We are very close to being an elite team, but we are not there yet

[gazoo]

Many forget that we have an exceptionally young roster right now and TD and Smitty just took over last year.

It's very clear to me we have a core of many young, talened players to build around. We do still need some additional pieces though. Mike Peterson is decent, but we need another bad azz LB to line up next to the youthful and talented Lofton.

We have some very good young DL who will continue to grow, but Abe is either ijured or on the way out......not sure which one it is.

Our offense sputters way more than I wouldhave hoped, but so many awesome NFL QBs played far worse than Rycan in theior second years. Matt Ryan is the future, but some seem t forget he is still deep in the learning curve.

We have been very, very close in some key losses this year, a play or two away. Once we get a couple more pieces and more experience under these kids bel;ts I have a lot of faith we are going to go from frustratingly inconsistent to elite.

The last 2 weeks have been hard games to watch...man is it frustrating. But the reason it is so frustrating is hat we are right on the cusp....we are just about there and it kills us to watch us not make it over the edge.

Good things will come to those that practive patience here.

[falconidae]

+1

[SaintK]

5-5. Elite!!!! HahahahahahahahA

[Guest Gritz]

I'm just very frustrated right now for a couple of glaring reasons:

1.) I don't know if Dimitroff just didn't see anyone out there in the draft or FA that he didn't like, but going into this season with Chris Houston and Brent Grimes as your 2 starting corners borders on insanity. I know we picked up Brian Williams, and he was playing well, but neither Tye Hill, Chevis Jackson or Christopher Owens can push these 2 for more playing time.....Really? I just finished watching Leigh Bodden get 3 picks for the Pats today against the Jets.....He was out there....along with Jabari Greer and a couple of other decent CBs.

2.) Does Jason Elam have compromising photos of Dimitroff? Did Elam donate a kidney to someone in Smitty's family? Why is he still on this team? He has potentially cost this team a couple of Ws already.........and there will be more if someone out at the Branch doesn't wake up.

I'm still very optimistic about where we're going but I'm really frustrated right now....

[thirdnlong]

Very close to elite? At 5-5? Wishful thinking. How about we quit being the only long term professional sports franchise in any sport that hasn't had back to back winning seasons first? Been waiting over 40 years just for that. Then we can start talking about being a good team.

[taylor228193]

5-5. Elite!!!! HahahahahahahahA

last i checked the saints went 8-8 last year

[tikibar]

Elite? We're barely a .500 team and we don't even have an NFL kicker.

[beernuts]

well i worry about this year I agree about hte future

next year we immediately add Jerry on the DL and Moore at Safety - that actually shoudl give us some good depth at both positions - linebackers are kind of eh, but they are an adequate 4 deep. Obviously, we need corners (and the Pope is Catholic), but that will come

as to offense, we look pretty good next year - we have a great young WR in White and Gonzo looks five years younger than he is - Snelling makes me feel pretty good about our RB situation with turner, and I think the left sideof the line is pretty good.

Falcons have maybe not had many injuries by NFL standards, but the ones they have had are key - Williams was playing over his head and made the other CBs look better than they are (it is probably not a coincidence they all look to have declined since his injuries) - while our DTs have actually been a pleasant surprise, Jerry as a pass rushing DT would have really helped

lets face it, only one team wins the super bowl every year - this is not our year but it does not mean all is lost

I still think we finish 10-6 this year, but looking forward it looks good.

[MilleniumFalcon]

last i checked the saints went 8-8 last year

And they were a mediocre team last year. I think the Falcons are slightly above average on Offense but below average on defense meaning we're pretty much mediocre. Our secondary is holding us back too much.

[Lowndesfalc]

beernuts

Falcon

Group:Pure Football

Posts:4,809

Joined:--

Posted Today, 07:38 PM

well i worry about this year I agree about hte future

next year we immediately add Jerry on the DL and Moore at Safety - that actually shoudl give us some good depth at both positions - linebackers are kind of eh, but they are an adequate 4 deep. Obviously, we need corners (and the Pope is Catholic), but that will come

as to offense, we look pretty good next year - we have a great young WR in White and Gonzo looks five years younger than he is - Snelling makes me feel pretty good about our RB situation with turner, and I think the left sideof the line is pretty good.

Falcons have maybe not had many injuries by NFL standards, but the ones they have had are key - Williams was playing over his head and made the other CBs look better than they are (it is probably not a coincidence they all look to have declined since his injuries) - while our DTs have actually been a pleasant surprise, Jerry as a pass rushing DT would have really helped

lets face it, only one team wins the super bowl every year - this is not our year but it does not mean all is lost

I still think we finish 10-6 this year, but looking forward it looks good.

