Bright spots...

[Bunchy Carter]

Even though this season has been terrible from almost every single standpoint, there are a few reasons to be hopeful going forward. Here are some that come to mind, in no particular order:

1. Hooper (TE) If this team was anywhere approaching respectable, he'd be in probowl contention.

2. Kazee (S/CB) From preseason straight through, he's shown that he just wants it more than everyone else. I'm excited to see how he fares at NB next season.

3. Oluokon (LB) The numbers aren't eye popping, but he's shown TREMENDOUS growth and completely ended the Duke Riley project. I think he's going toward a GREAT career, especially with a healthy Deion Jones.

4. Senat (DT) The weird decision to make him inactive aside, Senat has exceeded my expectations and shown REAL potential. I think the DT position needs a talent infusion, but Jarrett and Senat are EXCELLENT building blocks.

5. Tavecchio (K) Obviously Bryant is a world class kicker and should be allowed to finish on his own terms, but I think the Falcons have a real gem in Tavecchio.

6. RIDLEY (WR) I'm not sure how I feel about his play overall. He's definitely beneficiary to playing with Jones, Sanu and Hooper. He's also had some bonehead plays (expected for a rookie) and untimely drops. All that said, I think he'll be even better next year.

*Honorable mention

McKinley (DE) He was streaky...but his effort is always there and I think if he stays healthy, he can be more impactful next year. 

[Lowndesfalc]

Of course there are positives as you outlined. Everybody is super bummed because of expectations at the beginning of the season. I believe we will be a better team because of it. 

 

On a more positive note. There us still a team in the state vying for a National Championship. VSU in Valdosta is playing in semi-finals Saturday at noon in Valdosta. I’m going but it will be on ESPN3.  They are fun to watch. Most prolific offense in the country averaging 53 points a game. Win this week and Championship in Texas the following Saturday. 

[uk falcs fan]

I'd add Ito, Jack Crawford, Jake Matthews and Matt Ryan to that list.

Ito has been a very solid back.

Crawford has proved to be a very useful role player at creating pressure

Jake has had his best season despite playing alongside a patchy Oline

Matt's had a stellar year, i believe his best year other than 2016. Despite us having one of the worst defences and the worst running game in the NFL hes still managed to put up great numbers. (it may be slightly inflated numbers because teams have just been protecting a lead, but Brees does exactly the same whenever the Saints have a poor season and is still regarded to have had great seasons)

[Tribal Chief]

1) Screw his haters, he's tha man

2) He's a solid ballhawk.

3)Solid

4)Sadly I think he will be a depth guy unless someone is hurt, especially if the Falcons take the best DT in the draft in the top 5(assumingly)

5)Deuces Bryant. You've done your part, now go be with your family

6)He had issues with drops coming in, just like JJ. The drops most likely will never leave. Just gonna be something to deal with.

7)Thought it was neck and neck between him and Garrett from last year. This year killed that thought. TJ Watt also jumped in above him. Solid pass rusher though but definitely needs to get better

[BlazerSlayer]

Mostly agree. I do wonder if they're hanging on to Tavecchio in order to have him for next year. Perhaps Bryant has privately said he'll finish? Although it could be that he still isn't 100% healthy.

I know this board loves Senat, and I thought he flashed potential, but to be a healthy inactive the last 2 games suggests the coaching staff are not happy with him. Still, he's a rookie so the arrow should point up.

 

[1989Fan]

^^Senat played this week. 20 snaps

[BlazerSlayer]

5 minutes ago, 1989Fan said:

^^Senat played this week. 20 snaps

My mistake, sorry. People on this board have been complaining of why he doesn't play. I should have checked.

[Bunchy Carter]

3 hours ago, uk falcs fan said:

I'd add Ito, Jack Crawford, Jake Matthews and Matt Ryan to that list.

Ito has been a very solid back.

