Atlanta Falcons Invincible in Dome, Difficult To Beat in Reality

With all due respect to a team with a relatively exalted turnaround, reaching the level of prominence at the Georgia Dome, a venue that endures an engaging consciousness for the realization of the Atlanta Falcons, it's very perceptible gathering an assumption in which Atlanta is truly an understatement in the league.

After this one, the Falcons are deprived of a prospering streak, perhaps the longest winning streak since 1998, capping its third straight winning season.

In such a prolific business, owner Arthur Blank acquired not only the franchise in 2002, but has flourished as the largest owner-funded foundation in the National Football League established to serve the youth, providing grants to nonprofit organizations across the state of Georgia. So there are the Falcons in the finest joyride, reaching a stride with an intimidating offensive scheme led by the weaponry of a discounted Matt Ryan.

For now, however, there is a proper reaction that the epitome of this team is perseverance, conviction and unity as a way to influence kids in the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, brainwashed by the zealous psyche of the talented and poised NFC South competitors.

Endowed with much star power, from the explosive rushing attack of Michael Turner to the masterful passing ability of Ryan, the Falcons have been brilliant as football lords wrongly disregards a 9-2 record.

For those of you who are still doubtful of the miraculous progress, the annulment is overblown badly overshadowing the incredible juncture, having won nine of 10 games within a rigid schedule.

It amazes me when the Falcons are precisely the hottest team in the NFC, if not in all of football, how a stubborn-minded population depreciates the glamour and quality of the relentless Atlanta.

It's as if the Falcons are still erstwhile, and not destructive or potent for the postseason to cement as a vital burden against its opponent. And finally, once it all began in one of the most loudest venues, defensive end John Abraham, the Falcons' sack leader, had recovered from a groin injury he suffered two weeks ago.

Last week, he tried to endure the pain and play, but after workouts hours before kickoff the coaching staff listed him inactive and coach Mike Smith carefully took precautionary actions on seemingly the Falcons' best defensive star.

Now, all this gibberish regarding the Falcons isn't all so true, not if they are the powerful ones of the NFC, amazingly reminding us of the relevancy and titillation of America's popular sport. How good are the Falcons? In truth, this team is under the radar and misunderstood for all their immeasurable weapons, depth and size. How clutch are the Falcons?


With nine seconds left, Matt Bryant booted a 47-yard field goal to give the Falcons a 20-17 win over the sizzling Green Bay Packers in an amazing Sunday matinee. At the beginning of a thrilling showcase, the Falcons exposed a blistering, lethal rushing attack.

The inexplicable speed of Turner exhausted the weary bodies of Packers defenders, and he was allowed to demonstrate quickness and agility on his home turf, leading the Falcons in considerably a much-needed win.

At long last, it appeared that Atlanta seriously loomed a menace in the NFC, a conference no one ever imagined the Falcons being on the pathway to justify much description.

As to the immediate future, the Falcons balance and polish is a sign of ambition, built around the instant improvement of Smith's vigorous capacity as a defensive specialist, Ryan's mobility and precision, and lastly Turner's motion on the ground. On both sides of the ball, in the midst of the Falcon's emergence, what fun to watch a dynamic offense dictate the momentum in every game.

Make no mistake, they find ways to win by either brilliantly attacking on the ground or through the air. This is what best describes the Falcons, an offense-oriented team with the habit of maneuvering the pace of the game and outplaying a solid defensive unit.

But soon enough, inside their domain, where a noisy fan base unconditionally loves the Falcons, they'll be considered in conversation for mounting to superiority in the league as winning has evolved into commonplace. Admittedly, any other town, rooting on any other team, should be nervous, somewhat terrified of the Falcons third straight winning season.

My assumption is people will dwell on the impressive streak in the postseason, but as of now, the folks barely rave on such a brilliant season the Falcons are entertaining, busy praising other teams based on tradition and grandiosity. The disrespect looms at Atlanta, even if the rabid fans appreciate the growth of the overlooked Falcons. It's time for the world to realize this team is real.

