Those lucky Falcons: Mike Mularkey goes to Jacksonville

1st? Anyway, bring back Bill Musgrave

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first………………. YES!!!!!!!

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Couldn’t agree more, I thought for sure that hanging zero offensive points on the Giants would dissuade anyone from hiring him…

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L’ville slugger,
I think JAX new owner was impressed with teh 40-burger we put on them on TNF. That said, if Mularkey is the QB developer that folks thinks he is, they already have the running game w/pocket Hercules.

Now we get to see TD and Smitty work some Management of Change for Personnel magic in picking reconstituted offensive and defensive staffs (depending on who stays/goes)

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Mark, I agree this is great timing. I’m still bitter over the NYG loss. I don’t understand how the Mora/Vick Falcons were able to win a playoff game…this group seems more stable and talented top to bottom. Finally, if we don’t get a playoff win next season, is Smitty done?

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I’d love Spagnuolo too but he’s going to Philly.

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Three easy steps:

1.Hue Jackson for offense.

2.Steve Spagnuolo for defense.

3.Start planning the parade.

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[...] hire Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey as franchise's 3rd …Washington PostThose lucky Falcons: Mike Mularkey goes to JacksonvilleAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)North County Timesall 470 news [...]

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Ok good! But who’s bringing in these players? Hence Decoud,D.Robinson,R.Edwards,pratice squad O-lineman,Owens,K.Beirman,Peirea or whatever his name is,Adkins, and Im sorry but the whole Brent Grimes is funny to me,he wouldn’t be my “STARTING CORNER”. Who else this Meir kid are you kidding me! To many jags on this team! “JAG”,JUST ANOTHER GUY! Im out!

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Maybe a change of scenary: New stadium with a retractable roof, open for most games. Georgia fans like their football outside. Maybe a new venue with this team is the part that’s missing.

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Bring back Greg Knapp!

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I wont Let Thomas D, Mike Smith nor Rich Mckay. Make any more Decisions I will personnally hire an OC and DC . IM looking at Bill Parchells as OC and Mike Singletary as DC.

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Jackson as OC + Spags as DC = Parade in GA.

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Please stop saying that the main problem with this team is the offense. Name 3 games in the last 4 years that the defense won. That being said, I want to see an OC who will use all the tools in the toolbox, be imaginative, and truly ATTACK the defenders at their weak points.

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The Falcons definitely need some changes on personnel too, but I do think coaching has been a factor in their failure to get the most out of the talent they already have on the roster. Look at Chris Houston, the good prospect CB who was run out of Atlanta as a bust, got picked up by the Lions and is thriving in their defense, with five picks this season.

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Might be a trade off,Falcons get Del RIo for DC.

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Samuel,

Hugh Jackson was just mentioned on the radio (790) too. I think he is worth looking into, because he has had success as a WR coach, I think he worked with Joe Flacco his rookie year (Flacco has since regressed imo), and his Raiders team was top 10 in offense.

Plus he did work for the Falcons, so there is some familiartiy there.

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Bill Parcells?!!! Who would want that jerk?

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It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

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@ Kane337 —-

You should be STONED to death for that suggestion….(LOL)

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Only two days past the latest debacle and already two steps in the right direction. TD / MS get to save face for not having to fire anyone. Please use the “exhaustive” search process to bring in an OC who will use the players talents and a DC who will be aggressive.

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I said all that to say,that these so called scouts apparently can’t evalute players.

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Christmas in January, how wonderful, NOW if the whole defensive team would disappear, then being a Falcon fan would be GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!

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Whoever comes in will have talent to work with at skill positions … but maybe lacking (compared to other playoff teams) on the OL and DL. Our youth on both lines seemed to follow the DET model (mixing in an NBA analogy) as far as solid (inexpensive) players who aren’t superstars. Our developmental DEs (Beirmann, Sidbury, C. Matthews) haven’t developed and Abe is holding it down by his lonesome.
Our OL, with exception of holdovers prior to TD and the ‘Sam Baker’ experiment, have been mid-round developmental guys who brush off the DLs on bad teams but get exposed vs. elite competition. We HAVE to have them develop or we will be regressing.
We don’t have the draft picks in 2012 to acquire any elite upgrades at positions of need so if we make the playoffs with next years schedule (NFC East, rising CAR, and on-top NO), pencil me in for voting TD and Smitty as Exec/Coach of the Year candidates.

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What has Hue Jackson done that gives anyone reason to think he’d be successful here? He is an unapolgetic Al Davis acolyte who traded their draft away for a player (Carson Palmer) that they didn’t know how to use.
If I was going after any coach in the Raider’s organization it would be Darren Perry their Secondary Coach. He has a knack for coaching up agressive secondary players. Still rolling dice on him as a DC.
I can appreciate going after an established OC (or former HC)with a reputation for being full-throttle and agressive. I was really hoping that San Diego was going to dump Norv Turner. Wouldn’t want him for HC, but he would be a great OC.

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Todd Haley would be a nice pick for OC.

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hip-hop hooray!

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Hope Falcons hire Mike Bobo from Georgia. Then the Dawgs will have a better chance making it to the BCS Championship than the Falcons do making it to the Super Bowl.

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I do wonder how different MM’s offensive play calling would have been if we had a great line and didn’t need to be in max protect all the time.

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Lol,@FRONTMAN No need for name calling,cause we both know you would’t talk to me face to face like that. My point is he’s an liabilty, cant run support gets pushed around alot. The only reason he made the”PRO BOWL” was because he was the “MOST” targeted corner in the league that year,so sooner or later he’d get a bad pass thrown his way! Hliarious

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Falcons haven’t made any changes…..The NFL/College football marketplace is dictating to the Falcons. Both MM and BVG left for other opportunities. I feel like i’m in a car going downhill with no brakes.

And if we don’t start interviewing candidates we will be picking from the trash heap to find a OC & DC.

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Just say no to Mike Martz.

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With the exception of Gregg Knapp, I believe any West Coast Offensive Scheme would benefit Ryan very well…. I really was hoping that Norv Turner would have been available…but than he was signed back to the Chargers… (sigh…) I have officially jumped on the Mike Martz bandwagon, I don’t believe he is a true west coast offensive style coordinator but he might be as close as there is (off the top of my head) at the moment. Defensively, I kind of like Raheem Morris, he is a young, energetic coach who will bring some fire and confidence to that horrid (at times) Defense.

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I would make New Orleans an offer for Sean Payton they couldn’t refuse.

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Give us Barrabbas!

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I wouldn’t hire anyone with past ties to MS or the Falcons.

AB / TD needs to “mentor” MS into breaking the conservative mold he’s cursed with having.

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Where’s Ralph Friedgen these days? He’s ran a pretty creative offense when he was at Tech.

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Spagnuolo most likely to the Eagles.With that said Del Rio,Singletary should take a look at too.
Mike Nolan could be a canidate for dc as well.Herd Miami wants to try to keep him.

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…whoda thunk that the Falcons, with our offense, would be shut down by Texa AND the NY Football Giants, while an offense coached by Greg Knapp, using a 3rd string qwuarterback no less, would win their first round playoff game…whoever said life is not fair was absolutely correct…

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Mike Nolan should be a canidate for DC too.

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GREAT! He can take his lot of Mularkley offense with him. We need someone with a playbook that has more than two pages.

