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Early And Wildly Irresponsible 2009 Schedule Predictions

Everything I've ever said about predictions being generally stupid and not worthwhile flies out the window the moment I'm called upon to do it myself. With basically no information to go on aside from the schedule itself, I'm going to dig deep into my inner soothsayer and sayer myself some sooths. You should all probably put on Hazmat suits.

Join me after the jump as I briefly run down each and every game of the season, but don't hold me responsible for the results. Make sure you list your own predictions in the comments so we can all make fun of eachother when the season wraps up.

Star-divide

Win, 1-0,  vs. Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins are the AFC equivalent of the Falcons, a young team with a ton of promise who could be a force for years to come. Even with their obvious strenght as an opponent, I can't see them showing up the Falcons in the Georgia Dome in the first week of the season, though it'll probably be a shootout.

Win, 2-0, vs. Carolina Panthers: No offense to the fine folks at Cat Scratch Reader, but I think there's a good chance they end up in the basement of the NFC South. That may be a 7-9 record with the strength of this division, but I think the Falcons will handle their business at home.

Loss, 2-1, @ New England Patriots: I know everyone's a little uncertain if Tom Brady is going to be healthy enough to play at a high level at the beginning of the season. Honestly, I think he'll be fine, and New England remains one of the most frightening teams in the league. The Falcons will be competitive, but ultimately they'll fall in Foxboro.

Bye Week: Matt Ryan will save orphans from a fire, Michael Turner will bulldoze down a few buildings, John Abraham will tear a quarterback limb from limb for sport, and Dave the Falconer will meet his evil doppelganger and then drink him under the table. What a week!

Win, 3-1, @ San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers have some very talented defensive pieces and could be a force with a smart draft. It won't be enough to help them beat the Falcons, however.

Loss, 3-2, vs. Chicago Bears: The Bears will stun everyone this season as Jay Cutler gets rolling with a group of young receivers and their defense does the rest. The Falcons can't pull off a repeat of last year's thrilling last second victory, and the offense is truly stymied for the first time all season.

Win, 4-2, @ Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys stumble out of the gate a bit and the Falcons take advantage. Despite some obvious gains on defense, the Cowboys are shakier than most expect and the Falcons bludgeon them to death with Michael Turner.

Loss, 4-3, @ New Orleans Saints: The Saints prove too tough a challenge at home, as the Falcons fall before a very strong offensive effort. Our Cajun rivals show a porous defense once again, though, which ends up coming back to bite them later in the season. Oops, spoiler!

Win, 5-3, vs. Washington Redskins: In the end, the Redskins and new acquisition Albert Haynesworth are stuck in the mud. A decent team with some holes, the 'Skins aren't able to overcome a determined Falcon defense still smarting from a loss in New Orleans the week before. Carnage ensues.

Win, 6-3, @ Carolina Panthers: Sorry again, Panther fans. This one's closer when the Falcons lose the dome-field advantage, but it ends up mattering little. The Falcons deal another grievous blow to our teal enemies and are two-thirds of the way to that magic winning season.

Loss, 6-4, @ New York Giants: The Giants have filled numerous holes on defense and filled the spot of Plaxico Burress with young, capable receivers. This game ends up being the most lopsided loss of the year for the Falcons.

Win, 7-4, vs. Tampa Bay Bucs: The Bucs are better than expected under new head coach Raheem Morris and put up a good fight, but the Falcons aren't having any of it. Fairly easy victory at home for the 'Birds.

Win, 8-4, vs. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles re-tool a little bit in 2009, giving the Falcons an opening against a team that has historically played them very tough. For the second straight week, the team puts the game out of reach late.

Win, 9-4, vs. New Orleans Saints: I already ruined it for you. The Falcons come out slinging and simply outshoot the Saints, whose defense epically collapses about halfway through the game. Pick a high score and I'll believe it.

Loss, 9-5, @ New York Jets: One of the most surprising teams in the league for a second straight year, the Jets roll out a very good defense and trip up the Falcons on unfamiliar turf.

Win, 10-5, vs. Buffalo Bills: My friend the Bills fans weeps and gnashes his teeth anew as the Falcons send their foes from Buffalo back to the tundra with a loss. A gelling defensive unit provides several stops against a decent Bills offense.

