Ryan and I are back to recap the big coaching changes that have already occurred in this early 2012 off-season, and discuss our thoughts on Mike Mularkey, Brian VanGorder, and the many candidates that could potentially replace them. We also discuss whether or not the Falcons disappointing finish in 2011 rests on the shoulders of the coordinators, or more on those of the head coach. We argue whether or not these changes on the coaching staff can lead to dramatic upswing in the team’s fortunes in 2012. We also break down which Falcons free agents we believe will stay or go, and I go on a heated rant about the rumors surrounding Brent Grimes future in Atlanta. We both talk about potential trades and whether Roddy White and Michael Turner have played their last games in Falcon uniforms. Ryan runs down his free agency and draft day wishlists, and to finish we each share what teams if any we are rooting for in the rest of playoffs.

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Duration: 1 hour, 32 minutes

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Adam Schefter of ESPN tweets that Falcons quarterback coach Bob Bratkowski is expected to join former Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey on his new coaching staff in Jacksonville. Bratkowski will take over the play-calling duties as their offensive coordinator.

Bratkowski finished his first and last season with the Falcons as quarterbacks coach after ten seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals. Both Bratkowski and Mularkey were assistants with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1999-00).

Bratkowski was considered a dark horse candidate for the vacated offensive coordinator position as a replacement for Mularkey. Schefter also reports that interim Jaguars head coach Mel Tucker will be retained as the team’s defensive coordinator. Tucker was reportedly under consideration to take the same role with the Falcons, as a replacement for Brian VanGorder.

Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union reports that the Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Falcons offensive coordinator MIke Mularkey as their next head coach, taking over for Jack Del Rio. Mularkey becomes the third head coach for the Jaguars since the expansion franchise began in 1995. It marks Mularkey’s second stint as a head coach, having spent two years heading the Buffalo Bills (2004-05). Mularkey joined the Falcons in 2008, helming their offense in four years. Every year under Mularkey, the Falcons posted a Top 16 total offense and Top 13 scoring offense. The past two years, the Falcons have finished in the Top 7 in scoring offense. But despite the team’s overall success, Mularkey often came under fire due to the team’s struggles to score points against good teams this year. In 6 of their 7 losses, the team failed to score more than 16 points this year. That all culminated with a 2-point effort against the New York Giants in this past weekend’s playoff loss, where the offense was shut out.

Mularkey’s departure now leaves the Falcons without both of their offensive coordinators, after defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder departing to take the same job with Auburn University.

NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora tweets that the Falcons have granted the Miami Dolphins permission to interview offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for their vacant head coaching job. The Dolphins are the fourth team to be reported to be interested in Mularkey, as previous reports indicate that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs also have interest. Mularkey has already been granted an interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times and Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports report that Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is drawing interest from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively, for their vacant head coaching positions. Mularkey has already interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the same gig there, and some sources indicate he will be the top candidate for that position.

Jason La Canfora of NFL.com reports that the Jacksonville Jaguars have requested permission from the Falcons  to interview offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey. According to reports, Mularkey is highly thought of by the Jaguars organization including current general manager Gene Smith. The Jaguars fired their head coach Jack Del Rio on November 29, the same day that it was announced that Shahid Khan had bought the team from owner Wayne Weaver.

Mularkey’s son, Patrick, is currently a scout for Jacksonville. Last off-season, Mularkey interviewed with both the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns for their vacant head coaching positions, and also declined an interview with the Denver Broncos.

Ryan and I are back after a long lay-off to talk about the Atlanta Falcons chances down the stretch as they chase a wildcard spot in the NFC. A lot of frustration has been building in the weeks since we last got together to talk Falcons football, and in this extended episode we vent much of it. Topics of discussion are the recent loss to the Houston Texans as well as some of our expectations for the team’s upcoming game against the Carolina Panthers. Both of us wonder if the Falcons, particularly their offense is ready to take the next step forward. We discuss whether there should be a change at the running position, and whether certain veteran players including an unnamed Pro Bowl wide receiver might potentially be on the trading block after the season.  We also discuss whether the Falcons coaches are doing everything they can to get this team playing their best as the postseason looms. I give my typical anti-Peria Jerry and Reggie Kelly rants, and Ryan voices his displeasure over many of the moves the Falcons have made in recent off-seasons. We both ponder whether the Falcons problems stem from them having too many weapons.

