Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week 10, Falcons @ Panthers

Since we hit ’em in the mouth back in mid-September, the Panthers have been on some kind of roller coaster ride. A loss to the Bills at home followed by a win at the Cardinals? Huh?

And Jake Delhomme threw for 65, then 325, then 90 yards in three consecutive weeks. Has anyone else’s season been as weird as his?

When I was writing that Week Two preview so long ago, I remarked on how out-of-balance Carolina seemed. Never would I have guessed they’d still be that volatile, or that Delhomme still wouldn’t “have his head screwed on right.”

But please, don’t misunderstand; this isn’t bashing. Roller coasters typically have “ups,” too, which in the case of the Panthers are the third-ranked rush offense and sixth-ranked pass defense. Looks like DeAngelo Williams, Jon Beason, and Richard Marshall at least have things figured out.

Speaking of said figuring, I’m fairly confident my Falcons are back on track after their two-game dip. The third quarter of last week’s matchup with Washington aside, we seem in control, but I’ll switch over to football-speak to hopefully impart a little wisdom to our on-again, off-again D: Pay attention to your responsibilities, and do what you do.

In that abomination of a 15-minute period after the half, certain Falcons defenders seemed to be way too content with applying token pressure and hoping our lead held. I’d really rather not see that this coming Sunday in hostile confines against a powder keg of a team.

 

Carolina Run Offense v. Falcon Run Defense

Since his alien abduction and replacement by a drone that resulted in a lame 37-yard performance, DeAngelo Williams has had two (damn near three) 150-plus-yard rushing games. Now that’s what I’m used to fearing.

The Panthers’ line is undoubtedly one of the big reasons why Williams has been able to improve his production; they’re improving with every game, even in terms of sacks allowed (more on that in the passing sections).

Of course, Jonathan Stewart is still a factor, though to this point he has just exactly half of Williams’ yards, and he is certainly capable of more.

Of course, our key to stopping the run is the activity of linebackers Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson, who’ll come up to the line or around to the side to meet anybody. They’re not frequently dealing with linemen, nor do they care much who is running the ball; our strength is making open-field tackles after short gains.

We were pretty so-so stopping the ground attack of the ‘Skins, despite them losing Clinton Portis in the first, but I’ll mollify that a bit by noting that Ladell Betts picked up the majority of his 70 yards in that aberration of a third quarter.

Still, 70 is too much to give up to him. What will we do when faced with not one second-stringer and not one first-stringer, but two first-stringers?

Using our performance at home a month-and-a-half ago doesn’t really do any good. Sure, we were pretty effective against the two-pronged attack, but they’re at another level right now, whereas we’ve lost Peria Jerry and Brian Williams and allowed a bunch against the Saints.

At Bank of America Stadium, there will be potential for more than 144 yards rushing for Carolina. How much more is up to us (and because of spotty line stuffing, primarily the ‘backers).

 

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Carolina Rush Defense

Thanks, Michael Turner, for getting a Eurhythmics song stuck in my head for the rest of the day. At least I’m connecting it with your yardage:

Here comes the rain again, falling on my head like a tragedy …

That’d be back-to-back games of 151 and 166 yards, against two pretty darn good defenses, too. I’m loving the thought that the modest production of the first six games has given way to a re-energized attack and full embrace of the old smash-mouth attack.

Here I’m going to let my unbridled enthusiasm truly out: If he did what he did to the Redskins’ third-ranked run D, what will he do to the Panthers’ 23rd-ranked unit? I see a red sun rising…

Then again, Jon Beason is a beast. The loss of Thomas Davis is bigger than anything he can do, though, so maybe I’ll just toss some more praise on the Dirty Bird production: Turner clearly wants the end zone these days, as he seemingly willed his two breakout touchdown runs last week. Where is your Albert Haynesworth now?

No, but in all seriousness, the thing I’ve harped upon so many times when it comes to the ground game, getting blocking from everybody, remains of utmost importance. I can call Na’il Diggs “old” all I want, but we must account for not just Beason and Julius Peppers, but also safety Chris Harris, who has shown great ability up in the box.

Now, no one would say we’re better without Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling (both still questionable as I’m writing) to help spell the Burner, but note that Michael’s done his serious damage when he’s not sharing carries.

Would love to have big Snell back for his lead blocking, though; pulls by Harvey Dahl and downfield knocks by Justin Peelle can only get us so far. Jerious’ change-of-pace can wait until he’s in the clear; get well, buddy!

 

Carolina Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Poor dude’s head must be spinning.

Personally, I think for anyone to try to say, with any certainty, where the heck Delhomme is headed is foolish. He was a good quarterback in ’04, good enough for several years in between, hit rock bottom with 11 interceptions in two games (ever heard that stat before? Geez, SportsCenter), and now is in some strange limbo of serviceable and certifiable.

Getting after him and maybe getting in his head just a little are crucial.

Hopefully we can shake him with an early sack, though he actually hasn’t gone down that much (18 times) despite all the hate, and then remain active enough in the defensive backfield to break up deep balls and cross routes.

Our secondary has seen Chris Owens (unreliability) and Brian Williams (injury) leave the limelight, so I would suggest just sticking with Tye Hill opposite Chris Houston. If we’re so sold on Brent Grimes, so be it, but giving Hill and Chevis Jackson multiple series in a row would do some good for everyone involved, if you ask me.

We simply slack off plays too often. Against Washington, it was on short-to-mid routes to big fellas, even though Chris Cooley was out. It cannot, I repeat, cannot be on deep balls come the topical game, and I think you know why.

Steve Smith hasn’t been needed a whole lot, but he’s always a massive threat. Sticking Houston on him man-to-man is obvious, but beyond that I think sometimes allowing Thomas DeCoud to roam might be smart.

As we saw against Chicago and N.O., Erik Coleman is simply too valuable in the box to place too far back, though.

Thankfully for us, No. 2 Muhsin Muhammad is playing more like a No. 3, and tight ends aren’t a huge pass-catching concern here. More go Williams’ and Stewart’s ways, which is OK considering mighty-mite Grimes faces less of a size disadvantage against them should he need to grab ’em.

Besides that, Coleman has the speed to catch either should they get past Stephen Nicholas, who seems to have become our designated hang-back LB.

 

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Carolina Pass Defense

“Use it or lose it” doesn’t apply to the air game. Or does it?

Nah. Our receivers are going to come back with just the same skills, plus maybe some incentive to make up for their lack of statistical production last week. I don’t care if it’s for selfish reasons, as long as Roddy White goes wild like he did versus San Fran (or at least Nawlins).

Tony Gonzalez has been called upon less since the first two games of the season, but he was way too effective in the first meeting between these two teams for Atlanta to not go to him two times or more per series. Brian Finneran being questionable only makes the need for a tall target more glaring.

Not that Matt Ryan doesn’t know that.

Yes, he’s been throwing more picks recently, but I’ll readily explain those away: He’s been rushed, he’s been on the road a bit, and he’s passed only in big risk, big reward situations because of how well the running game has been going.

After all, he practices with these guys every day. He knows that when the three (Tony, Roddy, and Michael Jenkins) are on the field together, one of them is open.

If Marty Booker and Eric Weems can offer something up as they have in the past, we can get back to what I wrote about shortly after coming home from Week Two at the Dome.

But then, I haven’t even mentioned the sixth-ranked pass offense that we’ve got to deal with; a ratio of 10 TD to nine INT looks just fine to Carolina, I’m sure.

But check out what I picked up via NFL.com: Though this club is ranked ninth overall in opponents’ overall yards per game, they’re 22nd in opponents’ points per game.

