Bleacher Report - Articles by John McCurdy

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week 13, Falcons vs. Eagles

John McCurdy — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:37:29 -0500

This past summer, we "enjoyed" the lively debate over whether or not Michael Vick could be an effective NFL player after being released from prison and then reinstated by the NFL.

Then there was that "fascinating" speculation about where he would land and the subsequent "insightful" analysis of how he would mesh with the Philadelphia Eagles when he finally inked a contract.

It became nauseating, but I was still excited about the prospect of him visiting the place where he began his career on Dec. 6 for a matchup with my club. Even gave him a shout-out in an early DDDB.

Much respect to Mike, but I couldn't care less about his homecoming now.

An NFC Wild Card—and more importantly, the Falcons' best shot at stringing two winning seasons back-to-back—is on the line, and Vick, his one pass attempt, and 1.6 rush attempts per game aren't going to have any impact on the outcome.

Instead, my eyes are focused on some small names that will have a big impact on Sunday: LeSean McCoy, Chris Redman, and Jason Snelling. All three are to be forced into extensive action because of injuries to starters, and whoever can step up to the proverbial plate and deliver a pro performance has the potential to decide the game.

Maybe someday I'll be able to enjoy a relaxing Sunday afternoon, but with a Philly win all but dooming us and a Falcons win pulling us into a three-way tie for the final NFC playoff spot, this game isn't really one to nap through.

Philadelphia Rush Offense vs. Atlanta Rush Defense

First, I should just wish Brian Westbrook the best as concussions are nasty sons-of-guns that can come back to haunt a player. I've always loved the guy's style and penchant for production, and whether or not it was time to start fazing him out, dude shouldn't have to end it this way.

Of course, it works out OK for the Dirty Birds, because his injury means we can take it easy against the run, right? Besides, we held those mighty Buccaneers of Tampa Bay to just 73 rushing yards last week, we're stout enough...

Unless we're talking reality, in which case McCoy must be accounted for (and the fact that the Bucs suck must be recognized). We may have faced some great ground games, but we haven't seen someone with this elusiveness and breakaway speed.

I remember at one point I made the assertion in a preview that Atlanta performs better against a single-back attack, but I doubt my own wisdom in a special way these days. The numbers say we're No. 23 in the league in rush defense, but watching a game will tell you what you need to know: Guys are taking plays off, whether intentionally or not.

The fact that LeSean has yet to have a 100-yard rushing game this season doesn't really make me any more comfortable, either. That's just asking for a guy to go off, and McCoy is the type who is entirely capable.

And to boot, he protects the rock like few others: The Eagles as a whole have just four fumbles on the season, good for fourth fewest.

What will help me sleep at night?

For once, I'm not going to say "active play from the linebackers." Instead, I'm going to request a stacking of the box, and bringing either Erik Coleman or Thomas DeCoud on any and all obvious running situations. Coleman in particularly will make plays on runners, as his best-on-the-defense field vision allows him to get in nigh-perfect positioning.

It's a concession I'm willing to take because I've kind of already conceded that other part of the defensive backfield. But you now my style, wait for that subheader...

Atlanta Rush Offense vs. Philadelphia Rush Defense

Maybe we learned something last week when we put Michael Turner in and got a re-injured ankle in return. Was it worth the risk and is it again? And just how much do we expect to get from him in the stretch?

It's imperative to continue giving Snelling and Jerious Norwood the majority of the carries, not just to preserve Burner for the remaining games against the Saints and Bucs, but also to massage our second- and third-stringers into the real offense a little bit more.

The packages seem too simplified when Michael's out, and there's really no reason for that. I for one think the blocking schemes should be the same for Jason and Turner, and 'Wood ought to see more variety in his lines of attack as well. I swear, one more of those sideline squirts, and I'll go crazy—that's just not utilizing the man!

(As an aside: I know some would argue Jerious proved he couldn't be a multi-purpose runner in '07, but that doesn't mean he can run reverses and only reverses. The one time this season I can remember him getting a traditional middle run, he picked up at least eight.)

Some creativity will be necessary against a Philly ground defense that has silently crept up to eighth in the league in yards allowed. Considering end Trent Cole (that's right, a lineman) has the third-most tackles on the team, I'd say they’re pretty decent at stopping things at the point of origin.

Besides that, Akeem Jordan has come out of relatively nowhere to look like a total beast; what is this "James Madison," a type of beer?

To me, all the more reason to keep the complexity of our offense at its normal level and to mix things the hell up. One can't expect 70 from either of our fellas, but 100 combined would be a starting point.

Philadelphia Pass Offense vs. Atlanta Pass Defense

The phrase "Atlanta Pass Defense" makes me laugh so hard. Josh Freeman given 250 yards, two TD, and a 118.5 passer rating?

Ha! Attaboy!

There's just no way we can keep a guy on both DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin; throw Brent Celek into the mix (possibly; he's rated questionable at the moment), and we've got a recipe for disaster. That's why I was speaking of "concessions" earlier; we ought to just realize we can't deal with their combination of speed and sure hands.

Instead, how about we try something new: generating a pass rush. Like I said, put Coleman in the box to either rush or be better prepared for a run, and just run like there's no tomorrow to try to make a play on the ball if it goes deep. Who knows, maybe we can actually put some pressure on Donovan McNabb.

Why all the optimism? It's not a glaring stat, but the Eagles have allowed the 10th-most sacks in the league. Also, and this is admittedly just a hunch/feeling/burning desire, but after so many weeks of ineffectiveness in getting after the quarterback, don't our guys have some pent-up aggression?

Or maybe Philly's line won't be expecting the rush, because we've been so bad to this point. Or maybe the luxury of not having to deal with a bruiser like Westbrook will have us looking for more satisfying contact. Or maybe John Abraham will find a time machine.

The bald truth is that allowing Tampa's offense to outplay ours for the majority of the ballgame was inexcusable, and we might as well make a big change.

Anyways, I'd rather see some of the offensive fireworks that this shift would leave us vulnerable to than the slow, inexorable march towards failure that quite nearly was Week 12.

Atlanta Pass Offense vs. Philadelphia Pass Defense

When I first laid out my now-all-too-familiar preview article format, this section came fourth because it was kind of like dessert. Save the best for last, you know?

It's lost the large part of its sweetness with Matt Ryan having to take the week off and Philly's pass defense having some gaudy numbers (wait for 'em...), but I've never been a cookies-and-cake-and-ice cream man, anyway.

As I was saying earlier this week, the differences in Chris Redman's mechanics can be beneficial to a team struggling with interceptions, and that combined with the show of concentration and hand strength of Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White late against the Bucs has me feeling...well, uneasy.

I mean, the Eagles are tied for the third-most interceptions in the league with 18. Still, it could be worse.

Honestly, considering two factors, Redman getting a chance to let it fly will likely be our bigger problem. First, there's the number 31 staring us down, Iladelph's sack total, good for sixth in the league. Then there are the nebulous injuries on our offensive line, to Harvey Dahl and (worse) Sam Baker.

Cole is a monster in this regard, and Juqua Parker isn't too bad opposite him. The bookends have 14.5 sacks alone.

Ice isn't too mobile, but Redman might be slower, so don't count on him to evade much. The bread and butter needs to be quick, low lasers to Gonzo; the same dinks that worked so well on our final drive against TB. This is our best chance at avoiding the two things the Eagles unfortunately do so well (picking the ball off and knocking the quarterback down).

Asante Samuel is the big name in the Eagles' defensive backfield, but his 'mates Sheldon Brown, Sean Jones, and Quintin Mikell are all great tacklers. Mikell leads the team, for goodness' sake, despite being just 5'10", 205.

But there it is again: The indicator to go to Gonzo. He'll see your 5'10" and raise you six inches.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Falcons 17

It would be in our interest to keep this one a low-scoring affair, as that's how we pulled off last week's squeaker. The Bucs are a totally different team than the Eagles though, of course, and keep in mind it's probably Philly who will be dictating the tempo in this one.

Therefore, converting on the scoring opportunities we get would really be nice. Getting the ball in enemy territory, as I believe we did three times in the fourth last Sunday, means you should score at least some points. Which brings me to a request...

I would ask even Eagles fans to cross their fingers for us in the kicking game. Please, football gods, let us have solved our field goal problem with the replacement of Jason Elam with Matt Bryant!

Do Da Dirty Bird: Liking Bryant-For-Elam, Tolerating Redman-For-Ryan

John McCurdy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:36:01 -0500

When it comes down to it, the Atlanta Falcons' starter switches at two of the three most important offensive positions were inevitable and unavoidable.

A team can simply not stick with a kicker who misses half of his attempts between 30 and 39 yards and has a penchant for choking under pressure. In fact, those two attributes would be the exact opposite of what a club would desire.

Also, a team can simply not expect their star quarterback to remain healthy indefinitely. Indeed, considering the position comes with the honor of being the most hunted player on the field, a perpetually ready-to-go QB would be the exact opposite of a realistic demand.

The Dirty Birds are doing their best to get (or at least look) prepared for Sunday's critical battle with the Eagles, despite the turnover.

They picked up Brandon Coutu last week to hopefully push incumbent PK Jason Elam a bit (exciting this former Bulldog to no end), and then acted swiftly when the latter didn't respond in the Tampa game by signing Matt Bryant on Dec. 1.

And when Matt Ryan went down with a turf toe injury, the team looked immediately to 2007 starter-turned-trusty backup Chris Redman with no hesitation. He played well enough to eke out a win over the Bucs.

So what should the viewer expect from this slightly-new-look bunch?

Place Kicker: It's All Smiles and Rainbows

Mr. Elam, I am proud to say you graduated from my high school (word to the 'Wood...Brookwood!) and that you returned to the hometown team after years in the foreign countries known as Hawaii and Denver. But I am perhaps more proud to say this:

You (whether by choice or not) have stepped down once your effectiveness has ceased. These missed field goals this year, they caused me such pain.

The whiff in Week One was forgivable, if a head-scratcher: How could such a reliable vet manage that? , I wondered. You "answered" me a few weeks later with the performance against New Orleans, and then proceeded to dig your own grave in Weeks 10 through 12.

I really would rather not go into analyzing whether or not the Falcons might have pulled out the Carolina and Giants games—for me, the pain is still too near—but it was pretty obvious that Elam wasn't performing at the level expected of a pro booter. It was probably due after the Panthers bout, but now Atlanta has finally come around to replacing him.

The man to step into the spotlight is the aforementioned Bryant, who played in NFL Europa and then for those same Buccaneers for four years (thanks for the info, Falcoholic). He's had solid mid-range accuracy in the past, but that should be true of all kickers.

Cough cough , Elam.

I look forward to breathing easy when we get within 30 yards. At least on his first kick, that is.

Clean slate, Matt, clean slate.

Quarterback: Just Pretend It's the Preseason, Chris

This past Sunday is just that—past. It turned out a win, so in my mind, there's no need to go into the "ifs" surrounding what might have happened had Matty Ice not got hurt, had Redman not had the luxury of throwing to Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White, etc.

Instead, let us look forward to what having Redman on the field means for the next contest, one of even greater import. After all, a win here pulls us into, at worst, a three-way tie with Philly and N.Y., and we have the easiest remaining schedule of the three.

Obviously, offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is going to be a bit more reserved with the playcalling considering the franchise arm will be on the sideline, but he won't forget that half of the magical hookup—meaning, Gonzo and Rod—are doing just fine. There's no need to overcompensate with the run, especially considering the turmoil at tailback.

Simplification of the pass game is barely necessary, either. What viewers saw in the final Falcons drive against the Bucs can happen against the Eagles, if the team feels the pressure of this semi-play-in and Tony G and White down lose that super hand strength.

Oh wait, that second thing will never happen.

Chris has the accuracy to place the ball, and note that though his attempts were numerous this past week (41), he threw a rather low number of interceptions (0). Specifically, a quick release and low, short passes served him well, even if catches had to be made on around hip-level.

It'll be nice to have someone not prone to giving the ball up, even if he has much less penchant for the big play or high completion percentage. Of course, with Asante Samuel in the defensive backfield, no one is safe...

But now I'm just teasing the game preview. Look for it in the next DDDB !

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week 12, Falcons v. Bucs

John McCurdy — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:45:55 -0500

There are a few reasons that my team should win this game.

We're coming home—thank goodness—to the Dome, where we're unbeaten this year.
We played a decent game last week, showing a good amount of moxie, despite the end result.
And, of course, we're facing friggin' Tampa Bay.

Shortly before starting this article, I came to the realization that it might be easiest to just analyze the one game the Bucs have won—Week Nine, at home against Green Bay—and then show how the Falcons could not possibly come up short in the ways the Pack did.

But that'd be too easy, and the few DDDB readers out there know my personality by this time: total perfectionist. So I'll break it down as I normally do, but let me remind you all to keep the comparison with the TB-GB game in mind this afternoon.

Because, in all honesty, that is the only game in which the Bucs did enough things right to matter at all.

Tampa Bay Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

There can be just one reason a guy like Cadillac Williams has yet to top 100 yards in a single game this season, and that's a piss-poor line. I have watched him since the very beginning of his Auburn days, and this is a feature NFL back, I guarantee you.

Besides that, the acquisition of Derrick Ward should mean more here. But no, these two studs combined have not clocked 700 yards on the campaign, making me even more certain where to point the finger.

Looking at these guys Tampa puts in the trenches, it's neither inexperience nor old age that is holding them back. It's clearly either playcalling or straight-up ability, as all have played between three and seven years in the league.

This just isn't a bunch that can create holes or pull a back through, and they struggle with stopping penetration on runs, too. Not that we have guys who make too many tackles behind the line these days (looking at you, Jamaal Anderson), but after we held the Giants to 88 on the ground last week at their place, I ask anyone to tell me that the Falcons can't make a tackle within five yards of the handoff against this bunch.

The Bucs are, in general, an awful offense, ranked 29th overall in the league. More on the air game in a sec, but keep in mind that this is actually the better half of their production, and it's still barely getting to the century mark per game (100.9 yards average).

A Sunday ago, we Atlantans enjoyed a return to form for both Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson, our real defensive keys (sorry, John Abraham). It was encouraging, especially on the road. They could only get in trouble today if they are looking ahead too much at the Eagles matchup in a week.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Tampa Bay Rush Defense

A completely healthy Falcons team (I know, such a thing is hard to imagine) would be licking their chops at the prospect of facing this last-ranked rush defense. As is, I'd say we're still probably looking forward to ramming it down the Bucs' throats, considering how Jason Snelling looked last week against a stalwart N.Y. front.

The latest on Michael Turner is that he's expected to play, but that doesn't mean a whole lot to me, personally. I have to expect that a guy still rated "questionable" is at best at 75 percent, so I'd rather keep our third-stringer out there than risk the main man.

Of course, Jerious Norwood is also apparently feeling much better, and I'm not going to pretend that having three bodies is worse than the one we did last week. Throw in that that one had never before started a game, and the ground should serve us well.

Few things would please me more than for us to just eat up clock, giving our defense a veritable bye week.

We won't be facing much pressure; the Bucs rely far too much on Barrett Ruud (86 tackles to second-place-on-the-team Sabby Piscitelli's 59). The fact that the man's only at "probable" certainly doesn't help the case, either.

Tampa has forced just four fumbles and given up 12 rushing TD, 14 runs of 20 or more yards, and 84 first downs on the ground. Their 168.9 yards allowed per game means they're granting almost 100 yards more than league-leader Pittsburgh, and the 4.9-per-attempt is tied for the worst in the L.

Stoppage is just an ugly topic down by the Bay.

Tampa Bay Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

One can at least say this for the Bucs' air game: Things are more interesting since the rookie took over.

Meanwhile, one can at least say this for the Falcons' air defense: Things are always interesting.

Whether or not you think Josh Freeman is "ever going to succeed at the next level," he's starting there right now. He's been no rookie sensation like a certain someone I know and love, but consider that he'll take over the Tampa lead for passing yards this week after getting serious burn in just four games, and I'm not ready to pass a verdict yet.

His ratio (five TD to five INT) is far from great, but he's shown better mobility than the guy on the roster who's got a better one (Byron Leftwich with four-to-three). It's that mobility that's the key to why he's been getting the nod, after all, and it's what's led him to fourth in rushing yards on the club and a 6.9-per average when he scrambles.

I've quit pretending that Atlanta can produce a consistent pass rush, as Abe is at least playing like he's past his prime (if he isn't) and Kroy Biermann can't be put in on every down for the liability he presents in the ground game. But I tell you what, I'll take my chances with Freeman's 51-percent completion rate.

Dude has questionable accuracy even when not pressured.

It won't help that both Antonio Bryant and Kellen Winslow are a little shook up. Then again, against a secondary that let Eli Manning throw for over 380 yards last week (and more telling, let four different guys rack up more than 60 yards receiving, including Mario Manningham's 126), you don't really need health.

Just a pulse might be enough against the inconsistent Brent Grimes. I beg you, pray tell: How do you look so good one second only to suck the next?

Overall, you know I'm giving us the edge, though. Not even we can make a 61.1 passer rating across the Buccaneer QB corps look elite.

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Tampa Bay Pass Defense

At least you didn't throw a pick last week, Matty Ice. I might really have cried had you managed that. Please let this be a sign of good things to come.

Though, of course, as I say that, it's time to dig back up something I mentioned at the outset - the Tampa-Green Bay game. It was in that contest that the strength of the Bay secondary came out, and Aaron Rodgers threw three picks. Returns of 35 or more yards (including one for six) did the Packers in.

And so, all the more important to keep the ball on the ground. Aqib Talib and Tanard Jackson will be all too happy to wrestle us from the warm embrace of victory.

Still, don't be fooled by the unit's 13th-overall rating, or at least not entirely. See a group that's given up the third-most passing TD in the league and allows the fourth-most yards per pass attempt for what they really are: prone to the big play.

The occasional big play is all we'll need as long as the ground game does what it should be able to do. Now you see why I was stressing the run attack.

I was hoping for more Tony Gonzalez last week, and I got it; maybe they'll listen again as I request that he gets a break here. We'll need Roddy White down the sideline for the now-and-again bomb to keep the Buc defense honest, but Gonzo should take a breather while the mid-range game is handled by the tailbacks.

Good for us that four of our last six are at home, where Ryan seems not just comfortable, but All-Pro. How he got so harried against the Panthers a fortnight ago I'm trying not to think about; instead, I'm picturing a confidence-boosting crushing of Tampa's defensive backfield.

Prediction : Falcons 34, Buccaneers 13

The Giants game was a heartbreaker for us. I won't get into how we could have won had Jason Elam been a bit more accurate, though I will thank administration for exploring Brandon Coutu as an option.

We shouldn't be worried, especially now that we're back in friendly confines, but it's important to keep in mind that our destiny is "in our hands." Winning out is a long shot, but getting five of the remaining six would certainly help.

Tripping over Tampa, either today or in a few weeks, would spell certain doom. We must use this as a week to get our minds right and learn as much as possible about the Bucs so that we can earn a rare road win in late December.

Do Da Dirty Bird: For Matt Ryan, What's Luck Got To Do with Picks?

John McCurdy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:22 -0500

If you feel the need to put this article's title to the tune of a certain Tina Turner song, I'll look the other way. You think I didn't think of that as I was coming up with it?

In all seriousness, a shout-out goes to Tim, a DDDB regular who contributed to the idea for this article. Let it be known: Your topic suggestions are welcome, readers!

But on to the analysis, which I'll kick off with some digits. Specifically, a few telling ratios:

Week Five: 2-to-1
Week Six: 2-to-2
Week Seven: 2-to-2
Week Eight: 1-to-3
Week Nine: 1-to-1
Week Ten: 1-to-2

And if you guessed "Matt Ryan's touchdowns-to-interceptions," your check's in the mail, winner.

To be fair to the man, I still consider him more messiah than pariah; the alibi isn't without some merit. The Falcons have gone up against three of the top 10 teams in the NFL in total picks over this stretch (San Fran, Nawlins, Carolina), and two more (the Chi and Washington) that rank in the top eight in overall pass defense.

But with a rating steadily plummeting and endgame results steadily sickening (don't tell me we wouldn't have beaten the Panthers without Richard Marshall's interception in the fourth quarter), I'm put on the spot as a Falcons FC: Is something wrong with Matty?

And if not, just what is wrong?

Readers of the Giants game preview got a taste of the observation that Ryan is getting picked off mostly on crossing routes, little intermediate passes slanting over the top of the action to the sideline. I'll take it a step further here and note that the ball is being taken out of the air way before it gets close to an Atlanta receiver.

After all, when the ball does reach one of our pass-catchers, it, at the very worst, is hitting Michael Jenkins in the hands; Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White will prevent a takeaway with strong hands pretty much every time.

This places the blame more squarely on the quarterback, as he's obviously not surveying the midfield well enough before launching, or he's attacking at the wrong trajectory.

...

Or does it mean all that? Could these picks be just about defenders stranded in no-man's land and happening to be in the right spot at the right time? We certainly saw just that occur when Marshall picked it, and also twice in the Saints game with the interceptions by Darren Sharper and Jabari Greer.

Please don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to explain away our troubles to mere chance. As I said in the last edition of the column, Ryan's always-cool exterior must sometimes just be a well-crafted disguise. There's just no way this guy goes 9-to-11 over a six-game stretch, especially not with the best tight end in history and one of the top five wideouts on his side.

But just how much is luck playing into these picks?

Well, according to my calculations, it's approximately 33.289756 percent...

As if a number would even help us here!

The answer is:

I don't care; change the playcalling and, more importantly, Ryan's reads, and we don't even have to worry about that garbage.

...

Now you're probably assuming I want to place blame on offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, or, even more ludicrously, on head coach Mike Smith.

Wrong again. I just want to see greater variety and more options presented to Ryan when we are in passing situations. Like we don't have enough trustworthy receivers on the team to give the man three check-downs when it's necessary to go to the air?

For some reason, since the bye week we've gone away from the straight shots to Gonzo. Why, might I ask? This was what got us charging down the field late in both the Miami and home Carolina games, allowing the clock to keep running and some late points to be scored.

And I know it's un-Falcons-like, but presenting a running back as a bailout is starting to make more and more sense, at least on plays which don't involve Gonzalez. Considering Michael Turner is going to be replaced with Jason Snelling for the entirety of the game coming up at Giants Stadium, it's even more obvious now that this could help Ice from melting.

Far be it from me to proclaim myself the doctor to cure the Dirty Birds' offensive ailments, let alone the offensive savant Mularkey is, but things have to change when success is becoming sporadic and injuries are in the mix.

