Post Game Thread: Falcons Get Wrecked By Patrios 26-10
by Dave Choate on Sep 27, 2009 4:27 PM EDT
in Falcons News
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PrintThere's not a lot of good things to say today, and for that I am filled with sorrow.
We knew coming into this game that beating the Patriots would be tough, but after actually watching the game I have to admit I'm disappointed that we couldn't make the most of our chances. Tom Brady's timing was off, we had chances for turnovers and continually made the conservative call when something more aggressive was called for. It was just a bad loss all the way around, and you can bet it's going to be an awkward week in Flowery Branch.
Still, we saw some good play from Matt Ryan, Michael Jenkins, Eric Weems and Thomas DeCoud. For the first couple of quarters, the Falcons played tough and held when they needed to. And after all that, we're still 2-1, in the thick of the NFC South race very early in the season and hopefully won't look that bad again all season.
A few quick observations:
- This team has to improve their defense somehow. There was plenty of blame to go around, but letting the Patriots ring up that many yards on the ground is inexcusable no matter who you are. We'll have to work on our scheming and how players react to the run.
- I give a ton of credit to Michael Jenkins. Even his penalty was him fighting for position, and he was our best receiver today by a very long shot. It's good to know that we have such a quality third option when defense key on Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White.
- We did not, in fact, stop Tom Brady and Randy Moss. So much for that.
- I thought Michael Turner ran hard today, but we still didn't see a big game from him. It's time to seriously wonder what's going on with our run blocking and Turner himself. Just don't blame him for the fumble, as he got jacked and the defender's helmet hit the ball.
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I thought Michael Turner ran hard today, but we still didn’t see a big game from him.
VARIETY! VARIETY! VARIETY!
Minus Norwood, we become very one-dimensional in our running game. I appreciate the strides that Snelling has made, but he still doesn’t possess the lateral speed/agility to bring anything “different” to the table (read: he’s basically Burner Light). Going forward (i.e., when Norwood bolts next off-season), I hope TD considers stocking our stable of RBs with a little variety …
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.
I would suggest Jahvid Best
If I didn’t think we needed to invest a first rounder somewhere on defense. Dude is electric.
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I wouldn't mind ...
going to FA route.
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.
You know who I would love to get, actually?
Jerome Harrison from the Browns. Dude is a shifty runner and he catches well.
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Yup ...
That’d work. I’m not advocating bringing in 2-3 Verron Haynes-type players, but if there’s a Fred Taylor out there, I won’t blink an eye if TD drops a few bucks to get her done.
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.
I like that thinking
But I’d prefer stocking the RB position through the draft (especially considering the shelf-life of NFL running backs, and the money they have invested in Turner). I think once the O-Line and running game is in good shape, it’s not going to matter too much who is back there at #2 and #3 – like NY Giants letting Derrick Ward (who is already 29) walk (signed for 4 yrs $17M with TB), and simply moving Ahmad Bradshaw and Danny Ware (even though he got hurt) up the depth chart.
FYI:
Taylor: signed for 2 years, $5 Million
Norwood: ~$640K per year
Snelling: ~$370K per year
I guess that $2.5M for Taylor’s not exactly breaking the bank, but I just value the RB position a lot less than most people (especially the backups).
I don’t know much about mock drafts yet and if we can get this guy in the second or third round what do you think about C.J. Spiller out of Clemson the kid is flat out explosive and to go with Turner thats a very strong one two punch.
"The only time the Mets win is in the offseason"
by Falconzfan284 on Sep 27, 2009 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions
First rounder, I think
We’d be lucky to get him in mid-to-late first, if this draft is as weak as I suspect it’s going to be.
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by Dave Choate on Sep 27, 2009 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah ...
I can see going that route. But if we do, I’d like to see them pick up someone in the first half of the draft (i.e., first three rounds).
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.
Where is Thomas Brown?
