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ATLANTA FALCONS (1-1) AT BUFFALO BILLS (1-1)

Sunday, September 25, 2005 – 1:00 PM EST

FOX: Sam Rosen and Bill Maas; sideline reporter Chris Myers

 

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: 4-4; Bills are 3-1 in games played at Rich/Ralph Wilson Stadium.

 

PLAYOFF RECORD: none

 

LAST MEETING: December 23, 2001 – Falcons 33, Bills 30

Despite battling a nasty case of the flu that sent him to the locker room for an IV at halftime, Falcons QB Chris Chandler lit up the Bills defense for 431 yards (still an Atlanta team record) and 2 long touchdown passes in the win. Buffalo rallied from a 10-point deficit to tie the game on a Van Pelt-to-Moulds pass with 0:48 left, but Atlanta had just enough time to set up Jay Feely for the game-winning 52-yard field goal as the clock hit 0:00. Buffalo dropped to 2-12 with the loss; the Falcons improved to 7-7.

 

LAST TIME IN BUFFALO: November 12, 1995 – Bills 23, Falcons 17

On a cold, blustery afternoon at Rich Stadium, the Falcons were driving for the potential winning touchdown when Kurt Schulz picked off Jeff George’s final throw of the day in the end zone to salvage a Bills victory. With the win, Buffalo improved to 7-3 and took sole possession of first place in the AFC East.

 

More notes:

- The game marked Marv Levy’s return to the sidelines following a three-week absence due to prostate cancer surgery...

- Rich Stadium continued to be a house of horrors for Atlanta QB Jeff George – his career record here is 0-4...

- Bruce Smith and Bryce Paup each took George down twice. Paup’s sacks increased his career-best total to 13; he would finish the season with 17.5, and several NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards...

- Jim Kelly’s 172-pass streak without an INT ended in the fourth quarter, when he was picked by DB Anthony Phillips. Phillips seemed to have a clear path to a 96-yard TD return, but Kelly knocked him out of bounds at midfield to save the touchdown – and ended Phillips’ season with a broken leg in the process...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FALCONS OVERVIEW

OFFENSE:

Spectacular. Electrifying. You’ve heard all the superlatives. Fasten your seatbelts, because the Michael Vick Experience is about to land in Buffalo… or at least it was, before he tweaked a hammy in Seattle. Guess we'll have to wait and see whether or not the M.V.E. takes the field Sunday afternoon.

Vick may never be a great West Coast-style passer, but when healthy, his running ability makes him as dangerous as any QB in the league. And lost amid all the highlight-film hype is this: his 24-13-1 record as a starter gives him a .645 winning percentage, tops in team history.

Matt Schaub is the backup QB; he’s probably a better pure passer, but not exactly a threat to run.

 

Warrick Dunn spearheads a Falcon rushing attack that led the league in 2004, and his cutback ability meshes perfectly with OL consultant Alex Gibbs’ blocking schemes. (For those of you who might not recognize Gibbs’ name, he was Denver’s line coach/guru back when they were winning Super Bowls.) Dunn is averaging a healthy 4.6 yards/carry so far this season. T.J. Duckett gets the short-yardage work behind FB Justin Griffith; he’s scored two of the team’s three rushing TDs.

The line is cast in the Denver mould, more concerned with footspeed than bulk; Kevin Shaffer and Todd Weiner might be the only pair of starting tackles in the league to both weigh less than 300 lbs. Vick’s playing style leads to a lot of sacks, though – 50 in 2004, 7 so far this season.

 

Despite throwing a boatload of money at the since-departed Peerless Price and spending their last two #1 picks on WRs, the Falcons are still trying to find someone Vick can trust enough to throw the ball to downfield. (Atlanta’s WRs combined for a total of 105 catches last season, dead last in the league.)

Michael Jenkins shows signs of becoming that go-to player someday, but for now, Vick is still looking for TE Alge Crumpler early and often – he was Atlanta’s leading receiver last season and shares the top spot with #3 WR Brian Finneran so far this year. When rookie Roddy White recovers fully from the sprained ankle that kept him out of action for most of the preseason, he’ll probably push journeyman Dez White out of the other starting spot.

