Grading the Falcon Game

This is not a difficult game to grade. Generally we didn't look too good but, there were bright spots.

WR - Grade=B. Davis and Walter exceeded expectations and, while I'm sure there is room for improvement, they did well today. Walter surprised me with his performance, too.

TE - Grade=B. Daniels made some good catches but, I was looking for more imagination today using the TE's to help cover for WR injuries. Of course, that is on the coaches and not the players.

Oline - Grade=C+. We haven't been a good run blocking team so far this year, even when McKinney was in there. I was pleasantly surprised at how well our tackles handled their DE's pass rush.

QB - Grade = B. Big Schaub looked better this week overall. Still made some mistakes but, no real complaints. I don't know who made the call on the toss to Ron Dayne but, if I were Schaub, I would've audibled out of it.

RB - Grade=D. I'm just not a Ron Dayne fan. Sure he made 1 good run but, most of the time he just seems to run into the pile right in front of him and fall down. Even on the screen he caught there was room on either side but, he just ran right into the defenders in the pile right in front of him. He's a big guy but, not a power runner and he doesn't have the skills to be otherwise. IMO, we are not putting our team in a position to win by relying on him.

FB - Grade=C. Leach's fumble hurt alot but, I think his right knee may have been down. Neither FB was outstanding in this game.

DLine - Grade=C+. Amobi was good .... did anybody else play? Mario tackled a couple of guys on running plays. With the blitz schemes in this game the DL should have been making more plays and applying more pressure.

MLB - Grade=A. Demeco is our best defensive player.

OLB - Grade=C. We need more speed here.

CB - Grade=C. We should've done better today.

S - Grade=C-. Don't remember seeing Boulware in the game at all. We just don't have the talent here.

ST - Grade=C+. Not up to our expectations.

Coaching - Grade=D. Any coach who places so much confidence in Ron Dayne must be questioned. With our injury situation going to a conservative, run dependent offense is a recipe for defeat. It is playing not to lose instead of playing to win and when you do that, you will lose a lot more than you win. I was looking for more imagination in the offense using the TE's and FB's and instead we mainly got Ron Dayne into the pile. I believe Gado has a better talent set than Dayne does and I'm not if he ever saw the field today. Hades, I would rather have sets without him in it at all and have a TE line up in the back field. Defensively, we seemed to have discovered (after watching much film of other teams, I guess) that there is such a thing as a blitz. While we were sloppy overall with our blitz execution, it was effective several times. I believe that with more use we will get better at it as our timing was off on several blitzes. Of course, if we had better OLB's we would be more effective at it. To be successful in this league, we have to blitz and so we need to be doing some in every game to get better at it and learn when to do it strategically with the talent we have.

We will be in a similar situation with Miami next week. I hope we are not too conservative and play into their hands again.

With our injuries and inability of the coaches to utilize the talents on the team I'm going to say we will be 7-9 or 8-8. Just a couple of weeks ago I was saying 10-6 but, I'm just not sure the coaching staff quite knows how to utilize this team's strengths. They seem to go into a "woe is we" funk kinda easily and get real conservative and think they have to rely on a running game that just doesn't exist yet.

Okay that's my take on it, what's yours?

coaching.................f-

Here... I'll give you my version:

QB - B+ I really don't know what else he's supposed to do. If you ask him to throw 40 passes and he completes over 70% of them you can't ask him to do much more. Maybe a few TD's but honestly our inept run game let them drop back into coverage too many times.

RB - D I suppose it should be lower, but lets think about who we've got in there. Dayne can't become #34 just because he wants to. He is trying to finish runs... he's just not good enough. I would be on the phone to Lundy right now if I was Kubes. I think that's about what we can expect from Dayne and company till Green gets back. That said, don't forget that Green hasn't really lit it up. I am starting to think the OL is having problems with their run blocking. More on that later.