Looks like they’re letting up plays when it counts, which is not something you want against an offense that still is among the best in red zone production, despite a lull in late October.

Good news for us is that really only Chris Gamble is all about the man-to-man; safety Chris Harris is much more about containment, which will be harder when facing Tony G, who none of these guys have the size necessary to put the brakes on.

Still, stats are stats, so I can’t expect an explosion. I’ll settle for well-timed planned detonations.

 

Prediction: Falcons 27, Panthers 21

Looking at simply the two teams’ records going into this one would be a mistake, though I doubt anyone would contend that Carolina is the NFC South-winning team it was last year and so many predicted it would be again in ’09.

This is a divisional rivalry (for what that’s worth in the pros), and more notably, it’s on the road.

I’m like thinking of this one like our trip to Candlestick, but it’s not entirely equatable. For one, Frank Gore was hurt for our trip out west, and for another, Shaun Hill had a total meltdown.

It would require Delhomme playing like he did in Week One for us to drub the Panthers as hard as we did the Niners. I see us winning another close contest, though playing both sides of the ball will be critical.

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Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Nine, Falcons v. Redskins

For a 2-5 team, the Washington Redskins sure are making a whole lotta noise. Even the occasional ESPN viewer is familiar with the faces of owner Dan Snyder, head coach Jim Zorn, and offensive “consultant” Sherman Lewis at this point, if for all the wrong reasons.

In regards to bossman’s words from this past week, I know he didn’t make the perfect vocab choices, but shouldn’t he feel bad about losses? I mean, do we expect him to be just singin’ in the rain over this clueless offense?

Of course, we’ve gotten a chance to see now what a shift in playcalling duties amounted to (um, nothing in terms of additional point production or cohesion), so this could all just be due to a particularly slow-building chemistry or off-kilter personnel.

But anyway, no matter what’s up in the capital, it’s pretty safe to say the ‘Skins come into my hometown in some degree of turmoil. Not that we’re looking completely solid…

Coming off two consecutive losses, both of them frustrating and puzzling considering how well the offense worked early, my Atlanta Falcons want a win badly to get right back in the Wild Card discussion.

Meanwhile, the Redskins want a win (or at least a close game) just as much, as they hope to put anything in the mouths of the pundits besides all the criticisms they’re spouting at the moment.

In short, you can wave goodbye to the relatively relaxed demeanors of these teams in the first half of the season. Stuff gets serious, man.

 

Washington Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

I’ve always liked Clinton Portis, for his running style, his production, and his outfits (dude, where do you buy your clothes?). No matter how much I feel for the guy, though, I can’t lie: The magic is missing to this point in ’09.

A lot of blame can and should go the line’s way, as they seem to like to play only about 50 percent of the time, but the numbers don’t lie. Portis is on pace to barely top 1,000 yards for the season at this point, and while that’s not the end of the world in itself, it is when the next most productive rusher on the team has…wait for it…103 yards.

This is not the frighteningly diversified attack we saw on Monday in New Orleans, y’all.

Add in the fact that Washington ballcarriers (that’d be more or less only Clinton and quarterback Jason Campbell) have five fumbles to two touchdowns, and I think our ground D will get a decent confidence boost tomorrow.

I’d expect Jamaal Anderson to be at tackle again, hopefully in less of a rotation with Trey Lewis and more just playing every down. People frequently criticize him for overextending on plays and thereby letting a guy get by, but I’d prefer that over Lewis’ half-motoring any day.

Jonathan Babineaux is going to be able to plug the center well considering the blockers he’ll face. I don’t see him needing to engage two guys at the line for long; the way pulls have been going so far for Washington, he made need only take a step back to collect Portis’ momentum and bring him to the ground.

Of course, Clinton is always a threat on the outside or the edge, but we’re strong there, even if we rely almost entirely on the linebackers to get runners when they bounce. It’s a good sign to me that Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson are actually picking up speed as we progress this year.

I just can’t see a team ranked 31st in rushing touchdowns and 26th in rushing yards per game doing much on the ground. Besides that, the Redskins have made it clear that when they get behind, which has been often, they’re going to go to the pass pretty much exclusively: They’re now 28th in total rush attempts.

 

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Washington Rush Defense

Michael Turner’s production last week was like a cool, refreshing can of Diet Mountain Dew Ultraviolet after a long afternoon of sportswriting. And if you don’t live like me, then just assume I was talking about a drink of water after crossing some desert.

The point is, the Burner (or is that “the Churner”? Thanks, Ron Jaworski) going for 151 yards with an average of 7.6 per carry was the brightest spot on an offense that was actually generally bright despite the loss to the Saints. The fact that there was no one sharing carries with him actually makes it better, in my eyes; he remained effective despite the defense being able to key in on him.

Of course, the N.O. defense, while vastly improved from the past two seasons, had no Albert Haynesworth in the middle and no London Fletcher with 71 (holy crap!) total tackles in the second level. Going to the outside is probably our best bet, but young ‘backers Rocky McIntosh and Brian Orakpo aren’t the worst lateral movers in the world, either.

The praise may be mostly directed at Washington’s second-ranked pass defense (you know I’m gettin’ to it), but the stuffage is nearly as good. Sure, they’re ranked 26th on the ground, but their 118 yards allowed per game puts them considerably closer to league leader Pittsburgh (about 77 per) than doormat Buffalo (dear Lord, 174!).

They’ve also allowed just three rushing touchdowns and forced six fumbles so I think the front seven are holding up their end of the deal just fine.

One of the secrets to our rushing success on Monday was that the receivers sacrificed and blocked in the flat, as I had implored them to do. We’ll need even more of it if we’re going to deal with a linebacking group just as active as ours and a pretty rock-steady line.

Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White, you know I wouldn’t ask you to put yourselves in harms’ way if it wasn’t really important.

 

Washington Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Once again I must admit to another of my man-crushes: Jason “Pretty Eyes” Campbell has always been a fave of mine. He comes from the SEC, he’s a humble kid, and though he’s been hated on for a couple years now, he keeps on tickin’.

I’d have to be completely lovedrunk to not recognize how poorly ’09 is going for him, of course. It’s very, very far from entirely his fault, as this line is letting rushers through like they’re hot chicks trying to get into the club (they’re tied for fifth-worst with 23 sacks allowed), but a quarterback of elite talent would be able to overcome that.

Not saying every team needs a QB of elite talent, but I digress. The point is that a touchdown-to-interception ratio of eight-to-seven isn’t going to cut it when your run game is as stymied as this.

Part of that is Jason not having a ton of big-time playmakers around him, while another part is Jason just not having the greatest field vision on Earth to find any playmaker. The man is darn accurate though, clocking in at 66 percent despite how often he’s hurried.

On the other side, the Falcons secondary actually played a little better against the Saints than they did in their previous week. Not every day a team can claim that they locked down Drew Brees better than they did some other quarterback, but to answer your question:

Yes, we are proud to have held that bad man to just over 300 and to have picked him off once. We’re an inconsistent bunch, but we didn’t let anyone in particular go crazy on us, despite a massive size advantage for the Nawlins receivers.

And the Redskins’ receivers are a considerable step back in size from the boys we just faced: Both Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle-El are just 5’10” (hooray, Brent Grimes!) and Chris Cooley isn’t quite the giant Jeremy Shockey is.

In terms of our rush, it seems like every week I’m counting on Kroy Biermann and just crossing my fingers John Abraham wakes up. It’s time to mix it up a little bit, Brian VanGorder, and send Stephen Nicholas after Campbell. Once we get him a little scared, he’ll play young as he has to this point.