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The brothers are clamering for Hugh Jackson to be the OC.

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ever notice how thw anti-Ryan pro-Vick guys on these blogs seem to almost always use all CAPS?

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Please stop suggesting these “good ole boy” retreads. There are plenty minority coaches that are capable of holding down these positions. And don’t give me the “experience” BS…you only get experience with a chance. Mel Tucker, Raheeem Morris, Mike Singletary, Darren Perry.

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Happy Days are here again, the 1st down run up the middle and the 2 yard dump pass on 3 and 8 are gone. No more 2 blitz per game D. Thank the football Gods!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

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Yep. Lucky opportunity to upgrade on both sides of the ball.

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Da govment should force the white man to hire minorities. Reparations! They had they foots on our neck fo 200 years.

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Think outside the box, look at some of the young and aggressive co-ordinators for the offensive and defensive positions, Mike has allowed the good old boys club exist for to long, now is our chance for a change.

Look at John Shoop @UNC, he developed Yates with the Texans and has prior NFL expierence at a younger age with the Bears.

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I see a day when all black chirrens can have free season tickets, free hotdogs, and free cherry koolaid. A free bus ride to the games, a ride home, and a all black coachin staff.

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Kappa101, you have got to be kidding and whomever suggested Hugh Jackson is just as bad with their thought process.

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I feel we should put Ryan in a West Coast offense, when we had that office under Mora we had an awesome office, number 1 in rushing. the only difference is that we have a true Quarterback in Ryan instead of a running Vick. The west coast offense is a very explosive offense and will help the Falcons. I suggest we keep turner, include rodgers more, and maybe if possible reach for Lamichael James. Zone blocking is way better then the power pulling guard because linebackers can read power better then zone. I suggest any west coast OC like a Greg Knapp or a Marty Morningwhig if possible. On defense we should look at a DC with a complete defensive background, there is nothing wrong with linebackers, but we must find a way to fix our secondary. we need physical corners. we need someone who has a complete background with developing DEs. I have some faith in MS and TD.

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Winston Moss (Green Bay Asst Head Coach)

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Even if DelRio would be willing to work for Smitty, I wouldn’t want him. He got fired in Jax not only because the team was bad, but the word was that he was either burned out or had otherwise become disinterested. Essentially, he had quit on the team. Mel Tucker? not so sure about that one either, didn’t we put up 41 on his defense?

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AlanFalcon did you say Kirby Smart….Really? He has won at Alabama…this is the NFL dude…no time for the college experiment.

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Rick Neuheisel? Why? Look at his records. Look at how he likes to coach.

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Martz? Please NO,NO!!! Not an upgrade at all with this.

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Given the lack of talent on the defensive and offensive sides of the ball, I think the Falcons should go cheap an hire Mike Bobo as OC and Willie Martinez as DC. Our position in the 2013 draft would quickly improve.

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Why not Brian Billick?

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TD has no clue.

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this minority card stuff! If you can do the job,hire the man.But don’t force nothing on me.Cause then,when I have to fire you it just all plays out again. Learn how to do things or shut up!

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I am glad to see both coordinators go.

Now let’s see if Smith/Dimitroff have the stones to really things, or is Smith still going to hamstring the defense and want a conservative, run-first, style OC.

And TD better get some decent replacements for the oline, or a coach that can fix it, or he and Smith are going to eventually go down with this ship.

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Continued New Excuses for why Matt Ryan cant win a playoff game:

4. ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

3. its Joe johnsons fault

2. ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

1. This stuff wasnt on all of the game film i watched in the off-season

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I saw the hurry up offense mostly in the game, which means QB (whoever) doesn’t have time to make the best play decisions before and during the play. And how do you give the QB (whoever) more time?

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rduck

January 11th, 2012
8:15 am

ever notice how thw anti-Ryan pro-Vick guys on these blogs seem to almost always use all CAPS

____________________________________________

How does that change your qb 0-3 in the playoffs and a SHUT OUT?

HA HA HA

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Foosball so VG and MM were the best? I said consider/hire a minority. What’s wrong with a minority…it is 2012 right?

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I think you guys actually like losing, as long as you have your guy.

You guys deserve CHOKE

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Everyone is cheering that Mularkey is leaving.

Why? At the end of the 1st half of the Giants game…when Matt Ryan was running and mysteriously just fell down like a sniper hit him in the leg (with no defender around him) was that on Mularkey????

I suspect the cloak will be pulled off of Matt Ryan and all will really see what has been obvious to many bloggers – - – that get ridiculed on here as Vick lovers..etc.

Matt has been hyped up for the sole purpose of trying to bury the demand for M.Vick’s…excitement. Vick may not have been a great QB but he put his heart into it….and like Tebow….fans connect with that effort.

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sickof…you should be sick of these same “good ole boy” coaches being hired and not doing jack! maybe you should shut up and LEARN something diffferent…obviously this hasnt gotten us a SB.

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Pat Yasinskas from over at ESPN is reporting that the Falcons may simply promote QB coach Bob Bratkowski to the OC job since he has been an OC before and was hired as a back up last offseason when MM was being interviewed for HC positions.

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Amen, brother.

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@Josh.. Turner is making hisself obselete running like TJ Duckett.. We shud definitely hire someone who has not been here before, no repeats.. But we need to pull the trigger fast. They shud be interviewing already!!!

@Mark Bradley (MBeezie), anybody on the “radar” for interviews yet?????

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All Falcons Fans –

Just ignore ANYTHING “CHOKE” has to say. Just don’t read it. Skip by it and keep it moving. Sooner or later, he and his statements will be come irrelevant to you. YOU are the ones that make him relevant to Falcons discussion. The more you respond to his non-sense, the more ignorant and stupid he becomes.

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Win One Soon is waiting in the wings. No question about it. The Falcons will be 16-0 next fall. The juggernaut of the NFL. On paper that is. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they have to play the games.

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Gbal – Vick didn’t put his heart into it off of the field – his preparation sucked.

But on the field he played with his heart out there…. There are guys that can just play and never were any good at preparation or didn’t know how…because they never had to due to god-given talent….I think Vick falls into that category.

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@Falcons4Never

0-3 in the playoffs and shut out

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No Hue Jackson please. Just reminds me of Petrino the punk too much.

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It’s about time!!! With all that talent not to score a point is a bunch of “Malarkey”

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They need to develop an offense that gives Matt time at the line to read the defense, maybe even stay in the no huddle primarily and get the ball out of his hand quickly.

We have reached a point where we are going to have to throw in order to do what they really want to do run.

Short quick passes across the middle have been very effective for this team, not sure why Mularkey bascally ran the Danny Ford (strait through the middle of the line) Clemson offense so much of the year.

It’s bad when you can think of only about 3 plays that were creative or inventive and worked.

The Quizz TD against Carolina was one of the best play calls all year, don’t know why it was such a struggle for them to break out of the 3 yards and a cloud of dust mold. It’s not 1985 anymore.

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It due time all realize that Matt Ryan is a coach killer. I guarantee the Jags offense will throw the ball down the field more than ATL.

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NOW IT’S SURE FIRE SUPER BOWL WIN. IT’S NEVER THE PLAYERS, ALWAYS THE COACHES…

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Falcons need to call Mike Nolan for the DC job

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Mark:

Hue Jackson from the Raiders. He has passion, and look what he did to that franchise in his time there.

