Rewatched several full games from this past season...my thoughts and notes on all of our players

[Francis York Morgan 23,763]

Matt Ryan - Let's get this out of the way first - I want Ryan next year, and I think he's a good quarterback. That being said, he was not very good this year. This was easily his worst year since 2015. He missed a lot of reads, he missed a lot of throws, and he was just generally "off," mostly early on, but also later, he just cleaned up the interceptions comparatively. I was a big DK hater before going back and rewatching games while keying in, but after...Ryan and Freeman were the biggest issues by far. Ryan for missing throws, Freeman for missing holes. If they're less off and making the most out of what we're given, we're in the playoffs this year, period. Eh...on second thought, the defense was atrocious early...but even then we likely win an extra 3 games or so. Ryan was also seeing phantom pressure a ton and ran into plenty of sacks that didn't need to happen. He settled down as the year went on, but our OL (while not great, especially early) gave him more time than he seemed to think they gave him. Hate seeing him lead receivers into big hits too (though it'll happen with every QB). Ryan needs to do some self-reflection and shore up his weaknesses, because we flat out need him this next year. He can do it, don't get me wrong. But we need it.

Devonta Freeman - He came on more towards the end of the year...at least, a little bit more. Free was missing a looooot of holes, but more than that, he was hesitating way too much. Not waiting for blocks to set up, I mean straight up hesitating when if he'd gunned it and trusted his eyes he'd have picked up 7 or 8 yards. Instead, we get maybe 2 and people harp on the run blocking and Dirk's garbage calls. A lot of the plays where he lost yards were ones where he could've gotten a yard or two (or more) if he'd just ran, but he stutter stepped into a loss. Solid pass blocking overall, and did his best work after the catch...that being said, I think we have to move on from Freeman. The issue wasn't run blocking and it was barely even DK's calls. It was a lack of talent at RB.
Ito Smith - Much more confident than Freeman, probably our best runner in the short amount of snaps he got and solid hands too. But that pass blocking...oof. Needs to fix it. Freeman offers nothing besides that over him at this point though.
Quadree Ollison - Great at the goal line and easily has the most potential of our RBs. Good pass blocking too on the rare occasion he's put in that position. But dude's ball security is flat out awful sometimes. Needs to work on that. I wish we used him more when we aren't right at the goal line, because he has a good amount of speed to go with that mean running style and big body. 
Brian Hill - God, I don't even know what to say about Hill. Sometimes he hits the hole great, other times he makes a dumb decision that turns an easy 5 yard carry into a yard. But then he'll bounce a run outside and pick up 15. He's nothing special, and he won't create anything most plays, outside of bouncing it outside occasionally, and even then he'll miss opportunities a lot of the time. I get that he had a decent YPC compared to Free...but neither were good. I think it's fine to either let him walk or sign him for vet min. Not worth the RFA tender, that's for sure.
Kenjon Barner - He isn't a superstud, but he's the best returner we've had in a hot minute and showed potential on offense in gadget plays. I think we should bring him back. Seemed vocal and like he can replace some of that Sanu swagger too.

Keith Smith - Came on more in later games, hated him early though. I'd like to bring him back. Special teams ace too. Love the FF vs the Jags. Offers nothing as a runner really, but that's not a big deal...while I'd love to have someone who threatens more, DK doesn't use FBs that much. Biggest issue is that it's usually a dead giveaway what we're going to do when he's in. Might get more of a rapport with Ryan as a receiver since he had a nice grab in the Jags game too.

WRs - We're good here and I don't like watching WRs. Just know that if we get a WR, it'll be because some crazy talent slipped to the 4th in this loaded draft. Long story short - JJ is a freak, Ridley's hands improved a ton, Gage was a steal and Zaccheus is better than Blake. 

