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Combined with him reaching out to Forney to train for a month AND getting Kaleb in for some work after he saw the benefits? Pros pro.

Turnaround of Falcons Defense Key to 2020 Success 2 weeks ago Screen Shot Courtesy of NFL.com Gamepass The Falcons Defense was simply atrocious through the first half of 2019. They allowed 31.3 points per game, went more than 4 straight games without a sack, generated just 4 turnovers, and couldn’t get off the field on 3rd down. It wasn’t just the numbers that were ugly. Atlanta also didn’t pass the eye test, with defenders regularly blowing coverages and giving up big plays. As a unit, they looked lost. The end result was a 1-7 start to the season. With Head Coach Dan Quinn’s job on the line, something had to change. And it did. Quinn moved wide receivers coach Raheem Morris to defensive backs coach, and turned play-calling duties over to him on 3rd down. The impact was immediate: The most significant turnaround, and possibly the most important, was the improvement on 3rd down. During the first half of the season, opposing quarterbacks played to a 137.1 QB rating on the most important down. For reference, no quarterback has ever finished a season with a rating higher than 122.5. It’s hard to get off the field when you turn every passer into the best quarterback in NFL history. With Raheem Morris calling the plays, though, the change was drastic. The Falcons went from the worst 3rd-down defense in the NFL (53.0% conversion rate) to the best (25.8% conversion rate): So what was the big change? First, Morris got the Falcons away from their previous tendencies. He increased their use of zone coverage and utilized more 2-deep safety looks: The underlying philosophy of increasing the use of 2-deep safety looks was to win with more underneath defenders in coverage. In zone (Cover-2/Tampa-2), that leaves 5 underneath defenders to protect the first down markers instead of just 4 in Cover-3. In man (2-man coverage), it allows defenders to play inside and underneath their receivers, making those shorter completions more difficult to come by for quarterbacks. Morris also wanted more bodies in coverage in general. In fact, the Falcons utilized 3-man rushes on 3rd down twice as much under Morris as they did during the first half of the season. Through those first 8 games, opponents converted 87.5% of 3rddown attempts against these 3-man rushes versus just 6.25% in the second half of the season. And truthfully, that trend is consistent across the board. The Falcons were better on 3rd down in the second half of the season no matter what coverage they played. They were better in zone, better in man, better in 2-safety coverages, better in 1-safety looks, better when they rushed 4, rushed 3, or blitzed. Coverage mix and the change in tendencies certainly played a significant role in the Falcons’ improvement. The ability to execute was just as critical, if not more. And this was where Morris made the biggestdifference. In the second half of the season, Atlanta defenders appeared to have a better understanding of the design and purpose of the coverages they played. They did a better job of playing to each situation. Their communication in the secondary improved as they stopped blowing as many coverages. You can see the contrast on the below plays. In Week 5 against the Texans, Houston was facing a 3rd-and-3 and aligned with a stack to the right of the formation. The Falcons played man-free coverage, with cornerback Isaiah Oliver responsible for Will Fuller. To deal with any traffic created by the stack, safety Ricardo Allen would drop down to provide help inside. Screen Shot Courtesy of NFL.com Gamepass Fuller went inside initially. Oliver followed aggressively, despite having help inside. When Fuller broke to the outside, Oliver was caught in the traffic, resulting in an easy 36-yard gain. This was a bad job by Oliver of understanding what the offense This was a bad job by Oliver of understanding what the offense was trying to do and where his help was coming from. Fast forward to Week 10 against the Saints, with Morris now coaching the DBs. This was 3rd-and-6. Oliver’s man, Michael Thomas, was again aligned in a stack. This time there was no help inside. Screen Shot Courtesy of NFL.com Gamepass The design of the play was for Thomas to run a crossing route with receivers coming from the other side of the field to create traffic and separate him from Oliver. Despite the fact that there was no help inside this time, Oliver initially remained patient and under control (unlike in the previous example) so he could see the field clearly, read the route combination, and then attack. Playing with patience and control allowed Oliver to process Playing with patience and control allowed Oliver to process what the design of the play was, cleanly avoid traffic, and then make the play. The Saints were forced to punt. Now to a couple of zone examples. The below play was a 3rd-and-8 against the Rams in the first half of the season. The Falcons would end up playing 3-deep with 5 men underneath (3-man rush). Keep your eye on defensive end Vic Beasley. Screen Shot Courtesy of NFL.com Gamepass He dropped into zone right around the first-down marker. However, instead of hanging in his zone, he jumped the running back, who was 4 yards from the line of scrimmage. On 3rd-and-8. With two other defenders in the area. The result was a vacated zone behind him and a way-to-easy completion for a play where 8 defenders dropped into coverage. That’s a poor understanding of the situation and bad execution, something we saw far too often out of the Falcons throughout the first half of the season. During the second half of the season, we saw a better job across the board of players understanding both their coverage responsibilities and the situation. On the below 3rd-and-5 against the 49ers in Week 15, the Falcons again rushed 3 and rotated into a Tampa-2 zone (a look we saw a fair amount of in the second half of the season). Focus on cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson. Screen Shot Courtesy of NFL.com Gamepass Screen Shot Courtesy of NFL.com Gamepass Wreh-Wilson understood the situation and his role in the the Wreh-Wilson understood the situation and his role in the the design of the coverage as an underneath defender. He wasn’t about to allow an easy completion on 3rd-and-5 right at the first-down marker. Instead, he sat in his zone and didn’t even react to the corner route, knowing that his help over the top could take away that route. The rest of the defense played to theirresponsibilities as well. You can also see that there were more defenders in coverage to clog the short-to-intermediate zones in this Tampa-2 look, as we mentioned earlier. You may be thinking, big deal. A player did what he was supposed to do. This isn’t earth shattering. And you’re right. But many players throughout the NFL don’t do what they are supposed to. Many coaches struggle to get all 11 players to do their jobs (The Falcons in the first half of the season being the prime example). This is where coaching comes in. It’s not just about teaching technique and calling plays. It’s about making sure that players understand the design of the play. It’s about helping them understand the purpose of a coverage. This helps defenders feel comfortable playing to their responsibilities and allows them to trust that their teammates will be in the right place. Atlanta should have a very good offense this season, given their talent. But their defense will need to execute with the discipline they played with in the second half of 2019 if they are going to have any chance in a loaded NFC South. Raheem Morris did a tremendous job turning the defense around in 2019, resulting in a well-deserved promotion to Defensive Coordinator. Getting his defense to pick up where it left off, as well as ensuring that the new additions acclimate quickly, will be critical for succeeding in a division with Tom Brady and Drew Brees. Like what you read? Follow us on Twitter @FB_FilmRoom (Football Film Room) for more insight and analysis.