WR - B+ In most cases they have to get the same grade as the QB. This is one of those times. Pretty consistant effort here really. I'm learning that our 2-5 recievers are not as bad as I thought. Davis seems like he might be a real #2. I thought the knock on him coming in was lack of concentration. Between that sideline catch last week and that one he got hit on this week.. I'd have to say he's got that taken care of.

OL - C I know its early. I know Green isn't there. I know Mckinney is missing. But is it just me or are there alot of problems in the run game that seem to be related to the OL. I mean I know Dayne isn't Earl. At the same time there just aren't many holes open up. We did say we were going to implement more power formations into the offense this year. Seems like we're less sucessful with that kind of blocking as opposed to the ZB scheme. That or maybe our RBs read the zone blocking better. I don't know.. either way they had decent protection and any time the RB gets a D the OL is going to be lower than a C+

DL - B - I thought this group did well. I know we didn't force turnovers, but we did get some pressure. Our DBs are horrible though. They are definately plugging holes on the line though.. and for all you hate on Mario... man that guy can play the run. He is excellent at funneling the guy back into the play instead of around the end... Don't know how many times I saw him do that.

LB - B+ Overall a good game. I don't like this new "strip while they carry you for 5 yards" technique that Greenwood is employing though. I think we should start focusing on tackles. IF you are tackling well, and not giving up 3rd and 3 over and over.. that's as good as a few turnovers in my opinion. We need to get off the field and we haven't done it well in the last two games. I definately think we need more speed. But until you get that.. you better be able to tackle.

DB - C- The defense played ok. Except for the secondary. Granted that call on petey was a joke. So was his coverage most of the day. Dante played well, but even he is starting to realize that he has no help from the safteys. he's starting to give bigger cushions which is not a good thing. Wanna know why we took it in the poop shoot on 3rd downs? BIG CUSHIONS.

ST - C+ We were in line for a B until the end. We did block a field goal. And you can't put the loss on Brown. Even if we made that FG you are still talking about a long road to tow if you want to get in the game. But aside of those two plays... we were pretty average.

Coaching - B- Its hard to coach when 2/3 of your playmakers on offense are missing. At the same time I have questions for Kubes. "Why didn't you kick the FG the first time you had 4th and 1. I questioned the call at the time and I still don't get it.

Mike
Mike

DLine - Grade=C+. Amobi was good .... did anybody else play? Mario tackled a couple of guys on running plays. With the blitz schemes in this game the DL should have been making more plays and applying more pressure.

MLB - Grade=A. Demeco is our best defensive player.

OLB - Grade=C. We need more speed here.

CB - Grade=C. We should've done better today.

S - Grade=C-. Don't remember seeing Boulware in the game at all. We just don't have the talent here.

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The defense is the real reason why we lost today, and yet that is all you have to say about them. Giving them 'C"s for making Harrington look like Payton Manning??

And then you went off on that long rant about Dayne?

Without Dayne, they would have had absolutely no running game at all. Zero. Gado can't even hold on to the ball.

The defense lost the game today. The offense was hobbled by injuries going in, and they knew that going in. They should have stepped up and covered for them, and they didn't do it .

Defense: Grade F

Coaching equals a ****ing Z-.

Marcus said:

Without Dayne, they would have had absolutely no running game at all. Zero. Gado can't even hold on to the ball.

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They have no running game at all WITH Dayne. His numbers will look decent in the boxscore with a 4.1 average, but 1 carry was for 25 yards....his other 14 carries he average a whopping 2.6, right at what he's averaging for the season.

Here... I'll give you my version:

QB - A-
Matt earned his paycheck today. Completed 70% of his passes for over 300 yds, 8 yds/attempt, and a 101.8 passer rating. No INTs. The only downside is he came up half yd short on his run for a TD attempt - shouldn't have dived.

RB - D
Only one real highlight, the 25-yd burst by Dayne. Had that been someone with more speed like Lundy or Dayne or Green that may have been 6. The non-effectiveness on those 3rd & short plays just are inexcusable for a so-called "power back". And he missed some pass blocking assignments too. And speaking of Gado, why didn't he get even a single carry??

