Strip Clubs, Headshots, and Booze: Falcons Fall Back to Earth

That loud "THUD" everyone heard over the weekend was a result of the Atlanta Falcons falling hard and fast on their butts.  Off to an exciting and impressive start to the season, the Falcons came right back to reality after their thrashing by the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday.

Before you say "same old Falcons" there are a few points about this team and Sunday's game that should be mentioned.  First of all they played Tampa.  The Tampa defense always seems to give the Falcons fits of frustration year in and year out.  No matter who holds the reigns, Monte Kiffin is ready for them. 

The team has a rookie QB who was in his second NFL start.  It's quite a leap to go from facing Virginia Tech's defense to the Tampa two.  Matt Ryan got the snot knocked out of him early and often yet despite the multiple head shots, four sacks, and incompletions the kid hung in there.  Yes he walked out of there with a mere 29.4 QB Rating but guess what, that's 29.4 points better than veteran Chris Redman had last year against the Bucs.

The team never quit and even deep into the 4th quarter, this team was in the game.  The young players got to see and experience a real defense and that can only serve to educate them and improve their play.

Injuries abound as Grady Jackson didn't even start, Sam Baker was taken out with a head injury, and Michael Turner rolled his ankle.  Top it all off with the arrest of Lawyer Milloy on suspected DUI charges after visiting a strip club and you have some real adversity in Atlanta this week. 

Personally I think that the team is still moving in the right direction and that there are many more highlights and exceeded expectations in the near future.  This team is evolving and it wont be long before they take their place at the top of the NFL food chain. 

Coach Mike Smith's leadership and motivation is certainly being tested and I believe he will find a way to turn last weeks misfortunes into future windfalls.  I can't think of a better time to have the Chiefs on the menu.