Braves Terminate GM Frank Wren

After the Braves were eliminated from playoff contention with a 10-2 loss to the Mets, the Braves felt it was time to make a move, and terminated General Manager Frank Wren. The Braves hired Wren in 2007 and he led the Braves to three playoff appearances including a division title. The Braves have hired current MLB analyst Jon Hart, who is a former GM as interim GM. He along with Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox and Braves President John Schuerholtz, are the three man search committee assigned with the task of finding another GM. This is the first time the Braves have fired a manager or GM since 1990. 

Washington Nationals Clinch N.L. East (ugh)

The Washington Nationals are playoff bound. Atlanta Braves fans' hearts sunk when Justin Upton grounded a Drew Storen pitch, to newly acquired National Asdrubal Cabrera. That grounder marked the end of the Braves reign atop the N.L. East. And the worst part about it, it happened on Braves soil. You got to give it to those dang Nationals. They didn't play the way people expected them to last year, and the first half of this year. But when it came down to the stretch run. The Nationals simply played better baseball than the Atlanta Braves. Meanwhile the Atlanta Braves looked like an uninspired, unenthusiastic little league club, that had just gotten scolded by their coach. They came into the Nationals series playing OK baseball. They had split a series in Miami, and went into the Nationals series 7 games back. Then things went downhill.

The Nationals simply played better than the Braves, and took two out of three in Nationals Park. Then the Braves went into Arlington to play the Rangers, hoping they would get some momentum. That went horribly wrong. The Braves were swept in horrible fashion, by the worst team in all of baseball. Then the Braves had a chance to redeem themselves a bit. The Nationals came to town, and took the first game 4-2, behind a nasty Stephen Strasburg, who also singled in a run. Then the misery started. The Braves had to take the next two games, or else the Nationals were gonna be celebrating on the grass of Turner Field.  And that is exactly what happened. The Braves were shut out 3-0, and the Nationals had clinched the N.L. East.

So, now the Braves eye a Wild Card spot. Now realistically the Braves are almost out of it. Almost. The only bright side I can see, is that the Braves play the Pittsburgh Pirates (the team that holds the second wild card spot), four more times this year. So Braves fans; there is a very very very dim light at the end of the 162 game tunnel. The odds are not favoring the Braves (and neither is the amount of games left), but hey, this is Baseball. Anything can happen. You never know, maybe the Braves can pull a 8-9 game win streak out of their inconsistent offensive hat. All we can do is sit and hope.

Atlanta Falcons Week 1 Review

*I apologize about the late post

The Atlanta Falcons and their fans were on an emotional high after the first week of the NFL season, after dramatically beating the New Orleans Saints in overtime. Matt Bryant kicked a 51 yd field goal to send the game into overtime. Then after Marques Colston fumbled the ball in overtime, Matt Bryant booted a 52 yd field goal that split the uprights, and ended the game.

First Week 1. Week 1 was a true shootout against the Saints. And we were ready for it. The offense was clicking on every single level you could think of. Matt Ryan threw for 446 yards, he threw the ball to a total of six receivers, four of which had at least five receptions. Antone Smith, Devin Hester, Julio Jones, Roddy White, Levine Toilolo, and Steven Jackson all caught passes from Matt Ryan. Not to mention offensive coordinator Mike Nolan spread the running game between running backs. All in all it was an excellent offensive showing from the Falcons in Week 1.

Next the defense in Week 1. The defense impressed me in a lot of ways, yet also gave me some things to worry about. First the good news. The defenses ability to bend but not break was quite impressive. for example the Saints would drive 65 yards down the field, and would have a 1st and 10 from the 15 yard line. Most defenses would just fold and allow the touchdown. However the Falcons defense made a stand and prevented the Saints from scoring touchdowns (at least in the first quarter.) Something else that was very encouraging was the fact that the Falcons were covering the deep ball very well. Whenever Drew Brees gave you a pretentious feeling when he stepped up in the pocket and launched one, Robert Alford, or Desmond Trufant was there for the rescue. And finally the last good thing the Falcons defense showed me: they won the turnover battle. The Saints are 36-1 under Sean Peyton when they are even or win the turnover battle.The Falcons made sure that they didn't have to deal with that, as they intercepted an Drew Brees pass, and forced a fumble by Marques Colston.

Now the concerning part. You know how I mentioned that their defense bent but didn't break. Ya, that was over after the second quarter. The Falcons allowed two touchdowns in the second quarter. The only thing that saved us was the offense. The last thing that concerned me was their run defense. They allowed quite a bit of rushing yards to a New Orleans Saints offense that consisted of Mark Ingram, and Pierre Thomas. Other than that the Falcons defense impressed me quite a bit.

The Falcons had a great Week 1 on both sides of the ball. Let's hope they can keep it up in the coming weeks.

*Keep an eye out for my next post about Week 2 and Week 3.

Atlanta Falcons Season Preview

The Atlanta Falcons season starts on September 7, 2014 when they take on the New Orleans Saints. Last year the Falcons went 4-12, a disappointing end to future hall of fame tight end Tony Gonzalez's career. Not to mention the fact that the bar was set high after the 2012 season when the Falcons blew a 17 point lead, and came within seven yards of a Super Bowl birth in the NFC Championship game. But that is the beauty of a new season. You get to either push away the disappointments, or build on the achievements of the previous year.  This is the time where predictions are made, fantasy teams drafted, teams and quarterback ranked, and competition between friends become anything but friendly. This is football season.

So, after a dismal year, the Falcons begin the 2014-2015 campaign not expected to do much. This is expected after a 4-12 campaign, where Julio Jones was injured, and the defense was riddled with rookies, and desecrated by injuries. However this year, Matt Ryan has his two marquee targets in Julio Jones and Roddy White. This receiving core is one of the best in the league along with the Bear's Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. The defense is getting healthier. The only two players listed on the Falcons injury report, were Corey Peters, and Dezman Southward. Corey Peters, is still trying to recover from a torn Achilles that he suffered last year. He is questionable for Sunday's opener against the Saints, yet has been a full participator in practice for the past couple days. The other player listed on the injury report is Dezman Southward. The Falcons drafted him as a safety in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played his college football in Wisconsin. He suffered a concussion, but has also been a full time participant in practice.

So now the question is: Can the Falcons take advantage of the fact that they are relatively healthy. The have their receiving core. The main question remains their defense. If their defense can hold up and Matt Ryan has a good year. It might just be a very special season, for the Atlanta Falcons.