lostnmexico

Eddie Meyers........Navy Man but boy could he run!

Hargreaves is a **** good corner......get him out of Tampa and into the ATL and you will see a shutdown corner!

Getting Ishmael off the field is apparently a good thing! Guy has had coverage issues for some time. Heavy Rotation on the D line and Mr Mariner outsnapped Alan Baily....all in all....kudos to change!

Falcons snap counts from a triumphant win over the Saints It was Foye Oluokun’s time to shine, and he did. By Dave Choate Nov 12, 2019, 10:00am EST Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images One of the things that will likely haunt me about this season long after it’s over is how slowly the Falcons came to some necessary realizations. It took weeks (and we don’t know how many weeks, given that Dan Quinn hasn’t made it clear how involved Jeff Ulbrich has been and when he started being involved) for Quinn to take playcalling duties off his crowded plate, for this team to put Damontae Kazee back at safety where he thrived a year ago, and for them to draw down the snaps of unproductive players and replace them with productive ones. Would that have made a massive difference for a team that was getting its butt kicked week after week? There’s no way to be certain, but I tend to think so. The Falcons lost, over and over again, because they were making awful mistakes that they couldn’t seem to fix. I appreciate that they made changes at all—few coaches are willing to admit defeat like that—but I will always suspect being less stubborn about the team’s many flaws would have at least allowed for a more competitive season. We can’t go back, though, so let’s look at the snap counts and see what personnel changes the Falcons made on Sunday. Offense Matt Ryan: 79 (100%) Jake Matthews: 79 James Carpenter: 79 Alex Mack: 79 Kaleb McGary: 79 Jamon Brown: 76 Calvin Ridley: 70 Julio Jones: 63 Austin Hooper: 58 Russell Gage: 49 Brian Hill: 40 Luke Stocker: 31 Devonta Freeman: 30 Christian Blake: 15 Kenjon Barner: 11 Keith Smith: 10 Jaeden Graham: 8 Olamide Zaccheaus: 6 Justin Hardy: 4 Ty Sambrailo: 3 Russell Gage is keeping this role. He got two more snaps this week than a week ago, and on a very quiet week for the passing game, he tied Austin Hooper for the team lead in receptions with four. The Falcons also managed to get Christian Blake and Olamide Zaccheaus out there, with Blake snagging two balls for 15 yards and looking pretty solid out there. This offense doesn’t appear like it’s going to fall apart without Mohamed Sanu, at least. Much has been and will be made of the ground game after the win, but the truth is that the Falcons did not have a ton of success running outside of two scrambles from Matt Ryan, a handoff to Calvin Ridley, and single nice runs by Brian Hill, Devonta Freeman, and Kenjon Barner. The offense continues to be hamstrung by Dirk Koetter’s insistence on unproductive early down runs up the middle, but the ground game did at least chew up an enormous amount of clock, limiting New Orleans’ opportunities on offense. I really hope the takeaway from this game isn’t that the Falcons need to run more, because they really just need to give Freeman and Hill better opportunities. It’s also probably not a coincidence that the Falcons nearly had their full offensive line for the entire game. Kaleb McGary was particularly impressive against Cameron Jordan, and it looks like he’s blossoming into the tackle the Falcons hoped they were getting. That augurs well for 2020, at minimum. Defense Isaiah Oliver (100%): 69 Kendall Sheffield: 69 Ricardo Allen: 69 Deion Jones: 67 Damontae Kazee: 62 Takk McKinley: 56 Blidi Wreh-Wilson: 55 Vic Beasley: 53 De’Vondre Campbell: 48 Adrian Clayborn: 37 Foye Oluokun: 30 Jack Crawford: 24 Tyeler Davison: 22 Jacob Tuioti-Mariner: 17 Allen Bailey: 15 Kemal Ishmael: 7 Jordan Miller: 7 The changes here are evident and real. The Falcons didn’t exactly bench Tyeler Davison and Allen Bailey, but the two stalwart run stoppers took a backseat to the likes of Adrian Clayborn and Jack Crawford, players who have a long history of pass rushing production to fall back on. The secondary doing a much better job was a major reason the pass rush thrived yesterday, but personnel shuffling certainly didn’t hurt. Even Tuioti-Mariner got in on the fun and looked pretty good, and when you have Takk, Beasley, and Jarrett playing well and better guys around them, the difference is palpable. Foye Oluokun was also a big beneficiary of changing things up. The Falcons gave Campbell just 70% of snaps on defense Sunday and he responded with one of his best games of the year, but Oluokun was also a standout in his 30 snaps. We’ve been clamoring for him to get more time on the field and the Falcons, having seen how well he held up, will hopefully find a way to make that happen again next week. The young secondary didn’t see any major changes, but they did play very well. Isaiah Oliver settled down after a slow start against Michael Thomas and played pretty well, Kendall Sheffield and Blidi Wreh-Wilson were excellent, and Damontae Kazee and Ricardo Allen set the tone with stellar physicality. What a great game. I’m not sure you should expect these snap counts to continue next week, however, because the run-first Panthers are on deck. Special Teams Foye Oluokun: 21 Sharrod Neasman: 21 Jaeden Graham: 20 Kemal Ishmael: 18 Jermaine Grace: 18 Olamide Zaccheaus: 17 Keith Smith: 16 Luke Stocker: 13 Christian Blake: 13 Younghoe Koo: 13 Ryan Allen: 10 Josh Harris: 10 The usual suspects here, with Ishmael transitioning back into playing heavy special teams snaps with the Falcons electing to go back to Damontae Kazee and Ricardo Allen at safety. The usual suspects did not have their best game, however, as the Saints managed 19 yards on their lone punt return and 109 yards on four kickoff returns on the day. The team’s coverage units have quietly been a little shakier of late, which I hope is not a sign of things to come. The big story lines of the day, of course, were the new kicker and punter. Allen only average 29 net yards on his two punts and got injured—we may be seeing yet another punter next week—but Koo managed three touchbacks, nailed all four of his field goal tries, and helped force a returner out of bounds on a great hustle play. It was just one week, but if you’re auditioning to be this team’s kicker of the future, you can’t really do much more than that.

