The Falcons in 2012: The same players under better coaching
John Abraham didn't spread his wings and fly away. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The Atlanta Falcons have told us what they think of themselves. They’ve told us they like their roster and have liked it all along. They’ve told us, tacitly if not flat-out, that they don’t believe a lack of manpower has stopped them short of the Super Bowl.
Otherwise they wouldn’t have spent the past three weeks re-upping nearly every free agent of consequence. John Abraham, Kroy Biermann, Thomas DeCoud, Harry Douglas, Todd McClure, Chris Redman, Jason Snelling: They’re all coming back. So is Brent Grimes, tagged as a franchise player. Yes, the Falcons did lose middle linebacker Curtis Lofton to New Orleans and kick returner Eric Weems to Chicago, but still …
If we’d known a month ago that the Falcons would keep eight of their 10 key FAs — and that Grimes and Abraham would be among the eight — wouldn’t we have said, “Job well done”?
Some of us would have. Others would have wondered, and are surely wondering still, why a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since January 2005 is so consumed with preserving the status quo. And the answer is:
Rightly or wrongly, the Falcons believe that they require no major roster-cutting-and-pasting. They believe the same players can, with different coaching, yield better results.
A caveat: Teams sometimes overrate themselves, and general managers are rarely heard to admit, “You know what? I really need to dump all these bums I’ve drafted.” But let’s remember:
Before Thomas Dimitroff was hired as GM in January 2008, the Falcons had never known consecutive winning seasons. Under Dimitroff, they’ve never had anything but a winning season. The man has earned the benefit of every doubt.
That said, something needed to change. The now-winning Falcons have fallen at the first postseason hurdle three times, and the past two losses weren’t even close. When that happens, an organization must ask itself: Is it the coaching or the playing? The Falcons’ answer has been resounding.
On the one hand, there’s a new offensive coordinator, a new defensive coordinator and a new line coach. On the other, there’s essentially the same roster. That’s not exactly a coded microdot of a message.
Heading into the playoff date with the Giants, the feeling in Flowery Branch was that the Falcons had the superior roster. (You’re free to argue. Wasn’t Eli Manning better than Matt Ryan? Wasn’t the Giants’ defensive front clearly stronger? I’m just telling you: That’s what the Falcons thought.) This presumed advantage resulted in a 24-2 loss on a day when the offense was, figuratively and literally, pointless.
This sorry showing was followed by an in-house sigh of relief when Jacksonville hired offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey as head coach, no real remorse when defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder left for Auburn, and the not-very-difficult decision to fire line coach Paul Boudreau. A hint dropped in January has been confirmed in March: The Falcons didn’t see playing as their biggest failing.
As much as fans clamor for their team to land big-ticket free agents, that’s not always the path to glory. (Michael Turner? Great signing. Dunta Robinson? Less great. Ray Edwards? Too soon to tell.) The Falcons are banking on continuity, with a twist. The players are the same, but the schemes won’t be.
We can’t yet know if that will be enough to push a team starved for a Round 1 victory into the game bearing Roman numerals, but this much we can know: The architect sounds happy. In a text message Wednesday, Dimitroff wrote:
“Our ability to re-sign the bulk of our own targeted [unrestricted free agents] was a creative group effort by many in our organization, players included. In a year with many of our own players up for free agency, it takes give and take from both sides of the table. I am pleased and encouraged that we were able to keep our core together.”
The belief in this space was that the Falcons entered the 2011 season with the most gifted roster in team history. That feeling soon gave way to consternation: Why weren’t such good players being put to better use? The belief now is that the three new coaches — Dirk Koetter, Mike Nolan and Pat Hill — will do more for the Falcons than any pricey import, be it Mario Williams or Carl Nicks, would have.
The Falcons had enough players, and to their credit they’ve kept most of them. The roster may have remained status quo, but this organization is no longer in stasis.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
215 comments Add your comment
JSS
March 29th, 2012
12:54 am
DeCoud, ointment man!
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-fantasy/09000d5d824c0428/QB-Brees-to-WR-Meachem-67-yd-pass-TD
im a fan
March 29th, 2012
2:54 am
I love this team, i believe they will go far w/o MM & BVG, we need to take more risks in offense we have good playmakers let them make plays. personally i loved Lofton but letting him go doesn’t bother me tto much Tatupu & Dent should do a nice job. Weatherspoon is a beast & Nicholas aint bad, Edwards needs to UP his pass rush & we’re set. with a new defensive coordinator i believe we’ll be seeing The old texans Dunta Robinson on the field. offensively all we need is a few screen plays & we’re set. RISE UP BIRDSSSS!!!! GO FALCONSSS!!
