Atlanta homers... (1 Viewer)

[pack66]

Is there any hope of this guy taking over the starting role in Atlanta, or is Dunn going to hang on to it this season? Does Norwood's special teams play keep him from being the man in Atlanta or is it Petrino?

-j

 

[dragon10]

until this guy learns how to pass block he'll be riding pine.

There is more to football than running

 

[Traders2001]

until this guy learns how to pass block he'll be riding pine.There is more to football than running

So it means they will be looking for Dunn's replacement in next years draft .So in a dynasty try to sell Norwood while he still has a bit of value , because he simply has nt got the body shape to block properly and thats not going to change .

 

[PatrickT]

I'm at a loss to explain it. You want better pass-blocking? Bring in Mughelli to help. Bring in two TEs. Norwood is the better back.

Oh and, BTW, Leftwich sucks. Also, mental note, Crumpler is still on the roster.

 

[JohnnyU]

until this guy learns how to pass block he'll be riding pine.There is more to football than running

So it means they will be looking for Dunn's replacement in next years draft .So in a dynasty try to sell Norwood while he still has a bit of value , because he simply has nt got the body shape to block properly and thats not going to change .

Body shape? I guess you are referring to his legs, which this board has discussed extensively. Norwood's legs = Bush's legs. I'm not buying the body shape thingy. His size is just fine, but maybe his technique is not. There's no reason why he can't get better at that. Besides, his running is what matters most. It's not like the Falcons are a Mike Martz team. Dunn has looked horrible, and he's ancient, and he's tiny, and he's not durable (sometimes).

 

[Bri]

Petrino said last week that he planned to use Norwood more. Both Dunn and Norwood stunk yesterday. Late in the 4th when nothing was working Warrick Dunn had an 18 yard scamper to the 1, not Norwood. There's some talk of leaning toward Norwood's way but Dunn is still the vet making the key plays including blocks mentioned above.

It's typical and very good in a RBs development for Norwood to be going thru this. Now he's gotta do the "little" things, that are important, right to take Warrick's job. Sit tight, he's coming along.

 

[Sagan]

until this guy learns how to pass block he'll be riding pine.There is more to football than running

So it means they will be looking for Dunn's replacement in next years draft .So in a dynasty try to sell Norwood while he still has a bit of value , because he simply has nt got the body shape to block properly and thats not going to change .

Body shape? I guess you are referring to his legs, which this board has discussed extensively. Norwood's legs = Bush's legs. I'm not buying the body shape thingy. His size is just fine, but maybe his technique is not. There's no reason why he can't get better at that. Besides, his running is what matters most. It's not like the Falcons are a Mike Martz team. Dunn has looked horrible, and he's ancient, and he's tiny, and he's not durable (sometimes).

I've had Norwood since last year. I'm obviously disappointed with how it's gone this year, but it seems that every time he gets the ball, there's just nowhere to go. I hate blaming everything on the line, but he doesn't have a particularly effective QB for the screens and he doesn't have a dominant line to open holes. I guess that's pretty much just whining, though. I think he's a good back, but there is just something missing in the equation. I can't quite put my finger on any one glaring thing.

 

[Fiddles]

that offensive line is pitiful

until they address that dunn and/or norwood will not live up to their potential

 

[NatronIsMean]

I don't buy the blocking thing - where has it been mentioned by Petrino or other decision-makers or people in the know?

I think Petrino is simply sticking with Dunn for whatever reason. Perhaps that's just one position where as much as he keeps wanting to call Norwood's number (he keeps promising more carries), when it comes to the plays he goes conservative.

The absolute CRAZY thing is that while he lets Dunn stay, he pulled Harrington at a MORONIC stage of the game. Petrino doesn't deserve to survive the season.

 

[PatrickT]

that offensive line is pitifuluntil they address that dunn and/or norwood will not live up to their potential

Bingo! I'd hoped that they'd put it together without Gibb's weight restrictions, but pitiful seems to be a fitting word at this point. This is the same reason Joey struggled, BTW, in case anyone's thinking this game was on Joey. He was brutally harrassed all day.

