Next Day Thread: Falcons Fiendishly Feathered

[KDawg]

Offense

Well, kind of a mixed bag here. Let's start with Howell. I thought he looked great today all in all. Stood in the pocket, threw receivers open, took hits in order to deliver a ball and he took what was there. Statistically the game wasn't anything to write home about but I thought he showed up in the biggest moments of the game. I agree with many that Howell holds the ball too long at times. He doesn't know when to say "uncle" and give up on a play on most occasions. On two plays today, though, he did throw it away. On a screen attempt to end the first half he threw the ball into the ground when he saw the green was snuffed out and on a play later he saw all targets were covered and he delivered a strike to the back of Terry McLaurin's heel. I'd actually argue these two were some of his worst decisions on the day. The screen throwaway stopped the clock under a minute to go in the half and the McLaurin Heel throwaway bounced off his heel and up into the air. Otherwise, I thought Howell was great and I think he has continued to play well for this team. The coaches have put this team on his back and he has delivered.

 

I think today was the offensive line's best game. Nothing to write home about, but they did well all things considered. I only really saw one, possibly two sacks that fall on their ledger. They weren't great as run blockers for most of the game but they did enough to spring a few plays.

 

Our pass catchers are struggling. They just don't get open. I'm having a hard time understanding if this is a schematic issue or our receivers themselves, but it seems like Terry McLaurin is the only one who is able to get separation, and even he is open less this year than in previous years.

 

That leads me to the offense. I still don't think we're calling an offense that benefits the personnel we are blessed with. Long developing routes exacerbate Howell's issue of holding the ball too long and our issues with our offensive line. Our running game struggles to find open lanes. Part of that is run timing. We seem to love running on second and long. I think I understand what Bienemy is doing... He's trying to keep the playbook open and show other teams he will do a little bit of everything every game so they have to prepare for the various forms of this offense. And it's hard to argue with a win. But that win only came with 193 yards of offense. We were entirely predictable as an offense in the second half and if that continues this team is going to lose more than they win... But they'll win just enough to put our draft stock in shambles. 

 

Defense

They were much better today. Having said that... 402 yards allowed with 296 of that coming in the air... Against Desmond Ridder. Atlanta had the ball for over 36 minutes of this game.

 

When we brought a little heat it really caused Ridder to be disrupted and caused erratic throws and turnovers. 

 

Fuller had an overall good game, with a big interception. St Juste recorded his first INT and Jamin Davis had the game sealing interception. Bijan Robinson, split out wide, ran a slant route against Davis. Davis had struggled in coverage earlier, but telegraphed the slant to Bijan. Against man, that slant has to break more like a square in route than a slant so the defender can't undercut it. The receiver needs to protect it. Bijan made a rookie mistake with his route and it allowed us to get the game winning pick. 

 

Khaleke Hudson looked solid, other than a pass play where our defender's alignment caused them to collide on a rub route and left the receiver wide open on the sideline. NFL defenders should know they need to offset with each other to prevent rubs. I would hope the coaches are emphasizing this with the players. 

 

Chase Young is having a great year as it pertains to pressures, but once again he proved that he just doesn't finish enough to be considered one of the elite pass rushers in the NFL. But instead of focusing on him, I think Casey Toohill, over the time he's been on this roster, has made a play to be the guy they retain over Chase Young long term. Young has much higher upside and explosive potential, but Toohill is steady and this team needs the Young money and resources elsewhere. 

 

Kam Curl was once again quietly excellent. He led the team in tackles and had a few key PBUs in major situations that helped get this defense off the field on third downs. He led the team with 3 PBUs and while he may not be flashy he has proven to be a necessary cog in the machine for this franchise's defensive future. The only question is: Does he price himself out of here or does this team deliver a fair contract for his contributions?

 

Specs

Jamison Crowder. Not quite as fast as he used to be, but what an awesome return.

 

Something is up with Tress Way lately. He's had some rough punts as of late. Would like to see that get straightened out moving forward. 

