Falcons

By honest_abe

November 28, 2006 04:08 PM | Link to this

thank you steve for finally putting things in perspective!

By JayD

November 28, 2006 04:13 PM | Link to this

These coaches get a great deal of blame - an they deserve a great deal of blame (along with all the players - Not just VICK!), but the one thing that amazes me is that the GM has managed to dodge his share of the blame. Can anyone look back on any move via the draft or free angency or waiver wire transaction, and say “Now that was a Great Move!” - NO! He brought in these High priced Free Agents, who have not contributed - He drafted these WR’s and DB’s who have not yet contributed (I’m still holding out hope). The smallish OL that can’t pass block - All him! The smallish DL that can’t stop the run - Him again! Why doesn’t any point any fingers in his direction?

By ep

November 28, 2006 04:16 PM | Link to this

Could it also be that there are these coaches that chose/drafted some of these players that cant catch/cover.

By dean

November 28, 2006 04:17 PM | Link to this

sorry but the results stand. stop being a liberal. They are not getting it done. Training someone is more than just running drills. Some people you do not have to train, you just show them what to do and they are fine. Others you have to get inside there head. Make them focus on what their doing to the exclusion of all else. This is what is not being done. Also you have to set an example. I know this is not easy. However fear in small doses can be a motivator.

By Marcus

November 28, 2006 04:20 PM | Link to this

interesting.

So, where does this leave Blank’s decision. No doubt, also, if you have seen every other group go through endless repetitions, you have seen Vick, Schaub,and whoever was looking to be QB No. 3 in training camp go through drills.

What I can say is that I have seen an improvement from Vick on progressions/checkdowns in gametime. The last few games may not show it, but as a body of work compared to previous seasons, it is apparent.

What we seem to be seeing on local and national from most NFL pundits who don’t hate on “running QBs” is the lack of productivity/consistency from our WR this year. I would like for STATS, inc. to revise some of its statistics and include the down and distance, and % of droppped TDs and % of dropped passes that would have resulted in 1st downs. I would also like Jaws, Merrill Hoge, Chris Collinsworth, Chris Carter, Dan Marino, and whatever Vick hating journalists are out there (thinking Jason Whitlock and Skip Bayless) to review the seasons-worth of NFL Replay to analyze the Off. Coordinators play calling given the down and distance, WR execution, OL execution, factoring the absence of audible capability for Falcon QBs, to wholistically judge on whether Vick is really the problem or if he is making lemonade out of lemons.

Can Vick improve accuracy? yeah…….but to lay it all on him given pass-blocking deficiencies of our OL, predictability of play-calling (absent of the PIT and CIN games) and the Parkay-laced hands of Roddy, Lelie, Jenkins (and surprisingly) Crump……it seems there are enough areas of improvement across the board vs. putting it all on Vick’s shoulders. We won’t even go into a multi-million dollar defense that is on the rack more than Jaguars or MG Midget.

By Jim

November 28, 2006 04:24 PM | Link to this

I always find it amusing when Mora says they are catching tennis balls in practice every day. Hey guess what Mike Vick isn`t passing tennis balls in the games!

By Hawks Fan

November 28, 2006 04:28 PM | Link to this

So Steve would the Patriots coaches or the Cowboys coaches or the Seahawks coaches have the same results with this group of players? It seems to me there is a fine line between coaching x’s and o’s and actually motivating and creating passion for excellence in your organization. We have a soap opera that is quickly becoming a laughing stock.

By NYFalconFan

November 28, 2006 04:46 PM | Link to this

The way Atlanta is playing right now, everything really is having its problems. Vick, the coaches and Arthur Blank are taking most of the blame. Some are even blaming Jim Mora Sr. I think that everyone that follows the Falcons are just so surprised at the talent level on this team playing the way they are, there are blames going in every direction.

Im sure the coaches are working with the players in practice and Im sure schemes and philosophies are being challenged and re-challenged also, but until we can bring it to the field it wont matter. Dont get me wrong, the offensive play calling is very predictable, the defensive schemes seem to mirror eachother from week to week, so do the defensive breakdowns in the secondary. Nothing seems to change. Zone, Zone, Zone, Zone, maybe a blitz, maybe man to man, back to zone, our safeties get burned. When was the last time we caused a turnover in a big spot? I remember when Donnatel first arrived he blitzed a hell of alot and now its almost non-existant. Is this personel or lack of scheme?

I would never get rid of Vick. I dont care what you say about him, he always gives his all. Sometimes its not enough which is why recievers need to step up. If they cant answer the call after the New Orleans game then I hope drastic changes are made with the exception of Crump. Our O-line needs to give Vick more than 3 or 4 seconds to throw the ball. In the Cincinnati and Pittsburgh games Vick dropped back and never hesitated on making his throws. Now you can see him holding on to the ball because of the lack of confidence in the receiving corp. and maybe himself. I still bring it back to the coaching. No adjustments seem to be made during the game. The option is so predictable now that getting a 5 yd run out of it is surprising. We have speed on offense all over the field and its never utilized. We bootleg and play action constantly in the red zone which hasnt worked since the first week, yet we still do it. what happened to the simple bootleg with Vick going to the corner of the endzone as our small O-Line lead blocks him the whole way. Our O-line is good on the move blocking for runners, so let them. there is just to much to say. I hope we can get a few more wins before this season ends. The NFC is very mediocre and 10-6 could make it in the playoffs. But until coaches stop coaching scared and players make some plays, we will be blaming the rest of the season.

By Eurobird

November 28, 2006 04:48 PM | Link to this

One word: motivation…When there is no motivation, even with the best quality players, there is no execution. These players are not properly motivated on their own and they are not motivated by the coaches. I blame them all but mostly the coaching staff.

By Buchwacker

November 28, 2006 04:49 PM | Link to this

Coach Mora: use this diversity as a positve!

Even after that dreadful performance,Mike still had his teamates back, that says alot about VICK the MAN and VICK the Leader.

I don’t know about you, but right about now I’d GO THRU A BRICK WALL for that dude!

How about we put a a_ _ whooping on our last five opponents!!

Its time we show Mike that we got his back.

Like big Chuck Smith said, quit all the crying, grow a set and get it done!!!

The coach is not aloowed to get mad in the Politcally correctness days, so how about the defense shut up the talking and kick some a*!

By Will Blog for Food

November 28, 2006 04:50 PM | Link to this

And you think these coaches will stay in the NFL???

Latest rumor mill item… I like the last sentence.

VICK TRADE COULD BE PULLED OFF, AFTER JUNE 1

Although we saw images of an apparently contrite Michael Vick apologizing for the images of an obscene gesture he aimed in the direction of paying customers and their kids on Sunday at the Georgia Dome, the broader question remains, as we see it, whether Vick’s time in Atlanta is drawing to a close.

We predicted, even before Vick’s meltdown, that he’ll ask to be traded after the 2006 season. But the prevailing sentiment in league circles is that the Falcons would be unable to trade or release Vick, due to the salary cap ramifications arising from the big-money signing bonus he received a couple of years ago.

We’ve gotten our eyes on his numbers, and the prevailing sentiment is accurate. To a point.

Trading Vick before June 1, 2007 would trigger a mind-numbing cap charge of $22.25 million. The dead money, factoring in the $6 million salary Vick wouldn’t be paid in 2007, would be $15.75 million.

However, if the Falcons were to make the move after June 1, the cap charge for 2007 would drop to $7.57 million, with a net hit of $1.57 million. The transaction would actually create $6 million in 2007 cap space.

The problem would arise in 2008, when the Falcons would be hit with $14.68 million in cap charges. The dead money, based on a Vick’s salary of $7.5 million, would be $7.18 million.

Still, if the salary cap gets to $115 million by 2008, the dead money would be roughly six percent of the team’s available player payroll for the season. And by 2009, he’d be completely off of the books.

So if Vick wants out, and if the team is willing to let him out, a trade would be feasible after June 1.

(Greg Aiello, NFL spokesman, tells us that, although the new CBA allows the cap hit for a trade made after June 1 to be spread over two years, the rule that allows teams to release up to two players before June 1 and process the move as a post-June 1 transaction does not apply to trades.)

Of course, the bigger question would be whether anyone else would willing to take on Vick’s contract, which has salaries of $6 million in 2007, $7.5 million in 2008, $9 million in 2009, $10.5 million in 2010, $12 million in 2011, $12.5 million in 2012, and $13.5 million in 2013.

Our guess? There’s a certain team that wears silver and black with an owner who has always loved renegade players (especially really fast ones). How about Randy Moss and a third-round pick for Vick? Moss has said wanted to come to Atlanta in 2005, and we believe that the team wasn’t interest in Moss primarily because they weren’t interested in creating a scenario in which, with a high-end receiver, Vick would have been further exposed as an underperforming passer.

With Matt Schaub elevating into the position of starter, Moss is the kind of guy that the Falcons would want on the field, especially in a West Coast attack that thrives off of a field-stretcher who can open up the underneath routes.

And from a P.R. standpoint, the Falcons would be swapping out one NFL icon for another. So the seats in the Georgia Dome would still be filled, at least for 2007.

