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Falcons Pulse
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Falcon's 2016 Season Analysis - Back in the Black |
Falcon's 2016 Season Analysis - Back in the Black
2016 Season Analysis – Back in the Black
10 and 6 was the end result. 1 game more than needed to keep my contract and just enough to stay ahead of the Panthers (by divisional record alone) and claim the NFC South and secure a playoff berth by the slimmest of margins.
The season started on a much higher note than last year, opening the year with a solid game against the  at home that saw some inspiring defense that we leveraged into constant scoreboard pressure. This was followed by a road trip down to Tampa Bay where some early scoring and a lot of ball in our possession (27 minutes versus 16) saw us overcome the powerhouse  and vie for the division’s top spot.
But it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns early on as the  gave us a wakeup call in week 3 as we couldn’t hit the scoreboard until late in the fourth quarter which led to a massive blow-out in time of possession (15 minutes to 28 ). Week 5 saw us bounce back in our second visional game in Carolina, downing the  and taking hold of the division. We followed this with another victory over the struggling  before our second loss at the hands of the 
We hit the bye week in a good position of 4-2, ideally one less win than where we really wanted to be (that week 6 loss to the Bears hurt), but we came out firing with 3 in a row over the  ,  , and  where we scored no less than 25 points, but the defensive cracks were starting to show as the yardage and points were mounting up from the opposition.
As fate has it, our biggest winning streak was followed by our greatest losing streak, nullifying the gains of the previous week with a mirrored bad stretched as we fell to the  , , and  . None of these contests were even competitive to draw positives from, and whilst getting spanked by the Chargers (giving up our most points all year, 48 ) hurt, it was the loss to the Panthers that really ate at us as they were on a roll and the pressure to maintain the division lead and our playoff hopes were on thin ice.
Fortunately, our next 2 games produced much needed victories over divisional rivals and to keep us in contention with our nose ahead of the
Week 16 saw a tight battle against one of the best teams in the league, the  , which we ultimately failed in, setting us up for a high stakes final game that would determine our season for good or bad. The  were a high powere offense with big receivers and our defense had been struggling in similar outings. Our defense gave us a chance with 2 turnovers, David Wilson ran for some great gains and Eli finished off when needed to get us past the post and back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2012 Superbowl victory.
Into the playoffs we head only to face off against the reigning champions in the  . With one of the best quarterbacks in the league and not one but two defensive ball hawks this would be a massive test for probably the team ranked worst of all playoff contenders. But the team came out firing, taking the early lead only to see the 49ers wrestle it back by half time. Both quarterbacks were at the top of their game with Kyle Orton finding targets with outstanding accuracy (73.3%). Eli was not alone though, supported by the running game, and we hung in there before clawing a fourth quarter comeback to snatch the victory by a mere 3 points.
Out of the Wild Card and into the fire, we took on NFC West champs the  . We started confidently again and were in the game, even taking a 20 to 10 lead by half time, but that’s when things changed. Unable to keep going, the Seahawks held us to a solitary late fourth quarter field goal in a game that saw 7 turnovers by the quarterbacks (4 for Eli, 3 for Alex Smith) and the final rally by the Seahawks nailed us 27-20 and ended our season.
With flashes of brilliance at times and the occasional nerves of steel we fashioned a season that was scrappy and at times downright disgusting, but in the end it has proven to be the best one yet since I took over and gives this franchise hope in a even more competitive division and a tough conference.
Best Offensive Game: Week 14, 34-31 away versus the . When you’ve come back to square the score at half time on the road and then sneak a victory against a divisional rival is big at any time.
Best Defensive Game: Week 5, 23-7 away versus the . It probably helped that we hogged the ball in this game (32 minutes TOP), giving the Packers and their rookie quarterback little to work with. This could contend for our best offensive game, even if it wasn’t the biggest scoring game of the year.
Most Important Game: Week 17, 27-23 versus , mainly because it secured our divisional title by the slightest of margins, and a loss most likely would have seen us miss the playoff altogether.
There weren’t that many games where we dominantly controlled the clock, but they did produce our best results. For a GM that focuses on a run first offense we want to get that mojo back to play on our terms.
Offensive Team Stats:
- 24.2 points per game (21st) 0.2 ppg more than last year, same rank
- 354.7 yards per game (13th) 33.2 ypg more than last year, up 14 spots
- 253.7 passing yards per game (9th) 31 ypg more than last year, 14 spots higher
- 100.9 rushing yards per game (20th) 2.1 ypg more than last year, up 3 spots
- 22:36 Time of Possessions (21st) up 40 seconds from last year, ranked 9 places higher
On the rankings alone these were some significant improvements from last year and the offense as a whole was the main reason we were able to hold on to top position in our division and land a playoff spot. Compared to the rest of the league and the power polls we were barely middle of the pack after a late season slump which needs to be improved on.
