Is This Streak Troubling Or Promising?

[Peyton]

After three games, it looked like the Falcons were going to set an NFL record for turnover margin.

But since then the Falcons haven't won the turnover battle in a single game. They have had 6 turnover draws in a row and have lost the turnover battle in the most recent two games.

Do you find it troubling that the Falcons have gone half a season without winning the turnover battle in a game?

OR...

Do you find it promising that the Falcons have gone half a season without winning the turnover battle in a game and still have managed to go 7-1?

[TheRealSwift]

I've never seen a defense with such butterfingers. The ball can be right in their hands and they drop it.

[falconsd56]

I find it encouraging.

It means we are not one dimensional.

There is really no " well if you do____ you beat the falcons"

in the past it was if you shut down

earlier in the year it was " if you dont turn the ball over"

Shut down the run? Ryan says F you and rips out your heart.

take the ball away more? Ryan and the defense says F you and rips your heart.

Sack Ryan? Matt Bryant says F you, and not only rips your heart out.he feeds it to you.

[Peyton]

I mostly find it encouraging. There are a few teams out there that are feasting on turnovers, and you really don't know how they'd look if those turnovers didn't materialize.

This team is going to go into the post season with a lot of experience winning that kind of game.

[Peyton]

This stat also answers the question that everyone has been asking of "Why don't the Falcons blow teams out"?

All of the teams blowing people out - The Patriots, the Bears, the Niners......they are feasting on turnovers in all of those blow out wins.

It's dried up for Atlanta. Two turnovers caused in the last 5 games.

So no blowouts.

[Bill Brasky]

I think if the Offense could just stop turning the ball over, then we would have had much more comfortable wins in those games. Maybe not blowouts, but no late game edge of the seat moments either. If the O stops turning it over and the D starts taking it away again, that is when we start playing up to our full potential. That's when this team becomes scary good.

[Butudontseeme™]

I mostly find it encouraging. There are a few teams out there that are feasting on turnovers, and you really don't know how they'd look if those turnovers didn't materialize.

This team is going to go into the post season with a lot of experience winning that kind of game.

I agree. I believe it's encouraging. I also think that it shows just how resilient the team is when they don't "die" after turning the ball over. Teams that survive on turnovers normally get disappointed once they meet up with a team that protects the ball exceptionally well.

[Atlien 404]

both its encouraging in reg season its troubling to roll into playoffs with this problem

[Peyton]

I think if the Offense could just stop turning the ball over, then we would have had much more comfortable wins in those games. Maybe not blowouts, but no late game edge of the seat moments either. If the O stops turning it over and the D starts taking it away again, that is when we start playing up to our full potential. That's when this team becomes scary good.

Well the Falcons didn't have any turnovers against the Cowboys and Eagles. The Cowboys game stayed close because the Falcons couldn't score TDs and Bryant missed two FGs. The Eagles game was enough of a blow out for me.

[freebird310]

At least we got a defensive TD against Zona....was a heady play by Abe....but yea it concerns me, because I think the defense has regressed somewhat overall since the days of holding Rivers to nada, and raping the godchild ....I want more of THAT ....

[Peyton]

There is another streak the Falcons have going that I find a lot more troubling, and it has to end on Thursday.

The Falcons have only managed a single offensive TD in each of the last 3 home games.

That has to end Thursday, or the Falcons are going to get embarrassed at home.

[Bill Brasky]

Well the Falcons didn't have any turnovers against the Cowboys and Eagles. The Cowboys game stayed close because the Falcons couldn't score TDs and Bryant missed two FGs. The Eagles game was enough of a blow out for me.

True, and just think how a take away or two against the cowboys could have changed the dynamic of that game. I always felt like we were in the drivers seat that game but just couldn't pull away from them. A short field would have done that.

The eagles entire game plan was to not turn the ball over and that's why it was so easy to beat them. They played timid. Probably one of our better all around performances and they kinda shut it down in the 2nd half and coasted to the win.

[Falconsfan567]

I remember earlier in the season MF tried to tell me Ryan's numbers were inflated by all the extra possessions the defense was giving him. Wonder what he thinks now?

[freebird310]

True, and just think how a take away or two against the cowboys could have changed the dynamic of that game. I always felt like we were in the drivers seat that game but just couldn't pull away from them. A short field would have done that.