 

DEFENSE:

Miscast in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 set, the defensive line blossomed when they returned to the 4-3 under DC Ed Donatell. Paced by LDE Patrick Kerney (13) and DT Rod Coleman (11.5 – tops among all NFL DTs), the Falcons led the league in sacks last season. Chad Lavalais and Jonathan Babineaux join Coleman in the DT rotation, and Lavalais has the potential to slide out to RE if Brady Smith is inactive again this week.

 

Underrated MLB Ed Hartwell was signed as a free agent; his run-stuffing presence in the middle should free up four-time Pro Bowl WLB Keith Brooking to make even more plays off the edge. The other OLB, Demorrio Williams, leads the team in tackles after the first two games. Ike Reese was signed from Philadelphia to provide depth at LB and leadership on special teams.

 

2004 #1 pick DeAngelo Hall is a playmaker at CB; the rest of the DBs are average, though, and the unit took a huge hit when veteran nickel CB Kevin Mathis went on IR with a knee injury – his replacement, Christian Morton, was originally a training-camp cut. (Allen Rossum would have been Atlanta’s first choice to replace Mathis, but he missed last week’s game with a leg injury; his status for this week is uncertain.)

 

SPECIAL TEAMS:

The Falcons made changes at both kicking spots in the offseason; K Jay Feely left for the Giants as a free agent and former Bill Chris Mohr was released. Journeyman Todd Peterson was signed to replace Feely, and rookie Michael Koenen handles punts and kickoffs. PR/KR Rossum earned a trip to the Pro Bowl last February as Eddie Drummond’s replacement. If he can’t play, WRs Roddy White and Romby Bryant will probably handle kickoff returns; Hall and Finneran are the likely choices at PR.

This is one week the Bills may not have an advantage on kicking teams - veteran ST coach Joe DeCamillis’ squad led the league in covering punts last season, giving up a miniscule 4.1 yards/return. The kickoff-coverage team also ranked in the top 10, and is even better this year – in the first two games, their opponents’ average drive started at their own 18.6-yard line, worst in the league.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OUTLOOK:

Everything depends on the health of Vick’s hamstring – if he’s anywhere near full speed, I believe Buffalo’s best bet is to back off the blitz and try to keep him behind the line of scrimmage. (Lose containment, and he’s liable to end up celebrating in the end zone after an NFL Primetime-worthy scramble.) That also has the additional benefit of plugging some of Dunn's cutback lanes.

On the other hand, if the leg injury is bad enough to keep Vick in the pocket, he turns into a below-average QB. The Bills CBs should be able to hold their own against Atlanta’s wideouts, but Crumpler is a tough matchup over the middle.

 

On offense, it’s time for Willis McGahee and the line to live up to all that 2000-yard-season talk – some early success in the running game would help Losman find some room to work downfield. Don’t expect much production from whichever WR Hall lines up against, but I’m not convinced CB Jason Webster can cover either Moulds or Evans without help.

 

Some Bills players compared the mugging they endured in Tampa to a “punch in the mouth” – an apt description if ever I’ve heard one. Question is, is this team ready to get up off the canvas and throw a few haymakers of their own? Tune in Sunday afternoon to find out.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Links:

NFL.com - injury report

NFL.com – Falcons team stats

NFL.com – Falcons depth chart

AtlantaFalcons.com

Ourlads.com – Falcons depth chart

Posted

Good post Lori, and I agree with you about the Falcons secondary & their receivers. Aside from Hall & Crumpler who do they have?

 

This is why I think the Bills have to come out strong on offense and let Losman try to exploit this secondary, I believe it can be done.

 

On defense, concentrate on Crumpler and force Vick to run, if he plays.

 

I expect the Bills to win this game, I still think the Falcons are overrated.

Posted

Good post Lori, here are some of my thoughts and predictions.

 

-Regardless if it's Schaub or Vick I think we can force some turnovers. Schaub is inexperienced and in a hostile environment just like JP was last week. Vick will make some spectacular plays but he is also a very turnover prone QB. Obviously I would prefer Schaub but I'm not petrified of Vick either.