Let’s bring him in!

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It’s all about selling tickets anyway…

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24-2

45-17

47-21

Those are not lottery numbers……………..

HA HA HA

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Thank goodness, how lucky can you get. Now go out and hire a first rate, proven OC, QB coach, & DC.Take your time, be deliberate, and get it right.

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I’m heard Theisman on the radio this morning and he said only difference between Matt Ryan and Drew Brees is Jimmy Graham. Are you kidding me? He also said that Atlanta fans should be patient and look at how far the team has come. This is where outsiders just don’t get the frustration of an Atlanta sports fan. Besides the Braves in 1995, we’ve experienced 45 years of disappointments, disasters, epic collapses, primetime meltdowns, bad owners, teams leaving town, etc………. When Blank bought the Falcons, he had to lure fans back through low prices and commitment to winning a Super Bowl. 9 years later we have a better team but nowhere in the realm of what Blank promised. If anything, fans see the team heading more in the direction of years past versus getting closer to the Super Bowl. In addition, it’s a tough economy and a day at the Ga Dome doesn’t come cheap. If this was Buffalo, the recent progress made by the team would garner some attention. In Atlanta, we need to see a realistic road to the Super Bowl before we’ll get on board again. This is the only way to repair the damage done over the last 45 years.

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Stinky Wintes

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Dominic Hughes

You’re right about Houston and the 5 picks, but he’s still getting beat like he did in Atlanta. He just has a better d-line in front of him to help him. Trust me, I live in Detroit, I see the games.

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Questions maybe Mark could address:

1. Wasn’t Bratkowski brought in here in case Mularkey got hired? Why wouldn’t it be him? Mind you, if it actually is Bratkowski then my initial response is “meh.”

2. Wouldn’t it be possible to use one coordinator position to leverage the other in order to get two great ones? That is, maybe an out of work DC out there is interviewing for the Falcons, but is mulling over other opportunities. Wouldn’t Smitty want to be able to say “The reason you want to coach here is that we are about to sign [insert name of S*** Hot OC], so you know we’ll be able to control the ball, put up points, generally make your job easier, etc?” It would also work the other way (e.g. “This DC we just hired is going to be able to get off the field on 3rd down and keep the score down.”).

3. Is this the time to go to 3 – 4 defense? Lots of free agents are up, but only 5 draft picks. But then again, there are lots of names out there that coach the 3 – 4. Will Smitty and TD limit themselves to only the 4 – 3 or is this a good time to retool to meet the challenges of Brees, Newton & Freeman?

4. Why Mike Martz? Wouldn’t he just get Ryan killed the way he got Cutler killed behind the O Line?

Interested in answers to that stuff, of course. Thanks for the job you do, Mark!

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We need a better oline. I don’t care what OC you bring in this Oline is not consistent enough. Yes they don’t give up a lot of sacks but they give up hurries and hits. If it wasn’t for Ryan throwing the ball away or the quick passes there would’ve been more sacks.

Our Dline doesn’t get enough pressure consistently. You could bring in Gregg Williams and we still wouldn’t be good because our Dline is not consistent enough. We need more bulk on both lines.

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Al Grogh

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But I will say one good thing for Neuheisel. He’s bad; but he better than Bratkowski!!!

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TD & Smith knew this for a few weeks…They know who they want and may have to get permission to talk to them. Just a matter of time.

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FILA: You will have to do your own research as Bradley rarely actually does any real work—just taps out a blog or two.

Theoretically, every NFL and/or major college OC is available and, on one level, you want to consider those at the helm of high scoring teams. I say find out who is Sean Payton’s right hand in New Orleans and give him a chance to run our offense. Clearly, they have something in place that works even for a QB lacking a strong arm.

LET’S GO FALCONS!

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My dream choices would be: Hue Jackson for OC and Jack Del Rio for DC

I doubt either will happen, but it’d be nice to hand the offense over to Hue, who has had a lot success, while Smith and Del Rio, who know each other, can work on the defense.

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Treeofwoe, Leach was hired over a month ago at Washington State

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Yeah thanks Lpac I must have missed that over the holidays. We were doing home renovation.

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Packers OC Joe Philbin is also available….he interview for Chief’s job

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Jack Del Rio for DC

OC – Hire a guy that has been very influential in Matt Ryan’s career. Has a reputation for wide open offenses. Steve Logan

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O’Brian, I must agree!

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Don’t matter who we bring in..we got to have the right players to get the job done.

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Why would the Packers OC leave GB for ATL? GB won a SB last year, and could be playing for another one this year.

Plus, keep in mind that if the Falcons struggle next year, Smitty will be on the hot seat. And if he goes, a new HC might want different coordinators, so I dont think an OC would make a lateral move to come to ATL.

Along those lines though, does the GB QB coach have enough experience where he is capable of making the jump to OC?

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Message to Arthur Blank:

Send some one to Oregon and offer Chip Kelly ANYTHING he wants to come here to call the offense.

He is perhaps the ONLY one that can match Play for Play with Sean Payton. Granted, I know it will perhaps take a quarterback that is mobile to do it…therefore….

Whomever has the right to select Robert Griffin III, offer them – Matt Ryan and Michael Turner and our 2014 1st round draft.

Then we can compete with the Saints, Packers and dare I say it…the Panthers! !

Hire Chip Kelly…Oregon Ducks coach! ! !

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get Philbin the $$$$

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Ask Roddy how he feels about Hue Jackson. He would do a double flip.

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Didn’t Philbin just lose his son? Coaching is the last thing on this man’s mind.

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” I don’t understand how the Mora/Vick Falcons were able to win a playoff game…this group seems more stable and talented top to bottom. ”

Some day, Falcons fans will give Vick the credit he deserves for accomplishing what he accomplished here, and in his words “overcoming coaching”. Some day. I don’t have much hope that this will happen any time soon.

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“TD’s moves have not worked out, so I think he does deserve some of the blame. And I can’t believe he talked about how Dunta played well, and how our defense was aggressive. What?”

Yeah, he has clearly graduated with honors from the Patriots’ school of only feeding bullsh-t to the media. I didn’t get anything substantive out of that interview at all.

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@ Najeh Davenpoop….

would you not concede that if Sean Payton or Mike McCarthy had this very same roster…would we not have scored more than 2 freaking points in the playoffs? …..

Would we not have score more than 12 against the Bears in week 1.
Would we not have scored more than 13 against the Bucs?
Would we not have scored more than 14 against the Packers
Would we not have scored more than 10 against the Texans
Would we not have scored more than 16 against the Saints

Point being…we should have scored more and won more games if the coach and his coordinators had called a better play calls during those games than what they did. I know that the players has to execute the play….but the fact of the matter is….why do you send a 215 QB for in to the non-hole for less than one yard and not SPREAD the line out…Both calls did not spread the line with wide gaps…plus NO one was in the back field for one.

Just plain stupid.

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This is just pure speculation as I have heard no reports or suggestions from anyone regarding this thought. Is there a possibility that Mike Smith could step down as head coach given his health scare in December? I read something where both the DC and OC were told following the Saints’ loss in December that they could entertain other offers. That game followed Smith’s medical issue. Urban Meyer stepped down (eventually) following his health scare at Florida. Again, this is just a thought.

