Tag: Atlanta Falcons (Page 25 of 66)

      Michael Vick won’t face Falcons on Sunday

      October 15, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 03: Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against the Washington Redskins on October 3, 2010 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      Although he would probably love to suit up and face his former team, Michael Vick won’t start against the Falcons on Sunday. Kevin Kolb will once again take his place when Philly hosts Atlanta at 1:00PM ET.

      Vick (ribs) is progressing and head coach Andy Reid is encouraged by his quarterback’s developments, but Sunday is too soon for Vick to return. That said, with another full week of recovery and practice (Vick has started to throw again), there’s a good chance he’ll return next week in Tennessee.

      It’s too bad that Vick won’t play this Sunday because it would have made for compelling drama. While the Falcons certainly aren’t complaining about their current situation, people seem to have forgotten that Vick almost single-handedly buried that franchise in 2007.

      Thanks to GM Thomas Dimitroff, head coach Mike Smith, quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner, Atlanta has fully recovered from the Vick era. But I almost fell off my couch when I saw a crowded Georgia Dome cheer for Vick in the Eagles’ 34-7 blowout win last year. This a-hole was dragged off to jail for fighting dogs and then admitted that he didn’t work hard when he was in Atlanta. Then he helped the Eagles beat a depleted Falcons team (Ryan and Turner were both out due to injuries) in their own home and I swear you would have thought Vick cured cancer with the way the fans were rooting for him.

      Something tells me the scene would have been different in Philadelphia had the situation been reversed. Eagle fans wouldn’t have allowed him to get on the team bus after the game without giving him the beating of a lifetime.

      But I digress. Even with Vick out, this should be a great game between two NFC teams that will no doubt be fighting for playoff berths this season.

      External Sports, NFL

      Get used to the way this Falcons team wins

      October 10, 2010 /
      Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws with pressure from Cleveland Browns linebacker David Bowens during the second quarter of their NFL football game in Cleveland, Ohio October 10, 2010. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      At halftime of the game between the Browns and Falcons, I was ready to start using the term “overrated” when it came to Atlanta. Before the season, many pundits said the Falcons were Super Bowl contenders, yet there they were in Cleveland on Sunday trailing 7-6 and being somewhat dominated by a more motivated Browns’ defense.

      But a 20-10 win later and I’ve started to realize that the Falcons are who they are.

      They’re not overrated – far from it. Are they a Super Bowl contender? Maybe, but don’t expect them to play as smooth and as fluid as the Saints did last year when they rolled over opponents on a weekly basis. Atlanta is heavy metal compared to New Orleans’ smooth jazz.

      This Falcons team relies on its running game and methodical passing to wear defenses down in the second half and keep the game close. Then, when they have an opportunity to strike, they take it and all of a sudden have found a way to win.

      Most teams try to have a similiar philosophy, but few pull it off like the Falcons. Thanks to Michael Turner’s 140 yards on 19 carries, Atlanta wore Cleveland’s defense out and then just when you thought Matt Ryan wasn’t going to complete a pass for more than five yards (or complete a pass period), he hit Roddy White on a 45-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter and the Falcons never looked back.

      If you’re a football fan and you’ve watched the Falcons these first five weeks, chances are you haven’t been impressed outside of their rout of the Cardinals in Week 2. You may have even wanted to use the term “overrated” yourself.

      But the fact remains that they’re 4-1, Ryan is making plays when it matters most, Turner and Snelling continue to wear teams down, White is damn near unstoppable and the defense is fast and opportunistic. (Did you see Kroy Biermann’s 41-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the game? Holy amazing play, Batman.)

      Have they been fortunate a couple of times this year? Without a doubt. Garrett Hartley’s missed field goal in Week 3, Nate Clements’ fumble in Week 4 and Seneca Wallace’s (who was playing great before coming out just before halftime) injury today has all played a huge factor in Atlanta’s strong start. But it all plays into the Falcons’ makeup in some weird, twisted way.

      “Winning Ugly” should be their philosophy the rest of the season.

