ESPN Chat, Mailbag, and Final Word with Pat Y

[theProf]

Chat with Pat Yasinskas

dwayne (atl, ga)
hi pat, i wanted to know what you thought about dunta robinson's first performance with the falcons against pittsburgh. in my perspective, although he wasnt flashy or dominant, he did hold his own with the exception of a few crucial receptions by hines ward. also, what needs to be the falcons biggest ajustments coming into week two against arizona. I think the offense, specifically matt ryan and michael turner need to raise it up a notch or two or even three. roddy white was spectacular as usual. thanks for your incite pat.

Pat Yasinskas (12:56 PM)
On Robinson, I'm with you. He did all right. As for the offense, that's the real issue. Falcons have too much offensive talent not to get more production out of it. They've got to establish Turner and let him get his confidence and rhythm back. Also, wouldn't hurt to let Ryan take more shots downfield -- mainly to Harry Douglas.

Matt (Atl)
Is Eric Coleman going to be able to play sunday? His injury may have been the best news I heard all week. He doesnt seem like he can cover plus he was to slow to stop mendenhal.

Pat Yasinskas (1:01 PM)
Haven't heard today's injury update yet. But the fact Coleman's missed some practice could be a sign he won't play. This might be William Moore's chance to step in and claim that job.

J> White (Albany, GA)
It seems as if the Falcons have experienced a role reversal of sorts. The defense played the Steelers tough ( except for Mendenhall play), while the offense looked anemic. Expect anything different against the

Pat Yasinskas (1:09 PM)
I expect Atlanta offense to bounce back in a big way this week. Nobody there is happy about what happened in Pittsburgh. Too much talent for this offense to not be more productive.

Evan (Durham, NC)
Pat, Who is the best coach at rebounding from a loss (in NFCS)?

Pat Yasinskas (1:24 PM)
Let's see what Mike Smith does this Sunday. I suspect Falcons bounce back nicely.

Don (New Orleans)
Is Matt Ryan really an elite quarterback? I know that we are only one week into the season but he looked horrible last week?

Pat Yasinskas (1:32 PM)
He did look bad last week. But it's only one game. The guy has tremendous upside. Let's see how he bounces back.

CC (Atlanta)
Pat -- do the Falcons really have that much offensive talent? We have one threat at WR. Gonzalez has lost a step. Turner looked slow againts Pitt which was his problem last year. Norwood is a tease and the OL is mediocre at best. All this talent you speak of is grossly overrated.

Pat Yasinskas (1:37 PM)
Well, after what we saw last week, you might be right.

Ryan (Atlanta, GA)
Hey Pat, do you think Blank (my boss) was disappointed in my play last week and I'm starting to feel the pressure to perform at an elite level?

Pat Yasinskas (1:58 PM)
I know the real Matt and I'm sure he's putting plenty of pressure on himself.

Atlanta Falcons Fans (Georgia)
Why all the tough love for the Falcons as of late?

Pat Yasinskas (2:00 PM)
They lost an ugly game. I'm not paid to be a cheerleader. If they had won, I would have been singing their praises. I can only work with what they give me


Saturday morning mailbag
September, 18, 2010 Sep 18 7:30 AM ET By Pat Yasinskas

Rum in Avondale, La., writes: After reading your Falcons mailbag -- did you catch Inside The NFL (on Showtime) last night? The guys on the show were ripping Matty Ice and the Falcons for their pitiful performance against the Steelers. You might want to let the Falcon fans know about it so they'll see what others are saying about losing to a 3rd-string QB.

Pat Yasinskas: No, I didn’t happen to catch it, but I’m sure the Falcons got their share of criticism throughout the media. I’m also pretty sure Mike Smith and his staff weren’t going around the building this week saying, “You guys were great in Pittsburgh’’. I’m sure the Falcons took a lot of heat from within this week, and it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back with a strong performance against Arizona.
________________________________________
Amit in Atlanta writes: When will Jerious Norwood get the carries he deserves? He seems to be healthy this year and the few touches he got against the Steelers were more positive than the touches Michael Turner got. Is there any chance Norwood will get at least 10 carries a game that he deserves?

Pat Yasinskas: Norwood is healthy at the moment. But the problem is he’s never been able to stay healthy for very long. I’d like to see him get at least a few more carries, too. But I don’t think the Falcons are ready to give up on Michael Turner and suddenly make Norwood a feature back.


