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The First Quarter

Tuesday - 01/08/08, 01:40PM

Falcons Season Review: The First Quarter

by J. Michael Moore, Atlantafalcons.com Managing Editor
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News » Features » Season Recap » Carolina » Houston » Jacksonville » Minnesota » Alge Crumpler » DeAngelo Hall » Jerious Norwood » Joey Harrington » Keith Brooking » Lawyer Milloy » Matt Prater » Michael Boley » Michael Jenkins » Roddy White » Warrick Dunn »

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the next two weeks AtlantaFalcons.com will be reviewing the Falcons 2007 four games at a time. This week, we look at games one through four. Check back Thursday for games five through eight.


FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The first quarter of the Falcons 2007 season can be characterized by offensive struggles and missed opportunity, but the team did settle in after an 0-3 start to pick up a much-needed home victory over Houston -- a team that finished at .500 for the first time in franchise history and held it's own in what proved to be an extremely tough AFC South.


Minnesota Vikings 24, Atlanta Falcons 3
The Metrodome
Week 1

A 16-game regular season is too long to form any lasting habits. But, Falcons players would agree that the team's season-opening loss at Minnesota presented some offensive issues that would persist for most of the season. In the process, however, the team showed a more balanced attack with run and pass and a defense that had a knack for the exciting play.

Things turned south early for the Falcons in the season opener as quarterback Joey Harrington was picked off by defensive tackle Pat Williams, who returned the ball 54 yards for a touchdown, on just the seventh offensive snap.

The Falcons defense played well for most of the game, holding the Vikings scoreless in the first half and forcing a field goal early in the third quarter.

But the offense was forced to fight an up-hill battle for most of the game when it came to field position. The Falcons average starting field position was at their own 22 and just four times did Harrington pilot the group into Vikings territory, the first of which ended in a missed 44-yard field goal attempt by Matt Prater.

For the game the Falcons had two turnovers, including a second interception at the goal line that cornerback Antoine Winfield returned for a late score. The team did, however, convert 50 percent of its third downs and put together 295 yards of total offense.

One exciting moment came in the third quarter when DeAngelo Hall recorded the 13th interception of his career off a tipped pass. The ball would have escaped the grasp of most cornerbacks. Hall, however, made a diving stab at the pigskin and returned it for 19 yards to the Atlanta 41.


STAT OF THE GAME: Rushing yards per carry... Vikings 5.1, Falcons 3.4. Rookie running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 103 yards and had a game-clinching touchdown on a 60-yard reception.


QUOTABLE: "Someone said afterwards that If we didn't have bad luck we wouldn't have had no luck at all today," Harrington said. "Sometimes the ball bounces the other way and today it happened to be in a game that was one of those claw 'em out kind of days. It's frustrating because we did a lot of things right and there were one or two bounces that went their way."


FROM THE BLOG: "I've been in a lot of press boxes over the years. I've feared for my life in high school boxes supported by rotting timber and I've enjoyed the open-air workspace in beautiful San Diego. But, I've never worked in a press box that required ear plugs."


MORE FROM THE FALCONS SEASON OPENER:


Jacksonville Jaguars 13, Atlanta Falcons 7
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
Week 2

A muggy, hot day in Jacksonville turned even stickier as the Falcons were forced to make sense of an 0-2 start and the loss of a "winnable" game.

Big plays were key again, however, as quarterback Joey Harrington was sacked seven times and Falcons fell, 13-7. 

The Falcons remained in the game into the final quarter. But Jacksonville used a 13-play, 50-yard drive to set up a game-clinching field goal by John Carney with less than four minutes to play. Atlanta's offense drove into the red zone twice in the game, but managed just seven points. Kicker Matt Prater missed two field goals.

Warrick Dunn moved into sole possession of third place on the Falcons all-time rushing list during the game along with recording his first rushing touchdown of the season. The offensive line opened the door for 82 rushing yards and, early in the game,  Harrington had chances to connect with a new favorite target -- wide receiver Roddy White.

White finished the day with four catches for 81 yards.

“I’m pleased with our effort, but disappointed with the way we executed down the stretch," tight end Alge Crumpler said. "We definitely had some things we could have done better. However, the front four for Jacksonville that showed up today was not necessarily the front that showed up last week when we watched the Tennessee film... They stepped up and made plays today and feasted on the opportunity that they had.”


STAT OF THE GAME: Former kicker Matt Prater was 0-of-2 on field goals as the team lost by six points. He was released the following week.


QUOTABLE: "We’re going home next week and have to protect our house," cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. "We can watch the film and make corrections, but we’re going back to our dome at home. Our fans will be behind us and we have to try to win for them.”


