Tag: Atlanta Falcons (Page 46 of 66)

      Top 20 Most Memorable Playoff Games

      January 12, 2009 /

      The Love of Sports put together a great list of the top 20 most memorable playoff games.

      2. 1992 AFC Wild Card: Bills 41, Oilers 38 (OT)
      At some point during this game, possibly at halftime, NBC actually flashed a graphic on screen that said something to the tune of: “Next week: Houston at Pittsburgh, 4pm.” Oops. I wish I had video to confirm this. Oh, and the Bills stormed back with hall-of-famers Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas out of the game. My dad attended the game, and reported of fans trying to scale the fences to get back into the stadium after walking out with the score 35-3. Of course, with the local blackout, the only way you could see it in Western New York was if you were there.

      1. 2003 NFC Divisional: Panthers 29, Rams 23 (2 OT)
      I will go to my grave arguing this is the second-most entertaining NFL game I’ve ever seen, behind only Super Bowl XXXVIII. Amazingly, the ‘04 Panthers played in both.

      How awesome was it?

      – Mushin Muhammad scored not on a catch, but a fumble recovery of a botched shovel pass.
      – The Panthers, following a John Kasay missed FG that would have put them up by 14, blew an 11-point lead in the final 2:39, and still won.
      – The Rams’ kicker successfully recovered his own onside kick after cutting Carolina’s lead to three.
      – Mike Martz’s bizarre strategy to let the clock run down and play for the tie, despite having the ball in the red zone with that offense at home will be second-guessed for eternity.
      – The Panthers seemingly won the game in the first OT on a 40-yard field goal but got flagged for delay of game. The 45-yard attempt sailed wide right.
      – The Rams then missed a 53-yard field goal on their ensuing possession.
      – The game went into a second overtime – the first such game since 1987.
      – Jake Delhomme’s 69-yard nail-in-the-coffin bomb to Steve Smith was as pretty of a play as you’ll ever see.
      – It was the Rams’ first home playoff loss, and their first home loss of any kind in 14 games.
      – It was the fifth-longest game in NFL history.
      – I needed a separate list just to describe the awesomeness of this game.

      What a great list, although as a Falcons fan I would have loved to have seen the boys at TLOS rank the 1998 NFC Championship Game higher than 10. Thanks Gary Anderson – love, ya.

      Make sure and check out the entire list because it comes complete with video. It’s crazy to look back on how many great playoff games there have been over the years.

      Video

      NFL Divisional Round Preview

      January 10, 2009 /

      Before I get to my Divisional Round Preview, I’d like to send all of the losers from Wild Card Weekend off the only way I know how: By jabbing them one final time.

      Atlanta Falcons: Hey Mike Smith and Mike Mularkey, his name is Jerious Norwood. He’s #32 and he’s one of the best playmakers on your offense. Might want to think about using him more the next time an opposing defense figures out how to shut down Michael Turner.

      Indianapolis Colts: Seven trips to the postseason in the last seven years and you only manage one Super Bowl appearance with a three-time MVP at quarterback? Dear Barbara…

      Miami Dolphins: Chad, I love you man and I love your story this season. But you can’t force passes down field into double coverage and expect good things. You should have kept doing what you did all season and what you did in your first possession of the game – hit the high-percentage passes and let your receivers get the yardage.

      Minnesota Vikings: Did anyone else scratch their head when Brad Childress declined a holding penalty on third down early in the first quarter that would have moved the Eagles on the edge of field goal range? Instead, it brought up forth down and David Akers drilled a 43-yarder to give Philly a 3-0 lead. Childress basically said, “I’m not sure if my defense can hold the Eagles on 3rd and 14 – better give up the field goal so we don’t give up a potential touchdown instead.” You never give your opponents points in the playoffs. Never. Not even a field goal. Force them back, force them to make a play and force them to earn the points.

      Myself: I went 1-3 with my Wild Card Predictions last week. Seriously? You went with the Colts in the playoffs? A rookie in Matt Ryan? The Vikings over everyone’s sleeper team in the Eagles? You’re a freaking bum. (Ironically I went 3-1 in a family football pool because I came to my senses and picked San Diego and Philly.)

