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December 2006
Either way, Mora call will be tough
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Falcons playoff/non-playoff hopes could be determined before they even take the field Sunday at Philadelphia. Should the Giants beat Washington or Carolina knock off New Orleans, the Falcons will be out by 4 p.m. Sunday.
The biggest issue is the future of coach Jim Mora. He will hardly be judged by this one game, but if he wins and the Falcons get into the playoffs, it would be hard to justify firing a guy who got the team into postseason twice in three years.
If the Falcons don’t get into the playoffs, don’t look for owner Arthur Blank to fire Mora just to fire him. The big question is a replacement. Would Pittsburgh’s Ken Whisenhunt, USC’s Pete Carroll or Tennessee’s Norm Chow be an upgrade?
Maybe, but would Blank be willing to take that risk, have a lot of dead money on the coaching payroll and wait a year or two for those guys to establish themselves? Then again, if the Falcons lose Sunday, that would be two years of regression following the 2004 season, when hopes were raised only to have them dashed by an 8-8 2005.
If Bill Cowher or Jeff Fisher or someone of that ilk becomes available, which is unlikely, a change is almost a certainty.
One thing that is likely is that if Mora is retained, some of his assistants, including offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, would be asked to leave by people over Mora. Whether Mora would be willing to do that, especially to his friend Knapp, is a tough call. Mora is very loyal and might refuse, forcing his firing/resignation.
Personally, all I have been told is that Blank has not made up his mind. However, the fact that he’s even considering firing Mora isn’t good for the head coach. Mora’s radio interview in which he said he would take the U. of Washington job, even if he was joking like he says he was, did major damage.
Still, Blank is pretty thorough and I’m sure he’s pouring over Mora’s complete body of work. Sunday’s outcome could make things easier or more difficult but the early part of next week should be very interesting in terms of the direction the Falcons are headed in.
Players start venting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Though Falcons players said they are focused on finishing out the season at Philadelphia with a win, they also spent Wednesday citing an abundance of reasons, none good, as to why they sit at 7-8 and on the verge of missing the playoffs for a second straight year.
Quarterback Michael Vick did not back off remarks he made after Sunday’s loss to Carolina that there is too much talent on the team to be in this position. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall said some players have not been accountable enough and they have settled for being good or average instead of working harder to be great.
Tight end Alge Crumpler said he wished the offense would be consistent at something, anything.” Running back Warrick Dunn said the Falcons have gotten away from their identity of a running team.
Nobody placed direct blame on the embattled coaching staff, but there wasn’t a lot of drum-banging support either.
Throughout the season, Falcons players tend to stay away from expressing these opinions. But with the season possibly being one game from being over, some guys clearly had some things they wanted to get off their chests.
A chilling forecast
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hope everybody had a Merry Christmas and is having a happy holiday season. It wasn’t too happy around Flowery Branch this morning, as the cold breeze and grey skies seemed to find their way inside the compound.
Players were off today but coach Jim Mora held a news conference in which he spent part of the time going over the improvements and accomplishments the team has made under his watch. There are no arguing the numbers, 26-21 overall record, improvements in the offensive and defensive statistics.
However, those might not mean too much to owner Arthur Blank, whose most recent image was his desperate-for-a-win team playing before thousands of empty seats at the Georgia Dome, getting skunked by a reeling Carolina Panthers team that only threw the ball 7 times.
Seven times.
Mora admitted today that Atlanta waited a series too late to adjust defensively. The coaching staff also waited too late to get the proper personnel on the field, twice, costing the team a first down and a 12-men-on-the-field penalty. There seemed to also be a problem figuring out a direct-snap-to-the-running back play, that the Panthers ran successfully at least six times.
Sunday, Mora acknowledged that there were inconsistencies in the flow of the offense, something quarterback Michael Vick, who did not play a good game, took to another level in his post game news conference.
Vick basically said that the game-plan/play-calling was scattershot and with the offense getting so few opportunities because of Carolina dominating possession, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to what the offense was doing.
Vick rarely speaks critically of anybody or anything so when he decided to fire off those salvos, he could have been speaking on behalf of several players. Some guys did not want to speak on the record, but there was some complaining about play calls and how certain personnel was used and not used, especially in short-yardage situations.
Even though he was responding to questions, Vick also knew that Blank was in the news conference when he said what he said (Blank attends every post game news conference at home and on the road), so he knew it would have impact.
Mora said he did not read or hear Vick’s comments. If he honestly didn’t, then he’s going to get blindsided when they are brought to his attention in full context.