 

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Washington Pass Defense

What I hate to see is the upcoming opponent’s pass defense ranked No. 2 in the league, but what I love to see is that same unit having pulled in only three interceptions.

Because that’s what’s been Matt Ryan’s true enemy recently. In case you weren’t watching, when Ice was still freezing cold (in the good way) at the beginning of the past two games, we moved the ball downfield with conviction and scored on our opening possessions.

Later in the game, however, Matty started to melt a little bit, and, well, you saw the critical picks on Monday unless you were watching baseball. And by the way, what were you thinking if you were?!

Ole DeAngelo Hall is the one and only INT-machine for the Redskins, and while he’s a defensive back to be feared (I never doubted the man’s skill, just his attitude and contract), when no one else is going to hawk the way he does, I’m much more at ease.

Of course, the high pass ranking must mean something, specifically that we’ll be picking up much fewer yards after the catch than we’re used to. Gonzo will still truck forward a little bit, but LaRon Landry has the size to stop Tony G. His 34 solo tackles impress me personally, considering he’s gone up against some dang fast receivers to this point (Dwayne Bowe, Calvin Johnson, Steve Smith, DeSean Jackson).

Also “pretty OK” at hitting are Reed Doughty and Carlos Rogers. The good news is that neither of those fellas can handle Roddy White one-on-one, meaning that open-field tackles will be their only option.

I’d like to see Jason Snelling involved in the offense again, not to mention Roddy catch more than four of 13 targets, but if we can make up for lost yards after the catch with smart playcalling and otherwise replicate Monday’s showing with two fewer interceptions, I feel fine about the O in general.

 

Prediction: Falcons 31, Redskins 14

We’re no elite defense, but Washington has just been struggling as of late, and on the road against a Falcons team looking for redemption is not where they get back on track.

For what it’s worth, ‘Skins fans, I actually like your team a good bit and would personally give both Zorn and Campbell a vote of confidence until the end of this season. Of course, should they still not deliver with this, something like their 9,000th chance, I might just be left saying “sorry” like Snyder.

Go Birds, beat Hogs; we need this one just a bit more than you.

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Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints Preview: Do Da Dirty Bird

We’re a full day away, and yet I already know what song will be stuck in my head tomorrow:

Dun dun dun dunnn…

(Da dun, da dun, da dun)…

Bum bum bum bum bum bummm…

And from that, I suppose you’ve gathered that, aside from the fact that I’m a young Frank Sinatra with my singing voice, the Dirty Birds will be doing battle on 2008’s No. 1-ranked cable TV show. What a terrific chance to catch my Falcs in primetime and actually, I don’t know, do some work on Sunday afternoon!

But that’s about where my excitement ends, considering who Atlanta faces. I’m just going to let the facts do the talking.

 

New Orleans Rush Offense vs. Atlanta Rush Defense

That’s funny. Is NFL.com’s stats page messed up or something? Because every offensive category I click on, the New Orleans Saints appear on top.

Gee whiz, I was expecting this for the passing categories, but I did not realize just how well-rounded this attack is.

Looking specifically at what they do in the run game, we’ve got three threats to deal with—and that’s about one-and-a-half too many, judging by how we’ve played on ground D so far this season. Yes, we controlled the Dolphins, who since have emerged as an OK team, but they didn’t (and can’t) vary the attack the way the Saints can.

Mike Bell’s punishing downhill style softens things up for Pierre Thomas, and then Reggie Bush comes in to screw up your plans once you think you’ve got everything figured out.

I guess I can take this away: I was right in one of my preseason articles that Bush won’t ever be a feature back.

But that doesn’t really matter when his team is killing it like it is right now, does it?

I wrote on this site a week ago, and still believe in it: Jamaal Anderson’s switch to tackle is going to continue to help in “stuffage” (I’m a genius when it comes to making up words, in case you haven’t noticed). He showed good footwork on a couple of plays last week, once snatching Marion Barber from behind at the line when he might have otherwise picked up seven, eight, or 15 yards.

Of course, we also allowed Tony Romo 31 yards on the ground, a staggering number considering my evaluation of the man’s scrambling technique.

Anyways, in case you’ve yet to gather what I think is going to happen in this particular unit matchup, I’ll just regurgitate a few digits for you:

The Saints are third in the league in rushing yards per game, tied for first in rushing touchdowns, and tops in total points despite already having had their bye week. The Falcons are tied for 26th in average yards allowed per rushing play.

 

Atlanta Rush Offense vs. New Orleans Rush Defense

Despite my frustration with Week Seven’s end result, all thing considered, the run game did seem to take a step forward. Michael Turner ended up with 50, but Jason Snelling (remember me begging for more playing time for him?) got 68 and helped us actually best the ‘Boys in terms of overall yardage.

Still, there’s the undeniable fact that Dallas is just a middle-of-the-road defensive team, while the Saints are, all of a sudden, very solid stoppers.

Wait, did I just say that? For everything I got right in that aforementioned preseason article, it appears there’s something I’m eating my words on…

For a team that guns it like Nawlins does, you wouldn’t expect such stalwart play, but it’s all too true.

I predicted the Scotts (Shanle and Fujita) to again rise to the occasion, but underestimated just how well Jonathan Vilma would play in his homecoming. And then there’s that darned secondary, which includes two-thirds of the Saints’ top six tacklers.

Specifically, I’m afraid of Roman Harper and his four tackles for loss. I also look at Snelling and Turner, two top-heavy guys, against fast fellas like Harper and Jabari Greer, and I cringe at the mental picture of our backs just toppling when the smaller corners and safeties nip at their heels.

It could potentially be a long night.

In terms of factors in our favor, I might mention that Saints tackle Sedrick Ellis is out, but I’d just get laughed at. “Backup” (not for long!) Anthony Hargrove is just as dangerous, if not more.

Still, allow me to give credit to offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for getting creative (and getting results) last week. Who knows, maybe Snelling is the solution and will start to open things up for the Burner as the season goes along.

As we saw last week, a more threatening rushing attack will pay dividends (at least in terms of number of options) in the passing game. Defenders can only concentrate on so many threats at once.

 

New Orleans Pass Offense vs. Atlanta Pass Defense

I bet you thought the praise for the N.O. “O” was over. But wait, there’s more!

This team is sixth in passing yards per game; fourth in completion percentage, passing touchdowns, and yards per pass; and third in passer rating. But really, I’m taking the easy way out by just citing the numbers.

A qualitative analysis will make fellow Atlantans even more sick to their stomachs.

Marques Colston’s continued emergence isn’t that big of a surprise, as he already more or less stopped my heart with shock by producing the way he did prior to ’09 after being a seventh-round pick, but Devery Henderson being as reliable as he has been truly is. I know, I’d dismissed him as way too small, too!

The fact that Jeremy Shockey might be slightly hampered by his shoulder tweak is encouraging, but just barely. He’s still a body we have to cover, and considering how well we covered individual threats last week in the secondary (Miles Austin simply must be cheating somehow), we may need to double Shock with both a linebacker and a corner.

Which will leave us open to one of the Saints’ other guys, like Robert Meachem, Lance Moore (remember, he was predicted to be a starter at one point), or, worst of all, the crafty Bush. He just has way too many good moves in the open field. You know we’re going to let him catch it (unless Thomas DeCoud plays like he did in the first quarter against Dallas for a whole game), and he’ll then proceed to pick up yards, or more like points, after the reception.

Judging by the Falcons’ performance against the Cowboys, it looks like the injury to Brian Williams is going to hurt us way more than I thought. I wouldn’t have guessed that the ACL of a last-minute cornerback signing was going to be more important than the ACL of Harry Douglas, but it looks that way. Poor Brent Grimes is just too inconsistent and gives up a lot in size, especially to Colston.

