Hard watching the eagles blow out right now not thinking what if. Why did we have to waste a year with sark
Fortunately there's the hard hitting journalism of Jeff Schultz to remind us that a change may not be needed and we may not be so bad off. Because, ya know, he likes to call Atlanta pro teams out on terrible decisions, like it's good job or something.
I hate Sark too but maybe it's because if he listened to fans he would've sent Shanahan packing after year one
All I know is last years team and staff would beat the breaks off of all these teams. Sark better get his shit together quick.
I think most of us agreed that Shanahan showed a LOT more in year 1 vs. Sark year 1 though. I get your point that Quinn thinks he should give Sark another year after last year's offensive transformation, but this may (probably will) bite him in the ass.
It will but definitely bite him in the ass but every time you turned on Atlanta sports radio in Shanahan year one this same conversation was being had
Dick Hands Neal catches the INT We run the ball and kick FG to win We kill Case Keenum I’m gonna go drink bleach
I’d also say the leash is longer with a hire that makes sense. Shanahan was coming off 2-3 straight OC gigs. Sark had not been an OC in like 9 years and that was in college. He had never been an NFL OC and only coached in the NFL in any capacity for one season, 13 years ago. Throw in the fact that he was like 18 months from having been fired for drinking on the job and he had no business getting the job in the first place. Terrible hire, and maybe even worse to waste another season with that clown dragging the team down
It will be interesting to see how the season plays out if our offense struggles early in the season. How long does Quinn stick with Sark? I am not sure if we beat MINN in the nfccg or NE in the super bowl but it definitely seems like we wasted an opportunity. I think New Orleans should feel worse, IMO they roll Philly and NE.
I actually felt better after last night. Our loss to the 49ers in the divisional round of the 2011 season is the one that haunts me because if we don't give up that drive at the end of the game we host the Giants in the NFCCG and I feel like that team could have won that one and then had a very good shot against the Pats in the Super Bowl. My impression of the Eagles being really beatable with Foles was strengthened by your game against them but I think the way that team played last night they'd have beaten anyone. Makes me feel less like we missed a huge opportunity.
Random: I think Takk is going to be really fucking good. I think Beasley as a pure rush end is in for another double digit sack season. I wish/hope we could find a penetrating 3t to help as well. You look at the salary cap going up, and you look at what Jax did adding Malik Jackson and Campbell to go with Yannick and Fowler on the edges and how Philly drafted Barnett and got Jernigan for relative peanuts. I think we are 2 guys on our defense away from having the best D in the league.
Ah don't say that, the falcons are close, and auburn beat both teams in the championship this year. They're close.
Imagine how embarrassing it would be to be a fan of a team with such an inferiority complex as the #New Orleans Saints
I'd be pissed if the AJC did some Busch-league shit like this when NO wasn't even in the fucking Superbowl.
That’s something Troy would do to LSU or Tech would do to UGA. That headline and putting the SB score up during a game is beyond embarrassing. Especially after the way the season ended for NO. It’s not even offensive. It’s teenage girl shit.
It isn't, it is however better than referencing the previous Super Bowl because our rival was in it though. Pretty sad actually
I guess Green Bay is little brother in the Packers/Bears rivalry since Chicago has like 50x as many people.
It just shows that it’s a true local newspaper. It’s ok – Atlanta doesn’t have much flavor and culture. We wouldn’t expect the city with the worst sports fans to understand.
The Falcons would have had a pretty good claim at being the big brother in the rivalry had you guys won last year. These are things I actually said last year in our thread when it looked like Atlanta was going to streamroll NE. Luckily, the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead (worst collapse in sports history) and cemented their role as little brother in this rivalry.