Since going 11-5 in his first season, Mora is 15-16. Last season was 8-8 with no playoffs. A season-ending loss at Philadelphia Sunday could mean 7-9 with no playoffs. Some of the statistics might be getting better but the ones that matter, wins, aren’t.
The Falcons have to win in Philly Sunday to get to 8-8. A victory, with losses or ties by the Giants, Packers, Rams and Panthers get the Falcons in, but that’s a whole lot of ifs, especially since Atlanta can’t seem to handle its business when it has to.
If the Falcons lose and/or don’t make the playoffs, it might be tough for Mora to keep his job, not only because of the wins and losses, but some of the non-football related stuff, such as the recent radio interview in which he said (supposedly joking) that he would love to coach the University of Washington.
Blank did not take kindly to that and with the season going awry, that might be the deal breaker for Mora and his staff.
Starting Williams the smart move
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry, folks. My bad on the lack of a blog yesterday. I thought I sent it into the good folks on the AJC.com desk, but I typed in a wrong letter in the server address and the blog never made it.
I’m going to stick with the same blog I meant to send because I think it’s definitely worthy of discussion — especially since many of you have been blogging about this for months.
The anticipated insertion of rookie cornerback Jimmy Williams into the starting lineup has arrived. Williams will start against the Carolina Panthers Sunday and, most likely for the rest of the season, unless he completely flops.
The Falcons drafted Williams (6-2, 215) out of Virginia Tech to combat bigger receivers like Carolina’s Keyshawn Johnson (6-4, 211) so they are going to see if their investment was worth it, even in a make-or-break time of the season. Allen Rossum (5-8, 178) had started at right cornerback for the past month, but teams have taken advantage of his lack of stature.
Williams has actually started three times this season, but against two-tight end packages or in nickel schemes. This is the first time he will open in the base defense. He will also remain on the field in nickel packages.
Though there might be some concerns starting Williams at this point, when the Falcons pretty much have to win their final two games to make the playoffs, but the coaching staff feels they don’t have anything to lose, especially since Williams has played well the past two games.
Williams is very physical at the point of attack and he is strong in run support. Williams is going to get beat at times — he does not have the burst out of his break like fellow corner and VaTechie DeAngelo Hall — but the Falcons are going to give him help over the top with a safety and in the slot at times with a linebacker.
This doesn’t seem like that much of a gamble to me, especially since Williams seems to have more potential to make a game-changing play, either with a fumble-causing hit or an interception, than Rossum or Jason Webster, the one-time starter who is recovering from a torn groin injury.
Peace and Love for Hall, T.O.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don’t know which Christmas tunes you Falcons fans have been bumping in your Bat Mobiles. But I had that old Jackson Five disc in. You know, when Jermaine asks Michael, “What do you for Christmas?” And the old Michael –- pre-bleaching, real nose and Afro Michael -– blurts out “Peace and Love for everyone.”
Well he’s got his wish. At least part of it.
After an intercession by Deion Sanders, there’s nothing but Peace and Love between Atlanta’s DeAngelo Hall and Dallas Terrell Owens.
Here’s how the peace accord went down.
T.O. contacted Primetime. Who contacted D. Hall. While Hall wouldn’t called Owens his friend, he said the spitting incident was behind both of them.
He credited Sanders with setting up the call. “He was pretty persuasive,” Hall said. “He’d actually been calling the past couple of days, calling Deion to get me on the phone, but like I said. I didn’t want anything to do with the guy.” Hall eventually decided to listen.
“I told Deion this after I got off the phone with him,” Hall said. “I don’t think my Mom could have got me to the phone with that guy. For you to be able to get me on the phone speaks highly of the amount of respect that I have for you as a person and as a mentor to me.”
Now with Peace and Love settled with T.O., will Hall not let Steve Smith run past him this week when the Falcons play Carolina?
Pro Bowl Birds on the wing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No surprise that Falcons’ tight end Alge Crumpler and cornerback DeAngelo Hall were named to the Pro Bowl, although Hall has not had the type of season he or a lot of other people had expected after closing out the 2005 season so strongly.
However, there could be some debate over the omission of quarterback Michael Vick and possibly linebacker Keith Brooking, whose run of five straight Pro Bowl appearances ended.
The NFC quarterbacks were Drew Brees, Marc Bulger and Tony Romo. It’s kind of hard to argue the impact those three have made but Vick has thrown a career-high 19 touchdown passes (several have been dropped) and is 10 yards shy of being the first quarterback to run for 1,000 yards.
In regards to Brooking, the guy is a flat-out, productive workhorse who loves playing the game, maybe more than anybody on the team. His 120 tackles are 8th in the NFL and second in the NFC.