 

-Our secondary should shut down Atlanta’s passing game. I am however worried about Crumplers impact. In the past we haven't exactly been known for shutting down TE's and Crumpler is big and athletic. We must account for him at all times, and if Vick plays not let Crumpler beat us on broken plays.

 

-We stop the run this weekend or we might just be looking at TB version 2.0. They will come at us and try and wear us down. We struggle with big power backs so we need to get penetration when Ducket is in so he can't get that 250+ frame moving. Dunn is a solid player but this team handles backs that don't break a lot of tackles. IMO Duckett will see much more time in this one then he is accustomed to.

 

-If we don't score we must sustain drives. We averaged 5.5 plays per possession against TB, and if you exclude a couple garbage drives at the end we nearly averaged a 3 and out for 60 minutes. Our defense thrives on speed and pressure and when they get winded they get exposed. We need to allow them to rest or we will lose our strongest asset.

Posted
The key to winning is how the Bills D handles the RB combo of Dunn and Duckett. If Atlanta can't run, they're in big trouble.

450198[/snapback]

Indeed. Question is, just exactly how questionable is "questionable" in the cases of Fletch and Milloy? Lot easier to stop the run with them on the field than with Crowell and my boy Coy.... Here's a stat I don't like: WD has 4 100-yd games out of his last 6.

 

To add to ATL's passing game problems, Dez White may also be out this game. Seems the DirtyBirds are having an epidemic of pulled hammies. Finneran starts if DezW can't.

 

G'night, all. Back in the (late) AM...

Posted
Indeed. Question is, just exactly how questionable is "questionable" in the cases of Fletch and Milloy? Lot easier to stop the run with them on the field than with Crowell and my boy Coy.... Here's a stat I don't like: WD has 4 100-yd games out of his last 6.

 

To add to ATL's passing game problems, Dez White may also be out this game. Seems the DirtyBirds are having an epidemic of pulled hammies. Finneran starts if DezW can't.

 

G'night, all. Back in the (late) AM...

450199[/snapback]

 

You would think Dunn benefits from someone having to shadow a healthy Vick. Same goes for Duckett. With Schaub or a gimpy Vick under center, the D could bring the Safety up tighter. That would be great for the Bills. If Wire does play, his glaring liability is his coverage. Playing the run is a strength.

 

Mularkey also was quoted as saying he would use both Wire and Rashad Baker as replacements if Milloy can't go.

Posted

Lori, this was easily your best preview.

I cannot thank you enough for bringing back memories of past match-ups, although with them comes the reminder of how time does really fly.

 

I think that Vick is a super athlete who seems to be under rated by many on this board. I am also ashamed to say that I am not at all sad about his hamstring. The Bills are a struggling team at this point with a rookie qb. Although I do see us getting better as the season progresses, we need any edge we can get right now.

 

I think that this game, even with the Vick hype, is much like any other. If the Bills can run the football, they can beat this team. If they cannot, it will be tough indeed for an inexperienced qb to carry us to a win.

 

Thanks again Lori. Great job!!! :blink:

Posted
ATLANTA FALCONS (1-1) AT BUFFALO BILLS (1-1)

Sunday, September 25, 2005 – 1:00 PM EST

FOX: Sam Rosen and Bill Maas; sideline reporter Chris Myers

 

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: 4-4; Bills are 3-1 in games played at Rich/Ralph Wilson Stadium.

 

PLAYOFF RECORD: none

 

LAST MEETING: December 23, 2001 – Falcons 33, Bills 30

Despite battling a nasty case of the flu that sent him to the locker room for an IV at halftime, Falcons QB Chris Chandler lit up the Bills defense for 431 yards (still an Atlanta team record) and 2 long touchdown passes in the win. Buffalo rallied from a 10-point deficit to tie the game on a Van Pelt-to-Moulds pass with 0:48 left, but Atlanta had just enough time to set up Jay Feely for the game-winning 52-yard field goal as the clock hit 0:00. Buffalo dropped to 2-12 with the loss; the Falcons improved to 7-7.

 

If memory serves, the refs mysteriously "forgot" the 10 second runoff rule on that last drive, which was enforced in the Rams-Cards game last week.