Samuel
March 29th, 2012
6:03 am
How many pro bowls has Curtis Lofton been to? I’ll say he’s solid, but not great at anything. We shall see how the coaching staff improves the team. If they can’t, you have to look at Smitty closely. After all Smitty doesn’t seem to get his players to play at a high level when it counts.
Thursday morning buffet | Get The Picture
March 29th, 2012
6:55 am
[...] Mark Bradley (yeah, I know) surveys the offseason changes for the Falcons and notes that there was “no real remorse when defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder left for Auburn”. [...]
ZACK
March 29th, 2012
7:31 am
NOTE TO THE FALCONS OWNER/ FRONT OFFICE: PLEASE DON’T LIE TO THE FANS! YOU TOLD US THAT THE COORDINATORS WOULD RETURN IF THEY DIDN’T “LEAVE” FOR NEW JOBS. KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THEY WERE THE BULK OF THE PROBLEM. THEN YOU TURN AROUND AND BRING BACK THE SAME TEAM AFTER SHOWING A DESIRE TO GET RID OF SOME OF THE DEAD WEIGHT.
NOTE TO SELF: LIE #3….MIKE SMITH “IS NOT ON THE HOT SEAT”…YEAH RIGHT!!!
Hilton Head.o.k.
March 29th, 2012
7:41 am
Has Head Coach Mr. Mike Smith finally assembled
an “explosive” coaching staff ?
Hilton Head.o.k.
March 29th, 2012
7:44 am
Or just a bunch of good ole’ boys from Jacksonville ?
Hilton Head.o.k.
March 29th, 2012
7:50 am
Defensive Coordinator Nolan knows his stuff.
colelinski
March 29th, 2012
8:15 am
You might be a Saints fan if you ever wore a paper bag on your head to a game. How about them
apples,Pamela?
Bounty Hunter
March 29th, 2012
8:24 am
” Wanted almost dead or alive ” .
Opie
March 29th, 2012
8:46 am
What the hell does better coaching do for inferior talent on both sides of the ball?
Opie
March 29th, 2012
8:48 am
Mark, I apologize! instead of losing to the Giants 20-2 with no offenisve points scored, we will lose 20-5 with better coaching and a field goal from the offense that can’t protect the quarterback with the avaerage arm!!
Opie
March 29th, 2012
8:51 am
Now that the staff has been replaced, what is your excuse for this season if we don’t win a playoff game? When will the HC Mike Smith bear some responsibility for being a lousy conservative HC. He threw his entire staff under the bus after last season. He is the reason for the 0-3 playoffs.
PMC
March 29th, 2012
9:07 am
Hakeem Nicks said after the game, (paraphrasing) I actually stopped to protect myself, I thought I was going to get popped, when I realized how much space I had I just took off and scored. Fantastic safety help there on that route. Good thing Decoud took a good angle.
yep, and we resigned Thomas Decoud to a 4 year contract. Here’s hoping Coach Nolan can lay hands like Mr. Miyagi
D man
March 29th, 2012
9:32 am
Here is the way I look at the Falcons of late. Since I started watching the birds with my dad back in the early 70’s, I have seen a lot of disappointing seasons and big losses. Most notable, the loss to Dallas in 81 in the playoffs when we had the BEST Falcons team EVER.
When we win a game, I feel great all week. When we lose a game I feel terrible until about Wednesday. So bottom line, I have had a lot more great weeks the last few years than the first 40. I love my Falcons and I know more great days are ahead.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
March 29th, 2012
9:35 am
Mr. Blank asked for the plan from Thomas and Smith! What you see is the plan. If the plan fails then it’s all on those two and they will be gone…just that simple. The offense was a joke under Mularkey and VanGorder is average at best at anything. Thomas traded his draft for Julio and Mularkey used the guy as a decoy 95% of the time. If Ryan can’t get the ball down the field this year then he as well is gone. There is few QB’s in the NFL that can’t complete the 5 yard passes Ryan depends on at this point so blowing up the QB position isn’t really that big of a deal.
Mikey
March 29th, 2012
9:47 am
I agree with the Falcons completely. I believe most NFL teams would gladly trade their whole team for the Falcon’s team in terms of personnel.
Offense
On offense last year I saw other teams react to the simple rush/pass offensive schemes and then the Falcons did nothing to counter the reaction. For example, they let a defensive end penetrate for more than a quarter before they make a substitution for an injured player, use a full back or run a screen his way. We seldom saw screens, counters, draws and the like designed to slow a big defensive rush. If all you do is straight ahead rush and drop back pass, there isn’t an O-line in the NFL that can stop the fast rush without counter measures on the play selection. As great as Michael Turner is, he will be stopped half of the time by a simple defensive rush. We needed far more reactions, variations and counter measures than what we saw.