Eli Manning was productive once again, even in his aging years, as he kept early pace with the top 10 gun slingers in the league for a while. Eventually his aging arm couldn’t keep up the yardage pace and he finished the year ranked 7th for QB rating (99.5) on the back of 3549 yards at 53.83 completion percentage, 8.76 yards per attempt, 27 touchdowns, 6 interceptions and being sacked 14 times. He couldn’t muster a game with a QB rating over 100 for the last 7 games, which shows that father time is catching up with him. Blake Bortles managed 2 starts in the year and a couple of injury spot fill adding 4 more touchdowns to the teams’ tally but had 2 picks of his own.
David Wilson carried the greatest load on the ground but was relatively unsuccessful in his efforts to score, recording only 5 touchdowns from 311 attempts, 1342 rushing yards at 4.32 yards per carry. Rookie 5 round pick Darius Jackson was more productive on the scoreboard for his efforts, tallying 3 touchdowns from only 67 attempts. Both running backs fumbled the ball 3 times each which is a bit of a concern as well as we need better productivity and reliability from our running game. With Wilson having recently restructured to a long term deal it will be hard to make changes in this area, so it may be a change in gameplan or personnel in other areas that can push improvements.
We had gone out on a limb with our wide receiver line-up, slotting rookie Chris Moore into the top 2 receivers ahead of Titus Young and this had interesting results from the season onset. There were only 3 games in the year where a single receiver caught more than 1 touchdown pass. The first came in week 4 where #4 receiver Kerry Meier caught 2 against the Panthers, week 6 saw slot receiver Titus Young catch a pair against the Eagles, whilst week 10 against the Saints saw the first time a starter (Kevin Norwood) catch 2 touchdowns in a game. Yardage wise the top receivers were Norwood (1128) and Moore (1058), bur scoring was balanced across all 4 with 6 to Norwood, Moore, and Meier, whilst Young came out on top with 7 from the slot. Much like the running game, the number of times the receiving corps dropped the ball is concerning (26 between 4 receivers and a tight end) and the cause will need to be examined.
The offensive line as a unit only let 14 sacks through on Eli Manning, which compared to the top quarterbacks in the league is a decent return. Right tackle Mike Iupati was the worst offender, letting through 6 whilst Left Guard Jamie Thomas only allowed 1. Left Tackle Donald Stephenson has the most pancakes with 95 (2nd most in league) and combined with only 2 sacks allowed earnt him the teams only pro bowl invite.
Defensive Team Stats:
- 25.8 points per game (20th) 2.3 ppg less, up 7 spots
- 368.8 total yards per game (24th) 12.7 ypg less than last season, up 5 spots
- 259.7 passing yards per game (26th) 10.9 ypg less than last year, up 2 spots
- 109.7 rushing yards per game (19th) 1.8 ypg less, up 1 spot
- 22.17 Time of Possession (19th) almost 1 minute less, up 9 spots
- 31 sacks (19th) 4 more sacks than last year, up 8 spots
- 24 takeaways, 18 interceptions, 6 recovered fumbles (24th) same number of takeaways, ranked 1 spot higher
- 77.38% redzone defense (31st) down 2 spots for over 2% worse redzone defense
- 94.21 opponent passer rating (27th) 3.5 better passer rating, but down 2 spots
- 2 defensive touchdown (equal 20th) 1 more TD than last year
The defensive improvements for the team were only slight, but most of that was on the back of a much poorer showing in the latter half of the season. For most of the first half we were competitive in most stats and even appeared in the top 10 for the likes of rush defense. Of note at this stage CB Tharold Simon was leading the league in interceptions with 6 picks, a productivity he couldn’t maintain as he only added 1 more to his tally in the final few games, and both he and Chris Culliver were sporting decent deflection to catch ratios. We will definitely be scrutinizing what made our defense fall by the wayside to finish the year as it is a mirror of the offense and our final result for the season.
Whilst Tharold Simon started hot picking off the ball, his final tally of 7 interceptions saw him ranked equal 3rd in the league for that stat category. Combined with 54 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 forced fumble 26 deflections and 43 catches allowed he was our most productive defensive back. On the other hand, Chris Culliver couldn’t register a pick for the year, deflected 19 passes compared to 42 catches allowed, ended with 76 tackles, for loss and 1 sack. Culliver was asked to defend some of the bigger and more talented receivers in the league and was keeping them relatively in check early on, but as the theme continues he couldn’t keep it going all year. TJ McDonald had a quiet year at free safety whilst Jonathan Meeks stepped into the light for his first starting year. It’s a shame that its taken us so long to give him the nod as he turns 28 next season and still has plenty of room to grow.
Nate Triplett lead the team in tackles with 120 (6th most in league) along with 13 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 3 picks. Hau’oli Kikaha wasn’t too bad on the left side before his injury, but the gamble on rookie outside linebacker Kamalei Correa on the right side was uninspiring. Veteran Stewart Bradley was traded in mid-season following the Kikaha injury to shore up the left side and gave a decent return.
