J.Mike's Missives

Any Given Sunday won’t be the feature film on the Falcons flight back to Atlanta Sunday evening.

But it would be appropriate.

The Falcons flew to a new height in a Week 6 victory over the Chicago Bears, but just as quickly swooped back to the ground against the Cowboys Sunday in Arlington, Texas.

You can find examples on paper of why the Falcons should have defeated the Cowboys. You can rewind the game film to see the masterful, 80-yard touchdown drive to open the game. You can even point to specific plays and moments and know the opportunity to do better existed.

But, on any given Sunday, NFL teams can rise and fall.

The Cowboys defeated the Falcons 37-21 at Cowboys Stadium, taking over the game by capitalizing on what seemed like every Atlanta miscue.

By the time Patrick Crayton returned a second-half punt 73 yards for a score, the game was all but locked for the Cowboys and Falcons nation was left to star at Tony Romo’s 300-yard passing day.

The Falcons allowed four sacks on Sunday after allowing just two sacks in the previous five games (both in Week 1). The offense also managed just 298 net yards, with 80 coming off that first-quarter drive.

After the game the Falcons locker room — as expected — was filled with frustrated faces. It’s not a pretty site, especially considering next week’s NFC South game against the division-leading Saints staring you down.

But as I sit on the bus waiting to head out to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport I’m reminded of two things.

First, the Falcons have never lost back-to-back games under Head Coach Mike Smith.

Second, you simply respect the power of the NFL. It’s any given Sunday. Better to get that reminder now than later.

MORE FALCONS-COWBOYS COVERAGE:

• GAMEDAY LIVE: Complete coverage from AtlantaFalcons.com
• GAME CENTER: Stats and more in the NFL.com Game Center
• FIRST TAKE: Exclusive interviews from the Falcons locker room
• VIDEO CONTENT: More video interviews and highlight reels
• BEAT BLOG: In-game thoughts and a final breakdown
• J. MIKE’S MISSIVES: Thoughts from the AF.com managing editor
• IMAGES: Action photos from AF.com team photographers
• GAME NOTES: Game notes taken from the Cowboys Stadium press box
• TRANSCRIPTS: Thoughts from the postgame locker room
• INACTIVES: Falcons-Cowboys game inactives and starters
• FORUMS: Talk about the game with other fans on FalconsLIFE

J. Michael Moore Gameday Chicago Bears, Commentary, Dallas Cowboys, Head Coach Mike Smith, Matt Ryan, New Orleans Saints, NFC South, Tony Romo

At the close of Sunday’s 45-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, Falcons players walked to the locker room with scattered screams of exclamation and celebration.

But it wasn’t as wild as you may think.

Sure, Matt Ryan set new career numbers with 329 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Yes, Roddy White became the first Falcons player to record more than 200 receiving yards in a game (adding two touchdowns).

I know, Michael Turner and the running game broke out of a slump and churned ahead for 97 yards and three scores.

But this, at the end of the day, was a business trip.

And a very successful one.

In his postgame remarks, Head Coach Mike Smith reminded his team of the pain after a tough loss in New England and the waiting game of the bye week (a unwanted break before a chance at redemption).

He closed by inviting them to enjoy the feeling of a dominant win, if only for the five-hour trip back to Atlanta.

Arguably the toughest stretch of games in the young season awaits the Falcons — Chicago at home followed by trips to Dallas and division-leading New Orleans. A loss to San Francisco wouldn’t shatter playoff dreams, but it would be a major inconvenience and unwanted talking point in Atlanta and national media circles.

Instead, the team continues a streak of not losing back-to-back games in the Smith era and heads into next week’s prime time contest with nothing but dominance over one of the league’s better defenses.

Not only did the Falcons win the game, they regained some respect.

Now it’s back to business.

MORE FROM THE FALCONS-49ERS GAME:

• GAMEDAY LIVE: Complete game coverage from AF.com
• GAME CENTER: Stats and more from the NFL.com Game Center
• VIDEO: Video interviews and highlights from Falcons-49ers
• THE BEAT BLOG: John Manasso’s take on the Falcons win
• J. MIKE’S MISSIVES: Thoughts from the Managing Editor
• FIRST TAKE: Exclusive interviews with Mike Smith, Matt Ryan and more
• TAKE TWO: Video interviews from the Falcons locker room
• GAME NOTES: Milestones tracked from the Candlestick Park press box
• INACTIVES: Gameday inactives and starters
• GAME QUOTES: Transcripts from Falcons interviews | San Francisco
• FORUMS: Talk about the game on the FalconsLIFE message boards

J. Michael Moore Gameday Commentary, Head Coach Mike Smith, Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, San Francisco 49ers

One day during his rookie season, quarterback Matt Ryan and other Falcons joined their head coach at PGA Superstore in Duluth for a golf lesson. Ryan didn’t really need it (he’s shot 88 at Augusta National) but he’ll never turn down a chance to learn something new.

But it was in the tennis section of the store Ryan contributed to the story.

During a break from golf instruction Ryan and other rookies took their turn fielding 110 mph serves on an indoor court. The reigning NFL Rookie of the Year returned balls with smooth confidence.

It wouldn’t be a surprise… If it wasn’t one of the first times he held a tennis racket.

Few knew the performance was a microcosm of the success Ryan had as a first-year player. His studies, his game, his off-the-field work… Textbook. Where Ryan walked, success followed and the Falcons finished 11-5 and made the playoffs.

