The Falcons spoil ESPN’s Peyton party and win a big one
Vance Walker slams into the famous Denver quarterback. (AP photo by David Goldman)
ESPN tried to throw a Peyton party Monday night. Some guys wearing red almost turned it into a pity party. The Worldwide Leader sought to show the world the greatness that is Peyton Manning; the Falcons almost made you feel sorry for the old guy.
Almost, I said.
We can only hope that some who tuned in to watch Peyton stuck around to appreciate the team in red. It ain’t bad, folks. It’s better than it was last season, maybe better than in the 13-3 run of 2010. In Week 1 the Falcons let Kansas City hang around before pulling away on the road. On Monday night they never let Denver get started. It was 10-0 barely five minutes in, 20-0 late in the second quarter, 27-7 midway through the third.
Of Peyton’s first eight passes, four were caught by Broncos; three were snagged by Falcons. In order, the interceptors were William Moore, Thomas DeCoud and Robert McClain. There were those who thought Manning would lay waste to a secondary minus the injured Brent Grimes, but he needed nearly all the first half to lead his team to its first points, and those came only after a replay review of a frankly outrageous Demaryius Thomas catch.
Which brings us to the officiating. It was awful. The first half lasted one hour, 48 minutes, and the inaction was largely because of the replacement refs — the regulars are locked out — having little idea what was what. One Atlanta touchdown was overruled by technology; the aforementioned first Denver score was posted only after TV corrected the man on the scene.
The low point — we’re talking sinkholes now — came when the Broncos’ Knowshon Moreno, who used to be a big deal around here, fumbled at the end of the first quarter. Players from both teams gave impassioned tutorials in the fine art of pointing. The refs stood around and gawked, apparently afraid to offend either side. A Broncos lineman nudged one official, perhaps in the effort to end the deliberation, and then the players started shoving each other, and Denver coach John Fox lent his perspective, and the Falcons’ Ray Edwards got himself flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Days later, it was determined that Sean Weatherspoon had recovered. The Falcons didn’t score off that turnover — Denver’s fourth of the quarter — and their lead remained only 10-0. For long moments it seemed as if they’d live to rue this squandered chance, but in the end there would be no cause for ruing. They were too good for Denver, too good for the famous Peyton Manning.
“When you get an opportunity to steal possessions against a very good offense, you’ve got to make them pay,” Falcons coach Mike Smith would say. “We played a good game, but there are lots of things we have to address.”
As we know, the Falcons changed both coordinators over the winter. Most of the attention has fallen on Dirk Koetter, the new offensive man, and he had his coming-out moment in Kansas City. This night was the time of introduction for Mike Nolan, charged with energizing a mediocre defense. Nolan’s schemes flummoxed Manning early, and if you do that you’ve done something.
“The way we were disguising things, I think we had him on his heels,” DeCoud said. “To be able to do that is a testament to how we’ve grown as a team. It’s a testament that we’ve taken the next step.”
Nolan’s No-Names won this one. The offense didn’t move much. Michael Turner went mostly nowhere, and Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez managed to drop two passes apiece. (The massively gifted Jones even flubbed a touchdown that would have made it 14-nil.) But this “D” kept giving the ball back to Matt Ryan, and finally the Falcons stitched together two nice-looking touchdown drives.
The second made the score 27-7, and even after the Broncos scored to draw within 13 points early in the fourth, there was no sense that this would be Peyton’s night. Those early turnovers would have taxed even the Manning of old’s comeback prowess, and this wasn’t quite the Manning of old — just an older Manning.
By beating such a famous opponent, the Falcons served notice that their time might well be hand. They’re still not a finished product — the running game needs serious work — but they have enough talent to make them a serious NFC player. They’ve had it for a while. Difference is, they’ve got coaches inclined to let that talent have its way.
Eight minutes left, Denver trailing by 13 points but facing third-and-6 at the Falcons’ 36. Remember the soft zones of Brian VanGorder? Remember how Nolan, in his introductory teleconference, said he’d like to have 10 guys getting four sacks apiece rather than four guys getting 10? Well, here was your moment of both departure and arrival. Moore, the strong safety, came clean off the left side and sacked Manning.
The Broncos would score with 3:25 left to draw within 27-21, and now it was nervous time. Would the Falcons flop again in prime time, this time blowing a 20-point lead? Would they, after all their good work, remind us that they’re still the feckless Falcons?
Nope. Ryan found Jones for a vital first down with 2 1/2 minutes left, Ryan dodging a hard rush to buy his receiver the needed nanosecond to shake loose. Then Turner finally broke free for the clincher, and the party-crashers had their victory. The Falcons were 2-0, alone atop the NFC South. Even better, they were 1-0 against Peyton Manning. And when last this team beat Peyton, it wound up in the Super Bowl. You could look it up.
