Tag: NFL

Dallas ended New Orleans bid for a perfect season with a 24-17 victory Sunday night on the NFL Network, which is not in the homes of millions of NFL fans. In the process, Dallas saved their own season, solidifying their playoff positioning, and officially ended Atlanta’s thin hopes for a spot in the playoffs. The reality is that Atlanta never really had much hope; as a famous Jedi would say, only a fool’s hope.

Now the Falcons can focus on closing out the season with three victories in a row to end on a high note: back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history. For those of you keeping notes at home, we are talking about never have consecutive winning season since 1966. Ouch.

It will be interesting to see if the Falcons continue to fight, or if they pack it in to go home for the winter.

This summary from the AFC East blog at ESPN is certainly one way to look at the Falcons/Jets game:

What is the opposite of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object? That would be Mark Sanchez facing the Atlanta Falcons’ pass defense. Something has to give — and give and give and give. Jets coach Rex Ryan announced Sanchez will return from a knee injury and start Sunday at the Meadowlands. Sanchez’s interceptions have cost the Jets a legitimate shot at the playoffs, but the Falcons have the 30th-ranked pass defense. Opposing quarterbacks have posted a cumulative 98.2 passer rating, second-highest in the league.

The Falcons tend to make everyone look like a winner; that’s just how they roll this year. Besides, the Falcons injury report is still a mile long. Abrham, Jamall Anderson, and Babineaux are all shown was “questionable” after limited practice yesterday, and Chris Houston is out for the second week in a row. I never cared for Houston, but the Falcons do sort of need a defensive line to have any chance at forcing Sanchez into mistakes.

If Turner is healthy, I say the Falcons win. A battering ram that controls the clock does wonders for keeping a piss poor defense from being exposed. I would hate to think a rookie QB could put up winning numbers vs. Atlanta, but let’s be honest, our defense stinks.

I was happy to see that Warrick Dunn now has an ownership stake in the Atlanta Falcons.

“This opportunity fulfills one of my professional goals to expand my knowledge and experience in the area of NFL team management, branding and operations,” Dunn said. “I am excited to be back as part of the Falcons team and, in particular, to work with Mr. Blank.”

Dunn is one of the all around good guys; charity work and all the important stuff other than football. Glad to see him sticking around in some capacity with Atlanta.

The Falcons just cannot seem to escape their history. Landing Tony Gonzales for a 2010 Second Round draft pick seemed like a good idea at the time. In fact, I was enthusiastic. Gonzales was supposed to be a key component in the Falcons potent offense. Gonzales was also billed to be Ryan’s “go to” receiver; Gonzales was going to help Ryan avoid a sophomore slump.

There is no doubt that Gonzales has contributed, and he is a fan favorite in Atlanta judging by the #88 jerseys I see at every home game. Gonzales currently ranks in the Top 10 in receptions (75), Top 30 in yards (788), and Top 30 in TDs (5) among all receivers. If you compare just TEs then Gonzales lands in the Top 5 in receptions and receiving yards, but is further back in TDs.

Gonzales’ numbers are more than reasonable, but I did expect him to have 10 TDs by this point in the season. Gonzales should be the goal line weapon of choice if Ryan has to go to the air in the Red Zone. Little did we know that Ryan would miss multiple games because his toe was sore, Turner would pull up lame, Norwood would miss five consecutive games, and the list goes ever onward.

If the Falcons fail to make the playoffs, and if Atlanta does not manage to pull off three victories in a row to get back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history, I think I am going to regret this trade. The 2010 draft should be plenty deep, and the Falcons need all the picks they can get.

A Second Round pick is worth plenty. Now you are asking “just what can you get for a Second Round pick?” Looking back over the last few years, the Falcons drafted:

• William Moore, S (2009) – Plenty of upside, but a bum knee in college made his stock fall. Landed on IR; the verdict is still out.
• Curtis Lofton, LB (2008) – Steal of a pick. He should anchor the Falcons defense for years to come.
• Justin Blalock, G (2007) – Solid starter the last three years.
• Chris Houston, CB (2007) – Plenty fast, but should be a nickel back, not a starting CB.
• Jimmy Williams, DB (2006) – Wasted pick and a pot-head.
• Jonathan Babineaux (2005) – Solid DB, but wants to join the thug crowd as a pot-head.
• Bryan Scott, S (2003) – Contributed for a couple of years before being traded to the Saints.
• Alge Crumpler, TE (2001) – A fan favorite during the Vick years. Alge was dumped in 2008 when the new front office took over.
• Travis Claridge, G (2000) – I had to look this one up because I do not remember the pick. A busted knee ended his career in 2003, and he passed away in 2006.