Like many other things, this one makes far too much sense to ever happen.

By steve wyche

November 28, 2006 04:54 PM | Link to this

Good stuff so far.

By no means am I suggesting that the coaches be let off the hook for motivation/schemes/strategies, etc…All I am saying is that when it comes to doing things players are struggling with — catching the ball, blocking, coverage — some players simply have not made NFL-type plays during games.

For instance, Joe Horn didn’t have many balls thrown his way Sunday, but when he did he made plays on them. On one of them, he made a one-handed catch.

There are some guys who have something inside of them that allows for them to step up when it matters. There are others who don’t.

As Jerry West once told me when I was covering the NBA in reference to Michael Jordan; there are plenty of guys who can get you 25-30 points a game, but there are only a handful of guys who not only can make a big shot when it matters, but have the constitution to take the big shot when it matters.

By JayD

November 28, 2006 04:57 PM | Link to this

The GM still has not been included enough in the blame game - Must I remind you he also picked this coach - In addition to Mike Jenkins, Roddy White, Jimmy Williams, Ed Hartwell, John Abraham - Hopefully, all of these moves will pay off - So far, not so good.

By TD

November 28, 2006 05:12 PM | Link to this

There is no doubt in my mind that the receivers can catch a ball in practice, heck, they caught the ball in college games. But, in the words of AI, “We’re talking about practice!” The coaches (esp. Knapp, Donatell, Mora,)still have to be accountable for some of these wrong headed play calling it baffles me why all THREE Wideouts drop passes! The coaches have to change the methods or something that is happening from a motivation standpoint, an execution standpoint,or a preparation standpoint. But there is no doubt in my mind some of these guys couldn’t catch on with another team unless they wind up on a practice squad somewhere. In baseball when a team is losing the manager is fired, is it fair? nope, but neither is life. “and what the heck does stop being a liberal mean? that iraqi thing sure is producing some great results while we stay the course”

By Ryder

November 28, 2006 05:15 PM | Link to this

This isn’t about the X’s and O’s, it’s about an unwillingness by the coaching staff to establish the discipline necessary for the Falcons players to execute on the field. When a player is looking back worried about whether a defender is going to hit him or not instead of catching passes, that’s a lack of discipline. When a cornerback is more concerned about catching a hail mary pass rather than knocking it down, that’s a lack of discipline.

This is the problem, it’s not the unwillingness to change the offense, but the inability to establish the discipline to execute when you’re into the opponents’ 7 yard line TWICE. That is your greater problem than any sandlot offense the Falcons supposedly run.

I agree with ESPN’s Gregg Easterbrook in his TMQ article today:

“Jim Mora Decried as “Quarterback Killer”: Two weeks ago TMQ noted that Atlanta coach Mora the Younger made a puzzling decision at the end of the first half against Cleveland, ordering an onside kick with nine seconds remaining and the Falcons holding but one timeout. The Browns recovered in position for a Hail Mary, but suppose Atlanta had recovered — what would have been accomplished? Atlanta went on to lose. Now it’s Sunday and the reeling Falcons are at home against the United States Saints. The Saints lead 14-6 and hold the ball at midfield with seven seconds remaining in the first half. The clock is stopped owing to an incompletion, but Mora calls timeout, allowing New Orleans extra time to set up a Hail Mary play. Touchdown, and suddenly the Falcons are in deep trouble with the score 21-6 at the half. Note: I don’t wish to alarm you, but New Orleans now has the NFL’s No. 1 passing attack.

As the Falcons have dropped four straight, everyone’s focusing on criticizing Michael Vick. What about all the odd coaching decisions made by Mora and his assistants? Vick wasn’t the one who ordered himself to take seven-step drops on passes against New Orleans — something he’s never been good at, and which plays away from his strength, the sprint-out pass. (Sprint-outs keep Vick closer to the line and also simplify the field, requiring him to look at only half the coverage, not the entire coverage as in a deep dropback.) Trailing 14-3, Atlanta had third-and-goal on the Saints’ 2, on a day the Falcons would rush for 281 yards and average 6.2 yards per rush. Just run the ball! It wasn’t Vick who not only called a passing play but a seven-step drop play that required him to run backward to the New Orleans 10; sack, and Atlanta settles for a field goal. You’re on the 2, why are you instructing your quarterback to run backward to the 10? Last season’s incident in which Mora the Younger did not know that a tie would keep Atlanta alive for the playoffs, and was screaming into a cell phone on the sidelines as he sent in the wrong decisions knocking the Falcons out of the postseason, is hardly the only weird coaching by Mora. Plus, a good coach focuses the criticism on himself, away from his players, a la Bear Bryant. Time to look away from Vick and toward the Atlanta sideline.”

By Vikingsouth

November 28, 2006 05:17 PM | Link to this

Absolutely right, JayD. I was happy when I heard the Falcons hired mcKay. He was supposed to be one of the best minds in football, up for commissioner. Last season, I went to a meeting with McKay with other Falcons season ticketholders as part of package they were doing. I asked him why the Falcons, given there weakness against the run at that point last year, didn’t get a “plugger” to help on the Dline. I told hi I knw they liked small, fast guys, but the Falcons were getting pushed around against the run. He told me that he understood my point, but it was the rookie linebackers not taking proper angles that was the true problem. What did we read in the offseason? The coaches were begging for size on the Dline. Finally, they got Grady Jackson. My point is, one hand basically doesn’t know what the other is doing with the Falcons, and it shows. I’m really beginning to wonder about McKay.

By Jeff D

November 28, 2006 05:18 PM | Link to this

Good blog, Steve. Keep the good stuff coming. We really appreciate the inside information and your perspective on things.

Last night, I heard similar comments on FoxSports Radio. A former 49er (I can’t remember his name) was discussing George Stewart and how tough he was as a coach. He assured listeners that Stewart was doing everyting in his power to prepare the Falcons’ WRs for games. He also indicated that Stewart was a hard-nosed coach. Thus, he was certain that Stewart was all over Roddy White, Jenkins and Lelie after the game.

It should be noted that the former player thought that the Falcons’ WRs were horrible, and Vick was the only player who gave mcuh effort on Sunday.

It’s interesting that your blog didn’t mention Knapp. Like you said, by no means should the coaches be let off the hook for schemes and strategies. Knapp should be fired. His play calling in the red zone is pathetic.

I wish Mora, Jr. had the guts of a Parcells. Then, Knapp would be gone and Roddy White would be benched. Parcells cut Vanderjagt despite the cap hit.

By Drain-o

November 28, 2006 05:19 PM | Link to this

will blog for food where do you get this $hit from! you do have $hit for brains.Vick will be here so get over it!

By Vikingsouth

November 28, 2006 05:29 PM | Link to this

As far as discipline and lack of coaching, let’s not forget the stupid faces masks, horse-collar tackle, and unneccesary roughness call Sunday. Well-coached players keep that to a minimum. Also, you don’t show leadership by dropping to your knees with a “Why me, God?” expression when your reciever, although incompetent, drops a pass.

By Will Blog for Food

November 28, 2006 05:33 PM | Link to this

Same source that predicted Mora would be picked as Head Coach and TJ Duckett would be traded to Redskins…

By BUSHWACKER

November 28, 2006 05:33 PM | Link to this

TO: Will Blog for Food Message to long, I quit after first paragraph.

By Drain-o

November 28, 2006 05:34 PM | Link to this

The coaches are to conservative they keep stay the course like Bone head Bush! They need to be more liberal in they play calling! The same thing every game expecting a change is insane .use plays to get the player to not to feel so much pressure. end around . half back pass to vick do many thing! and pleasr run routes at least long enough to get the first down!

By BUSHWACKER

November 28, 2006 05:40 PM | Link to this

You got that right Vikingsouth.

What the heck is DHall tacking the guy in the end zone for.

I would have benched him right then.

Then he would not have been out there just before half time giving up another touchdown!!

By BIGG DADDY DOGG

November 28, 2006 05:43 PM | Link to this

ACCOUNTABILTY!!!!!!!!! MOTIVATION!!!!!!!!!!!! POSITIVE EXECUTIONOF PLAYS BY ALL STAFF AND PLAYERS!!!!!! PUT SOME FOOT UPTHE PLAYERS A$$$$$$$$$$$ES…. LASTLY MAKE SOME CUTS (LIKE THE COWBOYS JUST DID)AND THERE WILL BE IMMEDIATE RESULTS!!!!!

By The Professor

November 28, 2006 05:48 PM | Link to this

For those of you who require Cliff Notes version…

However, if the Falcons were to make the move after June 1, the cap charge for 2007 would drop to $7.57 million, with a net hit of $1.57 million. The transaction would actually create $6 million in 2007 cap space.

Moss has said wanted to come to Atlanta in 2005, and we believe that the team wasn’t interest in Moss primarily because they weren’t interested in creating a scenario in which, with a high-end receiver, Vick would have been further exposed as an underperforming passer.

And from a P.R. standpoint, the Falcons would be swapping out one NFL icon for another. So the seats in the Georgia Dome would still be filled, at least for 2007.

