Atlanta Falcons Green Bay Packers Matchup

[PackersRS]

Thanks man! I do have a couple of questions.

1) What should we look for when we're on defense? Do you run any trick plays or employ any screens?

Very rarely. The only time we ran various screens was against MN, because we prepared for that game since day 1 of the offseason. We don't run a lot of gadget plays.

The most gadget play we run is the run-pass option, where it's a designed run, but Rodgers has the ability to keep the ball and throw a quick pass to the receivers

2) Other than Jennings, who should we look out for?

We don't use the RB on the passing game much, though lately it's happening (thank God).
Driver will get his share of catches, now that he's healthy. Look for him in the slot. And James Jones is really coming of age lately. Look for him in go routes wide.

3) I don't know much about the packers' offense, so was the game against the Vikings typical of the packers offense or more of the product of the Vikings' ineptitude?

Typical, depends.
The last 3 years, we've been a scoring juggernaut. Last year, we scored 23+ points every game.

This year, we were really struggling. Only the last 2 games, with unninterested teams, we've been able to score at will.

But this offense is capable of scoring in bunches, if they get on a rythm. But they tend to start really slow.

How good is your D-line and O-line?

Our DL is really, really good.
It was weak against the pass last year, but now they've been great. We have IMHO 2 pro bowlers in BJ Raji and Cullen Jenkins. Raji is just a beast, a big NT that is very nimble and capable of disrupt the pocket.

And Jenkins was a 4-3 DE, he can really wreak havoc and disrupt the pass.

We were struggling a bit against the run due to short personel before (once we had only 2 healhty DLmen), but since Pickett (330 pounds) came back, and we got Howard Green (340), with BJ (330), we have been really stout against the run. The yardage you see early on is due to QB scrambling against us (Cutler had 50 yards, Vick had 60, Shaun hill had 70...).

Only 1 RB ran for 100+ yards on us all year (Peterson, in 28 carries), and we have never allowed more than 1 rushing TD in a game (only 4 rushing TDs all year).

But the entire D is predicated on 3 players: Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams.
Without Clay Matthews, the DL can't bring pressure enough. Without Woodson, there isn't the IT factor, as Woodson is good for 2 gamechanging plays per game. And without Williams, Capers can't bring the whole playbook. Williams shuts down the receiver he covers. He's playing almost as well as Revis did last year, and is playing as the best corner in the league, IMHO.

About our OL, it's not a strenght by any means. It's been much better as of late, but it's not a dominant OL.

We only have one dominant player: Josh Sitton. FootballOutsiders ranks him as the #1 guard in the league, and ProFootballFocus ranks him top 5. He's amazing, he's only 24 and he's great both at the run and at the pass.

Chad Clifton has been renewed. After looking like 40 early in the season, he's been playing as well as ever. He has only allowed 2 pressures the last 4 games, facing Jarred Allen twice, Demarcus Ware and the Jets D. Clifton was furt for much of last year and early on, but he's been fully healhty, and it shows.

Daryn Colledge was a MAJOR weakness last year, but he's been solid. He's been playing really well, even in the run, and is not committing stupid penalties like he was before. But he's not a strenght.

Scott Wells, our center, has been playing solid since he came back on the lineup last year. Against the pass, he's not strong, but he gets the job done EVERY time, and he's GREAT at calling protectins. He's one of the smartest centers in the league. But he's weak. He brings almost nothing at the running game.

Bryan Bulaga is our rookie 1st rounder. He has struggled playing RT. He never played before. While he's good at the running game, he has suffered from foot technique, and has allowed a ton of pressures and sacks. He's the weak link in our OL, and can be exploited. But he's a very smart kid, he doesn't get completely dominated by anyone, he tends to recover from his mistakes

To summarize:
DL against the Pass: A
DL against the Run: B+

OL pass protecting: B
OL run blocking: C+

-------

Oh, and about the offensive playcalling:
MM comes from the Marty Shottenheimer coaching tree, so he's VERY conservative early on, and usually when with a lead. He's hard in making adjustements, though as of late he's been great.

