The more I think about it, the more I feel like this team is a sinking ship

[bdog 29]

I see so many people on these boards excited for this team and while I'd love to be, the realistic part of me will not allow me to be. We have a lot of holes which I don't see being fixed by the current braintrust of this organization. In my opinion we only have one bona fide star on this team and that's Julio. I was confident in Matt Ryan before we destroyed him by bringing in Kyle ******* Shanahan. Let's breakdown all of the issues with this team that I see.

Our offensive line is extremely weak in the middle and our front office has shown that they do not know how to evaluate o-linemen so I'm not sure this will get any better.

We have no number two receiving target behind Julio. I love Roddy and while I still think his decline was accelerated by bringing in Kyle ******* Shanahan (I can't express enough how much I hated and still hate this hire) I understand letting him go. But now we have nothing. Judging for last year our second target on any given play is Jacob Tamme and that's not a good place to be.

Our defensive line is weak. I think Hageman could be a monster (he dominated the 2nd Panthers game) but he's inconsistent and immature. I'm not sure what will get through to him because Bryan Cox has been yelling and cursing at him for two seasons with no difference. I also like Vic Beasley but I've always felt he's better suited to be a 3-4 LB so I don't think he'll reach his full potential with our current scheme. The rest aren't anything to write home about.

We have the absolute worst LB corps in the league. All three of our starters from last year should probably be special teams guys and it's basically impossible to replace three starting linebackers in one offseason so while we may get better there I don't think it'll be too much better.

Our secondary isn't anything to write home about even though it's probably our best position group on defense. Trufant is good though he got exposed IMO when people started throwing at him (the Bucs embarrassed him) and Alford is completely hot or cold. I'm willing to give Jalen Collins a pass for now but he played like garbage a good bit of last season. I'm glad Willy Mo is gone because I hated his playing style (always go for the big hit, never wrap up) and he was always injured but that's another hole for us. Ricardo Allen might be my favorite in that group because he's so raw but showed a lot of promise IMO.

As far as coaching, I'm not as high on Dan Quinn as the rest of you. He worked miracles with our defense and he talks a big game but when it came down to tactics, he left a lot wanting. He was outcoached by every coach in our division and made some late Mike Smith-level bone-headed calls like the field goal in SF. I'm hoping he can correct this but when he doubles down on these stupid calls and throws out soundbites like "toughness" and "competition", it irks me.

Now you might all be saying, "But wait we have an entire offseason to fix our personnel issues" and I'd say you're right. But given this front office's track record do you really think we're going to turn anything around this offseason? Our MO the entire Dimitroff era has been to scrape the bottom of the barrel in FA and try to supplement that with draft picks which we regularly miss on. Couple that with Kyle ******* Shanahan's **** offense and what do you have? Does this excite you for our 2016 Superbowl run? I hope I'm wrong because I'd loving nothing more than to see this team fix it's issues and bring a Lombardi to the A but realistically nothing I'm seeing leads me to believe this will happen.

Edited March 4, 2016 by bdog 29

[takeitdown]

Well, while I agree with a lot of this, let's see what it would take to change the whole thing (not necessarily fix each hole.)

On D:

A penetrating DT and 2LB will completely change the D.  Or an LDE who can pass rush from base instead of one of those other 3.

 

On O:

2 interior OL.  A 2nd and 3rd WR.

 

So really, if we had 4 good new players (not amazing) on each side, we'd be there.  We'd probably be a very good team (assuming the Shanahan/Ryan thing irons out).

If we just get two good ones on each side, and 2 ok ones...we're still pretty good.

I don't have any idea if they'll cover the gaping holes, but it is largely doable.

[etherdome]

I agree with takeitdown.  Our needs will be relatively easy to meet during this offseason.  

Let's say that we quickly get out-bid for Irvin, Williams and C Johnson.  We should be able to sign two interior OL's and an athletic LB, and maybe even a solid Safety.  Would that be so bad?  

We can still use the draft to acquire a good young pass rusher to develop in tandem with Beasley, and a few athletic defenders.  

We can not cover all of our needs in one draft.......no one does.  But, we can go into camp with a much improved team.  

Bottom line:  You don't have to get giddy, but don't get so down.

[FalconFanSince1969]

TL;dr

[DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry]

Well, I disagree in many many respects. But if you want to approach it this way, that's all you, bruh. 

