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Saturday, September 3, 2005
Shockley’s splendor not really a surprise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Athens � Many among the 92,746 barkers who squeezed into Sanford Stadium on Saturday were in denial. You know, those wearing No. 14. They either thought David Greene was coming back (which he isn’t, since he is with the Seattle Seahawks these days), or they wished he was. He once ranked as the people’s choice at Georgia as the winningest college quarterback in history, and his potent ways kept the redshirted D.J. Shockley mostly waiting instead of playing for four years.
Memo to the Greene groupies in the Bulldog Nation: Get over it. Goodness along the way to greatness hasn’t left Georgia at quarterback.
It just changed numbers.
The record-tying five touchdown passes to match those of Greene from last season against LSU. A winding sprint and dive for another touchdown. All of those nice throws in-between. Several runs that smacked of Mr. Vick.
“I was talking to some of my teammates on the sideline, and I was telling them that this is really something that you couldn’t even dream up,� said Shockley, Georgia’s No. 3 and the former Mr. Everything from College Park’s North Clayton High School. He spoke after he flashed signs, against a supposedly mighty Boise State team, of extending his prep notoriety to his last season at Georgia and his first as a starter.
And get this: Long before Shockley spent the evening zigging and zagging through a bunch of flat-footed Broncos along the way to Georgia’s 48-13 blowout during its opener, I already knew Shockley would be fine. That’s because his parents said as much prior to the opening kickoff.
“I’m telling you that people just don’t know the deal, but he’s about to set this thing on fire,� said Don Shockley, the father, grinning on the field before his son really did burn Boise State with his arm and his legs.
The father was prophetic. Then again, he knew about D.J.’s potential after he coached his son at North Clayton, where the father said, “When I called a bad play, he made it a better play.�
As for the mother, Tanya Shockley, she also spoke of coming glory for her son before the game from her seat in the upper deck. “That’s why I’m really not nervous at all right now. I’m just excited for him, because believe me, it’s going to be OK today,� said Tanya, nodding, along with others nearby, ranging from D.J.’s grandmother and brother to aunts, uncles and cousins.
Then came “Glory, Glory� from the Redcoat Band. Then the jumbo video screen caused its usual roar by showing Larry Munson’s tribute to Bulldog history. Then, less than two minutes into the game, Shockley finished Georgia’s first possession in the end zone after rushing 14 yards on that winding sprint and dive.
“Remember how I told you that I wasn’t nervous?� Tanya said later, with a little giggle. “Well, my hands were shaking like crazy after D.J. ran for that touchdown. On his first touchdown pass (a 40-yarder by Shockley on Georgia’s next possession), it just felt like a relief. When he threw his second one, it was a piece of cake.�
There was plenty of icing for the Shockleys, too. And as thick as it was, with D.J. completing 16 of 24 passes for 289 yards and rushing for 85 more, it could have been thicker. His receivers dropped five passes, including a couple that would have buried the already dead Broncos even deeper.
This isn’t to say that Shockley was perfect, but he was in the vicinity. Only the picky will remember his underthrown pass or three, and an illegal motion call for leaving the center too soon. It was enough to have much of the crowd behind the west end zone chant “D.J., D.J. D.J.� near the end of the first half after his 19-yard scoring pass to Danny Ware made the blowout official.
“My teammates were beating me up so hard after that touchdown that I didn’t even hear what they were saying,� Shockley said, grinning. “So I didn’t hear it.�
Good. Because those Greene groupies are still around, and they’re waiting for Shockley to do something to turn those pretty chants into ugly ones.
Permalink | Comments (159) | Categories: Terence Moore, UGA / SEC
Peruse the schedule before you celebrate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Contrary to popular belief, the Falcons aren’t a cinch this season to find a cure for cancer, patch that hole in the ozone and discover who really shot JFK â€â€? you know, along the way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on Peachtree Street.
