Live from Tampa Bay: The Falcons seek to Buc(k) a trend
I'm not exactly sure what this evocative image evokes, except a thirst for Gatorade. (AP photo)
Tampa — The Falcons are 9-1, but by my reckoning they’ve played one really good game in their past seven. (The one: At Philadelphia ahead of Hurricane Sandy.) Then again, they’ve won five of those six not-really-good games, so what’s the problem?
This: A team wants to be playing well in December, so as to keep playing well into January/February. The Falcons know this better than anyone, having seen consecutive seasons ended by teams that weren’t, as of Thanksgiving, anywhere near locks to qualify for postseason fun and frolic. We know already that these Falcons will make the playoffs. What we don’t know is if they’ll fare any better once there.
Today marks Game 1 of a loaded (and shortened) week. They play the Buccaneers, who’ve won four in a row, and then they play the Saints, who’ve won five of six, on Thursday night. Sweep the week and we won’t be quibbling, at least not so much. Get swept and the carping will be unconfined.
Confession: A couple of weeks back, I suggested this would be the venue for the Falcons’ first loss. As we know, the Saints interceded. Part of me thinks the Falcons are pointing toward this game as another checkpoint, same as they were the game in Philly. Then again, they wanted badly to win in the Superdome, and they didn’t. So here’s what I’m saying, kind of:
If the Falcons are as good as they (and I) think they are, they’ll win this one. But they can’t beat Tampa Bay by half-stepping, or by turning it over six times. They’ll have to play well, and it has been a while since they’ve managed that.
Whatever happens, I’ll be here to watch and comment, and I’d appreciate the company. And I thank you, as ever, in advance.
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
1,274 comments Add your comment
mountain_jim
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
Should have saved 5 more seconds – Smith’s fault on clock management
ijonathan
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
More Mike Smith ultra conservative non elite decision making.
scfalcon
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
So suddenly the Tampa defense is so scary that we mismanage the clock trying not to give them the ball. That is Josh Freeman, not Joe Montana.
MFranklin
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
Gonna be one of them days…
stephen
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
wow. that’s the ballgame.
JSS
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
Defining moments are like that
dean
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
That’s funny.
ijonathan
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
Smith deserved that miss.
Lil' Barry Bailout
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
Pathetic effort
Flowery Branch Yellow Jacket
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
The Falcons have more than twice as many yards as the Bucs (239 vs.105), yet we have a tie game at the half. Don’t like the looks of that.
Pigskin
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
This game just ended…again folks.
Horrible!
Mark Bradley
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
And now a miss from 23 YDS. Lousy ending to a pretty decent half
I_Hate_Saints
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA
Roger
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
Playing safe, not to lose…..what’s it get you Mike Smith?
Sid
November 25th, 2012
2:19 pm
pathetic
The Real Falcon
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
That is why Julio has to not have a penalty and has to make a hard catch
Augusta
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
My thoughts exactly, Mark…rotten, stupid, terrible, idiotic coaching…and now the stupid, rotten, terrible idiotic botched FG…Unforgivable, especially with TB getting the ball next
phil
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
Another killer FG….the TD pass is no longer there for us.
This is ridiculous….
Oh, nevermind. We can’t kick a 22 yarder anymore either.
Some playoff team….
Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Jo
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
wow, I am a big falcons fan….but they seems to make stupid mistakes champion teams dont make and they dont miss 22 YD field goals…..This is a continuation of last week…..bad stupid play…sprinkled with a little hope here and there.
DawgNole
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
Bryant misses a 22-yarder? If that’s not a bad sign, nothing is.
ijonathan
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
I remember a certain chip shot miss in Tampa during the Vick era too…
Eric C.
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
What happened?
lees
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
What the f………
KenDawg
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
Wow – I hit a golf ball better than that. Was that really Matt Bryant??
Lil' Barry Bailout
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
Poor clock management cost us one more shot at the end zone.
Bill
November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
Falcons suck inside the 20..and What happen on the FG?
Sid
November 25th, 2012
2:21 pm
more coaching blunders by D.A Smith.
phil
November 25th, 2012
2:21 pm
Some playoff team…..
I spit on this putrid play.
dean
November 25th, 2012
2:21 pm
Should had 7. Satisfied with 3. Got nada. Does not bode well .
Wow.
November 25th, 2012
2:21 pm
How do you miss one that short?
Augusta
November 25th, 2012
2:21 pm
Welcome to the Twilight Zone, folks…
tmc
November 25th, 2012
2:21 pm
I didn’t think it was possible to miss a 22 yd Field Goal…
I stand corrected. Geezzzzz.
team
November 25th, 2012
2:21 pm
The missed field goal will come back to haunt us. This is what happens when we get too excited about beating up on bad teams. Now that we are playing quality teams we don’t look so great.
ramblinwreck80
November 25th, 2012
2:21 pm
serves you right Falcons…you have Ryan, White, Jones, Gonzalez, Rodgers…and you AGAIN play for a FG try…and MISS…this “timid” play will bite you in the butt!!!
Sav FAN
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
No effort in the red zone from any of the Birds
Roy
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
Anything that can go wrong for the Falcons goes wrong most of the time. (sigh).
ijonathan
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
Last week, the flag/challenge debacle. This week, costing the team a down by stupid clock management. What, you don’t trust your team to stop the Bucs with 15 or 20 seconds and 1 timeout?? Just utterly stupid.
Eric C.
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
How could he miss it so badly?
Jo
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
agreed, terrible clock management. we know our run game is suspect, Ryan will turn the ball over giving the other team points, but now we lost our kicking game too? whats left? maybe the defense…
DawgPrint
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
Terrible clock management Coach Smith. I know, I know…it’s a process.
Bill
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
radio said it was holders fault he missed FG
Your Comment is awaiting moderation
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
1st half 8-0. This could go down as the biggest meltdown in team history.
take it from me.
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
You could tell Byrant was going to miss that fieldgoal,by the way he lined up,football is rigged!
kbb
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
Mike smith! YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!
DawgNole
November 25th, 2012
2:22 pm
Flowery Branch Yellow Jacket
November 25th, 2012
2:15 pm
As annoying as the commercials are if you’re watching on TV, they are even more annoying if you actually attend the game. There is just far too much “dead time” on the field.
____________________
Agreed–especially when the weather’s not the best.
Pigskin
November 25th, 2012
2:23 pm
lol @”champion teams…”
We’re still a few years away from that. We’ll still finish above .500 though and the organization & fans will be fine with that.
Unacceptable.
vesaversa
November 25th, 2012
2:23 pm
The Atlanta Falcons is not a playoff team , i will always be a fan but this guy missing a 32 yard field goal is enough already . I don’t know if coach should hold onto his job but heads need to roll over this .Fire the three point kicker fire Tunner and that old man linebacker crew just for starters .
J.J.M.
November 25th, 2012
2:23 pm
That’s why you win with touchdowns
dean
November 25th, 2012
2:23 pm
That is why PAT’s should not be eliminated.
Lil' Barry Bailout
November 25th, 2012
2:23 pm
Playoff teams score there.