Austin Hooper - The best thing about Hooper is his hands. He catches near everything that comes his way. And he's great at finding holes in zone coverage. Still...on rewatch, I feel like we won't drop off much by letting him go. In his best games, it felt like teams were letting him get empty yards after going up on us. I don't remember him really beating man coverage much. And don't get me wrong, that's not the only thing you care about with a tight end, but he was schemed into a majority of those yards. Great redzone weapon and great hands, but he isn't an engine that makes this offense go. 
Jaeden Graham - Didn't get to see him a lot, but he's surprisingly athletic and had reliable hands. The biggest dropoff from Hooper to him is Ryan's trust level if you ask me. Know less about how he does after the catch compared to Hoop. Good blocker, great effort in special teams too. 
Luke Stocker - Honestly? I hated this dude, and I thought it was a foregone conclusion he'd be cut...but he played way better down the stretch. I think a lot of his issues were settling in to the new offense and getting used to a new playbook. His blocking was so much better in later games, didn't even look like the same player. 

Jake Matthews - Matthews certainly wasn't "bad," but he had more issues than I thought. Maybe it's just because I compared him to McGary, but he was physically overwhelmed a good bit and certainly wasn't as consistent as in years past. Still, he's a solid left tackle, and his pluses far surpassed the minuses. Way more consistent than McGary, but I think a lot of that is conditioning. Still a mediocre run blocker, but he's great blocking LBs and DBs in space. Get him moving to maximize his talent.
Kaleb McGary - McGary was wayyyyy better than I remember going back and focusing on him. Dude honestly looked incredible, considering he's a rookie. His biggest issue? Conditioning, and it isn't even close. The only other one is that he'll get beat outside by speed rushers sometimes. He moves super well, he plays hard, he's refined in his pass sets and mirrors well...but dude did so much worse late in games when we dropped back to pass a bunch. He just seemed worn out. Gave up most of his sacks in the 4th quarter. The bright side? Conditioning is one of the easiest things to fix for players in the NFL, and it's totally understandable that he had issues both given that he's a rookie and he missed a bunch of practice leading up to the regular season. Look for a massive jump year 2.
Matt Gono - Why the absolute **** did Gono not get more snaps? He was inconsistent, but he moves people in the run game and has such a nasty demeanor. A lot of his flaws are attributable to inexperience or trying too hard. I think he could win the LG spot if he's given the chance, but I love him as depth regardless.
Wes Schweitzer - People won't believe it, but Wes was actually really solid this season. If he's the weak link on our OL, we'll be fine, but I do hope we draft a Mack heir if he isn't it (Hennessy or Ruiz maybe) and at least have open competition at the guard spots. I think giving the whole line time to gel will mean more for this offense than just about anything. That and relying on the run...it's not their fault our RB corps is mostly awful.
James Carpenter and Jamon Brown - I'd cut both if we could. Neither is good, but Carpenter is by far worse. Fortunately, he's the more cuttable one. I don't know why we brought in two lumbering guys when the rest of our OL is built for more zone blocking, but I guess we're gonna live with it. Look for Carpenter to not be a Falcon next season. Bad run blocking and pass blocking. Can't pull for ****. Hopefully Brown makes a jump...he's a lot better in run blocking, but good lord, he can be atrocious pass blocking sometimes.
Chris Lindstrom - Lindstrom is a beast in the run game and usually good pass blocking, but I do think he tends to ride guys out of the pocket enough that I didn't see him anchor a ton. Great IQ though, impressive af in passing off guys and picking them up on stunts. He's going to be a mainstay.
Alex Mack - Way better than I remembered him being. We should extend Mack for sure. He's still a very good center, good enough that I think losing him would set us back next year more than cutting him would give us opportunities to improve.

Offense Playcalling - I'm still not a DK fan. That said...watching these games over gave me hope. He started incorporating a LOT more motion into the gameplan later in the season, started running out of different formations, using different runs (more outside zone, jet sweeps, traps, etc). As long as Ryan steps up and we move on from Freeman, I'm much more optimistic about the offense next season. Oh, and we need more Jags/Seahawks-esque gameplans. He's certainly capable of that, so let's hope for the best.

Grady Jarrett - Best player on defense bar none. He was borderline unblockable. I kinda want us to invest heavy on a DT in FA or the draft just so he gets more one-on-ones, because seriously, double teaming Jarrett is almost necessary at this point. Him + Kinlaw or Calais Campbell? Teams would have nightmares about it.
Tyeler Davison - Was playing really well early, and while his play tapered off some down the stretch, I think he was a fantastic pickup. High priority re-sign. He was essentially Dontari Poe for us at a tenth of the price. We were hard as heck to run on up the middle, and he was a massive reason for that.