However, outside linebacker Lance Briggs (Chicago), Seattle’s Julian Peterson and Dallas’s DeMarcus Ware are every bit worthy of their selection. I was stunned not to see Saints OLB Scott Fujita not make the cut.
Brooking could have been impacted by bouncing back and forth between middle and outside linebacker, which stemmed from MLB Ed Hartwell’s in-and-out playing status (Achilles’ tendon, knees surgeries).
Crumpler, although not having the type of season he has last year, along with co-Pro Bowler Jeremy Shockey of the Giants, clearly are the class of the NFC tight ends. Crump has 47 catches and a career-high seven touchdown catches.
Hall, meanwhile, has four interceptions but he has not had any since the Falcons’ 27-14 loss to the Giants in Game 5.
Hall has been very solid, especially in run support, but his most notable activities have been ripping off the helmet of Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna, getting beat deep by the Saints Devery Henderson and allowing two touchdown passes last week to the Cowboys’ Terrell Owens, who accentuated things by spitting in Hall’s face.
Blank not a happy camper
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The buzz at Flowery Branch Monday still revolved around coach Jim Mora’s future with the team.
His comments late last week, joking or not, about wanting to coach at the University of Washington, have ruffled plenty of feathers, especially those of owner Arthur Blank. I’ve spoken to Blank about this and he was not pleased at Mora’s comments, regardless of whether Mora was joking or not.
Blank is not thrilled that the Falcons are 7-7, but with a chance to make it into postseason, he is going to see how things unfold over the last two games before making a decision on Mora’s future. Blank clearly isn’t throwing all of his support behind Mora, but he’s not throwing him under the bus, either.
Players were fairly vocal about keeping Mora around. From the fact that they believe he is a good coach to some of them not wanting to go through another potential roster overhaul, support for Mora was widespread.
Keep in mind that it is rare for a player to openly condemn his coach, especially when questioned by reporters like me who planned on writing his remarks for public consumption.
Mora’s radio interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Whether it was a joke, a half-truth or sincere, an interview Falcons coach Jim Mora had with a radio station in Seattle in which he said he would like to coach the University of Washington has generated a firestorm of controversy.
Mora said he would love to coach at his alma mater even if the Falcons were in a playoff chase, which they are. In fact, the timing of his comments comes a day before the biggest game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys.
What he said, not when he said it, is the issue, though.
Mora told me this morning that the radio co-host, Hugh Millen, was his college roommate and friend and that they were having a light-hearted conversation about him taking the Washington job.
The problem was, it was on air.
As a follow up, ESPN emailed the transcripts to tons of media outlets and Mora’s remarks look and read harshly.
He apologized to his players, employers, fans and Washington coach Tyrone Willingham in a statement this afternoon, hours after public backlash whipped through talk radio and message boards.
The private backlash, if any, will be what is really interesting. The fallout in the locker room, in managerial offices and with owner Arthur Blank, who I am pretty sure is not happy about this.
Norwood’s return a relief
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Part of the Falcons’ tailback concerns seemingly have been eased with Jerious Norwood’s return to practice Thursday. Starter Warrick Dunn (calf) did not practice.
Coach Jim Mora said the playing status of both players would be determined shortly before Atlanta’s game Saturday night against Dallas at the Georgia Dome.
If Dunn can’t play —- as a gutsy veteran at this point of the season, I’d guess he would try - it will be interesting to see if Atlanta would start Norwood, a rookie.
He is the heir apparent and has played very well this season, however, he has only seen spot duty and has not had to do a ton of blocking, especially in pass protection.
The other option would be fullback Justin Griffith, who has far fewer carries than Norwood, is far less explosive but has the experience, size and savvy to handle the multitude of responsibilities.
This is a huge game for the Falcons and if they open with Norwood, it would show how much confidence they have in him. With him being less than 100 percent, though, Atlanta might want to ease his load and rotate him with Griffith instead of asking him to be the main ball carrier.
As for quarterback Michael Vick playing tailback, I’m guessing that would be a gimmick scenario that might be used once, if at all.
Vick’s the QB. Period.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s broach a topic that many of you think would solve so many of the Falcons’ offensive problems - moving Michael Vick to running back and having Matt Schaub to start at quarterback Saturday night against the Cowboys.
The Falcons’ backfield has been weakened by injuries to Warrick Dunn (calf) and Jerious Norwood (knee).
Coach Jim Mora and Vick did not outright deny the possibility but said that Vick is the team’s quarterback, not a running back.
Vick, who is on the verge of rushing for 1,000 yards, clearly could make some plays in the open field running the ball. Schaub, meanwhile, has shown in preseason that he can move the offense.