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Mike Smith is not going anywhere so save your fingers the typing and your brain the speculation, Tumbledown. Even Dan Reeves kept going after a full on heart attack.

LET’S GO FALCONS!

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Well all you football gurus got what you wanted. Both coordinators of the team averaging double digit wins for a franchise that averages double digit losses are gone. I sure hope it works out. Most times situations like these end in “be careful what you ask for”.

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Falcons4Eva “Arthur Blank is a screwed business man first and foremost”, uh, on the key board the c & the h aren’t even close…you did mean shrewed not screwed…glad you’re not near us in the club level, bet you only watch the cheerleaders

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Good news for the Falcons, bad news for all Fantasy Football owners that have MJD on their team!

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Hiring anyone for reasons other than their knowledge is totally ludicrous. Examples of this are all over the NFL from years past.

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And, nobody asked but the top 5 teams in terms of Total Defense during the regular season per NFL.com were:

1) Pittsburgh Steelers
2) Houston Texans
3) Baltimore Ravens
4) San Francisco 49ers
5) NY Jets

I say source your next Defensive Coordinator from one of those teams. Steelers head man Dick Lebeau ain’t going anywhere but his second in command ought to know that and have an itch to be in charge. And someone up in New Yawk is probably ready to jump ship and leave that Loudmouth Ryan behind.

LET’S GO FALCONS!

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Bellick and Spags. Brian B is not going to get a HC job becasue he is not being mentioned. If he wants to be HC again, he will need to prvoe it as a OC. Hire Spags before the Giants can get him back.

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All I’m Saying Is…. , your perspective and judgement is warped. Vick got ALL THE ATTENTION AND ACCOLADES ANYONE COULD GET… until he f’ed up this franchise (for a few years) and his own career and life in general. It’s time for you Vickas to start taking responsibility and seeing things for what they are… and stop playing the race angle… it’s tired!

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Roddy did nothing under Stu, he would not be very happy

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“would you not concede that if Sean Payton or Mike McCarthy had this very same roster…would we not have scored more than 2 freaking points in the playoffs? …..”

I am not putting all the blame on either personnel or coaching. I just think if I had to split the responsibility for the offensive failings this year, more of it would go on personnel than coaching. I just don’t see the Falcons’ offensive players making dumb mistakes or playing undisciplined, which are the usual hallmarks of a poorly coached team. Contrast the Falcons with a team like the Bucs, who shot themselves in the foot with turnovers all season, had all types of miscommunication in the passing game when it came to blitz pickups and hot routes, and were near the top of the league in penalties. That is what a poorly coached team looks like.

Sean Payton is probably the best offensive coach in the league, and Mularkey is not in the top 10, so he would almost certainly get more out of any group of players in the league than Mularkey would.

One thing about the personnel issues: while I agree that the Falcons would benefit (like many other teams have) from running more spread sets, it’s quite possible that more of those Turner short yardage runs would have worked in the second half of the season if Mughelli didn’t get hurt.

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Hugh jackson and Mike Singletary!!!

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And Finally…..

On the subject of cleaning house….Thomas Dimitroff deserves to be mentioned as having a hand in the falling back of the Falcons…..

He did not address the offensive line woes….

He missed badly on Ray Edwards, by not signing Charles Johnson of the Panthers…(FYI Charles Johnson line: 30 solo tackles 10 assisted tackles 9.0 sacks).

He drafted Peria Jerry – a gawd awful bust.

He drafted Sam Baker – who had injury issues coming into that draft. Add insult to injury, he traded UP to get Sam Baker and gave up an additional draft choice).

Over paid for Dunta Robinson.
And there have been more less than stellar signings by Thomas. So he to need to look into the mirror at the Falcons short comings…

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Najeh, I was in Vick’s corner until 2007 anyway. His problems here were similar. Bad fit at coordinator and an offensive line that wasn’t built to protect him. I still think he would be a lot better if he worked harder, but I’m not shocked Reid was able to get so much out of him last year.

Vick was the most talented player probably in the history of the franchise. He did beat the Packers in Lambeau when that meant something and they tied Pittsburg that year on an excellent 4th Q comeback led by him.

The whole Vick thing to me is a shame. I felt almost the same way after that game Sunday (basically stuck) until I found out we would have some new coaching next year.

For all people say about Vick, 2003 was one of the worst years ever for Falcons fans, and 2007 with Harrington and Leftwich was probably worse.

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Vick didn’t get the credit in Atlanta because he was lazy and he himself admitted as much. Vick was absolutely brilliant early in his Falcons career and had the whole city buzzing but toward the end his play fell off big time. Anyone remember the season ending a$$ whippin by the Panthers at home. Vick quit on the Falcons that final season. And now he shows flashes of brillinace but can’t stay healthy for a three game stretch.

And now the Falcons have Matt Ryan who is just a slightly above average NFL QB. In my opinion the Falcons are in denial in thinking this guy is elite because he is not. I watch him in the pocket against the good defenses and when the pressure comes he panics. With julio jones, roddy white, and harry douglas this team should make more explosive plays down the field. Mularkey has been blamed but now that Ryan will get a new offensive coordinator I guess we will find out how good matty ice really can be. However, I am going to stick to my opinion that he is not elite until proven otherwise.

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BUMP this Fish Wrapper Newspaper! Reporters SUCK! You need to learn how to interview peeps and ask the hard questions!

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Let’s just step back off the ledge here for a second and realize/acknowledge that Matt Ryan will not be traded.

They have won a lot of games in 4 years. The QB situation isn’t ideal yet but they aren’t picking near the top of the draft like San Diego was when they got Phillip Rivers either.

Ryan has to progress, he has to be accurate, he has to be quicker, he has to have much better pocket presence and he’s got to move better in the pocket, but he’s not going anywhere and he shouldn’t.

They are failing in the playoffs because they have some critical flaws.

The offensive line is not physical enough to impose thier will and the defensive line cannot get to and effect the QB.

You can’t win in the playoffs without doing those 2 things. Skill positions all rely on the LOS. That’s where we’re poor. Matt Ryan isn’t great, but lets stop pretending he’s awful. Guy is pretty good just not good enough yet.

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Well FALCONEDDY, I am just saying that if this staff can’t fix the oline and dline issues either by coaching them up or getting better players, then Carolina is likely to ascend over Atlanta in the next 2 years, as the Falcons window closes.

Having been a Falcon fan since 73, I doubt I would or could change team-allegiances at this late date, but I can see problems with this franchise that I hope Blank, TD, and Smith can address and fix this off-season or else we will not be sniffing playoffs again for awhile.

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@London Based Jacket “Is Kirby Smart ready for the NFL?”

Just because a coach in the NCAA has the by far the most talent on his team and wins doesn’t mean the guy is a great coach. AL rushed 4 and played zone. Do you think that would work in the NFL? How did the great “coach” Saban do in the NFL when the other team had players that were as good as his?

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Enter your comments here

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@brad “Hugh jackson and Mike Singletary!!!”

Because of their success(lack of) or do you have other reasons? Are you another guy who wants to bring back Vick?

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“Time now for Smitty and Thomas Dimitroff” to leave too.

