SB Nation - Brian Williams

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:30:29 -0000

2 months ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall tries to pull away from San Diego Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer after a pass reception for nine yards during the third quarter of the NFL football game Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Happy Tuesday friends, and welcome to another (shortened) edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. This is MileHighReport.com, the premier source of Broncos new and analysis in the entire world. I have been feeling like we're still kind of peripheral, in the eyes of the rest of the worldwide media, but we beat the bejesus out of them every day, when it comes to covering the Broncos.

As they say, game recognizes game, and correspondingly, it also recognizes groupthink and suckiness. By your being here, reading this today, and hopefully, every week, you mark yourself as having good sense, and at least a partial desire to be part of what is a collaborative learning and growth experience for us all. I'm a front-page staff guy, obviously, but I learn interesting things from FanPosters all the time. Those people are the lifeblood of the MHR community, and they should be commended for their outstanding contributions.

If you're a lurker, you obviously have the good sense to consume our front page content. I wanted to take a minute to ask you to consider joining as an MHR community member, and participating in the discussion. We always welcome people just like you, and chances are, you know something that will be of value to the rest of us, or you have a question which will spark a discussion, which has value to the rest of us. Either way, we all win.

Okay, Ted's Own Personal Membership Drive is over. My local NPR affiliate, 90.3 WCPN in Cleveland, has been doing a drive lately (seemingly, every time I am in my car), so I decided to do a quick one in Donny Deutschland this week. I don't want your money, just your participation. (For one thing, I think this is a great week for my lurking brother Chris to join.) Do a smart thing, and get down with MHR. As we say in the US Navy, welcome aboard.

OK, on to football, and whatever else pops into my head. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire, y'all. Ready....?

Y'all weren't ready. Okay, get ready, and let's try this again. Ready.... BEGIN!!!

1. I have some early thoughts on the Ravens game, which i consider to be a pretty favorable matchup for the Broncos. First, the Ravens are extremely physical, so it's good to be playing them, healthy and coming off a bye week. The Broncos will have to match their physicality on both sides of the ball, and I have every reason to expect that they will.

Offensively, the Broncos need to attack the Ravens outside the numbers, with Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, and Tony Scheffler. The Ravens are bad at CB, and really their only good DB is Ed Reed, so throwing it where he isn't is a solid plan. They also need to run the ball, and I believe that they'll have good success in doing so. The Ravens went about 3 years without giving up a 100-yard rusher, and then got hit back to back by Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson in their last two games. This is a good defense, but it's not the vintage great defense we're used to.

Defensively, the Broncos absolutely must tackle Ray Rice, who has arguably been the second-best RB in the AFC this season, just behind Benson. Rice is averaging 6 yards per carry (73-441-3) and 9.8 yards per catch (33-325-1). Rice is very short, and very stocky, which makes him hard to tackle. Joe Flacco can make all the throws, but I love the Broncos secondary against Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, and Todd Heap. I'm not worried about any of those guys consistently beating anybody in the Broncos secondary. Rice is the key player.

2. Information From My Eyes:

a. I like the vision and decisiveness with which Ryan Grant ran on Sunday. There have been some rumors that the Packers want to replace him, but he hasn't been the problem with the running game in Green Bay. He could use a good tandem back to work with, and better play from the offensive line, but Grant is definitely a starting-caliber back.

b. The Browns are just unwatchable, so I haven't been talking about them much lately. If I were Eric Mangini, this is the all-inclusive list of guys I'd want to keep on the roster after this season: Joshua Cribbs, Joe Thomas, Shaun Rogers, Eric Steinbach, Alex Mack, Mohamed Massaquoi, David Veikune, Eric Wright, Brandon McDonald, and D'Qwell Jackson. (I like Brady Quinn better than he does, but since he clearly doesn't like him, I excluded him). That's the only 10 players who I think are good players (or potentially good players) on winning football teams. Maybe you keep 10 more for next year, which is still going to be transitional. For the rest of the roster, you take a page from your friend Josh McDaniels, and go out and find some professionals to fill your holes, and try to have a very good draft. It is a talent problem in Cleveland, and all the other stuff is red herrings, until they fix the talent.

c. At a total team level, I am very impressed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and I think that they are a serious threat in the playoffs. I know I have smart readers, and I exchanged emails with a guy in the UK named Jake last week. He thought that the Bengals were a lock against the Bears, and I agreed. The Bengals controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and they hit and frustrated Jay Cutler all day.

d. I don't want to be too inflammatory with any of our Cutler lovers (if any are left), but has anybody noticed that he took his personal tendency for being on the losing end of blowouts with him to Chicago? I am sure the Broncos will eventually lose a game, but I find it impossible to imagine this team losing any game 45-10. It takes a certain kind of team to have the wheels just totally fall off in all phases of the game. I looked at the Bears Sunday and saw a complete lack of gameness and mental toughness. We all remember the games the 2006-2008 Broncos had like that, and I don't mean to attribute it personally to Cutler, or take a cheap shot. You simply can't deny, though, that this bad team-wide trait followed him out of town, and joined him in Chicago.

e. Cutler still seems to have the Favre-ian effect on the media and his fan base, where he manages to completely avoid personal blame, even when he plays very poorly, as he did Sunday. I visited the Bears' SBNation side, Windy City Gridiron, and there was virtually no criticism of Cutler, and you can see that he has again escaped much MSM accountability, too. I know I used to rationalize his bad play, and I think everybody here pretty much did too, at least to some degree. It's really a pretty amazing phenomenon, in a bad way. (By the way, I was proud to see that none of our members were over there trolling. Big up, MHR.)

f. Nobody gets picked in the top 5 of a draft because they look like they can't play in the NFL. Cedric Benson's talent just jumps off the screen. He's so fast for his size, and he has changed everything for Cincinnati. He's the main reason that the Bengals are so good on offense, because defenses are having to play eight in the box against him. That allows their good WRs to run wild, and Carson Palmer to hit his choice of open players. Benson is 10 times the player that Matt Forte is. The magnitude of the difference is akin to comparing Brian Dawkins to (Safety) Roy Williams.

g. The Bears' 7-man fronts were getting blown off the ball consistently. Just wait until Andre Smith gets started playing at RT. He is going to flat-out dominate in the running game, if he can keep his head on straight. He was clearly the best lineman in the 2009 Draft, and only his erratic pre-Draft behavior made him last to the sixth-overall pick.

h. Tank Johnson has been excellent all season for the Bengals, and was particularly terrific Sunday. Frostee Rucker and Robert Geathers had big games too, and the Bengals didn't seem to miss Antwan Odom too terribly (for one game, anyway).

i. Remember that business about top-5 guys going in the top 5 for a reason? ST&NO favorite Alex Smith had that on display Sunday. If he is ever put in a position to succeed, and can stay healthy, he will be the second coming of Rich Gannon. He's had 5 offensive coordinators in 5 years, and had the really bad shoulder injury, which he foolishly tried to play through for awhile. Remember, he is still only 25 years old. He's smart, athletic, and throws a pretty nice ball, and he's a humble, team-first player. I think Smith has an opportunity to get his career back on track, because Shaun Hill has played poorly for most of this season. There is no question that Smith is more talented than Hill.

j. It took him awhile, and some tough love from Mike Singletary to get there, but Vernon Davis is the best two-way TE in the NFL. I'd say the next best guy is probably Jason Witten, but there's a big drop-off between the two. Davis is such a fantastic blocker, and he's improved greatly as a receiver.

k. On the topic of pride and mental toughness, you have to be impressed with the job the Saints did Sunday, in coming back from a 24-3 first-half deficit against Miami. They just kept plugging away, and started executing, and eventually overtook the Dolphins. It was a great team effort, on a day where they didn't have their best stuff.

l. One serious concern I have for the Saints is how susceptible they looked to backside pressure on Drew Brees, with Jermon Bushrod filling in for Jammal Brown at LT (Brown is out for the year). Brees was shaky when he was getting pressured Sunday, like most QBs. You especially want to pressure the "A" gaps against him, because he has a strong predisposition for aggressively stepping straight up into the pocket. The Dolphins were especially successful when they generated interior pressure.

m. The Dolphins are probably going to miss the playoffs this year, and they'll look back with regret on letting the Colts and Saints get off the mat, when they had both teams pretty well beaten. Miami is a good team, which has just whiffed on opportunities to beat other good teams.

n. I don't think there is anything particularly noteworthy about Miles Austin, from a skills perspective. I watched the Dallas/Atlanta game when I got back from Dallas on Monday afternoon, and my first thought was that a good portion of the torching Austin put on the Falcons was from the slot in 3-WR packages, against base defensive personnel. I got all set to rip the Falcons for not subbing to match the offensive personnel grouping, but then I thought about it, and found myself wondering if I wouldn't be sticking to base too, if I were their Defensive Coordinator Brian Van Gorder. The Falcons lost their best CB, Brian Williams, to injury last week, and, remember, he was a Jaguars training camp casualty. Behind him are Chris Houston (who is talented but inconsistent), and Brent Grimes (who is not really talented, but tries hard). Nickel offense is the way to beat the Falcons, because they severely lack the quality players in the secondary to match up with it. I think Sunday was the first step to them having that deficiency cost them a playoff spot this year.

o. Isn't it great to have 4 CBs we can trust, as well as two safeties, in Darcel McBath and Josh Barrett, who are very good in man-to-man coverage?

p. One thing that jumped out in the Dallas-Atlanta game was that the Falcons receivers (including Tony Gonzalez) had a great deal of trouble separating from the man-to-man coverage they were getting from the Cowboys (whose secondary is average, at best). Matt Ryan had a lot of really tight spots to throw to, and largely since he got hit a great deal Sunday, he missed a lot of those throws.

q. So, I promised I'd interject some fraternity-man wedding hijinks, whether anybody wants it or not, so here goes. Have you ever had a snakebite? It's a shot my contemporaries and I favor, and it consists of Yukon Jack and lime juice. It strikes a good balance between being masculine and manageable, and it's kind of that one shot that everybody agrees is doable. Anyway - apparently, Yukon Jack hasn't penetrated the Dallas-Fort Worth market very effectively, because these local bartenders there have never heard of it, or a snakebite. Well, Scott (the groom) came to play, and he made sure that there was Yukon Jack at the reception, and that the caterers knew how to make the shot.

