Atlanta Falcons Schedule/Game Thread

[HMFFL]

Atlanta Falcons 2008 Preseason Schedule


Saturday, August 9 at Jacksonville 7:30 p.m.


Saturday, August 16 INDIANAPOLIS 7:30 p.m.


Friday, August 22 TENNESSEE 7:30 p.m.


Thursday, August 28 at Baltimore 7:30 p.m.


Atlanta Falcons 2008 Regular Season Schedule

Sunday, September 7 DETROIT 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, September 14 at Tampa Bay 4:05 p.m.


Sunday, September 21 KANSAS CITY 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, September 28 at Carolina 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, October 5 at Green Bay 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, October 12 CHICAGO 1:00 p.m.


BYE WEEK

Sunday, October 26 at Philadelphia 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, November 2 at Oakland 4:15 p.m.


Sunday, November 9 NEW ORLEANS 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, November 16 DENVER 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, November 23 CAROLINA 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, November 30 at San Diego 4:05 p.m.


Sunday, December 7 at New Orleans 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, December 14 TAMPA BAY 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, December 21 at Minnesota 1:00 p.m.


Sunday, December 28 ST. LOUIS 1:00 p.m.

[HMFFL]

Just like the Atlanta Braves forum will just go with one thread as the game thread for the Atlanta Falcons season. Feel free to make a game thread for any game and I will just merge it after the game is over. This may all change depending on how the traffic changes so if it increases will probably just have a game thread for each week.

The line for week 1 is already out and Detroit is favored to win by 1 point.

Southeast Division Odds:

Atlanta Falcons
10 - 1

Carolina Panthers
11 - 4

New Orleans Saints
10 - 11

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9 - 4

NFL Championship Odds:

Arizona Cardinals
18 - 1

Atlanta Falcons
40 - 1

Carolina Panthers
18 - 1

Chicago Bears
12 - 1

Dallas Cowboys
9 - 4

Detroit Lions
40 - 1

Green Bay Packers
9 - 1

Minnesota Vikings
12 - 1

New Orleans Saints
7 - 1

New York Giants
6 - 1

Philadelphia Eagles
7 - 1

San Francisco 49ers
35 - 1

Seattle Seahawks
8 - 1

St. Louis Rams
22 - 1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15 - 1

Washington Redskins
15 - 1

Super Bowl Odds

Arizona Cardinals
50 - 1

Atlanta Falcons
100 - 1

Baltimore Ravens
50 - 1

Buffalo Bills
50 - 1

Carolina Panthers
50 - 1

Chicago Bears
30 - 1

Cincinnati Bengals
50 - 1

Cleveland Browns
18 - 1

Dallas Cowboys
6 - 1

Denver Broncos
40 - 1

Detroit Lions
100 - 1

Green Bay Packers
30 - 1

Houston Texans
60 - 1

Indianapolis Colts
7 - 1

Jacksonville Jaguars
12 - 1

Kansas City Chiefs
100 - 1

Miami Dolphins
100 - 1

Minnesota Vikings
30 - 1

New England Patriots
4 - 1

New Orleans Saints
20 - 1

New York Giants
15 - 1

New York Jets
30 - 1

Oakland Raiders
50 - 1

Philadelphia Eagles
20 - 1

Pittsburgh Steelers
20 - 1

Saint Louis Rams
60 - 1

San Diego Chargers
6 - 1

San Francisco 49ers
80 - 1

Seattle Seahawks
25 - 1

Tampa Bay Buccanneers
40 - 1

Tennessee Titans
40 - 1

Washington Redskins
40 - 1

[lpsevier]

SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE!

[HMFFL]

Vegas: O/U 4.5 Wins For Atlanta

[HMFFL]

I'm ready for Norwood to get more touches. At the games, I see many Norwood jerseys, so the support is there for him, but it's up to our coaching staff to use him correctly.

Jerious Norwood's role expanding

Falcons tailback Jerious Norwood is entering his third season, and he's hearing the same projections of an increased role that he heard the previous two. The slow-talking, fast-running Norwood is guardedly optimistic that this coaching staff, unlike others, will finally get the ball in his hands enough for him to fulfill his game-changing potential.

"I'm still going to keep the same mentality that I have since I've been here, which is compete, be the best I can be, so when my time comes I can deliver," said Norwood, who will backup free-agent acquisition Michael Turner. "Until then, I'll just play my role.

Link

[HMFFL]

Baker may emerge as starter

Baker being watched

While Dahl is getting his shot, first-round draft pick Sam Baker is under Boudreau's microscope. The left tackle, who could emerge as the starter, is adapting well, Boudreau said, but there remains a large unknown element to his game.

"He's going to be the guy who it's going to be interesting when he gets the pads on," Boudreau said. "I asked [defensive end] John Abraham not to let up on him and give him some stuff and give him some things he's never seen before. He's picking it up. He's still getting used to the pace [of how] we practice."

Link

[HMFFL]

Jacksonville beat us 20 to 17.

It was still a very good showing by Matt Ryan, who managed to get the Jags defensive line to go offsides during two straight plays, and Roddy White caught a touchdown pass from Matt.

[HMFFL]

Ryan impresses teammates

"I was a little worried about him, knowing that there was some pressure on him being the third overall pick and first pick for the Falcons," fullback Ovie Mughelli said. "It's just a lot of pressure on him. I, as well as everyone else, wanted to see how he handled it. He handled it great."

Ryan got off to a bumpy start, missing the mark on a couple of his first two passes. But even veteran quarterbacks have to ease into games. While with the Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre was notorious for throwing wildly on his first few passes early in his career.