Let's get back to what had me writing love letters to pieces of the Atlanta aerial assault, not more of this cross-field nonsense.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week 11, Falcons @ Giants

John McCurdy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:30:21 -0500

The bye is a ponderous thing. It can be a blessing, allowing a sliding team to rest, regroup, and refocus; or it can be the kiss of death, interrupting a group's rhythm or allowing losses to fester.

The Atlanta Falcons got theirs out of the way right away, but they've been unable to escape the bye week's effect since then: They've drawn three teams coming back from their Sunday off as of the end of Week 10, and are about to play yet another rested squad.

Not to sound overdramatic or anything, but this one is singular in its importance to the rest of our season, as we're facing the wild card of the NFC Wild Card contenders, the New York Giants.

Did they get their minds right on their sabbatical, or were their four straight losses before it just the beginning? How soon will the fickle Big Apple turn its collective back on the Boys in Blue? Is one of these injuries going to turn into something serious?

And finally, say it with me now: Will the real Eli Manning please stand up ?

I won't be so pretentious to answer these questions, nor will I be so groan-inducing as to quote Eminem again. I will, however, give you the standard DDDB rundown for this pivotal matchup.

New York Rush Offense vs. Atlanta Rush Defense

Last week's debacle was just not funny for us. If you read my preview, you know I was expecting us to give up more on the ground in our second meeting with the Panthers than in our first, but good gosh .

Great news, fellas: It gets barely (if any) easier on Sunday. A third-ranked unit drops to a seventh-ranked, but the two-back style persists, as does the general power.

And any concern about missing Derrick Ward's production following his departure to the Sunshine State? Gimme a break, I knew Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs could do it all on their own.

Blocking and play-calling are exceptional when it comes to running up in East Rutherford. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride plays to his strengths (read: shoves it down people's throats), frequently going old-school and employing fullback Madison Hedgecock or the off running back as a lead man, but mixes it up just enough to keep defenses guessing.

I'll admit that I like to see the G-Men have no triple-digit yardage rushers in the past four games, but then again, we didn't allow anyone over the century mark last week, and look how that turned out. Maybe it was because we had two different guys coming at us, but we didn't seem to know where to meet the ball carrier, which obviously portends poorly.

Since day one, I've lauded Mike Peterson and Curtis Lofton's ability to come up and make a tackle at the line without leaving the middle open. But that didn't happen last week. A return of the usual swarming activity is really the only way NY doesn't ring up 150 total.

I hate to be so down on the line, but John Abraham looks disinterested out there, Kroy Biermann is all about the sacks, and it's become, at best, a two-man rotation at tackle, though we can seemingly only get one guy to pay attention to the play per down.

Atlanta Rush Offense vs. New York Rush Defense

I smiled for the majority of the first two quarters this past weekend, despite the score. Michael Turner was back, or more specifically, his monster production was back.

I could say it with certainty, as he beasted for three games in a row and looked like an indestructible...

Too soon? Too soon.

Never has the sprained ankle of a man I've only exchanged a nod with been such a concern to me.

Reports are all over the place, so I'm not going to try to add my guess as to the probability that he'll play this weekend. Suffice it to say if he does, one shouldn't expect more than 70 yards, as he'll need to take it easy.

This means we'll be relying on Jason Snelling, as we did for more than half of the Carolina game, and not to a terribly bad effect. Dude will never be a starter somewhere (did people ever say that about Burner?), but he's got power and finds his holes a lot better than I once thought he could.

Jason gets the treat of going up against an absolutely sick line. They're firmly in the middle of the pack when it comes to yards allowed per game, but when it comes to touchdowns given up (four) and rep, there's nary a team that's better. Good luck pulling these rocks, Harvey Dahl and Justin Blalock!

This means we'll need even more skill-position blocking. The receivers have done admirably in appeasing me—it seems my weekly mentions result in weekly improvements, as both Roddy White and Michael Jenkins had memorable chip-ins last week—but we're going to need even more.

Luckily, I've got an idea. Allow me to regale you with another one of my tales of observation that led me to my crackpot plan: Last week, Verron Haynes made a horror of a block downfield on a Snelling run. It led me to think: We need more of this grittiness.

I say put in Haynes and Justin Peelle, blue-collar type guys, in exclusive blocking roles with Snelling in the backfield. It sounds strange, taking out the big names like Tony Gonzalez in exchange for some third-stringers, but clearly we need an alternative when Turner, Jerious Norwood, and Ovie Mughelli are all questionable.

New York Pass Offense vs. Atlanta Pass Defense

Perhaps recalling Marshall Mathers' 2000 hit was a little harsh for the Giants' quarterback. In truth, he's been steady the past three games, though his team has lost all three (two of them at home).

He's just not the guy who went into Dallas and chucked 330 yards, ensuring a key divisional win. He seems more his pre-2007 self: The younger brother, the guy who can't take a team to the top, or whatever else they used to think of him.

To think that he'll play this middling way the rest of the campaign would be a mistake, of course. Will it be this game that he turns it around? I'll just note that his best two '09 performances have been on the road, where the Giants are somehow more confident than at home.

But getting to specifics, to think that we'll pressure him much come Sunday would also be a mistake. The Giants have allowed him to go down just 13 times, and the line's 15 total sacks allowed is good enough for seventh place in the league. Maybe we've been looking at the other side of the trenches too much?

Out in the flat, though, the worry that dominated the preseason—which wide receiver would emerge in Plaxico Burress' absence—is still a worry. This other Steve Smith has nabbed five scores and managed a nice chunk of yardage due to being targeted so much, but I'm fairly confident in saying that Chris Houston can lock him down, considering he's not prototypical size.

Get beyond that, and I'm only feeling better. Yes, most of the time I hate to analyze how our other corners will play the No. 2 and No. 3, but I'm not feeling Mario Manningham, let alone baby Hakeem Nicks.

They'll get a chance to prove themselves, considering Eli will have his usual amount of time in the pocket, but unless we really crap-out in coverage, we should be able to contain.

Atlanta Pass Offense vs. New York Pass Defense

What I assumed was just a few fluky passes is becoming a trend. While I would never turn my back on Matt Ryan and it pains me immensely to even criticize him, something must be done about interceptions.

Over and over again, likely to reader's nausea, I talk about how ice-cold Ice is, how he never looks shaken. I'm starting to realize he might just be a very good actor; he looks sure throwing the ball pretty much no matter what, but these passes are more inadvisable than he's letting on.

The timing of his second pick last week just couldn't have been worse. There's just no way he can give the Giants, the second-best pass defense when it comes to yards per game, more than one chance at taking one, let alone more than one actual INT.

The unit may only have eight picks among them to this point, but the other numbers don't lie: C.C. Brown and Terrell Thomas have 72 solo tackles between them, and Michael Johnson and Corey Webster have 27 apiece.

To keep things safe, Dr. McCurdy would prescribe a steady and consistent diet of Gonzo. Long sideline passes to Roddy can come now and then—it seems like it's crossing routes that freak Ryan out, anyway. The bottom line would be that we've got to use the guys with size and strong hands to decrease the likelihood of turnovers.

The bad news is that New York has some size in the defensive backfield to counter ours in the corps. Webster is tall for a corner (though he luckily doesn't play overly physically), and Michael Johnson is a man's man.

Of course, they're more about blowing guys up after the catch, and we're more worried about what's going on with the ball in the air. Back to that point, routes need to be run sharply, and Matt needs a bail-out option, even if it's Snelling for no gain.

Prediction: Giants 24, Falcons 21

You know I'm going to predict a loss as a close loss, right? I think the Giants will have the lead from start to finish, but that my Dirty Birds will never disappear from the rearview mirror.

The G-Men's week off couldn't have come sooner. If 14 days without a chance at redemption for their four-game skid doesn't get these guys fired up, then we'll have a great chance, but they can't possibly come back and not have an energized attitude.

A win would take tremendous amounts of pressure off down the stretch, considering we'd be bumping down one of our Wild Card opponents, but I'm afraid we're going to be relying on the four home games (and trips to a couple of teams with Super Bowls much farther behind them) to get our playoff spot and, more importantly, second consecutive winning season.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week 10, Falcons @ Panthers

John McCurdy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:12:14 -0500

Since we hit 'em in the mouth back in mid-September, the Panthers have been on some kind of roller coaster ride. A loss to the Bills at home followed by a win at the Cardinals? Huh?

And Jake Delhomme threw for 65, then 325, then 90 yards in three consecutive weeks. Has anyone else's season been as weird as his?

When I was writing that Week Two preview so long ago, I remarked on how out-of-balance Carolina seemed. Never would I have guessed they'd still be that volatile, or that Delhomme still wouldn't "have his head screwed on right."

But please, don't misunderstand; this isn't bashing. Roller coasters typically have "ups," too, which in the case of the Panthers are the third-ranked rush offense and sixth-ranked pass defense. Looks like DeAngelo Williams, Jon Beason, and Richard Marshall at least have things figured out.

Speaking of said figuring, I'm fairly confident my Falcons are back on track after their two-game dip. The third quarter of last week's matchup with Washington aside, we seem in control, but I'll switch over to football-speak to hopefully impart a little wisdom to our on-again, off-again D: Pay attention to your responsibilities, and do what you do.

In that abomination of a 15-minute period after the half, certain Falcons defenders seemed to be way too content with applying token pressure and hoping our lead held. I'd really rather not see that this coming Sunday in hostile confines against a powder keg of a team.

Carolina Run Offense v. Falcon Run Defense

Since his alien abduction and replacement by a drone that resulted in a lame 37-yard performance, DeAngelo Williams has had two (damn near three) 150-plus-yard rushing games. Now that's what I'm used to fearing.

The Panthers' line is undoubtedly one of the big reasons why Williams has been able to improve his production; they're improving with every game, even in terms of sacks allowed (more on that in the passing sections).

Of course, Jonathan Stewart is still a factor, though to this point he has just exactly half of Williams' yards, and he is certainly capable of more.

Of course, our key to stopping the run is the activity of linebackers Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson, who'll come up to the line or around to the side to meet anybody. They're not frequently dealing with linemen, nor do they care much who is running the ball; our strength is making open-field tackles after short gains.

We were pretty so-so stopping the ground attack of the 'Skins, despite them losing Clinton Portis in the first, but I'll mollify that a bit by noting that Ladell Betts picked up the majority of his 70 yards in that aberration of a third quarter.

Still, 70 is too much to give up to him. What will we do when faced with not one second-stringer and not one first-stringer, but two first-stringers?

Using our performance at home a month-and-a-half ago doesn't really do any good. Sure, we were pretty effective against the two-pronged attack, but they're at another level right now, whereas we've lost Peria Jerry and Brian Williams and allowed a bunch against the Saints.

At Bank of America Stadium, there will be potential for more than 144 yards rushing for Carolina. How much more is up to us (and because of spotty line stuffing, primarily the 'backers).

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Carolina Rush Defense

Thanks, Michael Turner, for getting a Eurhythmics song stuck in my head for the rest of the day. At least I'm connecting it with your yardage:

Here comes the rain again, falling on my head like a tragedy ...

That'd be back-to-back games of 151 and 166 yards, against two pretty darn good defenses, too. I'm loving the thought that the modest production of the first six games has given way to a re-energized attack and full embrace of the old smash-mouth attack.

Here I'm going to let my unbridled enthusiasm truly out: If he did what he did to the Redskins' third-ranked run D, what will he do to the Panthers' 23rd-ranked unit? I see a red sun rising...

Then again, Jon Beason is a beast. The loss of Thomas Davis is bigger than anything he can do, though, so maybe I'll just toss some more praise on the Dirty Bird production: Turner clearly wants the end zone these days, as he seemingly willed his two breakout touchdown runs last week. Where is your Albert Haynesworth now?

No, but in all seriousness, the thing I've harped upon so many times when it comes to the ground game, getting blocking from everybody, remains of utmost importance. I can call Na'il Diggs "old" all I want, but we must account for not just Beason and Julius Peppers, but also safety Chris Harris, who has shown great ability up in the box.

Now, no one would say we're better without Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling (both still questionable as I'm writing) to help spell the Burner, but note that Michael's done his serious damage when he's not sharing carries.

Would love to have big Snell back for his lead blocking, though; pulls by Harvey Dahl and downfield knocks by Justin Peelle can only get us so far. Jerious' change-of-pace can wait until he's in the clear; get well, buddy!

Carolina Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Poor dude's head must be spinning.

Personally, I think for anyone to try to say, with any certainty, where the heck Delhomme is headed is foolish. He was a good quarterback in '04, good enough for several years in between, hit rock bottom with 11 interceptions in two games (ever heard that stat before? Geez, SportsCenter), and now is in some strange limbo of serviceable and certifiable.

Getting after him and maybe getting in his head just a little are crucial.

Hopefully we can shake him with an early sack, though he actually hasn't gone down that much (18 times) despite all the hate, and then remain active enough in the defensive backfield to break up deep balls and cross routes.

Our secondary has seen Chris Owens (unreliability) and Brian Williams (injury) leave the limelight, so I would suggest just sticking with Tye Hill opposite Chris Houston. If we're so sold on Brent Grimes, so be it, but giving Hill and Chevis Jackson multiple series in a row would do some good for everyone involved, if you ask me.

We simply slack off plays too often. Against Washington, it was on short-to-mid routes to big fellas, even though Chris Cooley was out. It cannot, I repeat, cannot be on deep balls come the topical game, and I think you know why.

Steve Smith hasn't been needed a whole lot, but he's always a massive threat. Sticking Houston on him man-to-man is obvious, but beyond that I think sometimes allowing Thomas DeCoud to roam might be smart.

As we saw against Chicago and N.O., Erik Coleman is simply too valuable in the box to place too far back, though.

Thankfully for us, No. 2 Muhsin Muhammad is playing more like a No. 3, and tight ends aren't a huge pass-catching concern here. More go Williams' and Stewart's ways, which is OK considering mighty-mite Grimes faces less of a size disadvantage against them should he need to grab 'em.

Besides that, Coleman has the speed to catch either should they get past Stephen Nicholas, who seems to have become our designated hang-back LB.

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Carolina Pass Defense

"Use it or lose it" doesn't apply to the air game. Or does it?

Nah. Our receivers are going to come back with just the same skills, plus maybe some incentive to make up for their lack of statistical production last week. I don't care if it's for selfish reasons, as long as Roddy White goes wild like he did versus San Fran (or at least Nawlins).

Tony Gonzalez has been called upon less since the first two games of the season, but he was way too effective in the first meeting between these two teams for Atlanta to not go to him two times or more per series. Brian Finneran being questionable only makes the need for a tall target more glaring.

Not that Matt Ryan doesn't know that.

Yes, he's been throwing more picks recently, but I'll readily explain those away: He's been rushed, he's been on the road a bit, and he's passed only in big risk, big reward situations because of how well the running game has been going.

After all, he practices with these guys every day. He knows that when the three (Tony, Roddy, and Michael Jenkins) are on the field together, one of them is open.

If Marty Booker and Eric Weems can offer something up as they have in the past, we can get back to what I wrote about shortly after coming home from Week Two at the Dome.

But then, I haven't even mentioned the sixth-ranked pass offense that we've got to deal with; a ratio of 10 TD to nine INT looks just fine to Carolina, I'm sure.

But check out what I picked up via NFL.com: Though this club is ranked ninth overall in opponents' overall yards per game, they're 22nd in opponents' points per game.

Looks like they're letting up plays when it counts, which is not something you want against an offense that still is among the best in red zone production, despite a lull in late October.

Good news for us is that really only Chris Gamble is all about the man-to-man; safety Chris Harris is much more about containment, which will be harder when facing Tony G, who none of these guys have the size necessary to put the brakes on.

Still, stats are stats, so I can't expect an explosion. I'll settle for well-timed planned detonations.

Prediction: Falcons 27, Panthers 21

Looking at simply the two teams' records going into this one would be a mistake, though I doubt anyone would contend that Carolina is the NFC South-winning team it was last year and so many predicted it would be again in '09.

This is a divisional rivalry (for what that's worth in the pros), and more notably, it's on the road.

I'm like thinking of this one like our trip to Candlestick, but it's not entirely equatable. For one, Frank Gore was hurt for our trip out west, and for another, Shaun Hill had a total meltdown.

It would require Delhomme playing like he did in Week One for us to drub the Panthers as hard as we did the Niners. I see us winning another close contest, though playing both sides of the ball will be critical.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Nine, Falcons v. Redskins

John McCurdy — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:54:46 -0500

For a 2-5 team, the Washington Redskins sure are making a whole lotta noise. Even the occasional ESPN viewer is familiar with the faces of owner Dan Snyder, head coach Jim Zorn, and offensive "consultant" Sherman Lewis at this point, if for all the wrong reasons.

In regards to bossman's words from this past week, I know he didn't make the perfect vocab choices, but shouldn't he feel bad about losses? I mean, do we expect him to be just singin' in the rain over this clueless offense?

Of course, we've gotten a chance to see now what a shift in playcalling duties amounted to (um, nothing in terms of additional point production or cohesion), so this could all just be due to a particularly slow-building chemistry or off-kilter personnel.

But anyway, no matter what's up in the capital, it's pretty safe to say the 'Skins come into my hometown in some degree of turmoil. Not that we're looking completely solid...

Coming off two consecutive losses, both of them frustrating and puzzling considering how well the offense worked early, my Atlanta Falcons want a win badly to get right back in the Wild Card discussion.

Meanwhile, the Redskins want a win (or at least a close game) just as much, as they hope to put anything in the mouths of the pundits besides all the criticisms they're spouting at the moment.

In short, you can wave goodbye to the relatively relaxed demeanors of these teams in the first half of the season. Stuff gets serious, man.

Washington Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

I've always liked Clinton Portis, for his running style, his production, and his outfits (dude, where do you buy your clothes?). No matter how much I feel for the guy, though, I can't lie: The magic is missing to this point in '09.

A lot of blame can and should go the line's way, as they seem to like to play only about 50 percent of the time, but the numbers don't lie. Portis is on pace to barely top 1,000 yards for the season at this point, and while that's not the end of the world in itself, it is when the next most productive rusher on the team has...wait for it...103 yards.

This is not the frighteningly diversified attack we saw on Monday in New Orleans, y'all.

Add in the fact that Washington ballcarriers (that'd be more or less only Clinton and quarterback Jason Campbell) have five fumbles to two touchdowns, and I think our ground D will get a decent confidence boost tomorrow.

I'd expect Jamaal Anderson to be at tackle again, hopefully in less of a rotation with Trey Lewis and more just playing every down. People frequently criticize him for overextending on plays and thereby letting a guy get by, but I'd prefer that over Lewis' half-motoring any day.

Jonathan Babineaux is going to be able to plug the center well considering the blockers he'll face. I don't see him needing to engage two guys at the line for long; the way pulls have been going so far for Washington, he made need only take a step back to collect Portis' momentum and bring him to the ground.

Of course, Clinton is always a threat on the outside or the edge, but we're strong there, even if we rely almost entirely on the linebackers to get runners when they bounce. It's a good sign to me that Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson are actually picking up speed as we progress this year.

I just can't see a team ranked 31st in rushing touchdowns and 26th in rushing yards per game doing much on the ground. Besides that, the Redskins have made it clear that when they get behind, which has been often, they're going to go to the pass pretty much exclusively: They're now 28th in total rush attempts.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Washington Rush Defense

Michael Turner's production last week was like a cool, refreshing can of Diet Mountain Dew Ultraviolet after a long afternoon of sportswriting. And if you don't live like me, then just assume I was talking about a drink of water after crossing some desert.

The point is, the Burner (or is that "the Churner"? Thanks, Ron Jaworski) going for 151 yards with an average of 7.6 per carry was the brightest spot on an offense that was actually generally bright despite the loss to the Saints. The fact that there was no one sharing carries with him actually makes it better, in my eyes; he remained effective despite the defense being able to key in on him.

Of course, the N.O. defense, while vastly improved from the past two seasons, had no Albert Haynesworth in the middle and no London Fletcher with 71 (holy crap!) total tackles in the second level. Going to the outside is probably our best bet, but young 'backers Rocky McIntosh and Brian Orakpo aren't the worst lateral movers in the world, either.

The praise may be mostly directed at Washington's second-ranked pass defense (you know I'm gettin' to it), but the stuffage is nearly as good. Sure, they're ranked 26th on the ground, but their 118 yards allowed per game puts them considerably closer to league leader Pittsburgh (about 77 per) than doormat Buffalo (dear Lord, 174!).

They've also allowed just three rushing touchdowns and forced six fumbles so I think the front seven are holding up their end of the deal just fine.

One of the secrets to our rushing success on Monday was that the receivers sacrificed and blocked in the flat, as I had implored them to do. We'll need even more of it if we're going to deal with a linebacking group just as active as ours and a pretty rock-steady line.

Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White, you know I wouldn't ask you to put yourselves in harms' way if it wasn't really important.

Washington Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Once again I must admit to another of my man-crushes: Jason "Pretty Eyes" Campbell has always been a fave of mine. He comes from the SEC, he's a humble kid, and though he's been hated on for a couple years now, he keeps on tickin'.

I'd have to be completely lovedrunk to not recognize how poorly '09 is going for him, of course. It's very, very far from entirely his fault, as this line is letting rushers through like they're hot chicks trying to get into the club (they're tied for fifth-worst with 23 sacks allowed), but a quarterback of elite talent would be able to overcome that.

Not saying every team needs a QB of elite talent, but I digress. The point is that a touchdown-to-interception ratio of eight-to-seven isn't going to cut it when your run game is as stymied as this.

Part of that is Jason not having a ton of big-time playmakers around him, while another part is Jason just not having the greatest field vision on Earth to find any playmaker. The man is darn accurate though, clocking in at 66 percent despite how often he's hurried.

On the other side, the Falcons secondary actually played a little better against the Saints than they did in their previous week. Not every day a team can claim that they locked down Drew Brees better than they did some other quarterback, but to answer your question:

Yes, we are proud to have held that bad man to just over 300 and to have picked him off once. We're an inconsistent bunch, but we didn't let anyone in particular go crazy on us, despite a massive size advantage for the Nawlins receivers.

And the Redskins' receivers are a considerable step back in size from the boys we just faced: Both Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El are just 5'10" (hooray, Brent Grimes!) and Chris Cooley isn't quite the giant Jeremy Shockey is.

