Bobby.Digital Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 The most important play of Atlanta’s 2017 season may have already happened. With eight seconds left in regulation, the defending NFC champions were clinging to a 23-17 lead, the Bears driving and facing a fourth-and-goal. Five yards and the Falcons’ season begins the same way last year’s ended: a touchdown allowed on the game’s final play (PAT pending). The Super Bowl hangover narrative that dominated their offseason thickens. They were lucky they hadn’t lost the game already; on two of the previous three plays, Chicago’s Josh Bellamy and Jordan Howard had dropped would-be touchdowns (a problem that plagued the Bears in close home losses to the Titans and Packers last year). Mike Glennon had gotten the Bears in this position by doing exactly what Tom Brady did last February: dinking and dunking. The Falcons stayed in their foundational Cover-3 zone throughout much of the game and Chicago’s weaponless passing attack came to life in the fourth quarter. But on the final play the Falcons went man-to-man—something head coach Dan Quinn likes to do in game-deciding moments. Off the snap, right defensive end Derrick Shelby, back from a torn Achilles, got underneath of left tackle Charles Leno, moving him into the backfield. Glennon was forced to relocate and wound up in the arms of left defensive end Brooks Reed. Just like that, the Falcons had perhaps the perfect Super Bowl hangover remedy: a scrappy road win. That’s what Quinn can call it on Sunday, anyway, as he tries to replenish his team’s confidence. On Monday, in private with his staff, he might re-label it an ugly road win. The defense had held on, while the offense, one of the most prolific in history a year ago, had merely gotten by. It produced 372 yards and 23 points, but those numbers were skewed by tight end Austin Hooper’s 88-yard touchdown, which was the game’s biggest play and purely a product of a Bears coverage bust. (Linebacker Jerrell Freeman played zone when everyone else matched up. Free safety Quintin Demps, believing the ball would come out quickly since it was an empty set on third-and-3, abandoned the middle of the field to double Julio Jones. Hooper was uncovered down the seam.) The rest of the day, with the exception of a second-quarter touchdown drive, the Falcons toggled between long field-goal drives and three-and-outs. With Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio playing his characteristic two-deep safety coverages, Matt Ryan kept throwing underneath. An offense must punish a two-deep safety defense by running the ball and working the middle with in-breaking routes. The Falcons prospered here under previous offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who masterfully married his outside zone ground game with play-action. On Sunday, however, Atlanta’s O-line could not get the necessary movement against Bears defensive linemen Eddie Goldman, Mitch Unrein and especially Akiem Hicks, who one day earlier signed a four-year, $48 million contract. New right guard Wes Schweitzer, a 2016 sixth-rounder, struggled, but so did many of the O-line’s four returning starters. Running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman combined for just 53 yards on 20 carries. One of the most-asked questions among football people this offseason was: How will the Falcons offense look under new coordinator Steve Sarkisian? Aside from 2004, when he was a quarterbacks coach with the Raiders, the former University of Washington and USC head coach had never worked in the NFL. He was hired because Quinn wanted a proven play-caller and someone who could occasionally act as the de facto offensive head coach. The Falcons knew the Bears would play two-deep coverage, but they still didn’t generate chunk plays from designer passing concepts against it. Their dynamic two-back packages, which killed opponents in 2016, was uninspiring. (Fullback Patrick DiMarco, now with the Buffalo Bills, was always a big component here. Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff may come to regret letting him walk in free agency; new fullback Derrick Coleman, who was out of the league in 2016, was not great on Sunday.) If not for Ryan’s improvised playmaking from the pocket, the Falcons would be 0-1. Judging coaches is dicey, and it certainly can’t be done fairly after only one game. Coaches are dependent on too many factors out of their control. Plus, reactions to Week 1 inherently slip into hyperbole. It is only one game, and the Falcons did win. In the NFL, that’s always hard to do, particularly on the road. That being said, the notion of a Super Bowl hangover may be shelved for now, but the more important question about how the offense will look without Shanahan still lingers. http://amp.timeinc.net/si/nfl/2017/09/11/atlanta-falcons-steve-sarkisian-matt-ryan-chicago-bears-week-1?source=dam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrfalcon Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 If this WIN was as detrimental to the Falcons as the above article makes it sound, I really worry about how bad the LOSSES will be to the Patriots, Seahawks, Giants, and others? BTW, if Shanahan was such a great offensive coach for the Falcons, should he not have at least scored a single TD with his new team? Sarky also could have been stubborn in the Bears game but had the sense to realize the Bears were concentrating on stopping the run and moved away from a run game to a passing game leading to our win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngbloodz Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 4 minutes ago, jlrfalcon said: If this WIN was as detrimental to the Falcons as the above article makes it sound, I really worry about how bad the LOSSES will be to the Patriots, Seahawks, Giants, and others? BTW, if Shanahan was such a great offensive coach for the Falcons, should he not have at least scored a single TD with his new team? Sarky also could have been stubborn in the Bears game but had the sense to realize the Bears were concentrating on stopping the run and moved away from a run game to a passing game leading to our win. Shanny was a great offensive coordinator for Atlanta. To suggest otherwise is idiotic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kschreck Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 It's week 1...I have no idea why there is such a tendency to go overboard on such a small sample size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peyton Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 If people look deeper than the close outcome, there is plenty to be excited about. Week 1 is just kind of funny. Offenses all over the league were terrible. The Falcons will be better next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papachaz Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 4 minutes ago, kschreck said: It's week 1...I have no idea why there is such a tendency to go overboard on such a small sample size. especially when we won! can you imagine if we'd lost? oh lord.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papachaz Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 1 minute ago, Peyton said: If people look deeper than the close outcome, there is plenty to be excited about. Week 1 is just kind of funny. Offenses all over the league were terrible. The Falcons will be better next week. isn't it pretty well a known thing that the D is almost always ahead of the O at the start of the year? Throw in training a new OC to our playbook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kschreck Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 1 minute ago, papachaz said: isn't it pretty well a known thing that the D is almost always ahead of the O at the start of the year? Throw in training a new OC to our playbook That only counts for others. If you're a Falcons' fan, it's an excuse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
