Dimitroff will be busy this offseason
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Up watching Ohio State take what seems like its annual BCS flogging.
Where’s Archie Griffin when you need him? Coach Robiskie’s son just made the best catch of the game. Sweet!!!
You’re in the right place; this is the Falcons beat blog. Made the mistake of grabbing the remote and switching to the game before the last nine minutes of Oprah went off the DVR. Didn’t win that battle. Had to wait for the Oprah to finish up.
The Falcons had their end of season meeting on Sunday and voted on team captains.
GM Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith met with the media on Monday and were hyped!!!. They are clearly ready to dive into the offseason headfirst. They know the roster has a bunch of holes, especially on defense.
They know the Falcons were able to make the most out of a last place schedule and parlayed the meek schedule into a playoff appearance. The Falcons were able to sweep the NFC North this season. They will have a much tougher time sweeping the NFC East next season. Not to mention how they’ll handle New England and the rest of the AFC East.
(Little Robiskie makes another great catch!!! Maybe there is hope for the Buckeyes! BTW the Gators are going to maul the Sooners on Thursday. They don’t play any defense in the Big 12. The don’t play real Big Boy football.)
Dimitroff and Smith know they have to solidify the defense. It was too leaky this season, downright hemorrhaging yards by the bushel at times. The unit gave up fourth quarter leads to Denver and New Orleans and couldn’t come up with the key stop in the playoffs with 4:15 left.
The Falcons have to determine if cornerback Chris Houston can get any better.
They have to figure out if Jamaal Anderson can play defensive tackle. (Can he play tight end? He used to be a wide receiver. If you only get two sacks in 31 games then you’re probably not a defensive end.)
They have to figure out how much money it’s going to cost to keep Dominique Foxworth, Michael Koenen and Chauncey Davis.
There is a great photo gallery up asking questions about some of the free agents. They have a picture up of the player and then ask you to vote if the player should stay or go.
http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/sports/falcons/falcons-free-agents/
Here’s how it was going when I checked in:
Safety Lawyer Milloy, 63 percent stay, 37 percent go.
Defensive tackle Grady Jackson, 73 stay, 27 go.
Linebacker Keith Brooking, 29 stay, 71 go. (Georgia fans hating on the Tech guy could skew his numbers.)
Linebacker Michael Boley, 56 stay, 44 go.
Cornerback Domonique Foxworth, 91 stay, 9 go.
Defensive end Chauncey Davis, 92 stay, 8 go.
Punter Michael Koenen, 96 stay, go 4.
Right tackle Tyson Clabo, 87 stay, 13 go.
Linebacker Coy Wire, 72 stay, 28 go.
Right guard Harvey Dahl, 88 stay, 12 go.
Quarterback Matt Ryan, 99 stay, 1 go. (VS2 is the one go. Just kidding here.)
(Buckeyes have cut this thing to two points and forced a punt. Looks like an 18-17 Buckeye win. I take back all that flogging madness. Where do you get one of those sweater vest? Little Robiskie just made another big play.)
How about this for four wides: Jenkins and Little Robiskie on the Buckeye right side. Roddy White and Harry Douglas on the left side. Brian Finneran can back them up. Laurent Robinson has skills, but can’t stay on the field. Maybe the Falcons should draft Little Robiskie.
Well what offseason moves do you want to see the Falcons make? Tennessee’s Albert Haynesworth has some baggage, but he can play football. Do you shove the baggage under the bed and sign the football player? Linebacker Terrell Suggs might not be a scheme fit, but if you let Boley go you’ll need a linebacker. So do you go after him? What do you do with Keith Brooking? How do you improve the offense? Do the Falcons need a pass-catching tight end or another lineman?
(Buckeyes decide to play prevent and have prevented themselves from winning. How many times does the prevent kill teams?)
Don’t know about you, but with the season over its time to throw the clubs back into the Batmobile and start chasing that little white ball around again. Offseason plans?
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Falcons focused in final practice
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tempe, Ariz. — Just got back to the hotel after watching the Falcons go through their final practice.
The team looked focused, but not too tight.
