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14	November 2018

Falcons vs Panthers: Why this offensive performance could be a turning point for Steve Sarkisian

On first glance Womens Customized Atlanta Falcons Jerseys , the Falcons� offensive performance against the Panthers appeared to be one of the strongest � if not the strongest � yet against a very good defense. However, we can often get swept up in the emotion of watching our team succeed, so I decided to re-watch the entire game to see if it held up under closer scrutiny.The good news is this: I actually came away more impressed with what Steve Sarkisian and Matt Ryan did in the game. In fact, what we saw in this game could be the turning point for Sark as a play caller. This offense looked far more like the 2016 version than anything Sarkisian did in 2017, including the trouncing of Green Bay back in Week 2 of the 2017 season. This was a highly encouraging performance that I hope the team builds on. Here�s what I saw that made me believe we can all be cautiously optimistic going forward.Sarkisian�s use of motion and play-buildingOne of my biggest complaints about the play calling in 2017 was that it didn�t utilize motion much and it didn�t build on plays throughout the game. Last night finally executed on both of those concepts. Pre-snap motion was a huge part of the 2016 offense. It has multiple benefits. It gives the QB an idea of what coverage he�s facing. It can also put an offensive player in a better matchup depending on the coverage you do see. It can also put the defense in a pickle if they�re trying to disguise their coverage. The Falcons used it extensively on Sunday, and it almost always paid off. In fact, I quit counting the number of times they used pre-snap motion, because it was happening on almost every single play. The play-building concept is simple: show the defense formations early that you use later in the game but for a different purpose. Shanahan was brilliant with this, as he�d often set up a defense to expect a run in a TE-heavy formation then pass out of it later for big gains. Sarkisian didn�t do this effectively in 2017, but he did it several times against the Panthers. This wasn�t perfect, but it was clear he had a much better idea of how to set up the defense to bite on those earlier looks. If Steve Sarkisian can execute on this even better, this is something that could pay off with more of the big, explosive plays we got used to seeing in 2016.Using guys correctlyThis was a big criticism of the 2017 season: Guys were not being used to their strengths. That was clearly not the case on Sunday. Tevin Coleman and Ito Smith were smartly used in the passing game. Mohamed Sanu and Justin Hardy were used a good bit for their excellent run and pass blocking skills. Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley were used for their tight route running and break away speed, especially on crossers that lets them get away from defenders. Austin Hooper was given one-on-one match-ups with linebackers and targeted specifically in those situations. Additionally, the offense did not try to force feed Julio throughout the game. They spread the ball around � another staple of the 2016 offense � and took advantage of the matchups they felt they had the advantage with. Perfect example: On the TD pass to Calvin Ridley, they clearly thought Ridley�s route running would win against the rookie CB for the Panthers � and it absolutely did.Better executionWhile this may not seem like something directly attributable to Sark, it absolutely speaks to the confidence and preparedness the offense had going into the game. The entire team cleaned up on the penalties from last week and the overall execution was far tighter. Part of the offensive coordinator�s job is to have his unit prepared and confident in the plan, and it was clear that was the case on Sunday.Some final random observationsAustin Hooper is fantastic at selling his pick plays. He did it several times throughout the game to great effect.Wes Schweitzer had a much better game than I realized. Looked very comfortable at LG.I didn�t have a problem with the wildcat call. If Luke Kuechly is blocked and Sanu hands off, that gains a bunch of yards easily.The play action calls were called at the right time and seemed to be very effective.The Hooper TD was a great design. RB in the flat (for an easy first down) was option two if the CB stayed deep with the TE. Gave Hoop a one-on-one with the LB, which he won easily.While I don�t want to get too excited, it�s hard to not see the progress Sarkisian made in this game. He absolutely needs to build on this and continue to execute on these same principles. If he does, this Falcons offense could be a Top 10 � and maybe even Top 5 � unit once again.Falcons 7 - Dolphins 34 final score: A form of eye torture in some countries Atlanta�s deep reserves largely got the stuffing knocked out of them against the Dolphins, which was both disappointing and sort of expected. The Falcons now have to sift through the tape from that awful effort and figure out who belongs on the roster and practice squad. That doesn�t seem like it�ll be an easy task.The offense was led by Malik Williams, who did a solid job, and basically no one else. Kurt Benkert looked mediocre, Justin Crawford struggled www.falconscheapshops.com , Reggie Davis had a nightmare game, and the offensive line utterly failed to block well throughout. The