Atlanta Falcons Week #1: Minnesota Vikings

Game Result
Minnesota 24
Atlanta 3

Game Analysis:
It is 8:30 in the morning, my alarm goes off. It is finally here; the first day of the NFL season for the Atlanta Falcons. I am so excited! I got my permission slip in hand from my wife and my two daughters to go up to my dad’s house and watch the game. My dad has the NFL ticket, so I go up to his house every Sunday so I can watch the Falcons play. I was really looking forward to this game because Joey Harrington and the wide receivers looked fairly impressive in the third pre-season game against the Bengals. During the off-season and pre-season all I heard about is how that now Mike Vick is no longer the starting quarterback, the Falcons have no chance. I even read one sports site were they predicted the Falcons at 3-13. I had convinced myself if a RB/QB like Vick could win 7 games, I thought the Falcons could at least win 6 games and maybe more. I even made a bet with a guy at work that the Falcons would win the Minnesota game. I was pumped up today, hoping that Petrino and the Falcons would proved everyone wrong. The only thing they proved to me today, is that I was blind.

The absence of a scrambling QB really showed today. The Vikings went into this game with the mind set of making Joey Harrington beat them. They blitzed a lot and stacked the line of scrimmage to keep the Falcons from running the ball. The Vikings had 2 interceptions for touchdowns and 6 sacks. Harrington did not have a pass over 15 yards. The Falcons were in third and long all day long and the offensive line did not give Harrington anytime to pass down the field. Minnesota’s defense played good today and they will have to keep it up because Adrian Peterson is their only offense. The Falcons defense played fairly good at times also. They held the Vikings offense to only 7 points. I think they should have blitzed more, but when they actually came with a full out blitz, Peterson made a juggling catch out of the backfield and ran 60 yards for a touchdown. Our defensive ends, John Abraham and rookie Jamaal Anderson, did not get any pressure on the young Vikings QB. The Falcons had poor field possession all day and I think a lot of that had to do with the absence of Allen Rossum. Our special teams struggled all day except for one Jennings kickoff return at the start of the 2nd half that he almost broke for a huge gain. But he also made some fair catches within in the ten yard line that he should have let go. Also, cutting the veteran field goal kicker, Cundiff, proved to be a mistake. Prater missed the first field goal after a beautiful drive that started from the Falcons own 3 yard line (thanks to the afore mentioned horrible punt returning decisions).

The Falcons did look good when Harrington had time to pass the ball and got into a rythm. Roddy White and the rookie Laurent Robinson had some nice catches. Crumpler had some nice catches also and led the Falcons receivers with the most receptions and yards like usual. All in all, I was really disappointed with what I saw today. I know it is only the first game of the season with a new quarterback and a new coach, but I was expecting at least to make into the red zone once in the game. It was an eye opener and brought me back down to reality: that this team will probably be last in their division and fighting for the first pick in the 2008 NFL draft. I don’t believe Harrington is the quarterback of the future for this team. The Falcons need to bring in another quarterback that can scramble a little due to the undersized line and make quick decisions with the passing game to keep the defenses from blitzing whenever they want. But what do I know, I am just another upset fan that wishes his team had Tom Brady or Peyton Manning at the helm.

Game MVP
Adrian Peterson for the Vikings
While there were no stand outs for the Falcons this week Crumpler, Norwood and DeAngelo Hall all played well.

Game Grades

• Offense = C
• Defense = B-
• Special Teams = C+
• Coaching = C-

Upcoming Game Analysis
The Falcons travel this week to Jackonsville to play the Jaguars. If the Falcons struggled against the Minnesota defense, I expect more of the same from the Falcons offense this week. I predict that the Falcons will actually visit the redzone this week and score their first touchdown of the season, but that will be it. The Jaguars will win this game at home by a score of 20 to 10.