Falcons update 1/29/09

I thought I would do something new and give a weekly Atlanta Falcons update since I have covered the team for the past three seasons and I think the 2009 year is an important year for the franchise because they have a chance to have back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in team history.

For the most part, it has been quiet in Flowery Branch and that is a good thing because there has been so many coaching changes and the Falcons have been fortunate to keep all their coaches in tact (especially Mike Mularkey who is the OC). But there has been a few notes before Super Bowl 43 kicks off on Sunday. Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff has been named NFL Executive of the Year by Sporting News. This is no surprise as he tuned an 4-12 team into a 11-5 playoff team with a rookie quarterback and and a rookie head coach. With Matt Ryan winning ROY and Mike Smith winning COY, the Falcons became the first team ever to win those three awards in the same year. I really believe that the Falcons are on the right track and expect those three to led the Birds to more wins for the next 5-10 years.

And speaking of winners, former Falcons Claude Humphrey is a finalist for the Hall of Fame and will know if he will be inducted on Saturday. He is the Falcons all-time leader in sacks (94.5) and went to six Pro Bowls. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1968 and led the Falcons in sacks eight of 10 seasons. Atlantafalcons.com managing editor J. Michael Moore sat down with Humphrey so go to www.atlantafalcons.com for more information.

That's it for now. I will have a Super Bowl preview on Friday and it will be on the coaches and playmakers. Take care folks.

Super Bowl Preview: The Quarterbacks

Well, the Super Bowl is only days away. Are you excited? Didn't think so because even with this game being the biggest game in the No. 1 sport in America, there is not a lot to talk about when it comes to story lines and angles. But I think the most intriguing thing to look for in the NFL Championship is the the two quarterbacks as both Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner have won the big game and who ever wins on Sunday will solidify themselves as a Hall-of-Famer. Here's what each player bring to the table:

BIG BEN

Okay, maybe it's too early to say he will make it to Canton , but with a win on Sunday won't hurt his chances. Most media types would say that the road for Roethlisberger has been easy since the Steelers have made the postseason four out his first five seasons and reaching two Super Bowls. That is far from the truth because he has take a beating like no other quarterback I've seen. Concussions are not new to him with the last one he suffered was right before the playoffs in a game against the Cleveland Browns. He is not a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady type who is going to throw the ball all over the field, but when he has to throw he is extremely effective, especially when he rolls out of the pocket. He has over 100 passing touchdowns and 14,000 passing yards in his career and has a rating of 89.4 which puts him sixth all-time. He engrave his name as one of the Steelers' all-time players if he can get a win on Sunday.

WARNER

But Kurt Warner has proved that he's still got it and is hungry for another ring. Most people know the Warner story; bagging groceries, playing in the Arena Football League and in 1999 he got his chance with the St. Lois Rams because Trent Green suffered a season-ending injury and all he did was led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory with one of the most high-powered offenses in NFL history. But after that things went downhill for the veteran, he did go to another Super Bowl two years later and was beat by a younger Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Then he fell out of favor in St. Louis and was sent to New York. But Eli Manning beat Warner out and now it was on to see the Cardinals and Warner got his chance to be the full-time starter beating out Matt Leinart. Warner had one of his best seasons as a pro with 4,583 yards and 30 touchdowns. And with his help, the Cardinals were able to beat the Falcons (ugh), Panthers and Eagles to make their way to Tampa. Regardless of how the game goes, Warner has a good chance to, reach the Hall-of-Fame. He third all-time in passer rating with 93.8. Warner has also thrown for nearly 30,000 yards and has won the MVP award twice.

So who do I give the edge to? At first I said Warner, but the more I think about it, I say it's a push. Both have rings and they make plays when they need to. Warner does have the better numbers and has the MVPs, but Roethlisberger could win a few awards when his career ends and could end up with a better win-loss record when all is said and done. I will say this, both quarterbacks will need to play well if they want to hold the trophy late Sunday night.

New Podcast

Hey guys, I have a new podcast. Click on the title above if you want to hear my take on the Mt. Rushmore of Georgia sports. Have a great night.

Ed Dudley: One of the great high school coaches

High School football in Georgia is something that we cherish. I played at Walton High School and my coach was Ed Dudley. After I graduated in 2000, I would go back from time-to-time and see how he and the football team was doing. Every time I would go back. I said to myself “He is going to be here until he wins a state title and I can see him retiring here at Walton.”


Well, I was wrong about that statement as he announced on Thursday that he is leaving Walton to be the Head Football coach for Ware County down in Waycross. I’ll be honest, I was caught off guard because I don’t’ think anybody from the High School thought that he would be looking at other places to coach. He said on Thursday that it was a tough decision and that he loves the small town football atmosphere and is excited about the opportunity.


