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DEL.ICIO.USWhat are they made of?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Flowery Branch — Here’s where we find out about Jim Mora. Is he the bright young thing he seemed 12 months ago, or is he simply a guy who inherited Dan Reeves’ players and a healthy Michael Vick and had everything break right? Is he the NFL’s next great coach or just another one-year wonder? Can he lift the Falcons from the first hole of his tenure, or are burial services in order for this season of promise?
“This is the only way to find out about people — I know that’s a cliché you can read in every book,” Mora said Monday. “Hopefully I’m here for a long time, and if I am there will be other times like this. This is just the first time.”
It is. The Falcons have lost two in a row. (They lost two in a row last season only after they’d clinched the NFC South and were resting people for the playoffs.) If the playoffs began today, the Falcons wouldn’t qualify. They have fallen into terrible habits — of falling way behind early, of not being able to stop the run, of making just enough bad plays to lose. This doesn’t seem a team that’s playing for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, which was once their stated goal; on the contrary, these Falcons haven’t looked all that good since beating Minnesota on Oct. 3.
“There are lessons to be learned every week,” Mora said. “I think it’s great.” Here he grinned. “I know that sounds completely insane.”
Mora’s message: There’s a reason the Falcons can’t stop the run anymore. (In 10 games, five opposing backs have had 100-yard games.) They’re simply too young up front. “I hate excuses,” said Mora, sounding suspiciously like he was making one. “But we’re not building for one year — we’re building for many years. When you’re moving past [jettisoned linemen] Travis Hall and Fish [Ed Jasper], you’re in a transition phase. Other than [Keith] Brooking and Pat [Kerney], five of our front seven are young guys. That can catch up to you on a series. It’s transition — it’s not an excuse.”
About here, someone felt the need to ask for a clarification: Was Mora saying the Falcons, who once spoke boldly of making Super Bowl XL, are actually in a rebuilding year? “Absolutely not,” he said. “This is a building year. We’re building something here. There’s always going to be transition. That’s part of building something strong, going through adversity.”
And it is. Every team faces a moment of truth. The big-time teams handle theirs and move onward and upward. “It’s not like we’ve lost five in a row,” Mora said. “We’ve lost two in a row. Let’s not turn that into three or five in a row the way some organizations do.”
Since Mora arrived in January 2004, he has taken pains to paint his regime as a Class Operation. Three weeks ago, in defending his team’s silly policy of muting its offensive linemen, he took a shot at previous Falcons linemen and mentioned that this organization had never had consecutive winning seasons. His point being: There’s a new sheriff in town, pardner, and by gosh he’s a winner.
But look now. These Falcons are 6-4, facing four road games in the next five weeks, and there’s no longer any guarantee that the long-sought back-to-back winning seasons are at hand. Mora is glib and ambitious, but he needs now to show he can do what the Belichicks and the Cowhers do as a matter of annual course: He needs to right a team going wrong.
“I think we’re a pretty tough team,” Mora said, “a pretty darn good team.” And these Falcons might well be. If they are, they’ll show the nation by winning in Detroit on Thanksgiving. But there’s a reason the best NFL coaches tend to keep winning year upon year. The best of them are skilled not just at sketching X’s and O’s but at riding out reversals. Jim Mora looked spiffy as a frontrunner last season. Let’s see how he does playing from behind.
Permalink | Comments (100) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Mark Bradley
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By Walter
November 21, 2005 09:51 PM | Link to this
It sounds to me like Mora’s crapping his pants - if Detroit beats us, he may implode completely. How does the head coach talk about his front seven defensively and say only Kerney and Brooking are proven? When the team’s defensive MVP last year, hands down, was Rod Coleman!! If Coleman gets his hands on this quote, he may have another couple of drunk driving incidents … .
By Eric
November 21, 2005 10:08 PM | Link to this
I think everybody is taking this all way too hard. The way I see it, we really played one of our best games yesterday. Tampa has always had our number and after that horrendous first quarter, it would have been easy fpr them to give up and get routed. But unlike the Falcons of years past, this team came back and had their best offensive game of the season against one of the best defenses and a team that always smacks us around. Sure the run “D” is looking pretty weak, and the stupid penalties and mental mistakes are killing us. But those things are fixable. The fact is, if Vick and the offense play the way they did yesterday for the rest of the season and the defense can just tighten up a little bit this team will be just fine. We still have a game against TB and two against Carolina (who we own just as much as Tampa owns us) and those games will really tell the tale of where this Falcons team is and where they are headed…..
By Falcon Guy
November 21, 2005 10:22 PM | Link to this
I am a little concerned about Mora Jr. Watching him on the sidelines he is acting like a kid sometimes. ALmost like he is the players buddy. He is more than a little cocky during his pre and post game interviews. That’s okay as long as you are winning, but the pressure is beginning to build. Only time will tell what kind of coach we have. My fear is that we not only have a young team but we have a young and somewhat immature coach. I am gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and hopefully he has the wisdom and ability to build on what he has inherited and settle this team down and get some discipline back.
By Willie
November 21, 2005 11:43 PM | Link to this
I would love to see more emotions from Mora on the sidelines when things are not going right. Throw the headset or something, let them guys know during the game that you are not happy. Don’t stand there and look confused. The coach has to get after it as well. With that being said, the Falcons still have a chance to match last season’s record of 11-5. I see that fifth loss being the Bears or Panthers. That record will win the NFC South again, so don’t panic AJC…THE FALCONS STILL CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY. I think they can finish 5-1.
By e.b.
November 21, 2005 11:46 PM | Link to this
well, i don’t think he’s crapping his pants, and i don’t think he’s everybody’s buddy either. You guys don’t see him in practice, you surely don’t know what he says in the locker room. Lets be honest, this season has been a challenge. Last year, this division was the Falcons for the taking. This year - obviously Caroline & Tampa are upto par. This will be a dogfight till the end, and there’s going to be more losses coming for Tampa Bay & Carolina, so not all is lost. It would be nice to see like a 4 or 5 game win streak right about now. It would help everybody’s spirits.
By AtlantaKid
November 22, 2005 12:55 AM | Link to this
Coming from Mark Bradley, it doesn’t mean much. For those Saturday Night Live fans out there, he is the “Debbie Downer” of Southern Sports. Check out some of his past columns about the Braves-the guy should be writing coffee house reviews in the Metro Section. The Falcons should be fine, but this isn’t a Super Bowl caliber team, yet. Let Mike Jenkins and Roddy White have another year to grow up, and things should fall into place. And in the mean time, don’t listen to Mark Bradley.
By Dustin
November 22, 2005 01:34 AM | Link to this
Let’s see. The Falcons have beaten every inferrior team except 1, and have lost to every playoff contendor they have faced. As of now, the Falcons are a 1 and done team. That 1 being a wild card game, and that done coming against the Bucs at Tampa Bay. The Green Bay loss was huge on so many levels. I tell ya, the Packers fans were in full force, and they showed what true fans are like. They were cellebrating before and after the game. Falcons fans are fickled, because most don’t really care about sports or they aren’t from the state of Georgia. Let’s see who shows up for Monday Night against New Orleans and New Years Day against the Panthers. That will tell the tale of what our fan base is really about. Mora has us on the right track for now, so I’ll let him be. Vick is becoming more of a pocket guy, so good for him. The recievers are coming around, and the running game is the same. Only problem is the D could be playing a one legged female prostitute and still give up over 100 yards. The key to winning championships in the NFL is quite simple: run the ball efficiently and stop the run on defense. Falcons can do one of those, but are terrible at the other. We should have kept Ed Jasper. We will have to wait until the off season to fix our D problems. Don’t worry, that will come sooner than any of us thought before the season started. Last six games: All are NFC opponants *playoff contendor
*Carolina (Home and Away) *Tampa Bay (Away) New Orleans (Home) Detroit (Away) *Chicago (Away)
By William Kitchens
November 22, 2005 04:10 AM | Link to this
Can Mora and company have their ammonia caps back as long as they aren’t snapping them off in front of the cams?
