NEW ORLEANS -- The Falcons can trace the roots of their potent no-huddle offensive attack to a boat that once docked in Florida waters.
Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was on Sam Wyche’s staff in Tampa Bay in 1994 and 1995, and the innovative Wyche had a boat inscribed with the words “No Huddle” on the back.
Mularkey was the quality control coach and later the tight ends coach, and he brought Wyche’s no-huddle offense with him to Atlanta when he was hired in 2008.
When the Falcons (9-5) face New Orleans (11-3) with the NFC South title on the line on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, they’ll no doubt rely on this explosive no-huddle attack.
In the offense, Matt Ryan will look over the defense and communicate the play at the line of scrimmage. Since the Superdome will be loud, Ryan will use hand signals. He makes it work.
“I love the way Matt Ryan is running that no-huddle,” ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski said. “I go back to earlier this season, in that Philadelphia game where I think they gained great confidence in the no-huddle. They were down in that game 31-21 and they went no-huddle. Matt Ryan orchestrated a couple of beautiful drives late in that game to beat the Eagles.”
Using the no-huddle in parts of the past two games, Ryan generated an offensive explosion that buckled Carolina and Jacksonville. The Falcons ripped off 24 unanswered points in the second half against Carolina. They opened the following game with 41 consecutive points for a 65-0 streak of offensive brilliance.
“It seems right now that it’s the type of offense that they could hang their hat on,” Jaworski said. “When they get in trouble, they go to that.”
The 65-0 streak was a sure sign of the potency of the no-huddle.
“Over the last six quarters, we put some really consistent things together,” Mularkey said. “We haven’t really shot ourselves in the foot or stalled for a number of drives.”
The Falcons pressed the brakes in the fourth quarter against Jacksonville, with the game won and backup quarterback Chris Redman in the game.
Against the Saints the Falcons again will call on Ryan and the no-huddle attack. All plays are memorized and the players are on the same page with Ryan.
“It’s a great, great offense,” Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez said. “It keeps the defense off balance.”
Mularkey installed the no-huddle when Ryan was a rookie in 2008, and the team has built on the attack each season. The Falcons have used it exclusively at times, but, for the most part, they use it as a tempo setter.
“They can line up in all kinds of different formations and personnel groupings,” ESPN analyst Jon Gruden said. “Matt Ryan has a great control of the system. It looks like he’s very confident. He can limit substitutions. He can wear out defenses.”
Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma calls his team’s defensive signals. He’ll have to match wits with Ryan when the Falcons run their no-huddle.
“It will be a little bit of a mental challenge for me, but I don’t want to get enamored with that mental part of the game, because no matter what they run you still have to stop it,” Vilma said. “It comes back to fundamentals of gap integrity and tackling.”
Ryan communicates electronically through his helmet with quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski, who’s on the field during the games. Mularkey is usually up in the coaches’ box in the stadium, and he relays his observations through Bratkowski.
Mularkey is quick to credit Wyche for the attack, one of several approaches the former coach came up with.
“He also had the ‘walk-around huddle,’ where the quarterback just kind of told you the play as you were walking to your position,” Mularkey said. “Then there is the ‘sugar huddle,’ which was three yards from the line of scrimmage because he always liked to catch the defense substituting.
“Then there was the ‘no-huddle,’ where everything was called at the line of scrimmage.”
About the Author