 

Atlanta Pass Offense vs. New Orleans Pass Defense

It’ll be the key, considering this is the only category in which we might be able to measure up to our opponents. We’ve had games in which the aerial assault looked like the best in the league, and though last week was not one of those occasions and we are now facing a much better secondary, there’s always a chance when Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White are involved.

Shanle, Fujita, Harper, and Sharper all match up decently against Gonzo, certainly better than most of the defensive stars we’ve faced. It sounds like I’m on repeat, but I must say again: The solution for this is to mix things up every play.

Mularkey seemed to agree with me against the Panthers in Week Two, but since then, we’ve strayed from the successful pattern in favor of giving the running game more chances, and only just now gotten results as Snelling’s been carrying the ball.

Hot Rod led the team with 50 receiving yards last week, but to beat the Saints we’re going to need a true standout performance from him. Looking at last week’s box score is fun, as pretty much everyone who caught the ball got double-digit yardage, but it ended up not being all that effective to share the ball in that way.

Of course, what stung particularly bad against the ‘Boys last week were the two picks. It goes without saying that the resulting point swings decided the contest there in the second and third quarters.

Just a little while ago I was citing the steadiness of Drew Brees, and that serves as a perfect contrast to Matt Ryan’s passer rating.

Get it straight: I don’t think that Ryan’s performance is declining; indeed, he remains as cool as he was when I praised him a couple weeks ago. But he doesn’t seem to be seeing things as well as he did earlier in the campaign.

Then again, in our most recent outing, it didn’t help that the line (just a little less than seven days after hushing the Bears’ rush) let Ice get sacked four frickin’ times. Saints ends Charles Grant and Will Smith are doing particularly well in getting to the quarterback thus far, so we better take note and improve protection.

Finally, I’ll just mention Eric Weems’ production in the slot last week, when he made both catches on throws targeting him, picking up 33 yards. A rotation of him, Michael Jenkins, White, and Tony G would do us some good.

 

Prediction: Saints 41, Falcons 24

Yep, the eternal Dirty Bird optimist is a little down heading into this one. It’s going to be a heckuva lot closer when it’s in our dome, but after seeing the Giants get dismantled in the Big Easy, I can’t pretend we’re going to stop these guys from scoring.

Meanwhile, their D is more than good enough to hold our offense to an “average performance” (hope you’re reading, Alex R. and Derrick S., who gave me hell back in May for my assessment of the Saints’ offseason improvements on D).

At least I know what I’m watching Monday night, right?

(Yeah, this, until my stories come on.)

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Do Da Dirty Bird: Jamaal Anderson’s Positional Switcheroo

If you’ve been reading this column with regularity, you’ve heard a lot from me about our defensive line. Apparently, I’m in love with Kroy Biermann, a John Abraham fan for life, and part of Peria Jerry’s personal cheerleading squad.

(If you haven’t been reading this column with regularity, why not? I’m at least good for a laugh here and there…)

What the people haven’t heard much about from me, however, is my opinion on Jamaal Anderson. I’ve found it irresistible to make a couple snide remarks here and there (like that Anderson’s a “nothing” specialist) and was content to mention him as a glue guy in my comparison of our trenchmen to the NY Giants’, but I have yet to truly wax analytic on the man we spent an eighth-overall pick on in 2007.

So here’s a brief summary of the history of my feelings towards No. 98 up to about two weeks ago:

• When he was drafted, boy howdy, was I excited! Let’s get some up front pressure to go with Keith Brooking, yeah !
• After he did close to nothing in his rookie campaign, I knew he just needed a year to break in, and was predicting some eight to 10 sacks from him last year.
• As he completed ’08 with a whopping two sacks in 15 games, I quit hiding my disappointment and more or less relegated him to my “one more year to prove himself” list.

The big guy started this season slowly while pet project Kroy came on strong (two sacks in Week One against the Dolphins), and I pretty much forgot about Jamaal. Maybe he can come into the rotation here and there, give Biermann a breather, you know?

Then the coaching staff just simply embarrassed me by making a brilliant move before I’d even pondered it. Apparently, so many other fans already had (check one of my favorite outside Falcons blogs, the Falcoholic, for a lil’ retrospective on the issue ), which is turning my face all the more red, since I thought I was so good at coming up with creative ways to get struggling guys into the action…

They inserted Anderson as a starting defensive tackle against the 49ers in Week Five, and while he did not shine, it’s become obvious that he’s not the kind of guy who will.

What he did do was play steadily, for a few reasons. Note that these also serve as reasons that the former Razorback might just be better suited to his new spot than the one he was assigned to for so long:

• He hasn’t been able to get to the quarterback all that often, but he has that “motor” that prevents him from being a liability against the run. I’d much rather see a guy come off the edge at the opposing team’s QB while the interior remains wall-like than a hole open up for a potential DT sack.
• Once he makes contact and gets tangled with a blocker, he deals with it better than perhaps even Abe does. No disrespect to my man John, but he’s always been better when he redirects a tackle and gets on his own; Jamaal is so much better at gaining leverage, though no one watches for that kind of stuff.
• He has youth and size to set him apart from your typical Shaun Rogers, Alber Haynesworth, Kris Jenkins, or Vince Wilfork. He doesn’t play anything like these guys, and while he’ll never produce the way they did in their primes, his attack is different and has a chance at throwing off enemy O-lines. They aren’t prepared for his energy or the way he ties up a blocker, which means either opposing run-blocking will suffer or one of our ends gets to the signalcaller.

To boot, we need another defensive tackle in the rotation while Peria Jerry is out. Once he’s back (yeah, I know, NEXT YEAR…don’t rub it in), the two can complement each other nicely as Jonathan Babineaux continues his rock-solid play next to them.

I think I’m becoming known as a “rah-rah” kind of guy, and that’s just fine. So I’m taking my optimism to new heights by believing in this switch and supporting it as a permanent change; are you really surprised?

Do ya thing, Jamaal.

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Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Seven, Falcons @ Cowboys

Most of the time, I’m going to side with my favorite propane salesman ever. But this week, Mr. Hank Hill, I’m going to have to turn on you and your team for my Dirty Birds.

A trip to Dallas would have had me sweating two years ago, even last year (as long as we’d met them this early in the season), but it’s becoming more obvious by the day to me what the Cowboys are: a ground-bound bunch that needs to pray for some other teams to trip up if they want a Wild Card.

On the positive side for them, though, it looks like “America’s Team” isn’t easily blown out either. I doubt anyone out there has been floored by victories over the Chiefs (you really needed OT?) and this year’s iterations of the Bucs and Panthers, but coming within two points of the Giants and a touchdown of the Broncos says a lot.

The Dallas running game lends itself to slower-paced ball. While I don’t pretend the Falcon defense can dictate the tempo while they’re on the field, at the same time the Atlanta Offense will have all the say when they get out there under the bright lights in the new stadium.

Still, it would be wise for folks like me to keep this in mind: Should the Cowboys win, both clubs will be locked at 4-2, second in their divisions, with early schedules looking mighty similar.  The future, however, appears much rockier for us than our competitors (which you best believe includes the ‘Boys).

 

Dallas Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

Not all that often you see a pro team with this much balance in the backfield, but I’ve pinched myself hard enough to know it’s no dream. Three guys over 200 yards already, and all of them have been used to score. Worse yet, Marion Barber, Tashard Choice, and Felix Jones (who’s questionable for Sunday as I write this, but still…) have diverse skill sets, making them much more difficult to prepare for and successfully counter.

