Continue reading this post »

However, I've never played FF before. Basically what I'm looking for is the best place to go to get in a league (ie. ESPN, Yahoo, etc.)

Which site has the best leagues or league options? I know best is a matter of opinion, but I don't know a lot about FF. I don't really know what a Snake draft is, although I do know what an auction is.

What I'm looking for is a league where you get randomly assigned an order and then you draft in order like a normal football draft (I think that might be what Snake Draft is, but it just makes it more fair, or something.)

Any generic or special or random (ie. play in this site's leagues) advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys.

Like some of you here on the Falcoholic, I wanted to know a little bit about Brandyn Harvey and why he's so awesome, yet went undrafted.

First and foremost, he went to Villanova, the alma mater of our own Brian Finneran. If Finn has done anything for us, it's that he's been extremely clutch and even more reliable when we needed him. Just on school glance alone, our previous history with a 'Nova receiver would suggest that we may have found another diamond in the rough.

During minicamp back in early May, fans and coaches alike were wowed by  Harvey's athletic ability and glue-like hands. I almost couldn't believe some of the descriptions people were giving about this guy.

So, for this insomnia filled assignment, I did a little digging for some info on Brandyn Harvey, and found these tidbits:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-KWtwe6yGk - I'll leave what it is for when you watch it!

As luck would have it, the 2009 FCS Championship pitted our own Shann Schillinger against none other than our own Brandyn Harvey. Harvey had an absolute slobberknocker of a block in the championship game, as shown here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkW6JIR1QqA&feature=related

It's the first play shown on that video.I watched about half of the video and broke down what I saw. What I see in Harvey (and probably not far from what TD/Smitty saw) is that he's got some athletic ability, he leaves the ground a little too often in that he's very, very "dance-y", and he's not afraid to stay in-bounds. There were a couple plays there where he could've just strolled out of bounds, but nope, he cut back in for more yardage. His punt returns were decent. Despite his size, he's very shifty, but that got him into trouble on a couple of the returns I watched. He had a sure touchdown on one return but in his attempt to juke the last man by running east-west instead of north-south, his "dance-y-ness" got him tripped up.

Overall, I liked what I saw. I read an article......

(http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/04/27/sports/doc4bd659986d2e2343646865.txt)

......that had him saying he was very involved in blocking because his coach emphasized that. I like the thought of a receiver that has a blocking mindset (but yet still somehow has glue-for-hands).

He has good size (6'4", 200ish) and he's shown he can play ball. I also didn't know until today that 'Nova had even won the FCS last year. Shows what I know, eh? :P

If he can keep that freakish athleticism up, he could spell the end of Michael Jenkins as a Falcon and that may not necessarily be a bad thing.

What do you guys think? Could he be Jenkins's replacement?

Hey guys, The recent release of Tecmo Super Bowl: Throwback has inspired me to yet another interesting endeavor.

The game allows you to change the name of the players to faithfully recreate your favorite teams, since they could not legally do so themselves. So, after this jump thing (so it will get out of my way) I will break down the team and my idea.

Continue reading this post »

Now I know some of you guys search endlessly for streams of the Falcons games. (Watch, the government's looking at this post already.)

Truth be told, I don't know if this is sketchy or not. I'm sure it is, considering it involves a live game.

A friend of mine gave me this idea.

Basically, the goal of my life is to call Falcons games on the radio some day. The friend of mine I mentioned suggested I get on UStream and broadcast my own little amateur version of the Falcons games for practice so that when I get to school I'll have some experience in knowing what to say during games and I'll be able to get any feedback if anyone actually listens to me. The problem I'd have is that I'd have no color commentator. It'd just be me.

That being said, I could watch the Falcons games and broadcast them over UStream so that people who search for Falcons live streams could have an audio option at the very least.

Does anyone think this would be a good idea? Would anyone be interested in listening me attempt to describe what's happening?

Or....is this a bad idea?

I'm open to feedback. I'd love to help people hear the Falcons who don't have TV access readily available, and it helps me practice for what I want to do.

What do you guys think?

In my latest bout with insomnia, I, Zippo, bring to you the (upon further review, ridiculously long) 2009 season in review that I promised so many moons ago. This is not my roster breakdown. This is actually more along the lines of my review of our 2009 season from a fan's perspective. I'm going to try to shy away from statistics, although I may bring some in for flavor.

