Dolphins at Falcons discussion

[Admin]

Just wait until the 13th, Jason Taylor and Joey Porter are going to give Matt Ryan all the support he needs ... to get up off the ground :)

[coachx]

Just wait until the 13th, Jason Taylor and Joey Porter are going to give Matt Ryan all the support he needs ... to get up off the ground :)

I can't wait ! I'll be at the Dome and it should be as loud as a stadium can get. I'm expecting several false starts by Miami's O-Line and several waisted time-outs due to the crowd noise in the Dome.

A matchup of the 2 suprise teams from last year.

Taylor and Porter better get to Ryan quick or White, Gonzo, Jenkins, Turner, & Norwood will burn them.

Sould be a fun game with lots of scoring.

Clabo and Dahl will be man-handling Porter and and your pretty boy Taylor. They may knock Ryan to the ground but it will be after he gets rid of the ball and White or Gonzo will be streaking toward the end zone !

Bill Parcels will be left wondering what could have been had he taken Matt Ryan #1 overall instead of Jake Long. He could have then pulled a Dimitrioff and traded up into the mid-late 1st rounder for his left tackle.

Edited September 2, 2009 by coachx

[Admin]

I can't wait ! I'll be at the Dome and it should be as loud as a stadium can get. I'm expecting several false starts by Miami's O-Line and several waisted time-outs due to the crowd noise in the Dome.

A matchup of the 2 suprise teams from last year.

Taylor and Porter better get to Ryan quick or White, Gonzo, Jenkins, Turner, & Norwood will burn them.

Sould be a fun game with lots of scoring.

Clabo and Dahl will be man-handling Porter and and your pretty boy Taylor. They may knock Ryan to the ground but it will be after he gets rid of the ball and White or Gonzo will be streaking toward the end zone !

I like your enthusiasm, however short lived it will turn out to be. Have you seen Jason Taylor now? Apparently he was on the Alex Rodriguez workout plan as he is HUGE now and has been treating opposing offensive tackles like rag dolls thus far. Then you've got to deal with the THIRD pass rushing freak Cameron Wake (39 sacks in 2 seasons as back to back CFL defensive player of the year) whom you don't know much about yet but you will when he comes in on 3rd down and disrupts things. Turner is a great back but you won't be running on Miami as we're too good against the run (he may have the yards but he'll be under 4ypc) and if the pass rush gets to Ryan you won't be passing either. However if the pass rush doesn't get there things could get ugly as Miami will be starting a rookie corner (although he's 6'4 with the hands of a WR and has been incredible in the pre-season). The big advantage you have will be that Miami won't be able to cover Gonzalez or Turner coming out of the backfield. I also suspect that Miami will have a hard time scoring on the Falcons and it wouldn't surprise me to see the final score be in the neighborhood of 17-14 in favor of Miami of course.

[coachx]

In reality its always tough to open up the season vs. a 3-4 defense.

Thankfully Ryan got to play a half of football vs. the Chargers 3-4 last week.

It should be a great game.

The Falcons gave up the 4th or 5th fewest sacks in the entire league last year. If Miami gets more then 1 sack I would be surprised. Especially with the way we mix up the pass and run, plus Ryan ability to change the play at the line of scrimmage to take advantage of the defensive formation. I don't think you live in Ga. so I'm not sure how much you have seen Ryan play but he simple does not hold on to the ball for long. He has one of the quickest releases in the league and when you mix that with elite awareness, anticipation, and ability to change the play to a run or hot route when needed, it makes its tough to blitz him.

I see the score being in the high 20s or 30s. I would say Atlanta scores between 27 and 34 points and the Dolphis score 20 to 24 points tops. Atlanta's pass defense sucks but our run defense is pretty solid. We can get away with playing zone v.s Chad Pennington's weak arm. He will pick us apart still but hopefully we can stip the run after the catch. Atlanta's run defense is pretty solid and hopefully can prevent the explosive plays out of the Wild Cat formation.

I will be anxious to see if Pat White gets in the game as a the Wild Cat QB.

Too bad your not in Atlanta or I would have invited you to go to the game. I took a Bronco to the Denver game last year and had lots of fun.

Edited September 2, 2009 by coachx

[Admin]

In reality its always tough to open up the season vs. a 3-4 defense.

Thankfully Ryan got to play a half of football vs. the Chargers 3-4 last week.

It should be a great game.