Then again, take a look at how bad we shut up Matt Forte – 1.5 yards per carry – last week, and I don’t know that the disadvantage is as big as it could possibly be. In other words, we’re still going to give up some serious yardage on the ground, but there are worse teams in the league at stopping the run.

I hate how many times per game we have to rely on Mike Peterson and Curtis Lofton to grab the ball carriers. Whether or not it’s how the linemen are handling their blockers, the angle opposing backs are taking, or just straight-up player error, that’s something for me to analyze as I watch this game. The point is this: Jonathan Babineaux hasn’t had a significant wrap-up of a runner since the Dolphins game, and John Abraham is obviously concentrating on getting his pass rush to where it was last year.

The blocking the Cowboys are doing is largely getting overlooked, as most blocking typically does, but the fact that stars like Jason Witten and Roy Williams are throwing themselves into the fray in order to provide protection for this rush attack should be mentioned. In reality, it’s only because of their work that exists.

OK, that and Barber’s outright distaste for being tackled.

I would suggest to my own guys that we take a containment approach; I’m far less afraid of Tony Romo, even with time in the pocket, than the trio of tailbacks. Backing off a blocker at the line after initial contact to ensure that a stop gets made – even three, four yards into the run – might be wiser than motoring it all afternoon.

 

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Dallas Rush Defense

Looks like “Dirty Doubter” (check an old DDDB ) is winning out: Michael Turner is not going to be among the top five running backs in the league again this year, let alone will he have 1,700 friggin’ yards. Not that that makes him any less valid of a player, but you’d be blind to not see that we’re leaning on the pass game more and more.

I don’t think it’s so much about the blocking, and it’s certainly not about the Burner’s skills. He still moves like he’s got tank treads for legs and churns way after contact. He has the exact same mentality he did last season; he doesn’t care if he’s small, and he doesn’t care if you’re going to stack three guys on him for a stop, he’ll charge just the same.

But teams are better prepared for him now. He’s not the underestimated former backup anymore. And unlike the last two teams we’ve faced, Turner will not be getting to the second level automatically. That’s not because the Cowboys line is that great, but because the linebackers are just that good.

Keith Brooking (that traitor!) is still doing the thing he did for us, leading his team in tackles. Bradie James is killing it too, and then there’s the little-known (wink wink ) DeMarcus Ware…but more on him in another section. In short, there are plenty of guys who can meet Turner at the line if Jay Ratliff falters (which he’s doing less and less).

More concerted efforts by the Birds would be nice to see, even if it means “wasting” a slot on a traditional fullback on the field. We haven’t seen my boy Ovie Mughelli for a minute, and Jason Snelling has been a receiver in the last few outings. Why not give ’em a chance to do what they were born for?

I’d even be OK risking Tony Gonzalez…no, that came out wrong.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, if we want the run game to start clicking, everybody better chip in.

 

Dallas Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

To me, it’s a bald-faced truth. I’m curious as to what you Dallas people say.

Tony Romo is just not the answer in this situation.

He has made me eat my words a few times, I’ll admit, but I do not trust his mechanics and certainly not his decision-making. He’s improved both in earlier seasons, but I don’t know if he hasn’t already hit his ceiling here in year eight.

The aerial assault of the ‘Boys could be considerably better without Terrell Owens, as everyone predicted before the season began. We saw last week that big plays can come from either Williams or someone like Miles Austin. And besides that, Tony’s got the second-best tight end in the league (who is that first guy, hmm?) as a bail-out option.

Speaking of, we’re going to have some trouble covering him and his ridiculous 6’5″ height, but I digress…

My point is that the improvement that we should be seeing isn’t clear yet, and even against the Falcons’ up-and-down secondary, I think the edge goes our way. Remember what Thomas DeCoud did to Jay Cutler last week, and then turn down Cutler’s passer rating to the mid-’80s.

Of course, the good news for Lone Star folks is that you guys won’t really need to pass the ball all that much, so opportunities for Romo to screw up won’t come all that often. I’d love to think that means we can move Chris Houston or Erik Coleman up in the box for help against the run, but then Tony will probably have one of his good days…

 

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Dallas Pass Defense

Allow me to wax footballisophical for a moment:

The blitz works, in part, because quarterbacks fear the blitz. If a man had no fear of being hit, his mind would operate under pressure exactly the same way it does in practice.

But it doesn’t; dudes pump the ball, scramble, yell, lock in on receivers (or become blind to them entirely), and that allows them to get hit while still holding the ball.

Now take into account that Matty Ice was sacked zero times last week while facing a Bears D that was supposedly one of the best at rushing in the league. He threw two picks, but in both of those instances, he made a decent throw. This is a signal caller that stays..well, you know…”cool” under pressure.

Is he going to be flustered by a Cowboy blitz that obviously has a ton of potential and skill but has almost immediately lost its reputation for hitting opposing QBs this year? They’ve fallen from up-and-away league leaders in the ’08 season to 23rd. I mean, where are you, Ware?

I think Ryan will act just as he does in press conferences: poised and wise beyond his years. And I’ll more or less guarantee you that, against the Cowboys’ defensive backs, one of his favorite targets will be open on darn near every play.

Just take a look at the numbers: Dallas is 26th in passing yards allowed per game and a dreadful dead-last (32nd…do numbers go that high?) in picks. They play with way too much cushion, which is especially bad news facing Roddy White and Gonzo.

Of course, with our success to this point through the air, it’s not like the ‘Boys won’t at least try to focus on that aspect of the game in practice this week. If we become predictable, we risk becoming vulnerable…

But when we can go to Roddy once, Jenkins next, Finn or Snelling or Norwood after that, and Tony G at any given time, how predictable could we be?

 

Prediction: Falcons 30, Cowboys 27 OT

Please, Dallas devotees, note the “OT.” Your team is very good, better than the record shows, and I’m giving you a nod here in addition to all those that I’ve given throughout (as a refresher: Your running game is diverse and downright scary, I’ll give Romo the opportunity to surprise me, and Ware and the rest of the pass-rushers are itching for a breakout).

But when a pass offense like ours gets matched up with a pass defense like that of the Cowboys, I just can’t not give us a win.

One more look at the numbers: All four Dallas secondary starters are among the team’s top tacklers. Congrats on your stats, but the fact that you got credited means your opponent caught the ball .

Watch and learn, Romo.

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Do Da Dirty Bird: Cred to a Mean, Not-So-Lean Atlanta Falcons Offensive Line

Off the bat, lemme throw a number at ya: two.

That’d be the number of sacks the Falcons’ offensive line has allowed through four games. They’ve been pitted against the likes of Jason Taylor, Joey Porter, Julius Peppers, Adalius Thomas, and Parys Haralson, and yet they’ve stood stout.

We’re tied with the Colts (yep, those Colts) for fewest sacks allowed in the league. Such a ranking stands out when you consider who we have under center: A quarterback with outstanding pure passing skills but only modest mobility and not a whole lot of experience.

The security that Matt Ryan is afforded by the trenchmen augments his already savvy-beyond-his-years mentality, and it’s adding up to a darn productive air game.

But see what I did there? I dropped Ice’s name, and collectively referred to those protecting him with just one word.

To reverse the trend of lumping a team’s linemen into one nondescript noun is the aim of this edition of DDDB.

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Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Six, Falcons v. Bears

“Da…Bearss, da Bearss, da Bearss, da Bearss…”

If you’re not feeling my SNL reference, I hereby pronounce you clinically dead. There are no fans more super than Mike Myers and Chris Farley.

