rogers, Matt Flynn contract is up this year……the guy who filled in last year when Rogers had a concussion and played very well against the Patriots.
Don’t screw it up like the Bears always do and take a guy coming out of organization that knows how to deft and develop QBs
For what its worth…..I was worried as the Falcons looked great for while and played well on D….it’s just hard to contain that many weapons for 4 quarters and the D kept it close. You just need more consistent playmakers on offense
see ya all in the post season…..just maybe not this year. Sorry, I couldn’t resist
fla dawg
October 10th, 2011
7:34 pm
out of all of this mess it has become glaringly apparent that Matt Ryan is not even in the same universe with the other top tier qb’s in the league. the best qb’s get it done with or without great protection, with or without great receivers, and with or without decent running games. we have hitched our wagons to the matt ryan horse and we will be on this ride for what will seem like an eternity.
black bee
October 10th, 2011
7:36 pm
Talent not there on OL never should have let DAHL go, must look at a FA. DL just average kinda 2-3 ish then SUPER BOWL no one could take them to SUPER BOWL. At least Walker hustles. We need one more real WR to make this complete. We should have re-negiotiated JENKINS contract and kept him, he would have stayed. He was just not a 1st option WR but he was durable and with what we have at WR and Gonzalas would have put more pressure on offenses. Trades or a few FA signings right away will put us over the top. TD just has to stop being so enamored with some of his picks and get to work before it is too late!
Titletown
October 10th, 2011
7:38 pm
Oops sorry for the bad typing….just got an iPad and am not used to the virtual keyboard. Go birds…unless they are playing the Pack
Greg
October 10th, 2011
7:41 pm
I hope Blank has read all these comments, as I have just done. We’re being outplayed, out-coached, and out-managed. All of which means, ultimately, that we’re being out-ownered. The knowledgeable football fan (and there are plenty of us here in the South) is fed up with the mediocrity of the Falcons. We’re fed up with the mistakes (”we have a lot of things to fix, and we will fix them”—except they never do); we’re fed up with the missed tackles (just for one example, Dunta Robinson missing an easy tackle right in front of him); we’re fed up with the poor coverage in the secondary (Grimes excepted); we’re fed up with Ryan missing the target on passes when he’s not even under pressure, and often throwing with no touch at all on the ball; we’re fed up with Turner tip-toeing into the line instead of blasting into it; we’re fed up with our left tackle getting plowed over by most DE’s; and most of all we’re fed up with the job Dimitroff has done building this team, wasting huge amounts of money and high draft picks. We were never REALLY a 13-3 team last year (at least three games were handed to us), and lots of us knew it. Hype, hype, hype…that’s all it was. Now we’re seeing the truth.
Gregory Moundine
October 10th, 2011
7:44 pm
@steven A, T.O. will be great. He is a hard workers and players. Answer this question, how many other great receivers have T.O. had on the other side of him on a team, right None. This is why you have seen the frustration in the past on from T.O. Defensive coordinators realized this and then doubled him and then the media showed you his frustration. T.O. can’t be stopped. Roddy White on one side, T.O. on the other and Julio at slot. Pick your poison not to forget Gonzales. I do like Randy also, but it will cost a little more to get him.
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 10th, 2011
7:45 pm
thanks for the classy comments Titletown…..Packers are easy to root for …..
the Falcons would be OK…..but they’re just like my Bulldogs…..get enamored with skill player weapons. You’d think with all the money TD, MS, BVG get paid….they’d realize the game of football is still won in the trenches (OL, DL)
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 10th, 2011
7:49 pm
Before another one of you lame brained fans type “In Thomas We Trust”….think of all his misses: P. Jerry, W. Moore, Duntae, Sam Baker, Edwards(so far), Chris Owens, and dare I say it……Matt Ryan????
Blank needs to hold him accountable…..
Gregory Moundine
October 10th, 2011
7:50 pm
This has to stop or has to be used at times. The Falcons are not a college team. We are one of few teams that come to the line after the huddle and then hesitate prior to calling the play.
Take Georgia Bulldogs, they come to line, entire team look to side lines and then play is called. It’s ok I feel to do it when you are trying to run time off the clock, but that and hurry up does not mix unless you have a big lead.
JimmyB
October 10th, 2011
7:53 pm
As a GB fan, and not to throw salt in the wound as no one gets more disturbed when the Packers lose than me, the GB defense, whist being up to this point abysmal, is a work in progress, and their play in the second half was an indication that they are indeed improving. Dom Capers had this defense playing at a high level once they got similiar problems sorted in the beginning of last season.
I do think the Falcons are a good team, and I am sure they will get righted and be there in the playoffs. Best of luck to your team.
steven A.
October 10th, 2011
7:55 pm
It’s all about the Quarterback. He is just not an elite football player. However, he did receive elite
“money” because of where he was drafted. Matt Ryan should thank Michael Vick for his huge
contract and the Atlanta Falcons organization reaching for him with the 3rd overall pick. Joe Flacco
out performed him at the combine and went 13 picks later….
steven A.
October 10th, 2011
7:59 pm
Enter your comments here
Duck
October 10th, 2011
8:00 pm
Did Matt Ryan really slide for 9 yards?
steven A.
October 10th, 2011
8:02 pm
Sorry about that last post, finger slipped. Arthur Blank only wants high character guys(mistake)
That is why he passed on Moss several years ago. That is also why they passed on Dez Bryant
in favor of Sean Weatherspoon.
Eric
October 10th, 2011
8:08 pm
After 40+ years does this really surprise any of you Falcons fans? I’ve been in love with these lovable losers since I was 7 years old and they have never failed to let me down; this year is no different. In my mind the streak of never having back-to-back winning seasons is still intact. Sure we went 9-7 in 2009 but nobody could exactly call that season a good one. Every time this team has EVER had a good year they follow it up with a crap one and Mike Smith’s club is no exception. We will almost certainly miss the playoffs this year if, for no other reason, than that this is the most cursed football team in existence.
moboman
October 10th, 2011
8:09 pm
Nothing wrong with Turner that a loss of 15 pounds wouldnt fix. He has turned into a LARD Butt. No burst. Gotta believe that at 235 he might be able to accelerate some. He aint carrying 250 too well.
Titletown
October 10th, 2011
8:14 pm
Steve character guys are mutually exclusive to great play. I have two words that prove that concept wrong. Reggie White!
When O linemen used to curse at Reggie to upset his sensabilities he would come back the next down an just be fire the snap say “here comes Jesus” and the result was usually a 300 plus pound smart mouth being rag dolled and a QB sack. So, back actors and team poison personalities are not the solution
Delbert D.
October 10th, 2011
8:18 pm
“That interception was sort of my fault,” Vick said.
Incredible.