The defensive line was a mixed bag, once again uninspiring and largely disappointing. With only 20 sacks between them there was an obvious lack of pressure in the back field which will need to be looked at. We blooded a couple of new defensive ends this year, but with right end Damontre Moore leading the sack tally with 7 over left end Larry Webster (6), DT Carl Davis (5), and the truly disappointing Adrian Clayborn (2), another shake up is needed.
Our playoff spot has earnt this GM a reprieve on his contract with a bonus year up his sleeve. This will allow us a bit of flexibility in how we plan for the 2017 season. With the 5th overall pick in our pocket we have some trade leverage for a change and can consider how to add some real game changers to our roster.
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Forum Discussion
(by G_Pearce on 10/02/2023)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 8 |
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Faclon's 2016 Preseason |
Falcon's 2016 Preseason
Free Agents
- RE Nate Orchard - a depth need for roster requirements, although he has some interesting talents for a hybrid/3-4 right end. His 251lbs is his limiting factor when dealing with the bigger offensive linemen.
- LT Kevin Pamphile - our second pick-up to fill roster requirements, yet he again has the physical capabilities to spot start if required without too much fear.
- C Kyle Cook – Signed to a veteran exception contract he will be our starter this season following multiple failed attempts to sign other free agent centers. He lacks our ideal strength at the position and isn’t as polished a blocker as others, but he is one of only 4 centers in the league with 93+ awareness.
Position Battles
CB #2 Tharold Simon vs Kevin Johnson vs Juston Burris - each of these guys has something to bring to the table whether now or in the long term, and the benefits to playing any of them as our #2 corner back will be justified. Simon has the overall height and awareness advantage; Johnson has a slight edge over him in speed and strength. Rookie Burris on the other hand has more speed potential to start with, is the overall strongest with best agility, acceleration, and tackle, is only 22 years old, but has significantly lower awareness. It’s his comparison to Chris Culliver that has us interested in giving him play time in his rookie season to maximise his growth, but we are wary of the impact this will have on our overall pass defense and the teams need to make 9 wins this season, which is likely to see our day 1 starter being picked from Simon or Johnson.
ROLB Dontay Moch vs Kamalei Correa - whilst we brought in Moch from free agency to fill a void, he is not overly polished for his time in the league. On paper rookie Correa is of similar physical capabilities and is only lacking in game awareness compared to Moch. At 22 years old Correa can gain significant improvement in a long career if given the reins from day one which benefits this team overall and is the likely catalyst that gives him the starters job.
WR #2 Titus Young vs Chris Moore - straight up the extra 2 inches Moore brings to the table is the highlighting factor in this battle. Speed-wise the two are comparable whilst Moore has significantly more strength to handle the contact. Game smarts are about on par, but Young is faster off the mark and able to change direction swifter whilst looking a more polished catcher. Whichever way these two split the position we are happy to have the speed of the other coming out of the slot.
Preseason
With young starters getting majority of the snaps we split the preseason 2-2, opening up with a pair of wins before falling in the final 2 games where the offense just couldn’t seem to generate points.
- Win 27-17 at Jacksonville
- Win 31-22 vs Colts
- Lose 16-30 vs Titans
- Lose 3-10 at Baltimore
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Forum Discussion
(by G_Pearce on 07/27/2023)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 9 |
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Falcon's 2016 Offseason |
Falcon's 2016 Offseason
Trades
 send pick 6.18 to for RE Damontre Moore
Why Out - an easy decision to part with a 6th round pick for a potential starter, even if that player is in the last year of their contract.
Why In - we had experimented at RE during last season with some of our DTs playing out of position with little noticeable impact. With noticeable drop off in capability by doing this we feel there is a need someone to fill this position properly with a true defensive end. Moore is not flash, nor a speedster, but from RE he has noticeable strength, is agile and fairly quick off the mark. He is raw and has not seen any playtime since being drafted by the Colts in 2013. If he can prove himself capable this year then he'll earn a contract extension, otherwise he'll become another late draft casualty of insignificance.
sends RG Caleb Schlauderaff, pick 2.18, and Atlanta's 2017 1st round pick to  for CB Chris Culliver, WR TJ Jones, and Tennessee's 2017 3rd round pick
Why Out - after dealing our 1st last year for Eli Manning and Co we were left with little trade capital this year and a glaring need for a starting corner back. A couple of options were floated with Apolo to reunite Culliver with the GM who drafted him to Oakland, including shipping out young stud wide receiver Kevin Norwood. In the end we opted for the less impactful move of trading our starting right guard, although in this move, we needed to clear his hefty cap penalty to be able to financially accept the deal. With corner backs being a premium position this offseason it also cost our future first and current 2nd to seal the deal, which whilst not ideal, was the price to pay without gutting our team.
Why In - we needed a premier corner back following the regression of Mike Hawkins to mentor only status. It’s been no secret that our pass defense has never achieved the level I had whilst in Oakland so when Culliver became available, we pursued him to shore up our defense for several years to come. At 6-foot tall he brings speed we've been lacking in the secondary, combined with a high football IQ and cheap 4-year contract.