Defense
The Falcons played the worst defensive scheme in the NFL under Van Gorder. I could never understand why Mike Smith allowed it to happen. It was actually a pretty good soft zone or Tampa 2 but the problem was that there rarely any variation in the defense. Good quarterbacks with lots of quality receivers know how to pick apart the soft spots in the zone for short completions. If you don’t have one of the best nickel or dime secondaries in the business, they will throw a bomb on four and five receiver sets. I could never understand why they brought in Dunta Robinson, one of the best man-cover corners in the NFL and then had him play NOTHING but soft zone. On the rare occassion where they varied the defense from play to play and mixed in some man coverage they manhandled the opposition. Review the first half of the Giants game or the Greenbay game… you will see a totally different defense and it was awesome. The Superbowl winning Giants looked befuddled in the first half under a varied defensive scheme (negative yardage, zero points, safety…). Unfortunately, the Falcons quit doing that. This defense needs to react to the unique capabilities of each player and to the opposition with variation. We will get that with Mike Nolan… Bravo!
tom
March 29th, 2012
9:48 am
Coaching should make an improvement. However, Matt Ryan has to step up. His performance has eroded in many ways. Keeping Grimes was stupid.
REAL Falcons fan
March 29th, 2012
9:52 am
Have some faith, this ATL Falcons team has done WAY better as far as winning games as any other group in franchise history. So what the Falcons didn’t make a splash in free agency? What do you want? For them to go out and get another Ray Edwards or Dunta? JUST BECAUSE THE MEDIA HYPES UP FREE AGENCY AND MAKE THE PLAYERS OUT THE BE BETTER THAN THEY ARE DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IT. Mario Williams was the only free agent that could have helped the falcons in my mind with a more aggressive pass rush, BUT we did not have the money to pay him. The media gets into your tiny minds people, you are watching to much sports center were they praise every team who makes these huge deals with mid range players or go after publicity stunts. Example: Peyton Manning before free agency, everybody questioned his ability to play in the NFL as an effective weapon after his injury. Peyton Manning during free agency, he is the jesus christ of football coming to lead whatever team he joins to the promise land. Don’t be swept up in the hype, the falcons roster is no more flawed than anyone elses, no team is going to be perfect. If you aren’t behind the team you root for then what team are you behind ? Sit back and watch, the “Fail-cants” will be just fine. Get on or get off, Falcons don’t need any more bandwagon fans. GO DIRTY BIRDS!
joe white
March 29th, 2012
9:56 am
Please dont panic people act like the falcons was a bad team with what we had. I will say this lofton great tackler cant cover, I know akeem and coached the young man in park trust me he will hit you and cover as well but that mean spoon will be able to what we drafted him for cover on third downs and offense if the line is fixed we are high powered and ready to roll. GO Falcons Section 301 seats 1-6.
Ivan
March 29th, 2012
10:04 am
Mark,
I see the optimism you have, but I don’t share it. The title, “Same Players Under Better Coaching” has yet to even be seen. We don’t know what these coaches can do with this roster. Allow me to point out:
Roddy White lead the league in dropped passes.
Ryan was one of the most inaccurate QBs on the deep ball.
The O-line was absolutely horrendous. They could not give our power back an inch when Smith gave the go ahead call on 4th down. More than once I will add. They also allowed Ryan to be the most sacked QB early in the season, and only through play design, was Ryan able to actually contribute his QB skills by “around week 6″.
The Defense was in position to make plays, but all too often failed to bring in the interception or simply missed the QB sack. Let’s not forget them jumping off sides to lose the game against Tampa Bay.
No. Not very many arguments can be made against the coordinators in this regard. The coaches put them into position to make the plays. The players missed. A lot. And now the majority of them are coming back. The new coaches actually have to conjure up a few more miracles to keep this train wreck on the tracks. Unless Koetter, Nolan, and Hill are going to suit up and block, catch, throw, and pressure the QB themselves, this team hasn’t improved.
PMC
March 29th, 2012
10:08 am
D Man, I feel the same way after wins and losses.
Open Minded
March 29th, 2012
10:28 am
Mark — I actually agreed with you. The message from Falcons HQ is clear… coaching is what they deemed the biggest overhaul needed. We fans may not agree entirely with their assessment nevertheless their actions manifest their thinking. We fans would liked to have seen some personnel action particularly on the offensive line or in the pass rush through free agency but they see things through a different lens. This will be a most interesting season !
