Tag: Atlanta Falcons (Page 54 of 66)

      Are the Vikings who we thought they were?

      December 1, 2008 /

      Adrian PetersonBefore the season started, the addition of Jared Allen to the defensive line and then the continued development of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson had many NFL purists believing the Minnesota Vikings were the team to beat in the NFC North.

      But Jackson was replaced by the ageless wonder Gus Frerotte, the team lost three of its first four games and suddenly the Vikings were like many other annual chic picks in the NFL – overrated.

      Minnesota appears back on track, however, winning four of their last five games and seizing control in the NFC North by soundly beating the Bears 34-14 on Sunday Night Football. So the question is – were the purists right all along and the Vikes just needed time for things to fall into place?

      The Vikings have a couple of key elements that make them a sound football team. They can run the ball (Adrian Peterson was a beast in their win over the Bears) behind a solid offensive line, they can stop the run and Allen gives them a dominant pass-rush. They still have some issues stopping the pass and both of their defensive tackles could be suspended soon, but they’re clearly the best team in the weak North division at this point.

      Assuming Minnesota wins their division, the question now becomes – how far can they go? Peterson is such a weapon, but we saw Sunday night how much of a physical pounding his body takes because of how hard he runs. Frerotte has been a major upgrade over Jackson, but does his play have a ceiling? It’ll be interesting to see if not only the Vikes can wrap up the division, but also whether or not they can compete with the Panthers, Falcons, Cowboys or any other Wild Card team they would face in the first round.

      NFL

      Defenses keep surprising Ravens, Falcons in playoff contention

      November 30, 2008 /

      Ravens-BengalsI think the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens are joined together at the hip this season. Both teams have first-year head coaches, are starting rookie quarterbacks and were given zero chance to make the playoffs in the preseason. But with the Ravens’ 34-3 win over the Bengals and the Falcons’ 22-16 victory over the Chargers, both teams remain in the postseason hunt at 8-4.

      Baltimore didn’t have much of a challenge in Cincinnati on Sunday, but the Raven defense was incredible. They held the Bengals to just six first downs, 155 total yards and 98 passing yards. I don’t care who you’re playing – those numbers are staggering.

      The Falcons, meanwhile, didn’t make things easy for themselves in San Diego. They turned the ball over three times, which resulted in all 16 of the Chargers’ points, but Matt Ryan (17 of 23 for 207 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) was impressive again and the defense held San Diego to only 201 total yards. They also blocked a field goal and while the final score doesn’t indicate it, Atlanta’s defense really dominated this entire game.

      Anyone that thinks either of these teams can’t win a playoff game hasn’t been paying attention. Both teams can run the ball, have quarterbacks that don’t make too many mistakes (which is incredible considering Ryan and Joe Flacco are both rookies) and their defenses have been solid. Now they just have to keep winning so they can get into the playoffs because other teams in their conferences certainly aren’t making things easy.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      The Giants are the best team in football – period

      November 30, 2008 /

      Giants-RedskinsNothing against the New York Jets or Tennessee Titans, but the New York Giants are clearly the best team in the NFL right now. How many teams would have gone into Arizona and Washington the past two weeks and soundly beat two good football squads in the Cardinals and Redskins as soundly as the Giants just did?

      In their 23-7 win over the Skins on Sunday, the Giants shutout Washington in the first half and limited them to just 92 total yards on the ground. They also dominated time of possession (35:44 to 24:16), racked up 404 total yards of offense and caused two turnovers. The way the G-Men win is machine-like.

      Even though this loss hurts, Washington is still in good shape. They have a tough matchup next week in Baltimore, but then they travel to Cincinnati, face Philadelphia at home and then wrap up the season in San Francisco. They should finish no worse than 9-7 and considering they already beat the Eagles on the road earlier this season, they should be expected to beat Philly. One would think 10-6 should be good enough for a playoff berth in the NFC.

      But getting back to the topic at hand – will any team beat the Giants in the postseason? Tampa’s defense is good enough, but their offense has been hit and miss this year. Arizona’s passing game is dangerous, but the Cards would be no match for the G-Men in New York come playoff time. Carolina can be dangerous, but they’re also inconsistent. Washington, Atlanta and whoever wins the NFC North don’t seem

      So who’s left? The team that many people had representing the NFC in the Super Bowl – the Dallas Cowboys.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      10 things in sports that I’m thankful for

      November 27, 2008 /

      Ah, Thanksgiving – the time to give thanks.

      I thought that since it was Thanksgiving (which don’t forget, is the time to give thanks) that I would lay out 10 things that I’m thankful for in the world of sports.

      I’m thankful for…

      1…there’s no possible way we’ll see a Big Ten team play in the national championship.
      I love the Big Ten for many reasons – the physical brand of football, the traditions, the rivalries, etc. But there’s no team in that conference this year that could match up with the likes of Alabama, Florida, Texas or Oklahoma on a national stage. Penn State and Ohio State are solid teams, but if the Nittany Lions took on the Gators in the title game, there’s a good chance that we’d all be watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by halftime.


