Falcons’ job poses a real challenge

By Darrell Laurant  |   Wednesday, January 03, 2007  |  Comments( 9 )

Atlanta Falcons
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In the wake of a 7-9 season and the ouster of coach Jim Mora, the question any potential Mora replacement has to be asking is: Are the Falcons a good team that lacked direction and motivation, or are they a team with a lot of holes?

Either way, this isn't exactly one of the plum jobs in the NFL.

With any other club, a new coach would look at how the Falcons fared in their passing offense -- last in the league -- and think "Obviously, we need a new quarterback."

In Atlanta, though, there's a problem. The quarterback happens to be the team's marquee player, most exciting offensive performer and the second-leading rusher. You can't bench Mike Vick and you can't cut him. Nor can you convert him to running back, a suggestion Vick regarded with obvious disdain when Mora sort of suggested it.

Without question, Vick has a grenade-launcher of an arm. But since you can't throw a football (unlike a grenade) through a defensive back or linebacker, the former Virginia Tech flash obviously needs to acquire more finesse. For a coach, having Vick is like owning a Ferrari in a residential neighborhood -- sometimes, speed and power can become a liability.

The loss of Brian Finneran and T.J. Duckett hurt the Falcons much more than anyone expected. Finneran went down with a knee injury before the season even started, and he was the kind of route-smart, sure-handed possession receiver Vick needed as a lifeline. Without his presence, Vick was forced to throw 56 times to tight end Alge Crumpler.

As for Duckett, it's hard to say the three-way trade that essentially brought Atlanta temperamental wideout Ashley Lelie for bruising RB Duckett was a bad deal, because Duckett had injury problems in Washington. But without him, the Falcons lacked a banger in the red zone and had trouble finishing. Meanwhile, Lelie added very little to the mix.

Michael Jenkins and Roddy White seem to be the sort of young receivers who needed to be brought along slowly behind a couple of veterans. Instead, they found themselves tossed into the deep end. White is a free agent, anyway.

The offensive line was a big reason the Atlanta offense finished first in the league in rushing. It was also one of the reasons the passing game sputtered -- Atlanta surrendered 47 sacks, a total that might have been even higher had not Vick evacuated the pocket whenever possible.

On the other side of the ball, injuries to John Abraham, Rod Coleman and Patrick Kerney kept the D-line from being effective. The linebackers generally played well, but the secondary -- like the defensive line -- was too thin to adjust to a series of injuries.

The highest profile Falcon free agents are backup QB Matt Schaub and DT Coleman. Atlanta also stands to lose both kickers (Morten Andersen and Michael Koenen), No. 2 receiver White and LB Demorrio Williams, who played very well at times in 2006.

So would trading Mike Vick be conceivable, assuming Atlanta could find another team willing to accept his contract and his baggage? Would the fans rise up in revolt or breathe a sigh of relief? The Falcons haven't been able to win with Vick, and they could certainly plug some of their holes with him as bait.

Or, on the brighter side, is there someone, somewhere, who can come in and finally teach Vick how to play quarterback in the NFL? Similarly, if the O-line can block the other guys on running plays, couldn't the group be taught to protect its quarterback?

Good draft targets might be a lockdown cornerback, a big running back to supplant Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood, or perhaps a speed burner at wide receiver. The potential departure of Schaub leaves no real backup, but No. 2 QBs aren't all that hard to find on the free agent or waiver wire.

A new head coach who can lead the Falcons into the playoffs might be a little harder to find.
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CommentsComments: 9  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Rev. Bobby Jones		03:59 AM
01/04/2007
Michael Vick is the most dangerous and best Q.B. in the league. He will be an Atlanta Falcon for life. He needs a supporting ...
No.2
fr8ttrain		07:54 AM
01/04/2007
I think Atlanta has a lot of the pieces to be a contender, maybe a little bigger D line and some health and they are right in the ...
No.3
Ben		09:13 AM
01/04/2007
Vick is the best quarterback in the Nfl. All he needs is fast wide recievers. The falcons need to trade Matt schaub to Oakland ...
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