[Leggggggo]

I will never understand why people put so much time into something that doesn't bring them hope, joy, or at least optimism for the future.

Time is finite, spend it on something you get enjoyment out of...

Unless you're a masochist, then by all means continue...

[Flying Falcon]

2 hours ago, bdog 29 said:

I see so many people on these boards excited for this team and while I'd love to be, the realistic part of me will not allow me to be. We have a lot of holes which I don't see being fixed by the current braintrust of this organization. In my opinion we only have one bona fide star on this team and that's Julio. I was confident in Matt Ryan before we destroyed him by bringing in Kyle ******* Shanahan. Let's breakdown all of the issues with this team that I see.

Our offensive line is extremely weak in the middle and our front office has shown that they do not know how to evaluate o-linemen so I'm not sure this will get any better.

We have no number two receiving target behind Julio. I love Roddy and while I still think his decline was accelerated by bringing in Kyle ******* Shanahan (I can't express enough how much I hated and still hate this hire) I understand letting him go. But now we have nothing. Judging for last year our second target on any given play is Jacob Tamme and that's not a good place to be.

Our defensive line is weak. I think Hageman could be a monster (he dominated the 2nd Panthers game) but he's inconsistent and immature. I'm not sure what will get through to him because Bryan Cox has been yelling and cursing at him for two seasons with no difference. I also like Vic Beasley but I've always felt he's better suited to be a 3-4 LB so I don't think he'll reach his full potential with our current scheme. The rest aren't anything to write home about.

We have the absolute worst LB corps in the league. All three of our starters from last year should probably be special teams guys and it's basically impossible to replace three starting linebackers in one offseason so while we may get better there I don't think it'll be too much better.

Our secondary isn't anything to write home about even though it's probably our best position group on defense. Trufant is good though he got exposed IMO when people started throwing at him (the Bucs embarrassed him) and Alford is completely hot or cold. I'm willing to give Jalen Collins a pass for now but he played like garbage a good bit of last season. I'm glad Willy Mo is gone because I hated his playing style (always go for the big hit, never wrap up) and he was always injured but that's another hole for us. Ricardo Allen might be my favorite in that group because he's so raw but showed a lot of promise IMO.

As far as coaching, I'm not as high on Dan Quinn as the rest of you. He worked miracles with our defense and he talks a big game but when it came down to tactics, he left a lot wanting. He was outcoached by every coach in our division and made some late Mike Smith-level bone-headed calls like the field goal in SF. I'm hoping he can correct this but when he doubles down on these stupid calls and throws out soundbites like "toughness" and "competition", it irks me.

Now you might all be saying, "But wait we have an entire offseason to fix our personnel issues" and I'd say you're right. But given this front office's track record do you really think we're going to turn anything around this offseason? Our MO the entire Dimitroff era has been to scrape the bottom of the barrel in FA and try to supplement that with draft picks which we regularly miss on. Couple that with Kyle ******* Shanahan's **** offense and what do you have? Does this excite you for our 2016 Superbowl run? I hope I'm wrong because I'd loving nothing more than to see this team fix it's issues and bring a Lombardi to the A but realistically nothing I'm seeing leads me to believe this will happen.

Truth

[DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry]

2 minutes ago, Leggggggo said:

I will never understand why people put so much time into something that doesn't bring them hope, joy, or at least optimism for the future.

Time is finite, spend it on something you get enjoyment out of...

Unless you're a masochist, then by all means continue...

I always think its weird when people hinge their enjoyment on whether or not your team is going to win the Super Bowl. I mean, obviously thats the goal, but is that REALLY what determines the value? 

The Falcons provide year-round intrigue. The draft is interesting. FA is interesting. Minicamp/TC are interesting. Every sunday provides 3-4 fours of something to do. Hopefully you win. If you don't, you get disappointed and move on. And hope the team gets better. Either way, its entertainment.

IDK....I just can't empathize with the Ricky Bobby "1st or last!" mentality. We don't treat any other aspect of our lives that way, why would we do it with something like this? 

[Leggggggo]

1 minute ago, DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry said:

I always think its weird when people hinge their enjoyment on whether or not your team is going to win the Super Bowl. I mean, obviously thats the goal, but is that REALLY what determines the value? 

