Hey y’all.
I got a surprise root canal yesterday.
Felt a lot like watching a Falcons game.
STRAIGHT UP NOT HAVING A GOOD TIME
How you know things are going well for your NFL football team (beyond the 1-2 record, the 30-0 loss and the fact that you may soon be on kicker No. 3):
- Your young quarterback looks lost for an entire 60 minutes. Your head coach deems him “definitely not his normal happy, competitive self.”
- You’ve already identified a scapegoat and run him out of town. (Godspeed, wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard.)
- It’s a struggle literally just getting the play call to your quarterback, so your offensive coordinator decides he’ll work from the sidelines, instead of the box. (Playing the classics.)
- Analyst types say they’re going to “lose their mind” while watching your tape, and that the team has “too much talent on offense to suck so much.”
Indeed, things have gotten ugly quick for the Atlanta Falcons.
To that, AJC sports editor Rod Beard says don’t panic. Columnist Ken Sugiura says we’ve got coaching problems. They’re both right, probably.
But like my labradoodle repeatedly running into a screen door, I need as many people as possible to tell me how to act moving forward.
So I turned to Falcons folk hero Brian Finneran.
The man who caught every crucial third-down pass from Michael Vick (in real life and in Madden video games) has been sports-talking on Atlanta’s 680 the Fan for well over a decade now. And he’s got thoughts.
🗣️ On Michael Penix Jr.: Accuracy could be better. And “looks like he got a little bit hot-footy, got rid of the ball a little quicker than he needed to.”
And that pick-six where he just didn’t see the defender in the flat? Egregious.
🗣️ On the larger problem: “I think my bigger concern is the system and what’s going on with the coaching staff in terms of getting them in as good a situation as possible.”
Among other things, Finneran’s not a fan of the pistol formation that offensive coordinator Zac Robinson loves, saying it eliminates “some big-time opportunities to get your guys open” via play-action.
- To wit: The Falcons have Bijan Robinson, all-world bait for opposing defenses, at running back. Yet they’ve only run 14 play-action passes in three games, per Pro Football Reference.
🗣️ On how much fans should freak out: “I don’t know if it should be right now or wait until the first quarter of the season is over. And after Sunday at 1 o’clock when you got a beat up Commanders team coming in here … If you jack this one up and go 1-3 in conference play, you really put yourself behind the eight ball for any semblance of trying to make a postseason run.”
Washington, of course, is coached by former Falcons head man and 28-3 co-conspirator Dan Quinn. It may also turn to backup QB Marcus Mariota — who dipped on Atlanta after being benched in 2022 — on Sunday.
Surely the football gods wouldn’t be so cruel as to cook up another loss against a team like that.
Surely.
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REMEMBERING GUYS (AND GALS)
More substantive Georgia football thoughts momentarily. But first, a question in honor of Rabun County High recently retiring the jersey of Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton:
⭐ Who’s the best or most famous athlete who went to your high school?
- I graduated from Peachtree Ridge in Gwinnett County, where Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward is probably the most successful sports alum (shouts to broadcaster Taylor Rooks, too).
- I also attended nearby Collins Hill, which can claim Heisman winner Travis Hunter and Maya Moore, who was so good at basketball she decided to retire, get an innocent man out of prison and marry him.
Anyway … shoot me an email with the pride of your high school. Bonus points for specific tales of freakish athletic exploits. We love those.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING (FOR NOW)
The last time Georgia football lost a home game, it was against Will Muschamp’s South Carolina Gamecocks. Jake Fromm threw three interceptions and Rodrigo Blankenship flubbed a field goal in double overtime.
It’s been that long.
Since that October day in 2019, the Bulldogs have rattled off 33 straight wins at Sanford Stadium. That’s the longest active streak in the country — and, as you’ll see in the spiffy graphic above, it’s getting up there in terms of all-timers, too.