But one thing, he's the BEST in the league in creating mismatches. THE BEST, bar none. He will exploit you LBs by making them cover Jennings in the slot, he'll stay away from Dunta Robinson, he'll come after your young CBs. He's made Cook's life a living hell (the vikings young corner), he's made the Dallas CBs a living hell. He's got the weapons.

He's kinda predictable, though. If you see Jordy Nelson playing wide in a 2 receiver set, be sure it's a run. If you see Jennings lined up at the slot with 3 or 4 receivers sets, be sure he'll go deep.

 

[Falconfansince82]

Very in-depth analysis on your team, thanks! I wanted to address the personnel on both sides of the ball for the Falcons.

Our O-Line can't be confused with the Hogs of yesteryear, but they work pretty well together. Largely underrated, but the huge weak link is by far Sam Baker. He's the LT and has been highly vilified on our boards for the majority of the season. He nearly got Ryan killed against Tampa a couple of weeks ago. Some members have wanted him to play a RG or RT, but at any rate, we can't wait for Dimitroff to draft a replacement LT for the future.

McClure is undersized, but he is very knowledgeable when it comes to picking up blitzes. We were worried like heck when he was questionable for the Ravens game, but luckily he was able to play. And then there's the right side of the line: Tyson Clabo and Harvey Dahl. These two guys always play through the whistle and finish their blocks. Harvey Dahl was actually nominated as the nastiest O-Lineman in the league. But therein lies the problem. They are extremely aggressive which could lead to costly penalties. So don't be surprised if you see Dahl or Clabo finishing up a block while the play is being whistled dead.

The group is above average run blocking but average on pass blocking. What helps the O-line is Ryan's ability to get rid of the ball quickly. Ryan is able to make quick decisions and rarely holds on to the ball longer than he has to. He would gladly throw the ball out of bounds and live to fight another day. In fact, we're 5th in the league in fewest sacks allowed (15).

On defense, Abraham is a playmaker and can take over a game when he has to. Biermann is undersized but has a relentless motor. On the interior, we rotate our D-lineman in and out on nearly every play. We'll use Chauncey Davis, Jonathan Babineaux (perhaps THE underrated interior D-lineman in all the league), Corey Peters (whom the coaches really love), Vance Walker, Peria Jerry (when he's healthy) and Jamaal Anderson (aka LUDA!). In the run game, Babineaux and Anderson do a great job in gap penetration and stopping the running back in the backfield. They have a horrible job containing mobile QBs, however. In fact, Freeman and Flacco burned us on a couple of scrambles on critical 3rd down situations. If the D-line isn't able to get to Rodgers, then he'll have all day to throw which brings me to the pass defense.

Brian Van Gorder employs a lot of underneath coverage which is designed to prevent deep plays over the top. He does try to blitz, but since we don't play typical bump and run coverages, any slant or in route will beat those blitzes. Mike Williams beat Dunta on a simple slant and ran all the way to the end zone. The TE from Cincy was able to run across the field on an all-out blitz with no one in the middle of the field for the easy touchdown. Same with Lance Moore. It was a blown coverage where we tried to match Weatherspoon on Moore which put DeCoud in a bad situation, and the result was one of the easiest touchdowns anyone could ever make.

Also, Brent Grimes is small, but he always finds a way to almost make a play. We've said it time and time again that if he was a few inches taller, he'd be a top 10 DB. As it stands, Rodgers can play jump ball with his receivers all day on Grimes, and 9 times out of 10 will complete those passes. However, Rodgers can't be lazy with his passes because Grimes has an amazing leaping ability; he also has by far the best hands on the defense.

Mike Mularkey hasn't won many fans this year especially with the debacle in Philly. Since then, we have actually applauded the way he's opened up the playbook and not being so conservative. You could argue though that Ryan has actually called the majority of the game himself. In the past few games, we've started to throw the ball downfield more than usual.

Misc. notes on personnel.

You won't have to worry about Gonzo beating you guys down the seam. He's more of a 5-10 yard receiver on comebacks and out routes. He's also the master at drawing PI calls. Lately, he's been dropping more and more passes each week (including a critical 3rd down drop in the red zone when he was WIDE OPEN). The one thing about Gonzo is that he tends to be Ryan's safety net, and we've labeled that Gonzovision.

Harry Douglas. We don't know what's going on with him. We all envisioned that he would be our Wes Welker and just run all over defenses this year. He's constantly dropping balls left and right, and he just doesn't seem to have the same chemistry with Ryan that other receivers do.

Michael Jenkins. He's not going to burn you down the field. He's more of a possession receiver that will gladly sit in holes in the zone and rarely gets any yac. He really likes the comeback routes and out routes, and he's an excellent blocker in the running game.

Jason Snelling is vastly underrated as a running back and receiver. He'll occasionally will spell Turner in the running game and is capable of going off at any time. He's been used more in the receiving game as of late, and has had key receptions on 3rd down. So, on 3rd downs, your LBs will need to smother him forcing Ryan to hold on to the ball even longer.

Mike Smith will usually go for it on 4th and short 75% of the time. Also, Matt Bryant is pretty much automatic when it comes to field goals. He can pretty much make any kick at any time.

Last but not least, this team plays all 60 minutes. The Falcons of old, would only play the first half and that's it. I'm being honest, but you will have to jump on us like Philly did. There was a stretch of a quarter and a half where we almost got back in it, but Philly shut the door on us. We believe we can come back from any deficit at any time. I am really looking forward to this game Sunday. If you guys have any other questions about our team, don't be afraid to ask.

 

[Powarun]

Wow, such detail, I can really say I am excited for this game. I really want both teams to be playing since this may be the Packers toughest game of the regular season. And it means so much for both team.

Falconsfan82 thank you for being so polite and not coming in and making enemies. It is so rare that we get a visitor that doesn't bash the Pack on the upcoming game week. Plus the details you provided with the Falcons really helped understand the game, since no offense I doubt most of us watch the Falcons that much up here.

 

[Falconfansince82]

Wow, such detail, I can really say I am excited for this game. I really want both teams to be playing since this may be the Packers toughest game of the regular season. And it means so much for both team.

Falconsfan82 thank you for being so polite and not coming in and making enemies. It is so rare that we get a visitor that doesn't bash the Pack on the upcoming game week. Plus the details you provided with the Falcons really helped understand the game, since no offense I doubt most of us watch the Falcons that much up here.

LOL I actually could have been hostile towards you guys given how many years we've had to hear about Bret Favre being a former Falcon. I can't count how many times we had to live that trade down since the early 90's. Nearly every year, our own columnists would write 'what-could-have-beens' if Favre had stayed a Falcon.

I actually like Green Bay and always have. I was really rooting for you guys against the Giants during Favre's final season. It just seemed like he would go out with another ring until he threw that ill-fated interception. You guys rarely trash talk in the media, and don't really have any players that are "me-first!". Then, you have Charles Woodson, Clay Mathews, A.J. Hawk, B.J. Raji, Donald Driver (always liked him), Rodgers, and I could go on and on.

There is one player I could never forget: Samkon Gado

 

[Wood Chipper]

I think it is going to come down to which team protects the ball best. A single INT or fumble could be the difference.

i agree as well. tho honestly i cant name any players on the whole atlanta team besides matt ryan, roddy white, and michael turner

 

[PackersRS]

LOL I actually could have been hostile towards you guys given how many years we've had to hear about Bret Favre being a former Falcon. I can't count how many times we had to live that trade down since the early 90's. Nearly every year, our own columnists would write 'what-could-have-beens' if Favre had stayed a Falcon.

I actually like Green Bay and always have. I was really rooting for you guys against the Giants during Favre's final season. It just seemed like he would go out with another ring until he threw that ill-fated interception. You guys rarely trash talk in the media, and don't really have any players that are "me-first!". Then, you have Charles Woodson, Clay Mathews, A.J. Hawk, B.J. Raji, Donald Driver (always liked him), Rodgers, and I could go on and on.

There is one player I could never forget: Samkon Gado

We've been through this before in here, about Favre in Atlanta.

