To good health and good play

[DaveEG]

Long thread. No one under 40 will make it to the end! Summary:
1) Falcons D is better
2)Falcons O is far less consistent
3)The potential of the Patriots D far exceeds their level of execution so far

Here's hoping both teams walk away healthy and the that the team that comes closest to playing to its potential wins.
_____________________
Greetings. Long time no speak. After the way the season ended last year, I'm just glad the teams are playing football again. I'm sure the media will remind us about what happened all week long. However, my concerns about what it going on this year has replaced any worries about how last year ended.

As many of you will recall, there were several reasons going into the LI that I thought the Falcons had a great chance as a win. So far this year, I am finding optimism hard to come by. That said, I'll share a few reads on the Falcons with you to get the discussion started.

1) The expectations coming into the season were that the defense would be modestly improved and that the offense would regress to some degree. Through five games, that is right where we are at.

2) The criticism of Ryan's play by many is a little overblown. The offense does have 7 turnovers in the last three games, but 3 of the picks were deflections off of receivers and only 1 was a truly ugly pass. Two of the turnovers were on ASJ quality questionable calls. By that I mean they were not necessarily blown calls, they were just close enough for argument to be guaranteed.

3) The defensive improvement is probably not as strong as the raw numbers look like. Where the defense is struggling this season plays into the Patriots strength. We are giving up precious little to outside receivers, but we are being generous to the slot, TEs, and RBs in the passing game. We are starting to look a little like Quinn's Seattle days in that we give up a lot of short stuff, but can usually make the one nice play that will stop a drive.

4) Campbell is a different man than he was last season. He will not shut Gronk down, but he has a chance to keep him from beating us all by himself.

5) Our 2nd year RG has really turned the corner, but the RT looked really rusty coming off an injury and the bye last week. Wes got beat up and schooled the first two weeks. That said, by advanced metrics he has been one of our best linemen the last two games. As you will recall last season my main concern going into the Superbowl was RG play. Looking up on that front.

Here are few thoughts on the Patriots. I haven't watched all of their games, but I do live in Eastern Upstate NY and do get to see them quite a bit.

1) From an outsiders perspective, there is a mysterious disconnect between the Patriots defensive talent and their defensive performance. Just because Atlanta fans have been conditioned to expect the worst since Danny White rolled right late in the division playoff game in 1980, I have this funny feeling that this will be the week the Patriots defense matches talent to performance. I suspect it is a mental thing and they will be plenty focused (oddly, I feel the same about the Falcons offense).

2) Brady is still the GOAT. Surely he won't be able to get fired up for a non-conference game in October. Right? Maybe he'll overlook us...

3) The AFC East as a whole looks better this season than it has in quite a while. There are identifiable weaknesses in all 4 squads. However, most of the teams are solid up front and that goes a long way toward good football.

I wish I knew which Falcons team was going to show up Sunday night. Will it be the the bunch that thumped GB per normal, or the one that looked disinterested for each of the next three games??

First team to 28 wins? Right??

 

[long distance]

Great post. Great info. Great points.

I have this funny feeling that this will be the week the Patriots defense matches talent to performance. I suspect it is a mental thing and they will be plenty focused (oddly, I feel the same about the Falcons offense).

To a smaller extent my funny feeling too..

Ryan will most likely have quieter pocket and more time than last two games. But he'll probably have to break the 28 as well..

 

[Tony2046]

Great post @DaveEG . Tough to give you any feedback as we have just started previewing the game. Still working on the Jets review.

The last Falcon's game I watched was from last season. Some time in February I think. I've watched at least 283 or so times.

Just kidding.

Seriously, why did you suspect the offense would regress? Just curious.

 

[jimnance]

Nice post, Dave. Appreciate the scouting report.
I don't know any Pats fans who are even thinking about last year's SB. It's part of the Belichickian Way, part concern over this year.
I never judge any NFL team team until the 2nd-3rd weeks of November.
I still believe Pats/ Falcons is most likely SB. I'm not buying either kc or Philly.
I think Pitts is the only real comp we have in the afc.
Don't know what to make of the NFC anymore. Rodgers injury opens the door for a lot of teams, Giants are toast and I think Dallas will be too.
As for Sunday, I expect both teams will rise up closer to their abilities and we'll see a heckuva game.

 

[signbabybrady]

 

[NE-VT]

No one under 40 will make it to the end!