So chill, folks. There are so many things that must happen for the Falcons to become satisfactory (as in better than your average Falcons team), let alone super (as in reaching that bowl in Detroit). Whether those many things involving the Falcons will happen for the good, only the parity gods know for sure. And the last I checked, the parity gods have blessed only New England and Philadelphia consistently.
Which brings us to Thing No. 1: Those parity gods. Just because the Falcons sprinted to the NFC championship game last season, that doesn’t mean they are destined for the NFL championship game this season. You needn’t go further than the late 1990s, when the Falcons reached the Super Bowl one year at 14-2 and slid to 5-11 the next. See also the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers of the 21st century.
Which brings us to Thing No. 2: The Falcons’ schedule. Five of their opening seven games are against teams that made the playoffs last season. Not only that, they debut on Monday Night Football against an Eagles bunch that remains formidable despite having to battle that Terrell Owens mess since they reached the Super Bowl over the Falcons last season.
Speaking of the Falcons and Monday night … Yikes!
The Falcons have lost 14 of their last 16 games on Monday Night Football, including 11 of their last 12, and nobody has a worst record on Monday Night Football during that stretch. Well, guess what? The Falcons have three games on Monday Night Football this season. They also have a Sunday night game, and they travel to Detroit for the Lions’ traditional Thanksgiving Day game. Just so you know, the Falcons are a collective 6-22 on those types of nationally televised games since Jimmy Carter was still in the Oval Office.
Which brings us to Thing No. 3: The stifling division. Although the Falcons rolled to the NFC South title last season, consider this: The Carolina Panthers had 12 key players that helped push them into the Super Bowl the previous season miss the year with injuries.
They’re back. Even without the hobbling, the Panthers barley missed making the playoffs last season. So did the New Orleans Saints, owners of Aaron Brooks at quarterback and the gifted Deuce McAllister. Plus, despite the Buccaneers’ evolution from a power into whatever they are now, they still have Derrick Brooks and Simeon Rice, which is pretty scary, especially if your last name is Vick.
Which brings us to Thing No. 4: The Michael Vick Show. Despite the Falcons’ propaganda to the contrary, if this guy leaves their stage, they definitely can turn out the lights. It’s not coincidental that, during Vick’s two full seasons as a starting quarterback, the Falcons had their Green Bay Miracle and last year’s trip to the NFC championship game.
The thing is, the Falcons have virtually the same offensive line that made Vick the most sacked quarterback per pass attempt last season. And smallish running back Warrick Dunn is impressive, but he isn’t getting younger at 30. And the Falcons’ wide receivers remain a work in progress. And an iffy secondary combined with a fragile defensive line could make Vick try even more extraordinary feats (translated: more things that could lead to injury) to match the other team’s scoring.
Which brings us to Thing No. 5: The Falcons’ past. They’ve never had consecutive winning seasons.
Until the Falcons do, you have to wonder if they ever will.
Permalink | Comments (26) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Terence Moore
Rejoice: These aren’t your father’s Falcons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
We have to get past this. We have to stop expecting the Falcons to trip over themselves because they’re the Falcons and they’ve always tripped over themselves. Because these are not the Falcons we came to know and scorn. These Falcons are different. They’re smarter and more resourceful than they’ve ever been.
These aren’t the Falcons of the Smith family and Rankin Sr.’s infamous “plateau.” These aren’t the Falcons of Glanville and his gimmicks. These aren’t even the Falcons of Reeves who followed an NFC championship by cutting Cornelius Bennett and Tony Martin and drafting Reggie Kelly. This is a sleek new operation capable of going from strength to strength in a way the Falcons, who have worked 39 years without fashioning consecutive winning seasons, never have.
The four most important roles in any NFL franchise are that of the owner, the general manager, the head coach and the starting quarterback. The Falcons’ front four — Blank, McKay, Mora and Vick — can stand with any. Sure, there’s always the possibility that No. 7 will get hurt, but Rich McKay isn’t apt to sprain his brain anytime soon.
