The story of the Falcons’ season: One Giant step backward
Julio Jones was supposed to make a difference. He made none Sunday. (AP photo)
East Rutherford, N.J. – In April they traded five draft picks to grab one wide receiver because they felt they needed to be more “explosive” to reach the Super Bowl. On Sunday the Atlanta Falcons saw that grand design blow up in their corporate face.
Their sleek offense ran into the NFL’s 27th-ranked defense and managed nary a point. Think about that. In a league where nobody can stop anybody, the Falcons’ offense was outscored by its own defense.
A year ago it was possible to write off the Green Bay loss as a case of the No. 1 seed being undone by a hot quarterback. These Falcons lost to a 9-7 opponent that didn’t do much itself until it was clear the visiting team could do nothing.
Said Mike Smith, 0-3 as a playoff coach: “I don’t know that there’s anything you can take from this game and say, ‘Gosh, they did this well.’ ”
How does that happen? How does a team with Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and the almost-as-good-as-advertised rookie Julio Jones play a postseason game to so little effect? In his first two playoff losses, it was possible to cite Ryan’s turnovers as the determinant. He made no turnovers this day … and his team lost by 22 points.
It was hard to tell what sort of game Ryan had. The Falcons’ offense wobbled so violently that the quarterback, who the in NFL is supposed to be a difference-maker, made no difference. The Falcons’ longest gain from scrimmage was 21 yards. They managed 247 yards. They failed twice on fourth-and-inches — should have gone for it the first time, shouldn’t have the second — and breached the New York 20 only in the game’s final two minutes.
We ask again: In a league that hinges on quarterback play, how was Ryan marginalized? Smith tried to say that his line couldn’t protect long enough for Ryan to throw any deeper, but he was sacked only twice — once on the Falcons’ final snap. In a game that demanded bold measures, the meek Falcons undid themselves.
Perhaps you see it otherwise. Perhaps you believe this game is proof that Smith is an affable dunce and Ryan an untalented plod who will never win a big game. I don’t believe either is true, but it’s hard to mount a passionate rebuttal after this one. The Falcons were so unassuming — they couldn’t even bring themselves to call timeout near the end of the first half — they made you wonder why they bothered to come.
“We did not play consistent football,” said Smith, speaking of the season, but he had it backward. The 2011 Falcons were very consistent: They beat teams of lesser talent but wilted against those of comparable resources. They were, in a sum, a bully. And when the playoffs commence there are no 90-pound weaklings.
Said Arthur Blank, the owner who hasn’t celebrated a playoff victory since January 2005: “I don’t think we took a step back [this season]. Obviously 0-3 in the playoffs [under this regime] is not where anybody wants to be.”
Then this: “It was disappointing not scoring any points … They made a couple of explosive plays.”
Those were the plays the Julio-boosted Falcons were supposed to make this time. None were forthcoming. Nobody made any plays. Nobody, at least on offense, did anything. When that happens yet again on the big stage, we must ask if the failure goes beyond the guys wearing the helmets.
Asked if he was confident in his franchise’s leadership, Blank said: “I think we have the right people in position because they’ll challenge themselves and ask the right questions. We’ve got to do a thorough diagnostic on why we didn’t perform to our capability. The beauty of Thomas [Dimitroff, the general manager] and Smitty is that they’ll ask the right questions. Where that takes us, I can’t tell you.”
Said Dimitroff: “Anytime you’re unable to get first downs when it’s less than a yard, you’re disappointed.”
Contrary to popular belief, not every team loses because of its offensive coordinator. (Or defensive coordinator, depending on the setting.) It is clear, however, that Mike Mularkey isn’t the man to maximize this personnel in the video arcade of neo-football. There’s a chance he’ll be hired away as someone else’s head coach. If he isn’t, it’s time for the Falcons to try somebody new.
For three years under Smith/Dimitroff the Falcons made clear and consistent progress: From the stunning playoff appearance of 2008 to the strong finish of 2009 to the 13-3 of 2010. There was no ground gained this season. There was only a glaring case of diminishing returns.
Even the man who works hard never to say anything spicy conceded the point. Asked if the Falcons had taken a step backward, Matt Ryan said: “We certainly didn’t take a step forward.”
By Mark Bradley
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1,923 comments Add your comment
Black Dog
January 8th, 2012
7:08 pm
can you imagine being Blank and spent all this money for 2 points……in a playoff game…..what do you do with the Ryan contract in a couple of years…..
stendek
January 8th, 2012
7:08 pm
Tim Tebow is making Matthew Ryan look like a third string QB on Class A football team! Man. Tebow is carrying his team to victory. Hopefully…
M&M
January 8th, 2012
7:08 pm
CGD..