Loss, 10-6, @ Tampa Bay Bucs: The Bucs surprise once more and pull out a close one. Dave the Falconer swears repeatedly.

I didn't plan out any grand win or loss total before I started this. Instead, I just went with each individual game and ended up with a result I think most of us would be thrilled with. I recognize that this schedule has the Falcons making it through the entire season without back-to-back losses, but that seems appropriate given that we'll finally be breaking our most ignoble record.

This is all wildly irresponsible, of course.

Poll
Does a 10-6 record seem reasonable to you?
You're way too low, man
94 votes
You're right on target, guy
353 votes
You're way too high, bro
154 votes
Where am I, dude?
34 votes

635 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  Comment 27 comments |

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Comments

Display:

The Birds play 4 teams, count ’em – Chicago, Dallas, Washington and NY Giants, coming off their bye weeks. That, coupled with them playing a very tough schedule makes 8-8 much more likely

by Slithis81 on Apr 15, 2009 8:55 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

It's tough, no doubt

But I don’t think Dallas and Washington are going to make a lot of noise this year. I do see them losing to the Bears and Giants.

by Dave the Falconer on Apr 15, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

So ...

momentum means nothing?

I don’t agree w/ you, but I respect you’re right to be wrong. No, seriously though, I think there’s some flaw behind the logic that bye weeks lead to wins. Yes, at least two our of four of those teams will be tough, but I highly doubt we lose all four.

Reporter: How will you address all of the dropped passes?

Mike Smith: I don’t think that we were as sharp as we have been catching the football. It’s something that is very fixable. It’s VERY fixable.

by FrankyWren on Apr 15, 2009 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

("two our four" = "two of four")

Reporter: How will you address all of the dropped passes?

Mike Smith: I don’t think that we were as sharp as we have been catching the football. It’s something that is very fixable. It’s VERY fixable.

by FrankyWren on Apr 15, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I gotta go with too high

I still feel that last year was a bit of an anomoly on the high side. The team was far better than expected, but not as good as their record indicated. To me, an 8-8 season wouldn’t necessarily be a step backward, but could very easily be a progression toward becoming the unstoppable juggurnaut that we expect this team to be. Combine that with a very hard schedule (on paper, at least) and the bye week shenanigans that the NFL has thrown at the team, and I think anywhere from 7-9 to 9-7 is reasonable.

by SG Standard on Apr 15, 2009 11:37 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I refuse to answer this...

until after next Saturday…

"We're not maxed out, ... The best is still ahead of us."

Bobby Bowden

by NaGaNole on Apr 15, 2009 12:00 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

remember last year's offseason?

Who’d of thought we’d be anything without Crumpler, Hall, and Dunn?
Who could have predicted the success of Matt Ryan and Michael Turner?

I remember thinking about how I was going to remain a loyal fan even after cursing the franchise’s offseason decisions and was more than ready to cheer for my team after the one or two wins we might see.

I think this is just as ideal a time to start making predictions as later. At least we can see a common trend this year that is much different than last. Optimism

by MentallyMIA on Apr 15, 2009 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think

Anywhere from 8-8 to 10-6 would be reasonable and would be ok-to-good-to-fantastic.

If they can do this:
Division games: 3-0 home, 1-2 away
Week 7 through 11: 2-3 (or better)
Tough games (@NE, vCHI, vPHI, @NYJ): 2-2 (or better)

They’d probably end up back where they wanted to – but there’s no room for error. I’m sure we’re all counting on a “W” against SF and BUF.

by orang3b on Apr 15, 2009 12:13 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Also,

After looking at division opponents, I definitely think New Orleans is the #1 competition. I’m not nearly as high on TB as Dave – I think they might just flat stink – so I’m not counting on them being around. Plus, I think we lucked up by getting San Fran while TB gets Seattle. And Carolina’s schedule looks Brutal. I’d expect them to finish 3rd or 4th. That leaves NO – they get the 2 last place teams (DET/STL), which is 2 easy wins right there.

by orang3b on Apr 15, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Thinking about the division...

The Falcons should be favored to win every game in the division this season, with the possible exception being the road game @NO. I have a hard time believing that Carolina will have a winning record this season given the crapstorm swirling around the halls there now. Tampa Bay is in a rebuilding year. New Orleans has the capability with their offense to do some serious damage, but I’m hoping the Falcons will bulk up in the front seven ten days from now and be ready to contend for an NFC South title.

