Falcons vs. Bucs 2016: Snap Counts and Outrage

Week one is in the books, and there's a lot to be fixed when you're the Atlanta Falcons. We're all bummed by the outcome, so let's quickly get through a look at some not-so-happy snap counts.

Offense

Chris Chester G: 65 (100%)
Andy Levitre G: 65
Ryan Schraeder T: 65
Jake Matthews T: 65
Matt Ryan QB: 65
Alex Mack C: 65
Mohamed Sanu WR: 56
Julio Jones WR: 55
Jacob Tamme TE: 50
Justin Hardy WR: 37 
Devonta Freeman RB: 36 
Tevin Coleman RB: 32 
Levine Toilolo TE: 22
Aldrick Robinson WR: 15
Patrick DiMarco FB: 13
Austin Hooper TE: 9

The offense played well enough to win in most scenarios last week, but the red zone continues to be an area of concern for the Falcons. Ryan was a large part of any promising flashes the offense showed, hitting Julio Jones and the newly acquired Mohamed Sanu for touchdowns.

The run game did no favors for the sake of the offense's play-calling. With the run averaging 2.4 yards per carry (falls to 2.3 when you don't count Matt) last week, sending the ball in the air was the team's only way of moving it. Despite not being a huge asset to the ground game in Week One, Tevin Coleman shocked everyone with a five reception, 95-yard performance. I'm excited to see if the snaps lean in his favor next week.

Jake Matthews likely had his worst game as a Falcon, getting handled throughout the game, allowing a sack, and halting the offense with penalties inside the Buccaneers' 20. I'm not worried about his play this season, but man, last week was painful to watch. This unit as a whole must show more discipline to have success in red zone.

Defense

Desmond Trufant CB: 64 (100%)
Robert Alford CB: 64
Kemal Ishmael SS: 64
Ricardo Allen S: 62
De'Vondre Campbell LB: 56
Deion Jones LB: 54
Brian Poole CB: 41
Vic Beasley DE: 39
Grady Jarrett DT: 37
Adrian Clayborn DE: 35
Derrick Shelby DE: 32
Jonathan Babineaux DT: 32
Dwight Freeney DE: 25
Philip Wheeler LB: 23
Tyson Jackson DE: 23
Brooks Reed DE: 22
Courtney Upshaw DT: 11
Sean Weatherspoon LB: 10
Paul Worrilow LB: 8
Robensen Therezie S: 2

What the defense showed promise in speed and coverage ability, they made up for in bad angles and penalties. Anytime you let a division rival come into your stadium and put 31 points on the board, your chances of winning the game are incredibly low. The Falcons' defense let that happen this week, and the good thing is it can only get better from here (I hope). The unit had a very strong first and fourth quarter but allowed Tampa to score 28 points in the second and third.

Speaking of discipline on the offensive side, the defense desperately needs some as well. Adrian Clayborn killed a 3rd down stop by lining up in the neutral zone, which then led to a Buccaneers touchdown. The team as a whole managed to be penalized seven times for 74 yards.

Tackling was also a major issue that's been an area of focus for years in Atlanta but plagued the team on Sunday. You're likely mentally scarred by the Sims touchdown catch, but they can't allow this kind of stuff to happen.

Special Teams

C.J. Goodwin: 27 (87%)
Brian Poole: 27
Austin Hooper: 22
LaRoy Reynolds: 22
Eric Weems: 22
Philip Wheeler: 16
Matt Bosher: 15
Robensen Therezie: 15
Sean Weatherspoon: 11
Justin Hardy: 11
Patrick DiMarco: 11
Dashon Goldson: 10
Tom Compton: 10
Derrick Shelby: 9
Josh Harris: 9
Ben Garland: 9
Levine Toilolo: 6
Aldrick Robinson: 6
Desmond Trufant: 6
Robert Alford: 6
Tyson Jackson: 5
Grady Jarrett: 5
Deion Jones: 5
Chris Chester: 4
Andy Levitre: 4
Ryan Schraeder: 4
Jake Matthews: 4
Jonathan Babineaux: 4
Brooks Reed: 4
Matt Bryant: 4
Adrian Clayborn: 1

Matt Bryant was seen far too often for field goals, rather than PATs. Eric Weems had difficulty getting anything going with returns, but he played safe and didn't lose the ball. The team might want to consider trying someone else out for the position, and let Weems focus on the defense and blocking aspect of special teams.

Thoughts on the team's performance or snap totals?