On Sunday the New England Patriots were finally able to get rolling, serving up a balanced attack with Fred Taylor rushing for 105 yards and Tom Brady throwing for 277 yards in the Patriots 26-10 victory over the Falcons.

A week after not being able to score a touchdown against the New York Jets in their 16-9 defeat, Taylor had a 8 yard rushing score and Brady a 36 yard pass to Chris Baker for another touchdown.

On a rainy day, Brady didn’t need to stage a comeback like he did in the Patriots’ opening game when he threw two touchdown passes during the final 2:06 minutes of the game to lead New England over Buffalo 25-24.

However the 2-1 Patriots still had lots of problems in the red zone, settling for four Stephen Gostkowski field goals. Inside Atlanta’s 20, Brady was only able to complete 3 of 19 passes. However Gostkowski was able to connect on field goals from 21, 22, and 33 yards (twice).

Gostkowski’s final field goal came on the fourth quarter’s first play to make the score 19-10. Midway through the fourth period Brady connected with Baker in the end zone.

New England’s defense prevented Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez from getting a catch until finally the tight end caught one during the opening minute of the final quarter.

The Falcons (2-1) were able to score on two of their first three possessions. Jason Elam had a field goal of 26 yards and Turner, who last year had a 106 rushing yards average and 85 yards in the first two games this year, scored on a 2 yard rushing touchdown.

The Patriots were also able to control Matt Ryan, the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year last season. In the first two games of the season Ryan had five touchdowns and a completed pass percentage of 68 percent. On Sunday, in his return to the New England area after starring at Boston College, he was 17 for 28 for a total of 199 yards and no interceptions or touchdowns.

Tom Brady went 25 for 42 for a total of 277 yards and didn’t have any interceptions. He did not face nearly as much pressure as he did in the first two games of the season.

After Atlanta’s Michael Koenen shanked a 29 yard punt putting the Patriots on their 49 yard line, the Patriots capitalized and took the led at 10-3. The drive was capped by Taylor’s 8 yard touchdown run. Taylor rushed for 41 yards on the final four plays of the drive.

On their next series, the Falcons were able to tie the score at 10-10 on a 2 yard touchdown run from Turner mid second quarter. The Falcons were able to keep the ball after a ruling on the field nullified a Patriots fumble recovery and touchdown score. The replays clearly showed that Ryan’s arm was definitely going forward. The play was overturned and ruled as an incomplete pass.

However, on Atlanta’s next possession they did lose a fumble. Following a 4 yard rush by Turner, New England’s James Sanders picked the loose ball up, giving the Patriot’s the football at Atlanta’s 27 yard line. However, Brady threw three incompletions in a row. Gostkowski kicked a field goal from 33 yards out with just 20 seconds remaining until halftime.

Matt Ryan had three touchdown passes while Michael Turner rushed for 105 yards and scored one touchdown in the Atlanta Falcons’ second win of the season in their 28-20 win at the Georgia Dome against Carolina, their NFC South rival.

Last week during the season opener Ryan threw two touchdowns. In this Sunday’s game he was 21 for 27 on 220 yards and one interception.

Mike Smith, Atlanta’s head coach, said it was a typical NFC type game between a couple of physical football teams. Coming in we knew that. In the second half we were able to do what we wanted to on offense. Ryan threw well and distributed the ball very well.

Last week in his debut for Atlanta Tony Gonzalez caught a touchdown pass. This Sunday he had seven catches for 71 yards along with another score for Atlanta (2-0). This is the first time the Falcons (2-0) have won the first two games of the season since 2006. The team is trying to have winning seasons two times in a row for the first time in the franchise’s history.

Referring to Gonzales, Ryan said he’s one of the all time great tight ends. Picking him up was big for us. He produces big plays when we really need them. Ryan added that so far he had really enjoyed playing with Gonzalez.

Jake Delhomme, Carolina’s quarterback, only had one interception on Sunday, after he threw four interceptions the week before and was benched in the team’s loss to the Eagles. However the interception occurred late in the fourth quarter when the Panthers were attempting to tie the game. He finished the game 25 for 41 for a total of 308 yards and one touchdown. This is the first time the Panthers (0-2) have lost their first two games of the season since 2006.

Delhomme said nothing could be worse than it was last week. He added it had felt good to be out there. Last week I had pressured myself too much. This week I just went back to being plain Jake.