We could still use him if he’s any good. But yeah you’re right, I think this is something the Mike Smith regime has failed to keep a promise on is using a variety of running backs. Snelling, Norwood (despite injury – they should have used him more in the loss to Arizona in the playoffs), Mughelli, and else were very underused from last year. Use multiple sets of RB’s on running plays or decoys since now people know to pay more attention than just Turner.
by brotherbrown on Sep 28, 2009 8:53 AM EDT up reply actions
I mean I know that he's not on the roster or practice squad (Thomas Brown)
but I meant that in figurative, reminiscent way.
by brotherbrown on Sep 28, 2009 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I feel ya brother ...
As some here could likely attest to, I was a big Brown fan. But alas, he didn’t show his stuff during the pre-season, so I certainly understand why the organization bounced him.
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.
Hey, no one got hurt!
That’s my spin, positive as usual, on the day’s events. In a perverse way, I’m almost glad we lost. Sometimes the worst thing that can happen is for a team to start thinking they’re better than they really are. Perhaps this little slap in the face will remind the Falcons that they still have some distance to go until they’re really playing with the big boys.
Dimitroff & Smitty aren’t going to build a champion overnight, but I’m confident in them and look forward to watching “The Process” unfold. We’re getting there, be patient everyone.
Indeed!
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.
the defense isn't great
but i think everyone expected that. i’m more disappointed that the offense didn’t score like we expect them too. that is the falcons strength. maybe it was just one of those days but we need to get more points from them.
Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that. - Bill Shankly
by armchair quarterback on Sep 27, 2009 4:55 PM EDT reply actions
Yeah, too many points left on the field
The defense didn’t play well, but they also came up with a couple of big stops and we couldn’t capitalize on offense.
There will be a lot of people jumping off the ship, but we have a bye week and some time to consider how to correct a pretty mediocre defense. The fact is that for all the focus we spend on pass rush, we didn’t get much of one. Abraham and Biermann were quiet the whole game. Brady was barely getting touched. When that happens, it’s on our corners, and that’s not a good thing when they’re undersized.
There was not much positive about this game, but it was a tough road match-up and there’s no reason to dispair. We have a lot of talent to play with, we just need to figure out how to put it all together.
It’s early yet, Falcoholics. It’s early yet.
by LetsGoFalcons on Sep 27, 2009 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions
That was bad all around
This was a winnable game. The Patriots are clearly not the team they used to be, and Brady cleary does not yet have a rapport with his recievers. There was a lot of questionalbe decision making going on today. I have to wonder what Van Gorder was thinking with his gameplan. I figured he would be drooling all over Flowery Branch at the thought of getting to relentlessly blitz Brady. But he didn’t. They barely blitzed. It’s kind of astounding. The Falcons defense did the exact opposite of what worked for the Jets, and it showed. The lack of pressure and aggressiveness allowed Brady to sit back and pick the secondary apart-this directly led to their last score. My mind is somewhat boggled by what happened there. The run defense was shoddy. Sadly, I figured this would happen. Not having Jerry is really going to hurt from here on out. Even a semi-competent running game will be able to eat up clock and yardage all season. Its gonna take another Foxworth like miracle to salvage the interior of the Falcons line. I mean, looking back, this was a game that really, really should have been won. It sucks that they couldnt get it together. The Patriots played like rectum. The problem was, the Falcons played like something that comes out of a rectum. Blah.
you nailed it...
with the comment about Van Gorders gameplan. I’m not usually one to pretend i know more about football than an OC or DC who has been around the game since he was 10 years old, but this was truly odd. My friend and i were nearly screaming at the t.v. for someone to start blitzing.
I’m not surprised they didn’t start the game bringing heavy pressure due to the Brady-Moss threat, but as the game progressed, throwing some blitzes in there seemed like such an obvious adjustment that they just never made. It was like we just ran the exact same defensive scheme every single time Brady snapped the ball hoping it would suddenly start working. It felt like if you looked at BVG’s “Gameplan Folder”, it would simply consist of “Send 4, hope someone gets pressure, repeat until end of game”. Why didn’t some say “Hey Brian, this hasn’t worked the first 40 times, maybe we should try something different?”.
by cheshire falcon on Sep 27, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Most of us conceed the Falcons are still one draft away from a championship team.