Favre was a mess. A complete mess. He was a womanizer, a drunk. If he had not been traded to GB, with Mike Holmgren, NO WAY Favre would be the man he was (3 Favres. The first, the drunk, childish party boy 89-93. The second, the winner, the 3-time MVP, married man, warrior93-99. The 3rd, the primadonna, privilege gunslinger.99-present)

And LOL at Samkon Gado!

 

[Aaron rodgers is god]

We can beat them because our offense is equally good but our defense is much better than theirs.

 

[longtimefan]

Favre as a Falcon probably would have failed..

He needed Holmgren to hlep him, other wise probably wouldnt have done as well

 

[Murgen]

Hell, Glannvile probably would have had Farve blow out his arm throwing balls up into the 3rd tier of the Georgia dome to win a few bets.

 

[falcon54]

Very in-depth analysis on your team, thanks! I wanted to address the personnel on both sides of the ball for the Falcons.

Our O-Line can't be confused with the Hogs of yesteryear, but they work pretty well together. Largely underrated, but the huge weak link is by far Sam Baker. He's the LT and has been highly vilified on our boards for the majority of the season. He nearly got Ryan killed against Tampa a couple of weeks ago. Some members have wanted him to play a RG or RT, but at any rate, we can't wait for Dimitroff to draft a replacement LT for the future.

McClure is undersized, but he is very knowledgeable when it comes to picking up blitzes. We were worried like heck when he was questionable for the Ravens game, but luckily he was able to play. And then there's the right side of the line: Tyson Clabo and Harvey Dahl. These two guys always play through the whistle and finish their blocks. Harvey Dahl was actually nominated as the nastiest O-Lineman in the league. But therein lies the problem. They are extremely aggressive which could lead to costly penalties. So don't be surprised if you see Dahl or Clabo finishing up a block while the play is being whistled dead.

The group is above average run blocking but average on pass blocking. What helps the O-line is Ryan's ability to get rid of the ball quickly. Ryan is able to make quick decisions and rarely holds on to the ball longer than he has to. He would gladly throw the ball out of bounds and live to fight another day. In fact, we're 5th in the league in fewest sacks allowed (15).

On defense, Abraham is a playmaker and can take over a game when he has to. Biermann is undersized but has a relentless motor. On the interior, we rotate our D-lineman in and out on nearly every play. We'll use Chauncey Davis, Jonathan Babineaux (perhaps THE underrated interior D-lineman in all the league), Corey Peters (whom the coaches really love), Vance Walker, Peria Jerry (when he's healthy) and Jamaal Anderson (aka LUDA!). In the run game, Babineaux and Anderson do a great job in gap penetration and stopping the running back in the backfield. They have a horrible job containing mobile QBs, however. In fact, Freeman and Flacco burned us on a couple of scrambles on critical 3rd down situations. If the D-line isn't able to get to Rodgers, then he'll have all day to throw which brings me to the pass defense.

Brian Van Gorder employs a lot of underneath coverage which is designed to prevent deep plays over the top. He does try to blitz, but since we don't play typical bump and run coverages, any slant or in route will beat those blitzes. Mike Williams beat Dunta on a simple slant and ran all the way to the end zone. The TE from Cincy was able to run across the field on an all-out blitz with no one in the middle of the field for the easy touchdown. Same with Lance Moore. It was a blown coverage where we tried to match Weatherspoon on Moore which put DeCoud in a bad situation, and the result was one of the easiest touchdowns anyone could ever make.

Also, Brent Grimes is small, but he always finds a way to almost make a play. We've said it time and time again that if he was a few inches taller, he'd be a top 10 DB. As it stands, Rodgers can play jump ball with his receivers all day on Grimes, and 9 times out of 10 will complete those passes. However, Rodgers can't be lazy with his passes because Grimes has an amazing leaping ability; he also has by far the best hands on the defense.

Mike Mularkey hasn't won many fans this year especially with the debacle in Philly. Since then, we have actually applauded the way he's opened up the playbook and not being so conservative. You could argue though that Ryan has actually called the majority of the game himself. In the past few games, we've started to throw the ball downfield more than usual.

