AJC > Blog > Archives > 2006 > November > 16 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThe 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.
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Comments
By vickisick
November 16, 2006 04:00 PM | Link to this
taking a look back at the browns game that i tivod…it didn’t look as bad as i remembered when i was at the game. when vick had time in the pocket he delivered, and a few drops that are supposed to be catches by nfl receivers negated scoring drives. ya, two or three drops are normal, but not six or seven. two games in a row the receivers were dropping multiple passes.
i heard mora mentioning tennis ball drills with the receivers. i hope that’s one of many drills. the way i see it, with vick’s strong arm, the receivers need to be taking hundreds of reps catching FOOTBALLS from a machine at high speeds to simulate vick’s strength.
basically, you can stick a fork in the season when you lose to the lions and the browns. playoff teams win both of those games because then you can afford to drop one to the ravens. i’m not giving up, but i’m also a realist.
the dunn off tackle/bootleg play action is getting way too predictable…the reeves scheme was better for vick because it kept him in the middle of the field in the pocket. if he scrambles, he’s not limited to half the field as in the bootleg play. mora and knapp has reduced vick’s scrambling ability by focusing too much on it. as i’ve said over and over steve young made a living off of scrambling from the pocket during passing plays. that’s vick’s best chance to run…scramble after your other targets are covered. if you put vick’s legs at the forefront of your offense, you take away from the rest of your offensive scheme. use vick’s legs as a bonus not as the whole playbook.
By Edd Anderson
November 16, 2006 04:16 PM | Link to this
Amen Brother !!
By Chris J
November 16, 2006 04:49 PM | Link to this
Yes i couldnt agree with you more man i just wish that they would stop trying to develop those recievers their to inconsistant why not bring in a peter warrick and charles rogers just to motivate these guys to play better you see when lelie snatched roddy whites’s job how he responded against clevland with no drops and a great game no question about it you cant overcome five or more critical drops a game because 20 plus yard drops, third down drops, any critical drops stops momentum and with out momentum u lose to the lions and the browns but on the bright side the lions and the browns have played some good teams really good and we all know atlanta is only as good as its competition if we play a play off team we are a playoff team and if we play a pathetic team then we play like a pathetic team
By Madden King
November 16, 2006 04:50 PM | Link to this
Vick Sick you’re right on the money. Those receivers need to do the Cris Carter Drill, that drill is when Cris Carter would catch 1000 balls a day at 75mph. Thats why all he did was catch touchdowns. Receivers like Randy Moss “ala Carter’s student”, Torry Holt, Marvin Harrison, and Reggie Wayne does that same drill everyday. If Jenkins, White, and Lelie did that same drill they would catch everything thrown their way no matter where the ball is. HOLLA!
By Dawgs n' Birds
November 16, 2006 05:15 PM | Link to this
Well, a big part of the problem is when the offensive coordinator calls for three pass plays on 3 and 1 and we fail all of them and also 4 and 1 he calls a pass play. You just activated the big guy. feed him the ball. we really do miss duckett.
By This Bird Will Fly!
November 16, 2006 05:19 PM | Link to this
We need Mack Brown or somebody that has a clue!
By Vikingsouth
November 16, 2006 06:14 PM | Link to this
Injuries are inherent- you can’t avoid them. On the defensive side, you could make an argument that injuries are some sort of alibi. Most teams don’t have as many linemen or d’backs go down at once. All things considered, Donatell can’t be blamed. He had a very good record in Green Bay, and the Falcons were fine on D when healthy, at least theis year. That said, the depth there was not good. The secondary’s in deep trouble. Offensively, there is no excuse. The zone blocking scheme requires a certain type of lineman, and a lot of practice and technique. The guys the Falcons have to play now are undersized and don’t do it well. They should have been more prepared It’s a mess. There is no consistency at all. Who’s to blame? You have to look at the men who put together the roster. The Falcons are a bunch of mismatched, dysfunctional parts. That’s Mora’s fault.
By Bird of Prey
November 16, 2006 06:26 PM | Link to this
Hey MV7, you ever heard of a touch pass? I bet you couldn’t catch the rockets that you throw. Hmmmmmm
By Bird of Prey
November 16, 2006 06:31 PM | Link to this
The Falcons will never be champions until the coaching staff find the backbones they were born with and start running some NFL plays. You can’t run the same Pop Warner plays and think that you are going to win. Also, there is such a thing called preparation.
By dirrtybird
November 16, 2006 08:15 PM | Link to this
MV7 doesn’t get paid to catch rockets. He gets paid to throw them. If you’re a multimilion dollar receiver you catch anything that gets thrown your way. The Falcons win all of those games if receivers catch what is thrown at them. Lasers and touch passes.