While the results have been mixed, overall I think the Falcons have done well with their Second Round picks. Let’s hope Gonzalez stays with the Falcons another couple of seasons, helps us get over the hump, and forget about giving up a valuable rebuilding tool.

The hits just keep on piling up for the Falcons, but seeing Finneran land on the IR is especially disappointing. The poor man had to battle through two wasted seasons (2006 and 2007) recovering from knee surgeries.

Apparently Finneran messed up a knee [technical terms are my specialty] in last Sunday’s loss to New Orleans. The Falcons say that this injury is non operable, or at least does not require surgery. That is good news for an all around good guy. Hope Finneran has a speedy recovery!

I was surprised to see that Atlanta is still “officially” listed as being a possible playoff team by NFL.com. I am not sure how these odds work out, but if the Falcons managed to win out,

REMAINING OPPONENTS (13-26): at N.Y. Jets (7-6), Buffalo (5-8), at Tampa Bay (1-12)

and Dallas stumbled three times in a row,

REMAINING OPPONENTS (26-13): at New Orleans (13-0), at Washington (4-9), Philadelphia (9-4)

Atlanta could sneak into the playoffs. If the Falcons can manage to get a little healthier I think they could run the table. If nothing else, I hope they are playing for back-to-back winning seasons.

Things get interesting if you consider Dallas; their schedule is actually difficult. New Orleans is playing for history, so I do not think they are about to lose. While Washington sucks, and I don’t think Dallas will lose, the Skins could be playing for pride. Plus it is a rivalry game. The Eagles game is where it gets interesting. What happens if the Eagles still have not locked up the NFC East, or if the Eagles still have a chance at a better playoff seed? I guess the Falcons are eliminated at this point if the Eagles consider their last game of the year against Dallas a “must win” affair.

The playoffs are really so far out there for Atlanta that I am not sure why I am writing, but these are the sort of things that cross my mind at 3:30 in the morning! The Packers have the inside track in the Wildcard race, I did not mention the Giants who are a game in front of Atlanta and hold a tie breaker over the Falcons, and finally Dallas also has a tie breaker over the Falcons.

The Giants are in prime position to make a run

REMAINING OPPONENTS (20-19): at Washington (4-9), Carolina (5-8), at Minnesota (11-2)

Too many “if’s” for the Falcons to have any sort of chance. There is always next year, right?

I decided to man-up and take the boys to yesterday’s Saints/Falcons game, rain be damned. OK, so a tailgate was not on the menu, so we decided to stop by a McD’s on the way up. Not as good as what I would have serve up, but better than getting soaked. My normal tailgate spot is about a 10 minute walk from the Dome (assuming light traffic) … after a game it takes a little longer to navigate the crowds.

Let’s cut the BS and get to the end game summary. The better team on this day may not have been the Saints. The Falcons were ultimately done in by some strange play calling on their last two series. At times the officiating was enough to make me throw up [not really, just an expression]. Michael Jenkins had a chance to pull in a bomb off his fingertips, but instead let the ball fall to the turf. For the second week in a row, the Falcons could not convert on short yards, this time it cost them the game as their last pass attempt on 4th and two barely managed to pass the line of scrimmage.

Unlike last week, this Falcons team did not quit. If you look at the box score, except for the Saints dominating time of possession, you may be surprised to see the Falcons played the Saints evenly. All this without Ryan, Turner, a healthy offensive line; really a list that is really too long to write about now.

I wonder how bad this one will get. Much like the Eagles game last week, this one will probably be over before the first half ends. As I write this, it is raining cats and dogs. No tailgate today; I’m not sure if I am going to brave the weather and make the trip to the Dome. There is really no way for me to get the boys from our parking lot to the Dome without getting completely drenched. Needless to say, this weather sucks.