 

[Bri]

I don't buy the blocking thing - where has it been mentioned by Petrino or other decision-makers or people in the know? I think Petrino is simply sticking with Dunn for whatever reason. Perhaps that's just one position where as much as he keeps wanting to call Norwood's number (he keeps promising more carries), when it comes to the plays he goes conservative. The absolute CRAZY thing is that while he lets Dunn stay, he pulled Harrington at a MORONIC stage of the game. Petrino doesn't deserve to survive the season.

The Titans and Falcons were almost equally ugly yesterday. Fisher is a tremendous coach and if his team looked similar......

 

[Pigskins]

Atl just doesn't know how to use their backs. They're still used to the old system with Vick. Dunn and Norwood can both co exist and put up solid numbers if the coaches know how to develop a running game.

Stay tuned...

 

[PatrickT]

I don't buy the blocking thing - where has it been mentioned by Petrino or other decision-makers or people in the know? I think Petrino is simply sticking with Dunn for whatever reason. Perhaps that's just one position where as much as he keeps wanting to call Norwood's number (he keeps promising more carries), when it comes to the plays he goes conservative. The absolute CRAZY thing is that while he lets Dunn stay, he pulled Harrington at a MORONIC stage of the game. Petrino doesn't deserve to survive the season.

The Titans and Falcons were almost equally ugly yesterday. Fisher is a tremendous coach and if his team looked similar......

I'm personally willing to give Petrino a bye on this one. It was inevitable that they'd take a step back eventually after the last two performances. But pulling Joey for Leftwich REALLY bothered me. It's almost like it was a big FU to Blank for bringing him when he didn't want him. "Look, see!? He stinks just like I said."DISCLAIMER: I have no inside knowledge on whether Petrino was for/against or otherwise had any stake in the Leftwich signing, it just kinda struck me that way.

 

[Raiders Fan]

Just wait until 2nd half.. I already read they are moving in their younger guys.. 2nd half I think Norwood will get his shot. Hold onto him..

 

[NatronIsMean]

I don't buy the blocking thing - where has it been mentioned by Petrino or other decision-makers or people in the know? I think Petrino is simply sticking with Dunn for whatever reason. Perhaps that's just one position where as much as he keeps wanting to call Norwood's number (he keeps promising more carries), when it comes to the plays he goes conservative. The absolute CRAZY thing is that while he lets Dunn stay, he pulled Harrington at a MORONIC stage of the game. Petrino doesn't deserve to survive the season.

The Titans and Falcons were almost equally ugly yesterday. Fisher is a tremendous coach and if his team looked similar......

I'm personally willing to give Petrino a bye on this one. It was inevitable that they'd take a step back eventually after the last two performances. But pulling Joey for Leftwich REALLY bothered me. It's almost like it was a big FU to Blank for bringing him when he didn't want him. "Look, see!? He stinks just like I said."DISCLAIMER: I have no inside knowledge on whether Petrino was for/against or otherwise had any stake in the Leftwich signing, it just kinda struck me that way.

I'm of the group that thinks Leftwich essentially cost them the game. Harrington with the same opportunities does more, IMO. And I have no skin in the game except Norwood. What makes me crazy is that Petrino added to ruining the offense by having a quick trigger-finger with Harrington, while he sticks in there with Dunn even though he SAYS he's getting Norwood involved all the time with no action to back up his words. After what Crumpler said yesterday, I think we're very near an all-out implosion:

