Why Falcons?

The Atlanta Falcons never really deserved a playoff spot. With a record of 6-9, and a chance to clinch the NFC South at home, the Falcons choked again. They didn't just lose to the Carolina Panthers, they got absolutely demolished by Panthers, 34-3. There is just nothing to say. They were outclassed by a Carolina Panthers team that just played better than the Falcons. The only thing good to come out of this year was the firing of head coach Mike Smith. Please Arthur Blank, take my advice: fire the front office. Here is what I would like to do for the Falcons to do in the off season.

Carolina Panthers safety Roman Harper celebrates after
 intercepting Matt Ryan for a touchdown

First of all, they need to take advantage of the fact that they sucked. They need to draft well. Considering that the Falcons ranked last in the NFL in opponents passing yards, they need two main pieces on defense. 1) They need a pass rusher who can get to quarterback. The 2015 draft class is full of pass rushers with elite potential like Leonard Williams (USC), Dante Fowler Jr. (University of Florida), Vic Beasley (Clemson), and Randy Gregory (Nebraska). If they can find a player that can effectively get to the quarterback in the NFL, than they can reduce the number of yards given up through the air. 2) They need a corner back. If the Falcons want a really good corner in this draft, their options look limited to Trae Waynes (Michigan State). However it looks like that if they want to draft a corner in this draft, it is probably going to have to be a average corner that won't do too much.

On offense the Falcons are mostly fine. The wide receiving corps is set, and like it or not, Matt Ryan seems to be the quarterback of the future. Once the offensive line gets healthy, they will be be able to protect the quarterback. The only need that they have is a running back. Steven Jackson has been a bust for the Falcons, and Devonta Freeman has been the only bright spot in the running game. If they can pick up a running back like Melvin Gordon, or even Todd Gurley, they can be headed in the right direction for the offense. This will take the pressure off Matt Ryan and the wide receiving corps to do so well, thus causing everyone to play better.

The Atlanta Falcons have had two wasted seasons. They are hopefully looking to avoid having a third consecutive year in which they don't get much done. Whether or not they make the playoffs next year is beside the point. If they can make progress, and look like a team that has a chance of competing in the next couple of years, that will be fine for Atlanta Fans.

Atlanta Falcons Looking Up

The Atlanta Falcons are currently in a spot to host a playoff game. They are 5-7. However, things have been going a lot better recently. They have won 3 of their last 4, and they have played really well in their past 5 games. Their offense has been clicking, and the defense has been able to make crucial stops, and force turnovers. What's gone well? Do the Falcons have a legit hope for the playoffs, or should they tank, and go for a higher draft pick? 

The Atlanta Falcons are playing better football in all three phases. The offense was clicking last week, even without Roddy White. The only thing about the offense was they couldn't take advantage of red zone opportunities. Most of the time they could only score a field goal, when they really needed a touchdown. That has been a constant all year though. If the Falcons can take advantage of opportunities in the red zone, they could possibly make a run in the playoffs. 

The defense has stepped up majorly in the last few games. To give you some perspective, in five games that the Falcons have lost, they've given up 149 points, in the five games they've won, they've only given up 100 points. That's seven less touchdowns. Another crazy thing is that the Falcons could easily be 7-5 right now. I think we can all agree that they should've beaten both Cleveland and Detroit. The talent and personnel are there, now it's just a question of execution down the stretch. 

Atlanta Falcons defense exiting the tunnel in the Georgia Dome

Even the special teams has been better. Matty Ice II (Matt Bryant) is 14 for his last 14, while Devin Hester has started to pick up the return game again. Matt Bosher (Jeez, how many "Matt"s play for the Falcons) has been a great punter, pinning teams well inside their territory. 

Like I said the pieces are there, now it's just a matter of figuring out how to put the puzzle together. 

Atlanta Hawks Season Preview

The Atlanta Hawks started their season against the Toronto Raptors in the Air Canada Center. They lost 109-102. This is the type of game you should expect from the Hawks. In my opinion they have a very offensive minded team. If they can work on their defense then I think they can be an elite team in the Eastern Conference. My prediction for the Hawks this year: 4th in their conference. 

With weapons like Al Horford and Paul Millsap, the Hawks will score points by the bunches. They are not the biggest team, but these two can drive to the rim and also score mid-range shots. If Horford gets to the rim efficiently I believe that Millsap can get to the three point line and he can also be a weapon from out there. When you talk about three pointers you can't not talk about Kyle Korver. Korver is currently the record holder for most consecutive games with a made three. His record was snapped at 127 games. That streak spanned 1 full NBA season, and 75 percent of another. That is insane. Besides that Korver is still an elite NBA three point shooter. In the game against the Raptors he went 6 for 7 from downtown in that game. If Korver puts up big numbers this year it could be a very successful season for the Hawks. The last person I want to talk about is Jeff Teague, Teague is an up and coming point guard in this league. I believe that this is the year is his coming out party. In my opinion he can put up 20-25 points every game. I believe that his athleticism and speed can help make up for his lack of size even at the point guard position. Oh and he can shoot a couple threes.

