Pro Football Atlanta Falcons flying lower with each week by The Gaming Today’s; Ted Sevransky

PRO FOOTBALL ATLANTA FALCONS

Matt Ryan is throwing picks, something that didn’t happen very
often in the Falcons 13-3 season last year. Ryan opened up against Houston with
a 3-and-out, then interceptions on his next two drives. He only threw 9 INT’s in
2010 but already has 12 dozen this season.

This passing game simply isn’t potent right now. Roddy White has
been battling injuries, lacking the explosive burst that’s such a big part of
his game. Julio Jones has also been unable to stay healthy. Harry Douglas has
only 3 TD catches in three years, never living up to expectations. Tony Gonzalez
doesn’t seem to have much left in the tank. We saw numerous drops and no
improvement from a Falcons team that came into the game leading the league in
dropped passes.

If you’re looking for more reasons why the Falcons have declined
so dramatically from last year, the running game is another culprit. Michael
Turner cannot be nicknamed ‘The Burner’ at this stage of his career. He’s a
between the tackles plodder these days; a rich man’s Peyton Hillis, down from
4.9 ypc two years ago to 4.2. Twice, they didn’t even trust Turner to gain a
yard on third and short, throwing incomplete passes. This doesn’t look like a
playoff team right now.

PRO FOOTBALL ARIZONA CARDINALS

Ken Whisenhunt has spent years trying to remold the Cardinals into
his version of “Pittsburgh West,” – a run-first offensive team that can make big
plays with the vertical passing game. We’re finally seeing the Cardinals play
that style. This offensive line has, at long last, learned how to run block,
creating holes for Beanie Wells. Wells is finally living up to the promise that
he showed at Ohio State as a first round pick – a downhill runner thriving on
bulldozing opposing defenders.

Wells wasn’t close to matching his 228 yard performance at St.
Louis last week, but the Cards had the offensive balance they’ve been coveting.
On my list of potential December point spread sleepers, Arizona ranks fairly
high.

Kevin Kolb hurts from the “value” standpoint. Right now, he’s not
much better than John Skelton, but the betting markets say that Kolb is worth at
least 2-3 points more. After halftime, Kolb was a completely different QB
against Dallas – hitting receivers downfield and creating extra time with his
feet.

PRO FOOTBALL CAROLINA PANTHERS

The Panthers spent the first part of the season losing games but
covering point spreads; 1-4 SU, but 4-1 ATS. They spent the next portion unable
to live up to inflated market expectations – again 1-4 SU, but slumping to 1-4
ATS and losing three times by 2 TD’s or more. Carolina sure looks like a good
candidate for a late season SU and ATS surge.

Foremost, they are playing hungry. It’s clear they’ve got good
leadership both from rookie QB Cam Newton and veterans like Pro Bowl receiver
Steve Smith. There haven’t been many questions about the Panthers offense, it’s
the defense that has been the culprit in numerous losses.

The defense wasn’t very good against Tampa Bay, even against a
bottom tier starting QB making his first start since 2009. Ron Rivera was the
defensive coordinator in San Diego and Chicago prior to getting the Panthers
head coaching job. He’s got his work cut out for him with this sorry stop unit,
the only reason I don’t have a major ‘buy’ sign on right now.

PRO FOOTBALL DALLAS COWBOYS

This offense isn’t the same without Miles Austin stretching
opposing defenses. Without Tony Romo’s favorite big play threat, the passing
game is mostly of “dink and dunk.” Without much respect for the deep ball, we’re
seeing more eight man fronts, limiting DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones’ ability
to create big plays out of the running game.

It gets even worse without their injured FB Tony Fiammetta, who
serves as their lead back on most rushing plays. The Cowboys offense was largely
non-productive on Thanksgiving Day against the Dolphins and very sluggish
against the Cardinals. Heck, they didn’t convert a single third down before the
two minute warning of the first half. This offense needs an infusion of good
health fast or the season could slide into mediocrity in a big hurry.

PRO FOOTBALL MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Cluster injuries in the secondary at both cornerback and safety
have left this pass defense without much talent these days, even against a
bottom tier Denver pass offense. Playing eight men in the box against a
run-heavy offense leaves that struggling secondary in a lot of single coverage
on the outside, a recipe for disaster.

Percy Harvin is the only playmaker in this offense right now. The
coaching staff is making every effort to get Harvin the ball in space. He was a
difference maker against Denver, just like last week in Atlanta when nearly
singlehandedly earning Vikings supporters a “push.”

Toby Gerhart was a dominant back at the collegiate level, but he’s
never gotten a real opportunity in the NFL playing behind Adrian Peterson. With
Peterson out, Gerhart delivered some hits and solid between the tackles in
probably his best game as a pro. Rookie QB Christian Ponder is making some good
throws and some good reads. Impressive.

PRO FOOTBALL SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

It seems as if all the 49ers hype (not that there was much)
completely died after their Thanksgiving night loss at Baltimore in the Harbaugh
vs. Harbaugh coaching battle. And sure, teams like the Packers and Saints get
all the hype when it comes to the NFC playoff picture, deservedly so,
considering that they are the last two Super Bowl winners.

A single, hard fought loss in a very hostile environment doesn’t
change the fact that these Niners are tough as nails, particularly on the
defensive side of the football. There’s no debate here – Vic Fangio’s defense is
the best in the NFC.

There’s no way Alex Smith is going to trade points with the likes
of Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, but if the Niners can keep those teams in the
20’s, they’ve got a fighting chance in the playoffs. Throw in kicker David Akers
and his 6-of-6 on field goal attempts beyond 50 yards and you can see the point
spread potential for the Niners into January.

Potential key injury when star linebacker Patrick Willis went down
with a hamstring. If he’s hurt for any length of time, this defense loses a very
key cog.

PRO FOOTBALL ST. LOUIS RAMS

AJ Feeley is no pocket passer; the antithesis of the injured Sam
Bradford in that regard. Feeley has been a second tier backup for many years;
about halfway between Matt Moore (good) and Tyler Palko (bad) on my list of
backup QB’s. Feeley needs to roam in the pocket to be successful.

Unfortunately the OL is so weak in pass protection that he doesn’t
even get good opportunities to scramble out of the pocket and create. Right now,
this line is good for about a second’s worth of pass protection – truly a bottom
tier unit. There’s a reason Bradford, seems to be hurt all the time!

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