Misc. notes on personnel.

You won't have to worry about Gonzo beating you guys down the seam. He's more of a 5-10 yard receiver on comebacks and out routes. He's also the master at drawing PI calls. Lately, he's been dropping more and more passes each week (including a critical 3rd down drop in the red zone when he was WIDE OPEN). The one thing about Gonzo is that he tends to be Ryan's safety net, and we've labeled that Gonzovision.

Harry Douglas. We don't know what's going on with him. We all envisioned that he would be our Wes Welker and just run all over defenses this year. He's constantly dropping balls left and right, and he just doesn't seem to have the same chemistry with Ryan that other receivers do.

Michael Jenkins. He's not going to burn you down the field. He's more of a possession receiver that will gladly sit in holes in the zone and rarely gets any yac. He really likes the comeback routes and out routes, and he's an excellent blocker in the running game.

Jason Snelling is vastly underrated as a running back and receiver. He'll occasionally will spell Turner in the running game and is capable of going off at any time. He's been used more in the receiving game as of late, and has had key receptions on 3rd down. So, on 3rd downs, your LBs will need to smother him forcing Ryan to hold on to the ball even longer.

Mike Smith will usually go for it on 4th and short 75% of the time. Also, Matt Bryant is pretty much automatic when it comes to field goals. He can pretty much make any kick at any time.

Last but not least, this team plays all 60 minutes. The Falcons of old, would only play the first half and that's it. I'm being honest, but you will have to jump on us like Philly did. There was a stretch of a quarter and a half where we almost got back in it, but Philly shut the door on us. We believe we can come back from any deficit at any time. I am really looking forward to this game Sunday. If you guys have any other questions about our team, don't be afraid to ask.

Wow amazing break down. I would have to say that he nailed the nail on the head with this breakdown of the Falcons.
One thing I could add is we are a possesion team. If we are in our no huddle and Ryan is calling the plays we are going to move the ball at about 4 to 5 yard chunks on long drives. This is how we beat the other teams by wearing them down. Then in the fourth our run game typically has a few explosive plays

 

[Falconfansince82]

We've been through this before in here, about Favre in Atlanta.

Favre was a mess. A complete mess. He was a womanizer, a drunk. If he had not been traded to GB, with Mike Holmgren, NO WAY Favre would be the man he was (3 Favres. The first, the drunk, childish party boy 89-93. The second, the winner, the 3-time MVP, married man, warrior93-99. The 3rd, the primadonna, privilege gunslinger.99-present)

And LOL at Samkon Gado!

I'll never forget that game in the Dome in '05. We were coming into the game 6-2, and you guys were 1-7 at the time. For some reason, I didn't feel confident coming into this game. You guys exposed our interior D with Gado, who had a career day (wasn't he a dr at some point?), and we never recovered going 2-6 the rest of the way.

 

[DergaSmash]

Honestly, I think these 2 teams are pretty evenly matched. I think offensively they are damn near equal. We might have a slight edge in our passing game, but they have the edge in the running game. I think our defense is a bit better but the Falcons will have home field advantage. I seriously think that this game will come down to one or a combination of these things; who makes the fewest mistakes (penalties and turnovers), key injuries, and who has the last possession in both halves.

If the Pack can play offense without penalties, and the defense continues as it has, I give the edge to Green Bay.

If the noise gets to the Pack, or the defense can't make the Falcon's one dimensional, Atlanta will probably win.

Either way, I think this is probably the most important game of the season. The Pack faces arguably the best NFC team on their home turf. If they can pull it out, they control a tie-breaker over the NFC South leading Falcons, but more importantly, they would have beaten one the best teams in the league on their home turf. It would be a great confidence booster.

 

[longtimefan]

I'll never forget that game in the Dome in '05. We were coming into the game 6-2, and you guys were 1-7 at the time. For some reason, I didn't feel confident coming into this game. You guys exposed our interior D with Gado, who had a career day (wasn't he a dr at some point?), and we never recovered going 2-6 the rest of the way.

Yeah he was trying to become a DR..

Not sure how far he is with that

 

[longtimefan]

Thanks man! I do have a couple of questions.