Like many other things, this one makes far too much sense to ever happen.

By Najeh Davenpoop

November 28, 2006 05:49 PM | Link to this

Thanks for a good blog Steve. It’s nice to know that at least the coaches are attempting to do what it takes to get these players to play better. I still think that an offensive lineman can only do so much to coach up receivers — there have to be some nuances of the WR position (running routes properly, getting open in zone coverage, etc.) that an ex-WR would know much better because of experience. I still would like to see someone like Terance Mathis hired by the Falcons to coach receivers. And if the problem really is that the players can’t focus or get jitters on Sunday afternoons, then we have to look at what Mora is doing to get this team prepared. Successful coaches like Parcells and Belichick get their players to play their best on Sunday — look at a guy like Reche Caldwell, who was a dropped pass machine in San Diego, but is making all kinds of tough catches in New England now. Mora’s gotta be able to get the same performance out of his players as well, if he wants to be considered a good coach.

By Not-A-Blogger

November 28, 2006 05:56 PM | Link to this

So help me out. When Vick torched the Steelers and the Bengals through the air, weren’t we playing two reserve guards?

The pass-blocking Sunday was scary-bad. And to make things worse, the O-line seems to have lost their ability to run-block for the last month.

By Will Blog for Food

November 28, 2006 06:04 PM | Link to this

And before you go nuts with cursing, put downs, etc. I’m not wishing for Vick to be traded. He is.

By bob gillesspee

November 28, 2006 06:06 PM | Link to this

Hey,vick has no class at all. Look at his brother!!!! What a family . Falcons go get a better QB, the Pat’s sat Bledsoe and look what happened.

By Najeh Davenpoop

November 28, 2006 06:08 PM | Link to this

Wow, did someone actually suggest that we trade Vick for Randy Moss? Trade a 26-year old QB, maybe the most physically gifted QB ever to play in the NFL, a guy who gives 110% every game, for a notorious underachiever who is known league-wide for quitting on his teammates? Please, do yourself and everyone else a favor and stop watching football for the rest of your life. I wonder if you have watched any Raiders games this year, but Moss drops as many passes as the Falcons’ WRs, not because he sucks but because he just doesn’t care. I wouldn’t trade a 5th round pick for the guy. At least Terrell Owens cares about doing well, even if it’s only himself doing well. All Moss cares about is his paycheck.

By The Professor

November 28, 2006 06:20 PM | Link to this

Hey Najeh Einstein, wasn’t Vick the one who admitted he quit in the game against Carolina last year? He has peaked. Trade him and move on.

By Vikingsouth

November 28, 2006 06:31 PM | Link to this

Moss isn’t coming to Atlanta. The Falcons aren’t going back on their “high character” criteria anytime soon. They probably aren’t going to build a winner with chior boys, but they try. Does Blank remind anyone else of Ted Turner in his early days? Meddling, wooing free agents, not putting enough emphasis on scouting, not hiring a couple of big brains to run things.

By gg

November 28, 2006 06:34 PM | Link to this

Ashley Ambrose is one of our db coaches…no wonder our defensive backs suck…he couldn’t cover jack s**.

By Madden King

November 28, 2006 06:35 PM | Link to this

To “Will Blog For Food” If Vick gets traded Moss will never come hear or any receiver for that matter. Why do you think that Moss and T.O. think ATL first and every team second. Word to the White people but alot of black sport celebraties along with the hip hop celebreties reside in Atlanta in the offseason and have a very close relationship with Vick just look at the support that Vick got from Joe Horn after the Saints game about his receivers dropping passes. Vick is one of the few black QB’s starting in the NFL and his fellow black peers want him to succeed in this league and these players love him and respect him to the point to where they want to come to Atlanta and be part of the solution and help Vick and the organization become something special. Those elite receivers understands that if they come to the A-Town that they will have one on one coverage all day making their stats great. Vick attracts Free Agents of his elk and they want to come here. If Vick gets traded the Free Agents are going to go where he goes. Blank needs to trade Schaub for Moss since Vick and Moss are so close and he also needs to sign Dwight Freeney since he is a free agent next year. Kerney is a free agent also and Freeney will be an upgrade over Kerney. Vick and Freeney are close friends and chill with each other every offseason in Atlanta, can you imagine Abraham and Freeney on the same team, that defensive tandem along with Vick and Moss on the offense will definitely take us to the Super Bowl and win next year with Dan Reeves at the helm. HOLLA! GO FALCONS! GO VICK!

By Spicoli

November 28, 2006 06:37 PM | Link to this

Randy Moss is a future Hall-of-Famer. Vick is not. I vote trade him.

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 06:38 PM | Link to this

It is a coaches job to have the players prepared on Sundays. Mentally and Physically. These are concentration issues and it falls on the shoulders of the coaches. Of course everybody knows their assignment. If your assignment is to play 10 feet off of a receiver and he’s catching quick slants for first downs all day, then there is a coaching issue. If a player constantly costs his team yardage in personal fouls over the course of the season, then he is not being properly disciplined by the coach. When an entire team plays bad, then the coaches have not prepared them to play. Plain and Simple.

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 06:39 PM | Link to this

Bob Gillespie,

Hey my brother is a f*ck up too. Does that mean that I don’t have class? No, it means that adults make their own decisions. It must be nice to be from a perfect family. What is your definition of class anyways? Surely it’s not acknowledging your mistakes and then apologizing for them?

By Steve T

November 28, 2006 06:40 PM | Link to this

“However fear in small doses can be a motivator.” Maybe one of the coaches should strike some fear in the players. What make Bobby Knight and Bill Parcells great coaches? FEAR! FEAR! What would he had done to Roddy for dropping that pass? Someone would have got cussed out. Heck if I was the coach, I would have cussed him out. It may seem harsh but players love to play for this coaches. Why? These coaches get you to play to your potential. In fact when Dallas was having problems all his former players call in and said coach why aren’t you fussing at those guys. In fact of the players went to Dallas to make sure Bill would fuss because he stated that is what made him better.

If a player can get himself every game then you don’t need a coach. My coaches could push me beyond what I thought I could do. I thought I could never block and I did not want anything to do with an offensive line. The coach saw something in me that I did not see. I got cussed everyday, but I learned to block very well. If he does want to yell at those guys, he can have a gentleman agree me that for every catchable ball that is dropped, the WRs will put $500 in a pot. The money will be use to buy the defense dinner.

By gg

November 28, 2006 06:40 PM | Link to this

As much as criticism as the coaches have taken and rightfully so, there were many of us who thought Abraham and Lelie were good pickups.

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 06:41 PM | Link to this

Professor,

You think that Vick has peaked but Randy Moss has not? You think Randy Moss hasn’t quit during a game? You’re the new king of hipocrisy. Long live the king.

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 06:45 PM | Link to this

Vick is not a future Hall of Famer? He’s soon to be the leading QB rusher in NFL history. Only a Super Bowl ring gets you into the Hall of Fame now? Bye Bye Dan Marino and Peyton Manning then. Bye Bye Randy Moss as well. Vick is headed to the Hall and a pair of his shoes are already there waiting for him.

By Will Blog for Food

November 28, 2006 06:49 PM | Link to this

Madden King,

Appreciate your input, even if it is fantasy. Reeves will not coach Falcons again, Falcons can’t afford both Moss and Vick, and Santa Claus does not exist - as has been proven in the last 4 games.

By Birdy

November 28, 2006 06:52 PM | Link to this

Nice article, Steve. Question: Who determines the depth chart? Is it the position coach? Coordinator? Head coach? GM? os a committee?

It seems the players face no ramifications for choking on gameday. Is it because the coaches have no authority to bench a poor performer? Surely the coaches recognize with some of the performances of late these players are going to cause some coaches to lose their jobs. Why would any sane coach keep Roddy active each week while Youngblood rides the bench?

By Wink from Lithonia

November 28, 2006 06:54 PM | Link to this

Coaching these players in practice and putting them thru drills is great, but the application is lacking, which goes to focus or fear. I think it time to call that sports pyschologist that helped John Smoltz get over his focus problems early in his Braves career. Smoltz has gone on to have a stellar career.

Also, I remember Falcon’s training camp they had one guy who caught everything thrown his way, I think his name was Youngblood, some lowly camp invitee, who out performed these current receivers with the exception of Lelie, who was holding out in Denver.

This goes to coaching decisions, that guy should have made this team, but his contract was not large enough to keep. Coaches have to make hard decisions, one of the best receiver in the NFL was the last draft pick (Colston with the Saints) and Vanderjadt is unemployed today because a coach decided it’s time to eat the large contract for the benefit of the team.

There is no I in team, but team spelled backward… spells Meat…this Falcon’s team smells like Dead Meat and the Vultures are circling.

Which concept should we follow for change:

A. Insanity - by definition - is to keep doing what you have always done, but expecting a different result…. or B. Success- by definition - is the progressive realization of a predetermined worthwhile dream or goal…

Which would Mora, Knapp or Donatel choose……hmmmmmmmmm?

