Atlanta Falcons 2009 Midseason Performance Review

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The Falcons 31-17 victory of Washington this weekend capped of their first half of the regular season with a 5-3 record. In any given year in Falcons history, we would probably be ecstatic, however I feel like this team has room for improvement.

And that might not be a bad thing. I see a lot of potential in this year's team. All of that "process" junk Mike Smith has been preaching has all of a sudden become very endearing.

This team is young, and less than two years removed from the lowpoint of the franchise's notoriously comedic history. Yet, they are a focused team with something to prove. The Dirty Birds, as I must always insist on calling them still, have established a winning mentality in Atlanta.

Considering the youth, you have to feel like everything is in place for this team to improve and become one of the elite. Why do I feel that way?

Well, remember last year when General Manager Thomas Dimitroff cleaned house on offense and everyone panicked? "Crumper and Dunn are leaving? They are all we have left!"

That tragedy-- yeah, well everyone seemed to jump ship again this offseason when Atlanta did little in changing the personnell on defense.

Nine weeks into the year, and I am set in believing this defense is the strongest Atlanta has had in a while. They may not blow you away statistically, but you can tell they are very well coached. They create tons of turnovers and do their own job of getting the Georgia Dome crowd all pumped up and what not.

The defense is fun to watch, which is a fact magnified by the fact that the youth on that side of the ball was supposed to make this defense terrible.

And thus we have my midseason thesis. The Falcons are on track for a 10-6 year, but whether or not they go 9-7 or 13-3, I feel like I can sit back and be proud of this team.

I felt that way since Atlanta won up in Green Bay last year. The Falcons carry a very college-esque atmosphere with them. There always seems to be the feeling that they have a chip on their shoulder.

Yet, they show up and play fantastic, fundamental football every week. I do not care if they win or lose as much anymore, because I always appreciate the way they play.

With that, let's move into a game by game evaluation shall we?

Falcons 19-Dolphins 7  

This game was all about the defense. We were all worried that Miami and their vaunted Wildcat offense was going to tear this young defense apart. Instead, additions like Mike Peterson and Brian Williams helped wreck the Dolphins and nearly shut them out. Considering the criticism the defense was receiving during the preseason, this defensive performance overshadowed the victory.

Falcons 28-Panthers 20  

Had to love the old school uniforms, but thank God they did not play like the old school team. Instead, Atlanta again did a good job of executing as well as covering up for mistakes as they cruised to a comfortable win. The score and stats really did not indicate just how well Atlanta played.

Falcons 10-Patriots 26  

First misstep of the season, but in New England; I'll take that. Atlanta looked very crisp on offense early on, and even was on it's way to taking a lead on the Patriots heading into halftime until Michael Turner fumbled. The defense kept bending but not breaking, until Tom Brady did his usual thing and threw a touchdown late to put the game away. Another game that was just a few mistakes away from turning the other way, but that is what football is all about.

Falcons 45-49ers 10

First game of the year where the team hit on all cylinders. Any time you can do that on the road it's huge. I got tired of listening to the FOX broadcast team just complain about how terrible San Francisco was doing the entire game. They gave no credit to the Falcons performance. Did I say chip on shoulder earlier? Suprised Singletary kept his pants on after Dre Bly did "The Deion" from his own 30-yard line. One of the most embarasing plays I have ever witnessed, however I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Falcons 21-Bears 14

This game proved to the entire nation that Atlanta has the capacity to win with defense. With their offense having a tough night, the defense forced two interceptions and made a great stand at the end. I doubt Chicago would have been anywhere near winning that game if it werent for three absolutely incredible catches from their tight ends.

Falcons 21-Cowboys 37

This was another game where Atlanta looked like the more focused team, scoring on their first drive. Atlanta really let the floodgates open in this one. Even against a good team like Dallas, this loss was a very very ugly one.

Falcons 27-Saints 35

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