In terms of our rush, it seems like every week I'm counting on Kroy Biermann and just crossing my fingers John Abraham wakes up. It's time to mix it up a little bit, Brian VanGorder, and send Stephen Nicholas after Campbell. Once we get him a little scared, he'll play young as he has to this point.

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Washington Pass Defense

What I hate to see is the upcoming opponent's pass defense ranked No. 2 in the league, but what I love to see is that same unit having pulled in only three interceptions.

Because that's what's been Matt Ryan's true enemy recently. In case you weren't watching, when Ice was still freezing cold (in the good way) at the beginning of the past two games, we moved the ball downfield with conviction and scored on our opening possessions.

Later in the game, however, Matty started to melt a little bit, and, well, you saw the critical picks on Monday unless you were watching baseball. And by the way, what were you thinking if you were?!

Ole DeAngelo Hall is the one and only INT-machine for the Redskins, and while he's a defensive back to be feared (I never doubted the man's skill, just his attitude and contract), when no one else is going to hawk the way he does, I'm much more at ease.

Of course, the high pass ranking must mean something, specifically that we'll be picking up much fewer yards after the catch than we're used to. Gonzo will still truck forward a little bit, but LaRon Landry has the size to stop Tony G. His 34 solo tackles impress me personally, considering he's gone up against some dang fast receivers to this point (Dwayne Bowe, Calvin Johnson, Steve Smith, DeSean Jackson).

Also "pretty OK" at hitting are Reed Doughty and Carlos Rogers. The good news is that neither of those fellas can handle Roddy White one-on-one, meaning that open-field tackles will be their only option.

I'd like to see Jason Snelling involved in the offense again, not to mention Roddy catch more than four of 13 targets, but if we can make up for lost yards after the catch with smart playcalling and otherwise replicate Monday's showing with two fewer interceptions, I feel fine about the O in general.

Prediction: Falcons 31, Redskins 14

We're no elite defense, but Washington has just been struggling as of late, and on the road against a Falcons team looking for redemption is not where they get back on track.

For what it's worth, 'Skins fans, I actually like your team a good bit and would personally give both Zorn and Campbell a vote of confidence until the end of this season. Of course, should they still not deliver with this, something like their 9,000th chance, I might just be left saying "sorry" like Snyder.

Go Birds, beat Hogs; we need this one just a bit more than you.

Do Da Dirty Bird: The Race for the Wild Cards Is On

John McCurdy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:39:10 -0500

Most analysts start warming up their "must-win game" machine a little later in the season than the halfway point. Me, I like to break down the standings after each week, evaluating every individual win and loss in terms of how it affects the playoff race.

Because, in case you haven't noticed, Kornheiser , the season is just 16 games long. What happens now (and even what happened back in Week Three) can change the outcome of the campaign, Wilbon . Dealing a loss to a intradivision rival, an interdivision rival, or even the opposite conference's doormat can pay dividends, Ditka .

Every game is critical, Tirico . You better believe I'm calling you out, you cliche champion, you. I had about enough of his odd-shaped head before the first pregame commercial break last night.

Which brings me to the impetus for this article: My Falcons are now in a tough spot. I didn't expect them to win their MNF showdown last night with the awesome (much cred!) New Orleans Saints, but they are undoubtedly in a hole now.

I wouldn't want you to have to go to ESPN.com and do all the work yourself, so let me simplify the NFC playoff picture heading into Week Nine:

The Saints, Vikings, and Cardinals lead their divisions, and I'm not terribly concerned about any of them. N.O. and Minny look like they'll clash in the conference championship, and the West is garbage.
The NFC East currently has three teams in playoff position: The reemerged Cowboys, the bounce-back Eagles, and the clawing Giants.
Below that, there's the third tier, which includes the Packers and Bears but the best of whom is clearly Atlanta. Still, with just six postseason spots, the Dirty Birds are the odd one out...

And so it comes down to it: How do the Falcons fight back into the upper echelon of the conference? There's a few different scenarios I could see playing out, but first, a couple assumptions. Yeah, I know what they "make out of you and me":

Dallas is going to make it, either via the division title or one of the wilds. That makes the concerns in that division the two teams we have games left against.
Chicago will at best tie our record, in which case our head-to-head advantage will give us the nod, and Green Bay will suffer playing four of its last six on the road, not to mention seeing the 'Boys and Ravens come to Lambeau.

Overtake the Slipping Giants

It's the most obvious path, though not necessarily the most likely. N.Y. gets to play a lot of games at home down the stretch (though they do go to Denver and Minnesota) and still have their bye coming to catch a few winks.

In terms of what's going wrong with this team that's lost three straight, including the embarrassing crushing from Philly, I'm not really qualified to say. I study Atlanta football, dude, and just watch the rest. But if I had to pass some sort of judgment, I'd toss a wary glance towards their secondary and then mumble something about Eli Manning's consistency.

Thing is, of course, they're not a bad team. They're certainly playoff-caliber and partway into October were 5-0. For every "down" for Peyton's lil' bro, there's a big "up," that running game still is potent, and the D-line can take over a game.

Obviously, the Week 11, Nov. 22 trip up to the Big Apple is of supreme interest to Dirty Bird people like me. Who knows what teams we'll see on the field that day...

What, you want an actual prediction?

With a gun to my head, I'd say the G-Men are still struggling, while we've pulled ourselves up. But it's entirely possible the tables will be turned.

Fly Higher than the Eagles

I picked 'em for the NFC Championship back in August. They made me look stupid when Donovan McNabb went down, then even stupider when they baffled in Oakland, then maybe less-than-dumb this past Sunday.

The skill position talent is there in spades, but their O-line was just bad-mouthed (them's fightin' words, Tom Jackson). Even worse (or better, if you're talkin' to me), their schedule is the toughest of our competitors, Pack and Bears included: They've got both games with Dallas to go; trips to San Diego, Chicago, and the Giants; and the Broncos coming to town.

Never before have I had so many favorite teams added to my list at once!

But seriously, I doubt Michael Vick's return to Atlanta on Dec. 6 will be the story when the Brothers that Love come down here. Not to sound like a certain guy—first name Mike—that I bashed earlier, but it's going to be a battle with a lot on the line.

Home-dome advantage, as always, will help, and as long as we key in on DeSean Jackson and make some other receiver beat us, I like our chances.

Get Shot Down

Writing this goes against my typical vibe, but it's a possibility I can't ignore, and something that became much more real last night. Once again, not because I expected us to beat the Saints; more like because I just don't like to think about this sort of disappointment unless I have to.

The Giants could return to form, and they wouldn't even have to do it right away. They'd want to beat us, but they could probably drop the game to the Chargers, rest up and get their minds right, and come back with a vengeance.

The Eagles could be all they can be, as McNabb could have a great second half as he did in '08 and Brian Westbrook could stay healthy. They might lose when they go to Cowboys Stadium, but otherwise, everything is winnable.

Or, we could even see our heroes defeated by the Bears or Packers. Chicago has their two games against the Vikes left, but beyond that, there's just a trip to Baltimore. And GB has the 'Boys at home at Pittsburgh on the road, but little guaranteed trouble.

Thinking about the remainder of our campaign—because when it comes down to it, a team is always "in control of its own destiny" (thanks again, Tirico!)—I see a 6-3 finish. We can split or sweep the remaining two against the AFC East, go 2-1 versus the NFC East, and 3-1 in division.

Will a 10-6 mark be good enough for the playoffs? It'll be good enough for a tie in the Wild Card. But will we have the head-to-head edge with whomever shares our spot?

Oh, the speculation...

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Eight, Falcons @ Saints

John McCurdy — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:33:34 -0500

We're a full day away, and yet I already know what song will be stuck in my head tomorrow:

Dun dun dun dunnn...

(Da dun, da dun, da dun)...

Bum bum bum bum bum bummm...

And from that, I suppose you've gathered that, aside from the fact that I'm a young Frank Sinatra with my singing voice, the Dirty Birds will be doing battle on 2008's No. 1-ranked cable TV show. What a terrific chance to catch my Falcs in primetime and actually, I don't know, do some work on Sunday afternoon!

But that's about where my excitement ends, considering who Atlanta faces. I'm just going to let the facts do the talking.

New Orleans Rush Offense vs. Atlanta Rush Defense

That's funny. Is NFL.com's stats page messed up or something? Because every offensive category I click on, the New Orleans Saints appear on top.

Gee whiz, I was expecting this for the passing categories, but I did not realize just how well-rounded this attack is.

Looking specifically at what they do in the run game, we've got three threats to deal with—and that's about one-and-a-half too many, judging by how we've played on ground D so far this season. Yes, we controlled the Dolphins, who since have emerged as an OK team, but they didn't (and can't) vary the attack the way the Saints can.

Mike Bell's punishing downhill style softens things up for Pierre Thomas, and then Reggie Bush comes in to screw up your plans once you think you've got everything figured out.

I guess I can take this away: I was right in one of my preseason articles that Bush won't ever be a feature back.

But that doesn't really matter when his team is killing it like it is right now, does it?

I wrote on this site a week ago, and still believe in it: Jamaal Anderson's switch to tackle is going to continue to help in "stuffage" (I'm a genius when it comes to making up words, in case you haven't noticed). He showed good footwork on a couple of plays last week, once snatching Marion Barber from behind at the line when he might have otherwise picked up seven, eight, or 15 yards.

Of course, we also allowed Tony Romo 31 yards on the ground, a staggering number considering my evaluation of the man's scrambling technique.

Anyways, in case you've yet to gather what I think is going to happen in this particular unit matchup, I'll just regurgitate a few digits for you:

The Saints are third in the league in rushing yards per game, tied for first in rushing touchdowns, and tops in total points despite already having had their bye week. The Falcons are tied for 26th in average yards allowed per rushing play.

Atlanta Rush Offense vs. New Orleans Rush Defense

Despite my frustration with Week Seven's end result, all thing considered, the run game did seem to take a step forward. Michael Turner ended up with 50, but Jason Snelling (remember me begging for more playing time for him?) got 68 and helped us actually best the 'Boys in terms of overall yardage.

Still, there's the undeniable fact that Dallas is just a middle-of-the-road defensive team, while the Saints are, all of a sudden, very solid stoppers.

Wait, did I just say that? For everything I got right in that aforementioned preseason article, it appears there's something I'm eating my words on...

For a team that guns it like Nawlins does, you wouldn't expect such stalwart play, but it's all too true.

I predicted the Scotts (Shanle and Fujita) to again rise to the occasion, but underestimated just how well Jonathan Vilma would play in his homecoming. And then there's that darned secondary, which includes two-thirds of the Saints' top six tacklers.

Specifically, I'm afraid of Roman Harper and his four tackles for loss. I also look at Snelling and Turner, two top-heavy guys, against fast fellas like Harper and Jabari Greer, and I cringe at the mental picture of our backs just toppling when the smaller corners and safeties nip at their heels.

It could potentially be a long night.

In terms of factors in our favor, I might mention that Saints tackle Sedrick Ellis is out, but I'd just get laughed at. "Backup" (not for long!) Anthony Hargrove is just as dangerous, if not more.

Still, allow me to give credit to offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for getting creative (and getting results) last week. Who knows, maybe Snelling is the solution and will start to open things up for the Burner as the season goes along.

As we saw last week, a more threatening rushing attack will pay dividends (at least in terms of number of options) in the passing game. Defenders can only concentrate on so many threats at once.

New Orleans Pass Offense vs. Atlanta Pass Defense

I bet you thought the praise for the N.O. "O" was over. But wait, there's more!

This team is sixth in passing yards per game; fourth in completion percentage, passing touchdowns, and yards per pass; and third in passer rating. But really, I'm taking the easy way out by just citing the numbers.

A qualitative analysis will make fellow Atlantans even more sick to their stomachs.

Marques Colston's continued emergence isn't that big of a surprise, as he already more or less stopped my heart with shock by producing the way he did prior to '09 after being a seventh-round pick, but Devery Henderson being as reliable as he has been truly is. I know, I'd dismissed him as way too small, too!

The fact that Jeremy Shockey might be slightly hampered by his shoulder tweak is encouraging, but just barely. He's still a body we have to cover, and considering how well we covered individual threats last week in the secondary (Miles Austin simply must be cheating somehow), we may need to double Shock with both a linebacker and a corner.

Which will leave us open to one of the Saints' other guys, like Robert Meachem, Lance Moore (remember, he was predicted to be a starter at one point), or, worst of all, the crafty Bush. He just has way too many good moves in the open field. You know we're going to let him catch it (unless Thomas DeCoud plays like he did in the first quarter against Dallas for a whole game), and he'll then proceed to pick up yards, or more like points, after the reception.

Judging by the Falcons' performance against the Cowboys, it looks like the injury to Brian Williams is going to hurt us way more than I thought. I wouldn't have guessed that the ACL of a last-minute cornerback signing was going to be more important than the ACL of Harry Douglas, but it looks that way. Poor Brent Grimes is just too inconsistent and gives up a lot in size, especially to Colston.

Atlanta Pass Offense vs. New Orleans Pass Defense

It'll be the key, considering this is the only category in which we might be able to measure up to our opponents. We've had games in which the aerial assault looked like the best in the league, and though last week was not one of those occasions and we are now facing a much better secondary, there's always a chance when Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White are involved.

Shanle, Fujita, Harper, and Sharper all match up decently against Gonzo, certainly better than most of the defensive stars we've faced. It sounds like I'm on repeat, but I must say again: The solution for this is to mix things up every play.

Mularkey seemed to agree with me against the Panthers in Week Two, but since then, we've strayed from the successful pattern in favor of giving the running game more chances, and only just now gotten results as Snelling's been carrying the ball.

Hot Rod led the team with 50 receiving yards last week, but to beat the Saints we're going to need a true standout performance from him. Looking at last week's box score is fun, as pretty much everyone who caught the ball got double-digit yardage, but it ended up not being all that effective to share the ball in that way.

Of course, what stung particularly bad against the 'Boys last week were the two picks. It goes without saying that the resulting point swings decided the contest there in the second and third quarters.

Just a little while ago I was citing the steadiness of Drew Brees, and that serves as a perfect contrast to Matt Ryan's passer rating.

Get it straight: I don't think that Ryan's performance is declining; indeed, he remains as cool as he was when I praised him a couple weeks ago. But he doesn't seem to be seeing things as well as he did earlier in the campaign.

Then again, in our most recent outing, it didn't help that the line (just a little less than seven days after hushing the Bears' rush) let Ice get sacked four frickin' times. Saints ends Charles Grant and Will Smith are doing particularly well in getting to the quarterback thus far, so we better take note and improve protection.

Finally, I'll just mention Eric Weems' production in the slot last week, when he made both catches on throws targeting him, picking up 33 yards. A rotation of him, Michael Jenkins, White, and Tony G would do us some good.

Prediction: Saints 41, Falcons 24

Yep, the eternal Dirty Bird optimist is a little down heading into this one. It's going to be a heckuva lot closer when it's in our dome, but after seeing the Giants get dismantled in the Big Easy, I can't pretend we're going to stop these guys from scoring.

Meanwhile, their D is more than good enough to hold our offense to an "average performance" (hope you're reading, Alex R. and Derrick S., who gave me hell back in May for my assessment of the Saints' offseason improvements on D).

At least I know what I'm watching Monday night, right?

(Yeah, this, until my stories come on.)

Do Da Dirty Bird: Jamaal Anderson's Positional Switcheroo

John McCurdy — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:38:55 -0400

If you've been reading this column with regularity, you've heard a lot from me about our defensive line. Apparently, I'm in love with Kroy Biermann, a John Abraham fan for life, and part of Peria Jerry's personal cheerleading squad.

(If you haven't been reading this column with regularity, why not? I'm at least good for a laugh here and there...)

What the people haven't heard much about from me, however, is my opinion on Jamaal Anderson. I've found it irresistible to make a couple snide remarks here and there (like that Anderson's a "nothing" specialist) and was content to mention him as a glue guy in my comparison of our trenchmen to the NY Giants', but I have yet to truly wax analytic on the man we spent an eighth-overall pick on in 2007.

So here's a brief summary of the history of my feelings towards No. 98 up to about two weeks ago:

When he was drafted, boy howdy, was I excited! Let's get some up front pressure to go with Keith Brooking, yeah !
After he did close to nothing in his rookie campaign, I knew he just needed a year to break in, and was predicting some eight to 10 sacks from him last year.
As he completed '08 with a whopping two sacks in 15 games, I quit hiding my disappointment and more or less relegated him to my "one more year to prove himself" list.

The big guy started this season slowly while pet project Kroy came on strong (two sacks in Week One against the Dolphins), and I pretty much forgot about Jamaal. Maybe he can come into the rotation here and there, give Biermann a breather, you know?

Then the coaching staff just simply embarrassed me by making a brilliant move before I'd even pondered it. Apparently, so many other fans already had (check one of my favorite outside Falcons blogs, the Falcoholic, for a lil' retrospective on the issue ), which is turning my face all the more red, since I thought I was so good at coming up with creative ways to get struggling guys into the action...

They inserted Anderson as a starting defensive tackle against the 49ers in Week Five, and while he did not shine, it's become obvious that he's not the kind of guy who will.

What he did do was play steadily, for a few reasons. Note that these also serve as reasons that the former Razorback might just be better suited to his new spot than the one he was assigned to for so long:

He hasn't been able to get to the quarterback all that often, but he has that "motor" that prevents him from being a liability against the run. I'd much rather see a guy come off the edge at the opposing team's QB while the interior remains wall-like than a hole open up for a potential DT sack.
Once he makes contact and gets tangled with a blocker, he deals with it better than perhaps even Abe does. No disrespect to my man John, but he's always been better when he redirects a tackle and gets on his own; Jamaal is so much better at gaining leverage, though no one watches for that kind of stuff.
He has youth and size to set him apart from your typical Shaun Rogers, Alber Haynesworth, Kris Jenkins, or Vince Wilfork. He doesn't play anything like these guys, and while he'll never produce the way they did in their primes, his attack is different and has a chance at throwing off enemy O-lines. They aren't prepared for his energy or the way he ties up a blocker, which means either opposing run-blocking will suffer or one of our ends gets to the signalcaller.

To boot, we need another defensive tackle in the rotation while Peria Jerry is out. Once he's back (yeah, I know, NEXT YEAR...don't rub it in), the two can complement each other nicely as Jonathan Babineaux continues his rock-solid play next to them.

I think I'm becoming known as a "rah-rah" kind of guy, and that's just fine. So I'm taking my optimism to new heights by believing in this switch and supporting it as a permanent change; are you really surprised?

Do ya thing, Jamaal.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Seven, Falcons @ Cowboys

John McCurdy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:23:49 -0400

Most of the time, I'm going to side with my favorite propane salesman ever. But this week, Mr. Hank Hill, I'm going to have to turn on you and your team for my Dirty Birds.

A trip to Dallas would have had me sweating two years ago, even last year (as long as we'd met them this early in the season), but it's becoming more obvious by the day to me what the Cowboys are: a ground-bound bunch that needs to pray for some other teams to trip up if they want a Wild Card.

On the positive side for them, though, it looks like "America's Team" isn't easily blown out either. I doubt anyone out there has been floored by victories over the Chiefs (you really needed OT?) and this year's iterations of the Bucs and Panthers, but coming within two points of the Giants and a touchdown of the Broncos says a lot.

The Dallas running game lends itself to slower-paced ball. While I don't pretend the Falcon defense can dictate the tempo while they're on the field, at the same time the Atlanta Offense will have all the say when they get out there under the bright lights in the new stadium.

Still, it would be wise for folks like me to keep this in mind: Should the Cowboys win, both clubs will be locked at 4-2, second in their divisions, with early schedules looking mighty similar. The future, however, appears much rockier for us than our competitors (which you best believe includes the 'Boys).

Dallas Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

Not all that often you see a pro team with this much balance in the backfield, but I've pinched myself hard enough to know it's no dream. Three guys over 200 yards already, and all of them have been used to score. Worse yet, Marion Barber, Tashard Choice, and Felix Jones (who's questionable for Sunday as I write this, but still...) have diverse skill sets, making them much more difficult to prepare for and successfully counter.

Then again, take a look at how bad we shut up Matt Forte - 1.5 yards per carry - last week, and I don't know that the disadvantage is as big as it could possibly be. In other words, we're still going to give up some serious yardage on the ground, but there are worse teams in the league at stopping the run.

I hate how many times per game we have to rely on Mike Peterson and Curtis Lofton to grab the ball carriers. Whether or not it's how the linemen are handling their blockers, the angle opposing backs are taking, or just straight-up player error, that's something for me to analyze as I watch this game. The point is this: Jonathan Babineaux hasn't had a significant wrap-up of a runner since the Dolphins game, and John Abraham is obviously concentrating on getting his pass rush to where it was last year.

The blocking the Cowboys are doing is largely getting overlooked, as most blocking typically does, but the fact that stars like Jason Witten and Roy Williams are throwing themselves into the fray in order to provide protection for this rush attack should be mentioned. In reality, it's only because of their work that exists.

OK, that and Barber's outright distaste for being tackled.

I would suggest to my own guys that we take a containment approach; I'm far less afraid of Tony Romo, even with time in the pocket, than the trio of tailbacks. Backing off a blocker at the line after initial contact to ensure that a stop gets made - even three, four yards into the run - might be wiser than motoring it all afternoon.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Dallas Rush Defense

Looks like "Dirty Doubter" (check an old DDDB ) is winning out: Michael Turner is not going to be among the top five running backs in the league again this year, let alone will he have 1,700 friggin' yards. Not that that makes him any less valid of a player, but you'd be blind to not see that we're leaning on the pass game more and more.

I don't think it's so much about the blocking, and it's certainly not about the Burner's skills. He still moves like he's got tank treads for legs and churns way after contact. He has the exact same mentality he did last season; he doesn't care if he's small, and he doesn't care if you're going to stack three guys on him for a stop, he'll charge just the same.

But teams are better prepared for him now. He's not the underestimated former backup anymore. And unlike the last two teams we've faced, Turner will not be getting to the second level automatically. That's not because the Cowboys line is that great, but because the linebackers are just that good.

Keith Brooking (that traitor!) is still doing the thing he did for us, leading his team in tackles. Bradie James is killing it too, and then there's the little-known (wink wink ) DeMarcus Ware...but more on him in another section. In short, there are plenty of guys who can meet Turner at the line if Jay Ratliff falters (which he's doing less and less).

More concerted efforts by the Birds would be nice to see, even if it means "wasting" a slot on a traditional fullback on the field. We haven't seen my boy Ovie Mughelli for a minute, and Jason Snelling has been a receiver in the last few outings. Why not give 'em a chance to do what they were born for?