since68andcounting Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 5 minutes ago, Peyton said: If people look deeper than the close outcome, there is plenty to be excited about. Week 1 is just kind of funny. Offenses all over the league were terrible. The Falcons will be better next week. We better be better next week. Cause Green Bay looked better this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peyton Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 1 minute ago, papachaz said: isn't it pretty well a known thing that the D is almost always ahead of the O at the start of the year? Throw in training a new OC to our playbook Here is what I've come to believe about week 1 of the NFL season. The guaranteed money in these player contracts has gotten so large and the season is so long that teams are extra careful in the preseason and starters don't get many snaps. For this reason the first week, while it counts in the standings, really plays a lot like a 5th preseason game. Every offense is out of sync. Was the case league wide. So while I think every team who gets that all important win in game 1 should be thrilled, because the game counts, I don't think fans of any teams should jump to any dramatic conclusions based on how those games play out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peyton Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 2 minutes ago, since68andcounting said: We better be better next week. Cause Green Bay looked better this week. I wasn't all that impressed with either team in the GB / Seattle game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Statick Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Oh, jeez, ANOTHER one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
since68andcounting Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 3 minutes ago, Peyton said: I wasn't all that impressed with either team in the GB / Seattle game. I thing Green Bay's OL has issues, but their defense looked pretty stout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconsd56 Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 1 minute ago, Peyton said: I wasn't all that impressed with either team in the GB / Seattle game. Same here. The Seahawks oline was horrible....The packers looked flat aswell. Plus Rogers was gimping around. Neither was overly impressive imo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconsd56 Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 1 minute ago, Statick said: Oh, jeez, ANOTHER one... It is the regular season.....plan for many many more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Statick Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Just now, falconsd56 said: It is the regular season.....plan for many many more. I can understand people outside of the organization writing them, just hate when our fans buy into them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karst41 Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 25 minutes ago, youngbloodz said: Shanny was a great offensive coordinator for Atlanta. To suggest otherwise is idiotic and in the end Shanny's ego would not settle for a field goal. So yeah to suggest otherwise is going to be a dog chasing its tail. But yeah,, Sarks game plan and adjustments was pretty much Non Existant. Made me think that Mularkey was up in the booth calling the plays, so regardless of the win Sark blows, or Da Bears defenseis just Bad to da Bone ? Or do all yall want to pin the tail on the O line,,,,,,or Name the Jakcass ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-peg Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 I read the first few sentences and lost more brain cells than I would have cared too.... We won in Chicago for the first time since 1983. We played against a very tough bears defense who paid a lot of money to make it tough. We won on the road compared to last year where we lost at home. Go doom and gloom somewhere else. This was a hard fought win that helped the Falcons learn more about who they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g-dawg Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 27 minutes ago, kschreck said: It's week 1...I have no idea why there is such a tendency to go overboard on such a small sample size. last year in week#1, Falcons looked terrible losing a HOME game to the Bucs. I agree w/ anyone that wants to say the Falcons looked not up to previous year - no doubt - but it was ONE GAME and we did WIN. It takes 4-5 weeks before you know what kind of team you are going to have for the season. Further, it should be noted the Falcons did not play their starters adequately enough in pre-season to really be ready for Game#1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trashmetalx Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 20 minutes ago, since68andcounting said: We better be better next week. Cause Green Bay looked better this week. How exactly? One touchdown was basically a gift and Rodgers threw a pick 6 that was negated by penalties. And their defense played the worst offensive line in football. No way you can say GB looked better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kschreck Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Hopefully we address the QB position with our top 10 pick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Statick Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 No injuries for us, right? If so, that's **** good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashbrown3 Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin' In DC Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 (edited) 3 minutes ago, HASHBROWN3 said: I see what you did there. I will be back when some semblance of sanity has been restored Edited September 11, 2017 by Flyin' In DC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likeriver Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 21 minutes ago, since68andcounting said: I thing Green Bay's OL has issues, but their defense looked pretty stout. Idk man the Seahawks basically have an anti-OL. Wouldn't glean too much from it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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