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A Tough Road Ahead: Looking at the Atlanta Falcons 2009 Schedule
Published: August 15, 2009
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The 2008 Atlanta Falcons shocked all the critics as they went 11-5 and reached the playoff for the first time since 2004. They look to repeat the success they had last year and with the addition of tight end Tony Gonzalez and rookie defensive tackle Peria Jerry, it would not be a surprise if they did.
But the NFL won’t allow the Falcons to achieve their goals so easily as some experts would say they have one of the toughest schedules in the league. Not only the Falcons have to face their divisional opponents twice, they will face the four teams from the AFC East and the NFC East and both divisions could be the most competitive in all the NFL.
Here is a look at some of the key games and some key matchups in each of those games:
September 13 vs. Miami Dolphins: Like the Falcons, the Dolphins shocked the NFL by going 11-5 under first year head coach Tony Sporano. Quarterback Chad Pennington was great last season and was named NFL Most Improved Player for his efforts.
But I think the matchup to watch is running back Ronnie Brown vs. the Falcons defensive front-seven. Brown was a catalyst to the Dolphins offense and started the whole “wildcat” offense trend. It will be a tough test for new defensive starters Peria Jerry, and Stephen Nicholas.
September 27 at New England Patriots: He’s back. Three-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady is healthy and hungry for another title. The entire starting 11 will have their hands full as Brady has a quick release and great pocket presence. If John Abraham and Jamaal Anderson can create pressure off the edges, they can rattle Brady and the Falcons can come away with a big win.
October 25 at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys had a disappointing 2008 season but there is plenty of talent on this team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I think that the Falcons offensive line vs. the Cowboys front seven will be the matchup to watch.
DeMarcus Ware is one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in the game and former Falcons Keith Brooking doesn’t make mistakes. But the Falcons O-line is underrated and plays with a mean-streak.
November 22 at New York Giants: The Giants will not be as strong offensively with the loss of Plaxico Burress. But they have a lot of playmakers on defense including Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and another former Falcon Michael Boley. Matt Ryan will have his hands full because the Giants defense had 42 sacks last year with was the sixth best in the league.
December 6 vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Let’s face it, both those teams don’t like each other and the fact that Michael Vick will make his infamous return to the Georgia Dome will put fuel to the fire. But the key matchup will be Brian Westbrook going up against the linebackers for the Falcons. W
hen healthy, Westbrook is the most dangerous offensive back in the NFL because he can run between and outside the offensive tackles and can catch the ball out of the backfield. Nicholas, Lofton and Peterson have good speed, but will that be enough to take down Westbrook and the Eagles offense?
Divisional opponents: When the Falcons play the Carolina Panthers on September 20 and November 15 they will have to put their attention to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. If the Falcons front seven can contain the two running backs that means that Steve Smith will not torch the Falcons like he usually does.
The Falcons play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 29 and January 3. The Bucs will struggle but I think the key matchup will be Roddy White going up against Ronde Barber. If Barber can frustrate White, then the Bucs have a shot of winning the two games.
But when the Falcons play the Saints on November 2 and December 13 the scoreboard will light up as both these teams have high-powered offenses. Drew Brees had a career year with over 5,000 yards passing for the Saints. What the Falcons need to do is get pressure on him to disrupt his timing.
So Abraham, Anderson, Jerry and Babineaux will have to be on their A-game in order for the Falcons to win.
So that’s the Falcons schedule and some key matchups for each game. It will be a tough road for them, but the team is more mature and more experienced than last year. Because of that, they have a chance to do something special in 2009.
The Top 10 Greatest Atlanta Falcons
Published: June 3, 2009
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Over the last 40 years, the Falcons have not put together a lot of winning seasons, but there have been great players to don the red and black during that time. Tommy Nobis, Jesse Tuggle, and Alge Crumpler are just a few names that come to mind, and with the 2009 season kicking off in three months, I thought this would be a good time to list my 10 greatest Falcons of all-time.
10. Keith Brooking
He is what you call an oddity in the NFL because he played high school, college, and professional football in the same state. During his time with the Falcons, he went to the Pro Bowl five times and was named to the All-Pro team twice. He now plays for the Dallas Cowboys but will always be known as a Falcon.
9. Steve Bartkowski
Before there was Matt Ryan, there was a gun-slinger from California named Steve Bartkowski that made a splash in a major way when he entered the league in 1975. In fact, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year that season. He also made two trips to the Pro Bowl, and he led the NFL in TD passes in 1980 (31). He is still the Falcons all-time leader in passing yards with 23,470.
8. William Andrews
There have been good running backs for the Falcons, but William Andrews could be considered the best because he was able to perform at a high level for a long period of time. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, a four-time All Pro selection, and was named to the Falcons Ring of Honor in 2004. I think that’s enough credentials to put him on the list.
