Falcons 34, Lions 21
That’ll do boys. That’ll do.
This was the type of thing that I used to dream up as a kid, throwing the football to myself in my backyard, creating a fantasy of how somehow the lowly Falcons morph into a great football team, starting the season off of course with a blowout victory at home, in which every key member has a key part. Friends, I’ve been a Falcons fan for a long, long time. I’ve seen many Sundays and most of them have been bad. I don’t recall a more satisfying, delightful Sunday in my entire life as a Falcons fan. It wasn’t just that everything that could go right did go right; it was the contrast between all of that and all of that other stuff that came before it, particularly in the last year.
You know, it was almost 10,000 short of a sellout, but the Falcons fans who showed up to support this young fledgling team shared in a joyous occasion. Michael Vick sold tickets and jerseys but I’ve got a feeling that eventually Matt Ryan will too. His popularity may not be as widespread, and many in Atlanta may still long for the days when Mike Vick was the face of the franchise, but Falcons fans and football fans won’t. Not only is Vick gone, but so too is MeAngelo Hall, who incidentally was flagged for 3 personal fouls on one drive on Monday night while playing for his new team, the Raiders. Jimmy Williams is gone. Bobby Petrino is gone. Alge Crumpler was a fan favorite but in the end his attitude typified the negativity that had engulfed the locker room and the organization. Good riddance. This is a new day. They may not all be like last Sunday; certainly we can’t expect too many more like that right away. But at least were on our way. We’re going somewhere. Arthur Blank has never stopped trying to get it right here. He may have made some mistakes along the way, but at least he has tried to build a winner, he has tried to build an atmosphere that fans will want to be a part of, and he has tried to give us a team that we can be proud of. And I think that during the Mike Smith-Matt Ryan era we will be proud to be Falcons fans.
Mike Smith was a winner in his first ever game as a head coach and Ryan was a winner in the first game he ever played as a pro and as a rookie starter no less. You know, there were a lot of good firsts on Sunday. On the Falcons third play from scrimmage, Matty Ice’s career got a storybook beginning, as he completed his first ever pass attempt, hitting Michael Jenkins on a deep slant. But Jenks didn’t just make the catch, he took it to the house, 62 yards to put the Falcons up 6-0, as Ryan became the first player in 8 years to throw a TD on his first career pass. Ryan later hooked up with Roddy White for a nice 46 yard connection and he managed the game well. He made a few mistakes that could have been costly had the Lions defenders been able to intercept him, but on this day everything went the Falcons’ way. In the end, Ryan was 9 for 13 for 161 yards and that TD and he was not intercepted. The Falcons didn’t turn the ball over once. While Ryan was steady in his first game, it was new running back Michael Turner that was the driving force in the Falcons blowout win over Detroit. In 4 years as LaDainian Tomlinson’s backup in San Diego, Turner never carried the ball more than 15 times in a game. His career high in a game was 147 yards and 1 TD. On Sunday, Turner carried the ball 22 times and ran for a Falcons franchise record 220 yards, scoring 2 TD’s, and averaging 10 yards a carry. Turner’s 220 yard total broke Gerald Riggs’ Falcons record for yards in a game of 204 that he had set back in 1984. Riggs was in attendance for Turner’s record breaking debut. On the Falcons’ second possession, Turner went 66 yards for a score to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead. The Burner also set an NFL record for the most rushing yards in a player’s first game with a team.
Turner’s running mate—Jerious Norwood—also found the sledding easy. Norwood ran 14 times for 93 yards and a TD and also had a pair of 30+ yard kickoff returns. As a team, the Falcons set a new franchise record for rushing yards in a game with 318. The Falcons outgained Detroit 474-308 and had the only turnover of the game, a remarkable diving interception by veteran safety Lawyer Malloy, who returned the ball 38 yards in one of the key turning points in the game. John Abraham, the Falcons most dangerous pass rusher got to Jon Kitna for 3 sacks. New kicker Jason Elam went 2 for 2 on field goals, including a 50 yarder. Other than that, not much went right for the Falcons in their first game.