The Panthers were trailing in the game 28-13 before Delhomme was able to connect on a 11 yard touchdown pass with Dante Rosario with just 6:45 minutes to play in the game. The Carolina defense was able to force three plays and out. Delhomme then moved the Carolina offense into Atlanta territory once again.

At midfield on 3rd down and -3 Delhomme hit Steve Smith with a 23 yard pass, which gave Carolina a first down on Atlanta’s 27 yard line with only 3 1/2 minutes left to play in the game. Jonathan Stewart fumbled but was able to recover the ball, putting Carolina at the 17 with a first down.

Delhomme threw three incomplete passes in a row then attempted to connect with Smith on the left sideline. However Atlanta’s Chris Houston stepped right in front of Smith and picked the ball off near the five yard line with just 2:37 minutes to play.

Carolina had one more opportunity, getting the ball back with just 30 seconds left to play. Delhomme was able to complete four passes before throwing a desperation pass into the end zone as the time ran out on the clock.

John Fox, head coach for the Panthers, said that in this league there isn’t any consolation prize. We didn’t make a lot of strides from last week. There aren’t any cupcakes in the league. We have a lot of work ahead of us.

Smith had eight catches for 131 yards in the loss, appearing to injure his ankle. At the end of the first half he was injured on a Hail Mary pass, but did return to the game. In the fourth quarter he limped off the field but was able to complete the game.

DeAngelo Williams rushed for 79 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown for the Panthers, who out gained the Falcons 440-371.

The Panthers took a 3-0 lead on the game’s first series on a 38 yard field goal from John Kasay.

Several series later, Ryan brought the Falcons back, connecting on a 24 yard pass with Jenkins. Following an offside penalty, Ryan hit Gonzalez with a 24 yard touchdown pass to make the score 7-3 with only 37 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Carolina answered the score with an 80 yard drive to re-take the lead early in the second quarter. Smith caught a 28 yard pass, putting Carolina into Atlanta territory. Stewart then rushed for 28 yards before Williams scored on a three yard stiff arm.

Atlanta answered with an 80 yard drive of their own. Ryan was able to convert on three third downs on the 14 play drive, which included a 27 yard pass to Marty Booker and a nine yard one to Gonzalez. The pass to Gonzalez was initially ruled incomplete but the replay overturned it. Ryan then connected on a 10 yard pass to Jason Snelling, giving Atlanta a 14-10 advantage.

With only 1:49 remaining in the first half, Kasay connected on a 50 yard field goal, leaving Carolina only one point behind. However, Atlanta’s Eric Weems returned a kickoff for 41 yards and Ryan hit Roddy White to bring the score to 21-13 with 50 seconds left in the half.

On the second half kickoff Atlanta drove from their 20 down to the Panther’s 13 yard line before Turner fumbled the ball. However Carolina gave the ball right back just a couple minutes later when Mike Peterson hit Williams who fumbled the ball near midfield.

The Falcons then went 47 yards, scoring another touchdown. Ryan went on a quarterback sneak on 4th down and -1 at Carolina’s 21 setting up a first down. On a third down incomplete pass to the end zone, a pass interference gave the Falcons a second life. Soon after Turner scored from the one yard line, bringing the score to 28-13 with just 12:23 minutes left in the game.

Delhomme then led the Panthers on an 80 yard drive that culminated with a touchdown pass to Rosario which brought Carolina within 8 points.

Game Notes

Peterson had nine tackles, after intercepting a pass in his debut with the Falcons last week. Smith recored his sixth 100 yard receiving game in a row against an NFC South team. Na’il Diggs, Carolina linebacker, left the game with an injured rib in the first half. Jerious Norwood of the Falcons appeared to injure his head and Peria Jerry, defensive lineman for Atlanta, was carted from the field during the fourth quarter. Atlanta will play a road game next Sunday for the first time this season in New England, while Carolina will play next Monday in Dallas.

Welcome to Atlanta, Mike Peterson and Tony Gonzalez.

On Sunday Gonzalez and Peterson lead the Falcons to a 19-7 win over the error prone Miami Dolphins. Gonzalez caught a touchdown pass, becoming the 21st player in the history of the NFL to gain 11,000 receiving yards, and Peterson was able to force a fumble on a big hit and intercepted a pass.

