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.

GREAT PERFORMANCE!!!

All around excellent job by the staff and players. They showed up ready to play took it to the Oakland Raiders!! From the passing of Matt Ryan early to the dominant run game with Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood, the offense looked very polished in the first half. I thought they got a little complacent in the second half, but not to the point that the defense was ever on the field for too long. The offense controlled the clock and kept the defense fresh all game. I believe they held the ball for over three quarters of the game!!
Speaking of defense...I do not care who you are playing but holding a team to 3 yards for over two and half quarters is awesome!!! John Abraham is a MAN among boys. He absolutely dominated the line of the Raiders! Six tackles and three sacks, as well as a creating an absolute nightmare for the raiders offensive line, he just took over the game. Jamarcus Russell looked scared to death back there and the needless to say the hapless receivers the Raiders have were no help at all!!
Now it is time to get ready for the biggest game of the year. We desperately need a win in our division. Here come those hated New Orleans Saints, coming off a bye week and a big win last week overseas. Let's get back home and keep the Dome Field Advantage for the next three weeks, beginning with da Saints next week!

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!!!)

Time to earn some RESPECT!!!

Falcons vs. Eagles

Sometimes a bye week comes to get a team rested, other times it comes to help a struggling get team get refocused, and sometimes it comes to rescue a banged up team. However, the Falcons bye week, which in my opinion came at a perfect time, did not help the team with any of the above reasons. The Falcons needed the bye week to listen to and learn from the veterans about how not to get too big for your own britches. Yes, the victory over the Bears was one of the greatest games I have ever seen in the dome, or anywhere else for that matter, but it was just one win in what is hopefully the continuation of something special. Many of the naysayers are saying they are lucky, have not beaten anyone (although the Bears and Packers both having winning records and are coming off of win over Indy and Minnesota), and cannot continue their winning ways. I say now is the time to gain some respect!!
Sure we are an 8 1/2 point underdog and heading into one of the toughest environments in all of football, but now is as good a time as any to take a well rested squad into Philly and show everyone they are for real. It will be tough, very tough, but achievable.
Here is the breakdown:

The Eagles have the number 1 pass offense in all of football and the third ranked overall offense to boot, not to mention the number 3 defense in the NFL as well. Donovan McNabb has been as solid as ever completing 64% of his passes and Correll Buckhalter has filled in for Brian Westbrook and kept the Eagles running game solid (and Westbrook should be back). However, I for one question the Eagles strength of schedule. Yes, they beat a very good Pittsburgh team, but their other two wins are against the hapless 49ers and the Rams, who before firing their coach and replacing him with Jim Haslett, could have been beat by several NCAA teams.

Here are the four main things the Falcons must do to win this game:

1. Turn the Philly crowd on their home team!! The Philly fans are about as loyal to their team as Bill was to Hillary. With the Phillies in the World Series, the Philly fans will turn on this 3-3 team in a heartbeat. We need to get a score or two early and let the boo birds begin.

2. Keep DeSean Jackson at bay!!! He is electrifying and has the ability to change a game at a moments notice. If we kick to him, please, please, please do not let him have a chance to return the ball. We did a fantastic job of keeping the ball out of Devin Hester's hands and now we have to do the same thing again this week! He has also been able to light up secondaries...Grimes and Houston will have their hands full this week!

3. Do not put Matt Ryan in long third down situations. He is coming into his own, but we all remember Tampa and Carolina. Ryan does not need the game on his shoulders on the road. Sure he looked unreal against Chicago, but that was at home and in good weather. The weather Sunday is supposed to be awful, so falling behind or getting in third and long is only going to make it more difficult because going deep down the field is going to be hard enough.

4. Run our two headed monster and do not give up on it all day. Clinton Portis ran all over the Philly defense and there is no reason to think that the same cannot be said for Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood. Commit to the run!

I think we have a great chance this week because no one, and I mean no one, expects us to win. It is time to earn some respect and this week continues the run to what is hopefully a playoff spot for this 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!