By The Professor

November 28, 2006 06:56 PM | Link to this

dirrtybird,

History lesson… or learn from mistakes of the past so you won’t repeat them. Mora installs West Coast O and he probably suspects Vick isn’t suited for it. Falcons draft Schaub, who is. Mora brings in Brent Musgrave, who was Schaub’s coach in college. Mora tells King Arthur “Michael can’t make it as a “real” NFL QB. Give me a season with Matty in the West Coast O (plus a receiver like Moss) and I’ll get deep in the playoffs.” Voila!

p.s. While we’re talking choices… Ginger or Mary Ann?

By Spicoli

November 28, 2006 07:03 PM | Link to this

Dude, QB’s who were primarily recognized as runners are not in the Hall of Fame, i.e. Randall Cunningham. Tarkenton had all the PASSING stat records for years. Steve Young was a running QB until he relied on his arm. Here’s another quiz for you. Ready? How many Falcons are in the Hall of Fame?

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 07:06 PM | Link to this

Professor,

No. We’re talking reality, not choices. You dont’ get Ginger, Mary Ann, or Matt Schaub. Mora will be long gone before Vick is. If you take one look at the cap situation you realize that we cant’ afford to take on Randy Moss, or afford to get rid of Mike Vick. Frankly, I’m not even sure why it’s being discussed. Long live the King.

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 07:08 PM | Link to this

Who are these idiots who think that Matt Schaub could play behind this offensive line? If Vick gets hit 15 times a game, and he’s the fastest player in the league, imagine how many times one of the slower players in the league will get hit. PASS PROTECTION PEOPLE!!!!! Nobody can pass without it.

By Everytime someone types

November 28, 2006 07:08 PM | Link to this

anything about Blank rehiring Dan Reeves, I know that poster is an idiot.

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 07:14 PM | Link to this

Now Vick can’t make the Hall of Fame because there aren’t too many other Falcons already in there? Bye Bye Julius Peppers, Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks, Junior Seau etc. All you got is a bunch of bullsh*t. Steve Young was 30 before he learned how to pass and win a Super Bowl. Shut up already. No quizes for you because you’ll fail them all. Next… .

By Steve T

November 28, 2006 07:16 PM | Link to this

I hope the falcons know that you should not trade one of a kind type players. The falcons will be cursed. Do you remember what happened to Boston after they trade Ruth? Do you recall what happened to Tampa after they treated Doug Williams? They were cursed. If Vick is traded then Atlanta will not be able to lure the FA you think they can.

Now on to WRs, do you recall the guy they call Sunshine? Why didn’t he make the team?

By Vikingsouth

November 28, 2006 07:17 PM | Link to this

Of course, you’d want to sleep with both of them, but Ginger was a b**. Mary Ann would be hot in bed, and you could actually live with her. She was my first female fantasy. Remember the episode where she was tied up by a cannibal? Ohhhhhhh….

By Spicoli

November 28, 2006 07:18 PM | Link to this

Dude Wink from Lithonia, you are indeed a student of the game. And since the Saints were smart enough to give Colston a chance they were able to trade another first round receiver -Donte Stallworth - to Eagles for draft choice and a good LB, Simenou (gee, wasn’t he a Falcon once?).

Question: What happens when Vick gets busted for weed and suspended four games?

Same answer as when he quit against Carolina and flipped the bird to Falcons fans… “It will never happen again.”

Can you say definition of insanity?

By Steve T

November 28, 2006 07:22 PM | Link to this

A. Insanity - by definition - is to keep doing what you have always done, but expecting a different result…. or B. Success- by definition - is the progressive realization of a predetermined worthwhile dream or goal…

Which would Mora, Knapp or Donatel choose……hmmmmmmmmm?

Thank you! I was thinking the same thing.

By lawton

November 28, 2006 07:24 PM | Link to this

What amazes me is there must be a fear of Mora Senior OR Rich Mckay by the National media. Its obvious to everybody, even the people who hate on Vick that the problem is the coaches NOT putting the players in a position to succeed. People dogged Dan Reaves out as if Reaves was a quarterback killer because of his running style of offense (think John Elway’s whining). Reaves changed his style just enough to put Vick in positions to succeed (rolling Vick out of the pocket, running bunch formations with the wide receivers, having offensive lineman with size, consistant playcalling, actually getting mad at his position coach for not teaching Vick how to set his feet properly), in other words, Reaves is a coach. The national media never brings the coaching problem up as if the nfl has a band on it or something.

By The Professor

November 28, 2006 07:26 PM | Link to this

Vikingsouth, you are correct, Sir!

“You could actually live with her.”
Classic.

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 07:27 PM | Link to this

Now you’re accusing Vick of future violations that he hasn’t committed yet? Playing yourself right off the boards. This guy wants to accuse Mike Vick of quitting on his team and getting busted for weed(hasn’t happened), but wants to trade him for Randy Moss instead. This is a board for morons.

Can you say definition of uninformed? Can you say stupid?

By Lynne

November 28, 2006 07:29 PM | Link to this

Wow Professor…..with that rationale, no wonder you couldn’t figure out how to get off the island.

By The Professor

November 28, 2006 07:31 PM | Link to this

dirrtybird,

You are INcorrect, sir! Number of Falcons in Hall of Fame (after 40 years) is equivalent to your IQ.

Zero.

By The Professor

November 28, 2006 07:33 PM | Link to this

Lynne,

If you had Ginger and Mary Ann on a desert island with Gilligan and the Skipper as competition, would you want to get off the island??!!

No one appreciates my genius…

By grego

November 28, 2006 07:36 PM | Link to this

Ginger.Only a Tech fan would choose Mary Ann.

By BirdDawg

November 28, 2006 07:37 PM | Link to this

Will Blog…

Are you the editor at ProFootballRumors.com? Or one of the writers? Because that site HATES Michael Vick.

So anything that you say is obviously biased.

Vick has never asked to be traded, nor does he want to. That site might pick up a good rumor every now or then, that they are so far off about Vick it isn’t funny.

They hate on Vick all day long, but never spread the blame around. They say Schaub would be better, but refuse to aknowledge the fact that he’d be on his a* 20 times a game and sacked 7 times a game.

They won’t aknowledge that Vick’s numbers as a rookie under Reeves were better than under Knapp, and that you can directly blame Knapp for Vick’s regression as a QB.

That site may be good for some things… but the are extremely biased Vick haters. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were based out of Atlanta.

And Steve, once again, you may be right about the coaches, and you’re definately right if you want to say that our O-Line wouldn’t start for any other team in the NFL (or even CFL). But your constantly giving Greg Knapp as pass for his playcalling, and for his putting our team’s QBs in the worst position possible is just wrong, Steve.

Any other city, and they’d have had Knapp’s head on a plate right now.

But what should I expect from a paper that continues to give Bobby Cox a free pass on every single post season choke job he’s put us through?

By Vikingsouth

November 28, 2006 07:48 PM | Link to this

Bobby Cox didn’t get deeked at second base during the ‘91 World Series (Lonnie Smith). He also didn’t give up a three run home run in Game 4 of the 1996 series (Mark Wohlers). Without both those occurances, the Braves may well have won two more championships, and then no one would falsely accuse BOBBY COX of choking.

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 07:52 PM | Link to this

Professor,

Eric Dickerson and Tommy McDonald are both Hall of Famers and both former Falcons players. I’m about done with you. Next… .

By L.J.

November 28, 2006 07:53 PM | Link to this

But Bobby Cox did leave his starters in too long in games…(e.g., leaving Maddux in vs. the Yankees in 1998). He never seemed to be able to make the right moves in a short series. Joe Torre did.

Now back to football….

By Drago

November 28, 2006 07:54 PM | Link to this

I must break you.

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 07:54 PM | Link to this

Please. Let’s keep the Bobby Cox talk on the Braves board. This is a board for idiots. Not Braves fans.

By ken

November 28, 2006 07:57 PM | Link to this

DeAngelo Hall is the most overated, overhyped player in a falcons uniform since RAY BUCHANON

By Kramer

November 28, 2006 08:00 PM | Link to this

Okay, like that Michael Vick fella, I’m really sorry. But this is funny…

http://www.nationallampoon.com/

By The Professor

November 28, 2006 08:09 PM | Link to this

dirrtybird,

Gosh, I forgot about Eric Dickerson’s stellar single season (his last) with the Falcons in which he had 91 yards rushing and 0 TD’s.

1993 Atlanta 4 26 91 3.5 0 6 58 9.7 0 0 0

But I think you should really count how awesome he was as a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football. His command of the English language compares to yours.

And Tommy McDonald really tore it up his one season with the Falcons (next to last) in which he had 33 receptions for 436 yards and 4 TD’s. But then I think we would take him if he decided to come out of retirement…

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 08:29 PM | Link to this

Apparently you did forget about Tommy McDonald and Eric Dickerson. They were Falcons nonetheless. What does any of that have to do with Vick going to the Hall anyways?

Got any more great ideas to save the team like Trade Vick for Randy Moss?

At least Randy Moss won’t quit during a game right? At least he wouldn’t moon the crowd after a touchdown and when asked to apolgize say “Next time, I’ll grab my d*ck”. Great ideas.