But we have to give an “AJC game ball” to photographer Curtis Compton. He did the major work this morning.
The Falcons did not want any video or still photos of their final practice, so CC hiked up the mountain behind Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium and took his long lens with him.
After hiking up the mountain — he said it took about 20 minutes — CC found out that the pressbox blocks the view of the field. So he got a great view of the Valley, but nothing of the Birds.
So, he gets an A for effort, an “AJC game ball” and he got his cardio workout in for the day.
There are several subplots to wild-card game:
Which quarterback will shine, the wily old veteran Kurt Warner or the rookie Matt Ryan?
How will the Falcons secondary hold up against the Cardinals vaunted passing attack?
Will the Falcons be able to get some pressure on Warner?
Who’s going to slow down Arizona’s Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson?
Can Michael Turner get loose on the road? He averages 129 yards at home and just 83 on the road.
Will Jerious Norwood run with some authority like he did last week?
Abraham, Anderson and Milloy are listed as questionable for the game. Abe and Milloy have to play and be near 100 percent for this. Chauncey Davis and Kroy Biermann have been solid while filling in for Anderson.
You’d think that if your team hasn’t hosted a playoff game since 1947 that you wouldn’t have any trouble selling out. But the Phoenix fans were slow to snap up the tickets. One factor is the league comes in and jacks up the price on playoff tickets. The Cards received an extension from the league and soldout before the deadline.
Off the field, offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, a former head coach, is being sought by the Detroit Lions. Rich McKay is still being connected to a Cleveland front office job, although Scott Pioli appears to be the front-runner.
Although quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave is more than ready to be an offensive coordinator, the Falcons don?t want to lose Mularkey. The MM — Mularkey & Musgrave — tandem needs to stay together just based off the work they’ve done with Ryan this year.
OK, let’s get back to the game.
Send some predictions in. Falcons XX, Cardinals XX. Support your score with some reasoning.
As the objective beat reporter I get to share mind with only close family members and the neighbor’s dog. But my colleague Jeff Schultz should have one in his predictions column. (BTW my neighbor’s dog is a little down today. He belongs to a Georgia Tech family.)
Playoff FEVER: Next stop, Phoenix
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Falcons (11-5) are set to face the Arizona Cardinals (9-7) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Phoenix.
The Cardinals have not hosted a playoff game since 1947. Talk about a home playoff drought.
How do you all like the matchup? The Cardinals’ high-flying passing attack against the Falcons’ power running game. Both defenses will be on the spot in this one or it could turn in a shootout.
The Cardinals need to find a running game and have turned to veteran Edgerrin James. Altanta will have to counter with a healthy Lawyer Milloy at safety to snuff out the big runs. His presence was missed Sunday when Steven Jackson gashed the defense for 161 yards.
Will the Falcons be able to stop the Cardinal’s three 1,000-yard receivers? Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston all have more than 1,000 yards receiving. This will be the biggest test the secondary has faced all season. They’ll need to play better than they did against New Orleans at the Georgia Dome when they had 15 passes defensed.
What will it take for the Falcons to beat the Cardinals?
(NOTE TO BLOGGERS: We are happy to host your conversations. We expect that you all will show RESPECT for each other. That means don’t threaten, defame or use racial insults and keep the chatter from personal attacks. If you think a post violates this guidelines, don’t escalate the situation. We had to close down the blog for a couple of days and will not hesitate to do so again if things get out of control. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings will cause commenting on the blog to be closed. LET’S MAKE THIS A FOOTBALL BLOG and take it in a fundamentally new direction.)
Playoff FEVER: Silencing of the Rams
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FLOWERY BRANCH - Playoff FEVER! Can you feel it?
The Falcons have to take care of business and hope their old pals, the New Orleans Saints, come through with a big favor in order to wrap up the No. 2 seed and a bye week.
The Falcons have been ready to play in all 15 games so far this season. So you’d think a letdown in Game 16 with the No. 2 seed on the line, would be near impossible.
But the Rams are bad. They have dropped nine straight. Who could blame the Falcons for looking down on the Lambs, I mean Rams.