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Bring back June Jones as OC
Andre Rison as receivers coach
Swamp Fox to coach the defense
Glanville to coach special teams

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Najeh: Some day, Falcons fans will give Vick the credit he deserves for accomplishing what he accomplished here, and in his words “overcoming coaching”. Some day. I don’t have much hope that this will happen any time soon.

I would say 90% of Falcon fans DO appreciate what Vick accomplished here. The number would probably be higher if not for the Vick apologists (Choke, Falcons Sorry, etc) who used the race card to twist and distort the Vick saga into something it wasn’t. Vick WAS embraced by Falcon fans of all races, right up until he crapped on the owner, the coaches, the players, the fans (and his own pants!). At which time he received his well deserved scorn.

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Like I said on the Mularkey Interviewed and Hired Blog, I’m not a usual suspects person.
I would go out of the box, try to get John Mitchell is D-line coach and Asst. Head coach with Steelers.
Or you can try Jim Leavitt, the old USF coach. He is presently coaching LBs in San Francisco. He’s seen the Vic Fangio (their DC) scheme up close now. I’d like for them to talk to him.
Steve Spagnuolo; I respect the body of work but I’ve known for quite awhile that Jeff Lurie and Robert Kraft have been trying to get the best of crop to their respective teams. he’ll most likely be hired by Friday.

I call Clarence Shelmon (he just quit in San Diego as the OC). Caveat: Although he said he wants to “do other things;” He has Norv Turner’s playbook without Norv’s baggage.
Some of you are insensitive, Joe Philbin has just lost his son for heaven’s sake… Let the man and his family have a moment to breath. Besides, isn’t there stay that rule that team’s don’t have to give permission to talk to a candidate if it is a horizontal move and not a vertical move?
Tom Clements is the Packers QB coach, he knows the position and knows how to breakdown a defense into segments like the Parkers do so well and isolate the weakness…
Pete Carmichael (Saints OC) is the same as Philbin, you have to get permission and you have to wait for them to get eliminated, big risk!!!

Then again, I say do you really trust Mike Smith making the choice?

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Thank goodness the Hawks are off to a hot start – Now we have something else to look forward to at least.

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Some sports commentator pointed out that Tim Tebow is more accurate at long passing than Micey Ice. Get rid of What’s His Face and bring back Jerry Glanville as Head Coach. Or even Dan Reeves. Talk to Indy and see if they’d be willing to trade either their no one draft pick or Peyton Manning for Ryan. Or talk to Philly to see if they’d be willing to trade Andy Reid and Michael Vick for What’s His Face and Ryan. Think big.

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I pray that the Falcons don’t promote some other in-house “yes man” to either of these positions.

The new NFL QB/Passing league is upon us. Get someone who understands that and embraces that! !

Go Falcons!
Go Hawks!
Go Braves !

Later guys.

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@ Mark Bradley if you check in on this blog, could you please release a comment that I made around 10:23-10:25AM, it is in the filter… Thanks

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My question: Did both the blitzing VanGorder and “Professor Gadget” Mularkey have their previously innovative styles reined-in by a more conservative Coach Smith? Because for the resumes these two guys came in with, the Falcons have been very dull on both sides of the ball.

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“Has the ‘coach killa’ and ‘dog killa’ overcome that coaching in Philly?”

LOL @ “coach killer”. I must have missed the wins and accolades Jim Moron and Greg Knapp racked up after they were “killed” by Vick and moved elsewhere. Give me a break. I guess Matt Hasselbeck is a coach killer too then. Vick is a Pro Bowler without them and they are jack sh-t without him. Check the resumes.

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The OC and DC were not the problem…..the problem is that they keep ignoring the OL and DL. Until they get bigger and stronger in the trenches they will continue to stronger against quality teams.

DRAFT Kellen Moore-QB!

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@ Just saying..

January 11th, 2012
10:32 am
“My question: Did both the blitzing VanGorder and “Professor Gadget” Mularkey have their previously innovative styles reined-in by a more conservative Coach Smith? Because for the resumes these two guys came in with, the Falcons have been very dull on both sides of the ball.”

===========================================
Absolutely. 100% no doubt about it.
That’s why we very well might see the same thing gain. Especially if we hire in-house.

The good news is that now that both coordinators are gone…its ALL on Mike Smith. He’s on the “hot seat” if this team fails to do anything with the changes.

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We’ll see Atlanta. MM won a lot of games with the worst O line in football, a WR who can’t catch the ball consistently, an ancient TE, and a QB who lost his confidence and gained happy feet with every new sack. Did anyone watch the LT vs Pierre-Thomas? He threw him around like a rag doll. inspite of all the overated expectations and lack of real talent this offensive co-ordinator owns all the Falcon records.
Be careful what you wish for……..
Be careful what you wish for….

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HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!

OK so the current NFL rules allowed Mularkey to interview with Jacksonville while the Falcons were supposedly getting ready for the playoffs and the results showed. I just hope AB, TD and MS take their time and get it right. Please!!!!!!! bring in somebody with a fresh outlook. The Falcons have good players they just need the right coaches to bring it out.

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Mark Rich offence,Paul Johnson defence! We would all be Lucky!

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Bradley, why would you want someone who has been in the offense with the Ravens? They haven’t put points on the board in their entire franchise history. Trent Dilfer came in and gave them some life foe their Super Bowl win. And he sucked! So no gifts from Baltimore, Please!!!!!! Mike Martz or Norv Turner. Period!

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Forget all these re-cycled folks for OC and DC –

Bring in some new talent…the NFL is soon moving to the SPREAD offense. SEE SAINTS and PACKERS! ! !

Hence: Oregon Ducks, Boise State –

You may as well match fire (Payton/Brees) with fire (RG3/Chip Kelly). Mike Smith and Matt Ryan is a snooze fest.

I predict that by 2014, Mike Smith will be gone and so will Ryan, simply because Smith is too stubborn to change, and Matt Ryan will not get the kind of line protection he needs. He’s too immobile and has very poor pocket awareness. Even Ben Rothlesberger (sp) does a better job of extending plays in the pocket….

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Najeh is like a Plecostomus forever attached to Mike Vick.

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and u think melt has the same arm strength as Brees?…that is so way off base….what games have you been watching?..Brees’s long throws are ON TARGET…and enough zip on them for the receivers to catch them in stride…not like melt’s when the receiver needs to stop and wave for a ‘fair catch’ on his javelin tosses downfield….

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The Falcons luck out a lot. They lucked out when Vick went to jail as cruel as that sounds.

This coaching fraternity takes care of his own. Watching Roof at Auburn to CFU to Penn State with very little talent as a coach tells me some of what is wrong with football. MM going to Jacksonville an old employee of Mike Smith makes me wonder if Jacksonville is just trying to fill a hole like Rankin Smith use to do here. These guys can’t coach but stay alive because they are loyal to each other which may be a good trait to have guarding the back of your boss. The problem is if you are Blank or an owner and the loyalty is going to the coach instead of the organization people stay that should be fired and the team suffers because of it.

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The Falcons should hire young, aggressive coordinators. Noboby over 45.

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Najeh is one of the most level headed and intelligent commenters on these blogs. Vick ran into some of the same issues that are currently hampering this team. It’s perfectly legitimate to bring these issues up now when they were going deeper into the playoffs several years ago than they are now.

Why can’t we have sensible discussions about the direction of the team and bring up some of the historical problems?

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“What is your infatuation with black QB’s who have no real record of success in the NFL.”

