Mike Mularky sucks article

[~SEAMILL~]

Sorry if posted

He was the right draftee at the right time, and he was the best rookie quarterback the NFL has ever seen. (Yes, better than Dan Marino and better than Ben Roethlisberger.) But even the greatest rookie ever should get better, and honesty compels me to report that I’m not sure Matt Ryan has.

I know he got hurt last season. I also he know he faced a proud defense on its home turf Sunday and wasn’t overwhelmed. Neither was he able to lead his team to a touchdown. We can and will argue for days whether this was due to Ryan missing throws or Mike Mularkey, the offensive coordinator, playing to lose, but when a team widely seen as having a playoff pedigree plays a dog of a game on Opening Day … well, who’s the highest-paid Falcon?

Even as a rookie, Ryan was never really a rookie. He always knew what he was doing, which is how he led a team coming off a wretched season to the playoffs in one sweet autumn. That said, Ryan hasn’t been a rookie for two years now, and there are moments when he seems uncertain. There are also moments when it seems Mularkey is trying to protect his quarterback the way Georgia’s Mark Richt and Mike Bobo did Aaron Murray at South Carolina on Saturday.

Which makes no sense. Murray is a redshirt freshman, Ryan a full-blooded professional. Even before they drafted him, the Falcons gushed over his capacity to absorb on the fly, and what happened when first he threw the ball in an NFL game? Boom! (Sorry to go all Madden on you.) A 62-yard touchdown to Michael Jenkins down the hash mark, the ball finding Jenkins at full gallop.

Question: When last did we see Ryan make that throw? Most everything now is an out or a curl. (Hard to make yards after the catch on those.) He threw 44 times for 252 yards Sunday — a puny average of 5.7 yards per attempt. His longest completion was for 23 yards. Dennis Dixon, the third-stringer deployed by the Steelers, threw only 26 times but completed a 52-yarder and a 25-yarder, and Pittsburgh on Sunday was the team needing to nurse its quarterback.

Ryan and Mularkey were a splendid pair in 2008. They’ve been less splendid since. It isn’t, as some maintain, that Mularkey insists on pounding the ball to excess. The Falcons threw 19 more times Sunday than they ran. It’s the downfield component of this offense that has been lost. Asked what was missing Sunday, receiver Roddy White said: “More big plays. More explosive plays.”

The offensive line didn’t push the Steelers backward, but the Steelers, as noted, are themselves good at pushing. Michael Turner didn’t have many holes and created none on his own. The Falcons had to win by passing, and they couldn’t. (And Troy Polamalu’s flying interception nearly lost it in regulation.)

This isn’t to suggest the Falcons need to change quarterbacks. If anything, they need to trust more in the one they have. Ryan proved as a rookie he has what it takes to win in the NFL. But those among us who saw him back then and said to ourselves, “Give him a couple of years and he’ll be Peyton Manning,” … well, we haven’t seen our prophecy realized. He’s a good NFL quarterback, and 20 other teams would love to have him. He’s not, however, a Peyton or a Tom Brady or a Drew Brees.

The buzz in preseason was that this would be the year Ryan joins the pantheon. (Indeed, the famous Gil Brandt picked him to be the league’s MVP.) But the Ryan who couldn’t lead a team featuring a Pro Bowl back, a Pro Bowl wideout and a Pro Bowl tight end to a single touchdown on Sunday wasn’t the Matty Ice who made us tingle back in ‘08. This Matty Ice, sad to say, left us cold.

http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2010/09/13/a-chilly-start-to-whats-being-billed-as-ryans-step-up-season/?cxntfid=blogs_mark_bradley_blog

Edited September 13, 2010 by ~SEAMILL~

[Guest Gritz]

Bradley's kind of hedging his bets there by taking well aimed shots at both Mularkey and Ryan.

[~SEAMILL~]

Bradley's kind of hedging his bets there by taking well aimed shots at both Mularkey and Ryan.

I am not one to attack a certain player and even if I feel a certain way I rarely post it on this board. I am disappointed in Matt and him staring down our receivers at times, but it was one game. But I have had enough of MM safe playcalling. He is handcuffing the team.