Final Word: NFC South
September, 17, 2010 Sep 17 3:37 PM ET By Pat Yasinskas

The pressure is on Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Mike Mularkey. The Atlanta Falcons finally have put together a respectable defense, so that unit is no longer any easy target for blame after a loss. The offense simply did not get the job done in the season-opening loss to Pittsburgh. When you have players such as Ryan and Turner, there is no excuse for not scoring touchdowns. It’s up to Mularkey, Atlanta's offensive coordinator, to put his guys in position to make big plays. He must play to Ryan’s strengths a bit more and let the quarterback throw the ball downfield. He also must find a way to get Turner, who had 42 yards on 19 carries against the Steelers, going against Arizona. If Atlanta’s offense doesn’t show up for this game, a once-promising season is suddenly going to be in big trouble.

Lofton’s rising. The one positive I took from Atlanta’s opening loss was the play of middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. He said he wants to be more of a leader and make some big plays this year. He showed signs of both against the Steelers. The Falcons will take big plays any way they can get them.

[Peyton]

No, that question from CC wasn't me, I promise.

[The Falcon Jedi]

I dont listen to anything Pat Yasinskas says any more. He never says anything that none of us dont already know, he seems to just read AJC and AFMB blogs to get his info about the Falcons.

---

Here's a good one:
>>Atlanta Falcons Fans (Georgia)
Why all the tough love for the Falcons as of late?

Pat Yasinskas (2:00 PM)
They lost an ugly game. I'm not paid to be a cheerleader. If they had won, I would have been singing their praises. I can only work with what they give me<<

Basically he's saying if we had won then he would be on the bandwagon. But since they lost he doesnt care about them.
Awesome reporting.

[Peyton]

(09-18-2010 10:08 AM)The Falcon Jedi Wrote:  I dont listen to anything Pat Yasinskas says any more. He never says anything that none of us dont already know, he seems to just read AJC and AFMB blogs to get his info about the Falcons.

---

Here's a good one:
>>Atlanta Falcons Fans (Georgia)
Why all the tough love for the Falcons as of late?

Pat Yasinskas (2:00 PM)
They lost an ugly game. I'm not paid to be a cheerleader. If they had won, I would have been singing their praises. I can only work with what they give me<<

Basically he's saying if we had won then he would be on the bandwagon. But since they lost he doesnt care about them.
Awesome reporting.

I guess it's worthy of discussion how the media is percieving the team, but most of the fans of the team are much more in tune with what is really going on with the team.

[The Falcon Jedi]

(09-18-2010 10:12 AM)Peyton Wrote:  I guess it's worthy of discussion how the media is percieving the team, but most of the fans of the team are much more in tune with what is really going on with the team.

Pat Y is so out of tune with this team, I just dont even read his commentary any more. All of his answers to all of those questions, you or me could have said the same things. But he gets paid for stating the obvious...

[Beef]

(09-18-2010 10:14 AM)The Falcon Jedi Wrote:  Pat Y is so out of tune with this team, I just dont even read his commentary any more. All of his answers to all of those questions, you or me could have said the same things. But he gets paid for stating the obvious...

I love Turner, but when he rated the RB's in the NFC south & put Turner #1, I was like WTF is he thinking? Dude doesn't have a clue most of the time. Sometimes he gets it right, but more than half the time, he's way off.

[theProf]

(09-18-2010 10:08 AM)The Falcon Jedi Wrote:  I dont listen to anything Pat Yasinskas says any more. He never says anything that none of us dont already know, he seems to just read AJC and AFMB blogs to get his info about the Falcons.

---

Here's a good one:
>>Atlanta Falcons Fans (Georgia)
Why all the tough love for the Falcons as of late?

Pat Yasinskas (2:00 PM)
They lost an ugly game. I'm not paid to be a cheerleader. If they had won, I would have been singing their praises. I can only work with what they give me<<

Basically he's saying if we had won then he would be on the bandwagon. But since they lost he doesnt care about them.
Awesome reporting.

Yasinskas is a fair weather fan alright. If an NFC South team is winning, Yas really sings their praises loud and clear. That's why he is so in love with the Saints right now.

[The Falcon Jedi]

Pat Y gets paid money to be Captain Obvious. I dont think Ive ever read a single article from him that wasnt copied from the AJC or the AP. He never has any real inside Info about anything.

[theProf]

(09-18-2010 10:30 AM)The Falcon Jedi Wrote:  Pat Y gets paid money to be Captain Obvious. I dont think Ive ever read a single article from him that wasnt copied from the AJC or the AP. He never has any real inside Info about anything.

It's clear that Yasinskas reads widely from various sources, including team beat writers and national sports writers. However, I think he has and can provide insightful information not obtained elsewhere. It's obvious that he has contacts with NFC South team officials and insiders, and that also impacts his opinions and comments. For one example, he said the Falcons were not all that pleased with Eric Coleman's play last season, and were hoping that Moore could claim the starting SS position. He has rather strong opinions about the various players and will voice those opinions clearly, if asked. I think its somewhat refreshing to see negative opinions expressed, when and if merited, rather than always voicing the standard sugar-coated opinions.