January 8th, 2012
7:00 pm
Mr Blank shooting Blanks!
Back to the drawing board, Grandad?
Probably why his wife left him !
newkid
January 8th, 2012
7:08 pm
To lead a team to the big dance in today’s nfl it seems the qb has to have at three of the following four characteristics: smart & decisive; close to pinpoint accuracy; be able to make throws that stretch the field; and be capable of extending plays by moving around inside or outside of the pocket. Our qb has perhaps one (or maybe 3/4 of one). Another year – or five – of additional experience will not result in him collecting two more of those attributes. He is who he is; a throw back type quarterback who’s better suited for the nfl of the ’70s and ’80s. With a stout defense and a few playmakers on offense he’ll get you to the tournament 2 out of 4 years, but it’s not advisable to expect him to ever get you invited to the big stage for the trophy ceremony.
jack bull
January 8th, 2012
7:08 pm
plain bad officiating in the NFL playoffs, just terrible.
dawg tired
January 8th, 2012
7:09 pm
T.J Yates just won his first playoff game and Tebow probably will too before the night is over.
Trading 5 picks for Julio is like Ditka trading all of those picks years ago for Ricky Williams. Too much for too little.
Sid
January 8th, 2012
7:09 pm
if he refuses to make any changes then Arthur Blank really is not much better than the Smiths were. This franchise is just a miserable mess.
phil
January 8th, 2012
7:09 pm
Tebow with a good throw..
KBB
January 8th, 2012
7:10 pm
@ Katherine
Stop trolling, and who let you out the kitchen?
sheezy
January 8th, 2012
7:10 pm
Billy you are correct, both coordinators must go, Mike Smith can’t lead them any further, everybody has to go.
cornell sims
January 8th, 2012
7:10 pm
DAMN I HOPE HE GETS HIRED FOR A HEAD COACHING JOB BECAUSE I AM AT THAT POINT WHERE I AM READY TO GIVE UP AS A FALCON FAN AS LONG AS WE HAVE THE COORDINATORS THAT WE HAVE. ITS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE PLAYERS BUT ABOUT WHAT YOUR COACHES CAN GET OUT OF YOUR PLAYERS AND HOW THEY CAN GET THEM TO PERFORM. Fire Mike Murlarkey
realitycheck
January 8th, 2012
7:10 pm
And to he!! with all this “too much talent” trash………..what talent?……where?……..the wr’s have some talent but where were they today? This team has more holes than what a Packer cheesehead wears on his head!
trendy
January 8th, 2012
7:10 pm
Everyone likes Smith. Problem is Smith and the staff are too stubborn or blind to realize Turner is a very good back with a below average first step and Ryan is anything but the most athletic QB- stop going for 4th down with these two-
Black Dog
January 8th, 2012
7:10 pm
I like comments by KBP….very interesting…..on OC’s
katherine
January 8th, 2012
7:11 pm
phil
January 8th, 2012
7:08 pm
katherine
January 8th, 2012
7:00 pm
stendeck..im sorry you are old and negative and grumpy and live to make other people as miserable as you are….there is always hope just fyi
*******
Why the need to antagonize upset fans?
You obviously don’t see this flaw in yourself.
again…please do not talk to me…and I AM an upset fan myself….why do you continue to try and talk to me? I dont like you and would appreciate it if you would mind your own business.
ohhhhYEAH
January 8th, 2012
7:11 pm
Typical morons who don’t understand how this game isn’t on Ryan. He didn’t call the plays. Mularkey literally took the game out of Ryan’s hands with that atrocity he called a “game plan”. But feel free to keep pointing fingers at the wrong person idiots
jack bull
January 8th, 2012
7:11 pm
i actually went out to a bar to watch the game this afternoon with my gf, and other than getting her trashed, that was a real waste of money…
phil
January 8th, 2012
7:11 pm
Sid – it’s not THAT bad….
Trust me.
tmc
January 8th, 2012
7:11 pm
Today: O line play was not that bad. (it wasn’t great, don’t get me wrong)
QB play: was very poor. (happy feet, hesitation and not even throwing is some cases)
RB play: Turner- horrible. Snelling/Quiz- not bad.
Receiver play: White- Bad. Julio/Gonzalez- not really given a chance.
Offensive Play calling: horrendous.
Offensive coaching and adjustments: non existent.
Defensive play: 1st half excellent. 2nd half- they knew they were toast.
Defensive play calling: good.