The Falcons gave up the 4th or 5th fewest sacks in the entire league last year. If Miami gets more then 1 sack I would be surprised. Especially with the way we mix up the pass and run, plus Ryan ability to change the play at the line of scrimmage to take advantage of the defensive formation. I don't think you live in Ga. so I'm not sure how much you have seen Ryan play but he simple does not hold on to the ball for long. He has one of the quickest releases in the league and when you mix that with elite awareness, anticipation, and ability to change the play to a run or hot route when needed, it makes its tough to blitz him.

I see the score being in the high 20s or 30s. I would say Atlanta scores between 27 and 34 points and the Dolphis score 20 to 24 points tops. Atlanta's pass defense sucks but our run defense is pretty solid. We can get away with playing zone v.s Chad Pennington's weak arm. He will pick us apart still but hopefully we can stip the run after the catch. Atlanta's run defense is pretty solid and hopefully can prevent the explosive plays out of the Wild Cat formation.

I will be anxious to see if Pat White gets in the game as a the Wild Cat QB.

Too bad your not in Atlanta or I would have invited you to go to the game. I took a Bronco to the Denver game last year and had lots of fun.

I would honestly be shocked if either team breaks 20. Miami has a good defense but only an average offense. It looks to me like the Falcons have a good offense and an average defense. I've seen Ryan play a handful of times and you're right he's got a great release and he's definitely a top notch QB. Whether he gets sacked will depend on whether the Falcons are playing from behind and how the running game does. I really don't see the Falcons running too much on Miami but Ryan should have a lot of success passing which is why I think we'll blitz a lot from the edge with the OLBs and the corners.

You probably won't see Pat White as Tony Sparano has said that he needs White to learn to play QB before he learns the "Wildcat" since Pennington has a history of injuries and White would then be the backup QB.

I'd like to see the game in person but I don't go to Miami games (nor Hawks games) anymore since I always jinx them.

I hate seeing the Falcons in week 1 but it should be a very good game.

[Duff_Man]

Hate to say it, but the first two games are must-win for the Falcons. They are money at home. I think the Dolphins are in for a long day.

I'll be in attendance at the GA Dome. Probably drunk.

[bird_dirt]

my friend and co-worker and i have had this date circled since the schedules came out. anxious to see the game at their house with their new 1080 hd projector blowing up the telecast to about 8' high on their wall. last year i watched games there with their old 780 hd projector and was pretty blown away, i can't wait to see games this year. they're dolpin's fans, so it'll be fun (especially for me when the dirty birds win).

[Admin]

Of course this is a new season so these numbers aren't definitive but they should be mostly accurate but here's a post from someone on my Dolphins board that compares the teams:

Why is it that so many folks on this board and on the Atlanta boardfeel that Atlanta is Superior to our team and is such a huge threatweek one? Atlanta had just as weak of a schedule as we did last yearand their numbers are not that impressive....

On offense they ranked 14th in the league in passing with 3336 yardswith 61.1% completion. Miami ranked 10th in the league with 3632 yardsand 67.2% completion. Advantage Miami 20 yards a game.Atlanta ranked 2nd with rushing with 2443 yards but only 4.4 averageper carry (560 carries) while Miami ranked 11th with 1897 yards and a4.2 average per carry (448 carries) Advantage Atlanta by .2 yards per carry 7 yards per game.

On defense Atlanta ranked 21st in the league and gave up 3526 yards pergame passing with a 6.9 per attempt average while Miami gave up 3644yards per game passing with a 7.0 per attempt average. Advantage Atlanta by 1.125 yards per game.Rushing defense was Atlanta 25th in the league with 2046 yards and a4.9 average while Miami was 10th in the league with 1620 yards and a4.2 average. Advantage Miami 27 yards a game.

Just for some fun facts here Miami was +17 in turnovers last year whileAtlanta was -3. This mostly due to the solid style of defense by Miamicausing 30 turnovers to Atlanta 18.

So I don't get it, why is Atlanta so much better than Miami? These twoteams are pretty evenly matched and this should be a good game. CanMiami win, I think like in every Miami game last year it comes down toturnovers. But I say Miami 20 ATL 17

[Admin]

And another post discussing the breakdown

Atlanta's defense:

Pts allowed: 21.3 good for 21st in NFL

Yds allowed: 391.7 good for 31st in NFL

Passing Yds: 262.3 good for 31st in NFL

Rushing Yds: 129.3 good for 25th in NFL

Loss of Grady Jackson DT, D. Foxworth CB, L. Milloy S (2nd in tackles)and K.Brooking (3rd in tackles) is huge in my books. They alreadysucked defending the pass last year and now have one of the youngestand most inexperienced secondaries in the league. Loften is a beast inthe middle and an aging M.Peterson replaces Brooking in the LB spot.P.Jerry replaces a very dependable Grady Jackson on the Dline. Alltheir pressure came from J.Abraham (16.5 sacks) who's a beast comingoff the edge.