By badhand
November 16, 2006 08:41 PM | Link to this
Vick should be traded
By Bird of Prey
November 16, 2006 08:47 PM | Link to this
Hey Dirrtybird, with your wisdom you should be coaching the Atlanta Falcons. You are just what they need, another stubborn coach with a thick head who is not willing to change. I didn,t say that Vic should not throw rockets, i’m saying that there is a time when you have to take some of the heat off the ball. It,s funny that the other teams quarterbacks realize that, and thats why you don’t see the other teams receivers dropping balls as often as the falcons. The question you have to ask if you are the coach is why are we having so many balls dropped. No, i’m not saying you are the coach, not yet anyway. Good luck with your looser team until they decide to really coach Vic on how to adjust his throws so that his completion percentage increases.
By Bird of Prey
November 16, 2006 08:58 PM | Link to this
Dirrtybird, In response to the million dollar receivers not catching rockets. They should not have to catch a rocket with every pass. There are times when they should have to catch one, but if you have ever played football you would understand that. Algie crumpler has very good hands. When you see him dropping multiple balls you have to think that it’s the ball speed. Just because you make millions don’t mean you will catch everything.
By jimbo
November 16, 2006 09:20 PM | Link to this
Bird of Prey,use your pea brain man. Was Alge dropping balls like this the last couple of years? Does that mean that Vick is throwing balls differently now than he was then? How absurd! Were those all rockets in the Steelers and Bengals games? If so why didn’t they drop those?
By Bird of Prey
November 16, 2006 09:50 PM | Link to this
I guess we didn’t watch the same game. I guess you didn’t read all the comments about how Vic finally threw the ball with some touch. If you Vic lovers could stp sucking for a minute or two and clear the juice from your eyes you would be able to see the obvious.
By JAMES
November 16, 2006 10:08 PM | Link to this
Like I said before the falcons have a lot of injuries notes to address. Hartwell, Kerney, Abraham, thank God about Webster. Also they have some issues on offense starting at MV7! and MV7 have a really bad issue about leadership and being a damn leader! I am also tired of Jim Mora making those damn excuses for MV7. Hold Mike Vick accountable for his actions along with the offensive and defensive coordinators. If you look closely at it, MV7 has been in the league for six years and there is no excuses that he should have manifested himself into an NFL quarterback! no excuses!
By Jerrell
November 16, 2006 11:15 PM | Link to this
Gee, are the fans in this area just this clueless? I keep hearing how hard Vick throws, that has not been the problem with the drops, especially with Mike Jenkins. He does not drag his routes or position either body or hands well to catch the ball. I mean neither he or Roddy could catch balls that Montana would put out there. Look, Knapp gets the bad rap for this offense, but there is one constant to this mess, and that is Receivers Coach George Stewart! He has never coached up one receiver ever placed in his charge. TO does not count because he played with Jerry Rice, just that makes him a Rice product. The only person ever to play with Rice and not to get better was J.J. Stokes. Just look back at the 49ers and the Falcons since he’s been here, then be objective.
By dirty til I die
November 17, 2006 12:29 AM | Link to this
The Falcons worst enemy is an offensive coordinator who thinks that Eric Beverly lined up wide is really a decoy. Who among us had any illusion that the ball was going that way? Knapp can’t really believe that quaterback keeper will work against safeties playing 8 yards off the line of scrimmage, and looking for it, so why did he even call that play, much less let Vick run it? He runs the same plays, out of the same formations time after time, week after week, and you think the defense doesn’t know what’s coming? Has he ever even heard of down and distance or is he just trying to be too cute with all these slow developing 3rd or 4th and short yardage plays. The players have no faith in what is going on out there, and I can’t blame them for that. The could try harder to execute the ridiculous game plan, but that would just encourage Knapp to keep up the bad work.
The Falcons second worse enemy is a Wide receivers coach who can’t teach his highly paid athletes to get in between the ball and the defender. Both of Vick’s interceptions last week were balls that the defender made more of a play on than the receivers. The pick on the 4th and 1 play, the receiver was almost lying down when the ball got there. How is it that these professional athletes can’t adjust their highly trained bodies to get to the ball? I watch 5 NFL games a week and all the highlights, and I see receivers running free for every other team. Why is it that our receivers are always so close to the other teams defensive backs? Maybe that’s why Vick throws the ball so hard, because he has so little room to work with! The receivers run lazy routes and get no separation, which equals no yards after the catch. If it’s not a problem with the receivers then it’s a problem with poor play calling and design. When was the last time we ran a slant? I’ll give you a hint, Brian Finnerran caught it. It would work every time because many teams have the middle linebacker or safety playing up close to spy on Vick. Get behind that with a quick slant and you’re home free.