However, putting them both on the field at the same time could hold more of a risk than benefit. For the few first downs Vick might run for or Schaub could throw for, the potential loss of both quarterbacks - on one play for that matter - could be quite detrimental.
Okay, to appease the Georgia fans, D.J. Shockley would finally get a chance to play, but I don’t think the Falcons would want to try to make a playoff push with the talented rookie making his debut at this point of the season.
If Knapp goes, what’s next for offense?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Should Falcons offensive coordinator Greg Knapp land the Stanford job, the team’s much-criticized offense will be at a crossroads.
Knapp has been unflappable in the face of some downright scathing criticisms. Stanford would be getting one of the nicest folks to ever coach in the NFL.
Knapp, who was an offensive coordinator in San Francisco from 2001 to 2003, had a difficult assignment in forging an avant garde offense to fit the distinctive talents of Michael Vick. Because the Falcons’ attack is not a cookie-cutter NFL offense and is a bit out of the norm, with its high school-styled bootlegs and college-styled misdirection runs, Knapp was going to be blasted no matter how they performed.
Folks don’t like change.
(You oldheads remember when Marv Levy installed the Wing-T - really, it was a double-wing - in Kansas City in 1978 to keep his porous defense off the field. An uproar ensued.) Knapp could just line up an I-formation and run some regular old attack. But he had to try some new and different philosophies to suit Vick’s talent.
Some of it has worked, some of it has not.
At this point, they know what works (running plays; passes to Crumpler) and what doesn’t (passes on third-and-1 when you’re the top running team; not running the ball inside the 5).
If Knapp should go to Palo Alto to do battle against Pete Carroll and USC and Karl Dorrell and UCLA, which direction should the Falcons go with their offensive scheme?
Here are a couple of options:
1: Stay the course and keep Knapp’s hybrid West Coast system.
2: Just add some more vertical routes and better pass protection.
3: Bring in an outsider like Tennessee’s Norm Chow or former Giants coach Jim Fassel.
4: Find Barry Switzer and have him put in the old Oklahoma wishbone attack.
Some Pro Bowl candidates
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m throwing this one to you guys because I’m sure you’ll have a ton of good opinions to contribute on the subject matter.
Fan voting for the Pro Bowl ends Dec. 12 and the Falcons are pushing a slew of their players. What do you guys think? You can base the nominees on their merit, against other players at their positions, whatever.
Let’s get some good discussion here.
Here are the guys the Falcons are pushing:
CB DeAngelo Hall, QB Mike Vick, TB Warrick Dunn, TE Alge Crumpler, LB Michael Boley, LB Keith Brooking, DT Grady Jackson, DT Rod Coleman, FB Justin Griffith, KR/PR Allen Rossum. The Falcons are also offering up the entire O-line but…
Three players who have flown under the radar and don’t have the highlight-film plays but who might be deserving, are Jackson, Boley and Milloy.
Milloy, who is second on the team with 83 tackles and, basically serving as a fourth linebacker, has helped players like Brooking make a lot of tackles by jacking up offensive linemen and fullbacks.
Boley might be the best overall defender on the team. He has been steady against the run — running plays rarely bounce outside on his side of the field — solid in pass coverage and he’s played out of position at rush end for much of the season.
Jackson simply has been a monster in the middle. He might not look too good in his uniform but the guys has 12 tackles for losses — a huge amount for a tackle — and he’s totally changed the perception of the Falcons defensive front.
He’s also been the one player who has stayed healthy, despite getting double-teamed on nearly every play.
I’m looking forward to see what you guys have to say.
White’s outside looking in
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s amazing what winning last weekend has done for the mood of the Falcons heading into Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay.
The pervasive tension in the locker room and on the practice field has morphed into a relaxed confidence. Players are in a far better place than they were during the four-game losing streak. There seems to be a belief, not a hope, that Atlanta will make it to the postseason.
The most obvious change on the field is at wide receiver. Players are nabbing just about everything thrown their way, catching balls as if they’ve done it before instead of pressing to hang on to it for fear of reprisal.
Ashley Lelie and Michael Jenkins seem much more at ease after making catches against the Redskins that broke them out of their respective slumps.
Roddy White has looked better this week, too. However, his usage against the Bucs could be similar to how he was used at Washington last week, which was very little.
After weeks of repeated drops, the Falcons played White just a handful of plays, most of which were runs. When they went to three receiver sets, they inserted a second tight end, flexing Alge Crumpler into the slot.
I can’t say that Atlanta has lost faith in White, because it might need him down the stretch. However, if Lelie and Jenkins stay healthy and Crumpler plays well out of the slot, White may have to wait until next season for redemption.