FROM THE BLOG: "The Falcons are now 0-2 on the season and looking to rebound. But, I must say there's no better place to do that than at home in front of friendly fans against -- what many could say -- is your biggest rival (Carolina)."


MORE FROM THE FALCONS-JAGUARS GAME:


Carolina Panthers 27, Atlanta Falcons 20
The Georgia Dome
Week 3

The Falcons offense scored 10 points in the first two games of the 2007 season. The group doubled that in one game against Carolina, but came up short to its division rival in Week 3.

But it was penalties on both sides of the ball, including a foul-ridden series on a game-tying touchdown drive by the Panthers, that clipped the Falcons' wings as they were beginning to take flight.

The Falcons fell behind 3-0 on a John Kasay field goal with 10:53 remaining in the second quarter, but stormed back to take the lead on wide receiver Roddy White's first touchdown of the 2007 season. White, who finished the game with a then-career-high 127 receiving yards, stepped out of a tackle to spring free on a 69-yard catch and run with 9:19 remaining in the opening half.

He flipped head first into the end zone to ignite the frenzied crowd just a bit more.

“I think we did a pretty good job," White said. "We didn’t finish some plays. We could have caught some balls and stopped drives. We left some points out there. Overall, we did all right, but we left a lot of stuff out there. We could have got a lot more points.”

The defense faced more of the Panthers air attack in the second half -- including a deep ball intended for Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith, who was held to one catch in the game. A pass interference call on cornerback DeAngelo Hall gave the Panthers first down inside Falcons territory. On the next play, Hall was whistled for a personal foul.

Atlanta forced fourth down at the Falcons 29 but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Hall gave the visitors a first down in the red zone. Two plays later the Panthers tied the game.

"I was trying to quick-jam him as soon as they snapped the ball and I got flagged," Hall said. "The referee told me it was unnecessary roughness."

The Pro Bowl cornerback said the second flag came when he and Smith were "jawing" at one another.

"I definitely take responsibility for my penalties," he said.

The Panthers also scored on their next drive, this time with a 10-yard run by DeShaun Foster, who finished the game with 122 rushing yards.


STAT OF THE GAME: The Falcons finished the game with 10 penalties for 135 yards.


QUOTABLE: “We had chances to make plays and we just didn’t make them," running back Jerious Norwood said. "We have to be more focused and more positive about what we have to do.”


FROM THE BLOG: "Crews here at the Georgia Dome are removing the Falcons logo from midfield to get ready for another event. It's fitting considering the Falcons will want to erase this game from their memories."

 
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Atlanta Falcons 26, Houston Texans 16
The Georgia Dome
Week 4

It seems strange that, in a state suffering one of the worst droughts in its history, the Falcons would have to weather a storm. But that's exactly what Atlanta did at the Georgia Dome against the Texans, jumping out to a two-score lead and holding on for a 26-16 victory -- the first win of 2007.

"We have been fighting through adversity all year long and the team has played hard, practiced hard and prepared hard," former Head Coach Bobby Petrino said. "It paid off today and that is a good feeling. I like the way we played."

The team built a 20-7 lead over the Texans with two first-half touchdown passes from quarterback Joey Harrington to wide receiver Michael Jenkins. Jenkins finished the game with 64 receiving yards and two scores.

Harrington completed 23-of-29 passes for 223 yards (the fourth-highest completion percentage in team history). His rating was 121.7 and he didn't throw an interception for a second straight week. His second touchdown pass to Jenkins gave the Falcons a 17-7 advantage with 8:22 remaining in the first half.

The team trailed 7-3 with 5:34 left in the first quarter, but counter punched after a Texans touchdown with an eight-play, 68-yard drive finished with a Jenkins touchdown. That gave the Falcons a 10-7 lead they never relinquished.

Houston didn't make it easy, though, especially in the second half.

Twice in the third quarter the Texans drove deep into Falcons territory. Twice the visitors walked away with field goals. The second series ended with a pass attempt on third-and-goal at the 1 that was broken up by a Lawyer Milloy blitz. By forcing Kris Brown kicks, the Falcons were able to keep their lead at no less than seven.

“We were talking on the sidelines the whole time saying: 'It’s going to fall on the defense’s shoulders to win this ball game. We’re going to have to make a stop in the end.'" linebacker Keith Brooking said. "That’s the way most NFL games work and we really focused on that all week.”


STAT OF THE GAME: After recording 135 yards of penalties in Week 3, the Birds were flagged just twice for 20 yards in the season's first win.


QUOTABLE: “Man it was great to finally get a win," linebacker Michael Boley said. "I have never been 0-3 in anything and that was my mentality throughout practice. We wanted to just fix the problems that we were facing.”


FROM THE BLOG: "Tonight is about celebrating. Tomorrow is about work. And how sweet it is to go to Flowery Branch on a 'Victory Monday.'"


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