Falcons at New England

[frosgrim]

Since there is a thread about starting Falcon discussions, let me start by talking about this weekend's match up with the Patriots.

My prediction: Falcons 31, NE 24

NE seems out of sync. They really have no running game right now, and Brady is off. There is a good chance it will rain in the NE on Sunday. if it rains, I think the Falcons are the much better "mud" team than NE. Turner and Gonzo are mud players. Ryan has shown that he can make game winning drives in bad weather (OK it was in college, but it was vs. Va Tech).

Brady doesn't seem to trust his knee, so a muddy field will only make that worse.

Of certain concern is the Falcon defense. Will the pass rush show up this week? Is the loss of Jerry going to really make an OK run defense worse? I actually think Vance Walker might help on the run defense. Of more concern are the CB. Is this the week when the Ram CB we traded for sees the field? I like Williams, but I am pretty much done with thinking Houston will be anything more than a poor CB who gets a big INT every now and then.

So, HS Falcon Fans get your Dirty bird on and post some stuff here.

[DrReality]

Brady is so good at finding those little dinky passes over the middle that turn into extended yards. Our db's and linebackers really have to be on their game too.

I think if we can get Turner going we have a chance. If not . . . .. could be a long after noon.

[APE]

If anything BB will get his team to bounce back no matter what and they'll have Welker back.

I think a guy named Dimitroff should know the Patriots really well.

[DrReality]

Probably doesn't mean anything but . . . . .

Patriots' Moss, Welker questionable against FalconsThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Randy Moss and Wes Welker have formed a potent 1-2 punch for the New England Patriots the past two seasons. But injuries to both could leave the Pats punchless Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

.Welker and Moss were listed as questionable after they missed practice Friday.

Welker had limited participation in Thursday's practice and was present for the start of practice Friday for stretching and kickoff return drills. He didn't take part in team drills. Welker missed last Sunday's 16-9 loss to the Jets with a right knee injury and is expected to be a game-time decision.

Welker had 12 catches for 93 yards in the season-opening win over the Buffalo Bills.

Moss also was present for the start of practice Friday, but didn't participate in team drills due to a back injury. He was added to the Patriots' injury report Friday.

Rookie Julian Edelman, a former quarterback at Kent State, filled in for Welker and caught eight balls for 98 yards against the Jets, but he is also listed as questionable with an ankle injury.

Also questionable for Sunday's game are tight end Chris Baker, cornerback Darius Butler, center Dan Connolly, safety Brandon Meriweather, defensive lineman Myron Pryor, wide receiver Matthew Slater, defensive back Shawn Springs and cornerback Terrence Wheatley. All saw limited participation in practice Friday.

Quarterback Tom Brady is probable with a right shoulder injury and had full participation in practice Friday.

[jy23]

I think we have a chance because of their injuries to Mayo and an uncertain Welker. Turner may have his breakout game 2ma and Matt should be able to have a farily decent game if he doesn't try and do to much n just takes what NE gives em. Falcons 24 NE 17

[DrReality]

Brian Wiliams made a great play on Moss to save a TD.

[DrReality]

Love the shot of Mike Smith chewing out Anderson for his poor play on the DL. He needs a good reaming the way he's played.

[DrReality]

We've held them to two field goals. Got to get more pressure o Brady. He'll make mistakes.

[Yubs]

Falcons playing with fire here. How many times are they going to allow this NE team to march into their redzone? We're lucky that we've "limited" the damage, but I'm getting a little annoyed with the Patriots marching downfield on almost every possession. Defense needs to man up.

[EazyRoc]

Our defense was really exposed this game. We just need an infusion of talent along our D-Line. Secondary didn't necessarily play terrible, but our line was getting man handled. After today's game, I think they need to give Jerious Norwood more carries as well. Turner was playing ok, but he just seems more sluggish than last year.

[Yubs]

Turner fumbling was backbreaking. Already has two this year, after getting only 3 all of last year.

And our offense screeches to a whiplashing halt. Ugh, terrible.

[EazyRoc]

Yes it was. We were in their territory too. Also DeCoud dropping two interceptions hurt as well. That unnecessary push-off by Jenkins killed us as well.

