SB Nation Atlanta - Falcons Vs. Packers: Birds Fade Against Champs, Fall 25-14https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46601/atlanta-fave.png2011-10-11T10:45:24-04:00http://atlanta.sbnation.com/rss/stream/22341102011-10-11T10:45:24-04:002011-10-11T10:45:24-04:00Week 6 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Packers Send Falcons Back To Middle
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<img alt="ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 09: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons kneels on the ground during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Georgia Dome on October 9, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CPI70HI1g5HKHd1BxGSL2R5WZ88=/0x0:1000x667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/4372744/129023227.jpg" />
<figcaption>ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 09: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons kneels on the ground during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Georgia Dome on October 9, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Atlanta Falcons don't fall all that far in this week's NFL power rankings. Hooray for not all that far!</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Atlanta Falcons</a> wowed few around the country with a two-score loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Green Bay Packers</a>, but at least it was the Green Bay Packers. Pretty much everybody loses to them. Don't expect this week's NFL power rankings to be too severe on the Birds, no matter how bad that second half was.</p>
<p>As always, <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/powerRankings">Fox Sports' Brian Billick</a> is high on his brother-in-law Mike Smith's team, slotting them No. 14 (Panthers No. 22):</p>
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<p>The Falcons can't seem to put it all together offensively. They are built to be balanced and are not strong enough to lose the time of possession battle. QB Matt Ryan doesn't look right, and he won't until the offensive line can keep defenders out of his face. </p>
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<p><a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/powerrankings">CBS Sports' Pete Prisco</a> deposits the Birds at No. 16 and adds a grim forecast (Panthers No. 22):</p>
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<p>At 2-3, they have to be upset with their start. Now they get a chance to deal with Cam Newton. </p>
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<p><b><i>For more NFL power rankings, head to SB Nation's <a href="http://sbnation.com/nfl">NFL news</a> hub and many fine <a href="http://sbnation.com/blogs#football">NFL team blogs</a>.</i></b></p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-falcons/2011/10/11/2483130/nfl-power-rankings-week-6-2011Jason Kirk2011-10-11T10:18:36-04:002011-10-11T10:18:36-04:00The Atlanta Falcons, A Losing Record And Six Specific Problems
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<p>After coming into the season with Super Bowl expectations, the Falcons have struggled to a 2-3 start and currently sit third in the NFC South. What has been ailing the Dirty Birds?</p> <p>Green Bay possesses a talented football team. There's no doubt about that. What makes Sunday night's loss so much more frustrating, however, is knowing that the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons" class="sbn-auto-link" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">Falcons</a> have the talent to match any team in the league.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">Outside of losing <span>Harvey Dahl</span> and <span>Michael Koenen</span> to free agency, the team has only made additions to the roster that went 13-3 last year. The coaching staff also remains unchanged. Guys like <span>Harry Douglas</span> and <span>Peria Jerry</span> are presumably healthy after running on half a tank for most of last year.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">So what gives? It doesn't make much sense for a team that is remarkably similar to the elite one of just a year ago to barely scrape out a 2-3 start on the season. Or does it? Could it be that what the Falcons <i>didn't </i>change remains cause for concern in 2011? Join me as I open up a six pack of warm, Natty Light-flavored answers:</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">******</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"><b>1- The Falcons offense is no more explosive than last yea</b>r</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">They are currently averaging a whole 5.2 yards per play, good for 25th in the league. Not much better than the 5.0 average from last year. The offense also has only managed 13 passing plays of 20+ yards, which is tied for 26th in the NFL. Especially noticeable has been the second-half offense, which can only be described as "non-existent." </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">What's even more alarming, however, is the following statistic: on pass attempts of 20 yards or more, <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/splits/_/name/atl/atlanta-falcons" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">Matt Ryan is <b>two-for-fourteen</b>.</a> The Falcons are simply not a deep threat, and when the defense knows you can't stretch the secondary, all they have to do is load eight guys in the box to shut down <span>Michael Turner</span>.