By PoliticalMan
November 22, 2005 04:32 AM | Link to this
Mora seems like the George Bush of coaches. He’s got the same smart-alecky, bemused, fraternity boy look at all times. But you just have the feeling when things aren’t going right that he will not have the answers. He’ll be looking for the bail out, you know, daddy’s buddies arrive.
Secondly, is Vick so fragile that no coach can say a cross word to him. Vick plays pretty stupid a lot of the time. I have yet to see him rebuked by a coach. I wonder how Parcells would react to Vick’s shenanigans? Vick seems stuck in his growth as a QB. The coaches are afraid of him. Maybe Mikey will go pout somewhere.
By Rick
November 22, 2005 05:50 AM | Link to this
Vick probably played his best game as a pro Sunday. It looked like it all came together for him, with completions of greater than 19 yards to 6 different receivers and over 300 yards passing. He was hitting his second and third options and really looked in command.
I continue to be concerned about Mora, as Walter stated, “crapping his pants”, and it does not help matters to have Art Blank shadowing the sidelines. I would not be surprised to see Mora implode if the Falco’s lose again soon, possibly dousing a reporter with a beverage or something like that. The man doesn’t appear stable.
By Art
November 22, 2005 06:31 AM | Link to this
You people calling yourselves Falcons fans are just disgusting. Two defeats and all of a sudden it is like you all are rats jumping off the Titanic.
The Falcons have weaknesses, but the last time I checked, every team does. Even the Colts gave up a bunch of points this past week. It is easy to sing doom and gloom when things aren’t perfect, but it takes intestinal fortitude to suck it up and right the ship, and listening to every football fan in Atlanta treat this like the sky is falling makes me embarassed to be a Falcons fan. Once again it speaks to how fair weather Atlanta sports fans are. Win and the Dome is filled and it is rocking. Lose and you spend a whole week mouthing off on talk radio. And don’t get me started on the Braves… Atlanta deserves the Pirates or Devil Rays as a home team, not the 14 time defending champion Braves.
I am proud of Arthur Blank and Jim Mora, and of the whole organization.
By George Peacock
November 22, 2005 06:44 AM | Link to this
My concern with the Falcons is that the coaches are seemingly ignoring Vick’s ball-handling (or lack of ball-handling), and his over-blown ego. When he makes remarks as he did after Sunday’s game, i.e. “I did my part, the others have to step up”, he’s obviously showing that he thinks he’s the whole show. Can you imagine a class act like Bret Fabre making a remark like that?
Until the coaches AND Michael Vick realize that TEAMS win championships, the Falcons won’t be winning any.
The Birdman
By RA
November 22, 2005 07:03 AM | Link to this
Beating the proverbial “dead horse,” the offense did it’s job on Sunday. When you score 27 points and muster 400+ yards of total offense, you’re not supposed to lose. Vick “did his part.” The defense failed, again. That’s the truth of the matter. The offense has put up good numbers. Now that’s not to say that they haven’t put the defense in some pickels, they have, but unless a concerted effort is made to reverse the fortunes of Atlanta’s run defense, I don’t think they can make the playoffs. What’s more, unless Atlanta’s corners get up and start knocking recievers off their routes, Atlanta’s going to get picked apart by the short pass… I’m not a traitor. I just speak the truth.
By Kudzu
November 22, 2005 07:53 AM | Link to this
Wait a minute…where are you guys that defend the all invincible #7? What’s happened to your mantra- “all he does is win”… well, it’s just not true, is it?
Blame shifters…
Vick should stand up and say “I let my team down”, since it is (his team),and not allow anyone to blame any one else for the loss, that’s what a real team leader would say, who takes ownership and responsibility for his actions on and off the field, and has the wherewithall to (be) the savior every one has annointed him to be.
By Tim
November 22, 2005 08:00 AM | Link to this
Hold on a minute! This thing is going to play out right in front of us - let’s wait and see how the rest of the season goes before we start labeling this team. I’ve been a season ticket holder for many years now and most of those seasons have been much worse that this one. More often than not, the Falcons have been out of the playoff picture by this point. They may or may not make it this year. Let’s see. We’ll get a good read on Thursday. There are certainly some weak spots on the team. Part of the evaluation of a coach is assessing how he deals with those deficiencies. We want instant gratification, but those changes can’t really happen until the offseason. Arthur Blank and Jim Mora have put the Falcons in the mix. That’s a major step forward. If we make the playoffs this year, great. If we don’t, that’s too bad. Regardless, the long-term picture looks pretty good.
By mike e
November 22, 2005 08:05 AM | Link to this
G. Peacock you hit the nail on the head. The coach let Vick get away with poor reads. Over thrown balls. Under thrown balls. He makes stupid mistakes and when he does walks right by Mora and Mora never opens his mouth. The coaches have No back bones when it comes to him. If it was Parcells or any other hard nose coach Vick would be on the sidelines crying because they would rip the poor baby apart. He is to fragile. His comment about he did his part, let me see. He stunk the Dome up in the first half did he forget that? Mike is self-centered and until he changes that and until we put and APB out looking for Rod Coleman who has been missing for 3 weeks. We aren’t going no where as a team.
By Larry
November 22, 2005 08:10 AM | Link to this
Remember the Packers game. We take care of business there and we are simply disappointed about the Bucs game but tied for first today.
The Packers game perfectly exemplifies the answer to Mr. Bradley’s question: what are they made of?
Answer: This is a poorly coached football team that is wholly undisciplined and contaminated with mental and judgment errors. Our front office also has to share the blame. Why in the world would you so prematurely give Michael Vick so much money for TEN YEARS and not save just a little to retain two key DL run stoppers, Jasper & Hall? Dumb!
Dan Reeves took a complete mess and put us in the super bowl in a couple of seasons. He did so with disciplined and players who NEVER took a game off as this current bunch has done several times already. Losing Jamal Anderson and an aging Chandler cost us a couple of rebuilding years but he had us right back on track in 2002 with a great win against Green Bay. Then Vick gets hurt and Arthur uses this as his opportunity to make this his team and his coach. Mora accomplished nothing last year that Reeves wouldn’t have. In fact, I believe a Reeves coached offense makes a better showing against the Eagles. But, do you think that a Reeves coached team would have come out against Seattle, New Orleans, Green Bay the way this bunch did? Do you think a Reeves, Shula, Parcells, Walsh, Landry, Dungy, Belichick, Gibbs—or any other respectable coach—coached team would have come like a bunch of school yard hoodlums like the Falcons did against the Bucs? Of course not!
As a long time season ticket holder, I am not just an immature, purposeless, idolizing “fan” who must support his team no matter what. I have long ago realized that I am also a customer of this professional, profit driven entity called the Atlanta Falcons. This customer was so disappointed with the effort in the Packers game that I chose not to attend the Bucs game. I’m glad I didn’t.
I do not want a California “dude” for a head coach who likes to snort ammonia in front of my children and who tolerates what I saw against Green Bay and the beginning of the Tampa game. I want a coach and team that not only consistently give their best effort out of respect to their fans (customers), but also one that I can respect and admire.
Remember the Packers game!