defense was a little better, but only a little, with a handful of sacks and quality plays and some very bad angles and missed tackles throughout the evening. It was a pretty dismal effort, but thankfully, it came with mostly players who will never see the field for Atlanta this season. Now the question is who won the remaining few jobs, especially the returner gigs, and I don�t know that we got a lot closer to answering that, which has been the maddening part of this entire summer. Thankfully, we don�t have to wait long to find out. Here�s the drive-by-drive breakdown, which is abbreviated at times due to genuine frustration and boredom. First QuarterThe Falcons didn�t start things off right. Sadly. Despite some nice tackles by Emmanuel Ellerbe and Jonathan Celestin, the Dolphins had little trouble moving down the field on their first drive, overcoming a fourth and short to score the game�s first touchdown.Falcons 0 - Dolphins 7Atlanta showed their intent to get Justin Crawford involved early on, and the back picked up six yards on two carries (and returned a kick) before Kurt Benkert whiffed on a third down pass behind a horrendous backup line. David Marvin punt.The Dolphins had to chuck the ball into the dirt and Brock Osweiler was almost picked off, but poor tackling once again put the Falcons in a deep hole, and the Dolphins had little trouble scoring.Falcons 0 - Dolphins 14A Reggie Davis drop, an incomplete pass, and a sack where Matt Gono got destroyed ended the next drive before it really started. Punt. The Falcons got the stop on the next drive, with Anthony Winbush getting a sack and a couple of solid plays in coverage to put the brakes on the Dolphins. Punt.The Falcons got a Matt Gono holding penalty and then a tipped Kurt Benkert interception. The Dolphins scored almost immediately, going seven yards on two plays.Falcons 0 - Dolphins 21The Falcons got moving a little thanks to Malik Williams running reasonably well and catching a pass from Kurt Benkert for a first down. That marked the end of the first quarter.Second QuarterThe Falcons called a toss sweep and Williams lost a yard. Turnover on downs. The Dolphins attacked the flats and the Falcons politely declined to cover them, leading for some very easy movement down the field for David Fales and the Dolphins offense. Fortunately, they stalled out close to the goal line, in parts thanks to some nice plays by Emmanuel Smith at linebacker. The Dolphins settled for a short field goal.Falcons 0 - Dolphins 24The Falcons stalled out after an early penalty despite a couple of nice, zippy passes from Kurt Benkert. Punt.The Dolphins stalled out and tried a long field goal from Jason Sanders, which they missed. Falcons ball.The Falcons weren�t able to do much with their drive as Benkert once again scuffled and Gono struggled in pass protection. Punt.Atlanta�s defense did get the job done, with a Justin Zimmer pressure highlighting a three and out. Punt.Benkert missed two passes and Malik Williams picked up two yards on his sole run. David Marvin punt. The Dolphins looked lousy but then managed to pick up the first on a David Fales scramble. The drive was mercifully ended by promising UDFA Chris Lammons Atlanta Falcons T-Shirt , who intercepted Fales. Nice job, Chris Lammons. The Falcons turned that into points. A nice Devin Gray catch and an eight yard touchdown run by Malik Williams got the job done.Falcons 7 - Dolphins 24The Dolphins kneeled us into halftime. Third QuarterThe Dolphins couldn�t do much on their first drive, and a 3rd and 17 sack by Garrison Smith put the nail in their coffin. The Falcons got moving with some nice runs by Malik Williams, including a 19 yarder, and a sweet pass from Benkert to Jaeden Graham that took the Falcons 23 yards downfield. The team still ultimately fizzled out around midfield, forcing a punt. The Dolphins got a couple of nice runs from /squintsSome guy named Radcliff, but failed to convert a first down. Punt.The Falcons had lost Malik Williams for the night at this point due to a shoulder injury, but Terrance Magee picked up 10 on his first carry of the drive. Unfortunately, Benkert was sacked shortly thereafter and one thing leading to another led to David Marvin punting.The Dolphins attempted to rescue us from Puntsville with a long, excruciating drive that featured multiple Brock Osweiler scrambles, and they did end up scoring a touchdown on an Osweiler pass. Sigh.Falcons 7 - Dolphins 31Fourth QuarterThe Falcons put Garrett Grayson in the game, but thanks to a drop and a middling Justin Crawford run, his scramble was for naught. Punt. Run, throw, but you�ll never rise from the depths of preseason football, Dolphins. Punt.The Falcons got a couple of solid passes in, but were still forced to punt. David Marvin actually punted well all game, if you�re into that sort of thing. The Dolphins got enough momentum going to get a long Jason Sanders field goal. At this point in the game, the numbers had ceased to matter.Falcons 7 - Dolphins 34Justin Crawford picked up 11 yards on one of his finest runs of the summer, but the Falcons still flamed out and had to punt.The Dolphins tried and failed to bring us to the end of the game, but they at least ran time off the clock. Punt.The Falcons ran it with Magee a handful of times and ended this game, mercifully. Remember: Preseason doesn�t matter much, and the fourth preseason game doesn�t matter at all. One week until actual football games!