The old Falcons were always held back by failures of leadership. There will be none of those under this regime. The team can and will lose games, sure, but the Falcons won’t flail simply because they’ve failed to foresee developments and permutations. The guys in charge now think of everything, and being clever can take a football team a long way. Witness the New England Patriots, Super Bowl champs three times in four seasons without a truly transcendent talent on their roster.
Of the four principal Falcons, the key man is McKay. Arthur Blank is more impetuous than we’ve been led to believe — ask Falcons staff about his Monday morning e-mails — and Jim Mora is, as we know, his father’s son. McKay stands as the buffer between these two passionate men, the calm voice saying, “Let’s not overreact.” Not to put too fine a point on it, but the Falcons spent 39 years waxing and mostly waning because they could never find a Rich McKay for the front office. They have one now.
It was McKay, you’ll recall, who was so impressed by Mora’s attention to detail that he recommended the rather anonymous defensive coordinator above a handful of bigger names. And while it’s true Mora has an edge to him — or, to use a more dated term, a temper — he’s circumspect enough to see beyond his own ego. The most impressive hire the new head coach made wasn’t Ed Donatell or even Alex Gibbs; it was Joe DeCamillis, who could easily have been out of a job just because he happens to be Dan Reeves’ son-in-law. But Mora, recognizing talent, moved to keep the NFL’s best special teams coach.
That’s the sort of thing the old Falcons would never have done. (When in doubt, the old Falcons’ most creative notion was to hire Marion Campbell again.) The neo-Falcons are problem-solvers, not morass-deepeners. The Falcons had a nice defense last season but felt they needed more speed, so they signed Ed Hartwell to ramp up the velocity quotient at linebacker. That wasn’t a splashy move — Hartwell hasn’t yet played in a Pro Bowl — but it could be the move that elevates the team that just played for the NFC title to the 2005 NFC title.
Yes, the schedule is tougher, and yes, teams that win a lot of close games one year — of the 2004 Falcons’ 11 regular-season victories, six were by less than a touchdown — tend to lose close games the next. The old Falcons were fully capable of going from 14-2 to 5-11. The new Falcons will not. This team will be even stronger the second time around.
Might as well get used to it. The franchise that could only spawn one-year wonders is about to start winning every single year.
Permalink | Comments (12) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Mark Bradley
‘Just looking at one game’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Falcons coach Jim Mora took over a team that won five games the year before and guided it to within one game of the Super Bowl. Next Monday night, the Falcons open the season against Philadelphia, the same team that ended Mora’s rookie season as a head coach. He took time between roster cuts to discuss coaching, his temper and his abbreviated sportswriting career with AJC columnist Jeff Schultz.
Q: I was a little hurt when I heard Peerless Price say, “I hate y’all.” So before we start, I just need to make sure you don’t hate me, too.
A: No, I don’t hate you. I love you. I love all sportswriters. All shapes and sizes.
Q: Did you ever make it to a training camp as a player?
A: Are you kidding? Not with my speed. It was funny, though. My dad was coaching the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL at the time and they were going to use their last draft pick on me. But I told him, “Don’t you dare humiliate me that way.” I was so slow. I always knew where the play was going â€â€? I just couldn’t get there.
Q: What’s the worst reaction you’ve ever seen to a player getting cut?
A: Actually, I haven’t experienced anything that negative. I’ve never had a guy throw anything or stomp out. Some guys get emotional but it’s a lot more solemn than you might think.
Q: Was there ever a point where you and Rich McKay were on opposite sides of the Price issue, given that you’re a coach and he’s on the business side?
A: No. We’ve been in complete unison on that one from the start.
Q: So when did you really make the decision to cut him?
A: During the Jacksonville game.
Q: Peerless didn’t play in the Jacksonville game.
A: I know. He didn’t even make the trip. But we saw our production. We realized as a team that we could function without him.
Q: You went 11-5 and made it to the NFC title game as a rookie head coach. Makes it kind of tough for an encore, doesn’t it?