I'd even be OK risking Tony Gonzalez...no, that came out wrong.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if we want the run game to start clicking, everybody better chip in.

Dallas Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

To me, it's a bald-faced truth. I'm curious as to what you Dallas people say.

Tony Romo is just not the answer in this situation.

He has made me eat my words a few times, I'll admit, but I do not trust his mechanics and certainly not his decision-making. He's improved both in earlier seasons, but I don't know if he hasn't already hit his ceiling here in year eight.

The aerial assault of the 'Boys could be considerably better without Terrell Owens, as everyone predicted before the season began. We saw last week that big plays can come from either Williams or someone like Miles Austin. And besides that, Tony's got the second-best tight end in the league (who is that first guy, hmm?) as a bail-out option.

Speaking of, we're going to have some trouble covering him and his ridiculous 6'5" height, but I digress...

My point is that the improvement that we should be seeing isn't clear yet, and even against the Falcons' up-and-down secondary, I think the edge goes our way. Remember what Thomas DeCoud did to Jay Cutler last week, and then turn down Cutler's passer rating to the mid-'80s.

Of course, the good news for Lone Star folks is that you guys won't really need to pass the ball all that much, so opportunities for Romo to screw up won't come all that often. I'd love to think that means we can move Chris Houston or Erik Coleman up in the box for help against the run, but then Tony will probably have one of his good days...

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Dallas Pass Defense

Allow me to wax footballisophical for a moment:

The blitz works, in part, because quarterbacks fear the blitz. If a man had no fear of being hit, his mind would operate under pressure exactly the same way it does in practice.

But it doesn't; dudes pump the ball, scramble, yell, lock in on receivers (or become blind to them entirely), and that allows them to get hit while still holding the ball.

Now take into account that Matty Ice was sacked zero times last week while facing a Bears D that was supposedly one of the best at rushing in the league. He threw two picks, but in both of those instances, he made a decent throw. This is a signal caller that stays..well, you know..."cool" under pressure.

Is he going to be flustered by a Cowboy blitz that obviously has a ton of potential and skill but has almost immediately lost its reputation for hitting opposing QBs this year? They've fallen from up-and-away league leaders in the '08 season to 23rd. I mean, where are you, Ware?

I think Ryan will act just as he does in press conferences: poised and wise beyond his years. And I'll more or less guarantee you that, against the Cowboys' defensive backs, one of his favorite targets will be open on darn near every play.

Just take a look at the numbers: Dallas is 26th in passing yards allowed per game and a dreadful dead-last (32nd...do numbers go that high?) in picks. They play with way too much cushion, which is especially bad news facing Roddy White and Gonzo.

Of course, with our success to this point through the air, it's not like the 'Boys won't at least try to focus on that aspect of the game in practice this week. If we become predictable, we risk becoming vulnerable...

But when we can go to Roddy once, Jenkins next, Finn or Snelling or Norwood after that, and Tony G at any given time, how predictable could we be?

Prediction: Falcons 30, Cowboys 27 OT

Please, Dallas devotees, note the "OT." Your team is very good, better than the record shows, and I'm giving you a nod here in addition to all those that I've given throughout (as a refresher: Your running game is diverse and downright scary, I'll give Romo the opportunity to surprise me, and Ware and the rest of the pass-rushers are itching for a breakout).

But when a pass offense like ours gets matched up with a pass defense like that of the Cowboys, I just can't not give us a win.

One more look at the numbers: All four Dallas secondary starters are among the team's top tacklers. Congrats on your stats, but the fact that you got credited means your opponent caught the ball .

Watch and learn, Romo.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Cred to a Mean, Not-So-Lean O-Line

John McCurdy — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:38:57 -0400

Off the bat, lemme throw a number at ya: two. That'd be the number of sacks the Falcons' offensive line has allowed through four games. They've been pitted against the likes of Jason Taylor, Joey Porter, Julius Peppers, Adalius Thomas, and Parys Haralson, and yet they've stood stout. We're tied with the Colts (yep, those Colts) for fewest sacks allowed in the league. Such a ranking stands out when you consider who we have under center: A quarterback with outstanding pure passing skills but only modest mobility and not a whole lot of experience. The security that Matt Ryan is afforded by the trenchmen augments his already savvy-beyond-his-years mentality, and it's adding up to a darn productive air game. But see what I did there? I dropped Ice's name, and collectively referred to those protecting him with just one word. To reverse the trend of lumping a team's linemen into one nondescript noun is the aim of this edition of DDDB.

Begin Slideshow

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Six, Falcons v. Bears

John McCurdy — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:37:52 -0400

"Da...Bearss, da Bearss, da Bearss, da Bearss..."

If you're not feeling my SNL reference, I hereby pronounce you clinically dead. There are no fans more super than Mike Myers and Chris Farley.

Anyway, that's who's coming to the Georgia Dome this weekend (not Myers and Farley, silly, the Chicago NFL franchise), and I'm gettin' pretty ready for some Sunday Night Football. We've got ourselves a couple of 3-1 teams, both second in their division, comprising two-thirds of the three-way tie for the two Wild Card spots.

I may or may not have just referred to the "Wild Cards" barely a quarter of the way into the season. Sorry, it's just the way my brain works. I hunger for success, especially that of the back-to-back winning seasons that has so eluded my Falcons.

Truth be told, the patient and cerebral pigskin spectator (they might exist, you never know) may have even more to enjoy from this game than biased boneheads like me. Jay Cutler versus Matt Ryan will be a glimpse into the crystal ball; a lot can be told about the future of NFL quarterbacks from these two. We're also bound to find out what happens when an upstart receiving corps faces an equally upstart secondary.

It's looking like I might have to miss my first Dirty Bird home game this season—darn you, national media and your crowding of our press box—but I'll savor this Sunday nonetheless.

Chicago Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

In his rookie season, it took Matt Forte a few weeks to catch people's attention. By the end of the year, though, most people had him ranked among the top five backs in the league, and even a homer like me is going to admit that 1,238 yards as a babe is pretty good.

Now, here in his second season, it has taken Matt Forte a few weeks to do anything at all of note. Two weeks ago was a beast of a game against the Lions (who I may no longer call the worst team in the league, records considered), but before that, he averaged 2.2 yards a carry in the first two games and not much better against the Seahawks in Week Three.

Whether or not that performance against Detroit was a reemergence, we won't know for a while, but I would definitely hesitate to say he'll replicate it versus Atlanta. Jonathan Babineaux is no creaky Grady Jackson, and while Detroit's linebackers are coming along, they don't swarm the way Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson do.

Chicago's offensive line has underachieved to this point in my opinion. Orlando Pace and Olin Kreutz are old, sure, but they're great players and should be opening up holes in more effective fashion than they are. Not to mention protecting Cutler a little better, but more on that in a bit.

I think it'll come down to Forte getting about 60 yards on the ground, but the Bears will rely on the pass, as they have in 75 percent of their games to this point.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Chicago Rush Defense

Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood looked like a mighty fine one-two punch last week, as Burner got close to triple digits and Norwood played the traditional change-of-pace back role well. I'll go ahead and say that's bad news for a Bears run stoppage that quite nearly succumbed to the Steelers' two-headed monster less than a month ago.

The Falcons will need to mix it up, though obviously Turner is still the heavy lifter. As in our San Francisco showdown, I see him having little trouble getting to the second level, but once he's there, he's got some hard-hitters to watch out for. It would be foolish to underestimate Lance Briggs and his 27 (24 solo!) tackles.

Chicago also struggled when faced with a single back in Seattle, though perhaps that was more Julius Jones' doing than their shortcoming. Still, they have not proven themselves particularly stout: 90 yards to the Lions?

The Bears have done a great job overcoming the loss of Brian Urlacher, but note that Hunter Hillenmeyer, who isn't as big of an in-game factor as Nick Roach but is increasingly becoming a field general, is still feeling some pain in his rib.

Blocking was solid for us last week; I would have expected Patrick Willis to make a few more plays. Needless to say, I want more of the same here.

I see Turner managing a first down on his own per drive. Obviously, that won't be enough to get us even in field goal range, but he'll do the necessary (keep the opponents honest) so Ryan can work some aerial magic.

Chicago Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Give me a break, OK? It was two full months before the season, and I don't think even you Bears fans saw it coming.

Yes, in a previous DDDB from long ago I asked if anyone was "home" in the Chicago receiving corps, and the team has answered with five guys with double-digit receptions and three guys averaging 13 or more yards per catch. Hey, a lot of that has to do with Cutler, so cut me some slack...

But I'll fess up that Earl Bennett and definitely Johnny Knox are exceedingly impressive to date. The Bears have been led in receiving yards by three different guys (Devin Hester is of course that third), and Cutler is enjoying a situation quite similar to Matty Ice's in that he really can't go wrong when he puts it up.

What's a Falcon secondary to do? Focus on two guys, lock 'em down with Brian Williams and Chris Houston, and hope that "what's behind door no. 3" isn't a monster game from the one we don't stick. Erik Coleman has done a terrific job covering up mistakes to this point, but this air offense is likely to present even more trouble than the Pats' was in Week Three.

Then again, if we can hurry Jay with as much frequency as the teams before us, it won't be such an issue. He's made serious strides since that cringe-inducing debut against the Pack, but the fact remains that he's been sacked eight times already. Not the worst stat in the world until you realize that the team has faced a defense worth anything in only half its contests.

John Abraham had a big one on Shaun Hill, which was encouraging for us who have felt like he's been absent since the Dolphins game, but he still only had two total tackles. I continue to plead for more from him (earn that salary, man!) and more Kroy Biermann in general.

C'mon, D-line; Pace is aged, Chris Williams the opposite, and there's little depth at the other three spots. Not that y'all haven't performed at all to this point, but make the defensive backs' lives a little bit easier.

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Chicago Pass Defense

The second straight matchup analysis in which I must open by swallowing my pride: Yes, I did indeed say that the "Bears' secondary is obviously the Achilles' heel of [their] D." Admit it, though: Everyone thought that before a few shifts were made and some young guys stepped it up huge.

Not sure enough can be said about Danieal Manning, who went from corner to safety to leading the team in tackles so far this year in just his fifth year out of Abilene Christian (same school as Knox! What're they feedin' 'em over there in Tex?). But it'd be a crime to overlook Zack Bowman and Charles Tillman, who are third and fourth on the team in takedowns, respectively.

And for you who think the tackle stat isn't all that counts (I know, I know, you're right...), let's just consider that Chicago shut up Aaron Rodgers pretty good (150 yards) and really has only looked bad against Seattle. No, Detroit does not count, considering the flow of that game.

As the Bears' passcatchers may well be the best we've had to face, their pass defenders might be too, but I am still just as high on my Falcons wideouts (and Godly tight end) as I was after the Panthers game. How could I not be after Roddy White broke a franchise record last week and Tony Gonzalez got 55 while really only be targeting in two quarters?

One thing the Bears don't do is make plays on the ball; their three interceptions speak to their tendency to tackle after the catch. Plays into our strengths, doesn't it, considering Gonzo's build and Roddy's 80-something-yard run after a 12-yarder against the Niners?

On the line, it's a no-brainer that we've got to watch out for Adewale Ogunleye. He's making my words from that infamous earlier column iteration look mighty appetizing...as in, I might have to "eat" them. Four-and-a-half sacks already? Al Aflava and Alex Brown are clearly doing more than I thought they could in terms of occupying blockers.

That being said, Matt's not going to fall but maybe two times, and I don't think anyone can completely shut down our attack through the skies. This will be the key, though.

Prediction: Falcons 31, Bears 28

Gonna be a nailbiter, though maybe not quite to the extreme that last year's matchup was. Let me say this: That third team who's contending for the theoretical "fourth-of-a-season-Wild Cards," the Eagles, they don't have an ice cube's chance in...

Oh, wait, it's the Eagles. Nevermind.

More killer NFC football coming right up!

Do Da Dirty Bird: A Casual Chat With Jeff George

John McCurdy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:24:51 -0400

B/R has made it worth my time to be here, I tell you what. The experience of my editing internship, the chance to read some great writers, meeting some friends, offering me a featured columnist position, building my library of clips, setting me up with a phone interview of Falcons head coach Mike Smith and now...

Another, with former Falcons quarterback Jeff George! The name stirs some deep, primal memories for me: rolling around in ecstasy on the blue (yes, blue) carpet of the den in my old house, celebrating our 1995 playoff run; wrestling the Sega Genesis controller away from the bullies at daycare so I could use my hometown guy in NFL Quarterback Club...

But I'm boring you. Here's the transcript of our immensely enjoyable little talk.

John McCurdy: Since it was Gatorade who hooked us up, the first thing I want to talk about is back when you won the Gatorade Player of the Year Award. Now that it’s been some years and so many great athletes have been named for that award, can you kinda put it into perspective for me? What does that mean to you?

Jeff George: You know what, I’ve really been asked that a lot. It’s hard to believe it’s the 25th anniversary of the Player of the Year. To be quite honest with you, that was probably one of the greatest moments of my high school career. Being the first-ever national Player of the Year was pretty special. I felt like it was something they could never take away from me. I think if you ask any high school athlete “Which award would you rather get?” (and I know there’s a lot of them out there now), the Gatorade award would probably be the Heisman of high school football to them. So it was an honor to get that.

JM: For sure. Well, I’m a Falcons writer myself, live in the Atlanta area, was born down here, so I’m going to go ahead and jump to some Falcons questions. Your name is the first quarterback name that I remember in terms of Falcons. That was right when I started [watching], in the 1995 playoff run, that’s one of my earliest football memories. So tell me how your skills fit into that run & shoot offense that we ran back then.

JG: Well, the thing about the run & shoot is there are really not a lot of people that can play in that. I don’t know if you remember, but Brett Favre was there two years before I got there. You take a lot of hits, and you need to be able to have a quick release and get rid of the ball. What’s amazing is the negative press that you get about the run & shoot, which we heard every year, that “You score too much, you score too soon, you don’t give the defense time to rest.” That was always the negative point, but I loved it. I was great friends with [then-Falcons head coach] June Jones, who’s now at SMU. He’s one of my best friends. I wish the time that I spent there would have been better than it was, but timing’s everything, and it wasn’t the right time. It wasn’t the right time for me in Atlanta.

JM: To tell you the truth, I look back at your numbers, including one season of more than 4,000 yards, I think you did alright. I think you did OK taking us to the playoffs.

JG: Well, you wanna get to the playoffs and ultimately you want to go to the Super Bowl. But it was transition years when I was in Atlanta. You had new ownership going over. You can’t just go get new coaches year-in and year-out. Even before I got there, it seemed like every two or three years there was a new coach. You need some stability, you need that continuity, and you need to develop chemistry, not just in the organization but as players. But I tell you what, Atlanta’s a team to beat now, I believe. Wonderful organization, they’ve got a great quarterback. They’re obviously going to do some good things.

JM: Speaking of the current Falcons, what do you think it would be like to play for Coach Smith, and have Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez in your offense? How would that be different from when you were playing?

JG: Well, the difference would be the run & shoot, obviously. If you don’t run the run & shoot, you’re a totally different team, your concepts are totally different. Your thoughts on defense are a lot different. Nowadays I would love to go and play in a system for more than two years. I’d love to be in that same system for 10-plus years and have the type of defense that Coach Smith has there. You hear the old cliché “Defense wins championships,” and that’s the honest-to-goodness truth. So they have what it takes now. They’ve got a great owner, got a great coaching staff, and they make it easy on the players. In the offseason, they make the free agents want to come there and play, and I’m not so sure they could say that in the past.

JM: Mr. George, just talking to you, I’m kinda getting the feeling that you might be able to coach or take a front office position. What do you think about that?

JG: Yeah, that’s always a possibility, but coaching takes a lot of your time up. I have a family, and you kinda want to see your kids grow up. I don’t want to be one of those dads that’s never around for his kids. But if the opportunity came around, and maybe something in the organization, not coaching but something else, that’s something I obviously know. I know a lot about football. There’s no doubt that I could help somebody out, in whatever capacity that may be.

JM: That’s what I’m thinking. Now, I read recently that you’re still staying in shape. You still keeping that up, you still throwing the ball?

JG: Yeah, I do, three or four times a week. I’m 40 years old, and I know that sounds ancient to a lot of people, but if you take care of yourself, watch what you eat and drink, you never know. I just want to make sure that if I do get that call, if somebody needs me to play next week, I just want to make sure I’m ready for it. That’s what I do and I would definitely be ready for that.

JM: Going back to your years in Atlanta, just some rapid-fire questions, just say whatever comes to your mind first. Who was your favorite teammate from back then, those ’94 and ’95 Atlanta Falcon teams?

JG: It’s hard to pinpoint one. I was close with Eric Metcalf, who was my receiver, and Terance Mathis. Jamal Anderson wasn’t playing at the time, I had Ironhead Heyward, I don’t know if you remember him or not. Those guys, just from being around them all day, and hanging out with them, I’d probably say Terance Mathis and Eric Metcalf.

JM: Sounds good. Thinking about that particular playoff year, would it be that playoff game that you played in, or maybe was it an earlier game that season, that was your favorite memory from that season?

JG: Absolutely. The Falcons hadn’t had a lot of success before that, and to take any team to the playoffs is an accomplishment. I still have that game jersey of when we played at Lambeau Field. From a couple of the hits that I took, the jersey’s still stained with the grass on it. That’s in my basement. That was a wonderful memory for me, and that was a great accomplishment for our team. Obviously we wish we’d gone farther than we did, but we made great strides, and Atlanta became a team to be reckoned with two or three years later after I left. I like to think I had something to do with that.

JM: You certainly did. That team very much set the foundation for that Chris Chandler-Jamal Anderson tam that came along later. Now, if you’d be so bold, can you give me a number: How many games the Falcons will win this year.

JG: Number of games? I'm gonna say 11.

JM: Alright. We have a much more difficult schedule [than last season] because we finished second in the division and because we’re matched up with that AFC East.

JG: That’s OK though. You have the right guys: You have the right quarterback, you have the right running game, you got a great defense. Most importantly, you got a great leader in the head coach. When guys believe in that guy [the coach], and you want to play for guys like that, it’s amazing what you can do out on the field. The environment that’s there in Atlanta is nothing like it used to be.

JM: I’ve actually gotten the privilege to talk to Coach Smith a couple of times, and you’re dead on. That is a guy that those players would follow to the ends of the Earth.

JG: Right.

JM: Now, I’ve read that you and Randy Moss are pretty good buddies. Tell me what you think about the Pats this year.

JG: Yeah, Randy’s a good friend of mine, I played with him that year in Minnesota. If you stay away from the injury bug, and you keep your stars out on the field, your receivers, you quarterbacks, and your defensive guys, you always have a chance. Whenever you have a guy like Randy who’s out on the field, it doesn’t matter if you two or three guys on him, the guy seems to be always open. It’s just our job [as quarterbacks] to give him the ball. He was a pretty special guy to throw to, and it’d have been nice to have more than a couple years with him.

JM: I’d say so. OK, it’s very early, obviously, but if you had a feeling as for who might make it from the NFC, who might make it from the AFC, to the Super Bowl, could you make a call?

JG: Boy, that’s a tough one. It’s early. I’m all about defenses, who has the strongest defense. In the AFC, I’d probably have to say…well, I don’t want to go with the obvious, because everybody’s probably picking the obvious, but I’m gonna say Pittsburgh can probably get back if they get their guys healthy. They’re gonna be back in it. And then in the NFC, I think if Donovan McNabb can get healthy and stay healthy, I kind of like Philly’s chances.

JM: That’s actually exactly what I was thinking. I was saying in the NFC, we might have Vikings and Eagles, and then over in the AFC we might have Steelers and Pats.

JG: Yep, that’s pretty good.

JM: Well, I really appreciate your time, Mr. George, I know you gotta fly. It was excellent to talk to you, and thank you for what you did for the city of Atlanta.

JG: I appreciate it John, good talking to you.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Five, Falcons @ 49ers

John McCurdy — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:05:08 -0400

This edition of DDDB must open with an apology: It's been over a week since you Falcons fans have had a chance to hear my nonsensical ramblings, and that's just not OK. I want everyone to know that I'll be annoying you all season long. I signed up for this "Featured Columnist" thing with the intention of sticking with it.

Not to make excuses, but I faced a lot of time constraints last week with the new job. I'm overwhelmingly thankful to have such great work, but it does cut into B/R opportunities.

And besides that, the performance against New England in Week Three was so nondescript that I couldn't even bring myself to analyze it much beyond one Monday conversation with my pops. To think, I had just lauded the line by comparing them to the Giants, and they go and do that...

Anyway, it's time for a triumphant return of Falcon football (it will have been a whole two weeks!) and that which goes with it: John McCurdy's unabashedly biased game previews.

Let's talk about our trip to Candlestick.

San Francisco Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

We get a bit of a break with Frank Gore being hurt. OK, it's a big bit of a break; dude went off against the Seahawks in Week Two, and he's been catching some passes beyond that, too.

But with his multiple foot injuries, it's Glen Coffee that we'll have to try to stop, and that's nowhere near the same challenge. The boy from 'Bama is a highly intelligent football player, but his more gangly frame has proved easy to take down when compared to Gore's cannonball of a body.

Case in point: The Niners have not managed 100 yards on the ground in either of the games that he's gotten the majority of the carries. He's going to have to get far more in-tune with the pro game before he can take his unusual (for a running back) build to high yardage totals.

Not that the Dirty Birds are so adept at stopping the run. A couple of weeks ago, I paid Fred Taylor some deserved compliments in my Week Three preview and then promptly began ignoring the New England ground game again. And you see what the "old man" did to us.

I think a lot of Taylor's success had to do with the Pats' offensive line just manhandling our defensive trenchmen. A pretty crappy (more bashing for them later) SF O-line isn't going to be able to do that, but we still will rely on Jonathan Babineaux in the middle and linebackers Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson on the edges a little too much.

Hey, Jamaal Anderson, is it too much to ask that you make an occasional stop?

Still, the 49ers' run is suffering without Gore to the point that even if we need the 'backers to make every tackle, we'll probably hold them under the century mark.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. San Francisco Rush Defense

It'll be good for Michael Turner—with his frustrating performance against the Patriots his most recent football memory—to let some of his anger out. The Niners are conveniently providing the punching bags in their defensive line.

Sorry, was that harsh?

