Steven Evans, Campus Carrier Sports Editor
Having the seventh-most passing yards in the National Football League (NFL) and a total quarterback rating of 91.7 across eight games is impressive. The Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback, Matt Ryan, is responsible for these statistics. Completing 225 out of 332 (68%) of attempted passes isn’t too bad either.
Throwing 15 touchdowns to 10 interceptions across eight games is… well, that could be a better statistic, but it’s not necessarily horrible, especially considering the fact that Ryan has thrown for at least one touchdown in 14 straight games. These statistics look pretty good on paper, and they are solid statistics to hold as a franchise quarterback. But if your team cannot win games, then statistics mean nothing.
Across their first eight games, the Falcons compiled a pathetic 2-6 record. This is their worst starting record since 2007 when Michael Vick, who currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, was jailed, and head coach Booby Petrino subsequently bailed on the team. That year, the Falcons compiled a 4-12 record, which still stands as the franchise’s worst record since 1996.
And this season’s team is on track to do just as badly. Honestly, I am not giving up all hope for the Falcons, as they do have great talent on their roster.
Amongst that talent they have a solid quarterback in Ryan who, despite his post-season incompetence, has lead the team to five-straight wining seasons. His rookie season, 2008, was the turnaround year for the franchise as current head coach Mike Smith was hired, and a new host of personnel both on the coaching staff and team were added.
In 2008, Smith signed Michael Turner from his backup position in San Diego, who up until last year was one of the best rushers in the game. However, following a disappointing showing on the ground from Turner during the 2012 season, they released him from the team and signed former St. Louis Rams phenom Steven Jackson. Jackson, too, has been lackluster this season, only running for 140 yards so far. Although it is important to note that, due to injury, Jackson has only played in four games.
Not including this season, the Falcons have accumulated a 56-24 record since Smith took over and Ryan began signal calling. Until this season, Ryan had never lost back-to-back home games and amassed a 33-7 record at home.
The only time that the Falcons have lost back-to-back homes games since 2008 was when former backup quarterback Chris Redman took over for an injured Matt Ryan for three weeks during the 2009 season. Those two losses were to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints.
The 2009 campaign saw the Falcons amass their worst record (prior to this season) in the Ryan/Smith era; they finished 9-7, which was still as winning season.
But enough of the boring stats and rambling about the past; now I want to take a look at some of the reasons why the Falcons are doing so poorly, after being 13-3 (14-4 including post-season) last season and one play away from a Super Bowl appearance.
First, I would like to examine the injuries the Falcons have sustained this season. The Falcons have ten players on injured reserve. This means they are out for the rest of the season, should no miracle take place. Among these ten players are Julio Jones, Kroy Bierrman, Sean Weatherspoon and Bradie Ewing, all of who are essential players on the Falcons roster. The Falcons picked Julio Jones in 2011 after they traded four picks in the draft to the Cleveland Browns in order to move up in the draft.
Since his NFL debut with Atlanta, Jones has made a name for himself, not only on the Falcons’ roster but also across the NFL. In his rookie season, he tallied 959 yards and eight touchdowns on 54 receptions. Last season, he was targeted 129 times and made 79 catches on his way to 1,198 yards and 10 touchdowns which landed him in the top 20 for receivers last season.
At the beginning of this season, Jones had the most catches and most yards in the NFL across the Falcons’ first five games, tallying 41 receptions and 580 yards, in only five games.
Despite Jones’ numbers, the Falcons still had a measly 1-4 record across those 5 games prior to Jones breaking his foot and requiring season-ending surgery.
Aside from the amount of season-ending injuries the Falcons have sustained, the team has experienced several other injuries that have put other starters, like Jackson or wide receiver Roddy White, out for weeks.
But we can sit here and play the blame game for injuries all day. But at the pro-level, all players are supposed to be competent enough to help carry the team should injuries occur, and that is the biggest problem with the Falcons.
They do not have strong enough depth in their roster to carry the team when injuries occur.
This is a major issue that the Falcons need to address as soon as possible if they want to return to winning form. Despite all of their loses, I do not think all hope is lost. While it is impossible to mimic the success of last season, I wouldn’t count them out right away.