National Football League News Wire
ATLANTA -- After watching the Atlanta Falcons lose their
fourth straight game, owner Arthur Blank grabbed a front-row seat
in the interview room to listen in on what Jim Mora and Michael
Vick had to say.
Blank also pored over a stat sheet, whispering some thoughts to
his top lieutenant while trying to figure out how another season
that began with such promise has totally unraveled heading into the
final month.
This owner demands immediate results. If things don't turn
around over the next five weeks, the Falcons are certainly headed
for big changes -- starting with several members of Mora's staff and
maybe extending all the way to the head coach himself.
"Ever since I've been here, we've had high expectations,"
Blank said. "We did not build this team to be .500. We thought
this team was capable of making a playoff run. Anytime you fall
short of that, it's disappointing."
Technically, Atlanta (5-6) still has time to turns things around
in the mediocre NFC, where 6-5 would be good enough for the wild
card if the season ended today.
But after going 0-for-November, the Falcons are below .500 for
the first time in Mora's three-year tenure and giving off few signs
of being a team that can pull out of its slide before it's too
late.
Three of the losses during past month were by double-figure
margins -- the only exception being an inexcusable 17-13 home loss
to woeful Cleveland (3-8). The Falcons were blown out 30-14 at
Detroit, one of only two games the Lions have won this season. Last
Sunday, Atlanta was all but eliminated from the NFC West race by a
31-13 loss to the Saints, who essentially have a three-game lead on
the Falcons when the tiebreaker is factored in.
What makes this all the more troubling is just how familiar it
seems.
A year ago, coming off a giddy run to the NFC championship game
in Mora's rookie season as a head coach, the Falcons started 6-2
and were thinking Super Bowl. They wound up losing six of their
last eight, extending the 40-year-old franchise's inglorious streak
of never having back-to-back winning seasons.
Now, it's happening all over again. In one short month, the
Falcons have gone from being 5-2 and angling for home-field
advantage in the playoffs to showing all the telltale signs of a
team in disarray.
Early last week, Mora's father -- the longtime NFL coach of the
same name -- criticized Vick's passing skills and agreed that he's a
"coach killer." As the quarterback headed toward the locker room
after the loss to the Saints, he was heckled by some fans and
responded with an obscene gesture.
As the face of the franchise, everything starts with Vick. But
the blame for this downfall extends beyond No. 7.
The offense is a mess, an incompatible juxtaposition of
coordinator Greg Knapp's West Coast-style passing schemes and the
zone-blocking tactics used by the guys up front, who answer to de
facto line coach Alex Gibbs.
Vick has never taken to Knapp's philosophy, which relies on
short drops and quick reads that seem ill-suited for a 6-foot
quarterback who has trouble seeing over his linemen and is more
effective when he ad-libs. Vick is the 25th-rated quarterback in
the NFL and, most stunning, has never put up better numbers playing
in Knapp's offense than he did in his one full season working with
former coach Dan Reeves.
Meanwhile, the shadowy Gibbs -- who's technically a
"consultant" -- prefers smaller, quicker linemen who'll carry out
his controversial blocking tactics in the running game but are
leakier than a colander when it comes to pass blocking. Vick may be
the best running quarterback in NFL history, but he's still managed
to get sacked 29 times playing behind a no-name group that has zero
Pro Bowls on its collective resume.
When Vick does get off a pass, tight end Alge Crumpler is about
the only reliable receiver on the team. Former first-round picks
Michael Jenkins and Roddy White have been major disappointments.
Ashley Lelie hasn't had the impact everyone expected when he came
to the Falcons in a trade for T.J. Duckett.
Last week, Vick's receivers dropped five passes, the most
damaging of those coming early in the fourth quarter when a
wide-open White let the ball slip from his hands at the New Orleans
10 after the defender fell down. That snuffed the life out of the
Falcons, who were down 21-13 at the time but totally fell apart the
rest of the way.
Mora insists he's not planning any changes on his staff, but
what else do you expect him to say about guys -- several of them
close friends -- who are still on the payroll? Clearly, Knapp and
receivers coach George Stewart are on shaky ground. And the Falcons
wouldn't be able to hire a competent replacement for Knapp as long
as Gibbs is hanging around.
If the Falcons do look for someone else to run the offense, the
first priority is getting a coach who can take advantage of Vick's
wondrous talents. This team has too much invested in No. 7 to give
up on him (sorry, all you Atlanta fans who want to give backup Matt
Schaub a chance).
A new coordinator would certainly want to upgrade the protectors
up front and the guys who are paid to catch passes, not drop them.
Also, there might be some philosophical changes, such as more deep
passing routes to capitalize on Vick's enormous arm strength
(perhaps the strongest in the league, though his accuracy is
clearly lacking).
Mora got a contract extension before the season, but that means
little in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately NFL. The Falcons
touted their 45-year-old coach as one of the profession's rising
stars after his first season, but Blank -- who prowls the sidelines
during games a la Jerry Jones and takes an active role in personnel
decisions -- shows all the signs of being an impatient boss.
"I believe we have the right folks in the building," Blank
said in a tepid show of support for his coach. "They have the
talent and enthusiasm to get it done, but obviously we've got to
execute better and be a little more consistent."
In all fairness to Mora and his assistants, the Falcons have
been plagued by injuries. Two starters are out for the year, and
another might be finished. Plus, defensive stalwarts John Abraham
and Ed Hartwell have played only three games apiece.
Then again, Atlanta must have known it was taking a chance when
it gave up a first-round pick to sign the injury prone Abraham to a
huge contract.
The three-time Pro Bowl end dominated Carolina in Week 1 before
going down in the closing minutes with a groin injury that he's
still trying to overcome. After abdominal surgery, he returned to
face the Saints last week, but didn't even show up on the stat
sheet.
If someone doesn't show up soon for the Falcons, this team is
headed for a major shakeup.
<----Warrick Dunn.....open.....
