Smith: Falcons Need to Hold Intensity
For the second-straight week the Falcons put together flashes of success on the field only to fizzle at key moments in the game.
Head Coach Mike Smith did not hesitate when he talked to the media Tuesday — a little more than 12 hours after losing to the New Orleans Saints — about the team’s need for consistency.
http://video.atlantafalcons.com/video/186013/186013_2009-11-03-160354.flv“Looking at the tape I thought there were some good things and some things we did OK but there are some things we need to get corrected,” the second-year coach said, referring to the team’s 35-27 defeat at the hands of a division rival on Monday Night Football.
“We’re not hitting on all cylinders for 60 minutes and I think that’s the thing that’s evident over the last couple weeks. We’re not sustaining our level of play through the entire game… Not to make excuses, but — and this is not just on the offensive side of the ball, this is all three phases — we’re not sustaining the level of play to get the outcome we want.”
The coach said players and coaches alike must identify the issue and look to correct it before losses pile up on the team’s 4-3 record.
“We’re all responsible for the outcomes,” he said.
OTHER NOTES FROM THE MONDAY PRESSER…
… Smith listed several positives from the game, including running back Michael Turner’s season-high 151 rushing yards. Turner had been struggling to put together a dominant game.
“It’s something we’ve been working on and trying to tweak and get going,” Smith said. “I think one of the biggest differences was Michael really running hard and down hill.”
Smith said the coaching staff added some new looks in run formations but a lot of the praise went to Turner, who took time to review tape of some of his big runs from a Pro Bowl season in 2008 prior to taking the field in New Orleans.
The head coach did not offer an injury update on running backs Jerious Norwood (hip) and Jason Snelling (hamstring), who were inactive for the game.
… Veteran kicker Jason Elam missed a pair of field goals Monday night, leading to questions about the position from the Atlanta media.
“Jason did not kick the ball like we’re accustom to seeing him kick the ball,” Smith said. “That’s something we’ll always be evaluating. We always have a backup plan in place already in terms of who would be our backup kicker. (Punter) Michael (Koenen) has done that in the past, but that’s something we’re always evaluating.”
… Cornerback Tye Hill, acquired in a trade just before the regular season, officially got the start at one of the cornerback slots Monday night but Smith said more changes could be in store as the team finds the right combination to replace Brian Williams.
Smith said Hill was consistent against the run and the pass, but added Brent Grimes and perhaps rookie Christopher Owens could see more time on defense as the season progresses.
Grimes got his first interception of the season — a leaping grab that made it into several highlight packages — Monday night.
AS FOR THE REDSKINS…
… The Falcons will return to Flowery Branch for meetings Tuesday evening before getting Wednesday off. The team is on a short week to prepare for the Washington Redskins (2-5).
“Defensively, they are very strong. I think they’re a very aggressive team. They’ve had two weeks to prepare coming off a bye week,” Smith said.
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I am not suprised about the outcome of the game. Why after a BIG BURNER run would you call a pass play and not run the ball. Our combo of corners are not getting it done Chris Houston(Highway 23 because most touchdowns go through him) is always giving up big plays on third down. Where is Kroy on third down? Thats where most of his sacks come from. We can only “correct” so long you eventually run out of games.The season is winding down.
The real key issue is weak CB’S giving too much seperation to the opponents wide receivers….& our key inability to make a stop on foe’s 3 rd down’s ! We literally suck in zone blitzing on 1st downs…..as well.
All these kinks MUST be fixed ….to avoid dismal losses in december.
alright it is time to go for trades or the fa list. We can see that this falcons team just needs SOME DAMN DEFENSE, and were just goin into every single game knowing we have a huge weakness. so lets fix the problem in sight and get back to playing some good falcon football
finally. great job against the saints. love the intensity. like i said i dont care if we lose as long as we try everything. look like a 3-4 stack defense wich was unique, liked that i saw hill out there. ish i saw owens alittle more after jackson missed that tackle though. that game was ares if it wasnt for the bad calling on the officals an are kicker. what the hell is wrong with elam. u got to make those kicks. i dont even care about the interceptions cause those are gonna happen. only bad play call was the hail mary. why didnt we atleast try a trick play like a screnn or double reverse. and loved the onside kick. great scheme. who drew it up, great job. i know without harry douglas and norwood the reverse an trick plays arent really gonna work but still.
