Last night concluded Week 1 of the 2010 NFL Season. No matter what, Week 1 always ends up compromising the hopes and dreams of half of the players, team personnel, and fans of this league, because only half of the teams can come away with a win. This week was brutal for my teams, but I saw a lot about which to be encouraged, and now that a couple of days have passed I can write about those first games with a little bit of objectivity. (Look, a "little bit" of objectivity is all I can ever muster when it comes to my NFL teams. It's the best I can do. Deal with it.)
I'll cover some of the other games of interest as the week passes, but I'll start with the one that impacted me the most: the Atlanta Falcons lost a heartbreaker at Heinz Field to the Pittsburgh Steelers. I dislike the Steelers because I'm a lifelong Browns fan, so in addition to my natural hope that my team would prevail, I had a deeply rooted desire to see the Steelers embarrassed at Heinz Field, just because that would have been a little more fun for me. I also felt that we should have been able to pull off a win based solely on the fact that Dennis Dixon was starting at quarterback, even though I'm always the first to acknowledge that looking past any team at any time for any reason is an unwise move, especially if that team has home field advantage. Alas, a win was not in the cards for the Falcons.
I was furious during and immediately after the game, because that loss was just so disappointing, but now that a couple of days have passed and I've gained some perspective, I did see some things I'm excited about, and also see some things where a more balanced understanding of what happened is necessary. Let me elaborate:
Defense, Defense, Defense
Anyone who follows Falcons football can tell you that we have struggled defensively in the recent past. Our defense looked sharp on Sunday. We didn't always put as much pressure on Dixon as I would have liked, and we had trouble containing Mendenhall when it counted the most, but by and large, this is a significantly improved Falcons defense. That's going to make a huge difference this season.
Matt Ryan
People are already discussing whether or not Matt Ryan is "the guy" for Atlanta. Let me be clear--I love Matt Ryan, and I think he can do it. He completed 61% of his passes against one of the best defenses in the league. What I was uncomfortable with were his "deer in the headlights" looks on the passes he didn't complete. He's still broadcasting his passes and he's too easy for defenses to read. But, he is a hard worker and a smart QB, and he's willing to put the time in to improve. He'll get there.
Michael Turner and the Running Game
I want to see another 1,000 yard rushing season for Michael Turner this year. We have to figure out how to give him some room and let him go. Ovie Mughelli is great at creating space for him--I think Mike Mularkey needs to fine-tune our running schemes to make it happen. And, I think that on short-yardage situations, Ovie needs to get some opportunities. He's a great asset in a short-yardage situation. Jerious Norwood had more success than Michael Turner in Sunday's matchup, but as always, his fragility is a concern and I think his carries have to be kept to a minimum. However, I think if they use him intelligently he can be a game-changer. Jason Snelling was kind of a non-factor in Week 1, but he's talented. We can't just expect Michael Turner to carry the entire offense. We have a lot of depth and talent at running back, and we need to use it effectively.
Receiving
First things first--I loved seeing Harry Douglas back in action. I was also really happy for Tony Gonzalez, one of the best tight ends to ever play the game and a future Hall of Famer, as he made his way into the record books with his 1000th catch. That being said, Ryan has to work on his accuracy, and he can't throw to Tony Gonzalez every time. We have so much talent offensively that it's unacceptable to be as ineffective as we were against the Steelers defense. Also, we have to score touchdowns at some point! However, it would be irresponsible to not acknowledge how tough that Steelers D is.
Home Field Advantage
Home field advantage is a huge factor in professional football, and Heinz Field is, in my opinion, one of the most difficult places for a visiting team to play in this league. We're back in the Dome this week, where the Falcons will be surrounded by our fans, and where noise is a huge advantage for the Dirty Birds.
Matt Ryan's Interception
Troy Polomalu is a beast. He's one of the best defensive players ever. That Matty Ice came out of that game with only one INT was actually pretty impressive.
Matt Bryant
I will admit, when Bryant was selected as the kicker for this season, I was more than a little skeptical after seeing him miss some chip shot kicks in preseason. However, he was literally the only scorer in Sunday's matchup so I will cut the guy some slack for now.
Looking Toward the Cardinals
If I know anything about this coaching staff, they're working hard this week to correct mistakes and to prepare this team to beat the Cardinals in our house. I'm looking forward to celebrating the first win of the season this Sunday!
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