Dirty Birds Dispatch: A shot to end the playoff drought?
After a fine showing against the Commanders, the Falcons look like they’ll have a shot to end their seven-season playoff drought.
Moving forward after the bye week, they’ll have to play more like they did in three of their first four games. The Carolina loss will be viewed as a clunker or just a bad day at the office.
BYE WEEK BLUES
The early bye week is not very popular.
“It was great to get a win going into the bye week,” tight end Kyle Pitts said. “Week 5 byes aren’t the best. But it’s all good, going into it with a win. We just hope that the continuity will stay high. We’ll definitely link together as offense during this (bye week). Just go to next week and get ready for prime time.”
The Falcons will host the Bills on “Monday Night Football” on Oct. 13 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“To be honest, I kind of wish we just played Sunday,” left guard Matthew Bergeron said. “Keep going and just build off what we did (against the Commanders). But we got to find a way to be consistent. That’s the main thing, we (must) find a way to be consistent and be able to play at that level every weekend.”
The Falcons have reset their bar
“If we can bring that energy and play at that level, I think we’ll be able to compete with (the best teams),” Bergeron said.
The Falcons had a later bye last season. After not playing in the exhibition season, they are starting to put some things together.
“I kind of wish we kept going,” Bergeron said. “We’re kind of in a groove right now, in the rhythm. I kind of wish we kept going. But (the bye) is on the schedule. You got to go through it. We got to find a way to come back healthy, get some guys back, and hopefully go down to the Benz and handle business (against Buffalo).”
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PEEK AHEAD: NEXT QUARTER
Over the next four games, the Falcons will host the Bills (4-0), visit the 49ers (3-1), host the Dolphins (1-3) and visit the Patriots (2-2), in that order.
📅 The Bills just beat the Saints, 31-19 Sunday to remain unbeaten.
📅 The 49ers loss their first game of the season to Jacksonville, 26-21.
📅 The Dolphins beat the Jets in their last outing, 27-21.
📅 The Patriots clobbered the Panthers, 42-13.
BACK TO THE SWAMP
Pitts, who played at Florida, plans to attend the Gators’ home game against Texas on Saturday. He already has a friendly wager with running back Bijan Robinson.
“You may see him in a (Florida) helmet,” Pitts said. “I might order the mascot head, so you never know.”
What if the Gators go down?
“I’m not going to lose, so I’m not worrying about it,” Pitts said.
THE GREAT LOCKER ROOM MUSIC DEBATE
Pitts was asked if he had any dirt on Robinson.
“His musical tastes (are) subpar,” Pitts said. “Some of his house music is good. But, I mean, we’ll be listening to like Rick Ross and Future and then he’ll put on like NWA. It’s like, how do you switch the vibe that quick?”
Pitts doesn’t have a problem with gangsta rap.
🎶 “But you’ve got to keep the vibe going,” he said. “You can’t be high and then slow it down.”
Pitts noted that safety Jessie Bates III and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. do a good job as the locker room DJs.
“Kyle Hinton, terrible,” Pitts said. “I mean, I don’t want to get into it. His musical choices. We will be listening to one thing and he’ll just take us to somewhere over yonder.”
Hinton clapped back: “All he plays is Meek Mill.”
The players use a streaming service.
“We usually do like a mix or like put it on shuffle,” Pitts said. “Then people just start touching stuff. Next thing you know, we’re listening to who knows what.”
Kaleb McGary used to toss some heavy metal into the mix.
🎶 “It kind of grew me after time,” Pitts said. “Heavy metal is pretty different.”
In addition to Meek Mill, Pitts has his preferences.
“I actually like listening to old school R&B,” he said. “I could live to Teddy Pendergrass. I don’t always have to be high pace, that’s just here (in the locker room). But in the offseason I’m listening to slow music.”
What’s an example of slow music?
“Anita Baker, ‘Sweet Love,’” Pitts said. “I might listen to that on the way home.”
PLAYER’S CORNER
Here are some excerpts from a chat with left guard Matthew Bergeron.
🗣️ On Bijan Robinson: “We were down 30-0 and he was still positive on the sideline (against Carolina). I don’t think it’s too good to be true. I think it’s just who Bijan is. Positive, good teammate and incredible as a football player.”
🗣️ On if he gets to see some of Robinson’s runs: “I look up on the big screen afterward. I’m trying to see. I’m trying to figure out what was going on back there. But yeah, I mean, it’s always very impressive. What’s cool about it, he’s making us right most of the time.”
🗣️ On the Commanders game: “It felt great. You know, obviously the feeling we had Sunday in Carolina, that was not a good feeling at all. I mean, we walked off that field … nobody was proud of their performance. I don’t think a single player on offense can say, ‘Oh, yeah, like, I played well. I did enough.’ We felt like we didn’t do enough. (Against the Commanders) we had a goal, and it was to come out and just bounce back from that.”
🗣️ On if the Falcons have another gear: “I feel like it’s just growing. We’re figuring stuff out in the run game as we go. It’s never going to be perfect, but we can work on some stuff, I say, maybe the backside of certain runs, if you can just work on some details, then maybe that 10- to 12-yard run could turn into 20- to 25-yard runs. We still (have) a lot of room to grow.”
MAILBAG TIME
📬 Reader Charles Jackson: “D LED: Kyle Pitts Sr. 5, 70, 14.0, 26, 1, 5 (his stat line from the last game). You barely mentioned him.”
My response: We were looking for him, and missed him during the open locker room period after the game. (We’ve since caught up with Pitts, who did have a strong game.)
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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See you next week.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