The Falcons provide year-round intrigue. The draft is interesting. FA is interesting. Minicamp/TC are interesting. Every sunday provides 3-4 fours of something to do. Hopefully you win. If you don't, you get disappointed and move on. And hope the team gets better. Either way, its entertainment.

IDK....I just can't empathize with the Ricky Bobby "1st or last!" mentality. We don't treat any other aspect of our lives that way, why would we do it with something like this? 

Pandora's box for my brain! So many things to reply to!

Honestly, I believe in today's world, it's all or nothing for most people... Which is why SO many seem unhappy.. Sports fandom being no different. Few people are content and enjoy the process, all they care about is the outcome. It's like the old adage, the ride is more enjoyable than the destination and you only realize that once you arrive.

I also think there is a "stigma" placed upon sports fandom, and unless you're  in 100%, you aren't a real fan. So for those that only enjoy the win, they feel a need to continue to be associated but do so in the Debbie Downer manner which is a reflection of their mood on the subject. To that I say Hog Wash! If you enjoy winning, then so be it, come around when we are winning. I'll gladly take a Happy Falcons fan by my side any day. Even if they are only there on fair weather days.

[E. T.]

A lot of you guys just don't see the magic of the NFL. Just as quickly as any team goes on a decline, any team can bounce back the following season....That's whats so great about the business side of the NFL. Free agency, the draft, salary caps give any team the ability to be a contender again. Just have to make sound decisions. 

We are going into our 2nd year with a new coaching staff that I believe will build this team better than any Mike Smith coaching staff would have. I believe the HC and GM connection is way better than ever before...and honestly I believe TD's philosophy and ways have changed due to the arrival of DQ. Yes the offense took a dump the second half of last season, but I saw some major improvements on defense...Defense kept us in many games.

The jury is still out on DQ and friends, but I truly believe we are heading in the right direction.

[Miller2Rison]

Dan Quinn had a decent rookie year as HC, he improved a bad defense and finished 8-8 with a 5-0 start. Not bad for a rookie. I'm curious to see what happens with our offense and although we didn't have a lot of sacks on defense we still got better pressure than we did in the past. I'm excited for free agency and the draft and I love Roddy too but we made the right move, I still think cutting Grimes was the right move and I'm glad he bounced back and saved his career with Miami. I understand the business aspect of the NFL. We will sink? Will we be better? Time will tell.

[bdog 29]

1 hour ago, DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry said:

I always think its weird when people hinge their enjoyment on whether or not your team is going to win the Super Bowl. I mean, obviously thats the goal, but is that REALLY what determines the value? 

The Falcons provide year-round intrigue. The draft is interesting. FA is interesting. Minicamp/TC are interesting. Every sunday provides 3-4 fours of something to do. Hopefully you win. If you don't, you get disappointed and move on. And hope the team gets better. Either way, its entertainment.

IDK....I just can't empathize with the Ricky Bobby "1st or last!" mentality. We don't treat any other aspect of our lives that way, why would we do it with something like this? 

What kind of flawed logic is this? How crappy must your life be to watch your team get beat on Sunday and come out of it thinking, "Well at least I had something to do for the past 4 hours." Watching your team lose isn't fun and if I don't foresee my team winning, there's nothing to look forward to. I can find another way to kill four hours on a Sunday. We as Falcons fans watch games to see our team win. The Superbowl is the ultimate thing that they can win so obviously winning the Superbowl is what we all strive for. The fact that you'd chastise me for not wanting to watch my team lose says a lot about your mentality.

[delaigle]

BAIL

[DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry]

3 minutes ago, bdog 29 said:

What kind of flawed logic is this? How crappy must your life be to watch your team get beat on Sunday and come out of it thinking, "Well at least I had something to do for the past 4 hours." Watching your team lose isn't fun and if I don't foresee my team winning, there's nothing to look forward to. I can find another way to kill four hours on a Sunday. We as Falcons fans watch games to see our team win. The Superbowl is the ultimate thing that they can win so obviously winning the Superbowl is what we all strive for. The fact that you'd chastise me for not wanting to watch my team lose says a lot about your mentality.

My life is pretty solid. Decent job. Great wife. Couple of fantastic dogs. We get to travel a decent amount. Have really awesome friends and family. We get to work with local charities and non-profits, eat at good restaurants, drink good beer. Other than some ridiculous student loan debt, I can't complain. 