Pat Yasinskas of the NFC South Blog at ESPN.com will be at the game, and of course post his entertaining impressions and insights:

I’m curious to see the Falcons on Sunday. Last time I saw them in person was that Monday night loss in New Orleans. The Falcons looked good that night, but they’ve fallen apart since then. But I think I’ve already got some solid hunches on Atlanta’s collapse. The Falcons are all banged up and their defense has gotten worse instead of better.

It seems like that New Orleans game was a season ago.

A disappointing Falcons season took a turn for the worse as Babineaux was book earlier this week [Thursday December 9] on felony possession of marijuana. Yesterday the Falcons responded along typical corporate lines:

“We are aware of the situation concerning Jonathan Babineaux and are in the process of gathering information. Because this is a legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”

Hmmm, but no decision has been made on sitting down Babineaux until his legal situation is resolved.

Smith did not say whether or not Babineaux, a five-year veteran who leads the team with five sacks, will play Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. He did confirm rookie defensive tackle Vance Walker’s place behind Babineaux on the depth chart.

Come on Falcons front office; do the right thing and sit Babs. Forget the innocent thing; you know he is just going to plea down the charges and end up with a two game suspension from the NFL. Why not sit him now and a send a message that this franchise does not value winning regardless of the consequences.

WTF is going to happen next? The injuries were bad enough; disappointing, but injuries are out of the team’s control. Call it bad luck. Or maybe bad karma.  Now this? How much pain and suffering does a Falcons fan have to endure? This is yet another wasted year, and another missed opportunity to actually put a winning face on the franchise. Yes, I dare bring up the lack of back-to-back winning season. So don’t get me wrong, as a paying season ticket holder and a lifelong fan I want the Falcons to win; badly. But this is just too much. Many boards are say Babs is yet another Mary Jane thug. I am not going to go that far, but we really did not need this as the season continues to crumble around us.

Yesterday I was told that season ticket renewals were mailed on Friday.  Speaking of which the debacle last week against Vick and the Eagles was enough to make me strongly consider not renewing my season tickets.  What a joke this season is turning into. How bad are things going to get tomorrow? The steady rain all weekend is probably foretelling a long, dreary day at the Dome. Are the Saints going to put up 50? Good grief!

Never tell me the odds, especially when they are not pretty and downright unrealistic. According to NFL.com, the Falcons are still “in the hunt” for a Wild-Card picture.

At 6-6 there are really on the outside look in at the Eagles and Packers, both of which sport 8-4 records. Making things worse, thanks to last Sunday’s debacle, the Eagles hold a tiebreaker over the Falcons. The Giants at 7-4 are also “in the hunt” and much like the Eagles, they also hold a tiebreaker over the Falcons.

With four games to play, if (call it a BIG IF) the Falcons play well until the bitter end, they could go 3-1, which would earn them back-to-back winning seasons. I think that is really all they have left to play for this year.

I am not going to go into a whole lot of details, but suffice it to say that this game totally sucked. Or rather the Falcons totally sucked. So did their so called fans.

Not only did the Falcons embarrass the franchise with such poor play, but the fans as a whole deserve a big WTF? I can understand cheering for Vick. I look around me each week and see plenty of his jerseys, but chants of “We want Vick! We want Vick!” were just too much to stomach. Mark Bradley of ajc.com saw things slightly differently:

No matter how it seemed on TV, Vick’s sort of homecoming commanded no consensus. He drew more boos than cheers when he made his first appearance, and even after the two touchdowns this was not — no matter how the national media might portray it — a case of every single Falcons supporter changing sides. The majority came ready to support the home team, but the home team did nothing to hold up its end.

Let’s put it this way. Vick was booed (plenty of woof-woofs too) more than cheered his first couple of appearance. When Vick scored his first TD, the stadium erupted in pure adulation. Never mind that this meant the Falcons were now down 20-0! After the Eagles when up 27-0, before the Eagles came out again on offense, the Dome was filled with “We want Vick!” chants. When Vick came in, there were mostly cheers; by this point in the game there were not enough true Falcons fans left to make any sort of difference. When Vick scored, the Dome went nuts. Clearly Vick is still an ATL favorite.

