AJC > Blog > Archives > 2006 > November > 16
Thursday, November 16, 2006
The Enemy Within
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For several weeks now — and aren’t the Pittsburgh and Cincinnati wins looking like aberrations? — Enemy Watch has entertained the notion of blogging about the Falcons finding their worst enemies inside their own camp.
That time has come.
With all apologies to Lions and Browns fans, it’s becoming apparent that the Falcons, to paraphrase the legendary Pogo, have met the enemy, and it is them.
And not just Michael Vick’s inexplicable fumble to snuff out any chance of clipping the Browns at the end. Or the inability of his receivers to hang on to ball. Or the reshuffled offensive line and a potent running game that has gone south. Or the questions being raised about the quality of the coaching.
The only troubling component that’s out of the Falcons’ control — injuries, especially on defense — well, everybody’s got ‘em. Their play was skittish even before players started going down. With all of those problems lumped together, they limp into Baltimore Sunday to face the surprisingly rejuvenated Ravens, who are at 7-2 a mirror image from a year ago.
The Falcons, on the other hand, look like they may be repeating last year’s dreadful performance in the second half of the season, where they flopped right out of the playoffs. It’s prompted a Falcons fan to wonder if his team has the Bird Flu.
Observers of no less girth and magnitude than Coach Madden are confused by the plight of Blank’s Birds:
“I have no idea what is going on with the Atlanta Falcons the last couple of weeks. It seems that if they can’t get things going they don’t seem to be able to maintain anything. They have to get the running going and if they get the running going then other things will follow, but if they are stopped early they seem to grab bag a little.
“They are a funny team. The minute you think they are good and they’ve finally got it, they look like they don’t have anything and then the week that you don’t think they have anything they may come back and do something. But one thing is for sure and it’s that Baltimore is always tough on defense.
What else is there to add to that? Shannon Sharpe tries, but doesn’t have much to say. He does rate the Ravens fifth in his NFL litter.
Yes, this is a big turnaround season for Baltimore’s Gridiron Birds.
So the Ravens are relatively unchanged, and yet they’re a whole new team. Meanwhile, the Falcons made a bevy of off-season moves and they’re in no better shape than a year ago.
Who would have thought that Steve McNair, discarded by the Titans, would be flying high, while Vick is only fluttering?
Ravens Pravda says all the right things, calling Vick a Rare Bird and a blazing-fast, rocket-armed gunslinger.
Baltimore does have some injury questions, most notably Ray Lewis, who’s not looking good for Sunday.
Yet the Ravens have adapted to their adversity while the Falcons have not. Therein lies the difference.