I think it’s safe to say that the people from Ware County did their research because what Coach Dudley did at Walton was nothing but amazing. Before he arrived at Walton in 1995, Walton only claimed one region title. During his tenure, he had won the region crown in 1999 (which I was a member of), 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008. He has led the 2004 and 2007 Raiders to the state semifinals and has coached 10 first-team All-State players. So he is leaving the program in better shape then what Robbie Robertson did after leaving in 1994.


Dudley is going down to Ware County who is replacing interim coach John Stephens. Stephens was replacing longtime coach Dan Ragle who led the Gators to a state title appearance in 2007 losing to Northside-Warner Robins. Dudley will come into the program that is expected to take that next step and win the state title. Based on the other teams in the region such as Brunswick and Glynn Academy, he should make the playoffs every year if the players respond to him.


So why did he leave? I may not be the right person to ask question, but based on the story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday, It probably came down to a change of scenery. After living in urban East Cobb for 14 years, rural South Georgia sounded nice to him and also the fact that Ware County football is the only team that the community can rally around, not like Walton where Lassiter, Pope and Wheeler are within a 10-mile radius. I know that the faculty, staff, students and alumni are disappointed that he is leaving, but he is going on to do bigger and better things. Not only he was a good coach, he was a great teacher and was like a father figure to most of his players. The only thing that I can say is thank you coach for what you’ve done for Walton over the last 14 years and good luck to you in Waycross. I hope you do get that state title that you have been chasing for so long.

Basketball in Georgia: UGA, Tech and Hawks

If you don’t already know, I’m a huge football fan and with me covering the Falcons for the past three years for SCORE Atlanta (check us out at http://www.scoreatl.com/), my blogs on this site tend to be more focused on the pigskin. But this time I want to talk about basketball and where it stands in the state of Georgia when it comes to college and pro.


First, I want to focus on the Georgia Bulldogs. I’ll be honest, I haven’t watched a lot of Georgia Basketball this year, but I ask myself “are they ever going to turn that corner?” After winning the SEC Tournament in Atlanta last year, I thought this team is taking a step in the right direction. But I was wrong. In their last game against the Kentucky Wildcats, the Dawgs only shot 31 percent from the floor. In fact, they have yet to beat an SEC opponent this season. Now I will say the team is relatively young with Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie both true freshmen and they second and third on the team when it comes to scoring, respectively. But from what I’ve seen, somebody has to step up if they want to make another run at the SEC crown. With Florida improving and Tennessee continue to play at a high level, it’s going to be a hard road for the Dawgs to get back to their winning ways.


Now on to Tech. Before I go any further, Georgia has an excuse for struggling because they do not get the recruits that Tech does. It seems that GT has the tools to compete in the ACC, but they have yet to win a conference game and are standing at 9-9 overall. Former Norcross standout Gani Lawal has played well, leading the team in points-per-game and rebounds-per-game. But it seems as if the Jackets are out of sync and have a lot of growing up to do. They have the ability to get off to fast starts, but for one reason or the other, they cannot close out games whether its turnovers or missed opportunities, the Jackets are struggling and the schedule is not going to get easier with Clemson and Wake Forest on the horizon. I’ll say this, Derrick Favors and Glen Rice Jr. cannot come to Tech soon enough.


And now the Hawks. This team is a prime example that if you continue to build through the draft and acquire the right players via trades, you can be successful in the NBA. They currently stand at 25-16 which is good enough for fourth in the Easter Conference. They are doing this with good backcourt play by Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby, and solid bench play by Mo Evans and Flip Murray. They have been better defensively and can shoot the trey if they need to. They still need that a good post player, but they will make the playoffs and could possibly win their first round series. They just need to get healthy as Marvin Williams, Al Horford and Acie Law are out due to injuries.


So I’m disappointed that the Georgia and Georgia Tech, but the Hawks are finally back to their winning ways after a decade hiatus. With high school basketball big in the Atlanta area, Georgia and Tech fans can hope that both teams can improve keeping the best high school players in the area in state. If they can do that, they will get better. As for the Hawks, they just need to keep playing at a high level and try to better their seeding. But nonetheless, Philips Arena should be rocking this spring as they make another playoff push.

Falcons magical 2008 season comes to a dissappointing end

I've gotta say this. I'm disappointed but I'm not discouraged. The Falcons lost to the Arizona Cardinals in the wild card round of the NFL Playoffs 30-24. It was a game where they stared off slow, came back to take the lead in the second half and made too many mistakes at the end. Were the Cardinals the better team? On Saturday yes. But don't get it twisted, the Falcons exceeded expectations because nobody (and I do mean nobody) expected this team to accomplished what they did in 2008.