Buccaneers cut former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves after corner admits to lack of hustle Drafted 11th overall in 2016, Hargreaves played just one full season with Tampa Bay As first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter and since confirmed by the team, the Bucs have waived the 24-year-old cornerback, parting ways with the 11th overall selection of the 2016 draft days after he admitted to a lack of hustle during Tampa Bay's 30-27 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10. Billed as one of the top corner prospects of his class coming out of Florida, Hargreaves started all 16 games as a rookie, logging a career-best 76 tackles to go along with two turnovers. Since then, however, he's been dogged by injuries and inconsistency, missing just about half his sophomore season with a hamstring issue and all but one game in 2018 thanks to a shoulder problem. Early this offseason, new Bucs coach Bruce Arians held him out of practice because he believed the corner was not prepared, as NFL Network noted, and then reprimanded Hargreaves again this week, benching him in the third quarter of the Arizona game and telling reporters it didn't look like he hustled to make a tackle. Hargreaves didn't refute Arians' claim, per NFL.com, saying after the game "there's no arguing it" and promising more hustle, as well as a meeting with Arians to straighten things out. Evidently, things weren't straightened out. Because he was waived, Hargreaves will be subjected to the waiver process, meaning the other 31 NFL teams will have an opportunity to claim him before he hits the open market. While he's only 24 and carries a big name, the fourth-year defensive back also boasts a 2020 salary of $9.954 million thanks to Tampa Bay exercising his fifth-year option prior to the season. The Bucs, meanwhile, figure to rely even more heavily on their 2019 reinforcements at corner, where they spent two early-round draft picks this past April.

