Talking Atlanta Falcons And Adjustments

This week's question from Marshall Faulk has to do with adjustments, and hoo boy the discussion around this one should be fun.

The question is a good one, and it's familiar ground for Falcons fans who have been talking adjustments for a while now. While the defense seems to be making small strides, the offense is in deep trouble thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness, two words I'm getting tired of typing. To stand any chance of pulling out of their current spiral and finding their way back to .500 or better, the Falcons have to adjust what they're doing.

While we've suggested enough adjustments in the past to fill a barn, this time we'll keep it simple. The Falcons' offense is struggling right now primarily because of the line, which makes it tough to get the passing game going. At the same time, the team's frequent use of dump-off passes to the flats and screens is not bearing the kind of fruit we hoped it would.

Because you're not going to be able to go deep often with the kind of time Matt Ryan currently has, the key is to to put receivers in a position where they're not catching the ball at or behind the line of scrimmage, which leads to losses or extremely modest gains. Instead, set up on crossing routes, use Devin Hester's speed as a decoy to open up parts of the field you feel comfortable targeting and get the ball in the hands of Antone Smith and Devonta Freeman, who have been two of the better pass catching backs in the NFL over the first seven weeks of the season.

What are the adjustments you would make?

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