AJC > Sports > Falcons > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 12 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USForney: Time for OL to man up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons guard Kynan Forney said the offensive line is still smarting from a bad performance last week vs. Tennessee. The unit seemed to be making progress the previous two weeks, he said, and then things broke down.
Most of the mistakes were related to technique but there were some mental breakdowns. He also said there is no way the line can allow Joey Harrington to take a similar type beating Monday vs. the Giants. He added that the guys up front weren’t the only ones responsible for allowing pass pressure.
Renardo Foster and Tyson Clabo, who will fill in for injured tackles Wayne Gandy (torn ACL left knee, injured reserve) and Todd Weiner (arthroscopic surgery, left knee, out 2-6 weeks), will need help, but not as much in the physical sense as you would think.
Forney said both players should be OK, especially in the running game, but it will be crucial for them not to get caught up in the enormity of things if a few mistakes are made. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when that happens and then everything falls apart.
On the injury front, several players missed or were held out of practice today including backup quarterback Byron Leftwich (sprained right ankle). Leftwich injured his ankle at practice Thursday and declared the injury to be a mild sprain. A team official said that because the team gained an extra day of practice because of a Monday night game, Leftwich was held out as a precaution.
Even so, that is another day of work with front line players that Leftwich missed, cutting into the time he’d hoped to gain with the starters should he be called upon to play.
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By falcondawg
October 12, 2007 4:47 PM | Link to this
They did look decent the previous two games. Hope they can return to that form. The Tenneessee loss is not Joey’s fault. Even the fleet-footed MV7 would’ve had a hard time with the pass rush the Titans put on us.
By A Falcons fan walks into a bar. . . .
October 12, 2007 4:53 PM | Link to this
So who still really thinks that Schaub would be leading this team to the Super Bowl?
By David Duke
October 12, 2007 5:17 PM | Link to this
Here’s hoping ‘Fat Albert’ starts for Atlanta. That should just about do it for having Mr. Beluga in Atlanta. He can’t run, damn sure can’t pass and wants to be the starter. Let him start and then start him on his way to oblivion!
By David Duke Sux
October 12, 2007 5:47 PM | Link to this
David Duke Sux!
By Chaos
October 12, 2007 6:06 PM | Link to this
We are not the worst team in the NFL it just feels like it for a true fan. The Offense and Defense ranking is respectable we just need a few breaks and a revamp of the running game philosophy. A light weight zone blocking offensive line can not be converted into a straight-up power rush line. Our running backs are better when allowed to pick the hole and on cut backs. With a little patience and perseverance, I know the Falcons can do like the Braves and build an organization that will be respected and compete for a long time.
By Greg
October 12, 2007 6:10 PM | Link to this
Often, as in Wyche’s article, the O-line’s difficulties are written about as if it were all a matter of technique and concentration (the players themselves promote this view). Some of the stupid penalties in the Titans game were certainly the result of an inexcusable failure of concentration and attention. But I would submit that this kind of analysis leaves out a huge factor, the one that made the real difference in the Titans game, namely, they simply got whipped by a physically stronger, more talented, and more aggressive group of players. There is, sadly, no way to adjust to this or to compensate for it. We’ll find out Monday night if the Giants’ defensive front is similarly superior. I suspect they are, and that it’s going to be a very long night. BTW…I don’t think we’re giving up that much swapping Clabo for Weiner and Foster for Gandy. Foster’s a little quicker, and Gandy has been beaten consistently to the outside with speed moves in almost every game. Joey may actually pick up a little better protection from this switch. I’ve never thought Weiner was anything better than average, and he especially makes too many mental mistakes. I don’t see him as better than Clabo.
By **billy g**
October 12, 2007 6:12 PM | Link to this
Forney is right. His OL needs to man up quickly. Holes need to be blasted open for our RB’s. The Giants will blitz and flatten our QB’s if our OL doesn’t establish a run game.
Forney, McClure and the rest of the OL should realize that they are playig for their jobs. Enough is enough.
By A Falcons fan walks into a bar. . . .
October 12, 2007 6:43 PM | Link to this
Tyson Clabo, meet Michael Strahan. Michael Strahan, meet several Falcon Quarterbacks, several times on Monday night.
By Birdy
October 12, 2007 7:19 PM | Link to this
The OLine problems are nothing new. They are just more evident now that Vick is no longer here to hide their inferiority.
The team deliberately constructed an OLine that gets routinely physically dominated. Think about that for a second. A team with a franchise QB deliberately selected OLinemen that cannot sustain blocks.
These struggles are nothing unexpected. It is what they designed and lauded for 3 years while Vick was here.
Well, the chickens are coming home to roost.
I expect this week’s performance to be no worse however because Clabo and Foster were not brought here based solely on their ability to cut an opponent’s knees.
By midnite
October 12, 2007 8:34 PM | Link to this
A Falcon fan walks into a bar…why don’t you walk your negative a$$ off a cliff and see if you can fly. We had the Giants beat the last time they were in the Dome, you know when your fallen hero couldn’t put any points on the board in the second half after our defense brutalized Eli the entire first half. In fact your boy Vick hasn’t put any points up in the fourth quarter since mid 2005. So you walk on into that bar and get you a drink and shut your yapper.
By Brian Hunt
October 12, 2007 10:25 PM | Link to this
It has to be nice to be able to speak to the Linemen without having to go to a designated spokesperson every week.
By Warrick Dunn 4
October 12, 2007 11:31 PM | Link to this
You guys have to realize that this offensive line sucks so bad blocking for the run? Why do you guys think me and Norwood can only run up the middle for only three yards a carry? Our power blocking scheme doesn’t match the personnel we have. We have zoneblocking personnel, but we’re trying to force them into power blockers. Pass protections has gotten better, but at the great cost of the rushing game. What would you guys rather have?