By DIRTIE BIRDIE

November 28, 2006 08:33 PM | Link to this

did anyone else notice deion throwing mike vick under the bus for being classless for flipping the bird?

although i understand where vick was coming from and how frustrated and fed up he was with everything and everyone of course the flipping the bird thing was absolutely immature and classless and inexcusable.

but it is not the crime of the century.

but that is not my point.

Who the heck is Deion to call someone else classless?

I love Deion.

he is the greatest CB there ever was and DHALL just insults the legacy of Prime Time by comparing himself to good ole Neon Deion.

BUT Deion did some very classless things in his career.

The Tim McCarver thing was a perfect example of how classless, immature, childish, and crass Deion could be when he wanted to be.

Now, I have always hated Tim McCarver.

Always have and always will.

In fact, I wish that somebody would go Deion on him every time McCarver showed up to a ballpark.

Something about that man irritates me to no end.

BUT the bottom line is that the Deion incident with McCarver was completely classless and he never apologized for it.

At least Vick apologized for the childish and inexcusable thing he did on sunday.

Now, some might say well deion is just older and wiser and has learned from the error of his ways and is just trying to help out mike vick by pointing out how classless and inexcusable mike vick’s finger incident was?

AS Lee Corso would say: Not so fast, my friend.

If anyone had read the New York Post on nypost.com on October 26, 2006, you would have seen that Deion was presented with the perfect opportunity to apologize for that mccarver incident and to finally say the right thing about it. Did Deion take the bait? No, my friend, he did not. He showed himself to be as classless today about the incident as he was about almost 15 years ago.

Here is an excerpt:

Q: You have spoken so much how have you learnt during your career. One of the things that people think about as maybe not a highlight was when you dumped the water on Tim McCarver after the NLCS in 1992? Do you regret that and have you ever reached out to McCarver to say, “I wish I hadn’t done that,” even though I know he said some derogatory things about you?

A: I’m not going to say that I regret that and I was wrong. I was acting out of my age and the environment, which I grew up on. If someone does something to you, you do something to him. Yes, I have gone to him to allow him to understand what really was going on. I don’t think he really understood what really was going on. Do you?

Q: I know he had said some things about you on-the-air and then in the [1992 NLCS winning] celebration, you got some ice water and dumped it on him?

A: What he said about me that “It was an act of total selfishness” to want to participate in two sports on the same day. OK, now being in the television business, I understand how friends take care of friends. He was a friend of John Schuerholz and I’m sure he was prompted to say some things that he didn’t even know the totality of them. Why I was so angry was because I had a contract with the Atlanta Falcons to be a football player from August until the end of the season. My contract ended with the Braves in June so I’m hoping the Braves out in anyway possible, pinch-running, doing anything I need to do to help an organization and I’m not even under contract. So really it was an act that I was doing was misconstrued as being a selfish thing. He didn’t have his facts right. The facts weren’t even right in how he portrayed it. That is what upset me.

So it is clear that almost 15 years later and Deion still can not apologize for a classless thing he did when mike vick was just starting junior high school.

So who really is the classless guy, Deion?

Vick apologized. Why doesn’t Deion apologize to McCarver already?

the justification Deion offered explains his frustrations at the time and why he did such a classless thing.

BUT Deion’s justifications merely provide explanations and not excuses for what he did.

There is no excuse for why Deion has not yet apologized.

Is he still not man enough to do it yet?

If you remember McCarver taunted him at the time and told him afterwards, “you’re a real man, deion. you’re a real man.”

Deion and Vick did classless things.

At least Vick was a real man about it and aplogized about it the next day.

Deion still is not enough of a real man to apologize for it 15 years later. So who is the classless guy, Deion?

By Super Lou

November 28, 2006 08:34 PM | Link to this

First of all, “WillBlogForFood” you sound like a complete idiot. Do you really think Matt Schaub is the reason Randy Moss would want to come to Atlanta? That is really hillarious. But perhaps with Schaubs stellar record as a starter any all pro wide recieiver would wanna play with him. I mean the guy has been AWESOME in the preseason. With the teams running all of their intricate defenses, he has really proven he can do the job. If the Falcons let Vick go they will live to regret it terribly. If Vick is lucky he would get to go to a team with some coaches who know what the hell they are doing. Maybe he will get with some receivers who understand their job is actually to CATCH THE D**N BALL. Perhaps his new reciever will actually be able to get open against man coverage!! But wait, that requires that the offensive line actually give him time to sit in the pocket for the receivers to get open. Well just the same, ONE MAN has never lost a game. But, I guess Vick’s skills are unique in that since as well, right?

By dirrtybird

November 28, 2006 08:58 PM | Link to this

I can just see the list of receivers forming now “Send me to Atlanta so that I can play with Matt Schaub!!”

By This gets old

November 28, 2006 08:58 PM | Link to this

Young fans, welcome to Atlanta Falcon football.

Like it or not this is the end of this incarnation of the Falcons. For those of us who have REALLY been fans for 40 years its deja’vu all over again.

Another regime comes to an explosive end. Some of the players will go on and win rings somewhere else. Fans will continue to fight among themselvers and insult each other.

I saw Michael Vick play his a$$ off on Sunday and I saw a lot of other players go through the motion. WHAT VICK DID IS INEXCUSABLE.

But… I’ve never seen the guy blame a coach. I’ve never seen him jump up and start yelling at a lineman or a WR no matter how poorly that player has performed.

It can’t be Vick’s fault that a TO has to be called in the first qtr. every game. It’s over as far as this incarnation of the Falcons is concerned and if Vick doesn’t ask out now he’s crazy.

He’ll go to a team with a real OL and real WR. It’s not so hard, other teams actually manage to protect their QB while having WR’s catch the football.

Players don’t get paid to be called the “N” word. In the end it will be Atlanta fans who take a lot of the blame as we always do.

Vick will move on as will Chipper and Andruw and Joe and the fan base (who frequently “forget” to buy tickets) will pump everything up when we play them and we’ll lose like we always do.

So long Mike, so long Falcons.

By NumbaOneFan

November 28, 2006 09:08 PM | Link to this

I have to agree with the blogger who said the problem is with the present coaching staff not instilling discipline in these players. The Falcons are constantly getting called for same stupid penalties in key situations when the balance of momentum is shifting is in question. I can’t tell you how many times this team gets called for offenive holding, un-neccesary roughness, personal fouls, jumping off sides, deffensive holding, illegal motion and roughing the quaterback just to name a few. This is a lack of coaching and discipline it is not about how much you practice. It is also well noted that Deangelo Hall is a total sack of $hitwith no coverage skills and only concerned with his stats and being a celebrity. The Truth of the matter is this team has plenty of talent and decent depth at some key positions, however the undersized offensive line is a real problem with pass blocking and pass protection. The O lineis the achilles heel of this team. Michael Vick is a fantastic athlete and runner and average as a quaterback. He has exibited a strong arm and I am assuming he has the ability to be able to at least read defenses and call plays. I am recalling from memory that Michael Vick was fairly succesful while Dan Reeves was the head coach and all indications point to half assed job of coaching from this coaching staff. I am constantly amazed and dumfounded with the play selection adnd how slow this coaching staff is to respond to making on the fly adjustments when an oponent comes out with something that the Falcons coaching staff did not plan for. Mr Blank if you are reading this please realize that Jim Mora Jr. and the rest of the current coaching staff are not getting all the can out of players and the money you are spending. When a player fails to perform and constantly make the same f*ck ups game after game…. the problem is with coaching. DeAngelo Hall is a disgrace for what hes getting paid.

By larry w.

November 28, 2006 09:11 PM | Link to this

Steve, personally I really do not care what the coaches do with their tennis balls and jugs machines. The bottom line is, this team does not perform on game day. I’m sure the coaches go through the motions in practice everyday. How else would they justify their paychecks? But the raw reality of the situation is this, these coaches are not in control of this team. Roddy White should be so far down on the bench that you wouldn’t be able to spot him with a pair of binoculars. After that hail mary disaster, Deangelo should have never even seen the field in the second half. There is no accountability with this team. Why should the players be motivated to play better when they know that there are no consequences to suffer if they don’t? The play calling is atrocious and is not going to change. It is evident by now that what you see from Knapp is what you are going to get. He doesn’t have a clue! So Steve, sell that crap to those gullable enough to swallow it, but don’t try selling it to me. This is the worst coaching staff in the entire NFL!

