The Atlanta Falcons - A New Beginning

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

This is just going to be a really basic, not too strenuous dynasty. It's also likely to move very, very quickly. Basically something to just occupy my time since my IBL dynasty is experiencing technical difficulties.

Season Results:

2008 - 3-13

Postseason Results:

2008 - N/A

Draft Results:

2008 - #1 Overall Pick (CB Vontae Davis, 88/93) (http://sportsmogul.com/vbulletin2/showpost.php?p=1223440&postcount=56)

Awards:

2008 - DT Rod Coleman

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Starters (Offense)

QB Matt Ryan (82/91) - The 22 year old rookie quarterback is being relied on to lead the franchise into a new era, after the Vick and Petrino fiasco. If he pans out, the Falcons should have a highly successful 15, or so, years ahead of them, and if not the days will only get darker. The kid's got a strong arm, and is fairly accurate for his age, he has good control of the offense and manages the game well in the red zone.

RB Michael Turner (76/77) - Turner comes over to Atlanta after spending the first four seasons of his career in San Diego as future Hall of Famer Ladainian Tomlinson's back up. He's no LT, but he should have no trouble pounding the rock and picking up 1,000+ yards.

FB Ovie Mughelli (72) - Uh, he's a fullback? He's a decent blocker and receiver, but other than that not much to get excited about.

TE Keith Zinger (70/79) - The rookie out of LSU has a chance to be a decent tight end. With any luck, he'll be to Ryan what Novacek was to Aikman (hopefully with similar results). He's got great hands and he's a solid receiver, his blocking and durability are both decent as well.

WR Roddy White (80) - White could be on the verge of becoming a premier receiver. Last season with Michael Vick as his quarterback, he caught 83 passes for 1202 yards and six TD's, and hopefully he can improve upon those numbers. He's got good hands and durability, and he's as good a pure receiver as anyone. His blocking and rushing are both suspect at best though.

WR Michael Jenkins (74) - Jenkins should be a decent second receiver. He's got excellent hands, and he's decent a solid receiver in the purest sense. Like White, his blocking and rushing are both question marks, but he should do well nonetheless.

LT Todd Weiner (73) - This will mark Weiner's 10th season in the NFL. He's a solid NFL lineman, but he won't be blowing anyone's skirt up. He's equally good at run and pass blocking, and he's a disciplined lineman, but his endurance is a bit of question.

LG Harvey Dahl (68) - Harvey is an extremely average player. He's not too expensive and should do a decent job sealing up the left-inside part of the line. He's solid at both run and pass blocking and his discipline and endurance both match that.

C Todd McClure (81) - Todd is a very good center - easily one of the better ones in the NFC. He's above-average at pass and run blocking with very good discipline, his endurance is a bit lacking, however.

RG Renardo Foster (67) - He could be a weak spot in the line. He's a well below-average blocker. His endurance and discipline are both solid, but not enough to make up for his pathetic blocking.

RT Sam Baker (64/73) - Baker was also drafted in the first round by the Falcons this past year. He's not much right now, but he has a good amount of potential that the team hopes he makes good on. As of now, he's a below-average blocker with below-average discipline, but great endurance.

We're pretty good at the skill positions (QB, RB, WR), but our line is suspect at best. Hopefully Matt can make the line look a lot better than it is, or we're in for an extremely long season, albeit we're probably in for a long season regardless.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Starters (Defense)

DE John Abraham (88) - Abraham is an excellent defensive end; one of the best in the NFL. His ability to defend the run is slightly better than average, but he is a top-of-the-line pass rusher and he should be badgering opposing QB's all season. His pass coverage is below-average, as is his ability to force turnovers.

DT Rod Coleman (91) - Rod is one of the top defensive tackles in the NFL. He's an excellent run-stuffer and an even better pass-rusher. He's also decent in pass coverage, though poor at forcing turnovers.

DT Jonathan Babineaux (83) - "J-Bab", as I will now call him, is a solid defensive lineman. His run-stopping and pass-rushing are both very good, and roughly equal. His pass coverage could be better, but he forces turnovers with the best of them.

DE Chauncey Davis (78/80) - Davis is a solid NFL lineman. He's very good at stuffing the run, at pretty good at rushing the passer. He shouldn't be relied on to drop back into coverage or force turnovers, however.

LB Michael Boley (87/90) - Boley is an excellent linebacker, with the potential to become one of the best in the NFL, if he isn't already. He's great at getting to the ball and wrapping up the ball carrier, and he's pretty solid at rushing the passer off the blitz as well. He's good in pass coverage and can force turnovers as well.

LB Keith Brooking (81) - Brooking has been the face of the Falcons defense for over a decade now. He's an excellent run-stopping linebacker, although he has lost his ability to blitz the quarterback. He's also lost a step in pass coverage, though he's still at least average. He's not one that's going to force many turnovers.

LB Curtis Lofton (75/85) - Lofton looks like one of the best rookie linebackers of this draft class. He's great at stopping the run, and average everywhere else.

CB Chris Houston (76/81) - Houston is entering his second season in the NFL, and looks like a good cornerback. He's excellent in pass coverage, although he doesn't really have a knack for picking the ball off.

CB Von Hutchins (76/77) - Hutchins is a solid NFL cornerback. His pass coverage is decent enough, and he does have more of a knack for making turnovers than Houston.

FS Erik Coleman (83) - Coleman is a very good NFL safety. He's a great run-stopping safety, and also has the ability to drop back in coverage and force some turnovers.

SS Lawyer Milloy (78) - Milloy is entering his 13th season in the NFL, and is still one of the better safeties you could find. He's almost equally good at stopping the run and defending the pass, and is the most player on the Falcons defense at forcing turnovers.

The defense looks very, very good all around. The defensive line is extremely strong, as is the linebacking core. The one place where I could really see us getting burned is in pass coverage, but our front seven are good enough so that we can compensate by dropping them back into coverage or using a lot of nickel and dime packages.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Starters (Special Teams)

K Jason Elam (80) - The 38 year old kicker is still very good. A lot of his leg strength has deteriorated with time, but he's still one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL.

P Michael Koenen (76) - This kid has a cannon for a punting leg.

KR/RB Jerious Norwood (72/79)

PR/WR Adam Jennings (69/78)

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Detroit Lions @ Atlanta Falcons
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/det.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gif
(0-0) (0-0)

Lions 20 - Falcons 13
76 Rushing Yards 51
238 Passing Yards 181
314 Total Yards 232
3.5 YPR 2.7
66% Completion % 71%
19 1st Downs 14
1 Turnovers 2
4 Sacks 2
3 for 15 Penalties 2 for 10
3/8 3rd Down 6/12
31:15 TOP 28:45

The Good:

Roddy White had 8 catches for 112 yards (Ryan only had 211 yards total).
Michael Boley made 10.5 tackles, as well as recording an interception.
John Abraham had 4.5 tackles and half of a sack.
We allowed only 76 yards on the ground.
71% completion rate from Matt Ryan.


The Bad:

Matt Ryan went 22/33, but only for 211 yards, with no TD's and 2 interceptions.
Michael Turner had 52 total yards, but did score our only touchdown.
Only 232 total yards.
2.7 yards per rush.
We allowed over 300 total yards of offense.


Falcons Game MVP - WR Roddy White with his eight catches and 112 yards.

It was a close game, but we still lost. This loss does not bode well for our team. The Lions look like they may be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, on paper, and we are definitely a better team than they are. If this is a sign of things to come, we'll probably be picking #1 come the draft.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

I'll update the rest of the league (leaders, standings, etc.) as requested, but otherwise I'll be updating at every quarter pole (weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16).

[5DiMaggio]

I'll update the rest of the league (leaders, standings, etc.) as requested, but otherwise I'll be updating at every quarter pole (weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16).


What was the score?

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

What was the score?

Heh, oops, fixed :o.

[5DiMaggio]

Heh, oops, fixed :o.


No problem, was just curious

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Slight change to the format.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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(0-1) (0-1)

Falcons 13 - Buccaneers 38
66 Rushing Yards 109
188 Passing Yards 317
254 Total Yards 426
6.6 YPR 4.0
50% Completion % 71%
12 1st Downs 24
2 Turnovers 2
1 Sacks 3
5 for 21 Penalties 2 for 10
4/10 3rd Down 6/8
23:35 TOP 36:25

The Good:

Chauncey Davis recorded nine tackles and one sack.
We managed to record 2 interceptions, one each from Erik Coleman and John Abraham.


The Bad:

We allowed 38 points - that's a SLIGHT problem.
Allowed over 400 yards of total offense.
5 penalties for 21 yards is never good.
TOP of only 23 minutes.
Allowed 24 first downs.
The list goes on and on and on and on....


Falcons Game MVP - No one really deserves it, but I'll give it to Chauncey Davis with his 9 tackles and 1 sack.

This game was completely and totally pathetic, we got blown out in our first divisional match-up of the year. The defense was a total wreck and the offense couldn't do anything. We averaged 6.6 yards per carry, but even that is deceiving because we were behind so much that we had to pass the whole game. If we play like we have the past two weeks consistently, this is going to be an extremely long season. Next week we head back to the dome to play the Cheifs (0-2)

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Kansas City Cheifs @ Atlanta Falcons
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/kan.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gif
(0-2) (0-2)

Cheifs 28 - Falcons 30
161 Rushing Yards 98
271 Passing Yards 251
432 Total Yards 349
8.9 YPR 4.1
71% Completion % 66%
19 1st Downs 19
3 Turnovers 0
0 Sacks 0
1 for 5 Penalties 1 for 5
6/9 3rd Down 3/9
26:27 TOP 33:33

The Good:

Our first win!
Matt Ryan had a solid game, going 21/32 with 251 yards and two touchdown passes.
Michael Turner had 86 total yards and a TD.
Mike Jenkins had five catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.
3 interceptions, one each from John Abraham, J-Bab, and Keith Brooking.
No turnovers!


The Bad:

The defense was horrendous all-around again.
We allowed over 400 total yards again.
8.9 yards per rush - totally unacceptable.
RB Kolby Smith had a total of 128 yards and a touchdown.
We're still struggling on third down, and converted only 3/9 this time.


Falcons Game MVP - QB Matt Ryan wins this, with Michael Jenkins coming in a close second. Ryan led the team to it's first win with going 21/32 (66% completion rate) with 251 yards and two TD's.