To quote the late, great Heath Ledger:

"And here......we......go."

Continue reading this post »

In my latest bout with insomnia (curse you, horrible sleep schedule) I, Zippo, have decided to go on a WikiJourney, looking up random facts about football players (usually related to the Falcons) that you may or may not know and that I, Zippo, hope are accurate.

This is more of a Did you know? segment than anything.

Did you know:

• Chris Miller is a coach on the Arizona Cardinals?
• In 1991, our own Michael Haynes lead the NFL in Yards per Catch at 22.4. In comparison, DeSean Jackson and Mike Wallace lead the NFL this year with a YPC of 18.7. That's a freak of a difference.
• Andre Rison won a championship in 2004 with the Toronto Argonauts?
• Chris Chandler's wiki page cites the Falcons inability to score back-to-back winning seasons? (I was especially sad)
• In 2005, Terance Mathis attempted to make his own NASCAR team? (Wiki would not say whether the team exists to this day. And upon further review, Victory Motorsports (the name of the team) does exist, but there's no allusion to Mathis there.)
• Brent Grimes is older than Chris Houston? (On a separate note, Chris Houston and I share the same birthday)
• Roddy White was a two-time state wrestling champion in high school, using a pin move that was called the "Shanaz"?
• I can name a bunch of old Falcons players, but I can't name a damn old Falcons running back? (Sans Dickerson (Tecmo Bowl for the Genesis, thank you) and Dunn and the current ones, obviously)
• I got so into doing this, I spent 5 minutes trying to find who was under the Freddie Falcon costume?
• The Falcons kept finding relative ineptitude in QBs that hailed from the Northwestern section of the U.S.?
  
• Jeff George has a better TD/INT ratio than Steve Bartkowski?
• The Falcons have beaten every team in the NFL at least once, but four of those teams have only been beaten one time?
• The only records/awards on Allen Rossum's page consist of leading the Falcons in PR/KR yards? (Aside from Pro Bowl once.)

Well, I need to sleep. That's all for now! Hope you enjoyed it.

In my latest bout with insomnia, I, Zippo, would personally like to thank each and everyone of you guys/fans at the Falcoholic for providing me with a reasonable, intelligent atmosphere with which I can discuss all things related to the Atlanta Falcons.

In my latest adventure over to ESPN's message boards, I've found more ignorance and lack of brain matter than I care to repeat here. It's so embarrassing as a human being to think that some people can actually spew out some of the obvious lack of thought that I see on a daily basis. It's impossible to have an intelligent debate with most anyone there, because indeed, the intelligence is not there.

Anyway, thank you, Dave and Tloz, and all the fans that join me in discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly about our Falcons for keeping a sane and intelligent board here that allows for good discussion and debate. Thank you all for being reasonable and keeping my belief that there are people with sense out there, and here's to many more years of (Super Bowl Winning) discussion with you guys. It's a pleasure.

Cheers!

(Also, let's take it to those Eagles this weekend!)

After witnessing the most painful Falcons loss of the young season, I began to ponder exactly why our team, young and inexperienced as it is, can't seem to hang with the big boys.

To date, we have played both of America's teams, New England and Dallas, and have come away 0-2. We can sit here and make excuses all night long. Refs sucked, defense sucked, we were in their stadium, etc. etc. Regardless of my opinion on those, especially the ref one, the fact is, we lost. What's worse is the Saints won today, putting us 2 games behind, now.

So as I sit here typing this, I'm wondering "Why on Earth did we look so bad?" I kind of posted about it in the ATL-DAL open blog, but to start off, here are some observations I've made throughout the season (in no particular order):

1) Eric Weems can play ball. He's a great athlete and he'll hopefully be around for years to come.

2) Jamaal Anderson was made to play DT. Aside from when our entire D started to fail, JA98 had some good plays at DT. I really think he's found his spot on our defense.

3) Where is Michael Turner? Could last season really have been a fluke? Many of the haters have said that his big games were against the dumps of the NFL's rushing defenses last year, but to amass 1,700 yards is no small feat, fluke or not. However, Turner hasn't shown up this season, leading many Falcons fans (including myself) to wonder what's going on. He's looked a step slower this year, and with Norwood out, we need someone to step up. Snelling has done a good job in the backup role, but how long can Turner hold out with his increasingly negative production?

