sky_driver

Well it finally happened, the Atlanta Falcons owner has fired coach Dan Reeves after 7 years ( yet only 2 years with the new owner) . While I agree it was probably for the best, it will be interesting to see how the Falcons do next year with a new coach. Everyone thinks that since Mike Vick is now back at QB, the Falcons will be a dominating team. Sorry to say... I don't think so. I think it will take several years of getting good draft picks, and some creative financing to stay within the salary cap in order to bring in some quality players who can come together and make the Falcons a winning team. I hate to say it, but I think it will be a long time before Atlanta has consistantly winning teams that make it to the championship game... and WIN the championship. And for anyone who says what about the Braves who have won 10 or so consecutive division titles....well winning the division is about the same as beating off... it feels good. But if all you can do is beat off... and that satisfies you... then you might as well stay at home, beat off, and keep to yourself. I personally want to see some championships.

NOTE: The date of my origional post was December 11, 2003. It has now been 3 years since that posting, and it looks as if I was right. I am not saying that I am right all the time, but unfortunatly this time I am.

And, it looks as if the Falcons might just fire current coach Jim Mora, not because of this recent radio comments about leaving the Falcons to go coach at his old college ( which he says was just a joke ), but because the Falcons continue to suck.

Again, the Falcons prove that having money, which owner Arthur Blank has, and is not hesitant to spend, means nothing if the talent just does not produce.

dragon2fire

boo


boo

dan reaves is one of the best coaches of all time firing him is a sad move i hope he ends up coaching a good team and kicking the flacons ass

spectre

I agree. Atlanta was considered a playoff lock this year and they were one of the worst teams in the league. Normally, a coach should be fired for that, but not in this case. The reason the team struggled was because of Mike Vick's injury. Teams should be able to win despite injury (see: Patriots), but not in this case. The offense was entirely built for Vick. Not for Johnson or the third string guy. The team suffered because of that, but if you look at the last few games, even before Vick came back, the Falcons were doing pretty well. I think the worst part of this was choosing to do this the week after beating the division leading Panthers. With the return of Vick, Atlanta was my Superbowl pick from the NFC next year, now, I think it's 50/50 that they'll make the playoffs (depending on if the NFC is as weak next year as it is this year).

__________________
"Fuck these chains
No goddamn slave
I will be different" ~ Machine Head

Spartak

A championship team begins with a championship coach.

I mean the word "unfair" came to mind when I heard the news. Yes, no one player is bigger than the team, but look at how pathetic the Falcons were without Vick, and look how well they played with Vick.

Ofcourse the defence won't be playing well when they are out on the field all the time because the anemic offense can't make plays. Either way it wasn't the coaches fault the team played with its chins down on both offense and defence, and Vick's 3 month break didn't help morale one bit.

Mind you Reeves was the only coach to beat the Pack in the playoffs at Lambeu. He wasn't given a fair deal this season at all.l

__________________
I can read your mind... looking at you... I can read your mind...

BigGov

Reeves wasn't the owners ideal coach. If someone buys a team, they have the right to decide who gets to coach their investment.

__________________
One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub together. They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints. The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust. The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer and continued drinking it, as if nothing had happened. The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink but then held it out over the beer and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, YOU BASTARD!"

ReggErving

Vick or no Vick, Atlanta was by far a not dominating team. Vick is still young and a quaterback that runs has only had limited sucess in the NFL. Where did Cunningham or Stewart get for running the ball so much, nothing. Actually Cunningham might have gotten a ring as a backup, sure. A winning quarteback is a guy that can throw the freaking ball.

__________________
...sitting on your bed with a samauri pose.

Spartak

Um.

Have you seen Vick play ? I swear his left arm is like a goddamn howitzer.

__________________
I can read your mind... looking at you... I can read your mind...

absorbentishe

I'm going with the concensus, that he really wasn't given a fair shake this year. Going into the year, the O was built for Vick, then an injury totally made them change, right before the season, and that's not an easy thing to do. The team was behind the 8-ball without Vick, and Reeves was just the fall guy for not winning. Too bad, but he'll bounce back to a winner.

Hrothgar

I see that firing Reeves really paid off for the Falcons...not.

__________________
The fortunes of war favored Hrothgar.

sky_driver

First of all, note that my origional post was dated Dec 11, 2003. It has now been 3 years since that posting, and it looks as if I was right. I am not saying that I am right all the time, but unfortunatly this time I am.

And, it looks as if the Falcons might just fire current coach Jim Mora, not because of his recent radio comments about leaving the Falcons to coach at his old college, but because the Falcons continue to suck.

Again, the Falcons prove that having money, which owner Arthur Blank is not hesitant to spend, means nothing if the talent just does not produce.

Psycho Dad

Too much credit goes to Vick for his running ability. If you have someone who should be handing the ball off and throwing it running with it instead, you need to explore why and fix it.

__________________
Don't always trust the opinions of experts.

Telluride

I agree. Mobile quarterbacks are good (Steve Young and Randall Cunningham, anybody?), but they are quarterbacks first and foremost.

__________________
"I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." - Friedrich Hayek

chopstix

After watching the dallas game on TV and the carolina game in person (worst. game. ever.), I'm not really sure if firing Mora will be a solution. At this point, it might be inevitable though. I say fire Greg Knapp and hire an offensive coordinator and a WR coach that will help teach the kids on how to catch a ball. Then, give Mora one more year to prove that he's a good coach.

Vick really is the most frustrating player to root for. Maybe the Falcons should *really* mix it up. QB platoon? Schaub is pretty decent, you know.

djtestudo

Trade Vick.

Offer him to Oakland for Randy Moss and their #1 pick this year (guaranteed top 2 overall essentially).

I cannot see Al Davis turning that down at this point. He doesn't seem to be a person making rational decisions at this point.

Then you can draft Brady Quinn (if not sold on Schaub), Calvin Johnson (another weapon) or Joe Thomas (top tackle prospect), and between that player, Schaub, Moss (in a place with little pressure), and the Dunn/Norwood platoon at running back, you have yourself a VERY good offense.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

The_Jazz

Why the hell would you want Randy Moss? He's on the downside of his career plus he's a head case. If you're going to trade for someone on the Raiders, get Lamont Jordan.

IMO the Raiders are the Knicks of the NFL - a once-proud franchise run into the ground by incompetent management that needs a couple of years of new people to even dig their way back to mediocracy.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

djtestudo

Randy Moss has become irrelevant in the Oakland "offense", but put him in a place with less pressure and a real offense like Atlanta, and I bet he turns his career around.

Plus, you get the pick in that suggested deal, and you can draft hometown hero Calvin Johnson as help, and later successor, for Moss.

And, you get rid of the 800-lb gorilla in the Georgia Dome: Vick.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

Psycho Dad

And here we go...


Art Shell will be next I assume. Unless you work for The Steelers, I think job security is hard to come by in the NFL.

__________________
Don't always trust the opinions of experts.

djtestudo

Next move better be a Vick trade, or else Black is just making a move for the sake, without actually trying to fix anything.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

boom29

Atlanta...you just gave Michael Vick two more years of excuses. Sorry Falcons' fans.