Chris Berman picked us over those Aints 27-24!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs

Safety Erik Coleman and others in the Falcons secondary said the team is up to the challenge as the league’s top-ranked pass offense visits the Georgia Dome on Sunday. More in the Falcons-Saints Scouting Report.
Source >> Atlanta Falcons

Falcons’ White grows up in a hurry

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

There was a time when a large percentage of McDonald’s employees in greater Atlanta would see Roddy White and automatically push a button.

“I had them trained,” White said with a laugh. “The No. 2 combo, always the No. 2 combo — Quarter-Pounder with cheese, large fries and a Hi-C. Every day. Sometimes, two or three times a day. Sometimes, at 3 or 4 in the morning.”

This is the story of how White went from the No. 2 combo to being the No. 1 wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons and, perhaps, one of the best in the NFL. It’s about slimming down and growing up. More than anything, it’s a story about learning to take care of others and, in the process, taking care of yourself.

If the people at McDonald’s could see White now — and they haven’t in quite some time — they wouldn’t recognize him. These days, White’s home early most evenings. He’s eating (and making) dinners that are heavy on fruits and vegetables. If he goes out, it’s to watch the kids — his kids, essentially — play high school football.

Tyrone Moore, 15, is White’s brother. Ali White, 17, is his cousin. They play football at and attend Mill Creek High School, which is just a few miles away from the Falcons’ practice facility in Flowery Branch. They live with White, 27, who has taken on the role of parent for both boys.

It happened almost overnight. It happened before the 2007 school year began and it happened at just about the same time White made a bunch of other decisions that probably saved his career. It’s a long and complicated story, but, when you look at the end result, it’s no coincidence that all these good things happened at the same time.

Let’s start with the arrival of the two teenagers in Georgia.

“They lived with my mom [in South Carolina],” White said. “Things weren’t going real well. They needed someone who would always be there for them and I didn’t think they were getting that. I wanted to take more responsibility and guide them in a family direction.”

In most instances, young men get a chance to grow into fatherhood over time. White, who remains single, didn’t even get a bachelor party. But, he said, he had enough of those moments when he was young.

“My first two years in the league, I got caught up in the things a lot of young athletes do,” White said. “I’d go to practice, go to McDonald’s and go out until 3 or 4 in the morning. I’d get a couple hours sleep and go do it all over again.”

It showed in White’s play. A first-round pick (27th overall) out of Alabama-Birmingham in 2005, White’s first two years in the league were pretty close to disastrous. An ankle injury sidelined him for much of his rookie preseason. When he did get on the field, blown routes and dropped passes kept him from ever getting a solid grip on a starting job. All those No. 2 combos had taken White’s 6-foot frame to almost 220 pounds and were making him run more like a tight end than a linebacker.

“Our second game against New Orleans in my second year, I dropped a few easy passes,” White said. “I mean the ball went right through my arms. People were booing and I thought I’d never see the field again. I finally said to myself, ‘You’re not going to be in this league much longer if you keep this up. You’ve got to get serious about this.’”

After that season, Bobby Petrino was hired to coach the Falcons. It turned out to be a terrible move, with Petrino not even lasting a full year before bolting for the University of Arkansas. Much of Atlanta’s roster called Petrino a quitter and ripped him for his inability to communicate with players.

But there is one little-known Petrino story that did pay off — and still is paying off — for the Falcons. At the same time White was doing some serious soul searching, the new coach sat him down for a serious talk.

“He told me I had the talent to be a No. 1 receiver in this league and that I wasn’t using it,” White said. “He told me I needed to drop some weight. He told me what I already kind of knew, that I had to get serious.”

A lot of strange things happened to the Falcons last year. Petrino’s problems are well-documented and so is the sad saga of quarterback Michael Vick. Without Vick, the Falcons used Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich and Chris Redman as starting quarterbacks.

About the only thing that went right was the play of White. After producing 59 catches for 952 yards and three touchdowns in his first two seasons, White forgot McDonald’s, dropped his weight to 205 pounds, started working harder and partying much less and, for the first time in his life, found a role model. That was veteran receiver Joe Horn, who may have been just a role player for the Falcons, but was a Pro Bowler earlier in his career.