The Falcons continue to make puzzling moves, or in this case, non-moves. By Matthew Chambers@FalcoholicMatt Oct 30, 2019, 10:32am EDT Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Many expected the Atlanta Falcons to be big sellers ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. After all, the team already moved Mohamed Sanu. Sanu’s trade worked for everyone involved: The Falcons were guaranteed to cut him in the offseason for cap purposes, Sanu heads to a playoff team, and Atlanta gets an extra second-round selection. With some other big veterans likely gone in the offseason and 2019 in the toilet, there is almost no reason to keep a handful of aging veterans. Running back Devonta Freeman, who has been healthy but struggling, is among those names. If the Falcons could get anything for Freeman, they have to take it, right? Wrong. What a bewildering decision. The team may have their eye on his pass blocking skills that may help keep Matt Ryan alive, but he will not be eligible for a compensatory pick if cut. However, there are still two big issues here. First, the Falcons could have cleared Freeman’s remaining base salary. With a team so desperately against the cap, unloading his remaining eight games would give more breathing room in future years. Second, and even more importantly, the Falcons have five running backs on the roster. That is too many running backs, especially for a team with a terrible run game. Brian Hill is finally getting a few snaps, but fifth-round selection Qadree Ollison has not received a single touch, let alone a single active game. Thomas Dimitroff and Dan Quinn are unlikely to be around in 2020, so their replacements will be making roster decisions on players who last took snaps in preseason. Is Ollison good? Where can he fit? Will they need to replace him? Is he similar to Hill or can they both exist in the same backfield? It is insane to give an ineffective Freeman heavy snaps in place of young players full of potential. We have spent years doing mental summersaults trying to explain some of this front office’s decisions. Those confusing decisions almost never work out. This is another bad move from an organization that consistently refuses to make the smart decision.

Could not agree more with this post.......After the Tom Condon, CSA stuff came to light.....it should be all but a done deal to send this fat haired clown packing!

I think Bradley is spot on this time!