For their part, the Lions were dreadful. They argued with each other and QB Jon Kitna screamed at Detroit coaches throughout the first half.
After scoring on Ryan’s long TD pass, stopping the Lions, and then scoring on Turner’s long run, the Falcs stopped Detroit again and got the ball back at their own 33 with 6:31 left in the first quarter, leading 14-0. The Falcons then put together a drive that took them quickly into Lions territory again. Turner went 29 yards to take the ball to the Detroit 10 and then went in from the 5 to put Atlanta up 21-0. Stunning. The magical first quarter of the season ended with the Falcons ahead 21-0 and in control of the game.
The second quarter started out pretty well. The Falcons defense stopped the Lions at the Atlanta 40 yard line forcing another punt. Detroit pinned the Falcs inside their own 10 but Turner got the Falcons some breathing room with a nice run for a first down. But on 3rd and 4, Norwood caught a pass from Ryan and was stopped a yard short of the first down marker at the Atlanta 31. The Falcons had to punt for the first time and Michael Koenen did not get off a good effort, punting the ball out of pounds at the Detroit 41. Here the Lions finally started to get things going offensively, using their big wide receivers against Atlanta’s smaller defensive backs. With the help of a couple of pass interference/defensive holding calls, the Lions marched down the field and scored on a 4 yard run to get on the board with 4:10 to play in the half. On the ensuing drive the Falcons went 3 and out, as Ryan was sacked on 3rd and 10 and they were forced to punt again. But the Falcons defense was able to hold Detroit on their next possession and the Lions punted it back to Atlanta. The Falcons took over possession at their own 12 with 1:41 to go in the half, leading 21-7.
It was at this point that I believe Mike Smith made his only clear mistake of the day. With 1:41 to play in the half, the Lions had used all 3 of their timeouts and the Falcons had a 14 point lead. Atlanta did have all of its timeouts, but the Falcons were sitting at their own 12, and in order to get another score on the board they would likely have to do it mostly through the air, with a rookie quarterback. The Falcons started the drive with a running play that gained 4 yards and then Ryan threw an incomplete pass that stopped the clock with 1:13 to go in the half. This was alright, they had taken a shot at moving the ball, but now the correct call was most certainly to hand the ball off. The Falcons had run the ball so well to this point that they probably had just as good of chance of picking up the 6 yards for a first down on the ground as they did getting it through the air. But much more importantly, there was little reward and a lot of risk involved in calling a passing play here. In the worst case scenario, the inexperienced QB might turn the ball over in his own territory, allowing the Lions to get a score before half time. But there was also a very good chance that the pass would be incomplete which would essentially give the Lions a timeout that they didn’t have. Even if Ryan completed the pass for a first down to the 25 or something, the clock would be running close to a minute and the Falcons would still have a ways to go to get into field goal range. I was shocked when Ryan dropped back and threw the ball and I was quite irritated when it fell incomplete, stopping the clock with 1:07 left and setting up a 4th down for the Falcons at their own 16. 
To be frank, this was really boneheaded. Koenen got off a good punt that had the Lions starting at their own 33 but that was still good field position and definitely close enough for them to get into field goal range with 1:03 to play. Had the Falcons simply run the ball on 3rd down, even if they didn’t get the first down they could have taken the clock way down and left the Lions with no timeouts and half a minute or so with which to work. Kitna completed a pass for 8 yards and then hit Calvin Johnson for 38 yards down to the Falcons 21 where they spiked the ball to stop the clock with 23 seconds left. I was furious at this point. On the next play, Kitna threw a 21 yard strike to Roy Williams for a Detroit touch down that cut the Falcons lead to 21-14 with 16 seconds left. So by half time the Falcons 21 point lead had been trimmed to 7 and the Lions would be getting the ball first in the second half. At this point I started to fear that the dream like 21 point first quarter was just another setup for us to be let down. On a day when there should have been no expectations, the 21 point outburst had created expectations, thus making it possible for us Falcons fans to be kicked in the gut again.