Edited September 13, 2010 by ~SEAMILL~

[KRUNKuno]

Bradley's kind of hedging his bets there by taking well aimed shots at both Mularkey and Ryan.

Yea, he's definitely playing both sides of the fence. Pick and choose, Bradley.

He makes good points though. I think he's mostly aiming at Mularkey though.

Mularkey is the worse broken record in the world. It's almost comical how predictable our offense has become.

[Falcons_own_nfc_south]

I would get flamed here but I'm going to say it again.

Tony Gonzo and Mularkey both are killing this team. Mularkey putting so many play in his book for Tony. In 2008, We didn't have star TE and we were throwing the balls to open WR. But Ryan practices throwing ball to Tony and when real games come he's still throwing to him because his coach requires to throw ball only 10-12 yards.

[The Don™]

I am not one to attack a certain player and even if I feel a certain way I rarely post it on this board. I am disappointed in Matt and him staring down our receivers at times, but it was one game. But I have had enough of MM safe playcalling. He is handcuffing the team.

That's one thing about Matt that has got me scratching my head. I wonder why he's been doing that lately. I don't remember him doing that in his rookie season. Is he worried that the OL is not going provide enough time so has to focus on one target and get rid of it quick? I mean, possibly, but I've seen him hone in on a target, and try to hit that target while he had another target open or more open.

He needs to fix that.

[Peyton]

Bradley is totally stealing his ideas from the message board.

[~SEAMILL~]

Bradley is totally stealing his ideas from the message board.

I am glad he did in this case. Maybe MM will see it.

[5 to the squad]

i thin mularkey's name is fitting.

[sdogg]

Bradley is totally stealing his ideas from the message board.

yep!!

[Peyton]

I am glad he did in this case. Maybe MM will see it.

No doubt. It's not the first time Bradley has done this to me either. I am going to make that guy start paying me commission.

Bradley's Buzz

Bradley’s Buzz: Would Evander be the real deal for Falcons?

9:46 am March 30, 2009, by Mark Bradley

Gettin’ Ziggy with it?

Having monitored mock drafts closely the past few months, I can report that not much surprises me. I know most of the names, and I have some notion as to where they’re supposed to go. But Pat Kirwan of NFL.com stumped the Buzz band in his latest mock by throwing out a name — and it’s a good name — as the Falcons’ No. 1 pick.

He’s Evander Hood, a defensive tackle from Missouri. His nickname is Ziggy. (Me, I don’t know why a guy named Evander would need a nickname, but that’s just me.) As NFL.com’s scouting report notes, Ziggy had a tepid senior season. But he had a good Senior Bowl and an even better pro day, according to Frank Cooney’s NFL Draft Scout, and of such things are 24th overall picks sometimes made.

OK, so you’re asking: Why Ziggy? Dave Henry of Amarillo.com — Hood is from Amarillo, which rhymes with “pillow,” sort of — writes that Hood’s grandmother dubbed him that because he reminded her of the pillowy comic-strip character. This apparently is the same grandmother whom David Ubben of the Columbian Missourian reports will send Ziggy articles about himself via the Internet.

A confession: I don’t know what Thomas Dimitroff is apt to do come Draft Day. (And neither do you.) But I do know that TD has told me more than once that he and Mike Smith value defensive tackles immensely, and I could see the Falcons spending their first pick on a DT more readily than I can them picking a marginal linebacker or even a tight end. (Peyton Youmans of the Bleacher Report expresses a similar sentiment.)

Plus, I just like the idea of a 300-pound lineman who goes by Ziggy.

[g-dawg]

I think Mike Mularkey's system handcuff's QBs - period.....

One thing is for certain, you don't fire a QB 2 years into a 6 year deal.

If Falcons have a poor year offensively, then Mike Mularkey will have to be fired. I'm not hoping he's fired because that means a bad season for Falcons - but it will happen if things don't go well offensively.

Hopefully Falcons have a good year and Mularkey leaves on his own accord. The offensive system as it relates to passing is not NFL caliber - plain and simple.