Our first win of the season, very exciting! Matt Ryan and the offense had an excellent game all-around. The defense still struggled mightily, allowing over 400 yards of total offense for the second game in a row, and allowing Damon Huard to throw three TD's. I wouldn't expect too much after this win, however. The Cheifs look like they may be the one team in the NFL that's actually WORSE than us. Next week we head to Carolina (1-2) for our second divisional match-up of the year.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/car.gif
(1-3) (2-2)

Falcons 21 - Panthers 28
38 Rushing Yards 183
295 Passing Yards 265
333 Total Yards 448
2.5 YPR 9.6
64% Completion % 77%
15 1st Downs 21
1 Turnovers 2
3 Sacks 6
3 for 15 Penalties 5 for 39
4/12 3rd Down 4/6
30:02 TOP 29:58

The Good:

Matt Ryan had the best game of his young career, going 21/34 for 195 yards with three TD's and one pick.
Roddy White had nine catches for 181 yards and a touchdown.
John Abraham recorded 1.5 sacks.
Only three penalties.


The Bad:

THE DEFENSE, AGAIN!
183 rushing yards allowed, average of 9.6 yards per carry - totally unacceptable.
400+ yards allowed for the third game in a row.
We were sacked six times, most of them in the second half during critical drives and/or downs.


Falcons Game MVP - QB Matt Ryan....again. 295 yards with three TD's and one interception on 21/34 passing from the rook'.

Another pitiful showing against a divisional rival. There's no way we can give up almost 200 yards on the ground and expect to win, we were lucky it was as close as it was. We were unable to capitalize on all their penalties, just a poor showing from the entire defense once again - if they could get it together we might still have a chance at the playoffs. Oh, and note to self, get some corners this offseason. Next week we play against Green Bay (2-2) in Lambeau. They've average 26 points per game and we've allowed almost 29 points per game, so expect some offense.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

1st Quarter Update - Standings

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9162/afcstandings1stquartersse7.jpg

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/9323/nfcstandings1stquartersdr7.jpg

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

1st Quarter Update - Leaders

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/4989/nfcoffensiveleaders1stqgd9.jpg

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/3507/nfcdefensiveleaders1stqmi5.jpg

http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/7168/afcoffensiveleaders1stqsb3.jpg

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/589/afcdefensiveleaders1stqhl1.jpg

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

I'm definitely going to find a better way to do the quarterly league updates, but this will do for now.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Atlanta Falcons @ Green Bay Packers
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/gnb.gif
(1-4) (3-2)

Falcons 14 - Packers 24
47 Rushing Yards 122
147 Passing Yards 342
194 Total Yards 464
3.4 YPR 4.5
59% Completion % 84%
10 1st Downs 20
1 Turnovers 2
0 Sacks 2
2 for 10 Penalties 3 for 20
2/8 3rd Down 7/12
23:46 TOP 36:14

The Good:

Matt Ryan had a decent game. He went 13/23 passing with 147 yards and two touchdown passes.
We're continuting to force turnovers at a steady rate.
Michael Boley had 11 tackles.
Only two penalties.


The Bad:

We allowed 400 or more total yards for the FOURTH GAME IN A ROW.
Aaron Rodgers killed us, going 27/34 with three touchdown passes and 342 yards.
We got dominated in the time of possession battle.
We couldn't get to the quarterback at all in this game.


Falcons Game MVP - LB Michael Boley had 11 tackles. The only one on either side of the ball with a real standout game for us.

Another close game and another loss. The defense is totally pathetic and if they don't start doing SOMETHING right then that win against Kansas City a couple weeks ago may be the only one we get all season. For the most part we haven't had any trouble forcing turnovers or getting to the quarterback, they've just been able to rack up the yards way too easily. If we could get a decent cornerback in here so we wouldn't have to constantly play the pass and then get burned in the running game, we'd probably have a chance. Next week we head back to Atlanta to face off against the 3-2 Bears. Their defense has been stout, but their offense isn't so hot, so we may be able to get a win out of this one.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Chicago Bears @ Atlanta Falcons
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(4-2) (1-5)

Bears 23 - Falcons 6
121 Rushing Yards 75
236 Passing Yards 61
357 Total Yards 136
4.0 YPR 5.4
96% Completion % 34%
21 1st Downs 9
1 Turnovers 1
5 Sacks 0
2 for 38 Penalties None
1/6 3rd Down 3/12
35:01 TOP 24:59

The Good:

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!


The Bad:

We didn't allow 400 yards, but we still allowed 350.
Rex Grossman only had TWO incomplete passes.
136 total yards of offense.
Matt Ryan was held to 98 yards passing on only 10 completions.
We were sacked five times, while also failing to get a sack of our own.


Falcons Game MVP - Nobody.

Wow, just wow. This game was completely pathetic. We allowed one of the worst offense in the league to rack up 357 yards of total offense on us. We also allowed one of the worst QB's in the NFL to complete 23/25 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. This game seals it as far as I'm concerned. Might as well give us the #1 pick now. Thank God next week is our bye week, and after that we play against the (currently) 2-4 Eagles in Philadelphia.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/phi.gif
(1-6) (3-4)

Falcons 0 - Eagles 31
62 Rushing Yards 171
42 Passing Yards 224
104 Total Yards 395
3.1 YPR 5.2
39% Completion % 83%
5 1st Downs 18
0 Turnovers 0
1 Sacks 4
3 for 15 Penalties 1 for 15
4/12 3rd Down 5/10
22:47 TOP 37:13

The Good:

This game was even more pitiful than the last one against the Bears!


The Bad:

Kevin Kolb went 18/21 with 209 yards and three touchdowns against us! KEVIN KOLB!
We barely broke 100 yards of offense.
We narrowly avoided allowing 400+ yards for the fourth time in seven games this season.
They held the ball for nearly two thirds of the game.
Brian Westbrook racked up 200 yards of total offense against us.


Falcons Game MVP - Again, nobody.

Another completely pathetic all-around performance, and this one wasn't even against a decent team. Matt Ryan had another very "rookie-esque" game, going only 7/18 with 72 yards, albeit against a very strong pass defense. But the thing that really irks me is what we allowed Kevin Kolb to do us after McNabb left with an injury. He totally torched us, completing 18 of 21 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Allowing Brian Westbrook to run rampant for 200 total yards doesn't help matters either, however. I'm totally resigned (and excited) for the fact that we're gonna end up with top 5, likely even top 3 or top 2, pick in this year's draft. Next week we head to Oakland to face off against the 4-3 Raiders. Jamarcus Russell has really come into his own this season, completing 68% of his passes for 1767 yards and 18 touchdowns to only nine interceptions and a 99.6 QB Rating, so he's likely to give our defense fits.

[michaelg123789]

I really like these writeups. Keep them coming!

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

1st Half Update

STANDINGS:

NFC East - Dallas Cowboys 5-3 (New York Giants 4-3)
NFC South - Carolina Panthers 6-2 (New Orleans Saints 3-5)
NFC North - Minnesota Vikings 6-1 (Everyone else in the division tied at 5-2)
NFC West - Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams 4-3 (Arizona Cardinals 2-5)

AFC East - New England Patriots 6-1 (Miami Dolphins and New York Jets 4-3)
AFC South - Jacksonville Jaguars 6-1 (Indianapolis Colts 3-4)
AFC North - Pittsburgh Steelers 5-2 (Cincinnati Bengals 3-4)
AFC West - Denver Broncos 5-2 (San Diego Chargers 5-3)


STATS:

Passing Stats

Completion % - (DEN) Jat Cutler, 72.3
Yards - (GB) Aaron Rodgers, 2,088
Touchdowns - (GB) Aaron Rodgers, 21
QB Rating - (NE) Tom Brady, 117.4

Rushing Stats

Attempts - (DAL) Marion Barber, 150
Yards - (DAL) Marion Barber, 743
YPR - (CAR) Deangelo Williams + (IND) Joseph Addai, 6.0
Touchdowns - (DEN) Selvin Young, 8

Receiving Stats

Catches - (GB) Greg Jennings, 51
Yards - (GB) Greg Jennings, 814
YPC - (CAR) Steve Smith, 16.3 (Roddy White 3rd, 15.8)
Touchdowns - (GB) Greg Jennings + (JAC) Matt Jones, 7

Defensive Stats

Tackles - (SF) Patrick Willis, 67 (Michael Boley 3rd, 51)
Sacks - (DAL) Demarcus Ware, 10.0
Interceptions - (BAL) Ed Reed + (DAL) Anthony Henry, 6
Knockdowns - (JAC) Drayton Florence + (PHI) Asante Samuel, 12
Forced Fumbles - (NO) Charles Grant, 3 (Jonathan Babineaux T-3rd, 1)

Special Team/Return Stats

Kick Return Average - (NYJ) Justin Miller, 32.3
Kick Return Touchdowns - Nine tied at 1
Punt Return Average - (SF) Allen Rossum, 10.1
Punt Return Touchdowns - (DAL) Patrick Crayton, 2
Field Goals - (SD) Nate Kaeding, 15
Field Goal % - (IND) Adam Vinatieri, 100%

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

I really like these writeups. Keep them coming!

Can do :)! Hopefully it will come with some winning sooner rather than later.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Team Stats


Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Ryan, Matt QB 79 91 22 53.8%, 1318 Yards, 7 TD, 6 Int
Redman, Chris QB 73 73 31 66.7%, 18 Yards, 0 TD, 1 Int
Harrington, Joey QB 66 66 29 0.0%, 0 Yards, 0 TD, 0 Int
Shockley, D.J. QB 56 56 25 0.0%, 0 Yards, 0 TD, 0 Int
Turner, Michael RB 75 75 26 75 Rushes, 344 Yards, 3 TD
Norwood, Jerious RB 73 75 25 0 Rushes, 0 Yards, 0 TD
McIntyre, Corey RB 56 56 29 9 Rushes, 11 Yards, 0 TD
Brown, Thomas RB 56 72 22 0 Rushes, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Snelling, Jason RB 56 56 24 0 Rushes, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Mughelli, Ovie FB 73 73 28 4 Rushes, 2 Yards, 0 TD
Anthony, Adam FB 67 67 36 0 Rushes, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Zinger, Keith TE 73 75 23 15 Recepts, 174 Yards, 2 TD
Hartsock, Ben TE 67 67 28 0 Recepts, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Milner, Martrez TE 67 67 24 0 Recepts, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Peelle, Justin TE 67 67 29 2 Recepts, 9 Yards, 0 TD
White, Roddy WR 79 79 26 32 Recepts, 507 Yards, 1 TD
Finneran, Brian WR 73 73 32 6 Recepts, 75 Yards, 0 TD
Jenkins, Michael WR 72 72 26 22 Recepts, 332 Yards, 3 TD
Jennings, Adam WR 71 75 25 0 Recepts, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Douglas, Harry WR 70 75 23 9 Recepts, 81 Yards, 0 TD
Robinson, Laurent WR 64 72 23 6 Recepts, 62 Yards, 1 TD
Weems, Eric WR 63 75 23 0 Recepts, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Weiner, Todd T 73 73 32 5.4 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Baker, Sam T 73 73 22 3.3 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Batiste, D'Anthony T 71 73 26 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Pennington, Terrance T 59 64 24 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Ojinnaka, Quinn T 59 59 24 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Stepanovich, Alex G 75 75 26 1.9 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Foster, Renardo G 70 70 24 3.0 Yards/Rush, 15.00 Sacks
Blalock, Justin G 70 77 24 2.3 Yards/Rush, 1.00 Sacks
Dahl, Harvey G 64 64 27 4.2 Yards/Rush, 1.00 Sacks
Clabo, Tyson G 61 61 26 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
McClure, Todd C 75 75 31 3.1 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Wilkerson, Ben C 70 70 25 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Schneck, Mike C 61 61 31 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Abraham, John DE 84 84 30 8 Tackles, 2.0 Sacks
Davis, Chauncey DE 76 81 25 34 Tackles, 1.0 Sacks
Fraser, Simon DE 73 76 25 4 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Anderson, Jamaal DE 63 76 22 2 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Coleman, Rod DT 94 94 32 15 Tackles, 2.5 Sacks
Babineaux, Jonathan DT 81 81 26 8 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Moorehead, Kindal DT 77 77 29 1 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Stanley, Montavious DT 76 76 26 0 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Lewis, Trey DT 75 75 23 5 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Jackson, Grady DT 75 75 35 1 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Anderson, Tim DT 73 73 27 1 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Moore, Rashad DT 64 73 29 3 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Boley, Michael LB 84 84 26 51 Tackles, 1 Knockdowns, 1 Int
Lofton, Curtis LB 76 83 21 12 Tackles, 1 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Brooking, Keith LB 75 75 32 30 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 2 Int
Williams, Travis LB 73 75 25 5 Tackles, 1 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Nicholas, Stephen LB 73 76 25 1 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Biermann, Kroy LB 63 75 22 1 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
James, Robert LB 63 75 24 0 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Taylor, Tony LB 63 63 24 2 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Hutchins, Von CB 76 76 27 20 Tackles, 2 Knockdowns, 1 Int
Houston, Chris CB 75 83 23 20 Tackles, 4 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Grimes, Brent CB 72 75 25 15 Tackles, 1 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Jackson, Chevis CB 71 75 22 1 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Harris, Antoine CB 66 66 26 2 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Fontenot, Wilrey CB 66 73 23 0 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Irons, David CB 63 63 25 1 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Adams, Blue CB 61 61 28 1 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Coleman, Erik S 84 84 26 31 Tackles, 3 Knockdowns, 1 Int
Milloy, Lawyer S 76 76 34 12 Tackles, 3 Knockdowns, 1 Int
Cooper, Deke S 75 75 30 11 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
DeCoud, Thomas S 71 72 22 4 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Stone, Daren S 67 76 23 0 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Wire, Coy S 64 64 29 0 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Elam, Jason K 79 79 38 9 FGs, 69.2% Success
Koenen, Michael P 75 75 26 28 Punts, Average: 42.3 Yards

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Atlanta Falcons @ Oakland Raiders
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(1-7) (5-3)

Falcons 14 - Raiders 28
55 Rushing Yards 80
141 Passing Yards 207
196 Total Yards 287
3.2 YPR 3.8
52% Completion % 73%
12 1st Downs 16
3 Turnovers 0
2 Sacks 5
4 for 30 Penalties 2 for 10
5/9 3rd Down 3/9
27:55 TOP 32:05

The Good:

Jerious Norwood returned a kick for a touchdown.
Our defense didn't play horrible for once, we managed to hold an opponent to less than three hundred yards of offense for the first time all season.
Rod Coleman played well, recording 3.5 tackles and 1.5 sacks.


The Bad:

Matt Ryan played extremely poorly. 11/24 with 141 yards, three picks and one touchdown.
We couldn't manage to force any turnovers, and our own turnovers killed us.
Penalties and turnovers killes us (shocking, I know).


Falcons Game MVP - DT Rod Coleman. Coleman was a beast on the line today, sacking Russell once on his own and getting in another sack, as well as recording 3.5 tackles.

Our defense actually played decently for the first time all season. However our offense was stagnant, as has been the theme of late. Ryan got picked off three times and the offense line may as well have been a revolving door, as he also got sacked five times. Hopefully this solid defensive performance is something we can build and improve upon and come back next week and get a win. Speaking of next week, we're home against the Saints (3-5) next week. They've averaged only 15 points per game, and after the way our defense played this week I'm thinking we might be able to come home and get our second win of the season.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/nor.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gif
(3-6) (2-7)

Saints 13 - Falcons 29
54 Rushing Yards 50
260 Passing Yards 281
314 Total Yards 331
3.4 YPR 2.5
67% Completion % 71%
18 1st Downs 16
1 Turnovers 0
4 Sacks 0
None Penalties 3 for 15
7/12 3rd Down 7/10
29:16 TOP 30:44

The Good:

Matt Ryan had an MVP performance in this game. He went 20/28 with 305 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Roddy White had a great game catching the ball as well, catching 11 balls for 208 yards.
Michael Jenkins didn't rack up the yards White did, but he still had five catches for 44 yards, and most importantly two touchdowns.
Jerious Norwood returned another kick for a touchdown.
Keith Brooking totaled up 10 tackles, while Erik Coleman got nine.
The defense played FANTASTICALLY.
We won the time of possession battle and outgained our opponent for the first time all season.


The Bad:

The running game is struggling mightily.
We got sacked four times, again without sacking anyone.
Chauncey Davis got hurt, meaning that both of our starting defensive ends were injured for the entire game.



Falcons Game MVP - QB Matt Ryan and WR Roddy White. Ryan hooked up with White 11 times on the day for 208 yards, more than two thirds of Ryan's passing yards on the day and more than half of his completions. Matt Ryan had the first 300 yard passing performance of his career and led the team to it's second victory of the season.

WOW! I'm really surprised and impressed with the team's performance against the Saints. This was easily the team's best performance of the season. Matt Ryan played a helluva game, with plenty of help from Roddy White (that's a duo that looks like they'll do great things together for a long time). The defense was absolutely stellar and really held Brees in check (28/43, 1 TD, 1 INT, 260 net passing yards). The running game is still struggling and the defense could still get better, but these past two games have been something to build off and hopefully are a sign of things to come. I'm still not exactly expecting great things for the rest of this season, but these last two games have been very exciting. Next week we're at home again, against the Broncos (6-3). Denver's a good team with a tough offense and defense, so we'll have a hard time against them, but with the way we've played these past two games anything is possible.

[EVEN11323]

Nice win over NO. A couple of nice OL draft picks/FA in the offseason should help your running game, which yeah, has been pretty bad.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Nice win over NO. A couple of nice OL draft picks/FA in the offseason should help your running game, which yeah, has been pretty bad.

Yeah, the offensive line has been pretty pathetic. My RG (until I converted my 78 rated back-up center Alex Stepanovich to guard), Renardo Foster (64), had allowed FIFTEEN sacks on his own. Definitely something I have to shore up, but I'm gonna try to address the pass defense first because that seems to be what's really killing me. As long as there's time enough for Ryan to pass the ball, I have a chance, but not if my corners can't stop anybody.

[5DiMaggio]

ummm ouch lol

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Denver Broncos @ Atlanta Falcons
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/den.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gif
(7-3) (2-8)

Broncos 27 - Falcons 20
78 Rushing Yards 98
296 Passing Yards 189
374 Total Yards 287
3.7 YPR 7.0
70% Completion % 51%
23 1st Downs 13
0 Turnovers 0
1 Sacks 2
2 for 25 Penalties 4 for 30
3/8 3rd Down 5/12
32:37 TOP 27:23

The Good:

We actually out rushed an opponent for once.
No turnovers.
Ryan had a decent game, going 18/35 with 194 yards and two touchdowns.
Simon Fraser had 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles starting in place of injured defensive end John Abraham.


The Bad:

We allowed way too many yards again.
Our penalties killed us.
There's no way we can win if we continue to allow 23 first downs a night.
We didn't make any turnovers, but unfortunately we also failed to force any.



Falcons Game MVP - DE Simon Fraser. No one really stands out that much in this game, but 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles while playing in place of a guy of Abraham's caliber is pretty impressive.

I'm rather impressed by this game, despite the loss. We went up against a tough team and managed to play for it in the final quarter. Matt Ryan and the receiving core faced up against a tough pass defense and managed to perform pretty solid. The running game was also going against a tough unit and managed to perform exceptionally. The defense still isn't playing the way I'd like, but I honestly can't say I expect that to change consistently in a positive way with the personnel currently in place. At any rate, next week we host the division leading, 6-4 Panthers. They ran all over us (literally and figuratively) when we played in week four, however both teams are vastly different at this point of the season. Hopefully we can exact our revenge, but the game should be interesting no matter what.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/car.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gif
(7-4) (2-9)

Panthers 28 - Falcons 3
99 Rushing Yards 32
212 Passing Yards 204
311 Total Yards 236
74% Completion % 63%
16 1st Downs 14
1 Turnovers 2
3 Sacks 2
2 for 20 Penalties 1 for 5
4/6 3rd Down 5/11
29:54 TOP 30:06

The Good:

We really held the passing game in check.
Brian Finneran played a good game, catching five balls for 86 yards.
Michael Boley added five tackles to his team leading total. He also recorded a sack.


The Bad:

This is the worst I've seen from the rushing game all season. 1.3 yards per rush is simply awful.
We held the passing in check, but just like the first time we met the running game had a field day.
Matt didn't play very well, going 15/26 with 222 yards and 2 interpections and no touchdowns.
They converted 4 of 6 third downs on us.


Falcons Game MVP - WR Brian Finneran was the one guy who did something productive on offense against the Panthers. He had five catches for 86 yards.