By Rob D
November 22, 2005 08:18 AM | Link to this
Yeah, Vick is so self centered. He is a selfish rat who alienates his teammates. Give me a break. Its amazing, when kid goes out and has one of his best games, you cant crap on his passing game, so you call him selfish. Matter of fact I am not even talking about #7 no more, because his offense played a great game and they have done that the past three weeks. Scoring over 25 points and losing, C’mon. Start posting some blogs about this wretched defense, where is the pass rush and penetration on the run. Why are our safties always late coming up to stop the run to the outside. And for all you D. Hall,he’a a thug, haters, if have not noticed Qb’s dont throw the ball to his side anymore. Our safties our horrible, and this defense always plays bad when Brady Smith is out. He is the key lineman, because he forces attention to paid to him and not just to Coleman and Kerney. Lets start being real on these blogs, and for all the Vick haters party on the cause the kid is here to stay. And if you dont like it, I will kindly list your house for you so you can move to another town and another team, and bring some real Falcons supporters in. Go Falcons!
By Trottsky
November 22, 2005 08:21 AM | Link to this
VICK,VICK,VICK,VICK,VICK…………go look at the replays. If not for some GOOD receptions by the receivers, his passing was off. Who was busting those plays, him or the receivers? He made one do a 360, he took the blame for the one to Finneran on camera, and Crumpler was hit with a ball about a nano-second after he began to look up. The only thing Vick does good is keep them guessing whether HE’S running or passing. Maybe they are finally figuring out how to get around those shenanigans to make him play his weakest position…..passer. Doesn’t mean he won’t come around but I wonder how much different it would be if the backup played and the other players didn’t have the “woe is us without Vick” syndrome that destroyed Dan Reeves last season here. They have bought into the hype that without him, they cannot win………..
By Michael H.
November 22, 2005 08:23 AM | Link to this
Deep and important issues here. The war in Iraq and a moronic president whose policies are generating a deficit that may cause the Chinese to baulk and stop buying T-bills to buy us out pale by comparison.
One wonders why there is so much interest and moreover, money invested in watching fat guys slam in to each other.
By MAFalconFan
November 22, 2005 08:24 AM | Link to this
A few thoughts from a fellow fan up North.
Run defense is terrible. Hartwell’s loss becomes bigger each week.
Hall, Williams and Carpenter need to shut up and play.
Vick is improving but still makes too many stupid mistakes.
Mora is reading his own press. Maybe he should skip the pellets?
Falcons win a close game against the Lions. Smith returns in two weeks and the defense starts to play better.
Falcons make playoffs and get dumped on the road in the first round.
By Ignatius
November 22, 2005 08:28 AM | Link to this
Jim Mora is a young coach as we are a young team. I wouldn’t trade with anyone in the nation. We have Jim Mora, Arthur Blank, Rich McKay, and some great football players. Micheal Vick is an integral part of the team, but this year, he isn’t “the team”. Our guys are playing like a team and it will take them time to gel. We had a great season last year, but if y’all will remember from this last Summer, all the sports brains were saying it is still going to be another year or two befor Atlanta hits the Super Bowl. Be patient, enjoy the ride. In about six years, New England ain’t goint to have nothing on Atlanta. GO BIRDS!!!!
By TROCK
November 22, 2005 08:28 AM | Link to this
Most of these so-called fans or from other cities. There are not many native ATL-iens here, so it’s easy for people to jump ship. Jump on off, I hope you drown!!
By E-Rud
November 22, 2005 08:29 AM | Link to this
The buttom line is the Falcons must make some major changes next year and bring in some proven players that can help take us to the next level because we will not make it with the group that we have. The Falcons must spend money and there is no way around it. We really need some mean and hungry players on defense and some proven offensive lineman who does not get afraid when the BIG TIME comes to town.
By Jon
November 22, 2005 08:56 AM | Link to this
We’ll be aight. The whole team got a little too big for their britches and maybe this will wake them up. I’m tremendously excited at Vick’s progress this week, but wish an attitude adjustment would come with it (I also wish he’d leave out the 5K diamond earrings until after the press conference (see NBA dress code)).
That being said - major changes don’t need to be made. The team is BUILDING through the draft. We’ll probably have a 20-ish pick in the draft, with which we need to replace Jason Webster. The D-line can be addressed with an upgrade at end to replace B. Smith, and the interior will continue to develop with experience.
We’ll be fine. If we get hot late in the season we can still make a Super Bowl push - the NFC is wide open this year, no clear best team out there. Seattle is probably the best and we should’ve beat them in their house had we not slept through the first quarter.
GO FALCONS! Be prepared on Turkey Day! Don’t let the triptophan make you show up late - we need a fast start. Play Duckett more!
By blackscorpion
November 22, 2005 09:01 AM | Link to this
PLAYOFFS!!!PLAYOFFS!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? DID YOU SEE US OUT THERE. WE STINK, DON’T TALK TO ME ABOUT PLAYOFFS.LOOK FOR MORA TO FLIP OUT LIKE HIS DAD. HE SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE WIERD.
By Pete
November 22, 2005 09:17 AM | Link to this
Here’s what concerns me… last week we lost to Green Bay at home in the dome - a team that lost to Minnesota at Lambeau last night (which beat them by a FG earlier in the season and should have been a revenge game), with a back-up QB who didn’t score an offensive TD the week before (Minn beat NYG with 3 lucky S.Team and def. TDs). Then the Falcons lose to another backup QB in the dome, AGAIN! Losing to good teams like Indy or Pitt. or even Seattle this year should be understandable as a building, young team… but not these two teams. If we don’t go up and “man-handle” the Lions on turkey day, the Falcons may be cooked for the season. But, as a fan, I will be patient, after lo so many bad years, and will wait for the glory days that are sure to arrive sooner than later. Go Falcons! And Happy Holidays to all!
By Carroll
November 22, 2005 09:18 AM | Link to this
Just go back to snorting glue or whatever it was you used to do before the games. Screw all these idiots who say they don’t want their little kiddies to see them doing it….you let your kids watch these punks gauging each others eyeballs out, and twisting knees every which a way…probably let em watch cold case and csi with all the blood and guts, but you’re worried about them seeing the guy snort glue? Get a life! Mora and gang, just go back to snortin…don’t worry about these losers! You were winning when you were snortin!
God I hope we don’t have the next June Jones on our hands. WHen you see Mora on the sidelines hopelessly flipping through charts searching for the right answer in between extended periods of blank stares…..we’re screwed.
By Stan Dansby
November 22, 2005 09:19 AM | Link to this
I kind of feel sorry for the Falcons. They have been made to believe that Jesus Christ is the QB (quarter back) and nothing can go wrong and there is nothing he can’t do. Untill they learn differently and start rebuilding a solid team they are in trouble. They have 2 preimer running backs and recievers already so why don’t they get someone who can throw the ball? He is one of the lowest rated QB’s in the league. Untill then hope is all you have.
By Warren
November 22, 2005 09:27 AM | Link to this
Mora was right, this is not a rebuilding year. To have a rebuilding year you have to have had something “built” before. All the Falcons are gonna do this year is win enough games to maybe lose in the first round of the playoffs. Win just enough games to screw up the draft. Win enough games to say, “Next Year”. Same old, same old, nothing really changes.
By PSack
November 22, 2005 09:34 AM | Link to this
EXCUSES
OUR RUN DEFENSE IS HORRIBLE!! This is Mora’s and Donatell’s job to fix it.
