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We can only hope...

Man... Is the season over? I didn't know football seasons were decided after one game. Yes, we just witnessed arguably the single worst regular season game in the DQ era. This team was healthy, fully loaded, and laid a massive egg. No way around it. But if you think this is going to continue for 15 more games, then don't even bother reading the rest of this. You're mind is made up after one game. Move on and accept you're going to root for a miserable team until January. As for the rest of us, let's carry on. If you've ever done anything worth doing in life, you've laid an egg doing it. Period. Public speaking. Sports. Anything with any level of effort, you've dropped the ball despite being prepared. Shlt happens. You get your a** handed to you. Either you stay down or you bounce back. You let it define you or you rewrite the script. For some, that scares the crap out of you. The unknown. You want somebody to tell you it's going to be ok. That's not this. The Falcons have to stand in their shlt right now. That's exactly what they've been doing. They've accepted just how terrible they looked. We all know that's now who they are, that's why everybody is so pissed. I mean come on: When's the last time Julio plain ole played bad? Against the Eagles, Julio averages 7 catches, 120 yards, and 1 TD. Coming off a bad game, when he's had less than 50 yards, every single time he's bounced back with a massive game since DQ has been here. He's not one man who stays on the turf. Matt Ryan: I told yall on Tuesday, since DQ has been here, Matt has averaged a 113.1 passer rating with a 7:2 TD/INT ratio in week two compared to 94.1 passer rating and a 5:3 split in week one. Again, you think Matt isn't pissed? You think he's going to keep making poor decisions? Lol stupid. He hasn't done that since 2017. Matt has been mediocre in week one games for years now. He's bounced back every single time. Jake Matthews: When's the last time Jake had a game this embarrassing? Name it. Not since he was a rookie. Jake looked like Sam Baker. But is that Jake Matthews? You think he ain't bouncing back? Lol ok We all knew how much talent was on this roster going into the season. That didn't disappear after one game. This isn't Space Jam and they all lost their powers or some childish shlt. They lost. Bad. The Steelers just got held to 3 points. You think they're only going to score 48 points all year? That's stupid. The Saints let the Bucs score 48 points in the Superdump last year and only gave up over 28 points at home once more (vs LA). Week one lies. But if you want to believe it, go ahead. I bet you believe Julio is washed, Jake is trash, Matt needs to be traded, etc. Don't turn the game on. Don't post anything. Don't even speak on shlt. Just go somewhere and cry in your cheerios. This is football. You'll lose. You'll look bad. The infamous "We're on to Cincinnati" meme was after the Patriots were destroyed 41-14 on MNF. Brady was washed and the dynasty was over. Except they got the f*ck off the mat and kept destroying teams. If you don't think the Falcons can do that, I feel bad for you. It was one game. One game doesn't make a season. Never does. Especially not week one. Rise Up. Or Get Gone. Period.

We started 6-1 in 2015 and finished 8-8. The only people that are soft and broken are the fans.