So, at some point, when the music shifted from craptastic country dinner music, and moved on to Run DMC, the 5 Tekes who were there did a snakebite. Good times. Then we did another, and we were joined by the cool girls in the wedding party, and a couple of Scott's cousins. The Tekes put it down like it was water, the rest of them struggled, and made faces while choking it down. Scott looked at me, with this extreme solemnity, and he nodded and said, "This is how we do."

Five eloquent words, and truth was achieved. This is, in fact, how we do. He was absolutely right. There's an easily discernible identity about us, as a group of men, and part of that identity is that we dominate some snakebites. I thought of this, as I watched the Short Cut of the Colts-Rams game. The Colts have an easily discernible identity. They play a lot of Cover-2 on defense, and try to limit their exposure to big plays. On offense, they take the whole play clock, try to shorten the game, and Peyton Manning works to always take what the defense gives him. They want to get a 10-14 point lead, and then send Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis after your QB, once you have to throw the ball. There's no secret or mystery to it, and they don't even particularly game-plan much for specific teams, beyond adjusting some protection schemes, maybe. There is a great deal of comfort to knowing exactly what you're going to do, and exactly who you are.

r. Why in the world would the new Twilight movie be advertised during Monday Night Football? I am sure a few people like (or would like) both Twilight and pro football, but can it possibly be more than 10% of the viewers? Seems like little value for the advertising dollar, there, pinning your hopes to a mostly male audience being interested in the visual depiction of chick lit.

s. So, I have a half-sister, Abby, who is going to be 8 in November. She's a smart kid, but when I was over last week, her mother was telling her that she needed to learn how to think outside the box a little more. Abby didn't know what that meant, so I drew her the classic MBA school exercise that our father shared with me when I was about 13 (and he was in MBA school, and this was a brand new idea). This exercise is actually where the now-tired phrase came from.

The objective is to connect all 9 dots, using 4 or less straight lines. As the term "outside the box" indicates, this is how you complete the objective.

I dislike the term "outside the box," because people who have no idea what it means use it all the time. (It's one of those concepts that would have been better off being compartmentalized to smart people only, like any number of concepts I can think of, actually). Anyway, I am taking a long route to applauding the Eagles for making an "outside the box" huge trade last week, just ahead of the deadline.

Will Witherspoon is not particularly famous, because he has toiled on irrelevant teams for his whole career (first, some mostly bad Carolina teams, and then some awful St. Louis teams). He's very good, though, and he has experience both in the middle, and on the weakside. He's a run-and-hit player, like the kind of guy you'd probably see in a Jim Bates- or Larry Coyer-kind of design. It seems to me that Steve Spagnuolo didn't think that Witherspoon particularly fit his system, which is, of course, basically the same system used in Philadelphia and with the New York Giants. It's a big, blitz-happy 40-front, which is designed around getting A-gap pressure consistently. It's stylistically similar to a Phillips 3-4, and it favors interior front-seven players who are basically 3-4 profile guys.

The Jim Johnson tree has always favored big, downhill thumpers in the middle. Power trumps speed at that position. The quintessential guy is Jeremiah Trotter, who was the size of a DE in his prime, and is now closer to a DT. (Trotter, you'll remember, once struggled mightily when he signed a big contract with Washington, and they tried to make him fit their scheme.) The Eagles brought him back this season, and he was a huge liability in the passing game (to wit, see the Raiders game last week). By bringing in Witherspoon, the Eagles went outside of type, but the impact single-handedly returned them to real-contender status. He had a huge game Monday night, with an interception for a TD, and a strip-sack, and I expect that it's only the beginning.

t. I hope Jon Gruden doesn't get and/or take a coaching job next season. He is fantastic on Monday Night Football, and y'all know I am not too prone to wantonly complimenting much of anything about ESPN. He had a great piece of information on the Redskins, which was really shocking to me, actually. Clinton Portis told him that the last time he heard an audible, he was a Bronco. Gruden's point was that if Jason Campbell could at least change the protection scheme to account for overload blitzes, it could put him in better position not to get crushed, while knowing the crushing is coming.

Umm, you think? That's just scratching the surface of the benefits of audible-ing. The Redskins are a total Mickey Mouse operation, and I am just shocked that they didn't have anything in place, even when Joe Gibbs was there. That strikes me as having to be an organizational policy, and if it is, it's the stupidest thing that I have ever heard of, in 22 years of being a serious football observer. I know high school teams that audible, for God's sake.

u. Jason Peters, who I have been wanting to take a close look at, looked pretty cockamamie to me on Monday night, which agreed with my long-held perception of him. He gave up a sack, and generally looked like a low-effort, I-already-got-paid kind of guy. There were several plays where I saw him watching the play, and not looking to hit anybody. I see and hear all these glowing reports on the guy, but where's the beef? I am starting to understand why Buffalo thought paying Peters was a bad idea.

v. I don't like gambling, but I had to take the bet my friend Paul offered me. I had Philadelphia, straight-up against Washington, with dinner as the stakes, the next time Paul is in Cleveland around Thanksgiving. That was such a lock, it's almost unbelievable that he offered me the bet. And, no, he's actually a Dallas fan, in case you were wondering if he was just a silly Washington homer.

3. I have been something of a Brett Kern apologist, but he wasn't getting it done. I like the message that replacing him sends to the rest of the team. Even a 6-0 team has room for improvement, and everybody needs to handle the job they're hired to do.

4. I was thinking about roles over the weekend, how we all have certain roles to fill in life, and how that's true of football too, which was the context I was thinking in. All good teams are full of role players who understand their roles. As a member of the MHR creative team, I have a role, and so do the rest of the guys. (I don't know if what my role became is what John had in mind when he asked me to join last year, but it is what it is now.) Snark, discussion about offense, courage, media criticism, pop culture, snark, meandering, community building, snark, detailed football analysis, play diagrams, obscure references, lots of (now correctly punctuated) parentheses, righteous indignation, commentary on other teams and games, optimism, prescience in 2009, and snark. That's my role, and that's ST&NO.

I like that the Broncos were constructed and operate with a lot of thought devoted to roles. As a coach, when you sign a veteran like Vonnie Holliday on the eve of the season, and you tell him that he'll be a rotation player, primarily on the field in pass-rush situations, there's a clarity of understanding between you and the player. That clarity is good for business, and it comes through when you see all 53 players knowing their roles, and playing them well.

5. I think MSM NFL reporters are mostly dorks; that's pretty well-established here. (I don't mean the stringers and the local AP guys, per se, I mean the scoop-seeking talking heads.) The most dork-tastic one, in my opinion, is Jay Glazer from Fox, and he's several laps ahead of the field. Here are some recent Glazer tweets:

i'm reporting dallas and d ware have agreed on new 6 yr deal worth up to 13 per yr and nearly 40mil guaranteed. well worth it!

about 9 hours ago from txt

I reported Dan Snyder was urged to give Zorn vote of conf but opted not to. Also didnt wanna speak to press, fearing he wouldn't bite tongue

11:24 AM Oct 25th from web

i'm so tired from spending the whole dang day workin the phones for scoopage i really don't wanna go out. wait, wait... my arm is a twistin

8:28 PM Oct 23rd from txt

Cindy Crawford was here at this party, gotta admit she is one of the my physically beautiful and elegant women I have ever seen! stunning!!!

12:37 AM Oct 23rd from web

dumbest line of our night! Strahan: "There's TWO things i can do: spell, add and subtract." yes, he really said that! my friend is a moron

6:42 PM Oct 19th from txt

Have you ever known a person who is always name-dropping, and was at this party, and saw that celebrity, and is always claiming credit for themselves, because they're so much better than everybody else? That's Jay Glazer. Really, how hard is it to be an MSM NFL reporter? You offer yourself up as a convenient mouthpiece for anybody who wants to use you, and then they use you. You try to make them let you use them once in a while, too.

The Cowboys signed DeMarcus Ware; okay, that's admittedly news. Does it matter if Glazer heard about it 10 minutes before Adam Schefter did? With these guys, it's always about who had information first that everybody was going to have soon anyway. None of these guys is ever finding out anything significant which wasn't meant to come out. The Snyder thing is meaningless. Who cares? Everybody knows he's going to fire Jim Zorn after the season, so how he felt last week, when he didn't make any news, is worthless. It's just something Glazer can claim that he knew, that nobody else did. There's no Woodward or Bernstein covering the NFL, you know?

Since we're all friends here, I just wanted to vent, because Glazer makes me crazy, with his "scoopage," and his name-dropping, and his day-drinking in Beverly Hills. Thanks for listening/reading.

6. From Stuart Scott, trying to sound smart by saying that Donovan McNabb is an H-back when he's lined up outside in the Eagles "Wildcat" look:

H-back means good speed, some heft to him, runs good routes, and can catch the ball.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I don't care for Stuart Scott, and all of his contrived, Berman-esque, shucking and jiving, but I would like him a little better if he'd not talk about things he has no clue about. Just stick to worshipping Michael Jordan, mmmmkay, Stu? And while we're at it, how is Matt Winer the analytical counter-balance to Trent Dilfer, on the ESPN Monday Night 3-man set? Those two with noted other shucker/jiver Scott Van Pelt is a weird trio.

7. Retired for John Elway

8. I had occasion to drive by the new Dallas Cowboys stadium over the weekend, and TV doesn't do justice to how enormous it is. It's a really impressive-looking building from the outside. One thing, though, which I found interesting about my DFW experience, was how few people and cars I saw rocking Cowboys gear. I saw more on Monday morning, which is probably no surprise.

I hope everybody has a good Ravens week. All you get is about 4,200 words this week, because I am out of interesting things to say, and we're on some all-killer, no-filler here, like always. Really, that would be about an 18-20 page term paper in college, so it's still not too shabby. Look for Lighting Up The Scoreboard Saturday afternoon, and follow me on Twitter @TedBartlett905. And join MHR, if you haven't yet. There's no time like now.

The VRR: Falcons (4-1) @ Cowboys (3-2)

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:17:26 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

Keith Brooking will do what he can to help his new team defeat his former team.

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At last, we will get to see the Cowboys play a regular season game in their new stadium during the day. And even though a few starters (Gerald Sensabaugh, Marion Barber, and Leonard Davis) will wear casts on their fractured thumbs, Dallas should field all their weapons on Sunday against Atlanta.

During this morning's press conference, Coach Phillips indicated that Felix Jones will return to his normal role, which "could be quite a bit" - the only difference being that he will wear a brace on his knee during the game. Phillips feels good about the way Jones has practiced this week, saying that he looks "fast" and "moves well".

Phillips does seem concerned with the status of Roy Williams (ribs). He said he can tell the wide receiver has been practicing with pain. Although Williams said he wants to play and feels like he can, Phillips said he is the only guy that "could or could not" play. Today's practice will determine that.

On the other side of the ball, the Atlanta running backs are a bit banged-up.

Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli didn't practice Thursday for the second straight day because of a calf injury and could be sidelined against Dallas. Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner was on the field, but a chest injury limited his participation.

The Falcons expect No. 2 running back Jerious Norwood to miss the Cowboys game with a hip flexor.

More Falcons @ Cowboys after the jump.

With the season-ending loss of CB Brian Williams, the Falcons will turn to former Ram, Tye Hill, amongst others to fill in the secondary.

Coach Mike Smith says the loss of Williams creates an opportunity for Hill, Chevis Jackson and rookie Chris Owens.

"With the loss of Brian we have to have contingency plans," Smith said.

The Falcons’ unofficial depth chart released on Wednesday listed Brent Grimes and Chris Houston as the starting cornerbacks. Jackson is expected to play nickel back, the role he held in his 2008 rookie season. Jackson replaced Williams against the Bears and gave up a touchdown pass on his first play. He said he is confident he’ll be ready for a return to a more prominent role.

The Atlanta defense features many young players, including safety Thomas DeCoud.

"He went through his reading of the route progression and played the ball," said Falcons coach Mike Smith. "It's good to see Thomas, a young player, a third-round draft pick, second year in the league, make plays like that. Good to see these young guys continue to progress and start making plays like that."

Nose tackle Thomas Johnson, linebacker Curtis Lofton and cornerback Brent Grimes are also in their second season. Defensive end Jamaal Anderson and linebacker Stephen Nicholas are in their third year.

All eyes will be on Matt Ryan.

Matt Ryan's 96.5 passer rating is ranked 10th overall in the league. That is including his 19-for-33 completions for 185 yard performance last week. That was Ryan’s worst week since Week 3, when he threw for 199 yards. Ryan bounced back after Week 3 to explode against the 49ers for 329 yards and 110 passer rating. Watch to see if Ryan bounces back from last week and returns to his subtle but stellar play.

Keeping Matt Ryan upright has been the key to the Falcons' offense since their season opener.

"Yes, this is our fourth straight week with no sacks," coach Mike Smith said about Sunday's 21-14 home win over Chicago. "Again, that's attributed to our offensive line, quarterback, tight ends, and protection package that our coaching staff has put in."

The Falcons have been efficient in winning their last two games, allowing an average of 91.5 yards rushing. Star receiver Roddy White has gotten untracked with three touchdowns in that span after he had just one in his first three contests.

Coach Phillips is well aware of Atlanta's offensive tendencies to switch things up with some no-huddle.

[C]oming off the bye week, Phillips has some worry about the timing being off on both sides of the ball. To help them, Phillips had the defense work against the hurry up and they worked in two-minute drills on both sides of the ball.

The Dallas defenders should know what to expect.

Cowboys' linebacker Keith Brooking, who left Atlanta via free agency in the off-season, likened it to Peyton Manning's patient no-huddle in Indianapolis.

"They get up to the ball quick and you've got to be ready because they will snap it with a quick count every now and then," Brooking said. "But for the most part they're looking at the defense, seeing what the defense is giving them and Matt's making checks. He has a few calls that he can go to and then they snap the ball.

"But for the most part you have a chance defensively to kind of collect yourself and get in the right position to make your checks and get ready for the ball to be snapped."

Gerald Sensabaugh vs. Tony Gonzalez will be a key matchup.

"He's real athletic," Sensabaugh said. "He has good hands, runs pretty good routes and uses his body pretty well."

Sensabaugh won't be the only defender concentrating on Gonzalez. Phillips plans to double him as much as possible.

"That's something I've been used to my whole career," Gonzalez said. "Whatever they want to do, hopefully we can adjust and move the ball down the field."

Falcons coach Mike Smith isn't surprised Sensabaugh is trying to return so quickly after surgery. "Gerald is one of the toughest guys I've coached," said Smith, who was Jacksonville's defensive coordinator when the Jaguars drafted Sensabaugh in 2005. "My experience coaching Gerald was, you're going to basically have to cut a limb off to keep him off the field."

It looks like ILB Jason Williams could be inactive for the game.

So the only other new guy figuring to play against the Falcons includes newly-signed return specialist Allen Rossum. So who does he replace? The best guess is rookie linebacker Jason Williams, who was not on the kickoff or punt teams during Wednesday and Thursday at practice. That’s usually the first sign for a guy not expected to play.

Bob Sturm analyzes the Falcons in great detail on his Inside Corner.

Here's the series history between the two teams.

Dallas leads the all-time regular season series with Atlanta, 13-8, including a 38-28 road victory when the teams last met, in Week 15 of the 2006 season. The Falcons won the previous two head-to-head meetings, including a 27-13 triumph when it last visited Dallas in 2003. The Cowboys' most recent home win in the series came in 1999.

In addition to the regular season series, the teams have met twice in the postseason, with the Cowboys winning NFC Divisional Playoff matchups with the Falcons in 1978 and 1980.

The Falcons @ Cowboys is set to kickoff on Sunday at 4:15 EST.

It’s technically not nationally televised, but the game will be called by FOX’s No. 1 crew of Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver.

Observations from Section 326: ATL vs CHI

tlozwarlock — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:25:23 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

I don't know what Biermann (aka Alien, aka Duffman) is doing in this picture, but it looks like a good candidate for a tenso. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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There's nothing quite like gameday in Atlanta. Two hour waits in local eateries, the smell of burning charcoal and slow cooking barbeque, the ever-repeated sounds of horns honking, the shrill shriek of police whistles, the ever-present hollers of "selling tickets?" and "Game shirts, only five dollahs," the sea of red and black and white clad people all migrating to one central location, and the anticipation of something amazing. It just can't be beat.

Though I got home at two am with a long commute to work to come five hours later, as hoarse as a H1N1 sufferer, I enjoyed the company of some upstanding gentlemen. The familiar iRonin and Ignoramous (all the way from the UK) joined me for the pregame festivities in Falcons Landing. Ignoramous was with two fellow Britons, who, though perhaps not as interested in American Football as their plucky cohort, were enthusiastic and excited to an acceptable degree. To curb my insatiable appetite for authentic British marmalade, Ignoramous was kind enough to bring me some snazzy and very posh Harvey Nichols marm jars chocked full of noms. Nothing says goodness like an ingredient list with just four things in it, none of them concocted in a chemistry lab. Cheers! Not to be outdone by British generosity, iRonin brought his heckling A-Game, handily talking down a rude, self-entitled Bears fan and making the entire section, though full of Bears fans poaching season tix, one of the loudest.

That's one of the largest lowlights of this game (there were a few...): Falcons fan attendance. To the right of me: Bears fans. Behind? Bears fans. Below? You guessed it. I realize not everyone can go to a Sunday night game, especially with the work week beginning for most on Monday, but if the nice peanut sharing lady that sits next to me can make it, I'm sure many of the season ticket scalpers can do so as well. I'm smart enough to realize that some are cashing in on the Falcons' success, getting a high ROI for their seats, but people, the 12th man in the Dome Sunday night made Cutler have to take a timeout multiple times. We did it to Miami and Carolina too. Let's try to get some more Falcons jerseys in the Dome, please? On certain downs, the Bears fans were louder than we were and frankly, that's embarrassing.

Brian Williams goes down, but at least he goes down fighting. That end zone pass, if made, could have been troublesome to our W/L record. Grimes is now in Williams' spot according to newly released depth chart. Let's see who out of Hill and Jackson can make the best impression on our esteemed coaching staff this week.
The OL is superb, absolutely amazing. No sacks in four games straight. Let's keep that trend going.
Ryan still continues to over-throw and under-throw his receivers. It seems to come when he's especially rattled or when we have the lead.
Turner is still struggling, but I'll give him this: Chicago keyed on him Sunday night. They were always crowding the box when we came out in the I or Power formation. Thankfully, Mularkey began adding those familiar shifts that hint at pass and bring off some LB pressure. Had he not, Turner's 5yd TD run would not have happened.
Thomas DeCoud's two INTs were clutch. All that time he's spent studying QBs, film, and fundamentals has paid off quickly. Just think, he can only get better from here.
Norwood is showing vulnerability in his advancing age. A hip pointer a week after returning from a concussion. Hopefully, the pointer will be a very light one and he'll be back ASAP. He was looking very good before he went down.
Our "bend, don't break" D is clutch and, to an extent, lucky enough to keep opposing points off the board. Three times, with our backs against the goal posts, we stood firm and forced crucial Chicago mistakes that led to 0 CHI points on those three separate occasions. Clap them and BVG on the back. Still, it'd be nice to have a good three-and-out every once and a while.
How about Eric Weems on the returns? That man wants a spot on this team so bad he's willing to break tackles and gain at least twenty yards every time he's got the ball to prove it. I foresee Weems making an even bigger impact as the season wears on.
This team has habit of finding what it needs when a part falls off. I fully expect someone to step up and into the limelight at Cornerback. Mike Smith and company are a scrappy, make-do bunch and don't for one minute think that this season is now lost because one cog in a very complex and large machine has been lost.

Falcons Place CB Brian Williams On Injured Reserve, Sign S Jamaal Fudge

Dave the Falconer — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:21:46 -0000

Well, it's official.

All we can really do at this point is wish Brian Williams well with his recovery and move on. With the Dallas Cowboys and their potentially potent passing packages on the way, the Falcons are going to need to put their best players on the field Sunday and are making moves toward that end.

First off, re-signing Jamaal Fudge is a good move. Fudge is familiar with the system and is not a total liability against either the pass or the run, so he can fill in at safety in a pinch. If the team wants to do something really creative with Thomas DeCoud, like play him at corner in nickel packages, Fudge can take a few snaps at free safety without killing us. Even if they don't decide to do that, we're not exactly loaded up with safety depth and William "C4" Moore's condition is unknown until at least tomorrow. I'm good with this.

What will be most crucial of all is how Brent Grimes plays and how Chevis Jackson, Tye Hill and Chris Owens step up now that Williams is gone. Grimes was picked on by announcers and pundits over the course of the last couple of weeks, but I've thought he's had a successful season so far and should be able to keep that up going forward. It's what happens after Chris Houston (he's another story entirely) and Grimes that will be closely watched this week.

My best guess is that Chevis Jackson ends up getting the bulk of the snaps to replace Williams, at least initially. If he plays well there, he can stave off Tye Hill and establish himself as the cornerback we have all been hoping he would be. If he doesn't, the team will turn to Hill, and they might get him involved a bit anyways just to see what he can do. It's not an ideal situation on paper, but thankfully life rarely works out in the way of black of white words. Coach Mike Smith has also said Hill will get his fair chance to compete, so I'm really working on a gut feeling here.

Weigh in, if you would.

Report: CB Brian Williams Out For The Season With Injury

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:51:12 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

The secondary will be missing Brian Williams and his big play talent. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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In what qualifies as the worst news of the young season for Falcons fans, Brian Williams has reportedly torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

This is a huge blow to the secondary, because Williams was playing quite well since joining the team before the 2009 season. He was even preventing a touchdown pass when he landed awkwardly and suffered the injury. We'll miss his playmaking ability and veteran savvy in the weeks ahead.

This raises the obvious question of what we're going to do without him. Brent Grimes and Chris Houston have already been getting plenty of snaps, with Grimes playing very well and Houston alternating between doing well and making me want to punch myself in the face. Beyond that, it's Chevis Jackson, who I still like but was out of position on a Bears touchdown pass shortly after Williams left the game, and rookie Chris Owens. Tye Hill has been inactive every week since we traded for him, but I would think that this is going to force the coaching staff to give him a shot at some playing time. Given that the Falcons are a creative bunch, you could also see Thomas DeCoud taking a few snaps at cornerback and having either William "C4" Moore or Antoine Harris fill in a little at free safety. All of these options are on the table, but my guess would be that either Hill or Jackson will get the bulk of his playing time.

The other alternative, of course, is to go out and get somebody. I'm not sure the team wants to part with a high draft pick, but rolling the dice with a guy that can be had for a low round pick is right in Comrade Dimitroff's wheelhouse. There's also free agency, but somehow I don't think there's a lot of impact players languishing in that world. Cornerback Glenn Sharpe could also get a promotion to the active roster, and if this news is confirmed by the team, I'd expect a move no later than mid-week.

Your thoughts on this?

Poll

Will the performance of the secondary suffer without Brian Williams?

Yes, it can't be helped

248 votes

No, everyone else will step up

98 votes

346 votes | Poll has closed

Falcons And Bears Recap: Hanging Tough And Winning Big

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:23 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Appropriate, given that I was only at peace in this game when Thomas DeCoud was picking a pass. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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You may not consider a 21-14 victory "winning big," but then again, you may not have seen last night's game.

The Atlanta Falcons matured before our eyes on Sunday. Up against a defense that succeeded in stymieing our vaunted offense for much of the day, the defense needed to come up with several big stops in order to preserve the win. As usual, this team managed to bend but not break on D, but they took it a step further this time around by capitalizing on the Bears' mistakes and making a few huge plays. If last year's defense was in its embryonic stages, this season's just went through puberty and applied to college in one game. Great stuff.

Obviously we didn't make up any ground on the New Orleans Saints, our exceedingly difficult to crack division rival, but we're sitting at 4-1 with a great chance of reaching that winning season or even grabbing a playoff berth. It was also further proof that this team just knows how to win a football game, even one where half of the team looks a little shaky. You really couldn't ask for a better effort level, and you won't catch me doing it. Some will say this was an ugly win, but I'm still calling it a big one. Bring on the Dallas Cowboys!

At this point, I think I'm just talking in circles. Let's head over the jump and break this down.

HIGHLIGHTS

I think everyone would agree that Thomas DeCoud deserves a mention after getting more picks than an OCD man with a stuffy nose. What makes it especially remarkable, if you watch the tape, is how zeroed in DeCoud is on both of those passes. He's watching the quarterback like a hawk, making an athletic move and holding on to the ball. If he had held on to those two potential picks against the Patriots, the guy would be getting a ton of national attention right now. As it is, those five tackles and two interceptions are a great sign for the future, and he's one of our best coverage guys as a safety right now.
Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez put up nearly identical lines, and both were huge parts of the team's success Sunday. Fighting for yardage and touchdowns, they managed to each grab a score, over 50 yards and four catches. While the offense struggled a little in general, neither of these guys showed any signs of slowing down.
To continue highlighting more than one player under one bullet point—times are tough, dangit!—we'll move toward Jonathan Babineaux and Curtis Lofton. Babineaux forced a fumble, had half a sack and was a huge part of a pass rush which kept Jay Cutler off balance for much of the night. Lofton continued to add to his formidable legend, piling up ten tackles, forcing a fumble and absolutely crushing Matt Forte on a run which otherwise might have gone for a touchdown. These guys are as hard-nosed at they come, and both are criminally underrated outside of Atlanta. That may start to change.
Eric Weems is an explosive returner, in the same way that a bomb sort of blows up. If not for a slight misstep that carried him out of bounds, Weems would have run one back, and his 62-yard return on the Falcons' last successful drive was one of the most critical plays of the game. I'm going to keep calling for his involvement in the offense because I'm intrigued by his potential, but if nothing else he's a great asset on special teams.
Jason Snelling doesn't have any numbers which jump out at you, but he filled in admirably for Ovie Mughelli. Catching passes, grabbing a few carries and throwing a couple of excellent blocks, he showed once more why he's such a good fit for this team. For the sake of the ground game, though, I wouldn't mind Mughelli hurrying back.
Michael Turner saved a lackluster day by punching in the touchdown that gave us the lead. Even when his numbers don't look that great, Turner seems to make a real impact.
He'll get mentioned in both places, but when Matt Ryan was on today, he was on like Donkey Kong. With less time than he's had all season to make his throws, he managed to scramble, roll out and otherwise evade a quality pass rush time and time again. Gotta give him credit for that.
Finally, let's wrap the entire defense up like a delicious cinnamon roll. With countless big stops and a coronary-inducing clamping down at the end of the game, they earned their stripes today. Big ups to everyone on the D.

LOWLIGHTS

Pressure aside, Ryan still needs to work on his finesse and timing a bit, as this game made evident. He overthrew a few receivers and underthrew a couple of others. Obviously having a defender's hand in your face makes that a little tougher, but it's something to improve in the weeks ahead.
Through no fault of his own, Jerious Norwood goes here. He was running really well until he got hurt, and now he could be out for a while once more. Since he's such a valuable part of our offense and yet so chronically hurt, this serves as a lowlight for the game. I hate losing guys to injury.
Ditto for Brian Williams, who has been an important piece of our defense and suffered a nasty-looking leg injury while defending against a strike to the end zone. William Moore, who hasn't managed to crack the lineup yet, also left with an injury. Here's hoping all these guys get better soon.
Michael Jenkins looked out of his element on Sunday, with at least one drop and a tipped pass that went for one of Ryan's two interceptions. I'm sure that's a one week blip more than anything else, but it wasn't fun to watch.

THE WRAPUP

Game MVP: The entire defense, headlined by Thomas DeCoud and Curtis Lofton. You'll have to split the honor several ways, guys. Sorry.

Game Theme Song: I can't stop now, not after we've done so well with it!

One Thing To Take Away: The defense isn't just better than expected. It isn't just good enough. It's actually starting to look just plain good.

Next Week: The Dallas Cowboys, represented by Blogging The Boys. With their high-flying offense and passable defense, it ought to be an interesting game.

Final Word: Whew.

Falcons And 49ers Recap: The Win Is The Thing

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

The Three Amigos had a pretty nice day on Sunday, wouldn't you say? (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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Life, as it turns out, rarely lives up to your expectations. It's even rarer that it exceeds our expectations, however modest they may be, and so those moments should be treasured.

Ladies and gentlemen, you just witnessed one of those moments, albeit an extended one. For the unholy whupping the Atlanta Falcons laid on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, with a line of Falcons bristling with weaponry, will rarely be equaled in our lifetimes. This team took my best guess at the outcome—a close win against a tough defensive team—and blew them out of the water like a depth charge hitting a school of fish. It was awesome.

This, coupled with a quality Baltimore Ravens team losing to the New England Patriots last week, has put that loss is in its proper perspective. The Saints are still about as scary a bogeyman as you could ask for, but we're suddenly 3-1, replete with offensive options and a gelling defense. At this point, it would be an upset if we didn't make a strong playoff push, never mind get rid of that giant monkey off of our collective backs.

There will be moments where anger and perhaps even sadness are called for this season, but I charge you with a simple task: Don't forget this. These moments, where a 35 point victory and a limitless horizon lie on either side of us, are precious few, and it would not do to waste them.

Follow me, my friends, as I head over the jump.

HIGHLIGHTS

You can't possibly go through this without mentioning Roddy White, so why not put him right up top? The wide receiver I fretted over was nowhere to be seen on Sunday. White blew through coverage frequently on his way to 210 yards on 8 catches, a staggering 30 yards per catch, and a pair of touchdowns. He also had a great heads up play when 'Dre Bly picked Matt Ryan, taking down the showboating defensive end and forcing a timely fumble. This was Roddy making up for three games worth of a slow start, and he certainly showed that he's a force to be reckoned with. Before his career is over, we'll have plenty of chances to marvel about seeing the greatest Falcons receiver of our collective lifetimes. At least, I hope so. Oh, and that 210 yards is an all-time record for this franchise, by the by.
Matt Ryan set his own record, tossing 329 yards and generally looking like his usual efficient self out there. The throws aren't perfect, as tloz noted, but time will continue to heal those minor abrasions. In general, he commanded the game, found the open receiver and even ran one in on an ill-advised play where he looked like he was traipsing to market for a loaf of bread. I'm continually amazed at how poised he is.
It helps your poise, of course, when your offensive line protects you like knights protect the Holy Grail. Not that Harvey Dahl would wear armor or be chivalrous, of course. It's just an analogy! Nonetheless, the team continued to provide one of the best pass protection schemes in the entire league, as Ryan has still only been sacked twice in four games. Any quarterback could look good with that time; Ryan looks great.
Speaking of lines, they did a nice job opening holes for Michael Turner. He responded by transforming, Transformers-style, from a struggling running back to a tank with a bulldozer attached to it. He looked strong and bowled his way to his best game in 2009, including three touchdowns. It was great to see him getting quality results again, especially against the Niners' vaunted front seven. Hopefully he'll carry that momentum into next week's game.
Great to see Jerious Norwood return and run well. Concussions are worrying injuries, but he looked returned to form after his layoff. Welcome back!
Man, Kroy Biermann came roaring back, didn't he? Duffman came up with a timely sack, more than one instance of quality pressure and a fumble recovery. Hopefully we'll see him put up those kind of numbers on a consistent basis, because we could really use the kind of pass rush we saw Sunday. Big ups to John Abraham and Thomas Johnson for a pair of sacks, as well.
The play that started it all off, really, and set the tone for the defense was the Mike Peterson tip that Brian Williams snatched. Williams also managed to catch a showboating (there it is again) Josh Morgan from behind to prevent a touchdown. Lot of credit goes to the defense for making all the plays they needed to...almost. I guess it would've been a shutout if they actually did that.

LOWLIGHT

In a game like this, you have to dig really deep to find something worth getting upset about, and I'm not really into that right now. I will say that I thought keeping Matt Ryan in as long as they did—and letting him run in a touchdown!—was playing with fire against a team that was down and probably none too pleased. It worked out okay, but if we're in that situation again, I'd hope they'd let him head to the sideline before things get out of hand.

THE WRAPUP

Game MVP: Lest I get destroyed by angry fans, I'm going to have to go with Roddy White. He clearly deserved it for his performance and effort on Sunday. Congratulations, Roddy!

Game Theme Song: Since it's worked so well so far...

One Thing To Take Away: We're back, baby!

Next Week: We're going against the fearsome Bears of Chicago, ably represented by Windy City Gridiron. Be sure ot stop by and scout out our soon-to-be enemies.

Final Word: Destruction.

Will The Cornerback Depth Chart Change Before The 49ers Game?

Dave the Falconer — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:15:12 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

More timely plays like this Chris Houston interception would go a long way this season. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

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The secondary has been a roller coaster thus far this season. Thankfully for the sake of our collective sanity, there've been more ups than we might have expected from pre-season action, when our cornerbacking corps looked like one of the NFL's weakest, but there's still many chances to improve.

The biggest change the Falcons could make right now would be to insert Tye Hill into the lineup. Chevis Jackson and Chris Owens have gotten middling playing time, but it's apparent that neither of them are beating out Brian Williams, Chris Houston or Brent Grimes in the near future. Unless the guys we have in the lineup make major strides forward—and to be fair, Grimes and Houston have made some nice plays while Williams has been pretty solid all the way around—we only have one immediate option to try to upgrade. That option is named Tye Hill.

I'm speculating here, but I also want to advocate for Hill getting some PT versus the 49ers this weekend. He's had weeks to catch up now, we traded for him with the obvious intent of getting something out of him, and the 49ers are not a dynamic passing offense to begin with. If we're going to throw him into the fire at some point, this would seem to be the best time for it.

It's impossible at this point to determine what Mike Smith and Brian VanGorder think of Hill, since he's only hit the practice field so far and Smith has repeatedly said he wants to assess his value to the Falcons.In my mind, that's best done by not burying him on the depth chart four weeks into the season. He's arguably the most physically gifted corner on the roster besides Grimes, and we could use a few more big play with the pass rush looking about as stagnant as last season. I may not be happy with the end result, but I would be happy to see him take the field on Sunday.

What are your thoughts on Tye Hill and the cornerbacking corps?

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos' Knowshon Moreno, top, leaps over Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Happy Tuesday, friends and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations, where we're always aiming to deliver the best thing since Starks in Clark's Wallabees. It's a feel-good Tuesday, right? Our Broncos are 3-0, but it's a much more legitimate-feeling 3-0 than last season's version. The respect is still slow in coming, but it's coming bit by bit.

The most important thing I've witnessed happening is a growing confidence and self-respect among our fan base. MHR is mostly known as a positive-thinking community, so maybe a lot of us were on the feel-good train earlier than others, but I can feel it really starting to take hold. Contrast that to Cleveland (where most are aware that I reside). The feeling around here is just awful, and we can all be glad not to be feeling that way. It's on to the Cowboys game, but first let's do this thing here. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. I was browsing through my Facebook news feed on Sunday night, and I saw this gem from NYCBroncosFan (Later posted on MHR by John Bena):

"Denver rookie head coach Josh McDaniels doesn't have a grasp on how to build a team." - John Clayton, April 23rd, 2009

Doesn't have a grasp, huh? That's a really, embarrassingly arrogant comment, because if you're commenting on other people's "grasps," it necessarily follows that you fancy yourself an expert, who is far beyond mere grasping of the operative subject. I spent some time excoriating Clayton last week, but since that's like stealing a candy bar from a developmentally challenged baby chinchilla, I have no interest in continuing with that tack this week. At some point, the referee calls the fight, and I'll take a bloody win by TKO. It's his blood, and not mine, after all.

What I want to talk about in this prime ST&NO real estate today is the idea of team building. For one thing, what in the world would John Clayton know about building a football team, any damn way?

OK... sorry about that. I guess I need to work on impulse control. Let me start again. New paragraph.

Deep breath. And another. OK, beginning again, in a more measured tone, I didn't tweet a whole lot on Sunday (@TedBartlett905) because I spent a lot of the game on the phone with my brother Chris, a Los Angeles-based fellow Broncos fan. He's a smart guy (it runs in part of the family), and we were talking about team building. His fanhood of Correll Buckhalter continues to grow, and he said that his impression was that Buckhalter was a winning player, and that he never perceived him that way in his Philadelphia days.

Some discussion ensued, and he said one of his classic, succinct "Chris things" that he bestows upon the world sometimes.

"Building a team isn't about getting the best players, it's about getting the right players." Chris Bartlett, September 27, 2009

Riddle me this, friends. Who is the worst player on the 2009 Broncos? That's a tough question to answer, because whoever it is, he is a pretty good football player. As far as I am concerned, this team has zero bad players on it. Now think back to last year. It was a horror show of bad players on defense, right? There were at least 5 starting by the end of the year, and another starting at RB, after all the injuries. Think how many of these players are out of the NFL now, who didn't even get a sniff of a training camp this year. Nearly all of them.

CBS showed a graphic of the sources of player acquisition for the Broncos' 53-man roster.

2009 Free Agency	17	32.08%
2009 Trade	3	5.66%
2009 Draft	9	16.98%
2009 College Free Agent	1	1.89%
Holdovers	23	43.40%

Total	53	100.00%

That is an astounding amount of turnover, but it represented the importation of the right players, if not necessarily the best players. Instead of Channing Crowder, we got the much cheaper Andra Davis, who has been great for the Broncos through 3 games. Instead of Albert Haynesworth or Chris Canty, we got the very cost-effective Ronald Fields, who has also been outstanding. Derrick Ward? How about Buckhalter instead? Only two somewhat highly-priced players were brought in via Free Agency; Brian Dawkins (5 years, $17 Million) and Andre' Goodman (5 years, $20.4 Million), and both of them have been worth their weight in gold. (To get all finance-nerd on you, Dawkins weighs 210 pounds, which is 3,062.5 Troy Ounces. Gold traded at 990.42 USD per Troy Ounce on Monday night, so I just valued Dawkins at $3,033,161.25, which is pretty close to the average annual value of his contract of $3.4 million. Funny how that worked out.) :)

When you know exactly what you want to do on the football field, and you know exactly how you want to do it, you can go out and decisively get the right players to do those things in those ways. Of course, your ability to project the fit of the new players, and evaluate their talent is key. For my money, every single player whom the new Broncos staff signed, drafted, and traded for has performed EXACTLY as expected, if not better. The only bust was J.J. Arrington, who didn't recover well from an injury and cost $100,000 (and nobody was counting on him too much, anyway). It was $100,000 well spent, because a healthy Arrington would be a contributor on this team, and they weren't expecting him to necessarily be healthy anyway.

There is no glaring weakness on this whole football team. That's a lofty statement, but I think it is a true one. The Broncos can run and throw, from big or small personnel groupings. They can stop the run and the pass, and be effective blitzing both and dropping, in base personnel or sub packages. The special teams have been excellent, through 3 games, even if I am a little reluctant to call that a sure thing yet. How many teams can say all of that? I can't really think of any, beyond the Giants and the Ravens. Maybe the Broncos' strengths aren't as strong as some other teams', but their weaknesses are mostly less weak. You'd better bring your "A" game when you play this team, because they're going to compete with you.

The 2009 Denver Broncos are a good football team, and they can compete with anybody in the NFL. This fact becomes clearer all the time, which is to say that most people still aren't hip to it, yet. They'll get there, though, eventually. Thinking ahead to 2010, anybody the Broncos bring in will be to upgrade a position of some strength. To me, that is a textbook way to build a team. As for John Clayton, I wonder when Josh McDaniels gets his apology, for the mean-spirited, myopic, and idiotic comment of April 23rd. I am betting on never.

2. Information From My Eyes - Denver at Oakland Edition:

a. I was just saying how the Broncos don't have any particular glaring weaknesses. An area where they can (and need to) perform better is in short-yardage running. I thought Russ Hochstein looked pretty bad as the goal-line FB for 3 straight plays; I want to see Spencer Larsen back filling that role if Peyton Hillis is going to be the ball carrier. I actually think that Knowshon Moreno could be the better option, though. He runs with quickness and violence, and I think he can be really effective down at the goal line.

b. Jabar Gaffney was a fantastic acquisition, and he continues to make key plays for the Broncos. He would be the number one guy for the Raiders if he'd signed there, and the Crypt Keeper wasn't setting the depth chart. I am glad he signed in Denver and that he plays a great deal for the Broncos.

c. Renaldo Hill has been such an unsung guy throughout his career, but he's a really good player. He is always in the right position, and plays the game with awareness and intelligence.

d. Does anybody realize the the Broncos' defense is now number 1 in the NFL in both yards and points per game?

e. I'll talk more about Ryan Clady in the Between The Lines segment, but he tied an NFL record Sunday by posting his 19th consecutive game from the start of his NFL career without allowing a full sack. The player he tied is Ryan Young, a forgotten former Jet, who began his career in 1999. It says here that next week, Mr. Clady will dominate DeMarcus Ware, as he did in the 2008 Preseason, and he'll hold the record alone.

f. I'd like to see Eddie Royal get the ball more on offense, and I am sure I am not alone in that camp. It just seems to me that the Broncos were sure they could run the ball at will against Cleveland and Oakland, and decided to follow that plan without a lot of deviation. When you get substantial leads, passing seems more risky than what you want in the second halves of games.

g. I didn't think RIch Gannon was particularly critical of the Raiders Sunday, and I wonder if John Herrerra's ~~clownish~~ typical ploy worked, by chastening Gannon's commentary about his former team. It's pretty ridiculous that the Raiders are so allergic to criticism, and the better way to avoid it is to lose the Commitment To Sucking.

h. I usually get things right, and I still think JaMarcus Russell can salvage his career and be a good QB. I have to say, though, that ever since I said that he looked good in Week 3 of the preseason, he has played terribly. He clearly isn't playing with much confidence right now, and it is incumbent on the Raiders' staff to set him up for success by asking him to do things he is comfortable doing. My understanding is that they're messing with Russell's mechanics a lot in practice, and while he definitely needs refinement, the regular season is no time for overhauls.

i. Could Darrius Heyward-Bey possibly look more clueless on the field? That guy is a project, because he doesn't know how to run routes, and he's inconsistent catching the ball. Louis Murphy is better than him now, and probably always will be. Of course, Murphy didn't have too great a game Sunday, either.

j. Nice job of holding by Brett Kern, as two Lonie Paxton snaps weren't too great. Matt Prater did his job Sunday, which should keep his critics temporarily at bay.

k. Has anybody else noticed that the Broncos' captains aren't wearing the "C" patches? I was under the impression that doing so was a Roger Goodell mandate. Does anybody know more than me about this?

l. I also noticed (last week) that the Broncos' name wasn't painted in the end zones at Mile High, and all there were were the diagonal stripes. I didn't really care for the look, and I wonder what the rationale for it is.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other Games Edition:

a. The Patriots sure have been struggling in goal-to-go situations the last couple weeks. I think if I had Randy Moss, I'd definitely be looking to hit some fade routes on teams down there. Part of the problem is definitely that their line isn't getting the same push as in past seasons

b. Brian Williams was released by the Jaguars, but still looks pretty useful to me. He broke up a deep ball to Randy Moss that would have been a sure TD, and generally looked to me like a solid player. For the Patriots, they were in on the Jaguars Retreads Act too, with Fred Taylor looking very good, and getting over 100 yards and a TD. Taylor is a formerly great player, who has declined to being merely a good one, but he was a classic Patriots bargain acquisition.

c. Ryan Mouton for the Titans may be playing himself out of a job, and he personally cost his team the game against the Jets (with help from Kerry Collns). Mouton hasn't shown much positive in the return game, and has shown trouble holding on to the football.

d. As for Collins, he was in a no-win situation, but he needed to play better. Sunday's game was a classic case of the game getting away from the better all-around team early on, and causing them to play from behind, to their operational detriment. Collins is not built to play like that, and he responded accordingly.

e. I haven't seen a lot of the Redskins this season, so I watched a bit of the Detroit-Washington game Sunday. The Skins are getting atrocious play from their offensive line, and are another team that should have taken Michael Oher. Jim Zorn has faced a lot of criticism for his scoring area play-calling, but the fact is, if the line doesn't block anybody, Clinton Portis can't pound the ball in.

f. The Lions are on the right track, and it's clear how much better coached they are than they have been - maybe ever in my lifetime. Matthew Stafford, Kevin Smith, and Calvin Johnson are an outstanding trio on offense, and Brandon Pettigrew is another nice weapon. The Lions need more talent to be a real contender, but they will steal a few more wins this season, like they did on Sunday, and add to their talent base in the next offseason. They'll grow up with Stafford, and finally be a legitimate team.

g. Tampa Bay is a terrible team right now, especially on defense. Tim Crowder is playing significant snaps for them, which speaks to their relative talent level, when he was the odd man out in Denver. Even a good play, like Sabby Piscitelli's tackle for a loss on Brandon Jacobs to force a FG rather than a TD is wasted, because the Bucs can't put together any kind of consistent performance in the other phases of the game.

h. Percy Harvin is a dangerous, dangerous player. He never returned kickoffs at Florida, because the best kick returner in America, Brandon James, was there, too. Harvin took one back 101 yards in the third quarter Sunday, and looked like he was born to do it. He has now scored in every game this season, and could challenge Mark Sanchez to be Offensive Rookie of the Year, if he keeps it up.

i. The 49ers got their own huge special teams play, when Ray McDonald blocked a FG attempt and Nate Clements took it back 59 yards for a TD as the first half ended. Both of those special teams plays felt like huge momentum shifts, and neither particularly ended up affecting the final score, thanks to Brett Favre's heroics.

j. A young defensive player I like a lot is Thomas DeCoud, a Safety for the Falcons. He was a third-round pick last season, and he showed very well against the Patriots on Sunday, especially in breaking up a well-thrown Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss deep ball.

k. The Cincinnati Bengals look real to me, as real as Carson Palmer can make them. The big surprise to me is how well their offensive line is playing, even without top draft pick Andre Smith. Andrew Whitworth is better than I thought he was, and he's doing pretty well at Left Tackle, even if James Harrison did get him once for a sack on Sunday. When Smith gets healthy, he'll step right in at RT, and they'll be even better, because he can blow guys off the ball.

l. For more Bengals fun, the winning Touchdown was caught by another ST&NO Favorite, Andre Caldwell, who is turning into a nice WR. He was a great player throughout his career at Florida, his brother Reche played in the NFL, and you have to love a WR whose nickname is Bubba. He is part of a really good group, along with Chad Ochocinco, Chris Henry, and Laveranues Coles (yet another ST&NO Favorite), and he makes the Bengals that much harder to defend, especially when you remember to worry about the highly underrated Cedric Benson. If I were the Bengals' offensive coordinator, I'd be going 4 wide with Benson all game long, and making teams try to stop me from running with their sub packages. The Bengals' coaching budget is too light to have that much creativity, though. It costs money, after all.

m. The Steelers defense really misses Troy Polamalu from a scheme perspective, because his presence allows them to do a lot of the exotic blitz packages they normally do. Polamalu is one of the very fastest players in the NFL in pads, and can consistently show blitz, and get to deep center field from there at the snap.

n. I think the Cardinals lost the Sunday Night Game on one play, when Tim Hightower fumbled inside the Colts' 5-yard line in the second quarter. If they scored, they'd have taken a 10-0 lead, and instead, the Colts just took off after that play. I question the mental toughness of the Cardinals team, and especially Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who seems like he doesn't want me to be right in praising him a few weeks ago.

o. Donald Brown is a much better player than Joseph Addai in all phases of the game, and it's absolutely no accident that he's getting the crunch-time snaps for the Colts, even if Addai is nominally the starter.

p. Dwight Freeney's injury could be catastrophic for the Colts, if he has to miss a lot of time. A lot is made of how irreplaceable Bob Sanders has been in years past, but I actually think Melvin Bullitt does a really nice job filling in for him. Freeney is the irreplaceable one for the Colts, make no mistake about that. If they can't rush the passer with 4 men, they're suddenly as vulnerable against the pass as they are against the run.

q. The Ravens are hitting on all cylinders right now, and look like the best team in the NFL, to me. I don't think they miss Rex Ryan too much, as it looks like Greg Mattison has their defense playing just as well as Ryan did. Mattison isn't well known to NFL fans yet, but he's a great coach (I am familiar with him from his college days).

r. Brady Quinn is not the problem for the Browns, and neither would Derek Anderson be, although Quinn is better. I talked about how the Broncos hit on all of their offseason acquisitions - well, the Browns missed on all of theirs, from the looks of things so far. They're talent-poor, and they look like they know they are losers. It's going to be a long season here in the metro area, but at least the locals are used to this. I can't imagine how Eric Mangini and George Kokinis evaluated this to be a competitive group of players.

s. Stick a fork in the Dolphins, even before Chad Pennington was lost for the season. Chad Henne is not the answer, and he'll prove that as the season goes on. Pat White isn't either, as a full-time QB, so I expect Miami to be shopping after this season, with a high first-rounder to spend. After passing on Matt Ryan in 2008, you wonder if they'd do it again.

t. Darren Sproles proved once again that he is a second banana, and not a lead back.

u. The longest run the Broncos have given up this season was 20 yards, to Cedric Benson. If Felix Jones is healthy next Sunday, and the Broncos miss setting the edge at an inopportune time, that could go out the window. The only RB who's more dangerous to the outside is Jones' draft classmate Chris Johnson, and it's not a very big difference. Jones strained his left knee on a 40-yard run in the 3rd quarter Monday night.

v. You know who has developed into a terrific player is Thomas Davis, who was a first-round pick as a Safety for the Panthers in 2005. It took him awhile to learn how to play LB, but he has really turned into a Pro Bowl-caliber guy. He is excellent in coverage, and really hits guys.

w. I only saw the very end of the Seattle-Chicago game, and didn't care enough to record or watch the Short Cut. What I saw though told me what I already knew, which is that Seneca Wallace isn't good enough to be a backup QB in the NFL. When he was forced to throw the ball from the pocket in a compressed-time situation, and beat zone defense with strong throws, he was unable to do it. The Seahawks have to know this by now, and should have addressed it in the offseason.

x. The Texans got screwed on that offensive pass-interference call on Kevin Walter, to be sure, but Chris Brown has to hold onto the ball going into the end zone. The Texans are a team that just can't seem to consistently do the little things to win games, which doesn't reflect very well on MHR favorite Gary Kubiak and his staff. To be honest, doing the big things well and missing the little things is sort of Later Years Shanahan-ish, when you think about it. I hope Kubiak and Company can get it turned around.

4. Between The Lines

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

a. Once again, the Broncos were nearly flawless in pass protection - this time, against the best pair of DEs they've seen this season. Kyle Orton took one significant hit, on an outside stunt by Gerard Warren, after he'd gotten rid of the ball. Ryan Clady owned Richard Seymour, to the point where Seymour was called for a personal foul for pulling Clady's hair. On the right side, Ryan Harris dominated Greg Ellis, as well. Ellis came into the game with 3 sacks but never got a sniff of Orton. The inside of the Broncos' line also held up well, against their somewhat-lesser individual competition. Largely since the Broncos rarely had to throw, the Raiders never generated a significant rush in this game. ESPN.com didn't even give Warren credit for his QB hit, and had the Raiders entirely shut out in their box score.

b. For their part, the Raiders struggled in pass protection, before finally pretty much giving up on throwing the football. I had to look up who #51 was, because he showed up in my notes several times with terrible plays. It's Chris Morris, a natural Center, who was playing Guard. In addition to two holding penalties, he got beaten a few times. Mario Henderson struggled mightily with Elvis Dumervil, who had two sacks and should have had two more (Darrell Reid's hands-to-the-face penalty cost him one, and JaMarcus Russell dragged him past the line of scrimmage on another). Robert Ayers lined up all over and got a lot of pressure. I am really pleased with his growth. Darrell Reid got a sack, and Vonnie Holliday and Marcus Thomas also got good pressure in spots. The Broncos sacked Russell 3 times, and hit him 3 more.

c. The Broncos line also dominated in the running game, again splitting about half and half between zone- and man-blocking concepts. The only black mark was the failure to convert 3 straight runs from the 1-yard line early in the game. Ryan Harris was dominant in the running game, and was key to springing both of Correll Buckhalter's long runs. Clady was his normal self, and his cut block on Nnamdi Asomugha allowed Knowshon Moreno to score his first-ever TD. The Broncos rushed 45 times for 215 yards (4.8 per rush) and the Moreno TD. I did think the Broncos slowed down a bit when Russ Hochstein and Tyler Polumbus played a lot in the second half. I really enjoyed Richard Quinn's blocking, and he showed again that he is just another player who is perfectly fitting his role, as imagined when he was acquired.

d. The Raiders came into the game with a pretty vaunted rushing attack, and it never really got going. They rushed for 95 yards on 21 carries, but it was tremendously disjointed, and 15 of those yards came on one run by Russell. Henderson was a bit better in the running game for Oakland, and Samson Satele showed a bit of surge a few times, too. For the most part, though, the Broncos held the line of scrimmage, and maintained their gap discipline well. Mario Haggan had a really nice game against the run, and forced a Darren McFadden fumble, which Thomas and Reid unfortunately failed to recover, after the three of them had combined to stack up a play. McFadden got a couple of outside creases, but nothing consistent at all.

e. The Broncos dominated both lines in this game, and there was no bigger reason why they won. It was so clear that even the fairly reticent Josh McDaniels claimed the victory in these areas.

Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams

a. I feel like I have been telling this story for two years (possibly because I have been), but the Packers are bad in pass protection. Leonard Little beat Allen Barbre twice for sacks, and Aaron Rodgers avoided 5 other near sacks by running with the ball (he had 8 carries for 38 yards and a TD). If the Rams were any better on the defensive line, Rodgers could have had a more-typically painful day. I didn't see much of anything from Chris Long in the pass-rushing department, even against the underwhelming pass blocking of Daryn Colledge.

b. The Packers disappointed in terms of rushing the passer. Aaron Kampman got a sack and injured Marc Bulger, but the Packers never hit Kyle Boller after that. I was really surprised, because the Rams' OT combination of Alex Barron and Adam Goldberg is decidedly below average. Barron was solid, but Goldberg surrendered the Kampman sack and had a holding penalty, on a play where I initially wrote "great block" (The replay showed it to definitely be a hold). Jason Brown has been a very nice acquisition for the Rams, and anchored the middle. I really didn't see much from Clay Matthews, and I haven't yet.

c. The Packers' rushing stats looked pretty good, with 37 carries for 152 yards and 2 TDs. The truth is, the gains made by Ryan Grant were very hard-fought, and only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. The overall number is dramatically inflated by Rodgers' 38 yards and Donald Driver's 13. Chris Long did show well in the running game, and Clifton Ryan hung pretty tough inside, but the best run stopper was S Craig Dahl, not a lineman.

d. The Rams actually did a very nice job of run blocking, led by Jason Brown and RG Richie Incognito. Barron and Goldberg were OK outside, but the battle was won inside. For the Packers, ST&NO Favorite Cullen Jenkins had a disappointing game, but NT Ryan Pickett showed pretty well. B.J. Raji was active for the first time, and I never noticed him in this game once, and I'm not even sure that he played, since he didn't register on the stat sheet.

e. I'd give a slight edge to the Rams overall, which is mostly probably due to low expectations. I just can't get past the feeling that the Packers are really bad on the O-Line, and it's a shame, because they're very good otherwise. The Rams have to feel pretty good about their performance, and maybe it carries over to games against lesser competition.