like i said. got to go for it on 4th down. and thats why we stayed in the game. dont know why it took this long to figure it out
j mike what kind of defensive scheme was that. i noticed at the begining it only noted 3 linemen and i think 4 linebackers but there were 4 on the line. was it a 3-4 stack for the most part, cause it seemed to be very effective an we should sticj with it.
grimes did goo but i think he does better in the bok intercepting throws an makin tackles. he dosent really hold up down the field cause hes to short. an just wondering. when its down on the goal line an its gonna be an obvious jump ball to the corner why dont u just put a tall wide reciver on him and just play some basketball. we do it on prevent defense. its got to be a better matchup to have finneran on colston when there gonna through it up than a 6-4 reciver on a 5-9 CB
and im gonna get a decoud jersey to were for the first half cause thats were he shines. we need him to make those same plays in the secound half though. him moore an coleman=deadly secoundary. is there a possibilty of getting moore on the field this season?
dont know why we didnt run the ball more. turner was hot monday night. i understand we got to mix it up but were a team that when a player gets hot we got to give him the ball till they shut him down. this happens with snelling alot. when he has a good game u have to keep feeding him the ball till his yards per carry fall below 4 yards. we shouldnt lose a game were the stats say are running back is averaging more than 7 yards a carry. that means we werent using him enough
So Close..Yet So Far!! We Had Every Opportunity To Win This Game, Yet We Were Unable To Do So. We Are Still 2-3 Years Away From A “VIABLE” Team..A Better Than Average Team That Can Go Out & Compete With The Best Teams In The NFL..The Better Teams Find A Way To WIN Those Close Games, The Average Teams Always Seem To Lose These Games By 10-20 Points!
We Have Heard All The PROMISES And EXCUSES..Yeah We Have All These TOOLS On Offense..If They Shut Down The Run We Hit Them With The Passing Game..Yeah..Right!! Where Is The DOWNFIELD Pass?? Where Is The No Huddle Offense?? Ryan Has Not Been Himself For The Past 2 Games..Should He Not Be Better From Year To Year?? Is HE The Man For The Job?
only problem i see is cb. michal jenkins need to step up he has been none factor since new england game.
The Falcons played good game, but not a complete game. When you listen to the sports channel you would have thought we were playing a team that had already won 3 Superbowls, but the facts are the Falcons lost that game with poor game management. Turner had just busted a nice run after the fumble, so why not feed him the ball. The offense is prdictable, with Ryan focusing on Gonzales in the red zone. I know he is a great player but we have to become less predictable
I dont see why people feel the need to jump on matt ryan’s case and hint towards a new QB. If the falcons GM freaked out and tried to somehow to pick up colt mccoy or sam bradford in next year’s draft, that would be one of the stupidest moves they could ever make. Im not saying that mccoy and bradford cant be good QBs, but we already have a good QB in matty ice. Yes he threw some pretty key ints that could have meant the difference between a continued drive in one case or a touchdown in the other case, but, you have to give credit to vilma for that tipped ball to allow that other saints db to intercept it. Matty Ice threw that ball just about as best as he could to gonzo (i believe it was?) and the saints D just came up with that miraculous pick like they’ve somehow been doing all season ( i cannot get over that, it needs to stop). Every QB has thrown interceptions in their career, and no QB in the NFLs history has not been without bad games statistically. Matt Ryan will be fine, he will learn and grow. I guarantee he will study his @$$ off on the game tape of this past saints falcons game, and learn as much from it. no worries. GO FALCONS
Hey, Atlanta Falcon I am so proud of this team. You never gave-up, I love the character of this team! Keep up the good work! GO FALCONS!!!
yeah…
@Scott Galt
yeah….great job really… yall never did give up, that says alot about yall especially wire..im aboutto go buy me a wire jersey just based on that game and Decoude knockin the S@#$ out Bress that S@#$ was epic he got killed compared to ryan in you really watch the game the o line did perfect even turner got over 100 yards cause itwas only 2 plays that really kept the score from bein atlanta 30 to saints 28. we did way better than everyone else.
we got to do a good job stoping the pass.
the falcon need to step up there defence.. we have all right to beat the saint last night. the saint is not all that. we will see them in the ga dome.. we need to go for a trade . our corners are not doing a good job .. mayna
Those of you on hear talking about a new qb better just go be a st. louis fan , cuz we got our QB . That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard a Atl fan say . We were one erroneous(bad/bs) holding call away from tying that game . We put the fear in NO , when they come to our dome we got’em . They aren’t even halfway through the season , they wont go undefeated . I’d rather finish red-hot than start red-hot , cuz the only thing you can do is cool down over 17 weeks!
