Michael Boley Regaining Monstrous Form?

by Dave the Falconer on Oct 21, 2008 8:00 AM EDT in Editorial Comment 6 comments

Unlike the stock market, Michael Boley is trending upward. Zing! I'd make quite the economic pundit, no?

But Boley's hopeful resurgence is much more important to us today than the fact that many of us are eating bowls of nails for breakfast. Boley rose from obscurity to become one of the league's most quietly feared linebackers, an anchor for a defense that desperately needed one. This year, the big plays he seemed to author nearly every week have been few and far between.

Enter Boley's bye week, where the AJC's D. Orlando Ledbetter discovers the linbacker basically watched a lot of football:

After players left the team facilities last Thursday, the linebacker wasn’t off to someplace like Aruba.

“I just hung around the house and watched the Carolina and New Orleans games,” Boley said. “I was just flip-flopping, back and forth, seeing what was going on around the league.”

The linebacking corps in general needs to improve, and later on in the article Keith Brooking dons his soothsayer hood and warns us all of our maybe possibly impending doom! Or something. I do know that this defense can't continue to save save us if they're incapable of defending the pass, barely adequate against the run and not very adept at getting turnovers. In my mind, any transformation has to begin with our greatest defensive strength, which is definitely our linebackers.

In a roundabout way, I'm trying to say that Michael Boley needs to become the soul-drinking leviathan that we have all come to expect him to be. If he can strike fear into offensive lines, that frees up Curtis Lofton and Keith Brooking, which in turn gives the line a little more slack and only helps the secondary. Perhaps I'm putting too much stock in him, but I do believe Boley can help bail this team out.

You can insert your own economic joke there.

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Scheme?

You gotta wonder how much of this drop in production is due to scheme. This linebacking corps is way to talented, but they haven’t been getting near the production that I’m used to.

I haven’t been watching them closely, but using the general feel test, I just don’t hear their name called as much, and I’m inclined to think the scheme is using them differently given how talented we all know they are.

Dear Matt Ryan: I owe you a HUGE apology. I'm sorry. Love, iRonin.

by iRonin on Oct 21, 2008 8:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ah, good ol’ Brooking, always bringing us back to earth. It’s almost as if he can’t really believe he’s on a 4-2 team. God bless the guy, I think he’s used to mediocrity and the Falcons not fighting near the top of the division. He’s a smart man and I’m glad he’s anchoring the egos/anxiousness of the younger players. You need that reality check, that almost fatherly “hold on just a minute” when things are going good. Keeps the players honest and humble. He just doesn’t need to do it too much.

Boley on the other hand sounds like he’s ready to play. Watching the games this weekend seems to me to tell us that he wasn’t exactly looking forward to an off week. Yeah, it’s rest and, as Brooking says, there are players that need the rest badly, but I just get this sense that Boley wants to keep the momentum going.

"The nice thing about supporting a bedraggled-cum-decent team? Watching all those analysts eat their words."

by tlozwarlock on Oct 21, 2008 11:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I like it

I for one love the idea of being underestimated by the Talking heads of pro football. I just hope that the falcons can show them all that the game is played on the field and not behind their podiums in a studio. I understand they believe the Falcons are 8 1/2 point underdogs again this week against the Eagles. Let them all believe it. I like seeing them eat crow.

by Funballad on Oct 21, 2008 11:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Eagles? I thought they were a band.

The matchup against the Eagles should be tough. As Funballad mentioned the Talkingheads haven’t given us any respect (if you notice in the ESPN power rankings both the Packers and the Bears are ranked higher than the Falcons), but that isn’t really a bad thing. Do I feel gyped? Yes. But who would want to think the Falcons would be decent this year. Should Westbrook not be at 100% and Abraham go bannanas on McNabb this could turn out to be a great game to watch.

Then again. If Philly shuts down the run, and Matty Ice is forced to throw early and often on Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown, and Leto Sheppard I might not be eating Cheesesteaks for a while.

If they Birds used their time wisely during the bye week (which it is seeming like they did) we have a shot. We can win on the Road (i think winning in GB proved that), now we just need to show we can do it consistantly.

Any thoughts?

If my mother put on a helmet and shoulder pads and a uniform that wasn't the same as the one I was wearing, I'd run over her if she was in my way. And I love my mother.
-Bo Jackson

by Pregame with Pabst on Oct 21, 2008 3:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Let the talking heads ignore us. That’ll make our possible rise all the more enjoyable. All the stutters, surprised looks, and blank stares when the talking heads have to talk about our Falcons.

"The nice thing about supporting a bedraggled-cum-decent team? Watching all those analysts eat their words."

by tlozwarlock on Oct 21, 2008 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Finally

First, great blog. Second, finally Boley gets his due. Boley is a stud. He is a great player that never gets credit. Nice to see someone appreciates his talent.

Worm

by Worm on Oct 22, 2008 12:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs