SB Nation User Blog: Dave the Falconer

He had two really big interceptions. Brent’s (Grimes) play throughout the season has been fairly s...

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:02:56 -0000

He had two really big interceptions. Brent’s (Grimes) play throughout the season has been fairly steady and it was nice to see him get the opportunity to make some game-changing plays and I thought both of those plays he made were game-changing. There was the one in the first quarter and then the one to seal the game at the end.

Mike Smith comments on the play of CB Brent Grimes

Falcons And Jets Recap: On The Way To 9-7

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:29:15 -0000

by Kathy Willens - AP

Ah, victory. How I missed you. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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I've been accused of being a bit too verbose in these kinds of posts, so let me break this down in the easiest way possible.

Winning is fun.

Yes, it was fun to be an Atlanta Falcons fan again yesterday, fun for the first time in nearly a month. It's not that there weren't exciting moments and little triumphs, but ultimately what you plunk down your soul for when you select a sports franchise is winning. There's a lot of extra baggage that comes with that, but nothing feels quite so sweet as the win. So even though it was a game the Falcons repeatedly tried to give away with an inept offensive display for three quarters, it was a win. Praise the football gods!

The defensively-minded Buffalo Bills and the unpredictable Tampa Bay Bucs are now all that lie between us and that winning season we've all been hoping for, and I think we can do it. My sunny disposition has been restored and I now believe many things, including the fact that we will defy mathematics to make the playoffs. Eliminated, you say? That's just another word for quitting.

But I've gotten long-winded again. Please, by all means, check out the meat of the recap after the jump.

HIGHLIGHTS

Matt Ryan was far from great on Sunday, but he came back still hurting against the league's best defense and tossed a touchdown pass when it mattered. He will have to get better in a hurry if we're going to finish the season on a high note, but at least this was a step in the right direction.
Considering the absurdly bad runs being called for him, I thought Jason Snelling was once again solid. The Jets were putting up a brick wall and Mike Mularkey was asking him to run right into it, so considering that his 3.5ish run per carry average isn't half bad. It would be really nice to have Michael Turner back on the field for more than one play, though.
On a day when the passing game was basically shut down, Tony Gonzalez still got his touchdown and sealed the victory for the Falcons. He can't got unmentioned, because it takes two for the touchdown tango, so to speak. Roddy White's four catches for 33 yards actually isn't completely horrible when you consider that Darrelle Revis was matched up against him. That's no easy task.
The much-maligned offensive line quietly kept Matt Ryan on his feet for the entire game. The Jets have a decent pass rush and Ryan wasn't operating at full strength, so this is an impressive sign for them. It's kind of an indictment of the offense that there wasn't any sacks and nothing happened for most of the game, but hey. We still won, right?
Brent Grimes was just plain awesome Sunday. Both of his picks came at critical times and showed off his athleticism. There's legitimate ability there, regardless of any size concerns, and my hunch is that Grimes will be either in the starting lineup or in a nickel role going into 2010.
Thomas DeCoud gets honorable mention for his ball-hawking ways. There's growth to be done here—he still isn't the most able tackler—but safeties who can grab a few interceptions are welcome in the Falcons' backfield any time.
John Abraham and Thomas Johnson both got sacks, and both probably needed them after muddling through recent weeks without sniffing one. Well done, boyos. Hell, kudos to the entire defense today.
Michael Koenen continues to punt his way into our hearts, averaging 39.9 yards on eight punts and one swoon per booming kick.

LOWLIGHTS

I'm going to beat this drum until someone else beats Mike Mularkey over the head with this simple fact: Our offensive playcalling is not putting us in a position to win. Going against the league's best defense, you have to do something more creative than repeatedly running up the gut and depending on your receivers to break free of coverage. Mularkey has that reputation as a creative dude, but it's more for the occasional gadget play that works insanely well than sustained cleverness. It may just be the way the entire team is going, but he's gotta be sweating a little with the way this supposedly elite offense has been performing, injuries or no.
Speaking of injuries, why even trot Michael Turner out there? To confuse the Jets? Considering he only had one carry—at least it was seven yards—I can't imagine that actually worked all that well. Rex Ryan isn't manning the helm of one of the league's best defenses because he gets flustered by a guy making a guest appearance. Let the dude heal or declare him ready and give him a decent workload.
Admittedly it was a 48 yard field goal, but seeing Matt Bryant miss a field goal gave me unfortunate flashbacks.

THE WRAPUP

Game MVP: It's gotta be Grimes. You don't grab two interceptions and alter the course of a 10-7 game and get anything less than an MVP. Congratulations, Grimey!

Game Theme Song: Please don't listen to all seven minutes of this.

One Thing To Take Away: It's not the playoffs, but sweet redemption is still at hand.

Next Week: The Buffalo Bills can be found at Buffalo Rumblings . Despite the name, it's actually an excellent Bills blog and not something that happens when you have way too many wings.

Final Word: Win.

Michael Turner Re-Aggraves Ankle Injury Against Jets

Dave the Falconer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:00:01 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

Apparently, this sort of thing isn't a magic spell. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, Fileq)

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In tomorrow's post, you'll see a note about Michael Turner that doesn't mention his injury, and that's because I'm doing it here. This is going to be a short post because I'm inarticulate with rage.

There's a question raised in the AJC about whether the Jets deliberately went after Turner's ankle. If that's the case, it's a pretty crappy thing to do, but it also raises a question of just what the hell he was doing back out there on an ankle that only took one play to re-aggravate. He's not likely to play again this season, and one could argue very fairly that he should not have come back the last two times he's tried to. As a matter of fact, I'm going to argue that right now.

It's borderline insane to trot arguably your best player out on a leg that is clearly not healed. It's even crazier when he's a running back and needs his ankle to make cuts. It's even more nuts when you consider that they had already gone through this once with Turner. Unless he's holding a shotgun to Mike Smith's head, there is absolutely no reason to keep trying to force him onto the field, no matter how badly he wants it. I honestly hope they shut him down and let him get truly healthy for 2010, instead of turning this into a chronic issue.

Your thoughts?

Post-Game Thread: Defense Holds, Falcons Edge Jets 10-7

Dave the Falconer — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:41:38 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

YOU CALL THIS OFFENSE?! (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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The Falcons have elevated winning ugly to an art form.

It doesn't get much uglier than a game where your highly touted offense is outdone throughout by your supposedly lackluster defense, who deserve better than 75% of the credit for this game. Holding the Jets to 7 points is an impressive accomplishment, and pulling out the win despite their excellent defense is nothing to sneeze at. Now the Falcons are at 7-7 and have only the lowly Bucs and Bills left on their schedule, so that winning season is still a very tantalizing possibility.

Please consider this your open thread to talk about the game and anything else you'd like to as the holidays approach. A few notes from my end:

Brent Grimes gets a lot of up-and-down reviews, but that man knows how to pick a pass. Two today against Mark Sanchez. With Josh Freeman and Ryan Fitzpatrick up next, he could add to his season total of four pretty easily.
John Abraham returned to the magical land of sacking the quarterback. What a delight.
The team made a big show of Michael Turner being active, and then he only got one carry. Matt Ryan at least played the entire game, even if it wasn't his finest hour.That strike to Gonzo saved our butts, though.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets Open Thread

Dave the Falconer — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:33:02 -0000

by John Bazemore - AP

I, for one, hope Roddy White and the Falcons win out. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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Our dreaming is done.

With the Dallas Cowboys' defeat of the Saints Saturday night, the Falcons are out of the playoff hunt. Somehow, even the slightest mathematical chance makes you believe in miracles, whether it be the odds of survival or the chances of winning the lottery. Being able to close the book on the playoff hopes of this particular ailing squad stings, but it also leaves us with a clear idea of what's at stake with three games remaining. Like many of you, I've spent the last couple of weeks grappling with what the 2009 season has become. Now it's time to apply.

I want that 9-7 record. I know it screws up our draft position, but Falcons fans need this. I need to know that the team we all sink an unhealthy amount of time into each season is capable of rising above its reputation as a laughingstock of the NFL, a team that can never sustain success. I want this King Kong-sized monkey off of our collective backs as soon as possible, and we've got to go through three teams to do it.

So I'm going to hope and pray fervently that we win against the Jets. As a fan, I don't really know how to root for my team to lose, so I'm going to root for them to win. Maybe the odds of them winning out aren't so great, but it's all I have left now. Time to get a move on.

What? Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets, 1 p.m. EST

Where? THE Meadowlands, Somewhere, New Jersey

Weather? There be snow in the forecast. Hopefully our guys play even better (or much better) when the white stuff is flying.

Injuries? We kind of flailed away at this in Saturday's post, but once again Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, John Abraham, and J.J. Birden are all questionable and likely gametime decisions. Chris Houston is doubtful, and so it looks like the Brent Grimes and Chris Owens show will be making its triumphant return this week.

The Jets are getting Mark Sanchez back and are reasonably healthy.

Odds? I don't really have the heart to support your gambling habit today.

Foe? You know how it goes over at Gang Green Nation. Stop by, say hello and politely root against the Jets.

GO FALCONS! Let's ground these Jets!

Saturday News And Notes: Tackling The New York Jets

Dave the Falconer — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:32:29 -0000

If you're one of those people who believe we still have a shot at the playoffs—somewhere between 0.5 and 3.5% chance, last I checked—then this is it. Any losses for the rest of the season effectively doom the Falcons. All of us, I hope, can cheer a little louder this weekend knowing that our hopes hang in the balance. Plus there's that winning season business....

The Jets aren't going to be easy, though. They have perhaps the league's best defense and an offense that can be best described as not totally inept. With that in mind, the Falcons are going to have their work cut out for them, particularly if Matt Ryan and Michael Turner can't return. They're still very....well, I'll get to that in the links.

Speaking of links, care to join me for a few?

Mark Sanchez—aka "Sanchize"—will be starting for the Jets this weekend. He's not exactly a top-flight quarterback at this point in his career, so let's hope Brent Grimes and Thomas DeCoud can take advantage of a couple of his wobblier passes.
The reason I don't mention Chris Houston is because he's once again doubtful. Both Ryan and Turner are questionable, which under the Mike Smith injury classification system either means they're both totally recovered or lying face-down in a pool of Gatorade being attacked by piranhas. Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm inclined to believe neither will play Sunday.
O ne interesting point here is that this is almost guaranteed to be a cold-weather game, and it could be snowing like crazy in New York Sunday, too. We'll see how the typically dome-bound Falcons do against a team that's pretty comfortable with frigid temps.
I was really hoping to find that the Jets had a crappy offensive line, but alas. Disappointed again.

Believe this article and you'll find the Jets have one of the best rushing offenses in the league. Good thing our front seven is exponentially more healthy than the rest of our defense, or I'd really be worried. Never mind. I am anyways.
Geez, we get it!

The Results Of The Fan Choice Hall Of Fame Poll

Dave the Falconer — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:17:32 -0000

What follows is a sponsored post from JC Penney and Van Heusen. Vote at www.fanschoice.com.

Many moons ago now, I encouraged you all to vote for Atlanta Falcons in the Van Heusen Pro Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Fan's Choice sponsored by JCPenney, which didn't have any direct effect on the Hall of Fame voting but was an interesting way to get fans involved and to arms. Looking over the list of 25 finalists, I can't help but be struck by the fact that you all failed miserably.

Just kidding, of course.

Still, it's interesting for me to take a gander at this list and see how closely it matches up with the NFL's own list of 25 finalists. It's especially interesting to note that the two people on the top of the list are both Raiders, in the form of legendary punter Ray Guy and wide receiver Tim Brown, who is somehow situated against noted Falcon nemesis Jerry Rice. Those are the things that jump out immediately, besides the fact that not a single Falcon made this list despite Mike Kenn being one of the most clearly qualified candidates. Oh well.

When the final vote from the NFL side comes in, it'll be interesting to see how it stacks up against the fan vote. So frequently I feel questionable choices are given a pass into what is supposed to be the most sacred and lasting monument to NFL success, but I don't necessarily feel that the fans have gone leaps and bounds above that. Maybe we'd be best off entrusting the voting to robots. Certainly works for college football...

Weigh in on the choices here, if you're so inclined.

A Look At The Falcons Red Zone Performance: Week 14

Dave the Falconer — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:51:45 -0000

This post is sponsored by Comcast and their NFL RedZone channel. If you're looking to check out red zone action as it happens, then you need Comcast's NFL RedZone. Because Comcast loves you, even if your family doesn't.

So...about the Saints.

As you might've guessed by now, the Falcons generally capitalized on their red zone chances against the mighty Nawlins Aints, like they always do. The team only got inside the 20 a grand total of three times, and they twice settled for field goals and got a touchdown after Jason Snelling was able to punch it in. You'd prefer we weren't booting field goals at that point, but it could've been worse.

As usual, the Falcons' issues run much deeper than that. It's about scoring from anywhere on the field or at least getting within striking distance more than three times, and that's something the team just can't seem to figure out how to do. It's frustrating, but ultimately not something we can really change this year.

I'll pose this question to all of you: Do you think having Harry Douglas available next season will help to open things up, whether it be from the 50 or the 20? I have to think having that third quality option (Jenkins only counts 1/3rd of the time) would be a big boost.

Falcons WR Eric Weems Arrested For DUI In November

Dave the Falconer — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:34:10 -0000

More photos » AP

Oh, hang it all. (AP Photo/DeKalb County)

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Hat tip to acie4mvp, who put up a FanShot on this very topic a little bit earlier tonight. Kudos to everyone who keeps us informed of breaking news as it happens.

That said, I found out about five minutes before I got on the site via a co-worker. With editing for language, here's more or less our exact exchange:

Him: Did you see that Eric Weems got arrested?

Me: Wait, who?

Him: Eric Weems.

Me: Are you bleeping kidding me? What the bleep. Bleep! Bleep! Bleep.

I haven't cooled down in the slightest bit in the short time since then, so you're going to get me at my angriest here. We're going to forge ahead realizing that this is an allegation, and that the Falcons just found out about it after it happened back in November. I am cognizant of that.

But seriously, what the hell?

What is going on with this team? A staggering spate of injuries, a handful of which were season-ending. Play and play-calling that seems to get worse by the week. And now, notification of two arrests of two of our more valuable players this season, in the form of top defensive tackle Jon Babineaux and now special teams asset Eric Weems. I don't buy the notion of a curse for one second, but if we hadn't just slogged and suffered through 2007 I would swear that we've just hit bottom.

Now you have two guys who could potentially be facing NFL suspensions by early next season and we're one loss away from blowing our most recent chance to have winning seasons in back-to-back years. It makes me froth at the mouth like a rabid badger to see this happening. Something besides mere bad luck, you would think, must be in effect for all of this to come together at the same time. Something evil.

I have no idea what the team will do with Weems, though I doubt it'll be anything for this weekend. But for a guy who has clawed his way onto the roster and then done enough damage to be considered for a bigger role next season, Weems putting himself in a situation where he could even potentially be arrested like this is incredibly bad. Maybe this is the break Troy Bergeron has been looking for all season, particularly if it turns out that Weems withheld the information of his arrest from the team. Ironically, allegedly driving drunk won't get you anything immediate from the team, but lying about it certainly would. We'll have to see how this plays out in the days ahead.

Your thoughts, level-headed readers?

A Very Falcoholic Discussion: Watching Out For Jets CB Darrelle Revis

Dave the Falconer — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:45:48 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

This isn't something Falcons fans will want to see on Sunday. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Darrelle Revis is a beast.

Arguably one of the best cornerbacks in the league, Revis will be a major obstacle to overcome on Sunday. As good as Roddy White is, I'm not extremely confident that he'll be able to get separation from Revis, and the Jets already have a swarming defense that is going to put Chris Redman or (maybe) Matt Ryan on their heels. They're also one of the more capable teams in the league when it comes to covering tight ends. Unless Michael Turner is making his triumphant return this week (again, maybe), the Falcons are going to have to go through the air often. It just may not work.

So the question I pose to you, dear readers, is how we can effectively get around Revis and that tough Jets D this weekend. What will it take for the Falcons to have an effective game through the air? Should they forget about it and just turn to Snelling and Norwood early? What, why, where, how?

Go!