There Is Only One Person To Blame.

[paulitik]

Before I'm flamed, I believe in this coaching staff. No one should be fired, and I'm not questioning the hire of anyone. But this needs to be said.

This game is 100%, solely on Dan Quinn. you simply don't have this many catastrophic mistakes, in every single level of the game, and blame it on execution.

• Dan Quinn did not take this rivalry seriously. Treating every game the same, every opponent as if they are of equal importance, is a cute football cliche, but it's a farce. Never underestimate a division rival, especially a desperate one, and never underestimate the Falcons-Saints Rivalry. The game should be treated like a playoff game.
• When a team has a weakness, don't take it for granted that you will succeed. My entire life, the Falcons take their advantages for granted. The worst D in the league, down 2 LTs, and we made them look like All-Pros, on National Television.
• Learn from the mistakes of your predecessor. Dan Quinn is quick to say he can't address the mistakes of the preceding regime. Getting destroyed in Zone Coverage, and torched by a Tight End might have been something he needed to pay attention to in our past failings.
• Short weeks are not excuses. a left handed Center is not an excuse. Bad calls by the Refs are not excuses. Officiating in the SuperDome is always biased and terrible. That should be part of the game plan, and expected.
  ​

I believe Quinn will learn from this, and the season is hardly over, but this loss was unacceptable, and no matter what happens the rest of the season, it's a stain that won't be removed easily.

Once again, we've proved the doubters right. We've embarrassed ourselves in the spotlight.

Our most embarrassing moment, memorialized in statue, was relived in yet another national TV game. A game where we were unanimously favored.

We aren't the team we thought we were. We are the team that deserves the disrespect we've earned for 5 decades.

This was an absolute nightmare. It was shameful. No excuses.

I believe in Dan Quinn, but there are some cracks right now.

[WOR]

I'm sure it was easy to run an extremely basic scheme when you have top 5 players at nearly every position.

I think Quinn will figure out that he can't just play straight up with the talent he has on this team. It's not working. Our front four can't get to the QB and our Lbs can't cover in space. We don't have Bennett and Wagner out there.

And this isn't a one game issue. It's been a problem in every game. We can't just keep letting QBs carve us up in the short passing game because we refuse to do anything different.

[paulitik]

I'm sure it was easy to run an extremely basic scheme when you have top 5 players at nearly every position.

I think Quinn will figure out that he can't just play straight up with the talent he has on this team. It's not working. Our front four can't get to the QB and our Lbs can't cover in space. We don't have Bennett and Wagner out there.

And this isn't a one game issue. It's been a problem in every game. We can't just keep letting QBs carve us up in the short passing game because we refuse to do anything different.

He's not scheming to the talent like we were promised. Rigid philosophy was Smitty's issue.

Dan Quinn was the worst of Smitty and Jim Mora tonight. More performances like this, and the good graces of this city won't last long.

[FalconMama]

This organization hasn't taken this game seriously from Blank down to the players. Payton has dominated us since he became their coach to the tune of 13-4. Our players don't even seem to be pumped up when facing them.

It's more of an organization issue than it is an individual coach.

[dirtybird2k5]

Turnovers lost the game.

Turnovers

ATL NO

3 0

[paulitik]

This organization hasn't taken this game seriously from Blank down to the players. Payton has dominated us since he became their coach to the tune of 13-4. Our players don't even seem to be pumped up when facing them.

It's more of an organization issue than it is an individual coach.

It is an organizational issue, but Quinn left clues all week. He is here to change the culture. This was his failure.

[WOR]

He's not scheming to the talent like we were promised. Rigid philosophy was Smitty's issue.

Dan Quinn was the worst of Smitty and Jim Mora tonight. More performances like this, and the good graces of this city won't last long.

Just look at Vic. He can't handle being a straight up 4-3 DE but we do absolutely nothing to help him create pressure. It's unacceptable. Move him around. Stand him up. Do something. He has all the talent in the world and its being wasted right now.

[SyCo]

I don't think treating this as just another game had much to do with it, because at the end of the day, it's just another game.

there's definitely questions resurfacing about the choice to keep stone over hawley. hawley wasnt great, barely good, but he could atleast snap the ball correctly.

let's just hope this is a lesson learned game for quinn. something needs to change within our secondary, and pass rush. whatever they're doing doesn't work...and it's looking very familiar

[DonDaLuvMaker]

I think Quinn will attempt to adapt and make adjustments.

I don't think that he is a stubborn as Smitty was.

[AF89]

Thursday night road game against a fired up rival with wacky turnovers thrown in for good measure....

I'm not even gonna try to pass judgement.

[Bunchy Carter]

Umm...how can we say he didn't take the rivalry seriously? He literally said they prepare for EACH game as if its a championship game.

Are you saying they failed to prepare, in that in your opinion...a rivalry game is more intense than a championship game?

Or are you saying Quinn's a liar, and they don't actually prepare each week as if the next game is a championship game?

[DonDaLuvMaker]

Just look at Vic. He can't handle being a straight up 4-3 DE but we do absolutely nothing to help him create pressure. It's unacceptable. Move him around. Stand him up. Do something. He has all the talent in the world and its being wasted right now.

Yep I though that Beasley would have been used more in a 9-technique by now.

[quotemokc]

Quinn is year one into fixing the leagues worst defense, it ain't happening overnight. But he has successfully shut down the other teams run so that is about half the problem solved.

