Moving to a new location
AJC blogs are moving to a new technical platform. So check out Terence Moore’s new blog home and bookmark it.
Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > April > 15 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USFalcons have upgraded at offensive line coach
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch — Among the primary keys to the Falcons’ season, which only the enlightened will mention between now and their September home opener, is the anti-Alex Gibbs. “Well, I don’t yell as much as he does,” said Paul Boudreau, the team’s third offensive line coach in as many years, sliding into a grin Tuesday after a minicamp practice.
He’s also the anti-Mike Summers, Gibbs’ successor and Boudreau’s predecessor with the Falcons. While Boudreau has worked more than two decades in the NFL for nearly everybody you can name, Summers joined the Falcons before last season with zero experience in the league.
Not good. In fact, nothing more needs to be said about Summers, who was as overmatched as the guy who brought him to the Falcons, Bobby Petrino. But here are a few more things to say about Gibbs, the eccentric coach now screaming with the Houston Texans. Gibbs had this crazy deal near the end of his Falcons career where he didn’t have to work most of the week and could fly into town on game days.
Boudreau isn’t into long-distance coaching, and unlike Summers, Boudreau’s résumé suggests he won’t need training wheels on an NFL sideline. So this new regime under the affable Mike Smith is sounding promising.
“Last year in St. Louis, we had 100 different combinations of offensive and defensive players, because every Monday there was a surgery,” said Boudreau, referring to his second straight year of trying to guide his Rams offensive linemen through physical turmoil. In 2006, after Boudreau joined the team, he used 10 different players on the line, including nine different starters. Even so, Steven Jackson kept running and Marc Bulger kept passing to unprecedented personal heights.
Added Boudreau, “We had guys [with the Rams] coming in Wednesday and starting on Sunday who didn’t even know our system, so we’ve got to make sure with the Falcons that if you’re out here, and if you’re not working, and you’re injured like Todd [Weiner, recovering from last year’s knee injury], that every play you’re taking a rep mentally. I’ll turn around and say, ‘Hey, what’s the play?’ If he doesn’t know, then that means he’s not paying attention. He didn’t take a rep mentally.”
So far, so great, according to Boudreau, who had to take care of some college scouting business on a trip the other day. Before leaving, he told his offensive linemen that he left a bunch of tapes in a room at Falcons headquarters. The tapes showed his technical work with linemen in St. Louis and those in Jacksonville during his three seasons with the Jaguars. He said watching the tapes wasn’t mandatory.
The room was packed.
Maybe, just maybe, the Falcons will have a complete offensive line for the first time since they reached the NFC championship game after the 2004 season. It eventually became incomplete under Gibbs, because it had smallish, quick guys for his preferred cut-blocking system. Those offensive lines were proficient enough at run blocking to lead the league in rushing for three consecutive seasons, but they were brutal at pass blocking. Then again, the Falcons’ offensive line couldn’t run block or pass block when Summers employed his power-oriented system.
The bottom line: Just six NFL teams have allowed more sacks than the Falcons (133) over the past three seasons.
So was it the scheme, or was it the players?
“The key word is that we’re all starting fresh, and things that happened in the past, perceptions and everything, are kind of thrown out the window until there’s something new out there,” said Weiner, the Falcons’ starting right tackle. “There’s always certain mentalities — some true, some not — about certain players, certain people. And until you really get to know them and see their everyday work ethic on the field, it’s hard to have a total perception.”
The total perception of Boudreau is that he knows what he’s doing. That’s a huge start for the Falcons.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Falcons/NFL
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
Comments
By Najeh Davenpoop
April 15, 2008 8:20 PM | Link to this
I hope the glowing review of this offensive line coach is on point. Nice to see an AJC sportswriter report on the one area that has held the Falcons back for as long as I can remember. Of course, it would help a lot if they actually got good offensive linemen for him to work with. (cough jake long cough)
By Nurlman
April 15, 2008 9:04 PM | Link to this
How telling is it that I went and found a picture of Boudreau to see if he was black? I just assumed…
By the way, he’s not. One of those articles Terence writes every so often to throw us off the scent.
By fox noise
April 15, 2008 9:14 PM | Link to this
Ihope we have a better offense line coach but more than any thing we need good offense linemen that can play not a team full of 5th 6th and 7th rounder and they blamed vick for not winning. that shows out of all the player we have had on this team management has been the problem all a long the head is management!
By Terence Moore
April 15, 2008 10:00 PM | Link to this
Najeh,
You are correct. As I’ve written before, Michigan’s Jake Long should be the guy the Falcons take with that No. 3 overall pick in the draft.
I’m not that convinced that he won’t be there. Anyway, if you’re the Falcons, have to go for a big tackle who only gave up two sacks and allowed two penalties in four years for a Big Ten team.
By drmaryb
April 15, 2008 10:49 PM | Link to this
Hey NajehDavenpoop
Great Post! Good to see you on the Falcons Blog, We needed a break from them’ HAWKS! Just got to step back & take a break from it - You feel me Bra!
The Falcons have got to take an OL with that third pick!
Long, Jake is the consensus pick here - However, I hear the Big-Tuna has already begun negotiating with him at the #1 Spot.
As bad as the Dolphins need a QB - You see them lookin’ at that OL as the #1 priority! What does that tell us? Yep! you guessed it - You have got to build them’ lines. The #2 pick for us has got to be on the DL
(No that is not the down low) That is the D-Line people! We have got to build these lines up.
Hey Terrence Whazz-up Maane?
The Falcons have got some nice pieces in place all over the place, so don’t you think Mr. Blank is sick & vick & tired of all that flashy & sexy stuff!
He has been burned very badly with Athletic Arrogance When he put McKay on the Property Building Project - that was a ringin’ endorsement for The Change from STYLE to SUBSTANCE!!
Who Knew? (The words embedded on the entrance gate of Jayson Williams gated mansion in New Jersey) You know - The same guy who shot the Limo-Driver?
Who Knew? The Falcons have finally figured it out that the Lines is where the Game is Played! In the trenches, where the HOGS live and wallow!
I need to see some Bob-Whitfield’s in here, to anchor this franchise into the next decade!
We need to stop this FORBES national perception that we Atlantans are Les Miserables!
By drmaryb
April 18, 2008 8:42 PM | Link to this
gosh - darn Terence!
maybe if you massaged your posts? You will get a rise!