(1) After defeating the Green Bay Packers to improve to an NFC-best 9-2 record, the Atlanta Falcons are starting to look like a team that possesses that special something that differentiates elite teams from good ones. It may be hard to put your finger on that special quality that all great teams possess, but it is easy to see that something is different when a team starts to exhibit it. When a team starts to click like the Falcons, a lot of people look first to the atmosphere in the locker room as a reason for their success. Chemistry is the word that starts to get thrown around because it is nearly impossible to consistently win games in any sport if the locker room is fractured or in a state of disarray. I think it is pretty clear that the Atlanta Falcons have a harmonious clubhouse, which means a lot of credit should be given to General Manager Thomas Dimitroff for assembling the right pieces, Head Coach Mike Smith for molding the pieces correctly on the football field and the veterans on the roster for policing the behavior of the team from week to week. Keep in mind that the Atlanta franchise had never had back-to-back winning seasons before the arrival of Dimitroff and Smith and now they have put together three consecutive winning seasons. I think the lion share of the credit should go to Dimitroff for making decisions based on his natural instincts backed up by thorough research rather than listening to naysayers that didn’t think Mike Smith was head coaching material or Michael Turner was capable of being a full-time starter or Roddy White didn’t deserve superstar money.
In addition to the great decisions from the front office, the Falcons are getting great leadership on the field from the most important position in the sport. Matt Ryan has been everything that he was expected to be and more since joining the Falcons before the 2008 season. He has provided stability for a franchise that was kicked in the stomach twice by Mike Vick’s dog-fighting conviction and Bobby Petrino’s cowardly return to the college ranks. On the field, he has proven to his teammates that he has the necessary toughness, preparation and skill to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. He has taken his game to a whole other level at home by compiling a 19-1 record in the Georgia Dome, which tied Danny White for the best winning percentage in a player’s first 20 starts at home during the Super Bowl era. As a result, Ryan has the Falcons working on a five game winning streak, which is the longest streak since 1998, and a six game winning streak in games decided by a touchdown or less. Great teams protect the home field and find ways to win close games and no team is doing it better than the Atlanta Falcons. The confidence that they have going right now is being fueled by Matt Ryan’s ascension into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks, which has Atlanta feeling like they are going to win every game. It is the reason that the Falcons were not concerned when Green Bay scored the tying touchdown with just 56 seconds left in the game. Roddy White said it best after the game: “We’ve got Matty Ice. Ice cold. He just keeps moving the sticks.” With a favorable schedule down the stretch, I see the Falcons winning 13 games and home field advantage throughout the entire NFC playoffs. Considering the Falcons success at home under Matt Ryan, I don’t think any NFC team wants to go to the Georgia Dome in January.
(2) The San Diego Chargers are on a roll once again. They are riding a four game winning streak and head into an imminently winnable stretch of games in a month of the year when Norv Turner has never lost a game as their coach. They get an opportunity to get revenge for losses to Oakland and Kansas City over the next two weeks followed by three games against opponents (San Francisco, Cincinnati and Denver) with a combined record of 8-24. The Chargers are the 5th team since the merger to lead the NFL in total offense and defense after Week 12 and two of the previous four teams won the Super Bowl. I’m not saying that the Bolts are going all the way, but they are dominating on both side of the football and even their special teams unit has played solidly the last two weeks. If anyone has any questions about how good the Chargers are right now, they should probably ask some of the members of the Indianapolis Colts, who were just handed their worst home loss since 1997 by San Diego. It also happened to be the worst home defeat in Peyton Manning’s illustrious career. The Chargers continued to have the Colts’ number and have beaten Indianapolis five times in six games, including twice during the playoffs. In addition, they continued their domination of Manning as well. Their number one ranked defense made sure that Manning never felt comfortable in the pocket, which resulted in four interceptions as Manning got more skittish as the game wore on. Manning may have exorcised his New England demons, but he has yet to find an answer for the San Diego defense. The loss ended the NFL’s longest run of consecutive 12-win seasons at seven and exposed a number of red flags that should have ownership, front office personnel, coaches, players and fans very worried. The offense is not clicking without the services of Austin Collie, Joseph Addai and Dallas Clark. In addition, the pass protection has been horrendous and the running game has been nonexistent. Indy managed only 24 yards rushing against San Diego, which proved to be an ineffective counterbalance to the passing game. As a result, the burden has fallen to Manning to carry the entire offense and he doesn’t have the faith in his offensive line or his wide receivers to allow the offense to function correctly. The Chargers and Colts are a case of teams going in opposite directions. I fully expect the Bolts to win the AFC West again. They are getting healthy at the right time, they have an MVP candidate at quarterback and their defense is playing a suffocating brand of football. Conversely, I think it is going to take all of Manning’s veteran moxie to will the Colts to the playoffs. If things play out just right, Manning might get a chance to remove the San Diego gorilla from his back during a wild card playoff game.
(3) I continue to be impressed by what Sam Bradford is accomplishing in his rookie season in the NFL. He has not only been the best rookie quarterback in the NFL, but he has been one of the best quarterbacks period since the middle of October. In his last six games, starting with an October 17th match-up with San Diego and ending this past Sunday, Bradford has thrown 11 touchdowns and only one interception while posting a 97.1 passer rating. Unfortunately, the Rams have only gone 3-3 during that stretch, but the team’s mediocre record will not stop Bradford from winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He is playing so well that he might win the award unanimously. Overall, Bradford has his team in first place and he is on pace to throw 25 touchdowns this season and post a solid 82.0 passer rating. Remarkably, Bradford is on pace to throw just 13 interceptions this season, which would be two less than the number of interceptions that Drew Brees has thrown after 12 weeks. I know that the St. Louis offense has not asked Bradford to push the ball down the field, which explains his 32nd ranked yards per attempt number (out of 33 eligible quarterbacks), but his play is nothing short of a miracle when you factor in the talent that he has been forced to work with. In fact, he is matching or surpassing the rookie campaigns of some of the greatest quarterbacks in the game today. For example, Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions and posted a below average 71.2 passer rating during his first season as an NFL quarterback. Another comparison that should send St. Louis fans into a frenzy would be to contrast Bradford’s numbers with Tom Brady’s first full season as a starter. In 2001, Brady threw 18 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions and posted an 86.5 passer rating. More importantly, Brady won his first Super Bowl title after the 2001 season and has been a perennial Pro Bowl and MVP candidate ever since. Obviously, Brady was blessed with a much better supporting cast during his first season as a starting quarterback, so Rams fans shouldn’t run out and make Super Bowl plans just yet. The point that I’m trying to make is that Bradford is playing very well for a rookie and his production compares favorably to some of the best quarterbacks that the game has to offer. If the Rams can successfully upgrade the talent at wide receiver and tight end, then I would expect Bradford’s yards per attempt to increase at least to the middle of the pack next season. In the end, Bradford’s rapid development is bad news for the rest of the NFC West.
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