A big dose of reality

[khiladi]

When your scoring at will and the opposing team BELIEVES they need to keep pace with you, that puts a lot of pressure on them to hurry and score, which leads to more mistakes on their end.

 

[haleyrules]

Hey bro, if you were the GM of the Falcons, what would you address in the offseason?

LOCI. I really don't now enough about them. The playoff game was the first l saw them this season. They looked great, but that was one game. The Falcons seem to have a good line and running game. So, maybe, they will focus on the Defense?? Their defense looked capable in that game. I mean they are going to the SB so they must have decent balance.

 

[camelboy]

Agree that there still a lot of work to be done .. and work anyway should continue and never stop .. but the perception that the league is bad at the moment is only because WE ARE REALLY GOOOOOD and make it seem easy beating say team ..
all that and we are not the finished product yet ...

 

[LocimusPrime]

LOCI. I really don't now enough about them. The playoff game was the first l saw them this season. They looked great, but that was one game. The Falcons seem to have a good line and running game. So, maybe, they will focus on the Defense?? Their defense looked capable in that game. I mean they are going to the SB so they must have decent balance.

I was thinking the same thing! A couple defensive upgrades and they would be set

 

[dallasdave]

I was thinking the same thing! A couple defensive upgrades and they would be set

The key is the right upgrades.

 

[LocimusPrime]

The key is the right upgrades.

Yes sir! I hope we make the right kind of upgrades too

 

[Macnalty]

I never held the notion that this defense was great or could impose its will. This year was never about how good the defense could play, we defined ourselves on offense, starting with the draft. We reveled that we could stomp on people with our brute force oline, and the defense was always an afterthought. In the playoffs our mistakes on offense came back to haunt us, particularly when you are playing against a Aaron Rodger's all time performance. I guess it is easier to fault the defense. IMO

 

[T-RO]

I'll take our roster over Atlantas. I'll take their coordinators over ours.

I can't agree with this.

They have a better WR core, two really good backs, elite--and seasoned QB. Solid o-line that ranks in top 6 or 7 in the league.

Julio is one of the league's best playmakers...perhaps the best.

On defense their front four is waaaay better, better safeties. Lee is better than any of their backers, but our other two LBs are very ordinary.

We played all season without our two starting defensive ends...long stretches w/out key secondary members...and w/a rookie quarterback. Our coordinators did a hell of a job. Hell of a job.

 

[CATCH17]

I can't agree with this.

They have a better WR core, two really good backs, elite--and seasoned QB. Solid o-line that ranks in top 6 or 7 in the league.

Julio is one of the league's best playmakers...perhaps the best.

On defense their front four is waaaay better, better safeties. Lee is better than any of their backers, but our other two LBs are very ordinary.

We played all season without our two starting defensive ends...long stretches w/out key secondary members...and w/a rookie quarterback. Our coordinators did a hell of a job. Hell of a job.

We have the best OL in football.

We have a better WR core.. Sorry.. Julio is great but player for player I like our guys individually better besides Julio vs Dez.

TE? Not close.

RB? Freeman is good but again.. Not close.

Dak vs Ryan? Sure... You can take Ryan at this point but im way more excited about Dak than I ever was about Ryan at any point in his 20's.

On defense... We're just better than them.. They have some good young players but they were one of the worst defenses in the entire league.

 

[T-RO]

We have the best OL in football.

We have a better WR core.. Sorry.. Julio is great but player for player I like our guys individually better besides Julio vs Dez.

TE? Not close.

RB? Freeman is good but again.. Not close.

Dak vs Ryan? Sure... You can take Ryan at this point but im way more excited about Dak than I ever was about Ryan at any point in his 20's.

On defense... We're just better than them.. They have some good young players but they were one of the worst defenses in the entire league.

Sorry bro. Witten isn't the same guy as he was 5 years ago. And look at the Falcons weapons:
-Best receiver in the game
-A deep threat in Gabriel... runs 4.28
-Sanu is solid.

Two very good RBs > Zeke and a JAG

On defense we might have been better had we played with a healthy Demarcus and had Gregory played all year and developed. We had neither and didn't even have a guy we wanted to back them up-Trapper. All missing. Falcons defense had three key rookies that really came on as year progressed. Their D is playing really well now.