Our C game cannot win on the road vs the Pats C game. To be honest, other than that, I’m not sure I learned much more from this game. Two teams that gave the same effort, both played less than stellar football. The home team won. I think their pretty equal all the way around.
I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I only lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.
Elayne Boosler
No doubt about it
The one thing we can take solace in is the fact that there won’t be as much pressure on the next draft as these first two. The first draft was huge in terms of guys who could step in and play immediately. This draft has not produced the same results, but there’s still plenty of talent that could develop. The third draft is going to be about filling out the team in key spots.
by LetsGoFalcons on Sep 27, 2009 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Very true
I’m the guy who has been predicting a 7-9 season. We have to remember that last season was an outlier. It was at the far end of the bell curve. This season may not be a regression to the mean, but it might look like a step back when, really, it is right where the team should be in year 2 of this brand new epoch in Falcons football.
We didn't do what we've been doing...
thats why we lost. Our run defense was horrible, we didn’t pass the ball to Gonzo on those 3rd and less than 5 yds to go downs-AT ALL!! And our offense was inept most of the game, especially after the first quarter. Not to mention some very shady calls by the refs- roughing the passer, offensive pass interference, the pats got quiet a few bail out calls, we got none! But lets just hope these guys learn from this and move forward in a positive manner. I think we’re fine I predicted a 2-1 record going into the bye, so overall I’m happy with our team so far.
L-DAWG
Gotta agree that we didn't get the ball to Gonzalez, but I wonder if it's because the Patriots keyed on him
It pretty much seemed to me that the Pats were content to make us beat them with Jenkins and they keyed more on White and Gonzalez. That being said, Roddy didn’t play very well either. He had a case of the dropsies on a couple of plays.
There were some plays where Gonzalez seemed to be open, but most of them Ryan seemed to find another open receiver.
On a similar note, I REALLY don’t like that roll out play on 3rd down we started running in the second half. There were two plays where Ryan had to throw the ball away because the Pats just flooded the zone to that side. You have the best TE in NFL history and two very solid receivers in Jenkins and White. Why do you cut off your options by running a QB waggle to the sideline?
by LetsGoFalcons on Sep 27, 2009 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions
It was very conservative
but thats just our style. Other than not going for it on 4th down at the end I don’t know that I disagreed with any play calls. It was ugly for sure but this could have been a tight game if Turner doesn’t fumble on that long drive or Jenkins doesn’t get called for pass interference.
That 4th down was brutal
Not only do I hate seeing punts inside the opponents 40, but logic dictated going for it. With the way the clock was getting eaten up and with as well as the Pats run game had been working, the Falcons were not going to get enough posessions to make up two scores. Gaining 25 yards of field position was absolutely not worth it.
I need time to digest this one
I guess I’m just a pessimist, but I see it completely opposite of most of you guys on here. I think, how they were moving the ball pretty much at will, it really could’ve gotten out of hand if not for Brady’s (and the receiver’s) miscues in the Red Zone. Sure seemed like he just missed some throws, or they cut-off their routes (more than we stopped them) on a couple trips down there…
Hopefully they find a way to tighten up that defense.
well...
I’m still trying to organize my thoughts after this one. i didn’t expect to win this game, nor did I think it was a must-win. So I wasn’t shocked that we lost, but I was horrified at watching HOW we lost.
For starters (and i really don’t mean this as a “we lost to them so i’m gonna insult them” rant), the Patriots just didn’t look that good. This team is obviously no longer the force they once were, and that’s what made this one so much worse. I could have handled a 35-33 shootout loss where the Pats started going back to 2007 form and just outplayed us, but instead it felt like were playing an inferior team that we should have been dismantling. It’s one thing to get beat by a better team, but losing because you shoot yourself in the foot repeatedly is unbearable. This was SUCH a winnable game.
On the defense, the big disappointment to me was just the lack of pressure on Brady. I mean it was ridiculous. This is not the same D that was giving the Dolphins nightmares in week 1, and i honestly wondered if Brady could have sat in the pocket for an extra 15 seconds per play without anyone touching him. Additionally, if we don’t start figuring out how to stop the run (the Pats aren’t exactly the gold standard for running the football), this is going to be one miserable season. That being said, if you had told me the D would give up 26 in this game, i could have lived with that.
