The Atlanta Falcons – What we know and don't know

Week-3 of this 2010 football season may be considered a little early to call a game critical, even being that it is a divisional contest and a heated rivalry. But for the Atlanta Falcons, this particular trip to the Super Dome has the potential to stick and perhaps, define the team as being either a true contender or just another pretender.

The web is currently littered with those ‘5-things-you-need-to-know’ kind of articles. This is (of course) the result of all of the nation’s 600 bazillion sports writers, who have simply run out of useful things to say. And so in keeping with this tradition of the pointless, I would now beg your indulgence for my own version…

The Atlanta Falcons – What we know and don’t know going into week 3 of the 2010 NFL season.

Scoring -

What we know: The Falcons blew a hole in the scoreboard at home against the Cards.

What we don’t know: Can the Falcons repeat on the road, in the Super Dome against the Super Bowl champs?

What we know: The week-1 Steelers easily stuffed the Falc’s running game into a Heinz Field pickle jar while still covering our receivers like a drippy Dixie dew.

Running Game -

What we know: Norwood will be home for the holidays this year.

What we know: The Falcons dumped preseason showstopper RB Dimitri Nance just a few days before losing Norwood. (Nance was rather quickly picked up by Green Bay.)

What we don’t know: Will the Burner’s gimpy groin be ready to scorch the turf Sunday?

What we know: Jason Snelling is actually Ironhead Hayward reincarnated.

Passing Game –

What we know: Matty Ice appears to have a small problem tossing safe sideline passes.

What we know: The Saints’ DB's will undoubtedly be waiting for a chance to pick a blind ice-ball from Roddy’s fingers.

What we don’t know: Who is Matt Ryan and will he please stand up?

What we know: Brian Finneran could catch a speeding MARTA bus on a Friday afternoon while running backwards down I-285.

What we know: Most people have never heard of him and can’t spell Villanova.

Running D –

What we know: The D-line schemes come in two varieties: rock hard and Swiss cheese.

What we don’t know: Who thought putting holes in the cheese would be a good idea.

Passing D –

What we know: Brent Grimes is actually 6-foot-2.

What we don’t know: Who that Jamaal Anderson fellah is and how he gets sideline tickets to all the games.

What we don’t know: How long it will take #55 to reach 1000 sacks.

The final mystery will be solved this Sunday and what we will know then is whether Mike Smith and Arthur Blank have finally come home with the bacon.