Losing trust, Crumpler sees phase-out of veteransBy Jeff Schultz | Sunday, October 7, 2007, 08:49 PMThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionNashville — They changed the quarterback and lost anyway. They changed the quarterback, had an opponent try to hand them two scoring drives in the final minutes and still did a faceplant.They changed the quarterback and the problems didn’t go away. The problems turned into Mount Vesuvius. If you believed a locker room meltdown might come late in a losing season, you were wrong. The Falcons didn’t even make it to the bye week.“I’ve never been in a game where we had that many opportunities — and a miracle, with a [botched] punt — and we still couldn’t score,” tight end Alge Crumpler said. “When we cross the 50, we’re the worst offense in the National Football League.“We’re trying to trust them. They keep telling us, ‘Trust us, trust us.’ We’ve been trying to trust them the whole time.”The “we” would be the players. The “they” would be the coaches.This is Week 5. When you’re hearing “we” and “they” on the same team, it’s not a good sign. More likely, it’s just over.Crumpler, one of the team’s leaders, was among several players to vent after Sunday’s 20-13 loss to Tennessee. He effectively questioned Bobby Petrino’s play-calling. He suggested an “agenda” that is minimizing the roles of veterans in the offense, while increasing the roles of younger players to prepare them for the future.Do you still believe that Byron Leftwich replacing Joey Harrington is going to change much?“If [the defense is playing] a cover-two and we’ve got Michael Jenkins running down the middle of the field, or myself running down the middle of the field, why aren’t we getting opportunities to make plays?” Crumpler said. “That’s what I’ve been doing my whole career. But I haven’t caught the ball one time since this regime has been here, in practice or anything. So I’m scratching my head. I’m trusting, OK? I’m trusting. But 1-4 makes you think about a lot of things.”First, Petrino lost DeAngelo Hall. Now he’s lost the room.Tennessee tried to hand the Falcons this game. They committed five turnovers. Four of the Falcons’ last five possessions started at the Titans’ 42, 45, 21 and 19. The results: interception, missed field goal, interception, fourth-down sack.Vince Young threw an interception at the Titans’ 21 with 4:15 left. Then Leftwich threw one back. Punter Craig Hentrich was buried by Demorrio Williams at the 21 with 2:24 remaining. An 18-yard run by Warrick Dunn moved the ball to the 1.Then Petrino, the offensive wizard, got too cute. He had Leftwich attempt to execute a pitch to the right to Dunn. Don’t offensive wizards like to ram the ball up the middle — with four tries to get one yard?Petrino defended the call, saying, “We had it blocked.”Didn’t matter. The Titans’ Albert Haynesworth broke through to grab Leftwich, altering the pitch. Dunn never really got it, then fell on the fumble at the 9. The possession ended with a sack at the 12.“Johnny Stockton,” Crumpler said when asked about the missed opportunities. “Great passer, great assist man. But we were missing layups.”And then he blew.“It’s weird. This is a young guys’ game we’re playing now. It’s been taken out of our hands. … It’s just been taken out of the veterans’ hands. When we get into situations, we’re not being given opportunities.”Why? “Figure it out.”Asked again if his role in the offense needs to be bigger, Crumpler responded: “Offense? There’s never been a time I’ve asked for the football since I’ve been in this organization.”But?“It just seems like the agenda that we have offensively is preparing the guys that we have in this locker room for the future. I’m not saying the coach isn’t trying to win the game. But there just seems to be too much going on.”The offense is a mess, with any quarterback. Until the last five minutes of the first half, the Falcons’ only first down was the result of a successful fake punt.Fullback Ovie Mughelli, signed as a free agent but seldom utilized, called this “a bad dream.”Warrick Dunn defended Harrington, saying he has been hurt by poor pass protection. He also put the onus on the offensive line for the team’s poor running game, adding the running game’s failures “is not because Warrick Dunn is too old.”Harrington got it right when he said, “There’s no individual story here.” One quarterback replacing another can’t fix everything. And the mountain just blew.

 

[Bri]

I don't buy the blocking thing - where has it been mentioned by Petrino or other decision-makers or people in the know? I think Petrino is simply sticking with Dunn for whatever reason. Perhaps that's just one position where as much as he keeps wanting to call Norwood's number (he keeps promising more carries), when it comes to the plays he goes conservative. The absolute CRAZY thing is that while he lets Dunn stay, he pulled Harrington at a MORONIC stage of the game. Petrino doesn't deserve to survive the season.

The Titans and Falcons were almost equally ugly yesterday. Fisher is a tremendous coach and if his team looked similar......

I'm personally willing to give Petrino a bye on this one. It was inevitable that they'd take a step back eventually after the last two performances. But pulling Joey for Leftwich REALLY bothered me. It's almost like it was a big FU to Blank for bringing him when he didn't want him. "Look, see!? He stinks just like I said."DISCLAIMER: I have no inside knowledge on whether Petrino was for/against or otherwise had any stake in the Leftwich signing, it just kinda struck me that way.