The Falcons third worse enemy is Mora. I gues you could say that he is his own worse enemy. He caught a bad break last year having to play a lot of rookies, and apparantly made him sightly paranoid. This year he has stuck with verterans (some of them injured) way too long. Every player in the NFL knows he his just a few bad games or one injury away from being replaced. There are other guys out there who are just as fast and strong and motivated. Yesterday’s backup is tomorrow’s superstar. Vick, even with his mistakes, Dunn, Crumpler, Kerney, Milloy, and Brookings have played with heart every game, but the rest of the team has been inconsistent. Mora has not managed this team well, they don’t feel like their continued presence on the team is tied to performance, and they have not performed. Mora might want to get this figured out soon, because his continued presence is most definitely tied to performance. Those chats with Arthur at the end of the game will not be so cordial if this downward spiral isn’t corrected soon.
By tim
November 17, 2006 01:55 AM | Link to this
vick is really not the problem.The problem is the offensive line,you notice when they block well,Vick play like no other quarterback he’s super vick.Look at Manning and all the other great quarterbacks they have excellent blocking potection.Also Manning haven’t been sack as much.If Vick just had more potection he wouldn’t have to rush his throws and he would have less turnovers.Mike Vick is something special and came be much better with the right staff.Vick need to take care of the ball much better.Last but not least,Vick is the right qb for the falcons.Them others qbs will take at least two to three years are maybe more to fit in the system.Quit Hating!
By Falcon4Life
November 17, 2006 04:51 AM | Link to this
These bloggers are really funny. They just leave their Klan meetings long enough to log on and spew some hateful garbage about MV7. Dumb*sses, for once, take a look at the game you’re commenting on before taking the time to comment. More than half the passes dropped in the last two games were “touch” passes…not passes rifled to the receiver. It’s funny how whenever one of these rednecks take the time to disparage MV7, they always mention the great ones… ie. Elway, Favre, Manning and so on. Both Elway and Favre throughout their careers have broken defensive teammates fingers because they threw lasers at times. They were lauded for doing so and they had the receivers that were willing to catch every pass. So the problem of dropped passes does not lay at the feet of Vick but instead the million-dollar 1st round receivers.
That being said, I do have a gripe with MV7. He needs to make a conscious effort to secure the ball when running. There is no excuse for him to continue to run with the ball exposed for anyone to rip out. Make the effort Vick to protect the ball. Those turnovers are drive killers, just as the dropped passes are.
By falcondawg
November 17, 2006 07:47 AM | Link to this
you’re right on, dirty til I die. Has anyone noticed that every team we play has several plays where their receivers are loose downfield. Our receivers are usually running neck and neck with defenders. No separation at all!!
By falcondawg
November 17, 2006 07:52 AM | Link to this
The fumbles by MV7 are the coaches fault. There is no way an NFL player, especially a qb, should be allowed to carry the ball like that. As much as I like to see him play, he would be on the sidelines watching Schaub if he carried the ball like a loaf of bread and fumbled. I believe after one week of practice, he would learn to do it right.
By Barry
November 17, 2006 08:52 AM | Link to this
Hey Y’all:
We all know that the enemy is from within. That is why it is so important that the coaches are to coordinate all the personnel, feelings and attitudes on that team. The players, on the other hand, must do their part. First, they need to stop partying and drinking 4 to 3 days before a game. They should be concentrating on plays and schemes for their next opponent-Coaches included. If not they will be in a new NFL called “Not For Long (NFL)” a league for the partyers and underacheivers who tried to be professional football players and coaches in the National Football League (NFL). We as fans can party at while you play and at the Super Bowl. You guys as players should only be really partying after the Super Bowl and in Hawaii at the Pro Bowl. That is your reward for a hard fought season. Choose your poison NFL players!!!! I like the latter.
Second, all this going out with the opposition before the game needs to stop. This is war man. After the battle is won then we can talk and pray. I say this because after a loss in battle a smile should not be on you face. You should want to smile after a battle not before,especially with the oppositon.
Lastly, if we take these things into account I believe the Falcons willl be O.K. If not, we as fans are going to be in for a long, sad season. Kill the enemy from within then we will be fine. SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! This is a secret among us Falcon fans. Don’t tell nobody!!!!!
Ringold
By Falcons1st
November 17, 2006 09:39 AM | Link to this
Heres a suggestion from an armchair QB. I think the Falcons should pull a Parcells. We are loosing guys…you HAVE to try something to give the team a spark. I realize the $ you have invested in MV7, but put in Schaub to see if he can spark the birds. At this point, what do you have to loose. If you don’t find a spark Coach, what you will loose is your job and you will find yourself as a DC again…MAYBE with a capital M.