Adrian Clayborn - Clay should've been getting starter snaps with the way he was playing. Our best pass rusher and good against the run too. We need to bring him back.
Takk McKinley - Good as a pass rusher, had a lot of "soooo close" snaps where he could've had 8-10 sacks on the season. But against the run...oof. If you think Beasley is bad in the run game, you need to key on Takk. Dude was playing so much hero-ball early and straight up left his brothers out to dry. Got better as the season went on, but I came out of these re-watches more annoyed with him than just about any other player on defense.
Vic Beasley - He was actually a lot better against the run than I can remember him being in years past. While that's nice, the sack numbers are super misleading...he might've been our worst DE in terms of pass rush. Still, he wasn't atrocious. He seemed better with his hands than in years past. And he's fast enough that when he beats his guy he gets home, leading to those "inflated" sack numbers. Our pass rush was pretty good in the games that I watched, teams just loved to dink and dunk on our awful DBs early, and after that tightened up, we were getting plenty of pressure. Someone's going to give him money this offseason, and if no one does...if he's looking at 4 mil/yr or so...I actually want him back. I'm surprised at saying this tbh, but he really was better than I thought. I don't want him as a starter, but he's playing at right around that Bruce Irvin level. IE: solid rotational guy. I think he gets paid though, and I don't want the Falcons to be the one paying him big.
John Cominsky - This dude has an outside of chance of developing into a bonafide starter. He was so disruptive considering his lack of experience. He was making plays any game he got significant snaps, and he's got an incredible motor to go along with his nutty physical traits. I think if he got the same snaps Maxx Crosby did, he could've had a similar impact. Look for a jump next year.

Deion Jones - People hating on him need to actually watch - he was easily our second best player on defense. Terrific in coverage as always (and rarely targeted as a result), and I think he's got more of a reputation as hitter than people realize...saw folks drop balls around him or flinch before contact, and watching QBs slide or stumble to the ground at his approach was a delight. He was also better shedding blockers than in years past and made a lot of plays against the run. I'd love to see him next to a guy like Isaiah Simmons, or maybe Chaisson in Campbell's old spot.
Foye Oloukon - Started getting more snaps later in the season and he absolutely deserved it. Oloukon is looking like a phenomenal pick at this point. Great in coverage, stronger than expected in run support, good instincts and rangy as heck. I'm thinking if Neal comes back, he might play in a role similar to what Oloukon has been.
Devondre Campbell - Another guy who was playing a lot of hero ball early. He was decent in coverage, but God, he's atrocious against the run considering how big he is, and he blew more coverages than any LB not named Kemal Ishmael, especially early on. I just don't think he's a super instinctive player. Might be thinking too much, and his athletic gifts barely compensate for that. We shouldn't bring him back.

Damontae Kazee - Playmaker is his calling card, and he does it well at FS. That said, he isn't even depth at CB. Total liability there. He needs to be able to look at the QB all the time and fly around. Even with that said...I like him at FS, and he gave up fewer big plays than last year (from what I remember), but he could be upgraded.
Ricardo Allen - Allen was trying to do too much early, and he wound up out of position more than I'd expect from a guy known for his "discipline," but he looked really solid at SS later in the season. I still don't think he's "the guy," but we don't need two elite safeties, and he's totally a guy we should keep around. Great attitude, a solid to good starter at three positions, and he was making plays in the run and pass game, especially the last half of the season.
Keanu Neal - Oof. I hate saying this, but Neal was bad in the games he played this season. Often out of position, whether against the run or pass, and it felt like he was compensating a bit by flying to the ball...but wound up overpursuing often. He likely would have started playing better as the season went on had he not been injured, but at this point, I'm not that comfortable with him in a starter role next season regardless. I loved him the first couple seasons he had playing for us...but we might need to cut bait, whether that's via trade or cutting him. I'd be fine bringing him back as depth, but if he plays anything like he did when playing this season, he's not worth anywhere near 6.5 mil.