Their defense is relatively young and is the obvious weak spot. IfJ.Long can slow Abraham down we will have a huge advantage in thisgame. We need to just play our normal offensive game mixing up the runand pass and the points will come.

Now on the flip side their "vaunted" Offense:

Pts: 24.3 good for 3rd in NFL

Yds: 306 good for 16th in NFL

Passing Yds:185 good for 23rd in NFL

Rushing Yds: 121 good for 10th in NFL

The loss of H.Douglas is a big blow for them he was expected to take amajor step this year but it has been eased with the addition ofT.Gonzalez. R.White is an emerging star and has a great flow going withM.Ryan. Turner is the one player that we need to slow down on Offensewith paying special attention to T.G and R.W in the pass game.

Overall I think their offense is getting way to much credit, this isnot NE or Indy by any stretch of the imagination. Don't get me wrong Ithink their good but nothing a solid pass rush and a good run defensecan't handle. 1st down is the key in stopping this team, forcing themin 2nd and long and getting the ball out of Turner's hands will allowthe pass rush to tee off on Ryan. We're not going to shut out this teambut slowing them down is crucial. Our offense will play a huge role inour defensive plan, long methodical drives mixing up the offense willkeep Ryan and Turner at bay while resting our guys up. We we're greatat this last year and I don't see why we can't continue that against avery average if not less then average Atlanta defense.

Atlanta was a perfect 11-0 when scoring first.

Atlanta was 0-6 when their opponents scored first (incl playoff game).

If the Dolphins out play them in the 1st quarter and score some points we have a chance of winning.

Game Prediction: 24-13 Miami Dolphins (1-0)

[Admin]

my friend and co-worker and i have had this date circled since the schedules came out. anxious to see the game at their house with their new 1080 hd projector blowing up the telecast to about 8' high on their wall. last year i watched games there with their old 780 hd projector and was pretty blown away, i can't wait to see games this year. they're dolpin's fans, so it'll be fun (especially for me when the dirty birds win).

Wow that should be pretty nice. I imagine that will look like being in a small theater.

[coachx]

We are no longer starting a rookie QB. Ryan is now extremly comfortable and is now in complete control of an offense that he knows very well. The O-Line is no longer breaking in 3 new starters. All 5 starters are back from last year. Their is continuity up and down the starting offense with the exception of a huge upgrade at TE where Gonzo is now there.

To the guy on you Dolphins board. Those offensive stats from last year do not mean squat. This years team should blow away last years offensive production.

Now defense is a different story. We have the offense to get a lead in any game but are stuck with a poor pass defense that will struggle to hold on to the lead. Especially vs. an extremely accurate QB, in Pennington, who will likely pick us a part. I would be shocked if there is less then 40 points scored in this game.

Edited September 2, 2009 by coachx

[Admin]

We are no longer starting a rookie QB. Ryan is now extremly comfortable and is now in complete control of an offense that he knows very well. The O-Line is no longer breaking in 3 new starters. All 5 starters are back from last year. Their is continuity up and down the starting offense with the exception of a huge upgrade at TE where Gonzo is now there.

To the guy on you Dolphins board. Those offensive stats from last year do not mean squat. This years team should blow away last years offensive production.

Now defense is a different story. We have the offense to get a lead in any game but are stuck with a poor pass defense that will struggle to hold on to the lead. Especially vs. an extremely accurate QB, in Pennington, who will likely pick us a part. I would be shocked if there is less then 40 points scored in this game.

That stuff you're talking about is pie in the sky though and is the same thing that we all hope for our team the next year and what we hope from young guys going into the next season, similar to what we hope for the Hawks each year but the truth is that we don't see that much of a difference. I'm sure the Falcons offense will be better than it was last year but I doubt it will be that much better, if at all, in the 1st week of the season. Typically the defenses are better earlier in the season which is another reason why I expect a lower scoring game.

[APE]

I didn't bother reading any of the posts...I just know that Miami is probably the most overrated team going into this season...the best they should go is 8-8, Falcons will win....

[Admin]

I didn't bother reading any of the posts...I just know that Miami is probably the most overrated team going into this season...the best they should go is 8-8, Falcons will win....