By Mark Bradley
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214 comments Add your comment
King Arthur Blank
September 18th, 2012
7:26 am
Were Michael Turner’s ankles tied together? He would run for 1 yard and fall down so they must have been. I am not paying him millions to fall down. Its great to be the King.
Mike
September 18th, 2012
7:35 am
Yep, the Saints are the best (BOUNTY) team in football.
jemjames
September 18th, 2012
7:39 am
Mambo, the booth was worse.
AlanFalcon
September 18th, 2012
7:41 am
The Falcon’s wore me out last night, think I’ll take the day off, retirement is harsh– o Falcon’s.
dean
September 18th, 2012
7:43 am
Dang. Just heard that Turner got arrested for “Suspicion of DUI”
AlanFalcon
September 18th, 2012
7:43 am
Worn out, Falcon’s were great, think I’ll take the day off, retirement is harsh–Go Falcon’s.
dean
September 18th, 2012
7:43 am
Releeeeeeeease meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
AlanFalcon
September 18th, 2012
7:46 am
Will someone tell Turner he is suppose to be a power back and not a scat back the use of him on first down is really bad as everyone knows he is going to get the ball and not be able to execute, the other three backs have got to be given a chance.
ramblingbuzz
September 18th, 2012
7:54 am
Glad the birds won; thought they should have been able to score more especially in the first half with all the turnovers. Mike Tirico on the telecast was ridiculous complaining about the officals. He ran that theme into the ground, along with the fact that Manning told him he was still rusty at the QB. Announcers these days seem to think they must repeat something over and over to make their point.
G
September 18th, 2012
7:55 am
Julio shut himself down. Had nothing to do with Loser bailey.
dawgnation1
September 18th, 2012
7:56 am
Is Turner going to get suspended for the DUI he reportedly got arrested for an hour ago?
Hoocho
September 18th, 2012
8:06 am
dawgnation1 – if that’s the truth, its the best thing that can happen to our team.
Need to get big Snell and Quizz more touches anyway.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
September 18th, 2012
8:07 am
Peyton had little zip on his throws last night and Denver should be worried about that.
Atlanta needs a good RB folks….. Mr. Blank and Thomaz need to address that situation.
?
September 18th, 2012
8:07 am
The Falcant’s is still a sorry team. It’s obvious that they had a bounty against Peyton Manning. It seems like they tried their best to hurt him… They are still not going to go to the playoffs.
extremus
September 18th, 2012
8:07 am
The Falcons fan in me is enjoying the 2-0 start and a big victory on a big stage game when, as Mr. Bradley’s article stated, the Falcons were once again the broadcasters’ afterthought to the “main attraction” (this time it was Peyton Manning and his return; the last time it was Drew Brees chasing Dan Marino’s record). That’s how the Falcons have been the past few seasons…good enough to have winning seasons 4 straight times (an NFL rarity, let alone for a franchise that had never experienced consecutive winning campaigns), but yet always overshadowed by an opponent with an established Superbowl resume. And yes, the boys at ESPN laid the praise on Manning pretty thick, though not quite as nauseating as hearing them practically bow down and worship “the greatness that is Drew Brees”. Nice to be vindicated for a change.
But the voice of reason in me realizes that on any given Sunday/Monday, even a great QB and/or team can get off to an awful start that they simply can’t overcome. Peyton Manning was WAY off his pre-injury game last night, and before anyone awards the Falcons the Lombardi Trophy just yet, please remember that the list of quarterbacks they still have to face (Brees twice, Newton twice, Freeman twice, Rivers, Vick, Romo, Stafford, Eli Manning, etc…) and the fact that all these guys are either still very much in their prime or even have yet to hit their full capacity. And I find it highly unlikely that all of them will spot the Falcons three straight turnovers to start the game.
So yeah, I’m enjoying the 2-0 start and the overall good feeling I’m getting so far from the 2012 Falcons. But there are a lot of games left to play, and every one offers something for them to prove.
oi!
September 18th, 2012
8:09 am
Mark, the refs aren’t on strike. They’re locked out. There is a difference…
FalconInChicago
September 18th, 2012
8:14 am
It was great to see the Falcons defense come alive last night on national television. Bradley is right about ESPN fawning all over Peyton.
A Fan
September 18th, 2012
8:14 am
Great Game! Great Win! Not so great officiating. We got lucky there. And until we beat the best, we’re not the best. The Saints fans say they are the best. Only one way to decide that. I’m a Brids fan but the Saints are the most dangerous 0-2 team in the league. But, then again, the Birds beat them, and then we can crow.