I will be forever not happy with the safety position when it’s just an oft-injured Keke and the midget duo of Kazee and Allen. That said, I’m liking the construction of the roster overall for a few reasons: 1) Interior DL: Grady, Kominsky, Marlin and Teyler..big, stout, mixed in with length and athleticism. Good mix 2) Edge: still not 100 percent, but Fowler is angry and mean, maybe Takk picks up his habits. I like adding Charles who was used badly In Miami. Can Cominsky be that Justin Smith type? That’s the wild card. I think we still need another edge. 3) LBs: Debo, Foye and the new add of Buchanan makes me smile. Lots of speed. I’m not sure @Knight of God and @vel agree with me, but I like Mychal Walker’s game. He’s got length and more nastiness than Campbell. 4) Safety is still not to my standard. That said, I did predict Hawkins getting drafted (got one lol) and I like him. Does Buchanan end up at SS if Keke gets hurt? 5) Cornerbacks. I’m in the minority here, but I love Terrell. He got blistered against LSU and hung tough. Guess what Isaiah Simmons got blistered too. Burrows was simply on fire. But Terrell is tough. I still like Oliver, love Sheffield and think Miller might surprise. Signing Dennard makes me fee much better. OVERALL B to B+ depending on how it shakes out. I do think we need another edge like griffin, or even a play for a one year prove it for Clowney. QB: Matt is still great. Call him a grinder, call him an awkward swan, but the dude hangs tough. He’s been through so many offensive systems, and in year 2 he always gets it. I still hate Koetter WR: what can you say? Ridley, Julio, and Gage make it pretty and great TE: I’m like @Vandy the trade for Hurst gave us. Joker that can line out wide, in-line nd even h-back. Keep your eyes on Pinkney, he was I drafted, but watch his junior year at Vanderbilt, not last year. I rarely tout an UDFA, but this 6’5 260 pound kid could surprise. I love Graham already. TE corps is long , athletic, tough and better. Screw Hoop and his fitness game OL: Bros’ I’m stoked. One we got Hennessy. Kid is mad athletic, whether at G or Center.even if he spot starts or is depth. We don’t go down like we did in SB if Mack gets hurt, or like last year with the G drama. Great pick. Mack still balls. Matthews gets stronger and nastier every year. Y’all know I love some Lindstrom and big Mac at RT, folks who played ball know that getting your asss whupped makes you better. Big Mac will be dominant. Bet. Lindstrom might be an all pro RB: give me 50 percent of Gurley over 100 percent of rbs not named Zeke or Saquan. Forget all the injury Bs out of Rams camp last year. Fact is McVey and his offense got exposed, Goff ain’t great and their OL couldn’t execute. Gurley still had 14 total TDs last year. Beast year coming. Bet and word to y’all’s mothers on him Beasting out. I’m Still not a hill guy, but as a number 2 or 3? Sure. Ito is a decent scat back and can be a utility guy. Ollison is the one I’m watching. @Knight of God and I will be doing backflips like mongloids with tourettes saying “Fuukk yeah” a 1000 times if Ollie emerged and we had a Gurley, Ollie tandem. im big on Ollie because he has a nose for the end zone and he’s 240. Overall offense: A- but it could go way lower if Koetter fuccks things up. Feed the beast of gUrley, use those TEs and open up the WRs. Old school smash them first, if you’re going to stay with vertical offense

