The Falcons have a high-octane offense, but a lot of that horsepower was spinning its wheels rather than helping race to the end zone against the Saints on Sunday.
The Falcons struggled trying to protect quarterback Matt Ryan during the season-opening loss, so running back Steven Jackson and even tight end Tony Gonzalez had to help the offensive line block rather than become potential pass targets.
That was against an opponent that lacks formidable pass rushers and didn’t use an unusual amount of blitzes or stunts. Now the Falcons on Sunday play host to the Rams, who led the NFL with 52 sacks in 2012, return their top pass rushers and recorded four sacks in a victory against the Cardinals in Week 1.
Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has to come up with a way to protect Ryan without severely limiting his options in the passing game.
“We always say you don’t see any tight ends or running backs in a one-on-one (blocking) drill,” Falcons center Peter Konz said. “That’s our job. When it comes down to it, I want our O-line to be so good that (coaches) say, ‘We feel comfortable with just having them block, and let’s get our weapons out and use them.’”
Falcons coaches did not feel that way against the Saints, as evident by their reluctance to leave the linemen without extra help.
But Koetter said it’s possible to pass effectively while also providing extra help in protection.
“You’d be surprised how many times we keep extra blockers in and hit big plays,” Koetter said. “You are trying to buy an extra second for Matt to read the coverage and set his feet. … It doesn’t matter how good your quarterback is, how good your receivers are, you’ve got to have time to throw. I think we go out of our way to. When in doubt, we are always going to add protectors.”
There was lots of doubt for the Falcons against the Saints as the offensive line faltered.
Jackson, celebrated for his pass-catching skills, was forced to stay in the backfield on 15 pass plays — not because the Saints were blitzing heavily, but because the offensive line couldn’t hold up on its own. Gonzalez, perhaps the best tight end ever, was reduced to blocking on three of the Falcons’ 35 pass plays (not including screen passes).
Coach Mike Smith acknowledged the team’s protection issues, but spread some of the blame to Ryan, the wide receivers and the running backs. Smith, echoing general manager Thomas Dimitroff, said he also expects the line will improve as new starters Konz, right tackle Lamar Holmes and right guard Garrett Reynolds develop.
But a subjective review of the game video showed that mistakes by Ryan, wide receivers and running backs were minor compared with the offensive line’s miscues. And while the new starters struggled, so did veteran left tackle Sam Baker.
In any event, rapid improvement from the young offensive linemen, while possible, won’t be easy.
“I think, in general, on the offensive line in the NFL it’s difficult for a young player to come in and make big contributions just because a lot of it is maturity, seeing the defenses, being comfortable in your technique to see that it is going to work,” Konz said. “Because it’s easy as a young person to get worried and to say, ‘I have to abandon this technique, I have to do something outside of my body to try to win this game.’ That’s where the maturity steps in for a lot of (older) guys.”
It’s not as if the Saints overwhelmed the Falcons with blitzes. On 35 plays when Ryan dropped into the pocket to pass (excluding screen passes), New Orleans rushed five defenders nine times (25.7 percent), six two times (5.7 percent) and seven once (2.9 percent).
By contrast, the Falcons had at least two extra blockers on 18 of Ryan’s 35 passes that weren’t screens. Yet Ryan still was sacked or pressured on eight of those 18 plays, and Baker was penalized for holding on another.
Perhaps no play showed the Falcons’ problems protecting Ryan more than their last one, when they faced a fourth-and-goal at the 3-yard line. The Saints rushed only three players, and Jackson stayed in to help block before releasing.
The Falcons had a six-to-three blocker-to-rusher advantage, and Ryan was in the shotgun. Yet the Saints still pressured him off the left edge and the middle, and Ryan, under duress, threw a pass intended for Gonzalez that was tipped and intercepted.
Game over and the Falcons lose, in large part because their high-powered offense was stalled by its inability to protect Ryan, even with the linemen getting help.
“That’s our job first and foremost,” Konz said. “We don’t want any pressure, we don’t want anybody touching Matt, let alone (getting) sacks.”
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