AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2006 > November > 14 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USCompetition among blockers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There seemed to be conflicting messages Monday about the possible role left guard Matt Lehr will play when he returns to practice Wednesday after his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s steroid policy.
Tailback Warrick Dunn, whose numbers have decreased since Lehr’s hiatus began before the Falcons faced the Steelers, said he welcomes Lehr’s return. However, he said the two new guards, P.J. Alexander, who has started for Lehr and Tyson Clabo - who took over for Kynan Forney (shoulder-injured reserve) — have done a good job.
Clabo said Monday, after film review, that he and Alexander actually played pretty well. Coach Jim Mora said the new guards have played fairly well too.
Atlanta will use the next few days to see if Lehr is ready to play Sunday or if the team will use a one-week roster exemption to determine if Lehr is ready.
I think the mixed signals - besides not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings - stem from Alexander and Clabo being decent in pass protection while Lehr being a more forceful run blocker at the point of attack. Dunn said Lehr’s experience is the big difference, which means Alexander and Clabo might be doing pretty well, but they are still getting acclimated to playing for real.
This is the first time either of them has started.
It probably will be tough for any of those players to get things going in a big way Sunday at Baltimore. But I’m sure this week at practice, having Lehr back will force Clabo and Alexander to be a little bit more focused and productive.
Comments
By CJ2
November 14, 2006 04:06 PM | Link to this
Can Matt Lehr play wide receiver?
By g
November 14, 2006 04:50 PM | Link to this
PLEASE PLEASE BRING BACK MR STERIOD
WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR RUN GAME? IT HAS BEEM PITIFUL SINCE HES BEEN GONE
By td
November 14, 2006 05:21 PM | Link to this
I’ll be at M&T bank stadium cheering the Falcons on this Sunday, but their O-line will need all the help it can get against the Ravens. I would like to see Alge stay in and block and try a 3-wideout set, if they could catch the ball. Maybe one day the Falcons will drop this undersized, cut-block style of blocking and go with some size upfront and try pushing the opponent off the line for once.
By They need to drug test
November 14, 2006 05:48 PM | Link to this
Vick.
By Vikingsouth
November 14, 2006 06:05 PM | Link to this
Totally agree td. The zone blocking/cut blocking scheme can be effective for the run, but what does it do for pass protection? Also, if those cut blocks aren’t carried out with precision and under the right circumstances, penalties are called. How about normal-sized, tradtional line men who can simply block and not resort to a cheap technique?
By Najeh Davenpoop
November 14, 2006 06:29 PM | Link to this
Alexander actually had a much worse game against Cleveland than he had the previous couple of weeks. Why not play Clabo on all downs, Lehr during running downs and Alexander during passing downs?
By Nikki
November 14, 2006 06:47 PM | Link to this
We are back to the same old schemes against the falcons. Stack the line to stop the run. One on one with the WRs because they can’t get separation nor can they consistently catch. Lehr is not gonna help the WRs catch the ball. Until the WRs start catching, the opposition won’t stop stacking the line and stopping the run.
By dirrtybird
November 14, 2006 06:51 PM | Link to this
Why not tip the other team to what play you’re calling by who you’re playing?
By This gets old
November 14, 2006 07:18 PM | Link to this
One of the big things about [our] running game is that even back to Reeves days, we don’t necessarily commit to it.
Go back to the championship game in Philly, the Chicago game last year, Saints and Cleveland this year. You build the # 1 run offense to win on the road in Nov and Dec.
Everybody has injuries, it’s a violent sport. Be interesting to see where we rank in starts by players on the Psquad.
“The opportunity for the deep ball was there..”
I still can’t believe that Mora said that. They called that play coming out of a time out. If the opportunity was there on 4th then would it not have been there anymore?? Particularly when the did the same thing on the previous series.
The play calls take the offense out of it’s rythmn. Plus they still run at most six basic offensive formations.
My parrot even says “here comes the same dumba$$ play” Gonna be hard to eat that bird.
By larry w.