From Matt Ryan winning Offensive Rookie of the Year to Mike Smith winning NFL Coach of the Year, this team is built to win for many seasons to come. It's not like the 1998 Super Bowl season where the team was built around veterans and their only rookie that got a good amount of playing time is Keith Brooking. Or in 2002 or 2004 where the team would do well depending on how Michael Vick would do. What this team accomplished with so many young players is amazing and could make a run at the big game within the next three years. I think the only problem is that their schedule for next year is a daunting one to say the least. They will of course play Carolina, Tampa Bay and New Orleans at home and on the road, but the will face the NFC East opponents and the AFC opponents as well. That means that they will have to face Philadelphia, Dallas, New York Giants the Jets, New England and Miami. They will also have to face the Chicago Bears again at the Georgia Dome and will be back on the west coast to take on the San Fransisco 49ers.

If they are able to win at least 10 games in 2009, there is no reason that they can't reach the Super Bowl. This will be a busy offseason for Mike Smith and Thomas Dimtroff as they will evaluate the roster and see who they will keep and who they need to let go. Also Michael Vick will get out of Jail in July and if they can trade the rights to him and get a quality player, that would be beneficial to the franchise. But I can't wait for the 2009 season and I know that the players are looking forward to it as well because they want to get that bad taste of Arizona out of their mouths.

Falcons vs. Cardinals Preview

Okay. This is it. The Atlanta Falcons are in the playoffs and are coming into the the tournament winning three consecutive games. The Arizona Cardinals are limping into the postseason, winning only two of their final six games. In fact, six of the nine wins that Arizona produced came from their divisional opponents in which all have losing records. But they do have a high-powered offense where receivers Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston all went over 1,000 yards receiving for the 2008 year. Here's a closer look at the game:

WHEN THE FALCONS ARE ON OFFENSE...

Quarterback Matt Ryan had a great season and was rewarded this week as he won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. But he has struggled the latter part of the season as he has thrown five interceptions in the last five games. But still makes plays when the team needs him to. The Falcons are going to try to keep Arizona's offense off the field by grinding it out with Michael Turner who has over 1,600 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns on the year. Both of those numbers were good enough to put him in second place in both categories and ever came in second place for NFL MVP. The Cardinals defense will try to contain Turner as well as spell running back Jerious Norwood with the help of linebacker Carlos Dansby and cornerback Antrel Rolle. Dansby leads the team in tackles with 119 while Rolle is right behind him with 89. Adrian Wilson could also come down from his safety position to help with the run defense as they give up 110 rushing yards-per-game.

If the Cardinals do stop the running attack, no worries because Ryan has a No. 1 receiver in Roddy White who pulled down 88 catches, 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns. Michael Jenkins has developed into a solid No.2 receiver and has come up with big catches all season long. The Cardinals pass defense is not great as they give up around 220 passing yards-per-game and Bertrand Berry leads the team in sacks with only five.

WHEN THE FALCONS ARE ON DEFENSE...

John Abraham is the play maker for the Falcons defense and Lawyer Miloy is the emotional leader. Both of theses players will have to play at a high level on Saturday in order to shut down Boldin, Fitzgerald and Breaston. Abraham leads the team and all NFL defensive lineman in sacks with 16.5 (and yet he didn't make the Pro Bowl), and Miloy isn't the safety he was five years ago, but he did have a good season with 93 tackles and one interception. Kieth Brooking led the team in tackles again with 102 and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton has a stellar rookie campaign with 94 tackles.

Arizona has one of the best passing attacks in the league and will try to attack a small Falcons secondary early and often. Brent Grimes, Chris Houston and Dominique Foxworth are the corners for the Falcons and will have their hands full. But they are aggressive at the point of attack and will be in your face for the entire game. Quarterback Kurt Warner is having his best season and will try to use his playoff experience to carry his team to victory.

THE BOTTOM LINE...

What this game comes down to is ball control and which team can pressure the quarterback. The one thing that the Falcons do better than any team is getting off to a fast start. The led the NFC in first quarter points and were third in first quarter points allowed. They are also coming into this game with a three-game winning and are as confident as they have ever been. The Cardinals are confident because they are hosting a playoff game and are coming of a much needed victory. But they have struggled and have not faced a running attack like the Falcons. The same can be said for the Falcons as they have not faced a passing game like Arizona, but they are able to apply pressure with their defensive line and do not have to blitz. Also, the Falcons are known as being one of the most aggressive teams in the NFL and if they hit the Cardinals hard early it will be hard for the Arizona to hit back. So with that the Falcons win 24-17 and win their first road playoff game since 2002.