Desmond Trufant - Tru was our best CB this year, but he wasn't particularly better than years previous. He just held onto the ball better this year. Great in off coverage all year, played the ball well and had some swagger to his game. Still a weenie in the run game, there would be times where it felt like he would stay hooked on a WR's block to avoid making a tackle. His trade value is as high as it'll ever be, and I think we should jump on that. I just don't see a dropoff in our DB play from when he played to when he wasn't. Honestly, they looked better as a unit because of how we tended to play coverage imho. Lots of press comparatively.
Kendall Sheffield - Sticky dude. Needs to learn to turn his head more or he'll get that Chris Houston label, but then again...he's so young and so athletic that I think he can start down the line for us. Really impressive guy regardless. Might've been better if we played with him starting to begin the season.
Blidi Wreh-Wilson - Bad early, like most of our DBs, but he got better and I think he's worth re-signing for depth. He made a lot of plays considering he was on the field less than most of the other CBs. That said, he's strictly depth.
Isaiah Oliver - Awful early on, just atrocious. Only guy worse was Kazee. But he got way better as the season went on, and he looks so comfortable in press coverage. By the end, I'd say he was our best CB, and I like his attitude more than Tru vs the run. I'm encouraged. He improved over last year and got better every game this year. 

Defense Playcalling - I really don't think it was that bad early on, but our DBs were flat out TERRIBLE. Morris moving improved the execution to a kinda ridiculous degree. It was especially bad in week 4 through week 8 or so, with a lot of looks thrown in to try and mask our DBs weaknesses that wound up just confusing people more than anything. Morris and Ulbrich running simplified coverages that were just disguised more frequently helped a ton. And people will hate hearing it, but all of our CBs are better in press besides Tru, and we ran a ton more press with him out...which meant we looked better without him, despite him being our best CB. We were 4-0 the last half of the season with him out and 2-2 the last half with him in. I just don't see him being a part of the plan next year. And if he is, I really hope we run more press regardless. Our guys are just better closer to the line. 

Well, there's my opinion - pretty big shift on some guys compared to what I thought when the season ended. 

Side note: After watching a bunch of potential DL guys we could pick up, Calais Campbell is my favorite, followed shortly thereafter by Fowler. Campbell will cost way less, and while you can't see the impact on the box score as much with him, he was blowing up our OL on a consistent basis and just causing general havoc, leading to a lot of chips and double teams. Fowler was really good against us, with 3 sacks and a ton of disruption, but getting that in a contract year is admittedly sketchy. The lack of hype around him is encouraging though, as is Quinn's familiarity with him as a player. I could see us making a play for either. Clowney was really good too, and he's another guy who has a way larger impact than the box score would suggest. Ngakoue didn't impress me at all. Griffin was solid but likely not worth what he'll get if the Vikes move on.

[Atl Falcon 3,345]

Good post and thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think your pretty much on point. 

[ya_boi_j 61,761]

Good post and honest. Now I’ll see myself out before someone quotes it

[⚡Slumerican⚡ 5,600]

Definitely agree, Ryan is pretty bad at this point of his career.. Oline needs a new coach and we've got a bottom basement bum passrush.. Our entire oline blocking scheme is just bad.. We never have linemen down field blocking on run plays.. Just a few times they break out to block on screens.. Just horrible concept imo

[FalconsIn2012 33,455]

Great post.  When you focus in on individual players it's interesting how much different things seem. Quarterbacks always look worse when you focus just on them. The truth is that on most plays there's an open receiver. But two seconds goes by pretty quickly and it's tough when there are five reads or options.  Ryan has always had Happy feet which has always been my main criticism of him. there will be two or three games a year where he simply gets rattled.

P

[Falcons_Frenzy 3,497]

Matt Ryan - Better than his OL makes him appear.

Freeman - Garbage. Dumpster fire. Trash. Worthless. I'm probably giving him more credit than he deserves.

Jarrett - Amazing. Give this guy some f*********** help please.

Takk - Where's the sacks?

Beasley - Pretty measley given his pay.

 

[PokerSteve 26,279]

I agree with everything. Apparently you and I were watching the exact same Falcons team all season. Your criticism of Ryan was spot on. He looked befuddled and often lost his composure well before the pass rush got to him. His throws were often off-target and generally had a very poor season for him.

Taking a second look at Mack you feel better about his play, which I definitely find reassuring. Toward the end of the season I really thought he was a liability out there on too many plays. Great to have some renewed confidence he can still be the glue that holds the OL together.

Agree our running back corps is nothing special and it's time for Free to find a new team. A lot of RB's look vely intelesting in the draft. Swift will be long gone before we start looking to select a RB, but we could still grab somebody pretty good ~ Zack Moss, J.K. Dobbins, A.J. Dillon, etc.

You feel Dirk didn't suck as bad as we all thought? Good to hear! lol Admittedly he couldn't be as bad as I've had him pegged. I really hope he's able to expand his playbook and get a running game going.

This was a good job analyzing these games with your second look. Sounds like a few tweaks here and there and some good talent out of those first four picks for DL, G/C, CB and RB and we could be a much more competitive team this year. Hopefully there will be enough urgency in preseason to get off to a decent start this time around.

[raysnill1 12,029]

good post. in re-watching the games the thing i noticed more than anything ...  we got screwed big time by refs in like 5 games. the worst being the infamous 16 penalty game again the Colts. the game before that was pretty bad but after the Colts game, guys were missing and whiffing on tackles or not engaging on blocks because they were scared of getting penalized. 

the only thing I disagree on was the defensive play-calling was pretty bad early in the season. this is gonna be an unpopular opinion but I think we should go ahead and move Wes to OC permanently and if we don't draft an O-lineman, put Gono in as the starter at LG and let him get all the reps. the right side and LT is locked. if Mack is staying, name Gono or Wes as starter and let them get the reps necessary to make the starting 5 as cohesive as possible early

[OrthoPTSD 714]

Strong analysis there sir.

I wish we had more info on what the organization has in plans for Commisky offseason. Heavier? Lighter? Interior or edge? His potential and showing in limited snaps is undeniable. Specifically as a position of need.  Atlanta pundit coverage is weak, always has been, really irks me.

Wes in my opinion is a must re sign, agree that his play was solid.

Pairing either Grady or Deon with pick number 16  (Murray, Chaison, Kinlaw, Gallimore) would I think really move the defense forward. Grady especially.

I refuse to share any more thoughts on how bad the Carpenter signing was. The sooner he is off the books the better

[Vandy 38,112]

Good job FYM....agree pretty much 100% with your player takes. Matt was off most of year, freeman ran tentative, Wes was much better than TAFT claims. McGary was mucho better than D-Led/media claims as well. 
 

Cominsky should have gotten more snaps IMO. 
 

Only place I disagree is the OC/DC performance. I thought Both DK and especially DQ were god awful coordinators last season.

[caponine 6,443]

Matt Ryan is definitely at the point where he is starting to decline. Maybe not fast but still starting to regress a little. He's just not what this team needs anymore 

Talk and Vic are just horrible. 

[jfalconsp 2,642]

46 minutes ago, OrthoPTSD said:

Strong analysis there sir.

I wish we had more info on what the organization has in plans for Commisky offseason. Heavier? Lighter? Interior or edge? His potential and showing in limited snaps is undeniable. Specifically as a position of need.  Atlanta pundit coverage is weak, always has been, really irks me.

Wes in my opinion is a must re sign, agree that his play was solid.

Pairing either Grady or Deon with pick number 16  (Murray, Chaison, Kinlaw, Gallimore) would I think really move the defense forward. Grady especially.

I refuse to share any more thoughts on how bad the Carpenter signing was. The sooner he is off the books the better

This. I agree and feel like that has to be our aim with the first pick. Wouldn’t be mad if our first two picks were front seven. 

[atljbo 20,839]

listen mannnnn.... im glad someone we looked at the games also and saw alot of the things i saw.