Season Grade: C-
(how is this season not a step backwards?)
cornell sims
January 8th, 2012
7:12 pm
Every game this year when we have face a very good and highly rated team. Our offense has struggled big time to produce anything offensively. FIRE MIKE MURLARKEY…….FIRE MIKE MURLARKEY……FIRE MIKE MURLARKEY
Larry
January 8th, 2012
7:12 pm
Eight years ago I watched Dubta Robinson play High School ball and said at the time that I thought he was a real good high school player. I haven’t changed my mind, he still is. The only thing he did right this year is point when there is a penalty. He gets lost in coverage and will not attempt to tackle. The Falcons have so much invested in him, I guess they fill they have no choice. Maybe they can trade him to someone who doesn’t watch his film.
mike otten
January 8th, 2012
7:12 pm
I should have known something was up today when I went to the gym and it was full.
After all these years of ho-hum football and a teensy bit of excitement now and then, the fact is I, for one, don’t believe the Falcons will ever be anything more than they are… a ho-hum team with a teensy bit of exictement now and then. The Falcons are simply an unnecessarily very dull team. Matt Ryan is not the QB he’s paid to be. Smith is too often, too full of “disappointment” after too many lost games, and poor Mr. Blank is left paying the bills. Mark Bradley’s article is right-on. Can we trade Ryan for Vick?
BadDawg
January 8th, 2012
7:12 pm
Was Bobo calling the plays? I thought I was watching a UGA rerun
jack bull
January 8th, 2012
7:12 pm
you tell em, kat…lol.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
7:12 pm
all im saying is this..dont give up on matt ryan…in bree’s third season he was replace by flutie because he was so bad…..you never know what can happen
What a laugh
January 8th, 2012
7:12 pm
Any team that wastes so much for a wide receiver, especially when they have so many needs on defense, deserves to lose. A wide receiver never wins games. They only touch the ball 8 or 9 times a game. Looking for a big play guy on offense. Funny.
Southern Boy
January 8th, 2012
7:13 pm
Matt Ryan is just an average QB, so all we’ll ever have is an average team with him as our QB. Michael Turner is “done”.
fatz
January 8th, 2012
7:13 pm
what is most discouraging is the wimpy comments from Arthur Blank. Why can’t he have some spittle on his lips- be mad- say “i ought to fire everybody including myself- i’m too upset to talk and need time to sort it out”… something that would say he’s got some passion and won’t tolerate the typical mediocrity of 80% of the NFL franchises. something that says he gives a damn about performance. The NFL is all about money- and when you get a billionaire who probably is still learning about football as an owner- he is going to get snookered -mainly by his own ego.
phil
January 8th, 2012
7:13 pm
Good question.
Request granted.
stan
January 8th, 2012
7:13 pm
SAD STATE WHEN YOUR BEST PLAYER ON DEFENSE IS A 5″8 CORNER THAT DID NOT PLAY
Dawg79
January 8th, 2012
7:14 pm
Did the Bulldogs put on Falcon unis and play? Did you hear the post game? Smitty sounded like CMR, “well, we didn’t play well” and was Ryan really Arron Murray? “We didn’t have a good game, there is next year to look forward to’. WHERE IS THE ANGER AND PASSION?
Bag Man
January 8th, 2012
7:14 pm
There will be empty seats in the house if fan pain next season, our coaching staff is so behind the times. I am so tired of hearing Smith and whimpy Ryan make excuses. and TD talking about exposive plays, we can not get the ball down field. To watch the Good QBs throw the ball down field it is so aweet. but we are stuck with Matty dice. In the words of Coach Smith we have to go back and assess the team. Well as a fan, I do not make millions, it would be nice Coach Smith to understand that the Fans are greatly disappointed and DEMAND
CHANGE, Arthur MAKE CHANGES OR SELL THE TEAM, YOU WILL NOTICE A DECLINE IN NEXT YEARS SEASON TICKETS
Greg
January 8th, 2012
7:15 pm
Bradley , you have this enormous blind spot: “How does a team with Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and the almost-as-good-as-advertised rookie Julio Jones…” These are not extraordinarily talented NFL players. Gonzales isn’t even, right now, the 10th best TE in the NFL. Ryan is right in the middle of NFL QBs (i.e., dead average, and don’t throw stats at me…look at who we played this year). Turner is a good NFL RB, a bit better than average, but that’s it. Ditto Roddy. Why do some people think these guys are terrific players? Terrific players make plays against very good players. These guys don’t. There’s simply too much to fix in the Falcons for them to be much better next year. TG is getting slower and slower. Ditto Turner. Ryan will never be a very good NFL QB without a very stout O-line, and that would mean replacing the entire line (not gonna happen). Only Jones will eventually be an excellent player. And you can’t run a winning operation on the back of a single WR. Our defense plays with great energy. But talent-wise they are a bit below-NFL average. Next year, even a worse record (because a tougher schedule).