      Moving on…

      Chris JohnsonBaltimore Ravens (11-5) at Tennessee Titans (13-3)
      Saturday, January 10, 4:30PM ET
      Opening Odds: Titans –3
      Over/Under: 34.5
      Game Outlook:
      No disrespect to the Giants and Eagles or any other team playing this weekend, but this is easily the best matchup on the divisional playoff schedule. Did you see what Ed Reed and the Ravens did to Chad Pennington and the Dolphins last week? They held them to only 276 total yards, forced five turnovers and surrendered only 52 rushing yards. And although they used a lot of gadget formations throughout the season, it’s not like Miami’s offense was a dud this year. Granted, the Titans have the seventh best rushing attack in the league and rookie Chris Johnson brings an added dimension to the field, but Mike Heimerdinger has his hands full this week trying to come up with a game plan to move the ball against a Baltimore defense allowing just over 15 points a game this season. That said, it’ll be interesting to see how rookie quarterback Joe Flacco does against the seventh best defense in the NFL. Flacco passed with flying colors last week while playing mistake-free and running for the game-clinching score in the fourth quarter. But he’ll have to do a hell of a lot more than complete 9 of 23 passes for 135 yards against a Tennessee defense that could have DT Albert Haynesworth and DE Kyle Vanden Bosch back on their defensive line. If both players are in the lineup Saturday, Flacco is going to feel the heat up the middle and from the edges so he better get rid of the ball in a timely manner. Overall, this is the best defensive matchup of the year and this game will probably come down to who doesn’t turn the ball over.
      X-Factor: Chris Johnson, Titans RB
      The only time the Dolphins found success last week was when they used the Ravens’ aggressive style against them and slipped backs out in the flats. Pennington was able to hit Patrick Cobbs and company for seven to 10 yard gains and the Titans could employ the same method. Johnson is a homerun threat and more than capable of taking one to the house every play. Tennessee has to get the ball in this kid’s hands and force the Ravens to miss tackles in the open field, which they have the penchant for doing at times.
      Prediction: Titans 16, Ravens 13.
      I’m not going to bite on this potential upset. The Ravens’ defense is absolutely nasty, but Flacco worries me against a ball-hawking Tennessee secondary and I think the Titans are going to shut down Baltimore’s running game. This game comes down to which team makes fewer mistakes and I’ll take a veteran in Kerry Collins over the rook Flacco. (Word to the wise though, Kerry – stay away from Ed Reed’s side if you can.)

      Steve SmithArizona Cardinals (9-7) at Carolina Panthers (12-4)
      Saturday, January 10, 8:15PM ET
      Opening Odds: Panthers –10
      Over/Under: 48
      Game Outlook:
      There’s no sense avoiding the obvious: the Cardinals are a different team at home than they are on the road. The Cardinals played an inspired game last week in their win over the Falcons, but the Panthers aren’t going to make the same mistakes Atlanta did. Unlike the Falcons, Carolina will attack the edges of Arizona’s defense with the dynamic running duo of DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart. And for as well as the Cards played against the run last Saturday, it’s highly doubtful they do it two weeks in a row, especially considering that this time they’ll be on the road. Jake Delhomme isn’t going to be as awestruck as rookie Matt Ryan was either, so don’t expect Arizona to be handed three gift turnovers like they were last week. Granted, the Cardinals did play the Panthers tough in Carolina earlier this year and probably should have beaten them, but the Cats are well rested and their defense is playing better now than it was in the middle of the season. Look for the Panthers to establish their running game early, but also get playmaker Steve Smith involved on their first two offensive possessions. Carolina loves to run zero-screens to Smith to see if he can break one early, and he just might against a defense that will be more concerned with stopping the run. Another factor working in the Panthers’ favor is that Anquan Boldin continues to be hampered by injuries. If he can’t be effective, Carolina will load up to stop the run (which Atlanta failed to do) and blanket Larry Fitzgerald in coverage. The Falcons were unable to get pressure on Kurt Warner, but Carolina won’t make the same mistake. Arizona OT Mike Gandy won’t be as lucky as he was last week playing a hobbled John Abraham, because Julius Peppers is revving to go.
      X-Factor: Steve Smith, Panthers WR
      Defenses try to double and triple-team this guy and he still winds up making plays. You can’t stop him – you can only hope to limit him from making game-changing plays. If the Panthers can run the ball effectively, Smith is going to have a huge day because the play action pass will open up.
      Prediction: Panthers 35, Cardinals 24.
      Although Arizona burned me last week when I predicted them to lose to the Falcons, I think everything that worked for the Cardinals last week will go against them this Saturday. They won’t be able to run the ball, Warner is going to see more pressure and the defense won’t shut down Williams and Stewart like they did Turner.