WELCOME TO THE 2019 NFL SEASON LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! We have survived the hardest part of the year and are back to kick this thing off again. With that, I wanted to start something new this year, a weekly thread of opponent specific scouting articles, Twitter threads, videos, etc. that we keep current during the week as one common place for what the Falcons are getting themselves into each week. I think it would help keep the boards cleaner and spur football discussion. Naturally, we can kick it off with the Minnesota Vikings : Head Coach: Mike Zimmer Offensive Style: Outside Zone Running with Play Action Defensive Style: Aggressive, attacking 4-3 defense 2018 Record: 8-7-1 The Way I See It: The Vikings are going to be a tough out. They are led by their defense, which has been one of the best units in the NFL the past few years, finishing no worse than #8 in DVOA since 2016. It is a unit that has grown together, with very few weaknesses. They stop the run well. They rush the passer well. They cover well. They are smart and disciplined and led by one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL in Mike Zimmer. It's going to be tough sledding. Their offense is pretty well equipped, with one of the best 1-2 punches at WR in Diggs/Thielen, Dalvin Cook being healthy and looking lethal, and Kyle Rudolph being a legit Pro Bowl TE. With the offensive scheme changes, resembling the Shanahan style we've come used to in Atlanta, it will be interesting to see how their new offense looks. The OC is Kevin Stefanski, but is buoyed by Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison, a triumvirate of offensive minds similar to our current set up. How We Match Up: Overall, this is a very equal match. Both teams have very strong, deep rosters. Going into week one, there are no major injuries to speak of. This is a true tilt of playoff caliber teams out of the gate. It will be a very good test of the OC changes on both sides and DQ taking over as DC on his side. When the Falcons are on Offense: This is going to be the match up you pay money for. Our offense is threatening at every spot. Truly threatening. The Vikings have enough talent to match up though, which is something not every team will be able to do this year. They have the LBs to keep up with Hooper and Freeman out of the backfield, the CBs to deploy a nickel look and not be intimidated, the cerebral safety that can give Matt fits, and the pass rush to tie it all together. It's going to take top notch communication along the OL (thanks Jets) to navigate this front to give Matt and the weapons time. If Sark were the OC, I would not be excited about this matchup. But with Koetter and Gang, they will be able to devise some looks that will get this group going. Thankfully, Money Matt is back because we may be settling for FGs more than we care to this week. The interesting development to watch during the week? Right tackle? Do they roll with Sambrailo or Gono? I don't think McGary gets the call this week. This is going to be a 60 minute tilt and if he was winded vs the Jags in the preseason, this isn't the time to trot him out there. Whoever it is, they will have their hands full trying to handle Griffen/Hunter on the edges. You know Zimmer will look to exploit this match up so watch out! This group will have some tough sledding, so don't be discouraged if they don't pop off a 30 point week one special to get your juices flowing. When the Falcons are on Defense: This is where the Falcons need to make up the difference. Our defense has the talent to mimic the Vikings unit. The question is execution. Are Vic and Takk ready to get after QBs? Is Debo ready to play? Rico and Neal? A lot of questions that can be answered with 60 minutes of football on Sunday. Optimistically, I think this group is ready. They showed very well in preseason. Again, it's preseason but that was our first glimpse. Outside of some initial first drive jitters/excitement, this unit showed up time and time again. There was consistent pressure, consistent run defense, and solid pass coverage. It was nice to see. What makes it tough is that week one, new OCs and scheme, you aren't scheming against the opponent just yet, but the players you are playing against and their weaknesses. Which there are more than enough on the Vikings offense. Kirk Cousins to begin with. He is a very inconsistent QB. You don't know which version you are getting, the highly accurate "YOU LIKE THAT?!" Kirk Cousins or the "I can't hit a five yard drag" Kirk Cousins. We saw this inconsistency in the preseason already. With a much more aggressive scheme and the talent to contest every throw, there is an opportunity for Kirk to get frazzled. It's going to be paramount to keep him in third and long situations and put the game in his hands more often than not. That comes down to stopping the run and controlling the LOS. Which again we have the horses to do that for a chance. The Vikings OL is very average. Pat Elflein is the clearest weak link, grading out at 43.5 per PFF last year (worst OL in the league). He's at LG. He hasn't looked much better through preseason either. On the other side, Josh Kline has been pretty mediocre himself as of late, having just given up 38 pressures last year and landed as the 53rd rated OG per PFF. Maybe a change of scenery could be beneficial, as he wasn't always a bad OL. Between them is rookie Garrett Bradbury, who I was a fan of during the draft season. I think he's a perfect fit in their offense, but DQ will be smart to repeatedly challenge the interior of this group, as there are clear weak links and none of them are above 305lbs. Force Bradbury to be cerebral and he's going to have to help Eflein, which will stress Kline. When you come equipped with a Grady Jarrett off the bus, this is the biggest opportunity to exploit, clogging lanes on run downs to prevent movement there and sending blitzes and stunts galore at this group on long down and distance situations. If they can take advantage of the Vikings OL (am I really thinking this is possible?), the Falcons defense can cause some chaos and with the luck of a turnover or two, can really put the offense in position to stretch their wings a little bit. It's going to come down to winning the LOS repeatedly. Vegas Line: Vegas has the Vikings as a 4 point favorite, with the o/u set at 47.5. Take it for what you will. Prediction: The two times we've played the Vikings under DQ, neither team has scored 3 TDs, we've lost both, with the most recent loss being a 14-9 close call with a banged up secondary. This time, fully healthy, I think the Falcons grow up a little bit in week one and show the rest of the NFL that an injury riddled 2018 isn't an indictment on who they are as a team. Just one year removed from being the only back to back postseason NFC team, this Falcons team is pissed off and looking to prove a point. I think they can do that here, scraping out a tough 24-17 victory, rightfully putting the game just out of reach with a Matt Bryant field goal.