But in all seriousness, these guys can't stop the Burner. Justin Smith is a rusher (though he hasn't been doing much, considering Willis leads the team in sacks); Demetric Evans, Kentwan Balmer, and Ray McDonald are amounting to a revolving door. Isaac Sopoaga is underrated, but he's in a situation similar to our own Babs: If he's the only guy on the line committed to stuffing, how can the unit be consistent?

But that's the line. I haven't gotten to the linebackers, who Turner will inevitably reach and unavoidably be stopped by.

I knew Patrick Willis was swallowing people whole, but who led Takeo Spikes to the fountain of youth? Their lesser-known compadres, Parys Haralson and Manny Lawson, are racking up tackles this season, too. Around the six or seven-yard mark is where you shall not pass, Michael.

Of course, if Turner picks up six or seven every time he touches the ball, then it's all good, but that's some "McCurdy syndrome" (repeating myself). I've said that before, and it didn't turn out just how I wanted it...

Bottom line is, this game will not require mixing it up with runs; it will require good, old-fashioned beatdown runs from our main back.

San Francisco Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

The Falcons' secondary is bad, blah blah blah, I sure hope our young corners don't get in one-on-one situations, blah blah blah.

It's unnecessary to go through all of that again—if you haven't heard it from me, you've heard it from some other pundit at this point. But it's also not all that important to address considering these San Francisco wideouts.

Isaac Bruce, you are a modern marvel of a man; if you want to continue your career, more power to you. And Josh Morgan, you're, um, OK.

Michael Crabtree, you're not in the state of California just yet.

Yeah, those who are tuned in to the NFL know just how much the 49ers rely on tight end Vernon Davis to catch passes. He's the key for us to cover, and while we don't have anyone who matches up well with a 6'3" 250-pounder (who does?), when there's only one target to block up, things are simple.

Simple enough for our defensive backs? I think so.

Shaun Hill has been pretty efficient, passing at a 62.3 completion percentage and making me eat my words from one preseason article. But he's only getting more predictable as time goes on, and if we stop Coffee a few times, we'll really only need to deny Hill the two options of Davis and Bruce.

Then there's that "protection" he's been getting, to the tune of 13 sacks already this year. And against such impressive defenses as...Minnesota and...oh wait, that's it.

Besides, I'm really liking our acquisition of Brian Williams (seven solo tackles against NE), and Chris Houston is getting warmed up.

Why exactly is SF taking its time to sign its Red Raider darling?

Atlanta Pass Offense v. San Francisco Pass Defense

Strangely enough, Matt Ryan had his worst week yet against a secondary that everyone had questions about. Yes, "worst week" was 17-for-28 for nearly 200 yards, but two things jump out at me as negative: No TDs, and just one completion to Tony Gonzalez.

Looks like Gonzo is the key.

In the previous two games, he caught for over 70 yards, and that actually resulted in more yards for everyone else. It's pretty obvious: Defenses key in on him, sometimes employing a double-team, and Michael Jenkins and Roddy White capitalize on man (or better) coverage. Tony G had 16 yards last week, and that meant only Jenkins could break out.

Unfortunately, the Niners have a better chance of matching up with Gonzalez than the Dolphins and Panthers, and maybe even the Pats. Four athletic linebackers, all of whom except Spikes move well laterally, can take turns on our man.

I would say that will allow White, Jenkins, and Marty Booker to get in the middle ground, but the way won't be so clear if safeties Michael Lewis (who's off to a torrid start) and Dashon Goldson are called to move up sooner, as I'm sure they will be.

My solution would be to put Brian Finneran in as a second tight end (or tall receiver, however you want to look at him) and overwhelm the opponents on passing plays. Obviously, we're not going to line up two big guys on every set—that'd just be irresponsible, considering White and Jenkins both can beat Niners corner Nate Clements (even in his solid '09 form) in man.

But we've got to find a way to either get it to Tony or at least to someone in his range with part of his after-the-catch skills.

I'll go ahead and toss out there that Shawntae Spencer has surprised me so far this year. Pretty easy to do considering I didn't know the man's name before Week One, but he's another one of those smart ballplayers for sure.

Prediction: Falcons 31, 49ers 14

The San Fran air game is just too predictable that our guys will allow them in the end zone more than twice. I can admit we don't have a stellar run D, and it got thrashed in Week Three, but Coffee is no starting tailback.

The Burner will partially return to form, but I'm thinking that his overall 2009 form isn't going to be what last year's was. I know, "thank you, Captain Obvious," but I was holding out hope he was going to have 1,400 yards this season, and it's feeling much more like 1,100 at this point (not that that's bad, just saying).

I'm very much looking forward to seeing Willis in action, especially against "The Gonz." Too bad the opponents' O is going to be such a yawn.

Do Da Dirty Bird: I Hope It's Not Too Late for Us, Matt Ryan

John McCurdy — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:35:11 -0400

I was almost done with last week's ode to the Atlanta receivers when I realized I was only singing half the praises I should have been. I mean, who throws them the ball?

It's sad that I've kept it inside for so long. Now is the time to profess my love for Matt Ryan.

Yes, the season is quite young, and more importantly, Ryan's career is quite young. A lot was made about his performances in the five losses last year—he threw more than 30 times in those games and only those games and had three TD to four interceptions—but it is an undeniable fact that the Falcons have had success through the air with him at the quarterback position, and he is at least half of the reason why.

Several things about him stand out and point to him not crapping out, though. Most importantly, the dude's cool; we call him "Ice." He's calm in the pocket, despite not having great scrambling ability, and absolutely does not get frazzled by a sack or a pick.

In the brief time that I've been part of the credentialed media and thereby privileged to listen to the young man at his postgame press conferences, he has come off to me as beyond his years and extremely intelligent, yet still friendly. He knows how to deal with us quote sharks, responding mostly in buzzword rhetoric, but I actually like him more for that.

He knows it's lame and not exactly what we wanted to hear, but it keeps team chemistry intact and always leaves us with a positive, if ambiguous, vibe.

Last week, he took total responsibility for the INT he threw. Praised Marty Booker for running his route well and just admitted that he got the ball to the wrong guy. He also made fun of one of his passes when someone asked if it had gotten tipped:

"Nope. Just a duck."

Awesome, hilarious, and a good sign that he takes things like that into perspective. By the way, that "duck" was caught for a Dirty Bird TD.

Looking at last season's game-by-game stats, Ryan got better as the season went along. Looking at his numbers two games into 2009, it seems as though he's going to cruise along at that improved level as the offense sorts the new catching options out. Sounds good; I'm pretty content with around 225 yards passing, a couple touchdowns, and a completion rate darn-near 70 percent.

The sophomore slump already seems laughable for some reason. After seeing this guy under the lights at the dome, checking down his options until he finds just the right one, and then seeing him before the mic, charming a roomful of press, I don't see it happening. Not that he won't have a bad game or two, but...is he really just a second-year player?

But I'm starting to regurgitate here, and that's something I dislike on B/R as much as...you get the picture. Allow me to inject some analysis into this column by addressing my main concern for Matty: injuries.

Probably by typing it I've jinxed him. He's done just fine so far, putting up with stingers and not getting in harms' way. Protection must continue to improve, however, if he's going to survive a Bears-Cowboys back-to-back with a Redskins clash and Giants contest in November. As I said, Ryan isn't exactly known for his evasion.

But here I am coming back to the positive: "Not being known for his evasion" really isn't a knock on a quarterback. It's a plus to have the running skills of a Vick or the build of a JaMarcus Russell, not a necessity. What is necessary is to have the presence of mind to pick the correct target and get it to him with some zip.

Ryan does that. So as long as the O-line keeps him on his feet and Michael Turner keeps defenses semi-honest, why should Ice get any worse?

Why shouldn't I go ahead and wax poetic on the man who might just be a franchise savior? Because it's too "early"?

If you'd lived here in the Dirty, you'd know relief couldn't come soon enough. Besides that, Matt's one season of production and hot start to the new campaign are pretty much sufficient for the label.

So here it is, in document form, my expression of gratitude and affection for No. 2. It's inexcusable it took me so long.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Three, Falcons @ Patriots

John McCurdy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:06:03 -0400

Sept. 27, 2009, the date of my Atlanta Falcons' game against the New England Patriots in Foxboro, Massachusetts, was staring me down across time. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Dirty Birds meeting the perennial powerhouse.

I started believing we could win this game. Whether our offense really is improved from last season or Bill Belichick's group really has lost its edge, NE being favored by three-and-a-half is looking downright generous.

The Falcons caged the Wildcat in a major way in Week One, allowing just one garbage-time touchdown to the Dolphins, and then showcased what might just be the best passing game in the L (there, I said it) against the Panthers in Week Two.

The Pats, meanwhile, squeaked by the Bills and lost to the Jets, despite having all the motivation in the world to stop 'em.

It is absurdly early to assume New England has fallen from grace, but, oh, how to say this: I could probably find a way to control my sorrow if they do. This is not a bunch to which I pledge any allegiance.

They look just unsure enough to become prey of my Birds.

New England Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

First, a look at the raw numbers: The Patriots have run for 73 and then 83 yards in their two games.

Now, a look at the names: Fred Taylor (old!), Lawrence Maroney (underachieving!), and Kevin Faulk (not a workhorse!).

Of course, this is New England we're talking about here, so who really gives a flip about their ground game, anyway? The way the ball flies up there, keeping opposing defenses honest is less than necessary.

I'm confident the Falcon 'backers can swallow up any Pat tailback, especially considering how the pair of great pairs that have come to the Dome has been controlled. Curtis Lofton's youth is obviously rubbing off on Mike Peterson, and Peterson's skills are quickly being absorbed by Stephen Nicholas, and it all amounts to barely needing defensive tackles.

Speaking of, we did indeed lose Peria Jerry after the knee injury last week. This game could have been a confidence booster for the soft-on-run-stoppage tackle, but I'm more lamenting that he's one less pass rusher we can throw at Brady. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

New England simply does not come out of the I like we do with Michael Turner. I've got a lot of respect for Taylor, as he's certainly making Jax look foolish for letting him go with no fight, but I'm considering the typical Belichick offensive gameplan and finding fairly little to even discuss here. On to bigger and better things.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. New England Rush Defense

A-ha! Now here's a team that'll hit you in the mouth.

The Burner was a lot more productive last week, though one should certainly mention that the Panthers' stuffing seemed to not be trying. Michael very much meets his physical match in nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who seems like he should be getting old by now but totally isn't (it's just his sixth year out of the U!).

Ty Warren is great against the run too, and while Jarvis Green is known as a rusher, in truth this is a versatile line that sums to just about the toughest unit Turner will face this season. Note that the Patriots opponents' rushing totals have been darn near as low as NE's themselves—just 90 and 117.

The Falcons are going to want to mix it up. Jason Snelling coming out of the I, as he did a couple of times last Sunday, should be just the beginning of keeping the Patriots off Turner's scent. I don't see Jerious Norwood being horribly effective on reverses (much love, but when has he ever been?), so I'd prefer the different looks to simply be different points of attack with a fullback in front each time.

Gear up, Ovie Mughelli!

In terms of the second level, the Patriots have very much replaced their big-name corps with some store-brand stuff, but they've all got the potential to evolve, and that's going to keep stuff interesting. Gary Guyton played his head off against New York, but Jerod Mayo looks to be out for sure. Of course, he and Adalius Thomas (the lone holdover from the Super Bowls) are more rushers, anyway.

In all honesty, the ground game on either side isn't really going to tell the story, though I'll quickly give the nod to my squad as to whose is better. The New England front seven is somewhat better than Miami's, but I see a similar if not slightly better performance from both the line and the backs.

New England Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

But now let me hop down off my high horse to admit that if ever there were a mismatch, this is one. You've got one of the best wide receivers in the game and the best slot receiver in the game going up against, well, a group that has shown very little ability.

That's not to say Brian Williams doesn't look like a significant step up, nor that Chris Houston had a bad game at all last week, but the two things I've harped on several times since the beginning of the preseason—Chris Owens' lack of awareness, Brent Grimes' lack of size—will get abused by the Pats at some point in this game.

Besides that, even if Williams and Houston ran at full speed all game long and un-necessitated the occasional Grimes appearance, no one can shut down both Randy Moss and Wes Welker for an entire game. Not with Tom Brady throwing to them.

The best chance is to rush and eat up what is suddenly being regarded as an "overrated" offensive line with our defensive trenchmen, like the Giants did in '08. I choose you, John Abraham!

In reality, it will take Abe, Jonathan Babineaux (hopefully occupying two blockers), and always feisty Kroy Biermann to put pressure on the pocket. But we've got a good chance of doing it with those three guys, and maybe the occasional safety or corner coming way 'round.

I just want Kroy earlier and more often. Why Jamaal Anderson got the start at the end spot opposite Abe last week was puzzling; why, after a dominating performance against the 'Fins, would he be relegated to late-game play only? For sure, we'll need him from down one in this game.

In terms of dealing with Brady himself, I'm not all that concerned. He is very much still the passer and cerebral player he once was, but it's looking like that knee is going to bother his mobility, and that (combined with the O-line seemingly degrading) is going to take away a chunk of his effectiveness.

Yeah, a chunk, because Randy will still steal balls out of the air, and Wes will be places we didn't imagine him being. That's how New England rolls.

Atlanta Pass Offense v. New England Pass Defense

When I got back from the game on Sunday, I gushed just a little bit about our passing game. I'd thought it looked solid against Miami, but a few certain things that occurred against Carolina screamed "even better."

I'm mostly thrilled about how everyone seems able to contribute in most situations. One would expect Tony Gonzalez to be a terror on third downs, and he sure as heck is, but we also went to Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, and Marty Booker when we just had to have that first, and we had success. We've also had Norwood, Mughelli, and Snelling (even Burner caught one last week!) catch the ball.

It amounts to an overwhelmed opposing secondary. Sure, the Panthers' is nothing to write home about, and the Dolphins' is merely "good," but New England hasn't faced a particularly good receiving corps (sorry, T.O. and Lee Evans, but Fred Jackson led the team in yards) either.

Newcomer cornerbacks Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden both had good games against Buffalo, but against the Jets it became apparent that it was just because the ball was in their neck of the woods more often, as their stats evened out. Same goes for safeties Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders, and note that not a one of these guys has a pick yet.

And you know what makes me feel better about dealing with the Patriot rushers? Think back to how we handled Jason Taylor and Joey Porter of the Dolphins. The Pats bring more from the line with Green, but their Tully Banta-Cain and Thomas don't equal the trash-talker and No. 99.

Besides, as Matt Ryan said at the press conference last week, "I'm not a rookie anymore."

Ice has truly been stellar behind his quietly improving offensive line, but I'll save that for another article.

Prediction: Patriots 24, Falcons 17

We have the firepower to keep up for a good amount of time, but I think going into Gillette will take its toll on our psyche. It's not that Matty will be nervous, Turner out of it, or Gonzo the least bit uncomfortable—it's just that it's Foxboro, and you're supposed to lose there.

It should be close. Another breakout game from Biermann could do 'em in, but for now I guess I'll be humble and safe. It's been a long time since this team was doubted or disrespected, so one has no idea how they'll respond as the media begins to get a bit down on them.

People talk about how this is a big game for us, but it's just as big for them, after dropping one in Foxboro to a hated rival. Not that you nasty Bostonians would ever abandon your team if it did poorly.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Falcons' Embarassment of Receiving Riches

John McCurdy — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:05:56 -0400

There's nothing "relative" about the Falcons' receiving corps any more. Anywhere, anytime, to anyone, they kick tail.

Yes, I'm on a bit of a delusional high having just got back from the crushing of our rival Carolina Panthers at the Dome. But I doubt I'm alone when I say what was once considered a weakness on this team—the void that prompted us to use several high draft picks on wide receivers in the middle of the decade—has become the strength of our strengths.

No disrespect intended to Michael Turner the Burner, who very much turned up the heat in Week Two with over 100 yards. And same goes for Matty "Ice" Ryan, who can seemingly do nothing wrong.

But between Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Marty Booker, Brian Finneran, and Tony Gonzalez (good lord, Tony Gonzalez!), much love was spread and many TDs were scored this nasty afternoon in the Dirty.

The numbers look fairly similar to last week, both in terms of total yards through the air (229 to 220) and distribution (five different guys with double figures yards, each). Makes it look like we remained pretty even, but allow me to explain the key difference, one that showed that the offense actually improved:

We were completely unpredictable today. Last week, guys were effective here and there (namely Jerious Norwood, White, and Jenkins), but when we needed the yards badly, we went to Gonzo. Towards the end of the game, if we were stalling, everyone knew where the ball was going.

Not saying it's a bad thing to use the top pass-catching tight end ever as your fallback receiver.

But had we continued to do that this week, I have a hunch that the Panthers would have caught on, and the Patriots (with their secret cameras) would have definitely been ready for it in Week Three.

But today, Gonzo (who's had over 70 yards in both contests so far), even though he led the team again, was just "one of the guys." Several times when we needed that first down, we mixed it up and went to Roddy, Jenks, or Booker. Carolina simply could not handle them all.

It's one of those classic DDDB ideas that you all know so well, and it's becoming increasingly true. Aren't you glad you read my column?

This progress is merely a sign of a process, though. We're working with our new tool (Tony G) and finding more and better ways to incorporate him along with White and the rest of the regular wideouts.

It's not like we forked over that money to Roddy a few weeks ago so that he could play second-fiddle.

For one, the Falcons don't play fiddles or other such bluegrass-y instruments; they're more rock-and-roll. I like to think of it this way: Gonzalez, White, Jenks, Book, the whole crew, every one of them can shred an electric guitar solo (of a catch) should the song (play) call for it.

Right now offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is experimenting with the band he has, and because of their all-around, top-to-bottom quality, even though he's just fooling around, he's getting amazing results.

The great thing (or more accurately, one of the many great things) is that Mularkey can continue to tweak. We see a truly elite secondary for the first and last time in Week Nine, when the 'Skins come to town. No disrespect to the Jets, Bills, or Philadelphia's Asante Samuel, but in terms of defensive backs, our receivers have the table largely beat.

Going forward, I hope for even more balance and unpredictability. I honestly have little trouble imagining a game in which Ice throws for 240 yards, of which 60 go to Gonzo, 60 to White, 60 to Jenkins, 30 to Booker, and 30 to Finn. Or insert Norwood (assuming he's alright after today), or Snelling, or Mughelli...

Catch my drift?

I can see why some people might be a little bit distressed at the fact that the man labeled (and paid) as No. 1 hasn't topped 50 yet. Roddy is apparently happy, though, and the key for literally every member of the team (Ryan stressed this at the postgame press conference) is winning.

That's what the Dirty Birds are doing. Ron Jaworski would tell them:

"Play on, playa."

And I would echo his sentiments.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Two, Falcons v. Panthers

John McCurdy — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:50:21 -0400

Looks like the Birds are going to catch the Cats in a weird situation.

First, there's the obvious quarterback issues, what with Jake Delhomme imploding how he did on Sunday and A.J. Feeley being signed as the new backup after Josh McCown got hurt. Turmoil at this spot in particular is never welcome.

Next you've got the disappointing play of the offensive line, the unit I would have called the strength of the Panthers' O until they gave up five sacks and let Eagles linebackers run rampant. Even the trenchmen themselves admitted that they let pressure find Delhomme all day.

Then you see the aberration that is their defensive chart from last week, and you've just got to be puzzled how Thomas Davis managed 14 solo tackles while Jon Beason got four and Na'il Diggs just two. Good to see a Dawg break out like that, but where is the balance?

And to wrap it up, you've got little concerns - like the fact that DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart got not only the majority of the carries, but also the majority of the receptions, while Mushin Muhammad had four catches and Steve Smith had only two (?!) - and it begs the question:

Why is Carolina playing like this?

Can't answer that myself, but I will tell you it gives the Falcons an even better chance to pull this victory off in the Dome.

Carolina Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

Chances are you've heard, either from me or a reputable source, that the Atlanta line kicked butt last week. They shut up both Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams and certainly were not having any of that Wildcat nonsense.

You've probably also heard that Carolina's fearsome backfield duo had some problems, and though their split was nice and clean, the team must be hoping for more than 72 combined yards from Williams and Stewart. These guys are the most savage pair of tailbacks in the league, after all.

We Dirty Bird fans can only hope for more of the same from both units involved, plus a little more of the magic that Curtis Lofton, Michael Peterson, and Stephen Nicholas worked in the second level. Falcons hitters were like magnets to ballcarriers on Sunday (fast-moving, hard-hitting magnets, that is), and I can see more of that coming, though the two-headed monster will inevitably have a revival.

The question is, to what extent will their revival be? Blocking just straight-up stunk (Tony Fiammetta should be on the field now, not later, if they want to win), and the line obviously needed to shake off some rust. They're good, but DeAngelo and Jonathan can't cause the reversal all by their lonesome.

I see the Panthers allowing not quite as much penetration as the Fins, but still a good amount. Hopefully Peria Jerry is feeling both healthy and encouraged by his key run stop last week, and will be inspired to continue working on his clogging skills. If not, there's always Jonathan Babineaux to go to war (and get nowhere near enough credit), so that takes care of the middle.

And between the three starting 'backers, someone can meet Williams coming on the outside.

This is not a guarantee that we will smother the excellent Panthers' running game, but it is a prediction that Carolina will not rebound entirely and Atlanta will not totally drop off.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Carolina Rush Defense

Judging solely by the stats, the Falcons' ground game projects to do a job similar to that of this past game, though perhaps with better production from the periphery. Note that the Panthers D gave Philly's Brian Westbrook 64 yards while Miami gave Michael Turner 65, but also that Philly had five different guys gain 11 or more yards at a time. Last week, the Falcons' second-place rusher had two total yards.

Of course, in order to duplicate the success the Eagles had, we're going to have to actually give the ball to Jerious Norwood a few times in running situations; not to say he was bad in a pass-catching role last week, but a more traditional "every-third-carry" approach might work just as well here. And heck, give Ovie Mughelli the ball some more, even if just for the chance of seeing him dance again (awesome!).

The Panthers line left a lot up to the linebackers and secondary last week. Julius Peppers was his normal self, but Damione Lewis and Tyler Brayton looked timid. For that matter, I'm surprised Beason let Davis get so much of the spotlight; he's got to come out hungrier for this contest.

Still, it's awful hard to bring down the Burner once he gets his legs churning (ever heard that before?), and unless Davis has the same sort of explosion he did, finding Norwood on the outside could be a challenge for the increasingly laterally-challenged Diggs. If things are left to safeties Charles Godfrey and Quinton Teal again, we'll have gained too much already.