Which leads me to the offense. The offense was nothing short of catastrophic today, and is the reason we lost this game. The Pats defense is old, injured, and the part of that team you HAVE to exploit… The Falcons offense is packed with pro-bowlers, a solid offensive line, and the envy of the NFL at QB. Given these circumstances, it is unfathomable to me how we only put 10 points on the board. You are not going to go to Foxborough, score 10 points, and have any prayer of winning.
We know that our defense is going to be a weakness this year as it’s young and being rebuilt, but if our offense doesn’t pull it together and start performing the way they were built to, we can kiss the playoffs goodbye, and maybe even a winning season. They are going to HAVE to win games for us, and today they blew it about as bad as you can. 3-and-outs should be a rarity with this group, but today they were standard fare. There is absolutely no excuse for that.
One thing that does encourage me about the Falcons is they have shown a strong ability to bounce back, and I think they will here. The coaching staff needs to sit down, figure out how they managed to %#$@ this one up so bad, and get things back on track. Obviously this game doesn’t de-rail the season, but it does expose some disturbing weaknesses that have to get fixed.
by cheshire falcon on Sep 27, 2009 6:39 PM EDT reply actions
Eh
at least were 2-1 going into our bye week
I still have faith in this team just the defense doesn’t look so good i mean how many times did they blitz they didn’t put a lot of pressure on Brady.
Haha
Yeah, that’s not going to be a fun week. Stop reminding us!
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the more I read from Saints fans around the internet...
… the more I think that a just God can not both exist and allow the Saints to win the Superbowl.
by cheshire falcon on Sep 27, 2009 8:33 PM EDT reply actions
i dunno...
i’m thinking “God’s team” would have won a Superbowl by now
by cheshire falcon on Sep 27, 2009 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions
maybe
god is waiting for armagedon to start for the saints win.
blasphemy aside
i think that god and his favorite team is waiting for a dramatic entrance… just f***ing with yall. still waiting for the start to our division opener.
by DrewBreesManCrush on Sep 27, 2009 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions
probable
that playing such weak football early in the season is just the slap in the face we need.
a bye week for a demanding coaching staff to digest and reinvigorate.
what was up with the several 3rd down roll-out plays for ryan and the O?
a roll out play immediately limits your options and cuts the field in half, in addition to minimizing scrambling opportunities; instead ryan was forced to run to the sideline until he threw it away. i thought those play calls uninspired and ultimately fearful.
the pats played like crap, and that game was very winnable, despite the fact that our D was porous, as usual.
this season is shaping up to be just what we figured: dominant when the offense is potent, dominated if not.
all things considered though, if turner doesn’t fumble and we go into the half up by 7, we may have a very different second half. hopefully the offense hits SF running.
by dirtyburs on Sep 27, 2009 10:44 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Pretty complete analysis
Thanks for that!
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by Dave Choate on Sep 27, 2009 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Rollouts
Yeah, I understand Mularkey using the roll-out a ton last year to cut down the reads for the rookie QB, but I thought we were past that now.
Also, I agree with you again on Turner’s fumble. That was a game-changer, the same way Peterson’s first Forced Fumble was against the Dolphins…
I didn’t get to watch the game on tv because I live in jersey, but I followed it on yahoo.
On offense: It seems some of the play calling was horrendous. We have 2 power backs and are throwing the ball on third and short. Tony G being doubled all day had to have been expected after his first two games, and will probably be done the rest of the year unless we can find a way to make them pay. Were they getting any running backs out there for passes? Having some more short and mid range receivers should pull them off the double or leave the rbs open. If shutting down the offense is slowing turner down and doubling tony, then we don’t have the “weapons” everyone predicted. 3 games in and only one person, one time has crossed the 100 yard mark. That would be fine if everyone was getting 70-80 yards a game and a td, but they aren’t. Also the teams we beat have yet to win a game, and I don’t see Carolina winning tomorrow night.
