What the players had to say after beating Miami

[nativefalcon]

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez said “We’ve got to improve.”

Here’s some of the post-game chatter:

MIKE PETERSON

ON THIRD DOWN SUCCESS: “The whole offseason, getting off the field on third down has been a big emphasis. Going into this game, that was a big emphasis. Getting of the field on third down tonight, we were able to do that today.”

ON STOPPING RONNIE BROWN AND RICKY WILLIAMS: “They’ve got two great running backs. They can take it to the house on you. They can score in one big run. Stopping the run as well as getting off on third downs were our big goals going into this game. We wanted to get some momentum going into Week One.

JERIOUS NORWOOD

ON MOVING THE BALL: “We did pretty good on offense. But as a whole we still have a lot of work today. We have to come back tomorrow and try to get better.

ON PLAYING AGAIN: “I just have to get back use to the speed of the game. Being out three-and-half to four weeks, I just have to get back to getting used to seeing these 3-4 defenses and translating everything through my brain.”

ON GETTING HIS FIRST CATCH, AN 8-YARD GAIN: “That was a lot of fun. I was very proud of myself about being able to catch the ball. My big thing was just being on the field and being with the guys. I’m just happy that I was able to do the things I love to do.”

TONY GONZALEZ

ON THE OFFENSE: “We came out and did what we had to do. We won the football game. But it’s the preseason and you’re kind of looking to get ready for the regular season. I think we made plays. I think there are some plays that we definitely wanted back. We can play better. There is no doubt about it. . . It’s good to see where we are at. We came out healthy.”

ON THE TOUCHDOWN DRIVE: “I don’t know if it’s peak efficiency, but it was good efficiency. But there was a play right before the touchdown (third and 12) and you want to stay out of those situations. It’s good to have that experience and know that you can convert if you do get in that situation like we did. I’m happy with with where we are at. But I definitely think, and I don’t want to speak for the team, but we’ve got to improve. We can improve. There were some plays out there that we could have made. I’m pretty confident that we’ll hook up on those plays.”

ON HARRY DOUGLAS: “It’s good to have Harry back. It’s good when everybody is healthy. If we can stay healthy, we’re going to be a pretty good team.”

BRIAN WILLLIAMS

ON RETURNING TO ACTION: “It felt good. I was a little rusty, but it definitely felt good to be back out there with the guys and in uniform.”

WILLIAM MOORE

ON HIS PLAY: “It went very well. I had an opportunity to go out there and move around with the special teams. I got a shot at defense for the first time and it felt real good.”

ON GETTING A TACKLE: “It was a feeling that I’ve been waiting on for a long time. I actually didn’t feel too nervous because I was prepared. I felt like I went out there and had a good day.”

http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-falcons-blog/2010/08/27/what-the-players-had-to-say-after-beating-miami/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_falcons_blog

[ballfan]

I got a shot at defense for the first time and it felt real good.

[The Falcon Jedi]

>>"I definitely think, and I don’t want to speak for the team, but we’ve got to improve. We can improve. There were some plays out there that we could have made. I’m pretty confident that we’ll hook up on those plays.”<<

From all Ive read, Tony G. really wasnt really happy with this game. His concern is pretty obvious, knowing this may be his last season.

[pr0d1gy]

TG is right, though. Ryan looked horrible, our line cannot get a push against physical D lines, and people are dropping balls like Vick is playing QB. The offense needs to get a whole lot better if we plan on making the playoffs & going anywhere in them.

I am not a gloom and doom guy, so our defense looked stellar. If we had that unit playing last year we would have at least won a divisional playoff game.

[The Falcon Jedi]

We cannot seem to open running lanes down the middle. McClure is just not that strong or big of a guy, esp. against big 3-4 Nose tackles.

[phocis850]

Gonzo sounds pisses.

