AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > September > 10
Sunday, September 10, 2006
So far, so great for Falcons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Charlotte — Minutes, or maybe milliseconds, after the Falcons opened the season on Sunday by splattering the supposedly mighty Carolina Panthers across the floor of Bank of America Stadium, Jim Mora did the right thing. He told — or shall we say ordered — his players to forget about it. “I can’t recall if he’s ever done that before,” said tight end Alge Crumpler, referring to the wisdom of the Falcons’ third-year head coach.
This is the same Mora who recalled the Panthers crushing his team by a combined score of 68-17 during a two-game sweep of last season, developed amnesia during the week and told his players to do the same by not watching those game films.
Now Mora would prefer that his players ignore the impressive replays (and there were a slew of them for the Falcons) of what happened this time. “We’ll take [the victory] and get out of here as fast as we can before we have to play them again,” said Mora, who doesn’t have to worry about that until Christmas Eve, when the Panthers visit the Georgia Dome.
Then there was safety Lawyer Milloy, a rookie to this defense but a veteran when it comes to the NFL in general and to flashing a champion’s mind-set around a locker room in particular. Microseconds, or maybe nanoseconds, after the Falcons sealed their absolutely suffocating 20-6 victory before the hissing packed house of 73,522, Milloy was searching for something or somebody that had the score of Tampa Bay’s game against Baltimore.
The Falcons’ next game is against Tampa Bay, you see. And as trite as it always sounds, teams along the way to significance or beyond really do, well, let Milloy tell you what you know is coming. “If we keep taking it one game at a time, we can start putting a string of these good games back to back,” Milloy said, with a résumé from his New England Patriots days that features two trips to the Super Bowl, including a world championship. “I always think we can play better. This is just one game. We can continue to do well as long as our team stays healthy and [we] stay humble.”
Uh-oh. As for the healthy part, the only thing that could stop John Abraham from knocking the growl out of the Panthers throughout the afternoon was his groin injury near the end of the blowout. Prior to that, he spent his Falcons debut joining Milloy in suggesting early and often that these aren’t the defensive patsies with birds on their helmets from last season. To the Panthers, he was omnipresent and omnipotent. “I mean, what’s amazing to me is, everybody’s asking me like this just happened, but I’ve been doing this my whole career,” said Abraham, who finished with five tackles (it seemed like 50), two sacks that forced two fumbles and a deflected pass. “If you watched me in New York [with the Jets for six years], it would be the same way.”
Hopefully, this won’t be the same: In 2003, Abraham played only seven games for the Jets. Why? He was placed on the injured reserve list — with a groin injury.
Unlike Milloy and Abraham, splendid defensive end Patrick Kerney has been with the Falcons for a while. Those involved with the organization hope he’ll be with them a while longer without missing any games this season after damaging his triceps near the same surgically repaired right elbow of two weeks ago.
As for the humble part that Milloy talked about, the Falcons are a work in progress as long as they have cornerback DeAngelo Hall, not exactly shy about sharing his thoughts on personal greatness to all the planets and whatever you call Pluto. Most recently, there were Hall’s apparent friendship-severing words this week about Steve Smith, the Panthers’ wide receiver whose injured hamstring spared him from participating in his team’s disaster that included the Falcons rushing for a ridiculous 252 yards. If you add the Falcons’ prowess on offense and defense to their efficiency on special teams, you have a team that could become full of itself without the right perspective.
So far, so great. “We’re a long way from perfect, because I put my hands on my helmet a couple of times, because I felt like I could have sprung Warrick [Dunn, who rushed for 132 yards] if I just held on to the block,” said Crumpler, shaking his head. He sighed, before adding the clincher that suggests that the Falcons just might be fine, “It’s still eating at me.”
Permalink | Comments (54) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Terence Moore
It’s Stafford’s job now
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Columbia — It was an interesting week in Athens. Mark Richt became the first coach in history to announce a starting quarterback but leave the identity of his backup undisclosed, as if it posed some national security risk.
Ah, the mind games of paranoid football coaches. Imagine Steve Spurrier was up all week, worrying “Is it Barnes? Is it Cox? It’s not Stafford, is it? Naw. Can’t be Stafford. My head hurts.”
So at least one good thing happened Saturday night: The end of “Who’s behind door No. 2?” now and for some time. Barring injury or unexpected calamity, Matthew Stafford almost certainly will be the Georgia starter from this point on. (Only the families of the other quarterbacks on the depth chart will be concerned about the rest of the order.)
Richt would not concede anything after Georgia’s 18-0 win over South Carolina. There must be something in the coach’s handbook about not disclosing the obvious, as in: “I’ll comment on the sunrise only if and when I see it.”
Starter Joe Tereshinski played only one series before leaving with a seemingly significant ankle injury. But Richt held off declaring this Stafford’s team, saying of Tereshinski, “If he’s healthy right now, he’s the starter.”
OK. Whatever.
Stafford showed why this likely will be his job to lose for as long as he is in Athens. He wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t always on target. He didn’t always make the right decision. (One statistic that confirms all of the above: three interceptions.)
But he showed the talent all knew he possessed and remarkable cool for any young quarterback, let alone one making his SEC debut in one of the conference’s loudest stadiums. He audibled to a touchdown run. He showed more mobility than some have given him credit for, with scrambles of 23 and 11 yards. He threw for 171 yards, even if on only 8-for-19 passing.
And afterward, he said all the right things: “It’s been a little crazy. But, you know what, I’m just doing the best I can. I’ve got a ton of work to do. I personally didn’t play well enough for this team to win. Our defense did an amazing job. Special teams did a great job. The offensive line, the running backs — great. I didn’t get the ball where I was supposed to a couple of times. Those are mistakes I’ve got to cut out. But overall I had a great time out there.”
Ever just get a feeling about a player? You get that feeling with Stafford.
It’s a wonder he hasn’t gotten motion sickness the last few weeks. He went from hot shot recruit to tied for third on the depth chart to probably redshirt to playing in the fourth quarter against Western Kentucky to double-secret backup. (And now to double-secret starter.)
Stafford said he never felt rattled — this, in a stadium where Georgia often struggles, and against the Bulldogs’ legendary tormentor. “You can’t be [rattled],” he said. “When things go bad, or go good, you just have to let it go. It’s always about the next play.”
He’s 18 years old — and already programmed.
In the first quarter, Georgia was backed up to its own 11-yard-line. But on second-and-14, Stafford let go his first pass, a 25-yard bullet over the middle to Martrez Milner. In the second quarter, after driving to the South Carolina 9, the Dogs faced third-and-goal. Stafford stepped up to the line, looked at the safeties, then checked to an inside handoff to Danny Ware, who ran through a gap for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead.
Stafford: “It’s a play where I have a blank slate and pick a play.” He picked correctly.
He ran play-action to perfection with a 39-yarder to Mohamed Massaquoi. He scrambled 11 yards on third-and-9 from the Dogs’ 17. None of the three interceptions backfired. One wasn’t his fault — a 4-yarder that first bounced off Massaquoi’s shoulder in the end zone while the receiver seemingly was being held. Another traveled over 50 yards in the air and was thrown up for grabs, the other an underthrow.
Stafford: “I can’t make bad decisions like that.”
Richt considered redshirting Stafford but changed his mind after he showed significant improvement in practice before the opener. We’ll never know if that was the case, or if Richt really planned on this evolution all along. But things are finally as they should be.
Permalink | Comments (87) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, UGA / SEC