It was the start to what many view as a potential Hall of Fame career.

Through the first two weeks of his sophomore season, Ryan is completing 68 percent of his passes, boasts a 2-0 record and has five touchdowns.

Today in Foxborough, “Matty Ice” has a chance to lead the Falcons to what could go into the top three or five wins of his regular-season career. He’d do so in front of a familiar fan base — many Boston College supporters at Gillette Stadium these days — and he’d make a statement against one of the best teams in the 21st century.

And he’d get an early edge on an opposing quarterback who has solidified his own Hall of Fame credentials.

Though Falcons fans would like to declare Ryan “the next Tom Brady,” it’s really too early to tell if the second-year quarterback will reach that level of international stardom.

Mrs. J. Mike isn’t what you’d call a football fan. She keeps up with little more than the occasional power rankings and watches the scoreboard mostly to know the mood I’ll be in when I get home.

But she knows Tom Brady.

Page one of an image search on Brady reveals just one action shot (just three photos in a Patriots uniform). The rest are model-tier images of the quarterback in designer clothes, getting stalked by the paparazzi or hawking cologne.

Brady was the league’s most valuable player in 2007. He threw 50 touchdowns and was the centerpiece of an offense that barrel rolled the competition for a 16-0, regular-season record. But, when it comes to Google, he gets just as much play for his off-the-field celebrity than his accomplishments between the white lines.

In a few words, Ryan’s name and face (though almost perfectly symmetrical) aren’t nearly as widespread outside Atlanta and NFL fan circles.

That could change with Super Bowl victories but is it something that’s in Ryan’s plans? Is it something that’s in the quarterback’s makeup? Is it something contrary to the Falcons blue-collar style?

Who knows? We’re not there yet.

But the journey continues in Foxborough.

J. Michael Moore Commentary, Gameday celebrity, Commentary, Gillette Stadium, Matt Ryan, New England Patriots, Super Bowl, Tom Brady

I don’t know Michael Vick. I’ve never met him.

To me, he was never the Falcons starting quarterback.

But the team’s decision to release Vick from the roster doesn’t come without some emotional connection and points to ponder.

The suspended quarterback means different things to different people. During his time with the Falcons he impressed, shocked and awed many of my coworkers. He rallied a city and created controversy.

Of course, that’s in the past.

How the quarterback went from No. 1 overall draft pick, to Pro Bowler, to playoff performer to federal imprisonment is well-documented.

The resulting scars on the game and its fans aren’t easily recorded.

The Falcons have moved on. That decision was made long ago.

But you can’t erase history.

Decades from now people will consider the Vick saga one of the most dramatic falls from grace in the NFL story.

It’s a tale worth remembering if only to warn future generations of the power of bad choices and the importance of trust, integrity and moral fiber.

The characters in this drama are set: team, player, law enforcement, fans, league…

But, today, the Falcons bow out of the final act.

General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said other teams were interested in making a trade for Vick’s contract rights but, in the end, nothing materialized. That led the Falcons to release the former star and concede the salary cap ramifications.

They’re in the 2009 budget but Dimitroff said no financial ties will carry into 2010.

“At this point, we feel releasing Michael is best for him and best for us,” Dimitroff said. “Our entire organization sincerely hopes that Michael will continue to focus his efforts on making positive changes in his life, and we wish him well in that regard.”

Vick faces many uncertainties. He’s about to be a free man, done with punishment for a role in an intra-state dog fighting ring.

But he’s at the mercy of others if — and when — he’ll play football again.

It’s a situation I can only imagine, but something I need not concern myself with. There are personal choices on the horizon for others and larger goals for the Falcons.

Dimitroff and Head Coach Mike Smith were not around when the team drafted Vick or during the turbulent events of 2007 sparked by his federal indictment. Less than a dozen Falcons on the current roster played with the quarterback.

That can’t be said for others in the organization, some in their second or third decade with the team. We’ve all witnessed part of history and grown from the frustration, hurt and confusion.

But this isn’t a time of reflection.

This is a time of closure.

The Falcons are a playoff football team again with a new quarterback and a new blood as bright as the team’s red jerseys.

The Michael Vick book remained open through all the re-building and success, but got pushed to the far corner of the desk.

Now it’s closed.

J. Michael Moore Feature, Roster Moves Commentary, Head Coach Mike Smith, Michael Vick, Thomas Dimitroff

The Raiders and Lions franchise got a dose of news many expected but no one wanted to hear last night.

The Coast Guard suspended the search for two NFL players, Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, who were with two friends on a fishing boat off the coast of Florida over the weekend. Their boat capsized Saturday evening sparking a search for the players and former South Florida standouts Nick Schuyler and William Bleakley.

Schuyler was rescued but as time passed the outlook for other survivors grew increasingly bleak.

Fans, family and friends in Oakland, Detroit, Florida and around the nation have a tough road ahead. It’s not unlike what I experienced in Denver with the passing of Darrent Williams and Damien Nash or the Redskins encountered in 2007 with the death of Sean Taylor.

The Raiders and Lions franchise in particular must navigate a path of personal mourning and professional obligation.

My thoughts and prayers will remain with everyone…

J. Michael Moore Commentary, NFL News, YouTube Commentary, Corey Smith, Detroit Lions, Marquis Cooper, Oakland Raiders, South Florida