      Donovan McNabbPhiladelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at New York Giants (12-4)
      Sunday, January 11, 1:00PM ET
      Opening Odds: Giants -4
      Over/Under: 40
      Game Outlook:
      I wrote about it Sunday after the Eagles beat the Vikings and I’ll write about it again: this is not a matchup the Giants wanted. Philadelphia is brimming with confidence right now, has already beaten the Giants in New York once this season and is playing incredibly well defensively. The G-Men won’t admit it, but their fans will – they would have rather played the Cardinals this weekend than NFC East rival Philadelphia. Either way, they’ve got the Eagles and now the defending champs will have to defend their title the hard way. This game will come down to two things: 1) Brandon Jacobs and 2) protecting Eli Manning. If the Giants can get Jacobs and the running game going, it’ll help neutralize what Eagle defensive coordinator Jim Johnson does best: blitz. But if Jacobs is ineffective, the Eagles are going to send the house every play and pressure Manning, who can look like a Super Bowl winner one moment and Henry Burris the next. Not having a playmaker at receiver has hurt the Giants over the past couple weeks. Their win over the Panthers in Week 16 was inspiring, but their receivers aren’t making big plays and that’s a problem going against a secondary that is playing incredibly well right now. As for Philly, they have to stop the run. They allowed the Vikings to rush for close to 150 yards last Saturday and they were fortunate that Tarvaris Jackson couldn’t make enough plays in the passing game to beat them. If the Eagles can’t stop the run again this week, they can rest assure that Manning will beat them, even with the lack of a playmaker at receiver. They need to stuff the run, pressure Eli and get his confidence down immediately. They also need better production from Brian Westbrook, who couldn’t get going against a very good Minnesota front seven. Donovan McNabb has played extremely well over the past month, but he needs Westbrook to open things up for him so the Giants don’t just pin their ears back and pressure him into mistakes.
      X-Factor: Brandon Jacobs RB Giants
      If he can be effective, he’ll take the pressure off Manning and the Giants will move on. If he can’t, the Eagles win this one in a defensive struggle.
      Prediction: Eagles 20, Giants 16.
      I didn’t bite on the Ravens upsetting the Titans, but I will here. The Giants haven’t looked sharp in over a month and losing Burress hurt them more than they’ll admit. McNabb seems to be playing looser since being benched at Baltimore and Jim Johnson beats Kevin Gilbride in the battle of the coordinators.

      Troy PolamaluSan Diego Chargers (8-8) at Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
      Sunday, January 11, 4:45PM ET
      Opening Odds: Steelers -6
      Over/Under: 38
      Game Outlook:
      The Chargers provided the upset of Wild Card Weekend in knocking off the Colts, as Darren Sproles has emerged as the next young playmaker in San Diego’s backfield. Chances are we haven’t seen the last of him either, because word is that LaDainian Tomlinson will be out the rest of the playoffs with a groin injury. Defensively for the Chargers, coordinator Ron Rivera has had massive impact since taking over for Ted Cottrell midseason and now San Diego is playing with more confidence than earlier in the year. The biggest turnaround has been in the secondary, which had been shredded earlier in the season but has since come together and even held Peyton Manning in check the late in the game last Saturday. The true test for the Chargers this week is keeping Ben Roethlisberger (who will play despite receiving a concussion being concussed in Week 17) from making plays on third down. Teams have gotten to Big Ben, but he’s often burned them by escaping the pressure while keeping his eyes down field and making plays in the passing game. Pittsburgh’s offensive line is being held together by duct tape, so it’ll be interesting to see if Rivera can drum up a pass rush with his front seven and possibly force Roethlisberger to make mistakes like he did in the Steelers’ loss to the Titans a few weeks ago. Offensively for San Diego, if Sproles can’t find running room against the best defensive defense in the league, the game will be placed directly on quarterback Philip Rivers’ shoulders. Antonio Gates has been hobbled of late, but should play. Watch for the Steelers to blanket him in coverage and force Rivers to go to Chris Chambers and his other receivers. Rivers can’t make mistakes this weekend or else the Steeler defense will eat him alive and the wild ride will be over with for the Chargers. Anyone expecting a Pittsburgh romp will be sorely mistaken because this game should be tight throughout. This game also has some added intrigue because when these two teams met earlier this season, the Steelers came away with an 11-10 victory, which was the first 11-10 final in NFL history. Of course the final score should have been 18-10 because Troy Polamalu scored a defensive touchdown in the waning seconds of the game, but the officials blew a forward-lateral call and the score came off the board, resulting in the 11-10 finish. It was one of the most bizarre plays of the season, which incidentally cost gamblers millions of dollars.
      X-Factor: Troy Polamalu, Steelers S.
      Any chance I get to write about a playmaking safety, the better. Much like the Ravens’ Ed Reed, Polamalu is a game-changer and he made the catch of the year in the Steelers’ win against the Chargers earlier this season. He’s the type of defender that can cover the entire field and there’s no doubt he’ll make a play or two to shift the momentum of the game in Pittsburgh’s favor.
      Prediction: Steelers 20, Chargers 13.
      Although this is definitely another game San Diego can win, I don’t see them moving the ball as well as they did against Indy. The Steelers have issues, but their defense should win this one for them.