1) What should we look for when we're on defense? Do you run any trick plays or employ any screens?

2) Other than Jennings, who should we look out for?

3) I don't know much about the packers' offense, so was the game against the Vikings typical of the packers offense or more of the product of the Vikings' ineptitude?

How good is your D-line and O-line?

I know this has been answered but this is my take

1) I dont see us running any trick plays at all..We did have a 4th down for a 52 yard fg try on a Sunday night vs the Vikes that was a fake fg and almost made it..But for most part wont see a flea flicker or reverses (unless coaches think that your defense can be had at that)

Screens..I have been screaming for screens all year, and they did lot of them the 1st Viking game, but that was about it...If they do them again they do TE screens as well...But majority of games you will not see to many screens

2) If James Jones is having a good day, he can be dangerous, but he is just so inconsistent...But to me it appears he is starting to get more consistent...Driver is solid, he may not get a lot of yac, but he is normally very reliable, and crafty...Jordy Nelson and Brett Swain, right now are just guys, nothing to explosive about them..Our TE are really nothing to be overly concerned about right now.

3) What you saw vs the Viks is typical, or at least what the team and fans EXPECT...Our running game wont be anything pretty, just okay..If sticking to game plan, the running game will get about 80 to 100 yards, between 2 or 3 different backs...Main back Jackson isn't a fumbler, and he isnt a speeder...Just a easy going back that will get 2-3 yards then goes for a stretch of 4-6 yards.

Rodgers will be very careful with the ball, in fact he does hold onto it little to long at times and will take a sack ( only have 20 right now)

Our o-l are gelling finally, we may not have world beaters but they do get the job done. We have rookie rt tackle in Bulaga from Iowa...Very good run blocker, but has some trouble with pass protection..Not a lot, but will have a few slip ups.

D-L we have 3 HUGE tackles and Nt
LE Pickket 340
NT Raji-337, Green 340 (took from JETS week b4 we played them
RE Jenkins 305

Those guys will play allot, Raji has been playing almost EVERY snap... they will rotate with a few other guys, but those are the man ones...

Jenkins had a broken hand with a club and was really playing outstanding with it..Just couldnt get any sacks cuz of it... this is his 2nd week w/o it, so look for him to be a force

Our 3rd game of the year?? vs Bears on Monday night, we had 18 penalties, and lost by 3 I think

Last 3 games we have had 3 penalties..So it appears they play smart with few mistakes..

 

[FrankRizzo]

Good stuff ^^^

Here's more from the great Bob McGinn:
Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons Breakdown | Packers Insider


Here's some more stuff from this matchup.
We lost to them 2 years ago in Green Bay (Matt Ryan's rookie season). Everyone knows Atlanta is A LOT better home team. Ryan has only lost 1 game as a starter at home in his career. But they beat us in a close game in Green Bay 2 years ago.

Rodgers had a good game, so did Matt Ryan. The difference that day was mostly the running game. They pounded us for 176 yards on the ground.

Also, we missed a field goal, they didn't. And they sacked Rodgers 2 times, we didn't touch Matt Ryan.

All that added up to a close game, and for some reason, Matt Ryan has won his close games, while Rodgers has lost most of his close games. As you guys know, all three of our losses this season were by 3 points, and counting the previous loss to that, the OT loss in Arizona, we've lost 4 close games, 3 in overtime, with Rodgers having 5 series to win those games, and he didn't get the job done. Excuses aside, the fact of the matter so far is that Ryan has demonstrated that for some reason, he's had a clutch knack for coming up big late in tight games.

Either the Packers win by 7+ here, or Atlanta will win a close game and give us Packer fans the same sick feeling we had in Washington, in Chicago, and vs Miami.

This is the box score of our game vs Atlanta 2 seasons ago. http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2008100503/2008/REG5/falcons@packers/analyze

 

[dbain21]

Its much better being under the radar for this team, they seem to play much better. Whether it was because we had so many injuries or not, remember at the beginning of the season when the packers were "going to the superbowl" in the eyes of many analyst. Everyone was hyping up this team, and the offense just couldnt get going and overall we didnt look that great- once again injuries had alot to do with it.