Shake up the lineup cook up some schemes, blitz more. I don’t care but please NO EXCUSES watch the game films and fix it!!
or consecutive winning seasons may be in jeopardy
By falcon guy
November 22, 2005 09:38 AM | Link to this
Why is Vick getting criticized for the late game fumble? That was not his fault. How many QB’s expect to get hit from behind by their RB as they drop back to pass? NONE!!! So why would he hold the ball differently? He doesn’t show good form protecting the ball as he runs, but this is not that type of situation. This was Dunn’s fault. But he was trying to get in position to block Derrick Brooks whom had broken thru the line very quickly. It would have likely been a sack anyway. It was an unlucky play. Period.
By Rob D
November 22, 2005 09:38 AM | Link to this
Yes the hate lets keep it going; We have no QB(Pro Bowl 2 years), We have nothing the Atlanta Falcons are a bunch of pathetic losers, We suck, Yeah!!! I just wanted to see what it felt like to scream at the band wagon riding by. Next stop on the Bandwagon is Detroit, How many will fall of up there. it is getting very cozy and not so hot on this wagon these days. And, I am still waiting for some listings, the market is hot you still have time to get on another cities bandwagon by playoff time.
By Pete
November 22, 2005 09:43 AM | Link to this
Duckett, yeah, that’s the ticket! Let Duckett run wild up there for all of his Michigan State friends this Thursday in Detroit. Let him get a 150 yd game… that’ll get it done… especially with Dunn running change-up. This week we’ll see our running game again. Vick passes for 150 and we win 31-10. I like it! Then Mora will have a tie with his former HC (at SF - he lost last year in the dome to Mariucci). Go BIRDS on turkey day!
By BigBob
November 22, 2005 09:46 AM | Link to this
Let’s not bury the Birds while they still have life left in them. If Chicago can beat Carolina, so can Atlanta. Tampa may still prove to be another loss. I may even reconsider having T O on the team with a very limiting, strick contract…if that’s even possible. Something needs to shake Vick up, he is starting not to come across too sincere when he loses. He is starting to get that prima-donna thing and that’s never ever been a good thing to the team as a whole. I know if Vick were a free agent he’d get lots of attention, tons of it, but is that because he is Mike Vick or is that because of what he has actually produced this year. He did have a great game against Tampa, but he has had some Sundays as bad as this one was good.
By Mike
November 22, 2005 10:04 AM | Link to this
Mora is an overgrown frat boy. Atlanta came on strong, until they met REAL opposition. A lot of the original hype over Vick is because he is a black QB. There, I said it.
By Tasha
November 22, 2005 10:18 AM | Link to this
I believe that the Falcons can be a GREAT TEAM, but they have these attitutes that make me wanted to kick them. They need to change their attitutes and maybe they can play a lot better.
By PoliticalMan
November 22, 2005 10:27 AM | Link to this
Sheer athletic talent can win lots of games in the NFL. And then there is the more consistent business like approach: be prepared, make the right reads, execute. Of course no team is all one and not the other. But the Falcons do tend to be first type. Unfortunately, the first type will not go all the way. It’s probably impossible to make Vick into a Manning, Brady, or Farve. They have or will win a Super Bowl. Vick will not.
I don’t know if Mora can coach. With Vick we’ll probably never find out. The guy may be uncoachable. I don’t think QBs are supposed to be intellects, but it would be nice to see just a glimmer of thought from Vick. As Vick ages, the razzle-dazzle will diminish, if he even lasts. Then we will see if he can play QB for 60 mins every Sun.
By ATLien4Life
November 22, 2005 10:34 AM | Link to this
Uh, Mike, just FYI, most of the hate he receives is also because he is a black QB, and most people like YOU can’t handle that. By the way, the cleaners called, and your white sheets are clean. They said they may have to charge extra for the stains on the hood.
By 100%FalconsSupporter
November 22, 2005 10:34 AM | Link to this
You so called “fans” kill me!! Vick had a good game on Sunday (minus the 1st qtr) and many of you can not give him credit. Give me a freaking break. If you can not support this team…….find another team. There are things that the Falcons need to work on and it’s obvious the team recognizes that. All you fair weather fans need to go back to the city you came from.
By Ron Roberts
November 22, 2005 10:37 AM | Link to this
Mike, I, a WHITE fan, could care LESS about the color of my team’s QB.
Endorsing our coach to go back to sniffing caps is ridiculous, too.
The run defense suffered when Hartwell and Smith were lost. That’s that. Mora’s playing the cards he was dealt, and he’s dealing with them. When Smith gets back, he’ll help shore it up a bit, and I think the younger guys getting the time in now will improve towards the end of the year. Whether it gets us to the playoffs or Super Bowl is still in question, of course, but in the end, it makes this team a better long-term Super Bowl threat for many years to come.
The NFC is lacking a dominant team this season, and I just have a hard time believing SEATTLE would run the tables if they won homefield advantage, anyhow.
They’re the same team that couldn’t beat the Rams when it counted last year, and look how we beat the Rams like a drum last year. If we get in, we’re dangerous. Period.
The other thing to consider is …
Carolina hasn’t beaten us. They can’t seem to do it. If we can hold onto that trend, give us 2 in W column, add in the Saints at home and let’s pull out this Detroit game Thursday and we’re a 10-win team, and Carolina’s no better than an 11-win team. We gotta somehow pull of the Tampa game on the road, and clue in the freaking officials to their dirty play… the eye-gouging, the stomach-punching crap that they seem to get away with shortly before we retaliate and get flagged.
For my money, the only two games I truly worry about us winning are AT the Bears in a cold (and possibly windy) Soldier Field, and the Tampa game on the road. But Smith’s back on our D line by then, so that changes things.
By Carroll
November 22, 2005 10:38 AM | Link to this
Mike: you’re 100% right but everyone will say you’re a racist (even thought they haven’t a clue about the true meaning of that word).
Falcon guy: yes Dunn caused vick to fumble but he did NOT hit him from behind! It was right under vick’s nose! If it hadn’t been Dunn hitting the ball RIGHT UNDER VICK’S NOSE, it would’ve been Derrick Brooks a split second later. SO Vick is excused because it was a Falcon that hit the ball rather than a Buc? Bullsh!t! The guy has no regard or concern whatsoever for protecting the ball….no regard for anything other than making himself look good! He used to make himself look good by just winning games any way he could….that was fine by me. But now his selfishness has reached a new low whereby he doesn’t care about winning so much any more as he does about padding his pathetic passing stats.
By Rutuger
November 22, 2005 10:45 AM | Link to this
Bottom line is we just aren’t good enough to spot teams 10, 13, 14 (or in Seattle’s case, 18) point leads. The defense sucks, that’s obvious, but with Mike doing what it takes to win, he needs the D to help him out.
We utterly dominated Tampa, except for stopping the run. Their D was clueless and Simms was terrified out there. We lost because of two critical fumbles, and it’s these things that must stop on offense.
However, without any semblance of a defense at all whatsoever, the playoffs aren’t looking so promising.
By Mike
November 22, 2005 10:48 AM | Link to this
ATLien4life. Dude I can have my opinion, if you don’t like it then don’t read it. It’s a fact. The truth always does hurt. The guy, if nothing else, is a good QB, GOOD…not GREAT. Overrated, you bet. Looks lost half the time, you bet. Off the field, dumb as dirt. The guy is a dim wit, but so are you.
By Mike/native ATL
November 22, 2005 10:52 AM | Link to this
Things to do:
Vick has got hit open revceivers…serious tackling improvements from our defensive secondary…Tackling like penguins (no arms)has got to stop…Start Schaub and use Vick as an H-back and receiver…stop leaving Dunn is the backfield to block guys like Simeon Rice when you have Duckett and McCreay(?)to do that…and for Pete’s sake play T J Duckett…espeically inside the 20!