Wide receiver TJ Jones was a late inclusion to the deal purely to fill our roster needs. For a former 6th round pick he is fairly average in speed, agility, and acceleration for a 6-foot guy, but has considerable strength, decent hands, and nice jump, enough so that he can fill the number 3 or 4 receiver spot to our satisfaction.
send pick 4.17 to for RT Spencer Long
Why Out - we needed a new starter on the offensive line and a 4th rounder was not going to land us one via the draft.
Why In - after dealing our starting right guard in Caleb Schlauderaff we went shopping for his replacement. Checking the league for young players of physical skill and little to no playing time we found Spencer buried behind some very high recent draft picks in Seattle wasting away. A simple offer to Rock and we saw this young guy headed to Atlanta where he'll move inside to guard.
sends LE Chris Long and Atlanta's 2013 3rd round pick to  for pick 7.11 and Arizona's 2017 1st round pick
Why Out - Long has hit regression and we felt there was still value in him at this point, but that value would fall immeasurable next season. With Larry Webster waiting in depth who has all the physical capabilities to perform and felt its time to give him a chance. It was still a tough call to move a stud like Long whilst still a prime physical athlete, but to get top value for a player we'd otherwise lose in a couple more seasons was the logical decision to make.
Why In - after selling our soul (future first) to acquire CB Culliver, and no suitors for a current first rounder making themselves known, we negotiated with the Cardinals to a price they deemed affordable to them for this veteran. Now we have a better position to talk trades or draft with next season, unlike this year, and we know we can still push for that playoff spot without impacting our highest draft capital.
Free Agency
Our original offer board for free agency was light on this year compared to previous years, with only 5 offers made. Our interests were focused on returning CB Mike Hawkins via match-eligible, acquiring a backup HB in Terrance Ganaway, replacing our aging centre position with Peter Konz, adding a#2 tight end in Sean McGrath, and upgrading at outside linebacker through Bobby Wagner. Whilst some level of money was offered above the players' asking price, we came away fairly empty handed even though we entered top 3 bidding for 4 players:
- CB Mike Hawkins - Mike originally drew interest from several other franchises, predominately as a cheap veteran mentor. As the window began to close the suitors changed and we faced a top 3 scenario where our contract would just get jacked up by two other potential teams. By the end of the top 3 stage though we were left as the sole offer as the Jets and Chiefs withdrew their offers, which leaves Mike in Atlanta on a fresh 5-year contract that should see him retire in a Falcon's uniform.
- TE Sean McGrath - we plan to have a word with our contracts team about this one as the original offer was messed up, leaving us as the only offer for McGrath at a seriously inflated contract versus what we wanted to pay for a blocking tight end. Needless to say, we are stuck with this offer sheet, and he'll be made to earn his keep in trenches on goal line sets especially over the next 4 to 5 seasons.
SFL 2013 Draft
With our draft starting in the middle of the third round we knew there was not going to be any earth-shattering acquisitions from this draft, instead aiming for capable depth players at positions of need, or potential talent that somehow slipped through the cracks. Age also played a factor in how we drafted this year, sizing up talent versus how many years' service they would provide. The biggest advantage we had here was the saving of our scouting reports for these later rounds where we could establish a better understanding of a player's true capabilities:
- 3.11 ROLB Kamalei Corres - 22 y/o, 6'2", 243 lbs - 83 SPD, 77 STR, 58 AWR, 83 AGI, 83 ACC, 76 TAK - outside linebacker wasn't our highest need, but we felt there were a few quality options at this pick that needed to be investigated. With physical capabilities like incumbent Dontay Moch, this 22-year-old has decent size (but a little short) to make us consider starting him from day one for maximum growth potential. The only thing holding us back is the need to win games this year to keep my job and see his career unfold under my watch.
- 3.18 CB Justin Burris - 22 y/o, 6'0", 212 lbs - 93 SPD, 68 STR, 54 AWR, 91 AGI, 97 ACC, 57 CTH, 92 JMP, 74 TAK - last year we reached massively to draft Kevin Johnson as mediocre choice in the middle of the first round, all because we were hungry for a high awareness corner capable of starting from day one. This year we could evaluate talent for physicals and age as well, which lead us to Burris. Whilst only marginally faster than Johnson and a significant dip in awareness, he has better physical capabilities such as greater strength, can jump better, is more agile, has elite level tackle, and is a year younger when drafted. We have a mentor capability this year at corner back and it is now a tough call whether Johnson receives this benefit for his sophomore year, or if we go all in with Burris for 2 years. He's likely to only see playing time this year at the nickel or dime, but his future is looking good considering newly acquired Chris Culliver started his career in the relative same position.