He needs to speak out and get proper help then. Nothing to be ashamed of.

https://theathletic.com/1978973/2020/08/06/schultz-why-grady-jarrett-is-the-way-he-is-and-why-falcons-need-more-like-him/ Before anybody knew really who Grady Jarrett was, before he helped elevate a floundering college football program to a national force and an NFL team to near Super Bowl champion, he was off the grid. Major college scouts never ventured out to Conyers because Rockdale County High School wasn’t a Georgia program known to produce high-level talent. The program had one winning season in Jarrett’s four years. Nobody was going to come to watch him. So he went to them. “We had a camp. I think it was before his senior year,” Dan Brooks said. An invitational camp? “No. It was open,” Brooks said. “If it was an invitation deal, we might not have invited him. We didn’t know a lot about him before he came in, other than he could run, and he was a great high school wrestler. People thought he was too short.” This was early in June of 2010, early in Dabo Swinney’s tenure at Clemson. Brooks was the Tigers’ defensive line coach. He watched Jarrett take on bigger linemen in drills and, “He ripped everybody there. I kept telling Coach Swinney, ‘Come here and watch push rush drills.’ We picked the best offensive linemen we had in camp to go against him, and I don’t think Grady lost one (drill) the whole time. I said, ‘We gotta take this guy.’ They said, ‘He’s too short.’ I said, ‘No, he’s not too short!’ I don’t care how tall they are if they play like that.” Brooks won the debate. Swinney made an offer. Jarrett committed to Clemson. Scouting services listed him as a “two-star” or a “three-star.” They also listed him at 6-foot-2, which stretched the truth, which is just what Jarrett wanted. Not that it mattered. He soon proved to everybody what he could do on a football field. I bring this story up now because the Falcons are coming off two miserable and underachieving seasons. Jarrett fits into the category of players who probably is taking this the hardest. He plays beyond what the measurables suggest he should, just as he played beyond what recruiting services thought and what NFL scouts projected, as evidenced by the fact he lasted until the fifth round in 2015. There were 136 players taken before him. The Falcons’ first two picks in that first draft with Dan Quinn as coach: Vic Beasley and Jalen Collins, two players whose physical talents proved to far outweigh their desire and determination. The Falcons always liked Jarrett, but even they never projected he would become a fixture in their starting lineup, a leader of their defense, a Pro Bowler and an “undersized” defensive tackle who sacked Tom Brady three times in the Super Bowl. Jarrett so far outplayed his modest rookie contract that general manager Thomas Dimitroff would not have been surprised if the player complained about his salary and nudged him for a new deal. It never happened. “I’ve never met a player who was more mature in the contract process than Grady Jarrett,” Dimitroff said. “I don’t think I’ll admire anybody more in that setting, He handled it, head-on, no moaning, no agitation. I don’t know how many people would’ve navigated that the way he did. All the times he and I spoke about the team and leadership, he never once pulled me aside to talk about his contract — not that he couldn’t have.” The Falcons rewarded Jarrett before the 2019 season with a four-year, $68 million contract. He was universally recognized as not only a player of NFL caliber but one you build a defense around. But there wasn’t joy in the season that followed. The only thing that frustrates Jarrett more than losing is seeing teammates underachieve. He never would publicly throw anybody under the bus. But the truth is the Falcons had too many players who went south after the 2016 Super Bowl season. They either were not as dedicated as him or were worried more about their paycheck than leading teammates and winning games. Look at some of the players who were let go after the past two seasons, including Beasley. Look at Devonta Freeman, whose then-agent spoke out about his contract during Super Bowl week and never consistently played at the same level after he got the big contract. The losing ate at Jarrett last season, just as it ate at him at Rockdale County. Having varied experiences, from high school to four double-digit-win seasons at Clemson to extreme highs and lows with the Falcons has helped him process things. But it’s not easy. “On a personal level, no matter how good or bad things are going, I’ll always try to be my best and prepare in a way to where I can put my best foot forward no matter how it is,” he said. “Whether things are going good or bad, you