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">I hate to keep pointing back to the same guy, but if you're Mike Mularkey at what point to you head back to the drawing board and say "this won't work for all four quarters?" I already admitted his first-half game plan for the <a href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/" class="sbn-auto-link" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">Packers</a> was excellent, as was Brian VanGorder's. But football games are sixty minutes, not thirty. More on that later. For now, we'll tackle the other major criticism of last year's team, which still remains...</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"><b>2- The Falcons' lack of a consistent pass rush</b></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">Prior to notching four sacks against Green Bay, which featured two backups logging most of the time at offensive tackle, the Falcons had only five through the first quarter of the season. The other underlying issue easily noticed on Sunday night was that the pressure generated by the defensive line was not consistent. Too many times I saw <span>Kroy Biermann</span> get manhandled by <span>Marshall Newhouse</span>.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">Yes, <span>John Abraham</span> was injured. But on several plays, <span>Aaron Rodgers</span> was allowed five, six, seven seconds to stand in the pocket. Inevitably someone would be open. We thought acquiring <span>Ray Edwards</span> would fix this. Thus far, it really hasn't. The defense played a much better game than the clunker, but I'm not done with them yet. That's because...</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"><b>3- Poor tackling is still allowing big plays on defense</b></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">We saw it in the <a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/" class="sbn-auto-link" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">Bears</a> loss, and we saw it again on Sunday night. <span>Thomas DeCoud</span> failed to wrap up <span>James Jones</span>, and Jones took it 70 yards to the house on a one-play scoring drive. Later in the game, <span>Dunta Robinson</span> would simply throw himself at a Packers receiver hoping to, I don't know, knock him over, maybe? Robinson would watch as he dashed down the sideline for 15+ extra yards. The Packers would score on that drive as well.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"> I see the same players week after week fail to wrap up, most notably Dunta and DeCoud. Through five games, the defense is allowing an average of 6.1 yards per play, eight in the league, which has been made possible by poor tackling. Playoff-caliber teams don't make these kinds of fundamental mistakes. The Packers certainly didn't. That and...</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"><b>4- Committing penalties at inopportune times</b></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">They have gone from being one of the most disciplined teams in the league last season to committing the eighth-most penalties on offense this year. Last night, for instance, a 47-yard pickup on a pass to Harry Douglas was called back because of a holding call against <span>Tyson Clabo</span>.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">Last night was fairly penalty-free in comparison to some other games, but the fact that a couple were stupid (i.e.<span>Roddy White</span> unsportsmanlike conduct) and a couple came at bad times put the Falcons at a disadvantage at several key moments. These penalties also directly affect...</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"><b>5- Special teams and poor field position</b></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">By no means would I ever put any blame on Matt Bryant. He is god of kicking, in my opinion. Everyone else, however, can now take their seat on the hot stove. After making his first Pro Bowl last season, <span>Eric Weems</span> has managed to average only 21.6 yards per kick return. That ranks second-worst among return men with at least eight run-backs.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">And then there's the punting. Oh yes, that thing we have to do when our offense doesn't score. <span>Matt Bosher</span> is averaging 36.4 yards per punt, also second-worst among fellow punters. It may not seem like a huge deal, but when Green Bay is consistently starting their drives on the wrong side of midfield, you have to show at least some concern. Poor field position makes it that much easier on opposing offenses, which in turn makes it so much harder for the Falcons to...</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"><b>6- Finish games!!</b></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">Or in the case of the Bears, Bucs, and <a href="https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">Eagles</a>: start them. In fact, let's just see one complete game. I don't think I've seen the Falcons play one since beating t the 2-14 <a href="https://www.catscratchreader.com/" class="sbn-auto-link" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">Panthers</a> last season. The main issue behind this recent stagnation, in my humble opinion? Halftime adjustments.