Ask The Falcoholic!

I think we’ll attempt to shut down the run and hope our defense is opportunistic enough to capitalize on any Tony Romo mistakes. Your ground game scares the hell out of me.

In terms of overall D, we mix it up a lot. You’ll mostly see us rely on the four or even three man rush to get the job done up front. In coverage, we mix zone and man depending on what’s working any given week.

Then I’ll be watching it very closely. Tony Gonzalez is very hard to stop without competent coverage.

Who looked to be about cooked last year. It was his blown coverage that allowed the Cardinals to win the game against us late, and we had a talented young group of linebackers and let him walk. There’s not doubt he’s a great leader and the kind of guy any team would like to have around the locker room. Not surprised he’s rejuvenated himself in Dallas, and I’m grateful he got the chance.

Last week was the one exception to the rule, and the key was that he was pressured constantly. When you consider he still didn’t get sacked, he did reasonably well against the Bears. He’s still growing and we’re all a little concerned with overthrows and underthrows, but mostly he’s been a revelation again this year.

Big stat for you guys: Michael Turner has fumbled four times this season.

Great when he’s in, but unfortunately injured again. Still waiting to hear how significant it is.

I believe because a time-out was used when it shouldn’t have been. Otherwise, that’s just Mike Smith. Dude would look intense reading a children’s story to a group of orphans and puppies.

To me, it’s not so much a weight issue. It’s that he doesn’t seem to hit the hole fast enough or hard enough. If he gets into open space he looks like the same Turner from 2008, but he’s not putting enough power into those crucial first steps.

Too much work = time on the trainer’s table.

Chevis Jackson and Tye Hill have a chance to play their way up the roster ladder.

But it’s going to be close. I guarantee that.

We’re virtually unstoppable when we do, but I guess we’re afraid teams are going to get used to it and key on it. That’s probably a valid concern, but screw it. I say we run it all game long.

I think it’s part defensive adjustment, part automatic conversion to more conservative playcalling. It’s clear that we have to do something to combat that, and it’s definitely a concern.

This was before Roddy White broke back out, so they took away our best two options. They were also able to take advantage of a weak run defense up the middle.

If you don’t like it, maybe you are the one that should become a Falcon fan if you like Ryan that much.

One of us! One of us!

DE John Abraham: One of the best pass-rushers in the league, lackluster against the run.
DT Jon Babineaux: Underrated multi-dimensional threat. Rushes and holds the run quite well.
DT Jamaal Anderson: Converted defensive end who is excellent against the run.
DE Kroy Biermann: Average against the run, but blossoming as a pass rusher.

You’ll see a lot of three-and-four man rushes from that group. Biermann, Babineaux and Abraham are the guys to watch out for as far as Romo’s concerned, and I would advise against running at Anderson.

OLB Stephen Nicholas: Fast, athletic linebacker who hits hard. Not great against the pass.
MLB Curtis Lofton: One of the most complete linebackers in the game already. Flies around the field making plays.
OLB Mike Peterson: Not bad against the run, but his bread and butter is the passing game.

This is a great group that cancels out eachothers’ weaknesses. Three guys you’ll want to worry the most about, particularly Lofton.

CB Chris Houston: Great athleticism, routinely forgets to turn and look for the ball. Hasn’t mastered the mental side of being a corner.
CB Brent Grimes: Improving cover corner whose size is his biggest weakness.
FS Thomas DeCoud: Ballhawk safety, excellent coverage skills.
SS Erik Coleman: Distinctly average to above-average across the board.

Obviously, this is the unit you’ll want to pick on. With Brian Williams gone for the season, it’s going to be a mix of young players vying for snaps. Hard to know what to expect, but that’s our weakest looking link at the moment.

Keep the questions coming.

I’ve been a Falcons fan all my life, so I know I’ve appreciated those fans of other teams who treat you with a little dignity whether you win or lose (and through the 90’s, it was mostly lose). You guys have asked great questions and been welcoming, so it’s not like it’s difficult for me.

He’s cooler than being cool. Our no-huddle offense is the scariest thing we run, because we have so many weapons and can move so effectively, but we use it sparingly. It might be time to roll into that more frequently.

He lost much of his rookie year to an injury, but the performance of the offensive line noticeably dipped without him. I call him “T-Rex” because a lot of people were concerned that his arms were too short for an impact left tackle, but he’s done a great job protecting Matt Ryan’s blind side.

Throughout his rookie season and part of his sophomore season, Blalock was a bit shaky in the pass protection and mental aspects of being an offensive lineman. Now I’d say he’s one of our better run-blockers and a guy who has performed very well for us this season.

Run the ball all day long, go for short passes on the sidelines and let your guys run with it, attempt to get pressure on Ryan and limit long plays. We really struggle when we’re forced to slow our game down. Obviously, your best bet is to keep us out of the red zone at all costs, because we’re averaging something like a 90% conversion rate once we get in there.

pass blocking may suffer. Dallas o-line has a lot of trouble with quicker, smaller pass rushers. Have to pass to keep the run going…

We’ll be able to stop you up the middle reasonably well, but on the outside we really could be in trouble. If you ground game goes wild, we’re probably screwed.

it’s anthony gonzalez! Newman has responded pretty well when asked to shadow one reciever. Now the falcons will no doubt try to get Mike Jenkins lined up on Roddy White, that could end up real bad for us. But I think the slow dagger that could end up bleeding us to death would be Gonzo over the middle extending drives.

And Ryan is still having a very good season, I’d say the chances are good. Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez just get open.

And see above. Definitely concerned that unless you guys implode, your running game is going to be a huge headache.