9 WINS!

Sunday was another gutsy performance by a real tough and physical Atlanta Falcons football team. Who would have thought we would have 9 wins and control our destiny for the playoffs at this point in the season. I just want to hit on a few points of the game and why I think if we get into the playoffs we could make some noise.

1. Mike Smith- If ever the saying, "a team is a reflection of it's coach" was ever more true then I dont know about it. I mean, the attitude he brings to his job is so refreshing. The players love to play for him and his staff. Just the simple fact that he is not going to tolerate any kind of bull crap like Antonio Bryant tried to pull, in the Dome, makes me want to suit up right now for free. Punch the bully in the mouth and see what happens. Atlanta is no more a door mat for the NFL. You come in our building a try to wipe your feet like you own the place and Coach Smith is going to cut them off at the ankles.

2. Matt Ryan- His poise is what makes him the next great NFL QB. Even on a not so good day throwing the ball, he simply competes. The runs he made were huge and so under control. Smart, smart, smart.

3. Offensive Line- If there is a meaner bunch in the NFL, then ours is not far behind. I mean, we have some nasty attitudes on the line. Tyson Clabo is a pile cleaner. He will cheap shot you late just to set the tone. We are not the most talented yet. We are simply just too young to be that, but I love the way they play with fire and nastiness we havent had in forever.

4. Brian VanGorder- What a coach. What he has done with the youth on the defensive side of the ball is deserving of an assistant coach of the year award. The fact that we have not been blown out this year is a testament to our defense. Maybe the best defensive scheme coach we have had in our franchise.

5. John Abraham- Maybe the best defensive football player in the NFL. I know. I am just saying. He makes the biggest plays at the biggest times during a game. The tackles simply cant contain him by themselves. Just imagine if Jamaal starts to get it together.

6. Michael Turner- Ryan seems to get all the pub because of his play, and rightfully so. But Turner is the meat of this offense. I think Matt would agree that he would not be as successful as he has been without Turner. Michael bring his lunch pale everyday so the opposing team had better be ready for an all day job trying to stop him. So much for the "they overpaid for used goods" thing. Pro Bowler all the way.


If we get to the playoffs we could make some noise because our show travels well. Now we havent played great on the road, but what I mean is toughness is toughness anywhere. We can play in the sun, on the turf or in the snow. Bring on anyone as far as I am concerned. Because I know a few things for sure. We will be prepared, we will play well, and we will play tough.

Falcons vs. Raiders---Game Preview

Okay, fine we got jobbed in Philly last week. What else should we have expected?!?! This week will test this team's ability to put a tough loss behind them and beat a team that they should beat!!!
3 Key points to this week's game:

1. Run Turner run---Oakland is 26th in the league in rushing defense. Atlanta has one of the best one two combinations with Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood, but I want to see Turner get the ball 30 times this week. Last week, Baltimore (who is awful on offense) had over 190 yards rushing. They have Joe Flacco at quarterback, and no disrespect to Joe, but he is not Matt Ryan. Oakland will have to respect the pass or they will get burned deep, thus I think that Turner can have a huge day!!! 150+ yards!

2. Load up on the run! Jamarcus Russell has proven one thing...he is not yet worthy of being the number one pick (although I think he can get there if he had some guys to throw to!). His numbers speak for themselves. He barely has a 50% completion percentage and they rank last in the league in passing!!! Stop Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas!

3. Do not have a defensive lapse after we score!!! We seem to always have a letdown after we do something BIG!! Last week we take the lead early and then Philly comes right back down the field to score. We fell apart against the Bears, only to pull out a miracle in the end. We have to play four solid quarters on the defensive side of the ball. Sure we will probably give up some points, but we must find ways to get stops in crucial situations!!!

I really feel good about this week. We fought Philly until the 2 minute warning. We had a chance to win the game and got it taken away, however, if we had not thrown a stupid fade pass when we had the ball 1st and goal at the one we might not have been in that predicament. Anyway, last week has to be put behind us and we need to win this game on the road. We have some tough ones coming up and we cannot afford to give up any ground to Carolina at this point!!!

Prediction: Falcons---27 Raiders---17 (Al Davis fires someone after the game!!!)