Pamela
September 18th, 2012
8:15 am
Once again the Falcants’ fans are so happy. Trust me when I say that – that will be short lived. The Saints had a horrible off season. Our team is still much better than the Falcants’. Always have been and always will be. Matt Ryan still has spaghetti arms. I have a question for the Falcants’ fans…where is your Championship ring? Answer…you don’t and never will have one. Why? Because you are not good enough to receive one. So what you won 2 games? Who cares….what matters in the end is the Championship ring. Take it from the N.Y. Giants. They won the Superbowl last year and really did not have that many wins. Oh yeah..they win play off games…the Falcants’ NEVER win. Oh yeah..that one time when you all went to the superbowl years ago and flopped. Just like you will do again this year!
Pamela
September 18th, 2012
8:17 am
You will not go to the superbowl, but you will flop! Hahahahahahahahaha!
cdbgolf
September 18th, 2012
8:17 am
Its time for Michael Turner to go.He looks fat and slow,it takes him forever to get to the line. I can not believe how Jon Gruden was saying how good Turner was in short yardage situations.I guess he has not watched the Falcons the past couple of years.
G
September 18th, 2012
8:18 am
Nice Michael Turner can’t run the ball worth a crap but he can drive drunk. Idiot.
falcon
September 18th, 2012
8:19 am
It’s always nice to prove all the talking heads on ESPN wrong. The Falcons are probably the only team ever to pick Peyton 3 times in the 1st quarter. Mike Smith and staff, schooled John Fox last night. Way to use up your time outs and your challenges Coach Fox.
G
September 18th, 2012
8:20 am
Yes folks Michael Turner was arrested last night???? for speeding and driving drunk??? In a game that ended after midnight. What an idiot. Gee I thought the nfl was so brutal that these guys were sooo tired, that they to ice their bodies and home to sleep. What bs.
G
September 18th, 2012
8:21 am
Nice can’t talk about the hypocrisies of the nfl and players on here. MT gets a dui after a game that ends at 12:15. What a joke
Larry
September 18th, 2012
8:21 am
G,
I would suggest he CAN’T drive drunk…he was caught!
Really Amazing
September 18th, 2012
8:24 am
Mike Nolan, Enuff said!!!
G
September 18th, 2012
8:25 am
Maybe it was a road block larry.
Escaped from Email Purgatory
September 18th, 2012
8:35 am
Gee. Peyton Manning couldn’t quite work the miracle ESPN hoped for. Poor Mike Tirico. I hope hotel housekeeping remembers to change his tear-stained pillowcase this morning.
I get kinda sick of the national sports media deciding the ideal story line they want to shamelessly promote for the game before the game happens.
Would be nice if they just let the game develop as the on field action transpires and report on that.
It’s common practice nowadays (please see Vern and Gary and their incessant, game-long gushing over whoever the current SEC Golden Boy QB is). To hear them tell it, Tim could heal the lame and Cam could fly.
Instead of just calling the game impartially as it unfolds before their eyes, the pre-game agenda drives the tone of play by play and color commentary.
It ain’t like we can’t see what’s happening. This is freaking TV. Dutch Reagan ain’t painting a word picture for his rapt radio audience by ready copy handed him by his producer.
Hey felas! We don’t have to take your word for what’s going on. We can see the game too.
Thought I was gonna hear the call of a game between the Falcons and Broncos. Sounded more like the Globetrotters v the Washington Generals.
Lance
September 18th, 2012
8:36 am
Great game Falcons! I was getting worried there at the end with the typical conservative calling the last part of the game. Falcons coaches MUST keep the pedal to the floor with that offense and it will take a lot more pressure off of the defense. That game should not have been close whatsoever. I know double negative but we are talking Football here.
FALCONS need: The Falcons need to re-think M. Turner. I think I could run faster backwards than he runs. We need a running back with some explosion and maneuverability. Turner is SLOW and has no cutting skills anymore. Get SNELLING started!!!!
jerry
September 18th, 2012
8:39 am
The game was over at 12:15am,Turner bonded out at 5am, 4 hours and 45 minutes after the game. How long does someone have to spend in jail for dui before bonding out? He must have started drinking in the locker room as soon as the game was over.
kingdaddy
September 18th, 2012
8:39 am
Falcons are 2-0. Won a road game right out of the blocks, then beat a good Denver team and what am I reading this morning? A bunch of whinners who will cry no matter what happens. When was the last time we won a Monday Night Game? Give the hateing a break for at least 24 hours after a victory. Oh and btw, did Turner’s DUI violate any clause in his contract? Hopefully, this will wake him up and humble him a little. Maybe it will boost his effort.
Did the Oline play have anything to do with the running game being weak?
Believe it or not, Sam Baker had a pretty good game last night…
Big fan 81
September 18th, 2012
8:41 am
By the end of the season, nobody will care about last night’s bad officiating, TV commentary, or whatever. All that will matter is the WIN, andthat the Falcons will be back in the postseason. This team looks every bit as good as the 2010 13-3 team. WE DAT.