Kaleb looked really good tonight. I understand it was against 2nd/3rd string players and he is playing his way into shape McGary is gonna be a good one. I believe!

This is the case because it stirs a reaction amongst it's readership, which in turn makes the media money whether said reaction is good or bad. Plus, the media is used in an age old game called divide and conquer. Their puppet masters tell them to post subjects to keep us arguing about stuff that dont matter so we dont pay attention about stuff that does. Take the NFL for instance. There are constantly stories posted detailing how many millions this player got in his new contract. This stirs up the fanbase of that team(Julio), some of which end up in frothing hate. This stirs up the fanbases of other teams thinking their guy is better, or if they lose a player because of money. Then there are the haters out there who just cannot stand to see anyone else succeed in life because theirs sucks. Meanwhile, no one pays attention to the fact that the same media that posted said story made more money on that player than the player did. How many times you been at the water cooler on a Monday morning and heard Joe Blowe say "OMFG the CEO of Fox got a 10 million dollar bonus"? Meanwhile yet another "I think we should pay our military the same as football players make" meme is posted on facebook. I am a veteran. Aint no amount of money worth dying or killing over. Not to me. Anyway, I get your point, a point I might add that has been dragged through the mud here more than a fat girl at a mudbog. Dimi has been here since 2008. Over 10 years. NOT ONCE has money or the cap been an issue. Dimi has more than proved, to me anyway, that he has this cap thing down pat. What more does he have to do to ease the fans mind on this subject?

Would much rather watch a rookie take his lumps over a veteran taking those same lumps

Probably because he's always played on the right side and switching to the left isn't as easy as a position change on madden.

C’mon man. It’s week 1.

I want the mods to find a way to make the offseason go by faster. I can't take it anymore.

Threads like these should be required to provide film evidence to back up their assertions and why they feel this way. I'm so tired of people just yelling at the sky because it sounds good and makes it seem like they know what they're talking about. It's annoying. Somehow, one play is going to be indicative of the entire season. Somehow, what's happening in scrimmage games is going to be the cause of problems in December/January. Make it make sense. This happens every single year. Bunch of idiots. Plainly. And I'm not mincing my words.

Well, I mean, the D probably would've performed better had the O not turned the ball over 4 times and twice on the Falcons' 30.