Vick ‘overcomes’ sparingly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those of you interested in Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s comments following Atlanta’s 24-14 victory over Washington Sunday, when he said that sometimes players have to overcome coaching, they were not as inflammatory as they may have read or sounded.
In fact, some coaches today said they actually tell players to overcome their coaching. Translation: If you feel like you can make a play, go for it - just make sure to make the play.
Just about every coaching staff in the NFL gives players some latitude to alter a play, route or rush based on the flow of the game, coverage or something they have picked up on that maybe the coaches didn’t.
Vick’s decision to break off a screen play and hit wide receiver Michael Jenkins for a go-ahead, 22-yard touchdown pass was borne off that freedom.
Vick said he saw a favorable coverage the last time the Falcons lined up in a certain formation and told Jenkins that if the Redskins came out in the same alignment, to run a deep in route and be ready for the ball.
Vick said today that he rarely changes plays and that doing so more than a few times every few games would be undermining the coaching staff and the team’s philosophy.
Can Jimmy Williams fit in?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Falcons had the day off today, so I thought I’d broach the subject of rookie cornerback Jimmy Williams, since coach Jim Mora said he should be healthy enough to finally return Sunday at Tampa. Williams had a high left ankle sprain that kept him from playing the past month.
Worse than not being able to play, the injury kept Williams from getting the reps he needed in practice to learn what he needs to play the position. Now, with four games left and Allen Rossum playing better than expected as the starter, Williams likely won’t see much action other than special teams, although he did get in a few snaps in Week 2 against Tampa Bay because of the two-tight end sets it uses.
Possibly pushing Williams further back in line is the return of Jason Webster from a groin injury, which probably won’t come this week, but the following week against Dallas.
At his size (6-2, 215), playing cornerback in the NFL was a question mark for Williams coming into the league, which is a reason why he slipped to the second round. Williams started slowly and looked at times like he simply didn’t have the skill set to play corner. However, he started coming along in practice and began changing some minds.
He seemed to be peaking when Webster got hurt, which opened the door for his anticipated breakthrough. Then, Williams turned his ankle and that was that.
The Falcons drafted Williams to one day replace Webster but Williams is going to have to get a lot better over the final month and in the offseason, otherwise there will be increased talk about moving him to safety, which seems like a good option, especially with free safety Chris Crocker showing more tendencies of being a strong safety and strong safety Lawyer Milloy under contract for just two more seasons.
Contenders or pretenders?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Falcons finally got off the mat and rallied to win, running off 24 unanswered points to defeat the Redskins 24-14 Sunday. There was little celebrating after snapping a four-game losing streak, mainly because players knew this is what they had to do and should have done to a weak-sister opponent that had it on the ropes but failed to deliver a knockout punch after scoring 14 points out of the box.
It was interesting to note why it took so long for things to register for the Falcons, other than falling back to the old cliché that sometimes things have to bottom out before people finally do something about it.
There probably would have been little talk of Lawyer Milloy’s call for a players’ only meeting Saturday night had the Falcons lost. The fact that they won and Milloy was nothing short of a monster, brought to light to subject and its contents - mainly that players were playing for pride, playoffs and coach Jim Mora.
Players said the Mora has kept control of the team and earned their trust by sticking with them and keeping matters in-house. One player said that most players have never played for a coach so loyal and that if he were to be fired because of their failures, there would be widespread regret in the locker room.
On Monday, Mora clearly was energized by his players’ support, which any pro coach would have to wonder about with a four-game losing streak and a quasi-ultimatum with won-loss totals by the team owner hanging over your head.
Now back in the mix of the playoff hunt, the Falcons have to decide if they are real contenders. Everything points to Atlanta going to Tampa and pulling out a victory that rarely comes easy against the Bucs. The running game might be back on track and the defense might have steadied itself, but the Falcons have fooled a lot of people this season with a flashy performance or two.
In a sidenote, rookie cornerback Jimmy Williams, who has missed the past month with a high ankle sprain, is expected to return against the Bucs but Allen Rossum will start at right cornerback.
Lacking in the clutch
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here is a statistic that pretty much tells a lot about the Falcons: Atlanta has scored just 16 fourth-quarter points all season.
That is staggering. Eleven games in and all the Falcons have managed at money time is a touchdown, an extra point and three field goals.
Just looking at that number, it could tell you a lot of things, but mainly it says this team is not clutch. The fourth quarter often is when games are won, which leads to another point: Atlanta has not rallied to win a game this season.
It beat Pittsburgh on a Morten Andersen field goal in overtime, but it gave up the lead that allowed the game to go into the fifth period.
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