I guess the saying "the more things change, the more things stay the same" would apply here. The Panthers smacked us around just like they did the first time we played them, in spite of us playing so well lately. Michael Boley and Rod Coleman were the only two with standout games on the defensive, while the one standout on offense was Finneran. Boley had five tackles and one sack and Coleman had four tackles and one sack, on offense Finneran had five catches for 86 yards. Next we play at the Chargers (7-4). The Chargers are battling the Raiders and Broncos for the division right now, so they're gonna come out guns blazing and try to get ahead early.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

3rd Quarter Update

STANDINGS:

NFC East - Dallas Cowboys 7-4 (New York Giants 6-5)
NFC South - Carolina Panthers 7-4 (New Orleans Saints 4-7)
NFC North - Minnesota Vikings + Chicago Bears 8-3 (Detroit Lions 7-4)
NFC West - Seattle Seahawks 8-3 (Arizona Cardinals + St. Louis Rams 5-6)

AFC East - New England Patriots 10-1 (New York Jets 7-4)
AFC South - Jacksonville Jaguars 9-2 (Houston Texans + Indianapolis Colts 4-7)
AFC North - Pittsburgh Steelers 8-3 (Cincinnati Bengals 5-6)
AFC West - Denver Broncos 8-3 (Oakland Raiders + San Diego Chargers 7-4)


STATS:

Passing Stats

Completion % - (NE) Tom Brady, 69.5
Yards - (NE) Tom Brady, 3,263
Touchdowns - (NE) Tom Brady, 29
QB Rating - (NE) Tom Brady, 114.2

Rushing Stats

Attempts - (MIN) Adrian Peterson, 197
Yards - (WAS) Clinton Portis, 998
YPR - (CAR) Deangelo Williams, 6.5
Touchdowns - (DEN) Selvin Young + (NE) Laurence Maroney + (PIT) Willie Parker, 9

Receiving Stats

Catches - (CAR) Steve Smith, 74
Yards - (CAR) Steve Smith, 1,124 (Roddy White 6th, 840)
YPC - (HOU) Andre Davis, 17.4 (Roddy White 4th, 16.5)
Touchdowns - (NE) Ben Watson + (JAC) Matt Jones + (DEN) Brandon Marshall, 8

Defensive Stats

Tackles - (STL) Will Witherspoon, 83 (Michael Boley 7th, 71)
Sacks - (NE) Adalius Thomas, 14.5
Interceptions - (CHI) Nathan Vasher, 10
Knockdowns - (DEN) Domomique Foxworth, 17
Forced Fumbles - (NO) Charles Grant + (CAR) Richard Marshall + (MIA) Kendall Langford + (MIN) Jared Allen, 3

Special Team/Return Stats

Kick Return Average - (NYJ) Justin Miller, 31.0 (Jerious Norwood 10th, 26.6)
Kick Return Touchdowns - (ATL) Jerious Norwood + (CLE) Travis Wilson + (DET) Aveion Cason, 2
Punt Return Average - (SD) Darren Sproles, 10.9
Punt Return Touchdowns - (DAL) Patrick Crayton, 3
Field Goals - (SD) Nate Kaeding, 22
Field Goal % - (IND) Adam Vinatieri, 100%

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Team Stats

Quarterbacks:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Ryan, Matt QB 77 88 22 54.8%, 2215 Yards, 13 TD, 11 Int
Redman, Chris QB 71 71 31 66.7%, 18 Yards, 0 TD, 1 Int
Shockley, D.J. QB 63 63 25 0.0%, 0 Yards, 0 TD, 0 Int
Harrington, Joey QB 65 65 29 0.0%, 0 Yards, 0 TD, 0 Int


Running backs:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Turner, Michael RB 72 77 26 124 Rushes, 458 Yards, 3 TD
McIntyre, Corey RB 62 62 29 12 Rushes, 23 Yards, 0 TD
Norwood, Jerious RB 72 77 25 0 Rushes, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Brown, Thomas RB 63 75 22 0 Rushes, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Snelling, Jason RB 63 63 24 0 Rushes, 0 Yards, 0 TD


Fullbacks:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Mughelli, Ovie FB 74 74 28 7 Rushes, 6 Yards, 0 TD
Anthony, Adam FB 67 67 36 0 Rushes, 0 Yards, 0 TD


Tight Ends:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Zinger, Keith TE 71 77 23 25 Recepts, 299 Yards, 3 TD
Hartsock, Ben TE 67 67 28 2 Recepts, 33 Yards, 0 TD
Milner, Martrez TE 67 67 24 0 Recepts, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Peelle, Justin TE 67 67 29 2 Recepts, 9 Yards, 0 TD


Wide Receivers:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
White, Roddy WR 80 80 26 51 Recepts, 840 Yards, 2 TD
Jenkins, Michael WR 75 75 26 35 Recepts, 489 Yards, 6 TD
Finneran, Brian WR 71 71 32 14 Recepts, 216 Yards, 1 TD
Douglas, Harry WR 72 76 23 12 Recepts, 115 Yards, 0 TD
Robinson, Laurent WR 62 75 23 6 Recepts, 62 Yards, 1 TD
Jennings, Adam WR 72 77 25 0 Recepts, 0 Yards, 0 TD
Weems, Eric WR 64 74 23 0 Recepts, 0 Yards, 0 TD


Offensive Linemen:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Weiner, Todd T 74 74 32 4.7 Yards/Rush, 1.00 Sacks
Baker, Sam T 69 74 22 3.7 Yards/Rush, 2.25 Sacks
Batiste, D'Anthony T 65 71 26 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Pennington, Terrance T 59 59 24 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Ojinnaka, Quinn T 58 59 24 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Stepanovich, Alex G 70 70 26 2.5 Yards/Rush, 2.25 Sacks
Dahl, Harvey G 63 63 27 3.7 Yards/Rush, 2.50 Sacks
Foster, Renardo G 69 69 24 3.0 Yards/Rush, 15.00 Sacks
Blalock, Justin G 67 69 24 2.3 Yards/Rush, 1.00 Sacks
Clabo, Tyson G 62 62 26 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
McClure, Todd C 80 80 31 2.5 Yards/Rush, 2.00 Sacks
Wilkerson, Ben C 65 65 25 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks
Schneck, Mike C 59 59 31 0.0 Yards/Rush, 0.00 Sacks


Defensive Ends:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Abraham, John DE 88 88 30 9 Tackles, 2.5 Sacks
Davis, Chauncey DE 77 77 25 43 Tackles, 1.0 Sacks
Fraser, Simon DE 72 72 25 10 Tackles, 1.5 Sacks
Anderson, Jamaal DE 64 75 22 4 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Nichols, Paul DE 62 62 22 0 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks


Defensive Tackles:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Coleman, Rod DT 92 92 32 25 Tackles, 5.0 Sacks
Babineaux, Jonathan DT 82 82 26 16 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Lewis, Trey DT 76 77 23 6 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Jackson, Grady DT 76 76 35 2 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Stanley, Montavious DT 72 72 26 0 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Moorehead, Kindal DT 74 75 29 1 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Anderson, Tim DT 72 72 27 2 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks
Moore, Rashad DT 68 72 29 3 Tackles, 0.0 Sacks


Linebackers:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Boley, Michael LB 88 88 26 71 Tackles, 4 Knockdowns, 1 Int
Brooking, Keith LB 79 79 32 47 Tackles, 1 Knockdowns, 2 Int
Lofton, Curtis LB 75 83 21 21 Tackles, 1 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Williams, Travis LB 72 74 25 5 Tackles, 1 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Nicholas, Stephen LB 72 74 25 1 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Biermann, Kroy LB 65 72 22 1 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
James, Robert LB 65 75 24 0 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Taylor, Tony LB 59 59 24 2 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int


Cornerbacks:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Houston, Chris [7] CB 72 81 23 31 Tackles, 6 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Hutchins, Von CB 72 76 27 37 Tackles, 4 Knockdowns, 1 Int
Grimes, Brent CB 70 74 25 25 Tackles, 3 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Jackson, Chevis CB 69 72 22 2 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Harris, Antoine CB 62 62 26 4 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Fontenot, Wilrey CB 64 74 23 0 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Adams, Blue CB 62 62 28 1 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Irons, David CB 59 59 25 1 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int


Safeties:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Coleman, Erik S 82 82 26 46 Tackles, 4 Knockdowns, 1 Int
Milloy, Lawyer S 77 77 34 22 Tackles, 3 Knockdowns, 2 Int
Cooper, Deke S 74 74 30 20 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
DeCoud, Thomas S 69 76 22 6 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Wire, Coy S 68 68 29 0 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int
Stone, Daren S 64 72 23 0 Tackles, 0 Knockdowns, 0 Int


Kickers:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Elam, Jason K 80 80 38 12 FGs, 70.6% Success


Punters:

Name Pos Overall Peak Age Player Stats
Koenen, Michael P 74 74 26 40 Punts, Average: 41.3 Yards

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

I'm gonna make a slight change to the format. Instead of Falcons Game MVP, I'm going to change it to something like Falcons 3 Stars of the Game, kinda like they do in hockey.

EDIT: And a couple other minor things, as it occurred.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Week 13

Atlanta Falcons @ San Diego Chargers
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/sdg.gif
(3-9) (7-5)

Injuries:
(ATL) Chris Houston - Fractured elbow, six weeks
(SD) Philip Rivers - Pulled hamstring, one week

Falcons 31 - Chargers 27
51 Rushing Yards 148
243 Passing Yards 184
294 Total Yards 332
2.3 YPR 7.0
50% Completion % 68%
11 1st Downs 15
2 Turnovers 3
1 Sacks 2
4 for 31 Penalties None
30:19 TOP 29:41

The Good:

We managed to force three turnovers.
Chauncey Davis is turning into a pretty solid defensive end. Against the Chargers he took down the ball carrier 7.5 times and recorded the team's only sack.
Brian Finneran and Roddy White both had very good games. Finneran caught five balls for 91 yards and White had five catches for 97 yards and the game winning TD.
We held the passing game in check pretty well.


The Bad:

We got killed in the running game again. LT had 161 total yards, and we only managed 51 yards, the majority of which were on Matt Ryan's legs and not Michael Turner's.
We really struggled stopping them on third down and converting our own third downs.
Not too many penalties, but the ones we did have were hefty.


Falcons 3 Stars of the Game:

WR Roddy White - White had five catches for 97 yards, including the game-winning touchdown catch.
WR Brian Finneran - Finneran had five catches for 91 yards.
DE Chauncey Davis - Led the team in tackles in this game, as well as recording the team's only sack.


Another impressive win. Although it may not look so statistically, we definitely played better in this game than we did in the win against New Orleans. This win came against a much tougher opponent and we really had to fight for it. Our pass defense played very well against Casey Bramlet and his receivers, but the run-d continues to struggle badly. This is a big win for Matt Ryan. He didn't play his best most of the game, but he played his best when it mattered most; in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. He finished the game 16/34 with over 200 pass yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Next week we're at 4-8 New Orleans. We beat them pretty well the first time we played a couple weeks ago, but with Chris Houston out we'll have a tougher time this time around.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Week 14

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/nor.gif
(3-10) (5-8)

Injuries:
(ATL) Chris Houston - Fractured elbow, five weeks

Falcons 17 - Saints 31
44 Rushing Yards 95
199 Passing Yards 265
243 Total Yards 360
2.9 YPR 3.5
70% Completion % 80%
13 1st Downs 20
2 Turnovers 0
2 Sacks 1
1 for 13 Penalties 2 for 10
26:20 TOP 33:40

The Good:

John Abraham had a good game, recording five tackles and one sack. Unfortunately he also suffered a season ending tear to his achilles tendon.
Roddy White had four catches for 77 yards.
Michael Turner didn't have a great game gaining yards, but he scored two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving).



