Before the NFL season I was a guest on a South Georgia football call in show hosted by old friend and former Daily Citizen sports editor Chris Beckham.
I made several predictions, included a pretty accurate assessment of Brett Favre’s impact on the Jets. Brett started stronger than I expected but in the end age and his addiction to throwing stupid passes proved me right.
However, I also described the Atlanta Falcons as possibly the worst team in the NFL.
Consider this my mea culpa, though I still have no idea how this band of misfits accomplished what it did.
In predicting season long misery for Atlanta I pointed to their rookie quarterback. That alone would doom most teams. Who knew that Ryan was going to be so solid so fast?
I didn’t expect Ryan to even survive the season behind that mutt of an offensive line. Tyson Clabo? Harvey Dahl? Beat up Todd Weiner and rookie Sam Baker? Forget Mike Smith, the Falcon OL coach should be the NFL coach of the year.
Defensively, the Falcons didn’t seem to have a dependable DT on the roster. Yet the journeymen they plugged in there all year played hard and made things happen. I figured Jonathan Babineax might get cut after the pre-season. Instead, he worked his arse off.
The Falcon secondary, which too me looked horrible, played with tenacity and intelligence all season. Dom Foxworth turned out to be a great low-cost acquisition and won the right corner job. He teamed with Chris Houston to to give the Birds a pair of battling cornerbacks. They could be beaten, but more often than not they held up against even top receivers.
An amazing performance across the board.
This is not a Super Bowl team, at least in terms of talent. But no organization in the league is getting as much out of their players as this one so I’m not counting them out.
Whatever happens this weekend, it’s been a heck of a ride .
I stand corrected
It’s Bigger Than NPR’s Katherine Maher
1 week ago
3 comments:
How'd the Rams do?
They did great! Ferragamo kept hitting Billy Waddy deep and Cappaletti really pounded the middle. Youngblood led the defensive rush and Jerry Gray was knocking heads back there along with Nolan Cromwell.
Ooops ... wrong Rams.
This bunch has been a disgrace all year. Whenthey scored the go-ahead TD they man I was watching it with said 'looks good." I said the "Falcons will stick it up their $%#^&*$% on the ground and winthe game."
They did.
Third week in a row the defense had collapsed inthe fourth quarter.
A bunch of players signed a petition asking that Haslett be brought back. A petition!
How about winning a few more games?
More importantly, why would management care what this bunch of under achieving, spineless players wants? If I was the front office I would start cleaning house tomorrow. And the first people to go should be the front office numbs kulls who collected this miserable bunch of players.
This season was epitomized in the third quarter whenthe Rams, traling, went fr it on fourth down. Bulger dropped back and was almost immediately sacked by Falcon seventh round draft pick Kroy Bierman from Poot State, who blew past that pile first round dung the Rams start at RT.
We have the second pick in the draft.
Take the OT from Alabama if he comes out.
If you can get a 2 or better, trade Bulger.
Draft all the defense you can and sign free agent OL.
Don't hire Haslett.
This has to end some time.
Doesn't it?
Just please don't let them draft Stafford. I'd like at least one post-Tarkenton Georgia QB to have a successful pro career.
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