Be Patient, Atlanta Fans: Five Truths About the Falcons

Okay, it's reality check time.

Falcons fans, it's time to look deep within yourself and ask (and answer—but not out loud, who knows who's around), "What do I, honestly, think of this team?"

It's the hard conversations that we sometimes avoid, but they are usually necessary.

After the Falcons' loss to the Panthers, 24-9, on Sunday, honesty is the best medicine when it comes to evaluating the performance and expectations of this team.

In some ways, at the quarter mark of the season, they've exceeded expectations already. Many of the pundits selected the Falcons as the worst team in the league, a team that would manage to be successful just once this season. That's obviously not the case—they've won two games.

This team, led by coach Mike Smith, he of the big-brother-always-cool-and-calm style, seems to come into games well prepared. That preparation will allow them to keep most games close and win the ones they should.

That is Truth No. 1 and that is something you can count on for the remainder of the season and Smith's hopefully long tenure in Atlanta.

Truth No. 2: Rookie QB Matt Ryan is going to excite and frustrate the fans in ways very unlike how Michael Vick managed to.

The coaching staff is going to handle Ryan with kid gloves—trusting him to perform, but never expecting him to win a game outright within the game plan. Ryan has shown flashes of what he can become and the fans have every reason to be excited, yet they must remain as patient with him as the Falcons are.

He will surprise you—making a play with his legs as he did on Sunday. Ryan seems incredibly bright and surprisingly mobile, and thus far he has made pretty good decisions with the football.

I would like to see more vocal expression and leadership from Ryan though. I'm starting to wonder if the nickname "Matty Ice" has more to do with his stone-cold personality than his ice-water-in-his-veins style of winning games.

On Sunday I saw little emotion from the "leader," and that has to change. Perhaps behind the scenes more of this style of leadership is evident, but the Falcons are going to be as successful as Ryan is, and he needs to manage his O-line and supervise the offense on the sideline after the bad plays, not just the good ones.

The Panthers had 11 penalties for 90 yards, and the Falcons were unable to do much with it. Truth No. 3: The Falcons have to learn to capitalize on opportunities and put the ball in the end zone.

Trading field goals for touchdowns will not amount to many wins. They need to develop a more aggressive sense of urgency. I appreciate the patience they displayed on Sunday, sticking with the running game (unlike in Tampa) and waiting for the big play to break.

Running back Michael Turner has that big-play ability, yet he failed to break a long run on Sunday. The offense needs to come out of its shell a little since teams are clearly convinced stopping the run is the answer to stopping the Falcons.

Ryan has displayed a good arm and nice touch on the deep ball when he's thrown it, and Roddy White is a playmaker—those two need to get into a rhythm early and often.

Atlanta's receivers need to learn to catch the damn ball. Seven dropped passes on Sunday did not help the cause, and of course that is Truth No. 4.

Ryan doesn't seem like the kind of quarterback to lose faith in his players, so surely he'll continue to go back to them, but they need to step up and help out the young quarterback.

Roddy White, especially Roddy White, needs to get past the yips that he appeared to have gotten over last year. Do not revert to your ways of two seasons ago. This team cannot afford that.

Ryan to White has the makings of a great combination, but that can't happen if the passes are dropped. White also needs some new cleats—I can recall three plays where he slipped and fell.

The Atlanta personnel need to continue to grow, or they will find themselves on the outside looking in at the end of the season. Truth No. 5: GM Thomas Dimitroff showed in this past offseason that he's not afraid to get rid of players—especially players he didn't draft.

The cornerbacks did their best against a talented group of receivers from Carolina. The run game was managed, and Panther's quarterback Jake Delhomme picked on Brent Grimes and Chris Houston all game long.

They both played admirably—Houston holding Steve Smith to only one big play (a 56-yard touchdown reception)—but the 5'10" Grimes was clearly outmatched by the veteran Muhsin Muhammad, all 6'2" of him.

Muhammad finished the day with 147 yards and one touchdown. The second-year cornerback stayed after it all day and made an occasional nice play, but he was unable to shut down Muhammad for the entire game. The secondary needs to continue to improve and rebuild.

Jamaal Anderson, in his second year, is still searching for that elusive first sack. It seemed like a great opportunity on Sunday, with the Panthers patching together an offensive line (both starting tackles left the game) and a focused attempt to stop John Abraham. But we saw more of nothing from last year's first-round defensive end.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

The transformation agenda from Dimitroff and Smith is clear, and their vision for this team is clear. The players have bought into the coaching staff's philosophy.

Falcons fans: Remain patient (and even a little meek). You're going to see a lot of 24-9 games. The bright future Blank promised once is now within sight. After last season, it's come much quicker than anyone could have imagined.

Keep the faith, remain humble, and be honest with yourself. This team and its staff will be. The earth in this case is the world of the NFL. No one's watching right now, but the Falcons and its long-suffering fan base are definitely on the rise.

This team will be competitive this year, and in the future it will win.