The problem, of course, is that no one is kind in recognizing the rapid quickness of Turner. He couldn't possibly have been forgotten, where he has harvested his accomplished career as the primary running back of a predominant team. All because of his speedy cleats, he had 110 yards on the ground, leading the Falcons to another significant scene, becoming a common pattern in Atlanta.

Before the Falcons played the Packers on Sunday, which had won its last three games, Ryan was already verified as a star. What is knowingly is that a star was born, ever since his arrival a few seasons ago, during his impressive rookie season, a year the Falcons' faithful became accustomed to his ability to shine as a team leader and inside the locker room.

It's very alarming what the Falcons have done in their domain, as the Packers fell victim at an energized place where the carnival crowd turned nuts, witnessing the home team run the ball and throw it.

"We are fighting for home-field advantage," Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "We are on a roll and feeling good in here. It's huge to play here. It's home. It's energy. We play with more confidence here. It's a family atmosphere. We feed off the crowd and they feed off of us. When I came here from Houston, they used to say, 'Hey baby, we're in the dome today.' And I was like, 'What does that mean?' I found out."

Yeah, it's home sweet dome.

There’s no place like a festive, electrifying environment. Afterwards, the Falcons celebrated and won seven consecutive games in the dome, just as Ryan improved to 19-1 at home, amazingly winning 15 straight games within its territory. It's worth pointing out that the Falcons prefer home cooking, rather than room service.


What mattered the most is that the Falcons featured a rare breed in Ryan, carefully flinging the ball to his favorite target receiver Roddy White.

As usual, he accounted for 24 of 28 passes that ultimately was a factor in demoralizing the Packers and dismantling defensive coordinator Dom Capers' philosophy by exploiting his efficient mobility and craftiness to connect with nine different receivers against one of the league's top defenses and produce two 14-play, 80-yard, seven-and-a-half-minute touchdown drives.

"He's smart. He read our coverages. He ran outside the pocket and made some third-down throws. I had a lot of respect for him coming in. I feel no differently now," Capers said.

It would be fair to applaud the special teams, most notably by Eric Weems when he returned a kickoff 40 yards and endured a yanking of the facemask, which led to a penalty on Matt Wilhelm. In the next sequence, Ryan started from the Packers 49 and simply completed four consecutive passes to advance the ball to the 29, to make way for the game-winning field goal.

For one afternoon the Packers, one of the top-notch teams, led by Aaron Rodgers, had trouble slowing down the Falcons unstoppable speed on defense. It's always nice to credit the winners.

In retrospect, the Falcons are real.

NFL Needs To Protect Its League Before it's Too Late

So now, as if the scary trauma has barely created an everlasting debate, one discussion that has everyone fussing about hard blows to the head is that the NFL is refusing to ignore hamlet-to-hamlet hits. What they can do is set stricter barriers to eliminate the vicious, violent hits and finally realize the risk of players suffering concussions.

At last, the richest enterprise in sports has become medically aware of head injuries, a health issue that can risk long-term dangers to the brain. If an athlete suffers a concussion from a helmet-to-helmet blow, the league should respond proactively and levy suspensions to hard-hitting players who makes contact with opponents and sympathetically avoids a punishment after a brutal collision.

In theory, it should surprise no one that the NFL is contemplating whether or not a suspension will mitigate the head shots.

For a long time, this has been a heavy burden, and now that it is clearly evident in which fines aren’t enough to deter players from making nasty hits to the head, the league is closely evaluating the violent scenes, ready to enforce a harsher sanction.

Finally, the NFL is reacting to unnecessary violence and realizes players are sustaining serious injuries for dangerous hits or intentionally late shots.

Fair enough. The NFL, in a way, is compromising with the welfare of injured players, but the idea of possible suspensions doesn’t settle too well for some players. In fact, the latest fuss involving hits to the head is mandated in some ways, but viewed as an overreaction prior to three controversial incidents last Sunday. There has been much dialogue about brutality in football over the past week.

And before it is too late, the NFL must protect its league from tragedies, especially when the red flags are alarming and have shown signs of possible death. It’s not an issue the league can sugarcoat, but a common crisis that can quickly turn into a devastating scene if the NFL ignores the incidents and fails to address a perpetual dilemma.