- 4.18 WR Chris Moore - 23 y/o, 6'1", 206 lbs - 97 SPD, 55 STR, 55 AWR, 92 AGI, 92 ACC, 78 CTH, 87 JMP - Moore's name kept cropping up during the draft chat and in a certain mock. Initially I was worried that this would bring extra attention to a guy we had high on our board, but surprisingly no-one took to him before we could jump here. Being able to scout him out here probably helped our cause versus other teams, which make us the lucky ones to nab a 97 speed, 6+ foot receiver in the middle of the fourth round. He'll make a solid addition as our slot receiver or could even challenge Titus Young for a starting slot. (Note: with his physical stat line there are only 7 other receivers in the league who measure up, and only 4 of them are as tall or taller, all because of his opening day speed and strength).
- 5.11 MLB Antonio Morrison - 22 y/o, 6'1", 232 lbs - 84 SPD, 75 STR, 65 AWR, 81 AGI, 85 ACC, 85 TAK - whilst his height is not in our ideal range there are plenty of examples across the league where players of his stature can perform at the top level. The rest of his stats look pretty solid, and we’ll let him show his worth in the preseason to determine if he can take the reins from Nate Triplett in the near future.
- 5.18 HB Darius Jackson - 22 y/o, 6'0", 230 lbs - 90 SPD, 72 STR, 52 AWR, 92 AGI, 92 ACC, 71 CTH, 74 CAR, 67 BTK, 63 KR - picking up a 230-pound running back in the 5th round is a bonus, especially considering he still has nice physical capabilities and is really only lacking in his capacity to shed tackles versus some of the higher drafted backs. With his level catch and some ability to return kicks he may get extra time on special teams as a bonus that we had not considered before.
- 7.11 TE Ben Braunecker - 23 y/o, 6'3", 247 lbs - 82 SPD, 67 STR, 53 AWR, 79 AGI, 81 ACC, 74 CTH, 58 PBK, 68 RBK - across the board not a bad stat line for an early 7th rounder. Whilst his strength is less than ideal for a #2 tight end, he may still be competing with recent free agent Sean McGrath for snaps this year.
- 7.18 SS Sean Davis - if we didn't need depth at strong safety, we wouldn't have signed Davis as his speed is horrendous, but fortune favours the auto-draft for the 15th last player drafted in 2016.
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Forum Discussion
(by G_Pearce on 07/10/2023)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 15 |
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Falcon's 2015 Season Review |
Falcon’s 2015 Season Analysis - Almost There
2015 Season Analysis - Almost There
It wasn’t a spectacular year, but a season that keeps me in a job is a winner in my books (sad, I know). With the hot seat burning my ass we had already sold our soul to go with Manning 2.0 in the hopes of keeping this team, so we had every reason to do our best, but it was painful.
The season started off horrendously with 4 straight losses with minimal upsides. The closest margin was 10 points in our first divisional game versus the Panthers (where we only had the ball for 12 minutes) and we hadn’t scored more than 17 points in a game. By this stage our opponents minimum score was 25 ( Panthers) and two games including giving up over 40 points.
Our fortunes changed unexpectedly in week 5 though with a very surprising win over the playoff bound Titans. In this game we posted 38 points to more than double our previous best offensive scoring effort (Eli 4 TDs, 142 QB Rating. HB Wilson 139 yards, 1 TD. WR Norwood 139 yards 3 TDs. Rookie DT Carl Davis caught a pick and returned it 12 yards).
This was followed by our second win with our best defensive effort to date by keeping the  Giants to 14 points (TOP 24 min, HB Wilson 126 yads, 1 TD for back-to-back 100+ yard games. CB Simon forced 2 fumbles that were both picked up).
Our third successive win came over divisional rivals the Saints in a game that almost saw us over run in the fourth quarter, saved by a chance field goal (TOP 26 minutes. 104 yards, 1 TD day for HB Wilson (3rd consecutive 100+ yard game). TE Reece 155 receiving yards, 1 TD).
The next 5 games were a mixed bag as we went from a loss to a win successively, falling to the 49ers by 5 points (TE Reece 121 yards receiving), slugging it out unsuccessfully with the Buccaneers (WR Norwood 122 yards) and being slaughtered by the Rams (LT Stephenson 10 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed), but felling the Panthers with a big score (QB manning 401 yards, 79.2% completion, 6 TDs, 158.3 QB rating. HB Wilson 107 yards. WR Robinson 132 yards, 1 TD. WR Meier 132 yards, 2 TDs) and notching a tight win over the  Colts (LT Stephenson 15 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed. QB Manning 220 yards, 3 TDs, 115 QB rating).
By week 13 we had achieved 5 out of the 6 wins needed to keep my job and things were looking promising. We triumphed over the Saints to secure our sixth win (QB Manning 175 yards, 4 TDs, 124.1 QB Rating, HB Wilson 162 yards, 1 TD. LT Stephenson 10 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed), then prevailing in overtime against the Buccaneers who were resting most of their starters (WR Norwood 125 yards, 1 TD. CB Simon 2 interceptions, 1 TD, 2 deflections).