When the Falcons lose, I get a little upset a little disappointed. I take the next two days to re-watch the game, try to figure out what went wrong. Then, I move on to the next week. Pretty simple. Because football is merely a form of entertainment. Entertainment that I really enjoy and value but still just entertainment. 

And no, I didnt chastise you for "not wanting to watch [your] team lose" I criticized the notion that it's "SUPER BOWL OR BUST!" Is that how you treat the rest of your life? I'm sure you could obtain a higher pinnacle of employment or wage-earning, right? Does that fact eliminate the value of the job you currently have or the money you currently make? Or do you think "meh, I'm good with where I am and I'm going to try to keep moving up?" 

Success is a process. For individuals and for organizations. I view it as such. 

[Leggggggo]

2 minutes ago, bdog 29 said:

What kind of flawed logic is this? How crappy must your life be to watch your team get beat on Sunday and come out of it thinking, "Well at least I had something to do for the past 4 hours." Watching your team lose isn't fun and if I don't foresee my team winning, there's nothing to look forward to. I can find another way to kill four hours on a Sunday. We as Falcons fans watch games to see our team win. The Superbowl is the ultimate thing that they can win so obviously winning the Superbowl is what we all strive for. The fact that you'd chastise me for not wanting to watch my team lose says a lot about your mentality.

I don't think he is chastising you or anyone else at all. Just because someone explains their belief system in something, doesn't mean they are berating anyone else over the coals.

Going 8-8 isn't what any of us want, that is a fact. But for some fans, there is no difference between 8-8 and 0-16 as the only thing that will make them happy is 19-0 (or 20-0 if you like long shots).

However, for people like me and the guy looking at Larry asking him if he sees what is happening, 8-8 is entertainment and has an intrinsic value to our lives that isn't solely related to the win/loss columns. It's the following of the entire organization. It's the being a part of something outside of you family / daily life. It's the entertainment of the sporting event win, lose, or draw.

Just like when the Falcons lose and I'm not beside myself, I won't be over the moon if we win the super bowl the next day, because I'll already be focused on what we need to do in the off season to try and repeat!

[KRUNKuno]

We have a chance to plug a lot of holes with FA and the draft.  That's the only hope I have.  But at the same time this staff and regime has proven nothing.  Our GM is hit or miss with mostly misses.  Our owner employs doofuses.  Our HC hitched his name to a spoiled brat OC.

[Sidecar Falcon]

1 hour ago, DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry said:

I always think its weird when people hinge their enjoyment on whether or not your team is going to win the Super Bowl. I mean, obviously thats the goal, but is that REALLY what determines the value? 

The Falcons provide year-round intrigue. The draft is interesting. FA is interesting. Minicamp/TC are interesting. Every sunday provides 3-4 fours of something to do. Hopefully you win. If you don't, you get disappointed and move on. And hope the team gets better. Either way, its entertainment.

IDK....I just can't empathize with the Ricky Bobby "1st or last!" mentality. We don't treat any other aspect of our lives that way, why would we do it with something like this? 

To me, the type of attitude you described is indicative to people who are fans of any specific sports team, before the actual sport the team participates in. I seldom see any football fan that isn't happy as all hel! during any point in the season. Me personally I am a football fan who's favorite team is the Atlanta Falcons. I will watch any game I can , because I enjoy the sport in general. I think the people who just watch one specific team and no one else, will have a narrow mindedness of the different aspects of the game as a whole. There isn't anything wrong with the way they cheer, but their experience would be limited. I think this is a lot of people's issue on the board.

Edited March 4, 2016 by Sidecar Falcon

[FalconFanForLife]

I am very similar to DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry as a fan.  The Falcons are my version of a soap opera that is strictly an entertainment source.  Having said that, I do sometimes take them more seriously than other times, and certain events will have more of an impact on me than others.  After 35 years of this roller coaster, I know I will be on many highs and lows.  I am currently in a strange transition where I am fairly high on the team because of Quinn, but at a super low point when I think of TD making a paycheck after years of dismal failure.