Anyway, that’s who’s coming to the Georgia Dome this weekend (not Myers and Farley, silly, the Chicago NFL franchise), and I’m gettin’ pretty ready for some Sunday Night Football. We’ve got ourselves a couple of 3-1 teams, both second in their division, comprising two-thirds of the three-way tie for the two Wild Card spots.

I may or may not have just referred to the “Wild Cards” barely a quarter of the way into the season. Sorry, it’s just the way my brain works. I hunger for success, especially that of the back-to-back winning seasons that has so eluded my Falcons.

Truth be told, the patient and cerebral pigskin spectator (they might exist, you never know) may have even more to enjoy from this game than biased boneheads like me. Jay Cutler versus Matt Ryan will be a glimpse into the crystal ball; a lot can be told about the future of NFL quarterbacks from these two. We’re also bound to find out what happens when an upstart receiving corps faces an equally upstart secondary.

It’s looking like I might have to miss my first Dirty Bird home game this season—darn you, national media and your crowding of our press box—but I’ll savor this Sunday nonetheless.

 

Chicago Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

In his rookie season, it took Matt Forte a few weeks to catch people’s attention. By the end of the year, though, most people had him ranked among the top five backs in the league, and even a homer like me is going to admit that 1,238 yards as a babe is pretty good.

Now, here in his second season, it has taken Matt Forte a few weeks to do anything at all of note. Two weeks ago was a beast of a game against the Lions (who I may no longer call the worst team in the league, records considered), but before that, he averaged 2.2 yards a carry in the first two games and not much better against the Seahawks in Week Three.

Whether or not that performance against Detroit was a reemergence, we won’t know for a while, but I would definitely hesitate to say he’ll replicate it versus Atlanta. Jonathan Babineaux is no creaky Grady Jackson, and while Detroit’s linebackers are coming along, they don’t swarm the way Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson do.

Chicago’s offensive line has underachieved to this point in my opinion. Orlando Pace and Olin Kreutz are old, sure, but they’re great players and should be opening up holes in more effective fashion than they are. Not to mention protecting Cutler a little better, but more on that in a bit.

I think it’ll come down to Forte getting about 60 yards on the ground, but the Bears will rely on the pass, as they have in 75 percent of their games to this point.

 

Atlanta Rush Offense v. Chicago Rush Defense

Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood looked like a mighty fine one-two punch last week, as Burner got close to triple digits and Norwood played the traditional change-of-pace back role well. I’ll go ahead and say that’s bad news for a Bears run stoppage that quite nearly succumbed to the Steelers’ two-headed monster less than a month ago.

The Falcons will need to mix it up, though obviously Turner is still the heavy lifter. As in our San Francisco showdown, I see him having little trouble getting to the second level, but once he’s there, he’s got some hard-hitters to watch out for. It would be foolish to underestimate Lance Briggs and his 27 (24 solo!) tackles.

Chicago also struggled when faced with a single back in Seattle, though perhaps that was more Julius Jones’ doing than their shortcoming. Still, they have not proven themselves particularly stout: 90 yards to the Lions?

The Bears have done a great job overcoming the loss of Brian Urlacher, but note that Hunter Hillenmeyer, who isn’t as big of an in-game factor as Nick Roach but is increasingly becoming a field general, is still feeling some pain in his rib.

Blocking was solid for us last week; I would have expected Patrick Willis to make a few more plays. Needless to say, I want more of the same here.

I see Turner managing a first down on his own per drive. Obviously, that won’t be enough to get us even in field goal range, but he’ll do the necessary (keep the opponents honest) so Ryan can work some aerial magic.

 

Chicago Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

Give me a break, OK? It was two full months before the season, and I don’t think even you Bears fans saw it coming.

Yes, in a previous DDDB from long ago I asked if anyone was “home” in the Chicago receiving corps, and the team has answered with five guys with double-digit receptions and three guys averaging 13 or more yards per catch. Hey, a lot of that has to do with Cutler, so cut me some slack…

But I’ll fess up that Earl Bennett and definitely Johnny Knox are exceedingly impressive to date. The Bears have been led in receiving yards by three different guys (Devin Hester is of course that third), and Cutler is enjoying a situation quite similar to Matty Ice’s in that he really can’t go wrong when he puts it up.

What’s a Falcon secondary to do? Focus on two guys, lock ’em down with Brian Williams and Chris Houston, and hope that “what’s behind door no. 3” isn’t a monster game from the one we don’t stick. Erik Coleman has done a terrific job covering up mistakes to this point, but this air offense is likely to present even more trouble than the Pats’ was in Week Three.

Then again, if we can hurry Jay with as much frequency as the teams before us, it won’t be such an issue. He’s made serious strides since that cringe-inducing debut against the Pack, but the fact remains that he’s been sacked eight times already. Not the worst stat in the world until you realize that the team has faced a defense worth anything in only half its contests.

John Abraham had a big one on Shaun Hill, which was encouraging for us who have felt like he’s been absent since the Dolphins game, but he still only had two total tackles. I continue to plead for more from him (earn that salary, man!) and more Kroy Biermann in general.

C’mon, D-line; Pace is aged, Chris Williams the opposite, and there’s little depth at the other three spots. Not that y’all haven’t performed at all to this point, but make the defensive backs’ lives a little bit easier.

 

Atlanta Pass Offense v. Chicago Pass Defense

The second straight matchup analysis in which I must open by swallowing my pride: Yes, I did indeed say that the “Bears’ secondary is obviously the Achilles’ heel of [their] D.” Admit it, though: Everyone thought that before a few shifts were made and some young guys stepped it up huge.

Not sure enough can be said about Danieal Manning, who went from corner to safety to leading the team in tackles so far this year in just his fifth year out of Abilene Christian (same school as Knox! What’re they feedin’ ’em over there in Tex?). But it’d be a crime to overlook Zack Bowman and Charles Tillman, who are third and fourth on the team in takedowns, respectively.

And for you who think the tackle stat isn’t all that counts (I know, I know, you’re right…), let’s just consider that Chicago shut up Aaron Rodgers pretty good (150 yards) and really has only looked bad against Seattle. No, Detroit does not count, considering the flow of that game.

As the Bears’ passcatchers may well be the best we’ve had to face, their pass defenders might be too, but I am still just as high on my Falcons wideouts (and Godly tight end) as I was after the Panthers game. How could I not be after Roddy White broke a franchise record last week and Tony Gonzalez got 55 while really only be targeting in two quarters?

One thing the Bears don’t do is make plays on the ball; their three interceptions speak to their tendency to tackle after the catch. Plays into our strengths, doesn’t it, considering Gonzo’s build and Roddy’s 80-something-yard run after a 12-yarder against the Niners?

On the line, it’s a no-brainer that we’ve got to watch out for Adewale Ogunleye. He’s making my words from that infamous earlier column iteration look mighty appetizing…as in, I might have to “eat” them. Four-and-a-half sacks already? Al Aflava and Alex Brown are clearly doing more than I thought they could in terms of occupying blockers.

That being said, Matt’s not going to fall but maybe two times, and I don’t think anyone can completely shut down our attack through the skies. This will be the key, though.

 

Prediction: Falcons 31, Bears 28

Gonna be a nailbiter, though maybe not quite to the extreme that last year’s matchup was. Let me say this: That third team who’s contending for the theoretical “fourth-of-a-season-Wild Cards,” the Eagles, they don’t have an ice cube’s chance in…

Oh, wait, it’s the Eagles. Nevermind.

More killer NFC football coming right up!