Carolina Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

See how I haven't praised the Falcons' D as a whole yet, but just the line? Yeah, that's because the secondary didn't get a single test last week, and that's causing me to have reservations as we near this divisional matchup.

I've said this one in the past, as well: Our corners have done nothing to impress. We done good getting Brian Williams and immediately inserting him into the starting lineup, but if at any point Smith, Muhammad, or even Dwayne Jarrett faces Brent Grimes or Chris Owens in one-on-one coverage, I'll be cringing.

Earlier I said that Williams and Stewart couldn't possibly produce as poorly in two consecutive contests, and that's even more true of Smith. Unless, I guess, the Panthers pass protection really is that weak and Jake is throwing it for five picks again.

Smith, and for that matter, Muhammad, both have a veteran mindset and a certain will they can impose. Obviously Steve's is more significant, but either has that "knack for making plays that shouldn't happen" simply because they've done it so many times before. Seems to me that even if Feeley comes in by the second, they're both going to put up more yards.

But then, if Feeley replaces Delhomme, we just come back to the question of the line holding against the rush. Kroy Biermann won't have multiple sacks in two straight games, but John Abraham could bring more heat, which might actually be worse.

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Carolina Pass Defense

Assuming the running game is a bit more productive, the Birds won't have to rely on Tony Gonzalez and his miracle hands as much as they did against the Dolphins.

Here's hoping they do anyway, 'cause it's just so satisfying to watch Matt Ryan-to-Gonzo first downs. Teal at least has the height to maybe disrupt one heading for Ton', but otherwise, the Panthers are going to have to devote a lot to controlling him.

Meanwhile, Carolina's going to be dealing with a very different class of receiving corps. No disrespect, but a toddler could tell you the difference between DeSean Jackson and Roddy White or Jason Avant (who?) and Michael Jenkins. There are some good defensive backs that will be thrown at Atlanta receivers - both Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall looked great - but my record's going to skip again as I repeat: Too many threats, too few matchup corners.

Peppers will be something a little new for our O-line, but don't disregard the fact that Matty Ice had enough time for 229 yards last week while facing Jason Taylor and Joey Porter. Not analogous, I know, but give Sam Baker and his beard a nod.

There's just not a good reason to believe that our air attack will be worse than it was last week. I was wary of Jason Allen and Sean Smith, but once we figured out to go to Tony just enough to keep them guessing, the Fins got shredded. Is Carolina's secondary any better?

Prediction: Falcons 27, Panthers 17

Carolina is a good team, and probably should have lost to the Eagles by a score of...I dunno, 35-21.

Last week, they were not that "good team," though, and I can't think of a reason that they'll return to NFC South-winning form completely.

Meanwhile, the Falcons overachieved on defense, but could have done better in terms of gaining yards on the ground. You get a little give-and-take, but we're going to be about the same, if maybe a little more porous.

It goes without saying, but it helps that this is at home and early in the season; if Delhomme's got his head screwed on right by the time we're visiting NC (that'd be Nov. 15), the game will be even closer.

Do Da Dirty Bird: D-Line Looking Like "Giants Lite"

John McCurdy — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:20:10 -0400

When it comes to defensive lines in today's NFL, it's safe to say the New York Giants take the cake.

There's no doubt in my mind that the Vikings' and Cowboys' units are elite, and as always, Pittsburgh and New England make it into the conversation, but the G-Men's front four won a Super Bowl, lost their biggest name, and then got better.

So comparing the Atlanta Falcons' trenchmen to the Giants', even if I do use the qualifier of them being the "Diet" variety, is a decent accolade. And a lot to say at this point in the season, but it's not unwarranted; the similarities are striking.

First, look at John Abraham and tell me he doesn't remind you a bit of a combination of Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. Like Strahan, Abe brings veteran leadership to a young group, and like Osi, he's a presence on every play.

All three are as tough as nails; he was merely "probable" for yesterday's tussle with the Dolphins, yet still recorded two sacks and made a nifty jump-back move to bring down Ricky Williams as he was getting away.

At tackle, we've got a couple of young guns in Peria Jerry and Trey Lewis to approximate Barry Cofield and Rocky Bernard. Peria, assuming his rib injury is minor, has a chance to contribute just as much as Cofield did during his rookie year, albeit in a different way: Cofield is a run-stopper, while Jerry is a rusher. Lewis mans the middle similarly to Bernard in that both are nearly mistake-proof.

As for our Chris Canty, I'll see that and raise you a Jonathan Babineaux. Much like my man Demondre' was saying not too long ago in one of his articles, Babs is underrated in a huge way. He's a clog for sure, but more importantly, he has athleticism that lends him versatility; he showed it off yesterday with a big tackle for a loss.

To me, Lawrence Sidbury is the spitting image of a developing Mathias Kiwanuka. He can play end or outside linebacker, he can come from a standing position or three point stance, and he makes plays both behind the line and in the second level. Time will tell if Sid gets enough playing time to make good on the potential he showed in the preseason, but the skills are there.

In terms of depth, we can't match the Apple, but we can offer up Chauncey Davis and, if he ever decides which player he wants to be, Jamaal Anderson to the Blue Boys' Dave Tollefson and Fred Robbins. Perhaps it is Jam's destiny to emulate Robbins rather than be a standard off-the-edge terror; maybe someday he'll be a great glue guy for all the troubles he's having now.

And who is the Birds' Justin Tuck? Glad you asked, I've been itching to love me some Kroy Biermann.

Anyone who saw him play yesterday cannot possibly be doubting Falcons brass' decision to maintain faith after selecting him in the fifth round in 2008 and watching him battle Maurice Lucas in the offseason. Kroy was an absolute monster yesterday, sacking Pennington twice and getting a massive special teams stop en route to five total tackles. It's good to see him get the starting nod so early; looks like the staff knows what's best for long-term success this season.

Yesterday's season-opening victory over Miami wasn't surprising ("immensely satisfying" would be a better way to put it). But my eyes most certainly were opened by the way in which we won it: Defensive domination.

The line turned into a pile the second the ball was hiked, preventing Ronnie Brown from cutting up the middle, and we stopped Williams on the outside seemingly just in time each time. Lots of credit to the starting linebackers, who were one-two-three on the Falcons' list of top tacklers, but the line proved to be the perfect complement to the active 'backing corps. And note that it was a lineman who picked up all the sacks and all four tackles for a loss.

My Dirty Birds have plenty of tests to pass this season, including the Pats in two weeks (where it will be the secondary that needs to step up), but this front four has me excited.

Excited enough to start making comparisons to the greatest line in ball.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Cuts Like a Knife

John McCurdy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:00:09 -0400

September is pretty far from the holidays. I guess we're closer than we were in July, but we ain't hearin' no sleigh bells.

For some people, September is the straight-up antithesis of the holidays. I'm talking, of course, about those NFL players who become casualties of cuts when the deadline for final rosters comes.

It's a necessary evil, an inevitability, a "difficult [thing] every year," according to Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith.

Call it what you want, but it's part of building a team.

Yes, taking players off a team is part of building a team. Who is cut and who is kept conveys important messages to the guys: "work on this," "more is expected of you with this," or maybe "we're depending on you." And when the men get this info, they can refocus themselves, get better, and improve a team.

So what do the Dirty Birds' 2009 cuts tell us?

Coach Smith had only this to say:

"They [the cuts] will be different this year because we're so familiar with these guys now."

Cut: WRs Aaron Kelly and Troy Bergeron (Bergeron signed to practice squad)

Both Kelly and Bergeron fit the "tall, lanky" receiver stereotype, rather than the "short, explosive" slot-back idea. They are also very youthful, Aaron being a rookie and Troy just a one-year vet.

Unfortunately for the two, what the Falcons needed to add to their receiving corps was a new guy for the slot (after the loss of Harry Douglas) and some experience to complement Matt Ryan's freshness. There was room for one long fellow, and the spot went, fairly unsurprisingly, to the healed Brian Finneran. Eric Weems and Marty Booker, respectively, will fill the other two roles.

My personal reaction? Dirty Birds brass made the right moves, including picking up Bergeron for the practice squad. I hate that I won't see him leaping over an unsuspecting corner at some point this season, and that the 6'5" frame of Kelly may never fill out an Atlanta jersey, but Weems was my favorite receiver through the preseason and Booker showed he could still catch.

Really, decisions for the the WRs didn't require a whole lot of thought. There is potential with Kelly and Bergeron, but there was no reason to take a gamble on either. Perhaps Troy will develop some more down the road.

Cut: RB Thomas Brown

I hate to see a good Dawg put down, but this makes sense. Tommy just didn't do anything to impress, though he got plenty of chances.

One could count on one hand the number of effective runs Brown had this preseason; for that matter, you could probably count the number of effective runs he's had in all three of his preseasons on one hand. He's just too undersized to impose his will.

He has that "high motor" classic of small backs, and is a determined young man, but he could not contribute on returns, let alone from scrimmage. Pretty obviously, his best days were at UGA.

Jason Snelling retains his spot at third on the depth chart, and this is definitely going to help the team. In terms of carries, Snell won't ever be relied on for much, but he more and more is looking like a solid RB/FB hybrid, and he'll never shy from a block.

Cut: LBs Robert James and Jamie Winborn (James signed to practice squad)

Neither guy saw extensive exhibition action, but James at the very least did what he could with his time, topping out at four tackles in the Ravens game and getting three in two others. Well, I guess that's why he got the practice squad nod.

Winborn as a Falcon just wasn't meant to be, I guess. Though he managed three solos against Baltimore, we've decided to work on project Spencer Adkins instead. Honestly, I love Adkins and am pleased that he's on the regular roster, but I do wonder if he'll contribute at all besides special teams. As one of six 'backers to make the final cut, I should hope he can...

But we have vets Tony Gilbert and Coy Wire to step up should any of the starters falter, so I can see where we might want Spencer to get as many in-game reps as possible so he can hone his skills. And in the end, wasn't it me that picked him as one of the Falcs' top prospects in an earlier DDDB?

Cut: QB D.J. Shockley (signed to practice squad)

If you've been reading this column, you know how I feel about ole Deej. He just is not playing with the confidence of a pro quarterback, and it's understandable considering the utter lack of burn he's gotten.

But that doesn't mean we can just give the man a roster spot, not when he went 10-of-26 in the preseason and never once had a game with a completion percentage of 50 percent. His competition for the third QB spot, John Parker Wilson, never looked exactly poised, but he did manage three-of-three against the Lions and 13-of-19 against Baltimore.

In my opinion, Shockley needed to be run in some Wildcat plays this preseason, or perhaps even at the RB or WR positions, just to ease him into being a part of this team. He played like someone who'd been out of football for three years, which I guess he more or less has.

Honestly, though JPW performed better in exhibition, I'm crossing my fingers we never have to go down to him in a game, for obvious reasons. Good thing Redman's a rock of a No. 2.

Cut: DT Vance Walker, DE Maurice Lucas, CB William Middleton, S Eric Brock (Walker and Lucas signed to practice squad)

Here's a handful of defensive names that you might recognize. Of them, I can only remember Lucas doing anything of significance in the preseason, but then again, I was mostly looking up at the heavens when the second- and third-string D was in.

As in, "Please God, will you help 'em out?"

Neither of the rookies in this group (Walker and Middleton) deserved an outright roster spot, for sure, but I'm a little surprised it's Vance who got on the practice squad and not Middy. Not every day a fifth-rounder at a thin position gets dropped like that, but William did not help his case.

Then again, his competition was pretty awful too, but that's once again going into the topic of a previous column and is therefore unnecessary. Just view my profile and catch up if you're that interested!

I was pretty sure Brock was a good enough athlete to spend some time on, but now both he and Jamaal Fudge are gone. This more or less guarantees William Moore will see considerable playing time; he must be totally healed and doing pretty well in practice, as we fans have seen very little of him in-game.

Finally, I'll note that Keith Zinger, Thomas Johnson, and a personal fave of mine, Will Svitek, all held on. The fact that these guys persist while others at their positions were dropped (TEs Ben Hartsock and Jason Rader, Walker, and OLs Jose Valdez and Michael Butterworth) says a lot about the coaching staff's faith in them, needless to say.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week One, Falcons v. Dolphins

John McCurdy — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:37:32 -0400

About time the regular season got here.

Hopefully you read the last DDDB, which explains my new super-fortunate Falcons situation; I am typing this with my fingers crossed, praying that my luck continues and I'm again in the press box for the September 13 home opener.

Just as it's time for the players to get serious, it's time for me to buckle down. I've got a job to do each and every week, or more exactly, every day. Gotta stay on top, especially if I'm to be in the nirvana that is the Dome.

I was criticized heavily by Lions faithful when I wrote an overly pro-Falcons preseason game preview, and I have generally kept the tone pretty light in my columns. No more. This is the new DDDB: leaner, meaner, and way more in-your-face.

...

Oh, who am I kidding? You know what to expect from me by now, so why quit?

I may have moved on in terms of where I view games (couch to media level), but it's the same old me.

And the same old preview format. How does it go?

Miami Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

When it comes to the Phins' ground game, we'll be treated to a little R & R. Ronnie (Brown) and Ricky (Williams), that is.

Theirs are the names to drop because they form not only a sick running attack, but also because they have both done an excellent job adapting to the Wildcat that Miami started last year. They were rested exceedingly well during the preseason, with neither getting over five carries except for the instance of Brown getting seven in Game Two.

That gave Lex Hilliard and Patrick Cobbs plenty of time to get acclimated, which is all the more bad news for us.

Not that I'm that down on the rush D here in ATL; there are several reasons to believe we're going to take not just the one (expected) step forward as the regular season begins, but perhaps an additional one beyond that.

Peria Jerry, thank you, my boy. After I hated so much and for so long, you put on a pretty good show in your action this past Thursday evening. I will be so bold as to say you almost made me think you were a run-stopping tackle, rather than a rusher. Keep it up, man!

The fact that we won't be rotating in Vance Walker (cut) anymore is helpful, but I'm just excited about seeing what kind of a wall Jonathan Babineaux and Jerry can combine to make. Obviously, neither Brown nor Williams is confined to straight-up-the-middle runs, but that's always a key.

On reverses and from the edge, though, I've got to have my doubts, especially if they're attacking via direct snap. John Abraham will be concentrating on Jake Long, no doubt, Jamaal Anderson still hasn't proved he can be relied on (for anything), and Curtis Lofton can only be so many places at one time.

I've got faith that Coach Mike Smith will prepare the boys for both the traditional rushes and the Wildcat plays. Thing is, you can't be completely ready for both on every down.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Miami Rush Defense

To see Michael Turner for more than a quarter...this has been my dream since about February. Finally, all these wishes upon stars will come true!

Yeah, but anyway, the Burner didn't need more than two rushes in each preseason game to completely convince me that he's going to be no different on the field this year. Now, hopefully, he won't have to carry the number of times he did last year (we'd just be begging for an injury then), but I'm pretty sure that if push came to shove and he did have it in his hands another 350 times, he'd be just as effective.

So good luck, old-as-dirt Jason Ferguson and newbie Kendall Langford. You'll need it, as you're at a disadvantage both against my Dirty Bird powerback and your teammate Dolphins linebackers, who will undoubtedly want to give you both swirlies after you let Turner get to the second level again and again.

Alright, that was a little harsh; I'll give Ferguson the fact that he is, in his old age, still a pretty good clog, and Langford gets a nod based solely on the fact that he's won a starting job in his second year out of Hampton (where?). Plus, the third starter (Randy Starks) and one guy who rotates in (Paul Soliai) have a good mix of starting experience and athleticism.

And of course, those aforementioned linebackers will indeed do much to make up for shortcomings on the line. Turner will push, but I'm resigned to the fact that someone in the middle four will probably swallow him. Between speedy Channing Crowder and Akin Ayodele and greybeards Jason Taylor and Joey Porter, most runs are probably going to stop after about five yards.

Of course, if you pick up five yards on every play, you're never even going to face third down...

I don't fear a whole lot of backfield penetration by the backers, but I'll just note that if Porter or Taylor were to get around the line, Tony Gonzalez will be the man that needs to match up and block. I know he can, but he hasn't been called upon for this duty in a while, at least not against a corps like this.

Miami Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Sports media world: Why all the doubting of the Dolphins' receivers? I actually really like this group. Besides, they're playing our secondary, so they're bound to look like stars.

Sorry. Before I get all negative, I'll talk about what's good: Miami's sudden depth at this position.

(See what I did there?)

Anyway, the Dolphins did an excellent job of getting guys several chances in preseason games, and nearly everyone did pretty well in at least one game. Sure, Brian Hartline dipped towards the end of exhibition, but that just allowed Davone Bess to shine. And after all, Hartline was being talked about as a starter not a week ago, so he can't be all bad, now can he?

I think everyone has said this at some point, but I expect big things from Greg Camarillo, and I'm willing to bet he's even healthier than he showed in the preseason. He'll have no trouble torching Brent Grimes and will certainly abuse Chris Owens when his back is turned.

Sorry for all the vitriol. Just kind of losing hope with the corners here; how many times must we see Owens do a beautiful job of keeping up with an opposing wideout only for him to be unaware of where the ball is? And can somebody get Grimes some high heels or something? Dude's tiny!

I'm glad Chris Houston will be around, and I'm also glad Abe will be released upon the unsuspecting Chad Pennington. Penn has great blockers in Long and the tight ends (of which frequently two are run at once, normally Anthony Fasano and David Martin), but between our line's leader, the sack-threat tackles, and Chad's general mobility issues, we're going to put on some pressure.

Nervous about how the Phins' second-line receivers, let alone Ted Ginn, match up against our CBs, though.

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Miami Pass Defense

Once again, it's going to be good to see the starter get some real burn. As in, all-60-minutes burn, hopefully. Matt Ryan was conserved in a very...conservative manner in exhibition, and I think we're all about as fed up with John Parker Wilson and D.J. Shockley (good luck to you, Dawg) as can be.

I don't see pressure on Matty Ice being the trouble here. It's not that the line is all that rock-solid, but Sam Baker is looking good, as are both guard spots. Besides, Miami's blitz, while solid, is not known as their strong point.

What I think we've got to see for the Dirty Birds to have success is consistency, and with the number of quality receivers we've got (it's at least four, though early in the preseason I would have told you more), it's a definite possibility that our air game can prevail.

We just want a lot of Roddy White here in order for the job to get done. Pepper in some over-the-tops to Brian Finneran, some sideline stuff to Micahel Jenkins, and the typical Gonzo plays, and we've got a decent number of weapons to throw at even a well-rounded defense like Miami's.

Interestingly, this might be one of the games that Tony G. is least effective, as the Dolphins have a versatile and big linebacking corps and pretty big safeties in Yeremiah Bell and Gibril Wilson. But as I said, we'll be using a diversified attack, and it will serve us well.

In terms of one-on-one matchups between WRs and CBs, Will Allen is excellent, but does not have the strength to counter White's hops and hands. Word to rook Sean Smith for nabbing a starting spot over the talented Jason Allen and Vontae Davis, but dude, you're a bit young to totally shut down a crafty vet like Jenkins or Finn.

Prediction: Falcons 35, Miami 27

It'll have to be a high-scoring affair. Neither team is awful on defense, but neither team is going to focus on that here. Both want to shock and awe their opponent with either the Wildcat (Phins) or their dominant receivers (Falcs).

Special teams edge has to go to the ATL. Even though Weems got limited punt return chances in the preseason, I know he can be kickass in this regard (as good as Harry Douglas? Might just be!), and the Dolphins have struggled to defend this well.

One last nod to Miami before I go: I am glad this is in the Dome. We suffered there to close exhibition, but we do traditionally, ahem, defend it rather well.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Goin' Off to the Press Box in the Sky

John McCurdy — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:50:24 -0400

Although there are many deceased media members who deserve a tribute, this article is not about paying homage to one who's passed on, as the title might suggest. It's basically a "Dear Diary" entry describing a young professional's ascension.

Last week, I was lucky enough to be hired to the position I interviewed for back in early July: I am now the full-time sportswriter for the Atlanta Jewish Times. My first week was great. I met coaches, A.D.s, and players at several nearby schools and got to see some excellent volleyball and soccer action. Shout out to Weber School and Yeshiva Atlanta!

But it didn't compare to this second week. On Tuesday, boss man came over to my workstation, and put it simply and directly: "You will be at every Falcons home game."

Oh, wow. What?

Ends up, Mr. Adler, the AJT's owner, once worked with Arthur Blank at Home Depot. Mr. Adler had expressed interest in me speaking to Blank after games, but I did not realize quite where that was gonna go.

Oh boy. To be honest, I didn't really believe the media pass for preseason home Game Two (versus the Ravens) would be there waiting for me. It just seemed too good to be true. But alas, after wandering around outside the Georgia Dome for what seemed like an hour (good thing I was there, oh, two-and-a-half hours early; nervous much?), I finally found the right desk and received an envelope with my name on it.

I proceeded to go to the back of the nearest line. After waiting for about, let's see, 10 seconds, an event staff member approached me and asked,"Whaddya got there?"

"Uh, buh, media pass, sir," I stammered as I had trouble getting it out of the envelope.

"Well come right on 'round here then!"

Are you kidding me? Just the first instance of special treatment in a night full of it.

I wander in on the bottom floor of the Dome noticing the locker room as I follow some other journalistic types to the elevator. They're all ladies, probably pretty close to my age, but I'm staring at the ground with my Adam's apple bouncing up and down as I swallow surreptitiously.

The doors to the 'vator open up and there's an attendant. Now, she's not wearing a coat and bowtie or anything, and the walls and floor are all grey steel. Still, I've never been in an elevator with an attendant before!

Top level, ding, and I stumble into the sparkling box. There's a spiral staircase in front of me, going up to the broadcast booths, but I'm way more interested in the seats just in front of me: The three rows of "trenches", where the game reporters sit and do there work.

This is why I went to college.

To my right is a friggin' buffet; it's only 5:30 and I have two hours to eat and get comfortable before kickoff. Like a doofus, I try to serve myself while simultaneously holding my laptop case and a drink. Everyone behind me in line is patient, but I'm holding things up here as I try to juggle the burger, slaw, and chips with one hand.

Think I'm ready to sit, and then a voice behind me cracks:

"Same old stuff, huh?"

Jeff Schultz of the AJC, who I have been reading since I was about six years old, has just stepped up to the line.

"Oh well, a burger's a burger's a burger," he says. I'm too scared to introduce myself right now, so I decide to grab a seat, smear my face with food, and work up the guts later.