I am fairly optimistic about our future because this past year we finally had a draft without any of TD's hallmark fingerprint of drafting failures.  I was very skeptical of this whole notion of Quinn having the final say in player selection, but for the first time in many years, last years draft was missing the typical "Lamar Holmes" kind of bust that typifies every TD draft.  However, I am still in wait and see mode about how the FA process works out.

Regardless, I am a fan with a multiple personality disorder regarding the Falcons.  No one can be more passionate about supporting them, nor can anyone trash talk them more than I can depending on the swing of my emotions.  My only major change as a fan in the last 35 years is that I have decided to cut off my subsidy to Mr. Blank.  The Starship stadium just irked me too much to continue to pay to see mediocrity at its worst.  When I think about Matt Ryan being pounded year after year because we can't field a decent O-line, yet we can build an ostentatious display that borders on vulgarity just to bribe the NFL for a Super Bowl, well then I am done wasting my money on the Falcons.  They can have my passion, but my dollars will stay in my pocket for now. 

[DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry]

33 minutes ago, Sidecar Falcon said:

To me, the type of attitude you described is indicative to people who are fans of any specific sports team, before the actual sport the team participates in. I seldom see any football fan that isn't happy as all hel! during any point in the season. Me personally I am a football fan who's favorite team is the Atlanta Falcons. I will watch any game I can , because I enjoy the sport in general. I think the people who just watch one specific team and no one else, will have a narrow mindedness of the different aspects of the game as a whole. There isn't anything wrong with the way they cheer, but their experience would be limited. I think this is a lot of people's issue on the board.

Maybe its because I've been fortunate enough to cheer for teams that have won championships in other sports. But having experienced that, its really not that great. But maybe it would be if you were the type of fan who **** talks fans of other teams and talks about how players for other teams suck just because they arent on your team. 

Like you said here, I am a fan of the SPORT. I also love the Falcons. But when the Falcons are on a bye week, I still watch 3 games 5 games a week, if not more. 

[*Old Pappy Falcon*]

If we don't get aggressive signing players soon...............I'll feel that also.

[Sidecar Falcon]

54 minutes ago, DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry said:

Maybe its because I've been fortunate enough to cheer for teams that have won championships in other sports. But having experienced that, its really not that great. But maybe it would be if you were the type of fan who **** talks fans of other teams and talks about how players for other teams suck just because they arent on your team. 

Like you said here, I am a fan of the SPORT. I also love the Falcons. But when the Falcons are on a bye week, I still watch 3 games 5 games a week, if not more. 

Yeah I've never been one to $hit talk other teams, just seems pointless. Growing up a Bulls fan, I myself, had a team that won plenty of championships. For me I think the emergence of football as "America's New Pastime" withing a relative short period may have exacerbated the tendencies you described.

[JOEinPHX]

3 hours ago, DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry said:

I always think its weird when people hinge their enjoyment on whether or not your team is going to win the Super Bowl. I mean, obviously thats the goal, but is that REALLY what determines the value? 

The Falcons provide year-round intrigue. The draft is interesting. FA is interesting. Minicamp/TC are interesting. Every sunday provides 3-4 fours of something to do. Hopefully you win. If you don't, you get disappointed and move on. And hope the team gets better. Either way, its entertainment.

IDK....I just can't empathize with the Ricky Bobby "1st or last!" mentality. We don't treat any other aspect of our lives that way, why would we do it with something like this? 

That was solid.  You'll hear people saying all the time that the season was a failure because it didn't end in a Super Bowl victory.  You'll even hear it from NFL HCs and GMs, but they're only catering to the fanbase.  It's not the truth - they know it, and anyone with a realistic outlook on life knows it too.

[Jesus]

Why do people get so emotional about things they have no control over. Sit back and enjoy sports. Don't let them get you down or so worked up.

[youngbloodz]

3 hours ago, Leggggggo said:

I will never understand why people put so much time into something that doesn't bring them hope, joy, or at least optimism for the future.

Time is finite, spend it on something you get enjoyment out of...

Unless you're a masochist, then by all means continue...

Exactly.

[Canadian Jangus]

You had me at "The more I think about it..."

At which point, I defer to Leggggggo's point that which we should all ultimately consider.

3 hours ago, Leggggggo said:

I will never understand why people put so much time into something that doesn't bring them hope, joy, or at least optimism for the future.

Time is finite, spend it on something you get enjoyment out of...

Unless you're a masochist, then by all means continue...