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">Green Bay found themselves thoroughly struggling against a pretty effective Falcons game plan in the first half. So what did they do? Mike McCarthy fixed some things at halftime, and they got some pretty astonishing results. Why can't the Falcons do that? </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">*As a final note, I'm writing this having just witnessed the unthinkable: the <a href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">Detroit Lions</a> are 5-0. The franchise has gone from perennial doorstep team to NFC elite in what seems like no time at all. Shows you what a talented team can do when they're (mostly) healthy. The Falcons most assuredly are not.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;">That's certainly not an excuse. But it plays a big part in the most recent loss, at least. Whatever, the reason for their demise, the Falcons <i>need </i>to get on track this week against Carolina. Hopefully Mike Smith's actions speak louder than his words, because right now, his words aren't spoken with much conviction.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px;"><i>For more, check out SB Nation's Falcons blog <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thefalcoholic.com" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">The Falcoholic</a>.</i></p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-falcons/2011/10/11/2483115/atlanta-falcons-record-schedule-2011TurnerTheBurner2011-10-10T19:52:13-04:002011-10-10T19:52:13-04:00Falcons Vs. Packers: B.J. Raji Still Talking Trash About Not Talking Trash
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<p>When last <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Green Bay Packers</a> lummox <span>B.J. Raji</span> commented on the state of relations between the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Atlanta Falcons</a> and the Pack, <a href="http://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-falcons/2011/10/10/2480561/falcons-vs-packers-post-game-quote-green-bay-simply-a-better-team">we noted his remarks were not inaccurate</a> and moved along. But for some reason <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jsonline.com%2Fsports%2Fpackers%2F131426723.html&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fatlanta.sbnation.com%2Fatlanta-falcons%2F2011%2F10%2F10%2F2482105%2Ffalcons-vs-packers-bj-raji" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the big fellow won't let up</a>:</p>
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<p>"They have a long way to go," Raji said of being a Packers rival. "For it to be a rivalry, you have to win meaningful games. They're just another opponent. They have a long way to go.</p>
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<p>Pretty sure nobody 'round here claimed Green Bay as a rival. A haunting presence as of late, sure. But despite playing each other thrice in two years, there's just not enough familiarity there to call it a rivalry, historically, geographically or otherwise. It's well-known in message board world, of course, that the ultimate rivalry tactic is to refer to a rival as a non-rival, but we'll give Raji the benefit of the doubt, since, again, Falcons fans don't think of Green Bay as a traditional rival.</p>
<p>On he went:</p>
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<p>"Now that we abused them, for the second time in a row, at their home, there's nothing really to do," Raji said. "If they want to play us again, tell them to come up to Lambeau. That's it. That's how we're doing it."</p>
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<p>Eleven-point win. Felt like abuse for most of the game, though. Mike Smith is 2-2 against the Packers, with one of his wins coming at Lambeau. In the postseason, the Falcons are 1-1 all-time against Green Bay.</p>
<p>For a gentleman who claims such a distanced perspective on the series, Raji sure has made for a lot of easy articles around the country so far.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-falcons/2011/10/10/2482105/falcons-vs-packers-bj-rajiJason Kirk2011-10-10T18:49:02-04:002011-10-10T18:49:02-04:00Falcons Vs. Packers: Michael Turner Ran Well, But Score Dictated Balance, Says Mike Smith
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<p>Coming off a tough 25-14 home loss to the defending Super Bowl champion <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Green Bay Packers</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Atlanta Falcons</a> head coach Mike Smith commented on the performance of <span>Michael Turner</span> and the running game.</p>
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<p>We wanted to run the ball, we wanted to control the clock. That was part of the game plan. That's part of our DNA and the way that the game unfolded, we weren't able to sustain some drives for the reasons I just mentioned in going through the drive chart. We've got to be able to sustain drives to be able to continue to run the football.</p>
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<p>Maybe 20 is the magical number for Turner, Smith and the Falcons?</p>
<p>When the star tailback gets over 20 carries this season, the Falcons are 2-0. In those two wins Turner has averaged 23.5 carries/game and 92 rushing yards/game and three touchdowns total.</p>
<p>However, when Turner gets less than 20 carries this season, the Falcons are 0-3. In three losses Turner has averaged 12.3 carries/game and just 58.6 rushing yards/game and just one touchdown.</p>
<p>Atlanta is at home this Sunday as they host the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.catscratchreader.com/">Carolina Panthers</a> in the Georgia Dome.</p>