The matchup between 2008’s two surprise teams didn’t end up being much of a game. Atlanta’s defense, which is very suspect after letting go of five of their starters and looking quite shaky during this year’s preseason, were able to recover four turnovers and shut a team completely down that last year won the AFC East after having a 1-15 record just two years earlier.

Matt Ryan, Falcons quarterback, threw two touchdown passes for Atlanta, a team who was able to make it into the playoffs after quickly rebuilding following the Michael Vick fiasco. This season they’re getting off to a great start and will try to have back to back winning seasons. It would be the first time the team had accomplished that in their 44 year history.

Peterson, the only notable defensive player that Atlanta was able to sign this off season, paid off immediately. During the latter part of the second quarter, Peterson flung his body into Anthony Fasano, tight end, and was able to knock the ball away from him after his catch. Brian Williams, another new Falcons player, scooped the ball up and ran for 53 yards setting up a 36 yard field goal from Jason Elam which gave Atlanta a 10-0 lead at halftime.

Peterson was also able to intercept a pass that was intended for Fasano and returned the ball 39 yards, setting up the decisive touchdown for Atlanta. Gonzalez, the star player who was acquired to give Ryan another target, got the touchdown.

Gonzalez caught five passes and led the team with 73 yards, which included a touchdown for 20 yards after Peterson’s interception. The star tight end caught the ball in the flats, cutting to the inside while he shoved Yeremiah Bell away and then glided into the end zone after getting a good block from teammate Roddy White to become part of the 11,000 yard club.

Miami activated Pat White, rookie quarterback, and utilized him in their new wildcat version but without a lot of success. On his first attempt to run he was stopped without a gain, overthrowing Ted Ginn Jr. on a long pass after the wide receiver had his two defenders beaten. Ryan did face some pretty heavy pressure but was able to complete 22 of 36 passes with 229 yards and a one yard touchdown pass to Ovie Mughelli in the second quarter giving the Falcons a lead of 7-0.

Chad Pennington was finally able to lead the Dolphins to a score with 3.21 left in the game. He threw a touchdown pass of 9 yards to Ricky Williams after a pass to score Fasano was nullified by a penalty for holding. Pennington was able to complete 21 of 29 passes, but only managed 176 yards. Running back Ronnie Brown had only 43 yards rushing and Williams had just 39.

Miami’s last shutout was on November 26, 2007 and they were able to avoid having another one, but didn’t do much to bolster any faith in their offense that committed five turnovers in their loss last year to Baltimore in the playoffs. One thing that thing didn’t go well for Atlanta was their kicking game. Jason Elam,who is one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL, missed one extra point and two field goals on a day which was probably the worst of his entire 17 year career.

D.J. Shockley, quarterback, and Jamie Winborn, linebacker, were two of the 13 players that were released on Saturday by the Atlanta Falcons to get to their 53 man maximum roster.

It was thought that Winborn, the journeyman who had played previously with the 49ers (2001-05), Jaguars (2005), Buccaneers (2006), and Broncos (2007-08), would compete for a starting position after he was acquired during the off season as a free agent. However, during the preseason the former standout from Vanderbilt wasn’t able to distinguish himself and so was released.

Shockley, who is a former University of Georgia star, was trying to make it as the team’s third string quarterback behind Chris Redman and Matt Ryan. However Shockley, who last season was the team’s inactive third quarterback, lost his bid to John Parker Wilson, the undrafted rookie, who during the preseason was more consistent.

Other players that were released on Saturday included Troy Bergeron wide receiver, Thomas Brown running back, Michael Butterworth offensive lineman, Robert Ferguson wide receiver, Robert James linebacker, Aaron Kelly wide receiver, Maurice Lucas defensive end, William Middleton cornerback, Jason Rader tight end, Jose Valdez guard and Vance Walker defensive tackle.

Among the notables in the group are Ferguson, who during his play with Green Bay (2001-06) and Minnesota (2007-08) had 151 NFL catches; Rader, who played in six games for the Falcons last year, and 2009 draft picks Middleton out of Furman (5th round) and Walker out of Georgia Tech (7th round).

On Friday, Atlanta released Eric Brock, safety, Glenn Sharpe, cornerback, Adam Speer, offensive tackle, Ryan Stanchek, offensive guard, Tony Tiller, cornerback, Ben Wilkerson, center, Chandler Williams, wide receiver.

