What a week: Sacks, steroids and nuclear threats

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, October 19, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Atlanta Falcons
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On Wednesday, wire services reported that some whacko on an obscure Web site was predicting that seven NFL stadiums -- including the Georgia Dome -- would be hit by nuclear bombs of the "dirty" variety on Sunday.

But wait -- didn't the Atlanta Falcons bomb last week?

Indeed, they did, losing 27-14 to the New York Giants. The Giants not only ran through the Falcons' defense with abandon (Tiki Barber had 185 yards alone), but their defense dominated the Atlanta offensive line, sacking Michael Vick seven times.

It gets worse. Defensive end John Abraham appeared to have reaggravated his groin injury and is questionable for Sunday's game against Pittsburgh. Fellow D-linemen Rod Coleman and Patrick Kerney are also among the walking wounded -- Coleman (questionable) with a toe injury, Kerney (probable) with a hamstring pull.

And on Tuesday, it was announced that starting LG Matt Lehr (a former college teammate of Vick's at Virginia Tech) had been suspended four games for steroid use. His place will be taken by Tyson Clabo, who has never played a down in an NFL game.

Not that Clabo won't be able to fill Lehr's shoes -- he's several inches taller and 20 pounds heavier, so he undoubtedly has bigger feet.

"I'm not worried about the guy in (Lehr's) spot," Vick said. "He's a professional now."

He's right -- Clabo isn't likely to hurt him. It's those Steelers that the new guy might let in ...

As Thomas Paine once said, these are the times that try men's souls, especially if they're offensive coordinators. And perhaps the best advice for the Falcons this week comes from another noted philosopher, the rock star Prince, who once declared: "When the elevator comes to take you down, go crazy."

That elevator being the Steelers, who seem to be headed up after a shellacking of Kansas City last week. How quickly things can change in the NFL -- two weeks ago, the defending Super Bowl champions were considered on life support and the Falcons were thriving.

Ironically, it was just last week that a cover story in The Sporting News had a photo of an annoyed-looking Michael Vick with this huge superimposed quote: "I am sick of people trying to tell me how to play my game."

The Giants didn't tell him, they just kept him from doing it. Except for Vick's acrobatic touchdown run that ended with a somersault into the end zone (didn't he see what happened to Adrian Peterson?) and a 90-yard burst by Warrick Dunn, the vaunted zone-blocking offense sputtered. Vick did manage to complete 14 passes, which is his high for the year, but Michael Jenkins and Roddy White were guilty of critical drops.

Maybe Atlanta should just install a wishbone and forget about passing entirely.

Of such games as Sunday's are NFL identifies forged. If the Falcons can overcome the injuries, the suspension and a nuclear attack to beat the Steelers, it will prove to the rest of the league that they're not only for real, but grimly determined to get to the playoffs.

If they don't, that elevator is headed down.

Get more Atlanta Falcons commentary, courtesy of RealFootball365.com
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