 

[haleyrules]

Sinners! The Habs are my mortal enemies! Bruins fan here.

I was at the too many men on the ice game in Montreal. Great game, great city.

Respect for the Canadians in truth. They were (and still are) an incredible franchise. I always grudgingly loved the way they played. It seemed like those 70s teams were always on the power play.

I like the Bruins also. I have watched many Boston-Montreal games live...years ago and met plenty of Bruins in the bars after games..great boozers..Wayne Cashmen...Yrs ago...Linden Byars..O'Dwyer...Lemelin...Kenny Linseman...great guys. Always liked the Bruins after the Canadiens!

 

[TheHerd]

I like the Bruins also. I have watched many Boston-Montreal games live...years ago and met plenty of Bruins in the bars after games..great boozers..Wayne Cashmen...Yrs ago...Linden Byars..O'Dwyer...Lemelin...Kenny Linseman...great guys. Always liked the Bruins after the Canadiens!

Great stories! I actually play in a league now up here in NH where a few of those 70s Bruins show up on and off.

They obviously can't get around like they used to, but they still have incredible hands and finesse. Even the crappiest NHLer embarrasses average ex-college schleps like me. Thank God there's no checking either, they all still look like they could take your head off!

 

[haleyrules]

Sorry bro. Witten isn't the same guy as he was 5 years ago. And look at the Falcons weapons:
-Best receiver in the game
-A deep threat in Gabriel... runs 4.28
-Sanu is solid.

Two very good RBs > Zeke and a JAG

On defense we might have been better had we played with a healthy Demarcus and had Gregory played all year and developed. We had neither and didn't even have a guy we wanted to back them up-Trapper. All missing. Falcons defense had three key rookies that really came on as year progressed. Their D is playing really well now.

Agreed. Falcons defense is much better than people think. Julio Jones is the class of WR's. The Cowboys would have been in very tough against the Falcons. They are, presently, the better club.

 

[haleyrules]

Great stories! I actually play in a league now up here in NH where a few of those 70s Bruins show up on and off.

They obviously can't get around like they used to, but they still have incredible hands and finesse. Even the crappiest NHLer embarrasses average ex-college schleps like me. Thank God there's no checking either, they all still look like they could take your head off!

That would be great fun! Years ago, when the players were more approachable...it was very common to see them around the city. In those days the Canadien players drank openly in the bars...and plenty of visiting players also. There was a restuarant next to the old Forum called the Texas ...it was loaded with coaches..GM's and players after games!! Great and simple times. Not like that any longer.

 

[LatinMind]

Who exactly is/was saying that there was little work to do?

Having said that I spoke all season long about our schedule being soft. There was a lot of negativity around that sentiment. Shrug.

look at the packers and patriots schedule. flip the starts and finishes of each team with dallas' and their schedules are the same basically. Dallas lost to GB not because the refs are cheaters but because they are incompetent. They miss calls that they are looking at(irving hold). And flat out are in bad posistion most of the time to accurately make the call. NFL needs younger in shape refs. Too many old fat ones deciding too many games.

 

[fishspill]

The two most celebrated wins from this season were probably Green Bay and Pittsburgh.

Both got absolutely steamrolled yesterday. The NFL is horrible right now. Very little quality.

Let's not kid ourselves, there's a lot of work to be done.

I agree there's a lot of work to be done, but I think it has more to do with the fact that this team was designed in roster terms to compete for titles the past 2 seasons and now has holes all over that must be filled. There was no way anyone thought we'd have a promising young QB take over the team at this point. Everything was built for Romo's last run. Now we have to hope the QB keeps developing and can carry a greater load as the team retools on the fly in the hopes that they can get something great together before Zeke's next contract is due. IMO.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I guess it is easier to fault the defense.

Well, yes. Especially when they give up 34 points.

 

[Macnalty]

Well, yes. Especially when they give up 34 points.

Against a team that had just belittled the #1 defense the week before, what were your expectations?12?18?20?
I agree the defense was less than par starting in Sept.