Atlanta will open their 2009 regular season against the Miami Dolphins at home on September 13.

The Atlanta Falcons ended their 2009 preseason with a 2-2 record, following their 20-3 loss against the Baltimore Ravens at the Georgia Dome on Thursday night.

As was to be expected, many of the Falcons starting team players only played briefly in the game before the second and third team replacements came in.

Matt Ryan, quarterback for the Falcons, played the first series of the game and went 1 for 1 and 13 yards. Michael Turner, running back, had two rushes for 12 yards.

John Parker Wilson, the free agent rookie quarterback, who before the game seemed to be in a battle with D.J. Shockley for the third string quarterback position, had a solid performance and finished 13 for 19 for a total of 80 yards and a 76.6% passer rating. At first Wilson seemed a bit shaky but was able to settle in in the third quarter. Wilson admitted he had been nervous early in the game but was able to focus.

Wilson said he thought he realized that he was kind of hyped up.

Keith Zinger, tight end, was a favorite target of Wilson’s. Zinger is another player who is fighting to keep a spot on the Falcons roster.

Zinger had two catches for 19 yards along with an impressive tackle while on special teams during the fourth quarter.

Mike Smith, Atlanta’s head coach, said he was happy with how the players played, many of whom are battling for jobs. He said that every single snap taken by each player would be taken into consideration during final evaluations, not just from Thursday’s play when a lot of the fringe players were out on the field for extended minutes.

Smith said after the game they would evaluate the entire body of work that they had done from mini camp, the OTAs and all of the team’s four preseason games when the roster was put together.

Smith said all along that the game on Thursday was for evaluating the players and not about the final score. He and his coaching staff were looking to see how players handled themselves in certain specific situations.

Smith said that during these games you call things offensively and defensively that placed players in specific types of situations in order to evaluate them.

The Falcons defense allowed the Ravens 276 yards, 204 passing and 72 rushing. Smith felt the pass defense, which last week had been a sour point, had improved but that it had a way to go. He was particularly pleased with the defense against the run.

Smith said he saw some good things. He added that he thought they had played the run extremely well for the most part. We showed improved with our efficiency on third down, even though it isn’t where we want it to be. But we showed improvement from last week and we pressured their quarterback.

The Falcons had four sacks for the night, one each from three different defensive ends: Maurice Lucas, Jamaal Anderson and Kroy Biermann along with one from Peira Jerry, defensive tackle.

Beirmann and Jerry in particular were standouts. Jerry, the first round draft pick for the Falcons in ‘09, had four tackles, finishing second for the team. He also had a quarterback hurry and a tackle for a loss.

Smith said that Peira has continued to get better and better. He has improved his play from game to game. We could expect this would happen the more comfortable he gets with our scheme.

Jerry said that being more comfortable with the scheme had slowed the game down for him. He added that he wasn’t thinking as much or worrying over making mistakes. It is all coming to me.

The play where Jerry sacked John Beck, Ravens’ quarterback, he credited the whole defensive line. He felt the sack helped to teach him lessons about how he needs to man his NFL position.

Jerry said he knows he can get to the quarterback. It was just a matter of staying in my lane. The defensive line men are there to push the quarterback from the pocket. All I have to do is win my one on ones.

Biermann had six tackles, leading the team, along with one sack. He also had one quarterback hurry and two tackles for loss. Smith stated that they needed Biermann to help out with Atlanta’s pass rush. He added that the pass rush was an integral part of any success they would experience for the season.

One thing very noticeable about the way Biermann has played during the preseason has been the sense of urgency and his ability to play at one speed. Biermann said he couldn’t really explain it other than that is how he has always played.

The sophomore defensive end said he liked to get out and go after people.

The next step for the Falcons and Smith are the looming September 5 roster cuts. The Falcons at that time will trim their roster down from 73 to a final roster of 53. Smith said given all the extra time that he has spent with a lot of the players compared to last year which was his rookie year, will make these final decisions tough.

Smith said he had spent an entire off season, regular season and then another off season with the players. We are more familiar with the guys which makes the decisions more stressful.