always have to try to lead your teammates and encourage them. You can always be better and things could always be worse. So you’ve got to be thankful for where you are. I just want to be that consistent player to try to help us reach the postseason every year and to never give up, no matter the circumstances.” As for the frustrations of consecutive 7-9 seasons, including last year’s 1-7 start against the backdrop of high expectations, Jarrett said, “As a competitor, you always want to play for the championship. You want to win a lot of games. But I wouldn’t compare past success and making it like a frustration point for me. It’s just a point of motivation to try to get better and to try to get back to where I know we can be.” It’s the week-to-week, year-to-year focus great athletes have. But last season’s losing and constantly being one of the few stand-up guys in the locker room after games weren’t easy. After a 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Julio Jones had a fiery postgame speech to teammates and said players were at fault for the 1-6 start, not Quinn. It was notable that Jones, Jarrett and Ricardo Allen, three team leaders, left the stadium without speaking to the media, effectively requiring other players to come out. It clearly bothers Jarrett when others don’t get the most out of their talent because that’s not the way he’s wired. “I don’t want to speak for him,” Dimitroff said. “But given his drive, his personality, his grit, his whole makeup, I’m sure people like that really struggle because they know how good this football team can be. It takes more than just pure talent. It takes being on the front foot and pushing through for everyone. That I’m sure would be agitating for someone like Grady, given his makeup.” Brooks is now retired. He last spoke to Jarrett at a Clemson football function in March, but the two frequently text each other, and Brooks said early on at Clemson he spoke to Jarrett about the frustrations of playing on a losing team. “He and I had a lot of long talks about him trying to motivate teammates to be better,” Brooks said. “Rockdale County didn’t have a run of great success. But he was successful in wrestling, an individual thing, which was something he could control. He was under-recruited because they didn’t have other players, they hadn’t had success, and he had to overcome those things.” Brooks also believes the past two seasons frustrated Jarrett. “He really tries to be a leader but it’s in a real positive way,” Brooks said. “I’ve never been in that locker room. But (at Clemson) he could challenge guys to be their best in my little segment group, in my room or on defense. If he’s talking to a linebacker, it’s, ‘I’ve got this gap, you’re supposed to have that one.’ He could challenge guys to be better. So I’m sure it’s worn on him.” The player nobody wanted, the player Georgia and Georgia Tech didn’t notice until it was too late, went on to become an All-ACC pick and team captain at Clemson. The Tigers, who went 6-7 in Swinney’s second full season as coach in 2010, had an aggregate record of 42-11 with two Orange Bowl appearances in Jarrett’s four seasons. His tenacity, his “motor,” reminded many of his father, Jessie Tuggle, the former Falcons’ linebacker who similarly played beyond his dimensions and expectations. Jarrett had “everything you were looking for,” in a defensive lineman, Brooks said. “Everything except the height,” Brooks said. “But he helped us get that program to where it is today.” In college, Jarrett told anybody who would listen that he was 6-2. Brooks told him he was 6-0. They would go back and forth. “I had a conversation with him once. I said, ‘Grady, when you go to the combine, and you back your butt up against the wall, and they make you take your socks and shoes and everything else off and put a clipboard on top of your head, they’re going to call out 72,” Brooks said. “Do you know what that is?’ He said, ‘Coach. I know what that is. But I’m 6-2.’” Jarrett went to the combine. He officially measured at 72.75 inches. So, 6-1-ish. “Being a quote/unquote undersized guy, I always kept a chip on my shoulder,” Jarrett said. “As I got better and better and started having success, (the chip) never left. So I never got complacent.” He was asked if he had any concerns about the NFL season unfolding despite COVID-19. His response was like a page torn out of his book of daily meditations. “‘I have confidence, and I have faith, not fear, in everything in my life,” he said. “So I’m going to prepare to have a full season. At the end of the day, what’s going to happen is going to happen. I’m going to focus on being in the league that I’m in and that we are going to have success.” The Falcons need more like him.