With the wins needed secured we chanced Blake Bortles with a start (155 yards 56% completion, 1 TD, 87.9 QB rating), and he helped secure another win (LE Long 6 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks) over the Cardinals, which saw us looking down the barrel of a potential playoff berth. To up the stakes we faced the Seahawks in the last game of the season and the winner would take the final playoff spot for the NFC. With a 3-game winning streak behind us we were confident we could compete and had our own destiny completely in our own hands on our home turf. Unfortunately, Alex Smith tore us apart (401 yards, 72% completion, 5 TDs, 153.8 QB rating) and Eli proved ineffective after a week’s rest and we were left tantalisingly close to a playoff return, finishing the year at 8-8.
Best Offensive Game: Week 10, 44-24 away versus the Panthers
Best Defensive Game: Week 16, 17-10 away versus the Cardinals
Best Overall Game: Week 5, 38-24 away versus Titans
I’m seeing a theme here as some of our best performances were on the road. Maybe our home crowds just don’t inspire us like they should.
Offensive Team Stats:
- 24.0 points per game (21st)
- 321.5 yards per game (27th)
- 222.7 passing yards per game (23rd)
- 98.8 rushing yards per game (23rd)
- 21:55 Time of Possessions (30th)
Eli Manning had plenty of ups and downs during the year but finished ranked amongst the top 10 of quarterbacks in the league for a respective return: 97.8 QB rating (10th), 35 touchdowns (8th), 3427 passing yards (18th).
Only one player from the team received a pro bowl invite, and that was tight end Marcel Reece on the back of an 871-yard (2nd in league TEs), 9 touchdown (equal 2nd for TEs), 50 pancake (6th for TEs) season.
Defensive Team Stats:
- 28.1 points per game (27th)
- 381.5 total yards per game (29th)
- 270.6 passing yards per game (28th)
- 110.9 rushing yards per game (20th)
- 23:11 Time of Possession (28th)
- 27 sacks (27th)
- 24 takeaways, 15 interceptions, 9 recovered fumbles (24th)
- 75% redzone defense (29th)
- 97.8 opponent passer rating (27th)
- 1 defensive touchdown (equal 28th)
The above stats paint a rather bleak picture and when I compare them to even the Super Bowl year before my rein here it points to a disturbing trend here in Atlanta that suggest defense is not a thing for this franchise. After trying methods that worked for my previous franchise to no avail, we switched back to the formula from the championship year with some success. Still, this is not inspiring confidence in future outings, and we’ll need to find a solution that can get the yardage, scoring, and time of possessions significantly lower to improve our chances at immediate and long-term success. This may involve some wholesale upheaval in our roster to find the missing links.
Even with the sheer volume of time our defense spent on the field, only MLB Nate Triplett registered significant numbers to rank in the leagues best with 116 tackles (4th), 17 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 2 fumbles recovered, 1 interception. Our best at getting to the opposing quarterback was LE Chris Long with 9 sacks, and cornerback Tharold Simon had the most picks with 5 after splitting time at CB number 2 with rookie Kevin Johnson. In other measures, punter Jeff Locke averaged 45.7 yards per punt (5th) to rate amongst the league leaders.
Finishing the year at 8-8 we ended up 18th overall in the league going by draft position. Not a bad improvement from 5th last season, but with only 1 more year to the contract it still leaves us on the hot seat and need for 9 wins next year or a playoff berth to continue with this franchise.
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Forum Discussion
(by G_Pearce on 06/27/2023)
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Replies - 2 :: Views - 40 |
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Falcon's 2012 Review and 2013 Early Offseason |
Falcon’s 2012 Season Analysis and Offseason Activities
2012 Season Analysis
I could bore everyone to tears by stating the greatness of this franchise after their Super Bowl Victory, but I'll spare you most of that pain. As a new GM coming in, I get to cast a critical eye over the performance of the season to see what worked well, but more importantly where we can get better.
It is surprising the success considering the caretaker GM and casual approach that saw no change in game plans and some interesting roster line-ups compared to the available players. In saying that this team did deliver the 2nd most productive offense in the league on the back of the 5th best passing game and 10th best running game for an all-round offense. This isn’t a regular result across this league history, and it is one of the aspects of the 2012 performance we’d like to hang on to. This may be a challenge without Peyton Manning behind center and a weaker arm on Tim Couch, but it’s a foundation for success that we like when you can generate the best scoring average from multiple fronts.
Another point we have noticed from previous management is an overbearing focus on run blocking at the expense of all else. Whilst in Oakland this became apparent when Rob Sims was picked up in free agency and he came in as an excellent run blocker but lacked overall game vision and pass blocking. Needless to say we’ll be taking a more balanced approach from here to help out the overall offensive capability.
On the flip side there was a mediocracy in the defense for points allowed, one of the worst teams for total yardage allowed (including worst for pass yardage) and opposing QB rating, even though they generated one of the best turnover counts and Red Zone defense. This will be tougher to work with as the last 2 positives would be great to keep, however getting the opposing yards down is a must as we’ll tighten up overall on our game plan and address some roster positions.
