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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > September > 21
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Next game a better gauge of Falcons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So what does it mean in the grand scheme of the NFL universe that the Falcons spent Sunday at the Georgia Dome drop kicking their second bad opponent of the season after getting knocked silly by the only good team they’ve played?
It means the Falcons’ game next week against a real team in Charlotte will indicate what we have here. For now, after their 38-14 victory over absolutely horrible Kansas City, they’ve proven that the Chiefs are on the verge of scraping the bottom of the league with the Detroit Lions — you know, the other absolutely horrible team that the Falcons beat.
That said, the answers will come in a hurry as to whether these Falcons are closer to becoming Dirty Birds or Dodo Birds. After that trip on Sunday to face the Carolina Panthers, the Falcons travel to Green Bay, where the Packers still are rather formidable without that No. 4 guy, and then the Chicago Bears come to town with their nasty defense. Win a couple of those games, and the Mike Smith regime is a semi-miracle during its first season. Lose a couple of them (or all of them), and it’s the same old Falcons of late.
“When we play tougher competition, we have to step up to the plate, and we have to beat good teams,” Falcons wide receiver Roddy White said. “What’s coming up (Carolina, Green Bay, Chicago) is a real crucial stretch for us. It’s a tough schedule, but that’s how you tell whether you’re a good team or not. You can win all of your games at home and be 8-8, but the good teams win on the road.”
Good teams also beat good teams. As for whatever you call these Falcons, they hadn’t a problem in their season opener against the toothless Lions, but then came their trip last week to Tampa Bay. That’s where the Buccaneers did two things in a hurry: They made quarterback Matt Ryan stop streaking toward all-everything status after his debut against Detroit by making him resemble the rookie that he is. They also kept Michael Turner from two consecutive games of imitating LaDainian Tomlinson, the guy he used to back up in San Diego.
Here’s our point: With the Chiefs as the latest bad team across the way for the Falcons, Ryan began streaking again (120.6 passer rating). Turner returned to his LT thing by rushing for 104 yards, including a bruising run of 38 yards for highlight films. White continued his flirtation with reaching the elite receivers with five catches for 119 yards, punctuated by a 70-yard touchdown play to the post. Plus, the defense had John Abraham pushing his NFL-leading sack total from four to six and the secondary grabbing three interceptions.
Little of that happened against the Buccaneers. But you know what? Take it from defensive tackle Grady Jackson, among those around for the Falcons’ 4-12 disaster of last season.
To paraphrase, their 2-1 record is better than most of the alternatives.
“I mean, it’s football. You can get beat on any given Sunday,” said Jackson, whose Falcons have proven as much often through the years. They haven’t finished with a winning season since reaching the NFC championship game after the 2004 season, so this is a start. Added Jackson, “We have to keep finding ways to chop away at the wood and play hard. People say we’re beating bad teams, but we just have to keep going out there and doing what we do. We were picked to have one or two wins this year. So far, we’re already there.”
Good point.
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