Tired Of Losing.. BUT I Can See The Future

[TheRisen999]

I’ve been watching film from the beginning of the season and comparing it to our more recent game’s trying to figure out what happened to our defense and looking to see if there are areas where Ridder clearly out matches Mariota. IMO the biggest difference in our defense from the start of the season to now is the secondary and the level of play between Casey Hayward and whatever JAG we trot out at CB.

Sure not having TQ up front hurts us but we were getting run over even with him in the lineup. Not being able to cover WR’s effects every other level of our defense. I know T.F. likes to talk about drafting BPA but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that the ONLY way that can happen is if we bring in a great FA CB before the draft otherwise we HAVE TO draft the best CB on the board in the first or second round.

My preference has been for a WR in the second but it has to be justifiable depending on what’s on the board. Either way CB is a must in the off season and even if we do sign someone our draft needs to be mostly defensively oriented… and I think it will be.

Offensively I’m thinking Ridder is going to be the guy at QB from here on out. He seems like he’ll only get better as he get more comfortable and has more weapons. Yesterday was the first game that Drake London looked like the player we thought we were drafting and that was due in part to Ridder actually looking for him and giving him a chance to go for those 50/50 balls. I still say had the Ridley situation been able to work out he would have been the perfect complement to London and Pitts.. but what can you do? 🤷🏾 the guy f’d up and didn’t wanna be in ATL.

Tyler Allgier is definitely the RB of the future in Atlanta, he’s showing he can carry the load and continue to make explosive extra effort plays and of course we have Pitts coming back. That alone will elevate some of the forced throws to London. I actually like our TE room but there isn’t a top tier option with Pitts out. I look for him to come back with a vengeance now that he has a QB who can get him the ball consistently. 

If I can see the obvious holes on this team then I know T.F. does for sure and I expect him to make savy moves and patch up  most of those deficiencies now having money to spend and a full draft class. Some people are down on the team but we have to remember how they looked before injuries started to creep in.. especially on defense. That only means we need to build depth as well as get some difference makers in here to be able to sustain those blows.

Also with our record being what it is we’re likely to have an easier strength of schedule (at least on paper.. we know you never know in the NFL) so that could help. Even if we don’t we can run the ball against anyone and that’s half the battle. I’m looking forward to these last two games and next season. Change is coming.

[The Don™]

Yeah I agree with CB being a big need. Go get the best pass rusher, NT, and LB you can buy in FA. WR#2 needs to be a priority too in FA. After that, it opens the door for our first rounder to be CB, pass rusher, DL, or RT. That's it. I hope we don't even entertain another position at the draft slot we'll be at (top 10). 

[celtiksage]

I agree on CB as a big need. Hall is atrocious, and probably the weakest link on D. He gets toasted regularly and is rarely in position to even make a tackle, giving up big plays almost every game. Hayward is under contract next year if he can return to form. Oliver seems to have disappeared. Is he injured or wasn't active? Idk??

I also just noticed, the only WRs under contract next year are London, Bernhardt and Darby. Yikes!! So we have a WR1ish and WR0s on the team. Scary.

[FalconAge]

23 minutes ago, celtiksage said:

I agree on CB as a big need. Hall is atrocious, and probably the weakest link on D. He gets toasted regularly and is rarely in position to even make a tackle, giving up big plays almost every game. Hayward is under contract next year if he can return to form. Oliver seems to have disappeared. Is he injured or wasn't active? Idk??

I also just noticed, the only WRs under contract next year are London, Bernhardt and Darby. Yikes!! So we have a WR1ish and WR0s on the team. Scary.

There are much better free agent cbs than pass rushers so grabbing a guy like Bradberry allows you to go after BPassrusherA with our first pick.

[INDFalcon]

Watching this game, I think Ridder's performance is day and night man. He was way poised and that too against a stout D. He will continue to get better with couple of WR and Pitts back. Like how you all said, we need to seriously focus on D. Let us see what does this coaching staff and GM will do for next year. I am expecting Falcons to go deep in playoffs next season.

[bossFALCON™]

Id rather get a WR and Corner in FA since we need #2s at both spots. Keep Heyward.

[CrimsonFalcon]

For years we have kinda avoided the injury bug,  but this season we had an infestation even though we weren't expected to contend.  I look at this season as almost a season long preseason, just trying to manage the cap issues and find out what we really have. 

[SwampyMux12]

Yeah, CB and Safety are both huge needs. Defensively, I feel like any position would be justifiable in the first round.

We need to find a wr gem like Zay Jones. Iirc, Jax got him pretty cheap in FA and he's been a stud.

[175_Ranger_Falcon]

I’ve been saying this will take at least 2-3 years to get back to consistent winning. We just got through year 1.  If Ridder pans out, then it might expedite the process a bit. The TD cap situation really set this franchise back. Now that we’re passing this point, we should be able to bring in some decent talent. We have to hit in the draft like 2018. I know most are frustrated with AS, but a coaching changing will reset this process again. 

Edited December 25, 2022 by 175_Ranger_Falcon

[PokerSteve]

Good post, OP. We're all tired of losing, but at least this season we can see real progress being made. I'm actually thrilled that we have at least found our new QB1 and did so with very little wasted time. Mariota's tenure wasn't great, but we are a year away from being a playoff team anyway.

Honestly I believe we'll benefit as much or more from the higher draft pick than we would have making the playoffs and getting blown out in the first round. We're still in the formative years of this new regime and most of our players are also newly arrived. Playoffs would've been too much, too soon.

There's going to be a very close, natural bond that will form between this FO, HC and these young players who are destined to become the nucleus of this football team for the next five to 10 years. The whole franchise will grow and learn to become successful as one. A real, true Brotherhood forged from growing up in the league together, stronger than any "brotherhood" artificially created from hope and empty hype.

The Band Aide was officially ripped off this season. We knew it would likely be painful, but we also knew the time had come to stop kicking the can down the road and get back to financial solvency. These last two games will still be enjoyable as we watch Ridd, London and these young weapons keep working and building toward "da FUCHA!" 😁 

[nutsandbolts]

1 hour ago, TheRisen999 said:

Yesterday was the first game that Drake London looked like the player we thought we were drafting and that was due in part to Ridder actually looking for him and giving him a chance to go for those 50/50 balls.

This is the best thing I saw yesterday. Imagine how validating this must have been for DR4 and DL5. OZ17 and TA25 both had good days on the other end of DR4 passes too.

All of that came with a very slow start yet again in Q1. The ball is rolling and I think its gaining speed. We have Bernhardt and Fitzpatrick too who have yet to take their first snaps. I think we will see Fitz before the end of the year though.

[SwampyMux12]

2 minutes ago, PokerSteve said:

Good post, OP. We're all tired of losing, but at least this season we can see progress real progress being made. I'm actually thrilled that we have at least found our new QB1 and did so with very little wasted time. Mariota's tenure wasn't great, but we are a year away from being a playoff team anyway.

Honestly I believe we'll benefit as much or more from the lower draft pick than we would have making the playoffs and getting blown out in the first round. We're still in the formative years of this new regime and most of our players are also newly arrived to the team.

There's going to be a very close, natural bond that will form between this FO, HC and these young players who will form the nucleus of this football team for the next five to 10 years. The whole franchise will grow and learn and become successful as one. A real, true Brotherhood forged from growing up in the league together, stronger than any "brotherhood" artificially created from hope and empty hype.

The Band Aide was officially ripped off this season. We knew it would likely be painful, but we also knew the time had come to stop kicking the can down the road and get back to financial solvency. These last two games will still be enjoyable as we watch Ridd, London and these young weapons keep working and building toward "da FUCHA!" 😁 

Certainly not ready to crown Ridder yet, but NGL I watched Zach Wilson Thursday night and Ridder is so far ahead of last year's #2 pick in terms of the mental aspects of the game, which is super encouraging to me. You can tell that Ridder is in control and the moment is not to big for him. All I wanted to see in this audition was traits that would lead you to believe that you weren't wasting your time trying to build a team around him. Vs NOLA, I didn't see much of that. Vs Baltimore - hitting wrs in stride, big boy throws, and a command in the huddle were common. Very encouraging game.

Obviously he still has a long, long way to go. You can point to decisions not to throw it away, needing to use his athleticism more, some accuracy issues and the inability to finish drives in the end zone, but every one of those things can get better with experience.

Comparing him to a guy like Malik Willis too... Willis is a superior athlete (saw him make a Mike Vick-esque escape in the pocket yesterday), but in terms of passing, it's not even close. Willis looks like he would rather run, while Ridder looks like a guy who can run if he has to... He clearly does not want to be a runner.

[PokerSteve]

11 minutes ago, SwampyMux12 said:

Certainly not ready to crown Ridder yet, but NGL I watched Zach Wilson Thursday night and Ridder is so far ahead of last year's #2 pick in terms of the mental aspects of the game, which is super encouraging to me. You can tell that Ridder is in control and the moment is not to big for him. All I wanted to see in this audition was traits that would lead you to believe that you weren't wasting your time trying to build a team around him. Vs NOLA, I didn't see much of that. Vs Baltimore - hitting wrs in stride, big boy throws, and a command in the huddle were common. Very encouraging game.

Obviously he still has a long, long way to go. You can point to decisions not to throw it away, needing to use his athleticism more, some accuracy issues and the inability to finish drives in the end zone, but every one of those things can get better with experience.

Comparing him to a guy like Malik Willis too... Willis is a superior athlete (saw him make a Mike Vick-esque escape in the pocket yesterday), but in terms of passing, it's not even close. Willis looks like he would rather run, while Ridder looks like a guy who can run if he has to... He clearly does not want to be a runner.

You make a bunch of good points. Zach Wilson looks like a very bad pick. Ridder looks like a very promising pick that just needs more reps, a better OL and a couple of more receivers and he'll be good to go.

As you said, Ridd stunk in the Stanks game, but he clearly looked several levels better against the tough Raven D in their house playing in a deep freeze. Extrapolating that kind of progress in two starts over the course of next season, I have no difficulty declaring Ridder our new franchise QB.

I firmly believe the significant improvements coming to key areas of our offense and D this off-season will validate Ridder as The Guy. We'll start to see the Falcons power rankings sticking around in the Top 10 by mid-season 2023 as we finally emerge from the Quinn-TD Dark Ages. 

[Rings]

Great post.  The defense reminds me a lot of how people her loved Paul Worrilow.  He wasn’t a starting caliber player.  He was a fan favorite because he WAY outplayed where he was drafted, but that still doesn’t mean he should have been starting.  8-9 of our starters on defense currently are in that same boat.  They are playing better at times than they have in their career or where they were drafted, but they should be backups and a couple practice squad players.  

[bossFALCON™]

12 minutes ago, PokerSteve said:

You make a bunch of good points. Zach Wilson looks like a very bad pick. Ridder looks like a very promising pick that just needs more reps, a better OL and a couple of more receivers and he'll be good to go.

As you said, Ridd stunk in the Stanks game, but he clearly looked several levels better against the tough Raven D in their house playing in a deep freeze. Extrapolating that kind of progress in two starts over the course of next season, I have no difficulty declaring Ridder our new franchise QB.

I firmly believe the significant improvements coming to key areas of our offense and D this off-season will validate Ridder as The Guy. We'll start to see the Falcons power rankings sticking around in the Top 10 by mid-season 2023 as we finally emerge from the Quinn-TD Dark Ages. 

I think the Aints game was nerves. The Ridder we saw yesterday looked like the Ridder from preseason. I think he’ll be good enough. I don’t know about mahommes level but I can see very solid starter at the minimum.

[Rings]

31 minutes ago, nutsandbolts said:

This is the best thing I saw yesterday. Imagine how validating this must have been for DR4 and DL5. OZ17 and TA25 both had good days on the other end of DR4 passes too.

All of that came with a very slow start yet again in Q1. The ball is rolling and I think its gaining speed. We have Bernhardt and Fitzpatrick too who have yet to take their first snaps. I think we will see Fitz before the end of the year though.

I’ve been very complimentary of AS play calling all year, last week I didn’t like a lot of it and this week I didn’t get to watch the game, but I do wonder how much of it is him instead of just running the ball like he did mid season to avoid Mariota’s is him avoiding defaulting to that to see what they have in Ridder.  Obviously they want to win games but I do wonder if he feels it’s 50/50 that he wants to see what Ridder can do vs already knowing what the run game can do.

[SwampyMux12]

Just now, Rings said:

Great post.  The defense reminds me a lot of how people her loved Paul Worrilow.  He wasn’t a starting caliber player.  He was a fan favorite because he WAY outplayed where he was drafted, but that still doesn’t mean he should have been starting.  8-9 of our starters on defense currently are in that same boat.  They are playing better at times than they have in their career or where they were drafted, but they should be backups and a couple practice squad players.  

Right on, you can field a great defense with a few JAGs sprinkled in here and there, but you can't field a great defense when 80% of your players are JAGs. For real, name the guys on our defense who would start on any team. I'd say AJT and GJ are the only 2 locks. Evans is a guy who would start for a chunk of teams, and we have a few intriguing young guys.

I guess that's a long way of saying we need a metric **** ton of talent added to this defense.

