A Tale Of The Atlanta Falcons And A Quest For Perfection

         I wonder as well if we’ve set our sights a little too high. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that our team will perform well, and will (hopefully) contend in every game. But we have a lot of factors to consider. We have lost several (by my quick count 6? correct me if I’m wrong it’s early still) Defensive starters, who while slowing, played key roles in our playoff run (and early departure) last year. I’m a big fan of the direction our defense is going, but to quote Bobby Cox via FrankyWren “[we’re] getting better, but [we’re] not quite there yet.” We need another solid draft (or two) to really solidify this team on both offense and defense.
           Let’s look at another factor that will play into our success next year. Health. Specifically dealing with two players: Abraham and Turner. Abraham was dinged up all last year but still put on a clinic (unfortunately it was a clinic that J. Anderson didn’t pay attention to). Turner played solid. And by solid, I mean he was everything we hoped for and more. The performance of Turner this year really was surprising to me. It was like when Dave as for a My Little Pony for Christmas and a real one showed up Christmas Day. The only thing that worries me about that though is that Turner got those 1,699 yards on 376 carries. That’s more touches than T.O. can shake a stick at. Part of the reason for this (I believe) is the rib injury that Norwood suffered earlier on in the season. That put more of a load on the substantial tackle breaking shoulders of the Burner. Turner’s staying healthy is, I would argue, the number 1 factor to our continued success. Because who do we have behind him? Norwood? I love the guy, bought the jersey, all that jazz, but he can’t handle (IMO) a 200 carry season. Snelling? Does anyone believe him to be a solid starter? Thomas Brown? I don’t have much faith after him being on IR last year. If Turner goes down, I fear that our season will be in trouble. Not to put anything past Matty Ice and his insane throws in the face of pressure.
           With Abraham, I think we all saw what happened when he wasn’t in the game. And the result was hardly pretty. Usually it resulted in 1st downs in passing situations because there was no pressure. Chauncey started to play well in limited playing time, but J. Anderson, while solid against the run, couldn’t sack Byron Leftwich in the pocket when he was playing with a shattered ankle and he had a clear path.
          The main thing that makes me a little nervous, though, is our schedule. Besides playing the NFC South twice (of course) we also face Philadelphia (H), Dallas (A), Washington (H), and the New York Football Giants (A) from the NFC East, and then Buffalo (H), New England (A), Miami (H), and the Jets (A). Add into that equation Da Bears (H) and the 49’s (A) and we are looking at a pretty tough schedule. 3 playoff teams. 5 teams that were above .500, 1 team at .500, and 2 teams that went 7-9. And that is not counting the NFC South.
        So all I want to say, is that while I am optimistic, I am reserving my right to shout out all the reasons why we should pick who we pick in the draft (like I did with Ryan, thank the maker I’m not the GM). I think a little skepticism is needed here. If we go 9-7 I’ll be very happy. If we win the division, I’ll be making bold, beer induced statements about feats that neither man nor beast could possibly do. But before that happens, I’m going to hunker down. Be cautiously optimistic. And make fun of Dave for asking for a “My Little Pony” for Christmas.

As always, be smart, be responsible, and always

Pregame with Pabst

I’d like to see the Birds pick the best two-gap-type run stuffer in the second round, and Peria Jerry doesn’t fit that bill in my opinion (read: the opinion of a lot of scouts).

Maybe Al Woods out of LSU. He’s a big boy (6’4 and 315 lbs), but he has respectable speed (has run the 40 in the 5.1ish range).

Ron Brace (the other BC DT) would be a nice pickup as well. First of all, he’s HUGE (dude is pushing 340). He’s not a pass rusher, but he’ll be able to occupy multiple blockers in his rookie season, which would bode well for our DEs.

The vision: Coming off an incredible 11-5 season (achieved during a “rebuilding” year) the Atlanta Falcons have nowhere to go but up. A Super Bowl appearance is not far away.

The naked truth: This is the NFL. Free Agency and Contract Terms rule the roost, and with the Salary Cap (shakily) in place, teams do not have the buying power required to build powerhouse dynasties.

Despite this, some franchises have been able to work through these limitations and create lasting dynasties in an environment unfriendly to legacy building. The Pittsburgh Steelers come to mind, especially seeing that they were able to return to (and win) the Super Bowl despite a coaching regime change and major FA/Retirement losses. The other team that comes to mind? The New England Patriots.

The Patriots built their three-ring team through a reliance on smart draft picks and even smarter FA pickups. The Patriots were draft heavy and that’s where a lot of their skill came from. This is more than evident when one considers that Tom Brady’s backup, who hadn’t thrown a ball in regulation since high school, was able to jump right in and start winning. The Pat scouts know their stuff.

