Grrrillapmpn Inc.® Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 WHEN FALCONS TOUGHNESS DIEDOctober 17, 2014One day we will look back at the end of this era of Atlanta Falcons football and wonder how it all went so wrong. I've been covering this team since 2004, and I can easily recall the days of joking in the hallways at work, "they won last year, so they won't win this year." There was a time when this franchise had never had back-to-back winning seasons. Thanks to Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith, that silly stat is dead.But one day we will attempt to pinpoint where things changed for the worse. The playoff shutout in New York, the Julio Jones trade, the fumbled snap verse San Francisco, the Harry Douglas fall, the Steven Jackson signing, going "multiple" on defense, losing various coordinators....all will be moments people will point to. But for me, the playoff loss to Green Bay and the change of direction for this team will always be the point where Falcons toughness died. The run of success didn't die immediately, but it certainly led to 4-12 in 2013 and whatever mess 2014 becomes.WHEN THE FALCONS WERE TOUGHNo story is ever complete in my mind without taking a look at the data. From 2008-2011, the Atlanta Falcons were a team that looked to grind you down with a commitment to a power run game and an opportunistic defense. Take a look at the percentage of plays that the Falcons ran the football during that time period:2008: 56% (4.4 avg yards per carry)2009: 44% (4.2 avg yards per carry)2010: 46% (3.8 avg yards per carry)2011: 43% (4.0 avg yards per carry)What is also worth noting is that the Falcons defense never had outrageous sack totals during this time period. While they were able to create turnovers during some of these seasons, the bigger issue for me was the time of possession for the Falcons. The Falcons offense, with a commitment to a tough, power run game was able to hold onto the football. The strategy allowed the Falcons defense to play harder for a shorter amount of plays. Here is the percentage of time of possession they had during these years:2008: 51% (12th in NFL)2009: 50% (16th in NFL)2010: 55% (2nd in NFL)2011: 54% (4th in NFL)THE CATASTROPHIC MOMENTSo what changed? It all happened January 15th of 2011. The Green Bay Packers came into the Georgia Dome on their way to a Super Bowl victory and showed the Falcons what explosive football looked like. They were four and five wide, they were fast, and they scored in bunches. The biggest issue from the game was the inability for the Falcons to pressure and sack Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was sacked twice, but still completed 31 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns. Rather than re-tool with pass rushers to get after passers like Rogers, the Falcons decided they had to "become more explosive". For the 2010 season, the Falcons were 19th in the NFL in completed passes of 20 yards or more. The decision was made and it became the organizational mantra...get more explosive. By April of 2011, the Julio Jones trade was made to reach this goal.A CHANGE OF DIRECTIONAt the conclusion of the 2011 season, the Falcons had been shutout on the road against the eventual champion New York Giants. The Falcons were not explosive enough. Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey left to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, opening up an opportunity for a new direction. The decision was made to hire long-time offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. Koetter had shown a commitment to running the football during his time in Jacksonville, but the Jaguars certainly never had the Falcons offensive personnel. Take a look at the rushing totals from 2012-current:2012: 38% (3.7 avg yards per carry)2013: 32% (3.9 avg yards per carry)2014: 36% (4.6 avg yards per carry)With a shaky Falcons defense, the organization left it to the offense to win ball games. Their cap space is overwhelming weighted towards the offensive side of the football. But the Falcons have been unable, or unwilling to run the football and win the line of scrimmage. That's where toughness comes from. Not from deciding to be tough. Take a look at the time of possession numbers since 2012:2012: 51% (12th in NFL)2013: 50% (16th in NFL)2014: 47% (24th in NFL)10 more games to go. More change is coming.-loshttp://www.frontofficefootball.net/blog/2014/10/17/when-falcons-toughness-died Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primetime Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 This has been stated before. The problem is 2012 was our best all rounded team. The philosophy was fine - it was poor drafting which led to no depth and as stated on multiple occasions not enough emphasis to the lines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Dog Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 So who's fault is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Flare Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Getting obliterated by the Packers changed the trajectory of the franchise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samueladams Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Losing Dahl, Clabo, and Turner on offense = less toughnessLosing Abe & Spoon on defense = less toughnessWhat he said above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samueladams Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 And when Jim Moran had the sack on the dline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samueladams Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 check moron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shotfather Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Losing Dahl, Clabo, and Turner on offense = less toughnessLosing Abe & Spoon on defense = less toughnessAre any of these guys even playing this year lol? You know that people can't just stay here forever right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFatboi Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Losing Dahl, Clabo, and Turner on offense = less toughnessLosing Abe & Spoon on defense = less toughnessAs well as Dunta Robinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHALCONABERNATHY Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Our defense needs complete retooling on the line and the linebackers. I think peters is the only one on the line that has been consistent when hes not hurt. MAYBE keep massaquoi. I don't even like Soleili so far. On the O we need an offensive line and our receivers to not be scared to catch the ball and take a hit. Even if the other team isn't getting penalized for helmet to helmet hits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuggle'2 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 The day the muuu-sic di-ed... Bye bye miss American pie, drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 That is why guys smith and mass are the starters right?It si the lack of talent right? Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffro2000 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 No doubt about it that our philosophy changed after the GB game yet 2012 was our best team.A big deal to me is the TOP. We use to dominate at it and keep other offenses off the field hiding our defensive issues.The D was average, played bend don't break and it worked to an extent. It isn't easy to go down the field without turning the ball over, getting penalties, or sacks. Often times if you force a holding penalty you can get off the field. Just look at the Cowboys this year. Their D is still terrible, I think last in league in yards per play, but they aren't on the field. It is what we once did. The Green Bay game changed a lot of that along with poor personnel decisions, coaching, etc. We were close in 2012, but had loss the power run game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uga_falcons_braves Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 The Falcons lost their toughness the day they let Dan Reeves go. Downhill from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AF89 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 The day the muuu-sic di-ed... Bye bye miss American pie, drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.So Bye bye this Demi-trioff guy..once a gen-ius....now a dingus and the teams on the slide......That was the day...the defenseee died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuggle'2 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 So Bye bye this Demi-trioff guy..once a gen-ius....now a dingus and the teams on the slide......That was the day...the defenseee died.Thank you. The title immediately made this song get stuck in my head. I passed it on to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghosts of Glanville Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 The Green Bay game royally screwed this organization up. Momentum carried us through '11 and ''12 but the seeds were planted thenAnd for all of the Smith bashing going on here, think about the team he started with in '08 and what he had in '12. He was hired to coach a run-first, ball possession team, not Air Coryell on steroids. The talent and coaching don't mix. Blame the FO for that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconsfan567 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I could not agree more!!! I even said the same thing on here. The Falcons toughness died that night. They went all in on Julio Jones in an effort to go from ground and pound with a hard-nosed defense to Packers or Saints on offense with no defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconsfan567 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Getting obliterated by the Packers changed the trajectory of the franchise.Yep. Instead of continuing the process of building a team with a solid game plan they scratched it all and totally changed course and it hasn't been a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconsfan567 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 The day the muuu-sic di-ed... Bye bye miss American pie, drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.Started singing that as soon as I saw the thread title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falconsfan567 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 No doubt about it that our philosophy changed after the GB game yet 2012 was our best team.A big deal to me is the TOP. We use to dominate at it and keep other offenses off the field hiding our defensive issues.The D was average, played bend don't break and it worked to an extent. It isn't easy to go down the field without turning the ball over, getting penalties, or sacks. Often times if you force a holding penalty you can get off the field.Just look at the Cowboys this year. Their D is still terrible, I think last in league in yards per play, but they aren't on the field. It is what we once did. The Green Bay game changed a lot of that along with poor personnel decisions, coaching, etc. We were close in 2012, but had loss the power run game.I disagree that 2012 was the Falcons best team. I still say 2010 was the Falcons best team followed by 2008. 2012 would be 3rd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuggle'2 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Started singing that as soon as I saw the thread title. Glad I am not the only one. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Flare Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Yep. Instead of continuing the process of building a team with a solid game plan they scratched it all and totally changed course and it hasn't been a good thing.As always, terrible second half adjustments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trubirdfan4life Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 We have the rbs, we refuse to use them. Cant figure out why we wont when its obvious that our success came from running the ball consistently. Thatwould make matt ryan and julio absolutely unstoppable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trubirdfan4life Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 No doubt about it that our philosophy changed after the GB game yet 2012 was our best team.A big deal to me is the TOP. We use to dominate at it and keep other offenses off the field hiding our defensive issues.The D was average, played bend don't break and it worked to an extent. It isn't easy to go down the field without turning the ball over, getting penalties, or sacks. Often times if you force a holding penalty you can get off the field. Just look at the Cowboys this year. Their D is still terrible, I think last in league in yards per play, but they aren't on the field. It is what we once did. The Green Bay game changed a lot of that along with poor personnel decisions, coaching, etc. We were close in 2012, but had loss the power run game.indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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