“That guy turned the switch on for me,” White said. “He showed me how to work hard and told me I could be a No. 1 receiver. I followed whatever he did. You’ve got to remember that I never had anybody to pattern myself after. Even when I first got into the league, I didn’t have anybody like that and I thought I knew it all and kept to myself. I lived alone and I lived my life by my standards, which weren’t the best.”

With Horn’s influence, White caught 83 passes for 1,202 yards and five touchdowns. At the same time, White was going through major changes at home and he wasn’t living alone anymore. His brother and cousin arrived and so did responsibilities. He had to make sure they got to school, got to football practice, ate, did their homework and got to bed on time.

“It was a big adjustment for me,” White said. “It’s been worth it, though. I’ve just taken the approach that I want them to know I’m always going to be there for them. It’s been real rewarding for me to see them do well.”

It’s been real rewarding for the Falcons to see White’s personal growth continue. These days, he’s known as one of the hardest workers on the team.

White’s been a big part of the reason for Atlanta’s surprising 5-3 start. His 48 catches for 733 yards and five touchdowns have helped rookie quarterback Matt Ryan look like a veteran.

“I want to be a Pro Bowl receiver at some point and I think I’m on the right track now,” White said. “Before Joe left [Horn was released this preseason] he took me aside. He told me to keep doing what I did last year and to go out and become a leader. He told me I could take myself even further now that I’ve established myself.”

Now that White’s established, and found himself, he’s taking everyone around him further.
Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs

Midseason awards

The “Mad Men” Award
For the best show you’re not watching on Sundays:

Winner: The Matt Ryan-Michael Turner-Roddy White trio: With virtually zero media attention, no nationally televised games, and pretty much no love whatsoever from outside the 404 — the Atlanta Falcons offensive trio quietly became the best 1-2-3 in all of football. Behind R-T-W (we need a Run TMC-like nickname for these guys), the Falcons are 5-3 and right in the thick of the NFC postseason hunt. Ryan’s putting up the best numbers for a rookie quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s ‘05 campaign, and White and Turner are third in the NFC in receptions and rushing yards, respectively. You probably haven’t seen these three in action yet. You might want to

When awards get real Looking for some “inside the box” NFL awards? Here are Peter Schrager’s “Real” Midseason Award Picks:MVP: Jake Delhomme, Panthers
Off. Player of Year: Kurt Warner, Cardinals
Def. Player of Year: Justin Tuck, Giants
Off. Rookie of Year: Matt Ryan, Falcons
Def. Rookie of Year: Chris Horton, Redskins
Comeback Player: Gus Frerotte, Vikings
Coach of Year: Mike Smith, Atlanta
Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs

10. Atlanta Falcons
In the words of Dave Dameshek, quoting a 20-year-old chick flick that centers around dancing, “As the great Jerry Orbach once said, ‘When I’m wrong, I’m wrong.’” And I was wrong about Matt Ryan. Maybe my B.C. bias played into it, but Ryan has turned out to be the most polished rookie quarterback I can remember watching since … since … I don’t even know. Dan Marino? I might have to go with Marino. (Marino was better obviously, but still …) I just don’t think it’s realistic for a young guy with size to move around this well, run the offense this efficiently and actually get better in the clutch. He keeps the Falcons in every game. Road crowds don’t faze him. He nails the deep ball as good as anyone. He’s a franchise QB in every sense for a franchise that desperately needed some hope again. And that’s why a Boston College graduate is my 2008 Halfway MVP. And you thought I was petty.

I consider this high praise for Matt Ryan and couldn’t be more proud. It’s also nice to see Simmons eat some crow since he bailed on Atlanta at the beginning of the season.

Bill Simmons, I forgive you.

For the link Nazis : The Sports Guy
Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs

FOX NFL Sunday Roundtable: Week 10 (Link)

Czar: “Well, does anybody have some Super Bowl teams picked?”