Jeff Teague with a ridiculous crossover on Evan Turner in the 2014 NBA Playoffs.
The three pointer is just icing on the cake 

Now lets talk about the defense. The biggest weakness by far for the Hawks on defense is their lack of size. Neither Horford nor Millsap is tall enough to defend a Pau Gasol or a Brook Lopez. If the Hawks want to have a good defense they have to make teams stretch the floor and defend the three ball well. I believe that they key to a good defense for the Hawks is rebounding. Against the Raptors the Hawks allowed way too many offensive rebounds. If they can limit opponents to a few second chance points a game and they get some offensive rebounds themselves. Their defense can be good enough to power this team through. The last key is for the defense to force turnovers. I believe that if the Hawks can force turnovers they can get on the fast break and get 10 - 12 fast break points a game, that will be enough.

The Hawks are looking forward to a great year if they can play good fundamental basketball.

*Look out for my article about my predictions of the Eastern Conference. 

A Quick Moment to Thank the Atlanta Braves

I want to take this Monday afternoon to appreciate what the Braves achieved in the 2014 season. Now I know that they didn't make the playoffs, and I know that they fired the GM, but in my opinion, they had a great year, and I'll explain more down below.

Before the Braves took the field on opening day their pitching staff was decimated. Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy were out for the year with Tommy John surgery, and Mike Minor was not available for the first couple months of the season. That's 60% of their starting rotation out before opening day. That's devastating for a pitching staff and a team. Yet, the Braves fought on. They went 17-9 in April, and they looked like a great team. Then reality started to catch up. They went on to lose seven of their next eight, and became only four games above .500 in May. They had a better month of June pushing their record to 45-38. July was even better, and the Braves were looking towards a playoff run. They were 58-50 at the end of July, and had a really tough road trip. This is where the downhill journey starts. They went on to get swept in an 8 game road trip by the Dodgers, Padres, and Mariners. And then as you Braves fans remember it was chaos from then on.

Now let me take a look at the positive side. The Atlanta  Braves, the team that had lost 60% of their rotation in the spring, the team that had no hitter that hit over .300, was in contention for an N.L. East title until September. The team that essentially had a lineup with seven hitters due to the second straight dismal year from B.J. Upton. A team that had to release a second baseman that was signed to a 5 year $62 million dollar contract. A team that had a multitude of losing streaks. That team that had guys like Alex Wood, and Aaron Harang in their starting pitching staff. That team had the 5th lowest ERA in the major leagues. That team hung around in a division against the World Series favorites until mid September. That team was the 2014 Atlanta Braves, and they should walk out of that clubhouse with their head held high. They had an excellent 2014 season. Thank you Atlanta Braves!

Atlanta Falcons Week 3 Review

The Atlanta Falcons were trying to rebound from a disappointing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. And boy did they do just that. They put 56 points in the dome against a lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Falcons put up scary fast drives, and their defense was a lot better this game, and hopefully gave the team some confidence. Let's talk about the demolition.

The offense was scoring and scoring and scoring........... You get the point. In the first drive of the game Atlanta took six plays to drive 70 yards in 2 minutes 57 seconds, with the key play being a Julio Jones 25 yard reception. It was smooth sailing from then on.

The Falcons forces a three and out (more on that later), and got the ball. In the next drive the Falcons drove 52 yards, and on the next play Levine Toiliolo fumbled the ball. But the hustle of Devin Hester, redeemed the Falcons, as he forced a fumble on the same play. Then the Falcons kicked it into high gear, and scored 35 points in the first half. Speaking of scoring they jumped out to a 54-0 lead. To give you a perspective on his performance, he scored 29.8 fantasy points. He was pulled out in the middle of the third quarter.

Now let's talk about the defense. The defense was excellent. That's really the only way to put it. They gave up zero points in the first three quarters. The secondary was excellent, the defensive line was awesome, and the safety were excellent. The Falcons won the battle at the line of scrimmage, they prevented the run defense, and they won the game in all aspects. The 14 points that they gave up all came in the fourth quarter, with their backup defense.

Oh and by the way, the defense was so good, they didn't give up a first down until the middle of the second half. No wonder the offense had a multitude of opportunities to score.

This was a great showing by the Falcons in all. They played well in all three aspects of the game offense, defense and special teams. Oh and a quick congratulations to Devin Hester, who broke the record of all time returns for touchdowns. He returned a punt 56 yards, and took it to the house. Congratulations Hester!

Devin Hester returns a punt to the house to set the all-time

 NFL record for return/punt TD's

*Look out for my Week 4 review