Weeks 1-8 had nothing to do with Vic's lack of showing up

How does it go? *ahem* Troffed

Take the L and move on.

To secure the asset and not have to worry about being outbid. But you are exactly right, and why this was refreshing to see. You get the Troffed crowd who refuse to admit he makes any good moves or contracts and this is just another in a long line of solid decisions for him. He has given out some bad contracts for sure, but no GM is gonna be 100%. More importantly, he didn't take on that contract inherited from the Rams...

I blamed Dan Quinn.

I like Griffen, but he wasn't a first rounder. So Clowney. 🙂

Lest never forget Vick came in, didn't learn the playbook, got coddled by Blank and Mora and still went: 38-28-1 with no Oline, no defense, and Crump and Fin as his top two targets Four other starting Falcon QBs went 9-20 on the same six teams Second best ever winning% as a 30+ game Falcon QB starter. If Ryan goes 7-9 this year he'll be first Sold out six straight Domes and put the Falcons back on the national map when Blank needed it most Went to three Pro Bowls in his six years as a Falcon and got his shoes sent to the Hall of Fame Kept plenty NFL DCs up late at night trying to figure out a WTH game plan Despite the Bird, the Bottle and the Bulls, he turned in a decent six year run for the Birds. I’ll never forget. Trust me.

This flat out isn't true though. Taxes aren't lowered, the employers have an OPTION to give employees a payroll tax cut (which is unethical as is, since it's a bypass to cut Social Security and Medicare if forgiven) and Trump made forgiving that debt conditional on his re-election. Most employers aren't going to go with this because they're held liable for the money at the end of the year and merely don't have to worry about it right now. Unemployment benefits being extended is coming partially out of the states pockets, which means the poorer states simply won't be able to afford it. On top of that, it's a PHENOMENAL breach of authority and due process, an open violation of the checks and balances currently in place, to try and reallocate funds and make budget decisions when that isn't the president's responsibility. Americans aren't protected from eviction either - it's a memorandum, not an executive order. On top of that, it only is effective for federally guaranteed mortgages, which is a tiny fraction of Americans affected. This not even mentioning the fact that he waited until after the initial stimulus effects had already lapsed...this is a political stunt at best to get Democrats to fight back so they're the "bad guys." Too bad Democrats in this country are glorified right-center babies who'll barely know how to fight this the right way.

I think if anything I've learned to hate liberals more in the last three years. I've learned what conservatives are really willing to do.......but the biggest lesson I've learned is what liberals aren't willing to do and they have made it blatantly obvious. Once in a generation kinda challenge and they didn't do anything meaningful. Bourgeois liberalism is a thing and I hold nothing but contempt for them. Absolute and utter contempt because I have had it proven to me that they stand in the way of where I want this country to go and they've impeded it every single step of the way when they could have easily moved. Easily and without challenge.

Now go in and edit your post to remove that long *** quote!

The Nut has been officially Bookmarked, just as I have all the other times you’ve been wrong about a player (Brian Hill....cough cough)

It takes a lot of guts for a head coach to hold his hands up and then transfer play calling duties to someone else midseason, so I give DQ a lot of credit for doing that, BUT... That DQ led defense for first half of the year was atrocious (like historically bad, like Saints 2012 bad). For a guy previously known as a defensive guru, I think DQ somehow managed to get off pretty lightly for that sh*t show.

Now that’s some BS.

He's got muscles in places I don't even have places.