Bye Week Stats

6 weeks have gone and the Falcons are 4-2 on their bye week. Great start and above where I thought they would be. There have been some surprises besides Matt Ryan. Michael Turner has been everything we paid for, Curtis Lofton is going to be a stud pro bowler one day, and John Abraham is healthy. The other surprise has been our OL. They have yeilded only 7 sacks all year. Good for 5th in the NFL. Ryan certainly helps by getting rid of the ball but this has been refreshing.

Here are the stats after 6 weeks:

TEAM

OFFENSE

YPG- 350 Rank 8th
Passing YPG- 187, 21st
Rushing YPG- 163, 2nd
Points- 23.2, 14th
1st Downs- 110, 10th (47 rushing, 52 passing, 11 penalties)
3rd Down Conversions- 37.5%, 20th
Penalties- 32, 18th most/ 256 yards, 18th most
KO Returns- 25.7 ypr, 6th
Punt Returns- 6.8 ypr, 26th

DEFENSE

YPG- 349.7, 25th
Passing YPG- 231.7, 24th
Rushing YPG- 118, 20
Points Allowed- 21.2, 15th
Sacks- 10, tied for 21st
1st Downs Allowed- 115, 27th (34 Rush, 75 Pass, 6 Penalties)
3rd Down Conversions Allowed- 42.7%, 26th
Penalties- 45, 30th/ 381 yards, 31st
KO Returns- 20.2 ypr, 6th
Punt Returns- 2.7 ypr, 1st


INDIVIDUAL

OFFENSE

Matt Ryan- QB Rating, 82.9, Ranked 17th
Michael Turner- 597 rushing yards, 2nd
Michael Turner- 4.7 ypc, 13th
Michael Turner- 99.5 ypg, 2nd
Jerious Norwood- 6.8 ypc, 2nd
Jerious Norwood- 280 rushing yards, 27th
Roddy White- 566 receiving yards, 2nd
Roddy White- 94.3 ypg, 4th
Jason Elam- 16-17, 94.1%, 8th
Jason Elam- 61 pts, 1st (kickers)

DEFENSE

John Abraham- 7 sacks, 1st
Curtis Lofton- 39 tackles, tied for 23rd


The stats that stand out to me are the special teams stats. We have maybe the best special teams unit top to bottom in the NFL. Great to see the desire and effort these young players are giving. Matt Ryan is an early ROY canidate and Mike Smith for Coach of the Year. We finally look, act, and play like an NFL team.

Falcons Baby!

The win this weekend in Green Bay is just more reassurance that the Falcons are headed in the right direction. I am lovin the leadership on the field and in the front office. For the last 6 years or so it has always been about individuals. Whether it was Vick or DeAngelo (most overrated player in NFL), it just never felt like a team. This past Sunday I saw Michael Turner let an OL spike the ball in the end zone. When was the last time you saw that in Atlanta? Or the first game of the season when Ryan threw his first TD pass and he was carried under his arm pits about 10 yards by an OL. Good stuff. And you have got to love Lawyer Milloy. Because he stayed! Man does he make us better when he is healthy. And John Abraham is the best DE in the league.

As far as our coaches go, this is the best staff for this team. They have as much to prove as the players and you just know they are working there tails off to show everyone they are for real. Mike Smith, 4th or 5th choice to be the coach? Talk about a chip on your shoulder. There seems to be a comfort level between Smith, Mularkey, and VanGorder which has definitely overflowed down to the team.

Lastly about our front office. Blank gets ragged about being in the way and to some extent I agree. But understand, he truely wants to win. To be the best at what he is doing. With that said, I have to give him credit for telling Rich McKay we are getting a new GM. We what you here, just in a different position (not drafting). He hires Thomas Dimitroff to run his team. The thing about Dimi that I love is that he comes from a great organization in New England and doesnt give a damn if you like his decisions or not. He doesn't spend a lot of time explaining them, as he says, "moving forward". And his hair is hip and stylish.

Anyway, needless to say I am hopefull for a great future in Falcons football. We have the leaderdship and talent, and maybe most important, the enviornment to be successfull.

GO FALCONS!