<p><b><i>For more insights about the Falcons, check out <a href="http://www.thefalcoholic.com/" target="_blank">SB Nation Falcons blog The Falcoholic</a>.</i></b></p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-falcons/2011/10/10/2481970/falcons-vs-packers-michael-turner-ran-well-but-score-dictated-balanceEddie Maisonet2011-10-10T11:57:04-04:002011-10-10T11:57:04-04:00Falcons Vs. Packers: Joe Hawley's Flop And Atlanta's Growing Reputation
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<p>In the fourth quarter of Sunday night's Atlanta loss, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Green Bay Packers</a> linebacker <span>A.J. Hawk</span> was flagged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty after shoving <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Atlanta Falcons</a> offensive lineman <span>Joe Hawley</span> to the ground. Or, for shoving him in retaliation. Hawley handled the "to the ground" stuff for himself, deploying a flop worthy of various other sports with which we're not familiar around these parts.</p>
<p>Hawk was furious, screaming at Atlanta's huddle after making a fierce tackle on the next play. After the game, he was still perturbed:</p>
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<p>The guy went to the ground ... I'm not that strong. I wish I was strong enough to do that.</p>
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<p><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/830676/NFLFLOPPAN.gif"><img width="100%" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/830676/NFLFLOPPAN.gif" class="photo" alt="Nflfloppan_medium"></a></p>
<p>via <a href="http://gif.mocksession.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/NFLFLOPPAN.gif">gif.mocksession.com</a></p>
<p>He's right. The bigger guy was off balance, but watch his feet.</p>
<p>Call it a heady play, if you like. It's not much different than, say, barking out a hard count in an attempt to get the defense to jump offsides. It's a move with no other goal but drawing a penalty. But it's nothing to be proud of, especially with the way Atlanta's beginning to be perceived around the league.</p>
<p>The Falcons have had a reputation as a -- shall we say -- aggressive team for a while now. <span>Harvey Dahl</span> was regularly listed among the league's dirtiest players, a scrum at the 2005 Falcons-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/">Eagles</a> game got multiple players ejected <i>before kickoff </i>and coach Mike Smith once popped former Bird DeAngelo Hall in the chest.</p>
<p>(The last one was justifiable, glorious and worth several contract extensions.)</p>
<p>But <span>Dunta Robinson</span> has been fined for helmet-to-helmet hits twice in the past two seasons and could've been dinged with another Sunday night, if refs had been so inclined. <span>Roddy White</span> sustained a personal foul after Matt Ryan was bumped while sliding. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Packers-peeved-about-Falcons-late-hits-flops?urn=nfl-wp9136">Multiple Packers players called out</a> the way the Falcons play before, during and after the whistle, alleging cheapness and dirtiness and other conditions: </p>
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<p>"Great teams don't indulge in the kind of cheap stuff the Falcons do," Raji said. "We're the champions and we play that way. We walk away from the stuff they pull. </p>
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<p>Is it just frustration? Smith's Falcons have made their mark by playing careful, mistake-free football, but they do make a point of brawling through the whistle's last echo. When wins are racking up, that just looks like resolve and follow-through. But in tougher times, that same mindset too often translates into crap like this.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-falcons/2011/10/10/2481011/falcons-vs-packers-flop-joe-hawleyJason Kirk2011-10-10T10:59:00-04:002011-10-10T10:59:00-04:00Falcons Vs. Packers Highlights: "Explosive" Plays Still Eluding The Falcons
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<p>Two quarters of good football doesn't usually make for a win, and in this case that sentiment certainly held true. The Falcons came out looking strong early, but yet again faltered during the latter stages of the ball game. Watch at your own risk:</p>
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Green Bay Packers</a> vs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Atlanta Falcons</a> Highlights 2011 (via <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=pNWVv_qOzZQ">ThePackersNation</a>)</p>
<p>The defense actually had a large share of impressive highlights. With both of the Pack's starting tackles out of the game with injury, the sacks came in bunches. <span>Ray Edwards</span>, <span>Corey Peters</span>, and <span>Lawrence Sidbury</span> all got in on the action. <span>Sean Weatherspoon</span> came so quickly on a blitz I'm not sure how Rodgers held on to the ball. The guy is a special athlete, that's for sure.</p>
<p>And then there's <span>Brent Grimes</span> and <span>James Sanders</span>, who were making plays in the secondary all game. Defending passes, knocking guys silly, and- oh ya- Grimes caused a key fumble early in the game.</p>
<p>No, the problem was the offense, and not the offensive line. After finding success on the ground early, the Falcons seemingly abandoned the run in the second half. Several Matt Ryan passes fell incomplete, and that in turn gave the ball back to <span>Aaron Rodgers</span> and the Green Bay offense rather quickly. The injury to <span>Julio Jones</span> certainly didn't help either. </p>