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Do Da Dirty Bird: A Casual Chat With Jeff George

B/R has made it worth my time to be here, I tell you what. The experience of my editing internship, the chance to read some great writers, meeting some friends, offering me a featured columnist position, building my library of clips, setting me up with a phone interview of Falcons head coach Mike Smith and now…

Another, with former Falcons quarterback Jeff George! The name stirs some deep, primal memories for me: rolling around in ecstasy on the blue (yes, blue) carpet of the den in my old house, celebrating our 1995 playoff run; wrestling the Sega Genesis controller away from the bullies at daycare so I could use my hometown guy in NFL Quarterback Club…

But I’m boring you. Here’s the transcript of our immensely enjoyable little talk.

 

John McCurdy: Since it was Gatorade who hooked us up, the first thing I want to talk about is back when you won the Gatorade Player of the Year Award. Now that it’s been some years and so many great athletes have been named for that award, can you kinda put it into perspective for me? What does that mean to you?

Jeff George: You know what, I’ve really been asked that a lot. It’s hard to believe it’s the 25th anniversary of the Player of the Year. To be quite honest with you, that was probably one of the greatest moments of my high school career. Being the first-ever national Player of the Year was pretty special. I felt like it was something they could never take away from me. I think if you ask any high school athlete “Which award would you rather get?” (and I know there’s a lot of them out there now), the Gatorade award would probably be the Heisman of high school football to them. So it was an honor to get that.

JM: For sure. Well, I’m a Falcons writer myself, live in the Atlanta area, was born down here, so I’m going to go ahead and jump to some Falcons questions. Your name is the first quarterback name that I remember in terms of Falcons. That was right when I started [watching], in the 1995 playoff run, that’s one of my earliest football memories. So tell me how your skills fit into that run & shoot offense that we ran back then.

JG: Well, the thing about the run & shoot is there are really not a lot of people that can play in that. I don’t know if you remember, but Brett Favre was there two years before I got there. You take a lot of hits, and you need to be able to have a quick release and get rid of the ball. What’s amazing is the negative press that you get about the run & shoot, which we heard every year, that “You score too much, you score too soon, you don’t give the defense time to rest.” That was always the negative point, but I loved it. I was great friends with [then-Falcons head coach] June Jones, who’s now at SMU. He’s one of my best friends. I wish the time that I spent there would have been better than it was, but timing’s everything, and it wasn’t the right time. It wasn’t the right time for me in Atlanta.

JM: To tell you the truth, I look back at your numbers, including one season of more than 4,000 yards, I think you did alright. I think you did OK taking us to the playoffs.

JG: Well, you wanna get to the playoffs and ultimately you want to go to the Super Bowl. But it was transition years when I was in Atlanta. You had new ownership going over. You can’t just go get new coaches year-in and year-out. Even before I got there, it seemed like every two or three years there was a new coach. You need some stability, you need that continuity, and you need to develop chemistry, not just in the organization but as players. But I tell you what, Atlanta’s a team to beat now, I believe. Wonderful organization, they’ve got a great quarterback. They’re obviously going to do some good things.

JM: Speaking of the current Falcons, what do you think it would be like to play for Coach Smith, and have Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez in your offense? How would that be different from when you were playing?

JG: Well, the difference would be the run & shoot, obviously. If you don’t run the run & shoot, you’re a totally different team, your concepts are totally different. Your thoughts on defense are a lot different. Nowadays I would love to go and play in a system for more than two years. I’d love to be in that same system for 10-plus years and have the type of defense that Coach Smith has there. You hear the old cliché “Defense wins championships,” and that’s the honest-to-goodness truth. So they have what it takes now. They’ve got a great owner, got a great coaching staff, and they make it easy on the players. In the offseason, they make the free agents want to come there and play, and I’m not so sure they could say that in the past.

JM: Mr. George, just talking to you, I’m kinda getting the feeling that you might be able to coach or take a front office position. What do you think about that?

JG: Yeah, that’s always a possibility, but coaching takes a lot of your time up. I have a family, and you kinda want to see your kids grow up. I don’t want to be one of those dads that’s never around for his kids. But if the opportunity came around, and maybe something in the organization, not coaching but something else, that’s something I obviously know. I know a lot about football. There’s no doubt that I could help somebody out, in whatever capacity that may be.

JM: That’s what I’m thinking. Now, I read recently that you’re still staying in shape. You still keeping that up, you still throwing the ball?

JG: Yeah, I do, three or four times a week. I’m 40 years old, and I know that sounds ancient to a lot of people, but if you take care of yourself, watch what you eat and drink, you never know. I just want to make sure that if I do get that call, if somebody needs me to play next week, I just want to make sure I’m ready for it. That’s what I do and I would definitely be ready for that.

JM: Going back to your years in Atlanta, just some rapid-fire questions, just say whatever comes to your mind first. Who was your favorite teammate from back then, those ’94 and ’95 Atlanta Falcon teams?

JG: It’s hard to pinpoint one. I was close with Eric Metcalf, who was my receiver, and Terance Mathis. Jamal Anderson wasn’t playing at the time, I had Ironhead Heyward, I don’t know if you remember him or not. Those guys, just from being around them all day, and hanging out with them, I’d probably say Terance Mathis and Eric Metcalf.

JM: Sounds good. Thinking about that particular playoff year, would it be that playoff game that you played in, or maybe was it an earlier game that season, that was your favorite memory from that season?

JG: Absolutely. The Falcons hadn’t had a lot of success before that, and to take any team to the playoffs is an accomplishment. I still have that game jersey of when we played at Lambeau Field. From a couple of the hits that I took, the jersey’s still stained with the grass on it. That’s in my basement. That was a wonderful memory for me, and that was a great accomplishment for our team. Obviously we wish we’d gone farther than we did, but we made great strides, and Atlanta became a team to be reckoned with two or three years later after I left. I like to think I had something to do with that.

JM: You certainly did. That team very much set the foundation for that Chris Chandler-Jamal Anderson tam that came along later. Now, if you’d be so bold, can you give me a number: How many games the Falcons will win this year.

JG: Number of games? I’m gonna say 11.

JM: Alright. We have a much more difficult schedule [than last season] because we finished second in the division and because we’re matched up with that AFC East.

JG: That’s OK though. You have the right guys: You have the right quarterback, you have the right running game, you got a great defense. Most importantly, you got a great leader in the head coach. When guys believe in that guy [the coach], and you want to play for guys like that, it’s amazing what you can do out on the field. The environment that’s there in Atlanta is nothing like it used to be.

JM: I’ve actually gotten the privilege to talk to Coach Smith a couple of times, and you’re dead on. That is a guy that those players would follow to the ends of the Earth.

JG: Right.

JM: Now, I’ve read that you and Randy Moss are pretty good buddies. Tell me what you think about the Pats this year.

JG: Yeah, Randy’s a good friend of mine, I played with him that year in Minnesota. If you stay away from the injury bug, and you keep your stars out on the field, your receivers, you quarterbacks, and your defensive guys, you always have a chance. Whenever you have a guy like Randy who’s out on the field, it doesn’t matter if you two or three guys on him, the guy seems to be always open. It’s just our job [as quarterbacks] to give him the ball. He was a pretty special guy to throw to, and it’d have been nice to have more than a couple years with him.

JM: I’d say so. OK, it’s very early, obviously, but if you had a feeling as for who might make it from the NFC, who might make it from the AFC, to the Super Bowl, could you make a call?

JG: Boy, that’s a tough one. It’s early. I’m all about defenses, who has the strongest defense. In the AFC, I’d probably have to say…well, I don’t want to go with the obvious, because everybody’s probably picking the obvious, but I’m gonna say Pittsburgh can probably get back if they get their guys healthy. They’re gonna be back in it. And then in the NFC, I think if Donovan McNabb can get healthy and stay healthy, I kind of like Philly’s chances.

