Post Game Notes, Falcons at Lions

Falcons pre-season record: 0 - 1 It was destiny that last year's strongest pre-season team would find a way to make a dramatic comeback late in the game. That's a tough thing to admit, but fate was against the Falcons today, and all in favor of the masters of games that won't count, the Detroit Lions. Hats off to you.The Falcons showed a lot today, both in strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of my immediate observations:Where they went right: Michael Turner looked good on just 6 carries today, racking up 63 yards and a TD. If you subtract his 40-yard scoring run, he still averaged over 4 1/2 yards per carry, and that's solid. Matt Ryan and Chris Redman both looked good, and got some opportunities to hit a few different targets. Ryan went 5 - 7 for 33 yards, and Redman went 5 - 9 for 29. Chris Owens was involved in nearly every play when he was on the field. That kind of aggression in game situations is good to see from a rookie. Punt returners Eric Weems and Chandler Williams look like they are ready to provide Smitty with options this season in the return game. Williams also averaged just over 17 yards per kickoff return in 3 tries. Thomas Johnson got a sack (in a critical situation), and Tony Gilbert got an interception. Special teams coverage looked solid. Where they went wrong: Only one sack and not too many hurries. With the competitions going on for D-line positions, these guys really needed to jump all over Detroit's front five and get pressure on the Lions QB's. Admittedly, taking John Abraham out of the equation changes the dynamics of this pass rush, but Jamaal Anderson's 2 tackles, and Peria Jerry's 1 won't be impressing Mike Smith or Brian VanGorder. Shockley didn't wow anyone with his footwork or his passing. He was robbed of what should have been a touchdown pass by an interference, but he still only went 3 for 8, and had no rushing yards. True, he was working with the third-stringers, but he was also playing against the Lions third-stringers. Jason Elam's extra-point miss? I can only assume the snap-and-old didn't get down in time. "Laces out! Laces out!" The defensive back field's positioning was out of whack. It seems they were biting too easily on draws and counters, and the opposing quarterbacks were able to look them off of their assignments. Though they weren't charged much in terms of yards, and many of them were declined or offset, the team was flagged 9 times for penalties. Discipline needs to be a part of the team meetings this week. They couldn't keep the clock running late in the 4th. All they needed was a first down, and they would have held on to the lead, but they weren't able to open the holes they needed to keep the chains moving. These games aren't about winning or losing, but we still didn't do some of the things we needed to, especially late in the game. The best news out of this? It is just a pre-season game, and they have plenty of opportunity to straighten out some of these issues. The defense was never over-matched, just out-thought, and that is correctable. I know some of the plays, and even some of the personnel they were using, were experimental. Adjustments will be made, plays will be kept or tossed, and, likely, many laps will be run. I still have faith. Up next: Friday night against the Rams in St. Louis. 8 o'clock kickoff (EST)