FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith used the word twice on Monday in his analysis of what went wrong in his team’s 26-10 loss at New England.
The word was “smart” and the problem was that his team did not play that way in facets that made a profound impact on the direction of the game.
The first time Smith used the word was in reference to the defense of the running game, as the Falcons yielded 168 yards on 39 carries, allowing New England to chew up nearly 40 minutes of game clock.
Some new personnel played different roles on defense on Sunday, with defensive tackle Thomas Johnson starting in place of injured Peria Jerry and defensive tackle Trey Lewis being activated for the first time this season.
Smith did not point to either player, though he did say Lewis, who has not played since November 2007 because of a series of knee injuries, had some rust on him.
Instead, he faulted the defense as a unit for not staying in the right gaps.
Mental errors.
“I think one of the things you have to look at, as is often times when things get hairy, one of the first things to go -- and it’s just human nature in the game of football -- is technique,” Smith said. “Guys are trying hard, believe me. The effort was there. We played hard, I just don’t know that we played smart all the time against the run.”
The second time he used “the word” in reference to penalties.
The Falcons committed seven and while fans might wish to debate the number, Smith mentioned three specifically that hurt the team.
“Believe me it was addressed at the team meeting,” he said. “They were very critical penalties. We had a roughing the passer on the opening drive that would’ve put us in a winnable down and distance. We also had the offensive pass interference and we back that up with an offsides penalty that backed us up into a difficult down and distance.
“… We want to play aggressively but we want to make sure we play smart.”
Defensive end Jamaal Anderson committed the roughing passer call on a drive that resulted in a field goal on New England’s opening possession.
Not only did the call hurt in terms of points, but it contributed to what ended up being the Patriots’ massive advantage in time of possession. That 81-yard drive lasted 8:39.
The second penalty he referenced was on Michael Jenkins and cost the Falcons a touchdown.
The third one was an offsides penalty by left tackle Sam Baker.
ON THE ROAD: Since Smith and General Manager Thomas Dimitroff took over, the Falcons have gotten younger at a number of positions -- more noticeably this year than last.
The last two years, the Falcons are 9-1 at home, including 2-0 this year, but are 4-6 on the road including last season’s playoff loss at Arizona.
Smith said the team’s road performance is an area that he would like to see improved.
“Well, we are a young team,” he said. “I told our guys all through the week, it’s hard to win at home, it’s hard to win on the road, it’s hard to win in the NFL. And we have played better at home. For the most part, you’ll see most teams do, but I don’t think it should be a mental block.
“When we go out on the road, we’ve got to go out and make plays just like we do when we’re playing here in the Georgia Dome. I think that our guys have to have a mindset that wherever you play, when an opportunity arises, you have to make the play. And I think that’s something we will continue to work on.”
SCHEMEING PATRIOTS: The Falcons have not produced a sack from their defensive line over the last two games, but on Sunday Smith seemed to indicate New England’s game plan had something to do with that.
The Patriots showed a completely different look on Sunday than what they had the previous week in their 16-7 loss to the New York Jets.
Smith said on 50 of New England’s offensive snaps the Patriots used formations with two or three tight ends to help protect quarterback Tom Brady, who was hit only twice (once by Kroy Biermann and once by Lewis).
Against the Jets, the Patriots had 70 offensive snaps in which they used a formation with one tight end and three wide receivers.
“We have not rushed the passer as well the last two games as well as we did in the first game,” Smith said. “…And what [the Patriots] wanted to do yesterday, they wanted to make sure they protected their quarterback better than they did the week before. That’s what this game is all about. You can’t really talk about what you did in the previous game because each team is going to make adjustments. They made the adjustment to go with two and three tight end formations.”
Similarly, Falcons defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder had said going into the Carolina game that he thought the Panthers would make protection of quarterback Jake Delhomme an emphasis point after Philadelphia’s pass rush hurt Carolina in Week 1.
The Falcons had only one sack in that game, by linebacker Stephen Nicholas.
SECOND-ARY LOOK: With the benefit of the bye week, Smith said the team would take a “good, long, hard look” at cornerback Tye Hill, who was acquired from St. Louis during the preseason but has yet to play.
Hill has been learning the team’s system and Smith said the week off would provide a good time to see how much he has learned.
Asked to evaluate the performance of cornerbacks Chris Houston and Brent Grimes in Sunday’s game, Smith said, “I thought they made some plays, we left some out there and some we’d like to have back.”
Another defensive back, rookie safety William Moore, should be healthy enough to play against San Francisco, Smith said.
Moore, the team’s second-round draft pick, has missed the bulk of his time with the team since training camp started with a knee injury that was followed by a hamstring injury. Smith also said he expected running back Jerious Norwood (head) would be healthy enough to play against the 49ers on Oct. 11.