The Bad:

They converted on 75% of their third downs.
The running game continues to be almost completely non-existent for us.
Matt Ryan had a tough game, throwing two interceptions and throwing for less than 200 yards.
Brees torched the secondary for 277 yards and three touchdowns on 28/35 passing.


Falcons 3 Stars of the Game:

RB Michael Turner - Not very many yards, but scored our only two touchdowns.
DE John Abraham - Five tackles and one sack to help the defense.
WR Roddy White - Hauled in four catches for 77 yards.


Tough loss. We lose John Abraham for the rest of this season, and possibly the very beginning of next season as well and we got killed on the scoreboard and in the boxscore. We played pretty poorly on both sides of the ball, allowing 360 yards and getting only 243 ourselves. We definitely should have played better on offense, due to their normally suspect pass-d, but it didn't happen. In the scheme of getting a higher draft pick (which is really the only thing we have going for us) it's a good thing, because a loss would've tied us with them and given them the edge in the event of a tie. Next week we're home against 5-8 Tampa Bay. They throttled us 38-13 in week two, but that was a long time ago and anything can happen now.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Week 15

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/tam.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gif
(6-8) (3-11)

Injuries:
(ATL) Chris Houston - Fractured elbow, six weeks
(ATL) John Abraham - Torn achillies, 30 weeks

Buccaneers 27 - Falcons 14
38 Rushing Yards 51
247 Passing Yards 211
285 Total Yards 262
2.9 YPR 2.6
64% Completion % 73%
18 1st Downs 19
0 Turnovers 1
3 Sacks 2
5 for 35 Penalties 2 for 20
6/11 3rd Down 2/6
27:46 TOP 32:14

The Good:

Our defense played surprisingly well. We held the running game to 38 yards and the passing game to 247 yards.
Michael Jenkins had a great game, catching six balls for 80 yards.
Keith Brooking notched nine tackles.
Rod Coleman recorded his team-leading seventh sack of the season.
Matt Ryan played decent, going 12/20 with 211 yards a touchdown and an interception.


The Bad:

We got outgained.
Our rushing offense is pathetic.
This was a game we probably should have won.


Falcons 3 Stars of the Game:

LB Keith Brooking - Recorded nine tackles and had a huge part in keeping Tampa's running in check.
WR Michael Jenkins - 6 catches for 80 yards to lead the team's receiving core.
QB Matt Ryan - Played well in the loss, racking up 211 yards on 12/20 passing, including a touchdown.


Looking at all the numbers besides the score this is a game we probably should have won, but unfortunately the score is the only number that really matters. We outperformed them in nearly every stat, but they still managed to beat us. We managed to keep them from getting a ton of yards, but we just couldn't keep them out of the end zone. The best example of that is Brian Griese. We held him to 259 yards on 23/36 passing, but he threw for two touchdowns. Right now we're one of three teams with a 3-11 record, and three more teams stand at 4-10, so we're in great position to get a high draft pick and hopefully get a great cornerback or offensive lineman. Next week we're at the 9-5 Vikings. The Vikings are still fighting the Bears for the NFC North division title, and they currently sit a game back, so they've got something to play for and we should see their best football. Their defense is stifling, so we've got a tough challenge on our hands.

[EVEN11323]

You can go ahead and loss this next one, just like ATL is going to next week in real life.:D

Tough luck on the injuries to your D.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

You can go ahead and loss this next one, just like ATL is going to next week in real life.:D

Tough luck on the injuries to your D.

I'd be happy losing the next two in the game, but IRL, you're going down :).

[Arctic Blast]

I like the switch to 3 stars of the game, dawg. :D

So, any plans yet for where to build in the offseason? And how is your record compared to the other weak teams...definite top 3 pick, maybe #1?

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

I like the switch to 3 stars of the game, dawg. :D

So, any plans yet for where to build in the offseason? And how is your record compared to the other weak teams...definite top 3 pick, maybe #1?

Definite top 5, probably top 3, strong possibility for #1.

As for my off-season plans, there are two areas I really want to address, either through the draft, free agency, or both (probably both), and those are the pass defense and the offensive line.

If my pass defense wasn't so bad I wouldn't have to play the pass so much and I could run a more balanced defense. I already have the personnel in place for a successful run defense, so it's just a matter of bringing in some good defensive backs. I have plenty of solid #2 or #3 type corners, but with an elite corner that would shift a lot of pressure off them and make the defense better all around (easier to get a good pass rush, more turnovers, etc.).

My run offense has been pretty bad all season, and I think it's largely due to the poor o-line. With that in place, I'd be able to run a more balanced offense and create better opportunities for Matt Ryan and the receivers to play better. I've got a pretty solid receiving core with White, Jenkins, and Finneran, so the talent is definitely there.

Other than those two things, I wouldn't mind bringing in another running back or bringing in someone to replace Keith Brooking as he starts to get older. I might look at tight end as well, but my rookie tight end Keith Zinger has played pretty well (34 catches, 440 yards, three touchdowns, average blocker) so I'm not sure there.

EDIT: I do plan to go over my off-season plans/ideas in more detail after the season and postseason are over.

[Arctic Blast]

Cool! All makes sense to me, sir.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Week 16

Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/min.gif
(3-12) (10-5)

Injuries:
(ATL) CB Chris Houston - Fractured elbow, four weeks
(ATL) DE John Abraham - Torn achilles, 29 weeks

Falcons 7 - Vikings 30
42 Rushing Yards 136
129 Passing Yards 366
171 Total Yards 502
2.3 YPR 4.4
68% Completion % 90%
7 1st Downs 26
1 Turnovers 2
0 Sacks 2
1 for 8 Penalties 2 for 20
21:21 TOP 38:39

The Good:

Michael Jenkins had five catches for 49 yards.
Linebacker Travis Williams came in to play defensive end when Chauncey Davis was injured and recorded 8.5 tackles.
Jonathan Babineaux got his team leading fourth interception.


The Bad:

We allowed over 500 total yards of offense! 136 on the ground and 366 in the air.
We allowed 26 first downs.
They dominated the time of possession battle.
We allowed them to convert four of six first downs (the simple fact that they only had six third down plays is pathetic in itself).
Tavaris Jackson, yes Tavaris Jackson, torched us. He went 26/30 (90% completion rate) for 366 yards and one touchdown.
We only had 171 yards of total offense.
They had more running yards than we had passing yards and more passing yards than we had total yards.
Chauncey Davis suffered a broken collarbone that will keep him out of the final game of the regular season.


Falcons 3 Stars of the Game:

WR Harry Douglas - Only one catch for seven yards, but had our only touchdown.
LB Travis Williams - 8.5 tackles after Chauncey Davis left the game with an injury.
DT Jonathan Babineaux - Recorded his fourth interception of the season.


They just totally dominated our defense, we had no chance. They ran for more yards than we managed to pass for and passed for more yards than we managed to gain. It's a wonder we managed to hold them to 30 points. Our offense was stagnant as well. Ryan completed 13/20 passes, but for only 129 yards, and the running game was held to 42 yards. This was easily our worst, most pathetic loss of the season. We're at home against the Rams (6-9) next week to close out the season. With any luck we'll lose the game and hopefully sew up the #1 pick in the draft so we can get ourselves a top cornerback or offensive lineman.

[bucher34]

(ATL) DE John Abraham - Torn achilles, 29 weeks

Jonathan Babineaux got his team leading fourth interception.




29 weeks!

You know its bad when your DT is leading the team in interceptions.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

You know its bad when your DT is leading the team in interceptions.

You got that right. Just goes to show how bad my pass defense is. In fairness though, Babineaux does have a pass coverage rating of 76, and that's not much worse than every corner on my teach except for Houston.

[EVEN11323]

Yeah, if T-Jack is lighting you up for 90%(!) completed passes, you for sure need to get a bonafide #1 shutdown corner. Good luck vs St. Louis, for whichever result that you want.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Yeah, if T-Jack is lighting you up for 90%(!) completed passes, you for sure need to get a bonafide #1 shutdown corner. Good luck vs St. Louis, for whichever result that you want.

Definitely looking for a loss, a win won't do me any good.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Week 17

St. Louis Rams @ Atlanta Falcons
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/stl.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gif
(7-9) (3-13)

Injuries:
(ATL) CB Chris Houston - Fractured elbow, three weeks
(ATL) DE John Abraham - Torn achilles, 28 weeks
(ATL) DE Chauncey Davis - Broken collarbone, two weeks

Rams 17 - Falcons 14
53 Rushing Yards 63
285 Passing Yards 225
338 Total Yards 288
2.9 YPR 3.5
60% Completion % 53%
21 1st Downs 19
0 Turnovers 1
1 Sacks 1
1 for 5 Penalties 1 for 15
4/11 3rd Down 5/12
27:14 TOP 32:46

The Good:

Matt Ryan had a solid game in the air, going 24/46 with 230 yards, but no touchdowns and one pick.
Matt really spread the ball around, completing passes to seven different players.
Michael Turner scored our only two touchdowns.
Michael Boley and five tackles and one sack.
Michael Jenkins caught six passes for 58 yards, and rookie tight end Keith Zinger had the best game of his young career, catching five balls for 55 yards.
We held the ground game in check.


The Bad:

Marc Bulger lit us up for 292 yards and two touchdowns on 26/43 passing.
Drew Bennett caught ten passes for 140 yards, further emphasizing our need for a big-time corner.


Falcons 3 Stars of the Game:

RB Michael Turner - Accounted for all the team's scoring with his two touchdowns.
LB Michael Boley - Pinned the ball carrier to the ground for five tackles, as well as recording one sack of Marc Bulger.
WR Michael Jenkins - His six catches and 58 yards led the team's receiving core.


I'm not entirely sure how we managed to lose this game. Almost the only thing they outdid us at was gaining ground through the air, and even that was a small gap. Yet another case of us underperforming our stats and/or getting unlucky I suppose. It was a long, arduous season that didn't go the way we hoped, but hopefully we can rectify it with a good offseason and put the team back where it belongs. Next up is the playoffs and Super Bowl, and then I'll do an off-season preview.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

2008 Playoffs

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/9382/playoffs2008qs4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/playoffs2008qs4.jpg/1/w997.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img233/playoffs2008qs4.jpg/1/)

[bucher34]

Waddyaknow, another Pats Super Bowl. Surprising..................