By PoliticalMan
November 22, 2005 10:56 AM | Link to this
One hardly needs to be a “fan” to enjoy sports. If fact, “fan” is short for fanatic. Watching sports for the athletic talent, and team schemes and adaptation can be just as enjoyable as screaming one’s head off and swilling beer, if not dumping it on someone. Vick’s athleticism can be appreciated while also observing that he makes a lot of poor decisions and bonehead plays. The 300+ yards on Sun was deceptive. He did not play all that well. See above.
Unfortunately, there may be a black QB issue. It would be nice if a white frat boy could criticize the black QB star without racism peeking around the corner. But we may not be there yet. I suspect that Mora has got more than a little of that fear within him. That’s where a Parcells may have Mora beat. Parcells does not accept mediocrity from anyone.
By Dawn
November 22, 2005 10:57 AM | Link to this
Mike. Find another team with a white quarterback, what about David Carr. He would fit the profile, young and white. Who cares that he doesn’t win as long as he’s bright white. Get a life!!
By clee
November 22, 2005 10:59 AM | Link to this
I feel like Mora is a great coach who is stuck with a weiner and showboat quarterback who lays down every time things get tough. Havew you ever noticed how Vick is hurt when facing the toughest situations then comes back after someone else takes blame for his errors? He gave up the first touchdown Sunday, lost the ball a couple of times on fumbles…you can’t win giving the other team the ball ..
By Darrin C. Niblack
November 22, 2005 11:10 AM | Link to this
What worries me is that the team is young and so is its coach. That is not always good. In the end I believe Mora to be the exception to that rule, but only if he can reign in knuckleheads like DeAngelo Hall. What D’ Hall has been doing in games (fisticuffs, drawing personal fouls) is a sign of some sort of lacking in the emotional discipline part of the game that is important and typical of youthfulness. Rants like the one Alge had this past Sunday wouldn’t be neccesary if the guys were a little more afraid of the coach than trying to be buddies with him. In the end I believe it is part of a growing process, which by Sunday’s game vs Tampa for example can be quite painful. Atlanta has to stop thinking in the “instant” win it all mentality. You have to build and I believe Mora, McKay, and Blank are focused on that and want to win for longevity not overnight. If we all learn to be patient we will see in the end these guys know what they are doing. We just have to wait for the Baby Birds to grow up, and it can’t happen fast enough. Go Falcons!
By John Reid
November 22, 2005 11:11 AM | Link to this
we’ll be just fine…Detroit on the road will be the ideal elixir for what ails us..all great teams go through adversity before they finally break through. Relax, Atlanta AT WORST will go 10-6, and at best run the table. Also, Atlanta is a more dangerous road team because they dont’ have to deal with such fickle fans when they get behind.
It’s a shame that the national media has jumped off the Falcons bandwagon already (not to mention a large group of “fans”) no room to jump back on after Thursday’s game bamas.
However, what I wouldn’t give to see one Mora-styled profanity laced rant, just like his old man used to do it?
By Woodman
November 22, 2005 11:14 AM | Link to this
I hate the idea that the Green Bay back who knocked us for over 100 yards and 3 TD’s could only muster 7 yards against the VIKINGS. CRAP.
By Mike
November 22, 2005 11:14 AM | Link to this
Note to Atlanta: No white people can ctiticize Vick. I’m sure gald we have Payten Manning. Dawn, blow me.
By ATLien4Life
November 22, 2005 11:16 AM | Link to this
Mike, “Dude”; you are absolutely entitled to your opinion, as am I to call your silly a$$ on the carpet for it when it stinks. No one here is saying Vick is a great QB, yet, but YOU are the one who brought race into the issue, not I nor any of the other enlightened bloggers who threw it back in your face. It’s really quite pathetic that your arguments are limited to his color, and calling him a dimwit.
By Action Jackson
November 22, 2005 11:17 AM | Link to this
First off, sorry for the essay. I got carried away…
We’ll be okay if the coaches regain control of the team. The major reasons for Sunday’s loss to Cadillac & TB (as well as the loss against Samkon Gado, err Green Bay) were poor coaching more than poor playing. The first quarter made me sick. I almost passed out watching all of the penalties in the first few minutes (By the way, what kind of home field advantage do you have when we get all those penalties call on us, but then when Roddy’s helmet is ripped off, a blatant show of unnecessary roughness, there’s no call - that’s BS in my opinion). We were lucky to only go down 10-0 (Bad, bad, bad play calling in our endzone that led to the safety). The coaches should have constantly reminded the players that TB would likely come out playing diry and to keep their cool. All of those penalties were just dumb. D. Hall is the best thing we’ve got going on our defense right now - a passionate player who does his job each game. I can only remember one play he got beat on this past game, which is more than we can say for any other member of the secondary. Rossum had a good return. Good job, but I think he’s become a bit of a wimp - too bad we don’t have anyone else ready to fill in for him, but then again it’s hard to just replace somebody who was not too long ago a special teams ace. I don’t think we could’ve predicted his implosion…but then again, last year was a contract year for him. But back to our early struggles. We made it through the brain cramps and our offense started to come together. It only makes sense that we would struggle early against the Buccs defense, after all they are consistently among the leagues best defenses. So, 27 points and 400 yards against our nemesis Buccs is something to be proud of. But it comes back to our leaky run defense and inability to put quick pressure on the qb. While we have an inadequate secondary, you can’t put too much blame on them when they’re constantly worried about having to stop a run that routinely makes it past the front 7 and a qb that has TOO MUCH TIME to find an open receiver. The same way commentators say DB’s have trouble covering our recievers for long periods of time because Vick is running around buying more time, the same goes for our opponent’s qbs who get too much time in the pocket - DBs just can’t be expected to cover that long. Somebody will get open. And unless the QB has a tendency to miss wide open receivers like Vick, chances are there’s gonna be alot of completions - Which brings us to Vick. All in all, statistically, he had a good game. 300 yards passing, 2 tds, no ints. However, as mentioned before, quite a few of those yards came from great catches by the receivers - but I have no problem expecting great catches from First round draft picks on a regular basis, so shame on Roddy and especially Jenkins for not doing that every week. Shame on Crump for that dropped pass that hit his chest and same to Roddy at the end of the game. No excuses for those dropped passes - but passes will be dropped, it just hurts when it happens like that. Vick is still erratic and doesn’t know if he wants to prove he can throw from the pocket, or just do what comes natural and make plays. He needs to find his balance. And then the plays that lost the game for us: Vick drops back, gets hit from behind by Dunn and loses the ball. TB recovers. Bad luck, but great pressure by our tormenter D. Brooks who had been pretty quiet all day. But we’ve still got plenty of time and the score is still tied, but we can’t stop the run and we lose the game - Bad job by all those involved in devising the defensive scheme (was there one?) during that last Buccs possession.
BUT, we still have reasons to be optomistic. The offense has shown the ability to put up points, although lately we’ve been starting off slow. The defense has big play potential, we just need to tighten up and slow these teams’ RBs down. None of our losses have been blow-outs. All games have been lost by only 1 possession and all in the last minute. None of these games have been over for us in the last 5 minutes. We need to get our minds right and play the whole game (this is your job Coaches) and we’ll win out the rest of the regular season and have a head full of steam going into the playoffs. We shouldn’t have lost any of our 4 games.
GO Falcons, Go Bulldogs, Go Tech (way to beat #3 Miami), Go Thrashers, Go Stephenson Jags (big win against Parkview and now you’ve got your rematch against Brookwood in the state Semis), and yes, Go Hawks (let’s win something!!)!!