November 14, 2006 07:19 PM | Link to this
All week long on these blogs I have heard the cry loud and clear. VICK LOST THE CLEVELAND GAME!! GET RID OF HIM!! Well, I might be inclined to agree with that except for one little thing. NOBODY PLAYED WELL AGAINST THE BROWNS!! We want to make Vick the sacrificial lamb for the Falcons recent woes. Tell me this, who on the Falcons team have had stellar games the last two weeks? Why is it so obvious to me and a few others, but so difficult for most of us to understand. THE PROBLEM IS THE COACHING!! If you haven’t already, please read Mark Bradley’s column from Monday. It is the best column I have read in the AJC in a long time. This is the worst coached team in the NFL period! You can see it in the players faces. They have no confidence in what they are doing. Vick, Dunn, Crumpler, are the leaders of the offense. They do not appear confident in what they are doing. Brooking, Milloy, Kerney are the leaders of the defense. They do not appear confident in what they are doing. Mora and his cronies have lost this team. These men are professionals, they know when there is a foul smell in the air. You think the players don’t talk amongst themselves about Mora’s favortism towards certain players? You think the players don’t secretly talk about the boring and predictable playcalling on offense and the soft zone coverages that have been killing the Falcons pass defense? These players show no swagger or confidence on the field. Only confusion and chaos. How many times was the defense caught shuffling at the last minute to adjust to the offensive formations. Poor coaching. Vick is so exhausted and disoriented at the end of the game that he lines up behind the guard. Poor use of personnel. When the game is on the line, why is it always left up to Vick to be the savior? There are other talented players on the team besides Vick. Why can’t we get those players more involved when the game is on the line? Put some of the burden of pulling out the win on more than just Vick’s shoulders. God help Carolina if they had to depend on Delhomme alone to pull out games. Vick is no more to blame for these last two weeks than any other man wearing a Falcons uniform. If you want to look for blame, look to the coaches.
By Talons of Fire
November 14, 2006 07:28 PM | Link to this
Well, I guess the Falcons’ problems have been thoroughly dissected by now and the problems well diagnosed by hundreds of people who know little to nothing about running a professional football franchise. The reality is that no one REALLY knows what’s going to happen the next 7 weeks. Here are some immutable facts:
Vick is not going to be traded! Get over it!
The Falcons are capable of beating any team that they play. Just because the Ravens have a better record does not mean that they are AUTOMATICALLY going to win.
The Receivers have done ABSOLUTELY nothing to help Vick out in the passing game.
I Hope and Pray that most (if not all) of the fair weather so called Falcon fans have officialy jumped off the bandwagon by now. GOOD RIDDANCE!
Many of the people on these blogs claiming they are native and have been Falcon fans all their lives ARE THE BIGGEST LIERS I’VE EVER SEEN!
REAL fans never give up on their team! NEVER!
Atlanta has so many transplants that it is next to impossible for the Falcons or any sports teams here to have a good fan base.
When the Falcons are in trouble the transients are always going to go back and cheer FOR THEIR HOME TEAM! Then try to come back once the team is doing well.
GO FALCONS! I’m with ya ALWAYS! Win or lose!
By keeping it REAL !
November 14, 2006 07:47 PM | Link to this
we win this week watch and see. The falcons are a team you don’t bet on!
By keeping it REAL !
November 14, 2006 07:49 PM | Link to this
Lehr is a human turnstile use him only on the run please!
By This gets old
November 14, 2006 08:29 PM | Link to this
Man with two new starters on the line this is a highly dangerous game for Vick. The Ravens almost more than anybody else love take shots from the blind side.
If he can come out injury free no matter the outcome I’d count it as a win. If not then adios, Jim.
By The only reason Lehr is attacked
November 14, 2006 08:59 PM | Link to this
here is because he is WHITE. The anti-Lehr posters only want an all-black team. Vick is an allegory for black suffering in this holyland of imbeciles.
By dirty byrd
November 14, 2006 11:06 PM | Link to this
WELL IT WONT MATER WHAT PLAYERS ARE ON THE FIELD IF WE DONT CHANGE OFF PLAYS DETROIT AND CLEVLAND KNEW WHAT PLAYS WE WERE RUNNING BY OUR TENDENCIES LIKE ITS BEEN STATED WE ONLY GOT 6 PLAYS WE RUN 90% OF THE TIME SO YOU DO THE MATH ON PRODUCTION AGAINT RAVENS .
By Yad
November 15, 2006 04:48 AM | Link to this
Jimmy Johnson’s opinion of Vick:
“Michael Vick still hasn’t progressed as well as everybody hoped. The running game has come back to the pack. It’s a real disappointment for them to lose at home to Cleveland after losing on the road to Detroit. I mean, that shouldn’t happen if you are an elite team.
I know everyone thought that Vick had turned the corner when he passed for seven touchdowns in two games, but I really didn’t. I think he’s going to be inconsistent as long as he plays in the NFL. Sometimes he’ll be spectacular, but other times he won’t be. That’s what you get with Michael Vick.
I was surprised the fans booed him at home on Sunday, but losing like the Falcons did is what you are going to get with a running quarterback. That’s what he is and the fans have got to live with it and accept it. I have.”
By Slinky
November 15, 2006 05:41 AM | Link to this
Forget it Yad, the Vick huggers on these boards dismiss anything negative as racism, including comments by J.J..
You have to go to a national publication to have a true blog where both sides can be heard.
By Brian Hunt
November 15, 2006 08:22 AM | Link to this
Nobody dislikes Lehr because he’s white, it’s because he can’t pass block. Guess that makes you the imbecile.