After the game, I could see how it looks like that. However, that's the nature of the beast. He's a genius for putting Leftwich in for a spark if they win, he's an idiot if they lose. That's just how it goes.Leftwich was horrible, no doubt. However they got gift wrapped the game tying score and couldn't grab it. Dunn's nice run to the 1 after that botched punt and they had 5 chances to score counting the penalty and couldn't get it in. Vandenbosch was terrific and like most teams they couldn't account for he and Haynesworth. Those two are awesome this year. Still 5 chances from the 1 and you get nothing....Petrino, Leftwich, Dunn, Norwood, the line etc everyone gets the blame. It's pathetic and ya move on.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

until this guy learns how to pass block he'll be riding pine.

There is more to football than running

So it means they will be looking for Dunn's replacement in next years draft .So in a dynasty try to sell Norwood while he still has a bit of value , because he simply has nt got the body shape to block properly and thats not going to change .

Body shape? I guess you are referring to his legs, which this board has discussed extensively. Norwood's legs = Bush's legs. I'm not buying the body shape thingy. His size is just fine, but maybe his technique is not. There's no reason why he can't get better at that. Besides, his running is what matters most. It's not like the Falcons are a Mike Martz team. Dunn has looked horrible, and he's ancient, and he's tiny, and he's not durable (sometimes).

I've had Norwood since last year. I'm obviously disappointed with how it's gone this year, but it seems that every time he gets the ball, there's just nowhere to go. I hate blaming everything on the line, but he doesn't have a particularly effective QB for the screens and he doesn't have a dominant line to open holes. I guess that's pretty much just whining, though. I think he's a good back, but there is just something missing in the equation. I can't quite put my finger on any one glaring thing.

Just like Benson...but hey stop making excuses for Benson...he is a piece of ......

 

[PatrickT]

I don't buy the blocking thing - where has it been mentioned by Petrino or other decision-makers or people in the know? I think Petrino is simply sticking with Dunn for whatever reason. Perhaps that's just one position where as much as he keeps wanting to call Norwood's number (he keeps promising more carries), when it comes to the plays he goes conservative. The absolute CRAZY thing is that while he lets Dunn stay, he pulled Harrington at a MORONIC stage of the game. Petrino doesn't deserve to survive the season.

The Titans and Falcons were almost equally ugly yesterday. Fisher is a tremendous coach and if his team looked similar......

I'm personally willing to give Petrino a bye on this one. It was inevitable that they'd take a step back eventually after the last two performances. But pulling Joey for Leftwich REALLY bothered me. It's almost like it was a big FU to Blank for bringing him when he didn't want him. "Look, see!? He stinks just like I said."DISCLAIMER: I have no inside knowledge on whether Petrino was for/against or otherwise had any stake in the Leftwich signing, it just kinda struck me that way.

I'm of the group that thinks Leftwich essentially cost them the game. Harrington with the same opportunities does more, IMO. And I have no skin in the game except Norwood. What makes me crazy is that Petrino added to ruining the offense by having a quick trigger-finger with Harrington, while he sticks in there with Dunn even though he SAYS he's getting Norwood involved all the time with no action to back up his words. After what Crumpler said yesterday, I think we're very near an all-out implosion:

Good points, especially about the quick trigger with Harrington and the insistence on keeping Dunn in. Makes no sense.

 

[pack66]

Good comments...just thinking it might be time to get off the bus and pick up like Kenton Keith. This was a flyer anyway.

 

[PatrickT]

Another thing occurs to me about Norwood. He's re-introduced the kick return in Atlanta. After dealing Rossum, Jennings was absolutely dreadful, and still is on punt returns.

I wonder if he's keeping Dunn in so he can use Norwood on returns. Apparently, DHall basically refused to do any returns for the team. He and Petrino don't seem to be getting too chummy.

 

[Truman]

I don't buy the blocking thing - where has it been mentioned by Petrino or other decision-makers or people in the know?

Petrino mentioned it last week.

 

[switz]

I'm kinda tired of talking about Norwood, and of other people talking about Norwood. For instance, just this week the AJC had an article about getting Norwood more involved, I swear it was a reprint from the preseason with the date changed. The words are the same over and over and over and over and........ it's like a broken record. It's said - skip - it's said - skip... but we never get to the point where Norwood plays more.

He's got talent, but right now he's on my bench, and until Petrino learns how to call a good offense using him, he's staying there.