Boiling it all down

[etherdome]

Monday Night Football.......the highest profile game of the week.  Millions of football fans will tune in at home and see it at their favorite bars.  The first half of the game probably ranks as the highest viewership across all TV genres (my guess).  

The Falcons have a terrible MNF record.  I don't know for sure, but my perception is that our record is probably among the worst in the league.  Our MNF losses have gone a long way to tag us as a losing franchise among the nation's fans.  

What does all of the above mean?  Absolutely nothing.  All of that "the fix is in" garbage is useless thinking.  It is a loser's mentality.  The only thing that matters is the performance on the field.  To that point, I just want to boil down what it will take to win this game.  To many of us, it comes down to two factors:  OL blocking and DL pass rush.

1.  I put OL blocking first because I think it is the most important factor.  If our OL can work as a unit and do their job, our offense will be balanced and highly effective.  The O will keep the ball longer and score in the red zone.  Quite simply, score often and keep the ball away from Brees: we win.  

2.  Our pass rush pretty much stinks.  The addition of Schofield might help but it is hard to tell.  We need better DT's, but that is another topic for another time.  Quinn and Smith will have to scheme some pass rush to keep Brees off of his mark.  Failure to do so will spell trouble for us.  Trufant is our only reliable DB.  We will also be debuting a rookie Safety.  You can bet that there will be plenty of busted coverages on Monday.  For that reason, the pass rush is essential.  Keep Brees penned-in between the tackles and get some hands up in the middle to obstruct passing lanes (remember that DB is not a big guy).  

 

So, I'd like to hear from some of the more "schematic" thinkers on this message board.  How can our coaches schematically put our personnel in better positions to make plays along both lines?  Specifically, where are our weaknesses and how can they be addressed?  

I don't watch carefully enough to know these answers, which is why I am asking.   

[Duff_Man]

I'd venture to say that Sunday Night is now the biggest game of the week. Even Thursday Night games are getting bigger ratings. Last Thursday got a 12 rating and last Monday got an 8. By Monday, nobody cares any more. With the debate on, I'd be shocked if MNF gets a 5 rating this week. Monday Night Football is for gamblers trying to recover from their bad beats over the weekend.

[birdz4i]

9 minutes ago, Duff_Man said:

I'd venture to say that Sunday Night is now the biggest game of the week. Even Thursday Night games are getting bigger ratings. Last Thursday got a 12 rating and last Monday got an 8. By Monday, nobody cares any more. With the debate on, I'd be shocked if MNF gets a 5 rating this week. Monday Night Football is for gamblers trying to recover from their bad beats over the weekend.

 

with the debate being on multiple channels disrupting multiple viewerships, it might actually have higher rating than normal because people are tired of listening to the **** slinging.

[TheUsualStuff]

2 hours ago, Duff_Man said:

I'd venture to say that Sunday Night is now the biggest game of the week. Even Thursday Night games are getting bigger ratings. Last Thursday got a 12 rating and last Monday got an 8. By Monday, nobody cares any more. With the debate on, I'd be shocked if MNF gets a 5 rating this week. Monday Night Football is for gamblers trying to recover from their bad beats over the weekend.

Monday night has been diminished. It was the big thing before they isolated games on Sunday and Thursday as you noted. Then they started having more than 1 game and starting at an earlier time. It is just no longer any sort of event.

[ramonezy]

Will Monday be Hageman's first game? 

[Diesel_Bird]

5 minutes ago, ramonezy said:

Will Monday be Hageman's first game? 

No, because he played in Oakland...

[etherdome]

OK, as often happens, the main point of this thread is lost.  It is not about the importance of Monday night.  It is about forgetting all the distractions and getting down to business.  

What can the Falcons' coaches do to schematically improve the performances of our OL and DL?

[brando27]

4 hours ago, etherdome said:

The Falcons have a terrible MNF record.  I don't know for sure, but my perception is that our record is probably among the worst in the league.  Our MNF losses have gone a long way to tag us as a losing franchise among the nation's fans. 

You're positively right about that.
We have the lowest winning percentage among all teams on MNF: 12-27  .308

[maxatlanta]

Grady Jarett. The Saints have gotten good play from their OTs. Brees likes to step up into the pocket. If Jarett disrupts up the middle it will be a problem for them.

 

Tackling. Payton is dead set on making his OL eatablish the run, after not doing well the first 2 weeks. Add in the screens and Bree's short passing game and missed tackles can be a killer.

 

They have two nobody cbs starting, so that would be an obvious place to attack offensively.

[TheUsualStuff]

2 hours ago, etherdome said:

OK, as often happens, the main point of this thread is lost. 

 

[TheUsualStuff]