Michael Jenkins and Jason Elam blew the game. It’s time for Jenkins to go!!!!
wow yalll chill out… Matt ryan is the future, he is not going anywhere soon. as for Jenkins and Elam (c’mon man) lol. great job Cory Wire. where is John Abraham?
falcons played a good game but they missed tackles.we have missed so many tackles in the last two games.we can blame players for that lost but,the bottom line that without a pass rush from the ends and up the middle qbs will have alot of time to take advantage of our small corner.good job falcons and we are moving in the right direction.any one who want to bench matty ryan is out of there mind.we have been down that road before.(farve bret)was a falcon at one time
the front 7 of the D was great last night…tha back of the D wasent as bad as it’s been…if we would have got the 2 FG and white not have droped the T.D. we would have won that game…i wish jenkins would stop dropin tha ball, alot plays he should have had them….all we can do now is look forward to atl killin skins next week….go atl
Ok why is everyone bitching about defense?
the saints had a harder time on offense then they did any other game
..still is disappointing though it was hard seeing us lose :/
i think its like we need more offense Matt Ryan hasn’t been playing the best.. cmon Matt
@Zone 6 Falcon
i totally freakin agree!!! i was pissed when they passed it that play! but he was open and it was a nice deflection by Vilma but still. ughhhhhhh i hate that they won because we beat our selves…
Shouldn’t someone who says we should look at trades know that the trade deadline is long past? Maybe that you have to give up something to get something even if it wasn’t? That any new player has to learn our system prior to be able to contribute?
WE have got to get more focused and match the intensity needed for the entire game. And with the players and coaches we have!
Good job Falcons on Monday night, yeah we lost but we definatly looked like we were prepared. We just need to let Elam not come off the pratice field until he start making field goals, or let him go. He really killed us not only because of the 6 points but also the momentum. Go get em Falcons and thanks for working so hard. I trust we will get back to winning. I really want back to back winning seasons.
Not trying to be critical, but Ryan is going through some growing pains this year. He is making some bad decisions, but that’s part of the process of becoming better. It would help if his receivers could hold on to the ball, but sometimes it’s his fault (ie, inaccurate passes or just plain good defense). Most quaterbacks take a few years to get into a rhythm. Have patience. The sky isn’t falling yet.
Wasn’t as bad as I expected, defense held for the most part. Where is that “offense” we were supposed to have ?????? When the going gets tough the Falcons fold…Just like old times…..getting tired of the excuses.
William Moore is on IR, Brent Grimes is a pratice hall of famer, Chris Houston is just lost. Anyone know of Sibury will get any decent snaps against Washington this week? And where has Chauncey Davis been?
@francisco
wrong! our hardest game on offense was against the Jets defense!
I THINK It’s Time to Let Kroy Biermann and Coy Wire get the starting jobs.. Jamaal Anderson as not panned out 1 SACK IN two seasons C’MON Man.
We might not be an elite team yet but the Falcons are still contenders!