After entering the game with 6:41 left in the second quarter, Ryan's first completion was an 8-yard pass to Mughelli.

"That's a lot of fun, to get in there against some of their starters and get some work," Ryan said. "I thought it went well."

"He impressed me," said running back Michael Turner, who played with Drew Brees and Philip Rivers in San Diego. "It wasn't like he was playing against a vanilla defense with everybody just sitting back and letting him pick them apart. They were blitzing. They were bringing everything they could at him. He read it well, sat in the pocket and was letting it rip."

Link

[HMFFL]

Milloy sees potential in young Falcons defense


"I'll be 35 in November and what I mean to this team — they kept me for a reason," Milloy said Monday. "I'm still playing well. I just want a chance to win. If I can't win this year at least keep me around so I can see it unfold.

"That was my big thing in the offseason. It wasn't about money and all that. If you're going to use not only my on-the-field talents, but leadership in the locker room, show a little loyalty to me also."

Milloy, set to earn $1.7 million, would like at least another year added to his contract, which expires after this season. It's not the money, Milloy said. It's the possibility to win again before his career ends. He sees a foundation for success. The reward might not come this season but it's coming, he said.

He just doesn't want to be discarded when the time arrives.

"I do like the direction of the new coaching staff," Milloy said. "I like coach [Mike Smith]. It's just a better atmosphere. It's set up to win a championship here. I'm just not afforded some of the time these young guys are being afforded."

Link

[HMFFL]

Ryan’s first start won’t be on live TV


Link

[HMFFL]

Crumpler revisits Atlanta as a happy Titan

Alge Crumpler had two years left on his contract with the Falcons and, in his mind, plenty of football left in him.

Yet after the four-time Pro Bowl tight end played in Atlanta's regular-season finale last December, he cleaned out his locker as if he wouldn't be back.
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"I took my pictures down,'' Crumpler said this week. "You don't take your pictures down unless you know that's it. I knew it was it. I wasn't coming back. The writing was on the wall.''

Crumpler was right. Six weeks later, the Falcons released him. Not long after, he found a new home in Tennessee with the Titans.

On Friday night, Crumpler returns to the Georgia Dome to face his former team in a preseason game. With the Falcons he gained a reputation as one of the NFL's best tight ends, but said he has nothing to prove to the organization that let him go.

Crumpler, who lives in Atlanta during the offseason, is not motivated by bad thoughts. Heading into his eighth NFL season, the 30-year-old veteran said he's thankful to play for a team that's counting on him for big catches, big games and veteran savvy that will help quarterback Vince Young.

"I'm extremely happy with my current situation,'' Crumpler said. "I felt like this was a special situation, and it has been above my expectations. It's going to be fun.''

Link

[HMFFL]

Matt Ryan starts week one!

[HMFFL]

Lions favored to win by 3 points.

[HMFFL]

Ryan and Turner have quite a debut in Atlanta

“I was fired up,” said Ryan, who completed his first five passes and finished 9-of-13 for 161 yards. “You have to play this game with emotion.”

While Bishop lasted only one year in the league—and it would be his lone TD pass—the Falcons are counting on a much longer stay for Ryan.

“He didn’t seem like a rookie,” Turner said. “He took control of the huddle. He made all the right calls. He was a real drill sergeant out there. He was letting everyone know he was in control.”

Link

What a game!!

[HMFFL]

Week 2:

Tampa is favored to win by 8 points!

O/U is 38 points

[HMFFL]

People are putting money on us because the line is now down to 7.

[lpsevier]

Well, that is what rookie QB's are supposed to do.

White could have helped him out a little more, and Robinson made some great grabs.

Was Jenkins even on the field yesterday?

Tampa's gameplan was pretty simple - and I would imagine every team we play from here on out will do the same.

Anybody have an update on Baker's injury?

I really like our WR Core this year though.

White / Jenkins / Robinson / Douglas is pretty nice.

[HMFFL]

(On their young players)
“I think that Matt [Ryan] saw a whole bunch of different things today. My hats off to Coach Kiffin and his staff in devising their game plan. But I thought that it’s always going to be for all of our young players, not just Matt, but all of our young players, Sam [Baker], Chevis [Jackson], Thomas DeCoud, Harry Douglas, all of our guys it’s going to be a learning experience. This is just their second game as National Football League players so it’s going to be a learning experience every time they go out there on the field.

(On the Buccaneer defense)
“The thing that they did is loaded the box. They forced us to have looks that we had to make checks to get out of the run game when they load the box. As we’ve said often times, that defense can dictate the offense and we have to be able to counter punch. And that, I think is the most important thing is that we have to be able to counter punch and that’s where the coaching comes in.”

(On DT Grady Jackson)
“Grady at about 3 o’clock this morning, Grady’s knee blew up. When we woke up this morning it was a decision that we had to make at game time. We went out and took a look at it. It was unexpected of course, but that was the decision that we made on Grady.”

(On Sam Baker’s injury)
“He just got his bell rung and the doctors felt like it was in his best interest and our best interest to keep him out. We’ll evaluate that as the week goes on. I really haven’t had an opportunity to talk to some of the guys that got banged up. But it was a very physical football game, my hats off to Coach Gruden and his staff. They played better today.”

Link

Glad to see that nothings too serious with Sam Baker. I was starting to worry when he didn't come back on the field.

[HMFFL]

Atlanta's favored to beat KC by 5 1/2. The O/U is 36 1/2.

[lpsevier]

I'm very surprised we are favored by that much.

We'll get a good look at Dorsey, which I'm excited for.