I plop down in the front row of the box, sliding the neatly placed program and flip card to the side to make room for my plate. Focusing on my food, I know I'll get a chance to soak it all in.

Looking at the Dome, which I haven't been to in over three years. Looking at the info in front of me, a free glossy game guide! Looking at Mr. Schultz, now next to Orlando D. Ledbetter (OMG! also of the AJC).

Once I finish eating, I notice something else in front of me: a name card. "Morris," it reads.

I jump up like my pants are on fire. There's assigned seats?! How come nobody told me?

I gather my belongings (or rather, belonging; there's just my case) and head up to the front. Who the heck am I supposed to ask? I don't know, how about this security officer. He'll be gruff like any law enforcement, but he's gotta know.

"Well, let's just take a look here then."

I'm just not used to people being friendly and actually being able to help me, I guess.

Of course there's no seat labeled for me, but the officer points me towards a Falcons P.R. guy (first I talked to someone else, having not clearly seen where the officer pointed, but I find him), and he's even nicer.

"You're not on here [the seating chart], but let's go ahead and get you a seat down close and on the 50. I'll get you a program and a flip card."

"Uh, biddabuhbuh, OK, thank you so much sir," I manage as I slide into my prime real estate, now just on the other side of my favorite hometown writers.

It's still a long way to game time, so I read for a while, and with about half an hour till kickoff, I finally just stand up and go talk to Mr. Schultz. Tell him how much I like his articles, etc., you know, be a kiss-ass.

"I've been reading you since I was a little kid," I say.

"Oh, thanks, that makes me feel great," jokes Schultz, who's by no means old, but is probably startled by how young I look. I part pleasantly after apologizing needlessly, glad I went ahead and spoke with him. It's all about networking, folks.

Kickoff is nearing, but unlike the rest of the stands, the press box is actually getting quieter. Just something I'm going to have to get used to, I guess, in addition to sitting down during games, not sweating, and generally being comfortable (not saying I'd trade my UGA game experiences for anything, but this is a whole new way to enjoy the gridiron).

We've got our own personal P.A. guy in the box, who tells us not only who's in on every play, but also the total yardage and drive summaries. I copy down a lot of the stuff he says, only to be handed it in typed, printed form at the end of every quarter. Oh well.

The game is pretty long and boring, with subs playing the entirety for Baltimore (they handed out a "Did Not Play" before the game, and I thought it was the Ravens' starting lineup; oh, it is, just not for yesterday). Still, Peria Jerry and Kroy Biermann are showing up on defense, even if Ravens third-stringer John Beck is tearing apart our secondary (you might just have earned yourselves another column, boys).

More food is brought to us at halftime, but I pass. My stomach hasn't felt normal since I got off the MARTA train at 4:45, though it probably would have felt a lot worse if I hadn't eaten before the game started.

Fresh stat sheets, and I mean fresh as in still warm from the printer, come my way. How many trees died for this?

The game progresses, the Dirty Birds are struggling (John Parker Wilson is overplaying terribly; he looks about as young as I do to all these people in the box), so I'm focused on what our P.A. guy said at the beginning of the contest. We can go down to the locker room area at the fourth-quarter two-minute warning.

I'm supposed to talk to Mr. Blank tonight (he is, after all, the man who got me here), and I was told I could probably find him down there. I see a few people leave when the whistle blows, but a lot stay, so I wait until the the clock goes all the way down.

Down the elevator I go. Every time I pass someone in a staff shirt, I expect to get turned back, searched, or at least checked. But nobody bothers me, and soon enough I find myself in the gosh darn press conference room, Mr. Ledbetter behind me.

"Let's get this done quick," one of the security guards is saying with a smile. Soon enough, coach Mike Smith is walking to the podium!

Everyone else has a recorder (Mom and Dad, are you reading?) and sets it up there, but I'm rocking the pen and legal pad. Good enough for my first run through. Mr. Ledbetter asks most of the questions (well, he's the hometown paper's Falcons beat writer, so I guess he can) and even calls coach Smith "Smitty."

Smith's answers are polite but pretty ambiguous; yeah, cuts are always hard; yeah, both D.J. Shockley and JPW did some good stuff; yeah, there's a long way to go before the real opening week.

But he does say something interesting, at least something I haven't thought about before:

"In these games, you call plays not necessarily to win the game, but to put players in certain situations so you can evaluate them."

In other words, one dude might be put in when he has a disadvantage, or when another set that he's not a part of makes more sense, or when someone above him on the depth chart would much more easily succeed.

Hmm, preseason football, you are a curious beast.

The conference is wrapped up soon enough, and everyone high-tails it, especially coach.

Please, Mr. Blank, walk through those doors...

My hoping is to no avail. And so I resume my wandering (I can't claim to have walked with purpose at all last night; I had no idea what was next for me half the time), hanging out next to the locker room doors, pulling on locked doors, and staring at closed doors. I feel the whole time as though some big guy is gonna come up to me and say, "What're you doing?", pick me up, and throw me against a wall.

But I'm safe and entirely intact. I get over my nervousness enough to start asking people where they think Mr. Blank might be, and I follow every pointed finger ("He just went back there"), yet never find him. It's pushing 11:30, and I've seen Thomas Brown, Tony Gonzalez, Justin Blalock and Curtis Lofton all walk out in normal streetclothes, greet their girlfriends/wives, and move towards the parking deck (holy crap, they're real people?!), but no sign of our fearless owner.

Eventually, I am put to the curb (in the nicest of fashions, of course: "The Dome's closin' now, sweetie. Where'd you park?"), but not before finding the Falcons P.R. rep I spoke to earlier and asking him the same old:

"Sir, do you have any idea where Mr. Blank might be tonight?"

"Did you talk to [so-and-so]? Were you in the press conference? Were you by the locker room? Who was supposed to facilitate this?"

I'm kinda dumbfounded by all the questions, and though he's asking in a friendly and helpful way, all I can get out is a "yes."

"I heard he headed out early tonight. If you didn't get to [so-and-so], he probably didn't get to talk to Mr. Blank and he probably already left."

Ah, durnit. Well, you live and you learn, and next time I'll know who to speak to.

Best thing is, though, that there is a next time. Once again, I'll kinda have to see it to believe it (Is this really mine?, I'll probably think every time I see that tag), but God, am I looking forward to doing my paper proud and being a professional again.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Preseason Game Four, Falcons v. Ravens

John McCurdy — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:15:04 -0400

The similarities between the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens are many and obvious:

They each finished 11-5 last season, both making the playoffs just a year after having a losing record. For that matter, these clubs' win totals have basically been on a yo-yo in recent years.
Both start a sophomore quarterback who plays beyond his years. Each is predicted by many to "hit the wall" in 2009.
Both mark 2009 as the second season of their head coach's reign.

Then again, there are some key differences:

The Falcons are all about scoring and are hoping their defense steps up this year, whereas the Ravens have a dominant D and pray their offense holds steady at last year's surprising level.
The Falcons attack with one running back—he goes by the name of Michael Turner—while the Ravens have the three-headed monster of Willis McGahee, Ray Rice, and Le'Ron McClain.

And most importantly:

The Falcons' bird is black. The Ravens'? Purple.

You know I like to start these preseason game previews off silly. First-stringers are going to be resting in this Week Four, but then again, one team is fighting for a winning record in exhibition, and the other for a perfect preseason mark.

Perhaps their battle will more resemble a late-season skirmish between two teams desperate for playoff spots in tight races?

Probably a little much to hope for. Anyway, to the meat:

Baltimore Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

The Ravens' ground game has yet to be called upon this preseason, and the Falcons' ground defense has yet to be tested. There's not a whole lot of reason for either club to blow the dust off their unit, but just in case it happens...

Baltimore finished fourth in the NFL in rushing last year, and they look to be just as good again. Actually, Rice and McClain can only be better for having another year under their belts, especially the dynamic former Mountaineer; thing is, he doesn't need to be risked even at the level of 10 carries (his current preseason high).

Instead, we'll probably see some more Matt Lawrence and Jalen Parmele, who, in limited opportunities, have actually looked quite good. Both are mid-size guys who could puzzle the unprepared.

And so we come to it: Will the Dirty Birds take them and this contest seriously enough to figure it out? The runstoppers looked a lot better last week, even Peria Jerry, who I probably expect far too much from at this point. But Preseason Week Four is for the second- and third-stringers moreso than any other exhibition game, so I expect more Lawrence Sidbury, Thomas Johnson, and (pending cuts) Vance Walker.

In short: If the Ravens choose to go the ground route, they could trounce us. But they haven't yet, and little indicates they will, so we'll probably just counter with some more experimentation and youth.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Baltimore Rush Defense

Once again, I have questions about just who will be utilized here, but it's a definite that the Falcons will not rely on the pass game quite as much as the Ravens have in their three contests.

This much is clear: Michael Turner will have his way in the first quarter, then he'll sit, and I'll be able to breathe again and not fear some freak injury. Jerious Norwood is questionable after a tweak on Saturday, so after the Burner might come a hefty dose of Jason Snelling and Thomas Brown. I like seeing these guys play, but if either is facing a first-team D, we might just have to go to Matt Ryan's arm full-time.

The line is not the strength of the Ravens' defense (I think you know what position I'll reserve that designation for), but it sure ain't bad. Haloti Ngata looked good last year and has clearly improved over the summer, and Paul Kruger and Justin Bannan have both impressed upon rotating in. They're going to make for some excellent backups.

And then there's those 'backers, who are going to get mentioned in another section of this article because of their all-around skill, but must get a nod here if only for the way Terrell Suggs and Tavares Gooden play the run. I'm sure you've also noticed what Jameel McClain has done, especially in that Jets game, though he's mainly seen as a pass rusher.

Baltimore Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Here we have a matchup of the predicted-to-be-feeble yet apparently strong Ravens air game versus the predicted-to-be-feeble and apparently inept Falcons secondary. I already wrote on what I think is wrong and what should be done (see Sunday's column), so I won't go into it here, suffice it to say this is the perfect game to tool around some with the lineup.

The Falcons can't bank on the backups being worse than the starters in this area, because it's been all backups so far for Baltimore. Sure, Derrick Mason's had solid games and Ray Rice isn't exactly a "surprise" target, but the somewhat sudden emergence of Kelley Washington, Justin Harper, and Demetrius Williams give us a whole bunch of things to think about. And worse yet, all three fit the mold of "tall, long wideout" that has been giving our compact corners so much trouble.

Like I said Sunday, I say we counter with the experienced guys, but I'm also starting to side more and more with the camp who believes we need to pull in a veteran CB (word to B/R member Demondre Wiley). Brent Grimes and Chris Owens have the talent, they just need to be taught how to compensate for their size.

Joe Flacco's been a boomer of a signalcaller (though I do question how much he's been playing), and Troy Smith has been suitable. The real trouble is how hard they've been to get to, as evidenced by the Redskins and Panthers combining for 2 sacks on them. The Jets somehow broke the trend, but I'm not sure Atlanta playing John Abraham at lower than capacity is going to put much pressure on an underrated Ravens line.

Last week we had the pleasant surprise of Grimes' out-of-the-defensive-backfield sack, and something similar could happen here. Once again, I'm going to pray William Moore gets a chance to work his way in.

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Baltimore Pass Defense

This would be the critical one, but not because either side is a wild card. We largely know what to expect from both: Matty will hit a variety of targets and Chris Redman will make the rest of the second-team offense around him better, while the Ravens will throw vicious hitter after vicious hitter at our passcatchers.

Baltimore is not great in coverage, but their lack of a lockdown corner is a big source of undeserved criticism. Very good play has come from the men behind starters Domonique Foxworth and Fabian Washington: Lardarius Webb had an eight-tackle game against Carolina, and Chris Carr, Frank Walker, Evan Oglesby, and Derrick Martin have all shown up here and there. Come to think of it, they look kind of like our secondary (lots of able bodies), except they've been successful.

Of course, the safeties are where it's at for these guys, as besides Ed Reed there's Dawan Landry and...Tom Zbikowski, denizen of the preseason, executor of exhibition? How had I not heard of this guy before?

For the millionth time, ain't nobody gonna stop Tony Gonzalez, but if our previous tilts are any indication, we're not going to abuse that privilege. Therefore, I'm going to look to Brian Finneran (who had a sweet red zone catch last week, in case you missed it) and my old standby, Eric Weems, to use their size (Finn) and speed (Weems) to create problems.

In terms of countering the rush, well, I'm not terribly optimistic with the Ravens having registered six already without really trying and Suggs, McClain, and Jarret Johnson being who they are. What we need here is some two-tight end sets to provide big, extra blockers for guys coming off the edge.

Hello again, Gonzo, and welcome back to the party, Justin Peelle.

Prediction: Falcons 27, Ravens 21

"What?!" you're asking yourself. I did, after all, just spend a couple pages being pessimistic only to predict a Dirty Bird W.

One more time: This is preseason football, and what's more, this is Week Four of exhibition. Because Baltimore isn't a particularly deep team, I have a feeling we're going to see starters playing at less than full speed (so as to prevent injuries) even more than we're going to see substitutions.

Thirty minutes of half of Ray Lewis is not facing the real Ravens D (which, now that I think about it, is more what I analyzed). And if Redman plays like that dude from last week, there's nothing even Ray could do about it.

Prepare for garbage time, to be followed by games that matter!

Do Da Dirty Bird: Shape Up, Secondary

John McCurdy — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:00:45 -0400

If it wasn't the linebackers, it was the tight ends. We had holes in our Atlanta Falcons roster, and people liked to point them out.

So how about this: We'll add proven vets Mike Peterson and Tony Gonzalez and unleash Curtis Lofton upon the NFL world as our defensive leader. I'd say linebacker and tight end are two designations we don't have to worry about a whole lot anymore.

You happy now?

Well, of course not. It's now in vogue to treat the secondary as a pariah, and I guess there's some reason for it. The Dirty Birds have yet to outgain an opponent through the air—they've given up 263 yards to the Lions, 204 yards to the Rams, and 320 yards to the Chargers.

Note who those first two opponents are and the exact number allowed in our most recent contest. Ugh.

I can try to explain it away. First, there's the youth of the bunch—Erik Coleman's the "greybeard" at 27, but honestly, it's not like any of these guys hasn't been playing organized ball or more than half his life.

Then there's inconsistency. Chris Owens looked tremendous in Preseason Week One, then proceeded to give up a couple big plays with poor field awareness in Week Two. Chevis Jackson hasn't looked himself at all. Brent Grimes has, at times, used his athleticism in the wrong way—his great speed gets him farther from the ball rather than closer—but really, considering the number of bodies, we should not be allowing several big passing plays consecutively as we did last night.

I'm a firm believer that what it comes down to with this group is confidence and chemistry. Obviously, both of these things come with experience, which really only Coleman, Von Hutchins, and Chris Houston have. I just wish we were utilizing the preseason a bit more to build up the two "big C's."

And here I was, lambasting the preseason as boring in yesterday's column. In hindsight, I actually wouldn't argue with us having a fifth exhibition game—or maybe more like a do-over of one in Detroit—to experiment with a few more looks in the defensive backfield.

Let's get it straight: I by no means "dislike" Owens, Grimes, Eric Brock, Jamaal Fudge, or any of the other young guys who have contributed to the secondary so far. Fudge, in particular, has had two games in which he stood out, but the problem is that each one of them has had an unacceptable breakdown at one point.

I realize we aren't going to be starting all of those guys in the regular season, but I'm a little bit concerned that the unit is going to look nearly as dull as it did last night come Sept. 13.

Here are my suggestions for next week.

Seeing as how he's no longer needed as a stopgap linebacker (who are you and what have you done with the "merely solid" Curtis Lofton?!) let's see Coy Wire play much more in the secondary. It's where he played before last season, and he is unlike pretty much anyone else currently serving at cornerback or safety in that he's super physical. At the very least, Wire is another veteran presence to put next to the freshies.
I know most of us came into camp believing he was definitely our nickelback, but I think it's time we saw Von Hutchins in as one of two corners every once in a while. Once again, this is about experience over raw skill, but it's also about giving a guy who just straight-up has not gotten enough burn more time on the field.
Just play more aggressive at the line. Bump and do a better job marking your man, rather than being concerned about what else is going on on the field.

It's weird that old Brent is both the best and worst when it comes to that last point. He excels at keeping up with his guy, but on one play in each of the past two games, he's gotten caught with his pants down and looking in another direction as his receiver was targeted.

In all honesty, Coleman has been doing a bang-up job as a new leader for this group, but he's limited by the younger fellas' occasional absent-mindedness. It doesn't help that William Moore hasn't been available, of course, but like I said before, there are enough able bodies to stock this secondary.

It's not the apocalypse; our particular struggles don't have me mashing the panic button quite yet. We did manage to beat San Diego (which was named by the Germans...sorry, couldn't resist) last night, and things obviously started looking up after the half.

Keep in mind some of the teams on our schedule—the Pats, Saints twice, Eagles, and Bills—and I think you might join me as I plead:

"Work out the kinks, guys!"

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Preseason Game Three, Falcons v. Chargers

John McCurdy — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:48:33 -0400

You could say that Preseason Week Three is the most enjoyable week of preseason games, as teams normally run their first-teamers the most in these contests.

But at this point, my attitude toward exhibition football has soured. Saying that this is the "best week of the preseason" is like determining which bowl of unsweetened, store-brand rice puffs cereal is best: The competition is pretty lackluster, you tire of the action about partway through, and it just leaves you wanting the real thing all the more.

Geez, and all this is coming from the kid who was bouncing of the walls as the Falcons got set to take on the Lions in Preseason Week One. It's just that this substitute leaves me wanting regular season ball, the stuff with importance, all the more.

That being said, I'm going to be watching intently, as you might expect, as my Dirty Birds take on the San Diego Chargers tonight. It's the first showdown in the Dome in '09, the Bolts are easily the best team we've seen thus far, and there are still questions to be answered and performances to be analyzed.

Though it is tough, I will soldier on through this serving of wannabe balanced breakfast; it's hard work sitting on the couch watching pigskin, but somebody's gotta do it.

San Diego Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

There's going to be very little Darren Sproles tonight, and even less LaDainian Tomlinson (like, none). So it's good news for people like me, who are so proud of their Falcons that they want them to go undefeated in the preseason, but it's bad news for people like me, who want to see teams playing at their true capacity.

Not to say San Diego's ground attack is toothless without the two. Both Michael Bennet and Gartrell Johnson have already been carrying a lot so far, and while neither has electrified, they've done fine for third-stringers.

More importantly, though, two solid fullbacks, Jacob Hester, and Mike Tolbert, are still going at it to determine who's the best of a corps that deserves more attention. Brandon Manumaleuna has been doing a terrific job blocking, as well, making this battle all the more interesting.

The San Diego line has been pretty nondescript so far, getting their runners just 55 and then 125 yards on the ground in the two previous games (against Seattle and Arizona, respectively), but the well-publicized right guard battle (that'd be former Falcon Kynan Forney v. rookie Louis Vasquez) makes it worth your while to keep an eye on the unit, as do last week's great performances from Falcons D-linemen Kroy Biermann and Trey Lewis. The latter especially will be key against runs up the middle.

All us ATLiens would of course like to see more out of Peria Jerry, but I've said that so many times that you've probably quit reading this sentence by now. Curtis Lofton's presence will be necessary for a large part of the game, and I expect he'll answer, as will rook Lawrence Sidbury, who's outperforming Peria to this point.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. San Diego Rush Defense

Michael Turner going up against his old teammates isn't much of a story for a couple reasons: We already beat 'em last year, and the Burner runs like a man on a mission against everybody, not just the squad that let him go.

Then again (not again! Yes, this is the third consecutive section I've introduced with a wishy-washy contradiction), the Chargers' D is going to be without Jacques Cesaire but will have Larry English, so we'll get to see some new looks. Heck, the whole thing is a new look for the '09 Birds, if you think about it; this is our first matchup with a 3-4!

I'm sure you don't need to be told that this Bolts linebacking corps sends a shiver up the spine. There's English, Shawne Merriman, Shaun Phillips, Jyles Tucker, and preseason darling Kevin Burnett all thirsting for blood, so let's just say it's going to be important for not only the O-line but also TEs Tony Gonzalez and Justin Peelle to man-up on their assignments.

San Diego may not have produced a lot on the ground yet, but their opponents have been even worse off: Seattle got just 92 rushing yards, and Arizona managed a paltry 64. The line is solid, but thin; yeah, it's been those 'backers and some step-up from safeties Eric Weddle and Paul Oliver and CB Brandon Hughes that have truly made this defense lock down.

Here's a crossing of the fingers (OK, more like a desperate plea) for Jerious Norwood to attack a bit more, rather than running basically straight to the sideline every time he gets the handoff. Yes, Turner has very much looked like he could do it all for 16 games, but I'm not feeling terrific about our insurance policy.

San Diego Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Biological knees and textbook throwing mechanics for quarterbacks are clearly overrated. Just look at Philip Rivers. His comeback last season has me thinking, even without him having to do anything significant yet this preseason, that he's among the top five (OK, maybe six) quarterbacks in the league.

And tonight, he gets to throw to his regulars Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers more, which always helps. It's not that rotation guys Gary Banks, Malcolm Floyd, and Legedu Naanee have looked half bad themselves, but Rivers built lots of chemistry with his top two pass-catchers last season as the offense featured him more than ever.

Word is that Antonio Gates is actually less than his "probable" (it's preseason, folks), but you won't see me crying. We'd have a helluva time matching up with a guy like that, just like other teams have a helluva time matching up with our Gonzo.

Here's hoping our scatterbrained secondary shows a bit more cohesion here. CBs Chris Owens and Brent Grimes, after both looking so good in the game in Detroit, struggled against the Rams. Yeah, they looked like they were making the effort, but that was only after they had blown the play with poor positioning.

But on a more positive note, tonight marks the hopefully dashing debut of rookie safety William Moore. Everybody's all like "Oh, it's too late for him to win a starting job now," but I bet he comes with fire, gets some consideration, and gives me some fodder for a column tomorrow morning.

Please?

Atlanta Pass Offense v. San Diego Pass Defense

Judging by the performance of the safeties in the preseason and just the names of the corners, it's hard to believe the Chargers' secondary finished second-to-last in the league in 2008. At this point, it's probably safe to say that's not going to happen again.

The aforementioned Weddle and Oliver (word to my Dawg) plus wild card Clinton Hart and rookie Kevin Ellison mean a seemingly open deep receiver might not be so "wide" after all. The depth doesn't stop there; let me name-drop C.J. Spillman before I lose your attention. But moving on...