I find that type of ageism rather annoying. Please don't assume a huge group of people lacks the patience for intelligent discussion, even in a tongue-in-cheek comment.

I would have more to say about the content of your post, but I got distracted before I could read it all…

Kidding aside:

1) The expectations coming into the season were ... that the offense would regress to some degree.

1. How much do you think the change in offensive coordinators is responsible for the offensive regression? Does the play calling look less innovative?

4) Campbell is a different man than he was last season. He will not shut Gronk down, but he has a chance to keep him from beating us all by himself.

In what situations would Campbell be M2M with Gronk? Are the Falcons running a bunch of Cover 2 Man looks where he OLB is vs. the TE?

I tend to assume teams are going to put a SS on him in M2M looks.

 

[Bcc66duece]

I find that type of ageism rather annoying. Please don't assume a huge group of people lacks the patience for intelligent discussion, even in a tongue-in-cheek comment.

I would have more to say about the content of your post, but I got distracted before I could read it all…

Kidding aside:



1. How much do you think the change in offensive coordinators is responsible for the offensive regression? Does the play calling look less innovative?



In what situations would Campbell be M2M with Gronk? Are the Falcons running a bunch of Cover 2 Man looks where he OLB is vs. the TE?

I tend to assume teams are going to put a SS on him in M2M looks.

I find crying about harmless jokes rather annoying, like really, some people like to joke and have fun. Just because your uptight and can't take a harmless joke means we should all bow to you the joke commissioner of Patsfans. If the joke isn't offensive, which that one clearly wasn't then just skip it and let others with a sense of humor enjoy it. The entitlement of people nowadays astounds me.

On a football note, I too figured ATL would regress on offense this year. I'm an Alabama football fan and after seeing how Sark called the championship game last year I knew he was a serious downgrade from Shannahan.

The falcons defense should be better with getting Trufant back and some younger players having more experience.

If they hadn't just lost to the Dolphins I would have picked the Falcons in a heartbeat but now that gives me pause and I think this really is a pick em game now.

The Pats defense is under performing but they are making progress. Hopefully Gilmore is back this week or it's gonna be a bad time for the secondary.

 

[NE-VT]

I find crying about harmless jokes rather annoying, like really, some people like to joke and have fun. Just because your uptight and can't take a harmless joke means we should all bow to you the joke commissioner of Patsfans. If the joke isn't offensive, which that one clearly wasn't then just skip it and let others with a sense of humor enjoy it. The entitlement of people nowadays astounds me.

Did you miss that I made a joke right back? I guess my sarcasm did not translate? I was trying to play into the Millennial stereotype about caring about social issues, only to then talk about how I did not not read the post. Given that I needed to explain myself, clearly my joke failed.

 

[Bcc66duece]

Did you miss that I made a joke right back? I guess my sarcasm did not translate? I was trying to play into the Millennial stereotype about caring about social issues, only to then talk about how I did not not read the post. Given that I needed to explain myself, clearly my joke failed.

Yeah I missed the sarcasm, that was my fault. I was quick to react because I've seen others on here complain about harmless jokes and it really gets under my skin. That's what I get for skim reading.

 

[Wheelman]

ASJ Quality questionable call? What does that even mean? ASJ call wasn't questionable. It was the right call. It's clear the ball is moving. There's a clear angle of it. When there's a clear angle of the ball moving, it's indisputable. So when you say that you mean the turnovers were correct. Because an ASJ call means the refs called it right. There is nothing questionable when you refer to an ASJ call. It's black and white.

The AFC East looks on par as it has been for a while. It's not better than it has been in quite a while. It's just silly lazy commentary by mediots, jealous fans, hot takers looking for clicks and fans who believe anything said by the formers. The AFC East is not a weak, pushover division like people want you to think(or maybe what you want to think). This all comes from jealousy and hatred of the Patriots. Do or say anything to try to bring them down, because quite frankly, they(or you) can't handle their success mentally. That's why I enjoy watching AFC East games against NFC teams. They often have a hard time winning against AFC East teams, and when they do, they barely win. In fact, I root for the AFC East teams to win against the NFC because of all that crap. I often expect the AFC East teams to have a good chance at winning when playing the NFC. It's possible NFC teams who are not familiar with AFC East teams believe that garbage and overlook that team, but these guys are all professionals. I don't think they overlook them, the mediots and fans just underestimate the AFC East so they all come off surprised and asking themselves how the hell did they lose against a team from the "soft as ****" AFC East. The one thing I will say is, The Dolphins are a better coached team with Gase at the helm.