 

Studs and Duds:

*** - Kam Curl

*** - Casey Toohill

*** - Terry McLaurin

** - Jamison Crowder

** - Kendall Fuller

** - Ben St Juste

** - Curtis Samuel

* - Jamin Davis

* - Sam Howell

 - Percy Butler

  - Cody Barton

 

 

Season Studs/Duds

8x* - Terry McLaurin

7x* - Kam Curl

5x* - Daron Payne

5x*- Montez Sweat

4x* - Brian Robinson

4x* - Sam Howell

4x* - Curtis Samuel

3x* - Casey Toohill

3x* - Eric Bienemy

2x* - Kendall Fuller

2x* - Ben St Juste

2x* - Jamison Crowder

2x* - Jon Allen

1x* - Emmanuel Forbes

1x* - Darrick Forrest

1x* - Chase Young

1x* - Logan Thomas

1x* - Antonio Gibson

1x* - Jamin Davis

1x  - Saadhiq Charles

1x  - Percy Butler

3x  - Cody Barton

4x  - Cheeseman 

5x  - Andrew Wylie

6x  - Ron Rivera 

[CobraCommander]

Jahan Dotson being a complete non factor is a dud for me. What the heck?

[KDawg]

Just now, CobraCommander said:

Jahan Dotson being a complete non factor is a dud for me. What the heck?

Waiting on judgement. He almost looks to be injured. But his “free pass” with me won’t last much longer. 

[Koolblue13]

Thank goodness for special teams, the defense and Brian 8 Train Robinson.

[Stihl89]

I think if we didnt play 2 of maybe the 3 worst QBs this season we would be 1-4 currently and squarely in the tank for caleb sweepstakes. Enter maybe the last of the bottom 3 next week staring at above 500. Somehow. 

Edited October 15, 2023 by Stihl89

[KDawg]

1 minute ago, Stihl89 said:

I think if we didnt play 2 of maybe the 3 worst QBs this season we would be 1-4 currently and currently in the tank for caleb sweepstakes. Enter maybe the last of the bottom 3 next week staring at above 500. Somehow. 

I asked you this before but I’ll do it here… why do you think Caleb Williams, who threw three awful picks to a college defense yesterday, won’t also have growing pains?

 

I’m not saying Williams isn’t a great prospect, but you just keep harping this point and it just seems like you just prefer others over Howell and it has nothing to do with ability or performance. It’s a projection that you believe in. And that’s okay but it’s going to be difficult to get others to buy into that logic given current circumstances.

[Koolblue13]

Our DLine shutting down their run game and forcing them to throw was great. That unit played great today. More sacks would be nice, but great pressure and we took their strength away.

 

Offensive play calling in the first half was pretty good. Did the things we did during 3Q of the Eagles game. Then we went right back to the poor play calling that we're getting use to.

 

Danny Johnson over Forbes is a win and Martin almost got his named called if Barton didn't screw up and take that away from him.

[Stihl89]

Just now, KDawg said:

I asked you this before but I’ll do it here… why do you think Caleb Williams, who threw three awful picks to a college defense yesterday, won’t also have growing pains?

 

I’m not saying Williams isn’t a great prospect, but you just keep harping this point and it just seems like you just prefer others over Howell and it has nothing to do with ability or performance. It’s a projection that you believe in. And that’s okay but it’s going to be difficult to get others to buy into that logic given current circumstances.

I see everything being dumped. Why keep an ok option as the guy if youre already replacing everything including the guys making the changes? 

 

On Caleb. IMO hes the 3rd best QB prospect option. I take swings on elite ceilings. Caleb might fail your right and IMO he has a higher chance than some of the other QBs taken higher recently given his style of play but Im taking that chance.

[KDawg]

2 minutes ago, Stihl89 said:

I see everything being dumped. Why keep an ok option as the guy if youre already replacing everything including the guys making the changes? 