By harris
November 22, 2005 11:21 AM | Link to this
Really the falcons should be 5 and 5 because new orleans beat them for 3 1/2 quarters. then the stupid referees call holding on a last second play.
By ATLien4Life
November 22, 2005 11:25 AM | Link to this
Please, Mike, keep the material coming. White people can criticize Vick all they want, but the problem is that you love to throw in the black part as some kind of payback. Meanwhile, you spend your time with your knees bent in front of guys like Brett Favre, who’s usually good for two INT’s a night, and who never won a THING without Reggie White anchoring the defense and protecting him when he threw one of his patented picks.
By ATLien4Life
November 22, 2005 11:32 AM | Link to this
Real classy comment to Dawn, too. I’m sure you have to beat them off with a stick, don’t you?
By BigBob
November 22, 2005 11:40 AM | Link to this
ATLien4life, race aside bud, I think anyone who knows a dime about football realizes Brett Farve is a great QB. All the young QB’s out there today, and there’s some great ones, could benefit from his work ethics on the field. FYI: You’re getting on the same level as Mike here, why did you pick Brett? his cowboy boots. Keep it real man. Vick is not in the same sentence as Young and Farve, not yet anyway.
By ATLien4Life
November 22, 2005 11:53 AM | Link to this
BigBob, thanks for the insight and correction. I will, however, ask you to point out where in my comment I said that Brett Favre WASN’T a great QB. I simply said a statement of fact, that his gunslinger mentallity has always led him to make some bad throws during a game, and it has become a strong trend over the last few years. Remember two years ago vs the Iggles??? Also, I find that the comparison in styles is accurate, as both Favre and Vick are singular playmakers who’s mistakes usually come in the context of trying a little too hard for that play. The difference is one has largely gotten a pass for it, while the other is constantly villified with comments like “You will NEVER win a SuperBowl with Vick under center.” Also, facts are facts. He went to only two SuperBowls, largely becuase of White and that defense, won one and got clocked in the other. If not for Desmond Howard, he may have been 0 for 2.
By nunna yo bizness
November 22, 2005 12:05 PM | Link to this
LOL..True dat,ATL..
One thing im hearing on sports talk,and the falcons fan blog on their site,is,the blaming of Vick on the last fumble,when,Matt could have checked off at the line and change the play,or even threw the ball away to avoid any turnover..And how Matt “stat Boy”,held the ball out and away waist high and just stood there looking..Tampa was coming at him,i saw it,and he did too,he could have changed the play..He has been in this offense for 6 years,college and pro’s..and u all let him get away with it..
Sad……………..
By BigBob
November 22, 2005 12:18 PM | Link to this
We may not all agree about everything, but Atlanta has a great pro team to be proud of. Vick will get there, he is almost there, just a little more to go. Keep your eye on that hand, there may be a ring on there yet. I am not as worried about Carolina now as I am Chicago in Chicago, brrrr. Let’s pray for a heatwave in the windy city. Bring on the rematch with Tampa, bring it on !!!! Happy Thanksgiving.
By Patrick Romano
November 22, 2005 12:23 PM | Link to this
MB- You’re an Idiot!!!
By ATLien4Life
November 22, 2005 12:24 PM | Link to this
Peace and love, BigBob.
By Dre2k6
November 22, 2005 12:24 PM | Link to this
Atlanta will make the playoffs we just have to be consistant on defense and run with VICK more.We’ve been loosing while he’s changing n2 the media’s pocket passer.Just play ur game Vick how you’ve been playing it.
By Dre2k6
November 22, 2005 12:36 PM | Link to this
Man all this race crap got to f*ing stop. We got other issues in the world right now to worry about(Bush screwing up the country,terrorists trying to kill ALL Americans white & black An increase in unemployment).So until we get over the race issue we will never had great discusions about the Falcons or any other sports for that matter. Now with dat being said “How bout dem Hawks”.
By Lance
November 22, 2005 12:38 PM | Link to this
VICK is OVERRATED. He is too unstable and you never know what your going to get. We needed Eli or Peyton Manning. What a shame. 8 years from now when Mike’s contract is over, the people in Atlanta will be saying, yeah he’s exciting to watch but we need a Super Bowl and a stable consistent QB. Sorry Vick but your passing SUCKS!!!!
By e.b.
November 22, 2005 12:39 PM | Link to this
Hey Dustin, when people say the Falcons have lost to teams with winning records, doesn’t that also apply to Carolina who lost to Miami, or the Bucs who lost to the Jets & 49ers, or how about the Steelers losing to the Ravens? Come on man, that argument don’t work here. The Falcons lost their last 2 games, because of dumbass mistakes, because of turnovers. Nothing more, nothing less. S**, they practically gift wrapped 10 points to the Bucs on Sunday, so shut up w/ so lame a* comments about how the Falcons can’t beat a winning team. Season ain’t over yet, chump.
By e.b.
November 22, 2005 12:44 PM | Link to this
Hey Political Man, can’t use your own name to post? Vick fragile, I don’t think so. Vick is very coachable. You must not know much about Falcons football, this kid is all about winning for the team. Not stats, like that jackass QB in Philly. People tend to forget that this is only Vick’s 3rd season as a starting QB in the NFL. He’s 25 for crying out loud, give the kid a break. People expect way too much out of him, like he’s Michael Jordan or something. Everyone just relax.
By Buck
November 22, 2005 12:48 PM | Link to this
Dummies: Of the Falcons 4 losses, three were by 3 points! They have been in almost every game coming down to the wire.
Mike, your ridiculous comment about the hype around Vick being because he is a black QB is mindless and truly racist. Your a punk MF. The hype is because of his athletic ability.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and it’s OK to criticize Vick for his mental mistakes, his passing ability (which is coming around) or his ability to read defenses (which is coming around). But to criticize him because he is black reveals that you are a racist moron. The guy can play and that’s why he is the QB of the Atlanta Falcons.
As a white guy reading all the posts on the AJC blogs, I am appalled at the ignorant, stupid comments coming from you so called Falcon’s fans. The race card is played all too frequently in life by black and white alike, why do you have to play it on a football blog? The majority of fans in Atlanta are color blind and go to games and cheer their team together on Sunday’s. Observe the racial harmony at the Dome for proof that we as a city love the same thing. Falcon football.
Win or lose, race has not a thing to do with it. Call it poor coaching, poor defensive play, poor offensive execution …OK, you can get upset when your team loses, as fans of every other city who has an NFL franchise do…check out Philly right now. The fans are absolutely heart broken about the turmoil surrounding that team. But you will never hear them say it is because McNabb is a black QB.
But you hypocrytes, you fair weather, band wagon, Vick hating fans have to reduce your pitiful gut wrenching anxiety over a loss to blaming Vick for everything from the poor defensive execution to the toilet overflowing in the bathroom. Yet, he is a huge part of the reason your team has any chance of being a winner at all.
I have been a Falcon fan for over 30 years and we have as much or more to be proud of in our team then we every have before.
You make me sick to my stomach.
By Dre2k6
November 22, 2005 12:49 PM | Link to this
Cum dis Thursday we will rebound with a win against lowly Detroit and salvage our season. Vicks stats in dat game 278 yds passing 102 yds rushing. Atl-34 Det-10. Enuf said!