4) Despite having some crippling injuries, there isn't a game we can't win. I know many of us will be questioning our team after the miserable loss to the 'Boys. I don't blame you in the least. We played miserably, and that's not the makings of a great team. We're still a "good" team with knocking on the door of "decent" imminent. That being said, we've been competitive in every game we've played.

5)The Ewing Theory. I first learned about it on one of Bill Simmons' columns on ESPN. I believe he's tinkered with it since he posted a column on it 8 years ago. But if you don't know the theory, you should look it up. I think it fits this team perfectly.

Allow me, if you will, to speculate for the future. While not directly involving one player, the Ewing Theory fits the Falcons perfectly. The schedule, crappy as it is, can't get much worse next year. Regardless of how this season ends (Please, God, let us get 9 wins) some of our expectations won't be met. With the way we played Dallas today, this season could go south quickly if we do not adjust.

As I began thinking about the Saints being so good this year, I came to the realization that the Saints are 2 weeks away from equaling their total wins from last year. "Why the sudden change?" I asked myself. Without doing an absurd amount of research, not much, if anything, has changed from last year's Saints team. Malcolm Jenkins was added. I believe DC Gregg Williams was added this year, too.

The Saints last year were plagued with injuries, most notably on defense. On top of that, they had many, many recurring injuries to keep them 'unhealthy', if you will. This year, they've spent another year together, they've gotten their health right, and look at them, they're destroying EVERYONE.

I think next year is our year. Gonzalez has one more year after this one on his contract, I believe, and we'll have Harry Douglas/Peria Jerry/Brian Williams (if he can still play) back from injury. Now how does the Ewing Theory fit this team, you ask? Well, look at the Saints now. They're dominating, they probably won't be stopped this year, while we play backseat to them. Then, the Ewing theory kicks in next season. If the Saints hold their team together, nobody will notice the secret juggernaut we're building in the shadows. Then it's game time. We've been severely hurt by injuries this year. When we get everyone back next season (and keep them here) I think we can make a run, and I think we'll surprise some people along the way depending on how ugly this season ends up. Not saying this season is gone, as we're still 4-2 and in a decent position, but we may not quite get where we want to this year.

In short, I think we're going to end up as the Saints of last year, just with 9 or 10 wins. Injuries + schedule may just be a little too much for this team to overcome this year.

Any thoughts or opinions are welcome here. :)

Hey guys, I'm new to the Falcoholic. I've read many of the posts on here, I have just never posted anything until now. However, due to a combination of boredom, insomnia, and paranoia over The Stat That Shall Not Be Named, I'm going to be realistic over the chances of us finally getting the monkey off of our backs, so to speak. I refuse to call the stat by name, but anyone who's been a Falcon fan for any good length of time knows exactly what I'm talking about.

I tell ya what, I've felt pretty good about our efforts as a whole this season. After disapproving of the Snelling over T.Brown move in the preseason, I've taken back all the negative I said about Snelling. He was excellent in his opportunities today.

Anywho, here we go. The rest of the season and a realistic chance to do you-know-what. This also assumes that we play 4 quarters of sound (not necessarily mistake free, but sound.) football. This also assumes no serious injuries occur from this point onward. I think you guys understand.

@ New England: After watching the Jets beat the Patriots on Sunday, I believe the Pats are vulnerable. That being said, we're traveling to their house. I don't think their defense will be able to stop our increasingly potent offense, but I worry about Tom Brady eating our secondary alive. Realistically, I feel it could go either way.

@ San Francisco: The only thing that worries me about this game is that we're going to the west coast. Otherwise, I see a W in this one. Frank Gore won't have a field day with our defense.

Vs. Chicago: Cutler has looked good and bad in Chicago in the two games he has been there. Their offense is improving, but still not at what I would consider a dangerous level. Their defense is missing its leader (Urlacher) and I don't see them completely stopping our offense. Plus it's in the Dome. W.

@ Dallas: Dallas plays entirely too much like the Panthers (two solid RBs, QB that will either be good or horrible) so the experience will be there. The thing I don't like about this game is that it'll be in the monster JerryDome. They almost beat the Giants in a shootout, and Romo had 600 interceptions that game. Realistically, this game could go either way.