 

On Caleb. IMO hes the 3rd best QB prospect option. I take swings on elite ceilings. Caleb might fail your right and IMO he has a higher chance than some of the other QBs taken higher recently given his style of play but Im taking that chance.

Okay. So… do you trade the assets needed to move up for Williams (or Maye… or Penix maybe even) and put them behind this line? Penix has an injury history, there’s no guarantee Williams comes out… he probably will… but no guarantee.

 

Same with Maye.

 

Sometimes these things don’t fall in your lap. And when you force them you ruin things. Let the draft come to us and see what happens.

[KillBill26]

Agree with you about toohill.  He has looked good whenever given the chance.  Hope they plan on keeping him in the fold and that could help them figure out how they approach sweat and young.

 

I think Kam curl leads the league in tackles that keeps a player who is trying to get out of bounds in bounds.

Edited October 15, 2023 by KillBill26

[zCommander]

The D constantly giving up 3rd and long is extremely frustrating. What the hell is Del Rio doing on these plays? 

[757SeanTaylor21]

You didn't add the studs and duds from last week that I gave for thr game...😂😂😂

[profusion]

No deep analysis here, just pointing out that this was an unsightly game, apart from a few flashes, between two mediocre teams. At least the Commanders escaped with the victory.

 

2023 will probably be another of those 8-9 Rivera specials. Sigh...

[Stihl89]

2 minutes ago, profusion said:

No deep analysis here, just pointing out that this was an unsightly game, apart from a few flashes, between two mediocre teams. At least the Commanders escaped with the victory.

 

2023 will probably be another of those 8-9 Rivera specials. Sigh...

Are they even mediocre? 

[RVAskins]

27 minutes ago, Stihl89 said:

I see everything being dumped. Why keep an ok option as the guy if youre already replacing everything including the guys making the changes? 

I'm glad you're not our GM. 🤔

[JSSkinz]

Crowder still has really good quickness, we should get him some reps on offense. He has quickness and twitch so he can get open quickly on those slants or crossers over the shallow middle. Where are our checkdowns and are they getting open?

 

I thought Jon Allen was killing it in the run game He was consistently moving piles of men and getting penetration on his way to the RB.

 

The secondary gave up yards but they get no help from our pass rushers and they deserve credit for the 3 picks that won us the game.

 

Our running game was bad today and when that happens it puts too much pressure on Sam and the O line. We dont need a lot, close to 4 yards a carry would keep us out of those 3rd and 8+ situations which are going to end with a sack or some sort of negative play.

[Redd]

This team needs to find an answer in stopping long yardage situations. Secondary needs to figure it out quick.

[zCommander]

34 minutes ago, Stihl89 said:

...Why keep an ok option as the guy if youre already replacing everything including the guys making the changes? 

 

In the REAL world QBs are made since you can't just pick them off a tree. For example: If you pick a mango that is raw you still have to wait until they are ripe and sweet by sitting them for awhile. 

 

Also in the real world, you need an OL to protect the QB. See Purdy for example as well.

 

[LetThePointsSoar]

I still can't understand why we don't feed BRob more. He's the type of bruiser back that needs to get in a rhythm, and only gets better as the game goes on... yet we never seem to give him enough carries to get going. 

 

 

This win feels like a loss. We have a meh stretch of the schedule upcoming before we get blowed out the last 5 games of the season. 

[Warhead36]

Were average. Offense was good for half the game and putrid the other half, and failed on three straight drives to put the game away. Defense was mostly bad but came up with some timely takeaways to seal the win late. 
 

Well end up with around 8-9 wins again.

[Leonard Washington]

My thoughts:  

• Our wideouts are not doing enough. It seemed like Terry came to play given his start but then he vanished. That doesn’t happen to a #1 guy every week. 
• I’m extremely disappointed in Brown. He needs to find a way to make catches, IDC if the balls weren’t perfect.  Make your QB right. 
• Howell is doing more than enough.
• EB has to design a better run game.  The dives are TRASH!
• I’m still not pleased with the defensive hustle. If the play goes away from them, they jog lazily and watch.  You never know what can happen. 
• Chase seems to have little interest in mixing it up. He will take on the point of attack but he’s not attempting to shed or pursue. At the same token, please keep Hudson on the field. He wasn’t afraid to run until the whistle. 
• I feel bad for Forbes, but Johnson did the job. 

