# OT: 2010 Atlanta Falcons



## ATLien

The first pre-season game is in ten days. Training camp has already started. I need a thread where I can talk Falcons with myself.

*Week 1 - at Pittsburgh*
*Week 2 - vs. Arizona*
*Week 3 - at New Orleans*
*Week 4 - vs. San Fransisco*
*Week 5 - at Cleveland*
*Week 6 - at Philadelphia*
*Week 7 - vs. Cincinnati*
*Week 8 - vs. Tampa Bay*
*Week 9 - vs. Baltimore*
*Week 10 - at St. Louis*
*Week 11 - vs. Green Bay*
*Week 12 - at Tampa Bay*
*Week 13 - at Carolina*
Week 14 - at Seattle
Week 15 - vs. New Orleans
Week 16 - vs. Carolina


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## ATLien

The schedules been out for a while, but re typing it out made me notice a few things

First of all, I love this schedule. It isn't a cake walk. Lots of good teams on there, but it'll make for some really fun matches. 

Really happy that Cincinnati, Baltimore, Green Bay are in the Georgia Dome while a lot of the easier games like Cleveland, St. Louis, Seattle are on the road.

Not sure if the first half or the second half is easier, too early to tell. But I like the way the final 5 games are set up.


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## ATLien

Jonathan Babineaux has been suspended for the season opener by the NFL. This is bad because DT Peria Jerry, who I was pretty high on to make an impact in 2010, is not even close to being 100% healthy. I like Babineaux and Jerry as a starting DT tandem, but there isn't much depth there. Who knows, maybe Corey Peters will surprise folks. 

I'm more optimistic than most about the talent on the d-line, but everyone needs to stay relatively healthy.


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## BlakeJesus

Our offense should be fun to watch this year.

What's your opinion on Michael Turner?


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## ATLien

GregOden said:


> Our offense should be fun to watch this year.
> 
> What's your opinion on Michael Turner?


Definitely.

Either I am making too much about this (probably) or other people are over looking it (could be), but Matt Ryan will have a traditional slot guy this season (Harry Douglas) that wasn't there in 2009. I just think that is going to be big for the offense and for Matt Ryan. 

I like Michael Turner a lot obviously. Nice combo of power and speed. The only thing I worry about is how much he has left in the tank. He should be fine for this season, but after that you wonder how much longer before he breaks down.


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## nutmeged3

Hate to say it but I think the Falcon's could be in the top of the NFC this year depending on how Ryan plays. Getting Turner back healthy is big, as well as Douglas in the slot like you said. I was always under the impression Norwood was a really good backup RB but I don't remember him getting many carries the past two years? Seems Falcons have a good trio in the backfield so Turner shouldn't get burnt out from too many carries this year.

I'll be looking forward to our two matchups this year, definitley.


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## ATLien

Yeah, Norwood hasn't been able to stay healthy during his career. I might like Jason Snelling more than Jerious. Snelling had some moments when Turner went down last year. 600+ yds and 4.3 YPC for the year. I'd like to see more of him in order to rest Turner like you said.


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## BlakeJesus

Jenkins out for 4-6 weeks. Hopefully he's healthy by the start of the season. Him not being in that number 2 slot hurts Harry Douglas more than it hurts Roddy White IMO, because Harry is an ideal fit as a slot receiver.


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## ATLien

Jenkins will miss the season opener. Hopefully not much more than that. Jenkins isn't really a great receiver, but he compliments Roddy well as the big possession target and he's more athletic than a guy like Brian Finneran.


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## BlakeJesus

Yeah, he's been quite the let down.


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## ATLien

Yeah he gets **** from a lot of fans here but he does alright by me. This is a run first offense and he's a pretty good blocker down field. Now Jamaal Anderson, theres a real disappointment.


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## ATLien

Sean Weatherspoon gets the start in place of Mike Peterson at WLB for Week 1 of the pre-season.