There's no way Antonio Cromartie doesn't bounce back a bit from last season. I bet he finds a nice middle ground between his '07 and '08 performances in '09. I see him playing more and at a higher level tonight, inspired by the task of taking on Roddy White and Michael Jenkins.

And if he doesn't, Quentin Jammer or Antoine Cason will; just can't see the top three corners continuing to be shown up by rookie Hughes.

It's looking like Matt Ryan might have some time in the pocket, as the Bolts have registered just one sack in the preseason so far. But, oh yeah, that's right, there are probably going to be several downs of simultaneous Phillips-Merriman-English pressure in this contest. They may not have done it a lot so far, but if history is any indicator, S.D. likes to bring the blitz with their 'backers, be it their big-name guys or Tucker, Brandon Siler, and Tim Dobbins.

Good thing we've still got Tony G on our side. He's always a matchup problem, but for an aggressive, bring-the-heat D like this, just about the only measure against a huge yet athletic target like him is Cromartie's long arms. And they're going to be flailing around Roddy's general area, with any luck.

Prediction: Chargers 21, Falcons 20

No, I didn't call it that close just because they're MY Dirty Birds. I really do think we are on a comparable level with the Chargers, who might just deliver on their promise this year.

We're going to surrender some big passes and pass TDs, no doubt, but the Burner is going to allow us to go into halftime down by no more than one score. Our air game is going to struggle against first-string CBs and any of those safeties, but we've got enough weapons to wear 'em down at some point in the second half.

It's largely going to be a question of who plays their starters longer; if it's an even split (say, all the first-stringers come out at halftime, as predicted), I'm going to have to call San Diego.

But by just one.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Falcon in the Dawghouse

John McCurdy — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 09:56:58 -0400

Fear not; the meaning of my triple-entendre of a headline will soon become clear. After all, it does not take the brain of an ESPN talking head to evaluate the preseason stats so far of Falcons QB D.J. Shockley.

Against the Detroit Lions, he completed three of eight passing attempts for 31 yards. He followed it up Friday night with a five-of-12, 63-yard, two-interception performance.

It all adds up to 40-percent accuracy and a big, fat question mark for his status as we near the regular season.

Keep in mind this is not easy for me to admit, let alone pleasant for me to assert. Shock led my university (albeit before it was mine) to an SEC Championship and then seemingly fortuitously landed with my hometown NFL club a year later.

As the Dirty Bird faithful know, he's spent two of the past three seasons serving faithfully as the third-string signalcaller, and his 2007 campaign was completely lost to injury, so I guess a bit of rust is understandable. But D.J. is not looking like a man fit for NFL play at the moment.

Yes, he's playing with receivers on down the chart, and yes, the men protecting him (Will Svitek, Brett Romberg, and Garrett Reynolds, among the other backup offensive linemen) are not the equivalent of starters Sam Baker, Harvey Dahl, and Tyson Clabo. But he himself is making mistakes that someone who has played the quarterback position for some time should not.

Several times against the Rams, Shock threw into double coverage or just straight-up traffic, as evidenced by his two picks. Drops are to blame for a couple of the incompletions, but D.J. was also firing the pigskin like a laser and not, well, a ball. That's indicative of nervousness and intimidation.

Once again, one might expect that considering the quantity of snaps he's gotten since he was drafted, but it would be D.J.'s job as a third-stringer to come in and not make those kind of juvenile mistakes. He'd need to get in, get the job done, and get out.

The only thing he managed to get on Friday was in trouble. The good news for Shockley is that this is preseason. The bad news is that good ole (I am an SEC crazy, mind you) John Parker Wilson has looked far better than the former Dawg.

The arguments against Mr. Three Names are obvious, and in a discussion with a non-Falcons fan, I'd be as quick as any to point them out: He's been playing against bench-warming defenses, he's only thrown eight passes at the pro level, and he's looked even more timid than D.J. at times.

But I found myself, Friday night, sounding like a broken record:

"If Shockley doesn't get his act together, he's going to lose his spot."

And this is slowly yet surely becoming the prevailing opinion amongst Falcons fans. Just check a recent Falcoholic post. As sad as I am to say it, my official prediction as of right now is that JPW bumps off my brother in Red and Black.

...

Now, seeing as how everything in this column up to this point has been more or less regurgitation, I'm sure you're itching for a bit of evaluation, or at least some McCurdy-type (read: "creative") suggestions.

I'd go so far as to say that Shock should get some in-game reps at other spots. We all know he was a dual threat at UGA, and there were a lot of people who, as he came out of school, said he was the type of all-purpose "athlete" who might change from QB to one of the other skill positions.

At least in practice, D.J. should run the ball, catch the ball, or at least tool around with the Wildcat. Something needs to be done to get him back in the groove.

I think it's pretty obvious that Wilson will get the majority of the time at quarterback this coming week against the Chargers. Now, wouldn't it be fun to have Shockley come out of the backfield, at least in the fourth quarter?

Thomas Brown (you know we rep Athens hard) deserves carries, but there's another former Bulldog who needs to be massaged back into the game.

Positional Evolution: 'SF' Has a New Meaning in the NBA

John McCurdy — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:56:30 -0400

Allow me to begin by saying that the small forward position has always been played in a variety of ways. Havlicek and Barry shot sweet as sugar, Dr. J and 'Nique took to the skies, and Bird retains the top spot with his combination of stroke and size. Then came your Pippens, your Hills, your Piereces, playing their sick all-around games. Now a new strain has emerged. Long have I struggled to come up with a suitable moniker for the type of player I'm about to describe. They're athletic even moreso than their predecessors, but "hero" is kind of overdone; they absolutely stuff every corner of the stat sheet, but "stud" just isn't descriptive enough. No, I need something more outlandish, suitable for the way these guys make jaws all over the world drop. How about the "Supa Flys"? Yeah, and it can be abbreviated "SF" to make things simple... Crap. I guess I'll just settle for what first ran through my mind: an amalgam of the colloquial term "three" and an honest description of what these men are, "freaks." This slideshow (or is that sideshow?) puts on display this emergent breed of what I will call "threaks." They are not only the do-alls and be-alls of the court, but they are easily the most electric bunch in today's L. They block shots despite relatively small size, the hound the ball as though they've got a bit of Gary Payton in them, and they out-rebound the giants, all from the spot traditionally labeled "small forward." Here you will not find those with silky Js, like Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, or Luol Deng. Neither are all-purpose scorers like Richard Jefferson, Stephen Jackson, or Carmelo Anthony present. No, this is the place for the guys who, when they were drafted, were said to be able to "jump out of the gym." Perhaps when they came into the pros their actual basketball fundamentals were still a bit raw, but now they are approaching the game like MMA fighters: They're capable of getting any job done with their unique set. I think exactly what I mean will become more clear as you move on down the list. And so, in no particular order, here are these marvels of nature.

Begin Slideshow

Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Preseason Game Two, Falcons @ Rams

John McCurdy — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:51:55 -0400

Already time to preview another Falcons game. I tell you what, weekly doses of Dirty Bird ball is just what this writer needed.

Of course, this is preseason. And I'm writing previews for these games...maybe I'm a tad bit too excited? It's a pretty silly idea, after all, to try to predict what's going to happen in these glorified practices.

But after writing one of these last week in preparation for our trip to Detroit, I realize that this actually is serious stuff. To some people (other than the guys fighting for a roster spot) the preseason really does matter, and it's completely possible to hurt feelings with an article like this (sorry again to all my Lions buddies).

So for my second go-round, I'll try to be a little more diplomatic.

Yes, even though we go to St. Louis on Friday.

St. Louis Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

Hmm, maybe it won't be so hard to say some nice things about our opponents. Right off the bat, one strikes me: The Rams' rushing attack looked fine last week with carries getting spread all over the place, and they'll be facing a Falcons' run stoppage that experienced a great slippage once the second- and third-teamers came in.

Against the Jets, it was St. Louis' Samkon Gado who looked the best, but Antonio Pittman was great as well. Steven Jackson didn't have to worry about much, as his backup's backups showed explosiveness against the Jets.

Meanwhile, Atlanta's ability to stuff it got worse as we rotated down the depth chart against Detroit. Obviously, everyone would have loved to see more out of Peria Jerry, but I think it's safe to call out the entirety of the defensive line except for Trey Lewis.

Way too many tackles had to be made by Coy Wire, Eric Brock, and Chris Owens (though you did a terrific job, young fella).

I'm crossing my fingers for more action for the rookies (Jerry and tweener Lawrence Sidbury) so that they can build a little confidence.

I liked what I saw from LBs Robert James, Stephen Nicholas, and (of course) Mike Peterson; I'd expect to see more of James and Nicholas on Friday, while Peterson has probably done all he needs to dissipate any doubts regarding his age.

All I've read indicates that Rams LG Jacob Bell is fine after a slight injury last week. That'll suit St. Louie just fine, as the O-line groups they put out there last week blocked well enough for darn near 200 yards on the ground, and they need their key bodies healthy as they tinker with inserting rookie Jason Smith and potential starter John Greco on certain plays.

As a Falcon fan, I guess what I fear most is another breakout game from Gado or (and this is the more likely) Pittman getting the majority of the carries and showing he's just as good of a third-stringer.

Due to the nature of the scrimmage...oh, I mean, game...I think the staff will be hard-pressed to inspire Jerry and the rest to step it up. It may come down to the second-levelers swarming, like last week.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. St. Louis Rush Defense

The Rams' D was exceedingly stingy with N.Y. last week, holding them to just above a C-note despite Thomas Jones tying for the most carries on the team. So, um, this could be an "uh-oh."

Unless, of course, we choose to let Michael Turner carry for the entirety of the first half. The Burner looked the spitting image of his last-year self, legs churning and body low as he negated opponents' meager attempts to slow him. But how can we justify letting the grind begin for him right now?

We can't, so Jerious Norwood, you're going to have to step up a bit. Lions LBs managed to meet you outside pretty much every time you carried this past Saturday, so none of your breakaway speed was showcased. And beyond that, Thomas Brown had only one solid run.

A mix of greater performance from the two behind Turner and better playcalling might help us get over the hump that is a suddenly deep Rams front seven. C.J.

Ah, you and Eric Moore both proved that there are more ends on this team than just Leonard Little and Chris Long, and the linebackers are composed of at least five solid guys: Quinton Culberson, Chris Chamberlain, Chris Draft, James Laurinaitis, and Will Witherspoon all looked good.

On the ground both on offense and defense, we Falcons fans saw a too-dramatic drop-off from the starters to the backups and beyond. Whether I alone detected a general lack of interest (even for a preseason game) from the guys, I'm not sure, but a bit more fire as the clock winds down is no doubt necessary.

St. Louis Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Ahhh...OK, here it is at least more safe to slip into my normal ridiculously pro-Falcons style. I'm thinking most everyone will agree with me, Rams fans included, when I say they need some work on the air game.

Last week they put up just 145 yards through the air, albeit without Donnie Avery. One could argue that the aforementioned success of the ground game made passing the ball less necessary and that's what led to their modest numbers, but I have a sneaking suspicion it had more to do with so-so quarterback play and even worse pass protection.

And just a few paragraphs ago I was praising the St. Louis O-line for their run blocking?

There they could succeed with strong individual performances—guys tying up their assignment and opening a specific hole—but in pass protection, the unit must work more as a whole, and between the injury to Bell and the need to rotate in Smith and Greco, they were largely unable to.

Case in point: Backup QB Brock Berlin getting nailed and now having an ACL sprain. At least he and starter Marc Bulger got solid performances out of Laurent Robinson and Randy McMichael.

But the thing is, in my mind, only McMichael has a chance of being a matchup problem for us. Robinson, Sean Walker, and whoever else the Rams can throw at us should fear Brock, Owens, and Antoine Harris, who all cleaned up nicely on Saturday, and Chevis Jackson and Von Hutchins, who I expect good things from this week as they fight for more regular-season playing time.

In the meantime, John Abraham will get a token rush or two, and I have a hunch Kroy Biermann will pick up at least one sack.

Atlanta Pass Offense v. St. Louis Pass Defense

As we move to the last section of analysis, I get to stay in my comfort zone. At least mostly, as I'm fairly confident the hiccups we saw in the Falcons' passing game last week were mostly due to D.J. Shockley's jitters.

Shockley and Chris Redman threw the majority of balls for us, and did only OK, going a combined 8-for-17 for 60 yards. I could see a bounce-back, or I could see more time for Ryan and John Parker Wilson.

Either way, we're going to get more production out of a receiving corps that reassured me with its depth.

Brian Finneran snatched one over the top, Marty Booker looked five years younger, and Eric Weems made me look slightly intelligent in picking him as the man to step up in the slot in Harry Douglas' absence. Consider this a request for more tosses Chandler Williams' and Troy Bergeron's way, though.

To tip the scales even more in our favor, they're not going to be marked by anyone of significance. Jonathan Wade had a good game last week, but otherwise the Rams' secondary left things up to the front seven.

I've got faith in Oshiomogho Atogwe, but considering how little he played and the fact that N.Y.'s David Clowney broke triple digits in receiving yards, I have trouble believing that STL can lock up all our guys at once.

The Dirty Bird offensive line allowed no sacks last week, a great omen. If you've ever read DDDB, you know I'm concerned yet hopeful about Sam Baker and his ability to protect our passer; he, the vets around him, and my two favorite O-line backups, Quinn Ojinnaka and Will Svitek, did good by me on Saturday.

I'd expect the occasional rush from the Rams, but the Falcons will be more comfortable (more comfortable than no sacks? Yes) passing the ball this week.

More plays for Tony Gonzalez isn't a bad idea in my head; obviously, the man needs no work, but just allowing the fans to catch some additional glimpses and letting his teammates see him in game action would have its benefits.

The possibility of Moore or Little coming off the edge and putting our signalcaller on his rump frightens me a little bit, and I'll even give a more rush-oriented LB like Chamberlain a chance, but we'll be striking through the air like a true bird of prey would more often than not.

Prediction: Falcons 28, Rams 17

We won't stop the Rams from scoring a couple on the ground, but as you may have gathered by this point, my confidence in the passing game has been renewed since Douglas' injury.

I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't mention that both teams have great kicking games, but that the return game goes to Atlanta. Loved seeing Weems have success bringing back punts last week, and Tommy should get a few more shots at taking back kicks. Of course, I already knew Gado was a decent returner, but now he's burned it into my mind.

In the end, controlling the skies and improving the run and run control once the starters are out will equal a win for the ATL.

Do Da Dirty Bird: Mano-a-Mano Matchups

John McCurdy — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 09:27:26 -0400

It was the NBA that originally hooked me on sports, way back when I was in the third grade. If you want more info on my introduction to competitive athletics, check out my first ever B/R article for a positively heart-warming yarn...

But summarizing it is not the point of this article. Just think a little reflection on the macro of sports is necessary before I delve right in.

The NBA is, undoubtedly, a league of superstars. Basketball is a team sport, but overall lends itself to shining individual performances. The actions of off-ball defenders and teammates of the ballhandler are nuances that only educated observers would critique. This is definitely not so in football.

So as I broaden (note that's present tense; it's certainly still an ongoing process) my knowledge, I must adjust my thought processes. Football is not like basketball; there are stars, and one man can change a game, but doing so alone is much more rare. When it comes to the gridiron, what I would consider "nuances" in a basketball game (action away from the ballcarrier) might actually be the most crucial part of the play.

That means in the NFL, you're not going to see duels like Russell versus Chamberlain, Magic versus Bird, or Kobe versus LeBron, nearly as often. Every play is affected by every man on the field.

If this all seems a little simplistic to you, the football aficionado, pardon me. I'm mostly doing it for myself, but also to set up what I'm about to analyze here: player-to-player matchups to watch for my Falcons' upcoming season.

I guess what I want to do is simply preface this list with this statement: I know these matchups will not necessarily be game-long individual battles. But if you take each one both for its potential as a man-to-man fight and the embodiment of a larger struggle in the game, you might just be entertained.

Enough with the explanation! Let's talk pigskin (in chronological order):

Panthers RBs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams v. Falcons DT Peria Jerry

See it Sept. 20, Week Two, when Carolina comes to the Dome.

The Dirty Birds will be facing plenty of quality running backs this coming season. No offense to Clinton Portis, Brian Westbrook, Matt Forte, or any of the other guys we'll see (hey, this is the NFL; everyone's a star), but when the Panthers come to town for just the second game of the season, the Atlanta rush D, 25th in the league last season, will have its hands full.

Carolina ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards per game last season. Yes, we averaged more, but that's on the other side of the ball. Maybe we can outrun them in this contest, maybe we can't. What's definite is that the more we limit the two-headed monster that is DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, the more likely we are to win this game.

Obviously, it's the whole defense's job to stop the run. DTs Jonathan Babineaux and Trey Lewis and LBs Mike Peterson and Curtis Lofton shoulder just as much of the responsibility as the man mentioned in the subheadline.

I'm singling you out, though, Mr. First-Round Draft Pick, because of the widely-held preconceived notion that you don't handle strong rushing attacks particularly well.

It'll be early in the season, so Peria will not have the benefit of several serious games of experience. We'll have to see what he's picked up in camp, what D-line coach Ray Hamilton and D-coordinator Brian VanGorder have taught him, and what he's personally worked on since he was taken in April.

Welcome to the big league, "little" fella.

Patriots WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker v. Falcons CBs Chevis Jackson and Chris Houston

See it Sept. 27, Week Three, when Atlanta goes to Foxboro

When the Pats are on your schedule, it's hard not to be intimidated. While Tom Brady is back, healthy, and as good-looking as ever, I think I'm most afraid of this receiving corps, to tell you the truth.

In all honesty, I didn't watch a lot of Moss and Welker last season with their interaction with Matt Cassel, but I heard through the grapevine it went alright. I don't think for a second they're going to have any trouble readjusting to old Tom, though; I'm personally just crossing my fingers they're not as good as 2007.

The Atlanta secondary has caught plenty of flak for its flakiness. Individual talent has not been the same since DeAngelo Hall was sent packing, but as I've stated before, I'm largely pleased that he was. I have confidence that Houston will continue to develop into a reliable man defender.

But can he, at this exact moment in time, do much to stop Randy Moss? Can anyone? Let's just say I'd rather us rely upon rushing Brady into making bad throws, and that's much, much, easier said than done.

Once again, this is an early-season game. Chevis and Chris will be tested all season long, but there is no other pass-catching corps like this one in the league (sorry, Cardinals). Whether it's the craftiness and shiftiness of Welker or the foot speed and hand magnetism of Moss, our boys must be on their toes at all times.

Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware v. Falcons LT Sam Baker

See it Oct. 25, Week Seven, when Atlanta goes to Cowboys Stadium

I'm sounding like a broken record, but it's important to state this: Football is a team sport. It's the entire O-line's job to stop the blitz. And yes, they must at least try, even when that blitz is coming from...gulp...DeMarcus Ware.

Baker came to us in last season's draft short of the hype of such "franchise cornerstones" as Jake Long and Jason Smith, but he imparted plenty of excitement to the fan base and did fine, in the games he was healthy enough to appear in.

I will not fault a man for getting hurt, but the left tackle slot is meant for a guy built like a rock. Well, a rock with really good hands, the ability to pull and maul, and some solid athleticism and reflexes. Is that what you are, Sam?

As you well know, Ware is surrounded by a great supporting cast that kicks ass against the run. That frees him up to come headhunting for your quarterback. It's not that I fear for Matt Ryan's life, it's just that, well, you better be damn well prepared, Baker.

He's a young fella and has time to improve. But this game and the matchup against this defense will make up a lot of people's minds about his ability to stay at OLT for years to come.

Giants DE Osi Umenyiora v. Falcons LT Sam Baker

See it Nov. 22, Week 11, when Atlanta goes to Giants Stadium

"Aw, man. Why's it always me?"

Sorry, Sam. Once again I must call you out. Please just go ahead and have a great performance against another terrifyingly great NFC East defense, OK?

I chose Osi because he'll line up opposite Baker, but in reality, the Giants' defense is even more well-rounded than Dallas'. But you didn't need to be told that, now did you? I'd put money down that you watched 2008's big game.

So you know that Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka are also on this line and Antonio Pierce is behind them. Umenyiora is coming off that injury, so I guess that's...um, "good news?"

Baker must match the incredible energy of NY's pass rush, specifically that of the wild-and-crazy Osi. Sam might want to drink a couple (dozen) Red Bulls before the game to make sure he can keep up with the quick hands of the D-ends that are going to be coming at him.

But I'm not trying to be too negative, here. Baker will have already seen the worst of it (the Panthers twice, the Cowboys, and the Patriots) at this point, and as long as he's healthy for the majority of the season, we can look at him as a "vet" by Week 11. Plus, he's got technique, Harvey Dahl, and Tyson Clabo on his side.

Eagles QB Michael Vick AND Falcons Fans

See it Dec. 5, Week 13, when Philly comes to the Dome

Do you see what's in bold, italics, and CAPS in the above subheadline? The word "and."

Not "versus" or any abbreviation thereof.

Yep, I said "and," and I'm finally talking about Michael Vick in one of my articles. Weird, no?

Very quickly: It makes me sick to my stomach to think of a person, let alone a grown man who's a role model for millions, torturing a being that can't defend itself. Literally, nauseous.

But for just a moment, I'm going to deal with the discomfort. I'm going to see a man who's been in prison for nearly two years (that makes me pretty queasy, too), seems genuinely remorseful, has immense talent, and meant the world to my city not five years ago.

I'm really hoping this will be "and" more than "versus." It doesn't need (nor should it be) a five-minute standing ovation, but I know my fellow ATLiens will at least politely cheer, and I hope even local PETA members will hold their tongues for a moment when Mike comes back to town.

It was disgusting, what Vick did. But the way he played (and better still play) football was awesome, and I just want to see it, at least in part, again.

How he's received everywhere will be a big deal; it doesn't really matter where the Eagles are playing. I am crossing my fingers, though, that Atlanta makes him feel the most welcome of all the NFL cities.

...

Oh, what, you wanted some football analysis?

I have no idea how Vick fits into the Philadelphia offense, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear Donovan McNabb himself say that he lobbied to get Mike in town. Obviously, Kevin Kolb going down to injury leaves a spot for him at backup QB, but I could very much see him stepping in for a tired Westbrook here and there.

Don't forget, but forgive. At least enough to enjoy the man's play on the field.