And on the opening possession of the third quarter, the Lions were indeed driving towards an eventual tying score. It seemed inevitable, but then on 3rd and 8 from the Atlanta 44, Kitna threw a bad ball over the middle and Lawyer Malloy dove and made a spectacular catch for an interception at the 13 yard line. Untouched, Malloy got to his feet and returned the ball 38 yards to midfield. This was the turning point in the game. Initially, the Lions defense responded, stopping the Falcons after only 1 first down, and setting up a 4th and 3 at the Detroit 32. The Falcons called on Jason Elam. This was a crucial moment. A miss here and the Lions would get the momentum right back and have great field position, but Elam was true from 50 yards to give the Falcons a 10 point advantage. Now playing with more than a one score lead, the Falcons defense stopped Detroit on their next possession. Atlanta got the ball back and got back into Detroit territory, with Ryan hooking up with Roddy White for a sweet 46 yard reception down to the Lions 10. 2 plays later, Norwood dashed 10 yards into the end zone to make the score 31-14 Falcons with 5:57 left in the 3rd quarter.
The Lions passing game began to work better on their next drive and they quickly went 75 yards for a touchdown to get back into the game, making the score 31-21 with a minute and 40 seconds to play in the 3rd. But the Falcons immediately began to move the ball on their next position and heading into the 4th quarter the Falcons looked to be in good shape. If Atlanta could get another touchdown it would probably ice the game. With a mixture of both the run and the pass, the Falcons steadily moved down field, and on 1st and goal from the 7, appeared to put the game away, as Michael Turner went around the right end for what looked like his 3rd TD of the game. But a bogus holding penalty was called by the officials and the play was nullified. The Falcons ended up having to settle for a 25 yard field goal by Elam that made it a 13 point game.
The Lions were still alive, down just 2 scores. But on the ensuing drive the Falcons pass rush really began to take over with the Lions now a one-dimensional team and back to back sacks by John Abraham forced a punt with under 6 to play and barring a disaster, the Falcons had the win. They moved the ball deep into Lions territory and were able to run the rest of the time off the clock to complete a remarkable 34-21 victory over Detroit at home in the first game of the season. There was a different feeling after this one was over. Perhaps it was the changes to the Dome allowing more light and color. More likely it was the feeling of accomplishment, of winning, and of playing together as a team, and celebrating as a city and a fan base.
This week the Falcons play division rival Tampa Bay on the road. Last season the Falcons were 1-7 on the road and 0-2 against the Bucs. The low point of a low season came at Tampa last year, in the first game after Petrino had quit the team. The players lost their cool repeatedly in the game and totally made a mockery of things while poor Emmit Thomas the interim coach could only watch. The Falcons got throttled 37-3. The Falcons have had trouble in Tampa Bay ever since they began playing the Bucs twice a season upon realignment in 2002. They are just 2-4 at Raymond James Stadium the 6 years of the NFC South. The Falcons are 4-8 against the Bucs in the 6 years of the NFC South. When the Bucs are good they are usually very tough to beat at home, going 39-25 there this decade. Last year the Bucs went 9-7 to win the NFC South and lost to the Giants at home in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They lost by 4 points at New Orleans in week 1.
