This wasn't how the Falcons' story was supposed to end

This wasn't how the Falcons' story was supposed to end
January 4 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Columnist Jeff Schultz

"This was the team you expected in September. The team before the unlikely metamorphosis, the one before the rookie quarterback and the unassuming coach and the beleaguered owner who really would've settled for a little peace and quiet and maybe two Tylenol somehow became the NFL's feel good story.

They couldn't block. They couldn't run. They couldn't defend. The rookie of the year quarterback looked, well, just the rookie part. Penalties. Turnovers. Maybe even a little stage fright.

Everything you expected for 16 games? It showed up in the 17th. In their first playoff appearance in four years, the Falcons lost to Arizona, 30-24.

Feeling a little unsatisfied? You should. This isn't the time for polite exit applause.

"There's not a lot of positives right now," said Keith Brooking, who played on a Super Bowl team as a rookie and knows better than anyone about limited windows of opportunity. "I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart. Losers look at things like, 'Well, we turned it around. We went 11-5.' That's not the way I look at things."

You think, "But the future looks great." But do you ever really know? In 2004, the Falcons reached the NFC title game against Philadelphia with a rookie coach (Jim Mora) and a highlight reel of a quarterback (Michael Vick). Then the sinkhole opened. That was the franchise's last postseason appearance before Saturday.

Coach Mike Smith has referenced "the process" after every game. Who figured after so many improbable moments that the process's ugly stepsister finally would show up.

Matt Ryan's first regular season pass was a touchdown. His first playoff pass was an interception. The season and the playoff followed accordingly.

This was Ryan's 21st game (including exhibitions), which is nine more than a typical college season. It showed. He missed receivers. He forced passes into coverage. He sometimes didn't react well to Arizona's pass rush, which was constant because the Falcons couldn't run. He completed 26-of-40 passes, was intercepted twice and sacked three times.

Ryan again denied hitting a wall or hiding an injury. ("I felt fine. I felt the same as I have all year," he said.)

If he was being truthful, then opposing defenses simply found a gear that Ryan wasn't ready for.

He wasn't the same quarterback in the last four weeks. His reactions showed it and the numbers confirm it. He had 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions in the first 13 games, but four touchdowns and six interceptions in the last four.

He also was sacked seven times in the last four games after being dropped once in the previous five. Part of that is protection. But it's also pocket awareness.

"I think he'd like to have some throws back," Smith said. "But this is a new experience for him and it's a new experience for our football team."

The Falcons were punched in the mouth. It's not that they backed down. They just seldom had much of a counter.Link