The dirty birds are not grounded yet

Falcons head coach Mike Smith has been criticized all week for his decision to go for it on 4 th down at the Falcons own 29-yard line. People have now declared that the Falcons will miss the playoffs and all the moves they like acquiring Julio Jones and signing Ray Edwards was a gamble that didn’t pay off. I think the Falcons are in a perfect position to finish the season with 12 wins, just one win of what they had last year.

The Falcons still have to face three teams from the AFC South in the Titans, Texans and Jaguars, if there was ever a division the Falcons wanted to face in the AFC it was this one. The Falcons also face the Vikings, Buccaneers and Panthers. The only thing Minnesota has working for them is the running game of Adrian Petersen and even though the Falcons lost to the Buccaneers I don’t believe that will happen again when Tampa Bay visits the Georgia Dome, as for Carolina yes they are talented but they are just not good. So if the Falcons can take care of business and beat these teams like they should that is already six wins for the Falcons which will make 11 for the season. The only really tough game that the Falcons will face in my opinion will be against the Saints the day after Christmas on Monday Night Football in New Orleans.

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I credit Mike Smith for his gamble, because he was trying to send a vote of confidence to his team. When it’s only inches and you have a big, physical running back like Michael Turner I would want Coach Smith to take that chance every time. Credit the Saints also, because they made the stop, but for the Falcons it was simple to me if they weren’t able to get an inch then they didn’t deserve to win the game. The Falcons will be fine, because this team knows that they have to play better to make the playoffs, but most importantly the superstars for the Falcons know that they have to step up their play for the Falcons to be successful. This team knows what is at stake for them which makes me more confident in this team.

By: Steven Virden
ProFootball-fans.com Atlanta Falcons Correspondent