Falcons Nest Archive

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Much ado about Tebow

– January 23, 2012Posted in: Falcons Nest, Sports

 

 

Tim Tebow is now out of the playoffs.  Now the haters and the fanboys can both take some much needed time off and the rest of the football world can move forward.  However, I can’t help but think that some of the press Tebow got was just a bit unwarranted.

Now, in college, there was no denying that Tebow was akin to a force of nature. He may well be the greatest college quarterback to ever play the game.  However, is game had flaws from a pro standpoint, so I was more than a little shocked that Denver traded up to pick him up.

Let me be honest though.  I am not a Tebow fan.  I don’t like him.  Not because of his faith.  I respect that about him.  I don’t like him because he went to Florida, and I’m a Georgia fan.  It ain’t rational in the least, and I’m not going to pretend that it is.  My father – another UGA fan until the day he dies – is the same way.  My best friend, who is a UGA graduate, who attributes her lack of positive feelings for Tebow as being the result of him standing by as his coach humiliated the Bulldogs the year after they drew a penalty for excessive celebration.

My issue with the Tebow thing is that there’s really so little for there to be an issue about.  So he kneels down in prayer after a touchdown.  So what?  He’s not the first, and I doubt he’ll be the last.

The truth is that Tebow was, at best, an average quarterback who was successful because he was on a team with a really good defense.

Denver was 23rd in the league in total offense, averaging just over 316 yards per game.  They were 25th in scoring with just over 19 points per game.  The offense just wasn’t all that good.  Individually, Tebow only averaged 123 yards per game through the air and just over 47 yards per game on the ground.  Less than 200 yards combined isn’t good from a quarterback who is supposed to be a running threat.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that this probably shouldn’t all rest on Tebow.  I’m not saying that it does. What I’m saying is that with all the hype Tebow enjoyed this season, there needed to be a whole lot more for it to be warranted.

Tom Brady, who beat Tebow on Saturday, always has a lot of hype.  However, Brady also has a habit of winning big games and performing well in those big games…and even the little ones. All of the Tom Brady hype we hear year after year is warranted.  The Tebow hype?  Not so much.

None of this is to say that Tebow can be a star in this league.  The fact is he can.  However, he’s going to have to have better stats to pull it off.

Denver needs to get Tebow the weapons, and head coach John Fox needs to get Tebow some more instruction.  The kid has the tools, that’s to be sure.  Once he learns how to use them, then I’ll think the hype is warranted.  Until that happens though, I’ll just have to laugh at the fanboys and the haters alike.

Tags: football, Sports, The Falcons' Nest.
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How sweet it is!

– December 25, 2011Posted in: Falcons Nest, Sports

 

 

 

Now that is how the ‘Birds should have been playing the game.  For those that missed it, the Atlanta Falcons simply had their way with the Jacksonville Jaguars for three quarters, their only flaw being on special teams when Jacksonville blocked a punt and ran it in for a score.

The secondary that I have maligned so horribly decided to shut me up by keeping rookie Blaine Gabbert to under 22 yards for most of the game.  Matt Ryan looked simply amazing as the Falcons simply spanked Jacksonville 41 to 14.

Honestly, it was nearly as close as the score indicated either.

Ryan only totaled 224 yards for the game, but when you have as short a field as he had for most of the game, that’s going to happen.  John Abraham, “The Beast” as I like to call him, when wild on the Jags with three and a half sacks and two forced fumbles, one of which was run in by Corey Peterson for a touchdown.

The fact is that this is the Atlanta team we expected to see all season long. They simply dominated.  However, there’s one thing to keep in mind, and that’s the fact that they were playing Jacksonville.  Yes, it’s the National Football League and even the chump teams will tear you up if you’re not careful, but this wasn’t the Packers or the Saints.

However, mistakes get exploited by all teams, and Atlanta just didn’t make them.  If they can take this game and do the same thing against New Orleans and Tampa Bay, two division games that are anything but a “gimme”, and Atlanta will not just clench a playoff berth, but possibly a second straight division championship.

