Falcons head coach spoke with media before Wednesday’s practice, the first in preparation for the team’s Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots in New England. Here’s what he had to say [edited for length]:
“We had a good meeting and we talked about consistency, and [Houston Astros pitcher] Justin Verlander was one of the examples we showed the guys. That kind of consistency, pitch location, speed and for him it wasn’t always that way. But when he took the ball on the mound ...
“So how did that focus into what we do. Obviously, we’re not pitchers but ... that kind of detail, that kind of prep, that kind of mindset we felt was worth watching. We tip our cap to him.
“One player we’ll have back on the field for is [linebacker] LaRoy Reynolds. We’ll find out if he is a candidate for a possible return from [the injured reserve list, where’s he’s been since suffering a pectoral muscle injury in the preseason]. We have a two-week window to determine that.”
Will defensive lineman Courtney Upshaw [ankle/knee] and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu [strained hamstring] return to practice?
“Yes ... going through that process can be a difficult one for a player in terms of rehab. We’re excited for Courtney. It seems like a long time for him ...
“For Mo, he thought that he was close to getting there last week, but we really wanted to make sure we took great care of him to get him at his best for this week. He looks really good.”
When you talk about doing right longer ... were there more breakdowns in the second half against the Dolphins?
“It wasn’t specific to a half ... for us to do right longer it wasn’t necessarily the length of the game; it was on this play and the next one and how challenging it can be for a pitcher ... having that kind of detail ... and having a mindset to dominate.”
How important is it to establish the run game and keep it going?
“Every week. It’s such a factor because we also love the toughness of that the running game brings to our team so we quite simply just didn’t get enough plays [in the second half of Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Dolphins]. That was a byproduct of the whole team. It wasn’t by design ...
“We’ve got to get plays to do that. Every chance we get we’d like to show the toughness of the run game because that opens up a lot of the explosive plays in the pass game.”
How can the Falcons do that?
“More plays. More plays. We only had a very small number of plays in the second half. ... Sometimes that happens. We don’t like when it does.
“We had a game last year, I think it might have been at Philadelphia, where we had a limited number of run attempts. By no means is it ever part of our design to say. ‘I don’t know about the run game this week.’ We always feel strongly about our run game.
“We just didn’t get enough plays. It was a function of everybody. [The offense] not extending drives, in the second half specifically not getting off the field defensively. Lastly, we’re at our very best when we’re creating turnovers, and that also creates more drives for the offense.”
Will you study tape of the Super Bowl to prepare for this game, or just tape of the Patriots so far this season?
“Both. Any time you play a team you definitely want to go back and look if you played an opponent the year before, or you might even go back two years to see some scheme that could be there, to see how they were trying to attack a certain coverage, attack a certain play, to see what’s going to stay consistent with them.
“Even if there’s a coaching change you may look at the style of a player and how he plays, but when the coaching staff remains the same you definitely go back and look to see some specific plays against specific looks.”
How difficult is it to key in on their running game when they have so many running backs with different styles?
“It’s for sure a big playbook, and I do admire the way they feature the players in their different roles. That includes at running back. They’re really equipped because of the versatility of their running backs.
“[Mike] Gillislee is somebody that’s featured in a certain way different than [James] White at running back. Both of them are good in their own unique ways, much like we feature [wide receivers Taylor] Gabriel and Julio [Jones] in different ways on our offense ... or [running backs] Tevin [Coleman] and [Devonta] Free[man].”
The offense has not been as productive this season as last, and quarterback Matt Ryan in particular. You’ve stressed that there are a lot of components when a guy’s numbers are down, but how concerned are you about where Matt and the offense are right now, and is there any worry that he and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian aren’t hitting it off?
“I totally recognize the question, and I think it’s a little ... to compare everything ... different opponents, just to say it’s going to be exactly the same every week one year to the next. ...
“There’s parts of our game that we’re doing better than we did, and we’re not getting as many explosive plays for sure. That number we’re looking for, certainly, to increase.
“As far as looking at Matt and Sark: I love the connection that they have. ... As far as our team, I love where we’re headed.”
How would you assess how Matt Ryan has played compared with last year, when he was obviously at a very high level?
“No doubt. He was the league MVP. That’s as high as you can get. Like I said, there’s parts that I think are going extremely well. With the explosives that you have to think had we’re going to get a lot better.
“I just have this sense of where we’re headed as a group, so I’m not going to be put into assess this to that with him. I think he’s a really good player, and I can’t wait for him to get going this week. That’s really where our focus is this week.”
You’ve used the word ‘disappointed’ a few times. Are there anger-inducing moments because you’re not happy?
“Some of those topics really come up on Monday, and to make sure that we can play at our best and we haven’t hit that so that’s what we’re chasing: to see where we can go, and that’s why I use examples like Verlander to say that kind of consistency is what we’re chasing, and when we get that kind of consistency in all three phases our game will take off in a big way.”
Have you seen anything that would lead you to be angry about effort?
“Not yet. When you’re (ticked off) about a topic, and the effort part I haven’t been. That part of the game, their connection to one another they’ve really nailed. The part I have come when there’s penalties or fouls, things that get us out of scoring position. Our turnover margin we’ve certainly talked about in terms that they clearly understand, so that’s why I’m so excited to get back to work.”
Has the team’s tackling improved?
“There’s been games where it’s been better and games where it hasn’t. The two that stand out where it wasn’t were Buffalo and Chicago. We were improved in the other games in that department. I thought we got better in that department last week.”
Do you see any trends?
“I’m more pleased with the speed that we have as rushers. Last week we didn’t get any [sacks], but I knew the ball was going to be coming out more quickly against Miami. That was their design. I do feel the speed, but the thing that’s not coming is the forced fumbles on sacks. We’re hopeful that the more the sacks come there will be more opportunities.”
The Patriots are last in the NFL in total defense, and they’ve given up a lot of big plays; do you see this as a game where the Falcons will look for more explosive plays?
“It’s every week that we’re looking for those. ... I just have a sense of who our guys are and how we play that they will come, but by no means is it any more inclusive this week or next week.”