      External Sports, NFL

      Roddy White makes play of the day (if not season) in Falcons’ win over 49ers

      October 3, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 29: Roddy White #84 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates his game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Eric Weems #14 and quarterback Chris Redman #8 at Georgia Dome on November 29, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      The 49ers must feel a massive sense of déjà vu right now.

      In a Week 5 game in San Francisco last year, former 49er cornerback Dre Bly intercepted a Matt Ryan pass and had a clear beat on the end zone.

      The only problem is that he started high stepping around midfield and Falcons’ receiver Roddy White caught up to him and stripped him from behind. One of Atlanta’s offensive lineman was able to recover the loose ball and the Falcons went on to beat the Niners, 45-10.

      Fast-forward to today, where San Fran outplayed the Falcons in Atlanta for three and a half quarters and while nursing a 1-point lead with under two minutes remaining, Nate Clements intercepted Ryan and headed for the end zone.

      A touchdown would have likely sealed the win for the Niners, but White chased Clements down from behind, stripped the ball and one of the Falcons’ offensive lineman (I’m not making this up) recovered it at Atlanta’s 7-yard line. (The lineman’s name who recovered the ball was Harvey Dahl, who never gave up on the play either and made just as big of a play as White did.)

      With just over a minute remaining in the game, Ryan gathered himself and orchestrated an impressive drive to get the Falcons into field goal range at the San Francisco 25-yard line. After Mike Singletary tried icing the kicker (does that ever work?) by calling a timeout, Matt Brant kicked a 43-yard field goal to lift Atlanta to a 16-14 victory.

      The Niners did a lot of things right today and they seemed destined to earn their first victory of the year. Even though they only scored 14 points, new offensive coordinator Mike Johnson put together a sound game plan and if it weren’t for a couple of Alex Smith-drive-killing-interceptions, San Fran may have won easily.

      But the game essentially came down to White’s play late in the fourth quarter. At the risk of sounding like a motivational poster, the Falcons won today because of White’s hustle and determination. And considering he’s made a play like this before, it goes to show you that he’s much more than just a Pro Bowl receiver.

      It was one of the best plays you’ll see all season.

      External Sports, NFL

      Jim Mora doesn’t like Doug Gottlieb very much [video]

      October 1, 2010 /

      Mora didn’t handle that very well. It’s a perfectly legitimate question to ask Vick’s former coach if he wonders “what if?” when he sees how Vick is playing this season. Mora got rattled, and then phoned in (literally and figuratively) the answer about whether or not the Philadelphia fans should boo Donovan McNabb.

      Don’t do radio interviews if you don’t want to answer questions, Jim.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL, Rumors & Gossip, Video

      Saints’ issues go beyond Garrett Hartley

      September 27, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints looks on against the Minnesota Vikings at Louisiana Superdome on September 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      When a kicker misses what would have been a game-winning field goal and sets up his opponent for victory instead, it’s not hard to figure out where to point blame.

      Garrett Hartley should have made the 29-yard field goal that cost the Saints a victory over the Falcons yesterday in overtime. But the defending champs have more than just kicking issues to worry about.

      Hartley’s kicking woes are obvious, which is why the Saints are set to work out veteran John Carney today. If they decide to make a change, then hopefully Carney will help bring some stability to the position.

      But John Carney isn’t going to solve the Saints’ inability to stop power running games or help generate a pass rush. He’s not going to fix Reggie Bush’s leg injury or help a suddenly struggling interior offensive line either.

      The Falcons have consistently proven that they can run the football. They rushed for 221 yards against the Cardinals, so for them to produce another 200-yard effort (201 to be exact) against the Saints wasn’t necessarily surprising. But it’s obviously still a concern.

      The straw that broke the camel’s back was when the Saints’ defense couldn’t stop Michael Turner and Jason Snelling on the Falcons’ game-winning drive in overtime. On that drive, Turner and Snelling combined for 46 yards on 10 carries and picked up three first downs by keeping the ball on the ground. (Although one of those runs by Turner was negated because of a penalty.)

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      External Sports, NFL

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