Crawford has proved to be a very useful role player at creating pressure

Jake has had his best season despite playing alongside a patchy Oline

Matt's had a stellar year, i believe his best year other than 2016. Despite us having one of the worst defences and the worst running game in the NFL hes still managed to put up great numbers. (it may be slightly inflated numbers because teams have just been protecting a lead, but Brees does exactly the same whenever the Saints have a poor season and is still regarded to have had great seasons)

I kinda forgot about Crawford. He's definitely been a good surprise also. Matthews has been solid for sure.

Ryan has been having a great season statistically...

[Jesus]

Oh all the right pieces are there, which is what makes it all so frustrating. There is enough talent on this team for them to have 7-8 wins right now, despite the injuries. 

[Bunchy Carter]

43 minutes ago, Jesus said:

Oh all the right pieces are there, which is what makes it all so frustrating. There is enough talent on this team for them to have 7-8 wins right now, despite the injuries. 

We definitely have above average talent to build on, but we have lots of holes too.

[Jesus]

1 minute ago, Bunchy Carter said:

We definitely have above average talent to build on, but we have lots of holes too.

Yeah. Every team has holes. How you cover them is the key. 

[Peyton]

Ridley has phenomenal talent obviously and good on him for making some big plays this year.

But the dude is so frustrating at times.  He's run the wrong route several times, one time costing Ryan an interception.  He lets easy balls slip right through his hands.  The one against Dallas that resulted in another Ryan interception was a back breaker.  Fumbling on the 1 yard line.  He's dropped a couple of pitches when the Falcons have lined him up in the RB, thankfully they have stopped that.

And then on Sunday, the dude caught a pass one yard short of the stick on 3rd down, and all the dude had to do was fall forward for a 1st down, and the dude ran backwards 4 yards.  Maddening lack of situational awareness.

Mixed bag for Ridley, but obvious the potential for greatness is there.

[Jesus]

2 minutes ago, Peyton said:

Ridley has phenomenal talent obviously and good on him for making some big plays this year.

But the dude is so frustrating at times.  He's run the wrong route several times, one time costing Ryan an interception.  He lets easy balls slip right through his hands.  The one against Dallas that resulted in another Ryan interception was a back breaker.  Fumbling on the 1 yard line.  He's dropped a couple of pitches when the Falcons have lined him up in the RB, thankfully they have stopped that.

And then on Sunday, the dude caught a pass one yard short of the stick on 3rd down, and all the dude had to do was fall forward for a 1st down, and the dude ran backwards 4 yards.  Maddening lack of situational awareness.

Mixed bag for Ridley, but obvious the potential for greatness is there.

Coaching can can fix a lot of that. He's young and if he has a willingness to learn he will do fine. 

[OilFuturesTrader19]

I'd like to see Russell Gage get more opportunity at WR. I think he can be a sleeper and another positive for this season.

[Bunchy Carter]

1 hour ago, OilFuturesTrader19 said:

I'd like to see Russell Gage get more opportunity at WR. I think he can be a sleeper and another positive for this season.

Definitely hoping he gets more opportunities. I can't remember him dropping any passes.

[ParanoidAndroid]

2 hours ago, Jesus said:

Yeah. Every team has holes. How you cover them is the key. 

Sell off older assets. Build a line with the proceeds. 

[FalconinPA]

I think Ito has shown flashes at times. Last few week we can't muster up anything rushing.

[Boise Falcon Fan]

3 hours ago, Peyton said:

Ridley has phenomenal talent obviously and good on him for making some big plays this year.

But the dude is so frustrating at times.  He's run the wrong route several times, one time costing Ryan an interception.  He lets easy balls slip right through his hands.  The one against Dallas that resulted in another Ryan interception was a back breaker.  Fumbling on the 1 yard line.  He's dropped a couple of pitches when the Falcons have lined him up in the RB, thankfully they have stopped that.

And then on Sunday, the dude caught a pass one yard short of the stick on 3rd down, and all the dude had to do was fall forward for a 1st down, and the dude ran backwards 4 yards.  Maddening lack of situational awareness.

Mixed bag for Ridley, but obvious the potential for greatness is there.