oh god what have i done

https://theathletic.com/1984507/2020/08/09/schultz-thomas-dimitroff-on-the-season-under-performance-jobs-on-the-line/ The Falcons are five weeks away from their season opener against Seattle, assuming there is a season to be played. It will be a pivotal year for coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who teamed up for a Super Bowl run in 2016 but have followed that with a second-round playoff exit in 2017 and postseason misses the past two seasons. The Falcons went 7-9 last season but had their playoff hopes buried early by a 1-7 start that nearly cost Quinn his job and prompted a midseason shuffle in the defensive coaching staff and significant roster changes following the season. Key decisions included cutting Devonta Freeman and Desmond Trufant despite salary cap hits, not re-signing Vic Beasley or De’Vondre Campbell, declining the fifth-year option on Takk McKinley, signing Todd Gurley and Dante Fowler and acquiring tight end Hayden Hurst to fill the free-agent loss of Austin Hooper. What that leads to is uncertain. The Falcons have been wildly inconsistent the past three seasons, which is not a positive reflection on either the players or Quinn, who needs to turn things around during this highly restrictive time of a pandemic. The NFC South also now includes Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in Tampa Bay. I spoke to Dimitroff on his outlook for this year, what he would consider a successful season and his perception of what it would take to save jobs, including his own. Do you believe there is going to be an NFL season? Yes. A full season? I can’t give an answer on that. I don’t know. There’s a lot of complications in this, and we have a lot of people who are working diligently on it. I can only speak to our own operation in the building, and I really appreciate what we’ve done there. The logistics of the building are completely different, and it’s been encouraging to see how our players have been mature and handled it with focus and consistency. Like I’ve told you many times, that’s what this team needs this year. Given baseball changed its structure and protocols, and some teams are still struggling, do you understand why some would doubt football, a high-impact sport, can pull it off? I can understand why people on the outside looking in would have their doubts, with an 80-to-90-player roster and 25 to 30 coaches and 30 other administrators. That’s a lot of people to be working through. So, of course, I see the complications. Let’s go on the assumption for the rest of this discussion that there’s a season. How would you define success? There’s no question that this needs to be a winning season, and we need to continue to improve in a lot of different areas. A winning season technically could be 8-7-1 and you miss the playoffs. We need to be back in the playoffs. We’re a talented football team. We need to get back to where we know we can go. We’re a talented, confident football team, and that’s what’s expected. No question about it. Our owner has high expectations, as do I and Rich McKay and Dan Quinn. What was closer to reality last year: The 1-7 start or the 6-2 finish? The 6-2 finish. Why? Because we’re a good football team. We have a good talented group of coaches. We have vision. We’re a thoughtful organization. We started off slowly, of course, but we have a lot in our quiver to be much more of a 6-2 team. As you and Quinn drilled down, what were the core issues for what happened last year and for that matter the year before? Was it only because of staffing and coaching mistakes or was there something going on in the locker room? There was nothing else going on in the locker room. We had to adjust what we needed to adjust. Dan adjusted our coordinator situation, and I thought that was a major move in the right direction. At the beginning of the year, there was too much uncertainty with regard to how the defense was operating and we did a really good job of recovering from that. Putting Raheem (Morris) in that spot, a man who is a very good defensive-minded person, the way he interacts with the players, I thought that was a big part of our recovery. He and Dan work well together and can communicate with each other, and I thought that was a difference-maker. Do you believe the team is better than it was last year? I do. Because? Because I believe we have a lot of talented football players, and I believe we’ll be that much more focused and that much more accountable and consistent. I’m seeing that, and I believe it. We’ve stressed it. There are certain people here, and there are certain people not here anymore, and it all folds into what I believe will be an all-around better football team and a full package. So you would agree that focus and accountability was a problem last year? Any organization that starts out 1-7, there are focus issues and concerns, and they need to be fixed. Unfortunately, it took us a while to get to that spot, but we did it. Dan did a marvelous job with resurrecting this team at the back end because we did become that much more focused, not only on the field but off the field. Navigating this offseason, I just feel like there’s that much more focus now, and that’s an important thing for our football team. What would you view as either the biggest key or question mark going into the season? It’s the same answer. It’s taking all the talent that we have on this football team, and we need to mix that with a very adept coaching staff and have acute focus, sound accountability and consistency. So you believe you have the talent to be a playoff team? There’s no question. Do you have the talent to win the division? We have the talent to be a very good, top tier team in this league. If it doesn’t happen, is that solely on coaching? No. Absolutely not. This is a team game, and the expectations are for players to play up to their abilities, coaches to coach up to their ability, the GM to be up to his ability. All are vital. We all need to come with our A game, our A focus, our A accountability, our A consistency. Would you agree that players have underperformed in the three seasons since the Super Bowl, and if so, to what degree is a head coach responsible for that? Unfortunately, there has been underperformance in the last three years, and some of those players are no longer here. That’s up to Dan and myself to determine who is the best fit for this team moving forward. Head coaches get blamed for underperformance. Is it justified that Dan has been blamed? No. I don’t believe Dan should be blamed for the underperformance that we’ve had by a number of players on this football team since ’16. But isn’t that the head coach’s job? Ultimately, it’s the head coach’s job, but he also has assistant coaches who are responsible for their position groups who are vitally important as well. Really, what I want to say in all this is, we understand by virtue of the position, of course, Dan is going to take blame for certain things and I am going to take blame for certain things. From a coaching perspective, you have almost 25 coaches, and they all have their responsibility. This isn’t a one-man situation at a lot of levels. All of us looking at ourselves across the board, head coach and general manager, all the way through the coordinators, the position coaches, the directors and the scouts, we all have to do our job to the best of our ability. As do our players. I’m coming right back to what I said at the beginning. You can’t have three or four or six or 10 doing this and 10 doing that in any organization to be successful. Should there be a bar that the team has to reach to save jobs? If so, what should that bar be? There should always be a bar, and it should be a substantial bar, to determine the success of a football team. It’s not my responsibility necessarily to determine what jobs are being saved or lost. If you don’t make the playoffs, and you’re Arthur Blank, should changes be made at head coach and/or general manager? Arthur has a strong presence here. He’s the owner of this football team and, contingent on the success of this year, he has big decisions to make, legitimate decisions to make.

Trump people are fine with a rigged election as long as their guy wins. Y'all cover it up with irony you learned playing on the internet, but you're all fascists in your heart of hearts.

Man Baldy's commentary was good lol

When NCAA comes back my first create a recruit is going to be Hunter Harris

Will they have three podiums on stage so his wife can be there too?

