I’m pretty sure all of the die-hard Atlanta Falcons fans
stopped reading after the headline. If you were brave enough to venture past
the header though, then it’s probably because you bypassed the article to begin
posting nasty remarks in my comments section lol.
I have to give Falcons fans more credit than that though.
Some people are willing to hear a good argument even if it’s one they don’t
agree with.
So let’s get into it, starting with what the probable
pecking order is going to be in the division this year.
Basically, the New
Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers are the top two teams in the NFC
South.
Both teams play well on both sides of the ball and both of
those teams got better over the offseason.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished with the same miserable record
as the Falcons last season but finished last in the division because they had a
worse conference record.
While Tampa was decent defensively, they struggled mightily
on offense last season. The Buccaneers made a great coaching change though and have
made significant improvements on both sides of the ball this off season.
That leaves the Falcons staring down that last spot in the
division. Atlanta sucked both offensively and defensively last season and hasn’t
seemed to make much improvement on either side of the ball so far.
Sure the Falcons finally tabbed a top notch left tackle to
watch quarterback Matt Ryan’s back but they lose Tony Gonzalez’s production at
tight end and still don’t have a competent third receiver who can take
advantage of all the attention wide-outs Julio Jones and Roddy White receive on
the outside.
Their run game took a significant nose dive last season also
with Stephen Jackson missing a significant portion of the season due to injury.
The lack of a run game was one of the things that exposed the Falcons’ defense
so badly since they had no way to give the defense a rest by eating up clock
with their ground game.
Lack of a consistent run game also made it hard to hold on
to leads during the rare occasions they were able to build one.
On defense, the Falcons couldn't generate a pass rush or
stop the run last season.
Osi Umenyiora was a poor replacement for sack-master John Abraham and
the Falcons’ inability to stop the run was exposed even more so than in years
past.
The Falcons have always had problems stuffing the run and
have been near the bottom of the league in terms of rushing yards allowed throughout
Coach Mike Smith’s tenure but last season was a nightmare year for them
defensively.
GM Thomas Dimitroff has devoted so much money to building
the offense over the years but as the Seattle Seahawks proved once again last
season “defense still wins championship.”
But now that the Falcons are seeking to upgrade their
defense, they no longer have enough money under the salary cap to make
significant improvements. It also doesn’t help that they failed to make a big
splash in the draft either.
Even Falcons fans have to be a little frustrated with their
teams offseason moves so far.
The Falcons missed out on premier pass rushers Jadeveon
Clowney, Khalil Mack and passed on Anthony Barr. These are the types of
decisions that will come back to haunt Atlanta and eventually cost Smith and
Dimitroff their jobs.
Nobody believed me last season though when I predicted that
the Falcons wouldn't make the playoffs (yes I’m tooting my own horn) so I don’t
expect anybody to believe me this time.
Then again, with all of their weaknesses having been exposed
last season there are plenty of other people speculating that the Falcons will
struggle this season also. This means it could potentially be another long
season for the championship-starved Falcons’ fan base.
But hey, you Falcons’ fans can always take your frustrations
out on my comments section though…..
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalistand an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He can be contacted at sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
Missed out on top defenders in 1st round? I suppose it depends on how you look at it. Would it have been better to bypass Jake Matthews to select Barr? It really wouldn't matter how much improved Atlanta's defense could be if Matt Ryan spends more time on the turf than on his feet. I believe that Hageman, along with Solia (spelling?) and Tyson Jackson will greatly improve that run defense, or lack thereof, that you pointed out. It's obvious that you don't think Atlanta acquired anyone in the draft that will help with pass rush. Call me a homer if you like but I think Prince Shembo and, dare I say, 7th rounder Starr, will give Atlanta a lift with pass rush. Many may laugh at the idea a 7th rounder could make a difference. Well, Jared Allen was a former 6th round pick out of Idaho.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't surprise me to see NO or Carolina stumble a bit in 2014. For awhile now, the winner of the NFC South has not repeated the following year. Maybe one or both of NO and Carolina will suffer the crippling injuries Atlanta did in 2013.
Part of the reason Ryan spent so much time on the ground was because they couldn't run effectively after letting Mike Turner, and linemen Dahl and Clabo leave the past few years. Everybody and their grandmother knew Ryan was going to throw it because he had no choice if they wanted to move the chains. Lower round players are drafted lower for a reason, because they need to be developed. Falcons have a horrible track record developing talent which is why I have no confidence in Shembo or Starr helping significantly.
Delete"I choose to be an optimist for there appears to be no use in being anything else."
DeleteThose words may not be exact but are very close to a quotation from Winston Churchill.
If you are so sure Atlanta has greatly improved why are you hoping other teams "stumble a bit" and "suffer crippling injuries?" Maybe the improvements aren't as good as you'd hope. Think about it. Why do you have to wish other teams do bad so yours can do good?
DeleteWhat idiot wrote this column >?
ReplyDeleteAs a long-time Birdz fan (this is my 22nd year as season ticket holder) I will be realistic and say I can't really vehemently disagree with you (although I tend to think the Panties are a one year flash-in-the-pan and will implode this year). Dimitroff HAS screwed up what he at least started to build in his first couple of years - especially last year. Several us knowledgeable fans said last year BEFORE training camp even began that we were in trouble (so I guess we agreed with your early call of our fall-off-the-cliff). Why? Putting WAY too much emphasis on emotional move to keep Gonzalez - while LETTING GO/FORCING OUT key locker room/TEAM stalwarts like Abraham, Clabo (after letting Dahl walk a couple of years earlier when we finally had a great O line!), Grimes, and maybe the most important (yet unheralded) loss: the forcing of Todd McClure's "retirement"! I think (hope!) that Dimitroff's off-season moves (under heavy pressure from King Arthur) are better than you give credit for, with some decent new blood adding to our toughness and strength. One glaring problem you didn't mention? Our SOFT coaching tendencies - to LET people beat us rather than MAKE them beat us. Our tendency toward lucky wins ran out last year. Until Dimitroff and company realize that solid/tenured LINES and DEFENSE win championships over the long haul, I'm afraid we're gonna stay on the Atlanta roller coaster. BTW, I have a gut feeling Brees and the Aints fall this year somewhat. Prediction: Falcons go 9-7 and maybe squeak into the wild card?