Reality
January 8th, 2012
7:15 pm
While the Falcons still have some players who can play, it’s time to get rid of Smith & the coaching staff and bring in a new team.
Find someone who can COACH. We don’t need a team manager (Smith).
Smith is a good man. But he’s taken the team as far as he can.
Bellefay1
January 8th, 2012
7:15 pm
I feel fine with the team to be honest. Crappy loss.
Props to Chris Owens for breaking up a pass and breaking up a td while draped all over a guy while not getting a call against him. Quite an improvement over last year.
I already sent in a deposit for next years season tickets and can’t wait to see what we do with out limited draft.
jack bull
January 8th, 2012
7:15 pm
still say Fox should’ve challenged the lateral as a fumble by the QB…
BirdDawg24
January 8th, 2012
7:15 pm
eeewwwww , whats that smell..? ooohh its the falcons stinking up the joint…..at this point disapointment is an understatement
Seattle Falcons Fan
January 8th, 2012
7:16 pm
Falcons need-
Fire MM (too predictable)
Fire BVG (soft zone sucks!)
Draft RB in 2nd
Sign big OL
Draft OL in 3rd
Sign LB, DE (or resign Abe), CB, and Safety
Draft DT in the 5th
chopattack
January 8th, 2012
7:16 pm
If the Panthers play better on defense next season they’ll pass the Falcons. The Panthers offense is already better.
hitithard09
January 8th, 2012
7:16 pm
Its always nice to have the refs in your hip pocket, but look lets be honest. The 2011 Atlanta Falcons did not belong in the playoffs. The only reason they had a winning record playing the way they did was the pitiful teams that they were able to beat. Please Mr. Blank clean house with this coaching staff, and many of these overpaid underperforming “superstar” players. Many of our starters could not play for other teams. Its sad but true. And this wimpy wussified dink-n-dunk offense is sickening.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
7:17 pm
Bellefay1
January 8th, 2012
7:15 pm
I feel fine with the team to be honest. Crappy loss.
Props to Chris Owens for breaking up a pass and breaking up a td while draped all over a guy while not getting a call against him. Quite an improvement over last year.
I already sent in a deposit for next years season tickets and can’t wait to see what we do with out limited draft.
I sure wish I could go to more falcons games!
Freddie Falcon
January 8th, 2012
7:17 pm
The loss can be blamed on four individuals – Smith, Mularkey, Ryan and White. Dimitroff has provided the talent. We have more talent than almost all teams especially the Giants. Dimitroff have the balls and do your job and bring in a head coach and OC that can coach up the talent we have. Also have them practice over and over 4th and one situations as well as deep passes that are thrown over 30 yards to his receivers. Tell Ryan to stop viewing 20 hours a day of video and practice what is important in game situations like the two mentioned above. Stop the execuses Smith and it is no longer a process and you haven’t corrected the major mistakes that are made on a continuous basis by you and your OC.
DEPOT
January 8th, 2012
7:17 pm
Your Falcons scored 0 pts guys.This team is not tougher enough and your QB is not a leader….
Nobis
January 8th, 2012
7:18 pm
SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS. The FANS of Atlanta that don’t exist according to ESPN are feeling PAIN right now.
FGG
January 8th, 2012
7:18 pm
Refs will want pitt to win it’s disgusting. First the bs can’t review an obvious lateral. I’ve seen that play reviewed before. Then the pass interference? How is it pass int when the ball isn’t even thrown to you. If anything it’s holding and should have been from the spot the ball was at. This game makes me disgusted how it’s obvious the refs are trying to allow one team to win.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
7:18 pm
thanks depot…….did you come up with that all by yourself?
RJ
January 8th, 2012
7:18 pm
Dirtbags don’t win playoff games! LOL….There was sure was a lot of chirping from ATL fans all week, especially on the local radio. Giants are overrated blah blah blah..loser Falcons got crushed. Giants are in town next year..can’t wait to watch the Giants crush the Falcons in person
Reality
January 8th, 2012
7:18 pm
Everyone who wants to get rid of the coaching staff, say yes.
jack bull
January 8th, 2012
7:19 pm
today’s loss was a complete embarrassment, to say the least…but, as a lifelong Falcons Fan, at i’d rather be there in the playoffs than eliminated by week 6 of the season, like the old days.
katherine
January 8th, 2012
7:19 pm
us “lame” fans dont count…remember lol