Cam Newton just had one of the greatest seasons a rookie QB has ever had in the NFL. That’s pretty “clear to see”. What’s also “clear to see” is that coaching probably had something to do with it.

If you are so racist that you are unwilling to hire a black QB’s position coach (who is white by the way), fine. Who is Andy Dalton’s QB coach?

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@GT “These guys can’t coach”

Yeah that’s it. Making the playoff’s 3 out of 4 years in the most competitive sport on the planet means nothing. You are proof that idiots abound.

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Neuheisel was soft at Colorado in the 90’s, he was the start of our long decline. He played guitar at barbeques and took the team tubing instead of having them work-out…

I dont know if we want that kind of guy trying to instill toughness into our O-line. I don’t have a better suggestion, just that beware that Ricky is soft.

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If he hasn’t already signed a dotted line at now “Tech north” Penn State, I wish the Falcons would speak with Ralph Friedgen who lives down the road off I-20. When it comes to offensive coordinating, he is the best. He has college and pro experience, and he would be a senior mentor to Matt Ryan at a time in Matt’s career when he needs a few positive adjustments.

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@Najeh Davenpoop “Cam Newton just had one of the greatest seasons a rookie QB has ever had in the NFL. ”

He had nice statistics. But playing from behind against soft zones will do that for you. Cam threw the ball wildly most of the time. His stats came from short passes turned into long runs.

I want the Falcons to hire the best guy available. Why do you always mention Newton or Vick? Has the coaching in Philly had their ‘thumbs’ on Vick and are holding him back?

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Dan Henning? Marion Campbell? June Jones? Glanville? Is that crickets I hear chirping in the background? Seriously, say what you will, Glanville was the DC when the Falcons set a still standing NFL record for the fewest points in a season…just sayin” GRITS BLITZ!!

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@ Clear to see

January 11th, 2012
10:42 am

————————————-

You’re nutts if you don’t think that with the departure of both OC and DC that now the burden (and spot light) is all on Mike Smith now. And that if he fails to move this franchise forward (meaning getting into the playoffs and winning a game) does not put him in line to be fired next.

The bar has been raised for this team and so are the expectations. Mike Smith has done wonders for this team. But even in winning, you sometimes have to not be so blind to not see that sometimes you have to make a change…look what happened when Tony Dungy was fired at Tampa….The very next year they won a Superbowl with Jon Gruden. Event though Dungy took the Bucs to winning seasons, year after year, they needed a change.

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Yea we stick up for minorities, well unless your asain, mexican, indian, or native american.

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I say Del Rio for head DC, and Mike Singletery as backup choice. Perhaps Kirby Smart over Singletery.

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I would say 90% of Falcon fans DO appreciate what Vick accomplished here. The number would probably be higher if not for the Vick apologists (Choke, Falcons Sorry, etc) who used the race card to twist and distort the Vick saga into something it wasn’t. Vick WAS embraced by Falcon fans of all races, right up until he crapped on the owner, the coaches, the players, the fans (and his own pants!). At which time he received his well deserved scorn.

See here we go. Race had nothing to do with anything yada yada concerning Vick. You know there was a segment here that was not going to like Vick no matter what. To deny that is disengenuous.

The scorn for Vick predated the dogfighting. Local press included! The press turned on Vick way before the dogfighting, then the dogfighting was like blood for sharks in the water.

It amazes me how folks here gloss over the same issues with this team now existed when Vick was here. Porous OL, butterfinger WR’s(2 of them), and atrocious play calling. But these are excuses for Ryan apologist but when the same argument was made for Vick, then nobody wanted to hear that!

That man had to run for his life just about EVERY game. There was no pocket, as soon as he dropped back DL where already grabbing at him. When the falcons loss, it was Vicks fault but when they lose now it’s NEVER Ryan’s fault.

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These posts make it quite clear why the Falcons will always be the Falcons….

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@ Najeh Davenpoop

January 11th, 2012
10:55 am
“….a much better place than the list of washed up head coaching retreads that the Bucs are considering for their staff, for example.”

===========================================
Totally agree….

Think outside the box. For OC and DC – I would certainly look at some of the new hot shot play callers in college ranks –

Report: Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly contacted by Miami Dolphins. http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2012/01/reports_oregon_ducks_coach_chi.html

I’ve been preaching this now since the loss to the Texans…..5 weeks ago.

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Oyea, and anyone dissing Brent Grimes is a moron and obviously didnt watch every snap. Dude plays with heart, and is our top 1 on 1 cover guy. Ive never seen any Falcons CB make as many plays on the ball as Grimes. Deion Sanders of course was in a league of his own!

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Atlanta looked like LSU in the BCS game. They were not ready. You don’t score a touchdown or a field goal the entire game. Who is the worse team in the playoffs this year. I’d say we are pretty close. Of course I am a idiot and maybe we are the best and just can’t seem to show it.

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I would not be suprised if Blain Gabbert is the most improved player next year. M. Malarky was handcuffed with his play calling. If you can’t get the ball downfield, you’re toast.

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Person suggesting to bring in Chip Kelly who is a creative and imaginative play caller…how is he going to implement what Matt Ryan does into his offense? THINK before you type…and for the record I would LOVE to have Chip Kelly here but it won’t work as long as Matt Ryan is our QB and we are STUCK for better or worse with Matt till his contract is out (at least) b/c BLANK nor DIMITROFF will “trade him or give up on him” for the time being…

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Najeh,

I can’t think of a more direct indictment of a roster and organization than watching it fall apart when they lose one player..

Such as the Colts this year…

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One of the reasons we won with Vick is because even with an inconsistent O-line and receivers, he could make things happen with his legs/athleticism. Also, Vick has a stronger arm than Matt.

As bad as this line is, we would be a better team if Matt could extend plays. But he plays scared back there.

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News flash…..the reason the Saints are still playing is because of 2 all pro guards and a pro bowl left tackle. If the Falcons just had the guards they would still be playing. It does not matter who they have for OC, if they do not find a right guard and a left tackle the same thing will happen next season.

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I cannot imagine Arthur Blank hiring Rick Neuheisel. That man has a disgraceful history.

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Najeh,

I would look strongly at the Saints to see who their QB coach is, and whether or not he has enough time in the league that he would be ready for a promotion to OC.

He must have learned alot working with Sean Payton and Drew Brees. And losing him would also be a blow (even if it is only a very small blow) to the Saints.

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Good post frog – TD has neglected the oline, and not hit on his later round picks either, based on current performances.

This has hurt Ryan’s confidence and performance.

Since draft choices are short, let’s hope he can hit on some FA’s and draft choices and get better oline coaching in here as well.

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Holgorsen! Holgorsen! Holgorsen!

Holgorsen said he can teach his sytem in 3 days That’s pretty amazing. Again…it’s getting the RIGHT play call and teaching your personnel how to execute it. He does as good a job as anyone at that. Heavy screen oriented…yes a coach who knows to use those. Mixes stuff up very very well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Holgorsen

He actually started coaching at Valdosta State. Texas Tech while he was OC was #8, #3, #6 nationally in Total Offense. Took Houston to # 3 and then #1 in total offense in his two year stint there. Oklahoma STate went from #61 to #1 in total offense his first year there. Took WVA to #17 in total offense his first year there. HIRE HIM!