ReplyDeleteExactly, somebody who gets it. Dimitroff has built this team from the outside-in instead of the inside-out but you got to win the battle at the line of scrimmage to have success.
Delete"BTW, I have a gut feeling Brees and the Aints fall this year somewhat. Prediction: Falcons go 9-7 and maybe squeak into the wild card?"
DeleteYou mean you hope!!!!
BTW, I have a gut feeling Brees and the Aints fall this year somewhat. Prediction: Falcons go 9-7 and maybe squeak into the wild card?
DeleteYou mean you hope!!!
BTW, I have a gut feeling Brees and the Aints fall this year somewhat. Prediction: Falcons go 9-7 and maybe squeak into the wild card?
DeleteYou mean you hope!!! Spoken like a true Falcons fan!!!
Is this a joke, or a Saints fan with too much time on their hands? The Falcons had significant injuries on both sides of the ball last year with rookies starting more games than any other franchise in the NFL. They lost 7 game by 7 points or less even with all those injuries. They haven't done anything in the off-season to remedy these problems?! Soloai from Miami and Jackson from K.C. both ranked in the top ten in the league against the run last year. They will plug holes to let some of the linebackers have more freedom to get after the quarterback in the new 3-4 defense that Nolan likes to run better anyway. Matthews and Asamoah from K.C. on the o-line will only help with Mike Johnson, who is a solid starter coming back from injury. Ryan was pressured 207 times last season. More than any other q.b. in the league! The o-line reinforcements will help him and Steven Jackson. No significant upgrades were needed on offense except on the o-line - which they addressed. We were near the bottom of the league in kick / punt returns, so they got Hester. If you're gonna cover a team, do some research.
ReplyDeleteFrom Pocketrocket:
DeleteTook the words right of my mouth. This article had to be misplaced from the comedy section or something.
Allow me to further school the uninformed individual that wrote this obviously slanted article.
Delete1-The return of WR JJones, who was lost for the season, & Toilolo, Gonzalez's replacement, will replace his production.
2-WR HDouglas, our #3 WR, did an outstanding job of replacing JJones last yr.
3-As bad as he says our OFF was last yr, even without a rushing OFF, we still managed to score 22.1PPG while the Panther's managed to score 22.7PPG.
4-He mentioned the fact that we lost TE TGonzalez, while ignoring the fact that the Saints lost WR LMoore & RB DSproles & did nothing to improve their OL.
5-He talked about Tampa Bay's improvement & new HC(LSmith), but deliberately omitted the fact that they're still looking for a proven starting caliber QB.
6-Then he puts his foot squarely in his mouth by claiming the Bucs finished last in the NFC South division only because they lost a tie breaker. Even though they finished with an identical 4-12 record as the Falcons, they lost the tie breaker because they had a worse NFC South divisional record.
don"t leave out the freak of nature ra"shede hageman. and getting bryan cox to coach the d-line and mike tice to coach the o-line. they will help bring toughness to the lines. #1 fan!
DeleteI am with you, my man. I think you know football.
DeleteYes Mike R. you are spot on. Matt Ryan was sacked 16 more times in 2013 from 2012. Injuries(Jackson, Jones, White, Spoon)attributed to the tough season. If you look at the numbers - AND THEY DON'T LIE - the defense didn't play that bad last season. There were several close games, we just couldn't score.
DeleteI was watching the doofus twitter rants before the draft hoping the Falcons would move up and take Clowney or Mack. I'm glad Dimitroff stuck to #6 and drafted what we needed...a FRANCHISE tackle who is a massive human being.
Roosevelt Hall...."mentalist"...I don't think that word means what you think it means.
I find it boring when a writer simply looks at the ledger sheet, goes down the page of last years numbers, then makes predictions for the upcoming season. The Saints have lost most of their weapons except Jimmy Graham. Darren Sproles, gone among a few and they brought in Champ Baily, almost 40 years old. Go ahead and put your money on the Saints. I will see you at the bank and give you some tissues while I collect
ReplyDeletehallroosevelt I project that your job with The Sport Mentalist won't last through the summer.
ReplyDeleteThe Sport Mentalist??? Who gave this guy permission to write a blog! He clearly doesn't know his facts, NOT VERY CEREBRAL...
ReplyDeleteThis was certainly a laughable article. He fails to mention that Matt Ryan basically had only one healthy receiver and that was Harry Douglas ,third on depth chart. They were definitely a broken team. I look to see them rebound with a better pass blocking team and healthy recievers(knock on wood)! Too many three and outs doesn't help the defense either and I expect that to change. Glad that they aren't expected to do much this year. Go Falcons, make em eat crow!
ReplyDeletethe falcons have no where to go but up but just making the play-offs would be a plus
ReplyDeleteYou're an idiot. You didn't put any real work or thought in this article. You must have got bored and just wrote some nonsense. Whatever you're real job is. Don't quit it. You suck as a writer.
ReplyDelete