The rest of those not going to play: Dunta Robinson, William Moore, Matt Giordano, Jerious Norwood, Peria Jerry, Harry Douglas, and Brian Williams.

Hehe. Pretty much everyone I was looking forward to seeing is not playing. Dunta Robinson and Brian Williams [missed most of last year] should be the two starting CBs. Harry Douglas is supposed to be the slot receiver, and Peria Jerry and William Moore have just been rumors to Falcons fans. They've been injured since we drafted them in 2009. Haven't seen the field.

I still want to see how Spoon does, as well as the rest of the rookies, and I'd like to see Biermann and Sidbury getting pressure. Jamaal Anderson just sucks, but those two could form a nice rotation opposite John Abraham.


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## ATLien

Falcons def. Chiefs 20-10

The announcers said Michael Turner is 15 lbs. lighter than last season. He looked unstoppable vs. a bad run defense. No need to give him more than a handful of carries in these games, but it looks like he's in good physical shape. 

Defense forced three turnovers. Biermann made a nice play getting to the QB and forcing a fumble. Sidbury got in the backfield a lot as well. I want the coaches to take away snaps from Jamaal Anderson & give those 2 more.


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## ATLien

Patriots def Falcons 28-10

The defense got torched. The pass defense looking bad wasn't that frustrating, because our #1, #2 & #2 CB's were inactive for the game, but the run defense should not have been that bad. Spoon & Biermann (had another forced fumble, and blowed up some RBs behind the line) made some impressive plays. They bought ought to be starters on Week 1.


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## croco

I have only watched the first half, but I don't think the defense was that bad considering the secondary issues you alluded to. That roughing the kicker call was also bogus. Overall, I like the personnel the Falcons have on defense, they should be able to be slightly above average at the very least.


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## ATLien

croco said:


> I have only watched the first half, but I don't think the defense was that bad considering the secondary issues you alluded to. That roughing the kicker call was also bogus. Overall, I like the personnel the Falcons have on defense, they should be able to be slightly above average at the very least.


Its just I don't think very highly of New England's RBs and they were able to break way too many arm tackles. 3rd down defense was pretty bad. It was bad last year. They're able to get teams in third and long, only to give up a big play. I guess you can pin that on lack of pressure to the QB on what are usually obvious passing downs.

Mike Smith said after the game that Kroy Biermann is absolutely pushing for a starting job, and that most of the guys they've been holding out of action will play in the third pre-season game.


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## ATLien

Rookie WR Kerry Meier out for the season. Tough break for the guy. He was getting a lot of credit from the veterans for his route running and sure hands.


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## ATLien

Falcons def. Dolphins 16-6

The offense didn't do anything which was disappointing. If Matt Ryan throws that many balls off target, they will lose at Pittsburgh who has a much better secondary than the garbage the Dolphins have. The receivers dropped some easy catches, as well. 

The first team defense played well. Best game they've played this pre-season. Didn't give up a touchdown and were able to get off the field on third and long which has been their Achilles hill for over a year. Peria Jerry got some quality snaps in, and Biermann/Sidbury each had a sack.


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## ATLien

> Week 1 - at Pittsburgh


Looks like Byron Leftwich is out for this game, so it will be Dennis Dixon. Not sure if this works in our favor or not. Dixon is more mobile, but he could also be more prone to make a mistake I guess.


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## ATLien

Team released the depth chart for Week 1. No big surprises. Weatherspoon & Biermann get the start at OLB and DE. They earned it in the pre-season.

Not sure what to expect vs. Pittsburgh. Not going to be a cake walk.


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## Dissonance

DESTROY them.


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## ATLien

Falcons lost in OT. It was 6-6 in regulation, four field goals. I'm not surprised they lost, but it still stings. Matt Ryan pretty much looks to Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, or throws it away. And he usually ends up forcing it to #84 or #88 even if they're double covered.