The Falcons allowed 172 yards on the ground in their season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That is far too high a number for a defense with playoff aspirations, and the Vikings’ ability to get explosive plays through their run game allowed them to dictate much of the action. And yet, although the Falcons’ run defense was far below the team’s standard, the interior of the defensive line was quite possibly the top-performing group for Atlanta on Sunday. When people think about the success or failure of a defense against the run, they most often think about the big defenders up front. That wasn’t the problem for the Falcons against the Vikings. Atlanta did have issues stopping interior runs last season, and the team made some quiet moves this offseason that appear to be paying off in a big way. Just from looking at the stat sheet, however, you might not realize it. Let’s start with Grady Jarrett, who looked like the best player on the field for the Falcons on Sunday. Jarrett has always been effective as both a pass rusher and a run defender, but he seemed to be operating at an even higher level than usual against the Vikings. “We've known about Grady, but to see him take another step this off-season and where he's starting this season, I think that goes a lot to the work that he put in even when he wasn't here; the unseen grind,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. Jarrett finished with five tackles against the Vikings – tied with Deion Jones and Foye Oluokun for third-most on the team – and he also had the Falcons’ only sack and forced fumble. Early in the second quarter, Jarrett derailed a Minnesota drive by blowing past left guard Pat Elflein in the blink of an eye to drop Vikings running back Alexander Mattison for a 4-yard loss. On the Vikings’ next drive, Jarrett again beats Elflein with a swim move to stop Dalvin Cook for no gain. This was often the result when the Vikings decided to test the middle of Atlanta’s defensive line. Minnesota ran the ball up the middle 12 times on Sunday and it averaged only 2.6 yards per carry when it did so, compared to the 10.7 yards per carry the Vikings averaged on runs off the left and right ends. That inability to find space was largely due to the interior players winning their one-on-one matchups as Jarrett did against Elflein. Jarrett very nearly swings the entire feel of the game on the second play of the second half when he flies into the backfield to strip the ball from quarterback Kirk Cousins. Had the Falcons recovered the ball, the offense would have been set up right around the 20-yard line with a good opportunity to score their first points of the game. The success of the defensive line’s interior may have been led by Jarrett, but the contributions of Allen Bailey and Tyeler Davison – two new faces within the unit – were crucial. After allowing two early touchdowns, Atlanta’s defense settled in and began to play better, and both Bailey and Davison had roles in making that happen. Davison led all Falcons defenders with eight tackles, including one tackle for a loss. And Bailey earned three tackles, including one for a loss, in his debut for Atlanta. During his time with the New Orleans Saints, Davison earned a reputation as a solid run defender, and he delivered on that reputation against Minnesota. The Falcons appeared to be operating out of more of a 3-4 look up front as both Vic Beasley and Takk McKinley were standing edge defenders throughout the game. This meant that Davison was often used as a true nose tackle while Jarrett and Bailey worked against Minnesota’s guards. As the anchor of the defensive line, Davison was very active and showed off some surprising quickness. “Inside I was pleased,” Quinn said. “I think you guys saw what I had been talking about, about how strong and stout Ty [Davison] was.” Bailey didn’t have as many plays as Davison, but he was no less important for Atlanta on the inside. The Vikings ran a lot of outside zone plays, requiring the Falcons to either make plays in the backfield before Minnesota’s backs could stretch the defense or pursue down the line of scrimmage to make the tackle. While Jarrett and Davison showed their prowess in knifing into the backfield, Bailey was really good at following the play and making the tackle before the backs to get to the second level. Was Atlanta’s run defense acceptable on Sunday? Not at all. But the overall performance of the group shouldn’t necessarily overshadow what was the clear improvement of a problem area for the Falcons last season. When discussing what the Falcons need to clean up against the run, start with setting the edge and plays like this: The Falcons have enough athletes on their defense to contain the outside plays that decimated them in Week 1. What should have fans excited moving forward is that Atlanta appears to have improved its run defense between the tackles, which was an issue in 2018 and will be very important on Sunday against a Philadelphia Eagles offense that is very good at the line of scrimmage. https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/after-further-review-falcons-poor-run-defense-overshadowed-something-important

We did get blown out. Our defense played atrocious against the run (at least in the first half) and our offense had a ton of mistakes. It's true that most of our issues were in the first couple quarters, and three turnovers yielding 21 points is near insurmountable, and we can potentially still do well this year. But this game was a ****show and anyone saying it was anything else is deluded.