      Free Picks, NFL

      Michael Vick…in a Bears uniform?

      January 7, 2009 /

      Carol Slezak of the Chicago Sun-Times likes the idea of the Bears possibly showing interest in Michael Vick once he gets done sporting an orange jumpsuit.

      Michael VickBefore his hidden life became public knowledge, Vick was the most exciting player in the NFL and one of its most popular players, as well. The former No. 1 overall pick is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and took the Falcons to the playoffs twice. And while he wasn’t a great passer, his running ability made him a constant threat. Defenses had to respect him, and they did.

      No, we don’t know what kind of shape he’ll be in after nearly two years in prison. But Vick always has been a remarkable athlete, and he’s only 28. Good quarterbacks are tough to develop and tough to find on the open market. The position has been a particular challenge for the Bears throughout franchise history. Not that I’m ruling Kyle Orton out of the picture, mind you. But Angelo has made his priorities clear. If nothing else, he wants to see competition at the position. Vick would do the trick.

      Let’s assume he will leave federal prison rehabilitated in every way. Let’s assume he has learned the serious nature of his crimes and is repentant. Let’s assume he is drug-free. Let’s assume that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates him. Under these circumstances, is there any reason why the Bears shouldn’t be interested in him?

      When considering Vick’s future, let’s not pretend the NFL is filled with perfect citizens. For every all-around good guy like Mike Brown, there’s another Plaxico Burress or Pacman Jones or Tank Johnson waiting to be found out. Vick deserves a chance to resume his career. There will be strings attached, of course. Morals clauses and counseling sessions and whatever else the league or a team might ask for to cover its risk. But in all likelihood, Vick will get another chance somewhere. Why not here?

      Talent has never been the issue with Vick. But what Carol seems to forget is that Vick was a distraction before he was ever labeled a dog-fighter. He allegedly gave a woman the herp, he allegedly used a trick water bottle to hide marijuana, he gave the double-fingered salute to the Georgia Dome crowd…and then he was busted for killing innocent animals. (While traveling with Vick early in his career, one of his friends also stole a watch from an airport employee, which the Falcons successfully swept under the rug.)

      And that’s just his off-field accomplishments. Let’s not forget that he has trouble hitting receivers — which the Bears don’t have, by the way — on a consistent basis, often carries the ball like a loaf of bread and has been labeled an athlete that would rather rely more on his God-given talent than his brain.

      The Bears should pass; they’re better off with Kyle Orton. Unless prison has made him a new man (highly doubtful), than Vick’s more trouble than he’s worth for Chicago. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance, but Vick was well past his second chance when the dog-fighting story came to light.

      NFL

      If NFL teams want better defenses, they better build outdoors

      January 6, 2009 /

      Georgia DomeLast Sunday a couple friends and I were watching the Ravens-Dolphins playoff game and we were talking about how good both Baltimore and Miami’s defenses were this season. Then we started to gab about other top defenses in the league and the thought dawned on me – all the good defensive teams play outdoors.

      Think about it. What teams had the best defenses in 2008? Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington and the Giants all ranked in the top five – all outdoors teams. Granted, Minnesota was No. 6, but the next dome team was Indianapolis at No. 11.