Obviously, having a letdown is not a part of THE PROCESS and won’t be tolerated by coach Mike Smith. So expect the Falcons to handle their business.
Now, on to the Carolina at New Orleans game. There’s a general consensus that the Panthers and the New York Football Giants are the two best looking teams from the NFC going into the playoffs. That was a heck of game they played last Sunday night.
The Saints could slow down the Panthers run game. It would be difficult, but at least that could happen. But the Saints don’t appear to have a plausible answer for the wide receiver Steve Smith and the Panthers’ passing attack. He should be wide open all day.
Stranger things have happened in the Crescent City. The Saints are undefeated at home this year and Drew Brees is 401 yards shy of the all-time single-season passing mark. There’s reason for Falcon fans to keep hope alive.
So, if we’ve got this playoff deal down right, a Falcons win and Carolina win means the Falcons are the No. 5 seed and headed to Phoenix week.
If the Falcons drop to the No. 6 seed - this would entail losing to the Lambs, I mean Rams - they’d be off to Minnesota or Chicago.
Isn’t this much more fun, talking about the playoffs instead of the top three players in available in the draft? It’s pretty good not to have Mel Kiper and Mike Mayock on speed dial, too. Can the Saints beat the Panthers? Tell us how? Will former Falcon exec Billy Devaney (super nice guy!!) be able to turn around the Rams?
Falcons soar into the playoffs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
MINNEAPOLIS - They need to rename the Metrodome. Just call it the Georgia Dome North.
The Falcons own the building. First, the 1998 Falcons came here and earned a trip to the Super Bowl. Ten years and four coaches later - Wade Phillips, Jim Mora, Bobby Petrino and Emmitt Thomas - they scooped up four fumbles and earn an improbable playoff berth.
Back to the playoffs for a team that wasn’t expected to do much.
That shovel pass to Jerious Norwood was sweet. Don’t know if Matt Ryan should be trying to dive into the endzone, but he’s a gamer.
Lawyer Milloy and Erik Coleman hold down the back of the defense like two guys guarding a Brinks truck.
Scenarios abound, thanks to the New York Giants overtime victory over the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons could finish as high as the No. 2 seed. They could be the No. 5 or the No. 6 seed.
A No. 2 seed would mean they have a first round bye and at least one home game.
A No. 5 seed would mean a trip to Arizona for a very winnable game.
A No. 6 seed would mean another trip back to Minnesota or Chicago. The Falcons swept the NFC North teams beating Detroit, Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota.
How high can the Falcons soar? Are you making reservations for Tampa Bay? Ready to give the offensive line some respect? Can the Saints beat the Panthers? Will the Falcons snub a toe against St. Louis? Got you Christmas shopping done?
(NOTE TO BLOGGERS: We are happy to host your conversations. We expect that you all will show RESPECT for each other. That means don’t threaten, defame or use racial insults and keep the chatter from personal attacks. If you think a post violates this guidelines, don’t escalate the situation. We had to close down the blog for a couple of days and will not hesitate to do so again if things get out of control. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings will cause commenting on the blog to be closed. LET’S MAKE THIS A FOOTBALL BLOG and take it in a fundamentally new direction.)
Latest comments
The reason why Brooking gets more criticized for the end of game gaffe than Lofton is because Lofton is a rookie who is expected to make rookie mistakes and Brooking is a veteran who has been to multiple Pro Bowls. It’s really that simple.... read the full comment by Najeh Davenpoop | Comment on Dimitroff will be busy this offseason Read Dimitroff will be busy this offseason
Brooking is a great guy, but he has got to go.... read the full comment by BH | Comment on Dimitroff will be busy this offseason Read Dimitroff will be busy this offseason
Michael Vick. Most Valuable Dishwasher in 2009. And it’s spelled “guaranteed.” Matt Ryan. The Present. The Future.... read the full comment by The Anti-Vick | Comment on Dimitroff will be busy this offseason Read Dimitroff will be busy this offseason
Atlanta Falcons. The Cleveland Browns of 08. Guranteed... read the full comment by Vick Supporter | Comment on Dimitroff will be busy this offseason Read Dimitroff will be busy this offseason