Conspiracy Theorist 4: Down Goes Turner, Up Goes Matty?

Ryan has had 3 years to get ready and to get good at making all the throws he need to as a Qb in the NFL, EXCEPT the long ball. This year he will master that ability as well, while we still use Turner, just not as much. We’ll see more catches from backs out of the backfield and more screens. All of these different ways of attacking a defense have just gotten Ryan ready to almost autonomously take over the playcalling during games, and you know EVERY Qb would rather pass than run! lol This has been a slow transistion but one that will pay HUGE dividends for years to come, kinda like Peyton.
 And yes, Turner was used to acclimate Ryan to the NFL easier and make his job easier as well. It’s easy to calm a QB down during a game when you can just call 2 up the middle runs by Turner in a row!! lol

But, mark my words, this year this offense will start the transition towards a more pass oriented offense and will get much more explosive!! I could see us having at least 5 scoring drives during the season that take 3 plays or less!! That kind of offensive firepower would be awesome to behold, and I think we have the weapons now to do it!!

a lot of it has to do with getting into a rhythm. When the offense is clicking into gear, churning and getting first-down after first down (using all possible downs) it functions well. Yet, I think that sometimes if we don’t hit this rhythm and teams figure us out, we are easier to beat. Take last year’s Saints game in Atlanta. Our offense did virtually nothing for most of the game and it was due to the fact we tried to get into that “rhythm,” but could not.

Hopefully we can be more explosive, but I hope that’s not going to sacrifice the malignant drives that we used to do so well at.

for teams to use the run game to ease young QB’s into the flow of the game and their offensive schemes. I don’t think the intention is to run MT into the ground and then fall back on Matt. It might be that the learning curve ATL set up for Matt would be for three years and then things would open up. I think Matt’s progression last year, especially in the no huddle, was one reason why the FO traded up to get JJ. They saw he was ready to run the offense.

As far as liking how MM wins games, meh. It hasn’t worked if ATL EVER got behind by more than 10 or 14 points. As the article said, it’s anachronistic and cannot sustain a winning team. The NFL is currently the league of the QB and Matt is more than good enough to compete and win in this league. What is the limiting factor for Matt? It won’t be injuries to supporting players, or tough competition or a drop in talent rather it will be the lack of offensive plays to come back and win games. This is the year that MM can show his true ability as an OC.

Mularky will find a way to help Ryan’s production with Turner’s legs and Turner’s production with Ryan’s arm. The offense won’t flip, it won’t go from “run-first” to “pass-first” with the simple addition of Julio Jones and Jacquizz Rodgers. The offense will become more balanced and I think that will add years to Turner’s career. Expect balance, don’t expect half of Mularky’s run plays to be deleted out of the playbook because Ryan is a big boy now. Turner’s a key peice to the puzzle and he’s always going to be a big part of the game plan, that’s just how the Falcons roll.

to a large degree. I’m buying the fact that Turner and a strong running game has allowed Ryan to ease into the role of starting QB. There’s no doubt that a strong running game is a QB’s best friend. Also worth mentioning is the relief provided to a young and still emerging defense by a game controlling running game. By keeping them off the field for long stretches of the clock with our power running game, we minimized their exposure and kept them fresher.

But I’m totally selling the idea that the “strategy” has been to run Turner into the ground for the sake of the progression of Ryan and the entire offense to a pass-first mentality. It simply doesn’t make sense to hold back the reins when you get what are typically fleeting chances for a Super Bowl appearance.

We ran Turner hard for the last 3 years because that’s what Mularkey knows how to do. Look at his track record at Pittsburgh and Buffalo. When Ryan has run the no huddle offense the last two seasons, the offense has appeared far more productive. I don’t have statistics to back it up, purely my observation.

It keeps the defense off the field and lets them rest. It controls the clock. It might lull the opposing secondary to not be as quick or sharp when the lightning strike occurs, potentially making the strike more effective. And it gives you options against teams with shutdown corners (like Philly) that might be more easily exploited up the middle.

Balance. That’s what keeps you from falling off the wire.

Cause it definitely sounds plausible. Maybe not intentional by the FO, but part of the “process” perhaps.

As much as I prefer the run-oriented offense, the shelf-life of RBs nowadays can limit the efficiency of running that system (pun partially intended). A balanced offense that is willing to run and throw when it needs to sounds completely reasonable. (Pretty much what everyone else has been saying in this thread…)

Basically it’s this Ryan will have to step up and be an even better Qb than before and utilyze his weapons as effecient as possible, while Turner, Snell, and Quizz return this running game to what it was in 08. Then and only then will we be discussed as one of the top elite teams because we will have very very good balance on offense. NOW, if the defense steps up and improves this year and gets us into the top 10 in every category and even top 3 in the yards and points given up, along with being in the top 5 for sacks too! lol

Where QB’s are not expected to win games just not lose games. Check the teams he’s coached on Bills, Steelers, Dolphins, and Buccs all running teams that use the run to set up the pass. I see the Falcons using a high draft pick next year on a RB.