Edited October 16, 2023 by Leonard Washington

[FootballZombie]

Pretty much the roughest way to win a game. A lot of fat to chew.

 

The D was a sieve, but were able to execute their gameplan of making Ridder beat us. We totally walled the run for like 80% of the game and the only way we were gonna lose was if Ridder brought home the dub. That is not a bad strategy considering the opponent. Still, we are giving up an ocean of yards each week, even to bad passing teams. Turnovers bailed us out this week but the D still needs to severely tighten up.

 

Offense was rough and provided minimal production. Greatly benefited from the short fields. On the bright side, the balance was better, and we fed our WRs. On the downside the scheme is a mess. All the concerns I have about this O's ability to produce outside of blowout territory showed up. That is again very concerning and its becoming a stronger and stronger staple.

 

Howell played well. Saw some slides. Saw some throwaways. Those are very positive. You can make the argument that some of his throwaways would be better as sacks, but that is more nitpicking a good choice that maybe could have been better vs him preventing forcing a pass into a mobbed screen pass or into double coverage. They were good choices by themselves. I would like to have seen more than 150 yds, but Howell was good in what he showed.

 

Dax lead the NFL in return oppos last year and never had a return over 20 yds. Crowder is not even a great return man and he has already given us several. When you O is not productive, you really need the spark someone like Crowder provides. I'm done w/ Dax.

 

D-Line gets a ton of pressure. Still needs more impact plays, but they get a metric ton of pressure.

 

Hudson showing something against a physical team was a nice surprise for an undersized position player

Jamin Davis sighting. If he does that a couple more times he might be a good player.

Logan and Dot are concerning me.

[Voice_of_Reason]

1 hour ago, Koolblue13 said:

Thank goodness for special teams, the defense and Brian 8 Train Robinson.

Brian Robison carried 10 times for 32 yards, a 3.2 yards per carry average.

 

Thats 2 games in a row that he’s been a non factor.  This week they tried harder with no results.

 

The run game is not working.  People seem to remember the 10 carries for 70 yards game but that was the outlier not the rule.  

[Daniel.redskins]

2 minutes ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

Brian Robison carried 10 times for 32 yards, a 3.2 yards per carry average.

 

Thats 2 games in a row that he’s been a non factor.  This week they tried harder with no results.

 

The run game is not working.  People seem to remember the 10 carries for 70 yards game but that was the outlier not the rule.  

We don't have a true rb1 on this team.  Gibson and Robinson are NFL worthy, just not starters.  I actually think C. Rod has more potential than those two.  

[NoCalMike]

Today is the best proof that JDR absolutely must figure out ways to pressure the QB in obvious passing situations.  The pass defense did not have a good game, but I didn't realize how mediocre it was until I saw the stats after the game.  The turnovers are what made the difference (and Crowder's punt return). They needed every bit of those 3 turnovers to stop Atlanta from scoring more points.  It's a positive sign that when they can pressure the QB, the coverage can get picks, but the bigger issue it that the majority of the time the pass rush just isn't a consistent presence.

 

It doesn't matter what caliber of QB you are facing in the NFL, the QB is playing in the NFL they are going to complete passes when they have all day to throw.

 

As far as the offense goes, I've said it already but I will repeat it, I am not a fan of how EB uses the run game so far.  It feels like he uses rush attempts as a change up to the pass, but it doesn't seem to match the personnel on the team which need to get into a rhythm with some volume of attempts.   I appreciate how much trust EB has in Sam's arm and mind, but the O-line is not very good when they are constantly trying to protect the passer.

 

Up 24-10 in the second half, would have been a great time to start wearing on the Falcons defense with the run. 

 

Nice to see Crowder with the big play, it was much needed.