Key points:

Quinn did not

• Make Stone snap the ball up his ***
• Make Coleman fumble
• Make Dimarco hit Ryan and cause a fumble on 4th down
• Make our punt get blocked
• Let Cameron Jordan make Chester his b***h

I will say he is responsible for the poor TE coverage though.

[Mr.11]

Turnovers lost the game.

Turnovers

ATL NO

3 0

Get some perspective man. The score was 14-7 AT HALFTIME, when we had already committed 2 turnovers AND a turnover on downs. We still had a chance.

Not only was the game plan bad from the start, the coaching staff made NO adjustments in the second half. Shanahan kept calling pass plays when we should have been running, and Quinn kept playing a zone D that was allowing the Saints to gain yards in chunks from their TEs.

No excuses. This one falls on the coaches as much, if not more than the players.

Edited October 16, 2015 by JerseyNo12

[knomercy]

Quinn is year one into fixing the leagues worst defense, it ain't happening overnight. But he has successfully shut down the other teams run so that is about half the problem solved.

Key points:

Quinn did not

• Make Stone snap the ball up his ***
• Make Coleman fumble
• Make Dimarco hit Ryan and cause a fumble on 4th down
• Make our punt get blocked
• Let Cameron Jordan make Chester his b***h

I will say he is responsible for the poor TE coverage though.

All this.

[Pacific_Falcon]

I said this earlier but I am pretty sure this team started out dysfunctional in the dallas and houston games too. You cant come out of the gate tripping over your shoelaces that often without it burning you. This team was bad in just about every way today, screwed up way too hard in the 1st half, which made it way too easy for NO to key in on our comfort zones in the 2nd half.

[Warningx13]

We can't expect him fix the mess that is our defense in one off season but I hope he is a little more aggressive next off season and hope he doesn't draft another player who looks like Richard Sherman or any other elite player. I felt like another corner was down the list a little with the players remaining when we were on the clock.

I really hope that Kansas City messes around and Eric Berry slip into free agency and we make him an offer he can't refuse. He has been playing in the wrong safety mold since Kiffin came to Knoxville but he would be better then Earl Thomas at playing the role of himself lol

[dirtybird2k5]

KOG knows ****. Bottom line. But the homes will BAN us all for speaking against this loser.

No you'll get banned for making personal attacks.

Keep it civil and you won't get banned.

[Pacific_Falcon]

KOG knows ****. Bottom line. But the homes will BAN us all for speaking against this loser.

That's kind of messed up. I dont agree with KoG on some things but he's good people...a diff of opinion doesnt make someone a loser. Well maybe if you"re an 11 year old suburbanite it does, but other than that, your comment is BS.

[Bobby.Digital]

One thing I hate about our defensive scheme is that we seem content with giving up the short 5-7 yard passes. They add up and consistently put team in favorable positions in 2nd and 3rd down. Against a QB like Brees who at this point in his career has at best average arm strength it would be smart to come up with a gameplan that would force him to throw deep.

Another thing is we severly need another pass rusher or two. Beasley should be alot better next year but we need a guy who can be a consistent threat opposite of him. Not having a pass rush is so pathetic. Im sick of watching QBs having all day to throw on us.

[AF89]

One thing I hate about our defensive scheme is that we seem content with giving up the short 5-7 yard passes. They add up and consistently put team in favorable positions in 2nd and 3rd down. Against a QB like Brees who at this point in his career has at best average arm strength it would be smart to come up with a gameplan that would force him to throw deep.

Another thing is we severly need another pass rusher or two. Beasley should be alot better next year but we need a guy who can be a consistent threat opposite of him. Not having a pass rush is so pathetic. Im sick of watching QBs having all day to throw on us.

This. Brees' arm is not 100%. Why give him the easy throws. Make him go down field where Tru or Alford can make a play.

[FalconJim]

This. Brees' arm is not 100%. Why give him the easy throws. Make him go down field where Tru or Alford can make a play.

Sounds good to me, and makes a lot o' sense --- but apparently our DC didn't see it that way, for whatever reason, and it probably cost us the game and a 6-0 start! I mean, Breesus "dinked & dunked" us to death, all freakin' night, and had plenty of time to do it!!! What kind of coach doesn't see that happening, and try to do something about it? Ugh, very frustrating to watch ---

[GoFalcons22]

Umm...how can we say he didn't take the rivalry seriously? He literally said they prepare for EACH game as if its a championship game.

Are you saying they failed to prepare, in that in your opinion...a rivalry game is more intense than a championship game?

Or are you saying Quinn's a liar, and they don't actually prepare each week as if the next game is a championship game?

After watching that game he's a liar. There is no way they prepared for that game like it was a Championship game.

And if they did you might as well fire the staff now because DQ wont win a championship here.

[PriMeTiiMe]

After watching that game he's a liar. There is no way they prepared for that game like it was a Championship game.

And if they did you might as well fire the staff now because DQ wont win a championship here.

While Quinn and the coaching staff could have done better, How exactly can you plan for 4 fumbles lost in 1 game and a blocked punt for a TD? The odds of that happening in 1 game have to be under 1%.

[GoFalcons22]

While Quinn and the coaching staff could have done better, How exactly can you plan for 4 fumbles lost in 1 game and a blocked punt for a TD? The odds of that happening in 1 game have to be under 1%.

Given that two of those were unforced I would say taking the short week of practice more seriously would be a good start.

Two unforced fumbles is a lack of focus. No excuses for a lack of focus against your biggest rival.