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Who is QB coach for Packers, Saints, or Lions? To me Falcons should look to successful offensive teams for next hire?? These teams are in line with what the NFL currently is and could bring some BOLD and FRESH ideas to a very dull offense. Don’t bring in a retread with old school mentality! Mike Martz might work but from a personality stand point I don’t know that he fits Falcons mold??

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The TD-Smith-Mularkey-BVG team took a franchise of smoldering ashes with no starting QB and proceeded to rip off four consecutive winning seasons with three playoff appearances. As good as that is this team as constituted has clearly peaked.

On offense Turner-Gonzalez-White-Blalock-McClure-Clabo clearly aren’t going to get any better, it appears Ryan has reached the limits of his physical abilities, and the other two spots on the o-line did not produce nor show any potential for improvement. Turner is not a dump-off threat, and the other spare parts on offense aren’t contributing enough in comparison to the other top teams. Only Julio Jones shows upside potential.

The defense is going to be decimated by free agency and age. Again, you look and have to ask “where is the upside potential”? About all you can point to is the HOPE William Moore and Peria Jerry can overcome injuries and stay on the field.

For this team to step up to the next level TD, Blank, and Smith need to bit the bullet in 2012, turn over many of the veteran players, and focus on making another four-year run beginning in 2013 with a group possessing more upside potential. Fans may scream this offseason and next year, but in the long run it’s in everyone’s best interests.

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Let’s be real here, DR23 was brought in to be a shut down corner from Houston which was pre Wade Phillips and played a LOT of man to man coverage. They brought him in here and made him play zone. Same thing with Chris Houston, man coverage in college and weak zone here. They are clearly not suited for that type of defense.
The Bronco’s are still alive because the coaching staff recognized they type of players they had and changed accordingly. Scheme should fit the players or bring in players that fit your scheme.
Just my 2 cents…

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My good, you people calling for the W. VA and Oregon are crazy! You don’t have the line, and you definitely don’t have the QB to run the system!

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I’m not sold on Martz any more. Slick Rick might be a good choice, however.

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Dawgdad
I see what you see. It is time to start another four year plan. What the Falcons have has not fully done the job and is poised to begin a slide for the reasons you state. Just hope TD has a better clue this time about what is really important for championship teams and focus on some line improvments. it may be time to seek a replacement for Ryan. His limitations are starting to show. Looks like the league is starting to get his number.

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Now if you could just say that Mike Bobo has been hired as a head coach somewhere then this would be an almost perfect day.

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“The TD-Smith-Mularkey-BVG team took a franchise of smoldering ashes with no starting QB and proceeded to rip off four consecutive winning seasons with three playoff appearances. As good as that is this team as constituted has clearly peaked. ”

All for naught, when your getting DESTROYED IN THE PLAYOFFS..PLAYOFFS???

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Everyone keeps bringing up Mike Martz, Hue Jackson and Bill Musgrave. No way I would take a chance with either of them. Bring in Brian Billick as OC, look at his numbers with Minnesota when he was OC, and he won the superbowl with Trent Dilfer in Baltimore! (helluva defense for that squad i know but Ray Lewis doesn’ pass the ball) I mean Trent Dilfer people! Cmon!

Billick would be the right guy to make this offense explosive, he takes shots down the field, runs the football and makes use of his 3rd and 4th recievers and utilizes screen passes. Mularky didnt even use Harry Douglas at all and never called for a screen pass.Billick would be a huge boost for the offense.

Defensively I would love to see Steve Spags here but all signs point to Philly for him. Jack Del Rio would be an interesting choice also, and Mike Nolan as well. I hope we land someone who will play some man coverage and blitz more often with different packages. BVG’s defense according to Jon Gruden, ” I don’t know why they play this predictable 2 deep zone” anyone would be an upgrade over BVG.

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Laughing at this statement…
“Football Fan 14
January 11th, 2012
11:50 am
“Better check Cam’s stats, great year running the ball but had very few good passing games. His first 2 starts he passed for 400+ yards, his 4th game he passed for 300+ yards bot didn’t reach 300 yards passing in a game the rest of season. 5 out of 6 last games were under 210 yards passing.”

Down the stretch, his team went 4-2…
In the last two games of Newton’s rookie season.
12 for 17 for 171 with 3 TD passes 142 QBR and his team won 48-16… He did not need to throw for a high yardage total… They made a conscious effort to run the ball… Check the numbers, especially his QBR, completion pct, and his TD to INT ratio…
The Saints game was a blowout… So let’s be realistic…
Newton had three bad games in his first season
The first Atlanta game, his final 20 minutes of that game was brutal. For 40 minutes, they were beating the Falcons.
The back-to-back poor performances in the Tennessee and Detroit games were his other two bad games…
Even though he threw 3 INTs versus the Packers, his big plays why they were even in that game….

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2 problems down, now can we try and trade Matt Ryan for a package of draft picks to recoup what we gave up to get Jones?

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Folks, you don’t have veterans Cris Carter and Randall Cunningham to go along blossoming talent Robert Smith (before became indifferent) and Randy Moss (before he became butt crazy) here… Oh, you have some very talented pieces, but Billick only exploited that properly 15 weeks… He was horrible in the NFC Championships!

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@PMC
Why can’t we have sensible discussions about the direction of the team and bring up some of the historical problems?

Because folks don’t like to put things into their historical context. Happens sometimes with delusion.

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The Falcons have ALL the luck. Why can’t someone hire away Mike Bobo?

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@ lamac66
Co-sign @ 12:29PM…

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OC we need an outsider with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove like a Sean Payton. DC we need to kiss butt and do whatever is necessary to get Wade Phillips back.

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MEL TUCKER AS DC…..MARTZ FOR OC…AND THROW THE BALL TO HARRY DOUGLAS AT LEAST 2-3 TIMES PER GAME!

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Let’s see if A. Blank keeps his word

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Lot of references to catching the ball. A. Blank mentioned OL didn’t play their best. Everything addressed but you’re QB’s limitations…same ole same ole

Next year’s gonna be hella interesting.

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FALCONS SHOULD BRING IN MIKE MARTZ AND ONE OF THE RYAN BOYS. THEY NEED AGGRESSIVE MINDED COORDINATORS WHO ISN’T AFRAID OF OTHER TEAMS AS MURLARKEY AND VAN GORDER WERE.

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Duronimo… I was a supporter of Bobo the entire year but after seeing the Bowl game in person with no change at the QB position to maybe “spark” the offense I ditto what u said. Richt must feel bad about letting him go because he has 5 small kids(triplets) and needs the money. Lol.

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Still don’t understand why they went into that Giants game forcing Turner, when the obvious better play is throwing to 88 and Harry Douglass and seeing if those linebackers and safeties were up to the task, then working the outsides with the two strongest pieces of the offense at WR against the absolute worst part of the Giants defense at CB.

That was the most mailed in game plan ever.

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I’m very glad BVG and MM are gone. We can do better. But I still think its mostly a player personnel issue. We just don’t have the best players – they’re good, but not elite. Too many holes on the O-line, def. secondary, etc. And TD has made some bad moves – Baker, Jerry, Edwards, Duntae R., G. Reynolds, M. Johnson, and so on.