The defense is performing as expected. They played huge the first game, but they have yet to come close to a repeat performance. They made some good stops in the red zone to keep the game close, but even so, they need to stop giving up those 3rd and longs and just stop the drive. Perhaps the coaches should have looked closer at the game film from last week. 3rd and long, why not blitz, the receivers need more time to get to first down yardage.
And finally you can’t put yourself in a position were the refs are hurting you. If you play well, the refs can’t make any bad calls. I saw some stupid penalties at bad times AGAIN this week. 3rd and shorts becoming 3rd and longs. Too many costly penalties. They need to emphasize that.
by Whyte Bler 000 on Sep 27, 2009 10:58 PM EDT reply actions
good point
about the two teams ATL beating, they are currently winless. But they both played hard. However I think Carolina may beat Dallas tonight. Cowboys are turnover prone and seem to be porous with the run on defense, something carolina is good at. And have the cowboys had any sacks yet? Jake may have an easy night.
by brotherbrown on Sep 28, 2009 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions
When you try not to lose.....
you generally will lose anyway…..I don’t want to say this too early but, Jim Mora Jr. seems to have more gall in play calling with 4th and 3rd down. To me the defense did what it could to keep the game kinda close…..(ok that might be a stretch) But the offense lost it’s nerve during the game. The game could have been a lot worse…or a lot better. Seemed like everyone played scared.
Atlanta will win a championship....someday
Great comments, all
I think we shot ourselves in the foot a bit, and there are some worrisome signs. Still way too early in the season to start panicking just yet.
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You losers!! The Patriots ‘as bad’ as they were only gave up 250 yards of offense… YOU LOST DEAL WITH IT>….
I saw you pulled this garbage before over at Behind The Steel Curtain
The Patriots were the better team and won. We are dealing with it. Now get out of here.
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by Dave Choate on Sep 27, 2009 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Saw some stuff that was mind boggling
I don’t know how many times Grimes was matched up opposite Randy Moss, but I know the Patriots went that way almost every time. Going into the game, the one thing I’m thinking on defense is “Don’t let Moss play man-on-man against Grimes.” And I love Grimes, but he’s just too short (listed generously at 5’8") to be allowed to stand opposite Moss.
Also, it’s not like they had Gonzo bracketed. Matty seemed a bit impatient today, and while he was making solid throws, he wasn’t waiting for his routes to develop when he had time in to pocket. TG managed to find some open field several times but the ball had pretty much gone elsewhere.
And of course, the run game has pretty much become one dimensional. Not seeing enough use of the draw play, or toss plays-it’d be nice to just run a little fullback option, where Ryan can either hand it up the middle or toss it outside. And running screens for Turner to help him get some open space would be nice, instead of exclusively using our back-up RB (Norwood or Snelling) in the role of receiver.
It’s tough to be complaining about play-calling when the coaching staff has been so great overall, but we definitely got outcoached today, as well as outplayed.
I actually thought with one exception
That Grimes played a good game of football today. The exception was a case where he could have gotten a hand on the football, but he went for the tackle instead. Can’t really fault the guy for an abundance of caution.
Overall, the secondary wasn’t great today, but they actually played better than the front seven….
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by Dave Choate on Sep 28, 2009 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I can't blame the man for being short
But there was the obviouis pass interference call, and I’m pretty sure Moss had about 4 receptions lined up opposite him when I’m sitting there, pre-snap, thinking “They’re gonna throw to 81 here”
It’s not good to ask our shortest corner to defend their tallest wide-out. Might as well have asked him to cover Ben Watson.
True
Forgot the call.
Honestly, Brian Williams against Moss was the best matchup. He’s not as quick as he once was, but neither is Moss. He might have the best coverage instincts of anybody out there. Would’ve been nice to see what Tye Hill was capable of….
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by Dave Choate on Sep 28, 2009 12:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Bronn
It’s not such a bad thing to get out-coached by Belichick…
Agree 100% on Tony G – there were definitely opportunities out there. Ryan just went away from him.