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

bucher: Yeah, no kidding. F'ing Pat's.

P.S. - I didn't do the standings since I was only doing first place teams and I already posted the playoffs so I thought it would be redundant to post that again. If someone has a real burning desire to see the final standings, let me know and I'll post them.


********************************************

Final Update

STATS:

Passing Stats

Completion % - (MIA) Chad Pennington, 69.7
Yards - (NE) Tom Brady, 4,242
Touchdowns - (NE) Tom Brady, 39
QB Rating - (NE) Tom Brady, 114.6

Rushing Stats

Attempts - (DAL) Marion Barber, 293
Yards - (DAL) Marion Barber, 1325
YPR - (STL) Steven Jackson, 6.0
Touchdowns - (IND) Joseph Addai, 13

Receiving Stats

Catches - (CAR) Steve Smith, 105
Yards - (CAR) Steve Smith, 1,513
YPC - (HOU) Andre Davis, 17.2 (Roddy White 2nd, 16.8)
Touchdowns - (IND) Reggie Wayne, 11

Defensive Stats

Tackles - (HOU) Demeco Ryans, 117
Sacks - (DAL) Demarcus Ware, 22.5
Interceptions - (CHI) Nathan Vasher, 13
Knockdowns - (SEA) Marcus Trufant, 23
Forced Fumbles - (MIA) Kendall Langford + (MIN) Jared Allen, 4

Special Team/Return Stats

Kick Return Average - (NYJ) Justin Miller, 29.7 (Jerious Norwood 5th, 27.6)
Kick Return Touchdowns - (DET) Aveion Cason, 3 (Jerious Norwood T-2nd, 2)
Punt Return Average - (SD) Darren Sproles, 11.6
Punt Return Touchdowns - (SD) Darren Sproles, 4
Field Goals - (SD) Nate Kaeding, 28
Field Goal % - (IND) Adam Vinatieri, 95.2%

[PotatoOfCouch13]

I would like to know the top (or in this case bottom) 5 teams in the league, just to get a sense of how your draft sitiuation is lining up, if you don't mind.

Rough first season, but with the team in disarray, it'd be foolish not to expect some growing pains. What are your major goals for the offseason?

[Arctic Blast]

Well, it looks like Ryan actually had a pretty good rookie year. You do have a good back, and a legit top receiver. Your front 7 on D actually is pretty nice. Just beef up that Oline and secondary, and maybe grab another wideout if you can, and you should have a pretty solid team next year.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

I would like to know the top (or in this case bottom) 5 teams in the league, just to get a sense of how your draft sitiuation is lining up, if you don't mind.

Rough first season, but with the team in disarray, it'd be foolish not to expect some growing pains. What are your major goals for the offseason?

You'll find out soon enough ;). I'm preparing a big, detailed post that's a regular season review and offseason preview that I hope to have done later tonight.


Well, it looks like Ryan actually had a pretty good rookie year. You do have a good back, and a legit top receiver. Your front 7 on D actually is pretty nice. Just beef up that Oline and secondary, and maybe grab another wideout if you can, and you should have a pretty solid team next year.

Yeah, he definitely did. Depending on how the draft shakes out I may be adding a younger, better running back, but it's all depending on what happens ahead of me. That's what I'm banking on. If I can shore up those two areas, I should be a solid contender.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Regular Season Review

The Season in Review

I can’t say I went into the season with huge expectation, and I also can’t say I we were a whole lot worse than what I was expecting. I wasn’t expecting to be as bad as 3-13, but I’m not surprised or disappointed in the way we performed. We had some good wins, and lost some games we should have won. There were a lot of negatives that came out of this season, but despite the 3-13 record, there was some good to come of it as well.

The Good:

QB Matt Ryan - Ryan had a very good rookie season and really cemented himself as the team’s future at the quarterback position. He finished the season with a 55.1 completion percentage (249/452) with 3218 yards and 18 touchdowns and 18 picks, all for a 74.3 QB rating. He also proved his ability to scramble and gain yards with his feet by gaining 231 yards on the ground on 64 carries. Shoring up the offensive line would help him a lot, too.
The Receiving Corp. - Our crew of top three receivers really shower that it has a lot of talent with it’s performance this season. Everyone from #1 receiver Roddy White all the way down to #3 receiver Brian Finneran had very good seasons. White showed that he’s an above-average receiver by catching 66 balls for 1,108 yards and three touchdowns, and Jenkins proved his worth as a number two receiver and red zone threat with his 55 catch, 737 yard, seven touchdown campaign. Finneran, a free agent, played well as the third receiver out of the slot, catching 29 balls for 407 yards and a touchdown.
TE Keith Zinger - Zinger also had a good rookie season as our starting tight end. Zinger coughed 39 passes for 495 yards and three touchdowns, and closed out the season with a strong performance against St. Louis by catching five balls for 55 yards.
LB Michael Boley - Boley was our best player on defense all season. He racked up 88 tackles on the season, 22 assists, four sacks, 6 pass deflections, and two interceptions. He’s easily become one of our top two defensive players, and very possibly our best defensive player. It’s a tossup between him and Coleman.
DT Rod Coleman - Coleman was the best player on the front four for the Falcons this season. He led the team in sacks with seven, as well as collecting 36 tackles and six pass deflections.


The Bad:

The Defense - We were dead last season in total yards allowed. 28th in passing allowed, with 271.2 yards allowed per game, and 31st in rushing allowed, with 107.8 per allowed per game. We also finished last in points allowed per game, by allowing 26.3 points per game.
The Running Offense - The running offense was absolutely putrid this season. I don’t think we rushed for 100+ yards in a single game all season. Michael Turner finished with just 629 yards on 191 carries for the season. Part of the problem is the offensive line, but part of the problem is also the guy the ball is getting handed to.
The Offensive Line - This one is definitely related to the last one. The starting five lineman allowed combined to allow 18 sacks, and that’s not even counting the 15 sacks Renardo Foster allowed in six games before being benched. The line allowed an average of 3.2 yards per rush, which places approximately 29th in the NFL.


There may be more under good than there are under bad, but the things that were bad were very, very bad, and they aren’t things that you can afford to have a whole lot go wrong in, whereas the things that were good were mostly limited to select players, not a broad part of the game like running or defense.

Off-season preview coming next, later at some point.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Off-season Preview

The Plans for the Off-season

The holes we have are clear and plentiful. Fortunately, we have high enough picks to address these problems, unfortunately we’re over the salary cap and don’t have the money at the moment to address the problems. We have some pretty big players up for free agency (literally and figuratively) that are up for new contracts this off-season that we’ll have to let go in order to make room for the fresh blood that we’re going to be bringing in during the draft. Let’s start our look at the off-season there.

Expiring Contracts:


DT Rod Coleman (90) - Unfortunately, we’ll probably have to let Coleman go. Coleman had a pretty good year, and he’s likely to ask for more money than we will be able to give. I’d really like to keep him, but the chance of that happening is slim to none, and slim left town. I’m going to look at trading him for cash and/or draft picks before renewing contracts, however.
CB Chris Houston (74/85) - I think and hope I’ll be able to keep him. He didn’t have a great season, but he’s got potential to be an average to above-average cornerback. We should be able to re-sign him, and if we do I’ll look to re-sign him for 3-4 years.
FB Ovie Mughelli (74) - We can probably afford to keep him, but it’s more likely that we release him and get someone just as good, if not better, late in the draft for cheaper than it would be to resign him.
RG Harvey Dahl (71) - Not coming back. Of the offensive lineman who started every game this season, he allowed more sacks than anyone and had a YPR of only 3.4 when it was run at or near him.
WR Brian Finnegan (71) - I’d like to bring him back, but I literally have no idea if I will. It all depends on what he costs. If it’s feasible for us, he’s definitely coming back.


(Note: These are only the starters/important performers from last season that have expiring contracts. There are several other backups with expiring contracts, but I opted not to do all of them because I’m probably not keeping them anyways and it seemed pointless since they didn’t hardly play at all this season.)

As I said before, our holes are plentiful and clear. But we shouldn’t have too much trouble addressing them since we will have a top two pick (we tied with Kansas City, but they were one of the team’s we beat in the regular season so I think they get the #1 pick) and this draft is chock full of talent. Let’s delve into what holes we have to address, as well as what we might do and who we might get to address said holes, next.

Needs/Holes:


Shutdown Corner/Pass Defense - I believe this is easily the biggest need and hole on the defense. We already basically have the personnel in place to run a successful run defense, so it’s just a matter of acquiring the personnel to balance out the defense and solidify it all-around.

Possibilities to Fill Need:

Draft CB Vontae Davis (87/92) - This is our #1 option to fill this need. We really need to hope and pray that we get the #1 pick over Kansas City, and if that doesn't happen we need to hope and pray they don't pick him #1 ahead of us. Davis is easily the best corner in this draft. He plays the run well (82), is EXCELLENT in pass coverage (95), and can force the opposing offense into some turnovers (83). The only thing he really struggles in is pass rush, but that is the least of my concerns. He is the guy we really need and really want.
Draft CB Malcolm Jenkins (81/84) - If we can't get Davis, we're planning to draft a running back (since there aren't any good offensive lineman at the top of this draft) at #2 and trade back up into the first round to get Malcolm. Malcolm isn't nearly as good as Davis, but he's still a very good corner in his own right. He does decent against the run (74), plays the pass very well (94), and is also good at forcing turnovers (80). He too struggles rushing the passer (71), but that's not what you're supposed to look for in a corner. We may be better off trading up into the mid-first round so we can take Jenkins later in the first and then get a running back or defensive end at #2, but we really need the true shutdown guy Davis would bring us.
Free Agency/Lower Tier Draft Pick - Outside of those two, there isn't really anyone in the draft. And it's impossible for me to say whose gonna be on the free agent market at this point now as well. If we can't end up with one of those top two options, we're probably S.O.L.



Solidify the offensive line/running game - The running game and offensive line were two of our biggest problems throughout the '08-'09 season. The offensive line allowed only 3.2 yards per rush and Matt Ryan was also one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL. We believe we have a decent 'back in the Turner, but we may look to upgrade their as well.