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Wonder what the Jacksonville fans are thinking…

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Not only Tampa game but what about the Jax game? The entire Jaguar defense was on IR. it was made up of entirely practice squad players and players off the street. We didn’t beat the Jags. There was nothing to beat.

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“Wonder what the Jacksonville fans are thinking…”

Reaction seems mixed, but it’s hard to tell because apparently Jags fans spend more time talking about Tebow than their own team.

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Would like to see an aggressive D coordinator – in the style of John Tenuta.

Offense needs someone who is innovative and also aggressive.

Falcons also need an O-line coach to teach and demand solid technique.

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The Jaguars hiring of Mularkey was a big surprise. I totally had him taking the vacated OC position at Alaska A&M. Go figure.

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The same people wanting Hue Jackson are probably those fans that want MV7 instead of Matty Ice. The Raiders offense was terrible. Not quite sure why the NFL is the only place someone can fail and still be considered for another job. Man I wish corporate america would take note. I’ve crushed every job I’ve ever had yet, I’ve never gotten a chance to be the CEO. Trying hiring someone who was sucessfull in their last job.

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Let’s hope MS and TD are having a good day when they decide….

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Go Jags!!!

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My picks for coordinators:
Defense
Mike Singletary
Mike Nolan

Offense
Charlie Weiss
Hue Jackson

Any questions?

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Ha ha, when you learn how to spell and punctuate, send it my way!!!

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I declare 790thezone 3pm show is the offical Ryan apologists conglomerate.

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CANT WAIT, we shall see who gets the blame next year

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Kirby Smart only holds title of D.C. at Bama. Everybody knows Saban is in charge of that defense. I think I would talk to Chavez the D.C. at LSU if I were the Falcons brass.

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things are looking up for the failclowns- now they have to hire 2 people who just got fired . go figure!

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JSS…
I’m looking for grammar mistakes but can’t find any. Come up with something new. That’s an old standby. Oh yeah, I’m not a GT fan hence my name. You are just mad because I am right. The Falcons aren’t as special as the fans want to believe.

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I am still learning about ZUmba but so far I love what I see!

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JAGS WERE LAST IN LEAGUE IN OFFENSE . SO ANYTHING WILL BE INPROVEMENT!

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How is this for historical context?

Peyton Manning, 0-3 in first three playoff games…third playoff game lost 0-41.

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UGA 89
January 11th, 2012
2:09 pm
“Najeh Davenpoop… Ur (I will even endeavor to express how wrong that usage happens to be in context-You’re next time) an idiot. Stick to basketball and worry about your Falcons. Have you ever been to Jacksonvi(l)le? I haven’t seen any championships from your team in Atlanta(;) so stop worrying about other teams and worry about your beloved Falcons.”
1998 NFC Champions just to refresh your memory…

By the way, have you really read any of my critiques of the Atlanta Falcons football organization over the last 7 years? No one is wearing rose colored glasses around here… And they weren’t fooled by that Thursday night farce in Week 15 at Georgia Dome.

Oh, i played enough in LaVilla visiting my cousins the Odoms growing up to always consider J-Ville special. Be more careful in who you try to disparage while being snarky…

I’ll let Davenpoop speak for him self… But he was commenting on football before he posted in the Hawks Blog… (Before 2006)

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I will not blame either of the now departed Coordinators as the reasons for the teams failures, but I am glad both of them are gone. Van Gorder or BVG was carrying out Smitty’s decisions, he was calling the defense exactly how Smitty wanted it. Mularkey on the other hand had a much freeer rein, to call the plays on offense, except for decisions be Smitty to go for it on 4th and 1 even at his 29 or to use Ryan for the sneek, when the oline was getting pushed back all day.
With Mularkey gone Ryan will be exposed, it will be seen that it was not all Mularkey’s fault. A QB in this NFL has to be able to side step the rush at times thereby making the defensive player miss, and deliver the ball. He also has to be able to fit the ball in tight spaces at times, but Ryan has not done neither. The blame cannot all be on Ryan though, his protection has been terrible not only this year but for several years. Last year the line proved they could run block but not very good pass blocking.
Left tackle, Center and Right Guard are positions on the line that requires upgrade, and should be TD’s main focus in the offseason. There are other great needs, but building the line should be paramount. Later a FS must be found to replace Decoud and a DB for Owens.

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Dimitroff will look as good and as smart as his scouts will make him look. Are these the same scouts that have been with the Falcons from Dan Reeves tenure? TD and Arthur may want to consider replacing some of these guys, who are suppose to visit the schools and scout the talents not just in game situations on Saturdays and Thursday Nights but also in practice.
Did anyone watch tapes of Dante Robinson and Ray Edwards prior to giving them Arthur’s money?
It would seem that these scouts are playing too much golf when they go scouting and Arthur may need to look into their job descriptions now.

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Falcons Presser notes…

1. One positive, we’re not losing b/c of our owner…
2. They are in either in denial or boxed in, re. Matt Ryan…
3. All QBs are rushed in the playoffs, good ones buy time…
4. OL’s needed overhaul for 2 years, why try and bully Giants front 4?…
5. Team doesn’t need implosion, needs on-field leadership…
6. 3 yrs. in a row, Ryan’s had the “deer in the headlights look”…
7. That’s who he is, “no pocket presence”, he can’t feel it…
8. Is game too fast for him?…Others slip tacklers, not him…why???…
9. Hail Mary attempt, couldnt even get to endzone after 3 step windup…
10. There’s not a dink/dunk QB left in the tourney…only studs…

a. Saints – defense holds gets INTs, Ryan – nothing, punt…
b. Rothlisburger – one leg rally, TJ Yates – rookie win, Tebow – knuckleball win…
c. Ryan “0″ points…”0″ – don’t put it all on the O-line…
d. When he had time, he threw into the dirt, scared as hell…be honest!

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It would appear the the Thursday night Jacksonville game was MM’s interview. That was the only game of the year thet our offense wasn’t offensive.

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I think my top 3 for any OC or DC job would be 1.Mark Bradley 2.Colin Cowherd 3. Skip Bayless All 3 know everything, just ak them; they could straighten any team out, just ask them, they are the greatest, just ask them. Plus with so much knowledge you could hire as both OC,DC, and special teams co-ordinator, just ask them. Think of the the money you would have for players. But wait a minute, with their self-inflate ego’s would thier salary be more than the national debt?

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As a Dawg fan:Bobo to the Falcons PLEASE!

As a Falcon fan: Peyton to the Falcons PLEASE!

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Can anyone tell me what Smith said about not using all his timeouts in the first half of the NY game? Out of state and haven’t been able to follow talk radio…

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[...] Jaguars hired Mularkey, which apparently was the only thing from keeping the Falcons from firing him. The belief here was that Double M, as he’s known, wasn’t going to be retained, but that’s [...]

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Scott are u serious Roddy ,100 catches 1200 yards Roddy,are you sreious….lol

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How about Ralph Freigden (spelling?) I’ve always thought was a offensive guru!

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Blank talks about character, but he has none.

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more crickets chirping…..

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The Falcons just hired Dirk Koetter as OC. We’re doomed! TD has no clue and has to go.

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Doesn’t seem that Dirk Koetter’s name appeared anywhere in these comments. The article points out that he was in Jacksonville from 2007-2011, that they were 11-5 the year he started but haven’t had a winning season since. Seems like we rushed this.

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