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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Falcons grades for Tampa Bay game
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s get back to a little football today after Lawyer Milloy’s DUI and speeding arrest took us to some off the field issues yesterday.
Before we move onto the lowly Chiefs coming to town, let’s put that Buccaneer game under the microscope.
One issue to come out of the game was the numerous times that Tampa Bay receivers were running free through the secondary uncovered. A rusty Brian Griese was a big aid to the Falcons as he was not accurate and didn’t cash in on the porous coverage.
Here’s how I have the Falcons grading out:
PASS DEFENSE: D - The coverage was not up to par, but Bucs quarterback Brian Griese, making his first start of the season, was rusty and off target. He threw for 160 yards and left at least 100 yards on the field with his bad throws. The Falcons will have to tighten things up against top caliber quarterbacks. Coach Mike Smith said there were a lot of mis-communications in the secondary.
RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus - Old pal Warrick Dunn had big third down runs in Tampa Bay’s second touchdown drive. Earnest Graham broke loose for a 68-yard touchdown run late in the game to wrap things up. Dunn’s third down-and-17 touchdown run should be unacceptable to defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
PASSING OFFENSE: D - Matt Ryan was off target early, sailing his passes high. Ryan also had trouble inside the redzone as the Falcons were forced to settle for three short field goals. After falling behind 17-0, he did bounce back in the second half. Wideout Laurent Robinson was the star of the second half, helping Ryan out with some acrobatic catches.
RUSHING OFFENSE: C - Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood couldn’t spring free. Turner would like for the team to practice more against the eight and nine man fronts they are guaranteed to see. The Falcons longest run from scrimmage was by a wide receiver - Harry Douglas - on an end around.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C-plus - Three penalties on special teams by Jason Snelling, Brent Grimes and Thomas DeCoud drastically hurt field position. Adams Jennings got a nice block from fullback Ovie Mughelli and slipped up the right sideline for 37-yard return, the longest of his career. Kicker Jason Elam was 3 of 3 of field attempts.
COACHING: C-plus - The coaches did a good job of settling Ryan down. In the second half they found some stuff in the playbook for Ryan to execute that allowed the Falcons stick around until Graham’s late run put them away. Coach Smith must get credit for the team taking Tampa Bay’s best shot and then continuing to play. VanGorder might have to gamble more on third down to help the unit get off the field.
How did you grade out the game? Worried about the secondary? Worried about all of the third down conversions? Did Laurent Robinson move past Michael Jenkins with his strong second half?
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