The Falcons will begin their preparations for their 2009 opening game, which will take place next Sunday at home versus the Miami Dolphins. Many problems have been addressed during the preseason, in particular the rush defensive. However there are other problems that still remain, in particular third down passing defense. While preseason games might be free, that has all changed now. From now on it all counts.

Smith said there was a long way to go in terms of the team preparing for Miami. He added that he thought probably all 32 teams were thinking the same thing because the games now were for real.

Game Notes

D.J. Shockley, quarterback, finished the game 2 for 6 with 15 yards. Jason Snelling, running back, had 8 rushes for 21 yards. Thomas Brown had 39 yards on 11 rushes, leading the team. Troy Bergeron had 3 catches for 23 yards. Chris Redman, quaterback, and Tye Hill, the Falcons newly acquired cornerback, didn’t play in the game. William Moore, safety, Jerious Norwood, running back, John Abraham, defensive end, and Todd McClure, center, were all inactive.

The five yard touchdown pass thrown by Chris Redman to Eric Weems with just nine seconds remaining in the game lifted the Atlanta Falcons over the San Diego Chargers giving them a 27-24 win in the preseason match up. A 37 yard field goal from Nate Kaeding gave the Chargers a 24-20 lead with 2:07 left in the game. Redman led the Falcons on a march down field where they wound up on the seven yard line and first and goal. After he failed to convert on three downs, Redman culminated the 11 play 75 yard drive with a bullet to Weems who was deep in the end zone.

Matt Ryan went 14 for 20 on 140 yards with a touchdown, playing into the third quarter for Atlanta. Redman was 15 for 19 with a 10 yard touchdown run and 134 yards. Michael Turner had 12 carries and 47 yards. Marty Booker had six catches for 62 total yards.

Phillip Rivers went 10 for 15 with a touchdown on 185 yards and played into the second quarter for San Diego. Billy Volek went 7 for 9 and had a score and 102 yards. Gartrell Johnson had 12 carries and rushed for 59 yards. Michael Bennett had three catches for a touchdown and 84 yards.

The Chargers got off to an early lead with Darren Sproles capping an eight play drive with his 10 yard run for a touchdown with 9:37 remaining in the first quarter. Atlanta tied the game with Ryan’s 12 yard touchdown pass to Brain Finneran late in the first quarter.

Rivers 48 yard touchdown pass to Bennett early in the second quarter brought the score to 14-7. After a 40 yard field goal from Jason Elam closed the gap, Volek connected with Malcom Floyd on a 10 yard touchdown pass that gave San Diego the lead at 21-10. A 39 yard field goal from Elam brought the half time score to 21-13.

The third quarter was scoreless. Redman in the early part of the fourth quarter started a comeback with his 10 yard touchdown run, which cut the scoring margin to one point.

Game Notes
The Chargers hold a 4-2 edge over the Falcons in their all time series in the preseason, which includes a 28-14 road win during their last meet which was just before the 2000 season. The two teams met during the 2008 regular season which was a 22-16 win for the Falcons on the road on November 30th.

It seems that the Atlanta Falcons liked what they saw in Tye Hill during their match up with the St Louis Rams during the second week of the preseason.

All of us have been waiting for Atlanta to make a move that would improve their secondary and they have done just that.

Tye Hill, first round draft pick from Clemson, at the NFL Scouting Combine ran a forty yard dash of 4.31. Hill’s rookie year was fairly impressive where he had 50 tackles (47 of which were solo), six defended passes and three interceptions.

He improved during his sophomore season despite the fact that he only played eight games. He defended eight passes in the eight games surpassing the total from his rookie season. However there are some concerns with last season. Hill only played in four games and does appear to be somewhat prone to injury.

You would think the Falcons would have pursued a corner that had more size. He is 5′10″ but does have the ability to cover receivers, something the Falcons desperately need. It has to cross your mind, was Atlanta trying to acquire corner back Roderick Hood? Last year the Browns released Hood and he played quite well against the Falcons in the playoff game. After Hood ended up signing with the Bears, maybe General Manager Thomas Dimitroff wanted to just have the next best option, which appeared to be Tye Hill.

One of the best things about acquiring Tye Hill is that there are two years remaining on his deal. So if he ends up having a great season similar to Foxworth’s last year, he will have a year remaining on his contract. That means there won’t be another Dominique Foxworth situation for fans to get upset about.

Hopefully Hill will be able to help Atlanta’s below average secondary.