      New York Jets      2…parity in the NFL.
      How exciting is the NFL again this season? None of the divisions outside of the NFC West and maybe the NFC East have been decided yet and we still have five weeks of action left. Granted, there has been a lot of mediocre football being played around the league, but at least parity has bred competition on a weekly basis. Who would have thought that at this point in the season, the Jets, Ravens and Falcons would all be vying for a playoff spot?

      3…rivalry week in college football.
      Granted, not all of the matchups are attractive, but how great is it that Auburn is playing Alabama the same week Florida is playing Florida State? Even Ole’ Miss and Mississippi State will be entertaining and the possibility that one of the ranked schools will be knocked off by a rival is exciting.

      4…the Hot Stove League is heating up again.
      Outside of Opening Day and the postseason, this is by far the best time in baseball. Who doesn’t love hopping on the computer each day and surfing through all the rumors? And once your team lands one of the prized free agents, it’s all you can do from imaging your team playing in the Fall Classic next year.

      5…fantasy football playoffs.
      Everyone sitting in the bottom half of their fantasy football standings right now just flipped me the bird, but for those of us gearing up for the playoffs, the culmination of everything we’ve been working for all season is finally here. This is the time of year when you say, “Work? What work? Sorry boss – I’ve got to check my roster 4,000 more times before noon and then hit the Steelers training room so I can massage Ben Roethlisberger’s hamstrings so to ensure he’s ready to go this Sunday.”

      6…shootouts in hockey.
      Hockey purists tell me that shootouts determining which team wins and loses “isn’t really hockey.” Fair enough, but at least when I spend $80 on a ticket now I actually see my team win or go down in flames. There’s nothing more unsatisfying than a tie in sports – any sport. If I watch a bunch of players go at it on a slab of ice for three hours, I want to feel either ecstatic or traumatized at the end.

      Manny Ramirez7…Manny Ramirez being a free agent.
      If you don’t like following the circus that is Manny Ramirez, than you’ve got issues. And the fact that he’s a free agent this offseason only means we’ll get “Manny being Manny” on full blast over the next couple weeks/months. I seriously can’t wait to see where this goofy bastard winds up playing next year, but I’m going to enjoy the process even more.

      8…humorous sports blogs.
      How great is it that I can get a recap of the Cowboys-Giants game at the same place I can read about how Tony Romo nailed Jessica Simpson on a beach in Mexico? It’s a beautiful thing.

      9…MAC football on a Tuesday night.
      When most people see that Northern Illinois is taking on Buffalo on a random Tuesday night, they usually keep flipping until they land on a new episode of “Dancing With the Stars.” Not me. During football season, I don’t care of Texas is playing Oklahoma or Texas School for the Blind is taking on Oklahoma Little Sisters of the Poor – I’m watching it…and recording that new episode of “Dancing with the Stars.”

      10…Erin Andrews working the sidelines.
      ‘Nuff said.

      College Football, Fantasy Football, General Sports, Humor, MLB, NFL

      Matt Ryan the greatest rookie quarterback ever?

      November 24, 2008 /

      Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that we are watching the greatest rookie quarterback to ever play in the NFL in the Falcons’ Matt Ryan.

      Matt RyanTom Brady threw three passes his rookie season; Brett Favre threw four. Bart Starr and Joe Montana each started one game as rookies. Troy Aikman had to be benched midway through, having gone 0-11 as a starter. Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions his first season. John Elway completed 47.5 percent of his rookie passes, Terry Bradshaw 38.1 percent.

      Joe Namath was 3-5-1 as a lavishly salaried — he was making $400,000 — rookie. Fran Tarkenton was 2-8 as a first-year starter; Johnny Unitas was 4-3, Bob Griese 3-7. Ben Roethlisberger was 13-0 as a rookie quarterback on a loaded Pittsburgh team but didn’t start until Week 3. Sammy Baugh made All-Pro as a rookie but threw six more interceptions than touchdown passes. Bob Waterfield was league MVP as a rookie but started only four games. (Doubtless he got bonus points for being married to Jane Russell.)

      Dan Marino is considered the gold standard of rookie quarterbacks, but his first start only came in Week 6, and he joined a team that had reached the Super Bowl the previous season. And now we consider Matt Ryan, who has started from Day 1 for a dilapidated team the Sporting News pegged to finish 1-15, who stands now as the chief reason the refurbished Falcons are 7-4.

      Ryan has been unbelievable, but I think we should wait until the end of the year before making claims that he’s the best rookie quarterback ever. What Big Ben did his rookie year was pretty astonishing, although Bradley’s point about him playing on an already stacked Steelers team is just. Still, Ryan still has five games left and if he leads the Falcons to the playoffs, then maybe we can talk about him being the greatest ever.

      That said, he is absolutely remarkable. Pundits figured the Falcons would win no more than two or three games not only because Ryan is a rookie, but also because the roster is devoid of overall talent. But with a little help from Michael Turner, John Abraham and Roddy White, Ryan has done some amazing things as a rookie. His poise, confidence and demeanor have been incredibly impressive and he looks like he has a bright future ahead of him.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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