Hello Everyone on Buccaneer land. I am the Fantastical Falconer. I am a little late to the table but I have been watching both teams for over a month. Many in Champa Bay are overlooking Atlanta. Julio Jones is gone, the team is rebuilding, everything is in flux. Instead of birds of prey, many think of the Falcons as of team of birds to be preyed upon. Not so fast. We are division rivals that play twice a year. Division games are the hardest. I’m thinking we are going to win one of the two games we play against one another. So before you think that it’s going to be easy, that you will just pluck our feathers. Think again. We might well be the team that keeps you from going undefeated. Think about that.
Offense
At first, the offense did not seem like much. In the 1st preseason game, they looked like what they were. A nervous group of second and third stringers fighting for a spot on the roster. At times they looked confused and other times they just simply did not execute. No one on the front line seemed to have an idea of how to work as a team. There was a myriad of false starts, holding penalties ns missed blocks. It was ugly. But by the 2nd game, they had improved immensely. Which was easy to see because they sucked so bad in the 1st. The offense worked up and down the field. Just when it looked good A.J. McCarron was injured. Which could work out well in his favor. From what I saw he was playing himself out of the backup job and into the ‘to be released’ category. The running game started to look more cohesive. There were actual holes to run through. But not many.
Defense
Well, can someone finally say “scheme”? Or could it be that we have uncovered some ever-elusive “talent”?Whatever the case may be. the defensive side of the ball showed what a new coach and players can bring. Continuity when the unit buys in. They were aggressive. They were tactical. They started to show a resemblance of playing as a team. But most importantly they showed potential. Take all of this with a grain of salt as this was what we think are the second and third-team players… but if I am not mistaken, I saw several sacks and pass disruptions that make me eager to see what this unit can do as they mesh. The defense has surpassed my early expectations for the preseason so far. They have aggressiveness, speed, and talent. I am looking forward to seeing this side of the ball as the season progresses.
Summation:
When you factor in that the Falcons have a new head coach in Arthur Smith. Thus new assistant coaches and coordinators. Newness, whether it was the coaches or players was evident. A lot of work and decisions have to be made and made quickly. But when you bring in new coordinators, new coaches, and new players and put them on the field. They will get that pass in the 1st season. Simply because there is a lot going on and a lot of work to do. Hopefully, if the right decisions are made, the team will find its identity. When that happens the players will start to adapt and acclimate to fit the narrative. -The Falcons had not played their third game by the time I finished this post. I will cover that next week-