USA Today gives Atlanta D+

[Gray Mule]

USA Today gives the Falcons a D+ for their work in the off season.  They are very critical of the team going with their starter at QB.

Also, they believe that they blew their first round pick.  Their thinking, a running back is never drafted this high, especially when you already have a very good running back from last season.  What were they thinking?  You can't win in the NFL running the ball.

Apparently their off season signing of free agents did not address their problems, therefore the D+ grade for the Falcons.

Side note:  Falcon's schedule for this upcoming season is rated as the easiest in the NFL.

 

[Spud2nique]

6 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

Side note:  Falcon's schedule for this upcoming season is rated as the easiest in the NFL.

 

Oh noooo I missed the NFL schedule release??? Ugh!!!

Do lions face the Falcons?

[Gray Mule]

1 hour ago, Spud2nique said:

Oh noooo I missed the NFL schedule release??? Ugh!!!

Do lions face the Falcons?

No you didn't miss the schedule.  They just know who each team plays, not when.  Falcons play in England for one of their games.  Ease of schedule based on last season's record.  We get a D+ for our off season work.

 

[Dnice]

Correct. Spud and Mule. Atlanta in Detroit, date TBD.  their divisions face each other this yr.

[macdaddy]

2 hours ago, Gray Mule said:

USA Today gives the Falcons a D+ for their work in the off season.  They are very critical of the team going with their starter at QB.

Also, they believe that they blew their first round pick.  Their thinking, a running back is never drafted this high, especially when you already have a very good running back from last season.  What were they thinking?  You can't win in the NFL running the ball.

Apparently their off season signing of free agents did not address their problems, therefore the D+ grade for the Falcons.

Side note:  Falcon's schedule for this upcoming season is rated as the easiest in the NFL.

 

We ran the ball pretty great last year with just one great back.  Everyone like to dump on Mariota but he was a big part of that running attack.   

[Vol4ever]

I believe we addressed our defense well in the off-season including a new DC.   Robinson will be a difference maker.   Ridder didn't showmuch imo.  Rumor is they wanna trade for Tanneyhill.  

[kg01]

On 5/10/2023 at 9:21 AM, Spud2nique said:

Oh noooo I missed the NFL schedule release??? Ugh!!!

Do lions face the Falcons?

No worries, squd.  I got you covered.  Here's the Titans schedj....

 

... I didn't think this was gonna be funny but it delivered. 

 

[Spud2nique]

36 minutes ago, kg01 said:

No worries, squd.  I got you covered.  Here's the Titans schedj....

 

... I didn't think this was gonna be funny but it delivered. 

 

 @TheNorthCydeRises next move: GET GERALD WALLACE!!!!!#goatwallace

ps Northy, help home girl here she’s mad confused. 

[Spud2nique]

40 minutes ago, kg01 said:

No worries, squd.  I got you covered.  Here's the Titans schedj....

 

... I didn't think this was gonna be funny but it delivered. 

 

@kg01 reeeeeeeeeeeerrrr  

[Gray Mule]

Another corner heard from and it doesn't get any better.  If we are to believe what these "experts" have to say, we're in for a long, dusty road ahead.  Inside Hook says that there are four teams that the NFL did not feature in any of their special games (Monday night, Sunday night, Thursday night) because they are the four stinkers of the league.

Texans, Cardinals, Colts and Falcons made this list.  Falcons may win more than the other three because they have the easiest schedule in the NFL.  This is just throwing us crumbs from their table.  

Seems that, wherever we look, everyone is down on Atlanta.  They are down on our QB and on our pass rush.  They seem to believe that the Falcons run the ball a lot because we can't pass.  This is really old NFL stuff before the AFL came along and made the passing game popular.  Then the two leagues merged.

Crazy Falcons.  Desperately needed an edge rusher.  Had a good running back.  Passed on all those defensive players available and drafted another running back.

[JayBirdHawk]

12 hours ago, kg01 said:

No worries, squd.  I got you covered.  Here's the Titans schedj....

 

... I didn't think this was gonna be funny but it delivered. 

 

Falcons Twitter updated their name 

[Gray Mule]

Wow!  Talk about being the low man on the totum pole.  Stadium Talk has rated all NBA teams and their starting  quarterback.  The worst?  Tampa Bay.  The second worst in the NFL?  Yep.. That's us.  The Atlanta Falcons.

Seems that everyone who is not a real Falcon fan has our QB rated very low.  One reason, our 2-2 record with him as our starter.  Not me.  I'm good with what we have.  I believe in him!

[Gray Mule]

Remember.  Last season the "experts" said the Falcons would win two games.  Oops.  Now, these same writers are so down on our Falcons.  One of my dad's favorite sayings:  "Blessed is he who expecteth nothing for he shall not be dissapointed."  

I have news for these "expert" writers.  We do not have the worst defensive team in the NFL.  We do not have the worst passing game in the NFL.  This Falcon team can do more than run the ball.  This Falcon defense can and will pressure the opponent's QB.  Our starting QB  is not #30 (#1 being the best) in the NFL.

Wonder how many wins this "bottom of the heap" team is expected to win this season?  Surely more than two!

 

[Spud2nique]

4 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

Last season the "experts" said the Falcons would win two games. 

Ya including myself, I either said 2 or 3. I wanna take a look this year and give it a stab.

[macdaddy]

Falcons going all in on being a running team i think.  I think Smith thinks without an elite QB we try to just punish teams with the run which we actually did pretty well last year.   We just need competence and mobility at QB.   There were 3-4 games we just blew right at the very end or had some kind of bs call like against the Bucs.  We weren't nearly as bad as anyone predicted last year and the same seems to be true heading into this year.  We've improved. 

[Gray Mule]

I've saw some softening from some corners of the NFL.  In fact, I've saw writers who believe that (GASP!) a record of 7-10 would not be impossible for Atlanta.

[macdaddy]

It's interesting that in NFL and NBA, guys get drafted, have one training camp, and then are thrown into a long professional season.  Like a lot of folks, i wasn't overly impressed with Ridder but now he's had an entire offseason taking advantage of pro coaches and trainers to get ready.   I would imagine he's a lot more comfortable now.  

[Spud2nique]

29 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

a record of 7-10 would not be impossible for Atlanta.

I have you guys higher, possibly 9-8, this schedule seems soft which is great. I mean, it’s possible to even get 10. If Ridder, Pitts and Drake find the chemistry early, it could be trouble, Drake showed he could be the dude, he’s like a Mike Evans coming out, he is a volume catcher in the mold of a Heines Ward type to me. 
 

The defense is gonna be stout, whenever you have Calais Campbell, I don’t care if he’s 73 years old, he will light a into everyone else on D. That dude is something else.

 

Go (sister) Falcons!

Sincerely,

Lion fan

[Gray Mule]

Spud, I'm pretty sure Campbell is not as old as me (86) and I'm sure that he's still good for a few snaps every game.  A second year Falcon, recently said of him, "He's one of the biggest humans I've ever seen."

Head coach and the GM said that they wanted to get bigger and meaner this upcoming season and they both say that they have done this.  Falcons may utterly fail.  These Gloom and Doom sports writers may be correct.  I, however, have a different view.  Someone is going to pay for all this.  We ain't bad at all.  In fact, we're pretty good!!

 

[HawkingAwesome]

13 win team