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Falcons at Packers: The good, the bad and the ugly from week 5
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The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Thank you Petrino!
I’m sure most of you are familiar with the concept known as the Butterfly Effect where one small action, like the wind from the wings of a butterfly, can affect weather patterns possibly resulting in anything from a cool fall breeze to a hurricane.
After two second-half meltdowns in '05 and '06 under Mora, then the disaster that was '07… let me restate that. Have you ever been down and out? Have you ever had someone offer you help when you really needed it? If so, I’m willing to bet you were appreciative of that person and probably would have done most anything you could have for that person. I think that’s about how the Atlanta Falcon players feel about coach Smith right now. Sometimes you can’t really appreciate the good unless you’ve really experienced the bad.
We could all feel the wind leave the Falcons from the ugly departure of first MV7 and then Petrino. Now we’ll find out if that wind will create something more than the cool fall breeze of a 3-2 record that puts placated smiles on our faces. In the meantime, here’s my Good, Bad & Ugly from week 5. Let me know yours.
The Good:
Heads - Having Sam Baker back from his concussion seemed to make a difference in the running game.
Offensive Coordinator – I was very skeptical of our offensive coordinator. To me he was just another coach that was getting recycled through the system. I was wrong. This guy is either very creative or drunk. I’ve seen some of his plays that I thought were crazy or at a minimum very risky, specifically guards and tackles pulling on the goal line. On Sunday, as the Falcons tried to punch the ball in from the goal line, I saw our left TE (Peelle) pull and come BEHIND the entire line to catch the pass off the naked bootleg by Ryan. If even one lineman got stuffed back into the line or let a D-lineman slice through a gap, the TE would have tripped and the play would have been over. I’ll remind you it was 4th down when he called this play. I wanna know what he’s drinking and where I can buy some.
RW – I’m not sure if Roddy White really had more drops than catches his first two years or if it just seemed that way. Last year he improved, but I believed his numbers were artificially inflated because we were playing from behind most of the time (4-12) and defenses were playing deep zones. This year he seems to have hit his stride. Despite getting shut down in the second half of the game, he made the Packers respect our passing game and adjust to shut him down. This allowed our running game to get traction and take over in the second half of the game. Congrats RW! You are officially a number 1 wide receiver in the NFL.
Grady Jackson - Most people look at Grady Jackson and see an overstuffed fat-body. I see proof that mother-nature is indeed a freak. I think watching Grady is more amazing than watching someone who can throw a football 80 yards or run 40 yards in less than four seconds. This guy is huge, quick, strong as an ox and agile. He has a true nose for the football and god help the poor running back who runs into him. I would love to interview the guards and centers who have to try to block him each game to give the average fan some idea of physical struggle they have to endure knowing they will mostly fail. Oh-ya, one more thing. Grady Jackson has more sacks than one of our starting defensive ends (see ugly below for more info). If you’re a fan who just watches the ball when a play starts, try finding Grady Jackson on the field and just watch him for a few plays and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Matt Ryan – I was not an advocate of the Falcons drafting this guy. I felt the odds of a high round QB pick succeeding were too high, especially when the Falcons needed so many other positions. Since the Tampa game where I commented that Ryan got three or four games of experience against the Tampa defense, he has looked like a veteran QB. Going against Da’ Bears D on this Sunday may expose more of his rookie side, but hey, he IS a rookie. The fact that he is not playing like a rookie in every game is enough to make me smile this year. One last comment on Matt… They guy seems to really know the playbook. I know a lot of people that can read a book or a diagram once and can tell you everything about it and I know people who are amazing at “winging it” on natural ability, but this guy appears to be someone who can learn the playbook AND go out and execute it on the field.
John Abraham – I’ve seen Steve Young throw a would-be touchdown pass, have it batted in the air, then caught by the same Steve Young who proceeded to run it in for a touchdown. I’ve seen RB’s literally flatten linebackers and DB’s. I’ve even seen an A6 airplane fly back to base and land after a surface-to-air missile punched a hole in its wing big enough for me to stand inside. But I’ve never seen a DE tackle a RB with an offensive tackle. Well, I have now. Thanks John Abraham.
Bad:
Who needs Morphine – Every time Aaron Rodgers threw the ball, they showed him hanging his arm or rubbing his shoulder in pain. Luckily our DB’s made him feel better after every throw by letting him get a completion. What great guys. Blank should give them some type of community award for being such swell fella’s.
Needful Things – In the past two games, we’ve seen the Falcons slip and slide due to the turf. Does someone on the staff not have a tacklebox filled with various length cleats, chin straps and other needful things?
Ugly:
Run Right – For three games now we’ve seen the opposing offense figure out that they can run off tackle to their right. Their right is our left and our left DE is Jamaal Anderson. Almost every time they ran to their right, the Offensive Tackle would just lockup on JA and turn him inside creating a corner for the RB to aim for. Then a few plays later, the Packers line-up heavy right so JA is lined up on the Tight End and the TE does the same thing to him. Sorry but a DE in the NFL should not get manhandled by a TE. A DE in the NFL should not get pushed inside period.
D'oh! – Ok, enough is enough. I hear you. But when you step across the line of scrimmage, nobody blocks you AND the QB steps right toward you… You should be able to get a sack. I’m sure Aaron Rodgers is a fine and outstanding athlete but, he’s no escape artist. How does Jamaal Anderson miss that sack? I won’t go so far as to say my grandmother could have made that sack, but I am pretty sure my great aunt could have.
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