I thought the run game was fine in the first half. Not great, but OK – especially after Wilfork went out (he destroyed McClure on a couple plays). The problem was Turner only got 3 carries in the second half (14 yards). Mularkey abandoned the run a bit – too many passes, not enough first downs (or possessions). And wishing for Turner to be involved in the passing game is an exercise in futility – he has never been used that way (even as a back-up in San Diego). I’m not sure if he just can’t catch, is such a horrible blocker they can’t use him in passing situation, or what exactly the problem is, but multiple coaching staffs have decided he’s not an option, so I’d give up on that thought…
As for Grimes, I agree with you that it was crazy to have him alone on Moss, but I agree with Dave that he generally did a good job when that was the case. The thing that was “mind-boggling” to me was that the coaching staff didn’t feel the need to make any adjustments to personnel packages on defense. Houston on one side, Brian Williams on the other, Williams sliding inside to Nickle back when Grimes comes in, etc. They let New England dictate the match-ups (to get Grimes on Moss) by not changing that up at all.
yeah I saw that one highlight on NFL.com
I wasn’t have to watch the game live due to Errands to run. But Grimes should play safety, not corner. Another reason why i think the Falcons may have thrown this game on purpose.
by brotherbrown on Sep 28, 2009 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Not a single offensive point in the second half.
We score one TD I think the tables would have turned. A lot of people (like me) blame the D for loses, and true they gave up a tonne on the run. But our offense flat out stunk today. We are getting away from what we do best and that is run the football.
An interesting stat to note, we throw the ball 70% of the time on first down. Wow.
New Orleans Hornets: The most inconsistent team in the NBA.
They need to throw that much
In fact, I’m open to the idea of upping that percentage even more. Teams are loading up against Turner. I mean, 8 or 9 in the box on “run downs”. Because of that, these traditional running downs are the best times to air it out a bit. Not necessarily go for the home run, but just a quick slant or an out. Something easy to pick up 5-8 yards. Ryan and his receivers are good enough that they can make opposing defenses pay if they sell out against the run. That is really the biggest advantage the Falcons have over other teams-the threat of the run, and the ability to pass exceptionally well if you try to take it away. First down is the time to do it. Even more aggression is required.
by SG Standard on Sep 28, 2009 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I've never been a fan of Brian Van Gorder
since the first game since the Detroit Lions last year. They give up too much, call very conservative calls, plays soft. I don’t know why they didn’t keep Mike Zimmer, I thought he did pretty well with their defense, now the Bengals are reaping his benefits. If I was a DC, I would jam the receivers on every play, play man on corners, zone on safeties, send at least five guys to the QB on traps and crosses, I think that would be better than what we have. But also for the patriot defense to be this bad, the falcons had their chances, and their offense sucked like the Browns or Redskins.
Then again
does anyone wonder if maybe Dimitroff and Smith were treating this as a preseason game and WANTED to lose this game to play their hand at the rest of the season?
As you said, we play some conservative calls, underperformed even on defense. We had the talent and know how to have a shoot out in the rain and score 40 points. Despites the two tampa games in 08, the falcons have not scored this few points since week 4 at carolina of last year. So they definitely should have and could have scored more, but just didn’t.
by brotherbrown on Sep 28, 2009 9:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Well
I certainly don’t think they wanted to lose the game. But I don’t think the coaches had the “kitchen sink” mentality, like they might have if the team was 0-2 instead of 2-0…
As for VanGorder, I think he’s doing what Mike Smith wants. His Jags teams preferred to rush 4 guys (with a few 7 man blitzes thrown in) with zone coverage behind them.
I agree...
with the second statement (the first you are entitled to your opinion, and I could be talking crazy), but yeah, your’re right, it’s probably what mike smith wanted, but does it work. Jacksonville never had a pass rush against any teams, and the last two or three times (including the 2005 playoffs) Jacksonville played New England, how many times did Jacksonville win? Mike Smith as great as he is for the falcons, is too stubborn to change his ways when it doesn’t work.
by brotherbrown on Sep 28, 2009 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions
No
The Falcons D was far more aggressive in the preaseason than they were yesterday. And that is just wrong.
