5 Questions with the Falcons

Like Michael Vick, I thought about just giving you all the finger this week and whining about how mean the readers are but then I realized the NFFB (National Federation of Football Bloggers) would fine me $4.50 and make me give another $4.50 to the bartender of my choice so I decided to just go ahead and do the 5 Questions.

This week, we are pleased to trade up with Dave at The Falcoholic, which is just about the best blogname I've encountered so far. Our answers to Dave's questions can be found here. Head over to The Falcoholic, read our answers and drop a comment, but keep it clean, no Vicking. And by that I mean no Michael-style flipping the bird or Marcus-style stomping, waving guns around or banging 15 year olds after buying beer for them.

And with that, on to our questions.

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Curly R: Michael Vick. The father of the coach called him a coachkiller. Whose voice was that really, Jim Mora Jr, or Jim Mora Sr? Two years ago Michael had this team in the NFC Championship, then last year the team started strong and wilted at the end with a 2-6 stretch. Again, things started well this season, and now the team is enduring a 4-game losing streak. How much of this is Michael?

The Falcoholic: I'd be willing to blame 50% of Vick's problems on him, and 50% on the coaching staff. For the fortunes of the entire team...Vick gets maybe 15% of the blame from me. He's a talented and extremely inconsistent guy, which is frustrating to no end, as he never quites seems to put it all together. But the secondary's been terrible, there's been key injuries, the receivers have dropped passes, and the coaching staff has made some extremely wacky calls. Even last year you could clearly point at the coaching staff and a horrendous coverage unit as bigger reason than Vick. That being said, he's been awful the last few weeks and was most
of the second half last year. The only way I can defend him is by nothing that there have been others more at fault than him--but he's still been a subpar QB, at best.


Curly R: How's that TJ Duckett-Ashley Lelie trade working out for you guys? Over here in Washington, TJ is on pace for about 30 carries for about 130 yards...for the season. Just effing brilliant Mr. Snyder.

The Falcoholic: I'm not sure why you guys aren't using Duckett more. He's had conditioning problems in the past, but he's an excellent goal line and short yardage back, and it seems like he was picked up just to add a veteran presence to the bench. That being said, Lelie's been more or less a bust, as well. He's shown flashes of talent, but he doesn't get open enough and Vick can't seem to get the ball to him, so he's done roughly jack. He's on pace to produce 26 receptions and 447 yards with no TDs, which...isn't very good.


Curly R: Who on this team don't I know about? Who's going to make the impact play Sunday? Which individual matchup looks best and which looks worst for the Falcons?

The Falcoholic: You might not be familiar with rookie Jerious Norwood, a halfback with blinding speed and a good sense of where the holes are opening. He could be very impressive one day. You might also not know Michael Boley, a very talented outside linebacker who has a knack for the big play. In fact, if I had to choose an impact play, I'd say Boley will author it. Best matchup would definitely be Alge Crumpler against Vernon Fox/ Adam Archuleta. He absolutely eats most safeties for breakfast, and I'm reasonably confident he can get around on Sean Taylor, too. The worst matchup is probably any of our receivers against your cornerbacks. You and I could probably blanket cover the Falcons' receivers at this point, so perhaps that's not saying that much, but it's not a matchup I look forward to.


Curly R: The future. There is a perception that Michael Vick has been as much about selling tickets in Atlanta as he has been about winning football games. Is that a fair characterization? With Michael reduced to flipping off the fans and this offseason's premiere free agent quarterback sitting on the bench behind Michael, what happens next season? Will the Falcons let Matt Schaub (Wahoowa!) get away? If not, can they keep both Michael and Matt? Who's playing where next season?

The Falcoholic: Owner Arthur Blank definitely cares about winning, but Vick makes him so much money that he's not foolish enough to get rid of him. Schaub has a good arm and good instincts, but there's no guarantee he's not another Doug Johnson, who basically sucked after the first couple games he played. Ideally we'd keep Schaub around, but I bet he goes to somewhere like the Lions where he could be used as a starter. That would leave DJ Shockley, who I really like, actually, as the backup QB. But Vick isn't going to be riding the pine unless he becomes so awful that they can't win any games at all. Potentially, the Falcons could load a deal with incentives and signing bonuses to keep Schaub, but I'm not sure they'll do it. Until Vick gets better, however, it's going to be fair to say that Blank and the team care more about money than winning. I can't entirely debate it.


Curly R: Ownership and management. What's the fan take on Arthur Blank and Rich McKay? Are they doing the right things for the organization, or is a new direction needed? If you were in charge, what's the first thing you would do?

The Falcoholic: Blank and McKay are well respected by the majority of Falcons fans, I feel. They're responsible, willing to make strides to fix their problems, and Blank has an awful lot of resources. That being said, there are times where I think they try really hard and fail to get the right player--guys like Hartwell, for example, who just don't end up working out the way you want them to. But they're difficult to blame for the Falcons stinking, because the Falcons have almost always stunk. I would say a new direction might be necessary in the coaching staff, not the higher ups. If I was in charge...I'd get a coach who would put Vick in the best position to win. I'd go out and sign a truly elite receiver and let him throw on the run and give him a season or two to develop. If he didn't, despite his massive contract, I would move him and get a conventional pocket passer and try to go from there.


Curly R BONUS QUESTION: Your cab didn't show and now you may miss your flight. You have to get all the way from Buckhead to Atlanta-Hartsfield. Based on your opinion of the Falcons players, who's the player that would drop everything and get you there through rush hour? Who would give you the worst excuse and what would it be?

The Falcoholic: Alge Crumpler would be the one who would drop everything. He's the guy who comes up big when you need him to, and he'd show up just before I had to take a cab. He would swear and swerve in and out of traffic, but he'd still be a lifesaver. Meanwhile, Roddy White would drive past me and plow into a group of pedestrians because he "lost his concentration".

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I think it is going to be an interesting offseason for the Falcons. The time to decide whether to stick with Michael Vick for another four to five seasons, to jettison him and promote Schaub, or Other is rapidly approaching. Playing poorly is tough enough on your fanbase, but freaking out on them, well, the golden goose may be leaving the building.

Thanks to Dave for trading up with us. Get over there and drop a comment, and we'll see you for the game!