WR/TE - A
Given the fact that our two most potent weapons were hurt, the backups did a fantastic job. Davis took this opportunity to shine, Walter was his usual steady self. With Mathis out, we didn't really even have a #3 WR.

OL - C-
The good news: Schaub was only sacked once. I'll take one sack per game all year long.
The bad news: They failed the "man-hood" test in crucial situations. When we needed them to knock the Falcons off the ball, so we could get one damned yard, they didn't come thru.
And that 4th qtr call on Salaam was BS - his hands were inside Abraham's shoulders.

DL - B+
When you stop and think about it, the Falcons played it smart with Joey. No 7-step drop patterns. Only 3- and 5- step drops and let his guys run after the catch. Even so, we got pressure on him and sacked him twice - despite some obvious holding. The Falcons only got 90 yds rushing. That's a decent day's work.

LB - B-
They tackled well but didn't cover the pass as neatly as I would have liked. A few big hits but no turnovers. As usual DeMeco was everywhere.

DB - D
We were never in position to make a pick all day. Never. If you study your opponent and learn his tendencies, sometime during the game you should be in position to pick him off. Didn't happen. Our DBs were playing soft nearly all day. I will say that there was serious homecooking on a couple of those calls on Faggins.

ST - C+
We sure missed JJ and Mathis; returns were mostly average. Turk earned his money. The blocked kick was great but we didn't take advantage of it.

Coaching - C-
Play calling was okay. Clock mgmt was a bit suspect at times. I wonder why we didn't blitz in the first half like we did inthe second half. The time to make Joey nervous is early.

WR - Grade=B+ Andre Davis can become a legitimate #2 receiver, and with AJ back and JJ playing in the slot, that’s gonna be a load for any defense.

TE - Grade=B The usual standard above average play from the TEs. It’s the one consistent thing on offense these days.

Oline - Grade=C not good on run blocking, but then again, we don’t have any quality backs for them to run block for. Only one sack, that’s good.

QB - Grade = B I continue to be impressed with Schaub every week, even in this loss. This offense, with our receivers and TEs, will be hellacious if we ever get a decent RB. Schaub has the talent to get us to the Promised Land.

RB - Grade=D- Dayne had one good game last year, and the Texans organization think highly of him for some reason. I don’t.

FB - Grade= D- fumbles and dropped passes, enough said.

DLine - Grade=C Other than Amobi, and that one good series in the 4th quarter, they weren’t much to speak of today. Atlanta seem to have their way with them to many times.

LBs - Grade=B. Demeco continues to shine, and the other LBs had some good stops.

Safeties and Corners – Grade= C- Other than Dauta there just isn’t much to say about these guys that isn’t negative.

Coaching - Grade=D- Some really bad time management for two weeks in a row. This is just not acceptable.

One issue I have is the coaching. Thier best CB is out for the first quarter, so we don't test the rookie replacement early and often? I understand trying establish the run, but while Hall was out, I thought we should have been testing that rookie. Atleast when it was obvious the run wasn't going to work, we should have changed the offensive gameplan. Why didn't Gado get any snaps? Dayne wasn't getting the job done. I am just perplexed.

don't get too high or too low C

Thorn said:

Oline - Grade=C not good on run blocking, but then again, we don’t have any quality backs for them to run block for.

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Well, they got Schaub to make them look good this year. Maybe they'll get a running back to make them look good next year.

This may be wishful thinking, but maybe in 2009 they can start to make themselves look good. Who knows - they could go from there to helping others look good. Wouldn't that be a kick?

Runner said:

Well, they got Schaub to make them look good this year. Maybe they'll get a running back to make them look good next year.

This may be wishful thinking, but maybe in 2009 they can start to make themselves look good. Who knows - they could go from there to helping others look good. Wouldn't that be a kick?

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And/or maybe they could actually draft and/or sign highly thought of olinemen for a change!!