Read more…

On Sunday night, Falcon fans were treated to two things. The first was what a dynamic offense looks like in the form of the Green Bay Packers, and the other was glimpses of the same from the Falcons.

Aaron Rodgers connected with 12 different receivers over the course of Sunday Night’s game. Matt Ryan and the Falcons with 7. That’s not a low number, as 6 or 7 targets in the passing game is fairly typical at this level of competition.

The glimpses of this dynamic Falcon offense came on their first two series where they got five different receivers involved. They ran the ball as well, getting Julio Jones and Jacquizz Rodgers opportunities there along with their usual handoffs to Michael Turner. The Falcons ran the rub route for Harry Douglas to success on 3rd down, something that should be used more often. Later in the game, Eric Weems even got a reception, his first of the year. The Falcons used misdirection very effectively and it caught the Packers defense off-balance early on. After those two drives, the Falcons did very little misdirection plays and I would say non-coincidentally the offense stagnated.

The Falcons have to try and get more weapons involved on offense to make it harder for opposing defenses to defend. One of the issues that teams have to deal with when they play the Packers is that you have to defend the entire field. If you focus on Jermichael Finley or Greg Jennings, then Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Donald Driver, or James Jones are bound to hurt you. Players like John Kuhn, Tom Crabtree, D.J. Williams, and Alex Green have gotten a few touches on offense and also can become reliable outlets for Rodgers when those other more dynamic players are unavailable.

The Falcons should treat some of their lesser players similarly. Everyone knows about Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones. The Falcons made some strides Sunday night with plays designed to Jason Snelling and Harry Douglas. Jacquizz Rodgers should be more involved than he was last week because he seems to be successful nearly every time he touches the ball. But what about players like Michael Turner, Ovie Mughelli, Michael Palmer, and Eric Weems? They aren’t dynamic options, but in the same mold as Kuhn, Crabtree, Williams, and Green they can add something to the offense when those other more dynamic threats like Gonzo and Jones are covered.

One of the things that hurt the Falcons on Sunday was their inability to stay on schedule and be successful on first down. They started too many drives 2nd & 10, 2nd & 8, and 2nd & 12, which tends to force you to go to your more tried and true options to try and get into a 3rd and manageable situation. Thankfully for the Falcons, they were very successful on those 2nd & Long situations getting the ball in the hands of many of those tried and true playmakers. But it is worth noting that on a 2nd & 13, Jason Snelling got 17 on a screen pass, and Rodgers got 11 on a pitch on 2nd & 12 early on. That suggests that going to White or Gonzo is not always necessary as the Falcons did on half of their 12 second downs where they had 6 or more yards to go to the sticks. On those 6 plays to either Gonzo or White, they were successful on 50% of them. On the 6 plays that did not go to that pair, they were successful on 83%. Those 6 other plays included two runs by Turner, his two best of the night for 8 and 15 yards, a 3-yard catch by Douglas, a 16-yard slant by Jones, and the previously mentioned plays by Snelling and Rodgers.

So it does seem that looking away from Gonzalez and White on occasion has been beneficial to the offense. Pretty much every game the Falcons have played this year, half of Ryan’s pass attempts go to those two players. Which is understandable because Ryan’s rapport is strongest with them and they are the two most reliable options in any given situation. But is that making the Falcons too easy to defend is the question that needs to be asked. Mularkey and Ryan need to put in more effort to throw the ball to other players. Whether that is Jones, Rodgers, Snelling, Palmer, Weems, or Reggie Kelly really does not matter. But I’m betting that regardless of which Falcon player is on the receiving end of those passes and designed plays, it will be beneficial to the offense like it was at various times this past weekend.

Ryan is sacked

Through the first three games of the 2011 season, the Falcons offense has been a disappointment. Things that the Falcons did very well in 2010, they have not done very well in 2011. Last year, the Falcons were 3rd in the league when it came to converting third downs. This year, they are currently tied for 13th. A year ago they were 2nd in the league in time of possession, this year they are 27th. They were the least penalized team in the league in 2010, and now they are the 9th most penalized team. The Falcons were last in the league in generating explosive pass plays, and now have made a minimal improvement to 27th ranked in that regards.