https://theathletic.com/1979513/2020/08/06/examining-emerging-pieces-of-falcons-offense-through-the-eyes-of-matt-ryan/ Just a few days into the Falcons’ training camp, Matt Ryan said the pulse of the team is at a steady pace. The energy levels are high, and the players and coaches are excited to be back on the field and willing to do what needs to be done to see the 2020 season played. But in his first media availability of training camp, much more could be gleaned about the emerging pieces of the Falcons’ offense through his eyes and in his own words than anything else. Ryan used the word “continuity” when describing the Falcons’ 2020 offense, saying there is a lot of it to go around this year at almost every spot. “We have a bunch of starters back at our skill positions but also on the offensive line and a lot of familiarity with Dirk (Koetter) in his second year back as (offensive coordinator),” Ryan said. “I think all of those things help when you’re in this type of environment. This has been a unique offseason for sure, but knowing each other really well and having a feel for each other helps during these situations.” But there are a few pieces who don’t really fit into that “continuity” that Ryan discussed right off the bat, new pieces who will be important figures this season. There are also those, like Koetter, who will have their feet under them more in 2020 than in the previous years. And others, like Calvin Ridley, whose role will expand and evolve. With this in mind, let’s break down the group of these emerging pieces of the Falcons’ offense, doing so through the eyes of one of the players who work closest with them: Ryan. Dirk Koetter Upon reading the headline of this article, you likely weren’t expecting Koetter’s name on this breakdown, but with Koetter in his second year (of his second stint) with the Falcons, the words “emerging” and “evolving” fall just as much on him as they do any players he’s working with. Going back to the pulse of the team that Ryan spoke on at the beginning of his remote news conference, he said Koetter has his hand on that pulse maybe more so now than he did last year, which would make sense as he continues to settle into the role after joining the Falcons staff last year after four seasons with Tampa Bay. “Him being in this scheme in Year 2 and really understanding the differences in terms of our run game, in terms of how it matches up to what we do in protections and play-action pass, I think that part of it excites me the most for this coming year of us being very much on the same page and him having a really good pulse on the guys that we have in the scheme that we have set up,” Ryan said. But before he said anything about play-action passes and schemes, Ryan said he most enjoys working with Koetter because it’s Koetter, a coach who often cuts right to the chase. “There is zero BS with him,” Ryan said. “There’s not a lot of that going on.” He went on to say players always know exactly where they stand with Koetter and that the Ryan-Koetter communication has evolved into an easy working relationship. For one, they are both clear with each other in regard to what they want as individuals and what they expect from the whole offense. That clarity has only improved in Koetter’s second year with the Falcons. “That part of it to me is the best part of working with him because I know exactly what I am getting from him day in and day out,” Ryan said. While winning didn’t come easily for the Falcons last year, especially early on, the offense did end up finishing in the top five in the league in total yards and passing yards. Now with an even clearer working relationship, perhaps that success through the air can continue for Koetter and Ryan as the running game can improve. ATL - WR Calvin Ridley 2019 STATS REC 63 30th YDS 866 30th TDS 7 13th REC/G 4.8 21st YDS/G 66.6 24th YPR 13.7 36th Calvin Ridley Speaking of that success through the air, Ridley popped up on the monitor for his media availability Tuesday with a certain sparkle in his eye and pep in his step. He couldn’t quite stand still, almost itching for greatness in a moment with the media that was only 15 minutes long. During that 15-minute window, Ridley set the expectation for himself: He is going to be “elite” in 2020. As the guaranteed No. 2 receiver behind Julio Jones, Ridley can feel and see his role as a piece in the offense evolving. He hopes to reach new heights in the coming season. You could see it irked him to have been injured during a short portion of the season last year, saying he almost had no doubt he would have surpassed 1,000 receiving yards if he would have stayed at 100 percent. He craves that, hungers for it even, in 2020. Ryan said he absolutely sees that hunger from Ridley even just a few days into training camp, even without suiting up with pads on, even without anything other than Ridley walking around. “I think there’s some messaging about having this as a breakout year (for Ridley), and I hope it is,” Ryan said. “I hope he’s improved from what he’s been even the last two years, but he’s been really good the last two years and extremely productive for us, so I’m fired up that he’s hungry and ready to go.” But what does Ryan think that next step in Ridley’s evolution will look like? Well, he said it’s a little difficult to truly judge because sometimes straight numbers can be skewed when, well, Jones is your No. 1 receiver. But Ryan is definitely among those who believe the pros of that situation greatly outweigh the cons. There are only so many plays in a game, Ryan said, but the people who know Ridley, who guard him in man-to-man coverage, know he’s “exceptional.” And Ryan said time in the league has enhanced that exceptionalism in Ridley. More so than ever before, Ridley knows his role, and he’s clearly defined it in his head. He knows the system, the scheme, the conversions on routes against specific coverages. Listing all of this, Ryan said a lot of young players will take significant time to figure out their roles, to clearly define them for themselves and to really become comfortable with the schemes in front of them. There’s a lot of attention to detail that has to go into that process early on. “I think you see the benefit of that,” Ryan said. “He seems very freed up when he’s on the field and has a really good understanding of the scheme and the conversions of our routes versus certain coverages. Just little stuff like that that I’ve seen early through camp has been really impressive.” But that’s not all Ryan sees in Ridley. “He’s hungry and determined, and he wants to be a great player, and that is sometimes just as important as having the skill set,” Ryan said. “The want-to and the desire is huge, and I’ve certainly seen that from him really during this entire offseason that we’ve been able to spend some time together, but certainly during the first couple of days that we’ve been back here at Flowery Branch.” ATL - RB Todd Gurley II 2019 STATS ATT 223 17th YDS 857 19th TDS 12 5th ATT/G 14.9 16th YDS/G 57.1 20th YPC 3.8 35th Todd Gurley Dan Quinn said it in his news conference to open training camp. Ryan echoed it Thursday: How quickly Gurley fits into the Falcons’ organization and how the Falcons feel they can use him are things they’re not worried about. Ryan said the two new key pieces of the Falcons’ offense who were picked up during the offseason, Gurley and Hayden Hurst, have quickly made their presence known and have fallen into their roles on the offense rather quickly. “There’s no question about that,” Ryan said. “I know I spoke about Todd this offseason of how impressed I was with his ability to kind of pick up things quickly.” On Monday, Gurley spoke to this process, saying he feels confident in the homework he did prior to the start of training camp. Now it’s time to see that homework turn into action. “I think today was just a stepping stone for what leads into the season,” Gurley said. “A lot of good things, definitely. For me, just being able to be out there, learn my new teammates’ names, the coaches and also get adjusted to the playbook.” From Ryan’s perspective, Gurley is well on his way to already being adjusted. ATL - TE Hayden Hurst 2019 STATS REC 30 35th YDS 349 28th TDS 2 33rd REC/G 1.9 35th YPR 11.6 13th YDS/G 21.8 34th Hayden Hurst When asked what his first impression was of his new tight end, Ryan said simply what jumped out at him right away was how genuinely excited Hurst was to be with the Falcons. Ryan said you can tell by the way Hurst works day in and day out just how much he wants to be with the Falcons. More than just a general jovial attitude about being back out on the field with a new team, Ryan said Hurst’s athleticism is exciting to see. “He’s extremely fast, has very good change of direction, he’s big and strong,” Ryan said. “He’s everything you would want in a tight end. I think he’s going to be a nice piece of the puzzle for us.” Ryan went on to say Hurst is a different type of player from some other tight ends he has played with and has a different skill set from Austin Hooper or Tony Gonzalez. “He’s unique in that way,” Ryan said. “I’m excited to kind of utilize some of the things that he does and add them into our scheme.” Despite what some may think of DK, I am tentatively excited to see what this offense can do this year. They have all world potential, just need the injury Gods to bless us and keep this team healthy.