2013 Offseason Contracts
Resign - LG Jamie Thomas is just the type of physical specimen we like in our blockers, and we want to keep him around as a core of our offensive line. Whilst his game vision is rather low and he isn’t a polished pass blocker, his performance over the past couple of years warrants more time here.
Match Eligible - ROLB Aaron Curry faces the unenviable position of the match eligible market. Following the questionable choice my management to restructure CB Underwood over the likes of Curry or Thomas, one of the two was going to end up here against our wishes. We value Curry on this team and don’t plan to let him go, but other GMs have been known to offer crazy contracts, so we are preparing for the worst-case scenario. In this scenario the compensation to take him from us should be worth it.
Restructures - Decisions are still being made on who will be restructure and this will likely remain the case until after the draft as we work to make further trades. Most likely extra restructures will be purchased as we have already added several players needing a new contract next year.
Releases - None to this point, although there are some highly paid players whose regression means they are not likely to see playing time and could be cut if the cap room is required, such as RE Olshanshky and HB Brown.
Trades
Early evaluations of the roster identified some weak points in some areas that needed to be addressed for current and future success:
sends CB Underwood, SS Thomas, and FB Ellison to  for CB Jimmy Williams
Why Out - CB Brandon Underwood is a solid physical athlete at 6’1”, 95 SPD, 98 ACC, 70 CTH and 97 JMP. What he lacks for a 4-year pro and 26 years old is awareness at only 55. Considering rookie corners come out around this level then we needed an improvement in the capability of our secondary. It is tough to part with the player with the most interceptions on the team last season and a decent catches allowed to deflection ratio.
SS Michael Thomas is similar in a way to CB Underwood in that his 52 AWR was considered too low for us to take a gamble on given the pass defense of this team last year. Again, he is another physical talented player, but his lack of awareness made him expendable behind Josh Gattis.
FB Rhett Ellison didn’t get much playing time in his rookie year because Lawrence Vickers is our premier full back. Because of this Ellison was moved on as we would be sticking with Vickers as the starter for now and Ellison would just waste away behind him. Sticking with the same theme as the others he is physically talented for his position which is a shame to lose, but we fill a much-needed void from it.
Why In - beyond CB Mike Hawkins the defensive backs were not looking a solid bunch and the passing yards allowed proved that to be the case. Jimmy Williams is seen as a major upgrade over Brandon Underwood as he has a much higher appreciation of the game, and his awareness should bring us a better level of coverage overall. Whilst not as quick as quick as Underwood, Williams should complement Hawkins well with a higher level of field awareness as we aim to address the passing yardage allowed situation.
send 4.32 to  for WR Mike Williams
Why Out - dealing the last pick in the 4th round for a 6’2” WR is a good deal, especially considering all the comparable WRs on the market asking for 2nds.
Why In - our wide receiver corps is at minimum and having another tall receiver with decent speed and capabilities (comparable to incumbent WR Meier) gives us further options to explore and at worst a like-for-like backup should injury hit.
sends 1.08 to  for QB Ryan Tannehill and 2.31
Why Out - we didn’t want to part with 1.08 for a QB, but the market and draft class forced our hand, dealing it for a player drafted in the late 2nd round only a year ago. Our initial offer of 1.28 was quickly countered for this deal and we were just as quick to rebuff it and try for more value, only to see the trade talks stall. After some contemplation and the release of the mentor system we returned to the table with the Dolphins and agreed to these terms.
Why In - Tim Couch has 1 year left before he retires and with a draft class of QBs lacking awareness we needed to ensure we had a succession plan in place on our terms. There would have been QBs on the market next year as well, but after looking at Tannehill on numerous occasions as we contemplated up this trade, we decided his current skills for a 1-year pro were worth the investment. At 6’4”, 221lbs, 69 AWR, 93 THP and 88 THA he fits the mould of a prototypical pocket passer and has a surprising 70 STR as well. At 24 years old he is also able to take advantage of the mentor rule (most likely) which was a deciding factor when we pulled the trigger on this trade. How much starting time he gets this year is still up in the air for development versus the experience of Couch, as we know starting a 69 AWR QB is a risky prospect.
Pick 2.31 softens the blow of dealing out the 8th overall pick and allows us to make further moves.
sends 3.31 to  for MLB Nate Triplett
Why Out - it’s a late 3rd round pick, this gets a guaranteed player of value
Why In - incumbent MLB Buster Davis is a mixed bag of skills, most of which do not appeal to us. He’s too short, too weak, and not explosive enough, but is elite in awareness, decent weight, agility and tackling. Whilst Triplett isn’t as fast or as game aware he is taller, stronger, and quicker. From our perspective he is a much better all-round player and more suited to our needs in the middle of the field with a longer career.
sends 2.31 to for LG Mike Iupati and 4.14
Why Out - we don’t consider the draft class that deep on offensive linemen where we can see a viable starter falling to late in the second round, so we’re willing to move this pick for a starter.