I have no problems cheering for Vick. Give him a round of applause, and be done with it. The reality was that there were more Vick fans than Falcons fans. I just don’t get it. Regardless of the player (no matter how popular), support your team, but such is the mystique (what else can I call it) of Vick, who once again captivated the Dome.

How many times have I written this year that the Falcons injury report is a mile long? Well, too often, this is part of the reason for a 6-5 record, soon to be 6-6. Falcons will be without Turner, and I seriously doubt we will see G Harvey Dahl, Turner, or Jenkins. I can see White toughing it out, but things are not going to be pretty.

At the beginning of the year this was going to be the matchup – Vick was coming back, and the Falcons would be playing the Eagles for a possible Playoff preview. This game still matters, but in a much different way than most of the pundits predicted. First, Ryan is not starting. Second, Vick will not receive any meaningful play time. Third, while the Eagles have the inside track for one of the two NFC Wild-Card spots, if things fall their way, they could actually win the NFC East. The Saints already have the NFC South in hand, and the Falcons are on the outside looking to get into the Playoffs. This game is really important to the Falcons Wild-Card aspirations, which makes all the injuries completely suck.

The Falcons already have lost tiebreaker opportunities to Dallas, and the Giants; it will be too much to overcome if the Falcons fall to the Eagles. Can the Falcons actually win this one? The homer in me says yes.

Three keys to the game:

• Redman has to manage the game without turnovers. He is a veteran so he should have the savvy to control the action on the field after a week of full practice with the first team.
• The Falcons must control the clock; keep the Eagles offense off the field will keep the Falcons defense from being exposed. Let’s face it, the defensive line has been awful getting pressure on opposing QBs, and I am not even going to go into the problems with the secondary (that horse has been beaten).
• The defense must get pressure on McNabb. Oops.

It is cold enough to freeze snot right now, so I may just skip the whole tailgate thing, get the kids some McD’s and head directly to the Dome where it should be warm and cozy. If I have another clown tell me I should sit down, then I may have to do a write-up on how much the Dome sucks. Let’s just all sit on our hands and pretend like we are watching golf or something.

Go Falcons!

The Falcons finally had enough of the struggling Jason Elam, releasing him in favor of Bryan Pittman.

The Falcons released veteran kicker Jason Elam and replaced him with former Tampa Bay kicker Matt Bryant. The Falcons also release long snapper Bryan Pittman and signed Joe Zelenka to replace him.

Elam struggled again Sunday and that forced the move. Bryant was released by Tampa Bay in an unpopular preseason move. He had been kicking in the United Football League.

It also looks like D.J. Shockley is back, which means that Ryan is probably expected to be out more than a week. Even if J.P. Wilson beat out Shockley for the number three position, I cannot imagine that the Falcons would feel confident with JPW as the backup to Chris Redman.

A few weeks ago I said that the Playoffs were out of reach; the best the Falcons could hope for was to finally have the franchises’ first back-to-back winning seasons. No matter how much optimism homers show (myself included) the reality of another losing season is about to set in.

Jeff Schultz of the ajc sums up the Falcons injury situation as follows …

Harry Douglas, the No. 3 receiver, punt returner and speed burner, suffered a torn knee ligament in the first week of training camp. There also have been season-ending injuries to the No. 1 pick (defensive tackle Peria Jerry), the No. 2 pick (safety William Moore) and the replacement veteran cornerback (Brian Williams). Running backs Turner (one and a half games) and Jerious Norwood (six games) also have missed time, making Jason Snelling relevant, which was neither the plan nor the desire.

John Abraham is invisible. Jason Elam may soon be.

This season was supposed to be special. It’s not. The Falcons’ playoff fortunes now rest on the arm of a guy who was selling insurance three years ago and the legs of the 244th pick in the NFL draft. Not Matt Ryan, who is out at least this week with turf toe. Not Michael Turner, who aggravated a high ankle sprain. Neither chose quick-healing injuries.

There is probably little hope of winning the next two games (Eagles and Saints), which is a bummer of a way to start December.

How is that for a moment of optimism? According to the ajc.com, Ryan will not play against the Eagles in what has to be considered a “must win” game if the Falcons are to maintain a realistic chance of landing a wildcard spot. Chris Redman to the rescue? I guess if Chris has a week of full practice, he should be ready and able to take on the Eagles.