G
September 18th, 2012
8:42 am
Maybe he was drunk while playing and that’s why his performance is always lousy.
St Simons
September 18th, 2012
8:42 am
thank you Mark for publishing this very accurate assessment in a
national publication. ESPN is really disgusting, the new National
Enquirer of sports. I had to turn off the sound.
and the refs weren’t as bad as the Denver punks taking advantage
of them. Fox, DelRio, and the punks that followed their lead. Man,
Brookings is sure in the right place, a team full o punks.
Now les go surfin
Hot err
September 18th, 2012
8:45 am
So our fat lazy slob of a running back goes out to celebrate his 15 yard night with a DUI?
Cut him and his beer gut now.
Great Falconi
September 18th, 2012
8:47 am
Who knows what Turner was under the influence of? Maybe, just maybe, he was burning a few. After all, he is the Burner.
St Simons
September 18th, 2012
8:49 am
haha, USC and the Denver Mannings both lose on EuScPN in one week.
the pouty butt-hurt must be excruciating
Ted M
September 18th, 2012
8:49 am
The defense was in fact great. However I’m not convinced the are Broncos great.
St Simons
September 18th, 2012
8:53 am
the ‘Amoeba’ defense is the greatest scheme i’ve ever seen.
North FLA Falcon
September 18th, 2012
8:53 am
Sit Michael Turner out for the SD game. Let him dry out and think things over. Tweak the running game. We are on a roll but it’s a short week leading up to a west coast trip. Gotta keep playing tough!
Falcon Fan
September 18th, 2012
8:56 am
Birds Looked Great. DB’s took the game to a whole new level…I gotta believe some of that is Nolan.
Thanks Guys…Great game.!!
Kramer
September 18th, 2012
9:03 am
Maybe TD was right. All we really needed was new assistant coaches. Saints fans beware, your team sucks and our does not.
dean
September 18th, 2012
9:04 am
@ TED M. Maybe not “great” but they were good enough to knock off the Steelers. Falcons made Manning look pedestrian. Nobody, but noooooooobody could have predicted that.
Manny
September 18th, 2012
9:05 am
This is a signature win for the Falcons. As a Falcons fan, I’m really happy. As an NFL fan, I’m a little concerned about Peyton. That first quarter was some of the worst QBing I’ve seen in a long time.
But the Falcons has plenty of weapons. And I don’t think anyone on the planet can make that back-shoulder throw as good as Matt Ryan. Let’s keep it going and get that first playoff win!
Oh, and for those sorry Aints fans that keeps chirping- Win a game in 2012 first.
Joey
September 18th, 2012
9:06 am
I hate Smith’s tendency to sit on a lead. That kind of philosophy is why we can’t win a playoff game. The opening drive of the second half should have been designed to knock the Broncos out. Instead, they hand it twice to the RB that seemingly has vision problems – he can’t seem to look out of the top of his helmet.
Other than that, the O and the D looked really good, the O especially in the hurry-up.
Steve
September 18th, 2012
9:08 am
Kudo’s to the Falcon’s defense. Their 3 quick picks helped put Denver in a hole early.
The officials just suck. Blown call after blown call.
Good game for Roddy White with over 100 yeards receiving. Falcon’s offense has got to learn to put together drives that result in points (TDs) . They can’t rely on the other team giving them short fields to score with on their 1st 3 possessions.
Jack Spain
September 18th, 2012
9:12 am
Two things stand between this team and the Lombardi Trophy…Michael Turner is too slow and Dunta Robinson can’t cover anybody
JeanE
September 18th, 2012
9:15 am
I admit, I picked the Broncos to win a close one. I thought the Falcons beat up on a bad KC team and that Peyton would prevail. I was wrong and glad of it. Very impressed by the Mike Nolan D, they are on fire! And without Grimey and Owen going out, they still were tough. Should’ve gotten rid of BVG and Mularkey years ago! I always said Mularkey was holding back this offense and man, was he ever. As for Turner, I wanted to let him go a year ago, he is on a downhill slide and his DUI just proves he’s a complete numbskull to boot! He lives up here in Gwinnett near me, you idiot, driving 97 drunk home, you could’ve killed someone or yourself!! What a bum. As for The Birds, I loved it, just thrilled to see Tony, Roddy and Harry get their catches. I am not a Julio fan and still maintain he was completely unecessary but whatever. Keep up the good work!
Infamous
September 18th, 2012
9:16 am
Someone please give Snelling some carries. Turner is not getting us any yards and I can not tell if he is giving us much effort. Put Snelling in the game to see if he can’t pick up more yards with the same O-line. He has the last couple of years when Tip-Toe Turner was dancing around in the backfield. Maybe that could at least light a fire under him to do SOMETHING or ANYTHING with his carries.