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## Dissonance

Should've gone for it on 4th and 1, instead of kicking the tying FG.


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## ATLien

> Week 2 - vs. Arizona


We should be able to find the end zone a lot more in Week 2. 

Pittsburgh's D looked stout. Our OL couldn't block their guys and the receivers weren't open most of the time.

Arizona didn't give up a ton of yards in Week 1 (240 passing, 85 rushing), but they were playing the Rams. Of course I want to see a win, but the offense needs to find its rhythm going forward into the season.


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## ATLien

ATLien said:


> We should be able to find the end zone a lot more in Week 2.
> 
> Pittsburgh's D looked stout. Our OL couldn't block their guys and the receivers weren't open most of the time.
> 
> Arizona didn't give up a ton of yards in Week 1 (240 passing, 85 rushing), but they were playing the Rams. Of course I want to see a win, but the offense needs to find its rhythm going forward into the season.


YES

I know its only Arizona, but it was just refreshing to see Atlanta completely manhandle a team. 41-7, and the only touchdown was an 80 or 90 yard run that made up most of their offensive yards for the day.

That Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh doesn't look so bad now that I've seen them shut down Chris Johnson and Tennessee. A loss is still bad, but that looks like a good team there.


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## ATLien

ATLien said:


> Week 3 - at New Orleans


Way to get a road win against the best team in our division. The offense is finally starting to click. The OL are opening big holes for the running backs, and the passing game looks more in sync now. The defense is still a concern. They aren't going to shut anyone down, but they should be good enough for a playoff run in the NFC if they can just continue to come up with some turnovers here and there like they did yesterday.

I don't expect vs. San Fransisco at home to give this team that much trouble. They just lost 31-10 vs. Kansas City & give up 200+ rushing yards.


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## ATLien

Missed the 49ers game. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but it's better to be lucky than good sometimes. Next week:



> Week 5 - at Cleveland


Win this game and the Falcons are sitting pretty at 4-1. Every game the Browns have played has been close: 17-14 loss to Bucs, 16-14 loss to Chiefs, 24-17 loss to Ravens, 23-20 win to Bengals. Hope the Falcons can break the trend and win by more than one score.


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## ATLien

Wooh. 4-1 and they won by more than one score! Game was closer than a 10-point victory, but Falcons pretty much wore their defense down with the running game. Once Delhomme entered for Seneca Wallace, Cleveland couldn't do anything.


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## ATLien

ATLien said:


> Week 6 - at Philadelphia


Eagles won a close game vs. San Fransisco just like we did. 

-- The Eagles defense gave up 309 passing yards to Alex Smith.
-- The Eagles are 25th in the league in rushing defense. 
-- The Falcons are 1st in rushing offense in the NFC.

I feel pretty good about our chances with any team in the league if we are able to dominate the time of possession like we've been doing.


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## ATLien

William Moore was declared the starter this week, even though Erik Coleman is back from a knee injury. Moore has been a big surprise this year.

I was just looking at some of their past drafts, how great was 2008? SIX starters. Ryan, Baker, Lofton, Biermann, Douglas, DeCoud.


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## ATLien

High praise



> AJCFalcons D. Orlando Ledbetter
> 
> Philly coach Andy Reid, "Jonathan (Babineaux) is a Pro Bowl player. "
> 
> CoahReid, "You have to look at them as the top NFC team right now by the way they are playing. Not just by record, but by their production."


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## ATLien

Looks like another 9-7 season


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## Dissonance

lol like 2 days ago you were telling me how good they are, and one loss kills your optimism? smh


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## croco

That's ATLien right there.


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## ATLien

The next five games will be key. They really need to go 5-0, 4-1 at worst, to have a chance to turn this around. If they go 4-1 over this stretch, they'll be 8-3 and in good shape for the playoffs. But this team started good last season and it was right around here where everything fell apart.