When I did my preseason predictions I called for the Falcons to go 5-11 this season. After their victory in week 1, there seems to be hope for maybe a better year than that, and it merits another look at the schedule. Unfortunately, the game against Detroit at home was one of the games I projected the Falcons would win. I did not pick them to win this next game at Tampa. The Falcons have some winnable games, but another unfortunate thing is that a lot of them are early in the season. I say that’s unfortunate for a couple of reasons. For one, while things went splendidly in week 1, with a new coach, new schemes on both sides of the ball, and a rookie quarterback, there’s a good chance that there will be some speed bumps this season. And it would seem that those bumps would be more likely to occur earlier in the season rather than later. Ryan specifically is most likely (and hopefully) going to be a better player in November and December than he is right now as he’s learning on the fly. It would be unfortunate if some of these “speed bumps” were to occur during games that the Falcons have a legitimate chance of winning over the next few weeks. In week 3, the Falcons will be at home against Kansas City, one of the weaker teams in the NFL, who is just 23-42 on the road this decade. The following week the Falcons play at Carolina against a Panthers team that shocked San Diego on the road in week 1, but is not a team that I feel like has too much talent for the Falcons to contend with. They aren’t a team that has a great home field advantage either. In fact, the Falcons have won their last 2 games in Carolina and are 4-2 there during the 6 year history of the NFC South. So the Falcons have somewhat of a chance of being 3-1 at the end of September and have a very good chance of being at least 2-2.
Their first game in October is at Lambaugh Field where they have won before but are unlikely to do so against the Packers this season. In week 6, the Falcons play the Bears at home. I know Chicago looked great in their win over the Colts on the road in week 1, but this is a game that I definitely think the Falcons have a chance in. True, the Falcons have had their problems with the Bears, but many of those games have been in Chicago, and lately it has been due largely to the fact that the Bears had no trouble containing Michael Vick. Chicago knew just what to do against Vick: force him to stay in the pocket and pass. They had a linebacker capable of shadowing Vick (Urlacher) and they would hit Vick when they had the chance and were able to intimidate and frustrate him. While Matt Ryan will most likely not face a tougher defense than the Bears in the 5 weeks prior to that game, I do believe that a balanced run and pass attack will have a better chance against Chicago’s defense than when it was Vick trying to run the West Coast Offense. More importantly, despite their performance against the Colts, the Bears offense is just not very formidable. Going back to the way that the Bears defended Vick for a moment, the same thing could be said about Vick’s problems against Tampa Bay, particularly on the road. The Buccaneers did the same thing, because like Chicago, they had a linebacker who could shadow Vick (Derrick Brooks) and they forced him to be a pocket passer and beat him up and frustrated him. Vick’s attitude would disintegrate quickly if he was shutdown by a defense. My point in bringing this up is that the Falcons may have better luck against the Buccaneers as well now that they have a more balanced attack. Anyway, I feel there is a chance the Falcons could be 3-3 going into their bye week, and that’s what I actually predicted.
Unfortunately, there are not as many winnable games in the final 10. Following the off week the Falcons have a trip to Philly which will be very, very hard to win. You pretty much have to assume that they will drop that one. But the next week is a game that I originally had them losing but now am reconsidering. At the start of November the Falcons travel to Oakland to play the dysfunctional Raiders. When the Raiders were a relevant franchise The Black Hole was a very tough place to play, but they are so bad nowadays that it doesn’t much matter. They’re now just 6-19 at home over the last 4 years. I thought they would be an improved team this year but their week 1 performance was such a disaster I think they may actually be just as bad as or worse than they have been the last few years. So I think the Falcons could actually win that game, meaning they have a decent shot of going 4-4 in the first half of the year. The second half is harder. It does begin with a stretch of 3 straight home games that could determine what kind of season the Falcons have. It starts with a home game against arch rival New Orleans. In the past this was always a game the Falcons had a chance to win, but lately the Saints have had a leg up in the rivalry. The Falcons are 5-7 against the Saints during the 6 year history of the NFC South but they’ve lost 4 straight to New Orleans. It’s going to be hard for the Falcons to keep up with the Saints. I think they’re outmatched. The next week Denver comes to town. This was one of the games that I predicted the Falcons would win. Denver isn’t as formidable a team away from home and they were horrid against the run last year. They destroyed Oakland in week 1 but I still think the Falcons can hang with the Broncos. The following week the Falcons host Carolina. The Falcons are 8-4 against the Panthers in the 6 year history of the NFC South and they have won at least 1 of their games against the Panthers in 5 of the 6 seasons. If we say that they will lose at Carolina in week 4, than perhaps they will win at home in November. I predicted the Falcons would beat both Denver and Carolina to get to 5-6. I still think that’s possible and I’m even willing to say that a 6-5 record is possible at that point.