JM: That’s actually exactly what I was thinking. I was saying in the NFC, we might have Vikings and Eagles, and then over in the AFC we might have Steelers and Pats.

JG: Yep, that’s pretty good.

JM: Well, I really appreciate your time, Mr. George, I know you gotta fly. It was excellent to talk to you, and thank you for what you did for the city of Atlanta.

JG: I appreciate it John, good talking to you.

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Do Da Dirty Bird: I Hope It’s Not Too Late for Us, Matt Ryan

I was almost done with last week’s ode to the Atlanta receivers when I realized I was only singing half the praises I should have been. I mean, who throws them the ball?

It’s sad that I’ve kept it inside for so long. Now is the time to profess my love for Matt Ryan.

Yes, the season is quite young, and more importantly, Ryan’s career is quite young. A lot was made about his performances in the five losses last year—he threw more than 30 times in those games and only those games and had three TD to four interceptions—but it is an undeniable fact that the Falcons have had success through the air with him at the quarterback position, and he is at least half of the reason why.

Several things about him stand out and point to him not crapping out, though. Most importantly, the dude’s cool; we call him “Ice.” He’s calm in the pocket, despite not having great scrambling ability, and absolutely does not get frazzled by a sack or a pick.

In the brief time that I’ve been part of the credentialed media and thereby privileged to listen to the young man at his postgame press conferences, he has come off to me as beyond his years and extremely intelligent, yet still friendly. He knows how to deal with us quote sharks, responding mostly in buzzword rhetoric, but I actually like him more for that.

He knows it’s lame and not exactly what we wanted to hear, but it keeps team chemistry intact and always leaves us with a positive, if ambiguous, vibe.

Last week, he took total responsibility for the INT he threw. Praised Marty Booker for running his route well and just admitted that he got the ball to the wrong guy. He also made fun of one of his passes when someone asked if it had gotten tipped:

“Nope. Just a duck.”

Awesome, hilarious, and a good sign that he takes things like that into perspective. By the way, that “duck” was caught for a Dirty Bird TD.

Looking at last season’s game-by-game stats, Ryan got better as the season went along. Looking at his numbers two games into 2009, it seems as though he’s going to cruise along at that improved level as the offense sorts the new catching options out. Sounds good; I’m pretty content with around 225 yards passing, a couple touchdowns, and a completion rate darn-near 70 percent.

The sophomore slump already seems laughable for some reason. After seeing this guy under the lights at the dome, checking down his options until he finds just the right one, and then seeing him before the mic, charming a roomful of press, I don’t see it happening. Not that he won’t have a bad game or two, but…is he really just a second-year player?

But I’m starting to regurgitate here, and that’s something I dislike on B/R as much as…you get the picture. Allow me to inject some analysis into this column by addressing my main concern for Matty: injuries.

Probably by typing it I’ve jinxed him. He’s done just fine so far, putting up with stingers and not getting in harms’ way. Protection must continue to improve, however, if he’s going to survive a Bears-Cowboys back-to-back with a Redskins clash and Giants contest in November. As I said, Ryan isn’t exactly known for his evasion.

But here I am coming back to the positive: “Not being known for his evasion” really isn’t a knock on a quarterback. It’s a plus to have the running skills of a Vick or the build of a JaMarcus Russell, not a necessity. What is necessary is to have the presence of mind to pick the correct target and get it to him with some zip.

Ryan does that. So as long as the O-line keeps him on his feet and Michael Turner keeps defenses semi-honest, why should Ice get any worse?

Why shouldn’t I go ahead and wax poetic on the man who might just be a franchise savior? Because it’s too “early“?

If you’d lived here in the Dirty, you’d know relief couldn’t come soon enough. Besides that, Matt’s one season of production and hot start to the new campaign are pretty much sufficient for the label.

So here it is, in document form, my expression of gratitude and affection for No. 2. It’s inexcusable it took me so long.

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Do Da Dirty Bird: Falcons’ Embarassment of Receiving Riches

There’s nothing “relative” about the Falcons’ receiving corps any more. Anywhere, anytime, to anyone, they kick tail.

Yes, I’m on a bit of a delusional high having just got back from the crushing of our rival Carolina Panthers at the Dome. But I doubt I’m alone when I say what was once considered a weakness on this team—the void that prompted us to use several high draft picks on wide receivers in the middle of the decade—has become the strength of our strengths.

No disrespect intended to Michael Turner the Burner, who very much turned up the heat in Week Two with over 100 yards. And same goes for Matty “Ice” Ryan, who can seemingly do nothing wrong.

But between Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Marty Booker, Brian Finneran, and Tony Gonzalez (good lord, Tony Gonzalez!), much love was spread and many TDs were scored this nasty afternoon in the Dirty.

The numbers look fairly similar to last week, both in terms of total yards through the air (229 to 220) and distribution (five different guys with double figures yards, each). Makes it look like we remained pretty even, but allow me to explain the key difference, one that showed that the offense actually improved:

We were completely unpredictable today. Last week, guys were effective here and there (namely Jerious Norwood, White, and Jenkins), but when we needed the yards badly, we went to Gonzo. Towards the end of the game, if we were stalling, everyone knew where the ball was going.

Not saying it’s a bad thing to use the top pass-catching tight end ever as your fallback receiver.

But had we continued to do that this week, I have a hunch that the Panthers would have caught on, and the Patriots (with their secret cameras) would have definitely been ready for it in Week Three.

But today, Gonzo (who’s had over 70 yards in both contests so far), even though he led the team again, was just “one of the guys.” Several times when we needed that first down, we mixed it up and went to Roddy, Jenks, or Booker. Carolina simply could not handle them all.

It’s one of those classic DDDB ideas that you all know so well, and it’s becoming increasingly true. Aren’t you glad you read my column?

This progress is merely a sign of a process, though. We’re working with our new tool (Tony G) and finding more and better ways to incorporate him along with White and the rest of the regular wideouts.

It’s not like we forked over that money to Roddy a few weeks ago so that he could play second-fiddle.

For one, the Falcons don’t play fiddles or other such bluegrass-y instruments; they’re more rock-and-roll. I like to think of it this way: Gonzalez, White, Jenks, Book, the whole crew, every one of them can shred an electric guitar solo (of a catch) should the song (play) call for it.

Right now offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is experimenting with the band he has, and because of their all-around, top-to-bottom quality, even though he’s just fooling around, he’s getting amazing results.

The great thing (or more accurately, one of the many great things) is that Mularkey can continue to tweak. We see a truly elite secondary for the first and last time in Week Nine, when the ‘Skins come to town. No disrespect to the Jets, Bills, or Philadelphia’s Asante Samuel, but in terms of defensive backs, our receivers have the table largely beat.

Going forward, I hope for even more balance and unpredictability. I honestly have little trouble imagining a game in which Ice throws for 240 yards, of which 60 go to Gonzo, 60 to White, 60 to Jenkins, 30 to Booker, and 30 to Finn. Or insert Norwood (assuming he’s alright after today), or Snelling, or Mughelli…

Catch my drift?

I can see why some people might be a little bit distressed at the fact that the man labeled (and paid) as No. 1 hasn’t topped 50 yet. Roddy is apparently happy, though, and the key for literally every member of the team (Ryan stressed this at the postgame press conference) is winning.

That’s what the Dirty Birds are doing. Ron Jaworski would tell them:

“Play on, playa.”

And I would echo his sentiments.

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