5. So, I guess this makes me something of a flip-flopper, but I am going to briefly explain a change in previously stated policy, so we're all on the same page, and nobody wonders. I have previously declared that I would henceforth refer to several underwhelming football writers by unflattering nicknames. I have decided to change course on that policy, and call them by their names.

I like to think that this column is pretty good, and I don't want to detract from that. There's no need to feed the God of Obviousness by calling people names, and I can get cheap laughs by other methods. I will still feel free to criticize stupid things that people write, but I will call their writers by their chosen names.

6. Back to football, I decided to name glaring weaknesses by team, to illustrate my point in item 1. I am limiting this to whole phases of the game, and mostly not subsets of a phase of the game.

Dallas Cowboys - Pass coverage, Pass rush (other than DeMarcus Ware)

New York Giants - None, but pass protection is sometimes close to being one.

Philadelphia Eagles - Running the ball inside

Washington Redskins - The offensive line in both the running and passing games

Green Bay Packers - Pass protection (a major weakness)

Detroit Lions- Pass protection, run defense, pass defense

Minnesota Vikings- Pass protection, Pass coverage

Chicago Bears - The offensive line in both the running and passing games, and pass coverage from safeties

San Francisco 49ers - Pass offense, Pass rush

Seattle Seahawks - Run offense, Pass protection

Arizona Cardinals - Pass protection (a major weakness, like Green Bay)

St. Louis Rams - Everything, except for punting and place-kicking; this is the least talented team in the NFL

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Pass rush, Run defense, Pass offense

Carolina Panthers - Run defense

Atlanta Falcons - Pass defense and Interior run defense

New Orleans Saints - Pass defense (it's somewhat improved, but I don't trust it after Kevin Kolb lit them up)

New England Patriots - Pass protection, Pass rush

New York Jets - Pass protection (though it is improving)

Miami Dolphins - Passing offense

Buffalo Bills - Pass defense

Pittsburgh Steelers- Pass protection, Run offense

Baltimore Ravens - None

Cleveland Browns - Everything except special teams

Cincinnati Bengals - Pass protection (but they're improving lately)

Oakland Raiders - Pass offense, Run defense

Kansas City Chiefs - Run defense, Pass rush, Pass offense

San Diego Chargers - Run defense, Pass rush

Jacksonville Jaguars - Pass offense, Pass defense

Houston Texans - Pass protection, Run defense

Indianapolis Colts - Run defense

Tennessee Titans - Pass offense, Pass coverage

7. Retired for John Elway

8. I saw where ESPN Dallas was launched this week, joining Chicago and Boston as cities where the Worldwide Leader has spread. I wonder when/if Denver gets its own site. If it happens, their writers better consistently bring their "A" games to compete with MHR.

9. Big up Matt Bowen of the National Football Post for being the first widely-distributed national NFL writer to admit he didn't see the Broncos coming, and that they're for real.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Time-to-hop-on-the-Broncos-bandwagon.html

Can the Broncos keep it going?

Sure they can. I fully understand that the early season schedule has been favorable for the Broncos, but looking ahead, they still have two games against Kansas City, one more at home versus the Raiders (three games they should win) and two big games against Philip Rivers and the Chargers.

Anybody who can divorce themselves from their preconceived notions can see that the Broncos are doing all of the little things that win games. That's the crux of Bowen's realization, and I salute him for being the first to have the combination of acumen and guts to see it and say it.

10. An early thought on next week's Cowboys game. Dallas has a massive offensive line, and they tend to wear teams down by the time the second half rolls around. That's what happened with the Panthers Monday night. I think the Broncos will be tougher to wear down, because they use such an interchangeable rotation of defensive linemen, and there's no particular drop-off in quality when the subs come in. Every player in the rotation is contributing, and I think it bodes really well for success in Week 4.

That's all for this week, friends. Check us out Saturday morning for Lighting Up

Falcons And Patriots Recap: When Good Games Go Bad

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

Sadly, Falcons fans didn't see nearly enough of this on Sunday. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Browse more photos »

On paper, this was about as exciting a matchup as you can draw up. A young team fresh off a miracle season, starting out 2-0 and with a potent offense matching up against the struggling dinosaur of a squad that has been the NFL's most successful over the last decade. The drama was there, the talent was there, and we seemed destined for a shootout.

Unfortunately, we spent a lot more time watching the Falcons and Patriots shooting themselves in the foot than charging down the field with guns blazing. This loss exemplified everything the Falcons do not do well as a football team, and it introduced some uncomfortable subplots which we could be talking about in the weeks ahead.

Part of me understands that this was a game nobody expected us to win regardless, but that in and of itself doesn't make the loss any easier to swallow. As we go into a much needed bye week, there's still plenty of reasons to feel optimism about the season, and none of us should believe the worst based on one week. Let's balance reality with our hopes and dreams.

Follow the trail of wreckage after the jump.

HIGHLIGHTS

Despite the invisibility cloak thrown over Tony Gonzalez and a pretty decent pass rush, Matt Ryan looked about as composed as ever. There were a couple of times where he simply couldn't find an open man and elected to hit the sidelines, a cautious move but one that was probably warranted. His numbers don't jump off the page at you, but he played a solid game of football. On Sunday, that was enough to make you take notice.
Michael Jenkins did some very good things. He was sure-handed and his penalty, which I'll acknowledge was a killer, was not egregious. He just wanted the damn football, and he was going to make sure he got it. On afternoon where not much went right offensively, it was comforting to see Jenkins making things happen as our third option in the passing game.
The defense lacked big plays, so our nod today goes to the guy who seemed to be in on every stop: Curtis Lofton. You'll be hard pressed to find a guy who pursues as well he does. Of course, if the entire front seven had done their job properly, he wouldn't have had to do that. So that's a bit of a mixed bag, I guess.
Credit goes to the secondary. Brady overthrew a few receivers and there were drops, but Brian Williams leapt in front of a sure touchdown and Thomas DeCoud prevented a couple of long plays (and almost picked two passes) with a mix of athleticism and good instincts. He's living up to his billing as a pass-defending safety.
Finally, let's give props to Eric Weems. He looked explosive and tough to bring down on returns, and if he's got any sort of hands at all he really should be mixed into the passing game. I was very impressed with what I saw from him on Sunday.

LOWLIGHTS

The offensive playcalling has to go first. We were maddeningly conservative today when we really should have been attacking a Patriots defense that had a couple of holes. They played us pretty well all day, but I reached my absolute boiling point when we were down by double digits and the Falcons were punting the ball away on fourth and short yardage. The absolute worst thing this team can do is go timid and give the impression that they're giving up. I'm not accusing them of doing that, but it's hard for fans, the media and the other team not to think so when you're not expressing enough faith in your high octane offense to try to convert a fourth down in a game you're probably going to lose anyways. Playing an aggressive game of football to save some dignity or go for the miracle win is never a bad idea. That was unquestionably my biggest disappointment of the day.
It wasn't Michael Turner's fault that on that fateful jarring hit, a helmet popped the ball right out of his arms. You have to get props to the defender on that one. It is getting more than a little worrying that Turner can't seem to go off on opposing defense and help us control the clock, and it's time for a serious appraisal of whether it's the burly running back or the even burlier dudes blocking for him that are causing the problem. If the run is stopped, it's pretty clear that Ryan & Co. can step up in a big way a lot of the time. If the passing game is completely shut down, however, it's not clear the ground game can rescue us at this point. That's enough to worry the calmest Falcon fan.
I dearly love Roddy White. He has been an enormous bright spot for the Falcons over the last two season, and no one can deny his talent. You ever notice how people say nice things to soften the blow of a really cruel thing? Well, I'm doing that right now. Because Roddy White had two terrible drops and has not been the 1A or 1B option in the passing game we all expected him to be. I don't understand exactly what's going on here, but hopefully it's nothing a bye week can't fix.
The normally infalliable Michael Koenen had a terrible punt. While this is likely an exception to the steadfast rule, it's a noteworthy addition to the litany of evil spirits that possessed our players yesterday. Ye gods!
We've got to get a better performance out of the front seven. It would be simplifying things to the nth degree to suggest that the loss of Peria Jerry is killing our rush defense, but the numbers don't lie: The Patriots put up over 150 yards on the ground with a running back corps comprising guys who are either considered to be role players or guys past their prime. There's talent there, yes, but 150 yards worth of talent? Not against a good defense. Again, the bye week should give us the time we need to determine whether this is a personnel question or a question of putting players in the position to make plays, because there were times where the entire defense might as well have been in my living room watching the game with me.
Did I mention I hate the fact that we were punting that late in the game? Because I really, really hated it.

THE WRAPUP

Game MVP: I'm tempted to revoke the Game MVP entirely, but we'll let Matt Ryan, Michael Jenkins and Thomas DeCoud split it three ways and take it home for the week. Can't do much else with it.

Game Theme Song: The mournful sighs of Falcons fans set to something that implies an upcoming ass kicking against the San Fransisco 49ers. Something like the Contra theme.

One Thing To Take Away: The defense is not a finished product and the Falcons are not perfect. Forgive me for my blasphemy.

Next Week: The bye week. We'll still have some great content for you and the usual litany of bizarre ramblings, so make sure you stick around.

Final Word: Oof.