Thanks for all the other intel on the Falcons though. It's appreciated! Enjoy your stay.

 

[Uptown]

Side note: I hate color rush uniforms. However, I do like the results when donning them

 

[Bradyking12]

Side note: I hate color rush uniforms.

Yea wish they would do throwbacks instead of color rush, someone should put that into a vote this offseason.

 

[NE-VT]

That's what I get for skim reading.

Wait, so you are 29, and you skim read? DON"T FUEL THE STEREOTYPES!!!

 

[long distance]

Side note: I hate color rush uniforms.

Blue always looks good.
Pats are 27-0 in blue color rush..

 

[archstanton543]

Yea wish they would do throwbacks instead of color rush, someone should put that into a vote this offseason.

They can't because the players have to wear the same helmets the entire year as a concussion safety measure (unless the helmet is damaged). Since the throwback helmets are white and the current ones are silver, they will likely never wear the throwbacks again.

 

[Joey007]

I never understand why our fans insist on making fun of Falcons fans for 28-3. I take pride in that we overcame the deficit, but I see no need to remind Falcon fans every waking second. What have they done to us?

@DaveEG we all know the feeling to lose the Super Bowl in heartbreaking fashion. We went through 18-1 in 07. It sucks.

Much respect to you guys, considering you put us in that deep of a hole in that game in the first place. I'm glad we won, but I do feel for you guys as a fanbase.

Best of health for both teams this Sunday night!

 

[DaveEG]

N
I never judge any NFL team team until the 2nd-3rd weeks of November.
I still believe Pats/ Falcons is most likely SB. I'm not buying either kc or Philly.
I think Pitts is the only real comp we have in the afc.
Don't know what to make of the NFC anymore. Rodgers injury opens the door for a lot of teams, Giants are toast and I think Dallas will be too.
As for Sunday, I expect both teams will rise up closer to their abilities and we'll see a heckuva game.

I agree. There is a lot of concern by Atlanta fans because of losing to the Dolphins.

I've seen at least 20 "this Sunday is our season" posts on our message board. I usually reply: "The worst thing that can happen is we will be 3-3 with a 3-0 conference record."

Just like every year, our season will come down to what we do against New Orleans, Tampa and Carolina. The Falcons true season doesn't even begin until November. We play all 6 division games plus Vikings, Dallas, and Seattle the last nine weeks of the season. If we survive that, we will be battle hardened by 9 straight weeks of high stakes football and ready to go to war in the post season. If we don't survive that, we're not good enough to run the post-season table anyway.

 

[fnordcircle]

I never understand why our fans insist on making fun of Falcons fans for 28-3. I take pride in that we overcame the deficit, but I see no need to remind Falcon fans every waking second. What have they done to us?

I think it's mostly about the meme, moreso than making fun of Falcons fans. I don't want
2 ever make a fan of another team feel unwelcome here and I hope others feel the same. Tom is trying for SB number
8 and I think that number is really enough that any fan of this team shouldn't feel like we need to troll - I mean seriously
- it's a gaudy number and we should all try to be generous hosts. Sure, it's probably ok to make a joke or
3 but in the end, we're judged by how we carry ourselves and I hope Pats' fans will hold themselves to a better standard.

 

[TBR]

Side note: I hate color rush uniforms.

The white ones vs Tampa looked awful. I thought the navy ones last year vs Texans were pretty nice (hated them at first, but they grew on me).

The whole Color Rush concept as a whole is not something I like. It's a pretty lazy concept with unimaginative designs and most teams' uniforms are an eyesore.

Also, expect a reply & long post from @Actual Pats Fan about uniforms.

 

[TBR]

I never understand why our fans insist on making fun of Falcons fans for 28-3. I take pride in that we overcame the deficit, but I see no need to remind Falcon fans every waking second. What have they done to us?

@DaveEG we all know the feeling to lose the Super Bowl in heartbreaking fashion. We went through 18-1 in 07. It sucks.

Much respect to you guys, considering you put us in that deep of a hole in that game in the first place. I'm glad we won, but I do feel for you guys as a fanbase.

Best of health for both teams this Sunday night!

Not that it's a bad problem to have, but a legendary win & comeback has been turned into a really annoying meme.