Panthers 10 Falcons 3

I got to watch the first half of this game, but was unable to watch the second. In Atlanta's opening drive, Vick became the first NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. Kicker Morten Andersen capped the drive off with a field goal, to become the all-time leader in field goal's made. It was all downhill from that point for the Falcons.

The very next drive by the Panthers was painful to watch and that's an understatement. The drive took over ten minutes, which ended in a Carolina touchdown to take an early 7-3 lead. That was a commonality for the Panthers. They simply beat the Falcons at their own game. They ran plays where the tailback was lined up in the quarterback position in the shotgun and ran for a total of 183 yards compared to the Falcons' 83 yards.

Atlanta's defense played well overall, if one wants to look at the stats, but were very bend but don't break, as Carolina held the ball for almost 42 minutes compared to Atlanta's 18. Vick attempted only twenty passes in the game. Warrick Dunn ran the ball 9 times for 29 yards. Vick ran it 4 times for 32 yards. Jerious Norwood had 5 carries for 20 yards. That was about it for the offense. They never got into a rhythm. The opening drive was about as good as it got for the Falcons offensively. While the Falcons are not eliminated from the playoffs just yet, they need to beat a hot Eagles team on Sunday in Philly and get some help from other clubs around the league.

Michael Vick didn't seem like the happiest guy in the world with his post-game comments. He seemed to question the coaching staff with their decisions. It'll be interesting to see how that affects the team this upcoming week. Does the team, as a whole, believe in what head coach Jim Mora, defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp are saying, doing, and calling? Does owner Arthur Blank believe in those three guys? A question on the ESPN show 1st and 10 today was, "Should the Falcons keep Vick or Mora?" Idiot Skip Bayless believes in back-up quarterback (who has never posted an NFL win) Matt Schaub and that Jim Mora could build a winning team with Schaub at quarterback. The other guy (not Woody Paige) said that the Falcons should get rid of both Vick and Mora and sign Jeff Garcia. Let me get this straight, the Falcons should get rid of a 26-year old quarterback about to enter the prime of his career, just coming off a season where he posted a career high in touchdown passes and rushing yards in favor of a soon-to-be-over-the-hill quarterback who has played a few good games in the absence of Donovan McNabb in Philly? Give me a break. How much longer can Garcia last? A year? Two?

I know what the problems are in Atlanta. Yeah, call me a know it all. But, I've watched this team game after game in the Vick/Mora era and am blunt and honest on what I see. Can Michael Vick improve as an NFL quarterback? Yes, he can. He can learn how to not hold the ball out away from his body, making him more apt to fumbling and he can improve on his consistency in the passing game. But the offense (team) doesn't begin and end with Vick. Defenses have finally adjusted to the zone-blocking scheme of the Falcons. Atlanta dominated in the run game early in the season. The rushed for over 300 yards against the Buccaneers and well over 200 against the Panthers. The entire offense revolved around this run game. But, the offense slowed down some, so the Falcons went to the air, as they showcased in their wins against the Steelers and Bengals. For some reason, they felt the need to go back to the ground and that's where they've been ever since.

The offensive linemen for the Falcons are some of the smallest in the NFL. They need to be to operate the zone-blocking method. But, there are more downsides than upsides, as I've come to learn through watching the Falcons. While the scheme can be very successful between the 20s, it's typically not very successful inside the red zone. The Falcons are tops in the league in yards per carry from their own goalline to the opponent's 20. They are last in the league in yards per carry inside the red zone. They can cut and find the holes between the 20s, but can't block straight up and run the ball right at the defense inside the red zone. Plus, being the smaller linemen that they are, it makes things very difficult when it comes to pass protection for the quarterback. The Falcons need to stop getting "cute" with this zone-blocking scheme, sign and draft bigger lineman, so they can better protect Vick when he's sitting in the pocket and be able to run with more success inside the red zone.

Defensively, just like with the offensive line, is too small to be consistently successful in the NFL. The Falcons have attempted to build a college-like team in terms of their size and speed, and though, it may be successful at times, it's very difficult for an NFL team to be consistent for a season with the lack of size in the front seven on defense.

I have nothing against Jim Mora. But, I do think that Arthur Blank needs to talk to him following the season to see where Mora is exactly with what he wants to do and where he wants to go. I wasn't a fan (like most weren't) of his comments about going to Washington. He may have seen that as a joke, but not many others did. Does Mora truly want to coach this team? That's the question that has to be answered. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp has done a decent job from a statistical standpoint, but the offense has lacked consistency and much of an identity under him. It seems that Knapp doesn't know how to utilize Vick and worse off, doesn't know how to do so consistently. One game, Vick's asked to run for 150 yards. The next, he's asked to just be a pocket quarterback. The next, he's asked to run for 75 and throw for 200. There are times when the Falcons are so intent on running, that Vick is only called on to throw on third and longs and it's very difficult to find a rhythm in the passing game in that scenario. Even though I've criticized Knapp quite thoroughly the past couple years, Ed Donatell, the defensive coordinator is a sure go, in my opinion. The guy expects NFL offenses to beat themselves time and time again. Give any NFL quarterback time in the pocket, and chances are, he's going to beat you. Just ask Donovan McNabb on the infamous 4th and 26 play, which Donatell lost his job over. Atlanta has a quick front seven, with linebackers such as Michael Boley, Ed Hartwell, Keith Brooking, and DeMorrio Williams. It seems that Donatell is afraid to blitz early in the game and it's one major factor in why the Falcons' have consistently been down in the 1st and 2nd quarters this year. Donatell will then be more aggressive in the second half and that's usually when Atlanta makes their move to either make the game close or take a lead. In my opinion, Donatell has got to go and I'm uncertain on Knapp or Mora yet.

Fortunately, even though the Falcons currently sit at 7-8, they do have a shot to make the playoffs as a six seed. It will be tough, though. The Falcons have to, first of all, beat Philly on Sunday, which will be anything but easy with how the Eagles are currently playing. Then, the Giants need to lose to the Redskins on Saturday, the Panthers need to lose to the Saints, and the Packers need to lose to the Bears. So, it's possible, but the Giants have to lose Saturday, the Falcons have to win Sunday, and then the Panthers and Packers have to lose also.