The Falcons seem to have only had success scoring points when they are operating in their no huddle attack. That has caused many fans to levy blame upon offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for the team’s struggles when he’s calling plays. And rightfully so, but it should not be forgotten that one of the reasons why the no huddle is so effective for the Falcons and other NFL teams is because it forces defenses to play vanilla against you. It’s much easier to execute an offense when you don’t have to worry about exotic blitzes, very basic coverages, and the defense playing on its heels and out of breath.

Of course Matt Ryan seems at his best in the no huddle. Any quarterback worth his salt should be.

But what has gone wrong in Atlanta? Are we witnessing a sluggish start for the Falcons, or is this essentially what we’re going to see the rest of the way?

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Recapping news and headlines involving the Falcons from the week of June 26…

Stephen Nicholas

‘Big’ Chance Nicholas returns

The Florida Times-Union visited Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas at his youth football camp last weekend to discuss the possibility of what he might do this season. Nicholas is a prospective free agent. Nicholas indicated that he wants to test the market, but also said there is a “big” chance that he will return to Atlanta. The Falcons tagged Nicholas with a restricted free agent tender, which he did not sign. But if the Collective Bargaining Agreement is made before the start of the 2011 season, then Nicholas due to having four years of experience should become an unrestricted free agent. Nicholas was a regular attendee of the Falcons player-organized “Camp Exile” during the month of June. (Source: Tania Ganguli, Florida Times-Union)

Schillinger at around 85 percent

Writing up some observations from the Falcons player-organized “Camp Exile,” D. Orlando Ledbetter indicates that free safety Shann Schillinger, who is coming off a broken ankle he suffered in the penultimate game of last season is around 85 percent recovered. Schillinger indicated that he is making steady progress daily on his recovery and can participate in football-related drills, including 7-on-7 drills at Camp Exile. He appeared with a notable limp during the final practice. Schillinger is expected to have a bigger role this year on defense, as he will be tasked with replacing veteran Erik Coleman. (Source: D. Orlando Ledbetter, Atlanta-Journal Constitution)

Mularkey excited about the upcoming year

Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was enjoying some vacationing time in Cherrokee County, North Carolina when the Andrews Journal caught up with him to discuss the upcoming season. Mularkey spoke on his desire to try and keep the Falcons offensive line intact, due to three of the team’s five starter being impending free agents.

We had five fantastic guys last season. They are a special group, and I wish we could keep them together forever. They are one of the most physical offensive lines in the league. If we don’t sign them back up, it will be disappointing … but that is just business in the NFL.

Mularkey also broached the topic of the Falcons incoming rookie class, praising wideout Julio Jones. He also expressed confidence that even without contact with the coaches, those rookies would be getting a lot of help from Matt Ryan during player-organized workouts, calling the team’s fourth-year quarterback a “coach on the field.” (Source: Robert Horne, Andrews Journal)

Falcons ‘not panicked’ about O-line

On the subject of the potential impending shakeup of the Falcons offensive line, Dan Pompei writes that the Falcons wont’ be too worried if they lose multiple starters via free agency. Offensive tackle Tyson Clabo, and guards Harvey Dahl and Justin Blalock are potential free agents. Per Pompei, the team is confident that three of the linemen they have drafted over the past three drafts: Garrett Reynolds, Mike Johnson, and Joe Hawley, can potentially fill the voids left by any of those players. Reynolds has worked primarily as a reserve at right guard behind Dahl, but played right tackle while in college, making him a possible candidate to replace Clabo. Johnson played left guard last season behind Blalock. Hawley has worked primarily as the backup center behind Todd McClure, but has also gotten reps at the guard spots as well. (Source: Dan Pompei, National Football Post)

Jackson working out on his own

Falcons took Fresno State guard Andrew Jackson in the seventh round of this year’s draft. And while he did not attend any of the team’s player-organized workouts since being drafted, or will be attending along with some of his other new teammates at the NFLPA-organized rookie symposium this week, Jackson has been keeping busy. He has been staying in shape and working out at facilities at his alma mater. He also has spent time visiting local high school football camps to talk to the kids about football. (Source: Anthony Barstow, Grass Valley Union)