For me, I have no problem walking into my polling place and casting that vote against Donald Trump and Kelly Loeffler. More satisfying that way. But I'm going to need Joe Biden to just shut up between now and November and let me do this without totally hating myself.

I'm gonna vote against Trump if I have to do so in full body armor....I'd prefer to do so by mail......but I'll buy a full body suit if I have to. And then I'll remove it when I get home and throw up privately because of who I had to vote for.

This whole debate is stupid though. He's destroying the funding to the USPS and we all know why and what's happening is blatantly political, unconstitutional, immoral, and every other bad adjective you can think of. Everybody knows what's happening. Those who choose to defend it do so in bad faith and they know it. They don't care about who gets to vote and who doesn't. Trump's defense of Florida voters getting to do it proves so. Their silence on the POTUS holding two opposing opinions proves so and they aren't worthy of debating. Just let em piss into the wind.

Well I didn’t wait until Monday to put my 2 weeks notice in. Did that **** this morning. But I still have to write a resignation letter and go through HR stuff. This is really happening. 😬

heh

LUKE...I AM YOUR FATHER --DARTH KOETTER

He needs to lose his log in rights

Actually I have to take something back.....Edelman doesn't hold a candle to Wes Welker.

Ahhh I see today is the appointed ***** about ABF day. In other news...

This inspired me to go take a look at the moderator forum because a bunch of threads from that time were moved over there. "Been a member for a decade, never been banned before. I might after this. This is the stupidest ******* decision the mods could have reached. It proves that the mods are a group of simple-minded nitwits who are incapable of reaching thoughtful solutions, even when those solutions have been handed over on a silver platter. Congrats, mods, on ruining something many of us love simply because you are unable or unwilling to do the job you agreed to do, i.e. moderate. Now you can go back to what you really enjoy - deciding which of the dozens of "my thoughts on the game" threads are most worthy of your praise." 😆

Never worry about the salary cap with the Falcons. Just ask a couple cap board experts and they’ll tell you every time TD has got this. The salary cap is imagery. I finally accepted the fact that it doesn’t matter...it’s just a bunch of BS. Just go sign who you need....

Never seen you speak out against the military budget going up and up and up.......crazy how that works.

DOB had an interesting tidbit. Minter is crediting Tomlin for fixing him. He said the two worked out together all shut down and Tomlin really got in his head. Taught him to trust his stuff and himself.

😆

savage

No hard feelings here. Football is a tough sport to play and it takes a special kind of commitment to play at a high level. He was a key part of our 2016 season and I wish him nothing but the best. I met him at training camp during his rookie season and he was the nicest guy. He spent a ton of time signing autographs for all the kids.