Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview: A Few Issues for Falcons

With the Falcons thrilling win over the Eagles last weekend, Falcons fans can be a lot calmer and more confident this week than they were after the post-Bears debacle.

There are definitely a number of positive takeaways that we saw. At the same time, we need to realistically acknowledge that if Michael Vick does not get hurt, the Eagles probably win the game.

The Falcons have a few major issues that need to be addressed immediately if they want to compete against top notch teams this year.

With that said, let's consider some of the most critical aspects of the game that Atlanta will have to improve upon.

The Offensive Line

The single thing that stood out the most to any Falcons fan last game was just how poorly the offensive line performed in pass protection. The same, by the way, was true against the Bears.

Sam Baker, in particular has been abused two weeks in a row by Julius Peppers and Trent Cole. Yes, those two are studs. But Baker is a first round pick and we expect him to be something more than just a turnstile. 

Meanwhile, Joe Hawley got called for a number of penalties and did not do anything worth noting in pass protection. The coaching staff praised him for his play against the Bears last week, but in my eyes that praise is misplaced. Hawley struggled last week as much as he did this week. Todd McClure, ever under-appreciated, can not return soon enough. 

Not much positive I can say about Garrett Reynolds, either. He was absolutely abused in the first half, getting whiplashed by Jason Babin on a few occasions. He did improve a little as the game went on.  

Even Tyson Clabo struggled at times, but that's understandable given that Sam Baker was the one getting all the help from Blalock and Tony G all game. 

Overall, the outlook is not good.

McClure's eventual return should solidify the interior, but that won't be enough. Sam Baker at this point is a first round bust and needs to be replaced. But the only potential replacement the Falcons have for him right now is Will Svitek, and we don't know that he can really step in at a key position like left tackle.

At right guard, the Falcons have Mike Johnson who should theoretically be close to ready—but at the same time, the fact that Reynolds is starting over him suggests that he's not ready. 

Mike Mularkey's Playcalling

The playcalling on offense in this game was slightly less awful than it was against Chicago. But that's not saying much since your average 9-year-old with a few weeks experience of playing Madden could have called a better game there.

On balance, Mularkey did a better job of mixing run with pass, and his red zone playcalling was certainly more effective. Still, the Mularkey template is being exposed more and more every week. A few key features:

1. Extremely predictable playcalls—I counted maybe two or three times throughout the game where I was expecting to see a run and the Falcons passed the ball, or vice versa. You know the Eagles were not surprised by anything they saw. 

2. Receivers running the same three routes, to the same spot, over and over again. Seriously, how many curls and hitches can you call in one game? Where's the creativity?

The Falcons almost never put their receivers in space, where they can get yards after the catch. We never see a screen, and there is rarely ever a combination of routes that is bound to confuse an experienced secondary.

On the one occasion that a deep play is drawn up, we expect Julio Jones to beat Nnamdi Asomugha one-on-one. Come on. 

3. Generally, no explosiveness at all—the Falcons can sometimes march downfield. But for all the talk over the offseason, we have seen zero explosiveness thus far, aside from a few big Turner runs.

Some of that is due to the defenses they've seen. Some is due to the line, and some due to Ryan's play. But Mularkey needs to do what he can to deliver on his promise.

Explosiveness is not just an aesthetic—it allows a team to compete with the cream of the crop in the NFL.

The Falcons need to turn into a team that can come from behind against the best of them. We saw a little of that in the fourth quarter against the Eagles, but the ability to create big plays is absolutely crucial.

On Sunday, it was Turner's run. Better run defenses won't get gashed like that. Roddy and Julio need to be unleashed. 

Van Gorder and the Pass Defense

This one is the pretty obvious. The pass defense needs to get a lot better. The Falcons D was absolutely gashed by Jay Cutler in Week 1, and by both Mike Vick this past week.

We then watched backup Mike Kafka, making his NFL debut, complete his metamorphosis into Joe Montana and lead the Eagles down the field with ease until Jeremy Maclin dropped an easy 4th-down pass. 

The interesting thing is that Cutler didn't look nearly this good against the Saints, nor did Vick against the Rams in Week 1. It's not that they're unstoppable—it's that the Falcons Pass D has just flat out bad. 

What's the problem, doc?

Well, turns out it's not so easy to diagnose. John Abraham and the rest of the defensive line, including newcomer Ray Edwards, has been getting solid pressure on the passers. Brent Grimes has been outstanding in the secondary, and while Dunta Robinson has been shaky, he alone can't be the reason for these struggles.

The real reason, to me, is the soft shell that Brian Gorder employs. The Falcons' pass rush is good, but not good enough to force a QB to get rid of the ball before a WR finds his way into a gap in the zone.

Time and time again, we see guys running across the field wide friggin' open. We see the opponent convert 3rd-and-longs when the Falcons rush three and drop back into coverage. Dunta Robinson and Brent Grimes are both excellent cover corners. In fact, Robinson would be much better in man than in zone. William Moore and James Sanders are more than capable of providing help over the top. 

The soft shell has never worked, and never will. Mr. Van Gorder, it is time to switch the defensive scheme up. 

Matt Ryan

Two things: first, Matt Ryan was just terrible against the Bears. Second, he was fairly poor against the Eagles for much of the game, but absolutely turned it on in the fourth quarter, leading two beautiful drives en route to victory.

What do we expect from Ryan on Sunday? Quite simply, he needs to just abandon his fear.

In the Eagles game, we saw a run of plays where he would be get extremely nervous in the pocket, fidget, move around, lose the pocket, and screw up his footwork.

In the Bears game, we saw much of the same—except there it usually led to a three-yard checkdown and a three-and-out. In the fourth quarter, the fear was gone. 

Ryan's fears and nervousness can be split between his lack of confidence in his line—which is justified, but c'est la vie for an NFL QB.

The second is a lack of confidence in his own arm. True, Ryan doesn't have the same cannon that guys like Vick, Flacco, Rodgers, and Stafford carry around. But when he needs it, he can make some pretty damn forceful throws.

We saw that in the fourth quarter on Sunday. We've seen it before. Interestingly, Ryan's best series on Sunday came from the no-huddle. I could see how a set-up like that boosts Ryan's confidence. Maybe that is something the Falcons should use more often.

The bottom line—Matt Ryan needs to trust both himself and the line this Sunday.

You can't win in the NFL by checking down every time you drop back. You have to challenge the defense and be able to score quickly when need be.

Against the Eagles, Ryan at least tried to go deep—it didn't work because Nnamdi Asomugha broke those attempts up, but there is only one Asomugha. Keep trying, Matt.

The Bucs pass D is not on the level of the last two the Falcons faced, and this should be a big help to Matt Ryan this week. Overall, Ryan's confidence and ability to push the envelope will be perhaps the single biggest factor in determining the Falcons' success this year.