The game to watch next week will definitely be Atlanta and New Orleans.  On the list of great football rivalries, this one hasn’t made the grade, but it will soon enough.

Over years, these two teams have battled each other as fiercely as any two competitors can, and the past few seasons have brought in stakes that make this game a “can’t miss” as far as pure entertainment.

The Saints won in overtime earlier this season on a bad call from Mike Smith to go for it on fourth down, a mistake he will not make again.  The Falcons are most likely looking for a little payback, and the idea of another banner hanging from the rafter at the Georgia Dome probably doesn’t hurt either.  The Saints are in the driver’s seat for the NFC South, but Atlanta has to take care of their business first before they can even dream.

There’s a reason this game is on Monday night.  It’s bound to be a classic, just like the last few games these teams have played against one another has been.  Personally, I can hardly wait!

Tags: Falcons Nest, football, Sports
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A Tale of two halves

– December 18, 2011Posted in: Falcons Nest, Sports

 

 

 

OK, I have no idea what happened Sunday.  Honestly, I’m as clueless as the next guy.  To start with, the Carolina Panthers manhandled the Dirty Birds for almost the entirety of the first half.  Then, in the second, it was like a different team.  I can’t say that I’ve never seen it before, because I have.  Unfortunately, the SEC Championship game, the team from Georgia came out on the wrong end of the stick. At least this time the story was different.

The first half.

Um…well…the Falcons sucked.  No one was really firing on all cylinders, especially the offensive line.  Just hints guys, but when you’re backed up on your own goal line, you should probably not even think about letting them penetrate like that.  Two points might be acceptable if you’re playing basketball, but this is football.  Don’t let it happen.

The rest of the half had me seriously considering large quantities of alcohol versus actually paying attention to the game.

The second half.

Two words.  Julio Jones.

I’ll admit it, I thought the Falcons gave up to much for him, but frankly he’s playing extremely well.  OK, I still think they may have given up to much for him, but primarily because they have so many holes in their secondary that need to be shored up as well.  They could have used those picks.

Luckily, there’s a little thing called “free agency” that can go a long, long way towards fixing those problems.  Picks might be cheaper, and there’s no such thing as a known quantity when it comes to a defensive back (see Dunta Robinson as an example), but there’s still a good chance of picking up a quality DB.

Back to Jones though.  Wow, can that kid run.  It’s not every day that you get see a 75 yard catch and run like that.  He absolutely flew, and made it look easy.  Of course, the fact that there were so few Panthers between him and the end zone certainly helped.

Two interceptions sure did help the ‘Birds look like the team of old as well.  Of course, I’ve been hard on the secondary, and so you may wonder if I’m going to back off on them now.  Um, no.  After all, Cam Newton still had over 270 yards passing.  One of those interceptions came from Mike Peterson, a linebacker, not a member of the secondary.

The secondary play was still terrible.  However, Matty Ice, Julio Jones, Roddy White, and the rest of the office pulled their bacon out of the fire.  That will not happen every week.

Still, it was nice to get a win.  One more win and the Falcons have yet another winning season.  Now, if we can get a secondary that Lake Park Elementary wouldn’t burn for 400 yard through the air, we might see the Falcons return to the Super Bowl.

Here’s hoping.

Tags: Falcons Nest, football, Sports
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Major problems for ‘dirty birds’

– December 13, 2011Posted in: Falcons Nest

 

 

 

You would think that a team that finished 13-3 last year would know how to win games, but you would be wrong. While losing to a team with such a solid defense is hardly anything to be ashamed of, it is when you think about the 21 points the Falcons should have put up in the first quarter.

All three potential touchdowns were dropped by receivers and the Falcons could only muster up a whopping 10 points.  This says nothing of the two deep balls Matt Ryan threw to apparently imaginary receivers on the very first possession.

