Browns 17 Falcons 13

Sunday's game was anything but pretty if you're a Falcons fan. For the second consecutive week, Atlanta fell to one of the worst teams in the league (record wise anyway). The Falcons played about as poorly as I've seen them play and yet they still had a chance to win the game at the end.

There are plenty of things I had to scratch or shake my head about on Sunday. First off, what was with those special teams' penalties? That's what killed the Falcons in the first half. On their opening three drives, Atlanta started from their own 15, their own 10, and their own 5-yard line. Why? Penalties. Allen Rossum returned the ball past the 30-yard line on a return, but it was taken back because of a block in the back. On the day, the Falcons had three special teams' penalties, which damaged their starting field position immensely. Atlanta gained more total yards than the Browns, had more passing yards, more rushing yards, and more first downs, but the Falcons also had to gain more yards on each possession to score points than did the Browns. Eighty yards wasn't good enough at times and many others, especially in the first half, the Browns could have scored a touchdown by going 40-50 yards down the field. Cleveland played not to lose and it worked for a change.

Secondly, what's with the playcalling? Atlanta scored 41 and 29 points against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati 3 and 4 games ago when the Falcons would throw the ball early and often to get Vick and the receivers in a rhythm. Where's that strategy gone? The Falcons ran it early and often on Sunday, forcing Vick to throw the ball on 3rd and medium or long. It's very difficult for a quarterback to get into a rhythm with his receivers if the team only throws the ball on third and medium or long. The worst play call of the day had to be the 4th and 1 call from the Cleveland 31 in the second half. There are many options. Warrick Dunn is bound to gain a yard up the middle, right? Vick going outside and giving him the option of throwing or running is bound to pick up a first down. But, doing a straight drop back and chucking the ball 25-30 yards down field? I didn't think Greg Knapp could outdo his 1st and goal call from the 3-yard line against the Saints earlier in the year when he dropped Vick back on a play action fake. But, hey, at least that was on first down and the Falcons had a couple more opportunities. On a 4th and 1 from the 31? I'm still shaking my head about that call.

I'm a fan of Michael Vick's, always have been, but there's one thing about the guy and his game that drives me crazy. How he holds the football at times! Yeah, he's one of, if not the fastest guy on the field at all times. But, he's got to learn how to secure the football better. Surprisingly, that was just his third lost fumble of the season and two of those came by way of no contact. The ball hit his own thigh and that's how it came loose! He's dangerous, exciting, elusive, quick, but he's got to learn how to secure the football when he takes off or is about to take off for a run.

Drops were another problem (surprise, surprise) on Sunday. One key drop came late in the contest which would've given the Falcons the lead. The ball hit receiver Ashley Lelie right in the hands. The announcers at first tried to pass it off as a great defensive play, but upon further review, the defender didn't touch the ball in the least bit. The only play to have touched the pass was Lelie and with both hands on it. He also dropped a very catchable deep pass from Vick in the second half. Crumpler dropped a third down pass. Jenkins did likewise. Roddy White probably had the most consistent day of the receivers. He got benched not long ago in favor of Ashley Lelie. Will the true starting receivers please stand up? Please stand up? Please stand up? Jenkins looks great at times, as he illustrated on Sunday with his one-handed touchdown grab. But he also can drop the easier balls thrown his way. Lelie got off to a great start for the Falcons, but has cooled off some since he became a starter. Roddy White had a major case of the dropsies when he started for Atlanta, but has since been catching the ball more consistently since being demoted. Crumpler has been hot and cold all season. I cannot name a receiver on the team who has been consistent this year.

The Falcons aren't playing with much fire or intensity either, especially early on. For some reason, it seems like it takes the other team to score a couple times in order for Atlanta to wake up some. They've had to play from behind in each of their last four games. It's very difficult, especially in the NFL, to do that consistently and win many games. The offense needs to get in sync and early in the game, especially with how beat up the defense is.

A potential plus in the devastating loss on Sunday was the defense and in particular, the pressure exerted by the front seven. I believe Atlanta sacked Charlie Frye five times in the game. Was that because Cleveland's O-Line isn't very solid? I don't know. I hope that wasn't the case, especially with Patrick Kerney now being lost for the season. Yeah, the defense is beat up, kind of like last year. Kerney is gone for the year. Kevin Mathis is gone for the year, possibly his career. Jimmy Williams is questionable with an ankle injury. Ed Hartwell is questionable recovering from his knee surgery. Abraham could miss two more weeks of action. Jason Webster is out another 3-4 weeks. Grady Jackson and Rod Coleman have been fighting nagging injuries. There are only five "starters" on defense whose name I haven't heard caught up with injuries: DeAngelo Hall, Lawyer Milloy, Michael Boley, DeMorrio Williams, and Keith Brooking.

The Falcons are still running for nearly 200 yards per game, but in their past four games, a bulk of their yards have been due to Michael Vick's scrambling. Warrick Dunn had a 21-yard run against the Browns, but not much outside of that. He's been averaging less than four yards a carry in the last four games. Is it because of the playcalling? The two starting guards being out of the lineup? Is Dunn tiring early this year? I don't know, but I am hoping Jerious Norwood can come back and soon to add another dimension to the ground game. Dunn is having trouble carrying the load all by himself and the Falcons can't lean on Vick to carry them in the ground game.

Special teams weren't so special again on Sunday. Allen Rossum did look better on his returns than he had in the previous couple games, but some of those returns came back due to penalties. Punter Michael Koenen wasn't very impressive in the game, kicking a lot of low line drives. Morten Andersen was efficient, making both of his field goal attempts.

At least in the Lions game, the Falcons was definitely outplayed and deserved to lose the game. It was harder to witness Cleveland play not to lose, see Atlanta outplay them in almost every category, and yet lose the game due to mistakes and ill-timed calls. I'm not a proponent of the "play not to lose" philosophy, because it rarely ever works, but it did on Sunday. Now Atlanta has to face the Ravens in Baltimore. They better wake up and wake up soon or else they'll be an even 5-5 and losers of three straight.

Lastly, did I hear cheers when backup quarterback Matt Schaub came into the game? I then heard cheers again when Vick came back in? What's the deal there? Fans will go gaga over the winless Matt Schaub? Would Packers fans do likewise if Aaron Rodgers came in for an injured Brett Favre? If the recently acquired Vinny Testaverde replaced an injured Tom Brady? Fans are so fair weather. Vick is the 2nd winningest quarterback in Falcons' team history. He's the 5th all-time leading quarterback in rushing. He's led the Falcons to an NFL Title Game just two years ago. He led the Falcons to the first playoff win at Lambeau Field. Schaub has...played well in the pre-season. Yes! Let's root for him to take the field! Let's go Schaub, let's go! Give me a break. I knew that Atlanta fans were bad when it came to supporting the Braves in baseball, but I had hoped that the support was a little better in football. Who knows...