Atlanta Sports Fan Blog

Even after signing Dunta Robinson, the Atlanta Falcons were still focused on defense in the NFL draft.

The Falcons selected Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon with the 19th overall pick Thursday night and believe he’ll make an immediate impact on a unit that was ravaged by injuries, didn’t get much pressure on the quarterback, and gave up a huge amount of passing yards.

“We were very excited to have the opportunity to take an outside linebacker who’s going to ramp up our speed, our enthusiasm, our athleticism,” general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “In our minds, this guy is going to be a four-down player for us.”

Weatherspoon was thrilled, too.

“I’m a falcon!!!” he tweeted before his selection was even announced.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of http://www.gainesvilletimes.com

The quarterback nicknamed “Matty Ice” hasn’t been as cool or efficient in his sophomore season. Welcome to the harsh reality of the NFL, Matt Ryan.


The Atlanta Falcons quarterback has been intercepted seven times in the past three games, including three times in Monday night’s 35-27 loss at New Orleans. That performance caused the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Mark Bradley to question Ryan’s true potential.

“What if he’s a good NFL quarterback, but not a great in the making?” the columnist wrote.

The Redskins – Atlanta’s opponent Sunday at the Georgia Dome – would love to have a “good NFL quarterback” right now. After leading the Falcons to an 11-5 record and a surprise playoff berth last season, however, the bar has been set high for Ryan.


Click here to read the full article – By Guy Curtright of Washington Times

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The Falcons were teetering on the edge of being another Saints blowout victim.

They survived a flurry, regrouped and then battled back to stand toe-to-toe with their NFC South rivals before coming up short.

The Saints were not in the clear until running back Pierre Thomas did a somersault into the endzone with 3:03 left in the game.

The Saints held on to prevail 35-27 over the Falcons before 70,088 fans on Monday night at the Superdome.

The Saints remain the only undefeated team in the NFC and go to 7-0. The Falcons dropped to 4-3 and fall three games behind the Saints with nine games to play.


Click here to read the full article – By D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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You came blame Mike Smith for the Falcons loss to Dallas. He does.

The head coach took responsibility for Sunday’s 37-21 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys. And he presented his own case in a point-by-point analysis at his Monday news conference:

• The Falcons had three turnovers.

• Quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked four times.

• The team gave up two long scoring plays: one a 59-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin, the other a 73-yard punt return by Patrick Crayton.

• Romo passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns. He had a quarterback rating of 141.

“We did some very uncharacteristic things [Sunday],” Smith said. “We started fast in all three phases. … After the first quarter we were not able to sustain that. In fact, we really struggled with it. We’ve got to sustain the level of play to be successful in this league.


Click here to read the full article – By Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Birds Rip Gold Rushers Apart

Well, many Falcons fans certainly got this one wrong in expecting one of the toughest games of the season in traveling out west to play the upstart 49ers. This one was pretty much over at halftime. The Falcons showed how great they can look when every aspect of the team, offense, defense, special teams, and coaching comes together all at the right moment. Matt Ryan and Roddy White had career days, and the defense played a magnificent game in holding the 49ers to 10 points. Many wondered if the Falcons and coaches got their problems corrected on the bye week, and I think the final product speaks for itself.

Matt Ryan had a career day throwing the ball with 329 yards passing, 3 TDs (2 passing, 1 rushing), with 1 interception. Critics and fans alike have been calling for the vertical passing attack to come into play, and it certainly did today. Ryan connected with White on a 31 yard touchdown pass to go up 14 – 0 in the first quarter and united again on a 90 yard touchdown pass, with White racing 80 of the yards after shaking loose from CB Nate Clements. Ryan finished 22 for 32, completing 68.75% of his passes, breaking out against one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Click here to read the full article – By Dawson Devitt of AJC.com

Atlanta Falcons Sports Memorabilia
and other Atlanta Falcons Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Matt Ryan.

While Matt Ryan is getting a taste of what it’s like to be star NFL quarterback, the adulation is nothing like his Falcons predecessor Michael Vick received as an Atlanta celebrity.

When Vick made public appearances for the Falcons, community admiration was palpable. Fans clamored for his attention. Little kids rushed to hug him. Adults flashed cameras and shouted his name.

That’s hardly the case for Ryan, who gets treated more like just another player rather than the 2008 offensive rookie of the year.

“Yeah, it’s part of the job, no question about it,” Ryan said this week. “I would never go seeking it. You know what I mean?


Click here to read the full article – By GEORGE HENRY of ledger-enquirer.com

Atlanta Falcons Sports Memorabilia
and other Atlanta Falcons Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Matt Ryan.

One of the Falcons top priorities as they returned from their bye week Monday was to shift their running attack back into gear.

The Falcons led the league in rushing for most of last season before being surpassed late in the season by the New York Giants. But one year after averaging 152.7 yards per game — second most in the league — the same unit has been mired early in 2009.

The Falcons are averaging just 92.3 yards per game. To get things corrected, the offensive linemen watched film of all 81 running plays this season.

“We looked at where we were falling short in the run game,” center Todd McClure said, “all of the things we have to focus on to get our running game where it was last year.”


Click here to read the full article – By D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Falcons running back Jerious Norwood, who suffered his second concussion of the season against Carolina on Sept. 20, was medically cleared and returned to practice on Wednesday.

Norwood initially suffered a concussion in the preseason when he took a crushing hit from San Diego’s Antonio Cromartie. He missed the final exhibition game.

Norwood caught a career-high six passes in the season opener against Miami but did not return kicks. Against Carolina he performed his kickoff-return duties before leaving the game with a head injury.


Click here to read the full article – By D. Orlando Ledbetter of ajc.com

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