“The toughest places to play are where the best players are,” head coach Kirby Smart told reporters this week. “So, like, when you have really good teams, they’re hard to play against. I don’t know that the atmosphere alone makes it that way.”
An interesting angle! And one that would certainly explain the Bulldogs’ run.
But I have a feeling it’ll all end pretty soon.
- I need not remind Bulldog fans of recent woes against Alabama, and Saturday’s affair with quarterback Ty Simpson, receiver Ryan Williams and the 17th-ranked Tide is a frightening one for a young defense.
- You can (almost) always count on Kentucky, which is due into Sanford next week, to turn a game into a rock fight.
- Ole Miss (currently No. 13, whooped Georgia good last season) arrives on Oct. 18.
- Tenth-ranked Texas comes to town Nov. 15.
Georgia could win each of those games, of course. It’s probably foolish to doubt them, and they’ll be in the College Football Playoff one way or another.
But something’s got to give at some point … right?
ATTENDANCE ANGST ON DECK?
I popped by Truist Park on Monday. Charles Millburn, a fan from Birmingham, waited in line with a Dubble Bubble bucket on his head (an homage to a common Braves walk-off celebration.)
He feels good about 2026.
“I’m all in with the roster we’ve got now,” he told me.
With a few notable exceptions, I don’t disagree (check out last week’s Braves Report for some initial roster predictions). But if the Braves don’t get it together next season, the suits upstairs may start getting a little antsy.
Take a look at this:
- Average attendance, 2023: 39,401
- Average attendance, 2024: 37,182
- Average attendance, 2025: 35,890
Now, the injuries of this season and last aren’t anyone’s fault. We’ve still got a few games left in 2025. And you may have heard about all the money the Braves organization banks at The Battery.
But extrapolated out, we’re talking about a few hundred thousand fewer people through the gates each year.
Something to keep an eye on.
⚾ More baseball things: The Braves have now won 10 straight. Charlie Morton’s glad to be back. And robot umps are coming in 2026 (it’ll be painless, promise).
ONE BURNING QUESTION
I work with experts on Atlanta sports. Sometimes I ask them very important questions. If you send me your questions, I can ask them those, too.
In the meantime …
🤔 The Hawks start training camp next week. With that and Trae Young’s recent spat with retired role player Patrick Beverley in mind, I thought it a good time to check in with Hawks beat writer Lauren Williams and ask: Why’s everyone always picking on Trae?
Here’s what she said:
“So, I don’t think Young really catches strays and when he draws criticism, it’s warranted (i.e. the play-in ejection). But in the instances where some of the criticism is out of the blue, there is a disconnect with people’s perception of who he is and how they interpret his behavior versus the elite skills he possesses.
“It’s hard to really pinpoint because he’s so talented, but because he has matured before our eyes, it’s tough to let go of how people viewed him when he was younger. From being deemed a coach killer, to rumors of teammates not liking him, people may not see him how he perceives himself.
“One thing though, is Young has taken steps toward being a leader on the Hawks in taking some of the younger players under his wing.”
🤔 Makes sense. Now y’all leave the man alone … and follow Lauren on social media. Please and thank you.
ODDS AND ENDS
🙌 Props to Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover, who just got named WNBA executive of the year. Plucking coach Karl Smesko from the college ranks and bringing in free agents helped the team double its regular-season win total.
⏩ Did you know hippos can run up to 19 miles per hour? That’s roughly the same speed former Georgia Bulldog Jordan Davis hit while returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown on Sunday. (Not calling him a hippo, just impressed on both ends.)
🚩 Ryder Cup, huh? The biennial clash between the U.S. and Europe’s best golfers gets underway Friday at Bethpage Black in New York. Watch on USA on Friday and NBC through the weekend — and keep an eye out for Coach O. Yes, that one.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
I enjoyed stumbling upon this photo of eighth grader Brooks Kelley, son of Glascock County High School’s head football coach, talking to a cheerleader during last week’s game.
Never stop dreamin’, kid.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of The Win Column. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
