Falcons: Are the Falcons a Great Team

[Jesus]

I keep seeing this everywhere. We have been watching it all season. Everywhere you look the Falcons are being called out for not being good enough despite the 10-1 record. The reasoning? They win too many close games - that's a tough problem to have. They don't look dominant - domination was not a prerequisite for the last two super bowl winners. Or the big one: They haven't won a playoff game yet this year.

Check out this video:
Video

This guy says the Falcons are not as dominate as the 85 Bears which means they can't possibly win the super bowl.

That makes sense.

Remember about this time last year when the Packers were running away with the league and finished 15-1. The press had basically handed them the Lombardi week 10. The rest of the season was just wasting time. Then what happened? They lost, lost bad at home.

Remember in 2008 when the Giants were coming off their big win over the 16-0 Pats and were running away with the NFC and looking dominant, then they got to the playoffs and lost at home in the first round to the Eagles.

The funny thing is the Falcons are on their way to putting up stats very similar to the Giants of last year and the Packers the year before. The last two super bowl winners.

2011 Giants
Scored 394 allowed 400 9-7
Manning - 4933 29td 16int
2 500 yard rushers
2 1000 yard receivers
Top 10 Offense
Bottom 10 Defense

2010 Packers
Scored 388 allowed 240 10-6
Rodgers - 3922 28-11
1 700 yard rusher
1 1000 yard receiver
Top 10 offense
Top 10 defense

2012 Falcons - Right now
Scored 294 allowed 216 10-1
Ryan - 3425 21 13
1 500 yard rusher probably end up with around 750 - 800
1 1000 yard receiver probably 2 maybe 3
Top 10 offense
Top 10 scoring defense

For some reason your team isn't good enough unless you put up 40 points a week. The scary thing about the Falcons, the one thing that a lot of the pundits aren't seeing, is that even when they have a bad game they still find ways to win. 5 Picks? No problem. Missed field goals? No problem. Just keep winning. I think this team has a better chance of going deep into the playoffs than any other Falcon team in recent memory. Why? They just keep winning.

[RnB]

You make a good point; I don't think everyone is overlooking the fact that we win close games, they just put it into a negative light so that they have something to talk about.

We, as fans, see every game and know that we aren't simply squeaking by. We are having close games because we are making mistakes, learning, and still developing as a team under the new coordinators. We have consistently shown this year that we have a team that WILL FIND a way to beat you. There is no quit in any of our guys, we have great talent at every position, decent depth, and a VERY good coaching staff. We are primed to start having post-season success and start a new dynasty in the NFC South.

We have had a rock solid franchise for going on 5 years now. Our arrow, despite out post-season woes, has been pointing up for a long time. The pundits are simply doing their job; who gives a fuck what they say to generate controversy and revenue? Our Falcons are easily one of the top 5 teams in the league, if not NUMBER ONE.

Fuck the haters. Ignore them and enjoy the season.

[ChrisD]

This Falcons team is the best one I can remember in a very long time. It's certainly the best since Dimitroff and Smith came into the organization at the very least. While Turner has been a let down this season, I think we went out and showed everyone yesterday that we do have different ways to run the football. We ran pretty effectively on the #1 run defense, that was the plan by Mike Smith and what he wanted to show.

The defense looks fast out there, but I do think that there needs to be a few small changes with it. Loved the pass rush yesterday, it looked wonderful. I'm not sure about our tackling though. While some people think it was great yesterday, I think we held the Bucs to very few big plays on the ground and it was deceiving when looking at the tackles because there were still a lot of guys flying off offensive players before they went down. We need to have a healthy secondary, and whatever Nolan was doing with our guys back against the Denver Broncos - he needs to do that again come playoff time. I have full confidence Nolan will step it up.

Whether anyone likes it or not though, this teams playoff run IS going to come down to how well Matt Ryan plays. I've said it before and I'll continue to say it - Matt Ryan needs to play his best football when the playoffs come. He's been playing great, but the playoffs have been his personal wall and no one can deny that. I understand it takes an entire team to put together a winning game, but if Matt Ryan turns the ball over against some of these better teams - we could be finished with just one mere mistake.

The Falcons are a great football team, make no mistake about what I am saying here. They find ways to win games even when they play their absolute worst football. I want to see them play their best football just once down the stretch here before we get to the playoffs though.

[RockHoward]

To be great in the NFL you have to win during the play-offs and so it is too early to say 'great'. However I will say that the Falcons are much more entertaining this year on both sides of the ball and for that I am most grateful. Sure they have looked bad at times, but, unlike every other team in the league, they have never suffered a blowout loss. More to the point, however, is the the mix of plays on offense and especially on defense. They keep the other team, and therefore the fans, guessing and that is a very good thing AFAIC.

[TeamPlayer1]

"You are what your record says you are!"