At this very moment, it’s acceptable to assume that the league is considering suspending players for violent helmet-to-helmet hits. Earlier in the week, NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson said he could impose harsher fines and possible suspensions immediately.

“It could happen immediately,” Anderson said of the hazardous hits after several players sustained concussions Sunday. “The level of discipline on those types of hits is going to be much more aggressive…and that could include a suspension even for a first-time offender.”

You heard that? No warnings.

By the abundance of concussions lately, the uncompassionate hits to the head finally have caught the league’s attention. So no longer is the league lagging on a controversial trend, willing to protect their players from suffering a blow to the head and limiting the staggering growth of head injuries.

Just as the Players Association and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell examines the possibilities of neck and head trauma and revisits a longtime concern, former safety Rodney Harrison and former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who can easily be the league’s peacemaker, now are football analysts for NBC and advocate suspensions for harmful hits.

“Fines aren’t getting it done,” Anderson said. “Suspensions will get their attention.”

Absolutely.

Every way, that is, the NFL has informed its officiating crew to start ejecting players for flagrant helmet-to-helmet shots, a new policy that was plotted in a memo from supervisor of officials Mike Pereira. Over the years, there have been career-threatening injuries and deaths, and suddenly, the league is handling the issue with stricter measures.

Every player understands the risk factor, knowingly realizing that merciless hits are part of the game. It’s good to know that the NFL is fundamentally concerned with the health dangers of players, aiming to abate the number of helmets slamming into other helmets.

“Officials will be reminded this week to pay strict attention to these rules and disqualify the fouling player if the action is judged to be flagrant,” Pereira wrote in the memo. “Actions that involve flagrant helmet to helmet contact are the likely acts that will include disqualification. Our commissioner and this office remain very focused on the safety of players.”

In an era in which so many hits and collisions have threatened players’ careers or diagnosed star players with long-term health issues, the NFL is proactive in reacting to the tragic hits. More importantly, the NFL has implemented barriers governing to players who sustain vital blows to the head.

It was just over two weeks ago when a helmet-to-helmet hit that gave Houston quarterback Matt Schaub a concussion led to a $15,000 fine for San Diego cornerback Drayton Florence.

Few, if any, can recall the fine given to Washington safety LaRon Landry and will forfeit a game check of $16,764 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New York Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens.

Prior to his disastrous shot, Landry had been fined $7,500 for a pair of unnecessary roughness penalties. It’s a ruling that has been long overdue for a league with intense and violent plays and will lessen life-threatening injuries.

If nothing else, imposing rules and suspensions isn’t the toughest issue to tackle, given that concussions are inevitable in game of collisions and perilous hits. The NFL recently has had to address a battered crisis involving the well-being of players to avoid the possibilities of career-threatening injuries or even deaths.

There have been nightmarish moments that we can recall. A few years ago, former Bills’ player Kevin Everett suffered a life-threatening spinal-cord injury, a crestfallen incident that saddened us all.

Years ago, the late Darryl Stingley, who was paralyzed for the rest of his life, was a depressing tragedy in the sport known as America’s pastime.

And now, the league is smart for suggesting a new protocol to reduce illegal hits on defenseless players, to constitute a rule to stop collisions and to lessen injuries by enforcing precise rules.

The league is most famous for enforcing rules, and since the league is losing players to injury, this would be a good time to address the issue. Ever since Atlanta cornerback Dunta Robinson delivered a vicious shot to DeSean Jackson, the images are clearly a reality check for the NFL. All on the same day, a fine was given to New England free safety Brandon Meriweather for his hits on Baltimore’s tight end Todd Heap.

And in comparison, Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison had a pair of hard hits and nearly beheaded Cleveland receiver Josh Cribbs on a play. Seen as a defensive assassin, he has been known for making hard hits and unluckily was handed a fine for his shot on Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, even when it was ruled a legal hit.

He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in an interview on Tuesday that the hit on Massaquoi “was a legal hit.”

“All you have to do is look at the tape,” Harrison said.

Common sense tells us hard hits are triggering concussions. By enforcing stronger guidelines, it is considered the smartest idea.

Protect your league before it’s too late.