But after the media got cold on us again this team starting putting the pieces together. Whats funny, is that if we beat Atlanta this week, I have a feeling were gonna be talked about alot more, still probably not as much as the queens which is a good thing.

 

[Ice2White]

Hello Packers fans. I'm another Falcons fan. I'm not going to start any fights either. I don't want you to assume that all Falcons fans are this cordial, but it's nice we're being represented well on your boards.

No offense to FalconsFanSince82, but you guys shouldn't take his word on everything related to the Falcons. I agree with most of what he said, but I feel he kinda misses the point on the Falcons. I believe nearly everyone fails to see the true method behind Mike Smith's gameplans.

Before I get into this, I want to say something about Brent Grimes. His size doesn't hurt him nearly as much as people think. This dude is targeted ALL the time right now with Dunta on the other side, but he sticks to receivers like white on rice and is actually our best corner back right now. Dude's really, really good. He gives up more completions than Dunta because people throw to him so much more, but let me tell you, those completions are earned. If it's early in the game, and we haven't switched to our conservative zone scheme yet, you're not going to beat Grimes one on one. Our corners are pretty good in general.

Here's what people miss about the Falcons. They really do dominate nearly every game they play. I'm going to soundd pretty arrogant in my breakdown here, but I'm just being honest. The Falcons dictate what the other team is going to do, and they force offenses to play right into their hands. How? Pretty simple. Control the rock, force turn overs, don't give it back, and force the other team to chew up the clock in their attempts to catch up after our offense has inevitably taken an early lead. I'll explain.

Our pass defense looks worse than it is statistically because we invite offenses to throw the ball on us. We practically beg for it, and our offense helps the cause by jumping out in front on a very consistent basis. Likewise, our run defense looks much better than it is for the same reasons.

The result is a Falcons pass defense that looks very bad on paper, but is actually pretty good. We have 15 interceptions, just like the Packers, tied for second in the NFL. We allow 19.2 points per game, for seventh in the NFL. The Packers are second. Ask yourself this, how can a defense that is 21st in yards per carry be 6th in total rushing yards? Because teams don't run on us even when it works. Why do they do that? Because the Falcons have complete control of nearly every game they play.

We are second in turnover differential in the NFL and we are second in time of possession. The thing people don't realize about the Falcons is that our entire gameplan revolves around clock management. Both offense AND defense.

Our offense is sixth in scoring. We play out in front on a very consistent basis. Once we have a lead, which happens all the time, we know teams are going to pass. In that situation, we play a zone scheme that allows short and intermediate passes and protects against the big strike. The result is long, methodical drives by the other team that might result in a touchdown, but even if it does that team has taken a huge chunk off the play clock and what's worse is they have to kick it off and give it back to the Falcons and Michael Turner. (point in bold is what most people gloss over, but is actually the key to our gameplan)

Our offense plays with the same objective. We are twenty fifth in plays that total more than twenty yards, and yet we're sixth in the NFL in scoring. We dominate defenses. We wear them down, beat them up. We could score fast, but we don't play that way. We usually throw deep to Roddy White once a game, whether we hit it or not, that's the only time we do it.

Now, I'm not guaranteeing or even predicting the Falcons will continue their success this week. All I'm saying is that the Falcons are a dominant team, whether the defensive stats make that hard to believe or not. I don't believe we have a lack of respect in any way. We're ranked at the top in most power rankings, but the few experts that do question our record because of the defensive ranking are missing the point. The Falcons dictate what you're going to do against them. They take the ball away, and they don't give it back. It's really hard to beat that.

 

[FrankRizzo]

Good stuff, and some nice, knowledgeable Falcons fans here!
My one question is this: how did they find us, and why?

Just curious.

 

[Ice2White]

Good stuff, and some nice, knowledgeable Falcons fans here!
My one question is this: how did they find us, and why?

Just curious.

I just googled and this was one of the top links.

The official Falcons message board is embarrassingly bad, and as far as I know there aren't any fan-started forums on the internet devoted to the Falcons. I only post there rarely. It's terrible.

