FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – It’s the upstart against the gold standard of NFL franchises.
Nothing might have shocked The Existing NFL world order last season more than the combination of these two facts: the Falcons’ winning 11 games and making the playoffs under a new regime after coming off a disastrous four-win season while New England missed the playoffs (with an 11-win season, by the way) after coming off an unbeaten regular season.
This Sunday when the 2-0 Falcons meet the 1-1 Patriots, fresh off a bitter loss to their AFC East rival New York Jets, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., another chapter will be written in the 2009 NFL playbook.
With a win, the Falcons will climb to the top of most experts’ lists as one of the best teams in the NFC, if not the league. If the reverse is true, New England will preserve its lofty status for a bit longer.
In short, the game is a measuring stick.
“It’s very important to put a ‘W’ on the board,” said General Manager Thomas Dimitroff, who came to the Falcons after serving as the Patriots director of college scouting, earlier this week in an interview with AM 790 The Zone. “We have the mindset of ‘Hey, let’s see where we really are with this team, the evolution of this team.’ “
“…This is where it counts the most against a benchmark, blue-print organization.”
For his part, New England head coach Bill Belichick, the architect of New England’s three Super Bowl victories in four years between 2000 and 2004 who employed Dimitroff’s father while coach of the Cleveland Browns, was complimentary of the Falcons’ program.
“Well, I think Thomas has done a great job of putting the team together,” Belichick said earlier this week on a conference call. “It seems like every time Thomas has made a move, or done something whether it’s draft a guy or sign a guy like [Michael] Turner or trade for a guy like [Tony] Gonzalez or get a guy like Brian Williams, it’s always something that makes the team significantly better.
“And at the same time they have a lot of good young players like [Eric] Weems and [Christopher] Owens and [Antoine] Harris and guys like that who are showing up for them in the kicking game and various roles and they’re doing a real good job, too.”
Belichick described the game as a “big challenge” that will keep New England’s “hands full.”
The Falcons are approaching it the same way.
One week after the Falcons surrendered 308 yards and a touchdown to veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme -- Chris Houston’s late interception making the difference between a win and Carolina potentially tying the score -- the Falcons face perhaps the league’s most feared quarterback in Tom Brady, even if he is coming off a knee injury that caused him to miss all but the first quarter of the first game last season.
Last week the New York Jets, with exceptional defensive back play, defeated Brady who was minus one of his top receivers in Wes Welker (knee).
While not the deep threat that Randy Moss represents, Welker, a model of consistency, might be equally integral to the Patriots’ offense. Over the past two seasons he has caught 112 and 111 passes, respectively, for 1,175 yards (2007) and 1,165 yards (2008). Those 223 receptions over the last two seasons lead the NFL.
Welker, who did not practice on Wednesday, did participate on Thursday.
“He does a very good job working the underneath zones and the check downs,” Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith said. “We fully anticipate that he’s going to play but that is a completely different dimension when you add Wes into it. Also he’s a factor on special teams as a returner. If he plays, like we anticipate, it’ll be another weapon that they’ll have at their disposal.”
A major difference between the Falcons’ holding the Miami Dolphins to seven points in the opener and allowing the Panthers’ to score 20 last week was the pass rush. The Falcons had four sacks in Week 1 to only one in Week 2.
They must pressure Brady to limit the Patriots’ offense.
“They’re averaging 50 passes a game so the D-line definitely has to play well because we’ve got to take a lot of pressure off our own DBs,” said Falcons defensive end John Abraham, who has 10 career sacks against New England from his days as a Jet. “We don’t want Tom sitting back there a long time and have time to, I guess, dissect our defense, so our big thing is trying to get to him as many times as possible.”
On offense, the Falcons must contend with perhaps the only team in the NFL capable of alternating from play to play the look of its defensive front from a 3-4 to a 4-3. To that end, recognizing the front and communicating blocking assignments when the Falcons break the huddle will be a key.
Smith said those duties for center Todd McClure and quarterback Matt Ryan “will be paramount.”
Falcons tight end Justin Peelle, a player who will have to know his blocking assignments on running plays, said that has made for a lot more time studying film.
“It can be tough if you’re not prepared,” he said.
Of course, one factor that has led to the perception of New England’s not being the same team that won its first 18 games in 2007 before a stunning Super Bowl upset at the hands of the New York Giants is new personnel.
Gone from New England’s 2008 team are linebacker Mike Vrabel (traded to Kansas City in the Matt Cassel deal), defensive tackle Richard Seymour (traded to Oakland for a first-round pick), linebacker Tedy Bruschi (retired) and safety Rodney Harrison (retired). In addition, two-time Pro-Bowl corner back Asante Samuel departed via free agency after the ’07 season.
But Ryan said he didn’t see a difference.
“The two games we’ve watched, they’ve played well,” he said. “And there hasn’t been a lot of points scored on them this year. They’ve done a great job. So, especially up front, they’ve got some guys who can make some plays. Vince Wilfork is one of the best players in the league and does a great job in a two-gap scheme and in 4-3 scheme so we’ve got our work cut out for us. And I think they’ve got some really good personnel.”
Regardless of whether the names are the same, one still remains: Belichick. The aura and mystique of his game-planning has taken on almost legendary status.
If Smith and his Falcons can add a chink in that aura, their own esteem will only grow.
MORE FALCONS-PATRIOTS COVERAGE:
- SCOUTING REPORT: Patriots defense offers unique test
- FALCONCAST: J. Mike and Matt break down this week's game
- INJURY REPORT: Injury news from the Falcons and Patriots
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more in the NFL.com Game Center
- NOTEBOOK: Wednesday news from Flowery Branch
- VIDEO: Interviews and more from Falcons-Patritos Week
- EXPERTS: An expert thought on the Falcons and the NFL
- SUPERFAN: A smack cartoon to get you ready for gameday