By BigBob
November 22, 2005 12:52 PM | Link to this
THE FALCONS WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. I am not ashamed of the the loss to Green Bay. GB has lost some squeakers of a game, only by a single digit. They are better than what people give them credit for. Penalities has hurt Atlanta, stupid careless mistakes has hurt Atlanta. The Dawgs better play some good football against Tech, their Miami win has put some wind in their sails. Alas, LSU will win the SEC…no way around that one. The Hawks, oh man…..I can’t criticize them, i’m too busy feeling sorry for them. All you naysayers saying Atlanta won’t see post season, wrong..wrong…wrong. And this race stuff, from an old white man here, keep race at nasscar, not in sports. We’re all ONE team.
By Ron Mexico
November 22, 2005 12:56 PM | Link to this
2 Buck for his most recent comments amen brother amen. Open your eyes people.
By Ron Mexico
November 22, 2005 12:57 PM | Link to this
2 Buck for his most recent comments amen brother amen.
By BigBob
November 22, 2005 01:05 PM | Link to this
Oh lord, by my comment I did not mean nasscar is not a sport. All you guys with a 3 or and 8 or a 24 sticker on the truck, forgive me, don’t shoot me, nasscar is a sport. But my wife thinks figure skating is too. Go figure. Go Falcons.
By nycfalcon
November 22, 2005 01:06 PM | Link to this
I wonder if Bartkowski would have taken critism like this if blogs were available in the 80’s. He is still worshipped like a demi-god here and never had back to back winning seasons. Is this the definition of a winner in this city? It is amazing that fans can complain about a winning football team and a winning baseball team week after week. You know you get what you ask for eventually, and maybe one day soon the Braves and Falcons will return to their losing ways. And everyone will be happy again in Loserville.
By spotman
November 22, 2005 01:07 PM | Link to this
Why in the world do you drop a young qb deep into the end zone to get sacked fumble and let the other team score? Why not run the ball and punt. the chances of picking up the first down are low. That is seven points that the caoching staff gave up not the players. they lost by 3.
By Bernard K.
November 22, 2005 01:09 PM | Link to this
people are so unfair to mike vick. peyton manning hasn’t won anything yet either. mike vick is 25. and is showing improvement in this west coast offense. I really just don’t understand how people put blame on him, when the offense is putting up points every week. the defense can’t stop anyone.
I just don’t understand why there are so many people who love to criticize and blame vick. no matter what he does. when he’s winning games- same thing. when he throws the ball well- same thing. when warrick dunn blocks the ball outta his hands- same thing.
blame vick.
please support your team and support your quarterback. he’s one of the best and most exiciting in football. and he’s still young.
By Stunned
November 22, 2005 01:32 PM | Link to this
Vick is tough when he’s not getting smacked around. He’s the best athlete on the team, Find a way to get the best qb on the team (matt s.)on the field and let him get the ball into Vick’s hands versus leaving it up to Vick to get the ball in everyone elses hands. Vick doesn’t have the qb skills that Matt S does, but he is more athletic. Could you imagine Atlanta with Vick as a wing back/ receiver/ tailback with Dunn, Crumpler, Matt S., and all of the other weapons on the field at the same time. If Matt S. were to leave the Falcons, he would be a starter some where else, and probably the next Farve.
By Traceman
November 22, 2005 02:01 PM | Link to this
Vick just can’t win with a lot of you guys! It is simply unbelievable to me that he continues to get so much BLAME (not criticism) for the team’s play over the last three games. For the last 3 games, his passer rating has been that of a top 5 QB. His average passer rating over the last 3 games of 103.6 is only behind that of Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Drew Brees and Jake Palmer for the same period. Many here (not just in the media) criticised Vick for not being a pocket passer and he has responded by being a VERY good from the pocket for the last 3 weeks. His LOWEST passer rating in the last 3 games is 99.3. On top of everything he brings with his legs, he has performed as a top 5 PASSER. What more do you guys want him to do?
In the last three games, we have shot ourselves in the foot with a few mistakes on offense, but we have moved the ball very well. The problem in all 3 games was CLEARLY the defense’s inability to stop the run. We moved the ball well enough to win and we scored enough points to win. In fact, put last years D with the way this offense is playing right now and we would be a legit Super Bowl contender. As things stand now though, we won’t be a contender until we can stop the run. Period!
By ATLien4Life
November 22, 2005 02:04 PM | Link to this
Pleeeeeeeeez. Has everyone forgotten that the reason we have such a good running game is that our line is too small for pass blocking, and that Vick is often running because defenders are in the backfield in less than 2 seconds??? Schaub may be a great quarterback of the future somewhere, but he wouldn’t last a full season here before he got blindsided into oblivion.
By ATLien4Life
November 22, 2005 02:07 PM | Link to this
this was for Stunned.
By e.b.
November 22, 2005 02:08 PM | Link to this
Lance, don’t be an idiot. This is ONLY Vick’s 3rd full season as QB, he is not overrated, and he doesn’t suck. The probelm is the Falcons defense, and anyone that know anything about football, or about this team, realizes this. MORON.
By PoliticalMan
November 22, 2005 02:26 PM | Link to this
Is “e.b.” a name? Are you getting everybody squared away on how to perceive Vick, Mora, Falcons, etc. Those who see problems just don’t know nuthin bout nuthin, or maybe they aren’t the football star that you, e.b., I’m sure was or is.
On a another angle, Blank needs to get his scrawny butt off of the sidelines. What’s his obsession with hobnobbing with giant people who might accidentally step on him like a little poodle. Maybe he is the mother confessor figure for the team. I seem to recall him ministering to Mike himself in the middle of a game. He’s not helping.
By BOBO
November 22, 2005 02:53 PM | Link to this
CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? BLANK DOES NEED TO STAY OFF THE FIELD THO. TIME TO STEP UP FALCONS! VICK SAYS HE WONT CUT HIS HAIR TILL WE WIN A SUPERBOWL.HEHE I WONDER HOW LONG HIS HAIR WILL BE? OK GOTTA GO
By e.b.
November 22, 2005 03:19 PM | Link to this
Yea, e.b. is my name, not some made up stupid moiker like yours. And when people say things about the team I like, and things I don’t agree with, I have every right to step up, or as you say…put them in their place. Which is simply what I was doing with you.
By Gerry
November 22, 2005 03:20 PM | Link to this
Jim is a good coach but he has to remember that he is a COACH, not a FAN. Joking with the guys at halftime? C’mon Jim, show some fire and enthusiasm. No more buddy buddy with these guys. Kick some butt and get them fired up!
By Eric
November 22, 2005 04:00 PM | Link to this
I was very disappointed with the Falcons losing their 2nd consecutive loss, especially to the Tampa Gay Succaneers. Having said that, though, I was very pleased with how well Atlanta’s offense is coming along. The receiver’s looked razor sharp especially with some of Vick’s inaccurate throws. Isn’t it ironic that in the beginning of the season, the defense looked great and the offense looked anemic, but now it’s just the opposite. I think Atlanta’s offensive line looked very good also. I’ve NEVER seen Vick have so much time to stand in the pocket against Tampa. That was great to see. My only criticism with them is the drive where they gave up the fumble with Schaub. On that drive, they kept going offsides because they were anticipating the furious Tampa pass rush, but it never really came. That drive, right there, cost us the game. I predict Atlanta will finish with a 11-5 or 10-6 record. It’s truly unbeleivable how negative and hateful the “fans” on here about this team. I have a lot of faith in Mora. Some on here obviously see him as arrogant, but I see him as having a quiet inner confidence(he would have to after all the BS the media and fans throw at him in this city!). I think Mora will turn out to be a great coach. I like how he has turned this team around and how he handles adversity. He doesn’t panic like most of the fans seem to be doing. I also like what Blank has done by buying this team from the Clampetts. He has turned it into a class organization in a relatively short-time. Have faith Falcon fans and try to overcome the tunnel vision. Peace.