Terry Bradshaw: “I’m sticking with the Giants being there. They aren’t fazed one bit with being the defending champs and I think the Steelers, with Ben or with Byron Leftwich, will get there. They showed Monday night they have too much defense for anybody in the AFC.”

——————————————————————————–

Czar: “How about a rookie of the year pick?”

TB: “There are so many very good running backs to choose from, but I’m sticking with my quarterback, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan.”

Howie Long: “This kid has the ‘it’ factor. Whatever it takes to be great, Matt has it. Good kid, too.”

TB: “Howie’s right. It’s a combination of so many things, but he has what it takes to be something special. Remember, early in the season I told everyone that the Falcons started off making their passing game very simple for him. Primarily, they worked their patterns deep instead of going short and then deep. And that’s why in that first game he hit the post route. Obviously, he’s an excellent deep-ball thrower. When you do throw deep, you don’t turn over the ball so much because every young quarterback can see the safeties.
“Nobody knew how he would respond to the blitzes, the inside pass rush and also dealing with all the money he’s making. But winning in Green Bay was huge. That had to build his confidence. Everybody knows I don’t care about your arm. I care about your presence. Your poise and your work ethic.”

Michael Strahan: “You look around at some quarterbacks, and they have no pocket presence at all. Some drop too deep and also flail around with the ball. Ryan steps up in the pocket. He told someone how he thought it was a lot easier in the pros than he expected. I said he would find out it would be tougher, but he’s proven me wrong. One of their coaches told me that this kid just has it. When he talks, everybody listens. They believe he can do it.”

TB: “When he hit that 26-yard corner route to set up the winning field goal against the Bears, that said so much. The coaches put the game in his hand. Veteran players there had to be thinking, ‘We have us something special here. This kid can play. We have some hope here.’ “

HL: “I think Matt always believed he was going to be successful.”

Czar: “Well, nobody is even talking about Michael Vick anymore in that town.”

MS: “As a pass rusher, I am impressed with how well Ryan has adjusted. Sometimes you fear athletic guys, but a guy like Ryan is probably frustrating some rushers because he isn’t doing dumb things back there like dropping deeper or flailing around with the ball.”

HL: “His eyes never go down (looking at the rush). He has a great presence in the pocket.”

——————————————————————————–

Czar: “The Raiders cut one of their big offseason acquisitions, former Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall. What is going on with Al?”

HL: “Al Davis went hog wild on spending and by releasing Hall he was admitting the mistake, but also saying, ‘I am not going to put $16 million more into the mistake, so why not let him go now?’ Hall had a great chance of making that money next year.”

Jimmy Johnson: “It was an injury guarantee and Al probably thought that Hall was liable to get dinged up next year.”

HL: “They had to let him go and he’s healthy now. They have a lot of money committed into next season and the year after that, and the Raiders don’t have 10 limited partners who can pay all of this off. The way they spent this year ($145 million) they are against the wall next year and the season after.”

Czar: “They haven’t cut Javon Walker yet. They spent a lot of money on him, too.”

HL: “They are still looking at everything because they do have to sign the other cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha. He’s so good, few quarterbacks even test him.”

TB: “Well, Al has already lost. He gave this guy $9 million and the trade with Atlanta cost him second-round and fifth-round draft choices. That’s money and two potential young players gone.”

HL: “Everything was funneled Hall’s way and he didn’t have enough buckets to bail the boat.”

MS: “Very few guys are really the shut-down corner everybody talks about … you know, the next Deion. He got abused by Denver rookie Eddie Royal in the first game. Yes, Royal is good, but Hall is a veteran and veterans are supposed to make a **** play once in a while.”

——————————————————————————–

Czar: “We have a huge game in Minnesota with the Packers coming to town. Can Aaron Rodgers win in Minnesota?”

JJ: “The Packers played pretty well last Sunday in Tennessee and just came up short. They are as solid as any team in the division. They can win there even though they have struggled in the Metrodome in the past. The Vikings play the run well, but they still struggle with their pass defense. Plus, I can’t get too excited about a team that has someone like Gus Frerotte at quarterback.”

