NFC South

Falcons need a confident Matt Ryan to come out against the Seahawks who arguably have the best secondary in the league. A slow start to this game simply will not do.

Now that the wildcard round has been decided, we know that the Ravens, Packers, Texans and Seahawks are moving on to the next round. More on the first 3′s matchups later. For right now let’s talk about the Seahawk’s matchup with my beloved Falcons. 

This game excites me not just cause I’m a Falcons fan and because I’ve grown to really like the Seahawks players through the web series “Real Rob Report” but because this contest promises to be a battle of the big boys. By big boys, I mean physical players with the size to match their aggressiveness. 

I said at the beginning of the season, and I still say now, that the Falcons have the most talented receiving core in professional football. Roddy White and Julio Jones are both tall and ripped. Both take pride in their blocking abilities and perform in double coverage as well as anyone else in the league to use a Grudenesque phrase. I also count Jaquizz Rodgers who works miracles in space as part of that talented “receiving” core in addition to TE  Tony Gonzalez who, in his last year, hasn’t slowed down and is still a tough matchup for any defensive back. Michael Turner, the weakest link, is still a powerful player when he wants to be and has used his boulder body to get in the end zone 11 times this season in short yardage situations.

On the other side of the ball, Seattle boasts 3 defensive backs that stand above 6’2.  Where the Falcon’s secondary calls itself “Pick Squad” Seattle’s starting corners Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner) and safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor refer to themselves as the “Legion of Boom” due to their physical style of play. They love to make contact. And they love to brag about it. Sherman ended the season with a top ranking from Pro Football Focus and as a leader in passes defended (Asante Samuel ended the year in 5th place for PDs, just so you know!). 

What I notice most about the Seahawks over the season is how physical the entire team is on both sides of the ball. Marshawn Lynch, of course, has been stomping on opposing fans’ feelings for years now. But, as you saw if you watched the game against the Redskins, their tiny QB Russell Wilson both runs and run blocks with reckless abandon. And slightly built WRs Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate (who was fined earlier in the year for an illegal hit block ) also like to hit defenses in the mouth and this will be a good time for the Falcons new look/new attitude secondary to show a national audience that they ain’t never scared. But more importantly, the Falcons cannot allow Sidney Rice too deliver a big game.

Game Keys

The Seahawks will need Bruce Irvin to step up since Chris Clemons will be out (he tore his ACL on Fed Ex’s terrible field). They will also need to get Lynch going early and so that the Falcons D cannot remain singularly focused on Wilson and the receiving core. Both teams must resist succumbing to the slow starts that can plague both squads. Seahawks will have to cut down on mistakes as the Falcons have the least amount of accepted penalties and yards of any team through 16 games. The Falcons offensive line must hold up vs. the run and the defense must remain focused on turnovers. 

Cheer up Coach Smith! Within a few weeks you will be the winningest coach in Atlanta Falcons history.

My darling Atlanta Falcons went into their bye week feeling good but not as good as they did 2 or 3 games ago. I think it’s clear that despite the 6-0 record there is room for improvement and it’s great to see the Falcons talking about getting better. They’ve won a few contests that probably shouldn’t have been close toward the end. They’ve also shown that, while there’s probably no danger in them ending another game having not scored at all like they did last season, they are still prone to the kind of offensive lulls that can really bury a team.

RB Michael Turner said something to the Atlanta Journal Constitution that stuck out to me

“Yeah, a win is a win…but we’re looking at something beyond just winning right now. We’re trying to be special and special teams don’t play like that.”

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Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan is delivering on his potential this season.

I’m still reeling from the amazing finish to the Falcons/Panthers game on Sunday. With mere seconds left and all the way at their own 2 yard line, the Falcons, or shall I say Matt Ryan and Roddy White with a little help from Matt Bryant’s leg, pulled off the kind of thing that makes last year’s non-scoring playoff appearance seem like decades ago. This is not the team from last year. The DC and OC are different, the mindset is different, and the leadership and effort from the QB is vastly different as well. 

While I was marveling at what an on-field leader the Baltimore Ravens Joe Flacco has become, Matt Ryan was busy blossoming as well. Both quarterbacks’ confidence has led to more consistent play on offense for both teams. Ryan has an added advantage of a future Hall of Fame Tight End and what I believe to be the best Wide Receiver combo in the league right now (and yes, I’ve heard of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz). 

And thus far it shows. 

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How can anyone be mad at that face????

Many writers and bloggers have speculated that the reason Drew Brees was franchise tagged and has yet to get a long term deal was retaliation for his involvement in the lockout. But now, the NFLPA is worried about it too.

If you remember, Drew Brees (and Tom Brady) allowed their names to be used in the players’ case against the NFL. This was important because the image of the players was helped and the case further legitimized by having golden boys attach their names to it.

But Brees’ involvement was more than just his name. He was particularly vocal during the lockout and its meetings. He was candid with the press about his feeling that during the negotiations the NFL had no real intent of getting a deal done. In March, as the lockout was beginning,  Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated published the following quotes from Drew Brees.

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