Posted
Everything depends on the health of Vick’s hamstring – if he’s anywhere near full speed, I believe Buffalo’s best bet is to back off the blitz and try to keep him behind the line of scrimmage.

 

On offense, it’s time for Willis McGahee and the line to live up to all that 2000-yard-season talk – some early success in the running game would help Losman find some room to work downfield.

 

Agree with these assessments 100%. Thanks Lori, good stuff. I think we come out of this one with a win.

Posted
Indeed. Question is, just exactly how questionable is "questionable"

450199[/snapback]

Enjoyed the preview Lori, but I have to bust you a little on this phrase. Can you imagine how funny it would sound, out of context in a non-football conversation? :blink:

 

Looking forward to tailgating with you at the Jets game. Parking at Hammer's but will be strolling over to Pole 5 to see the gang.

 

I'll bring the Sam Adams. :)

Posted

This game centers on a few things for me. Is Fletcher going to be healthy enough to go sideline to sideline to stop Dunn? If so, I like our chances of shutting down the run and putting the game in Vick's (or Shaub's) hands to beat us passing the ball. I don't fear either as passers and with Vick's hammy I don't think he'll be a threat to run the ball (and if he doesn't curtail his running we'll see Shaub at some point in this game as Vick will likely aggravate the injury). If Fletcher is healthy Atlanta won't put up more than 13 unless our offense turns the ball over and gives them a short field. If he's not, I'm worried about stopping the running game.

 

On offense I expect to see the coaching staff help JP out more with more high percentage throws where they don't expect JP to have to read too much after the snap. Like all young QBs he panics quickly when the blitz comes and doesn't concentrate on his post snap reads as he's worried about the rush. Three-step drop, plant, fire the ball (and hope his pre-snap read is correct.) We need to see more of this. I also expect more misdirection plays and screens to take advantage of an overaggressive D. I’d also like to see more play action on first downs. Mix in some deep throws off play action with a quick 3-step drop passing game and I think we’d see Losman have some success. I may be in the minority here, but I hate seeing Losman back there running around.

 

Perhaps I'm simplifying things too much here, but I see most of these games riding on JP's shoulders (despite all the "he doesn't have to win games for us" stuff). Teams are going to stack 8-9 in the box and blitz us early. If JP can connect with some throws (like he did in Houston) and back the D off, we won't lose often. If he can't it's another nightmare TB scenario.

Posted
ATLANTA FALCONS (1-1) AT BUFFALO BILLS (1-1)

Sunday, September 25, 2005 – 1:00 PM EST

FOX: Sam Rosen and Bill Maas; sideline reporter Chris Myers

 

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECORD: 4-4; Bills are 3-1 in games played at Rich/Ralph Wilson Stadium.

 

PLAYOFF RECORD: none

 

LAST MEETING: December 23, 2001 – Falcons 33, Bills 30

Despite battling a nasty case of the flu that sent him to the locker room for an IV at halftime, Falcons QB Chris Chandler lit up the Bills defense for 431 yards (still an Atlanta team record) and 2 long touchdown passes in the win. Buffalo rallied from a 10-point deficit to tie the game on a Van Pelt-to-Moulds pass with 0:48 left, but Atlanta had just enough time to set up Jay Feely for the game-winning 52-yard field goal as the clock hit 0:00. Buffalo dropped to 2-12 with the loss; the Falcons improved to 7-7.

 

LAST TIME IN BUFFALO: November 12, 1995 – Bills 23, Falcons 17

On a cold, blustery afternoon at Rich Stadium, the Falcons were driving for the potential winning touchdown when Kurt Schulz picked off Jeff George’s final throw of the day in the end zone to salvage a Bills victory. With the win, Buffalo improved to 7-3 and took sole possession of first place in the AFC East.

 

More notes:

- The game marked Marv Levy’s return to the sidelines following a three-week absence due to prostate cancer surgery...

- Rich Stadium continued to be a house of horrors for Atlanta QB Jeff George – his career record here is 0-4...

- Bruce Smith and Bryce Paup each took George down twice. Paup’s sacks increased his career-best total to 13; he would finish the season with 17.5, and several NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards...