7. Jessie Tuggle
I don’t think that there hasn’t been a player to wear the Falcons uniform that played and worked as hard as Jessie Tuggle. They called him the hammer because of his bone-crushing hits, and this was a guy that was under 6’0″ tall. He went to five Pro Bowls and holds the NFL record for returning fumbles for touchdowns with five.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
6. Gerald Riggs
As good as Andrews was in the early 80’s, Riggs was just as good, if not better, as he is the Falcons all-time leading rusher. In his six-year career with the Falcons, Riggs totaled 6,631 yards, which is a team record, and went to three Pro Bowls. His best year was in 1985, when he rushed for over 1,700 yards.
5. Deion Sanders
He was flashy, he was flamboyant, and he was cocky. But he had every right to be like that because he will go down as the best shutdown corner to every play the game. He didn’t put up big numbers, but that was because the opposing quarterback knew not to throw in the area where Deion Sanders was covering.
4. Mike Kenn
He played through some bad seasons with some bad Falcons teams, but Mike Kenn played every game like it was his last. In fact, he holds the club record for most games played and most games started with 251. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and was named to the Falcons Ring of Honor last year.
3. Bill Fralic
Out of all the offensive lineman to play for the Falcons, Bill Fralic could be the best run blocker in franchise history. He made the NFL 1980s All Decade Team and went to the Pro Bowl four times. In 1984, UPI named him Offensive Lineman of the Year.
2. Jeff Van Note
There is probably no member of the Falcons fraternity as beloved as Jeff Van Note. He became one of the premier centers in the league as he reached the Pro Bowl six times. He played in 246 games, which is second most in franchise history, trailing Mike Kenn.
He currently works for the Atlanta Falcons Radio Network as the co-host for the pre and postgames.
1. Tommy Nobis
When the Falcons made their first ever draft pick in 1966, they knew that they chose a superstar. During his tenure with the Falcons, he went the Pro Bowl five times, won Defensive Rookie of the Year, and was named to the 1960s All-Decade Team. In his rookie year, Nobis tallied 294 tackles, which is still an NFL record.
I know that I forgot some players such as Terance Mathis, Alfred Jenkins, Morten Andersen, and Claude Humphrey. But these are the players I thought that made the most impact for the franchise during their career. And with the 2009 season on the brink, I hope players such as Matt Ryan will prove that he can make this list.
2009 Atlanta Falcons Look To Do Something No Falcons Team Has Done Before
Published: May 26, 2009
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Falcons fans have been through this before.
Over the years, they have hoped for another successful season after doing well the previous year, but they are disappointed the following year as the Falcons fail to take the next step. Anybody that follows the Falcons knows that they have never put back-to-back winning seasons since the franchise was established in 1966.
But this year is different. After having one of the most surprising seasons in franchise history last year, the expectations for the Falcons are higher than ever. The reason for that has to do with second-year quarterback Matt Ryan who had one of the best rookie seasons and NFL rookie quarterback can have.
Another reason is Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff having a successful 2008 season and having a great off-season to follow-up highlight by trading for tight end Tony Gonzalez.
But is has been the same story for years, so why should this be any different? The Falcons have a tougher 2009 schedule than the schedule they endured in 2008, but if they are able to stay healthy, there is no reason that they can’t have another winning season.
Here’s a look at a couple of seasons where the Falcons had a chance to put together back-to-back winning seasons, but came up short.
In 1992 the Jerry Glanville-led Falcons were getting ready for another successful season as they reached the second round of the playoffs in 1991 losing to the Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins. But after going 3-5 in their first eight games, they could never recover and finished the year 6-10.
In 1999 the Falcons were coming off a Super Bowl appearance and looked to be the favorites to win the NFC once again.
But when Jamal Anderson went down with a knee injury in the second game of the season, that was it for the birds because they had no running game and Chris Chandler could not carry the team by himself. Because of that, the Falcons finished the year with a 5-11 record.
After the 2004 season where the Falcons reached the NFC Championship game in which they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 2005 looked to be that year where they finally get that second consecutive winning season.
With three games left, Atlanta was 8-5 and needed to win at least two of the final three games to secure a playoff spot. But they lost to Chicago and Tampa Bay and got blasted by Carolina to finish the year 8-8.
Now it’s 2009 and the Falcons have something to prove to the city and the NFL that they are no longer a franchise that buckles under the pressure. They will rise above the occasion and become one of the premier teams in the NFL.
Will they go 11-5 or 12-4 this season? Probably not, but if they are able to win nine or 10 games, it’s safe to say that the Falcons are headed in the right direction.