Why In - Chris Samuels was a veteran exception contract last season and will not be returning, resulting in a whole in our offensive line. A deep analysis of talented o-line players pointed us to several quality options that have not seen much playing time. Since being drafted in 2010 by the Giants, Iupati only saw limited playtime this year even though he has top level blocking skills and great athleticism. Whatever the reasons we are happy to bring him to Atlanta were he’s likely to move to offensive tackle and give us several quality years as a starter.
Free Agency
Our original offer board was to 17 players, and as expected there were Quite a few that drew a fair amount of attention. Entering top 3 bidding we were out of contention for HB Steve Jackson, C Eric Wood, CB Morgan Trent, and FS Louis Delmas. Some of these players were looking promising until the last-minute offers came in, but as we weren’t pursuing anyone with serious intent it was to be expected. This left us competing for FB Tony Fiammetta, WR Jon Olinger, LG Jamon Meredith, LE Cody Brown, SS Mark Mitchell, and SS Bernard Pollard. With most of our offers barely above minimum salary for these guys we weren’t expecting much and therefore were not surprised when we only nabbed one of this list to go with those we had acquired outright:
ROLB Aaron Curry - Curry returns from a match eligible situation with no external bids placed and he will continue as our starter for the next 3 seasons.
C Antoine Caldwell - Caldwell received no other offers, and we bring him back to be our specialist long snapper and backup center on a 5-year contract.
TE Joe Klopfenstein - veteran Klopfenstein gives us a great second option at tight end, giving us more blocking and receiving power in goal line and bigger formations, signed for 3 years.
LG Joe Looney - with planned shuffles on our o-line we require depth at guard and Looney has plenty of years ahead of him at only 23 years old whilst still being athletic enough to fill a gap if injury occurs over the next 5 years.
LE Henry Melton - with no projected starter at RE yet, Melton provides a nice balance of power and speed to engage from that position. He is rather raw on awareness and tackling ability which explains his lack of game time, but he is now an option for us over the next 3 seasons.
LE Cody Brown - Brown is in a similar situation as Melton, but as a younger version with a slightly different athletic capability he gives us another raw option to utilize. We were in a bidding war with the Steelers for his services, but either had the better offer or the Steelers’ withdrew and he’s now signed with us for 5 years.
LOLB Jordon Dizon - with Antwan Barnes earning a lot of money for not the greatest performance we decided to put the pressure on a bring in Dizon to motivate him to perform or face the axe. A little undersized at 6’0” and 229lbs, he still has similar athletic and game play skills as Barnes to warrant his consideration as a starter over the next 3 years.
SS Josh Barrett - needing depth at strong safety, we opted for a little experience in Barrett who has better game awareness then a rookie would and is not far behind Josh Gattis in overall skill, which is invaluable in a depth player. He signed a 3-year contract for $4.5M
SFL 2013 Draft
Stay tuned
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Forum Discussion
(by G_Pearce on 08/11/2022)
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Replies - 0 :: Views - 17 |
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At A Glance
| INJURY REPORT |
| PLAYER |
POS |
OVR |
LENGTH |
| NFC South |
| RNK |
TEAM |
W-L-T |
PCT |
DIV |
| #4 |
 y-Buccaneers |
12-4-0 |
0.750 |
6-0 |
| #10 |
 Saints |
9-7-0 |
0.563 |
2-4 |
| #17 |
 Falcons |
8-8-0 |
0.500 |
2-4 |
| #26 |
 Panthers |
5-11-0 |
0.313 |
2-4 |
| FALCONS SCHEDULE |
| Preseason |
| WK |
DATE |
OPPONENT |
SCOUT/RESULT |
| P1 |
Fri |
at  Titans #1 |
|
| P2 |
Sat |
at  Vikings #5 |
|
| P3 |
Mon |
vs  Broncos #15 |
|
| P4 |
Fri |
vs  Redskins #8 |
|
| Regular Season |
| 1 |
Sun |
at  Cowboys #7 |
|
| 2 |
Sun |
vs Redskins #8 |
|
| 3 |
Sun |
vs Buccaneers #4 |
|
| 4 |
Sun |
at Panthers #26 |
|
| 5 |
Sun |
vs Vikings #5 |
|
| 6 |
Mon |
at  Rams #16 |
|
| 7 |
Sun |
vs Saints #10 |
|
| 9 |
Sun |
vs  Eagles #24 |
|
| 10 |
Sun |
at  Giants #18 |
|
| 11 |
Sun |
at Saints #10 |
|
| 12 |
Sun |
vs Titans #1 |
|
| 13 |
Sun |
at  Texans #31 |
|
| 14 |
Sun |
vs Panthers #26 |
|
| 15 |
Sun |
at  Colts #27 |
|
| 16 |
Sat |
at Buccaneers #4 |
|
| 17 |
Sun |
vs  Jaguars #23 |
|
|