Players dropping passes? Matty Ice overthrowing receivers like he did? A second ranked run defense that got gashed by the Texans’ running attack to the tune of 111 yards by Arian Foster?  Yeah, that will kill any team.

This is coupled with more poor secondary play that made rookie T.J. Yates look more like Steve Young, and now has the Falcons at 7-5 and praying for some lucky breaks to make the playoffs.

However, before that can happen, head coach Mike Smith needs to look at his team.  Honestly, I can’t remember a Mike Smith team look this badly when half of the team wasn’t spending more time in the trainer’s room than on the field.  They looked awful in all phases of the game.

Every team can have these moments, and I’m willing to forgive if the Falcons can come out and play the level of football we’re starting to grow accustomed to around here.  The part that makes it difficult to shrug this game off is that the team has been inconsistent all season long.  They’ve gone from one of the league elites to a better than average team that has a shot at the playoffs.

The Texans are a good team, so don’t get me wrong.  There’s no shame in losing to a good team.  However, it’s also a team that was missing a lot of its best players, and they still beat Atlanta.  Make no mistake folks, that score is much, much closer than it should have been.

Atlanta was dominated at every phase, and that can’t stand.  This is a game that Atlanta seriously needed to win, just to show that they can beat good teams.  The Falcons can’t just get up for playing New Orleans, but instead have to get up to play them all.

Hopefully, Smith can get the team back on track this week as they play Carolina. As a long-time Bulldawg fan, I would love to see the Red and Black (this time with a Falcon logo on the helmet) knock Cam Newton around a bit.  They need to, because a loss at this point should signal that the team just isn’t ready to play this year.

Tags: football, Sports, The Falcons' Nest.
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Owens’ play was big time

– December 2, 2011Posted in: Falcons Nest, Sports

 

 

With a 17 to nothing halftime score, I was convinced that Atlanta was playing a perfect game. Then, however, the second half started and we witnessed a Minnesota team that is just plain awful give the dirty birds a run for their money.  After Atlanta finally scored in the second half, it looked like they finally got back on track.

At least until Percy Harvin returned the ball 104 yards.  The saving grace was that he was denied the end zone thanks to the outright hustle from defensive back Christopher Owens.

Owens tackle inside the five yard line kept the Vikings from scoring on that play, and then the defense stepped up and help the Vikes on four straight plays.  They then held on to win the game 27 to 17.

It would have been easy for Owens to just drop his pursuit.  Frankly, I thought he had about as much chance of catching Harvin as we have of Ray Charles returning from the dead and playing the national anthem at Westover High’s opening night football game next season.  I was wrong, and darn glad to be.

Owens tackle was just one tackle in the game.  It would be easy to miss exactly how important that tackle is.  However, Minnesota was coming back. A touchdown there could easily have broken Atlanta’s will right then and there.  Owens, however, refused to quit.

Last week, I gave the secondary a fair amount of guff, and I stand by that column.  However, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Owens is part of that secondary.  His effort was nothing short of epic, and I salute him.

Another factor that would be easy to miss when it comes to Owens’ effort is what it means for the Falcons.  Well, really, it doesn’t mean anything so much as it represents something.  Every team wants a “never say die” attitude.  Some players carried it with them.  Dan Marino, Brett Favre, players like that.  Matt Ryan, for all his talent, isn’t quite there yet.  However, the team itself has that exact attitude, and Owens’ effort personified it for a short period of time this past Sunday.

Coach Mike Smith, who took a lot of flak two weeks ago for going for it on fourth down, took it all in stride.  After all, last week he showed that same aggression last week on two different fourth and one situations. Smith, simply put, refuses to roll over.  Owens has clearly picked up on that and refused to give up.

It may have just looked like a tackle, but it may have saved Atlanta’s playoff hopes.  It may have just been a tackle, but it may also make the turning point in Atlanta’s season. Only time will tell, but with just a five games left this season, it won’t take much.

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