Thanks for the really good article.
Van Brocklin
March 29th, 2012
10:33 am
It felt good on the day of September 16th 1973,
way down yonder in New Orleans.
Falcons 62 — Saints 7
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
March 29th, 2012
10:41 am
How can you support a qb that leads his team in the biggest game of the season to Z-E-R-O points in the playoffs?
That is B-U-S-T Material. That takes CHOKING to a whole new level
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
March 29th, 2012
10:44 am
2004 was a L-O-N-G Time ago……..
2014 will be the 10th anniversary
Van Brocklin
March 29th, 2012
11:09 am
Enter your comments here
PMC
March 29th, 2012
11:51 am
Can we get over the “front office lied about the coordinators” thing.
It’s what corporations do. This was as classy a way to let people go as it gets. They let them know quietly they wouldn’t be returning and to try and find a new place to go. Everything worked out. After scoring 0 offensive pts in the Giants loss there’s no way Mularkey could come back here.
29th on 3rd down was curtains for BVG.
The offensive lines performance meant Boudreau wouldn’t be back. They just aren’t going to publically acknowledge it out of respect for collegues who were part of a lot of wins for the team and served honerably.
Consider it an honerable discharge.
G
March 29th, 2012
12:33 pm
That O-line that took the saints to a Super Bowl a couple of years ago was worse than the Falcons. The O-line that took Rodgers and Eli to a Super Bowl was about as good as the Falcons, marginal at best. How do they score points and succeed in the post season? Folks, its the quarterback. Believe the smoking mirrors if you want, but an upgrade in QB will make a world of difference.
The running game will get back to top form as Ovie stays healthy. How much time does Matt need? He needs to make better decissions at a quicker pace. He needs to improve his timing and trust his receivers. His footwork in the pocket is frozen in ice. This QB has remained stagnant and a non-factor in big time games. The QB is the only major setback I see.
FalconFreak
March 29th, 2012
1:06 pm
So why will the offensive line be better able to protect Ryan this year?
FalconFreak
March 29th, 2012
1:08 pm
So why will the defense be better this year? A new coach? How many downs will he play? Will he split his playing time on the line with that of linebacker and secondary? Sheeeeeshhhh
G
March 29th, 2012
1:12 pm
The Falcons did not upgrade the line, or any other part of the team for that matter. You have what you have. With that being said, adjustments will have to be made between coach and qb. OC will have to design plays that don’t exploit his weaknesses, but at the same time maximize the strengths. The strength of the Falcons offense is the running game………in a passing league. Apparently, we can run block but can’t pass block. Go figure. Matt will have to do a better job getting the ball out of his hands quicker, and he’s going to have to extend plays on his own. Be creative.
all for one.....
March 29th, 2012
2:14 pm
Sorry fellow fans, l do not see the players we resigned as being players to take us to the Super Bowl. We must draft from the SEC not Big Sky. Com’on Man. TD get the scouting department in line and find players that can really play.
Falco peregrino
March 29th, 2012
2:31 pm
If the Falcons don’t win a playoff game, or don’t even make it to the playoffs, the Mike Smith is gone period. Thomas Dimitroff will get another chance with another head coach, if Rick Mckay isn’t planting things is Arthur Blanks head.
Bounty scandal Saints > Falclowns
March 29th, 2012
4:27 pm
Fact….Saints will own the Falclowns in 2012….as every other year..lmao…
bulldogbubba
March 29th, 2012
4:27 pm
Custers?
PMC
March 29th, 2012
4:52 pm
Young up and coming defensive end for the Super Bowl champion Giants = Jason Pierre Paul
Young up and coming defensive end for the Falcons = Kroy Biermann
See the difference in personnel yet?
Let me buy the groceries
March 29th, 2012
6:04 pm
The pitiful Saints are looking to pull 70 year old Bill Parcells out of the mothballs.
dan
March 29th, 2012
6:19 pm
I’ll say this about the Falcons, if they do ever win a playoff game , I think they could win two or three more. It won’t be a win one and then get blown out next week kind of deal. They’ll know what they need to do, and continue to be a factor in the playoffs.