Who saw this coming? Nobody. If you claim you did, I’ll insist on a polygraph. As bad as last year was, the Falcons were 7-9. Now they’re 1-6, and the “1” required a fourth-down conversion, a fourth-down stop and a Nelson Agholor drop. Everyone asks: How did this happen? As a public service, I offer these observations/guesses. Theory No. 1: The coach’s credentials. Dan Quinn began coaching in 1994. Until 2011, he’d been a defense coordinator only at Hofstra, and then only for the 2000 season. That team went 9-4-1 and lost to title-bound Georgia Southern and Paul Johnson in the FCS quarterfinals. PJ’s offense hung 48 points on DQ’s defense. Quinn was Pete Carroll’s defensive line coach/assistant head coach with the Seahawks in 2009 and 2010. Will Muschamp, chosen to succeed Urban Meyer at Florida, tapped Quinn as defensive coordinator. The Gators ranked eighth nationally in total defense in 2011, fourth in 2012. Though Quinn -- who knew Muschamp when the two were Dolphins assistants under Nick Saban -- was a key figure, the belief in Gainesville was that the head coach ran his own defense. Quinn returned to Seattle and was part of consecutive Super Bowl seasons – the Seahawks won the first and should have won the second – that featured the NFL’s top-ranked defense. That stamped him as the NFL’s hottest assistant. The Jets made a pitch, but Arthur M. Blank got what he wanted, as Arthur M. Blank invariably does. One reason Quinn came here was that Blank offered control of the 53-man roster, basically making him czar of football. Mike Smith had reported to general manager Thomas Dimitroff; Quinn would report to Blank. This isn’t quite a second-guess, seeing as how we raised it at the time, but granting such sway to someone who’d never been a head coach at any level was unusual if not unprecedented. And the Seahawks didn’t just learn how to defend under Quinn. They were the NFL’s ninth- and fourth-best defense in 2011 and 2012 under Gus Bradley, who left to coach the Jaguars. After Quinn left, they were the NFL’s second- and fifth-best defense under Kris Richard. Those Seahawks were a harmonic convergence of defensive excellence: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, Michael Bennett, Bruce Irvin. Quinn did great work there, but he wasn’t the only one. Theory No. 2: The Shanahan factor. The best season under Quinn took the Falcons to the Super Bowl -- this despite them ranking 25th in total defense. Indeed, Quinn seized the defensive reins from coordinator Richard Smith after Thanksgiving. That team scored 540 points, tying for the eighth-most in NFL annals. It scored 80 more in playoff victories over Seattle and Green Bay. After the opening loss to Tampa Bay until the final quarter of Super Bowl 51, Kyle Shanahan had one of the greatest play-calling seasons ever. Matt Ryan was MVP. Julio Jones caught 83 passes for 1,409 yards. Devonta Freeman rushed for 1,079 yards. The line blocked liked thunder. Everything worked. Nothing has worked as well since. Shanahan left to coach the 49ers. Quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur took a job as offensive coordinator under Sean McVay with the Rams, Quinn having hired Steve Sarkisian as OC here. Sarkisian lasted two seasons and was among three coordinators fired on New Year’s Eve. Shanahan’s 49ers are 6-0. In Year 1 as the Packers’ head coach, LaFleur’s team is 6-1. Theory No. 3: Nobody to say no. Dimitroff’s job changed with Quinn’s arrival. The GM’s mission became to acquire players of the coach/czar’s liking. When the coach/czar reaches the Super Bowl in Year 2, his power is absolute. Quinn’s concept of Brotherhood became boilerplate on official team releases. One of his many bromides – “Iron sharpens iron” – adorned the lobby at 4400 Falcon Parkway. Only once under Quinn has the Falcons’ defense ranked among the league’s 10 best in yards against. That was in 2017, when Marquand Manuel (since fired) was a rookie coordinator. Last year the Falcons ranked 28th in total defense, sixth in total offense. Their top two draftees, both in Round 1, were offensive linemen. Did not the defense require more immediate help? The guess is that Quinn believed that, with him again running the defense and injured guys presumably healthy, he’d coach everybody up. Almost all these players were of his choosing – DQ Guys. Heck, he might re-light the fire in Vic Beasley, the 2016 NFL sack leader who’d done little since. Quinn announced his intention to make Beasley his personal project. Duly enthused, Beasley skipped OTAs. Sometimes total control leads to tunnel vision. Shouldn’t somebody – Dimitroff, or even Blank – have said, “Are you sure you can get more from these guys just because you like them? Are you sure there’s more to get?” Or, going bigger-picture: “In trying to keep all these guys happy, aren’t we spending ourselves into salary-cap ****?” Sometimes a GM needs to tell his HC, “Whoa.” Can a GM who serves at the pleasure of this HC do that? Was there anybody in Flowery Branch to say, “Maybe trying to be HC and DC isn’t the greatest idea”? (In a nod to reality, Quinn revealed last week that defensive play-calling is now a communal process.) This isn’t to suggest that Quinn was a bad hire. Twenty-four months after he took the job, his team led the Super Bowl by 25 points. But from the first, the Falcons have treated Quinn as if he wasn’t just a coach but a magic man. The cold truth is that, after 71 regular-season games, he has been worse than his predecessor. His record is 37-34. Mike Smith’s was 50-21.

Guy killed it today for San Fran! Kudos Mr Coleman!

Funny +1

Great Post Amigo......It starts up top. I for one REFUSE to EMBRACE the SUCK!

been under the weather....case of Bird Flu Brought on by watching Falcons Football!

The scheme was nonsensical from the beginning of the game. Dan Quinn’s decision to rely on rushing 3—which is a departure from his usual defensive philosophy of trying to get pressure with 4—and dropping 8 players into coverage was a poor one against a Texans team with plenty of firepower and a porous offensive line. Houston had been allowing almost 5 sacks a game though the first four weeks, and Atlanta managed zero on Sunday. Sadly, it appears that Quinn’s instincts for fixing the defense are all wrong, and that’s why we saw one of the Falcons’ worst defensive performances of the 21st century in Week 5. HARSH AND SPOT ON! WE CANT WIN WITH THE NOT SO MIGHTY QUINN!

Compare the Coaching Staffs and you will understand...........its not the rosters so much as the removal of all the veteran coaches!