I don't see how Miami is overrated, they're not even predicted to win the division this year and most experts predict 9-10 wins and they won 11 last year. For a team that doesn't turn the ball over (tied NFL record with 13 all of last season), don't commit many penalties, play the run extremely well, and have the one of if not the most accurate QBs in NFL history they will be competitive in every game. There's nothing to overrate there, it's not smoke and mirrors. Just a disciplined, tough football team that doesn't beat themselves. The Falcons might very well win but it's ridiculous to say that Miami is overrated.

[APE]

I don't see how Miami is overrated, they're not even predicted to win the division this year and most experts predict 9-10 wins and they won 11 last year. For a team that doesn't turn the ball over (tied NFL record with 13 all of last season), don't commit many penalties, play the run extremely well, and have the one of if not the most accurate QBs in NFL history they will be competitive in every game. There's nothing to overrate there, it's not smoke and mirrors. Just a disciplined, tough football team that doesn't beat themselves. The Falcons might very well win but it's ridiculous to say that Miami is overrated.

The Dolphins just had that boom of success because of the Wild Cat....What happened the 2nd time around against the Patriots? What happened in the Wild Card game when the Ravens completely shut the Wild Cat down? And they have a 1st place team's schedule this year I just don't see them even winning 9 games....Don't get me wrong I'm a big Pennington and Jake Long fan but the Phins are just overrated.....

BTW: How has Chad Henne done in the pre season?

[coachx]

I don't see how Miami is overrated, they're not even predicted to win the division this year and most experts predict 9-10 wins and they won 11 last year. For a team that doesn't turn the ball over (tied NFL record with 13 all of last season), don't commit many penalties, play the run extremely well, and have the one of if not the most accurate QBs in NFL history they will be competitive in every game. There's nothing to overrate there, it's not smoke and mirrors. Just a disciplined, tough football team that doesn't beat themselves. The Falcons might very well win but it's ridiculous to say that Miami is overrated.

:thumbsdownsmileyanim: I thought stuff like that was just "pie in the sky." :snowballfight:

Edited September 2, 2009 by coachx

[Admin]

The Dolphins just had that boom of success because of the Wild Cat....What happened the 2nd time around against the Patriots? What happened in the Wild Card game when the Ravens completely shut the Wild Cat down? And they have a 1st place team's schedule this year I just don't see them even winning 9 games....Don't get me wrong I'm a big Pennington and Jake Long fan but the Phins are just overrated.....

BTW: How has Chad Henne done in the pre season?

The Dolphins ran the Wildcat I think 3% of their plays last year and other than the Patriots game and 1 or 2 plays here and there it wasn't a part of their success. It certainly wasn't why we lost to the Patriots (couldn't stop the pass) or the Ravens (couldn't stop them from pressuring Pennington).

By the way I'm not a fan of the Wildcat and I cringe whenever we go into it. That might change when we have Pat White back there but we'll see.

Henne looked very good for the most part and I've heard that he is going to get playing time in a lot of games this year for a series here and there.

[Admin]

:thumbsdownsmileyanim: I thought stuff like that was just "pie in the sky." :snowballfight:

LOL no I think pie in the sky is thinking that a player/team will be greatly improved the following season. We all hope it to be true but more often than not they're roughly the same. Hey the Falcons could be much better this year but I suspect that by and large they'll be about the same except they'll be more consistent, which is what I expect from the Dolphins as well.

[jy23]

LOL no I think pie in the sky is thinking that a player/team will be greatly improved the following season. We all hope it to be true but more often than not they're roughly the same. Hey the Falcons could be much better this year but I suspect that by and large they'll be about the same except they'll be more consistent, which is what I expect from the Dolphins as well.

Most times thats true but with a qb like Matt there should b huge improvements in year two. We added the best te that ever played the game to an offense that was pretty good basically without a te at all last year. This offense is going to cause smell damage but I think I going to b a good game mainly bc of our horrible pass defense but can't wait til the game

[Admin]

Most times thats true but with a qb like Matt there should b huge improvements in year two. We added the best te that ever played the game to an offense that was pretty good basically without a te at all last year. This offense is going to cause smell damage but I think I going to b a good game mainly bc of our horrible pass defense but can't wait til the game

I'm interested to see what Gonzo has left in him. He's certainly extremely talented but he's no spring chicken. Miami had a hard time stopping him last year on a Chiefs team with very little help too. My hope is that it's going to take a few games for him to become a big part of the offense. I think the big key to the game might be the pressure that the Falcons get on Pennington since that's how the Ravens abused us in the playoffs. The plus for Miami is that the Falcons don't have a great secondary which should help Miami's crew of B rated receivers.

I'm still predicting Miami 17-14