This^^^^^

[etherdome]

I think that Gazoo's post is accurate. While 5-5 is not and elite record, his post points to a very bright future. Let's take a look at the circumstances of our present reality:

1. We have a very difficult schedule that has been made much more difficult by a historic coincidence. We have the distinction of being the only team in NFL history to face four teams coming off of bye weeks. While it did not seem like such a big deal to me at the start of the season, I am now aware of how much of a challenge it has been. Our young QB has had to face top notch teams (San Francisco, Dallas, Carolina and NYG) after their byes. That means that coaching staffs have had two weeks to pick him apart and discover tendencies. It also means that teams got healthy and were at their best against us.

2. Our QB is only in his second season. He spent most of his time, in the offseason, working with Douglas and White. Douglas went down towards the end of preseason and Ryan had to adjust.

3. Our LT continues to have health issues and that has made life a little rougher for Ryan.

4. Our top two draft picks are on IR. We were supposed to have improved our interior pass rush with the addition of Perry. Things looked like projections were coming true, when Perry's knee snapped. We were supposed to slowly wean Moore into the backfield to add a very physical presence......that didn't happen either.

5. Our option out of the backfield has not added much due to injuries. Norwood is an excellent receiver out of the backfield and would have added a formidable facet to our offense.

6. We have lost two games because of our kicker. This game was obvious, but Elam has missed another FG that put our game strategy off balance. We should have a record of 7-3.

While some people consider the above a list of lame excuses, the fact is that these are important factors. We could very easily be at 7-3. In my opinion, that is a very promising record for a team that is on its way to elite status.

[Durrty]

I'm just very frustrated right now for a couple of glaring reasons:

1.) I don't know if Dimitroff just didn't see anyone out there in the draft or FA that he didn't like, but going into this season with Chris Houston and Brent Grimes as your 2 starting corners borders on insanity. I know we picked up Brian Williams, and he was playing well, but neither Tye Hill, Chevis Jackson or Christopher Owens can push these 2 for more playing time.....Really? I just finished watching Leigh Bodden get 3 picks for the Pats today against the Jets.....He was out there....along with Jabari Greer and a couple of other decent CBs.

2.) Does Jason Elam have compromising photos of Dimitroff? Did Elam donate a kidney to someone in Smitty's family? Why is he still on this team? He has potentially cost this team a couple of Ws already.........and there will be more if someone out at the Branch doesn't wake up.

I'm still very optimistic about where we're going but I'm really frustrated right now....

Those two points frustrated me too Gritz...to shed some light on the CB situation though, Dimitroff preaches about how he rewards his players for their performance and I think Smitty follows the same pattern. Grimes has shown the heart and desire to be on the field, arguably more than anyone in the secondary...as for Houston, I think he's done just enough to keep his spot and the rest of our CBs just aren't showing the coaches much. Tack on an injured Williams who brought stability to one side of the field and bam, you have the Falcons' secondary...Elam's situation frustrates me the most though.

[tikibar]

Saints were 8-8 last year and progressed.

We are regressing. We went 11-5 last year. Without an amazing run, we will be worse than we were last year.

Start the whole elite quest by signing an NFL kicker NOW.

[BirdzEyeView]

Not quite, IMO...However I like your optimism.

[Interceptor430]

We are second tier...building and had zero luck in things going our way this year.

2 games this year have ruined us... Panthers and Giants.

Yea, we're beat up... so be it... it's the NFL.

We better NOT lose to the Bucs at home...

[phattywankenobi]

Many forget that we have an exceptionally young roster right now and TD and Smitty just took over last year.

It's very clear to me we have a core of many young, talened players to build around. We do still need some additional pieces though. Mike Peterson is decent, but we need another bad azz LB to line up next to the youthful and talented Lofton.

We have some very good young DL who will continue to grow, but Abe is either ijured or on the way out......not sure which one it is.

Our offense sputters way more than I wouldhave hoped, but so many awesome NFL QBs played far worse than Rycan in theior second years. Matt Ryan is the future, but some seem t forget he is still deep in the learning curve.

We have been very, very close in some key losses this year, a play or two away. Once we get a couple more pieces and more experience under these kids bel;ts I have a lot of faith we are going to go from frustratingly inconsistent to elite.

The last 2 weeks have been hard games to watch...man is it frustrating. But the reason it is so frustrating is hat we are right on the cusp....we are just about there and it kills us to watch us not make it over the edge.

Good things will come to those that practive patience here.

See Gritz's milkcarton on Abe missing. Johnson made some nice plays, DeCoud is a keeper. I'm on the fence about Coleman. I'm not the Maddenesque bet the farm on a talented CB trade wise but pull a Ditka and get a guy like Asomugha in here. I appreciate the development of the young DB's but it is too young. They need effective talent on at least onee side. Ryan settled down and started driving in the second half. My assessment of Snelling in his first couple of preseason games was correct. You never know with that stuff but he is consistent and versatile. I'm done with Jenkins though, maybe Douglas steps up next year, and draft a late round development guy. Pass rush, pass rush, and pass rush will at least cover up the secondary for a duct tape fix. Hopefully Jerry and Moore recover well and make an impact next year.

[Rev_Hal]

Many forget that we have an exceptionally young roster right now and TD and Smitty just took over last year.

It's very clear to me we have a core of many young, talened players to build around. We do still need some additional pieces though. Mike Peterson is decent, but we need another bad azz LB to line up next to the youthful and talented Lofton.

We have some very good young DL who will continue to grow, but Abe is either ijured or on the way out......not sure which one it is.

Our offense sputters way more than I wouldhave hoped, but so many awesome NFL QBs played far worse than Rycan in theior second years. Matt Ryan is the future, but some seem t forget he is still deep in the learning curve.

We have been very, very close in some key losses this year, a play or two away. Once we get a couple more pieces and more experience under these kids bel;ts I have a lot of faith we are going to go from frustratingly inconsistent to elite.

The last 2 weeks have been hard games to watch...man is it frustrating. But the reason it is so frustrating is hat we are right on the cusp....we are just about there and it kills us to watch us not make it over the edge.

Good things will come to those that practive patience here.

We are still 2-3 players away from being a real contender. The Brian Williams injury was the biggest loss of the season. I have been consistant all season that Michael Jenkins is not playing to the level of a true #2 receiver. The foundation is here, but we will not be a serious contended until we plug some holes.

[FalconMama]

We're still two solid drafts away from being a elite team. I think we'll be able to contend for a Super Bowl in 2011.

[DavyDmx]

I believe one day soon we will have an elite squad but, right now it seems that we have two types of players the Achievers (Ryan, Lofton, Turner, Peterson, Decoud, White, Gonzo, Snelling, Babineaux, and Biermann) and the Under Achievers (Houston, Anderson, Abraham, Jenkins, Nicolas, Elam, Norwood). Until we can have both these groups playing well together we will never see that promised land of a Super Bowl (I didn't include Grimes because at least he tries to cover somebody and Norwood just cannot stay healthy).

[Thelonious Mingus]

last i checked the saints went 8-8 last year

Last I checked Saints made some major changes to their team this year.

Edited November 23, 2009 by Thelonious Mingus

[SaintK]

last i checked the saints went 8-8 last year

Huh? I'm not sitting here saying the saints are elite. Hahahahaha

[Atlanta_Dawgs46]

Perry Jerry and Harry Douglas injuries killed us. HD provided another whole dimension to our game (wes welker). Jerry was doing well in the rotation.

1. Mike Peterson is a problem. We need to draft an LB. Hoping for Ronaldo McClain. Beast. Great addition to Lofton.

2. CB is a huge need this year draft. Either draft one or sign a good vet.

3. DLine. We found our inside personels.JA98 and Babinaux with Jerry and Walker rotating is a solid inside combo. DE is still a problem. I think we have solid young player that need some more time to develop. Need to sign another solid vet to add to rotation.

[Voice of Reason]

I think that Gazoo's post is accurate. While 5-5 is not and elite record, his post points to a very bright future. Let's take a look at the circumstances of our present reality:

1. We have a very difficult schedule that has been made much more difficult by a historic coincidence. We have the distinction of being the only team in NFL history to face four teams coming off of bye weeks. While it did not seem like such a big deal to me at the start of the season, I am now aware of how much of a challenge it has been. Our young QB has had to face top notch teams (San Francisco, Dallas, Carolina and NYG) after their byes...

It was actually Chicago, but your point remains valid.

[hudson]

i think we are on the brink of being a alite team as well. I think there is such critisizm for this team because everyone can see it as well. You have to be patient. It takes time to redo a team. They have a plan but you cant do it all in one year. Most people say its a 3 year process to really get what you want. We need some more players yes. And i think TD is trying to make this a faster younger tuffer team. But its not his fault cause he didnt fix everything in one year.

They decided to work on the dline this past year and i think you ca see them playing well now that you have some good rotation.

Im confident that they will address the secondary in the same fashion as they have the dline the last couple!

BE patient!

[Supes™]

Good post, Gazoo.

We're gonna be fine in time. I don't know about anyone else, but I never had the '09 Falcons penciled in for the Super Bowl.

Who can predict how much longer it's gonna take to reach the Promised Land? No one can, but I for one have complete faith we're gonna get there sooner rather than later and I'll be here when we do! So will you, and so will all true fans of the Atlanta (by gawd!) Falcons!