by SG Standard on Sep 28, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm not saying it wasn't
I’m just commenting on how it seems kind of reversed-normally you play vanilla in the preseason and throw in the crazy blitz packages in the regular season. The Falcons went backwards, which is odd considering how effective those blitzes could have been yesterday. It was very un Van Gorder like. Even when he was the DC at UGA, he was a very, very aggressive playcaller. I said this after the Miami game, but my issue with him has been his predictability. It is easy to stop a blitz if you know exactly what down it is coming on and formation it is coming from. Against Miami, he mixed things up beautifully. Against Carolina, things trended a bit conservative. Yesterday, things were more conservative than Rush Limbaugh. It may be easy to stop a blitz you know is coming, but it is even easier to stop one that never comes. Its all very confusing. I would have rather seen the Falcons lose 26-10 but go down guns blazing than lose 26-10 because they never tried to force the issue on defense.
Your memory may have skewed the Miami game
Yes, they got pressure, but it was from the front four (actually, Abe and Biermann). Pennington threw 29 passes, Pat White 1, and there were 4 sacks – that’s 34 pass plays. Of those 34 pass plays, exactly 2 were blitzes:
5:39 left in 2Q, 3rd and 6 at MIA 38 – there were actually only 4 men rushing the passer, but it was a “zone blitz”, with a D-Back rushing, and a DE dropping off into coverage – incomplete pass.
2:34 left in 2Q, 1st and 10 at ATL 42 – 6 rushers, but this was also a “zone blitz”, with a D-Back and two LB’s rushing, and one DE (Abraham) dropping into coverage – incomplete pass. This is the play where Abe got called for delay of game for spiking the ball.
I don’t know the tally for Week 2, because I haven’t finished charting the Carolina game. Last night I did a quick count of the first half of the Patriots game, and I think I came up with 4 blitzes (I haven’t re-watched the second half yet).
The main point, though, is that you shouldn’t expect a lot of blitzing from a Mike Smith team. He’s generally going to want to rush 4, with just a few bigger blitzes sprinkled in.
Which underlines the need
To get better pass rushers up front. Of course, the tradeoff is that your game against the run isn’t as good, so basically we’re entirely boned.
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Wow
Shows what I get for being too lazy to chart games. Do you have stuff from last season? I know, and this was the reason for some of the struggles in the preseason (hey, that rhymes!), that the Falcons had a tendency to either rush three or seven on third and medium-to-long. That has all but vanished this year. Again, I remember them being a much more attacking defense previously. Especially with Van Gorder on the staff, I would expect it. I’m getting enough of this “lets rush four and hope to Vishnu that something wonderful happens” style of defense from UGA. I don’t need it corrupting my Sundays also. With an admittedly weaker secondary, a pass rush would be the team’s best friend.
Nah,
I didn’t chart any games last year – but I looked up the “Strategic Tendencies” numbers in my Football Outsiders Almanac 2009.
Falcons Pass Rush in 2008 (percentage, then league rank):
Rush 3: 6.4% (#12)
Rush 4: 71.8% (#4)
Rush 5: 13.3% (#28)
Rush 6+: 8.6% (#14)
Rush 7+: 3.0% (#5)
Sacks by Linebackers: 6.1% (#29)
Sacks by Defensive Backs: zero (tied for last)
Zone Blitz: 2% (#20)
So you can see it was pretty much the same thing last year. Near the top of the league in 4-man rushes, but also near the top of the league in 7-man big blitzes. They might mix it up a little bit week-to-week, but I wouldn’t expect a huge shift from those numbers at the end of this season…
say what you will
I know that the falcons did not play their best game but neither did the pats . The officials almost decididly won the game for the pats by stopping every game turner the falcons had either by calling penalties on falcons players or not calling penalties on pats players , moss pushed off on almost every play but didn’t get called once ( seldom does ) and the pats offensive holding was attrocious ( and yet i don’t recall one holding penalty on the pats ) that said : the falcons( including the coaching staff ) never capitalized on the few chances that they did have
The pushing off was egregious
I agree with you. Watching the highlights package of Matt Light on John Abraham was like watching a nervous dude go to town on his prom date, too. Lots of grabbing.
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