By Hawk1

November 28, 2006 09:37 PM | Link to this

Jim Mora, Sr. spoke the truth about Michael Vick. Finally, someone who knows something about football has the courage to be honest about Vick. Vick has a rocket arm and has legit 4.3 speed. But obviously, these don’t add up to being a franchise or Pro Bowl quarterback. Look around the league, past and present. How many of these type of players have ever become legitimate stars in the NFL??? Not too many. The only ones that come to mind in recent memory is possibly Elway and Steve Young. However, those two eventually learned to be great quarterbacks. What does it take? There isn’t a formula. But, there are some traits that stand out that separate the great ones from the wannabes or pretenders: superior preparation (Peyton Manning), ability to read defenses (Peyton Manning, Brady, Marino), a quick release (Marino, Peyton Manning), leadership (Elway, Montana), and an innate feel for the game or football IQ (Montana), and accuracy (Young, Montana, Peyton Manning). Honestly, how many of these characteristics does anybody think that Vick possesses? Vick has been in the NFL for what six years now. That’s enough time to figure ‘it’ out. ‘It’ being how to be a NFL quarterback. Vick is an athlete that probably comes along once every 10 years or so in the NFL. But he will NEVER be a franchise quarterback. NEVER. He will never get how to be a quarterback in the NFL. Athletic ability alone can get you by in college. But the NFL is an entirely different kind of animal. It’s clear by watching the game. That’s why ‘non athletic type or looking’ quarterbacks prosper and succeed (Hasselbeck). Because they have some of these traits that are mostly between the ears and not in their arms or legs. These type of guys get ‘it.’ They figure out how to play the position well. The fact is that Vick probably does not possess drive or the football IQ to be a great quarterback. At the end of the day, he’ll walk away with a ton of money and wind up being a journeyman later in his career. You watch. Arthur Blank will get tired of losing and will end up with a coach or managemnt that finally convinces him to give up on Vick and find a traditional quarterback, like Matt Schaub. I will venture to say that if given the chance, that guy will end up being a better quarterback then Vick. Seriously. Coach killer? Sounds dramatic, but it’s entirely true. Mora Jr. will end up losing his job because of Vick, At that point, Mr. Blank will have a decision to make: face up to reality that Vick is not a NFL quarterback and find a coach that agrees, or keep living in his misguided dreams about Vick being the franchise quarterback that he’ll never become.

By LaCresha Jones

November 28, 2006 09:42 PM | Link to this

yall quit playa hating on Mike Vick. He a good playar but dont got no good receevers to help him out. Coaches aint no good either

By Peter

November 28, 2006 10:04 PM | Link to this

If Matt Schaub is such a great QB why isn’t he playing? Why has no team come with even a decent offer for the guy?

Players, coaches, teammates see Schaub vs. Vick every damned day, why is there no groundswell of support for Schaub? Why hasn’t Arthur Blank demanded that Schaub play?

Shaub is a backup and with this line he’d be a seriously injured back up.

By Had enough yet??

November 28, 2006 10:06 PM | Link to this

From above — “…At least Vick apologized for the childish and inexcusable thing he did on sunday…”.

Who believes Vick actually said or was able to read the script the Falcon’s spinmasters wrote for him….

By Steve T

November 28, 2006 10:08 PM | Link to this

There isn’t a formula. But, there are some traits that stand out that separate the great ones from the wannabes or pretenders: superior preparation (Peyton Manning), ability to read defenses (Peyton Manning, Brady, Marino), a quick release (Marino, Peyton Manning), leadership (Elway, Montana), and an innate feel for the game or football IQ (Montana), and accuracy (Young, Montana, Peyton Manning).

Hawk1, I have a question? What defense cause problem for Manning? I am not making this up? I heard John Madden mention this. Manning has a problem with a 3-4 defense. Why? The 3-4 can get a rusher in his face and he becomes average. He can not plant his feet to throw the ball. The same is true about Brady. The book on Brady is if you hit him enough he becomes Avg.

With that said, how do you think they will fair behind our O-line? I would like to see Manning and Brady get sacked 5-7 times every week and let us compare stats. I bet they will be at the bottom of the NFL. Better yet let us look at a Super Bowl winning QB that got sacked a lot last week.

B. Roethlisberger 21/41 214 0 2

Ben was able to complete 50% of his passes. I do not want to here the yeah but….! Ben Has people that would catch the ball.

N. Washington 4 49 0 27 C. Wilson 4 49 0 18 H. Miller 3 35 0 16 H. Ward 4 33 0 12 S. Holmes 3 31 0 14 W. Parker 2 15 0 10 N. Davenport 1 10 0 10 D. Kreider 1 2 0 2

By Steve T

November 28, 2006 10:42 PM | Link to this

Steve W, since you are our mouth to the coaches, I have a few questions:

1) Eric is a 300 pound TE. I know he was an OG. Why are we using him solely at TE? We continue to have problems with the O-line and may be Eric can help out there. I know the Pats coach will use his player’s talents for the betterment of the team.

2) Blakley appears to be a guy with good hands. I thought may be we can shake up the WRs if we put Blakley in as an H-back. Sometimes the best way to get guys to play is to show them up. If a back up TE is making catches, then you can say You are going to let a back up TE out do you? If they are real men they will step up.

3) Why are teams still running slants? Can we let D hall man up and bump the WR. I am going to get like my old coach and say I do not want to see a slant for the rest of the season. If someone run a slant, I want to see his bell rung.

4)Why do we go big on the goal line more often. Did anyone noticed how we cross the goal line? We went big. May be Eric can help out here.We should go big inside the 5. We should play power football.

By SC

November 28, 2006 10:52 PM | Link to this

I cannot tell if any of the current problems stem from the quality of coaching below the level of coordinator. I do not directly see their input, so I am not going to blame these guys. However, I see what the coordinators call on the field, and I see what the head coach allows.

Jim Mora doesn’t want to call out his players in public. Fine. How about ‘time-out’ instead of ‘call-out’?

For example, DeAngelo Hall is not playing like an All-Pro cornerback. Take the hail mary play. Once, he was athletically arrogant, now he’s selfish and stupid. Mora may not have had the resources in the NO game to sit Hall for an entire series, but he could have - should have - sat him on some plays. Sitting out a down is the most real, concrete consequence a player can face in a game. Mora ought to use it more often.

I heard this phrase after both the Saints and Ravens games: “We started to bring pressure in the 2nd half”. Are we really waiting until the 2nd half to make significant adjustments to the pass rush? For whatever reason, the secondary seems to play worse zone than man coverage. The defense might as well ‘man-up’ and rush five men at the start of a game.

By THE DAN

November 28, 2006 11:09 PM | Link to this

WE MISSED LOVIE SMITH,AND JIM MORON ONLY WON WITH DAN REEVES TEAM.WE BETTER MAKE A RUN AT REX RYAN {DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR OF THE BALTIMORE RAVENS},BEFORE VICK’S TALENT IS WASTED. NUFF SAID !!!

By TEDDY JACK EDDY

November 29, 2006 12:01 AM | Link to this

Some players will always underachieve,Vick is an open question etc, etc, but when a team consistantly under performs the coaches’ who’s one job is to bring the best result must be held accountable.Fair or not if this staff cannot bring the big boy out in this team then it’s time for a change.

By BIRD FULL OF BLUES

November 29, 2006 12:04 AM | Link to this

Wake me up when the new coaches’ get here.

By Jay

November 29, 2006 12:53 AM | Link to this

Quit drinking the Kool-aid, you blind homer.

Fact: We have three #1st-round receivers

Fact: We have a pro-bowl rb, his backup is a bunner, and they have a pro-bowl caliber fb blocking for them

Fact: We have a Pro-bowl qb

Fact: We have a pro-bowl Tight end

Fact: Three pro-bowlers start on the d-line (two without Kerney)

Fact: We have a Pro-bowlner who has been here forever at lb, and Boley has had a pro-bowl season

Fact: We have a pro-bowl corner, a 2nd-round corner who could have gone in the first, and a pro-bowl safety

Fact: We have a pro-bowl kick returner

FACT: In our last 27 games, we’re one game under .500

what doesnt add up? We have all the talent in the world. IT HAS TO BE COACHING, THATS ALL THAT IS LEFT.

Look, I have no doubt the coaches work on them every day. But obviously the message isnt sticking, they arent motivating, and the practice isnt translating.

And our three main coaches ALL have their questions. Mora has never been a head coach, never had a top ranked defense even though he was a defensive coordinator, is very immature and blind to the obvious, and was foolishly hired after only interviewing one other person.

TakeAKnapp has shown he is a joke without hall of fame talent (Owens, Rice, Young). Our offense is extremely inconsistent. And its already been figured out how to stop us…just blitz. Its a piece of cake to blitz us because none of our receivers demand a double. Why is it that Vick had his best season under Reeves with much less talent to pass to? And our play-calling has been ridiculed on national tv more times then I can count. Not to mention we get dominated by anyone who can play decent defense.

Donatell is a joke. The second half of Sunday’s game he blitzed more then he has all season, and look what happened? We held them to 10 points. Too bad it was much too late. He NEVER blitzes. Our defense is very predictable. If the qb knows he isnt going to get blitzed, he gets very comfortable back there. Our 30th ranked pass defense is damning proof. There is a reason Green Bay, never a good defensive team, fired him. And it wasnt just the 4 and 26 he gave up, though it explains why we give up so many big plays. Its in his established history.

Wake up and smell the coffee. We are one of the most poorly coached teams in the Nfl. For our talent, we should have made the playoffs last year. Going 2-6 after a 6-2 start…do you think the players just got bad? Or losing four straight after going 5-2? Its obvious…opposing coaches adjust to us, we dont adjust to them, we get outcoached week in and week out, we get outplayed by teams with inferior talent (green bay last year, browns and lions this year).