<p>All in all, there was much more to watch in this game if you were a Packers fan. After a slow start, Rodgers found the likes of <span>Greg Jennings</span> and <span>James Jones</span> on scoring plays of 30+ yards. <i>Those </i>haven't been seen in Atlanta for a long time. Time to improve upon that, Matt Ryan.</p>
<p><i>For more Falcons, check out <a href="http://www.thefalcoholic.com" target="_blank">The Falcoholic</a>. For more Packers, head over to <a href="http://www.acmepackingcompany.com" target="_blank">Acme Packing Company</a>.</i></p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-falcons/2011/10/10/2480860/atlanta-falcons-green-bay-packers-highlights-week-fiveTurnerTheBurner2011-10-10T08:32:43-04:002011-10-10T08:32:43-04:00Falcons Vs. Packers: Green Bay's B.J. Raji Says Pack 'Just A Better Team'
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<p>For all the passive agressive "smack talk" - <a href="http://atlanta.sbnation.com/2011/10/7/2475626/falcons-vs-packers-roddy-white-and-aaron-rodgers-insult-the-good-name">and we hated to use that term</a> earlier in the week - between <span>Aaron Rodgers</span> and <span>Roddy White</span>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Packers</a> defensive tackle <span>B.J. Raji</span> summed up the state of the Green Bay / Atlanta "rivalry" quite accurately on Sunday night, courtesy of <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=sportsxchange-000437999_pasquarelli-falcons-offense-hits-snooze-button-again" target="_blank">Yahoo's Len Pasquarelli</a>:</p>
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<p>"We're just a better team than they are," announced nose tackle B.J. Raji, who helped close down the inside gaps after the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Falcons</a>' first two series. "Honestly. Those guys talk a lot … they make a lot of noise."</p>
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<p>Some other noise, from Falcons head coach Mike Smith on the Falcons' flash-in-the-pan 14 points, scored in the first two drives:</p>
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<p>"The way you play the first quarter is the way you want to play football, and then after that it wasn’t the way we wanted to go out there and play. We made way too many mistakes, and had uncharacteristic penalties at inopportune times. I told our team in there after the ball game that there’s still a lot of football left to be played."</p>
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<p>Matt Ryan didn't feel like the Packers adjusted to out scheme Atlanta after the Falcons' first two TD drives:</p>
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<p>"No, I think we had a good game plan and we came out and we executed really well on the first two drives. Then we didn’t do a very good job of that from that point on. We put ourselves in some tough positions to overcome, got off of schedule on first and second downs. Some of the penalties and mental mistakes that we had are disappointing and they’re tough to overcome, especially when you’re playing against a very good football team and a very good defense like Green Bay."</p>
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<p>After five games, the Super Bowl Champions are 5-0 and steadily improving. The Falcons actually played the Packers to their lowest offensive output of the season, yet <span>Donald Driver</span> is convinced Green Bay is unstoppable. When asked who could beat the Packers, his list was short.</p>
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<p>"Us."</p>
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https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-falcons/2011/10/10/2480561/falcons-vs-packers-post-game-quote-green-bay-simply-a-better-teamSteven Godfrey2011-10-10T08:27:51-04:002011-10-10T08:27:51-04:00ANIMATED: Desmond Bishop Mocks Sean Weatherspoon's Sack Celebration
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<p>A <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Falcons</a>-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Packers</a> game always makes for a fine cultural sharing session. Last time around <span>John Abraham</span> wisely (oh so wisely) <a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/photo_images/1675653/GYI0063059985.jpg">mimicked Aaron Rodgers' title belt celebration</a>, and here's Packers linebacker <span>Desmond Bishop</span> conducting a very elaborate version of <a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/photo_images/1193091/70737_Cardinals_Falcons_Football.jpg">Sean Weatherspoon's eat-'em-up thing</a> ... which Spoon had altered for this game to include yet another Rodgers belt flourish. Atlanta should probably cut that out at some point.</p>↵<p>This performance is pretty brilliant in its patience and commitment to its cause:</p>↵<p><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/830576/SackDance.gif"><img width="100%" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/830576/SackDance_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Sackdance_medium"></a></p>↵<p>via <a href="http://cjzero.com/gifs/SackDance.gif">cjzero.com</a></p>↵
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta-falcons/2011/10/10/2480567/animated-desmond-bishop-mocks-sean-weatherspoons-sack-celebrationJason Kirk