Agreed.  I feel like he has hit a rookie wall, and as a result, he hasn't been playing well of late.  Hopefully, he'll pick it up down the stretch.

[DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry]

Refreshing thread. 

I'd cosign adding Matthews on this list. He's continued to improve and continue to establish himself as Top 10 (or better) LT in the league. 

Hooper should be a candidate for an early extension in an effort to cement his place in the offense at a reasonable rate. 

[Stray Dog THA GAWD]

I hope those bright spots aren't a train about to run us over.

[Bunchy Carter]

On 12/4/2018 at 1:33 PM, DoYouSeeWhatHappensLarry said:

Refreshing thread. 

I'd cosign adding Matthews on this list. He's continued to improve and continue to establish himself as Top 10 (or better) LT in the league. 

Hooper should be a candidate for an early extension in an effort to cement his place in the offense at a reasonable rate. 

To my mind... he's DEFINITELY earned an extension. It'd be fiscally wise to get it done sooner than later with his arrow pointing up.

[jlrfalcon]

1) Deion Jones is back

2) Keanu Neal will be back

3) Ricardo Allen will hopefully be back

4) Alford can be dumped with little cap casualty

5) Beasley can still be let go

[falconsd56]

Cosign on pretty much what everyone has said.

the injuries have given us a better look at the past draft than we every really thought (or wanted) to get. And the results have been mostly promising. There certainly are issues to fix but it is a good foundation to build on.

[kiwifalcon]

On 12/4/2018 at 6:45 PM, Bunchy Carter said:

Even though this season has been terrible from almost every single standpoint, there are a few reasons to be hopeful going forward. Here are some that come to mind, in no particular order:

1. Hooper (TE) If this team was anywhere approaching respectable, he'd be in probowl contention.

2. Kazee (S/CB) From preseason straight through, he's shown that he just wants it more than everyone else. I'm excited to see how he fares at NB next season.

3. Oluokon (LB) The numbers aren't eye popping, but he's shown TREMENDOUS growth and completely ended the Duke Riley project. I think he's going toward a GREAT career, especially with a healthy Deion Jones.

4. Senat (DT) The weird decision to make him inactive aside, Senat has exceeded my expectations and shown REAL potential. I think the DT position needs a talent infusion, but Jarrett and Senat are EXCELLENT building blocks.

5. Tavecchio (K) Obviously Bryant is a world class kicker and should be allowed to finish on his own terms, but I think the Falcons have a real gem in Tavecchio.

6. RIDLEY (WR) I'm not sure how I feel about his play overall. He's definitely beneficiary to playing with Jones, Sanu and Hooper. He's also had some bonehead plays (expected for a rookie) and untimely drops. All that said, I think he'll be even better next year.

*Honorable mention

McKinley (DE) He was streaky...but his effort is always there and I think if he stays healthy, he can be more impactful next year. 

Like it.

Ever since Takk opened his mouth on social media he's been kicking rocks and has done a disappearing act.

I like the kids talent but I just wish players would just stfu and stay off social media.Do your talking on the field.

[kiwifalcon]

On 12/5/2018 at 3:49 AM, Peyton said:

Ridley has phenomenal talent obviously and good on him for making some big plays this year.

But the dude is so frustrating at times.  He's run the wrong route several times, one time costing Ryan an interception.  He lets easy balls slip right through his hands.  The one against Dallas that resulted in another Ryan interception was a back breaker.  Fumbling on the 1 yard line.  He's dropped a couple of pitches when the Falcons have lined him up in the RB, thankfully they have stopped that.

And then on Sunday, the dude caught a pass one yard short of the stick on 3rd down, and all the dude had to do was fall forward for a 1st down, and the dude ran backwards 4 yards.  Maddening lack of situational awareness.

Mixed bag for Ridley, but obvious the potential for greatness is there.

I think Ridley is to slight in the upper body he avoids contact.

Ive seen him rocked a couple of times this year.

He doesn't like contact.Im not calling him soft but I do think he needs to get stronger up top.