The good news: One of those scouts is now our GM. What he was able to accomplish in year one is more than anyone, regardless of how optimistic and, bluntly-put, retarded they were, could have expected. It was an instant return on the investment made by Mr. Blank. What this means for us is that we have a draft-first, FA-later personnel mentality. Dimitroff knew that he could get Ryan. He didn’t know whether he would be able to get a good running back (or, he didn’t see one available that could do what he wanted), so he goes to FA. He picks up Turner. The rest is history.

We have our Tom Brady. We have our LT. Now we need our Urlacher/Lewis. And friends, it isn’t going to come from FA. Neither is the ball-hocking TE Matty Ice wants. They’re going to come via the draft.

The bad news: This is the NFL. An injury can ruin a season. Mr. Burner carried 376 times last year. That’s unprecedented. That’s nigh ridiculous. I am utterly amazed that he was not down at least for a game. Regardless of his durability, he cannot continue to take that many carries and remain uninjured.

The hope: This is Matt Ryan’s second year in the league. Last season, he went from ok, to good, to amazing in the span of 13 or so games. We all have a lot of expectations for him. Mine is merely that he improves his game. Improve, you may ask? How can Matty Ice improve? Well, for starters, he can widen the ratio between his TDs and INTs by increasing his defensive recognition. With a year behind his belt that included a playoff appearance, he can start to iron up his stomach and make better decisions under pressure. I personally believe he will do this and that the team will slowly shift to a more balanced run/pass offense.

My other hope lies solely with our scouts, GM, and coach. The defense needs rebuilding and I do honestly trust them to do a good job of it. The only issue stems from the question whether or not they can repeat their offensive success last year with the defense this year. And in that question resides a lot of uncertainty. Will we turn our defense into a powerhouse? I don’t think so. I think the rebuild needs this draft and the next to be complete.

So until I build a wall I can’t scale or destroy the garden fence I’m currently refurbishing, I’m going to see how our draft goes. Then I’ll build or demolish as necessary.

the “Lowered Expectations” skits from the old Mad TV show?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRcj9WbHLjk

And no division is more crazy than the NFC South. But unlike the rest of the teams in our division (with the exception of maybe the Panthers), we’re ahead of the curve in building a foundation. For years the Saints and Bucs have been building plug and play teams, taking Veterans to try to solidify their defense (for the Saints) and the offense (for the Bucs). The Panthers are really the only team that built a sustained successful unit, and they did it mostly in the same way we’re starting, the draft.

Now here’s the point, we’re ahead of the curve on most of the teams in the NFC South. Our offense, aside from one position, is pretty much set, the only thing we need to worry about there is building depth. TD is doing the smart thing here, and he’s scouting and filling the defense with talent through the cheapest means possible. Further, he’s got faith in the coaching staff to turn that talent into a mean cohesive unit.

Seriously, I think you’re probably looking at a plan that was phase 1: get a successful running offense first, then add balance with a passing attack. That phase was achieved faster than anyone thought, and it helped us hide a relatively weak defense. Phase 2: Rebuild the defense to stop the run and get pressure up front. Phase 3: Add the finishing touches for a sustained unit and just keep adding depth.

We’re all worried about the immediate results, but this is the smartest decision for a franchise, that is for once, on the same page from top to bottom. That’s why I have a lot of faith in the plan. Keep in mind, it’s a “process” and we just saw the first phase of “the process.”

The coaches and fans can call it whatever they want to call it, but the reality is that this team is right in the middle of a lengthy rebuilding process. Last season, as unmitigatingly, mind alteringly awecreditastic as it was, really didn’t look to me like it was played by a team built for immediate, sustained success. There were still a lot of positions, notably on defense, that were held together by duct tape, and other positions that were manned by players who were actively trying to rip that tape off (Keith F’ing Brooking). I don’t want to say that last season’s record was an anomaly, but there is a reason the Falcons were picked to be so bad. This year, the team will have several positions that will be manned by young or unproven players who will be learning by diving head first into a tough NFL schedule. There are bound to be growing pains. However, even if the team slips back to .500 or worse, there is no cause for worry. Last season showed that the team is in good hands at key positions, on the sidelines, and in the front office. Young players who will be relied on heavily this year got valuable playing experience. An 11-5 season may have proven that the growth of the Falcons may not take as long as we thought, but that doesn’t mean that the team has matured fully quite yet. This is not a team being built to win next season. It is being built to succeed in the next one. And the one after that. And the one after that…

mind alteringly awecreditastic

I had barely put away my Tonka truck when Bennett got hired so I didn’t really question him but I remember a fair percentage of fans were happy to see him go because he couldn’t win consistently. If I remember, the thinking was Glanville was the mastermind behind our defense (a premise I can’t even fathom without throwing up in my mouth a little) before he took off to be HC with the Oilers and our offense was predictable and plodding. As I recall some people thought Bennett just didn’t get the rule changes that went into effect back then (no chucking the reciever after 5 yards, etc) and a more wide-open, aggressive style of play was the only way to go.

Of course, a lot of people also thought June Jones should have started over Bartkowski too…

I like William Moore out of Missouri 6’1 215. Any thoughts??