- Jim Kelly’s 172-pass streak without an INT ended in the fourth quarter, when he was picked by DB Anthony Phillips. Phillips seemed to have a clear path to a 96-yard TD return, but Kelly knocked him out of bounds at midfield to save the touchdown – and ended Phillips’ season with a broken leg in the process...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FALCONS OVERVIEW

OFFENSE:

Spectacular. Electrifying. You’ve heard all the superlatives. Fasten your seatbelts, because the Michael Vick Experience is about to land in Buffalo… or at least it was, before he tweaked a hammy in Seattle. Guess we'll have to wait and see whether or not the M.V.E. takes the field Sunday afternoon.

Vick may never be a great West Coast-style passer, but when healthy, his running ability makes him as dangerous as any QB in the league. And lost amid all the highlight-film hype is this: his 24-13-1 record as a starter gives him a .645 winning percentage, tops in team history.

Matt Schaub is the backup QB; he’s probably a better pure passer, but not exactly a threat to run.

 

Warrick Dunn spearheads a Falcon rushing attack that led the league in 2004, and his cutback ability meshes perfectly with OL consultant Alex Gibbs’ blocking schemes. (For those of you who might not recognize Gibbs’ name, he was Denver’s line coach/guru back when they were winning Super Bowls.) Dunn is averaging a healthy 4.6 yards/carry so far this season. T.J. Duckett gets the short-yardage work behind FB Justin Griffith; he’s scored two of the team’s three rushing TDs.

The line is cast in the Denver mould, more concerned with footspeed than bulk; Kevin Shaffer and Todd Weiner might be the only pair of starting tackles in the league to both weigh less than 300 lbs. Vick’s playing style leads to a lot of sacks, though – 50 in 2004, 7 so far this season.

 

Despite throwing a boatload of money at the since-departed Peerless Price and spending their last two #1 picks on WRs, the Falcons are still trying to find someone Vick can trust enough to throw the ball to downfield. (Atlanta’s WRs combined for a total of 105 catches last season, dead last in the league.)

Michael Jenkins shows signs of becoming that go-to player someday, but for now, Vick is still looking for TE Alge Crumpler early and often – he was Atlanta’s leading receiver last season and shares the top spot with #3 WR Brian Finneran so far this year. When rookie Roddy White recovers fully from the sprained ankle that kept him out of action for most of the preseason, he’ll probably push journeyman Dez White out of the other starting spot.

 

DEFENSE:

Miscast in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 set, the defensive line blossomed when they returned to the 4-3 under DC Ed Donatell. Paced by LDE Patrick Kerney (13) and DT Rod Coleman (11.5 – tops among all NFL DTs), the Falcons led the league in sacks last season.  Chad Lavalais and Jonathan Babineaux join Coleman in the DT rotation, and Lavalais has the potential to slide out to RE if Brady Smith is inactive again this week.

 

Underrated MLB Ed Hartwell was signed as a free agent; his run-stuffing presence in the middle should free up four-time Pro Bowl WLB Keith Brooking to make even more plays off the edge. The other OLB, Demorrio Williams, leads the team in tackles after the first two games. Ike Reese was signed from Philadelphia to provide depth at LB and leadership on special teams. 

 

2004 #1 pick DeAngelo Hall is a playmaker at CB; the rest of the DBs are average, though, and the unit took a huge hit when veteran nickel CB Kevin Mathis went on IR with a knee injury – his replacement, Christian Morton, was originally a training-camp cut. (Allen Rossum would have been Atlanta’s first choice to replace Mathis, but he missed last week’s game with a leg injury; his status for this week is uncertain.)

 

SPECIAL TEAMS:

The Falcons made changes at both kicking spots in the offseason; K Jay Feely left for the Giants as a free agent and former Bill Chris Mohr was released. Journeyman Todd Peterson was signed to replace Feely, and rookie Michael Koenen handles punts and kickoffs. PR/KR Rossum earned a trip to the Pro Bowl last February as Eddie Drummond’s replacement. If he can’t play, WRs Roddy White and Romby Bryant will probably handle kickoff returns; Hall and Finneran are the likely choices at PR.