@ New Orleans: Of the games on our schedule, this one scares me the most (aside from next week's game) I never expected the Saints to look as legit as they have. They really do look unstoppable, hanging 40+ points on the Lions (big surprise) and Eagles (actual surprise). Before people scream at me for mailing this game in, the beauty of it is how far away this game is. If we were to play @NO next week, I'd say our chances of winning would be about 10%. Someone, somewhere will play the Saints and bring them back down to earth before ATL faces NO, and that makes me feel a little better about this game. That being said, it will be hard to win in NO. They have a very passionate crowd, not unlike us, and they feel like this is their year, also not unlike us. Realistically, this has a good chance of being a loss. Not saying it'll happen, but being realistic here, I can't have the Birds going 16-0. :P

VS Redskins: I'm not going to elaborate much on this one. Their secondary is pretty good. Haynesworth is pretty good, their offense is so-so at best, but they won't beat us at the Dome. W.

@ Carolina: Carolina, while they made a good bounce back this week against us, could still sputter and struggle this season. Last season they embarrassed us in their house, but to my knowledge that was around Week 2 of our new team's rookie campaign. This match will be completely different. Realistically, we can win in their house. This one could go either way.

@ New York (Giants): This game makes me nervous. NYG is a solid team. They can run, they can pass. They're similar to ATL in that they have many, many weapons on offense, and they also have a good defense. The difference in ATL and NYG is that NYG is much more experienced. Realistically, I'm leaning toward a loss, but I'll never count the Birds out, not for one second.

VS. Tampa Bay: They're in rebuilding mode. At this point in the season, we'll have a good idea of where we're headed. They won't beat us this year, not in the Dome, not in their house. W.

VS. Philadelphia: This may be one of the most passionate games ever played in the Dome, at least in my opinion. On one hand, you have the return of the man that played a major role in the upheaval of the Falcons franchise in Vick. On the other, you have Ryan, Coach Smith, everyone that represents how we've moved on from Vick. It will be bedlam in the Dome. I want to say they won't beat us in the Dome, but they are a good team. They will most definitely test us. This one could go either way.

VS. New Orleans: Finally, we get a crack at the Saints in the Dome. Without elaborating too much, this game will be a test. I'm a firm believer in home field advantage, no matter the level of play. This game could go either way, especially if both NO and ATL are in the playoff hunt.

@ New York (Jets): This game is a bit dangerous. If the Jets can beat the Pats in their house, then realistically, they can beat anyone. The NYJ fans are also very passionate. That being said, the Patriots defense has been a bit suspect, from what I hear around the league. This game could go either way, but I'm leaning toward a W here because we're a good enough team to beat them in their house.

VS Buffalo: This game has "trap game" written all over it. They're relatively young, but they're not as talented as us. They also won't be in the playoff hunt. That being said, I don't think Buffalo will come into the Dome and beat us, not at this point in the season. W.

@ Tampa Bay: We end the season at Tampa Bay. I stand by what I said in that we will beat them in both games this year, but if they find themselves over the course of the season, this could be more of a test than I'd rather have. I'll claim a W here.

(To make a long story short, Birds will be 16-0. Just kidding.)

Let's sum it up. We're 2-0 now. I believe that, playing sound football, we'll have 6 definite victories, 6 toss-up games, and 2 gonna-have-to-kick-them-in-the-teeth-to-win games.There are other factors in this, such as us having to play everyone and their brother coming off their bye week, but all that's going to do for them is give them an extra week to watch film of how we're going to beat them :P

I've been a fan of the Birds long enough to know how much agony the media creates when they talk about TSTSNBN. I started following the Birds in the mid-90s when I was a little kid. I remember the crazy 1998 (or 99. I can never remember b/c I don't remember which January it was) NFC Championship game. I remember our hopes for the seasons riding on Jamal Anderson's (blown) knees. I remember my dad flipping out about when he found out Eugene Robinson was the color commentator for the Carolina Panthers (I live in NC)

In all my years of seriously following the Birds, I've never felt this good about the team. I believe this is the year to finally shed TSTSNBN, and when (not if) we do, I'll be partying for the next 6 months.

I'll be checking on this thing often, I'm willing to have a friendly debate over what you guys think about the rest of the season.

Thanks for reading! :)