Great game by the Falcons. A couple of calls could have changed the outcome of the game (Pass interference on the Pick 6 at the end of the half when White was knocked down while the ball was in the air by Vilma, and that holding call on 3rd and 5 in the 4th after the second interception) but then again we had some calls go our way. The difference in the game was simple, their play makers made the play when it mattered (Schokey, Colston, and Henderson all had spectacular catches… and Jenkins had drops all over as usual, Rody had a drop for that TD in the endzone which would have been a hard catch but could have won the game, and Elam for God’s sake make those field goals!!!! I am ok with missing the 50 Yard one but the short ones have to be made.) Falcons really miss Harry Douglas right about now because Jenkins has proven he is not the answer opposite of Roddy. Put Finneran in there as #2 or bring in a Free Agent like Chris Chambers to patch that whole for a potential play off run then add a new #2 receiver in next years draft. The DBs played well this week. Hill was in good position on that Colston jump ball just got unlucky, he had his hand on the ball to bat it down but Colston just stole it from him, thats all you can ask from your corner. Grimes’ pick was amazing and for as much as Huston sucks at coming back to the ball he will have to do for now unless Jackson or Owens are ready to step up. If we can put together a whole game like we played 3/4 of this past game we might not loose again this year. GO Birds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@bobwhite
Dude all we need is a stud CB and a 6-5 WR opposite Roddy (that can catch),oh and a KICKER. We are good this year but next year I am sure this team will secure the right personel especially with the Mike Vick fund no longer a burden and salery caps a non issue. We are built better than 3/4 of the teams in the NFL and PROGRESSING.
i thinkjamal anderson is playing out of his position. kroy bierman is definitely a better pass rusher. however you still need someone to get there hands up to knock down those passes when our pressure isn’t getting there
@falconface
a tall receiver would definitely compliment roddy. but not just any receiver for the sake of height. roy williams is probably available, but not a good fit . i believe we just need the guys we have to step up and make some plays. roddy and tony cant cath everything. and i still think turner is a great running back.
@BS37FSU
i agree with most of your blog. one thing is for sure. the saints havent been tested by any team , like they were on monday night. and micheal turner proved you can run on the saints, screen on the saints, and score often on the saints.
no one should be saying we need a new QB Matt is our future look at what he has done for us already hes only in his 2nd year he has play better than most of the great NFL QBs have there first 2 years and we are going to the playoffs maybe even superbowl if we play smart
Here i wat i think. We need a more physical corner to lock up at the lline of scrimmage instead of Chris Houston. He seems more like a coverage guy so change him wit Coleman, Tye Hill, or DeCoud cuz they want to hit someone. And as for Coy Wire, put him in for third down behind John or Kroy and blitz him everytime from each angle. Michael Jenkins has made me upset the past couple weeks. I think we should start Eric Weems over Michael.
We have got to win the remainder of our games, the bottom line is that the defense has to tighten up in the secondary, and also the run defense needs to get better, and last Michael Jenkins needs to play with more fire maybe he needs to talk to Roddy?
I didnt spend much time readin what erybdy had to say, but i wanna remind that we we are on the outside lookin n. Im sure coach smith and the rest of the staff see whats fine, and what needs to be corrected. Theyre in the process and maybe it takes them a dayor two to catch up, but i think theyre on it for the most part. Of course there is a need for consistence. Hey i must say, we played like a true fl contending team against the Saints. A couple executed plays and a bad call away from stopping the undefeated roll of the Saints. Again after that lost, one to the pats, and a star struck lost to the boys, i believe we’ve gathered and prepared enough notes to not loss anymore this season. Looking at the schedule, if we continue to support and defend the dome and play in away games as we did against our division leading Saints …i see W’s goin into the playoffs. Im one that pointed fingers alot in the begin. But i see its totally a team effort. The monday night brawl simply said that we can compete. Its just hard to stop an undefeated team at home, and we came damn close. I wont accept anything less from our birds.GO FALCONS!!!
I am in total agreement with virtually every single comment so far. The Falcons secondary is not getting the job done; too many defensive players refuse to use their arms and hands when tackling, and the CB’s are playing ridiculously far off the receivers. While admittedly I saw some progress on defense against the Saints, they still gave up too many yards and too many points.
As for Matt, he hasn’t looked like a quarterback capable of taking a team into the playoffs and making a serious run. Just way, way too many ill-considered passes and he looks hurried and frantic if he feels the least little bit of heat. He has to get his head screwed back on and regain his composure for this season not to end 8-8 or 7-9.
Nobody’s made much of a big deal about it, but the Falcons are still getting the worst officiating calls of any team in the NFL game in and game out. To me it looks like the refs either don’t like the south, or just still have no respect for the Falcons, cause they’re still getting screwed on way too many calls for it to just be coincidence.
You’d think a professional league pulling billions in revenue would field knowledgeable, unbiased, professional officials to work the games, but I guess that’s asking way too much, right Comrade Goodell?