FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Falcons players shook plenty of hands at community appearances around Atlanta Tuesday. Many were children wanting a photo of an autograph. Some were adults congratulating the team on defying expectations through the first five weeks of the season.
The Birds thanked them for their support and compliments but 2008 hasn't been a surprise to them.
A new brand of football has officially overtaken the locker room and meeting rooms and the upset win in Green Bay and 3-2 record are just the highest profile reminders. A victory Sunday over the visiting Chicago Bears would further validate what the Falcons already know.
"This is a big game for us," linebacker Keith Brooking said. "...This would really set some momentum up for us going into our bye week."
A sellout crowd is expected at the Dome for what promises to be the biggest game of the season. Several on the team talked this week about the importance of fans on Sunday afternoon. It's not as hospitable as a hand shake, but a loud crowd is the ultimate reward for a hard-working Falcons team.
"It feels good and I think as a team we're trying to get our fans back the right way," added veteran safety Lawyer Milloy. "We're trying to win ball games, tryig to come to work with a positive attitude and show the kind of product we're building. That's the way you get people back in the stands. We've been playing good at home and we need them. We need that 12th man."
FRONT LINES: A young Todd McClure hung a photo of legendary defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry on his wall as the Bears marched to defensive supremacy in the 1980s.
While the 2008 Chicago Bears don't sport colorful nicknames, they have their own ways of drawing attention. McClure and the Falcons offense must prepare for multiple threats including linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs and defensive tackle Tommie Harris. There's also defensive back Charles Tillman, who has forced four turnovers this season.
"They play a lot of games and walk a lot of backers up to the line of scrimmage," McClure said. "We're just going to see if we can find some keys here or there to what they're doing... I think the biggest thing is to just come off the ball. Don't hesitate and react to what they're doing. We have to go after them and make them react to what we're doing."
Chicago allows just 74.2 yards a game on the ground. The Falcons -- No. 2 in the league in rushing -- have rushed for 404 yards at the Georgia Dome this season.
Fullback Ovie Mughelli said Bears linebackers have the speed to respond if a team runs away from them and the strength to attack if they're pressed one-on-one. Either way, Atlanta spent time this week figuring out how to establish a running game.
"Those two linebackers are very good players and I think their front seven is very strong," Head Coach Mike Smith said. "They have a number of defensive linemen. You can't tell the difference. There's seven of them that they play and I think all of them play extremely well."
SCORING POTENTIAL: Rookie running back Matt Forte's build resembles that of a healthy Eddie George. And the Bears are using him in much the same way the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans did on the way to a Super Bowl appearance.
Through five games Forte leads Chicago in rushing and receiving. He has seven more receptions than the team's leading wide receiver (Brandon Lloyd) and 77 more rushing attempts than second-team running back Kevin Jones. Shut down Forte and the Falcons may lock up the Bears offense.
Quarterback Kyle Orton threw for a career-high 334 yards last week in a victory over Detroit but he could be without a starting wide receiver (Lloyd has a knee injury). The Bears offensive line has also surrendered 11 sacks this season.
"Right now he's definitely a guy that's controlling the game," Milloy said of Orton. "He's not losing the game for them. He's keeping them in every game and I think as the weeks go on and he progresses they're taking more and more shots with him. We just want to control them on Sunday and control their offense."
Chicago is ninth in the NFL in rushing offense behind Forte but ranks in the middle of the pack in passing offense. The team will always have a chance to score, however, with return man/wide receiver Devin Hester in the game.
Hester has 11 returns for touchdowns in his three-year career and added wide receiver to his skill set this season. He's fifth on the team in receiving (10 catches for 106 yards) and his tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns (2).
When it comes to the return game the Falcons seem suited for handling the threat. Three players have five or more special teams tackles and punter Michael Koenen placed all three of his punts inside the 20 yard line last week.
SHUFFLING THE CARDS: Falcons wide receiver Roddy White missed Thursday and Friday's practice after colliding with a defensive player. Smith stressed the move to keep White out of drills was precautionary. If he is unable to play, the Falcons can turn to some depth at wide receiver and rely on rookie Harry Dougals (six catches for 52 yards) and veteran Brian Finneran (two catches for 10 yards).
Wide receiver Laurent Robinson (knee) and defensive tackle Jaosn Jefferson (ankle) missed practice for another week.
More injury information from both teams is available on the Saint Joseph's Injury Report.
THE SKINNY: A turnover or big play could decide the victor in this game of evenly-matched teams.
The Falcons and Bears are guided by defensive gurus that want to be mentally and physically strong along the line of scrimmage. Both like to establish a running game and both rely on pressure from the defensive line to get turnovers in the passing game.
"This is going to be one of those very physical football games," Smith said. "We like to say we're a physical football team and they're one as well. There will be a lot of one-on-one battles and I think it will be a good 15-rounder."
NUMBERS, NOTES AND COLORS: Some digits, info and hues to get you ready for Sunday's game against the Bears...
- The Falcons will wear red jersey's Sunday against the Bears
- Michael Turner, who grew up in Illinois, has more than 35 friends and family members attending the game.
- Chicago leads the overall series between the teams 12-10.
- Atlanta won nine games against the Bears from 1968 to 1983.
- The Bears have won eight of the last nine meetings.
- Atlanta coaching assistant Doug Plank started for eight seasons as a defensive back for the Bears.
- The Falcons 727 rushing yards in September led the NFL.
- John Abraham has 17 sacks in his last 20 games.
- The Falcons have allowed just one quarterback sack in three wins this season.
MORE FALCONS-BEARS COVERAGE:
- SCOUTING REPORT: Strength the key in Falcons-Bears matchup
- FALCONCAST: J. Mike and Matt preview Sunday's game | Fantasy Football
- NFL FILMS: Preview the game with these feature from NFL Films
- ASK THE COACH: Quarterbacks chat with assistant coach Bill Musgrave
- BLOGS: Check out more news and features from the AF.com blog crew
- RELEASE: Falcons, Ford urge fans to "Defend the Dome"
- NOTEBOOK: Falcons look to shore up pass defense
- TRANSCRIPT: Head Coach Mike Smith
- AWARDS: Smith, Ryan up for weekly awards on NFL.com
- VIDEO: Mike Smith | Ryan | Abraham | Milloy | Turner
- NFL NETWORK: Running back Michael Turner on NFL Team Cam
- FOE AUDIO: Bears head coach Lovie Smith | Brian Urlacher
- INJURY REPORT: Injury news from Saint Joseph's Hospital
- FROM THE TRAINING ROOM: Team doctor discusses "stingers"
- HOMETOWN HUDDLE: Falcons thank fans, visit students