      Out of the eight dome teams (I’ll count both Dallas and Arizona as dome teams), five of them (Arizona, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis and Detroit) finished in the bottom half of the league in total defense. In 2007, six of the eight teams finished in the bottom half. In 2006, five teams finished in the bottom half. In 2005, four of the seven dome teams (Arizona was outdoors before 2006) finished in the bottom half and in 2004, six of the seven dome teams ranked in the bottom half defensively.

      Here’s a breakdown of how each dome team has done defensively since 2002:

      Arizona 2006-2008: 29th; 17th; 19th
      Atlanta 2002-2008: 19th; 32nd; 14th; 22nd; 22nd; 29th; 24th
      Dallas 2002-2008: 18th; 1st; 16th; 10th; 20th; 13th; 9th; 8th
      Detroit 2002-2008: 31st; 24th; 22nd; 28th; 32nd; 32nd
      Indianapolis 2002-2008: 8th; 11th; 29th; 11th; 21st; 11th;
      Minnesota 2002-2008: 26th; 23rd; 28th; 21st; 8th; 20th; 3rd; 6th
      New Orleans 2002-2008: 27th; 18th; 32nd; 14th; 11th; 26th; 23rd
      St. Louis 2002-2008: 13th; 16th; 17th; 30th; 23rd; 21st; 28th

      Let’s recap:

      – Of the eight dome teams, only three of them have ever finished in the top 10 in total defense since 2002.
      – Only two of them (Dallas and Minnesota) have ever finished in the top 5 in total defense since 2002.
      – All of them have finished in the bottom half of the league in total defense at least once.
      – Atlanta, Detroit, New Orleans and St. Louis haven’t cracked the top 10 in total defense once since 2002.

      Granted, there are several huge factors that work against the theory that dome teams are worse off defensively than those that play outdoors. First and foremost, there’s a larger sample size of outdoors teams than dome, so of course they’re going to have better overall defensive rankings. Secondly, 2002 to 2008 might not be a long enough time period to definitively say that dome teams are worse defensively.

      But think about it – when has a dome team ever had a consistently good defense? Chicago, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New England have always been known for their defense. Outside of the “Purple People Eaters” when has a dome team ever been known for its defense? Never. And this plays into the fact that dome teams struggle to make Super Bowl appearances.

      Why? It can’t be that these teams have ignored their defenses over the years or have just had terrible luck in the drafts. Free agency has allowed teams to rebuild in just one offseason, so it’s not like these teams haven’t had the opportunity to re-tool their defensive units.

      The simple explanation is that teams can obviously move the ball better when they don’t have to deal with weather conditions, so therefore dome teams are more susceptible to giving up more yardage and points. But is that it? So dome teams are just doomed defensively for the end of time? They best they can do on a consistent basis is finish 11-16 in total defense?

      Obviously this research is largely incomplete, but it’s an interesting topic.

      NFL

      Falcons’ Mike Smith wins NFL Coach of the Year

      January 4, 2009 /

      The Atlanta Falcons are owners of this season’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and now they’re the owners of the AP Coach of the Year as Mike Smith took home the honors on Sunday.

      Mike SmithAtlanta’s Smith edged Miami’s Sparano by one vote Sunday for The Associated Press 2008 NFL Coach of the Year award.

      Both coaches oversaw sensational turnarounds, leading their teams from last-place finishes in 2007 to playoff berths this year. Their achievements were reflected by the closeness of the balloting, with Smith getting 23½ votes and Sparano 22½ from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL.

      After improving from 4-12 to 11-5 and making the NFC playoffs as a wild card, the Falcons fell 30-24 at Arizona on Saturday night. That should not detract from a memorable season that bodes well for the football future in Atlanta.

      “I think we have tried to establish that we’d be very systematic in how we did things, that we were going to have a plan,” said Smith, who helped guide quarterback Matt Ryan to the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

      Considering the Dolphins were 1-15 last year, Sparano was just as deserving. But what put Smith over the top was the job he did with a rookie quarterback and the fact that Atlanta’s problems last year were more nationally covered, from Michael Vick’s arrest for dog fighting, to Bobby Petrino’s escape to Arkansas.

      Some football purists are going to be steamed with Smith edging Sparano, but he was truly just as deserving. Both of these coaches were miracle workers this season and equally deserving of the award.

      NFL

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