By bucster79
November 22, 2005 04:22 PM | Link to this
Is your team on track to even have it’s first back to back winning season ever?-Something they’ve never done going back to 1966 when they began, and this writer was in elementary school
By Rick
November 22, 2005 04:28 PM | Link to this
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the team no one wants to play right now. They have come to play in 2005, and they had 4 consecutive winning seasons (1999-2002), plus a Super Bowl championship.
By Goober Pyle
November 22, 2005 04:35 PM | Link to this
Ron Mexico won’t have a long career in this league-Face it! GM Rich Mckay still hasn’t figured out how to manage a salary cap any better than when he was with the Bucs. Would they take him back? Doubt it! Finally Mora Jr. is just the over-privleged son of a washed up former coach. -The Sad Truth!
By Eric
November 22, 2005 04:37 PM | Link to this
Ha ha ha………so the hell what? Kind of living in the past aren’t you? Before that you were even more dismal than Atlanta or Arizona. Atlanta absolutely torched your vaulted #2 ranked defense Sunday and I’m pretty sure that a lot of teams would LOVE to play Tampa right now because they didn’t looked even close to the defense they had when Lynch and Sapp were on the team. This season isn’t over. Trust me. Tampa will be watching Atlanta in the playoffs from their comfy sofas when all is said and done.
By cp
November 22, 2005 04:45 PM | Link to this
This is so funny to me. Our defense lets us down once again but some how our qb gets the blame. Matt Schaub fumbles the ball in the end zone and we blame Vick. Vick gets us the lead twice but our defense couldnt hold the lead so Vick gets blamed. Like someone said in another blog, maybe Vick should go to a team who fans support him.What more do you guys want. He now stays in the pocket and puts up good numbers but that isnt enough. This kid will never catch a break with some of these so called fans. Look at the replay it clearly shows Dunn knocking the ball loose and it wasnt Dunn fault. He was trying to make a block becasue our ol missed a block. I could see if Vick was holding the ball carelessly but he wasnt. What has Matt Schuab done to merrit that he should start over Vick? The problem with this team is the defense. All the football analyst see it. The real fans see it yet the so called fans still wanna blame the qb. This is truly amazing.
By William Kitchens
November 22, 2005 05:04 PM | Link to this
Ron… you obviously can’t read into a joke… about the ammonia caps.
Second… We are 1 game out of 1st with 6 left…
Tampa won because of our mistakes, not their superior play. We will beat them in Tampa and we will beat Carolina.
We will win the division.
By Joe Rocker
November 22, 2005 05:22 PM | Link to this
people in Atlanta are use to losing football games. You clearly can’t handle success. I wonder if Lovie Smith was coaching the Falcons instead of a white guy with less credentials going into the job. Would these blogs be about firing the coach instead of hating the most talented player the falcons have ever had. I would like to know why this supposed defensive guy Mora has done to improve this defense. This year or last year anytime the other team has more time of possesion this defense has been exposed. Look it up. And nothing against Matt Schaub but what exactly has he done to make you think he would win more than Vick does. He may develop into a fine player but I don’t recall teams ranking him that high in the draft. If anyone knows was Schuab a better player then David Greene in college.
By e.b.
November 22, 2005 06:38 PM | Link to this
what’s even funnier are these loser Bucs fans, who have lost to the Jets, lost to the 49ers, have a piece-of-s** QB in Simms, got torched for 443 yds on Sunday, and we basically gift wrapped them 10 pts and a victory. There must be no message board on the Bucs website, because the Glazer’s are too busy buying soccer teams. And dude, the Ron Mexico thing is so ancient, it’s not funny, never was, and it shows how stupid you are. GET LOST.
By This gets old
November 22, 2005 09:01 PM | Link to this
This is really terrible and I just can’t get all of this anger and yes there IS some thinly veiled racism.
This is Vick’s third season as a starter. He’s won twice as many games as he’s lost and the team has NEVER had a losing record when he plays the majority of the games and they’ve made the playoffs and won their first playoff game. He’s hasn’t even played 60 games yet.
What other Atlanta QB has done that? You guys don’t know WHAT Matt Schaub can do. A lot of you people were saying some of the same things about D.J. Shockley and when he was unable to play everybody was boo-hooing.
I’m the one who wrote that I hope Vick leaves because then we can go back to our historically losing ways. Listen to what football people say about Vick. They think that we’re crazy for constantly questioning Vick’s talent.
All of you haters know more than Madden, Young, and all of the others who praise Michael Vick? All you can see is his mistakes, great or small, then you trash him. He’s the best offensive player in this tortured, psychotic history of what we manage to call a team.
Again I hope he goes because he deserves better support of his teams fans and we deserve to whatever we get after he’s gone.
If not for Vick NOBODY, NOBODY, NOBODY around football would give a rats a$$ about the Atlanta Falcons. Did they before? Who needs al-qaeda when we hate each other more than they do? And for all the discussion about race it just drives me nuts that blacks and whites alike act that we’re the only two races not only in this country but in the world.
Grow up a*****!
By Art
November 22, 2005 09:18 PM | Link to this
This just goes to show how short-sighted most of you guys seem to be. It seems pretty obvious to me that many of you never played a sport on any level, because anyone who has would recognize that one play at the end of a game does not cost you the game. The Falcons had plenty of missed chances… Vick’s fumble just happened to be the last mistake. And let’s remember… without Vick they wouldn’t have been in position to win anyway. He is the only guy in the league who can’t seem to make ANYONE happy. Win with bad stats and he is lucky… lose with good stats and he can’t get the job done. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate this Falcons team needs to go back and watch 5 or 6 of those NFL Films season highlight packages for those not-so-long-ago 3-13, 5-11, and 6-10 teams.
And did I really see someone play the Dan Reeves card? Gimmie a friggin break…
By JockEwing
November 22, 2005 09:23 PM | Link to this
This team is going through the pains it should have felt last year. Mora took over a very talented team that Dan Reeves assembled and ran with it last year. Everything was fresh and new last year and the players were excited after the crappy season the year before.
Now they face the first of many tough times and we will see how they handle it. If they lose to Detriot, we are probably in big trouble as it will be a big demoralizing loss and hard to snap back from. It could be bad and I mean bad. However, if we steal this one on the road and Carolina manages to lose this weekend then things are fine. If Tampa comes up short it will be simply perfect and we are right back in the thing.
This being said, I still dont like the new offense and feel that Reeves system was more suited to a healthy Mike Vick.
One more thing, Arthur keep your a* in the box where it belongs!!!! You look SILLY in your $5000 suit on the sidelines cheering. You look much too old to be acting like a schoolboy and I dont care how rich you are that dont make it okay.
By Buck
November 22, 2005 09:58 PM | Link to this
I’m glad to see more and more people coming on this blog sticking up for Vick and his ability as a QB and an athlete. There are alot more Vick fans then there are detractors and I hope we saturate this board with pro Vick sentiments and drive all the nay-sayers off of here.
Keep em’ coming. God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving!
By Kevin Pee-Wee Red Oak Welcome All Park Hall of Fame Member
November 22, 2005 10:15 PM | Link to this
I still would like to know how you can be in the two minute offense in that last drive and not be in the shoot gun. If Vick is in the shoot gun we are talking about no fumble on the last drive. Take a look at the games this week and see how many people get under center in the two minute. Unless you are spiking the ball I do not see it much. Please ask Mora and the powers that be what is up with that.