> Week 7 - vs. Cincinnati
> Week 8 - vs. Tampa Bay
> Week 9 - vs. Baltimore
> Week 10 - at St. Louis
> Week 11 - vs. Green Bay


A second straight loss next week could be devastating.


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## ATLien

OLB Sean Weatherspoon missed the Philadelphia game & will miss the Cincinnati game. I don't think he would have made the difference in the game last week, but the D is clearly better with him in there.

Also good news is that the Philadelphia game was the last kinda good team we have to face on the road (although Seattle & St. Louis have been improving week to week).


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## ATLien

Falcons really need to draft a defensive back next spring. Chris Owens got abused pretty badly by a bunch of old Bengals receivers.


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## croco

Curtis Lofton is a beast. If Patrick Willis is considered the best MLB in the league, I don't think Lofton is far behind.


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## ATLien

What Curtis Lofton is to MLB for Atlanta, that's what Sean Weatherspoon has been to OLB. I really hope he gets a chance to get healthy over the bye week, because we're going to need him down the stretch.



croco said:


> Curtis Lofton is a beast. If Patrick Willis is considered the best MLB in the league, I don't think Lofton is far behind.


I mentioned it a few posts above, but that entire 2008 class has been like a beast for Atlanta. If you include Harry Douglas as a starter (he isn't, but Atlanta uses some 3 WR sets), they drafted six starters.


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## croco

I think the Falcons need another receiver though, I'm not very impressed with Michael Jenkins. Douglas is purely a slot guy and Tony Gonzalez as the de facto second option is eventually going to retire as well. While still very good, there is no doubt he is not as nimble anymore as he was a few years ago. 

For all the star power Atlanta has on offense, there are few teams with less depth at the receiver positions.


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## ATLien

I agree, but they still have more pressing needs on all levels of the defense (line, linebackers, secondary) and soon-to-be on the offensive line with some guys contracts about to expire.


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## ATLien

Important Thursday Night game vs. Baltimore

If this was in Baltimore, I don't know if we would be able to win but I like our chances against any team at home. 

The Falcons left a lot of points on the field against Tampa Bay. & almost all of Tampa Bay's points/scoring drives were just three or four huge plays. Atlanta should have won that game a lot more easily, but I guess that's why some aren't sold on them.


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## ATLien

7-2 & making the playoffs is looking more and more like a sure thing. 

right now, we just need to make sure we stay ahead of New York, Philly, & New Orleans so we can get home field advantage in the playoffs. I'd be willing to bet we have an easier remaining schedule than any of those teams too.


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## BlakeJesus

I'm extremely happy with the way this season has turned out, we're looking like one of the best teams in the NFC right now. Matty Ice!


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## ATLien

8-2!

Atlanta really could have embarrassed St. Louis, but 2 for 5 in the red zone will let the other team stick around. That's been the story all year for Atlanta. They're still a good team, though. Next week's game vs. Green Bay is big.


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## ATLien

9-2! Up next, at Tampa Bay. This is probably Atlanta's last tough road game. Not saying that Seattle won't be hard (and being the 3rd straight road game, on the west coast, could play a factor), but yeah. Tampa Bay has a better team than Seattle, IMO.


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## ATLien

I swear this team is trying to give me a heart attack, but Tampa Bay looks legit. I like how it didn't take them long to give Freeman some playmakers. I kinda hope Carolina does draft Andrew Luck & they can turn their franchise around. The NFC South is going to be incredibly tough over the next five years.


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## ATLien

Thinking at Seattle may be a trap game. They aren't a very good team, but that is a long road trip and it's the Falcons third road game in three weeks. I'm sort of expecting them to come out really flat. Hoping Baltimore helps us out by beating the Saints.


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## Dissonance

I hope we can too. Only chance we probably have at beating NO is if there's bad weather lol.


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## ATLien

If it means anything I think the Ravens were a harder team to face for Atlanta than the Saints. That game in New Orleans never should have had to go to overtime.


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