FLOWERY BRANCH – A shakeup along the Falcons' offensive line is brewing.
Falcons coach Mike Smith and his assistant offensive coaches are putting the team’s offensive line under the microscope after three games and personnel changes could be coming soon.
“We’ve done it earlier in the season at other positions on the team and we’ll do it on the offensive line as well,” Smith said on Monday. “We’ll let that play out during the week and try to put the best guys out there.”
The Falcons have given up 13 sacks and have allowed quarterback Matt Ryan to be hit 21 times. The unit is on pace to yield 69.3 sacks. Only Chicago and Seattle (14) have given up more sacks this season.
“We have to evaluate, first and foremost, the scheme and then the personnel,” Smith said. “That’s the process that we’re going through. You don’t see things like this coming.”
Right tackle Tyson Clabo, the only starting lineman available during open locker room, also didn't expect such a horrid start to the season.
“If it was that simple, we’d just fix it,” Clabo said. “It’d be fixed. This is different, we’ll do it this way so that it won’t happen anymore, just like magic. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.”
So far, it’s been an epic fail for the offensive line, which gave up just 23 sacks last season and has four of the five starters back. The Falcons lost right guard Harvey Dahl to the St. Louis Rams in free agency.
They retained Clabo (five-years, $25 million) and left guard Justin Blalock (six-years, $38 million), who were both free agents.
Garrett Reynolds won a competition with Mike Johnson to claim the starting right guard spot.
However, it hasn’t been just one player who’s struggled in pass protection.
“It was across the board,” Smith said. “Sometimes, what you see on tape or what you see on TV, you don’t know what the protection is or what the responsibility is of each player. We are very disappointed in the way we’ve protected our quarterback in the first three ball games.”
Center Todd McClure, who’d been out after undergoing knee surgery on Sept. 1, returned to the lineup against Tampa Bay. Second-year man Joe Hawley started the first two games at center.
“I don’t think he had any rust,” Smith said. “He came back and he fit right in. I think for the most part he played a pretty consistent game.”
In addition to the pass protection issues, the Falcons didn’t open any holes in the run game. They had 30 yards rushing on 15 carries.
“We really had a struggle in terms of controlling the line of scrimmage,” Smith said.
The Raiders of the NFC?
The Falcons have committed 23 penalties in the first three games.
After being the least-penalized team in the league last season with just 58 penalties, they are on pace to finish with 121.6 penalties (which would have placed them fifth in the league last season).
The notorious Oakland Raiders led the league with 148 penalties last season.
Jones gets loose
Tampa Bay elected to cover rookie wide receiver Julio Jones, the Falcons No. 2 receiver, with their No. 1 defensive back, Aqib Talib. They tried to lock up Jones so they could keep an extra safety to help over Roddy White and to stop the run.
Both White and Jones ended up with more than 100 yards receiving. For Jones, it was his first 100-yard game in the NFL.
“They needed me to show up and I tried my best to do what was necessary,” Jones said.
Jones didn’t back down from Talib.
“He’s a good corner, physical and [has] great size as well,” Jones said. “I’ll see him again, but he’s a great athlete.”
Adkins, Smith contribute
Reserve linebacker Spencer Adkins and running back Antone Smith saw their first action of the season.
Spencer played on special teams and in some of the team’s nickel packages for Stephen Nicholas, who was out with a calf injury.
Smith played on special teams.
Etc.
In eight quarters on the road this season, the Falcons’ offense has scored just one touchdown. …Tight end Tony Gonzalez scored his 91st career touchdown, tying him with wide receiver Isaac Bruce for the ninth most receiving touchdowns in NFL history. ... Ryan has now passed for more than 300 yards six times in his career, including two of the first three games this season (both losses).
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