 

Kalib McGary: He had a couple of really rough games (at the end of certain games) that makes his year look downer then it was... He had more good then bad and i was encouraged... Coaching plus a year under his belt plus development and conditioning .. If i remember it correctly the 2nd saints game... He had a solid game until the very end where he looked tired and technique and everything was just off... I really like what we have in he and Lindstrom

 

John Cominsky: Seeing him again at the end of the year has me excited in what he can become.... Dude disruptive... I still dont get why he and Gono didnt get more snaps.... I know he had a injury but man it doesnt make sense

 

Deion Jones: Dude is just a STUD.... Its a reason why RBs didnt kill us like they did whenever he is not playing.... He didnt have those insaneints (except the last game) so ppl think he had a bad year but dude was good... Couple he be even more of a playmaker... Yes... But dude was good like year

I agree with mainly everything... The only thing  i kinda disagree somewhat is its hard to to really judge the DBs during those 1st 8 games..... The whole **** secondary just looked flat out confused.. IDK what the **** was going on..... Play Calling and execution.. The only thing i could say for sure after those 8 games was that Kazee is 10000000% a FS.

 

But yea i dont know how to judge the the Secondary at all during the 1st 8 games.. Was it coaching ?.. Was it play calling ?..... Its hard to say it was just the players because EVERYYYYBODY improved at the same time..lol

I also disagree with the Tru statement....I think we are a better secondary with Tru back there next year.

 

Overall this was real dope read man.... Good post..... Im about to rewatch the Eagles, saints, and 49ers games as we speak

[atljbo 20,839]

also Jason Pierre-Paul is a guy i hope we look at

[Cheap Talk 1,231]

7 hours ago, Francis York Morgan said:

 

Right on point!! Said many of the same things this past season, about Freeman and our RB situation, along with McGary and his conditioning giving-up most of his sacks in the 4th. 

I never expressed it, but unfortunately do agree with you about Neal. Need to look for his replacement. We have a chance at having 3-5 of our drat picks making an impact next season, but can't see us drafting a Safety with one of those picks. Way too easy to pick-up good Safeties in FA for a reasonable price tag.

[gazoo 20,374]

There are a lot of patterns you can pick up on by watching consecutive snaps of consecutive games one right after another, fast forwarding through halftime and commercials. I did that last year and some patterns emerged of some things I hadn’t noticed just watching games live.

Interesting observation on McGary wearing down late in games. Fatigue can cause mental mistakes or make a player slower to react creating the illusion he lacks physical talent.

I also believe Free’s best days are long behind him and we need a new primary RB. 

[Cheap Talk 1,231]

Having said, "Way too easy to pick-up good Safeties in FA for a reasonable price tag" makes me think about something.

At the time, the high 6th round pick we gave NE for a 1-year rental on a washed-up Safety, makes me wonder if this was not part of the Sanu trade? A high 6th for a Safety not seeing playing time, and a 2nd for Sanu, do not make sense by themselves. Put them together and they both do make more sense. Who knows how TD and Belichick work? 

[duckhoa 377]

This is the reason I like coming here.  

Thank you for the insightful write up on the players FYM. Wished we had this kind of analysis from any of the media. 

Could anyone give me their opinion on Jordan Miller?   I know he was suspended....but as the Patriots have demonstrated....if you are not cheating, you are not trying.

 

[falconsd56 23,665]

2 hours ago, atljbo said:

also Jason Pierre-Paul is a guy i hope we look at

I can't really can't put a finger on it but I am not sure that he will give us the hand up that we need.

 

Aaaaaaand I am going to ****

[Realsurfin 1,003]

Said it before and I will say it again.  We ain't got no run game.  Not winning any playoffs or superbowl without a run game.  Freeman might give it the old college try but 3.6 avg yds does not cut it. None of our RB's break 5.... with Ito being close with I think 4.6 yds per carry.

We are 30th folks in rushing yds.

Ryan would do better if the Oline wasn't so porous.  He spends more time looking over his shoulder at the other teams defense chasing him down, then setting up and finding an open player.  Its not Matty's job to block and be quarterback.  I watch other teams and their QB's have enough time to have a coffee before they set and pass.  Our wr's are fine if not above caliber.

DQ gets outplayed... period.  He should spend more time studying the opposing coaches than just playcalling.  He is not a solid strategist. He needs to get in the other coaches head.

