Oh Matty! Falcons Get Shot Down by Monte Kiffin's Defense

Two things to start with:

1.    Inspired by Jason Sobel's running blogs during PGA Tour events, I think I will start doing a "play-by-play" blog for the Falcons' away games.  As many of you know, I am a die-hard Falcons fan, and while I am at all of the home games, I usually have a "running-of-the-mouth" blog for the few glorious hours that I am in the stands.  However, after watching Monte Kiffin thoroughly frustrate me, Matt Ryan, and the Falcons' offense for 3 hours, I have learned that I need a release.

2.    Matt Ryan is a real man.  I say this with cringing excitement, but Matty took his licks and popped back to his feet faster than one of those blow-up punching bags I had as a kid (you know the one with sand in the bottom that you would hit as hard as you could, turn around to show off, and the damn thing would pop you back in the face as soon as you turned back around to it).  Matt Ryan took some knocks this game, but he got right back up.  It may take him a few (wishful thinking - probably more) games to learn how to "pop" the defense back, but with a young, growing line, two ultra-talented backs, and a set of four wide receivers that I will boldly state is one of the most under-rated from top to bottom in the NFL, Ryan will learn how to get the last laugh.

Ok, enough with the delay.  We all knew this was coming.  Every Falcons fan that has been kicked in the go-nads time after time after time knew this was coming.  The combination of Monte Kiffin's genius, the Falcons' lack of experience, Warrick Dunn showing why he may never retire, and Brian Griese's efficiency (yeah, I can't believe I just wrote that either) proved to be too much on Sunday. 

How Monte Kiffin does not have a head coaching job in the NFL, I will never know.  I am convinced he just doesn't want one.  I think he is one of the few people in professional football that would rather stay behind the scenes than be out in front.  While he has made many an experienced quarterback look foolish, I'm sure he looked at Matt Ryan and the Falcons' young offensive line like the volcano insurance salesman looked at Peter Griffin ... it may take a minute or two, but I'm going to take this guy for all he's worth. 

Matt Ryan took his lumps, but he was (somehow) able to keep the Falcons' in the game.  The only two completions in his first 9 pass attempts were to the defense, but the Falcons' quarterback kept his cool and led his team on drives that ended in the Tampa Bay red zone 3 times after that.  (By the way, can anyone explain to me, with one of the two starting Tampabay cornerbacks out injured, why Brian Finneran was not in the game with the Falcons in the red zone?)  After throwing those 2 interceptions, getting sacked 4 times, and doing his best Rocky Balboa impression by getting back up every time, you have to be impressed by his attitude when he said, "Obviously, you don't want to start 0-for-9 and throw two interceptions. But you've got to keep battling. Everybody on our team did that. You've got to love that."  Falcons' fans, you want a leader?  I give you your leader, Mattimus Ryanelious! 

**side note** - I challenge anyone who watched the game yesterday to tell me that they would not want to play football for Coach Mike Smith.  Smith made me want to put on a set of shoulder pads, run out on the field, and go tackle someone.  Needless to say, I would have been the anti-Matt Ryan when I didn't pop back up off the ground, but I would have had a smile on my face knowing that Coach Smith would be going crazy on the sidelines.  The fans got to witness first-hand what the post-Petrino era will be like.  The Smitty and Matty era will be full of brutally honest answers, a blue-collar approach with endless accountability, and Smitty's "Pop Warner-ish" enthusiasm that borders on fanaticism which allows Falcons' fans to live vicariously through a white-haired head coach on the sideline who looks more like Al Lewis' “Grandpa” character from The Munsters than an NFL Head Coach.  If you didn't get to see Coach Smith go bonkers on the sideline during the game (when the refs confused two penalty calls on what will no-doubt be one of the craziest plays all year long - which included a long completion, a fumble, an illegal forward lateral, a rugby scrum, and a cheap shot on Matt Ryan), please find it on YouTube.  It will be worth the search.

I will take this loss as a growing pain, as part of the Eyasses' (that's what you call a bunch of young Falcons - I'm not making that one up) learning curve, but I will make this argument all year long.  If the Falcons have less running attempts (28) than they do passing attempts (33), we are in dire trouble.  This is not the Falcons' strength ... yet.  Give the O-line this year to get mature and the receivers a year to learn this system and Matt Ryan's tendencies, and this Falcons' team could prove to be very lethal in the coming years.  Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood can break a long one at any point, and the combination of Roddy/Jenkins/Laurent/Harry has been pretty impressive so far.  The Falcons are growing, and with re-newed leadership and optimism on the field, it is only a matter of time before they take flight