 

[Croak]

Now, I'm not guaranteeing or even predicting the Falcons will continue their success this week. All I'm saying is that the Falcons are a dominant team, whether the defensive stats make that hard to believe or not. I don't believe we have a lack of respect in any way. We're ranked at the top in most power rankings, but the few experts that do question our record because of the defensive ranking are missing the point. The Falcons dictate what you're going to do against them. They take the ball away, and they don't give it back. It's really hard to beat that.

The most glaring thing about the Falcons to me is that they said today Matt Ryan is 18-1 at home? We'll see if the Pack can make it 18-2.

On the other hand the Falcons got to play the Cardinals, 49ers, Browns, Bengals and Rams with a couple of hard teams thrown in. Actually the Steelers, Ravens and Eagles have been the only tough competition the Falcons have had. The Packers have been up against the AFC East and NFC East teams, in addition to the Bears. In my opinion the Packers have had a tougher schedule.

So I think the Pack is going to pull this one out by a TD, maybe two.

 

[gatorpack]

Jennings is averaging 104 yds pg and 1.2 tds in the last 5 games. In his first 5 games he was averaging 40 pg. Jennings is going off!!!

 

[DevilDon]

Matt Ryan is 18-1? He's still lost one there. The Packers had never beaten the Jets at home before this year, but they did this year. I don't see any blowout, but I do think the Packers have the edge in D and that will be the difference.

 

[armand34]

RECORDS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN

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[longtimefan]

Packers D has only given up 9 passing TD all year which is 4th

Atlanta's D has given up 18 which is 24th


Packers D 4th in rushing TD given up with 4 all year

Atlanta's D is 2nd with 3


So to me stop the passing game we win ( but thats pretty obvious)

 

[longtimefan]

I know this has been answered but this is my take

1) I dont see us running any trick plays at all..We did have a 4th down for a 52 yard fg try on a Sunday night vs the Vikes that was a fake fg and almost made it..But for most part wont see a flea flicker or reverses (unless coaches think that your defense can be had at that)

Screens..I have been screaming for screens all year, and they did lot of them the 1st Viking game, but that was about it...If they do them again they do TE screens as well...But majority of games you will not see to many screens

2) If James Jones is having a good day, he can be dangerous, but he is just so inconsistent...But to me it appears he is starting to get more consistent...Driver is solid, he may not get a lot of yac, but he is normally very reliable, and crafty...Jordy Nelson and Brett Swain, right now are just guys, nothing to explosive about them..Our TE are really nothing to be overly concerned about right now.

3) What you saw vs the Viks is typical, or at least what the team and fans EXPECT...Our running game wont be anything pretty, just okay..If sticking to game plan, the running game will get about 80 to 100 yards, between 2 or 3 different backs...Main back Jackson isn't a fumbler, and he isnt a speeder...Just a easy going back that will get 2-3 yards then goes for a stretch of 4-6 yards.

Rodgers will be very careful with the ball, in fact he does hold onto it little to long at times and will take a sack ( only have 20 right now)

Our o-l are gelling finally, we may not have world beaters but they do get the job done. We have rookie rt tackle in Bulaga from Iowa...Very good run blocker, but has some trouble with pass protection..Not a lot, but will have a few slip ups.

D-L we have 3 HUGE tackles and Nt
LE Pickket 340
NT Raji-337, Green 340 (took from JETS week b4 we played them
RE Jenkins 305

Those guys will play allot, Raji has been playing almost EVERY snap... they will rotate with a few other guys, but those are the man ones...

Jenkins had a broken hand with a club and was really playing outstanding with it..Just couldnt get any sacks cuz of it... this is his 2nd week w/o it, so look for him to be a force

Our 3rd game of the year?? vs Bears on Monday night, we had 18 penalties, and lost by 3 I think

Last 3 games we have had 3 penalties..So it appears they play smart with few mistakes..

#1....did a flea flicker never seen that coming

#2...Called Nelson just a guy was stupid lol

#3...Wrong again longtimefan

I wont predict stuff like this again lol