[Sleepy27]

see the offensive concerns that some of us realistic fans are speaking on are also being spoken by the actual players!. but if we do not blindly agree people are labeled "trolls"

[Jesus]

>>"I definitely think, and I don’t want to speak for the team, but we’ve got to improve. We can improve. There were some plays out there that we could have made. I’m pretty confident that we’ll hook up on those plays.”<<

From all Ive read, Tony G. really wasnt really happy with this game. His concern is pretty obvious, knowing this may be his last season.

Maybe he should catch those balls that touch his hands.

[Dog River]

We cannot seem to open running lanes down the middle. McClure is just not that strong or big of a guy, esp. against big 3-4 Nose tackles.

I dunno who negged you for that legitimate comment, but I got it back.

[The Falcon Jedi]

Maybe he should catch those balls that touch his hands.

Yep I agree. Tony G. had a really critical bad drop himself. He wasnt really thrown the ball that much, maybe he was frustrated about that? I think it's mostly that he knows this is his last season, and he wants everything to be perfect to get to the Superbowl.

His voice carries a lot of weight, and maybe it will work getting the offense together before the season starts. But he kind of sounds like a guy on his last leg, frustrated that he might mot get to the Big Game before he retires.

Seriously, I think Tony G. is awesome. He is definitely 1st ballot HOF. But I think if this team makes the SB that it wont all be because of him being here. I honestly think our offense flowed a lot better before he came here. I think Mularkey and Ryan have tried a little too hard to get him involved in the offense, and that may have disrupted that.

However, the predicament now is we no longer have a #2 WR, so Tony G. becomes more important. We *must* work him more into the offense now. But he just needs to catch the ball. He had a one or two really bad drops last night.

Im not really worried. It will get ironed out.

[blizzard_falcon]

Yep I agree. Tony G. had a really critical bad drop himself. He wasnt really thrown the ball that much, maybe he was frustrated about that? I think it's mostly that he knows this is his last season, and he wants everything to be perfect to get to the Superbowl.

His voice carries a lot of weight, and maybe it will work getting the offense together before the season starts. But he kind of sounds like a guy on his last leg, frustrated that he might mot get to the Big Game before he retires.

Seriously, I think Tony G. is awesome. He is definitely 1st ballot HOF. But I think if this team makes the SB that it wont all be because of him being here. I honestly think our offense flowed a lot better before he came here. I think Mularkey and Ryan have tried a little too hard to get him involved in the offense, and that may have disrupted that.

However, the predicament now is we no longer have a #2 WR, so Tony G. becomes more important. We *must* work him more into the offense now. But he just needs to catch the ball. He had a one or two really bad drops last night.

Im not really worried. It will get ironed out.

I kind of feel the same way. Jenkins hasn't played nearly as well with Gonzalez on the team as the year before, and Ryan seems way to focused on finding Tony G as his "safety valve" - especially on 3rd downs. I'm not saying Gonzalez is a negative addition to the team, but Mularkey and Ryan have to be less focused with getting him the ball and more focused on just hitting the open receiver, whoever that might be. Hopefully having HD back will give us that spark we were missing last year.

[The Falcon Jedi]

I kind of feel the same way. Jenkins hasn't played nearly as well with Gonzalez on the team as the year before, and Ryan seems way to focused on finding Tony G as his "safety valve" - especially on 3rd downs. I'm not saying Gonzalez is a negative addition to the team, but Mularkey and Ryan have to be less focused with getting him the ball and more focused on just hitting the open receiver, whoever that might be. Hopefully having HD back will give us that spark we were missing last year.

If Roddy White makes that TD catch that he dropped, then the whole complexion of the game changes, and most likely no-one would be complaining about the offense. We would have easily put up 24 points against Miami last night. I agree with Tony that things didnt work very smooth, but he himself contributed a little to that. He killed a drive with his drop. Ryan put the ball right in his hands, so he cant blame Ryan for that.

Him speaking up might spark something positive though. That's what Im hoping for.