Dear Pro Football Hall of Fame voters and football fans everywhere, I’m writing you today because it is time to do the right thing. It is time to rightfully acknowledge, appreciate, and celebrate one of the greatest to ever play the game: the late Tommy Nobis. We can – we should – do that by immortalizing Nobis with a bronze bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. And here is why I feel so strongly about it. For the past 30-plus years, Nobis was affectionately known as “Mr. Falcon” because he was the first player ever selected by the Atlanta Falcons when they made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 1966 NFL Draft and, as importantly, because of everything he brought to the organization on and off the field. From the minute Nobis stepped onto the field at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, he was a difference-maker. Teams may not have feared the Falcons, but they surely feared playing against Tommy. After stockpiling a mind-boggling 294 combined tackles during his first season – a mark that still stands as the Falcons’ all-time single-season record and is unofficially the most tackles ever credited to one player in NFL history – Nobis was voted Rookie of the Year and selected to the first of five Pro Bowls in his career. That’s right, Tommy was selected to the Pro Bowl five of his 11-year career while playing on a non-competitive team. He went on to lead the Falcons in tackles in nine of his 11 seasons and was named All-Pro twice (first team in 1967 and second team in 1968). Nobis was later named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1960s. That team, for whatever it’s worth, was selected by Pro Football Hall of Fame voters at the end of the decade. The Falcons came into the league as an expansion team when Nobis began his career and they achieved at a level that the NFL expansion rules were designed to – they were not competitive for many, many years. How bad were they? In the 11 seasons Nobis played in Atlanta, the Falcons had just two winning seasons – in 1971 and 1973. They never made the playoffs. They played in a baseball stadium. They were almost never on national TV. In short, not a whole lot of people saw Nobis and the often overlooked and easily forgettable Falcons play. He was hardly a household name. I grew up in Los Angeles and barely noticed that the Falcons were in the same division as the Rams back then – and I certainly couldn’t tell you much about Nobis’s career as a Falcon, not until I came to Atlanta and felt his impact on the franchise. It certainly didn’t help that Nobis played during a time when another linebacker and future Hall of Famer named **** Butkus was starring in Chicago for the Bears. My NFL life began in 1976 when my Dad, John McKay, came to Tampa to coach the expansion Buccaneers. From that experience, I know how hard it was to succeed with the then NFL expansion rules that the Falcons and Tommy had faced in 1966. "I'd rather play against **** Butkus than Nobis." – Larry Csonka, former Miami Dolphin and Hall of Famer Nobis didn’t always play in obscurity; he was the top selection in ’66 – one pick ahead of Michigan guard and future Hall of Famer Tom Mack – for a reason. A two-way star playing both linebacker and guard at Texas, Nobis is the only college player ever to win both the Outland Trophy (top interior lineman) and Maxwell Trophy (best all-around player) in 1965. Despite finishing seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting that same year, he still managed to garner more votes than Bob Griese and Steve Spurrier. At a time when college football was more popular than pro football, Nobis was the premiere player on one of the best teams in the land. How good were those Nobis-led Longhorns? They won the 1963 national championship over Roger Staubach and Navy. And in 1964, then they toppled Joe Namath and Alabama in the Orange Bowl. Those were two pretty good quarterbacks. And during a time when the internet, cell phones and social media didn’t even exist, Sports Illustrated declared Nobis “The Best Defender in College Football” on its cover on Oct. 18, 1965. LIFE magazine also featured Nobis on its Dec. 10, 1965, cover story about the NFL and the former AFL competing for college stars calling him the “nation’s best defensive college player.” Nobis didn’t always play in obscurity; he was the top selection in ’66 – one pick ahead of Michigan guard and future Hall of Famer Tom Mack – for a reason. A two-way star playing both linebacker and guard at Texas, Nobis is the only college player ever to win both the Outland Trophy (top interior lineman) and Maxwell Trophy (best all-around player) in 1965. Despite finishing seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting that same year, he still managed to garner more votes than Bob Griese and Steve Spurrier. At a time when college football was more popular than pro football, Nobis was the premiere player on one of the best teams in the land. – Dan Dierdorf, former St. Louis Cardinal and Hall of Famer He was a pretty big deal. And when he got to Atlanta, he more than lived up to all of the lofty expectations. I know, I know – the Pro Football Hall of Fame is about his pro career. The same was true with my Dad’s first pick in Tampa Bay, Lee Roy Selmon in 1976. Lee Roy only played nine years (1976-1984) in the league, but his impact on and off the field in Tampa was enormous. For that, Lee Roy was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995. So, let’s make sure we fully appreciate what Tommy accomplished in those 11 years. The thing is, unless you played with Nobis or against him, you couldn’t truly appreciate his greatness. I haven’t even mentioned the incredible contributions Nobis had off the field with his foundation – The Tommy Nobis Center – that was founded in 1977 to support the community of people with disabilities in the Atlanta area. It started with just three employees and has now helped more than 25,000 people across 24 states. More than 40 years later, the Tommy Nobis Center continues to provide education, training to support those with barriers to find real jobs. Nobis was an amazing football player and even better human being. Nobis, whose No. 60 was never worn by another Falcons player and eventually retired by the team, was an inaugural member of the 2004 Falcons Ring of Honor. Not surprisingly, he's also a member of many more honorary teams and hall of fames: College Football Hall of Fame Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame Georgia Sports Hall of Fame San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame State of Texas Hall of Fame Sports Illustrated’s College Football All-Century Team Tommy Nobis earned the moniker Mr. Falcon. He played every game with everything he had at the highest level. It’s time to do the right thing. It’s time to put Tommy Nobis into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sincerely, Rich McKay President and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons

This is the first year that I have not wanted us to bring in someone from another teams purge. Looking around the league I don't see anyone that is an obvious upgrade to anyone on our 53. That's a real testament to just how well the F.O. has addressed the depth issue from last season.

Read the screen pass flawlessly and blew the play up. Provided pressure on multiple plays against an elite right tackle. Sacked Wentz on an excellent coverage play when it looked like Vic was out of the play altogether. His motor looked great tonight and he showed some moves beyond just his speed. A lot of players looked great tonight, and I couldn’t be more happy. Just gotta give Vic his dues!

When Bob Sutton was hired, fans moaned and groaned at the thought of the former DC from the horrendous Chiefs defense being involved in any capacity of coaching defense in Atlanta. With the thought of DQ taking over the defense finally, the last thing fans wanted to hear was any kind of weight holding this group back any longer. Then it was announced that Sutton's official title is Senior Assistant. Homebase quotes "Sutton's responsibilities will include assisting with in-game strategy, clock management, time-out usage, and replay review." As anyone who has ever had a job knows, what your job description says and what you end up doing are two totaling different things. And it's usually in the form of "more". While I was doing some digging on the Vikings defensive scheme/philosophy/etc. that I typically do during the week, I came across this: The last thing I would have ever expected to see was a Kansas City Chiefs pro-defense section in this kind of article. Yes, it's Bleacher Report, so it's subjective. But still, it takes noticing. But I want to key in on some parts, which I bolded. It took me back to a board discussion we were having some time ago (TDLover, Fatboi, Vandy, PMF, etc.) regarding our favorite defensive formations and why. It stemmed from the various looks we've seen from DQ and the defense so far through pre-season and how we are seeing some large scale changes with the scheme. I kept digging, trying to see where this Bob Sutton philosophy comes from. Through all of the sludge of hate thrown his way given the way things ended with him in KC, I found this excerpt: Variety. Multiple. Different alignments between the first two levels to confuse offenses. Man-heavy scheme. Just for kicks, I looked up Sutton's history and one stop made my eyes light up: The New York Jets Bob Sutton was with the Jets for a long time. He began in 2000 as a Linebackers coach, was the DC from '06-'08, then to Senior Defensive Assistant & LBs coach '09-'11, and Assistant Head Coach & LBs Coach in 2012, before the Chiefs poached him for a DC position. During that time, he learned a lot of football, but one period is the magic point: 2006-2008. During this time, he met one Dan Quinn. DQ was the DL coach when Sutton was the DC. Under Sutton, the Jets improved from 27th in DVOA to 14th, before he was replaced by Rex Ryan, but kept on staff in a large role shaping the defense. Sutton likes running multiple, varied, high pressure schemes with man coverage behind them. He did it before he was with Rex Ryan, he learned it more in depth under Rex, and then branched out and did it on his own with the Chiefs. In 2013, Sutton's first year leading the Chiefs defense, they were 9th in DVOA compared to 30th the year before. They finished 6th in 2015. Dropped to 14th in 2016 before fully falling off a cliff. But at the same time, the Chiefs started to hemorrhage defensive talent. During 2017-2018, the two seasons that got Sutton fired, they lost Hali, Berry, Peters, Poe, and Derrick Johnson. Between those five players, they lost 18 Pro Bowls and 5 All Pro nods. You saw what happened to our defense when we just lost Debo, Rico, and Neal. They lost that AND some. So it's no surprise that the Chiefs defense no longer looked the same. Doesn't make Sutton a bad coach. But if nobody valued the wealth of knowledge Sutton brought to the table, there was one man who did. Dan Quinn. We keep looking at the trio we have on offense with Koetter, Mularkey, and Knapp and are happy to have various minds putting this together, but we have yet to stop and do the same for DQ. We may be overestimating DQ handling all of the duties of HC and DC. Where a guy like Sutton comes in is as a position he's already held before: Senior Defensive Assistant. Just, he's not focused on the defense, but a general Senior Assistant. I'd be willing to bet every dollar in my bank account Sutton has been tied to DQ's hip reshaping this scheme. Remember, DQ came up in this scheme. So if there is anybody who would have blind spots, it's him. What better than to have a guy you know and coached under to be your #1 guy, who has a long history in multiple defensive fronts, a wealth of knowledge in what went right and what went wrong with each, etc. He's not asking Sutton to call plays or draw up gameplans or anything of the such. That's still going to be DQ. But where Sutton brings a ton of value is in his long running knowledge of schemes and trends that have come and gone in this league and various ways to deploy confusing looks at offenses. I think Sutton being a constant sound board for DQ to make the tweaks he has may prove to be beneficial in the long run.