Possibilities to Fill Need:

The Draft - There aren't any standout offensive lineman in this draft, no Joe Thomas' if you will, there are some pretty solid late-first, early-second round tackles. Our best case scenario would be getting Davis with our first pick, and then drafting a guy like T Eugene Monroe (78/84) or T Philip Loadhold (75/79) in the second or third round.
Free Agency - As with the pass defense problem above, we don't have any idea whose going to be hitting the free agent market, but aside from getting a second round talent for the offensive line, we don't really have a choice.
Get a RB at if Davis isn't available when we pick - We can try to address the ground game by simply getting another, better running back if we can't get our hands on Davis in the first round of the draft. This draft has a pretty good crop of talented running backs, with guys like Billy Bessent (84/87), Wayne Stein (79/88), and Roger Middleton (79/87) being the cream of the crop. If it does come to selecting a running back with our first pick, we would likely target Billy Bessent (84/87). He's an above-average runner (87), he catches the ball out of the back field well (84), he's extremely durable (97), and has great hands (94). He doesn't block well at all (60), but I could deal with it. Even if we do get Davis, we might try trading back into the first round to get one of the aforementioned running backs, or a second tier guy like Knowshon Moreno (78/86) or Deondre Tillis (78/79).



Those two needs are huge, but aside from them we've got a solid team. Assuming we can address those problems effectively, we should have a very good team and very likely a playoff contender for next season.

Now that you know the plans, let's get this off-season started :)!

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Off-season Review

Before we can talk about how I think my off-season went, we have to go over the moves I made, so let's get it done!

First we'll look at re-signings and releases.

Re-signings/Releases

(Note: I forgot that FBM doesn't have a transactions page when I was doing these, so I don't have a complete list of who I re-signed/released, but I'll do what I can remember. Next season, I'm going to make a list of who I keep and release, so I know when I do this again.)

Resignings

WR Laurent Robinson (74/79), 2Y @ 559K/Y - Robinson has a good amount of potential and (obviously) didn't demand much in negotiations, so it was an easy decision to keep him.
C Ben Wilkerson (72), 3Y @ 585K/Y - Wilkerson is a solid center that could be a starter for many teams, so we're lucky to have him as a back-up and it was an easy decision to keep him as well.
DT Rod Coleman (91), 2Y @ 2.86M/Y - This surprised me. Coleman was coming off a season in which he registered 7 sacks, and I was expecting him to ask for a lot more than he did. I was happy to keep him at that very reasonable and affordable price to keep my front 7 together.
LB Travis Williams (76/77), 3Y @ 915K/Y - Williams is a solid linebacker that could start for us if we didn't have so many talented linebackers already. We were able to get him cheap, and he could be Keith Brooking's heir one day.

Releases:

WR Brian Finneran - Finneran's price was reasonable, but when it came to him during resignings his rating was shown as a 64, and I decided he wasn't worth the money.
K Jason Elam - Elam was inconsistent all season, and I was excited to be rid of him.

Next, we'll look at trades. All these trades were made due to our need for money in order to sign draft picks and free agents.

Trades

Trade #1 - New England

New England received: RB Jerious Norwood (75/78), S Daren Stone (71/77), and Atlanta's 3rd and 4th round draft picks in 2011.
Atlanta received: 13 million dollars.

We were projected to need approximately 13 million dollars, just so we'd be able to sign our draft picks, but we also planned (and did) on delving into Free Agency to help address our needs. We made this deal as a first strike in order to get the bare minimum we might need, and recognized the possibility and likelihood that we would have to resort to trading for cash again.


Trade #2 - Philadelphia

Philadelphia received: CB Brent Grimes (77/78), Atlanta's 3rd round draft pick in 2010.
Atlanta received: 5 million dollars.

After our run through free agency, we didn't have enough money to sign our draft picks, so we made this deal to address that problem.

I wasn't particularly happy with what I had to give up in either deal, but it really was for the greater good, and I think you readers will agree once you see what these deals helped me land....

Next we'll tackle Free Agency. As indicated before, the two biggest holes were pass defense and the offensive line, and we addressed both those holes pretty well in Free Agency, before we hit the draft.

Free Agency

Signing #1, S Ed Reed (88) was signed to a 5-year deal worth 9.065 million dollars per year, with a 3.8 million dollar signing bonus - This signing made a ton of sense for us. Relative to his talent and how much he would help us patch up one our biggest holes, the asking price was extremely reasonable, affordable even. Reed immediately gives us presence in defending the pass. He plays the run well (79), is great in coverage (94), and is also great at forcing turnovers (92). His pass rush is sub-par (70), but that's not what I signed him to do.

Signing #2, LT Levi Jones (80) was signed to a 4-year deal worth 4.005 million dollars per year, with a 1.2 million dollar signing bonus - Another signing that just plain made sense. Again, the price was good considering his talent and our need. He's a good pass blocker (85), but he's best at what we needed him most for, run blocking (87). He's also very disciplined (84), but lacks endurance.

I was extremely happy with what we managed to get in Free Agency. Reed is one of the best safeties in the NFL and immediately makes the whole defense, especially the pass D, exponentially better. Levi was the best offensive lineman in Free Agency, and also fills a huge need.

And last, but certainly not least, the draft. The draft went better than I could've imagined in my wildest dreams.

The Draft

Pick #1 (1st overall), CB Vontae Davis (88/93) - We somehow ended up with the #1 overall pick, despite tying KC at 3-13 and beating them in the regular season (I assume the tie was broken alphabetically, but hey, I ain't complaining), and got the man we really wanted. Vontae was far and away the best corner in this year's draft. He plays the run surprisingly well for a corner (82), immediately becomes one of the best cover-corners in the NFL (93), and can force turnovers (83). As with Reed, not a good pass rusher, but again, that's not why we needed him. I would have been happy just getting him.
Pick #2 (33rd overall), RB Deondre Tillis (79/81) - After signing Levi in Free Agency, I figured I could take a skill player like Tillis and hold off on a tackle or guard until the third round. Tillis is going to step right in and be our starting running back, and he should do great things in that role. He's a great runner (92), an average receiver (76), extremely durable (97), a poor blocker (56), and has great hands (92).
Pick #3 (65th overall), T Phillip Loadholt (68/73) - This is huge part of why this draft went so well for us. Loadholt was the guy I was considering taking over Tillis in the second round, but I managed to come away with both of them when he was still on the board in round three. He's a much better pass blocker (80) than he is run blocker (66), but he also has good discipline (78) and endurance (83).
Pick #4 (97th overall), FB Chris Coleman (74/92)
Pick #5 (129th overall), K Tony Reiner (73/76)
Pick #6 (161st overall), WR Peter McMonegal (70/82)
Pick #7 (193rd overall), TE Keith Isenhour (67/73)

I'm extremely happy with the way the off-season went. We addressed our greatest needs very effectively, and at surprisingly reasonable prices. After this off-season, I'm definitely expecting some great things for next season.

[EVEN11323]

Nice work. Definitely were able to improve your problem areas. Hopefully you can hit .500 and maybe sneak into the playoffs this year.

[Arctic Blast]

Very nice offseason. Not only do you have a good young back, but his presence means you can unload Turner after next year and clear some additional cap space.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

2009 Draft (1st Round)



2009 COLLEGE DRAFT
================= First ROUND =================
Falcons Vontae Davis (CB)
Chiefs Knowshon Moreno (RB)
Titans Rey Maualuga (LB)
Ravens Greg Middleton (DE)
Bills Wayne Stein (RB)
49ers Malcolm Jenkins (CB)
Texans Brian Cushing (LB)
Eagles Roger Middleton (RB)
Saints Jason Shaffer (LB)
Browns Jawanzaa Starkey (DE)
Giants La'walter Wilson (LB)
Buccaneers Billy Bessent (RB)
Lions Herman Johnson (G)
Rams Gary Edwards (S)
Packers Aaron Smtih (CB)
Dolphins Eugene Monroe (T)
Cardinals Taylor Mays (S)
Colts Michael Oher (T)
Jets William Moore (S)
Redskins Al Woods (DT)
Bengals Dave Dickens (S)
Steelers Fili Moala (DT)
Seahawks Peter Nelson (LB)
Raiders Eric Downs (LB)
Broncos Janille West (LB)
Cowboys Dan Dark (CB)
Vikings Nate Mark (LB)
Chargers Tim Riley (DT)
Bears Daren Cornell (DE)
Jaguars Jason Harrison (S)
Panthers Michael Johnson (DE)
Patriots Sen'Derrick Marks (DT)