This team really just needs some confidence. I think that Green Bay loss in the 2010 playoff’s really affected this team’s psyche this past year. In 2008 and 2010, this team proved they could win some big games, especially at home. But last year…IDK… they just seemed a little gun-shy. Some of that was play calling, but this team really needs some leadership from within the ranks. When things go bad, somebody needs to step forward and be like ” let’s go!!! Get your head out of your a$$”! That has GOT to happen if the Falcons are going to make that transition from pretenders to contenders.
dan
March 29th, 2012
6:33 pm
Also, another thing to keep in mind: Matt Ryan just finished his 4th year in the league. Let’s compare him to some others:
Aaron Rodgers: just getting off the bench in his 4th year, the Pack went 6-10.
Drew Brees: Threw 11 TD’s and 15 INT’s and was benched in favor of Doug Flutie in San Diego( not making this up)
Peyton Manning: Colts finished 6-10, didn’t win a playoff game until his sixth year in the league
That’s a pretty decent list of guys there. The Eli Manning’s, and Ben Rothlisberger’s, and Tom Brady’s…who have Super Bowl success, early , are rare.
So I say let’s hold off judgement on Matty Ice. It’s still early.
dan
March 29th, 2012
6:38 pm
*Actually I was wrong about Brees. He went 12-4 in 2004 and threw 27 TD’s and 7 INT’s. Still, getting replaced by Flutie at anytime in your career is embarrassing.
Son Of Bart
March 29th, 2012
9:23 pm
Same old, same old. If the article is accurate — why wait so long to fix it? By the way, DCs and OCs do not step onto the football field. OC from Jacksonville???? Give me a break! I fear the NFL as I remember it is going the way of everything else in this country. Downhill. I see a 7–9 season (at best) and another house cleanning and just more of the same old — same old. Just pathetic. Pitiful. Sorry for all us fans, but we’ve been sold “snake oil” yet again I’m afraid…
Sid
March 29th, 2012
10:46 pm
Khao$
March 28th, 2012
12:28 pm
Fire Smitty and Dimitroff.
**************************************************************
Brilliant, then what?
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
March 29th, 2012
10:53 pm
Matt “CHOKE” Ryan
March 29th, 2012
10:41 am
How can you support a qb that leads his team in the biggest game of the season to Z-E-R-O points in the playoffs?
That is B-U-S-T Material. That takes CHOKING to a whole new level
_______________________________________________________
What are you talking about ? What was the biggest game of the season he led his team in?
When did they have zero points in the playoffs, I don’t remember that. What does B U S T stand for and what kind of material do you mean? Why would you be concerned with choking, are you MMA?
d-bird
March 29th, 2012
11:15 pm
Mark my words. BLANKS will clean house this if the Falcons fail.
SunTrust Ron
March 29th, 2012
11:24 pm
It’s interesting that the coaching staff shortcomings weren’t viewed as a concern until the debacle in NY. When a team doesn’t show up offensively in a playoff game, the QB has to take the major share of the blame. In addition, Mike Smith has to accept his share as well. The buck stops with him. I’m not convinced the coordinators and position coaches were the problem. If the Falcons flounder again this year, who will they blame this time? My prediction is the Falcons will either win the division or fail to make the playoffs altogether. The 2012 team will not slide in as a Wild Card. Stay tuned.
mike
March 30th, 2012
12:04 am
You guys are pathetic …ibwish.you wouldn’t even comment if you’re going to be negative. RISE IP FALCONS FANS!!!!! THE F%$# IS WRONG WITH YALL!!!! Have some faith in the FO!! :/
Vw
March 30th, 2012
12:16 am
Great post
Gritsfed
March 30th, 2012
12:27 am
A few things: 1) The previous comment about the Falcons needing to sign some old veterans for the line play is spot on! 2) The OL sucks. That’s just telling it like it is! And unless that gets fixed, it is going to be a very long year for M. Ryan and us fans. 3) Letting Lofton go was a wasn’t good. The fact that he is now with our biggest NFL/Division rival, the Saints, makes it a HUGE MISTAKE–with both barrels!!! Finally, if you call yourself a profesional and get paid a lot of money and can’t win a playoff game because of “poor coaching,” there must be something sour in the water some place! You don’t make excuses at the NFL or any professional level! If a person is called a professional, paid as a professional and expected to win as a professional, don’t give me this nonsense about COACHING! Winners find a way to “win”…(thank you, Tim Tebow!) And people who are just hanging on for the ride, go to playoff games and get blown out because they do not have the intestinal fortitude and mental toughness to do what it takes to get it done in January! Which brings me all the way, back around, to point#1–the falcons need about 3 or 4 hardened veterans to show up, get in the locker room and show everybody how to win–versus N.O and especially in January!
Pmc
March 30th, 2012
1:03 am
If we can get the line sorted out at all this team should start scoring in bunches.
We all know how they love to play with a lead