HL: “Green Bay has to be disappointed about losing to Tennessee. They played really well down there. The aftermath of that game is the Aaron Rodgers’ interception in the end zone. They simply didn’t take advantage of all their trips in the red zone.”

MS: “I think the Packers will win because they are the better football team. Adrian Peterson will still get some yards, but the Packers are good enough to stop the run. They also seem to be able to get enough pressure on the quarterback even though Aaron Kampman is their only great rusher. I agree that Minnesota doesn’t have the quarterback that scares you.”

Curt Menefee: “This division is Green Bay’s for the taking.”

HL: “Some fans want to compare Frerotte with Kerry Collins and that’s not fair. Collins can take a team places. He played very well in at the end of the game, and in overtime, too. He can make plays and also not get his team beat. Green Bay’s defense actually played well against the Titans, they simply got worn down in overtime because the Titans also had the ball at the end of the fourth quarter. They put two long drives together back to back.”

MS: “Both teams were really tired at the end of the game. Green Bay was shot.”

TB: “That was a game the Packers should have won.”

——————————————————————————–

Czar: “We talked about Ryan already, but what about the turnaround of the Falcons? Nobody could have thought they would have won five games this season.”

HL: “It is stunning what Mike Smith has done with this football team. This was a team that was as dysfunctional as any team in the league. They had a coach quit on them and they had the Michael Vick saga.”

CM: “What’s interesting about the Falcons playing the Saints is that it was a few years ago that Sean Payton showed up in New Orleans and turned that whole organization around, the season after Katrina, and winning with a quarterback that nobody seemed to want.”

Czar: “Yes, two coaches who have made a huge difference with their teams.”

HL: “People in football knew who Payton was, but Mike Smith sort of came out of nowhere.”

Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs

Since the NFC South was formed in 2002 the cellar dwellar has won the division the following year. Check it out:

CAR was last in 02 and won the division in 03
ATL was last in 03 and won the division in 04
TB was last in 04 and won the division in 05
NO was last in 05 and won the division in 06
TB was last in 06 and won the division in 07
ATL was last in 07. Will we win the division in 08?

I say yes.

We have a lot going for us. A 5-3 start. One game back. Three division games at home. The best running game in the division and a good game manager. It all starts Sunday. Get that one and things start to look up. I personally only think there’s one team in the league we can’t beat and that’s NYG. Maybe.
Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs

It isn’t the city so much as the region. But, Madden says Atlanta
doesn’t support the FALCONS because Atlanta doesn’t really support
the NFL near as much as college ball. I actually tend to agree.

I do a podcast, so I have audio on the web. JOHN Madden has audio
on the web through a Bay area radio station KCBS. I watch a lot of video
on the web (YOU TUBE, Letterman, MS-NBC), but that KCBS thing
is the only audio on the web I give any time to. click here ?
and look for the 10.31 date about a half dozen down.

I say region, I say I tend to agree because I am a TECH fan.
My son who is a graduate of TECH is a much better fan than I am.
He goes to most home games. Because I live in JAPAN,
I make it to one or two in a five year period.
And over the years, my son thinks
I’ve been bad luck for the team.

TECH has a bad year, half the seats are empty.
Falcons have a bad year, half the seats are empty.
It is the city.

Dawg fans fill the stadium even when they are having
a disappointing season. Auburn fans might do the same.
It is the region.

When the late great IVAN ALLEN sold the NFL
on Atlanta, he was selling the city as the center of the region.
Now the NFL has JAX Jags and Carolina Panthers
in what looks like basically the SAME region.

Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs

Baldinger picked the Falcons but Sterling Sharpe picked the Saints because he said Jonthan Vilma was gonna single handly shutdown the Falcons running game.
Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs

We all know that when the Falcons beat the ‘Aints this weekend, we are going to be swarmed with excuses. No reggie bush! If Bush was in we would have won! Etc. We’re missing Sam Baker.. I think he’s just as big a part of our offense and he wont be playing. But I still know that the excuses are going to come flying out of their a**es once they lose… not looking forward to it myself, i dont know about you guys.
Source >> Atlanta Falcons Blogs