[Tribal Chief]

Need a Center who can snap the ball. Ridder hasn’t been nearly as bad as everyone continues to make it out to be. No QB will look even decent if the receivers don’t do their jobs. Not sure why that goes unchecked and full blame goes to the QB. Thank god Smith drew up plays for the RB’s yesterday. If not he would have looked bad again because the receivers were inconsistent yesterday as well. It was sad watching Huntley constantly get wide open receivers but of course Falcons defense is the Falcons defense 

[FentayeJones]

5 hours ago, Rings said:

I’ve been very complimentary of AS play calling all year, last week I didn’t like a lot of it and this week I didn’t get to watch the game, but I do wonder how much of it is him instead of just running the ball like he did mid season to avoid Mariota’s is him avoiding defaulting to that to see what they have in Ridder.  Obviously they want to win games but I do wonder if he feels it’s 50/50 that he wants to see what Ridder can do vs already knowing what the run game can do.

I'm leaning towards this. Ridder had 26 attempts his first game and then 33 in his second. Kinda seem like on some level they are tryna find out what they have in the passing game with Ridder. 

[BigDawgMania]

2 hours ago, TheRisen999 said:

I’ve been watching film from the beginning of the season and comparing it to our more recent game’s trying to figure out what happened to our defense and looking to see if there are areas where Ridder clearly out matches Mariota. IMO the biggest difference in our defense from the start of the season to now is the secondary and the level of play between Casey Hayward and whatever JAG we trot out at CB.

Sure not having TQ up front hurts us but we were getting run over even with him in the lineup. Not being able to cover WR’s effects every other level of our defense. I know T.F. likes to talk about drafting BPA but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that the ONLY way that can happen is if we bring in a great FA CB before the draft otherwise we HAVE TO draft the best CB on the board in the first or second round.

My preference has been for a WR in the second but it has to be justifiable depending on what’s on the board. Either way CB is a must in the off season and even if we do sign someone our draft needs to be mostly defensively oriented… and I think it will be.

Offensively I’m thinking Ridder is going to be the guy at QB from here on out. He seems like he’ll only get better as he get more comfortable and has more weapons. Yesterday was the first game that Drake London looked like the player we thought we were drafting and that was due in part to Ridder actually looking for him and giving him a chance to go for those 50/50 balls. I still say had the Ridley situation been able to work out he would have been the perfect complement to London and Pitts.. but what can you do? 🤷🏾 the guy f’d up and didn’t wanna be in ATL.

Tyler Allgier is definitely the RB of the future in Atlanta, he’s showing he can carry the load and continue to make explosive extra effort plays and of course we have Pitts coming back. That alone will elevate some of the forced throws to London. I actually like our TE room but there isn’t a top tier option with Pitts out. I look for him to come back with a vengeance now that he has a QB who can get him the ball consistently. 

If I can see the obvious holes on this team then I know T.F. does for sure and I expect him to make savy moves and patch up  most of those deficiencies now having money to spend and a full draft class. Some people are down on the team but we have to remember how they looked before injuries started to creep in.. especially on defense. That only means we need to build depth as well as get some difference makers in here to be able to sustain those blows.

Also with our record being what it is we’re likely to have an easier strength of schedule (at least on paper.. we know you never know in the NFL) so that could help. Even if we don’t we can run the ball against anyone and that’s half the battle. I’m looking forward to these last two games and next season. Change is coming.

Great read!

[PokerSteve]

10 minutes ago, bossFALCON™ said:

I think the Aints game was nerves. The Ridder we saw yesterday looked like the Ridder from preseason. I think he’ll be good enough. I don’t know about mahommes level but I can see very solid starter at the minimum.

Agree. I think that's a fair baseline assessment for what we've seen so far. And that's not a bad thing at all. Ridd doesn't have to be Mahomes to be a great QB in Smith's offensive scheme. He has the right combination of maturity, football smarts, as well as being a solid pocket-passer with mobility to run when necessary. 

[Kaptain Krazy]

This upcoming Free Agency period will be THE key. The Falcons  have as much money as they'll ever have and a variety of holes in the roster that need a legit NFL starter. No excuses not to make significant upgrades. 

If TF can accomplish what nearly every optimistic TATF take on the future assumes will happen, the Falcons will be set up nicely for the draft. 

[SwampyMux12]

Well, considering there's only one Mahomes in the entire league, I don't expect him to be that level either. Mahomes is an Alien... Or a cyborg... Exact status unconfirmed.

[Falcons_Frenzy]

1 minute ago, SwampyMux12 said:

Well, considering there's only one Mahomes in the entire league, I don't expect him to be that level either. Mahomes is an Alien... Or a cyborg... Exact status unconfirmed.

Kermit the frog is my guess. 

[SwampyMux12]

1 minute ago, Falcons_Frenzy said:

Kermit the frog is my guess. 

And I woulda gotten away with it if it wasn't for you kids...