As for the rest of the schedule, there were no favors done having ATL play on the road 6 of 8 weeks (wks 3-11). I think if the Falcons can go 3-3 in those road contests (Wins @SF, @DAL, @CAR), and split the home contests (Win WAS), they are more than capable of going 6-2 over the rest of the schedule (Losses to PHI and NYJ), which should be good enough for a 10-6 record and a division title!

by FalconCrazie on Apr 15, 2009 1:34 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I don't see us losing to Philly in the Dome

They have plenty of motivation from last year’s “muffed” punt at the end of the game. Plus, it will be so loud that McNabb’s head will explode.

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 Apr 15, 2009 2:23 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I think 9-7

is where we will end up. If figure losses against NE, NYG and Dallas. I figure we split the division games, so there are 3 more losses and I am throwing in an extra loss somewhere. However, this division could very well be won with a 9-7 record. So, not all is bad.

by dwaltlhi on Apr 15, 2009 4:25 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

and I would be very happy

9-7 is the dream… the schedule makes it look possible

It’ll be hard to predict though until we see how this year’s rookie class performs – we’ll be using a good handful of them.

by MentallyMIA on Apr 15, 2009 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Because of that,

I have the 7 losses. I think we will have to rely, to heavily, on a rookie presence. Defensively, that is. I just want to see another step in the right direction. If that happens, then chalk it up to a success, for me that is.

by dwaltlhi on Apr 15, 2009 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

what I would like to see

is an upset against the Patriots.

Highly unlikely, but I can dream, can’t I?

The score will probably be in the high 30s to low 40s for both offenses.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see our very own former #12 beat out the leagues best #12?

It would scare teams. It would make a statement. It would be awesome. I’d trade that opening win with the Dolphins to have a team with something to prove against the Patriots any day.

by MentallyMIA on Apr 15, 2009 4:37 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

No argument from me

I would love a Falcons victory against the Pats.

by dwaltlhi on Apr 15, 2009 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Tough before the bye

If we can be 2-1 before the bye week, I will be happy. Pretty tough schedule overall I think.

In a way, each of us has an El Guapo to face.

by runningback on Apr 15, 2009 4:43 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Maybe you should have let your doppelganger make your picks Dave

beating the Panthers twice? Not with those LB’s buddy.

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on Apr 15, 2009 8:48 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

he has a point

but the draft is yet to come – our LBs may not have what it takes now, but TD signed his soul to the devil for the uncanny ability to draft rookie superstars, so it is actually very possible

by MentallyMIA on Apr 15, 2009 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I agree

The Panthers seem to have our number in Charlotte. I am not saying it can’t be done but in all honesty, I think we will split the division games this year. Maybe steal a road game from Tampa.

by dwaltlhi on Apr 16, 2009 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

We shall see, my august opponent

Just adding a little fuel to the fire.

by Dave the Falconer on Apr 16, 2009 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Im sorry.

Until it happens (breaking the record of back to back seasons) I wont believe. Sorry I just wont. My mental state just can’t handle it.

New Orleans Hornets: The most inconsistent team in the NBA.

by Grayson on Apr 16, 2009 9:17 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I landed at 10-6 as well...

Of course, we’ll win one we all think is a longshot (please be the Patriots!), and we’ll lose one we all prematurely put in the W column. But I think the schedule plays out as well as it possibly could have. If you’re bored

by joshmassey on Apr 16, 2009 2:40 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

fantastic article

I really enjoyed reading that, you should attach more links to your writing here.

I liked the ending: “Ah, f*** it, nevermind. 16-0”

haha, good read and great predictions. This is going to be a fun season and I’m sure the Falcons are going to be loaded with surprises (in both the W column and the L side).

by MentallyMIA on Apr 16, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Nicely done

Feel free to put a link to your blog in your signature, too. As long as you’re linking to items related to the discussion, I’m more than happy to see it done.

by Dave the Falconer on Apr 16, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

We will NOT lose to the NYJ

5 simple reasons. 1. they have no QB. 2. they have no receivers as they lost cole.
3. Thomas Jones is on the wrong side of 30. 4. VGholsten is a bust. 5. because i say so!

by TheFranchiseis#2 on Apr 20, 2009 5:33 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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