The eagles entire game plan was to not turn the ball over and that's why it was so easy to beat them. They played timid. Probably one of our better all around performances and they kinda shut it down in the 2nd half and coasted to the win.

Seems to me that is almost EVERY game.......we just got no knockout punch, and that all comes back to the trenches IMO ....

[Dirtybird56]

HelI we might be just as good as we were the first 3 games, we're just not winning the turnover battles

So I find it more encouraging than not, but to be honest I'm not going to read into this team much right now. Every team seems to be a new team the second that first playoff game starts. Couldn't be happier we're setting ourselves up for HFA though as that's the best you can do in the regular season

[falcons007]

Its good to see Falcons Defense holding up with out Turnovers. The Defense is actually stopping other teams on Third downs which was a problem last couple of years. There are not many teams which can win games with a negative turn over margin in a game.

[freebird310]

Its good to see Falcons Defense holding up with out Turnovers. The Defense is actually stopping other teams on Third downs which was a problem last couple of years. There are not many teams which can win games with a negative turn over margin in a game.

Exactly, that is the one huge difference from last year....

[twright21]

I'll repost here as well:

That's scary good and scary bad at the same time. I've not been able to put my finger on why the turnover margin has went so awry after the fast start. I knew that early pace couldn't be kept, but to see it swing so hard has been a concern.

Defensively, creating turnovers masks holes.  Ask the saints.  We've had many missed opportunities for turnovers that we were converting the first few weeks. We've got to capitalize down the stretch.

Offensively, I don't know if it's a byproduct of relying more on the pass or just bad luck that has brought the turnovers.  We have had some bad breaks with tipped balls and such, some have been bad plays by Matt (the bootleg int vs Arizona was horrid), and some were just good defensive plays (ronde this sunday).

To go forward, we've got to get the turnovers going back our way. It would turn these close games into decisive victories. Then maybe there'd be peace in the valley of tatf.....or not.  For some the little lights will never be twinkling.

[Butudontseeme™]

Saw a clip of Joe Vitt today and he was talking about this some what. Basically he said that TE falcons have shown they were extremely resilient especially in the cards game when we turned the ball over 6 times and still came away with the W.

[Karst41]

I think that the turn overs is something that this team needs

to get out of their system.

Better now than later. Right?

[Falcons_own_nfc_south]

We are due at home to blow someone ....hopefully it starts with Saints

[Butudontseeme™]

We are due at home to blow someone....hopefully it starts with Saints

Whoa bro. Speak for yourself.

[freebird310]

Yea we dont blow or suck.especially at home ....

[A.F.W.O.]

Very promising, they find ways to win. This team is ready to peak! These Coordinators have this talent playing well! And I believe the Organization as a WHOLE is chaulk full of playmakers.

[bossFALCON™]

the lack of turnovers is really concerning IMO. i was just about to start a thread about this earlier. anybody who's followed nolan knows that his D usually starts out with a bang (think about the rebirth of the orange crush with denver in 09 and their 6-0 start), only to come back down to earth some in later weeks.

teams have caught on to a lot of the things we're doing schematically. the lack of turnovers aren't neccessarily because they've figured our scheme out, but moreso because they know that they have to play safe and take what we give them otherwise we'll make them pay. it's now up to our guys to make plays on the ball when they do get the chance (think dunta's drop two weeks ago and asantes two drops last week), because QBs won't be as eager to test us as they were early on.

two things do make me feel very good about our playoff chances though

1. ryan's consistency - the great QBs put up big games week in, week out and IMO, this was ryan's biggest flaw in the past. he would put up two or three monster games and then deliver a clunker. in the playoffs your QB has to play lights out and it's very rare that a qb has a bad game and still wins in the playoffs, unless of course his D bails him out. i think ryan is proving capable of delivering 3-4 monster games in a row

2. the defense's comfort in nolan's scheme - our offensive personnel and scheme has not really changed that much, other than the fact that we play from more spread formations, attack vertically a little bit more and run a few more screens. koetters offensive philosophy isn't a complete 180 from MM's though.

on defense we've completely changed though. we run the definition of a hybrid D (4-2-5/3-3-5/4-3/3-4) and nolan is asking from a WHOLE lot more from his defensive guys, which is good. our guys started off the season on fire, hit a rough patch, but have bounced back lately and our D is no longer the weak link of our team. i think this unit will be ready to go come playoff time as long as we can stay healthy.