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

2009 Draft (Remaining Rounds)


2009 COLLEGE DRAFT
================= Second ROUND =================
Falcons Deondre Tillis (RB)
Chiefs D.J. Moore (CB)
Titans Isiah Tuttle (QB)
Ravens Charlie Coleman (S)
Bills Dale Crair (C)
49ers Greg Greive (WR)
Texans Theo Price (CB)
Eagles Alex Boone (T)
Saints Kyle King (CB)
Browns Roger Mongrain (RB)
Giants Ian Hicken (CB)
Buccaneers James Laurinaitis (LB)
Lions Jerome Sturgess (DE)
Rams Donovan Coombes (LB)
Packers Sean Osteen (LB)
Dolphins Travis Roberts (CB)
Cardinals Ian Ferguson (LB)
Colts Mark Kulp (FB)
Jets Paul McCready (DT)
Redskins Trevor Robinson (LB)
Bengals Shaun Parrish (G)
Steelers Benjamin Barber (DT)
Seahawks Matthew Lorenz (S)
Raiders Chad Breeding (DT)
Broncos Michael Long (S)
Cowboys Larry Jordan (C)
Vikings Maurice Evans (LB)
Chargers Eric Freeman (S)
Bears Derek Edenborough (LB)
Jaguars Cory Cayley (C)
Panthers Carlo Brown (S)
Patriots Deandrae Warren (DT)
================= Third ROUND =================
Falcons Phillip Loadholt (T)
Chiefs Zack Roberts (QB)
Titans Jason Haffner (QB)
Ravens Stewart Pitchforth (WR)
Bills Glenn Harris (DE)
49ers Justin Hudgens (DE)
Texans Alex Scarborough (DT)
Eagles Brad Barnes (CB)
Saints Ian Elibank (DE)
Browns Andre Smith (T)
Giants Benjamin Barret (DT)
Buccaneers Matt Stafford (QB)
Lions Will Shryock (DT)
Rams Andrew Benton (LB)
Packers Chris Wells (RB)
Dolphins Ken MacAuslan (CB)
Cardinals Lee MacPherson (DT)
Colts Jeff Gorcowski (C)
Jets George Selvie (DE)
Redskins Damian Bullock (LB)
Bengals Lemar Thompson (CB)
Steelers Tony Belcher (DE)
Seahawks Myron Rolle (S)
Raiders Harry Shatner (LB)
Broncos Rob Pearcey (T)
Cowboys Matthew Lenhart (DE)
Vikings Eli Faircloth (RB)
Chargers Eric Faulk (DT)
Bears Josh Hill (G)
Jaguars Brian Box (DT)
Panthers Brian Blick (S)
Patriots Charlie Brown (P)
================= Fourth ROUND =================
Falcons Chris Coleman (FB)
Chiefs Michael Crabtree (WR)
Titans Drew Daudelin (DT)
Ravens Mark Kepler (C)
Bills Eric Doster (DT)
49ers Homer Grinlee (S)
Texans Rutherford Noone (DE)
Eagles Deron Whitehead (FB)
Saints Jeff Joseph (QB)
Browns Tyson Jackson (DE)
Giants Gary Feasel (TE)
Buccaneers Will Skelling (QB)
Lions James Huse (C)
Rams Guy Guilford (RB)
Packers Duke Robinson (G)
Dolphins Jeremy Maclin (WR)
Cardinals Paul McClurkin (LB)
Colts Alan Albermarle (TE)
Jets Pat Marsham (T)
Redskins Jim Hallenbeck (LB)
Bengals Sandy Nutall (RB)
Steelers Peter Minton (CB)
Seahawks Reggie Szubinski (CB)
Raiders Theo Quick (DE)
Broncos Dale Davis (T)
Cowboys Tazarian Zimmerman (P)
Vikings D'andrea Turvill (CB)
Chargers Latraviaus Young (CB)
Bears James Hall (G)
Jaguars Rhashan Waters (FB)
Panthers Nat Manning (QB)
Patriots Brandon Beadles (P)
================= Fifth ROUND =================
Falcons Tony Reiner (K)
Chiefs Wayne Sampson (WR)
Titans D'Shaun Tharp (QB)
Ravens Ryan O'Connell (LB)
Bills Gordon Sepich (TE)
49ers Bruce Birmingham (S)
Texans Matthew Lindsay (S)
Eagles Karl Jesty (S)
Saints Dustin Docking (QB)
Browns Matthew McReynolds (WR)
Giants Nicholas Smith (C)
Buccaneers Everett Duffy (S)
Lions Will Stoudt (FB)
Rams Romain Turner (G)
Packers Brandon Breault (G)
Dolphins Richard Nicholls (WR)
Cardinals Jay Gandy (LB)
Colts Brian Beadle (WR)
Jets Greg Hardy (DE)
Redskins Tony Alison (LB)
Bengals Tre' Vaughn Zwillinger (DE)
Steelers Jeff Hitt (G)
Seahawks Garland Gallagher (P)
Raiders Jamerio Wolf (CB)
Broncos Ciron Black (T)
Cowboys Shawn Pinhay (LB)
Vikings Matt Laws (TE)
Chargers Andy Adams (CB)
Bears Nick Miller (C)
Jaguars Bryan Chaffee (TE)
Panthers De'John Tornow (WR)
Patriots Brian Cannoy (LB)
================= Sixth ROUND =================
Falcons Peter McMonegal (WR)
Chiefs Montre Wilson (WR)
Titans Peter Montacute (FB)
Ravens Adam Arbuckle (LB)
Bills John Kunz (LB)
49ers Randy Metherell (WR)
Texans Lowell Langton (G)
Eagles Chris Cleverdon (LB)
Saints Matt LaMange (WR)
Browns Bartt Swain (WR)
Giants Larry Jones (LB)
Buccaneers Scot Ogivlie (CB)
Lions Joshua Hilliard (TE)
Rams Joel Halterman (C)
Packers Joseph Hergenrother (CB)
Dolphins Brett Beckemeyer (CB)
Cardinals Pete Small (TE)
Colts David Carter (WR)
Jets Alan Barwick (DE)
Redskins Joe Kishinyovsky (CB)
Bengals Holger Granger (DE)
Steelers Chuck Breunig (C)
Seahawks Montray Woodwroe (S)
Raiders Martin McAldonich (DE)
Broncos La Ron Whaley (T)
Cowboys Kent Johnson (CB)
Vikings Todd Purcell (DE)
Chargers Matthew Kraaijvanger (G)
Bears Andy Appling (CB)
Jaguars Joseph Hopkins (WR)
Panthers Wayne Robles (WR)
Patriots Charles Carpenter (WR)
================= Seventh ROUND =================
Falcons Keith Isenhour (TE)
Chiefs Gary Garretson (WR)
Titans Ira Grosso (WR)
Ravens Steve Peak (FB)
Bills Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR)
49ers Marc Kruszewski (DE)
Texans Andy Scott (S)
Eagles Henry Fricker (WR)
Saints Nathaniel Marcoux (LB)
Browns Jovan Swartz (LB)
Giants Theo Phillips (FB)
Buccaneers Dwaun Webster (FB)
Lions Brian Biggers (S)
Rams Cornell Stickel (G)
Packers Dave Deborah (DE)
Dolphins James Frazee (WR)
Cardinals Greg Formichi (C)
Colts Michael McWaters (WR)
Jets Kadema Thompson (G)
Redskins Sam Miller (LB)
Bengals Reagan Mellott (DE)
Steelers Josh Layde (DE)
Seahawks Shantie Wolper (G)
Raiders Tim Sessor (G)
Broncos Brian Cameron (T)
Cowboys Ray Nieman (DE)
Vikings Jamerio Verran (WR)
Chargers Lashajaun Winburn (WR)
Bears Chris Crawford (WR)
Jaguars Mike MacAldonich (WR)
Panthers David Dowdeswell (DE)
Patriots Brad Brandt (DE)

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Week 1

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/car.gif
(1-0) (0-1)

Injuries:

Falcons 22 - Panthers 21
53 Rushing Yards 71
263 Passing Yards 204
316 Total Yards 275
2.4 YPR 4.4
57% Completion % 56%
17 1st Downs 17
2 Turnovers 2
0 Sacks 4
1 for 4 Penalties 3 for 20
35:47 TOP 24:13

The Good:

We opened up the season with a win!
Only 275 total yards allowed!
The money we invested in the pass-d paid off in the first game. We only allowed 204 passing yards and Ed Reed had an interception and three tackles.
Roddy White caught seven passes for 125 yards.
Keith Zinger caught five passes for 52 yards.
Matt Ryan had a solid game, going 24/44 for a touchdown and two picks.
Dominated the time of possession battle.


The Bad:

The running game struggled in the first game. Tillis ran for only 37 yards on 14 carries and our big free agent signing on the offensive line, Levi Jones, only had 1.8 yards per rush to his side.
We were out-sacked 4 to 0.
Jake Delhomme passed for three touchdowns, despite the low yardage total.
Too many incomplete passes.


Other Notes:

Vontae Davis recorded 1 tackle in his NFL debut.



Falcons 3 Stars of the Game:

WR Roddy White - 7 catches for 125 yards is a great way to open the season.
S Ed Reed - Ed's paying us immediate returns, picking off a pass and recording three tackles to help the defense.
The Defense - The defense as a whole played outstanding in comparison to last year and had a great deal to do with why we won this game.


A great way to open up this season after such a dismal season last year. The money we gave to Ed Reed is paying immediate dividends, as he already has one interception for us. What I wrote in the "bad" heading for this game, in comparison to what I was writing about and how much I was writing under the "bad" heading during much of the season last year, really shows a lot in itself, I think. Matt could have played better, and if he did we would've have won this game handily, but he turned in a solid performance and I can't complain. Opening the season with a win over the team that won our division last year and went to the Super Bowl is a great thing for this team. Next week, we're at home against the reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots for home opener. The Pat's defeated Denver 24-7 in their season opener and they should give us a helluva game and help us further measure ourselves to see how good we really are.

[Arctic Blast]

Just out of curiosity Dawg, have you checked out the rosters of your division rivals to see what they've put together for this year?

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

I'm still going to continue this. I haven't updated in a while because I got a new Wii this past week and I haven't been able to put it down for more than an hour, not counting sleeping time.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Just out of curiosity Dawg, have you checked out the rosters of your division rivals to see what they've put together for this year?

Tampa Bay is pretty good, possibly the favorite in the division. The defense is phenomenal, especially the pass defense, and the offense is roughly average with the potential to be better than average. Their QB is Luke McCown (69), but they got RB Billy Bessent (83/88) with their first pick and they have a great o-line.

Carolina is very good as well. They've got a great defense all-around, however the offense is so-so. Delhomme is a decent quarterback and their receivers are decent, they've got some solid 'backs, but the offensive line is pretty poor. I'm not really sure what to expect from them either, to be totally honest.

New Orleans looks average, maybe slightly below-average. Their defense is about average, and their offense aside from QB Tyler Palko (63) is good. They've got a great offensive line with a good running back in Reggie Bush so they may be able to win some games with that. For what it's worth, despite Palko's ugly rating, he did go 21/29 with 240 yards and five touchdowns week 1 against the Eagles.

I'm probably on par with the top two teams in the division, but the one thing I have going for me that the other teams in the division really don't is a very good QB.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Week 2

New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcons
http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/nwe.gifhttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nfl/teams/20080123/80x60/atl.gif
(1-1) (2-0)

Injuries:

Patriots 28 - Falcons 34
60 Rushing Yards 69
282 Passing Yards 330
342 Total Yards 399
5.0 YPR 2.8
72% Completion % 71%
21 1st Downs 22
1 Turnovers 1
2 Sacks 2
2 for 28 Penalties 5 for 30
2/4 3rd Down 9/11
31:15 TOP 28:45

The Good:

We converted 81% of our third downs and only failed to convert twice.
We dominated the TOP battle.
Roddy White had another phenomenal game, catching 11 balls for 187 yards and one touchdown.
Matt Ryan played well, going 25/36 for 330 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Held 'em to 60 yards on the ground.


The Bad:

We allowed over 342 yards of total offense, including 282 through the air.
Only 69 rushing yards.
Too many penalties.


Falcons 3 Stars of the Game:

WR Roddy White - Roddy had his second 100 yard game in two games this season. He caught 11 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown overall.
QB Matt Ryan - Ryan also had an excellent game. He completed 25 of 36 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns.
LB Michael Boley - Boley recorded 4.5 tackles and a sack in the win over the Patriots.


A great win for us! In our first two games of the season we beat the top two teams in the NFL from last season, the SuperBowl winner Patriots and the SuperBowl runner-up Panthers, which can't be anything except for a good sign. Our defense didn't play as well as it can, but we made up for it not only with great games out of Matt Ryan and Roddy White, but also winning in crucial statistical battles, namely time of possession and 3rd Down. All in all another great win. The offense played great, but the defense needs to play better, we'll get there though.

[reflections]

WOW.
Michael Crabtree not drafted till the 4th round?
lol

[DarthJaker]

i hate u! you beat the pats!:mad::D