By vickisick
November 15, 2006 08:30 AM | Link to this
race means nothing about your results on the field. lehr sucks at pass blocking. leave him on the sidelines and keep clabo in.
as for vick, knapp needs to give him more flexibility to audible. vick should be able to read a defense better by now and the fact that knapp gives him little audible freedom tells me knapp either doesn’t believe in vick’s mental abilities or knapp thinks his play calling from the sidelines should always work. elite qb’s disect defenses before the snap and get their team into a good play based on what the defense gives them. vick doesn’t seem to get that done. that has nothing to do with him being black…i think it has to do with him not having the freedom to audible. that is on the coaches for not giving it to him. put your faith in vick mora…let him win games for you and get out of his way.
By Jerry L
November 15, 2006 09:37 AM | Link to this
Larry, these are the games where the great qbs, and Vick considers himself to be among them, leads the team and becomes the answer instead of one of the problems.
By Charles
November 15, 2006 09:51 AM | Link to this
You know what Falcon Nation I am tired of the up and down season. We have the talent to be 8-1. The only we lost out of the gate was the AINTS. I was there it was trouble before I walk in the S-Dome. I want us to win a Super Bowl very very badd. Is disappointing when we loose. My whole day is reuined when we loose.
All I know for sure is that we have to find a way to win the second halves of the last 7 games. If not, deja vue of last year…..
GO DIRTYBIRDS!!!!! For Life!!!
By Jerry L
November 15, 2006 10:29 AM | Link to this
I get tired of these blogs turning into a stage for racism on both sides. I think Vick is a better than average qb, who with a few changes in his game, becoming more consistant with his passing and taking care of the ball a little better. All qbs fumble the ball at times, they take some vicious hits and are blind-sided frequently. I critisize Vick at times when he has bad games and praise him when he has good games. It has nothing to do with race. Black men that excelled for the Falcons, who as a fan are some of my all time favorites, With William Andrews being my all time favorite, either black or white are: Claude Humphrey, Alfred Jenkins, Alfred Jackson, Dave Hampton, Dion Sanders, Warrick Dunn, Jim Mitchell, Jessie Tuggle, Bob Whitfield, Billy “Whiteshoes” Johnson, Art Malone,Micheal Haynes, Gerald Riggs,Jamal Anderson, Stacy Baily, Lyn Cain, who made the greatest run in Falcon history, in my opinion. Frustration is my problem, not racism!
By fatz
November 15, 2006 10:58 AM | Link to this
Jerry L,
with what blank if paying vick, they can’t afford for him to be “a better than average” QB. i realize you are only making a statement of fact, and i agree with your assessment, but it is the crux of the problem. you can’t step out and set a new price for a position and then get a marginal return on investment. quality depth is a problem for the falcons, like every other NFL team, and paying one position player top dollar means he has to be flawless. that’s a tall order for anyone, and it is why it is a poor management decision to go in that direction. better off getting as many good players as you can on the roster and try to win the war of attrition - which is what an NFL season has basically become. I love Peyton, but Eli has a better chance of finding the promised land with his cast than big brother does. And so it goes year-in and year-out for the falcons trying to cope with a payroll that overemphasizes and overpays key players.
By Jerry L
November 15, 2006 11:41 AM | Link to this
Fatz, it gets back to coaching, the buck stops there. Leman Bennett coached the Falcons in the late 70s and early 80s and carried them to the playoffs more than any other coach since. The grip on him with the fans was that he could get us to the playoffs, but not the SuperBowl. I think we as fans expect too much from players that are well paid, but human and therefore make mistakes. The Falcon franchise has had more than their share of coach changes. In the middle of the season it makes no sense to change staffs. I think what should be done and what will be done is whatever Blanks wants to do. Money talks and BS walks. Let’s try to claw our way into the playoffs, gets some players back and see what happens.
By 49er Fan
November 15, 2006 01:41 PM | Link to this
I see racial tension is still strong in the South.
We (49ers) will be happy to take Vick any day and trade Alex Smith to the Falcons.
By mo
November 15, 2006 02:02 PM | Link to this
49er Fan,
Unfortunately, you are correct. Racial tension is so thick down here you could eat it with a fork. Atlanta is truly a city “too busy to hate.” But when we find that extra time…
By vickisick
November 15, 2006 03:45 PM | Link to this
get vick some pass blockers not cut blockers. it is a bs shortcut in your payroll and scheme. vick is best when he can step up into the pocket and throw or run through the middle of the field giving him room to cut left or right.
a franchise’s first priority is to find a qb and the second priority should be to protect that qb with the best lineman. the best lineman don’t cut block…they pass block.
By robert johnson
November 15, 2006 04:36 PM | Link to this
You know what, when you think about the big picture, the Falcons are in need of coaches. Pure and simple, zone defense, run-run-pass-kick, does not require scouting, Vick could be the blame, but I do not think so, I believe this guy wants to win at all cost, period.