A: Yeah, I guess if you look at the big picture. But I don’t do that. I know it’s cliché, but right now I’m just looking at one game â€â€? the Philadelphia Eagles. Things can be overwhelming if you look at the big picture.
Q: You open with the same team you closed with. How do you avoid getting obsessed with one team?
A: You’re always obsessed with a team. There’s nothing wrong with that. What you don’t want is to be obsessed with that game when it’s over, because you have to get ready for the next one.
Q: Since you’re playing them essentially two games in a row, is there more of a tendency to say, “Man, we really messed up that game plan,” or, “This time we’re going to do things this way”? It’s like you get an immediate chance to make amends.
A: It helps that we sort of just played them, and they’ve only really played one game since [the Super Bowl]. But it’s the same advantage for them. So it’s really a stalemate. You do sort of look at the tape and think, “Will they do that again? How do we need to adjust our philosophy?” But I really don’t think we played particularly great or particularly poor. I think we just got beat by a better team that day.
Q: Do you feel different as a second-year coach going into the opener than you did last year?
A: No. It’s amazing. The week before the opener every year I’m pretty nervous. It’s all that anticipation. But after that I’m pretty loose.
Q: You’re not any surer of yourself this season than you were a year ago?
A: Not at all. This is my 20th year in the NFL and I lived with a head coach my whole life. So internally I always felt prepared. I didn’t feel as uncertain as people on the outside did. I never viewed myself as a rookie head coach. This is the only thing I’ve ever done. Except for that one year when I was sports editor of my high school newspaper. I was journalist of the year.
Q: You? A sportswriter?
A: Yeah. I can give you writing tips. You give me coaching tips, so I figure I can give you writing tips.
Q: So, basically, what you’re telling me is you’ve never had a real job, either.
A: I had real jobs. I was a laborer. I worked on construction sites from junior high school through college.
Q: So you could build a house?
A: No. I said I was a laborer. I picked up the trash. I wouldn’t know how to hammer a nail.
Q: Was there anything last year that you didn’t anticipate as a head coach?
A: The only thing I thought I was prepared for but I wasn’t was the daily meetings with the media. The redundancy of the questions. I understand the job, but you get 10 or 15 people that want to ask the same question, and if they’re not all there at the same time, you basically have to answer it 15 times.
Q: You also weren’t the calmest guy in the world at times.
A: I’m calm. I’m a calm guy. There was one press conference when I got a little bit irritated.
Q: Your dad’s in the media. Ever hang up on him?
A: Yeah, I did once last season. We were flying back from Carolina and I was talking to him on the phone and he criticized me for something I had done. I was like, “You don’t get it! What do you know about what I’m feeling?” And I hung up. Then I called back to apologize.
Q: So if players smash their heads into lockers before games, what do coaches do?
A: I like to take a couple of hits from an ammonia capsule. That gets me going.
Q: I’ve seen you go wacko on the practice field more than a few times.
A: Hey, I’m not wacko. Never have I not been in complete control of what I was saying or doing. Maybe you thought I was out of control. But I knew what I was saying. I know the impact I wanted to have. There was only one time during a game when I lost it. That was the 1997 NFC title game and there was an interference penalty on Rod Woodson. I was arguing with the official and I missed a substitution. But that will never happen again.
Q: So you’ve never really laid into a player and thought later, “I might’ve overdone it there”?
A: Oh, yeah. I might’ve done that.
Q: So we’re walking a very thin line here.
A: Yeah. But there is a line there.
Q: Have you ever gone home and yelled at Shannon, “You call this meatloaf?”
A: No. I’m as calm as can be at home. She’s the boss at home.
Q: I know it’s not your goal to go 9-7 this year. But do you ever feel that franchise history of the team never having consecutive winning seasons hanging over your head?
A: Not one bit. I wasn’t here the other 39 years. That’s somebody else’s problem.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Jeff Schultz
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