Dont post this crap to give the coaches credit when there is overwhelming evidence that they are doing a poor job. And you are too for being the biggest homer this side of Mora.

By Cap

November 29, 2006 01:03 AM | Link to this

Finally we’ve reached closure. It was only a matter of time that all of the Vick haters would be drowned out by logic. Hopefully they have all boarded a Greyhound to join the bandwagon for some other city. If any Vick haters are left I will leave them with the transcript from Sean Salisbury on NFL Primetime to silence them for the remainder of this week:

“Quite frankly I’m tired of everybody pointing the finger at Number 7. Sure sometimes he misses throws or makes mistakes but without Vick the Falcons aren’t SQUAT. How about some receivers? You have three Number Ones that couldn’t catch a cold or even if you walked the ball up and handed it to them. How about some help? The guy has a dome and a franchise loaded up on his shoulders, and let’s face it, if Vick doesn’t play well the Falcons have no shot. It’s really that simple. All of the fingers are pointed at Vick and he’s not a dropback passer and all the nonsense….enough! Without Vick Atlanta will be picking in the top five picks next year! It’s about time somebody else step up and start eating the Life Cereal (give it to Mikey he does everything) and give Vick some help. He’s gotta get better but he also needs some help. Three Number Ones (Jenkins, Lelie, and White), please! I could get guys in the seven round or undrafted that can outplay these guys!!”

By Coleman

November 29, 2006 01:47 AM | Link to this

I appreciate the information from Steve about how the coaches prepare the players during practice. One of the points Steve made is that some of the players just aren’t getting it done on game day. I would say the same applies to the coaching staff. Preparation is half the battle. The single biggest weakness this staff has is that they don’t make adjustments during the game. With the exception of this last New Orleans game, we’ve been consistently out-coached in the second half. It’s usually been because we’re not making adjustments or not responiding to adjustments by the opposing team.

As for the players not showing up on game day, disciplinarians like Parcells and Bellicheck would not put up with this ridiculous BS we’ve been seeing from the likes of Hall and White.

Neither of those coaches would have had any compunction about delivering a post-game press conference lecture about the finer points of knocking a Hail Mary TO THE GROUND instead of going for a showboat interception. After all, we all learned that around the time we were fourth grade, right? And White should have gone to the sideline expecting, FEARING, an earful. He should have been on the bench the rest of the game. He should be doing wind sprints every day at practice after the rest of the team has showered and gone home. That’s how a real coach handles inexcusable lack of focus and execution.

Even if the Falcons run the table the rest of the season (which they won’t), I have a hard time believing Mora will be around next year. That’s because Blank is a smart businessman, and he knows ticket buyers simply won’t abide this shoddy, shameful excuse for a coaching staff.

And I truly hope McKay has begun doing his homework early on next year’s draft. Every pick needs to be a lineman.

By Najeh Davenpoop

November 29, 2006 02:35 AM | Link to this

I’m glad I didn’t hang around here for too long, I don’t think my brain could have taken the extent of stupidity exhibited on this blog, mainly from the character known as the Professor. You know, even if you had suggested trading Vick for someone like Chad Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald who produces every Sunday and tries hard, you wouldn’t have looked so ridiculous. But to suggest trading for Randy Moss seriously is the height of stupidity, considering Moss’s age and track record. Please, Professor, let me know which college you teach at so that one day when I have kids, I can make sure I don’t send them there.

By singletary

November 29, 2006 03:08 AM | Link to this

This Wilbon Article says it best about Mike Vick. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/27/AR2006112701334.html

After watching Favre, I think we’d be nuts to lose Vick, because of money and adventure. He at least put his all into the game, saving key 3rd and…

I am in no way excusing him for the ill-timed, inappropriate bird display. Hwever, you have to admit there is a huge “Kulture” now that is smash-mouth, “pimp your ride,” and … often present on these blogs.

I’ll be at the game this weekend with my new Falcons sequined shirt & leather jacket. Could someone put stickies on the WIDEs (Will inevitably Drop Everything) so I’m not laughed out of the building?

If we can win this one to a team that just beat Carolina, we’d be in the number two slot in the division and possibly contenders for a wild card if we again beat Carolina!

By CQ

November 29, 2006 07:53 AM | Link to this

This Schaub talk is getting old. Look at the Schaub situation like this.

1. If Schaub plays and does very good, then Vick is going to demand a trade causing loss of revenue from sales of merchandise to filling up the dome.

2. If Shaub play bad, he messes up trading him for a good draft pick or another addition to the team. Also playing Schaub over Vick will put doubt into your starting QB mind that he may not be wanted and cause a backlash.

If Schaub was so good do you think he would not be playing over Vick? Why would Mora not play him? You are basically saying he is wanting to be FIRED because he knows VIck is not going to play well.

By Phat Phalcon

November 29, 2006 08:53 AM | Link to this

Steve I was at the Dome at 11 am Sunday with my son watching warm-ups. Guess what I saw? Brees and his receivers practicing together. They were working on timing slants, go routes, and Bush was running quick outs. I noticed that they completed some of the same plays in the game. In fact, it looked exactly like the warm-ups. I have never seen Vick before the game working on these things with the receivers. If we were serious about passing the ball they would take more reps.

By Footballenthusiast

November 29, 2006 09:29 AM | Link to this

What frustrates me the most is all the “woofing” and “trash talking”, bouncing around pointing at themselves without any substance. Why can’t they make the routine plays? Hail Mary at the half for example. These cocky players all want to make the “big”, spectacular play so they can crow about it, but would be better served making the routine play so the team could win more games. The attitude doesn’t fit the results.

By Dammit, I'm a coach, not a rocket scientist!

November 29, 2006 09:36 AM | Link to this

Winning cures everything. Just ask Dallas since they replaced Bledsoe with Romo. Vince Young starts ahead of schedule and is winning for the lowly Titans. Jay Cutler might be able “save” the 7-4 Broncos. Ravens are looking like world beaters since Fossil was fired as OC. Change can be scary but necessary. Do SOMETHING, Mora, or change will be coming to you in the form of a pink slip!!!

By bud

November 29, 2006 09:45 AM | Link to this

I’ve got to say GM Rich Mckay made one good move, though I can’t say John Abraham is his fault. But Grady Jackson has been solid up the middle. The falcons have actually addressed one deficiency from last year, the interior run defense. It’s too bad they let everything else slip.

By CQ

November 29, 2006 10:08 AM | Link to this

bud,

McKay did sign Morton Anderson. That has been his only other bright spot besides Grady Jackson. The rest of his moves have not panned out.

How can we have 3 #1 receivers on the team and they are all bad NFL receivers. Even Blank asked the same question.

By Dammit, I'm a coach, not a rocket scientist!

November 29, 2006 10:26 AM | Link to this

CQ,

You nailed it. Unless WR is a freak of nature (Randy Moss - and even he plummeted since he’s a head case) you don’t use first round draft picks on WR’s. Just ask Detroit.

Draft quality offensive lineman who can pass block.

By CQ

November 29, 2006 10:41 AM | Link to this

Yeah, you would think with a $120 million dollar QB, they would have the best lineman in the league blocking for him.

Thats like have a $20,000 diamond ring and leaving it out in the open for anyone to steal it.

By Dammit, I'm a coach, not a rocket scientist!

November 29, 2006 11:00 AM | Link to this

Hate comparing us to the Lions but there are similarites between the two orginzations: 1) History of losing/underachieving; 2) Elite player (Vick, Barry Sanders) not provided the obvious, i.e. a real offensive line; 3) Wasting #1 picks on WR’s (at least ours weren’t high picks); 4) Play in a dome. Enough said.

McKay might be firing some blanks but he’s not as bad as Matt Millen. But then they did spank us a few weeks ago.

By Phat Phalcon

November 29, 2006 11:09 AM | Link to this

I still say it’s largely coaching. Seriously, when is the last time any of you saw Mike drop back and hit a reciever running a seam or post route like these other teams do to us? Think about it- Devery Henderson, Chris Henry, Roy Williams, Hines Ward just to name a few. I shudder to think what Steve Smith will do to us now that he’s back. Not to mention Moss and Randle El Sunday. Why don’t we attack the deep middle? Seems it would be there with everyone protecting the perimeter to contain Vick. My guess? They don’t practice it enough. Those are timing routes. Any NFL QB and WR can run them with enough reps. Could it be possible that we keep getting burned ob these plays because our defense never sees them in practice? Food for thought. Coaching 101 says that you run the go routes we run vs. a cover 1 zone. Against a cover 2 you attack the deep middle. Against man you run timing routes where the QB hits the receiver as he comes out of his breaks. Everyone plays man on us. Why don’t we throw post routes? I don’t get it.

By CQ

November 29, 2006 11:15 AM | Link to this

Phat,

I think the problem there is that Vick is not allowed to change the play by audible when he sees those defenses.

By Dammit, I'm a coach, not a rocket scientist!