By gizmox
November 17, 2006 10:01 AM | Link to this
The Falcons need better coaching and “Practice,Practice,Practice.
By WHAT????
November 17, 2006 11:24 AM | Link to this
**By Chris J
November 16, 2006 04:49 PM | Link to this
Yes i couldnt agree with you more man i just wish that they would stop trying to develop those recievers their to inconsistant why not bring in a peter warrick and charles rogers just to motivate these guys to play better you see when lelie snatched roddy whites’s job how he responded against clevland with no drops and a great game no question about it you cant overcome five or more critical drops a game because 20 plus yard drops, third down drops, any critical drops stops momentum and with out momentum u lose to the lions and the browns but on the bright side the lions and the browns have played some good teams really good and we all know atlanta is only as good as its competition if we play a play off team we are a playoff team and if we play a pathetic team then we play like a pathetic team **
Why bother using commas ya’ dumb frick.
By WHAT????
November 17, 2006 11:32 AM | Link to this
Here are few tips.
LOSING is spelled like this, not LOOSING. That’s not a word, but its root refers to your wife’s promiscuity.
It’s is the contraction for “it is.” Its is the possessive form, i.e. ” publicly revealing its stupidity.”
Try some punctuation for practicality’s sake. The no-period missives are ok for the poor-man’s avant-garde, but the style flies like a Sean King pass in mop-up time.
By vick_is_sick
November 17, 2006 11:35 AM | Link to this
this is just a thought, but the reason the receivers aren’t getting seperation may be attributed to the way the play develops in the backfield. if vick rolls out to one side of the field, the db’s and safties can bet that the receiver routes are going the same direction. that can explain some of the problems with the passing attack.
however, vick does make throws from in the pocket more than people give him credit for. he has a strong arm that is more accurate than his stats indicate. on pocket throws, it still looks like the db’s and safties know where to go on the receivers. my best assessment after watching these games over and over is that the routes are too predictable.
i personally hate the cut blocking scheme because it reduces the passing game’s ability. the falcons have an offensive line built to run first. with vick at qb, it should be the opposite. vick should run on busted passing plays. therefore, go get a bunch of pass blockers and get out of vick’s way. he’ll pass it when available, and run it when other targets aren’t open. it’s not rocket science.
By jack
November 17, 2006 02:10 PM | Link to this
As soon as the press proclaimed Mike as “The Coming”, it was the kiss of death for him and company. The last two games show that you must bring it each Sunday, etc. because, ALL THESE TEAMS ARE MADE UP OF PROFESSIONAL ATHELETES, and are not going to lie down for anyone. Being the underdog is a perfect place to be. No one expects much out of you. If you lose, so be it, you were supposed to. It lets you play loose and with abandon because you have nothing to lose and PRIDE to gain. As Madden says, the Falcons look dismal and then excell. They look invincible and suck. It has to be the coaches not getting the team ready to play…..EVERY GAME. I bet they win this game against the Ravens, just because they have no chance. Take the Falcons & the/any points.
By Nacho
November 18, 2006 05:14 AM | Link to this
You only get so many offensive plays each game and when your QB is either throwing wildly or out of bounds and the reciecvers are dropping 6 to 7 legit passes per game your offense will look like crap. Please don’t start this poor pitiful me stuff either because a few so called stars are out with season ending injuries—-great teams have replacements and the front office doesn’t whine to the media. What happened to our running attack? I wish Vick does has a great game in Baltimore but I also wish Matt would get so time to develop—-I think he is the future. It won’t be long before #7 blows out his ACL like Jamal did.But till then we will have to suffer by never knowing are the real dirty birds playing or the inept ones. Its quite obvious Vick can’t be coached by the way he continues to hold the ball like a loaf of bread. When they did try and make Vick a pocket passer last year he was awful and awkward. Nope it’s sandlot and street ball for us——no plays, no schemes, no designed routes——just you go to the curb and cut back behind the car and I’ll run it in so I can be a glory hound. No one doubts your heart, we’re just sick of losing and being so average when we are the highest paid team in the NFL——we want wins——who says Atlanta fas are apathetic, we’re not!!!!!I hate losing especially to inferior teams and because we are afraid of brusing Vick’s ego.
By Jay Black
November 18, 2006 01:59 PM | Link to this
If you’re an NFL receiver, what would be an excuse for dropping a ball? Meaning the ball was in your hands, and you dropped it. Someone answer that question for me, please?
By Jay Black
November 18, 2006 02:03 PM | Link to this
Thank you VickIsSick! I’ve been thinking that since he came into the NFL. If it’s all gonna be blamed on Vick when the Falcons lose, he might as well take the game over and do just that.