[DrReality]

From the AJC. Got taught a lesson:

Foxborough, Mass. – A young team was exposed by the smartest and saltiest bunch in the NFL. If you looked hard, you could have seen it coming. Thomas Dimitroff, who built this young team, looked hard and did.

“We said this would be a benchmark for our organization,” said Thomas Dimitroff, the Falcons’ general manager but once New England’s chief scout. “And the reality is that we still have a lot of work to do. And I knew — I knew — that [the Patriots get] agitated when it’s suggested they’re losing something. I knew they would play physically and come out with all guns blazing.”

To use the Dimitroff buzzword of 2009, the Pats played with urgency. They’d rushed for a total of 156 yards in the season’s first two games; they ran for 168 Sunday. They kept possession for nearly 40 minutes. “They ball-hogged the ball,” receiver Roddy White would say later, and in so doing the Pats hogtied the Falcons.

The Pats weren’t precise — the great Tom Brady missed more open receivers in one game than he used to miss in a full season — but they were persistent. The Falcons hung around and seemed about to seize the lead in both the second and third quarters, but Michael Turner fumbled and Michael Jenkins was flagged for offensive interference in the end zone (the right call, by the way) and the Falcons didn’t score over the final 38 minutes and 48 seconds.

And you’re not going beat New England, which has been the NFL’s best team over the past eight seasons, that way. And that’s what showed Sunday. One team knew what winning such a game entailed. The other was still guessing.

“They did a good job out-executing us,” safety Erik Coleman said. “They did a good job running the ball.”

That part was a surprise, only it wasn’t. Bill Belichick didn’t become the hooded Beelzebub by doing the same thing every week, and his Patriots didn’t try to outscore the visitors 40-37. He tempo’ed the game, as they say in college basketball, and the Falcons’ offense wound up sitting so long it never got a feel for anything. Case study: Tony Gonzalez caught one pass.

“They played keep-away,” said White, who caught four passes but dropped two others. “They didn’t do what they were supposed to do.”

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The Pats are smart enough and seasoned enough to win any which way. The Falcons still have to stick to script. That’s a function of age, or the lack thereof. The Pats brought a championship intensity to Week 3 of the regular season. The Falcons don’t know what championship intensity is because, to be blunt, they haven’t won anything yet.

But that isn’t to say they won’t. This is a good young team that, with a few tweaks, will get better as it goes. There’s reason to believe the rookie pass rusher Lawrence Sidbury needs to be worked into the rotation — the Falcons had one sack against Carolina last week and none against New England — and the absence of tackle Peria Jerry was deeply felt Sunday.

But the secondary wasn’t completely undressed by Brady and Randy Moss, and that’s something. Indeed, this rainy day needn’t be viewed as a washout. The Falcons were beaten but not routed, not nearly embarrassed.

Said Mike Smith, the coach: “We’ll learn a lot from this.”

Said Mike Peterson, the linebacker: “It may not show right now, and people may not understand it yet, but this is going to help us down the road.”

There will be bigger games for these Falcons. And when one arrives, Smith or Peterson will be able to say, “Remember how the Patriots did it to us? That’s what we need to do.”

[DrReality]

If they can indeed learn from this and take a step up, that is a good sign. Like hearing the leadership taking it in stride.

[coachx]

Said Mike Smith, the coach: “We’ll learn a lot from this.”

Said Mike Peterson, the linebacker: “It may not show right now, and people may not understand it yet, but this is going to help us down the road.”

There will be bigger games for these Falcons. And when one arrives, Smith or Peterson will be able to say, “Remember how the Patriots did it to us? That’s what we need to do.”

Love the attitude and perspective from the leaders of the defense (Smitty and Peterson).

[frosgrim]

My feeling is that he Falcons just got out coached in the game. The offense game plan was not very good. Defensively, the Falcons play too much to not give up the big play instead of trying to make the big play.

Players also let the team down: DeCoud, Turner, McClure, the entire DL, all had very bad moments in the game. The LBs were over playing the run come the second half, but given the way the D-tackles were being pushed out f the way, I can't blame them, they were looking for any open space to the back they could find.

It is really too bad. There were about 3 plays that sealed the loss for the Falcons, make one of those and its a different game.