2018 Free Agency Preview: Atlanta Falcons By Austin Gayle • Jan 30, 2018 What you need to know Now more than a year removed from their (disappointing) Super Bowl run, the Atlanta Falcons are surely eager to find the few missing pieces needed to give their proven signal-caller, Matt Ryan, enough to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Though spoiled with star wide receiver Julio Jones at his side, Ryan is still without a fully equipped arsenal on the offensive side of the ball, and his defense is similar in that it’s also close but no cigar. Of course, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has built his star-studded roster through the draft (see Deion Jones, Keanu Neal, Vic Beasley, Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman) and will continue to do so, but his draft-centric approach shouldn’t completely keep him from the free agent pool. Salary cap room $12,247,062 (26th in the NFL, as of 1/29/2018) Biggest needs Guard Wide receiver Edge Fullback Notable free agents Adrian Clayborn, Edge, 85.5 overall grade Dontari Poe, DI, 81.5 overall grade Ricardo Allen, S, 81.4 overall grade Matt Bryant, K, N/A Must re-sign Ricardo Allen, S, 81.4 overall grade Entering the offseason as a restricted free agent, Allen is expected to stay put in Atlanta barring an unforeseen fallout. Just 26 years old, Allen has put together two consecutive seasons of strong play in 2016 and 2017 after joining the Falcons as a fifth-rounder out of Purdue in 2014. Playing over 2,400 defensive snaps in the two-year span, Allen earned 81.7 and 81.4 overall grades, respectively, as the Falcons’ primary free safety alongside Keanu Neal. While small in stature (5-foot-9, 185 pounds), Allen excelled in coverage, leading all qualifying NFL safeties in coverage snaps played per reception allowed (71.0), yards allowed per coverage snap (0.18) and coverage snaps played per target (39.4). As Allen and Neal continue to blossom into one of the best safety duos in the NFL, Dimitroff should prioritize keeping the pair intact this offseason. Dream splash signing Andrew Norwell, G, Carolina Panthers PFF’s All-Pro left guard this past season, Norwell has quietly become one of the few premier guards in this league, notching 82.0-plus overall grades in all four years of his career and capping his strong start off with a career-high 88.8 overall grade in his contract year. The former undrafted free agent has far exceeded expectations since signing with Carolina in 2014, all while playing at least 800 offensive snaps in all four seasons. Most recently, Norwell ranked No. 2 among qualifying guards in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency (98.3), allowing only 13 quarterback hurries on 564 pass-block snaps during the regular season. He was also the only guard with at least 200 pass-block snaps to not allow a hit or sack in 2017. Norwell matches his efforts in pass protection in the run game, earning the fourth-lowest percentage of negatively graded blocks among qualifying guards last season. With Andy Levitre battling injury throughout the tail-end of the season, Falcons guards Ben Garland and Wes Schweitzerfinished the season as the team’s two starters at guard. The youthful duo’s lack of experience was on full display, as both finished with sub-45.0 overall grades on the season. It’s unlikely either of the two is in the conversation as long-term solutions, and Levitre will be entering his 10th season in 2018 if he chooses to keep his cleats off the rack. As such, signing a 26-year-old guard in his prime like Norwell fits the bill for Dimitroff & Co. [Editor’s note: Read more about the free agency class of 2018 with the first ever PFF Free Agency Guide, which dropped for all PFF Edge & Elite subscribers. Not a subscriber? Sign up today and receive your copy with detailed profiles, exclusive PFF stats and much more.] 2018 free agent prospects Josh Kline, G, Tennessee Titans As coveted as Norwell will be on the free market, it’s unlikely Dimitroff is able to outbid the competition come free agency, especially with the Falcons’ current cap situation (26th in available space as Jan. 29). With that said, Atlanta could opt for a cheaper, yet serviceable option in former Titans guard Josh Kline. The five-year veteran has earned 72.0 overall grades in three of his last four years in the league, most recently recording a 75.8 mark in 2017. Among guards with at least 340 pass-block snaps, Kline ranked T-No. 13 in pass-blocking efficiency at 97.4, allowing just 19 total pressures on 552 pass-block snaps. While Kline didn’t draw a crowd to his run-blocking performance last season with his 46.4 run-block grade in 2017, his ability in pass protection should have a handful of suitors asking for his John Hancock on a contract in March. Terrelle Pryor, WR, Washington Redskins Pryor’s breakout performance amid sloppy quarterback play with the Cleveland Browns landed him a one-year, $8 million prove-it deal with the Washington Redskins last offseason. Unfortunately for both Pryor and the Redskins’ offense, Pryor didn’t do much other than disappoint. The former quarterback turned wide receiver was likely wishing he was back under center for at least parts of the year prior, as he averaged a team-low 1.01 yards per route run in 10 games before being put on the shelf to have surgery on a lingering ankle injury first suffered in Week 2. He finished the year as the 109th-ranked wide receiver among 116 qualifiers in terms of overall grade (43.1). Pryor’s underwhelming visit to the nation’s capital should prevent the Redskins from re-signing him this offseason, giving the five-year veteran a much-needed fresh start. In Atlanta, Pryor would reap all of the benefits that accompany having Ryan leading the huddle and Jones drawing double coverage. Also, with Mohamed Sanu playing a majority of his offensive snaps in the slot (67.6 percent), Pryor would step in as an immediate upgrade over pending free agent Taylor Gabriel and third-year East Carolina University product Justin Hardyoutside the hashes.