November 29, 2006 11:32 AM | Link to this

Agreed, Phat. Vick certainly has the arm strength to throw the timing patterns, etc. And if given the time he CAN be accurate. For the sake of changing things up I think the least the coaches should do is run the 2-minute offense during the game at various points (like Cincy did against us in an effective manner). It doesn’t give the D a chance to substitute players and I think Vick can be more effective this way. Who knows - like your reasoning it probably makes too much sense.

By Phat Phalcon

November 29, 2006 12:00 PM | Link to this

Don’t discount the part about the D getting burned because they don’t see it in practice. All they see are running plays and underneath stuff or a straight go. It would stand to reason then that they would be ill-prepared to defend other things on Sunday. See? A moron OC can even affect the defense.

By Phat Phalcon

November 29, 2006 12:01 PM | Link to this

Don’t discount the part about the D getting burned because they don’t see it in practice. All they see are running plays and underneath stuff or a straight go. It would stand to reason then that they would be ill-prepared to defend other things on Sunday. See? A moron OC can even affect the defense.

By Phat Phalcon

November 29, 2006 12:03 PM | Link to this

Don’t discount the part about the D getting burned because they don’t see it in practice. All they see are running plays and underneath stuff or a straight go. It would stand to reason then that they would be ill-prepared to defend other things on Sunday. See? A moron OC can even affect the defense.

By Dixie Normus

November 29, 2006 12:10 PM | Link to this

I am a female fan and I will give you the real story here. The Falcons are all way overpaid and have guaranteed millions. They get paid whether they WIN or LOSE..I wish my job was like that. The owners, coaches, and the media keeps smooching their rears. So what is the incentive to play hard and win? ZERO ZERO ZERO. Listen to the players during interviews..no emotion, just the same old story. “We gotta go out-dare an make it happen” Vick never gets in the face of his O-line or receivers..NEVER. Why? Because he is rich and does not care!! The only players you see that really care are Crumpler, Brookings, and Kerney!!! Pathetic Pathetic Pathetic!! PS..King Arthur..please get your rich a$$ off the sidelines and up in the box!!

By Tony terrific

November 29, 2006 12:12 PM | Link to this

Boo to the NFL only a fine and no suspension Boo!!!

Since the fans do not matter can we see Janet Jackson undress again??

Boo NFL

Artur Blank was supposed to bring us a winner WHEN???

Boo!

By Phat Phalcon

November 29, 2006 12:22 PM | Link to this

Don’t discount the part about the D getting burned because they don’t see it in practice. All they see are running plays and underneath stuff or a straight go. It would stand to reason then that they would be ill-prepared to defend other things on Sunday. See? A moron OC can even affect the defense.

By Phat Phalcon

November 29, 2006 12:25 PM | Link to this

Geez I guess that point got across…

By Freddy Franchise

November 29, 2006 12:32 PM | Link to this

If we want to see the Falcons win…get a big time receiver, point blank. Mike is great, but so was Barry Sanders. Until we get a receiving threat and force other teams to play honest defenses, we have no idea how good this team is. If we don’t win after getting a receiver…then you can trade and criticize Vick. Gregg Knapp sucks too! 1st & goal from the 7 yd line and we line up in 5 WR?????
I feel bad for Mike Vick. He really is making lemonade out of lemons. The fans have been asking for a receiver for his entire tenure here…any help GM??

By Eternal Optimist

November 29, 2006 12:38 PM | Link to this

This gets old!!! You hit it right on the head brother. I’m a native Georgian though not from Atlanta. I’ve been living in Atlanta for the past nine years and I am a fan of all the Georgia sports, UGA,Tech,Falcons,Braves and the Hawks. I’ve noticed one thing since I’ve been living in Atlanta. No real fan base whatsoever. The Falcons have won more in the last six years than they ever have. Maybe we should move the franchise further south. Possibly Augusta or Savannah. Then the teams can get some real support. Long live MV7,Alge,Boley, and Demorio “my favorite Falcons”.

By Mike L.

November 29, 2006 12:54 PM | Link to this

Steve,

You do make good points in the article. I , and the rest of the fans, are hoping that the coaches are doing everything they can to fix the problems.

However, noone can dispute the fact that the Falcons look like they are playing uninspired. I mean if you dont get jacked up for the game against the Saints, in the Dome, that will determine who will be the leader in the NFC South - what will you get excited for then? If the team is not motivated the caoches are to blame.

Secondly, if they are doing everything they can to preapare the wide receivers for the game and the passes, like the ones we saw on sunday, are still dropped cut them - i dont know what else to say. i think we have Jennings sitting on the bench that was supposed to be a WR - give him a chance. There are free agents out there that will come to play inspired if given a chance. Ricky Proehl supposedly wasnt good enough to play for the Falcons - yet he just signed with the Colts who probably have the best WR core in the league (well maybe after the Bengals).

There are things that can be done, yet the Falcons are the only organization in the NFL that will put up with the crap and not make personnel changes… they refuse to let people go, cut players, and send a message to the rest of the team. everyone is way too comfortable holding their jobs in this organization …

By CQ

November 29, 2006 01:47 PM | Link to this

The Falcons need to go 4-1 in the last games left. It can be done with the Redskins, Bucs, Eagles, Panthers and Cowboys. The Cowboys will be the hardest game by far.

If the coaching staff cannot put together good game plans for these games they need to be fired. PERIOD.

By Ice

November 29, 2006 02:19 PM | Link to this

Tony terrific your an a*****!!

By T.P.

November 30, 2006 08:30 AM | Link to this

Where is Rich McKay’s accountability in all of this? He’s suppose to be the “Great Architect” of a superbowl team, but check out the FIRST ROUND receivers that he has drafted!! I don’t want to hear another word about these receivers being young and will “develop” soon…..LOOKS LIKE THE SAINTS “YOUNG” RECEIVERS DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH DEVELOPING!! If you can’t run routes AT LEAST catch the DA#N ball when it hits you in the hands!!

Jim Mora is a FAN, not a coach!! We need a coach that will get up in Mike’s face when he screws up, someone who will bench these pitiful wide receivers and secondary when they screw up!! Remember when Dan Reeves BENCHED the secondary???? THAT’S COACHING!!

Arthur pay Jimmy Johnson or Mike Ditka $15 million for 2 years to turn this team around!!

By T.P.

November 30, 2006 08:33 AM | Link to this

And another thing why does the receivers coach and secondary coach STILL have a job???? It’s obvious no one has the balls to fire Knapp and Donatell, so at least fire SOMEBODY!!

Oh yeah, don’t forget the O-Line coach and “consultant” also. This O-line has SUCKED for 3 or 4 years when it comes to pass blocking!!

By Michael

November 30, 2006 12:33 PM | Link to this

While watching the NFL Network last night. They showed, or Brain Baldinger broke down the Falcons Offense in Saints game & others. Not only are they dropping passes! But the routes they run is horrible! I mean not breaking off their routes, not comming back too the ball! You name it they do it! It’s down right ridiculus! Coaching ladies, gents, children, coaching is the real problem with this team!

By ICEMAN

November 30, 2006 01:13 PM | Link to this

GM McKay has done an excellent job in choosing players. He has used the same strategy that won Tampa Bay a super bowl. Your criticisms of him did not begin until we had injuries. Before then, he was a genius.It is not Rich Mckay’s job to run out on the field, throw an accurate pass, and catch a football. Those are the areas where we are hurting, and its not because of personnel selection.

By e.b.

November 30, 2006 04:26 PM | Link to this

Yea, lets end the “Mike Vick is the problem” talk, because you know what, take a survey of everu Sean Salisbury, mark Schlereth,Colin Cowherd, dan Patrick, Mike Wilbon, Etc, and all of them think Vick is the only one doing the job. So guess what people, Vick is the ONLY one on this team busting his butt.

By Mike

November 30, 2006 09:07 PM | Link to this

No matter how well trained my employees are, if my department does not live up to its expectations I will be out looking for a job. Maybe the Falcons should model their team after the Patriots. Not base so much on physical talent as they do the ability to understand and comprehend the game.

By Steve T

December 2, 2006 01:07 PM | Link to this

I have a DBs that the Falcons should be looking at. The falcons need to scout FVSU and the other schools in GA. The colts got a very good DB from FVSU….Nick Harper.

We have another a DB that may be better than Nick. The name is Rashod Moulton. The kid is 5-11 195 pounds and run a 4.3. He has played corner and free safety for FVSU. He also played RB and excel at returns(kicks and punts).

We have another DB. His name is Junior Taliaui. He is 5-11 210 and plays like the strong safety for the steelers. The boy loves to hit. In fact he also played LB in some situations.

While I am at it, CAU has a LB that is 6-3- 245 and run a 4.4. He bench 500 lbs. The guys is a player. These are the type of guys that we need to add to the team. We need guys that are big, fast, and strong.

Then we need to hire a DC that will let these guys get after people. With Rashod he can cover one on one. He will give us another DB that can cover one on one. If D. Hall and Jimmy Williams, step up to cover one on one, then Rashod can help provide coverage in the nickel or play free safety.