The Falcons’ bye, the run defense and Abe’s honest effort
The "un-blockable" John Abraham slams into Carson Palmer. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Note: This post is an adjunct to the game column off the Falcons’ 23-20 victory over Oakland, which can be found here.
1. The Falcons’ bye week comes at a propitious moment. They’re 6-0 and riding high, and after three fourth-quarter escapes they’re getting the feeling they can win without playing their best. They need to disabuse themselves of that notion posthaste, and having a week away from football might serve as a reality check. If not, the guess is that Mike Smith will remind them that these past three games could easily have been lost when the team reconvenes next week in Flowery Branch.
2. The run defense is getting offensive, as it were. The Falcons ranked 28th among 32 NFL clubs in rushing defense entering Sunday’s game, and the Raiders, possessors of the league’s lowest-ranked running attack, ground out 149 yards. If that’s not a red flag, then Betsy Ross wasn’t a seamstress. Particularly galling was backup tailback Michael Goodson’s 43-yard burst to the Falcons’ 47 in a tie game with 5:41 remaining. Thanks to Asante Samuel, the Raiders didn’t score on the possession, but still.
3. If you have to have a one-man pass rush, John Abraham is the one man to have. He had three sacks, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. Offensive tackle Willie Smith, charged with trying to stop Abraham, was called for holding three times. The Raiders were flagged 13 times — 12 of those penalties were accepted — and five of those calls were holding against Raider linemen. Said Mike Smith of Abraham: “He was un-blockable.”
Oh, and if you’re wondering, “Where’s the Monday morning Heat Check?” … it’s right here.
Further reading: The Falcons are 6-0, but certain other numbers don’t add up.
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
109 comments Add your comment
Barry
October 15th, 2012
5:40 pm
HEY Y’ALL:
“ONE HEARTBEAT, BABY!!!!” SEE YOU GUYS WHEN YOU GET OFF THE BREAK AND CONTINUE TO STUDY FOOTBALL DURING THIS SHORT BREAK. DO IT IN “ONE HEARTBEAT!!!” SEE Y’ALL!!
GO FALCONS!!!!!
THE “PROCESS” CONTINUES TO THE SUPER BOWL. “UNFINISHED BUSINESS”.
“FALCONS, RISE UP!!!!”. WE “RISE UP!!” IN “ONE HEARTBEAT!!!”
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a FALCON FAN. TELL EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
…………………….”ONE HEARTBEAT, BABY!!!!…………………….
…………………………………….
takeowndawg
October 15th, 2012
5:49 pm
Koetter’s lack of utilizing Michael Turner is definitely having an affect on the Falcons offense, particularly,the play action pass plays or, lack there of. Not giving Turner 20-25 carries will limit this team over the season and in the playoffs, if they make it. Clock control is important.
tidog
October 15th, 2012
5:59 pm
Tackling in the NFL is horrible and the Falcons are no exception. Some Nick Saban 101 tackling classes will cure their poor perfomance against the run. Wrap the hips or wrap the legs but some portion of the lower body must be locked and stopped. Seems as though some guys are making business decisions.when it’s time to make the tackle.
jc_dawgs
October 15th, 2012
6:48 pm
Focus back to last years post season and the 24-2 beating that we took against the Giants. Have we fixed those problems that lead to that loss? Thats the real question. Because make no mistake about it…the road to the super bowl in the NFC is going to involve beating the Giants. I’m just not so sure we are physical enough to do that yet.
Tom1
October 15th, 2012
7:12 pm
With this lack of a consistent running game and commitment to a diversified running attack, 1st tier defenses will continue to tee off on Matt, which will result in more interceptions, three and outs, and an injured franchise quarterback. A couple of generations of OC’s have wracked their brains trying get Mike Turner open just enough to get him up to cruising speed but he is too slow, too easy to hit, and mostly too easy to bottle up and bring down now. In his prime, not so long ago, The Burner could wear down defenses over the course of a game, but not any more. The offensive line may be the problem but it is what it is. Unless our new OC can develope a new scheme for Mike, I think his time early in the game needs to be reduced. I’m a die hard Falcon fan from the 60’s, win or lose, but certain things will continue to drive us crazy if left unchanged. Proud of our team, especially Mike. Go Falcons!!
paul
October 15th, 2012
10:50 pm
Falcons go .500 rest of the way. 11-5. Same result in play-offs as before. Lots of holes all over the field for this team. Love the new coaches — but they don’t play on the field. No Super Bowl in sight…
billybob
October 15th, 2012
11:58 pm
A tad too early to get in line for Super Bowl tickets. 6 and 0 only means something for this and the bye. 2 and 3 points wins against winning teams is a reason for optimism but not against loosing teams. I’m a 30 year Bird fan but I know better than to boast about this team.
Falcon's 6-0
October 16th, 2012
7:49 am
They, don’t need to get too cocky. Take one game, at a time. Don’t think, they will,go undefeated.They, will win the NFC South. Probably, will have the best record, in the NFC. And maybe the whole NFL.
New Orleans, WORST TEAM, EVER
October 16th, 2012
7:52 am
The AIN’T'S, will be celler, dweller’s ALL, SEASON. LONG.