Koo saved our kicking play.  He should come back.  Vic Beastly is Mr inconsistently.  Never know if he is going to show up.  Keep him or cut him.. everything comes down to the cap.

Something no one mentions lately.  Penalties.  We improved a lot in that area.  We were giving away 100 yds in penalties.  By end of the season that was vastly improved.  Made a difference.

[atljbo 20,839]

37 minutes ago, duckhoa said:

 

Could anyone give me their opinion on Jordan Miller?   I know he was suspended....but as the Patriots have demonstrated....if you are not cheating, you are not trying.

 

He really didn't get a chanice to show anything last year.

I still have high hopes with him tho... I remember he looked like a  high round draft pick before he broke his ankle in 2017.. 

Dude is a 4.4 guy at 6'1 with long arms.. Good ballskills... He needed to get stronger tho

 

But I think he is a prospect ppl are just over looking but he has the tools... The suspension sets him back but I wouldn't count him out.

[AUTiger7222 5,110]

I'll go back and read the rest later, but I wanted to make this comment about Matt Ryan, yes he was off and missed a lot of throws we're used to seeing him make, but I attribute that to the change in systems. In the WCO QB's are taught to throw to spots and trust that the receiver will be there. Ryan played 4 years in that system and had his 2 best years of his career. Then we switched back to Dirk Koetter and now we're back to Ryan trying to throw to receivers instead of spots on the field. It takes two completely different set of mechanics and timings to run each system. Just go back to 2015 and Ryan's first year under Shanny and look at all the missed throws. It was the same issue, but the opposite side of the coin. He missed a lot of throws he normally makes because he was so used to throwing to receivers and the WCO is all about throwing to spots. I think in year two under Koetter we'll see a much better year from Matt Ryan. Ryan is not "done" as "severely declining" as some folks are trying to push. His arm strength also isn't in severe decline. Anyone that believes that is a fool.

This ball traveled 50 yards in the air.

 

[MSalmon 10,677]

1 hour ago, AUTiger7222 said:

I'll go back and read the rest later, but I wanted to make this comment about Matt Ryan, yes he was off and missed a lot of throws we're used to seeing him make, but I attribute that to the change in systems. In the WCO QB's are taught to throw to spots and trust that the receiver will be there. Ryan played 4 years in that system and had his 2 best years of his career. Then we switched back to Dirk Koetter and now we're back to Ryan trying to throw to receivers instead of spots on the field. It takes two completely different set of mechanics and timings to run each system. Just go back to 2015 and Ryan's first year under Shanny and look at all the missed throws. It was the same issue, but the opposite side of the coin. He missed a lot of throws he normally makes because he was so used to throwing to receivers and the WCO is all about throwing to spots. I think in year two under Koetter we'll see a much better year from Matt Ryan. Ryan is not "done" as "severely declining" as some folks are trying to push. His arm strength also isn't in severe decline. Anyone that believes that is a fool.

This ball traveled 50 yards in the air.

 

Good post. I think some of the happy feet and frustration came early, like you stated, due to a scheme change. May have had some shanny stuff, but wasn’t it. He’s already adjusted and done well under sark as well. The running game—or lack thereof—certainly didn’t help.

 

[ShadyRef 310]

Excellent write up OP! To be honest, I hope we go boom or bust to get Calais Campbell. I wanted him when he was leaving Arizona and still want him now. I think him being paired up with Grady will make Takk adrian Cominsky and whomever we draft look above average. If it means letting Hooper go, im not shedding tears.

It's amazing that the staff has been able to get solid results from the defense with the little amount of cap allocated to that side of the ball. When they get their act together they play like a top 5 or top 10 defense.  Yet with all the money the offense consumes, with the exception of Kyle's time here, they always underperform. That's why I don't mind losing Hooper. I think we are much closer to being elite on the defensive side of the ball in terms of performance and team impact than on offense despite it having elite talent. Let's tip the cap balance towards the defense for once under Quinn and get him some game changers for once. 

Im tired of trying to get every toy and every thing perfect for Ryan. Let's get this team a defense that can be carried by game changers. 

[RING OF HONOR 15,271]

Good stuff FYM...