Was telling some people during the offseason when we signed Davison I had no clue who ole boy was but saw a tweet from Cam Jordan talking about how upset he was that Tye left. That caught my attention. Went and watched him a bit and I think this dude is going to be a low key, under the radar, SOLID addition to this line. Bailey looks like a freaking monster too, dude plays with an urgency we don't really see outside of Grady on our line.

What makes Vaughn think Julio won’t play without a new deal when he’s been practicing? Did I miss something?

Graham coming on made this one a no brainer...

Mentally weak? Blew a 28-3 lead and was the only NFC team to return to the postseason, beat a good Rams team on the road, and was one play away from a return to the NFCCG. Please. Try harder.

**** the NCAA

Shut up. Please.

quick slant to Sanu taken for a 62 yard td. New fans don't know the reference *skinny post, not quick slant.

Zimmer bases out of quarters. I’d expect us to work the intermediate area on early downs to play with those safety’s eye discipline and keep the chains in our favor. This ain’t the defense we can afford to stay in long distances against. When Zimmer gets you in long downs then that’s where those pressure looks come from with all that Double-A look.

Etling is #1 Ryan is #2

As preseason winds down and I see the offense and defense tightening up, its clear to me both sides of the ball have better coaching from last year. i knew it was going to take the offense some time with all the changes, and tonight they were all in sync like a well oiled machine. The blocking schemes in running and passing game, including the TEs, RBs and WRs, were fantastic across the board. Great movement, pulling, blitz pickups, sound blocking fundamentals, precise timing on routes and ball delivery .......make no mistake about it, Keotter, Mularkey and Knapp have got the offense on the same page. The defense looks totally different from last year. It got better and better at gap discipline, better and better at plugging up the LOS in running game, and we look really good in pressuring the QB and blowing up the OLs in passing situations. Our DL is deeper than it’s been in a really long time. Our LBs are studs and secondary is tight. Coaching makes a difference and I really like what I see right now compared to last year. I still expect some hiccups the first few games, but I also expect they will get cleaned up quickly and not linger into later games.

Clay is a good run stopper too. But the thing y’all not factoring is the different packages. Davidson is a run stopper 1st and foremost. Clayborn next to takk in nickel is deadly. They’re not gonna let clay go and Larkin will still make the team.

Why ask a question when you are going to answer It yourself??

I was just googling this am and I hadn’t realized just how great Matt Ryan really is. We often mistakenly put him in same class as BRADY, Brees, rivers, and Eli. That’s a false narrative. For one, Brees and BRADY are in over 40 club. Eli andr rivers are a full four years older than Matt. And let’s not forget Rodgers is ahead of Matt and, frankly, Matt has surpassed Rodgers in stars and head 2 head competitions look at this link: https://www.footballperspective.com/matt-ryan-is-building-a-hall-of-fame-career/ Here’s the highlights: “The best quarterback drafted in ’06, by far, was Jay Cutler.There are no quarterbacks of note from 2007, the year JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn were first round picks.Ryan was drafted in 2008, as was Joe Flacco.In 2009, we have Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez.In 2010, it’s Sam Bradford and nothing else.In 2011, we get Cam Newton and Andy Dalton. We probably should have seen Russell Wilson, and Andrew Luck nearly declared this year but did not.” let that sink in. If Matt is so “average” how come since 04 we haven’t had that type of QB before Matt? Also look after Matt: newton and dalton and even luck can’t hold Matt’s jock in terms of consistent high level of play which is what QB is really all about. We bust on Matt for 1 MVP, 1 all pro and 4 pro bowls. But are pro bowls or even all pro really more than popularity contests anymore? And, also, are not Brees and even BRADY to a point really just making it on name value now? brady hasn’t really been a pro bowler in years. Brees? Sorta. Now let’s establish one reality: non-homerism is not a factor. BRADY is the GOAT. You can’t touch 6 SB rings and 4 SB MVPs. But is it Belichick? Or is it BRADY? Or a bit of both? Matt has had two HCs, BRADY one. Brees sucked until Sean Peyton. BRADY has had consistent OCs . Matt has had the following pattern of OC continuity—none really: 1) mularkey, power I. Smash mouth 2) Koetter, Air coreyell. Get smacked whole long routes develop 3) Kyle. Great fit, but little goal line and short yardage run support. Also get smacked a lot. Should have had SB 4) Sark, can we forget him? 5) back to Koetter. Thats a lot of change for a QB, yet he keeps on ticking, passed Peyton Manning (another guy with coaching continuity) for most yards in first 11 years. How many SBs does Matt have if Belichick is his coach? How many SBs and passing records does Matt have in a more cerebral offense like Sean Peyton’s? what if Kyle Shanahan comes back and we dump koetter and Kyle spends 5-6 years as OC? thoughts? It’s pretty astounding that a top ten all time QB with possible 7-10 years left in him (let’s not forget durability is big on HOF votes) has so quietly progressed. better yet, beyond Wilson (great QB) , Goff (meh) and wentz (can’t stay healthy) is really in the same stratosphere as Matt? The fading and malcontent Rodgers? btw Matt is 4-6 in playoffs and has the third highest all time playoff QBR and rating behind only Bart Starr and Kurt Warner ! So don’t come with BS, that he chokes! thoughts? @Vandy no homerism.

Coy Wire‏Verified account @CoyWire 1m1 minute ago More BREAKING: Former teammate @Matt_Bryant3 tells me he will be in Atlanta to try out with the Falcons tomorrow. 0 replies2 retweets5 likes

Is it possible for Beasley to get flagged for unnecessary softness?

I really can't understand the TD hate at all. He's not perfect but I really don't see how we could do better. TD and co stepped their game up a few notches. To swallow pride and resign Bryant shows TD is maturing as a GM and I would imagine as a person as well.

Ryan said the skins game will be game planned "almost" like a regular season game.. Alot of install for this game.. Gono is getting the start, Ryan says he likes Gono, says hes seen a huge improvement, says Gono has a great work ethic, and Gono is quite and comes to practice to work. To me, this game is a big deal for me and it should be for Gono.. If Gono has a good game, i believe he starts at least till McGary is ready.. I think this is going to be the biggest position to watch. Im pulling for Gono!

can we play some football now?

If you look beyond the stats, you would know without a doubt that Grady Jarrett is a dominant player on the line.