[5 to the squad]

mularkey bloooooooooooows did in pittsburgh buffalo miami and atlanta

[synaptic apoptosis]

I would get flamed here but I'm going to say it again.

Tony Gonzo and Mularkey both are killing this team. Mularkey putting so many play in his book for Tony. In 2008, We didn't have star TE and we were throwing the balls to open WR. But Ryan practices throwing ball to Tony and when real games come he's still throwing to him because his coach requires to throw ball only 10-12 yards.

Nothing to flame about that. Its pretty obvious now that Matt loves to force the ball to tony whether he is open or not. That is one of the main things that is killing this team. He should be a safety valve for Ryan and not a first option for every single read. Tony is a great asset for this team in the red zone and for third downs, but stop treating him like W2.

[g-dawg]

mularkey bloooooooooooows did in pittsburgh buffalo miami and atlanta

other than Matt Ryan's rookie year - and Falcons were a wildly successful running team in 2008 - somebody please tell me the best passing statistical season a Mularkey QB has ever had? whoever the statistician in the group is.....

[~SEAMILL~]

I think Mike Mularkey's system handcuff's QBs - period.....

One thing is for certain, you don't fire a QB 2 years into a 6 year deal.

If Falcons have a poor year offensively, then Mike Mularkey will have to be fired. I'm not hoping he's fired because that means a bad season for Falcons - but it will happen if things don't go well offensively.

Hopefully Falcons have a good year and Mularkey leaves on his own accord. The offensive system as it relates to passing is not NFL caliber - plain and simple.

I have said this a few time already, but I will say it again. Its sad that joke of an OC (MM) had all offseason to come up with new/different/original plays and he did not. I mean, first game of the year and same old stuff.

Edited September 13, 2010 by ~SEAMILL~

[5 to the squad]

ryan aint helping matters with his staring downs receivers.

[synaptic apoptosis]

I have said this a few time already, but I will it again. Its sad that joke of an OC (MM) had all offseason to come up with new/different/original plays and he did not. I mean, first game of the year and same old stuff.

Its like he doesn't care. He is either really full of himself or really stupid. He obviously had a long vacation and didn't watch tape of last years games.your QB can prepare all he wants but if the OC is in Hawaii sipping Mai Ties all summer it wont make a difference. No innovation!

Edited September 13, 2010 by Negatron

[~SEAMILL~]

Its like he doesn't care. He is either really full of himself or really stupid. He obviously had a long vacation and didn't watch tape of last years games.

I know you wanted to set the neg record, but that is how I feel too. Plus, the name is hilarious.

[synaptic apoptosis]

I know you wanted to set the neg record, but that is how I feel too. Plus, the name is hilarious.

Thanks my man, no worries still plenty of time to set the neg record

[Peyton]

Its like he doesn't care. He is either really full of himself or really stupid. He obviously had a long vacation and didn't watch tape of last years games.your QB can prepare all he wants but if the OC is in Hawaii sipping Mai Ties all summer it wont make a difference. No innovation!

That's not true. The guy's innovation is his repetitiveness. Remember that time the Falcons were playing the Eagles last year and the Mularkey tricked the Eagles by running the ball straight up the guyt 4 times in a row?

Oh......wait......

[Norwood all the way!]

theres a reason why mularkey has had jobs in many different places. he sucks. and yet he refuses to change his philosophy. insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Ryan does deserve maybe some of the blame. but what are we going to do? drop our franchise qb or drop our OC that has a history of blowing it? easy decision if you ask me.....

[stripedss]

theres a reason why mularkey has had jobs in many different places. he sucks. and yet he refuses to change his philosophy. insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Ryan does deserve maybe some of the blame. but what are we going to do? drop our franchise qb or drop our OC that has a history of blowing it? easy decision if you ask me.....

Is this not an indictment of Smith???? He hired him

[Norwood all the way!]

Is this not an indictment of Smith???? He hired him

yea but im not questioning his ability to lead this team, which is his main job. the problem is with our play calling.