But up next is a 4 game stretch that is the toughest part of the Falcons schedule. First they travel to San Diego to play the Chargers. This would seem to be the Falcons most difficult game on their schedule. Next they travel to New Orleans for a rematch with the Saints that they will have a hard time winning. The Falcs are just 2-4 at the Superdome during the 6 year history of the NFC South. They return home after that for another tough divisional game against the Bucs. The Falcons have a better chance of beating the Bucs at home than they do on the road for sure, but it will still be pretty tough. The next week they have to go to Minnesota. Last season the Falcons opened the season in Minnesota and lost 24-3 but they were actually in the game for the majority of it. However, the Vikings will be a tough opponent for the Falcons, as they have a great running attack and a strong rush defense. The Falcons final game of the season is certainly winnable, a home game against the Rams. I predicted the Falcons would lose their final 5 games—at San Diego and New Orleans, at home against Tampa, at Minnesota and then at home to the Rams in the final week of the year. I was thinking of the Falcons loss to the Rams last year when they just got thrashed but I also expected that the Rams would be improved this year and would be more like the 8-8 team of 2006 than the 3-13 team of last year. After seeing them get punished by the Eagles 38-3 in week 1, I’m now seriously rethinking that theory. I think the Falcons will definitely have a good chance of winning that game, as the Rams don’t appear to have anymore of a clue than they had last year. They have talent to be sure, but they don’t know how to win. So, it’s not too unrealistic to think that the Falcons might get 6 wins this year and I don’t think it’s out of the question that they could avoid a 10 loss season and win 7 games. That would be huge.
Of course, if the Falcons go 7-9 or even 6-10 they won’t get that great of a place in the draft. That would probably put them at 10th or 11th which is a spot where you can obviously get a good or great player but it’s not the same as having one of the top 5 or 6 picks in the draft, when you have a decent chance of finding a player that can have an immediate impact or in the case of Matt Ryan (hopefully) become the face of the franchise. With this in mind, if the Falcons do end up having a 4 win season or a 3 win season, while it wont be much fun, there will be an up side to it because in my opinion more than a few of the top players expected to come out next season would fit in well with the Falcons rebuilding process. The way I see it, the Falcons biggest weaknesses are in the secondary and in the interior defensive line. The offensive line has long been a weakness but it has started to come together this year. Still, I believe the Falcons could use another top notch tackle. The Falcons are solid at linebacker and at rush end. Obviously the backfield is set and while the receiving corps has been criticized over the years, I truly believe much of the problem was the coaching and the inaccurate and erratic passing of Michael Vick. Roddy White and Michael Jenkins are solid receivers and hopefully Laurent Robinson will emerge as a valuable option this year. So that leaves the secondary and the interior defensive line to deal with chiefly, as well as getting another tackle. Right now it doesn’t seem like the top 8 or 10 picks in next year’s draft will contain a lot of offensive skill players. If the Falcons end up with a top 5 or 6 pick, they could take one of a number of highly thought of offensive tackles, or they could take Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. If they are farther up the line at say 8th or 9th they could take defensive tackle Fili Moala from USC. If the offensive line appears solid and the Falcons are picking 9th or 10th they could draft Michael Crabtree as a guy to team with Ryan for the next 7 years. We’re obviously getting ahead of ourselves here, but the Falcons performance in game 1 of the Mike Smith-Matt Ryan era has created some excitement. If it doesn’t seem realistic that we can contend right away, it’s only natural to look at what else we need and try to think about what players might be available to fill those needs through the draft.
No comments:
Post a Comment