This is one week the Bills may not have an advantage on kicking teams - veteran ST coach Joe DeCamillis’ squad led the league in covering punts last season, giving up a miniscule 4.1 yards/return. The kickoff-coverage team also ranked in the top 10, and is even better this year – in the first two games, their opponents’ average drive started at their own 18.6-yard line, worst in the league.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OUTLOOK:

Everything depends on the health of Vick’s hamstring – if he’s anywhere near full speed, I believe Buffalo’s best bet is to back off the blitz and try to keep him behind the line of scrimmage. (Lose containment, and he’s liable to end up celebrating in the end zone after an NFL Primetime-worthy scramble.) That also has the additional benefit of plugging some of Dunn's cutback lanes.

On the other hand, if the leg injury is bad enough to keep Vick in the pocket, he turns into a below-average QB. The Bills CBs should be able to hold their own against Atlanta’s wideouts, but Crumpler is a tough matchup over the middle.

 

On offense, it’s time for Willis McGahee and the line to live up to all that 2000-yard-season talk – some early success in the running game would help Losman find some room to work downfield. Don’t expect much production from whichever WR Hall lines up against, but I’m not convinced CB Jason Webster can cover either Moulds or Evans without help.

 

Some Bills players compared the mugging they endured in Tampa to a “punch in the mouth” – an apt description if ever I’ve heard one. Question is, is this team ready to get up off the canvas and throw a few haymakers of their own? Tune in Sunday afternoon to find out.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Links:

NFL.com - injury report

NFL.com – Falcons team stats

NFL.com – Falcons depth chart

AtlantaFalcons.com

Ourlads.com – Falcons depth chart

450175[/snapback]

 

 

 

Nice, though I think Bryan Scott is a tad bit better than average at FS. I still don't know why they moved Keion Carpenter over to SS, when he was having a very good year @ FS (before his injury). Same w/ Scott, who had a nice breakthrough season @ SS, now is moved over to FS.

Posted
Enjoyed the preview Lori, but I have to bust you a little on this phrase. Can you imagine how funny it would sound, out of context in a non-football conversation?  :D

 

Looking forward to tailgating with you at the Jets game.  Parking at Hammer's but will be strolling over to Pole 5 to see the gang.

 

I'll bring the Sam Adams. :D

450322[/snapback]

What do you expect at almost 3 o'clock in the friggin' morning?

Actually, I wrote it exactly that way on purpose, and I was giggling a little as I typed... at that time of the evening, simple things amuse simple minds like mine. :D

 

Dean-o, this game is off the books for me until we get a better idea of Vick's status. Gutless, I know. Check back tomorrow; maybe I'll have a guess for you by then.

Posted
Enjoyed the preview Lori, but I have to bust you a little on this phrase. Can you imagine how funny it would sound, out of context in a non-football conversation?  :D

 

Looking forward to tailgating with you at the Jets game.  Parking at Hammer's but will be strolling over to Pole 5 to see the gang.

 

I'll bring the Sam Adams. :D

450322[/snapback]

 

 

Some could question your desire to "stroll over to the pole" also.

Posted
What do you expect at almost 3 o'clock in the friggin' morning?

Actually, I wrote it exactly that way on purpose, and I was giggling a little as I typed... at that time of the evening, simple things amuse simple minds like mine. :D

 

Dean-o, this game is off the books for me until we get a better idea of Vick's status. Gutless, I know. Check back tomorrow; maybe I'll have a guess for you by then.

450744[/snapback]

 

 

I hear ya, Lo. I'm in a suicide pool and have to pick one game/team per week (no spread). If I was sure about Vick, I was (maybe) thinking of taking the Bills this week. But, I, too am gutless. Went with the Colts.

Posted
- Jim Kelly’s 172-pass streak without an INT ended in the fourth quarter, when he was picked by DB Anthony Phillips. Phillips seemed to have a clear path to a 96-yard TD return, but Kelly knocked him out of bounds at midfield to save the touchdown – and ended Phillips’ season with a broken leg in the process...

450175[/snapback]

 

Ahhhhh, yes...One of my favorite Jimbo memories.

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