Falcons Falter: Drop to 4-2

A week after the Atlanta Falcons stole yet another close game against the Cleveland Browns, their overall play looked abysmal this week against the Philadelphia Eagles, losing 31-17. The Falcons have had the benefit of a relatively easy schedule to start the season. Going on the road to face Pittsburgh and New Orleans have been the only real tests thus far, and the Saints were without two of their biggest weapons in Reggie Bush and Darren Sharper, as were the Steelers without Ben Roethlisberger. While they manhandled the Arizona Cardinals, they found difficulty putting away two inferior teams in games against the 49ers and Browns. One thing was clear this week; the Falcons were not facing the Cleveland Browns, nor were they facing the likes of Jake Delhomme or Alex Smith.

So goes the story of the NFL this season were parity has been prevalent throughout the first six weeks of the season. The incredible high that Atlanta rode into Lincoln Financial Field with, off an incredible play by Kroy Biermann to end last week’s victory, was quickly forgotten as the Eagles thoroughly humbled Mike Smith and company. The Falcons appeared flat right from the onset, looking too predictable and rather sluggish for most of this contest. Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey still does not use the arsenal of weapons he possesses to his advantage. This was a problem throughout much of last season, and the early success this season has really overshadowed Mularkey’s poor decision making. He consistently fails to put Matt Ryan in favorable situations to be successful, all while his play calling is not fooling anyone.

One reason for the Falcons success early had been their ability to keep their offense on the field for sustained drives. As the offense has continued to lack imagination, defenses have been able to limit the effectiveness of Michael Turner, who has averaged 3.0 and 3.1 yards per carry in 2 of his last 3 games. The glaring weakness on this offensive line has continued to be at left tackle, where Sam Baker has been overmatched in seemingly every aspect. Trent Cole made his way into the backfield for 2 sacks, including a forced fumble, but was in Matt Ryan’s face on nearly every drop back. While the Falcons did address a glaring need at Outside Linebacker in round one of the 2010 NFL Draft by selecting Sean Weatherspoon, they ignored a potentially bigger issue in protecting their franchise quarterback. The play of their offensive line as a whole has been average, as Turner has seen mixed results on the ground, and Ryan’s time in the pocket has also on different occasions this season, with Baker serving as the one constant to be beaten week in week out. Ryan finished the day going 23 of 42 for 250 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception that slipped through the hands of Tony Gonzalez, and into the waiting arms of Asante Samuel. Michael Jenkins led the Falcons in receiving in his return, racking up 99 yards on 5 catches.

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The biggest concern this weekend for Atlanta had to be the play of their defense, which for the first time genuinely looked out of their element against the Eagles and their explosive playmakers. DeSean Jackson raced through the secondary on an end around for a 31 yard touchdown score early in the game, and followed that with a 34 yard touchdown over the middle, beating Curtis Lofton and William Moore. Jeremy Maclin later added an 83 yard touchdown, torching safety Thomas Decoud, as Kevin Kolb had all day in the pocket to complete the throw. Kolb finished the day going 23 of 29 for 326 yards, going practically untouched most of the game, helping Eagles wide receivers to have a field day on the Falcons secondary. Maclin led the pack, hauling in 9 catches for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kolb’s only interception came near the end of the first half, as the ball was deflected twice, then into the hands of William Moore for his third pick of the season. The Falcons defense was playing without Sean Weatherspoon, and John Abraham was not at 100%, taking away much of the speed this defense relies. Still, there has to be serious concern for the lack of pressure generated in the Eagles backfield by Atlanta’s front seven, despite facing a depleted Eagles offensive line.

With the unusual amount of violent hits this Sunday, the NFL is now cracking down on helmet to helmet collisions and hits on defenseless receivers. The biggest hit of the weekend came from Dunta Robinson, as he launched himself, leading with his helmet, at an unsuspecting DeSean Jackson. Jackson lay motionless on the field for several minutes before walking off with help from medical personal, without any recollection of the hit. Jackson suffered memory loss and a severe concussion, his second in as many seasons, and Robinson also suffered head injuries on the collision. The NFL is a violent sport, and this has been a controversial topic in the days following many of these hits. When the primary objective for many defensive players is to have an aspect of intimidation to their style of play, it is difficult to determine where the line should be drawn on big hits. While it certainly is not politically correct to endorse the type of violence seen this weekend, it has been a part of this game for decades. Players make their own decision to be a part of this violent game, nobody is forcing them. Mark Schlereth, ESPN analyst, had an interesting argument, discussing how the NFL has no right to stick their hands into these players’ pockets, when he was denied certain retirement disability benefits, despite 29 surgeries during his playing career. However, clearly now, with more evidence on the effects of concussions post-football, I certainly cannot argue with the NFL looking to crack down on “illegal” hits. I do feel that a line has to be drawn on when a player is simply intending to injure a defenseless player, and when he is trying to make a play to help his team to victory.

So what exactly are the Falcons? We’ve seen both sides of the trenches look terrific in some games, and sluggish in others. We’ve seen their secondary limit the effectiveness of Drew Brees, while being exploited by Kevin Kolb. Tony Gonzalez still shows top tight end capability, but is not as sure handed and dynamic as he once was. This team has held its own on the road against some difficult opponents this season, but has also struggled with the likes of Cleveland and San Francisco. To a certain degree, I feel this unit has a tendency for playing down to bad opponents, and up to good ones. When facing the task of beating a subpar team, rather than possessing that killer instinct of a great team, they play to avoid losing. As the Eagles headed into Sunday snake bit by injuries, it seemed right from the beginning that Atlanta was playing to avoid mistakes. Looking ahead to this Sunday, the Falcons should be able to get to Carson Palmer, who has shown he can be thrown off his game if hit enough. If the front seven plays like it did this past week, look for Palmer to have similar results as Kevin Kolb. On offense, this unit will only go as far as Mike Mularkey takes them. While the offensive line is far from great, it is good enough that with enough deception, they will hold their own. If things continue to be vanilla on offense, this unit will be exposed, resulting in what we saw against Philadelphia, where Matt Ryan was forced to throw 42 times with no effective rushing attack. As we have seen, the winning formula for this team is being able to maintain drives through a consistent rushing attack, helping Matt Ryan to get easier looks, and ultimately avoiding playing one-dimensional football. As teams have adjusted to this approach, it is now time for Mularkey to open the playbook and get defenses off balance, something he has not shown the ability to do this season.

By Kevin Sirkin
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer